Clementine is in his lap when Tommy "wakes up." There's no windows in the animal habitats place, so he can't tell what time it is or how long he's been here. Or when he even got there. (Hadn't he been in his lounge? He isn't sure.) But Koda sits nearby, offering a fluffy bunny to someone else-judging by their coos, Ashido. There's another voice, too, somewhere Tommy can't focus on since it's out of sight and a little far. It's probably Izuku. Relaxing just the slightest, Tommy starts to pet Clementine's head.

Some movement stops. "You alright there, Tommy?" Ashido asks.

"Yeah," Tommy responds dazedly, looking at her. "I think. What time's it?"

"About, uh..." Ashido turns to look at something. Someone. "Mido! What time's it?"

"Uh..." There's a pause. "Nnnnineteen thirty-four? ...No, no, I was wrong, sorry-twenty thirty-four!"*

Twenty thirty-four... that'd be far after the Fe-Sports Festival. (What fucking sports those were.)

Something must've shown on Tommy's face because Ashido smiles at his expression, devoid of mirth. "Yeah, they cancelled the awards ceremony early," she says, her smiling face faltering into something solemn. She keeps petting the bunny in her hands, peering into its beady black eyes instead of him. "It was like... mid-afternoon-ish. The Sports Festival went on for, uh... about six or seven hours in general? Something like that. Usually goes on for longer. The staff are still dealing with press and all due to the whole, um, event, so they've let us go.

"Me, Koda, Midoriya, and Sato got perms to stay and watch you until it's all mostly sorted out, or when it hits mi-ah, night-time. Hagakure wanted to stay, too, but her parents said no. Sato's gone home to reheat some of his baked leftovers, and he's bringing back the goods now."

A part of him bristles; Tommy Innit does not need to be watched. Even so, he chuckles bittersweetly, still sort of in a haze as his mind focuses on an entirely different point. "The goods. Like drugs."

Ashido nods, her face solidifying into further seriousness. Her lips are twitching at the edges, though, so it's all in jest. "Like drugs," she agrees easily. "I demanded that all the sugar would be put into whatever I got, so I'm going to be hyper as hell."

Koda narrows his eyes at her. Not in here, he signs. Go eat outside.

Ashido dramatically sets a hand on her chest, holding the bunny carefully in her other one. "Uh! I'm not a messy eater!"

If bits of glaze from the doughnuts you asked for get on the floor, the animals here eat it, and then they get all hyper, get poisoned, or die, I'm telling them that you're their dealer.

Gasping, Ashido slumps in defeat. "Fine, fine," she concedes with a smile, her tone of a chastised kid. "I won't eat in here. Would be hilarious to be a sugar dealer, though!"

Koda nods in satisfaction, going back to handling more rabbits. Tommy, who'd been absentmindedly paying attention to their conversation, leaves his hand on Clementine's head. She makes a curious noise before rising a little, the movement making his hand rise with her, and Tommy is so very thankful for Clementine's existence. "Your parents know or something?" He asks.

"They do!" Izuku answers, his voice closer. He enters Tommy's line of vision, plopping onto the ground with a sigh. His clothes and hands are dirty. "Th-They were all worried at first because of the-the ceremony," he says, hissing the last word with venom, "but we all, um, called them and everything. Mom's bought some Coca-Cola for you."

Tommy perks up, a little more of that haziness leaving his mind as he listens. "Coca-Cola?! Oh, fuck yeah!" He exclaims, the volume startling Clementine who jerks away. In an instant, Tommy's attention is back to her, now whispering countless apologies as she plops her head back into his lap.

"What!" Ashido cries, "He got to see your parents?!"

"Parent," Izuku corrects, gesturing towards Koda with both hands. They look at him curiously before their eyes widen, and soon enough, there's a pair of bunnies nestled into Izuku's hands. He cradles them to his chest, his face breaking out into a smile. "And yeah, he did-like a year before this, really. Suck it."

Ashido gasps loudly, a pleased smile on her face. Sometimes, Tommy forgets that Izuku isn't a little shit in front of everyone. "Ugh, how unfair!" She pouts jokingly. Tommy only nods along.

The door to the animal habitats creaks open. Tommy's able to turn his head, of which reveals Sato balancing several boxes on one arm. "Food's ready!" He announces, moving to take another step in.

Koda fucking teleports or something, already pushing him out and trying not to knocking the boxes of desserts down. Outside! Go to Gladiolus' lounge!** He furiously signs after Sato disappears behind the door again, the baker yelping "okay, okay!" Then, with a serene, soft smile, Koda turns back to the three of them. Let's go.

Ashido laughs, already setting the bunny in her grasp down with Izuku doing the same. Reluctantly, Tommy parts with Clementine, giving her a little wave before leaving the wildlife habitats, his head clearer than when he regained consciousness.

===

The sweets and desserts and pastries and all were real fucking good. He got to try glazed doughnuts and soft mochi and even softer cheesecake and sweet rollcakes! All of them had different flavors an' shit, too!

Sato had made sure the baked goods he chose weren't overwhelming in their taste when he originally made them, making everything something that Tommy could easily get down without wanting to throw up. Said they tasted better when fresh, and holy shit Tommy can't wait to try them when they are. (And, he was able to eat five servings of the baked goods! Five! It still isn't like before the Dream SMP, but it's progress!)

Though they did linger for a bit, they all had to leave eventually. Izuku and Koda got tired, while Ashido and Sato's parents were still jittery about the whole situation. It didn't matter; Tommy still got to keep a shit ton of pastries from Sato, of which he all shoved into his inventory. It was also enough that the four of them stayed at all.

Now, what would make Tommy's mood even higher were if he were to get to his house and continue mining instead of staying here for a fucking staff meeting. All the other students got to fucking go home for like half a week or some shit so that the drama can settle down, and yet because Tommy is an established teacher's assistant, he's technically a part of the staff, which is un-fucking-fair!

At the reminder of why he's even wandering U.A.'s halls right now, Tommy huffs, frowning. He glances out at the glass walls of the building, seeing the sun still in the air, and huffs even louder. Prime, he doesn't wanna go... Staff meetings are boring! (And he knows he won't like this one.)

A set of footsteps start walking closer to him. Pausing, Tommy whirls himself around-to see nothing behind him. There wasn't anything ahead of him, either, so it has to be from one of the long corridors this building has. And the person... their shoes are clacking against the floor, so it's not regular shoes. Pretty light, so it must be a hero. Who wears high heels...?

Oh.

Her.

Tommy does not move, as tense as a taut rubber band ready to snap. He turns back forward to see Kaya-Midnight appearing from a hall.

She looks haggard, even in the formal clothes she wears. Her hair's a mess compared to her usual wild hairstyle. Her steps are slower. There might be a slouch to her posture and bags under her eyes. When Kayama turns and sees him, her eyes widen, and yeah, those are definitely eyebags.

She opens her mouth. "To-!"

"Shut up," Tommy snaps. Midnight does, simply watching Tommy start to walk past her.

"W-Wait," she begins again, "I just-"

Tommy scowls. "Shut up!" He repeats, his voice reverberating in the halls of U.A., its volume barely anything compared to the height of his rage right now. Tommy turns around to her, baring his teeth in a way he hasn't done since the beginning of his year-or-so of being here. "Just shut the fuck up! Fucking-just go to the damn meeting! I don't want to hear you right now! I don't care about what you have to say here either! And if it's about forgiveness, or some shit like that? Forget it."

He whirls back around before Midnight can respond, storming off. There are, thankfully, several ways to get to the meeting room, so Tommy weaves through the longest path, doing anything in his power to avoid her loud fucking heels.

(Some part of him thinks that if Tommy could forgive Eret, then he certainly could forgive her in due time.

...He'll have to see.)

===

When he gets to the room, his anger is still simmering somewhat. Tommy barely resists the urge to slam the door down, instead taking a deep breath, and then taking a dozen more internally as he opens the door and walks inside.

Toshinori, Aizawa, Yamada, Chiyo, Cementoss (oh fucking boy does Tommy want to scream at him too, because now that he remembers it, wasn't Bakugo chained on a concrete pole?), Nedzu himself, Midnight... There's a few other people he doesn't know the names of, but mostly everyone except those not involved with the Sports Festival are present. Tommy takes the last vacant seat, thankfully very far away from Midnight, and leans back.

"Alright!" Nedzu claps once, an empty smile on his face instead of the jovial one he usually has. "Now that everyone's here, we can begin the meeting.

"You all already know what this main topic is about," he continues. "That is, the end of this year's Sports Festival; or more specifically, what occurred in the awards ceremony." Nedzu does not sugarcoat his harsh gaze when he looks at Midnight. She seems to flinch at all the attention placed on her, for once not sucking it all up and preening.

"Kayama," Nedzu starts. "Would you like to explain?"

For a moment, there was only a tense silence. And then, Midnight sighs tiredly, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face. She doesn't look up, her eyes honed in on the edge of the table. "I... It's..."

She sighs again. "I would like to start off with by saying that I now recognize that my actions are inexcusable," Midnight establishes. "O-Of course, that doesn't-redeem me or something. I'd just like to make that known." With all the hate she's probably getting on social media, no wonder she knows that.

"As for the entire idea, to... chain Bakugo up... I... this will anger some of you, I know, but I feel as if I've become desensitized to violent methods-if that makes sense." Midnight hunches into herself ashamedly. "It felt-alright to do what I did at the time. I-I didn't think about the consequences, nor did I consider Bakugo's opinion; all I focused on was the attention he was supposed to get, and how his victory should've been shown and celebrated. I guess."

Tommy thinks of Tubbo's screams and Tubbo's scar and Tubbo's dead eye, and Tommy thinks of Techno's panicked eyes and Techno's sadistic glee and Techno's fireworks. What a fucking show those were, huh.

(Tubbo. Tubbo, Tubbo, Tubbo, Tommy's quasi-brother, Tommy's other half. How long has it been since Tommy's thought of him, of his well-being?

He can't think about it. Won't.)

Midnight's voice drags him back out into the present. "That may be because I, well. Because my costume garners it. Attention," she says. "I guess I started, ah... losing my original purpose of being a hero, that being to help others and to inspire other women to take control of what they want, in turn for attention. Fame. Even if it's not my own. B-But I never wanted this type!" Midnight somehow curls in further. "It's pathetic, I know. Once again, I'm sorry."

Tommy almost tells her to shut up again. Almost. Instead, he shoves his simmering anger down and starts playing with the sleeves of his clothes. (His eyes sting.)

"Don't apologize," someone orders, their voice gruff, but Tommy is trying to blink away whatever the fuck's in his eye, his head turned away, and he can't see who said it. It's not Aizawa. "You can't apologize like that now."

Nedzu nods, visible when Tommy turns his head around. "Though I already have a basis of what to do next, I'd like the opinions of everyone else here."

"A mandatory leave both as a hero and a teacher, most definitely," Aizawa says in an instant. His eyes, usually drooping with sleep, are wide awake and attentive, a smidge of hurt somewhere in there. He's done a good job of hiding it all. "Though revoking her hero license is debatable yet on the table, a mandatory leave will provide a mental health break. However long said leave may be is up to the general consensus for everyone else, as well as how long she thinks it'd take for her to work on herself."

Someone with a broad figure and a dog-like face nods, raising their hand to put the general attention on themself. "I suggest therapy along with it." They add, a slight growl to their voice. "Though it is good that you recognize your mistakes, Kayama, I'm positive that won't be enough. I know a few therapists who are unbiased towards heroes and their professions; I'll contact them, see if they have an open spot."

Nedzu hums, putting his paws together. "Both of those are ideal. As for the length of Kayama's leave..." His eyes flit up to Midnight. "Your opinion?"

"...A year, at least." She eventually answers.

Nedzu nods, a contemplative expression on his face. "That is valid, but I feel as if that would have to be expanded. It will take ages for the situation to truly die down when the press stops attempting to swarm U.A., especially with how large and impactful the Sports Festival is as well as how intertwined it is with U.A.'s image. The world will not forget-but, with time, it might start to forgive.

"In addition, Kayama's been in the hero world for several years; the damage that's done to her cognition isn't going away in an instant. I say that a few years at least is fine."

"Don't feel like taking her license away is smart, either," Tommy reluctantly adds, staring at his arms instead of everyone else. "Everyone here should know of Toshinori's condition. If someone here doesn't, then you really need to fuckin' know."

Yamada nods. "Everyone here knows," he confirms, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "And yeah. I do prefer being optimistic, but..." Everyone can tell that Toshinori's weakening. All Might can't be everywhere anymore. "Sorry, but more heroes will be needed."

"It's fine, Yamada," Toshinori says, smiling at him. It's strained. All of his smiles are starting to be. "But, ah-what about her teacher's license?"

"That is out of our power," Nedzu states promptly. "The Board of Education would decide that. The best we can do on our end is to fire Kayama, but she'd still retain her license. Most likely, we'll have to wait for their decree."

"If she keeps her license and continues teaching here," Aizawa tacks on, "don't change Bakugo's schedule. I'm positive that would only enrage him."

The principal smiles. "Noted."

"On the matter of Kayama teaching," someone else pipes in, "would she be allowed to be on-stage for future U.A. Sports Festivals? That is, assuming she will be coming back to U.A. with a teaching license at all." The person literally has black skin-or maybe it was a bodysuit of sorts? Anyway, they also have a large tan coat on and a large-ass smile that could give All Might's never-ending one a run for its money. Tommy recognizes him; he's the math teacher. Never got a name, though.

Nedzu seems to purse his lips. "That is... dubious," he vaguely decides, "but it will probably depend on the media's vision of her, as well as Kayama's own mental health state. Most likely, however? No, she will not be permitted to do so in the future." The person in the tan coat nods, going silent.

"Anything to add?" The principal questions the general room. No one says anything. It's a pause that's fit for transition to a new topic, but no way in hell is Tommy letting Cementoss go.

"Hold the fuck up," he interrupts. "This shit ain't done yet."

Nedzu eyes him, not unkindly. "Yes," he agrees, "I was just about to get to that; this matter is not over. Though Kayama's actions are one of the main problems, there are a couple questions: where exactly she got the chains, leather straps, and muzzle from, as well as how it was all set up on the podium. It's easy to deduce her potential assistants; after all, Kayama and Ishiyama were the people mainly in charge of the stadium's operations due to their abilities.

"Furthermore, there are no muzzles or chains, especially not Quirk-limiting ones, in the walls of U.A. unless created in the Support Course-strictly for creations and not for people, of course." He raises an eyebrow, staring at Cementoss and a teacher Tommy doesn't know. "Well, Ishiyama? Maijima?"

"Don't rope me into this," the unknown teacher protests. There's some funky gear on his head. "The Quirk-limiting gear was made not long ago, and not by me. You remember that one kid-Sonoda Takeshi? That cruel second-year you expelled recently, and who's probably in prison right now? He made that thing.

"I was going to put it all in a furnace, melt whatever metals he used to get every single Quirk effect he put on them gone; God knows how the hell he got the metals at all." The person huffs exasperatedly. "Someone took them before I could, though. Either Kayama or Ishiyama, from what we're basing this off of."

Tommy frowns. That... If they expelled him, why not expel-

Midnight shifts, capturing Tommy's attention again. "...I-I did," she admits. Another thing to fucking pile on her list of atrocities.

Cementoss closes his eyes. "I confess, being requested to set up a pole on that podium was suspicious," he says, "and as a hero, it should have been natural for me to be weary. However, I did not think of it much. Though I did not know what Kayama would use it for, I did trust her. And so, I complied."

He hangs his head. "It is not a good excuse, but it is the truth. I will accept all consequences imposed on me."

Tommy thinks Midnight makes a little choked, despairing noise. Despite himself, he finds that there's tears building in his eye, and he looks away.

"...Trusting Kayama-well, anyone blindly is a bad decision," a large person with platinum hair eventually speaks out, "but he shouldn't be put on mandatory leave, I'd say. Ishiyama didn't know what Kayama would do. That doesn't make him innocent, just... well, there's no other words for it that I can think of off the top of my head; he's an unwilling subordinate." Tommy might know this person if he thinks about it a little more. They're 1-B's homeroom teacher, Vlad King, if he's right.

"I agree," Aizawa says gruffly, offering no more input.

"An official apology at most would be fine then, yes?" Nedzu asks, his eyes scanning the reactions of all the teachers. Most of them nod, including Tommy.