Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Midoriya Izuku sighed to himself as he closed his notebook and started to put his things into his backpack at the end of another school day. He absentmindedly rubbed his arm where his freshest burn was only just healing over. Another gift his worst tormentor had left him the week before. He hoped it wouldn’t leave a scar but he wasn’t always so lucky.

“Oi, Deku! What the fuck are you mumbling about this time?! It’s goddamn annoying, stop it already!”

‘Shit.’ “H-Hey Kacchan!” He tried to smile at his childhood-friend-turned-bully. Something in the way the young girl narrowed her eyes told Izuku it hadn’t worked very well.

“What do you have there? Let me see!” Bakugou Katsumi grabbed the notebook and started flipping through it. “You’re still doing this? I thought I told you to cut it out already! You’re never gonna be a hero. Not without a blessing. And what god would ever want to mark a useless Deku like you?!”

“Y-you don’t need a blessing to become a hero, Kacchan. Just because it’s never happened before doesn’t mean it’s impossible!” He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince by saying this: Bakugou or himself.

He had wanted to be a hero ever since he was a little kid. But when all the other children got their blessings… he didn’t. To make matters worse, Kacchan got an amazing power. And from Mars, a god of war, no less. She had always been a little hotheaded, even before she got her mark, but her personality had really gone downhill after receiving it. Where before she had been abrasive, she was now outright cruel.

“Listen here, Deku! You’re not gonna get in my way. I’m gonna be the best fucking hero there is!” Her crimson eyes seemed to glow with a fury under which Izuku couldn’t help but cower. “You aren’t even a stepping stone for me. You’re just a pebble.” 

Izuku felt a burning hand press down on his shoulder and begin to sizzle. 

“Stay down. Unblessed like you don’t get it; you’d just get in the way. Keep your goddamn nose in your fucking notebook-” she waved the notebook in the air before causing it to crisp around the edges.

There was a glint in the young woman’s eyes as she stared at the object in grim amusement. “Actually, maybe you’d better get a new one.” She tossed the object in the direction of the open window where it fluttered down out of sight. The green haired boy let out a strangled whine as months of work was discarded like garbage.

Katsumi let out a short bark of a laugh. “It’s for your own good, shit-nerd. Trust me.” The young woman released Izuku and began walking out of the room with a swagger in her step.

Izuku felt his heart hammer in his chest, trying desperately to catch his breath without making any noise.

“Actually...” 

The boy glanced up, fresh fear forming knots in his stomach.

“I hear the gods are supposed to take pity on the hopeless. Just be patient and wait until you’re dead and maybe you’ll get lucky in your next life.” She shrugged. “Or don’t, there’s always…”

She raised a finger in the air, whistling as she began to lower it in mock free-fall, decreasing the pitch of her whistle as she did so. There was some unreadable emotion on her face as she looked on Izuku one last time before stepping out the door and into the hall.

Izuku slumped to the floor, hugging his knees to his chest and sending out a silent prayer to anything that could be listening.

‘Please. Please. Please.’ 

Izuku barely noticed what was going on around him as he slowly made his way home; he wasn’t in a hurry to get there. In fact, he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the looming form of a man standing on the sidewalk and looking a little lost until he ran into him.

“Ouch! What- oh my gods, I’m terribly sorry, sir! I didn’t see you there!” Izuku rubbed his tailbone to get rid of the pain from falling. 

“It’s alright, young man. I hope you didn’t get hurt when you fell!” The blonde man offered Izuku a hand to help him stand back up. 

The man in front of him looked like a very tall skeleton with short blonde hair standing out in the back of his head and two long bangs framing his face. One of his eyes was covered by a patch, the other was an icy blue. It felt like he could stare right into the very depths of your soul and the farthest reaches of the universe. His whole body looked thin, but not exactly weak. He somehow gave off an aura of power and wisdom.

Izuku looked at him for a moment longer before he realized he was being impolite and grabbed the hand offered to him. He bowed deeply and apologized profusely, but the other man just waved him off and laughed. “It’s alright, stop it. I think we all run into someone else at least once in our lives. I shouldn’t have been standing in the middle of the sidewalk like this. But I was wondering where the restaurant had gone that used to be here back when I was your age. You wouldn’t happen to know?”

“Ah, I’m sorry!” The tall blonde looked at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation, causing Izuku to flush with embarrassment before continuing. “Sorry... Th-there was a ramen place somewhere around here, but I think it went out of business a few years ago… maybe that’s the one you were looking for?”

“That would be the one,” the man sighed. “Too bad, I was actually looking forward to eating there again. But I suppose it can’t be helped. Can you recommend any other restaurants instead?”

“There is one closer to the shopping district. I can show you the way if you want, Mr…” Izuku looked at the man questioningly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced myself! My name is Yagi Toshinori. And you are...?” The blonde held out a hand towards Izuku again.

“I’m Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you!” He hesitated for a moment before taking the hand offered to him and shook it. “Well then, follow me. It should only take a few minutes to get to the place.”

The two were chatting idly along the way, Yagi asking about recent developments in the area, and Izuku happily supplying any intel he could and in turn asking what brought the tall man here. He learned that Yagi was originally from Musutafu but had been away for work the past few years, though he wouldn’t tell what exactly that work had been. 

Suddenly they heard a loud explosion. Both men turned towards the noise and started sprinting in the direction as they heard another bang even louder than the first. It sounded oddly familiar to Izuku...

As they rounded a corner they saw immediately what caused the tumult. A villain had apparently taken a hostage that was fighting back viciously. Fires were already starting to spread in the alleyway the villain had been cornered in. A small crowd of spectators had gathered and the heroes on the scene were busy trying to get the situation under control. Izuku pushed through the rows of onlookers, trying to get to the front so he could watch the fight and take notes. 

The moment he pushed past the last row of people blocking his view, his notes were all but forgotten. 

‘Kacchan!’

Before he knew it he was already slipping past the security line and sprinting towards his childhood friend. ‘Shit shit shit shit shit! What am I doing? What am I gonna— page 25, Kamui Woods… confronted by an enemy… arms stretch out... ‘

He pulled his backpack off his shoulders and hurled it at the villains face. It recoiled and Izuku used that moment to close the distance between them and immediately started to try and pull Kacchan out from its grasp.

“KACCHAN!”

“Deku?! Why?!”

“I don’t know, I couldn’t stop myself! I couldn’t just abandon you!”

Everything had happened so fast. Soon after they arrived, Toshinori had realized what was going on. A villain with what seemed to be the blessing of some kind of river god had taken a hostage and none of the heroes that had appeared at the scene were able to handle the situation. 

He had lost track of the boy that was accompanying him almost immediately. Figuring he had joined the spectators, Toshinori was now trying to bypass the crowd himself in order to get a full view, assess the situation and find a spot where he could change without being spotted. By the time he managed to slip around the people gathered behind the safety line Backdraft had put up, he had eyes on the boy again. ‘What on earth is that kid doing?! That is too dangerous!’

Realizing everybody was too focused on the heroic youngster to notice anything else going on around them, his body expanded into a towering wall of muscle right where  he was standing and charged in. He called upon Hugin and Munin through the mental link they shared to come and help him. One of the ravens came to sit on his arm and transformed itself into a spear with golden sparks rippling across its surface. 

He sprinted towards the scene and rammed the spear into the ground. A massive shock wave flew out from the spear and ripped the sludgy villain off the two kids and scattered it across the alleyway. A boom that sounded like thunder rang out as everybody stood and stared in baffled silence. 

Once everyone had come back to their senses, the crowd started cheering and clapping. Backdraft and Mt. Lady had already started picking up the remainder of the villain, while Kamui Woods and Death Arms were checking up on the hostage and her savior. 

“Well done holding out there, young lady. You really put up a fight back there. Are you one of Mars’?”

“Boy, that was really heroic, and really really stupid of you! Do you realize how dangerous that was? What even is your blessing?”

“The fucking nerd doesn’t have a blessing; he’s just a useless Deku!” Katsumi threw in before Izuku had any chance to answer the question.

“No blessing?! Are you serious?! Do you realize just how stupid that was? Don’t ever pull such a stunt again; you could wind up getting yourself and others killed! Leave hero work to actual heroes in the future!”

“I’ve been telling him that for years; he won’t listen,” Katsumi mumbled, more to herself than to anyone present.

“I didn’t— I wasn’t— I was freaking out and I couldn’t stop myself! My legs were moving on their own accord I didn’t mean to run in like that!” Izuku tried to defend himself. ‘Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it again, though...’ he thought to himself. Luckily, this time he was smart enough not to think out loud.

“Well, in any case, there’s an ambulance waiting over there. Get yourselves checked out and once they clear you, and you’ve given the police your statement, you can go home.”

The sun was already setting by the time Izuku was finally done at the scene. He was on his way home when he suddenly remembered the blonde man… Yagi. He’d completely forgotten about him with everything that had happened. He was still deep in thought, mentally apologizing for abandoning the man when he ran into someone again .

“You really should start paying attention to what’s in front of you, Young Midoriya,” a familiar voice said with a chuckle. Izuku looked up at the man in front of him for the second time that day. This time he accepted the hand offered to him immediately and bowed down, apologizing profusely again.

“I already told you, didn’t I? We all run into someone else occasionally. You, however, seem to be exceptionally distracted by something. Do you want to talk about it? I’m willing to offer an ear.” Yagi smiled at Izuku with more kindness than he had received from anyone other than his mother in… possibly forever. He certainly didn’t remember the last time it happened.

“No. It’s okay. I don’t want to be a bother to anyone…” Izuku said tiredly. His shoulders were sagging as his head hung low. His voice was laced with defeat, and he emanated a loneliness deeper than a boy his age should ever know.

“You aren’t a bother. I wouldn’t offer this if I didn’t mean it.” Yagi placed a hand on Izuku’s back and started guiding him towards a nearby bench. They sat down and only stared into the distance for a while.

“Do you think someone can be a hero without a blessing?” Izuku asked after what felt like an eternity. He had spoken so softly he was barely audible.

“Well, having one sure helps with the job. But the blessing doesn’t make the hero. The hero makes the hero.”

“Do you really think so?” The tone of disbelief in the boys voice caused Yagi’s heart to ache for him. It sounded like he’d been beaten down so many times that the mere thought of becoming a hero was little more than a faded dream. “Everybody has always told me it’s pointless. That there is no way for me to be a hero without a blessing. That I’m just gonna get myself killed at the first chance. But… I can’t help it! It’s all I ever wanted to be… all I ever wanted to do… to help others...“ 

Izuku’s voice had gotten softer and softer until Yagi could hardly hear him. Silent tears were drawing wet lines across his cheeks. He didn’t even seem to have realized that he was crying.

“I saw you sprint to that girl that was taken hostage by the villain earlier,” the older man began slowly, collecting his thoughts as he spoke. “I won’t lie, that was extremely stupid. But I won’t ask you what you were thinking because I believe I already know the answer: you weren’t thinking. You just... moved.” 

Izuku stared into the distance, his eyes falling on the two birds sitting in a tree on the other side of the road. ‘Odd, you usually don’t see any ravens in this area…’

Yagi took a breath before he continued. "You did a good thing today; I won't pretend like it wasn't the actions of a hero. But you need to learn to think things through before you act if you want to survive. You were fortunate enough to have escaped unharmed this time; should something such as this happen again, it is quite unlikely that aid would reach you in time."

The change in the man was subtle, but it was one that Izuku picked up on immediately. He looked at Yagi. The tall blonde didn’t look any different, and his voice hadn’t changed at all, but he somehow felt different. Older. Wiser.

“You almost sound like you actually believe I will be a hero one day… I wish I had your confidence,” Izuku said with a good amount of skepticism. “There’s no way anyone like me could… be…”

His voice began to trail off as his eye caught sight of the birds again. As his conversations with Mr. Yagi has continued they’d flown closer and closer, their attention never wavering from the two of them. ‘Are they watching us? Watching... me?’ One of the ravens lighted on the back of the bench, tilting its head as its gaze shifted from Izuku to Yagi and back again. 

The second perched itself directly on the blond man’s shoulder.

Izuku’s eyes blew wide open. These two ravens could only mean one thing  “Y-you…They… those… are… YOU’RE ALL MIGHT!!!” His heart began to race as the realization settled in. “You— you’re the Incarnate of Odin! Holy shit, you’re amazing! Y-you’ve gotta be the most powerful hero that’s ever lived! Then— Then you have Gungnir, a-a-and your familiars a-and— 

A grin began to form on the man’s face as he chuckled lightly, drawing Izuku’s attention back to the present. The boy flushed crimson as he realized his muttering habit had manifested itself. “S-sorry. I just… I never expected I’d actually get to meet you. Oh my gods… I-I literally ran into All Might twice … ” 

The rest of his ramblings were at a speed and volume that made it impossible to understand just what he was saying.

“You seem to be quite the fan, Young Midoriya,” Yagi said with a laugh. “But please, do not give my identity away now. I’m incognito when I am like this, and I would rather prefer to keep it that way.”

“S-Sorry. Just- oh my gods… you’re really All Might! ” Izuku took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “Wait, do you really believe I can be a hero? Even without a blessing?” Izuku looked at Yagi questioningly, all the defeat and loneliness washed away from him. 

All Might looked at him with an intense look in his eye. Almost as if he was searching for something. 

“Young Midoriya, I do believe you can be a hero. But I do not think you are unmarked. You see, Incarnates have an ability that others do not have: we can see the Marks of a god on a person’s soul if we want to. And you, young man, bear the Marks of none other than Jupiter.”

Chapter Text

“What do you mean, I have the marks of Jupiter?! That’s impossible! I don’t have any powers, and Jupiter… th-that would mean I’m an Incarnate! I can’t be an Incarnate: I’m Unmarked!”

“Believe me, young man, I’m very sure of this. I think I even know why you never received your powers. You see, only the strongest gods will have Incarnates, and there can only ever be one Incarnate per god at a time.” The blond man— ’freaking All Might!’ —scratched the back of his head before continuing. “The last Incarnate of Jupiter got severely injured in a fight a few years back, and she had to undergo intensive medical care afterwards. My guess is, due to the severity of her injuries, Jupiter felt he would need a successor soon, thus leading to you being blessed. However, the last Incarnate did not pass on as he’d expected, and so he was pulled back to her before he could transfer his powers to you. Until that happens, you will remain, essentially, Unblessed.”

Izuku stared at the man next to him in absolute shock and disbelief. Him, marked? And by Jupiter?! This was too much. It couldn’t be real. He had to be dreaming. Did he hit his head when he rushed out to help Kacchan? Did he die and was now in the Afterlife?

His emotions must have shown on his face, because All Might started laughing again and patted him on the back. “I can imagine this is quite a lot to take in right now. But it is quite a good thing we met. The last Incarnate of Jupiter is a good friend of mine, and I would like to help you prepare yourself for the time when you actually will receive your powers.”

“What do you mean, ‘help me prepare’?” Izuku asked, thoroughly confused.

“You see... usually, people receive their powers when they are still very young, and their bodies grow accustomed to them over time. My guess is that you will receive the full power of an Incarnate all at once, more or less. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your current body will not be able to contain that power. So I would like to help you train your body and mind to prepare you for that moment.”

“That… makes sense, I guess? Wait, All Might— I mean, y-you ... want to train me ? I… I don’t know if I’m worth— w-won’t it be hard for you to do that with your hero work and all?”

The hero chuckled lightly. “Well, even heroes don’t work all day every day. I’m off duty right now am I not?”

“Yeah, that makes sense… but I wanna ask my mother for permission first. I-I wouldn’t wanna go behind her back with this. Maybe you can join us for dinner tonight and you can tell her what you told me?” Izuku didn’t even wait for an answer before pulling out his phone to call his mother and tell her to cook for three.

“I agree with telling your mother, but I couldn’t possibly…intrude…”

“JUPITER?!” Midoriya Inko didn’t believe her ears. Her baby boy, Blessed? By the head of a pantheon?! Not in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined anything like that. If she hadn’t been sitting at the dinner table already, she might’ve just dropped right then and there.

All Might waited for her to calm down a bit before he continued. “You seem to understand the severity of the situation, Mrs. Midoriya. Your son will have to train both his body and mind before he gets his powers. I am offering to personally oversee that training to make sure he won’t pose a danger to himself or to those around him when the time comes to receive his powers. This will also help to rule out the possibility of injuries or such during the training itself.”

“Well, I don’t see any reason to deny either of you what you’re planning. Just...make sure you keep my baby boy safe, All Might,” Inko said, still visibly baffled by the whole situation.

“ Mooom, I’m 14! I’m not a baby boy anymore!” Izuku interjected, face flushing deeper and deeper.

“You will always be my baby boy, Izuku,” Inko said with a loving smile.

“A-anyway, All Might,” Izuku swallowed. He still couldn’t believe the number one hero was sitting in his kitchen sipping tea, “what will this training you mentioned look like?”

“I’d like to know that as well. I trust you that you will take care of my b— my son,” Inko cut herself off from embarrassing Izuku even further. It was clear that this was very important to him and she hadn’t seen him smile this much for the longest time. She was not about to ruin that. She cleared her throat and started again.“I trust you that you will take good care of my son, but I’d like to be kept in the loop about everything.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way Mrs. Midoriya. In fact I need you on board for this. I will prepare a workout schedule and a meal plan. If you agree to it, I would also like to take him to a colleague of mine. She works as the resident nurse at UJUA, University of Japan Yuuei, and I would like for her to give him a full medical check-up before we start training, as well as minor ones in regular intervals throughout the upcoming years. That way we can make sure that he lives up to his potential without pushing himself beyond his limits in an unhealthy way.”

“Please do that. I will talk to my ex-husband and see if he can send us more money to cover the bills.”

All Might quickly raised a hand. “There is no need to worry about money. I make more than enough as a hero to afford the extra meals Izuku will need. Think of it as my way of thanking you for allowing me to train your son.”

“All Might, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Think nothing of it, Mrs. Midoriya. It is my genuine pleasure,” the hero interrupted with what the duo assumed to be a wink, although considering the man only had the one eye, it was a bit difficult to tell.

Inko slumped back into her chair, thoroughly stunned by the man’s generosity and the weight of the news.

All Might cleared his throat. “I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about. I should make my way home for now and allow you two to discuss in private. I will be in touch about starting Izuku’s training and the medical check up.” The man rose slowly, bowing low and offering the pair of Midoriyas a small smile. “Thank you very much for the meal, it was delicious.”

“Thank you, All Might.” Inko rose too, followed swiftly by Izuku.

“Please, call me Toshinori.” 

This sent the mother and son into renewed frenzy as they stumbled over the fact that the world’s symbol of peace just asked them to refer to him by his first name.

“O-of course, All M- I mean, Toshinori!” Inko stuttered. “Izuku, would you show him out?”

The boy nodded jerkily, leading his idol to the door and bidding him a clumsy good night before shutting the door and collapsing on the floor.

“Izuku!”

Inko, who was having a difficult time under the weight of the news herself, managed to rouse Izuku and guide her son back into the living room where the pair unceremoniously dropped onto the couch.

“So,” Inko began, “you… you’re not unblessed.”

Izuku nodded slowly, his face still a mask of shock.

The woman wrapped her arms around her son carefully. “Izuku, I am so, so proud of you.”

“Huh?” Izuku turned back to his mother with glassy eyes.

Inko was beginning to tear up as she spoke again. “You have spent your whole life thinking you weren’t special. I… I wanted to help you but I had no idea how. You were bullied and beaten and I tried… I tried to get you to talk to me but you just smiled and told me you were okay.” The woman sniffled as her voice grew wobbly. “But you never gave up, you kept trying and learning and getting better and now… now the person you most admire found you and gave you something I couldn’t.”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

“Hope, Izuku.” Inko wiped the tears from her own face before drying Izuku’s cheek with her sleeve. “Toshinori gave you hope again.”

Izuku buried his face in his mother’s shoulder as he stifled a sob. The rush of a decade’s worth of anguish washing out of him as his stifled sobs broke into steady weeping. For several minutes, the small apartment was filled with the broken, choked cries of Izuku as he allowed the pain to flow out of him, all the pain he had tried desperately to keep from his mother. The pain he thought he had hidden well enough flowed out of him.

Inko clutched tightly onto Izuku, letting him ride out his emotions as his sobs grew softer and softer before they morphed into small hiccups of laughter. 

“Mom,” Izuku hiccuped, “I’m gonna make you proud. I’m going to become a hero just like All Might and make you proud.”

“Sweetheart, I’m already proud of you.” Inko pulled back from Izuku so her son could see the determination in her eyes. “If you’re going to go through with this, do this for yourself. Make yourself proud. Do that and know that I will always be there to cheer you on and support you.”

Izuku nodded with a watery smile, pulling himself back into his mother’s embrace and holding her tight. 

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Izuku.”

The two continued to cry onto each others’ shoulders for a while longer until there were no tears left in either of them. They both went to bed exhausted, but at the same time they felt like a weight had left them that they hadn’t even noticed up until now.

Katsumi was sitting on her bed, hugging her dog like a lifeline. The events of the day were finally catching up to her, and they were hitting her like a fucking freight train.

“I really could’ve died today, Murder! I was completely helpless against that asshole…” 

Murder, or Lord Explosion Murder, as his full name was, tilted his head at her words, then gave a slow blink and licked her across the face comfortingly before leaning into her, his head against her shoulder.

“Stupid dog,” Katsumi grumbled, but couldn’t help the smile that was pulling at the corners of her mouth. He just sniffed in response. “Seriously though, that… I… if it hadn’t been for that idiot Deku, I don’t know what would’ve happened…” Her voice almost broke towards the end under the weight of tears she refused to spill.

The boy that had once upon a time been her best friend, the boy that she had been treating like her personal punching bag for the last decade—that she had basically told to jump off the fucking roof just earlier today—didn’t hesitate for even a second before coming to her rescue. “He said he didn’t even think about it, Murder! And I didn’t even thank him! I-I just yelled at him like I always do… wh-why am I such a bitch towards him all the time?” 

Tears were now rolling freely down her cheeks, leaving wet trails behind that she angrily wiped off with her sleeve. Weak. Katsumi buried her face in Murder’s fur and tried to fight down her emotions. It was a losing battle. 

She cried into him for a while, one bad thought chasing another in never ending circles in her head. When she finally regained some composure, she let go of him, pulled her favorite sweater over her head and left her room, gesturing for Murder to follow her. She grabbed the leash of its hook by the door, shoved the keys into her pocket and went outside. Murder still needed his evening walk and she needed some fresh air.

She wasn’t really paying attention to the road, letting the dog decide the path they took, one of her hands buried in the thick fur in his neck. The wolfdog stood as tall as her hip when on all four and she often sought comfort in him like this when they were walking together. He was the only one who never judged her for her horrible temper and she loved him all the more for it.

He was clever enough that she didn’t have to worry about getting lost or him running in front of a car. Not that there were many around at this hour anyway. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice where exactly Murder was taking her until she saw the apartment complex the Midoriyas lived in.

“Of course you’d come here, you traitorous mutt,” she murmured as she scratched her companion behind the ears. “You love him and his belly rubs, don’t you?” 

She looked at the door of Deku’s apartment when suddenly it opened and a man stepped out, turning around to say goodbye and slowly making his way down towards the street. 

“I wonder who that is. What do you think, Murder: did Auntie Inko finally start dating again?” Katsumi smiled to herself. She knew that Deku’s dad had been living in America for years now and that he and Auntie were divorced because of that. Her mother had told her as much when she asked a few years back. As far as she knew they were still close to each other, for Deku’s sake if nothing else, but she always thought that Auntie Inko deserved someone special in her life. 

But it didn’t matter now. She was starting to get tired, so she gestured at Murder to follow her again as she turned and slowly made her way back home. Once she got there she didn’t even bother changing into her pyjamas. She just fell onto the bed and was asleep within seconds, hugging Lord Explosion Murder close to her.

“Izuku, will you get the door please?” Inko called out from the kitchen. It was Saturday, and like they had agreed the day before, All M- Toshinori had come to take Izuku to his medical examination. He had called a little earlier to let them know when he would pick the boy up and to tell him to pack some gym clothes, so when the doorbell rang they already knew who to expect.

Inko had wanted to come along, but she got a call that she was needed at work, so she had to let her baby boy go without her.

The car ride was spent in relative silence. Toshinori had briefly introduced the driver as one of his assistants while gesturing at his eye patch, explaining how he couldn’t drive himself. Izuku was too starstruck, or maybe still shell-shocked, to hold up a conversation, and Toshinori was smart enough not to push the boy. He would wait and let him make the first step.

“Hey All— Toshinori?” Izuku asked after a while. His voice was soft, almost as if he was afraid of overstepping just by opening his mouth. “Where are Munin and Hugin today?” 

‘Impressive, he even knows the names of my familiars. He must be quite the fanboy...’ Toshinori thought to himself. “They’re probably hunting or sleeping right now. The transformations always take a lot of energy out of them. And they really aren’t the youngest birds anymore. I don’t know if you’re aware, but they are the birds the real Odin had with him back when he still walked this earth himself.”

“Really?! That’s so cool!” Izuku replied with a sparkle in his eyes. 

No, not just his eyes. His entire body language changed from seeming intimidated to being full of wonder and amazement. ‘Fanboy indeed’ Toshinori thought with a chuckle. ‘I’ll have to be careful that doesn’t get out of hand. Idolization can be a dangerously double-edged sword.’

”That actually explains how they can transform into Gungnir and Sleipnir and all that… is that a regular thing for Incarnates? I’m not sure if I’ve noticed anything similar with the other ones I have made notes about… and I know that Lemmy is a regular wolfdog. Not that there is anything particularly ‘regular’ about a wolfdog. But I’ve seen him as a puppy when she first got him so he has to be a normal dog… and I mean people still have pets… oh and All Might is missing an eye, just like Odin in the Edda… I wonder if that is a coincidence or related to him being an Incarnate...” The longer his mumbling went on, the harder it became to understand him. It was clear that he was not talking to anyone as much as thinking out loud, most likely without even realizing it.

Toshinori looked at Izuku, who had pulled a notebook out of his backpack while he was rambling to himself. It looked singed around the edges. ‘I wonder what happened to it…’ He opened a new page and started writing something down.

“What are you doing?” Toshinori asked curiously, leaning over to see the page better.

“Oh, this is sort of a hobby of mine… I watch heroes fight or give interviews and take notes about their blessings, how they use them, their strategies and such. I— I have quite a few pages about you to be honest…” Izuku explained, blushing bright red towards the end. 

“Can I take a look at it?” 

“Sure, I guess?” Toshinori took the notebook from Izuku and started flipping through the pages, stopping here and there to read.

“These notes are very thorough. I have to admit I’m impressed. You are a smart kid; I look forward to working with you, Young Midoriya.”

“If I call you To-Toshinori, you should call me Izuku.” 

A warm smile spread over Toshinori's face. “If you want me to, I can do that, Young Izuku.”

“Mr. Yagi, we’ve arrived at UA,” the driver suddenly announced from the front of the car. Neither of the passengers had realized the car had stopped moving. “Do you want me to stay here and wait, or should I return to the agency and come back to pick you up once you and the boy are done?” 

“I’m expecting this to take a while. You can return to the agency, I shall give you a call once I know when we’re done,” Toshinori said as he was getting out of the car. Izuku walked up to him and they watched the car drive away before they turned around.

“Welcome to UJUA, young Izuku. Now let’s get going, my colleague is not exactly known for her patience.”

“Ah, Toshinori, come in. And this must be the boy you told me about, Midoriya Eisuke?” The nurse held the door as she spoke, ushering the two into the room. She was a short elderly woman with a kind smile on her face, grey hair that was tucked into a bun, and a strange looking cane in her hand.

“It’s Midoriya Izuku, ma’am,” Izuku replied shyly, stepping into the office.

“I'm sorry, sonny. I must’ve misheard over the phone. I’m Shuuzenji Chiyo, but you may know me better as Recovery Girl. Please, take a seat. Toshinori has already filled me in about your situation.” She gestured at the exam table. “Have you ever had a full medical check-up done, Midoriya?” 

“No, ma’am. At least not since I was a very small child.” 

“Alright, then I will give you a run down on what we will be doing. I will draw some blood first so we can get the lab work started to check for any issues there and see how your nutrition is. From there, we’ll start off with a simple physical: measuring your height and weight, checking your vitals—blood pressure, pulse, blood oxygen levels—and make sure you’re reflexes are working properly. I will also test your lungs to make sure there’s no problems with your respiratory system. Once that’s done, we’ll run you through two EKG’s; one while you’re lying down and one while you’re exercising, as well as an EEG to make sure your brain is fit for the powers you will be getting. Lastly we’ll do a full body scan to check for any underlying issues like misaligned joints, ligaments and such. Do you have any questions about any of that?”

“Not at the moment, ma’am. If any come up I will ask them though.” Izuku had been following the explanation with a concentrated look on his face.

“Wonderful. Did you bring some gym clothes?” Izuku nodded. “Then why don’t you go change into those while I finish setting everything up?”

She showed him where he could get changed and where to put his street clothes. When he returned he sat down on the exam table again. 

Recovery Girl gestured for him to roll up his sleeve so she could access the vein in the crook of his elbow. She expertly filled a few vials with his blood and put them into a machine that immediately started spinning them. Next she picked up a little hammer and checked his reflexes just like she had said she would. Following that he had to stand on a scale that not only displayed his weight, but also showed the percentages of bone, muscle, and fat that made up his mass. After she had taken down all his measurements and checked over his vitals, she told him to follow her to another room. 

The new room looked like it was right out of an old sci-fi movie. There was another exam table, a stationary bike, a box that looked a little like one of those old phone booths, a device that was probably the body scanner and a few machines with lots of cables coming out of them.

“Go ahead and lay down, I’m going to attach these patches to your chest and limbs so hold still.” 

Izuku felt a small tingle as several patches with wires leading to a machine were affixed to his chest around his heart, then to his wrists and his thighs over the next several minutes. Within a couple of seconds a soft, rhythmic pinging began filling the quiet of the room. Recovery Girl stared at the monitor for several moments, taking down notes and examining the readout.

“What does that all mean?” Izuku asked, perking up.

Recovery Girl glanced up. “I’m checking the electrical rhythms of your heart. Just making sure there’s nothing abnormal. I need a baseline to compare to when we put you on the bike.”

Izuku nodded before laying back as Recovery Girl removed the cables from the sensors on his body and led him to the phone-booth-looking object. The heroine opened the door and gestured for Izuku to sit inside. The door was shut behind him and the young man settled onto the bench inside, facing toward a tube with a mouth guard.

Recovery Girl booted up a small computer screen and turned back to Izuku whilst holding a small microphone as the sound of her voice entered the booth through a speaker. “Okay Midoriya, I just need you attach that clip over your nose,” she pointed to a black clip on the top of the nozzle, “and then just breathe normally into that tube there. Don’t be alarmed, the air will be removed from the booth to ensure there are no extraneous variables. If I ask you to breathe a certain way, do your best to comply with that, okay?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Izuku placed the clip on his nose, scrunching his face as he was forced to breathe through his mouth and placing his lips over the nozzle. He felt a comfortable stream of sterile air flowing in and out of the tube as he began breathing. 

“Okay Dearie, I’m going to begin the test. Just keep breathing. You may feel strange as the air is removed from the chamber, but that’s normal.”

The sensation was odd, Izuku felt a small popping sensation in his ears and fought the urge to yawn in order to clear it. 

Recovery Girl’s voice came through the speaker again, giving him instructions on how to breathe. He found them pretty easy to follow, even as she told him to breathe against the resistance. Next she injected some gas into the air he was breathing. It burned a little in his throat and tasted anything but nice. After a short while, he had to repeat the breathing exercises again. Once they were done, the airseal on the door opened up and she told him that he could come out now. She offered him a bottle of water that he immediately took a big gulp from. The PFT had left his mouth a little dry.

“Alright, we’re almost done. Please sit on the bike so i can reattach the cables to the sensors.”

Izuku followed the nurse-hero’s instructions, lifting his shirt as he sat down on the stationary bike so that the woman could place cables back over the sensors on his chest. 

”Alright, Midoriya, go ahead and start pedaling. I'm going to keep track of your heart rate over here. The bike will take you through a variety of different types of resistances and speeds, just try your best to keep up.”

Izuku nodded and followed suit, getting the bike up to a moderate pace and feeling his quads protest as the minutes wore on and the bike did indeed get more difficult to pedal. After what felt like an eternity to the boy, Recovery Girl nodded her head and turned back to him.

”Nicely done, you can stop now.”

The young man tried his best not to sigh in obvious relief. 

Recovery Girl motioned for Izuku to lift his shirt again and began removing the cables and the pads. ”All that’s left is the EEG. Go ahead and drink some water and catch your breath. I'll have everything ready in just a few minutes.”

Izuku watched her put away everything they had used for the EKG and pull out a strange looking cap along with a different set of cables and a big bottle of something. When she was done organizing everything she gestured for him to put down the bottle and pulled the cap over his hair.

She fiddled with a few of the electrodes, adjusting their position before she gut a bit of gel from the big bottle under each of them.

“Don’t worry dearie, this will wash out without any issues. Now, I need you to sit as still as possible, any movement can throw off the reading. It won’t take very long and I will pause the test to give you a chance to readjust your position a few minutes in,” she explained as she hooked the cables to the electrodes. 

Izuku complied happily. The stress test had been more exhausting than he wanted to admit. Toshinori was right, he needed to train before he got his powers. The first few minutes he indeed had to do nothing but sit still. Then Recovery Girl paused the reading, let him get comfortable again and told him to blink as fast as he could when she gave him the signal. It continued like this for a while, until finally she told him that they were done.

She unhooked the cables from the electrodes and pulled the cap off his head. “There are some tissues over there for you wipe the gel off your face and out of your hair,” the heroine said as she pointed towards a sink with a mirror mounted on the wall above it.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Izuku said and walked over to clean himself up a little.

When he was done he returned to Recovery Girl’s side and she led him over to another machine.

“Lie down on your back, arms stretched out by your sides. This will only take a second, lie as still as possible so the image is clear. This is the last test. We’re done after this.”

Izuku did as he was told and Recovery Girl started the machine. The scanner went down to his feet and then slowly back up to his head, humming softly as it did so. When it reached his head it stopped humming, went back into its initial position and Recovery Girl told him that it was okay to move again. He hopped off the table and waited for further instructions.

“Alright Dearie, that’s all for today. Why don’t you go change back into your street clothes while I take a look at the scans?”

When Izuku returned to the main office, Recovery Girl and Toshinori were talking to each other.

“He’s a sweet boy, make sure you take good care of him Toshinori. I don’t want to see him here too often, understood?”

“I’m done.” Izuku announced himself. Both heroes turned around to look at him, and Recovery girl gestured for him to take a seat on the free chair.

“I’ve looked at all your results, and I am glad to say that there are no major issues I can see. The only things that came up are a slight imbalance in your nutrition and a BMI that is slightly below what it should be, but nothing that raises my immediate concern. I will work out a meal plan in accordance to both your needs and Toshinori's training to make sure you’re at your best possible condition when you receive your Blessing. For now, take one of these once a day with your meal, either in the morning or in the evening, but always around the same time of day. This is a food supplement that will help bring your blood iron back up to a good level. Take this until you run out and then come here again or go to your family doctor so you can get another blood test to check if it’s working properly. When you go to your family doctor, give them this. It’s a report on all the test results I go today.”

With that, Recovery Girl handed Izuku an envelope and a pill bottle with the food supplements he was supposed to take. They all got up, said goodbye and Toshinori and Izuku stepped out of the nurse’s office.

“What do you say, Young Izuku, should we get some ice cream on the way back?” Toshinori asked with a kind smile on his face.

“I would love that!” Izuku’s eyes shone with joy as they stepped outside the building where the car was already waiting for them.

Chapter Text

“DAD! DAD! YougottalistentothisI’mblessedbyAllMightandJupiterisgonnatrainme—noImeanJupiterdidandAllMightwillandOHMYGODSDADI’MANINCARNATE?!”

“Ok, Izuku, I’m only about 70% sure that was Japanese you were speaking… care to repeat that? But please remember that words work best when separated this time,” Hisashi said with a laugh. It was good to see his son so excited about something. Whatever that something was...

“Oh my gods, Dad! All Might! Is training me! Because I’m apparently the next Incarnate of Jupiter!” Izuku shouted, this time barely slow enough for Hisashi to be able to tell the words apart.

...

“Wait, what?!”

“I know, right? I couldn’t believe it either but I met All Might and he’s the Incarnate of Odin and he took me to Recovery Girl and I’m perfectly healthy and apparently Incarnates can see the mark on a person’s soul—did you know that it was possible to be marked without being blessed? And I’m gonna be training with All Might , Dad! And he told me to call him Toshin- wait…” Izuku turned away from the screen that he was sitting in front of facetiming with his Dad. “Mooom, think it’s ok if I tell Dad All Might’s real name?”

There was some shuffling audible in the background and then Inko stepped into view, still holding a teacup she was drying off. She leaned down a little to Izuku’s eye level so the webcam would pick her up properly.

“Hello, handsome, how are you doing?” She smiled at her ex-husband.

“I’m fine, thank you, darling. I’m a little confused about how meeting the Incarnate of Odin is related to being perfectly healthy, but I’m guessing if I wait patiently Izuku will give me enough snippets to piece the story together eventually.”

“Moooom , you can flirt with Dad later! It’s my time to talk with him!” Izuku rolled his eyes at his parents. He knew that even though they were divorced, they were on very good terms and even went out on dates when his father visited them in Japan or they visited him in America.

“Sorry, sweetie, you’re right. And I think it’s okay to share his name with your dad.” Inko ruffled Izuku’s hair with a smile and left the room again.

“Thanks, Mom! So Dad, All Might’s real name is Yagi Toshinori and he told us to call him Toshinori! I mean, how cool is that? The number one hero, All Might, told me to call him Toshinori! And he has two ravens and did you know how absolutely gigantic ravens are?! Anyway, he took me to Recovery Girl and then we got some ice cream and he’s gonna train me so I can handle the powers of Jupiter when I get them…”

“Yeah, about that,” Hisashi interrupted the happy ramblings of his son. “What exactly do you mean by that? Why are you suddenly Jupiter’s Incarnate?”

“Well, I’m not yet, but Toshinori said I have the Marks of Jupiter on my soul? Apparently the last Incarnate almost died, and things got really messy because of that… but because they survived, I haven’t received any powers yet. But he’s gonna train me now so I can handle it because usually the body grows to adapt to the powers it wields but mine didn’t because I don’t have them and so I got a checkup to make sure everything was okay and Toshinori is making me a workout plan and did I mention that I literally ran into him twice in one day and—”

“Izuku, breathe! You need oxygen to survive like the rest of us!” Hisashi was always amazed at how long his son could continue talking without a break when he was excited about something.

“Daaad! I’m just so super excited! You should visit us again soon, you know? Mom and I miss you and you totally have to meet Toshinori, too!”

“And I miss you both. I think I will be able to come home for a few days during your winter break. I’ll have a few meetings in Tokyo then and I already requested some time off afterwards.”

“YES! That would be so cool! MOM!” Izuku twisted in his chair, calling in the direction of the kitchen. “Dad is gonna try to come home during winter break!”

Inko reentered the room. “That’s great news, honey! Why don’t you go eat lunch and let me ‘flirt’ with your dad now?”

“Okay, Mom. Love you, Dad!” With that, Izuku jumped out of his chair and walked to the kitchen to see what his mother had made.

“Wow, he is as excitable as ever,” Hisashi said with a loving smile on this face.

“I haven’t seen him this energetic in a while. I think the bullying got worse again. I really want to pull him out of that school, but that would mean more school fees and I don’t want to be a burden to you—”

“Inko, you aren’t a burden to me, and you know that! Your happiness is what matters the most. We can afford sending him to a different school, I’ll even get a cheaper apartment if necessary. Just tell me if you need more money, okay darling?” Hisashi’s voice took on a soft tone and he looked at Inko with a loving gaze. 

He really missed his family that he had to leave behind for the job. Inko hadn’t been able to follow him with Izuku as she didn’t want to leave her parents alone and had still been in school to become a nurse at the time. In the following years, they had felt the strain of the distance on their marriage and decided that they would be better off divorced but friends rather than unhappily married. And it had worked; as much as they missed each other, the strain that had been there had all but disappeared.

“Is there any chance you will move back to Japan anytime soon?” Inko asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“None that I know of.”

They both sat in silence for a while, thinking about how nice it would be to live together again. Maybe even remarry. 

“But Izuku as the Incarnate of Jupiter… I feel like I’m dreaming, and you definitely are pretty enough for this to be a dream, my love,” Hisashi said, trying to lift the mood again. “It would definitely explain his love for storms ever since he was a little boy. Remember how he would always press his nose against the window when there was a thunderstorm?”

“Yes, I remember that! I was always half expecting him to phase through the glass if I looked away for too long!” Inko laughed. 

Hisashi started laughing too. “It feels like it was only yesterday. He’s growing up so fast. Please make sure he doesn’t grow up too fast while I’m abroad.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise a miracle. You should come home soon.”

“I will try. As soon as I know more about the meetings and the requested time off I’ll let you two know. It’s been a few years since we could celebrate Christmas together. It would be nice to do that again.”

They continued talking for a few more minutes before they ended the call. Inko just stared at the screen for a while, thinking about how much she missed her high school sweetheart. Finally, she got up and returned to the kitchen, putting her loneliness and her wistfulness away. She didn’t want Izuku to see that in her eyes, her boy had enough to deal with as it was.

“Oi, stupid Deku!” 

Katsumi’s voice rang out in the small tunnel. She had been following him all the way from school, but he had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t realized he wasn’t alone. ‘That’s strange, he’s usually way more alert… because of me…’  

She had been thinking about this ever since Friday night. She had been beating herself up over how she couldn’t even say thank you to the boy that had risked his life for her without a second thought. Her goddamn pride was eating her alive at even the thought of thanking someone, let alone—she shuddered— apologize.

“Fuck!” she hissed, barely above a whisper, but it was enough for Izuku to whip around, his train of thought broken as he turned to face his tormentor. His face had been nearly… happy, as if absorbed in some pleasant memory. That all went away as soon as he recognized Katsumi.

She tried not to shout at him then and there for that reaction. She knew why he made that face, and some small part of her hurt to see how afraid of her he was. 

Sure, she made his life a bit of a hell.

Maybe more than just a bit.

But… once upon a time he’d been her best friend. Before her mark manifested… before the anger and the fucking temper just got impossible to control. 

“Kacchan? C-can I help you?”

Katsumi clicked her tongue. “I told you to stop fucking calling me that, you shitty fuc—” 

Izuku winced, his eyes glazing over a bit as he shrunk in on himself, trying to appear as small as possible.

I… I did this to him.

“Fuck, I mean.” She groaned, grinding her teeth and running a furious hand across her eyebrow to rub away some imagined headache. “You… you were fucking stupid the other day. You shouldn’t have done that, it was the most boneheaded, idiotic, and fucking… fucking… fucking stupid thing anyone could have done! Especially since you’re unblessed! What the hell is wrong with you?”

Izuku’s eyes seemed to regain some clarity and shine as he focused on Katsumi. “I-I couldn’t stop myself. Y-you were being held by that villain a-and I just started moving. I didn’t really think, I-I just... saw my friend in danger and I wanted to help you.”

“Your friend.”

The green haired boy flinched. “Y-yeah, I… I know things are different now, b-but I still think of you as my friend, Kacchan.”

Katsumi’s jaw dropped. “You…”

Somewhere deep inside her chest, it felt like a weight was pulling her down, building up pressure and threatening to suffocate her with some unyielding…

Sadness?

Whatever. 

“Fine, whatever. It was still a fuck up in my book, but… you didn’t die, amazingly, and you… saved me. So, thanks or whatever.”

Now it was Izuku’s turn to look shocked, mouth opening and closing mutely. He was about to comment on the first kind word Katsumi had said to him in almost a decade but elected to bite his tongue and simply nod.

Katsumi turned on her heel, storming away as she grappled with the admission of thanks. Somewhere deep inside, her instincts—the ones of Mars—were raging, but she still had something she knew she needed to say.

As her pace slowed, she could hear Izuku muttering to himself in that annoying habit of his. She clenched and unclenched her fists a few times before finally turning to face the boy one more time.

“And I’m sorry.”

Izuku’s eyes immediately focused on hers, a vibrant, emerald green that even she could admit was one of his best features. She always knew what he was thinking just from looking at them.

“I’m sorry for… everything.”

“You—”

Katsumi stomped her foot. “Don’t go spreading this around, alright?! This doesn’t change anything, I’m still gonna be the greatest of the great and you’re still an unblessed Deku.”

The young girl turned around, walking quickly toward Izuku and reaching out a hand. 

“I’m gonna lay off, okay? Just… promise me you won’t do any more stupid shit.”

Izuku furrowed his brow, the smallest of smiles tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You know I can’t promise that.”

Katsumi barked out a short laugh. “Fine, have it your way. No deal.” She gave him a smirk as she pulled her hand away. “I’ll lay off a little, but don’t expect us to be buddy-buddy. I’m still gonna give you shit for being a dumbass.”

The young girl turned away, flipping Izuku the middle finger as she strode off. “Murder misses you, by the way. I’ll tell him you say hi.”

Izuku smiled in spite of himself, in spite of the absolutely bizarre interaction that had just unfolded between Katsumi and himself.

The distance that she had built between them suddenly didn’t feel so oppressive anymore.

“All right Young Izuku, let’s get moving! Give me two laps!”

Izuku hit the track running, awkward limbs flailing as he almost tripped on the first step as he started stumbling his way into a jog. Toshinori had texted Izuku the afternoon after he had spoken to Katsumi. The older hero had booked a small fitness center for a couple hours each day and told Izuku he’d have a chauffeur pick the boy up after school and bring him directly to the facility.

It was fairly modest, and judging by the way the staff had cleared out as soon as Toshinori and Izuku had shown up, smiling happily the whole way, the pro had clearly thrown an exorbitant amount of money at the facility to keep things fairly quiet.

Izuku’s lungs burned as he struggled from lap one into lap two. Surely this would be the end of him. He hated running, he had never been any good at it, and this was not reinforcing his ideas about his own athletic potential.

By the end of the second lap, Izuku was gasping for air and started going for his water.

“Oh no, my boy! No rest yet; we need to stretch you out. Start walking on your toes and reach toward the sky!”

Izuku followed suit, following all of Toshinori’s strange instructions as he went through a series of what the man referred to as “dynamic stretches.” Izuku wasn’t sure how jumping, skipping, or jogging counted as stretches, but Izuku just did his best.

Finally he was given a water break, leaning back onto a bench and gulping down his water greedily. 

Toshinori clapped the boy on the shoulder jovially. “So my boy, today we’re going to go through some basic sprints, try your best to meter out and avoid going all out so that you don’t injure yourself. Let’s go for…” The man looked at his watch. “The next fifteen minutes, then we can grab another water break and we’ll repeat that for the next hour or so. Sound good?”

That most definitely did not sound good to Izuku, but he was getting private training from the number one hero, so hey, why not?

The amount of sweat that was pouring off Izuku’s body was frankly a little worrying. He thought he knew pain before, but as he completed the final set of crunches on his ‘final workout’ with Toshinori, he realized just how ignorant of the concept he truly was.

“Well done Izuku! Now we have one last thing!”

Izuku stifled a groan as he turned up to Toshinori with as neutral an expression as he could muster.

Toshinori gave Izuku a thumbs up. “Static stretching!”

The wave of relief that washed over Izuku could not be overstated.

“You did very well, my boy,” Toshinori complimented. “I know things feel difficult now, but with time your body will adapt and grow. For now, I have a driver ready. Go have a full meal and get some rest. We’ll pick this up tomorrow!”

Izuku stood on shaky legs as he nodded slowly at Toshinori. “Thanks, sir.”

“When you get home, you should hop under a nice hot shower. Turn the water to cold before you get out and then make sure you don’t get cold to help prevent aching muscles. Drink water or tea throughout the day to stay hydrated. As soon as Recovery Girl has the meal plan done I will send it to you to make sure you get enough minerals and vitamins. Also, make sure you limit your vitamin C intake; it reduces the effectiveness of your training.”

“Thanks, Toshinori, I will!”

“So, Toshi, you found the new Incarnate? I had a feeling Jupiter had already marked someone else when I came back to… something felt different. He has no faith in me; I’m so hurt!” Shimura Nana said with a grin. 

Toshinori couldn’t help but smile, too. He took the cup Nana offered him and blew onto the tea inside for a while before taking a careful sip, not wanting to burn his tongue. The bittersweet flavor of the beverage immediately flooded his mouth, bringing back memories of many other meetings like this. He reveled in them for a while before opening his eyes and returning his gaze to his old friend and mentor. 

It seemed that the years had finally caught up with her. What had once been jet-black hair was now streaked with silver locks. Her wrinkled face told a story of a life filled with laughter, while her eyes shone with a wisdom far beyond her physical age. The skin of her hands had become worn and leathery, a testament to her many years of intensive hero work. Yet underneath all the wear and tear that had come with age, Toshinori could still see the energy and toughness that he’d come to admire in the woman who had all but raised him. 

He always suspected that she had taken to him as a surrogate for the child she’d had to give up for adoption when she was still a young hero at the very start of her career. It had been an accident, the result of a night out and a drink or two too much to think straight, but she didn’t love her child any less for it. She had briefly considered raising the kid on her own but soon realized that her current situation would not be the best for her son to grow up in and decided to put his well-being before her own.

“So, tell me. What is my successor like?”

Toshinori pushed aside his thoughts of the past as his mentor’s voice broke through his reverie. “He is a bright young man. Not in the best shape physically, but we are already working on that. He doesn’t seem to have many friends, or at least he never talks about them at our training sessions...” 

Nana’s forehead creased at that. She knew that there was some serious discrimination against Unblessed, and the sound of that statement certainly did not sit well knowing this.

“How old is he?”

“He’s 14 and in his last year of middle school right now.”

The woman chuckled. “Just a hatchling.”

“Speaking of,” Toshinori chuckled, “didn’t Rhea recently lay some eggs?”

“She did! They hatched just the other day! I gave two of them away to a reserve. You know, the one that took care of Rhea when I… couldn't. I just kept the last one to hatch… you know how I always had a weak spot for the ‘runt of the litter’.”

Toshinori chuckled again. “I know it well. You’re going to love Izuku.”

“Well, I can’t wait for you to bring him with you so I can meet him. I’d like to give him some pointers on how to deal with the powers he’s gonna get. This is such a rare chance, I don’t want to pass it up.”

“That’s it, nice hustle! Keep it up, my boy!” Toshinori cheered as Izuku pushed through his next sprint, coming tearing around the curve and onto the straightaway. The older pro had to hand it to the kid, he’d made an incredible amount of progress in just a few short weeks. He was always asking questions, listening intently, and putting in the extra time and effort to ensure he was performing to Toshinori’s strict standards.

Izuku pulled across the finish line, tapering down to a jog before slowing completely, putting his hands above his head to clear his airway. Toshinori nodded approvingly as he caught the boy’s eye,  then pantomimed a water drinking gesture which caused the boy to sigh gratefully..

“Nicely done, young Izuku. Your form looked excellent on that last 300. After you finish your water, go ahead and take a cool down lap.”

“Yes, sir,” Izuku gasped in between gulps of water. 

If he keeps this up, it won’t be long until he’s ready to start lifting.

Izuku leaned back, shutting his eyes and breathing deeply through his nose before letting out a steady stream of air from his mouth. Toshinori was about to ask if the boy was alright before Izuku stood up suddenly and took off on his cooldown lap.

Just when I think he’s out of gas, he keeps on going. Toshinori hummed contentedly to himself, feeling no small bit of pride for the boy who continued to exceed his expectations.

For Izuku, his final workout would be easy, Toshinori had to battle the strain of sudden nervousness over the budding introduction he was going to have to make.

The young hero in training completed his Russian twists, laying back on the ground and groaning quietly in pain before standing slowly and walking over to his backpack.

Toshinori sighed inwardly. No time like the present. “Izuku my boy, come here for a moment.”

“What’s up, Toshinori?”

“Remember that I told you that the last Incarnate of Jupiter is still alive?”

Izuku nodded, taking a short sip off his water. “Yeah, I remember you saying that she’s an old friend of yours, and that I can’t get my powers while she’s still alive, since there can’t be two Incarnates of the same god at once.” He paused for a moment, then furrowed his brow. “What about it?”

“Well to be honest, she’s more than just a friend: she’s actually my mentor. I told her about you and she wants to meet you. She said she had some tips and tricks she wants to share with you about how to use the powers of Jupiter. What do you say; do you want to meet your predecessor?”

Chapter Text

“Come in! Make yourselves at home!” Nana opened the door wide for them to step in. She flashed a heartwarming smile at Izuku. “I’m Shimura Nana, and you must be the famous hatchling!”

“‘Hatchling’?” 

Nana laughed. Toshinori chuckled. Izuku just looked back and forth between the two with a very confused look on this face.

“It’s an inside joke. Don’t worry. Toshi has nothing but praise for you.”

Still not entirely convinced, Izuku stepped inside after Toshinori, allowing Nana to close the door and lead them into the living room. 

The room was relatively sparse. There was an old but comfortable looking couch with a small coffee table in front of it, next to a TV and a board with a collection of pictures showing Nana with various people above it. On the other side of the couch was a rocking chair with a few pillows on it and a blanket thrown carelessly across the armrest. Along the walls were a few bookshelves. There was a single oxygen tank leaning in the corner of the room which Izuku figured was left over from the injury Toshinori had told him about.

As Izuku and Toshinori took seats on the couch, Nana walked into the kitchen to brew some tea. “I hope you’re fine with green tea; it’s all I’ve got.”

Toshinori smiled. “That’s fine, I’m sure.” 

As Izuku settled in, nodding along with Toshinori, Nana returned to the living room, holding a tray with three teacups on it. She set it down on the coffee table and took one of the cups before settling into the rocking chair. “So Izuku,” she began, gesturing towards the boy. “Toshinori has already told me quite a bit about you but I’d like to hear your story from you. Will you indulge this old lady?”

“Uhm, sure… where do you want me to start?” Izuku still wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but Nana seemed nice enough and he trusted Toshinori completely.

The look on Nana’s face could only be described as ‘maternal’. “Wherever you want to, sweetie.”

“Okay, so, I guess the beginning works. When I was a kid, everybody around me got their blessing. But my 4th birthday came and went, and then my 5th birthday, and I still hadn’t gotten my powers, and nobody at the temple had a blessing that would let them know if I was blessed or not, so I was considered unmarked. Well, we know the truth now, don’t we?” Izuku said with a dry laugh. Nana could tell that this was a lot more painful than he was letting on. She made a mental note to talk to him about that when they knew each other better.

“My life hasn’t exactly been easy. Lots of people don’t really like or trust an unmarked person, and I didn’t really have many friends. I guess I just had people that wouldn’t make fun of me as much. Or do worse… ”

The last bit was nearly drowned out by a loud ‘psaaa’ and the rustling of feathers. Before Izuku knew what was going on, his head suddenly became significantly heavier and was jerked forward as Nana and Toshinori burst into laughter.

“Don’t make any sudden moves, now: I think Titus likes you,” Nana said, wiping a tear from her eye.

“Who’s Titus?” Izuku asked, completely lost once again.

“The eagle that just decided that your head was the perfect perch to crash land on,” Toshinori said, shaking with suppressed laughter. 

“There is an eagle. Perching on my head.” Izuku didn’t think his day could get any weirder at this point. “Why is there an eagle perching on my head?!”

“You’ll have to ask him that once you can talk to him,” Nana said with a wide grin.

“I will ask the eagle why he’s sitting on my head when I can talk to him. Okay, that makes sense.” Izuku paused. “No, wait, it doesn’t. Eagles don’t talk. Are you—” he turned to Toshinori, “what is she talking about?”

“Once you get my blessing—your blessing—you will be able to talk to your familiar. And it looks like Titus has decided to be your familiar. Sorry, you don’t get much of a say in this. If he’s anything like his mother, you won’t have any complaints, though. Rhea has been a trusty companion to me over all these years.”

“Okay, leaving the eagle sitting on my head aside for a moment here, who is Rhea?”

“Rhea Silvia is my familiar, much like Munin and Hugin are Toshinori's familiars.” Nana set her now empty tea cup on the tray, leaning back in her chair. “She is a direct descendant of the eagle that used to accompany the original ‘Jupiter,’ or ‘Zeus’ as some prefer to call him. Titus, the current occupant of the top of your noggin, is her son.”

“The ‘Original’? What do you mean by that? Isn’t Jupiter a god? How can there be an ‘original’?”

“I can imagine you have many questions… how about you tell me what you know about the Blessed first?” There was a shift in Nana’s demeanor. The energy she gave off was less motherly and more like that of a teacher now.

“Uhm, can I just read out the thing I wrote for my notebook?”

“Sure, go ahead. Toshi already warned me that you have a habit of writing everything down.”

“Alright then…” Izuku reached into his bag and produced the notebook in question, deftly flipping to the desired page. He coughed lightly into his fist to clear his throat before he began to read. “‘ For unknown reasons, approximately 200 years ago, humans started manifesting strange powers. While original conjectures pointed to a genetic source, within a generation it became evident that wasn’t the case. While the theory that it was the power of the gods once worshipped by ancient humans was originally dismissed as nonsense, it turned out to be the truth. 

‘The turning point, now known as ‘The Sobek Incident’, where a 4-year-old child suddenly manifested crocodilian features, was the theory given credence. Upon further study, it was confirmed. 

‘The initial reaction around the globe was mass hysteria, based on ideas of tangible higher powers, but those fears were soon declared to be unfounded. These ‘gods’ were more akin to forces of nature than anything sentient from the old myths. There was no ‘Venus’ one can pray or speak to for help in pursuits of love, but there is a power (also known as Aphrodite) that is attributed to her concept. Those that manifest that power show traits related to the traditional concept of the goddess, but these traits are different from person to person. 

‘Those blessed by these powers are referred to as ‘Marked’ or ‘Blessed’, due to the physical sign of power that such people sometimes manifest, although to what degree a Marked person is actually marked varies greatly.

‘The vast majority of the ‘gods’ have granted power to people all over the world. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people who can claim a connection to the same deity. The powers granted to each person vary in both strength and scope for unknown reasons that scientists have yet to understand.

‘In the relatively young field of study, the mystery of ‘Incarnates’ is one of the strangest: Apparently, Incarnates have the power to see into a person’s soul and see the Mark on it, and can tell who left it and how much power they will get from it.’

“I wrote a definition for the other terms as well, kind of like a footnote:

‘Incarnates: The most powerful gods manifest their might as Incarnates, those blessed with the entire power of that god. These few powers have no other Marked whatsoever and seem to include gods that were traditionally the heads of their pantheons.  

‘Unmarked: Also known as ‘Unblessed’, these are the few that are completely ignored by the power that dominates and permeates every level of society.’” Izuku looked up. “I don’t really know a lot about the Incarnates, it’s hard to find anything on the internet that isn’t just hearsay.”

“Well,” Nana said as she refilled her tea cup, sounding impressed, “that is more than I was expecting to be honest. But let me fill in the blanks.”

“Sure, just let me find a free page… I want to take notes…” He flipped frantically through the notebook before finally finding what he was looking for. The boy looked up with an eager glint in his eye. “Alright, please go on.”

“Haha, you’re a sweet boy. Okay, where do I start? Hmm…” Nana thought for a few seconds. “Right, let’s begin with that. So, you’re right, Incarnates are typically the kings or queens of a pantheon, but there have been occasions where a god with the power to potentially challenge the king or queen gave all their power to an Incarnate instead of spreading it out over multiple Blessed. From what we know, they cannot do that regularly, as it hasn’t happened two generations in a row so far.”

Nana took a sip before clearing her throat. “It’s actually a pretty popular theory amongst scholars and Incarnates that the first ‘gods’—” she made air quotes, “—were actually the first Incarnates.” 

Toshi snorted. “Bunch of ancient idiots with phenomenal cosmic power running around.”

“Exactly. A bunch of idiots with phenomenal cosmic power. Someone like that would have easily been regarded as a god, no?”

Izuku nodded, his eyes roughly the size of saucers as he drank all the information in, fighting the urge to bury his face in his notebook and take down notes.

“So, Zeus—or Jupiter depending on your preference—would have been the first person to inherit the essence of that force of nature. Waaay back roughly three to five thousand years ago by our best approximation. To be honest there just isn’t enough information to tell us if those Incarnates were reborn as we do now. A whole chunk of centuries worth of time was lost for gods’ sake.” She waved her hand. “But I’m getting off topic. We have the ‘gods’ and ‘goddesses’ of the ancient world running around, causing havoc and creating the myths we have today.”

Izuku raised his hand. “I was gonna ask about that… Zeus and Jupiter. You mentioned both, but-”

“Yeah, that whole Greek versus Roman dichotomy gets a little finicky. Think about it this way: Incarnates are the sum of all their various interpretations. So for Jupiter that includes Zeus. Both Greek and Roman.”

“Zeus, too…” Izuku frowned. “He’s not exactly… good in his myths.”

Nana nodded sagely. “Yeah, like I said. At one point there was probably some ancient idiot with god-like power running around. And absolute power—”

“—corrupts absolutely.” Toshinori finished with a frown.

Izuku took a moment to absorb that. “So… I’m not going to become like that?”

The older woman chuckled softly. “No, sweetheart. You’re not going to turn into some libido-driven, lightning-powered sex criminal.”

“That’s—” Izuku shuddered at the thought. “That’s good to know.”

Nana cackled. “At least, not any more than any other teenage boy. What you do with the powers when you inherit them; for good or evil, is up to you.”

Izuku turned a bright neon at that before shaking his head and attempting to change the subject. “So other Blessed, like say Mars. They’re not Ares?”

“That’s right. People marked by Mars tend to be heroes despite their tempers, but Ares?” She whistled. “Ares was not the same to the Greeks. Think of each god as multiple facets, and Ares is chaos and brutality. Blessed of Ares, from what I’ve been told, have something akin to a voice in their ear buzzing. It encourages them to act on their anger at every turn. Usually, they end up becoming villains.”

Izuku took a moment to consider that there was almost a world wherein Katsumi had an even worse temper.

He shuddered at the thought.

“So, Toshinori. You’re Odin—”

“Odin, the All-Father, Wodan, Wotan, Oski, Bileyg, Grimnir, and on and on and on. There are hundreds of names . And I’m all of them.” He shrugged. “For better or worse.”

Nana started coughing before looking up at the clock. “Oh my gods, is that the time?” She looked at Izuku sympathetically. “I’m sure you still have more questions, but I don’t want to overwhelm you all in one go, so let’s table this for now and pick it up another day, alright honey?”

Izuku nodded, a feat in itself considering the still present occupant of his nest of hair.

The elderly hero rose slowly. “Alright Titus, time to let your new bed go.”

The young eagle squawked indignantly, playing a brief game of tug of war with Izuku’s locks before Nana was able to wrench the young bird from his head. The whole while Izuku could swear the bird was looking at Izuku pleadingly as if wanting to stay with him.

“Oh hush you, you’ll see him again soon I promise.”

Titus seemed to calm down a bit at that, still shooting Izuku looks as Nana took him away into another room.

Toshinori rose as well, grabbing the tray of teacups and walking them into the kitchen before returning shortly before Nana.

“Thanks, Nana. What time do you want to meet next?” Toshinori asked, slinging an arm around the woman in a hug.

Nana reciprocated the gesture. “Oh, just give me a call, not like this place gets messy except for the birds. You can come over whenever.” She gave Izuku a smile as she let go of Toshinori. “Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

Izuku nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

The woman shook her head with a smile. “No need for that, Nana works just fine.”

“Right,” the young boy smiled back. “Thanks, Nana.”

“I’m really happy to see him smile so much nowadays. Training with Toshinori really does wonders for Izuku,” Hisashi said with a smile after Izuku had gotten off the call and he and Inko were alone in the room.

“He does seem a lot happier, yes. I’m worried about the implications, though.”

“I know what you mean, darling.”

“I think he’s hiding how bad things really are at school.” Inko hesitated for a moment, looking deep in thought. “I’ve been thinking more about sending him to a different school and I made up my mind. We should talk to Izuku and Toshinori about this. Make sure it doesn’t interfere with their training. Actually, let me add him into this call. He should be in the loop.”

“Of course, go ahead.”

Inko clicked on the screen a few times, a third party was announced to have joined the call, and after a few rings, Toshinori’s face appeared besides Hisashi’s.

“Oh, hello Inko, Hisashi. Has something happened? Is Izuku alright?”

“Yes and no. We have a feeling he’s being bullied in school because of his ‘Unblessed’ status—” Toshinori hummed in understanding, “—and we have been talking about sending him to a different place for his high school years. We figured you should be in on this because it might affect your training schedule with him, and we would also like to hear your thoughts on the matter.”

“Of course, thank you for including me in this. I’m more than happy to help. I agree with your assessment, from what he tells me about school, or rather from what he doesn’t talk about, I got the same feeling as you. Do you already have a school in mind to send him to?”

Inko exchanged a glance with her husband before responding. “We haven’t gotten that far yet. If you have any suggestions, we would like to hear them.”

“Well, I would definitely recommend the high school I went to, Somei Private Academy. They value discretion since they have a lot of pro heroes’ children enrolled. They also have a zero tolerance for bullying of any kind. He can go there and be completely safe.”

“A private academy? That is gonna be pricey… He’s gonna need new school uniforms, there's tuition and possibly a higher fare for the commute...” Inko frowned, already thinking about how to cut expenses in order to afford all that. It wasn’t gonna be easy, but if she picked up some extra shifts—

“Don’t worry about that. As I said, I am an alumnus, so I know for a fact that they offer scholarships, both partial and full ones, and I offer to personally cover any costs in case he doesn’t get one of those,” Toshinori said with a serious tone in his voice.

“Toshinori, we could never accept—”

“Inko, this is for Izuku,” the blond man replied, shaking his head slightly. “I have taken quite a liking to the boy, and I want to see him happy. That and I have more money than I can possibly spend on myself, anyway. This seems like a good use of all that extra money. Please, let me do at least this for you and for him.”

Hisashi nodded in response, sending an emploring look towards his wife. “Inko, darling, he is right. This is what’s best for Izuku. I don’t feel entirely comfortable accepting the money just like that, either. But it would definitely help us. Thank you for that offer, Toshinori. It is highly appreciated.”

Toshinori waved Hisashi off with a smile. “Think nothing of it, it’s my pleasure. If that is all for now, I will end the call and start pulling up my contacts on the board of Somei. Have a nice afternoon and I’ll be in touch soon.”

There was a moment of silence after Toshinori dropped the call.

“Well, I’m glad that will be taken care of. How about we don’t tell him until I’m home for Christmas?” 

Inko’s face lit up with a smile at that. “Your holiday request went through? I’m really happy. We miss you. Having you home will be wonderful.”

“That’s it, my boy, breathe in as you go down… and exhale!”

Izuku pushed the barbell up with a shuddering burst of breath.

The bar was gently pulled onto the rack with a clang as Toshinori helped Izuku finish off his last rep.

“Catch your breath, you can rest a bit before we start tackling proper squat rack form. Not bad on the bench press there; you can see now why we worked so hard on push-ups, right?”

“Mhmm,” Izuku hummed as he took a swig of his water. “Do you really think I’ll be able to increase the amount of weight I can lift as quickly as you have on the schedule?”

The older man stripped the barbell with a soft grunt. “Yes, I do. Right now your body is adapting. You’re malleable and you have a high metabolism. But with the amount of food we have detailed in your plan, you should be eating enough protein that you’ll be able to pack on muscle. You’ll be surprised how much progress you’re going to make before you start to plateau.” Toshinori walked over to the squat rack, loading it up with some of the smaller weights. “After that, we’ll focus on pushing past your limits and maximizing how much weight you can lift. I want you to be strong and explosive, yes, but we’re also going to focus on muscle endurance.”

“That sounds hard,” Izuku commented with a grimace.

Toshinori let out a rattling laugh. “Oh, it will be, but I’ll be here to help every step of the way. Don’t worry.”

The teen stood up, catching sight of his reflection in the mirror. Already just with the work they’d done on the track, Izuku had noticed a significant amount of muscle definition and growth. He was still skinny, yes, but not nearly so much as before.

“Are you up for it?”

Izuku nodded, taking his place in front of the squat rack, offering Toshinori a determined smile.

“Yes.”

“Ah, Toshi, Izuku, come in, come in!” Nana opened the door for them and waved them inside with a wide smile on her face. Izuku had barely stepped inside when he heard a swoosh and a familiar weight settled on his head.

“Hello, Titus, did you miss me that much?” 

“Psaaa!”

Toshinori and Nana both tried very hard not to burst into laughter. The retired hero reached behind the door and handed Izuku a glove made of thick, sturdy leather. “Here, put this on, then he can sit on your arm without cutting you with his talons.”

Izuku accepted the glove and slipped his hand inside. He felt the weight on his head shift as the young eagle hopped onto his arm. The two youngsters looked at each other, one trying to appear dignified, the other trying not to stare.

Titus was a sight to behold, Izuku had to admit. His feathers faded from a dark brown near his beak to gold on the back of his head. His predatory gaze bore into Izuku's eyes, almost as if sizing up a potential meal, an air of intelligence very apparent in his deep-set black eyes. His beak was yellow at the base and black at the curved, pointed tip; there was no doubt that it was a weapon meant to kill. His feathers looked smooth and warm, a mix of different hues of brown and gold, with flecks of white on his chest. Almost as if he knew that Izuku was admiring him, Titus spread his wings out a little, showing off their impressive size. Izuku suspected that if he were to lay down on the floor, the eagle could cover his body from head to toe. Even with Izuku's arm down near his waist, he still needed to look upwards to meet the bird's gaze.

Izuku’s gaze finally made its way down to Titus’ feet and he swallowed. Now he knew why Nana had given him the thick leather glove. Each foot was almost as big as his hand, and the talons were nearly the size of his thumb, ending in a deadly-looking point. Yes, there was really not a speck of doubt in Izuku’s mind: this was a bird of prey. 

“You can pet him if you want,” Nana said with a soft voice, “he likes it especially well if you scratch his chest. But be careful you don’t break any of his feathers.”

“A-Are you sure? He won’t bite me?”

“I’m more worried that he will bite me if I try to separate you two again if I’m being honest.”

Izuku shot Nana a look that was equal parts worry and amusement. He carefully reached up to Titus’ chest, ready to pull his hand back at the slightest motion from the bird, and started tenderly caressing his plumage. The feathers felt surprisingly soft, even with the rough texture of the individual barbs. Titus closed his eyes, obviously enjoying the attention. 

“He feels very nice…” Izuku said absentmindedly. His fingers slowly wandered up the bird's neck to the side of his head as they grew more and more accustomed to each other.

“It’s great to see you two get along so well; that will make working together easier in the future.”

“Work together? You mean, like a sidekick?”

“Basically, yes. He is gonna be your familiar, from what it looks like. Once you get your power... “ Nana hesitated for a moment. Toshinori looked away and cleared his throat. “-once you get your power, you and Titus will have a special bond. You will be able to understand what he’s trying to tell you for the most part, and he can and most likely will help you in your fights, for example by alerting you to enemies or distracting them so you can get a hit in. Not every Blessed has a familiar and even then they are more common among the stronger Blessed and the Incarnates. Basically, any animal can become a familiar, as long as it fits the bill. For example, a peacock is hard to come by for a Blessed of Hera, so sometimes just any tropical bird will bond with them.”

Izuku shook his head. “But, I’m not blessed yet. So why?”

“Why does Titus feel so connected to you?”

He nodded.

“Something tells me that deep down he knows.” She smiled softly. “He’s a smart boy, a lot like you.”

“I… have no idea how to take care of an eagle.”

Nana laughed hard at that. “No, I don’t expect you do! Don’t worry, sweetheart. I can help you with that.”

The older woman knelt down and fished a piece a paper and a pen out of her desk, jotting down a series of notes. “Here we go. This should just about cover everything you’ll need to take care of a bird of your own.”

Izuku gently stroked Titus’ feathers a bit more, noting the way the bird seemed to lean into the contact. “You really think he’s my familiar?”

The piece of paper was handed to Izuku in his free hand, Titus protesting to the loss of his precious pets. 

“Sweetie, he’s a golden eagle who adopted you the minute he laid eyes on you. How often do you think that happens?” She waited for a moment with a smirk. “He knows.”

Izuku stuffed the note into his pocket before reaching back up and continuing to pet Titus.

“Oh pipe down you daft bird, he’ll be back before you know it!”

In the end, Titus had protested greatly to Izuku leaving once again, especially after having spent the entire visit comfortably perched either on Izuku’s arm or nestled atop the boy’s head.

“I’m sorry sweetie, he just doesn’t wanna leave you.”

Izuku flinched as one of Titus’ wings nearly smacked him in the face.

“Titus, please!” Izuku cried out. “I promise I’ll be back soon!”

Suddenly the bird seemed to relax a bit, glancing over to Izuku and looking him in the eye. There was an intelligence there that nearly took Izuku’s breath away, mixed with a look of sadness. More emotion than Izuku had ever expected to see from an eagle.

Nana lowered her arms, looking at the exchange. “That’s it, Izuku. Keep talking to him. I don’t think he’ll understand you completely yet, but keep talking to him. Reassure him.”

Izuku nodded, turning back to Titus, who was starting to calm down a bit. “I promise. I’ll make sure my home is ready for you, and then I can bring you there. Please trust me.” The boy poured every bit of conviction into his words as he could muster, praying the eagle could understand him.

Miraculously, Titus seemed to nod at Izuku, giving him one last quizzical look before leaving the boy’s arm and flapping over to Nana’s outstretched arm.

“Well done, honey! Oh, you’re a natural at this!”

Nana took the young bird to his enormous cage and settled him on his perch, leaving the door open as she walked back over to Izuku. “Just follow the instructions on that list and you should have everything you need. Once you have it all, that boy can go home with you instead of throwing tantrums in my house.”

The teen smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, Nana. I’ll do that as soon as possible. I’ll come back when it’s all done.”

Nana ruffled Izuku’s head affectionately. “I know you will. See you soon.”

Katsumi rolled her eyes as they moved on to the actual walk portion of their graduation. Half of these people were just shitty followers who had skated by and somehow managed to not get held back in middle school.

“Midoriya Izuku.”

Her eyes shot up as her childhood friend took the stage, a slight proud smile forming on her features. Since their talk a couple of months ago, she’d been laying off as promised. He seemed less jumpy around her too, which was a very welcome change. 

She paused, her eyes catching the way Izuku’s uniform clung to his broad shoulders.

Wait.

When the hell did shrimpy little Izuku get buff? 

There was no doubt about it, his shoulders were broader and even in the long sleeves of his winter uniform, it was easy to make out the new definition in his back and arm muscles. As he turned around, her jaw nearly dropped at the sight of pecs. Goddamn pecs?!

The boy wasn’t much taller than he had been the entire year. As far as growth spurts went, it looked like he hadn’t had his. But the size of him. He looked like he was training for the old Olympic gymnastics team!

She could hear sniggers behind her as Izuku accepted his diploma with a bow. Her head whipped around but couldn’t find the source.

It looked like just because she had backed off, the other students hadn’t gotten the same message.

He didn’t deserve that. She wanted to say something but…

No, she couldn’t fight his battles for him. He was a big boy.

‘Clearly. Gods dammit, what had he been eating?’

“DAD! YOU’RE HOME!” Izuku barreled into his father like a miniature freight train, enveloping the man in a fierce hug.

Hisashi laughed heartily. “Yes! I’m glad to see you too, now let me in before I freeze to death!”

The younger Midoriya laughed happily, pulling his father in and helping the man carrying his luggage.

Inko bustled into the room, embracing her ex-husband warmly and pulling back with a “Welcome home, my love,” before kissing the man happily.

“Get a room,” Izuku giggled, overjoyed to see his parents reunited.

Hisashi and Inko laughed along with him, breaking apart just enough to pull their boy into their embrace for a family hug.

For the first time in a long time, Izuku felt utterly complete.

“So, son, tell me about your training! I mean, I can tell it’s going well because look at the size of you!”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. It was true that in the months since he started training with Toshinori, he had grown significantly. In height, he’d only gained maybe 4 centimeters, putting him at 170. But in terms of muscle growth, he’d filled out significantly. Toshinori hadn’t been kidding when he’d told the boy that he would grow quickly before plateauing, and in that time Izuku had gotten strong. He’d found that his old shirts now fit very tightly, and his jeans may have fit in the waist, but they no longer fit around his quads or glutes. 

It had been a stressful couple of months for Inko, who had to take her son out a handful of times to get new clothes. Unfortunately, Toshinori had warned, his growth spurt was far from over. According to the man, it was likely that when he inherited his power, he’d experience a secondary growth spurt. Nana had even told the boy that in her prime she had stood at 188 centimeters, and knew stories of others even taller than her.

Speaking of…

“Hey Mom, Dad?” 

Izuku’s father smiled. “Dodging my question? Alright, what’s up?”

“Sorry, I’ll get to that I promise, but I was just wondering. Do you think we could have Toshinori and Nana over for the holidays?”

Inko smiled warmly at her son. “That’s so sweet of you, Izuku. But wouldn’t they rather spend time with their own families?”

“I…” Izuku faltered. “I don’t think they have families. I think they only have each other.”

Izuku’s parents shared a look before turning back to their son. 

“Well, they have us now. Go ahead and give them a call,” Inko stated with a determined, motherly look on her face.

The small Midoriya household echoed with the sound of cheerful voices and the quiet cacophony of birds.

For his part, Titus was by Izuku’s side most of the evening. 

At Christmas, Izuku had been gifted a sizable perch for his room in addition to Hisashi removing the screen on his window so that an eagle could conceivably perch on and fly out of his bedroom window. 

Nana had assured them that Titus could take care of food himself. They lived close enough to the coast that the eagle could swoop over to hunt fish, and if need be he could hunt squirrels and rats in the nearby parks and forests. He mostly just needed a warm, dry place to roost when he wasn’t out hunting.

Izuku had been ecstatic, a sentiment that seemed to be shared by Titus, who hadn’t seen Izuku in several weeks and appeared to grasp the concept that now he would no longer have to be separated from his boy.

In the corner of the room, Hugin and Munin seemed to be chatting with Rhea, the three having just returned from hunting outside. 

Nana and Inko talked happily in the dining room, sharing a cup of tea while Hisashi gushed over Toshinori’s career as All Might, leaving the lanky man more than a little flustered by the fanboyish attention.

Like father, like son.

Izuku poured over the gifts that, to be honest, may have been a bit too much. Nana and Toshinori had insisted that Izuku was the only person they had to spoil at Christmas.

Nana had gifted Izuku some books on caring for golden eagles, in addition to books detailing myths surrounding the Greek and Roman pantheons.

Toshinori had given him the latest All Might figurine. Fresh off the line and not yet released to the public, Izuku had promptly lost his mind over the toy, not noticing the way Titus seemed to mimic his arms flapping and gushing over the object.

When he finally calmed down enough to speak coherently again, Izuku got up and brought out the gifts he had prepared for everyone. For Toshinori, Izuku had found a copy of one of Tolkien’s books with beautiful illustrations and maps in it. “I remember you telling me about this author a few times, and when I saw this I thought you might like it.”

“I do, thank you very much.” Toshinori skimmed through the book, looking at some of the pictures he came by. “This is a beautiful gift, I will give it a special place on my shelf.”

For Nana, he had ordered a hooded sweater with a roman aquila adorned with a laurel wreath and a plaque underneath reading SPQR and the words ‘Roma Invicta’ stitched in gold and yellow onto the purple cloth. The package had only just arrived that day and he hadn’t had a chance to look at it properly before wrapping it. 

“It’s a little oversized, don’t you think honey?” Inko said with a surprised laugh.

“Oh no, I’ll return it and get a smaller size for you Nana!” Izuku reached out for the sweater with an embarrassed look on his face.

“Don’t you dare, Hatchling, I love it when they’re oversized! Makes them so much more comfortable to snuggle up in.” Nana grinned and immediately put the sweater on. She could’ve probably worn it as a dress, but the smile on her face was nearly blinding. She gave Izuku a strong hug that he happily returned.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Mom, I got you some oil paints, I hope that’s okay…”

Inko clapped her hands together. “Oh, Izuku! You remembered me saying I wanted to try them out! Good timing too, since I’m just about out of acrylic paint.”

Izuku sighed contentedly. “That’s good. I got you some new brushes too so you don’t have to use your acrylic ones.”

“Thank you so much, sweetheart. That’s very thoughtful of you.” Inko pulled her son into a warm hug, running her fingers through his curls as the boy melted into the embrace.

After a couple of seconds of hugging, Izuku turned to his father. “And for you, Dad, I saw this in the fan shop, and I knew I had to get it for you.”

Since the return of divine power into society, most sports became obsolete, but in recent years a resurgence had occurred, with powers of the blessed being incorporated into the pre-existing sports. That being said, Hisashi was a die-hard Musutafu FC fan. The newly redesigned phoenix emblazoned on the jersey caused the grown man to just about squeal with joy.

“Thank you, kiddo, I love it!” Like Nana, he immediately put it on and showed it off to his recently enlarged family.

Their little christmas party continued for a few more hours. One highlight of the evening was definitely when Titus, Hugin and Munin started to stack on top of each other in Izuku’s hair, Titus being very adept in perching in his favorite spot at this point. Rhea had just been watching the other three, and Izuku could’ve sworn he almost saw her roll her eyes. 

When he began to feel his eyes droop, Izuku got up, the stack of birds on his head coming undone. Izuku wished his parents and their guests a good night, picked up his presents and went towards his room.

“Time to show you your new home, Titus.”

The bird in question chirped happily. 

Izuku stepped close to the new perch that was now in his room so Titus could hop off his head. He then changed into his pyjamas and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he returned, he found his companion sitting on his bed, claws firmly embedded in his pillow. The bird looked at him and tried to get off the bed but failed miserably, his talons fully trapped in the fabric of the pillow.

“No, Titus, this is my bed, yours is the perch. Come, let me help you with this.” He freed the pillow from the death grip it was trapped in, trying not to damage it any more than it already was. He grabbed the piece of leather he was trying to make a leg guard from, put it across his thigh and set Titus down on it. He absentmindedly stroked and scratched the raptor’s feathers for a while before sending Titus back to his perch and getting into bed. He looked at his new friend one last time before turning off the light. No sooner had his head hit the pillow than both the bird and the boy were sound asleep.

Chapter Text

Izuku nervously adjusted his new tie, grateful to his father for staying up late on video chat so he could figure out how to do it properly. Even so, he knew his tie was a bit of a mess. He was just grateful that the rest of his uniform was in order.

The halls of Somei Private Academy were a bit daunting, but for once he was no longer dreading running into someone he had grown up with who would jeer at him. In fact, everyone here seemed pretty nice for the most part. He had received a few polite nods and a smile or two as he walked by lockers in an attempt to find his homeroom.

The idea of coming to a private school rather than continuing on to Aldera High with Katsumi and the rest of his classmates had been a bit jarring, to say the least, but during the holidays, his parents had sat him down with Toshinori and urged the boy to come to accept the new changes. They brought up the years of bullying and abuse he had suffered, how they were tired of sitting by idly while Izuku assured them ‘everything was alright.’ They knew that wasn’t the case, and with Toshinori’s help and assurance, they were doing something about it. Whether he liked it or not, he wouldn’t be continuing on to Aldera high school with the people who had made his life miserable for years.

In truth, Izuku had been reluctant, but seeing his parents together and listening to Toshinori when they grew too emotional… he had seen the light. He knew he needed to get away from the people he had known growing up. It made sense.

It had ended in a large, crying group hug that Toshinori may or may not have gotten pulled into, but Izuku agreed. And he agreed with no small measure of gratitude.

His only concern now was…

Where the hell was his homeroom?

“You there!”

Izuku whipped around to see a tall, slightly stiff student marching his way. 

“You appear to be lost! It is my duty as an upstanding student of this academy to assist my fellow students wherever I can!” The other boy adjusted his glasses, reaching out his hand. “May I see your schedule?”

Izuku nodded, handing the boy his piece of paper with the list of his classes. 

“Hmm... oh! It appears we are in the same homeroom! How fortunate.” The boy handed the paper back to Izuku and bent down in a bow. “My name is Iida Tenya, and you are?”

Izuku mirrored the gesture. “Uh, Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Midoriya! Here, follow me and we can still arrive to class with time to spare!” With that, Iida turned on his heel and began walking faster than was probably normal, but nothing Izuku couldn’t keep up with.

“So, Iida, if you’re in my homeroom, doesn’t that make you a first-year too?”

The other boy nodded. “Yes, it does!”

Izuku followed him around a corner, still keeping pace. “You really seem to know your way around here pretty well.”

“I do, my elder brother attended this prestigious institution. I have learned the layout quite well over the years!” Within another minute or two, Iida came to an abrupt halt in front of a classroom door. “Here we are. Shall we go wait inside?”

Izuku nodded with a smile. “Yeah, sure, that sounds good.”

In those first several weeks, Izuku found himself with Iida most days. The taller boy had become a constant in his life and the two had started to establish a sort of friendship.

“Midoriya! Would you like to walk to the station?” Iida asked at the end of the day.

Izuku shook his head. “I’m actually headed to a shop near here. I heard there was a Familiar shop in the area. I wanted to check it out and see if I can find anything for my eagle.”

“Ah,” Iida nodded sharply. “Very responsible of you! It is vitally important to ensure the wellbeing of those around us, especially if they are so closely tied with our personal lives. I shall leave you to it and see you tomorrow!”

The tall boy gave Izuku a smile and a nod before slinging his bag over his shoulder and making his way out of the room.

So far it had been a lot of that in regards to Izuku’s interactions with his classmates. No one knew he was Unblessed and no one seemed to care. There was this level of quiet discretion about the whole school that set everyone quietly at ease. Athletics classes were more focused on general fitness, which Izuku appreciated. The expectation from the school was that each student worked on their abilities with a private trainer. Judging based on the quality of shoes and bags Izuku had seen, he had no doubt everyone at the school could definitely afford it.

Izuku slung his own modest bag over his shoulders, pulling out his phone and entering the directions to the Familiar shop.

The walk was nice, with the weather still maintaining its crisp spring coolness and all the trees blooming in beautiful colors. He drank in the afternoon sun and within a few minutes of walking, he found himself at the door to the store.

Maybe the term ‘store’ was a bit of an understatement. The entire ‘shop’ was more like a small warehouse, with large windows on the ceiling to let in natural light and dozens of aisles, each marked with different types of animals on the hanging signs above them. Izuku glanced around until he saw the falconry section and made his way toward it.

Since getting Titus, he had noticed how heavy the bird was. It made it difficult to pet him whilst also holding him up with his free arm for long periods of time. He had decided to get a shoulder guard of his own, much like the one Nana had. That way Titus could sit on his shoulder and Izuku would still have his arms free.

What he wasn’t prepared for was the sheer number of shoulder guards this shop would have available. 

He stood in front of the shelf, trying to figure out what the difference between the different materials, makes and sizes was and which would fit his needs best, when a tall, young, dark-haired woman with olive skin pointed towards a section of the shelf and spoke in a soft voice, “I always liked this brand. They have high-quality materials and seaming, and while they are a bit pricey, you don’t have to replace them as often as cheaper models.”

“Oh, thank you.” Izuku looked closer at the section the girl had pointed to, “what kind of bird do you have?” 

“I have a Eurasian eagle-owl named Penelope. She’s 5 years old now.”

“That is so cool, I have a golden eagle called Titus. He’s only about half a year old and sassy, oh, you wouldn’t believe it! I have a picture here, do you want to see?”

“Sure.” She smiled softly. She remembered well how proud of Penelope she had been when she first got her.

Izuku fumbled with his phone for a little, looking for a good picture of his feathered best friend. “By the way, I’m Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you! Ah, there.” He showed her his phone with a picture on it that showed Titus just about to land on a wooden fence post. 

“I’m Yaoyorozu Momo, nice to meet you too! Your Titus is a very beautiful eagle. He looks very proud.” The young woman glanced around the shelves for a moment. “You should probably go for one of these,” she said as she pointed to a specific shoulder guard. “It’s one of my favorite manufacturers and the leather is very durable. And… oh shoot, as much as I’d love to stick around and chat about falconry, I really have to get going.”

“Oh, okay… Well, maybe we will run into each other again. Either way thanks again for helping me choose a shoulder guard, Miss Yaoyorozu.”

Yaoyorozu nodded with a quick smile before reaching up to grab a leather glove and, shooting Izuku one last look and a wave, made her way toward the cash register.

Izuku hit the mat hard, groaning loudly as he sat back up.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, Izuku!”

The teenager looked up at the hulking form of All Might standing over him. “That’s easy for you to say, you’re like, 2 meter 20 tall.”

The large man shrugged. “Maybe so, but when you become a hero, you’ll be going up against foes far bigger than I am!”

“Couldn’t I, maybe, get some more formal training? No offense Toshi, but I don’t know if your form of fighting is gonna work for me. I’m a lot smaller and weaker than you.”

Toshinori allowed himself to release his transformation, settling down on the floor next to Izuku. “That’s… not a bad idea. You have the basic strength, speed, and stamina to be an excellent fighter in your own right.” The lanky man stood up, readopting his muscled form. “Tell you what, you finish learning the basic forms with me, and then you and I can look into some different mixed martial arts classes. Sound fair?”

Izuku accepted the hand up with a smile. “Yeah, that sounds good to me. Thanks, Toshi.”

“Right! Now, let’s practice.”

“Ah, gods. Give me a second, I have to tie my shoes again.” Izuku knelt down with a frustrated hiss and made sure he wouldn’t trip over his laces.

“You might wanna put in double knots at this point, Midoriya. This is the 3rd time you’ve had to retie them.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, Iida.” Izuku smiled up at his friend from the ground for a second before pushing himself back up and shaking out his muscles.

Ever since he had first told Iida about his training with Toshinori, or as he referred to the man to avoid exposing the number one hero, his training with “a family friend and pro hero,” the boys had picked up a habit of going for a jog together on the weekends. Izuku really enjoyed having a friend to spend time with, to gush about Titus to, and to call and text when the homework gave him trouble.

They ran next to each other in silence for a while, each concentrating on their breathing and the rhythm of their feet pounding the asphalt. They rounded a corner and continued along a stretch of beach that resembled a junkyard more than anything. The boys slowed down, looking at the mess with a bit of awe.

“You know, when I was a kid, my parents used to take me here all the time. This is where I learned how to swim actually.” Izuku grimaced. “This is so... “

“It’s a shame,” Iida finished. “To see such a usable space turned into an illegal waste dump is abhorrent! Not to mention the impact on the local ecosystem!”

“I think…” Izuku paused, getting a burst of inspiration. “I think I’m gonna ask my trainer if I can clean this beach up.”

Iida turned with a quirked eyebrow. “By yourself?”

“Yeah, it may take a while, but being a hero is not just about grand rescues or fights or other stuff that makes the news. Everybody can be a hero to someone.” He gestured to the beach. “This could be my way of doing something actually heroic.”

"Doing public service, such as cleaning this beach, is indeed a very heroic thing to do!" Iida said, chopping the air with his hands.

“Are you sure you’re blessed by Hermes and not Karate Kid?” Izuku asked with a snort.

“I have never heard of such a deity. What pantheon would they be from?” Iida looked at Izuku with a slightly confused look on his face.

Izuku nearly doubled over with laughter. “You know, for how good your grades are and all that you really need to get caught up on pop culture.”

“I don’t understand…”

“I’ll explain it to you when you’re older. Come on, let’s finish this round, I wanna go to the falconry section of that Familiar store after this.” The look in his eyes glossed over for a second. I wonder if that girl will be there again?  

Momo was strolling through the aisles again. For the last two weeks she had been at the store almost daily. After a few days, she had given up on pretending she was looking for things to entertain Penelope with. The staff just smiled at her knowingly whenever she entered the store at this point. She had been a regular for years now, so they picked up on her strange behavior immediately.

“Still no luck with ‘accidentally’ running into the cute eagle-owner again?” 

“No, but I’m nothing if not determined,” Momo said calmly, glancing towards the entrance of the store every time the chime announced a new customer.

“Well, we’re all rooting for you, Miss Yaoyorozu.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Eto.” She returned her attention to the book she was reading to pass the time. She had already finished everything about owls the shop had available, so she had moved on to the literature about eagles. 

The door chime sounded again, and Momo shot another glance to the- he’s here! Okay, Yaomomo, act natural!

She nearly knocked down all the books on the display in her attempt to not draw attention to herself.

“Yaoyorozu? Is that you?” 

She turned around, pretending to be surprised. “Oh, hello Midoriya, what are the chances?”

“This is great, actually, I’m glad I ran into you!”

“So am I! Are you looking for something for your eagle again? Titus, right?”

Izuku scratched at his cheek absentmindedly. “Yeah, trying to find some toys for him. Also, I can’t believe you remember his name, I told you only once.”

Gosh, how can this guy be this cute?! “Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“Um, I guess something I can throw?” He blushed a bit, chuckling softly. “I guess I wanna play catch with my eagle.”

Momo thought for a moment. “Hmm, I have a long leather strap that I tie small prey animals to so Penelope can ‘hunt’ them. Maybe that would work for you and Titus as well?”

Izuku smiled broadly. “That sounds perfect! Thanks for the suggestion, Yaoyorozu.”

“Please, call me Momo or Yaomomo. All my friends do. It’s a lot easier than that absolute mouthful of a family name,” she said with a chuckle.

“Yaomomo, I like it. You can call me Izuku if you want. My last name is kind of a mouthful too.”

“Sure thing, Izuku.” She hesitated for a moment, before adding with a shy smile and a growing blush, “do you want to exchange phone numbers so we can stay in contact in case you need more advice on falconry or just want to chat in general?”

“I was about to ask the same thing. I’d be happy to exchange numbers with you!”

Momo felt her heart soar as she and Izuku swapped phones, each teen inputting the their number into the other's device.

Izuku took his phone back with a smile so sweet Momo was sure she’d get a cavity. He looked up at her and gestured to the wall of falconry accessories. “Do you want to help me look for that toy you mentioned?”

“I’d love to.”

A crash echoed through the beach as yet another microwave was dropped on the back of a large flatbed truck. Another piece of junk added to a considerable pile that had been amassed. 

“Not bad, Young Midoriya. Why don’t we call it a day here? This is already the fifth truckload.”

Izuku wiped his brow, grimacing at the grime on his body that intermingled with sweat. He glanced up, seeing that he still likely had at least another hour or two before the sun began to set. “I wanna keep going if that’s alright Toshinori.”

The older man nodded. “I’ll offload this quickly then. You’re certainly giving the boys at the dump a workout too.”

“Oh, shoot, I didn’t think of tha-”

Toshinori chuckled. “Relax, Izuku. They all have blessings that give them enhanced strength and one is a Blessed of Briareus, so he has plenty of arms. They can handle it.”

“Right. Well, uh, lemme get going then. See you in a bit.” Izuku sighed before turning back to the hills of garbage in front of him. “I’ll be here.”

Toshinori nodded at his young charge before sliding into the passenger’s seat of the truck and asking his driver to head back to the dump, looking back with pride at the boy behind him still cleaning the beach.

He’s going to outshine us all one day.

‘Clank’

“...already the fifth…”

What is going on here? What is this noise?

For a while now, she had been hearing loud noises and sometimes voices wafted over towards her. She didn’t understand most of what was said, but she was curious to find out what was going on.

A door slammed, and she heard the sound of a car driving off. In the silence that followed she heard something else. 

Mreow

What was that? She stood perfectly still for a moment, trying to hear the sound again and hopefully tell where it came from. It almost sounded like a small- 

Mreeow

That’s a cat, probably a small one. Doesn’t sound very big at least…

She rounded a corner and looked into a narrow alleyway. There was nothing in there, just a dumpster, a few old cardboard boxes and- 

Mreow

There... Oh no!

She found the source of the meowing. She had been both right and wrong. There was a small kitten sitting behind the dumpster, next to another small kitten. They both looked very young, maybe 2 months old, scrawny and underfed. The young woman knelt down next to the kittens and slowly extended one of her hands, careful not to startle the animals.

One of them was a ginger tabby, the other had grey fur, but the feet looked like it was wearing white socks. They were both looking up at her with wide eyes, almost as if sensing that they had nothing to fear from her. 

Maybe they can feel Freya’s energy from me and know that I would never harm a cat.

She reached a little closer to the kittens and the ginger one started to suckle on her fingertip.

“You’re hungry huh? Where is your momma?” 

An image flashed through her mind of a mother cat that looked every bit as scrawny and malnourished as her babies, followed by a feeling of ‘alone’ and ‘scary’ and ‘hungry’.

“She left you… couldn’t take care of you. Well, guess what, you two have just been adopted!”

With that, she took off her jacket, laid it on the ground, put the two small cats on it and bundled them up inside. The mewls from inside the bundle sounded almost thankful.

“Let’s get you home and find you something to eat.”

Izuku toweled off his hair post-shower. In the three months since starting his beach cleanup, he had to swap shampoo and body wash to something significantly stronger to keep the smell of trash off of him. It had been an adjustment at first, due to the more aromatic smell of body wash, but worth it to not stink of sand, salt, and whatever was leftover in the trash off the beach.

The boy shuddered as he remembered a particularly pungent refrigerator he’d dragged today.

“Izuku! Your phone is going off, you shouldn’t keep your girlfriend waiting!”

He sighed. “Thanks, Mom! She’s not my girlfriend!”

“Yet!” his mother shouted with a cackle.

Izuku groaned as he walked into the kitchen and picked up his phone. Sure enough, it was a text from Momo with a picture of Penelope preening herself and giving the camera an unmistakably sassy look.

Yaomomo (Today 19:36)

She’s sassing me because I wouldn’t give her an extra rat.

Izuku snorted as he took his phone back into his room where Titus seemed to be… dancing to music?

“What'cha doing there, bud?”

Titus merely bobbed himself side to side with the beat. “SQUAAAAA”

“Fair enough.”

Izuku (Today 20:09)

Well she is a strong, dignified lady who likes a fine meal.

Titus is dancing to pop music right now, so, of the two I’d say you have the more normal Familiar.

Yaomomo (Today 20:10)

Can I see?

Izuku looked at Titus with a smirk. “You gonna keep doing what you’re doing?”

As if on cue, the track changed and Titus changed his dance to match.

“Good stuff,” he said, raising his phone to record a video.

Izuku (Today 20:13)

<Video sent>

Yaomomo (Today 20:15)

…

I hope you’re satisfied that I spat out a cup of very expensive, imported tea.

Izuku (Today 20:16)

NOT THE TEA

Yaomomo (Today 20:16)

pfft

Izuku smiled softly at his phone. Over the weeks he and Momo had texted almost every day. He thoroughly enjoyed conversations with her. She was witty and intelligent and classy. Honestly, he felt more than a little like a scrub compared to her, but she continuously texted him and he would never admit to himself how much he hung on every text.

The pair continued chatting throughout the evening about their Familiars, how school had gone that day, and what Izuku had cleaned that day at the beach until Izuku found himself drifting off.

Izuku (Today 23:54) 

Hey, I should probably call it a night. Talk to you tomorrow?

Yaomomo (Today 23:54) 

Yeah I’m getting pretty sleepy too

Izuku (Today 23:55)

Alright, night then :)

Yaomomo (Today 23:55)

Night <3

Izuku went to sleep with his heart pounding happily in his chest.

“So, Nana, what are we doing out here?”

The older woman smiled softly at the boy. “Well, my dear Hatchling, today we’re going to discuss the abilities you should expect to inherit.”

Izuku felt himself freeze up. He was initially excited by the prospect of powers, but… he knew what receiving them meant.

“We don’t have to do this today, Nana. It’s okay.”

Nana looked back at him with a frown before noticing the slight tremble in the boy’s shoulders. “Oh.. Sweetheart.” She walked slowly over to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I know.”

Izuku buried himself into the woman’s open arms, letting her smooth out his curly hair with soft ministrations. He cursed his eyes for letting tears fall but managed to pull himself together within a few more seconds of the embrace.

“I know, Izuku. But we still have time. I just want to make sure you know what to expect, okay?”

The boy nodded with a small sniffle. “Y-yeah, right. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, Dear. Just sit back and enjoy the show, okay?”

Nana reached her hands up to the sky and Izuku could feel the air pressure drop as clouds began forming overhead. Dark and full of energy, a solitary ripple of electricity crackled along the mass before erupting into a solitary lightning bolt that struck down just in front of Nana. 

Izuku fell back in awe as the woman turned around, her eyes twin orbs of pure, icy blue light. She gave him a smirk before the energy dissipated, ebbing away as the sky began to clear.

“Jupiter is the god of the sky , Izuku. When you inherit this power, you too will be its master.”

Nana took a step forward, staggering slightly. Hopping onto his feet, Izuku raced to support her.

“Thanks, Hatchling. Looks like my powers are a bit too much for this old bird to handle. We’ll space these demonstrations out, okay?”

Izuku nodded. “Of course. That was… wow.”

Nana smiled. “Right?”

“You’re amazing, Nana.”

The woman waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, hush. You’re going to give me an ego. Now let’s get back to the car, I’m sure Toshi wants to chat with you too. He’s seen me in action first hand, after all.”

Izuku shifted Nana’s weight so that he could support more of her as they walked. “Let’s get going, then.”

Chapter Text

“What are the chances we’d be in the same homeroom again?” Izuku glanced between his and Iida’s class schedules. “That’s pretty lucky, huh?”

Iida nodded with a grin, adjusting his glasses as he glanced at the same two schedules. “It is! I am fortunate that I am able to continue classes with such a good friend.”

“Me, too. If I’m being honest, Iida, you’re my best friend.” Izuku handed his friend back his papers with a small smile. “I didn’t have a lot growing up. I’m really glad you still wanna hang around with me.”

The glasses wearing boy paused for a moment. “I… I’m honored, Midoriya. I would be lying if I didn’t say I treasure this friendship just as deeply.” He smiled at Izuku. “I consider you to be my best friend as well.”

“Well now you’re just being sappy.” 

Iida snorted. “And Midoriya, if it’s all the same to you, you may drop the honorifics.” He took his glasses off to polish them. “Call me Tenya.”

“Wow, it’s like we’re dating or something now.”

Tenya halfheartedly shoved his friend with his shoulder, chopping down his free arm. “That is highly inappropriate! I would never make advances on a friend without first securing proper consent!”

Izuku doubled over in laughter. “Relax, Tenya! I’m just teasing! But in all seriousness, the same goes for you; go ahead and call me Izuku.”

“Right, well then.” Tenya straightened himself up, placing his glasses on his face. “Shall we head to class? It’s always important to sho—”

“To show up at least fifteen minutes early, I know.” Izuku stood from the bench the two boys were sharing. “Let’s get going.”

The clack of wood on wood as Toshinori advanced on Izuku with his spear was drowned out by the roaring of blood in the younger man’s ears. His muscles burned and his joints ached, but somehow, he was enjoying every moment.This felt right. A wooden gladius in one hand and a circular parma in the other, nothing else between him and his opponent except his wits and the tools in his hands. It felt like some primal part of his being was waking up and resonating with the training.

The butt of Toshinori’s spear cut off Izuku’s triumphant train of thought as the wooden object connected with Izuku’s stomach, forcing the boy to double over, wheezing and cursing under his breath. 

He rushed at Toshinori again, taking several slashes and cursing again and again as he continued to miss.

“You’re getting much better at this. I’d say your swordsmanship is coming along nicely.”

Izuku wiped the corner of his mouth with his sword arm, somehow feeling even wetter as he came to discover how much sweat was coating his body. “I don’t feel like I’m improving.”

“You are far too hard on yourself, my boy. You’re able to go toe to toe with me for several minutes with a weapon you picked up just a month and a half ago.” Toshinori walked to the wall, leaning his wooden staff against it. “Most people take several more to get to where you are, and bear in mind that most of my fights with weapons against villains usually last roughly thirty seconds.”

Izuku set his own sword and shield down as well, sighing deeply. “That’s reassuring, I guess. Thanks, Toshi.”

“Of course my boy, now onto something fun.” The man produced a steel tipped javelin. “We’re going to teach you how to throw.”

The boy paused. “Wait, you want me to throw that?”

Toshinori smiled, the skin around his eye and eyepatch crinkling. “Of course, Nana always said this was her favorite tool in a fight. The javelin is an old weapon, dating back in use for both the Greeks and the Romans, making it a perfect weapon for someone such as yourself who embodies both cultures.” He led Izuku outside to an open field. “Not to mention, it has been used worldwide for hunting for millennia, and it was even a popular event in the Olympics for centuries.”

“So, how does this even work?”

The older man stretched his arm back, allowing the object to run parallel to his body as both arms were stretched wide. “The important thing is to use your legs and hips to generate the power. Let your arm serve as a whip, but don’t lose control or you’ll tear the muscles in your shoulder and elbow.” To demonstrate, Toshinori gripped the spear with one finger along the base of the wrapped handle, brought his hips forward, and launched the spear with enough force to split a cloud as it soared through the air at mach speed.

He frowned as he watched it go out of sight. “May have gotten a little carried away there...”

“A little?” Izuku gawked, watching the javelin shatter into pieces as it climbed even higher.

The man shrugged. “Your turn!”

“Right…” Izuku sighed. “Let’s throw a javelin.”

Izuku paused, letting go of the straps attached to the refrigerator he was pulling across the sand. Glancing around, he admired his hard work.

It had been a little over a year since he had started his beach cleanup. It hadn’t been his primary focus, but doing this act of community service had given him a long term goal that was unrelated to powers or blessings. Just good, honest work that had the added bonus of being a full body workout for several hours a day, multiple days of the week.

But with this final refrigerator, he was done. Turning it on its side, he sat on the hunk of machinery with a heavy sigh. 

Next to him, Toshinori sat with a small grunt. “I’m impressed! You cleaned the whole thing.”

“Thanks, Toshi.”

The two men appreciated the sight of the once trash-littered beach, now spotlessly clean. The white sand was surprisingly soft, and sparkled beautifully in the afternoon sunlight as the blue waters of the Pacific lapped gently against the shore.

Toshinori looked over at Izuku for a moment, clearly with something he wanted to say before pausing and snorting.

“What?”

The man pointed to Izuku’s legs. “Kid, we need to get you some new clothes, I think you just had another growth spurt.”

“Ah,” Izuku looked down, seeing that the once roomy and comfortable shorts were now significantly too short. “Damn, I really liked these ones, too.”

Toshinori snorted. “You’re a growing boy, it’s to be expected. Speaking of which—” he stood up with a deep exhale. “Let’s move this onto the truck. I’ll take you out for dinner as a celebration, alright?”

“Sounds great, thanks!” Izuku perked up, getting his weight behind the fridge and pushing it into position on the trailer. He wiped his hands on the noticeably too small shorts. “I may need a shower first.”

“Yeah, you reek.”

“Thanks, Toshi...”

“Wanna stop for some water?” Izuku huffed as he stopped under a shady tree.

Momo nodded from his side, slinging her pack off and grabbing her water bottle. “Thank you again for inviting me out like this. I think it’s doing both me and Penelope some good.”

Izuku looked up at the two birds that were lowering their descent, finding a comfortable perch and resting for a moment as well.

“Yeah, I think Titus was getting a little bored just hunting around my neighborhood. It’s good to see him flying around like this.” He smirked as Titus began bobbing up and down in agreement. “Plus, I think he gets lonely when I’m away. He could use a friend.”

Momo giggled behind her hand. “Well, I’m sure he’ll grow on Penelope. She’s definitely pretty picky about who she spends time with.”

As if on cue, Titus squawked at Penelope, as if inviting her to bob along with him, to which the owl seemed to almost huff in indignation.

Izuku chuckled. “I guess it must be kinda irritating for her to have to hang out with a baby like Titus, but I’m sure they’ll get along okay. I’ve gotta say Momo, she’s an absolutely gorgeous owl.”

Penelope cracked a single eye and hooted appreciatively, ruffling her feathers as if to plump herself up.

“I think,” Momo snickered, “I think she likes you, too.”

Izuku reached into his pack and grabbed out his falconry glove. “Hey, Penelope, mind if we get more acquainted?”

The owl hooted again before dropping from her perch and landing on Izuku’s outstretched arm, flapping a few times to steady herself before folding her wings in. Izuku found himself audibly awwing as he took in the large owl’s pattern. Her coat was a dark gold with flecks of lighter taupe and white speckled throughout. On the top of her head, between the two plumes that formed a sort of crest along her brow line she had a series of almost triangular black markings. But what drew Izuku’s attention in the most were the two large amber eyes that stared back at him intelligently.

“I’ve gotta say, Penelope. You’re even prettier up close. May I?” 

Penelope hooted happily, practically leaning into Izuku’s outstretched finger as the boy gently stroked her feathers, gently massaging the tufts around her neck and chest. 

Momo had to fight hard against the urge to coo. It was so unfair that he could be so powerful looking in his fitted t-shirt and dry fit shorts and also so gentle with her Familiar. Did he even realize what he was doing to her?

She took another long drink of water, batting away the internal urge to ogle Izuku further as he allowed Penelope to lift off into the trees, and definitely tried to fight the urge to stare as Izuku bent over to place his glove back in his pack.

As he stood up, Titus squawked indignantly.

“What, are you jealous?” Izuku smiled up at his Familiar. “I’ll give you an extra big rat when we get home, okay?”

Titus seemed to mull it over a moment before nodding his head.

Momo cleared her throat, definitely not staring at the way Izuku’s adam’s apple bobbed as he took another drink. “He’s pretty smart too, you know.”

“Yeah,” Izuku chuckled as he wiped his mouth with the neckline of his t-shirt, exposing just a peek of skin along his abdomen. 

Not fair!

“He’s smart when he wants to be.” Izuku shot a cheeky grin up at his eagle, who cried in a way that almost sounded like a laugh.

“Do you mind if I pet him when we get to the top? I’d like to keep going if you’re ready.”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah he’d probably love that. Let’s get going!”

“So, all I should need to do is…” Nana focused her concentration, allowing the swirling winds that had manifested as soon as she took her stance in the field to surround her, the hem of her oversized SPQR sweater starting to flutter just a bit. “This may be different for you, but for me it works best if I just allow—” her feet slowly began lifting off the ground. “—There we go—if I allow the wind to carry me.” 

Nana’s whole body began levitating, lifting her slowly into the air as it whipped her hair around in a frenzy. “Like I said, it might be different for you, but I find the easiest way to fly is to let the wind do all the work for me.” 

Izuku was in awe from his place on the ground. Nana was slowly circling around him, with the gusts of wind pouring off her causing the field to appear as if a helicopter was landing. 

“That’s incredible!”

The older woman smiled as she allowed her feet to touch the ground, stumbling slightly until Izuku rushed over to help keep her upright.

“It’s something. You should have seen me in my heyday. I could summon enough wind to fly faster than some of the Blessed of the wind gods.”

Izuku smiled. “Sounds amazing, are you feeling up for more?”

Nana turned her head, coughing gently. “No, I think I should probably get some rest, Honey. I haven’t been feeling too well the past day or so.”

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked, concern in his eyes.

The older woman nodded her head. “Just a little cold, nothing I can’t handle.”

“What was that?”

“I don’t know… let’s check it out!”

“Zuku, no! It could be dangerous!” Momo tried to pull Izuku away from the commotion, but the excited glow in his eyes made her hesitate. “You are the worst hero fanboy I have ever met!”

“Guilty as charged.” Izuku rubbed the back of his head and flashed her one of those sunshine smiles of his that always made a swarm of butterflies appear in her stomach. “Come on, Momo, I just wanna see what happened and who’s on the scene. We’ll leave at once if it seems dangerous, okay?” He intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Momo’s breath hitched in her throat. He’s holding my hand! And not like pulling me along! He’s holding my hand like I’m his girlfriend oh my gods what is happening?!

“Something wrong? Your face is all red.” Izuku had stepped closer to her, looking at her with slight concern in his voice and his eyes. 

“N-No, everything is fine! I was just…  feeling a little hot is all! You don’t have to worry about me!” Momo shook her head as if to clear it and looked into his eyes with a startling intensity.

Suddenly realization flashed in Izuku’s eyes. He looked down at their hands, fingers still laced together, and felt his heartbeat pick up. It almost skipped a beat when he realized how close he and Momo were standing at this point. 

His vision narrowed down to her lips. They were full and heart shaped, her chapstick giving them a slight sheen. They looked so soft and full, and he found himself wondering what they would taste like. 

Momo couldn’t think. Her entire brain was short-circuiting. He’s so handsome! She couldn’t— 

Who gave him the right to be so goddamn attractive? Those freckles look even cuter up close... WAIT, UP CLOSE?! Oh my gods oh my gods ohmygods ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods… 

I wonder what his lips taste like… are they as soft and gentle as they look? 

The world around them ceased to exist. They leaned in closer, their lips just inches apart. Momo closed her eyes.

“If only the cat food wasn’t this heavy, that would be really nice. Or if Ginny and Percy didn’t eat like two tiny fluffy black holes with a soft spot for tuna.” 

In the weeks since rescuing the two kittens, they had grown and filled out quite a bit. It still hurt her to think of how thin they had been when she found them. Having to go out and buy cat food seemingly every other week was a small price to pay for seeing them happy and healthy in her opinion.

A sudden commotion pulled her out of her cat food shopping. What was that?

The crowd around her began rushing in every direction, getting chaotic as things quickly fell apart. She felt a man bump into her, forcing her into likely the most attractive couple she had ever seen. The man had freckles and muscles for days and the woman was like an actual, real-life amazon. Both were looking far cuter than either had any right to with the neon blushes they were both sporting.

“I am so sorry!”

The pair looked like they had just woken up from a dream, their faces having been drawing closer together before her untimely intervention. They seemed to assess their closeness before putting a healthy distance between themselves.

Not wanting to disrupt the couple’s moment any further, she shouted out one final apology and rushed off into the crowd.

That was so embarrassing! Too bad, too… They were both really…

She shook herself.

Stop, they’re probably a couple, and there’s no way they’d want a thir—

“Ack! Stop it, brain!”

“Since Nana is having a hard time shaking this cold, I figured I should be the one to demonstrate this.” 

Izuku felt excitement bubble forth as he walked to the field Nana had taken him a couple times before. Normally he and Toshi just trained and sparred, but now he was getting a private demonstration from All Might!

In the couple of years since he had started training with the pro, nothing had dulled his enthusiasm for his idol. As far as he was concerned, All Might was still the greatest hero in the world.

“You’re what… 170 centimeters?”

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, about 172 last I checked. Why?”

Toshinori hummed. “I have a feeling that when you inherit the powers, your body may change a bit more. Don’t be surprised if you start growing more.”

“You mean…” Izuku groaned. “Toshi, I’m already going through a growth spurt. You mean I’ll have to buy more clothes?”

The older man shrugged. “Sorry, kid. I don’t make the rules. Now, talking about magical puberty isn’t why we’re out here.”

Toshinori reached his hand into the sky, forcing Izuku to look up as Hugin dive bombed, turning into Gungnir and slamming into his grip. Toshinori disappeared momentarily in a flash of light that blinded Izuku. After a second, in the skinny, unassuming Toshinori’s place, stood All Might in his standard reddish leather hide armor, trimmed in blue and gold, with a fur lined collar and an embossed eye patch.

“Most Blessed have one or two ‘armors’ they can summon, but Incarnates can adapt to suit their needs. For example—” Toshinori slammed Gungnir into the ground, once again enveloping himself in light. When Izuku turned back, the man was now dressed in full plate armor, all of it covered in images of golden roots and vines, twisting around toward the center of his chest where a stylized Yggdrasil was emblazoned. On his head sat an enclosed helmet with two large, metal wings sprouting from either side and a jeweled “eye” set into the helm directly over the patch he normally wore.

“If I were to go up against a particularly tough opponent, or even a large group of villains, I might wear this. It makes me sort of like a tank. Of course I have plenty of other forms, comes with the territory of being Odin, but these two are my favorites.” With that, he burst once more into light and Hugin fluttered back up into the sky as Toshinori returned to the slender form Izuku had grown accustomed to.

Izuku finally remembered to breathe as Toshinori cocked his head at the boy. “I’m— wow. I just can’t believe I’ll be able to do that too I guess.”

“Well believe it, kid. You’re going to have a lot to learn once the power is yours.”

“That’s…” Izuku dropped his head. “That’s not for a while, right?”

Toshinori seemed to pick up on the hint immediately. “I know Nana’s sick right now, but let’s not worry too much, okay? She’s a tough lady; she won’t go down without a fight.”

Izuku smiled at the man, wiping his nose before he could let any tears fall. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Chapter Text

“Wow, Zuku! This place is so beautiful!”

“Well, I’m glad you think so. It was a pain to clean up. I swear my hair still smells like trash juice.” Izuku wrinkled his nose in mock disgust, making Momo laugh behind her hand. 

“I don’t think that’s actually true.” She held a strand of his hair against her nose. 

“Hey what are you—” he turned his head towards her, suddenly finding himself almost nose to nose with her. They stared into each others’ eyes for a moment before realizing just how close they were. Izuku took a step back as Momo averted her face, trying to hide her blush.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

                  “I didn’t mean to—”

                                     “Watch out!”

A frisbee soared over their head, barely missing them, and a young man came running towards them. “Are you okay? Did it hit you? Sorry, the wind must’ve caught it and carried it over.”

“No, its okay, we’re fine.” Izuku bent down and picked up the frisbee, handing it back to the guy.

“Sorry, again. Do you two want to join us? There’s always room for two more players.”

“No thank you, we’re…” Izuku trailed off.

“Ah I see, you two are on a date huh? Well, sorry for interrupting then. We’ll try to aim at someone else next time.” With a laugh, he took the frisbee from Izuku and made his way back to where his friends were waiting for the game to continue.

Izuku and Momo looked at each other, blushing deeply. When each saw the other all flustered, they both giggled nervously.

“Come on, let’s find a spot to get settled in. I’m getting hungry, and my mom makes the best packed lunch!”

“I believe it; your mother is an amazing cook. Which reminds me, could you get me the recipe that she made the other day when I was over? The one with the fried pork cutlets? I told my mother how good it was, and now she wants our chef to make it."

“Ah, I’ll ask her for it. She’s gonna be so happy about that.” After a moment of searching, Izuku pointed at an area close to them that didn’t have many people around. “I think that might be a good spot. I don’t see any assault frisbees around either.”

Momo laughed and pulled out a blanket from her bag. They quickly set everything up and began digging into the sandwiches Inko had prepared for them. “You were right, this has to be one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever eaten!” she said with an excited gleam in her eyes.

They sat there for a while, enjoying the food, the company, and the salty breeze coming in from the sea. No words were needed to fill the silence that fell between them.

As he shifted in his seat a speck of color caught Izuku’s attention. He reached out and picked it up, extracting it from the sand for closer inspection.

“What is it, Zuku?” Momo asked, watching him reach down into the sand. He opened his hand to reveal two beautifully colored pieces of glass, one amber, the other dark blue, worn and smoothed by the ocean’s waves.

“It’s sea glass. Look, this one reminds me of your eyes…” He held the amber glass up, gazing at Momo with a dreamy look on his face, gears visibly turning in his head. “I think I’m gonna make something with these…” 

“Will you tell me what that is?”

“Nope, not yet.” He smiled at her. “It’ll be a surprise.”

“Hey, Toshi, I have something for you. A little ‘thank you’ for all you’ve done for me.”

“Oh? You know that you don’t have to thank me, right?”

“Yeah, but I saw this and I wanted to.” With these words, Izuku handed Toshinori a small, unassuming box. “I hope you like it.”

Toshinori did as he was told and carefully lifted the lid off the box. He peered inside and found a necklace resting on the cushion. It had a pendant that was shaped like a spearhead and made out of a beautiful, indigo piece of sea glass.

“I found the glass on the beach we cleaned up. I figured this would be a nice memento of that.”

Toshinori carefully picked up the necklace, running his fingers across the smooth surface of the pendant. “Thank you, my boy, this is very beautiful. I will cherish it.” He placed the leather cord around his neck, appraising the weight as it rested against his collar. “Did you craft it yourself?”

“Yeah! I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to make what I had in mind. Thankfully, there are plenty of pictures of you with Gungnir online. I actually had a lot of fun making it.”

The older man’s lone eye twinkled with happiness. “You’re very kind, Izuku. Thank you.”

When several weeks had gone by and Nana was still sick, Izuku and Toshinori elected to ignore her objections and take her to see a doctor. Unfortunately, getting the retired heroine inside the building proved to be the more herculean feat.

“Please, Nana. We’re worried,” Izuku pleaded, giving the woman his best puppy dog eyes.

Nana frowned, huffing and throwing her hands in the air. “Oh, stop it, that’s not fair! Fine!”

“Thanks, Nana! It’ll just give us all some peace of mind.”

She grumbled in response, stifling a cough into her sleeve. “You’re gonna be a heartbreaker one day, you know that?”

“Eh?”

“Well, Ms. Shimura, I’m glad you came in.” The doctor set his clipboard down. “I’m afraid that the flu you’ve been nursing has weakened your immune system considerably. As a result, your illness seems to have caused a form of pneumonia.”

Izuku clenched his fists in his lap, looking up at Nana in concern.

Nana nodded her head slowly. “Is there any treatment?”

“Yes, of course. We’ll be prescribing you some new medication; cough medicine for the congestion and pain relievers to help make your day-to-day more comfortable. I’d also like it if you adhered to a breathing treatment program. We can administer it over the course of the next several weeks.” The doctor glanced over the clipboard one more time before giving them all a reassuring smile. “With time, you should hopefully make a full recovery.”

The woman smiled softly. “Thank you, doctor. You’ve been very helpful. I’ll take your recommendation seriously and get started on that right away.”

As the trio checked out, an uneasy feeling settled in the air between them. It took a long moment for any of them to break the silence. “Nana, are… are you gonna be okay?” Izuku looked over to the woman as they settled into the back of Toshinori’s car. 

“Of course, sweetheart. It’ll take more than some stupid virus to knock me down. I’m gonna fight this, I promise.”

Tenya watched his friend with concern, noting the absent way Izuku pushed the grains of rice around in his bowl. An overwhelming feeling of brotherly worry washed over him. What would Tensei do?

“Izuku?”

The boy looked up, his glassy eyes regaining some of their color. “What’s up, Tenya?”

“Is everything alright? You haven’t been yourself lately.”

Izuku waved his hand noncommittally. “Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve just been working really hard with my trainer lately. You know me, busy, busy, busy. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, you know? Plus we have finals coming up—”

“Izuku.”

The boy stopped his word vomit to look at Tenya, surprised at the concerned tone in his voice.

“We are friends, yes?”

Izuku froze before nodding slowly. “Best friends, yeah.”

“Best friends don’t lie to each other. Please talk to me. Let me help you if I can.”

It was as if a stained glass mirror shattered in Izuku’s eyes, a look of pain formed on the boy’s face before he dropped his face in his hands. “She’s sick, Tenya. She’s sick and I’m so afraid she won’t get better! I feel like such an ass because I knew this would have to happen eventually, her health has never been good, but I just thought we’d have more time.”

“Can you tell me who?”

Izuku gulped, wiping away the stream of tears from his face. “N-nana.”

“Is that what you call your grandmother?”

Izuku chuckled a bit, his voice wobbly as he hiccuped. “No. W-well, I mean… kind of. She might as well be at this point.” He looked hard at Tenya. “I know the school likes its discretion with Blessings, would it be alright if I explained mine to you?”

“I feel honored you would trust me that much.”

The green-haired boy sighed again as if preparing for a lengthy story. “To make a long story short, I’m Marked, but I’m not Blessed. I’m the next person to become the incarnate of Jupiter.”

Tenya’s jaw dropped. “That’s… incredible. And also incredibly confusing.”

“Yeah, it is.” Izuku laughed. “Basically, when I was little, Nana was a pro hero and the sole incarnate of Jupiter. She and All Might fought against an enemy that nearly killed them both. She managed to win the fight, but she was injured badly. She had to undergo heart surgery, I’m talking serious open-heart surgery. They had to stop her heart for a while, and I guess in that time, her Blessing left her body, thinking she was dead and well, it latched onto me.”

Tenya nodded slowly. “That’s still very complex, but I think I’m starting to understand.”

“Right, so, obviously she’s still around. The way she figures, Jupiter had marked me, but as soon as Nana was resuscitated, the energy returned back to her. Just enough time to mark me, but not stick around.” He shrugged. “There can only be one Jupiter, after all.”

“So, you’ve been training under the woman who is your predecessor, but in order for you to receive your gifts, she has to…”

Izuku nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“You mean to tell me this whole time you haven’t had any powers?”

“None.”

Tenya shook his head with a smile. “You are truly incredible, Izuku. And I believe that your fear and reluctance to accept a gift that comes naturally to the rest of us just shows that you’ll be even more incredible as a hero one day.”

“You—” Izuku faltered. “You think that?”

“I do. You clearly love this woman very much, and in the time I’ve known you, I have always considered you to be one of the most compassionate people I’ve ever met. I don’t know this Nana personally, but I don’t think she’d want you to spend this time dreading something that hasn’t happened yet. I think she’d much prefer to just spend more time with you.” He straightened his glasses, looking at Izuku with a soft smile. “That’s how I feel, anyway.”

Izuku stared at the ground hard for a few moments before nodding. “I think… I think you may be right... but I’m still gonna struggle with this.”

“I would expect nothing less, my friend.”

“Thanks, Tenya,” Izuku said with the barest hint of a smile. “You’re a lot more intuitive than you let on, you know that?”

The taller boy laughed a bit at that. “You can thank my brother for that. Tensei always encourages me to loosen up a bit.”

“I’d like to meet him someday, if that’s okay.”

“As long as you promise not to faint upon meeting the mighty Ingenium.”

Izuku nearly fell out of his seat. “YOUR BROTHER IS INGENIUM!?”

Tenya’s laughter began to fill the air of the small grove in which the boys enjoyed sharing lunch, drowning out the veritable monologue of questions Izuku was leveling at him.

The quiet comfort of Izuku’s living room coupled with the soft hum of the air conditioner brought Momo into a deep state of relaxation. It certainly helped that she was watching a documentary about predatory birds with the boy she had a giant crush on, but that was just an added bonus.

“‘A symbol of dignity’, huh? Clearly, they have never met Titus.” Izuku chuckled. Momo snorted. Titus squawked, sounding scandalized.

“Hey, he looks pretty dignified from afar; you have to admit that,” Momo came to his defense. Titus hobbled over to her and gave Izuku a glare that was shooting even more daggers than usual.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, Titus, you big feathered dork,” Izuku laughed, not feeling intimidated in the slightest. “Ah, speaking of birds…”

He got out of the armchair he had been lounging in for the better part of the afternoon. It was August, they were on summer break, and it was just too hot to do anything outside that didn’t involve large bodies of water. When he had run out of ideas, Izuku was relieved that Momo had recommended they just stay indoors for the day and out of the humid heat.

“Everything okay?” Momo asked from the couch.

He nodded. “Yeah, just gotta grab something really quick. While I’m up, do you want anything from the kitchen?”

“Just some ice water would be fantastic, please.”

“No problem,” Izuku called back as he retrieved the small object he wanted from his room, wrapping it loosely in some paper for the time being. He carefully put the item in his pocket before walking out to the kitchen and pouring Momo her requested drink. 

He returned to the living room, where Titus was currently demanding head scratches from Momo, making small noises of displeasure every time she stopped. “I’m glad to see you two get along so well, but you better be polite to Momo, understood?”

Titus looked at Izuku and without breaking eye contact sidestepped up Momo’s thigh and rubbed his head into her torso. Momo laughed at the exchange and started massaging the base of Titus’ wings, which elicited a blissful trill from the bird and made him flop down in her lap completely relaxed.

“You are a drama queen, if nothing else,” Izuku chuckled and placed the ice water on the table in front of Momo. As soon as the glass was set down, Izuku found himself rooted to the spot, very aware of the weight in his pocket.

Momo took a sip of the water, sighing contentedly before looking up in confusion. “Is everything alright, Izuku?”

“Yeah, yeah, uh. I just, er, that is to say— I made you something.”

The girl’s eyes began sparkling with curiosity. “Y-you did?”

“Mhmm, it’s— Well, do you remember when we went to the beach?”

Momo nodded. “Yeah, you found some sea glass. You wanted to make something with the shards.”

“Yeah, that’s right,” Izuku replied, pulling the small object out of his pocket and placing the pile of papers in front of Momo on the coffee table. “I gave one to Toshinori as a ‘thank you’ for training me, and I made this… well, this one's for you.”

Momo leaned forward, gently peeling back the papers to reveal a thin bracelet with a piece of smoothed out amber glass set into a wire frame in the shape of an owl. Clearly, Izuku had spent hours carefully bending the wires into place to make it resemble Momo’s beloved Familiar. The small charm was connected at the head and feet of the small owl with a leather-wrapped cord.

“This is beautiful! How did you get so much detail into it?” Momo slid the bracelet onto her wrist, tightening it carefully.

Izuku chuckled nervously. “Well, I’ve taken plenty of pictures of Penelope over the months, so it just took lots… and lots… and lots of time.”

Momo looked up with concern, causing Izuku to put his hands up defensively.

“It was worth it if you like it, though!”

“Zuku,” Momo said, standing up and embracing her friend. “I love it, thank you.” As she pulled away, she felt a strong desire to thank him more. So, before her resolve fled her completely, she left a small kiss on the boy’s cheek.

For his part, Izuku handled it as well as could be expected; some sort of circuit seemed to have shorted out and the green-haired boy was frozen in place, his eyes wide and face flushed a shade of red Momo had never seen before.

“We’re home! What are you two— Inko, I think we chose the wrong name. Ichigo would’ve been more fitting from the looks of it.”

Izuku squeaked. “Mom! Dad! Uh—” He quickly composed himself before jogging over to hug his parents. “H-how was your date?”

“It was good!” Hisashi chimed before leaning in close to give Izuku a conspiratorial wink. “And how about your date? How’d it all go, my little strawberry?”

Titus, ever the trolling thorn in Izuku’s side, began squawking in a form of laughter.

“Et tu, Titus?” Izuku hissed under his breath before rejoining a very confused Momo in the living room.

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Midoriya!” Momo called from the couch. “It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Midoriya, how was your flight back the other day?”

Hisashi smiled at the girl. “It was alright, not too bad. I’m just glad my work pays for business class. It’s good to see you again, too.”

The two parents waved happily at the teens before making their way back into the kitchen and leaving their son and his girlfriend friend to continue watching their documentary.

I wonder how Nana is doing… I should visit her. The hospital is only 3 blocks away from here…

It had been almost 4 months now since Nana had been admitted into the hospital, and her condition hadn’t improved at all. Izuku would have to lie to say he wasn’t worried sick about the woman that was his family in all but blood.

He nodded to the receptionist, who waved to him and pointed at the elevator, letting him know that it was okay to go ahead since he seemed busy with another visitor. He had been at this hospital so many times over the past month that he knew most of the personnel by name and usually was waved through when there was a queue so he knew it would be fine.

Upon reaching Nana’s room, Izuku paused briefly before knocking, waiting until he heard the woman’s voice beckoning him to come in. He stepped inside and found someone he wasn’t familiar with sitting by her bedside, his hand resting on hers on top of the covers. 

“Hello, Izuku, how nice of you to come by! Meet my old friend Sorahiko. Sora, this is Izuku, my successor.”

“Hello, sir. It’s nice to meet you,” Izuku said with a little bow towards the older man.

“Likewise, youngling.”

Youngling?

The older man stood up, stretching. “So, how’s the training going with Toshi? I know that blockhead can be a bit much.”

“N-no! He’s a great teacher, honestly!”

“Oh?” Sorahiko smirked. “Well, that’s encouraging. Maybe he’s not totally hopeless after all.”

Izuku couldn’t believe his ears. Was this guy really making fun of All Might?

“Oh, hush you old grump, Toshi’s a good boy. He’s done really well with Izuku.”

Sorahiko waved his hand with a smirk. “Yeah, yeah. I know you’ve got a soft spot for the overgrown sunflower.” He leaned back, cracking his back with a satisfying pop. “Here, I’ll get out of your hair for a bit, let you chat with your padawan here. There has to be a place where I can get some nice Taiyaki around here somewhere. ”

Padawan?

“You and your weird dietary habits. I still don’t get how I’m in the hospital and you’re not.”

The man snorted as he patted Izuku on the shoulder. “Nice to meet you, sonny boy. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Y-yeah, you too.”

Sorahiko exited the room, leaving Izuku and Nana alone.

“It’s nice to see you, sweetheart. I wasn’t expecting you until this weekend with Toshi. Is everything alright?”

Izuku smiled softly. “I had some spare time after school. I wanted to come to see you, I’m sorry I didn’t call first.”

“As if I’d ever pass up the chance to spend time with you. Here, take a seat.” The boy sat down in the chair next to Nana’s bed, leaning back with a sigh. Nana tilted her head slightly, examining him.“You seem tense, school getting you down?”

Izuku shook his head. “No, school’s going alright. I-I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Well, I’m here if you want to talk, you know that right? And I know Toshi can get down to business most of the time, but he’s there for you, too.”

“Yeah, of course—” Izuku felt a pang as he appreciated the fact that Nana was in bed, sick and fighting to get better, and here she was worried about him.

The older woman frowned. “Hatchling, you really need to work on your poker face. Talk to me.”

“I guess… I’m just scared.”

Nana turned to face him more fully, fluffing a pillow behind her as she made sure Izuku could see he had her undivided attention. “Tell me why?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be good enough. And… I’m not sure if I even want the Blessing anymore.”

Izuku sat still for a moment, the room silent as Nana allowed the boy to collect his thoughts.

In a voice that was as level as he could manage, he whispered, “I don’t want to lose you. You’re more important than any Blessing could ever be.”

Nana reached out, wrapping her hands around his. She was silent for a long moment before she replied. “Did I ever tell you I had a son?”

Izuku’s head shot up, surprise evident in his features.

“Guess not. It was… wow, well before you were born, I'd say. I was young, barely out of UA when it happened. It was a one night s—” She paused as if her sentence had potentially disastrous consequences. “You’ve had ‘The Talk’, right?”

The boy nodded sheepishly. “Nana, I’m eighteen.”

“Right, well, it was a one night stand and I didn’t prepare. The father was never in the picture, just some handsome B-Lister hero who was in the right place at the right time to win me over. And, well, I got pregnant.” She shrugged. “Now, I was maybe twenty-two, twenty-three at the time? I wasn’t ready to be a mother. Especially not with the life a hero lives. But a part of me didn’t want to just cancel the pregnancy. I’d seen how many families are destroyed by villains every year, how many lives are lost. I guess I figured if I gave the kid up for adoption, maybe I could just bring some new life into the world. At the end of the day, it was my choice.”

She smiled, looking down at her hands, still clasped onto Izuku’s. “I don’t regret it, letting go of him that day. It was maybe the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, but it was the right thing to do. I miss him. I think of him every day; wondering what kind of life he has, if he ever wondered who I am, if he’s happy now. If he’s happier now than he would've been with me.”

“I… can’t even imagine.”

“No, you can’t. Nor would I ever want you to. It’s not all bad though, it may have taken a decade or two, but I found some semblance of a family again.” She gave Izuku’s hands a soft squeeze. “What I’m trying to say is that in life, there are always going to be things we aren’t ready for. The best we can do is press on, holding onto the moments and memories dearest to us, and learning from the painful ones. I know you will be ready when my time comes.”

Izuku felt a tear run down his cheek, one that was quickly brushed away by Nana’s soft hand. 

“Izuku, honey, you are a sweet boy. You have such a good heart. Please don’t dread something that hasn’t happened yet. Let’s just enjoy every moment and memory, yeah?”

The boy wiped his tears away, nodding softly.

“Good boy, now give me a hug. You look like you need one, and I never pass up a chance to get one.”

Without hesitation, Izuku buried himself in Nana’s embrace, doing his best to etch the feeling of love and comfort into his memory forever.

Because Izuku knew that one day soon, memories would be all that he had left.

Chapter Text

Izuku awoke to a phone call from Toshinori early one Saturday morning.

“Toshi? What’s up?”

“Hey, bud, Nana called, says she’s feeling pretty good today and wants to go check out Dagobah. She’s still complaining that she hasn’t seen the place since you finished cleaning it.”

Izuku stuffed down the bubble of hope and simply leveled his voice. “Yeah, of course! I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”

“Sounds great, I’ll have the car brought around.”

The boy raced out of bed, taking a quick shower and donning a warm sweater and jeans to combat the late autumnal chill. “Hey, Mom! I’m heading out to meet up with Toshi and Nana, I’m not sure when I’ll be home but I’ll have my phone on me!”

Inko called back, a smile in her voice. “Alright, Sweetie, see you later!”

“Wow, Hatchling. I gotta say this is a mighty impressive feat you accomplished here. Toshi’s pictures didn’t do it justice.”

Izuku sheepishly scratched at his cheek, stifling a shiver as a gust of wind hit him. “Thanks, Nana.”

“You know,” the old woman started as she turned to face the boy, “I’m feeling pretty great today actually, thought I might give a little flying a try. What do you think?”

He felt himself falter, looking at Toshi with concern and finding the man sharing a similar look in return. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, you’ve been in the hospital for a while now.”

“Oh, hush, I feel like I could take on a whole army of villains today. Besides, it’s been a while since I showed you one of my old tricks.” The woman removed her shawl, walking calmly toward the ocean. “I think you’re gonna be impressed by this one, I could move so fast it was like I was riding on a bolt of lightning.”

“Nana?” Izuku called out, following after the woman. “I don’t think this is a good idea, really, let’s head back.” He bent down and retrieved her shawl, holding it in the air. “You’re gonna get cold!”

She snorted in return. “Oh, you sound like Toshi did when I first met him, so cautious and uptight. You gotta relax, Izuku.” Nana breathed deeply of the ocean air, kicking off her shoes and wading into the water. “Sometimes you need to learn to just appreciate the moment, you know? I want you to understand that there are things outside of our control, and that you should learn to appreciate the little moments in between the good, and the bad.”

Izuku watched with growing concern as the woman he had grown to love as a second mother splashed around in the cold water. “Nana?”

Suddenly she turned back to the two men behind her, her smile wide and full of warmth. “Toshi, take good care of him, okay?”

The man’s eye widened, but he bit down his feelings and nodded. “I promise.”

“You’re a good boy and I’m so proud of the man you’ve become. You came into my life after I made one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make, and I love you like you were my own. Thank you.”

A single tear began rolling down Toshinori’s cheek as he nodded. “I love you too, Nana.”

Izuku looked back with concern. “What’s going on, I don’t understand!”

“Izuku.”

Nana’s voice was like a whisper in his ear, close and far at the same time. 

“Izuku, promise me you will be okay after I’m gone.”

White-hot fear gripped Izuku’s heart. “No, please, no, no, no. We have time, please don’t do this. I’m not ready!”

“Izuku, sweetheart, you’re as ready as I could have ever hoped for. You have brought so much joy to my life these last few years. You will be ready, I promise you. And when you feel lost, know that I will be with you always.” She glanced between the two men before her. “You two have given me a family. After I… After I gave up my son, I didn’t think I’d get to have that. Toshi, you’ve been like a son to me. And Izuku? Well, if I’m an old lady, that’d make you as close to a grandson as I’ll ever have. Thank you both so, so much for giving me that.”

Izuku felt tears begin to stream down his face. “Nana, please, you’re scaring me.”

The woman pressed her hands together over her heart. “I know, honey, I know. I’m sorry. Please know that I love you very much.”

“Nana-” he choked back a sob. “I… I love you too.”

A tear formed in the corner of Nana’s eye. “Well, now that we’ve gotten that said, it’s time for my demonstration!” The clouds just over Nana began to darken. “This is gonna be incredible, I promise.”

Izuku dropped to his knees, suddenly aware of Toshinori’s hand on his back.

“THIS is the power of Jupiter!”

A magnificent purple and blue bolt crackled overhead, brimming with power as it struck down on where Nana was standing. The ocean around her flew away in a spray of suds and steam.

Izuku and Toshinori found themselves shielding their eyes, and when they looked back-

She was gone.

Izuku jumped to his feet, ignoring Toshinori’s calls as he rushed to where Nana had disappeared from. He stared into the still returning water as it rushed to fill the void, and found a single, beautifully ornate piece of fulgurite in the sand. 

As carefully as he could, Izuku reached down and plucked the crystalline glass up as if it were a treasure. Behind him, Toshinori walked up, picking up the shoes that Nana had left behind, and waited for Izuku.

“Toshi-” Izuku forgot his words and rushed to wrap himself in Toshinori’s embrace as the two men cried together on the beach, only pausing when soft, melodic, and beautiful laughter filled the winds around them.

The rest of the day went by in a haze as Izuku was taken home. He vaguely remembered his mother holding him tight as Toshinori explained to her what had happened. It hadn’t taken long before Izuku went to bed without eating, despite his mother’s protests.

His dreams were filled with images of lightning and Nana.

Izuku groaned as he woke to the light of the early dawn. The events of the previous morning felt both real and unreal all at once. His head felt fuzzy as he padded out of his room to get a glass of water. 

The comfortable apartment felt like another planet, everything foreign and almost out of focus. His own reflection seemed off as he caught it in the small mirror of the hallway.

Were his eyes… glowing?

Suddenly he felt a tug at his core and the instinctual urge to go outside right now .

Following it, Izuku grabbed a jacket off the wall and rushed out the door and down the flights of stairs, not stopping until he found himself in the middle of the street. Overhead the sky was nearly black, which confused Izuku as he had just seen the sun beginning to rise.

The inky darkness of the clouds above began to sparkle with blue light as arcs of electricity coursed through them. Without warning, a single bolt struck Izuku before he had the chance to react, his body not immediately burning to a crisp as he would expect. Instead, his body felt like it was floating, the world around him going white as he felt power begin to thrum deep within his veins. Inside his head, a dozen voices began speaking in unison, and among the cacophony, a single, heartbreakingly familiar voice spoke with words he couldn’t understand to soothe his confused mind.

His feet touched the ground with a thud and he found himself unable to move for a moment, the world beginning to return to focus all around him. He stared in awe at his hands, which were still crackling with electricity, but he found it oddly comforting. He just wished maybe it’d stop, he didn’t want to electrocute his whole apartment building.

As if on cue, the sparks stopped.

That’s… something.

A sudden, overwhelming thirst overcame him and Izuku realized his tongue felt even drier than it had when he had woken up. He staggered dazedly up the stairs and back into his apartment, taking off his jacket and just about to walk right past the mirror in the hall when something caught his eye.

Taking a closer look, he noted that spider-webbing across the skin of his upper arms was a pattern that almost resembled a system of roots.

Wait.

His jaw dropped as he recognized it.

Lightning.

In response, thunder rumbled overhead.

Jupiter.

He stared in awe at his hands and willed the electricity to return and, just as before, his hands lit up with the blue energy.

His fists clenched together and for a brief moment he wanted to cry out in joy, but that was when it hit him.

She’s really gone.

In the end, per Nana’s request, they had a relatively small service. Toshinori and Izuku kept the ceremony going in spite of their grief, with a small collection of retired pro heroes and friends in attendance. 

Hisashi had requested emergency sick time as soon as Inko had called him with the news, flying home so he could be with his family. Despite only spending a few evenings with Nana, he too considered her family. And his son needed him now more than ever before.

Toshinori, in a dark suit and his normally wild hair combed and maintained, took the podium. “We’re gathered here today to pay our respects to a woman who, despite saving thousands of lives, had never sought the fame or fortune that went with being a hero. Nana Shimura was many things; a hero, a friend, a mentor, a comedian,” the small assembly murmured with soft chuckles, “and to some she was…” he cleared his throat, the emotion thick in his voice as he met Izuku’s eyes. “To some, she was family.”

“It is my sincere hope that we can all comfort each other in this time of grief as we all try to heal together. Nana would never want us to mope over her death. In fact, if she caught me shedding more tears than she thought was necessary on her behalf, she’d probably kick my butt.” Another soft chorus of laughs broke out among the people in attendance. “So please, have some refreshments, raise a toast when you feel the urge to share a story, and let’s celebrate this wonderful woman’s memory together.” He raised a glass. “To Nana.”

In unison, the group responded. “To Nana.”

Izuku spent the ceremony once again in a haze, absentmindedly scratching at the fresh markings that littered his upper arms, deeply unsatisfied with the barrier that his suit and shirt provided.

“Hey, youngling.”

The boy turned to the source of the voice and spotted the slightly stooped form of Sorahiko walking his way.

“Hey, Sora. Thank you for coming.”

The older man grunted, sipping from a cup of water. “As if I’d miss this. She may have called me a grump just about every day, but I’m not heartless.” He sighed deeply. “I love that woman. She was my best friend.”

“How did you two meet?” Izuku asked, genuinely curious and itching for any details about Nana to help him feel more whole.

“UA. I mean, I say that. She might as well have been on another planet. Top of the class, excelled in everything. Meanwhile, I barely avoided being put in general studies.” He smirked at Izuku’s raised eyebrow. “I’m a Blessed of Lugh, I’m not stupid, just… distracted. Everyone there was too uptight so I tried to keep things light.”

Izuku nodded, imagining what a trickster god’s chosen would consider ‘light fun’.

“Well, anyway, Nana and I got paired up for our internships. Some schmuck wanted both of us around and we became friends. Couldn’t get rid of her after that. You know how she is, damn stubborn.”

The boy smiled softly. “Yeah, she was.”

“She loved you, you know that? Talked about you nonstop every time I came to visit.”

Izuku scratched at his cheek, fighting down the well of sadness that was simmering within him.

He suddenly felt a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “Don’t ever think for a second she wasn’t proud of you. Jupiter’s blessing is in you now. I for one, am looking forward to seeing the man you become.” Sorahiko cracked his neck and looked around the room before smiling wickedly. “Now, if you don’t mind me, I need to… cheer up Toshi.”

Izuku watched in quiet fascination as the older man approached the number one hero and reduce the giant man to a nervous wreck.

Momo was in the car before she finished the phone call with Inko.

Why didn’t he call?

The car ride over to the Midoriya household was excruciating. What normally took a half-hour drive felt like an eternity.

Is he okay? He has to be.

Izuku had been more subdued lately, but he hadn’t let this on.

Does he not want to talk to me? Should I be going over?

From what Inko had said, the woman Izuku had been working with for years had passed away just a couple days prior. She hadn’t thought much of Izuku not messaging as much, what with finals coming up in a few weeks. But she couldn’t have…

The car pulled up to the front of the familiar apartment complex and she was racing up the steps, knocking on the door to the flat without hesitation.

After a couple of seconds, Inko was at the door, dressed in black. “Momo, thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Mrs. Midoriya, where is he?”

“In his room, dear. We got home not long before I called you. He’s been all over the place the past few days and I think he… I think he needs to talk to someone else.”

Momo felt her stomach drop. “I’ll do my best, Mrs. Midoriya.”

“Just call me Inko, dear. Please.”

The younger woman nodded, walked slowly to Izuku’s door. She’d been in his room before, but something about the hero-themed nameplate was giving her pause. 

Just knock, Yaomomo. Be there for him .

She knocked gently on the door, waiting until she heard a soft “come in” from inside.

Momo entered the room quietly, spotting Izuku as he was laying down on his bed, still wearing his dress shirt and slacks from the day. Under any other circumstance, she’d be marveling at how handsome he looked, but all she could focus on right now was the red rings around his eyes.

“Momo?”

“Hey, Zuku. Your mom called me and so… well, here I am.”

Izuku hung his head. “I’m sorry she bugged you, I don’t want to burden you with this.”

“Izuku-” Momo stepped closer, taking a seat next to him on the bed, giving him enough space in case he didn’t want to be touched. “You just lost someone important to you. Of course I’m going to drop everything to come and be here for you.”

The boy looked over at Momo and the heartbreak in his eyes shattered all of the girl’s self-restraint. She pulled him into a hug, letting Izuku rest his face on her shoulder as she held him close with one hand and knit her fingers into his hair with the other.

After a second of hesitation, Izuku’s arms came to wrap around her as well, holding onto her tightly. They stayed like that, silent tears staining the shoulder of Momo’s sleep shirt as Izuku clung onto her for dear life. It was in that moment that a rather frustrating and distracting revelation hit her: in her haste to get over to the Midoriyas', she had stayed in the sleep shirt and sweatpants she had been intending to wear for most of that quiet Sunday. She had simply slipped on some shoes and donned a jacket against the late Autumn chill. 

Oh shit, am I even wearing a bra? She mentally slapped herself. Worry about that later, Momo. Izuku needs you.

“I tried so hard to keep it together today,” he whispered. “I feel like I’m breaking inside.”

“I’m here, let me help.”

He leaned back and even with his face puffy and red, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. 

“I… It’s a long story.”

Momo nodded. “I have time.”

And so Izuku leaned back, took a deep breath, and began telling her everything . How he was an incarnate of Jupiter for gods sake. How he didn’t receive his Blessing because Nana had been saved from death, but had still been marked by the deity. How Toshinori-how ALL MIGHT of all people had found him. She learned about the years of training Izuku had committed to, all without any powers of his own. And lastly, she had learned about how just a few days before, Nana had left the world and Izuku now possessed the full Blessing of Jupiter.

He unbuttoned his shirt in a display that nearly got Momo to squeak in protest. That was before the shirt was removed on his right side and she saw the mark. 

Or rather, marks. 

“Are those…”

Izuku nodded as Momo stood up, tracing her fingers gently over the dendritic, slightly red scars that traveled across Izuku’s trapezius, down his shoulder, and tapering off near his upper forearm. 

“I looked it up, it’s called a Lichtenburg figure or something. I didn’t know what Nana’s fully looked like so I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Momo’s eyes filled with concern. “It looks like it hurts. I can’t believe you were struck by lightning. You should be dead right now.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, that was so insensitive Izuku.”

“No, no, you’re right. It was… I want to say it was terrifying but I felt weirdly calm about it at the time. I could hear these voices and… and I think I heard her. For just a brief moment, and she snapped me out of things and I came back down.” He pulled the shirt back over his arm, buttoning it back up and sitting back down. “But now that I have this-” his hands began glowing as he summoned sparks of light to his fingertips. “And it just keeps reminding me that she’s gone.”

Momo reached forward to roll up the sleeve of Izuku’s shirt, continuing to run her fingers along the markings. “I don’t think she’d want you to think of this like that, Izuku.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” She interlaced her fingers of one hand with his right hand as she continued to stroke the markings on his arm with the other. “It’s like she’s with you all the time now, don’t you think?”

Izuku tilted his head, urging Momo to continue.

“You have to be the only Incarnate in the history of the world who was able to meet and get to know their predecessor. That’s incredible to me. I already knew you were special, Zuku, but this just proves it.” She smiled softly, looking deep into his emerald eyes that seemed to now be ringed with hairline cracks of bright blue. “You said you heard voices when the power flowed into you, and you thought you heard Nana in the mix. Maybe those were the past Incarnates. And because of your connection to Nana, you could feel her. It’s like she was there with you, keeping an eye on you.”

The boy’s head dropped as he mulled over Momo’s words.

“I can’t think of a single reason why it wouldn’t be Nana. I didn’t know her, but I know you, and if she loved you as much as all the people I know who surround you do, then I think that she’s going to stick around, one way or another. She isn’t gone , Izuku.” Momo flattened her palm against the center of his chest. “She’s right here.”

Izuku chuckled. “That may be the only time someone has said that and I’ve really believed it.” He looked back at Momo, his beautiful eyes wet with fresh tears and shining brightly even in the low light of the afternoon. “How did I get so lucky?”

“Well, a very insecure girl met a very nice boy at a Familiar shop, and she proceeded to stake out the shop like a stalker for the next several weeks because she regretted not getting that boy’s number the first time.”

Izuku’s eyebrows shot up. “You- why would you?”

“Because I thought you were handsome and cute and charming and-” she huffed. “I wanted so badly to get to know you, I couldn’t help myself. I mean, look at us, over two years later and we’re still this close. I think I made the right choice.”

“I…” Izuku’s gaze dropped again. When his eyes rose again, the intense look in them took Momo’s breath away. 

“Momo, I love you.”

The girl gasped as she jumped out of her seat. “Y-you-”

Izuku nodded. “I know now isn’t a good time, and I’m so sorry if it ruins our friendship, but I just… I can’t keep it in any longer. I love you Momo, I think I’ve loved you for a long while now.”

Momo’s world was spinning. Here she was with the boy she had had a furious crush on for years , sitting in front of her and confessing his love for her.

And she was gaping at him.

Get it together , Momo!

Say something! Do something!

“I love you too!” She threw herself forward, crushing her lips into his like she’d wanted to so many times before, each time when they were cruelly interrupted by nerves or some ridiculous intervention. 

Izuku responded by freezing up, which was to be expected. She nearly pulled away, worried she had gone too far when one powerful arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him as his other hand cupped the back of her neck, gently caressing the corner of her jaw.

For several seconds they stayed locked in that moment, kissing deeply and holding each other tightly. When they broke apart, their brains seemed to struggle to catch up.

Then it hit them, almost in unison.

The sheer weight of not only what they had just done, but also what they had just said to each other. This happened right as Momo remembered, once again, she was in essentially in her pajamas.

And that did not include a bra.

“I-I-I-” Momo struggled to compose herself in the wake of this realization. 

Izuku seemed to be having a similarly difficult time as they struggled to regain some distance and normalcy.

Suddenly a soft knock on the door shocked the two teens out of their stupor, Inko calling from the other side. “Momo, dear, would you like to stay for dinner?”

“Um,” Momo coughed to clear her throat. “I’d love to, Mrs. M- Inko! Thank you!”

“Wonderful! It should be ready in a few minutes.” She peeked her head in the door, giving Izuku a warm and sympathetic look. “Please don’t feel pressured, but it would mean a lot to me if you could try to eat something.”

Izuku nodded, his body rigid like a board. “Yeah!” His voice cracking a bit. “Sounds good!”

Inko’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Oh- Okay, um, well, would you two mind setting the table?”

Izuku shot up, bowing robotically to his mother before walking out into the hallway. 

Inko stopped Momo for a moment as the girl passed by. “I’m not sure, but whatever you did seemed to work. Thank you, honey.”

“Mhmm!” Momo mumbled, also in a fit of nervousness as she mentally prepared for the evening ahead.

Izuku lay awake in bed, thankful for a distraction from his grief, but also not prepared to deal with the pile of confusion he had to deal with currently.

Sure, on the one hand, confessing to Momo and getting kissed had been really nice. Girls were soft, and Momo was so incredibly soft it blew his mind.

Was she not wearing a- 

No, bad Izuku.

He slapped himself on the cheeks. 

Maybe she hadn’t meant it. He had been in an emotionally compromised state. What if she confessed out of pity, tried to make him feel better. What if he had pressured her into a confession!

Anxiety formed a pit in his chest. That would be awful, he couldn’t forgive himself if that was the case.

Without thinking, he reached forward and sent Momo a text, asking to meet the next day.

Hopefully, they could clear the air and things would be resolved, for better or worse.

Izuku (Today 01:47)

Hey Momo, sorry for texting so late. Can we meet up tomorrow? Just so we can talk I guess.

Sorry again, and thanks for coming over today, it meant a lot.

Momo put her phone down before turning and screaming into her pillow.

She knew it, he had only confessed because he had been emotionally compromised, and now he needed to tell her that he hadn’t meant it! She wasn’t sure she could handle being rejected now that she had admitted to herself exactly what the feelings she had been having for so long really were.

There was no denying it, Izuku was perfect in her eyes. She knew objectively he wasn’t actually perfect, but he was so wonderful and kind and handsome and sweet and…

Oh, she had it bad. 

She really hoped this wasn’t one of those ‘we need to talk’ texts. She wasn’t sure she could handle it. Just gotta pick the right place, somewhere they’d feel comfortable...

Yaomomo (Today 01:53)

Yeah, let’s go the Dagobah around noon?

The next minute passed in agony.

Izuku (Today 01:54)

Yeah, see you then.

Momo set her phone down, sighing deeply before turning back into her pillow and letting loose another scream.

“Hey, Momo!”

The girl turned around to see Izuku jogging toward her. They had gotten lucky, it wasn’t raining today. She had to wear a red peacoat and boots, but she was comfortable. The coat felt almost like a security blanket, which was something she desperately needed.

“Hey, Zuku!”

The boy came to a stop in front of her, his brown leather jacket pulled tight and a green scarf wrapped around his neck.

The two young adults regarded each other nervously, neither sure how to speak.

“It’s okay if you didn’t mean it-”

“I’m sorry for forcing my feelings on you-”

They both flinched.

Izuku spoke first. “I… Momo, of course I meant it. I meant every word.”

Momo felt her cheeks redden. “You… I was just worried that since you were heartbroken, maybe you said something you didn’t mean.”

“Momo, how could I not mean it, you’re amazing. You’re beautiful, you’re like a flipping supergenius, and every time I’m with you I feel like I’m lighter than air. You make me so happy.” He smiled softly at her. “How could I not fall in love with you? I just don’t want you to feel like you have to reciprocate my feelings just because I confessed out of the blue.”

“Izuku, I would be lying if I said it didn’t catch me off guard, but… I love you too. You mean the world to me, you’re the sweetest, most generous man I’ve ever met. You’re gorgeous and I couldn’t help but fall for you too.”

Izuku seemed to be having a hard time processing the information. “Wait, so you were…”

“Worrying over what turned out to be nothing?” She giggled. “Yeah, it looks like we both were.”

He visibly relaxed. “Does that mean…?”

“Yes, Zuku. I love you. I love you very much.”

Izuku rushed to pull her into a fierce hug. “I love you too, Momo. You make me so happy.”

Momo giggled in his embrace. “The feeling is mutual, now please kiss me, I want to try it again, for real this time.”

“Oh!” Izuku relaxed his grip, his face resembling the same neon red she had seen so many times before. He leaned in slowly, too slowly for her taste, and deciding to take the initiative, she closed the gap.

Momo Yaoyorozu was many things, but gullible was not one of them. She had been told many times that when you kiss someone you love, you’ll feel fireworks go off. It had always sounded ridiculous, and she had thrown it away thinking that it was just some lazy cliche writers used to describe the feeling of a good kiss.

Well, whichever lazy, cliche writer was dictating this moment of her life had definitely hit the nail on the head. Her mouth felt like it was going numb, tingling like crazy as she chased after the warmth of Izuku’s impossibly soft lips. She could feel him humming contentedly, and it sent shivers down her spine as the soft vibrations hummed against her. 

She was in absolute heaven right now.

Or, maybe Elysium was more fitting.

Wait! 

She broke apart, eliciting confusion from the absolutely dopey and love-drunk expression on Izuku’s face. 

“You told me your blessing, but I never told you mine.”

“Oh!” Izuku blinked. “Um, yeah, I’d love to know.”

“Athena. I’m blessed by Athena.”

Izuku nodded. “That makes sense… You have the owl…”

“I have the owl,” Momo giggled in response. “Now please keep kissing me.”

“I can do that.”

All in all, it was probably the happiest Momo had ever been in her life.

Weeks passed by as Izuku and Momo settled into the rhythm of being boyfriend and girlfriend.  Inko and Hisashi were absolutely ecstatic, and despite his insecurities over her parents, Momo’s mother and father were equally happy.

The holidays came and went without much fanfare, although Izuku had felt a profound amount of pressure from no one but himself to get Momo an outstanding gift.

She had merely laughed at his nervousness and kissed him as he presented the hand-painted portrait of Penelope to her, telling him that she would have loved anything from him.

Still, the twinkle in her eye as she looked at his hard work had been worth it.

And so it went, that on the Friday after Christmas, Izuku was sitting at home, enjoying a quiet afternoon with his parents as they watched TV when the doorbell rang.

Hisashi got up first. “Must be the mail, I’ll grab it.”

Izuku paid little mind as the man came back silently, holding a package and sharing a meaningful look with Inko.

“Izuku, it’s for you.”

The boy perked up. “For me? I didn’t order anything.”

“It’s… well, you should open it for yourself.” 

Hisashi handed his son the package. It was simply wrapped in brown packing paper and twine rope. Izuku’s eyes drifted over the box until he found the return address and his heart stopped.

It was from Nana.

He set the gift down on the coffee table, carefully unwrapping it as he tried his best to preserve the paper and wrappings. Inside was a box, and inside that box was a small envelope with his name on it.

“Izuku,

If you’re reading this, it means it must be right around Christmas. Right about now you should have your blessing, and I want you to know that as scary and uncertain as things may seem right now, it will get easier. I left Toshi with instructions on how to train you in your powers now that you have them. He should be getting them with his gift any day now.

Please don’t mope over me, you know I’d get annoyed by that. Keep your chin up and become the man I know you can be. 

You’re a brilliant young man and I couldn’t be more proud of you. You’re going to outshine all of us one day. And just know that if you ever miss me, summon a storm and know that I’m a part of it.

I love you, 

Nana

PS Take care of Toshi and Sora for me, they’re a couple of knuckleheads. They need a smart cookie like you around.”

Izuku closed the letter, careful not to let his tears drop on it. He smiled softly to himself as he sniffled. Inko and Hisashi pulled him in for a family hug before letting him continue opening the package.

Inside was something that brought an even bigger smile to his face.

The red sweater with SPQR emblazoned on it had been something he had always been glad Nana loved. It was a gift that he wasn’t sure she’d get any use out of, especially considering how big it was on her. 

He slid the sweater over his head and found that he didn’t quite fill it out. It was still a little big and maybe a little stretched out, but he was certain it would fit him eventually. If Toshi’s estimate was right, and the recent growth spurt he’d been experiencing was anything to go by, it wouldn’t be long before he truly grew into it.

“If you ever miss me, summon a storm…” 

Izuku stood up, closing his eyes, and called upon the still foreign power. He reached out and felt the air pressure drop as the sky outside darkened. Within seconds, he could feel the electricity crackle, and a large boom erupted outside.

It was at that moment that he swore he could hear a familiar laugh on the wind.

“...summon a storm and know that I’m a part of it.” 

He smiled to himself.

“I love you too, Nana. Thank you. For everything.”

Chapter Text

Izuku flopped back on his bed, feeling drained after his jog. He had gone on it to clear his head, but he was no closer to feeling calm than he had before. 

“Toshi recommended I visit a grief counselor… maybe I should take him up on that.” He turned as Titus huffed quietly from his perch. “What do you think, buddy? What should I do?”

“I dunno.”

Izuku’s world froze for a moment. He sat in shock, staring at Titus for several seconds. “Did you just… talk?”

“Been talking the whole time, thanks for noticing.”

“I…” Izuku slapped himself, as if not believing what he was hearing. “WHAT!?”

Titus squinted at him. “Hey, not so loud.”

“HOW ARE YOU TALKING!?”

The bird shifted in confusion. “I’ve been talking this whole time. I just assumed you were being rude and ignoring me.”

Izuku gripped his head, unable to rationalize what was happening. Titus’ beak wasn’t moving, and yet a voice was very clearly speaking loud and clear in his…

Wait.

“Can you say something again.”

“Something again.”

“You smartass.” He put a finger to his temple, massaging it gently. “It almost sounds like you’re speaking in my head. When Nana told me we’d be able to communicate once I got my blessing, I never thought it’d be this direct. And why am I just now suddenly able to understand you?”

“How am I supposed to know?”

Izuku shook his head. “I’m sorry, this is just a lot for me. I wasn’t expecting to have a telepathic connection with my Familiar out of the blue.”

Titus ruffled his feathers, plucking and preening himself. “You’re the one with sparkly hands now. I don’t know how any of this magic stuff works.”

“Can’t you, I don’t know, talk to the other Familiars? Hugin, Munin, and Penelope?”

“Oh.” Titus somehow looked embarrassed. “I… They may have tried to explain things to me before, but I didn’t really pay attention.”

“What do you mean you weren’t paying attention!?”

“Look,” the bird shrugged-or his best approximation of a shrug by lifting the shoulders of his wings while keeping them tucked to his sides, “it’s not exactly easy to stay focused when you’re so entertaining. I’m just glad you and Momo are finally together, Penelope and I were getting sick of watching you two court each other without actually doing anything.”

Izuku groaned. “I am not getting dating critiques from an eagle. Can we change the subject?”

“Maybe, but play some music first, it’s too quiet in here.”

The boy sighed deeply, syncing his phone to his speaker and playing some music for his bird, who apparently knew the lyrics to all the songs Izuku had ever seen him dancing to in the past. He sat down on his bed with the overwhelming urge to sleep and pray this was all some crazy dream.

Izuku breathed deeply of the crisp morning air as he walked quietly with Toshinori to the small shrine that had been built for Nana. Izuku had requested it be built in connection to his own family shrine, and Toshinori being the kind man he was, had no objections.

“It’s beautiful, Izuku.” Toshinori appraised the small neoclassical shrine with a soft smile. “She would have loved it.”

Izuku smiled as he laid the bouquet of lilac and lavender at the base of the shrine. “I hope so.”

Off in the distance, he heard the faint cry of an eagle. 

“Was that Rhea?”

Toshinori sighed sadly. “I’m afraid she’s been distraught since Nana passed. I’ve been taking care of her but I can tell she’s unhappy.”

Izuku nodded, looking up at the form of Titus flying alongside his mother. “Maybe Titus can cheer her up.”

“I hope so, my boy. That old bird deserves some happiness. I’m considering taking her to the same reserve that Nana would bring the other hatchlings to. At least there she could live out her days in relative peace.”

Titus did a large loop, clearly attempting to impress his mother. Izuku watched with a small grin. “Maybe.”

Izuku and Tenya came to a slow stop as they decided to take a brief break from their jog. The whole time, Tenya had been noticing changes in Izuku. There were the obvious things such as the subtle changes in Izuku’s height and musculature. He had certainly grown a bit in the few weeks Tenya had been vacationing for the holidays. 

It was as if he wasn’t used to his body, judging by how erratically Izuku had been jogging. 

On top of all of it, there was the way Izuku had been carrying himself. He seemed different as if some great change had occurred in his life.

It wasn’t polite to pry, but Izuku had been brushing him off in the weeks since Nana had passed. He didn’t want to leave things this way if there was even a small chance he could help his friend.

“Izuku, is everything alright?”

The young man looked over at Tenya with raised eyebrows before his face settled in a soft smile. “There’s no getting by you, is there? I didn’t wanna bring down our jogging time, but yeah.” He sighed, pointing to a bench just up the path. “Let’s sit down, I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

Tenya followed his friend, taking a seat and listening attentively as Izuku recapped the last month and a half. He knew about Nana, Izuku’s father had called not long after the woman had passed. Tenya’s heart had broken, especially considering the conversations he and Izuku had regarding the woman. When Izuku had returned to school, though, he had just been quieter, more subdued. In the chaos of final exams and the budding holidays, though, there hadn’t been much time to talk.

“So, you know about Nana; the powers and my Blessing.”

Tenya nodded.

“Well, after she… after she died. I came into my powers.” Izuku shed his windbreaker, rolling up the sleeve of his t-shirt and showing the lightning bolt-shaped patterns that covered his upper arm. “It’s official. I’m an Incarnate of Jupiter.”

“I’d say congratulations, but I know what this cost you. I’m sorry, Izuku.”

The green-haired boy sighed. “Thanks, Tenya. It’s not all bad, someone helped me start to think of this in a different light.”

“Oh?”

Izuku nodded. “It’s… it’s like she’s with me forever now.” His hand started crackling with electricity. 

“Whoever told you that gave some wise counsel.” 

“I mean,” Izuku chuckled, “she is blessed by Athena, so Wisdom is sort of her thing.”

Tenya cocked an eyebrow. “She? ”

Izuku’s face tinged a shade of pink that wasn’t due to fatigue from the jog. “Yeah, Momo.”

“Ah, she would give wonderful advice. She strikes me as a very intelligent and compassionate person.” Tenya wanted to go on, but Izuku opened his mouth. 

“She and I are, well, uh, we’re dating now.”

Tenya’s smile grew wide. “I knew you two would make a wonderful pair! You have my sincerest congratulations!” He began unintentionally chopping his arms, gesturing with his whole body to illustrate his genuine joy.

“Thanks,” Izuku laughed, “she’s been helping me a lot. She just… she makes me really happy, man.”

“I am truly happy for you, Izuku.”

He smiled back at Tenya before pulling his windbreaker back over his arm and zipping up. “But, yeah, since inheriting the powers I’ve had to sort of relearn everything. I had a few issues in my first few training sessions. I had no idea I’d get this strong or fast.”

“I’m curious, could you elaborate?”

Izuku hummed. “Maybe I could show you… Give me a second.” He looked around the small park until he spotted a small boulder. “Let’s see…” 

The boy jogged over, dropping into a low squat and gripping below the large rock that had to weigh at least several hundred pounds by Tenya’s best estimation. He was about to protest until Izuku grunted with some effort and managed to pull the large stone from the ground, lifting it up and above his head for a few seconds before gently setting it back into place.

Tenya resisted the urge to applaud. “That is incredible, Izuku!”

“Thanks, bud. I’m still not fully sure how much I can lift. Toshinori and I are trying to figure that out, but my best estimate is somewhere around 1200 pounds. But Toshinori thinks with some more training and honing, that number could go up fast.”

“Amazing. You also mentioned speed?”

Izuku shrugged. “That’s the part I’m having trouble with. Toshinori is strong and can teach me to fight, but Odin isn’t exactly known for his feats of speed. I’m having a hard time balancing all that.”

Tenya thought for a moment before an idea struck him. 

“I may be able to help with that. Would you want to come to my home tomorrow? We have a private track and I think I might just know exactly what you need.”

“INGENIUM!?”

Izuku couldn’t believe his eyes as he and Tenya finished another wind sprint and the pro hero himself walked onto the track carrying a tray of orange juice. 

“Nice to meet you! You must be Midoriya.”

“Oh my GODS! You’re Ingenium! Blessed by Hermes, the head of the Idaten hero agency with dozens of sidekicks, the fastest hero there currently is- if you can’t teach me how to really run no one can- oh my gods you’re really Ingenium can I get your autograph? This must be so weird for you, I'm Izuku I’m such a big fan of yours I can’t believe I'm really meeting you in person Tenya can you believe it…?!”

Tensei chuckled. “Slow down there, Izuku. We can do the autograph later, for now, how about you sit down and have some orange juice?”

Izuku cleared his throat, feeling just a bit embarrassed but grateful for Tensei’s kindness.

“So, Tenya filled me in. I hope that’s okay.”

“Yeah, of course!”

Tensei smiled. “Being a speedster is a tricky thing. I’m not fully sure how fast being an Incarnate of Jupiter makes you, but I taught Tenya how to manage the blessing of Hermes, so I should be able to help you too.”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

Tenya laughed. “It’s our pleasure. Tensei is a tough teacher, but I would not be as adept with my abilities as I am now without him. It was truly fortunate we inherited the same Blessing.”

“If you’re willing to put in the work, I promise to do my best to teach you everything I know,” Tensei amended.

“I was trained by All Might up until now, I think I’ll manage.”

Tensei smiled again. “Right then, let’s get running!”

The cold breeze chilled the air around Izuku and Toshinori as the two men made their way out further into the empty field. It was finally here, the day Izuku had been waiting for.

Time to summon his armor.

Toshinori came to a stop. “This spot is as good as any.” He turned to face Izuku. “I’m sure you remember the last time we did this, but now it’s your turn.” 

The air hummed with power as Toshinori seemed to radiate light and in one blinding flash he stood before Izuku at his full height and wearing his hide armor. “Now, your turn. Bear in mind that your transformation won’t be identical to mine.”

Izuku clenched his fists and took a ready stance, trying to imagine himself wearing armor. He’d spent much of his free time doodling ideas for armor and finding pictures of different armors from history. “Let’s try something simple.”

“Good plan, just imagine yourself in the armor and then as if you are reaching out, just grab it.”

The sky darkened just over Izuku as he continued focusing. He pictured a tunic… plate sewn together…

A bolt of lightning struck Izuku, and he felt a sudden weight heft over his shoulders. It concerned him how unphased he was by the fact that a facet of his abilities was to get struck by literal lightning, but that was a concern for another day. 

“Ah, classic choice.” 

Izuku glanced at the bracers on his arms with a small smile. He felt a small breeze across his legs and was acutely aware of the fact that he wasn’t wearing pants. Instead, he found himself in a crimson tunic with strips of plate armor over it.

Toshinori nodded approvingly. “Centurion armor, it suits you. How do you feel?”

The young man drew the gladius at his hip and admired it. “I still can’t believe this is real.”

“Well, get used to it. This armor suits you, but I think it would benefit you to attempt to generate armor for different situations.”

Izuku nodded, summoning the energy in the air once again to doff his armor. “Is it okay if I take some time to do more research, then? I’ve been sort of focusing on the centurion plate that nothing else is coming to mind.”

“Of course, kiddo. Let’s get going then, we can practice more another day.”

”The popcorn is just about done, can you grab me the bowl over the- hey!” Momo giggled when Izuku stole a quick kiss from her before handing her the bowl she had asked for. 

She took the bowl and pulled him towards her. She set the bowl aside and wrapped her arms around Izuku, bringing him in for a deeper kiss, enjoying the minty taste on his breath. He always tasted like spearmint and maybe just a hint of pepper. It was intoxicating if she was being honest. She savored the feeling of her lips on his, relishing in the intimacy that had been a long time coming. Too long, most likely, but beggars can’t be choosers. Feeling a bit emboldened by the happy hums she was getting from her boyfriend, Momo slipped just the tip of her tongue past Izuku’s teeth and enjoyed the soft yelp of surprise before pulling back with a soft smack of her lips.

Izuku, for his part, looked absolutely love drunk, and as he looked down…

Wait…

Down?

“Izuku, are you taller than me now?”

The young man blinked for a moment, registering Momo speaking even as he stared dumbly at her lips. “O-oh, uh, yeah. Toshinori says that because I’m inheriting so much power, my body is growing to adapt and contain it. I should probably cap out after I grow a bit more he thinks.”

Momo pursed her lips. “You’re not going to be a giant like he is, right?”

“Ha, good one. But no, maybe a dozen or so more centimeters, then that should be it.”

“Hmm, well then you’d better get used to carrying me around because if you think for one second I won’t take advantage of having a giant muscle mass for a boyfriend, you don’t know me at all.” As if to illustrate her point, she ran a single finger along the outline of Izuku’s chest.

Izuku, now a delightful shade of pink, cleared his throat. “Should we, uh, movie?”

Momo caught herself, chuckling a bit. “Right, let’s movie. ” The young woman led the way with an exaggerated sway in her hips, deciding the teasing could last a little longer, and dammit she was having fun. She grabbed the remote and a large blanket and flopped dramatically on the frankly enormous couch that sat in the middle of the entertainment center in her family mansion.

“Join me,” she called out from under the mass of blankets, patting with one hand next to her.

Izuku chuckled, placing the popcorn and drinks on the small wooden stand next to Momo and crawling under the cocoon of blankets to cuddle his girlfriend.

“So, my dear Izuku, for your viewing pleasure: deep from within the vaults of my father’s private film collection we have a selection of Marvel Cinematic Universe films from the twenty-first century.”

Izuku, as expected, lost his shit.

“NO! NO WAY!” Izuku began peppering Momo’s giggling face with gleeful kisses. “YOU.” Kiss. “ARE.” Another kiss. “THE.” More kisses. “BEST. GIRLFRIEND. EVER!”

“Get off!” she protested weakly as Izuku pulled away. “No wait, come back.” She pulled him back in for another kiss. “I knew you’d be happy. Where do you wanna start? My father told me about these before but I’ve never actually seen the movies.”

Izuku sat back. “Well, chronologically, Captain America: The First Avenger is the first in the timeline, so let’s start there!”

Momo smiled approvingly. “Captain America it is.” 

“Well, he sure knows how to take a hit.” On the screen was a young Steve Rogers, currently being beaten to a pulp in a back alley.

Izuku just hummed in response. It reminded him too much of his own past.

“Five tries?! He really wants to enlist huh?” Momo said with no small amount of wonder in her voice. 

“To be honest, I can understand him. Back before I knew I was Jupiter’s incarnate, I begged and prayed every night to get a blessing. I wanted to be able to help people more than anything…”

“Well, now you can. And so can he.” She snuggled closer to him, leaning her head against his broad chest. He smiled and pressed his lips to the top of her head as they continued to watch the movie.

“Why do they have to be so mean to him? He’s their comrade!” Momo watched the montage of the training in disgust.

“He’s different. Weaker. People feel stronger when they can put someone else beneath them.”

“Oh, I like him! Brain over muscles! Take that, you bullies!” Momo cheered as Steve, instead of climbing up the flagpole, pulled out the pin that kept said pole upright and picked up the flag from ground level. “If you can’t bring the prophet to the mountain…”

“I knew you would love this scene, Athena ,” Izuku said with a smirk, admiring the excited glow in his girlfriend’s eyes.

“Wait, have you seen this movie before?!”

“Hello… hero nerd? MCU? Of course I’ve seen these movies. I love them!” 

“HOW DARE THESE COWARDS LOOK DOWN ON HIM?! He threw himself onto a grenade to protect them with his life!” 

“Sssh, Momo, I know. It riles me up every time, too. But he will get what he deserves. Just keep watching.”

“Oh and that drill sergeant or whatever he is is an asshole.”

“I know.”

“That technology looks so ancient …”

“Well, this is supposed to be during World War 2, over 250 years ago… and from what I know, for that time, that was actually high tech. Way more advanced than what they actually had at that time.”

“I guess you’re right. And you were right when you said you are a hero nerd… how do you even know all that? ”

“I didn’t have... many friends before highschool. I had a lot of time to read anything and everything about heroes and hero culture, including the origin of the term ‘superhero’.”

“Wait, it came from that movie?”

“Not that movie specifically, this is from the early 21st century, the term was already coined at that time. No, there were two big names, big brands, in the comic scene, Marvel and DC Universe, they came up with it.”

“One day you have to tell me more about this all.”

“Sure, I will.”

“Oh, oh my ,” Momo gasped, watching the reactions of the women on screen as they stared at the new, very buff Steve. “ Relatable,” she hissed under her breath.

Izuku laughed. “Do I have to be jealous?” 

Momo shot him a glance before going back to ogling the now buff form of Steve Rogers. “What? No! You’re every bit as ho- Will you grow that much, too?”

Izuku raised an eyebrow. “Every bit as what, hmm?” Momo blushed a bright pink. “Relax, Momo. I’m sure I won’t grow much more. A couple more centimeters, remember?”

“Either way, it’s more of you to love,” Momo mumbled. Izuku pulled her a little bit closer to him and kissed her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

“Momo, can you pass me the popc-”

“Sssshh!”

“What is wrong with his face?” Momo asked and cuddled closer to Izuku. Something about the German’s face drooping like that unsettled her. She shuddered when he pulled it off and threw it into the flames below. “He looks like a demon...”

“Please tell me he isn’t dead!” Momo looked at Izuku with pleading eyes.

“He isn’t dead, this was only the first half of the movie. Do you want to take a break?”

“No, I’m fine. Thank you Zuku.”

“Okay wow, was everyone in the 20th century hot?” Momo let out an exasperated sigh.

“Hm?”

“Agent Carter! She looks breathtaking!”

“Ok I’m starting to think I should be jealous after all.” He poked her side and planted a kiss on her temple to make clear he was joking.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Zuku! I dare you to tell me I’m wrong!”

“You’re not, so, no.”

“Sssshhhhhh, it’s okay, Momo. It’s ok.” Izuku caressed Momo’s cheek, gently wiping away a tear with his thumb. 

“But they’re not gonna get that dance,” she sniffled.

Izuku fought the urge to cry himself. “He had to do what was right, even if it cost him his happiness.”

“But that’s not fair, why don’t they get to be happy together?”

He gulped as a flash of Nana’s face crossed through his mind. “Because… because he made a choice to make sure that the world could be safe, even if it cost him everything.” Izuku looked at Momo as the credits started rolling on the screen, whose eyes were still watering and noticed that his own eyes were stinging in response. “Hey, I have an idea, stand up with me.”

Momo tilted her head, wiping her eyes and following Izuku off the couch. 

Izuku pulled out his phone, pulling up some soft music before setting it down and holding his hands out to Momo. “May I have this dance?”

Momo paused for a moment before cracking a soft smile and burying herself in Izuku’s embrace as the pair swayed slowly to the quiet melodies that filled the air.

“Alright, Izuku, show me what you’ve got!”

Izuku nodded at Toshinori, feeling the pull in his stomach as he concentrated on gathering clouds around him as he had after reading Nana’s letter. Within minutes the sky began to darken and all around him. He felt the pulsing of energy in the air and the wind smelled of ozone as he opened his eyes. Concentrating on a spot in the ocean, he felt a large swell of power as a solitary bolt of lightning struck down.

Toshinori clapped his hands. “Well done! That was faster this time, you’re down to summoning a full thunderstorm in less than five minutes now. Now, try generating some electricity on your own and fire off in the same direction.”

“Right.” Izuku focused on clearing the clouds, letting the sunshine through once again. He raised his arms and allowed the sparks of electricity swirl around them. Aiming for the same distant spot, he concentrated on transferring his energy current from himself to that spot, just as Nana had explained to him in the instructions she had left behind.

He was steadily getting faster. The key wasn’t thinking of it like firing off lightning wildly and more like creating a current between himself and his designated target. Nana had explained that with time he would treat it as second nature and he could “shoot off lightning willy nilly in no time.”

The water bubbled as Izuku shot off several more bolts of lightning.

“Well done! Now for some target practice.” Toshinori produced some clay pigeons, using his superior strength to fling them into the air. Izuku took a deep breath, letting his instincts take over as time seemed to slow down just a bit, giving him the chance to fire off bursts of electricity, each connecting with the pigeon as it burst into small pieces of shattered clay.

Toshinori smiled. “I always loved doing this with Nana. You’re getting much better, Izuku. She’d be proud.”

“Thanks, Toshi.” Izuku smiled back. “That means a lot.”

“Hey, Penelope,” Titus asked the owl sitting next to him. “Can I ask you something?”

Penelope just clicked her beak in response. It was late afternoon and she was only just waking up.

“Cool. So, I know you tried to tell me about this before, but I didn’t really listen to you… sorry about that by the way.” He scratched his head with one of his claws. “Would you mind explaining to me once more how this Familiar thing works?”

Penelope slowly turned her head, her eyes locking onto Titus as he slowly shifted away from her.

“Give me one good reason I should.”

“Please?”

“Compelling argument you have there. Anything else?”

“Pretty please?”

“Fine.” Penelope caved, ruffling the feathers around her neck. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, basically everything. How does it work, what’s the job description?”

The owl seemed to grumble for a moment. “So, over time you will be able to understand Izuku-”

“Already can.”

Penelope quirked up. “You can already communicate? It took me and Momo a few years before we could speak to one another.”

“Wait, for real?”

“Hey Penny, move over!” The sudden voice of Hugin caught the other two birds off guard. Flying down with him was, of course, his brother Munin, and the two ravens settled down next to Penelope and Titus on the branch they were occupying.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at Hugin. “Call me that again and we’ll find out just how immortal you really are.”

Hugin squawked in laughter. “Sorry, jeez, you youngsters have no sense of humor.”

“Anyway, Titus was just asking me about his role as a Familiar. Apparently he is already able to communicate with Izuku.”

Munin nodded. “Yeah, that’s pretty common with Incarnates like the kid and bird brain here. We were able to talk to Toshi almost immediately too.” He blinked. “Wait, didn’t we already give this one a whole orientation on his role as a Familiar?”

“Yeah, wasn’t really paying attention.” Titus responded, shrugging his wings.

“Understandable, have a nice day.”

Penelope tilted her head. “What?”

“Old meme,” Munin commented, “don’t worry about it.”

Hugin chuckled. “So, what did he need to know?”

“Everything,” Titus responded with a shameless look.

Penelope sighed. “See what I’m dealing with here?”

“Are you sure you’re Rhea’s kid?” Munin asked.

“Low blow, man,” Titus drooped his head.

The owl of the group whacked the ancient raven before sidling closer to the eagle. “It’s okay, we’ll take everything from the top, don’t worry.” Penelope nestled in close to Titus, allowing the eagle to cuddle into her.

“Thanks, guys. I’m sorry, I’ll try to do better.”

“Relax, kiddo. It’s not an easy gig but you’ll be fine,” Hugin assured.

Munin nodded. “Your main role is to support Izuku. Eventually he will be able to communicate with you over longer and longer distances. As your bond grows, you will know where he is and vice versa no matter what. You are his literal eye in the sky.” He preened himself for a moment. “If memory serves, Rhea was able to share her sight with Nana. You should talk to her about it.”

Titus burrowed deeper into Penelope for comfort. “I… she’s grieving really hard still. I don’t want to bother her with this.”

“It’s okay,” Penelope assured.

“Yeah,” Hugin added. “Odds are you’ll grow a bit bigger than your standard eagle. I’ve known a few eagles of Zeus or Jupiter over the years, and all got to be fairly large.”

Titus perked up. “Will I get cool lightning powers like Izuku?”

“What?” Munin shared a look with his brother. “Where would you get that idea?”

“I dunno, I just figured since I’m all magic now I guess…”

Hugin shook his head. “No, you’re not gonna turn into some lightning bird or something. Although, I don’t think electricity can harm you anymore thanks to your bond. So no worries about flying near Izuku while he’s going all sparky.”

“Well that’s good to know.”

“Above all else, you’re his companion. You’re there to support him, no matter what. Munin and I have helped many Odins over the centuries, and above all else a Familiar’s job is to be a source of comfort, friendship, and support. Both on the battlefield and off.”

Titus nodded. “I can do that.”

“We know, and if you ever need someone to talk to, you can talk to us.” Penelope looked at the two ravens with eyes the size of saucers. “ Right ?”

“Of course.”

              “No doubt.”

Titus nestled Penelope one last time before stepping away. “I really appreciate it, thank you. Now,” he looked down as Izuku had his legs swept out from underneath him by Toshinori’s wooden spear. “Let’s get back to the entertainment.”

Izuku looked up. “I HEARD THAT!”

All four birds started squawking in laughter.

“You gotta feel it !” Toshi shouted as Izuku tried and failed once again to summon the winds around him enough to achieve liftoff.

Izuku spat out a mouthful of grass as he gave his mentor a withering look. “That doesn’t make any sense, Toshi, and you know it.”

“Yeah.” The man deflated. “Sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. I’m just… I’m trying to do this how Nana explained it to me in person and in her notes, but it just feels off.” He stood up, brushing the grass off his body. “Let me try again.”

Toshinori nodded, watching with no small amount of concern as Izuku tried again to pull the winds around. He seemed to be doing everything right, he looked exactly like Nana did and the air felt the same, but as soon as his feet lifted off the ground and it looked like he was going to be able to fly, he ended up crashing.

He sighed as Izuku fell down once again. Toshinori looked up at the sky, running a hand through his hair.

Nana, what should I do?

February came sooner than Izuku could have expected. The morning of the entrance exam for UA was finally upon him. 

The tall gates of UA stood imposingly, almost giving off an aura of power that Izuku couldn’t help but feel intimidated by.

“Izuku?” Momo squeezed her boyfriend’s hand tighter. “Feeling alright?”

The young man smiled reassuringly at her. “Yeah, just nervous.”

“Don’t be,” Momo said, tilting her head to plant a kiss on Izuku’s cheek. “You’re going to do great. I’m the one who has to take the entry exam with all the other Blessed.”

Izuku brushed his shoulder into her. “And you’re gonna blow them all out of the water, you super-genius.”

Momo giggled, leading Izuku forward as the two made their way to the front gates.

What could go wrong? Izuku thought to himself.

Before promptly tripping on a loose brick and falling forward.

“Whoa there!”

Suddenly Izuku felt strong hands under his arms as someone caught him and pulled him back upright. 

“Don’t wanna fall on the day you’re taking a test, that’d be bad luck.”

Izuku steadied himself, looking up with a smile at his savior. She was tall, maybe just a bit taller than him, with a cute brown bob and brown eyes that practically radiated warmth, and a disarmingly beautiful face accented by a slight blush on her cheeks.

“Thank you so much,” Izuku said with a slight bow of his head.

The young woman shrugged. “No problem-” she froze. “Hold up, I feel like I’ve seen you two around before… were you at the mall the day a villain caused an earthquake? It must have been a few months ago.”

Izuku blinked, looking at Momo. “Uh…”

“Oh! Yes!” Momo snapped her fingers. “I remember that!”

The young woman smiled. “I knew you two looked familiar! I saw you two on your date and thought you looked cute, then I accidentally got pushed into you when everyone started going crazy. Sorry I ran off before I could apologize again.” She bowed to the pair. “Nice to meet you, and sorry again!”

Izuku laughed. “It’s alright, really. My name is Midoriya Izuku and this is my girlfriend, Yaoyorozu Momo; it’s very nice to meet you!”

“My name is Uraraka Ochako, nice to meet you two as well!”

Chapter Text

“So, Urarak-” Momo started with a friendly smile.

The brunette cut her off mid sentence. “Call me Ochako, please!”

“Well, if you insist. Ochako, are you here to take the entrance exam as well?”

“Yeah! Well, I’m here for the Incarnate exam.” She ruffled the back of her brown bob of hair, shaking loose a leaf that had gotten caught.

“Oh, that’s amazing! So is Izuku!” Momo gestured to her boyfriend who waved shyly.

Ochako clapped her hands together happily. “Awesome! Now I won’t be on my own!”

“Do you know where we have to go?” Momo asked with a tilted head.

“Not really, this place is just so huge!”

“Ah, well, just follow me then. I’ve been here before and I think I know where it is.” 

Momo began leading the trio through the expansive entry area of the campus and toward the large reception area just past the imposing arch created by the reflective glass surfaces of the main building. Upon passing through the threshold, Momo spotted several dozen more candidates walking toward a large sign and decided to follow.

She could just hear the murmurs of students discussing which direction to head, and as she cleared through the crowd, the sign had several arrows pointed in different directions.

“It looks like Incarnates are heading to the left toward training ground Epsilon and the rest of the Blessed are supposed to go right inside for the written examination.” Momo turned to Izuku and Ochako and smiled. “Looks like this is where we all part ways.”

Izuku walked up to Momo and gave her a tight hug that simultaneously shut up her nervous butterflies and gave her different, happier ones. He leaned back and planted a short but firm kiss on her lips, one that she chased the contact on as long as she could for the brief milliseconds before parting. 

“Good luck,” he said to her with a smile. 

She smiled back. “You too. We’ve got this.” Momo quickly turned to Ochako. “And good luck to you too!”

Ochako looked stunned and… Momo couldn’t quite place the look in the other woman’s eyes. 

“O-oh! Yeah, thanks! You too!” Ochako recomposed herself quickly and gave Momo a smile in return.

Izuku gave Momo one last peck on the forehead and began walking with Ochako toward the Incarnate examination area. It was in those moments of parting that Momo realized she recognized the look on Ochako’s face.

Envy?

She pursed her lips. But envious of who?

Ochako kept pace with Izuku, noticing that he was nearly as tall as she was. She had maybe an inch or so on him, but he was still pretty damn tall. When she thought about it, Momo had been pretty tall too. A tall couple.

Tall.

Handsome.

Pretty.

She groaned internally. She knew that being an Incarnate of Freya made her partially a goddess of love, but she really didn’t want to play into that stereotype. So what if Izuku and his girlfriend were probably the most gorgeous couple she’d ever seen? She didn’t need to let her hormones get the better of her.

“So, Midoriya, how long have you and Yaoyorozu been together?”

“Izuku works fine, and I’m sure Momo wouldn’t mind you calling her Momo or Yaomomo. And we’ve been together for about two, maybe three months.” He smiled softly. “But we’ve known each other for a few years.”

Oh, gods, he’s adorable. 

“That’s so sweet! I bet you’re hoping to get into the same class.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I promised to do my best so that she doesn’t have to be ashamed of me when she ranks first in the exam.”

Ochako felt a flutter in her chest at his confidence. “You must have a lot of faith in her.”

“Absolutely, I don’t think anyone is ready for her to steal the show.”

“Well,” Ochako interjected, a determined grin spreading across her face. “You’d better bring your A-game, I wanna see what you’re made of in the Incarnate eval.”

Izuku’s face mirrored the expression on Ochako’s. “I like a challenge, you’re on.”

Oh no.

Ochako gulped as Izuku turned forward again. 

Oh, this is bad.

“Alright, welcome Incarnates!” the raised voice of Midnight called through the air to the assembled four students. Izuku turned with an excited gleam in his eyes. He was ecstatic to see the heroine in person. She was, after all, one of the most prolific heroines of the current era. Being a Blessed of Hypnos normally wouldn’t make her stand out too much, but her ability to put people to sleep was legendarily effective. Plus the fact that her beauty rivaled any Blessed of any goddess of beauty helped.

“You four represent a rarity in today’s hero society. Incarnates are exceedingly rare, and to receive all of you at once is a true blessing… no pun intended.” She winked. “I know you’re all eager to get a move on, but please be patient while I give you all the details of today’s preliminary evaluation.” She turned and behind her, a large screen lit up. “To begin, we will have you all split off individually. Each of you will give a private demonstration of abilities there, and following that we will begin the full examination to allow you to put your abilities to the test.” She smiled in a way that made Izuku shiver. “I’ll provide more information when the time comes. We need a climax to build up to, after all.”

Izuku and Ochako parted with a small wave as they approached separate proctors. 

The imposing form of Vlad King stood before him. “Afternoon, you must be Midoriya then?”

Izuku nodded. 

“Great, go ahead and describe your Blessing and the abilities it gives you. Try to demonstrate if you can, but please don’t go overboard. You’re gonna need your strength for what comes next.”

Well, that’s not ominous. He sighed and straightened up. “My Blessing is Jupiter... or Zeus I guess. I have enhanced speed, strength, stamina, reflexes.” He shrugged. “Most of the basic stuff that comes with being an Incarnate I guess. Beyond that I have powers related to electricity.” 

Izuku’s hands and arms lit up as he allowed electrical currents to flow through and around them. “I can summon enough electricity from myself to do a lot, sort of like an electromechanical generator, but I can also summon storms. This gives me the ability to summon rain, wind, snow, electricity, and… well, you get it.” He smiled as he cut off the light show on his arms. 

The hero nodded approvingly. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen an Incarnate of Zeus. Good to know.” He jotted some notes on a clipboard before turning his gaze back to Izuku. “Up next is gonna require you to be able to move freely. Do you have an armor you can summon that’ll let that happen?”

“Huh…” Izuku thought for a moment, closing his eyes and imagining something that would allow him some comfort and ease of movement. “I think I’ve got it.”

Vlad King grunted. “Alright, go ahead and summon it, then.”

Izuku shut his eyes, feeling the power well up and with a sudden bolt of lightning that appeared out of an otherwise cloudless sky, he stood there donned in an adapted suit of armor based on some ideas he’d plucked from Greece and Rome. He had elected to wear a set of shorts this time. Something had told him that he’d be doing a lot of running, and with thighs as bulky as his he wanted to avoid chafing. On his feet were a simple pair of closed toe shoes, each molded to his foot to provide better arch support. Over his chest he had a lightweight tunic that dropped just above mid thigh with flexible leather armor that was molded to the contours of his body on his torso. He left his arms exposed save for some simple bracers and hand wraps.

As far as protection went, it was definitely on the lighter side, but it should allow him to move relatively quickly.

“Nice choice. Let’s have you rejoin the others.” 

Izuku cracked his neck as he followed Vlad back to the others. He spotted Ochako dressed in an outfit similar to his own; legs wrapped snugly in a pair of comfortable-looking boots. She had a violet and gray tunic over everything, with fur lining the neckline and sleeves. Around her neck was a necklace with a geometric looking F that Izuku suspected might be a rune.

The other two women at the exam- Izuku realized with a start he was the lone male Incarnate of the group. 

He shook his head. Anyway. The other two women at the exam seemed to have gone in very different directions. There was a fair skinned young woman who stood next to Izuku that wore a nearly identical outfit to his own, save for a pair of sandals and sleeves that went down to her elbows. She had her vibrant green hair wrapped up in a bun that was fastened by several golden ribbons that circulated her head.

If the woman next to Izuku was dressed modestly, the woman next to Ochako was the opposite. Her darker green hair was put up in a sort of small headdress that appeared to be comfortable enough. She wore a loose fitting, yellow and red cropped breast plate that exposed her defined abdomen. A half circle necklace that seemed fastened in place over the leather armor on her chest glimmered gold in the morning sun. There was very little else in terms of protection, with only a short turquoise skirt over a pair of legging like pants that finished midway down her calves and a pair of fitted sandals on her feet.

Izuku finished appraising the women and shot a look over to Ochako again, who he noticed was already staring at him. She smiled sunnily when he caught her eye and with a quick glance around, she shot him a quick wink.

He felt himself blush involuntarily as he tried to give a discreet thumbs up back, deciding that he probably wouldn’t look nearly as graceful if he shot a wink too.

“Now then!” Midnight returned to the four with a grin. “Here at ground Epsilon we’ve created a fun little exercise to give you a chance to flex-” she punctuated the word with a pointed look at Izuku “-your abilities just a bit.”

The woman pointed to the screen once more where an oddly shaped map with a highlighted route appeared on screen. “Here is the course you will be running. Your objective is to make it from start to finish as quickly as possible. Don’t think of this as a race to get into the course, more as an opportunity to push yourself freely.” She shrugged. “And if you end up racing and pushing each other, even better.”

A pair of large pillars began rising from the ground and forming an impromptu starting line. 

“Now then, Incarnates! Take your marks!”

Izuku walked toward the start line, taking deep breaths to steady his heartbeat. He crouched down, planting his hands under his shoulders and staggering his feet.

“Set!”

He lifted his butt as he extended his legs, straightening his back and locking his arms to support his weight.

“GO!”

Lightning coursed through Izuku’s veins as he rocketed out of the starting line. He felt the air around him whip irritatingly, streaking into his eyes. With a flick of his hand as he pumped his arms, he created a small wind front in front of his eyes that kept them from watering as badly. 

Tensei had helped him come up with this technique, in addition to a complete overhaul of his sprinting form. He didn’t bother looking back as he raced forward, feeling his body working far more efficiently than it would have before his training with Tensei. Arms in ninety degree angles, running on the balls of the feet, keep feet flexed up, high knees, and breathe.

The obstacles were fairly arbitrary, a giant wall here, a large pit there. Nothing he couldn’t jump over. Even the sudden shifts in the earth did little to deter him. As far as obstacles went, they weren’t much of a deterrent. 

He had this.

Or… he thought he did.

A sudden roaring of air whizzed past him as a winged figure flew by. Izuku had just enough time to spot Ochako waving happily at him from the air. The sight would have taken his breath away were he not so focused on making sure he was running well. Her eyes were glowing a bright blue and he spotted an almost golden sheen that clung to her hair. The wings themselves were stunning; gold and ivory tones speckled throughout the massive appendages as they flapped strongly, propelling Ochako far ahead. 

Izuku felt his heart race. He knew he couldn’t fly yet to keep up with her, but maybe if he pushed himself… maybe he could keep up on the ground.

He reached out with his mind and within seconds the sky began to darken. The air crackled with power and a single bolt rushed down to connect with Izuku. In that moment, he felt his body supercharge with power, and his strides turned to bounds as each step took him further and further, leaving miniature craters in his wake. 

Soon enough, he spotted Ochako just ahead, and he was gaining on her.

The young woman turned around, surprised for a moment before smiling wickedly as she seemed to increase speed to create more distance between them. 

Izuku spurred his muscles on, forcing them harder than he ever had before. If he could just bridge this gap befo-

“Uraraka wins!”

He looked ahead and noticed the pillars that denoted the finish line.

The ones he hadn’t been paying attention to because he’d been so focused on Ochako.

Damn.

He slowed to a halt as his body began to relax, the power beginning to fade as he took second place. Sighing heavily, he dropped his transformation and walked over to the vibrating form of Ochako. It was obvious to see she was ecstatic that she had won, and seeing her overcome with joy made him feel significantly better about losing to her.

“Congratulations.”

Ochako turned mid-cheer and grabbed onto him with a fierce hug and a grin that nearly split her face. “Thank you! I can’t believe how fast you were running! I thought I was gonna be able to just coast by, but I had to actually work to put some distance between us!”

“Yeah,” Izuku murmured with a slight blush as he adjusted to the hug. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to be able to fly. I still can’t get the hang of it myself, so I had to make do with just running.”

Ochako froze up and quickly detached herself with a blush on her face. “F-Freya’s Blessing gives me the wings, so it all kind of came naturally to me. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time.”

Izuku smiled. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“Well done everyone!” Midnight cheered as she approached. “Especially you, Uraraka. That may have been a new course record. And Tensei’s record has been in place for about 10 years now.” She turned to the forms of the other three contestants. “And nicely done to you, Midoriya, Tokage, and Shiozaki. You all performed very well and have given the staff here at UA a lot of information to go over. You all are free to head back to the main campus for a lunch break. We’ll send someone for you after the break to collect you. We just have an interview to complete.”

Momo fiddled with the end of her ponytail as she waited for Izuku to return. 

“Hey!”

She turned around and spotted Izuku and Ochako walking over with smiles on their faces. As soon as the man was in reach, she leaned in and planted a quick kiss on his lips. “How did it go?”

Izuku shrugged. “Well, Ochako definitely blew me out of the water. Sorry, I came in second so I understand if you need to dump me now.”

“Oh, what a shame, and just as I was starting to like you.” Momo snickered. “But really, what did they have you do?”

“They had us demonstrate our powers to one of the heroes, then we had to regroup and race through an obstacle course.” Ochako smiled. “I just flew over it.”

Izuku sighed with a dramatic shake of his head. “I never stood a chance.”

“Izuku!” 

The small trio looked up at the sound of a man’s voice. Momo squinted at the approaching boy. 

“Tenya! Hey!” Izuku jumped to his feet and ran over to his friend.

Momo too stood up, just a bit slower as she let the boys chat and catch up. “Hi Iida, good to see you.”

Tenya smiled and nodded his head. “You as well, Yaoyorozu. How did the written exam go for you?”

“Pretty well I think. I feel like I was plenty prepared for it. How about you?”

The boy put a hand to his chin. “I believe I performed well. I did a great deal of studying with Tensei in preparation.” 

Izuku suddenly turned as Ochako approached them. “Oh! Tenya, this is Ochako Uraraka, she’s an Incarnate too.”

“A pleasure,” Tenya said with a stiff bow. “I am Iida Tenya, I hope we can become friends!”

Ochako giggled. “Me too, Iida. How do you know Midoriya and Yaoyorozu?”

Momo sat back as Tenya began telling Ochako about his history with Izuku and herself. She took the time to study the taller woman as she chatted away happily with Tenya and Izuku. There was something decidedly interesting about Ochako; she held herself tall, despite her already impressive height. Her body was quite impressive too, with soft curves accented by areas of hardened muscle, likely from years of training. A permanent blush seemed to live on her cheeks, and when she smiled it only made it more prominent.

All in all, she was absolutely gorgeous.

It was honestly a little distracting.

She meant to talk more, but the announcement came for the hero program candidates to congregate in the auditorium in ten minutes.

“Guess that’s our cue to go to the interview, Ochako.” Izuku smiled at her before turning to Momo and give her a kiss on the forehead. “Good luck, go kick some ass.”

Momo giggled. “Of course.”

“So, Mr. Midoriya. Tell me a bit about your Blessing.”

Izuku pulled nervously at his collar. “Well, I’m blessed by Jupiter-”

“Interesting, why not refer to the blessing as Zeus?”

“W-well, my predecessor preferred to refer to it as Jupiter, so I do the same as a way to honor her memory.”

The creature on the other side of the desk stroked its chin gently. “Interesting! Of course I know all this, but I was curious as to what you would say.” He smiled at Izuku’s confused expression. “I am a friend of Toshinori’s. You are an interesting case, Midoriya Izuku. A child who didn’t inherit their blessing but was still Marked due to extraordinary circumstances. Your journey to being a hero will be more challenging than your peers, you are aware of this aren’t you?”

Izuku nodded quickly. “I know I’m starting at a disadvantage but…” he clenched his fist, picturing Nana’s face in his mind, smiling at him. “I owe it to everyone who’s helped me to try my best. I’m not going to stop until I live up to everyone’s expectations of me… especially her’s...”

The creature hummed thoughtfully. “Well, as president of this university, I am looking forward to seeing where your journey takes you. Know that we will do all we can to support and push you.”

“P-president? You’re President Nezu?” Izuku balked. “Sir, uh, may I ask-”

“Why I look like this creature? What my Blessing is?” The president smiled. “I could tell you, but I think I’d prefer to leave it a mystery for you to solve. You’re an intelligent young man, Izuku. I’m sure you can figure it all out in time.” He stamped a file with a large red ‘approved’ before handing it back to Izuku. “Enjoy your time in the Hero Course.”

Izuku received the file with trembling hands. “Thank you, Sir. I promise to make you proud!”

“Oh I have no doubt, now go ahead. You have good news to deliver.”

Ochako was waiting, fidgeting with her entire body as Izuku finished up his interview with the president of the university. She wished she had thought to warn him that the man was a shapeshifter… at least she hoped he was a shapeshifter. The brunette shook herself, there was a definite air of mystery around the president that she couldn’t place.

“Ochako!” 

The girl looked up to see Momo jogging over to her and Ochako felt her heart skip a beat. It just wasn’t fair, she knew that being an Incarnate of a love goddess didn’t make her into a blushing mess on purpose, but sometimes it felt that way.

Especially today around Izuku and Momo.

“H-hey, Yaoyorozu! How’d your entrance exam go?”

The dark haired woman smiled sunnily. “If I call you Ochako, you really should call me Momo or Yaomomo. As for the exam, it went quite well, I think! The constructs created by the support course didn’t put up much of a fight, even with their coordinated assault.” She flipped her bangs out of her face. “Overall I expect high marks.”

“Good! That’s awesome!” Ochako clapped her hands together. “Midoriya should be here soon, he was right after me for the interviews, and I think he’s the last one.”

As if on cue, Izuku jogged up with a broad smile on his face. “Momo!”

The two embraced briefly, with their focus solely turning to one another as they chatted happily about the day’s events. Ochako watched with a sense of awe as the pair seemed to be completely absorbed in each other. There was a small part of Ochako that felt… envy?

She just couldn’t decide who she was more envious of.

Suddenly Izuku turned to her with a smile. “Wanna walk with us to the station?”

“Uh, yeah! That’d be great!” The brunette stood up quickly, dusting herself off and following along with the couple as they took a leisurely walk along the sidewalk in the cool winter air.

“So, Ochako, how about that interview?” Izuku asked with a chuckle.

The woman snorted. “Something tells me Principal Nezu is going to have some serious fun at our expense this year.”

The three laughed happily, talking and sharing stories from the day all the way to the station. The time flew by quicker than Ochako would have liked, and it left her with few options.

“Hey, Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, can I see your phones really quick?”

The two blinked at each other before quickly fishing out their phones and handing them over to Ochako. She quickly entered her phone number into both phones and returning them. 

“Now you have my number, so we have to stay in touch!” Ochako smiled cheekily at the stunned couple in front of her. “Text me, alright?”

A large chime emanated through the station and Ochako quickly glanced at the large monitor. “Oh! That’s me, saved by the bell, bye!”

“B-bye?”

“Bye?!”

Ochako sped off, leaving the two behind her as she ran to her gate. It hadn’t been the most elegant pickup method, but she hoped it would work anyway. 

After all, she wanted to get to know those two much better. One way or another, she was gonna try and get closer to them. Hopefully they’d be open to that.

As she stood on her train car and received two notifications on her phone, her heart leapt as her hopes were given some fuel.

Chapter Text

As soon as Momo and Izuku made their way through the threshold of Izuku’s front door, they made a beeline for the couch and promptly collapsed. 

“Mom?!” Izuku shouted to no reply. “Huh, maybe she’s out.”

Momo hummed into his shoulder, suddenly feeling very drowsy. “What a long day.”

Izuku huffed out a laugh. “Yeah no kidding. I’m just glad that’s out of the way. Now we just need to see if we get into the same class.”

“We still don’t know if I’m in the hero course, doofus.” 

“You made it in.” Izuku kissed her on the forehead before making a disgusted noise. “You’re all sweaty!”

The raven-haired woman swatted at him. “Of course I am! You are too, you big lug!”

Izuku lifted his arm exaggeratedly and sniffed before crinkling his nose. “Oh shit, I am. Here, you can use my shower and I’ll borrow my folk’s. Go ahead and raid my closet for clothes that hopefully don’t smell like train.”

“Hopefully?”

He shrugged. “I mean, Titus likes to make a nest out of my shirts sometimes, and I honestly don’t know what he gets up to when I’m not watching him.”

Momo heard a scandalizes squawk come from outside one of the windows. 

“YEAH I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, THAT’S WHY I SAID IT!”

Momo snorted. “Okay, you’re on. Go ahead and grab what you need from your room so I can take my time.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

The Blessed of Athena waited for her boyfriend to grab his things and walk into his parents room. Once the water came on, she walked into the smaller bathroom and got the water heated up. 

As she began to rinse out her hair, Momo elected to also condition her hair, deciding that her rigorous hair care routine could handle one use of Izuku’s generic conditioner. She checked the bottles, suppressed a groan at the brand of body soap he was using and worked to check her privilege as she massaged the mint and eucalyptus smelling product into her hair. The big bonus to this was that at least for a while she would smell like Izuku. 

All the while she rinsed her body, enjoying the warm water as it removed the sweat and grime of the day. Relishing in the heat, letting the water caress her body, her mind kept flashing back to the one person besides Izuku who had made an impression on her today.

Ochako. 

An image of the brunette’s face appeared before her inner eye and in the privacy and circumstances of her shower, she immediately started blushing. 

‘Get a grip, Momo, you have a boyfriend.’

But… finding someone besides her significant other attractive wasn’t a bad thing… right? She had no plans to hit up Ochako for a fling when she had Izuku, so it was okay, wasn’t it?

She sighed, shutting off the water and reaching for the towel to dry herself off. Afterward, she slipped into some of Izuku’s boxer briefs, sweatpants, and t shirts. All of which, fortunately, smelled like fresh laundry and not like an eagle or a train. 

Momo stepped out of the bathroom and spotted Izuku already sitting back on the couch, his curls still damp from his own shower. 

Come to think of it, Ochako has asked for his number too. Maybe…

“So, what’d you think of Ochako?” She asked as she settled back in against him on the couch. 

He fidgeted. “That’s out of nowhere.”

“I guess, I mean… she’s cool, right?”

He hummed in agreement. 

Momo bit her lip. “...aaaand she’s really , stupidly attractive.”

Izuku let out a relieved gasp. “Oh my gods, I’m so glad I’m not the first one to say it.”

“You were checking her out too, weren’t you!?” Momo tried to sound scandalized, but she knew it was hypocritical. 

“I mean, I’m not blind. She’s like a tall Viking woman, who wouldn’t find that attractive?”

Momo sighed dreamily. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“...is that all you wanted to bring up?”

She shook her head. “No, I guess I’m just… curious as to why she gave us her number. I mean, I noticed her checking you out too.”

“Checking me out? She was checking you out!”

Momo fought back the blush that was bursting forth. Was she feeling… hopeful ?

“That’s beside the point. What do we do if she tries to hit on us?”

He made a noncommittal grunt. “I have no idea, you’re the one with all the wisdom here.”

She rolled her eyes. “Very helpful of you. I guess I should be glad your Blessing doesn’t make you a total horndog.”

“Hey!”

“But seriously, what do we do?”

He huffed. “And I really don’t have any idea. There’s not exactly a precedent for what to do when a third party tries to hit on both individual members of an already established relationship.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily be opposed to flirting with her, if you’re not opposed either that is.”

Izuku scratched his chin and Momo noted the barely visible layer of stubble. “I guess not. It could be sort of fun, I think.”

Momo covered her face. “What have I even brought upon us?”

“Look, I have a feeling Ochako would probably hit on us regardless, at least now we know what to expect a little bit.” He kissed her on the top of the head. “Hmm, much better. Plus, if you hadn’t brought it up, it probably would have festered and gotten super weird later on.”

“Yeah…”

He chuckled. “Wanna watch another movie?”

“Mhmm.”

Izuku planted a warm kiss on her lips. “I’ll go grab a favorite of mine, it’s cheesy but fun.”

“What’s it about?”

He smiled. “Giant robots fighting giant monsters out of a base in Hong Kong.”

Momo stuck her tongue out. “Sounds ridiculous, let’s do it.”

Ochako screamed into her pillow as soon as she got into her bedroom, feeling slightly bad at the confused cries of Ginger and Percy at her outburst. 

That had been so forward! Would they even be into that? She’d never really felt interested in anyone before, then those two pop up and she goes all weak in the knees.

Just the thought of being sandwiched between those two was just…

She screamed again, only stopping to check and make sure she had indeed gotten the texts from them on the train.

Unknown Number (Today 17:43)

Izuku here!

Unknown Number (Today 17:43)

This is Momo!

Ochako’s heart flipped in her chest. She had been half worried that they wouldn’t respond, but it seemed like that fear had been completely dashed.

Quickly tapping in the contact information, she clutched her phone to her chest and sighed. She’d heard of plenty of people entering into polyamorous relationships these days. Maybe they’d be open to it?

“...Fuck it.” 

Steeling herself, she set her phone down and looked in the mirror.

“I’m gonna win them over. You can do this Ochako. And if not I guess they’d be cool friends?”

She flopped back onto the bed. There was a part of her that knew, rationally, that Freya being a goddess of love couldn’t affect her own libido or romantic drive, but currently it didn’t feel like that.

With one last scream into her pillow, she jumped up and started figuring out what to have for dinner since her parents were out of town on a job.

...Then maybe try texting Izuku and Momo later.

“Murder! Get back here! What’s gotten into you!?”

Katsumi started running after her dog-her familiar . She still had to wrap her head around the fact that this giant ball of soft fur and wet dog kisses was actually a familiar and not just a family pet. She muttered out a string of curses, wondering what had gotten into her usually so well behaved friend. She stopped short when she saw him jumping up and down in play with a tall, buff, greenhaired- Is that Deku?! There is no way he grew that tall and muscular and… and handsome in the last 3 years!

“Heeey, Lemmy! How you doing buddy? Haven’t seen you in forever! Yes yes I missed you too-stop licking my face please!” Izuku’s voice was filled with laughter and happiness as he crouched down next to the dog that was currently trying to hug him.

“Deku? Is that really you?” Katsumi stepped towards him, visibly stunned by his appearance. He looked up from the thorough belly rub he was administering to his old friend and shot her a smile.

“Hey Kacchan. We haven’t seen each other in forever. How are you doing?”

“I’m… doing good. I’ll be going do UA starting with the new term-”

“Did they already send out acceptance letters? Momo didn’t say anything… strange, I’m absolutely positive she made it in… maybe they are staggering the letters alphabetically, ‘ya’ does come later than ‘ba’... or maybe it got lost in the mail…”

“Hello, earth to Deku! Stop running your mouth, you idiot, I didn’t get my letter yet! But there is no way in hell that I didn’t make it in.” She paused. “Wait, who’s ‘Momo’?” She looked at him with a curious look on her face. Maybe he managed to make some friends at his new school… I hope he did. He didn’t deserve all the shit I put him through…

“Oh, Momo is my girlfriend!”

“You… have a girlfriend…” Katsumi swallowed. Why did hearing that leave such a bitter taste in her mouth? “Well, considering you look like a poster boy for men’s health, I’m not surprised.”

Izuku’s head snapped up at his old childhood friend. “Kacchan, did I just dream that or did you really just compliment me?”

“Don’t expect me to repeat myself if you aren’t listening, idiot.” 

“Ah, there’s the Kacchan we all know and love. Scared me there for a hot second. Angry Kacchan is a force to be reckoned with but nice Kacchan? She might just take over the world.”

“Shut up. I’ve gotten better at controlling my temper. Took a while but after everything with the villain, with you, then with you leaving it got me thinking… and I decided that something had to change.” She stopped herself. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to take any of your bullshit though. So anyways, what have you been up to, besides scoring a girl?”

“Well, I went to Somei, found friends, found a girlfriend, became an Incarnate, applied to UA as well… the usual, you know.”

“So you’re going for General Stu- did you say Incarnate?! You’re shitting me, you’ve got to be shitting me!” She felt her temper start to spike. “You on drugs or something, Deku?! You’re unblessed, there’s no fucking way you’re a motherfucking Incarnate! Whatever steroids you’re taking must be frying your brain! Come, Murder, we’re leaving.” She gestured for Murder to come back to her side with barely contained rage visibly shaking her whole body. “Let me know when you finally grow a brain, stupid Deku; until then, stay the fuck out of my fucking way!”

Katsumi whipped around and stormed off. She didn’t want stupid Deku to see the disappointment in her eyes about him still not having given up on that stupid pipe dream of his, and she sure as hell didn’t want him to realize how disappointed she was in herself for letting her temper get away from her again. Stupid fucking Mars and his stupid fucking Blessing and his stupid motherfucking temper tantrums.

“Who was that?”

“Oh, now you show up? Caught something nice?”

“A squirrel, a rat… saw some fish but you told me not to hunt people’s koi carps so I didn’t… they looked very delicious though.”

“Titus I told you, people won’t like it if you kill their carps. Those are very expensive. I can buy you a year’s worth of treats and snacks from the money one of those fish can cost.”

“Yeah yeah, I get it, you don’t have to lecture me again, gee… you’re worse than Penny sometimes, you know that?”

“Don’t let her catch you call her that, buddy. Last time was a close enough call for my taste.”

The eagle let out an amused squawk at that. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her catch me again. Anyway, you’re deflecting. Who was Little Miss Hothead back there?”

“That was Kacchan… Bakugou Katsumi. We’ve been friends since before kindergarten.”

“Didn’t sound very friendly to me…”

“Well, she’s always been a bit… difficult. Having the blessing of Mars doesn’t exactly help with that… but deep down I know she’s a good person and one day she’ll be a great hero. I believe in her.”

“If you say so, oh wise Incarnate of Jupiter.”

“Cool it with the snark, you overgrown chicken.”

Titus made his approximation of laughter, nipping at Izuku’s ear gently before soaring back up into the air.

“Shit shit shit shit SHIT! Gods dammit, why can’t I keep my fucking emotions in check? The first time we meet and talk in 3 fucking years and I blow up in his goddamn face like I learned abso-fucking-lutely nothing! Gods, I hate my shitty temper!” Katsumi was still cursing under her breath when she and Murder got back home from their walk. 

She would’ve loved to stay longer, chat for a while, catch up on each others lives, but with the way she had yelled at him, there was no way he’d have wanted to do that anyway.

Who was she kidding here? The big oaf would’ve just forgiven her. He was way too kind that way. She still remembered that day under the bridge, when he told her that despite all the torture and bullying, he still considered her a friend. Ugh, why does he have to be such a nice guy? Stupid Dek- Izuku. His name is fucking Izuku for gods’ sake. Stop being a bitch to everyone all the time.  

She flopped down on her bed with a tired sigh and felt the cold wet nose of Murder push up against her neck. Rolling around onto her side, she absentmindedly started scratching her companion behind the ear, too lost in her thoughts to really pay attention to anything. 

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had missed Izuku when he went to a different highschool. They also never ran into each other anymore, probably because their schedules didn’t line up anymore. He had always been such a constant in her life that losing him had impacted her a lot harder than she had expected, and more than once she found herself scanning the crowd to see if she could spot him somewhere. Of course she would deny all of that if anyone would ever ask about it. No way in hell did the future number one hero Areia need someone like a stupid Deku in her life, and she wouldn’t be caught dead admitting such a weakness. Gods, one day this fucking pride and the stupid temper will be the end of me.

“Don’t beat yourself up over it too much, Katsumi. You’ve been getting a lot better with your self control lately.”

“Thanks, Murder.” She smiled. “Did you enjoy the belly rubs?”

“His have always been the best.”

“Traitor, you’re supposed to be my friend!”

“What can I say? He always finds the itchy spots right away.”

“Like I said. Traitor. But I know what you mean. He always knows exactly where to go for… are there any Gods with Incarnates that have empathy properties to them?”

“You tell me, I’m just the familiar here. You’re the smart human that knows everything.” He smiled at her and licked her hand to make clear that he was just joking around. Katsumi scooted over on the bed, making room for her friend to jump up onto the bed and put his head in her lap. He gladly complied and enjoyed the thorough head scratches and kisses he received for a while before he started talking again. “ So, do you wanna talk about it? Or him? You were ogling him quite a bit back there you know?”

“You traitorous mongrel! I thought you’re supposed to be my ally! That’s it, no treats for you!”

“Oh come on, Katsumi, please don’t do that! Come on, Kacchan, we’re friends!”

Katsumi didn’t like the ping of sadness she got when Murder called her by that old nickname. Only Deku should be using it. And he hadn’t been around for so long… She hated to admit it, but she had missed him. And gods, what did Inko feed him these days? He had turned into a wall of muscles. And his eyes were as kind and beautiful as ever.

“Do you have a crush on him?”

“Murder I swear I will feed you nothing but dry bread and water for the rest of the year if you say that ever again!”

“Don’t try to deny it, I’m in your head, remember?”

“I don’t have a crush on him! I can say he’s handsome without having a crush. I call you beautiful all the time!”

“ Can’t say I remember the last time you said that. Hey, I’m kidding, I’m kidding, please keep scratching, it feels so good!”

“Traitorous beast…” she grumbled as she started massaging her dog’s ears again. But was he right? Did she have a crush on stupid Deku? No way, they knew each other since diaper age, he was more like a brother than anything else. Right? Right. A stupid, unblessed, bookwormish scaredy cat of a brother.

“You keep telling yourself that, Kacchan .”

“I think I liked it better when I couldn’t understand you.” 

“Izuku, holy crap!” Momo shouted as she came bursting into his bedroom.

The young man shrieked in surprise. “Momo!? What the- Gods, you scared the hell out of me.”

“No time to apologize, look!” She shoved a large envelope in her boyfriend’s face. “UA letters came! I rushed over as soon as I got mine!”

Izuku jumped up, clearing off his desk and taking a seat. It had been roughly a week since the entrance exam, and Izuku was more than eager to see Momo’s results. The young woman walked over with a confused look before Izuku pulled her onto his lap. “There, much better, now open it!”

“You’re adorable,” Momo commented as she planted a kiss on Izuku’s cheek. With slightly shaky fingers as her heart rate continued to beat wildly even as she relaxed into her boyfriend’s warmth, she opened the parcel. 

A small disc dropped from the letter before expanding into an orb that rolled on Izuku’s desk. Both young adults shared a curious look before Momo reached out and poked the strange, slightly luminescent object. With a hum, the orb began to glimmer brighter, until a shimmering image began projecting just above it.

“Yaoyorozu Momo, thank you for applying to UA!” 

Izuku gasped at the familiar face.

“All Might!?” Momo exclaimed.

“I hope this message finds you well! Before we get to your results, you’re likely confused about my appearance in this projection. Fortunately, the university has been able to keep the news a secret until now, and I’m proud to announce that I will be joining the storied halls of this fine institution as its newest faculty member!”

The raven-haired woman sighed in awe. “That’s incredible! We’re going to be taught by the number one hero!”

“Y-yeah! Incredible!” Izuku made a mental note to give Toshinori a piece of his mind later for blindsiding him like this.

“With that out of the way, onto your results! As for the written exam, your score is likely one of the highest marks UA has ever received.”

“Nice.” Izuku planted a kiss on the back of his girlfriend’s neck, earning him a hum of gratitude.

“In addition to your top marks for that portion of the examination, your performance in the practical solidified your status as a hero candidate. Your more than impressive score placed you at the top of the list for practical applicants as well!”

Momo blushed with pride.

“We expect great things from you, young lady. Welcome to UA! You will be placed in Class 1-A of the Hero Course. Congratulations!”

Izuku whooped, scooping his girlfriend up under the knees and standing up, spinning around the room. “I have the most badass girlfriend in the world!”

“Easy, Izuku!” Momo giggled as she gripped onto her muscle bound boyfriend for dear life. “Not so fast!”

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just so proud of you!” Izuku slowed down, carefully depositing his dizzy girlfriend on his bed. “I’m gonna go check my mail and see if I got my information letter too! I still don’t know which class I’m in!” 

Momo nodded dazedly, giving him a thumbs up before flopping down and sighing happily to herself.

Izuku stepped out the door of his room where he spotted his mother not so subtly pretending like she hadn’t just been listening to the entire exchange with a giddy smile on her face.

“Be right back, Mom, just gonna check the mail.”

Inko put a hand to her cheek in mock surprise. “Oh! Is it mail time already? Well, I’ll let you get to it, then.”

The young man snorted and jogged down the steps in his slippers to the mailroom. Normally smaller envelopes would just be deposited in the mail slot on their front door, but judging by the size of the envelope Momo had received, he figured it would be better to check rather than wait.

Putting in the combination for his apartment’s mail locker, Izuku’s eyes widened when he saw a large envelope inside. 

He was already halfway out the room when he remembered to go back and close the locker.

Taking the steps two at a time, Izuku rushed back into his apartment. He dashed into his bedroom and jumped on the bed, disrupting Momo who was reading over the packet that had been included with her welcome letter.

The young woman shrieked as she bounced up in the air before landing next to Izuku again with a pout. She gave him a quick punch to the shoulder before snuggling up to the man and watching him open his letter.

Inside was only a packet much like Momo’s. 

“Guess since they told me at the entrance exam that I was in, I don’t need the video letter.”

Momo frowned. “Well that’s disappointing, I’d have liked to watch it.”

“Oh well, now… classroom assignment…” he skimmed the personal information form until he found it. 

“Class 1-A!” 

Chapter Text

Ochako was tapping down the tips of her hair after her shower as she unlocked her phone to see who or what had been blowing up her phone and interrupting her music. 

When she saw the notification <Unread messages> from both Izuku’s and Momo’s number appear on her screen she hurriedly twisted her hair up in a turban and opened the conversations to check the messages. Momo had sent three texts, Izuku two.

Yaomomo (Today 9:58)

I made it in!

We are both class 1-A

I hope we’re all in the same class

Izuku (Today 9:58)

Have you gotten your letter yet? What class are you?

Let us know as soon as you’ve opened your letter!

Ochako was about to run out the front door to get the mail when she realized that she was still only wearing a towel on her head and nothing else. She squeaked and ran back to the bathroom, grabbed her bathrobe and finished tying it close just in time for reaching the front door again.

“Is everything alright, honey?” Ochako heard her mother call from the kitchen.

“The letter! The letter from UA is here!”

“Oh, yeah. I got the mail while you were in the shower, it’s right here.” Ocha slammed the front door shut and rushed into the kitchen, using her momentum and the doorframe to make the turn.

“Where?! Mom, give me the letter please I need to know what class I’m in!” Ochako grabbed the letter from her mother’s hand and started tearing open the envelope, muttering under her breath ‘please be 1-A please be 1-A please let me be in the same class as those two gorgeous-’ “HECK YEAH I’M IN 1-A!”

“Well someone’s excited.” Ochako heard her father chuckle behind her and spun around with a near maniac glint in her eyes.

“Dad! The letter from UA came! I’m in 1-A! Aaaaah I need to tell Izuku and Momo that I’m in 1-A”

“Who are Izuku and Momo?” Mr. Uraraka looked at his wife with a confused look on his face. “Have you ever heard those names before?”

“Future classmates, you never heard of them before! Oh my gods, I’m so excited!”

Ochako squealed and ran back to the bathroom to get her phone and tell her crus- her new friends the good news.

Izuku, Yaomomo, Ochako

Ochako (Today 10:27)

Class 1-A! I’m so excited! Do you two want to meet up and celebrate?

Also you two have heard of group chats before right?

She tossed her phone onto the bed and got dressed.

Izuku (Today 10:10)

Hey Tenya, knowing you you’ve already opened and read your letter from UA, so, what class are you in? Momo and I are in 1-A

Tenya smiled and nodded in approval. He was glad he would get to spend the next few years and possibly, hopefully , a good chunk of their careers with his best friend.

“Murder, the letter is here! Let’s see what class they put me in.” Katsumi had no doubt in her mind that she had passed the entrance exam and was probably already at the top of her year.

“Keep it down brat, I haven’t had my coffee yet!” Mitsuki groaned from the living room.

“It’s my letter from UA!” She shouted back, slamming her door shut with a little more force than strictly necessary in her excitement.

“That’s not keeping it down,” Mitsuki groaned into the mug Masaru handed her.

Katsumi tore apart the envelope midair at her desk. Out fell a disk that started playing a video message after she touched it, as well as a pack of papers. 

“HA, I told you I’d pass with flying colors!” She listened to the message, barely containing her excitement about All Might being a teacher at UA but when he called her ‘one of the top students’ instead of ‘the top student’ she nearly tossed the little orb out the window.

You’ve been doing so good lately, Katsumi, don’t lose your temper.

Katsumi huffed. “Fine, guess I’ll have to show them that they were wrong about who the top student is when I’m there.” After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she started reading through the letters, taking note of the information about the dorms and hosting familiars.

Will you let Izuku know that you really did make it in? He applied to that school too didn’t he? Maybe you will be in the same class again…

“You’re just hoping we will end up in the same dorm so you can get lots and lots of belly rubs.”

I’d say you’re wrong but lying is bad, right?

“Traitorous mutt,” she grumbled, but she kissed her four-legged friend on the forehead and scratched him at the base of his ears, so he’d know that she didn’t mean it.

Katsumi (Today 17:28)

I made it in, like I told you. Class 1-A. Murder told me to let you know

Izuku smiled. It made him happy to see how far Katsumi had gotten since their Middle School days.

Izuku (Today 17:31)

You can tell LEM that I will be in 1-A too. He will get plenty of belly rubs from me :)

He pocketed his phone and went back to cleaning Titus’s perch while Momo was in the kitchen helping Inko prepare lunch. Or rather, Inko prepared lunch and Momo tried to watch and learn. 

“How did you ever get it this dirty? Can’t you wipe your feet on the way in?!”

I could if I had a carpeted outdoor perch…

“Point taken. I’ll see what I can come up with… in the meantime, try and get at least the blood and entrails off your claws before you come home? That would be much appreciated.”

I’ll see what I can do. Now if you don’t mind, can you put on some music? The pigeons are awfully gossipy today and I’m starting to get annoyed.

Izuku snorted, fished his phone back out of his pocket, put on the playlist with his buddy’s favorite songs and went back to scrubbing the stains off the perch while Titus bobbed along to the music.

“Are you sure you have everything? Socks? Tissues? Your falconry equipment?” Inko asked with barely contained tears thick on her voice.

“Yes mom, we checked 5 times yesterday and twice this morning, remember? And if I really forgot anything, I can always come and get it. I’m going to UA, not to the moon,” Izuku tried to calm his mother’s nerves. He was only so successful with it, she had been a wreck all weekend.

“You can’t blame me for being worried. You moving out is a big change for both of us.” She started sniffling again. “My baby boy is all grown up now! It feels like I was still changing your diapers only yesterday.”

“MOM! Please, Momo can hear you! Can you please not talk about me in diapers in front of my girlfriend?!”

Said girlfriend was watching the whole exchange and trying very hard not to laugh at the moment. “Don’t worry Inko, I will take good care of him.”

“Oh, I know you will. Both of you are strong, independent adults and I could not be more proud of you two!” She pulled the two teens into a fierce hug and started crying big tears again. “I’m just gonna miss having you around. The house will feel so empty when I’m all on my own.”

“Mom, would it help if we come home for lunch on the weekend from time to time?”

Inko sniffled. “Only if it’s not too much of a bother. You will have friends at UA, you don’t need to leave them to come eat with me.”

Izuku smiled. “Mom, do you want us to bring all our new friends with us?”

“Please call ahead if you do that… I’ll have to put up the big dining table in the living room.” Inko flashed her son and his girlfriend a cheeky smile. 

Slowly extracting himself from his mother’s hug, Izuku looked at her and sighed. “That is precisely what you wanted to hear isn’t it?”

“The more the merrier dear!”

“Alright, mom, we’ll see what our classmates are like, and if they’re nice we might bring them over from time to time.”

“Why am I not surprised that you’re already here, Tenya?”

“Being early to any deadline is something I pride myself in.”

Yeah, we know that already, zoomer, now move over, the entry is drafty.

Izuku fought to contain a snort. “Being special today, huh, Titus?”

I really don’t know why I’m still staying with you. Momo treats me so much better.

“You could, but you know better than me how territorial Penelope can get.”

“What’s with Penelope?” Momo had just stepped inside after instructing her family’s employees on where to bring her, Izuku’s and Ochako’s stuff, and was now looking at her boyfriend with a questioning look. 

Over the past couple months, the three had grown closer and closer, so when the time for moving into the dorms had come, it was clear to all of them that they would do that together. Ochako had suggested that they should move in early on to be able to take their time unpacking, getting used to the set up of the whole place, and settle in so they’d be comfortable and well rested by the time classes started. Izuku and Momo suspected that she was also trying to get them all to live under the same roof as soon as possible; she had indeed made advances on them, some more open than others, and they all enjoyed the casual flirting that went on between them.

“Titus is pouting, so he decided he wants to live with you from now on. I cannot believe you’d steal my familiar like this, Momo.” Izuku looked at Momo, pretending to be deeply wounded by the atrocious betrayal.

Ochako, who had entered the building along with Momo giggled. “Hey Iida, nice to see you!” She stepped aside to let Titus fly out the front door with an indignant squawk and turned back to her friends. 

“Hello, Uraraka. It is very nice to see you too,” the Blessed of Hermes returned the greeting with a little bow. Turning back to the entire group he added, “I suggest you start unpacking and we can meet up later to figure out where to go for lunch. If any of you need help, let me know.”

“Will do. I’m guessing you already memorized where everyone’s rooms are?”

“Am I that predictable? But yes, Izuku, you are guessing correctly. Incidentally, all of us are situated on the topmost floor. Let me show you the way.”

Ochako carefully opened the door to her room. She hoped Percy and Ginger weren’t too upset with her over the move, even though she had explained to them what was gonna happen and why they were moving.

The moment she laid eyes on them she knew she had been worrying for nothing. They were wedged between her pillows, hugging each other and purring loudly. 

“Glad to see you two are enjoying the new place,” she said as she sat down on the bed and then fell flat on her back. 

It is decent. Doesn’t sound like there is much to hunt for us here, make sure you feed us well, Chako, she heard Ginger’s voice in her head

“Have I ever not fed you well? Don’t worry, I won’t let you two starve.”

We know, Cha-chan, she is just teasing you, Percy replied with a stern look towards his sister.

Ochako rolled her eyes and started scratching the cats behind the ears. They both gave off delighted moans in her head, and she smiled and planted some kisses on their heads before scrambling off the bed.

“Yes I know you weren’t done getting scratches, but I need to unpack these boxes if you two want to have dinner tonight.”

Fine, but make it quick so you can give us some more of them before you go back to play with your lovers.

“Love- Ginger! ” Ochako turned beet red and gave the cat that was innocently licking her paw a scandalized look. “They’re not my lovers, you know that!”

Could’ve fooled me… also keep yelling like that and they might hear you.

“You’re a nightmare on paws, Ginger,” Ochako groaned.

Well, while you’re busy unpacking I’ll take a look around, check out the hunting grounds and all that…

“All right, I’ll let you know when I’m done. Do you want your perch inside or outside?”

Inside, please. If I wanna chill on the balcony I can just sit on the railing. Now, mind opening the door? I’d do it myself but then again, that would kind of defeat the purpose of keeping you around, wouldn’t it?

“Out you go you overgrown rooster! Say hi to Penelope and the brothers for me ok?”

Will do. 

Izuku was still chuckling as he slid open the balcony door and exchanged Titus for some fresh air. He watched his friend circle once before going back inside to continue getting settled in. 

Did you see that Penelope? Sliding doors! We can open them ourselves! Ultimate freedom I tell you!

Yes, Titus, I saw the sliding doors. I have eyes, believe it or not. Now, if it's all the same to you, it’s the middle of the day, I’d like to take a nap.

Oh come on, Penn-elope the raven caught himself at the last moment don’t be such a bore. It’s a nice campus, plenty of room to hunt for you both… if only there were some more cars to crack the walnuts…

I think I told you that if you call me Penny one more time I will get really creative with testing the limits of your immortality, Penelope glowered at the black-feathered duo.

Yes, yes, you did, and I'd rather not challenge a strategic mastermind of a war goddess or her familiar…

Oh come on Brother, no risk no fun right?

Guys, did you see the sliding doors? They slide , Titus chirped in with the excitement of a teenager.

Yes, kiddo, we saw the sliding doors… just don't crash into anything in your excitement okay? Not sure how I’d explain to Rhea that her chick is a goddamn idiot… poor gal has enough on her plate as it is… The last part Hugin spoke only in his own mind, not wanting to weigh the youngster down with his worries. It was the curse of longevity, that you had to see friends come and go throughout the years. Munin gave him a knowing look like only brothers could and they both returned their attention to the present. 

Pfff, me? Crash into something? Like that would ever ha- CK

Care to repeat that Titus? That tree you crashed into kinda muffled you towards the end…

Shut up Titus mumbled embarrassed. That was totally on purpose anyway… you know. Practicing for diversion tactics and all that…

Clearly.

Anyways… Penelope wanted to nap and I want to check how Izuku is coming along. Let’s go back.

The first good idea you had all day Titus , Penelope said while already circling around to return to her new home. Let’s return later when we’re actually hungry… making me fly around for nothing in the middle of the day… Punks…

“Ah, good morning you two! Are you making breakfast?” Izuku and Tenya were walking out of the bath after their showers, discussing their morning run and one of the techniques Tensei had shown them recently, when they noticed the girls standing in the kitchen.

“I’m making tea, Ocha is making food.” 

Izuku stepped behind the two girls and looked over their shoulders to see what they were making. “Smells wonderful, I’m getting really hungry.” He planted a quick kiss on Momo’s cheek and turned around to go set the table.

“Hey, I’m the one making the food, where’s my kiss?” Izuku grinned, turned back around and placed the loudest, wettest, most lip smacking kiss he could manage on the nordic beauty’s cheek, making all three of them laugh. “Are you a man or a dog?”

WOOF

“Uhm… I was kidding, you know?”

“LEMMY!” Izuku exclaimed both surprised and happy, “where did you come from?” 

Before he knew it he found himself sprawled onto the floor and buried under a positively massive wolfdog. 

“Yes, yes, I missed you too— ow, careful buddy, heavens help did you grow again Lemmy? Kacchan, what are you feeding him? Rocks? Yes Lemmy I love you too now get off me or I can’t give you the good scratches.” Upon hearing those magical words, the dog immediately rolled off Izuku and looked up at him expectantly.

“Hey Dek— Izuku.” A female voice rang out from the entrance.

Momo and Ochako eyed the newcomer. She was a lean, muscular blonde, with wild hair that reached to the middle of her back and was currently pulled back into a messy high ponytail. Her red eyes radiated a fire and a fierceness that would have intimidated weaker spirits. Her lips were just the right size, not too full, not too thin, and she probably would have been quite the sight if she hadn’t been frowning.

She was wearing a loose tank top underneath a comfy looking unzipped hoodie and baggy sweatpants. She pulled some dog treats out of her pocket and let out a short sharp whistle. “Murder, get back here. Stop eating Dek— Izuku’s face, that won’t get you any more belly rubs.”

“Ah, don’t worry, Kacchan, I can handle it,” Izuku laughed, both of his hands still buried deep in the hound’s fur. “Yeah boy this feels good huh? Yes I know buddy -hey!- can we at least agree that the inside of my mouth is off limits? You’re gonna end up making my girlfriend jealous Lemmy! Now, go back before Kacchan has an aneurism, I can give you more scratches later.”

“Stop. Calling. Me. Kacchan,” the woman in question hissed through her teeth.

Izuku just flashed her a wide smile. “Now why would I ever do that, Kacchan? I’ve called you that since kindergarten; the name has tradition!”

“Fine then, Deku, have it your way!”

“All right, all right, I give!” Laughing, he got back up on his feet and brushed his hands off on his pants. “Is he shedding? There is like a ton of hair on me, geez.” 

After a moment he remembered his manners and gestured between the people standing around him. “Katsumi, this is my best friend, Iida Tenya; my girlfriend, Yaoyorozu Momo; and our friend Uraraka Ochako. Everyone, this is my childhood friend Bakugou Katsumi and her overly excitable sidekick and familiar LEM—”

“His name is Lord Explosion Murder and Murder for short—”

“—or Lemmy how I like to call him—”

“—And are you seriously still considering me a friend? After everything?”

Several eyebrows arched upwards. Izuku just smiled at her. “Of course. Things may have changed since we were young, but boy if I don’t know what a blessing can do with you. I mean, look at me, I grew massive . I can withstand literal lightning. Ocha can fucking fly. I know your anger is not your fault, and I know you’ve been working on it. You’re still my friend, even though we’re nowhere near as close as we used to be. But let’s just consider this reunion to be our chance to fix that, and move on from the past, ok?”

The other three silently watched the exchange. They didn’t know exactly what was going on here, but it was clearly something personal, rooted way back in the past.

Katsumi looked at Izuku with a half hopeful, half disbelieving look. Lem or Murder or whatever his name was looked back and forth between the two humans on either side, and apparently he knew what was going on, because he started dragging Katsumi’s sleeve towards Izuku’s outstretched hand. Seemingly making up her mind, she shook him off and took the hand. “Fine, let’s. But I told you before and I will tell you again. If you act like an idiot I will treat you like an idiot.”

“Fair enough!”

“All right, since whatever that was seems to be out of the way now, Bakugou, was it? We were just about to have breakfast, do you want to join us?”

“No, thanks, the old hag made me something before I left. I’ll just go and unpack for now, just let me know if you need help with lunch later.”

“Will do.”

“Bakugou, this is delicious, even though it’s so spicy I can hardly eat it,” Momo said with tearing eyes.

“I’m honestly impressed that all of you can eat it at all,” Izuku said while grabbing his third helping. It had been years since he had last gotten a chance to eat the Bakugou family’s Super Secret Fiery Death Curry Of Anal Destruction Blazing Hellfire (™), and Katsumi was definitely giving her mother a run for the money.

Ochako was gulping down one glass of milk after the other. “I don’t think I will ever taste anything ever again...I feel like this curry has burned off my taste buds. How are all of you not dying?”

“I don’t know how they do it either, Uraraka. I much prefer less spicy food too. Can you pass me the milk please?” Tenya gasped.

“Is this the dorm for class 1-A?” A soft, clear and fresh voice rang out from the entrance.

They all turned around to look at the newcomer. Or rather newcomers. In the door stood two people, a woman and a man. 

The woman had a petite frame, long hair in the color of the calm deep sea that was tied into a bow near the end, a delicate face and a warm, sunny smile. She was wearing a mint green top that flowed around her bare shoulders, closely fitted jeans and beautiful lace slippers. Around her wrist and neck she wore little starfishes and pearls, her ears were adorned by shiny little sea shells. 

A little behind her stood a tall, broad shouldered man that tried with little success to make himself appear smaller and hide behind the petite woman. He had a dark complexion, a wide, round face with strong features, deep set but friendly eyes. He was wearing a plain shirt and baggy pants, and held a backpack in his hands that he was fidgeting with non-stop.

Izuku was wondering what such a timid looking guy could want in the hero course, but then again, not all heroes were fighters. Some went into disaster relief, some became negotiators, there were heroes that specialized in healing and those that found their forte in information gathering. 

“Hello! Yes, it indeed is. You have arrived at a good time. We are currently eating lunch, if you want to join us.”

“I don’t eat spicy food,” the woman replied. Her soft spoken way and water like voice did not quite match the brashness of her answer. 

“I’d like some,” the man said. He spoke softly, barely audible, but he sounded nice and gentle. 

“Of course! Grab a plate and join us!” Izuku pointed towards the hutch and then towards the empty chairs along the table they were spaced around. “By the way, I am Midoriya Izuku, these are Iida Tenya, Bakugou Katsumi, Yaoyorozu Momo-”

“I’m impressed you can even pronounce that without biting off your tongue every single time you say that, did I ever tell you that?” Ochako panted out between gulps.

“-and a very impressed Uraraka Ochako. What’re your names?”

“I am Asui Tsuyu, but please call me Tsu,” the young woman said.

“Koda Koji, nice to meet you.” The young man’s voice was barely above a whisper and he looked very uncomfortable with everyone’s focus on him. He quickly started shovelling the curry into his mouth to avoid being forced to talk more. 

For a while, all that could be heard was the sound of people trying to withstand the spiciness of the meal, as well as the chuckling of those who could. 

“This really is delicious, thank you to whoever made this!” Koda said after emptying his plate.

“You better enjoy it, it’s a family recipe and I don’t give food to ingrates,” Katsumi huffed, but it was obvious from the slight smile she tried and failed to hide that she was internally basking in all the praise.

“You have the popcorn?” Momo asked as she picked up the TV remote from the couch and grabbed the blanket she had put on the arm rest before.

They had asked the others if they wanted to join them, but Koda and Tsuyu had both declined in order to finish unpacking, and Tenya and Katsumi had basically both claimed they didn’t want to be third wheel on a movie date, though with varying levels of politeness.

“One bowl of salted caramel flavored popcorn for the girlfriend,” Izuku put a bowl in Momo’s lap, “and one bowl of matcha flavored sweet popcorn for the contender,” he said as he placed the other bowl in Ochako’s lap. Ochako grabbed a handful of popcorn, nibbled on it and gave the other two a thumbs up. “We’re good, guys, taste buds are active and responding!” 

They laughed and Izuku sat down in between them, spread a blanket across their laps and wrapped his arms around Ochako and Momo.

The two girls snuggled into his side and Momo hit play on the remote.

“Oh my gods that’s so disgusting!” Ochako squealed and hid her face into the pillow she had been hugging like a lifeline for the last half hour. 

Momo leaned over and gave her a concerned look. “Do you want me to pause the movie? Or put on something else?”

Ochako just shook her head without lifting it from the pillow. “No, just… that… whoever came up with a mouth inside the mouth needs to get their head checked!”

“I think they took that from some actual animals…morays?”

“Momo, I’m not sure that is making it any better at the moment,” Izuku said, trying (and failing) to keep the laughter out of his voice. As if to prove his point, Ochako shuddered violently. Izuku wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. “Hey, I got you, they won’t get anywhere near you. Besides, you’re a fuck-off strong Valkyrie, I bet that thing is more scared of you than you are of it.”

“Very funny, Izuku, very very funny.” Ochako said dryly while she extracted herself from his embrace and shot the two others a deadly glare. She opened her mouth to—

“OH MY GODS I love those movies, but nobody else I hang out with ever knows them or wants to watch them with me! This is awesome! I can already tell that we are gonna be super good friends, college years really are the best years! Hi, I’m Ashido Mina, just call me Mina, it’s awesome to meet all of you!” 

“H-Hi… I’m Yaoyorozu Momo, and these are Midoriya Izuku and Uraraka Ochako; nice to meet you, too.” Momo introduced them all while the other two were still trying to mentally catch up with the bubbly young woman. She had light pink, curly hair that reached down to her shoulders, with flowers woven into the strands and a— Is that actually an antler crown? Ochako was impressed; it was the first time she saw anyone actually pulling those off. 

Mina’s skin was a warm, sunny tan, reminiscent of almonds or caramel. She had a contagious smile and eyes that shone like stars in the color of honey, amber or liquid gold. She wore a flowy cream colored lace dress with a slit in the front that showed off her curvy figure and long legs. There was an unmistakable, almost irresistible pull coming from her. Something about her voice was incredibly alluring and made her want to be friends with the cheerful newcomer more than anything. Ochako looked a little more closely, and yes, without a doubt, there it was, the mark of Aphrodite. 

“Nice to meet you, Mina.” Ochako was the first to find her voice again.

“Sorry, yes, hi.” After another moment of silence Izuku finally remembered his manners. “Well, since you seem to know and like the movie, do you want to watch the rest of it with us?”

“Awesome, I’d love to!” With that, she flopped down on the other sofa and they resumed the movie.

“Hey, this towel is soaked, are there more?”

“In the cupboard next to the sink. No, on the other side. Below…”

“Ah, found them!”

“Can someone please take the pot from me already? I’m dripping water all over the floor!”

“Where did you get the glasses from?”

Everybody was talking all over each other as they worked together to clean and put away everything they had used for breakfast. It took them a while to notice the newcomer that was standing near the entrance, watching the hubbub with disgust clearly displayed on his face.

He was a tall, muscular young man with red and white hair split down roughly in the middle. On the red side, his eye was hazel, almost golden. On his white side, it was icy blue or grey, almost white. The eye was surrounded by a dark red scar, patterned like ice crystals. The stark contrast gave him an almost demonic look, and the scowl only enhanced that effect.

He was wearing a dark bomber jacket over a tan turtleneck and black pants with the legs stuffed haphazardly into visibly worn combat boots. In his hands he held a pair of dark, metal framed sunglasses. He had one duffel bag strapped over his shoulder, sitting on the floor next to him was another. The corner of a picture frame was poking out of it, and when he noticed Izuku looking at it he pushed it behind himself and out of view, as if to hide it.

“Hey, sorry about the ruckus, my name is Uraraka Ochako, these are —I hope I get it all right— Iida Tenya, Yaoro—no—Yaoyorozu Momo, Midoriya Izuku, Koda Koji, Asui Tsuyu who wants to be called just Tsu, Bakugou Katsumi and Ashido Mina. Welcome to the dorm!”

With a scoff and a barely audible “Whatever” the latest newcomer turned around and walked out of the room.

The others looked at each other speechlessly. A speechlessness that lasted for about five seconds. 

“The fuck is that dickhead’s problem?! At least give your name in return if someone goes through the trouble of introducing everyone to you, fuckwit !” Katsumi had yelled the last word after the guy, which immediately earned her a scowl from Izuku. “Oh come on, Deku, you’re thinking the same thing as me, I know you!” 

“I would have worded it a bit differently though.” He decided to let the ‘Deku’ slide since she was clearly aggravated enough already.

“Whatever… Doesn’t change that it’s true.” Katsumi retorted and stuck out her tongue at him.

“I wonder what his deal was… Maybe he’s just shy?” Ochako tried to consolidate.

“ I’m shy. That guy was just very rude to you, Uraraka,” Koda answered, momentarily shaken out of his timid demeanor.

“Did you see that scar on his face, though? I wonder what happened there… It looked almost like ice crystals to me. Real freaky...” Mina threw in.

“I wonder how that happened… it must be an old scar from the looks of it.” 

Izuku could almost see the wheels start turning in Momo’s brain. “Hey pretty girl, I can see you thinking… bounce it off me, come on.”

“It’s just… the pattern is weird. A burn scar wouldn’t usually show such a crystalline structure… not even an ice burn… unless it was either kept frozen like that or it was something… magical I guess… I don’t know. I don’t want to assume another person’s past, no matter how rude they were.”

“You are right, Momo. Come on, everyone, let’s finish up here and not get hung up on this rude individual’s behavior anymore.”