Now it was lunchtime and Class 1-A had gathered around their usual set of tables in the cafeteria. Everyone was chattering about the final exams and studying while Dante just sat casually, eating his food.
"The written exam questions will all be stuff from class, so I should atleast be able to do those." Izuku said while eating.
Dante nodded.
"We can't just study, we also have to keep our bodies in sha—"
Then something barged into the back of Izuku's head.
Dante looked up and saw the golden haired weirdo from class 1-B with a smug look on his face. And that barge wasn't unintentional, he shouldered into him.
"Oh sorry," Monoma said mock-innocently, "didn't see you there. Then again, you do have quite a big head, hard to miss."
The table went quiet.
Monoma looked at everyone, lips curled with amusement. "So…I hear you guys had another little encounter. Hero Killer this time, right? Of course, you guys just love hogging the spotlight. Always have to be the center of attention, no matter what it costs."
Sero frowned. "Dude, now's really not the—"
"Is it just trauma addiction at this point?" Monoma went on, eyes gleaming with condescension. "How many near death experiences do you need to feel special?"
Everyone looked uncomfortable. Especially Iida, he went through a lot.
Then Dante stood up.
The tension in the air snapped taught.
Dante had been feeling especially angry recently, and this actual degenerate just had to make it worse.
His chair screeched against the floor and Monoma only barely turned before Dante grabbed him by the collar and yanked him forward with a strength that didn't match a high schooler.
Dante looked down at him, his eyes glowing with intensity, his voice low and condescending, far more scary than yelling.
"Do something then." He said.
Monoma blinked, his smugness faltering.
"Go on," Dante continued, voice calm but ready to snap at any moment. "Go and copy my quirk. Let's see what happens. Let's see if your body can handle it when your cells break down and mold back together to form something new at the same time, when you lose track of your shape, when your mind starts to fray just to keep up."
Monoma opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out.
Dante's fingers tightened just slightly. "Let's see if your arrogance survives when you're melting from the inside."
Then—
Whack!
A hand chopped the top of Monoma's head twice, then the hand grabbed his tray of food, the hand belonged to Itsuka Kendo, looking completely unimpressed.
"Monoma," she said, her voice sharp with disappointment. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He looked dazed. "K-kendo—"
"You heard about Iida," she said sternly. "You really thought this was the time to come over and act like a jackass? Is there a hole where your heart should be?"
She turned to Dante, her expression softening just a bit. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a quick pat.
"Hey, its okay. He doesn't know what he's doing. Don't waste your energy."
Dante breathed out slowly, shoulders dropping as he let go of Monoma's collar.
Little Dante giggled from afar, slowly feeding Dante more and more of his anger.
"Come on, idiot. You're lucky I didn't leave you here to get beat up."
As they walked off, class 1-A sat in silence, Dante had been acting more and more uncharacteristically recently.
Izuku blinked. "Dante… what's with you?"
Dante sat back down and resumed eating his food, slower than before. His hands stopped shaking.
Izuku looked over at class 1-B, "She seriously is just like that class' big sister…"
Dante chuckled at that.
That's when Kendo came back over, "Hmm… so I was listening in on your conversation, I know you're all worried about what's going to be on the big final practical… I heard it's gonna be combat against robots like the entrance exam."
Everyone gasped, "What, really? How do you know that?"
Kendo pointed her thumb to her chest, "One of my friends who's a few grades up filled me in. I know, cheating… but oh well."
Izuku started muttering like crazy about this being unlikely but still a possibility.
Dante looked at Kendo's retreating figure.
"Robots? Should be easy." He said to himself.
…
…
The rest day in school was pretty easy, nothing else happened other than just chatter about the exams and whatever.
And after it all, Dante was in his apartment, casually cooking himself a meal before he left for Kendo's house.
The sizzle of oil in the pan calmed Dante's mind. He stood over the stove, spatula in one hand, eyes half lidded in thought. The faint smell of garlic and soy filled the air as he flipped the pan, some stir fried rice with egg, chicken and whatever vegetables he had left in the fridge.
Exams were coming up.
He knew he was ready. He'd aced the midterms and he hadn't let his training slip. Still, he was a bit pressured about expectations. From himself. From Aizawa. From Nezu. Hell, even from Kendo.
He turned off the stove, scooped the rice into a bowl and slumped into his chair. He ate in silence, one hand absently moving the food to his both, his other arm resting lazily on the table.
"What should I even wear?"
The thought came out of nowhere and he blinked, chewing slowly as it registered.
He was going to Kendo's house.
It was just for a haircut. That's it. No big deal at all.
Except it kinda was.
She'd invited him over. Personally. Infront of everyone. And he couldn't shake the image of her smile at the beach, the way she saw him for who he was. She saw him as someone worth dragging into the ocean, laughing all the way.
He finished eating with a flushed face and pushed the bowl aside, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.
"I don't wanna show up dressed like a delinquent as per usual," he muttered to himself, eyeing the clean laundry he hadn't folded yet.
Eventually, he dragged himself up and started digging through his clothes. Most of it was still his usual black and gray aesthetic, hoodies, loose shirts, joggers, worn jeans. Not bad, but not exactly "visiting a girl's house" material either.
After a minute, he pulled out a plain but decent charcoal T-shirt, one that actually fit well and a pair of clean, non ripped black jeans. Not flashy, but presentable. Something that said "I'm not trying too hard" while still showing he'd made some kind of effort.
He glanced at his reflection in the hallways mirror. He was back to his usual self. Still a little tired looking. But there was a steadiness in his eyes again. Like a calm before the next storm.
He ran a hand through his hair with a smirk.
"I hope she doesn't ruin it."
With that, he grabbed his jacket and put on his shoes and head out the door.
He walked down the stairs and out the front door.
Dante walked with his hands in his pockets, cutting through alleys. He preferred these back paths, way quieter and sometimes it's even faster.
The only sound was his boots against the pavement, that and the occasional gust of wind rattling trash against the walls.
His eyes suddenly squinted.
Something was strange.
It wasn't paranoia. He knew the feeling of being watched, trained to recognise it. And right now, every hair on his body was screaming at him.
He kept walking. He didn't stop or break his stride as to pretend like he didn't notice. But now his eyes moved more deliberately, scanning windows, fire escapes, shadows. He turned a corner into a tight alley between buildings, one he was very familiar with.
Then he stopped.
He didn't hear anything, but he definitely felt it.
Slowly, Dante turned his head.
There, crouched at the edge of the rooftop across from him, was a figure, shorter than him, cloaked in dark clothing with a hood drawn low and some kind of mask covering the lower half of their face. But Dante didn't miss those purple eyes. They didn't move, they didn't hide. They just stood there.
Watching him.
Dante's eyes narrowed. He couldn't really make out their features, but something about the presence felt… familiar. He couldn't place it, but those purple eyes felt familiar.
"Who the hell…?"
The figure suddenly flinched and disappeared behind the rooftops edge without a sound.
Dange stood there for a moment longer, his heart pounding in his chest, loud and clear. Then he looked down the alley. Kendo's mothers hair salon wasn't far. He could go investigate, but…
Not right now. He had somewhere to be.
Still though…
He kept a small splash of sludge in the alley behind him, just in case. His pace quickened ever so slightly.