Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

**Kacchan:** *Hey Zu. Wanna hang out? I also need some advice.*

**Zuku:** *Hey Suki!! Of course! Are you free right now? (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑*

**Kacchan:** *Yeah, that works. Meet me at the park at 2?*

**Zuku:** *Okay, see you then! Bye Suki! \ (•◡•) /*\*

**Kacchan:** *Bye. And seriously—stop sending those faces.*

**Zuku:** *(◕‿◕✿) '''⌐(ಠ۾ಠ)¬''' ¯\\*(ツ)*/¯*

Katsuki sighed as Izuku continued sending those ridiculous faces. But deep down, he didn’t mind—not really. He needed his best friend’s advice. Things with Kirishima had been rocky lately. They’d been fighting over the smallest things, and it had reached the point where Kirishima wanted to break up. Katsuki had suggested they try to work through it first, and Kirishima had agreed. They were hanging out this Saturday to see where things stood.

But Katsuki didn’t just want advice—he also wanted to see Izuku. It had been a while since they really hung out.

By 2 PM, they met at their old childhood playground. Izuku snuck up from behind and jumped onto Katsuki’s back, sending them both tumbling to the ground with a soft *humph* followed by laughter.

“Hey, Kacchan! Hehe, what’s up? You said you needed my advice?” Izuku grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Deku, when did you get so damn heavy? And yeah, I do,” Katsuki said with a smirk.

Izuku gasped, hitting him on the shoulder. “Are you calling me fat, Kacchan?”

“Nooooo...”

They went quiet for a moment before Izuku smacked him on the head.

“OUCH! WHAT THE HELL, DEKU?!” Katsuki shouted.

Izuku just giggled, crossing his arms with a *hmph*.

After goofing around for a bit, they grabbed something to eat and talked. As the sun set, Katsuki walked Izuku home. On the way, the conversation naturally turned to Katsuki’s relationship issues. Izuku kept his advice simple but thoughtful:

**“If you guys are always fighting, then talk about it. Say what’s on your mind and let him do the same. And if you’re the one who needs to compromise… then give him what he needs.”**

Katsuki had taken that advice seriously. When Saturday came, there was yelling, tension—but eventually, a compromise.

And that led to now.

He’d called Izuku again, asking to talk. Izuku had agreed without hesitation, not knowing what was coming.

“Izuku... remember when you said to give him anything he wants?” Katsuki asked, looking at the ground.

“Yes,” Izuku replied softly.

Katsuki hesitated, his voice strained. “Fuck... he wants me to stop being friends with you. Or he’ll break up with me.”

Izuku drew in a breath. “You’re here right now… so you already agreed. Will that make you happy?” he asked with a small, brave smile.

Katsuki looked away, guilt etched all over his face. After a pause, he said, “Yeah… it will.”

Izuku smiled one last time, bright and heartbreaking. “As long as you're happy, it’s okay, Kacchan.”

He turned and walked away, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Katsuki stood frozen, questions racing through his mind as he watched Izuku disappear into the distance.

*Did I make the right decision?

Why does it hurt so much to see him walk away?

Why did it feel like he was saying goodbye… forever?*

*Why does it feel like I can’t breathe… when I should be happy?

Kirishima and I are okay now… so why does it feel like I just lost something more important?*

But one question drowned out all the others:

**“Did I just make the biggest mistake of my life?”**

Chapter Text

As the week went on, Izuku and Katsuki avoided each other completely. The distance between them only grew, and it was obvious to everyone—especially Izuku’s closest friends, Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah.

Izuku had told them what happened, and they were worried. They knew how much Katsuki meant to him. Being the amazing friends they were, they did everything they could to make him smile or laugh—but his smiles were never the same. They were small, forced smiles—the kind you wear to make others feel comfortable, not the kind that reach your eyes. Gone was the sunshine grin that used to light up a room. And it was heartbreaking to witness.

As more time passed, Izuku tried to reach out to Class 1-A, but they ignored him. Again and again. Eventually, he just stopped trying. The rejection stung deeply. He had thought they were his friends. He did his best to pretend it didn’t affect him, but it did. It was eating him up inside. Even his teachers began to notice the shift in him—how quiet he’d become, how tired—but none of them said anything.

Not until Power Loader gave him an assignment: assist a student from 1-A with their support gear. It was to be marked and handed in by the end of the week.

Izuku was assigned to Kaminari.

But every time he tried to approach him, Kaminari either ignored him or claimed he was busy. No matter how many times Izuku tried, the result was the same.

By Friday, Izuku had nothing to hand in.

Power Loader was confused. Midoriya was the kind of student who always handed in his work early. So when his desk was empty, the teacher frowned and asked him to stay behind after class.

Power Loader looked at him—really looked. Izuku sat slumped in his chair, eyes dull, dark circles under them, his whole body radiating exhaustion and defeat.

It made Power Loader furious. *Who hurt my kid? They’re going to pay.*

Still, he kept his voice calm, though his eyes burned with anger.
“Midoriya… where’s your project?”

Izuku looked up slowly, voice flat. “I don’t have it. I tried, though.”

He sounded like he’d just worked eight jobs in two days. Power Loader didn’t want to push too hard—but he *had* to understand what happened.

“What happened then?”

That was all it took.

Tears welled in Izuku’s eyes as frustration, sadness, and exhaustion exploded all at once. Everything poured out—how 1-A had been treating him, how Kaminari refused to work with him, how hopeless he’d started to feel. He rambled, words tumbling over each other until he finally quieted down, realizing what he’d just done.

He had just ranted to a teacher.

Embarrassment hit hard. He wanted to melt into the floor, maybe jump out a window—anything to escape the situation.

“I—I’m sorry!” he blurted, voice panicked.

But Power Loader was having none of it.

“No, kid. You don’t have anything to be sorry for. You *tried*. I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner. If I had, I would've switched your partner immediately. And I *will* make sure you’re never paired with any of them again, if that’s what you want.”

Izuku’s eyes softened with quiet gratitude. “That would be really appreciated. Thank you.”

“Well, it’s getting late, Greenie. You should head home. I’ll deal with this on Monday,” Power Loader said, offering a small smile. “Try to enjoy your weekend.”

Izuku hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten. He blushed a bright red and scrambled up.

“R-Right! Goodnight!” he called quickly as he turned to leave.

But before he could walk out, a voice called from the back of the classroom.

“Uhh… hey, Izu?”

Izuku froze.

Standing—very clearly hiding behind a pile of boxes—were Mei and Aaliyah.

He blinked. “Umm… guys?”

“Oh hey there, Izu! How ya doin’?” Aaliyah said with an innocent smile.

“HI!” Mei added, way too loudly for someone who had clearly been hiding.

Izuku stared at them, then narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing?”

Aaliyah took a breath. “Well… we saw you got asked to stay behind. We were worried, so… we did the only logical thing. Hid in the back of the classroom after dismissal and eavesdropped.”

Mei laughed and stepped forward. “You know, if you ever feel stressed or want to talk—really talk—you can always come to us. We’re your friends. We’re not going anywhere.”

They both smiled at him. Real smiles. Warm and reassuring.

All Izuku could do was smile back, heart aching with gratitude. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t need to.

They all walked home together.

---

Meanwhile, Power Loader was *not* just angry. No—he was **furious**.

*How could they treat him like that? How could they ignore someone who’s only ever tried to help them become better heroes? How could they hurt that bright, green-haired sunshine of a kid?*

*How could they hurt **my kid**?*

He needed to talk to Eraserhead. But it was already past six. Aizawa had probably gone to eat and take a quick nap before patrol.

Power Loader let out a long exhale.

This would have to wait until Monday.

And oh… he was going to *raise hell* with Class 1-A.

Chapter Text

The weekend passed in the blink of an eye. By Sunday evening, Izuku’s mom asked him to grab a few groceries for dinner. With a quiet “Sure,” he got dressed and slipped out of the house, earbuds in and shopping list in hand.

It wasn’t a long trip—only six items. He moved quickly through the store, gathering everything before heading to the checkout. The walk home was peaceful, the late afternoon sun casting a soft golden glow over everything. Izuku hummed along to the quiet music playing through his headphones, lips mouthing the lyrics as he strolled down the familiar streets.

For the first time in a while, he felt at peace—wrapped up in his own little world. The weight on his shoulders didn’t feel as heavy. His mind wasn’t racing, just quiet and content.

But if he had been just a little more aware of his surroundings, maybe—just maybe—he would have noticed the pair of ruby-red eyes watching him from the café window he passed.

—

Katsuki’s breath caught the moment he saw him.

Izuku.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, walking by with that soft, distant smile on his face. Headphones in, swaying gently to the beat. His green eyes—what little Katsuki could glimpse—looked so calm, so serene. He looked beautiful. Fucking beautiful.

Katsuki couldn’t look away.

God, he missed that face. The way those eyes used to sparkle when Katsuki mumbled something only Izuku could hear. The way his whole face would light up when he laughed. That ridiculous, stupid nickname—*Kacchan*—how it used to make his chest feel warm. The freckles scattered across his cheeks like constellations he could trace forever.

He missed him.

He missed *everything.*

He missed *his Deku.*

“Bakubro, are you okay?”

The voice jolted him back to reality. Right. He was on a date. With Kirishima.

Katsuki blinked and sat up straighter. “I’m fuckin’ fine, Kiri. It’s getting late—we’ve got school tomorrow.”

Kirishima stood and gave him that signature, easy smile. “Yeah, true. See you tomorrow, Bakubro!”

“Yeah... see ya.”

As Kirishima walked away, Katsuki slumped back into his seat, rubbing a hand through his hair with a frustrated groan. His thoughts immediately drifted back to Izuku.

He shouldn't be thinking about him.

*He has a boyfriend.*

A great one, too. Someone dependable. Loyal. Sweet. Someone who isn’t Izuku.

So then... why did it still hurt? Why did he feel this empty ache in his chest every time he thought about Izuku not being *his* anymore?

“Ughhhhhh,” he sighed, gripping at his hair. Izuku didn’t even come around class 1-A anymore. Not to see the others, not even to check in.

Katsuki figured—even if they weren’t friends anymore—he’d still catch glimpses of him. Maybe a smile from a distance. A nod. *Something.*

But there was nothing now. Not even a glance in the hallway. Just silence.

And Katsuki couldn’t stop the way his brain kept replaying that final conversation like a broken record.

*"You’re here right now, that means you already agreed. Then will that make you happy?"* Izuku had asked, eyes glassy, smile small.

And Katsuki had answered—fucking *lied*—with a quiet, “Yeah. It will.”

He remembered how Izuku smiled then. So big. So heartbreakingly bright.

*"As long as you’re happy, it’s okay, Kacchan."*

Then he turned around and walked away.

Katsuki hadn’t seen him since.

And sometimes... sometimes, he wished he hadn’t said yes.

Maybe Izuku would still be around. Maybe he wouldn’t feel this hollow.

But then... he wouldn’t have Kirishima.

Torn between the two, Katsuki stood from his seat and left the café, the night air hitting his face like a slap. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked in silence.

*“I’m sorry, Izuku,”* he thought bitterly, *“but I’m going to have to try to forget you if I want this relationship to work.”*

And yet, no matter how many times he told himself that… it never felt like the truth.

Chapter Text

**Power Loader was excited—it was Monday.**

He was going to raise hell in 1-A.

A grin pulled at his face. They hurt one of his kids.

They ignored Greenie, and now they were going to face the consequences.

It might be a bit cruel, sure. But when you completely ignore Izuku Midoriya while he’s trying to help you, Power Loader stops giving a damn.

Still, before he could put his plan into motion, he had to get his boss’s permission. And that was a task all on its own—Nezu was terrifying.

He reached the office and raised his hand to knock when the door opened on its own.

“Good morning, Power Loader. I’m aware of the situation. What do you intend to do?” Nezu asked, sipping his tea calmly.

Power Loader wasn’t even surprised. He explained his plan, and after a pause, Nezu nodded in agreement.

With approval secured, he practically skipped to the staff room in search of Eraserhead.

With a wide smile, he kicked the door open. “Good morning, fellow teachers and staff! I’m looking for one very sleep-deprived man!”

Everyone stared. No one had ever seen Maijima this cheerful—especially not in the morning.

“I’m over here, Power Loader,” came Aizawa’s tired voice.

“Hello, Shota Aizawa, homeroom teacher of Class 1-A,” he said, marching over. “I need your signature to reassign Class 1-F to 1-B and move Class 3-G to your support team.”

He gave no explanation. No room to argue.

Aizawa blinked but signed the form. “Why?” he asked, frowning.

“Because they hurt my green sunshine kid,” Power Loader said, shrugging.

“Wait—Greenie? Midoriya?” Aizawa asked, voice rising.

The room stirred.

“Yeah. His partner on the last project completely ignored him. Izuku tried to collaborate, but they didn’t even acknowledge him. At the end of the week, the kid told me everything. I don’t want any of my kids working with that kind of attitude.”

His voice was low and dangerous with protectiveness.

The staff exchanged shocked glances. They’d never seen Power Loader this defensive over a student.

“What do you mean they *ignored* him?” Aizawa asked, frowning deeper. “Who hurt Greenie?”

The last question drew more strange looks.

“He makes great coffee and brings me a cup every Friday. He told me he’s a fan. Asked for an autograph too,” Aizawa added, almost as an afterthought.

“Something changed,” Power Loader said, jaw tight. “They started shutting him out—stopped being his friend. Fine. But then they ignored him during work, too. He can’t succeed if his hero partner won’t cooperate.”

“I get not being friends with someone,” Present Mic said, taking a seat beside Aizawa, “but when you’re working with the support course, especially someone like Midoriya, you *respect* the collaboration.”

“Exactly,” Midnight chimed in. “Who *wouldn’t* want to be friends with Greenie? He’s warm, kind, smart... How do you just ignore that?”

“I don’t know what happened,” Aizawa muttered, voice cold, “but I won’t let them hurt Midoriya. It’s illogical. It’s *unheroic*.”

He stood, eyes narrowing.

“They’ve lost the chance to work with three brilliant engineers—kids who are going to change the world. They need to understand what they’ve thrown away.”

With a sinister grin, Aizawa added, “I’m going to give them hell.”

“Thank you,” Maijima said.

“Midoriya Izuku Protection Squad, assemble!” Present Mic shouted dramatically, earning laughter and cheers.

Maijima and Aizawa shook their heads, fond exasperation written all over their faces.

---

**Later that morning...**

As the bell rang, Aizawa stalked into Class 1-A, eyes glowing with his quirk.

Silence fell instantly.

“I have an announcement. Class 1-F will no longer handle your support gear or costume upgrades. You’ve been reassigned to Class 3-G.”

Momo frowned. “Isn’t that a good thing? They have more experience, don’t they?”

“No,” Aizawa replied flatly. “They’re already overbooked with third-years. You’ll now have to book appointments a month in advance for *any* upgrades or repairs.”

A few jaws dropped.

“You’ve lost access to some of the brightest support course minds in this school—Hatsume, Ackerman, and Midoriya. Watching them develop their work is an opportunity most students would kill for.”

He paused, gaze sweeping the room.

“You want them on your good side. Trust me—they’re going to make it big.”

Gasps spread across the class. *Mister Aizawa just praised support students.*

“Aww, ‘Zawa, that’s so sweet of you!” Izuku’s voice rang through the room, followed by Aaliyah and Mei’s laughter.

“How are you doing that?” Aizawa asked, blinking.

“That’s for us to know and you not to,” Izuku replied, amused. “Anyway—we gotta go!”

“Bye!” the trio chimed together.

Aizawa sighed, hiding his smile in his scarf, and continued with the lesson.

By the end of the day, Class 1-A felt wrecked. The physical training was brutal, the homework overwhelming, and the guilt heavier than ever.

---

**Meanwhile...**

Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah were *tired* of watching Izuku shrink into himself. His smiles rarely reached his eyes. His laughter felt forced. The only real one they’d heard lately was when they eavesdropped on Aizawa giving him compliments through the vents.

They missed their Izuku.

He wasn’t sunshine anymore. He was *dimmed*.

And they were done with it.

After learning what happened with Katsuki—how he chose Kirishima over Izuku, how Kaminari stopped speaking to him—they were furious.

It was so *stupid*.

Izuku deserved better. He was their *first choice.*

So, they came up with a plan: embarrass themselves and him in front of the whole school to show just how much he meant to them.

“I’m going to shit myself,” Aaliyah said.

“We can get ice cream after,” Mei offered.

“What if I fall asleep halfway through?” Hitoshi asked, deadpan.

“Well, I have a baby for that,” Mei joked.

Aaliyah burst out laughing at Hitoshi’s horrified face.

“We got this,” she wheezed. “It’s for Izuku.”

The others nodded.

---

**At lunch...**

Izuku had just sat down when the trio stood up on their chairs. He blinked up at them, confused.

“Umm... guys? What are you doing?”

Mei took a deep breath.

“IZUKU, WE LOVE YOU!”

The cafeteria fell silent.

Izuku just stared, stunned.

Before he could react, Hitoshi continued.

“We’ve known each other for a while now. You make it easy to be myself. You’re more than a friend—you’re family. I can’t wait to see what you do in the future. And I’ll be right there beside you, every step of the way.”

Aaliyah stepped forward. “Izuku, you have a heart of gold. Anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve you. You’re like a brother to us, and we’ll always fight for you, care for you, and love you. You’re our *first* choice.”

Mei beamed. “Zu, we love you. We hate what happened, but sometimes life forces you to grow. Who knows what’ll change in ten years? Doesn’t matter—we’re not going anywhere.”

“You’re stuck with us forever,” Hitoshi added.

Izuku was speechless. Tears welled in his eyes.

Then Aaliyah broke the tension.

“HAHA! LIKE HE COULD EVEN GET RID OF US!”

Mei and Hitoshi chuckled. Izuku burst out laughing—*genuine* laughter. It echoed through the cafeteria like sunshine breaking through clouds.

It was beautiful.

By the time they quieted, they noticed the entire cafeteria staring—some in awe, some in jealousy, and others in admiration.

They quickly sat down, muttering apologies.

The cafeteria returned to its usual noise. Their little family of four went back to their lunch, chatting easily.

Izuku smiled, full of love.

He was never getting rid of these three.

---

What they didn’t notice was Class 1-A watching from across the room—silent, guilty, and aching.

They *knew* they messed up.

They just hoped it wasn’t too late to fix it.

No one noticed Katsuki, eyes locked on Izuku, fuming with jealousy.

He missed him.

He wanted to be there, too.

But for now... he could only watch.

Like a coward.

Chapter Text

After the cafeteria incident—now humorously dubbed a “weird-loving family bonding moment”—students had been approaching the four of them nonstop, asking if they were okay. None of them were used to this much attention, so they quickly found comfort slipping back into the shadows.

Out of everyone, Hitoshi had it the worst.

Everyone in Class 1-A was staring at him. At first, he was confused—until he read them like open books.

They. Were. Jealous. Of. Him.

He almost laughed at the irony. They’d purposely ignored Izuku, and now they were jealous because he had friends who *weren’t* them. Hitoshi scoffed at the class.

He was angry. *None* of them looked like they were even *thinking* about apologizing to Izuku.

One of his best friends.

If they didn’t, he wouldn't speak to them either. Sure, it was irrational—they saw each other in class every day—but he didn’t care.

He’d talk to them when he *had* to—for school or training. That was it.

Afternoon classes dragged on for the group. That is, until all four of them were suddenly excused and told to report to Principal Nezu. Naturally, confusion hit first.

They ran into each other in the hallway after leaving their classrooms, exchanging puzzled glances. This *definitely* wasn’t a coincidence.

They walked together toward Nezu’s office.

“What do you think this is about?” Izuku asked.

“I don’t know,” Hitoshi replied, voice flat.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Aaliyah shrugged.

“Do you think it’s about our babies?!!” Mei practically bounced beside them, eyes gleaming.

“Maybe, but wouldn’t he have called just us? Not Hitoshi too?” Izuku added, his nose scrunching as he thought it through.

“True,” Hitoshi said, nodding.

“Do you think we’re in trouble for that little... bonding session in the cafeteria?” Mei asked suddenly.

“No,” Aaliyah replied matter-of-factly. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

Soon enough, they stood in front of Nezu’s door. Izuku raised his hand to knock, but the door opened before he could.

“Welcome, welcome! Thank you for coming, especially since you're missing class to be here,” Nezu said with a smile.

Inside, they were greeted by Mister Aizawa and Miss Kayama. With matching confused expressions, the group was guided to a couch in the corner. Tension bloomed in their shoulders as they sat.

Silence filled the room—thick and unrelenting.

Then Nezu broke it, sipping his tea.

“During lunch today, you four made quite the scene,” he began.

He paused, watching their faces carefully. The teens sat stiffly, anxiety beginning to churn in their guts.

“Are we in trouble?!” Izuku blurted out, eyes wide.

“But we didn’t do anything wrong,” Aaliyah added quickly, as if the answer were obvious. “We were just expressing our love.”

“Yeah, in a very *loud* way,” Hitoshi muttered, rolling his eyes.

“It wasn’t *that* loud! You all wouldn’t even let me use my babies! If I had, the whole school *would’ve* heard us,” Mei pouted.

“Problem children, calm down,” Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples. “Let us finish before you jump to conclusions.”

“Wow, I’m so excited for these cuties,” Miss Kayama said with a grin, practically vibrating in her seat.

Nezu took that as his cue to continue. The room’s tension slowly faded.

“No, we didn’t call you here to punish you,” Nezu said, clapping his paws together. “We might actually have an *offer* for you.”

The four teens stiffened again, eyebrows raised in suspicion.

Nezu noticed it—hell, he *felt* it. He didn’t swear often, but *damn*, when did sixteen-year-olds become this hard to read?

Their silent exchange didn’t go unnoticed. The four looked at one another, eyes locked in an unspoken conversation, and quickly reached a silent agreement.

Aizawa picked up from there.

“The offer’s simple: we want to train you to become underground heroes,” he explained. “You’ll continue your support studies while also receiving hero training. And before you ask—yes, Hitoshi’s already in the hero course, but he’ll be part of this too. He’s my disciple and your friend. He’ll train with you and help fill in any gaps in your knowledge.”

Kayama beamed. “Nezu will explain the benefits, but Aizawa and I would be your main heroics instructors. Other staff will assist as needed. We’re aware of the... issues with Class 1-A. To avoid that, you’ll train with second- and third-years, and work with Class 1-B in your final year.”

The teens exchanged another look, the gears in their minds turning.

Nezu jumped back in. “If you accept, you'll gain the opportunity to finish your academic studies early, allowing you to focus entirely on hero work and support development. You’ll have time to enhance your support gear, connect with international programs and students, even travel abroad to learn in person. We want to offer you every resource we have.”

He folded his paws. “You can take 15–20 minutes to talk it over. We’ll give you the room.”

As the adults stepped out, the group sat in stunned silence.

“That was... wow,” Mei breathed.

“Do you think they’re serious?” Aaliyah asked, her brain clearly buffering.

“I doubt they’d bring us here just to play a prank,” Hitoshi said, still in disbelief.

They took a collective breath. After a few minutes, their heads felt clearer.

“Alright, we’ve got 15 minutes,” Izuku said, face serious. “I’ve been thinking and I’ve got a few questions. First—Toshi, are you okay with helping us catch up if we take this offer? I know being a hero is your dream. Are you okay with sharing it? With *us*?”

Hitoshi didn’t even hesitate.

“You guys are family. If it were anyone else, maybe I’d be hesitant. But you three? I’m okay with it. I *want* to do this with you,” he said honestly. “But what about you, Izuku? Are *you* okay with it? After everything?”

Izuku nodded slowly. “Yeah. I still want to be a hero. But I didn’t want to go forward unless you were okay with it too.”

The two boys shared a moment, soft smiles tugging at their lips. Aaliyah and Mei watched fondly, knowing this was a decision they'd all already made in their hearts.

“We’re both happy with it,” Mei said, answering Izuku’s next question before he even asked.

Aaliyah nodded in agreement.

“Great. I also want to go over some logistics,” Izuku continued, voice turning more analytical. “They mentioned finishing regular studies—what’s the plan? Can we branch into different subjects? Could we earn undergraduate or master’s credits?

“What about our support studies—how does this affect our current classes? What kind of hero training are they planning? Will we develop our costumes ourselves, or will others be helping?”

The group nodded, impressed by the detail of his questions.

“And what about traveling? Who funds it? Will we be supervised? Are there restrictions? Will Hitoshi come with us? How will he be integrated? And how are they planning to inform our parents?”

No one disagreed. They’d wait for answers.

When the adults returned, the questions were laid out, one after the other. The discussion that followed was long but productive—every concern addressed, every doubt clarified. Plans were made. Compromises were reached.

By the end of it all, the little family walked out of Nezu’s office with matching shit-eating grins.

They were ready to take on the world—and they were going to make the most of this opportunity.

Chapter Text

The following month was spent carrying out the academic plan they had created. It was straightforward: the four of them would dedicate each day to studying under Principal Nezu’s guidance. They were given thick booklets filled with material to complete, and after finishing each one, they would be tested. The goal was to complete all academic requirements up to the end of their second-year first semester. From there, another intense month and a half would allow them to fully complete their U.A. academic curriculum.

Since Nezu didn’t teach Support or Heroics, Izuku, Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah had to temporarily step away from their specialized departments. None of them minded—this fast-track approach meant they could focus on studying and finish ahead of schedule.

Nezu was thrilled at the opportunity to teach them, but even more excited to observe and analyze them. What he didn’t expect, however, was for the four students to finish the massive booklets in under two weeks. He was shocked, though not entirely surprised—they were all geniuses in their own right, with minds far sharper than they often let on. Realizing this, Nezu gave them the remaining booklets, and an overarching test was scheduled to wrap everything up.

With their academic goals surpassed in record time, their focus shifted. Training was about to begin.

Training with Aizawa-Sensei and Kayama-Sensei was no walk in the park. At first, things were light—drills on technique, proper jumping, landing, and falling—but that didn’t last long.

“OUCH!” Hitoshi yelled as he was flipped over Izuku’s shoulder once again. The gremlin family of four were sparring, and even though Hitoshi had joined the Hero Course before Izuku, the green-haired boy had plenty of fighting experience thanks to Katsuki. Growing up, they would often spar to test out Izuku’s inventions. Their deal had always been: for every three sparring matches, Katsuki would try out one of Izuku’s new gadgets. As time passed and Izuku’s skills improved, the deal changed. Now, every time Izuku beat or pinned Katsuki twice for five seconds, they’d test out an invention. That version of the deal stuck for the long haul.

Aizawa-Sensei eventually called for a five-minute break and announced they’d be starting parkour training next. The girls stretched while the boys caught their breath. Izuku closed his eyes, letting his lungs recover, then stood and left Hitoshi sprawled on the floor as he walked to his bag. He pulled out a pencil and his nearly full hero analyst notebook. There was only enough space left for today’s notes—maybe tomorrow’s, if he wrote small enough.

He scribbled down observations: Hitoshi’s kicks were stronger and more stable now. Mei and Aaliyah had better stamina and could last longer in combat. He continued detailing what each person could improve on until the final page was filled. He huffed, cheeks puffed like a bunny, before putting the notebook away.

“Hey! Are you guys free after school today? I need a new notebook,” he called out. The others nodded from the ground.

“Did you already fill it up, Zuku-chan?” Aaliyah asked.

He nodded in reply, and they all used the rest of their break to relax. They’d been sparring in seven-minute rotations for thirty-five minutes straight—not counting the time they spent fighting Aizawa and Kayama. Sore but exhilarated, they were proud of how far they had come.

Their break ended quickly, and they moved into parkour. Kayama-Sensei and Aizawa-Sensei were now teaching them how to leap farther and land at awkward angles. At first, they had face-planted more than once, but they were fast learners and had become naturals.

Today’s task: wider jumps.

Kayama-Sensei pulled Mei and Aaliyah aside. “Hatsume, Ackerman—to project yourselves farther, you’ll need to build explosive leg power. We’ll start by working over at the sandpits.” She led them over and began raking the sand to make a smooth landing surface. “What’s the farthest you’ve jumped?”

“About nine meters, almost ten now,” Aaliyah answered, stretching her legs.

“Same,” Mei chimed in. “I just don’t remember the exact numbers.”

“That works,” Kayama-Sensei nodded. “Alright, let’s get started.”

The girls immediately began sprinting toward the sandpits.

Meanwhile, Aizawa-Sensei brought Izuku and Hitoshi over to the high wall spotting blocks.

“Okay, you two problem children,” he said with a grin, “today we’re working on vertical jumps. You’ll alternate between standing and running starts. We’ll begin with one block, and as soon as you land it, we’ll add another. If you miss, you keep going until you stick the landing. After a few rounds, you’ll join the girls for leg strengthening.”

Both boys gulped as he turned to stack the blocks.

Before long, they were signaled to begin.

By the end of the day, their muscles ached from the final leg circuit, but their teachers gave them valuable feedback and corrections to help them improve in future sessions.

“Come on, we need to go shopping for Zuku’s new notebook,” Mei said, grabbing her bag and tossing it over her shoulder. “It’s getting late, and I want to work on some of my babies tonight.”

She held the door open, and the others followed. They caught the train home, leaning on one another and dozing off during the ride. Hitoshi acted as the group’s support beam, keeping them upright.

When their stop came, they disembarked and walked the short distance to the supply store.

“Yo, we’re here,” Izuku said. “Let me grab a couple notebooks and we can head home.”

The others nodded and followed him in. As Izuku quickly picked up what he needed, Hitoshi, Mei, and Aaliyah browsed the aisles, picking out a few cute cat stickers.

Once finished, they made their way out and began the walk home. Fortunately, they all lived in Musutafu—not far from one another, though far enough to have gone to different middle schools.

They split off at their usual corners, waving and calling out goodbyes.

None of them noticed the four shadowy figures lurking in the distance, watching from the moment they left U.A.—and following them home.

Chapter Text

The next morning, the group of four met up at U.A. bright and early, ready for another intense day of training. They were still buzzing from the day before, but they knew they couldn’t afford to slack off now. They had their eyes set on their goals, and nothing was going to get in their way.

Izuku had his new notebook in hand, feeling a sense of relief as he flipped open a fresh page. He had filled up his old one so quickly with observations, diagrams, and techniques he’d been working on. Now, he was ready to fill the new one with more insights from today’s session.

“Morning, everyone!” Izuku greeted with a grin as he waved at his friends.

“Morning, Zuku-chan!” Aaliyah said with a smile, stretching out her arms. She was ready for anything. “What’s on the agenda today?”

“We’re starting with agility drills,” Mei replied, adjusting her hero costume. “Kayama-sensei mentioned something about focusing on speed and fluidity in our movements.”

Izuku nodded, flipping through his new notebook. “We’ll have to keep our stamina up, too. The parkour exercises yesterday were fun, but we’re gonna need to be faster today.”

“Yeah, no more faceplanting into walls,” Hitoshi added with a smirk, his voice tinged with sarcasm. “I think I’m still feeling the bruises from yesterday.”

“Shut up, Hitoshi,” Izuku laughed, but then he looked over at his friends. “Okay, let’s keep it up and make today count. We’re all in this together.”

Just then, Aizawa-sensei and Kayama-sensei approached, each with their usual stern expressions but a hint of pride in their eyes.

“Alright, everyone,” Aizawa-sensei said, his voice low but commanding. “Today’s focus will be on agility and precise movements. We’ll work on obstacle courses designed to challenge your quick thinking and reflexes. The goal is to push you to your limits.”

Kayama-sensei spoke up next, her tone more enthusiastic. “We’ll be setting up stations to help you practice those reflexes, from dodging to rapid direction changes. Don’t hold back. This will get tough.”

The team nodded, feeling their adrenaline rise. They were ready for whatever came next.

---

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of drills. They worked on dodging, jumping, and quickly switching directions. Izuku’s muscles were burning, but the sense of accomplishment after each successful move kept him pushing forward. Hitoshi was surprisingly agile, his kicks and movements more fluid than ever. Mei and Aaliyah showed their usual determination, not missing a single beat, adapting quickly to the changing exercises.

As the drills wore on, their breathing became heavier, but they all pushed through, knowing that they were getting stronger with every repetition. Aizawa-sensei watched them closely, occasionally stepping in with tips or a pointed remark to refine their techniques. Kayama-sensei was constantly cheering them on, giving them the encouragement they needed to keep going.

By the time they finished for the day, they were all exhausted, but they could tell how much they had improved. Izuku wiped the sweat from his brow, his hands still gripping his new notebook as he jotted down notes about what they had worked on.

“Great work today,” Aizawa-sensei said gruffly, though his eyes softened slightly. “You’ve all made progress.”

“Good job, team,” Kayama-sensei added with a warm smile. “You’ve all pushed yourselves harder than I expected. Keep up this momentum, and you’ll continue to improve.”

As the group gathered their things and prepared to leave, Izuku couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. It was like an invisible weight was pressing down on him. He tried to brush it off, but the feeling lingered, gnawing at him in the back of his mind.

---

That evening, as the group made their way home, the city felt eerily quiet. The usual sounds of Musutafu—cars honking, people chatting, and the distant hum of the trains—seemed muffled, almost as if something was out of place.

They walked in comfortable silence, all of them too tired to say much. Hitoshi yawned, leaning against a lamppost for support. “I think I’m going to sleep for a week after today.”

Izuku chuckled, but his unease grew. It wasn’t the normal feeling he had after a tough day of training. It was something else. As they turned a corner near the station, he could’ve sworn he saw movement in the shadows. He quickly looked back, but nothing was there.

“You okay, Zuku-chan?” Aaliyah asked, noticing his distracted expression.

“I’m fine,” Izuku replied with a forced smile, shaking his head. “Just a little tired.”

The group continued walking, unaware that they were being watched from the darkened alleyways by four shadowy figures. Whoever they were, they seemed to be waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Chapter Text

As the group walked further into the quiet streets of Musutafu, the feeling of being watched only intensified. Izuku kept glancing over his shoulder, his heart racing slightly as his senses screamed at him that something wasn’t right.

“Zuku-chan, you’re really jumpy today. Something on your mind?” Mei asked, her voice teasing but with a hint of concern. She noticed the way he kept scanning their surroundings.

Izuku hesitated for a moment, then shrugged it off. “It’s nothing, really. Just tired, like Hitoshi.”

The group continued walking in their usual relaxed manner, though a tense undercurrent had settled between them. The closer they got to the supplies store, the more Izuku felt that strange presence. It was as though they were being stalked by unseen eyes, and it didn’t help that the streets were unusually empty. The usual bustle of people and cars felt distant.

“Hitoshi, did you see anything weird back there?” Aaliyah suddenly asked, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings. “I thought I saw something move, but it was too quick.”

Hitoshi glanced around but shook his head, eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Nah, I didn’t see anything. But I’ve got a bad feeling too. Could just be fatigue messing with our heads, though.”

Izuku clenched his fists, trying to shake off the unease. “We’re probably just overthinking it. Let’s grab the notebooks, then head home. We all need some rest.”

The tension didn’t dissipate, but they all agreed with Izuku, and the group continued toward the store. They reached it without incident, though the strange feeling never left Izuku’s mind.

Once inside, Izuku moved quickly through the aisles, grabbing the notebooks he needed and heading straight for the counter. The others followed behind, picking up a few random items, including some stickers and a couple of pens. Hitoshi was the first to finish, tossing a few items into his bag, but his eyes darted nervously to the windows. He clearly couldn’t shake the sense that something was off either.

When they were all done, they filed out of the store together, but the feeling of being watched hadn’t gone away. In fact, it felt stronger than ever.

“Hey, I’m not crazy, right? You guys feel it too?” Izuku asked quietly as they stepped out onto the street.

Aaliyah nodded, her expression serious. “I felt it too, Zuku. Something’s not right.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to think we’re being followed,” Hitoshi muttered, his gaze flickering over their shoulders as they began walking toward the train station.

Mei, usually the carefree one of the group, was now quiet, her eyes darting around as if searching for any sign of movement. She hadn’t been able to shake the weird vibe either.

“I’ve been sensing it for a while now. It’s not just the shadows either... It feels like someone’s specifically watching us,” Mei said, her tone more serious than usual.

Izuku stopped dead in his tracks. “Wait—did you hear that?”

The others paused, looking around. They could hear nothing but the distant hum of the city. But Izuku’s heart was pounding. He could have sworn he heard footsteps—soft but deliberate—echoing behind them. Turning around slowly, he squinted into the darkened street, but saw nothing. Just empty, silent alleys and dimly lit storefronts.

“Nothing,” Izuku muttered, a knot forming in his stomach. “Maybe it’s just my imagination...”

But he wasn’t convinced. His instincts were screaming at him to be alert.

“Let’s keep moving,” Aaliyah said, her voice firm. “We’re not doing anyone any good by standing around. We’ll stick together.”

They nodded, gathering close as they resumed walking. But no matter how fast they walked, the feeling of being pursued never left. They reached the train station in silence, the quiet between them deafening. Izuku’s eyes kept scanning the surroundings, and his hand subconsciously moved to his hero notebook, ready to write down anything unusual.

Just as they reached the platform, a low chuckle echoed from the shadows near the far end of the station.

Izuku froze. The others stiffened, turning to face the direction of the sound.

From the shadows, four figures emerged. They were dressed in dark clothing, their faces obscured by masks, but the malicious glint in their eyes was unmistakable.

Izuku’s heart raced as his mind quickly calculated their chances. The figures moved toward them, and he instinctively stepped in front of his friends.

“Who are you?” he called out, trying to keep his voice steady despite the fear creeping into his chest.

The leader of the group, a tall figure with a jagged mask, chuckled again. “You’re quite observant for a kid. But we don’t have time to explain. You four have caught our interest, and we can’t let you leave here without a... little chat.”

Before Izuku could react, the group rushed forward, moving faster than he could anticipate. His body moved instinctively, but the figures were faster and more coordinated. In a flash, one of them grabbed Aaliyah by the wrist, yanking her into the shadows.

“No!” Izuku shouted, reaching out.

But before he could chase after her, Hitoshi was tackled by another figure, and Mei was grabbed by the third. Izuku was momentarily stunned, and before he could act, the leader of the group stood in front of him, blocking his path.

“We’ve been watching you four for a while. You’re far more interesting than we thought. Too bad we can’t let you go so easily,” the leader said, his voice cold and mocking.

Izuku’s pulse raced as he clenched his fists. His friends were in danger, and he couldn’t let them down.

Chapter Text

Izuku’s heart pounded in his chest as he took a step forward, his body tensing. The world seemed to slow around him, his mind racing through countless strategies and possibilities. He couldn’t lose his friends—he wouldn’t.

The leader of the group smirked beneath his mask, clearly sensing Izuku’s growing determination. “You think you can take us on alone? We’ve been watching you for a long time, kid. You’re not nearly as powerful as you think.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his notebook. He didn’t have time for games. His friends needed him, and there was no way he was going to let them be taken away. Without a second thought, he charged forward, his movements sharp and precise.

The masked figure reacted faster than Izuku expected, sidestepping and attempting to swipe at him with a hidden blade. But Izuku was quick, ducking under the strike and launching himself into a roll to regain his footing. His breath came fast, but his resolve remained unshaken.

"Zuku!" Mei’s voice echoed from somewhere behind him. “Get us out of here!”

Izuku’s eyes darted around, trying to locate the others. Mei was struggling against one of the figures, her footwork impressive but unable to break free from the masked assailant’s hold. Hitoshi was pinned to the ground, his face twisted in frustration as he tried to use his quirk, but the figure holding him was blocking his movements.

Aaliyah, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat, panic rising within him. “Aaliyah!”

Before he could process what was happening, the leader of the group lunged toward him, forcing Izuku to react quickly. He barely dodged the strike, his body moving on instinct, but he felt the breeze as the blade cut through the air just inches from his face.

“Enough games!” the leader hissed, his voice low and threatening. “You’re coming with us whether you like it or not.”

Izuku’s fists clenched. He couldn’t waste any more time. With a burst of speed, he darted toward Mei, knocking the masked assailant away with a well-timed punch. The figure stumbled back, but before they could recover, Izuku grabbed Mei’s wrist and yanked her toward him.

“Come on, we’re getting out of here!” he shouted.

Mei, though startled, quickly regained her composure. “I knew you’d come through, Zuku!” she said, grinning despite the situation.

They didn’t waste a second. Izuku turned his attention to Hitoshi, who was still struggling beneath his captor. Izuku’s eyes locked onto the enemy holding him down, and without hesitation, he charged, using his quirk to increase his speed. He launched himself forward, catching the attacker off-guard and delivering a powerful kick to their chest.

Hitoshi immediately rolled out of the way, quickly getting back on his feet. “Thanks, man,” he said, breathing heavily but with a smirk.

"Where’s Aaliyah?" Izuku asked, his voice tinged with urgency.

Mei’s eyes scanned the area, but there was no sign of her. “She was taken toward the alley behind the station,” Mei said, pointing in the direction where the masked figures had dragged her earlier. “We need to go after her, now!”

Without another word, they broke into a run, weaving through the narrow streets as they made their way toward the alley. Izuku’s mind raced, thinking of how to handle the situation. His friends were in danger, and he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

They reached the alley, but it was eerily quiet. Izuku’s breath was steady, but his heart was thumping loudly in his chest. He could feel the tension in the air, the sense that they were being lured into a trap.

“Stay alert,” Hitoshi whispered, his eyes scanning the shadows. “They’re waiting for us.”

Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the darkness, blocking their path. It was the leader, his arms crossed and his eyes glowing with malice. Behind him, Aaliyah was kneeling on the ground, her hands bound and a bruised look on her face, but she was still conscious.

“You made a mistake, kid,” the leader said, his voice mocking. “You shouldn’t have tried to be the hero. Now, you’ll pay the price.”

Izuku’s fists clenched, his anger boiling over. He had no idea who these people were, but they weren’t going to get away with this.

“We’re not done yet,” Izuku muttered under his breath.

The leader laughed. “Oh, but you are.”

Before Izuku could react, the figure stepped aside, and two more masked individuals appeared, each with a strange device in hand. One of them flicked a switch, and the ground beneath Izuku and his friends seemed to hum with energy.

“What the—?” Izuku started, his eyes widening in realization.

“They’ve got an electric field generator!” Hitoshi exclaimed. “We’re trapped!”

Izuku glanced around, trying to think of a way out. His heart raced as the electric field intensified, making his limbs feel heavy and sluggish. He couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.

“We need to break free, now!” Izuku shouted, his voice firm and filled with determination. “Mei, Hitoshi, you know what to do. Aaliyah, stay close!”

Izuku’s quirk flared to life, his body surging with power as he launched himself at the nearest masked figure. His movements were quick, his strikes calculated, but the electric field made it harder to move with his usual precision.

But he wasn’t going to stop. Not now.

Izuku’s body surged forward despite the heavy pull of the electric field. His limbs felt sluggish, as though the energy coursing through the ground was trying to restrict him. His mind raced, seeking any way to outsmart the trap.

“Zuku-chan, watch out!” Mei shouted from behind him.

The masked figure with the electric field generator was moving toward him with slow, deliberate steps, clearly underestimating his speed. Izuku quickly sidestepped, using his momentum to slam into the figure’s side, sending them stumbling backward.

But as he did, he felt a sharp shock run through his body, causing him to gasp. The electric field’s effects were becoming more pronounced, making it harder to move.

“No time to waste!” Hitoshi growled, his expression fierce. “Mei, Aaliyah, get ready to go!”

Izuku gritted his teeth, willing his body to move faster. He couldn’t afford to be caught in this trap any longer. With a burst of energy, he launched himself at the masked figure holding the generator. The shock was almost unbearable, but his resolve only hardened.

Mei wasn’t idle. She was already working on something, her eyes scanning the field around them. “If we can short-circuit that generator, we can break the field,” she muttered to herself, more focused than ever.

“I’ve got an idea,” Hitoshi said. He held up his hand, and the air around him seemed to shimmer as his quirk activated. “I’ll disrupt their sensory input, making them disoriented. It’ll give us an opening.”

Izuku barely heard him. He was fixated on the generator, his mind calculating the best way to dismantle it quickly. “On my mark,” he said, voice low and tense.

With a quick nod, Hitoshi raised his hand and focused. A wave of energy rippled through the air, and the masked figures faltered for a brief moment, their movements slowed, their eyes unfocused. The disorientation was just what Izuku needed.

“Now!” he shouted.

Mei’s fingers flicked rapidly, pulling out a small gadget from her bag. She pressed a button, and a small electric pulse shot toward the generator, striking it with precision. There was a burst of light and a sharp crackle of electricity before the field sputtered and died, releasing them from the confines of the trap.

Without wasting a second, Izuku and Hitoshi rushed forward. Izuku’s hand grabbed the figure’s arm, pulling them aside and slamming them into the ground with a force that made the attacker gasp.

“Get away from Aaliyah!” Izuku growled, his voice a mix of anger and relief.

The leader of the group sneered, his hand reaching for a hidden weapon. “You think you’ve won?” he spat. “You’re just playing into our hands.”

But before he could launch his attack, a crackling sound echoed behind them. Izuku spun around just in time to see Aaliyah, still kneeling but now holding a device she had somehow managed to conceal. Her eyes flashed with determination as she activated the device, sending another pulse of energy toward the remaining attackers.

The pulse hit, and for a split second, all the remaining masked figures froze, their bodies rigid as their internal systems struggled to reboot. The brief moment of paralysis was enough for Izuku to make his move.

He grabbed Aaliyah, helping her up, and turned to Mei and Hitoshi. “Let’s go!” he shouted.

Together, they dashed down the alley, their feet pounding against the concrete, the danger of the situation still fresh in their minds. They didn’t stop to look back, not wanting to give their attackers any chance to regroup.

As they reached the end of the alley, they saw a familiar figure up ahead. It was Aizawa-sensei, his eyes scanning the area with a practiced focus. His gaze locked onto them immediately.

“What’s going on?” Aizawa demanded, his voice calm but filled with authority.

Izuku didn’t hesitate. “They were following us. We need backup.”

Hitoshi quickly explained the situation, his voice tense but steady. “We’ve got some serious enemies on our tail, and they’ve got tech we haven’t seen before.”

Aizawa’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll take care of it. Get to the station and wait for me.”

But before they could respond, the ground shook beneath their feet. A heavy thud echoed through the alley, followed by a low, menacing voice.

“It’s not over yet, kids.”

Izuku turned just in time to see one of the masked figures standing at the other end of the alley, flanked by two others. The leader was nowhere to be seen, but the threat was far from over.

Aizawa’s expression hardened. “Get to safety. I’ll handle this.”

But Izuku wasn’t about to back down. He clenched his fists, the adrenaline surging through his veins. He was done running.

“I’m not leaving you behind, Sensei,” he said firmly. “We’re in this together.”

The others exchanged looks, then nodded in agreement.

“Let’s finish this,” Hitoshi said, his voice steady as he stood beside Izuku.

Aizawa’s eyes flickered with something akin to approval, but his voice remained stern. “Fine. Stay sharp. We’re not done yet.”

The group braced themselves for the next round of confrontation. The masked figures advanced, weapons at the ready, but Izuku’s determination was unshakable. No matter what, they were going to protect each other.

And together, they would face whatever came next.

Chapter Text

The tension in the alley was palpable. The masked figures advanced slowly, their movements calculated, as if they had all the time in the world. Aizawa’s eyes flicked between the four students, noting their readiness, their resolve.

"Stay close, don't break formation," Aizawa ordered, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.

Izuku's heart pounded in his chest, but his resolve was stronger than ever. He could feel his friends' energy building around him, each of them bracing for what was to come.

"Ready, guys?" Izuku whispered, tightening his grip on his fists.

"Always," Mei said, her voice a sharp contrast to the intensity of the situation. Her eyes glittered with determination, and Izuku could see the gears turning in her mind, already planning her next move.

"We’ve got your back," Aaliyah added, her voice steady, though her fists were clenched, ready to spring into action.

"I’m not going anywhere until they’re gone," Hitoshi said with a firm nod, his expression focused.

The masked figures stopped just short of where the group stood, their eyes hidden behind their dark visors. The leader—a tall, imposing figure—stepped forward, tilting his head slightly, studying them like prey.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to be so... resilient," the leader said, his voice cold and calculating. "But it won’t matter in the end. You’re outnumbered, and we hold all the cards."

Izuku’s lips curled into a tight smile. "We’ve been in worse situations than this. So, how about you tell us what you really want, and we’ll save everyone some trouble?"

The leader chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You think we’re just going to talk? No, kid. This is far from over."

Before Izuku could react, the masked figures moved. Two of them darted forward, their hands pulling out sleek, high-tech weapons, while the others stayed behind, keeping their distance and watching closely.

Aizawa immediately stepped in, his scarf flying as he engaged with the attackers. "Get moving!" he barked, his sharp eyes never leaving the leader.

Izuku didn’t hesitate. He was already charging forward, his body in motion as he closed the gap between himself and one of the advancing figures. His legs burned with energy as he leaped toward the enemy, his hands outstretched.

The masked figure tried to block him, but Izuku was faster, his movements fluid as he dodged the incoming strike. He landed a solid punch to the figure’s chest, sending them stumbling back. But the figure quickly regained their footing, their weapon lighting up with a surge of energy as they aimed at Izuku.

Hitoshi was right behind him, sending a wave of disorienting energy that caused the figure’s vision to blur. Izuku took advantage of the opening, landing another blow that knocked the weapon from their hands. The figure fell to the ground, dazed but still conscious.

"One down," Izuku muttered, glancing over at Hitoshi, who was already moving on to the next target.

Meanwhile, Mei and Aaliyah were engaging with another attacker, Mei using her quick reflexes to dodge and counter with a series of calculated strikes. Aaliyah was a force to be reckoned with, her strength and precision unmatched as she disabled the enemy’s weapon with a well-placed kick.

"Nice moves!" Izuku called out, impressed by their teamwork.

"Keep it up, Zuku-chan!" Aaliyah grinned, spinning out of the way of an incoming strike, her eyes never leaving her target.

But as the group fought back, the leader of the masked figures remained calm, watching the battle unfold with a knowing smile. Izuku’s instincts told him there was more to this than just a simple ambush.

He had to think fast. "Aizawa-sensei, what’s the plan?" Izuku called out, his breath coming in short bursts as he blocked a heavy attack.

Aizawa's voice was as steady as ever. "We take them down, no hesitation. They’ve underestimated you all. Don’t let them get the upper hand."

Izuku’s eyes narrowed, and with a burst of speed, he surged forward, using his quirk to enhance his already formidable strength. He tackled one of the remaining masked figures to the ground, pinning them in place with a swift, calculated move.

"We’ve got them on the ropes!" Izuku shouted, his voice filled with determination.

But just as they seemed to be gaining ground, the leader of the masked figures raised a hand, signaling for his subordinates to retreat. The remaining figures hesitated, exchanging looks before slowly backing away.

"You think you’ve won?" the leader sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "This is just the beginning. You’ve made a grave mistake, and you’ll soon find out just how far we can push you."

Izuku’s heart dropped. The threat was far from over.

"Don’t let them escape!" Aizawa commanded, but the leader was already disappearing into the shadows, the rest of his team following suit.

Izuku stood there, his chest heaving, frustration burning in his veins. "Damn it! We were so close!"

Hitoshi walked over, clapping him on the back. "Don’t worry, Zuku. We’ll get them next time. We’re ready for whatever comes."

Mei and Aaliyah nodded in agreement, the tension in the air slowly beginning to dissipate.

Aizawa turned to the group, his expression grim but approving. "You all did well. But this isn’t over. Stay alert, and don’t let your guard down. They’ll be back, and we need to be ready."

Izuku nodded, determination burning in his eyes. "We’ll be ready."

As they made their way back, the weight of the situation lingered in their minds. Whoever these masked figures were, they weren’t going to stop. And neither would Izuku and his friends. They had come too far to back down now.

The real battle was just beginning.

Chapter Text

Back at the agency, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Sirens echoed faintly in the distance, and the city skyline burned with the last hues of sunset. Izuku sat on a bench near the medical wing, nursing a shallow cut on his shoulder, though his thoughts were far from the wound.

Aaliyah paced nearby, arms crossed, brows furrowed. “They were prepared for us. Too prepared.”

“We underestimated them,” Mei muttered from where she was cross-referencing footage from her gear. “And I hate being outmaneuvered.”

Izuku said nothing. His hands clenched into fists on his lap, knuckles white. The masked leader’s words replayed in his head like a curse: *This is just the beginning.*

A door clicked open behind him.

He looked up—and froze.

Katsuki Bakugou stood in the threshold, still dressed in his hero uniform, his gauntlets off and slung over his shoulder. His ash-blond hair was messy, his eyes unreadable. For a moment, the world narrowed to just him.

Katsuki’s gaze swept over the group, but settled firmly on Izuku.

“Deku,” he said quietly.

Aaliyah immediately stepped closer to Izuku, her expression protective. “What do *you* want?”

Katsuki didn’t respond to her. His eyes never left Izuku’s.

“We need to talk.”

Izuku’s jaw tightened, his heart hammering. “Now’s not the time.”

Katsuki took a step closer. “You’re bleeding.”

Izuku glanced at his arm. “It’s fine.”

Another step. “It’s not.”

Izuku stood up abruptly. “What do you want, Kacchan?”

The use of his old nickname made Katsuki flinch—just barely—but he held his ground.

“I know who those guys are. Or at least, I know *why* they’re after you.”

Silence fell like a crashing wave.

Izuku blinked. “What?”

Katsuki looked at the others. “Not here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Izuku snapped. “Not after everything.”

Mei and Aaliyah both tensed, but Hitoshi spoke up first. “If he has information, we need it. Doesn’t mean you have to forgive him.”

Katsuki’s eyes flicked to Hitoshi, and something almost like gratitude passed through them. He looked back at Izuku.

“I know I have no right to ask,” Katsuki said, voice lower now. “But this isn’t about us. This is bigger. You’re in danger. And I… I can’t let them take you.”

Izuku stared at him, stunned. His pulse roared in his ears. He didn’t know whether to scream or break down.

He did neither.

“Fine,” he said at last. “You have five minutes.”

They walked down the corridor in silence, away from the others. As soon as they turned the corner, Katsuki reached out—hesitated—then dropped his hand.

“I didn’t choose him over you,” he said quietly. “Not really. I thought I was protecting you.”

Izuku laughed bitterly. “You were protecting yourself.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said. “I was. And I regret it every damn day.”

Silence stretched again.

Katsuki leaned against the wall, rubbing his face. “The group that attacked you… they’re connected to the villain network I’ve been tracking since I left U.A. They’re not after the others. They want you. Specifically.”

Izuku swallowed. “Why?”

“Because of your quirk. Because of *who* you are. They think if they control you, they control the balance.”

“And how do you know this?”

Katsuki looked up at him—and for the first time, Izuku saw real fear in his eyes.

“Because I infiltrated them two years ago. I was deep undercover. And they still don’t know I betrayed them.”

Izuku’s breath caught. “You—what?”

“They think I’m still one of them.” Katsuki’s voice was hollow. “That’s how I’ve stayed ahead of them. But they’re getting suspicious. That ambush today? That was a warning shot.”

Izuku felt dizzy. “So why tell me now?”

“Because I saw you today. Saw the way you moved. The way you fought. And I remembered everything I lost.”

His voice cracked.

“I never stopped loving you, Izuku.”

The name hit like a sucker punch.

Izuku’s heart twisted, his defenses crumbling under the weight of it all. The anger. The longing. The ache that had never really gone away.

But he still had walls up—he had to.

“I don’t know if I can trust you,” he whispered.

“I know,” Katsuki said, eyes shining. “But I’m going to prove that you can.”

And for the first time since their world fell apart, Izuku didn’t look away.

Chapter Text

Back at the agency, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Sirens echoed faintly in the distance, and the city skyline burned with the last hues of sunset. Izuku sat on a bench near the medical wing, nursing a shallow cut on his shoulder, though his thoughts were far from the wound.

Aaliyah paced nearby, arms crossed, brows furrowed. “They were prepared for us. Too prepared.”

“We underestimated them,” Mei muttered from where she was cross-referencing footage from her gear. “And I hate being outmaneuvered.”

Izuku said nothing. His hands clenched into fists on his lap, knuckles white. The masked leader’s words replayed in his head like a curse: *This is just the beginning.*

A door clicked open behind him.

He looked up—and froze.

Katsuki Bakugou stood in the threshold, still dressed in his hero uniform, his gauntlets off and slung over his shoulder. His ash-blond hair was messy, his eyes unreadable. For a moment, the world narrowed to just him.

Katsuki’s gaze swept over the group, but settled firmly on Izuku.

“Deku,” he said quietly.

Aaliyah immediately stepped closer to Izuku, her expression protective. “What do *you* want?”

Katsuki didn’t respond to her. His eyes never left Izuku’s.

“We need to talk.”

Izuku’s jaw tightened, his heart hammering. “Now’s not the time.”

Katsuki took a step closer. “You’re bleeding.”

Izuku glanced at his arm. “It’s fine.”

Another step. “It’s not.”

Izuku stood up abruptly. “What do you want, Kacchan?”

The use of his old nickname made Katsuki flinch—just barely—but he held his ground.

“I know who those guys are. Or at least, I know *why* they’re after you.”

Silence fell like a crashing wave.

Izuku blinked. “What?”

Katsuki looked at the others. “Not here.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Izuku snapped. “Not after everything.”

Mei and Aaliyah both tensed, but Hitoshi spoke up first. “If he has information, we need it. Doesn’t mean you have to forgive him.”

Katsuki’s eyes flicked to Hitoshi, and something almost like gratitude passed through them. He looked back at Izuku.

“I know I have no right to ask,” Katsuki said, voice lower now. “But this isn’t about us. This is bigger. You’re in danger. And I… I can’t let them take you.”

Izuku stared at him, stunned. His pulse roared in his ears. He didn’t know whether to scream or break down.

He did neither.

“Fine,” he said at last. “You have five minutes.”

They walked down the corridor in silence, away from the others. As soon as they turned the corner, Katsuki reached out—hesitated—then dropped his hand.

“I didn’t choose him over you,” he said quietly. “Not really. I thought I was protecting you.”

Izuku laughed bitterly. “You were protecting yourself.”

“Yeah,” Katsuki said. “I was. And I regret it every damn day.”

Silence stretched again.

Katsuki leaned against the wall, rubbing his face. “The group that attacked you… they’re connected to the villain network I’ve been tracking since I left U.A. They’re not after the others. They want you. Specifically.”

Izuku swallowed. “Why?”

“Because of your quirk. Because of *who* you are. They think if they control you, they control the balance.”

“And how do you know this?”

Katsuki looked up at him—and for the first time, Izuku saw real fear in his eyes.

“Because I infiltrated them two years ago. I was deep undercover. And they still don’t know I betrayed them.”

Izuku’s breath caught. “You—what?”

“They think I’m still one of them.” Katsuki’s voice was hollow. “That’s how I’ve stayed ahead of them. But they’re getting suspicious. That ambush today? That was a warning shot.”

Izuku felt dizzy. “So why tell me now?”

“Because I saw you today. Saw the way you moved. The way you fought. And I remembered everything I lost.”

His voice cracked.

“I never stopped loving you, Izuku.”

The name hit like a sucker punch.

Izuku’s heart twisted, his defenses crumbling under the weight of it all. The anger. The longing. The ache that had never really gone away.

But he still had walls up—he had to.

“I don’t know if I can trust you,” he whispered.

“I know,” Katsuki said, eyes shining. “But I’m going to prove that you can.”

And for the first time since their world fell apart, Izuku didn’t look away.

---

**Flashback — Three Years Ago**

It had been raining that day.

Izuku stood under the bus stop shelter outside U.A., drenched despite the overhang. His uniform stuck to his skin, his hair curled messily over his forehead. He clutched his notebook to his chest, a crack running down the spine—Katsuki had accidentally stepped on it during a training drill. He hadn’t apologized.

He never did.

But today was different.

Katsuki stood across from him, arms crossed, leaning against the metal pole like it owed him something. He didn’t say anything for a long time, just stared at the boy he had grown up with—his rival, his secret, his everything.

“I got an offer,” Katsuki finally said. “From the Hero Commission. It’s… secret work. Classified.”

Izuku’s breath hitched. “How long?”

“Indefinitely.”

He felt his chest cave in.

“So you’re leaving?”

Katsuki’s jaw clenched. “I have to.”

Izuku looked away, blinking furiously.

“What about us?”

That question hung in the air like a loaded gun.

Katsuki’s voice came softer than expected. “There can’t be an *us* if you’re dead.”

“So you’re *protecting* me by disappearing?” Izuku’s voice cracked. “By breaking my heart?”

Katsuki stepped forward then, eyes burning. “If I stay, they’ll come after you through me. I can’t—*won’t*—be your weakness, Izuku.”

Izuku shook his head, chest heaving. “You were never my weakness, Katsuki. You were the reason I kept going.”

It was the last thing he ever said to him.

Until now.

---

**Present Day — The Next Mission**

The briefing room was dimly lit, a single spotlight casting down over the table where the four sat—Izuku, Aaliyah, Hitoshi, and Mei—with Katsuki standing in the corner, arms crossed, posture rigid.

A hologram flickered to life above the table. It was a warehouse layout, blueprints overlaid with movement patterns.

“They’re planning something big,” Katsuki said. “This location? It’s a front. The shipment coming in tomorrow night is filled with black-market tech and quirk inhibitors. If they distribute those, it’ll cripple half the hero force.”

“Why tomorrow?” Hitoshi asked, frowning.

“Full moon,” Katsuki said. “They’ve got some tech that needs lunar energy to charge. It’s rare. Dangerous. And it only works once every few months.”

Izuku’s fingers tapped against the table rhythmically. “What’s our plan?”

“I get you in through the side entrance,” Katsuki explained. “You take the crates, dismantle the system, and copy the server data. I’ll stay on the comms and feed you the route while pretending I’m part of the guards.”

Aaliyah arched a brow. “You’re sure they still trust you?”

Katsuki smirked grimly. “Trust is a strong word. But I’ve earned enough fear to get away with watching their backs.”

Mei pulled up her custom drone display. “I can send in two stealth drones ahead of time. If there are more guards than expected, we pull out.”

Izuku stood. “No pulling out. We stop this before it spreads.”

Everyone turned to him.

There was no hesitation in his voice now. No softness. Just the resolve of a boy who had grown into a leader.

Katsuki’s heart clenched, but he said nothing.

The plan was set. The danger was real.

But something was shifting between them—between all of them. The bonds that had frayed were beginning to stitch together again.

And yet, in the shadows of Musutafu, the four villains watching them grew bolder.

One of them held a photograph of Izuku, a red X carved through his chest.

Tomorrow night, everything would change.

---

**Late That Night — Rooftop Above the Agency**

The city buzzed below, neon lights flickering like static nerves under a cloudy night sky. Wind brushed over the rooftop, tugging at Izuku’s curls and rustling the loose folds of his hoodie. He leaned against the railing, staring out at the skyline, jaw tight with thought.

Behind him, soft footsteps approached.

“I knew I’d find you here,” Katsuki said quietly.

Izuku didn’t turn around. “I needed air.”

Katsuki came to stand beside him, resting his hands on the railing but not touching. A respectful distance. Careful. Hesitant in a way he never used to be.

“You always overthink before missions,” Katsuki said after a beat. “You used to make those goddamn flowcharts. With, like, seventeen backup plans.”

Izuku huffed a soft laugh. “Still do. Just not on paper anymore.”

A beat of silence. The kind that stretched between people who still had things to say but were too scared to say them.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Katsuki murmured. “About protecting you.”

Izuku looked over, meeting his eyes in the moonlight. “And I meant what I said. I don’t know if I can trust you again.”

“I know,” Katsuki said, voice rough. “But… can I at least try? Not just for this mission. For *us*.”

Izuku’s eyes dropped to the rooftop gravel. “You left me, Kacchan. You didn’t explain. You just vanished. And I—” His voice cracked. “I waited for you.”

Katsuki exhaled, like the guilt in his chest had become too heavy to carry.

“I saw how much it hurt you. I knew it would. But if they had known how much you meant to me, they would’ve used it against you. And if something had happened to you because of me…” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t survive it.”

Izuku finally turned to face him fully. “And now?”

Katsuki stepped closer, slow and careful. “Now I’d rather fight beside you than live without you.”

The wind picked up again, brushing their fingers close but not touching. Not yet.

Izuku’s breath hitched. “Kacchan…”

Katsuki raised a hand—tentative, like he expected to be shoved away—and gently touched Izuku’s cheek. It was the softest thing he’d ever done.

“You were never weak, Izuku. You were the strongest thing in my whole damn world.”

The words hit with the force of an explosion. And when Izuku didn’t move away, Katsuki leaned in—slow, uncertain, and filled with regret.

Izuku didn’t kiss him.

But he didn’t stop him, either.

Their foreheads met, breath shared, hearts pounding. And in the silence, something long-buried cracked open.

A promise.

A beginning.

A second chance.

Chapter Text

**Abandoned Warehouse – 2:03 A.M.**

The warehouse stood like a rotting husk against the edge of the industrial district, its metal panels clinging to the frame like scabs. Izuku crouched behind a crumbling concrete pillar, eyes locked on the thermal feed projected through his visor.

“Four inside. One on overwatch. Sniper posted on the east crane,” Mei whispered through the comms, static fuzzing as she adjusted the satellite uplink from the rooftop.

“We’ll take overwatch first,” Aaliyah’s voice crackled. “Izuku, you and Hitoshi are breaching the west side. Katsuki, you’re with me.”

“Got it,” Izuku breathed, checking the notches on his gauntlets. His notebook was gone—replaced by instincts and the quiet rhythm of combat anticipation pounding behind his sternum.

He glanced to Hitoshi, who nodded, jaw tight.

“Let’s go.”

**West Side Entry – 2:07 A.M.**

Izuku shot forward first, One for All sparking in his calves as he burst through the loading bay doors. The entrance exploded off its hinges—**SMASH**—sending two guards flying into stacked crates. The shockwave blew a cloud of dust and rust into the air, and by the time the first villain reacted, Izuku was already gone—up in the air, twisting.

He came down hard—**CRACK**—on the next man’s shoulder, dislocating it with surgical precision. Hitoshi slid in next, boots dragging sparks, and activated his voice modulator.

“DROP YOUR WEAPONS.”

The villain hesitated—and that was all Hitoshi needed. He activated his quirk, eyes glowing faintly violet.

“Walk into the wall and knock yourself out.”

Thud.

Done.

But there was no time to breathe—bullets tore through the air, ricocheting off the wall behind them. Izuku ducked and skidded behind a forklift, gritting his teeth.

“Sniper saw us. We’re pinned.”

“I’m on it,” Katsuki’s voice cut in. From the rooftop, the faint glow of explosions painted the sky in flashes of orange. A scream echoed.

**Rooftop – 2:09 A.M.**

Katsuki sprinted across the rusted roof tiles, using blast-propulsion to zigzag through sniper fire. The shots were deadly—clearly quirk-enhanced rounds that could punch through steel.

He dropped into a roll, aimed—

**BOOM!!**

The sniper’s perch went up in flames, sending the figure flying. Katsuki caught him midair, spun, and slammed him headfirst into the roof’s edge with a sickening *crack*.

“Overwatch down.”

“Good,” Aaliyah answered. “Go loud.”

**Inside the Warehouse – 2:10 A.M.**

That was all the signal Izuku needed.

He shot forward, zigzagging between support beams at impossible speed, fists crackling with green lightning. One villain—a brute with quirk-enhanced muscles—stepped in front of him.

Izuku grinned.

**“St. Louis Smash: Spiral Variant!”**

He twisted mid-air, slamming into the man’s side with a rotational punch that shattered ribs and sent him through a steel wall.

Hitoshi ducked under a flying pipe and yanked a metal rod off the ground with a grunt, jamming it into a control panel to cut power.

“Lights out.”

The warehouse plunged into darkness—but not silence. The fighting continued, chaotic and vicious. Night-vision lenses activated in their visors, bathing the room in green tint.

Two villains rushed at Aaliyah—one with shadow tendrils, the other with skin that hardened like obsidian. Mei fired a compression grenade between them, detonating with a high-pitched pulse.

**BANG—FLASH—BOOM.**

The shockwave blew them back, and Aaliyah leapt into the air, flipping gracefully before landing on the obsidian user and driving her knee into his temple.

“Got one!” she called.

“Two more—south wing!” Mei yelled, launching into the rafters on her jet boots.

But then—

**“IZUKU—BEHIND YOU!”**

He turned a second too late.

A high-level villain—face covered in a crow-like mask—lunged at him with barbed wires shooting from his wrists. Izuku dodged left, but one wire scraped his arm, slicing open his bicep. Blood splattered.

The villain smirked. “One for All, huh? I’ve waited for this.”

Izuku narrowed his eyes, ignoring the sting. “You’re not ready.”

**BOOM—CRACK—SMASH.**

They clashed like titans. Blow for blow. Wire whips cracked through the air, slicing concrete. Izuku dodged high, low, ducked a hook, and landed a heavy right cross. The villain retaliated by slamming him against a pillar.

Izuku gasped—pain blooming in his ribs—but grit his teeth and let go.

**100%.**

**“MANCHESTER SMASH!!”**

He dropped from above, leg blazing with kinetic force, and drove it into the villain’s spine.

The ground quaked. The villain collapsed—done.

But Izuku collapsed too.

“ZUKU!!” Katsuki yelled, racing toward him, gauntlets smoking. He dropped beside Izuku, dragging him into cover behind a metal sheet.

“Ribs—might be broken,” Izuku coughed, blood on his lips.

Katsuki’s hands trembled for a moment. Just a moment.

“I’ve got you. Stay with me, damn nerd.”

**South Wing – 2:14 A.M.**

Mei and Aaliyah double-teamed the last two villains—combining speed, tech, and sheer fury. Aaliyah’s kicks sent shockwaves, launching enemies into the air, while Mei timed stun bursts from her modified goggles.

In a final coordinated strike, Mei dove and tagged the last villain with an EMP patch—his quirk fizzled—and Aaliyah spun mid-air and axe-kicked him into unconsciousness.

**Mission Complete.**

**2:17 A.M. – Warehouse Clear**

The dust settled. Sirens wailed in the distance—backup arriving late, as always.

Katsuki carried Izuku out of the building, refusing help, refusing to let anyone else touch him.

“Let go of me—”

“Shut up. You’re hurt.”

Izuku blinked up at him, dazed, aching, heart pounding. “We did it.”

“Yeah. We did.”

They didn’t say anything else.

But the way Katsuki’s fingers curled tighter around his wrist said what words couldn’t yet.

**They were a team again.**

And maybe… something more.

Chapter Text

**3:11 A.M. – Safehouse Medical Wing**

The safehouse was quiet except for the hum of fluorescent lights and the soft whirr of machines monitoring Izuku’s vitals. He lay shirtless on the narrow cot, bandages wrapped tightly around his ribs and upper arm, bruises blossoming across his torso like ink under the skin.

Aaliyah sat on a nearby stool, peeling off her gloves. Mei was passed out on a makeshift cot in the corner, goggles still perched on her forehead. Hitoshi was silent at the window, staring into the dark skyline, arms crossed.

Katsuki sat beside the bed. Elbows on his knees. Blood crusted on his gloves. His head hung low.

Izuku stirred. “You stayed…”

Katsuki looked up immediately. “Yeah. ‘Course I did.”

There was a long pause, only interrupted by the monitor's rhythmic beeping.

“I thought you’d leave again,” Izuku admitted quietly, eyes scanning the ceiling. “After the mission. After I got hurt. Like last time.”

Katsuki’s jaw clenched. “I’m not him anymore. I’m not that asshole who ran.”

Izuku turned his head to meet his eyes. His voice was hoarse. “Then who are you?”

Katsuki stood up, pacing like a bomb trying not to detonate. He finally stopped at the foot of the bed, his hands fisting at his sides.

“I’m the idiot who broke the heart of the only person that ever looked at me like I was worth saving,” he said, voice rough. “And now I’m trying to fix it.”

The silence that followed was thick.

Izuku exhaled shakily. “You almost died tonight.”

“So did you.”

“You dragged me out.”

“Damn right I did.”

Their eyes locked again—and neither looked away.

**6:42 A.M. – Rooftop**

By dawn, the safehouse was still, and most of the others were asleep or too exhausted to speak. But Izuku wasn’t.

Wrapped in a blanket, painkillers barely dulling the throb in his chest, he sat on the rooftop ledge, watching the sun stretch over the ruined city like a fresh scar.

Katsuki joined him without a word, handing over a cup of lukewarm tea.

Izuku took it, fingers brushing against his.

For a while, they just sat there.

“I still dream about it,” Izuku said suddenly, voice soft. “About when you picked him. Kirishima. The way you looked at me after.”

Katsuki flinched. “Deku…”

“I don’t blame you anymore,” he interrupted. “I just… it changed something in me. Like I had to start breathing with a collapsed lung.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” Katsuki said, voice raw. “But I was just scared. Of how much I needed you. Of what it meant.”

Izuku turned, expression unreadable.

“And now?”

Katsuki met his gaze. His voice was low. Honest. Vulnerable.

“Now I know I’d burn down the damn world to protect you. No more running.”

The confession hung in the air, warm and fragile like breath on glass.

Izuku’s eyes welled, but he smiled through it. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere either.”

And then, slowly, with the sky blazing in hues of pink and gold, Katsuki leaned in.

This time, Izuku didn’t stop him.

The kiss was quiet. Healing. A promise.

Not perfect.

But real.

Chapter Text

**One year before — Quiet night in Musutafu, near U.A.**

It had been weeks since the villain attack. Weeks since Katsuki had watched Izuku throw himself into battle like he had something to prove—again. Weeks since Katsuki realized that maybe *he* was part of the reason Izuku fought like there was nothing left to lose.

They hadn’t spoken since that night. The one where Katsuki had nearly lost him *again.*

So here he was—outside the agency building where Izuku now interned, hands shoved into his pockets, heart pounding like he’d just finished a sprint.

The door opened. Izuku stepped out, dark green hoodie pulled up against the wind, curls slightly damp from the drizzle in the air.

His eyes met Katsuki’s, and for a moment, everything stilled.

“…Kacchan?” His voice was quiet, cautious, like he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming.

Katsuki walked forward, slow but determined, stopping just a breath away. He searched Izuku’s face—older now, still freckled, eyes tired but kind.

“I need to talk to you,” Katsuki said, voice raw, no explosions or bravado, just honesty.

Izuku blinked, unsure. “Now?”

Katsuki nodded.

They walked together, wordless for a while, ending up in a small park that was mostly empty, the sky now just a faint misty gray. They sat on a bench, side by side, knees almost touching.

Katsuki was the first to break the silence.

“I messed up.”

Izuku looked at him.

“I picked the safe option. I thought pushing you away would protect you. I thought staying with Kirishima meant less damage, less risk. But all I did was make things worse. For both of us.”

Izuku’s hands clenched in his lap.

Katsuki turned to him, jaw tight. “I still love you. I never stopped. I thought I had to be better *for* you before I could be with you. But… maybe I just needed to be better *with* you.”

Izuku stared at him, trembling.

“I thought you didn’t want me anymore,” he whispered, voice cracking. “I thought I was just… something you needed to outgrow.”

Katsuki reached over, hand brushing Izuku’s.

“I never outgrew you, Deku. I just got scared.”

Izuku let out a small, broken laugh. “You, scared?”

“Terrified,” Katsuki said, threading their fingers together. “But not anymore.”

Izuku looked at their hands. “Then let’s stop wasting time.”

Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

“I want a future, Kacchan. With you. For real this time.”

That night, they held each other for hours in Izuku’s apartment. No sex. Just breathing in the same air, healing in the same silence, holding all the broken pieces together.

---

**Eight months later — New apartment, moving day**

Cardboard boxes were stacked in every corner, half-labeled with messy handwriting. The scent of takeout wafted through the space, mixing with new paint and possibility.

Katsuki stood by the window, arms crossed. “You seriously brought five notebooks labeled *‘villain quirk patterns’* and not a single fork?”

Izuku grinned sheepishly from where he was unpacking. “My priorities are solid, thank you very much.”

Katsuki rolled his eyes but smirked. “You’re lucky I love you.”

Izuku walked over, arms wrapping around his waist, chin resting on Katsuki’s shoulder. “I know.”

They stood like that for a while, the city glowing beneath them.

Home wasn’t just four walls. It was this—this version of them, after everything, finally getting it right.

Chapter Text

**Two years later – Shared apartment, late evening**

Rain pattered lightly against the windows, a soft rhythm backing the low hum of music playing from the corner speaker. The lights in the apartment were dim, golden and warm, casting shadows across the hardwood floor and the faint outlines of two bodies standing close—too close to be anything but intentional.

Izuku stood at the kitchen counter, shirtless, hair slightly damp from the shower, sweatpants hanging low on his hips. The steam from two mugs of tea curled into the air—but neither of them were reaching for the mugs anymore. Katsuki stood behind him, just slightly, eyes burning holes into Izuku’s back like a fuse had been lit.

"You always leave the damn cabinet open," Katsuki muttered, his voice low—gravel over heat. But his hand was already at Izuku’s waist, fingertips grazing bare skin, not moving to close the cabinet at all.

Izuku chuckled under his breath, not turning around. "You always say that right before you do something stupid."

"Yeah?" Katsuki’s hand slipped fully around his waist, the other reaching up to tilt Izuku’s jaw slightly to the side. His mouth was at his neck now, lips brushing against skin as he murmured, "Tell me to stop, nerd."

Izuku’s breath caught for a second. He turned slowly, their chests brushing now, the tension thick and unmistakable.

"You won’t," he whispered, green eyes glowing faintly in the low light, pulse thudding under Katsuki’s touch.

Their mouths met like magnets, fast and rough, years of tension and built-up craving pouring out in a messy, heated kiss. Katsuki’s hands were in his hair, gripping just tight enough to make Izuku moan against his lips. Izuku’s fingers clawed at the hem of Katsuki’s shirt, yanking it up and off in one motion before dragging his nails down his back, leaving faint pink trails.

They stumbled backward, bumping into furniture as they kissed—desperate, greedy, laughing between kisses when they knocked over a chair. Clothes disappeared one by one, flung carelessly across the apartment as they made their way to the bedroom like they’d done a hundred times—but it never felt the same. Not when it was like *this.*

Katsuki pushed Izuku down onto the bed, straddling him, breathing heavy and fast, skin flushed and eyes hooded. He leaned down, nose brushing Izuku’s.

“Still think I’m gonna do something stupid?” he rasped, thumb running over Izuku’s swollen bottom lip.

Izuku’s grin was dizzy and full of want. “I’m counting on it.”

The night stretched on with tangled limbs, whispered names, teeth against skin, and the kind of intensity only two people who’ve broken and rebuilt themselves could know. Their love was not gentle—it was fire, sharp edges dulled only by trust.

And as the rain finally stopped tapping at the glass, the room was filled with nothing but their soft, satisfied breathing, sweat-slicked bodies curled together, and the unspoken promise that whatever came next—they’d face it together.

Chapter Text

Kacchan: Hey Zu. Wanna hang out? Plus I need advice.

Zuku: Hey Suki!! Of course, are you free right now? (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Kacchan: Yeah that sounds good. See you at the park @2?

Zuku: Okay see you then bye Suki! \ (•◡•) /

Kacchan: Bye and stop sending those faces when you text.

Zuku: (◕‿◕✿) '''⌐(ಠ۾ಠ)¬''' ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Katsuki signed as Izuku still sent him those faces. He needed his best friend’s advice for his relationship with Kirishima. They have hit a rough spot and they have been getting mad at each other for the littlest things. Kirishima even wanted to break up with him because of the fights, but he suggested they try to work things out, if they don’t then they could break up. Kirishima had agreed and they are hanging out this Saturday. Katsuki wanted Izuku's advice on what to do. Izuku has always been great at giving advice, so Katsuki wanted his opinion. He also just wanted to hang out with Izuku too.

Soon enough it was 2 pm and they both met up at their childhood playground. Izuku ran up to Katsuki from behind and jumped on his back. They fell to the ground with a humph and started laughing.

“Hey, Kacchan! Hehe, what’s up you said you needed my advice?” Izuku said while wiggling his eyebrows. “Deku, when did you get that heavy, and yea I do,” Katsuki said with a small smirk. Izuku gasped at Katsuki and hit him on the shoulder. “Are you calling me fat Kacchan?” “Noooooo….” Then they were silent until Izuku hit Katsuki over the head again. “OUCH WHAT THE HELL DEKU!” Katsuki wailed. Izuku just giggled and humphed.

After spending some time together they went to get some food. Soon enough it was dark and they both headed home. Katsuki walked Izuku home and then left. The conversation about Katsuki’s relationship came up naturally and Izuku kept his advice short but understanding. As Katsuki was walking home, he kept thinking about what Izuku had said:

“If you guys are constantly fighting, talk about it. Get your side out and let him tell you his side. And if you see that you have to make the compromise then give him anything he wants.”

He was ready for his talk with Kirishima and as expected there was a lot of yelling and screaming, but in the end, they came up with a compromise…

Which led to their current situation. Katsuki had called Izuku before to talk about what happened. Izuku easily agreed but was not ready for what was about to happen.

“Izuku remember when you said to give him anything he wants,” he said looking down. “Yes,” Izuku replied simply. Katsuki looked conflicted but finished what he had to say, “Fuck... He wants us to stop being friends or he’ll break up with me”.

Izuku took a deep breath, “You're here right now that means you already agreed. Then will that make you happy?” he questioned with a small smile. Katsuki looked guilty and stressed until he said “Yes it will”. Izuku then looked into Katsukis’ eyes one last time with a bright smile “Once you're happy, it's okay Kacchan!”. He then turned around and walked away with tears threatening to spill out his eyes.

Katsuki had many questions when he saw Izuku walk away from him:
“Did I make the right decision?
Why does it hurt so much seeing him leave?
Why did it feel like he was saying goodbye forever?

Because it feels like I can't breathe even though I should be happy. My relationship with Kirishima is safe now, but why does it feel like I'm losing someone more important? ”. But the one that stuck out the most was

“Did I make a big mistake?”

=

As the week went by they both avoided and drifted away from each other. Izuku had told his friends Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah about what happened. They are worried about Izuku because they know how much Katsuki meant to Izuku. Being the good friends they are, they would try to make Izuku smile and laugh, but it was always small. Not the normal sunshine smile he would give, but the one he would use when he is forcing himself to smile. It was upsetting.

The more time that went on, Izuku would try to talk to 1-A but they kept ignoring him. It got to the point where Izuku just stopped trying to talk to them. He was sad and hurt because he thought they were his friends. He would try to not let it bother him but it still did. It was bothering him so much to the point his teachers were starting to notice, but they didn’t press it.

Not until Power loader assigned Izuku to assist one of the students in class 1-A for support gear. It would be marked as an assignment, and it would be due by the end of the week. He was stressed and was going to fail. He was assigned to Kaminari but every time he would try to approach him, Kaminari ignored him or told him he was busy. Soon enough Friday came and Izuku had nothing to hand in.

Power loader was confused, to say the least, Midoriya has always been a student to hand in things early. So when he got nothing from Midoriya he asked him to stay behind. Power loader looked at Midoriya and really looked at him. He looked tired and upset. He was slumped in his chair with darker eye bags than usual.

It made Power loader mad, who hurt his child? They will pay for it! He angrily thought before opening his mouth, “Midoriya, where's your project?” Izuku looked at Power loader “I don’t have it, but I did try to do it”. He replied like he just worked eight different jobs in two days. He didn't want to push but he wanted to know what happened so he carried on.

“What happened then?”

At that moment tears gathered in Izuku's eyes, he was frustrated and angry. It all came spilling out of his mouth fast, describing what had happened and how he was being treated by 1-A. As Izuku calmed down he then realized he just ranted to a teacher. He never in his life wanted to jump out a window so badly, as he did right now. But when he looked at said teacher, he looked angry. It was quite a scene to see, but scary at the same time. Power loader wasn't angered easily but when he was it was terrifying.

“I’m sorry!” Izuku blurted but was shut down fast by Power loader when he said “No kid you have nothing to be sorry for. You tried and I’m sorry for not noticing, I promise if I had I would have switched your partner from the start. I will make sure you don't get paired up with any of them if that's what you want.’. Izuku was grateful for what Power loader had said. He replied, “That would be very appreciated, Thank you.”.

“Well it is getting late, greenie you should head home now, and I can see what I can do about this situation on Monday. Enjoy your weekend!” Power loader said with a smile.

It was getting late and Izuku didn’t even realize it. He blushed an embarrassing bright red and said a quick goodbye.

He was about to leave until he saw Mei and Aaliyah hiding in the back of the classroom. “Umm guys?” he said, dragging out the question. “Oh hey there Izu how ya doin’?” said Aaliyah. “HI!” Mei screamed as if they were not just hiding in the back of the classroom. Izuku looked them over and reluctantly asked “What are you doing?”.

Aaliyah took a deep breath “Well once we heard you were asked to stay behind, we were curious so we did the only thing we could do. Hiding in the back of the classroom when class was dismissed and listened. So yeah hehe.”

Mei laughed and then said, “You know if you ever get stressed out or want to talk about something you could always tell us. We’re your friends so we will always be here for you because we are not leaving”.

They both smiled at him. All he could do was smile and be grateful for them as they all went home.

=

Power loader not angry, nope he was furious. How could you ignore someone who is trying to help you be a better hero? How could you treat someone like that in general? How could they hurt the little green sunshine kid? How could they hurt my kid?!

Power loader had to talk to Eraserhead but since it was already six pm, the underground hero must have left to get some food and take a quick nap before his shift. He took a deep breath and exhaled. This is going to have to wait till Monday. Oh how excited he was for Monday, he was going to raise hell to 1-A.

=

The weekend couldn’t be any shorter, it was already Sunday and Izukus’ mom had asked him to go get some groceries for dinner. He quickly got dressed and left. He only had six things to get so it wouldn’t take that long. He arrived rather fast at the grocery store and got to shopping, then cashed out. The walk home was nice since he was listening to music. Humming the lyrics and quietly singing, he was in his world, it was peaceful. It was the most at peace he felt in a while.

But if he was more aware of his surroundings maybe, just maybe he would have seen the blonde with ruby piercing eyes staring at him through the cafe window he walked past.

=

Katsuki was star-struck when he saw Izuku through the window. He looked fucking pretty. He was able to see a glimpse of the eyes of the other, he looked calm. His face was glowing with the early sunset sky and it felt like the longer he stared the more he was sucked in. It felt as if it had been years since he was able to look into those emerald green eyes.

He misses it, how they would light up when he would mumble, how his smile warmed him up or how just being near him was warming, he misses that stupid nickname, he missing the freckles that danced across his face like consolations, he misses his best friend, he misses IZUKU, his Deku...

“Bakubro are you okay?”

He was quick to come back to his senses. Oh, right he was on a date with his boyfriend Kirishima. He shook his head and realized he didn’t answer yet. “Fuckin’ fine Kiri. Shit it’s getting late, we have school tomorrow”.

“Yeah bye, Bakubro see you tomorrow!” Kiri said with a smile.

“Bye,” he said. Once Kirishima left he couldn't stop himself thinking about Izuku. He needed to get his head on straight, he has a boyfriend. Who is not Izuku. He frowned, why was he upset with the thought of Izuku not being his boyfriend? “Ughhhhhh” he signed, rubbing his hands through his hair, Izuku didn’t even come around his class anymore.

He thought even if Izuku and he weren’t friends anymore he would be around the other extras of 1-A. He thought he could at least see him and see how he was doing from a distance. Now he can’t and it fucking sucks. Izuku was his best friend and now they don’t even see each other or say hi in the hallway at school.

Their last conversation plays in his head like a broken record “You're here right now that means you already agreed. Then will that make you happy?” Izuku questioned with a small smile. He felt guilty and stressed he was about to lose his best friend until he said “Yes it will”. He felt like shit. Izuku had then looked into his eyes one last time with a bright smile “Once you're happy, it's okay Kacchan!”. Izuku then turned around and walked away.

Izuku even asked if that would make me happy and he said yes. He sometimes wishes he didn't. Maybe Izuku would still be around him, but then he would lose his relationship with Kirishima.

He got up and left, he can’t think of what he wished he did. He’s in a relationship. “I’m sorry Izuku but I’m going to have to try to forget you to make my relationship work”, he thought as he walked home.

=

Power loader was excited because it was Monday. He was going to raise hell on 1-A. He chuckled, they hurt one of his kids. They were going to ignore greenie then the consequences of it were going to be the same. He smiled when he thought about it. It might be a bit cruel but they did ignore Izuku when he was trying to help so he didn’t give a fuck.

He had to get his boss’s permission first though. That itself was a task, the rat Nezu was terrifying. When he got to the rat’s office he was about to knock when the door opened.

“Goodmorning Power loader I know of the situation, what are you going to do about it?” Power loader wasn’t even shocked, he just then told Nezu his plan and Nezu agreed. He was all ready to go, so he skipped to the staff room to see Eraserhead.

With a smile on his face, he kicked open the door “Goodmorning Fellow teachers and staff I am looking for one very sleep-deprived man”. Everyone was just staring at him because they don’t think they have ever seen Maijima this happy ever in the morning. Aizawa was quick to reply though. “I’m over here Power loader”.

“Hello, Shota Aizawa homeroom teacher of 1-A. I’m here to get your signature for my main class 1-F to be reassigned to 1-B and 3-G to be assigned to your class”. He said with no explanation or room to argue. Eraserhead looked confused but signed. Then asked, “Why?”. He responded with “Because they hurt my green sunshine kid” and shrugged his shoulders.

“Wait Greenie? Midoriya?” Everyone started to question and ask. “Yeah, his partner for the last assignment completely ignored him when the kid tried to work with him. At the end of the week, he didn’t hand in anything and told me everything and I don’t want any of my kids working with them”, he said in a voice growling with protection. Everyone was shocked they had never seen Power loader so protective, but when the words settled in they were confused.

“What do you mean they completely ignored him? Who hurt Greenie? Aizawa questioned. He got some weird looks for the last question. “He makes great coffee and makes me some every Friday. He also recognized me and said he’s a fan. He also asked for an autograph” Aizawa said.

“Something happened and they started to ignore him. He stopped trying to be friends with them but when it comes to working they also ignore him and he can’t get anything done if the hero doesn’t cooperate” He said.

“So I understand not wanting to be someone’s friend but when it comes to hero work and support kids helping you with your gear you work with them”. Yamada said as he sat down to the left of his husband Aizawa.

“But who wouldn’t want to be friends with Greenie. He’s such a warm person, how could you not want to be friends with him”. Kayama said, others nodding and humming in agreement.

“I don’t know what happened but I won’t let them hurt Midoriya, it is simply illogical”. Aizawa said.

Aizawa was angry and disappointed in his class. How could they do something like that? While wanting to be heroes too, they need to learn to work with other people. Now they lost the opportunity to work with the class that has three great geniuses in it. Who will no doubt make big names for themselves in the future. “I’m going to talk to them and give them hell,” he said with a sinister grin on his face.

“Thank you,” Maijima said.

“Midoriya Izuku, known as Greenie protection squad assemble!” Yamada said while others cheered. Maijima and Aizawa shook their heads fondly.

As soon as the bell rang Aizawa remembered why he was angry. He opened the door to 1-A. He walked in and stood at the front of the class. Glaring at all of them with his quirk on. They all shivered and focused on him. “I have an announcement to make. Class 1-F will not be in charge of your costumes and support gear anymore. You all have been reassigned to 3-G”.

“Isn’t that better thought since they have more experience?” Momo asked.

Katsuki was shocked and disappointed because he could have had Izuku work on his costume if they were friends. Katsuki was even more disappointed when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to see Izuku’s mind work.

Hitoshi was annoyed because his best friends were in that class. Maybe he would ask them if they could work on his instead.

“No, it’s not because they already have to work with all the third years and they are busy with their stuff. You all are going to have to book appointments one month in advance for fixes and upgrades. Sadly, you all aren’t going to have the experience of seeing Hatsume, Midoriya, or Ackerman grow as amazing engineers. It’s always a great experience seeing smart kids develop their brains. They are geniuses already, you want them on your good side because they will make it big”. Mister Aizawa answered.

Everyone was shocked. Mister Aizawa just gave the support kids compliments.

“Awh Zawa that’s so nice of you” Izuku's voice rang through the air. While Aaliya and Meis’ laughter rang through as well. “How are you doing that…?” he asked. Class 1-A was confused. Katsuki brightened a little hearing Izuku’s voice again. “That’s for us to know and you not too. Anyway, we got to go!” Izuku replied. “Bye!” said the trio.

Mister Aizawa signed and hid his smile in his scarf and carried on with class. By the end of the day, 1-A felt brain dead from the amount of homework they got from all the teachers and the workout from Heroics. Though they were sulking because they knew what Mister Aizawa said was true about the support course.

=

Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah were tired of seeing their friend so sad and tired. Yes, there are times when they are about to get a smile or laugh out of him, but they were never real. The only time they were able to get a real laugh was when they snuck into the vents and overheard Mr.Aizawa giving them compliments. It was upsetting to see Izuku in such a state, they wanted to help.

After hearing the events of that day, they were shocked because Izuku and Katsuki were best friends. They were baffled because they heard Katsuki chose Kirishima over Izuku. Then they started to ignore him and Kaminari would not talk to him about his own support gear.

It was so stupid!

They all agreed they were tired of seeing Izuku as the second choice to everyone else. How could no one see this sunshine boy’s potential? It made them so mad!

They miss their Izuku, their sunshine. They decided they were going to cheer Izuku up by embarrassing the shit out of him and themselves. Hitoshi was acting annoyed even though he did miss the bean. Aaliyah and Mei were already embarrassed even though they didn’t do anything yet.

After discussing it, the plan was to announce to the school how much they love Izuku and how he is their first choice. They were so nervous they had to plan what they were going to say.

“I’m going to shit myself,” Aaliyah said.

“We can get ice cream afterwards to help,” Mei adds.

“What if I end up falling asleep during it,” Hitoshi says.

“Well, I have a baby for that,” Mei jokes.

Aaliyah falls into the fit of laughter at Toshi’s horrified look.

“We got this, it’s for Izuku,” Aaliyahs says panting.

The other two nodded their heads in agreement.

Later that day at lunch they waited for Izuku to take his seat before they started. He sat down as they got up. All three of them were standing on chairs facing Izuku's direction. Izuku looked up in confusion.

“Umm guys what are you doing?” He hesitantly said.

Mei took a deep breath and screamed:

“IZUKU WE LOVE YOU!”

Izuku didn’t know how to react to that. He just sat there eyes wide. Before he could even stumble on a sentence Hitoshi spoke.

“We have known each other for a while now, and I’m so glad we met. I have never felt this comfortable with kids our age until I met you. You are a great person and friend. Your family to us and we care so much about you. I can’t wait to see what changes you make in the future. I can’t wait to stand right next to you when it all happens. You are already so amazing, I can’t wait to see you grow into the person you are going to be”. He said loudly and with as much emotion he could.

“Izuku you have a heart of gold and people who don’t see that or try to take advantage of that are assholes. They don’t deserve you. As Hitoshi said, your family to us, I see you as a brother and we will fight for you, care for you, love you, and never give up on you. You are our first choice”, Aaliyah stated proudly and with as much love she could muster out.

“Zu we love you and care about you. We hate what happened but sometimes you need space to grow and become who you were meant to be. Who knows what’s going to happen or change in 10 years from now, who cares! Because one thing we’re sure about is that we are not going anywhere”. Mei stated with a smile.

“You are stuck with us forever,” Hitoshi added.

Izuku was tearing up and his bottom lip was wobbly. His breath caught in his throat. He didn’t know what to say. Thinking of a reply until he was shaken out of his thoughts by Aaliyahs’ laughing.

“HAHA LIKE HE COULD EVEN GET RID OF US!” Aaliyah shouted, laughing.

Mei and Hitoshi started chuckling to themselves when Izuku just burst out laughing and smiling genuinely. It echoed throughout the whole cafeteria. It was beautiful, his laughter was like the feeling of coming home and laying in your bed after a very stressful day.
It was beautiful and as they wholeheartedly laughed they watched Izuku.
By the time they had calmed down, they realized how quiet the cafeteria was.

They all took a look around noticing everyone staring at them in awe, jealousy, or admiration. Some looked like they were very touched by the whole speech the trio had given to their first choice.

They quickly got down from the chairs, apologized to everyone, and sat down.

Aaliyah and Hitoshi muttered something about ‘everyone being noisy little shits’.

Soon enough the cafeteria was filled with chatter from all around the room. The little family of four continued with their lunch and talked about everything going on with class.

Izuku signed with content, he loves these three idiots. He smiles fondly at them as he thinks I’m never getting rid of them.

What they did fail to notice was Class 1-A watching them. 1-A knew they messed up, they just hoped they could make it better before it was too late.

No one noticed Katsuki internally fuming while watching Izuku intently with jealousy because he missed him. He wanted to be there too, but he couldn't.

So here he is watching from afar like a coward.

The bell rang soon and they all headed to the rest of their classes for that day.

=

After the lunch incident which has now been dubbed a weird-loving family bonding incident. People have been coming up to all of them asking if they were okay. Since they are not used to so much attention they found comfort sneaking into the shadows.

Out of everyone in the group, Hitoshi had it worst. Everyone in 1-A was looking at him. He felt confused at first before he read all of them like open books.

They. Were. Jealous. Of. Him.

He wanted to laugh at the irony. They were purposely ignoring Izuku and now they’re jealous because he has friends that aren’t them. Hitoshi scoffed at the class.

He was angry at all of them.

None of them even looked like they were going to apologize to Izuku.

One of his best friends.

If they don’t then he won’t talk to them either. He knew it was irrational because he was in a classroom with all of them every day. But that didn’t change his mind.

He will just talk to them when he needs to for school and training.

Classes during the afternoon were boring for the group of four. Well, that was until they were all excused from class to see principal Nezu. To say the least, they were confused. They saw each other down the hall when they exited their classes. Knowing that this isn’t a coincidence they all head to Nezus’ office.

“What do you think he needs us for?” Izuku asked.

“I don’t know,” Hitoshi replied flatly.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Aaliyah said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Do you think he wants to talk about our babies?!!” Mei said, jumping up and down excitedly.

“Maybe but wouldn’t he just call us not Hitoshi?” Izuku asked again but with much more curiosity. His nose scrunched up and his eyebrows creased for a moment.

“True,” Hitoshi replied.

“Do you think we got in trouble for the little family bonding we did in the cafeteria?” Mei asked suddenly.

“No, we didn’t do anything wrong” Aaliyah replied matter of factly.

They found themselves in front of the principal’s office in a few minutes. Izuku was about to knock when the door opened.

“Welcome, welcome. Thank you for joining us, especially since you all have class right now”. Nezu said eagerly.

When they walked into the room they were greeted by Mister Aizawa and Miss Kayama. They looked at each other with confusion as they were led to a sofa in the corner of the room. They all sat down with tension growing in their shoulders.

The room was deadly silent. Until Nezu broke it after taking a sip of his tea.

“During lunch today you four made quite a scene.” The snout said.

Before continuing he took a pause observing the four students in front of him. After a moment too long, the tension in the teens grew to a point where you could cut it with a knife. Before he could say anything he was interrupted.

“Are we in trouble?!” Izuku squeaked out.

“But we didn’t do anything wrong, we just expressed our love,” Aaliyah said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Yeah in a very loud way,” Hitoshi said, rolling his eyes.

“It wasn’t that loud; you guys wouldn’t even let me use my babies. If you all had, the whole school would have heard us.” Mei said and began to pout.

“Problem children calm down and wait until we're done to ask questions,” Mister Aizawa said, trying to calm the problem children that are about to become more of a problem.

“Wow, I’m so excited for these cuties,” Miss Kayama said excitedly, moving in her seat.

Nezu took this as a sign to continue as the tension in the room disappeared.

“No, we didn’t call you down here, just to punish you. We possibly have an offer.” Nezu said, clapping his paws together.

Observing their facial expressions, well trying to observe them. Nezu never swore but ‘damn when the hell did 16-year-olds become hard to read’ he thought.

Izuku and the others were rather on guard about the offer. They were suspicious. Were they trying to exploit them because of how smart they were? Why bring Hitoshi into this if they were? Did they want to guilt them into something while trying to use their bond as a weakness? What did they want?

They stopped for a moment looking into the eyes of each other having a silent conversation. They quickly came to an agreement and waited for the adults to carry on and tell them the offer.

As Aizawa, Nemuri, and Nezu observed the group of students in front of them, they were slightly unnerved. They all had questions and they wanted to know how a group of four 16-year-old students could communicate so well. They felt very out of place and this was a Nezus’ office, even more so for the teachers.

They soon realized that the kids had stopped their conversation. Aizawa took this as an opportunity to continue talking about the offer.

“This offer is rather simple, we want you to train and become underground heroes. You will be able to continue your support studies, but you will be training to be heroes at the same time. Before you all ask why Shinso is here even though he is already in the hero course. It is because he is my disciple and your friend. He will be training with you and informing you of any of the information you have missed up until now. If you choose to take this offer there will be other benefits along the way.” Aizawa stated.

Kayama smiled at them, “The benefits will be explained by Nezu, but Aizawa and I would be your main heroics teachers. The other teachers will also be helping out during your training. We are in the know of your problems with class 1-A, but we already have a solution for that. You will work with second and third years and in your final year here, you will work with class 1-B.”

As she spoke the four looked at her then looked at each other, they still had questions but they concluded to wait until Nezu finished.

“The benefits of this choice is that like Aizawa, you will be able to continue your support studies. Since your class has been assigned to 1-B for making their support gear even though they are already assigned to 1-G, you will have more free time. You will be able to get ahead of your studies and finish them. Once they are done you can solely focus on your training and support gear. During this, you will be able to connect internationally with other students and support companies; Create connections with others and become known. You will have the opportunity to travel to these countries to learn in person. We see your potential and we want you all to have the opportunity to use all the resources we have. If you all want a moment to talk and discuss with each other go ahead. We will leave the room and be back in 15-20 minutes,” Nezu said in a persuasive voice.

As the principal and teachers left the little family turned face and talked to each other. At first, they just stared at each other not knowing what to say. They were overwhelmed with the offer they were given.

“That was wow…” Mei said breathlessly.

“Do you think they were being serious?” Aaliyah said with a look of confusion. Her face looked like her brain was trying to catch up.

“I am pretty sure they wouldn’t invite us in here to mess with us. Especially with an offer like that.” Hitoshi said in a bit of disbelief.

They all took a moment to breathe and let their heads catch up. After a couple of minutes, they seemed to be more composed.

“Okay, we have 15 minutes left. Let’s discuss the offer, I’ve been thinking about it and I have a couple of questions for everyone. First, Toshi, are you okay with delivering information to us if we took the offer? Because we understand being a hero is your dream. Are you okay with us trying to become heroes? Are you okay with being our messenger?” Izuku asked with his face set firmly.

“...You guys are family and I know how much you guys would benefit from this. I don’t mind sharing my dream with you guys especially if it’s you guys. So yeah! I am fine with it. But how about you, Izuku? I know what others have said in the past...this is your childhood dream. Are you okay with this and do you still want to be a hero?” Hitoshi countered by mimicking Izukus face.

“Yeah... I do, I have been given the opportunity to try you know. But I didn’t want to do it if you weren’t okay with it.” Izuku breathed.

Hitoshi and Izuku signed together, while Aaliyah and Mei watched fondly. They both knew what Izuku was going to ask and what they were going to say. The two girls knew this was a great opportunity and they weren’t going to say no. Nor were they going to allow the other two to say no.

“Ok back to my questions, so how do you both feel about becoming underground heroes?” Izuku asked the girls.

“We both discussed it already and we are both happy with it,” Mei said with a smile.

Aaliyah nodded in agreement.

“Okay since we got that out of the way, I want to run over the benefits of the offer that were given to us,” Izuku stated while looking at them.

The other 3 nod and hum in agreement because they also have some concerns.

“I think we’re all okay with not being assigned necessary to any of the first-year heroic classes, so I’m just going to go through the list of questions I made. If any of you disagree or have input just speak up.”

Izuku looked around for any disagreement, seeing none he continued.

“Okay, so they said something about our regular studies and finishing them. I want to ask about what is the plan for us and what specific studies are they talking about? If so, is it possible for us to study different topics during this time and get an undergraduate or master’s degree for them? Our support studies also what is the plan for us, how will this affect us in our normal support classes?

Next is our training and support gear. What will our training plan look like? I admit we have muscle and a bit of stamina from our support work, so what do they have planned to help us gain more muscle and stamina? For our hero costumes are we going to be able to add and work on them ourselves or will other people be helping us with them?

Next, traveling and learning from others. Will the school be funding the traveling and education for national fees? Will there be a teacher with us when we go or will it just be us? Are there any restrictions when we go? That’s all for the benefits they gave us but I have some additional questions. Will Hitoshi be joining us for the trips? What are his plans since he’s in the hero course? What will he be joining us for and what will he be not? Our parents will want to know, so how are you all going to inform them of the changes? Okay, that’s all, any disagreements?”

The mini-family looked at each other and they were all okay with the questions. Now all they can do is wait for the principal and teachers to come back.

Soon their time was up, the principal and two teachers came back in. The adults took a seat and looked over the four students. The gremlin family of four discussed their questions and concerns they had. The problems were quickly solved as well as plans and compromises were made. Soon enough the day was over and the little troublesome family walked out of the principal's office with matching shit-eating grins plastered on their faces. They were going to exploit this opportunity to the fullest.

The following month was spent doing the plan they had set up for their studies. The plan was simple: the four would spend the following month doing their studies and lessons all day with Nezu. They would be given booklets to study and fill out and when they finish a test would take place. By the end of the month, the goal is to have finished their studies up until the end of their first semester in their second year, from there they would do another hard month and a half of studying to finish their academic education at U.A. The only classes Nezu did not teach were the support and the heroic departments, so Izuku, Mei, Hitoshi, and Aaliyah would have to take a break from their original departments. They were okay with that because they would be able to finish and get ahead of their studies faster.

Nezu thought this was a great idea and was excited to teach them, but he was most excited for the time he would have to analyze the four and understand them. What he did not expect was for them to finish the thick booklets in less than two weeks. To say the least he was shocked but not surprised he was dealing with geniuses and he had seemed to forget their minds are a lot smarter than they like to seem. Then and there they were given the rest of the booklets and an overall test would be taken at the end.

In the following days after their goal was surpassed and done. Nevertheless, their training was about to begin.

Training with Aizawa-Sensei and Kayama-Sensei was not easy. The start of their training was rather simple, doing some light drills, working on technique, jumping properly, landing properly, and how to fall properly. But as time went on it got harder.

“OUCH!” Hitoshi screeched as he was flipped over Izuku’s shoulder again. The gremlin family of four were currently sparring and even though Hitoshi was in the hero course before Izuku, Izuku knew how to fight a bit due to growing up with Katsuki. Since he always wanted to try out certain inventions with Katsuki they had made a deal. The deal was for every three sparring matches they got to try out one of Izuku’s new inventions. As time blew by and it was getting easier for them, they needed a challenge, so they changed their deal to every two times Izuku beat or pinned Katsuki down for five seconds they would try an invention. That became the deal that stuck with them throughout the rest.

Aizawa-Sensei yelled for them to take a five-minute break as he announced they will be practicing parkour next. The girls were stretching and the boys took a moment to catch their breath again. Izuku closed his eyes as the air started to come back to his lungs. He was a bit rusty and needed to write some things down in his notebook. Standing up leaving Hitoshi to die on the ground he walked over to his bag, pulled out a pencil, and his hero analyst notebook for training. He needed to get another one soon, as his current one only had space for today’s notes, and maybe tomorrow if he wrote even smaller he estimated.

He wrote down how Hitoshi has improved with his kicks. They are more stable now and less flaky. He focused on how Mei and Aaliyah improved with their overall fighting. They have better stamina from before and could hold their own for longer. As he continued to write down his observations on what they all could do to be better he ran out of space. He had predicted wrong, he needed to get a new notebook after school today.

He huffed and puffed out his cheeks, like a baby bunny as he put his now filled notebook away. Turning to his friends he called out to them.

“Hey! Are you guys free after school today? I need to get a new notebook.” They nod in agreement and lay back down. “Did you fill up your current one already Zuku-chan?” Aaliyah huffed out. He nodded back in acknowledgment.

They all took the moment to calm down and catch their breath still. They had been fighting in 7-minute rotations for 35 minutes without a break. But that is excluding the time they took to fight Aizawa-Sensei and Kayama-Sensei. They were sore but they felt exhilarated by the fighting. From where they started to where they are now. They were proud of themselves.

After a short time, their break was up and they were off to do some parkour. Kayama-Sensei and Aizawa-Sensei were teaching them how to jump wider ranges as well as how to land in weird angles. After the first couple of times, they practiced parkour. They would fall on their faces but are fast learners so they were naturals at it by now.

Now they have to practice jumping wider ranges. Kayama-Sensei is teaching Aaliyah and Mei how to project themselves further while Aizawa-Sensei is teaching Izuku and Hitoshi how to jump higher.

“Hatsume and Ackerman to project yourself further you need to have enough power to do that. So we are going to be working over by the sandpits. You cuties will be practicing standing and running long jumps continuously, I will be checking your landing spots to see how far you jump. Then after a couple of rounds from each, we will move on to leg exercises. From there we will be doing leg strengthening training and that will be it for the day.” Kayama-Sensei said as she and the girls walked over to the sandpits. Once they reached there Kayama-Sensei started to rake over the sand to give it a flat surface. “What is the distance of your best jumps?”

Aaliyah spoke up first while they stretched their legs a little more. “About 9 meters but closer to ten now,” “Same we jump around the same distance. I just don’t remember the specific distances” Mei added. “Okay we can work with that,” Kayama-Sensei said, nodding. “Come let us get started.”

With that Mei and Aaliyah started running towards the sandpits.

Aizawa-Sensei and the boys were walking over to the high wall spotting blocks. Aizawa-Sensei started to explain what was going to happen. “So today you two problem children will be working on how to jump higher. You will do both standing and running starts alternating them. We will start off with one block then add another after accomplishing both landings. If you do not land on the block and fall off you will do it until you land it. After a couple of rounds, we will stop and you will join the girls for leg training.” He grinned at the boys making them glup. Turning back around he set up the blocks.

Before Izuku and Hitoshi knew it they were signaled to start running.

=

The day soon came to a close after their leg training. Before they bid their goodbyes to their teachers, they were given advice on how to improve their technique for future references.

“Come on, we need to go shopping for Zuku’s new notebook,” Mei said, grabbing her and throwing it over her shoulder. “Come on, it's getting late and I want to work on some of my babies when I get home”. She walked out the entrance holding it open for the others; soon enough everyone followed her out and they were on the train. They all sat down leaning on one another sleeping while Hitoshi held them up with his shoulder. Shortly after they were woken up at their stop and got off the train, they continued to walk the rest of the way to the supplies store.

“Yo guys and girls were here, come on let me grab a couple of notebooks then we can go home” the other three simply nodded and followed Izuku in. Izuku was moved quickly as he got his notebooks and went to cash them out. As Hitoshi, Mei, and Aayliah followed him around they picked up some cute cat stickers. After a bit they were all done and left to go home, it was not a far journey for all of them since they all lived in Musutafu. They actually lived relatively close to each other but far enough away to go to different middle schools.

They went their separate ways waving and calling out goodbye to each other. What they did not know was that since they left U.A four shady figures were lurking in the shadows following them.