Chapter Text
“Loud Cloud?” “Yup!” Oboro grinned brightly as he threw his hands into the air.
The two were sitting peacefully on the couch in Oboro’s apartment on UA campus.
It had already been almost two years since Kumo and his dads started working on bringing Oboro back.
Progress was slow at first, but over the past year he’d recovered almost completely. He still has huge gaps in his memory that likely will never be healed, but his personality and values are back to what they were when he was still a hopeful hero student.
He also had remnants of Kurogiri, mainly that his once light blue hair was now dark purple and his eyes were yellow. No one mentioned his scars apart from Kumo, who had plenty to match still hidden under his fog. Nezu eventually managed to get Oboro transferred from the prison to UA campus so he could have his own apartment.
“And you…” Kumo edged, not wanting to overstep. He’d been in the hero course since the second semester of his first year in high school. Nezu adored him and helped Kumo get accepted without much trouble. The Hero Commission and many others still disliked Kumo and didn’t trust him, but it didn’t bother him at all.
“Yes.” Oboro said seriously. “I’d be more than happy with you taking my hero name, kid.”
Kumo smiled shyly as he replied, “But I already took your name.”
Oboro laughed hardily. “You didn’t take shit. My two dumbass best friends named you after me, that had nothing to do with you. And I’m giving you permission. It’s not like I could use that name when I become a hero again anyway. I have Warp Gate now. As much as I hate how I got it, this is my quirk. I’m going to use it for good and that means making sure my hero name fits.” Kumo laughed at Oboro’s blunt way of speaking. He already knew Oboro was going to work on becoming a hero once he passed his final few psych evaluations.
“You really don’t mind?” “I’d be honored.” Oboro assured him with his toothy grin. Kumo smiled back and got up. It was almost time for class.
“I finally picked my h-hero name.” Kumo said, gaining the attention of all of his classmates at once. “What is it?!” “Tell us!” “Please!” Kumo chuckled and waved them off. It was the second semester of their third year in UA, and today would be the final check in. They would have to decide their hero names with the other pro heroes helping.
Some people changed their names entirely. Bakugou, Hagakure, Ashido, Iida, and Todoroki went with Dynamite, Iris, Citric, Ingenium, and Pyrofrost.
Some changed their names slightly, like Sato becoming Candy Man and Tokoyami being the Spectral Energy Hero instead.
Kumo was the only one in the class who hadn’t picked a hero name at all. He’d just been letting people call him Fog in the field whenever he was on work studies. Heck, Eri probably would never stop calling him Fog after he helped rescue her from the Yakuza. Not that he was the only one there, but she was particularly close to him even after Nemuri adopted her.
“The Reborn Hero: Loud Cloud.”
Nemuri squealed happily as she dragged Kumo into a tight hug.
The name was a reference to the fact that Kumo was undead, he was Oboro’s disciple, that he was named after the pro, and that he was carrying his legacy. He also thought it was ironic since he was one of the quietest in the class. The name also suited his quirks. He floats like a spirit, controls clouds which are part of the water cycle, and can heal people.
Kumo smiled widely as his dad threaded his fingers through his cloudy hair.
“You’ll do amazing things, Loud Cloud.”
—
“Guys! Guys! It’s starting!”
Former class 3A, UA’s Chaos Class, were meeting up for the first time in five years since graduation.
They all met regularly, just not altogether. When they were meeting up, they were referred to by other heroes and civilians as the Chaos Heroes. This was mostly because whenever more than four of them were on scene, everyone knew that something crazy was about to happen.
This time was different, because three of their classmates made it to the top ten.
They all sat together in their designated seats to watch the stage where their classmates would emerge.
“Number ten is… Loud Cloud!” All of the Chaos Heroes leapt from their seats and cheered loudly as Kumo hesitantly walked onto stage and waved. His hero costume resembling Oboro’s old one as well as his dad’s and Snipe’s. He was a twilight hero, but his story and overall variety of helping people is what raised him up the leaderboards.
Speaking of helping people in different ways…
“Our new number nine is Present Mic!” Hizashi happily sauntered up the stage and ruffled his son’s hair as he gave the cameras a peace sign.
Loud Cloud and Present Mic had joined forces with dozens of other agencies in a mission to create the Speak Out campaign. It’s a fundraiser that raises money for those in horrible home lives that need help getting out. The campaign has already reached millions in funds just this year and Loud Cloud recently announced that his agency was opening up a few orphanages all over the country for those being pulled from their homes thanks to the investigations or anyone in need.
Present Mic had also announced that his radio show was doing a new interview segment, dedicated to those who want to share their stories about escaping dangerous situations and how they are doing now. The new segment had easily become one of the most listened to of the year, and it was on its way to becoming the most popular of all time.
This all on top of the two of them still patrolling and working on missions they were called out for. They were an unstoppable duo in the field.
“Number eight is once again… Lemillion!” The Chaos Heroes quieted down slightly. They loved their senpai, but a few of them still had to bite back laughter when they caught sight of his hair.
“Number seven is… Kamui Woods!” Koda waved to his mentor as the hero walked out onto the stage. They had bonded a few years ago after realizing they both had a strong connection to nature.
“Welcome number six… Edgeshot!” Said hero simply appeared on stage with a smoke bomb created by Hatsume Industries.
“Number five is Pyrofrost!” The class exploded with cheers once again. He'd been doing so much better as the years went by, especially now that his mother was officially out of the hospital and he got to see her all the time along with his visits to Dabi in prison.
“Following him out is number four… Dynamite!” Kirishima stood on his chair to wave at his partner as he stormed onto the stage with what they all knew was a fake scowl. Bakugou had grown a lot since high school, but he still had to keep his tough guy reputation up even if he wasn’t mean anymore. Just a bit spicy, as Kirishima, the other half of the Poprocks Agency, claims.
“Now for our number three… Mirko!” Bakugou scoffed as said hero shoved him teasingly. The two had grown quite close over the years and worked together often.
“And once again our number two… it’s Hawks!” Tokoyami and Dark Shadow both rolled their eyes as a tornado of red feathers fell from the ceiling and Hawks emerged, looking far healthier and happier than before thanks to Nezu reforming the Hero Commission with Loud Cloud’s help a few years ago. That was also a reason for Loud Cloud’s popularity.
“And for our number one hero… Best Jeanist!” Bakugou scoffed again as his mentor also ruffled his hair as he walked by. Todoroki had to hide his smile from the other teen.
Kumo didn’t bother hiding his laughter, which earned him a glare that he knew meant they would be sparing later.
This was really his life now.
Kumo looked to the night sky as he and his dads walked to a nearby diner with the rest of the Chaos Heroes.
Afterwards, Kumo was going to sleep over at his dad’s place to spend time with the cats, who all still adored swarming him like flies to honey. Maybe his aunts and uncles would stop by too? Eri would be with Nemuri then. Hm, Kumo would have to bribe his dads with a visit to one of his sponsored cat cafes for that.
Kumo closed his eyes, appreciating the cool night air in his lungs as he breathed. He opened his eyes, turning his head to stare up at the somehow visible stars.
He wouldn’t change a thing.