Izuku stared at the ground in front of him while Eraserhead glared down upon him. His teacher had to negotiate with the commission in order to allow him to participate in the actual exam after the stunt he pulled during the first round. Kacchan was sitting next to him, but he didn't look as bothered by the look Aizawa sensei was giving them. No, his anger wasn't directed at him, so there was no reason for him to feel as scared as Izuku did.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Aizawa started. "So what changed?"

"I, uhm, I just... I wanted to capture her. Toga, I mean. And I..." Izuku choked out. "I lost control. I'm sorry."

"So you knew you were able to use Blackwhip, correct?" Aizawa asked, making Izuku nod.

"Why the hell didn't you say shit, Deku? Things could've been much worse!" Katsuki hissed, making Izuku shrink in on himself even more.

"Bakugou, shut up. I'm asking the questions here," Eraser frowned. "But yes, what he said."

"I was going to tell you guys, I swear! It's just... We were all so busy and I didn't have the time to-"

"That's bullshit and you know it," Katsuki scoffed. "Why the hell am I here anyway?"

"You were involved in this whole affair so the commission expects me to lecture you about your reckless behavior as well," Aizawa explained, making the blonde huff. "And you're lucky the commission is allowing you two to participate in the exam! Do you have any idea what kind of implications neither of you passing would've had on the future?!"

"...Eri-chan," Izuku breathed in shock, his eyes widening as they shot up to meet those of his sensei. If he didn't pass this exam, he wouldn't be able to get an internship with Sir Nighteye, he wouldn't be able to go with him on the yakuza raid, he wouldn't be there to save Eri! The raid could go very differently if he wasn't involved, people could be injured, could die-

"Exactly."

Izuku swallowed back the lump in his throat, casting his gaze back onto the ground. He really messed up this time...

"Now get out of my sight," Aizawa grumbled, taking out his sleeping bag from who knows where- was he even allowed to take that thing in here with him? Why had no one commented on that before now? Katsuki sighed, grabbing Izuku's arm and dragging him along.

"I swear you're going to get yourself killed someday," he mumbled angrily as he dragged the green head through the hallways. "What the fuck were you thinking Deku?! Why the hell would you hide this shit from us?! From me?!"

Izuku didn't answer, stubbornly keeping his eyes on the ground as he tried to suppress his tears. He's such an idiot! A dumbass! Hadn't he learned anything in all these years?! Why did he always have to try and do everything alone?! Why was he so selfish?! How could he have ever accused Kacchan of only thinking of himself when he was always pushing everyone away from him?! Ugh, and he thought he'd gotten over being a crybaby! This was so frustrating!

"Oi," Katsuki frowned, snapping his fingers in front of his face to call his attention, to get him out of his own head. He wasn't able to get through though, not before the rest of their squad caught sight of them.

"Bakubro! You're never gonna believe this!" Eijirou called out, quickly making his way over. "It's Denki!"

Izuku froze up, clenching his fists. Right. Denki. He almost forgot about that after the whole mess that just happened. The poor boy was so confused about what was going on, overwhelmed by the information they threw at him. He instantly took a liking to the group chat, which wasn't all that surprising.

"I still can't believe you two made out in front of the entire class," Denki snorted, teasing Katsuki about everything that happened. "And the sportsfestival? Dude! Izuku obliterated you!"

That made him turn towards Izuku.

"And you! You fought the Hero Killer?! Quirkless?!" he whisper hissed with big eyes. "Like? Dude! And then the whole Blackwhip thing just now-"

"I know," Izuku frowned, still not meeting everyone's eyes. "I've been reckless, you don't have to remind me."

"But I think we do have to remind you, Izuku-kun," Momo stated.

"Yeah, when is it gonna get through that thick skull of yours that Assembly exists for a reason?" Ochako asked, playfully knocking on his head. Izuku grumbled as he pushed her off, not in the mood for any of this. All he had to do now was make it through the actual exam and everything would be fine. That was easier said than done though, since the commission had their eyes on him now. If anything, he couldn't possibly mess up more than he already had, so at least that was something.

Ochako frowned, looking at Katsuki as if asking him whether he knew what was going on, but the blonde just huffed. It wasn't like Deku to sulk over things like this... Before she could ask about it, all leftover examinees were called over for the briefing on the actual exam. Gang Orca was probably gearing up to crash the exam at this very moment while Himiko got away unscathed. Himiko, who had her memories, who had seen him use Blackwhip-

Izuku clenched his fists next to his side. Damnit! He really had been too reckless, too careless. He hadn't involved his friends in his plans, again, and put everyone in danger, again. He'd tried to do everything on his own, too used to being alone in this world to even think of involving the alliance. Izuku was overconfident, selfish, and too used to working solo. All the years he spent reliving his childhood might've done more damage than he originally realized, let alone that any of the others knew. No, they wouldn't understand. How could they? They didn't have to live through hell twice-

"Good luck."

Izuku blinked, a push pulling him out of thought as students started rushing out towards the disaster zones. The second part of the exam had begun. He instantly powered up his quirk and rushed out onto the field, trying to find the so-called victims and assess their injuries as best as possible. For a moment he remembered how nervous he was the first time around, how inexperienced he used to be when he first took this exam. Izuku was glad he had memories to guide him this time around, certain procedures that were built into his being that were being followed on auto-pilot. He was also glad everyone in his class seemed to be focussed on the exam, unable to bother him about the whole Blackwhip incident...

When Gang Orca burst into the arena, Izuku didn't even flinch. He kept the victims safe and left most of the fighting to Shoto and Inasa. Their flaming tornado was just as impressive as it was the first time around... Not that they were the only ones who were fighting, not at all, but Izuku didn't want to activate his quirk more than necessary right now. Not after what happened, not when the eyes of the hero commission were on his back and every so-called victim was rating him on his performance.

And so he focussed on saving these people, on staying out of the fight, until the second round was over and they were called together so their results could be announced. When the names appeared on the screen, Izuku didn't immediately look for his own one. No, instead he looked for Kacchan and Shoto, those who hadn't passed the test the first time around. He spotted them on the list, instantly whipping his head around with a smile.

"Kacchan, you-"

But the blonde wasn't listening to him. Instead he'd turned towards Shoto, who was already holding up his fist.

"We did it," the halfa said, smiling a little as Katsuki bumped his fist.

"Hell yeah," Katsuki grinned. Izuku was glad they were able to pass with everyone else, happy to know they wouldn't be separated this time around, that they could also join in the hero studies most of them would be attending during the next term. Yeah, maybe now he could help him during the Overhaul raid... Izuku's smile fell at the thought, sadly staring down at the ground. This was just a small victory, a simple snapshot of the endless mess they were wrapped up in. Of a movie that only just started, of a plot that wouldn't unfold until much later. Full of twists and turns, and yes, also small victories like this one. But small victories could easily turn into big losses...

Katsuki noticed Izuku's sudden dip in mood, wanting to reach out to him, only to be caught up in the congratulations of his friends and classmates. He needed to have a talk with his boyfriend, but a talk alone wouldn't be enough to get through to him, would it? A grin rose to his face. Ah well, getting suspended again wouldn't be the end of the world, would it?

//\\
\\//

Himiko hummed as she walked down the alleyway, thinking back on everything that happened. She hadn't expected Deku-kun to use one of his other quirks... He hadn't used it the last time, did he? Hmm, that could be annoying in the future... Not that she'll tell Shiggy about it, no, that guy had no backbone at all! Himiko had no idea what happened but it was like he was a big child, not the man she chose to follow all those years ago. That's only one of the reasons she'd been hesitant to tell them about the whole time travel thing. Another part was that they would probably think she was even more crazy than they already thought she was.

What was the point of warning them about things if they weren't going to listen, you know?

She frowned when her phone rang, her ringtone echoing through the alley as she stopped in her tracks. Mr Compress. She'd been expecting his call! Himiko smiled as she picked up, continuing on her way as the annoyed voice of her teammate came through the phone, lecturing her about the dangers of being in public as if she hadn't perfectly disguised herself! It wasn't her fault Deku-kun saw right through her! It was like he knew what was going to happen from the start-

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it," Himiko sighed, waving it off. "I stayed hidden, no one had a clue!"

Deku-kun knew though. He'd known the whole time, she realized. He knew she was the one playing Uraraka, the one playing Camie. He'd tried to capture her... Maybe he came here from the future, too? Oh, that was going to be a big problem, wasn't it? Huh... Well, she's just going to have to deal with that, wasn't she?

"Besides, I had a lot of fun! Kinda sucks I couldn't make people bleed more but I did grab what I came for~" she giggled. "I have some of Deku-kun's blood~!"

"That's good to hear," Compress said. "The boss will be happy. Now hurry on back to the base before anyone sees you."

"Of course, I won't let you down," Himiko smiled, hanging up and putting her phone away again. She giggled as she took off the Shiketsu cap she was still wearing, twirling it around on her finger, making it spin around. That's right, she was a master of disguise, could wear a thousand hats without being caught. Oh. Oh. A brilliant idea struck her right there and then. Maybe there was another hat she could put on soon? One more suited to her...capabilities.

Oh yes, this was going to be great! Deku-kun wouldn't stand a chance! She'll need a secure location, some sturdy ropes- Oh and Twice. She needed Twice to be in on her plan as well. With him at her side, there was nothing she wouldn't be able to accomplish!