Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The first thing that he felt as he ebbed back into consciousness was his knees. Specifically, the thinly adrenaline-veiled sting of bloodied, abused ones. His palms felt like ice. Actually, everything around him felt like ice- an intruding contrast to the heat his head and legs were buzzing with. The world felt stilted as it came back into his perception: sense bleeding into touch, bleeding into sound, bleeding into taste, bleeding into sight. His spine protested loudly at an attempt to raise himself off the impossibly cold ground. So instead he laid there, motionless.

What happened?

That was the first real thought to come to him, and with it came a sudden, lurching feeling of pain in his head and his ribs. His... ribs? He had probably bruised them, but he wasn’t sure when. He wasn’t really sure what had happened at all. And now he’s somewhere he can’t identify-on the concrete in some alley, probably- and no one knew where he was. A light snow was falling around him now.

With these realizations, he began to notice the regained feeling in his legs, and promptly forced his wailing body to sit upright, despite its aggressive refusal to cooperate. Alright, inventory time;

Both his knees were coated with crusted blood (not a surprise, but certainly unwelcome), his right leg was covered in soot and ash (meaning he’d probably ran through a fire at some point- goddammit), and he could feel a deep bruising on his cheek, pulsating along with the scrapes and scratches across his knees and arms. Pulling up his shirt revealed a deep, purple and blue bruise along the area of his stomach and ribs. Great. Peachy.

Sitting up was difficult, but standing up was complete hell. His legs nearly buckled as he took a shuddering, treacherous breath. His vision swam for a second- god, whatever had hit his face must’ve hit hard. His shoulder collided with the wall, supporting his aching ribs momentarily as he made sure he wasn’t dead on his feet. He stretched his digits up to his temple, rubbing monotonous circles into the tanned skin there.

Pulling his hands away, he noticed the fading cracks of gold along the paler side of his palms- great, he had used his quirk, then. The soot that coated his legs and shoes was probably his doing, which eased something in his chest while sparking an entire other feeling of dread into life.

He took out his phone (a passing glance at the clock told him it was past midnight) and opened the camera, wincing as his own complexion appeared. The bruise along his temple and cheek looked a lot worse than he had hoped it would, but that wasn’t what really startled him.

Both of his eyes were pulsating a deep, fiery gold- the same gold as the cracks that lined his skin. An after-effect of his quirk, which was the nail in the now unavoidable coffin.

God, okay- he had to think. What had happened? He couldn’t remember anything that occurred before blanking out- just a large chunk of time directly after school that was replaced with a vague, numbing darkness. It had to have been something, he never used his quirk to this point unless the circumstances were dire- and the last time something had called for it was… well, he really didn’t want to think about that.

Shaking his head, he checked the time just to make sure he hadn’t gotten it wrong in his haste to look at his appearance (sadly, he hadn’t misread it. He shouldn’t have been so surprised, considering the sky was pitch black). Along with the time, though, he noticed a large amount of unread notifications on his phone- all but three of them being from the same person.

“Dammit.” he hissed through clenched teeth, and a shaky finger pressed it’s way onto one of the many messages sent from his mother. She was obviously panicking, the seven missed calls said enough about that before he even read her frantic texts-

Yesterday 4:24PM Mom- Izuku honey, you should tell me if you’re going to be home late from school! You know how worried I get

Yesterday 5:12PM Mom- Izuku you’re scaring me, please message me dear

Yesterday 5:33PM Mom- Baby please talk to me it’s going to get dark soon and I’m worried

Yesterday 5:50PM Mom- Izuku baby talk to me, if something’s wrong I’m here okay?

Yesterday 5:51PM Mom- Please pick up Izuku

Yesterday 6:34PM Mom- As soon as you get home we’re talking about this

Yesterday 7:46PM Mom- Oh god Izuku please be okay, Officer Sansa has been out looking for you for the past hour and I’m so scared

Yesterday 9:25PM Mom- Please be safe Izuku

                                                                                   Today 1:17AM You- Mom I’m okay I’m safe I’m so so sorry

                                                                                   Today 1:17AM You- I just woke up and I’m not sure where I am but I’m safe, okay? I’m so so sorry mom oh my god

Today 1:18AM Mom- Oh thank god you’re okay Izuku, send me your location I’m picking you up

He activated his GPS and sent a location pin to his mom, who sent a quick ‘On my way’ in response. God, how could he do this to her again? He didn’t deserve her, he really really didn't.

Some part of him wanted to sink into the growing piles of snow around him and disappear- no longer a burden, only drifting in the cold, icy fluff that seemed so welcoming despite his better knowledge. The other, less clouded part of his brain protested against this. Instead, he sent a small spark of warmth through his now numb fingertips, relishing in the heat but scowling at the still-glowing golden folds in his skin.

He heard a car screech to a halt a few minutes later; which meant mom had to have been driving around even before he had texted her- his location pin said he was a few miles from home, and she couldn’t have traveled that far so quickly otherwise. The purring of the engine guided him to the front of the alley, and he felt tears burn their way from his eyes as his mom’s round, worried face came into view.

She didn’t bother closing the car door- instead abandoning it in favor of leaping at her son. Tears stained both of their shirts as they sat there, crying in each other’s arms for what felt like an eternity.

The full force of what had happened slammed into him- and his already wrenched sobs became even more howl-like. He had used his quirk- his full quirk- and he was beaten up and scared and everything hurt. He spluttered and attempted to form words, but was shushed by a gentle hum that met his ears warmly. Mom was here- she was here and he was safe and he wasn’t dead somewhere in an alley.

“Izuku honey it’s okay, it’s okay now. Breathe, deep deep breaths, listen to me, okay?” With that, he finally realized he had been on the verge of hyperventilation. Having a panic attack now wouldn’t help anything, so he listened to her and felt her breathing ebb and flow from her warm, gentle chest. He was safe. He was safe.

A hand made its way through his hair, untangling whatever curls it touched. “Izu baby, you know we’re gonna have to talk about this when we get home, right?” She pulled back, examining his bruised face with a gentle look and an even gentler thumb on his cheek.

“I know, mom. C-can it wait for later? I need to shower, and I’m exhausted.” He pulled back further, wiping the dew still left in his glistening eyes, as his mother did the same.

“Of course, I’m taking you to the E.R. now anyways-” a faint scowl crossed his face at this, and she bit her lip subconsciously. “Unless… you would rather wait till the hospital opens at five? Oh Izuku, that’s such a long wait, and your poor face!” Another gentle swipe of a thumb across his jawline had her eyes shining with tears yet again, and he began stuttering for a way to fix that.

“Mom, I’m okay! I’m okay, r-really. I think the worst is p-probably just my knees-” that was far from the truth, considering the pain in his side continued to pulse beneath his shirt. “- and I could really use a shower, and you could really use some sleep, okay? You look, um... exhausted.”

The two were now making their way over to the small, homey Mitsubishi she had abandoned hastily.

She cupped an acknowledging hand around her own cheek in embarrassment, pink-tinted fingers contrasting against the deep bags under her eyes. How long had she been crying? Actually, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

She hadn’t mentioned his quirk yet- hadn’t even flinched back when she had seen the pulsating gold-orange of his eyes and hands. She’d expected this, then… Maybe that would make explaining everything easier.

They got into the car and began driving, Izuku electing to hold his shaking mother’s spare hand as he stared out the window.

Izuku Midoriya’s quirk made itself known at age six; long after he had first thought he was quirkless. The early manifestations of his power emerged in the form of gentle flames licking his skin and the ability to draw a candle’s embers towards himself. Sure, it was nothing special at the time, but he felt so proud of the quirk- his quirk- that he didn’t care how simple it was on the surface.

The teasing and bullying would continue for a long while even after his power appeared, though the blows from one Katsuki Bakugou were largely lessened thanks to Izuku’s ability to snuff out the heat from his palms. This absolutely made him even angrier, but he could no longer supply Izuku’s arms with more faint burn scars- so Izuku kept doing it.

Izuku never liked making Kacchan angry- he didn’t like making anyone angry- but if it could keep him from coming home crying to his poor, overworked mother? He would do it time and time again.

Izuku’s perception of his quirk quickly changed after he turned seven, though- when his true abilities manifested, and he woke up surrounded by frightening, terrifying flames that filled his vision and burned his throat with smoke and oh god he couldn’t breathe-

...That was in the past, now. He doesn’t like thinking about it.

So Izuku Midoriya, age seven, locked away his monstrous power. Quirks gained strength with time, and the idea of being able to do any more damage than what he had already done horrified him.

He trudged on, the load of his burdens remaining unknown to all but his mother. The taunts lessened as the years continued, all save for the ones thrown by Kacchan and his collection of followers- he didn’t think those fights would ever stop, but at this point? He also didn’t think he was really worth defending, anyhow.

Thanks to his quirk, Izuku discovered he was heat resistant. He stopped trying to snuff out Kacchan’s explosions.

Throughout all of this, despite the incident, despite Kacchan’s continued hatred of him, and despite the fact that he never wanted to use his quirk again- something deep, deep inside of Izuku screamed with passion at the thought of being a hero. Saving people mattered; it was something good he, despite his follies and mistakes, could still manage to do.

All he needed to do was to become a hero without using his full quirk- which, according to virtually everyone he had crossed paths with during his short time of not having one, was supposed to be impossible. He would do it, though. He would have to. If he couldn’t? Then the only good part of him would die, and he just couldn’t stand living like that.

Izuku and Inko made a compromise: they would go home, take turns showering, eat a quick meal, and then drag themselves back down to the hospital at 5AM. As soon as the door was swung open, Izuku made his way to his room and face-planted onto his plush comforter. He really, really wanted to just fall asleep and forget about everything- but his bruised jaw burned it’s presence back into his mind at the pressure, and he stood up with a gentle sigh. He plugged his phone in to the charger by his bedside, making sure the screen lit up before making his way to the bathroom.

The torn, blood-stained shirt he wore was pulled off as gently as it could be, so as to avoid irritating his prone face even further. All of his muscles screamed in protest as he slowly undressed, but as soon as he was out of his constraining clothes, he moved towards the shower and turned it as hot as it would go. The heat would disinfect his cuts and scrapes- and though it would surely irritate the bruises marring his skin, he couldn’t really care right now. A hot shower sounded god damned amazing.

After he was clean and his hair was dried as much as it would allow, Izuku redressed and sat on the edge of his bed. He grabbed his phone- the time flashing to life on the screen, reading out Tuesday 2:16 AM in a bold font. He scrolled idly, avoiding the news app staring at him from the corner of the screen- till he remembered the other notifications he hadn’t had the time for earlier, and made his way to the group chat his friends had sent them from.

He began making up a quick excuse for his absence and assuring Kama and Kishi that he was just trying to sleep like a normal person for once in his life. Pink was berating the two others for interrupting his (fake) nap- when Naga suddenly joined the conversation, just sending a row of question marks instead of any actual reply. He giggled as all of his friends jumped to explain what had happened, and sent a quick, “gonna go back to bed” while everyone was still typing.

A gentle call of his name came from the kitchen, sapping his attention back to the real world. The house smelled of tea and stir fry, and he smiled shakily at his mother, making his way behind her to settle his small, frail form onto the plush of hers.
His mouth was pushed against the center of her back, arms wrapped around her waist, so when she asked a simple “would you mind setting the table, Izu?”, he neglected to remember the muffled nature of his voice. Pulling back, and moving towards the cabinet, he let out a small hum of approval instead, and made to place two bowls and the two steaming tea cups on the table.

“By the way, honey-“ mom called to him as she began to take the rice and vegetables off the stove, “I called officer Sansa back on my way to pick you up, and he says they’ll need a statement from you down at the station tomorrow- if you’re okay with that.” She tacked on that last part, sending an understanding expression his way before taking the pot of rice and setting it on the table. She came back a moment later with the bowl of stir fry, and took a seat after she served herself. He carefully portioned his own meal before saying a quiet ‘itadakimasu’ and digging in.

They ate in a comfortable silence. Suddenly, though, Inko placed her chopsticks down beside her half-empty dish, and looked to him with an obvious question on her lips.

“Izuku, honey… It’s been a long while since this happened, okay? I know that look-” he flinched at that, “and you shouldn’t be beating yourself up over this...” She paused, her mouth gaping open for a few moments afterwards, brow furrowed. A sigh escaped her lips, and she rested a hand under her chin. When she brought the other hand up to stroke the tops of his curls, he blushed under the care, but didn’t say anything.

“Baby, can you tell me what happened? I know you’re probably still confused, and I know it’s probably not fun to think about- but, please, Izuku. We just can’t ignore… this.” She gestured vaguely in his direction, and he self consciously toyed with the end of one of the bandages covering his arms.

“M-mom… I know I just,” a sigh, “I’m still piecing everything together, y’know? I can’t remember anything after school got out, it’s just kinda fuzzy and… blank.”

Though this obviously wasn’t the first time this had happened, Izuku still got frustrated over the memory loss his quirk provided. Just another perk of his stupid, useless power.

Her hand halted its descent down his curls, instead finding its way under his chin, and squeezing his dimples playfully.

“Alright, honey. But as soon as you remember something, tell me please, okay? I don’t want you to be alone when you figure out what happened- not this time.” She planted a kiss on his forehead, and shooed him off to the living room despite his insistence on helping with the dishes.

Defeated, Izuku made his way to the couch, and curled up there next to his phone, unplugging it from the charger and plopping down amongst a pile of blankets. Maybe watching tv would help get his mind off all of this…

Flipping through the channels was nice and monotonous. Station after station of sports replays, children’s cartoons, and cooking shows all melted together- Until, suddenly, a word caught his attention, and he flipped back a few channels.

His grip went slack, and the remote clattered to the floor.

“Izuku, what was that? Are you alright in there, dear?” Inko slowly rounded the corner from the small kitchen, staring at her son, who was sitting with his hand still in the air.

“M-m...mom?” he stammered, shaky fingers lifting upwards to rest in a point, “I th-think I know what h-happened.”

The news station flashed a series of clips- a small forest fire raging along the outskirts of Musutafu, the charred remains of an alley, several pictures of melted spots of concrete, and, finally, an interview with a boy with golden-blonde hair. Across the screen, in a large, bold font, were the words, “Villain attack and civilian rescue- possible uncontrollable vigilante at work?” Izuku paled at the words, but didn’t move as the boy on-screen began to speak.

“I thought I was dead, this big, really tall guy came at me with a knife- I think it was that- that one guy who was on the news yesterday? Hammerhead? I can’t really remember.”

The boy looked exhausted; the bags under his eyes rivaled Izuku’s. Actually, now that Izuku was paying attention, he noticed the boy was laying in a hospital bed- a strong hand gently held his shoulder in what seemed a reassuring manner. The boy continued.

“But, uh, yeah. So that guy was there, and I was just on my way home from school, but he came at me and cornered me into the alley- and he had the knife and, and he-” his breath caught for a moment, and the hand patted his shoulder gently. “He was laughing about something- about how the world was cruel, and how he was just doing his job, as a bringer of mayhem, or some shit?” he hissed out, but with a glance off-screen, a slight blush tinted his pallor face. “S-sorry, mom.”

The boy went on, describing the man’s appearance. He kept going- until the interviewer asked about the person who had saved him, and he paused.

“The-... The person who saved me, wished to remain unknown. I didn’t catch a name or anything, but they were skinny, and short, and their eyes were glowing. I- I-” He paused, visibly struggling to find the words he wanted to speak, but slumping in defeat.

The reporter gave him a gentle pat on the hand, and the camera footage faded back to a regular-looking newscast room. The two hosts talked politely, and Inko waited for their verdict on the news with bated breath. They briefly compared the current fires to the wildfires and burning of an entire city block several years back- until an image popped up on the screen of the murderer HammerHead. Izuku let out something akin to a choking noise, grabbing her attention.

Izuku’s hand was finally wrenched from the air, and was now shoved over his mouth. His eyes were blown wide, sweat seeping down his face. He made no move to speak.

“H-honey, what’s wrong? Talk to me, Izuku-”

He caught his breath in a violent wave, and hunched over- lightly flinching when his mother’s hands made their way to his back and face.

“I remember, m-mom. I remember what happened last night.”

His shaking hands fell to his knees, clenching his legs with white knuckles.

“Th-that’s- That’s the guy I used my quirk on. And that boy… Was stabbed, right in front of me.”

The news flickered off, and Izuku burst into tears.

He saw red scorch the ground in puddles.

Blood.

A lot of blood.

The boy across from him’s eyes shot forward, gaze fluttering in time with his stilted breaths. The kid clutched his side and arm, before falling to his knees, desperately scrambling backwards. The villain, leaning down to grab the boy by his collar, released a sickening howl of laughter.

Izuku’s bag slammed the concrete long before he knew what had happened.

A small hand snaked its way around the much-larger man’s shoulder, and locked in place there like a vice. The villain turned, smile never faltering, and raised the dagger towards the hand’s owner. Izuku’s face was tilted downwards, breath stuttering to a halt.

“Hey kid, you just gonna stand there and die?”

Izuku’s face stayed in shadow- until a faint glow appeared from somewhere beneath his nose. The man stiffened.

Glowing eyes shot up to greet the villain’s grim expression. Izuku bared his teeth at the man- several sharp fixtures of bone formed into a grin, parted only when the glow gave way to a black, slick substance dripping from his lips. It landed on the concrete- and the man’s shoes- with a deafening sizzle.

“No-” Izuku snarled, voice burning its way into the villain’s ears, “but I guess you are.”

Fire burst forth all around them, and the villain rushed backwards, engulfed from knee-to-toe in crimson flame. The fire shone brightly off of the other boy’s bright, golden hair- and his eyes shut against the scorching light.

Fire bled from between Izuku’s fingers, red and orange with choking heat- now the same color as the magma that dribbled from between his clenched teeth. His typically green-toned hair was iridescent against the cascading tower of flames.

The boy on the ground shook painfully, but his eyes never left the the silhouette of fire in front of him.

The villain slammed back-first into the wall as the flames grew higher, drowning the alley in yellow pillars of heat. Two screams rang out; one choked with stifling pain, the other masked by the thick magma from its owner’s throat.

The thing living beneath his skin burned. He burned back.

He saw red.

Izuku Midoriya - age 14

Quirk - Hellfire

Chapter Text

Izuku fell asleep on top of his covers at 2:54AM. Sleep didn’t come easily to him- especially when his quirk was added into the mix- but he tried his best to get whatever rest he could. Nightmares were frequent, but he tried to ignore them. Talking about it would just make things worse.

A gentle hand on his shoulder woke him at around five AM. Inko cooed gently, saying, “Time to get up, my sleepy boy. We’ve gotta go to the hospital, remember?”

He definitely did remember, but that didn’t change the fact that he was running on under three hours of sleep. He rolled to face her, not bothering to stifle a yawn that came afterwards.

“There’s my handsome son! Now, get on something comfortable, we’re gonna head out in about ten minutes. You can rest a bit on the way there, alright?”

He hummed softly in response, sitting up and allowing his mother to plant a kiss on his cheek. Once she had made her way off the bed and out of the room, Izuku took his time getting up and slipping into a pair of sweatpants.

Everything hurt- like, a lot. The pants brushed the bruise at the edge of his stomach, and he winced in pain. He could feel the bruising along his cheek and temple twofold. His knees weren’t nearly as bad as they had been that morning, but they were still coated in deep gashes and road rash- so it wasn’t really a plus. He took three ibuprofen tablets, swallowing down the last of a water bottle that was tucked under his bed, and slipped out his bedroom door.

His mom was sitting on the couch; fully dressed in a warm winter coat and checking something on her phone, before perking up at the sound of him approaching.

They slipped on their shoes before making their way to the apartment parking lot. It was dead quiet, and the dark sky was filled with a light sprinkle of snow. Izuku drifted off into a restless sleep almost as soon as the car began to move.

Twenty minutes later, he woke with a start as his mom parked the car. The large, dull-colored sign of the hospital his mother worked at grabbed his attention immediately. There weren’t very many cars there; which made sense, really, considering it was barely passing 5:30AM. Still, Izuku was glad for the inevitable quiet the hospital would provide, even if actually being there mostly made his skin crawl.

Hospitals were definitely not on his list of top-places-to-visit, but the pain in his side flared up with every minute movement; so he decided to bite the bullet. Hopefully he wouldn’t need any sort of stitching in his knees- last time he had gotten stitches was absolute hell.

“Izuku, baby- you awake?” Inko quietly asked, dipping into his view slightly. She looked exhausted- and that snapped him awake enough to remember to actually get out of the car.

Inside, the hospital was- thankfully- just as empty as he had predicted. There wasn’t anyone in the waiting room currently, and the young woman behind the receptionist desk greeted them with a bow of the head.

She was rail thin and had deep blue hair and eyes- he recognized her as Ms. Tsukiko Aimoto, a medical student still struggling to pay off her debts. He smiled politely at her, and then glanced around the room while simultaneously toying with the end of one of his bandages.

“Hello, Tsukiko-san, it’s odd seeing you in so early! Did they take you off of night shift finally?” his mother prompted, already beginning to sign the paperwork for getting him into his appointment.

“Good morning, Inko-san. Yup, I got moved to morning shift over the weekend, today is my third day-” she paused momentarily, sending a playful smirk Izuku’s way. “I’m kinda glad, too, considering you’re our first patient of the day. Hope you aren’t causing your mother too much grief, Izu-kun.”

His cheeks grew red, and he attempted to stammer out some sort of coherent response; until a tall, broad-shouldered woman at the end of the hall shouted his mother’s name.

“Midoriya-san! Good morning, nice to see you alright after last night’s fiasco!”

Doctor Aki was a kind but intimidating woman; she had jet black eyes, several sets of small, spiraling horns, and, most of all, a large mane of untamed red hair. She waved kindly to Inko, calling her towards an examining room. Inko handed Aimoto the paperwork- fully signed and completed- and the two made their way towards Doctor Aki’s office.

As soon as he sat down, the husky woman brought out a clipboard and stethoscope, gently placing the latter to Izuku’s chest and back as she chatted idly with Inko. She had been his doctor (and mom’s coworker) ever since he was little, so they typically didn’t bother with formalities.

“Alright, Midoriya-san, Midoriya-kun, what seems to be the problem?” she asked this while simultaneously checking his ears. “I mean, besides the obvious stuff- like the abrasions on your knees and arms, and the bruise on your face.”

He blushed shyly as she rolled her chair back, and he lifted his shirt slightly to reveal the deep-purple of the bruise that blossomed there. Inko gaped at the mark, unaware until now of the severity of his injury. Aki snorted to stifle a giggle.

“Alright, not as bad as it could be, but still pretty bad. I’ll get you some painkillers for your face and ribs, and you’ll have to ice the latter for a few hours per day to help the pain subside. Bruised ribs aren’t fun, kiddo! You’ve gotta be more careful.”

He mumbled out an, “I know, Aki-san”, and she giggled wholeheartedly this time, grinning widely at his embarrassed expression.

“Well, besides the bruised ribs,” Inko shot him an exasperated expression while saying this, “he’s definitely overused his quirk- sadly, he hasn’t been able to sleep much since last night, so there’s not much to say about that…” She sighed, and looked down to the floor.

At Izuku’s request, Inko had never fully disclosed the details of his quirk with her coworkers. In the end, they respected the Midoriya family’s privacy- but that didn’t stop a curious look from crossing Aki’s face.

“Alright, there’s not much else I can recommend besides rest and the ice pack- I’ll get those painkillers for you on your way out, and we can redress the scuffs and scrapes, but promise to take it easy for at least a few days, alright?” She ruffled his hair at this, and the meeting came to a close.

Inko picked up Izuku’s prescription along with a copy of the visitation fee, and the two made their way out of the hospital. Inko sent one last troubled glance at his now re-wrapped injuries, before starting the car and driving away.

The day passed by quickly- Izuku resigning himself to the corner of his bed as he dipped in and out of sleep gracelessly. He awoke from flitting half-memories many times, images of smoke and melted concrete burned into the back of his eyelids. No nightmares came yet, though. He was grateful it was daytime, when he could sleep peacefully and avoid whatever his head would decide to throw at him.

His mother knocked lightly on his door, waking him from another bout of unconsciousness. She leaned down gently and pecked a kiss to his forehead, whispering, “I’ll be back from work in the morning, Izuku. Get some rest, okay?”

He mumbled a half-formed reply, before snuggling beneath his blankets once again, and drifting back into sleep.

Flames dared to lick the sky around him- bleeding gold and red into the clear, star-less black. He couldn’t breathe or think; he just was. Something within him screamed, and a cry was wrenched from his lips, painting the still air with desperation.

He suddenly realized that, despite the fact that he could not feel it, the fire was engulfing him. He strained his consciousness to stay, and tore his eyes from the ceiling of black to look down at himself.

Where his hands should have been, two sets of black-tipped claws stared back. They weren’t his- couldn’t have been. He hadn’t seen anything like them in years. He felt the already fading edges of his mind bristle.

They were his, though. He flexed his muscles, and the tips of the hands moved in response, dagger-like nails barely raking across the flats of his palms. It sent a shiver down his spine.

He could move now, though, which led to him turning, searching, for anything other than the endless plains of fire before him.

Something along the ground caught his attention out of the corner of his eye, and he whipped around- face to face with a steaming, bubbling mass of… something.

The sudden stench of blood and flames scorched his senses, and the breath was snatched from his throat.

There was something on his hands, now.

Something red.

Izuku woke up with a scream on his lips- splayed halfway between the floor and his bed, with his comforter thrown to the side. His neck creaked as the rest of his body slid downwards to meet him, and he held his knees tight against his chest.

It was just a dream. Just a nightmare. He was here, at home, safe.

The words didn’t help force back the acid clawing up his throat.

He sat up, gently resting his aching head against the bottom half of his bed, breathing in and out slowly for a couple of long moments.

It was dark outside, and a few stars peeked through his window, sending a blue-grey hue spiraling through the room. He focused on the twinkling fixtures- the breath in his chest steadying. Slowly, he got to his feet and made his way to the window, leaning onto the wall beside it, peeking out at the glass.

It was a nice night.  He didn’t think he’d be able to sleep again, so he was especially grateful for the serenity. At least he could relax somewhat, even if he couldn’t really rest . Maybe some tea would help get his mind off of this.

The house was still, quiet night air creeping indoors to paint the walls with deep blues. He crept through the living room, silent despite knowing he was the only one home- some part of him scared to shatter the peace. 

As he approached the kitchen, something bright pink caught his eye, and he turned towards the counter to see a small sticky note stuck atop a lidded bowl. ‘I’ll be back at 5AM, take your pain meds when you wake up (but not before midnight!!)’ was scrawled across it in his mother’s bubbly, rushed handwriting. He flipped the note up to reveal another one underneath, and picked the two up. This one read ‘ P.S.~ I bought some of your favorite snacks! No eating the sweets until you’ve eaten some real food though (Hope you have a great day hon!)’, signed with a collection of little stars in the corner. He smiled and tucked the notes into his pocket, freeing up his hand to open the lid of the bowl.

Inside were several rolls of Kakor Hallon strawberry cookies (from Ikea- he’d love to shop there again some time), a bag of Calbee shrimp chips, and a large ziploc baggie filled with different flavors of Kitkats. His smile grew wider, and he jumped to the fridge to look for something quick to eat- mom was right, he should probably get some protein first.

While he was rummaging through the fridge, Izuku spared a quick glance to check the time on the clock; 1:32AM. He figured taking his pain medication now would be best, considering it would take a while to kick in. Grabbing some leftover tonkatsu, he hurriedly closed the fridge- looking at all the food made him excruciatingly aware of just how hungry he was.

Once the food was properly heated up, and his tea came to a boil on the stove, he grabbed his medication and then made his way to the table. The stars had shifted by now, and the light folding from the window nearest the dining area was beautiful. Once he had finished eating, he sat there for a moment, taking it in.

He felt warm and comfortable now that he had eaten, and the tea he was still sipping at helped soothe his nerves further. He wished he could appreciate nights like this more often, even though he knew this was probably going to be the death of his sleep schedule. Whatever, he was flexible, he would work with it.

Izuku made his way into the living room after that; picking out a roll of cookies and an old Studio Ghibli DVD before hastily shoving the disk into the player. The opening bars to Kiki’s Delivery Service played, and he sunk into a pile of blankets snuggled in the corner of the couch. He stayed there- cozied up, teacup emptied, cookies in hand, and covered in blankets- and the gentle lull of sleep greeted him.

He was unconscious by the time the final scene played, and his mother found him a few hours later on the way to her room. He looked peaceful. It was the best night's sleep he had gotten in a long while.

Izuku stirred from sleep around 10AM, the smell of seafood and vegetables overwhelming his senses. Across the room, Inko was busying herself with a takoyaki pan- carefully portioning bits of batter and octopus into each hole. Once she was done, she turned around, cleaning her hands with a towel, and perked at the sight of Izuku shuffling towards the kitchen counter.

“Good morning, Izuku. How’s my sleepy boy doing?” A yawn forced itself out of him, and she giggled, setting down the towel and making her way over to him.

“M’fine, mom. Thanks for making lunch- sorry I wasn’t up to help, I forgot to set an alarm and…” he stopped, sighing. She simply brushed off the apology with a series of comments about him ‘deserving to rest up’ and ‘needing recovery time’, and the worry in his gut settled quickly.

They ate shortly after that- making small talk about the movie he watched last night, and about her time at work all the while. Once they were finished, and Izuku was cleaning the dishes (which he refused to not help with, despite his mother’s insistence), they settled into a calm silence. That is, until Inko sat herself onto a stool at the counter, and sighed heavily.

“What’s wrong, mom? Rough sleep?” he questioned softly, understanding coloring his tone. His mother worked so hard, and though she didn’t suffer the same kind of insomnia he did, some days rest was difficult when stacked against her worries. She didn’t say anything, or even hum a response, though- the worry he felt earlier bubbled up again.

“I know it’s been a tough couple of days… but if you’re up for it, honey-” she paused, and took a moment to undo the loose bun atop her head, “I really think we should speak to that new detective today.”

He blanched slightly at this- he had almost forgotten Officer Sansa and his interview. Some part of him wanted to refuse outright, but… deep down, he knew she was right.

“Sure, mom. You’re right, I think this is… something I should get out of the way now, rather than later.”

The dishes were now stacked carefully in the strainer, and he dried off his hands, turning to her. She had stopped fidgeting with her bun in favor of looking at him with creased, caring eyes.

“Alright, honey. I’ll go get dressed, tell me whenever you’re ready to head out, okay?”

He nodded, and with that, she left. He was alone in the kitchen now. He stood there, silent. Suddenly, he moved forwards, steps and breath equally steady.

He could do this. He could do this! It was just officer Sansa- he could do this.

He could not do this.

The ride to the station was a short one, but it was plagued with a slowly growing feeling of dread. It had been- what? Years since the last incident? And though they hadn’t been completely out of touch, Izuku hadn’t had a face-to-face conversation with the cat-headed officer since then. An interview was not the way he had wanted their reconnection to happen.

But here he is, sitting in the waiting room of the office portion of the Musutafu Police Station, minutes away from meeting the mysterious new detective who had replaced Abiko-san. Detective Abiko was the previous head of the Quirk-Investigations department, but now he was gone, and Izuku would be meeting with…

“What’s the new guys name again, mom? You said Sansa told you a bit about him, right?” He glanced at her sheepishly, hands wringing in his lap nervously.

“Ah, it’s okay, honey. His name is Detective Tsukauchi, and he’s apparently Abiko-san’s cousin.” with this, her hand made its way on top of his, steadying his shaking fists. “Sansa said he transferred in a year or so ago, and that he really trusts him. It’s gonna be okay, okay? Deep breaths, baby.”

She kissed his cheek once more, and he steadied his breathing. Sansa walked in a few moments later and surveyed the room, before his eyes landed on them, and he hastily made his way over.

“Nya- Good morning, Midoriya-san, Midoriya-kun. Nice seeing you two again-” He bowed lowly, and straightened the collar around his neck once he stood back up to his full height. “We can catch up a bit later, for now, please follow me- Nya.”

(Despite knowing him for literal years, Izuku could never get used to the man’s cat-like speech patterns. It was strangely endearing.)

They followed Sansa through a series of hallways; he only faltered momentarily to tip his head in acknowledgement at those who greeted the group. Izuku was getting increasingly nervous, the not-quite-familiar layout of the deeper areas of the building rousing his anxiety.

They soon made their way to a large, metal door. A small sign was posted on the wall next to it, labelled “Interrogation and Interview Room No.3” A stone dropped in his stomach, and he watched, shakily, as Officer Sansa knocked politely on the door.

A gentle ‘come in’ came from the other side, and he opened the door for Izuku. The boy stood there, shaking like a leaf, before gulping down one last breath of air, and making his way into the room.

The walls were plain- metal painted with white, pristine except for the chipping corners. One of the walls was parted with a strip of one-way-mirror in the center. A single table was bolted into the floor in the center of the room, and one metallic chair with thin padding was placed on either side. The chair nearest the door was empty, and the opposite one held whom he assumed was Detective Tsukauchi.

The man was tall and slender, lean body framed by a crisp grey suit jacket that sharpened his shoulders. His shoes and hips were similarly boxy. The only parts of him that didn’t appear sharp were his hair- which was slightly tousled- and his kind, supple face. He bowed his head in recognition, not putting down the folder he was reading, and Izuku forced his stiffening legs to move in the least robotic fashion he could muster.

As he sat down, he could hear the gentle metal tck of a door being closed. He remembered his mother would be watching from the other side of the mirror, and relaxed marginally. He’d be okay, he could do this.

“Hello, Midoriya-kun. It’s nice to meet you”, he set down the folder and closed it with a gentle smile. Izuku smiled back, though he knew it probably looked mangled and shaky. Tsukauchi picked up a pad of paper and a thick, black pen.

“Now, Midoriya-kun. I’m going to ask you a few questions about the events that took place between Monday, November 7th and Tuesday, November 8th. Feel free to not answer if a question makes you uncomfortable. This interview will be recorded and analyzed only by myself, officer Sansa, and the three other investigators assigned to this case. Any questions?”

Izuku shook his head ‘no’ gently, and the Detective clicked his pen, flipping to a specific page in the notebook and placing the tip there.

“Midoriya-kun, where were you at 3:30PM on November 7th?”

His mind froze, and he fidgeted with the end of one of the remaining bandages on his arms. “I was at school, and I started walking home around 3:40…-ish?” He tacked on that last part, his memory still a bit too foggy to make a coherent timeline of events.

Tsukauchi scribbled something down in the notebook, and then looked up at him again. “What route did you take in order to get home?”

Izuku paused at this, trying to remember the specific streets he had crossed. After detailing what avenues he had taken, Tsukauchi hummed in response, and finished writing down the directions.

“Were you involved in the attack by the villain Hammerhead, which took place approximately around the same time you were walking home?”

There it is, he thought. He tried to mask his fear, taking a few moments before stammering out a response-

“I was p-present during the conflict, but I didn’t know it was Hammerhead at the time. My memory is kind of foggy, so I can’t really, uh… remember much…” Tsukauchi quit writing about halfway through his statement, and Izuku, realizing this, stopped lamely. His eyes darted between his hands and the Detective in front of him.

“I see.” The man said, voice calm, “I was previously informed about the memory loss related to your quirk.”

Izuku fidgeted restlessly.

Tsukauchi hummed, jotting down something in the notebook.

“So, Midoriya-kun, did you try to intervene in the conflict using your quirk?”

“Y-yes, sir. I used my quirk when I saw the villain was trying to harm someone.”

“Your quirk is called Hellfire, correct?”

Izuku physically flinched. “Yes, sir.”

“Do you know what caused the damage to the surrounding buildings and concrete located at the scene of the conflict?”

Izuku tried to swallow the lump in his throat. ”No, sir. I can’t really remember anything after I approached the villain.”

Tsukauchi hummed again, and paused to finish writing something across a new page in his notebook. Izuku waited anxiously.

“Midoriya-kun, do you remember the events leading up to your recovery in the alley located on the outskirts of Musutafu?”

“No, s-sir. I don’t remember anything other than waking up.”

“I see… Can you tell me the extent of the injuries you received during this period?”

At this, Izuku self-consciously stopped fiddling with the bandages on his arms, and sat straighter in his seat. “Both of my knees are, uhm, covered in abrasions. I have several scrapes and cuts along my arms, too. And, uh, several of my ribs were bruised, along with my face.” His hands tightened around bunches of his pants, stilling themselves in the fabric.

Tsukauchi hummed once more, though his pen didn’t still for several long moments.

“Alright, Midoriya-kun, that’s all the questions I have for you today.” He smiled politely, and Izuku physically sagged in relief.

The two made their way to the door, and Inko greeted Izuku once they exited, enveloping him in her plush arms.

“Nya- Thank you for your time, Midoriya-san, Midoriya-kun. We’ll update you regarding the case soon, okay?”

Inko smiled softly, and the mother and son bowed, hands linked. Another officer offered to escort them to the front of the building, so they made their way out, leaving Officer Sansa and the detective in front of the interrogation room.

“You’re being awfully quiet, detective”

Sansa was leaning against the wall nearest the interrogation room door, surveying Naomasa with a flick of his ears. Tsukauchi merely flipped through the notebook in his hands, turning back to the final page he had written on during the interview.

The answers he had received from Midoriya were written in his own neat, tidy handwriting. Sansa turned his head, making a subtle glance over Naomasa’s shoulder.

He somberly looked at each answer, before taking out his pen and circling three of them. Three of them which had been marked in bold, underlined text as lies.

“I don’t know what he’s lying about, or if he even meant to… but that kid is hiding something, Sansa”

The cat-headed officer’s ears flattened against his fur in confusion.

“And I fully intend on finding out why.”

Chapter Text

Today was Thursday, and Izuku’s first day back at school since the recent accident. He trudged along the path towards the school building, head low and eyes trained on the ground in front of him, carefully avoiding the small piles of snow present along the sidewalk. He was not excited to make up two whole days worth of work, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of his pocket. The picture of him and Kishi-san that was set as his lock screen made a smile cross his face, before he read over the notification from the group chat and hastily made his way to the server. Pink had apparently tagged him in something- and considering her school started an hour earlier than his, he wondered what could be so important.

He subconsciously navigated around the dwindling students in the courtyard- he still had five minutes til classes started, he could take a moment to sit and talk.

The server loaded and-

He stared at his phone, expression blank, before bursting out into a fit of giggles. God, he hoped no one was looking his way.

On the screen in front of him was a large, cinematic image of Pink- her small, spiraling horns framed the frizzy hair that was encircling her cheeks- and, in the background, what appeared to be Kishi mid-fall out of a tree. He was incredibly blurred, but Izuku could tell he was dabbing.

Today 8:24AM AcidQueen- Good morning fuckers lets get that bread

Today 8:25AM MightLight- OH MY ABFHKABFKBAJKFBA IS KISHI OKAY?? ALSO WHY WAS HE IN A TREE

Today 8:25AM AcidQueen- HES FINE LOL HE USED HIS QUIRK DW

Izuku sighed deeply, and smiled fondly at the screen- until Kishi’s username popped up with an “is typing…” message in the corner of the screen.

Today 8:26AM SoftBoi- YO DUDES WHATSUP THAT WAS AWESOME !!!
I ALMOST DIED ABHKFABFK !!!!!

Izuku snickered again, until the warning bell cut through his thoughts and sent him flinching. He typed out a quick ‘<3 u guys talk to you after school’, before pocketing his phone and jogging towards the front doors of the building.

Ducking between the crowded corridor to get as close to the wall as possible, Izuku quickly made his way to class. His bag was hastily tossed onto the chair in front of him, and he began to organize his notebooks and pens before gently sitting down, leg already twitching with nervous energy. Hopefully today would be-

“MOVE OUT OF THE WAY, FUCKING EXTRAS!!”

Izuku flinched aggressively, knee jumping so high it almost hit the underside of the desk. Oh well, wishing was worth a shot, anyhow.

Bakugou thankfully quieted down after that, electing to scowl at the student behind him who had somehow managed to scuff his shoe. The teacher entered, and everyone filed into their seats at a slightly quicker pace. He hoped today would be a simple class- or perhaps something interesting, which could distract from the mountain of anxiety now building in his gut. He wasn’t really sure which would be better.

“Good morning, class- Bakugou-kun, please quiet down. You and Chage can discuss your shoe problem later, for now, class is starting.” The aforementioned girl blushed, and her quirk sent the smell of tea leaves wafting through the air. Kacchan simply grumbled out something that was probably meant to be hostile, but the teacher elected to ignore it.

Class went on as normal- Kacchan sending snide looks Izuku’s way any time the boy began to rap lightly on the desk with his pencil, and the students around him quietly dozing off, taking poorly organized notes, or some unholy combination of the two.

As they approached the last ten minutes of class, their teacher finished his Japanese lecture before pulling a thick stack of papers from behind the podium he was standing in front of.

“Now class, It’s time for you all to start thinking about your futures- don’t give me that look, Ikari, I saw you sleeping. And no quirk usage in class, you kids have to take this seriously.” He levelled a glare at the students, before slamming the stack down and watching as some of them finally shot awake. Ikari in particular startled, before the spikes that had been bristling on his head smoothed down.

“It’s time for you kids to think about what you want to do-”

Izuku’s attention was caught by the unfinished note that lay on the paper in front of him, and he quickly jumped to fill in the final line. His teacher’s words bled into the background momentarily-

“-But I know you all want to go on the hero track!”

The room suddenly exploded with quirks left and right, and the lead of Izuku’s pencil snapped clean in half. He wiped off the mess, doing his best to not let his anxiety cloud his face. Hopefully no one would manage to-

“Listen, teach, don’t lump me in with these fuckers- I’m on a whole ‘nother level, they’ll be lucky to end up as sidekicks.”

Bakugou’s feet were on his desk, and his glistening palms made their way behind his spiky blonde hair. The room rang out with protests and ‘boo’s, but Kacchan just continued to smirk wildly.

Suddenly, he flipped himself up onto his desk, pointing aggressively at his chest. “I’ve got the test scores to get into UA, and I’m gonna fucking do it-” someone shouted something profane at the boy, and he twisted around quickly, shouting, “FUCKING FIGHT ME IF YOU’VE GOT A PROBLEM, ASSHOLE!”

“Bakugou, watch your temper, please” the teacher drawled, before flipping through the set of papers for a moment. He came across a random sheet, and his eyes widened. “Say, Midoriya- you’re trying to get into UA too, correct?”

Izuku had sunken low into his seat by now, arms folded protectively in front of himself- but he still jolted at the mention of his school of choice. He mentally started counting to keep his breathing in line.

The room around him exploded once more- several giggles and an exclamation of “Midoriya? Seriously??” followed by an actual explosion right by his face.

Bakugou was in his personal bubble now, smoking hands charring the desk in front of him and filling the air with embers. He breathed heavily through his nose, and Izuku’s chair shot backwards, nearly depositing him on the floor. The smell and heat coming off Kacchan’s palms made his throat close up and his mind spiral.

The thing beneath his skin itched, pleading to snatch the fire directly out of Bakugou’s palms and use it for itself. Images of scorching walls and ash flashed through his mind at the sensation.

He couldn’t do it- not today. Maybe not ever.

“DEKU YOU PIECE OF SHIT- YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME WITH THAT WEAK ASS QUIRK OF YOURS, HUH?” Kacchan was now (literally) fuming, hands clenching and unclenching into fists at his sides. Izuku shrank further in on himself, wishing he could just disappear.

“N-no Kacchan that’s not what I meant by-” He was swiftly interrupted by another explosion near his head, Kacchan’s hand slamming the wall behind him, singing a few of his curls in the process.

“Fucking Deku, you better stay the hell away from-”

The bell suddenly rang, and a collective sigh could be heard from both some of his classmates, and his teacher. Izuku slumped against the chair, breath unsteady and limbs full of static. Bakugou ‘tsk’d loudly, before kicking at Izuku’s feet and picking up his bag, slamming another explosion onto Izuku’s desk before stalking out into the hallway.

Izuku could barely breathe again- mouth filmy dry and ears ringing slightly. He could do this, he could get through today. He slowly got up- relief washing over him at the sight of his Hero Notebook having been knocked onto the floor rather than caught in the blast.

Him and Kacchan only had one other period together, he could make this work.

Quickly shoving the neat notebook and pens into his bag, Izuku scurried out of the classroom.

The final bell rang, and Izuku hurriedly closed out the article he had been reading (apparently a new hero named Mount Lady had debuted yesterday morning- he’d have to do more research) before shoving his phone into the pocket of his pants. If he hurried he could-

“Deku, where were you yesterday, you fucking bastard?” Bakugou growled, and Izuku could already smell the smoke coming off of his hands.

It was their second term, but Izuku still could hardly handle having Kacchan in class at the very end of the day. Seeing him during homeroom was really hard enough as is.

“I was- uh-“ think, idiot . Izuku couldn’t tell him the truth… could he?

“I got caught in a villain attack yesterday, the- uh- same one that caused all those fires…” Not technically a lie, right?

Kacchan’s face didn’t betray how he was feeling, much to Izuku’s dismay. He swallowed around the lump crowding his throat, and took a gentle step backwards. Kacchan narrowed his eyes, shoved his steaming fists into the pockets of his pants, and grimaced.

Okay, he probably thinks I’m lying. Shit.

“Fucking idiot, can't even defend yourself with that lame-ass quirk, huh?” He took a monstrous step forwards, cornering Izuku into the nearby wall. “You’re pathetic, don’t fucking forget that. You’ll never make it into UA-“ At this, he took one last commanding step towards Izuku, and gently placed his scorching hand on the cowering boy’s shoulder in faux-placation.

“Got it?”

“G-“ he tried desperately not to choke on his own fear, “Got it.”

The two other boys- presumably Kacchan’s friends, even though he probably wouldn’t consider them that way- snickered, and waited calmly for Bakugou to take his still-smoking hand away from Izuku’s (now crumbling) uniform. They retreated behind him, and stopped in the doorway when he did the same.

“Y’know, Deku… If you’re really that fucking pathetic, there is a way to get you a better quirk-“

Izuku flinched. Please don’t say it, please don’t say it, please don’t say-

“You could always take a dive off the roof and Pray to the gods that you get a chance in your next life.”

The last of Izuku’s hope snapped into little, brittle pieces. Sluggish tears were making their way down his face- he’s not sure when that had started.

One of the other two boys- he had golden, glowing threads wrapped around his neck (Izuku is pretty sure his name is Aiko Ito)- stands there, smiling… though it doesn’t feel genuine.

“Damn, Midoriya- I’d’ve thought you might actually hold your ground this time…-“ he uttered, smile breaking. He gently rubbed at his own shoulder, before retreating behind Bakugou’s other accomplice.

Izuku stood in the deserted classroom. He was by finally by himself, but...

He didn’t feel safer, just more alone.

He decided to take the long way back home. The route being tucked further away from where the other students would be travelling definitely helped clear his head. It also made it easier to avoid Kacchan, so…

He tried not to think about it, instead pulling out his phone in favor of finishing the article about that upstart hero. Her quirk was apparently some form of gigantification, which would probably explain all of the reported property damage at her debut yesterday.

He thumbed through a few other reports, carefully absorbing all of the available information- until he looked up, and startled at how dark his surroundings were. He whipped his head around in several directions, until the realization hit him.

Oh. Just under the tunnel.

God, I’m stupid. It’s been overcast because of all the smoke, I shouldn’t have gotten spooked-

He sighed deeply, and elected to tuck his phone back into his pocket. He’d really rather not get lost- and imagine how rude it’d be if he accidentally ran into someone? Just because I feel bad doesn’t mean I get to-

His thought process was shattered by a too-close-for-comfort clattering of metal. He whipped around once more, but this time, he was face to face with a giant, looming mass of- what appeared to be- living sewer sludge.

“Hey, kid! So glad I could meet you, but I ain’t got time for talking-”

Izuku’s body was violently slammed to the concrete, stars briefly clouding his vision before the black faded. The sewage- villain, definitely a villain- was weighing down on his legs and torso, heavy liquid keeping his limbs firmly locked in place. Izuku struggled and struggled against the weight, trying to slam his static-filled arms into whatever was closest. None of the hits landed impactfully- all of them being absorbed into the porous goo of the villain’s body.

He could feel his quirk heating his body up, and couldn’t tell if the tears in his eyes were due to that terribly familiar sensation, or the fact that he was probably about to be murdered-

“Thanks for this, kid. You’re really my hero.” The villain smiled far too widely, yellowed teeth on full display- before slamming an arm-like section of liquid into Izuku’s face.

Izuku couldn’t breathe.

The goop forced its way down his throat, and a sob with stifled there. The villain said something else, but Izuku couldn’t hear him over the thoughts burning their way through his mind. He was going to die here, wasn’t he? He was too weak, too weak, too useless.

The crescendo of heat buried in his limbs threatened to burst forth, but Izuku couldn’t bring himself to let it escape. He could hardly see any more, still choking for another breath of air- for something to keep himself alive besides the wretched flames beneath his skin.  Please, no, I can’t-

There was suddenly a thunderous crash somewhere near him- his disorientation keeping the exact direction unknown. Following the crash, he felt a rush of force, and the villain in front of him was thrown apart.  Izuku’s limp body skidded a few paces backwards in the collision.

Just before his vision completely left him- Izuku saw a tall, muscular figure.

They were smiling.

 
Izuku awoke some time later to a light rapping noise that he managed to mentally connect to whatever the hell was smacking his face-

He shot up in fear of an oncoming attack, but wilted when he realized he could actually breathe. He took a moment to take deep, gulping breaths, before turning to look at what- or who- had been hitting him-

He nearly fainted all over again when All Might, THE All Might, was kneeling lowly in front of the boy. Izuku let out a shrill yelp, gaped, and then shot to his feet when All Might (Oh my god it's really All Might!!) started standing as well, looking Izuku over carefully.

“Good to see you’re alright! Sorry to scare you like that-” All Might put up his hands placatingly, “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt- good job being so tough, kid!” With that, the man held up two bottles filled with what appeared to be the sludge villain. “And, I caught the villain!”

Izuku couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t think of anything to say, really. The Number One Hero, right in front of him! He awkwardly wringed his hands, trying to withhold the urge to ask for an autograph.

I don’t want to be even more of a bother…

Izuku descended into a quick series of bows, his hair flying from his face in all directions. “Th-thank you so much, All Might! I’m sorry you had to save me…” He finally paused, still extended in a bow, and felt tears bead in the corners of his eyes.

All Might thankfully didn’t appear to notice, instead gesturing with a large thumbs-up. “No need, kid! It’s what I’m here for- stay out of trouble, okay? And-” he picked a piece of paper out of one of the pockets that wasn’t now housing the sludge villain’s capsules, “Here’s an autograph!”

Izuku’s breath caught in his throat once more, and he shakily reached for the paper. Oh god, please tell me I’m not dreaming…

The paper was thick, folded centerways, and was scribbled with All Might’s iconic signature. It was officially one of Izuku’s most prized possessions. He tucked it gently into the pocket of his backpack- which had been carefully laid out beside where he had woken up on the concrete. When he turned back around, All Might was gingerly stretching his legs, crouched low to the ground.

“Ah- All Might, before you leave...”

“Sorry, kid, but I’m very busy-”

Izuku mustered all his courage and, despite the way interrupting his idol made his stomach sink to his feet, called in as loud a voice as he dared-

“Can I be a hero without using a quirk?”

All Might legitimately paused at this, and didn’t turn around for several long, lingering moments. When he spoke, it was in a whisper. “Without a quirk…?” He finally turned to face him, and Izuku sucked in a breath through his teeth at the serious look on the man’s face.

“I’m sorry… But without a quirk, hero work would be suicide.” At this, the man took a step towards him. Izuku had to fight the urge to step back.

All Might avoided Izuku’s gaze, saying, “If you don’t have a quirk, something like police work would be better suited for you. It’s okay to dream, but-” He stopped lamely, standing rigid before turning back around, and descending into a squat.

“Sorry to be the one to break this to you, and sorry I can’t talk more- but good luck, okay kid?” He put up a cautionate hand, inhaled deeply, and then took off in a gust of wind.

Over the void of endless noise in Izuku’s head, he could swear he heard the distant sound of coughing.

 
Everything felt muddied and not really real. Izuku knew it was real- knew he was real- but that didn’t stop everything from being… off.

His vision was far too narrow, and his hands buzzed with a strange sensation. This was different than the feeling he got when his quirk tried to burst forth- but Izuku could never tell whether or not it was worse.

Head swimming, and All Might’s words echoing through his skull, Izuku stumbled down the sidewalk the best that his numbed legs would take him. He tried to focus on his breathing again- in for four hold for three out for four in for four hold for three out- until he felt the pulsating of his heart quiet measurably. It didn’t stop the shaking in his palms, though. From what he could feel of his face, he was frowning.

His phone rumbled in his pocket. He ignored it.

The ground beneath Izuku’s feet rattled even more violently, though- he barely registered it at first, but finally shook his head and dragged his gaze upwards. What could have-

His still-stuttering thoughts came to a screeching halt as the edges of a large, exploding fire peeked from between two buildings.

What the actual hell?

Izuku suddenly realized he was moving- feet rushing towards the danger and hands clutching the straps of his backpack for dear life. His body was moving despite the suffocating feeling in his chest.

He shouldn’t bother stopping. It’s not like he could make a difference, right? His stupid damned quirk would just make it worse.

As his feet slowed and he found himself in the back of the crowd, Izuku squinted against the scorching light, searching for a place to see above the crowd and through to the chaos. The alleyway was crowded with civilians and heroes alike, but whatever they were fighting was too far into the flames for him to see.

What the heck could have caused this much fire? The familiar smell of smoke and crumbling wood made his head spin, but he kept moving.

Izuku had been safely away from the scene, and he knew deep down that the only fire-related incidents in recent years had been caused by-

Everything stopped once more, this time even more violently. The muddled world around him snapped back into view with a hammer-like gentleness- and the dulled-down sounds of flames and screams came soaring back to full volume, too.

As soon as he’d gotten a good view of the carnage, he saw him.

“KACCHAN!!”

Izuku registered his feet shooting forwards, hands straining to curl into fists as his will alone commanded the flames around him to dissipate. He felt the stinging of heat in his palms and choked down a whimper. I can’t- I shouldn’t use it, but…!

The flames withered into themselves, flickering considerably less wildly. The screaming in his veins grew louder, and he threw open his palms in order to counteract his quirk’s urge to burn.

He could hear shouting behind him, but his busy mind elected to ignore it.

One last step led him clamoring into the body of the sludge villain (oh god, he must have escaped when I distracted All Might-), and he thrust his still-steaming palms into their amorphous body. The sludge gave way to the intensity of his heat, and he met Kacchan’s hand in mere seconds.

Turning to face Izuku full-on, Bakugou spat out a chunk of goop, and grimaced angrily at the boy. “ What the fuck are you doing here, Deku!” There was still a considerable amount of bite to his tone despite the strain in his voice.

“K-Kacchan…” There were tears staining Izuku’s face, and he could feel the heat rise in his blood once more.

“I couldn’t just stand there and watch you die”

Suddenly, a large hand clamped itself onto Izuku’s, and he turned around to see the hero Death-Arms gritting his teeth.

“HOLD ON TIGHT, KID!-”

And with that, a series of tree limbs exploded from behind them, impacting the villain and, due to the sheer number of branches, forcing the upper half of the slime apart. Death Arms yanked forwards, pulling Izuku’s arm with his, and subsequently wrenching Bakugou from the villain’s grasp.

The villain let out a scream of rage, and sloshed forwards menacingly-

Until a concentrated, rocketing force of air splattered him along the back of the alley. Izuku could hear shouts of joy behind him, but the smell of the villain and the fire around him kept his head from turning around. The hand that had been clasping Kacchan’s was red with strain, and there were definitely nail marks bitten into the palm. He wheezed deeply, waiting for the vertigo to dissipate. One last less-shuddering breath proved that he wouldn’t vomit at the first sign of movement, so he raised himself up slightly.

The lean build of a hero met him mid-rise- and Izuku held their hand for dear life. Now turned around, Izuku was met fully with what had wrenched screams of joy from the crowd.

All Might was here again, and Izuku’s knees shook- more than just adrenaline forcing him to remind himself to just breathe.

All Might left seemingly as quickly as he had come- brushing aside reporters and civilians the same in favor of rocketing into the sky with a signature smile.

Izuku felt something shake his body, and turned to realize that- oh, the hero who helped me up is asking if I’m okay. He can’t muster up enough energy to give much more than a tiny nod. Something of a grimace crossed the woman’s face. He didn’t recognize her; which is saying something, really, considering his research habits. She wasn’t too plain, either- pink hair cropped in a bob, claw-like hands tipped with rough purple hide- which spiked his curiosity further.

He suddenly recognized the fact that she was leading him towards the back of an ambulance, and he did his best to cooperate. A blanket was snuggled around his shoulders, and he soon found a water bottle had somehow appeared in his palm. The woman kneeled low to him, offering out a clawed hand (which he blinked dumbly at for a few seconds, before grabbing it and squeezing the rigid digits).

Slowly, his senses came back to him. His hands and throat were steaming and burning beneath the skin. He could finally feel the cold radiating off of the woman’s palm, and had a surge of nausea hit his stomach despite that.

Everything started to make slightly more sense- but it also seemed to be even more confusing, too. He could have died. Kacchan could have died, too. All things considered, he felt surprisingly calm now that he could actually feel again.

The woman grinned kindly when he looked at her. “There you are, kid. Thought I lost ya there. Deep breaths- and try some of that water, okay? Works more than you might think.”

With this, he shakily unscrewed the cap of the water bottle, and she asked if it was okay for her to touch him. He nodded- something to keep him grounded would be nice about now- and she gently swirled circles into his back with the palm of her hand.

Nerves settled and mind at a dull but coping pace, Izuku murmured a quiet, “Th-thank you. Sorry to be such trouble...” What he wasn’t expecting, though, was for the woman to snort and let out a low chortle.

“Kid- It might just be the shock or somethin’, but what the hell are ya talkin’ about?” She was grinning even wider, other hand running through her matted bangs. “You’ve got guts, little hero! Don’t go around thinkin’ you’re a burden or anything like that, you kicked some serious ass!”

Izuku couldn’t tell what his face looked like, but he guessed it must have been pretty funny, considering the woman doubled over and let out another low rumble of laughter at the sight.

“C’mon, don’t gimme that look! Look, little hero- you did good, alright? And don’t say otherwise. You handled a villain that the pros couldn’t even get a grip on- All-fuckin’-Might had to step in to make a difference- so don’t think what you did was dumb, alright? I mean-”

At this, she wiped her eyes to clear some leftover tears from her laughing bought. “Don’t go runnin’ into danger unsupervised like that again, y’here? Kids are worth more alive than dead- and you’re one hell of a kid.”

Izuku could feel tears bead in the corners of his eyes, and smiled brokenly before clearing them away. She gently ruffled his hair, and then made to stand up, stretching her muscular shoulders. “Now, I’ve gotta go help with the damage cleanup, stick around ‘til the police give you the good-to-go, alright?” When he nodded, she grinned widely, and began to walk forwards-

“W-wait!” Izuku squeaked out, voice cracking at the end from strain. A quirked brow from the woman met his outburst, and he felt his face redden. “I- um… I’m sorry, but- uh- wh-what’s your name? I haven’t seen any news about you before…”

Realization hit her expression, and she smiled kindly.

“I’m an intern, kid. Straight from Shiketsu. I’m in my last year, though-” she quickly pulled out a business card and handed it to him. The bright white against purple-grey made him quirk a smile. “So keep a watch out for the Light-Bending Hero, Dakukari !”

She proudly pumped a thumb towards her chest, and then turned and sprinted to a crew of nearby police officers. Izuku couldn’t help the warmth in his cheeks.

She called me a hero, but-

His smile cracked, and he stared down at the business card. In the corner, a claw-like hand framed the outside of the word ‘Dakukari’.

If a hero like her believed in me… Maybe I’m not a lost cause…

The tears staining his cheeks came back twofold before he forced them down again. A kind-looking police officer came over and had him give a statement, and after the exchange of info, he was allowed to go. Heart heavy with unanswered questions, and the business card safely towed in his pocket- Izuku set off for home.

 
It was to Izuku’s utmost surprise, though, that only two minutes into his walk someone stepped into his path.

It wasn’t just someone, though.

All Might’s giant foot hit the concrete. He stood in front of Izuku in all his panic-inducing glory. He smiled brightly, and Izuku squinted against the sun framing his back to the sky. All Might’s signature smile was… different.

“Midoriya-” oh my god why does All Might know my name??

“I saw your actions earlier, my boy. You jumped in to save that young man when no one else- when no other hero- would. I almost didn’t make it in time myself…”

All Might’s figure moved forwards, further blotting out the sun behind him. Izuku resisted the urge to pass out on the spot.

“And that is why, my boy…” He paused, and Izuku swore he could feel how genuine his expression was.

“That is why I think you’d be an excellent hero.”

Not for the first time that day, Izuku wept.

Chapter Text

Izuku was still crying when All Might took a knee in front of him. He had a nervous tilt to his smile, though it still somehow felt genuine.

“Hey, kid- what’s with all the water works, huh?” He chuckled, and placed a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. The fire beneath the boy’s skin squirmed, and he struggled to get his breathing under control.

“S-sorry All Might, I just…” He breathed deeply and cleared away the remaining tears from his eyes. When Izuku looked up at the legend in front of him, the man let out another chuckle.

“That’s quite alright, Midoriya. Now, I’ve gotta get going- but listen here, young man!” His idol straightened up and stifled a cough into his hand. Izuku stood at attention, flinching at the booming voice.

“Like I said, you’ve got what it takes to be a hero- I truly was mistaken earlier, and for that I apologize. So, I want you to do something, alright?”

Though the man’s face hardly changed, his next words made his smile seem much less happy, and more challenging. “Apply to UA, learn what it’s really like to be a pro, and grow from there! I’ll be watching.”

Though All Might was smiling, the glint to his eyes set Izuku’s nerves on the fritz. He attempted to smother the flames in his veins once more.

“G-got it, sir…” His broken smile was met with All Mights now turned-to-him back, and he squoze his hands into fists at his sides. His throat was too tight-

“One more thing, before I have to go-” All Might started, voice so serious it sent shivers down Izuku’s spine, “... That quirk you have is yours, and yours alone. Please, train it, and yourself, and become the hero you strive to be.”

Izuku’s smile broke into a surprised expression. Oh god, he must have seen me use it… so why does he-...?

“See you around, kid. Stay out of trouble, alright?”

And with a push of his legs, All Might was off.

 

Yagi breathed deeply, choking around the blood clogging his esophagus. Damn it, I really pushed it this time, didn’t I? He coughed loudly, leaning against the railing of the rooftop he had hastily landed on.

It was worth it, though. He would bleed himself dry if it was the only way to do what he had just done. Thankfully, it hadn’t come to that.

Izuku Midoriya (thankfully, the police had been more than kind enough to share the kid’s name with him-) was seemingly an intelligent, strong, and caring boy-

And Yagi had almost crushed his dreams.

He wasn’t nearly as intelligent as some other pros (he was the first to admit that his brute strength had lessened his need for strategy sometime along his Hero career), but that didn’t mean he was an idiot. Yagi saw the look on that boy’s face- it had striken him at first, really. But…

It was true, what he had said. Yagi knew that a quirk was needed to defeat most villains- better than any other hero, considering where he came from- and, well, he really wasn’t the best with words, so...

Midoriya did have a quirk, though. The strong, intelligent, quiet boy who was nearly strangled to death by a villain hours earlier- had a quirk. And he only used it when someone else was in danger. Yagi shuddered, remembering the lifeless face of the boy as he gently placed him on his side, patting Midoriya’s back as forcefully as he could handle. He remembered the way he wretched and coughed up the slime, too. Yagi gagged on his own blood.

But he was alive, and he was strong, and he wanted to be a hero. That boy, who nearly threw away his life so as to not use his (dangerous?) quirk on another person wanted to be a hero.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all. Yagi hoped that was just the pessimist in him talking, because after everything was said and done?

He knew Izuku Midoriya could be an amazing hero.

And he hoped the boy could be his successor, too.

 

Izuku’s bag crashed to the floor as soon as he walked in the door. With it, he heard his mother gasp.

“Izuku? Is that you, honey?” She came around the corner, and Izuku could see that her eyes were wet and red. She tackled him as soon as he was within reach, and his eyes spilled over as well.

“Izuku baby, I was so-” her voice cracked aggressively, and she choked on a sob, “I was so worried! Are you okay?” She held his tear-stained cheeks gently in her hands, and he nodded shakily, trying to suppress the snot and tears dripping down his face.

“M-mom, I’m alright, alright? I’m here- I’m-” his voice broke, throat tight from built-up panic, and he openly sobbed into her soft, caring arms. She led him to the living room like that- and only parting from his side when he had trouble catching his breath.

“Izuku, honey- breathe with me, okay? It’s okay now.” The tears in her voice were now much more passive- and when she took several deep, even breaths, he mimicked her. They sat there for several long, deliberate moments. When his lungs were finally steadied, he hunched over his own legs- placing his elbows on his knees.

“When the police called, I was so… so worried, baby. Sometimes…” she paused, and gently placed a hand over one of his own. “Sometimes you’re just too brave for your own good, Izuku…”

His breath caught once more, and the self loathing he managed to bury earlier with the help of All Might’s support rushed to the surface. God, I’m so fucking stupid- Oh. Mom doesn't know about All Might... Though his tears had redoubled, his breathing remained steady. Slowly, he inhaled deeply, and then sighed.

“M-mom… I met, uh-” he fidgeted with a rip in his jeans, “I met All Might today. During the incident.” Mom inhaled audibly, though the hand over his own didn’t move.

“I- I asked him if I could, uh… If I could be a hero without using my quirk.”

God, you’re pathetic. Can’t even be a real hero-

“And… and he said n-no.”

Inko only moved to place her other hand on his shoulder- she tried to look him in the eye, but he purposefully avoided her gaze. Seeing her now just might put him over the edge…

He breathed deeply once more.

“And then… And then K-Kacchan was in trouble from that v-villain- and I,” his breaths were picking up again, “I couldn’t just not do anything. I saw his eyes mom, he was so, so scared. I was scared. So I jumped in and tried to save him. And I helped, mom. The heroes could only get to him because I used my quirk- and I- I couldn’t-”

His sobs were back in full force at this point; wracking his throat and burning away his reason. He didn’t bother suppressing them this time, openly welcoming his mother’s hands as they wiped away the tears on his cheeks. The thing beneath his skin was itching and boiling, even though the self-hatred that had been burning brightly earlier was lessened.

She hummed gently as they rocked back and forth on the couch. Time was slipping past Izuku uncomfortably, so he didn’t spare a worried glance at the clock during their long embrace.

Soon, mom pulled back and revealed her red-cheeked face to him. Their tears had finally dried up (we could both use some water, couldn’t we?), but she still sniffled wetly. She mussed his hair gently, before patting his head.

“I understand most of what happened, with the sludge villain and such but… Honey, you saved Katsuki. All Might wasn’t right about-”

“I- I know, mom.” He stammered around the pent-up emotion in his chest. “He came back and told me he changed his mind. He said I could be a hero.”

Her responding smile was bright with hope and joy and so many other emotions. She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back. He quickly explained the incident before he stepped in with Kacchan- dismissing his mother’s incessant worried rambling all the while. When he was finally done explaining the whole story through once more, they were both slumped tiredly into the couch.

It’s been such a long day…

Inko was the first to get up, offering to heat up leftovers and put on a pot of tea for dinner. He happily agreed, and only obliged when she told him to go get changed due to his sheer discomfort and exhaustion.

You can eat dinner, and then rest, and then-

He carefully made his way into the hallway to his room, grabbing the backpack strewn across the floor gingerly. As he made his way near the bed, he set the pack there. Deliberately, he pulled the folded piece of paper out of the front pocket.

He held the paper tightly, thumbing the corner, until he set it down on the shelf near his desk. His chest was feather-light, and the corners of his mouth perked up unconconsciously.

- And then, you can get better.

Eijirou’s hands were carefully wrapped around his phone. Izu had said he was going to message the group chat back earlier, but….

But it’s already like, what, eight o’clock? He should’ve messaged back, right?

Eijirou wasn’t the socially nervous type. He never had been, really- he was told he was good with people, and tried to take that to heart. But Izu… Izu was different. He didn’t like going into his issues- he was more closed off about his problems than any of their other online friends- but Eijirou could tell something had been wrong for a long while. They’d been friends for a little over two years now, and Izu would still disappear with seemingly no explanation; and he always sounded guilty about it.

Eijirou really wasn’t one to push, though- he actually encouraged Izu (and everyone else in their chat) to take as much time as they needed for “real life stuff”. Eijirou wasn’t going to blame them for getting busy, especially considering he’d been doubly so for the past few months thanks to school. And besides that, Izu tended to wind up in crazy situations as is, Eijirou didn’t blame him for needing time to comprehend whatever freak accident had popped up that week.

Still, though- he’s worried. Izu had disappeared for almost two whole days earlier that week, and he was scared something had happened. When he had come back and said he was “just trying to catch up on sleep”, Eijirou knew something was up.

But he didn’t dig into it. If Izu wanted to keep it to himself, Eijirou wasn’t going to keep that from happening.

… Still, though. He hates being lied to- even if it’s for posterity’s sake.

He lets out a deep groan of frustration before abandoning the rose gold phone he had been clutching desperately on the side table so as to not accidentally crack it with his quirk. Getting worried and worked up isn’t going to help, idiot. Just give him the time he-

A low rumble from his right sent Eijirou sprawling, and he quickly made a mad dive for the phone.

On the screen were several incoming notifications from their group chat- Izu’s on! Oh thank god... He quickly made his way to the app, and waited with bated breath at the conversation now unfolding.


Today 7:57PM MightLight- Ah, hey guys! Sorry I haven’t been on all day,,

Today 7:57PM AcidQueen- HE LIIIIVES!!!

Today 7:58PM MightLight- PINK OH MY GOD

Today 7:58PM AcidQueen- I THOUGHt YOU FUCKIGN DIED DUDE!!! Good to see you alive and kicking! What’s up tho???

Today 7:58PM GodThatsEdgy- Oh hey Izu you’re not dead good to see u dude.

Today 7:59PM MightLight- FVAHFBKA DO YOU GUYS HAVE NO FAITH IN ME???

Today 7:59PM GodThatsEdgy- Okay then, maybe you can restore my faith
Why were you afk all day?

Today 7:59PM MightLight- …………………. I got stuck in a villain attack

Today 7:58PM AcidQueen- HOLY SHIT IZU WHAT THE FCUK

Today 7:59PM GodThatsEdgy- Told you. But seriously- ARE YOU OKAY IZU?

(MightLight, GodThatsEdgy, and AcidQueen are typing…)

Eijirou was now gaping down at his phone- Oh my god he was in a villain attack?? Holy shit I hope he’s okay-

He quickly started typing, and the other ‘is typing…’ messages blinked away one by one. It was nice of them to give him time to talk, especially considering he was desperately trying to not accidentally activate his quirk and rip his phone’s screen to shreds.

                                                                                  Today 8:02PM SoftBoi- Okay first off- hi! Second off- IZU WHAT THE HELL HOW DO YOU WIND UP IN THESE SITUATIONS AND ARE YOU OKAY??? DEAR GOD YOU’RE GIVING ME GRAY HAIRS- PLEASE PLEASE BE sAFE AND ALSO HOW???????

Today 8:03PM MightLight- OH GOD KISHI I'M SO SORRY DUDE- Don’t worry guys I’m alright! There were pro heroes there and everything! I didn’t do much, but I got caught up in the middle of it

Today 8:03PM GodThatsEdgy- …. Did you jump into the middle of it in order to save someone?

Today 8:03PM MightLight- I
God dangit.

Eijirou snickered. Right on the money as usual, Kama. He carefully read over Izu’s explanation of everything- not wanting to overcrowd him during one of the rare occasions he actually wanted to talk about something like this.

God, I can’t believe he actually jumped in to save that asshole from his class, though. That’s Izu for you, I guess…

Slowly, the chat started to wind down. Kama got after Izu for getting injured, to which Izu sent a blurry photo of himself giving a thumbs-up with a bandaged hand. Ashido, meanwhile, offered her usual color-commentary.

Eijirou simply made sure Izu knew he was there if he needed someone to talk to.

Today 8:09PM MightLight- I think I’m okay, don’t worry too much alright Kishi? None of you should freak out about this- and besides, I got to meet ALL MIGHT so I’m doing pretty good right now all things considered.

Today 8:10PM MightLight- Oh also! I know its getting late so whenever you see this @LizardFriendLikesBaths - I’M OKAY NAGA DW ILY AND I HOPE UR GOOD (I hope everyone can sleep well tonight oof I am gonna pass tf out now <3)

Eijirou snickered once more. God, what a dork- Then, his eyes fluttering ever so slightly, he bid everyone goodnight and turned off his phone once more.

They’re gonna be fine. He’s gonna be fine.

He shut his eyes, and felt the beckoning, warm embrace of sleep.

It’s gonna be fine… hang on, Izu….

 

 Dagobah Beach was, dare Izuku say- the most disgusting place he has ever been. As if the heaps of trash and debris weren’t enough, there was a rotted-out cove of abandoned fish carcasses and bird nests just nearby. He had refused to go too close due to the dirty, skin-crawling feeling he got every time he saw it.

Well, that was until today. Just stepping onto the damp staircase leading to the sand was enough to send his nerves running. Deep under the sticky anxiety rising in his chest, he felt his quirk burn with discomfort.

Dagobah Beach was to be Izuku’s training ground. He had to build muscle with something- and, in all honesty, it was his thorough research (and mom’s insistence) that led Izuku to accept this spot as his new makeshift gym. Hauling different shapes and sizes of objects would be best to make his muscles healthy and useful, and the trash lot seemed to have plenty of that. In addition, Inko said that offering to clean up the beach is exactly what a hero would do, and he couldn’t back down from her encouraging smile.

Yesterday was spent contacting local officials and asking about the beach. Ever since the outbreak of forest fires within the past decade (it took a lot for Izuku to swallow down the crushing guilt at that statement), a new committee dedicated to protecting the prefecture’s wildlife had been formed. They were more than glad to allow him to take care of the for some community service hours.

So now, here he is- standing in front of mounds of trash in the rattiest pair of sweatpants he owns. A pair of new working gloves are tucked into the pockets, alongside several medical masks- ones which match the one already plastered over his face.

Well! Now or never, I guess…

Izuku took a deep breath, slipped on the gloves, then got to work.

                                                                               - New Messages December 23rd -

Today 4:45AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- @everyone GOOD MORNING KINGS, QUEENS, AND OTHERS!! HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE-EVE !

Today 4:47AM AcidQueen- Naga hon I love you but why the fuck are you up at ass-oclock in the morning.

Today 4:47AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- ABHKAF GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO PINK!!! And I couldn’t really sleep so here we are akjsfhaksfasjl

Today 4:47AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- Oh ALSO !! I wanted to ask ya’ll smthn

                                                                                  Today 4:48AM MightLight- Naga I think you’re the only person in the entirety of Japan who cares this much about Christmas

Today 4:47AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- Awww not you too Izu :^(

                                                                                  Today 4:48AM MightLight- I mean!! Don’t get me wrong I love Christmas!! But I don’t think it warrants a countdown calendar asgfahks

Today 4:48AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- Well I mean my family celebrates it like crazy?? My mom lived in America for a few years and she told me they celebrate it for like a whole month over there- that’s why she loves it so much.

Today 4:49AM SoftBoi- Oh damn thats rad Naga!

Today 4:49AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- KISHIII!!! Gm dude!!!

Today 4:49AM SoftBoi- asgfkasf <3

                                                                                  Today 4:49AM MightLight- Hi Kishi!! Also- What did you wanna ask, Naga???

Today 4:50AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- OH RIGHT!! I know that we still have a few months til finals, but I wanted to ask you guys if you know what school you wanna go to!!
I’m pretty much clueless ahfkgakf I have NO IDEA where I wanna go…

Today 4:50AM GodThatsEdgy- Good morning bastards- nice to see you on Naga

Today 4:50AM SoftBoi- vsafhvsahfksvafkafbkas

Today 4:50AM AcidQueen- ABHGJKABJKHLJAKB

                                                                                  Today 4:50AM MightLight- asbfhkasbfksafhkjbslfb

Today 4:50AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- sabfhkavbsfkasbfhklasbfk

Today 4:50AM GodThatsEdgy- Dont keysmash at me you gay cowards

Today 4:51AM GodThatsEdgy-Okay but for real good morning I hope u guys are good and Im not really sure where I wanna go yet tbh

Today 4:51AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- safvahkf rip same hat

Today 4:51AM AcidQueen- Im trying for UA, babey!!

Today 4:51AM SoftBoi- Same w her ^

Today 4:51AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- OH MY GOD THATS SO COOL GUYS!!!

Today 4:52AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- wby Izu?

                                                                                  Today 4:52AM MightLight- ah, I think I’m trying for UA too!!

Today 4:52AM AcidQueen- OH MY GOD REALLY???

Today 4:52AM SoftBoi- HOLY SHIT IZU THATS AMAZING!!! YOUD KICK ASS IN THE HERO COURSE!!!

                                                                                  Today 4:52AM MightLight- oh god you guys are too nice hasfkasf but seriously yeah!! The whole incident a few weeks back really inspired me to follow that dream so!!! That’s why I’ve been doing all the training stuff!!

Today 4:52AM SoftBoi- Oh my god thats so awesome dude!! No wonder youve been gone so much kasgfsakfbhk

                                                                                  Today 4:52AM MightLight- sabkjfbask Im still sorry for that, but !! thanks dude!! Im gonna try my hardest ^^

Today 4:53AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- OH MY GOD IZU THATS RAD AND!!!
GUYS
I JUST HAD

A CRAZY IDEA

Today 4:53AM SoftBoi- :eyes emoji:

Today 4:53AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- What if we all tried for UA?????

Today 4:53AM GodThatsEdgy- Holy shit

Today 4:53AM SoftBoi- OH MY GOD THATD BE SO RAD DUDES!!!!!!

Today 4:53AM AcidQueen- IM FUCKING IN!!!!!!!

                                                                                  Today 4:52AM MightLight- OH MY GOD!!! I mean?? Kama would you even WANT to go??

Today 4:53AM GodThatsEdgy- I mean Ive always wanted to be a hero but my quirk is super intimidating- I didnt think itd be suited? But

                                                                                  Today 4:53AM MightLight- Oh god no I could write a ten page essay on why your quirk would be perfect in hostage, rescue, and villain fighting missions- your quirk is amazing dude. But I mean I understand if youre not down with going???

Today 4:54AM GodThatsEdgy- Actually? I think this is just what I needed. I’ve been debating for a long while
Fuck it, I’ve got good enough grades. Lets try for UA

Today 4:54AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- OH MY GOD YES YES YES YES HOLY CRAP IM GONNA GO TALK TO MY MOMS ABOUT THIS AAA ILY GUYS THANK YOUUU <3 <3 <3

Today 4:54AM GodThatsEdgy- Im gonna go talk to my parents too, cya later guys <3

                                                                                  Today 4:53AM MightLight- Ah alright!! Ttyl everyone, have a good Christmas Eve-Eve Naga!! ;^) <3

 


Everything hurts.

Izuku had been working on the beach for a few weeks now. Inko was more than happy to accommodate to his busier (and more gruesome) schedule- making and sticking to a meal plan, buying him training equipment when needed, and offering to help him relax and do cool-down stretches on his off days.

Thank the gods for mom’s medical knowledge.

However, even with mom’s careful guidance and watchful eye, Izuku still somehow managed to hurt himself.

Over, and over, and over.

First it was a pulled leg muscle, then it was rope burns along his arms from trying to haul a fridge across the sand, then he nearly broke his foot when he got startled while carrying a microwave-

So today was a day off. He really needed one, all things considered- the end of the year was fast approaching, so he had plenty of studying to do… but that didn’t stop his muscles from straining against the idea of staying still.

Exercise gave him something to do. It gave him something to strive for. All the while, it was also bettering him so that he could follow his dreams. Taking time and avoiding doing work seemed like the inverse of what he should be doing.

That is, until he caught Inko’s fretting eyes watching as he silently went through his warm up routine. She was probably worried sick; and he honest-to-goodness couldn’t blame her for being so.

Taking a deep sigh, he bounced up onto the balls of his feet and made his way to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water. Mom sat there, cooking an extra pot of rice for lunch tomorrow, and her eyes darted back and forth between the stove and his carefully blank face.

“Izu-”

“Mom, I’m okay- honest.” He interrupted, setting the glass down and smiling at her warmly. His adrenaline from the stretches was finally fizzing out, and Inko smiled back as he slumped onto the counter.

“I promise, I’ll go straight to bed early tonight, alright?-” his face poked out from behind the crossed sleeves of his hoodie. In a quieter voice, he uttered, “S-... sorry for worrying you…”

Despite everything, he truly does think she understands. Planting a kiss to his cheek and sending him off to shower and rest, he was reminded of that.

 

A week passed by- and soon another, and another. It had been almost two months since Izuku started this training regimine, and he was already feeling a difference. He felt refreshed after running instead of drained, and was able to lift the smaller trash with almost no trouble.

He was still going a bit off schedule- taking time off from rest days to lift weights and do core exercises passively- but he was getting better, so to him? It didn’t matter.

His morning run became something to look forwards to, and he relished in the little amounts of muscle definition on his arms and legs. He wasn’t seeking to bulk up- but knowing that all of this was making a difference really helped.

He was now almost officially into his last year of middle school, too- which further fueled his training. He had ended last semester with top-notch grades (as usual), but he couldn’t afford to slack off now. He took time to study to his heart's content- The U.A. entrance exam isn’t just about the physical test, I’ve gotta stay on top of school, too.

But, as the days passed by, so too was he reminded of the next step of this whole plan.

Quirk training.

Izuku understood that he probably shouldn’t have been nervous- it was just another part of the process. Control was another thing he needed to improve. People with dangerous quirks have to go through intense training to control them all the time, right? I shouldn’t have to be any different-

… But I am. My quirk is different. It’s not an explosion quirk, or an enhancement quirk, or a dangerous emitter type- it’s… it’s…

Thinking about the nature of Hellfire made Izuku shudder. It was still well into January, so he hoped any passersby would blame his nervous quivering on the cold.

He steadily approached the steps to Dagobah Beach. It was an hour after school got out, but there was almost no one in view. Though the slow restoration of the shoreline made Izuku smile brighter every visit, he wasn’t afraid to admit that he would miss the solitude the beach provided. As soon as it was restored, it’d probably become a big tourist attraction again…

Not now- quit with the thinking, just get started- get into the rhythm…!

He jumped into the fray- picking up bottles and cans into a large handful and depositing them into one of the bags he had brought. Thankfully, the Wildlife Protection Committee had finally dropped off the collection of dumpsters they had promised to provide, so it was just a short walk to where the trash could be collected.

He slowly made his way up in the trash’s size- carefully balancing a stack of empty boxes atop a microwave about ten minutes in.

The next hour and a half drifted by like this- Izuku hauling as much trash as his arms could carry to the dumpsters and back again. He only stopped once the three receptacles were nearly filled to the top, in which he decided to let it lie until trash day tomorrow.

Slowly, his thoughts of training were replaced by what tomorrow would bring. I have a book report due, and me and mom were going to take a shopping trip, too…

He didn’t bother to remember quirk training, though. The idea loomed in the back of his mind, undetected. The fire beneath his skin thrummed.

Chapter Text

It’s been a long time since Yagi last walked these halls.

He surprisingly still has the office’s layout memorized- taking each corner he needed without misstep, passing by familiar meeting rooms and waiting areas with ease. He glanced towards the staircase looming in the corner, but was drawn to the elevator instead.

Damn old body would probably give out on me if I climbed three stories…

The ride was quiet, filled only with the tinny sound of elevator music and the gentle tap tap of his nervous foot.

It really had been a long time. He’s not sure if he should be excited, or terrified.

He settles for both.

The device lets out a gentle ‘ding’, before the doors part. He took a cautionate step- the reality of being invited here again suddenly seeming too good to be real. He shoved down his own fear (C’mon, you’re All Might- you don’t have to be scared of him) before walking further down the hall.

The door was almost exactly the same, too- but the nameplate was different. A simple, golden plaque replaced the one Toshi had gifted him so long ago. He felt his throat constrict.

Toshinori’s fist barely made contact with wood before the door was thrown open. A bubbly-looking girl in some sort of hero attire (Who designed that? Her organs aren’t even protected- I’ll have to advise him on getting her costume changed…) popped into the doorway, before reeling back when almost knocking into him.

“Oh gosh- I’m so sorry! I didn’t even hear you knock-” She turned around, a bright smile plastered on her face, and called, “Sir, I think your next appointment is here!”

After that, she ushered Toshinori inside with a thumbs-up, and trotted out of the doorway once more.

...He couldn’t have hired someone more different from himself, I suppose...

Toshinori turned around and walked through a short hallway, before stepping through the open door at the end. The layout of this room was one of the only ones that had changed- there are more pictures of himself (well, his hero form) up on the walls, and the desk is larger and darker than before. There aren’t any plants any more- the room mostly being capitalized by shelves and shelves of thick, heavy-bound books.

The person behind the desk was the most different, though. Toshi almost choked on his own blood at the sight of him. He’s wearing glasses with thicker rims, and the roots of his hair are now a pale blonde. Instead of a dark-colored blazer like Toshinori had been expecting, he’s wearing a deep-grey suit. His face looks even more gaunt than last time.

“Hello, Nighteye.”

He didn’t immediately rise to meet him- taking his time in looking up from the paperwork in front of him, until gingerly standing when Toshinori didn’t move forwards.

“Please take a seat, Yagi.”

Toshi gulped down the fear crowding his throat before carefully sitting down in the chair offered to him. They were the same from before he had left- plush and lined with polka-dotted fabric. Nighteye stared him down from across the table.

“Nighteye, I know that we-”

“Yagi, I’m not here to fight with you any more.” He interrupted, and the scowl on his face grew softer. Toshinori let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“I know you already looked over the files- and I know we discussed the final possible candidates… but I really do think I’ve found the one, Yagi.”

Toshinori perked his head in interest, curious as to which of the few potential successors Nighteye had chosen to take under his wing. Their discussions of his legacy had ended abruptly, but Nighteye had contacted Toshi out of the blue a few months back. And now, they’re here- in the same room together for the first time in a couple of years.

“It was hard to parse through the group of first years last time due to them being just that- but a few had still stuck out to me. Now that they’ve started their second year, I have a definitive answer as to which student I think is most worthy.” He continued, before sliding open a metal drawer and carefully pulling out a hefty-looking file.

“I offered him an internship at my agency last year, and he gladly accepted. I’ve seen him grow so much, Yagi- and I truly think he would be ready to accept this responsibility as quickly as needed.”

A stone dropped into Toshinori’s stomach at that. Still want me to retire so soon, huh?

Nighteye slowly opened the file, before turning it around to face Toshi. The name ‘Mirio Togata’ was printed at the top of the page in bold, blocky letters. Just below that, there was a portrait shot of the student.

“His name is Mirio Togata, and he has what I believe to be the most potential as the next number one hero.” Nighteye finished, before sliding the file closer to Yagi. He took it in his large, skeletal hands, before startling slightly at the sound of a knock at the door.

“Ah- I wanted you to meet him today-” What the hell? He couldn’t have warned me first?- “It appears he’s a bit early…”

Nighteye hollered an affirmation to come in, and the door opened to reveal the boy from the picture. Toshi quickly closed the file, and then slid it back onto Nighteye’s desk.

“Togata-san. It’s good to see you, thank you for coming.” Nighteye calmy spoke, and the boy perked up before hurriedly making his way over to the vacant seat. He was wearing the trademark U.A. uniform.

“Never a problem, Sir! I’m glad I could meet with you two-” at this, he turned to Toshi and smiled brightly- “I’ve heard so much about you, Yagi-san!”

Toshi plastered on his most convincing smile, before offering a handshake to the boy (though he wasn’t expecting the young man to have such a strong grip). He then nervously turned to look at Nighteye, who had a pleasant mask over his features.

“Ah- Yagi, this is obviously Mirio Togata. I’ve told him a bit about your work with All Might, and how you were interested in finding important upcoming heroes.” He was setting the stage quite simply for Yagi’s own acting- thankfully, he had so kindly counted out the factor of explaining his dual identity to this student. That helped suppress the anxiety bubbling in his gut.

“Oh- of course. Though, I haven’t heard nearly as much about you…” Toshinori added, turning and smiling gently towards Togata once more.

“About that-” Nighteye interjected, grabbing a notebook and the abandoned folder from atop his desk with a smirk. “Shall we begin?”

Izuku is being followed.

Or, at least that’s what the hulking amount of anxiety in the back of his mind is screaming. No one hardly ever took the path he was running for his morning jog, but he kept hearing the distinct sound of footsteps coming from nearby. He would have counted it as paranoia, but he continued to catch glimpses of a figure a little distance behind him, just out of view in the nearby trees.

The whole situation sent his skin (and the flames beneath it) crawling- but he didn’t want to be obvious. If it was actually a creep or a villain, not letting them know he was on guard would be helpful.

So he kept running. He had both his earbuds out by now, and was breathing deeply to help settle the pace of is heart. He had come along to a cluster of benches in a park when he decided now might be a good time to take a rest. Knowing Kamui Woods’ hero agency was nearby helped settle his nerves, too.

Slowly, he came to a stop and took a swig of his water bottle, leaning against one of the benches and pretending to check his phone. Over time, the sound of footsteps grew louder, and he carefully used his bangs to shroud his own watching gaze.

A little ways off the path he had been taking a person emerged from an area more shrouded by trees. He had been taking the trail along the outside of the wooded area (the thought of being a literal paranoid firebug surrounded by trees on all sides made him decide against otherwise), so the footsteps weren’t actually behind him. Which was good, but…

Suddenly, his head shot up. He hadn’t noticed it before- the person’s hair was mostly shrouded by a high ponytail, but it was definitely a familiar shade of pink. The obvious purple tone to her hands and legs made him gape further.

The hero-in-training who had helped him during the sludge villain incident was sidling up his daily running path.

I’ve gotta be dreaming.

Izuku almost didn’t bother her, settling on concealing his exasperated expression in his phone and water bottle; until the woman herself let out a cry of recognition.

Oh my god what is she doing here? Wouldn’t her internship have ended like months ago?

“Hey! Is that you, little hero?”

He felt heat rise in his cheeks, and looked up to watch her stride over happily. He couldn’t believe she actually remembered him-

“Ah, y-yeah! That’s me! It’s really nice to, uh, see you again, Dakukari!” He swallowed down the fear climbing his throat and shoved his (now seemingly useless) phone in his pocket.

She was wearing knee-length running shorts and a baggy sweatshirt, her ponytail decorated with a cluster of hair ties with charms on them. The dark-purple hide on her hands was further up her arms than before- but what Izuku was really confused about were the monster-like claws on her feet.

And the fact that she wasn't wearing any shoes. That was definitely odd, too.

She must have caught him staring, because she looked down at her own feet and let out a low chortle. “Oh god- yeah, I guess I was wearing my hero boots before, huh?” She toyed with her bangs momentarily, before pointing to the seat across from to Izuku.

“Mind if I sit?” He nodded slowly, and she carelessly sat down on the park bench nearest him. She took a long drink from her water bottle, Izuku toying with the strap of his own dumbly in silence, before she sat it down heavily next to her feet.

“So- uh- I thought you were just here for an internship? And that would’ve ended months ago, right? So, uh…” He trailed off lamely, to which she gently smiled and leaned back into the bench.

“Yeah- but… well y’see, when I graduated, I realized this division has a serious lack of help. There’s a total of- what, four agencies in this general area? And that’s not nearly enough to handle all the problems this place gets-” She took another sip of her drink, “that should be obvious, what with the whole ‘sludge villain incident’”

She genuinely frowned at that, and turned her gaze back to him. “So uh, yeah. I’m here to cash in on that internship with Backdraft and hopefully help out with all the shady shit that’s been going on out here.”

“But also, how are you doing, uh- aw shit, I never caught your name-”

“It’s Izuku Midoriya, don’t worry about it.” He gently said, before taking a long sip from his own water. She was looking at him in a subtly-sad kind of way. “And I’m doing pretty good- thank you again so, so much for all of your help that day.”

She finally smiled again, softer than before. “The name’s Hikari Akashi, and you don’t have to thank me, Midoriya. I’m glad I could help at all, honestly!” She laughed heartily at that, and leaned back against the bench once more. “My damn supervisors would barely let me near those fuckin’ fires- let alone jump in and help. My quirk makes parts of my skin practically impenetrable, though, so I don’t see what all the fuss is about.”

At that comment, Izuku perked up. He almost choked on his own spit as a billion questions raced to get out of his mouth. He wilted slightly, though. Don’t be rude, you dumbass. She probably doesn’t even-

“Hey, what’s with the frowning over there? If you’ve got a question, spill it.” She smirked, holding up her large, purple claws in a thumbs-up.

But they weren’t purple any more. They were starting to lighten in tone, the patchy, dark skin up near her elbows was slowly shrinking back down to her lower arms. The tips of her claws were glowing slightly, too.

“Uhm- if you, uh, don’t mind me asking… what is your quirk?”

Her smile didn’t even waver. “Not at all, little Midoriya- my quirk’s called ‘Light Armor’! It basically lets my body absorb whatever light levels are around me and turn them into a transformed layer over my skin. The claws on my hands and feet are because of that-” She pointed towards the tips of her nails with her other hand, “And the glowing there is cause I’m in the sun. I was walking through that forested area ‘cause the trees there still have their leaves. They give me good cover, and my body can absorb the shadows.”

He was gaping in awe as she slowly pointed out glowing seams in the creases of the fading purple. Slowly, they advanced out, until more than half of her hand was coated in a faint, shimmering light.

“Wait- so your body just uses the wave particles that light is made of as a sort of protective layer?” She nodded, and he plunged on. “Then how does shadows affect that? Shadows are typically just the absence of light- does your quirk treat it like some separate kind of wavelength?”

She was gaping now; staring at him with wide, wondering eyes, before scrunching up in laughter. “Damn- no one’s guessed that as quick as you before! But yup- My doctor called in a quirk specialist when we first found out, and they freaked when I explained that I could ‘do my thing’ with shadows, too” She emphasized her words with heavy air quotes, before slouching back into her seat.

Izuku was itching to pull out the mini notebook hidden away in his pocket and write all of this down- but he didn’t want to be rude, and he certainly didn’t want to seem like a creep to the kind woman who had literally helped save his and Kacchan’s lives.

Before he could deliberate on it for long though, she slowly got up and began gingerly stretching.

“Well- I think I oughta get back home. It’s my third day in town, and I really should finish unpacking...” He jumped up to meet her, and they carefully made their way to the entrance of the park.

“I- uh… would it be alright if my mom and I brought you a welcoming gift?” He paused and felt his face heat up- not fully thinking through the words before they spilled out of his mouth. Oh god, I hope she doesn’t think that’s weird. What if she thinks I’m weird? God dammit I should just-

“Oh my god- you’re too sweet, little Midoriya. You guys don’t have to do that…” She smiled warmly at him, and at his relieved (and hopeful) expression, she sighed and fished a phone out of her pocket.

“Look- I’ll give you my number, and you can have your mom call and talk to me, alright? If she’s as generous as you, I’d love to meet her.” She playfully smirked, and Izuku blushed deeply before fishing his own phone out of his pocket.

He saved her contact information, and she set off (presumably towards her own home) at a jog. Izuku managed to forget he was still smiling the whole walk home.

Toshinori watched Togata’s retreating back exit through Nighteye’s office door, before slumping slightly in his chair.

The meeting had gone well from what he could tell- Togata was a kind, powerful boy, and Yagi could tell his desire to help people was genuine. The boy was more than happy to answer all of Toshi’s questions- telling story after story about his quirk, and his training, and his time with Nighteye, and giving off more hope than Yagi could ever dream of seeing from one kid.

Despite all of that, though…

Nighteye was smiling gently at his desk now, hands crossed in front of him and emptied teacup set off to the side. He turned once more to Yagi, sending him a look that reeked with a sense of “I told you so”.

“Well, Yagi? What’s your verdict?”

Toshinori swallowed around the lump in his throat, “He’s certainly more than I could have expected, Nighteye.” The man in front of him smiled gently, but it broke when he heard Toshi clear his throat. The room suddenly felt a lot more tense, but he needed to say this. He wouldn’t keep this from him any longer.

“But- uh… well, you see…” He coughed into his hand softly, before averting his gaze to the floor. “I have, um… I found another young man who I think is worthy, too.”

Toshinori couldn’t see Nighteye’s expression from his view of the floor, but he could feel the surprise radiating off the man.

It kind of surprised him, too, all things considered. He thought that maybe after meeting Togata, he would have been able to decide on his successor here and now. But it didn’t change the spark he felt inside of Midoriya. He’s not sure anything could.

“Is that so…?”

Yagi finally looked up to meet his gaze, but his expression didn’t clue him in to anything that Nighteye could have been feeling. He himself felt a little helpless.

“Yes- uh, well you see- he’s a middle schooler, second year I believe, and I watched him save someone when even I was almost too weak to step in.”

They sat there in silence for a moment, before Nighteye reached for his teacup carefully.

“Yagi… I understand this is your responsibility, but please, don’t throw away your power on some boy you don’t even-”

“I-I’m not! I swear, Nighteye.” Yagi sighed deeply, before slumping further into his seat. “I told him to try for UA, and I was hoping that would test his resolve a bit. If he gets in, I can keep a closer eye on him, and see how he fares in his training.”

Nighteye’s face was clouded with contemplation, though he looked less exasperated than before.

“Hm… I’d like to keep an eye on this boy, too. What’s his name, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Ah- Izuku Midoriya, and I met him during the sludge villain incident a few months back.” Nighteye began writing something down in a small notebook. Toshinori isn’t sure where he pulled it from so quickly.

“Alright- thank you for coming and meeting with me on such short notice, Yagi. I hope you’ll continue to think about our offer, and that you’ll contact me if anything changes-”

Yagi began to get up and retreat to the door at the back of the room, but paused when he heard the scraping of a second chair follow his own.

“And-.... and Toshi?”

Toshinori turned around, eyes wide with surprise.

“Thank you. For trusting me with this.”

Toshi smiled sadly, and walked out of the office door. The simple nameplate on the front of the wood shone brightly in the hallway’s fluorescent lights.

As soon as Izuku burst through the front door he began rapidly explaining his accidental meetup in the park. Inko smiled brightly when he said he offered to bring Akashi-san a house-warming gift, and she jumped at the chance to whip out some baking supplies and prepare something.

A little over an hour later and they had an entire tray of steamed Daifuku mochi ready. As Izuku began arranging the desserts prettily in a decorated bento box, Inko was pacing around the living room and chatting kindly with Akashi over the phone. Once they both hung up, she offered Izuku a bright smile and a thumbs-up, and they set out to the woman’s address.

She lived a short ten minutes away, and soon they were parked and walking up the steps of her apartment complex. She was waiting for them in the complex’s entrance room, calmly scrolling through her phone while perched on a dark-patterned sofa. She brightened at the sight of them, and walked halfway to meet them.

“Oh god- you guys really are too sweet, huh?” She laughed heartily before taking the tray Inko was now kindly handing her.

“It’s not a problem, dear- Izuku told me all about how you helped during the incident a while back, and I was more than happy to offer something to help you settle in!” Mom smiled warmly, patting Izuku on the head for emphasis (despite the red crawling up his cheeks).

“Ah- since we haven’t officially met before, I should probably re-introduce myself” Inko sputtered, before offering out a hand. “I’m Inko Midoriya, it’s really lovely to meet you!”

Akashi smiled back widely, shaking Inko’s hand with a strength she obviously wasn’t ready for. “Same here- and of course, I’m Hikari Akashi” She stopped, and Izuku could swear he saw her cheeks turn a shade of pink. “Would you two, uh, like to come up to my apartment? A cup of tea is the least I can offer for…” she trailed off.

She was definitely blushing.

Inko readily agreed; but only doing so after asking if they were imposing numerous times. Akashi insisted they weren’t, all the way until they were unlocking her third floor apartment and stepping inside.

They could see the golden-pink hues of the setting sun through a large window near a lounge area, which illuminated the entire apartment with only the help of a small lamp in the corner. Akashi hurried inside after slipping off her shoes, shifting around still-unpacked boxes before turning and pointing over her shoulder.

“I’m, uh- gonna go start the tea, if that’s alright?” Inko and Izuku gave the affirmative as they carefully toed off their own footwear. They slowly made their way into the apartment, but not too far before Akashi called from the kitchen, “You can take a seat at the counter, if you’d like! Sorry about the boxes on the couch…”

“That’s quite alright hun, don’t worry about it!” Inko smiled gently, before cozying into her seat at the counter. Izuku followed, awkwardly hefting himself onto the seat and forcing his legs to not swing.

“Akashi-san… sorry if I’m intruding, but are you unpacking all of this by yourself?”

Akashi looked up from where she was pouring tea, before sending a stilted smile Inko’s way. “Oh, uh- yeah. I was offered to stay here when I went looking for a job at Backdraft’s agency. I don’t really know anyone around here other than a few of the other members of their team, and I didn’t want to bother them on a work day…” She trailed off, before going back to pouring the tea.

“I don’t mind it, though. It’s easy enough since I don’t have all that much more to unpack, I’ve just been a little swamped with all the paperwork is all.”

She carefully balanced the tray in one hand and set it on the counter Inko and Izuku were sitting at. The other two grabbed their cups with a ‘thank you’ before she nabbed her own.

“Well… It’s still a big responsibility, Akashi-san. I understand if it takes you some time to settle in. If you’d like, me and Izuku could come by when you decide to finish unpacking and lend a hand? I remember what moving to a new apartment alone is like- it’s a lot more work than you might think!”

Akashi stopped sipping her tea, staring at Inko blankly before mussing her bangs with her hand. She laughed, embarrassed. “Oh god Midoriya-san, you’re really too kind! I couldn’t accept that- you’re probably busy anyhow, and I really don’t have that much more to…” She drifted off, before glancing at the stack of boxes covering part of the room from view.

“Okay, so I have a bit more unpacking to do- but I really couldn’t accept it, Midoriya-san- I wouldn’t want to impose-”

“Nonsense!” Inko interjected, setting down her teacup with a smile. “We’d absolutely love to help- and Izuku can count it towards his training hours, anyhow.”

He smiled sheepishly at that comment, fumbling to set down the teacup crowding his hands. Akashi turned to him, before raising a questioning eyebrow.

Oh god-

“Uh, yeah! I’ve been doing some, um, endurance and muscle training for the past few months. I’m aiming to get into a hero school…”

To his surprise, she didn’t laugh and dismiss his dreams like people usually did- instead, her face split into a wide grin.

“Damn, little hero! Getting an early head start are we?” she winked at him cheekily, and he felt his entire face light up like a Christmas tree.

“Ah- I, uh, guess you could say that?”

He began to fumble with his tea once more, but stopped short when Akashi asked another question.

“So- any idea what school you’re gonna try for?”

The teacup didn’t meet his lips, instead it sat an inch from his chin for a solid few seconds. He stared dead ahead, caught off guard by the woman’s words. Inko turned to him expectantly, curiosity clouding her expression as well.

Well, here goes nothing…

“I- uh- I’ve… I’ve been thinking I wanna try for... UA?”

He felt his face reflexively scrunch up, and took a sip of tea to hide the reaction. His gaze was fixed on the wall opposite the two woman in front of him, avoiding their expressions.

Oh god I can’t believe this I haven’t even told mom yet what if she-

“Izuku, you’re finally sure about UA?” Inko interjected into his thoughts, and he turned back to her when he heard the pride in her voice.

She was smiling widely, tears beading in the corners of her eyes. Izuku swallowed back the lump in his throat, and turned to see Akashi’s face plastered with a wide-eyed, slightly flabbergasted look.

He nodded shakily, and his mother’s arms were suddenly wrapped around him.

“Oh damn- that’s amazing, little hero! You’ve got what it takes to make it at UA-” she paused, and a smirk crossed her face, “Though, as a Shiketsu alum’, it’s my job to tell you that that school’s the greatest.”

He giggled wrestlessly, and she let out a snort-filled laugh at the sound. Inko wasn’t hugging him any more, merely holding his shaking hands in her own.

They went on like that for a while, chatting about Izuku’s school choice and training regimens (“I could give you some tips straight from my old hero-studies teachers, if you’d like?” “Th-that’d be amazing, Akashi-san!”), all the way until the darkness outside caught Inko’s attention.

With a glance at the clock they all realized it was well past time for the two Midoriya's to head home, so they gave back their emptied teacups and planned to meet up and help unpack within the next few days.

Akashi gave Izuku a shiny Shiketsu sticker with a wink and a smirk, before sending the two on their way.

When they got back home, he put the sticker on his current Hero Notebook. No nightmares awoke him from sleep that night.

Naomasa was tired.

Actually, tired really didn’t cut it at this point. He had been getting around 5 hours of sleep per night ever since the recent Musutafu Forest Fire Incident, and it had begun wearing him down a few weeks in. It had been almost two months since the investigation officially went underway, and things had barely gotten better since then. His blood was about seventy percent caffeine at this point, and one visit to his doctor led to a long lecture on how he needed to ditch coffee in favor of an ‘actually stable sleeping routine’.

Yeah, sure. He could sleep when whatever had set half of Musutafu ablaze (more than once) was safely locked away.

So, no. Naomasa was not tired. He was exhausted.

It was one particularly cold night in January, and Naomasa was staying late at the station once more. The higher-ups had been hounding him for an explanation for weeks now, and he was desperately trying to find one.

Just as he was about to reach for his third cup of coffee, he heard a knock at the door. A murmured call of “come in” led officer Sansa to walk into his office, fur well-groomed and face surprisingly happy for the time of night.

“Nya- Good evening, detective” he meowed, before setting a small envelope on the detective’s desk. Naomasa sent him a confused glance, and he jumped to explain.

“Ah- this is the filed form for the CCTV tapes you requested from around the time of the incidents. I have to warn you, though- there’s not much left from either of the initial times. A ton of them near the forest fire were melted, and a lot of cameras had to be replaced altogether -Nya.”

Naomasa sighed deeply, before finally picking up the mug he had been reaching for and taking a long sip. He was gonna need another pot of coffee if he wanted to get through the second round of tape viewing. He learned his lesson after falling asleep halfway through last time.

“Detective…” Sansa started, but Naomasa put up a hand to stop him.

“Thank you, Sansa- for the evidence and the concern- but I promise, I’ll be fine.” He stood up and stretched, popping his shoulder and back loudly. “I’m gonna go cash in this form for the tapes tonight- hopefully these prove to be more useful than the Northern-side tapes were.”

His nose wrinkled in disgust. Those tapes proved nearly pointless, only capturing evidence of the fire spreading and not where it actually started. What a waste of a week...

He grabbed the folder on his way out, allowing Sansa to close the door behind the two of them before sending one last tired smile the officer’s way.

Long, careful strides brought him to the Evidence and Recording Center, where he was handed a large box filled with the tapes he had requested. Once he had a careful grip on the box (“No, Officer Kobayashi, I don’t need any help. Thank you, though. And be sure to tend to the office plants when you get the chance, please?”), he slowly made his way back to his office, where he turned the large tv in the corner of the room to face towards his desk once more.

Alright, better get started.

The night went by like that for a while- him watching an hour or two of grainy, poorly positioned security footage from one street or another, before switching to the next tape on the pile.

It was around 2:30AM when something strange happened, though.

He had gotten through nearly half the box of tapes by now; the small piles of ones that included footage from the fire stacked neatly on his desk, while the others were thrown onto the floor haphazardly.

Finally, though, he caught a glimpse of something as he fast forwarded to get to the proper time on the tape. He quickly slammed the rewind button, leaning forwards in his seat to get a better look.

Barely in the corner of the screen, almost fully concealed simply due to the angle of the camera, a figure could be seen walking. He paused the video momentarily, and turned up the brightness on the tv to maximum.

It was Hammerhead. It had to be. Their blocky figure and large, cleaver-like knife matched his silhouette. Tsukauchi wrote down the time on the tape and scrambled towards the box once more.

God damnit, where’s the tape for the next street over-

He finally found it, ripping off the plastic sleeve and shoving it into the player in the other tape’s stead. It began to wind up slowly, and as soon as the footage flashed on screen Naomasa typed in the correct time on the play-menu.

The player whirred and fast forwarded for a few moments, before pausing to display the same time as the other tape. He pressed play, and watched in desperation as nothing happened on screen. Until-

Hammerhead was nowhere to be seen. Where Naomasa thought he would be, instead there was the blonde-haired boy. He walked towards the other half of the screen, before stopping and double-taking at something just out of view. Then, a large, meaty hand wrapped itself around his arm and forced him off-screen, too.

Naomasa waited with baited breath to see any sign of another figure. No one appeared, though- and he quickly shoved the other tape back into the player.

He went back to the time from before, but this time- he waited. He waited, and watched. A silhouette marred with a head of spiky, curly hair came into view in the corner.

That’s-

Just as soon as Midoriya came into view, he shot forwards into that same out-of-view area. His backpack was thrown aggressively to the ground, still in-frame.

Finally, Naomasa watched for a few more long, drawn-out minutes. Nothing but shadows and an engulfing light came into frame. He shoved the other tape back into the player, and waited once more.

A few minutes after the initial meeting, someone stepped out from the alleyway. They looked… well, Naomasa couldn’t really tell. They were mostly engulfed in flames, face obscured and stance shaky. They didn’t look in pain, but it did appear like simply moving around was a struggle. They were dragging something large and equally on-fire behind them.

He sat there, breath held, and waited for them to come fully into view. They never did, though- simply walking along the sidewalk just parallel to the camera before disappearing beneath the frame. A small trail of fire blinked into and out of life in their wake, and several long minutes later, police cars and ambulances pulled up to the scene.

There was blood at the corner of the screen- scorched and caked into the concrete, from what he could see- but he obviously couldn’t tell who’s it was.

That couldn’t have been Hammerhead, could it? We never did find where he went, and there’s been no official documentation on what his quirk is- maybe he was resistant to Midoriya’s flames, and that’s why Midoriya woke up across town... but why would he-

He stopped, breath catching in his throat. His eyes were blown wide, but they weren’t seeing the rest of the rescue scene devolving on the screen.

Naomasa got up and searched through some of the files located messily on his desk. Once he found the right stack, he parsed through, until-

He slammed open the folder, breathing stilted and quiet, hands unsteady. He searched for a recently read article in his phone’s browser, then read what he was looking for once, then twice. He read the entire paragraph a third time for posterity’s sake.

Shakily, he navigated to his contacts, and pressed on the one at the top of the list. It was always at the top of the list.

A few gentle rings, and the person on the other end was finally picking up.

“Tsukauchi, is everything alright? It’s the middle of the night-”

“Toshinori, were you there in time during the sludge villain incident to see Midoriya Izuku use his quirk?” He already knew the answer. It was right there in the article he had just reread.

Toshinori coughed lightly on the other line, obviously startled. Naomasa didn’t have the headspace to think to apologize.

“Uh- yes, why?”

Naomasa took a brief pause, tracing his eyes back over Izuku Midoriya’s file once more.

“I need you to tell me everything you can about what you saw that day. Please.”

Chapter Text

The days seemed to slip by far too quickly. Izuku and Inko were busy helping Akashi unpack on Sunday, and they decided to work on his training schedule later that week. Soon after that, though, everything kind of blurred together.

Monday was back to school- but the comforting weight of his plans with Akashi made it more bearable. Then Tuesday came around, and Akashi came over for training, but was greeted to tea and pastries for the first hour of their visit. After they had been thoroughly relaxed, a simple look-over of all of Izuku’s training plans was how the afternoon went by.

Wednesday was about the same, with final tweaks to the new regimen wrapping up his and Akashi’s scheduling time. They decided to try and implement the schedule at the end of next week.

Thursday was uneventful, with Akashi starting her new position at Backdraft’s agency and not actually having time to help Izuku train.

Friday and Saturday passed by quickly, the only noticeable thing being everyone in their group chat sharing their new training plans.

Then another week passed by- Akashi came over several times, but it was mostly filled with quiet chatter about her new work. Things at Backdraft’s agency were far too busy for them to start training yet, so they elected to reconvene next week.

And pretty soon it was Sunday morning once more. Akashi had said she would be busy with more work-related paperwork, so she elected to not visit until their promised time at the end of the week. Izuku decided to just sit tight-

That is, until he began reading over their training schedule once more, and something hot and acidic slunk into a spot in his mind.

Quirk training.

A big, empty area of the regimen was left to fill out with all of his quirk training details. They hadn’t discussed it- Akashi seemed to recognize his discomfort with the subject somewhat, because she skipped over the portion of the paper before claiming that they could “fix that later.”

Though it felt like a hole opened up in the bottom of his stomach at the thought, and his palms shook wildly- deep down, he felt some sort of… resolve.

He had time to gain some semblance of control over Hellfire. And although the idea of Akashi being close enough to witness his quirk made the bubbling stress rise into his throat, he had to admit that the idea of not doing it alone was welcoming.

He couldn’t hurt her, though. Couldn’t lose control. He had to make sure of that before they started.

An idea began to blossom in his anxiety-muddled brain. Stashed away amongst his collection of both empty and filled notebooks sat a small, black, pocket-sized journal. He hadn’t used it before- the leather cover felt far too intimidating for something like his hero analysis, and the size was barely big enough to allow for a legible full-body drawing, anyhow.

He carefully slid the pocket book from the shelf, and set it down on top of the training regimen.

On the inside of the front cover, in bold, blocky lettering he wrote the notebook’s new title.

‘ Hellfire - Self Analysis ‘

Dagobah Beach was steadily on its path to recovery. The shoreline was about half visible now; but the garbage was piled high enough to supply the perfect amount of cover for what Izuku needed to do next.

It’s around 3PM, and the chill of late-winter had long since set in for the day. The weather was exactly what he had been hoping for; just icy and wet enough to balance against his quirk’s power.

Weaving around the piles of trash was second nature by now- dodging sharp pieces of metal and abandoned trash bags with ease. He finally got to the small clearing amongst the towers of garbage. He had prepared for this, even if it made his stomach threaten to upturn itself.

He abandoned the backpack of supplies- filled with a small fire extinguisher, a couple of bottles of water, extra medical masks (the same kind as the one plastered over his face now), antacid tablets, and a couple rolls of bandages- near the entrance of the clearing, before stepping carefully into the center.

You can do this. You can do this. Just-

The thing beneath his skin squirmed and burned, and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Just breathe.

Though his eyes were squeezed shut now, he could feel tendrils of heat weaving their way up his palms. It was hot, almost stiflingly so, but he didn’t open his eyes. You can’t be burned any more- You can’t be burned, remember that. Remember that remember that- Remember that, dammit.

Tears were beading in the corners of his eyes, but he kept them closed tight. His fists tightened, too- until he could smell smoke and dust through the mask over his nose. His entire arm stung with something- burnt and dark and there but also not.

He choked on the stench of flames, breath stuck in his throat and Oh god I can’t breathe I can’t breathe I can’t-

And suddenly, his palms were open to the air once more. The fire and smoke dissipated; he could feel the heat wrench from his hands in one last resounding burst.

His knees were planted in the cold sand. Numbed arms snaked around his torso, and he held himself momentarily. He cursed under his breath.

How was he supposed to use his quirk like this? He couldn’t stand to even feel the heat of it against his skin, let alone control and see it.

Minutes trudged by. Eventually, he got up from the sand- hands shaking violently but no longer warm- and he pointed his palms outwards, away from his face. He swallowed down another fragile breath.

His eyes were open now.

C’mon- You can do this. Just. Fucking. Do it.

Carefully, he felt the heat from his veins travel and center itself in his palms. It burned there strongly- but he didn’t falter. His throat constricted, but he forced a shaky breath through his lungs.

Slowly, the heat was held there- until it traveled outwards, reaching into each of his fingers. It pulsated, strong and burning but not as bad as before.

Holding it was harder. All his concentration was focused on the squirming power in his hands, ebbing and flowing and constricting but god not too tight-

Until suddenly, he took a deep breath and forced it out even further. Teeth gritted and fingers clenched, he watched with teary eyes as a faint glow escaped from the skin of his hands.

It was… beautiful. Izuku is ashamed to admit that, but it truly looked that way.

The skin there was shimmering, and the color of the light was constantly changing from orange to red to a golden yellow color. The heat wasn’t burning any more- now it was just… warm.

Izuku’s skin itched, but it was barely bearable. His stance was shaky, his hands even more so- but he was doing it. He was using it, and he wasn’t out of control.

Emotions he couldn’t quite understand flooded his system, and the fire in his blood boiled over once more. The glow in his palms was safely and suddenly cut off, and he let out several heavy, ragged breaths. The heat slunk back up his body, and a warm, euphoric sense bubbled in his chest. A broken smile crossed his face.

He could do this. He was doing this.

Alright- once more, from the top.

Izuku went home later that evening with ashen palms and a medical mask caked to his sweat-stained face. Mom was more than worried when he walked in, but elected to give him some space to himself.

He really appreciated that, considering his mind was still reeling.

Everything hurt all over- and not the usual kind of strain he felt after a workout, but a phantom, weighty, charred kind of pain.

It was like his skin was paper that had been drenched in water but still managed to catch on fire.

Like he was weightless only because the edges of himself were fading and floating.

Like his body was made of smoke.

He carefully parsed through the fridge in search of something to eat- settling on leftover cold soba- before sitting down and staring blankly at the bowl.

An aggressive growl was let out from his stomach, and he felt a burning sensation in his throat at the thought of eating. Slowly, he brought the chopsticks up to his mouth in small, infrequent intervals. An hour went by until he finally finished the bowl.

He took a cold shower after that, scrubbing at the soot caked between his fingernails for minutes on end. Even after none of it was visible, he could still feel it there.

Everything was slow but blurred. He got out of the shower without remembering doing so. The tiny, leather-bound notebook was sitting on his desk, and he scribbled down a few notes before changing into pajamas and crawling into bed.

He laid there for a long while, itchy and restless and with his fingers feeling the ghost of the tingling heat that had been there before.

Something cold slipped its way down his face, and he startled at the fact that yes, he was actually crying.

Stupid. This is stupid. It went fine- nothing even happened, you’re fine-

A stifled breath forced its way out of his throat. The flames seared.

Then why the hell…

Do I feel like I’m dying?

The tears came twofold.

Everything was burning.

There were buildings on fire all around him. The ones closest were new to him- tall and dark with slender windows and smoke-filled rooms.

The ones furthest away were familiar. They were short and squat, maybe about two stories tall, with burnt trees just at the visible edges behind them.

They were crumbling.

Then it was black.

Something cold and slick started filling the blank space where his feet should have been. He couldn’t see it- just feel it, as it slowly climbed up to his calves, then his knees, then his thighs, then to his belly button.

His palms became submerged soon after, and they were searing.

It reached his chest. Then his neck. Then his mouth.

He was drowning in it, he supposed- but he couldn’t feel the pain over the red-hot agony slipping through his body elsewhere.

And then, it was gone.

It snapped back to the hellscape of flame and smoke.

Then back to black.

Repeat.

That next morning was oddly quiet. Izuku ate breakfast in silence, then bid his mother goodbye and began the walk to school. Everyone was busily talking in the group chat, but he just muted it. His fingers felt too stiff to type.

The mornings were finally warm enough for him to leave his scarf and gloves at home, so he did so. It didn’t stop the overbearing heat in his fingers, though.

And soon, he was sitting in class. First period went by with almost no interruptions- Kacchan only bothering to send him angry, biting glares instead of actually provoking anything.

Internally, Izuku was thankful. He wasn’t sure if he could handle Kacchan’s quirk today, even if he wanted to.

Second period went by. Then third, then fourth. Lunch came and went- Izuku barely took a bite of the bento his mom had packed, and elected to save it for later.

Then, it was fifth period. And, finally, sixth period. His fingers stiffly followed along with the teacher’s lecture, though he blinked and forgot what he was writing several times.

C’mon, it’s last period. Just twenty more minutes…

Ten more minutes…

Five…

He absently fiddled with the pencil bag sitting near his arm, and subsequently jolted when the bell rang loudly throughout the classroom. He carefully packed his bag with rigid fingers, before slowly standing and making his way to the door-

Deku was acting weird.

Katsuki hated that he knew that- but he did. And he hated the idea that stupid-fucking-useless-Deku was hiding something more than he hated wanting to know.

I’ll just ask him. The bastard can’t say no- he’s too much of a coward for that.

The day went by, until it was last period, and Katsuki could see Deku’s dumb, far-off look from his seat. His palms ignited just looking at him; just wondering whatever stupid secret he was hiding.

The final bell rang, and Katsuki made sure to pack up his stuff as quickly as possible. Deku looked too spaced out to even notice anyone there- which was about right, considering he didn’t bother rushing for the door as soon as they were the only two left.

He’s not even scared. He’s fucking looking down on me, isn’t he? He’s an idiot if he thinks just because he’s fucking off to ‘train’ -or whatever the hell- that he’s suddenly better than me.

Katsuki squared his shoulders, before taking several large, bold steps forwards.

Now, he’s gonna get answers.

That is, until an all-too-familiar sensation of heat prickled at the corner of Izuku’s senses. His own flames writhed beneath his skin.

No no no no please not today, please just-

“Deku. What the fuck is your problem?”

Please just let me go.

Izuku swallowed tightly, not bothering to turn around, before murmuring, “N-nothing Kacchan, sorry if I, uh-” He didn’t bother finishing the sentence before walking forwards. A hand clamped down aggressively around his shoulder, and he froze solid.

“You don’t think I’m that fucking stupid, do you? What’s wrong with you, asshole?”

Bakugou’s hands were heating up at a steady pace, and Izuku’s knees began to shake.

Please not now not today please I- I can’t-

“Well? You just gonna stand there, you useless piece of shit?”

Izuku couldn’t move- couldn’t speak- couldn’t even breathe.

His back lit up in pain as Bakugou’s elbow stabbed into its center. Izuku was stiffly bent forwards now, hands shakily grasping his stomach. Bakugou stepped on his foot aggressively, before once more putting his hand on his shoulder.

“You’re so fucking pathetic, you know that?”

The boy took a step back before slowly exiting through the door.

“Next time, answer me, Deku. Whatever bullshit you’re trying, it isn’t gonna work. I’m always gonna be better than you.”

He slammed close the door behind himself, and Izuku clamped his hands over his ears. Every part of his body was screaming out in pain- either from the fire beneath his skin, or the bruised feeling now blossoming on his back and toes.

His knees collided with the floor, and he simply held himself there.

I probably deserved that.

No tears came forth from his eyes.

He got up, and started moving.

Izuku came home a little later than usual. Inko really didn’t mind- he had seemed distant last night and that morning. She couldn’t blame him for needing some space.

Her subtle fears blossomed into nightmares, though, when she heard him enter, inhale sharply, and then choke on a sob.

“Izuku baby- is that you? Is everything-” She came into view of the hallway, and as soon as she did she caught the way the door to Izuku’s room snapped closed suddenly. She heard the lock click.

“I-Izuku! Izuku honey, are you alright? Please let me in, Izuku-”

He sobbed quietly behind the door, attempting to choke out a reply several times. (Inko couldn’t decipher what any of it meant, though; his voice was too congested with tears to make any sense.)

She sat there, ear pressed against the door and tears budding her eyes, for several long minutes. His breathing became less ragged as time went on, but he still sounded pained.

It was silent for a while, before the door lock clicked back out of place. She heard him shuffle around behind the door, before slipping it open and letting it go wide enough for her to see-

Oh. Oh no- Oh Izuku-

He looked… awful. His hair was in tangled knots on top of his head, and his cheeks were a deep, irritated shade of pink. The shoulders of his school uniform were shredded and charred, and he was shaking all over.

She stood there for several long, drawn out moments- before stepping forwards and embracing him. He sank into the touch, and in this moment he seemed so… small.

“Izuku, are you alright? Baby, who did this to you?”

He hiccuped into her shoulder for a moment, and she let him stutter around the tears still blocking his throat.

“I-I don’t want him to get in trouble- I’m okay mom, r-really-” She pushed him back slightly to take in his broken, shaken form once more. Anger burned it’s way to the front of her mind.

“Izuku- who did this? I’m not going to take no for an answer here. You don’t deserve to be treated like-”

“M-mom, it’s fine, I’m-”

“Izuku, you are not fine!”

His eyes blew wide at that, and the tears from before slowly drizzled back. She wilted under his expression- her own volume taking herself by surprise.

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell… but, honey-” She felt tears burn on her cheeks, too. She didn’t bother wiping them away.

“You don’t deserve this, okay? You have to know that- and whoever did this deserves to know that, too.”

He shrunk in on himself, before nodding silently.

“Now, baby- who did this.”

A pause.

“It… It w-was Kacchan.”

And… wait-

“Katsuki? Katsuki did this to you? Why, honey? I thought you guys were still friends?”

Izuku wilted further, before wiping at his eyes aggressively. “N-no. Not really, I think he actually, uh-” he let out a pained, sharp giggle, “I think he actually kinda hates me…”

“Oh baby- has this… has this happened before?”

Inko sucked in a breath between clenched teeth at the small nod that followed.

How could she be so stupid? Izuku had been hurting- Katsuki had been hurting him- for how long? Without her even noticing? Her heart clenched too hard for her to cry any more.

“M-mom I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about K-Kacchan earlier, but-”

“Izuku.” she interrupted, firm but understanding. “Why do you still call him that?” He startled, and stood there stiffly. “ If he’s treating you like this… I don’t know if he deserves that.”

The confused, concerned look that met her eyes pained her heart more. But slowly, he began to nod. The tears in his eyes were replaced with something else.

Something more calm. More strong.

She held him once more, before double checking that he’d be okay (“I’m fine m-mom, really. I can’t even be burned any more, remember?”) and walking out of the room. Her hands subconsciously clasped the collar area above her heart.

Time to make a few phone calls, I suppose.

Inko tried to get Izuku to stay home on Tuesday, but he wouldn’t budge. Yesterday had been hell, sure, but he wasn’t about to miss class because of a hiccup like that.

That’s what he told himself over and over again, even as he shakily packed his bag for class. He carefully read over the messages Kishi and everyone else in chat had sent his way last night (God, I really don’t deserve them…) again and again, and his nerves settled a little more each time.

The walk to school was quick- his headphones playing calming music all the while until his feet met the locker area. He toed off his shoes and into his slippers, before heading to class.

He was early- just by a few minutes or so, but thankfully early enough to avoid the crowds that would inevitably rush through as soon as the bell rang. He unpacked his things, and waited with bated breath until the other students arrived.

But as everyone filtered in, one figure was startlingly missing.

Bakugou was marked as absent.

Some part of Izuku was grateful, his system flooding with a sense of ease just at the thought of not having to deal with the boy’s quirk today. But the other half of him…

The other half of him was terrified.

As it turns out, Bakugou had missed classes today to have a meeting with the principal. Inko and Mitsuki were present for that meeting- Inko electing to leave Izuku to his classes despite the principal’s efforts.

The meeting was quick and to the point. Mitsuki had been one of Inko’s long-time best friends until a few years ago. Drifting apart didn’t change the fact that she trusted Inko’s judgement, though.

Inko wasn’t sure if that was a compliment- but she was glad for it, for now.

They addressed Katsuki’s problems, left him with two week’s worth of suspension, and the meeting came to a close. He was silent as soon as they stepped inside- as soon as he saw the pain on Inko’s face.

He went home silent, too. Inko swears she could see his shoulders shaking.

The week went by strangely quickly. Izuku’s heart was heavy all the while- he couldn’t bring himself to practice with Hellfire more, instead electing to go running two times a day instead of one.

He was far too tired to do anything but sleep once he was back home. He hadn’t had another nightmare since Monday, either. His legs hurt and his chest felt tight, but he actually managed to get some rest.

He kept running.

The empty seat where K-... Bakugou normally sat set his nerves on edge.

He kept running.

Mom kept sending him worried glances when he came home to eat dinner.

He kept running.

He was fine. He would be fine. He kept telling himself that as his feet pounded on the concrete, as the sweat rolled down his face and his palms tightened.

When he came home to eat dinner Friday night, he surprisingly heard someone chatting quietly with mom.

That sounds like…

Akashi-san was perched on the couch- the tips of her fingers (which were wrapped tightly around a mug of tea) were shifting between purple to gold, and she had a sad sort of smile on her face. Inko perked up at the sight of Izuku, and Akashi followed her gaze.

“Ah- hey there, little hero! You- uh-” She gave him a once-over, before the smile on her face faltered slightly. “You doing alright?”

Izuku worriedly toyed with his hair, before settling his hands in his pockets and stepping forwards.

“M’fine, Akashi-san. How about yourself?”

Inko frowned momentarily, and Akashi set down the mug she had been clasping. Izuku walked into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge before opening it gingerly.

When he turned back around, their eyes were still on him.

“Wh-What’s up?”

“Kid. You look like shit.”

Izuku sputtered around the water in his mouth, and Inko choked on her own spit. She didn’t actually interject, though. It suddenly became startlingly clear to Izuku that he hadn’t actually looked in the mirror in a while.

Oh.

I probably do.

“Izuku baby- I…” Inko wringed her hands in her lap anxiously. “I’ve been talking with Akashi-san a bit, and we think-”

“I think it’s best if we postpone your training.”

Izuku’s eyes blew wide, and he carefully reminded himself not to drop the water bottle he was now clutching desperately. Inko scrambled to explain.

“We- We just-! We’re worried, Izuku. You haven’t been talking to me- and you just look…” she paused, and floundered for the right word.

“Lost.”

Both of them turned to Akashi, and she sighed deeply. A claw raked its way through her bangs. “Midoriya-kun, your mom told me about what happened… and I think she’s right, you’re bottling stuff up.” She frowned deeply, before leaning backwards into the couch.

Izuku took a step forwards.

“I-I just…” he stuttered, trying to find some sort of defense. There really wasn’t one. Not a viable one, anyhow.

“Izuku-” Inko stood up, and reached towards him. Her hands felt cold against his burning skin. “Please, baby. This isn’t just about what happened with Katsuki, is it?” He inhaled sharply, and took a half-step backwards.

They didn’t say anything for a long while. Akashi’s hands were stiffly in fists, and Izuku’s shook as they did the same.

“You’re right. I’m- I’m so sorry- I just-” he choked on a dry sob, and mom wrapped her arms around him.

When they parted, he followed her back to the seat across from where she had been previously sitting. She took back her place, closer to Akashi.

“I-uh… I tried quirk training, and it didn’t go as well as I wanted-” he saw Inko stiffen and Akashi release a held breath out of the corner of his vision. “I- I mean… It shouldn’t be a big deal, it went okay, but…”

“But I haven’t used it like that in so long. And it just…”

He glanced up at the two women in front of him. Both of their faces were painted with worry, but they were also… understanding.

“It scared me.”

“Midoriya-kun.” Akashi spoke so suddenly that it sent Izuku flinching. “I’m not gonna dig into your business- your mom has told me a bit about this-” Inko stared down anxiously at her wringing hands. “But I don’t know the whole story. And I don’t have to.”

She got up and slowly walked around the table at the center of the room, before crouching lowly to meet Izuku’s gaze head-on.

“I want to help you, Midoriya. Quirks are dangerous at times- hell, I made a lot of mistakes back when mine first manifested- but that doesn’t change the fact that I want to help you, okay?”

He felt tears slide down his cheeks, but he didn’t bother to wipe them away. Akashi was smiling softly, and he felt his face mimic it. He nodded.

“Okay. Now, if you’re ready, we can start training at the beginning of next week, alright?” He nodded again, and her smile grew wider.

Things started to wind down after that: Izuku sending an understanding look Inko’s way, and Akashi offering to help her clean up the dishes from their tea. Izuku floated around nearby, nibbling on leftover gyudon his mother offered him while the two women spoke light-heartedly.

When Akashi grabbed her bag off of the counter and made to leave, she threw a final wink over her shoulder.

“Now, little hero- you better take a damn break this weekend, alright? No more training until Monday.” He bowed several times, mumbling affirmations all the while. She left the apartment laughing. He went to bed that night with the ghost of a smile on his face.

For the first time that week, he felt okay.

It wasn’t nearly as cold out tonight. Considering it was almost February, this was probably normal; but she still longed to feel the calming lull that the night time breeze brought.

She made her way into the entrance of the apartment complex and up the elevator. The tinny music playing soothed her nerves, and she relaxed into the thin sweatshirt hung over her shoulders.

The elevator stopped, and she went down the hall and unlocked the door to her apartment. She turned on the lights and toed off her shoes, before walking stiffly inside.

It was dark- the only light in the entire apartment coming from the lamp in the corner. She set down her bag on the couch with a ‘thump’.

She stopped. One hand was splayed across the plush back of the couch, the other hung loosely at her side. They both tightened into fists.

Midoriya…

Hikari wasn’t a sentimental person. Or at least, she told herself she wasn’t. Deciding to move to a new city after witnessing how terribly it was doing could be seen as sentimental, but she wouldn’t call it that. It made sense to her. It didn’t feel like she had much holding her back, anyhow.

She slowly moved forwards, into the kitchen and around the polished, wooden floors. The talons on the ends of her toes were purple and sharp, but she did her best not to scrape the floorboards.

A few minutes later and she had two small bowls of rice prepared. One was stuck back into the fridge for tomorrow, but she carried the other into the small offshoot of the hallway nearest her bedroom. It was a cozy corner, she had hardly been able to fit in the wooden cabinet now nestled there.

On top of the cabinet was an empty pot for incense, a framed photo, and a cloth mat. She placed the bowl on the mat, and bowed her head in silence for a brief moment.

When she moved back into the cozy living room, something heavy weighed down in her heart.

She remembers the broken look on Midoriya Inko’s face; the way her eyes watered and her shoulders shook when she explained her son’s fight at school. The way she continuously apologized for being a bother, when all she was really doing was expressing the fear that Hikari could feel coming off of her in waves.

She remembers the look on Midoriya-kun’s face, too. The way his gaze was unsteady and his eyes unfocused, the way he choked on tears at the mere mention of there being something wrong.

She remembers the way him and his mother explained his fear of his quirk.

Something about it all reminded her of herself.

She loosely flopped onto the couch, turning on the tv at the front of the room absentmindedly. She wasn’t paying attention, though- her mind was somewhere else completely.

Deep down, she hoped beyond hope that she could help them. They had managed to capture her heart in a few short weeks, after all.

Hikari wouldn’t call herself a sentimental person; but she had never been the best judge of character, had she?

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you wanna learn Krav Maga, Midoriya-kun?”

Izuku was gingerly stretching along with Akashi. She crouched low to the sand in a lunging position, and he followed her movements. He flashed her a grin.

“Of course! I mean- I understand that it’s anything but a cakewalk-” she leaned to the other side, and he swiftly mimicked it, “But it’s got a lot of important, practical moves, right? And like you said, you trained in it for a while! Even while you were at Shiketsu!”

She still didn’t look convinced. “Well, yeah- I mean, good point, but also… that’s kinda why I’m worried.”

She came back to a resting position, and Izuku followed once more. A clawed hand tousled its way through her bangs.

“I’m not gonna lie, it was absolute hell when I first started. I ended almost every session on the verge of tears in my first couple of weeks- and that’s coming from someone who trained in Aikido since she was seven.”

She sighed, and leaned against a rusted-out fridge. In the mid-February sun, A faint glow seemed to be emitting from her hair, and her entire arms and shoulders were coated in shimmering scales. The fridge creaked against the shining hide.

“I’m just… nervous. Especially considering I’m not a licensed trainer or anything, y’know? I mean, I studied for about five years and all, but that’s nothing compared to some of the masters...”

Though she was obviously discouraged, Izuku tried to not let his nerves show. He trusted Akashi, after all- and he was willing to do whatever it took to pass the U.A. entrance exam.

“Akashi-san, I trust you. I mean-” he toyed nervously with the drawstrings of his sweatpants, “It-It’s obviously up to you! But I don’t want you to hesitate just because I’m new to this-” He bowed deeply, and Akashi choked out a little breath of air.

“I-... I’d be honored to be your student, Akashi-sensei!”

He was bent at an almost ninety-degree angle- so while he couldn’t see her face, he could absolutely hear when she choked out a startled little snort.

“C’mon- quit with the bowing, kid. And uh…” He came back up from his stance, and flinched in surprise to see her cheeks were a deep shade of red. She cleared her throat into a raised fist, before placing her hands on her hips in a wide stance.

“N-nevermind! If I’m gonna be your sensei, then we may as well get started!”

Giddiness bubbled in Izuku’s chest, and he felt a giant grin split his face.

“Of course, Akashi-sensei!!”

Krav Maga was, actually, in no uncertain terms, complete and utter hell.

They started off with the basics- Akashi guiding Izuku through stances and balances, and teaching him the main principles of the art (being ‘Neutralize the Threat’, ‘Continuous Motion’, ‘Simple Strength’, ‘Defense is Offense’, and ‘Taking Advantage in Vulnerability’, in Akashi’s own terms). It was all complex and new to Izuku- and when he was thrown into a pretend sparring match on the second day they started, he was a little more than surprised.

“You won’t ever learn if you practice without a weighted target, and until we can move into the training gym that Backdraft offered us-” she lowered herself down into a wide stance, and placed her hands (which were covered with training pads) outwards, “This is gonna have to do.”

So they did. Izuku launched himself at the pads again and again- trying the stiff and unpracticed forms Akashi and him had gone through the day before. It was all too unfamiliar for him, and when they drifted into the harder moves (like axe kicks and hammer fists), he accidentally swung wide more than once.

He learned the hard way that Akashi’s scales were a lot rougher than they looked.

At the end of the day, his legs and hands were coated in bruises, and his hair was sticking to his face with sweat. More than a few tears had been shed- mostly out of pain than anything. Akashi hadn’t even had to catch her breath- and she had been moving about almost as much as he had.

He laid on the ground, and the sand stuck all over his body.

“Alright, that’s enough for today-” Akashi began to pack up the training pads, and she threw Izuku a water bottle while she was at it. He numbly moved his arms, but missed the catch by a wide margin.

“C’mon, let’s get you home, bud-” she turned back around to see him weakly opening the now sand-covered water bottle, and snickered. “Glad your mom let me borrow her car this time. You’re one hell of a wreck. Sorry about the bruising, I should’ve warned you about my quirk beforehand…”

He carefully picked himself up off the sand, and sent her a weak smile. “N-no, that’s okay, Akashi-sensei. I’m, uh-” he glanced down at the pinkish-purple skin on the underside of his hands, “I, probably would have hurt them, uh, anyhow.”

She sent him a fragile, embarrassed smile in return, and they walked to the car in comfortable silence.

It went on like that for a while.

The week came and went, and though Izuku’s body protested in pain every time he dragged himself out of bed for a run, he kept doing it. He couldn't afford to slack off- and starting the next steps of his training sure as hell wasn’t going to make him do that.

Bakugou came back to school- and though his glares were sharper than ever, he didn’t actually provoke Izuku immediately. Silently and to himself, Izuku thanked whatever deities above that he could catch a break until his body got used to the new training regimine.

And he eventually did. His body still hurt every little wrong move he made, but after almost three weeks of intense, non-stop Krav Maga training, Izuku was able to properly utilize several of the techniques. The first time he did a set of perfect cross-body punches, he almost wept in happiness. Akashi wasn’t much better off.

They were finally able to move into Backdraft’s gym, too. They were allowed a few hours per night between six PM and nine PM, which gave Izuku plenty of time to cram in his studying right after school. They took a while to actually begin sparring.

Him and Akashi started taking cool-down walks around the block once they were done at the gym, too- which left Izuku’s legs like jello, but helped keep his muscles from flaring up in irritation late into the night.

Days went by, which turned into weeks. Those weeks evolved into months, and pretty soon, he had graduated to his final year of middle school, and it was now almost mid-April.

Izuku’s stances were trained to perfection, and him and Akashi had begun sparring daily. He mastered the hammer fist, and the axe kicks soon after that. His reflexes were faster than before, and along with his miniscule time left for hauling trash on the beach, the training itself made his lean body much more solid.

“You’re progressing really fast-” Akashi-sensei dodged a sweeping kick Izuku sent her way, and she flipped around to face his back, “Y’know that, little hero?”

She attempted to put him in a choke hold, but he twisted his weight quickly and evenly to throw her forwards. Use her own momentum against her-

He aimed a pushing hand towards her back, but she twisted around in the nick of time and caught his arm. Once she began twisting it behind his back, he conceded defeat.

“Th-thanks,” he heaved between gasps of air, “but- uh- I haven’t even- m-managed to beat you, yet…”

She released his arm, and grabbed his shoulders in its wake. Her blue-grey eyes sparkled with pride, and he found it hard not to blush under the attention.

“You don’t have to beat me for me to know you’re doing amazing! Now, let’s get the hell out of here and get you home- your mom invited me for dinner tonight and she’s making my favorite~”

She played with the ring of keys dangling around one of her claws, and he followed behind her. A few of the other sidekicks from Backdraft’s agency were outside near a vending machine, and they waved towards the now-familiar trainer and trainee. The two waved back, before hopping into the car and setting course for home.

Izuku didn’t stop rapidly growing. He ended the last week of April with a perfect demonstration of his new skills. His hammer-fist, hook punch, uppercut defense, and front, back, axe, and round kicks (along with a wide margin of other forms) were amazing. Akashi-sensei openly let him bawl in her arms, and they spun around inside the wide-open gym, laughing and wheezing all the while.

After all of this time, not only did Izuku feel stronger- he felt more in control. Sure, his quirk was still as wild and unruly as ever, but having a greater sense of balance over his body as a whole made him feel… less vulnerable.

That is, until Akashi-sensei announced they’d be taking the first weekend of May to practice with his quirk.

“C’mon, Midoriya-chan, don’t gimme that look.” She smirked, and he straightened his back, despite the furrow in his brows and frown on his face.

“I know this is all a lot- but believe me, having some more maneuverability might help with your quirk, alright? Back before I had control over Light Armor, training in Aikido helped tons! I bet Hellfire isn’t gonna be much different, okay?”

She was walking steadily forwards, Izuku trailing behind a few paces, his burning hands deep in his pockets. His throat tightened at the mention of his quirk’s name.

They made it all the way to the beach, until Akashi-sensei stopped to do a double-take at the view in front of her.

“Holy shit- kid, this place looks amazing!” She vaguely gestured to the beach; which, in all reality, was looking greatly improved. The amount of time he had been spending training in the gym left less and less for working on the beach, but he had still managed to sneak in days for hauling trash on the weekends. Sure, it left him extra tired for their lessons that week- but he had a whole two days for taking a break, and he’d go crazy if he didn’t do something.

The shoreline was basically entirely clean, with only the section closest to the boardwalk still lined with a few heavier objects. People still tended to dump things here every once in a while- but there were also more tourists that stopped by to take a picture or two, and even more who were willing to lounge around the less previously trash-filled areas of the beach.

I just hope she doesn’t ask when I managed to-

“When the hell did you get the time to do all this?” she uttered with a slightly-disconcerting gaze and a quirked eyebrow. Izuku felt his face heat up at the look.

“O-OH! Look at the time! Webettergettoworknowifwewannafinishtrainingtoday, right? Yeah- H-haha-” he was rushing down the boardwalk towards the cleaner portion of the beach. He could feel Akashi-sensei’s playful glare on the back of his head, but kept moving.

He’d get an earful about that later, he’s sure. For now, though...

They set up camp nearby- his bag of supplies from several months ago freshly re-packed and placed delicately on the sand. Akashi-sensei had several pairs of fire-proof padded shirts with her, but she didn’t bother putting one over top her t-shirt yet. Her golden scales were up to her shoulders and thighs in this weather, so she probably didn’t need it.

“Now- like we talked about last week, we’ll start with breathing exercises, got it?”

“Got it.”

Izuku was already sitting down with his legs crossed, and Akashi-sensei sat across from him in the same position. Her large, clawed feet were tucked gently under her legs.

“Deep breaths- in for four, hold for three, out for four.”

They sat there, breathing in almost perfect sync, for several minutes. Izuku’s skin thrummed with the fire beneath it, but the controlled, calming exercise helped give the power pause.

“Now, take that feeling- the feeling of Hellfire- and let it flow through you. Don’t let it run wild, but don’t force it, either.”

He took several more deep, calming breaths. His eyes closed delicately.

“Just like how I can feel the sun’s light flowing and being pulled by my quirk, you can feel the heat in your body push and pull. Let that flow.”

He could feel it. His quirk’s push and pull was strong, like a current of an ocean- but it wasn’t too powerful yet. It hadn’t become a hurricane.

He tried to remember how it felt before, to witness the beautiful side of his quirk momentarily. To see the gentle shimmer of fire in his palms.

“And when you’re ready- when you’ve found that flow- grab it, and hold it.”

He breathed deeply once more, and felt his brow furrow in concentration as he attempted to hold the flames inside his body.

The breathing exercises had been successful in calming his nerves and controlling the overbearing pain of his quirk backfire- but that’s about as much as it had done for him so far. Meditation didn’t come easily, either; even Akashi-sensei had trouble with it.

But that’s why, when he was able to grasp his quirk with a somewhat strong grip, he felt so surprised that he almost accidentally let go.

His eyes flew open, and he realized his fists were physically clasped now. In between the clenched fingers, he could see slivers of light poking through. Across from him, Akashi-sensei’s light was much brighter and concentrated, too. Something akin to a halo was encircling the top of her hair.

She gently opened her eyes, and smiled excitedly when he blinked up at her. Her grin was sparkling, and he tried not to panic at the thought that oh god I’m using Hellfire in front of someone right now-

“Hey- don’t you start worrying your little self, okay Midoriya-chan? Deep breaths, remember?”

He nodded, and made sure his breathing was calm. When it was, and when the heat stayed in his grip, a shaky smile broke across his face.

“You’ve got this, little hero- now, take that grip, and push it forwards. Push it up and out, to the tops of your fingers.”

He didn’t bother closing his eyes again, instead furrowing his brow in concentration once more. His fingers began to slowly glow- the light traveling from the base of his fist up through the bones, all the way to the top. It felt like molten iron was flowing in reverse beneath his skin- but he kept his grip tight enough that it didn’t burn.

His fingers were shining brightly, now. The tips of them were searing gold and red, and the tiniest bit of sweat evaporated off of the underside of his hand. Akashi-sensei held her breath, and Izuku forced himself to remain calm.

He kept the glow there for several long moments, before the heat began to pulsate too strongly. He felt a burning sensation- and oh god wait no don’t-

“Alright, you can let go, little hero.”

A wheeze escaped his lungs, and he released his grasp on Hellfire. It slunk not-so-delicately back through his veins, until the heat was barely thrumming through his palms. He sighed, and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

What he wasn’t expecting, though, was for Akashi-sensei to tackle him, and then subsequently lift him high into the air. He blinked rapidly, before squirming around embarrassedly in her grip. She was laughing heartily.

“Midoriya-chan, you did it! You fuckin’ did it! See, I told ya there was nothin’ to worry about!” She set him on the ground as gently as she could manage, before raking a hand through his curls. His entire face was crimson, and the amount of heat in his cheeks made him think he’d accidentally turned Hellfire on again.

“Akashi-sensei, all I did was activate it, it-it’s not even that big of a deal…” He hid his burning face behind a soft frown, and Akashi stopped her hearty celebration. Her face suddenly got serious, and Izuku could feel the color drain from his own expression.

“Hey- don’t go sellin’ yourself short, alright? Activating your quirk willingly without being able to do so for- what, years? That’s one hell of an accomplishment, little hero.”

Her hands were balled into fists and placed strongly on her hips. Izuku bowed lowly in front of her, and she let out another low chortle.

“Hey- none of that, alright? If you’re tryin’ to thank me, how about you try that one more time, from the top?”

He steeled himself, and raised his face back up to meet her strong gaze.

“Y-yes, Akashi-sensei!”

They had celebratory katsudon that night, and Izuku ate with a gentle smile on his face.

The session didn’t go as well as he had hoped- but he hadn’t managed to hurt himself, and he hadn’t broken down crying yet, so he figured it was as good of a time for celebration as any. Akashi-sensei and mom continuously embarrassed him with compliments and proud smiles, and so he hid behind his second bowl of katsudon.

They’re kinda right, though…

He carefully picked up his chopsticks, biting into a large chunk of egg and pork.

I have improved with Hellfire- even if just a little bit…

Inko came over once more to kiss his forehead, before bringing a tray of tea cups and cookies into the living room for a patiently-drooling Akashi.

I’ve gotta start somewhere… right?

He turned around to look at the two women, and they both caught his gaze. Inko smiled softly, and Akashi pumped her fist up into the air repeatedly.

“C’mon, little hero! It’s movie night, hurry the hell up and get in here!”

“Ah- c-coming, Akashi-sensei!”

He finished off the last few bites of his meal, before hurriedly washing and setting aside the bowl. As he jogged back into the living room, mom and Akashi were sorting through a collection of DVD’s all splayed across the coffee table.

They were both smiling, brightly, and wholly, and kindly. His heart felt warm.

We’ve all just gotta start somewhere…

Life continued. Izuku kept improving his techniques; around early June he got close to his first victory in sparring, almost managing to successfully pin Akashi-sensei’s arm behind her back with a simultaneous chokehold. Although, when she managed to wrap her hand around his weakly defended arm, and eventually sweep-kick him to the ground, it did break some of the magic of the moment.

His faith was quickly restored when she had to hide prideful giggles and a few tears behind her scale-covered fists. They kept sparring.

Saturdays were dedicated to quirk training now, too. Around midday they would go back down to the beach, practice stretching his body and calming the mind, and then he would be thrown back into the self-gauntlet that was Hellfire.

He managed to keep a level head throughout the first few tries . It was strange and menacing, but having Akashi-sensei close (and an entire ocean of fire-proof-water closer) really helped to soothe his nerves.

When they tried to get into practicing while standing and dodging was when things started to go South.

“Midoriya-chan, you’re okay, okay? Breathe- deep breaths, c’mon bud.”

Izuku was bent over his knees, shaky palms forced into his equally trembling legs. The tips of his fingers were tingling with a scarily familiar feeling- and he hid them in the fabric in fear of his quirk going haywire.

“Little hero, you listening?”

“Uh- y-yeah, sorry, Akashi-sensei.”

He took several deep, laborious breaths, and waited a moment before resuming his defensive position. He was still shaky after almost losing his grip on Hellfire mid-way through dodging Akashi’s jab.

She gave him a once-over, before sighing deeply and nestling her hands in the pockets of her loose basketball shorts.

“Alright- your stance is a complete mess, and you look flustered as hell. We’ll take a break-”

“N-no! I’m fine, Akashi-sensei! I can- I can keep going!” He steadied his stance into a wider position, before furrowing his brow in frustration.

Akashi simply quirked a brow, before sighing deeply. Her hide began to glow brighter, and the light around her fists seemed to visibly sharpen.

I’ve got a theory about that written down somewhere, right? Because if not I have to write that down-

He didn’t notice Akashi’s shift in stance.

I mean- if the little vestigial effects her light absorption have are any clue, she should be able to form her armor outwards, right? Because the whole point of Light Armor is to serve as outer protection for her body- and she’s been able to form her shadows into sharper claws and stuff before, I think? So if that’s true, she should be able to-

One unpredicted sweeping kick was all it took for him to stick to the ground.

“Oh shit- sorry about that, Midoriya-chan!”

She had a hand offered out to him, and, cringing due to the pain now stabbed into his legs, he gladly took it. She was frowning slightly.

“See- you need a break. You looked like you were going a mile a minute there- but I, uh, kinda thought you were just trying to focus… so I…” She cut off lamely, and Izuku sent a crooked smile her way.

“Akashi-sensei, it’s fine. Sorry I’m just… Kinda all over the place, y’know?”

The tingling in his fingers was finally gone, and he tightened his hands into fists. Akashi’s face morphed into soft understanding.

“Yeah… Let’s call it quits for today, alright? I wanted to talk to Inko about work stuff anyhow, so being a bit early won’t hurt.”

A nod, and they started on their way to the car.

“Now- what was going through your head back there? You looked real deep in thought.” Izuku’s face reddened a bit, but he stumbled out an answer nonetheless.

“Uh- well- I had this theory, about, um, Light Armor?”

Akashi-sensei smirked playfully, and they began driving home.

It was around late June when they finally made a breakthrough with their training. The strange thing was- the breakthrough wasn’t about Izuku’s quirk.

Akashi knocked heavily on the Midoriya’s front door before letting herself in. She threw her wallet and work keys hastily onto the sofa, before clamoring up to the kitchen counter. Inko stopped busily preparing lunch to turn and stare curiously at her.

“Hikari- is something wrong?-”

“Inko- where’s the little hero at? You’re not gonna believe this-”

Izuku carefully walked into the living room, buried in an article on his phone, before perking up and sending a slight wave to Akashi.

“Hey, Akashi-sensei, nice to-”

She was suddenly right next to him, golden claws grasping his shoulders as hard as they could manage without hurting him. He flinched, and stared into her wide, excited eyes.

“Midoriya-chan, you’re not gonna fucking believe it- Your idea worked.”

It took Izuku a moment to realize what she was referencing, but when he finally did, he almost dropped his phone onto the carpet.

“Oh my god. It- It did? Oh my god-”

“Okay, you two are starting to scare me a little- What worked?”

Inko was standing across from them, a rice-covered spoon clutched limply in one of her hands. Izuku and Akashi turned to her simultaneously, a matching, wide-eyed expression on both of their faces.

“IZUKU FOUND OUT A NEW WAY TO USE MY QUIRK-”

“I HAD A THEORY ABOUT LIGHT ARMOR-”

They stopped, and stared, bewildered at each other for a few seconds, before devolving into mad giggles. Inko’s face completely betrayed her dumbfoundedness.

“Okay okay just- So Izuku had this idea about my quirk, that I could like, uh, make my armor more tangible? Like if I forced the light outwards from my skin I could use it differently-”

Izuku let out a tiny squeal, before rushing to and back from his room, a notebook now clutched in his fingers.

“AND IT FUCKING WORKED. During patrol today, I saw a villain corner someone, and when I went to stop them, I just concentrated really hard on my armor and-”

She paused briefly, brows furrowing, before the light around her became brighter and then sharpened. Not just in the sense of brightness or intensity, but in an actual, tangible sense. At the ends of her knuckles were several small, jagged cones, akin to a set of brass knuckles. The fleeting halo atop her head was now bright and beautiful.

Izuku let out another giddy noise, before throwing open the notebook and writing more down on a (already almost completely filled) two-page spread. Inko’s eyes lit up at the sight of Akashi’s quirk.

And so their weekend training days evolved not only for the sake of Izuku’s developing control over Hellfire, but to include his theorizing and Akashi’s improved use of Light Armor, too.

June ended, and Izuku soon found himself out for summer vacation at last. July brought blistering heat and an increase of tourism at the (now completely cleaned) beach, but it also brought about a plethora of freetime for him to train.

They were well over a week into the month when Izuku was reminded of what else July brought with it.

“Happy birthday, little hero!!”

A handful of confetti was thrown into the air, and Izuku blinked tiredly around the sleep still clouding his eyes.

Akashi was over at a strangely early time, all things considered. Shouldn’t she be on patrol? I thought it was still only-

His mind screeched to a halt.

Oh. Wait… what did she say about…?

He suddenly realized that, yes, it was the fifteenth and, yes, Akashi had thrown a handful of neon-rainbow, sparkly confetti into his hair. His eyes watered.

“A-Akashi-sensei, You didn’t have to-”

“Oh shush, Midoriya-chan! Of course I’m gonna be here for your birthday! And-” she stepped behind him, guiding him by the shoulders and into the kitchen, “I know you’re probably wondering so I’ll just tell you now, I was given the day off work.”

He almost giggled at that, but a content, blush-filled smile sat on his face instead. She led him over to the counter and sat him down, before jogging around and helping mom with a large platter topped with a (scarily huge) amount of waffles. Akashi grabbed a bottle of American-brand maple syrup and a stick of butter off of the counter.

They brought the plates hastily to the table, before calling a still-dumbfounded Izuku over to sit with them.

The day went on like that. Akashi took him out to an arcade while Inko baked his cake for later that night. When they got back home, Izuku’s arms were filled with toys (all but two won by Akashi), before settling in and enjoying Katsudon on the couch.

After their dinner was devoured, Inko brought out the home-made cake. It was a thick, rounded square shape, and all five of its visible sides were dusted with various colors of edible-glitter. On the top, written in lime green and pink frosting, was the number fifteen, and multiple cute, decorative hearts.

They watched several of Izuku’s favorite movies- bouncing between classic superhero films, to a martial-arts drama, all the way to his favorite animated treasures.

By the end of the night, everyone was filled with cake and katsudon, and Izuku managed to fall asleep snuggled between the two women on the couch.

Akashi would never admit it, but she hastily took a picture of Izuku- dried frosting on his lip and blankets snuggled all around him- and made it into her phone lockscreen. Inko, unsurprisingly, did the same.

Chapter Text

The blaring, ear-grating beep of an alarm clock sounded off somewhere in Musutafu; to which a begrudgingly tired man responded by accidentally smacking the dirty stack of coffee cups on his bedside to the floor in the clock’s stead.

Tsukauchi got out of bed quickly and carelessly. He nearly put on his pants backwards in his rush, but he was out the door in a record seven minutes- so all in all, he couldn’t complain.

It was a Monday. God, was it a Monday.

He got on his train to the police station before fumbling with the notebook tucked under his arm. In it, the hastily ripped-out page from a much larger binder stuck out haphazardly. He almost didn’t grab it for fear of what was written inside.

But he did. There wasn’t anyone else on this half of the train- the closest person being on the opposite side near the doors- so he should be in the clear.

That doesn’t stop his hesitation when actually opening the paper comes to mind, though.

Inside was a written transcription of his and Yagi’s entire conversation from the prior Friday night.

Technically it was a Saturday morning…

The thought of it made his head twinge.

He already knew the contents- had listened to and read over them almost a dozen times now- but something about it all made him gulp down air like only the worst cases usually did.

Well… guess that suits this case pretty well, huh?

He slowly unfolded the page, and read over the words etched into the paper.

“Tsukauchi… are you sure you’re alright? You sound…”

Terrible. Tired. Like I haven’t slept in weeks. Like I just got caught up in traffic and have been waiting for the light to turn green for over an hour-

“I’m sure, Toshi. Now- please, just… what happened that day? You said you talked to Midoriya before, right?”

“Right- yeah, I did. The sludge villain managed to evade me long enough to find and corner Midoriya-”

Yagi stopped at that, and the long-suffering sigh that followed gave Naomasa pause.

“And I saved him, but he asked me a question about heroics and I… might have given him a less-than-favorable answer.”

“What exactly did you say, Toshi?”

The man spluttered, coughed, and then cleared his throat on the other end of the line. Naomasa was pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I-well… I don’t know if it’d be fair to share that, especially after all the grief it caused the boy.”

“Toshi- please, I know that this might be a little personal, but it’s for the sake of an investigation, alright? I promise.”

“Yes... yes, you’re right. Apologies for my-”

“Don’t apologize, Toshi- I’m sorry I’m asking you about all of this. Now, what happened? What did you say?”

Several beats passed, until-

The ride to the office wasn’t long, and soon Tsukauchi had the paper tucked gently back between the bindings of the notebook. His work bag was thrown hastily over his shoulder, and he stepped out of the station and into daylight.

The walk was even shorter, and soon, he was stepping through the front doors of the station. He carefully smoothed out his pace- walking slow enough to not garner attention, but fast enough to try and avoid-

“Ah, Tsukauchi-san! Good morning! What’s got you up so early?”

Of. Fucking. Course.

A sigh crawled itself out of his lips, and he put on his most convincing smile (made worse by the numerous bags under his eyes), before slowly turning around and facing Lieutenant Yukimura.

“Good morning, Lieutenant- I was just about to go to my office and get started early.”

Her smile was wide and filled with happiness- but it was far too sharp to be genuine.

“Ah- yes, of course. Mind if I walk with you there?”

Of course I fucking care you-

“Not at all, Lieutenant.”

They turned and continued to walk in stiff silence. Naomasa suppressed the urge to knit his eyebrows into a scowl, and instead rubbed placatingly at the headache that was already surfacing in his temples.

Barely in front of him, Yukimura’s crisp, off-white hair shimmered blue under the fluorescent lights. Her three-inch heels clicked powerfully on the tile, and every step seemed calculated and strong.

“Tsukauchi- may I ask you a question, if you don’t mind?”

She hadn’t turned to him, but he could guess there was a small, contemplative smile on her face.

“Of course, Lieutenant. What is it?”

“Do you truly think someone is responsible for the arson reports, or are you just padding for time?”

She still hadn’t turned around. The air around them seemed to grow colder- whether or not that was due to her quirk, he didn’t know.

“I do, yes. I don’t have strong enough facts to support my idea yet, though, so I’d prefer to not say until-”

“Until you can’t possibly make a fool of yourself?”

Her feet had stilled, and they stood there, almost side-by-side but not quite, for several long seconds.

Until, suddenly, an icy laugh bubbled out of Yukimura. She had one hand over her heart, and the other stifling the hearty smile on her face.

“I- I’m sorry, Tsukauchi. That was just too funny not to say, but I probably shouldn’t have said it, right?”

She turned to look at him. Though her gaze was much softer now, something about the deep, deep swirling black and blue of her eyes sent yet another shiver down his spine.

He let his stance soften.

“No, of course I understand, Lieutenant. No worries.”

“Well then- I guess you won’t mind a more serious note…”

And just like that, her callous expression resurfaced.

“You do understand the gravity of this situation, right? Several accounts of arson connected to widespread damage to residents and wildlife on the outer rim of the city. A possibility of an unidentified quirk user being responsible- and, furthermore, the possibility of a villain, or even two villains having caused the damage. It’s a lot to take in, correct?”

It took him a moment to realize it, but his breaths were coming out in soft, wispy clouds. He didn’t bother nodding in agreement, but she continued on anyways.

“And you should also understand that this case is important. Not just for you, but for our whole division.”

She turned back around, hands folded across her torso. Her white hair shimmered with barely-blooming frost. Naomasa’s hands shook despite himself.

“I trust you understand why I hope to see some results soon, detective.”

And she walked off, not a single goodbye or pleasantry in her wake.

The only thing she left behind was a gaping, sobering cold spot. Naomasa suppressed a shiver.

The bleeding cold followed him into his office, but he sighed at the fact that he was now blissfully, totally alone.

His office looked like shit, though. The silence felt a little deafening all of a sudden.

He spent a few hasty minutes shuffling around discarded pages and mugs and paper cups from every corner of the room, and then throwing them into the small bin near the door. It started overflowing before even half of the trash was discarded, and he sighed, before depositing the rest of the garbage onto the floor.

His desk was still in shambles- various photos and print-outs thrown up onto the board behind it, while the wooden surface itself was covered corner to corner in mountains of folders and takeout bags and even more rabbit-eared papers. It was barely more bearable than before.

The small notebook was slipped carefully out of his bag and deposited in one of the only free spaces of the desk. Next to it- up near the top right of the desk- was the rest of the evidence relating to the case, labelled with a dull yellow sticky note titled “Musutafu Fires”. Next to that, there was a small pile of papers with a similar sticky note titled “Hammerhead”.

Naomasa’s hand reached towards the file at the top of the stack-

Until a piercing, rapping series of knocks at his door caused the headache from earlier to come back twofold. He clutched his temples in response.

“Uh- come on in.”

A moment later, officer Sansa revealed himself from behind the door. He was holding a tray of steaming take-out coffee cups in one of his hands, and the other was on the knob of the door.

Naomasa’s eyes lit up at the sight of the drinks.

“Nya- Good morning, Tsukauchi. I hope you didn’t sacrifice even more of your sleep schedule to come in early?” He had a small smirk on his whiskered face, and Naomasa’s urge to sigh was drowned in the care he felt for his friend.

“Nah, don’t worry, Sansa. I made sure to go to sleep at a decent time on Sunday, so I’m rested up for once.”

He seemed satisfied with that response, ears flicking slightly and whiskers perking up. He made his way over to the empty chair beside Naomasa’s own, depositing the carton of coffee cups onto the desk. Naomasa immediately went in for a cup, despite the small playful glare he received for it.

“Nya- I only bothered bringing you one because Kobayashi told me she saw you run into the Lieutenant earlier-” At the now lidded look on Naomasa’s face, Sansa let out a small huff. “No luck with that, then?”

“No- she was just doing the usual. Making sure I ‘have it under control’, as she’d put it.” He emphasized the statement with heavy air quotes and a scowl. “I mean, I can’t blame her for making sure I know the importance of this case, but cornering me a second time isn’t really helping.”

“Yeah, agreed- Nya.”

They sat there in companionable silence for a few moments, until Naomasa reached for the pen he had been holding earlier. Sansa’s slitted pupils widened in interest.

“So… any luck on this? I mean, I just haven’t asked in a while-”

“Sansa, you don’t have to explain. I’m not mad at everyone for being curious, it’s just…”

He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands above his head. Sansa was staring at him with a furrowed look, placing his gloved hands (paws?) in his lap after Naomasa made no move to speak for several moments.

“I haven’t had any solid leads until just recently. At first I assumed the fires weren’t related to the Hammerhead incident, but then I realized he would probably be old enough to have been around to start the first one.”

Naomasa sighed, carting a hand across his face and sipping the coffee generously.

“But then… the evidence didn’t lead anywhere. It all didn’t really add up. Going back through the Northern-side CCTV footage a few weeks ago didn’t reveal anything. I hadn’t even gotten a new lead until Friday-”

“Wait.” Sansa interrupted, eyes wide and unblinking. It was kind of unnerving. “You got a new lead? Was it through the Southern tapes- Nya?”

“Well, that and I might’ve… called in a little favor.”

Sansa looked like he was about to ask something, but the look on Naomasa’s face clued him in, and his mouth simply fell into a little ‘o’ shape in recognition. It was awfully charming, what with his Whiskers and snout.

Sansa had known about Naomasa’s ‘insider-eyes’ for a while now, and although he didn’t know who they were, he was content with not finding out. Tsukauchi laughed internally at the thought of how Sansa learning the truth about All Might’s ‘personal’ side would make the officer feel.

“But uh- well yeah, I’ve got a new lead. The direction it’s taking me in… isn’t the most favorable, though.”

The cat-headed officer’s ears flattened against his fur. “Tsukauchi, this entire case is unfavorable. What could be worse than-...”

Naomasa refused to make eye contact, instead taking a long, drawn-out sip from his coffee.

“Nya-...I’m kinda nervous about this, now. Are you sure you don’t need an extra pair of hands to-”

“I’m fine, Sansa. It’ll be fine. And besides, like I said the evidence doesn’t add up all the way yet, so that rabbit hole will probably be filled soon enough.”

Though he didn’t look fully convinced, Sansa’s gaze softened slightly, and he slumped back in his seat. Naomasa was glad he didn’t pry further, and that he looked less sobered by the news than he initially had been. The case was worrying enough as is, and something about a frown on Sansa’s face was just plain… wrong.

“Alright, well- I better be getting out of your hair- Nya.”

“Ah- yeah, and I should probably actually get to work, since I woke up early and everything.” He shot Sansa a playful wink, and the officer sighed and smirked back.

Once he left the room with his tray of cups in hand, Naomasa relaxed once more.

His feet were pressed lightly against the floor, and his back was slouched in his plush chair. A long-suffering sigh dragged its way out of his body, and he combed his hand through his hair afterwards.

He didn’t like lying. He hated lying, in fact. Being able to detect anyone and everyone’s lies felt a little unfair when no one could detect his- but it was part of the job, sometimes. Often, he hated that, too.

The folder he had been reaching for was picked up, and placed solemnly over the notebook he had set down earlier. He flipped open to a bookmarked section of the packet, before staring down at the paper in front of him.

All I’d need is a statement, and a testimony from a witness… That’s all it’d take…

His hand drifted over the red highlighter surrounding the phrase ‘Quirk- Hellfire’. It’s vague, fire-related description seemed far too short for Midoriya’s supposed abilities. The conversation he had with Toshinori the other night resurfaced.

“His quirk allows him to control fire, I believe. He snuffed out all the flames from the sludge villain incident in one go. But he was… he was neglectful to use it. He asked if he could be a hero without a quirk, and… and I told him no.”

The frown on his face furthered, and he read over the boy’s description once more.

… But first…

He grabbed the same red pen from earlier, and in bold, neat lettering, he wrote a single word at the top of Midoriya Izuku’s file.

'Why?'

Sometime during the following mid-March, the case was filed as ‘Unresolved’. Lieutenant Yukimura managed to send him even more menacingly sweet smiles than usual, and Sansa offered to take him out for a drink when he was sent an official report about his screw-up by their Commissioners.

Of course he was upset about the failure of the case. He was supposed to be the best detective in their entire division- years upon years of previously solved cases and awards for his efforts proved that- so he wasn’t afraid to admit that the disappointed looks he received were troubling.

They bought that it was probably just a series of coincidences for now, but he wasn’t sure if they would forever. His stomach twisted at the thought.

But deep down, he also understood that this was better. This was worth it. What he had to do next was more important.

The case was filed as ‘Unresolved’, but not as ‘Closed’. He still had the warrants and the evidence locked away, and he still had one thing on his mind.

He needed to find out what in the hell was happening with Izuku Midoriya and his quirk.

And he wanted to avoid sending a possibly-innocent kid to jail while he was at it.

Hikari’s work day started off earlier than some might think. She was the second in command for one of Backdraft’s daytime patrol teams, and was actually allowed to go home quite early because of that. Her work shift was basically ten hours between 4AM and 2PM, and she liked it that way.

Today was a bright, peaceful Monday in July. Izuku’s birthday had just come and gone over the weekend, and was made extra special due to summer vacation starting just afterwards. She had requested the weekend off, and had spent it well- but now it was time for patrols once more.

The usual scene greeted her when she walked in the agency’s doors. The kind secretary with the sharp grin greeted her with a wave, and just beyond him there were several jovial-looking sidekicks now in their street clothes. She knew all of them by name- Watermason, JumpJack, and TydalWave- and also knew that they were part of the night shift. That explained the exhausted lilt to each of their faces, then.

She waved to them when they offered their greetings, and continued on into the changing area in the locker room. Her costume would be safely hanging up in her locker, and though she was actually here earlier than needed, she preferred to get changed before making her rounds around the office.

The new costume she had ordered for summer was, in her humble opinion, absolutely amazing. Her last costume was darker- with greys and purples and blues being the primary color- which served her well with the frequently overcast weather affecting her quirk. Now, though, her skin was almost always its golden color, and her new costume suited that much better.

She had decided to go for a theme rather than a color pallette this time, so she based her entire costume on modern depictions of Onis. Her clawed feet and broad shoulders fit the aesthetic unsurprisingly well.

She had thick, rope-like straps around her shoulders and ankles, and a similar one tying off the sturdy belt at her waist. The main portion of her costume was a washed out tan color. It acted as a jumpsuit of sorts- the pant legs stopping and cinching just above her knees. The deep purple band around her waist lead into an armored skirt that hung down over her hips. Instead of shoes, she had fabric wrapped around the middles of her feet. A toothed mouth guard and hood sat dangling around her neck.

It fit nicely, and allowed her to use her quirk to the fullest- which was especially useful, considering the new technique she had been working on thanks to Izuku.

Izuku had also helped her design the costume, and that made it extra special.

Just as she was wrapping her feet in their signature purple fabric, the rest of her patrol squad barged in. Captain Kaiyoshi looked slightly dishevelled.

“Oh Akashi, thank god you’re here-” Aranami Minato (hero name Kaiyoshi) was a tall, bulky woman. Her pupil-less eyes, porcupine-like spines, and serious demeanor normally struck fear into all of the squad member’s hearts- but right now, she just looked like a nervous wreck.

And though relief passed over her face, Hikari noticed the way her fingers twitched in worry. “There’s a dangerous villain a little ways away, and the other patrol squad requested backup- we need to head out.”

Oh. that explains the nervousness, then.

“On it- are we gonna take a dispatch van?”

“Nope, they’re only a few streets over, so we’ll go on foot and help with crowd control on our way over.”

The rest of the squad began to get dressed, and Hikari made sure to grab a communicator and pack the bag located on the back of her belt with supplies. From what Aranami had said, she might actually need them.

They left shortly after that, sprinting through the streets and directing civilians away from the upcoming danger. A block or so away from the villain, they could already hear the sounds of battle. There wasn’t any signs of smoke in the air- but booming, explosion-like sounds still kept resounding down the mostly-deserted street.

The villain was short and thin. A striped bandana with holes cut out was plastered over their eyes, and a far-too-long coat was hung loosely over their frame. They had one hand on the ground and another on a long, jagged knife.

The tinny voice of Backdraft came from the little communicator hooked over her ear.

“The villain’s name is CrashZone, they’re responsible for a few incidents a week or so ago involving a mall robbery. They have an impact quirk- it appears to allow them to force kinetic energy into anything they directly touch. They’ve launched a couple of objects already, but nothing bigger than a bike, I think-”

Their voice cut out for a brief moment as the group all dodged out of the way of a shockwave that radiated from the villain.

“And they appear to be able to make energy waves in the ground, too.”

Backdraft’s quirk was pretty much useless in this situation, so as soon as they saw that Aranami and Hikari’s group was ready, they ordered some of the damage-control heroes to fall back. Hikari’s group charged forwards, until her and the other three members were settled into a defensive triangle formation, with Aranami at the front.

They all worked in tandem to get the villain caught off-guard, but their shockwaves continued to push them further and further back. Aranami fired off a few rounds of quills,  but she couldn’t get a good aim with the ground shaking beneath her feet.

A few other squad members got close, but CrashZone simply knocked their fist into several large, weighty hunks of debris, and launched it towards them like a bullet in order to stave them off.

Hikari was the closest to them by now- her sturdy claws sunk low into the crumbling concrete and kept her stable.

She saw an opening and charged forwards, piquing her momentum and knocking the knife out of the villain’s hand in the nick of time. They didn’t stop there, though- instead, they readjusted their stance, and aimed their fist at Hikari’s arm-

And nothing happened. The villain’s hand tapped against her leathery, golden hide ineffectively, and left them both gaping at each other.

That is, until Hikari did an expert sweeping kick, and subsequently clamped a large-clawed hand over both of the villain’s wrists and forced them to the ground.

Once she had a pair of thick, blocky, quirk-suppressing cuffs out of her belt pouch and over the villain’s hands, she got up and gave an ‘okay’ signal to the rest of the group. When she did that, though, she caught sight of another figure looming just at the edge of sight.

She almost didn’t recognize him at first, considering his hero costume was so unassuming. He was perched atop a light pole, scarf floating wildly above and around his head, and that’s when it hit her.

“Holy shit, is that EraserHead?” she whispered, before the figure darted onto the next building over and out of view. The realization that ‘oh god, that villain could've killed me if he hadn’t been here’ washed over her.

She desperately wanted to say something- give a ‘thank you’ for saving her life, or possibly ask him why he was patrolling during the day instead of on his usual night routine- but he had already left in a flurry of scarf tendrils and gleaming eyes.

She didn’t mind his quick escape, though- the adrenaline now pumping through her veins was probably to blame for that, but she didn’t give it much thought.

All she could do was smile and think one, joyful thing.

Oh my god, Izuku is gonna fucking die when I tell him about this.

Shota was getting real tired of being up this early.

U.A. calls, though (he swears to god that the upcoming semester is gonna be the death of him), so he continues on his morning route.

Getting in a few extra patrol hours doesn’t really hurt, either. Sure, he’s even more exhausted than usual, but at least he can help with situations- like the one he just fled- more often.

Interesting quirks. Hope they stick around for long enough to improve- ‘cause that was a little sloppy.

Whatever, he’s not in charge of them. And besides, that sidekick who charged in seemed to have herself handled enough, anyhow.

Now, time for whatever bullshit meeting Nedzu decided to call at five in the goddamn morning.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s feet pounded against the concrete in a rhythm surprisingly quicker than his heartbeat. His breaths came out in gentle puffs- not quite solid clouds, but thick enough due to the cold January air. It had been almost exactly a year since that fateful day that Akashi had introduced herself, and the thought of that made Izuku give pause momentarily.

When he did that, though, he heard the aforementioned woman snicker behind him.

“C’mon, Izuku! You’re not quitting on me so soon, right?”

He grinned despite the fact that she couldn’t see him, and his pace doubled. When his feet finally jumped and touched down on Dagobah Beach, he let out an excited yell of victory.

Akashi was a couple paces behind, breathing heavily and wiping her face with the sleeve of her jacket. The exhaustion set in her posture was enough to soften the playful glare she shot his way.

“God- Damn- It-” she huffed out, before bending over and placing her hands heavily on her knees. “How the fuck- are you- so fast, Izuku?”

He grinned, and wiped the beading sweat off of his own cheeks. “I mean, I am pretty agile. But a certain teacher taught me to value stamina, so~” He perked a finger against his cheek in faux-innocence, before Akashi barked out a laugh and slapped him on the back with her clawed hand.

“Shut your mouth, you dumbass.” She was smiling widely. He let out a breathy laugh, before collapsing into the sand back-first.

Their morning runs had slowly become more and more competitive. Even though Izuku was yet to beat her in sparring, he somehow managed to outrank his teacher on their sprints almost every time. He folded his hands behind his head.

“So… One more month, huh?”

The comment was gentle but strained, like Akashi was scared to remind him of the impending deadline. Like he wasn’t already as stressed as he could be.

“Yeah, One more month…”

She huffed, but it wasn’t as joyful as usual. He didn’t turn to her face yet.

“I think… I think I’m ready? I mean- I’m a lot stronger than I used to be, and…” his breath puffed weakly in the air, “and I can finally sort of use my quirk-”

“Don’t you dare sell yourself short, little hero. You’ve made so much fucking progress.”

He finally turned to her at that, and he met her warm eyes. She was smiling gently, and her voice didn’t carry much bite. He smiled back.

“I-... Thank you, Akashi-sensei.”

“Hey! Since our training is just about over, I’m technically not your sensei anymore, little hero.”

His brow furrowed at that, and he turned back to her. This time, he was met with a wide, toothy grin.

“A-Alright… then…”

He smiled, wider but more shakily.

“Then how about… Thank you, Hikari-san…?”

Her eyes widened slightly, until her entire expression softened. He could feel his own face heating in worry of using her given name, and resisted the urge to cover his eyes with his shaking hands.

“You’re welcome, Izuku-chan. I’m glad I could be here.”

Soon, on one fateful February seventh, it was time for the entrance exam. Akashi and Inko were fretting over him until the last second; the former ruffling his hair to mask her own nerves, and the latter scurrying around the house like a nervous bunny rabbit.

“Hikari-san, mom, I told you guys, I’ve already got everything packed!”

Mom was now wringing her hands, and Akashi was messing with her own bangs profusely.

“A-are you sure, Izuku? Do you have the bandage wrap for your hands just in case? And your water bottle?”

“Yes and yes, and I packed some notebooks and a snack just in case, too, mom.”

She was still fretting, but a shaky smile replaced the worried frown from before. She quickly planted a kiss to his forehead, before parting to let Hikari squeeze him in a bone-crushing hug.

“You’re gonna do great, don’t forget that, okay? After all, you’re already our little hero!”

He smiled widely once she set him down again, before opening the door and waving to the two women a final time.

The train ride to U.A. was surprisingly short- only being about twenty minutes- and he was shaking and jittering the whole way. By the time he got off, he almost forgot how to breathe, but was able to steady his chest long enough to actually walk from the station and to the school.

Oh my God, U.A....

Pictures didn’t do it justice. He didn’t think they ever could.

The school was tall and wide, and it’s multiple buildings formed a sort of multi-layered ‘H’ shape. There were students and heros alike bustling to and fro around the campus. The blue windows shone like a crystalline sea in the sun, and the glare itself almost took his breath away.

He was so mesmerized, he forgot to start moving. That is- until a sharp, barking comment from behind made him jolt forwards in surprise.

“Fucking Deku- What’s your worthless ass doing here?” Bakugou seethed, “Stay the hell out of my way, got it?”

Bakugou was barely by him long enough for them to make eye contact, but what Izuku caught of the boy’s face sent him reeling and babbling.

“Sorry, K- B-Bakugou! I won’t be a bother! Let’s just try our best!”

Bakugou didn’t show any sign that he had actually heard his rambled explanation, but Izuku wilted in relief nonetheless.

It’s… It’s gonna be okay! I can still do this! Just one step at a time and-

He stepped forwards a few paces, before his foot snagged on the ground.

Or I could die, that works too.

His face scrunched up reflexively, waiting to taste the delicious combination that was concrete and shame... but the pain never came. Instead, a weightless, airy feeling washed first over his limbs, then his chest, then his head. He could feel his curls bouncing against his forehead, and peeked open his eyes when the sensation didn’t lift.

He didn’t expect to be floating,  but he was. It took every inch of his restraint not to freak out at the feeling of unfamiliar, tingly weightlessness.

“Oh god- I’m so sorry! I hope I didn’t scare you too bad!” sang a bubbly voice from his left, and he turned to face whoever had just saved him from tasting the dirt.

She was barely shorter than him- and much more sturdily built, he guessed- but he couldn’t quite tell due to the fact that he was still floating sideways, several inches off the ground. Her brown hair was cropped to her chin, and was currently bobbing delicately around her head.

“Here, I’ll let you down now-” her hands guided his body to the ground, and she pressed her fingers together with a murmur of ‘release’. The floating sensation left, and Izuku turned all the way around to face her.

What an amazing quirk- it’s gotta be gravity manipulation. I wonder if it’s touch-based? I didn’t feel her grab my shoulder or anything- of course, that could be because I wasn’t paying attention… I wonder-

He snapped himself back to reality at the sight of friendly smile, and suddenly started babbling semi-coherently.

“Th-thank you! I mean, uh- for keeping me from falling, that is. With your quirk.”

Her face brightened, and Izuku swears he can hear her exhale in relief. “It’s no problem, really. It’d be bad luck to trip and fall before we’re even inside, right?”

“R-right! Exactly-” And suddenly, with a glance down at his watch, he realized that they barely had ten minutes before the exams started. “Oh shoot, I’ve actually got someone I’m trying to see before the tests, so I should probably go- I’ll see you later, though?”

Her bright smile didn’t waver, and she pumped a fist in the air. Something about the gesture reminded him of Akashi. “Sure! Good luck with your exam!”

“You too!” And he walked forwards, pace quickening as soon as he got up the front steps. He had almost completely forgotten about his plans to meet with everyone before the test, but hopefully-

He stopped, and his eyes blew wide. Just before a makeshift check-in counter in the front half of the building, there stood four familiar, but still seemingly surprising, people. Kishi was the first to notice his approach, and he started waving and gesturing to the other’s as soon as he did.

There, standing off from the rest of the rushing students, was Kishi, Naga, Pink, and Kama. Pink was jumping up and down energetically, Naga looked stuck between perpetual nervousness and absolute delight, Kama was… surprisingly calm. And Kishi-

Izuku’s chest compressed tightly as a pair of surprisingly muscular arms wrapped around him and swung him through the air like he weighed nothing.

This is all too familiar.

“OH SHIT- Sorry, I didn’t even bother asking first- but I mean last time you said you’re cool with hugs, right?” Kishi set Izuku down as gracefully as he could muster, and Izuku finally caught a glimpse of the boy’s sharp, terrifying grin. Something about it made his heart clench and his face heat up.

“It’s fine, Kishi-san, like I said before, I really don’t mind!”

Kishi (Was he always that tall?) was smiling down at him, razor-sharp teeth on full display, before he seemingly remembered the other members of their group and turned excitedly to them.

Naga’s frayed, reptilian ears swayed back and forth from their head, and a shaky smile (Is that what my nervous smiles look like?) broke their face. From their spot tucked between Kama and Pink, they bowed lowly, though a look of mild horror crossed their face when they realized no one else had followed suit. Kama decidedly spoke up first.

“I’m Togaru Kamakiri, you guys can obviously just stick with Kama, though.” He was much taller than Izuku had expected, and, in fact, much taller than anyone else in the group. He was thin and kind of gangly, and his outfit was all blacks and purples. There was a crystalline charm shaped like a tiny crescent-moon blade dangled on the black string around his neck.

“Oh- I’m Naga Shimizu! I’d prefer if you guys just stick with Naga, th-though…” The blush on their cheeks hadn’t faded, but their broken smile blossomed into a much more jovial one. Their height barely reached to Kama’s shoulder, but that still left them towering above him by a solid margin. They were wringing their hands through the gold scarf around their neck.

“I’m Eijirou Kirishima, but Kishi is cool- but, uh, well you already know that…” Kishi rubbed the back of his neck placatingly, before stuffing his hands in his pockets. To Izuku’s utter dismay, he now noticed that he was wearing neon red Crocs.

“And that meaaaaans~” Pink, who’s magenta hue was even more prominent outside of video, excitedly rocked on her heels. She then threw her hands up and slammed them down onto Izuku’s shoulders in what (he hopes) was supposed to be a greeting. “I’m Mina Ashido! You guys can call me Mina or Pink, either way works!”

She was smiling so excitedly and brightly that Izuku felt the urge to look away. Her multi-colored skirt flowed with her movements, and her hair, which was framed around her face, did the same. Her tall, iconic, yellow-toned horns were peeking through the curls.

“Kishi already babbled to me about when you guys last met and oh my god you’re just as cute as he was saying-”

Izuku felt his face heat up brightly, and hoped his skin wasn’t as red as he thought it probably was. Kirishima let out a series of startled, nervous noises before pulling Pink’s hands away from Izuku.

“Mina oh my god you can’t just-”

“WHAT?! He’s seriously adorable! Like oh my god Izu you’re so much smaller than I thought you’d be-”

Izuku let out a giggle in startled amusement, before levelling a self-suffering look at Pink. “Yeah, and you guys are a lot taller than I thought…- Wait a second.”

Slowly turning back to the the rest of the group, he reexamined them, and came to a startling conclusion.

“Oh my god. I’m the shortest one in our group, aren’t I?”

Pink giggled loudly, and everyone else followed suit. Even Naga, despite all of their shuffling and blushing, was snickering behind the scarf pushed around their face.

After the laughing died down, Kishi led the group to the check-in counter. There, their bags were checked, they turned in their previously filled-out paperwork, and then were distributed an official applicant packet and ID. Everyone in their little group quickly scrambled to the testing hall, where they were (begrudgingly) separated. The written exam rooms seemed to be determined by randomness and not applicant number: because even though Kishi and Pink’s ID’s were one after the other, they ended up on completely opposite sides of the hallway.

Surprisingly, though, Kama and Izuku managed to end up in the same testing room. Their seats were arranged by name, so they were a row or so away from each other, but Izuku still sent a few cheerful thumbs-ups of encouragement Kama’s way.

The test itself was about as hard as he had expected. He got through the questions with a few minutes left, and thusly took the rest of the period to double-check his answers. When the faculty member at the front of the room called for them to stop, Izuku was positive he would have a high enough score to pass.

He walked out of the room a jittery, nervous mess, with Kama’s stoic presence still at his side. The latter boy didn’t seem too bothered by the test, either- but Izuku couldn’t really tell around the large, pincer-like fixtures of his mouth.

When the rest of their group came into view outside of the entrance to the practical exam’s explanation hall, Izuku’s excitement redoubled. He wishes they could all sit together, but the assigned seat printed on their ID card’s said otherwise.

When he saw who he did get to sit by, though, the excitement in his stomach turned to dread.

“Oh shit- is that that asshole from your class, Izu?” Kishi frowned slightly at the barely-visible scowl across Bakugou’s face, and Izuku felt the fear in his gut creep upwards.

“Y-yeah, but it’ll be fine! He probably won’t even say anything more to me…”

Kama turned to him with an exasperated, suffering look. “‘More’?”

Izuku didn’t honor his question with an answer, instead nervously waving the others off and unsteadily stepping down the stairs and over to his seat. Bakugou barely leant him a glance, instead favoring scowling at his ID card and ignoring Izuku’s presence entirely. Some part of him was grateful for the silence.

A few heavy moments and shuffling of students later, and a figure stepped out onto the stage at the center of the room. Holy shit, is that-?

“HELLOOOOO LISTENERS!!” Screeched Present Mic, and Izuku’s heart almost beat out of his chest.

Present Mic! Here! As a teacher!

If going to U.A. wouldn’t kill him, the idea of having so many famous heroes mentoring him sure as hell would.

Izuku found himself slipping into delicate ramblings about the pros present at U.A., but wilted as soon as Bakugou started snapping impolite (threatening) comments. The kids around them sent a few questioning glances, but didn’t do anything otherwise.

Present Mic went through the process of explaining the practical exam to every student, doing so with as much (poorly received) fanfare as possible. Once he got to the portion explaining the points system, though, a hefty-looking arm quickly shot into the air from somewhere in the crowd.

“Got a question over there, listener?” Mic probed, until a bright spotlight was suddenly shining down on the aforementioned student. He was thickly built and muscular, with choppy blue-black hair and piercing red eyes. Izuku shivered at the thought of going up against him.

“Yes, pardon the interruption. On the printout, it says that there are four different kinds of robot targets, while you explained that there are three. If this is a mistake, it’s quite a shameful one for such a prestigious academy like U.A. And furthermore-”

The kid turned towards where Izuku and Bakugou where sitting, and that’s when he realized he was intentionally looking at them.

“If you two could please keep it down and stop distracting the rest of us, that’d be much appreciated.”

Yikes. Yup. Definitely terrifying.

“I’ll fucking kill that bastard for lumping me in with you.” Bakugou hissed under his breath.

But probably not as terrifying as Bakugou, huh?

“Now now, examinee number 7111, thanks for calling in, but there’s no need to worry! The truth is, there’s a secret fourth obstacle which is actually worth zero points.”

Everyone around them began murmuring with confusion, but the tall boy continued to stare onwards at Present Mic.

“Those ‘bots basically serve as a sort of distraction- it’s best to just avoid them all together, okay~?”

The boy bowed lowly before sitting down in his seat once more. Present Mic grinned even wider, before dismissing the students to go and get changed into their exercise gear. On the way out, Kishi and the others sent him worried looks, but he brushed them off with a shaky smile.

When he got into a bathroom stall to change, Izuku gingerly put on his sweatpants and shirt, and then wrapped his palms in the bandages he had packed, too.

The arena was massive. Just looking up at the tall, concrete walls of the outer space filled him with nerves and wracked his entire body with shivers. He felt close to feinting, and the pulsating pain of Hellfire beneath his skin wasn’t helping- until a bubbly call from behind him caught his attention instead.

“Izu!! Oh my god I can’t believe we’re in the same arena!” Pink sprinted over and hopped up and down excitedly. She was dressed almost entirely in black, and the combination matched with her haunting eyes made Izuku do a double-take.

“Y-Yeah! But I mean… I’m so nervous, I just hope I don’t mess up in front of-”

Someone caught his eye, and he whipped around in the middle of his statement. There, standing just a ways off, was the girl from earlier. She was stretching carefully, a focused, concentrated look on her face, and an idea sprang to Izuku’s mind.

“Oh my gosh- that girl over there saved me from face planting in front of the school earlier-” Pink interrupted with a wheezy giggle, but he simply sent her a look of faux-irritation before continuing. “I think I’m gonna go wish her good luck, if that’s alright with you?”

“Okey-dokey! I’ll just wait here, and we can head in together, if you’d like!”

He nodded, and took a few jogging paces towards the girl-

Until the terrifying boy from the exam hall stepped into his path.

“Hey- are you planning on ruining that girl’s focus? She’s clearly trying to prepare for the test, like everyone else here. I hope you wouldn’t be trying to sabotage her chances at a head start?”

The boy’s cornering glare and even more criminalizing questions sent Izuku reeling, and he babbled around his anxiety for an answer. He almost didn’t realize when a familiar presence stepped up behind him to ward off the boy’s attention.

“Yo, it’s not nice to pick on someone so much smaller than you, okay??” Mina had her hands on her hips in a sort of authoritative pose, and Izuku was thankful she was much closer to the other boy’s height than himself. “He’s just trying to wish that girl luck since she helped him out earlier, so why don’t you quit messing with him, huh?”

The boy looked startled, and then somewhat… remorseful? Izuku waited with bated breath for his response, but an ear-bleedingly loud wail cut off all of the rest of the noise around them.

“START!!!” screeched Present Mic, and everyone stared dully at each other, until he snickered in his microphone, and explained, “Real heroes don’t get a countdown timer! Move, move, move!”

Pink’s guiding hand was suddenly yanking him forwards, and Izuku found himself skidding along behind her for several paces. When he finally got his feet under himself, the two went off at a breakneck speed towards the now-unfurling concrete city.

The arena looked even bigger on the inside, and Izuku raced as quickly as he could down the empty, echoing streets. He almost didn’t realize that Pink was now far behind himself, but when she saw him looking and raised an encouraging thumbs-up his way, he continued to sprint on.

A few feet into one of the side streets, and the arena started to feel a lot less empty.

A two-pointer screeched to a halt just in front of him, and Izuku’s already shaking body began to vibrate intensely. All of the adrenaline flowing through his veins sent Hellfire on the fritz- his fingers tingling with heat and power- and he paused momentarily.

Now or never, please just let this work-!

With a cry and a steady stance, Hellfire ripped it’s way out from Izuku’s palms. The flames shot forwards like a rocket. He didn’t remember them being able to do that.

Hellfire was boiling over as the two-pointer let out one final groan of metal-on-metal: his entire body was wracked with a searing sensation, his face and throat felt warm to the touch, and the tingling in his palms became almost unbearable.

When he looked down, spiderweb cracks had formed along the greater half of his fingers. They weren’t wide enough to even reveal any of the fire beneath, but seeing them still sent a tremor down his spine.

He tried not to mind it, though, considering the two-pointer was now a smoldering, bubbling mass in front of him. He choked on the heat now screaming through his throat, and shook his palms placatingly to stifle the flames still curling along the bandages. He was thankful for them being there, though- somehow, the miniscule distance between himself and the fire Hellfire produced managed to lessen the pain.

He wasn’t able to rest for long though, since a three-pointer decided to make itself known at the next second.

It went on like that for some time; Izuku running for a few moments, a robot sidling up to him, and him steadying his stance and firing off a blast, or landing a Hellfire-boosted kick.

By the time he started seeing students again, he had added up somewhere around fifty points. Heaps of smoldering metal was all that was left in his wake- and even though Hellfire felt like it was going to start choking him (there was actual smoke coming out of his mouth now, he realized), and his eyes were stinging with unshed tears, he continued onwards.

That is, until a massive tremor shook the very Earth he stood on.

A boy with a sparkly belt passed him by with a shout of something in French. The menacing boy from earlier was a blur as he hurried past, too. More students flew by him, until he finally broke through the crowd and into the center of the chaos.

There, standing tall and menacing, was a robot much greater in size than any of the others he had faced before. It’s eight, beady eyes stared down at the students, and that's when, somewhere in the back of Izuku’s brain, a thought supplied some context.

Jesus Christ- that’s the zero-pointer?!

Izuku reeled back, attempting to double his pace and head in the opposite direction, until his ears perked, and a small, startled noise caught his attention.

There, just amongst the rubble, was the girl from earlier. Half of her body was pinned down by a large slab of concrete, and Izuku noted the way she clawed at the ground for purchase.

The zero-pointer was closing in now- its large wheels stampeding like a herd of bionic bulls through anything and everything in its path. Everything, including the girl that it would soon be upon.

Hellfire burned in his guts, something hot and sticky searing his throat, and he was suddenly charging forwards.

He didn't think.

He didn’t think about the burning in his stomach and his hands, or about the straining of his arms as his suddenly-sharpened nails slid into fists.

He didn’t think about the immeasurable burst of heat that shot through his legs and into the cold air, and which rocketed him up, up, up- until he was level with the zero-pointer’s robotic face.

Nor did he think about the fist he pulled back, or about the bubbling liquid creeping up his esophagus- or about the volcanic heat that surged forth from his arm in the form of a tidal wave of sticky, acid flame- a wave which melted the entire front of the zero-pointer until it resembled a hissing pot of metallic soup.

Though Izuku couldn’t see them, the crowd of students watched on with fear and awe clear on their faces.

Tenya Iida stood, shocked, staring at the boy he had deliberately chastised, as said boy rocketed into the air in order to save someone else.

Nestled amongst the kids closest to the fray, Mina gasped, and her pair of abyssal eyes gaped at the form of Izuku.

He was crashing through the air like a smoldering, melting, breathtaking comet. No one dared to speak.

Izuku did think, though, when his legs- still engulfed in heat and smoke- floated in the air momentarily, and then shot towards the ground like a bag of bricks

Oh fuck.

He was crashing towards the concrete below, all smoke and dissipating heat and no purchase, and he now realized that he was shrieking.

He had almost resolved himself to his fate when something slapped him across the face with the force of a small car.

And suddenly… he stopped. He was drifting, then hovering, then bobbing in the air familiarly. He let out a series of strangled gasps, until a tiny voice wheezed out, “Release!” behind him.

Though he unceremoniously crumbled to the ground, he picked himself up, eager on thanking the girl who had saved him twice now-

And he turned around in time to catch her vomiting up a multicolored, disgusting haze. Whatever was left of his soul screeched out of his mouth in horror, and he scrambled about uselessly, wondering if it’d be better to help her or if he’d manage to screw that up, too.

“My my, you kids sure are reckless, aren’t you?”

The sudden interjection caught Izuku off-guard, and he whipped around to watch as the one-and-only Recovery Girl strutted through the crowd of students. Though his mind was starting to numb due to the use of his quirk coupled with the overbearing amounts of adrenaline, his thoughts still kicked into overdrive. And, Despite the pain still radiating through his body, he had to stifle his attempts at rambling about the veteran hero’s achievements.

“Hello, deary-” the short woman waddled over to the girl’s side, and that’s when Izuku’s fairly sluggish thought processes registered that ‘Oh! She finally stopped throwing up! That’s good at least.’

“Poor thing, nausea is never a fun backlash for a quirk like yours…”

Recovery Girl planted a wet kiss to the crown of the girl’s brown hair, and, once the kid released a relieved sigh, turned to him with an expectant look.

“Oh gosh, your hands are still on fire, young man.” Taking a look down at his palms, he slowly realized, ‘Oh. Right. The bandages are smoking.’

Once he shook them out and patted the flames against his smoldering shorts, he realized that his nails were longer and sharper, and the tiny, miniscule webbing from earlier had spread out. A deep, reddish-gold color was glowing from beneath his skin, making his hands look like a freshly settled layer of lava.

Fear clawed at his throat. He caught the tail-end of Recovery Girl’s long-suffering stare.

“Your arms are all sorts of bruised, dear. Goodness- do you kids have no sense of self-preservation?” Amongst the onsetting haze of his mind, he registered himself giggling slightly. The laugh turns into a cough as he’s wracked with more smoke. That earned him an even more unimpressed look from the woman, though she still planted a kiss to the top of his hand.

“There- now you’ll feel even more tired, but that should heal up your injuries, kiddos.” She forced open his palm, and he blankly stared down at the bundle of candy now present in it. “Here, have some gummies.”

Without any pause, she walked off, humming to herself, and passed through the crowd once more. In the background, Izuku barely registered Present Mic shouting about the exam’s conclusion. His thoughts weren’t on the test, though-

“Oh god, that hurt like hell…” the girl murmured, before fully turning to Izuku. He couldn’t tell if her cheeks were just rosy from being sick or not, but he resigned to ignore it. She perked up at the sight of his (mostly) uninjured form, and excitedly made her way over.

“Hey! It’s you again! Thank you so much for saving me! That was so cool, how you shot into the air like that!” She was excitedly pushing herself to his height with the tips of her toes, and he blushed under the praise and eye contact.

My head is far too foggy to handle this…

“Th-thanks so much! Oh gosh you’re too sweet, I just kinda, y’know-” he made a vague motion towards the sky with his still-smoldering, newly clawed fingers. She looked confused, but giggled nonetheless. The nerves from earlier came flooding back. “Oh god- sorryIcan’treallythinkrightnowImustsoundlikeanidiotoh-”

“IZU!!! HOLY SHIT I CAN’T BELIEVE-” Pink’s body slammed into his suddenly, and the exhaustion from Recovery Girl’s quirk sent him crumbling into her, “YOU FUCKING DID THAT! OH MY GOD!!”

She was lifting him high into the air now, and though his head rushed with the sudden movement, he couldn’t help the laugh that came bubbling up afterwards. When she set him back down, the vertigo left him physically reeling, and the two girls shot him a worried glance before turning to each other.

“Heya! Sorry if I interrupted you there- I’m Mina Ashido, Izu here is a friend of mine. What’s your name?”

The girl perked up, and Izuku swears he could see her blush further. “I’m Ochako Uraraka! It’s super nice to meet you two!”

Izuku slowly bowed, Pink flashed some peace signs, and all of them flinched when Present Mic once more shouted over the intercom system. The field was to be evacuated so that damage cleanup could commence, and that was when the three realized they were far behind the rest of the students. Uraraka bid the other two farewell, and Mina suddenly picked Izuku up bridal-style, much to his absolute embarrassment.

“You look like you’re about to fall over, you dork. Besides, Kishi will freak when I tell him about this~!”

He smiled at her, all teeth and nerves, and she stopped in her tracks.

“Holy shit Izu- since when have you had fangs like that? Those look almost as sharp as Kishi’s.”

Fear washed over him, and he carefully prodded at the bone in his mouth. To his absolute dismay, she wasn’t lying- several small, jagged fangs had begun to form along the tops of his teeth. He swallowed down the heat and sickness now climbing his throat.

“J-just a side-effect of my quirk, sorry about that… it’s not the most fun thing to look at…”

Her smile wavered, but she kept walking. Several painstaking moments later, and he looked up to see a smirk on her face.

“Honestly? It’s kinda cute.”

He wouldn’t ever admit that his hair nearly caught on fire from the heat blossoming in his cheeks.

Nor would he admit that, despite his better judgement, his toothy grin became even more genuine.

Somehow, Someway, Mina comes back from her exam with Izu, asleep, and cradled in her arms.

“Okay so I don’t know how we got in this predicament but uhhh- he’s a lot heavier than he looks holy shit.” Is the first thing to come out of the girl’s mouth after a quick ‘hey’.

The first thing that Eijirou does is have a quiet mental breakdown. Because ‘Oh my GOD how does he manage to be so adorable? What the hell??’

The second thing he does is have everyone pose together around Izu’s sleepy, smiling form for a cute candid selfie. After he sets it as his homescreen, everyone in their little group has it sent to them.

They leave the school grounds with matching phone backgrounds and smiles on their faces.

Chapter Text

                                                                                 - New Messages February 15th -

Today 10:46AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- @everyone ITS HERE ITS HERE MY LETTER IS HERE

Today 10:47AM SoftBoi- HOLY SHIT
DONT OPEN IT YET I GOTTA CHECK THE MAIL

Today 10:47AM GodThatsEdgy- Holy shit okay ?? This is happening I guess ?? My dad’s out rn I’ll ask him to check for me

Today 10:49AM AcidQueen- OH MY FUCK MINES HERE TOO OH GOD

Today 10:49AM SoftBoi- DONT OPEN IT PLEASE OH YM GOD

Today 10:50AM AcidQueen- I WONT I WONT FUCKI N HELL

                                                                                  Today 10:50AM MightLight- Sorry I’m late! What’s
OH MY GOD

Today 10:50AM AcidQueen- I KNOW IM SCrEAMING
MY MOM JUST CAME IN AND SHE THOUGHT I DIED OR SMThN FUCK
OKAY OKAY KISHI IZU KAMA GET UR FUCKIN LETTERS ALREADY

                                                                                  Today 10:51AM MightLight- OKAY OKAY ILL BRB

It had been exactly a week since the exam had concluded. Exactly a week since Izuku- much to his utter embarrassment- fell asleep in Pink’s strong arms. Exactly a week since he had gone home, stiff and tired, and fallen asleep on the couch. Exactly a week since he woken up in the middle of the night- hands covered in webbed cracks pulsating with heat- from a nightmare he could barely remember.

Exactly a week since everyone at school started muttering about his and Bakugou’s chances under their breaths.

And exactly a week of crushing, terrible anxiety as they waited and waited for their letters to arrive.

And now, even though today was the day they were supposed to be delivered… there was simply more waiting

“C’mon guys, maybe you all should just… open yours without me?” Izuku calmly spoke. He hated forcing everyone else to stay still for his own meandering progress. “Maybe… maybe they just don’t send letters to the people who get rejected?”

“Izu~ don’t sell yourself short like that!!” Pink squealed. From the layout of the multi-view call they were in, he could barely see her expression under the mirror of his own. He could still tell she was being genuine, though.

“Yeah, dude-“ Kishi interrupted, a sad smile playing at his lips, “don’t doom yourself from the start. You did great, remember?”

“Besides,” Kama’s face hardly changed from his normal, dull expression- but something about the quirk to his lips suggested he was ecstatic about the whole scenario. “They have to send letters no matter your score. It’s, like, school policy or some bullshit.”

Naga finally came back into view of the screen, and the tiny ‘muted’ icon under their camera flashed off. “Sorry guys, my parents wanted to make sure I hadn’t opened it yet. Any news about-“

“Izuku! Your letter!! It’s HERE!! ” Mom interrupted from the hallway, and Izuku’s nervous smile broke into a full on fluttering mess. Everyone gasped and started yelling, and he didn’t bother muting his microphone before jumping out of his seat and through the doorway.

Mom was waiting there, shaking with nervous butterflies. He wishes Akashi could be here, but sadly, patrol duties had already claimed her Saturday morning. She’d be here tonight, though. He hoped he wouldn’t bring disappointing news.

He swallowed down the heat in his throat.

“Th-thank you, mom- I think we’re all gonna hang up the call and open them alone, just so you know…”

“Of course, baby. I’ll be right out here when you’re done, okay?” Her smile looked almost as messy as his own had.

He escaped back to his bedroom, and when he held the letter up for the camera to see, he could hear everyone’s yelling, even without his headphones in. Once he put them back on and sat down properly, Kishi calmed everyone else down.

“Okay okay- so we all have them now, right?” he got several affirmations back in response, Kama’s being holding up his letter in the view of the camera, “Perfect. Okay, I’ll talk to you guys in a bit. I’ll put my own results in chat afterwards!”

“Agreed.”

“Sounds good to me~!”

“Y-yup!”

Izuku smiled as determined as he could, offered his own agreement, and then hung up. It felt startlingly quiet, now that he couldn’t hear their voices. Despite himself, it sent a shiver of nerves up his spine.

The letter sat heavily on his desk. The envelope was plain and simple- but the embellished logo carved into the wax seal was the opposite. It was deep red, the color of blood, and printed with an ivory wreath and several other embellishments surrounding the letters ‘U.A.’.

Izuku gulped down another breath of air.

C’mon, now or never- right? It’s just a letter. What’s to be scared about a letter?

He picked it up and ripped it open, and a tiny, metallic disk slipped out onto his desk with a dull ‘thud’. It beeps several times, and a beam of light projected onto the wall beside him. He readjusted it so that it was facing forwards, and then pushed his seat back further to get a better view.

The screen of light suddenly blinked into further life, and a familiar figure jumps into view with a shout.

“I AM HERE!! In projection form, that is- to announce your score!” All Might yells, and Izuku nearly falls out of his seat. Wh- All Might? Why would he be filming this? Couldn’t the principal or one of the teachers-

“Now, I haven’t made this open to the public yet just to keep things safe, but I am going to be teaching at U.A. as of this year!-”, Oh. Wait- Holy sh- “Which is why, I have the honor of telling you your score on the entrance exam!”

Izuku was physically shaking now- every nerve in his delicate body frayed to the point of exhaustion. All Might is going to be at U.A. He’s going to be there, and- and he might actually teach me.

He swallowed around the anxiety clouding his throat.

Well, that is… if I actually get in.

“Young Midoriya- I assume you haven’t forgotten about what I said to you, all those months ago. You took the plunge, and you tried for U.A. When I sat in to watch the judging, I even noticed…” All Might’s face softened suddenly, and the little pile of notecards he was holding (When had those gotten there?!) were seemingly forgotten. “I even noticed you took what I said to heart, and used that quirk of yours.”

Izuku’s throat was closing in on itself again, but he took several deep breaths in order to keep himself from breaking down crying… yet.

“Well- I, uh, might be getting ahead of myself-” All Might cleared his throat, and turned back to the notecards briefly, “Izuku Midoriya, you managed to pass the written exam with flying colors. Congratulations!”

Izuku let go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. A momentary sense of safety passed over him. One of two… one of two parts passed…

“As for the physical exam-” Oh boy, here we go, “You managed to get a total of fifty-seven combat points. That in and of itself is impressive, all things considered- but what the judges were even more impressed by was your involvement in the demise of the zero-pointer!” Izuku couldn’t tell what he was feeling. It was like something fuzzy and safe had filled his stomach. Meanwhile, Hellfire still managed to crawl it’s way under his skin, burning uncomfortably at the tension in his body.

But, Izuku’s attention was suddenly snapped back when All Might turned to the left of the screen. There, a small box was wheeled into view, and the man posed dramatically in order to frame it.

“When you demolished that zero-pointer, not only did you catch the eye of the judges, but you also caught the attention of one of your classmates, as well!” The screen on the box flickered into life, and a video of that girl (Uraraka was her name, wasn’t it?) appeared just as suddenly. She looked distressed, but determined, and Izuku found himself leaning forwards to try and figure out who she was standing across from. He couldn’t tell, until the girl opened her mouth and spoke.

“Uh- hello? Sorry to bother you, Present Mic, but I just…” She paused, looked to the ground, and then reset her shoulders in a sudden boost of confidence. “That boy- the one with the green hair, and the freckles? He saved me. He spent the last bit of the test helping me with the zero-pointer. He probably lost the chance at some points because of me, and I just… I don’t think that’s right!”

It looked like she had morphed into a different person in that moment- someone more alike the girl he had seen when she first helped him. Her eyes sparkled with something he wishes he could read.

“So… I wanted to give him some of my points.” Izuku nearly choked on his next breath. “It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t try to repay him.” She stood there, hands balled into fists at her sides and stance steady. Her posture only softened in surprise when Present Mic let out an understanding chuckle, and placed a hand on her shoulder, comfortingly. The video stopped suddenly, but he desperately wanted to know what happened next.

He didn’t realize he was crying until he let out a soft sniffle. All Might turned back to the camera.

“Midoriya, you chose to possibly jeopardize your own progress for the sake of helping someone else- throwing yourself into the conflict in order to save a fellow student. As a school of heroics, it would be shameful if U.A. didn’t reward that sort of behavior, no?”

All Might’s smile got that genuine touch again, and Izuku felt his throat close up with more tears.

“That is why there was another, more secret means of scoring the students called ‘rescue points’.” All Might elaborated, and Izuku felt his face blank-over in pure shock. “And you, young Midoriya, were rewarded seventy points for helping miss Uraraka. She, in turn, was given thirty points for helping you, too.”

Izuku felt the tears break again. A quiet, shaken whine escaped his throat. His hands shook. Hellfire was nowhere to be felt beneath his skin.

“You both passed. Young Midoriya, this is the start of your hero academia.”

Izuku sobbed harder than he remembered ever doing so before.

Shota Aizawa was, by no means, a lazy person. Resourceful? Yes. Intuitive? He’d like to think so. Logical? Absolutely.

When he tried to refuse Nedzu’s invitation (though the rat called it that, the forcefulness of the endeavor seemed to say that it was otherwise) to watch the entrance exams live, he was doing it out of a sense of… preservation.

He wasn’t necessarily needed there, right? And if he wasn’t needed, he didn’t have to go. If he didn’t go, he could slip in extra time to correct student’s papers, or start his patrol earlier in the day, or take a nap.

Mostly just the nap part, though.

Anyhow- when he was forcefully brought to the monitoring room for the exams, he was less than happy. Hizashi wouldn’t even be here to keep him company- god knows he hasn’t been able to spend as much time with his husband now that the school year was winding down- and he was stuck in a stuffy, crowded room with seemingly nothing to do. Sure, he understood the importance of checking out the next generation of students, but he could do that later, couldn’t he?

He almost muttered his grievances under his breath, but first took a look around the room. Nedzu was at the front, conversing with a couple of judges Shota couldn’t quite recognize. A few of Ectoplasm’s clones were running around and handing people snacks and beverages (The guy can never catch a break, can he?), while some of his other coworkers were sitting around tables and conversing. He almost turned and sat as close to the door as possible, until a towering figure huddled towards the corner of the room caught his attention.

They had long since been debriefed about Toshinori Yagi’s position as the figure behind the Symbol of Peace. It took some getting used to, seeing the skeleton of a man meandering through the halls while he visited with Nedzu- but Shota could adjust. That didn’t change the twinge of irritation he felt whenever he saw the fool bumbling around, though. For a Symbol, he sure as hell didn’t seem to know what he was doing.

“Ah- Good morning, Aizawa-san! Are you here to oversee the battles as well?”

Yagi was smiling dopily, and Shota let out an irritated huff. Yeah, this really was going to take some getting used to.

“Just Aizawa is fine, Yagi. And yes, I was dragged here by our rat of a principal for god knows why.” He turned and sat down onto the cushioned seat of one of the next tables over, nearer to the dividing wall between the elevated viewing area and the staircase leading to the judge’s seating.

Yagi was an interesting case, for certain, and Shota wanted to figure out why their novice teacher had been so helpfully invited as a viewer today- but he still didn’t wanna rub elbows with the guy. He might choke himself on all of the man’s ego if he tried.

“Now then!” A shrill voice at the front of the room called, and Shota felt his head twinge. Nedzu’s paws were up in a sort of all-encompassing pose, and he had his signature smile poised on his face. “The test shall begin in a couple moments, I suggest those of you here for note-taking-” Yagi pulled a booklet and pen out and set them on the table, “And those of you just here to watch, should all get ready! Judges, you too!”

The rat took his seat at the front once more, and Shota huffed quietly to himself. Yagi was taking notes, then. Shota doesn’t like that that implies he wasn’t just here to get a view on his possible students. When someone plops themselves onto the seat next to him, it takes all his willpower not to audibly groan.

“Heya, Shota.” Nemuri cooed, and he shot her the most poisonous glare he could muster. Apparently it wasn’t poisonous enough, though, since she didn’t even blink. Maybe she was just used to it. “Here to watch the kids test too, huh?”

He sighed. “Yeah, our favorite principal made me come. God knows why, considering he’s going to send me the footage later anyways.”

“C’mon, Shota~! Don’t be such a baby, it’s nice to get a head start, right? Besides-” the woman winked playfully, and Shota actually audibly groaned this time, “It’s nice to know what we might be dealing with. From what Nedzu was saying, this bunch has proven to be promising.”

Huh. The rat had managed to forget that detail when discussing the matter with him. His eyebrows perk up in obvious interest. Before Nemuri can say anything else, though, the speakers embedded in the walls began to screech lowly (not nearly loud enough to hurt, thankfully), and Shota turns to see Hizashi screaming his lungs out as the students stampeded forwards. The sound makes him question why he married the fool in the first place. Nemuri giggles.

There are enough screens that each camera can focus on a handful of students at a time. Shota’s eyes glance over a few, but he doesn’t see anything remarkable yet. What does catch his attention, though, is the way Yagi tenses in his seat. The man starts scribbling down notes. He must have caught what he was here to observe, then. Shota’s eyes flick back to the screens.

Nothing sticks out to him, until he sees a couple flashes of light from several different screens. They’re from seperate arenas, which piques Shota’s interest further.

On one of them, a blonde-haired boy is seething and launching himself at the robots again and again. His hands are sparking and ripping them apart, and he’s got a wicked grin on his face. Though he’s got power, Shota can't help but highlight the lack of precision his stance and quirk is offering him. Kind of disappointing, but intriguing nonetheless. He could get better with practice, he figures.

Meanwhile, the other screen offers something completely different. There’s a small, skinny kid running around- his hair, which he initially thought was black, shines green in the light of his flames.

That’s the interesting part- his flames. The kid looks pained as he fires off a few select blasts into the robots. It’s condensed and powerful enough to melt straight through the metal, which is a stark difference against the other boy’s explosions- those had just dented and damaged the shell’s of the things.

The boy also runs and fights with a surprising amount of restraint and poise. He’s balanced perfectly, his stances are trained, and his attacks are centralized as to only damage what they need to. Something about the way he fought reminded him of someone, but he can’t put his finger on who.

But still, the way he’s heaving and twitching after each blast is more than concerning- coupled with the way he keeps puffing out clouds of smoke, it’s almost enough for Shota to voice his concerns.

When the kid uses his quirk again, though, he sees Yagi flinch, and a small, hopeful smile meets the man’s face. Interesting. He’ll have to ask about that later.

Not much else goes on for a while. Shota can spot a few promising entrees, and he guesses they’ll get their deserved points by the way the judges keep whispering and conversing amongst themselves. It’s all pretty standard.

That is, until the zero-pointers are released. That’s when things start shaking up. Nemuri is smirking again, and he can’t help but rub placatingly at his temples.

Shota has mixed feelings on the zero-pointers. All in all, they’re pretty overkill- designed mostly just to catch the students off-guard and to spur them into action. They can be pretty useful for other things, though. Maybe they can garner some sort of heroic save of another student, or highlight some of their weaknesses and strengths. What Shota doesn’t expect, though, is for any of the kids to go rocketing at them. But that’s exactly what one of them does.

Someone is pinned underneath a slab of concrete.

That could’ve fucking killed the girl, if it were any closer to her spine, he hisses internally. This test was troublesome when he was in school, and it’s still troublesome now. He watches with bated breath as the robot surges forwards. He knows Nedzu will push the killswitch if the zero-pointer gets any closer, but he’s letting it walk for a while longer to make the danger seem real. Figures.

And that’s when the boy from earlier makes his reappearance.

Shota almost loses track of him through how quick he is. One moment he’s running forwards, towards the girl and the zero-pointer- and the next, he’s flying through the air like a bird caught on fire. Half his body is covered with smoke, and Shota’s surprised his shoes didn’t manage to melt right off his feet. He doesn’t have much time to think about it, though, because the kid pulls back an arm mid-air, and lets out a surge of flames the size of a tsunami.

The zero-pointer is damned at this point: it bubbles and smolders and the front half of it is mostly slag, while the back half of it is crunching under the toppled weight of the front. It’s terrifying, but the way the superheated metal liquifies and begins dripping into the cracks of the rest of the robot’s body looks like some strange piece of art. Shota can’t imagine how ecstatic and petrified Hizashi is right now, considering he’s got front row seats.

The flames dissipate almost as quickly as they came, and the boy begins plummeting towards the ground. Shota’s eyes had been too glued to the screen to pay attention to Yagi at this point, but his gaze lingers on the man momentarily when he shoots up from his seat and nearly topples his table over. His shadowed eyes are blown wide, and Shota makes a mental note to definitely interrogate him about this.

When he turns back to the screen, the kid is unceremoniously floating through the air. The girl from earlier must have used her quirk on him, then, he thinks, which is quickly confirmed when she presses her fingers together and he crumbles to the ground. At least neither of them are seriously hurt.

Chiyo is there in an instant. From what he could tell, all the other arenas didn’t have nearly as big of a reaction to the zero-pointers, so he’s glad she got to the most-injured first. She heals the both of them (Poor kid puked her guts out. The quirk exertion probably messes with her senses, then.), and as soon as she’s on her way to check on the remaining students, a third kid comes up to the other two. She picks the boy up bridal-style, and Shota looks away momentarily. It kinda feels like he just walked in on a personal moment.

The screens dim, and Nedzu hops onto the head of his chair so that he can address the room once more.

“Thank you all for coming and watching! Judges, please stay here so we can discuss the final scores for each examinee. Everyone else, you can go home! The first semester starts in two months, and you all will be receiving your class lists soon.”

Everyone in the viewing area starts to shuffle about. Nemuri wraps her hands around Shota’s arms and drags him from his chair, pushing him towards the door. “C’mon, Shota, let’s go get Hizashi and head out before we have to patrol, alright?”

Just as he’s being forced through the exit, he hears Nedzu faintly call, “Oh- and Yagi-san, would you mind staying a while longer so we can have our discussion now? Thank you!”

Hm. Yeah, definitely going to ask about that.

The group chat is blowing up by the time Izuku calms down enough to be able to type. His eyes are still filled with tears, and he’s having a hard time seeing the keyboard, but he reads it nonetheless.


Today 11:07AM AcidQueen- OH MY GOD GUYS I GOT 77 POINTS!! I PASSED!! HOLY SHIT

Today 11:08AM SoftBoi- I GOT 85!! I GOT IN HOLY SHIT MINA WE GOT IN!!!

Today 11:08AM AcidQueen- HOLY FUCK
GUYS WHAT’S YOUR SCORES AND CLASSES PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE IM LIKE ON THE VERGE OF TEARS RN IM SO EXCIETD

Today 11:08AM GodThatsEdgy- Holy shit we made it. I got 69. I’m in 1-B oh my god.

Today 11:08AM AcidQueen- AAAA KAMA HOLY SHIT CONGRATS!! And IM IN 1-A !!!
Also- haha 69 :sunglasses:

Today 11:09AM GodThatsEdgy- Of fucking course you had to do it to me.

Today 11:09AM SoftBoi- IM IN 1-A TOO!!! The rescue points came out of fuckin NOWHERE but apparently I got like 20 of them? Huh

Today 11:09AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- OH MY GOSH HI I PASSED !!! I GOT 70 POINTS AND !!! KAMA IM IN 1-B TOO !!!

Today 11:09AM AcidQueen- AAAA NAGA BBY YES HOLY SHIT!!! IZU CMON WHERE ARE YOU DUDE I GOTTA KNOW

Today 11:09AM SoftBoi- Give him a little time hes probably rlly shook rn

                                                                                  Today 11:10AM MightLight- AH SORRY SORRY IM LATE AGAIN BUT!!! OGHG GOD IM CYRING SO HARD RN YOU GUYS

Today 11:10AM SoftBoi- OH MY GOD ARE YOU OKAY?? DEEP BREATHS DUDE

                                                                                  Today 11:10AM MightLight- IM OKAY IM OKAY AND!!! I MADE IT IN!!! IM GONNA BE IN 1-A!!!

Today 11:10AM AcidQueen- HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT
WE ALL MADE IT!!! FUCK WE ALL MADE IT!!! HELL YEAH!!!

Today 11:10AM GodThatsEdgy- Congrats everyone! Izu, what’s your score, if you don’t mind me asking

                                                                                  Today 11:11AM MightLight- Oh! I got 127!

Today 11:11AM GodThatsEdgy- You got fucking what

Today 11:11AM LizardFriendLikesBaths- Sorry I took a second to breathe my mom was getting worried sakfgaskagagasf
WAIT IZU YOU GOT

127???????

OH MY GOD

Today 11:10AM SoftBoi- IZU HOLY SHIT I KNEW YOU WERE A POWERHOUSE!!! OH MY GOD CONGRATS DUDE!!!! Smh and you were worried about not passing???

                                                                                  Today 11:11AM MightLight- AFBKAHF OH SHUT UP ITS NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL!!! I just got lucky is all

                                                                                 [ Several People are Typing …]

As soon as Akashi came through the door and met Izuku’s eyes, he burst into tears. At first she just scrambled around, trying to figure out what was wrong, asking him if he was alright-

That is, until he explains between sobs that he actually got in.

She stands there in shock for several long, quiet moments. Heavy tears start dripping from her eyes and onto the floor, and she almost crushes Izuku in a sudden hug. She starts giggling, and then he starts giggling, and soon they’re a mess of tears and laughter and Izuku swears her smile was so bright it could blind him.

Mom is there by the kitchen. She had already talked him through this earlier, but every time he thought about his friends’ compliments, and his mother’s warm embrace, and Akashi’s hopeful smile… he got choked up all over again.

Akashi paraded him around on her shoulders screaming a song in English while mom prepared dinner. They ate katsudon that night, and Izuku crashed into bed almost immediately after, Akashi and mom wish him well, and then go back to cleaning and quietly chatting.

Though he was barely awake for it, Akashi came by his room to say goodnight a good while later. He mumbled out a reply softly, eyes fluttering closed every few seconds. He felt a warm, clawed hand rake through his hair. He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

The news of Deku’s success at getting into U.A. travels through the school fast. The nerd didn’t even have to say it out loud- their teacher just announced it for the whole class as soon as school was back in session for the week. Katsuki’s hands started smoking as soon as the bastard opened his mouth.

And now, they’re in the principal's office. Katsuki’s clenching and unclenching his hands aggressively just to avoid blowing himself up. He really wants to punch the damn nerd in his stupid fucking face, but the principal is right in front of him now. He doesn’t take any chances.

The bastard spends a long, drawn out couple of minutes congratulating them. Telling them how hopeful he is. Saying how surprised he is that Deku (That mother fucking bastard always trying to steal my fucking spotlight-) made it in, too. Katsuki’s hands are itching.

They’re dismissed. The final bell rang a good five minutes ago, so hardly anyone is left in this half of the school. As soon as they step out the door, Deku starts stalking off to the entrance.

Oh no you fucking don’t-

He wrenches his arm around so that Deku faces towards him. The damn nerd is shaking, but he hasn’t said anything yet. The look on his face makes Katsuki pause.

He can’t tell if he’s scared.

“You better stay the fuck away from me- got it, Deku?”

He swallows deeply, and nods his head. The coward can’t even bring himself to open his mouth. Katsuki’s hands twist into the fabric of Deku’s uniform.

“I’ll fucking crush you- you and your stupid shitty quirk. You got in on a fluke, nothing more. Got it?”

Deku doesn’t respond to that one. His head is down, hair clouding his face. Katsuki’s hands, surprisingly, don’t spark. Maybe Deku’s stealing the heat from them- he honestly can’t tell. He’s glad for it, though, considering his parents would freak if they saw the jackass was hurt again. He lets out an angry huff.

“Got it, you bastard?”

He finally nods. Katsuki lets go.

They walk in opposite directions. Katsuki’s feet scuff against the floor. When he steps outside into the rain, he lets his palms light up.

The smell of ozone and petrichor surrounds him like a blanket.

School comes and goes in a flash. Their final semester tests had been completed long before the U.A. entrance exam, and Izuku finds himself with a lot of time on his hands until school concludes.

He has a week between his last day of middle school and his first day of high school. Akashi’s schedule has been even more packed now that she’s garnered some popularity and recognition, and so when she finally gets the chance to visit the Midoriya household again, Izuku’s heart swells.

“Little hero, when I get some time off, you wanna train together again? Maybe over the summer?”

He felt his face break into an immense smile, and he hopped on his feet excitedly. Mom was giggling from the couch, where she was setting out mugs of tea and cookies for everyone.

“Of course, Hikari-san! That’d be so much fun! And I’m sure you’ve got a lot of tips now that you’ve been practicing and have seen more heroes in-action, right?” He stuttered around his own excitement, and Akashi’s face brightened. “And- If I ever get stuck in a situation where I can’t use my quirk, I need to still have practice to back me up!"

Suddenly, though, her expression snapped to realization, and she gaped wide at the space above Izuku’s head. His movements stilled.

“... Hikari-san? You alright?”

She slowly turned towards him, and the shocked look on her face morphed into another wide smile.

“I just remembered somethin’- god, I can’t believe I fuckin’ forgot to tell you- but you gotta promise me not to yell too loud about it, alright?”

Izuku was even more startled now, but he shakily nodded. Akashi’s smile turned into a smirk.

“A couple months ago, I saw Eraserhead while I was out on patrol.”

Izuku’s entire body went slack for a few fragile moments- and then suddenly, he was dashing around like a madman. He ran all the way to his room half-yelling ramblings no one else could decipher, and then re-emerged with a notebook and pen dangling from his hands.

His face was painted with pure joy, and he was panting, breathless, with a red-tinged complexion.

“Tell me everything.” he hissed.

It was dead silent for a few seconds, and then Inko and Akashi burst out laughing.

“Alright alright- but then we gotta get started on the movie, okay? I’ve gotta go home kinda early so I can be at time for work tomorrow.”

Izuku bounded over to the couch in a few careful leaps. Akashi settled in beside him, another playful smirk on her lips. Mom giggled behind her soft hands, and sipped tea as they all listened to Akashi’s recounting of that day. Izuku’s hands flew across the page in record time- and when the story was done, so was he. The notebook was settled back into its proper place on the shelf shortly afterwards, and he raced back into the living room.

They watched Ponyo until the sun started to set. Akashi wiped her eyes as the credits started to roll, and Izuku and Inko found themselves doing the same.

Mom was packing Akashi some leftovers when Izuku felt a heavy hand fall onto his shoulder. Despite himself, he flinched.

Akashi looked down at him, surprise clouding her face, and levelled a careful glance at the kitchen, before turning back to him.

“You okay, Izuku?”

He swallowed around the strange anxiety clouding his throat. He wasn’t sure why, but the prickling sensation of heat started to eat at his arm.

“Y-Yeah,” his eyes flitted from the floor to her face. He put on a soft smile. “Just… just thinking, is all.”

She didn’t look all that convinced, but sighed nonetheless. She made sure he knew to talk to him or mom if something was up, and he nodded.

“Also- I know that school’s starting soon, but try and relax a little, alright?” She smiled at him hopefully. He felt a tug at his heartstrings. “I’m proud of you, little hero.”

They hugged carefully and softly. She went home. Izuku kissed his mother goodnight, and layed down in bed gracelessly.

Three more days, huh?

He rubbed placatingly at the fire still prickling in his arms. He swallowed down a breath of air, and then turned to look at the posters on his wall. Several different heroes stared back, and he felt a surge of hope in his chest.

Three more days until I’m on my way to being a hero.

Chapter Text

There’s a strange calmness settled over the apartment. At first, he’s not sure why it’s strange: his apartment itself is usually pretty calm, even when he’s bumbling around, half-injured and clueless.

Then, he remembers what tomorrow is. The silver moonlight streaming through his window feels a lot more menacing, all of a sudden.

Tomorrow was Toshinori’s first day as an official staff member of U.A. Sure, he wouldn’t actually be teaching yet, but the thought of being back on his old campus, ready to help turn the next generation of students into heroes, terrified him.

It’s nearly midnight, and he still can’t sleep. A brief meeting with Nedzu turned into a long-winded explanation about his students and their quirks, and of all of the staff rooms he could hide in if he ran out of time, and whether or not he prefers coffee over tea- etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. Toshi cares about the man (Bear? Mouse??), but sometimes Nedzu just didn’t know when to quit.

And now, he’s here. He shouldn’t be this nervous, all things considered- right? He’s All Might, most of the kids will probably adore him off the bat just for that reason alone.

Thinking of it that way makes the anxiety bubbling in his chest loosen. He hopes he can be a positive influence for the kids- or, at least, not screw up his first lesson too badly. 1-A, from what he had been told, seemed like a wonderful group of capable students. He had memorized as many of their names as possible so as to avoid embarrassing himself too badly once he got into the classroom. He mentally ran through the list one more time.

When he got to one student in particular, though, his train of thought stopped.

Izuku Midoriya.

Memories of the entrance exam come flooding back. Images of Midoriya using his quirk- the triumph he felt when he realized his words actually made an impact on the boy. Him leaping at and crushing the zero-pointer, a feat which had only been done once before, by Toshi himself.

Thoughts of the conversations he had had with Tsukauchi came back, too. Fear and confusion at the panic in his friend’s voice, and, even more so, the quiet resolve when he called back months later, asking if they could meet up and discuss something.

And then, Nedzu’s words, spoken quietly at the empty back of the judging room as said judges began to debate scores amongst themselves...

“Yagi-san, from what I could tell, young Midoriya has made quite a bit of progress since you last spoke, correct?”

He had one paw folded over his lap, and he carefully sipped at a cup of tea using the other. There was a mischievous tilt to his smile.

“Absolutely, Nedzu. It seems he took my advice to heart.”

The mouse-man’s smile got a little more gentle, and he placed the teacup on the table with a gentle ‘clink’. He didn’t speak for a long moment, simply turning to gaze at the quietly debating judges.

“I think I see what you were speaking of, Yagi-san. He seems incredibly strong, and even more dedicated. You’ve got a tough decision to make.”

Toshinori’s throat clicked when he swallowed down his own mouthful of tea. He felt a cough coming on, but tried his best to suppress it. Turning to Nedzu once more, a nervous smile spread over his face.

“I guess I do, indeed.”

“You have your notebooks, Izuku?”

“Of course, mom. When do I leave without them?”

She giggled embarrassedly, and hid her smile behind a hand. She looked taller in that moment- more put-together and strong, despite the tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes.

“I’m sorry- I’m sorry, it’s just…” She trailed off, and carefully cupped a hand around his cheek. He felt his eyes glisten, but didn’t pull away. “I’m just really proud of you, Izuku. You deserve for today to go the best it can.”

“Thank you, mom. I really…” He sighed deeply, but not at all in a suffering way. Hope blossomed in his chest. “Th-... Thank you mom. I really appreciate that.”

He turned towards the door, opening it and taking a step into the frame. His mother grabbed his sleeve quickly, and he turned around to face her once more.

“I love you, Izuku. Thanks for being our little hero.”

His smile burst into a grin. A hand came up to gently wipe at his eyes, and his mother leaned forwards, planting a kiss to his forehead.

“I love you too, mom.”

And he was out the door.

U.A. felt just as huge as last time. Maybe even more so, considering how the hallways weren’t sectioned off for tests like they had been. He arrived nearly five minutes early, and took his time to stare admiringly at the whole school’s prowess. A few upperclassmen passed him by on his way. One energetic-looking girl in particular shouted a ‘Welcome to U.A.!’ at him, and he blushed and waved back.

So many interesting quirks are already on display here... His hands itched to write something.

Instead, he quietly made his way to his new classroom. Kishi and Pink had already made their way inside, according to the texts he had read from them earlier- but he still paused at the door.

It loomed, tall and menacing, in front of him, blocky print spelling out ‘1-A’ on the surface of the wood. Thoughts of the entrance exam came back to mind.

Here’s to hoping Bakugou and that blue-haired kid got placed somewhere else…

He opened the door, and a blast from Bakugou’s palm coupled with several shouts immediately greeted him.

Fuck.

He took a shaky step forwards, attempting to parse through whatever the boy was shouting about (“YOU GOT A FUCKIN’ PROBLEM, ASSHOLE? I’LL PUT MY FEET ON MY DESK IF I FUCKING WANT TO!”), while simultaneously trying to keep attention to himself minimal.

Apparently that wasn’t good enough, though, because as soon as he stepped into view, all eyes were on him. Kishi stood up from his seat near the center of the room, and Pink followed as soon as she saw why. He looked like he was about to say something, before Bakugou’s next resounding growl cut over the rest of the class.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Deku.”

The class grew quiet. Kishi was grinding his teeth from where he was still standing, and the blue-haired kid looked positively insulted. A bird-headed student seemed to darken in mood, a tall girl near the back of the class gained a displeased look, and a girl with hair made of vines clasped her hands in front of her own small scowl.

All of them were looking, back and forth, between him and Bakugou.

Izuku’s throat felt like it was going to catch flame from all the staring, but he tried his best to stutter out a reply. “Hey, K-Bakugou. This is- uh- my homeroom?”

The boy looked like he was about to shout something further, but the intimidating kid from the entrance exam interrupted by zooming to Izuku’s side quickly. It almost gave him a heart attack.

“Hello there! I am Tenya Iida from Soumei Academy- It’s nice to formally meet you!” The boy bent into a perfectly ninety-degree bow (How the hell does he manage that?) before straightening up and fixing his glasses.

“Th-thanks, and you too, Iida-kun. I’m Izuku Midoriya.” Iida’s expression softened suddenly, and Izuku felt himself fidget confusedly.

“I apologize for my unfair behavior during the exam- not only was I unknowingly cruel, I also didn’t manage to parse the true meaning behind the exam like you yourself did!”

Izuku was about to ask what exactly he meant by ‘the true meaning of the exam’, when an excited shout from behind shocked him from his thoughts.

“Hey! It’s you!”

Uraraka had her hips thrown back, shoulders forwards, and entire arms pointing at Izuku’s face. He blushed under the sudden (more-positive) attention, and turned around to giggle at her huge smile embarrassedly.

“Yup! It’s good to see you again, Uraraka-san! I’m glad to see you made it in!”

“Same to you, Izu-kun!-” He grew even more flustered at that, and a look of confusion crossed her face, “Oh god- is that not your name? I thought that’s what Mina-san had called you…”

Speak of the devil and she shall appear- Pink put an elbow heavily on Izuku’s shoulder, causing him to flinch aggressively. She didn’t notice, instead leaning around his side to look Uraraka head-on.

“Hey again! And sorry about that- Izu’s just his nickname, I didn’t mean to confuse you.” She smiled, and when he turned back to Uraraka, the girl was blushing brightly in response.

“N-no! That’s okay! Don’t worry about it-” She turned back to him, shoulders squared and face bright.

“Ah- I’m Izuku Midoriya. It’s super nice to meet you, Uraraka.”

“And please-” Pink interrupted, “Call me Mina.”

The girl smiled at both of them, and she was about to voice her own thanks when a low, grumbling voice cut over the rest of the chatter.

“If you’re just here to make friends and chit chat, you should probably leave now.”

Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. He couldn’t see anyone in the doorway, but the sound had definitely come from there. Leaning around Uraraka to get a better look, he double checked and-

And there was someone folded inside a bright-yellow sleeping bag on the floor. Izuku’s breath died in his throat.

“It took you lot exactly seven seconds to shut up. If that doesn’t change, it’s gonna be a problem.”

The sleeping bag- no, the man- sat up, before unzipping the fabric and stepping out from it. He was dishevelled-looking, hair in clumps around his shoulders and chin coated in wispy whiskers. His eyes were bloodshot, and a long, thin scarf was wound around his shoulders.

Izuku’s mind came whirring back to life. All he could recall was that single explanation from Akashi- but the words still came tumbling out of his mouth before he could think better of it.

“You’re Eraserhead.” He whispered in awe, which earned him a (slightly impressed) look from the pro hero. It quickly turned sour, though, and he let out a vaguely irritated huff.

“You’re the first person to guess that quick. Hope that doesn’t serve to be a problem.” he groaned. Izuku felt his face heating up, and he bowed lowly, before hearing the man shuffle, and turning to see him leaning heavily against the door, sleeping bag draped over his shoulder.

“My name is Aizawa-sensei. As long as you are in my class, that’s what I shall be referred to as. Go change into your P.E. uniforms- you should’ve been distributed one along with your regular uniform, but if any of you failed to be prepared for today, I have extra.”

A few questioning murmurs flickered throughout the room, but everyone heeded his command, and then filed out.

After getting changed, everyone was lined up along a stretch of dirt in a training field near the back of the school. They were the only students outside, and everyone continued to nervously chatter amongst themselves. Kishi and Pink walked with him to the end of the line, and started talking with some other students as soon as they got the chance. Uraraka walked over excitedly and joined in.

Kishi sent a worried glance his way a few times, but Izuku simply smiled and gave him an ‘ok’ symbol. He was still honestly too nervous to meaningfully contribute to the conversation, anyhow.

Aizawa-sensei suddenly turned back around to face them once more, and everyone stilled.

“Today we’ll be going through some standard physical tests to measure your limits. You all were barred from using your quirks in middle school, correct?”

When a series of affirmations rang through the crowd, Aizawa-sensei huffed, and then grabbed a softball out of his pocket.

“Great. Then you know exactly what you’ll be doing today. Ball throw, Standing long jump, grip strength, stuff like that. Any questions?”

“Sir-” Uraraka raised her hand, but spoke before being called on, “what about the induction ceremony? We’ll be missing all of the introductory stuff, won’t we?”

“Great question- I don’t care.” He leveled a heavy stare her way, and Izuku could see her gape out of the corner of his eye.

“As students of this school, you are given certain freedoms that other schools would not allow. As a teacher here, I’m allowed the same.”

He turned to face all of the students then, and when his eyes swiped over Izuku, he felt himself stiffen.

“Welcome to U.A. Proving you deserve to be here is the best introduction you could get.”

A few shocked yelps followed his response, but he simply smiled devilishly, before turning and pointing a finger straight at Izuku’s face. He felt his lungs cave in a little bit.

“Midoriya, do you remember your average softball throw during middle school?” When Izuku stuttered around his response, Aizawa still waited patiently. Izuku was almost as confused by that as he was the teacher’s initial question.

“Fifty five meters, I think?” He finally choked out, and Aizawa-sensei nodded silently. Their teacher slowly turned around, tossing the softball haphazardly Izuku’s way. He barely caught it before it hit the ground.

“Let’s see what you can do when you use your quirk, alright? The only rule is that you can’t step outside of that circle, anything else goes.”

Izuku was standing stock-still as Aizawa explained all of this, legs frozen and mind blank. He only squealed and began moving when the man slowly turned around and levelled an unimpressed look his way.

A shout screeched behind him as soon as he stepped out of line.

“WAIT, WHY THE HELL IS DEKU DOING A DEMONSTRATION? The worthless nerd’s quirk isn’t even that strong!”

Aizawa-sensei audibly groaned, before turning around and giving Bakugou that same unimpressed stare. “He’s demonstrating because he’s shown an immense amount of potential, Bakugou. Afterall, he is the student with the highest score on the entrance exam.”

Wait. I’m what now?

Izuku heard explosions cut through the air before he even got the chance to finish the thought. He had his eyes screwed closed and face hidden behind his arms in mere moments, Hellfire writhing and searing behind his esophagus and eyelids… but the sting of Bakugou’s punches never landed. His eyes slowly blinked open, only to reveal Aizawa-sensei’s scarf wrapped tightly around Bakugou’s limbs, preventing him from stepping forwards and towards Izuku.

“Bakugou. One more step out of line like this and I’ll have you expelled, got it?” Their teacher hissed out, before his hair, which had been floating wildly above his head, nestled back to its spot around his neck. The capture scarf went limp, sending Bakugou stumbling forwards a single step. “You’ve got potential, I’ll give you that, but don’t think for one second I will allow you to intentionally harm another classmate. Is that clear?”

Izuku’s mind screeched to a halt. He could physically feel himself reeling.

He actually got called out for it? But… But he’s Bakugou. He never gets in trouble for that sort of thing. What the hell is going on?

Bakugou looked like he was about to go nuclear, but he simply clenched his fists and barked out a quick “Whatever.”, before stepping back into line.

Izuku really wasn’t sure what he was feeling.

Kishi, Pink, Uraraka, and just about everyone else were sending him worried or confused looks; but he tried not to think about their stares, and instead focused back on the exercise.

“Whenever you’re ready, Midoriya.”

Hellfire… I don’t have the best output control, but if I can recreate what I did in the entrance exam, then…

Throat tight with worry and mind still dazed, he wound back his arm, aiming towards the sky, and felt the earlier heat from Hellfire come bustling forth. It bit away at the flesh in his hand, stinging and searing, flooding his veins with molten iron- and forced out a rapid expansion of heat between his fingers and the ball as soon as he swung forwards. It went rocketing into the air, almost too fast to be seen- the only indication of its presence being the long, winding trail of smoke and fire it painted over the clouds.

Behind him, the crowd rang out in different responses. Some people simply gasped, watching the sky in blank, abject awe- others blurted out excitedly, Bakugou grumbled something incoherent, and Kishi and Pink cheered like there was no tomorrow. All the noise washed over his nerves like a solarflare, but he still managed a small smile once the distracting heat in his hands began to dissipate. It felt like hell, and he could feel his grin turn to a wince at the corners, but the support from his friends still helped.

When he fully turned around, Aizawa-sensei was facing away from him, holding up a small device for the whole class to see. The awe redoubled, and when their teacher turned it back to him, he understood why.

“Seven-hundred and fifty-seven meters. That’s the kind of power your quirks hold- the kind of difference they can make-” Izuku felt himself reeling once more, but still followed Aizawa’s directing hand back to the crowd of students, “Keep that in mind as we continue with these tests, alright?’

Kishi picked him up and twirled him around in a hug as soon as he was within grabbing distance, and Uraraka and Pink were both hopping up and down in place. His entire face felt like it was melting, and Pink batted away some smoke from his hair once he was finally set down. Kishi looked all too proud of himself.

“Wow! This is gonna be so much fun, since we get to use our quirks!” Uraraka squealed, but as soon as she turned to face forwards once more, the smile was wiped clean off her face.

Aizawa-sensei looked pissed.

“You kids think this is all gonna be fun? Alright, let’s make this a little more interesting, then.” A smirk happily married the grimace on his face, and Izuku felt a shiver- followed by Hellfire’s claws- snake down his spine.

“Whoever gets in last gets expelled.” The already thick tension in the air turned to syrupy dread, and Aizawa-sensei’s grin spread wider.

“Let’s see some ‘Plus Ultra’.”

Shota didn’t mean to go down this route, but he’s sure as hell glad he did.

These kids each have their own potential, he’ll give them that, but the whole “sunshine and rainbows” vibe he was getting from them just wouldn’t cut it. They’re kids, and he knows they’re going to need time to adjust, but he’s also determined to make his own intentions known as soon as possible.

So here he is. Lying to his students on the first day. Hizashi is gonna be relentless when he hears about this.

But the look of determination that crosses each and every one of their face’s sparks a strange sort of hope in him. The whole bunch of them were impressive during the exam- he realized that after taking a second viewing over the recorded video footage- but he can never help but wonder what they, as people, would be like outside of their quirks.

A strong student with no guts would make for a mediocre help on the field. In comparison, though, a brave student without the control and skill to back themselves up was an even greater danger. Kids who jumped into the fight at the first chance they got tended to go nowhere fast- or go somewhere dangerous even faster.

These kids, though… They seem to mostly understand what they’re getting themselves into.

Sure, he threatened to expel them, but that’s a lie he’s willing to tell if it gets them off their asses and into ‘the zone’. Bakugou even seemed to take his threat seriously (though, that one wasn’t a lie), which would hopefully help him figure out why the hell the kid absolutely despised Midoriya so much.

Midoriya himself was even more of a mystery, if he was being honest. That weird, pained look he had had on his face during the entrance exam was still there- and he wasn’t going to ride off the fact that he had hardly said a word to anyone since Shota got there. He could just be shy or something, he understood that- but the nervous fluttering of his hands, coupled with the way he visibly flinched every time Shota spared him a glance made him think otherwise.

And, somehow, the kid had known who he was after a few moments of seeing him. Shota prided himself on his ability to not stand out- his role as an underground hero proved that- so the fact that some random kid he didn’t remember meeting recognized him was startling, to say the least.

There were a few worrying red flags there. His relationship with Bakugou was a particularly headache-inducing one. That, and the fact that he seems to be struggling with his quirk a lot for someone who placed first in the entrance exam.

But he could figure that out later. He’ll talk to Hizashi about it, when he can. For now, though, the students still had their tests to figure out.

He didn’t want these kids to get unnecessarily hurt, and so far? Well, so far he could recognize the talent in them pretty well. They just needed a little help, is all.

“It takes help to help others,” as Hizashi always put it.

Izuku’s hands were positively burning.

His nails were slightly pointed at the edges by the time he got through the first three tests. He had managed the 50-meter dash just fine in past years, but watching Bakugou propel himself forwards with his explosions made an idea sprout in his mind. If he could recreate a smaller version of the propulsion he had used during the exam…

Well, he ended with a hefty five second time after trying (and mostly failing) to speed himself up using Hellfire, but he had still improved since middle school nonetheless, so he was happy. The fact that his shoes were squeaking awkwardly due to the expelled heat didn’t ease his nerves, though

The standing long jump was a similar situation, but ended up being a lot more successful. He managed a blast of heat through himself (Through my hands this time, so I don’t somehow manage to melt off my shoes…) that propelled himself forwards awkwardly, and while his botched flight was short-lived, he still managed to land a foot or so away from the ending line. His victory was short lived after Bakugou started screaming about ‘stealing his damned moves’, though.

The real problems came with the grip strength test. He figured he’d just stick to his regular strength- but then Aizawa-sensei’s words came bustling back to mind.

He could be expelled. Fear bubbled in his throat, and he figured trying something extra wouldn’t hurt, right?

Well, he was sorely proved wrong when his hand burst into flame after a slip up with Hellfire, and he ended up having to peel a half-melted grip mechanism off his fist. If he didn’t manage to get expelled for getting last place in these tests, he’s certain the property damage his quirk had already caused would.

The metal of the machine was bubbling and hissing loudly, and as soon as he got it off his skin, he stamped on it hard with his already-messy shoes. His fingers were burning and steaming afterwards- already frayed nerves coming undone- but he kept going.

The whole deal made him panic that much more.

Some part of him said that plenty of his classmates had quirks that would prove useless here- the invisible girl hadn’t managed to get an outstanding score yet, and the large, quiet boy who he caught humming to a bird had done similarly well.

The other part of him told him that it still wouldn’t be enough, though.

People like the vine-haired girl (I think her name is Shiozaki?) and the girl with the creation quirk managed to score amazingly in seemingly every category. The bird-headed kid from earlier- His name is Tokoyami, according to Kishi- was doing amazing in the competition, too. It made the anxiety brewing in his guts threaten to spill over.

He kept going.

“Hey Izu, you okay? I mean- you melted metal over your hand? Last I checked, that can be... pretty painful.”

“Ah-” Kishi had a pouty look of concern on his face which made Izuku’s cheeks redden, “I’m fine! My quirk makes me resistant to burns and stuff, see?” He held up his hands and shared a shaky smile, until his attention sapped back to the next test with a call of his name.

The side-steps weren’t fun, either. He didn’t want to risk another mess up like before- and considering that Hellfire was burning heavily in the back of his mind, he felt like that chance was even greater. He scored the worst out of the whole class, even including the invisible girl from before. Kishi stopped his chatting with the vine-haired girl, the bird-headed boy, and several others, and cautiously gives him an understanding embrace.

A bubble of nausea still makes itself known in his stomach.

The final test came (being the ball throw), and most everyone managed to get a competitive score. Uraraka blew everyone else out of the water by floating the ball into space, and when she turned around to give him, Kishi, and Pink an honest smile, he couldn’t help but be extra amazed.

He wasn’t called up to throw the ball a second time. Some part of him was thankful, considering the heat still writhing around in his palms- but the other part of him desperately wanted to do something to increase his score. He fidgeted restlessly, even despite the fact that he could feel several pairs of eyes watching him.

Aizawa-sensei called them all to the opposite side of the field- everyone following even as they stretched gingerly and huffed out complaints- and brought up a large, projection-like screen from the tablet from earlier.

There was no sense of bliss. No sudden acceptance, or even a sigh of relief. He was just jittery and shaking and scared. Hellfire suffocated him alongside the anxiety snaking its way through his chest.

And a terrifying thought came through his mind in that moment.

Even if he managed to stay in- even if his better-than-average scores combined to enough to pass, even if he stayed in the class and proved his own potential... someone else was going to go.

When he thinks about it, he almost hopes it’s him instead.

“Here are your scores. Take a careful look.”

The screen blinked to life with another change of light, and a bunch of numbers and names appeared in a long, orderly list. Yaoyorozu, the girl currently standing a few feet away and blushing madly under the attention of several other girls, is in first place. The familiar characters of Bakugou’s name are listed close to that- just below someone named Todoroki ( Where have I heard that name before? ). The three of them are followed by Shiozaki and Tokoyami.

In all honesty, the list itself doesn’t surprise him. Just below that is Uraraka, then a few spots down is Kishi, who’s quickly followed by Pink.

What does surprise him, though, is the fact that his own name is nestled carefully between Uraraka and the others before Kishi. Something in his chest loosens, but then the tightness comes back tenfold when he quickly leans around his classmates to see who ended near the bottom.

He doesn’t recognize the name at first- Toru Hagakure doesn’t ring any bells- until he hears a quiet exhale near the side of the group, and catches the invisible girl’s gloves fall to (what he assumes is) her side. She’s not bouncing around like she was earlier- her skirt bobs in what he understands as a defeated tap of her foot into the dirt. Regret claws at his chest like a rabid, superheated animal.

He carefully scoots past Kishi, who’s been cheering wildly about everyone’s success, and shuffles over to Hagakure. When she catches his movements, she quickly rubs at her face with her gloves, and then turns to him fully.

“Hey- you’re Midoriya, right? You did really good!” She gives a thumbs up, even though he can hear the tears in her voice.

“Ah- Th-thanks. That means a lot… and I wanted to say-“ he swallows heavily, “I wanted to say that I think you did really good! All things considered, you did amazing, and just because your quirk isn’t suited to these tests, that doesn’t mean you’re not as capable as everyone else here is!”

Her hands started exaggeratedly swatting back and forth in front of her face, but he didn’t realize she was trying to stop him until his rambling died out. He apologized profusely, but she cut him off before he could start worriedly bowing.

“No no, it’s okay! I just…” she sighed, but it trailed off into a giggle. “That’s all so sweet, I’m just not sure I deserve it, after all.”

He was about to refute it. About to jump wildly into an explanation of how amazing her and her quirk was- regardless of whether or not it’d make him out to be a creep or a nerd- but Aizawa-sensei’s telltale huff interrupted the class.

“Oh- and by the way, no one’s getting expelled.”

The shock was tangible.

“WHAT??” A boy with gold-blonde hair shrieked. Just behind him, Pink and Uraraka did the same. About a dozen other cries rang out at the same time.

That same devilish grin was back on Aizawa-sensei’s face.

“It was a logical ruse to get you all to behave and perform your best.” That earned him several more disconcerted shouts, but he simply barked out a dismissal to head back to the classroom. Their teacher stayed put, until everyone started walking forwards.

Izuku caught Aizawa-sensei shifting over to the back of the pack, and turned around to watch him slowly approach the invisible girl.

“And Hagakure-” Izuku could barely tell from where he was standing, but the hero’s smile softened, “You did well. Your quirk isn’t suited for these kinds of tests, but I wouldn’t throw someone with your abilities out so soon. We’ll work on that strength of yours before it continues to be a problem, alright?”

She happily quipped a “Yessir!” before bouncing back to the rest of the students and up to the front of the group. He watched her, Mina, and some of the other girls chat happily. Something in his chest loosened.

“So Yagi- you gonna tell me why you’ve been watching me and my students this whole time, or what?”

A sharp inhale followed by a series of coughs rang out through the now-empty courtyard. Shota huffed indignantly.

From around the corner came none other than Toshinori Yagi himself. He was in his hero form.

The bastard sure is comfortable with wasting his time limit.

“Ah-Aizawa-san, I didn’t mean to intrude…”

Shota crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the small training gym. When Yagi didn’t explain himself further, he levelled a blank stare his way.

“Whether or not you meant to doesn’t currently matter. And you still didn’t answer my question, Yagi.”

The man gulped down a breath of air, and Shota waited for him to finally choke out a response.

“Well… I’ve wanted to see how the student’s were faring under your care, Aizawa. After all, with your record… I was curious as to if I would actually have a full class to teach.”

Bullshit.

“Yagi, you are aware I would have had to file the paperwork for an expelled student, correct? And if I hadn’t informed you about it, Nedzu definitely would have. You don’t have to ‘check in’ with me- and certainly not with my students. That’s not your job.”

The man wilted even further. The frown on his face seemed odd, considering his current stature.

“I-I understand that, Aizawa, but…”

“‘But’ what?” He hissed.

They stared at each other for a long moment, until Yagi let out a series of harsh coughs, and an explosion of steam revealed his true form. Shota huffed, but waited patiently for the fit to die out.

Once it did, they were back to staring awkwardly in silence. Shota’s head was starting to ache.

Oh, for hell’s sake-

Nemuri was sipping an iced coffee, typing away at a report from her designer for her next set of hero costumes, when the door to the staff room slammed against the wall and back again.

She didn’t bother looking up. The irritated, angry series of grumbling that answered the door’s protests was enough to tell her who it was.

“Nice to see you too, Shota.”

A peeking glance over her glasses led to him (begrudgingly) huffing out an apology, before sidling over to his own desk and grabbing his sleeping bag. Nemuri shot up from her seat.

“What’s got you all worked up?” When he only shuffled into his sleeping bag further, she smirked at him. “C’mon- Isn’t pouting ‘illogical’?” She said it with heavy air quotes, which earned her an unimpressed, quirk-suppressing glare from him. He finally sat up, though, so she relaxed against the side of her desk.

He was still mad as fuck, though. She wondered if one of the kids did something to piss him off. Hm…

“Are your students really that bad?”

“God- no, it’s not them. I tested them today and they all took it pretty well.”

The bag was around his shoulders now, and he sat amongst the plush yellow fabric. He slumped tiredly into it. She combed a hand through her hair and watched as he rubbed at his eyes.

“Our newest coworker disrupted my class and refused to give me a straight answer when I asked him about it. And the fucking rat backed him up on it, too. Said he ‘told him to stop by and observe’, or whatever the hell.”

Hm. Probably should’ve guessed it was Nedzu’s bullshit. Oh well…

“I’m sorry Shota- but hey, he wouldn’t just let him wander around for no reason, right? I’m sure he wasn’t trying to be disruptive- Yagi is just…” She paused, and searched for the right words. “A bit of a bumbling fool, if I’m gonna be honest.”

Shota snorted around a laugh. She felt a smile split her face.

“You could say that again. But yeah- whatever the hell they’re planning, I don’t like it. I saw him keeping tabs on Midoriya during the entrance exam, and I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that that’s not suspicious as hell. Him and Nedzu are up to something.”

Wait… Midoriya?

“You mean the kid with the fire quirk? The one who melted the fuck out of the zero-pointer?” He nodded, and she huffed exaggeratedly. “Well yeah, Shota- I’m pretty sure literally everyone in the room was keeping tabs on him. With a quirk like that, someone oughta keep an eye on him.”

“Shut the fuck up, Nemuri.”

She laughed heartily against his acid smirk, and leaned further back against the desk. “Love you too, sweet heart.” Her playful wink sent him groaning, and he snuggled back into the bright yellow of his sleeping bag.

Might as well let him have some peace, right?

She strolled back around her desk, staring blankly at the report, before decidedly closing the laptop. She sighed, and sipped at her coffee once more. It suddenly tasted a lot more bitter.

Midoriya, huh?

Shota was now peacefully resting on his spot on the floor. She dug around in the drawer of her desk for a moment, before finding class 1-A’s files.

Nedzu isn’t dumb- he’d probably have a reason for putting Shota on edge and sending Yagi to watch over his class.

She pulled out Midoriya’s file. The kid looked like a nervous wreck in his photo. Nothing else stood out though, really. She turned back to look at Shota’s curled-up form.

Wonder what’s going through his mind…

Kan walked through the door, coffee mug in hand, and she offered a greeting in response. She carefully slid the files closed and placed them back where they belonged.

Whatever, I can just ask Hizashi about it later. Hopefully he’ll talk to him about all of this, at least.

U.A. Has been a dream come true.

Fumikage didn’t have many worries when he applied. U.A. was state-of-the-art, with defensive measures that could rival the most guarded of sacred burial grounds, and hero’s more brave and understanding than the greatest of martyrs.

He was mostly worried about the students, in all honesty. He hates to say it ( well, think it, really ), but it’s the truth.

Dark Shadow tends to be kind and forgiving- even friendly when they want to- but the fact of the matter is… that doesn’t always last.

And he hates scaring his classmates. He really, really does. Ever since the students at his middle school found out about Dark Shadows ‘Night Forme’... it’s been a little unbearable, thinking about school.

And that’s why it’s to his greatest relief when his first day at U.A. goes fantastically.

The tests were easy enough, but that’s not really what made him happy. It was the fact that… his classmates were all so understanding.

Sure, he didn’t truly know them yet- a single day in class couldn’t yield such a result, after all- but he was excited to get to meet them all, in due time. Kirishima, what with his intimidatingly sharp teeth and hair, had been one of the kindest students to greet him so far. Everyone appeared to love his charm, too, if he was reading the situation right. And, with the way he had sung so many of their other classmate’s praises, most everyone else must be pretty kind, too.

...Maybe, then, he has no need to worry about them fearing Dark Shadow.

He decides to think about it later. For now, he charts his course for home.

Uraraka walks to the edge of campus with the rest of their group after class. She’s bubbly and excited- no doubt hopped up on adrenaline- and her and Pink talk animatedly with one another. Izuku can feel Kishi’s stare from the corner of his vision.

He should probably say something. Maybe explain the sharpness of his nails, or his quiet demeanor, or just say that he’s at least ‘okay’. He’s about to open his mouth and see which comes tumbling out, when two shouts ring out from behind the group. Everyone stops in their tracks.

Kama and Naga come barreling through a crowd of students- the latter practically being dragged by the former.

“Hey guys- where the fuck have you been?” Kama asked as soon as he was close enough to not have to yell. Naga looked shaken from the journey over, but still nods along with Kama’s own question.

“Ah shit- sorry guys, I totally forgot that you all would still be at the ceremony!” Kishi turned to the two newcomers with an apologetic, worried smile. Something in Izuku’s chest fluttered, and he found himself looking away.

“Yeah! Our teacher is kinda crazy. He made us take a test today and THREATENED TO EXPEL US!!” Pink added. For extra flare, she hopped up on her toes and slammed her hands down onto Kama’s shoulders. He hardly flinched.

“That’s… weird…” Naga whispered. “I mean- Kan-sensei is teaching our class, and he was super nice! A-and…” They stuttered a bit once they realized everyone was staring at them intently. “And, uh, all of our classmates were really nice, t-too…”

“Hey, that’s good at least!” Kishi flashed another smile. Naga relaxed somewhat, and Kama turned his gaze to somewhere just above Izuku’s shoulder. He was about to ask what was up, when Uraraka squeaked in realization.

“Ah- sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt.” Her hands fluttered in front of her face for a moment. “Hi there! I’m Ochako Uraraka, it’s nice to meet you both!”

Her warm smile was mirrored on Naga and Kama’s faces. “The name’s Togaru Kamakiri. I’m in class 1-B.”

“A-and I’m Naga Shimizu. It’s nice to meet you too, Uraraka-san!”

They all started walking forwards once more. Nestled between Kama and Kishi, Izuku felt himself relax a bit.

“So, you guys should tell us about that test.” Kama chided, “Your teacher sounds fuckin’ insane.”

Izuku’s mind started racing.

“H-he’s actually really cool, I think!” Everyone laughed heartily, and Izuku felt himself blush. “I’m serious!! Aizawa-sensei is EraserHead, the underground hero! He’s known for all sorts of successful missions and Villain captures, and his quirk is versatile and unique. Have you guys ever heard of-”

Katsuki lost.

The tests were a challenge. They were a competition. And Katsuki lost. Two people beat him.

That icy motherfucker with the stupid pretty boy persona is pissing me off.

If it were just that, though, he could handle it. But no- of course it can’t be just that. Katsuki stuffs his hands in his pockets as he walks out of the school and to the edge of campus.

A curly head of green-tinged hair catches in the corner of his vision.

Deku, you cheating bastard. He feels his hands heating up, but doesn’t detonate yet. He’d go over there and slap that stupid fucking look off Deku’s face if he didn’t have his little band of rejects with him.

Of course Deku needs bodyguards- fucking weak bastard couldn’t protect himself if he tried.

Then how…

He stops for a moment. It’s just a moment, really- no one even notices, but to Katsuki?

To Katsuki, it’s too close to a moment of weakness.

He keeps walking.

I’m gonna find out how he got first place. Him and his stupid useless fucking quirk couldn’t win that. I’ll beat the hell out of him if I need to. He’s hiding something. He’s probably trying to make a fool out of me. Lying behind my back. Fucking bastard.

Katsuki singes his hair when he attempts to card a hand through it.

Izuku rambled about EraserHead’s accomplishments all the way to the train station. Everyone finally parts ways, hopping on their collective trains, and go home. Izuku could still feel himself blushing after realizing he had been talking so long. 

Akashi and mom greeted him as soon as he walked in the door.

And by greeted, he means they both crushed him in a bone-breaking hug. All of his nerves from before melted away at their embrace.

“Izuku! Oh honey how was your first day?”

Mom and him already had tears in her eyes, and Akashi glanced between them before planting a clawed hand on both of their heads and ruffling their hair.

“Izuku-Chan, you look well-“ and with a bright smile, she turned back towards the living room, “C’mon, let’s talk in there, right? We don’t want your tea getting cold, Inko.”

Mom blushed and rambled around a reply, and Izuku giggled gently.

He was dead tired and a bit shaken up, all things considered- but being back home, around the people he trusts the most, made it all much easier.

He didn’t deserve them, really.

But he’s so, so glad they’re here.

He sunk lowly into the couch and- blushing under the sweet, attentive gaze of the two women- started explaining his first day.

Eijirou had a smile plastered on his face the whole way home.

He happily took off his shoes and hoodie as he walked through the door, and hummed along with the music playing in his headphones all the while. A call from his mom caught his attention, and he unhooked one of the earbuds from his ear.

“Heya mom number one! I’m home!”

“Eijirou! How was your first day, sweetie?”

He walked around the corner, past the living room, and came into view of the kitchen.

Taka was busily preparing soba, but turned around and smiled as soon as Eijirou came into view.

“It was good! Real good- me and Mina and Izu all had a lot of fun in class! And we talked to Naga and Kama and some other kids, too! There’s a lot of really-“

“Wow hey, slow down, tiger! And while you’re at it-” She interjected with a wave, and shoved a spoon of noodles towards him. He bit it carefully so as to not scrape the wood, and his face scrunched up reflexively.

“Could use a few more minutes, I think.”

“Ah- alright, got it. Now, what were you saying about your other classmates?”

He smiled cheekily, and fell back into comfortable conversation about his day. A noise at the door caught their attention just as he was beginning to explain a joke Kaminari had made.

“Dear, is that you?” Taka called, and Noemi responded by settling her briefcase on the floor near the couch, and then walking over and planting a kiss on her wife’s cheek.

“Sure is, Taka. And Eiji-“ she ruffled his hair aggressively, before settling down on the bar stool next to him. “How are you, sweetie?” She planted a kiss to his forehead, and he grinned at her toothily.

“I’m great! U.A. was amazing - like, real manly! Our teacher is hardcore, too. Izu recognized him as a pro that I’ve never even heard of.”

“Oh shit- that’s right, you and him are in the same class now, right? And same with Mina?”

“Yup! All three of us! And I was just telling mom number one-“

Noemi scoffed lightly, and Taka struggled to suppress a giggle. Eijirou didn’t realize why for a moment, until Noemi wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders and shook him back and forth.

“ She’s mom number one today? What did I do, Eiji? You’ve betrayed me!!”

“ I’m sorry- I’m sorry, okay! She packed me a really good lunch today, so she just barely~” he squinted and gestured to the air with pinched fingers, “made it above you.”

“Damn. My legacy. My two weeks of being mom number one, tattered.” She plopped her head on the counter dramatically, and he patted her back in a sympathetic manner.

“Congrats, babe. You won this round fair and square.” She grumbled in faux-irritation. They all burst out laughing as soon as she lifted her head and attempted to scowl.

Eijirou’s heart was warm, and, as soon as they ate dinner together and all retired for the night, it bubbled with sleepy joy.

U.A. really is a dream come true, huh?

Thoughts of that day he first met Mina came to mind. He smiled to himself.

I’m glad Izu is in class with us. I’m glad he said he had a good day today, too…

And suddenly, something got tight in his chest. Something hot and crisp and sharp- like a strange sort of anger he wasn’t used to feeling.

And pictures of Bakugou, threatening and degrading Izu, came to mind with it.

I hope he steps off. He seemed to have a bone to pick with just about everyone there. Izu doesn’t…

He yawned carefully, and most of the bite was lost from his anger.

Izu doesn’t deserve that sort of thing. I’m there if he needs me, though. Him and Mina, and Naga and Kama…

His eyes fluttered gently. A cluster of stars shining through the window caught his foggy attention. He smiled.

We’ll be okay.

Chapter Text

Kishi insists on all of them walking to school together the next day. At first, Izuku is apprehensive; he tends to ramble or zone out more when he’s tired, and he’d rather not embarrass himself in front of everyone.

But… when he thinks about it- when he thinks about having his friends, his best friends, offering to be there for him… something in his heart flutters a bit.

So they meet back up at the train station and walk from there. Uraraka sadly couldn’t come with- but she promised to join them another time, when she got the chance. Pink is surprisingly not energetic. At all. She keeps yawning and making Izuku yawn- and Kishi keeps getting after her for not sleeping.

He gets after Izuku and Naga about it, too.

“C’mon guys! You can’t be skipping sleep on the second day of school! Being well-rested is the manliest thing of all!!!” He clenched his fist dramatically. Izuku couldn’t help but snort.

Naga squirmed a bit and smiled shakily. “I-I promise I wasn’t staying up late, Kishi!” Naga twirled one of their fins between their finger and thumb. Their dragon-like qualities all seemed to accentuate the gentleness of the gesture. “I just… well my insomnia’s been kinda bad lately, so I ended up staying up late and helping my parents plan our upcoming family reunion.”

“Ditto, about the insomnia thing...” Izuku yawned. He rubbed at the bags he knew were permanently glued under his eyes. He hadn’t even had nightmares last night, and yet he still had trouble sleeping.

“Naga baby you’re doing amazing, and say hi to your moms for me, okaaay?~“ Pink swung her arm over Naga’s shoulder and limply shuffled into their side. “And besides, Kishi’s just upset ‘cause I’ve got too many bad bitches hitting up my phone at night.”

Izuku’s never seen Kama laugh so hard in his entire life. He’s doubled-over for forever, and the whole group stops and laughs while he tries to compose himself.

Everything eventually drifts into companionable chatter. The streets are empty of everyone but students in school clothes and adults in uniforms at this hour of the morning. A cluster of hero’s drift past, and Izuku’s mind wanders to Akashi. She should already be leaving the agency by now. He wonders if he’ll ever get to see her on patrol…

They’re at the entrance to the school just in time to hear the first warning bell ring. Each of them change into their shoes- Pink muttering about Kishi’s terrible taste in Crocs all the while- and head to their classrooms.

Naga and Kama are both called over to 1-B by a few students. One of them has tall horns (Taller than Naga’s, even… Wonder what kind of quirk that is. Maybe I’ll ask them about it later-) and kind eyes, the next has a large bob covering half their face, and the third has skin that’s as black as the night sky.

Naga’s tail swishes back and forth against the floor excitedly as they walk over, and Izuku can see their face turn bright red when the student with horns suddenly hugs them tightly.

Kishi sends a questioning, smug glance Kama’s way, who huffs in amusement. “Yeah- they told me not to say anything, but uh, Naga’s already a little head-over-heels for Tsunotori. I’ll fill you guys in later- I’m gonna head to class.”

He heads off, giving his final regards and wishing everyone good luck, before Izuku, Kishi, and Pink all turn back to Class 1-A.

It’s bustling when they get through the door. Students are talking nonstop- The electricity boy from yesterday (His name is Kaminari, I think?) is babbling on and on excitedly, and he drags Kishi into a conversation as soon as he sees them step through the door. Ochako is there, gently chatting with Iida and Yaoyorozu. The former is emphatically gesturing with his hands all the while.

Closer to the back of the classroom, Shiozaki and Tokoyami are talking with serious expressions on their faces. Judging by the fact that the girl with headphone jacks hanging from her ears (Jingu? Jiyuu?? God I’m bad with names.) is smiling, it must not actually be too serious of a conversation.

Pink dashes over to the same table as Kishi and joins in. Everyone's happily chatting amongst themselves...

The only real exceptions are Todoroki and Bakugou, who both have small scowls on their faces and are quietly isolated. No one’s really trying to drag them into conversation, either- sans Iida, who appears to be getting brushed off quite easily by Todoroki’s poignant silence.

“Hey, It’s you! Zero-pointer kid!” Someone yelps, and suddenly Pink is dragging him over to another table of students.

The kid who had shouted at him is sitting in the desk. He’s got a wide, toothy grin, and his blocky elbows are propped up on the table. If Izuku is remembering right, his name is… Sano???

“Yup! This is Izu- uh, I mean, Midoriya! Like I was telling you guys- he took out the zero-pointer in one punch!!! Super rad, right??” Pink emphasized that by leaning heavily against his head with her arms, and he let out an embarrassed (and startled) groan.

“That’s so cool, Midoriya! You must be super strong.” Says a boy with spiky brown hair and bulging muscles.

“Heck yeah! And you were super cool during the tests yesterday, too!” Says Toru, from… somewhere.

And then, in a smaller voice, “And thanks again, for what you said last time. It means a lot…”

“Ohmygodyou’realltoosweet.” He rushes out in one breath. He can feel his face heating up. “And, uh- Hi, yeah, I’m Izuku Midoriya. It’s nice to meet you guys.”

Not only do everyone’s smiles grow wider, but the kid who first called him over offers out his hand, and they brush knuckles.

“Hey man, just saying the truth! The names Sero, by the way.”

“I’m Sato! Nice to meet you, Midoriya.”

The next bell rings soon after that, and everyone’s filing into their seats. Aizawa-sensei staggers in moments after Kaminari has finally stopped talking.

He looks just as gruff and tired as yesterday, but Izuku still can’t help the awe and wonder that swells in his chest. EraserHead, the hero who saves people by controlling and limiting dangerous quirks- who stays in the shadows so he can keep out of the spotlight and simultaneously fight hidden villains… Someone who can make any quirk-on-quirk fight an even match- and who’s known for stopping people’s dangerous quirks before they get out of control. It almost seems too good to be true...

Aizawa-sensei stops at the front of the class, quietly shuffles around some papers, and then levels a dead-eyed stare at all of them.

“Good morning. Today, I won’t actually be teaching this class. You’ll be heading out to training grounds beta with-“

“I AM HERE!!”

And suddenly- All Might is there, dramatic pose and all. Izuku’s heart is in his throat, and he’s shaking all over, and oh god that scared the hell out of-

Thoughts of the last time he and All Might had spoken flash through his mind.

...Me…

The fear of failing his idol. The hopeful way he looked at him when saying those final, mind-bending words. The absolute nervousness of the entrance exam-

And suddenly, the heat in his chest is a lot more painful.

Everyone around him is gaping and gasping- Kaminari and Pink are even propped up on their desks, shouting wildly about ‘It’s All Might! Holy shit!’ (which earns them some abject stares from Aizawa-sensei and Bakugou).

“Next time just come in like a normal person, All Might.” Aizawa-sensei shot a glare the man’s way, before turning back to the students with a nod, and descending into his sleeping bag.

“Ah- sorry about that, Aizawa… and uhm- hey there, kids! We’ll be doing some training in grounds beta today, but- before we leave, I’ve got something for you!” He whipped out a sleek-looking remote, pressed one of the few buttons, and turned to point at the back wall behind everyone. Izuku carefully turns around, only to see twenty shelf-like devices slide out of the wall. Kaminari, Sero, Pink, and several other students jump out of their seats as soon as the next words leave All Might’s mouth-

“Your hero costumes have arrived!!”

There’s a mad dash- Iida is shouting from the sidelines, trying to direct the students in an orderly manner, but it’s all to no avail. Everyone else has already gotten their cases by the time Izuku even bothers standing up. Kishi is practically forcing Pink to stand still as they wait for him to finally grab his own costume.

I can think about All Might later. For now…

The case is sleek silver, polished to a sheen, and the metallic handle sends shivers up his arm. The invading pull of Hellfire’s heat subsides against the touch. Izuku lets out a gentle sigh, and follows along behind Kishi and the others.

For now, it’s time to train.

The locker rooms are surprisingly spacious- but they still manage to make Izuku anxious beyond belief. He decides to change in the corner like last time, tucked away and out of eyesight of anyone else. He’s thankful he bought a new sports binder recently, too. Not having to change in the stalls is nice, even if he’s more out in the open. He just really hopes no one’s staring at him. His back is to anyone who could be looking, mostly for his own sake. Oh god what if they’re staring at-

“Izu- you okay, man? You’re mumbling.”

“Oh-” He slaps a hand over his own mouth harder than he meant to. Hope that doesn’t leave a mark…

“Hey- You don’t have to worry about…” Kishi gestures vaguely to himself. Izuku gets what he’s trying to say.

“Thanks, Kishi. I’m just… not used to changing out in the open much, is all...”

“I get that man- and try not to worry, alright? If someone says something, I’ll knock their asses out. Getting after someone like that is super unmanly.”

Izuku’s heart flutters a bit. He’s not sure what it is, but Kishi’s caring smile, the curve of his soft cheeks in contrast to his intimidating stature, makes him blush unbelievably. He turns away, stammering ‘thank you’s and apologies all the while, and starts piecing together his costume once more.

My… costume…

He holds the fabric between his unsteady fingers. It’s a lot lighter than he thought it might be, but according to his accompanying pamphlet, it should be durable. The deep pinkish-purple color is stunning- shimmering and gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

The individual pieces look like just what he was hoping for. It’s unique, and new, and something he’d be proud wearing.

It’s nothing like Hellfire, but that’s why he likes it. Hopefully he’ll be able to grow into it more.

Chest hot and smile wobbly, he gathers it into his arms, and gets changing.

Nearly everyone else is done getting dressed by the time Izuku has his costume strapped on. He doesn’t mind much, but now he’s sprinting through the entrance tunnel to grounds beta, attempting to catch up. The pounding of feet against concrete echos wildly around him.

A feast for the senses greets him when he breaks into the light outside of the tunnel.

Oh my god- this is…

Everyone stands before him- dawned in costumes that are specially-built, personally-modified, and completely, genuinely, unique.

So cool!!!

“Izu! There you are, man! I was worried your shoes didn’t fit or-” Kishi trails off, his approach ending just as quickly as it had started, and gapes widely at him. Izuku doesn’t notice, though- he’s too busy admiring and analyzing Kishi’s own costume to care.

Kirishima’s outfit is striking, fierce, and oozing masculine charm. His top is thin (Probably a similar material to mine…) and a deep black color, with a high collar, an angular cut-off just above his belly button, and sleeves that end at a cinch between his index and middle finger.

He has a single, lightning-bolt-esque strap of deep red going across his chest, connecting to one of two gear-shaped shoulder guards. The pants are surprisingly loose, with a fabric skirting around the top draping to his knees. He’s wearing chunky boots with similar gear-embellishments as the ones on his shoulders. All of it is drenched in blood-red, grey, and black- with a splash of bright crimson.

Special under armor that’s extremely light-weight, almost skin tight. Same color as the pants- I wonder if those have special pockets for carrying support items? They seem baggy, and considering he doesn’t have any room to hold things in other places, that’d make the most-

“Yeah, you’re right about the pockets.” Izuku nearly jumps out of his skin.

“OHGODSORRYIDIDN’TREALIZEIWASSAYINGTHATOUTLOUD-” he lets out all in one breath, puffing out a little wisp of smoke while doing so. “S-Sorry, sorry. I, uhm, think your costume is r-really cool, Kishi!!”

“Awww thanks dude, and yours too! I was about to say, I love the vibes it’s giving off! It’s kinda…”

Kishi takes a step back, and looks Izuku up-and-down.

Izuku’s costume is all a smattering of purples, blacks, and a smear of pink. He designed it to be light, with the heavier armor being detachable- making his fighting options more fluid. He could use the pieces as weapons or a shield, if he tried hard enough. All in all, he’s pretty proud of that idea…

But what he’s most happy with is the aesthetics of it all. He’d designed it himself to be striking, but not intimidating- fantastical, not grounded. If he’s going to be using his fire, he might as well give in to the mystique of it, right?

The costume itself is primarily a deep, shining, galactic purple-black- with a jumpsuit made of a tighter top and baggy bottoms, which tuck into his shin guards and shoes. The boots are basically the same as his regular, everyday sneakers- but tall, with metal-dipped sole attachments (to navigate and use his flames without melting his shoes), and a soft, purple-pink coloring.

His chest, right shoulder, elbows, knees, and mouth are all covered in chunky pieces of metallic armor plating. They have shock-absorbing pads underneath the thin layer of steel, which is polished to a blinding degree. Each of the pieces has a sort of ‘vent’ to let excess heat out of- the most prominent one being his mouthpiece, which caught the smoky wisps he breathed out just moments ago and sent them streaming from his jawline.

A visor is locked into place just above the mouthpiece- a similar shade of pink as his boots- and is framed by two thick, spindly horns. They’re locked in from the back and sides of the mouthpiece, wrapping around to the top of his head in a headband of sorts, for extra stability. The horns themselves stick close to his head in the front, and then flare up and out, coming to a point near the back of his head and parallel to his ears.

They were bright white when he first put them on, the same color as the small, hooked horns on the backs of his hands- but are all currently fading into a light, pinkish-red color. They should essentially be a temperature-gauge, if the designers had stuck with what he had asked for. Judging by the smoke he just puffed out coupled with the heat in his cheeks, they appear to be working great.

He has a few other features, too- a supply belt with a large pack on the back, gloves the same color as his socks and the straps for his armor, and two sets of pointed, metallic claw-attachments. Thinking about that last part makes his soft grin turn into a frown.

I didn’t even ask for claws, so why’d they bother adding some? They remind me too much of…

He finally snaps out of it, noticing Kishi’s awe-filled stare.

“It’s dragon-inspired, right? Or something like that?”

“Ah- y-yeah! Well, I mean, a bit. I wanted to lean towards something more…” He pauses, trying to think of the proper word. “Mystifying, instead of… scary.”

“Well, I think it’s rad, dude! Makes you look… mysterious. Like a cosmic beast or somethin'. It’s super manly!” He grins.

“Hey, whatcha guys talking- OH MY GOD IZUUUUU!” Pink suddenly wails, scrambling over and nearly knocking off her own visor. Her costume is bright and bold- all neon-purple and cyan, with a fur-trimmed yellow jacket atop her dazzling jumpsuit, which starts around her neck and ends at her knees. She’s got two clunky boots on (the same mustard and purple as the jacket), chunky, tech-infused gloves, and a visor and belt to top it all off. Her horns are decorated with sparkly stickers, too- and her wild hair is pulled back into a fluffy ponytail.

“YOU LOOK SOOOO~ CUTE, DUDE!!” She practically screams in his ear, and he winces and shies away, even as she grabs onto his hands and links their fingers. “Look at you!! Aw you’ve got cute little claws, too!”

“Ah- I actually really don’t like them…” he mumbled, “They’re a bit too intimidating, in my opinion. And, I mean, I don’t think I’d need to climb anything too often anyway? That’s why I got the heat-resistant boots, so I can practice using it as a sort of jet-propulsion method, instead of melting things and using the slag to get around. Does that make sense?”

Pink’s eyes are wide and joy-filled, but she’s got a dopey sort of smile on her face all the same. “That was a little too fast for me, but it sounded cool!” Izuku felt his face flush. “I still think they’re cute, though.” she added under her breath.

“Ah- th-thank you, Pink- and I really like your costume, too!”

“Oh my god really?? Thank you Izuuuuuuuu-” she’s crushing him in a hug now, and he’s suddenly a lot more thankful for the shock-absorbing padding of his armor, “You’re too sweet!!”

“I like it too, Mina!” Kishi adds with a grin. Suddenly, it turns a bit more devilish. “It really suits you. Y’know, the color pallet kinda reminds me of that girl from school you li-”

“WE ARE NOT  TALKING ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL, KIRISHIMA!”

She jumps at Kishi instead, wrapping her arms around his torso and hoisting him into the air, twirling him around wildly. They seem a little… occupied.

Izuku takes a moment to admire everyone else’s costumes. Someone is in a full suit of armor (I honest to god can’t tell who. Weird.), and Aoyama is decked out in a similar set, coupled with a midriff-length cape and sparkly everything. Sero has on a helmet that looks vaguely like a tape-dispenser, Kaminari is clad in leather and pseudo-punk fashion, Tokoyami has a large cape covering the majority of his costume from view, and most everyone looks ready for battle.

Bakugou is off to the side of the crowd, angrily brushing off Sero’s attempts at conversation. The size of his grenade-shaped gauntlets makes Izuku terrified- either due to how much arm strength he must have to keep them up, or the possibility that he could dislodge someone’s skull with a single blow, he doesn’t quite know. Maybe both!!

“Midoriya-kun, there you are!” Uraraka’s bubbly voice sings out, and he turns around to catch her excitedly grinning and walking towards him.

Well, walking might be an overstatement.

“Ah- Uraraka, those are… really big heels.” Mina practically read his mind. “Are you gonna be able to, I dunno… actually work in those?”

“Oh, uh, well… hopefully?” She suddenly ‘eep!’s, squealing and throwing out her hands to keep herself from falling.

The heels had to be at least four inches tall. They were thick and blocky, and appeared to be squishing down slightly with her steps (Possible spring compression for an easier time utilizing momentum when she uses her quirk? Or perhaps it’s to keep herself from stumbling due to vertigo…), and she finally takes a steadying stride and leans on Pink when she offers her shoulder. The rest of her costume is similar plush and space-themed- a cute, breathable white-and-pink jumper with pants, a star-patterned, cape-like shaul, and a large, dome-like visor.

“Ah- thanks, Mina. I think I might have to lower them a bit… This is the highest they extend, and I kinda just wanted to test what height would be right.”

“Oh hon, lemme help you- heels are such a fuckin’ pain…”

They get busy with that- taking a long moment to sit Uraraka on the ground without making her fall- and hurriedly start adjusting the heel length. When he turns and looks around, he can see several other people fumbling with their own costume malfunctions, too.

And then, he gets a good look at grounds beta.

It looks almost exactly like the testing facility from the entrance exam. The same tall, perfect buildings are on the exact same corners, and the same streets each have the same signs (from what he can remember). Izuku is getting strangely nervous, being back here. He tries not to remember the feeling of watching the zero-pointer come ever closer to Uraraka’s hurt, defenseless form…

He’s not doing a very good job of it.

“Hey there, you newbies!” a voice at the front of the pack suddenly calls, and All Might steps into view from a few paces back, near one of the aforementioned buildings.

He stops in front of the crowd, gives everyone a good look-over, and then laughs brightly. “Look at all of you! You’re really looking like heroes, now!”

Izuku’s throat is tight and eyes are wet at the comment. He’s not sure why now- he’s cried so much about going to U.A., about the acceptance All Might gave him in his letter, about the fear he has for letting down the legend before him- but his eyes start tearing up. He’s glad for his visors tinted qualities, considering Kishi and Pink are right beside him. He really doesn’t want to make them worry.

Is this happy crying? Or am I just overwhelmed? God, I can’t…

He lifts up his visor a bit and wipes at his eyes. He can’t really tell what he’s feeling, at this point.

So he shoves down the worry and the pain- forcing Hellfire’s grasping claws away from his hands and throat- and looks forwards. His mentor’s face is shining with hope. He tries to do the same.

“We’ll be doing this trial in fours- two students on each team, one hero team, one villain team. The villains will be guarding a fake weapon, and the hero team will be trying to get to it. Any questions?”

The suit of armor’s hand shoots into the air, and All Might dramatically points to him with a shout of “Yes, young Iida?”

Oh. So that’s who’s under there… huh.

“Sir, how will we be determining who’s on what team and with who?”

More people’s hands shoot into the air, but they don’t bother waiting to be called on.

“How long will the battles last? Will they be out here in the street? And how will we determine who wins?”

“Do you like my cape? It’s dazzling, no?”

“Can I just blow everyone away and be done with this bullshit?”

Izuku winces at Bakugou’s last comment. Sero slowly inches away from him, scooching further back towards Kaminari, Tokoyami, and Shouji.

“Alright alright, all good questions! But let’s calm down for a second…”

He turns around, grabs two lottery boxes from off the ground near his feet, and faces the class once more.

“Iida, the teams will be determined by lots! I’ll say which team I will be picking for first, pick two names from the box, and then use the other box to determine what teams go against each other.”

“Sir-” Iida’s hand is chopping through the air once more, “Wouldn’t strategically picking teams be much better?”

“Ah, not really.”

Izuku almost doesn’t realize the words are out of his mouth. He’s staring blankly at the space in front of him, running through ideas and possible mashups for the trial, when he jolts and realizes everyone’s staring at him.

Everyone, including All Might.

He stammers to catch his breath. “OH- Uh, uhm, I just mean- Heroes often times don’t get to pick who they encounter on the field, right? That includes, uh, both heroes and villains. You won’t always be able to know who you’ll be fighting alongside, so random seems… kinda best… for the situation…”

He trails off. The stares from everyone are almost unbearable, until All Might’s boisterous laugh cuts through the dumbfounded fog.

“Excellent observation, young Midoriya!” Izuku feels himself blush, “That’s exactly correct. Now, as for the rest of the rules-”

All Might explains it all pretty straightforwardly. The battles will be fifteen minutes each, and end whenever one full team gets captured or the ‘fake weapon’ gets into the hero’s hands. The trials will be in a random building, and blueprints for the heroes and villains will be provided. You cannot cause extreme harm to your teammate, or the other team- and yes, All Might loves Aoyama’s cape.

Bakugou grumbled at the response to his question- barking a few comments at those brave enough to tell him off- and Izuku felt himself shake minutely. A steady hand wrapped around his wrist, and he looked up to see Kishi smiling.

A gentle gesture, a quick glance, and he let go. It was enough to make Izuku’s heart lighten, though. And more than enough to make his face and chest burn.

All Might finally interjected through the chatter.

“Alright! Now that we’ve got all that settled- time to draw lots!”

The first box was lifted high above All Might’s head, and he plunged in his other hand to draw out two scraps of paper.

“First hero team is- Uraraka and Midoriya!”

Izuku’s heart stopped momentarily. F-First round? Oh my god-

Wait a second… did he say…

Uraraka came bouncing up to his side once more, smiling brightly. “Midoriya-kun, I’m so glad we’re partners!” she pumped her fist into the air enthusiastically, “We’re gonna kick some ass, right?!”

Izuku startled at her sudden aggressive comment, but nodded along. “Y-yeah! Let’s try our best!”

She grinned, strong and determined this time, and set her shoulders resolutely. They both turned back to All Might, who’s hand was dipped back into the box. He pulled out two more slips, and read them aloud.

“And the villains they’re facing are-” A pause. Izuku’s heart pounding. Uraraka inhaling suddenly, and holding her breath.

“Kirishima and Bakugou!”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s body was scalding.

The other teams were being announced one by one. Todoroki and Sero, Tokoyami and Jirou, Shouji and Iida. The list went on and on, but Izuku could barely catch a word.

He was too busy feeling every beat of his heart pump liquid fear through his chest.

No. This is a joke, right? Just a joke. I can’t face Ka-

He was shaking violently now. He hopes Uraraka doesn’t notice.

I can’t face Bakugou. I can’t fight Kishi. This isn’t…

Uraraka was saying something, he knew that much. But he couldn’t even tell if she was talking to him, or someone behind him, or to the open air. He felt smoke get caught in his throat.

This isn’t fair.

But since when had it ever been fair?

The list ends, and they’re told to head to the observation room so they can get their gear. Bakugou isn’t around. Izuku’s glad he isn’t.

Kishi has probably been trying to talk to him- but it’s only now that he actually hears any of it.

“Izu- are you okay?” He tries to answer, but his lungs are too hot. He nods. Kishi kneels down to get a better look at him. Where did Uraraka go? He should be talking strategy with her right now, right?

Kishi puts his hands on Izuku’s shoulders, and he finally looks up.

“Izuku- hey, can you hear me? Breathe buddy, breathe.”

He sucks in a deep breath. Then another, and another. His chest doesn’t feel as strained any more. He nods profusely.

“Fuck, this is not good. This is not a good idea. I’m gonna go tell All Might-”

“No.” He’s back. He’s there. He can feel and see and hear and breathe again- so he grabs Kishi’s wrists. “I’m okay- r-really, I’m okay. I just…” Another deep breath. He can feel himself shaking still, but it’s a lot better this time. He looks around momentarily, and pauses.  “Wh-where’s everyone else?”

“Ah- they went to the observation room already. I told Uraraka to let us catch up.” He worries his lip between sharp teeth for a moment, before holding onto Izuku’s hands. He can’t find it in himself to be embarrassed about it right now. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay dude? I don’t wanna fight you either- and Bakugou…”

“I’m… I’m okay. I’m gonna be okay.”

That felt awful, panicking like that. It always does. But it couldn’t have been, what, ten minutes? At most? He’s here, and he’s safe, and he…

And he can’t let down Uraraka.

He can’t be a bother about this.

He shouldn’t make everyone else worry, just because he’s too weak to face him.

“Thank you for being here, Kishi. It means…” a sigh, “It means a lot to me.”

“Hey, no problem, man.” Kishi lets go of his hands, and he finds himself wishing he hadn’t. He doesn’t say anything, though. He offers a small, sad smile, and walks towards the rest of the group.

I can do this. I’ll do this. I can’t let them down.

The viewing room is spacious, dark, and filled with screens. There’s at least twenty of them, if Izuku is counting right- each of a different corridor of the building they’re about to head out to. He finds himself drifting again momentarily, caught between panicking over the strange quiet coming from Bakugou across the room, and grounding himself with the calming presences of Uraraka and Kishi. He settles for the latter- just in time to hear All Might clear his throat to gather the student’s attention once more.

“Now then! Each student will be given blueprints to the building, a communicator headset to talk with their respective teammates and me, and a roll of capture tape to use to ‘take out’ their opponents.” He handed Bakugou, Kishi, Izuku, and Uraraka their gear, and then went back to the front of the room, right in front of the screens. “The rest of the class will be observing from in here so that we may discuss the outcome of the battle. Any last minute questions?” When no one raised their hand, All Might gave a dramatic thumbs-up, and called for the villain team to head to the building, and for the heroes to head outside to strategize in private.

Kishi looked torn, as he walked away- brow furrowed and one pointed tooth worrying at his lip- but Izuku simply smiled softly, and followed Uraraka’s careful steps out the door.
They walked for a few long moments, reaching a spot of railing across the sidewalk from the building, and settled down. Izuku had his map out, carefully reading over it and mumbling things under his breath all the while.

Izuku’s blood felt like hot, gooey oil. His hands were shaky and sweaty, but he tried his best to choke down Hellfire’s heat and think through some strategy.

“Midoriya-kun, are you gonna be alright?” He startled, gaped at Uraraka for a moment, before calming down once more. “I just-... Kirishima-kun said he was gonna talk to you about something, and you seemed really… zoned out?”

“Ah- s-sorry about that, Uraraka-san. But I promise, I’m okay! I just…” His palms itched, and he swallowed around the steam in his throat. “I’ve known Bakugou since we were kids, and I know that he’ll pull out all the stops to win.”

She visibly tensed. Izuku could feel worry radiating off of her, and heat coming from his own hands. He shoved them in his pockets, and stared at the ground. “And besides that- Kishi is one of my best friends, and it’s gonna be kind of weird to fight him… but…”

A pause. “But what?” She prompted. He looked back up. Her eyes were wide, and her shoulders were tense, but she was… she was listening to him. She wanted to know what he had to say. He’s still not used to people wanting that, even after all the time he’s had Kishi and Pink and Naga and Kama.

“But… but that means, I know them. I have some idea of what they’re gonna do- especially Bakugou, who’s our biggest problem. We’re gonna have an advantage.”

And a bright, confident, hopeful smile split her face. Izuku felt his own heat up, and he turned, more assured, back to the blueprints.

“Alright, here’s the plan-”

The building feels too quiet, considering what’s about to happen.

Eijirou is pacing back and forth in front of the ‘weapon’- a giant paper mache missile- running his hands through his hair repeatedly.

Bakugou has hardly said two sentences to him since they got to the building.

“Shut the fuck up, shitty hair- I don’t care what you wanna do, I’m going after Deku.”

And then, silence.

They dragged the weapon up to the fourth floor (the highest floor of the building, not including the roof), and then Bakugou stalked off to stand in front of the entrance to their safe room.

It makes Eijirou’s skin crawl, the way Bakugou talks about Izu. Anger bites at his guts, and he gathers his nerves before cautiously walking over to the door.

“Hey man, I know you hate Izu for whatever reason, and wanna fight him or whatever, but we kinda need an actual strategy?”

“Deku and that round-faced-fuck aren’t gonna be a problem, if I catch up to them. I’ll head down there and find them, kick their asses, and you stay up here with the weapon.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, Eijirou had a hard time keeping his composure. His jaw clenched every time he said that stupid nickname.

“Izu’s smart, dude. He’ll probably come up with a plan-”

“I know that, fucking asshat. And when he does, I’ll blast it to bits before his eyes. You’re staying here if gravity girl gets by and tries to get the weapon herself. Got it?”

Eijirou didn’t like it. He hated it, in fact- but it was a plan, and he knows Bakugou’s not gonna fucking listen.

If things go too far, he’ll go down there. He doesn’t care if this is an exercise, Izu matters more than whatever grade he’ll get on this.

And besides, he doesn’t think Bakugou cares that it’s an exercise, either. That scares him a lot more than he thought it would.

All Might shouts a ‘go!’ in everyone’s ears, and they’re all off. Somewhere in the building, Katsuki starts walking down the hallway leading back to the entrance. Ochako and Izuku share a look, square their shoulders, and walk in, side-by-side.

Izuku’s chest is still echoing with heat and smoke, but he’s got a good grip on Hellfire’s clawing grasp. He can do this. He has to do this.

The two heroes take off down the first hallway.

The building is too quiet.

The signal has barely been called, so he knows it should be quiet, but it still feels… weird. It’s not like the quiet of his house at night, or the calm of the classroom when the teacher is talking. It’s more like an abandoned house, echoing with untold stories.

He shakes his head, and keeps stepping carefully across the first floor.

“Midoriya-kun, what if he doesn’t come to find us?” Uraraka ventures quietly, barely above a whisper in their comms. He keeps walking forwards, listening for any sounds in the floors above them.

“He will. Don’t worry. If there’s one thing I know about Bakugou…”

There’s shouting up above. He can’t tell what, or who, but he figures it’s Bakugou. It had to have come from the third floor, considering how distant it is. He offers a shaky smile.

“He absolutely hates me, and he’ll do anything to prove himself.”

Uraraka is crouched low next to him, capture tape hung loosely between her hands, and breathing quiet. Hellfire keeps crashing inside his body, sending waves of flames through his blood- but he’s holding it together. His mask is pulled far over his nose, and his visor is pulled over his eyes, keeping the heat and smoke filtering away from his sweaty face.

It’s a long few minutes. He’s counting steadily under his breath, trying to keep track of the time, but he’s pretty sure he’s going too fast. They get to the first stairway by the time he’s gotten to ninety-nine.

They’re ascending the steps when he hears it.

“Midoriya- did you hear that too?”

“Yeah- sounds like Kishi and him are checking in. He sounds close- probably on the second floor. You remember the plan?”

“Yup. Got it. I’ll wait for the signal.”

They creep up the last steps, make their way around the first corner, and then-

And then he can feel it.

Heat and anger and energy and rage. Hellfire leaps into his throat, leaving him breathless and nauseous and terrified- but he puts out his hand in time to stop Uraraka.

He’s somehow glad, in that moment, that the feeling of Bakugou’s quirk is so normal to him. Makes it a lot easier when his quirk goes off at the very inkling of heat.

“He’s around the corner, I think. Stay on your toes, I’ll get started with phase one. Got it?”

“Got it. Good luck, Midoriya-kun.”

He nods minutely, steels himself, and rushes around the corner.

He barely has to make eye contact before Bakugou is practically spitting.

“Deku- there you are you bastard.”

Izuku winces but doesn’t falter. He’s in a fighting stance- a Krav Maga form, designed to help him axe kick more effectively. He stays still. Katsuki mutters something under his breath- probably to Kishi, if Izuku is guessing right- and takes a step forwards.

“Coming out to face me, huh? What, now you wanna die?”

He chokes on his next breath of air.

“You and your goddamned, useless quirk. What, do you not think I know you’ve been laughing it up all this time? Thinking you’re so damn amazing…”

A step.

He flicks the button on his comms carefully, keeping his mind focused on the plan ahead. “Uraraka, I found him. Keep heading along the path we talked about.”

“So she’s running, huh? Must’ve realized how useless you are.”

The words stabbed into his chest, but he still fought against a sigh of relief- because holy fuck he actually bought it-

“You’re still worthless, pathetic Deku- whether or not you’ve got a fucking quirk doesn’t change that!”

And his concentration shatters.

Fuck. Fuck. Fucking hell. God damn it , Ka-

And Bakugou is suddenly shooting forwards.

“TOO PATHETIC TO EVEN START THE FIGHT, HUH?”

Izuku’s occupied, what with his spiraling, self-degrading thoughts, but he manages to dodge to the side just in time.

He doesn’t stop there.

He latches onto his arm- pointed, metallic claws scraping against the long gloves of Bakugou’s costume- and squats, shifts, throws-

And he finds a scream wrenched from his lips.

Bakugou’s back rolls off his own, and he flies onto the floor with a sickening crash.

Izuku is huffing- his insides are melting, becoming slag and iron bone- but he’s breathing. He’s standing. And he just fucking decked Bakugou.

And the scream turns to a battle cry, which turns to words.

“Bakugou- I may be worthless, useless Deku in your eyes- but that’s not all I am!”

Two hissing breaths, still air, a moment of silence.

“I’M NOT DEFENSELESS ANY MORE!!”

Another breath.

And then, realization of what he just did.

Holy shit.

Bakugou is still on the ground, but his eyes are opened now. His stare screams louder than his words ever could, and he’s practically growling between clenched teeth.

“YOU MOTHER FUCKING-”

And he’s back on his feet, faster than Izuku could have predicted.

Something screams in the back of his mind.

Stick to the plan- Stick to the plan!

He dives to the side and rolls off his shoulder, angling himself to look like he’s about to run, and watches as Bakugou dives at him.

He takes one step too close, and Izuku launches himself, low to the ground and behind him.

“WHAT THE F-”

“NOW!!!”

Uraraka’s hands slam into Bakugou’s side, before she fumbles and falls to the ground in a heap. She touched him, though- meaning-!

He’s floating to the ceiling before Izuku can start counting the seconds.

Bakugou is thrashing about now, lashing out at the air holding him captive, and absolutely spitting curses.

“Holy shit- we actually got him!” Uraraka practically cheers, clambering off her spot on the floor. Izuku steadies her as much as he can, but quickly turns back around to where Bakugou had been ascending.

An explosion tears through the air.

“YOU MOTHER FUCKERS THINK I’M DONE AFTER ONE SHITTY HIT?”

He flies- legs tucked in and hands splayed behind himself, like a striking crane- before kicking one leg forward and smashing his foot into Izuku’s back.

He sees stars, breathes smoke, and chokes.

He can hear Uraraka shouting from where he was standing moments ago- but he’s halfway across the hall by now, still sliding centimeter by centimeter.

Everything is too blurry and fast and painful for him to even think.

More explosions, Uraraka’s voice shrieking through his comm.

“Midoriya!!”

“DEKU!!!”