Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Last time on 'Can We Keep Him.' ~

“We are so proud of you, little listeners,” Mama said, watching the exchange fondly. 

 

“Welcome to UA, kids,” Dad smiled. Izuku beamed at him before pulling Hitoshi over to them for a group hug. 

 

---

 

Final exams passed and they graduated middle school. They kept training the entire break between school years. Then finally, they were at UA, staring down the door to their classroom. 

 

“That’s a big door,” Izuku commented aloud. 

 

“Maybe it’s for accessibility,” Hitoshi offered. Izuku shrugged. He stepped forward to push open the door and start his first day as a student of Class 1-A.

Thank you and please enjoy Part 2 of this series!  ❀ܓ(｡◠ ꇴ ◠｡ )

Izuku sighed as he immediately recognized Kacchan, already picking a fight with someone. Kacchan had his feet up on his desk and the boy with blue hair and glasses from the entrance exam was chastising him. “You shouldn’t put your feet on the desk!”

Kacchan sneered at the other boy. “Hah?”

“Don’t you think it’s rude to the UA upperclassmen and the people who made the desk?” the boy asked sternly. While Izuku could understand where he was coming from, it was just a desk.

Kacchan smirked. “Nope. What junior high did you go to extra?” Oh no. The ‘extra’ thing was following them here.

“I attended Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya,” the boy introduced himself. Somei was a private middle school. Usually, only rich kids attended there unless someone lucked out and got in on a scholarship. 

“Somei. So you’re a damn elite, huh? Looks like I’ll have fun crushing you,” Kacchan grinned. 

Iida stammered. “C-crushing? That’s cruel. Do you truly aim to be a hero?”

Izuku flinched, knowing that was a sore spot for him. Kacchan frowned. “Tch.”

Then Iida spotted him at the door with Hitoshi and approached them. “Good Morning! I am from Somei Private Acadamy. My name is--”

“I heard,” Izuku interrupted. Iida gave him a confused glance. “Um, I mean. My name is Aiyama Izuku. Oh, and this is my brother Aiyama Hitoshi.” Izuku stepped out of Hitoshi’s way. “It’s nice to meet you, Iida-kun.”

“If you both have the same last name, it might be hard to refer to you,” Iida pointed out. 

“Ah, well, I don’t mind if people call me Izuku,” Izuku replied tugging at his hair anxiously. 

Hitoshi didn’t comment but reached up to stop the movement. “People can call me by my first name as well. It doesn’t bother me.”

“Right then! Izuku-kun. You realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn’t you? I had no idea… I misjudged you! I hate to admit it, but you’re better than me.” Iida said in a strained voice. 

“Um, sorry. I didn’t actually realize anything,” Izuku admitted. 

“Oh, that curly hair! You’re the plain-looking one,” a cheerful voice stated. Izuku turned to see the nice girl from the entrance exam. “You passed, just like Present Mic said! Of course, you did! The way you took down that zero-pointer was amazing!”

She moved to stand right in front of Izuku. “I wonder if today’s just the entrance ceremony and orientation? I wonder what our teachers like?” So close… “Aren’t you nervous?”

“Can you give him some space?” Hitoshi asked, noticing Izuku’s discomfort. 

“Oh, yes! I’m sorry.” She took a few steps back. “My name is Uraraka Ochaco! I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself earlier. I kept forgetting.”

“I am Iida Tenya,” Iida introduced himself with a choppy bow. 

“My name is Aiyama Izuku but you can call me Izuku because well…” Izuku was getting a little tired. It was too many people. 

“Because we have the same last name. We’re brothers,” Hitoshi finished for him. “I’m Aiyama Hitoshi.”

“Oh, alright! Thank you again for saving me during the entrance exam, Izuku-kun!” Uraraka smiled at him brightly. 

“Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends. This is the hero course.” Izuku turned to see Dad in the doorway, on the ground, in his sleeping bag. The other students looked fairly unsettled by his appearance. 

Standing up, Dad pulled himself out of his sleeping bag. “Okay, it took eight seconds before you were quiet. Time is limited. You kids are not rational enough. I’m your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you.”

“Homeroom teacher?” several students parroted in confusion and surprise. 

“It’s kind of sudden, but put this on and go out to the training field,” Dad instructed, holding up a gym uniform. 

“A quirk assessment test?” the class asked.

“What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?” Uraraka asked with mild panic.

Dad gave her a flat look. “If you’re going to become a hero, you don’t have time for such leisurely events.” Izuku frowned thinking about all the things they had done since they found him that could be considered ‘leisurely.’ Although he could tell Dad was just making a point. 

“UA’s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That’s also how the teachers run their classes. You kids have been doing these since junior high, too, right? Physical fitness tests where you weren’t allowed to use your quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It’s not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating,” Dad lectured the class. 

He turned to Kacchan. “Bakugou, you finished at the top of the practical exam. In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?”

“67 meters,” Kacchan answered.

“Then, try doing it with your quirk. You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle,” Dad instructed. “Hurry up. Give it all you’ve got.”

Kacchan looked at the ball Dad had thrown him. “Then, well…” He walked out to the designated circle. “I’ll add a blast to the pitch.”

He wound up and threw the ball with an explosion. “DIE!” he shouted.

“Die?” a classmate asked incredulously. Oh boy...

“Know your own maximum first. That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero,” Dad said before holding up a measurement tool that read 705.2m.

“Seriously?” the boy with the black streak in his hair gaped.

“What’s this? It looks fun!” a girl with pink hair and horns exclaimed. 

“We can use our quirks as much as we want. As expected from the hero course!” a tall, lanky boy commented.

“It looks fun, huh?” Dad asked with a flat look. Oh no… “You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time? All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion.”

The class let out various noises of confusion and surprise.

“We are free to do what we want about the circumstances of our students. Welcome to UA’s hero course!” Dad said, pushing his hair out of his face and giving them a feral grin.

“Last place will be expelled? But it’s the first day of school. No, even if it wasn’t the first day of school, this is too unfair!” Uraraka complained. 

“But…” Izuku spoke out of turn without thinking. “Life isn’t fair, though. That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? Villains attack the city without reason. Earthquakes tear down buildings. People hurt each other needlessly. Heroes exist to combat that unfairness. If we want to be heroes, we are saying that we will shoulder the injustices of life to protect people from things they can’t control. We can’t expect things to be easy. To be heroes, we have to be dedicated to serving. We can’t expect ‘fair.’ We have to make things fair for those we protect.”

Uraraka and much of the rest of the class had contemplative expressions. Dad spoke. “He’s right. If you wanted to go talk with your friends at a cafe after school, too bad. For the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you’ve got.”

“All right, the demonstration’s over. The real thing starts now.”

Chapter Text

Now, Izuku was pretty sure that his quirk would be completely useless for this entire thing. He could only hope that his physical training had been enough to keep him out of last place. He knew the quirks of a few people, either because he saw them during the entrance exam, or because their mutations triggered his quirk already. Most of them seemed to be physical quirks. 

Luckily, he was allowed to use support items. The boy with the navel laser, Kacchan, Shinsou, and Izuku had been allowed to get their support items before meeting everyone else out here. His glasses, though, he left in the classroom. There were eight kids in the class with obvious quirks that kept setting him and his glasses off. It was disruptive. He would just have to do his best to maintain awareness. 

First up was the 50-meter dash. They ran two at a time and a bot called out their times. Iida got 3.04 s, which was the best time of all of them. The guy also had engines in his legs though, so that was to be expected. 

“Well, he’s like a fish in water,” Dad had commented aloud, apparently sharing the sentiment.

The girl with the frog quirk hopped. Her legs were powerful enough for it to be pretty effective. He was trying to minimize the information he read off others, but her quirk was so unique. It gave her such an incredibly wide range of capabilities. He didn’t even notice he had started mumbling. “Enhanced swimming abilities, opping at long distances, her tongue can extend up to 20 meters, her tongue is strong and prehensile, capable of sticking to--”

“Izuku? You good?” Hitoshi whispered, nudging him. 

“Ah, yeah. I’m still aware. She’s just really cool,” he flushed at being caught. He kept watching the races, noting how certain people utilized their quirks. Uraraka lightened her clothes and shoes. The laser boy turned around, back to the finish line, jumped in the air, and then fired his laser. It took him about halfway there before he fell on his back and had to repeat the process.

Hitoshi just ran like normal, as several others had done. Then Izuku was running with Kacchan. Kacchan used his explosions to propel himself, while Izuku just sprinted with his boots absorbing the impact. Thankfully, he didn’t crack the concrete this time. He managed to get 5.21 s. 

At one point, Dad addressed the class again. “Looking at the upper limit of your quirks and the room for growth with each result, it becomes clear what you can and can’t do.”

The second test was for grip strength. Izuku didn’t put as much into his arms as he did his legs, but he’d built up some strength at least from using his staff. Unfortunately, it was not comparable to the many people in the class who had quirks that enhanced either their strength or their arm muscles. Shouji, a boy with six arms, got the highest score. 

The third test was the standing long jump. In theory, jumping was something he was good at. But this required you to jump from a still-standing position. He wouldn’t be able to build up momentum. The frog girl, of course, scored well. Laser boy and Kacchan did really well too.

But it was the tall, lanky boy that got the highest score. His elbows were mutated to allow him to dispense tape from them. He shot a strip of tape out, wrapping it around an object several meters away. He simply retracted the tape to pull himself as far as the object. In contrast, Izuku just did his very best. 

The fourth test was the repeated side steps. The goal was to take as many side steps as they could within a certain time limit. Izuku was surprised to find that he was pretty good at that now. With his boots absorbing the shock of each step, he was able to push off quicker and harder. 

The fifth test was the ball throw that Kacchan had demonstrated earlier for Dad. Kacchan got to try again and he got a slightly higher score. Uraraka just activated her quirk on the ball and up, up, up it went. Eventually, something timed out on Dad’s tool and it gave her a score of infinity. 

“Do I have to throw it any particular way?” Izuku asked as he stepped up for his turn. 

“You could kick it for all I care. It just has to go up,” Dad answered. Izuku smiled and pulled his staff out of his pocket. He held it up for confirmation that it was allowed and Dad waved him onto the designated circle. He heard a few gasps when he extended it. He tossed the ball up underhanded and swung his staff at an upwards angle, connecting with the ball. He got 354 m which is better than he expected. 

Apparently, his display gave some of his classmates similar ideas. Iida did, in fact, kick the ball, boosting the kick with his engines. A girl with black hair pulled into a ponytail made some sort of launcher. Her quirk was amazing too. Lipids, huh? Then someone with a quirk that let them speak to animals got a bird to just fly the ball up. 

Hitoshi’s turn shocked the whole class. When he got to the circle, he turned back to the class. “Hey, Uraraka-san, was it?” Izuku bit his lip to keep from smiling. He could see where this was going. 

“Um, yes, that’s--” Her face went slack. 

“Come here please and touch this ball for me,” Hitoshi ordered. She followed the command without any issue and he sent her back with the rest of the class before releasing her. Then he just tossed the ball and watched it vanish. Another infinity score. 

“Wait, can he do that?” Mina asked, confused. 

“I wasn’t aware that we could help each other,” Iida said, pushing up his glasses. 

“She didn’t,” Hitoshi rolled his eyes as he returned. “That’s my quirk, which I was allowed to use. She had no say.” He looked at Uraraka sheepishly. “Sorry about that, by the way.”

She shook her head, eyes wide. “Oh, no, it’s fine!”

“Yes, he is allowed to do that,” Dad cut in. “Not all quirks are physical. You’d do well not to assume that all heroes, or even the villains you may face someday, have physical quirks. 

The sixth test was the long-distance run. They had to run a mile and time it. Once again, Iida was the fastest. He was followed closely by the ponytail girl, who had pulled a whole-ass vehicle out of her torso, and a boy with bi-colored hair, who created an ice path to skate on. Izuku had actually managed to place a lot higher in this one since he got the chance to build momentum. 

The seventh test was just sit-ups. They had to do as many as they could in a row without stopping. A boy with spiky red hair took the lead in this one. Really, there were a few others that he thought would have done better. But after analyzing the boy’s quirk, he realized that his muscle density was deceptive. His skin hardened and the boy had to flex his muscles to trigger the change. It made sense that they would be both powerful and consistent throughout his body. 

The eighth test was the seated toe-touch. The frog girl and Hitoshi did the best here, both being highly flexible. When it was all over, Dad showed them the final scores. 

1. Yaoyorozu Momo
2. Todoroki Shoto
3. Bakugo Katsuki
4. Iida Tenya
5. Tokoyami Fumikage
6. Shouji Mezo
7. Ojiro Mashirao
8. Kirishima Eijiro
9. Ashido Mina
10. Aiyama Hitoshi
11. Uraraka Ochaco
12. Koda Koji
13. Rikido Sato
14. Tsuyu Asui
15. Aiyama Izuku
16. Aoyama Yuga
17. Sero Hanta
18. Kaminari Denki
19. Jiro Kyoka
20. Hagakure Toru

They could hear sniffles from the invisible girl, who had presumably begun to cry. Then Dad spoke. “By the way, I was lying about the expulsion.” He grinned. “It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks.” 

Several exclamations of shock rolled through the class. 

“Of course, that was a lie. It should’ve been obvious if you just thought it through,” the girl with the ponytail scolded the rest of them. But he’s my dad and even I didn’t notice, Izuku thought. 

“That was a little nerve-racking, huh?” the tall, lanky boy said to the boy with red hair. 

“I’ll take up the challenge anytime,” the red-haired boy replied eagerly.  

“With that, we’re done here,” Dad announced as he started walking away. “There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom. So when you get back, look over them. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests. Prepare yourself.”

Chapter Text

School had let out early the day before since it was just an orientation day. Today was the first full day. Izuku would get to meet his teachers, learn a bit more about this year’s courses, and maybe get to know his classmates better. 

He and Hitoshi got there kind of early, given that their parents worked here and had to come in before school actually started. But he was surprised to find Iida already in the classroom when they got there. 

“Good morning, Izuku-kun and Hitoshi-kun,” Iida greeted them with a choppy wave as he got up to approach them. Hitoshi gave a weak nod and went to sit at his desk. 

“Ah, he’s not a morning person,” Izuku supplied sheepishly. “Good morning to you too, though.”

“That is understandable. Every person has an optimum time during the day or night that they function,” Iida nodded seriously. Hm, he’s not scary, Izuku thought. He’s just earnest.

“Izuku-kun! Good morning!” Uraraka called as she entered the classroom with the frog girl and the blonde with the black streak in his hair. She ran right up to him, but seeming to remember yesterday, she took a few steps back. 

“Good morning, Uraraka-san,” he smiled, thankful that she was remembering to keep a small distance between them. He didn’t mind when Mei or Auntie Nemuri did it, but they were family. 

“I didn’t get to introduce myself yesterday,” the frog girl spoke suddenly, having followed Uraraka. “My name’s Asui Tsuyu. Please call me Tsu, kero.”

“Aiyama Izuku. You can call me Izuku,” Izuku replied with a smile. 

Hitoshi was just minding his own business, wondering why mornings were a thing. Why couldn’t school start at noon? And then a voice interrupted his thoughts. “Hey! My name's Kaminari Denki. What’s yours?” 

Against his better judgment, he looked up towards the voice coming from Izuku’s seat that was decidedly not his brother. Izuku asked him to try and make friends this time, after all. Hitoshi was instantly more alert at the sight of the blonde. He looked like a god damn ray of sunshine. 

“Uh, Aiyama Hitoshi,” he answered, remembering that the boy had asked. The grin he got in return was blinding. 

“It’s great to meet you Aiyama-kun! I wanted to talk to you yesterday but you kind of vanished after the quirk test,” Kaminari said, still smiling brightly. 

“You wanted to talk to me?” Hitoshi gave him a wary look. 

“Yeah! You were super cool with your quirk, man. And you’ve got that whole mysterious, hot guy thing going,” Kaminari froze. “Um! Cool! I mean mysterious, cool guy. Not that you aren’t hot, cause you are. Like I’m melting, my guy. Oh my god, I’m sorry. I’ll shut up now,” Kaminari said rambling as uncontrollably as Mei or Izuku. 

Kaminari buried his rapidly reddening face in his hands. Hitoshi could feel his own face flushing and he wondered if he could get Uraraka to float him into the sun. “It’s, uh, fine. Thanks. I guess.”

Kaminari looked up from his hands. “Oh, cool. So I didn’t just ruin my chances? Of being your friend?” he asked hopefully. 

“You’re good,” Hitoshi confirmed. That blinding smile returned. 

“Awesome! I’m just gonna go and make a fool of myself trying to introduce myself to more of our classmates,” Kaminari laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’ll see you around.”

When Kaminari got up and left, Hitoshi was faced with Katsuki, who had gotten to his seat at some point in that exchange. Katsuki was giving him a knowing smirk. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Katsuki chuckled. “Not a thing.”

The first half of the day was filled with their general education classes like Math with Ectoplasm, English with Mama Present Mic, Modern Literature with Cementoss, and Hero Art History with Auntie Nemuri Midnight. Calling Mama and Auntie Nemuri by their hero names proved to be harder than Izuku thought it would be. 

Most of their classes were introductory that day, explaining what they could expect from the curriculum and such. If Izuku started a notebook on his classmates out of boredom, could anyone blame him? He wasn’t sure how people would react to it though. So when Uraraka, Iida, and Tsu would pop by his desk between classes, he’d close it so they couldn’t see. 

Then lunchtime came and Uraraka, Iida, and Tsu wanted to sit with him. Four other classmates joined their table, trying their very hardest to befriend Kacchan. The blonde one, Kaminari he’d said, also seemed to be interested in Hitoshi. 

“Izuku!” Mei chirped, sitting in the spot he’d saved for her. “The support workshop is so cool! You have no idea. The babies I could make. I am in heaven. Heaven, you hear me?” 

“Hello! I am Iida Tenya!” Iida, ever the diplomat, was first to introduce himself to the newcomer. 

Katsuki half-listened as the nerd squad devolved into a discussion of what Mei had already managed to build despite being here less than a day. The other half of his attention was held by the obnoxiously loud group that seemed to have claimed him as one of them. He has no idea how that might have happened. 

He had already forgotten their names so he’d come up with Pikachu, Pinky, Shitty Hair, and Tape Face. Pikachu was the one Hitoshi seemed to have a crush on or something. Or vice versa. He only caught half of that train wreck. 

“Well, I liked Present Mic,” Pinky declared. They were debating the coolest teacher or whatever. “He’s got so much energy. He even runs a radio show. He’s so cool!”

Tape Face disagreed. “If we’re going to talk about who’s cool, that’s Aizawa Sensei.” Katsuki choked on his rice. 

“Woah there, bro. You okay?” Shitty Hair asked, handing Katsuki his drink. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just.” How do you bring up that you’ve seen the supposedly ‘cool’ teacher in hot pink sweatpants lecturing a cat about the slice of bread it stole as if it could actually listen to reason? “It’s nothing. I thought of something else.”

“Which teacher do you like best?” Pikachu asked. 

Katsuki was just a little bitter that his immediate answer was “Aizawa.”

“Yeah! You think he’s cool too, huh?” Tape Face questioned with a grin. 

“Not really, no.” The group stared at him for an explanation. “Eraserhead’s a good hero. He doesn’t get any recognition and he’s still out there nearly every night as an underground hero. And then he comes to UA during the day to teach a bunch of brats and I’m sure he doesn’t get much thanks for that either. He’s a good fucking person and he’s what a hero should be.”

“Woah, that’s so manly,” Shitty Hair commented. Which… what? Then Katsuki noticed Hitoshi’s phone out and his eyes widened. 

“You didn’t!” He would absolutely show that to Aizawa if he recorded that. 

“I did!” Hitoshi confirmed. The extras looked between the two of them in confusion.

“Delete it!” Katsuki demanded.

“Never!” Hitoshi stuck his tongue out at him. Katsuki did the next logical thing. He launched himself over the table at his friend. 

“It hasn’t even been a day yet,” Aizawa lamented, holding the two of them hostage in his capture weapon. “Why do you test me?”

“Hitoshi started it,” Katsuki grumbled. The extras looked on with curiosity. 

“No, I didn’t! You attacked first!” Hitoshi protested, twisting to look at Katsuki. 

“Because you recorded me!” Katsuki retorted.  

“Did I ask who started it?” Aizawa asked with a deep sigh. “No, I just wanted to take a nap in the teacher’s lounge. Sit down, eat your lunch, and stop causing trouble.”

After Aizawa had released them and left, the extras had questions. 

“Do you guys know him?”

“It definitely seemed like he knew you.” 

“How is he already so done with you guys?”

“Does it have to do with why Hitoshi looks like him?”

Yeah, that’s probably not going to stay secret for long.

Shouta smiled fondly at the video his son had sent to him before he made it back to the teachers' lounge. 

"Problem children," he chuckled, saving it to his phone. 

Chapter Text

In the afternoon was their Basic Hero Training classes. And with those classes came one little detail that Izuku had managed to completely forget about. 

“I AM…!” the classroom door burst open revealing All Might in a dramatic fashion. “COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!”

Izuku shrunk into his chair. All Might probably wouldn’t even remember him, but that wouldn’t make this suck any worse. Or maybe it would. Yeah, it probably would. All Might crushing an 11-year-olds final remnant of hope and then not even considering it important enough to remember. Yeah, that’s definitely worse. 

He felt Hitoshi’s hand squeeze his shoulder as the class reacted to the number one hero. “It’s All Might” Kaminari exclaimed brightly. 

“Wow, he really is a teacher,” Kirishima said in awe.

“That’s a costume from the silver age, isn’t it?” Tsu wondered aloud. It was. 

“Its style is so different, it’s giving me goosebumps,” the boy with a tail commented. 

All Might stood at the front and addressed the class enthusiastically. “I teach Hero Basic Training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. You’ll take the most units of this subject.” 

“Let’s get right into it. This is what we’ll do today,” All Might seemed to pause a moment for suspense. “Combat training. And to go with that are these!”

Some shelves of numbered cases slid out of the wall. “Costumes made based on your quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started,” All Might explained. 

“After you change, gather in Ground Beta,” All Might instructed.

“Yes, sir!”

“They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies,” All Might boomed when they met him at the entrance of Ground Beta. “Be fully aware, from now on you are heroes! That’s great everyone. You all look cool!”

“Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?” he asked, in a power pose stance. Zygotes?

(A/N: I think I like costume design???)

(A/N: Who's Hitoshi's belt modeled after. 👀)

Before we enrolled in UA we submitted our quirk registration, physical measurements, and desired designs so a support company under exclusive contract with the school could prepare state-of-the-art costumes for us. It’s a wonderful system. 

Of course, Mei submitted her own blueprints for our support items with our costume designs. She wanted them done right. Mama helped her patent them before sending them in so that there wouldn’t be any chance of them being stolen. 

“Wow, Izuku-kun! Your costume looks so comfortable and down-to-earth,” Uraraka complimented. She looked down at herself with a slight pout. “I should have written what I wanted. Mine ended up being a skintight bodysuit. It’s embarrassing…”

“It’ll be easy to move in and since it doesn’t add much weight, it should compliment your quirk too,” Izuku pointed out, hoping to cheer her up. He thought she looked fine but he knew some people just preferred more modest clothing. Izuku himself nearly always wore leggings with his skirts because he didn’t like having a lot of bare skin. 

“Oh, you’re right,” she said, looking at her costume contemplatively. 

“Now, it’s time for combat training!” All Might exclaimed, gathering the class’s attention. 

“Sir!” Izuku turned to look at the person wearing robot-like armor. Oh, that was Iida. He looks cool. “This is a battle center from the entrance exam, so will we be conducting urban battles again?” Iida asked. 

“No, we’re going to move ahead two steps!” All Might informed them. “Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious villains appear indoors at a higher rate. Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals; In this society filled with heroes, truly intelligent villains hide in the shadows. For this class, you’ll be split into villains and heroes and fight 2-on2 indoor battles.”

“Without basic training?” Tsu asked. She definitely had a point. All Might seemed to be a little lacking as a teacher. When Aizawa taught them, basics came before sparring.

“This is a real battle to understand those basics! However, the key this time is that there’s no robot you can just beat up,” All Might explained. 

“How will wins and losses be determined?” the girl with the ponytail asked. 

“Can we beat them up anyway?” Kacchan grumbled. 

“Will the punishment be expulsion like with Aizawa Sensei?” Uraraka fretted.

“How shall we be split up?” Iida demanded. 

“Isn’t this cape crazy?” Aoyama asked, effectively disrupting the barrage of questions with his out-of-place addition. 

“I’ll answer all your questions!” All Might promised. “Now listen here.” He pulled out a small, folded stack of papers. A script? Seriously? Should he even be teaching us?

“The situation is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout. The heroes are trying to dispose of that. The heroes need to catch the villains or get the nuclear weapon back in the allotted time. The villains need to protect the nuclear weapon for the whole time or catch the heroes. Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots,” All Might read the rules for the training exercise. 

“They’re being decided so haphazardly?” Iida asked. 

Izuku turned to him. “Ah, well, pros often have to create makeshift teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that’s why?”

Iida nodded, considering Izuku’s input. “I see. The discernment to look ahead… Please excuse my rudeness!” he exclaimed, bowing to All Might.

“It’s fine,” All Might assured him before turning to face the battle center. “Let’s do this quickly!”

All Might pulled names out of a box at random, calling out the matches and teams. 

“Round one will consist of the Hero Team team of Aiyama Izuku and Asui Tsuyu versus the Villain Team of Ashido Mina and Todoroki Shoto!”

“Round two will consist of the Hero Team team of Iida Tenya and Hagakure Tooru versus the Villain Team of Bakugou Katsuki and Uraraka Ochaco!”

“Round three will consist of the Hero Team team of Hanto Sero and Tokoyami Fumikage versus the Villain Team of Aoyama Yuuga and Jirou Kyoka!”

“Round four will consist of the Hero Team team of Aiyama Hitoshi and Kirishima Eijirou versus the Villain Team of Yaoyorozu Momo and Kaminari Denki!”

“And lastly, round five will consist of the Hero Team team of Kouda Kouji and Shouji Mezo versus the Villain Team of Satou Rikidou and Ojiro Mashirou!”

“Those participating in the first round, please take these communication devices and head to that building,” All Might said pointing at a towering building nearby. “The rest of you, come with me to the observation deck.”

Here we go, Izuku thought. Plus Ultra.

Chapter Text

“Alright, young Aiyama and young Asui, can you hear me alright?” All Might asked through their earpieces. The hero hadn’t given any indication that he remembered Izuku so far. 

“I can hear fine, Kero,” Tsu answered. When she looked at Izuku expectantly, he realized he should probably respond too. He didn’t want to talk to All Might but it looked like he’d have to.

“I can hear too,” Izuku added. 

“Good!” All Might’s voice boomed in his ear. Fucking hell. “You two will have five minutes to talk strategy before the battle starts. Your opponents will have the same opportunity. Talk amongst yourselves and good luck!”

With a soft click, the earpiece went quiet. “We should probably share our quirks,” Tsu said suddenly, facing Izuku. But he already knew hers and… oh , she doesn’t know that. “What is your quirk Izuku-kun? I was thinking it was a speed quirk based on what I saw at the test yesterday, but Uraraka thinks it’s more of an overall agility quirk.”

“Oh, um, actually… it’s neither of those,” Izuku responded, absently tugging at his hair. “I have an intelligence quirk.”

“Really? But you were so fast yesterday, kero,” Tsu said, touching her finger to her lip in thought. 

“That’s because of my boots and physical training. My boots absorb shock so I can put a little more force into my steps without hurting myself. It helps me run and jump better,” Izuku explained. 

“Okay, how does your quirk work, kero?” Tsu asked, patiently waiting. 

“It’s called Mind Map. I can map out and analyze strengths, weaknesses, and more of any person, although most of the information I get is related to their quirks. I need to see a quirk be activated unless there’s a physical component. Like um, you for example,” Izuku said nervously. 

“Like me?” Tsu tilted her head. 

“Ah, I can’t turn it off, so this wasn’t me trying to be rude or invasive. But I already know what your quirk is.” She gave him a curious look, waiting for him to elaborate. “Well, your quirk gives you attributes and abilities like that of a frog. Your skeletal system is altered, with higher amounts of cartilage than the average person to give you extreme flexibility.”

She seemed a little surprised about that. “You have a strong, prehensile tongue that can extend up to 20 meters. You can cling to walls, spit out your stomach, camouflage yourself, and even secrete mucus with different effects like paralysis and hiding scent. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to that. You can swim incredibly well and not only that but you can breathe underwater for a short while. Although, like a frog, you can still drown if you don’t return for air.”

“You’re susceptible to cold and will enter a hibernation-like state if exposed to cold temperatures so long. Because of that, I’m a little concerned about how you’d fare against Todoroki. Alternatively, high heat can cause you to dry out, although that doesn’t affect you as harshly as the cold. Overall, it’s an amazing mutant-type quirk!” Izuku stopped, a little out of breath from his tangent. 

“You can tell all that just by looking at me?” Tsu asked. Izuku hung his head and nodded, thinking she found it creepy. “That’s an amazing quirk Izuku-kun.”

His head snapped up. “Really?” 

“Yes. And the fact that you’re physical training has had enough of an effect to make me assume you had a physical quirk is also impressive. You’re a little misleading. I like it, kero,” she said with a slight smile. “Have you by chance already analyzed Ashido and Todoroki?”

Izuku nodded. “Do you have a plan?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“BEGIN!” All Might announced through the earpieces. Tsu and Izuku stood just outside the building. Tsu gave Izuku a quick nod before climbing the wall and camouflaging herself. The plan was for her to check the windows and try to figure out where the other two were. Izuku hid across the street in case Ashido or Todoroki came to the entrance. 

“Todoroki is on the fourth floor with the weapon,” Tsu informed him when she returned. “Ashido is guarding the second floor.”

“Then. We should utilize the fire escape and enter on the third floor. Then you go down to confront Ashido and keep her from getting upstairs to aid Todoroki. I will face him so that you don’t have to deal with his ice,” Izuku decided. 

“How will you deal with his ice though?” she asked calmly. 

“Remember my staff that I used during the ball toss?” Tsu nodded. “I use that in combination with my boots to jump. I can avoid his ice. If I do get caught by it, my staff is made of carbon steel. I can just smash it. I technically only have to touch the weapon, but if I can’t avoid him, my staff can deliver an electric shock that should stun him.”

“Sounds like a plan! I’ll try to capture Ashido too, just to keep her out of your hair, kero.”

“Okay, let’s head in then,” Izuku said with a determined expression. 

Izuku dropped down to the floor from the window they had crawled through. Tsu followed close behind. “Good luck with Todoroki, kero.”

“Good luck with Ashido. Remember, your mucus should help protect your skin from her acid,” Izuku reminded her as he headed for the stairs leading to the next floor. When he opened the door to the fourth floor, his breath turned white as soon as he exited the stairwell. The walls and floor were frozen. Probably an attempt to create an obstacle. 

Pulling out his staff and extending it, Izuku ran out onto the ice without hesitation. He skated through the halls, using his staff to aid in making turns and braking. Soon he made it to the room where Todoroki was. Todoroki’s normally blank expression showed just a hint of surprise. 

“You got past my ice,” Todoroki observed. 

“Yeah, Elsa. It was clever but that doesn’t really work on anyone who knows how to skate,” Izuku said, trying to channel his inner Kacchan. He needed to draw Todoroki away from the weapon.

“My name is not Elsa,” Todoroki frowned. 

“Yeah, I guess Elsa didn’t get frostbite from her own powers,” Izuku quipped. 

“How do you know about that?” Todoroki demanded, advancing few steps. Bingo.  

“The same way I know that the other side gets heatstroke.” Izuku faltered at the look of rage that erupted on the other’s face. A wall of ice with multiple sharp points came rushing towards him. Izuku skated out of the way with a push of his staff. Well then. Izuku knew people didn’t like to hear about their weaknesses but that seemed like an overreaction. 

Without hesitation, Izuku rushed towards Todoroki, acting as if he intended to attack him head-on. A line of ice tore through the smooth ice coating the floor, likely meant to trap his feet as he neared. Instead, he catapulted himself over Todoroki’s head seconds before the ice could touch him. 

He was nearly to the weapon when he heard the crack of that giant ice wall from before. He twisted himself in midair, swinging his staff, and shattering the wall before it could reach him. The force threw him closer to the weapon. When he stood up, Todoroki was already skating over, hand poised to make another wall of ice. 

All Izuku could think of was activating his staff and launching it at Todoroki like a spear. Without waiting to see if it hit its mark, he sprinted the last few meters to the weapon. As his hand touched the paper-mache ??? weapon, he heard Todoroki drop and his staff following seconds later, clattering on the floor. 

“Hero Team wins!” All Might announced loudly.

Chapter Text

“I’m so sorry about knocking you out like that,” Izuku apologized as they got to the observation deck. “Mei, the person who designed it, warned me that it could knock some people out but I’ve only ever used it against people with mutant quirks that made them resistant. I kind of forgot it could do that.”

Todoroki just leveled him with a hateful glare that could freeze over hell itself. Izuku wilted. 

“Come on, Izuku-kun,” Tsu interjected. “Let’s watch Iida and Uraraka on the screens, kero.” 

“You make shit float, right, Round Face?” Katsuki asked as they set up the weapon on the fifth floor. 

“Round? Wha?” she sputtered. 

“I’m bad at names,” he confessed. 

“But Round Face? I’m. That makes it sound… like you think…” she trailed off looking fairly upset. Katsuki rolled his eyes. This was one of Izuku’s new friends. He had to be nice-ish.

“You know Kirby?” Katsuki asked. 

“Kirby?” she repeated. 

“Cute, pink, round space warrior. If he was a human, he’d probably look like you. And you’re quirk is kind of space-themed too. So Round Face,” he explained. 

“That’s… actually kind of sweet,” she commented. 

“Whatever. How does your quirk work?” Katsuki brought the conversation back to where it should be. 

“BEGIN!” All Might boomed. He was even louder in person. Izuku let his eyes trail over to the number one hero. His stats were ridiculous. Everything was maxed out. It took him another few seconds to realize it, but All Might’s quirk was currently active. 

The lines surrounding All Might kept shifting and Izuku struggled to focus on them and pull out the data. It was like when he tried to pay attention to multiple people while sparing these past months. But that would kind of imply that he had… multiple quirks? Izuku dropped his focus, letting the lines collapse. No point in getting a headache right now. 

“I wonder what they’re doing?” Kaminari asked excitedly. Izuku returned his attention to the screen. Uraraka was making a bunch of things float throughout the room that they had hidden the weapon in. 

“It’s a well-rounded defensive maneuver,” Izuku said, a little louder than he meant to. The rest of the observing class turned to him. 

“What do you mean, man?” Kirishima prompted him for an explanation. The class looked like they were expecting him to elaborate too. 

“Ah, well… If Iida ran in there, all the floating objects would be in his way. He’d have to make several turns to avoid hitting them. It would slow him down, if not stop him entirely. And it will alert them to Hagakure’s presence if she bumps into any of those objects. The more they add the air, the more unavoidable it is for her. That keeps the weapon protected while giving both Kacchan and Uraraka ample time to capture them,” Izuku explained, tugging on his hair. 

Hitoshi reached over and stopped him. “Woah, you’re so smart, dude!” Kaminari exclaimed. 

“T-thank you,” Izuku flushed, turning back to the screen again. The class watched as Kacchan descended a few floors to cut off the Hero Team before they’d reach Uraraka and the weapon. Kacchan took on Iida directly, not even bothering to look for Hagakure. Izuku could see her, though. He had noticed that the first time he looked towards her in the classroom. She was still invisible to him but the lines from his quirk revealed her location. That would come in handy later. 

Iida and Kacchan seemed to be evenly matched in strength and reaction times. While they continued to fight on the lower levels, Hagakure had made it up to the floor with the weapon. As Izuku had expected, Uraraka was alerted to her presence when she bumped a floating object. Uraraka had evidently tied something to the end of the capture tape so that she could throw it. It was a little like Aizawa’s capture weapon. 

The tape stuck to, hopefully, Hagakure’s abdomen region and Uraraka ran in an arc, winding the tape around the invisible girl. They had some sort of exchange after the capture that seemed equal parts cheerful and embarrassed on Uraraka’s part. Maybe something to do with the fact that Hagakure was technically nude at the moment. 

Honestly, Hagakure’s hair was just as invisible as the rest of her. Why couldn’t the support company make her something, anything , woven from her hair? So what if no one could actually see that she was naked? She could still be touched or burned or cut. She needed some protection. Izuku would have to bring up his idea to her. 

In the lower levels, Iida’s engines had overheated from overuse and proximity to Kacchan’s explosions. Izuku was a little disappointed when Kacchan blasted the now slowed-down speedster through a wall. Property destruction was less than ideal. Though, he was playing a villain right now. While Iida was stunned by the impact, Kacchan tied the capture tape around his wrists. 

“Uh, Villain Team wins,” All Might boomed, somehow sounding a little less enthusiastic. 

“BEGIN!” All Might called. Jirou proceeded to plug hear ear jacks into the floor while Aoyama stood guard in a long empty hallway. The others would have to get past him to get to the weapon. But…

“Do you have an idea of what they might be planning too?” Kirishima asked suddenly. 

“Oh, um… uh,” Izuku felt flustered being put on the spot again. “Jirou seems to be using her quirk to listen for where Sero and Tokoyami are in the building. Aoyama’s placement in that hallway will allow him to fire his laser several times before they actually reach the room with the weapon. But if he wants to stop them, he’ll have to hope he knocks them out. Both Sero and Tokoyami have long-range quirks.” 

“Who do you think will win, kero?” Tsu asked. 

“It’s hard to say for sure since I can’t predict how they’ll strategize, but in terms of just their quirk match-ups, I’d expect to see the Hero Team win this one,” Izuku admitted. He didn’t want to discount anyone but… there was a discrepancy between the two team’s quirk types. 

“Doesn’t Aoyama also have a long-range quirk?” Yaoyuruzo pointed out. 

“Yes, but he can only use it for a second at a time, while Sero and Tokoyami can use theirs consistently,” he explained. Then the lights on to screens went out. “...Oh yeah. Then there’s that.”

“There’s what?” Uraraka asked. “What happened?” The cameras switched over to a night vision view so that they could see what was going on. Dark Shadow, Tokoyami’s quirk, had powered up in the darkness. They could see on the screens that Sero had been responsible for finding and disabling the lights. 

The hallway that Aoyama had been in had one window on Aoyama’s end. It let in just enough light for him to make out Tokoyami advancing. At the same time, it was dark enough for Dark Shadow to have the upper hand. In no time at all, he had wrapped Aoyama in the capture tape. 

With Aoyama out of the way, Tokoyami was free to enter the room with the weapon. There were more windows, which meant more light. More light, luckily for Jirou, meant a rapidly weakening shadow demon. Unluckily for Jirou, a shadow demon was still grossly overpowered compared to her earphone jacks. She barely had the chance to come up with something before she was wrapped in the capture tape. 

“Hero Team wins!” All Might declared.

Chapter Text

“Okay, so my quirk is hardening. I can harden my skin like so,” Kirishima said brightly before demonstrating. “And then uh, I don’t mean this in a braggy way but I’m pretty strong. I’ve done a lot of weight training.”

“Alright. My quirk is brainwashing. If I ask someone a question and they reply, they become suggestible for me,” Hitoshi admitted, mentally preparing himself for a negative reaction. 

“That’s really manly!” Kirishima exclaimed. What? Kirishima seemed to notice his confusion. “You know, you could like, end a fight before it starts. I’m kind of built for punching but I’m also kind of a softie. I’d rather avoid conflict if it’s possible.”

“Okay…” Hitoshi said slowly, not expecting a character rundown of his teammate. “Um, I can also use my capture weapon decently and parkour-type movement.”

“Awesome!” Kirishima smashed his fists together in some sort of pose. “Do you have a plan?”

“Planning is really more my brother’s thing…” Kirishima gave him a sad look as if he’d just kicked a puppy. “But I guess I’ve picked up some stuff from his constant mumbling. We can come up with something together, yeah?”

“Yeah!” Kirishima cheered, beaming and revealing sharp ass teeth. Oh my fuck???

“You want me to what?” Denki asked while Yaoyorozu built some sort of wall around the weapon to keep the heroes from touching it. The girl paused her work to sigh. That sigh. Ugh. 

“I want you to take out Aiy-- Hitoshi-san,” she said with a touch of irritation. 

“Yeah, I don’t think I can do that…” he told her. “He’s too…”

She looked at him fully now. “Gay panic?”

“Bisexual disaster,” he replied. She got it. 

“Just try your best,” she said encouragingly, turning her attention back to the wall she was building. “Maybe if you flirt with him, we’ll win.” Denki choked on the air in shock. 

“BEGIN!” All Might called through the comms system. 

“You’re rooting for your brother right?” Uraraka asked as they watched the screens. The class turned their attention to him at her question. Why did they want to hear his opinion so badly? The kids at Aldera hated his analysis. 

“Sure, he’s my brother. But this is probably the most equal match we’ve seen yet. Each team has a quirk that requires strategic use, aka the brain. And then a quirk that requires direct contact approaches, aka the brawn. The Hero Team has to counter Yaoyorozu’s creation quirk while the Villain Team has to counter Hitoshi’s brainwashing,” Izuku offered his observations. 

Hitoshi and Kirishima had successfully infiltrated from the roof. Getting Kirishima up there had been a time and a half. So far, everyone had put the weapon on the upper floors and expected their opponents to approach from the lower floors. This might throw them off. 

By the third floor, they hadn’t found any sign of the weapon or the Villain Team. What the hell? They wandered into a room with an open floorplan and a bunch of windows. 

“Hello, heroes,” Kaminari’s voice rang out before he appeared from around a pillar. Hitoshi let out a sigh of frustration. He’d been hoping for Yaoyorozu. The sunshine boy’s hero costume had surprisingly been exactly the sort of aesthetic Hitoshi liked. He was distracting .

“I’ll hold him off,” Kirishima offered. “You go find Yaoyorozu.”

“Sorry, but I can’t let you do that,” Kaminari smiled. Could a smirk still look cheerful? Hitoshi’s eyes widened as sparks started rolling off Kaminari’s body. Well, isn’t he just ultra lucky that Mei decided to enhance his capture weapon? “I’ve got this,” he said confidently.

He ran forward, throwing out his capture weapon as Kaminari discharged. When he pulled, the weapon tightened around him, absorbing the electricity. Kaminari had a brief flash of confusion and panic wash over him before Hitoshi tugged harder on the weapon, pulling him closer. “Nice try,” Hitoshi said with a feral grin. 

“Holy shit,” Kaminari breathed as Hitoshi looped the capture tape around him.

Kirishima coughed. “Alright. There seems to be a lot of sexual tension here, so I’m just gonna go… find um… yeah.” Hitoshi rolled his eyes as he freed Kaminari from his capture weapon and made the tape more secure. 

It wasn’t long before Kirishima found and captured Yaoyorozu. “Hero Team wins!”

“BEGIN!” All Might boomed again, starting the last match. 

Although Kouda’s quirk would be extremely limited in the urban setting of the training exercise, his physical strength was nothing to scoff at. Similar to how Izuku’s general intelligence was heightened as a side effect of his brain’s mutation, Kouda’s physical strength was enhanced due to the mutation he inherited. He was actually right at the same level as Satou and Ojiro. 

His classmates looked to him, expecting another possible battle strategy. Even All Might seemed eager to hear what he thought they might do. He sighed. 

“This one will likely wind up being a battle of brawn, broken up only by Shouji’s detection capabilities and the martial arts skill that Ojiro displayed yesterday during the quirk test. They are all pretty evenly matched. It’s going to come down to how they decide to strategize,” Izuku said, giving them his best guess. 

Sure enough, the fight ended up being largely head-on. The raw strength of the four classmates clashed in a satisfying way. Shouji’s tentacles and Ojiro’s tail were evenly matched as well. Satou used the short boost from his quirk, which only lasted three minutes, to capture Kouda. But Shouji duplicated his tentacles in a sort of chain that he used to restrain Ojiro before wrapping the capture tape around him.

When Satou tried to rush him, Shouji jumped onto his shoulder and launched himself into the air. He used his tentacles like wings to glide over to the weapon. He touched the weapon as he landed on the ground. 

“Hero Team Wins!” All Might announced. 

“For your first combat training session, you all did very well. Most importantly, no one was injured! You’re all pretty good at working in teams and strategizing even with a clear lack of fighting techniques,” All Might congratulated them. Izuku noticed that Ojiro was put out by the comment about their fighting skills. He was the only one with formal martial arts training. 

“Midori Aiyama-Shounen, I was impressed with your knowledge of practical battle technique,” All Might comment and Izuku’s eyes snapped to his. 

“Midori?” Izuku asked. Did he remember?

“Ah, sorry. Because your hair is green while your brother’s hair is purple. If you’d rather I differentiate you two another way, let me know,” All Might said with a beaming smile. Oh.  

“Izuku is fine,” he said with a glare. He hadn’t meant to but he felt his face make the expression. All Might looked surprised by the sudden hostility but carried on with his remarks for the class before dismissing them.

They attended the rest of their afternoon classes. He was pleased to find that the environment was much nicer than Aldera. Iida, Uraraka, and Tsu talked to him a lot between classes. Kacchan even made friends. And based on the blush that kept making an appearance on Hitoshi’s face, he had a crush on a particular electric blonde. 

He was going to like it just fine at UA.

Chapter Text

When Izuku and Hitoshi got to school that day, the gates were overrun with reporters. Of course, they came through the teacher’s entrance with their parents. But since their parents were teachers, the four of them had gone to the entrance so that Mama and Dad could help the other teachers get the students past the reporters safely. 

“Will you tell us about what the Symbol of Peace is like as a teacher?” a lady asked, shivering a microphone in the face of … Uraraka!

“Wh-what he’s like? Um… He’s very muscular!” she replied, unable to get past the reporter. Izuku darted forward, against Dad’s protests, to help her get past. 

“What do you think of All Might as a teacher?” the same reporter asked Iida this time. 

“He made me recognize anew that I attend an educational institution that is the best of the best. Of course, his dignity and character go without saying. But we students are constantly able to see his humorous side. It is a unique opportunity to learn about being a top hero directly from one.” Izuku and Uraraka laughed softly as Iida nearly put the reporters to sleep with his speech.

Distracted by a new face the reporter left Iida alone. “Excuse me! Can you tell me about All Migh--” she faltered as Kacchan gave her a harsh glare. After they had all gotten past the reporters, they took refuge behind Dad. 

“Um, about All Might… Wow, you’re scruffy… What’s your deal?” Dad narrowed his eyes at the woman. 

“He’s not on duty today,” Dad answered flatly. “You are disturbing the classes. Please leave.” 

All of the reporters present looked disappointed. That one woman was tenacious though. “I would like to speak directly with All Might--” an alarm went off as she tried to follow Dad through the gate. She stepped back just in time to avoid getting crushed by a barrier that formed. 

“God, I hate the media,” Dad sighed tiredly. 

“Good work on yesterday’s combat training. I saw the video and the results,” Dad addressed the class. “Now let’s get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice, but today, I’ll have you…”

The class leaned forward in suspense. “...decide on a class representative.”

It’s actually a normal school activity, the class seemed to be thinking in unison. 

“I want to be class rep! Pick me!” Kirishima said brightly. 

“Me too!” Kaminari raised his hand. 

Surprisingly, even Jirou raised her hand. “I want to do it, too.”

“It’s a job made for m--” Aoyama started before he got cut off by Ashido.

“I’ll be the leader!” Ashido cheered.

“Let me do it! Me!” Kacchan said, unexpectedly hyped up. 

“Silence, please!” Iida said loudly. “It is a job with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. It is a calling that requires the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on a true leader, then we should hold an election to choose one.”

Even though his hand is raised the highest, Izuku noted. 

“Why did you suggest that?” Kaminari asked. 

“We haven’t known each other for that long, so how can we have trust or anything?” Tsu pointed out. 

“If that’s the case, and everyone votes for themselves…” Kirishima trailed off. 

Iida was undeterred. “Don’t you think that is precisely why whoever receives multiple votes here can be truly considered the most suitable person? What do you think Aizawa Sensei?” 

Dad looked up blearily from where he sat on the floor in his sleeping bag. “I don’t care, as long as you decide before homeroom is over.” With that, he fell over and embraced his nap.

“Thank you very much!” Iida said before organizing an anonymous vote among the class. When the results were counted, they each had one vote except for five people. Where did those five votes go? Four went to Izuku, and one went to Yayorozu. Izuku had actually voted for Yayorozu too, so she had three votes while he had four. 

“If this is what the poll chooses,” Iida said, looking quite disappointed. 

“You didn’t vote for yourself?” Tsu asked, pointing out that Iida had zero votes. 

“I felt it would be dishonest,” Iida admitted. “This makes Aiyama Izuku the Class President and Yaoyorozu Momo the Class Vice President.”

“S-s-seriously? Seriously?” Izuku stuttered. Why???

“How vexing,” Yaoyorozu sighed. Did she mean Izuku or just getting chosen?

With their class representatives chosen, they were dismissed to lunch. “There are a lot of people today!” Uraraka exclaimed. Only the first years had been at the school yesterday.

“That’s because everyone in the hero course, support course, and management course meets in the same place,” Iida explained. They sat with the same people as they did yesterday. They chatted as they ate. Izuku wasn’t sure how their conversation came to it but suddenly Uraraka asked:

“Are you a rich boy Iida?” She had guessed correctly, apparently. Iida told them the history of his Pro Hero family and how they had been passing the mantle of Ingenium for generations. 

Suddenly an alarm blared. After a moment, an automated voice spoke over the speaker system. “There has been a level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors promptly. I repeat…”

“What is a level 3 security breach?” Iida asked an older student sitting near them. 

“It means someone is trespassing on school grounds. I’ve never seen anything like this in the three years I’ve been here. You should hurry too!” they said before rushing off. 

The eleven of them tried to leave the lunchroom together, planning to return to their classroom. But unfortunately, in all the other students’ haste to get out of the lunchroom, the hallway had become overcrowded and chaotic. Izuku tried to stay with his friends but he got pushed and pulled away from everyone. 

When he found himself smooshed against a door, he reached for the handle. The door opened and, with a squeak of surprise, he fell into the room. He kicked it shut from his spot on the floor and laid down. At least he hadn’t gotten trampled. 

“An NPC?” a voice questioned. Izuku scrambled to get up. When he turned around, he came face to face with a pale, blue-haired man. His scarlet eyes observed Izuku with mild curiosity. This person didn’t belong here…

Izuku spared a quick glance at the room he’d found himself in. It was some sort of office. “Do you have a dialogue box? Can you help me, NPC?” What? Izuku watched as the man reached for the filing cabinet next to him. He touched the lock on the outside of the drawer and it turned to dust. The lines from his quirk jumped into view. 

He paled at the information his quirk was giving him. This guy could remove every trace of him from this world. Kill him in an instant and no one would have a clue. One of the lines he was reading passed over the man's face and they locked eyes again. “What are you looking at?”

“S-sorry,” Izuku stammered, averting his eyes. “I won’t look at you.”

“You weren’t looking at me, though. You were looking at something near me. Is it a quirk, NPC?” the man asked, abandoning the cabinet to approach Izuku. This close, Izuku could see that he was very young; early 20’s probably. The man’s hand came towards Izuku’s face. 

“Please, don’t,” he whimpered, backing into the door. 

“You seem to understand my quirk, NPC,” the man said thoughtfully. “You’re smart. NPC’s can’t be smart. That makes you Player Two.” Why does he talk in video game speech?

The man backed away, returning to the filing cabinet. He pulled something out before turning back to Izuku. “I have to go. I look forward to playing with you, Player Two.” Smoke enveloped him and he vanished.

Izuku let himself take a moment to cry from the stress and fear.

Chapter Text

After he stopped crying, Izuku left the office just in time to see Iida float into the air and blast across the hallway with a boost from his engines. Woah, what did I miss?

Tenya managed to get to a window. Who in the world trespassed? He could see the gates from here and they had been stormed by the press. I wondered what it was but it’s just the media. 

“Everyone, calm dow--” Tenya was cut off when his face was smooshed into the window. Where are the teachers? Are they busy trying to deal with everything?

“Everyone, stop! Slow down!” Tenya spotted Kirishima and Kaminari struggling in the crowd. After a moment they were pulled out of sight by the panicking crowd. Is there anyone here who knows it’s fine? No one has noticed. Everyone is panicking!

Izuku, Hitoshi, Mei, Ashido, Bakugou, he’d lost sight of all of them. He heard a cry of pain from Uraraka and noticed her getting squished between people. “Uraraka!”

“Iida-kun!” She reached for him, so he tried to force his way through the people in the hallway. What would Izuku or my brother do in this situation?

“Uraraka! Make me… Make me float, Uraraka!” he called, reaching for her. Struggling but determined, she reached back and tapped his fingers, activating her quirk. Instantly, he floated up into the air. A place in everyone’s line of sight…

He noticed the exit at the end of the hall. There. Pulling up his pant legs, he exposed his engines. “Engine boost!” The boost from his engines spun him but he moved forward nonetheless. He hit the wall, just above the exit sign at the end of the hall. 

Be concise, clear, and bold, he reminded himself. Steadying himself with a pipe near the ceiling, he addressed the crowd. “Everyone, everything’s fine! It is just the media! There is nothing to panic about. Everything’s fine! This is UA. Let us act in a way befitting the best of the best.”

The crowd in the hallway settled. It looked like it worked. A few voices near the window announced that they could see the police and everyone calmed down further. Everything was fine. 

When they finally made it back to the classroom, Izuku approached his dad. “I need to talk to you. It’s important.” His dad nodded and they went into the hall. 

“What is it?” Dad asked. 

“During lunch, when the alarms went off, I ended up in an office to escape the commotion. There was a man there who probably shouldn’t have been.” Dad narrowed his eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Dad asked, gaze darting over Izuku. He seemed to notice the slight puffiness of Izuku’s eyes. “You were crying?”

“I cried after he left because I was overwhelmed. I’m fine. But he took something, a file. And his quirk was… dangerous. He could disintegrate things. He called me an NPC for a while but at the end, he called me Player Two?” Izuku looked up at his dad uncertainly. “He said he looked forward to playing with me? And then he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.”

“I’ll have Nezu look into it,” Dad assured him. Then he pulled Izuku into a hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Come on class rep. Start,” Yaoyorozu prompted. 

“N-now, let us decide on the other class officers…” Izuku didn’t really want to be a class rep. Maybe he could just step down? “But first, can I say something? I think that Iida Tenya should be the class rep, after all. He was able to get everyone’s attention in such a cool way. I think it would be best for Iida to do it.”

“I’m good with that too,” Kaminari smiled.

“Izuku’s saying it, and it’s true that Iida was a big help at the cafeteria today,” Kirishima agreed. 

“Yeah he kind of looked like the person on the emergency exit signs, didn’t he?” someone else added, though Izuku didn’t catch who that was. 

“You’re wasting time. I don’t care what you do, just hurry up and do it,” Dad grumbled. 

Iida stood. “If the class rep has nominated me, then it can not be helped. From this day forth, I, Iida Tenya, promise to do my best to carry out the duties of class representative.”

Kirishima beamed at him. “We’re counting on you, Emergency Exit Iida!”

Nezu looked at the gates while standing with Midnight, Thirteen, and Recovery Girl. They were crumbled entirely to dust. “How were the ordinary members of the press able to do something like this? Someone instigated this. Did someone evil slip in, or was it intended to be a declaration of war?”

Hitoshi spun in a chair in the teachers’ office. He and Izuku were waiting on on their parents to finish up some stuff before they could go home. He noticed Auntie Nemuri entering the office. 

“Hitoshi!” Oh no. Why had she zeroed in on him? She pulled up a chair by the one he was sitting in and leaned in. That was her gossip face. “Darling! I couldn’t help but notice today when I came in to teach my class, that not only do you look like your dad, but you also share his penchant for loud blondes.”

“He what?” Dad asked, looking up from his paperwork. No! What the hell, Auntie!?

“Well, I get in there and imagine my surprise when our quiet Toshi is flirting with that little electric student. Both were blushing messes, of course,” she grinned. Absolutely evil. 

“Aw, my baby has a crush,” Mama smiled while Izuku snickered at Hitoshi’s misery. Dad stood up and pulled him to stand so that he could hug Hitoshi. 

“Kid. My Child. Sweetheart. Do I have to warn you about loud blondes?” Dad asked in a dramatic tone. 

“Excuse me? What’s wrong with loud blondes?” Mama huffed. 

Dad ignored him, holding Hitoshi tight. “I married my loud blonde. But you still have a chance.”

“But… he’s pretty,” Hitoshi mumbled, face burning. Dad sighed. 

“Yeah. Yeah, they are. That’s how the loud blondes draw you in,” he lamented. 

“Well, at least you think I’m pretty,” Mama smiled, rolling his eyes. 

Cat Chat

KING EXPLOSION: soooo…

KING EXPLOSION: @Purple Cat

KING EXPLOSION: What was up with you and Pikachu

Purple Cat: shut up

Green Bean: I’d also like to know

Zoomies: OOH who???

Green Bean: Kaminari. You met him at lunch.

KING EXPLOSION: blonde. Electric quirk. Pikachu color scheme

Purple Cat: he does not look like Pikachu

Green Bean: yes he does

KING EXPLOSION: Pikachu as a person

Zoomies: ...does this mean we should get Toshi a Pikachu plushie

KING EXPLOSION: YES

Purple Cat: NO

KING EXPLOSION: Get Hitoshi a plushie of his boyfriend

Purple Cat: We’re just friends

Green Bean: I mean… what we saw on the screens today…

KING EXPLOSION: oh yeah. That was oddly heated.

Green Bean: All Might blushed. 

Green Bean: You proud of yourself Toshi?

Green Bean: You made the number one hero embarrassed

Zoomies: fantastic. Sad that I missed that. 

KING EXPLOSION: Your anti-electricity feature on the capture weapon worked

Zoomies: Really?

KING EXPLOSION: really helped him with some impromptu bondage with Pikachu

Purple Cat: IT WASN’T BONDAGE

Zoomies: Toshi, that is not what my babies are meant to be used for 

Green Bean: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ This conversation took a turn

Purple Cat: It was a training exercise, you ass. I was supposed to capture him.

KING EXPLOSION: sure, sure. 

KING EXPLOSION: for real though, you like him?

Purple Cat: ...yes

KING EXPLOSION: We’ll be your wing team then

Zoomies: I know nothing of flirting but I will try!

Green Bean: I will also do my best to help!

Purple Cat: He’s just so pretty I want to die how can anyone be so pretty

KING EXPLOSION: he’s also dumb

KING EXPLOSION: but whatever floats your boat

Purple Cat: He’s not dumb. 

Green Bean: He seemed pretty good at English and Literature. 

Purple Cat: yeah!

KING EXPLOSION: “Not that you’re not hot. Like I’m melting, my guy.”

Purple Cat: SHUT UP!

KING EXPLOSION: no (❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧)

Zoomies: omg did he say that to your face?

Purple Cat: ...he did

KING EXPLOSION: dumb. Dumb as hell.

Chapter Text

“For today’s hero basic training, it’s turned into a class with three instructors,” Dad informed the class. “All Might and me, and one more person.”

Turned into? Izuku thought. I wonder if it’s a special case.  

“Excuse me! What will we be doing?” Sero asked, raising his hand.

“Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between,” Dad replied cryptically. “It’s rescue training.” 

“Rescue… Looks like it’ll be a lot of work this time, too,” Kaminari commented.

“Right?” Ashido agreed excitedly.

“Idiot, this is the duty of a hero!” Kirishima said brightly. “My arms are ready to rumble!”

“No one can beat me in the water, kero,” Tsu said with a half-smile.  

“Hey, I’m not done,” Dad frowned before continuing. “You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time.  Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities, too.  The training will take place off-campus, so we’re taking a bus. That is all. Start getting ready.”

Rescue training… Izuku thought excitedly. What I’ve admired most about heroes. It’s training to get another step closer to being a great hero. I’ll do my best!

At the buses, a whistle blowing Iida tried to organize the class. “Class 1-A! Gather round! Form two lines by your student numbers in order to make boarding the bus go smoothly.”

“Wow, Iida’s going at full throttle,” Izuku observed.

“Who the hell gave him a whistle?” Hitoshi asked, irritated by the sound. 

When they got on the bus, it was one with seats lining the sides and facing the middle. “Shoot. I didn’t think it’d be this type of bus,” Iida somehow pouted with dignity.  

“There was no point, huh?” Ashido said, patting his shoulder. 

Somehow, they got on the subject of quirks while they chatted to pass the time. “My hardening’s strong against others, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like much,” Kirishima lamented. 

“I think it’s really cool!” Izuku told him. “It’s a quirk that can definitely pass as a pro’s.” 

“A pro’s, huh?” Kirishima looked at his hardened arm thoughtfully. “But you have to think about popularity as a hero too, you know.”

“My Navel Laser is pro-level in both flashiness and strength,” Aoyama said, jumping into the conversation. 

“But it’s not that great if it gives you a stomachache,” Ashido pointed out. 

“Well, if you’re talking about flashy and strong, it’s gotta be Todoroki and Bakugou, though, right?” Kirishima asked, looking towards the two in question. 

“Bakugou’s always mad, so he doesn’t seem like he’ll be popular,” Tsu said, touching her cheek in thought. Oh no...

“What the hell? You wanna fight!?” Kacchan shouted, standing in his seat.

“See?” Tso gave them a pointed look.

“We haven’t known each other that long so it’s amazing that everyone already knows his personality is the same as one of those little, angry Pomeranians,” Kaminari said bravely. Clearly, he had a death wish. Hitoshi just snickered. 

“What’s with that vocabulary, bastard? I’ll kill you!” Izuku sighed. He was doing so much better but therapy only did so much for his temper. When people antagonize him he still gets upset. 

“Kacchan, sit down,” Izuku gave him a flat look.

“But he…” Kacchan trailed off when Izuku continued to look at him flatly. “Fine,” he huffed, folding his arms across his chest and sitting. 

“Woah… a Bakugou tamer,” Sero said, eyes wide. 

“We’re here. Stop messing around” Dad announced, looking entirely done with the day already. 

Getting off the bus, they were greeted by a hero in a spacesuit. “Everyone, I have been waiting for you,” they said cheerfully. 

“It’s the space hero Thirteen. The kind hero who has rescued tons of people from disasters,” Izuku said aloud.  

“Oh, I love Thirteen!” Uraraka said, nearly jumping up and down with excitement.

“Let’s go inside without delay,” Thirteen instructed. 

Once inside, the class was in awe of the building that looked like an indoor theme park. “A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, et cetera,” Thirteen told them. “It is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. It’s called the ‘Unforeseen Simulation Joint.’ Or ‘USJ’ for short!”

Dad approached Thirteen and Izuku could just overhear them. “Thirteen, where is All Might? He was supposed to meet us here.”

“About that… It looks like he did too much hero work on his way to work and ran out of time, so he’s resting in the lounge,” they told him. What?  

“That’s the height of irrationality,” Dad remarked. Then he sighed. “It can’t be helped. Shall we begin?”

“Let’s see,” Thirteen started. “Before we begin, let me say one thing… or two... or three… or four… five… six… seven…”

Regaining their train of thought, Thirteen continued. “Everyone, I am sure you are aware of my quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust.” 

“You’ve been able to use that quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?” Izuku asked with Uraraka actually jumping up and down now.

“Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily,” Thirteen said solemnly. “Some of you also have quirks like that, right?? In superhuman society, personal quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that it doesn’t seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step.”

“With Aizawa’s physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers, and with All Might’s person-to-person combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your quirks to save people’s lives. You do not have powers so that you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others.”

“That is all. Thank you for listening.” The class cheered at the wonderful speech. 

“All right then, first--” Dad was cut off when the power went out. A portal appeared at the fountain placed near the bottom of the entrance stairs. “Gather together and don’t move. Thirteen protect the students.”

“What’s that?” Kirishima asked. “Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson’s already started?” Izuku saw the man from the office step through the portal, followed by dozens of other people. This time, the man was covered with disembodied hands. Izuku took a step forward.

“Don’t move!” Dad ordered, putting his goggles on. “Those are villains.”

The portal formed a face. Lines formed around him briefly, letting Izuku know it was a quirk. But then the lines glitched due to the sheer amount of people with active or obvious quirks. “Thirteen and Eraserhead, huh? The teacher’s schedule we stole the other day said that All Might was supposed to be here,” the portal spoke calmly.  

“So the trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags, after all,” Dad concluded.

“Where is he?” the hand man asked. “I went through the trouble of bringing this whole crowd too. All Might. The symbol of Peace. I can’t believe he’s not here. I wonder if he’ll come if we kill some kids?”

Dad’s scarf floated intimidatingly at the threat. Izuku felt Hitoshi grab his arm. They were both trembling. “What? Villains? No way.” Exclamations of confusion and fear could be heard among the students. 

“There’s no way they could get into a hero school,” Kirishima said, disbelieving.  

“Sensei, what about the trespasser sensors?” Yaoyorozu asked.

“We have them, of course, but…” Thirteen trailed off.

“Did they only appear here, or around the whole school?” Todoroki spoke suddenly, his expression calculating. “Either way, if the sensors are not responding, that means they have someone with a quirk that can do that. An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools, but they’re not dumb. This surprise attack was carefully planned with some sort of goal in mind.” 

“Thirteen, start the evacuation,” Dad instructed. “Try calling the school. These villains even had something to counteract the sensors. It’s possible someone with radio-wave-type powers is interfering. Kaminari, you try contacting the school with your quirk, too.”

“Yes, sir,” Kaminari replied, fiddling with the headpiece of his hero costume. 

“What about you?” Izuku asked desperately. “Will you fight by yourself?” He can’t. “With that many...” too many... “even if you can erase their quirks…” Dad’s... “Eraserhead’s fighting style is capturing after erasing the enemy’s quirk. A frontal battle is…” too much...

Dad turned to them with a smirk. “You can’t be a hero with just one trick. I’m leaving it to you, Thirteen.” And with that, he rushed in to attack the villains.

Chapter Text

Shouta could hear the fear in his son’s voice. Intending to reassure both his kids and his class, he turned to them with a smirk. “You can’t be a hero with just one trick. I’m leaving it to you, Thirteen.” And with that, he rushed in to attack the villains.

He ran forward, turning off the quirks of the closest three villains, and captured them in his weapon. Tugging on the ends, he smashed their heads together. “Idiot, he’s Eraserhead!” he heard one of the villains say. “He can erase quirks just by looking at them!”

“Erase? Are you gonna erase the quirks of heteromorphic-type villains like us, too?” a man with a rock-like appearance and multiple arms asked, running at him. 

“No, I can’t,” Shouta answered, dodging the punch that was thrown at him. He followed up with one of his own, knocking the villain back. He threw his capture tape after him, catching his leg. “But the skills of guys like you are statistically more likely to manifest in close combat.”

He dodged another punch from a villain that tried to sneak up behind him, kicking him back before pulling on his capture weapon to throw the other villain at him. “So I’ve taken measures against that.” He continued to alternate between offense and defense against the many villains surrounding him, using his quirk and capture weapon to keep the advantage. 

Suddenly, the portal villain disappeared, reappearing up by the students. “Shit, I just blinked once and the guy who looks like the most trouble got away.” 

“Dad’s actually good at fighting by himself against a lot of people,” Izuku noted, relieved. 

“Thank fuck,” Hitoshi breathed. Everyone else had already run towards the doors while they stayed to watch their Dad. 

“This is no time for analysis! Hurry up and take shelter,” Iida scolded, running back to them. I wasn’t analyzing, I was worried about my dad, Izuku thought, miffed. 

The black smoke of the portal villain appeared in front of them. “I won’t let you,” he stated, blocking their exit. The class took defensive stances. 

“Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves into the home of the heroes, UA High School, in order to have All Might, the Symbol of Peace, take his last breath. I believe All Might should have been here. Has there been some kind of change? Well, that is neither here nor there. This is the part I am to play. 

Kacchan and Kirishima launched themselves at the villain before he could gear up to do whatever he had been planning. The two teens were in sync as they attacked. “Did you consider that you’d get beaten by us before you did it?” Kirishima questioned through the smoke of Kacchan’s explosions.

“Oh dear, that’s dangerous,” the villain commented nonchalantly. “That’s right. Even if you are students, you are excellent golden eggs.” His smoke began expanding. 

“No! Move away, you two!” Thirteen shouted.  

“My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death,” the villain revealed. The smoke enveloped them and suddenly Izuku was hurtling through the air into some water. The shipwreck zone Thirteen had mentioned? He blearily looked around, trying to determine which way was up. 

Before he could get anywhere, a villain came out of nowhere, swimming right for him. Mutation quirk. Shark attributes. Sharp teeth. Not the time! He scolded himself and tried to swim away. A spear of ice suddenly shot through the water, knocking the villain away. Izuku turned to see Tsu and Todoroki swimming towards him. Tsu got them both to the surface quickly. 

Todoroki constructed some sort of rising ice pillar to get them onto the ship and away from the other villains in the water. They took a moment to regain their bearings. “This has turned into a bad situation,” Tsu observed. 

“What the villain said earlier, they knew UA’s schedule,” Izuku realized. “They must have set up the media break in the other day so that they could get into the school and steal information. They planned this, just like Todoroki said.” 

“They can’t really think they can kill All Might though,” Todoroki frowned, joining the conversation. “My own father has been second to him for years.”

“Your father…?” Izuku thought about it. Who was second to… “Endeavor?”

Todoroki gave him a suspicious look. “You didn’t know who my father was?” Izuku shook his head. 

“Guys,” Tsu interjected. “Don’t you think they are doing something so extreme and trying so far because they’ve found a way to kill him? Even if they can’t, they just said that they’d torture us to death. Are we even able to hold out until All Might arrives? Even if he comes, what if he loses and we don’t make it out alive, kero?”

“Is that you being anxious or just pessimistic?” Izuku asked, balking at her. 

“Moreover,” Todoroki chimed in from the ship’s rail. “Villains are surrounding the boat now.”

“What?” Izuku squeaked, joining him at the rail. Tsu followed. Izuku tried to focus on each one individually. All of their quirks that he could get a read on were suited for water. 

“They aren’t attacking,” Tsu pointed out after a long moment. 

“They don’t know what our quirks are,” Izuku concluded. “Think about it. If they knew, they wouldn’t have sent Tsu to a water zone. Even though they’re all suited to water, they’re waiting to see what we can do before they approach us.”

“So we should come up with a plan before they get tired of waiting. Take them by surprise,” Todoroki suggested. “What are your quirks?”

“Our best bet is to simply escape but they might follow us out of the water. Todoroki, if you could freeze the water with one of those spiky ice walls you make, but centered around them, that would probably do it. I’m not seeing any fire or heat quirks out there to melt it. And then Tsu can carry us out of here,” Izuku half-spoke, half-mumbled. 

“Izuku’s quirk is other people’s quirks,” he heard Tsu say. 

“Huh?” He noticed the confused look on Todoroki’s face. “Oh, yeah. I can analyze people’s quirks, their general stats, strengths and weaknesses, and occasionally other data. The majority of the time it’s quirk-related, although there have been a few times when it isn’t. Like intelligence stats,” Izuku explained. 

“That’s how you knew about my frostbite… and the other thing…” Todoroki said, his expression becoming passive again. 

“Ah, yeah. I was trying to get a rise out of you so that you’d walk away from the weapon. I’m sorry if I upset you,” Izuku apologized. 

“It’s fine. I misunderstood,” Todoroki replied. “Now about this plan of yours?” 

“Right so,” Izuku peered over the railing. “I think, if Tsu jumps with us as far out as she can in that direction, we can get a quarter to half of the way. Before we hit the water, Todoroki, you’ll need to make a spiky ice wall wide enough to trap all the villains that gathered here. And try to push us the rest of the way as far as you can. Tsu can jump the remaining bit. We’ll decide where to go when we get there.”

Izuku’s plan had worked with no issues. But where to go next was the current question. To the other zones to help their classmates? To the exit to hope they can find a way out? Or to his dad to help him in any way they can? Well, Izuku was biased. 

“Aizawa-Sensei would want us to leave,” Todoroki insisted. “To try to get help.”

“Probably. But I want to help him in any way I can. He’s not meant for large fights like this. I won’t get in the way. I just want to help lighten the load,” Izuku tried to explain without revealing their relationship. It wasn’t that it had to be a secret. Dad and Mama just haven’t ever told students about their marriage before. It was safer to keep the number of people who knew limited. Especially with how often Dad expelled people in the past. 

“You have an intelligence quirk. No offense but how can you fight against high-powered quirks like that?” Todoroki countered. 

“I fought you and won once already, haven’t I?” Izuku growled. Todoroki’s eyes widened at the show of hostility. “I’m going to help him whether you come with me or not.”

“I’ll come but I don’t want to get involved,” Tsu decided. I’ll just be there to carry you out if you need a quick escape.”

“I’ll join you as well,” Todoroki said solemnly. “I can provide defense.”

“Let’s go then,” Izuku said, turning in the direction of the plaza where his Dad was.

Chapter Text

Hiding in the shallow waters of the shipwreck zone that came closest to the plaza, while they assessed the situation was their best option. Dad had just taken out another villain and the man covered in hands had engaged now. He was surprisingly fast, reaching Dad in seconds. Dad had tried to land a blow, only to have his elbow caught by the villain. 

They were too far away to hear what was said between them, but suddenly Dad’s elbow was crumbling. He didn’t let that stop him, lashing out at the villain. He kept fighting, though he was only using one arm now. The villain seemed to be monologuing. Izuku heard the man shout that his dad was cool. It was oddly childish, like when he called Izuku Player Two. 

Suddenly, the big, muscular, bird villain was behind his dad. When had it even gotten there? It moved so fast. Izuku’s heart stopped when it grabbed his dad and blood flew into the air along with his goggles. Horror filled him and tears welled up in his eyes as his dad’s head was crushed into the ground by the monster repeatedly. 

“No…” he breathed in shock. “NO!” he screamed when it registered. He was up out of the water before Todoroki or Tsu could grab him. He ran in his dad’s direction, blinking away tears so that he could see. But the hand man was faster and he cut Izuku’s path off. 

“Well, if it isn’t Player Two…” 

At the entrance, the students who hadn’t gotten caught up in the portal watched Thirteen fall. The portal villain had turned their own quirk against them. It was on them to get help. Iida tried to run to the door but the portal villain followed. 

“You must have a body, and I think this is it!” Uraraka shouted, touching the silver cylinder within the smoke. The villain floated up, momentarily distracted. Iida pried the doors open. Just a little further… He was out! He wasn’t sure how the others had held the villain back but now he had a mission; get to UA and get the Pro Heroes.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Katsuki growled as he blew up yet another shitty villain. “Are they all this weak?”

“Well maybe to us but I’m worried about our classmates with less offensive capabilities,” Kirishima replied, knocking a villain out with a hardened arm. 

“We need to go find that portal guy,” Katsuki decided. 

“Why?” Kirishima asked. 

“To kill him, obviously,” Katsuki answered, blowing up some invisible guy trying to sneak up on him. 

“It’s only my second full day of school but I am pretty sure that heroes can not do that…” Kirishima said hesitantly. 

“Maim, then. I don’t care. He’s one of the few that actually have any kind of power. He’s how they got in so I’m sure he’s their ticket out. We need to stop him,” Katsuki explained. 

“Oh. You’re actually surprisingly calm and rational,” Kirishima beamed. 

“Hah? I’m always calm and rational!” Katsuki huffed. 

“No, normally you’re more like--”

“Shut up and die, Shitty Hair!” Katsuki barked defensively. 

“That! Like that!”

Hitoshi coughed as they trekked through the fire-laden, mini city. “You good?” Sero asked. 

“Yeah. It’s just smoke,” Hitoshi dismissed him. 

“I don’t know, man,” Kaminari said softly. “You were breathing in a lot of it when we ran into that last batch of villains.”

“Doesn’t matter. We need to get out of here and find the others,” Hitoshi insisted. 

“I’m guessing you’ll want to find Izuku first?” Sero asked. 

“Yeah,” Hitoshi replied. And Dad…

“Shit,” Kaminari cursed when they turned a corner only to find an even larger group of villains. His lungs ached and Hitoshi knew he couldn’t fight them like this. Time to get a little risky. 

“Is this it?” he said as loudly as he could manage. “They’re only going to send a bunch of villain wannabes after us?”

“Dude, what are you doing?” Sero hissed. 

“I mean, come on, we’re UA students,” Hitoshi continued, ignoring him. “We’re here because we have more raw talent in our pinkies than you’ll ever have skill in your entire lives.” The villains were growing furious, faces darkening. 

“It’s pathetic really. Aren’t you just fodder? A means to an end?” A chorus of angry responses rose up. Bingo, Hitoshi thought tiredly, exhaustion overtaking him as he took control of so many people at once. “Now, attack your nearest ally.”

“Oh, what the fuck?” Sero commented, confused as the villains began to attack each other. 

Kaminari looked flushed when he turned to Hitoshi. “So fucking hot…”

“Come on. We still need to get out of here,” Hitoshi reminded them, leaving the villains to fight each other. 

“Well, if it isn’t Player Two…”

Izuku froze, looking past the hand man. How could he get past him? Even if he could, how would he get that thing away from his dad? He flinched as Dad tried to hit it only to have his arm crushed by the monster. He could hear the bones snapping from here. 

“Do you think he’s cool too, Player Two? Is that why you look so sad?” Izuku could take his eyes off his dad. He wasn’t moving and blood pooled on the ground underneath him. Was he still alive?

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” the villain shouted and suddenly his hand was coming for Izuku’s face. He couldn’t react fast enough but nothing happened when the villain’s fingers settled on his skin. 

“Really? How cool, Eraserhead.” The villain backed away from Izuku to look at the hero in question. He was holding his head up as far as he could, with his quirk activated. Keeping the villain from killing Izuku. Then the monster crushed his head into the ground again, this time cracking the concrete with the force. 

An inhumane shriek of grief tore through him as he pulled his staff from his hoodie pocket, activating it, and swinging it for all he was worth at the villain. He hit him, he thought.  Except when he looked up, it was that monster instead. Oh, fuck…

R̵̡̃̏͗͊͆̊̍̚͝ė̷̯̟̺͚͖̈̐͆̋͊̉͛g̸̳̗̉e̴̻̝͌̽̐̽̍̃͝͠n̷̡̛̥̫̣͎̫̘͒͆̊͜e̸͇͈̱̋ͅr̷͕͍̅a̸̪ț̴̭̯̃̃͋͛̈́̔̅̕į̸͕̫͚͆̃̅̈́̈ͅo̶̹̺͕̓͑̂̾̑͑n̷͉̆.

S̸̢̺̲̣̏̄̄͒̒̽̂͌͝t̷̜̝̘͕͍̗͔̥̯̆r̸̨̛̝͍͖̲̀̉̈́͗ę̸̞͖̬̫̺͔͙̯͂͌͐̃̒̔n̷͓̿̽͛͗̐̿͋͝͠g̵̡̧̲͓͕͇̏ṫ̵̝̟ͅh̶̢͙̘̺̭͋̐̔͜͝ ̵͔̓A̷̞̲̹͊͝u̸͍̣̬̝̍̃̅̓̌́ģ̷̩͎̘̬͉̮̫̍m̴̧̧͙̹̟̂͂̒̍e̶̝̣̓̓̾ṇ̴̢̡̺̙͙̹͕̰̓̔̆̋̓̿͝t̵̛̮̼̫̥͎̹̃͐̓ͅa̵̢̩̰͔̤̭̐͜͜͝t̶̛͍̬͇̬̹̩̳̣̏͑̾͊͜ǐ̴̮̄̎͝ó̵̜̱n̸̹̝͔̈́̒̂̃̉.

M̸͙̙̳̣͓̿̑̒͆̉̈̈́͂̔i̴͔̖̣̟͂ͅn̴̢̜͉̻̏̓̆̐̂̇͌͘d̵͎͚͙̣͚̗̤̊̈͜l̴̡͕̲̯̯̝͍̠̔͜e̵̺͓̪̮͇͌̾š̸̛̳̜̮̟s̶̡̼͔͕͓̤͔̓̓̐͑͘.

Š̶̨͔̥̮̄̄͋h̸̨͙͉͓̟̠̯̫͛̍ͅō̸̡̱̙̦͌͆̌͐̔͂͜͝ͅċ̶͓̃k̷̢̘̟̈̑̃̐̑͋̓ ̸̡̧̼̗̠̙̖̅͌̀͘Ã̵̲̟̦͚̲̲̺̮̎̄̃̑̽͘̚b̸̧̺̃̈̽̆̓̚̕͜͝͝s̸̟̼͂͑̏̏̀́ͅȍ̷̘͚͚̐͊̽̂͛̓̓͠r̸̡͓̫̙͚͈̃͋p̴̧͍̞̩̠͖̣͇̤͑̀͑̿t̸͖͍͇̙̥̖͈̲̒̌̽i̴͕̎o̸̢̡̩̬̬̥̗̲͋͜n̴̡̯͋͝.

P̸̛͈̘͈͖͋͆̕ŏ̸̰̐̈̒͆w̷̢̙̔̀̆͆͘ȅ̴̘͔̦̺̆r̵̭̫̻̰̭̱̾̚ ̵̱̋Ļ̵̗͂̑͛̓͜e̶̗͖͉͓̖̾͆ṽ̴͕̪̪͊̿ḛ̴̛̝̩̻̱͖͐͝͠l̵̞̥͕̠̱̪̈́̄͐̇̑̔͊̂͠ ̶̙̼͇̻̱̩̍͜L̷̬̆̋i̴̫̽͗̐̊̇̉͠k̸̦̗̿̊̈͐͝ȩ̷̜̰̈́̓͛͐͂̌̄͘͝ ̸͎̬̣̻͔̯͉̭̗̾̇Ä̴̦̰͙̝̻̝́̌̕l̸̟̜̻̳̮̻̝̝̈́l̷̛͚̼̿̃̃͊̚͝͝͝ ̷͚͉͇̃Ṁ̴̢̨̥͚͉̜͒̂̋̒̀͘͝į̷̨̺͕̰̖̽͌̽̑̓̉͊ǧ̴̹͉͙̗͚͕̞́̒͛͐͐̄̅͋͜ͅh̸̤̥͒͋̎̚͝t̵̹̠̱̳̮̤̥̪̆̀͋ͅ.

Ȩ̸̦̰̘̙̮̬̻̓͌͋̋̚ẋ̷̢̱͈̽͌͛̿̌p̷̹̯̥͇̭̦͋̋͆͒o̵̼͕̘̗̐͌̍̌̈́̽͆ṣ̷̛̟͔͕̤̪̆̔̂̿́͑̄͠ę̷̗̖͓͍̙̥̓́́ͅͅḑ̴̢̙͉̹̦̈́̔̏̉̐͐̂̈͊ͅ ̶͍̩̬̩̬̑Ḃ̵̧̯͉̠̩̄͂͂͜͜ͅr̷̛͈̬͇̩̩̮̓a̴̧̩̘͚͈̦͒̑̆͑̈͘͘͝ï̶͍͖̠͚̦̫̹̐͗̈́n̸̛̰̰̫̬̺̐͌̑̋.

Ȇ̸̺̮̺̂͠x̵̨̟̏p̶̻͖͚͂o̵̭͓͗s̸̀ͅe̷̼̜̘͋̏ḋ̷͍̯̬̓͠ ̶̺́B̸̧̂̉r̶̮̯̓̂ȧ̸͙͊i̸̜͋n̷̡̼͝.

E̴̜͛x̷̧͗p̷̖̋o̶͇͒s̷͓͑e̸͈̅d̷̖ ̸̺̍B̴̮́r̷̯a̵̬̿i̸̫̋ň̵͚.

Exposed Brain.

That was its weakness. 

A tightness cut across his stomach as he was yanked back by something. An explosion went off in the monster’s face as Kacchan appeared in front of him. “What the actual fuck were you doing?” Hitoshi scolded as Izuku landed in his arms. 

Several meters away now, he assessed the group he was now with. Hitoshi, Kacchan, Kaminari, Sero, Kirishima, Todoroki, and a little ways back, Tsu. He wasn’t alone. 

The portal villain reappeared next to the hand villain, informing him that one of the students had escaped. The villain seemed absolutely furious about this. “What’s the plan, Nerd?” Kacchan demanded. 

“I d-don’t…” Izuku cut off, finding it a little hard to breathe. 

“Hey, shh. It’s okay,” Hitoshi soothed. “Just think. What do you know? What do the lines say?”

“The h-hand guy can d-disintegrate things,” Izuku started. 

“Don’t let handjob touch us. Got it,” Kacchan smirked. “What else?”

“The p-portal one’s body is c-contained in that s-silver thing,” he continued. 

“And the bird, monster villain?” Hitoshi prompted. 

“Not a villain. Just a m-monster. It’s wrong. It has so m-many quirks. Regeneration, strength augmentation, s-shock absorption. But its b-brain is exposed. That’s its w-weakness,” Izuku told them. 

“Do you have a plan or just the information?” Todoroki asked. 

“Um, I think. Todoroki and Kirishima w-would do best with the p-portal villain. Everyone else except Hitoshi c-can probably hold off that m-monster if you work together. Try to aim f-for its brain every chance you g-get. And Hitoshi, that monster f-follows the hand villain’s orders. If you can brainwash him j-just to take him out of the fight, the m-monster might stop attacking.”

“We’ll do that then. You and Tsu, try to get to Aizawa-Sensei and get him out of here,” Hitoshi instructed. Izuku nodded. 

Plus Ultra.

Chapter Text

Todoroki was the first one to make a move, sending a stream of ice over the ground. It cut through the purple smoke before encrusting the silver canister that held the villain. “Let’s go get Aizawa-Sensei,” Tsu said, tugging on Izuku’s arm. 

As they made their way around to Dad, avoiding the fight, Izuku watched the others. Kacchan attacked full force with his explosions while staying outside of the monster’s reach. Sero shot tape at its limbs, trying to retrain it, although it kept breaking through. It slowed the damn thing down though. 

Kirishima sharped his hands and began an onslaught of the silver canister. Maybe if they could break it, the smoke villain would be powerless. Todoroki kept sending out new sheets of ice to keep the villain in place. Occasionally he’d send ice at the monster to aid the other group. 

When they got to Dad, Izuku dropped next to him. “Dad? Can you hear me?” Izuku pushed his hair out of his face and his heart clenched at the blood matting it. 

“Dad?” Tsu asked. Shit. He’d forgotten she was here. “It’s okay. I won’t say anything,” she said immediately upon taking in his panicked expression. 

A quiet grown came from the man below them. “Hey, we’re going to move you. Is that okay?” Izuku asked, not really expecting a coherent response. His dad made a small sound that might have been an agreement. Or just something to express his pain. Izuku wasn’t sure. 

Together, Izuku and Tsu hoisted his dad up, each of his arms draped over one of him. They were broken, Izuku could feel that much, but they needed to get him out of here. His dad was pretty much unconscious which meant he was also a dead weight. Luckily, combined, they were more than strong enough to carry him. 

They headed for the exit slowly so that they wouldn’t jostle him too badly. As they neared the stairs leading out of the plaza, the door burst open. “I AM HERE!”

He jumped to the bottom of the stairs in a heartbeat, taking in Dad’s condition. “You’re late,” Izuku told him in an icy voice. The hero faltered, looking pained for a second. 

“Ah, but I am here now! It will be alright.” One thing stood out in his lines now. T̴̮̐ǐ̸͚m̸͔̆e̶͔͛ ̸̭̕L̷̞̒ĩ̴̼m̵̨̌ị̵̿t̴̻̄.̵͖͝ ̶͙́

“If you have a time limit, maybe you should keep the bar full for the students your obligated to protect and care for,” Izuku spat at the man, before pushing past him to carry Dad up the stairs. 

When they got to the top, All Might was just now taking off towards the fight. As if he had been stunned to the point of being frozen by Izuku’s remark. Not that it mattered that he was here now. In the plaza, Izuku saw Kaminari jump on the monster’s back, discharging his maximum voltage onto the thing’s head. They won. Without All Might. 

More teachers stormed in with Iida. Someone came and took Dad from him. He felt something dripping down his face and he reached up. His fingers came back with blood. He had one last thought before everything went dark: Is that mine?

Hitoshi left Izuku and Tsu, heading the opposite way as them. He avoided the fight, same as them, keeping his eyes on the hand villain. Izuku had warned him that the guy was fast. He had also told Hitoshi that the guy seemed to be obsessed with video games.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Todoroki’s ice and Katsuki’s explosions, but he stayed locked on his goal. The man seemed too distressed by the turn of events to even notice Hitoshi’s approach. He was clawing at the skin on his neck, causing rivulets of red to stain his skin. 

It vaguely reminded him of the way Izuku pulled his hair. He’d heard the term for it once in a foster home. Body-focused something. It had to do with anxiety disorders. “Hey,” he called. 

The villain turned to him. “An NPC?”

“I’m definitely a player,” Hitoshi replied. 

“No, you’re not. Player Two is…” he turned away from Hitoshi scanning the plaza. 

“Hey! Focus on me, asshole,” Hitoshi snapped. “I have a fucking problem with you.”

“A problem?” the villain parroted blankly. 

“Yeah. You want to know what it is, you piece of shit?” Hitoshi asked. 

“I don’t ca--” the villain’s face went blank as Hitoshi took control. Hitoshi stood there awkwardly. He just had to keep him here now, right? The monster was still attacking though. Maybe it needed an additional command to stop. Well shit. He wasn’t letting go of this guy but he couldn’t make him talk either. 

Keeping an eye on the fight, he saw Kaminari jump on the monster’s back, discharging his maximum voltage onto the thing’s head. The monster dropped. It stayed still. And smoke swirled next to the hand villain. What?

Apparently, Kaminari’s discharge had also broken the ice holding the portal villain. He tried to talk to the hand villain, quickly realizing he was brainwashed. He glared at Hitoshi, as well as disembodied glowing eyes could glare. Then he opened a portal, taking the hand villain with him. He felt his control snap as they vanished. 

They were gone. The creature was dead. All Might was here now? And Dad was… Dad! Hitoshi sprinted out of the plaza towards the stairs he had seen them go up. As he neared, he could see Mama crouched on the ground in front of Izuku. Then Izuku dropped. 

Hizashi had been sitting at his desk in the teachers’ office, going over tomorrow’s lesson plan, when Iida burst into the room. He was frantically ranting about villains and the USJ. Hizashi pushed down nausea that welled up at the thought of villains anywhere near his husband, his kids, or his students. He took a deep breath. 

“Go tell Nezu,” Hizashi instructed with a practiced and forced calm. "He will sound an alarm that will call the rest of the teachers in the school. Those of us here will head there now. Let Nezu know we’re going too.” Iida nodded and raced off. 

Hizashi turned to Nemuri, Cementoss, and Snipe. “Let’s go kick some ass.” When they got there, the door had already been broken open. All Might probably. He was the only one strong enough to do that. 

The other teachers caught up quickly with Iida at their side. Inside he saw Thirteen on the ground, flanked by Uraraka and Ashido. Near the stairs, Izuku and Asui stood with a limp and bloody Shouta. 

Please, no, Hizashi begged as he ran over to them with Nemuri in tow. He and Nemuri took Shouta from the kids, carefully laying him on the ground until Recovery Girl could get here. He looked up to ask Izuku where Hitoshi was but froze when he saw an excessive amount of blood escaping his nose. 

“Izuku?” Hizashi reached for him but he looked dazed. Izuku reached up and touched the blood, staring at it when he pulled his hand back. Then his eyes unfocused and he fainted. “Izuku!”

He caught his son just as Hitoshi reached the base of the stairs to see his brother go down.

Chapter Text

Emergency personal had arrived. Police were detaining the villains scattered around the USJ. EMTs were checking over the students and moving Thirteen, Dad, and Izuku. Hitoshi was currently sitting with an EMT receiving an oxygen treatment for the smoke inhalation he experienced. It was helping a bit but he just wanted his family. 

Mama came over and sat with them. “They’re taking them to Musutafu General Hospital. Recovery Girl will be going with them to help where she can and heal them once they are ready. Once you’re done here, we can drive over and find out more from the doctors there.”

“How much longer?” Hitoshi asked the EMT. 

“Ten more minutes should do it,” the man said. “Then you’ll need to take it easy for a few days to a week.” Hitoshi nodded. It definitely could have been worse. 

“Present Mic, sir, you can’t be in her--” The doctor protested as Hizashi stormed into the hospital room. Hitoshi trailed behind looking a touch concerned that he might have to stop a murder. 

“My husband. My child,” he bit out, pointing at each in turn. “Now talk.”

“Ah, my apologies,” the doctor gave a slight bow of his head. “Aiyama-kun will be just fine. He experienced some pretty severe quirk exhaustion. There was hemorrhaging in the area of his brain that holds the mutated neural pathways involved with his quirk.”

“That doesn’t sound fine,” Hitoshi commented. 

“The bleed was able to be stopped fairly quickly with medication. Once his energy is up, he should be able to be healed fully by Recovery Girl. I can assure you, this is the best outcome possible,” the doctor explained. “Mild hemorrhaging is common with mental quirks, so we have excellent response protocol in place for it.”

“And my husband?” Hizashi demanded. 

“Aizawa-san’s injuries were extensive,” the doctor admitted. “He had comminuted fractures in both arms and a facial fracture. Fortunately, there does not seem to be any serious brain damage. However, his orbital floor was broken into small fragments, and his eyes may suffer from after-effects. He’ll need to keep his injuries bandaged until he’s able to receive enough sessions with Recovery Girl to be fully healed.”

Hizashi’s breath hitched. Without his eyesight, he’d be unable to use his quirk. But he was alive and that’s what was most important. “Okay, thank you.”

“I’ll leave you with them until they wake up,” the doctor said. “Aiyama-kun should wake up first. Staff may be in and out to check their vitals and such things.” Hizashi nodded and the doctor left.

They pulled a couple of chairs closer to the beds, sitting side by side. “Are you okay, Mama?” Hitoshi asked. 

“I’m… I’ll be fine. It’s just. When Iida came running into the office and told us villains were attacking the USJ, I thought I was going to lose you three,” Hizashi admitted. 

“We’re all safe now,” Hitoshi assured him, leaning into his side. 

“Yeah,” Hizashi agreed, putting his arm around him. It took a few hours, but as the doctor said, Izuku stirred first. A quiet whimper drew Hizashi to the bedside. Hitoshi was alert and standing near their chairs. 

“Izuku? Baby, are you awake?” Hizashi asked. Izuku’s eyes were staying shut. 

“Bright. Hurts,” Izuku replied in a weak voice. Ah, he might have a migraine. 

“Hitoshi, can you get the lights?” Hizashi prompted. 

The first thing Izuku registered was pain. His head fucking hurt. The second thing he registered was the smell of antiseptic. Did Dad break him again? No… he was too old for that… oh, and he was in jail. So not Hisashi. Then… 

He remembered the USJ and Dad, his dad , not Hisashi. He tried to open his eyes but the light made the pain worse and he whimpered. 

“Izuku? Baby, are you awake?” Izuku registered the voice as Mama’s.

“Bright. Hurts,” he managed, his head pounding. 

“Hitoshi, can you get the lights?” Hitoshi was here? Yay, he thought weakly. He could tell that the lights had been turned off and he tentatively opened his eyes. Mama stood over him with a soft smile. It was darker but enough light came in from the hallway that Izuku could see him clearly. “Hey, little listener. How are you feeling?”

“Head hurts. Where’s Dad?” Izuku tried to sit up but Mama stopped him. 

“He’s right here. He’s going to be fine. They put lots of bandages on him, so he looks a little bit like a mummy but Recovery Girl is going to heal him right up,” Mama said quietly. “I’ll ask one of the nurses if they can get you something for your head, okay?”

“Okay,” he replied. Mama left and Hitoshi took his place. 

“Izu, you scared the ever-loving fuck out of me,” Hitoshi told him, his voice wavering slightly. 

“Izu?” Izuku asked, offering a smile. 

“You call me Toshi. I get to call you Izu since you nearly gave me a heart attack. I mean, I got out of that fire zone and went looking for you, only to find you swinging on a monster whose fist was bigger than your head. You’re lucky I pulled you out of there with my capture weapon,” Hitoshi ranted, tearing up. 

“I was trying to hit the hand villain,” Izuku confessed. “He moved.” 

“And then, when I thought everything was over, you fucking collapsed!” Hitoshi told him, still keeping his volume down for Izuku’s sake. 

“I saw blood,” Izuku remembered. 

“Yeah. Yours. From your damn brain. You overused your quirk,” Hitoshi huffed. 

“A brain hemorrhage? Hm… maybe it’s because I--”

“No? Stop that! No thinking. That’s what caused this,” Hitoshi scolded. “Meds and healing first. Figure out what happened later.” Izuku nodded slowly. 

Soon Mama came back with a nurse who gave him something she called a ‘migraine cocktail.’ It was a mix of medications used in combination to treat migraines. One of the medications made him sleepy. Mama told him to sleep if he wanted, so he did.

When Izuku woke up from his short drug-induced nap, his migraine was gone. Dad still wasn’t awake. Mama went and got them dinner from the hospital cafeteria. Dad still wasn’t awake. Recovery Girl came to heal Izuku. Dad still wasn’t awake. Izuku was officially discharged the next morning, bright and early. Although they didn’t leave yet because Dad still wasn’t awake. 

The doctor said it was fine. Izuku tried not to worry.

Shouta was groggy for about three seconds before he was abruptly alert. There were villains. At the USJ. And he was… at the hospital, he guessed from the white ceiling above him. His kids? That villain covered in hands was going after Izuku and…

He relaxed slightly when he managed to turn his head. Most of his panic dissolved seeing his boys slumped against each other, napping in the next bed over. They were okay. Unharmed by the looks of it. Now, what about the rest of his kids? Hizashi? What happened?

“Sho! You’re awake!” Hizashi put down whatever it was he had brought into the room and headed over to his husband. The kids were startled awake at the outburst. “How are you feeling?”

“They’re okay?” Shouta asked, wanting to verify. 

“Yeah, they’re okay. Hitoshi inhaled some smoke in the fire zone, but he’s fine. Just needs to take it easy for a few days. And then Izuku overused his quirk and got a mild brain hemorrhage, but Recovery Girl has already been by to heal him. He’s a-okay,” Hizashi promised. 

“The students?” Shouta asked. 

“Unharmed. A little exhausted maybe, but everyone’s fine,” Hizashi assured him. “Now, what about you? How are you feeling right now?”

“Like I got hit by a bus,” Shouta answered honestly. 

“The thing that hit you could probably benchpress a bus,” Hitoshi said quietly. Shouta grimaced, remembering that bird-like monster. What even was that?

“You can see okay?” Hizashi asked abruptly. 

“Yeah? Why?” Sure, they felt dry but that was because he’d overused his quirk. 

“The doctors were worried that your eyes may have been affected because of the location of some of your injuries,” Hizashi explained. Yeah, that’d make sense. 

“I’m fine, I think,” he decided after a moment. “When can we go.”

“Ahaha no!” Hizashi laughed nervously. “Do not. Don’t you dare. You’re hurt. You stay put until the doctor clears you.” Shouta was going to argue but then he saw the worried looks on his kids’ faces. 

“Fine. I’ll stay in the stupid hospital,” Shouta agreed reluctantly.

Chapter Text

He did not, in fact, stay in the stupid hospital. It took less than an hour for the hovering nurses to infuriate him. "They keep bothering me. I can get better rest at home,” Shouta had insisted. By early evening, Hizashi agreed to sign him out. Shouta 1, Hospital 0. 

At least when they got back home, Shouta agreed to go to sleep without any fight. Heading back into the living room, he found the boys curled up on the couch looking at their phones. Hizashi leaned over the back of the couch to run a hand through Izuku’s hair. “How’s your head, little listener?”

“I’m fine. Nothing’s hurt since Recovery Girl healed me,” Izuku replied. 

“And you?” Hizashi asked, turning to Hitoshi. 

“My head’s fine,” Hitoshi beamed at him. Sarcastic like Sho. 

“I meant your lungs, dear,” Hizashi sighed. 

“Yeah, they’re fine. There’s a buzzing feeling occasionally but it doesn’t hurt or anything,” Hitoshi answered. 

“Good. I’m gonna go start dinner,” Hizashi told them before heading into the kitchen. 

When they got home, Izuku finally checked his phone. He scrolled up through the messages he had missed in the group chat. 

Cat Chat

Zoomies: is everything okay???

Zoomies: I heard what happened at the USJ

Zoomies: guys?????

KING EXPLOSION: I just got home. I’m fine

Zoomies: wb Hitoshi and Izuku?

KING EXPLOSION: I’m not sure

KING EXPLOSION: The detective said Aizawa and Izuku were in the hospital

Zoomies: Hitoshi??

KING EXPLOSION: he didn’t mention him but he looked fine when I saw him last

KING EXPLOSION: that was right at the end. He ran out of the plaza. 

Zoomies: @Purple Cat buddy you good???

KING EXPLOSION: @Purple Cat seriously reply when you can

Zoomies: pls

Purple Cat: hey, sorry. I wasn’t watching my phone

Purple Cat: Dad and Izuku are unconscious but fine

Purple Cat: We’re waiting on them to wake up

Zoomies: but they are okay?

Purple Cat: Izuku is I think. It was just quirk overuse. 

Purple Cat: I think it’ll take Dad a while to be okay

Purple Cat: They said something about MULTIPLE healing sessions

KING EXPLOSION: shit

Zoomies: Dadzawa… :(

KING EXPLOSION: Let us know when they wake up

Zoomies: yes, please. Take care of yourself too. 

Purple Cat: Thanks. I will. 

~~~

Purple Cat: Izuku woke up but fell back asleep after they gave him some headache meds

KING EXPLOSION: good. His brain needs a fucking break for once

Zoomies: Did he seem okay when he woke up

Zoomies: Aside from the apparent headache

Purple Cat: yeah. He immediately tried to figure out what he did with his quirk 

KING EXPLOSION: of course he did

KING EXPLOSION: absolute nerd

KING EXPLOSION: @Green Bean When you see this, know I’m judging you

Zoomies: I’m not! I’ll theorize with you!!

~~~

Purple Cat: Dad’s up and drifting in and out

Purple Cat: He’s 5 seconds away from killing a nurse. 

Purple Cat: I’ll bet we get out of here soon

Zoomies: Being hospitalized is awful

Zoomies: I’m with him on the anti-nurse stance

KING EXPLOSION: when tf were you hospitalized?

Purple Cat: They’re just doing their jobs

Zoomies: When I got my tonsils taken out and when I got my appendix removed

Zoomies: and yes I know. They’re good. Nurses are great.

Zoomies: BUT it doesn’t make it less annoying when they keep bothering 

Zoomies: Like I am doped up, sick, in pain. Let me sleep.

Zoomies: In the moment I hate them

KING EXPLOSION: that makes sense

Zoomies: When you get home, Make Izuku message us!

KING EXPLOSION: why can’t he message now? He’s up right?

Purple Cat: And anxious as hell. He’s been worried about Dad the whole time

Purple Cat: I am too, but my phone’s a crutch when I’m anxious

Zoomies: Ahhh okay. But I wanna hear from him soon.

Purple Cat: I’ll tell him. 

~~~

And Hitoshi had. That’s why Izuku was checking the chat now. 

~~~

Green Bean: We are home!

Zoomies: IZUKU   ˚‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚

Zoomies: I was so worried!!

KING EXPLOSION: If you ever challenge a monster again I stg

Green Bean: No I was trying to hit the hand villain

Green Bean: They moved

KING EXPLOSION: HOW IS THAT BETTER??

Green Bean: So anyway Tsu knows that Aizawa’s our dad now

Purple Cat: Hold on. Don’t ignore the other question.

Green Bean: I’m not! I just don’t have an answer. 

KING EXPLOSION: So you admit it was dumb

Green Bean: it was… a misguided, instinctual reaction

Zoomies: True heroes act by instinct!

KING EXPLOSION: Heroes that survive use their heads

Green Bean: I did use my head

Purple Cat: Too much. You used your head too much. 

Green Bean: I think it’s just because of how many people I analyzed in a row

Green Bean: And then that monster had multiple quirks and they were hard to see

Green Bean: And then at the end, I think reading All Might’s lines was the final straw 

Green Bean: Or something

KING EXPLOSION: What’s wrong with All Might’s quirk

Zoomies: Like, the All Might???

Green Bean: I don’t know

Green Bean: He doesn’t spend much time in the faculty rooms when I’m there

Green Bean: But I noticed it was weird during combat training

Green Bean: I’ve just avoided reading the lines 

Purple Cat: Sounds like a mystery :3

Zoomies: Indeed :3

KING EXPLOSION: well until your brain’s stronger, leave it alone

Purple Cat: I’ll second that

Zoomies: I can teach you literal rocket science to train your brain

Purple Cat: Please don’t. I live with him.

Zoomies: Speaking of! Are you guys coming to school tomorrow?

Zoomies: Like it was canceled today because of the USJ

Zoomies: BUT I’d understand if you need more rest

Green Bean: I’m fine I think

Purple Cat: Me too. I kinda don’t want to miss anything

KING EXPLOSION: Or you don’t want to miss anyONE?

Purple Cat: Shut up!

KING EXPLOSION: Imma get you that boy’s number

Purple Cat: PLEASE DONT

KING EXPLOSION: Really? 

Purple Cat: … I’ll get it myself

KING EXPLOSION: If you don’t by the last class Imma get it for you

Zoomies: Does this mean I’ll have to witness more flirting at lunch

Green Bean: I think it does MeiMei

KING EXPLOSION: Very sad flirting

Purple Cat: Oh fuck you

KING EXPLOSION: or him 

Purple Cat: OMG STOP

KING EXPLOSION: LMAO NO

Zoomies: Boys, please

Green Bean: Ya know, Kacchan ◜▿◝

Green Bean: I don’t think it’s fair for you to tease him anymore ◜▿◝

KING EXPLOSION: why tf is that smiley face so intimidating?

Green Bean: no reason ◜▿◝

Green Bean: I’ll keep my silence ◜▿◝

KING EXPLOSION: Silence on what???

Green Bean: keep teasing my brother and find out blasty ◜▿◝

Zoomies: Izuku snapped

Purple Cat: Fantastic

KING EXPLOSION: NO! Whatchu mean???

Green Bean: I notice things. That’s all ◜▿◝

KING EXPLOSION: I’ll figure it out

Green Bean: I sure hope so. I’m rooting for you Kacchan! o(≧∇≦o)

Purple Cat: We have been summoned for dinner

Green Bean: Probably gonna sleep after

KING EXPLOSION: this isn’t over

Green Bean: Goodnight Kacchan

Zoomies: nini Izuku!

Green Bean: nini MeiMei!

“Why can’t Katsuki tease me?” Hitoshi asked as they moved to the dinner table.

“I’ve known him my whole life and I’m 98.7% sure that he has a crush on someone in the class,” Izuku replied.

“Who?” Mama asked, apparently interested in teen gossip. 

“I won’t say. I don’t want anyone teasing him until he figures it out himself,” Izuku said solemnly. “But maybe if you pay attention, you’ll notice too.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely be paying attention,” Hitoshi grinned. 

“No teasing if you figure it out,” Izuku warned. 

“No promises,” Hitoshi replied.

Chapter Text

“This is a follow-up report on yesterday’s incident at the UA rescue training facility where hero course students were attacked by villains.”

“According to police investigation, the criminals call themselves “The League of Villains” and have been plotting to kill All Might, who has been a teacher at UA since spring of this year.”

“Police have arrested 72 villains, but they still do not know the whereabouts of their ringleader.” 

From Nemuri: 

How are Sho and the kids?

To Nemuri:

Sho’s out of the hospital. More because he’s stubborn than because he’s okay. Izuku’s fine, it was quirk overuse. Recovery Girl healed him. Hitoshi breathed in some smoke and will be essentially asthmatic for a few days. 

From Nemuri: 

That’s good, considering how it could have gone. Detective Tsukauchi spoke to us today about the villain attack. Neither Shigaraki, the decay villain, nor Kurogiri, the portal villain, are registered. There is no one with their names or their quirks anywhere in the system. 

To Nemuri:

What about the third villain? 

From Nemuri: 

He was actually killed. I think Kaminari should be encouraged to see Ryo. It was necessary given the way that thing attacked, but he could still feel guilty over it. The third villain was also, as far as they can tell, not exactly a person. 

To Nemuri: 

They should probably all get a check-in with Ryo. What do you mean not a person, though?

From Nemuri:

Tsukauchi said the DNA came back with the registry of a small-time thug. But his quirk and appearance did not match that of the thing at the USJ. Its body was modified and endowed with multiple quirks. They think the original person died either before or during the process and that thing was a reanimated corpse. 

To Nemuri:

Just what are we dealing with?

From Nemuri: 

I don’t know Zashi. I don’t know. But it’s bad.  

“Hey, did you watch the news last night?” Hagakure asked the next day in class. 

“Yeah,” Ojiro replied quietly. Izuku and Hitoshi exchanged a confused glance because they actually hadn’t watched it with everything that happened after. 

“Did you see how everyone in class was on-screen for a second? I didn’t stand out at all…” Hagakure lamented. Ah, Izuku probably wasn’t on screen.

“That’s true,” Shoji agreed bluntly. 

“It’s hard to stand out looking like that, huh?” Ojiro pointed out. 

“But man, all the channels made a big deal out of it,” Kaminari cut in.  

“I was surprised,” Kirishima added.  

“Can you blame them?” Jirou asked. “The hero course that keeps pumping out heroes was attacked.”

“Who knows what would’ve happened if Kaminari hadn’t been able to take that monster down…” Sero said solemnly.  

“Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start! Stop talking and take your seats!” Iida instructed from the podium. 

There was a moment of confused silence before someone spoke. “We’re already in our seats. You’re the only one who’s not.”

“Ah, right…” Iida replied, sheepishly returning to his seat. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Uraraka told him.  

“Hey, Tsu,” Ashido chimed in, leaning back in her chair and nearly tipping it. “Who do you think is going to teach homeroom today?”

Tsu caught Ashido’s chair, righting it before replying. “Well, Aizawa-Sensei is supposed to be in the hospital recovering from his injuries…” Ahaha… yeah… about that… Izuku thought. 

The door slid open, revealing Dad in all his mummified glory. “Morning.” 

“Aizawa-Sensei, you’re back too soon!” multiple voices stated in shocked unison. 

“You’re too much of a pro!” Kaminari said, shaking his head lightly. 

“So you’re all right, Aizawa-Sensei?” Iida asked urgently. 

“Can you really call that ‘all right?’” Uraraka asked, watching Dad limp to the podium. 

“My well-being doesn’t matter,” Dad said flatly. I beg to differ, Izuku frowned. “More importantly, the fight is not yet over.”

The class leaned forward in suspense, likely worried about more villains. But then Dad announced, “The UA Sports Festival is drawing near.”

“That’s a super normal school eve--” Kirishima started, only to have Kaminari’s hand pushed into his face. 

“Wait a minute,” Kaminari said quietly. 

“Is it okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?” Jirou asked. 

“What if they attack us again or something?” Ojiro added. 

Dad sighed. “Apparently, they think of it as UA showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event. Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years.” His tone said that he didn’t agree. 

“I, personally, have put in a request for each of you to have a mandated half-hour session with our school counselor Hound Dog,” Dad said, giving everyone an intense stare. “After the mandated session, you can choose to continue with regularly scheduled therapy or not. If you would like to continue with therapy but do not mesh well with Hound Dog, UA can arrange for different counselors to meet with you.”

“Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance. It’s not an event to be canceled because of a few villains. Our sports festival is one of Japan’s biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a festival of sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they’re now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken the place of those Olympics is the UA Sports Festival.” 

“Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching,” Yaoyorozu nodded. “For scouting purposes!”

“After we graduate, it’s typical to join a pro agency as a sidekick,” Kaminari shared.  

“A lot of people miss their chance to become independent after that and become eternal sidekicks, though,” Jirou said before turning to Kaminari. “Kaminari, I feel like you’d become one of them. Since you’re dumb.”

“He’s not dumb,” Hitoshi defended. 

“Yeah, I kind of am,” Kaminari said with a weak smile. Izuku’s heart fell when he realized that Kaminari believed that. 

“Please refrain from putting down your classmates,” Dad scolded. “You will be spending the next three years together until graduation and you may wind up working together in the future as well. You’d do well to build each other up instead of tearing each other down.”

Jirou sunk into her seat, looking uncomfortable at being called out. Kaminari just looked shocked that a teacher had stood up for him. Izuku could relate to that. Teachers before UA sucked. He’s sure that it wasn’t just Aldera that was like that. 

“Back to the topic of the Sports Festival,” Dad refocused the discussion. “Of course, joining a famous hero agency will get you more experience and popularity. Time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open up at this event. Once chance a year, a total of just three chances. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don’t slack off on your preparations!”

“Yes, Sir!” the class said brightly. 

“Homeroom is dismissed,” Dad said before leaving them.

Chapter Text

“Even though all that stuff happened, I’m getting really excited!” Kirishima said when they were finally dismissed for lunch. 

“If we put on a good show and stand out, we’ll have taken the first step to becoming a pro,” Sero added. 

“It was worth coming to UA!” Satou agreed. 

“We will only receive a few chances. We cannot afford to miss this,” Tokoyami said seriously.  

“Ojirou, I’m getting kind of nervous now. I need to stand out at the sports festival!” Hagakure declared. 

“But the pros might not notice you unless you try really hard,” Ojiro pointed out.  

“Oh dear, what’ll I do?” Aoyama asked, posing. “I stand out just by standing still, so the scouts won’t be able to stop looking at me, right?”

“You’re lucky Shouji,” Kaminari commented. “Your brawn stands out on its own.”

“There’s no point if I cannot show them my usefulness,” Shouji argued. 

“Wow. Everyone’s so into it,” Izuku noted.  

“You’re not?” Iida asked incredulously. “We have enrolled here to become heroes, so of course we would get fired up. Izuku-kun, don’t you feel the same?”

“Of course I do. But…” Izuku trailed off. He didn’t really have a flashy quirk that would be suited to this sort of event.  

“Izuku-kun, Iida-kun…” a growling voice said. He turned to see Uraraka making a Kacchan-esque face. “Let’s do our best at the sports festival.”

“U-Uraraka, your face!” Izuku squeaked. “It’s…!” Terrifying.

“What’s the matter?” Ashido asked. “You don’t look carefree at all, even though that’s what your name means.” 

Uraraka struck some sort of aggressive pose. “Everyone, I’m gonna do my best!”

“Yeah!” Izuku, Tsu, Iida, and Ashido cheered encouragingly. 

Then Uraraka turned to some of the others in the classroom. “I’m gonna do my best!”

“Y-yeah…?” their cheer back was weak and they seemed confused.  “What’s wrong? Your personality’s all over the place…” 

Hm, Izuku thought. Now that I think about it, I never asked Uraraka…

“Uraraka-san?” Izuku asked on the way to the cafeteria. 

“Yes?” she replied. 

“Why did you decide to come to UA and become a pro hero?” Izuku asked. 

“Huh?” Uraraka blushed. “Um… because… for money…”

“For money? You want to become a hero for money?” Izuku confirmed.  

“To boil it down simply, yes,” Uraraka replied. “Sorry, it’s such an unwholesome reason! It’s embarrassing.”

“Why?” Iida asked. “How is having a goal to support your livelihood not admirable?”

“Right,” Izuku agreed. “But it is unexpected.”

Uraraka sighed. “My family owns a construction company, but we haven’t gotten any work at all, so we’re flat broke. This isn’t really something to tell other people though.” 

“Construction…” Iida repeated thoughtfully. 

“With her quirk, if she gets licensed, then it’d bring the costs way down, right?” Izuku asked. 

“She could make any raw materials float. They wouldn’t need any heavy equipment,” Iida agreed.  

“Right?” Uraraka jumped to face them, excited. “That’s what I told dad when I was little! But… they wanted me to pursue my own interests. So I’ll definitely become a hero and make money and let my parents take it easy.”

Ah, she’s not just aspiring to be a hero, Izuku realized. She’s also taking reality into consideration.  

“AHAHAHA Izuku-shounen is here!” a loud voice boomed. 

“All Might?” Izuku asked, seeing the hero approach from an adjoining hallway. 

“I was hoping you would join me for lunch. I’d like to speak with you about something,” All Might smiled. 

“I was going to eat with my friends,” Izuku tried but Iida spoke up. 

“It is all right! I’m sure no one would be offended if you accepted All Might’s invitation. He is our teacher after all. It’s probably important,” Iida encouraged. Clueless Iida… read the room…

“It is very important,” All Might said with a curt nod. 

“Then it’s settled. We will see you after lunch, Izuku-kun!” Iida bowed before leaving with Uraraka. Hesitantly, Izuku turned to the number one hero. He tried to quiet the rising panic by reminding himself that All Might is a hero and he probably wouldn’t hurt him. 

“Please come with me, Izuku-Shounen,” All Might said with a smile. 

“Do I have to?” Izuku asked, not really wanting to go anywhere with the guy. 

“I’d like to discuss you’re hostility towards me, among other things. As your teacher, it’s important that I know if you have a problem with me,” All Might explained, smile never faltering. Reluctantly, Izuku followed him to the teacher’s lounge. He thought nothing of it until he noticed it was empty and he heard All Might lock the door behind them. Fucking hell.  

All Might seemed surprised when he turned around and saw Izuku’s new defensive posture. “Have a seat,” he prompted, going to sit on one of the couches himself. 

“I’ll stand,” Izuku said flatly, inching away.  

“Suit yourself,” All Might sighed. “I’d like to ask first, why you know about my quirk’s time limit. That is confidential information only known by a select few people. It makes me suspicious of you and your affiliations. I’m sure you understand.”

Is he accusing me of… being a villain or something? “Have you read any of the student files,” Izuku scoffed, knowing he probably hadn’t. 

“I’m afraid, I haven’t had the time to get through more than a few yet,” All Might responded, giving him a curious look. “Why?”

“Oh my god,” Izuku muttered under his breath. “It’s my quirk, you dumbass.” 

“Excuse me?” All Might demanded, looking upset. 

“If you had read my student file, as you should have as a fucking teacher, you’d know that my quirk is the analysis of other people’s quirks. I just inherently know how their quirks work. Instead, you’re sitting here accusing me of… what? Knowing villains? Being a villain? Both of my parents are pro heroes. The fact that you would even insinu--”

“Izuku-Shounen, please calm down!” Izuku went silent and realized that he was starting to hyperventilate. After a moment, when Izuku had regulated his breathing, All Might spoke. “I can’t say I appreciate your choice of language, but perhaps I should have put in more effort to read the student files.” 

“You think?” Izuku huffed. 

“You know about my quirk then?” All Might asked next. 

“Sort of. I can’t exactly read multiple quirks at once, which you have for some reason. I get bits and pieces but I get a headache if I try to force it,” Izuku admitted. 

“What have you gotten from mine?” All Might asked hesitantly. 

“Not much. You’re not worth the headache,” Izuku replied with a glare. 

“You seem to have a problem with me,” All Might sighed. 

“Of course I do,” Izuku said with a sharp laugh. “And the fact that you can’t remember why makes it that much worse.”

“I… We’ve met?” All Might asked uncertainly. 

“Yeah,” Izuku answered simply. All Might seemed to look him over with a more thoughtful expression. Probably trying to remember him. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” All Might admitted. 

“Probably because what you said to me, you believed so whole-heartedly as a fact of life that your subconscious didn’t register it as worth remembering,” Izuku said through clenched teeth. 

“What did I--?” All Might started, only to be interrupted by the door being kicked down. 

“What the hell are you doing in a locked room with my son?” Mama growled, Dad and Hitoshi standing just behind him. All Might paled and started… smoking?

Chapter Text

Hitoshi frowned when Iida and Uraraka came to the lunch table without Izuku. “Oh, he’s with All Might,” Iida answered when Hitoshi asked about it. 

“He what?” Hitoshi jolted up, slamming his hands on the table. The rest of their intermingled friend groups turned to him. 

“I too lament that Izuku-kun is getting an opportunity to speak with All Might, but we should be happy for our friend, not jealous,” Iida said sternly. 

“I’m not jealous, you dumb fuck,” Hitoshi shouted, pulling out his phone to text his parents. 

“He’s with All Might? As in right now?” Katsuki asked, also standing now. 

“There is no need for such language,” Iida scolded before turning to Katsuki. “Yes, he is.”

“You idiot!” Katsuki said, voice strained with concern. “That asshole told Izuku he couldn’t be a hero when he was eleven! Izuku’s been trying to avoid him since he got to UA.”

“He did seem really uncomfortable,” Uraraka confessed. “I just didn’t know how to address it.”

“All Might said that to a child?” Sero asked in disbelief. Katsuki nodded. 

“That’s so fucked up,” Kaminari said, looking a little disgusted. Heads nodded in agreement. 

Finally, Hitoshi looked up from his phone. “Kats, they said they found Izuku. I’m going to go join them.”

“Kick him in the shins,” Katsuki replied with a nod. Hitoshi left the cafeteria and caught up with Mama and Dad outside the teacher’s lounge. 

“Nezu said the security cameras showed them in here,” Dad informed him. 

“But it’s fucking locked. That asshole locked the door,” Mama said, knuckles turning white from his grip on the handle. 

“I’m sure Nezu wouldn’t mind if you kicked down the door. That’s his favorite student in there. I’d kick it down myself but I’m a mummy right now,” Dad said, irritation bleeding into his voice. 

“Right then!” Mama exclaimed, before gearing up to kick it down. When it crashed to the floor, Mama stepped into the room. “What the hell are you doing in a locked room with my son?” he growled. All Might paled and started… smoking?

Izuku blinked as the smoke cleared revealing a skeletal man. When he focused, Izuku couldn’t see his lines. So his quirk wasn’t active. This must be why All Might’s quirk was active even when he was seemingly doing nothing. The form itself was a result of his quirk. 

“Yamada-san,” All Might ? coughed. “What…?”

“Is that… a Small Might?” Izuku asked incredulously. Hitoshi laughed at that in the background. 

“Hitoshi, can you put the door back?” Dad asked. “Just like, lean it in the door frame. I don’t know. My arms are fucked and Zashi’s gonna fuck up All Might so…”

“Got it,” Hitoshi nodded before putting the door back in the general area that it should be. 

“I’m confused,” Small Might announced. 

“Izuku, come here,” Mama said in a no-nonsense tone. Izuku was quick to move across the room, avoiding Small Might. “You okay?” Izuku nodded. 

“Surely you don’t think I’d hurt him,” Small Might said softly, looking hurt. 

“You had the door locked. I get to be worried about that since there’s no fucking reason for you to do that!” Mama yelled without his quirk, still making Small Might flinch. 

“He also doesn’t like you and cornering him like that could have given him a panic attack,” Dad chimed in. 

“I was actually just about to ask why…” Small Might told them. 

“You don’t know? You don’t remember him? Seriously?” Mama asked, appalled. 

“I don’t. I’m sorry,” Small Might answered meekly. 

“Do you often tell children that they can’t be heroes and then forget them as if that’s okay or normal?” Mama huffed, glaring a hole in the shrunken hero. 

“I…” Small Might paused, frowning. “That… quirkless child?”

“So you do remember…” Izuku murmured. 

“As it turns out, he wasn’t quirkless. But because of the type of quirk he has, he will be fighting quirkless as a hero. You were wrong to say that to a child,” Dad spoke in an icy tone. 

“Not to mention, he was homeless at the time. You’re a pro hero, damn it. If you see a child in the state he was in, you take them to the police or something. You don’t crush their spirits and walk away,” Mama scolded. 

“I didn’t realize he was homeless,” Small Might said quietly. 

“That doesn’t change the fact that you should have never said he couldn’t be a hero,” Dad stated. 

“You can’t be a hero without a quirk though,” Small Might argued. 

“I fight quirkless and I’m a pro hero,” Dad countered. “Anyone with a mental quirk would fight quirkless. Like Ragdoll or Nighteye.” Izuku recognized Nighteye as someone All Might used to work with. "Quirks are just a tool, like support items.” 

“We’ll have to agree to disagree,” Small Might said firmly. 

“We definitely disagree,” Mama said, narrowing his eyes. “Now, why did you bring my son here and lock the door.”

“I just wanted to talk in private. About his hostility towards me and something he mentioned at the USJ,” Small Might answered. 

“You don’t need to lock the door for that. Izuku has a history of trauma, as noted in his student file. You should have known better than to do something like that,” Mama pointed out. 

“He said he hasn’t read all of the student files yet,” Izuku told him. 

“You were supposed to read them before you started teaching any classes. Some of our students have physical or mental health issues or serious quirk side effects,” Dad reprimanded. “I will be informing Nezu that you haven’t yet.”

“What did he say during the USJ?” Hitoshi asked, finally joining the conversation. 

“I mentioned the time limit on his quirk,” Izuku answered. “If he had been at the USJ, Dad might not have gotten hurt. I was mad so I snapped at him about it.”

“The details of my quirk are highly confidential, so I was worried that Izuku-Shounen might be affiliated with--”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Did you seriously try to accuse my son of being a villain?” Mama gaped at Small Might. 

“I didn’t say that,” Small Might said at the same moment that Izuku said, “Basically.”

“His quirk is literally to read other quirks. It doesn’t turn off. He can’t help it. Another thing that’s in his student file. What is wrong with you?” Mama asked, outraged. 

“I’m questioning Nezu’s choice to hire you,” Dad said flatly. 

“It was the hero commission’s choice,” the principal himself chimed in, startling everyone. “I had no say in the matter. Hello! I was watching from my office. The cameras have audio.” Small Might paled further. 

“I came here after I heard that you haven’t read the student files. I gave them to you a full week before you started. I expected them to be read,” Nezu blinked up at the shrunken hero. 

“I had hero work,” Small Might defended. 

“So do they,” Nezu said motioning to the other two heroes in the room. “They also have two children, four if you include Hatsume Mei and Bakugou Katsuki who are always with them. And they teach, create lesson plans, grade student work, complete the paperwork I give them, and provide time to tutor and counsel their students. It can be done.”

“I--” Small Might tried. 

“Nope. No excuses,” Nezu chirped. “Frankly, a lot has happened here today that is inexcusable. I can’t exactly fire you since hiring you wasn’t my choice, but I can dictate what you can and can not do in my establishment. For starters, you will spend the next month ghosting other teachers and learning how to teach properly. You will be a teaching assistant, nothing more.”

“You will also be getting sensitivity training from Hound Dog and lessons on dealing with the mental health needs of our students. Such as not isolating and trapping a student with PTSD as you’ve just done with Izuku-kun. I will re-evaluate you when the month is up to see if the training needs to continue or if you can start teaching with a partner.”

“You will come to my office after school today so that we can discuss the complete details of what you did wrong today. And All Might, you will read the student files.” Nezu glared before leaving. 

They all watched him go before Mama turned back to Small Might. “If you come near Izuku for any reason other than his schooling, I will shout you through the nearest wall.”

“I will kick you in the shins,” Hitoshi declared. 

“I’ll let them,” Dad added. 

Small Might nodded.

Chapter Text

“I’m not actually hungry,” Izuku complained quietly. Mama had sent him to the cafeteria with Hitoshi since he hadn’t actually eaten yet and there were only twenty minutes left of the lunch hour. But he was still really anxious from that confrontation. 

“You eat or I force-feed you,” Hitoshi threatened as they sat down with their friends. “Or at least eat a little bit,” he amended. 

“Izuku-kun! I deeply apologize for failing to notice your discomfort with All Might,” Iida said, nearly smashing his face into the table during his attempt to bow while seated. 

“It’s super fucked that he told baby you that you couldn’t be a hero,” Ashido chimed in. “Like you’re already tiny and adorable but a baby you would be even more so. Who’s that heartless?”

“All Might apparently,” Sero said with thinly veiled contempt. 

“You told them?” Izuku asked Hitoshi. 

“Nah. I did, Nerd,” Kacchan declared proudly. 

“We should have a group chat,” Ashido announced. She was met with some confused looks. “So that if something like this happens again, we can text the group and someone can come to bail us out from an uncomfortable situation. Duh.”

“Also because we’re friends. I’d be nice to keep in touch after school,” Kirishima added. At the agreement of everyone, numbers were exchanged so that a group chat could be set up. There was a frenzy of invitations and nickname changes while Izuku tried to eat a bit. 

“Everyone should send their name names so that we know what nicknames go to who,” Kaminari suggested. “I didn’t realize how many of us there are and I’m a little confused. I can guess some but…”

The Squads’ Central Hub

Alien Queen: Ashido Mina

Keroppi: Asui Tsuyu

Pikachu: Kaminari Denki

Let It Rock: Kirishima Eijirou

KING EXPLOSION: Bakugou Katsuki

Game Boy: Sero Hanta

Iida Tenya: Iida Tenya

There Goes Gravity: Uraraka Ochaco

Green Bean: Aiyama Izuku

Purple Cat: Aiyama Hitoshi

Zoomies: Hatsume Mei

Alien Queen: Iida no… it’s supposed to be a nickname. 

Iida Tenya: Like what?

There Goes Gravity: Sonic or Flash maybe?

Iida Tenya: Sonic is blue right?

Game Boy: omg yes… 

⇒ Iida Tenya has changed their nickname to ‘Sonic’

They spent the last bit of the lunch hour talking in person, rather than through the group chat. Because why text when they’re face to face? Izuku was able to eat most of his food. Having everyone know what All Might said and be on his side made him feel a lot better. 

“I will be teaching Hero Basic Training today,” Shouta announced to the class. 

“What happened to All Might?” Hagakure asked. “Is he okay?”

“All Might will not be teaching his usual classes for the next month, possibly longer. You will likely see him around in other classes as a teaching assistant, though,” Shouta answered. He noted the annoyed and angry expressions on the faces of the students his kids hung out with. They must have heard the details from one of his four problem children.

“Why? Did something happen?” Yaoyorozu asked, looking serious yet concerned. 

“It has come to the attention of the staff that All Might was not actually ready to teach and so Nezu is having him undergo some training,” Shouta explained. “I will also not be the only one teaching this course. I will be alternating with other teachers so that you can learn from a variety of sources.”

“Now since the Sports Festival is coming up, we will be focusing on drills for both fighting techniques and strengthening your quirks. You have two weeks to prepare,” Shouta told them.

At the end of the day, Izuku and the rest of his class found themselves unable to leave the room. The hallway was filled with other students from the other classes. Izuku took one look at the crowd and strongly contemplated jumping out the window. 

“How are we supposed to get out?” Ashido huffed. 

“What are they even doing blocking us in like that?” Kaminari asked. Izuku did not miss how he moved a little closer to Hitoshi. Why weren’t they dating yet?

“I can’t brainwash that many people,” Hitoshi admitted. 

“Oi! Get out of the way, Extras,” Kacchan barked, approaching the open door. 

“You can’t call everyone you don’t know an Extra,” Iida scolded. 

“We just wanted to see the infamous Class 1-A,” someone said from the hallway. 

“The class that survived being attacked by villains,” another continued. 

“Well, you’ve seen us. Now fucking move,” Kacchan said with an angry calm. Ah, that was worse than explosive Kacchan. 

“Here I thought you guys were something special but you’re just arrogant pricks,” yet another voice joined in with a mocking tone. 

“Bro, you’re going to make them think we’re all mean like you,” Kirishima pouted. 

“Hah? I’m not mean,” Kacchan protested. 

“He’s an acquired taste,” Hitoshi supplied with a smirk. 

“Hey! Are you even paying attention to us?” a girl in front of the door whined. 

“Izuku, what are you doing?” Uraraka cried as he climbed into the window he’d opened. 

“I’m leaving, damn it. I don’t like this,” he answered, ignoring the shrieks and shouts as he dropped to the ground. It wasn’t that far, really. His classroom at Aldera was higher up. He didn’t like being trapped. He didn’t like crowds. 

“Izu, wait for me!” Hitoshi called, hoisting himself up. Surprisingly, the rest of the class followed suit, completely ignoring the other classes. With quirks and teamwork, they got everyone down safely. It was kind of fun actually. From there, the class split up as people headed home. 

The Squads’ Central Hub

Game Boy: I still can’t believe Izuku yeeted himself out of a window

Pikachu: That was great. And Hitoshi following with no hesitation. 

Green Bean: I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I hate being trapped and crowds.

Let It Rock: Nah man, it’s cool. We get it.

Sonic: I will keep this in mind for future reference!

Alien Queen: Everybody’s got something!

There Goes Gravity: Speaking of, what does everyone think of the mandated therapy

Sonic: I am pleased to see that UA takes mental health as seriously as physical!

Let It Rock: I’m fine with it. I used to be in therapy, back in middle school

Zoomies: I am not in the hero course, but I have started occupational therapy

Zoomies: It’s tolerable so far

Alien Queen: Therapy for a job?

Zoomies: No it’s like. To learn how to do things better. 

KING EXPLOSION: it’s to adapt to life and stuff. I went when my quirk first came in

KING EXPLOSION: I hurt my arms at first so I had to change how I did some things

Zoomies: yeah that! 

Pikachu: Are you injured?

Sonic: I do believe it’s rude to ask about medical information!

Zoomies: I’m not injured. I just have brain stuff. I don’t want to get into it.

Zoomies: It makes it hard to do daily stuff like talking to people or keeping a schedule

Purple Cat: Brain stuff sucks

Let It Rock: Agreed

Keroppi: I don’t think it’ll be bad but I don’t think I’ll make it a regular thing

There Goes Gravity: I’ve considered it but… I don’t know if I need it

Purple Cat: Everyone can benefit from therapy

Sonic: Plus medical care, including therapy, is included in your UA tuition!

Sonic: If you’d like to go even to have someone to ask for advice, you should take advantage of it. 

There Goes Gravity: I hadn’t thought of it like that

Green Bean: Hound Dog is a really good person to talk to

Pikachu: How do you know?

Green Bean: oh um

Sonic: You do not have to tell us!

Green Bean: No, it’s fine. I’ve been in therapy with Hound Dog for a while. 

Green Bean: Not quite a year but close

Alien Queen: How? We only started UA this week?

~~~

“You did not think that one through,” Hitoshi laughed from his bed. 

“What do I say?” Izuku asked. 

“That Nezu did your quirk counseling? I don’t know,” Hitoshi said, looking over at Izuku who was sitting at Hitoshi’s desk.

~~~

Green Bean: I don’t think everyone here knows, but I have an intelligence quirk

Alien Queen: I was not aware, but go on. 

Green Bean: well no one knew about it. They just thought I was weird and smart

Green Bean: so I was misdiagnosed quirkless until last year

Let It Rock: bro… 

Keroppi: You have really good quirk control though

Green Bean: That’s because I did quirk counseling with Nezu. 

Green Bean: I saw him every Friday after school

Green Bean: I used to blackout every time my quirk was triggered

KING EXPLOSION: Because it fried his brain

Zoomies: It’s called sensory overload. 

Green Bean: Yes. And so Nezu trained me until I was able to stay aware when it activated

Green Bean: Since I was technically a UA student, just a special case, they let me see Hound Dog

Pikachu: And you like him?

Green Bean: I do. He’s helpful

Alien Queen: then it’ll definitely be fine!

There Goes Gravity: Agreed! I trust Izuku!

Chapter Text

Aoyama Yuuga

A little egotistical. Kind-hearted under it all. Spent a good 20 of his 30 minutes talking about cheese. I know too much about cheese now. Easily distracted otherwise. Would not tell me where he was during the USJ incident. But kept bringing it up. 

 

Recommendation: Group therapy to learn to be mindful of others and potentially relate with them.  

Ashido Mina

Hyperactive and kind. She let me know that she’s had a nightmare about what she witnessed with Thirteen. Very extroverted. Spent most of her session talking about the new friends she made and gossiping (politely.) Confident while simultaneously having low self-esteem. 

 

Recommendation: Group therapy or Bi-Weekly individual sessions (every other week.)

Asui Tsuyu

Eldest sibling of two. Has a high level of maturity. Having raised her siblings, she has a detachment from behaviors and emotions typical of her age. Has difficulty speaking from an emotional standpoint, instead relaying the USJ events factually. Blunt to a fault. 

 

Recommendation: Mindfulness journaling to regain connection with her emotions.

Iida Tenya

Somehow lectured me on the benefits of Psychology in the hero field. Has an unhealthy idolization of his elder brother. Very hard on himself. Cares about his classmates despite admitting that he has difficulty understanding them. 

 

Recommendation: Screen for ASD. Therapy sessions to learn social cues and situational awareness. 

Uraraka Ochaco

Big heart. Has a lot of anxiety. Obsessive-compulsive tendencies surrounding money, due to impoverished upbringing. Genuinely happy regardless, but has rapid mood swings between a good mood, content mood, anxiety, obsessive behavior. 

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy and journaling to keep track of thoughts

Ojiro Mashirao  

Seems to not care about the USJ event, in the sense that he was not worried for his own safety. He comes across as timid, calm, and collected. Subtle people-pleasing behavior. Although he is confident in his martial arts skills, he has low confidence in nearly every other area of life. 

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy and group therapy to work on confidence.

Kaminari Denki

Cheerful and extroverted. But self-deprecating. Easily distracted. Went off on multiple tangents. Although feelings between him and Aiyama Hitoshi seem to be mutual from what he shared with me, he seems to genuinely believe it’s not possible for him to be liked. Severe self-hatred. Youngest sibling. Suspected depression, anxiety, eating disorder, ADHD, and CPTSD. 

 

Recommendation: Screen for ADHD. General weekly therapy. Teachers should also monitor for signs of abuse or self-harm. 

Kirishima Eijirou

Has admitted to being previously diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Insists that he is 2 years clean of self-harm. Very cheerful, possibly overcompensating. Had done a lot to alter his appearance and personality. Extremely caring. Previously in the foster care system, before being adopted by his two moms. They are very worried about his choice to attend UA.

 

Recommendation: Bi-weekly therapy (every other week) to monitor his depression. Increase frequency if anything triggers a depressive episode or a self-harm relapse. 

Kouda Kouji

Quiet and anxious. Possibly selectively mute. Knows sign language. Spent most of his session in silence. Hyper-empathetic?

 

Recommendation: Group therapy to grow more accustomed to the presence of others. 

Satou Rikidou

Gentle giant. He gave me a cookie. It was delicious. He said that he picked up baking due to his quirk’s usage of sugar. No notable issues in behavior or home life. 

 

Recommendation: Monthly wellness check

Shouji Mezou

Wears a mask due to concern about scaring others with his appearance. A very serious student. Apologized for not being able to do more during the USJ event. Takes on responsibility for things he doesn’t need to or shouldn’t. 

 

Recommendation: Bi-weekly therapy (every other week) to learn to overcome an over-active sense of responsibility. 

Jirou Kyouka

Introverted. Excessive guilt. A possible sign of OCD, depression, and/or anxiety. Expresses guilt over not being a musician like her parents, inadvertently eavesdropping due to her quirk-induced sensitive hearing, and not having a “useful” enough quirk. Impulsively makes sarcastic remarks without malicious intent.

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy and journaling

Sero Hanta

Calm and relaxed. Shows a healthy amount of concern for his classmates. Has a level of complacency often seen in middle children of large families like his. Likely had to develop an independent streak out of necessity. May have a hard time asking for help, especially from authority figures. 

 

Recommendation: Monthly wellness check. Teachers should monitor for struggles in class and subtly offer help. 

Tokoyami Fumikage

Unusual speaking pattern. It was quite interesting to converse with him. His quirk, Dark Shadow, is sentient. Has expressed concern about losing control over dark shadow in dark environments. 

 

Recommendation: Monthly wellness check. Additional monitored quirk training 

Todoroki Shouto

Extreme emotional detachment. Spoke factually and minimally about the USJ event. Refused to speak about anything else. Dissociated twice during our session. I am seeing a lot of behavioral red flags for abuse. 

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy (though he probably won’t agree.) Teachers should also monitor for signs of abuse or self-harm.

Hagakure Tooru

Struggles with being literally invisible. Apparently, no one could see her during the USJ incident and she almost got hit by a classmate's quirk. Places a high level of importance on being noticed and popular, which is understandable given her quirk.

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy. Teachers should make an effort to include her in class so that she doesn’t feel forgotten 

Bakugou Katsuki

I have had the opportunity to speak to Bakugou prior. His anger issues seem to have quelled significantly since then, despite still having an abrasive personality. Likely CPTSD. Most outbursts of anger stem from defensiveness and fear rather than actual rage. 

 

Recommendation: He is already attending therapy outside of school. Teachers should approach and speak calmly with him. 

Aiyama Izuku

See previous notes for full history details. Has admitted to having nightmares nearly every night since the USJ incident. Witnessed his father’s (Aizawa’s) injuries in the attack. He apparently had believed Aizawa to have been killed at one point. Has expressed concern about the fact that one of the villains, Shigaraki, has shown an interest in him. Going so far as to call him “Player Two.” Shigaraki has approached Izuku twice now. During the USJ incident but also during the Media Break-in prior. He has also mentioned feelings of anxiety since a recent confrontation with All Might that resulted in All Might being demoted to a TA position. Has been experiencing dysphoria/dysphoria-like episodes. 

 

Recommendation: Continue our weekly therapy sessions. An added session with Nemuri for gender counseling. She can decide if he should attend more. Teachers should know how to handle panic attacks and flashback episodes. I can provide training if you don’t already know. 

Aiyama Hitoshi

See previous notes for full history details. Has admitted to having nightmares several times since the USJ attack. Did not witness the attack on his father (Aizawa) but saw the after-effects. Did witness Izuku nearly getting attacked by the Nomu and later passing out from quirk exhaustion. Reported two ‘bad days’ with his depression. Has informed me that he’s declaring war on All Might. (Non-violent, good-natured defense of his brother. I see no issue with it.)

 

Recommendation: Continue our weekly therapy sessions. Teachers should know how to handle panic attacks and flashback episodes. I can provide training if you don’t already know.

Yaoyorozu Momo

Unexpectedly insecure. Lacks self-confidence. People pleaser. Places a lot of importance on proper etiquette and behavior, likely due to upper-class upbringing. Internalized homophobia? Seemed to show a romantic interest in another student when speaking about her actions during the USJ event, mentioned wishing she was a boy or vice versa so she could ask her out. When I suggested doing it anyway, she got rather upset. 

 

Recommendation: General weekly therapy. An added session with Nemuri for sexual/romantic orientation counseling. She can decide if she should attend more.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, little listener,” Hizashi beamed as Hitoshi walked into the kitchen. 

“Mama, Izuku won’t get ready,” Hitoshi said softly. 

“What do you mean?” Hizashi asked. 

“Like he’s sitting on his bed, still in his pajamas, staring at his uniform like he might cry,” Hitoshi explained. 

“Oh, dear. Okay. I’ll go talk to him. You eat your breakfast.” Hitoshi nodded as Hizashi turned to head to Izuku’s room. Sure enough, he found Izuku exactly as Hitoshi had described. “Baby, what’s wrong?” Hizashi asked gently. 

“I don’t know,” Izuku huffed. “I don’t want to wear it.”

“Because you’d rather wear a skirt today?” Hizashi guessed. Izuku nodded. “Why don’t you?” 

“I think I have to wear the uniform?” Izuku pointed out, confused. 

“Yes, but the school uniform has a pant and a skirt version,” Hizashi smiled. 

“I can wear that?” Izuku asked, eyes wide. 

“Sure. The staff in charge of sending out your class schedule and uniform send one style automatically based on your registration but students are welcome to request the alternate style,” Hizashi explained. “You just have to wear it according to the dress code.”

Izuku looked happy for a moment before he deflated. “What if people make fun of me?” 

“I’m pretty sure Bakugou would blow them up,” Hizashi laughed. “But seriously, if anyone gives you shit, let a staff member know. We have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying, especially over things like gender identity or expression.”

“How soon could I get the skirt version?” Izuku asked. 

“Today, probably. Get dressed and we can ask someone at the administrative office for it before school.” Izuku nodded, finally getting out of bed. Hizashi left him to get ready for school. 

“Are those thigh-high socks?” Hitoshi asked as they walked to class. 

“Leggings are against the dress code and I didn’t want to wear the short socks,” Izuku defended. 

“Ah, okay. Because I was gonna say, you’ve never worn them before,” Hitoshi responded. 

“Do you think anyone will make fun of me?” Izuku asked nervously as they neared the classroom door. 

“I don’t think our class is like that. But Iida might say something dumb just because he’s socially inept,” Hitoshi shrugged before pushing Izuku through the doorway. “Anyway, in you go. Face your fears.”

Izuku kept his head down, not really mentally ready to see any reactions. Although, Kacchan smiled in that proud way he does when Izuku walked past him to get to his desk.  “Izuku-kun. You are not following the proper dress code. I must insist that you change into a boy’s uniform at once,” Iida said sternly. Hitoshi shot Izuku a look that said ‘I told you so.’

Looking up, most of the class was watching him now. Thankfully they all looked curious or confused rather than angry or disgusted. “Actually, Iida-kun, I am following the dress c-code. There is no rule saying that a specific s-style has to be worn. Only that you follow the dress c-code for whichever style you wear.”

Iida looked contemplative. “Why are you wearing the girl’s uniform at all?” he finally asked. 

“Dude, you can’t ask people that,” Sero said scoldingly. 

“Do you still go by the same name and pronouns?” Jirou asked. 

“Yeah, I’m cis. I just. I’m gender non-conforming,” Izuku said quietly. 

“Cool. You do you,” Jirou smiled. 

“What’s gender non-conforming?” Uraraka asked. 

“When you’re gender expression doesn’t quite match what society expects of you. Sometimes I feel more comfortable in traditionally feminine clothing,” Izuku explained. “I didn’t know that I could wear the skirt style of the uniform or I would have already. Ma-Mic, Present Mic told me just this morning because he saw that I was upset about wearing the pants style today.”

“Well, I think you look good!” Ashido declared brightly. 

“T-thank you,” Izuku flushed. 

“I apologize for making a scene,” Iida bowed. “That was rude of me.”

“It’s fine,” Izuku assured him. And it was. No one had anything bad to say and he was treated like normal. Izuku and Uraraka bonded over their shared preference of the longer socks. And if Jirou showed up in the pants uniform the next day, no one made a big deal out of that either. 

The first class that All Might got to be a TA in was English. With Mama. Apparently, it was the one general studies class that he was most qualified for, having lived in America for so long. 

“All Might, please write these sentences up on the board. Don’t correct them, that’s what the kids will be doing,” Mama instructed. All Might simply nodded and got to writing. 

“What do you think he said to him to make him that passive?” Hitoshi whispered from behind him. Izuku shrugged. It couldn’t have been good. At least not for All Might. 

For the entirety of the class, anytime All Might spoke, he was ignored by eleven out of twenty students. They’d follow assignments, sure. They weren’t about to jeopardize their education. But they refused to speak to him. The others in class noticed and began to decrease the frequency of their responses. All Might was clearly uncomfortable with the growing animosity. 

“Students will not always like you. You have to learn to deal with it,” Izuku heard Mama say quietly after All Might whispered something to him. It seemed like several others overheard that. 

After class ended, the classmates out of the loop had questions. “I am all for banding together to be petty but can I know why we’re being petty?” Jirou asked. 

“All Might is a quirkest bigot,” Sero answered immediately. Izuku laid his head on his desk. He never wanted to make a big deal out of it but his friends had other plans apparently. 

“Why do you say that?” Hagakure asked, sounding confused. 

“He told Izuku-kun that he couldn’t be a hero when he was only eleven! That’s like. A baby bean!” Ashido cried, still outraged. 

“That is not sparkling behavior at all, mon amie!” Aoyama frowned. 

“Is that why you’ve seemed avoidant of All Might?” Tokoyami asked, evidently having noticed Izuku’s behavior. 

“Yeah. He didn’t seem to recognize me, so I just avoided him. And the day he got demoted to a TA, he confirmed that he had no idea who I was,” Izuku answered. 

“Seriously? He’d say something that harsh to a kid and then forget about it?” Hagakure gasped angrily. “How insensitive!”

“What is your quirk?” Satou asked abruptly. “It hasn’t come up yet. I was thinking maybe something with agility?” A few others chimed in with guesses of speed, agility, and one person even guessed it something like Nighteye’s foresight. 

“I, uh, have a type of intelligence quirk actually. It’s called Mind Map because I can map our strengths, weaknesses, and abilities of people. Primarily relating to quirks,” Izuku explained before flinching at the loud reaction from the students that didn’t already know. 

“What?!”

“So you know all our quirks?”

“Do you know about past injuries?”

“How are you so fast then?”

“How does it work?”

“Calm down. Let him answer,” Hitoshi scolded. The class quieted, awaiting answers. 

“Okay, so, I used to just blackout when my quirk was triggered because I never got quirk counseling, so I suffered from sensory overload. But now that I stay aware, I see like, um, these glowing lines in the air. Some form pictures or graphs, some become text or equations, and others are like guidelines. Like Kacchan, for example, the lines would show me his blast radius.”

“I don’t have foresight but I can see a predictive path of movement based on your stats and momentum and such. To prevent sensory overload, I can sort of ‘fold’ the information away into simpler lines. And then the lines only appear when your quirk is active or obvious. When I can’t see your quirk, I can still see basic stats like strength or speed,” Izuku explained. 

“And All Might said you can’t be a hero with that?” Ojiro asked, disbelieving. 

“Why didn’t you have quirk counseling?” Yaoyorozu asked. 

“Well, he thought I was quirkless actually. Pretty much everyone in my life did. I was misdiagnosed because no one recognized my quirk for what it was. I didn’t actually get quirk counseling until last year,” Izuku admitted. 

“Not that it matters!” Ashido chimed in. “There are tons of heroes with mental quirks that basically fight quirkless! Even if he was quirkless, he could have done it!”

“Yeah, I mean with just regular physical training and support items, most of us thought he had a physical quirk,” Kirishima pointed out. 

“Even if he had been quirkless and All Might really thought he couldn’t be a hero, you don’t say that kind of shit to a child,” Jirou frowned. “You let kids keep dreaming while they’re young.”

“Then can I count on you to join me in my passive-aggressive war against the number one hero?” Hitoshi asked the class. Responses of agreement spread throughout the room. Izuku sighed.

Chapter Text

“Hagakure-san, could I talk to you about something?” Izuku asked. 

“Oh, sure. What is it?” she replied. He couldn’t see her expression but she sounded relaxed. 

Izuku pulled out his notebook and flipped to her page. “Okay, so I was thinking about your costume and I know no one can actually see you, but I think you really ought to be wearing clothes. Even if your modesty isn’t called into question, you could still be cut or burned or just hurt in general by your opponents. Plus I’m sure it’ll be freezing in the winter. I know wearing typical clothes would give you away but if they were able to weave fabric out of your hair, the clothes they can make from that will take on the same properties and they’ll be invisible.”

He paused when he heard dead silence and her uniform wasn’t moving. “Ah, sorry if I was rambling…”

Then he heard a sniffle and she spoke in a watery voice. “Y-you’re the f-first person to c-care about that! Thank y-you!”

“You’re welcome,” Izuku beamed. 

“So I’m not dumb?” Denki asked, suspicious. 

“No, Kaminari-kun. You just have ADHD,” Hound Dog explained patiently. 

“How does knowing that help me?” Denki asked, tilting his head in confusion. 

“Well, for starters, you can look up study methods that have worked for others with ADHD in the past. You can also receive resources to help you in the classroom. Such as getting a different version of an assignment or quiz that’s easier for you to focus on,” Hound Dog answered. “There are also medications you can take to manage symptoms of ADHD if non-pharmaceutical options aren’t enough in your case.”

“Huh,” Denki responded, a little upset that no one ever thought of this before. 

“Nezu!” Hitoshi exclaimed, storming into his office. 

“Hitoshi-kun!” Nezu responded with equal fervor. 

“Can we prank All Might? I’ve waged a war,” Hitoshi asked. 

“I don’t see why not. Just don’t hurt him or damage school property,” Nezu smiled. “I’ll be watching the cameras to see what you come up with.”

“Do you think we’d get in trouble if we had Uraraka float two tables together?” Pinky asked. “Like we’ve been seating 11 at one table by borrowing a chair from elsewhere, but the whole class plus Mei is 21.”

“Do it and ask for forgiveness later,” Katsuki suggested. 

“Aw, bro, you wanna sit with the class,” Shitty Hair beamed at him. Katsuki glared at the literal golden retriever of a person. He could practically see a tail wagging behind him. 

“Shut up. It’s whatever,” he grumbled, looking away. 

“Izuku-chan,” Tsu caught up to him as he walked back to the classroom after hero training. 

“Yeah?” he asked, slowing down for her. 

“I was thinking about it, kero, and is ‘Aiyama’ meant to be a combination of Aizawa and Yamada?” she asked calmly. 

“Uh yes, but please don’t tell anyone!” he exclaimed. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t, kero. I was just curious,” she gave him a small smile. 

Shouta groaned as he slid into his desk chair. Scarred for life. 

“Woah, what happened?” Nemuri asked. “You seem grumpier than usual.”

“I swear to god, I thought they were going to fuck in the obstacle course or something,” he told her, panicked. “They don’t get to spar together anymore.”

“What? Who?” Nemuri demanded, always eager for gossip. 

“Kaminari and my kid. My child , Nem. Whatever happened to sweet, little, ‘can’t build a snowman’ Hitoshi?” She snickered. “It’s not funny! They aren’t even dating yet. I can’t handle this.”

“I can’t wait to see how you react to Izuku dating,” she cackled. 

“Izuku’s not dating?” he uncertainly declared. “Who? He doesn’t even have a crush.”

“I meant someday,” she answered, laughing harder. 

“No? Never?” Not baby Izuku…

“All Might, would you please read the next passage?” Cementoss asked. 

“Yes, of course!” Yagi said before reaching into his bag to pull out his copy. Except when he opened it, it was completely blank. He stared at it in confusion. 

“Is there a problem?” Cementoss asked flatly. 

“Uh, it appears that my book is blank,” Yagi said sheepishly, showing the pages to the other teacher. Cementoss gave him an unimpressed look. 

“Yaoyorozu, would you please read the next passage?” Cementoss turned his attention to the students. Yagi’s gaze followed. From the amused looks most of the class was giving him, they were behind this somehow. The question was why?

Kouda and Izuku were paired together on a training exercise. It was a ‘capture the flag’ style and Auntie Nemuri was teaching. Kouda looked extremely anxious. ‘You can sign, right?’ Izuku asked after a moment. 

‘You can sign too?’ Kouda asked, eyes wide. 

“Hitoshi, Kacchan, and I all can,” Izuku answered, spoken since names were harder to sign. “Do you mind being spoken to?”

‘That’s fine. Talking is just hard,’ Kouda replied. 

“I understand. You can sign to me whenever!” Izuku beamed at him. “I’m happy to translate too.”

‘Thank you,’ Kouda signed, looking happy enough to cry. 

“Soooo,” Mina smiled at Denki. “When are you gonna ask out your purple boy?”

“Shh! Mina!” Denki waved his hands glancing to where Hitoshi sat across the room with his brother. Good, he hadn’t heard.  

“Please tell me your kidding,” she gaped at him. 

“Bro, I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Kirishima smiled. 

“Guys, no. Just no. People don’t like me, okay. I’m lucky enough that he tolerates my bi panic bullshit. I don’t need to push it,” Denki said awkwardly, feeling himself turn red. 

“I think he likes you, kero,” Tsu chimed in. She shrugged when the three looked at her, a little surprised that she had been listening. 

“You can’t really believe that. I mean he’s him . And I’m…” Denki trailed off. Hound Dog said he couldn’t call himself dumb anymore. 

Before he could think of another adjective, Mina spoke. “Uh-uh. No. That boy is head over heels for you. When you flipped him and then fucking straddled him during combat training the other day, he was looking at you like you hung the moon and stars.”

“I don’t think--” Denki protested. 

“Yeah, no, I agree. I haven’t seen two people so aggressively in love since. Well, ever,” Kirishima said nodding. 

“You should go for it,” Tsu agreed. 

“Maybe,” Denki decided. 

Somewhere between the lunch table incident and the collective agreement to start pranking All Might, the entire class got added to the group chat. 

Class 1A Chat

Alien Queen: It’s only a couple of days until the sports festival!

Pikachu: I can’t wait!!

The Ninja: I am also excited.

Invisigirl: We’ll be on TV!

Let It Rock: There’ll be tons of scouts watching

Yaomomo: That’s when they choose students for internships too

Pikachu: Really??

Yaomomo: Yes. Although internships don’t start until 2nd year

Let It Rock: aw :(

Goth AF: I would also like to do an internship

Sonic: We should focus on our studies and basic training first.

Pikachu: boring :( I don’t like math

Sonic: Math is important

Pikachu: Is not :(

Animal Planet: I can’t say I’m a fan of math either

Game Boy: I hate history

There Goes Gravity: History is the worst!

Sonic: Everyone, please. General education classes are important.

Green Bean: look at that. You guys made Iida-kun sad.

Pikachu: Sorry :(

Game Boy: my bad :(

Animal Planet: sorry Iida-kun :(

There Goes Gravity: (◞ ‸ ◟)

Sonic: I am not sad.

Let It Rock: I’m kind of sad

There Goes Gravity: Aw why???

Let It Rock: I saw this puppy and the owner let me pet it 

Let It Rock: But then I had to go home where there is no puppy

KING EXPLOSION: you are a puppy

Blast It: oh shit

Game Boy: Blasty has surfaced

Pikachu: 👀

Let It Rock: Aw bakubro do you like puppies???

Purple Cat: looks like he does (¬‿¬)

Blast It: Yeah, I see it too…

KING EXPLOSION: shut it

Let It Rock: There’s this shelter in town that lets you come play with the dogs!

Let It Rock: We should go!

Blast It: Amazing…

Let It Rock: It is! Do you want to come too?

Blast It: omg yes

Let It Rock: They have cats too if anyone else wants to come! 

Let It Rock: Their next event is the weekend after the Sports Festival!

Purple Cat: ajldasfslkfe

Green Bean: Toshi wants to go. He loves cats

Alien Queen: really? I wouldn’t have guessed. 

Alien Queen: *cough*Purple Cat*cough*

Sonic: I will bring a sign-up sheet to school tomorrow so that we have a list of who all wants to come!

Let It Rock: Awesome!!

Chapter Text

“Man, I wanted to wear my costume,” Ashido whined, pulling at the sleeve of her gym uniform. All of Class 1-A minus Iida was gathered in a waiting room below the Sports Festival arena. 

“To keep everything fair, we can’t,” Ojiro reminded her gently while he stretched.  

“I wonder what the first round is going to be?” Satou mused aloud.  

“No matter what comes, we have no choice but to deal with it,” Tokoyami said solemnly.  

“Right.,” Shouji gave a curt nod of agreement. 

Suddenly Iida burst into the room. “Everyone, are you ready? We will be entering soon!” The class president received several nods and murmurs of confirmation in response. 

“Aiyama Izuku,” Todoroki spoke in a level voice as he approached Izuku.  

“Todoroki-kun? What is it?” The dual-quirked teen had barely spoken to Izuku since the USJ incident. 

“Looking at things objectively, I think I’m stronger than you,” Todoroki announced. Fucking what?  

“Uh… yeah?” Izuku agreed. Why point it out?

“But that villain recognized you as an adversary. I’m not trying to pry about that. I admit you have beaten me once when my guard was down. But this time, I’m going to beat you,” Todoroki spoke in an icy tone. 

“Oh? Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?” Kaminari commented. 

“Oi, oi, oi!” Kirishima interrupted, standing up and moving between them. “Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? Not now, we’re about to start.”

Todoroki leveled Kirishima with a glare. “We’re not here to play at being friends. So what does it matter?”

Izuku felt a little saddened by that. He thought they had started to get along at the USJ incident. He took a breath and looked Todoroki in the eye. “Todoroki-kun, I don’t know what you’re thinking when you say you’ll beat me, but of course you’re better than me. I think you’re more capable than most people, looking at it objectively.”

“Izuku, you probably shouldn’t talk so negatively,” Kirishima told him.  

Izuku shook his head and continued, determined. “But everyone, the students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they’ve got! I’ll be going for it with everything I have too.”

Todoroki’s expression remained blank. “Yeah.” 

Izuku and the rest of the class stood inside an entrance to the arena, out of sight from the spectators. Staff helping with the event told them to stay put until they hear Present Mic announce them to the crowd. 

“Hey!” Izuku heard Mama shout over the intercom. I think they said he was broadcasting stadium-wide and on TV too. Unlike the entrance exams, Mama got a huge response from this crowd. “Pay attention, audience! Swarm, mass media! This year’s high school radio of adolescence that you all love, the UA Sports Festival, is about to begin!”

Then he switched to English. “Everybody, are you ready?” The crowd answered with a cheer. This was definitely Mama’s element. 

“It’s time for the students to enter the first-year stage! The UA Sports Festival! The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year! Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero Course, Class 1-A!” 

Izuku stepped forward into the arena with his class. They had to make it to the center area. As they walked, Izuku glanced around the stadium, taking in the massive crowd. “Th-there are so many p-people…” he stammered. 

“Will we be able to give our best performance being watched by so many people?” Iida wondered aloud. “This is also part of the training required to become a hero.”

“Man, he’s going overboard with that praise!” Kirishima commented. “I’m getting nervous. Aren’t you, Bakugou?”

“No, I’m just getting more into it,” Kacchan grinned. Competitive Kacchan has appeared.

Mama continued with the introductions. “They haven’t been getting as much airtime but this class is also full of talent! Hero Course, Class 1-B!” Izuku could see another group of students coming through a different entrance a little ways away. Lines jumped into view for several so he turned away for now.  

“Next up; General Studies, Classes C, D, and E! Support Course, Classes F, G, and H are here too! And Business Course, Classes I, J, and K! All of UA’s first years are here now!” Izuku frowned at the shorter introduction. He knew Mama had a script to follow. He had complained about it last night saying it prioritized the Hero Course and brushed off everyone else. 

“Time for the player pledge!” Auntie Nemuri announced, taking over. She would be the referee for the first-year matches. Mama did the play-by-play commentary. 

“What is Midnight-Sensei wearing?” Kirishima asked, flushing at her hero costume. This wasn’t Izuku’s first time seeing it so he was mostly unphased. It wasn’t any more out of place to him than Dad in his hot pink sweatpants and neon yellow Present Mic t-shirt. 

“That’s an R-Rated Hero for you,” Kaminari commented, blushing slightly as well. 

“Is it okay for her to be at a high school even though she’s R-Rated?” Tokoyami asked.

“Quiet everyone!” Auntie Nemuri hushed the crowd and the students. “Representing the students is Bakugou Katsuki from Class 1-A.”

“What? It’s Kacchan?” Izuku asked, surprised. He would have thought Yaoyorozu or Iida would make better public speakers. 

“He did finish first in the entrance exam,” Sero pointed out. Ah, right.  

A random girl nearby let out a heavy, irritated sigh. “In the Hero Course,” she glared. 

“R-right,” Izuku mumbled.  

“It’s obvious they hate us,” Sero said, shaking his head. 

“Because Bakugou yelled at them…” Kaminari mentioned. 

Kacchan stepped up onto the small stage with Auntie Nemuri. He stood there in silence for a moment before speaking. “I pledge… that I’ll be number one.” 

The entirety of Class 1-A deflated, having expected something like that. Meanwhile, the other classes yelled outraged comments at him. Even the crowd seemed upset by the poor sportsmanship. 

“Why are you doing something so disgraceful?” Iida scolded as Kacchan rejoined them. Izuku couldn’t even say anything because he knew for a fact that the Kacchan from the beginning of last year would have said, or even done, something so much worse. 

“Now, let’s get started right away!” Auntie Nemuri called. A hologram screen appeared behind her. It had some sort of spinner, so the game was chosen randomly. “The first game is what you’d call a qualifier. Every year, many drink their tears here. Now here is the fateful first game. This year is… This!”

“An obstacle race.” Izuku read as the spinner on the screen stopped. 

“All eleven classes will participate in this race,” Auntie Nemuri explained with diagrams appearing on the screen behind her. “The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium. That’s about 4 kilometers. Our school’s selling point is freedom! As long as you stay on the course, it doesn’t matter what you do!”

“Now take your places, everyone!” They were directed to a gate that lead to the outer ring of the stadium. There were three lights at the top to mark the count down. The lights went out one by one. As the last light turned off, Auntie Nemuri yelled, “Start!”

Chapter Text

“Start!”

Everyone at the starting line rushed for the tunnel. It was crammed. 

“Okay, here’s the play-by-play!” Izuku could make out Mama over the intercom. “Are you ready to do the commentary, Mummy Man?”

“You’re the one that forced me to come,” Dad replied flatly. Izuku focused on their banter to keep himself calm while he struggled through the tunnel. 

“Let’s get started right away, Mummy Man. What should we pay attention to in the early stages?” Mama asked. 

“This part right now,” Dad answered immediately. Right… because sending everyone through this narrow-ass tunnel creates a shift in balance right away. 

“Izuku-kun are you okay?” Uraraka asked after someone shoved her into him. 

“Yeah. I got an idea. Make us float.” he instructed. 

“Can we work together?” she asked uncertainly. 

“Au-Midnight said anything goes as long as you stay on the course,” Izuku reminded her. 

“Oh, right!” she chirped, clapping her hands together. She tapped herself and Izuku and they floated up, out of the crowd. “Now what?” 

“Now release and we run on their shoulders,” he told her. She nodded before pressing her fingers together. Just as they neared the exit, a stream of ice shot out, freezing everyone underneath them. 

“Hang on to me,” he told her, clicking his boots together as he jumped down onto the sheet of ice Todoroki had left on the ground. Although they said no to the staff, he had gotten permission to have his boots for the sports festival. And since his last fight with Todoroki, he’d asked Mei for an upgrade. 

Spikes formed on the soles of his boots, allowing him to keep traction while running on the ice. He pulled Uraraka along with him. Aoyama avoided the ice by flying with his laser. Kirishima just jumped, the buff-ass guy that he was. Yaoyorozu created a pole with her quirk. And Kacchan flew with his explosions. Izuku couldn’t see Hitoshi yet. 

“Naive, Todoroki-san!” Yaoyorozu shouted after Todoroki who looked surprised to see that anyone escaped his ice. 

“I won’t let you get away so easily! You half-and-half bastard!” Kacchan roared over the sound of his explosions. Oh no. He’d latched onto Todoroki as a rival. That’s not good. 

“You got me with that once! You won’t get me again!” Ojiro called as he made it out of the tunnel ice-free. Tokoyami flew out with the aid of Dark Shadow. Mina used her acid to skate, although she seemed unbalanced. And there! There was Hitoshi, hitching a ride with someone that he’d apparently brainwashed. He wasn’t allowed his weapon either. 

Suddenly a bunch of robots appeared, blocking Todoroki’s path. 

“Obstacles have shown up suddenly!” Mama exclaimed. “Starting with the first barrier! Robo Inferno!”

“Aren’t those the zero-pointers from the entrance exam?” Kaminari asked. Confused cries from the other courses could be heard as they caught up, hearing Kaminari’s comment. 

“Seriously, the hero course had to fight THOSE?”

“This is what they meant by obstacles?”

“There are too many! I can’t get through.”

“I wonder where they got the money for it?” Yaoyorozu mused aloud. 

Todoroki tensed before releasing a massive blast of ice that froze all the robots. Izuku looked on in awe as the ground and even the air was frozen. Clouds created from the cold of the ice floated around the area. Todoroki literally sparkled as his breath escaped in puffy clouds.  

Uraraka reached over and tapped Izuku’s jaw shut. “You saw that right?” he asked. 

“Yep,” she replied. 

“He sparkled?” he clarified. 

“Like a Disney princess,” she confirmed. Holy shit!

“He stopped them! Between their legs! We can get through!” the other students pointed out, speaking over each other. 

“I wouldn’t if I were you!” Todoroki warned as he ran past the robots. “I froze them when they were unbalanced. They’ll fall over.” Sure enough, there was a loud creak before a chorus of cracks from the breaking ice warned them of the falling bots. 

“Todoroki from Class 1-A!” Mama announced. “He attacked and defended in one hit! How Elegant! Amazing! He’s the first one through! It’s, you know, practically unfair!” 

“His actions are logical and strategic,” Dad defended.  

“As expected of someone who got in through recommendations! He’d never fought them before, but those Robo Infernos couldn’t get past his elite moves,” Mama commented. 

 “Hey! Someone’s trapped underneath!” someone cried. 

“Wouldn’t that kill them?”

“Will people die at this Sports Festival?”

Suddenly the ice-covered bot crumbled a bit before Kirishima burst through in his hardened form. “Like I’d die!”

“Kirishima from Class 1-A was underneath! That’s crazy!” Mama announced. A silver guy with seemingly the same quirk as Kirishima burst through the bot too. “Tetsutestsu from Class B was also underneath!”

Kacchan propelled himself over the bots with explosions. “Bakugou Katsuki of Class A!” Mama stated. “Since the bottom’s blocked, he goes overhead! Clever!” Sero and Tokoyami followed suit and the crowd cheered in excitement. 

“Class A doesn’t spend a lot of time standing around,” Dad narrated the event as Class 1-A jumped right into attacking the rest of the smaller bots blocking the way. Iida took one out with a kick. Jirou plugged in her ear jacks to disrupt their functionality. Kaminari electrocuted them. 

“Those who experienced firsthand that world above them through the incident at USJ, those who had fear planted in their hearts, those who dealt with it and pulled through, they all used that experience to drown out their hesitation,” Dad continued. 

Uraraka made them float and released them. They were crushed in each impact. “Oh, hold on,” Izuku picked up a piece of a robot. “This is from the one Todoroki destroyed.”

“Why?” Uraraka asked. 

“Just in case?” he smiled sheepishly. “I think it could be useful.”

“All right?” she gave him a confused smile and they kept going. Yaoyorozu cleared the rest of the path with a canon she created. No wonder she got through on recommendation...

“Hey, hey! The first barrier’s a piece of cake?” Mama asked. “Then what about the second?”  The students in the lead stopped short as they came to a massive ravine. It had pillars scattered throughout and connected with… tightropes? “If you fall, you’re out! If you don’t want to fall, then crawl! It’s ‘The Fall!’”

“When did they build this stage?” Uraraka asked, looking at it with a fair amount of trepidation. Tsu simply lept out into the middle of a rope and crawled across using her sticky hands and feet. 

“Here it is!” Mei said excitedly, appearing next to them. Here’s my chance to show off! It’s time for my support items to be in the limelight! Look, all you support companies across the country! Wire arrows and hover soles!”

Izuku chuckled as people stepped away from her and the intimidating vibes she gave off. She was completely decked out in support gear. Their group had kind of been expecting this since she told them a bit about her plans at lunch before skipping lunch for a week to eat in the lab. She fired out an arrow and took off with her hover boots. 

“Come, take a look, all you companies! Especially the big ones! Look at my super cute babies!” she shouted as she dived into the ravine, pulling herself out at the other end with the aid of her support items. 

“A lot of different people are working hard for their chance, huh, Eraserhead?” Mama asked.

Izuku could have sworn he heard a faint, 'What are you idiots stopping for?' from Dad. Todoroki skated across the ropes with his ice, easily taking the lead. 

“And now, the leader of the pack is easily getting through first!” Mama announced. Kacchan seemed to be catching up. Hitoshi caught up too and was just sprinting across the ropes. All that time on rooftops, huh?  

Izuku hung upside down from the rope, using his hands and knees to scooch forward. He had the robot piece tied to his back and Uraraka lightened it for him before taking a different rope across. She’d release her quirk on the other side. 

“And now we’ve quickly arrived at the final barrier!” Mama announced as, presumably, Todoroki made it to wherever they were all heading. “The reality here is that it’s a minefield!” Fucking what? “By the way, these landmines are for games, so they’re not that powerful. But they’re loud and flashy enough to make you wet your pants!”

“That depends on the person,” Dad added flatly. Izuku and Uraraka caught up in time to see everyone trying to carefully step between the landmines. Several people failed and got blown into the air. Not that powerful my ass, Izuku thought as another person got blown a few meters into the sky. 

Kacchan flew over the mines with his explosions, overtaking Todoroki. “Bastard! Don’t declare war on the wrong person!” Kacchan shouted as he flew past, firing a blast at Todoroki.

“And now, we’ve got someone new in the lead!” Mama informed the crowd. “Rejoice, mass media! It’s the kind of development you guys love! Hey, hey hey! The rest of the pack is also speeding up! However! Even as they push and pull at each other, can the two at the top remain in the lead?” 

Sure enough, Todoroki and Kacchan were attacking each other with their quirks. Izuku sighed and looked at the minefield in front of them. “What’s the plan Izuku-kun?” Uraraka asked. 

He took a moment, focusing on the field and then the two in the lead. He zeroed in on Kacchan, his blast radius lines lighting up. “I’m going to use the landmines,” he decided and he drove the robot piece into the ground to start digging them up. 

“Ooo-kay… I was with you until then. That seems dangerous,” Uraraka fretted. 

“That’s fine. I’ll do this alone,” Izuku replied, still digging. 

“I’m going to go float across. Good luck Izuku-kun!” He nodded as she left. He heard a faint, angry ‘he better not be,’ from Dad on the intercom. I might get grounded after this, he thought fleetingly. Once he had dug up enough to create a pretty big pile, he threw himself onto them, using the robot piece as a shield. The explosion was glorious . 

“There’s a huge explosion in the back!” Mama shouted although Izuku could just barely hear him. “What’s with that force?” The explosion shot him forward over the minefield. “Was it an accident or was it on purpose? Class A’s Aiyama Izuku is in hot pursuit with that blast!” 

I didn’t think about landing, Izuku realized, panic rising. “Don’t get ahead of me!” he heard Kacchan shout, accompanied by explosions. 

“The two formerly in the lead have stopped trying to slow each other down and are chasing Aiyama!” Mama announced. “Now that they have a common enemy, they’ve stopped fighting! The fight’s not over yet, though!”

Oh no, I’m losing speed, Izuku noticed. They’ll overtake me in an instant. Thinking about the time I’d lose landing, there’s no way I’d be able to take back the lead. Damn it! No, I won’t give up! If I can’t take back the lead, then I can’t let them get in front of me! Izuku gripped the cable on the robot piece to slam it on the ground, creating a second explosion to propel him forward. 

Landing on his feet past the edge of the minefield, he sprinted as fast as he could. “Aiyama swiftly blocks those behind him!” Mama announced. “Can you believe it? He cleared the minefield in an instant! Eraserhead, your class is amazing! What’re you teaching them?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Dad replied. “They got each other fired up on their own.” Izuku kept running with the end in sight. He could hear Kacchan and Todoroki behind him. It was going to be close. 

“UA Sports Festival, first-year stage!” Mama shouted. “Who could’ve predicted the developments at the beginning or this conclusion? Right now, the first person back in the stadium is... “ Izuku burst through the tunnel. “Aiyama Izuku!”

Chapter Text

Izuku stopped, placing his hands on his knees for a moment as he caught his breath. Confetti rained down around him and the crowd cheered. He stood upright when he could finally breathe normally. “What the hell was that, Nerd?” Kacchan huffed. 

Izuku gave him a weak laugh. “I got the idea from your explosions.” 

“You’re gonna get yourself killed one of these days,” Kacchan scolded, though he was grinning. 

“And now they’re finishing one after another,” Mama announced. “We’ll make a list of the results later, but for now, good work!” 

“Izuku-kun,” Uraraka gasped as she made it through. “You were amazing! I should have gone with your crazy plan!” Iida stood a couple of meters behind her muttering to himself, much the way Izuku usually would. 

“I just lucked out,” Izuku protested. “I happened to find that scrap metal and brought it along on the off-chance that I could use it.”

“Nuh-uh,” Uraraka shook her head. “Yeah finding it was chance but realizing it was something you could use was inventive. Using it in combination with the landmines like that was genius. Don’t sell yourself short!”

A hand gripped his shoulder and he startled. “Could you stop nearly dying?” Hitoshi asked tiredly. Izuku realized at the voice of his brother. 

“I didn’t nearly die,” Izuku argued. “I was fine.”

“Did you hear D- Aizawa-Sensei on the intercom?” Hitoshi smirked. Izuku wilted, making a small whining sound. Dad was going to kill him. 

“Let us go hydrate!” Iida suggested. The group agreed easily, following him to where they were handing out water to the students. 

Shouta finally felt his heart slowing down as Izuku wandered off with his friends and brother. Hizashi turned off the microphone while they waited for the next event to start. “I can’t believe he did that. I nearly cried,” Hizashi huffed. 

“I am both shocked and not entirely surprised,” Shouta glared down at the boy. “Nezu trained him. Plus there was that whole ‘come at me, bitch’ thing when I first found him.”

“He’s a little reckless sometimes,” Hizashi agreed. 

“Yeah, he’s definitely a problem child,” Shouta frowned. 

“He’s our problem child,” Hizashi smiled fondly. 

“Yeah, he is,” Shouta said softly. 

“The first game of the first-year stage is finally over,” Auntie Nemuri spoke. “Now let’s take a look at the results!” The list showed 42 names. All of Class A had made it through. 

“The top 42 made it through to the next round,” Auntie Nemuri told them. “It’s unfortunate, but don’t worry even if you didn’t make it! We’ve prepared other chances for you to shine. The real competition begins next! The press cavalry will be all over it. Give it your all!”

The hologram screen with the spinner reappeared. “Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is, but what could it be? What could it be? I just said it and now there it is!”

“A cavalry battle?” Kaminari asked. “I’m bad at those.”

“It’s not an individual event,” Tsu observed. “So I wonder how it’ll work.”

“Let me explain,” Auntie Nemuri continued. “The participants can form teams of two to four as they wish. It’s basically the same as a regular cavalry battle, but the one thing that’s different is that based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value.”

“A point-based system like the entrance exam, huh? That’s easy to understand,” Satou commented. 

“In other words, each team is worth different points depending on who’s on the team!” Uraraka observed. 

“You guys don’t hold back even though I’m talking, huh?” Auntie Nemuri snapped before continuing. “Yes, that’s right! And the points assigned go up by five starting from the bottom. And the point value assigned to first place is ten million!”

T-ten m-million? Izuku trembled. I’m so dead…

“That’s right. It’s survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!” Auntie Nemuri smiled like she hadn’t just signed his death sentence. “Those at the top will suffer the most. You’ll hear this many times as you attend UA. This is what ‘Plus Ultra’ means!”

“Now then, I will explain the rules of the cavalry battle,” Auntie Nemuri continued while the other students stared Izuku down. The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members’ points, and the riders will wear a headband with that number on their foreheads. Teams will try to grab each other’s headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can.”

“Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it’ll be to manage them. And the most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you’re not out. During the game, it’ll be a cruel fight where you can use your quirks. But it’s still a cavalry. You’ll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make people fall on purpose. You’ll be removed immediately.”

“Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!” With that, they were left to strategize and form teams. Izuku was pretty sure that he, Kacchan, and Hitoshi would form their own teams. They may be brothers, or like brothers in Kacchan’s case, but they tend to compete too.

Mei found Izuku immediately. “Please, please, please! I want to show off my babies and your team will be the one people are watching!”

“Yeah, of course!” Izuku smiled. “But who else should we team up with?” 

“Izuku-kun, team up with me!” Uraraka said brightly, walking up to them. “We should ask Iida-kun too!” Izuku nodded and they went to find him. 

“I’m afraid I have to refuse,” Iida said solemnly. Ever since the entrance exam, I just keep losing to you. You are a wonderful friend but that’s why, if I just keep following you, I will never grow. Bakugou and Todoroki aren’t the only ones who see you as a capable rival. I will challenge you.”

Ah, I can’t really be upset. That’s fair, Izuku thought. But… He looked around and saw that the rest of the teams had more or less been formed. Classes stuck together for the most part. Bakugou had Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido. Todoroki had Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Jirou. And Hitoshi had Kaminari and Tokoyami. 

“Izuku-chan, I will team up with you if you’re still looking for someone, kero,” Tsu smiled, approaching them. 

“That’d be great,” Izuku sighed in relief. “Now we just need to come up with a plan.”

“I do believe that’s your thing,” Uraraka grinned. “I still regret not joining your landmine plan earlier. I may not always get what you’re seeing but your ideas always work out!”

“Not always,” Izuku admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I just am willing to try.”

“It works for you, kero,” Tsu chimed in. “So what are you thinking of now?”

“I was thinking, Uraraka could lighten us while Mei uses her… hover soles you said?” Mei nodded. “While Mei uses her hover soles to propel us forward. Tsu could be the front person because her tongue would be best suited for grabbing the headbands off people. And then, I could direct. Since my quirk also shows me projected paths, I could keep us out of people’s reach for the most part.”

“If anything else comes up though…” he trailed off uncertain. 

“Then we’ll adapt when we come to it,” Tsu assured him. 

“Yeah! We got this!” Uraraka cheered. “I’m pretty sure that as long as we keep our headband, we’ll stay in first right?” 

Izuku nodded. “I think even added together, all the other ones wouldn’t reach ten million. So if we focus on avoidance, we might be fine. But… everyone will be coming for us.”

“We just have to be faster and slippery-er!” Mei encouraged. “I have plenty of babies to help us with that.”

“Can you give me a rundown on what you have before we start?” Izuku asked. 

“Roger that!” Mei saluted, eager to show off her babies.

Chapter Text

“It’s time to get started,” Auntie Nemuri called. 

“After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are lined up on the field,” Mama narrated over the intercom. 

“There are some interesting teams out there,” Dad observed. 

“Now raise those battle cries!” Mama shouted. “It’s time for UA’s bloody battle!” ...bloody? “Light the signal fire! Now let’s go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal!”

“Three!”

“Two!”

“One!”

“Start!”

Several teams immediately aimed for Izuku’s team. “We run?” Uraraka asked. 

“We run!” Izuku confirmed. 

“As expected, everyone is gunning for the ten million points!” Mama announced. 

“I won’t let you!” someone shouted. Uraraka activated the hover boots Mei had given her. To minimize the extent to which she used her quirk, she was the only one that hadn’t been lightened. The rest of their team would be fairly easily pulled along wherever she hovered. 

“We want to avoid that guy with the teeth. He can soften the ground like quicksand,” Izuku warned them. Uraraka nodded and directed them out of way just in time to avoid an attack from him. Todoroki’s team was now closest with the others following close behind. “Hold.”

“What? We need to move,” Uraraka argued. 

“Trust me,” he assured her. He heard her take in a nervous breath but she stayed put. Just as expected, Todoroki froze the other teams behind him to minimize the competition. Predictable. At the same moment, Izuku fired the thrusters on the jet pack Mei had equipped him with, and up they went over Todoroki’s head. 

“Looks like Aiyama Izuku’s team has picked up the power of flight! Very cool!” Mama narrated excitedly. 

“Ah, that was close!” Uraraka said as they landed more than halfway across the field. 

“But look. Todororoki froze at least half the teams,” Tsu pointed out. “Now we have fewer people to worry about.” Uraraka made a small noise of recognition. 

“Tsu, I know you physically can make a paralytic mucus but have you done it before?” Izuku asked. 

“Once, kero,” she replied. 

“Could you have some prepared for Mei to wipe on the other teams? She has gloves so she should be able to handle it safely,” Izuku explained. “The more people we can stop from chasing us entirely, the better.”

“Can do!” Tsu agreed. 

“What the fuck?” Katsuki barked after this blonde extra managed to return his own explosion into his face. It didn’t take him long to recover. He’d set off explosions on himself before by accident. It’s why he was so dedicated to maintaining good quirk control. 

“Woah, he has the same quirk as you,” Kirishima commented in awe. The fuck? Don’t be impressed by that, Katsuki thought angrily. Furious, he advanced on the guy with another, stronger blast. Only this time he blocked it using Kirishima’s quirk. 

“Mine too?” Kirishima gasped, clueless idiot that he was. 

“It’s a copy quirk, Shitty Hair,” Katsuki told him. “Not that it’s going to stop me from killing the damn extra.” Monoma’s smirk wavered. Time to get his points back and then some. Then they just need to find Izuku and take first. 

“Here,” Tsu said, handing Izuku some headbands she had snatched with her tongue after Mei paralyzed yet another team. Just in case someone got the ten million-point headband from them, they wanted to make sure they had enough spare points to make it to the next round. 

“Oh no, it’s Todoroki again,” Uraraka warned. Izuku looked and they were quickly approaching thanks to Iida’s quirk. 

“Evade again,” Izuku suggested. Except when they tried to, Todoroki created an ice wall that circled around them and cut off all their escape paths. 

“Izuku-kun?” Uraraka cried nervously. Someone had damaged the jetpack earlier so that wasn’t an escape option anymore. 

“Just keep evading. Stay to his left. He won’t use his left side,” he assured her. With only a few minutes left, this game of cat and mouse was their last option. And it almost worked. Up until Iida boosted his engines to the point of stalling his engines, giving them a second long window of boosted speed to grab the ten million-point headband in. 

“It’s okay. We have enough points, kero,” Tsu reminded him. But when a ghost of a smile appeared on Todoroki’s face, Izuku decided he wanted to get that headband back. 

“Get me in close,” he said lowly. 

“Oh, this just got personal, didn’t it?” Mei asked excitedly. 

“Mhm,” Izuku hummed. “You guys need to run past. I’m going to make a jump for it. Tsu, use your tongue to catch me. Don’t let me fall.” She nodded and they took off, rushing the other team. Izuku stood on Uraraka’s and Mei’s arms in one fluid motion before launching himself and aiming a spinning kick at Todoroki’s left side. 

What Izuku did not account for, was the flames that erupted from the other boy. Izuku couldn’t adjust his trajectory in time so he accepted the burn, focusing instead on landing the kick and grabbing the headband he thought was his. As his hands gripped the strip of fabric, Tsu’s tongue grabbed him, pulling him back onto their arms. 

Unfortunately, it was the wrong headband. 

Hitoshi made it to the clearing within the ice to see Izuku’s flying kick stunt. He grimaced when he saw the flames Todoroki released burn through Izuku’s pant leg. 

“What do we do? Where’s Izuku’s headband?” Kaminari asked. They saw the look of disappointment cross Izuku’s face. 

“I guess Todoroki has it,” Tokoyami observed. 

“Time’s just about up!” Mama announced. “Start the countdown!”

“Get me over there!” Hitoshi instructed urgently. 10…

9… 

“Todoroki!” Hitoshi shouted as they drew near. 8…

7…

“Since when can you use fire?” Hitoshi demanded, knowing full well it’s been always. 6…

Todoroki looked confused. “I--” 5…

4…

"Give me the ten million-point headband," Hitoshi ordered. Todoroki’s teammates protested. 3…

Dark Shadow provided a buffer to block his teammates from stopping the handoff. 2…

1...

“Time’s up! That’s the end of the second round, the cavalry battle!”

Hitoshi was set down on the ground. “Ah, we did it!” Kaminari exclaimed, jumping up and down. “I can’t believe we actually got first!” he turned to Hitoshi with a blinding smile. 

Hitoshi could feel himself smiling as well. “Yeah, we did.”

“You’re amazing! We’re amazing!” Kaminari cheered before throwing his arms around Hitoshi’s neck and kissing him. Then it was Hitoshi’s turn to short-circuit.

Izuku watched as Kaminari seemed to remember himself and released Hitoshi. He immediately became a stuttering, blushing, apologizing mess. “What th--” was heard from Dad on the intercom before it got cut off, presumably by Mama. 

Kacchan, who had just made it into the clearing in the last few seconds, grinned. “Aww,” Uraraka cooed. The others from Class 1-A in the immediate vicinity had a mixture of positive reactions. If their parents were seeing this despite the ice wall, that means one of the event staff managed to catch them on the camera. It had been televised.  

“Well, that was unexpected!” Mama said after turning the intercom back on. “Now let’s take a look at our top four teams right away!” 

“These four teams will advance to the final round! Aiyama Hitoshi’s team! Bakugou’s Team! Todoroki’s Team! Aiyama Izuku’s Team! Due to the uneven amount of finalists, the fifth-place team, Monoma’s Team, will also have the opportunity to nominate one person to represent them in the finals! Please congratulate these hard-working students!”

The crowd cheered in response to Mama’s prompting. “Now, we’ll take an hour’s break for lunch before we start the afternoon festivities. See ya!” 

As they started clearing off the field, Todoroki approached Izuku. “I apologize for burning you. It was not intentional. Allow me to take you to see Recovery Girl.”

“Sure,” Izuku agreed. “Thank you.”

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

So! Someone mentioned Hizashi's casual wear! 

I decided to go through and pick out his general style.

Not necessarily these colors. 

(Why does that blonde model actually look like him...?)

He doesn't wear skirts often because he feels too tall for the short ones and he thinks the long ones are too formal.

He prefers feminine tops and accessories. And don't get him started on boots.

Painted nails and eyeliner are a yes.

Should I do casual wear outfit examples for the others too? 

I can add them at the end of chapters.

Chapter Text

“I am so, so, so, so, so sorry!” Kaminari repeated as they were ushered off the field to the cafeteria. Hitoshi missed a lot of the end of that event. He was just now starting to become aware of his surroundings again. Because… Kaminari kissed me, he remembered. 

“You kissed me,” Hitoshi pointed out, like an idiot. Just to be sure. 

“I, uh, yes?” Kaminari confirmed, looking a little confused. 

“That really happened?” Hitoshi asked. In front of my Da--

“Yes. I’m sorry,” Kaminari said meekly. 

“This is painful to watch,” Hitoshi heard Jirou mutter nearby. Someone made a sound of agreement. 

“I won’t do it again,” Kaminari promised. “So please don’t stop being my frie--”

“No!” Hitoshi exclaimed, slightly panicked. Kaminari wasn’t just flirting to flirt! He liked him! Hitoshi was not letting go of that. 

“...no, you won’t be my friend?” Kaminari asked, looking like a kicked puppy. 

“N-no, don’t not k-kiss me again!” Hitoshi stuttered, feeling his face grow hot. 

“You… want me to kiss you?” Kaminari faltered. 

“Oh my god, you two are so, ugh! Kaminari, this socially awkward introvert likes you! And Hitoshi, this clumsy, mess of an extrovert likes you ! God knows how that makes any sense but whatever. Please, just date and stop making me watch this disaster unfold in front of my eyes!” Jirou begged in a rare outburst. 

“I, I’d be okay with that,” Kaminari flushed. 

“Yeah, I, me too…” Hitoshi agreed. 

“Good. You’re dating now. Thank god. Now let’s go eat already,” she huffed. 

The burn healed over in front of them and Izuku watched with fascination. Recovery Girl’s quirk always impressed him. “It’s closed now, but the skin will probably be sensitive for a few hours. I’ll go get something to wrap it.” She gave him a kind smile before moving to some cabinets.

“Hey, Todoroki-kun?” Izuku addressed the other tentatively. 

“Yes?” Todoroki replied in a stoic tone. 

“I thought you didn’t use your fire out of preference but what I saw out there today…” Izuku turned to face him. “You have some sort of aversion to it, don’t you?”

Todoroki scrutinized him for a moment before turning away. “I’ll tell you on the way to the cafeteria.” Izuku left it alone, for now, quietly waiting for Recovery Girl. When she returned, she put a cooling ointment over where the burn had been and then wrapped it. 

“I’ll be here to heal people after tournament battles but please don’t take that as an invitation to be reckless,” she warned them before letting them leave. 

“So...what did you want to talk about?” Izuku asked after a few minutes of walking down the empty hallways in silence. Todoroki stopped walking but stayed silent. “If we don’t hurry, the cafeteria will probably be really crowded… Um…”

Todoroki finally looked at him, fixing Izuku with an intense stare. “I was overpowered by you. So much so that I broke my pledge.” 

“A pledge… to not use your fire?” Izuku asked uncertainly. 

“Yes. Iida, Tsuyu, Yoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka; None of them felt it. At that last instant, I was the only one overpowered,” Todoroki said looking frustrated. 

“You know Endeaver’s my father. I’m sure you know that he’s been stuck as the number two hero forever.” Izuku nodded in confirmation. 

“My dad has a strong desire to rise in the world. As a hero, he won a name for himself with crushing force. Because of that, the living legend, All Might is a great eyesore to him. Since he couldn’t surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan,” Todoroki said cryptically. 

That brought back memories of Hisashi and his ‘next plan’ to make Izuku develop a quirk. “What are you trying to tell me?” Izuku asked, throat suddenly dry. 

“You’ve heard of quirk marriages, right?” Izuku’s eyes widened, though Todoroki wouldn’t meet his gaze. “That thing that became a problem during the second and third generation after quirks appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own quirk and passing it on to your children, forcing people into marriage even.”

“The old-fashioned way of thinking brought about by a lack of ethics. He is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother’s relatives and got a hold of my mother’s quirk. He is trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might,” Todoroki explained bitterly. Izuku felt the prickling of tears in his eyes. 

“It’s so annoying,” Todoroki scoffed angrily. “I won’t become the tool of scum like that. In my memories, my mother is always crying. ‘Your left side is unsightly,’ my mother said as she poured boiling water on me. Basically, I picked a fight with you to show him what I can do, without using my damn father’s quirk. No. I’ll reject him completely by winning first place without using it.”

Izuku was at a loss for words, feeling like he was choking on any he may have had. Todoroki finally met his eyes and his expression morphed into surprise and confusion. “Are you… crying for me?”

I am, Izuku realized. Without thinking, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Todoroki’s waist. “I am so sorry.”

“You didn’t do anything,” Todoroki pointed out, tensing in his arms. 

“I know. But I understand. I--” his breath caught in his throat. “I’ve been there.”

“Really?” Todoroki asked, relaxing. 

“Remember, I said I was misdiagnosed as quirkless?” Izuku felt Todoroki nod. “Well, Hisa-- my biological father, he thought he could force a quirk to develop,” Izuku told him. 

“By… hurting you, I assume?” Todoroki clarified. Izuku let go. 

“Yeah,” Izuku sniffled. Todoroki was quiet for a moment. 

“I’m still going to try to beat you in the tournament,” he declared hesitantly. 

“I don’t expect anything less,” Izuku replied with a watery smile.

“Izuku, you good?” Kacchan asked when they joined the others in the cafeteria. 

“I made a friend!” Izuku beamed at him. 

“Didn’t he just declare war on you this morning?” Sero pointed out. 

“That still stands,” Todoroki said flatly. 

“You made another friend. Hitoshi got a boyfriend,” Kacchan grinned. “And we still have the whole afternoon left to go.”

“They’re dating?” Izuku squeaked. 

“Go get some damn food and I’ll tell you about how Jirou made it happen,” Kacchan ordered. 

“Come on, Todoroki-kun! Let’s go get something to eat,” Izuku said, leading him towards the line. 

“Dead,” Shouta insisted. “Deadest dead. 

“Oh, come on,” Hazashi smiled, entirely too amused. “We’ve done much worse.”

“We are adults,” Shouta argued. 

“We weren’t always. Remember our UA days?” Shouta flushed under his bandages, pointedly ignoring his husband. “Seriously, Sho. That was an innocent kiss.”

“Nooo,” Shouta grumbled. “That’s my baby.” 

“Aw, I know. It’s okay,” Hizashi soothed. “Look on the bright side though. Eventually, Hitoshi’s going to invite him over and he’ll find out about us. And then you can give him the shovel talk. Or just stare at him intimidatingly the whole time.”

“Or both,” Shouta decided, already feeling a tiny bit better. 

“We also have to deal with our other child and his borderline suicidal stunt with the landmines earlier,” Hizashi reminded him. 

“These kids are trying to kill me,” Shouta groaned.

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

What I imagine Aizawa would wear in public if Hizashi made him change out of his hero costume.

(But he's not a fan.)

And then around the house, he wears UA or Present Mic merch. Or cat shirts.

He likes bright colors at home because they remind him of Hizashi. 

But in general, he wears blacks, whites, and greys because he can't color-match for shit.

Chapter Text

“Now that lunch is over, it’s finally time to reveal the last game!” Mama announced. “But before that, there’s good news for all of you who didn’t make it to the finals. This is just a sports festival. So we’ve prepared recreational games that everyone can participate in too! We’ve even brought in a cheerleading team from America to liven things up.”

“All right, everyone! Let’s have fun competing in the recreational games! When that’s over, the sixteen finalists that made it to the final round will fight tournament style in one-on-one battles!”

Auntie Nemuri stepped onto the arena stage. “Now, let’s draw lots to determine the bracket. Once the bracket is determined, we’ll have the recreational games and then start. The sixteen finalists can choose whether or not they want to participate in the recreation. I’m sure some of you want to save your strength or strategize.”

“Here is the bracket based on the results of the drawing!” The matches appeared behind her on the screen. 

Match 1: Aiyama Izuku vs Monoma Neito

Match 2: Yaororozu Momo vs Aiyama Hitoshi

Match 3: Kaminari Denki vs Tokoyami Fumikage

Match 4: Todoroki Shouto vs Asui Tsuyu 

Match 5: Hatsume Mei vs Tenya Iida

Match 6: Uraraka Ochaco vs Ashido Mina

Match 7: Bakugou Katsuki vs Sero Hanta

Match 8: Jirou Kyouka vs Kirishima Eijirou

“Alright!” Mama shouted excitedly. “Let’s leave the tournament aside for a momentary interlude! Let’s have fun with the recreation! First is the scavenger hunt!”

Izuku decided to head to the waiting room until his match. He needed some time to recover from the emotional and sensory overload he’d built up throughout the day so far. However, the finalists from his class, except for Kacchan, cornered him when he tried to leave. 

“Izuku-kun, can you strategize with us?” Sero asked with a pleading smile. 

“Pretty please,” Uraraka begged. Iida jumped in front of Izuku. 

“Now, it’s not fair to use Izuku-kun in this way! He is our friend,” Iida scolded, arms outstretched to block their view of Izuku. 

“I don’t actually mind,” Izuku interjected, ducking under Iida’s arm. It wasn’t difficult with Iida being around 180 cm and Izuku still being at 159 cm. “But, since you are attending UA with the goal of being a hero, you should probably learn to strategize on your own. To encourage that, I won’t help anyone with competitive events like this. Only in training or real-life situations.”

“That’s fair,” Jirou shrugged. The others made sounds of agreement and let Izuku leave for the waiting room. Uraraka, Tsu, and Jirou followed. 

“So you actually have to recharge?” Hitoshi asked, sitting next to his boyfriend with curious fascination. They were sitting on the ground in a hallway by the first outlet they were able to find. 

“I’ll regain a baseline charge on my own after a day or so,” Kaminari mumbled around the chord in his mouth. “But if I need extra or to recharge quickly, I have to pull it from another source.”

“It’s cute,” Hitoshi commented enjoying the way Kaminari immediately blushed at the remark. 

“You know, since I already call you by your first name, you can call me by mine too,” Kaminari said shyly. 

“Alright,” Hitoshi smiled. “Denki.”

“You don’t want to participate in the extra games?” Kirishima asked. 

“No,” Katsuki replied simply. He had to think through strategies for everyone. Of course, there were the people in matches five through eight to think about. The way the brackets were set up, he’d have to face at least three of them to get to the last battle. But then if, no.. when he made it, he could be up against any of the people from the first four matches. 

“But it would be fun!” Kirishima argued with a slight pout. 

“You want to have fun, go have fun. Leave me alone,” Katsuki barked out. 

“But I also want to hang out with you,” Kirishima devolved into an actual pout. 

Katsuki let out a frustrated sigh. “If I come to watch you play the extra games, would that be enough to get that stupid look off your face?”

“Yeah, okay!” Kirishima nodded excitedly. 

“Fine,” Katsuki agreed with a roll of his eyes. 

“Do you have a plan, Izuku-kun?” Uraraka asked. “For your match with Monoma, I mean.”

“I didn’t encounter him at all during the first two games, so I’m not sure what his quirk is,” Izuku admitted. “Jirou, did your team run into him at all during the cavalry battle?”

“No,” she shook her head. “Todoroki was pretty focused on catching you so we stayed in your general area for most of it.”

“Oh well,” Izuku shrugged. “I’ll just wait and watch like Dad always says to do.”

“I haven’t heard you mention your parents before!” Uraraka pointed out, eyes shining. Tsu looked at Izuku with a faint smile. “What are they like?”

I can describe them without saying who they are. It’s fine, Izuku reassured himself. Uraraka and Jirou waited with obvious interest while Tsu seemed amused. “Um, my Dad is… my hero.” Uraraka cooed. “And I uh, I mean that literally. He found me in a bad situation and for some reason he decided to take me in and adopt me.” 

“You’re adopted?” Jirou asked. “Is that why you and Hitoshi don’t look like each other in the slightest?” 

Izuku nodded. “Yeah, we aren’t biologically related. But our birthdays are so close together, it’s like we’re twins anyway.”

“That’s so cute, kero,” Tsu commented. 

“Do you have another parent or is it just him?” Uraraka asked. 

“Well, there’s Mama. He’s really kind and--”

“He?” Uraraka tilted her head in confusion. “Why d--”

“Rude,” Jirou hushed her, poking Uraraka with one of her ear jacks. She looked over at Izuku. “Nonbinary parent?”

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded, remembering that she had seemed to know what gender non-conforming meant too. Uraraka let out a soft ‘oh’ of understanding. 

“So what’s he like?” Jirou prompted. 

“Like I said, he’s kind,” Izuku continued. “And he’s really good at cooking. He’s a little loud sometimes but it doesn’t scare me because he’s usually just excited about something.”

“Do loud things normally scare you?” Uraraka asked, concerned. He nodded. 

“Honestly, same. Or maybe not scared but on edge,” Jirou chimed in. 

“Right. On edge,” Izuku amended. 

“Because it hurts,” Izuku and Jirou said in unison. 

“Oh, it’s a sensory thing,” Uraraka guessed. “Jirou’s hearing is super sensitive because of her quirk and all of Izuku’s senses are sensitive because of his quirk always being on!”

“You’re friends with Bakugou, kero,” Tsu pointed out. “Isn’t he a little…” She mimed an explosion with her hands.  

“I’ve known Kacchan my whole life. I’m used to it,” he smiled. 

“Speaking of Bakugou,” Jirou grinned in a way that reminded Izuku of Auntie Nemuri. “Am I going to have to play cupid again for him and Kirishima or do you think those two can actually figure things out themselves?”

“Oh my god, the shelter date mix-up,” Uraraka laughed. Izuku was content as the conversation turned to normal teen gossip. In one year he’d gone from the school target to someone who was actually friends with most, if not all of his class. It was a welcome change of pace. 

“Stay,” Hizashi warned. 

“But h--” Shouta argued. 

“Honestly, Sho,” Hizashi huffed. “They’ll be fine. The recreational games will be over soon and then we have to announce the tournament. You can Dad them when we get home.”

“Dad them?” Shouta asked. 

“The verb to describe the action of doing dad things. Like being overbearing,” Hizashi explained. 

“I am not overbearing!” Shouta protested. 

“A little bit. You can’t handle them dating or doing dumb shit. But that’s fine. Because I can’t handle anyone so much as breathing at them wrong. I don’t think I’d take it well if either one got sick either, so I’ll just have to keep them healthy always,” Hizashi paused, looking thoughtful, before smiling. “We each have our thing. It’s fine. We’re their parents.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Shouta pouted. 

“Oh, they’re done,” Hizashi said, taking note of the emptying field. He flipped on the intercom. “Audience! The finals that you’ve all been waiting for are finally starting!”

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Hitoshi's general style would be comfort-based. Because he's still always tired. 

He must be prepared to nap anytime. 

Sweaters, button-downs over plain tees, and graphic tees.

Sweatpants or jeans usually.

Blacks, greys, purples, blues, and white.

Izuku sort of has a range of styles that he likes but most being comfy.

With some help from Hizashi, Izuku discovered kawaii fashion. 

Slowly but surely, he's learning to dress better than canon Izuku.

He's started wearing more feminine tops in addition to the skirts but he only has a few so far.

He usually wears sweaters or graphic tees.

He still wears mostly greens, blacks, reds, blues, and white, but he's started wearing other colors too.

Chapter Text

“Audience! The finals that you’ve all been waiting for are finally starting!” Mama announced. “Match number one; You’ve seen his inventiveness and agility! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Aiyama Izuku! Versus! Nominated from the 5th place team! From the Hero Course, Class B, it’s Monoma Neito!”

“The rules are simple,” Mama continued, while they both made their way to the arena stage. “Force your opponent out of bounds, or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent say, ‘I give up.’ Bring on the injuries because we’ve got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment. But of course, keep it non-lethal! Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains.”

Auntie Nemuri was the referee and Cementoss was nearby to stop fights with his quirk if things went too far. Since Izuku hadn’t seen Monoma use his quirk yet, he wasn’t sure what to expect. “Ready? Start!”

Izuku didn’t move, wanting to see his quirk first, but Monoma promptly turned into steel-like Testsutetsu. The lines jumped into view. A copy quirk, huh?

Realizing that Izuku wouldn’t be making the first move, Monoma advanced. Apparently, he wanted a close combat fight. Izuku took note of the main weakness he was seeing. ‘User’s body does not adapt to properly use the copied quirk when conditioning or mutation is required.’

Monoma was going on about something while Izuku dodged kicks and punches, but Izuku wasn’t listening. He was thinking about what would happen if he just… let Monoma copy his quirk? Would he blackout without the brain training Izuku had done and the physical mutation he had? He could just guide a zoned-out opponent out of bounds.

Abruptly he stopped evading and caught the next punch aimed at him. The other boy grinned as if he’d won already. The silver bled away from his skin as he copied Izuku’s quirk. “Let’s see how you do against another speed qu--” Monoma cut off and dropped like a sack of potatoes. Oh… shit.

Izuku heard confused murmurs from the crowd while he looked at Monoma’s unconscious form, not really sure what to do now. Auntie Nemuri approached from the sidelines. “What happened?”

“He copied my quirk and instead of blacking out, he fainted,” Izuku told her. “That never happened to me.”

“You also grew up with your quirk. You had time to adjust,” she shrugged. She waved the whip she had with her in the air to indicate that he won the match. 

“The winner is Aiyama Izuku,” Mama announced. “That was a little anticlimactic... but that is alright! Because we have plenty of matches left!”

“Match number two; The beauty and the brains of her class! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Yaoyorozu Momo! Versus! The guy slipping through the rankings like a ninja! From the Hero Course, Class A, Aiyama Hitoshi!”

“Would you like me to make you a weapon since they didn’t approve your capture weapon?” Yaoyorozu asked. “I don’t know how to make the capture weapon but I could make something similar so that it’s a fair fight.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Hitoshi shook his head. Yaoyorozu nodded. 

“Ready? Start!” Yaoyorozu created a steel rod that was similar to Izuku’s staff. Just without the upgrades. Unfortunately for her, Hitoshi knew how to fight against that thanks to all the sparring sessions with Izuku in the past. He deftly avoided all her attacks. 

She knew about his quirk but nearly anyone could be goaded into responding. He just needed to find the right buttons to push. What did he know about her? “You think that’s going to work, princess?” he smirked. 

She frowned but otherwise ignored him, continuing her onslaught. “Why do you want to be a hero?” Silence. She was pretty strong, mentally. He’d probably have to go just past ‘too far’ to get a response. He was hesitant to be cruel to someone he considered himself on good terms with. Hopefully, she’d forgive him later. 

“Rich girl, right? Are you doing this because your parents expect you to or because they don’t think you can?” The next swing on the staff came a little harder and faster.

“Do you think you can do it?” She faltered for just a second before creating a second steel rod and coming at him with a touch of anger. 

“So you need to impress your parents by becoming a hero but you aren’t sure if you can. What happens if you fail? They’ll make you come home and be a proper princess, right?” Tears sprung into the corners of her eyes but she kept quiet. 

“What do they even expect of a proper… what? Lady? Is that what they say?” One of the rods connected with his arm, a few inches up from his wrist. Shit... I’m losing stamina.

Time to make it hurt. He needed to end this soon. “The elite are largely conservative, aren’t they? They tend to focus a lot on old-fashioned ideals and such. Their stance on the LGBT community generally isn’t great, right?” The expression that crossed her face told him she was close to breaking her silence. 

“So if you failed to become a hero, you wouldn’t have a chance with Jirou, would you?” 

“Leave her ou--” Yaoyorozu shouted before Hitoshi took control. 

“I’m sorry. But I need to give this my all,” Hitoshi said, knowing people can hear him when they are under his control. “Turn around and walk out of bounds.”

He released his hold as soon as she crossed the line. She turned and gave him a distraught look. Yeah, he’d be apologizing hard. “With that, Aiyama Hitoshi is our winner!”

Hitoshi followed after her to leave the arena. Once they’d gotten out of the crowd’s view, he spoke. “Yaoyorozu-san! Hold on.”

“What?” she asked, reluctantly stopping. 

“I’m sorry. Really. I was just trying to get a response.” She rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. “You know, I was in foster care for a lot of my life.”

“And?” She gave him a confused look. 

“And every foster family or group home had different expectations for me. Because of my quirk, they’d often place expectations that were nearly impossible for me to meet. I know what it’s like to have people expecting you to behave in a way that doesn’t feel natural. If you ever need someone to talk to about it, you can talk to me,” Hitoshi gave her a smile that he hoped was reassuring. 

Her expression perked up just a bit. “Okay. Thank you. Now,” she nodded to the arena. “Go watch your boyfriend’s match and then go see Recovery Girl after for your arm.”

“I’ll do that,” Hitoshi smiled. 

“Match number three; Creating sparks on the field and in hearts! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Kaminari Denki! Versus! -- Oh... He requested this? Okay. -- Revelry in the dark! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Tokoyami Fumikage!”

Izuku leaned forward in his seat in the stands. He was surrounded by others from his class. “Ready? Start!” 

Tokoyami released Dark Shadow, who flew right for Kaminari. The shadow entity picked Kaminari up and headed for the edge of the field. It seemed their goal was to simply fly him out of bounds. That might work, except…

Kaminari was actually smart, although most of the class didn’t think so. He figured out what was happening right away and tensed, bracing to release a charge. Sparks danced across his skin before erupting into the air. Dark Shadow was weakened by the light and Kaminari dropped back to the ground. 

Still electrified, he increased his output and covered the rest of the field. Auntie Nemuri even had to move back to avoid getting hit on her referee stand. When the blinding, flashing lights finally died down, Kaminari was standing and Tokoyami was not. Sure, Kaminari had short-circuited, but he was still standing. It counted. 

“With an electrifying K.O., our winner is Kaminari Denki!” Mama announced. 

“Match number four; He placed high in the previous two games! He wasn’t recommended for admission for nothing! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Todoroki Shouto! Versus! Our own resident Keroppi! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Asui Tsuyu!”

“Ready? Start!” Todoroki sent a stream of ice over the ground towards Tsu but she jumped out of the way easily. He kept sending ice at her and she kept dodging. 

Tsu tried to get close to him and nearly succeeded a few times. But each time, he’d send out another wave of ice. It wasn’t too long before the entire field was covered with ice and Todoroki started developing patches of frost on his skin. 

Izuku had also noticed that Tsu was beginning to slow down. Ah, right. Her hibernation weakness, he remembered. There was so much ice on the field that the air had to be freezing. Soon after he noticed that, she had slowed down enough to get hit by one of the ice blasts. She was knocked back into a pillar of ice. 

Whether she was knocked unconscious from that or had simply fallen asleep, Izuku wasn’t sure. All he knew was that Auntie Nemuri called the match in Todoroki’s favor. “Todoroki Shouto is our winner!” Mama announced. “Please give us a moment to melt the field.”

Chapter Text

“Match number five; He’s already vowed to be number one! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Bakugou Katsuki! Versus! He’s good! He’s good but what’s with that plainness he just can’t get rid of? From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Sero Hanta!”

“That’s mean,” Sero frowned. 

“It’s true, Tape Face,” Katsuki grinned. 

“I know but he doesn’t need to point it out,” Sero huffed. 

“Ready? Start!” 

A piece of tape shot out at Katsuki’s arm. He let it stick to him so that he could grab it and pull Tape Face closer. The idiot yelped as he was yanked hard enough to fall on the ground. After a second, the tension in the tape vanished. He disconnected it. Of course. 

This time Sero decided to just go for it and charge Katsuki. He defended with an explosion but the bendy fucker dodged and shot out more tape to bind Katsuki’s arms to his torso. “Okay, buddy. Off we go to the boundary line,” Sero smiled. 

“Have you ever walked an exploding dog on a leash?” Katsuki asked with a feral grin. 

“No,” Sero replied uncertainly. Instead of replying, he fired off explosions at his side, burning through the tape. He burned his arms and torso in the process but he could deal with that. Recovery Girl was here anyway. 

His next move was to grab the lanky idiot by his arm now that he was close enough and throw him as far towards the boundary line as he could. Katsuki propelled after him with his explosions, meeting Sero just as he managed to stand up. He paled when he saw Katsuki already there, palms sparking. One more well-aimed explosion blew Sero over the line. 

“A valiant effort from Sero but Bakugou Katsuki is the winner of this match!” Mic announced. 

“Match number six; She’s chill but she’s fierce! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Jirou Kyouka! Versus! Manly and passionate hardening! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Kirishima Eijiro!”

This was another fight that was over relatively quickly. Jirou’s ear jacks couldn’t deal any damage to Kirishima while he was hardened. She also couldn’t hit or kick him while he was hardened without hurting herself. 

The majority of the short match was just Kirishima chasing Jirou while she tried to think of something. At one point she managed to trip him with her ear jacks but in the end, he captured her in a bear hug and just carried her over to the boundary before tossing her over the line. 

“Match number seven; Fully equipped with support items! From the Support Course, Class H, it’s Hatsume Mei! Versus! It’s like he’s the epitome of the middle of the pack! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Iida Tenya!”

“What is that?” Satou asked, watching Iida clip on some sort of contraption. Izuku frowned. It’s probably Mei’s but why is Iida wearing it?

“Iida’s also fully equipped with support items!” Mama narrated. 

“That’s generally against the rules for those in the hero course,” Auntie Nemuri spoke. “Those who must use equipment needed to get permission beforehand.” Izuku only got permission for his boots because his fighting style was hard on his legs and they kept him from injuring himself.

“I forgot about that!” Iida responded. “Aoyama-kun wore a belt and Izuku-kun had his boots, so I thought it was fine.”

“They got permission before the festival,” Auntie Nemuri informed him. 

“I humbly apologize!” Iida bowed. “However, my heart was moved by my opponent’s sportsmanship. Even though she is from the support course, she said she wanted an even match since she made it this far. She said she wanted to fight fairly. So she gave me this equipment. I did not think I could ignore her fighting spirit.”

That didn’t sound like Mei. It was more likely that she just wanted to show off her babies. “Oh youth,” Auntie Nemuri laughed. “I’ll allow it.”

“Well, since permission’s been granted, let’s start the match!” Mama called. Iida sprinted towards Mei, not yet activating his quirk. Mei adjusted a headset with a microphone, staying in place. Oh no, Izuku thought, seeing where this was going. Poor Iida.

“Isn’t that acceleration wonderful, Tenya?” she asked, voice echoing thanks to her headset. “Don’t your legs feel lighter than usual? That’s only to be expected! Those leg parts are helping the wearer’s movements along. And I--”

Some sort of rod shot out from the device she wore on her back, pushing her out of Iida’s path just as he reached her. “Can evade easily with my hydraulic attachments!” It’s a commercial!

Iida halted and turned around to run at her again. Once again, the hydraulics helped her dodge. “Since I’ve got sensors in every direction, I can even deal with attacks from behind.” This time Iida tripped but the device on his back somehow kept him upright. 

“Tenya changed course adeptly!” Mei cheered. “It’s thanks to the auto-balancer that I made. The leg parts detect the wearer’s brainwaves to predict their movements, so there’s no need to worry about time lag!”

She kept dodging and Iida kept trying to reach her to no avail. She was basically toying with him. “The auto-balancer is equipped with a 32-axis gyro sensor. It will be sure to keep the wearer from falling unless the wearer wants to.”

“Weren’t you going to fight fairly?” Iida shouts as he runs at her for the umpteenth time. 

Mei activated the boots she was wearing and flew into the air. “What do you think of this lightness? These electro shoes use electromagnetic induction on both feet to allow for instant evasive action!” Iida ran after her, intending to catch her when she landed but she turned around and aimed a gun-looking thing at him. It shot out a net, trapping him. 

Izuku grimaced in sympathy for his blue-haired friend. “A capture gun to use against villains! The capture nets are in cartridges and you can fire up to five before reloading. Who developed all of these items? It was me! Hatsume Mei! Everyone from the support companies, the choice is clear! Hatsume Mei, Hatsume Mei, Hatsume Mei!”

“And now I will talk about the next support item!” There’s more? Sure enough, she continued her presentation for another ten minutes, using poor Iida as a guinea pig, before simply walking out of bounds herself. 

“Um, Hatsume Mei is out of bounds,” Auntie Nemuri said uncertainly. “Iida-kun advances to the next round.”

“Match number eight; Pinkalicious and ready to fight! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Ashido Mina! Versus! Ope, there goes gravity! From the Hero Course, Class A, it’s Uraraka Ochaco!”

“Ready? Start!”

Mina skated towards Uraraka with her acid. Izuku was honestly a tiny bit worried. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith in his friend. It was just that her quirk was difficult to utilize without objects. There weren’t even rocks on the ground for her to make float. 

Uraraka avoided her, once, twice, then three times. A bit of acid got on her sleeve, though, and part of it melted away. There wasn’t much she could do at the moment other than evade, but it didn’t seem to cause her any anxiety. She looked determined. 

Then one of the times Mina skated by, Uraraka ducked under a spray of acid, getting just close enough to tap Mina’s side. The pink girl started to float upwards. Using Mina’s moment of confusion to her advantage, she pushed Mina hard. This sent Mina hurtling out of bounds. 

“Uraraka wins the match,” Auntie Nemuri determined. Uraraka deactivated her quirk before Mina could float off into the sun or something. 

“Before we start the next set of matches, we’re going to give everyone a short break!” Mama announced. Izuku looked around the stands for Iida so they could go meet Uraraka but he was gone. Maybe he already went to meet her? Izuku thought. When he found Uraraka alone, he began to worry a little bit. Where had Iida gone?

“Audience! Prepare yourself for an emotional battle! Next up is the fight between Aiyama Izuku and Aiyama Hitoshi,” Mama announced. “That’s right! They are indeed brothers! How will that affect their match?”

Izuku watched his brother step onto the field across from him. They hadn’t actually gotten a chance to spar together since school started. Dad always matched them up with other people during training so they’d get some variety. By the look on Hitoshi’s face, he could tell they were thinking the same thing. This would be fun.

Chapter Text

“Ready? Start!” 

“I’m not getting a response, am I?” Hitoshi asked with a grin. Izuku simply smiled and ran for him. “Alright, I won’t bother.” Having both been trained by their dad and for the same amount of time, they were pretty evenly matched in terms of skill. Without their weapons, they’d both have to rely on hand-to-hand combat. 

Hitoshi utilized a full-body fighting style that focused on flexibility and using his opponent’s strength against them. Izuku on the other hand had a lower-body fighting style that focused on agility and adapting to his opponent’s movements. The fact that Izuku could see guidelines at times helped him to react quickly and accurately. 

They had gone on long enough that both were losing stamina and Izuku was slowing down. Hitoshi managed to flip Izuku at some point, dislocating his shoulder in the process. “Shit. Sorry,” Hitoshi said quickly. Izuku grimaced but ignored the pain otherwise. He used his feet for the most part anyway. 

In all the commotion, Hitoshi seemed to lose track of how close they were to the boundary line. Izuku aimed a push kick at his abdomen. It wasn’t elegant but it was quick, and it pushed Hitoshi over the boundary line.

“That was an intense match!” Mama commented. “Aiyama Izuku is our winner!”

“This time we have a matchup between two elemental powerhouses! Kaminari Denki and Todoroki Shouto! Which one will come out on top?” Hizashi asked as each of them made their way to the field. He noted that Todoroki looked upset.

“Ready? Start!” Todoroki created essentially a mountain of ice that probably was tall enough to peek out over the top of the arena. It effectively rendered Kaminari immobile. It was overkill.

“Perhaps that was a bit too much,” Hizashi commented. “But the winner of the match is Todoroki!”

Recovery Girl fixed his shoulder and kissed away the bruises from his fight with Hitoshi. “Now that you’re healed, have some energy gummies. Then you can go sit in the stands with your class until your next match.”

He accepted some gummies from her and left to go find the rest of his class. When he heard an unfamiliar but angry voice, he slowed down. “You used your fire and now you’re refusing to use it again. You will stop being stubborn and accept your role, Shouto.”

Turning the corner into the adjoining hallway, he saw Endeavor, in all his flaming glory, cornering Todoroki. Todoroki noticed him and despite his normally passive expressions, Izuku saw genuine and familiar fear in his eyes. Endeavor followed his gaze to Izuku. 

“This doesn’t concern you, boy. Leave,” Endeavor ordered. Todoroki gave a subtle nod, encouraging Izuku to leave. Yeah, no. Fuck that. 

“Why don’t you make me?” Izuku replied, turning his attention back to Endeavor. The man frowned like he couldn’t believe this tiny child had the audacity. 

“Excuse me?” Endeavor turned fully to face Izuku now. 

“I don’t think I should be leaving him alone with you. So if you want me to leave, come at me, little bitch,” Izuku taunted. He had a 50% chance that Endeavor would actually attack him and a 50% chance that the man wouldn’t tarnish his reputation over a mouthy kid. Todorki let out a strangled sound of shock. 

“Do you know who you’re talking to?” Endeavor asked, rage filling his features. 

“A massive, flaming pile of shit,” Izuku answered in a bored tone. Endeavor’s eye twitched like he was just barely holding back. 

“Come, Shouto,” Endeavor commanded, grabbing Todoroki’s arm. “We’ll have to find somewhere quieter to talk. Away from disrespectful brats with useless quirks that have no business in the hero course.”

Furious, Izuku let the man drag Todoroki just far enough down the hallway to allow for some decent momentum. Then he sprinted at the flame hero. “You’re not taking him anywhere!” Izuku screamed. Endeavor turned just in time for Izuku to land a kick on his cheek, instead of the back of his head. His flame beard went out from the surprise of the attack. 

“That’s it!” Izuku yelped as Endeavor caught his ankle, leaving him dangling upside down. “Shouto is my son and I’ll take him where I damn well please. Since you insist on interfering, I’ll ensure you get expelled.”

“Fucking try it, Endewhore,” Izuku spat, struggling. “I’m sure Nezu would be eager to hear about how you treat your son. I know for a fact he can’t stand human cruelty. I’d be happy to sic him on you.”

“Are you threatening me?” Endeavor growled, squeezing Izuku’s leg enough for it to hurt. He’d have to go back to Recovery Girl before his next match. That was going to bruise. 

“Put the kid down, Endeavor,” a new voice instructed. Izuku twisted around to see All Might. 

“This student attacked me,” Endeavor told him. 

“Izuku-Shounen is one of our more timid students. He is, however, pure-hearted and I don’t believe he would attack anyone without reason,” All Might said firmly. “Now put him down.”

Izuku was unceremoniously dropped to the floor. “He’s trying to force Todoroki to use his fire,” Izuku explained as he stood up. “It’s Todoroki’s choice how he uses his quirk and which aspects of it he uses. I can not stand by while he threatens my friend over his choices. Since Endeavor demanded I leave and then tried to drag Todoroki away when I refused, I feared he intended to do worse than threaten him once they were alone.”

“How dare y--”

“You are not actually meant to be down here,” All Might interrupted. “Only students and staff are permitted. I’m going to have to ask that you leave and let your son prepare for the remainder of the tournament. If you won’t go back to the stands willingly, I have no issue asking security to escort you off school property entirely.”

“This isn’t over,” Endeavor warned before walking away. As soon as he was out of sight, Izuku moved over to Todoroki. 

“Are you okay?” Izuku fretted, hearing All Might walk closer. 

“Are you?” Todoroki asked incredulously. “Your whole personality changed. Isn’t that a sign of a concussion or a stroke or something?”

“I was channeling my inner Kacchan,” Izuku smiled. “Did it work?”

“I think you were a better Bakugou than Bakugou,” Todoroki complimented. 

“I think we should get you two back with your classmates,” All Might interjected. “Let’s walk and talk.”

“What are we to talk about?” Todoroki deadpanned. Izuku had noticed how even though he never participated in the ‘Ass Might’ conversations and pranks, Todoroki had followed along with things that didn’t require his active involvement. 

“Did you really attack Endeavor?” All Might asked, looking curiously at Izuku. 

“He tried to drag Todoroki away, so I kicked him,” Izuku admitted. 

“It was a flying kick to the head,” Todoroki corrected. “Suprised him so much that his beard ‘poofed’ away.” 

All Might burst out laughing. “I wish I could have seen that. You take after Ya--”

“Mama?” Izuku interrupted quickly, hoping All Might would understand that the rest of the class didn’t know about his parents or their marriage. Well, aside from Tsu. 

“Yes,” All Might smiled sheepishly. “And Hitoshi-Shounen seems to take after your dad.”

“Do you like your parents?” Todoroki asked bluntly. 

“I do. They are very nice,” Izuku replied, knowing why he’d ask.

“Good. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to return the face kick favor,” Todoroki said with a faint smile. 

“Did you just make a joke?” Izuku grinned. 

“Perhaps,” Todoroki answered. 

“Here we are!” All Might said as they got to the open doorway that led outside to their class’s seats. “Izuku-Shounen, could I speak to you for a moment?”

Todoroki paused, giving Izuku a questioning look. “Go on,” Izuku smiled. “If we stay in the doorway, you can see me.” Todoroki nodded and walked to his seat. Izuku turned to All Might. 

“I wanted to apologize,” All Might started, shocking Midoriya. “I failed to understand just how useful quirkless combat could actually be. It’s not something I was exposed to much in my days. Mental quirks weren’t particularly common among pro heroes until more started appearing in the last decade.”

“It’s possible that it’s due to the old entrance exam requirements and license exam rules. At least in part. I worked with Nighteye as a sidekick semi-recently in my career. Well, it’s been years now, but compared to how long I’ve been a hero I mean. He typically only offered support from the agency or onsite on the sidelines.”

“He and I lost touch some years ago, so I haven’t been up to date on his achievements. Ryo had me look him up and he’s got his own agency now. He fights in combat the same as someone with a physical quirk. I fear, in hindsight, that being partnered with me held him back.”

“On top of that realization, seeing you in the Sports Festival today has greatly altered my perspective. I know I can’t take back what I said to you, but I want you to know that you changed my mind. I am truly sorry for any heartache I may have caused you with my misguided opinions,” All Might concluded. 

“I’m glad you were able to see it another way,” Izuku responded, not quite sure if he forgave him yet. He needed time to process. “I’m going to go watch the next match.”

“Good luck in your next match,” All Might said brightly before leaving.

“Coming to the field now are two students that have a commanding presence on the field,” Mama announced. “Bakugou Katsuki and Kirishima Eijiro!”

“Ready? Start!”

Izuku flinched as explosions collided with the hardened teen. “Look at that,” Mama exclaimed when the smoke cleared. “Kirishima was able to counter Bakugou’s explosions with his own quirk!”

The fight continued in quirked-up, hand-to-hand combat. Fiery fists collided with rock-like hands repeatedly. He could barely make them out under all the smoke. They broke apart to let the smoke clear. Kirishima was starting to look strained from holding his quirk so long. 

Kacchan grinned and attacked, sending explosion after explosion into the hardened skin of his opponent. Somehow he kept gaining speed. He’s trying to break through Kirishima’s quirk, Izuku realized. Kacchan fired off one last, high-powered explosion and when the smoke cleared, Kirishima was down for the count. 

“Wow! That was explosive!” Mama commented. “Bakugou Katsuki wins the match!”

Chapter Text

“Are you ready for a lesson in physics? Velocity versus gravity! It’s Iida Tenya and Uraraka Ochaco!” Mama cheered. Uraraka appeared on the field alone. “Ah, it appears that Iida had to withdraw from the tournament due to family matters. Uraraka wins by default.”

“Audience!” Mama called. “Are you ready for the first round of the semi-finals? The winner of this match will go on to the final battle! Will it be the icy Todoroki Shouto or the clever Aiyama Izuku?”

“Ready? Start!”

Izuku dodged the spike of ice that shot towards him, landing on it with his boot’s spikes out. “Todoroki, I’ve decided something.” Todoroki gave him a confused glare before sending another blast of ice his way. “I think, it’s not okay for him to be taking away half of your power like this.”

“I’m not using his power,” Todoroki said flatly, icing the ground. 

“It’s not his power though,” Izuku argued. “Because of his stupid fire beard, which, whose idea was that?” Todoroki chuckled as he dodged a kick from Izuku. “But my point is, I saw his quirk details. Your quirks are different.”

“We both have fire,” Todoroki pointed out. “I got my fire from him.”

“Incorrect!” Izuku chirped. “You don’t actually have the two quirks, fire and ice. You have one single quirk, thermal manipulation.” Todoroki faltered as Izuku kicked through an ice pillar. Thank you, Dad, for making me kick cement blocks.  

“Explain,” Todoroki demanded, managing to catch Izuku’s leg in some ice.  

“Use your power to fight me and I’ll tell you after,” Izuku insisted, stomping through the ice with his other foot. He winced when he kicked his own ankle. 

Izuku looked up just in time to see a wall of fire coming for him. He couldn’t do much more than shield his face. Which left him vulnerable to the ice blast following the fire. He was knocked back into a half-melted ice pillar. A crack reverberated through his head before he blacked out. 

“Here we are for the second round of the semi-finals!” Mic announced. “Whoever wins this match will be going up against Todoroki in the finals. Will it be the explosive Bakugou Katsuki or the tenacious Uraraka Ochaco?”

“I heard what some of our classmates said in the stand, so I’ll warn you now. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a girl. If you’d like to withdraw, do it now.” Katsuki warned. Round Face gave him a determined frown. Alright then. 

“Ready? Start!”

“Withdrawing isn’t a choice,” she shouted, running straight at him. Katsuki braced himself and prepared to fire an explosion before she got close enough to touch him. He fired off the explosion nearly in her face and smoke filled the area. 

“This is no good,” he heard her say quietly to herself. Oh, so she picked up Izuku’s mumbling habit. Or maybe it was a peppy person thing. “Even if I knew about it, I couldn’t react in time.”

When he saw her uniform through the smoke, he fired off another explosion. “Don’t underestimate me!” Though he was surprised to find himself pinning an empty shirt to the ground. Behind me… he sensed. He turned, explosions firing and ripping through the ground as his arm followed the movement. 

She hit the ground hard enough to bounce when she flew back, but ultimately managed to land on her feet. He stormed through the smoke and she sprinted at him. “Too slow!” he shouted, driving another explosion into the ground to pull the earth up into his blast. She recovered and tried again to catch him from behind. He simply fired another blast in her direction. 

“Not yet!” she screamed, unrelenting in her failing approach. Holy fuck! Try something else, he thought, exasperated. 

“Uraraka keeps attacking without rest,” Mic narrated. “But… this is…”

Katsuki could hear booing from the crowd over his explosions. Every time he’d pause his explosions, snippets of their commentary made it through to him. “There is booing from parts of the crowd…” Mic commented. 

“Was that a pro saying that Bakugou is playing around?” Aizawa demanded, apparently taking over the announcements. “How many years have you been a pro? If you’re saying that with a straight face, there’s no point in you watching anymore, so go home! Go home and look into changing careers.”

“Bakugou is being careful because he’s acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. It’s because he’s doing everything he can to win that he can’t go easy on her or let his guard down.”

Katsuki was pleasantly surprised that Aizawa jumped in to defend him like that. As the smoke cleared, he saw Uraraka still standing. “It’s about time… I think…” she muttered. “Thank you, Bakugou-kun, for not letting your guard down.” 

She posed her hands like she does when she releases her quirk. “I’m going to win!” she proclaimed, pressing her fingers together. Oh fuck. He took notice of the debris from his explosions beginning their descent. 

He raised his arm up, bracing it with his other, and fired off a massive explosion directly up into the sky. It destroyed nearly all the debris and knocked her back. “Bakugou delivers a satisfying explosion!” Mic exclaimed. “He blasts boldly through Uraraka’s secret plan!”

Uraraka tried to stand. “All right, let’s get serious then, Uraraka!” But as they advanced towards each other, she promptly fell over. She used up every last bit of her energy to keep up that barrage of attacks. He watched, tense, as she tried to crawl towards him despite that. 

When she stopped moving, Midnight came to check on her. “Uraraka’s out of commission,” she declared after a moment. “Bakugou advances to the final round!”

“We’ve finally reached the battle you’ve all been waiting for! The best of the best are ready to collide in a showstopping match! Let’s hear it for Bakugou Katsuki and Todoroki Shouto for making it all the way here!” Hizashi prompted. The crowd cheered loudly for the two students. 

“Ready? Give it your all! Start!”

Fire and ice collided on the field with such intense force that the windows of the announcer’s box rattled. Holy shit. Hizashi really couldn’t make out much aside from clouds of white and blue and orange and black. Spikes of ice grew all over the field and the crowd had been drowned out by the sound of explosions. 

“Todoroki’s still using his fire,” Shouta pointed out quietly enough that the microphone didn’t pick it up. Looking again, Hizashi could pick out the tall, whipping flames that were distinctly different from the sharp bursts of light. 

Hizashi was in awe of their quirks. He knew that quirks had been getting more complex and powerful with each generation but it was something else to see this kind of raw power in person. Imagine what these kids could do after their three years at UA. The tension built until Cementoss actually had to step in. 

From her referee stand, Nemuri motioned for Hizashi to announce a tiebreaker. “As we mentioned at the beginning of the Tournament, we prefer to keep things non-lethal. The quirk displays were impressive but unfortunately, they are at an impasse. One can not beat out the other without taking lethal action.”

“The good news is that we are prepared for this situation as well! Our tiebreaker method is a good old-fashioned arm wrestling contest!” Thanks to all his upper body training, Bakugou actually won. But Hizashi could see, even from this distance, that he was furious about the draw between their quirks. 

“Let’s give a cheer for our winner! Bakugou Katsuki!” Hizashi prompted. “Before the awards ceremony, there will be a short break to get all our participants that need healing seen by Recovery Girl.” He turned off the microphone. 

“I’ll go check on Izuku,” Shouta said, answering Hizashi before he could even ask. 

“Thank you,” Hizashi smiled. Hopefully, Izuku was okay. 

Shouta got to the room Recovery Girl was using just as Izuku started to wake up. “How is he?”

“He had a concussion but I healed him,” Recovery Girl told him. “He might have mild nausea or headaches in the next couple of days though.”

“Hey, Dad,” Izuku smiled sheepishly where he now sat up in the cot. 

“Hello, Problem Child. Where shall we start? Oh yes, the landmine stunt,” Shouta gave him a pointed look. 

“He also visited me four times today,” Recovery Girl added. 

“Right. That too. Wait… did you say four?” Shouta asked. “I only counted three.”

“After the cavalry battle with burns. After the match with Hitoshi for a dislocated shoulder and bruises. After I’d already healed him but before his next match, he came in with a bruise on his leg. And then finally, he was knocked out after his last match,” Recovery Girl listed. 

“What happened?” Shouta demanded, narrowing his eyes at Izuku. 

Izuku wouldn’t meet his eyes. “There may have been a run-in with Endeavor between matches.”

“Endeavor, as in the number two hero, hurt you?” Shouta asked, confused. 

“Well, it was kind of my fault,” Izuku mumbled. No, nope, absolutely not. There is never a reason for a hero to hurt a kid, Shouta thought. 

“Beginning to end, what happened?” Izuku sighed. 

“Recovery girl had just healed me. I was going to walk back to the stands but I heard someone yelling. When I peeked around the corner, Endeavor was yelling at Todoroki for not using his fire. And Todoroki confessed some stuff to me earlier, I won’t say what because I won’t betray his trust, but trust me when I say Endeavor’s a shitty person. When he noticed me, he demanded I leave. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving Todoroki with him so… I may have told him to make me. And then to ‘come at me, little bitch’ when he made me repeat myself.”

“Again?” Shouta interrupted. “First a gunman and now Endeavor? Why do you keep saying that to people?”

“It comes to mind in the moment,” Izuku defended. Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before motioning for him to continue with his other hand. “So anyway, he didn’t try to make me leave. But he did try to forcibly drag Todoroki away. So I kicked his stupid fire beard off his face. But then he grabbed my foot.”

“You kicked his… no, never mind. Continue.”

“He grabbed my leg so I was trapped. He said he’d get me expelled and I countered that Nezu would love to hear about how Endeavor treats his family. And that’s when he squeezed my leg really hard. Thankfully, All Might showed up and made him leave.”

“You’re a handful,” Shouta concluded, patting Izuku’s head. “We’ll talk more about this later. For now, let’s get to the awards ceremony. You got third.”

Chapter Text

Izuku was directed to some tiered stands that Cementoss had made in the center of the field. He and Uraraka stood together on the third place stand while Todoroki took second and Kacchan took first. 

“Now, we will award the medals!” Auntie Nemuri exclaimed. “The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man.”

“AHAHAHA!” Izuku groaned internally as the crowd cheered. Of course. All Might lept into the arena field from the roof. 

“Our very own hero, All Might!” Auntie Nemuri said at the same time that All Might said “I have brought the medals here!” There was a moment of silence before Auntie Nemuri apologized for talking over him. 

“Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third place,” Auntie Nemuri instructed. 

“Uraraka-Shoujo, your determination to keep fighting is impressive. Please do not ever lose that tenacious spirit.” All Might complimented as he hung a medal around her neck. He gave her a hug before turning to Izuku. 

“Izuku-Shounen. As I mentioned earlier today, you opened my eyes to a fact not commonly recognized in the world of heroes. I fully believe that you can change the opinions of others as well.” All Might hung the medal around his neck. 

Izuku put a hand up when All Might moved to hug him. “Hug me and I will bite you,” he warned. 

“Ah, yes. Understood,” All Might replied, shaking his hand instead. 

“Todoroki-Shounen, I am glad to see that you have started down the path of embracing your full power as your own. I’ve gathered that you do not have the best relationship with your father but your power is yours. I hope you can come into your own, independent of him.” Todoroki nodded after All Might placed the medal on him. He accepted the hug reluctantly.

“Bakugou-Shounen, I understand that you are disappointed with the stalemate. Learn from this experience and continue to grow. Your journey at UA has only begun,” All Might beamed, placing the medal on Kacchan. 

“Don’t hug me, don’t pat my shoulder, don’t shake my hand,” Kacchan said with a glare. “Just don’t touch me.”

“Fair enough,” All Might nodded, still smiling. 

“Well,” All Might turned to address the stadium. “They were the winners this time! But listen here. Anyone could have ended up on these podiums. It’s just as you saw; Competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting! So I have just one more thing to say!” 

“Everyone, please say it with me! Ready go!”

“Plus Ultra!” the crowd cheered as All Might boomed “Thanks for your hard work”

“It should have been Plus Ultra,” the crowd called. 

“Oh. well, I thought everyone worked hard…” All Might replied sadly. 

Dad accompanied Izuku when he went to talk to Todoroki just in case Endeavor showed up. Todoroki was eyeing Dad with mild suspicion while Izuku pulled out his notebook, setting it at the table they were seated at. “Okay so, as I said during our match, the two of you actually have very different quirks.”

“We both have fire,” Todoroki said flatly. 

“Not exactly, no. Your father actually ignites, similarly to the way Kacchan sparks. He is actually on fire and his body is resistant to it. You, on the other hand, can manipulate thermal energy. You can transfer thermal energy, or heat, by means of conduction, convection, radiation, or evaporation. If you heat up the air enough, fire happens. Similar to how paper will start on fire if you leave a hot iron on it. You can also leech all thermal energy from the air or surfaces, resulting in ice.”

“I don’t understand how that makes ice,” Todoroki interrupted. 

“When there is absolutely no heat in the air, the water particles in the air freeze,” Izuku explained. “You have the potential to go beyond just fire and ice if you experiment with quirk control. Like you could make steam or fog too. If you’d like to learn more, the subject itself is called thermodynamics.”

“I’ll look into it,” Todoroki said with a curt nod. 

“It’s your power so don’t let your father ruin it for you,” Izuku said urgently. 

“I won’t. Thank you, Izuku-kun,” Todoroki replied. 

“It’s no problem, Todoroki-kun,” Izuku beamed at him. 

“Call me Shouto,” Todoroki told him. 

“Oh, okay,” Izuku agreed, a little surprised. “I’ll call you Shouto then.”

“Okay!” Hizashi said brightly when they got home. “Conversation time! Sit.” Izuku and Hitoshi were directed to the couch. “First of all, no one is in trouble. Okay?”

“We are very proud of how well you did in the Sports Festival,” Shouta assured them. 

“Then why is it conversation time?” Hitoshi asked. 

“Because you had a whole Shoujo romance thing happen on live TV. We’re going to talk about household dating rules. And then Izuku, you need to chill with the recklessness,” Hizashi told them. 

“I prefer no dating,” Shouta said flatly. 

“But that’s illogical!” Hizashi amended, borrowing Shouta’s phrasing. “So instead there are guidelines to keep you safe. These apply to both of you. First, you need to tell us if and who you are dating. If we haven’t already met them, we’ll need to.”

“Second, no loud blondes,” Shouta added. 

“Sho, be serious,” Hizashi scolded. “Whoever you date, regardless of their hair color or average volume, you respect them. You also make sure that they respect you. Boundaries are to be respected, communication is key, and you should never change yourself for anyone.”

“You can have significant others here, friends too actually, and sleepovers are permitted,” Shouta told them. Hitoshi looked horrified at the direction of the conversation but Izuku seemed unphased.

“We would prefer no sexual activity but that is not something that we can actually enforce,” Hizashi said. Izuku looked confused.

“Legally…” Shouta grumbled. 

“Right, so we just ask that you be safe and responsible,” Hizashi continued. “And that we never see or hear anything. If you need any in-depth sex education lessons, Nemuri is the counselor for that. You can also talk to her if you have any questions about types of relationships.”

“Types of relationships?” Izuku asked. 

“Monogamous, polyamorous, romantic, queerplatonic, friends-with-benefits,” Hizashi listed. “That sort of thing.”

“Aren’t all relationships romantic?” Izuku tilted his head in confusion. 

“Did you ever get any health talks other than the standard class in middle school?” Shouta asked. “Either of you.”

“I did,” Hitoshi replied while Izuku shook his head. 

“Izuku, you’ll have a supplementary lesson with Numuri then,” Shouta decided. "And then, of course, you can talk to either of us as well. Nemuri just has more information from a medical or educational standpoint."

“While you’re here, we also need to talk about how reckless you sometimes are, Izuku,” Hizashi pointed out. 

“Right,” Shouta agreed. “That stunt with the landmines was extremely dangerous. Luckily, it worked out in your favor but it might not have. 

“And you scared the hell out of us,” Hizashi said gently. 

“I’m kind of over that actually,” Shouta said cryptically. Hizashi gave him a confused look. “Because guess what Izuku apparently did when we couldn’t see him.”

“What did he do?” Hitoshi asked as Izuku shrunk into himself. 

“Problem Child, tell them what you did,” Shouta grinned. 

“I,” Izuku squeaked. “I kicked the fire beard off Endeavor.” 

“You what?” Hizashi demanded. Hitoshi burst out laughing. 

“He was yelling at Todoroki and then he tried to drag him away so I kicked him in the face,” Izuku admitted, flushing red. 

“And what did you say before kicking him?” Shouta prompted. 

“I told him to ‘come at me, little bitch.’” Shouta gave Hizashi a pointed look. “And I may have also called him a ‘massive, flaming pile of shit’ and ‘Endewhore.’”

“You did not tell me about that,” Shouta exclaimed, turning so fast he may have gotten whiplash. 

“I was summarizing and you didn’t ask,” Izuku defended. 

“Do you have anything else that you left out?” Hizashi asked. 

“Hitoshi’s dating the loud blonde,” Izuku blurted out. Hitoshi stopped laughing to look at Izuku with an exaggerated look of betrayal.

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Denki's general style seems to fall under grunge/punk?

(I don't know, that's what the tags said on these outfits.)

I believe he'd wear Pikachu and electric pun tees.

And then leather chokers and bracelets are basically a trademark for him.

Chapter Text

Denki startled awake to banging on his door. He watched from his bed to see if it would open. It didn’t so he must have had the presence of mind to lock it last night despite how exhausted he was. Carefully he picked himself out of the nest of blankets and pillows and got off the bed as quietly as he could. 

“Damn it, Denki! I know you’re in there,” his dad shouted. Without making a sound, he changed out of the sports uniform he had fallen asleep in. “I fucking saw your little display at the Sports Festival on TV.” 

Denki froze. His dad was supposed to have been working when it aired. Did they play it at the garage then? Shit. He packed his backpack with some books to read and a hoodie. Time to get out of here before his dad started throwing around some slurs again. He unplugged his phone charger from the wall and slid his window open carefully so it wouldn’t squeak. 

“First I catch you wearing a god damn skirt and now your kissing boys? It’s bad enough you want to be a hero and now your broadcasting on national television that you’re a fucking f--” Denki dropped out of the window, missing that last bit but knowing full well what he said.

To Sero: 

Dude, Imma be over in like an hour? That cool?

From Sero:

Yeah, man. No problem. 

“I can’t believe I missed that,” Katsuki grumbled from the armchair. 

“I know,” Hitoshi whined from his spot on the floor. 

“I thought his beard was like, permanent,” Mei commented. She was on the couch with Izuku laying in her lap. 

“Nah, it’s from his quirk. He doesn’t actually have facial hair,” Izuku told her. Mama and Dad were at the Sports Festival doing the announcing for the second years. Hitoshi and the others opted to stay home since they were still exhausted. 

“Ooh, I did an analysis for her!” Izuku exclaimed, pointing at the TV. They had the channel set to the Sports Festival broadcast. Hitoshi recognized the lava girl from Nezu’s quirk counseling sessions. “I hope she wins!”

“Obviously that guy with the flight quirk is going to win,” Katsuki argued. 

“I think a lot of them have a chance,” Izuku decided. “I’m just rooting for her because I know her.”

“I’m surprised that there isn’t anyone in the support course using any babies,” Mei huffed, braiding bits of Izuku’s hair to fidget. 

“No one’s quite as ingenious as you, Mei,” Izuku smiled. “Honestly turning the tournament into a  presentation the way you did seems more like business course behavior.”

“As the future CEO of Hatsume Tech Industries, I need to know how to do my own business management, inventory, marketing, et cetera,” Mei replied. 

“Sort of a one-woman show,” Hitoshi commented. 

“Exactly!” Mei exclaimed. 

“Denki!” the little girl exclaimed upon opening the door. 

“Hey, Akiko. Where’s Hanta?” Denki asked with a smile. The six-year-old was one of his favorites in the Sero family. Aside from Hanta, of course. 

“Nii-san’s in his room. You can go up!” She hopped off into the house, leaving him at the open door. Shaking his head, he closed the door behind him before heading up to Hanta’s room. 

“You need the first aid kit?” Hanta asked as Denki opened his door. 

“No. I remembered to lock my door this time,” Denki shrugged. 

“Did he see the kiss or was he just drunk again?” Hanta motioned for Denki to come and sit by him. 

“Well, he saw the kiss but odds are that he was drunk too,” Denki replied, accepting the spare game controller from Hanta. 

“You should tell someone,” Hanta suggested for probably the millionth time since elementary school. 

“And then get sent into foster care and probably have to drop out of UA? I’m good. In less than three years now, I’ll be able to walk out of that house a hero and never look back,” Denki vowed. 

Class 1A Chat

Yaomomo: Please remember that the shelter visit is on Sunday at 2 pm

Alien Queen: I thought Iida was in charge of that

Yaomomo: He is withdrawing due to family issues

Let It Rock: From UA???

Yaomomo: No, just from the field trip

Let It Rock: Oh good. I was worried.

Keroppi: Aren’t businesses normally closed on Sundays?

Let It Rock: They do it on Sunday /because/ everything else is closed.

Let It Rock: More people can come if they don’t have errands

Keroppi: Makes sense

Game Boy: Are we sure Aizawa’s gonna show?

Yaomomo: Well, we don’t really need an adult. It’s not a school function.

Purple Cat: No. I think this group needs an adult

Green Bean: Aizawa wouldn’t bail on us

Green Bean: Plus he likes cats

Cold Soba: How do you know that?

Alien Queen: I SAW HIM PETTING A STRAY ON CAMPUS

Pikachu: Plus the guy has a cat coffee mug in the teachers’ offices

Blast It: Oh, I saw that mug too

KING EXPLOSION: So we’re all on for the shelter except Iida

Let It Rock: It’s gonna be so much fun!

KING EXPLOSION: What are we going to do for the Prank War?

Sugar Sugar: I actually have an idea.

Purple Cat: Please, share with the class. 

Sugar Sugar: We could move his desk up to the roof

KING EXPLOSION: I’m in

Invisagirl: To take a page from my book…

Invisagirl: We could make sure he only has access to invisible ink pens all day

Green Bean: Do you think Vlad King would let us swap rooms with Class B for a period?

Alien Queen: Omg that would be great!

Purple Cat: Yaoyorozu, could you make super bad All Might merch

Yaomomo: Everyone here can call me Momo or Yaomomo

Yaomomo: Bad in what way?

Purple Cat: Like stuff that looks enough like him to tell but super wonky

Yaomomo: Yes, I can do that. 

Purple Cat: We could make a bunch and then just gift them to him throughout the day

Pikachu: Wonky Might easter egg hunt

Alien Queen: Fantastic!

Sparkles: J'adore une bonne farce.

Green Bean: Avez-vous une idée?

Sparkles: Tu parles français? And I shall bring smelly cheeses!

Green Bean: I do!

Yaomomo: I also speak French

“Where’s Izuku?” Shouta asked when they came home to only Hitoshi in the living room. 

Hitoshi had a somewhat lost expression on his face. “After the Sports Festival finished airing, the news came on and there was a report on a hero serial killer. Iida’s older brother was hurt.”

“And Izuku?” Shouta repeated as Hizashi moved forward to sit with Hitoshi. 

“His room,” Hitoshi answered. Shouta headed off to go check on him. 

Opening the door, he found Izuku curled up in his bed. Shouta went and sat on the edge of it. “Are you okay?” he asked gently. 

“Iida isn’t answering my text,” Izuku nearly whispered. 

“He could be busy. Or maybe he just needs some time alone. I’m sure he’s fine, physically at least,” Shouta reassured him. 

Izuku was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “You get your bandages off tomorrow morning.”

“I do,” Shouta confirmed. 

“That means you’ll go back to your patrol route,” Izuku pointed out. 

“Yes. I will,” Shouta agreed. 

“You’re a hero. Stain is killing heroes,” Izuku whimpered, curling into a tighter ball. “You and Mama both go out there. No one has been able to stop him. Iida’s brother is the first to even survive. I don’t want you to die.”

And if that didn’t break Shouta’s heart. “Izuku, kid, I’m not going to die. That Nomu at the USJ couldn’t even kill me. I’m just that tough.”

“They don’t know what his quirk is,” Izuku argued. 

“I erase quirks,” Shouta countered. 

“And Mama?” Izuku sniffled. 

“Would shout Stain into a coma before he could get anywhere near him,” Shouta declared. “I promise, we’ll be fine.” 

“Okay.” Shouta looked down at his stupid bandaged arms. 

“Kid, come hug me,” Shouta instructed. “I’d hug you myself but I still have these damn mummy arms.” Izuku giggled and sat up to wrap his arms around Shouta’s waist. 

“Ah, it’s hug time,” Hizashi chimed in from the door. “Let’s go!” He dragged Hitoshi with him so that they could join the hug. Honestly, Shouta thought, The chance of either of us even running into the hero killer is pretty low. It’ll be fine.

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

I don't know what this would be called but here's Sero!

And here's Mina! She's got a mix of Alt Fashion styles that she wears.

She really loves fashion and makeup so I could picture her trying any style.

Chapter Text

“Oh, Izuku-kun,” Uraraka gasped. “Your hair.”

“It’s the rain. The humidity makes it poofy,” he explained. 

“I totally have something that could fix that!” Ashido chirped. “In fact, you should let me give you a lesson in curly hair care one of these days. For now, I have this anti-frizz spray. I shouldn’t spray this in the hallway but it’s probably fine for you to come into the girl’s bathroom for a moment.”

“Oh, hold on. Iida-kun,” Izuku called out to the speedster. 

“If it’s about my brother, there is no need to worry,” Iida interrupted quickly. “I apologize for worrying you needlessly.” He turned and headed off to the classroom. 

“We’re worried anyway, right?” Uraraka clarified. 

“Yeah, but we can’t do more than be here if he needs us,” Izuku told her. 

“And we can keep an eye on him to watch for anything concerning,” Ashido added. “Now let’s go fix your hair!”

“Is it really okay for me to be in the girl’s bathroom?” Izuku asked. 

“We’ll make sure there’s no one in there. If any teachers get mad at us, I’ll just say it was a safety precaution, because it is, and us girls didn’t want to go in the boy’s bathroom,” Ashido assured him. 

“Ah, okay,” Izuku agreed, letting her and Uraraka drag him away for emergency hair care.

“Any gals in here?” Ashido asked, ducking her head in. 

“Um, me?” a confused voice replied. 

“Oh, you’re fixing your hair too! Do you mind if we bring a boy in here? His hair is acting up because of the rain,” Ashido explained. 

“No, not at all. Go ahead.” Ashido dragged him in after the response. There was a girl with curly black hair, also seeming to be struggling with the humidity. She gave him an understanding smile.

Kirishima, Satou, Katsuki, Shouji, and Hitoshi all froze when Snipe walked into the teachers’ offices. The man looked at them, looked at All Might’s desk halfway to the door, and then waved a hand. “Carry on.”

And so the boys did exactly that. Together they managed to get it to the roof of the school. How’d they gain access to the offices or the roof? Well, it certainly wasn’t that a certain rodent-like creature gave them a set of keys to use for the duration of the prank war.

“So… morning sessions?” Nemuri spoke first, trying to break the ice. 

“I have obligations after school,” Yaoyorozu answered quietly. 

“Do you know why you were recommended for a session with me?” Nemuri asked. 

“I believe Hound Dog was worried that I’m homophobic and UA has a strict anti-discrimination policy,” Yaoyoroza guessed confidently. “I can assure you that I am not homophobic.”

“Well, not exactly. His concern was actually that you have internalized homophobia,” Nemuri corrected. 

“I am not homophobic,” Yaoyorozu insisted. 

“Towards others, no. But internalized homophobia is directed at yourself. You could be 100% fine with and even supportive of other same-sex couples, but you might reject the concept for yourself. Even if that’s what you want,” Nemuri explained. “Reasons for this could include fear, self-doubt, external factors such as one’s parents, and other similar reasons.”

“I’m not gay,” Yaoyorozu said, fidgeting uncomfortably. 

“Perhaps not, but that’s what these sessions are for. To help you talk through what you are feeling and to identify any negative self-talk. One’s identity is important and living in confusion or by someone else’s standards can be stressful if not psychologically harmful,” Nemuri smiled. “Are you comfortable continuing the session?”

“I don’t have any objections, I suppose,” Yaoyorozu replied.

“You should let me give you a makeover sometime,” Ashido grinned. Izuku looked at his hair in awe. He’d never seen it so tame. Even on days with low humidity. 

“I’d be okay with that. Thank you, Ashido, for this,” Izuku said, touching a curl. 

“Oh, just call me Mina already,” she insisted, flashing a peace sign. “I’d be happy to help you with your hair anytime.”

Nezu watched the camera feeds with a great deal of amusement. Nearly all of Class 1-A showed up earlier than usual today to set things up for pranks. Apparently, now that the Sports Festival was over, they were going into it full swing. 

Currently, Yaoyorozu was making dozens of tiny ugly All Mights. All Might in doll form, keychain form, tiny plushies, erasers, et cetera. Just a bunch of little things really. Todoroki, Hagakure, and Aoyama were even gift wrapping the items as she made them. How odd.

His nose twitched as he caught sight of Izuku and Uraraka speaking with Vlad King in Class B’s homeroom. What are they up to? He flipped on the audio.

“You want us to switch rooms for a class period?” Vlad King parroted. 

“We’re trying to prank All Might and we thought it might throw him off if he came to class only to see different students. And then, if you guys could play along, that would be even better. You could insist that you’re Class A and use our names,” Izuku explained nervously. 

“We could get you the seating chart so that you know who’s pretending to be who,” Uraraka suggested. 

“When would you want this to be done?” Vlad King asked. 

“Anytime today or tomorrow is fine,” Izuku told him. “We actually have a lot of things planned for today already so if you’d like a day to prepare, we can do it tomorrow.”

“I’ll work it out with Aizawa,” Vlad King promised. 

“Thank you!” Izuku squeaked. 

“You!” a furious voice shouted. Izuku turned around to see Monoma in the doorway. “What did you do to me at the Sports Festival?”

“You copied my quirk,” Izuku said, taking a few steps back. 

“Why the hell did I pass out?” Monoma demanded. 

“Because it’s an intelligence quirk and you don’t have the brain training or the mutated neural pathways that I have,” Izuku explained. 

“No, you have a speed quirk,” Monoma insisted. 

“He does not,” Uraraka defended, stepping between them. “He just trained to be that fast.”

“Monoma, go sit down,” Vlad King interrupted, sounding exasperated. He looked back at Izuku. “I’ll talk to Aizawa the next time I see him. You two should head to class.” Izuku nodded before he and Uraraka walked out of the room. 

“There you go,” Recovery Girl said cheerfully. “Flex your hands and arms, please. Let me know if anything hurts.”

“I feel fine,” Shouta insisted, turning his arms over and then back. 

“And your eyes?” she asked gently. 

“I think I lost a little bit of time before I have to blink,” Shouta reluctantly admitted. 

“You also have a scar now,” she informed him. Shouta frowned. “There’s a mirror over there if you would like to see.”

Shouta made his way over to the mirror she had indicated to. There was a scar below his left eye, just over the cheekbone. “Well, at least it looks badass.”

“Ah, yes. Aesthetic scars are all the rage,” she mocked. “Now, if you have any pain or weakness in your arms, let me know. Also, report any numbness or tingling. You should be fine to return to hero work by Friday.”

“Friday is tomorrow. Why can’t I go back to hero work tonight?” Shouta argued. 

Recovery Girl sighed. “I want you to leave time for any issues to make themselves known.”

“Fine,” Shouta relented.

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Tsu's general style! Cottagecore vibes.

Uraraka's style! She just kind of wears whatever is cute and affordable!

Chapter Text

“It’s different when they broadcast on TV after all,” Ashido said. “So many people talked to me on my way to school today.”

“Yeah, me too!” Kirishima exclaimed. 

“People were staring at me, too,” Hagakure chimed in. “It was kind of embarrassing!”

“Isn’t that normal for you, Hagakure?” Ojiro asked quietly. 

“I had some elementary schoolers suddenly tell me ‘don’t worry about it.’” Sero said, looking dejected. 

“After just one day, we’ve been suddenly thrust into the spotlight,” Kaminari pointed out. 

“You more than others, with that romantic display,” Jirou teased. Kaminari and Hitoshi both flushed pink at that. 

The door slid open. “Morning,” Dad greeted. Izuku was happy to see him bandage-free.

“Good morning,” the class responded in unison. 

“Kero? Aizawa-Sensei, your bandages are gone,” Tsu observed. “I’m glad!” 

“They went overboard in their treatment. I was fine. More importantly, we’re having a special hero informatics class today.” The class tensed in suspense. “Code names. You’ll be coming up with hero names.”

The class cheered and Dad’s eyes flashed red, hair floating up. Everyone was quiet in seconds. “This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day,” Dad continued. “The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros.”

“In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation.”

“So we’ll have to prove ourselves once we get picked?” Hagakure asked. 

“That’s right,” Dad replied. “And all of you got offers. Because of this, you will all be participating in internships with pros. At the USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand.”

“That explains the hero names!” Satou exclaimed. 

“Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!” Uraraka added. 

“Well, the hero names you pick will be temporary but since you’ll become known by them, it is not recommended that you take this lightly,” Dad warned. 

“Or you’ll have hell to pay later!” Auntie Nemuri entered the classroom. “Since a lot of hero names used by students become so well recognized by society, they usually wind up becoming your professional names! It’s a hassle to change them!”

“Well, that’s how it is,” Dad agreed. “Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. I can’t do stuff like that.” Dad retrieved his sleeping bag from below his podium.

“Present Mic chose Aizawa’s hero name on a whim because he didn’t care to come up with one himself,” Auntie Nemuri revealed. Izuku’s eyes widened and he could hear Hitoshi trying to smother his laughter behind him. They didn’t!

“When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future and you can get closer to it,” Dad explained. “This is what it means when they say ‘names and natures do often agree.’”

Boards and markers were passed out for them to write on. Dad crawled into his sleeping bag to nap while Auntie Nemuri took over the class. She let them think and talk amongst themselves. What do I want my hero name to be? Izuku wondered. 

“Okay, let’s start presenting names, starting with those who are ready,” Auntie Nemuri announced after several minutes. Izuku noted how some people had already put their boards down. We’re presenting these?

Aoyama walked up to the podium first. “Shining hero: I can not stop twinkling! Which means, you can’t stop my sparkles!” 

Auntie Nemuri took his board and marker. “It’ll be easier to use if you take out the ‘I’ and shorten the ‘can not’ to ‘can’t.’”

“You’re right, mademoiselle,” Aoyama agreed as she turned the board to show the amended version. ‘Shining Hero: Can’t stop twinkling!’

“Then I’ll go next!” Ashido decided, hopping up to the podium. “Alien Queen!”

“Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood?” Auntie Nemuri asked. “I wouldn’t if I were you.”

“Aw,” Ashido pouted and returned to her desk to think of something else. 

“Then may I go next?” Tsu asked, raising her hand. Auntie Nemuri nodded her assent. “I’ve had this in mind ever since I was in elementary school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy.”

“That’s so cute! It seems friendly. I like it!” Auntie Nemuri complimented. “It’s a great example of a name that everyone will love!” The class broke into cheers of ‘Froppy’ in their excitement.

“I’ll go next then! Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!” Kirishima held up his board. 

“You’re paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, right?” Auntie Nemuri asked. 

“Yes. It’s pretty old-fashioned, but the hero image I’m going for is Crimson himself,” Kirishima replied. 

“If you’re bearing a name you admire, it’ll come with that much more pressure,” Auntie Nemuri warned. 

“I’m prepared for that,” Kirishima promised. Kirishima’s so cool!

Jirou went next. “Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack.”

“That’s good!” Auntie Nemuri approved. “Next!”

“Tentacle Hero: Tentacole,” Shoji presented. 

“Taping Hero: Cellophane,” Sero grinned. 

“Nice and simple. That’s important,” Auntie Nemuri commented. 

“Martial Arts Hero: Tailman,” Ojiro chose. 

“Your name reflects your body,” Auntie Nemuri observed. “Also good!”

Satou went next. “Sweets Hero: Sugarman.”

“Alien Hero: Pinky!” Ashido shouted. 

“Perfect for your pinky-peach complexion,” Auntie Nemuri agreed. 

“Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt!” Kaminari said brightly. 

“Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!” 

“I hope I will not bring shame to this name,” Yaoyorozu said solemnly. “Everything Hero: Creati.”

“Shouto,” Shouto deadpanned. 

“That’s just your name,” Auntie Nemuri scolded. “Please try again.”

Tokoyami chose ‘Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi.’ Kouda chose ‘Petting Hero: Anima.’ There were only six people left and Izuku still hadn’t decided. 

“King Explosion Murder,” Kacchan stated, chilling the room. Kacchan, no...

“You probably shouldn’t use something like that,” Auntie Nemuri told him. 

“Lord Explosion Murder,” Kacchan tried. That’s not better.

“The word ‘king’ was not the problem. Go sit down and think about it seriously,” Auntie Nemuri instructed. Kacchan grumbled all the way to his desk. 

“This is what I thought of,” Uraraka said shyly. “Antigravity Hero: Uravity.”

“Sounds stylish!” Auntie Nemuri declared. “This is going more smoothly than I thought. We’re ahead of schedule. There is only Iida, Izuku, Hitoshi, Bakugou, and Todoroki left.” 

“Can I postpone choosing my name?” Iida asked. Auntie Nemuri gave him a sympathetic look. 

“Since I understand the reason behind your request, I’ll allow it. Please come to a decision by the time you submit your internship choices in two days from now,” Auntie Nemuri said softly. 

“I’m not good at this,” Shouto commented quietly, glaring at his board. 

“What if we come up with names for each other?” Hitoshi suggested. “We aren’t thinking of anything for ourselves, but I’ve got ideas for you guys.”

“Excellent idea!” Auntie Nemuri agreed. “You don’t have to use a suggested name if you don’t want, but it might help get the ball rolling.”

“For Hitoshi,” Kacchan started. “Hypnotic Hero: Siren. It gets the point across but it doesn’t reveal the specifics of his quirk.”

“I… actually like that,” Hitoshi said, surprised. “I have one for Izuku. “Intelligence Hero: Database. It’ll probably throw people off too. They’ll expect someone weak but smart and then Izuku will drop kick them into a wall before they could blink.”

“Then, I have one for Shouto,” Izuku said quietly. “Um, Thermal Hero: Flashpoint.”

“I’ll use that then,” Shouto replied without hesitation. “I suppose this means I get to come up with one for Bakugou. How about Detonation Hero: Nitro?”

“Not bad, Half-and-Half,” Kacchan grinned. “I like it.”

“Alright!” Auntie Nemuri clapped her hands together. “That’s everyone except Iida! And we even finished a little early! I heard we’re pranking All Might. Could I help in any way?”

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Aoyama's style. He's got sort of a princely thing going on. 

Iida's style! Think Spencer Reid meets Derek Morgan.

(That might only make sense to me. Idk.)

Chapter Text

“Where is my desk?” Yagi asked the morning classes resumed. 

“I do believe that Class 1-A relocated it,” Snipe answered from his desk. 

“To where?” Yagi asked. 

“No clue. You’ll have to track it down,” Snipe shrugged. Yagi sighed.

When Yagi finally found his desk set up on the roof of the school, he also found a small, blue, and white gift box in the center of it. It was no bigger than his palm. He read the little tag under the red bow and it said it was for him from Class 1-A. Unexpected. 

He was hesitant to open it but when he did, there was a little figure keychain in his likeness. Oh, that’s not so bad.

“What’s with the costumes?” Yagi asked when he and Ectoplasm walked in for math. All of Class 1-A was wearing these medieval-style outfits. Uraraka was even wearing a witch hat while Bakugou had a cape and lacked a shirt entirely. 

“What costumes?” Kaminari asked with a passive expression. Yagi looked to Ectoplasm for help. 

“I see nothing amiss,” Ectoplasm stated. “Now please, pass out these worksheets.” Yagi nodded and took the stack of papers. 

“Here, this is for you, kero,” Asui said, handing him another gift box that was slightly larger than the last. 

“Thank you,” Yagi smiled before he finished passing out the worksheets. He opened it after class and it was an oddly shaped plush toy of him in his yellow suit. It was kind of cute actually, and it was his first piece of merch in his teacher look.

Returning to his desk, which he had put back in the teachers’ office, he found it completely wrapped in tinfoil. So was every single object on his desk and in the drawers. When did they even have time to do this?

Yet another, even tinier gift box was sitting in the middle of all the silver, bright red with yellow stars. This one contained a pin with his face blended into a yellow background. 

How?!

Yagi looked at the small herd of goats that cornered him when he entered the classroom for Literature with a small amount of trepidation. “This is for you,” Kouda said quietly, handing Yagi an envelope covered with red and blue stars. He opened it to find a sticker that read ‘Y’all Might.’ 

It’s going to be a long day.

The next morning he brought his own pens from home. He hadn’t been able to find a single one that didn’t have disappearing ink yesterday. As he walked into the classroom, he faltered at the sight of Class 1-B. He left the room to check the door. It was correct so…?

“Where is Class 1-A?” Yagi asked Yamada, who must have an English class with Class 1-B right now. 

“We are Class 1-A, All Might-Sensei,” one of the students spoke up, raising their hand. “I’m Hagakure. Don’t you remember me?”

Yagi wasn’t sure how to respond to that at all. At the end of class, he got another gift from the boy that had pretended to be Kirishima. It was a pen! 

“Nezu, I have some concerns about Class 1-A’s behavior,” Yagi informed the principal. 

“Please, enlighten me on what the issue seems to be,” the creature smiled. Yagi told him about the desk relocation, the gifts, the goats, all of it. Nezu nodded contemplatively. “It sounds to me like pranks.”

“Pranks?”

“Harmless pranks,” Nezu confirmed. “They have been harmless, right? No harm to people or property?”

“Well, yes, I suppose they have been harmless,” Yagi admitted. “But surely it is not appropriate behavior for UA students.”

“Students, Yagi. They are children. As long as they take their studies seriously, there is no harm to kids being kids,” Nezu smiled. “Why do you have such a problem with it?”

“It feels disrespectful,” Yagi replied. 

“Hm. Try looking at it this way,” Nezu spoke calmly. “You hurt a very dear friend of theirs. These kids are fiercely loyal to each other, which is something we promote here at UA, so of course, they would defend him. However, they also understand that it is a past event, so their chosen retaliation is harmless as a reflection of the situation. A way of venting their frustrations, but perhaps, also a way to test you.”

“To test me?” 

“Will you accept the pranks in good humor, or are you so prideful that you would become genuinely angry and lash out? You have expressed a rather bigoted opinion; that quirkless people can not be heroes. The sentiment immediately disregards anyone who fights without a quirk, even if they technically have a quirk. That includes several members of Class 1-A as well as their homeroom teacher,” Nezu explained. 

“Bigots can exist for two reasons. Ignorance or hatred. Sometimes both. Now if that was simply ignorance, perhaps you could learn and earn forgiveness. But if it’s an opinion you hold onto out of hate and pride, having that opinion challenged could lead to defensive behavior. I believe that’s what they are watching you for,” Nezu finished, nose twitching. 

“I admit, I thought quirkless individuals couldn’t be heroes. I also thought that people with mental quirks were suited as sidekicks and support heroes. Like my own sidekick Nighteye. But After seeing Izuku-Shounen at the Sports Festival, I realize now that I was wrong. He’s a very capable young man, although he has no physical enhancements from his quirk. I apologized and told him as much.”

“So what will you do now?”

“Apologize to the whole class and accept their pranks until they are satisfied,”

“Or…?” Nezu prompted.

“What else would I do?” 

“Apologize, yes. But perhaps it would be in good fun if you pranked them back. It is called a prank war , after all.” Nezu said pointedly.

“I think if you were to add foods like avocado, eggs, and fish to your diet, you might be able to create more for longer. Since your quirk is dependant on lipids, simply adjusting how many you take in per day would make a difference,” Izuku told Momo as the class walked back to the classroom. 

“What about me?” Kaminari asked, walking hand in hand with Hitoshi. 

“Honestly, I think you should see a neurologist,” Izuku admitted, reaching to open the door of the classroom. 

“Izuku-kun!” several people called out with concern when an avalanche of plastic balls fell out of the room, knocking him over. 

“What the hell?” Kacchan grumbled, digging through the balls to find Izuku and pull him to his feet. 

“You yelped when you went down,” Kirishima commented. “Like a puppy... So precious.”

“Who did this?” Jirou asked. “I don’t remember planning this one.” Everyone shook their heads and looked around at each other. 

“I AM! JOINING THE PRANK WAR!” All Might shouted, appearing in the hallway. He walked closer, being mindful not to trip. “I would also like to formally apologize to the class as a whole.”

“Shouldn’t you apologize to Izuku-kun?” Uraraka huffed. 

“He did,” Izuku said quietly. “At the Sports Festival. I’ve been trying to decide how I feel about it.”

“I also need to apologize to all of you,” All Might stated. “Quite a few of you rely on quirkless combat used in combination with your quirks, and I insulted all of you with my misguided opinion. I have since seen the errors of that opinion and have changed my mind. I am truly sorry for the things I said.” 

“Since Izuku-kun is the one you directly hurt, I will defer to Izuku’s lead on the matter,” Momo said matter-of-factly. Several others nodded in agreement. 

“I think,” Izuku mumbled. “Forgiveness will take a while, but this is a step in the right direction.”

“Understandable!” All Might smiled. 

“Please tell me we get to play in the classroom now that it’s a massive ball pit,” Mina pleaded. 

“Obviously!” Kacchan shouted, picking Izuku up and tossing him into the room. 

“Yeah!” Kirishima shouted jumping into the room. The rest of the class waded through, making their way into the room. 

“Oi, what the fuck!” Kacchan barked when a ball hit him in the head. 

“Please, they’re those light kiddie ones. They can’t hurt you,” Jirou teased. Izuku let himself sink into the ball pit to escape the mock-snowball fight that broke out. 

“This is fun, kero,” Tsu said brightly, appearing next to him. 

“It is!” Izuku agreed.

MORE THINGS THEY LEFT ALL MIGHT

Chapter Text

“Parents,” Hitoshi addressed them nervously at breakfast. “Since it’s Saturday, I scheduled a date with Denki. The plan is for him to meet me here and then we’ll walk around the neighborhood’s shopping district. We’ll probably come back around dinnertime if that’s okay?”

“He comes in and meets us as your parents before you go,” Shouta decided, taking a sip of his coffee. 

“I have a date too!” Izuku exclaimed, causing Shouta to choke. Hizashi didn’t know about Hitoshi’s date, but he did know about Izuku’s. He’d heard the kids make their plans in English. 

“A study date,” Hizashi amended quickly, before Shouta’s heart could give out on him. 

“Yeah! Iida, Uraraka, Tsu, and Shouto are coming here to study,” Izuku beamed. “We’re also going to work on that project for Auntie Nemuri’s class.”

“Thank god,” Shouta muttered, still recovering from inhaling his daily dose of caffeine. 

“Thank god?” Izuku parroted, confused. 

“He thought you had a date date,” Hitoshi smirked. “And it scared him.”

“Not scared,” Shouta corrected. “Mentally unprepared.” 

“Scared,” Hizashi mouthed to the kids once Shouta had returned his attention to his coffee. 

The GPS on his phone had led him… here. Denki frowned and looked back at the house he stood in front of. Was it really big or was it just because it was one level? Were Hitoshi and Izuku rich kids? They certainly didn’t act like the other ones; Iida, Todoroki, or Yaoyorozu. 

Swallowing his nerves, he made his way up the walkway to the door. Doorbell or knock? If the house goes far back, they might not hear him knock. So doorbell, Denki decided. 

After a moment, the door opened to reveal… Aizawa-Sensei? Oh crap. How did he mess up the directions bad enough to stumble upon his teacher? He opened his mouth to fumble through an apology but Aizawa cut him off. 

“Kaminari-kun. Come on in,” Aizawa said with what Denki was pretty sure was meant to be a smile. It was terrifying. 

“Oh, I’m, uh. I meant to find Hitoshi. I’m not sure how I--” 

“Hitohi’s here. He’s my son,” Aizawa’s creepy smile got a little bigger. Is he fucking with me?

“Dad, stop it,” Hitoshi appeared like a guardian angel. “You’re scaring him.”

“That’s the point,” Aizawa responded before retreating into the house. “Come in, Kaminari.”

“Dude, you could have warned me,” Kaminari whispered as he passed Hitoshi. 

“We don’t really want to tell anyone unless they come here,” Hitoshi told him. “Pro hero safety precautions and such.” Denki nodded. That made sense. 

Suddenly, the past few weeks of flirting caught up to him. He kissed Hitoshi on live TV in front of… Oh my god, he bemoaned internally, I straddled his son in front of him during training. He looked up from his mini flashbacks to see Izuku in an armchair reading. Izuku gave him a small wave which Denki returned. 

“You also already know Hizashi,” Aizawa spoke, drawing Denki’s attention to where he stood in a kitchen and dining area connected to the living room. There was a man with long blonde hair sitting at a counter and working on some kind of paperwork. It took him a second but then he recognized him. 

“Present Mic-Sensei?” Denki asked, surprised. Why was he here? 

Mic smiled at him. “Please, it’s Yamada Hizashi when I’m not working. You can call me by either name. I don’t care which you use.”

“O-okay,” Denki replied, still a little confused. Then he noticed the ring dangling from a chain around Yamada’s neck. He looked over to Aizawa and noticed a matching chain peeking out from the neckline of his sweater. “You’re married.”

“Yes. Don’t tell anyone though,” Hizashi said, holding a finger to his lips. Denki nodded. 

“Do you call them both dad? Wouldn’t that get confusing?” Denki asked Hitoshi. 

“We call him Dad,” Hitoshi replied, pointing at Aizawa. “And we call him Mama.” He pointed at Yamada. 

“Why Mama?” Denki asked, still kind of reeling from the fact that his teachers are gay and married. He’d never gotten to meet any LGBT adults before, that he knew of at least. 

“I’m nonbinary,” Yamada answered easily and confidently. Denki must have been quiet for a little too long because he realized they were looking at him with mild concern. 

“I, um, me too,” Denki admitted with far less confidence. He’d never told anyone since he didn’t feel comfortable enough with anyone at his middle school and his parents were definitely not people that he could tell. “I’m pretty sure I’m genderfluid.”

“And your pronouns are?” Yamada asked calmly. Everyone seemed calm about this actually. Although, that probably makes sense with Yamada being nonbinary and Izuku being gender non-conforming. 

“He/him is fine always. I’m used to it,” he hesitated and added. “Plus, I don’t want anyone accidentally calling me anything else in front of my um, parents.” 

There was a slight frown from Aizawa but Yamada spoke up before Aizawa could ask about his parents. “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to share with us,” Yamada smiled. 

Denki smiled back. Maybe they’d let him visit often enough to forget about his own parents.

When the doorbell rang with Izuku’s visitors, he shot to the door before either of his parents could even start walking there. Hitoshi and Kaminari had already left 20 minutes ago or so. “You’re here!” he exclaimed excitedly at his friends. 

“Izuku-kun, you too, huh?” Uraraka asked cryptically.

“Me too?” Izuku tilted his head. 

“You are also a rich kid,” she said, looking almost sad. 

“No, I’m not,” he protested.

“Well, you kind of are,” Dad commented, catching up to him. “I mean, we make enough between all our jobs that we probably do fall under the upper-class. Hizashi and I, just save most of it since anything could happen to us as heroes.”

“Aizawa-Sensei?” Uraraka squeaked. Shouto looked surprised as well. When she noticed that Tsu and Iida barely reacted, she squeaked louder. “You two knew?”

“I overheard Izuku-chan calling Aizawa ‘Dad’ at the USJ,” Tsu told her. 

“I did not know that Izuku-kun and Hitoshi-kun had been adopted by our teachers, but they are good friends with my brother. I had heard from him that they adopted recently,” Iida explained. “I was also at their wedding when I was much younger. 

“Who are you married to?” Uraraka asked, practically shaking with excitement. 

“If you would all come inside, you would see,” Dad said, looking a little amused. Mama was still at the counter working on grading papers. 

“Present Mic-Sensei?” Uraraka gasped. Mama gave them a small wave. 

“Why is his hair flat?” Shouto asked quietly. 

“Because he doesn’t style it at home,” Izuku replied. 

“Style?” Shouto parroted, looking confused. 

“What did you think my hair naturally defied gravity?” Mama asked with a laugh. 

“Yes. Like Bakugou and Kirishima,” Shouto answered. 

“I don’t think Kirishima’s hair is natural either,” Tsu pointed out. “I’ve touched it during sparring matches before and I’m pretty sure he uses hair gel, kero.” 

“Please tell me Bakugou’s hair is natural,” Shouto begged, turning to Izuku with a faintly distraught expression. 

“It is. I promise,” Izuku reassured him. Shouto let out a sigh of relief. 

“How long have you two been married?” Uraraka asked, turning her attention back to the adults. “How long have you known each other? Are you childhood friends or high school sweethearts? Or! Did you meet on the job? Was your wedding super romantic? Wait! When did you adopt Hitoshi and Izuku?”

“Okay, I see why they’re friends,” Dad commented flatly. 

“Sho, be nice,” Hizashi scolded before looking back to Uraraka. “We got married 8 years ago. We first met in our UA years. Shouta said he wasn’t there to make friends so of course, I befriended him the same day.”

“Of course,” Uraraka nodded, looking very serious. 

“I suppose we can’t say we were high school sweethearts since we didn’t start dating until after we graduated,” Mama continued. “I personally think our wedding was romantic. It was a small gathering at the Iida family’s estate. We had all of our closest friends and family there.”

“Aww,” Uraraka cooed. 

“And then as for the boys, we took them both in at different times in the last year or so. Their adoptions were finalized a few months after they came to live with us since we had connections to speed up the process a bit,” Mama smiled. 

“That’s so sweet,” Uraraka sighed dreamily. 

“I have a feeling you like romance movies, kero,” Tsu observed. 

“I do! I love love. Seeing people all happy and giddy together is just the best feeling ever!” Uraraka gushed. “Oh! And family feel-good films and pet adoptions are the same way. It’s just so sweet!”

“That may be but we do still have a project to work on,” Iida reminded them. 

“Yes, go study,” Mama instructed gently. “That’s why you’re here.” Uraraka pouted as Izuku led them to the living room. They sat on the floor around the coffee table. Izuku sat between Shouto and Uraraka while Iida and Tsu sat on the other side. 

“Heroes in the Age of Social Media…” Iida read. 

“Do any of us even have social media?” Tsu asked. 

All five heads shook to indicate ‘no.’

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Ojiro's style! A little plain but that's okay!

Shouji's style! Because of his arms/tentacles, he's a little limited. 

Chapter Text

“Our teacher is your Dad,” Denki repeated. 

“Yes,” Hitoshi replied, barely suppressing a smile. 

“I… did things. In front of him,” Denki blushed. 

“Yep.” Hitoshi bit his lip, apparently oh so amused by this. 

“He’s going to kill me!” Denki hissed. 

“If he was going to kill you, he would have done it already,” Hitoshi assured him. “Instead he sulked in the teachers’ offices and complained to Auntie Nem.”

“Auntie Nem?” Denki parroted. 

“Midnight-Sensei,” Hitoshi answered. 

“What? Is she Aizawa’s sister?” Denki asked. He could see it with the black hair. 

“No, she’s their best friend,” Hitoshi told him. “They’ve been friends since high school and they’re basically family now.”

“Do you have any other family or sort of family that I should know about?” Denki asked, curious. 

“Katsuki and Mei are like our siblings,” Hitoshi supplied. “And then, of course, there’s the cats.” 

“You have cats?” Denki demanded, grabbing Hitoshi’s arm. 

“Four,” Hitoshi grinned. That’s it. I’m never leaving, Denki decided. 

“If none of us have social media, how are we supposed to do this assignment?” Shouto asked. 

“Maybe we could get social media?” Uraraka suggested. “If for nothing else, to talk to each other.”

“The others in our class probably have social media too, kero,” Tsu pointed out. “We could probably interact with them as well.”

“We could ask the group chat,” Izuku said quietly. 

“Excellent idea, Izuku-kun!” Iida exclaimed, picking up his phone.

Class 1A Chat

Sonic: Which social media platform do you recommend

Alien Queen: for what, my dude?

Sonic: Midnight-Sensei’s assignment

Game Boy: I don’t think you’re understanding the assignment

Game Boy: You’re just supposed to write an essay

Sonic: Yes. But on the effects of social media on a hero’s PR. 

Sonic: I do not have a social media

Blast It: My god… “A social media”

Alien Queen: oh sweetheart…

Sonic: Tsu, Izuku, Todoroki, and Uraraka share the same issue

Sonic: We would like to know what is recommended.

Let It Rock: Are you all together right now?

Sonic: Yes. We are having a study session

Let It Rock: Cool! I like Instagram personally. It’s mostly picture/video.

Alien Queen: I demand you all get Snapchat and then add me

Sparkles: I am on Instagram, mon amie! Tres fantastic! 

Alien Queen: @everyone 

Alien Queen: Social media recs for the beans and drop your users for them!

“You have a library within walking distance!” Denki whispered excitedly, already dragging Hitoshi down the closest row of books. “You’re so lucky. The closest one to my house is almost 45 minutes away if I take a train partway. Longer if I just walk.”

“You’ll just have to visit more often then,” Hitoshi suggested as they walked through the rows.

Denki’s entire face lit up. “Can I?” 

“Yeah. My parents already said Izuku and I are allowed to have people over. They didn’t mention a limit to that. They also said our friends could sleep over,” Hitoshi told him. 

“They’d let someone your dating sleep over?” Denki asked, disbelieving. 

“Yeah, they said as much,” Hitoshi replied, trying not to blush remembering what else they said. 

“So if I just never went home, they’d be fine with that?” Denki asked, trying way too hard to be nonchalant. 

“They might want an explanation for why you don’t want to go home,” Hitoshi said slowly. “But I don’t think they’d mind, no. I mean, when we were still in an apartment last year, Mei broke in at like 3 or 4 am because it was snowing and we were closer than her house. Neither of them got mad about it.”

“Is Aizawa actually pretty chill?” Denki smiled, picking up a book that Hitoshi would probably never give a second glance. 

“Usually, yeah,” Hitoshi answered. “But why don’t you want to go home?”

Denki sighed while reading the book summary on the inside cover. “I guess you’ll find out eventually, so I should just tell you now.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” Hitoshi assured him. 

“It’s fine. It’s just like, depressing and shit. But um, my parents don’t really like me. I guess,” Denki frowned, putting the book back and picking up another one. “They don’t think I can be a hero. They think I’m too stupid.”

Hitoshi took the book that Denki was holding and opened it to a random page. “A physical shortcoming could produce a kind of mental excess. The process, it seemed, was reversible. Mental excess could produce, for its own purposes, the voluntary blindness and deafness of deliberate solitude, the artificial impotence of asceticism.”

“What does it mean?” Hitoshi asked pointedly, looking up at Denki. 

“Well, basically it is saying that being mentally superior brings with it its own sense of isolation and estrangement from society,” Denki answered easily, hardly pausing to think about that. 

“I probably wouldn’t have gotten that without reading the whole book a couple of times,” Hitoshi admitted. “You’re smart, Denki. I could tell that from the first day of school.”

Denki let out a quiet squeak and hid his face in his hands. “What?” Hitoshi asked. Denki mumbled something he couldn’t quite make out. “I can’t hear you.”

“I got the urge to kiss you just then when you said that,” Denki confessed. 

“Then kiss me,” Hitoshi replied. 

“Who did you guys choose for your internship?” Uraraka asked excitedly. 

“I chose Selkie, kero,” Tsu answered. “He’s a water-based hero that works with the coast guard the way land-based heroes work with the police.”

“What about you Izuku-kun?” Uraraka prompted. “I would think someone like Mirko would be great for you. What with her jumping fighting style and all.”

“I actually watch some of her videos for ideas on my own technique,” Izuku admitted. “But she doesn’t actually have an agency, so she wouldn’t be eligible for the internship program. And to be honest, I don’t agree with her stance on hero teams.”

“Oh? What’s her stance,” Iida asked. 

“She thinks they are a sign of weakness and cowardice. That’s why she refuses to join or found an agency. She wants to work entirely alone,” Izuku explained. 

“That’s not…” Uraraka frowned. 

“I know,” Izuku agreed. He had been disappointed when he found out. 

“So who did you go with in the end, kero?” Tsu asked, touching her lip in question. 

“Hitoshi and I both went with Eraserhead’s agency,” Izuku answered. 

“Do you want to be an underground hero?” Shouto asked. 

“Hitoshi does but I’m not sure for me,” Izuku replied. 

“Won’t it be hard working with your dad?” Uraraka asked, concerned. Izuku shook his head. 

“Dad trained us, Kacchan, and Mei before we took the UA entrance exams. The setting and tasks will be different but it’s similar enough. Plus, we won’t be shadowing just him,” Izuku told them. “Midnight and Present Mic are also at his agency. We’ll get to work with each of them at different points during the week. Neither of them are underground heroes, so we’ll get to see both sides of the industry.”

“That’s very efficient,” Iida commented. 

“What about you, Iida-kun? Where are you going?” Izuku asked. 

“I will be going to Hosu with Pro Hero Manual,” Iida answered, stiffening. 

Before Izuku could question why, Shouto spoke. “I will be at the Endeavor agency.”

“Why the fuck?” Izuku demanded. “Is he making you? Do I need to kick him in the face again?”

“Again?” Uraraka asked, eyes wide. 

“He kicked my father in the face at the Sports Festival,” Shouto answered flatly. “It was justified. And no, Izuku. I am going willingly. Our quirks may be different, but I could still benefit from working in an agency where nearly every hero and sidekick has a fire quirk.”

“Ah, I suppose that’s true,” Izuku agreed. 

“Izuku-chan is a little bit badass, isn’t he?” Tsu commented with a small smile. 

Aizawa stopped Denki before he could step into the living room/kitchen area. Denki shrank under the intimidating glare the man was giving him. “Let’s get one thing straight, Kaminari. I’m an underground hero. I have access to resources that most people and even most daylight heroes don’t. If you ever hurt my child, I promise, no one will find the body.”

Denki swallowed nervously. “O-okay…”

Aizawa turned and walked into the kitchen. Yamada noticed Denki peeking in and approached him. “Whatever he threatened you with, I can make it look like the merciful option,” the blonde said with a bright smile. Denki’s eyes widened. “Now, come on. Let’s go eat.”

“You okay?” Hitoshi whispered when Denki slipped into the seat next to him. 

“Yamada’s scarier than Aizawa,” Denki whispered back. 

“Oh, yeah. It’s the same with me and Izu. People think I’m the scary one but it’s Izuku that you don’t want to piss off,” Hitoshi told him. “Dad calls it the ‘Sunshine People Principle.’” 

“Sunshine People Principle?” Denki repeated, in question. 

“Don’t fuck with Sunshine People,” Aizawa answered grimly.

UNRELATED PHOTO BREAK

Jirou's style! Goth/Punk and as far as I'm concerned she hates skirts and dresses.

Kirishima's style! I'm convinced he's a little tacky because he wears what he thinks is manly.

His love for crocs. In all the colors. Patterns. Even has the little charms.

Tokoyami's style! Goth/Emo and no one can change my mind. 

I mean, have you seen his dorm room??

Bakugou's style! He's either super relaxed or trendy. No in-between!

Chapter Text

Okay, so this isn't an actual chapter but hear me out!

So I found this map of birthplaces. 

I've actually been using it for a while. Like for the detail of Kaminari knowing the Sero Family.

The distance makes sense for that.

Looking at this and train/driving distances (yes, I looked them up)

Aoyama, Shouji, Satou, Uraraka, and Kouda either moved with their families to be closer to UA

OR!! They are currently living in apartments alone.

Potentially Tsu and Momo as well, although their trips are possible if they don't mind long ones.

It's believed that Musutafu (fictional) is between Shizouka and Tokyo.

That's also the city that Izuku, Katsuki, and Shouto live in. 

Tokyo to Shizouka is 1 hour and 21 minutes by train.

So it probably takes Kaminari close to 2 hours to get to school each day.

Everyone else would take an hour and a half or less.

I was looking at the placements and trying to decide where the Aiyama Family lives in my story.

I have settled on Kanagawa.

According to my research, it's a very populated area and I think that would be good for Eraser and Mic's patrols.

It's also a 21 minute drive away from Tokyo (or 49 minutes by train.) 

Since that's where their agency is in my story, it makes sense that they'd be close. 

(Hosu is also in the Tokyo Prefecture, apparently.)

But this also means that it takes them about an hour and a half to get to UA each day. 

Since homeroom starts at 8:25 am and teachers have to be there a little early...

They probably leave the house between 6 am and 6:15. 

They probably wake up so early and none of them are morning people.

What about Hitoshi? Why was he at the beach in Musutafu if he's closer to Kaminari here?

You move in foster care. That is all.

Class 1-B and Mei if you were curious.

I think Mei and her mom moved after her parents got divorced.

While looking up schedules, I also found this?

It was in a pop-up exhibit in Tokyo I guess?

I'm not sure I'll follow it since the manga only shows 6 periods and this has a 7th.

Canon also specified that general classes are before lunch and hero training is after.

But I will use the daily changing schedule concept because it makes sense with how much they have to learn.

Chapter Text

Shouta observed the extra blonde at the table for breakfast. Coffee first… Halfway through the mug of coffee, he decided he was awake enough to comment. “You’re still here.”

Kaminari froze but Hizashi spoke up. “Sho, it’s fine. I gave him permission to stay the night. You had gone to bed already. He stayed in a guest room.”

“Alright,” Shouta nodded before returning his attention to his coffee. He was not awake enough yet to investigate further. He’d normally still be sleeping, but the class organized their own field trip and appointed him as the chaperone. He accepted it without complaint because he was told there would be cats. 

“He’s not a morning person, is he?” Denki asked. Hitoshi just stared blankly into his own cup of coffee. “Neither are you, I guess.”

“Are you a morning person?” Izuku asked, looking nervous about the answer. 

“I’m not one of those cheerful at the crack of dawn ones but it doesn’t take me long to wake up,” Denki told him. “It’s the electric charge from my quirk.”

“That makes sense. I don’t take any time at all to wake up because of my quirk. But I would much rather be warm and wrapped up in a blanket,” Izuku pouted. 

“Always be a blanket burrito when you can,” Denki agreed.

“Bakubro! You came!” Kirishima exclaimed, seeing Katsuki walk up the path to the shelter. 

“I said I would,” Katsuki huffed. Why does he keep calling me Bakubro?

“Yeah, but you’re crabby and antisocial so I thought you might change your mind,” Kirishima replied with a stupid smile. Katsuki shook his head and looked down. Then he noticed Kirishima’s shoes. Oh hell no...

“Are those crocs?” he asked, not even trying to mask his disgust. 

“Yeah! Do you like them? They’re tie-dye!” Kirishima told him with a great deal of excitement. 

“No,” Katsuki answered honestly. 

“Well, that’s okay because I like them and they go on my feet,” Kirishima beamed. 

Katsuki sighed. Stellar logic…

“Did you guys come here with Aizawa-Sensei?” Jirou asked Izuku. If Aizawa and Yamada wanted the marriage to be a secret, they probably want the ‘we have kids together’ thing to be kept quiet too. 

“Yeah, he picked us up since we couldn’t get rides,” Denki interjected. 

“Cool,” Jirou smiled. “Teachers don’t usually care that much. I guess we got a good one.”

“I think Aizawa-Sensei is a great teacher!” Mina exclaimed. Suddenly Denki was being pulled away by his arm. He turned to see Hanta. 

“You literally live within walking distance of here,” Hanta stated, eyebrow quirked in accusation. 

“And?” Denki huffed. 

“And those aren’t your clothes,” Hanta replied with a smirk. Denki blushed, remembering that he had borrowed some clothes from Hitoshi since he hadn’t exactly planned to stay over. 

“Okay, so I stayed with Hitoshi after our date,” Denki admitted. 

“Oh really?” Hanta asked with a pointed look. 

“Nothing happened!” Denki hissed. “I just… I may have mentioned my parents hating me and he said I could stay. His parents were cool with it too. They said I could stay anytime.”

Hanta’s smile softened to something less teasing. “Dude, that’s great. That you’re confiding in more people, I mean.” 

“I didn’t tell him the whole situation,” Denki told him, looking at the ground. “Just that they hate me and don’t think I can be a hero. The rest seemed like way too much for a first date conversation.” Hanta nodded in understanding.

“Izukuuu, look here,” Mina called. Izuku looked up with the bunny he was cuddling still tucked against his chest. She had her phone out and a shutter sound told him she took a picture. “So precious,” she cooed. “I’m gonna go get one of Momo and that ferret now!”

“I require assistance,” Shouto said quietly. Izuku turned to find him flat on the ground with over a dozen cats laying on or against some part of his left side. 

“I think they like the heat you radiate,” Izuku said, trying very hard not to laugh. 

“Please help me,” Shouto pleaded. Izuku handed the bunny to someone else so that he could start removing cats from his friend. 

“What have we learned?” Shouta asked, crouching in front of a very sad Uraraka. 

“I can’t hold animals since they wiggle and accidentally activate my quirk,” she pouted. 

“Let someone else hold them for you, okay?” Shouta suggested. “You can still pet them. We just don’t want floating cats and dogs.” She nodded, still quite dejected. 

“He looks so… soft,” Mina commented, looking confused. 

“I guess he really does like dogs,” Eijirou laughed. “Who would have thought.”

“He’s smiling. Like actually smiling, not smirking,” Mina pointed out. 

Noticing a pomeranian that looked shockingly similar to Bakugou, he got an idea. “Get ready to take a picture,” he warned Mina, picking up the tiny dog and heading over to Bakugou. 

“Hey, Bakubro! Look at this one! Isn’t she the fluffiest dog you’ve ever seen?” Eijirou asked. Bakugou looked up from the pair of German Shepards he had been petting. 

“She’s supposed to be fluffy,” Bakugou said in defense of the little dog. He took her from Eijirou. 

“Aw, I wasn’t making fun of her. I think it’s cute. Plus she kind of looks like you,” Eijirou smiled, moving closer after he noticed Mina preparing to take a picture. A flurry of emotions passed over Bakugou’s face, settling on a confused blush. A shutter sound alerted them to Mina’s snapshot of the moment. 

“Delete it!” Bakugou demanded, voice low so that he didn’t scare the dogs. Mina shook her head harshly before running away. 

“Ne sont-ils pas simplement les choses les plus mignones?” Aoyama asked, petting a grey and white rat with his pointer finger. 

“I suppose they are cute too,” Izuku agreed. “Je préfère les chats.”

“Fair enough,” Aoyama smiled. 

“You really like cats,” Denki observed as Hitoshi played with the cat on his lap. 

“I do,” Hitoshi responded. “This place kind of reminds me of this cat cafe in Musutafu that we go to all the time. Just with more animals than cats.”

“You would go to a cat cafe, Mr. I Have Four Cats,” Denki teased. 

“Actually, they’re Dad’s cats,” Hitoshi whispered. “He already had three when he took me in, and then he got the fourth one via an elaborate plan since Mama banned him from getting more cats.”

“Seriously?” Denki laughed. 

“Mhm. And I’m pretty sure we’ll be leaving this place with a cat. When we moved, the ban was unofficially lifted since the house has more space,” Hitoshi told him. 

“I kind of want a pet but I don’t think it’d be a good idea,” Denki said sadly. 

“Your parents don’t allow animals?” Hitoshi asked. He was pretty sure there was more to the situation than what Denki had told him. 

Denki made a distressed, nervous sound. “More like, I avoid being at home as much as possible so any pets I get would be alone or with my parents. I don’t entirely trust them to not get rid of them while I’m gone,” Denki explained before adding quietly. “Or hurt them.”