Chapter Text
The bus rumbled down the coastal highway, the salty breeze sneaking through the open windows and carrying the smell of the ocean. For once, Class 1-A felt… free. No training drills, no villain encounters, no constant pressure to perform. Just sun, sand, and the faint promise of relaxation.
“Can we stop at every ice cream stand on the way?” Mina Ashido groaned dramatically, kicking her feet up on the seat in front of her. “I need rainbow sprinkles or my vacation is ruined!”
"I'm glad Aizawa Sensei is allowing us to relax." Izuku smiles to himself, as he thinks back to just the week before in class.
Flashback:
The hum of the classrooms old air conditioner was the only sound, until Aizawa set down a thick folder on the table with a thunk.
“All right,” he said, rubbing at his eyes like the very act of talking to them was work. “You’ve all been through too much lately. Training, internships… and whatever the last mess was.”
The room was silent for two beats. Then, from the back, Kaminari raised a hand halfway. “Uh… you mean the time we almost—?”
“Yes,” Aizawa cut in before he could finish. “Exactly that.” He looked over the folder. “Recovery Girl says your stress levels are high enough to make her paperwork heavier. So… I’m recommending a break.”
The class blinked at him.
“A… break?” Uraraka repeated, like she wasn’t sure she’d heard right.
“As in, no drills? No combat training?” Sero asked.
“No heroics,” Aizawa confirmed. “Just rest. One week.”
“Wait, are we—” Mina leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Are we talking vacation vacation?”
Aizawa gave a slow blink. “If you want to call it that. You’ll decide the location as a class. Majority vote. No dangerous stunts, no getting into trouble.”
“This is stupid.” Bakugo grumbled to himself.
“Beach!” Kaminari immediately blurted, slapping his desk.
Hagakure gasped. “Yes! Sand, waves, cute swimsuits—”
Kirishima grinned. “Barbecues!”
“Cute girls in Bikinis!” Mineta drolled before he was smacked in the head by Mina.
“I suppose coastal air would be refreshing,” Momo said thoughtfully.
“Beaches have jellyfish,” Jirō muttered, but she didn’t sound completely against it.
“Does the beach have arcades?” Sero asked.
“Some do,” Tokoyami said in his usual ominous tone. “Though the sun… is my natural enemy.”
“Beach!” Kaminari said again, trying to steamroll the debate.
“Can we make sandcastles?” Hagakure asked, practically bouncing in her seat.
Izuku was smiling faintly, scribbling in his notebook like he was already planning what snacks to bring.
The vote didn’t take long. When Aizawa came back to collect the tally sheet, Mina handed it over with a flourish.
“Beach wins,” she declared.
Aizawa gave a tired nod. “Fine. Pack sunscreen.” He was halfway to the door when he added, without turning, “And no one drowns. I don’t have the energy for paperwork.”
The class cheered anyway, the sound echoing through the hall like the first real break in months.
Back to present:
The sun hung high over the sparkling water, the breeze carrying the scent of salt and sunscreen. Class 1-A spilled out of the bus, half of them already in swim gear, the other half juggling umbrellas, coolers, and volleyballs.
“Race you to the water!” Mina shouted, already kicking off her sandals.
“You’ll lose!” Kirishima called, charging after her.
Izuku was halfway through helping Uraraka unfold a massive striped beach umbrella when a familiar booming laugh rolled over the sand.
“YOUNG MIDORIYA! YOUNG CLASS 1-A!”
They all turned to see All Might—his “true form” these days, but still somehow larger than life—waving with one long arm. Beside him stood a woman in her late thirties, casual but elegant in a sunhat, and next to her… a girl about their age.
She had sun-kissed skin, a loose white cover-up over her swimsuit, and a bright smile that locked onto Izuku like a guided missile.
“All Might!” Izuku jogged over, smiling. “You made it!”
“Of course!” All Might grinned. “I couldn’t miss this. And I thought I’d bring some company. This is an old friend of mine, Keiko, and her daughter—”
“Hi,” the girl cut in, stepping forward, eyes sparkling at Izuku. “I’m Hikari.”
Izuku blinked, startled by her sudden proximity. “O-oh, uh, I’m Izuku Midoriya. Nice to—”
“You’re even cuter in person,” Hikari said without hesitation, leaning slightly closer.
There was a chorus of muffled oooooh from behind him—Kaminari elbowing Mina, who was already grinning like she’d been handed front-row tickets to the drama.
Izuku’s face went red to the tips of his ears. “Ah—um—”
“So, Hikari,” Mina called, not even pretending to be subtle, “you here to swim or to… make new friends?”
“Maybe both,” Hikari said, not taking her eyes off Izuku.
Uraraka glanced between them, her smile just a little too fixed. Bakugo rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder he didn’t sprain something.
“All right,” All Might said, clapping his hands. “Let’s set up camp and enjoy the day!”
As the group scattered to claim spots on the sand, Hikari casually snagged the other end of the umbrella Izuku was carrying.
“Mind if I help? You can… tell me all about yourself while we set up.”
Izuku gulped. “Uh… sure?”
From a few feet away, Kaminari whispered to Sero, “This is gonna be good.”
————
The sand was warm underfoot, the waves lapping lazily at the shore as the class split into their natural friend groups.
Bakusquad claimed the far end of the beach, already in the middle of a heated volleyball match. Mina and Kaminari were whooping with every point, Sero was diving dramatically for saves, Kirishima was calling plays like they were in a championship, and Bakugo… well, Bakugo was aiming his serves like artillery fire.
Closer to the umbrellas, Dekusquad had a calmer setup—coolers full of snacks, towels spread neatly, and Iida setting up a small table for drinks “so sand doesn’t infiltrate.”
Izuku was about to help Tsuyu tie up a sunshade when a familiar voice called out behind him.
“Izuku! Let’s go in the water!”
He turned to see Hikari, already wading ankle-deep into the surf, waving him over with a bright smile. Her cover-up was tossed aside, the sunlight catching in her hair.
“Oh, uh—” Izuku scratched the back of his neck. “I was just—”
“You can finish that later,” she interrupted cheerfully. “C’mon, I wanna see if you can keep up!”
From the shade, Ochako looked up from her drink. “You… were about to help Tsuyu though, right?” she said, a little too quickly.
Hikari blinked at her, smile never wavering. “Oh, we won’t be long.” Then she looked back at Izuku, eyes twinkling. “Please?”
Izuku hesitated, then stood. “I—okay, just for a bit.”
Ochako’s lips pressed together, but she stayed quiet, adjusting her sunhat to hide her expression.
As Izuku jogged toward the water, Mina’s voice floated over from the volleyball court:
“Oooooh, Midoriya! Making friends already?”
Kaminari laughed. “That’s not ‘making friends,’ that’s getting adopted.”
Bakugo, serving the ball hard enough to send Sero diving, just grunted, “Pathetic.”
In the waves, Hikari splashed Izuku without warning, laughing when he yelped.
“You’re slow, hero boy! I thought you trained all the time!”
“I—I do!” Izuku sputtered, shielding his face as she splashed again. “This isn’t—hey!”
Back at the umbrellas, Ochako watched them, her smile polite but her eyes narrowing slightly every time Hikari got too close. Tsuyu glanced at her knowingly.
“You could join them, ribbit.”
Ochako shook her head quickly. “No, I’m fine here.” She took a sip of her drink, but her gaze never left the water.
By the time Izuku returned, dripping and flushed, Hikari was at his side, laughing like they’d just survived a grand adventure. She plopped down next to him on the towel, close enough that their knees brushed.
“You’re not bad in the water,” she said with a grin. “Maybe I’ll let you teach me to swim better tomorrow.”
Izuku chuckled awkwardly. “I-I guess so…”
Across from them, Ochako stabbed her straw into her drink with just a little more force than necessary.
The volleyball game between the Bakusquad had wound down, and Bakugo was stalking off to “find better competition” and Mina flopping dramatically onto a towel.
Nearby, Jirō had her earbuds in, idly strumming a small travel guitar while Kaminari lounged next to her, munching on chips.
Then came the telltale sound—Mineta’s high-pitched giggling from somewhere he definitely wasn’t supposed to be.
“…Do you hear that?” Kaminari asked, squinting toward the dunes.
Jirō sighed and pointed one earjack like a radar dish. “Yeah. Over there.”
They walked a few steps and found Mineta crouched behind a dune, peeking around with a pair of binoculars. On the other side, a group of girls—including Mina, Tsuyu, and Hagakure—were sunbathing.
“Mineta,” Jirō deadpanned, crossing her arms. “Seriously?”
He jumped, nearly dropping the binoculars. “I-It’s called appreciating beauty! Totally normal!”
“Creeping is not normal,” Kaminari said, frowning.
Mineta waved them off. “Oh, relax. I’m just… appreciating. Besides—” His gaze flicked over Jirō, and his smirk turned mean. “Not like I’d be looking at you, anyway.”
Jirō’s stomach sank at the jab, heat creeping up her neck. She tightened her grip on her guitar strap, muttering, “Yeah, whatever.”
“Hey,” Kaminari said sharply, stepping closer to Mineta. “Not cool. You don’t get to talk to her like that.”
Mineta snorted. “What? I’m just saying—”
“You’re just being a jerk,” Kaminari cut in. His tone wasn’t loud, but it was firm in a way Jirō didn’t hear often from him. “If you can’t treat people with respect, go sit somewhere else.”
Mineta blinked, clearly not expecting pushback, then grumbled something and shuffled off down the beach.
Jirō sighed. “…You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I did,” Kaminari said easily, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re awesome, Jirō. And, uh… if he can’t see that, he’s the one missing out.”
Her cheeks warmed, though she tried to play it cool. “You’re such a cheeseball.”
Kaminari grinned. “Hey, I’m electric. It’s my thing.”
She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth tugged up into a smile. “Thanks, though.”
“Anytime,” he said, and for a moment the sound of the waves filled the silence between them—comfortable, steady.