The sun hadn't fully risen when Ryuu's eyes opened.
He stared at the common room ceiling for a moment, disoriented. Right. He'd fallen asleep on the couch with most of Class 3-A scattered around him like casualties of festival preparation exhaustion.
Mina was curled against his left side, snoring softly. Momo had somehow maintained perfect posture even in sleep on his right. Across the room, Kaminari drooled on Kirishima's shoulder while Bakugo sat in a chair with his arms crossed, looking angry even unconscious.
Ryuu carefully extracted himself without waking anyone and headed outside.
The campus was still. Morning hadn't quite broken yet, that strange liminal time when the world felt like it was holding its breath. He walked to the central fountain and just stood there, watching the sky shift from deep blue to pale gold.
The festival grounds sprawled before him. Colorful banners strung between buildings. Food stalls lined up in neat rows. Performance stages that Momo had probably measured down to the centimeter.
His Resonance hummed at maybe eighty percent now. Two weeks since the attack at the research institute. Two weeks since his quirk had burned out completely and left him hollow and terrified it might never return.
But it had. Different than before, but back. Stronger foundation, better control. Like his body had learned from the mistake and rebuilt itself more carefully this time.
For the first time since that day, Ryuu felt something close to normal.
The automatic doors behind him hissed open.
"You're up early."
He turned. Ochaco was walking toward him in pajamas and a jacket thrown over them, her hair sticking up at odd angles. She carried two steaming cups.
"Couldn't sleep," Ryuu said.
"Me neither." She held out a cup. "Tea. Figured if I was awake, someone else probably was too."
Their fingers brushed when he took it. His Resonance caught a flash through the brief contact. Excitement mixed with nerves. Warmth when she looked at him. Determination underneath everything else.
"Thanks." He cradled the cup, letting the heat seep into his palms. "I just wanted to see it before the crowds came. Before it all became real."
Ochaco stood beside him, looking at the festival grounds. The sky was getting lighter now, stars fading into morning blue.
"It's kind of amazing we pulled this together in two weeks," she said. "Especially after everything that happened."
She didn't need to specify what 'everything' meant. The attack. The injuries. Ryuu's quirk burning out. The revelation about his father.
"Yeah." Ryuu took a sip of tea. It was good. Simple green tea, nothing fancy, but perfect for the moment. "I think we needed this though. Something normal. Something to remind us why we're doing all this training in the first place."
"To protect days like today," Ochaco said softly.
"Exactly."
They stood there as the sky continued its transformation. More students started emerging from the dorms. Early risers who couldn't stay in bed when something exciting was happening.
Tsuyu appeared next, already dressed and carrying a clipboard because of course she was. She spotted them and approached with her characteristic directness.
"Good morning. Gates open at nine. We should start manning the stations by eight-thirty, ribbit."
Ochaco grinned. "Ever the organizer."
"Someone has to be." Tsuyu's large eyes fixed on Ryuu. "You look better. Less tired than yesterday."
"I feel better," Ryuu admitted. "My quirk's almost fully recovered. I think I'm ready for today."
"Good. We need you at the takoyaki booth. Ochaco's float displays won't work properly without your amplification, ribbit."
The mention of their booth made both Ryuu and Ochaco smile. They'd spent days perfecting the setup. Ochaco would use Zero Gravity to make food float in elaborate patterns while Ryuu boosted her precision through physical contact. It was showy, fun, and completely harmless.
Everything a festival should be.
"I'm excited to see if it actually works," Ochaco admitted. "We talked it yesterday but can't say if we can perfect it..."
"It'll work," Ryuu assured her. "Your control is already excellent. I'm just helping you push past normal limits."
More students filtered out. The dorm doors opened and Mina burst through with her usual explosive energy.
"FESTIVAL DAY!" she shouted, immediately spotting Ryuu and sprinting over to tackle him in a hug.
He laughed, catching her before they both went down. Through their contact, his Resonance flared to life and he felt her emotions wash over him.
Pure, uncomplicated joy. No shadows, no worries, just excitement bright as sunlight.
"You're up early," he said, steadying her.
"Couldn't sleep! Too excited!" She bounced on her toes. "Today's going to be amazing!"
Momo emerged more sedately, tablet already in hand. When she saw their growing group, she smiled and joined them.
"The sound system passed final checks," she reported, then caught herself. "Sorry. I promised myself no logistics talk today."
"That'll be a first," Jirou drawled, appearing behind her with hands in her pockets. But her slight smile showed she was excited too.
Within minutes, most of Class 3-A had gathered near the fountain. Like magnets drawn together. The bonds from shared trauma and recovery now pulling them into orbit around each other.
Midoriya arrived with his arms still in lighter casts. Bakugo stalked after him, grumbling about "too damn early for this shit" but clearly awake by choice.
Todoroki nodded at the group in his quiet way. Kirishima was grinning despite the hour.
Aizawa appeared like a ghost, making several students jump.
"If you're all awake, you might as well start final preparations," he said. His expression was flat but something almost soft flickered across his face as he looked at them.
Pride maybe. Or relief that they were all here, alive and healing and excited about something as simple as a school festival.
"Breakfast first!" Ochaco declared. "We can't set up on empty stomachs!"
That got immediate agreement. The group migrated toward the cafeteria in a loose, chattering mass. Ryuu found himself in the center of it all, surrounded by voices and warmth and people who'd become more than just classmates.
...
The cafeteria buzzed with energy.
Lunch Rush had prepared something special for festival day. More elaborate than usual, like even the staff couldn't help getting caught up in the excitement.
Ryuu loaded his tray and sat between Mina and Momo, with Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Jirou claiming spots across from them. The configuration felt natural now. These connections settling into comfortable patterns over the past few weeks.
"So the takoyaki booth opens at nine-thirty," Mina said around a mouthful of rice. "That gives us an hour to do final prep after breakfast."
"We should run through the routine one more time," Ochaco added, nervous energy evident in how she kept adjusting her napkin. "Make sure the timing is right between cooking and display."
"It'll be fine," Tsuyu assured her. "We've practiced enough, ribbit."
"But what if my quirk fails in the middle of a display? What if I drop food on someone's head?"
"Then we laugh about it and try again," Ryuu said. "It's a festival, not a hero exam. People will be understanding."
Momo looked up from her perfectly organized plate. "He's right. The goal is to have fun and give civilians a positive experience with hero students. Minor mishaps are humanizing."
"Listen to the voice of reason," Jirou added. "Also, stress is bad for your quirk control. You're more likely to mess up if you're freaking out about messing up."
"That's very zen," Mina observed. "When did you become wise?"
"I've always been wise. You just never listen."
The banter continued, easy and comfortable. Ryuu felt it through his Resonance even without physical contact. The web of relationships in just this small group.
Mina's open affection. Momo's deeper feelings layered with recent intimacy. Ochaco's growing warmth, tentative but genuine. Tsuyu's steady care, friendship that felt like it might be deepening into something more. Jirou's reluctant attraction, walls maintained even as feelings leaked through the cracks.
And beneath it all, his own responses. The way his heart seemed to expand to hold all of them. The way even without touching them, he could feel their emotional signatures like favorite songs playing in the background of his awareness.
"You're doing it again," Mina said, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Doing what?"
"That thing where you stare at all of us with this soft expression like you're memorizing our faces."
"I'm not—"
"You absolutely are," Momo agreed. "It's actually quite endearing."
Ryuu felt his cheeks heat. "I'm just glad we're all here. All okay. About to do something fun together."
"Sap," Jirou accused, but her tone was fond.
"OI, RESONANCE!"
Bakugo's voice cut through the moment like a knife through butter.
Ryuu turned. The explosive blonde was glaring at him from his seat three tables away, but there was something in his expression that wasn't quite hostile. Challenge maybe. Or grudging respect.
"Your booth better not suck," Bakugo said bluntly. "If you're gonna do this festival crap, do it right. Don't embarrass the class."
Several students groaned at his abrasiveness, but Ryuu just grinned. He'd learned to read Bakugo over the past year and a half. Pride hidden under aggression. Care disguised as criticism. High standards applied to people he actually respected.
"Our booth will be great," Ryuu replied confidently. "We've got this."
Bakugo smirked. "Damn right you do."
Midoriya leaned over, whispering loud enough for Ryuu to hear. "That's basically him saying 'good luck' and 'I believe in you.'"
"I know," Ryuu whispered back. They shared a knowing smile.
The meal continued like that. Teasing and planning. Excitement building as eight-thirty approached and final preparations beckoned.
By the time they finished eating, the sun had fully risen and the campus was bathed in warm morning light. Students scattered to their assigned stations, ready to make the festival happen.
...
At the takoyaki booth, organized chaos reigned.
Mina was arranging cooking equipment with surprising precision, her usual chaotic energy focused into efficient movement. Tsuyu organized payment systems and customer flow patterns. Ochaco practiced her Zero Gravity on test objects, making plastic balls float in increasingly complex patterns.
"Okay," Momo appeared with her clipboard, somehow looking both excited and professionally competent. "Final checklist. Cooking equipment?"
"Check," Mina called out.
"Payment and organization systems?"
"Ready, ribbit," Tsuyu confirmed.
"Display coordination?"
"Almost," Ochaco said, making the plastic balls orbit each other. "Ryuu, can we try the amplification one more time? I want to make sure I can handle the boost."
"Sure." Ryuu moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Skin to skin contact wasn't necessary through her shirt, but it was close enough for his Resonance to flow.
He let his quirk activate, feeling the familiar sensation of connection forming. Like extending his nervous system to encompass hers, sharing awareness and enhancing capability. His Resonance flowed into her quirk factor, temporarily optimizing neural pathways and reducing biological limitations.
Ochaco gasped softly as the amplification took hold. The plastic balls she'd been floating suddenly moved with laser precision, weaving through complex patterns that would have been impossible at her normal capacity.
"That's incredible," she breathed. "It feels like Zero Gravity is just part of me instead of something I have to concentrate on."
"That's the goal," Ryuu said. "When I amplify someone, I'm not adding power. I'm helping them use what they already have more efficiently."
Author's Note: that's what he thinks.
Through their connection, he felt her wonder and growing confidence. But also nervousness about performing in front of crowds, worry about messing up, determination to do well.
"You'll be great," he said quietly, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze before releasing the amplification.
She turned to look at him, brown eyes bright. "How did you know I was nervous?"
"Your emotions are pretty loud when we're connected."
"Oh." Her cheeks pinked. "That's... I guess that makes sense. Does it work both ways?"
"Yeah. You'd feel what I'm feeling too if you were paying attention."
"And what are you feeling?"
Ryuu smiled. "Excited. Happy. Grateful to be here with all of you."
The way Ochaco's expression softened made something warm bloom in his chest. Before either of them could say more, Mina called out.
"Guys! We've got fifteen minutes before gates open! Final positions!"
They scattered to their assigned spots. Mina at the cooking station. Tsuyu at the payment counter. Ochaco and Ryuu at the display area. Momo doing a last-minute check of everything before she had to leave for her own coordination duties.
"This is really happening," Ochaco said, bouncing slightly on her toes.
"This is really happening," Ryuu agreed.
Through the festival grounds, he could hear similar energy from other booths and stations. Voices calling out final preparations. Laughter and nervous excitement. The ambient emotional atmosphere building like a wave about to break.
At exactly nine o'clock, UA's gates opened.
The first wave of civilians flooded in. Families with young children. Teenagers excited to see hero students up close. Elderly couples wanting to experience the famous UA festival.
They poured onto campus in a river of normal humanity, their joy and excitement palpable even without Ryuu needing his Resonance to sense it.
This is what we protect, he thought, watching a small boy drag his parents toward the combat demonstration area with pure excitement on his face. Not just their safety from villains. This. The simple freedom to be happy. To celebrate. To live without fear.
"First wave incoming!" Mina shouted cheerfully, already firing up the cooking equipment.
"Ready?" Ochaco asked, positioning herself beside the cooking area.
"Ready," Ryuu confirmed, moving to stand behind her.
The takoyaki booth was about to open for business, and he had a feeling it was going to be a very, very good day.