Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hitoshi grimaced slightly as he grabbed his drink. It’s been six days since they had started training, and already the constant use of his quirk for long periods of time is really getting to him. After waking up today, he found that his headache has come in stronger than ever. He had attempted to sleep it off during every break, and it worked, for a while. It took all of his concentration to be able to pay attention to the rest of his training. He’s hoping the pain would subside by the time he wakes up tomorrow. 

“You okay there, Shinso? Do you not like the food?” Everyone looked over at a concerned Sokka. 

“Huh? Oh, No, no, it’s good. I like it… I just have a headache, it’s fine.” Shinso looked away, taking a sheepish bite of his salad.

“Oh dear, maybe the constant use of his quirk is finally getting to him.” Suki looked over to her husband.

“Quirk overuse?” Mihoko frowned as she glanced between her son and Suki with worry.

“We kind of expected it to happen eventually after he told us he hasn’t really used his quirk for years.” Suki smiles at the teen reassuringly, “Don’t worry though, it was bound to happen eventually. Your quirk is like a muscle, you have to use it to strengthen it and since you haven't used yours in years…” 

“It’s like I’m having a cramp from overworking it…” Hitoshi finished for her with a groan, “Great, I have a brain cramp.” 

“If it makes you feel better, Izuku’s had less energy lately.” Sokka pointed at the green haired teen that ate at a snail ' s pace, “He’s trying to get to a level that every teen is at, so we’ve been training him and his quirk a little harder. Cause of that, he’s been more drained.”

Inko reached over to move her son’s hair out of his face, “You two should be fine, you’ll rebound by tomorrow.”

“She’s right.” Katara smiled 

“How do you know that, mom?” Izuku tilted his head in curiosity

“Something similar happened to Hisashi when he was trying to turn his flames blue.” Inko smiled, turning back to her food, “After a while of trying, he felt his throat start to become sore. We went to a doctor to make sure he didn’t hurt himself. Basically what happened was that since his body wasn’t used to using his quirk so much, it had to adapt. The doctor told him to not push himself too much while his throat adapts and the next day, he was fine and breathing blue flames.”

“It happens to everyone who doesn’t at least use their quirk every often for a very long period of time.” Katara informs as she gets up to her feet to walk for Hitoshi.

“Yeah, basically your quirk ‘muscle’ was all weak and soft like jello and now that you're using it constantly your body realized ‘oh shoot! I need to do something to handle this!’ and while your body uses up energy to adapt you get all tired or something hurts, it's different for everyone. Don’t worry though, by tomorrow your ‘muscle’ will be as strong as a Nokia phone. It’ll get stronger as you keep training it.” Toph explained, a proud smile on her face for her explanation. Hitoshi practically melted in his seat as Katara started using her quirk on his head. The headache slowly melted away. Izuku made a mental note to look up ‘Nokia’ phones.

“But… I used my quirk occasionally after I got it.” Izuku tilted his head in confusion. Shinso listened intently as he bit into some seafood. He doesn’t want to admit he’s used his quirk on some of his bullies now and then just to get away. 

“Remember, though, their saying a quirk is a lot like a muscle,” Hajime began, “Using your quirk occasionally is the same as getting up every hour or so to walk from one room to another. It does nothing for your body, but the moment you start to exercise it with constant use, you're letting your body know that it has to adjust.” 

Sokka snaps his fingers and shoots the older man finger guns, making him chuckle, “Exactly! The body’s adaptation is always a sudden thing, making it impossible for people to know when it’s going to hit. According to research, it’s mainly kids who this happens to because they constantly use their quirks once it comes in. They feel either pain, sick or tired depending on their quirk. It’s been known to happen to some teenagers and few adults as well when they start to constantly use their quirk. Researchers believe that the body has evolved to quickly adjust to the constant usage of the quirk, almost as if it were a defense mechanism, making the process last only a day.”

“So, this is something that’s happened to everyone?” Hitoshi asked cautiously 

“Yup, it started happening for me when I was 16 and realized I wanted to help people with my quirk. “ Katara smiled, pulling her hands away from a much more refreshed Hitoshi. She sent Izuku an apologetic smile as she walked back to her seat. He gave her an understanding nod, knowing she can't do anything for his exhaustion. 

By the time dinner had ended, everyone had found themselves gathered around on the couch watching Brother Bear. (Izuku lied when he said one movie a night, he and Hitoshi finished all the movies, leaving them to look for and watch other movies.) Izuku cuddled closer to his mom as ‘No Way Out’ began to play. Them, being the emotional Midoriya’s they are, began tearing up. Hitoshi, - who laid his head on his mother’s lap, his legs draped over Izuku’s - his mother and father silently sniffled. The y're all pretty sure the Midoriya tears are contagious at this point. 

Immersed in the movie, nobody but Toph notices when someone walks into the house and approaches the living room. A smirk spreads on her lips as the man sits in the vacant armchair. Turning her head in his direction, she nodded in greeting at the man, he responded with soft taps on the ground spelling ‘Hi’ in morse code. He received a tapped response from Sokka and Suki who shot him a smile. He relaxed into the chair and enjoyed what was left of the movie. 

“That was so precious.” Inko sniffled, dabbing her eyes with a tissue.

“We were just singing about family time and then sadness, agh” Izuku mumbled with his own tissue.

“Midoriya’s.” Hitoshi smiled softly with a sigh. 

“I always liked that movie.” A man’s voice grunted, making everyone's attention snap to him. A tall man with a scar covering most of his left face, short messy hair, stood in front of the armchair as he stretched. 

“Zuko!” Katara gasped as she stood to her feet to give the man a hug, “How long have you been there?” 

“Around the time Koda ran off crying.” he gave the woman a kiss on her forehead. 

“Hey buddy! How was the mission?” Sokka asked, slapping the man's upper back. 

“You guys are exaggerating. Uncle just needed help with the tea shop for a few days.” Zuko rolled his eyes skyward. 

“Truly, one of the most important missions of your life.” Sokka nods sagely before a large grin splits his lips, “Oh! These are the kids I told you about!” He points to the two families, who watched the interaction with amusement.

“The one’s he won’t shut up about?” Zuko not so subtly whispers to Toph who snickered. Both teen’s faces flushed red as their mothers giggled.

“Yup, those.”

“Hey, I have a good reason to talk them up. If they had no parents, I would have adopted them already.” Sokka pouts, crossing his hands over his chest.

“In that case, we should add you to our will.” Hajime smirks, “Or we can sell him to you. He hasn’t been doing chores lately. Usually he’d be a good 20 thousand, but for you, my friend, I’ll settle with the low, low price of 10 thousand.” 

“Hajime!” Mihoko playfully slapped her husband's shoulder, making him laugh.

“Wow, you see that? He didn’t even have to think of a price, he already had one. He’s been planning on selling me off, Zuku.” Hitoshi practically whined as he fell into his mother's arms, “Moooom, dad hates me.”

“I don’t hate you… completely. There’s some love in there.” The older man begins to go through his pockets till he pulls out a miniature bottle with a label on it, “Found it!” he shows them the label; My Love For Hitoshi. Making everyone burst out into laughter. 

“Hun, I thought you stopped carrying that around years ago.” Mihoko covers her lips as her laugh died down to giggles

“Nah, I just tossed it in my junk drawer and when he made a friend I practically tore the thing out to find it! I knew I would need it one day!” her husband grinned like an excited child.

 “I like him.” Sokka grinned widely, “You should take notes Zuko, the kids may be under nine now, but it’s never too late to embarrass them!”

“Sokka!” Katara huffed, Zuko gave him a thumbs up from behind his wife, making the man’s grin widen. 

“Alright, I think that’s enough excitement for one day.” Suki clapped her hands, “Izuku and Hitoshi need to get some rest if they want to wake up tomorrow on time.” both boys groaned

“Come now, kids, you’ll feel better tomorrow.” Inko ushered her son to his feet.

“I wanted to watch ‘Sing’ next, though.” Izuku muffled out through a yawn.

“What? No, it was my turn to choose the next movie. I want to watch ‘Trolls’.” Hitoshi stood to his feet and stretched.

“Ah, that’s right. Your people.” Izuku grinned at the weak shove he received in response.

“Don’t be rude Toshi. Izuku is right. Our great, great ancestors twice removed were trolls. How else do you think we can get our hair to stand like this?” Hajime ran a hand through his hair.

“Lots and lots of hair gel.” Mihoko rolled her eyes before standing to her feet, “ C ome on boys. Time for bed.”

____

“Good morning boys! I’m assuming you’re feeling a lot better today?” Suki scanned the two teens over carefully, glad to see them more awake and looking energized.

“Yeah! I feel a lot better.” Hitoshi grinned, Izuku nodding excitedly next to him. Suki noted how emerald eyes continuously glanced over to Zuko.

“Alright, now then, after meditation Hitoshi will be training with Toph, while Izuku trains with Zuko.” Hitoshi paled a bit at the thought, while Izuku gave him a mischievous smirk. 

“Wha - what about our class with Suki?” Hitoshi asks 

“That class was just a place filler while Zuko was gone. I still want you guys to go over everything we learned, though. I’m planning on adding it to your regimen once you both get into high school. So study hard because I’ll be testing you before then.” Suki gestures to the man standing between her and Katara, “Now then, we still have time before the sunrise, so how about you introduce yourself properly to the kids?”

“Oh, um, Hey, uh, Zuko Karyoku here…” Zuko began rubbing the back of his neck as he fell silent. Katara slapped the palm of her hand on her forehead, while Suki stifled her giggles. 

“Zuko, what was that?!” Katara mumbled. 

“In my defense, nobody gave me time to prepare a speech. I panicked.” 

The sound of Suki clearing her throat made the two pause and turn to her. She gestured towards the sky that was painted in different shades of yellows, reds, orange and blues. “I think it’s time we started meditation.” 

_____

“What do you feel when you meditate in the mornings?” Zuko asked Izuku after they had properly become acquainted. The two boys sat on the ground facing one another and doing light stretches. 

“Um, I feel warm. Like, my body is being fill ed with energy.”

Zuko nods, “How different do you think that is compared to your meditation?”  

The young teen fell into thought. A hand coming up to pinch at his lower lip, “Well, it’s definitely a different feeling. Actually, now that I think about it, every time I meditate, it’s a different feeling. Like, when I meditate in my room I listen closely to the waves, when I’m in the forest or outside I feel more connected to earth and everything around me. In the mornings, I feel like my body is being filled with warmth and strengthening me. Basically, I feel more connected to the surrounding elements.” 

“Good.” Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, “You’re becoming more a t t u ne d to your elements. Soon, you should be able to feel the pull of your element.”

“The pull of my element?” 

Zuko nods, “Katara may only be able to heal with her water but when she’s near any kind of water, especially large bodies of water, she feels the pull of her element. It’s the same for me. Although I can produce my own fire.” he demonstrates by opening his palm and making a small ball of flame flare up, “I can feel a pull when I look into any other flame. It’s as if our element is telling us; I’m here for you. It’s something that happens to every elemental user. They feel their elements calling to them, reassuring them that they're still there.” 

Izuku listened intently to Zuko’s words. His eyes focused on the flame on his palm. He can manipulate fire like he can, and now that he mentions it, he could faintly feel that pull, but it seems to be pulling him in every direction. The older man closed his hand, snuffing out the flame. Emerald eyes looked up to meet honey golden eyes. As if knowing that the boy understood his every word and didn’t daze off, he nodded. 

“Good, you’re already feeling it then.” He stands to his feet and gestures for the boy to follow. “Let ' s begin with training.”

Izuku perked up at this, “ W hat will we be learning? A few days ago, we realized that my quirk actually has, like, sub-elements! Sifu Katara is teaching me how to heal, and sifu Toph is teaching me how to sense things with the vibrations in the ground!”

Zuko smiled and ruffled the boy’s already messy hair, “We’ll be learning how to properly control fire.” 

Izuku tilted his head, “No sub-element?”

“No. Fire is already a dangerous element. You need to learn to properly control it before we even think about trying a sub-element. Now, get into your horse stance.” Izuku shrugged and did as he was told. 

“Good. Now, show me a few moves, no quirk.” With a nod, the teen shifted through a few Kata’s he had learned through taekwondo.

“I see Tai Lee has been teaching you taekwondo.” Zuko comments as Izuku takes a resting stance. 

“Ah, you know Tai Lee?”

Zuko nods, “She was best friends with my sister. We practically grew up together.” the older man explained as he shook off his legs. “What we’ll be doing is definitely different, but some things may feel a little familiar. Follow me.” he shifted into his own stance. Slowly he began to shift and move about, the young teen following his lead. The two shifted through different katas till the breakfast break began.

“Hey, uh, Sifu Zuko?” the older man shifted to look at Izuku as they walked, an eyebrow raised to show he was listening, “It’s not that I’m really complaining but… um… why didn’t we use fire? You said that it’s an element I have to learn because it’s dangerous, right? So… why didn’t we?” 

Zuko paused as he opened the front door to the mansion, “Fire is nothing like your other elements. Water is cool, and soothing. Earth is steady and stable. Air is flexible and calming. As for fire, fire is alive. It will spread and destroy everything in its path. That is something an old master of mine had told me.” 

Images of Katsuki burning and hurting him with his quirk flashed before emerald eyes. The weight of a gentle hand on his shoulder grounded him back to reality. Cautiously, he looked up to meet honey gold eyes, not red. 

“Fear, anger and hate makes us lose sight of things, it makes us lose control. When you use your fire, you shouldn't feel that way towards it. Yes, fire can be scary, but it could also be beautiful. Fire is about life and passion. Although a fire rushes through a forest and destroys it, everything that was destroyed grows back, stronger than before and just as beautiful. The passion we feel for things we wish to accomplish burns bright in our hearts. My old master said fire is angry and uncontrollable, and it's true, but a friend and I learned that it is also warm, and passionate. We’re going through Kata’s first because I want you to be prepared when we begin to use fire.”

Izuku nods in understanding, “I… I didn’t think fire could be more than just scary and angry.” he speaks softly as Zuko holds the door open for him to step inside. 

“Anger could fuel your quirk to become stronger, but it also makes that fire more wild, and easier for you to lose control.” the two begin removing their shoes, “The opposite could be said with fear though, it’ll make your quirk weaker and make you more prone to mistakes.” Placing their shoes in the cubbies both males made their way to the dining room to have breakfast.

Hitoshi gulped as he dodged Toph’s palm from hitting his shoulder. “What’s wrong, ya, blind bat ? Can’t touch me?” the teen mentally cursed at the wild grin he received in response. Seeing her turn on the balls of her feet to face him, he cursed before turning and running. Using the environment to his advantage, he bounded over large fallen trees in hopes to blur Toph’s sight. Even if only slightly.

“Good job, troll doll! Use your enemies' weakness to your advantage!” Toph praised, focusing her attention on him to get a better grasp of his location.

“Agh seriously, my dad makes one joke, and suddenly I can never live it down!” Hitoshi grumbles angrily, ducking just in time as a foot collides with the tree behind him. The tree she had hit practically exploded, in response. “Are you trying to kill me!?” Toph simply cackled, bounding towards him. His tricks to get her under his quirk’s hold never seem to work on her.

Slipping on a pile of leaves, Hitoshi cursed as his ass hit the ground. Toph’s laughter became louder as she grew closer. Scrambling to his feet, Hitoshi cursed like a sailor. Looking back up he realized he wouldn’t be able to dodge on time when she used a tree as leverage and launched herself at him at a faster speed. Outstretching her hand, she prepared to hit him when a gust of wind burst through the forest, sending her to the side and through a few trees.

“Holy shit, you saved me there, Zuku.” Hitoshi slumped back and let out a large sigh in relief. His green haired companion jumped out of a tree and slowly descended with a soft breeze blowing around him. 

“No problem, Toshi.” Izuku grinned over to his friend. Once he landed, his lips turn ed down into a frown. Holding out his hand, he waited for his friend to take it, “ W e should get moving though, she’s already digging herself out.” 

“I hate tag.” Hitoshi grumbled, taking his friend's hand and raising to his feet. Both boys were quick to run off.

“Really? I kind of like it.” 

“Only because you’ve gotten five times better at it with that new technique of yours!” Izuku laughed, “Don’t laugh!”

“Sorry, sorry. How much time is left anyway?” 

Hitoshi looked down at his watch, “ L ess than a minu -'' both boys jumped away from one another just as Toph created a crater on the ground where they had stood.

“I see your spatial awareness has gotten better too. Ha, sixteen tags between the both of you, I just might be proud of you two.” She leaped up towards a tree to her left, kicking Izuku out of the tree, “ T hat’s eight twinkle toes!” bouncing off the trunk, she backflipped the other way towards Hitoshi. Listening carefully and stretching out her quirk, she spotted the boy crouching behind a tree. With a large grin, she silently made her way over and smacked the boy behind the head, “ A nd that would be ten for you bottle boy.”

“Ugh, we were so close.” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. Making their way out of the forest, they were met with everyone waiting for them. Katara handed the two teens a bottle of water. Izuku drank half of it before using the rest to heal the worst wounds on him and Hitoshi. The blue-eyed woman gave him a proud smile.

“How’d they do?” Hajime asked 

“Not bad. Izuku got eight tags and Hitoshi got ten. It’s a big improvement compared to being tagged a good thirty times.” Toph grinned widely

“Congratulations!” Mihoko shouted, her eyes tearing up.

“I’m so proud of you both!” Inko cried into her son’s shoulder as she hugged him. 

“Haha, mom, our tests a re n't even done yet.” Izuku patted his mother's back fondly

“Yeah, we still have sparing to do.” Hitoshi smiled sheepishly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“That’s right. Come on, let's get some lunch and rest first before we start.” Suki began to usher everyone inside.

_____

“Alright, guys! Yesterday you practice d sparr ing one of us with and without weapons. Without and with quirks.” Sokka announced from his place on the middle step of the stairs. All the adults were gathered around the front porch of the house. The teens stood at the base of the stairs, listening intently to Sokka. “Today, you’ll be putting everything you ha ve learned in these past two weeks into practice. You will spar with your weapons and are allowed to use your quirk. Izuku was kind enough to make you two a little stage where you can spar.” he gestured behind them, w h ere an inch tall, long slab of earth stood. 

“You know the rules. First one out of the ring, to be unable to get up or fall unconscious, loses. Try not to hurt one another too much and have fun.” he nods, letting them know they can head to the stage. Sokka walked up the steps onto the porch to stand next to Suki.

“Ready?” Zuko started, eyes glancing between the two boys, “Begin!”

Hitoshi fixed his stance, “You gonna use that silly little wind on me, Izu?” Hitoshi mocked, watching his friend's green eyes narrow, a small smirk on his lips. With a grin of his own, both boys shot forward. A hand caught a fist while another caught an ankle. They pushed against one another for a moment before jumping back. 

It didn’t take long for them to meet in the middle once again. In an attempt to catch Izuku in his quirk, Hitoshi did his best to patronize his friend, he even tried telling a bunch of jokes, just like Toph had taught him in their individual training. “Ha, a little hot there with those flames, don’t ya think? What fighting style is this? It’s not Taekwondo, that’s for sure. Did Zuko teach it to you?” 

Violet eyes narrowed in seeing his friend bite his lower lip to keep from answering. The green haired teen stomped on the floor when his spinning kick didn’t land. The ground underneath Hitoshi’s feet rose slightly, making him lose his balance. Taking advantage of this, Izuku whipped his fan out from its place in his pant’s waistband and flipped it open. With a swift motion, a gush of air hit Hitoshi sending him flying back. 

Luckily for the purple haired boy, he didn’t roll out of the stage. “Ha! That was painful, you know?” He rolled out of the way from the oncoming hit from the now closed fan, “What if I had gotten hurt? Would you really hurt me like that, Zuku?”

Izuku flinched in surprise at that question, “ W ha- of course no-”

“Gotcha” Hitoshi was quick to unravel the rope dart from his hips and toss it towards his friend tying him up. With a tug, Izuku snapped out of his control from the slight pain. “I win.”

Izuku smiles, making his friend’s smirk fall, “ H ey, what are you -?”

“You bound my arms.” Izuku spoke before Hitoshi could finish his sentence. The insomniac frowned in confusion at this statement as Izuku lowered his stance. The moment his foot raised up, he mentally facepalmed.

“Fuck.” It was all he could get out before Izuku stomped down, and he was sent hurtling into the sky. He became pretty intimate with a tree. It was a nice tree. When he finally made his way down, Izuku was smiling sheepishly at him, his arms outstretched to hand him his rope dart.

“You two did well. That was a good battle.” Suki smiled proudly, “Izuku, you made very good use of the fan. Good job. You didn’t use it to its full potential, but that’s alright, we have two more months before the entrance exams to work on it.”

“It was a very good use of your quirk as well, however you didn’t use the water we had provided you with.” Zuko gestures to the buckets placed at the corners of the stage, “Maybe you didn’t have a good opportunity to do so, however I feel the need to tell you; although you use your water to heal you could also use it as a weapon. Don’t forget that, don’t let a perfectly sharp weapon dull.” 

Katara nods, “You can do more with your water than just heal. Take full advantage of that.” 

“Hitoshi, You did really well with your hand to hand.” Suki began to praise once their evaluation on Izuku had ended. 

“You made good use of the provocation training we had.” Toph smirks, “Unfortunately for you, you’re opponent already knew that the trigger is response based. As long as you keep the trigger of your quirk under wraps and keep that hold while you make them think it’s something else from now on, any other opponent you face is bound to respond and not know what actually triggers your quirk.”

“I just wish you had made better use of the rope dart.” Sokka frowned, “It’s not just a capture weapon, Hitoshi. You’re not Eraserhead, you could use your weapon for offense and deal real damage. We’re going to have to work on breaking that habit.” 

“Um… Do… do they pass?” Inko asked worriedly

“Oh! Yeah, of course they do! Other than those miner hiccups, they passed!” Sokka hugged both boys, “I’m so proud!”  

Hajime rose from his seat with an excited shout, taking the t h ree of them in his arms, “Yess!! I’m so happy! We have to celebrate!!” 

“Oh! We can prepare a buffet!” Katara smiled widely.

After their grand dinner, everyone hung around the living room for once instead of dispersing throughout the house. Izuku was watching YouTube videos on his laptop, while Hitoshi played some cat video games on his phone. Sokka, Suki and Toph watched some show on the TV. Zuko was in the kitchen with Katara, Inko, Mihoko and Hajime cleaning and putting away any leftover food. In the middle of a Try Guys video, just as Eugene was performing the choreography with Jessi, he received a Zoom call from his dad. Ignoring the annoyance that sparked up, he grinned widely.

“Mom! Dad’s finally calling!” he shouted, accepting the call. “Hi dad!”

“Hey there kiddo! Sorry I didn’t call last week, work’s been kicking my butt.” Hisashi sighed, leaning back in his seat.

“It’s fine, we know things can get hectic for you over there.” The teen smiled reassuringly.

“Where’s mom?” 

“She’s in the kitchen, she should be over soon.”

“Ah, Hey, today’s your last day there, right? How was your trip?” Hisashi sat up.

“Oh! It’s been great!” Izuku grins as he goes off on a long explanation of their trip. His father, commenting every now and again. “And then when I fell, I found out that my wind had help ed soften my landing! I mean, it should have been kind of obvious to begin with, but I’m getting the hang of it! We found that circular motions help me control it best, and meditation seems to be making them stronger somehow! Everyone says they have a friend who could help teach me some stuff, but he won’t be able to come to Japan for another few months. So in the meantime, I'm focusing on the meditation part and using my fan to help me control it better.”

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive, kiddo. Gosh, I’m missing out on so much…” Hisashi gives his son a melancholy smile.

“We really miss you, dear.” Izuku snapped his gaze up to see his mother walking out of the kitchen, a smile on her face. Walking around the counter, she waved at the camera, “Hello Hisashi.”

“Inko! I see you’re doing well, my love.” 

“Of course I am. I hope the y're not working you too hard over there.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Though I wish I was there with you two. I seem to be missing so much this past year.”

“Maybe you could convince your superiors for a transfer?” Izuku piped in as Zuko walked behind them to grab water from the fridge.

“Maybe. I’ll try to speak to them soon. See how it goes.” Hisashi sighed,

“Hey Shi.” Zuko suddenly spoke up, before taking a sip of water from behind the two Midoriya’s he walked by. 

 “Hey Zu, anyway, why don’t you tell me about that test you mentioned, Izuku.” Everyone fell silent. Izuku and Inko simultaneously glanced between the laptop to a bewildered Hisashi and a frozen Zuko. 

“Um… do, you two know each other?” Hitoshi finally looked up from his phone at Izuku’s question. 

“Hisashi!?” Zuko shouted as he slammed his hand on the table next to Izuku and leaned closer to the screen.

“Holy crap, Zuko!” the teen’s father shouted in enthusiasm as he leaned back, hands in his hair.

“You’re Izuku’s father/ fire teacher!?” they shouted in unison. Izuku looked at his mom in confusion, as the two began a conversation. Inko gave her son a sheepish smile and shrugged, her face with just as much confusion. 

“Inko! You remember how I told you about my family that lives back in Korea?” Hisashi looked at his wife. A large smile on his lips.

“Um… The one you said had all of those legal problems that you wanted to escape from, right?” Inko frowned as her mind slowly processed the puzzle pieces before her.

“Yeah! Them! This is Zuko, my younger cousin. He’s the son of that asshole uncle I told you I was escaping from.”

“Oh…. Oh, my!” realization dawned on her features, “I’m so sorry for not recognizing you! Hisashi has spoken so much about you, but I’ve never seen photos…” 

Zuko smiled sheepishly and bowed slightly, “No, no, it’s no problem! Really! I haven't been in proper contact with Hisashi for years, I didn’t know you were his wife.”

Izuku cleared his throat, winning everyone's attention, “Uh, hello. Lost child here. If someone could please explain…” Hitoshi nods, now fully invested in what seems like a family drama. 

“Ah, right, sorry kiddo. Basically, long story short, my family had one heck of a horrible year; my older brother died when he was in the army. My father, who was a general in the army, had stepped down in his grief and had come home to mourn and take care of me. I was staying with my uncle Ozai and aunt Ursa while my brother completed his last year.”

“Not long after that, our grandfather had died, and my mother had gone missing.” Zuko took over, “ O ur grandfather was a very successful man and when he died my father was announced the successor to the company when it was supposed to be my uncle Iroh. Lots of things happened that lead to my scar and a hit being placed over Hisashi’s head”

“Holy fuck, is your family involved with the mafia?” Hitoshi whispered to Izuku, now completely invested in the story. Izuku couldn’t even respond, so he opted for shrugging. 

“My father had to send me away, and it landed me in Japan under a different surname. I haven’t really had contact with my family other than a few letters here and there till we lost contact seven years ago.” Hisashi smiled sadly, “I hope things haven’t gotten worse.”

“Um, after you disappeared it got a little hectic for a few years, but things got better! Father is in prison, Azula was in an asylum, but we were able to get her help and lots of therapy. She’s doing better and had decided to stay in a little area near the mountains to clear her mind and reflect. I had taken over the company, and we also found my mother.”

Hisashi whistles, “ W ow, seems like a busy few years. I’m glad things have gotten better. How’s dad?”

“Oh! Uncle Iroh! He’s going to be so overjoyed to hear from you again! He finally opened that tea shop he’s always dreamed of!”

“Really? I’m glad. I need to visit.” Izuku couldn't help the smile that began to creep up on his lips. It was nice hearing about another side of his family he hadn’t known about. His father doesn’t really share much about his past, so this was a welcomed change. Hitoshi had completely abandoned his phone to just listen to the stories Hisashi and Zuko would tell about their childhoods. It wasn’t long till Katara had even joined in and shouted with joy when she heard they were basically related. 

The conversation went on till Hisashi finally had to go and everyone else had to get some sleep. Their flight leaves fairly early, and they have to be there three hours in advance. It’s definitely an interesting end to a two-week training trip. Izuku bit his lower lip as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. Just two more months for the Yuuei entrance exam. It’s so close yet so far. Lifting a hand, he stared at his palm. He and Hitoshi have been training hard for this, he has faith in their skills. 

Closing his hand into a fist, he grinned, “I hope your ready Yuuei, cause one sassy insomniac and one meme lord are coming your way.” he chuckled softly at his own stupid joke, lowering his hand. Turning on his side, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him under.