Chapter 24: A Hoppin’ Breakfast

As they jogged away from the festival grounds and back toward Heights Alliance, the light clack of running shoes on pavement echoed beneath their feet. But among the trio, only two pairs of steps matched in rhythm. The third lagged slightly behind, his mind somewhere far from the morning jog he had set out on.

‘What the hell is wrong with me… I told myself I’d be careful.’ Izuku lamented. ‘Was it because of how I was visualizing a car? I didn’t mean to make her… well… sexy.’

Izuku’s expression remained neutral on the surface, but his slumped shoulders and vacant eyes betrayed the storm inside. It had happened again. Just like that, he was 0 for 2 when it came to retconning his new UA friends.

Tenka had noticed his shift in mood, yet her kind nature led her to respect his space, keeping a thoughtful silence beside Setsuna. On the other hand, Setsuna caught a whiff of emotional tension like a velociraptor smelling blood.

“Awww, you poor thing,” she cooed from up ahead. “You’ve been awfully quiet since that bathroom trip, Greenie.”

Izuku snapped out of his spiral just in time to see Setsuna throw a glance over her shoulder. He gulped as he saw the mischievous grin already plastered on her lips. And then, she pounced.

Without warning, Setsuna spun and wrapped her arms around Tenka mid-run, halting them both with a squeak from the girl in question.

“W-What are you doing, Tokage!?” Tenka asked, utterly confused as to why her new jogging companion was running her hands along her frame.

“I’m solving a mystery!” Setsuna said with a dramatic point toward Izuku, who had stopped jogging and was staring at them. “You’ve seen that dazed look he’s had ever since he left the bathroom, right? That slack-jawed stare?”

“I-uh… what?” Izuku floundered, blinking rapidly.

Setsuna grinned wider. “It’s obvious. Our hunky nerd has been checking you out, Ten~ka~!”

Tenka’s jaw dropped slightly, and her face turned a faint shade of pink. “W-What?! N-Nonsense!”

“It’s either you or me, or both! But I can totally tell. You for sure stopped him in his tracks. And can you blame him?” Setsuna asked, practically purring. “You’re tall, you’ve got that toned bod, long legs, nice ass… and those calves? Mmm. Mufflers have never looked so good, babe. Greenie, be honest. You’re checking her out, weren’t you?”

“Wha-I… N-No, I wasn’t!” Izuku stammered, cheeks lighting up like fireworks. “I was just… uh, thinking! About stuff…”

“What kind of stuff, hmmm?” Setsuna grinned, her sharp teeth shimmering in the morning sun. “Like how you want to stuff your face between those thighs?”

“Tokage!” Tenka barked, voice sharp and mortified, her blush deepening. She quickly squirmed out of the other girl’s grasp and planted her hands on her hips while glowering at the shorter woman. “Midoriya isn’t like that. He’s a respectable, upstanding young man! He doesn’t ogle his female peers. Now cease with the l-lewd and provocative inquiries!”

“Awwww, how chivalrous,” Setsuna giggled, circling her top half around to Izuku’s side like a reptile stalking her prey. “Well, I wouldn’t mind if he checked me out, y’know. Maybe even a bit more than that...”

Izuku turned an even deeper shade of red, backing up slightly. “I-I’m not checking anyone out…”

Setsuna leaned in with a smirk. “So you say. For someone who looks like he could break me in half, you’re pretty cute when you’re flustered.”

“Tokage!” Tenka stepped between them, her stern tone returning as she held out an arm protectively in front of Izuku. “Your provocative behavior is completely inappropriate.”

Setsuna threw her arms up innocently as she started to jog again. “Provocative is my middle name, Hun.”

Izuku sighed in relief that the onslaught was over while Tenka grumbled under her breath about decorum, each moving to catch up with the carnivorous woman.

As the 1-A dorm building came into view, the pace of their jog slowed to a light walk. Izuku stretched his arms overhead, rolling his shoulders while Tenka adjusted her glasses and pulled a small towel from her waistband to dab her forehead. The peacefulness, however, was short-lived as Setsuna had tossed an arm over each of their shoulders.

“Well, that was fun~,” she chirped, her voice still laced with that seemingly ever-present teasing tone. “Thanks for the jog, lovebirds.”

“We are not lovebirds!” Tenka snapped, her composure breaking just enough to cause Izuku to flinch and Setsuna to break into a fit of laughter.

“Easy, Tenka,” Setsuna snorted. “You’re way too uptight for this early in the morning. You should try loosening up sometime. Willing to bet Greenie would be more than happy to get you limber.”

Tenka turned scarlet. “Y-You are positively shameless!”

“Thanks for noticing~!” Setsuna snickered, twirling around and waving lazily behind her as she began peeling off toward the Class 1-B dorm building. “I’ll see you two later at the festival! Wear something cute for me!”

With the carnivore gone, Tenka sighed sharply and adjusted her glasses. “I do not know how anyone can endure such indecorous behavior.”

Izuku chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “She’s just teasing. I think it’s her way of bonding.”

“Teasing should not come at the expense of others’ dignity,” she huffed, crossing her arms. But even with the exasperation in her tone, it was clear she didn’t hold true malice toward the girl. Just a simmering frustration. “Still… I suppose she meant no harm.”

He smiled at that, a little softer. “You’re really serious about hero ethics, huh?”

“Of course,” she replied firmly as they stepped through the dormitory entrance. “Morality and discipline are the bedrock of a just society. If we are to be heroes, we must embody those ideals.”

“Right…” Izuku nodded, trying not to smile too broadly. ‘She hasn’t changed much at all,’ he realized, ‘even if her appearance has. It’s still the same Iida underneath it all.’

As they approached the elevators, Tenka suddenly shifted in tone.

“Midoriya,” she said, her voice a little gentler. “The lascivious one aside, this morning was… nice. Productive. And you’re quite the jogger. If it wouldn’t trouble you, would you perhaps be amenable to… making this a regular routine?”

Izuku blinked at her. The way she phrased it, the slight pink dusting her cheeks, it was almost...

'Why does it feel like she’s-?' He shook off the erroneous thought. ‘No, no, this is just Iida. She’s just being formal. Probably wants to keep us both in shape.’

Still, he smiled warmly and nodded. “Sure. I’d like that. Running buddies?”

A radiant smile bloomed across Tenka’s face, making her eyes shine behind her glasses. “Running buddies,” she echoed.

The elevator dinged open, and the two stepped inside.

As the floor numbers ticked upward, Tenka turned slightly toward him again. “Would you care to join me for breakfast? After we’ve showered and changed, of course.”

Izuku perked up. “That sounds great! Though I should check in with my girlfriends first. One of them was… uh, still in my bed when I left.”

‘In your bed?’ Tenka blinked. Her lips tightened faintly, but she maintained her composure. “Of course. Responsibilities come first. I shall see you in the lounge, then?”

“You bet,” he smiled.

The elevator then stopped on the third floor, surprising Izuku as they both stepped out. It was interesting to Izuku that the young woman was now evidently living on this floor, considering that, prior to the retcon, the only other males on the third floor were Tokoyami and Tsuburaba. That would mean that now that Tenka Iida was a woman, the room and floor she was living in had changed entirely.

But that posed an interesting question then. ‘If that's the case, even if it’s the path of least resistance that I theorized about, why didn’t Kirishima move rooms when she was retconned?'

“I shall see you shortly, Midoriya.” Tenka said with a short bow of her head, interrupting the young man's existential thoughts. Izuku waved her farewell before she turned and headed down the hall. Izuku watched her go for a second longer than he meant to before turning in the opposite direction.

Izuku quietly stepped into his dorm suite, noting how Kirishima’s door was still shut. It didn’t sound like she was up yet, just faint, rhythmic snores behind the wood. Not wanting to wake her, he tiptoed further inside and carefully opened the door to his own room.

The moment he did, he froze.

There, lying in bed with her arms crossed and a very unamused look on her face, was Katsumi. Only the All Might comforter was covering her. Barely. Her ruby-red eyes locked onto him with a smoldering glare, though it lacked real heat.

“Not a fan of waking up alone,” she said flatly, putting her phone down on his pillow.

Izuku immediately opened his mouth to apologize, but she cut him off with a lazy shrug.

“But I hate being woken up even more, so…” she let the sentence hang as she sat up, not adjusting the blanket around herself, thus letting her modest breasts hang in the open air. “I’ll let you off the hook. Mornin’, Deku.”

Relief washed over him as he stepped inside. “Good morning,” he smiled, leaning down to kiss her on the lips.

Katsumi accepted the kiss and then quickly deepened it. Her tongue brushed against his for a split second before she pulled away and made a face.

“You smell like sweat,” she muttered, scrunching her nose. “And not sex sweat.”

Izuku chuckled sheepishly. “I just went for a jog around campus. Wanted to explore a little before the festival starts.”

Her eyebrow lifted. “Alone?”

“Uh, no… I actually bumped into someone from the entrance exam. I think I told you about Iida, right? And we ran into Kyoka’s roommate from 1-B. She kind of tagged along…”

Katsumi stared at him for a long, silent beat. “So two chicks? They hot?”

The question made Izuku flinch like she’d thrown a grenade at his feet. He sputtered, trying to form a coherent sentence, but that was all Katsumi needed to hear.

“Aha. That’s a yes,” she smirked and leaned forward, letting the blanket slip a little too low. “So, you ditched your sexy bombshell of a girlfriend after railing her all night… to jog with your new side pieces? Damn, Deku, didn’t realize I trained such a stud.”

“Wha-It’s not like that!” Izuku quickly backpedaled, waving his hands.

But Katsumi was already getting out of bed, stretching as she walked toward him in all her naked glory. She didn’t bother covering herself; she knew exactly what she was doing, and judging by the look she shot toward him, she was enjoying the effect.

“Well then…” she said, stepping right up to him, her fingers slipping under the hem of his shirt. “If it’s not like that, you can prove it to me.”

Izuku gulped.

“How?” he asked, though his body already knew the answer.

She leaned in close, pressing against him with a grin. “You’re gonna shower with me. Right now.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. Izuku didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely.”

“Good boy,” Katsumi smirked, already tugging him toward the bathroom, her tone somewhere between smug and victorious. “And you’re scrubbing my back. And my legs. And… well, you’ll figure it out.”

After a long, steamy, and thoroughly productive shower, Izuku and Katsumi finally emerged looking clean. The tension that had been coiling inside him all morning, thanks to Setsuna’s antics, had been completely… vented.

Katsumi had casually plucked a pair of his sweatpants and an old All Might T-shirt from his drawer, already walking around his room like she owned it. The waistband of the sweats sat low on her hips, and the shirt, a size too big, slipped off one shoulder just enough to tease.

Izuku tugged on his own clothes while sneaking a look at her every few seconds. Part of him was still recovering from what they’d just done in the shower. He coughed into his fist, trying to refocus. “Do you… want to stop by your room? So you can change?”

Katsumi scoffed and leaned against him with a smirk. “Nah. I like wearing my man’s clothes. Let the whole dorm know who I spent the night with.”

Izuku flushed, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed chuckle. “You’re gonna cause a scandal…”

“Good,” she replied smugly. “Gotta show off who belongs to you, y’know?”

Izuku flushed, pulling Katsumi close as they stepped out of the suite and made their way to the elevator to head downstairs. Katsumi made a point to stay wrapped around his arm, pressing her modest bust into him, only to remind him that she was currently braless.

‘She knows what she’s doing… What if someone notices?’ Izuku sighed, hoping to perhaps minimize the number of people who would potentially interact with them. Unfortunately, that was short-lived.

As the elevator hummed to a stop on the second floor, the doors slid open to reveal none other than Katsumi’s very own roommate, Tsuyu Asui. The frog-like girl blinked at them before hopping in, her usual deadpan expression as unreadable as ever.

She was wearing an oversized off-shoulder shirt with a big green cartoon frog on the front. One of her bra straps was also visible, hanging a little loose over her shoulder. And with how long the shirt was and how short her shorts had to be underneath it, it gave off a very “nothing underneath” vibe.

Izuku’s brain lagged for a moment. ‘She is wearing shorts… right?’

He tried not to stare, especially at how tantalizing those thighs were, but that just made it worse. His eyes did a quick scan before he yanked them back up to the ceiling like it was the most fascinating surface in existence.

“Morning, Midoriya,” Tsuyu said, stepping in before her gaze flicked over to Katsumi beside him. “Bakugo.”

“G-Good morning, Asui!” Izuku stammered, snapping his eyes down to Asui’s own. “Heading down for breakfast too?”

“Ribbit,” she replied with a slight nod, then added, “Call me ‘Tsu,’ remember?” Her gaze flicked to Katsumi, specifically, the clothes she was wearing. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she tilted her head. “So… I take it you didn’t sleep in our dorm last night.”

Katsumi gave a short snort of laughter, folding an arm under her chest. “You could say that. I figured it was my responsibility to break in the dork's bed properly. You know, stress test the soundproofing.”

Izuku let out a choked noise somewhere between a cough and a squeak. “K-Kacchan!”

“What?” Katsumi asked in a faux innocent tone. “Best to warn her now, for when you stay the night with me.”

Tsuyu blinked once, otherwise seeming unfazed by the implication. “Makes sense.”

“Still!” he squeaked. “It’s… there’s a time and place!”

Tsuyu gave a slow shrug, though the corners of her lips tugged upward, just slightly. “Your girlfriend's not exactly the subtle type.”

“Damn right I’m not,” Katsumi said proudly, nudging him with her hip.

‘I guess I should have expected this…’ Izuku lamented as the elevator reached the first floor with a chime. ‘From her dirty talk last night… should I start preparing for my sex life to be a public thing…?’

The sliding doors of the elevator opened to the ground floor, and the trio stepped into the common space that smelled of coffee, citrus, and something vaguely toasted. With soft morning light pouring in from the floor-to-ceiling windows, the room had a warm and lazy Sunday vibe despite the buzz of the festival already kicking up outside.

Izuku's eyes immediately lit up as he spotted two familiar figures already settled into their breakfast routines. As he expected, Tenka Iida stood at the counter, carefully peeling a pair of oranges with the precision of a surgeon. Then, just at a table beside her sat Itsuka Kendo, nodding along to something Iida had said as she leaned over a bowl of cereal and a steaming mug of black coffee that she held preciously.

“Morning!” Izuku called cheerfully, lifting a hand to wave. “Hey, Kendo! Long time no see, Iida!”

Itsuka looked up from her mug and gave a small smile as she read Izuku’s “Shirt” shirt. “Morning, Midoriya. I like the shirt.”

The redhead blinked once at Katsumi’s attire and the possessive way she was hanging off him before sipping her coffee without comment. She was savvy enough to connect the dots of when a girl was wearing only her boyfriend's clothes.

Tenka, in contrast, gave a more proper greeting. “Good morning again, Midoriya. And good morning to…” Her eyes narrowed mid-sentence as her gaze drifted over Katsumi and the state of her outfit.

Or lack thereof.

Izuku’s shirt was far too big on Katsumi, practically falling off one shoulder, and the waistband of his sweatpants was hanging dangerously low on her hips. Add to that her casual proximity to Izuku, and it was clear that something inappropriate was afoot.

Tenka’s cheeks tinted the faintest shade of red as she tried not to notice that the tomboy was also braless. “I do believe your morning attire is rather inappropriate, miss.”

Katsumi caught the tone immediately and gave an exaggerated sigh. “Of course we get the stick-in-the-mud in our class.” She nudged Izuku with her elbow. “This the ‘hot babe’ you were running around campus with?”

Izuku choked, nearly tripping over his own feet. “Wh-You know I didn’t call her that.”

Tenka’s lips parted in sheer shock as her face went from pink to cherry red. “Midoriya wouldn’t call me anything of the sort. We are proper and dignified running p-partners!” she stammered, her words failing her as images of Setsuna’s earlier teasing echoed in her head. ‘S-Surely, he wouldn’t act as such! Midoriya is a principled young man with decorum!’

Izuku let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he glanced between the girls. “Kacchan, could you maybe go easy on the teasing? I think Iida’s had enough of that for one morning.”

Katsumi rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, yeah… fine.” She turned toward the open kitchen counter, cracking her neck. “I’m cooking. What do you want?”

Izuku blinked and smiled warmly. “Well, if you’re offering… could I get some eggs and bacon?”

Katsumi gave him a thumbs-up over her shoulder. “Easy.”

He nudged Tsuyu lightly with his elbow. “What about you, Tsu? Might as well take her up on it.”

Tsuyu blinked, holding a box of cereal in one hand, having apparently grabbed it during Katsumi’s teasing. “I was just gonna eat this…” She eyed the stove and shrugged. “But I guess if Bakugo’s offering, pancakes sound nice. I’ll add some jelly to them.”

“One stack of pancakes coming up.” She then looked toward Tenka and Itsuka. “You two side pieces want anything?”

“Side pieces?” Tenka adjusted her glasses, confused, before shaking her head politely. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already prepared my meal. I wouldn’t want to waste food.”

Itsuka, meanwhile, rolled her eyes and grinned lazily. “I’m good… But I might steal some bacon off Midoriya’s plate…”

“Like hell you will.” Katsumi barked without missing a beat, her head snapping toward Itsuka like a guard dog. “I’ll just make more bacon. No stealing from my man.”

Itsuka chuckled and murmured under her breath. “Wow. Pretty possessive for someone calling all his female friends his side chicks.”

While Katsumi fired up the stove and got to work, cracking eggs like a pro and multitasking with practiced ease, Izuku turned his attention back to the others.

“Oh, right!” he said, gesturing between the girls. “Iida, Kendo. This is Tsuyu Asui, Katsumi’s roommate. Tsuyu, this is Tenka Iida and Itsuka Kendo.”

“Just Tsu is fine,” Tsuyu added with a small wave of her fingers. “Nice to meet you.”

Tenka bowed politely. “A pleasure. It’s good to meet more of our classmates before orientation.”

“Yeah,” Itsuka chimed in, lifting her mug in greeting. “And you have to room with the firecracker? Good luck.”

Tsuyu hummed in response. “I don’t think it’ll be too bad. Especially if she’s planning to spend most nights in Midoriya’s room.”

Izuku nearly choked on air, while Katsumi let out a bark of laughter from the stove.

“Damn right I am!” she called, flipping the pancakes with flair.

While the sizzle of bacon filled the air and the sweet smell of pancakes began to waft across the dorm kitchen, the group congregated at the table where Itsuka sat after grabbing some beverages.

Izuku’s eyes flicked toward the orange-haired girl as he asked, “Hey, Kendo, was Ochako still asleep when you left your room earlier? She wasn’t answering her phone.”

Itsuka nodded, lifting her spoon from her cereal bowl. “Out cold,” she said with a chuckle. “Your girlfriend’s not much of a morning person, huh?”

Izuku blushed faintly and scratched his cheek, still not used to the idea of people knowing about his relationships. “Yeah… I figured she might sleep in, but I’ll try to contact her again after breakfast.”

Itsuka’s gaze then turned to the quiet, now tea-sipping girl across the table. “So, Tsu. We didn’t get to hang out last night. Where were you during our little game of Never Have I Ever?”

Tsuyu tilted her head. “Game?”

Tenka perked up as well. “There was a game last night?”

“Oh right,” Izuku suddenly realized that they likely could have invited the two along. “It was kind of last-minute. One of our classmates, Mina Ashido, started a game of Never Have I Ever in the common room. A bunch of us played, but yeah, it didn’t really get announced. We’ll definitely have to organize another hangout. Maybe tonight?”

Tenka lit up immediately, straightening her posture with excitement. “That would be wonderful! A structured social exercise sounds like a great way to foster camaraderie.”

“Camaraderie?” Katsumi snorted from the stove. “You clearly don’t know how Pinky sees fostering.”

Itsuka smiled wryly, imagining Tenka trying to answer some of the more… lewd prompts from the night prior. “Yeah, I can see how you could say that.”

“Not sure I follow,” Tenka murmured warily.

Izuku chuckled and waved off Tenka’s questioning look. “Well, we can keep it more low-key next time. Maybe something fun, but less... spicy.”

“I’m fine either way,” Tsuyu said plainly, setting her cup down. “Though I would’ve liked to join. I want to get to know everyone better, too.”

“Speaking of,” Itsuka said, leaning forward. “Tsu, tell us about yourself!”

Tsuyu blinked and tapped her lip. “Well… I’m from a family of five. I have two little siblings, and my parents work a lot, so I’ve always been pretty independent. Caring for my family and being a hero to care for others seemed to go hand in hand… So here I am.”

“Filial duties and a duty to society…Very admirable Asui!” Tenka smiled widely. “Let us become heroes who care for all!”

“Ribbit.” Tsuyu nodded with a smile of her own. “As for my quirk-”

The moment the word exited her mouth, out of seemingly nowhere, Izuku had produced his already iconic notebook and was already preparing to scribble like his life depended on it.

“Careful, Tsu,” Itsuka warned playfully. “You’re about to get hit with the Midoriya Interrogation Technique.”

Tenka nodded. “He did the same thing with me during our jog earlier. Extremely thorough.”

“Okay…?” Tsuyu looked between them, confused, before glancing at the very eager green-haired boy with the sparkling eyes next to her. She shrugged lightly. “My quirk is called Frog.”

She stuck out her long, flexible tongue, letting it extend almost halfway across the table before casually retracting it. “Simple quirk. I can do anything a frog can. Long tongue, sticking to walls, jumping high, enhanced swimming, that sort of thing.”

Izuku scribbled feverishly, his pen scratching furiously against the paper. “Does it dry out if you don’t hydrate enough? Can you breathe through your skin? Do you secrete anything? Can you survive in cold climates? Do you hibernate?”

Tsuyu blinked. “Uh… one question at a time.”

Izuku caught himself and quickly flushed red. “R-right, sorry! Just… your quirk is super versatile! It could be amazing for reconnaissance, rescue, even stealth missions with the wall-clinging...!”

Tsuyu let out a low hum, her own cheeks slightly pink, sipping her tea. “Thanks. I’d like to think it’s pretty useful.”

Izuku smiled brightly. “It is! Now-”

Interrupting Izuku and saving the froggy heroine from the returning onslaught of questions was Katsumi's return, sliding plates in front of them with a smug grin and a proud, “Bon appétit.”

Izuku turned from his notebook and lit up with genuine appreciation. “Kacchan, this looks amazing. Thank you.”

Katsumi cocked a brow and crossed her arms. “Uh-uh. Payment first.”

Izuku blinked, then smirked as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Katsumi met it halfway, grabbing the front of his shirt to hold him there for a moment longer than necessary. The kiss wasn’t obscene, but the heat behind it was enough to make Tenka nearly drop her spoon.

She cleared her throat, cheeks flushed. “M-Midoriya… Bakugo… perhaps we could keep the, um, intimate gestures to a minimum at the breakfast table?”

Before either of them could answer, Tsuyu tilted her head and, in her usual monotone, asked, “Do I need to pay too?”

Her monotone voice made it tough to tell if she was joking or not. Yet either way, Katsumi nearly choked on her laugh. “Nah, I don’t swing that way, Frog Legs. If you still want to make a payment, you can use him.”

Tsuyu blinked once… then slowly turned her head toward Izuku again.

“I-It’s okay! Really! Kacchan’s just being funny!” he stammered, using his notebook as a shield between him and the froggy girl who was seemingly considering Katsumi’s proposal.

Tenka, still flustered, set her spoon down with finality. “Enough! This is a shared dining space for all of Class 1-A, and there are guidelines we should strive to uphold for the sake of decency and harmony!”

Katsumi rolled her eyes. “Jeez, don’t get your panties in a twist. It's just a joke.” She flopped down in the seat next to Izuku and dug into her own oversized omelet.

Meanwhile, Itsuka was giggling into her cup of coffee, clearly enjoying every moment of the fun.

**********

AN: Howdy howdy! Been a minute since the last update. Sorry about that! Had some distractions in the form of a few story ideas that took much of my brain's processing power away from my current projects. That said... Today, we got the aftermath of the Iida Retcon as well as some nice shenanigans with the friends over breakfast. Next time we'll be kicking off the festival with a bang! For those of you who read the original festival from the quest version, look forward to having it pretty significantly changed up!

As always, thank you all for reading, and be sure to check us out on my Discord for behind-the-scenes looks at all my writing. Lastly, a special thanks to Zephyr0F8 for beta-ing this chapter