TW: Panic Attack

Despite nearly a week having passed since Ochako and Tsu went on their date, Mineta's words still played in Ochako's head. Of course, Ochako knew that she should ignore Mineta, everybody else supported her and Tsu, so why should she focus on the negative words of one asshole. But, negative words always seemed to strike the hardest and linger longer than positive statements, this was especially true when it came to Ochako. 

No matter how many times her classmates stated their support and congratulated Ochako and Tsu for their relationship, Mineta's words were still prevalent in her mind. Whenever Ochako laid down to sleep at night, Mineta's lispy voice would fill her mind, spouting words she knew were false, and yet she could not help but listen to, letting them stain her soul with doubt and fear. Of course, her doubt and fears would never cause her to break up with Tsu, that wasn't an option in the slightest. Ochako had been crushing on Tsu for a while, and she wasn't going to let her doubt get in the way of her having a relationship. 

Still... Ochako couldn't help but think that she was going to have to face these sorts of problems when she finally became a pro hero. She was going to have to put up with homophobic and biphobic comments and people. Of course, Ochako was well aware that she shouldn't internalise these thoughts. She was well aware that she shouldn't keep her doubts and fears to herself, lest they poison her and cause the downfall of her relationships, both romantic and platonic. So, with slight reluctance, Ochako resolved herself to discuss her doubts and the constant press of Mineta's words on her mind with her friends.

The clamour of UA's cafeteria sounded out around the group of friends who were all huddled around one table. The closely-knit group of peers were missing one member, that member being Iida who had to attend the monthly class rep meeting. Ochako fiddled with her fingers and kept her eyes resolutely on her lunch as she spoke, nerves tingling through her mind. 

"So... Yeah, Mineta's words just keep playing over and over again in my head. It's awful, in all honesty. I feel like his words shouldn't be affecting me this much, but I can't help but feel like I should just grow up and stop worrying. I'm gonna have to deal with this when we become pros, right? If I'm open about my sexuality?" Ochako explained to Midoriya, Todoroki and Tsu.

There was silence for a second as her friends digested what she had said and computed it in their minds. When Ochako's words gained meaning in all of their minds, Tsu reached out and took her girlfriend's hand into her's, giving it a reassuring squeeze as she did so. 

"I understand where you're coming from, Ochako, his words have been bothering me as well. And that's completely ok," Tsu reassured her girlfriend, offering her a kind and gentle smile whilst doing so. 

"Yeah, you shouldn't have to feel guilty about who you are!" Midoriya enthused, "What Mineta was saying was foul and, unfortunately, there are going to be other people like that out in the world, but we're here to help you! Not having a thick skin right now doesn't mean you won't develop one in the future, even though you shouldn't have to."

"I believe you have the right to be affected by Mineta's words, they were uncalled for and disgusting." Todoroki intoned. 

"Yeah, I understand that," Ochako sighed, "I just wish I wasn't so affected. It's a weakness." 

"It doesn't matter if you have a few weaknesses, that's what makes you human. Being bothered by Mineta isn't a bad thing, practically everything he says is aggravating in some way or another. What matters is that you share what's on your mind so that we can help you. We're in this relationship together, and his words affect me as well, we can find comfort in each other's support. We can tell a teacher about his behaviour. There's a limit to how much they can allow him to get away with." Tsuyu comforted sagely.

 Her hand hadn't left Ochako's throughout the entire conversation. It was a constant anchor for Ochako to return to, a constant point of contact that reminded the usually bubbly girl that she was loved and that she could share her problems with her girlfriend. A reminder that she had a partner who she trusted dearly.

"Thank you, Tsu. And you guys as well." Ochako hummed. She wiped her cheeks of the few tears that had slipped from her eyes, and she straightened her back just a bit. Maybe Mineta was a misogynistic prick who only viewed women in a sexual light and reduced them to objects, but Ochako wasn't going to let his words consume her any longer. She was a hero-in-training, all she had to do was kick his ass to the sun and back to prove that she was more than how he viewed her. She had her friends to support her. And, if Ochako really reflected on it deeply, this was simply a learning experience for herself. Now she knew what sort of things would be said to her when she became a pro hero, and she could build defences for that. 

After school activities for the students of Class 2A ranged from person to person. Some people, the more studious members of the class, elected to immediately start on their homework. They were, after all, attending a prestigious school, and the amount and level of work they received reflected that. Even the students with the lowest marks would most likely do well within an ordinary school. Some students decided to relax by themselves in their rooms, their social batteries needing recharging before they could attend dinner with the rest of their boisterous classmates later that evening. And some members of the class, being the social butterflies of the group, decided to hang out with their friends. Whether they be hanging in the common area, outside in the gardens or in somebody's room, certain students in the class were sure to be putting off at least some of their responsibilities in order to relax with their friends, fully aware that they would soon be panicking about not having completed their homework. One such group consisted of none other than Kaminari, Mina, Kirishima, Sero, Kyoka and Bakugo. Of course, Kyoka and Bakugo were dragged into hanging out, and nine times out of ten did their homework whilst the others messed about. The same thing was happening (minus Kyoka, for she was studying with Momo) on a Thursday evening. 

"Bakubro, relax and have some fun, dude!" Kaminari whined, "You're always doing homework,"

"Well somebody has to since all of your lazy asses are too preoccupied fucking around!" Bakugo snapped, only looking up from the paper he was erratically writing on for a brief second so that he could glare at his friend. 

"We always get our homework in on time, I think that's all that matters," Mina commented with a smile.

"And the only reason you get your work in on time is that someone always helps you at the last minute. Me, Deku, Icyhot, Ponytail, Ears, Glasses and a shit ton of other people." Bakugo snarked.

"Hey! Those are study sessions, dude, it's a 'give and take' deal, some might say." Kirishima laughed. Sero nodded along in a faux wise manner, stroking the impossibly long beard that he, in fact, did not have. 

"Whatever, you losers do what you want," Bakugo scoffed. And with that, his full attention was once again directed solely towards the history textbook open on the table in front of him. 

The group of friends, on this particular evening, had found themselves lounging around Kaminari's room. With its mess of random objects and hats that the boy owned but never wore. Sero and Kaminari were playing a racing game on the TV, both boys sat side by side on the blond's bed, jostling each other in an attempt to make the other mess up. Kirishima, despite not doing his homework, was sat with Bakugo by the table, eyes glued to the TV, though he would occasionally glance over Bakugo's shoulder to catch a glimpse of his work. Mina was seated rather comfortably on a beanbag beside Kaminari's bed. Her eyes were glued to her phone, though her gaze flickered up to the TV so that she could keep track of the race and make sure that the boys didn't cheat her out of her upcoming turn. Everything was as it usually was. It was a calm and familiar atmosphere, the room was full of various noises (the game, Mina's phone and the rough scratching of Bakugo's pen against paper), so really Mina thought there was no reason for the next events to transpire, and yet they did. Because the human mind, with all its complexities, didn't like to listen to logic. Especially Mina's mind. 

"This is fucking stupid!" Bakugo roared. Having finally finished his homework for the evening, the boy had joined his friends in playing games. Mina chuckled at the blond's anger, anybody who knew him well could tell that he wasn't actually angry, however, anger seemed to be the only way Bakugo knew how to express himself, so Mina let it slide. For now.

"Ha! Get over it, Bakugo!" Mina taunted, "Just accept that I'm better than you in fighting games and admit defeat!"

"Never!" Bakugo sneered, redoubling his efforts in the game. Of course, this only meant that he was hitting the same buttons harder than he had been before. Unlike Bakugo, Mina was actually using combos and lining up her attacks perfectly in order to beat her companion. Bakugo may be smart when it came to real-life fighting, but his video game skills were abysmal. 

Mina was about to taunt Bakugo a bit more, poke the snappy boy a little in order to rile him up when her phone rang. Without looking, Mina scooped it off of the floor and accepted it, holding it between her cheek and shoulder so that she could continue to play.

"Hey, this is Mina," Mina greeted, her eyes glued firmly to the TV.

"Hello, Miss Ashido, this is Musutafu Police Department," a pleasant voice announced from the other side of the phone. Mina's fingers faltered on the controller's buttons, allowing Bakugo's character to kick her off of the stage. 

"We are calling in regard to the police report you filed a month or so ago," the person on the other end of the line continued, "Unfortunately, we were unable to identify and find your perpetrator, so this case can not be taken to court. Furthermore, we believed that we would not be able to prosecute the perpetrator due to a lack of evidence, this is the reason that the police have formally closed your case."

Mina's breath began to pick up, her chest ached and all of the noise around her blurred into one incomprehensible mess. All she could focus on was the voice in her ear. 

"What do you mean there's a lack of evidence. There's camera footage from the shop! You can see it happening!" Mina snapped.

"I'm truly sorry Miss Ashido, but the footage was not clear enough for us to see his face. Additionally, the footage does not explicitly show what you are accusing the man of, therefore, we cannot pursue this case. There is simply a lack of evidence." the person on the other end of the call didn't sound sorry. Their voice was devoid of all emotion. Maybe they were used to making calls like this, calls which destroyed people's hope for justice. 

"How the fuck do you want me to prove that I was sexually harassed! Borderline sexually assaulted! The camera's in those types of shopping centres are always high quality to stop shoplifting and kidnapping! The footage should be clear enough!" Mina shouted, her voice was bordering on hysterical. Distantly, she realised that all of the other noise in the room had come to a halt. She could feel eyes on her, but she didn't care. Her heart was racing. Her breaths were ragged and burned as they left and entered her throat. She was finding it hard to focus on anything. All that existed in the world, at that moment, was her and the phone operator. 

"I'm truly sorry, Miss Ashido, but there is nothing we can do. Thank you for understanding and have a good day." the line went dead. The operator had hung up.

Numbly, Mina lowered the phone from her ear and stared blankly at the TV. She didn't comprehend the screen frozen on two characters stood still. She didn't notice the worried voices of her friends as they asked if she was alright and what the call had been about. Her mind was blank except for one constant thought. He was still out there, he could come and get her again. 

It took a while for Mina to calm down. The first thing that she gained recollection of were the worried and frenzied voices of her friends. They were full of fear, even Bakugo sounded scared.

"I... I don't know what we should do, dude! She's just staring at the TV... She's unresponsive!" Kaminari's frantic voice pierced through Mina's consciousness. She wondered how long she had been unresponsive, it felt like she had been floating in the recesses of her mind for years. 

"I can see that, dipshit!" Bakugo snapped, "Just call Aizawa. Something clearly happened with the case, it was probably the police on the phone. Call Aizawa now!" 

Near instantly Mina heard the sound of a dial tone somewhere off to her left, it was most likely Sero calling their homeroom teacher. Despite seemingly being able to process noise again, Mina still felt numb and she couldn't draw her eyes away from the point they had fixed upon. The words entered her mind, but she couldn't fully understand them. She heard the noises but didn't know what it meant. She felt like a baby, vulnerable and incapable of comprehending the intricate complexities of the world. 

"There's not a lot we can do without potentially causing her more panic. Just remember our training. We should speak to her in soft and soothing tones and ask her to list things that she can see. She might be in shock or suffering from a panic attack," Kirishima's voice registered distantly.

"Aizawa is on his way," Sero inputted quietly. Kirishima shuffled over to Mina and started going through the exercises they had been taught, but she didn't respond. She stared straight ahead, lost in her mind. 

When Aizawa finally appeared, the boys were more worried than ever. Mina still hadn't moved an inch from where she had been sat for the past five minutes. The only sign of movement on her entire person was her periodic blinking. Other than that, it was as if Mina was cosplaying a statue. 

"What happened?" Aizawa immediately asked upon seeing the scene within Kaminari's room. Mina sat, unresponsive, and the four boys gathered around her at a suitable distance panic and fear alight in their eyes.

"She just got a call and started shouting. After she just... went like this..." Bakugo explained haltingly. 

"Do you know who the call was from?" Aizawa asked patiently. He knelt beside Mina and hovered his hand over her shoulder, he knew that touching the girl's shoulder without forewarning her could have negative consequences. 

"Umm... We think it was the police, she shouted something about sexual harassment, so," Kirishima coughed awkwardly. 

Aizawa scowled as he picked up Mina's phone and glanced at the recent incoming calls. Indeed, the number belonged to Musutafu Police Department. Internally, Aizawa fumed. Mina was a minor, so any concerns or news on her case was to be given when a legal guardian was present with her, not whilst she was on her own. Seeing as Aizawa was legally responsible for every ward in his class, the police department should have called him, and not Mina herself.

"Mina, listen closely to my voice, ok? You are safe here. You are not in any danger. Do you remember where you are?" Aizawa spoke in a calm, soothing voice (well, as soothing as he could get it).

It took a minute and some more gentle coaxing before Mina was able to reply, "I'm in Kami's room."

"Good, do you remember what you were doing before the phone call?"

"I was beating Bakugo at a video game," 

Mina's response sparked a grunt of displeasure from Bakugo, but otherwise, everybody else was silent.

"Great. We're going to go to my office now, Mina, so that you can calm down enough for you to talk about the phone call and what they said, ok?" Aizawa hesitantly put his hand on Mina's shoulder, waiting to see if she would cringe away from him. When she didn't, Aizawa helped his students to stand and led her out of the room. 

The four boys exchanged heavy looks. They felt as though they couldn't simply go on playing games after what they had just witnessed, it would feel wrong to do something so carefree without Mina's jovial presence there with them. Ultimately, they all decided to simply head into the common area where they were bound to find some others. The entire time they were hanging out there before dinner, their expressions were dour and they were worried for their friend. 

Friday found the entirety of class 2A in the common area, all of them armed with lists of varying sizes. Already, some of the class had read out their lists, announcing what they were and weren't comfortable with and things that upset them. Common themes amongst those who had already spoken included not talking about the past attacks the class had faced and maintaining personal space. Both were understandable given all that the students had been through in their first year. 

"Next to speak is Tsu," Iida announced.

"I don't have much to say," Tsu started, "Please don't talk about the attacks last year around me, don't touch me suddenly, don't say sexist, misogynistic or homophobic things. Respect my privacy and don't comment on my personal relationships unless you feel as though it is toxic and will cause somebody within the relationship harm. Respect me as a person."

"Thank you, Tsu! Moving onto Midoriya." Iida announced.

"Right!" Midoriya enthused, "So first off don't ask any questions about where I was during the break between the first and second year and why I keep disappearing, it's private. Don't approach me from behind without warning me. Don't speak about any of the events from last year. No discriminatory comments. And... yeah. Oh! No interfering with my relationships, I can figure stuff out on my own." 

"Bakugo,"

"Tch don't approach me from behind. Don't touch my neck, at all. Don't speak about the attacks last year. Don't interfere with my personal shit, it's none of your business. Respect me." Bakugo grumbled. 

And so it went on, practically everyone said the same thing, though there were a few outliers. Those who didn't identify with their birth gender asked people to respect their pronouns. Mina asked nobody to touch her unless given explicit permission, she said that this request might not remain consistent throughout their remaining time in school, but she was working through some things. Kyoka asked everyone to keep the noise within the dorms low due to her sensitive hearing.

Over the course of an hour, boundaries were set between the classmates. By the end of the evening, the vast majority of the class felt alleviated by something that they had never known they were worrying about. 

Sorry, the bit about the lists is so short and inconsequential, I didn't know what to put and (tbh) I didn't want to write that entire scene out.