The preparations
“Seven days!?” Izuku exclaimed horrified.
Mina nodded. “Yes, seven days.” Izuku was currently seated in an oversized, plush chair within the so-called meeting room of the Inner Circle. After the selection ceremony, Mina and Kirishima had brought him to the exclusive area where the Inner Circle and Santa Claus’ successor lived. The other members had introduced themselves as Sero Hanta, Denki Kaminari, Kyoka Jiro, and Camie Utsushimi. Their gazes varied—some observing him with curiosity, others radiating sheer boredom. But they were all looking at him. Well, not all of them. Katsuki Bakugo sat in another chair farther away, focused in reading something.
For the past half hour, Mina and Kirishima had been doing most of the talking, explaining that they would train and prepare him for his task. The reason that Izuku got so worked up was Mina’s latest revelation: Bakugo possessed an object that allowed him to manipulate time. Apparently, delivering presents to the entire world in a single night wasn’t impossible after all. Every day, Bakugo would rewind time, making it seem as though they were only gone for a day to the outside world, while, for them, it would amount to seven days. Seven days alone with Katsuki Bakugo.
“Remember, no one can know! Don’t tell anyone—they won’t notice anyway,” Mina warned him sternly. Izuku gave her a hesitant nod. “Now that the general explaining is done, let’s move on to the fun part!” Mina declared, flashing a mischievous grin at Kirishima. “Since someone—” her glare pierced through Bakugo’s skull, causing him to look up from his book with an irritated expression, “—is too lazy to train you, we’ll handle it.” Bakugo stood up slowly, exhaling sharply as he crossed his arms. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. It’s the same shit every year. I still have a ton to prepare. Do it without me.”
“Katsuki Bakugo!” Mina’s voice echoed through the now-silent room. “This is actually your responsibility, so consider yourself lucky we’re even helping. Sit back down, or I’ll tell your mother!” Bakugo spun around, his fiery gaze locking onto Mina. “You stupid bitch, you wouldn’t dare!” he barked. “Try me! Sit. Down. Now,” Mina retorted. Smoke practically emerged from Bakugo’s ears as he begrudgingly flopped back into his chair, arms crossed tightly over his chest. He mumbled something that Izuku couldn’t make out, but he was unmistakably fuming.
Mina huffed triumphantly before turning back to Izuku. “So, where was I? Oh, right. We’ll train you. But apart from that, there are rules you’ll need to follow during this mission. Bakugo, would you be so kind and explain them?” Bakugo pushed himself to his feet once more, grumbling under his breath. He strolled up to Mina’s side, positioning himself where Izuku didn’t have to strain his neck to look at him. For the first time since the ceremony, Bakugo’s crimson eyes met Izuku’s emerald ones. The blonde’s gaze lingered at Izuku’s face, making the greenette fumble around anxiously.
Mina cleared her throat impatiently. “Earth to Bakugo?” Snapping his attention back to Mina, Bakugo cleared his throat. “The rules are simple, so don’t break them,” he began, his voice curt. “Rule number one: You listen to me at all times. If I tell you to do something, you don’t question it, you don’t hesitate—you just do it. I’m the fucking expert here, not you. Rule number two: You always stay by my side unless I tell you otherwise. Don’t go wandering off to ‘explore’ or some shit like that. And rule number three—the most important one—don’t let anyone see you. Don’t talk to anyone, especially humans. Got it?” Izuku nodded, his stomach twisting at the intensity in Bakugo’s tone. The blonde turned around and walked away, his attention no longer on him.
They escorted Izuku out soon after, instructing him to meet them here again in the morning. By the time he left, Izuku felt totally exhausted, despite the fact that his day had only consisted of a morning shift before all this chaos began. As he headed toward the changing rooms to get out of his uniform, he bumped into Ochako and Shoto, who had just finished their afternoon shifts.
Ochako’s eyes widened as she spotted him. “Izuku! How was it? What did they tell you?” The two of them ran up to him, looking him over in a concerned manner. Izuku offered them a reassuring smile. “Everything went great. It’s all really complicated, but I’ll be fine.” Shoto frowned slightly. “Then how did it go with… him? Was he mean?” “I mean, he wasn’t nice,” Izuku admitted with a chuckle. “But it was fine.” After reassuring them several times, the trio parted ways, and Izuku made his way to the changing rooms. Once he was dressed in his casual clothes, he said goodbye to his friends and stepped outside.
The night air bit sharply against his skin, and he could see his breath puffing in the icy air. The snow was glistening in the light of the moon. His red shoes weren’t suited for this type of weather at all, and he groaned at the wet, cold squish of his socks soaking through. Stopping abruptly, he closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The cold air filled his lungs, sending a shudder through his body. Opening his eyes, he gazed up at the sky. The stars shone brightly, illuminating his face in their silvery glow. The moonlight lit his path up, for which he was really grateful, after this long and eventful day.
When he finally arrived at the warmth of his hut, he wasted no time peeling off his wet clothes and slipping into something more comfortable. Entering his small kitchen, his eyes fell on a letter resting on the table. It was from his mother. She had heard the news of his selection and wanted to congratulate him, telling him how proud she was of how far he’d come. Izuku sat down to write back, missing her more than ever.
Other elves, those who didn’t work at the headquarters, lived in a city a bit farer away. Their lifestyle resembled those of humans, though their technology was far more advanced. Inko Midoriya owned a small flower shop in the heart of the city. It had the prettiest flowers in the area and even during colder periods, like now, her flowers bloomed as if it were spring. Izuku was very fond of his good relationship with his mother.
The next morning, Izuku returned to the meeting room of the inner circle, where they greeted him with warmly. Noticing Bakugo's absence, he turned to Mina.
“Don’t worry about it,” she reassured him. “He just isn’t used to you yet. And besides, he’s got a lot to do right now, preparing everything. But let’s start now! Each one of us will teach you something useful you’ll need on your mission.” She pointed to Kirishima, who grinned and gave Izuku a big thumbs-up. “Kirishima will do some basic training with you to help you get stronger,” Mina continued. “I’ll take care of your self-defense lessons,” she added with a smirk, “while Sero will help you improve your aim. You’ll need that for throwing presents into chimneys.” Sero nodded amicably, his laid-back demeanor as friendly as ever. “Camie’s up next. She’ll train you to maintain your balance, so you won’t go tumbling off rooftops.” Camie winked at Izuku with playful mischief. “The reindeers also need to get used to you,” Mina added. “Kyoka will handle that.” Kyoka, as usual, kept her response subtle, offering just a quick glance in acknowledgment. “And then there’s Mei,” Mina went on. “She’ll show you how the sleigh works and give you a new uniform with some upgrades.” Mei, absorbed in writing something in her notebook, didn’t even look up. “And last but not least, Denki will give you a communication device to stay in touch with Bakugo and teach you how to use it,” Mina concluded. Denki’s grin widened, clearly excited about his role in the preparations. Izuku felt really grateful for the group’s enthusiasm and support. Their kindness put him at ease, and he found himself eager to start learning.
“So, what are we doing today?” he asked, looking expectantly at everyone. Kirishima stepped forward with his usual energetic smile. “You’re training with me today.”
After saying goodbye to the others, the two of them headed to a massive gym. Izuku’s jaw dropped as he took in the variety of equipment. The benefits of being part of the inner circle sure were a lot. Kirishima handed Izuku a spare training shirt to keep his uniform clean. After changing, he watched as Kirishima prepared for the session. “Alright, I see you’ve already got some muscle,” Kirishima remarked. “What’s your usual workout routine?” Izuku scratched the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. “Just the basics—push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and running when I can.” Kirishima nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a solid start. Let’s warm up.” The two began with some of the exercises Izuku had named before Kirishima introduced some new routines to push him further. By the end, they ran laps to boost Izuku’s endurance.
When the session ended, Izuku was thoroughly exhausted, his muscles aching from the intense workout. Kirishima encouraged him to keep up the training even after his next sessions.
The next morning, still sore from the previous day, Izuku joined Sero for his aiming lesson. Sero started him off with simple tasks, like throwing balls into targets. Once Izuku got the hang of it, the difficulty increased. He began tossing larger and uneven objects, like toys and boxes. It took him a while, but by the end of the day, he was hitting almost all of the targets—even while running. In the evening, he made sure to follow Kirishima’s instructions and worked out for an hour.
On the third day, Izuku met Camie for balance training. They started with a fallen tree trunk, then moved on to walking across a slim bench in the gym. Finally, Camie insisted on the slackline. “I really don’t think I can do this,” Izuku admitted nervously. “I’ll fall down the second I get on there.” Camie rolled her eyes. “You can’t shit your pants over something so small as this, that’s so negative aura. You’ll need this for running across rooftops, remember? Can’t have you falling down every two steps when you get to the real deal, unless you want Blondie yapping and complaining to me about why I didn’t train you properly.” The girl gasped in horror. “Or maybe he’ll even ruin my beautiful face-card! I can’t let that happen, so get on there now.” Reluctantly, Izuku climbed onto the slackline—and fell. Again, and again. Needless to say, that by the end of the day, his body was covered in small bruises and marks.
The next day, Mina greeted him at the gym with a devilish grin. They got in position. “Alright, attack me,” she ordered. “What?” Izuku blinked, caught off guard. “You heard me—attack me. And don’t hold back. I need to see on what level you are.” Izuku lunged at her with a solid punch, only to find himself face-first on the floor. “How did you do that?!” he gasped. Mina smirked, helping him up. “Your attack was too obvious. No backup plan. I’ll show you how to do it right.” She then began teaching him defensive techniques and ways to immobilize opponents.
Kyoka’s session with the reindeers proved to be much more relaxed. Izuku had already met the animals during his earlier reindeer duties, and he found them adorable—especially Rudolph, whose glowing red nose fascinated him. Apart from that, he really liked the color red, so that may be another cause of his favoritism. Kyoka guided him through putting the equipment on the reindeers, feeding them, and making sure they listened to his commands.
When the time came for Mei’s lesson, Izuku was both excited and curious. She measured him thoroughly, then disappeared to retrieve a specially designed uniform. It was similar to what the inner circle wore but had extra pockets, warmer insulation, and practical accessories like leather gloves, goggles, and heavy boots. Mei also equipped him with a rope and hook, explaining their functions with her usual enthusiasm. Lastly, they went to the station where the sleigh was located. Izuku had already seen it, as he had helped improve and alter it. Mei quickly went over the many buttons and levers, explaining everything there was to know about them. After that, his lesson was over and he headed back.
On his way home, Izuku ran into his friends and invited them over. They spent the evening in his hut, sipping tea and sitting on plush pillows.
“Are you nervous?” Shoto asked, breaking the comfortable silence. Izuku thought about the question for a moment before answering. “A little. But surprisingly, I’m not scared.” “How are the preparations going?” Ochako asked. “They’ve been fun! Everyone’s been so helpful and I’ve been able to learn a lot from them. Tomorrow is my last session.” “That’s great, Midoriya!” Iida declared, his enthusiasm lighting up the room. “I’m happy for you and I’m sure you’ll succeed.” Izuku was grateful for this evening. Spending time with his friends gave him energy and made him feel somewhat normal again. Like everything was going to be alright.
On the final day, Izuku joined Denki, who demonstrated how to use the communication device—a phone-like gadget designed for contacting Bakugo and the inner circle. The lesson was rather short, leaving Izuku plenty of time to start packing for his mission. But what does one pack for a mission like this? He filled the largest bag he could find with essentials, like clothing and toiletries, and sentimental items, like a notebook and some pictures. Then he proceeded to freak out for the rest of the evening and fall asleep with a ton of thoughts and questions in his head.