#i did a lil cross-referencing to see if that was just how Arm hosts his show

[maybe-boys-do-love]

Watching Gemini and Arm flirt with one another on Arm Share was not on my to-do list today, but I'm not mad about it.

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 040 [Code Names]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,666

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〈“Take a step back when we roll up ’cause I know what. We been loyal, we been fam, we the ones you trust in. Won’t hesitate to go straight to your head like a concussion.” Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Logic & Ty Dolla $ign, “Sucker for Pain”〉

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“The name you give yourself is important,” Aizawa told us. “It helps reinforce your image and it shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future. A codename tells people exactly what you represent. Take All Might, for example.”

Momo turned in her seat to hand me one of the whiteboards that Aizawa had passed out to the first kid in each row, along with a marker. I hummed thoughtfully, tapping the end of the marker on the board as I propped my cheek up with my left hand. Hero names, huh? Haven’t really thought anything about it.

Aizawa leaned back against the wall and slid down, asleep before his body even touched the ground. That left Midnight in complete charge. “Now students, who among you is ready to share?”

While the rest of the class didn’t seem too happy about presenting their names, Aoyama wasted no time in stepping up to the podium. “Hold your breath,” he proudly displayed the board. “The Shining Hero: I cannot stop twinkling! Mon ami, you can’t deny my sparkle.”

My forehead slammed onto the desk, making Momo jump in surprise. She asked if I was okay, but I could only mutter under my breath. That fucking name… I’m getting war flashbacks from being forced to watch Twilight a few years back. Fucking sparkling vampires, get the fuck out.

“It’ll be better this way,” Midnight took the board from him and started to write. “Take out the ‘I’ and shorten the ‘cannot’ to ‘can’t’.”

“It’s stunning, mademoiselle.”

“She likes it?!” The class chorused in disbelief.

There is no way… in the nine circles of hell… that a fucking pro is gonna call him that. Can you fucking imagine this fucking pro hero decides to be nice and host an internship for U.A. first-years, right, and Aoyama walks in and introduces himself as ‘Can’t stop twinkling’ and the fucking pro just starts to question his entire life choices. Bro, I would fucking retire right then and there.

“You’re not really French, are you? That’s just an act.” Sumo questioned, but Aoyama ignored him and returned to his desk.

“Okie dokie, let me go next!” Ashido stepped up. “My code name? Alien Queen!”

“Hold on!” Midnight’s body started to shake, a look of terror on her face. Just what is she imagining? “Like that horrible monster with the acidic blood?? I don’t think so.”

Ashido pouted, returning to her seat.

“Ribbit,” Tsu raised her hand. “I think I’ve got one. Okay if I go next?”

“Come on up!”

She stepped up to the podium. “I’ve had this name in mind since grade school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy.”

Since grade school? Damn, girl. I think Tsu is the only fucking one taking this seriously, to be completely honest. Not like I have much room to talk.

“That’s delightful!” Midnight cooed. “It makes you sound approachable. What a great example of a name everyone will love.”

A little devil perched on my shoulder, whispering a brilliant idea into my ear. I smirked, messily scrawling the code name onto the board before standing up and heading to the front of the room. Midnight raised a brow when she saw me, “This should be good.”

“Heh~ You have no idea, bruh,” I smirked, locking eyes with Katsuki as I flipped the board around. “LordXplosionMurder.”

“You bitch!” Katsuki slammed his hands on the desk, anger seeping off his shaking body.

“Hey, isn’t that your gaming handle, Bakugo?” Kirishima asked, tilting his head.

“Shut up!”

“Denied!” Midnight smacked the back of my head. “Sit down.”

I clicked my tongue and returned my seat.

“I’ve got mine, too!” Kirishima hopped up. “The Sturdy Hero: my name is Red Riot!”

“Red Riot? Interesting. You’re paying homage to the chivalrous hero, Crimson Riot, yes?”

“That’s right,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “He may be kind of old school, but someday I want to be just like he was. Crimson is my idol!”

“Hmm, if you’re bearing the name of someone you admire, you have that much more to live up to.” She commented.

“I accept the challenge!”

Paying homage, huh? I erased the board with my fingers, staining them with the ink.

Kyouka stepped up after him. “The Hearing Hero: I’m Earphone Jack.”

“Now that’s a good one!”

Next was Shouji. “Tentacle Hero: Tentacole.”

Why not just go with Hentai Hero?

“Oh, I like what you’re doing with that. A nice portmanteau!”

Then Sero. “The Taping Hero: Cellophane!”

Ain’t that the really thin clear plastic that sticks to literally everything but the food you’re trying to cover?

“That’s on the nose. Good work!”

Ojirou. “Martial Arts Hero: Tailman.”

Sounds like a villain from that TV show that Shin-chan is obsessed with.

“No surprise with that one, I guess!”

Sumo – god, what is his name? “I’m the Sweets Hero: Sugarman!”

That really sounds like someone parents should keep their kids away from… If only his hero costume had a trench coat.

“Perfect!”

Ashido tried again. “Pinky!!”

“Make those looks work for you, girl!”

Are you… are you serious? Her hero name is Pinky? The only fucking way that is cool is if you’re referencing Pinky and the Brain, bro.

Kaminari. “Stungun Hero: I am Chargebolt! Electric, doncha think?”

Damn, that one’s actually kinda cool. Way cooler than he actually is.

“Ooh~ Makes me all tingly!”

Stop being creepy, please. I’m gonna have PTSD.

Floating clot – er, I mean, Toru. “The Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!”

“That really suits you!” She clapped her hands, addressing the rest of the class. “Now come on, who’s gonna step up next?”

I approached the front again with a smirk. “Don’t gimme that look, Midnight. I got the perfect one this time. The Tsundere Dad Hero: Dadzawa Soft Hour – shit!” I scowled down at Aizawa, who had kicked me in the back of the ankle. How the fuck did he even do that in the fucking sleeping bag? “Fucking rude, I’m trying to present here.”

“Can you take anything seriously?” He cracked open an eye to give me a lazy glare.

“Don’t be like that,” I grinned. “Why – so – serious~?”

Midnight smacked me again. “Denied!”

“Che,” I returned to my seat, Momo patting my shoulder as we passed each other.

She stepped up to the podium, looking equal parts nervous and determined. “I hope I can live up to this name. The Everything Hero: I’m Creati.”

“Crea-tive!”

No, stop. You’re not a dad, Midnight.

Next was Todoroki, his face devoid of emotion. “Shouto.”

I sweatdropped. That damn edgelord didn’t even try, bro. Sheesh.

“Just your name?” Midnight asked, raising a brow. “Is that it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Like a wet sponge, that one.

Fumi went next. “Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi!”

I stood up, clapping loudly. When the others turned to look at me, I just said, “That’s my son up there! I’m so proud!”

Fumi’s cheeks went pink but he smiled and nodded his head.

“Ah~” Midnight moaned. “God of the night!”

My eye twitched and I smacked my hands on the desk. “Stop trying to seduce my child, he’s way out of your league!”

“And just what is that supposed to mean, hmm?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Anyone would be overjoyed to have all of this!”

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Yeah, totally, because raisins are so attractive, ya know.”

“You little -!” She pulled me into a headlock, my face buried between her two melons. Jesus fuck, I’d hate to see the doctor bill for her back pain…

I waved my hands frantically, unable to see or breathe, until my hand connected with her face. I gave it a hard shove, taking in a gulp of air. “I need to fucking breathe to live, you know! This is sexual harassment!”

“Oh, please harass me, mommy.”

“Shut the fuck up, grape, no one asked you!”

She smirked. “According to your match results against Honenuki, you can hold your breath for fifty-five seconds.”

“That is irrelevant information! I don’t want my tombstone to read, ‘Death by tits‘!”

“That would be so amazing,” Mineta’s drool plopped onto the desk as he blatantly stared at Midnight’s boobs.

My lip curled back in disgust. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, your tombstone is gonna read, ‘Burnt so bad there was no fucking body‘!”

He humphed before hopping down and heading to the podium which he was too fucking small to see over. “I’m the Fresh-Picked Hero: Grape Juice!!”

“Very catch,” Midnight nodded her head.

Mountain was next – I also need to learn his name, but he doesn’t speak, does he? He nervously held up his board and it read, ‘Petting Hero: Anima‘.

“Yup! All about it!”

Katsuki finally stood up, his aura still seething as his vermillion eyes locked with mine. “King Explosion Murder!”

“I’m gonna say that one’s a little too violent.”

“Hah?! What do you mean?!”

“You could be ‘Explosion Boy’!” Kirishima suggested.

“Or ‘TacoQueen’,” I smirked.

“Both of you, shut up!” He snapped. “Why don’t we go outside and I’ll show you exactly why ‘Murder’ should be in my name!!” He grumbled under his breath, sitting back in his seat and angrily erasing the name.

Ochaco went next. “This is the name I thought of – Uravity!”

“I just love that,” Midnight smiled warmly, pressing her hands together against her cheek.

“Good job, Ocha!” I grinned, sending her a thumbs up as she returned to her desk. She smiled back.

“To be honest, choosing names is going faster than I thought it would.” Midnight commented, stretching her arms above her head. “All we have left is young Bakugo and Winchester, who need to rethink theirs, and~ Iida. Oh yes, and Midoriya, too.”

I grunted, leaning back in my chair and holding up the board.

Her eye twitched. “‘Taco’ has nothing to do with your quirk, Winchester.”

“It’s part of who I am. It’s my soul.”

“Denied!”

“Goddamn it,” I scowled, furiously wiping the ink away from the board.

Iida stood up and approached the front. Like Todoroki, he only wrote down his first name, but that isn’t what made me take pause. No, it was the look on his face and the aura filled with sadness and anger that hovered around him so thickly. Maybe I should attempt talking to him? I doubt he’d open up to me, though, he hates me.

“You’re using your real name, too?” Midnight asked with disappointment lacing her tone.

He didn’t reply.

She shrugged as he returned to his seat. “Well Midoriya, are you ready?”

“Oh, yes.” Zuku shot up, approaching the front. I wonder what he chose. I bet five bucks he chose some kind of homage to Toshi. I swear if he wrote All Might Jr… He showed the board, surprising everyone with what he had written. Fuck, I just lost five bucks… to myself. Score.

“Really, Midoriya?” Mineta questioned, not sounding impressed. Like, bitch, your name is Grape Juice.

“You sure about that?” Kaminari asked.

Kirishima added with concern, “Yeah, remember that could be your name forever.”

“Right…” Zuku lowered his head in thought. “I used to hate it, but then something changed. I guess… someone taught me that it could have a different meaning… and that had a huge impact on how I felt. So now I really like it! Deku… that has to be my code name.”

“Umm, Winchester, your eyes are leaking…” Todoroki commented.

“My baby cinnabon is growing up, guys.” I sobbed, clutching onto the back of Momo’s shirt. She chuckled, creating a handkerchief from her hand and giving it to me. “Thank you, Momo.”

“Of course.”

“You’re so weird,” Todoroki mumbled, turning his head away.

Katsuki huffed as he stomped to the front again. “Lord Explosion Murder!”

“Winchester already tried that,” Midnight sighed. “And it’s basically the same thing as your last one.”

“No, she didn’t have an ‘E’ in ‘Explosion’! It’s totally different!” He protested.

“I mean, the boy got a point,” I added, grinning when she shot me a look.

She smacked her forehead. “The two of you are completely hopeless. Just use your real names!”

I shrugged and Katsuki grumbled under his breath, sitting back down.

Aizawa heaved a tired sigh as he pulled himself to his feet. “Now that everyone’s decided on their hero names, we can go back to talking about your internships. They last for one week. As for who you’ll be working with, those of you who are on the board will choose from among your offers. Everyone else will have a different list.” He held up a stack of papers, but the words were too small for me to see from the back of the feckin’ room. “You have a lot to think about. There are around forty agencies across the country who have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on. Keep that in mind.”

Forty agencies?? And those are only the ones willing to put up with us… Holy salsa dancing Satan, how many agencies are there in this damn country? Forty seems a bit excessive.

“Imagine that you were thirteen.” Midnight held her finger up. “You would want to choose a place that focuses on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?”

“Think carefully before you decide,” Aizawa concluded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Turn in your choices before the weekend.”

“We’ve only got two days?!” Kirishima cried out in surprise.

“Yeah, so you should start now.” Aizawa and Midnight headed out the door. “You’re dismissed.”

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I frowned at the list of offers that had been placed on my desk, scratching my cheek. That’s great and all, but the problem is that I don’t know a single thing about any of these fucks because I ain’t from this world. Oh wait, there’s Endeavor. Like hell I’mma choose flame fuck. I guess I could ask Zuku. He’s a walking talking encyclopedia of hero knowledge. Hmm, yeah, I’ll just make him choose someone for me. Problem solved!

“So guys~ Have you decided what pro agency you wanna go for?” Ashido asked.

“Mt. Lady’s my top choice!” Mineta answered immediately.

“Mineta, are you thinking something perverted?” Tsu inquired.

“Possibly!”

I scoffed, leaning back in my chair. Jokes on him, that bitch is gonna eat him alive and then spit him back up as a glorified slave. Though, knowing that freak, he’d probably enjoy it.

“You made it pretty far in the tournament,” Ojiro commented toward Ashido. “It’s weird you didn’t get any offers.”

“I know~!” she cried, throwing her body over the desk.

“Hey, Deku, who’s on your list?” Ochaco approached the greenette and sweatdropped at the mumbling mess that is Zuku the cinnabon. “There he goes again…”

He snapped out of his trance at her words. “Huh? Oh, sorry, what’d you guys say?”

“You’re really thinking hard about this, aren’t you?” Tsu asked.

“It’ll all work out.” Ochaco smiled. “I’ve already settled on my pick!”

“Already?”

“What agency?”

“The one that the Battle Hero: Gunhead runs!”

“Huh? Gunhead’s a big brawler, though.” Zuku commented in surprise. “Are you sure that’s where you want to intern, Uraraka?”

“Yep! He sent me an offer!”

“Woah, really? But I thought you were trying to be a hero kinda like Thirteen, more into rescuing than fighting.”

“Ultimately, that’s the plan, but I’ve been thinking ever since the festival… well, at least ever since I faced off against Bakugo. The stronger I am, the more possibilities I’ll have! Plus, learning from a battle hero will give me a different perspective, right?”

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. Too fucking precious man. I sighed, letting my head fall onto the desk for the umpteenth time today.

“Are you okay, Winchester?” Momo turned in her chair, voice full of concern.

“I need food,” I groaned. “And my brain may be slightly melted, I’m not sure.”

She chuckled and stood up. “Let’s go to the cafeteria, then.”

“Sure~” I pulled myself up, following the black-haired girl from the room.

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