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Chapter Text

Izuku was six when his life changed.

"Quirkless?" His mother's voice breathlessly asked, like the name of a terminal illness.

The old doctor sighed, turning around in his old, creaky spinning chair and to the x-ray diagrams on the lightboard. "I'm sorry I have to be the one to say this. He's missing the extra toe joint that determines Quirklessness, but by all means he should have developed a quirk by now. Even late bloomers would have developed a quirk by the age of six. It's possible that he could have an invisible quirk, but until he can prove that he has one, I'm going to have to put him down as Quirkless in the Civilian Registry."

"O-oh," His breaks a little more as his mother glances at him, because she sounds so, so, so sad and this is all because of him - !

The ride back home passes by in a numb blur. His mother's kiss as her trembling arms wrap tightly around him, like he's now something delicate, didn't register in his mind. He remembers sitting in the large office chair, sun long set and not caring to turn on the lights, watching as All Might smiles in the face of burning disaster rescuing people left and right with a booming laugh and declaring across a hopeless battlefield, I AM HERE! He turns around in the chair when he hears his mother tentatively calling his name in that same wavering voice as that dreaded afternoon at the doctor's office.

"S-See that, m-mama?" He chokes out, eyes burning and snot dripping down his nose. "H-he can s-s-s-save e-e-e-everyone. S-s-so, c-can I be a-a h-h-hero too?"

He tries giving her his best grin. It's the one that makes her smile too, that makes her eyes crinkle with joy as she kisses his head, runs her hand through his curls, hugs him tight and tells him, maybe, but let's wait until your quirk comes in so you can figure out how!

He held onto that hope, that knowledge that getting a quirk can mean he'll become a really cool hero like All Might as well!

. . . But all he gets in response is his mother's face falling even more. Then tears trickled down from her eyes as she stumbled forwards, wrapping him in another tight hug as she cries out, "I'm sorry Izuku! I'm sorry!"

His heart breaks a little more and he thinks, Oh.

I'm sorry too, mom.

~*~

"HAH?!"

Izuku winces from Kacchan's indignant screech that immediately attracts the attention of everyone else on the playground. He's scowling, he's mad, and so very, very angry at Izuku as he shrieks, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE QUIRKLESS, DEKU?!"

"I-I-I mean," he stammers, looking everywhere else except Kacchan. "I. . . I don't have a quirk. O-or if I do, I don't know how to activate it. . ."

His eyes flickered back to Kacchan's face, hoping that answer would help appease him and not make him so angry at him because this is Kacchan they were talking about, Izuku's best friend who he was joined at the hip to since birth.

He was wrong. The first of many, many times.

With a shriek, Kacchan lunged at Izuku who cried out as his back slammed against the hard dirt. Kacchan had both hands on his shoulders shaking him up and down as he screamed, "LIAR! YOU LIED TO ME! YOU PROMISED ME WE WOULD BE HEROES TOGETHER!"

"I-I can!" He feebly protested. "I can still be a hero, even without a quirk!"

"NO YOU CAN'T!" He shrieked, and he sounded so broken to Izuku that all he could do was wonder why, why, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME -

"THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A QUIRKLESS HERO! YOU'LL BE USELESS!"

His shoulders started burning with an unfamiliar heat he would soon be all too acquainted with. He cried out, Kacchan's burning-caramel scent from the small sparkling explosions that Izuku always loved to see invading his nose, and he realized with mounting horror what was happening. "Kacchan! Stop! Y-You're hurting me!"

"SHUT UP YOU STUPID DEKU!" He screamed right back, face red as the burning sensation in Izuku's shoulders burned even more. "YOU'RE USELESS!"

On that day, Kacchan was able to produce his first, proper explosion and not the sparklers he did before. On that day, Izuku had gained two shiny scars emblazoned onto his shoulders.

His teachers wrote it off as an accident. A forgivable incident of a six-year-old accidentally using his quirk with his emotions high after hearing something tragic, something that wasn't uncommon in a society full of Quirks. Katsuki Bakugou would take a week off of school and go to therapy for a month, because learning that his best friend was Quirkless was tragic to learn so of course he would react as poorly as he did on that Monday afternoon, the day after Izuku found out he was Quirkless. The accident would be forgotten by everyone in time and things would slowly go back to normal.Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

Yet as Izuku sat there on his hospital bed in his mother's trembling arms with her sobs breaking the silence of the barren room, he couldn't help but feel that things wouldn't go back to how they were before. He could remember a time when he was four, when there was someone else besides Kacchan he would play with, whose face and name and voice were blurred from his mind until all he could remember of him was the color purple. He remembered him being in kindergarten one day and gone the next. When he asked the teachers what happened, they said he moved away, and that not to be sad and be happy because change can be a good thing, and he would live a life better suited for him anyways.

But Izuku didn't feel happy. He felt empty, and some distant part of him was horrified. Where was the rest of his feelings? Why hadn't Kacchan visited him yet? Why was mama crying and hugging him again? When will he go back to seeing mama and Kacchan smiling and laughing and playing with him again?

Izuku was six when he began mourning his life.

~*~

He was seven and bouncing around in his All Might costume for Halloween. There weren't very many happy days after he was diagnosed as Quirkless, but that's okay! He was going out with his mother trick-or-treating this year! He missed last year because he was so sad that Kacchan didn't want him to come along so he went home early to cry, but this year his mama said it was just the two of them that are going! He hasn't played with his mother in so long because of her work!

And so there he was, running from house to house with his mother in tow, a full face mask of All Might's face and hood securely over his green curls. But then something weird happened. Every house they went to, he would ring the bell, the door would open, and then they would look around confused like they couldn't see him he was right there in front of them. They would finally notice if he yelled out, "Trick or treat!" Still, he shrugged it off at the time because while it was a little strange, it wasn't too strange.

But then it happened at the next house. And the next. For a full four houses he stood in front of the door as the person looked around in confusion, completely silent, before they retreated inside. It didn't make any sense. Was this just a collective neighborhood prank? Did they all find out which kid in an All Might costume was him and decide to ignore him?

He took off his mask and the hood that hid his curls at the next house in frustration. When they got to the next house, he knocked again and stayed silent, already expecting to be ignored, but this time the person's eyes immediately locked on him. They smiled and gave him candy, as did the next house, and the next, and - oh, would you look at that? Every single house afterwards instantly saw him and gave him candy.

He didn't know what to make of it. At first, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this was his quirk. The ability to be invisible as long as he wore a mask. His mother eagerly purchased things to help his experimentation - surgical masks, goggles, glasses - and for a while it worked. Izuku found out depending on how much he covered his face, the more he would be ignored. One-way tinted glasses? Teacher never calls on him. Cloth face mask used for coughing? Anyone that wasn't within two desks of him glazed their gazes right over him. A full mask that covered his eyes and mouth with a mesh? Instant invisibility. BAM.

It was amazing. He had a quirk. He found his quirk! Granted, it wasn't flashy like Kacchan's, but it would be amazing if used for Underground Heroics, specifically in infiltrating and information gathering because he would be literally invisible to all of his opponents because they wouldn't even see him, and if he used it in a fight he would be able to easily dodge and throw attacks -

And then as he was skipping home, happy as a clam with his full face mask on, he heard thunderous footsteps and Kacchan screaming, "DEKU!"

His stomach dropped, he turned around, and instantly Kacchan's gaze locked onto him even with the full face mask on.

Suffice to say, he went home with bruises and burn marks and solemnly told his mother that the tests he ran those past few days didn't work, and that yes, turns out he really was Quirkless and he's sorry for getting her hopes up. She told him not to apologize and that she loved him anyways, but Izuku could clearly see in her gaze how heartbroken she was at seven.

\\~*~//

He was twelve when started realizing what his quirk was on his way home from school.

Kacchan had broken his glasses and face mask during the morning break. The pieces were in the classroom trashcan, and whatever fragments he wasn't able to collect were left on the ground behind the school. For the rest of the morning and afternoon, he had to endure the minute glances and outright stares of everyone in class - teachers included. For the first time since middle school began, he was in the presence of everyone without his face obscured by a cheap cloth mask and one-way tinted glasses. It was agony. He didn't have to experience those stares since he was seven. He found that most people ignored him as long as he had most of his face covered (probably because they couldn't look away from how hideous he looked), but Kacchan was the exception. He always was. In academics, athletics, quirk training - he was always the exception.

So of course he was the only one who could instantly single out Deku in a sea of people even with his face fully covered. Izuku wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand, he craved recognition, but all the attention he'd received thus far was negative unless if it was from his mother.

And on that particular day, he never wanted to have attention ever again.

A hand yanked on his curls. He tried to cry out, but another hand slammed over his mouth as he was dragged into an alleyway and thrown against the wall.

"Aww, if it isn't sweet, little, useless Deku."

Izuku's breath stuttered as he pushed himself further into the wall. It was an upperclassman from school. He had a transformation quirk, something to do with wolves, and he was utilizing it if the larger-than-normal canines and golden eyes with silted pupils said anything.

"You know, I never actually seen you without those nerdy glasses and that mask," he licked his lips, and suddenly Izuku felt ten times colder. "You actually don't look half-bad."

If this were any other occasion, Izuku would be blushing and stammering from the praise. But right now he was praying to whatever higher power even though he was never religious because this guy had a predatory glint in his eyes that raked over his face and body like a juicy steak on display.

The upperclassman chuckled. "Oh, I am going to enjoy this."

Without warning a hand grasped around Izuku's throat and pinned him against the wall. He let out a squeak of terror and the upperclassman laughed even more as he crowded him and grabbed his shoulder before roughly sliding down - wait, where was that hand going, OH KAMI NO PLEASE STOP - !

Lips forcefully crashed against Izuku's and it hurt. The canines snagged against his mouth and he could taste blood. The upperclassman was dragging his tongue over his lips to try and get them to open up. Tears sprang up in Izuku's eyes. He didn't want this. He didn't want this.

The upperclassman's hold began to relax and Izuku took that chance. He shoved him off as hard as he could and screamed, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

There was a crash. It was silent for a moment as Izuku spent it on the ground, curled up against the wall with tears flowing free and sobs wracking his chest.

"Wait, Izu-chan, I'm so sorry!"

He whipped his head up, mouth agape, but that sounded so sincere and real -

The upperclassman was there, standing after having been pushed into a bunch of overturned trashcans. He had gotten some of it on his clothes, but the upperclassman completely ignored it like it was never even there in the first place to look at Izuku and, wait, are those tears in his eyes?!

The wolf-like features had morphed back into human ones. Grey-blue eyes stared back into his, a lone tear going down his cheek as he wobbly said, "I-if going away w-would make y-you feel better, then I'll go. I-I'm sorry I scared y-you. I-I'll be going now. Get home safe."

He bowed and quickly vacated the alleyway, shooting longing glances every now and then, until he turned the corner and left his sight.

Izuku picked up his bag that had been dropped onto the floor and bolted.

He really wished he could say that was the last time an incident like that occurred, but no. Every now and then Kacchan would find a way to destroy his glasses and masks. Every single time, those stares would come right back after that would follow him home. Sometimes, he was accosted by all sorts of people - guys, girls, young, and old - up against walls, behind the school, against the trees or on the ground - each time they would press up against him. At best, he'd have his arm grabbed as someone pressed against it. At worst, he'd be forced down with half the buttons of his gakuran popped. All of that would end after he was forcefully kissed, again and again, because they would go slack before he pushed them off and tell them to leave. Some of them broke down and apologized, others would shuffle off silently with hurt clear in their eyes, but ultimately he would be left alone and he could run.

The thirteenth time it happened, with his glasses in fragments and his mask in scraps as Kacchan loomed over him with a sneer during lunch, Izuku screamed. Izuku wasn't sure what happened, but Kacchan had paled and took a step back, and that was all he needed to bolt away and get to his apartment and barricade himself inside his room before he broke down and cried. He heard his mother's frantic knocking at one point, then a quiet conversation, before she finally got the master keys and unlocked his bedroom door and quietly crept in.

He was worn out way before his mother came home and completely silent. It stayed that way for the next two days before he returned to class at his own insistence for his fretting mother, new face mask and glasses secure on his face.

Thankfully, Kacchan made a point to never destroy his mask ever again.

Izuku couldn't be any more relieved as he settled down into bed, his side stinging from one of Kacchan's explosive-filled right hooks, when the sudden realization struck him swifter than lightning and he paled.

He was twelve when he found out what his quirk was in the most traumatic way possible.

. . . And time to sign up for some self-defense classes. Really, he should have done this since the beginning if he'll ever become a hero.

~*~

Izuku was fourteen when Kacchan hurt him even worse than the time he was twelve with his face coverings destroyed.

"Why don't you pray for a better quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof!"

"Then how would you get into U.A. then, Kacchan?" He softly murmured, gently shaking the water out of his notebook. "Aren't you going to be a hero . . . ?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, counting to ten, and let it out. Nope. He wasn't going to cry this time. He's going to march straight home, break down, scour the internet for any more mentions of Eraserhead because a difficult task like that is just the distraction his mind needs right now. He wasn't sure whether to be thankful or frustrated at the lack of accounts surrounding the man.

And it's that moment, while he's debating the pros and cons of the lack of Eraserhead media, that he heard gurgling behind him. Years of having to run - from Kacchan and that nasty time around twelve especially - had trained in him an instinct for danger that was blaring at him, telling him to book it, right now. He didn't get more than a foot away before a gelatinous form came crashing down around him - something about medium sizes and meat suits - and he was struggling to get out and he could feel it moving against his body and seeping into his clothes - oh Kami no, he's not twelve, he's not twelve, he's not twelve! - and then he passes out from the lack of oxygen that came with a panic attack and a sludge villain forcing themselves down his airways.

And then All Might showed up.

And subsequently crushed his heart. 

On a rooftop.

After being suffocated.

After he told him he was pretty much Quirkless.

Oh yeah. Didn't Kacchan tell him to jump off earlier?

Izuku groaned and flopped down on the ground, not wanting to get up.

"Can this day get any worse?" He grumbled.

And lo and behold, Murphy's Law decided to kick in because that's just Izuku's life. Explosions rocked in the distance and like the true avid, hero watcher he was, his feet automatically brought him to the scene of the fight.

He paled when he noticed the slime villain towering over the pedestrians. Heroes scattered all around but ultimately doing nothing as the hostage suffocated.

The moment red eyes snapped to his, familiar red eyes that were blown wide and fear as if they were screaming, help me!

Izuku blinked. Even he wouldn't be able to tell you what happened next. One moment, he was standing behind the barricade with the crowd. The next, he was rushing into the fray with a half baked plan like some kami-forsaken idiot, but frankly it's all he could do in this situation. He's yelling something to Kacchan, something about his explosions, as he swung his backpack and aimed right for the villain's eyes. The villain screeched and recoiled, just enough for Kacchan to break his head free to get some much-needed air. And Izuku, channeling all of his two-year's worth of mixed martial arts, pro-hero fighting styles analysis, and just plain adrenaline, braced his foot down, grabbed Kacchan's arm, and judo flipped him up and outta there before he released an explosion big enough to send them both hurtling away from the villain, just in time for All Might to sweep in and punch the villain to giblets.

Oh. So turns out he can tell you what happened. Huh.

"-are you listening? Hey, kid? What kind of quirk do you have? That rescue you did was amazing!"

"Huh?" Izuku blinked dazedly, only semi-registering that Death Arms was talking to him and even praised a Deku like him - !

And so, with brain to mouth filter obviously working, Izuku automatically answered, "I don't know. Officially I'm Quirkless."

Well. If this isn't the quickest flip he's ever seen. Death Arm's picks up his dropped jaw and his face hardens, and then he roughly states, "That's pretty reckless then, kid! You rushed in without a quirk?! You could have died! And -"

To be honest, Izuku completely tunes out the conversation after that and really can't tell you what happened next. He just leaves. He lets his mother fret over him the moment he gets home because she saw the news at work and promptly rushed home to check up on him, and he tells her to not worry because he's perfectly fine to which she gives a really hard stare. . . eheh . . . Yeah, okay, he's not fine. He breaks down and tells her about everything. From the day he was deemed Quirkless, to Kacchan when he was six, to the Halloween when he was seven, the assaults when he was twelve, and the terrible day he had today at fourteen while willfully omitting the fact that it was Kacchan and not someone else who told him to commit suicide like he told her because she doesn't deserve to know her son-in-all-but-blood told her son-in-blood to jump off a building.

She gapes. Then closes her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she lets it out and says, "Izuku, I'm so sorry my baby. I should've seen this. I knew things weren't okay at school but for it to have been this bad - !"

"It's. . ." Izuku hesitates at the next word because no, he's so freaking tired with everything that happened that he just. . . No. "I'm going to be honest. Today was in every way screwed up. And so has everything else, but that's on me for never telling you until now because mom, you are absolutely amazing and the best mother in the entire world because even when the rest of the world sucked, at least I would able to come back home to your kisses and your hugs and your smiles and honestly. . . that's what kept me going for the past eight years. It's because you are my mom that I have a bright spots in my life."

He and his mother, expectedly in true Midoriya fashion, end up in tears and three less boxes of tissues in their apartment. His mother calls the school, telling them that he's taking the week off and to prepare their lawyers because she is about to sue the heck out of them, and then calls her law firm to tell them that she has a very high priority case and she'll be busy with it for a while.

"All Might is a terrible hero," his mother moodily states on the couch, tub of ice cream in hand, in fuzzy socks as they both watch a movie that isn't about All Might. She stabs her ice cream with a spoon and scoops a mint chocolate chunk in her mouth. "He was prepared to leave you alone, in the middle of nowhere, without calling and waiting for an ambulance after you had been attacked by a slime villain that nearly suffocated you. And then proceeded to leave you alone on a very high rooftop after he crushes your dreams when you told him you were sort of Quirkless. We're very fortunate we got to hospital before the sludge in your lungs could give you an infection."

Izuku winced. "I mean . . . He was on a time crunch. Really important secret hero stuff. A lot of what he did was because of it, and I . . . accidentally found out. I really can't blame him for what happened."

". . . Izuku Midoriya."

He froze. And, wow, that's uh, that's intimidating. Full naming. His mother rarely full names him.

She's frowning a little and, oh Kami he was right this is her disappointed mom stare - "I know you love heroes. All Might especially. But can you confidently say, from an objective standpoint, and if he were any other hero, that there was nothing he should have done better?"

Izuku opens his mouth automatically to defend his idol because of course there wasn't.

Then he clicks his mouth shut, cheeks burning in shame. He coughs a little. "H-he, um, he could've. . . He could've walked me down from the roof. And made sure I was okay. Had me call you for emotional support maybe."

Her mother nodded. He could see that she wasn't entirely convinced, but for now she'll take it.

Hopefully. Maybe a little.

"On that note," his mother hummed, watching as the two girls in the movie kiss after confessing their feelings. "I now have hero licenses to revoke."

His jaw dropped. "Wait, mom, no this is All Might we're talking about - !"

His mother chuckled softly and held up a hand. "Oh, no. As much as I would like to do that for hurting my baby, I know it's a losing battle. The Pro heroes that were on the scene with you and Katsuki - now those are the licenses I'll be revoking in the near future."

"But. . . I mean . . . !"

"Baby."

Izuku closed his mouth, visibly wilting. His mother scoots closer and guides him to rest his head on her shoulder - which actually is really uncomfortable because he's substantially taller than his mother. She combs her fingers through his curls, just like she's always done since he was a child, and he relaxes in her hold.

"You have a big heart," she softly begins. "So big, that it could wrap the world in its love."

He chuckles quietly. "I get it from you."

She laughs a little at that too. "Thank you, baby. But just because your heart is big, it doesn't mean you have to forgive everyone who has done something wrong. Sometimes the kindest thing to do, even if it doesn't seem that way, is to be a little mean to help them grow. Otherwise they will never learn from their mistakes and can't grow into something better."

He pauses and lets those words roll around in his head. It would have been nice to have been told this when he was younger, before Kacchan started hurting him all the time, then maybe they could have been friends. They weren't friends now, haven't been for a long time, but well. . . He couldn't help but be selfish and want to be friends. Because even now, after all these years, he still hasn't given up.

But maybe he should show he wasn't so easy to bend. He knows that Katsuki can become a great hero - but only after a lot of intensive anger management therapy and self reflection and maybe a point in the direction of Miruko who can be brash yet compassionate.

"Okay," he mutters. "But I have a different proposal: suspension of pro hero licenses until they can complete and pass the hero license review exam three months from now. Normally heroes only have to take it once every five years, but. . . it can be bumped up if needed. They can still operate as sidekicks, but no longer work solo, so they'll still work and get paid without having to worry about their rep taking a hit so long as they tell the public that they're operating in teams in response to the slime villain incident. . ."

"That sounds wonderful, baby," And, oh. His mother is positively beaming, and doesn't that make him feel proud knowing that he did that. "Rehabilitation over punishment. Now there's a lovely thought."

He laughed. "You totally did that on purpose didn't you, mom? You're trying to lead me to that conclusion."

"I don't know what you're talking about, young man," she smiles, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Alright, if you say so mom."

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, with the only sounds coming from the movie and occasional spoonful of ice cream.

"Also, I have a quirk that turns people into love slaves if they kiss me."

Someone in the movie spit takes. His mother gapes, and Izuku couldn't help but dissolve into a fit of gut-wrenching laughter at the irony of the situation.

Ah, well. He's had the worst day in his entire fourteen years of living and that was saying something, but he wouldn't let that drag him down. He's got his mother here, more warm and supportive than ever after coming clean, and really that's all he needed to brighten up this terrible day and end it with a laugh.

U.A. won't know what hit them.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi Shinsou wasn't here to make friends.

He takes in a deep breath and lets it out. He can let it go. He can just let it go. It's none of his business. He doesn't have to acknowledge the way the bush-kid in front of him wilts as Present Mic-Sensei (he may not show it, but he's a big Present Mic fan and he's the only spotlight hero he respects) skips over him in the introductions and straight to Hitoshi. He can just. Let. It. Go.

He clears his throat and stands up. "You missed someone."

Dangit, he just couldn't let it go.

He's pointing at the bush kid in front of him, who squeaks as eighteen pairs of eyes hone in on him. They all show varying signs of confusion - probably the mask and sunglasses get up, understandably - and even Mic-Sensei just. . . balks. He blinks rapidly and quickly recovers (unphased, but not as much as Eraserhead could according to the rumors).

"Right! Sorry about that little listener! Why don't you go and introduce yourself now then?"

"Y-yes!" He squeaks and shoots up, which prompts a round of snickers from everyone in the room. Shinsou could see Mic-Sensei's eyebrows furrow a little, because the bush kid looks like he's a second away from keeling over in embarrassment and the rest of the class isn't helping.

"U-um," Bush Kid mumbles, shifting anxiously in place. "I-I'm Izuku Midoriya. I, um, I like Katsudon! A-And my quirk, it's-it's um, Adoration. Anyone who kisses me on the lips falls in love with me, but-but only for a little bit!"

Oh. Well. Isn't that just something.

An old bitterness wells up in his chest and he grits his teeth. He pushes it back down, because now is not the time to get jealous of a quirk that literally makes people like you. Nope. He's not going to do that to himself, not when it hasn't even been an hour since class began.

"Cute! Thanks for sharing, Midoriya!" Mic-Sensei flashes a smile and his signature finger guns, and Hitoshi really needs to get that rampaging jealousy under control. "So, next?"

This time, when he stands, he actually presents himself. "Shinsou. Hitoshi. I'm not here to make friends."

You could hear a pin drop in the dead silence that follows. His classmates stare at him gobsmacked, and the bush kid had turned around in his chair with his head tilted, but Shinsou couldn't really tell what he was thinking since seventy-percent of his face was mainly covered up and the rest of his body language wasn't all that telling.

But before he could figure out the bush baby, there was an amused snort and everyone looked at the front. Mic-Sensei was coughing in a way to poorly disguise his laughter, and why would he be laughing? It's logical to conclude that he's read his student file and knows that Hitoshi flunked the hero entrance exams hard and has a brainwashing quirk - is, is he laughing at how pathetic he is that he isn't trying to make friends either?

No. Stop that. Squash it down. Not everyone is out to get you.

Until they find out your quirk anyways.

"Yo, Little Listener!" With a snap of his finger, Mic-Sensei points to him in an overly dramatic pose. He's beaming and that makes Hitoshi even more wary as he loudly proclaims, "I like your style, kiddo!"

Hitoshi squints. He's joking. He has to be. It doesn't make any sense otherwise, because U.A. wouldn't hire nutjobs for teachers, right?

Right?!

They finish the rest of the introductions and shuffle their way to the auditorium for orientation, which is about as long and boring and unglamorous as any other school's. Somehow Hitoshi feels. . . disappointed, but it wasn't unexpected. He just figured that it would be more interesting given than this is U.A. The top hero high school in this side of Japan.

Then again, they students fight robots for the entrance exam. If that isn't just a slap in the face to every single hero hopeful with non-offensive and mental quirks, then he doesn't know what is. Heck, Eraserhead graduated from here, and his quirk literally only erases others, and there he goes being one of the coolest Underground Heroes around. And Hitoshi knows this for a fact because he's seen the amount of successfully closed cases and awed whispers of other underground hero fanatics in the forums. But does that mean the walking legend could take down robots at fifteen? Heck no. And neither can Hitoshi, but all he could do is claw his way up through the sports festival and get transferred into Heroics like Eraserhead did.

But of course, the Hero Course gets special treatment. The space in the auditorium for Class 1-A is suspiciously absent, probably socializing and drinking soda in champagne glasses or something.

There was an aborted snort to his left. Hitoshi side eyes as bush baby has his hands over his clothed mouth to cover the laughter spilling out as he whispered, "Champagne glasses . . . !"

Hitoshi's ears burn. Well shiz. Guess he said that last part out loud.

Thankfully the rest of orientation passes as painfully boring as possible. The rat-bear-dog principle creature (being? being, that sounds better) knows how to make one hell of a long speech. He knows he passes out thanks to the droning (his insomnia was a witch to deal with last night) and only jolts awake with the light tap on his left elbow. He lazily opens one eye and side eyes the bush baby with one eyebrow raised, watching as the smaller kid squirmed uncomfortably.

"Erm, I-um," his mask shifted. Biting his lip? Maybe. "O-orientation is o-over, s-so I th-th-thought you would l-like to wake up b-before everyone e-else leaves."

Hitoshi does a brief nod to show he heard. He twists his neck to get out the pops and glances back at the bush baby who is just. . . staring at him. From the lack of fidgeting, he could assume that he's somehow frozen, but for what isn't clear.

"Better get up or you'll be left behind."

Bush baby scrambles up after that, stumbling through the hall like a newborn doe. You'd think that he'd be attracting a lot of stares with how much of a spectacle he was making of himself, but. . . nothing. There wasn't any reaction to the weirdly walk-scramble gait bush baby has, heck, none of the students even look at him. No, wait, there's a small handful that are looking at the bush baby in confusion and looks at their peers' lack of reaction even more so.

Maybe this was normal for U.A. students. How the hell is he supposed to know?

Of course, Hitoshi was still skeptical of that conclusion. It only cemented further during Hero Art History with Midnight where they had to group themselves up and discuss a comic book superhero they would briefly present next class. Strangely enough, bush baby had been left completely alone by the rest of their classmates without even a second glance. Everyone else were squared up in threes and fours, and there was a pair that needed another person to become a trio, and since the only options left were Hitoshi and the bush baby, it was pretty clear who they would approach. But no. Instead of going for the bush baby first, they went straight to him instead.

"Hey! Uh, Shinsei, right?"

"Shinsou," he corrected, narrowing his eyes. The girl who just spoke was fidgeting and not meeting his, and the other had a distinct frown on hers.

"Shinsou. Right. My bad. Anyways, do you want to join? There's no one else here that's available, so. . ."

He blinked. He scoured their expressions, trying to determine if they were serious - and oh Kami yes they were.

His brow furrowed even more and he asked, "There's someone right in front of me you could have asked."

Confusion flitted across their features before they turned to the desk in front of his. They both started as if they realized that yes, there was another person in the room and they just realized that he existed.

"Oh, Kami. Sorry about that," the frowning girl from earlier quickly apologized. "Who are you again?"

"M-M-Midoriya. . ."

"Right. Okay," the frowning girl bobbed her head to herself. "Is that like, part of your quirk or something? Something that makes people easier to forget you? You had something related to kissing, right?"

He squeaks but nods. "Um, yes! I-I don't, no, I don't h-have a memory altering p-part of my quirk."

"Oh," the nervous girl clapped her hands, suddenly determined. "Then, I guess we need to try harder to pay attention to you then Midoriya! Err, not that you're easily forgettable or anything! You have that mask and glasses thing going for you!"

The bush baby nodded hesitantly, but Hitoshi could see him withering even further.

To say it was weird was an understatement. It didn't stop there. In every single class after that, there would be something similar that occurred - grouping up, introductions, teachers only managing to count nineteen instead of twenty and asking where the last one was - it was all so weird. For someone with a quirk that made people like him, everyone was doing the exact opposite and straight up ignoring him instead.

"You've gotten hit by a quirk that makes people ignore you. Answer."

Bush baby startled as Hitoshi slammed down his bowl of udon across from him. It was lunch and the place was already bustling, first years already clustered together in their own friend groups. Normally, Hitoshi would sit alone in a corner and brood. But normally, he wouldn't be driven up the wall with a complete conundrum that sat in front of him during class. He wasn't a sociable person, but like hell he was just letting this go.

"I-I don't understand. . ."

"Everyone ignores you in class," Hitoshi pushed. "Even the teachers are doing it. It's like you're invisible to them."

Bush baby wilts again, and wow, doesn't Hitoshi feel like the bad guy?

"I-it's not a quirk," he softly answered. "It's always been like this. M-most people forget I exist e-except for K-Kacchan."

"A childhood friend then."

Hitoshi doesn't miss the minute flinch and the way he seemed to fold in with himself. He frowned. That. . . That wasn't the reaction he was expecting. Did he not like the attention then . . . ?

"S-sort . . . Of?" He vaguely answered, and isn't that just telling. "I mean, it's really complicated."

"So a boyfriend or an ex."

He choked. Even with the tinted glasses, Hitoshi could clearly see his eyes growing wide in horror as he frantically waved his hands. "Oh Kami, no! Me and Kacchan?! That's just. . . Just . . . !"

"Okay, you don't need to have a conniption," he raised one eyebrow. "So he's not a friend or a boyfriend or an ex. That makes him your bully then."

The full body startle doesn't escape him. Ah. So that's how it is.

"W-well, I w-wouldn't r-really say he's a b-b-bully or a-anything l-like that - !"

"DEKU!"

Bush baby suddenly went ramrod straight and whipped around. Hitoshi's eyes snapped to the rabid spiky-haired blonde that stomped over with a glare dead set on the bush baby that cowered in his seat. Hitoshi tensed. Would this be . . . ?

His hand slammed down on the table. Bush baby squeaked and flinched away, but the rabid blonde snarled even more. Hitoshi nearly gagged on the dizzying odor of burnt sugar, sharp and overly sweet. Smoke was starting to rise from the blonde's hand and that made Hitoshi even more alarmed.

"What's a worthless, Quirkless idiot like you doing at U.A. huh Deku?!"

Hitoshi blinked. Quirkless?

"W-wait, K-Kacchan!" The bush baby shuffled back in his seat. Oh, so this is Kacchan then? Hitoshi hates his guts even more now. "I-I-I do have a quirk, y-you see? I-I-I just didn't kn-know how t-to activate it u-until recently - !"

"STOP LYING YOU FREAKING DEKU!" 

There was a popping sound and the burning sugar scent overwhelmed his senses. The part of the table underneath the blonde's hand was burnt black, and judging from the way the blonde was looking at bush boy and bush boy was looking at his hand in terror, Hitoshi can clearly see how this was about to play out.

Okay. Time to be a suicidal maniac and step in.

He cleared his throat and successfully garnered the attention of both of them. The blonde's hands were popping threateningly now, and Hitoshi would be a straight up liar if he said that he wasn't feeling intimidated. But he dealt with obnoxious bullies and entitled brats that labeled him for his quirk ever since he was four, and he's nothing if not good at putting on a bored poker face. He channeled all of his apathy and general jerk-like nature into drawling, "So you're the infamous Kacchan, hm? I didn't know U.A. accepted rabid dogs."

He could swear a vein popped in his head. Bush baby's jaw dropped. The blonde Pomeranian exploded, both literally and figuratively as he screeched, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO ME YOU FREAKING EX-?!"

He could feel the cord within reach and yanked it. The blonde stopped midway through his sentence and went slack. His features softened and the angry red flush drained away from his face. Hitoshi breathed out a short sigh of relief and ordered, "Go back to your seat and eat the rest of your lunch. Forget that there was anyone named Deku here at U.A. and the rest of this encounter."

And just like that, in an eerily similar fashion to a puppet, Kacchan slowly turned around and ambled away. There was a spiky-haired red head that was about to intervene that had his jaw dropped as the blonde shuffled past. He turned to him with an apologetic wave and said, "Sorry about that, man! That really wasn't manly of him. You good? Also, do you know if this will wear off?"

"Yeah," Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away. "He'll snap out of it at the end of lunch." Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

"Right!" The redhead grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Hitoshi stopped rubbing his neck and frowned, tracking his eyes. He noticed how he wasn't looking at the bush baby, and again that unsettling feeling in Hitoshi's gut churned. "Sorry again about him, we'll try to keep him away from you. Have a good lunch purple-haired dude!"

Another thumbs up and a blinding grin to him and only him, and then he was gone. The rest of the cafeteria had resumed its chatter uninterrupted. They were in a pretty secluded corner anyways and the cafeteria was naturally noisy, so it wasn't like they attracted a lot of attention. Only a couple of nearby tables had students anxiously glancing over at him before going back to whispering. He grimaced. Great. He was hoping that it would take longer before the nature of his quirk got out and he'd be labeled a villain all over again.

He let out another sigh. He sat down - when did he get up? - and turned to bush boy and braced himself for his reaction which . . . isn't much. He was frozen again and quiet, and once again Hitoshi wasn't able to gauge his emotions because there was nothing to read off of in the first place. He couldn't tell if he was looking at him in disgust or anger or fear. The silence was grating on his nerves and turning him more anxious than he already was. 

"What," he snapped. It shook the bush boy out of his frozen state because he jolted. 

Here it comes, Hitoshi bitterly thought. He gritted his teeth and tensed, priming his quirk on the tip of his tongue in case things go south. The only reason why he wasn't already using it was because there was a small sliver of hope that he couldn't destroy no matter what he did. A tiny, sparkling hope that maybe things would be different this time, that things wouldn't be like the past eleven years and that U.A. will be different from his birth parents and fosters and elementary and junior high classmates because for all of his pessimistic attitude he's an optimist and - 

"That's so cool!"

It takes a moment for that sentence to register in his mind. His head snapped up to the bush boy tightly grasping his hands together in front of his chest in what could be excitement, but - no, there's no frigging way - 

"Is that your quirk Shinsou-kun?! That's amazing! You could end villain fights before they begin and mitigate property damage, talk people down from suicides - wait, can you calm people down with it too?! The applications it has in disasters would be endless! And not just disasters, but villain interrogations - wait. Oh my Kami, this is amazing! The applications are endless! Where's my notebook? I need to write all of this down this is such acoolquirkandit'sperfectforheroicsandyoucouldhavethelowestpropertydamageandhighestcapturerateinhistoryifyoucantrainyourquirkandlearnhandtohandcombatandmaybeyoucanintegrateamaskthatmimicsvoices-!"

"Midoriya?"

"Hm? Yes-?"

Hitoshi quickly grabbed onto the thread and held it. Midoriya instantly went slack in his seat and his muttering stopped. Hitoshi gripped his hands on his knees to stop them from shaking. He couldn't catch all of what Midoriya said, but from the little snippets he was able to latch onto, Midoriya had said. . . That his quirk was . . . cool? And-and good for heroics? Wait, no, that-that can't be right. He must have misheard something. There's absolutely no way that Midoriya would believe - 

He took a deep, shuttering breath. He blinked quickly. His chest squeezed and his throat closed and his feeling a little dizzy and was so, so confused and happy and he didn't know what was going on -

"Shinsou-kun?"

His eyes snapped up. Sometime during his internal war he dropped the thread on the other boy. Midoriya was looking at him now. He still couldn't read anything off of his body language, but a gut feeling told him that Midoriya was. . . worried?  

"I-I'm sorry," the smaller boy stammered, which threw Hitoshi into an even bigger loop because what was this kid apologizing for - ? "I-I didn't m-m-mean to o-o-o-overwhelm y-you. I just - really, it's - it's such an amazing quirk and would be perfect for hero work - !"

"Wait."

Midoriya's jaw clicked shut and he tensed.

"Y-you," He swallowed but his mouth was dry. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I never said anything about being a hero."

"Oh," He squeaked and slapped a hand over his mouth. "S-sorry, I-I just - that's pretty much where my mind usually first jumps to, since I like studying heroes a lot, so I usually just think of how a quirk is best suited for hero work first - "

"You're not. . . You don't think it's a villain's quirk?"

Midoriya's jaw dropped. Hitoshi had the distinct feeling that Midoriya was looking at him like he was the one who was crazy.

"I . . . What? Villain's quirk? How is your quirk anything like a villain's? You used it to stop Kacchan in a non-confrontational manner that minimizes risk of hurt on both sides, further property damage, disturbance of peace, and future confrontations! You used your quirk to end the fight, not start it! If anything, you were an amazing hero just now Shinsou-kun!" 

There was silence for a moment. Hitoshi's brain is blanking. He's can't even think. Midoriya, did -did he just - ? Oh. Wait. Yes, he did. He said he could be a hero. That Hitoshi Shinsou of all people was a hero just now. 

"Shinsou-kun! Y-You're crying!"

"What," Hitoshi blinked, and - oh. He lifted a finger to his face and caught a single, stray tear that rolled down his cheek in muted wonder. "Hm," he absently hummed. "Haven't cried in a while."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because it sent Midoriya into a tizzy. He squawked and frantically waved his arms as apologies shot rapid-fire from his mouth. 

Yet Hitoshi couldn't care any less. Here he was, the Hero Course exam flunkee in General Education, sitting with someone during lunch who told him that yes, you are a hero. He laughed, little breathy chuckles that bubbled from somewhere inside of him and left his lips. He vaguely could tell that Midoriya had stopped his apologies and quietly stared at him instead. Hitoshi still couldn't read him, but that was okay. He smiled, the first real smile to grace his face since he was four and told he was going to be a villain by his parents. 

"Thanks Midoriya."

The other boy mutely nodded. 

And, well, Hitoshi knows he said that he wasn't here to make friends. He knows vaguely, in the back of his mind, that it's likely he would be fighting the boy in front of him when the Sports Festival came around. 

But right now all of those thoughts can go screw off because he's happy. In fact, he's happier than he's ever been in a long time and he's drunk on ecstasy. Because for the first time in eleven years, there is someone who genuinely believes that Hitoshi can be a hero. 

Maybe it'll be okay to indulge a little. Just this once. 

And if he gets into a heated discussion with Midoriya over Underground Heroes, especially on Eraserhead's capture weapon . . . Well, no one has to know except them. 

Chapter Text

"Alright, little listeners! The sun is shining, the air is clean, and your first day of highschool is officially done!"

The classroom shot up from their seats and cheered. Izuku mumbled a little quiet, Yay . . . ! But it must not have been as quiet as he thought because there was a snort behind him.

"You're enthusiastic."

He suppressed a shiver. Really, he couldn't help it. He had a long-standing theory that voice-based quirks like Shinsou-kun's and Mic-Sensei's had a captivating qualities about them. Mic-Sensei's was loud and attention-grabbing, like a rock star's, but Shinsou-kun's voice was deep and hypnotizing. If Mic-Sensei's voice was a show-stopper's, then Shinsou-kun's was a siren's. Honestly Izuku could probably record Shinsou-kun's voice and fall asleep to it . . . hm, he'll have to research more into the possibility of Shinsou-kun using his voice to captivate people without the need for his quirk. Having a soothing voice would definitely be beneficial for making enemies lower their guard, calming down civilians - especially young children who are highly emotional and can be unpredictable -

A light tap on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts. He blinked up at Shinsou-kun, who had one eyebrow raised in contemplation.

"You were muttering," he answered. "Something about my voice."

He flushed. "S-sorry, j-j-just th-thinking is all."

"Don't get too lost then. Mic-Sensei's asked for us."

He blinked, startled. Mic-Sensei? What did he need the two of them for? Was this about earlier at lunch? Did someone happen to see Shinsou-kun using his quirk on Kacchan? Is Shinsou-kun going to be in trouble because of him?! Oh Kami, no. No no no no no no. Shinsou-kun is really nice and cool and awesome and if he got in trouble because of stupid, idiotic Deku then -

Another tap on his shoulder and he blinked. Shinsou-kun was looking at him appraisingly again as he said, "Midoriya, you're muttering again. I have a feeling this happens a lot."

He sheepishly chuckled and poked his fingers together. "Um, yeah. I-it is."

"Ah! Shinsou!" Mic-Sensei beamed and flung his arms wide open. "There's the man of the hour! We're just waiting on Midoriya now before we can get this show on the road!"

Izuku wilted. Okay, sure, he knows that he's pretty much unnoticeable most of the time, but he's standing right here next to Shinsou-kun in an empty classroom. He's only a handful of feet in front of Mic-Sensei! He thought U.A. would be different than everywhere else.

Or maybe going to online school for the past year made him even worse at social interactions.

"Mic-Sensei," Shinsou-kun furrowed his brows in confusion. "Midoriya is right here next to me."

Mic-Sensei glanced where his student pointed and screeched. "HOLY MOLEY! You nearly gave me a heart attack little listener! Where did you even come from?!"

Izuku blinked, still caught on trying to translate the English phrase Mic-Sensei screamed out before the question even registered in his head. "I-I was right here?"

Mic-Sensei reeled with his jaw dropped in shock. "Oh, wow! We've got a real ninja in the making here! I might need to put a bell on you just to keep tabs. Is this part of your quirk little listener?"

"No," He quickly dismissed. He caught Shinsou-kun's squint that screamed, I call bull on that, before deflating. "Err. . . Maybe? I-I don't really know. I don't think so at least."

"Midoriya," Shinsou-kun frowned, his expression pinched. "You've been standing there for a full minute and Mic-Sensei didn't even notice you until I said something. In fact, none of our classmates and teachers even realized you were here until I said something. If this isn't the work of a quirk I don't know what is."

"Oh," He flushed, fiddling with his fingers. "I-I mean, K-Kacchan always notices. So does my mom. A-and. . . you did too. . ."

"Ooh! Maybe there's exceptions to that rule then?" Mic-Sensei chimed. "Like, I know this Pro hero who can erase the quirks of anyone he looks at, but it doesn't really work on -"

"Mutant quirks!" Izuku yelled out, bouncing up and down. "Mic-Sensei, you're talking about Eraserhead, right?! The Underground Pro Hero?! I have so many questions to ask about him! Do you know if he gets dry eye whenever he uses his quirk? Does he have to maintain eye contact with villains in order to erase their quirks or no?! Does he have a secondary minor telekinetic quirk that allows him to effectively wield his capture scarf or can it move because of technology? Also, is it really true that it's made of a carbon-fiber technology becauseIhaveatheorythatthere'snanotechsomewhereintherebutI'mnotsurebecauseofthetelekineticquirktheoryornot-"

"Woah there, little listener!" Mic-Sensei frantically interrupted. "Erm, I'll have to ask the man himself, but those are some really interesting theories you got there! Where'd you get all that information from?"

"Oh! Um . . ." Izuku looked down and shuffled his feet. "V-videos of him fighting, m-m-mostly. They get taken d-down immediately, a-and th-they're only l-l-less than a minute or t-two, but everything I s-said were mostly just theories I-I made myself in my n-n-notebook. It's not m-much, o-o-or very good though."

"I'd have to say otherwise, little listener," Mic-Sensei faintly replied, blinking. "In any case, you can take an elective on quirk theory this semester! Something tells me you'll have a blast!" He grinned, already bouncing back to his usual radio-star persona. "You said that you've written all of that information down in a notebook, right? Mind if I see it for a bit?"

"Y-you want to s-s-see my n-notebook?"

"Of course! But fret not my little listener, I'll give it back. I'm sure Eraser would love to read what you have on him! Also, if you can bring in any other of your notebooks, that'll be awesome as well! You have them in a safe somewhere?"

"A-actually th-they're j-just on m-my bookshelf a-a-at home, and I-I d-don't r-really, i-it's just th-that, th-they're not r-r-really that g-good anyways -"

"Midoriya, I've heard your rants on quirks on heroes and I've only known you for less than a day," Shinsou-kun dryly cut in. "Just give the man the journal and let the pro heroes freak out over how much dirt you have on them. If I were a pro, I definitely would not want to meet you in a dark alleyway."

"Sh-Shinsou-kun! Wh-wh-why would you even s-s-s-say that?! Th-that's so mean!" He pouted as he grabbed his notebook and handed it off to Mic-Sensei. The taller boy gave him an amused smirk. Izuku narrowed his eyes in a glare, but judging from the way the edges of Shinsou-kun's lips kept twitching upwards, he could tell it wasn't working. And how could he even be the judge of that?! He can't even see his face with the mask and the glasses in the way!

"So, Sensei," Shinsou-kun drawled, watching in amusement as Mic-Sensei was quickly flipping through his journal - wait, the Present Mic was looking through all of the entries in Izuku's Hero Analysis for the Future No. 14! "You called both of us here to talk about something other than heroes."

"Ah, actually!" Mic-Sensei beamed as he snapped the notebook shut. "That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you little listeners about! I noticed that on your junior high applications that you both plan on transferring into the Hero Course, am I right?"

Izuku rapidly nodded his head. "Y-Yes! As long as you can place in one of the top three spots in the upcoming Sports Festival two months from now, you can choose to transfer into the Hero Course! Alternatively, if you didn't place in the top three, it's still possible to catch the eye of a pro hero willing to mentor you and you can test into the Hero Course next year during the Joint-Training Simulation between the hero classes at the end of year! O-of course, there's only one spot available and that's in Class 1-A, but it's possible that someone has already been expelled if the teacher there happens to be that one. . ."

Mic-Sensei whistled. "Right on all those points little listener! And you're right, there's already been someone expelled in that class today, so that makes two spots available!"

"Midoriya," Shinsou flatly began. "How."

"I-I did my research," he croaked.

"Yeah, no shiz."

Mic-Sensei laughed, booming and loud. "Well then Little Listeners! Looks like you've got everything covered then! Now, for the fun part! As U.A. students, you have access to most of the gyms and training facilities here on campus. All you have to do is register what time and days you plan on going! If you want to train your quirks on campus, you'll need to coordinate with the teachers during the times they are available because there needs to be some kind of way to supervise you crazy kids. But fret not! There's the sheet for that! Oh, and one more thing. Since you're not part of the Hero Course, you're allowed to use support gear during the Festival! You need to get someone to build it and sign off on it, so mosey on down to Majima-Sensei over in the Support Classes soon to get chatting. Here's the forms and packet with more info on all things I'm legally allowed to tell you! Now, off you two go and enjoy the rest of your day and do whatever it is teenagers do! Shoo!"

Izuku squawked as he and Shinsou-kun were unceremoniously shoved out by Mic-Sensei and slammed the door in their faces.

"Huh," Shinsou-kun murmured, looking down at the packet Mic-Sensei slapped in his hands. "There's a cat cafe near here so we can sort this out. You can come or go home."

"I'm coming," he froze. "E-er, I-I mean, i-i-if that's okay-"

"Yes, Midoriya. You can come too."

Izuku chanced a glance at him. He stared back with his lips quirked to the side in an amused smirk. No sneering, no barred teeth, no angry red eyes and hands primed to detonate in a moment. For once in his life, he didn't feel like he was walking around eggshells to speak to someone his age. He didn't feel like he's in immediate danger of being punched or kicked or beaten if he spoke up. For once, he actually felt somewhat. . . safe.

Is this what friendship looks like? He mused as they left the school, a comfortable silence settling between them. Cherry blossoms fluttered to the damp sidewalk on small breezes. The air was clear and refreshing with the scent of the early afternoon spring showers. Easy chatter rose up from the streets, from vendors, to other U.A. students, to pedestrians strolling by. A year ago, his head would have been trained to look at the ground as he marched forward. He'd be walking home scared, every day as dark and dreary as the next, eyes darting everywhere and ears trained to pick on the slightest noise coming his way. A year ago, he was alone and hurting.

But that was a year ago and this is now. Now, he has Shinsou-kun beside him. He was going to hang out with someone, after they found out he was sort of Quirkless nevertheless. 

"H-hey Shinsou-kun?"

He hummed and tilted his head in his direction, confirming that he was listening. His eyes were still closed as they walked forward, so he didn't have to see that Izuku suddenly stopped walking. He took a deep breath and let out. Screwing up his nerves, he opened his mouth and asked, "W-we're friends, right?"

Shinsou-kun stopped walking. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as if it were signaling the countdown to an end. His palms were sweating and he gripped the hem of his jacket, hoping against all odds that he didn't just royally screw everything up. Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

"Sure."

His head snapped up in shock. The other boy turned back to him but looked away, hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't want to deal with that kicked puppy face of yours if I said no," He shrugged, turning back around and walking again. "Even I'm not that heartless."

Izuku beamed. He quickly caught up to him, heart soaring higher than ever as he looked up at Shinsou-kun. He caught his eyes, and even though he knew that Shinsou-kun couldn't see his face, his smile grew even wider. "You're a really nice person, Shinsou-kun!"

"No I'm not." 

"Yes you are!"

"No, Midoriya, I really am not."

"But at lunch you -"

"Hey, Midoriya?"

"Yes Sh-"

" . . . Let's just go. Follow me, don't crash into anything."

~*~

"Shoutaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Shouta paused from rifling through tomorrow's lesson plans, glancing up from his desk in the teacher's lounge. The blonde cockatoo was strutting towards him with a grin so blinding that it made him squint. A sense of foreboding churned in his gut and he was immediately on guard for whatever inane shenanigans the idiot was plotting now. 

He nodded as he approached, grunting, "Mic."

His face immediately fell into a pout. He liked to think it made him look like a kicked puppy, but joke's on him. Shouta had fifteen years to get used to it. "Shoutaaaaaaaaaa, you meanieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."

"What do you need?"

He clutched his heart and dramatically turned away with a faked sob. "How could you do this me? My love of my life, my adorably grumpy kitty, my dark muse that people often mistake as a hobo - !"

"Zashi," He quickly cut in before the snickering of the other teachers got worse. "If you're here to bother me than get back to work. You have essays to grade."

"Oh, that's not what I'm here for," He cheerily brushed off and slung an arm over his shoulder, leaning down. "You see, I happened to come across a very interesting pair of students in my GenEd class today. Especially the second one. So tell me honestly, my dear soul-sucking hubby, you wouldn't happen to have banged a girl when we were fifteen and never told me about it would you . . . ?"

He stiffened. "What? No, Zashi, what the hell? Do you even know what you're asking right now? I'm gay!"

"I know, but look at him!" He presented his phone with a flourish. "There, you see? Wavy hair, dead eyes, eyebags that should be paying the rent, creepy, sadistic, baby-eating smile - It's all there! And you know what he said in class today for his introduction?! He just stood up and said, 'Shinsou. Hitoshi. I'm not here to make friends.'"

"And?" He growled.

"Those were the exact same words you said when you transferred into the Hero Course our second year!" He crowed. "It's fate I tell you! Fate! He's got a mental quirk too, and he tried for the Hero Course exams but failed, and now he's in GenEd and planning on making his way up to the Hero Course through the Sports Festival just like you did! All we need to do is find out if he's a coffee addict, loves cats, has a sleeping bag, and uses logical ruses so we can call him Minizawa!"

"Minizawa!" 

Shouta groaned from the incoming migraine. Nemuri leaned against his desk cackling, already dressed down into a sweater and jeans from her hero costume. She gasped as she tried to catch her breath in between her laughter but to no avail. 

"Isn't that just delicious?" She drawled teasingly. "Shouta, you must meet his poor mother! Shame on you for letting a woman take care of your son for the past fifteen years without any child support!"

He wanted to bang his head on his desk. He really did. "I'm not paid enough for this," he grumbled.

"Awww, but you love you anyways!" She cooed.

"I want a divorce." 

"I hid the marriage contract where you'll never find it Shou! You're stuck with me!"

"Yeah, yeah," he moodily grouched, taking a long gulp of his coffee. "You mentioned two kids. Who's the other one?"

"Oh, Shou, you're gonna love this. Like, actually love this but also it will high-key traumatize you."

Now that was alarming. He set his coffee down and turned his full attention towards him. For all of Zashi's jokes and dramatic flairs, he didn't embellish anything when it came to evaluating his student's abilities. People like to think that between the two of them, Shouta was the only one who is completely objective when it came to evaluating his students, but the reality was that they both could clearly gauge their student's abilities without needing to sugarcoat the matter. The only difference was that heroes had a lot more responsibilities to own up to since their lives and the lives of many others were on the line. Any student who he deemed could survive the course, much less survive after graduating had to be let go. General Education didn't really have the same stakes so there was never a need to expel as many students, but Shouta knew that if their roles were switched, his husband would have expelled the exact same students as he did. 

Zashi pulled out a notebook and carefully laid it out on his desk, like it was both a precious item and a ticking time bomb. He gestured for him to open it. The rest of the teachers had not-so-subtly began crowding around him because they're nosy and are just as curious as to what the commotion was about. Shouta picked up the book and flipped to the first page. 

He read.

He flipped to the next page and read it.

And he did it again with the next one, and the one after that, and oh Kami this is a problem - 

He snapped the book shut and took a deep breath, placing it back onto his desk. He swallowed, mouth dry as he tried to gather his screaming thoughts. "Zashi," he began. "What kind of hellspawn do you have in your class?"

"An amazingly terrifying one," He solemnly reports. "I recognize some of your Underground Hero buddies in that journal. I didn't have time to read it in depth, but I could tell that there was a lot more information in there than there should be. Segments on weaknesses, a bit on psychological analysis, ways to effectively cripple every single hero, I won't lie. It's absolutely terrifying. Most of his theories are on point too! Like, this one about how Snipe's quirk can't change the trajectory of the bullets but assists his probability prediction, that's something he thought up on his own! He even recognized your hero persona, Shou, by quirk description alone with nothing but those short videos of your fights to go by!"

He hummed, not trusting his voice to speak at that moment. "Hellspawn."

"If this kid really is dangerous as you say, Mic," Vlad crossed his arms. "Then it may be best to burn the notebook and ask him to stop."

"Ya know, that's what my first thought was too. But - !" Zashi snapped his fingers and pointed at the man. "Then I started thinking about it a little more and realized - hold up!" He dramatically paused. You could hear a pin drop in the room. Shouta realized what his husband was up to and burrowed into his scarf to hide the grin threatening to stretch across his face as it clicked. He caught the cockatoo's knowing gaze and Zashi's grin grew even more, threatening to split his face. "If we're already shaking in our big pro hero boots, imagine how downright terrified the villains would be. Just imagine it. If we could direct this kind of analysis into villains instead of heroes, then whoo boy! He'll be talk of the Hero Industry for months!"

"That's true," Snipe crossed his arms and leaned his weight on the wall. "We're Pro Heroes, but we shouldn't forget that we're teachers as well. It's our job to nurture this kind of talent in the right direction. It'd be a real crying shame to shut down the kid."

"Exactly!" He snapped his fingers and sent a pair of enthusiastic finger guns at Snipe, who sent back a single, more subdued one in solidarity. "And if you think that's amazing, you should hear what he has to say on improvements! Shou, he's got a new design for your goggles that sprays clear mist for your dry eyes and a proposal on new, experimental one-way lenses that won't hinder your quirk and vision so you no longer have to deal with the bars on your goggles! For Nem, he's got an idea on using pressurized shooters on protective arm braces in order to essentially turn your gas into exploding bullets for long-range precision takedowns! Plus, there's another suggestion on redesigning your hero costume using a more durable fabric that has pores instead so you can have more protection and not worry about ripping your suit as much - don't look at me like that, I know you're not actually happy with your costume Nem because you complained to me once that it doesn't even look aesthetically pleasing and the handcuffs chaff too much, but you didn't have a good enough reason to change it because of what your hero agency says so now you do!"

She sighed. "That does sound really nice, Hizashi. I like the whole BDSM vibe they're going with, but it never looked right for me, you know? Also, the pressurized shooters sounds divine. Snipe, would you be a darling and help me with my aim if I ever get those in production?"

"U-um, yup! T-Totally!" 

Shouta snorted. His not-so-secret crush on Nemuri would be revealed to the first years sooner than later now. "Alright. So you'll bring the problem child in sometime so we can teach him code. The notebook says this is the fourteenth one. Where are the others?"

"At home on a bookshelf," He bemoaned. "It's a tragedy just waiting to happen. I've got plans about getting a safe on campus just for those notebooks until the little listener can transcribe and burn the originals."

He grunted in agreement. "We'll have to keep the existence of these notebooks and the author as highly classified then. No one can tell Nezu about this. For the sake of the world, we can't have another diabolical mastermind that could raze countries to the ground with a flick of his paw running around."

"Oh, Aizawa-kun, you're far too kind!"

The entire faculty froze at the new voice. 

Five voices internally screamed in tandem as five pairs of eyes slowly turned to the couches. Principal Nezu sat there congenially, steaming cup of tea on the table, flipping through the notebook with the most terrifying grin any of them has ever seen stretching across his face. It's one thing if he was just sitting there with his usual polite smile meant to mimic a human's to lower their guards. It's another thing altogether for him to revert to his natural and animalistic one that discards all semblance of human decorum.

He hummed pleasantly and Shouta felt the distinct need to get down onto his knees and cry for mercy. "This is certainly a delightful development. Thank you, Yamada-kun, for bringing this to my attention."

Scratch that. Shouta needed to plan for his eulogy as well as that of everyone else in the room. He needed to coordinate with the rest of the staff fast and tell them to go into hiding before the rat realizes what's going on.

Oh who is he even fooling? He could see that knowing glint in the rat's eyes as he glances at him. He couldn't even begin to plan for his own death because knowing the rat, he's got all sorts of contingency plans in place solely to keep him alive to suffer through whatever chaos the rat is about the wrought forth onto the world.

Goddangit. He hasn't even met the kid and already he was wrecking havoc. And this was just the first day.

"I look forward to seeing his and Shinsou-kun's performance in the festival this year," Nezu smiled, the polite one this time, and handed Zashi back the notebook. He was pale and looked five seconds away from fainting. 

The door closed on the rat's departure with an air of finality that permeated the room. Like the final nail of a coffin, a coffin that would fit whatever remains of the world after Nezu and his soon-to-be protégée get to it.

Shouta clasped his fingers together and propped up his elbows on his desk with a solid thud. He leaned forward and rested against his fingers and took a deep, high-pitched, shuttering breath before slowly letting it out.

"Problem. Child." He gritted out.

"I regret ever being born." Zashi softly moaned. 

"We're doomed," Vlad shook his head. "We are all. So. Doomed."

A few blocks and a train ride away from school, Izuku sneezed. He stopped playing with the Siamese on his lap to wipe his nose underneath his mask. "Weird," he murmured.

Shinsou-kun shrugged, an amused grin stretching across his face. "I wish I asked for a video."

"Video? Of what?"

He leaned back in his seat, petting the tabby on his lap that purred contentedly across his thighs. "Eh. We'll find out tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow? W-wait, Shinsou-kun, wh-wh-what's happening t-t-t-tomorrow?"

"You don't need to know you precious broccoli."

"Broccoli?"

He hushed him. He stared him down and ordered, "Get back to petting. If you stop for even a second, Keiko with scratch your eyeballs out and it is not something you want to happen."

He squeaked and quickly doubled down his focus on running his fingers through the Siamese's fur as he gasped, "Why didn't you say this before she settled on my lap?! You knew this would happen didn't you?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Izuku slams his head against the table with a resounding thud. He hears his friend's breathy chuckles from across him. "I'll get you back for this. Mark my words."

"I'm scared," He dryly replies. "Truly terrified. Petrified. I'm shaking. Here, you can see me quiver."

"Why are you like this?" He moaned.

"You chose to hang out with me. So suffer with cats."

"I never took you for a dramatic person."

"I never thought a sunshine child like you could brood, but I see that we're clearly wrong on both accounts."

"I hate this goddang family."

"Glad to see you're responding well to the treatment."

He pouted but couldn't bring himself to do anything but playfully mope. 

Well, if Shinsou-kun didn't think he could make good on a threat, he's got another thing coming. He's a Midoriya, and Shinsou-kun clearly has never seen his mother in the court room.

He sincerely hopes Shinsou-kun will survive the next two months.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi was going to die.

He wishes he was lying but he's not. He's really not. His lungs were painfully squeezing with every step he took. His mouth was drier than the Sahara. He's lightheaded and the world is spinning and black spots are blinking in and out of his vision. He could barely lift his leg without his entire body screaming in protest.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't take it anymore. He keeled over and collapsed on the grass, the late afternoon heat boiling the sweat on his back and loudly groaned. He barely noticed the crunching grass as someone approached and stopped somewhere off to his left. A finger poked his shoulder and he let out an agonized wail in response.

"Uh. . . Shinsou-kun?"

"Mmrph," He blubbered, not moving.

"Hm . . ." There a brief rustle. "You lasted longer than I thought. Okay, I can up the difficulty of your training then!"

Hitoshi wanted to cry. He really, really did.

"How," He croaked. "You can't be human. I refuse to believe it. No human should be able to run a goddang kilometer without collapsing. You do this hell training every afternoon."

"Well, I actually run five in the mornings and two in the evenings, but it's not so bad!"

"You're a monster," He groaned. "You absolute monster."

"I mean, I tried to go up to ten kilometers that one time, but I ended up collapsing in the end and my mom forbid me from trying again, so . . ."

Hitoshi went down with another agonized wail. What kind of hell did he sign up for again? Who switched out the sunshine child for this demon?!

"Okay, your fifteen minute break is up! Back to my place for a shower?"

"Leave me," He begged. "Let me die in peace."

"Mmm, I could try carrying you back, but then you're way taller than me so how exactly am I going to do this without you getting hurt . . . ?"

"Nope. No. No. Stop right there. I'm getting up," He hissed as he pushed himself off the grass. His legs still felt like jelly and his arms were burning - they were running, so how are his arms sore too? - but he manages to do it after many failed attempts and scrapped palms.

It's been two days since they began Midoriya's poorly titled Sports Festival Training. Hitoshi took the liberty of renaming it as Hell Bootcamp, and no matter how many times Midoriya frantically shakes his head and waves his hands in denial, there will never be a name more aptly suited for this course than that. There's really no better way to describe it. The past two days were filled with test after test, workout after workout, examining everything from his speed to stamina to flexibility and strength. It's overwhelming to say the least. What's even more flabberghasting is seeing Midoriya go through all of it effortlessly. Speed? Blink and you'll miss. Stamina? This run. Flexibility? He did the splits. Strength? He literally bench pressed him like the insane son of a witch he was.

He still has mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he's happy to know the bush baby wasn't as much of a baby as he thought. On the other hand, he's a hundred and seventy-seven centimeters tall and his much tinier friend could bench press him like it's nothing.Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

And on a tinier, much more annoying note, his stomach does flip flops and his hapless heart starts beating a little faster whenever that memory flits into his mind.

Yes, Midoriya is mildly attractive. Yes, he has nice muscles. Yes, Hitoshi has eyes that can clearly appreciate other human beings and objectively call them cute without any of that romantic bull thrown in, but apparently logic wasn't going to work because he's stuck with a puppy crush on his newfound friend.

He huffs a sigh.

He'll get over it in a week or so like all the ones before.

Midoriya took opened the door to his apartment and cheerily called out, "I'm home!"

Dead silence rang out in reply. But of course the resident sunshine boy doesn't even bat an eye to it. He just hums a happy little tune as he skips inside and calls out over his shoulder, "You can take the shower first! It's on the first door to the left, and your bag is already inside!"

Hitoshi wearily groaned in lieu of a proper response. You know, something a decent human being would do.

He shambled over to door where he thought the bathroom was but found himself face first in a pile of coats. He frowns as it takes a moment to process this, but after it clicked he tried again with the next door. And then the next. And the next. And the next.

So, at this point he realizes that he's an idiot because his exhaustion-addled brain was checking all the doors on the right. And so he about faces and marches back down the way he came from before finally managing to open the right door. He unzips his trusty duffel bag on the small counter and rummages through his items until he comes across a plastic shopping bag to hold his sweaty workout clothes in (as nice as Midoriya is, Hitoshi was not going to take advantage of his kindness any more than he already has), which he quickly peels himself out of with a grimace. At a glance, you would've thought that he took a swim or something because that was how drenched his clothes were.

He frowned. He held his shirt up over the sink, bunched it up, twisted it, and - oh, nope, no that is so gross. He quickly wiped down the sink, chucked his clothes in the bag and tied it shut for when he got back to his current foster house, and swiftly took a shower before changing back into a comfortable t-shirt and jeans combo. He slung his duffle over this shoulder and exited the bathroom, walking further into the apartment as he called, "Midoriya, the shower is ready."

There was a grunt from one of the rooms further down and a familiar voice called back, "One sec! Just need to finish this last set! You can watch tv in the living room if you want!"

"Thanks."

He walked down the hall and into an open area. He set his bag onto the floor and flopped down onto the green sofa. He was pleasantly surprised that he sank down comfortably into the cushions - not too much that he was swimming, but just enough to sap the exhaustion from his muscles. He hummed. The Midoriya's knew how to pick them, that's for sure.

A door opened. He sat up and turned towards the noise while dryly asking, "So, Midoriya, what wicked things will you do to me now that I'm in your home alone - "

He choked halfway through his sentence and wheezed because oh my Kami what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh - ?!

"Shinsou-kun! A-are you okay? U-uh, let me grab some water for you!"

"No! No, um," He coughed and covered his mouth. He pointedly looked away from Midoriya - what the freaking heck that's Midoriya? - and took a deep breath. His face and neck were burning. He would bet that his pale skin wasn't doing anything to hide the violent flush either. He groaned and dragged a hand over his face. "S-Sorry. I - I wasn't expecting to s-see you without your mask or sunglasses on."

"Huh? Oh! Oh, um. Yeah. That. I normally take them off when I'm home and I kind of forgot."

Hitoshi risked a traitorous glance at the boy, and oh no. His earlier assessment of Midoriya was a lie because Izuku Midoriya didn't do "cute." "Cute" was reserved for boys in passing with nice smiles and puppy dog tails. "Cute" was for Izuku Midoriya when he got flustered from Hitoshi's teasing and pouted.

"Cute" was not used to describe Midoriya post-workout with his face completely uncovered. He was goddang gorgeous. Dark green curls that framed a well-defined face with soft edges and lines. Bright green eyes with dark pink centers underneath thick lashes, wide and innocent. A cute little button nose, plush dark pink lips, and - oh shiz, are those freckles?! Oh Kami, he has freckles! Little golden dots splattered in a constellation across his cheeks and his nose and some on his bare shoulders. And that was when his mind helpfully reminded him that - ah, yes - Midoriya was completely shirtless and sweaty which should have been gross but gave him a glossy sheen that highlighted his nicely defined pecs and biceps and that freaking six-pack -

"Sh-Shinsou-kun?"

Hitoshi forcefully ejected himself out of that train of thought before it could get any worse. He turned away and tightly gripped the back of his neck to ground himself. "Y-yeah, Midoriya?" He cursed himself internally for his voice cracking near the end.

"S-sorry, I d-didn't know my appearance w-would be so s-surprising," It took a moment for him to notice his tone. He immediately frowned. Alarm bells rang off in his head, because the other boy sounded so. . . dejected? But why would - ? "B-But that's okay! I-I can g-go back t-to w-w-wearing my mask and g-glasses when y-you're around if i-it makes y-y-you feel more c-comfortable . . ."

Hitoshi nearly recoils from the sheer horror at what he was implying and vehemently said, "No."

"O-Oh, um, I-I'll just - I'll just get g-g-going then -"

"Midoriya, wait," Hitoshi pinches the bridge of his nose and gritted his teeth. He dragged his eyes away from the aimless spot on the ground and into the deep, green forests that made up Midoriya's wide, hurt eyes. Hitoshi takes a moment to breath and collect his thoughts. He nervously licks his lips, prepping the words on the tip of his tongue. He's a master wordsmith. A product of needing to talk around questions or with them in defense. He knows the words to get under a person's skin and strike at their deepest insecurities, but right now he needed to use those words not to hurt but to soothe.

"Sorry, I-I was just startled," his eyes flickered away as an embarrassed blush crawled up his neck again but forced himself to look back again. Maintain eye contact. Show him that you're sincere. "This is the first time I've seen you without your face covered and it's . . . nice," he bit his lip and took another deep breath. "You look better without them."

Midoriya's eyes widened just a fraction. His soft lips parted slightly. "O-oh," he simply said. A blush filled his cheeks and - ahahaha, there goes Hitoshi's heart. The tense lines in his shoulders faded into a relieved slump. His lips curled up in a small smile that shot right through Hitoshi's heart and he had to keep himself from whimpering.

"Thanks Shinsou-kun."

Hitoshi resolutely kept his mouth shut and nodded, no longer trusting his frazzled brain to speak. He turned back to the black tv screen as quiet footsteps pattered across the wooden floor behind him. He heard the door click shut. There was a squeak followed by the hiss of running water.

He took a deep breath. He crawled over to one of the throw pillows on the couch and gently burrowed his face into it, tightly holding onto the edges.

He screamed.

He wanted to bash his head repeatedly against the table. No, wait, scratch that. He wanted to defenestrate himself. Just march up to the nearest window, crack it open, and yeet. It doesn't matter if they're on the sixth floor. He'll gladly welcome death with open arms because there's not a chance in all the world he was going to be dealing with all of this right now. Because yes, objectively Midoriya is pretty. He is really pretty. As in he should be on the front page cover of those teen fashion magazines kind of pretty, and it didn't help that he has freckles. Did Hitoshi know he had a thing for freckles? No. But apparently Izuku freaking Midoriya, like everything else in Hitoshi's life, flipped his world upside-down once more with the knowledge that he had a thing for goddang freckles. Dark stars on tanned skin that Hitoshi wanted to sit down and count. And there were so many. And he even had them on his shoulders! And it was doing things to Hitoshi's heart and gut that he did not want. Ugh, this is great. Fantastic even. He was not going to fall for Midoriya. He. Was. Not.

He's just objectively hot. That's it. That's all it has to be. Midoriya is stunning like the sun rises from the east each day. It's an objective fact. Sakura petals are pink, the ocean is blue, and Izuku Midoriya is a strikingly attractive person.

He huffs, nodding to himself.

Okay. He can do this. He can do this. There's nothing wrong with finding out that your friend is really handsome. It's just a little fact that adds onto what you already know about the person. Nothing has to be weird between them. It. Will. Be. Fine.

The door clicked open and footsteps approached the living room. He steeled his nerves and casually turned to Midoriya with the most apathetic countenance he could muster.

Midoriya stared back at him with his green eyes glittering. They crinkled at the edges from the wide, beaming smile on his face. His hair was damp and the curls clumped together at the ends. Droplets dripped off the edges and landed on his neck, racing down the expanse of tanned skin before disappearing underneath the neckline of his loose tank top.

Right. Hitoshi could handle this. No sweat.

"I'm going to grab a drink of water."

"Glasses are in the dishwater, and there's a pitcher in the fridge!"

He nodded mutely, and he would vehemently deny that it was because his mouth was dry and his tongue was tied. He's just thirsty. That's all.

"Okay, so, if I switch this with tofu instead of pork chops he'll still be able to obtain the necessary protein for a cheaper cost . . ."

"You're mumbling."

Midoriya nodded but didn't let up from his mumble storm at the dining table. He had a laptop propped in front of him and a new notebook he scribbled at mach speed in. He somehow managed to set this up while Hitoshi was in the kitchen not have a gay panic, so he couldn't tell you how long Midoriya's been going on for. "Diet plan. You need to eat more and build some muscles. I'm assuming it's all lean since you're planning on going into Underground Heroics and be an ambush and speed-based hero, so there's no need for you to have the muscle mass of heroes like All Might . . ."

Hitoshi grimaced at the image. "I can't see myself as a body builder with swollen muscles."

He nodded absently, still scribbling away. "That's what I thought too! You said earlier that you have no allergies, right?"

"Yup. Nothing."

"Okay, so I can add peanut butter here and yogurt over there. . ."

Hitoshi set his empty glass in the sink and walked over, peering over his shoulder. He whistled. "You're going all out with this."

"Of course! It's crucial to maintain a proper diet in order to condition your body where it needs to be and we only have two months to do it! And this is counting cheat days for downtime and junk food too!"

". . . This is about you too," Hitoshi cautiously pointed out, setting his glass down on the table. "We're both aiming to win the festival to transfer into Class 1-A. I need to train my body more, but you need to train your quirk too. I've known my quirk since I was four, and judging from that guy's reaction at the cafeteria, you've known for less."

Midoriya grimaced. "I mean, it's n-not as b-bad as Kacchan m-m-made it out to be. I-I've known for a-about th-three years - "

"What," his mind blanked. "So you must have had a lot of practice during Junior High then."

"N-not really? I-I have to kiss someone, b-b-but normally no one would ever want to do that since I was the Quirkless loser back then and Kacchan made sure everyone stayed away -"

"Midoriya, please, just, stop," Hitoshi sighed and reigned in his anger. He'll have plenty of time to humiliate and beat the life out of Kacchan on live television during the Sports Festival later, but - Kami. This was painful to hear. "You're a good person. Screw Kacchan, because you were never Quirkless. You just had a weird way to activate your quirk. Take a break. We're training your quirk."

Midoriya froze. His face turned crimson and covered his face with a squeak. "B-But Shinsou-kun! Y-you know how my quirk activates! Th-that means that we have to-to-to-!"

"Kiss," he bluntly stated. "Smack. Lock lips. I'm aware and I don't care. A quirk is a quirk and you need to learn how to use yours," he paused. A thought flitted into his mind and he tensed. "Or we could find a girl to help you instead. If kissing me makes you uncomfortable-"

"I'm pan."

"Oh," Hitoshi murmured. A huge weight lifted off him and he relaxed. "Hi pan, I'm gay."

Midoriya wheezed and doubled over in a fit of giggles. "That was terrible."

"I can get you a pan from the kitchen so that you can both be buddies."

"Oh Kami, Toshi, stop," he giggled and Hitoshi froze.

He swallowed and looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh . . . you called me Toshi just now."

The laughter abruptly stopped. Hitoshi didn't need to glance over to notice the rising panic and the string of apologies that would follow. "It's fine. I don't mind. Just . . . Caught me off guard."

"Oh, thank Kami!" He sighed, sagging into his seat. He looked back up at him and beamed. "You can call me Izuku then! Or another nickname. If I can call you Toshi, you can call me however you want too."

He grinned. "Broccoli Boy."

He squawked indignantly and yelled, "Wait, I didn't mean it like that - !"

"Green Bean. Bush Baby - "

He sputtered even more and gasped, "Bush Baby?!"

Hitoshi snickered. The smaller boy wailed in response and collapsed on the tabletop with a groan. Hitoshi huffed and decided to take mercy on him for once, otherwise they'll be here for the entire day. "So. Quirk training. Give me the rundown, Izuku."

He turned his head and gave him a cute (not cute, not cute) pout. He sat back up and scrunched his face up in concentration, his nose twitching adorably as he thought. "It activates by lip-to-lip contact and makes the person more susceptible to requests maybe? Um, it doesn't last any more than a day, but there's a lot of variables since I've only ever used it to try and get away . . ."

Hitoshi nodded, tactfully ignoring that last part. More reasons why Kacchan was the scum of the Earth. "You can figure it out now that you have a willing subject. Tell me the rules. Like, stuff you want to avoid doing that will make you uncomfortable."

Izuku looked so terribly confused that Hitoshi wanted to punch Kacchan even more. He sighed. "For example," he wearily droned. "I assume you don't want to sit on my lap and have my tongue shoved down your throat - "

There was a wheeze and choking sound before Izuku managed to cough out, "No! No! Definitely not! Okay, um. . ." He screwed his face and clenched his eyes shut, hunching over and muttering at speeds incomprehensible to anyone who could hear it. "Okay. I'll just. . . Give you peck. And see where that goes. I-is that okay with you?"

He grunted and nodded, flushing a little that someone was being considerate of him for once. "Just don't have me do anything too embarrassing. I don't want to know that I was twerking out in public."

Izuku gaped and started sputtering. "Toshi!" 

He huffed in amusement. "Are you going to hurry up and kiss me or . . . ?"

He pouted up at him. Hitoshi grinned victoriously in response. The green-haired boy stood up from the table and guided him over to the couch to sit down. Then it all came crashing back as to what he was about to do, and oh no, Hitoshi did not need his disaster gay self rearing it's ugly head because his stupidly attractive friend was about to kiss him for his quirk to work.

Huh. When you put it that way -

His brain blanked as Izuku rested a tentative hand on his shoulder. He willfully ignored the pounding in his chest and stared up at Izuku standing in front of him instead, which in hindsight wasn't helpful, because he was a little too transfixed on the way his plush lower lip was snagged in between pearly white teeth. Izuku took a deep, shaky breath. The smaller boy pushed on Hitoshi's shoulder until the taller boy was lying with his back flush against the back of the couch. He tilted his face turned up to the other boy, carefully keeping a blank face. Izuku leaned forward and paused, then cursed as he adjusted his balance. He propped a knee on the couch beside Hitoshi's leg and his other hand on the back on the couch next to his head. It took all of his concentration not to dwell on the fact that Izuku had effectively caged him in. Instead, he redirected his scattered focus to his ridiculously pretty face and the freckles across his cheeks as he leaned in closer, his expression a strange mix of fear and determination. Hitoshi could feel his hot breath ghosting across his lips. He hesitated as a part of himself screamed to run away, but he swiftly shut the thought down. He closed his eyes and waited.

Soft lips pressed against his without warning. It was warm. He was warm. Hitoshi focused on clenching and unclenching his fists because if he focused on anything else he was sure to keel over from the embarrassment. Then as quickly as they came they left again, and Hitoshi found himself instinctively leaning forward to chase the sensation before forcing himself to stop. He blinked his eyes open owlishly. Izuku was standing back up now, fidgeting nervously and eyes darting between him and the floor.

"Toshi . . . ?"

He blinked again. A pleasant buzz pervaded his senses and left him feeling high and dry. There was something missing. Something important that would make him complete and - 

Oh.

The tension in his shoulders melted away like the snow on a warm spring day. He smiled, gazing fondly at the enchanting boy with constellation freckles and emerald peepers in front of him. "I love you, Izuku. I really do."

His jaw dropped. Hitoshi tilted his head, wondering why. Izuku's hands slapped over his mouth (Hitoshi really wanted to hold them and lace their fingers together) and made a high-pitched keening note he usually made when he was flustered, which was cute. He was mumbling up a storm and Hitoshi found himself leaning in towards the sound. He wished he could understand what he was saying because his thoughts were so fascinating. The way Izuku could deconstruct issues and swiftly devise a step-by-step solution to resolve it was awe-inspiring, and his determination to go above and beyond what was asked left him breathless. It was endearing and lulling. He would fall asleep to one of his mumbling sessions if he wasn't trying so hard to parse through the stream of words for something coherent.

A groan snapped him out of his thoughts. Izuku was crouched down on the floor with his hands fisted in his hair. Hitoshi frowned.

"Hey," His brow furrowed. He reached out and slipped his hand underneath Izuku's and gently pried his fingers away from the soft emerald curls. He threaded their fingers together and tugged him back up so that he was kneeling instead of curled up in that uncomfortable position he was before. Hitoshi smiled and brought Izuku's hand up to his cheek and nuzzled into it, still gazing dreamily into those wide, emerald eyes. "There. That's better. You shouldn't hurt yourself like that, sweetheart. You're like a diamond yet to be unearthed - you shine so brilliantly, but you're so far hidden from the world. It's yet to recognize the precious star sequestered in its dark depths. Your light touches everyone even when they don't see it, like you did to me all those days ago. So please, take care of yourself. It would hurt to see your shine dull."

Hitoshi turned his head and rested a chaste kiss on the back of Izuku's hand. It's warm and soft and rough with callouses. It's perfect and so incredibly comforting. When was the last time he was able to touch someone like this without getting hurt? In fact, when was the last time anyone has ever touched him without the intent of hurting him in some way?

His gaze flitted to Izuku. Dear, sweet, amazing Izuku who has shown nothing but kindness these past few days, and he smiled. "I love you, Izuku. You're a ray of sunshine in the dark. I'm glad that I met you."

"Toshi. . . "

Hitoshi stopped, eyes wide. Izuku's face fell and he looked so hurt. Did Hitoshi do something wrong? What did he do wrong? Why was Izuku sad? Maybe everyone was right after all, maybe all he could do is hurt and hurt and hurt -

"No, Toshi, this is my quirk making you feel this way. None of what you're feeling is actually real."

His head shot up, horrified. "Th-that's not true! I love you! I love you so much that it hurts, Izuku!"

His eyes widened, panicked, and he quickly said, "Okay, okay, I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset. Oh boy," He sagged down to the ground and Hitoshi relaxed. That's great. Izuku wasn't going to leave him too. "Um. . . Toshi?"

He hummed contentedly.

"Can-can you let go of my hand now?"

He hummed once more and softly said, "Of course, love." Hitoshi flipped Izuku's hand and planted a quick, chaste kiss on the warm pulse on his wrist. He let go and snuggled into the couch, watching and waiting owlishly at the most wonderful boy in the entire world.

Said boy wanted nothing more than to bury his head into the sand at Dagobah. And no, it's no longer a dump, he cleaned it out six months ago so now it's a very nice tourist attraction and landed him and his mother with enough cash to pay for his high school tuition.

He groaned and flopped back on the floor.

"You alright, Izuku?"

He groaned even louder and turned over, away from his purple-haired friend. He huffed. He hopped back on his feet and stared down at Toshi, who cocked his head and was looking at him with all the innocence of a small child. Which was . . . a sentence he'd never thought he'd say about Toshi.

Okay. He really needed to find a way to break this. Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .

"Often times, quirks that affect the state of another person or object will cancel out after a set amount of time, conscious deactivation, or a specific action that may or may not be related to the action that activates the quirk. It's possible that there can be multiple deactivation methods. My quirk requires a specific contact-based action to activate it. . . Previous attempts show that there is a time-out feature, but it's unclear how long that'll take . . . Um. . ." Ideas and plans flitted around in his head, popping up and then being discarded in a whirlwind of thoughts. He checked the timer on his phone. "It's been ten minutes so far, so it's safe to assume this isn't a short-term effect but a temporary long-term one. Let's try . . . conscious deactivation method?"

He screwed his eyes shut and concentrated. He shifted through his consciousness to see if he could find any connection that was made between him and Toshi. Nothing in the mind, or around the chest, or fingers or arms. He sighed. If there was a way to consciously deactivate his quirk, it wasn't available to him like this right now. That leaves a specific action that would cancel out his quirk, but those can be difficult to discern. Not to mention if it requires a more conscious thought to cancel it out as well . . .

His nodded to himself. He took out one of his older notebooks with the sparse notes of his quirk on the page. He scribbled the a list of the likeliest options to try out from and nodded. "Okay. Aside from the time-based deactivation method, let's see what other active methods I can try out. First one, a kiss in a specific area."

He flushed. He tried kissing himself first to see if the deactivation method would only relate to him only. Back of both hands, on the wrists, kissing one of his fingers and planting that on his cheek - nope. This was going to involve Toshi. He struggled to push down his embarrassment and glanced at him. Dark violet eyes peered lovingly back into his and the edges of his lips quirked up. To an outsider, it looked like they were lovers. Hitoshi really looked like he actually . . . loved him.

. . . But then again, those outsiders wouldn't have seen the the dark pink pupils that replaced the white ones in Toshi's eyes. Izuku made a note to write it down later - it's helpful to see a visible indicator of his quirk being active.

Izuku sat down next to him. Toshi's eyes darted to the hand on his lap and he made a move to grab it. He paused halfway and tensed, eyes darting to Izuku's in silent permission. He smiled a little and overturned his hand so the palm faced upwards. Toshi's face lit up (well, his eyes went a little wider and his smile grew a little more) and he slipped his hand into Izuku's and threaded their fingers together, humming happily.

"Okay," Izuku murmured, face scrunched up in thought. Toshi's thumb was gently caressing the side of his hand. "Hey Toshi, I'm going to be kissing you on your hand and your cheek. Fair warning."

He paused in his ministrations. He ducked his head and brought a hand to his mouth, the pale skin of his neck and face dying a rosy shade of pink. He mumbled something, violet irises shyly flickering to his and back down to the ground again. Izuku took it as a sign to continue. He brought Hitoshi's hand up to his lips and quickly kissed the back of his hand. "Toshi, I want you to look at me and not turn away."

Wide, violet eyes snapped to his. Nope, the pink pupils were still there. Izuku flipped over Hitoshi's wrist and kissed there. A beat passed, but his pupils didn't turn white. Izuku frowned. He let go of Toshi's hand and grabbed his chin, tilting his head up to face him and not the ground, and quickly kissed his forehead. Toshi's breath stuttered as Izuku pulled back, critically inspecting his eyes for any change (still none!), before ducking his head down and pecking his cheek.

Goddangit, the pink pupils were still there. Izuku internally cursed. There's just one option left then. If this is the one that'll deactivate his quirk, he's going to cry because his quirk couldn't make things even more awkward than they already are.

His hand moved from Toshi's chin to cup his cheek. The other boy stiffened beneath him and -wow this is the most petrified he's ever seen of him, but hopefully it wouldn't stay that way for long. He quickly pressed his lips onto Toshi's and moved away, fingers crossed, because he really didn't know what to do if this didn't work.

A beat passed.

Then two, and three.

Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Nothing changed and Toshi's pupils were still dark pink. Izuku groaned and pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. This is bad. Really bad. He doesn't know how long Toshi is going to be stuck in this lovesick state and it's already been half an hour. So either he didn't hit the right action for deactivation, or the only way for his quirk to wear off is to wait. This is going to be trouble. Uh. . .

"Um, Toshi? C-Can you c-call your parents and tell them y-you're staying here? I-I'm sorry, I don't know when this will go away and it's really not safe for you to go home in this state - "

"It's fine," He distractedly replied, reaching out for Izuku's hand again. "They won't notice if I'm gone for the night. Or even a month, really."

". . . I-I'm sorry, could you please repeat that?"

"Like I said, it's fine," He hummed, grabbing hooking one of his fingers with Izuku's, as he stood there, frozen, trying to process that statement. "I don't like it there. It's always so empty and lonely, and they never let me speak. At least there's no muzzle this time. I'd rather stay here with you instead, Izuku."

"Huh," He wheezed, still reeling from the bombshell Hitoshi just casually dropped on him. That's it. There's no way Hitoshi was ever going to go home now. Not tonight. "O-okay then. L-let me just step out for a bit to call my mom then and tell her that you're staying."

"Can I come with you?"

"Uhhh . . ." Izuku's brain helpfully supplied. "I think it's better if you stayed here. Um, grab a drink of water for yourself if you want. I won't be long."

Hitoshi hunched in his seat. He crossed his arms and looked at him nervously. "Promise you'll come back?"

Oh Kami. Okay, this was a thing. Izuku wanted nothing more than to sweep him up into a hug and drown him with blankets and mugs of tea and hot chocolate. And also punt his parents into next Tuesday, but that's something neither here nor there and his mother wouldn't be hell-bent on achieving anyways.

"I'll come back, Hitoshi," He smiled. "You won't have to worry about me leaving."

He perked up, already looking more hopeful. "Okay. I trust you, Izuku."

His words stabbed him in the chest. Izuku swallowed thickly, shoving down the feelings as soon as they bubbled up to the surface. It hurt because Hitoshi said that with so much sincerity poured into that one little sentence, and he knew he only said that because that was his quirk talking. But he couldn't let Toshi see how it affected him. He smiled a little brighter instead and hoped that it would suffice. "Alright. Be back soon."

He briskly walked to his room and quickly shut the door closed and locked it. He fished his phone out of his pocket and speed-dialed the top number on his list of three contacts. His fingers drummed impatiently as the phone rang before there was a click and a voice fretted, "Izuku baby? Is something wrong? Where are you? I'll pick you up and we can go home."

He let out a little laugh. "Don't worry, mom, I'm fine. Honest. It's, um, it's someone else that I'm worried about."

The resulting conversation was. . . Interesting to say the least. She was thrilled, then curious, then downright murderous, before bouncing back into clinically analytical as she summed up the situation as, Keep a close eye on Shinsou-kun and invite him over as much as he can without arousing his parents' suspicions. I'll look for more information on my end about the poor boy, and I expect to hear a weekly report of his behavior at school if you wouldn't mind. Also, is this the same boy you've been gushing about since the beginning of school? You know where the condoms are, right sweetie - ?

"Thanks mom!" He pointedly yelled into the receiver before she could get anything else out. "I'll see you when you get home!"

He ended the call and melted into his chair. He ran a hand through his hair and pursed his lips in intense concentration, mulling over how he was going to deal with a lovestruck Toshi. He was not looking forward for more blackmail material to give her.

A quiet knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. He looked at the door in confusion. "Toshi?"

". . . Can I come in?"

"Um," Izuku scrambled to get in a more presentable position in his chair and wound up cross-legged on his seat while tightly gripping his ankles. "Y-yup! Door's open."

The knob turned. The door charily creaked in an ominous opening that did not sit well with his stomach. Hitoshi immediately locked gazes with him and - wait. Wait wait wait wait wait. Izuku squinted at him but the taller boy tensed and turned away. A hand came up to anxiously rub the back of his neck, mouth twisted in a wince. " . . . Y-your quirk wore off. A while ago after you left."

Izuku gaped. Then his mind started back up and he scrambled for his phone, fumbling with the on button before pulling up the timer application and swiftly ending the stopwatch.

Thirty-eight minutes and fifteen point two-eight seconds.

He leaned back in his chair and started thinking. "Toshi, how long would you say it's been since you snapped out of my quirk?"

"Uh . . . right after you left? Maybe half a minute or something," he mumbled, still rubbing his neck.

That sparked a whole new slew of questions for Izuku. Maybe the deactivation method didn't have to do with kissing but instead . . .

He nodded to himself, plan laid out. He whipped back to the boy standing there, frozen underneath his blazing stare and demanded, "Toshi-kun, could you sit on my bed?"

He cocked an eyebrow. It was like a switch had flipped. His stance rearranged itself into something distinctly suggestive and he had a sultry smirk on his face. "Oh?" His voice pitched low and practically purred in a way that send pleasant shivers down Izuku's spine. Moreso than his usual voice anyways. "You certainly don't waste any time, Midoriya. I thought this would be on our second date."

He gawked. He sputtered and wildly waved his arms. "T-Toshi, no! I-I didn't mean it like that! Oh my Kami, I swear, I'm not that type of person - !"

"Relax Midoriya, I'm teasing you," He plopped down on the bed. He crossed his ankles and leaned back with his hands on the bed behind him. His head cocked appraisingly. "What are you testing this time?"

"Deactivation method," He automatically answered, thankful for the change of subject. He crossed out his old theories and wrote in new ones. "Also, didn't we agree to call each other by our first names? Or, wait, is there an amnesiac portion of the quirk? Toshi, can you tell me everything you remember after our first kiss?"

He paused. "Y-you kissed me more than once?"

"Hm . . . So it appears that there is an amnesiac portion -"

"Stop Mi - Izuku," He huffed. "You're. . . half right. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I sort of knew what was going on. I know there was a lot of hand-holding and talking on my part. I don't know what I said though."

"Interesting," He thought aloud, rapidly jotting down all the new data in a new entry. "So subjects are left with a vague recollection of the events afterwards. Kissing again yielded no additional effects to the first time, so - Oh! Oh, right! Toshi, hold still for a second, I'm going to kiss you."

"Wh - ? Mrph!"

Izuku bounced away this time, staring intently into Toshi's wide eyes as the white pupils slowly flooded with a dark pink hue. His countenance smoothed out once more and he gazed tenderly at Izuku, the edges of his lips curled up as he softly confessed, "Izuku, I love -"

"Stay there," He commanded. "Don't move from your spot. Start talking. It - it can be about anything you want, just keep talking until I ask otherwise, okay?"

Toshi giggled and nodded amicably, still swooning. Izuku started walking away and out of his room while Toshi started musing, "Hmm, how do I even begin to describe your beauty in a way that will reach you? You're like a melody, airy and soothing - "

He kept walking until he was all the way to the front door to the house. He was about to open the door and leave when suddenly, the muffled chattering that filled the apartment stopped. Izuku immediately came rushing back to his room and called out, "Toshi? You good?"

"Yeah," he grunted. An arm was thrown over his eyes and his ears were markedly red. "It was faster to break out of this time."

"That's good," He murmured, pacing in a familiar path along the length of his room. "So distance plays a factor in this - no, wait, that can't be it. I had to walk further from Toshi the second time versus the first, and if that's the case then Toshi would still be under the effects of my quirk. So it has to be a variable that sometimes overlaps with the need for distance, or maybe there is a set distance and there's just a time delay before the subject can break out of my quirk, so . . . okay. Toshi, can you go back to the spot you were at on the couch?"

"Mmm," he stood up and trudged back to the living room behind the smaller boy mumbling up a hurricane. He plunked down and watched as Izuku pointed his pencil to his room and the kitchenette with steely determination. "Toshi, I'm going to kiss you again."

He nodded back wearily, already getting used to the green-haired boy marching up to him, smacking him on the lips, and pull away like it didn't make Hitoshi's heart skip beats. An already-familiar buzz permeated his senses and his body forcefully relaxed. He opened his eyes and stared longingly at Izuku, dear sweet lovely Izuku, and he hummed contentedly. "I love you Izuku. No words can put to rest these emotions. I love you, more than the oceans are vast and the sky is endless. If time is infinite, I would want to spend every bit of it with you and demand more because it would never be enough."

"Toshi . . ."

He chuckled airily, cherishing the bright red flush that covered his lover's lovely face. "Yes, my dear sweet strawberry?"

"Oh Kami," he groaned, running a dainty hand through those luscious viridian wisps. "And why a strawberry?"

"Your face is red, your hair is green, and you're sweet and small and cute. Just like a strawberry."

"You never act like this out of the lovestruck state."

"That's because this is for you and you alone."

He smiled dopily at his lover. Izuku pulled something out of his pocket and checked the time, and his nose scrunched up in that adorable way only he could do whenever he was deep in thought. It reminded him of one of the alley cats he named when he was nine, Mittens, because she scrunched up her nose too and kept playfully batting his scarves and mittens.

Too bad she got run over by a car soon after.

"Hm . . . Okay, not distance with a delay deactivation aspect to it. So that just leaves. . ." He murmured. "Toshi, can you cover your eyes and turn the other way? Oh, and keep talking until I say otherwise."

"Mmm," He pouted. He didn't want to look away. He wanted to keep staring at Izuku. He wanted to hold his hand, and hug him, and if he could work up the courage, maybe even kiss him if that was okay with him. Izuku already kissed him a bunch of times, so that stood for something right?

His resolve wavered as the fuzziness in his mind steadily deepened into his mind.

Wait, Izuku asked something of him, didn't he? Right, he should do that.

He hummed and turned around, thinking of something to talk about and decided to settle on his favorite topic of all time. "Izuku, what do you want your nickname to be? Zuku? Zuzu? Zuchan? Izu? Oh! What about bunny? You're just as cute as o-"

He paused. The haze over his mind blasted away in a tornado and left him feeling unnaturally hyperaware of everything. A steady blush overtook his face as the blurry memories fell into place, one by one and he groaned.

". . . Ten seconds," Izuku murmured breathlessly. "That's it! That's how my quirk deactivates! I just need to break away from the subject's line of sight for ten seconds and it'll wear off! Toshi, I'm going to kiss you again to reconfirm this!"

Hitoshi kept a carefully blank face even though he was weeping and banging his head against the wall on the inside. It's official. Hitoshi's death will not be at the hands of Izuku's Hell Bootcamp training. His death will come from tender touches, soft kisses, and a smattering of freckles paired with a blinding smile.

Izuku kissed him again and the world turned pink.

He was so screwed.

An image of Izuku I made, so you can all understand Hitoshi's gay panic!

Chapter Text

Izuku was having a no good, very bad day. This morning he woke up to his mirror shattering on sight as he brushed his teeth. Then he found out his face mask was somehow shredded in the dryer last night, and all the other ones were still in the washer. Then on his way to school, a black cat had fallen from the sky, literally dropped out of nowhere onto his face, and knocked his glasses off where they crunched underneath a passing salaryman's shoes without so much as an apology.

And then when he actually gets to school, the entire front gate is crowded with reporters clambering about All Might's presence in U.A. Now normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal because most people tended to forget his existence when his face was completely covered.

Except now his bare face was on full display for the general public. And that's how he found himself swarmed by a sea of reporters shrieking over each other, cameras shoving into his face, and lights flashing in and out of his vision like shutterbugs while he was trying to stop himself from having a panic attack on live tv.

News flash - he's failing miserably.

"Excuse me, sorry! Pardon me . . . Oh, no. Can you hear me? Nod if you can answer . . . This isn't good. Iida! Can you distract the media?"

"Of course, Uraraka! Ahem." A breath. "Excuse me, but what do you all hope to accomplish by crowding the entrance like this?! You are disturbing the tranquility of this esteemed establishment and disrupting the learning of my fellow peers that have worked tirelessly to secure a seat at this school! As adults, have you no shame for impeding on the education of the next generation you are supposed to raise - ?!"

Something draped over his head and world turned blessedly dark. The cacophony of shutters and clicks and screaming inquiries were still there but gradually faded into white noise. Izuku could register the tug on his jacket sleeve guiding him away from the area to who knows where. His mind was stuffed with cotton and any information on his surroundings were jumbled up on the way to his brain. He was submerged underwater on dry land, voices of those around him warped and unrecognizable.

His hearing caught on one sound that sounded vaguely recognizable. It was deep and  mellifluous, something that reminded him of . . . a siren?

" ku - ening? Pl - ans - ?"

A name flitted through his mind unbidden and wound around his tongue. It slipped out of his mouth before he knew it. A haze dominated his mind, but it was different from the one before. Whereas the previous one made him feel alone and disconnected from the world, this time there was a tether that told him he wasn't alone. He reached out to grasp it, but it dropped before he could get a hold. Izuku blinked, his senses slowly returning, one by one, until he was able to take in his surroundings.

The sharp scent of antiseptic. The minty aftertaste of this morning's toothpaste. The course fabric of the jacket over his head. A shock of gravity-defying purple hair and a worried face in front of him. Multiple voices flooding in all at once.

" - best if you go to class, dearies. It looks like he's coming out of it now thanks to his friend, so you don't have to worry your pretty little heads about it. I can tell you how he's doing later if you want. Kami knows how often you hero kids wind up here anyways."

The last part was muttered underneath someone's breath. Izuku looked over and gasped, eyes sparkling as he yelled, "Ohmygosh, it's the Youthful Heroine: Recovery Girl! You have the highest rate of successfully recovered patients amongst all those in the medical field! There's no one in the medical industry that hasn't been influenced by you in some way! I have so many questions about your quirk! Is it true that it doesn't matter where you kiss the patient as long as there is skin contact? Do you experience quirk exhaustion or does your quirk somehow transfer some of the patient's energy into your own to make up for the difference? How far can you stretch your lips to reach a patient? I know your quirk hastens the healing factor of the patient, but doesthatalsoapplytoillnessesbornfrommicroscopicorganismsorareyoulimitedtohealingfracturesandlacerationsinthebodybecauseIwouldimagineyouwouldbeinhighdemandduringapandemic-!"

A cough knocked him out of his rant. He flushed as three pairs of eyes stared at him with wide eyes and Toshi gave him a dead stare that silently asked, Why are you like this?

"S-sorry," He hunched over and played with his fingers. "I-I g-g-got a little t-t-too e-excited there. Hahaha . . ."

"It's alright, dearie," Recovery Girl smiled and hobbled over on her syringe cane. "It's good to see you have so much energy now! Do you feel ready to go to class or would you rather stay here in the infirmary for a little longer? I can write a note for your friend to bring to your teacher to explain your absence."

"I-I'm fine, th-there's no need to do th-th-that!" He waved his hands. "B-b-but thank y-y-you very m-much for o-offering!"

She clicked her tongue. "Oh nonsense, dearie! It is my duty as a practitioner to make sure you students are well and in top shape! Now, off you go. To homeroom, then, the whole lot of you!"

Izuku and Hitoshi as well as the two others in the room were ushered out of the room. Recovery sternly gazed at Izuku from the open door. He gulped.

"Now. You come back here if you feel faint any time today, you hear? My door is always open."

"Y-yes ma'am!" He squeaked.

She nodded, her stern expression melting back into a kind smile. "Alright then. You dears enjoy your day!"

The door closed on their faces and they stood there, standing dumbly out in the hallway.

"Soooooo."

One of the other students that was in the room with him and Toshi, a brunnette with a bob cut and a pink blush on her cheeks grinned awkwardly at him. "Those reporters sure were something, huh?"

"Indeed!" The other one, a tall guy with short blue hair, glasses, and a stern expression nodded resolutely. "It's astounding! Did they not see the repercussions of their actions when they began clamoring the entrance for a story . . . ?"

Toshi grunted. "The media sucks."

"Glad we're in agreement there!" The brunette chirped. "Oh, right! I'm Uraraka, by the way, and this tall guy here is Iida! Don't let the chopping hands scare you, he's a pretty nice guy to be around."

"I take great pride in learning to become more approachable to my fellow peers!" The blue-haired guy, Iida, proudly puffed up his chest. "Uraraka-san has helped me immensely in understanding the vast intricacies of 'k-pop'! It is very o'k-pop'!"

Izuku coughed violently to hide his laughter. Toshi groaned, shaking his head and turned to the snickering brunette. "You taught him this. Why."

"For this exact reason," She giggled, as Iida whipped his head between all three of them, completely befuddled by their reactions.

"It's nice to meet you Uraraka-san, Iida-san!" Izuku grinned as his chuckles died down. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. You two helped me out earlier, right? Thanks for that!"

"Shinsou," The purple-headed boy sighed. "Let's get going, or we'll all be late."

"Oh geez, I don't want to be expelled!" Uraraka-san hung her head dejectedly and groaned. "You guys are so lucky! Iida and I have this super-scary teacher that's in charge of our class that expelled someone on our first day! I heard rumors about him from the upperclassmen during open house, but I didn't think it was true!"

Hitoshi frowned. He glanced at them warily, assessing the happily chatting duo walking along beside them. He took note of the single button on their shoulder straps and the double bands of varying thickness on their jacket sleeves.

Then it clicked.

"You're in Class 1-A, aren't you?"

They started, surprise crossing all three of their features.

"Why yes, indeed!" Iida replied, still recovering from the surprise. "How did you know?"

Hitoshi shrugged and vaguely answered, "Rumors."

"So what class are you two in?" Uraraka cocked her head curiously. "You wouldn't happen to be in 1-B, would you?"

Hitoshi scoffs and gripped the back of his neck. "1-C, General Studies. Sorry, not all of us had flashy quirks that could pass the entrance exam."

"But that's what the Sports Festival is for!" Izuku piped up, beaming. "If we do well enough, we can transfer in!"

Uraraka's eyes flashed with interest. She smiled, but it was darker somehow, more challenging, and Hitoshi couldn't help but feel vaguely threatened by this supposedly cheery girl. "I look forward to fighting against the both of you then!"

"Ah, it seems like this is where we will have to part ways," Iida remarked, gesturing at one of U.A.'s famously gigantic doors with 1-A emblazoned in big, red lettering. He nodded at Izuku and Hitoshi, waving his arms wildly in a chopping motion. "I wish you both a good day!"

"See you later!" Uraraka giggled. "Maybe we'll catch you at lunch!"

"M-m-maybe! We'll see you both later!"

Izuku waved at them as they both disappeared inside 1-A. He turned to Hitoshi with a huge smile on his face that made his heart do flips. He frowned as another thought crossed his mind.

People usually ignored Izuku. Hitoshi was certain that it was either part of his quirk or he was hit by one that affected him permanently (and while it was pretty out there, it wouldn't be completely fatuous in a society with weird and wacky quirks), so the incident this morning with the press was . . . concerning. Alarmingly so. He'd arrived on campus to see the mob swarming the entrance, much to his annoyance. They were all clustered around something to the side, so it wouldn't have been difficult to stay under their radar and slip in, like all the other students opted for. The only reason he didn't was because he caught a flash of green, curly hair in the center of the mob and his stomach dropped.

He rushed over just in time for the blue-haired robot guy, Iida, to start scolding at the press who were bewildered at the lecture. A brown-haired girl was trying to lead Izuku out of the writhing crowd without much luck. It set all sorts of alarm bells off inside Hitoshi's head. He quickly stepped in before the crowd tore their attention away from Iida and draped his jacket over Izuku's head, startling the brunette before he quickly explained that he was just a friend and yes, he did know who the bush baby was and no, Izuku didn't just disappear he was right there behind you, it's just a part of his(?) quirk at work.

A short walk to the nurse's office and trying to get Izuku to respond in his dissociation later so that Hitoshi can use his quirk to snap him out of it (well, this explains Izuku's question on whether or not his quirk can help calm people down), the revelation hit Hitoshi like a bullet train to the gut. He swallowed. His eyes darted to Izuku, head down and bare faced, and then to the students around them. Each and every single one they passed by down the hallway had their eyes trained on Izuku. He noticed them earlier, but he just assumed it was because they were two GenEd kids walking around with Hero Course students, but that was just the bitter part of him talking. It wouldn't have made sense - the differences between the uniforms for the Hero Course and everyone else's was negligible unless you were looking for them. Hitoshi wouldn't claim he was an expert on quirk theory, not when the king of all things quirks was walking anxiously beside of him, but he objectively knew that he was somewhat intelligent. There was a puzzle in front of him and the pieces were slowly starting to fall into place. He didn't like the picture it was painting. Not what it implied for his friend.

"Hey, Izuku."

Green emeralds with luscious raspberry cores flickered to his. Hitoshi clenched and unclenched his fists, stringing together the words on the tip of his tongue. "Why . . . do you cover your face whenever you're out? Even when we have gym or when we're exercising, I've never seen your face uncovered except when you're home."

"O-oh, um," His eyes danced away. He hunched over and bit his lip, but what caught Hitoshi's attention the most was when his hands started shaking before they grasped onto his elbows to ground himself. "I-I just . . . don't like the attention my face brings. I-it's better to just hide it anyways . . . It's not like there was much to see in the first place."

Well, that just nearly confirms Hitoshi's theory. And also made him want to punch the prick who put Izuku down in the first place. The Sports Festival couldn't come soon enough.

He counted to ten in his head and took a deep breath for five and releasing for three. The grounding technique worked because the desire to punt "Kacchan" off the rooftop simmered into something more manageable.

"I'm not sure where you got the idea that there isn't anything to see underneath that mask of yours, but you're wrong. Objectively, you're cute as all hell and you'd have half the school asking for your number if you showed your face," He ignored the embarrassed squawk and his own embarrassment to press forward. "But at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole school is searching for your number by the end of today. Every single student we've passed by thus far can't keep their eyes off you. And I mean that in a literal sense. It may be another part of your quirk, like Mic-Sensei suggested, something related to whether or not you cover up your face. I noticed earlier that the press took a particular interest in you, but left the moment I threw my jacket over your head. And again, now that your face is uncovered, it seems like you've become the center of attention."

He pointed over to a girl who was walking by only to slam face first into the open door of a locker. Hitoshi raised a brow as his smaller friend blushing madly. "Proof."

"I-I-I don't know, Toshi . . ." Izuku sighed as they approached 1-C. "I mean, I-I thought something similar when I was little, b-but it didn't really go a-anywhere. . . Kacchan always found me, mask or no mask, so it probably can't be that -"

Hitoshi opened the door to their classroom and the chatter inside instantly ceased. He followed their gawking to the green-haired boy beside him and suppressed a sigh. Izuku looked up at him, eyes pleading in silent demand for an explanation, so he tried to channel all of his effort into his eyes to telepathically tell him, I told you so.

"Hey! Are you a transfer student?"

"E-eh?"

Izuku took a step back out of the classroom as a pink-haired girl with a fish mutation (there were rainbow scales crawling up the sides of her cheeks, her skin was sea-green, and there were three faint lines on either side of her neck that Hitoshi bet were gills) quickly bounded up to him a little too quickly for comfort. He took a step in between them and lounged across the doorway as obnoxiously as he could, which was a little difficult even with his tall build. Fish girl glared at him and he cocked a brow challengingly in response. Her face brightened when she swung her gaze around his frame to rest on Izuku cowering behind him.

"If you need a tour around the school, I'll be happy to help you out! Ooh, do you wanna exchange numbers? I can be your first friend!"

"O-oh, th-that's, that's o-o-o-okay . . ." He whimpered and Hitoshi had to check his anger. Did she not see how much distress she's putting him through?! "I-I-I already have T-T-Toshi, s-s-so . . ."

"Toshi?" She regarded him appraisingly before sneering. "Oh, this one? Aren't you that guy who said he wasn't here to make friends? Come to think of it, you didn't tell us what your quirk was either. What, do you think you're better than the rest of us or something?"

Ah. Here we go. Now this he can deal with.

He switched his stance into something more flirty and smirked. He pitched his voice low into a purr with the skill and practice of having done it a million times before, but never for the reasons one might think. "Sorry, sweetheart, but you're a fish out of water around these parts. If you're so interested in me, then I can take you on a date to the beach so that we can get to know each other better. I've always wondered how fishes mate."

She reeled back in shock and disgust, and Hitoshi preened at the reaction. He quickly grabbed Izuku and beelined straight to their seats before anyone could stop them and pulled his jacket over Izuku's head from around his shoulders. Immediately, the chatter returned. Fish girl was still fuming at the door and whipping her head around the classroom, trying to locate Izuku in a futile effort. She stomped back to her seat but not before shooting Hitoshi a dirty glare that would have sent him six feet under if it were her quirk.

But since it's not, he just winked salaciously at her and leered. Her scowl deepened and she turned away with a frustrated huff. Hitoshi turned back to the front with a chuckle under his breath, glowing from the win.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, glancing at Izuku. Admittedly, he looked a little ridiculous with a jacket draped over his head like a cheap ghost knock-off, and Hitoshi had to reign in his laughter at the image. Izuku brought two hands over his desk and managed a shaky thumbs up.

Hitoshi's brow furrowed as he suggested, "Hey, we can go back to Recovery Girl if you want. She should have face masks you can use."

Izuku hesitated. His hands were clenched on the desk. A soft voice under Hitoshi's jacket whispered, "Later, during lunch. Class is about to start."

The door slammed open as Mic-Sensei grandly makes his appearance, hollering in English, "GOOD MORNING, LITTLE LISTENERS! I hope you're all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed today!"

Hitoshi quietly eyed Izuku, who already pulled out his notebooks and textbooks for class.

Maybe premonition was part of his quirk too.

~*~

"Shinsou-kun and . . . Midoriya-kun, right?"

Izuku blinked as two people set their trays down and took a seat beside him and Toshi. They were sequestered in their little corner of the cafeteria hidden by a partition of ferns. It was enough to keep them away from prying eyes long enough for Izuku to take off his face mask and devour his bento. Doubly so with the absence of his glasses.

So to say that the two from this morning, Iida-kun and Uraraka-chan, had actually spotted them was a little . . . surprising to say the least.

"Huh . . . " Toshi muttered, swallowing a piece of his carrot. "Another point for the face theory, then."

"The what theory?" Uraraka-chan paused midway through bringing a spoon up to her mouth.

Toshi waved them off and went back to his bento, muttering, "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

She pouted and looked like she wanted to say more on the matter, but eventually decided to drop it. She switched tracks and gasped when she saw Toshi's bento. "Wow, Shinsou-kun! Your lunch looks so amazing! I wish my mother could cook like that!"

His face was a strange cross between a wince and a blush. Izuku internally grimaced, knowing the cause for such a reaction even if Toshi didn't remember telling him about it. It just further cemented the need to shower this boy with as many kittens as he could get his hands on. And some hot chocolate. No, wait, Toshi-kun is on a diet right now so hm . . .

Toshi looked away and rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "She. . . wasn't the one who made it. Midoriya did."

"No way, really?" She turned her eyes to Izuku who squeaked. Her eyes were sparkling as she yelled, "They look like they're made out of really cheap ingredients! How did you manage to get them to look like that?!"

"Um . . ." Izuku blushed. "M-my mom g-g-got a cookbook f-from a f-f-friend a couple o-of years a-ago . . . I can a-ask her to l-lend it to you i-if you want."

"Yes please," Her eyes glimmered with something a lot less innocent than before, and Izuku could recognize that look from the crazy middle-aged ladies during bargain sales on farmer's produce. The cash-money look. "My budget is a little tighter than normal today so I've been having trouble eating properly. I can get by with what I have, but all this hero training has been making me hungrier than usual."

Iida-kun let out a scandalized gasp. "Uraraka-san! I apologize deeply for not noticing this sooner! We can go grocery shopping later today to pick up the neccessary ingredients for a proper meal!"

"Uh, thanks Iida-kun, but I'm really-"

"Nonsense!" He swiftly interrupted, chopping his hands wildly in the air. "It is imperative as heroes in training that we remain physically fit so that we may be able to tackle the lessons as effectively as we can! Neglecting to eat properly would be detrimental to that case! So please, I insist on going shopping with you!"

"Wait, but-"

"Ooh, can I come too?" Izuku cut in, glancing at Uraraka-chan. He was his mother's son, and if there's one thing she drilled into him since the day he was born, it was that you do not let a friend go hungry. Or anyone for that matter. "I'm running low on a few things and I hear there's a sale on daikon and eggs today downtown! What about you, Toshi? Can you come too? Please?"

He put on his best puppy-dog expression to Toshi. He opened his mouth but hesitated at the last second, so Izuku cranked it up. He jutted out his lower lip and made it wobble just a bit. Toshi glanced back at him and he caved, groaning as Izuku happily jumped for joy in victory. Internally, of course. He didn't have the guts to actually go through with that in reality.

"Fine," he hissed out through gritted teeth. He crossed his arms and turned away. "We can't stay for long, though. We have training, remember?"

Izuku giggled, beaming. "Of course, Toshi-kun! Today we'll be aiming for two kilometers without stopping!"

The purple-haired boy stiffened beside of him. He groaned, significantly louder than the last one and his head fell with a thunk on the table. Uraraka-chan and Iida-kun started, staring at him in concern as he lightly slammed a fist on the table. "Izuku, you are a demon and nothing you say can change my mind."

He pouted, scratching his cheek. "Oh come on, Toshi! You're exaggerating a little too much."

"Explain to me again how you can do the splits and bench press me without breaking a sweat?"

He sputtered, turning red. "B-but y-y-y-you can d-d-d-do it too! I-i-it just t-t-takes p-p-practice!"

"Izuku, I swear to Kami that no guy should be able to do the splits without dislocating their hip unless if they're a twink."

A memory flitted into his mind and he twiddled his thumbs, glancing off to the side. "Err, it's not that bad . . ."

Toshi head shot up and looked at him in pure, unadulterated horror, just like the other two at the table. "No, Izuku, I beg of you please stop. You'll give me grey hairs before the month is up. I can't take this."

"I-it only h-hurt for little bit!" He defended. "I managed to pop it back in immediately, so I was okay!"

Toshi's head hit the table again. He let out a strangled wail and brought both hands up to fist his hair. "Why are you like this?!"

"Um, like what?"

"This!" He gestured wildly at Izuku, who tilted his head in confusion. Toshi groaned and dropped his head in his hand. "I need a drink."

"Shinsou-san, I implore of you to rethink your choice on the matter! We're underaged!"

"Then suffer because I need one tall and stiff to deal with this suicidal idiot."

Uraraka-chan snorted into her hands at Iida's scandalized expression, jaw swinging open at Toshi's nonchalance. Izuku opened his mouth to console him.

"Iida-kun, don't worry about -"

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Izuku jumped up in his seat. His chopsticks flew out of his hand and clattered noisily on the floor, but that was the least of his worries right now. Iida-kun and Uraraka-chan were looking around in confusion but ready to prance into action at a moment's notice, and Toshi was tense and surveying their surroundings with a pinched expression. The whole cafeteria was dead silent, waiting with baited breath for any explanation.

"ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS AND FACULTY," An automated voice robotically filtered in through the overhead speakers. "THERE HAS BEEN A LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH. AGAIN, THERE IS A LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. PLEASE PROCEED TO THE NEAREST EXIT IN A CALM AND ORDERLY FASHION."

"Level three?" Uraraka-chan anxiously murmured. "What's that?"

"It means someone has broken into the school building!"

All heads whipped to the center of the cafeteria, where a student was yelling hysterically. "This has never happened in my three years of being here! We all need to move, like, now!"

That did it. Five hundred kids got up screaming and dashing to the doors, roughly shoving and pushing each other to get out of the cafeteria. Toshi threw Izuku his mask and yelled, "Keep it on, we don't know how your quirk will work in a situation like this!"

"It's imperative that we stick together!" Iida chopped his hands in the air to accentuate his point. They all stuck together like ducks as they braced the mob, hands circled tightly around each other's wrists so they wouldn't loose each other in the jostling crowd. Izuku kept a hand clamped over his face mask to keep it from tearing off by the shifting crowd. The only way he could tell where he was going was because Toshi kept a firm grip on his free arm as they struggled through the throng of panicking students.

But as the famous saying goes, no plan survives contact with the enemy. And it's especially true if Izuku Midoriya happens be there in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone roughly crashed into Izuku and he yelped. He lost his grip on Hitoshi. He managed to catch a brief flash of Hitoshi's horrified face as he whirled around and yelled, "Izuku-!"

He cried out as the crowd swallowed him. They pushed and shoved him around like a ping pong ball, elbows digging into his sides, soles stomping on his feet, shoulders knocking his head as he tried to spot Hitoshi's wild purple hair.

A hand stretched out and clutched his wrist, and an unfamiliar voice shouted, "This way! It'll be safer here!"

In hindsight, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let himself be strung along by a strange person he knew nothing of, but right now Izuku was struggling to breathe. His vision tunneled, the sirens and shouting distanced themselves. It was a repeat of this morning all over again. He was drowning when there wasn't a drop of water in sight. He knew he was on the cusp of dissociating again, and in a high-intensity situation like this where he could get trampled at a moment's notice?Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

The decision was already made for him. He let himself be pulled as he counted his breaths. Thankfully the other person weaved through the crowd with an ungodly amount of finesse, so it wasn't long before they reached the edges of the crowd and ducked into an alcove. The other student did something with the door - a . . . keypad? Maybe? There was a click and Izuku stumbled through the open doorway with the other student right on his heels.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The alarms were still blaring and he could hear frightened shouting beyond the door, but the stairwell was blessedly devoid of all life. He could breathe. He's not being crushed by an endless wave of people. He was not drowning in his own fears. He could take a moment to breathe, thank his savior, and then book it to the field with them so that Toshi doesn't flip more than he already is.

"Th-thanks f-for helping m-me back there -"

"You know, for a guy, you're really pretty."

\\~*~//

Izuku felt like he was dumped into a vat of ice water. Every single one of his nerves were alight with danger. His skin buzzed from the prickling stare racking across his back. He took a deep, shaking breath and slowly turned around, praying to Kami this isn't what he thinks it is.

Standing there between him and the doorway was a tiny person (mutation quirk most likely) with purple balls for his hair, the girl with the fish quirk that hit on him earlier, and a lanky guy that Izuku vaguely recognized as an upperclassman from the Business Course.

Maybe they were here to get away from the noise too . . . ?

"U-uh, thanks for the compliment," He nervously scratched his cheek and was met with bare skin. His heart lodged itself in his throat. Oh, Kami. This is bad. His face mask must have been ripped off sometime after he was separated from Hitoshi. He needed to get out of here. Now. "S-s-so, sh-should we g-g-go to the m-m-meet up point t-t-together? I-I'm uh, still a l-little dizzy and I'm s-sure that th-the teachers w-will be wondering where w-we are -"

"What's the rush, baby?" The upperclassman purred. His skin crawled as his bright yellow eyes raked up and down his body, like he was something rare on display. He sauntered forward, casually brushing his arm as Izuku stood there, petrified. "There's no real emergency. It's just the media, after all, so we can take our sweet time together, baby."

He snapped out of it. No. No no no no no no no no. It's different this time, this isn't going to be like how it was before. He's not that same scrawny twelve year old who couldn't defend himself from being forcefully assaulted over and over again. He's Izuku Midoriya, a fifteen year old with three years of parkour, mixed martial arts, and constant physical conditioning under his belt - like hell he'll let this happen again. He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. He took a step back, mentally cataloguing the set of stairs behind him and calculating the best path to take. "I-I-I really a-appreciate th-the offer but I-I have t-to decline -"

He took another step back and a hand shot out. He wove around and grabbed the person's wrist with both hands and performed a judo throw at the other two, who both cried out as the purple-ball boy crashed unceremoniously into them. Izuku took the opening and whirled around to the staircase. He flew down the steps two at a time as angered shouting erupted from somewhere above him, but he didn't have time to think about it now. His parkour training kicked in. He skipped steps and vaulted over railings with instincts ingrained into his body after years of practice and falling off of buildings.

But unfortunately for Izuku, he wasn't the only one with athletic training.

The hairs on the back of his nape stuck up. Izuku jumped to the side as projectiles whizzed past and stuck to the wall, but their true aim was never him. A blur jumped down and ricocheted off one of the purple balls and tackled him. He yelped as he tumbled down the steps, painfully landing on his back on the lower landing. He quickly pushed himself up (every second counts), but the midget that smacked into him was faster. A torrent of purple orbs snagged his limbs and connected with the floor. He struggled to break free but his arms and legs refused to budge. He was pinned down. Sprawled across the ground at the mercy of others who wanted to assault him because his face was uncovered. 

The other two students were upon him now. In the bleakly lit stairwell their shadows stretched on and on, malicious grins glinting. Izuku tried to control his breathing. He bared his teeth and growled as a hand reached out towards him. 

"Nice try, but you can't escape us, babe," The lanky one licked his lips. "You think your ignorance quirk was enough to hide you? Sorry, but my quirk is called Mental Shield. It cancels out the effect of all mental quirks like yours, so your kiss isn't going to save you either."

He wanted to throw up. Tears gathered at the edges of his eyes. He wouldn't be able to call out his bluff either, because he didn't know enough about this guy to make a conclusion, and even then they were aware of how his quirk works. He didn't know how exactly they knew to avoid kissing him either. He purposefully kept his quirk description vague on the first day of classes because "falling in love" was a lot less specific than "complete obedience from the person kissed." It was his last line of defense in case he was assaulted again. It's how he kept himself safe so far. Each and every single time he was assaulted, they never went pass unbuttoning his jacket because they would go in for the kiss and he could order them to leave.

But now they know how his quirk works. They knew that in order to get what they want, all they had to do was avoid kissing him. He couldn't even fight them Quirkless either because of the midget's purple balls restraining him.

Okay, that just left the last option then - distract. Stall. Eventually someone is going to notice that he's missing from role call and send someone to find him. Kami, Toshi might be scouring the school for him right this instant. He just needed to hold out until the rescue.

He swallowed. He doesn't have Toshi's silver tongue. He doesn't know how to talk around in circles and deflect like he can. Think, Izuku, think! What can you use to stall them? What can you talk endlessly about -

It clicked. 

They were all chuckling now, his tie undone and the first two buttons of his shirt undone. Panic crawled up his throat and Izuku hastily blurted out, "You said your quirk cancels out mental quirks, so does that mean it can cancel out mental quirks that affect a secondary target?"

The upperclassman paused in unbuttoning his shirt. His face twisted and stared at him, completely befuddled and asked, "What - ?"

"Like, telekinesis for example!" He continued rambling. Sweat poured down his back. "If someone where to, for example, throw something at you using their telekinesis, would it be able to hit you or just stop halfway there and drop? Can you somehow transfer the ability to negate the effect of mental quirks onto other people by, say, touch or by being simply near them? Or is the immunity specific to you only? Because if that's the case, then you would be an amazing counter against mental quirks in hero work, especially since most recorded instances of mental quirks tend to be powerful and tricky to deal with even with seasoned pros. And even if you don't have that ability, you'd still be amazing as a quirk counselor because you wouldn't be affected by newly-manifested mental quirks that kids would understandably have trouble controlling over. Do you know how many quirk-related incidents pop up because of that?"

"Um-"

"I ran the statistics myself," Izuku bowled right over the interruption. Please, please, please, someone get here soon. "About a solid forty percent of all quirk-related incidents caused by small children having little control over their quirk come from mental quirks, and the reason most often stated is because those kids had poor quirk counseling because their quirks would affect the counselor until they dropped their cases. Alternatively, since you're in the Business Course, having a quirk like yours would effectively protect you from being manipulated by others with mental quirks - which is an open secret in the business industry as you're already aware - which would make you a huge asset to any company because you would be able to help close tricky deals without having to worry about the other party out-playing you-"

A laugh broke through his rambling. Heads whipped towards the bottom stairwell. It was difficult to discern in the waning light, but they were tall and thin, dressed in a hoodie that obscured their face. Pale, scraggly hair peeked out from underneath the hood. 

"This is a surprise!" The stranger rasped out in a dry, reedy voice. "I can't say that this was part of the plan, but this is certainly a welcome development."

Glowing, red eyes locked onto Izuku. He grinned maniacally, and Izuku's stomach dropped. "I have a feeling that I'm going to like you."

Bile crept up Izuku's throat. When he realized that morning that today would be a terrible day, he thought it would just be the press and the stares putting him down. But now? 

Now he just wishes his past self wasn't so naïve.

Chapter Text

Hitoshi wanted to punch himself.

He wanted to walk up to his past self and punch him. He wanted to yell and scream and cry at him until his voice went hoarse. He wanted to punch him over and over again for not going when he had the chance.

But he stayed. Like a goddang idiot. He listened to Cementoss-Sensei and stayed there on the field with the rest of his classmates, all lined up like little ducklings, because Mic-Sensei was off with another teacher to deal with the press. He stayed when Cementoss-Sensei counted heads and discovered that not one, but two students in 1-C were unaccounted for. He stayed still in shock and horror when three students came stumbling into the field, patches of their skin gone to reveal bleeding red flesh underneath, and hysterically screamed about a guy in a hoodie and a green-haired kid in the eastern stairwell.

He stayed on the field because he had a panic attack and the other students started panicking again. He stayed when the police questioned him and offered empty platitudes about finding Izuku. He was there when Mrs. Midoriya broke down crying when she received the news and brought him with her home even though he couldn't protect her son. He stayed for the night instead of going back home at Mrs. Midoriya's insistence because he was too tired to argue and couldn't bring himself to do that to her after all that's happened.

He stayed on the futon that unofficially became his after many nights at the Midoriya's. The alarm clock on the table read sometime past three in the morning. Posters of pro-heroes decorated the walls, both spotlight and underground, official and commissioned. The bed beside him was empty despite the covers messily strewn. He could almost trick himself into believing that Izuku had just gotten up again in the dead of night for a glass of water or to use the bathroom. He'd wait in anticipation for the door to his bedroom to creak open. He'd yawn and shuffle inside, carefully stepping over Hitoshi's body to crawl into bed and burrow under the covers. He would only be gone for a few minutes, and when Hitoshi turned over, he'd see the gentle rise and fall of the lumpy figure occupying the bed.

But it's been over twelve hours now. No matter how much he willed for all of this to be a dream, it was a nightmare-turned reality. Izuku wasn't going to be coming through that door and it was all his fault.

He shut his eyes and curled in. He tried to block the sobs coming from the next room.

How could Hitoshi be a hero when he couldn't even protect his only friend?

~*~

"Any news?"

The meeting room was uncharacteristically silent. Normally there would be coffee cups passed around, low, friendly chattering between colleagues as they exchanged funny anecdotes from home or on patrol, and Shouta would be glaring at all of them to shut up so they could finally start the meeting and he could get back to sleeping.

But then again, there wouldn't be a student missing either. Hizashi wouldn't be missing a student from Class 1-C. A small, anxious, green-haired teen that could appear and disappear at a moment's notice and a frightening intelligent mind. He had seen Shinsou's reaction when the police broke the news. He shut down completely and moved like a puppet with his strings cut. He signed off on Mrs. Midoriya taking him home, even when it was against protocol, because she silently whispered to him that his home life may not be the best and the two looked like they needed each other right now.

He's a pro hero. He broke into the top fifty this year because of his ability on the field and in the spotlight, using his voice to blast away villains and his radio show to spread reliable information from other heroes and inspiring the listeners. He's a teacher, who stayed up many restless nights when he worked as a sidekick to get his teacher's license with Shouta. He's lent an ear to many of his students' troubles, whether they be simple crushes or villains extorting their families. He's helped students gather up the courage to convict their abusers in court. He opened his door for students who ran away because of their quirk, sexuality, gender, religion, and everything in between. He's seen a lot since he started this path over fifteen years ago.

But never, not once was he ever at a loss for what to do next. He hadn't felt this helpless since . . . since . . .

A hand wrapped around his. Hizashi's slowly unclenched his fists, not noticing they were fisted in the first place. He looked appreciatively at Shou who returned his gaze and minutely nodded in response.

Right. He's a Pro Hero on the case of a kidnapped student with a team of other Pro Heroes. He can wallow later.

"Nothing new from the cameras," Higari - Hero name, Power Loader - sighed. "Not that there were any to begin with. They were all destroyed before the backup could kick in, so there's nothing to go off of except for the eyewitness accounts. I tried combing through the cameras that weren't destroyed in case our kidnapper showed up in one of them, but no luck there either."

"I talked with the officers this morning," Shou gruffly continued. "They found a strange amount of dust at the stairwell and some of the purple balls that belonged to Minoru Mineta from Class 1-D. He was one of the students present during the incident along with the other two, Sakana Otome of Class 1-C and Nonai Hogo of 2-J. The reason for the abduction is unclear, but the possibility of this being premeditated is unlikely. The students explained during their interrogation this morning that they had initially saw Midoriya panicking in the middle of the hallway during the stampede around 1236 hours. They brought him to the empty stairwell to help him calm down before the perpetrator attacked them. It was implied that he was there for another reason aside from Midoriya, but overheard his analysis on Hogo's quirk and decided to target him. The other three jumped to Midoriya's defense but were overpowered, where they made their retreat to the north field around 1255 hours."

A cold feeling settled in the pit of Hizashi's stomach. Three students had to face off against a villain because they weren't there to protect them. 

"However," Shou tensed even further. "This conclusion is based off of their testimony alone. Further investigation shows a few inconsistencies with their testimonies. For one, the emergency exit door that they supposedly came in through was locked. Odd to do during an emergency, never mind where they received the code from. Mineta's quirk, Pop Off allows for him to stick the balls on his head to any surface while he can bounce off of them. His testimony states that he threw them at the villain in an attempt to stall him, but from the way his sticky balls were distributed in the stairwell, it's likelier that he was chasing something instead of running. Additionally, there were accounts from other students in 1-C. Otome had an altercation with Shinsou and Midoriya that morning wherein Shinsou warded off any attempts to interact with Midoriya on Otome's part. I don't want to suspect the students of something, but I don't like what this implies. We're currently waiting for Tsukuachi to come in and interrogate them this afternoon."

". . . You don't think they would. . . ?"

"Again," Shouta stopped Ken, Cementoss, before he could continue down that line of thought. "I'd like Tsukuachi to speak with them before we come up with any theories as to what happened."

"So, the kid got snagged because of his analysis skills," Snipe piped up. "He's got info on the whole lot of us. Any idea what we do in the meantime?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hizashi slammed the table and stood up. He glared at Snipe, their friendship completely forgotten. "There's no way the little listener would turn bad!"

Snipe quickly raised both hands up in a placating gesture. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that, Mic. You know the kid the best, so if you say he's good, then he's good. The problem is that he's held captive by a dangerous villain that knows about his ability to analyze quirks. I'm just thinking about the most realistic, worse-case scenario we'll encounter."

Nezu hummed lightly but not unkindly, sipping from his tea. "Indeed. It is highly troubling that we are unable to progress with this case any further without more information. For now, I propose we go with Snipe's suggestion to review the school's defenses as well as our own. Even if we succeed in retrieving Midoriya, it is imperative to note how this kidnapper was able to successfully infiltrate U.A. in the first place, as well as what their initial aim was."

"The media panic and the gate disappearing caused enough commotion in the school to let the kidnapper slip in undetected," You could hear the frown underneath Ectoplasm's mask. "Ryo, did you manage to track down the kidnapper's scent anywhere?"

He growled, low and frustrated. "His scent was scattered all over the place. The students' stampede masked his scent with theirs, so I lost his scent in one of the hallways near 1-A."

Midnight groaned. "Back to the start then. Anyone know what the kidnapper's quirk is? Or whether he's acting alone?"

"The dust at the scene and the testimonies suggest he has some kind of disintegration quirk," Shouta scowled.

"So he could be the one behind what happened at the gate, then," Kan, Vlad King, brooded.

"Could the tip off about All Might being here be his doing too then?" Ken chimed.

"We can't rule out that possibility," Ectoplasm grumbled.

"He's got some sway over the media, then?" Snipe thought aloud. He sighed. 

Hizashi groaned. "This is getting out of hand. The information we're getting about this guy is all over the place."

Nezu clapped his paws together. "Then let us review what we already do know. Our dear kidnapper destroyed the barrier at the front entrance and used the commotion caused by the media to infiltrate the school. From there, he was able to successfully complete his first, unknown objective. As he made his escape, he encountered the students at the stairwell and decided to kidnap Midoriya for his skills on quirk analysis. Afterwards he was somehow able to sneak off campus with a hostage in tow. Would anyone like to add anything more to this summary?"

A low chorus of no's went around the room. Nezu nodded amicably. "I see. Moving forward, it is imperative that we remain vigilant. Ishiyama, Majima, can I ensure that you can come up with some counter measures after this particular incident? Feel free to contact anyone you deem necessary. I will allow a higher extension on the budget for this matter. Aizawa, I believe you will update us on the case from the police and your Underground contacts . . . ?"

He gruffly nodded. "I'll put out feelers and get extra eyes out for the kid."

"Kayama, Yamada, would you be able to handle the students and ensure this doesn't reach the media?"

"Of course."

"Hearing ya loud and clear, principal!"

"Wonderful!" Nezu smiled. "As for the rest of you, I'm certain I don't need to tell all of you that it would be unwise to patrol without a team. I will send out an alert to the hero community about the new change and make this case a higher-priority matter than it already was. It's best we keep the knowledge about Midoriya's analysis skills a closely-guarded secret during this investigation."

"Why's that?" Kan questioned.

Nezu closed his eyes, smile still there, and simply said, "The Hero Commission."

A wave of understanding passed over all the teachers. Yeah, they were definitely keeping this a secret.

"Yamada-kun, I understand that Midoriya is believed to have an aspect of his quirk that supposedly makes him difficult to perceive?"

"Um," He scratched his head. "Maybe? It seems like the Little Listener wasn't aware of it until his friend, Hitoshi Shinsou, pointed it out a few days ago. He's pretty much invisible to everyone that isn't Shinsou. He was right in front of me and I didn't even notice until Shinsou told me!"

The Principal nodded. "Excellent. The official story should be that Midoriya has an ignorance aspect of his quirk that effectively erases his presence from those around him, and as it was only recently that this aspect of his quirk was discovered, it is unknown as to what limitations his quirk holds, thus making it difficult to create countermeasures. It is possible that these villains would be training him to infiltrate agencies and stalk Heroes for information, if not planning to utilize him as an assassin to target any Pro Heroes of their choosing. Any questions?"

The conference room was dead silent.Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

"Good. I believe now should be the time we all leave and reconvene at a later date."

Chairs scraped against the floor as they all stood up, raring to start preparations. All Might hung back in his seat, head low in his deflated form as he stared at the school picture of a freckled, green-eyed boy in his hands.

"Is something the matter, Yagi?"

His head shot up and he coughed, blood dripping down his chin. He hastily wiped it away with his handkerchief. "N-no, Nezu-san. It's just. . . I recognize this boy. From the Sludge Incident last year."

"Ah," The principal leaned back in his seat, setting his teacup back down on the saucer. "I believe that a child was caught up in the attack and his quirk was out of control, thus damaging his surroundings before another child dove in to save him. It caused quite the stir in the hero community since the heroes at the scene had their licenses suspended until they passed the re-licensing exam."

"Yes. . ." Toshinori murmured, frowning. "I believed that this boy was Quirkless?"

Nezu hummed. "How intriguing. What are your thoughts on the matter, Yagi-kun?"

His gut churned, or whatever was left of it. ". . . Nothing. I'm just. . . wondering."

"Of course," Nezu took another sip. "As fun as this discussion is, I really must get back to work. I believe you have an appointment with Chiyo soon?"

"Right, uh, I-I'll do what I can to find the boy on my end," Toshinori hastily stood and bowed. "Good bye, Nezu-san."

"Farewell, Yagi-kun," Nezu smiled amicably as the door shut. He set his tea cup on its saucer and dropped his expression. Cold, dark eyes surveyed the file in front of him. Most notably his attention caught on the fact that his quirk had only been registered almost a year ago, and his registry prior had deemed him Quirkless.

Izuku Midoriya . . . He certainly made this year an interesting one.

~*~

Twenty-three lives.

Three Pro Heroes. Eighteen Hero students. His mother, and Toshi.

Izuku took a deep breath as he scoured the report, journal flipped open to a blank page beside of him. Countless scrawls and half-hazard thoughts crossed out marred the pages before, but he had a feeling this page would join them soon.

He ran a hand down his uncovered face, grimacing at the lack of protection.

Twenty-three lives were at stake here. Shigaraki was due to come in at any moment to check his progress and he barely had anything to show. He was dancing across a very fine line. The students would be on their way to the USJ soon, and that was when Shigaraki and his League of Villains were set to attack. They plan on scattering the students to different zones and having low-time criminals pick them off one by one while Shigaraki, the mist-warper Kurogiri, and Shigaraki's "special surprise" go toe to toe with All Might. Izuku may still have mixed feelings about his ex-idol, but like hell he'll let the League take him down. He would have been flabbergasted at the idea that someone had a way to kill All Might (he's All Might, for Kami's sake!), but then Shigaraki had said it with so much conviction that it put Izuku on edge. He doesn't know whether he was being delusional or if he's actually telling the truth, so he's operating on the notion that he is.

But still, he can't get a warning out to prepare them for what's to come. He can only pray that All Might will be enough for it.

And besides. Even if he can't help All Might, he's got eighteen students to focus on. The League didn't have a way to identify what quirks the hero students have, but now that Izuku's been kidnapped, well . . . You get the gist. They threatened him first but that didn't go over well, and then they somehow figured out his connection to Inko Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinsou. He reluctantly complied, but Izuku was still going to be doing everything he can to make sure everyone gets out of this scenario alive.

Judging from the report he received on the students' quirks. . . it was strange. He couldn't tell you how or why, but there was a niggling little sensation at the back of his head that told him something wasn't right. It was a description of each students' abilities, as gauged by a quirk apprehension test and the battle training soon after, but somehow it felt . . . Stilted. Bits of information that could be made after a reasonable jump in logic were omitted. Further detail of what the quirks entailed were gone. It was like the report had been carefully written to give just enough information to stave off suspicion while protecting the students as best as they could.

A reluctant helper. A faceless, nameless person that Izuku bonded with. Someone in a situation where they don't want to be and are being forced to help the villains for whatever reason.

He sighed and shook his hand, relieving it of his cramp. He had a crudely-drawn map of the USJ to the right, a report on the quirks of Class 1-A to the front and an open notebook to the right. He could do this. He can do this. He's already allocated everyone into each zone ranked from best to worse possible terrain match up. All of the ones with obvious quirks and weaknesses were assigned to zones they'd do the worst in, much to his chagrin. He could only hope to balance it out by having the students rely on each other. Tsuyu Asui, the one with the frog quirk, goes to the fire zone, along with Todoroki. Todoroki's ice quirk may be a bad match for the fire zone at first, but Izuku suspects he's a chimera based off of the reports and can use fire as well. While there isn't any mention of it, he's banking on the possibility that he's been holding back so far and that he'll use it in an emergency. Even if Izuku is wrong about Todoroki having a fire quirk, his ice should be enough to keep Asui cool and hydrated until they can both get out of the area. He threw Kirishima in for good measure, because he's one of the ones who has a weakness not obvious to the villains and he could help successfully defend his classmates while Todoroki is busy with Asui. If they ask why Sero isn't in there, he can bullshiz his way by mentioning how burning his tape could release a toxic gas that brought about too many complications, and the shipwreck zone would greatly limit his strongest asset - his mobility - anyways.

Black mist appeared in the center of the room. Izuku whipped around as the portal grew larger. Kurogiri stepped in, holding a steaming tray of salmon, rice, some cooked greens, and miso soup. "Young Tomura wishes to know your progress."

"Uh, right!" Izuku picked up his notes as Kurogiri set his food down on the desk. "J-just cross-checking t-t-to make s-s-sure I got a-all the parameters o-of their quirks right. S-some of them a-aren't so o-obvious to figure o-out . . ."

"Very well," The mist-person rumbled, yellow eyes narrowing. "Your enthusiasm to work is admirable, but I do implore you to finish your meal this time. It would not bode well if you continue on an empty stomach."

"I-I got it! Thanks K-Kurogiri-san!"

"A pleasure. Ring the pager on your desk if you require anything. I will be back soon to collect your empty tray," He bowed, opening a portal behind him and left.

Izuku groaned and buried his face in both hands. "Okay, Izuku. The misty guy is right. Time to take a break and eat before all this stress runs you to the ground."

He set aside his notes on the twin bed beside of him and turned back to his food. He clapped his hands together and muttered, "Thank you for the food." He picked up his chopsticks and began to think, his mind already wandering.

He managed to convince Shigaraki to let him go to the raid. He was pushing his luck after he managed to save the three students who tried to assault him earlier, but he did it. It would be his best shot at doing everything he can to help the students and escape. There were too many variables to account for. Something could go wrong. He doesn't know what kind of training they have, so who's to say that they're prepared to tackle this challenge?

He forcefully took a bite out of his meal and washed it down with the glass of water.

In any case, it doesn't seem like the League was fully aware of his capabilities. They know he can analyze quirks, but what they don't know is that he can analyze people. He's got information on Shigaraki's and Kurogiri's behavior in spades, and he needs to get the bit about the real mastermind pulling the strings to the Pros. Shigaraki is just a puppet. Sensei is the master. The USJ is either the final exam or a lesson, and Izuku prays that it's the latter rather than the former. 

He'll need to stick close to Shigaraki. The League believes that he has an ignorance quirk that erases his presence on command so long as people don't actively pay attention to him. He didn't need to tell them that it's reliant on how much of his face he shows. He didn't need to tell him about the kissing part of his quirk. With luck, this whole incident will resolve itself without the need for Izuku to intervene any more than he already is. It's dangerous. Shigaraki is volatile and wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he wanted. All it takes is a single press of all five fingers and he's done.

Hope mom and Toshi don't kill him after this.

Chapter Text

It's been three days since Midoriya-kun disappeared. Rumors had it that he was kidnapped during the media break-in at lunch, but they were swiftly rejected by the teachers. He was at the hospital well on his way to recovery and not seeing any visitors, save for family, at this time due to the highly stressful situation he encountered. Which was a relief for Ochaco, since she never put much stock in rumors in the first place. Not unless if they were about a sale at the grocery store or a thrift shop or yard sale - those tended to be more reliable because they're less entertainment and more advertisement. No need to embellish something so mundane when the rumor mill's creative juices can be redirected elsewhere.

But still. It doesn't change the fact that Midoriya-kun is just . . . gone. She dragged Iida with her to check on Shinsou-kun and ask if he's sick or something, but he looked . . . bad. She couldn't say for certain because she's only met the guy, like, once, but she knows his eyebags weren't as deep. His skin wasn't as pale. His indigo hair, while messy in a stylized way, was just straight up messy. He walked around with his shoulders hunched, shuffling through the crowd with his eyes trained to the ground. Most people wrote Ochaco off as ditzy because of her bubbly personality, but she's always been observant of the people around her. Sure, the teachers all said that Midoriya-kun will be okay, but that doesn't necessarily tell her everything she wanted to hear. She knows that something big must have happened. Otherwise Shinsou-kun wouldn't have snapped when she approached and used his quirk on her.

Ochaco had to quickly drag Iida away before he could start reprimanding him in the middle of the busy hallway. The last thing anyone needed was a fight. The whole school was there when those three students crashed into the lawn screaming and yelling about a villain with parts of their skin gone. It rattled all of them, more so than Midoriya-kun's hospitalization. A fight between students would shatter the already-fragile peace blanketing the school. It was a melting pot of emotions and tensions were running high. She wanted to reach out to Shinsou-kun and offer her support, but he just. . . shut her out. He shut out everyone, really. He glared at anyone who approached and bared his teeth in a snarl. He looked five seconds away from either punching someone or break down crying.

She couldn't say that she was surprised. She's seen the way the two interacted during that fateful lunch not so long ago. The easy banter, the gentle teasing, Shinsou-kun's excessively dramatic reactions (not that she could blame him, who just casually pops their dislocated hip back in place because they did the splits?! Can you even dislocate a hip and pop it back in the first place?!?!?) were all indicative of a deep bond. Midoriya-kun cares about Shinsou-kun. Shinsou-kun cares about Midoriya-kun. Shinsou-kun gets extremely protective about anything that's even remotely a threat to Midoriya-kun. She noticed the wary glances and subtle hostility he radiated towards her and Iida, but that's understandable considering they were strangers and Midoriya-kun had been jumped by the press, had a panic attack, and then disassociated after. 

Now that Midoriya-kun was gone, Shinsou-kun had pretty much turned into a ghost. She was worried. Without Midoriya-kun there to buffer however, there wasn't much Ochaco can do to help. So she resolved to do the next best thing - letting him know that she was there. She waved at him in the hallways. She sat quietly at his table in the library with Iida, who apologized for his earlier reaction because he wasn't aware that Shinsou-kun was already on edge and just snapped from the stress. She made sure to eat with him during lunch, talking quietly to Iida but leaving the conversation open for him to jump in at any time. Of course, he tried to rebuff all of her attempts, but Ochaco was nothing if not persistent. She made sure to stop and give him some space whenever he seemed too overwhelmed though, and she could see it in his eyes that he was thankful for it. Even if that thanks will never be vocalized.

All in all, she'd like to think she was doing a good job handling the situation. She knows that she isn't Midoriya-kun, but she can be Ochaco Uraraka. Just another friend who cares about Shinsou-kun, whether he likes it or not. Maybe this whole thing won't be temporary. Maybe Midoriya-kun really will decide to transfer away, like the teachers and students have been saying, and the last time she'll ever see him is at a lunch table, alarms blaring and classmates shouting, as he quickly donned a mask over his panicked face.

So you could understand how freaking terrified she was when she saw Midoriya-kun step through the weird, black, misty portal behind that the pale guy with hands (don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it). He was dressed in a hoodie and jeans and red boots, looking like every inch of a teen about to go hang out with his friends and not, you know, casually surrounded by villains on all sides.

Loud popping sounded off somewhere behind her and Bakugou's furious voice loudly growled, "DEKU! What the frick is your Quirkless, worthless self hanging around with villains for?!"

Ochaco couldn't see Midoriya-kun's (or Deku-kun . . . apparently?) face, but she would bet that it was a grimace. "Nice to see you too, Kacchan!"

"K-Kacchan?" Kaminari parroted, torn between laughing and staying terrified.

"Can it, Dunce Face!"

"Settle your feud later!" Aizawa-Sensei snapped. "Kaminari, see if you can contact the school!"

His expression immediately sobered and he messed around with the dials in his headphones. He hissed and groaned. "Shiz, I can't get a signal!"

"It must be a quirk," Todoroki glanced around warily.

Aizawa-Sensei clicked his tongue. "The pagers should have stopped sending a signal and alerted the school that something's wrong. Everyone, huddle up and stick together! Reinforcements will be here soon!"

"I'm afraid that I can't let that happen."

"Wha-?!"

Ochaco turned towards the voice but the screaming of her classmates disrupted her attention. The tall misty guy in a two-piece suit flung black, smoky portals towards her class and swallowed them whole before winking out of existance. She locked onto an anguished face behind glasses and a shock of bright blue hair staring at her and yelled out, "Iida-!"

Her voice cut off as the darkness devoured her. She plummeted through a airless void with her hands clasped tightly over her nose and mouth to hold whatever oxygen she had left. It couldn't have been more than a handful of seconds before the darkness ripped away and light blinded her vision.

She was spat out into the air, fifty meters above a lake filled with villains eagerly watching her fall. Her first instinct was to panic and flail as she fell through the sky, screaming, but she immediately kicked it away. She took a deep breath as her plummet continued, quickly gauging her surroundings. Eyes locked onto a nearby ship, and all at once a crazy plan formed into her mind. She gritted her teeth. She slammed a hand on her shoulder, activating her quirk on herself as she rocketed down towards the water. She turned in midair and dropkicked one of the villains in the water that had a shark head in the face with the brunt of her heels. Shouts went up from the other villains surrounding her as the shark villain let out a choked cry. Ochaco's stomach churned but she pushed down the onset nausea of using her quirk on herself. She catapulted off the villain and used the momentum to shoot across the lake, streaking like a meteor towards the ship. She slapped her hands together, all five fingertips touching and commanded, "Release!"

Gravity returned to her and her weight increased. She was still hurtling towards the ship without any way to stop, and so she gritted her teeth and braced herself for impact. 

She crashed into the side of the bridge with a sharp cry of pain as her entire side throbbed. She flutily scrambled for purchase on the smooth glass but found nothing, instead smacking into the deck on her back with a loud thud. She hissed as every inch of her body painfully pulsed from the rough landing.

"Ow," She groaned.

". . . Dude."

She glanced to the side where Sero was staring at her gobsmacked, mouth agape. ". . . What in the actual hell Uraraka?"

Bile crept up her throat and she gagged. She scrambled up and rushed to the edge of the ship before tossing her cookies over the side. A hand rubbed comfortingly on her upper back as she heaved.

"Okay, let it out," Sero held her hair out of her face. "Remind me to never mess with you, because that was awesome."

"Ugh," She sank down to her knees and banged her head against the blessedly cool railing.

"Oi, you done, Round Face?" A scathing voice growled. Ochaco blearily lifted her head. 

Katsuki Bakugou. Class 1-A's resident ticking time bomb, both figuratively and literally. On one hand, she's thankful for his presence. On the other hand, she strongly dislikes his presence. He's a terrible ally and a terrifying opponent. The Battle Trials proved that much when she and Iida were assigned as Villains and Bakugou the lone hero, since the class had an uneven number of students that day with Hagakure out sick. She and Iida had a solid plan too. She'd make the bomb float with her quirk and Iida could easily move it from room to room, essentially turning the whole exercise into a giant, deadly game of keep-away.Written by J. Leialohikai Ong Lim

It was a good plan, but they underestimated Bakugou. They thought that since he was alone, he'd be easier to fight against.

Boy, were they wrong.

He slingshot around corners and blasted through the halls. He hunted them down, predicting their every move at every turn. Heck, he even used his gauntlets to blow up an entire floor just to get to the hallway they were at. He was heavily scolded by All Might for his reckless maneuver which destabilized the building, but that didn't take away how terrifying it all was.

In the end, they were brutally defeated when Ochaco threw a pillar at him but he blasted it back and knocked her and Iida unconscious. It was two against one and they had an awesome plan, but Bakugou just blew through all of that by brute force and scarily strategic thinking. It was then that Ochaco realized she needed to get serious. This is what her peers are like. She couldn't afford to just be the bubbly, happy-go-lucky rescue hero. She needed to be dangerous, otherwise she'd end up in a another situation where she'd get overpowered. It was only just a training exercise this time. Next time it'll be the real thing, and Ochaco needed to pull out all the stops for it.

So on one hand, she's thankful to Bakugou for igniting her competitive drive. But on the other hand, he's got a brash personality and seemed more likely to punch an ally than help them. So this could go either way.

She sighed gave them both a tired thumbs up. She stood up, but a twinge of pain in her hip sent her stumbling until Sero quickly caught her. He helped her back up and offered himself up as a crutch as she regained her footing. She smiled at him wearily. "Thanks."

He grinned and shot her an enthusiastic thumbs up. "No prob! I got your back!"

She closed her eyes, fighting back another round of nausea before speaking. "Right, so . . . anyone have any ideas on how to get out of here?"

Sero surveyed the area and winced. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be. There's nothing around here I can swing on save for the ship, and the shoreline is too far for me to reach with my tape."

Her face pinched. "I can't do anything without any projectiles to work with, and I don't have the strength to lift an entire boat . . . Maybe I can use my quirk on your tape so that it can shoot out further?"

"It's not that," He gritted his teeth. "I don't have enough tape to make it. Furthest I can go is maybe three-fourths the way there."

"Bakugou?"

He was uncharacteristically silent. He stared off over the side and towards the fountain where the villains first appeared. "It doesn't make sense," He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "They have the stupid nerd on their side. He knows my quirk inside and out, but they sent us here. He's planning something."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sero anxiously furrowed his brow, concerned. "A-are you talking about that green-haired kid? The one who called you Kacchan earlier? 'Cause it seemed like you two know each other and -"

"Shut it, Soy Sauce Face," He growled. "The nerd's got an creepy obsession with quirks and knows a shizton about them. If the idiot really wanted us dead, he would have told them to send you to the fire zone instead of here."

"That's . . . Wait, you're right," He frowned. "So what does that mean then?"

"Maybe . . . He's not a villain?" Ochaco muttered, eyes widening. "Midoriya-kun disappeared a few days ago during the press invasion and the villain attack! I heard he'd been kidnapped, but I didn't think . . ."

"So, you're saying the dude's on our side then?" Sero scratched his head. "How's that information going to help us? He can't help us from all the way over there!"

"It means he's somehow set this up for us to get out," Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Not that I need any of that stupid nerd's help."

"Well, we don't have the advantage zone-wise," Ochaco thought aloud. "I can't think of any other advantage we'd have despite that though . . ."

"Do I really have to spell it out to you losers?!" He snapped. He growled and turned away in frustration, clenching and unclenching his steaming fists. "You're always so hell-bent on being buddy-buddy with everyone, and you still don't get it?! The nerd wants us to rely on each other, for frick's sake! Round Cheeks, you make things float, right? And Flat Face, your elbows spew out that tape shiz?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but using it on myself takes a lot of energy and makes me feel sick, like you saw earlier. But I'll push through if it means getting out."

He grunted in acknowledgement. "Use your quirk on me and Soy Sauce face then, and he can tether us together with his tape shiz. I can blast us outta here, but you'll need to avoid my hands otherwise you'll get caught up in the explosions."

Sero's eyes glittered in awe and he exclaimed, "Whoa! That's so smart Bakugou!"

He snarled and turned away. "Can it. We ain't got much time before those extras down there attack."

Right on cue, a blast rocked the ship. Ochaco was sent sprawling to the floor and Sero toppled over her as they slid everywhere. Bakugou had kept an iron hold on the railing of the ship and was left standing. The ship teetered dangerously to the side and Bakugou hissed a swear.

"Ship is sinking. Soy Sauce, use your quirk now."

"Right!" Tape shot out of his elbows and she was bound together with Sero while he worked on Bakugou's line. He left a lot of slack between them and stepped back, nodding.

Ochaco touched Sero's arm and the back of Bakugou's outstretched hand. The boat rocked once more, but it didn't affect them because they were already hovering off the ground. Bile crawled up her throat again but she quickly pushed it back down. 

He didn't wait for a confirmation that they were ready. He grabbed onto the rail and launched himself off of it into the air, Sero and Ochaco streaming behind him like buoys. The villains in the water all shouted and pointed up at them, but they were too late. Bakugou grinned ferally as his palms smoked. With a pop of heat and the odor of burnt sugar, they blasted off at insane speeds that left both her and Sero screaming their heads off. They were rapidly approaching the shoreline when Bakugou ordered, "Round Cheeks, quirk off!"

She quickly pressed her fingers together and yelled, "Release!"

Sero's screaming reached a crescendo as their weight returned and they dropped. Bakugou slammed into the ground, knees bent to absorb the shock before springing back up in a defensive stance. Ochaco managed to roll into a stop, already used to dropping out of the sky because of her quirk. And Sero . . . Sero landed, tripped, and face planted into the floor. It would have been funny if not for the situation they found themselves in.

"Okay," Ochaco panted, her nausea making a full comeback and she paled. "Now we just have to reconvene with the rest of our classmates and get to the front entrance -"

She stopped. Sero was gawking, mouth agape, and even Bakugou was wide-eyed in shock. The sight before them was too unrealistic to be real. They didn't notice Aizawa-Sensei beaten down into a bloody pulp in a crater. They didn't notice the giant, hulking monster that looked like it was a distant relative of Frankenstein looming menacingly over him. They didn't notice the thunderstruck expressions of all the villains in the plaza who stared silently at their blue-haired boss.

No. The young heroes that their teacher relentlessly trained situational awareness in noticed none of these things. Instead, their attention was zeroed in to the villain with hands and Midoriya-kun who stood off to the side, in full view of everyone in the plaza, as all of their minds buffered to comprehend the scene before them.

Because Izuku Midoriya was alive. 

And he was kissing Shigaraki.

Chapter Text

Did Izuku have any idea what he was doing? No. Did he expect Shigaraki's "little surprise" to be a braindead hulking chunk of flesh called a Nomu? No, but he should have guessed from all the little hints the villain foamed at the mouth to drop. Was he absolutely batshiz crazy for what he was about to do?

I mean, he planned on becoming the world's first Quirkless hero since he was slapped with the label at he tender age of six. That requires a few loose screws to pull off. As to how he managed to find himself kissing his kidnapper in the first place?

Well . . .

His breath hitched as he exited the mist. Light flooded his vision before they adjusted. The air felt chillingly cold against the skin of his bare face. He could see the shocked expressions of the students and Pros at the top of the steps, but one familiar face had him wincing. It morphed into rage once the shock passed and a furious voice screeched, "DEKU! What the frick is your Quirkless, worthless self hanging around with villains for?!"

Yup. Good old Kacchan. He grimaced. "Nice to see you too, Kacchan!" He snarked right back. Removing himself from Kacchan and homeschooling for a year had done wonders for his self confidence. Sure, he still stammers and shies away from most social interactions, but he was slowly overcoming it. That year to himself helped him grow a spine, and like hell he'll let Kacchan push him around again. He almost forgot that his ex-best friend was part of Class 1-A.

Shigaraki growled. He raised a hand and started roughly scratching his neck. Deep, angry red lines puffed up where his untrimmed nails dragged across the skin. "Where is he?" He rasped. "Where is All Might?"

The villain turned to him, expecting an answer. He panicked and scrambled to think up of one. Of course, his mind first jumped to that fated day all those months ago, when All Might accidentally deflated in front of him and told him the truth of his quirk and waning power, but like hell he's telling them that. "Um . . . He might be running late. If your intel is right and he has been getting weaker, maybe he just. . . needed a breather?"

Truth be told, Izuku had no frigging idea where All Might went. Which was bad. Very bad. He was supposed to be distracting Shigaraki and the villains with Eraserhead as backup (his little fanboy heart let out an excited squeal), while Thirteen disintegrated the door open for the students to escape.

But now All Might wasn't here. Eraserhead jumped down into the crowd of villains at the plaza and kept them at bay. Thirteen tried to take on Kurogiri, but he warped Black Hole back to them and disintegrated the back of their suit.

The situation wasn't good. There's no evac route for the hero students to take. Eraserhead is at a disadvantage because he's an ambush hero and ill-suited for crowd control. It doesn't matter how impressively he's handling the situation, Izuku can see his hair flying up less and less and his movements growing sluggish.

And that's not even factoring in the Nomu ominously standing beside him. All Might was supposed to be the one to take him on with Eraserhead as backup, but that plan was thrown out the window the moment he decided to not show up to class.

Did he use up all his time or something!? Bull. Shiz. This plan rested on him being here and he's not. What, did he think he was too good to teach a class of hero hopefuls?! He certainly didn't have a problem crushing a kid's dreams after he was attacked by a villain and left him there on a rooftop without checking back to make sure he didn't commit suicide!

He took a deep breath.

Relax, Izuku. You're getting too personal over this. The situation isn't entirely unsalvageable. Hopefully the hero students have enough sense to work together in this situation. Hopefully he didn't screw them over completely with his choice of zones, and Eraserhead said something about a pager. The other Pro Heroes will be here soon. It's fine. It's totally fine. His priority right now is to control the situation and ensure no one gets badly injured. Worse comes to worse, he can use his quirk on Shigaraki to get him to stand down, but again, that's extremely dangerous because he'll have to convince him to take off that hand he's extremely protective over. And that's not even considering his erratic behavior. Not to mention the Nomu, Kurogiri, and the other villains. . .

"Twenty three . . . Twenty one . . . sixteen . . ."

He tuned back in to Shigaraki's mumbling. His first thought jumped to the number of villains left after Eraserhead took them, but a second glance told him there were much more than the numbers Shigaraki was spouting. So what was he counting . . . ?

Izuku tracked his eyes as his red orbs widened. The edge of Shigaraki's cracked lips peeked through the dismembered hand in mad glee.

"So that's how it is . . ."

Izuku opened his mouth to ask what he was going on about when the realization struck him like a lightning bolt. He saw the shift in Shigaraki's stance before he even moved. He reached out to him, yelling, "Wait-!"

His fingers brushed against the fabric of his shirt. He could only stare in muted horror as Shigaraki darted forward, quicker than a snake, and clamped all five fingers down on Eraserhead's elbow. Izuku's warning came too late. The threads of Eraser's jumpsuit unraveled to dust, and the skin of his arm slowly turned into pale flakes that drifted off into the wind. The hero cried out and quickly put some distance between him and Shigaraki, snarling as his arm hung limply to the side. Blood dripped down pale flesh from the exposed wound. Izuku felt sick. His hearing muddled as Shigaraki cackled, ranting something about knowing Eraserhead's weakness (his hair that floats whenever his quirk is activated and his potential dry eye, why didn't Izuku see this coming?!). His vision tunneled. He must have screamed something as the Nomu slammed Eraser into the ground with enough impact to create a crater. Dark red droplets sailed through the air. A sickening snap of the Nomu snapping both his arms like twigs. Izuku was dissociating again. He was back in the abyss. He couldn't see or hear or do anything, everything was just red. Red, red, red, red, red.

This wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt. It was his job to make sure they all get out of this alive and he failed he's suchafailurewhydidheeverbelieveauselessDekulikehimcouldactuallydosomethingusefulforonceandsavepeoplehewasstupidstupidSTUPIDsTuPIddEKu-

"Shigaraki, can you call off your Nomu for a second?"

He whirled around and fixed that manic, red-eyed glare on him. "Nomu, stop." The Nomu instantly halted, meaty arms still raised in the air in preparation to slam its fists down. It shuffled back into a passive stance, threateningly standing sentinel over Eraser's broken body. 

Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at him, scratching his neck. "What?"

Izuku stared back unflinchingly. His mind was fuzzy yet clear. He offered a shy smile and ducked his head, shifting anxiously as he lightly scratched his chin with his finger. "Well . . . This is Eraserhead, right? "

He grunted. The scratching grew harsher. "Didn't you study the list of people who would be here?"

"I did," he quickly answered, striding forward to stand beside Shigaraki and survey the carnage. He pushed down the bile threatening to escape his stomach at the sight of Eraser's . . . Yeah, let's not go there. "But I was just wondering . . . It seems like a shame if you were to end him so soon."

His eyes glinted. He hummed, contemplating. "What do you mean?"

Like a child with a new toy. Izuku's mind flitted with all of the information he'd obtained on Shigaraki's psychological profiling, rifling through the data for the right words to say.

"I noticed how protective Eraser seemed of the students earlier," He spoke, words flowing from his mouth like a rehearsed script. "After all, how many teachers would willingly jump into danger, in a disadvantageous situation no less, just to draw the villains' attention away from his students?"

"Where are you getting at?" He grouched impatiently.

"I'm just saying," Izuku coyly began. "You would have more fun if you kept him alive than dead. Don't you want to see how crushed he'll be when he hears how his precious students were killed? Eighteen students, a handful of kids barely into their high school careers, thrown into a situation where they have to fight valiantly for their lives before succumbing to wave after wave of villains. Even if they did escape and manage to come here - it's all the better. You can just kill them in front of Eraser as he watches helplessly, unable to do anything except curse his own inability to save anyone as he lies there, broken and bleeding."

Shigaraki's grin stretched impossibly large. His eyes glinted with something darker than Izuku's ever seen. "I never expected to see this side of you. Where was all this when you were at the League? I thought you were some goody-two-shoes who couldn't stand seeing anyone get hurt."

Well shiz. Okay, understandable since Izuku didn't have the best transition, but he's going to roll with it.

He shifted his weight onto one leg and fiddled his hands, glancing away and worrying his lip between his teeth. "Well, you're right about that. I don't really want anyone to get hurt if I can help it, but I can't really help in this situation, can I? So I might as well make the most of it, and the most I can do is what I do best - get quirks to study. Eraserhead's quirk is just so fascinating to me. There's never been a quirk that could successfully negate another's in all of history. It's completely unique, and I want to learn everything about it. I want to keep him alive so that I can ask a few questions and run some experiments to confirm a few theories of mine. And, well, if you can have some more fun out of it, why should I try to stop you? It'll be easier for me to get Eraser's cooperation anyways if his will is broken. We both get what we want. It's win-win situation."

A beat passed. Izuku willed himself to stay still even as the urge to fidget grew stronger with each passing second. 

Then Shigaraki threw his head back and . . . laughed. A high, reedy, psychotic, bone-chilling laughter that made all of Izuku's hair stand on end. The teen villain gasped and threw his head back forward, grinning madly without abandon, and fixated his deranged, blood-red orbs with beady centers on Izuku. He gripped Izuku's arms with both hands, pinkies raised and psychotically raved, "I knew it! I knew I liked you for a reason, Izu-chan! This just proves it! Sensei will be so pleased by this new development!"

Izuku's face paled but he kept smiling anyways. Hopefully he won't ever meet "Sensei" again, but fingers crossed and hope he didn't jinx himself. He took a deep breath through his nose and let it out. 

And now for the hard part.

He lowered his head and swallowed, expelling and holding his breath so that his face would start reddening in a faux blush. He glanced up shyly underneath his curls, catching Shigaraki's confused gaze at his odd behavior. He took a deep breath and gathered up all the courage he could for what he was about to do next.

He gingerly brought both his hands up, making sure that Shigaraki was tracking the movement, and delicately touched his elbows with his fingertips. His fingers trailed up his forearm, making sure to keep his touch feather-light as they rested on the hands clasped around his shoulders. He threaded his fingers in between Shigaraki's and gently hooked them so that Izuku could tear them away at a moment's notice in case this didn't work out.

"Th-thank you, Shigaraki," he softly said, ducking his gaze again. "For everything. Ever since you first brought me to the League from U.A., my life has changed. One moment, I'm just an ordinary high school student, and then I get taken away and cared for b-by you," His blush intensified and he didn't even need to fake it. Thank you, mortification. He wouldn't know what to do without you. "It's . . . nice to be appreciated by what I could do, for once. I grew up Quirkless because I didn't know how to activate my quirk, so no one ever thought the useless, Quirkless, Deku could amount to anything. And even after I made it to U.A., after I finally found that I had a quirk, nothing changed. I was still separated from everyone. They would all whisper how weird I was because I would ramble about their quirks and ask them questions whenever my curiosity got the better of me. I felt so - so lonely."

His face fell and he teared up. Classic Midoriya tears, always ready to come out at a moment's notice.

* "And then there was the incident in the staircase where my own classmates tried to - to - to," His throat clogged up at the memory. He could still remember the balls restraining his arms and legs to the floor. The flashing red lights. The dimly lit stairwell. Hands reaching out for his clothes and buttons. He closed his eyes and took another deep, shaky breath. "You know. I-I was so scared and I thought, 'this is it, this is how my first time is going to go.' And I resolved myself to thinking that was how it'll be. B-but then . . . you showed up." 

He locked his eyes back to Shigaraki's, whose expression still remained perfectly stoic. His heart hammered in his chest. "Y-You showed up, and then scared them off, and then took me away. A-at first I was scared, because what if you were like those people at the staircase? What if the only reason you took me was f-for that?"*

He lifted his head, looking at the wide-eyed villain in earnest. A stray tear fell from his eye as he loudly professed, "But you didn't. You wanted me for something everyone else thought was creepy. You actually like my ability to analyze quirks. You never stopped any of my rants or looked at me weird for mumbling. You indulged in all my questions about your quirk, and-and you didn't call me creepy or weird for it. You cared about what I had to say. It made me feel seen for once, when all everyone ever did was ignore or isolate me. It made me so confused because it made me feel things I never had before."

He looked away again, slipping back into the role of an anxious, emotionally-confused teenager. ". . . You made me feel things I never felt before, Shigaraki."

The hands under his briefly stiffened. Izuku carefully gauged his reaction. He was in shock, the lone, red eye trained solely on him, barely able to register anything happen outside of the little bubble he created. Good.

He moved his hands. This time his villainous kidnapper wasn't even paying attention to the motion. He hooked one arm around Shigaraki's shoulders and tenderly held the back of his neck, fingers uncomfortably brushing the roots of the greasy, craggily strands of light blue hair. Izuku's other hand moved to the dismembered hand covering his face. Shigaraki's eyes snapped to his hand, his brow furrowing into the beginnings of a snarl. Izuku paused and left his hand hovering between them. He poured all of his desperation into making himself appear as sweet and innocent and sincere as he possibly could, and then softly pleaded, "Can't I see my savior's face? Please, Tomura?"

His red glare snapped back to his. His expression smoothed out, but his brow was still furrowed. For a moment, Izuku's heart skipped a beat and he thought he failed. He failed and now he's going to be disintegrated because he actually believed this half-baked plan of his would work.

But no. Shigaraki raised a hand and took off the. . . hand himself. He was hesitant and unexpectedly bashful as his eyes flickered away and then back to Izuku. It was off-putting considering his kidnapper's track record. But then again, Shigaraki is a socially inept and hormonal teen despite his more homicidal tendencies.

Izuku cupped his cheek and tilted his head back up to face him. His lips curled in a delicate smile as he said, "Thank you, Tomura."

He leaned forward and kissed him. Izuku tried not to think about it. He really did. He's only ever kissed someone willingly once, and that was Toshi. So he can't say that he has a very good basis of what to expect from a kiss, but oh my Kami this guy's lips were seriously chapped. He's read and heard tons of stories about people gripping over their partners' chapped lips, but he didn't put much stock in them until he met this guy. Kissing him was like kissing sandpaper! It was rough and coarse and severely dry and it chaffed his own lips. Wait. Were Izuku's lips like this when he kissed Toshi?!?! He knows his lips were a little chapped, but what if Toshi was bothered by it? What if Toshi has a thing about chapped lips? Is that why he acts so weird and won't look at him whenever Izuku practices his quirk with him?!?!

Oh. Wait. Right, he's still kissing Shigaraki. Better stop before he dies of mortification.

He breaks the kiss and leans back. Shigaraki slowly opened his eyes. The black pupils flooded with a bright pink hue and Izuku internally cheered because oh my Kami that actually worked and he's not dead. He can take all the time he wants to celebrate and keel over from humiliation later, because right now, he has a villain under his control and uh . . . 

Uh oh. He didn't really think this one through, did he?

"Izu-chan . . ." Shigaraki rasped and, oh Kami, that just sounded so wrong. He said it reverently, almost like it was a prayer of some kind and he was the deity. Izuku only ever heard that tone when he was speaking to "Sensei," and he practically could raise an entire cult around the guy.

* The thought made him shiver. The way Shigaraki's eyes roamed over his form was vaguely reminiscent of the three students at the stairway not that long ago. Unlike back then, there was no want in that look, but rather some form of . . . possessiveness? Like he was a thing, or, or - a pet that he wanted to keep in his pocket. The thought made him gag. It wasn't just disconcerting. It was straight up concerning.

The hands gripping his arms moved up and grasped his neck. Izuku fought to keep the bile down from his throat. Shigaraki wasn't choking him or trying to disintegrate him, but oh my Kami he was hyperaware of the rough hands gripping the nape of his neck and the four fingers tangling through his curls. 

A wide and manic grin split Shigaraki's face. Ice flooded through his veins as he just stood there, frozen. The villain chuckled and it sent a cold sweat down his back.

"What is that look on your face for, Izu-chan?" He cooed, leaning his face closer. "Don't you like me? Or are you going to run just like everyone else before Sensei?"

The fingers tangled through his hair yanked and Izuku's head was thrown back with a hiss of pain. Izuku tracked Shigaraki's eyes locked on his exposed neck. His heart lurched to his throat. The villain dipped his head down and he felt his hot breath disseminated across the skin there.*

Izuku placed his hands on the older teen's chest and gently, but firmly shoved him away. His steeled himself. "Call off the attack," He ordered. "Release Eraserhead from the Nomu. A-and stay here, but don't hurt anyone. You'll let the Pro Heroes arrest you when they arrive."

Shigaraki growled, the grip on his hair and neck threatening to bruise. He winced but gritted his teeth. The pink pupils in the villain's eyes intensified and he stumbled. Shigaraki's expression smoothed. His grip loosened, still there but no longer painful. He pulled back with his face perfectly devoid of any psychotic trace that had been there prior. If Izuku were to describe it, it looked like Shigaraki was. . . dazed or something?

"Of course, Izu-chan," He rasped. "You're mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine."

Izuku ignored the twisting in his gut. He took a step back, watching Shigaraki hungrily stare at him to make sure he wasn't going to break out of his line of sight any time soon. He dashed over to Eraserhead and slid down the slope of the crater, making sure his head was still visible for Shigaraki. He fell to his knees beside the battered Hero and quickly got to work. Hours and hours of first aid training flew through his head as he ran a mental map of what to do. He held a finger under his nose and above his mouth to check for breathing. Protocol states to check for a pulse, but he doesn't want to jostle anything. Not with the delicate state Eraser's in.

He bit his lip in concentration. A new habit he picked up a couple years back to help staunch his mumbling. Excessive bleeding, broken bones, head wound and large possibility of concussion - he's not equipped to handle this situation without making it worse. The only thing he could do right now is find someone who can help evacuate the injured man without further aggravating his wounds. Someone like -

"M-Midoriya-kun?"

His head snapped to the new voice. And so did Shigaraki, he stepped in between them with his hands threateningly splayed as he warningly growled, "I'll-!"

"Tomura, it's okay," Izuku pinched the sleeve of his shirt and tugged it away. His eyes flitted momentarily to the three hero students standing there in shock and fear and disgust at the tender display. Yeah, he can't blame them. This whole situation was making him feel nauseous too.

He huffed a sigh. "It's my quirk, don't ask, and you're safe as long as you don't try to antagonize him. Uraraka-chan, can you use your quirk to get Sensei off the ground and to the entrance?"

She nodded, professionally ignoring the bewildering situation with Shigaraki. "You can rely on me, Midoriya-kun!"

"W-wait, but dude, what about you?" The boy with jet-black hair (Sero Hanta, Quirk: Tape) worriedly asked. "Are you just gonna . . . ?"

"I need to stay to keep him under my control," He answered. "But I'll join with you once I'm able to get this guy arrested."

"Dude," Sero-san shook his head incredulously.

"Eraser isn't going to transport himself, you know - "

"Right, uh . . ."

He jumped into the crater after Uraraka-chan. Izuku quickly directed all three of them to lash Sero's tape together to make a frame and two straps to secure the man with a lot of snappish protests and backhanded insults on Kacchan's part. They did it though. Together, they managed to fashion a makeshift stretcher that barely qualified as such, but they didn't have the girl with the creation quirk Momo Yaoyorozu with them now do they? 

Uraraka-chan gently tapped Eraser with her quirk and they slid the stretcher underneath him. They successfully lifted him up and out of the crater, tightly grasping onto the straps and ready to haul the critically-injured man out of the danger zone. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Young Master Tomura, I have returned -"

Every single warning bell in his system went off as Izuku whirled around. Kurogiri paused, eyes surveying the scene in front of him as he stepped out of the portal. Shigaraki's obsessive gaze on Izuku, the retreated Nomu from the downed Pro Hero, and three hero students surrounding said Pro who was floating and getting ready to be transported, blanching when they see him. But the most telling was the frozen expression on Izuku's face when Kurogiri's gaze landed on him. His golden eyes narrowed into slits. "You."

Oh my Kami, are you frigging serious?! 

"Kurogiri!" Izuku hastily stood, offering a reassuring smile that probably came off as a grimace. Stall stall stall stall stall. "Uh, n-nice to see you h-here s-s-so s-soon!"

"What have you done to Young Master Tomura?"

"About that," He chuckled nervously. "Uh, he kinda g-got hit b-b-by, um, a-a quirk? So n-now he's a b-bit, erm, dazed right now . . ."

"Dazed?" Shigaraki fervently asked, and wow was this a really bad time for him to pipe up. "Hahahahaha! Come on, now, Izu-chan. I'm bored. Let me slaughter Eraserhead and those hero brats."

His mouth dropped open and he helpfully said, "Uh . . ."

"Enough!" Kurogiri snarled and raised his hands. 

Shigaraki's eyes widened before his face twisted into a demented scowl and screeched, "Stop! Izu-chan is mine - !"

"I apologize, Young Master, but this is for your own sake!"

Kurogiri flung a portal towards Izuku who yelped and leapt to the side. His heart jumped to his throat as he saw the vortex continue it's path and yelled, "Watch out!"

Uraraka-chan swiftly grabbed Eraserhead out of the way just as Kacchan blasted himself into the air. Sero wasn't able to react fast enough, yelping as the portal devoured him and warped him away. 

Izuku wanted to go find him but this wasn't the time. Kurogiri slung portal after portal at him and he was forced to put all his effort into dodging each one. Shigaraki was screaming death threats before Kurogiri hit him with a gateway and teleported him away from the situation. 

An explosion sounded off as Kacchan launched himself at Kurogiri, screeching, "DIE!"

Kurogiri quickly threw up another portal and redirected the blast right back to him, flames threatening to burn his body before he forcefully swerved away with a controlled blast. Kacchan yelled out another battle cry as he let loose another explosion at the mist man in retaliation only for his blast to sear through empty space. Kurogiri dropped through a portal at his feet and appeared further away, glaring at Izuku whose breath hitched.  

"We will retreat, for now," He declared, eyes never straying from Izuku's. "This will not be forgotten."

Dark vortexes swirled underneath Kurogiri's feet. Kacchan lunged forward with a terrifying roar, both hands at the ready to discharge twin blasts. 

Kurogiri disappeared and Kacchan soared through empty air. Another portal appeared underneath the Nomu and it fell through listlessly, vanishing into the dark depths before the gateway winked out of existence. 

The doors to the USJ slammed open and booming voice proudly announced across the building, "I AM . . . here . . . ?"

Silence had befallen upon the structure. All Might took in the weary, shocked faces of the students in the courtyard plaza. He took note of the relieved look on the boy who was kidnapped - Young Midoriya's face - when he looked up at them. He saw the brutally beaten up body of Aizawa laid out on a stretcher, floating next to a bloody crater. 

Izuku cried out in relief. He wanted nothing more than to drop to the floor and sleep. So you know what?

He teetered, shouts ringing out from beside him as he fell. 

He did exactly just that.

Spin off of this chapter: USJ - Alternate

Chapter Text

Class 1-Ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

DiscountPichu
yo
yo
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

PoppinRockinLesbiHonest
what do you want jamming whey?
it's  10  and i want to SLEEP

InvisiSnitch
i felt that on an emotional level after what we've been through at the USJ today-

DiscountPichu
BUT GUYS
THIS IS SERIOUS
I HEARD THE GREEN-HAIRED DUDE THAT CAME WITH THE VILLAINS AND CALLED BAKUGOU THAT CUTESY NICKNAME KISSED CRAZY MCHANDSY AND IT MADE ALL THE VILLAINS TO RETREAT SOMEHOW?????

InvisiSnitch
ex-freaking-scuse me but wHaT -

PoppinRockinLesbiHonest
uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

RockHardSunshine
I
what
what did I just read?

Darkness Dementia Ravenway
I concur, what mad banquet of darkness have you wrought upon us all?

CritterWhisperer
(°ロ°) !

Alien QUEEN <3
@ExplodoKing  SPILL THAT TEA BLASTY

ExplodoKing
SHUT THE FREAK UP YOU GODDANG EXTRAS!!!!!!
WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PINGING ME?!?!?!?!!?

Alien QUEEN <3
GIVE US THE DETAILS!!!!!!!!!!! HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS GUY?!?!?!?!

ExplodoKing
SCREW YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ExplodoKing is offline

Alien QUEEN <3
NOOOOOOO
COME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RockHardSunshine
can someone explain what happened????
is the green-haired kid like
the handsy villain's boyfriend??????

Getting Scotch(Tape)
i don't think so?
i was there with uraraka and bakugou at the plaza where it happened
and yea, dude kissed the crazy hand dude
he said it was his quirk or smth???
didn't get a chance to explain before he passed out after the villains left
cause their boss was listening to green dude's orders and that's not supposed to be normal from misty warper's reaction when he saw us
idk what happened after that cause misty dude teleported me into that rain zone
@BigHandyMan  btw thanks for the save back there
you might wanna change your username after this tho bc the handsy villain kinda ruins it for you

BigHandyMan changed their nickname to OctoArms

OctoArms
You're welcome

Getting Scotch(Tape)
o wait
@Gravity Gal  you know greenie? 
i think you called him midori-something when we saw them

Gravity Gal 
yeah
he's a friend iida and i made a few days ago when the media broke in 
apparently he was kidnapped by the villains at the usj then????
he was supposed to be the one hospitalized from the media thing tho

InvisiSnitch
wiat
wait
the fourth gened student who got attacked by the villain that those two other kids and the grapist escaped from????

CuterKermit
didn't the teachers say he was hospitalized, ribbit?

Gravity Gal 
yeah

IamSPARKLING
Mon dieu!
I can scarcely believe this!
That poor fellow
This is quite the sequence of events!

InvisiSnitch
rt

Gravity Gal 
rt

DiscountPichu
rt

PoppinRockinLesbiHonest
rt

RockHardSunshine
rt

Alien QUEEN <3
rt

Getting Scotch(Tape)
rt

CuterKermit
rt

DiscountPichu
yo  @Gravity Gal 
what's this dude's quirk?

CuterKermit
also, is he alright?

Gravity Gal 
err, idk about his quirk
i thought it was something to do with being able to disappear somehow
but apparently it's not????
i've tried contacting a mutual friend for info about how he's doing plus his quirk but he's not responding
i asked the detective tho, and he said midoriya-kun just fainted and will be fine!

GoddessMother
That's a relief.
Regardless of the strange circumstances that occurred involving Midoriya-kun, I believe that it is clear that he played a large role in keeping all of us safe during the USJ.

Alien QUEEN <3
Here here, Goddess!

Getting Scotch(Tape)
dude was INSANE
he ordered mchandsy to get the big frankenstein thing away from aizawa-sensei 
i was so scared
idk what would have happened if he wasn't there

CuterKermit
sensei would probably would have died

CritterWhisperer
..・ヾ(。＞＜)シ

GoddessMother
All the more reason to thank him then.
I think as a class, we should give him a thank you gift for saving the lives of the entire class as well as Aizawa-sensei.

Gravity Gal
idk what hospital he's in rn
but iida and i will find a way to get it to him somehow!!! (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

SugarDaddy
i've been stress baking all day
@Gravity Gal  is he allergic to chocolate chip cookies, castella cake, or egg tarts?

Gravity Gal
idk, still waiting for our friend that's with him to respond!!!!

InvisiSnitch 
@ SugarDaddy  can I have them if he is?

SugarDaddy
i'll bring them to class on monday for everyone to share
i baked way too much for one person to have

InvisiSnitch
TYSM!!!!!
we should give greenie a card too!!!

IamSPARKLING
It must. Have. SPARKLES!!!!!

PoppinRockinLesbiHonest
a gift basket would be nice too

Alien QUEEN <3
let's all get together somewhere to plan this out and go shopping!!!
whose house can we go to???

GoddessMother
I believe that my home should be large enough to accommodate everyone.
Would that be agreeable?

InvisiSnitch
TOTES yaomomo!!!!
BE THERE OR BE SQUARE LOSERS!!! 
☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆

~*~

Izuku is a goddang suicidal idiot.

That's the only way Hitoshi could describe him. He's an insane sonuvawitch with zero self-preservation skills. How else can he explain what happened the moment he woke up in the hospital room, sat up, and then promptly said, "I need a pen and a notebook."

". . . What," Hitoshi blinked, sitting stunned in a chair beside his bed. The cookie he was about to munch on stopped halfway to his mouth from 1-A's gift basket. Mrs. Midoriya has been called away for a work emergency and Hitoshi promised to look after her son. Her son, who just woke up and was demanding writing implements for whatever goddang reason that was sure to make Hitoshi want to strangle him and throw him out the window. "Izuku, you've been out for the past two days. You've been kidnapped by villains, brought by said villains into a raid on the USJ, somehow got them to retreat, and then fainted. Lie down and take a goddang break before I steal your kneecaps and snap your ankles."

"No way," He resolutely countered. "I have important information I need to get to UA, All Might, and the police before I forget, and not to mention my testimony -"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Hitoshi flew over to his side and gently pushed him back down on the bed. "That can come later, but right now, you need to lie down and rest."

"Not until I get a notebook and a pencil and write all of this down."

Hitoshi clenched his jaw and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. He groaned. "Why are you like this?"

He expected Izuku to answer. He expected to force him into a coma until the hospital cleared him to leave because that's the only way for him to recover. But he underestimated his opponent, who just clammed up, crossed his arms, and pouted.

God-freaking-dangit. Of all the times he decides not to answer. He wasn't going to let this go, is he?

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

He huffed and placed his book on the chair next to him, scowling. "Fine. I'll get you some paper and something to write with. But only after I call a nurse and have them check over you."

"Deal," he agreed without missing a beat.

It took a bit of hunting down, but Hitoshi managed to snag some printer paper and a frog-themed pencil from the Nurse's Station that they were kind enough to lend. He got back to the room to see Izuku obediently sitting on the bed, just like he promised, with a male nurse checking his pulse.

"Hmm," The nurse hummed contemplatively as he let go of his wrist. Hitoshi closed the door behind him and went back in his chair. "Well, it seems like you're in perfectly fine condition, young man, if not a bit exhausted. The hospital may have you stay one more night for observation, but you should be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."

The sunshine boy beamed up at the man and Hitoshi had to squint. "Thank you!" He chirped, as bright and chipper as he always is.

You wouldn't believe that this was the victim of a kidnapping and the center of a villain attack. Again, what even is his tiny, green-haired, and freckled friend?

The nurse left the room, eyes still trained on Izuku (oh right, he's not covering his face up now. . .). Izuku whirled to him expectantly. Hitoshi frowned, grimacing, but conceded anyways. He had a feeling Izuku would try to stand up and hobble over to the Nurse's Station himself if he didn't comply.

Izuku didn't waste any time and unfurled the folding table attached to his bed. He hunched over the papers and scribbled madly, muttering up a storm far more intense than anything he's ever seen. Hitoshi sighed and leaned back in his seat, resigned to waiting this out. He fished out his phone and started texting Mrs. Midoriya.

Hitoshi
hes awake
(sent whyishelikethis.jpg)
i tried to stop him
i really did

Inko
Ah yes
That's my baby
T-T
Please tell him his poor mother wants him to rest for once

"Your mother thinks you're a goddang disappointment and you need to sleep."

"Mmhm, that's fine," he absently answered, still scribbling frantically away.

Hitoshi
he says hes fine
but thats a lie and i wont accept it
a nurse came in earlier to give him a clean bill of health at least

Inko
Thank you Hitoshi
I don't know what I'd do without you

Hitoshi
ive known him for less than two weeks
how have you dealt with this for fifteen years????

Inko
He's always been a strong boy  ^-^
And I couldn't be prouder of my son
Now if only he'd stop working himself to death

Hitoshi snorted amusedly.

Hitoshi
hes an idiot for not resting

Inko
I'm aware
But a mother can hope the best for her child, can't she?

"Izuku, stop give your mom nightmares," He drawled, lips quirking up in a smirk. "She'll turn grey before you even graduate high school."

"Mmm," he noncommittedly hummed.

His phone pinged again with a new message and he turned back to it.

Inko
I have to go now Hitoshi
Tell my baby boy that I love him and I'm glad to see that he's alright
And also, tell him to sleep at a reasonable time or I'll take away all of his Ersaerhead merchandise and gift it to you

Hitoshi grinned.

"Hey Izuku."

Another hum to show that he's listening.

"Guess who's going to be the new owner of your Eraserhead collection if you don't sleep tonight."

The scritching stopped.

" . . . You wouldn't."

"But your mother will."

"Tosh, I hate you."

"Aww," he crooned, winking and blowing him a kiss. "Love you too, babe."

He pouted but his cheeks flushed a bright crimson hue. Hitoshi held in his snickering as his friend went back to scribbling and rambling. His cheeks felt vaguely warm but he ignored it. He didn't find that cute. Not one bit.

Hitoshi wasn't sure how much time passed after that. He was languidly sprawled across the chairs on his stomach, watching cat videos on his phone with his earphones that took up a week's paycheck busing tables to buy. He munched on another cookie from a tuperware container - who in the world made these, these were amazing. There was a subtle crick coming from his friend's direction and he glanced over.

Izuku had set down the frog pencil on the little table. He cracked his knuckles and popped a kink in his neck. Papers filled to the brim with messy scrawls and diagrams were scattered all over the sheets. Sketches of unfamiliar but terrifying figures dominated the side. Izuku sighed and slumped contentedly back in bed, wearily muttering, "Done."

Hitoshi picked up one of the papers with a raised brow. He could barely make out the writing, but at least the diagrams were easy to understand. "This looks like a mad scientist's ramblings. Have you been holding out on me, Midoriya?"

He snorted. "You're the one who always claims I'm insane, so you decide."

He clicked his tongue, keeping his face stoic. "Kinky."

"Nice to know you have a thing for the mentally deranged."

"Very sexy," He easily quipped. "Ten out of ten, will bang again."

A knock came from the door. Izuku shot Hitoshi a look. He raised an eyebrow right back in response. The door slowly swung open without any preamble and a . . . vaguely familiar small being dressed in a suit walked in with a plain-looking man in a tan trench coat trailing behind him.

"Am I a dog or a mouse or a bear? But more importantly, I'm the Principal of U.A., Nezu!" The being cheerfully greeted. Ah. So that's where Hitoshi remembers him. He fell asleep during his speech at the entrance ceremony. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Midoriya-kun! I've heard many things about you from the faculty. All good, I can assure you."

"Erm. . ." He shifted anxiously, and Hitoshi can practically see the internal panic he was going through. "Th-Thank you?"

"I must say, this is quite the surprise!" Nezu gestured to all the papers strewn about and Izuku blushed further. "May I?"

"Uh, go ahead!" He scrambled to compile the papers into a semi-presentable pile, pencil rolling off the table in his haste and clattering onto the floor. Hitoshi sighed and picked it up. "I-I-I was m-m-meaning to g-give it to y-you a-anyways! Um, i-it's not much. I tried g-gathering all th-the information I c-could and th-th-this was th-the best I c-could do. Uh, there's an analysis o-of their q-quirks here, a p-profile of th-their behavior and r-r-relationships h-here, a s-sketch of th-their base - well, whatever I-I was able to see, they only b-b-brought me to this bar place - and also a catalogue of every alcoholic drink and brand on Kurogiri's shelf and Shigaraki's games and gaming consoles."

He paused.

"He d-destroyed two consoles i-i-in the time I w-was there."

Trench Coat was stunned, Izuku was blushing, and Nezu was still politely smiling but Hitoshi had a gut feeling he was internally reacting. He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "Don't tell me. You also recorded their daily schedule and habits too."

"A-and a t-t-transcript of all o-our conversations!" He helpfully supplied.

Trench Coat was flat out gaping and let out an emphatic, "What the hell. What in the actual hell."

"You get used to it," Hitoshi drawled.

"My, my, how impressive, Midoriya-kun!" Nezu smiled a little wider and Trench Coat blanched considerably. "Thank you very much for all of this. I'm certain this will help he investigation come along much more smoothly than it could have been."

"O-oh! Um, i-it's not a b-b-big deal. . ." He trailed off and nervously twiddled his fingers.

"On the contrary, how are you holding up, Midoriya-kun?" The Principal gently asked. "I understand this must have been a highly stressful time for you."

He sagged into the bed and nodded wearily. "You have no idea."

"If you're feeling well enough, Detective Naomasa Tsukuachi would like to ask a few questions regarding this incident."

"No." "Of course!"

Hitoshi and Izuku looked at each other. They both replied at the same time. Hitoshi glowered at Izuku, hoping to get the message across, but he just had to make friends with a stubborn as all hell mule.

"Izuku, you need to rest," He stressed. "You woke up and the first thing you did was write. Take a break. I'm sure the Detective will be here once you're better, right?"

Trench Coat nodded, unfazed by Hitoshi's glare. "Of course. This is more of a check in than anything else. The questioning can happen much later when you're feeling up to it."

"I'm okay for questioning right now," He steely said. Hitoshi wanted to smack his head against a table.

"It's alright," Trench Coat's brow furrowed. "You really don't have to push yourself-"

"Oh, come now, Tsukuachi-kun!" Nezu gazed up at the man, interrupting. "I see no reason why we should refuse. If Midoriya-kun says that he is feeling fine, then let us commence with the questioning. Midoriya-kun is welcome to stop at any time if he is feeling a bit under the weather."

"Yes!" Izuku hastily jumped, like a puppy to a tossed bone. "You don't have to worry about me, Detective! I was cleared by a nurse earlier! I'm fine!"

Trench Coat looked like he wanted to defenestrate himself and Hitoshi was right there behind him. He caught his gaze and the tired, purple-headed boy stared forlornly back at him.

Give it up. There's no convincing him.

Trench Coat sighed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered something under his breath. "Alright. But the moment I believe that there is something off, I reserve the right to stop all questioning and return at a much later date."

Izuku beamed and chirped, "Thank you, Detective-san!"

"It's fine, kid," He wearily reassured. His eyes flickered to Hitoshi, who frowned and wondered why he would - "Before I begin, would you like for anyone to step out of the room until we're done?"

A pin drop could be heard.

Oh. That's . . . Understandable, really.

Izuku's fidgeting didn't help the sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "Uhm, Hitoshi, if you could . . . ?"

"It's fine," He curtly said. He stood up and roughly pocketed his phone and tangled earbuds. "I'll be outside."

"Wait, Toshi, i-it's not like that!" Izuku bit his lip as the other boy narrowed his eyes at him. "It's nothing personal and I trust you. Really, I do! There's just some . . . stuff that isn't exactly . . . pleasant to hear. I-I-I'll tell you one day, just . . . Not now."

The bitter words that hung on his tongue dried up. He looked away, ashamed, and grounded himself with his hand to the back of his neck. "No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped. I'll . . . Go. Now," He shuffled away. He paused near the door. ". . . Would any of you like something from the vending machine?"

Izuku lit up, stars sparkling in his eyes as he asked. "Ramune? Please? If they have the melon-flavored one, that would be great!"

"I've got coffee for myself, thanks," Trench Coat held up a can and smiled.

"I'm quite alright, but thank you for the offer, Shinsou-kun," the Principal politely declined.

Hitoshi nodded and left the room, the door gently closing behind him with a soft click.

The smile on Izuku's face faded. He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. He turned back to the two looking at him, waiting, and he determinedly asked, "What do you want to know?"

~*~

Naomasa was never really a violent person. That title in the family goes to his sister, Makoto. He's always been reserved, a bit of a nagger, and constantly exasperated by the amount of workaholic, self-sacrificing  heroes he had to deal with on a daily basis (not that he has any room to speak), but never in his whole career did he want to throttle and coddle someone as much as he did with this one boy. This kid, this freaking kid. It was enough to hear that he was almost gang assaulted. Then it's another to hear that his "savior" had kidnapped and forced him to work with villains by threatening the lives of his only friend and single mother. But what really took the cake was that the kid had planned his escape while manipulating the events at the USJ to protect both Pros and students, even down to kissing the boss in order to activate his quirk, and even utilized his kidnapping to obtain a frightening amount of information about the villains.

He was equally impressed and absolutely goddang terrified. What was more alarming was that the kid repeated this entire story like he was recounting a casual occurrence while strolling through a park.

Should he be terrified about the kid's indifference or the fact that he essentially played the other side for a fool without anyone wiser to it?

Both, his mind bitterly thought. He watched the kid blush as his tired friend (that looked vaguely like Aizawa) gave him an apple from a gift basket. He should be terrified about both of those things.

Which is why the moment he closed the door and got out of earshot, he turned to the ever-smiling Principal of U.A. and asked with a trembling voice, "Nezu, what the hell is that kid?"

"Intriguing, is he not Tsukuachi-kun?" The rat smiled. Naomasa saw his life flashing before his eyes. "The boy is quite the conundrum. I'm eager to see his growth here at U.A."

Oh Kami. Oh freaking Kami. He's never met the dog-mouse-bear being in the flesh all that often, but from the second-hand accounts and the way Aizawa looked like he was having war flashbacks whenever his name came up, he could definitively say that he was never happier to pursue law enforcement. And judging from the way he was speaking, it sounded like he had big plans for the Midoriya kid.

He didn't envy Aizawa for what was about to come. At all.

He knocked on the door to another hospital room. There was a muffled voice from the other side and he turned the handle.

He offered Present-Mic, dressed down in unrecognizable civilian garbs, a strained smile. He glanced at the mummified figure occupying the bed and sighed deeply.

Of course Eraserhead would already up despite being critically injured and having gone through multiple surgeries. What else did he expect?

"How's the kid?"

"He's. . ." Naomasa grimaced as he grappled with what to say. ". . . Been through the ringer but seems fine. He's with a friend right now and seems pretty chipper. He bounces back fast."

He couldn't tell with the bandages in the way, but he's pretty certain that Aizawa squints at him.

"Yeah, interacting with him was an . . . experience," He shook his head and plopped down into the nearest chair. "Kid's terrifying."

"His analysis skills are amazing," Mic wearily chimed.

"It's not just that," His mind wandered to his bag. The folder it contained has never felt heavier. "His ability to gather information, recall events with near-perfect detail, and even manipulate his opponents to suit his needs - if this kid was in the Hero Course, he'd be a force to reckon with in Underground Heroics."

". . . Funny you should mention that Tsukuachi."

He froze. He turned to Mic in muted horror as he sheepishly smiled. "He's got one of those mental quirks, so he skipped out on the entrance exams for the Hero Course. No idea how he found out about the robots though, but he did and he has plans on making his way to the Hero Course through the Sports Festival with a friend," He shrugged. "There's two seats in Class 1-A. If he isn't there this year, he'll make it next year."

Naomasa blanched. Oh Kami.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "Eraser, the fate of the world rests on your shoulders."

"Don't remind me," He grumbled. "So what did you come here for? You're not one for courtesy calls."

"A fair question!" The Principal chimed in, grabbing that attention of everyone in the room. He paused. "As you are all already aware, and as Tsukuachi-kun has been briefed beforehand in confidence, the League of Villains are very much aware of Midoriya-kun's analytical abilities. Moreover, it seems like they have a vendetta against Midoriya-kun for incapacitating their leader and successfully thwarting their plans. It is uncertain where they are at this point of time, and based on the information Midoriya-kun has provided us, it seems that there is a much more dangerous entity controlling the League."

"You mean Shigaraki is just a figurehead?" Mic frowned.

"Perhaps," The being mused. "It's a bit too early for us to reach a consensus on the matter. Nevertheless, it does not change that Izuku Midoriya has become a high-priority target for the League."

Aizawa cursed. "Protective custody?"

"As well as his mother, one Inko Midoriya, and his friend, Hitoshi Shinsou," He solemnly added. "The League is well aware of their existence too. In fact, they threatened Midoriya-kun into compliance with them."

Mic swore too. "So we need to move all three of them. Do we know if Shinsou's family is being targeted as well?"

"There were no mentions of them in Midoriya's statement," Naomasa rifled through his notes of the meeting. "But since it's a likely possibility, we may need to move them into protective custody too, but separated from Shinsou. Midoriya had some concerns about them that need looking into."

"The Little Listener's mom said the same thing to me too!" Mic added. "Back when Midoriya was first kidnapped, he'd rather stay with the Little Listener's mother than go back home! I wanted to open an official investigation, but, well, this happened."

He waved jazz hands to Aizawa, who sat moodily in bed. He grunted. "I'm aware Hizashi."

"Then we can move Shinsou-kun's family into the police's protection," Nezu proposed. "As for the Midoriya's and Shinsou-kun . . . Well, it should go without saying that they will be needing Pro Heroes to guard them at all instances. This incident should be enough to convince the school board to allow the construction of dormitories on campus for the sake of the students. Until then, however, it would be best if they moved."

"We can take them in!" "We can take them in."

There was a pause. Tsukuachi had to hold in a laugh as Mic and Eraser looked at each other, blinking in mild surprise. It was a near-copy of what happened earlier with Shinsou and Midoriya, except this time both parties were agreeing rather than disagreeing.

"We have extra bedrooms in our apartment, so we can handle all three of them!" Mic jovially swung his arm and offered a bright grin. "Shouldn't be any harder than what we've already done, aye Shou? And one of them is an adult!"

"Mic," Aizawa's shoulders hiked up to his ears. "That adult is Inko Midoriya."

"Um, yes?" Mic scratched his head in confusion as Naomasa blanched. "I don't get it. Is that name supposed to mean something?"

"Inko. Midoriya," He stressed, and Naomasa really didn't envy him. "The defense attorney? The one who won almost all her cases and turned her clients in the ones who didn't into perfect angels? The one who suspended the licenses of four Pro Heroes last year during the Sludge Incident? Does Valkyrie of the Court not jog your memory?!"

Mic paused. Then his mouth dropped. "Oh," he belatedly realized. ". . . I can see where the little listener gets his smarts now."

Aizawa groaned. "Problem Child and his Problem Family."

"Well, at least Shinsou can't be any worse!" Mic shakily smiled. "If he's anything like you, all we need to do is shove the cats at him!"

"Don't jinx it," He hissed. "I swear to Kami, don't you dare say another word Hizashi."

"But Shouuuuuuu - !"

"No," He snapped. "Try again."

Mic wilted and stared dejectedly at the ground, pouted. Eraser breathed a sigh of relief and lay down, sagging into the thin mattress. "So we've got two kids and one adult to moving in with me and Hizashi until the dorms are built. Anything else?"

"I'm certain this goes without saying, but there will need to be mandatory therapy sessions for all of 1-A, as well as Midoriya-kun and Shinsou-kun," the Principal solemnly stated. "This is a terribly traumatic event for all the students, especially Midoriya-kun. They will be speaking with Hound Dog, along with any other specialist he deems fit to recruit. Oh, and don't think that I have forgotten about you as well, Aizawa-kun. Yamada-kun, I ensure that you will help our fellow teacher with his care?"

"Of course!" Mic determinedly replied, much to the disgruntlement of Eraser.

"Then that should be everything for now," Nezu clapped his paws together. "We will be discussing about this incident further tomorrow, during the staff meeting. Yamada-kun, please do assist Shinsou-kun and Midoriya-san settle in sometime today. The sooner the better!"

"Hearing ya loud and clear, Principal!" Mic flashed a grin and a pair of finger-guns. "I'll make them feel so welcomed that our home will be their home away from home!"

"Just don't overwhelm them too much, Zashi," Eraser mumbled exasperatedly. "We don't need to fix the windows after you got too excited and used your quirk. Again."

"Hey! That was, like, one time Shou, and it was after you said yes when I proposed - !"

"I'm going back to sleep, goodnight."

Naomasa tried to control his snickers as Aizawa burrowed under the covers and resolutely ignored his squawking husband. He coughed and opted to clear his throat. He garnered the attention of the two squabbling husbands in the room before standing up, bag in hand, and nodded professionally at them and the Principal. "Well, I'll be taking my leave now. I'll get all the necessary paperwork for having the Midoriya's and Shinsou under protective custody under your names. Recover soon, Eraser. I've got a certain class full of students who have been asking about you nonstop since they've been questioned, and I'd rather not arrest any of them for trespassing into a secure ward."

He tipped his hat as they all chimed their farewells. He stepped out of the room, striding down the hallways, mentally cataloguing everything that happened and needed to do. Kami, he was gonna need a drink with Eraser after this.

And more importantly, he thought with a righteous fury, picking up his cell and dialing in a number. He has three people to convict of attempted gang assault and lying to the police in their testimonies. He'll eat his badge if they don't end up in juvie.

~*~

"Hey Izuku?"

The green-haired teen perked his head up from where he was writing in his notebook. Toshi was on the bed next to him, fully reclined and his shoes kicked off to the side. He was on his back with his phone in hand and squinting at something on the screen.

"Uraraka dragged me into a group chat with her and Iida while you were gone."

Izuku set his pencil down and turned around, confused. "Okay?"

Toshi looked at him dead in the eye. He turned off his phone and set it down on his chest, giving Izuku his full attention.

"What's this I hear about you kissing the boss villain?"

He opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Then he opened it again.

". . . I-it was m-m-my quirk . . . ?" He nervously smiled, hunching.

He could see the soul draining out of Toshi's body. He nodded slowly and looked up at the ceiling, as if he was contemplating all of his life choices up to this point.

". . . I'm going to need to get used to this, aren't I."

Izuku opened his mouth to refute, but then paused. He blushed and looked down. Toshi sighed and dragged a hand down his face.

"Right," He muttered. "Well, at least you have an idea how your quirk works in combat now."

Izuku nodding mutely, still red as he turned back to writing about his quirk in his notebook.

They wisely choose not to say anything else until his mom barged in and cried hysterically over her baby boy.

Chapter Text

The lock jiggled as the key slid into place and the tumblers turned, Mic-Sensei kicking open the door while swinging a box inside and grandly announcing, "Welcome to your new home, Listeners! As the Spanish saying goes, 'mi casa es su casa!' You'll be staying here for a while, at least until the whole matter with the League goes away."

"Thank you, Yamada-kun," Mrs. Midoriya gently smiled, holding a much smaller box of her own. "For you and Aizawa-kun to open your doors to us."

"Call me Hizashi, Midoriya-san!" He winked, setting down the box in the living room. "It'd be weird for me to hear such formal speech from someone the same age as me!"

She giggled as she set her own box onto the dining table. "Please, call me Inko, dear. I'm actually a decade older than you."

He gasped and clutched his heart. "Please, tell me it isn't so! You don't look a day over twenty-five, Inko!"

"Zashi," Aizawa-Sensei shambled inside still wrapped up in bandages, grumbling. "Quit flirting and get back to work."

"Aww," The loud blonde bounced up to him and poked his shoulder, innocently batting his eyes. "You know I only have eyes for you, Shou!"

Hitoshi set down his box with a grunt. He rubbed the small muscles developing in his arm, glad that Izuku had created that training regimen for him all those weeks ago. "So . . ." He started off, catching Aizawa-Sensei's (Eraserhead, that's Eraserhead, and now Hitoshi was actually going to live with him and Present Mic!) gaze. ". . . You and Mic, huh?"

"Breathe a word of this to any of your classmates and I'll personally see to it that you're expelled."

"He won't!" Izuku chirped, his face beaming even with the mask in place (they opted for him to go without the glasses since the Mic-sensei would be the only one who couldn't see him) from around a stack of boxes piled high above his head that looked like they weighed more than Hitoshi himself. "He'll only expel those he deems have no business being in heroics, or they get transferred over to GenEd where they flourish."

Aizawa-Sensei's eyes narrowed at his overly chipper friend and warily asked, "What makes you so certain?"

"I took the liberty of researching you after I heard about you from Uraraka-chan and Iida-kun!" He set the boxes down and swiftly organized them. "Your classes have the highest expulsion and transfer rate going out, but it also boasts the highest rate of heroes who lasted more than five years post-graduation! It's absolutely astounding, really. The first five years after graduation are known as the 'Ghosting Period' because that's when the most heroes are forcibly retired, whether by permanent injury or . . . the other thing. Living past the Ghosting Period typically means you've got a long career ahead of you!"

"Huh," Hitoshi muttered, splitting open the tape with a box cutter and opening the lid. "Didn't know that. You better survive those five years after graduation then."

"You too, Toshi!"

Aizawa-sensei lightly scoffed and turned away. "We're having take out tonight, so just focus on unpacking and settling in today. School won't be back until next week Monday, and your first session with Hound Dog will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays during your free periods."

"So we have today and tomorrow to get used to things!"

The gruff man grunted in affirmation, trudging over to the kitchen. "Your bedroom is down the hall to the right all the way at the end. Zashi and I cleaned it out, but there may have been a few things that were looked over. Bring it over if you find anything."

"Yes sir!" Izuku grinned, grabbing Hitoshi's hand and skipping down the hallway. "Come on, Toshi!"

"H-hey, slow down Izuku!" He stumbled as he tried to catch up to the overly energetic bunny rabbit hopping away. He groaned, resigned to his fate.

Boxes were shuffled around, contents moved to shelves and drawers, and posters of heroes from Izuku were plastered on every inch of space the wall could offer. Hitoshi managed to subtly arrange it so that the Eraserhead ones were in direct view of the door from all angles. He may be living with his favorite hero of all time now, but that doesn't mean he wasn't going to enjoy watching his reaction when he sees this.

Hm. . . Maybe he can get a camera set up near the door or something to record . . .

"Toshi!"

He only had a moment to brace himself before a familiar weight came crashing into his back and arms wrapped around his shoulders. Yet another thing that was new about Hitoshi's situation - Izuku being a goddang cuddler. As in he will stick to your side and wrap his limbs around you like an octopus and there's absolutely nothing he can do about it. All it took was for Hitoshi to fall asleep that one time on the bush baby's hospital bed to be awarded his new status as Izuku's personal body pillow. He's been jumped so many times by now that he might as well be glued to the boy.

But it's not that he's complaining about the situation, it's just . . . New. Like a new addition to the roster of kittens at a cat cafe. It's a simple change, but not an unwelcome one.

And if he relaxes and leans into the touch every time, then they should know that Izuku is really, really good at giving out hugs.

Izuku peeked his head over the taller boy's shoulder, mask already off. "What are you looking at, Toshi?"

"Death," he deadpanned, not once looking up from his phone. He hears the pout more than sees it and quietly chuckles. "Fine," He relents. He holds up the phone to for his friend to see a better view of. "It's Uraraka and Iida. They're demanding to know how we're settling in."

He blanched. "W-wait, they're in Aizawa-Sensei's class - !"

Hitoshi rolled his eyes and flicked the bush baby's forehead. He whined a little and pouted, rubbing at the sore spot. "Calm down, you Bush Baby. I just told them we moved into protective custody with the police. Nothing about Mic and Aizawa. I know we're not all secret masterminds like you, but a little credit would be nice."

He squawked and quickly backpedaled, stammering, "T-T-Toshi! I-I'm n-not a - !"

"Really, Izuku? The notebooks, the villains," The tired boy easily listed off. "You should have seen the look on that detective's face. You've absolutely traumatized him. He's no longer innocent to the wicked ways of the world thanks to you."

"Y-you're overexaggerating, T-Toshi . . ."

His lips tugged down slightly in a frown. He couldn't give him the stare from his position, so he did the next best thing instead.

Heroes on Training Wheels

InsomniCat 
on a scale of 1 to 10
how terrified would you be if izuku became a villain?

Gravity Gal
10
no questions asked
he successfully seduced that one crazy villain boss that controlled the monster nomu thing
y?

Sanic
Why is this an inquiry?
Also, Uraraka-san! I would greatly appreciate if you could change my nickname for this conversation!

Gravity Gal
iida
ily but like
no
also
when are you gonna bring midori-kun here????
you can't keep him to yourself forever shinsou-kun!!!!!
ヾ(`ヘ´)ﾉﾞ

InsomniCat
then perish

"Toshi, that's mean."

He snorted, snuggling a little more into the embrace. "I can throw you off the bed then."

"Bet."

He smirked, raising an eyebrow at the challenge. Without warning he whipped around and hooked his arms under his legs and back, lifting the smaller boy up bridal style as he yelped in surprise. Hitoshi got up and dropped him unceremoniously on the next bed over that has been deigned to be Izuku's. He grinned victoriously and stood back up. He expected to be met with the bush baby's pouting face and crossed arms, but no. He started when he saw a startlingly intense gaze looking right back at him and a gleam in his eye that Izuku only gets if he was about to do something crazy.

His friend hummed, emerald orbs and pink pupils flickering all over Hitoshi's torso in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a scientist at a lab rat. "That's interesting. You wouldn't have been able to do that at the beginning of school."

"I've been following the training regime you set out," He crosses his arms anxiously, not liking the gleam growing brighter. ". . . Why?"

"Hm . . . I may need to revise the schedule then in that case. . ." He muttered something else unintelligible under his breath before nodding resolutely to himself. "Right! I need to check something. Toshi, take off your shirt."

What.

"What," he blinked slowly, his brain blanking and all rational thought crashing and burning to the ground. A violent flush overtook his face. "Wha-?"

"It'll only take a second!" He insisted, crowding into the blushing boy's space and lifting up the hem of his shirt.

Hitoshi quickly grabbed Izuku's wrist and yelped, "Wait-!"

But no. Izuku is an impatient little bunny who happens to be extremely strong for his size, and so he yanked on Hitoshi's wrist, flopped him down on the bed on his back, and then proceeded to shift so that - oh my Kami he's straddling my waist and pinning me down what the hell what the hell what the hell WHAT THE HELL -

Hitoshi was utterly petrified and could do absolutely nothing as Izuku hiked his shirt all the way up until his entire torso was exposed. He could feel the way his eyes scrutinized every single inch of his bare body and his face exploded even more with embarrassment. He gritted his teeth and growled, "I-Izuku . . . - !" 

A finger tapped one of his pecs and he bit down hard to keep that whimper from escaping his lips. 

"Interesting," That oblivious idiot muttered. "Your muscles are more developed than I expected at this stage. Maybe you can build thicker muscles as opposed to lean ones then . . . ?"

"Izuku," Hitoshi desperately gritted out. "Please, for the love of Kami, get off of me before someone sees and gets the wrong idea - "

"Hey, Little Listeners! I came to check up to see how you're -"

Mic-Sensei paused as he took in the scene before him. Two teenagers. Both on a bed with one of them pinned down and his shirt pushed all the way up to his neck. 

"You may want to lock the door next time." 

"No, wait, Mic-Sensei it's not what you think - !"

~*~

Shouta sighed as he stared at his laptop screen. Zashi was curled up beside him on the couch dozing. His hair was down and sprawled around his head. His neck would have gained a cramp if Shouta didn't manage to put a pillow under his neck, which was a feat given two broken arms and a mostly broken body. His mouth was open and a little bit of drool was spilling out. He was snoring slightly too. And he was wearing one of Shouta's dark shirts and sweatpants. 

So in short, he looked terrible. (But he still loved him anyways)

He was dozing on the other side of couch, not touching Shouta in case he aggravated any of his injuries. His husband was upset enough that the tired man had discharged himself early, so he didn't have the comfort of his blonde cockatoo. Or his cats. Those five furballs were scattered around Nem's house for now since they would get in the way of unpacking, but she'll swing by to drop them off in the morning.

Later morning anyways, He glumly thought, glancing over the clock in the corner of his screen. 

He sighed once more as he combed the report.

The Shizuka couple that fostered Shinsou would be going to jail. The police found evidence of child neglect amongst their current and previous foster kids, along with an additional charge of Quirk discrimination. And while Inko Midoriya made her name defending the rights of the prosecuted, it was a lesser known fact that she involved herself in cases surrounding domestic violence, sexual violence, and quirk discrimination. The Shizuka case hit two of those three points. Moreover, he could see from their interactions that the woman may as well have adopted the child into her small family. 

And if there was one thing he learned from the case with Aldera Junior High and the Sludge Villain Incident, you do not mess with a Midoriya.

It was fortunate on their part that they could get the Shizuka's so easily convicted. Most cases involving domestic violence in the foster system were either dragged out or dropped due to the lack of evidence. It didn't hurt that Hizashi and Shouta were Pro Heroes as well. The system was skewed in favor of Pros, and they had a small reputation in the legal system for chain adopting children in troubled homes. Shouta even had the great pleasure of working with Inko on a particularly nasty case in the past, which is how he came to learn of the Valkyrie of the Court. He should have figured the Problem Child was her son.

So it wasn't too difficult to flash his and Zashi's emergency foster license and quickly transfer custody of Shinsou over to the Yamazawa couple and not to another foster home. The kid didn't know that yet though. They'd tell him in the morning, and they can ask about adoption depending his reception of them being additional parental figures in his life. 

A soft sigh broke his thoughts. He cast his gaze over to the other occupant in the apartment that was still awake at this time. Inko yawned and stretched from her place at the kitchen counter, popping out a kink in her back. She stared at her computer in disgruntlement.

"How's the stairwell case going?" He softly breached.

She let out a hum of displeasure. "It's. . . alright. The other party is arguing that the attention aspect of Izuku's quirk placed them in a highly emotional state where they are unable to make rational decisions, and should therefore be exempt from the matter since they were actions were influenced by quirk. Hogai's quirk makes this argument useless against him, but Mineta and Otome are likely to receive a quirk-based restraining order."

Shouta grunted. Restraining orders that were based on quirks rather than the person. It was a new kind of restraining order introduced after the quirked population dominated the quirkless population a century ago. They were meant to keep quirks with highly volatile interactions apart. A suicide bomber quirk in the same room as a kid with a fire quirk they can barely control? Quirk-based restraining order. A kid with the ability to amplify emotions sitting next to another kid who could feel the emotions around them and became overwhelmed? Quirk-based restraining order. They did the job of keeping quirks that were dangerous together separate, with the addition that they served little to impact their permanent record in the same way petty theft would. Honestly it was more comparable to an allergy notice than anything else.

"Should I wake Mic and discuss this?"

She snorted. "Oh, heaven's no. It's not an issue. Between Mineta's previous records of harassment and the false statements they gave to officials, it'll be enough to place all three of them in a correctional facility. I'm merely annoyed they had the gall to blame the victim of a sexual offense who is also my son. I honestly can't wait to go to court with them!"

Shivers shot down his spine as he watched Inko gleefully type away. 

He'll have to keep a closer eye on The Problem Child when they return to school.

~*~

"Hrnghhhhhhhh . . ."

Tomura's nails raked over his neck, dry skin flaking off and falling across his shoulders. He didn't need to turn to see Kurogiri's disappointed gaze. It's been like that for the last decade. He hated it. It was irritating. He wanted nothing more than to wrap all five fingers around his neck and watch him turn to dust, but Sensei wouldn't like that.

And he didn't want to displease Sensei.

It was just. So. FRUSTRATING.

It all circled back to that brat. A little bunny rabbit, looking all sweet and innocent and scared and helpless, when in reality it was a mask. A fake mask for the vixen underneath. A vixen who pretended to be enamored with him before ordering him around like Tomura was his. The memory alone nearly made him fly into a rage. He belongs to SENSEI and SENSEI alone. Who was that brat who tried to usurp his authority? He's the player of this game and not some character for someone to play around with!

He growled.

He hated it. He wanted that brat's head in his hands and hear his screams as he turned to dust. He wanted to disintegrate the hands that fed him false touches that made him warm, those stupidly bright green eyes that constantly cried, and that stupid, stupid, STUPID mouth that kissed him!

He wanted to destroy him. He wanted there to be nothing left but echoing pleads and dust on the floor. He wanted to see the despair on his face as he realized he was dead.

But there was an odd feeling mixed in with the usual thirst for destruction. He wanted that rabbit to break into pieces, but not dead. Not just yet. He wanted that rabbit in a way he couldn't explain. Maybe down on his knees like a good, obedient little pet? One that answered his every desire, like a servant. Something he could punish and reward on a whim. Maybe it's that rabbit's head that has Tomura acting like this. So smart, being able to figure out quirks like that. It's the reason why he took him from that stupid hero school All Might goes to.

The scratching suddenly ceased. "Hey Kurogiri," Shigaraki turned his head towards his caretaker, a wide, manic grin dominating his pale face. "He'd make an excellent addition to the League, don't you think?"

He stayed silent. The smoky man already knew what he was talking about. "Indeed," He finally settled. "He has proven himself more than capable at the USJ. I suspect that had he truly intended to hurt the heroes, the outcome would have been far more different."

He growled and the scratching picked up again. "Heroes, heroes, heroes," he spat. "It's always about them, isn't it? Even with the rabbit in their midst, they wouldn't be able to understand what he's truly capable of. Not like we can."

The television hummed as it buzzed to life. A deep, ancient voice poured over the speakers, filling Shigaraki with glee. "Tomura." 

"Master," The young man croaked, his voice becoming more reverent. 

"Quite the curious person you have encountered, isn't it?" Master chuckled, low and dark. "You are correct in your assessment of him. He indeed would be a great boon to your cause, but I'm afraid that he will be no more than a liability to us as of this moment." 

"What do you mean, Master?"

"The boy is still woefully enamored with this pitiful society and their shallow idols," He tutted. "A shame, really. He seems quite devoted to those piddling little heroes." 

"So what should we do then, Master?" Tomura drummed four fingers on the counter restlessly. "Kill him?"

"Hmm . . . Perhaps," He vaguely answered. "Consider this a gauge of your abilities, Tomura. In the future, you will find many potential followers to aid you in your cause. This boy is but the first. If you can successfully recruit him, then he shall be yours. Fail, and he would waste away with the heroes. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Master! I will do everything in my power to succeed!" 

"Very good. Kurogiri." 

He straightened. 

"Do assist Tomura in furthering his education on the matter," He began. "I am certain there are many games on the topic of charisma and negotiation."

"Of course, Master," He bowed. "I shall have it done by the day's end."

"Oh, and one more thing, Tomura."

A pause.

"The U.A. Sports Festival will be upon us," Master lightly announced. "It would be an excellent time to gauge your opponents and keep a better eye on the boy, no?"

Tomura grinned wildly without abandon, fingers drumming on a glass. "Of course, Master," His fingers clamped down on the glass and it cracked, slowly reduced to dust and glass shards. "He will be mine. That I swear."

Chapter Text

Going back to school was . . . an experience, to say the least.

"It's the third week of school and we've been attacked by villains twice now!"

"It was the Media Break In first, right? And then a few days after, Class 1-A got attacked at an on-campus training facility!"

"You mean the USJ? I heard that there was a GenEd student from 1-C there that went missing during the Media Break In. Apparently he was kidnapped or something!"

"What? But didn't the teachers say he was hospitalized instead?"

"I hear he was the one who stopped the attack at the USJ. Just what kind of quirk could do something like that?"

"What a time to be at U.A., am I right? Are you a transfer student?"

Izuku tensed up, his mind screaming at him as he turned to the side. Someone was staring at him. Someone was staring directly at him. He was sequestered in a corner of the classroom with the window to his left, Toshi to his front, and no one to his back, his mask and glasses firmly situated on his face. This person, with dark skin, orange hair, and light green eyes, has been his desk mate on his right side for the past two weeks since he started U.A. and not once has he ever acknowledged Izuku's presence.

So the fact that he does now is sending all sorts of warning bells off in his head.

"My name's Kaeru Shikisou!" He merrily introduced, grinning wide. "What's yours?"

His brain blanked. "Uh . . ."

"Hey," Toshi twisted around in his seat and growled, startling Shikisou-san. "Back off."

He quickly held up his hands in front of him and yelped, "Whoa there! Easy, big guy. I;m just saying hi."

"T-Toshi, i-i-it's okay," Izuku grabbed the edge of his jacket sleeve, catching his attention. "I-It's n-n-not like th-the last t-time."

"Last time?" Shikisou-san questioned. "Why? What happened last time?"

Izuku flinched. Toshi's glare intensified, and Shikisou-san immediately took the hint .

"Okay, I won't ask then," the other, unknown boy said, frowning. "But seriously, are you new here? I've never seen you around before. Or, wait, have we?" He squinted at Izuku's masked face, and you would bet he was sweating underneath the scrutiny. "Sorry, you seem oddly familiar for some reason, but I'm sure I'd recognize a person with a face mask and sunglasses get up."

"N-n-no, i-i-it's okay!" He quickly reassured. "I-it's u-u-um, an a-aspect of m-my q-q-quirk th-that didn't g-g-get discovered u-until recently, b-but b-b-basically i-it makes m-me invisible to a-a-almost e-e-everyone as l-long as m-my face is c-c-covered . . . S-so it's s-s-strange that y-y-you can s-s-see me r-right now."

"Huh," Shikisou-san blinked. "Neat. Wait, does that mean you've been here since the beginning of school and I didn't even notice?!"

"P-pretty much . . ."

"Oh, shiz dude, I am so sorry," Shikisou-san's face fell. "I didn't come off as rude or anything these past few weeks to you, did I?"

"No! No. I-it's okay. G-g-generally s-speaking i-it's better i-if p-p-people don't n-n-notice m-me. . ."

"Why's that?"

Izuku grimaced. "I-it has t-to d-d-do with last t-time."

"Oh, okay. Attention, bad. No attention, good. So . .  . Any idea why I can see you now then?"

He shook his head. "N-no. Th-the o-only one wh-who e-ever noticed m-me so f-far is Toshi."

"That would be me," He lazily drawled, shoulders still tense and ready to jump in at any given moment. "And to be frank, I don't like you."

Shikisou-san flinched back before his face twisted into a scowl. "Dude, what the hell is your problem? I've done nothing to you!"

"Err, sorry Shikisou-kun," Izuku interjected before the situation could escalate. "Toshi, be nice!"

"I am being nice," he sneered. "I'm not telling him to jump out a window, aren't I?"

"Excuse me - ?!"

"Toshi! Why would you - ?!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," he drawled, looking every bit as infuriating as when Izuku first met him. "But need I remind you about everything that happened just last week?"

"Uhhhhhh-"

"It's just an outlier. It's not like the situation is gonna happen again!"

"I beg to differ, considering our new arrangements."

"But Toshi, it's just a - "

"Hey, guys - ?"

"HEYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The quirk-laced shout reverberated throughout the room and made everyone wince, clamping their hands over their ears as the windows vibrated. Quiet reigned across the room as the vibrations steadily faded. Mic-Sensei was standing behind the podium at the front of the class, frowning, arms crossed, and one foot tapping impatiently against the floor.

"I appreciate the early-morning energy, Little Listeners," He switched stances and rested his hands on his hips. "But class is in session! You're gonna have to channel that energy into something productive, like your English essay due on Friday! Wait until school lets out if you wanna settle squabble, ya dig?"

"Yes, Mic-Sensei!" Toshi droned and Izuku nervously squeaked, as snickers erupted all around them. Shikisou-kun was looking at him in sympathy, but he managed a shaky thumbs up back to him.

This is gonna be a long day.

~*~

Tenya knows that he's not the most socially savvy person growing up. He didn't have many friends in elementary or junior high either, mainly because they were scared off by his rigid personality and proud upholding of the rules and social norms. He tried to connect with them. He learned about a wide variety of small-time conversation topics, but apparently none of his peers were willing to discuss about the responsibilities heroes upheld.

He knows Tensei was worried about him, and he won't lie and say that the lack of any meaningful friends made him feel just a tad bit lonely. He truly is grateful for Uraraka-san's companionship the first day of school. His brother was ecstatic to hear he made friends with the girl he saved from the Zero Pointer during the entrance exam, and he fell to the floor guffawing when Tenya recounted how she used her quirk on the both of them to get out of there and essentially turned him into an out of control rocket.

Yes, he is very thankful for her continued companionship. Even more so as she was willing to assist his navigation of social settings. His peers in 1-A had been initially put off by his strict nature, as usual, but Uraraka-san provided a bridge to help him and his classmates connect.

Then there was that entire incident involving Shinsou-san and Midoriya-san. Especially Midoriya-san. He heard what happened at the USJ over the group chat and was completely flabbergasted at the idea that someone, much less a student at U.A., would fraternize with the enemy, but she told him to hold off making conclusions until they heard about how it relates to his quirk.

Except that would need to be inquired at a later time, since both GenEd students were pointedly turned away from one another with distinctive scowls on their faces as they ate. A third, unknown figure was watching the both of them with a slightly pinched expression, sighing before scratching his head.

"Heya!" Uraraka-san set her tray down next to Shinsou-san on one side of the table, surprisingly seated in the furthest position away from Midoriya-san. She whipped her head back and forth between the two, taking in their sullen expressions, clearly visible even with Midoriya-san's large sunglasses. (According to Shinsou-san, it was apparently something to protect him from a negative effect of his quirk - ?) "Uh, did you two have a fight or something?"

"Tell this idiot he needs a better sense of self-preservation."

Midoriya-san scowled, threateningly pointing his chopsticks at Shinsou-san before retorting, "Again, and this is the fifth time I'm saying this, I don't need to be protected!"

"I refute Mr. 'I casually popped my hip back in place after trying to do the splits.'"

The new person, who was seated next to Midoriya reeled back and sputtered, "You did what?"

Shinsou-san turned his glower to the new person. "I rest my case, Midoriya."

"It was just that one time-!"

"I'm Ochaco Uraraka!" The bubbly girl swiftly cut in, much to the relief of Tenya and the new kid. "It's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," the kid quickly barreled through, lest the argument picks up again. "Kaeru Shikisou, I'm from Class 1-C and sit near these two. You guys?"

"I am Tenya Iida," He firmly announced, keeping an eye on the other two glaring at each other. "Uraraka-san and I are a part of Class 1-A."

"Wait, you mean the 1-A that went through a villain attack at the USJ? That 1-A?!"

Uraraka-san winced and even Tenya couldn't help but look away uncomfortably. He cleared his throat and glanced back. "Yes, well . . . I believe that is the case."

"Ah, shiz, sorry! I kinda just blurted it out," Shikisou-san scratched his head. "I'm still working on it. I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories or anything."

The news of Aizawa-sensei flashed before his eyes. He couldn't remove the image of their teacher this morning striding into class, completely wrapped in bandages from the head down and his arms wrapped in casts.

"It's okay!" Uraraka-san chirped. "We all made it out alive, so that's a good sign . . . ?"

An uneasy silence befell upon the table as she trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Tenya cleared his throat and channeled all of the lessons he learned from Ururaka-san. "The Sports Festival is coming up," he steadily began. "How do you all plan to prepare?"

"Right!" The bubbly girl immediately jumped onto the change in topics and slammed her hands on the table, standing up. "Midoriya-kun, Shinsou-kun, you're planning on using he Sports Festival to transfer into the Heroics Department, right? What about you, Shikisou-kun? Are you planning on transferring like these two are?"

"Eh," he shrugs. "I'm doing just fine in GenEd, so no plans to get out there. Besides, I don't exactly have a cool quirk like you Hero kids," he grinned. Tenya startled as his eyes, hair, and skin flickered through a myriad of hues individually, ranging from gentle blues to tawny browns and vibrant oranges. "As you can see, Body Palette is pretty nifty ability if I wanna freak some people out, but it doesn't do much aside from changing colors."

"Are you kidding me?!"

Midoriya-san stood up and slammed his hands on the table. His sunglasses were blocking the view of his eyes, but Tenya could only assume that they were filled with sparkles from his excitement.

"You said you can change colors, right?" He rushed, words tumbling out of his mouth. He whipped his notebook out (where did he get that from . . . ?) and swiftly flipped to a new page, frantically scrawling away. "Judging from the display just now, you can clearly change the color of your eyes, skin, and hair separately without being limited to non-mutation type hues. Can you change the color of specific areas of your body to imitate color-specific markings? Like, can you give yourself freckles? Or can you change the sclera to black and your eyes to blue and your pupils to yellow? Or give yourself a streak of hair that's a different color than the rest to make it look like you dyed it? Oh, wow! This is so cool! It's practical for infiltrationsanddisguiseswhichisperfectforUndergroundHeroicsbecausethenyou'dbeabletoimpersonateanyofthesuspectsandsuccessfullyinfiltratetheirbaseofoperationstocollectinformationand-"

The whole table stared in stunned silence as Midoriya-san continued ranting, hunched over his rapid scribbling in his notebook, blissfully unaware of their staring. Tenya risked a glance at Shinsou-san, who was watching the scene unfold with a blank expression.

Midoriya-san abruptly stopped in the middle of his rambling. He blushed and fidgeted with his fingers together, hiking his shoulders up to his ears. "S-s-sorry, I, um, I-I g-got a little c-c-carried away th-there . . ."

"It's cool," Shikisou-san stared at the mousy, green-haired boy in muted wonder. "No one's ever said that much about my quirk before . . ."

He squeaked and the blushing intensified. "S-s-sorry, I kn-know I c-can b-b-be a bit t-too much s-sometimes and m-m-my r-rambling s-sounds c-c-creepy. . ."

"Creepy?!" Shikisou-san wagged a finger and rapidly shook his head in disappointment, clicking his tongue. "Nuh uh. Midoriya, my dear friend, 'creepy' would be seeing your sister at three AM with a mud mask on her face and clipping her toe nails on the dining table," he looked off into the distance before shuddering. "I could not eat on the table for a week until we got it bleached."

"You, on the other hand," Shikisou-san slung an arm around Midoriya-san, beaming widely at the shorter boy, who was rooted to his spot. The taller boy poked his chest. "Yes you, you amazing ray of sunshine, are a goddang gift to this hellish place we call high school. Repeat after me. 'I am a goddang delight.'"

"I-I'm uh, delight?" 

Shikisou-san hummed critically, dramatically looking at him up and down. "Good enough. We're working on it!"

Uraraka-san giggled. "You really need to give yourself more credit, Midoriya-kun. Especially with what happened at the USJ!"

"Say what?"

She blanched. Tenya grimaced. Shikisou-san was regarding Midoriya-san with a whole new level of awe and a little bit of fear as he demanded, "Yo, you mind explaining dude?"

"Uh," The green-haired boy flailed, leaning away. "I, uh, k-k-kinda g-g-got kidnapped? A-and f-f-forced to h-help the villains? B-But i-i-it's o-o-okay, I, um, m-m-managed to g-g-get away at the USJ . . ."

"Oh my Kami," Shikisou-san shook his head, gobsmacked by the revelation. "Wait, so, you were the GenEd kid who was there at the time? The one who defeated a massive wave of villains that not even the teachers could handle?!"

He winced. "N-no, th-th-that's not e-e-exactly h-how it h-h-happened . . ."

"From another perspective, it can be seen as that," Tenya mused, oblivious to the way Uraraka-san was desperately signaling him to stop. "You did get the villains to retreat after all."

"How'd you manage that?!"

"Uh . . ." Midoriya-san looked down on his lap, fiddling with his fingers. "I-I kinda. . . Kissed the b-boss?"

Silence befell on the table once more. Midoriya scrambled to explain. "I-i-i-it's th-th-the a-activation f-f-for my q-quirk! It, um, p-places the p-person in a h-highly infatuated state wh-where it's e-e-easier to m-make s-s-suggestions!"

"So. . ." Shikisou-san clapped his hands together and covered his mouth with them. "You . . . basically made the big bad boss whipped for you?"

There was a pause.

"Well, wh-when you put it th-that way, then -"

"Oh my Kami," Shikisou-san breathlessly laughed, bringing a hand to hold his forehead. "Midoriya, I retract my statement. You're not just a ray of sunshine, you are an absolute mad lad."

"So that's what happened back then . . ." Uraraka-san muttered. "It was weird seeing you kiss him back there. I thought you were his boyfriend or something like that!"

Midoriya-san's face twisted and he immediately shot it down. "Ew, no! There's no way I'd ever go out with him! He's too old and tried to kill my friends! Plus, his lips were pretty chapped so I might as well be kissing sandpaper! At least Toshi's lips are soft!"

There was a choke as water sprayed out of Shinsou-san's nose. He quickly set down his glass of water as he violently coughed, face turning red, and everyone else scrambling around to offer napkins and smacks on the back. 

"I'm fine!" He covered his mouth and quickly waved them off. They all backed away. "I-I was just caught off guard. That's all."

"Yikes, man," Shikisou-winced sympathetically. "Honestly? Same. I'd freak out too if I heard my boyfriend had to smack with some crusty old dude."

Midoriya-san sputtered and Shinsou-san blushed even further. "We're not dating!"

Now it was everyone else's turn to be floored.

"Really?" Tenya gasped, mortified with himself. "I apologize deeply for assuming that you both were in a relationship! You just seemed oddly sweet with one another -"

"S-sweet?!"

"-And that first time we met, Shinsou-kun wouldn't leave your side after the whole media debacle -" Uraraka-san added.

Midoriya keened and buried his face in his hands. "Th-that's just h-how friends are - ?!"

"Buddy, I don't think friends bicker like an old married couple," Shikisou-san pointed out. "But if you're still single and ready to mingle, wanna go on a date with me some time? I swear I'm a total gentleman! Plus, I'm like, somewhere on the ace side of things, so furthest we're gonna get is kisses and cuddles."

"Oh! Um -"

"Sorry, Izuku already has plans with me to train for the Festival," Shinsou-san interjected, glowering at the flirty boy. 

He shrugged, undeterred as he winked at Midoriya-san. "After the Festival then, sunshine boy! And even if you're not interested in a date, we can just casually hang out as buddies then. Just the two of us and anyone else at this table who wants to jump in."

"That sounds fun!" Uraraka-san pumped a fist up in the air and cheered. "We should totally do that to celebrate Midoriya-kun and Shinsou-kun getting into the Hero Course!"

". . . We need to place in the top three in the Sports Festival, though," The tired, purple-haired boy muttered, wiping the water off his face with a napkin. "Don't get your hopes up just yet."

"We can train together then!" The brunette continued, in spite of Shinsou-san's remark. "I can't improve if I keep training on my own! Plus, you need people to train your quirk with, right Midoriya-kun?"

"Err, yeah . . ." He scratched his chin. "A-are you sure though? You know I'll have to k-k-k-"

"It's alright!" She flashed a blinding grin and a thumbs up. "It doesn't have to be romantic or anything! That's just how quirks work sometimes, right? Actually," She turned to the tired boy dutifully eating his meal in peace. "Shinsou-kun, I don't think I remember what you said your quirk was."

"Good," He gruffly answered, slurping his noodles.

"Sorry, Uraraka-chan. It's better that way," Midoriya-san smiled sheepishly. "That way it'll be cooler when you see it in action at the Festival!"

Her eyes glinted and Tenya felt mildly afraid. "Ohohoho. You're on. Just because you're all my friends doesn't mean I'm going to hold back. You better all bring your A-game on the stage or I'll kick you all into the sun!"

"Don't test her," Tenya mournfully stated. "During the quirk assessment test on our first day, her score for the ball throw was infinity."

Midoriya-san grinned. "Really?! That's amazing Uraraka-chan! So your quirk is gravity-related then? I'm pretty sure you mentioned it at one point. Ooh! Does this mean you can make things heavier too?! You could put a lot of extra force behind your attacks - !"

Shinsou-san quickly slapped his hand over Midoriya-san's mouth. "Midoriya, save the analysis until after the Festival," His dark, violet irises locked onto Uraraka-san's, a fiery determination brewing within them. "From here on out, we are rivals."

The brunette grinned, wide and menacing. "I look forward to thrashing you in finals."

"Bold of you to assume I'll let you make it that far."

"Oh, you are so on!"

"Yo, Iida, a-are they always this intense?"

He glanced gloomily over to Shikisou-san's stricken countenance as sparks flew between the two newly-declared rivals. He sighed. "Uraraka-san is when you present her with a challenge, and I have only ever met with Shinsou-san once before, so I cannot make an accurate assessment."

He whistled. "Man, they're terrifying. Well, I got nothing better to do these next two months so I might as well tag along. Yo, Midori, need any more volunteers to practice your quirk on?"

He lit up and shot him a dazzling grin. "Yes please! The more volunteers the better!"

"Then I shall assist you in your endeavors as well!" Tenya proudly declared. "It will be good training against mental quirks like yours, Midoriya-san!"

"Thanks Iida!" He whipped out his notebook (seriously, just where does he keep it?) and flipped through the pages. "I have a few theories I want to test out. Namely whether or not I can control more than one person, if there's a cool down, how people affected at the same time would interact with one another and how orders will be carried out if more than one person is affected - there's just so many things to test! I only ever had Toshi to practice with, so this is great!"

"That's interesting," Tenya mused. "Were you not able to practice it during elementary schooling? Or junior high at the very least."

A pin dropping could be heard with the silence that blanketed over the table. Midoriya-san shifted ever so slightly and Shinsou-san, while stoic, looked vaguely furious. 

"Um, about that," The green-haired boy nervously began. "Y-you see, b-b-because my q-q-quirk r-r-required a k-k-kiss t-to activate, a-a-and most k-kids don't r-really kiss when th-they're in elementary, I-I kinda g-grew up . . . Quirkless . . . ?"

It took a moment for that statement to each and every single one of them, but when it did, horror dawned on each of their faces. Tenya didn't know much about Quirkless people, only that they usually faced some form of discrimination due to their lack of a quirk. However, most Quirkless people existed in the older generations. So to be diagnosed as Quirkless in their generation was . . .

"That explains Bakugou's reaction back at the USJ then," Uraraka-san grimaced.

"Bakugou?" 

"She means Kacchan, Toshi," Midoriya-san softly answered. "W-we g-g-grew u-up in th-the same n-n-neighborhood, a-and I n-never t-t-told him wh-when I f-f-found out what my q-quirk was, so the o-only practice I-I've ever gotten was with Toshi these p-past few weeks . . ."

Uraraka-san slammed her hand down on the table again and stood up. "Alright, that's it. Midoriya-kun, we're training your quirk first."

He squeaked, startling and asked, "Wh-why - ?"

"Everyone else at the Festival has ten years to practice their quirks," She pointed at him. "You've only had two weeks, but that's if you meet Shinsou-kun at the beginning of school. We need to condense over a decade of practice into the next two months for you. You're going to need all the help you can get."

"Agreed," Shinsou-san readily added. 

"B-but, wh-what about y-your t-t-training - ?"

"Then let's strike a deal," The brunette sat back down and folded her hands together, eyes gleaming. 

Tenya had a distinct feeling that he was looking at the devil.

"In exchange for us helping out with your quirk," She paused dramatically, letting the anticipation build. "You help out with ours. Like how you analyzed mine earlier. Quirk training for quirk training. Fair deal?"

"Um . . ." Midoriya-san twiddled his thumbs, glancing away. "I d-don't know . . . M-m-my a-analyses a-aren't a-all that g-great . . ."

"I overheard Mic-Sensei and Aizawa-Sensei making plans to buy a safe just to store your notebooks in," Shinsou-san deadpanned. "They called it a matter of national security."

The gleam in Uraraka-san's eyes grew. "Perfect! Then you have nothing to worry about then, Midori!"

He blushed. "O-okay, i-i-if you s-say so . . ."

"Great!" She chimed, already back to her usual, bubbly self. "Let's meet after school today in Gym Delta to practice!"

"Yo, Midori," Shikisou-san propped his arm up on the table and rested his cheek against it. "You said your quirk makes the person you kiss like, super whipped for you, right?"

"U-um, yes?"

He rubbed his chin, quirking his lips while deep in thought. ". . . What exactly does that look like?"

Tenya took a quick glance at Shinsou-san. His face was still blank but his skin had paled significantly and his eyes glazed over.

. . . Maybe Tenya should go home today.

~*~

Shouta took one step into Gym Delta to supervise the Problem Child's quirk training before turning on his heel and walking out.

"W-wait! S-S-Sensei! P-Please help!"

"I'm still recovering," Shouta called out over his shoulder. "Consider this training. You can't be flustered with your opponent's advances every time you use your quirk on them."

"I love you Midori-kun!"

"Sorry Uraraka-chan," An unknown voice swiped The Problem Child from the Bubbly Child with a cheeky grin. "But Midori's mine."

"Unhand him you fiend!" Tensei's Robot Brother Child waved his hands in the air in a chopping motion at the new child. "Fret not, Midoriya-san! I will save you!"

"Hey, Shikisou?"

"Wha-?"

"Give Izuku to me and stall the other two," The Tired Child grinned, quickly swiping The Problem Child from the new child's grasp as the new child ran headfirst into the other two, who screamed as they were tackled. Tired Child slung said Problem Child over his shoulder with a grin (he'll forever deny that it looked like his) and proceeded to run while The Problem Child wailed. "Sorry, but I'll be taking him off your hands now."

"Toshiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" The Problem Child wept, red face buried in his hands as he was hauled along. "Aizawa-Sensei, please help me!"

"Mic will be here later to drive you and Shinsou home," He waved his hand over his shoulder. "Have fun."

"Senseiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

"Shinsou-kun, you witch! Get back here and fight me!"

"Uraraka-san! This kind of behavior is highly unacceptable -"

"Screw that, Shinsou you freaking sneak! Who the hell gave you permission to use your quirk on me you - ?!"

Shouta tuned out the rest of the mess happening behind him and left through the door, messaging Nemuri to take over for him as the kids flung their quirks everywhere, screaming. 

Yeah, no. He was not going to deal with that mess.

Chapter Text

I'm issuing a challenge to you, the reader, right here and right now.

Interesting thing happened with SparkingOverload last chapter. Ya'll are asking tons of questions about the nature of Izuku's Quirk, Adoration, so why not have a little contest to see whether or not you all can figure it out before I reveal it in the story? You have up until the Sports Festival to figure out what the exceptions to Izuku's invisibility are. Here are some hints to help you out!

- There's more than one exception to the invisibility rule

- Most people already guessed one

- Shikisou falls under one exception (it's the one that's hardest to guess)

- Hitoshi and Aizawa falls under the same exception

- Currently, the only people who have seen Izuku while fully masked are Inko, Hitoshi, Aizawa, and Shikisou. (Aizawa and Inko were confirmed in the last chapter near the beginning)

-You might want to look into quirk type, the circumstances surrounding Shikisou and Izuku's meeting, and into when Izuku first started experimenting with his quirk at seven in the first chapter. Keep a close lookout for more hints in future chapters! 

Comment in this fic and I'll leave a ~*~ to show that I've seen it. I can't confirm or deny if you're theory is true or not, but I'll keep a counter for people who guessed at least ONE of the exceptions. If you can figure out all four criteria before I reveal it in the story, then I'll dm a full description of Adoration. Somehow. Possibly through emails or through a google doc or something. Good luck everyone! XD

~*~

Kaeru plopped down next to Uraraka on the bleachers, cooling down from his run around the gym. She sniggered, phone up and recording the train wreck unfurling before them.

"Midoriya-san!" The brunette coughed as Iida got down on one knee, reverently holding up Midori's hand as the green-headed boy buried his blushing face in his other hand. "Please, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me this Saturday?!?!"

Shinsou's face fell, snuggling Midori even more from behind protectively. He hooked his chin on Midori's shoulder and buried his face into his neck, which elicited a squeak of surprise and further flushing. "Please don't go. You promised you wouldn't leave me, Izuku."

Midori wailed as Kaeru and Uraraka fell over laughing.

"Oh my Kami," Kaeru chortled, wiping a stray tear as he picked himself up.

"I feel like I'm watching a soap opera," The brunette snickered. "It's so bad but you can't tear your eyes away."

"Praise be, sister!" He laughed as Shinsou decided to hook his legs around Midori, who freaked out and quickly looped his arms under his legs so that they wouldn't fall. "You know, it's absolutely freaking amazing to see Shinsou under Midori's quirk."

"He's so soft," She cooed, watching as Midori finally got Shinsou to get off of him and for Iida not to challenge the purple-haired boy to a duel.

"Honestly," Kaeru chuckled, redoing his ponytail. His hair was a nice, light pink today, and his skin was darker than it was a few days ago when he first met these crazy idiots. "Gotta admit, I did not see this coming. Like, Iida I get. He's a bit rigid and talks up a lot about the rules and stuff, but it makes sense that he'd be a total gentleman to his sweetheart. On the other hand, Shinsou? A soft boi? Can't say I'd ever predict that."

"Yeah," Uraraka wistfully agreed. "He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's a pretty good guy. Especially if Midoriya's involved."

He scoffed. "Yeah, no kidding. He went all mama bear on me yesterday when I was introducing myself to Midori. Dude threatened to throw me out a window."

She sighed, shaking her head. "He's super protective of Midori-kun like that. Don't take it personally, he did the same with Iida and I when we first met."

"How did you all meet up anyways?" He cocked his head and frowned. "Can you see him too, like Shinsou can?"

She shook her head. "No. A part of his quirk affects the amount of attention he gets? I don't remember Shinsou-kun's explanation all that well, but I do remember it has something to with how much his face can't seen. His full face would have him draw attention like he's a pop idol, but covering his face completely makes him invisible to everyone except for a few people. Iida and I couldn't see him, but Shinsou and Aizawa-sensei can. I thought it had to do something with mental quirks, but you saw Midoriya-kun and you don't have a mental quirk. Or maybe having a mental quirk is part of it and you were another exception? So I'm not sure how it works now. But I do know we can see him normally if he partially covers his face, like he's doing right now with his face mask."

"Aizawa, that's . . . Your homeroom teacher, right?" Concern roiled in his gut. "He doing okay?"

A pensive look crossed her face as she slowly said, "Define 'fine'."

He paused. "By a normal person's definition."

"He should be in a hospital bed but refuses," Shinsou huffed, walking over with a heavily flustered Midori and a slightly dazed Iida trailing behind. He sat down opposite of Uraraka, munching on a granola bar. He turned towards Midori, who already whipped out his notebook furiously wrote in it. "So, anything else that needs testing?"

" . . . So I'm able to utilize my quirk on at least four people without any issues, and they are able to properly utilize their quirks while under effect . . ." He muttered. "Kissing partially on the lips will activate the effect normally, and time spent kissing the subject yields no additional affects, so I can feasibly kiss someone for a half second and they'll still be under my quirk . . ."

"Aaaaand, we lost him," Kaeru piped up. "How long do you think it'll be this time?"

"Five minutes, perhaps?" Iida cautiously suggested.

Shinsou huffed in amusement. "Try thirty. Tap his shoulder if he reaches past the ten-minute mark."

Turns out they didn't need to do anything. Midori snapped out of it on his own and zeroed his critical gaze on Uraraka. She straightened her spine in response, alert and ready to help. "Uraraka-chan, can I kiss you and use your quirk on something?"

"Sure, Midoriya-kun!" She cheered, hopping up to her feet.

Midori touched her shoulder before leaning forwards and pecking her lips. Immediately, her whole demeanor changed as she stared at Midori dopily, expression fond and loving. She quickly attached herself to his arm with a giggle, brightly confessing, "I love you Midoriya-kun!"

Said person of affection sighed exasperatedly, holding one hand to his forehead. "Is it bad that I'm getting used to this?"

"Not really?" Kaeru shrugged.

"Take this as a good sign, Midoriya-san! It means you are becoming well-acquainted with your quirk!"

"Maybe," He grimaced. "Okay, Uraraka-chan! I know we couldn't get your quirk to increase the weight of things, but maybe now that you're under the effects of my quirk you can - "

His voice dissolved into mumbles as they walked away, Uraraka lovingly snuggling into Midori's side as he absently rambled.

Kaeru took a long swig of water and threw his gaze discreetly over to Shinsou. The taller boy was still tearing into his granola bar and drinking out of a dark green hydro flask, seemingly unaffected for the most part.

But Kaeru's always been a little too observant and a little too nosy for his own good. He could see the slight tension lining his shoulders. The way his expression was carefully constructed to be impassive. His eyes that glazed over and occasionally flickered to Midori and Uraraka, before looking down at the ground with an unamed emotion flashing across his face before vanishing.

Iida had already gone off to one of the placemats and kicked the air, randomly activating his quirk to make his kicks land harder and following up with a sloppy punch for the ones that didn't. Something that Midori suggested as a way to make his attacks more unpredictable. Kaeru sauntered over to Shinsou, who eyed him warily as he sat down next to him.

He scoffed, grinning amusedly at the purple-haired protector. "Easy, big guy. I ain't gonna bite."

"You certainly look like the type."

"Well," He purred, smiling coyly. "You are a snack after all."

He gave him a weird look, like he was constipated before blurting out, "Are you - ? You're seriously flirting with me right now."

"Uh, duh, I'm surrounded by pretty people here. How could I not?" He dramatically fanned himself, sighing longingly. "Iida's got massive muscles, Uraraka's got them curves, Midori's just Midori, and you've got that mysterious, brooding, pretty boy aesthetic going on."

His violet gaze narrowed, white pupils boring into his soul. "I have eyebags."

"And I have eyes that can see," He retorted. "And so does Midori apparently, from the way he's looking at you right now."

Shinsou's eyes widened and a violent flush overtook his face. He whirled his head around and watched Midori trying - and failing - to lift a dumbbell while Uraraka stood beside him, swooning. His expression dropped into a glower that he directed to Kaeru, teeth slightly bared.

The prankster chuckled. "Okay, yeah, I deserve that. But you better snatch him up quick buddy, otherwise people are gonna get him first."

"I don't like Midoriya in that way."

Kaeru looked at him. As in he really looked at him and - oh, oh sweet Kami. This boy. This absolute buffoon.

He scoffed in disbelief and shook his head. "Yeah, no. I ain't dealing with this shiz," The pink-haired boy leaned back, throwing his arms up against the benches behind him. "By the way, you wanna become a hero, right?"

He could see the way Shinsou's walls went up from his shoulders tensing and his glare intensifying. "That's none of your business."

"Alright, geez!" He held his hands up in surrender. "I ain't saying anything bad about it! I was just wondering since we might be working on future cases. I wanna become a detective when I graduate, and it'd be cool if you're the hero I'll be liaisons with! You seem like the Underground type anyways, especially with how you're keeping your quirk a secret."

The other boy grunted and turned away, apparently done with the conversation.

Cheers went up from the other side of the gym where Midori and Uraraka were. She had broken out of his quirk from the looks of it, and was hugging onto Izuku as they joyously shouted about Uraraka's quirk and - wait, was that a hole in the ceiling?!?!

His jaw dropped. "Y-yo, Shinsou? Y-you see that too, right?"

A tired sigh came to his left. "Yup. Should have figured."

Kayama-sensei screeched as she came into the gym and saw the hole. Midori and Uraraka blushed, looking properly chastised as Kayama-sensei strode over to scold them.

"Sooooooo," Kaeru began, turning to Shinsou. He smiled. "Any chance you'll go on a date with me?"

The other boy immediately stood up and left.

\\~*~//

Izuku took a deep breath. His shades were in his pocket. His mask was over his mouth. He was still nervous about not being somewhat visible, but nothing much has changed. The teachers all see him now. Everyone else still ignores him, except for Shikisou-kun and Yamada-sensei, but that's only if he's in class. 

He raised a hand and knocked on the door.

The wooden door rattled as it slid to the side and Midnight-sensei poked her head out. She beamed when she spotted him and greeted, "Midoriya! Come inside, come inside!"

"Th-thanks for h-h-having me," He murmured, bowing as he stepped into her office.

She ushered him onto a comfortable couch with a small pile of neatly folded blankets on one of the cushions at the end. She was dressed differently from her normal hero outfit, with a cream turtleneck sweater over a pair of comfortable, dark jeans and red-rimmed glasses. She crossed over the small space to a kettle boiling on a hotplate, offering, "Help yourself to one of the blankets. Would you like some tea? It's lavender and chamomile."

"Erm, y-yes please. Thank you!"

It wasn't long until the kettle started whistling and Midnight-sensei turned it off. She poured him a mug of warm, amber liquid and set it in front of him on a coaster. He adding some honey after a bit of prompting and munched down a couple of biscuits, all while swaddled in a heavy pastel blue blanket.

Honestly he felt ready to sleep like this.

"So Midoriya," Midnight-sensei began, her own cup of tea in hand. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Um," He fidgeted slightly, gaze down at the lazy steam rising from his mug. "H-Hound Dog s-s-said it w-was to t-talk about wh-what happened wh-what happened o-on M-Monday wh-when the m-m-media broke i-into s-school . . ."

She nodded, face solemn, but still friendly as ever. "Mmhm. Let me establish this now - like Hound Dog, I will not be pressing you for anything you do not wish to tell me. Anything you say will be strictly confidential, and I guarantee it won't affect our relationship as a student and a teacher in class."

"O-oh, th-thank you."

She smiled a little. "It's no issue. In fact, always establish a baseline like this whenever you're discussing an uncomfortable topic such as this one with another person. If you do and they don't follow, my personal advice is to punch them in the solar plexus and get them begging down on the ground while you grind your heels in."

He choked, sputtering. His face burned bright red and he stammered, "U-uh, I-I-I don't, h-heels - ?"

She cackled. "Believe me, kiddo. I've had men and women and folks of all kind see me as an easy target because of my 'R-18' title, but they tend to forget that I'm a hero behind this pretty face. I've find it best to strike first before they get the drop on me." She winked.

He started. "O-oh, right. I-I guess that makes sense . . ."

She shrugged, an expression conveying 'what can you do?'. "I've always been a pretty face. Lots of gossip mags paint me as the type of lady to throw herself onto anything with two legs and get them to bed. Some even go so far as to accuse me of harassing civilians and students."

He recoiled, eyes wide in horror. "N-no! You would never do that! Especially to a student!"

Her eyes glimmered with mirth. "You sound very convinced. Why's that?"

"Your brand stands in direct contradiction to that claim!" He heatedly argued. "You set up a network of shelters for victims of domestic violence. You help donate funds to victims of sexual violence and those seeking an abortion. You actively campaign on matters regarding consent and practicing safe sex to schools and colleges all over Japan, and even promoted events on family planning. You started a program for women that experience a disproportionate amount of discrimination in career paths, like computer science or heroics! You supported anti-discrimination policies on members of the LGBTQ+ community and teenage parents. You're part of the reason why kids like me can safely come out to their parents as pansexual without fearing the same backlash as a decade ago! To say that you harass anyone, let alone students, in the face of everything you've done?! That's like saying a Hero's duty is to commit crimes!"

She chuckled. "I'm flattered, really. But have you ever wondered the reason why my brand is like this?"

He paused. He parsed his brain for every scrap of information regarding the hero before him. "Um . . . I don't . . . Because you . . . can?"

"Mmm," She looked thoughtful for a moment, swirling the liquid in her mug. "You're not wrong. Could you think about it more deeply? Why would a hero actively campaign on matters regarding sex, sexuality, and gender inequalities?"

He covered his mouth with his fist. "Well, you can do it, but I can't think of anything other than that off the top of my head. So why would a hero campaign so much about these particular set of issues? In the past, most of time when people campaign for an ideal is because they - "

He cut himself off. His eyes went wide as saucers as he turned to Midnight-sensei.

She offered a rueful smile and another shrug. "So?"

"Y-you were. . . you've been . . . ?" He babbled, brain still trying to catch up with the implications.

She nodded. "It's because I've been there too. I know what it's like to be placed in a position where you feel helpless, and the other party just wants you for your body."

His jaw dropped. "That's . . . but . . . why?"

"As I said before, I have a pretty face," She took a sip. "When I was in elementary school, my original career path was art. I always loved fashion, and painting, and comics, and movies. Xo I hoped to gain a job in one of those fields. When middle school happened, I found myself being hit on at every turn. I felt flattered at first, because who wouldn't want to be told that they're pretty?" She sighed. "But then there was . . . an incident. A group of third years thought it would be funny to try and make a pass on the first year beauty. Forcefully."

Izuku blanched. Memories floated in of his time as a first year in middle school. The sensation of being pinned against the wall, a hot mouth bruising his lips, rough hands raking over his torso . . .

"Thankfully, I had my quirk," She continued. "I knocked them out before things could get truly serious, but the events that followed after shook me. Some accused me of purposefully seducing those upperclassmen because I was pretty and had a flashy appearance. Others said that I should have been walking with a friend, or learned self defense, or tried to avoid them altogether. They even said I was trying to sell myself out. Fortunately for me, the group that tried to assault me was expelled and placed in a correctional facility, but the way other people around me had reacted when they heard what happened. . . It was terrifying.

"So I did some research when I got home. Imagine to my surprise just how many victims of assault are blamed for the crime? It was startling to say the leasy. Instead of those victims receiving comfort after a highly traumatizing event and the perpetrators being criticized, the ones being blamed for what happened was the victims themselves. It was almost like it was natural to assume that all men seek to assault women, and that women should do everything in their power to resist their attempts. From dressing more modestly, to acting more docile to avoid standing out, to learning self-defense, to always traveling in a group - if they don't, then it's only natural that a woman becomes assaulted."

Izuku was shaking now. Whether from anger or frustration or fear he didn't know. "But. . . that's. . . That's not right! No one should ever have to worry about being attacked just for existing! They shouldn't have to change their entire personality and plan around it either!"

"Exactly! No one should have to be worried about being assaulted and blamed for it," Midnight-sensei snapped her fingers. "That's what I thought too. 'No one should ever have to go through what I did. I'm just a kid who happened to have a pretty face. I shouldn't have been blamed for what almost happened to me.' "

"So is. . . that why you became a hero instead? To advocate for these kinds of changes?"

"Mmhm!" She beamed. "Right on the nose, kiddo! I became a hero to help make a brighter future for people like us. It helps that my quirk works well thematically too. I find the effects of Somnambulist increase if the people being affected are more interested in me. Hence the whole persona and costume design - not that I don't love it, of course."

"That's amazing . . ." Izuku murmured, awestruck. Then a thought struck him and he frowned. "But. . . why are you telling me this? N-no offense, M-M-Midnight-sensei, b-but we d-d-don't know each o-other outside o-of class. . . a-and i-it would be an i-issue if the media f-found out about this - not that I'd tell anyone or anything!"

She shook her head amusedly as he rapidly waved his hands in a panic. "You're a good kid, Midoriya. I've got Yamada gushing about you and Shinsou, and then there's everything that happened in the USJ. I trust you wouldn't let anything I said here leave this room because you've got a strong heart and a good head on your shoulders. Still, even the strongest of us need a hand sometimes. What happened at the USJ and the events leading up to it would have crippled a lesser person."

"I-it would?"

She wryly smirked. "Imagine if all of this happened to another nameless student here."

". . . oh."

She huffed lightly. "Hound Dog's a good therapist, but his particular brand of therapy doesn't cover everything. Which is why I'm here."

"To . . . talk about what happened at the emergency exit stairway, because Hound Dog doesn't know how to navigate potential trauma from an attempted sexual assault."

"Right again, kiddo!" She smiled, sipping her tea. "Me? I'm a licensed therapist that can handle that type of stuff. I find it helpful with everything I do outside of patrols and teaching."

"So . . . th-then you t-telling me about your p-past was a w-way to establish a q-quick rapport. S-solidarity in someone wh-who has been there."

She nodded, humming approvingly.

He frowned, biting his lip. He fiddled with his fingers. "H-how do I e-even start?"

"Well," She set her mug down on the coaster on the table. She crossed her legs, placing one finger on her chin and said, "Why don't I give you a few ideas? Remember, you don't have to do anything you don't want to. In fact, you don't even need to talk about this now. We can just chat about something else and drink tea if you prefer."

He shook his head. "N-no, I-I th-think i-it's better to g-get it out n-now."

She nodded slowly. "Alright. You can change your mind at any time, m'kay kiddo?"

He nodded back.

She went back to looking contemplative. "Hmm . . . Well, I'll just be spit balling here. Feel free to chime in. Of course, we could recount everything that occurred at that stairwell, because I have a gut feeling you didn't have the time to process what happened."

He shook his head.

"We could also concentrate on any concerns you have after this event. Like if you have trouble sleeping, or flinch when someone touches you unexpectedly, or you have someone you want to tell but are nervous on how to make it happen."

His lips pressed into a hard line. He glanced away before taking a cookie. "I-I don't r-really have trouble s-sleeping. Toshi . . . err, that's Shinsou - Toshi uses his quirk to help me sleep, and everyone I know makes sure that I'm able to see them first before they touch me . . . Um, I-I'd like to tell Toshi about everything that's happened, but it's . . . I'm worried he might start blaming himself."

"Why is that?"

Izuku wilted. "It's - it's because I let go of his hand when we were rushing out of the cafeteria. He has nightmares and cries in his sleep, but he thinks he's able to hide it from me. He only knows that I was kidnapped by the League and what happened at the USJ. If he finds out that I was almost assaulted . . ."

He trailed off, letting the implications hang in the heavy silence between them.

Midnight nodded. "I'm going to be honest with you Midoriya, there's likely no way you can break it to boy without him feeling some kind of guilt."

He flinched.

"But," She stressed. "We can find a way to mitigate the amount of guilt he feels and put him on the path to recovery. I'll talk to Hound Dog about what he can do to help Shinsou-kun out."

He weakly offered her a smile. "Th-thanks, sensei."

"It's not a problem," She easily waved off. "In other news, I'm glad that you're getting a good night's rest. Would you like some melatonin as a just in case though? I'm no psychiatrist, but I can bring it up with Recovery Girl and have her sort it out."

He nodded, perking up a little more. "Yes please!"

It went like that for a while. They talked about a lot of things they could do to improve his sleep - most of the solutions were what he and his mother tried after he came clean to her a year ago and received his first few rounds of therapy, but Midnight-sensei added some surprising new methods that Izuku was eager to test out when he got back home.

And speaking of testing. . .

"My - my quirk," He flubbed a bit, trying to string together a coherent sentence. "The attention aspect of it. . . I-I think it has something t-to do with what h-h-happened in the stairwell."

Midnight-sensei nodded, her keen gaze and soft expression told him that she was listening.

He took a deep breath. "I-I think wh-when m-m-my f-f-face is f-f-fully u-u-u-uncovered, it s-somehow a-a-attracts p-p-people? I-It happened wh-wh-when I w-was twelve, th-th-there w-w-was a time wh-when I-I went to s-s-school without m-my mask a-a-and my glasses, b-because I, uh, w-w-wanted to f-feel wh-what it was like."

Well. That obviously was a lie, but he wasn't about to risk Kacchan's place in the Hero Course when he'd worked for it all his life.

"B-but s-sometimes, I-I-I'd g-get h-hit on . . . o-or dragged. . . and p-p-people w-w-would k-kiss me and they - "

"Hey, kiddo."

His jaw snapped shut. It wasn't until then that he realized that his hands were violently shaking. Midnight-sensei had a hand over the rim of his mug to keep it from falling and crashing onto the floor. She gently took the ceramic from his still-trembling hands and placed it onto a coaster on the table.

"You don't have to continue talking. You can tell me how the tea is, instead," She flashed a small grin.

It made him relax a little, enough for the trembling to subside slightly, but not so that the tension lining his body completely bled out. "I-it's b-b-better if I s-say th-this now, s-so um, i-if th-this happens a-a-again, y-you and the o-other t-t-teachers kn-know. Um, m-my quirk. . . M-my bare face a-attracts a l-lot of attention f-from p-p-people in my immediate a-area, a-and I th-think i-it m-makes th-them more. . . impulsive? I-I think? E-every attempted a-assault s-so far h-happened wh-when I w-wasn't w-wearing a m-mask, wh-which is why I w-wear one a-all the time now. I-I don't kn-know how to c-control i-it, or e-even if I c-c-can."

"Hm . . . Hound Dog sent me over your files, and I noticed that you registered your quirk only recently," She gently stated. "Have you been to quirk counseling yet?"

"O-only f-f-for the k-kissing part, I-I didn't e-e-even kn-know about the a-a-attention a-aspect u-until Toshi p-pointed it o-out t-two weeks ago . . ."

She nodded. "I may be a therapist, but I'm no good with figuring out quirks like you can, kiddo. Hound Dog can recommend a few people to go to for that, so just ask him the next time you see him."

He hastily nodded his head. Midnight-sensei's eyes flickered somewhere to over his head. "Ah, looks like it's time to get going, kiddo. Otherwise Shouta will have my head."

He perked up. He quickly downed his cold mug of tea and set it back down on the table, whisking the blanket off his shoulders and bowing at the waist. "Th-thank you so m-much for a-a-all of this, Midnight-sensei!"

"It's not a problem, you're welcome back any time during my office hours," She waved him off and then winked. "But . . . if you happen to need any relationship advice, I'd be more than glad to lend a hand. Especially if it involves a certain pretty boy with wavy purple hair in your class."

He flushed even harder. He sputtered, "T-T-Toshi is j-j-j-just m-m-my f-f-friend! I-I'm c-c-certain h-h-he doesn't, I m-mean, I'm n-n-not - !"

She cackled and shook her head. "Ah, young love! Even if you don't end up together, he's still a good kid and cares a lot about you. Now, off you go! To the grump and the cockatoo you go!"

He squeaked and hastily bowed, rushing out, "Thank you for your time, sensei!" He swiftly bolted out of the room, cheeks aflame and Midnight-sensei's laughter trailing behind him.

He tried to ignore the weird, fluttery feeling in his gut as her words echoed in his head.

Chapter Text

Oh my Kami, GUYS LOOK AT THIS!!!! SOMEONE DREW IZUKU FROM THIS FIC AND I AM JUST AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE'S EVEN A FRIGGIN HALF GREEN HALF PURPLE BRACELET THAT SAYS TOSHI ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND THE HAIRCLIP! AND THE CHOKER! AND THE SHORTS!!!!!!!!!!! 

That's it, I was on the fence about slapping freckles on his thighs for his hero costume, but this fanart ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED ME THAT IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN.

Adorable Izuku <3

~*~

Izuku could count the days left until the Sports Festival. From here on out, like Uraraka-chan (now Ochako-chan!) had declared the day they got back to school, they were at war. Every quirk training session was used to sharpen their techniques while obtaining information about the others. Every single spar was an opportunity to gauge your abilities and find weaknesses in in the others' stances. It was equal portions self-improvement, friendly bonding, and outright espionage.

He couldn't be any more thankful for the others for helping him out with his quirk.

But he also couldn't help but slam his knee full-force into Shikisou-kun's gut before hauling him over his shoulder and tossing him onto the mat with all his strength, the other giving a choked cry as he slammed painfully on his back.

"I-I give!" He wheezed, groaning in pain. He curled up and turned over, coughing violently. "Wh-what the hell, Midori? You're tiny! How are you so strong?!"

"Ooh!" Ochako-chan was bouncing up and down, her brown eyes gleaming with excitement. "ME NEXT!"

"You're insane," Toshi deadpanned, shaking his head at the other girl.

"Don't care!" She eagerly bounded to the mat as Iida-kin helped Shikisou-kun hobble off the mat, still wailing in agony.

"Shinsou-san, would you like to spar with me instead of one of those two?"

"Yes," he immediately answered the blue-headed boy without missing a single beat. "I think the only one that can fight these two maniacs without needing Recovery Girl is themselves."

"I concur."

"We were fools," Shikisou-kun gasped, shaking his head mournfully. "I thought Uraraka and Midori were cinnamon rolls, but they're terrifying cinnamon trolls."

"I fail to understand how they can be related to 'trolls'," Iida frowned.

"Ready to get punted through the roof, Izu-kun?"

"I-I hope not," Izuku weakly smiled back, tinted goggles firmly on his face, as he stared down at a terrifying grin that promised nothing but death and suffering.

The three boys could do nothing but stand back and watch the carnage unfold.

Ochaco-chan darted forward with her hands splayed open at her sides. Izuku dodged her slap to his chest, leaping back to put a bit of distance before ducking under another strike. He sprung up on her left and grabbed her arm to put her in an arm hold, but she swiftly yanked her arm down to bring him closer and delivered a round house kick to the side of his head.

He took a step back, a little dazed by the assault, but he still managed to dodge yet another swipe by dropping to the ground. He kicked her ankles and she toppled forward with a yelp, hands outstretched to touch him, but he fell onto his back and used a kick to propel her up and over his head. She tumbled before planting a hand down and kneeling to a stop at the edge of the mat, her eyes flashing even more dangerously than they had been before. She kicked off and continued her vicious assault, swiping and kicking and countering while Izuku smoothly dodged and parried each and every single one of her strikes.

"You're on the defensive, Midoriya-kun!" She growled. "Afraid to hit a girl?"

He balks. "What-?!"

Her fist punched straight across his cheek and he crumpled to the mat like a sack of bricks. He lay there, dazed, groaning as black spots flitted in and out of his vision.

A pouting face came into his distorted view. "I told you to come at me with everything you got! I'm seriously mad at you, you know!"

He sat up but winced, holding his head as he throbbed. "S-sorry Ochaco-chan. I didn't m-mean t-to make y-y-you mad. M-most of the fighting I learned w-was primarily for s-s-self-defense . . ."

She let out a displeased hum. "Then we need to make you into a more aggressive person then, Izu-kun! You can't keep dodging all the time. And I noticed you weren't trying to use your quirk either!"

"W-well, my q-q-quirk requires a k-kiss, which is a-a highly s-specific area o-of contact," He despondently muttered. "I-it's not like y-your quirk, Ochaco-chan. I-I-I can't j-just t-touch a-anywhere o-on m-my opponent w-with all f-five fingers, I-I need to p-put my l-lips on theirs, a-and I c-can't ask th-them to s-stop long e-enough to do i-it. . ."

"Hm," She crossed her arms and cocked her head, closing her eyes as she puffed her cheek out in thought. "It'd be cool if you could figure out a way to momentarily restrain them. Like Aizawa-sensei's capture weapon!"

He sighed. "Too difficult. It takes years to master a weapon like that, and there's only a few months before the festival."

She frowned. "Oh come on, Izu-kun! I know you can come up with something! You're the one who helped me find out that I can make things super heavy with my quirk in addition to making things lighter! If anyone can figure a way to kiss someone in a fight, it'd be you! You're the guy who can do it, Dekiru!"

He blinked. "D-Dekiru?"

"Err, yeah," She waved her hands in the air. "I-I remember Bakugou calling you Deku back at USJ, which is pretty mean and you're anything but a deku! You saved everyone there, and you're not even in the Hero Course yet. So I thought, 'if there's anyone who can be a hero, it's this guy.' Dekiru!"

"O-oh!" He flushed, averting his gaze to the ground as his cheeks reddened. "I-I never th-thought of it like that. It's . . . nice. Really nice!" He smiled brightly. "Yeah! I'm the guy who can do it! Dekiru!"

"Yeah!" Ochaco-chan pumped her fist up in the air and jumped.

"Aww, you're both adorable!"

Midnight-sensei walked up to them, cooing. She twirled a finger and pointed at Ochaco-chan, grinning. "You, my dear, are an absolute gem and I can't wait to see you obliterate every single boy in the Festival. Screw sexism!"

"SCREW SEXISM!" She hollered back like a war cry. "I'll give them hell!"

"Oh my Kami," Shikisou-san wailed. "Midnight-sensei, can I withdraw on the basis of wanting to preserve my own life?"

"I'm afraid not Shikisou-kun!" The teacher smiled, looking not apologetic in the slightest.

"You know," Toshi wearily piped up, walking over with Iida-kun with him. "It's ironic, really. The two most frightening people in our group are the ones who look like they wouldn't harm a fly."

Ochaco-chan crossed her arms in response. "I have a fly swatter that's well-used. You wanna retract that statement?"

"Understandable, have a nice day," He swiftly amended.

She skipped up to him and playfully patted Toshi's arm who looked vaguely disturbed, smiling merrily as she waltzed up to her duffle. "Well, I'm heading off! I've got two essays with my name on it due tomorrow."

"Big oof," Shikisou-kun winced. "In that case, I'm coming with ya. My ma's gonna whoop me if I don't get home soon."

"Then I guess it is time we conclude our training for the day. Shinsou-san, Midoriya-san, will you be joining us as well?"

"Err," Izuku lightly scratched his chin and turned away. "Toshi and I kinda have an errand to run while we're here. Sorry, maybe next time!"

"Understandable!" Iida-kun bowed low to Midnight-sensei. "You have my utmost gratitude for taking time out of your busy day to supervise our endeavors, Sensei!"

"Thank you, Midnight-sensei!"

"Thanks, teach!"

"How adorable! Aren't you all angels?" She waved, winking as she did so. "Don't worry your pretty little heads, I had a blast watching over you. I should be thanking you if anything. I don't have detention duty for the next two months ~ !"

Toshi snorted, shaking his head as he reached for his own bag. "How fortunate."

"Ohohoho, stay blissfully innocent, you dear, sweet boy."

"I am neither sweet nor innocent," He deadpanned.

"Sweet and innocent!" She flippantly dismissed, stalking off.

They all quickly showered, got changed (Izuku went back to his glasses and mask combo, which made Iida-kun and Shikisou-kun confused over his disappearance until Toshi pointed him out), and parted outside of the gym with their farewells. Izuku and Toshi traversed through the school to an isolated sector on the other side of campus, chatting amicably. Well, Izuku was chatting about crafting a new diet plan for Toshi now that he's developing more muscle than anticipated, and Toshi was nodding his head and humming to show that he was still listening even though he looked more dead than usual.

Then a door flew out before them and Izuku jumped back as it slammed into the wall he was just standing at not two seconds earlier.

"What," Toshi shook, legs locked and violet orbs wide. "The hell."

"Sorry about that!" A chipper voice hollered. A head poked out of the open doorway to the classroom. A girl with tanned skin, goggles, pink dreadlocks, and covered head to toe in black soot. A wide grin was stretched across her face as she stared at Toshi trembling in shock. "Didn't think anyone would be still in school this late!"

"HATSUMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

She cackled as she ducked her head back inside. "Don't worry, he's fine!"

The sound of tortured sobbing tore through the silence. Toshi glanced at Izuku, locking gazes with the shorter boy. "We should leave."

Izuku blinked.

He trotted right into the lab, blatantly ignoring Toshi's pained protests as he hopped over smoking, misshapen lumps of corrugated metal still blackened and smoking from the earlier blast. He stepped straight up to a man weeping over his desk and removed his glasses, instantly gaining back partial visibility to everyone in the room. "Um, Power Loader-sensei? Do you have some time to spare?"

The despaired wailing reached a crescendo. "I-I'm sorry, but I can't!" He hysterically cried out. "Not until she stops blowing things up!"

Toshi raised a brow. He turned to the pink-haired girl blissfully tinkering away at something at her workbench and simply said, "Hey, inventor girl, is it true that your inventions suck?"

She gasped, immediately rounding on Toshi and pulling up her goggles, the crosshairs in her golden eyes enlarging and retracting rapidly. "Who dares to slander my babies - ?!"

She abruptly cut off, eyes glazing over as she slumped over her desk in silence.

Power Loader-sensei gaped. He whirled his head to Toshi like he suddenly had all the answers in universe. "Kid, what do you want? Name it and I'll personally build it."

His eyebrows hiked up his forehead. Toshi brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck, turning helplessly to Izuku.

"U-um, it's f-f-for the Sports F-Festival . . ." The green-headed boy softly started. "I-I have a c-couple of p-p-proposals, erm, one second," He trailed off as he grabbed his notebook, quickly flipping through it. "Um, h-here!" He stopped at Toshi's page. He held it up for Power Loader-sensei to see, who gingerly took the book to take a better look. "A-a voice changer, but based on acoustics th-than digital s-signals . . ."

"Plus a mask that can be easily taken on and off at a moment's notice for this guy," Toshi tossed in.

"I see. . . " He murmured, scanning across the pages. He set the book down on the desk and rubbed his chin, head turned in Toshi's direction. "So you've got a Brainwashing quirk? That's pretty neat, kid. Since you're asking for something acoustics-based, I reckon that your quirk can't work through electronics?"

He nodded, a little wary about the mention of his quirk.

"Cool," He brought out a notepad, quickly jotting something down. "And what about you, kid? I didn't see anything about your quirk in there, and I'd appreciate it so that I know what I'm designing specifications for."

"Oh! U-um, it's called Adoration," Izuku nervously twiddling his thumbs. "If I kiss someone, they'll be put u-under an infatuated state wh-where it's e-easier to suggest c-commands. . ."

"Hmm. So, basically your friend's Brainwashing quirk, but it needs a kiss and your opponent will also fall in love?"

". . . Huh," Toshi mused. "It really is."

"I-I guess?" Izuku winced. "Th-there's another a-aspect of m-my q-quirk that w-wasn't f-found until r-r-recently. Erm, b-basically wh-what happens is that d-depending on h-how much of m-my face I r-r-reveal, th-that's h-how much a-attention I receive. If I f-fully reveal my f-face, th-then I draw th-the attention of e-everyone around m-me, but c-completely c-c-covering it makes m-most people ignore m-me. P-partially r-revealing my f-face like this a-allows for me t-to exist to p-people within a-a short range of m-me."

He whistled. "Hmm. A pretty complex quirk, kid. So what I'm hearing is that you'll need something that can completely cover, partially cover, and not cover your face at all?"

He nodded rapidly.

"And I'm assuming you're both looking into transferring to the Hero Course?"

Another nod.

He sighed, suddenly looking ten times older. He mumbled something inaudible under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, ". . . gonna regret . . . owe me one, Eraser."

"Okay," he finally said, looking like he was about to gear up to go to war. "This may be the biggest mistake of my life and the greatest thing to ever happen in yours, so I'm gonna have to ask you to release my student from your quirk and have her work with you two."

". . . Final chance," Toshi skeptically warned.

He let out a world-weary sigh, already resigned to his fate. "Do it. Please."

Toshi took a deep breath and reluctantly dropped his control. All at once, the light returned to the pink girl's eyes and she honed in on them, lighting up like a Christmas tree before yelling, "I heard everything! Greenie, you said that your quirk gets you more attention?! How much are we talking?!?!?"

"Uh, I-I've n-n-never tested th-the range b-before-"

"An unknown variable!" She screeched, bounding up to the two of them and stepping a little too close for comfort. "Ohoho, a fun challenge! Well, no matter! If you two can help me advertise my babies during the Festival and wow the support companies, I'll be more than happy to lend my services to you! Just don't go to anyone else if you need gear. Ever. And treat my babies well. I reserve the right to blacklist you if you diss my babies!"

"Wh-Why would a-a-anyone do that?" Izuku gasped, completely aghast. "A-a lot of P-Pro H-Heroes r-r-rely on s-support i-items f-f-for H-Hero work! Like P-Present Mic's directional s-speakers and h-hearing aids! O-or E-Eraserhead's capture scarf! Or Airjet's jetpack! They wouldn't nearly be half as effective without the p-presence of support items!!!"

"Yes!" She threw both her hands up into the air. "Finally, there's a hero hopeful who understands the value of support items! Power Loader, can we keep him?!?!"

"He's not a pet or one of your test subjects, Hatsume," he groaned with all the weariness of having said this a hundred times before.

"Don't worry, my walking billboard!" She clamped both of her gloved hands on his shoulders (oh wow she has a really strong grip-!) and grinned maniacally. "You and I are gonna make tons of wonderful babies together!"

He choked and sputtered, "B-babies?"

"Should I tell your mother you won't be home tonight, Midoriya?" Toshi slyly asked.

"HATSUME! CONTEXT!" The weeping man bellowed. "She means her inventions! Her babies are her inventions!"

Izuku instantly deflated in relief. "O-Okay, th-that's okay. Um, I-I'll do my b-b-best to p-promote your w-work during th-the Sports F-F-Festival!"

"Tell 'em you got your stuff from Hatsume Industries!" She proudly declared. "Now, what did you say you needed again? A retractable face mask?! That sounds like fun!"

She chattered away and steered him by the shoulders to her work bench, Izuku staring in wide-eyed wonder as she began to draft out plans. He pinched in a couple of ideas which had Hatsume rapidly nodding her head before hitting it down in her plans.

Hitoshi shook his head incredulously as the two brainiacs were immediately absorbed into the project. He wandered through the room, careful not to touch anything because if the demonstration earlier taught him anything, it's that this entire area was volatile. He stumbled across a blueprint spread out at the end of Hatsume's workbench. He squinted.

"Hey, what's this?"

Hatsume's head shot up at the inquiry. The crosshairs in her eyes shrunk as she glanced at the paper Hitoshi was gesturing at. "Hm? Oh, that! That was assignment from Power Loader this morning! We have to modify a grappling hook, and I had to make mine more sleek somehow as part of a student-specific challenge? I don't get it. I prefer my babies big and boisterous! But Power Loader says it's to get out of our comfort zones and try experimenting with different forms, so I'm stuck. Me! The great Mei Hatsume stuck on a project!"

Hitoshi hummed, violets irises scanning the diagrams and what little he could make out of the messy handwriting. An idea flashed into his mind. He's no Izuku, but . . .

". . . You can add something to make it bind people," he shrugged. "Something to restrain criminals and reel them in. Like a net."

Her eyes glimmered. "I change my earlier assessment of you, Purple-Hair."

"And," He grinned, side-eyeing Izuku who just paled a little. "You have the perfect test subject sitting in front of you."

Hatsume whirled around to the green-haired boy who eeped! and blanched even further. "You are my new assistant, Greenie. We'll have so much fun making babies!"

"CONTEXT HATSUME!" The teacher groaned and slammed his head back down on the desk. "Why do I even bother?'

~*~

Ochako-chan's words echoed in his ears.

"You need to be more aggressive, Midoriya-kun! You can't keep being on the defensive forever!"

That. . . that was going to be difficult to do. It's all he's done for the past fifteen years. Be on the defensive. Growing up Quirkless meant that you didn't go looking for a fight because the fights came to you. Everything Izuku

's learned so far wasn't about learning how to throw a punch so much as how to dodge one. He picked up self-defense to get out of being assaulted. He took up parkour to make it easier to run away from Kacchan after school. He learned gymnastics to make it easier to parkour his way out of a fight and dodge if he can't. All of the skills in the past four years were all about running away from confrontations.

But he can't do that now. There's no running away from the Sports Festival, not unless if he wanted to give up becoming a Hero. Ochako-chan is right. He can't dodge and deflect attacks forever if he wanted to win. He needed to be more assertive, more aggressive, and he knew the perfect person for the job.

He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves. Be more aggressive. Be more aggressive! He knocked on the door, and waited. A friendly voice gave him permission to come inside and he went in.

Midnight-sensei smiled as he entered her office. "Midoriya-chan~! Finally here to talk about boy troubles?"

He flushed. Almost immediately, Toshi popped up in his mind and his face burned even darker before he hastily waved away the thought. "N-no, b-but um, I-I-I-" He bit his lip. "Y-you said th-th-that I can c-come t-to you f-for h-h-help, right?"

She nodded, a little more seriously than she normally was.

Izuku took a deep breath. He gathered up all his courage, shut his eyes closed, and quickly blurted out, "Canyouteachmehowtoflirt?!"

"Flirt?" Midnight-sensei crossed her legs and mischievously smirked. He didn't even know how she managed to pick that out in that jumbled mess that spilled out of his mouth. "Mmm, what for?"

"Well, uh, O-Ochako-chan noticed that I-I w-wasn't actually t-trying to hit her w-while we were sparring earlier, and she told m-me that I should m-maybe work on being more a-aggressive?" He quickly explained, shifting anxiously.

"I'm flattered that you came to me, Midoriya, but I'm curious," Midnight tilted her head and placed a finger on her chin. "Why not go to Eraserhead to give you a few pointers? I'm not saying that I'm turning you away, but I'd like to know why you came to me specifically. Even if the man is still recovering, he can still show you some wickedly brutal tactics."

Izuku scratched his head. "Um, i-it's n-not so much a-as knowing h-how to hurt my o-opponent, but being more . . . C-confident? Assertive? I-I figured learning how to f-flirt would be t-the best way to do that, s-since it'll help w-with my quirk t-too."

She nodded, smirk back full force. "Oh~! I see how it is, now. Alright then. Tell me what you know about flirting thus far. What do you think you need to be able to flirt successfully? What should you consider while flirting? How do you think it can be applied in everyday life, and more importantly, what do you hope to achieve by flirting?"

"Um. . ." Izuku cupped his chin as he thought. "Flirting is an action wherein a person communicates their interest in another th-through. . . Their words? I guess you need to be able to know when the other person becomes uncomfortable with your advances . . . And s-successful flirting means you have to be really good with your words?"

He looked at her hopefully and relaxed when she nodded. "Mmm, that's a good place to start. Let's go down the list one at a time and break down each question, shall we?"

He nodded eagerly, notebook out and pencil at the ready.

"Allow me to give an example of flirting and analyze what you can from it. Sound good?"

He nodded again, curls bouncing on his head. Midnight-sensei took a moment to think before she returned her attention to a pillow on the sofa. She picked it up, set it down on the coffee table, and suddenly the mood of the room completely shifted. Her legs were still crossed but she hiked one leg up higher across her thigh. She leaned back, jutting her shoulder forward and tilted her head to her chest and smirked devilishly at the pillow with hooded eyes.

"Oh, baby~," She moaned, and while he wasn't the target, Izuku turned bright red nevertheless. She dramatically fell against the couch and placed a hand on her knee, drawing it up. She rested the back of her hand on her forehead and the other on her chest. "It's so lonely here on this cold, hard couch!" She opened one eye partially and turned her head slightly to stare heatedly at the pillow. "Would you like to come over here and warm me up with your soft, fluffy body?" She licked her lips suggestively.

Then as suddenly as it had began, the heavy atmosphere in the room dropped. She sat primly up, placed the pillow back on the couch, and turned to Izuku with a friendly teasing smile. "Now tell me, Midoriya-chan. What did you get out of that little demonstration about the aspects of flirting?"

"Uhmmmmm. . ." His brain was still short circuiting after what he just saw. And so his amazing brain to mouth filter had him blurt out, "Did you just proposition a pillow?"

She giggled shamelessly. "Yes, yes I did."

". . . But why?"

"I needed a demonstration, and it would be against my morals as an educator to seduce one of my students," She shrugged. "If I'm flirting in class, you know that it's to the entire class or I'm commentating on a lesson."

Izuku slowly nodded, running through his memories of Art History. "That's . . . true. . . Um, right! Analyzing! Uhm . . ." He looked down at his meager notes, which petered off halfway through because he was in so much shock, so he swiftly jotted down the rest of what he's seen as he thought aloud. "Initially I said that flirting was centered around words, but that's not true, is it? It's only a part of it. Body language is also a large component. . ."

"That's right, kiddo," Midnight-sensei winked. "Performing certain actions will draw your target's attention to the parts of your body that you want to show off."

"Like how you kept moving your legs to place emphasis on your thighs and licked your lips to focus on your mouth?"

She nodded approvingly. "Now you're getting it! And what about the tone I used?"

"It sounded . . . kind of deeper? I guess that makes it sultry?"

"Right again! Making your voice melodic is a key tactic for grabbing a person's attention and keeping it. After all, if something sounds nice, you would want to keep listening to it too, wouldn't you?"

Izuku eagerly nodded and wrote all of the information down.

"Another thing to note - aside from my voice and body language, what else did I use to set the scene?"

"Scene?" Izuku mumbled. It clicked. "The scene! You talked about the couch while you were flirting with the pillow! So, I guess this means when I flirt, I should consider what resources I have around me?"

Midnight-sensei snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "Exactly. I used the couch to convey how I wished for a companion. Loosely draping a blanket so it slips off your shoulders, pinning your target against the wall, brushing your hands as you pass a glass of water - all of these are valid tactics of flirting that makes use of the environment. Which leads on to another point, sweetheart - aside from expressing sexual interest in the target, what other ways can flirting be used?"

Izuku tilted his head, confused. "Flirting . . . can be used for something other than romance?"

She nodded. "That's right cutie ~ . Can you guess? I'll give you a hint - Mic and I do this a lot in class and to other people."

He thought for a bit, but slumped his shoulders. "I-I don't . . . I don't really get it . . ."

She chuckled. "That's alright, sweetheart. Not a lot of people see flirting as anything but a way to score a late night rendezvous. However, me calling you 'sweetheart' and 'cutie' qualifies as flirting, but have I used it in a way that suggests that I want you in my bed?"

"Not at all," He immediately answered. "In fact, it was . . . like an endearment? Like, you mean it in a way to convey affection platonically."

"Mmhm, you're getting there," Midnight-sensei teased. "So flirting can be used to convey platonic and romantic affection. What about the type of flirting Hitoshi uses? I've heard lots of stories from Hizashi."

"Toshi doesn't really use flirting to show affection. Not like the kind mentioned," He mumbled. "It's feels more like he's poking fun at me."

"And there we have it! A type of flirting where the goal isn't to romance, but rather, to antagonize," She grandly gestured with a sweep of her arms. "In addition, flirting can be used to break the ice and form easy bonds, like Shikisou does. You've seen him flirt with every single guy and gal in class, but you've probably seen by now how he doesn't seem intent on having a serious romantic relationship."

"Right! Shikisou-kun flirts as a way of being friendly!" Izuku beamed. "He always compliments the people he's trying to flirt with, and they always end up smiling and chatting more afterwards! Uh, well, except Toshi. He doesn't like being flirted with."

She snorted. "Oh I'm not sure about that, kiddo. It might just be because of the person and not the flirting itself. Why don't you try flirting with him tonight and see how it plays out?"

Izuku shifted anxiously, fidgeting with his fingers. "I . . . I don't know, Sensei. He seemed p-pretty uncomfortable w-with Shikisou-kun's attempts, and I don't want to push him. . ."

"Then that's exactly what you do," The teacher promptly answered. "Back off. Part of flirting is adjusting to the target's desires. Like knowing when what you said is too much, or when they feel highly uncomfortable and want you to sincerely stop. It's crucial to pay attention to these cues and know when to take a step back. It's similar to the discussion we had about consent the other day."

"Ohhhh," He mumbled. "Okay. I-I think I'm starting to understand."

"Mmmm, not yet. The only real way to see if you've got it is to put what you've learned to practice," She smirked. "Okay, now run along. I'm certain you have a purple-haired companion to flirt with?"

"O-only if he's okay with it!" He quickly added. "Uh, but Shikisou-kun probably wouldn't mind either. . ."

"Mmhm. Sounds like a solid plan to me."

"Right," Izuku nodded to himself. He stood up and bowed. "Thank you very much for the lesson, Midnight-sensei!"

"Always a pleasure, Midoriya," She beamed. She waved at him as the energetic little puppy of a boy dashed out of her office, muttering all the while. Her smile soon shifted into something absolutely wicked as she whipped out her phone and texted Hizashi.

Oh my. Would they be in for a treat.

I made an angsty time travel fic where a Quirkless Izuku is an ex-villain who razed Japan and now wants to be a hero, who wants to read it? :D

Screw the Future and Rewrite Fate

Chapter Text

HOLY SHIZ, THERE'S EVEN MORE FANART!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH PURPLE AND SWEETFLOWER!!!!! <3

Purple : Quirk Training Shenanigans

Sweetflower: Flirting Tips

~*~

Hitoshi had no idea what was happening with Izuku.

Something happened last night after he finished up his session with Hound Dog. They talked about the usual stuff - guilt over letting go of Izuku's hand in the crowded cafeteria, overdependence on a single person for a meaningful bond, and his struggle settling into the Yamazawa home. It was exhausting keeping up with it all. Brat and Nightmare were good cats who let him bury his face into their stomachs when he wanted to wallow. Izuku's hugs are pretty nice too. Now if only he can get Izuku to tell him what had happened after they were separated. 

The way he instantly clammed up and paled bugged the ever living shiz out of Hitoshi, but he wasn't going to risk their friendship and press the issue. Izuku said he was going to tell him one day. So he'll wait for that day to come. 

He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind when he met up with Yamada and Aizawa at the teacher's lounge though. Izuku came in a moment later and just. . . muttered. Constant, non-stop muttering while writing in that infamous notebook of his. He didn't even stop once they started walking, so Hitoshi had to keep a hand on his shoulder the entire way to prevent him from falling down the stairs, smacking into the wall, or somehow trip out of a window and bonk heads with All Might and swap bodies with him.

Seriously. This guy attracts all sorts of insane situations. He's like a magnet in a minefield - the only question is, how is this going to blow up in everyone's faces?

He opened his mouth to ask Izuku what the hell was he up to this time the moment they got to the apartment. "Izu-"

He blinked. Wind rippled through the space where his friend just was not a second earlier. He heard the door to their room open and shut not a moment later and he just stood there at the entryway, stunned.

". . . What in Kami?" Aizawa-sensei muttered.

"H-hey, Little Listener?" Yamada-sensei anxiously began.

"I have no idea what is happening," The tired teen swiftly replied. "Now excuse me, I'm going to contemplate my existence in Brat's fur."

He scooped up the black cat that sauntered up to him and swiftly crossed the living room. He plopped down onto the sofa, burying his face into Brat's side, and groaned. Something tells him this was going to end in disaster.

~*~

Hitoshi internally hissed the moment Shikisou's face lit up when he saw them. It's too early to deal with annoying flirts like him.

"Yo! Midori!" The annoyance plunked down in his seat. He donned an irritatingly blinding smile on his face. He flashed a finger gun over to Izuku in the desk beside him, an action that the tired teen had half the mind to strangle him for. "There's my favorite broccoli boi. Looking as cute as ever, babe!" He winked.

Hitoshi wanted to gag. It was nauseating to watch, really. He can't stand flirts. Sure, Shikisou wasn't too bad because at least he knew when to back off, but something about the way he kept hitting on Izuku rubbed him the wrong way. Probably because of the annoying little crush he hasn't managed to kick yet, annoyingly enough. It left a bitter taste in his mouth and an urge to snap at anyone who isn't Izuku at the moment. He can already see what his painfully shy friend's reaction would be to Shikisou's attempts. Fidgeting. Stammering. Blushing. And then Izuku would deny every single positive thing Shikisou said, and Shikisou would laugh and continue piling on even more compliments just to get a rise out of Izuku.

Except it didn't happen. Izuku did blush, the flushing skin of his cheeks peeking out over the top of his dark green mask, but he didn't duck away. He crossed his legs, tilted his head down, and coyly said, "N-not as cute a-as you, Kaeru."

His jaw dropped. Hitoshi felt like he'd been slapped.

Shikisou draped himself over his desk and fanned himself. "Aouch! Midori, babe, hot stuff, cinnamon roll, my heart can't take you flirting back so adorably!"

Izuku perked up, and Hitoshi felt like he'd been slapped a second time. "D-Did I do okay?"

"You can take me on a date any day," Shikisou winked right back.

Hitoshi was five seconds away from having an existential crisis right there and then, but he didn't really feel like expending the energy for it. So he slammed his head into his desk instead.

He could hear Shikisou's cackling and feel the weight of Izuku's fretful gaze on him.

"A-are you okay, T-Toshi?"

"Leave. Me," he hissed with all the fury and despair of a wet cat.

"Awww, Shinsou," The currently blonde motherfudger teased. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of Midori."

He wailed and he banged his head on the desk again. He could vaguely make out Izuku freaking out past his despair as Shikisou laughed in his face.

He was going to freaking murder that colorblind palette in training today.

~*~

"Wow, your lunches look so amazing!" Uraraka stared at their bentos with stars in her eyes. She sighed and deflated. "You're so lucky Shinsou-kun. You get to eat Dekiru's cooking everyday."

He munched on another piece of fish, definitely not sulking due to events from this morning. "That's because I'd burn the kitchen down and he won't take no for an answer."

Izuku chuckled nervously and looked away. "Um, well, you know. D-do you want to try some, Ochako-chan?"

She lit up. "Yes please!"

He took his pair of chopsticks and took a piece of rolled up egg. At first, Hitoshi thought he was going to put it on her plate. But no, he didn't. Instead he raised it up in front of her mouth and chipperly said, "H-here!"

Hitoshi felt a piece of his nonexistent soul leave his body. It didn't help that Uraraka just went for it without any hesitation whatsoever despite the context of the situation, and licked her lips in satisfaction. "Oh wow, these are so fluffy! And they're so sweet and savory too! The flavor is pretty intense, but not enough to make you wanna finish an entire bottle of tea. Tasty!"

"Th-thanks, Ochako-chan," Izuku tentatively smiled. "If anything, it's good practice!"

"Practice for what, Midoriya-san?" Iida curiously inquired.

The green-haired boy innocently smiled. "For when I become Ochako-chan's husband."

Shikisou choked on his drink. Iida's jaw dropped open. Uraraka was beet red. Hitoshi felt that his soul came back and took whatever braincells he had left back with it to hell. Izuku stared at Shikisou in concern, blissfully unaware of the four heart attacks he caused with that single sentence.

"Um, Kaeru-kun, are you alright?"

Hitoshi immediately grabbed the smaller boy's shoulders, yanked him around, leaned into his face and vehemently demanded, "Who are you and what have you done to my friend?"

The Izuku imposter stared at him for five whole seconds with a perfectly blank expression behind those sunglasses.

Then a warm pair of lips was on Hitoshi's and his world turned pink.

~*~

For the entirety of the afternoon, Hitoshi was having that existential crisis he thought he wouldn't have, but had anyways because his best friend straight up proposed to another friend during lunch and panic kissed him and now he can't even focus on Present Mic's lesson because it's English and it's always a really difficult language with overly complicated rules and why the hell does he have to learn what conjunctures are-

So his brain was sufficiently fried and he would very much like to go back to this morning and throttle his past self for deciding to get out of bed today. As it stands, that little crush he has on Izuku has yet to kick the bucket, and he would like to return these feelings back thank you very much-

Oh my Kami, what the fudge. He can't even think straight. Not that he is straight. He is, in fact, extremely gay and wow Izuku looks hot when he's delivering that roundhouse kick to Hitoshi's head -

Reality comes crashing in. Literally, he manages to duck in time. He could feel Izuku's calf sheer the wayward strands of his hair sticking up before Hitoshi moves away. Izuku immediately backed up in confusion and raises his hands to pause the match. "Toshi? Are you sure you're okay? You seem really distracted. You dodge my attacks a lot sooner than that."

He grimaced. He straightens up and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I uh, didn't get much sleep last night."

"Is the melatonin not working?"

"Uh, kind of?" The tired teen sighed and started switching gears. "There's just been a lot on my mind I need to figure out," Understatement of the goddang century, but who's fault is that? "I think it'll be better if I sit this one out before I get maimed."

Izuku nodded adorably - NOT ADORABLY, STUPID CRUSH GO AWAY - before saying, "Okay! Ooh, wait, maybe I could try kissing you later and see if I can get you to sleep? That'd be pretty cool if I can do stuff like that . . ."

Hitoshi would be lying if he said he didn't blush. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, muttering, "Yeah. Sure. I'll work on my flexibility or something."

"Mmm!" The green teen nodded, beaming so brightly Hitoshi had to squint. Izuku turned away at the next moment and waved to the side, hollering, "Iida-kun! Can we spar?"

"Of course, Midoriya-kun!" He swiftly made his way over to the mat and traded places with Hitoshi, who decided to move over to side to work on sitting down and trying to touch his toes. He's no noodle like the Green Bean, but being more limber has its benefits when it came to parkour. Or dodging. Or anything really.

"Are you ready, Midoriya-kun?" Iida solemnly began.

Izuku nodded, body tense and ready to move, a bright smile on his face. "Yup!"

They took off at the same time. Hitoshi bent over one side and observed their match. Iida focused on delivering strong kicks boosted by his quirk, but he had difficulty stopping or turning and left himself wide open if his attacks didn't connect. Izuku was quick to point that out when they first began and introduced Iida to the world of Quirkless combat - something Izuku excelled in teaching. He weaned Iida off his overreliance on using his quirk in combat and the Hero student became a more formidable opponent for it, not too dissimilar to Hitoshi in those first few weeks of Hell Bootcamp. And as for Izuku . . .

The small green-haired boy ducked under a sloppy punch Iida threw. He sprang back up and hopped away, even though he probably could have used the opportunity to kneed Iida in the gut instead. Hitoshi suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape his lips. They've all been improving thanks to Izuku and each other, but Izuku himself hasn't grown out of that victim mentality that Hitoshi was equally familiar with -

Iida charged forward and tackled Izuku to the mat. Hitoshi tensed and was on his feet running over, mind whirling with a thousand screams because Izuku should have been able to dodge that and something was incredibly wrong here his Izuku senses are screeching in his ears-

Iida sputtered and scrambled up to get off him, stammering, "I profusely apologize, Midoriya-kun! Are you alright?! I -"

They all froze. Not because Izuku had been grievously injured, or passed out, or any one of the more believable scenarios. No. They all froze because of a small, high-pitched keening noise that sounded suspiciously like a moan -

"P-please, Tenya," Izuku whimpered, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes which should be making him freak out but looked horrifyingly enticing instead - "B-be gentle with me. It's my first time."

Hitoshi's brain short circuited. Iida's brain short circuited. He faintly registered Uraraka and Shikisou coming over when they heard Iida shouting and were now standing there with red faces and wide eyes as their brains short circuited.

Then Izuku's head shot forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He laid back down as Iida was dragged under the effects of Adoration, effectively ending the match. He stared up at him curiously and muttered, "Huh. Worked better than I expected."

Hitoshi blacked out after that.

~*~

Izuku hummed to himself as he transcribed Hero Analysis for the Future No. 5. Today has been a very productive day for his flirting experiments. He wasn't sure if he would be able to pull it off, but by Kami he did it! Was he mortified beyond belief at his actions? Sure! He'll probably wake up in the middle of the night and scream into a pillow then, but for now, he's riding on the high of his achievements! He even managed to moan properly like those actors in those videos on HeroTube! How shameless is that?!

That statement hit him with all the force of a freight train. He flushed a little at the memory.

Okay, maybe he went a little too far with Iida. No one could look him in the eye after that, and Hitoshi's been kind of . . . spacey? Wait, did he even tell everyone that he'd be flirting with all of them today for practice?

"You WHAT?!"

He flinched. Nightmare yowled and bolted out of the room as Hitoshi shot straight up to his feet. His violet eyes were wide and uncomprehending, hair mussed, clothes rumpled, and frankly looked like he was two seconds away from strangling him.

Izuku let out a nervous chuckle and scratched his chin. "Um, I guess I forgot to tell you then . . . ?"

The other boy's eye twitched. He plunked back down on his bed and hung his head between his knees, groaning. "I-I just - why?"

"Um," The green-haired boy looked away and fiddled with his fingers. "It's because, you know, I-I thought it'd be great practice for being more a-aggressive like Ochako-chan proposed? It worked out in the end, because I managed to get Iida to stop moving long enough for me to kiss him! I didn't think it would work in a fight!"

"Izuku, that's not the issue here," Toshi frantically seethed.

He cocked his head in curiosity. "Then what is?"

He tensed. The normally infallible teen glanced away uncomfortably. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck, making Izuku squint at the sudden shift in behavior. Hitoshi finally sighed and muttered, "I give up. I'm not going to try and make sense of this. Do you have any more 'experiments' you plan on testing out or is it just the flirting thing I need to look out for now?"

Izuku jolted. Okay, so turns out he was wrong earlier. All of the shameless flirting he did earlier that day was crashing onto him right now and he's mortified beyond belief. Every ounce of liquid courage he had drips out of him as he's brutally reminded of one thing he wanted to test out. 

He flushed bright red and glanced at his notebook. His new one for testing out Adoration with Hitoshi - prior to Ochako-chan, Iida-kun, and Kaeru-kun - and quickly tore his gaze away before his friend could notice. "Uh, well, it's um-"

Toshi frowned, brows furrowing. "What?"

"N-nothing really!" The smaller boy squeaked. He curled in himself and started fidgeting with his thumbs. "It's, um, n-nothing, k-k-kinda, it's r-really - !"

"Izuku?"

"Y-yes - ?"

He felt himself slacken as all his control was surrendered to Toshi. He panicked, scrambling to find that string Toshi has on his brain and make it snap before he - !

Toshi narrowed his eyes at him and ordered, "Tell me what it is that has you flustered."

He screamed at his mouth to clamp itself shut. "I wanted to see if there are any additional effects to my quirk if I were to make out with someone and I wanted to test it out with you."

The connection finally shattered. Izuku had full control of his body again and he blinked. His face turned vermillion as he remembered every single word that spilled from his lips without any hesitation whatsoever. He buried his head into his arms, keening. "Toshi!"

The purple-headed boy silently regarded him with wide, violet eyes and slightly parted lips in shock. "Oh."

Izuku quickly shook his head and frantically waved his hands. "Y-you don't have to do i-i-it! I-I-It was a s-s-stupid i-idea a-anyways, i-i-it's n-n-not l-l-like I-I would h-h-h-have e-enough t-time in a f-fight to m-m-make out w-with s-someone a-a-anyways - no wait, I could use it in when I'm undercover or if I'm on reconnaissance, so maybe I should go to Midnight-sensei again for tips on better seducing - "

"Midoriya."

He squeaked, breaking out of his rant. Toshi was bright red as he stared at him head on, embarrassed, but determined. "It's . . . fine. W-we can do it."

Izuku blinked. His cheeks reddened even further and he aptly replied, "Um . . ."

"Ugh, Kami, just - get over here and test it out," Toshi grabbed the back of his neck, gritting his teeth. "You need to explore your quirk, and this is part of it. Like Aizawa-sensei said, you can't keep getting flustered because of it. It is what it is, and it'd be helpful to find out everything we can about it."

Izuku worried his lip between his teeth, contemplating for a few moments. He ultimately sighed. He glanced at Toshi. His brow was furrowed and his lips set into a thin line, and it didn't take a genius to see that he was uncomfortable with the situation.

He internally grimaced at the notion that one of his friends placed himself in a precarious position for his benefit. He took a deep breath. The look in Toshi eyes already told him that he wasn't going to back down, and dread pooled in his stomach because he knows how stubborn he is. There's no way Toshi is going to let this go, Izuku might as well make it as swift and painless for him as possible.

He pushed himself out of his chair and walked over to Toshi, setting down on the bed next to him with his legs pulled all the way up to his chest. Their shoulders were touching. He could feel Hitoshi's body heat rolling off of him in waves, multiplying the heat rushing to Izuku's face.

"Okay, right," He mumbled, trying to focus his scattered thoughts. "S-so how do we d-d-do th-this?"

" . . . We could stay in this position," Toshi muttered, still rubbing his neck. "I could try leaning down and kiss you."

". . . Can you do that?"

He frowned a little. He turned body and positioned himself a little, leaning down before stumbling as he lost his balance. He cursed and rearranged himself into a more stable position. He slipped a hand over Izuku's cheek, raising the smaller boy's head so that he could meet his lips. Izuku grimaced and quickly pulled away from the hold, massaging the back of his neck and muttered, "Ow, that's too far back. My neck hurts."

Toshi sighed. "This isn't going to work out. Our heights are too different."

". . . What if we lie down . . . ?"

"No," The purple-haired boy immediately shot down. "Th-that's a bit too intimate for me."

Izuku nodded, secretly relieved. "Okay, um . . ."

It was silent for a moment as they both tried to think. How do movies do this again??? None of the characters had to figure out the logistics of making out!!!!

A memory flitted into Izuku's mind. His blush intensified. He grappled with himself as he tried to make a decision. He sighed. Right, he needs to be more aggressive, and that means he should stop hesitating.

"What if . . ."

Toshi glanced at him, eyebrow furrowing.

Izuku took another breath and stared right back at him, not backing down. "What if I sat on your lap?"

He could see Hitoshi's walls pulling up as his hackles raised and spat, "What."

"I know it's just as intimate as my last suggestion, but this is the only thing I could come up with," He quickly fumbled. "If I sit on your lap, the height difference wouldn't be an issue any more - actually this is entire thing was a super bad idea in the first place, aha, err, yeah, j-just uh, n-n-nevermind, I-I c-c-can g-g-go without kn-knowing o-or I c-c-can O-Ochako-chan i-if she'd be okay with i-it -"

"We'll do it."

Izuku's jaw clicked shut. Toshi sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "It makes the most logical sense. If you being on my lap makes it easier on the both of us to make out, then let's do it."

His flush darkened and Izuku wanted nothing more than to burrow his head underneath the covers from how bluntly he said it. Was he not affected by this situation?! How can he stay so calm and collected? Was Toshi really okay with this?!?!

"Yes, I am okay with you sitting on my lap and making out with me."

He squeaked and quickly covered his mouth. Toshi raised an eyebrow. "So will you move or do I need to pick you up?"

He pouted. Okay, now he's just messing with him. Izuku shifted and slid over Toshi's legs, seated with his legs on either side of his friend's thighs. Toshi placed a hand on his shoulder and simply said, "Too close."

Izuku shuffled back before settling down. "Better?"

"Yeah," he averted his gaze elsewhere before clearing his throat. "Set the rules for me, Izuku. What do I need to avoid?"

* "Um . . . N-no touching anywhere b-below my shoulders," Flashes of being pinned down and accosted flew through his mind, hands roaming his chest and sides without consent.*

He nodded, face perfectly stoic. "That's fine. I'm guessing there will be tongue involved?"

Izuku wanted to throw himself into the ocean, but he forced himself to nod anyways. "I-I don't h-have a lot of experience there . . ."

"Me neither," Toshi gruffly said.

"Um. . ." Izuku struggled to think. "Maybe we can sort of . . . use a signal to stop if it gets too much? L-like a safe word?"

"Our mouths will be occupied so there's not a lot of talking involved."

"O-oh, right."

"We could snap."

"Uh, I-I don't a-actually kn-know how to . . ."

"We can tap each other's shoulders," Two strong pats came from the hand still resting on Izuku's shoulder. It fell to the bed beside them.

"Okay," He breathed. "Wh-what about you, Toshi? A-anything you want me to do?"

". . . Don't. . . Don't touch the back of my neck," He silently said. "Or my hair. Nothing below the shoulders. And. . . go slow. Please."

Alarms blared in Izuku's head. He immediately turned solemn in a flick of the switch.

"Hey," he rested his hand over Toshi's, who flinched slightly at the contact. Izuku retracted his hand, but Toshi quickly grabbed it before it could go too far. Viridian orbs flickered over to violet ones. They shimmered with an unspoken emotion that Izuku was all too familiar with seeing in the bathroom mirror when he was twelve.

Fear.

His earlier assessment of Toshi's lack of reaction was wrong. He wasn't as unaffected by all this as he made it out to be. He was scared of him. Just like that first day of school when he asked why Izuku didn't see him as a villain because of his quirk.

A burning fire blazed inside of his chest. It was the same inferno when he was six and saw Kacchan picking on another kid for the first time. And again, when he was fourteen and the Slime Villain was suffocating the blonde while the Heroes on the scene did absolutely nothing to help. Then again, at the USJ when Aizawa-sensei was broken underneath Shigaraki's Nomu and he was desperate to protect everyone.

"I'm not going to do anything you don't want me to, Toshi," He gently murmured. "And you don't have to do anything you don't want to either. If you feel even the slightest bit overwhelmed, you can tap my shoulder twice and I'll stop. I'll back off immediately. We can drop this entire thing and pretend it never happened if you want to."

". . . Okay," Hitoshi quietly said, cheeks flushed. He let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding and the tension bled out of his body. "I trust you."

A pang stabbed through his heart. It was different from that first time, back in his old apartment so many days ago. His quirk wasn't making Toshi say those things. This was real, and that little gem of information was something he greedily hoarded like a dragon after his own treasure. His lips quirked into a small smile, because even if All Might is his ex-idol, he still believed in the value of a smile when the world looked bleak. "No touching your neck, hair, and anywhere below the shoulders, and be gentle, right?"

"Yeah," He responded in a shuddered breath. "And I'll keep my hands above your shoulders."

Izuku shyly nodded. He raised his hand and made a point to pause midway where Toshi could see it hovering in the small space between their bodies. "Can I . . . Can I cup your face?"

". . . Y-yeah."

His heart hammered as he raised his hand the rest of the way, gently gliding his hand over Toshi's cheek and tenderly rest it on his jawline. His cheek was cold. His friend's eyes fluttered shut as he leaned into the touch, and the protective fire that burned in his chest returned brighter than ever.

"Toshi," He softly called out, leaning forward. "I'm going to kiss you now."

One amethyst eye slowly opened, boring into emerald ones. He turned his head to fully face Izuku and closed his eye again. Izuku took that as his cue to lean forward, slowly so that Toshi would be able to stop him at any moment, but ultimately didn't.

He pressed his lips against his as gently as he could, remembering his request to go slow. Izuku pinpointed exactly when his quirk took hold when Toshi slackened. His lips pressed back against his with a little more pressure, but no less slowly as he did before. Hitoshi threaded his fingers through his where their hands rested together on the bed. His other hand reached up to the back of his neck and pulled slightly on the end of his green curls. A small noise escaped from the back of Izuku's throat. It was another moment before Izuku experimentally opened his mouth slightly and ran his tongue over the other's bottom lip. Hitoshi made a surprised grunt and set his lips into a hard line, and Izuku took the hint and immediately darted his tongue back into his mouth. There was no tapping on his shoulders, so he didn't pull away just yet. He went back to keeping his kisses short and sweet against Toshi's lips.

Then it was Toshi's turn to gently swipe his tongue along the top of Izuku's lips, and he obliged. He slid his tongue against the side of his friend's (were they really friends now that they were making out like this?), and a low sound reverberated from Toshi vocal chords.

And - oh Kami, it felt amazing. The way their tongues clumsily caressed one another, the soft pops from their lips momentarily parting before rejoining, the little sounds Toshi made that made his heart pound louder against his chest.

*Izuku was wrong. So incredibly wrong. He's only ever heard of kisses like this being solely the product of passion and desire, both parties desperately clenching onto the other's clothes while burning with want. And it wasn't like those books and movies and tv shows were wrong. The time Kacchan spent blowing up his mask and glasses in junior high cemented this idea. His first kiss was stolen by an upperclassman trying to assault him in a dark alleyway, rough and demanding with a want that petrified him. His kisses after that were all the same - undesired, but forcefully taken by a myriad of strangers time and time again that wanted nothing more than for him in their beds.

But kissing Toshi felt nothing like those times. It felt like the furthest thing from them as it possibly could. His kisses weren't demanding, but entreating. His touches weren't rough, but tender. The wanthe desired from Izuku didn't have the amatory fervor as the others from before, but an ardent plea for safety.*

And that's just the thing, wasn't it? Hitoshi's kisses didn't make him feel cold, they made him warm. They made him feel safe. Hitoshi made him feel protected with the knowledge that he wouldn't do anything to Izuku, and that notion floored him.

This kiss wasn't the erotic epitome of sensual passion that he grew up with. This was better. It was protective with the idea that no one wanted to overstep the boundaries they set and hurt the other. It was a kiss built on trust.

Toshi's released his curls and slid his fingers down the back of his neck to rest on his shoulder. Two taps.

Izuku immediately broke the kiss and pulled away, a thin trail of saliva connecting their lips. He blushed and quickly waved it away, glancing at Toshi. "H-how are you feeling?"

His face was flushed and the tips of his ears a dark pink. Soft pants escaped from swollen, reddened lips that were slick with spit. His amethyst eyes gazed up at Izuku shyly. "I-I'm alright. It got a bit intense for me at the end, but it was really . . . really nice," His lips curled up into a soft smile. Something pricked at Izuku's heart, but he couldn't find out what. Toshi leaned forward and wrapped his arms around his shoulders (even under Izuku's quirk, the fact that he was still consenting made him tear up), nuzzling the side of his head. He placed a chaste kiss against his earlobe and Izuku squeaked. A deep, rumbling chuckled echoed against his head that sent pleasant shivers down the base of his spine.

"I love you, Izuku," Toshi murmured.

The thing in his heart twisted painfully. Izuku sighed and burrowed into his friend's neck.

"Love you too, Toshi," He murmured. "Love you too."

~*~

Inko took one look at her son's bedraggled appearance at two in the morning and stopped herself from laughing. He was tiredly trudging across the living room and to the kitchen without sparing so much as a second glance to where she was seated on the counter with her laptop on. His hair was mused, clothes rumpled, and it wouldn't have been unusual save for the way his lips were puffy and red. She watched in amusement as her baby paw at the fridge's handle, one of the Yamazawa cats twisting around his ankle. He got his glass of water eventually after many, many unsuccessful attempts before trudging back down the hallway again, blissfully unaware of the photo she just took of his face.

The mother cooed as she stared at her baby's tired face and swollen lips. Knowing her baby and her future son-in-law, they likely didn't do anything past simple kissing. Oh to be young and in love, no matter how much her two boys tried to deny it.

She smiled, quickly saving the picture to Marriage Album before returning to her essay.

After all, Principal Nezu had been courteous enough to give her this opportunity. It wouldn't be in the Midoriya name to not return the favor.

Chapter Text

Sweetflower. Holy shiz. You absolutely precious person, please do NOT overwork yourself with all these adorable fanarts. (Seriously though, from one artist to another, please don't go overboard, I BEG of you) That said, THESE ARE SO CUTE!!! HOLY SHIZ THEY DREW IZUKU ON HITOSHI'S LAP AND FANEDITED A HILARIOUS COMIC!!!!

Sitting on His Lap

Hitoshi has One (1) Fear

I Have Failed You

Also, to Kedy: Izuku wearing nail polish and in a crop top and shorts. Holy motherfudging shiz, this is so cool. He has a SIX-PACK. Like, HOT DANG, YOU REALLY DEFINED THOSE ABS. (Also, can I just say how jealous I am of how canon-accurate that hair is??? I do not have the patience to draw every single strand like you do, so I took the easy way out. XD)

Izuku in a Crop Top

~*~

It was a blessedly calm Friday afternoon, a week after the USJ incident. They were in Hatsume's lab. The rest of the students vacated the area long before to avoid one of her infamous explosions and the mad cackling that followed. Hitoshi didn't know what prompted Izuku, the resident chaos-causing gremlin, to ask that fated question. The tired, purple-headed teen was seated on Hatsume's workbench, with a recorder propped up in front of him, reciting a bunch of random sentences from a slightly charred piece of paper she shoved into his hands. Something about sampling and a base range for tuning? Yeah. He learned not to question the things Izuku and Hatsume tell him to do - he doesn't need to tear his hair out and crave death any more than usual.

It was one of these after school sessions that Izuku lifted his head from his notebook, mask crinkling as his mouth twisted in confusion. His glasses were stashed away in his bag for when he ate. The adults back at the Yamazawa home had all agreed that he needed to get used to partially uncovering his face now that they knew how to manage his visibility. Fully uncovering his face would lead to another incident like the Media Break-In. Fully covering his face would make him invisible to anyone except Aizawa, Inko, and Hitoshi, who were the only ones that are consistently aware of his presence. Partially covering his face is just enough to get a semi-normal amount of attention by teachers and classmates. "Hey Meimei?"

"Yes, Greenie?" She called back, narrowing her eyes through the thick glass of the blacksmith mask that protected her face as she took a blow torch to the plating.

"Who is the Business Course student that is helping you promote your babies for the Festival?"

She stopped wielding and turned towards him. "Huh?"

"Y-your marketing agent?" His head tilted in confusion. "You only mentioned that Toshi and I would be advertising your babies . . ."

Hatsume straightened up in her seat, project forgotten as she flicked the heavy blacksmith mask over her head. "I can take care of the advertising between the three of us, so I don't need someone from the business course to help me."

Izuku looked absolutely floored. He quickly picked up his jaw and argued, "That's not true! You may be able to successfully advertise your works Meimei, but what about patents? Sponsorships? Or negotiating for royalties or navigating liabilities in case your inventions accidentally hurt someone?"

The crosshairs in her eyes dilated. ". . . Why would I need to collect monarchs? Are they gonna help me invent stuff?"

Izuku buried his face into his hands. "Meimeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii."

"I don't get it Greenie, you're gonna need to explain!"

He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to whip up a suitable answer. ". . . Basically someone to handle all the legal stuff and get you funding to make cooler babies. They'll help protect your babies too from people who want to try to steal them to pass off as their own, or mistreat them by buying them cheap."

She let out a scandalized gasped. "My BABIES!"

"Exactly," Izuku readily agreed. "That's why it's important to find a Business Course student you can trust."

"I hear they're very helpful," Hitoshi dryly snarked.

Hatsume leapt from her bench and made a beeline for Izuku, clamping her hands onto his shoulders and staring intensely at him. "Alright Greenie, consider me convinced! I just gotta find a Business Course student to help me out, right? Right?!"

"I can help with that!" That familiar sparkle shined in his viridian eyes, and Hitoshi would bet that there was an excited smile behind that face mask. "I know Shikisou-kun has an old friend there! We can ask him for help!"

"Absolutely not."

"B-But why?" Izuku deflated, his mouth wobbling as they sat with Shikisou for lunch. He was pale skinned and had bright red hair and eyes this time around. There was a single cyan streak that ran through his bangs, and a ring of bright gold around the white pupils of his eyes. It was a recently discovered thing thanks to Izuku's analysis of his quirk, but unfortunately he could not replicate any complex patterns to give himself a tattoo like he wanted. Uraraka and Iida weren't able to join them because of something related to the Hero Course, so it was just the three of them eating.

"Because knowing them-" he chomped on another bite of tempura before swallowing "-and knowing you, Midori, you'll both figure out some way to take over the entire school. So no. I'm not interested in making you into an overlord because you're a sweet cinnamon roll and it should stay that way."

Izuku sputtered, rapidly waving his hands. "Wh-wha-?! Sh-Shikisou-kun, I-I couldn't! T-taking over th-the school is k-kinda . . ."

"Something you would absolutely do," Hitoshi sighed, ignoring the way his friend squeaked and protested even further. "Really, Midoriya, I've learned that as long as you are involved, anything can happen."

"B-but, Meimei!" He wailed. "Please Shikisou-kun? I'm begging you! I-I-I don't kn-know a-a-anyone in the B-Business Course, a-a-and I kn-know the o-only w-w-way to c-c-contact th-them i-is if th-they a-approach y-you or if y-y-you a-already kn-know them! I-I know the s-school has p-policies in p-p-place to ensure S-Support Course s-s-students w-won't have th-their inventions s-s-stolen by o-outside companies, b-but they c-can still h-have their i-ideas t-taken from them d-d-during internships!"

". . . Shinsou, is it weird that Midori is the one worried about other people getting duped?"

He sighed, biting into his chicken forlornly. "You get used to it."

"Shikisou-kun, please?" Izuku pleaded, and - ah shiz, those were tears rolling down his cheeks. "I-I just wanna help Meimei a-after everything she's done for me and Toshi!"

Htoshi took one look at Shikisou's pained expression and knew there was no way they were going to win. He patted the red head's back as he slumped over his bento in defeat, hair switching to a somber blue. 

Which is how they found themselves here, after school, at a secluded table in the courtyard seated across another person. Her skin was pitch black. Her hair silver was styled in a short braid that cascaded over their shoulder. The sclera of her eyes was a bright gold and their irises black. Their lips were white, and so were her fingernails and the tiny spiderweb pattern on her left cheek. Her figure was slim and spindly, which just further cemented the spider motif this girl seemed going for. She sat across from them at the tiny, round stone table they acquisitioned for this meeting. Izuku was on Hitoshi's left trying not to fidget, and Shikisou was seated neutrally between Hitoshi and the new girl. His currently pale blue eyes warily flickering between his anxious friend and his other friend languidly lounging in his seat, offering up a sly smile.

"So you're the infamous Izuku Midoriya I've heard so much about," She congenially began, making Hitoshi even more wary. "There are a lot of rumors this school has to say about you, and it's not just the USJ."

Hitoshi immediately glared at Shikisou. His hands shot up and he rapidly shook his head, quickly spouting, "I didn't tell them anything, I swear!"

She chuckled softly, voice light as silk. "Chatty as he may be, he wouldn't be so apt as to sell out a fellow friend like that. I just happen to have a close ear to the rumor mill and put two and two together. Kidnapped, then forced to become a villain, and even managing to get the villains to retreat by kissing the main boss?"

She clicked her tongue.

"And that's not even touching the other interesting little whispers about you. I'm certain you all remember, seeing as how you were all there at 1-C the morning of the Media Break In. The school was abuzz over a handsome new transfer that came to 1-C only to disappear the moment a he stepped into class. Some say he's just a myth. While others are more keen to suggest that someone made him disappear, someone with a head of purple hair and rumored to be a villain . . . ?"

Hitoshi felt an old rage boil inside of him. He gritted his teeth and fisted his hands, quirk primed on his tongue and ready to be unleashed.

A slam on the table knocked them all out of it. Izuku stood up, viridian eyes alight with toxic fury at the girl who merely watched on, vitriol tumbling from behind his masked mouth.

"Toshi is not a villain," He spat. "You don't have any right to call him that! He's the most heroic person I know and no matter what anyone else says, he will never be a villain. If you're going to judge my best friend on only rumors, then we are leaving."

Hitoshi was frozen, staring up at Izuku in stunned silence. He barely registered Shikisou's eyebrows shooting up to his forehead. 

There was a giggle. Then full-blown laughter as the girl doubled over in her seat, clutching her gut. Hitoshi and Izuku stared at her in befuddlement while the current red-head groaned and dragged his hand down his face dramatically. 

"Yo, Kumo, you really need to stop testing everyone I introduce you to."

"Eh," She shrugged, completely unapologetic. "Kumo Kanja, Business Course student and this dolt's friend. They/them, if you will."

Hitoshi swiftly made the switch in his head. "So," he drawled. "Mind explaining what all that was?"

They giggled, crossing their legs and resting their chin against the palm of their hand. "Apologies, but I couldn't help but tease you two a little."

"They're trying to see if Midori's a good person," Shikisou immediately deadpanned. Kanja shot him a subtle glare. "They're just worried about my new friends, like you with Midori. They have nothing against the both of you, I swear."

"Yet," They playfully added. 

"S-so. . ." Izuku slowly sat back down into his seat. "Y-you w-w-weren't b-being s-serious a-about Toshi . . . ?"

They scoffed and rolled their eyes. "It would be highly hypocritical if I accused Shinsou of being a villain just because of the rumors about his quirk. Not with how mine works," They smiled bitterly, leaning forward. They reached a hand up to their hair and pulled, plucking a single strand of silver hair that glinted in the mid-afternoon light. They rested the strand in the middle of the table and pulled their hand back. 

The strand turned dark and quivered. It jolted and snapped into itself, coiling into a small black ball that violently rocked around. There was a quiet crackle and a black needle shot out, snapping in half before planting itself onto the table. Four sets of needles followed, the same sickening popping and cracking filling the space before it stopped. Two white orbs emerged from the inky darkness like spotlights on a stormy night.

It was a spider. A tiny, quirk-manifested spider no bigger than bell on a cat's collar.

"This is my quirk." Hitoshi's attention snapped back to them. They grinned, a set of canines peeking from white lips, irises vanished and their eyes completely shrouded in darkness. "I call it Spiderling. It allows me to conjure a spider-like creature using a strand of hair. I can see and hear what it can see and hear, but the price is my sight and hearing while it's in effect."

They snapped. The spider went rigid, spotlight eyes turning dark, before keeling over onto its back with its legs sticking up into the air and curling in. In the next moment it withered away into shadows, leaving no trace of its previous existence. 

"No one likes an eavesdropper," They lightly sighed. "Much less one that has an unsettling quirk and appearance to match."

"Th-that . . ." Izuku trailed off.

Kanja stiffened ever so slightly, their smile turning sharper.

"THAT WAS AMAZING, KANJA-SAN!" 

They blinked. Shikisou guffawed, doubled over the table and slamming his fists down onto the tabletop as hysterical laughter spilled unbidden from his mouth. Hitoshi sighed, already used to seeing the stars in Izuku's eyes whenever there was a new quirk to talk about. 

"Your quirk would be amazing for intelligence gathering in hero work! This would completely eliminate the need for personnel to infiltrate villain operations in order to collect data, thus reducing the likelihood of someone getting hurt or villains being alerted of the ongoing investigation on them! What's the range your spiderling can travel? Is it capable of transmitting other sensory information, like taste and touch? Ooh, does it experience sensitivity to temperatures like a real spider does?! Can it produce silk?! How many can you summonatonceanddoestheinformationfrommultiplespidersconfuseyouordoyouhaveamutationinplacetohelpadjustforthat - ?"

Hitoshi coughed. His friend abruptly stopped mid-rant and flushed. He curled back in himself, fiddling with his fingers nervously as he stammered, "A-Ah, um, I-I'm s-s-sorry, I-I d-d-didn't m-mean t-t-to o-overwhelm y-you w-with m-my m-mumbling, it's j-just, you h-have a r-r-really cool q-quirk, Kanja-san."

"Call me Kanja, little rabbit," They grinned. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know the quirks of those in the Hero Courses, would you . . . ?"

Hitoshi quickly covered Izuku's mouth before he could start. His eyes snapped to theirs, narrowing in silent warning. "That's enough of that."

They shrugged, leaning back. "Ah, well, it was worth a try. So little rabbit, I hear you have a proposition for me."

"O-oh! Um," His green-haired friend anxiously shifted for a moment. Hitoshi gently knocked the back of his hand against the smaller boy's. His head whirled to him in shock, and so he pointedly raised an eyebrow and smirked to hide the way his heart sped up as the contact. 

His friend gulped. He turned back to Kanja with fearful determination blazing in his eyes. "I-I'd l-like to r-request y-your help f-for M-Mei Hatsume o-of 1-H."

They huffed, black rings staring down at him intently. "And what would the oh-so amazing child genius of the Support Department want to do with little old me?"

"W-well, the S-S-Sports F-Festival is coming u-up, a-and she p-plans on u-using that o-opportunity to sh-showcase th-the support g-gear she came u-up with to th-the support c-companies in attendance."

They hummed, languidly gesturing with their hand to continue.

"B-But oftentimes, i-it's a p-p-prime o-opportunity for b-businesses to e-exploit th-the fact th-that most s-s-support s-students d-don't kn-know h-how to p-properly n-negotiate d-during internships."

Their eyes glimmered. "Ah, I see. The infamous internships for the Support Course students. As most of them will be under the direct command of the companies they intern with, many jealous co-workers or supervisors will often annex the talents of UA Support Course students in their work with little to no proper accreditation. And unfortunately, they can do so legally because current laws regarding copyright of support items don't cover interns. You're worried that your friend will have her designs stolen by the company she'll intern with, aren't you?"

He nodded. "N-not just th-that! I-I'm asking i-if you c-could be her m-manager? I-I've heard s-stories a-about f-fights b-between H-Hero Course and S-Support Course students b-because th-they couldn't r-reach an a-agreement, b-but if someone wh-who knows h-how to negotiate d-deals were th-there - !"

"Alright, I understand."

His eyes glittered. "S-so you'll do it?!"

"Mmmm," They frowned, looking thoughtful. "I don't know. This seems to be a long-term thing, and I don't see what I'm getting out of it. There needs to be ample compensation for my time and effort if I were to participate in this endeavor."

He wilts. "U-um, I d-d-don't have m-much cash - "

They snorted. "Well, how about your quirk analyses then? Don't worry, I'm not looking for information on the hero students."

Hitoshi closed his mouth.

"But I do know a few people who would like a comprehensive report about improving their quirks."

Izuku tilted his head in confusion. "Like who?"

They snorted. "The better question would be who wouldn't? Yes, I'm well aware we live in a society that tells the majority of us to suppress our quirks. But that's precisely the point. It's frustrating not being able to use such an important part of ourselves when our entire society places a great deal of emphasis on them. That frustration only grows further when in the times we are able to use our quirks, it feels . . . lacking, somehow. We're barely allowed to experiment with our own quirks, and others have significant drawbacks. There's a girl in my class with a heating quirk that allows her to significantly heat up her skin in specific areas of her body, like her hands and feet, but the downside is that she can't adjust the temperature. It's always hot enough to burn or nothing with her quirk."

"Can she. . ." He fumbled, waving his hands. ". . . Can she increase the area that she heats up? It sounds like a quirk where the user has dormant energy that they can directly manifest somewhere on their body. Typically there's a limit to how much energy can be used at a time, so it's possible to spread the effect across a larger area than she's doing right now. Like, if she's only concentrating her quirk on her hands, then she may be able to concentrate on her entire arm instead and see if that'll help. I-I'm not certain until I can t-talk to her myself and confirm a few things, so I wouldn't b-be surprised i-if I'm wrong. . ."

"Yet one can't be certain unless they try," They chimed. "So this will be my condition. In exchange for loaning my services to one Mei Hatsume, you will loan your services to me. I'll arrange meetings or send you information of the client's quirk, and you can analyze them to your heart's content."

Hitoshi slapped his hand over his friend's mouth before he could agree. "Additional condition." 

They paused, looking at him apathetically. 

Hitoshi sighed, dropping his hand from Izuku's mouth and rubbing the back of his neck. "No overworking him. Maximum number of analyses he'll do is three per week."

"Make it seven!"

"Three," He glowered at Izuku, mentally willing him to stop.

"Ten!" He petulantly retorted.

"Three then," Kanja quickly agreed. At the shorter boy's heartbroken expression, they replied, "My apologies, but I am a businessperson and not a slave driver. I would like my assets at their best, and their best is only achievable if they take care of themselves. Shinsou, I'm assuming you're perfectly capable of ensuring Midoriya does not overwork himself?"

A haunted expression crossed his face. "I have his mother on my side, but this will need to be a group effort."

"Sorry Kumo," Shikisou grimaced. "But if you're going to be involved, then you gotta know that the green bean is a workaholic."

". . . How bad?"

"Uncle Tsukauchi bad."

There was a pause. Their face was perfectly blank as they stared at Shikisou, but judging from the way his face morphed further along into despair, Hitoshi could guess what the silent conversation was about. 

". . . Midoriya." 

He perked up at his name being called, alert and ready for whatever Kanja had to say. 

They stared down at him with enough intensity to make even Hitoshi shudder a bit. "If you go beyond the three analyses maximum that has been set without my knowledge, I'll call the deal off and blacklist Hatsume from every single Business Course student in U.A. Understand?"

His jaw dropped. He picked it back up and hastily nodded his head, looking about five seconds away from fainting on the spot. 

They nodded, pleased by the response. "Good. Now pardon me, but I have preparations to attend to."

Chapter Text

SWEETFLOWER STRIKES AGAIN!!!! With MEME edits!!! +v+

NOT ON MY WATCH!!!!
The Izuku Supremacy
Painfully Pining
We're Gonna BURN THIS SCHOOL TO THE GROUND!!!! XD

Also, 

CONGRATS TO FOXINAKITSUNE19!!!!! You guessed all four exceptions!!!! It wasn't on the mark, but it had the general concepts down. That said, I kinda had to delete your comment so no one else can piggyback on your work, but I've got it saved somewhere to post it when the big reveal in Chapter 21 goes down. In any case, do you have an email address or some other form of communication you can put down in the comments section? I'm trying to figure out how to send the file for Adoration, and AO3 doesn't have a private messaging service. >~<

And a reminder to everyone else: you have infinite guesses. You can try again and again until you either get it right or Chapter 21 is posted, whichever happens first. Happy readings and congrats again to Foxina! :D

~*~

Shouta knew there was something going to happen today. He just knew it.

He woke up in bed with his entire body propped up with pillows, as he did every morning since the USJ Incident. Zashi was on the floor curled up in his sleeping bag snoring softly with his capture weapon. The blonde idiot had insisted - he was a cuddler in bed, as attested by the many mornings Shouta woke up to with Hizashi's limbs wrapped around him like he was a squid instead of a screeching cockatoo. It was because of that sole reason he refused to sleep on the bed with him. He was worried his unconscious cuddling would break his bones or something, which was irrational because he's been stabbed and mauled numerous times over the years and Zashi's cuddling never aggravated his injuries then. So why would it start now?

Of course, the moment he tried to make that argument, it died in his throat. He knew that look. The look of pure devastation that etched onto his features with red eyes, dry tear tracks, and eyebags rivaling his own. It was a look he had seen after Shirakumo, when depression and mourning drove a wedge between the two before teaching stitched them back together.

Don't leave me.

Don't make me go through this again.

Shouta held his protests and reluctantly agreed instead. Zashi used his sleeping bag, and against what everyone believed Nemuri told them, yes, he does wash it out once a week. He might not care much for his appearance, but it would be irrational to neglect his hygiene and get sick because of it. He has work to do. There's no time to be stuck in bed with a fever.

So he woke up normally, believing that it would be a normal day without needing to worry about The Problem Child and his Problem Family. Shinsou was the only one he didn't have to keep an eye on. Not like the other two. Especially not like the little danger magnet who most likely had a secondary quirk that attracts trouble. Shinsou was a godsend compared to the other two, which was a relief considering the sheer nightmare the Midoriya's innocently brought to their doorstep. Except that notion was flung out the window the moment Shouta Aizawa opened the door.

And spotted Eraserhead merch plastered all over the living room, from dolls to posters to cups and pillows, which gave him a heart attack because he was an Underground Hero he wasn't SUPPOSED to have merch what the hell -

Shinsou sat in the middle of this hellscape at the table, loudly slurping what smelled like coffee from a black mug with a cartoon face of Shouta slapped on it. One of the cats, Sushi, contentedly purred on his lap as he petted them. Loudmouth and Brat were draped across his shoulders and head. Shinsou downed the whole thing before setting it down on the table like a shot glass. He looked at Shouta from the corner of his eye and grinned, all teeth, and then said, "'Sup?"

He felt his soul leave his body. Where's that Nomu when you need it?

~*~

Days Since Izuku Last Gave Someone a Heart Attack: 1

InsomniCat
(sent erasemyexistencenowplease.jpg)

ColorMeChameleon
AHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA -
HOLY SHIZ
THE LOOK ON HIS FACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gravity Gal
OH MY KAMI
(ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖ (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖ (ᗒᗜᗕ)՛̵̖
SHINSOU YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL

Welcome to My Web
This would make an excellent postcard
Do you have a higher resolution picture?

InsomniCat
this is the best i can do

Welcome to My Web
How unfortunate
Also, I have recently obtained cat-themed mochi from an aunt
Would you like to have it?

InsomniCat
yes
i have never been more thankful that izuku and i told you that we were living with aizawa and mic
because i can do shiz like this and share it with you all

Gravity Gal
awww, don't worry shinsou-kun!
sensei's secret is safe with us!
i think it's great that aizawa and mic-sensei are both married
they make a cute couple!!! (≧◡≦) ♡

Sanic
Good morning, everyone!
I am proud to see that most of you are ready to start the day by waking up early!

InsomniCat
bold of you to assume I slept last night -

Gravity Gal
iida, dear, sweetie, scroll up

Sanic

Sanic

Sanic

ColorMeChameleon
LOL we broke him folks!!!!

Sanic

Mother of All Inventions!!!
I CAN FIX HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!! +V+
i always wanted to see how those engines of his worked :)

Gravity Gal
tbh i'm curious too
but i also feel like i should say meimei no

Mother of All Inventions!!!
MEIMEI YES!!!!

Sanic
NO ONE WILL BE DISMANTLING MY ENGINES!
WHY ARE YOU ALL LIKE THIS?!
KANJA-SAN, I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU AT LEAST!

Welcome to My Web
Funny
I like to keep my personal entertainment around

ColorMeChameleon
oOF
can we get an f in the chat for Iida, folks

InsomniCat
f

Gravity Gal
f

Welcome to My Web
f

Mother of All Inventions!!!
F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gravity Gal
hey wait a minute
@ InsomniCat  where's dekiru-kun?

InsomniCat
where do you think?
(sent bushbabydroolsinsleep.jpg)

Gravity Gal
(*♡∀♡) 
he's so adorable!!!!

InsomniCat
i don't think his drooling mug can be considered cute
but go on i guess

ColorMeChameleon
it's tsundere o'clock folks!!!!
where our resident grumpy insomniac denies his true feelings for the green bean!!!!!

InsomniCat
i will kill you
slowly
this is all lies and slander

Sanic
Shinsou-san, I implore you to reconsider, this is hardly the solution to the matter!

InsomniCat
you're right

Sanic
Thank you!

InsomniCat
i should kill myself too

Sanic
SHINSOU-SAN!!!!!!

Mother of All Inventions!!!
ooh, glasses can use multiple exclamation points!!!!

Welcome to My Web
I appreciate that was what you took away from the conversation

Bush Baby
why can't i change my nickname 
@InsomniCat  i know you have something to do with this

InsomniCat
perish
also hurry down, mic's making chocolate chip pancakes

Bush Baby
this isn't over

InsomniCat
can't get over me, love?
tragic

ColorMeChameleon
and you say you ain't crushing ~

InsomniCat
get over here so that i can STAB YOU

~*~

It started with the snacks.

"Oh my Kami," the girl in front of them breathed, jaw dropped. "Oh my Kami."

"It-It works!" Izuku cheered.

Tears poured down the girl's tanned cheeks and she tackled his friend in a hug, who squeaked and flailed.

"Thank you!" She loudly sobbed. "Th-thank you so m-much! I-I can touch p-people now! I can hug m-my parents and my l-little brother! I haven't been able to hold him since I was three!"

"Um . . . You're welcome?" He awkwardly patted her back. "J-just contact Kanja-san a-again if there's a m-malfunction or y-you run out of e-empty b-batteries. I-I'm glad the batteries Hagaruma-kun made w-were able to a-absorb all the e-extra s-static electricity f-from your quirk!"

"Yes, yes, o-of course! Thank you," She blew her nose loudly into her handkerchief. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a plastic bag - the cheap kind you normally get at a grocery store - and thrust it towards him, saying, "Please, take this! A-as a sign of thanks from me and m-my friend!"

"O-oh, I-I-I couldn't, I-I'm j-just happy to h-help-"

"It has cat-themed manju!" She tearily persisted.

Hitoshi's eyes lit up and he reached his hand out, saying, "Thank you very much, he really appreciates the gift."

The girl beamed and shoved the bag to him, ignoring Izuku's sputtering protest. She turned back to Izuku, tears still streaming down her face but smiling brightly enough to almost rival his friend's. "Thank you, Dekiru! I won't forget this!"

She bounded off before Izuku could get another word in, disappearing from their secluded corner of the school's courtyard. Hitoshi chuckled as his friend groaned, burying his head into his hands. "H-how did it even turn out like this?"

His snickering grew louder as he plunked down at the table they met Kanja at so many days ago. Has it really only been a week? It certainly felt like longer. He rifled through the contents of the bag and fished out a melon pan. He tossed it over to Izuku, who squeaked and scrambled to catch it, and fished out the cat manju for himself. He tore open the package and inspected the adorable design of the tabby in complete rapture. "You help people, they're thankful, and they send you gifts. This is what it's like to live in the lap of luxury."

"It's the third time this week!" He wailed. He obediently switched out his mask for his glasses in his bag so that he could eat in peace. He opened his package of melon pan and despondently nibbled on the pastry. "I just want to help. I don't need a reward."

"And that's exactly the kind of thinking that will have you exploited."

Izuku perked up, turning towards the new person. He smiled wide, eyes sparkling behind his glasses as he yelled, "Kanja!"

They giggled and took a seat across from them. "Nice to see you too, little bunny. Or should I call you Dekiru now?"

He groaned. "I-I don't understand. H-how does e-everyone kn-know that name?"

They flashed a mischievous grin. "I may have had a hand in that. That's what your Hero Course friend calls you, isn't it? 'Dekiru, the guy who can do it!' There's no quirk too complex that this guy can't figure out."

"Y-you're exaggerating. . ." He blushed and mumbled.

They rolled their eyes. "In any case, I'm compiling a bit of a survey for another business-related project I'm working on. Would you both be darlings and fill out these questionnaires?"

"Sure," Hitoshi took a small packet, flipping through it. "Favorite snacks and drinks, huh? You Business Course students about to set up a cafe?"

Their eyes glittered. "Something like that."

~*~

"Greenie, look at this!"

Hitoshi blinked, taken aback by the sheer number of pocky that piled up on Hatsume's workbench. "Uh. . ."

"I know you two are my main clients," She blustered, tearing open a packet and rapidly devouring it. "But Kanja had me take on  a few small requests so that I can get an idea of striking a deal! They're teaching me how to be properly compensated for my work without undercharging my babies, so the last guy that came in had to give me a year supply of coffee pocky! This is GREAT! Here, you both can have some too!"

"O-oh! Th-thank you Meimei . . ." Izuku hesitantly took a package. He fiddles with it for a moment, debating whether or not to eat it now or later, but he eventually decides to slip it into that bright yellow backpack that rivals the color of Mic-sensei's hair.

Hitoshi just goes straight to munching. "Must have been some purchase," he dryly commented. "The poor cashier."

"Actually, they came from Kanja!"

A beat passed.

"Repeat that again," Hitoshi narrowed his eyes, needing a moment to process.

"K-Kanja gave a-a student a year s-supply of coffee-flavored p-pocky s-so that h-he could c-commission you?"

She snorted, guffawing. "No, sillies! He purchased it from Kanja to cover my commission costs! So now I'm getting paid in my favorite snacks and drinks!"

Izuku tensed up the same time the realization struck Hitoshi. The purple-headed boy coughed, violet eyes wide as he muttered, "Holy shiz."

"D-did Kanja set up an entire market where they receive cash from snacks?" Izuku whispered.

"Ah, that's a shame."

Hitoshi and Izuku whirled around. Kanja strutted into view, braid swinging behind them before coming to a stop in front of them. "I really hoped it would take longer for the both of you to find out. For the record, the snack market was already circulating in the Business Course long before I became a student. A few of my colleagues in class and I simply expanded the business to the rest of the school."

"W-wait, s-so," The shorter boy paused, trying to process the entire situation and honestly? Hitoshi can relate. "The th-thank you g-g-gifts I r-r-recieved f-for my analyses, a-and the sn-snacks that th-the support s-students g-get. . . th-that was you?"

They shrugged, leaning against a workbench. "It's just business."

"I am so confused right now," Hitoshi muttered incredulously, shaking his head.

"Well, then. It must be fortunate for you, because I'm willing to explain what's happening."

Their eyes flickered warily at the other teen, the very air of nonchalance as they changed their stance to something more domineering. "Now normally, I wouldn't give away my trade secrets, but I'm making this an exception since you're Kaeru's friends and I like the little bunny over here," They smirked. "People like to give gifts as a form of thanks after a favor has been performed for them. In this case, Midori's analyses and the occasional support item courteously of our wonderful Support Course students -"

"They mean us!" Hatsume excitedly piped up.

Kanja smiled at her and paused, but not unkindly. "Exactly. Both of your combined efforts have quite literally changed the lives all the clients, including the girl with the static shock quirk a few days ago. She's able to hug people again, and she's fairly cuddly now."

Izuku's shoulders slumped in relief as he sighed. "I-I'm glad sh-she's doing o-okay."

"She's just one of the many people who you helped out, little bunny," They stated, sending Izuku flushing and fidgeting all over again. "So of course, these people would feel deeply indebted to your efforts. I noticed static shock girl had given the two of you snacks, so that had me thinking. What if clients can purchase the favorite treats and drinks of their benefactors and give it to them, as thanks? I got together with a few members of my department, talked a few things and smoothed other things over, and voila. Clients can directly purchase goods from us Business students, and we hand process the requests and hand the goods over to you. Don't forget that includes you, Shinsou. You've been unofficially recognized as Dekiru's guardian."

He balked. "Uh. . ."

They sauntered over and patted his cheek. "Get used to it sweetheart."

"Th-that's. . . that's incredibly genius, Kanja," Izuku whispered, completely in awe. "You made a business out of a business you already made. You're able to profit on the transaction of snack items as well as further network with people across varying departments."

"Not to mention increase my reputation amongst my department," Their wicked grin faded as they crossed their arms, suddenly somber. "Still, there's a major issue that I've unfortunately did not account for," They paused, looking at them. "The snack business is too successful. There's too much profit being made from it."

Hitoshi furrowed his brows in confusion. "That's a good thing."

They grimaced. "Typically, the answer would be yes, but not in this case. The support items being gifted to the clients can only be made using the official budget for the Support Department from the school. And unfortunately for us, the materials used to create support items are not that cheap. It's making the Business Department antsy because we need to find a way to repay the school, because it's possible that we can land in legal trouble for essentially stealing their funds and profiting off of it with no compensation."

Hitoshi blanched. Even Hatsume looked a little nervous.

"Currently, the Business Department has the choice of either dismantling the entire business, which none of us want to do considering its success, or donating the money back to support department. However, the second option begets the question of how the Business Department was able to obtain that much money in the first place, and the snack business isn't. . . quite the most legal of things."

"O-oh."

"Oh indeed," They sighed. "It's quite the conundrum. Either stop, or find a way to reinvest the money to the students."

"I-I'm sorry."

Hitoshi grimaced. "No, Izuku, this isn't your fault - "

"B-but i-if I d-didn't k-keep d-doing analyses th-then -"

"Those people wouldn't have their lives changed for the better and that static girl wouldn't be able to hug her brother," He shot back. "You're helping people. Don't apologize for that."

He hung his head, chastised but still uncomfortable with the situation. Kanja patted his head and offered a wry smile. "Cheer up, little bunny. Us students from the Business Department will find a solution. This wouldn't be U.A. if we don't go Plus Ultra, right?"

"I-I guess. . ." He muttered, still somber.

Hitoshi could see the issue was still weighing on his friend's mind as they walked to the teacher's lounge to meet up with the Yamazawa couple. It didn't matter if his face was completely covered by his mask and glasses. The past month made him well-acquainted with his smaller friend's ticks, so the slumped shoulders, shuffling gait, and clenched backpack straps in his fists were dead giveaways.

It would be great if Kanja and the others could find a solution soon. Hitoshi didn't want this to end either. Not just because of the free snacks he's getting along with Izuku, but also because it helped his friend be . . . brighter. His smiles were wider. There's a skip in his step. His emerald eyes lit up and words would tumble out of his mouth a mile a minute, gushing about the new quirks sent his way with awe. He was happier in a way that Hitoshi didn't realize he wasn't before. Izuku was a shining star burning brighter than ever because of this, and forcing him to stop would make him glow quietly again.

Wishing can only get you so far though. He knew that better than anyone. It's not as if the solution to all their problems would suddenly appear before them -

A long, wet sound of someone violently blowing their nose caught their attention and made them pause in their tracks. Sobs and hiccups came from around the corner. "I-it's, m-my grandpa, h-he-!"

Another voice gently shushed him, soothingly saying, "Hey, it's alright."

"It's not!" Another loud nose blow and the sobs increased tenfold. "A-All he w-wanted w-was t-to go t-to th-the countryside s-so he c-can pass away i-in peace wh-where he and my g-grandma l-lived, but w-we can't! My f-family doesn't h-have enough money to g-get us th-there and m-my dad can't a-afford to take days o-off! This i-is all m-my fault, i-it's because I s-said th-that I w-wanted to go t-to UA t-to become a-a s-scholar when I g-get older and-!"

The person broke down into sobs, unable to continue as their friend tried desperately to reassure him. Hitoshi internally grimaced from hearing something he had no business in knowing. He cast a glance to Izuku, ready to whisper that they turn the other way.

He stopped. His friend was rooted on the spot. His body language was stoic. He's only seen this once at the beginning of the year, but a handful of times since he gave out analyses to Kanja's clients.

Izuku Midoriya was going to help this person if it's the last goddang thing he'll ever do.

~*~

They wound up coming clean to the Principal. Not because they gave up, not because they had been caught, but because they had a proposal - utilize the profits from the snack business to financially support the students in a way the institution wouldn't be able to. It was insane. It shouldn't have worked. It made no sense from a businessperson's point of view because the support course had yet to be reimbursed, but it worked because the person they had to convince was Principal Nezu and Izuku Midoriya was the negotiator.

Izuku Midoriya, hero fanatic extraordinaire, who used his knowledge of all things hero-related to figure out that the mouse-dog-bear being of U.A. High that even the Hero Commission cowers from had a soft spot for kids. Specifically, raising kids to bring about a better generation of people, and not just heroes.

He didn't argue in terms of how the snack business would profit the school in terms of cash. He argued in terms of how the entire system Kanja and her team set up - analysis requests, support item commissions, the snack business - had drastically revolutionized the student body. Social barriers that naturally built up because of the lack of voluntary interaction across departments were gone. GenEd students would come to Business students with requests. Business students would coordinate with Support students for commissions. Support students would receive gifts from incredibly grateful GenEd students.

But apparently that was just the tip of the iceberg. Prejudices that had built up between departments, like Kanja had towards Hatsume that first day, were torn down. Hitoshi himself noticed that people from different departments were no longer looking at each other warily, but with friendly waves and bright laughter and a myriad of thank you's. The Business students were no longer seen as cold, calculating, and manipulative, but shrewd and kind traders who deftly connected you with the right people to help you find a solution to your problem. The Support kids weren't insane, mad scientists, but chaotic craftsfolk that can tinker up amazing devices that helped people. GenEd students weren't just plain and ordinary, but a variety of colorful personalities seeking to go into careers that would provide future connections in every single sector of society - whether it be in academics, agriculture, entertainment, medical, law, politics - everything.

There was more too. Loose information, but just as important. People were beginning to properly appreciate the work of support items, which thrilled Hatsume. Business students were able to utilize skills and connections from the GenEd Department to explore new industries outside of the hero one. Hitoshi knows that there were talks of starting up a patisserie between a few of his classmates in 1-C looking to break the food industry and a couple of 1-J students Kanja had connected them too. In fact, there were discussions from Kanja about employing those same 1-C students to whip up treats for the snack business to help ease the costs and provide a limited, rare food item and more variety to the menu in the meantime.

It was insane. What Izuku argued was that Kanja's business had created a new model for hero schools that provided a strong base for students to launch their careers from post-graduation. Students would forge their own opportunities with each other instead of only having to rely solely on the school. Interdepartmental communication, which had always been an issue, would be solved. Just like that. Not to mention that engaging in this current structure further challenged the abilities of each department using real-world issues and events, because U.A. is nothing but Plus Ultra, right?

All Izuku asked was that the profit from the Business Department be reinvested back into the student body. Those needing to cover travel costs for a grandparent's last wish, like that person that was crying earlier. Those struggling to put food on the table despite scholarships and financial aid, like Uraraka. Or for people like the static shock girl, who needed a support item but would never afford one because of the laws and high prices in place. Essentially, all the things that the school as an institution wouldn't be able to justify covering because their resources were spread thin enough.

It shouldn't have worked. It shouldn't have worked, because this venture did nothing to profit the school. But by the time Izuku had finished, Hitoshi could see the gleam in Principal Nezu's eyes. It was the same gleam he saw in Izuku's whenever he was talking about a new quirk.

Interest? Yeah, interest with a dose of glee. And it made him dread for reasons he couldn't begin to explain, nor did he ever want to find out.

"I see," the Principal congenially said, taking a sip of his tea. "I shall amend the last portion regarding the distribution of the profit from the snack business, so at the very least a portion of it can go back to the Support Department. Otherwise, I would not be opposed to the continued existence of this system."

Sparkles shone in Izuku's eyes. He bowed low, almost smacking his head against the desk until Hitoshi grabbed his head to stop him. "Th-Thank you v-very m-m-much, P-P-Principal N-Nezu, sir!"

Hitoshi also bowed his head, his mind still screaming because he couldn't believe any of this was happening.

They said their farewells and found themselves in the teacher's parking lot with Aizawa-sensei and Mic-sensei a while later. They sat in the car, dead silent, before Aizawa-sensei turned his gaze over to a Izuku still in shock and grumbled, "Problem Child, Shinsou, why did I hear about you two coming out of Principal Nezu's office this afternoon?"

"We're not in trouble," Hitoshi automatically replied.

". . . I think I just made a deal with Principal Nezu," Izuku softly said, still reeling.

Aizawa-sensei looked like he wanted to die despite the bandages. Mic-sensei just bashed his head against the horn as he suspiciously let out something that sounded like a sob and a prayer.

"Problem. Child," The mummified man hissed, and Izuku numbly nodded his head.

"Toshi," The tiny chaos gremlin began. "Why didn't you stop me? I don't have the braincell. You have the braincell."

Hitoshi just quirked his lips up and gave him a crooked grin. "I wanted to see where the chaos that would unfold."

Mic-sensei let out an even louder wail and Aizawa-sensei pretty much fainted.

Oh well. Can't say he was sorry.

~*~

"Dekiru's the best! Just last week he showed me a bunch of different type of bird calls, and there was one that sounded like a chainsaw. Guess who can now use Bird Call to sound like a slasher film now!"

"I hear he's the reason behind all the mysterious donations to the students around school too. I heard from a friend of a friend that a business student let it slip after they gave him the green envelope."

"The donations come from the snack stuff for the support kids, business kids, Dekiru, and his guard friend, right?"

"He's so cool! I bet he's super cute under that mask too!"

"You're gonna have to get in line, there's a lot of people who would kill for a chance to date Dekiru."

Hitoshi watched in amusement as his green-haired friend buried his head in his hands, keening. He's gone back to full mask mode with all the attention he's been getting lately. His ears were completely red as people chatted excitedly in the halls all around them, unaware that the subject of their praise was walking right next to them.

"Toshi," he mumbled, still not looking up. "Kill me now. Please."

"And let you escape from your lovely crowd of fans?" He drawled, smirking. "Nope."

"Oh, hey!"

A girl bounded up towards them. Izuku snapped back up, watching with undoubtedly wide eyes behind his glasses as she made a stop before Hitoshi. She fidgeted, glancing around before asking, "Um . . . Do you know where Dekiru is?"

The tired boy slid a quick glance to his friend rapidly shaking his head back and forth and held in a sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck, plainly answering, "No."

She faltered slightly before perking back up again. "No worries! I-it makes sense because he's super busy and running around the school a lot, so no one really knows where he is unless if you arrange a meeting beforehand, but you probably already knew that. Uh, I baked some cookies for him, as thanks for helping out a friend of mine! W-would you mind giving it to him?"

His eyebrows shot up to his forehead. "Um-"

"Thank you very much and have a nice day!"

She dumped a tiny bag of cookies in his hands before scurrying away at a speed that would put Iida to shame. Hitoshi raised a brow. He inspected the little bag, clear plastic with little green hearts and bright green bow. They were pretty well made from the looks of it. The assorted cookies inside had fun designs, ranging from checkered, to swirls, to heart-shaped ones. It's fairly obvious that the girl had placed a lot of time and effort into baking these.

He tore open the package and chomped on one.

"Toshi!" Izuku gasped scandalously. "Your diet!"

"Consider this a cheat day," He mumbled, still chewing.

He pouted and glared at him with all the intensity of a puppy. Hitoshi smirked and ruffled the shorter boy's curls with his clean hand, eliciting a yelp as they walked down the halls. He made a game out of the cookies - he'd pick one out, toss it up high in the air as they walked, and then catch it in his mouth perfectly on the way down. He could feel the heavy stare of his friend as he popped another one in.

An idea struck just as he took another cookie out, a heart shaped one. Was he a little stupid for thinking about it? Maybe. Logically, this is be a bad idea and would do nothing to get rid of his little crush on his pretty boy of a friend. If anything, it would make it worse. But he was feeling a little mischievous today and emboldened by the fact that it's so easy to fluster Izuku because of the talks of Dekiru roaming around.

Plus he's still spiteful for the never ending heart attacks he gives him on a daily basis. And he's nothing if not a being that lives off of sheer spite.

"Hey, Izuku, do you want a bite?" He lightly asked, brandishing the treat.

If his friend had bunny ears, they would be up and alert as stars sparkled behind his glasses. "Yes please!"

Hitoshi grinned. "Alright then," he grabbed his friend's arm and steered him to a quieter hallway. He came up against a break between lockers, a natural alcove to get away from prying eyes. The tired boy turned around and leaned up against the wall in a sultry position, brandishing the sweet up to his face. He pitched his voice nice and low and coyly said, "If you want it, you're gonna have to come get it."

He lightly bit the cookie, not enough to break but just enough to hold it between his teeth and offer the other half for the other person to bite. The mask shifted slightly to indicate his jaw dropped, which only served to make his smirk grow wider.

He hummed challengingly and lifted a brow tauntingly. He expected his friend to bury his face in his hands and keen. Or maybe start blushing and lightly hit him. Or maybe if he was feeling completely exasperated, he would pluck the cookie with his hand and then eat the piece he got.

But Hitoshi had conveniently forgotten that this was Izuku freaking Midoriya. Also known as Dekiru, the guy who defies all expectations. So imagine his surprise when Izuku pulled down his mask, clamped one hand on Hitoshi's shoulder, cupped his cheek and then -

Snap!

He. . . leaned up and bit the other half of the heart. Excuse me, what.

Now he's the one smirking with half a broken heart snagged between his teeth. He raised a hand to take it out of his mouth and cheekily asked, "Cat catch your tongue, sweetheart?"

. . . fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu -

Heat bloomed across his face. He quickly took the other half of the heart still clenched between his teeth into his mouth and chewed, before gulping. "Nah," He easily said, hoping that it sounded suave. "So, I see you're back to flirting again. Another experiment day?"

He beamed. And again, if he had a tail, Hitoshi could clearly envision it flicking back and forth like a pleased cat or an overexcited pup. "Yup! Midnight-sensei said to try it out more so that I can get used to it, that way when the Sports Festival rolls around, I know how to fluster my opponent without getting flustered myself. I learned all my flirting techniques from you and Midnight-sensei after all!"

He choked. Oh Kami, is he ever glad he decided to finish off that cookie otherwise he'd be dead. He pushed off the wall and resumed walking, trying to distance himself from the close proximity of a fairly intimate location. "Hmm. Am I seeing the second coming of Midnight then?"

"I dunno. . ." His friend tilted his head and cupped his chin in thought. ". . . Though, I wonder if flirting can affect my quirk like it does for Midnight's. And even if it doesn't, it's still helpful for undercover work since I need to be in a position where I can kiss the other party."

Hitoshi playfully clicked his tongue. "Seems like I won't be able to keep you all to myself, then."

"Not until we get home and you get me back in your room."

He whistled appreciatively. "Smooth. Whatever happened to the innocent bunny rabbit that was my best friend?"

"You happened. You saw me moan when I was sparring with Iida that one time."

He snorted. Now that was a jibe, he was sure of it.

Indistinct chatter grew louder. They stopped before a growing crowd of students congesting the hallway and balked.

"Wh-what - ?" Izuku stammered.

The sound of a door opening broke them out of their shock. Surprised yelling came from inside until a vicious voice roared, "SHUT UP YOU GODDANG EXTRAS AND GET THE FREAK OUT OF MY WAY!"

Hitoshi tensed. He gritted his teeth and his hands curled to form fists. He took a quick glance at his friend who stood there facing the crowd, utterly petrified, and quickly made the decision that they should leave now. "Izuku, let's get going -"

"DEKU!"

Hitoshi's lips set into a line thinner than this patience at the moment. His violet eyes snapped to the feral blonde stomping their way. The crowd parted for him like the sea in the wake of his rage. He noted that some of the students realized Izuku's presence and started whispering about the possible confrontation coming up.

Bakuvitch was seething as he approached. His face was red, hands smoking, burning sugar assaulting their noses as the feral blonde was moments away from exploding. His eyes burned holes into Izuku who folded in on himself in response. Hitoshi quickly stepped between and languidly shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down on the furious blonde with an apathetic expression and a cocked head. "You should leave. You have no business with my friend here."

"Outta my way, Eyebags!" He spat. "Or I'll blow you to hell!"

"Bakugou! This is no way to talk to your fellow cohorts!" Iida rushed in, chopping his arms up and down. "Least of all, Midoriya!"

"Yeah!" Uraraka popped up too from the crowd, scrambling to stand beside Hitoshi. She glowered at Bakuvitch and crossed her arms. "We already told you what happened back then. He had to do what he had to do! Why in the world are you so angry at Dekiru-kun?"

Now that got the crowd's attention. Whispers furiously broke out amongst the crowd, rising in crescendo as they all recognized the name and the boy behind Hitoshi. Izuku cowered even further behind him as a result. He quickly took out a hand and held it behind his back, only for his friend to tightly grasp it between his sweaty palms.

Bakuvitch caught the movement, but he didn't seem to hear the whispers. He sneered at Hitoshi, who frowned and furrowed his brows in response. "What? Are you the dumb nerd's boyfriend now? He's been lying to everyone about his quirk for the past fifteen years! How the hell could you date someone as pathetic as him?!"

Hitoshi's eye twitched. For once in his life he didn't plan on engaging in a verbal parlay before using his quirk to drive it home. Hell, he didn't even plan on using his quirk. He just wanted to punch this guy to a pulp for everything he's done to Izuku, because he's anything but pathetic. Izuku is the type of person who pushes through hell and high water if it meant helping someone. He's the guy who can pull off nothing short of a miracle with all the insane situations he finds himself in. He can take any quirk, no matter how "useless" or "villainous" everyone says it is and spin it into one perfect for Heroics. But of course you wouldn't know that, huh, Bakuvitch? You've probably been praised your entire life just because of your quirk, while people like Izuku had to work hard to get to where they are. What have you done since coming to UA? Scream at people? Throw temper tantrums? Were you even aware of who came to save your sorry self at the USJ? Can you survive being kidnapped by the League of Villains for days and somehow turn that into an information-gathering opportunity for the police? Or even manipulate their plans to turn the tide of battle to protect you Heroes?  Tell me who else can do any of these things, Bakuvitch? Tell me, who else can do it other than Izuku Midoriya?!

Dead silence rang out over the hallway. Everyone stood there staring at Hitoshi, stunned. It wasn't until just then that Hitoshi noticed that he was panting heavily and he tensed, abruptly realizing that he just said everything out loud.

"Shiz," He fumbled, flushing. He quickly turned around and grabbed Izuku's arm while everyone was still in shock, muttering, "Time to go, hope Aizawa doesn't kill me for this," before disappearing around the corner with a stupefied Izuku in tow.

Everyone in that hallway took time to digest what just happened. The crowd exploded into noise as everyone collectively flipped their shiz, shouting over one another as they realized holy motherfreaking shiz -

At the time, Hitoshi didn't realize what he just achieved. He didn't realize just how far news of the confrontation would spread. Katsuki Bakugou had tried to attack Izuku Midoriya, the mysterious GenEd student that became entangled with the USJ. Also known as Dekiru, the guy who overturned each and every one of their lives for the better. Whether it be help with their quirks, being able to pay for food each night, or simply finding love and friends and future opportunities in other departments. There's a lot that Dekiru has done for UA. There's a lot that happened to Dekiru even before he became Dekiru.

And Katsuki Bakugou just threatened him in front of the entire student body.

~*~

Kumo raised a brow as her cellphone chimed. It was the ringtone she set for her subordinates who were under strict orders not to call unless if it was emergency. She set down her book and picked up her phone from the table, holding it up to her ear and answering.

"What's the sitch?" She bluntly said.

"U-um," A tiny voice squeaked. Sainou Museigen from 1-D who wanted to become a secretary. "K-Kanja-san? S-something happened w-with Dekiru-kun!"

They listened as the voice recounted the story. They stopped playing with their braid. Their eyebrows shot up to their forehead. They laughed in disbelief, pinching the bridge of their nose as they gasped for air.

"U-um, Kanja-san? Are you alright?"

"Alright?" A wolfish grin stretched across their face. "Oh, I'm better than alright! Contact the others and set an emergency meeting in the usual spot. I want to see everyone's faces in a hour unless they have a family emergency."

"Y-yes boss!"

They hung up. A few incredulous chuckles tumbled out of their lips as they shook their head. "What the hell, little bunny," They looked down at their phone in amusement. "Scratch that. You're more like a lucky rabbit's foot at this point."

They grinned. They leaned back in their chair and swiftly set up a group chat with the rest of Izuku Midoriya's friend, barring the chaotic rabbit himself, and got to work. They hummed delightedly to themselves as they sent a message. A barrage of texts from the others flooded their phone soon after. Some demanding to know what happened and if there was any information about the whereabouts and state of one Izuku Midoriya and one Hitoshi Shinsou.

They heard through the webs around school that Katsuki Bakugou was aiming to become the Number One Hero. They knew about his brash personality and that he had a complicated history with Izuku Midoriya.

They just wondered if his road to winning the Sports Festival will be as easy as he thinks.

Chapter Text

This freaking ADORABLE artwork of Shinsou and Izuku as wildcats and MORE meme edits!!!!! Sweetflower, I swear to Kami, you're responsible for more than half of the fanart this fic gets. Seriously, thank you!!!! <3

Don't Touch Him
I Don't Need Payment
In Izuku's Defense, Judge Aizawa -
Your Verdict Has Been Decided
The Biggest Clown
How Kanja Solved Every Problem at UA
The Adorable Blushy Baby

And SARRAP!!!! Coming hot with this Izuku with a GALAXY background!!! It's so PRETTY!!!

Stargazer

~*~

"Team Glitter Bang, do you have the items?"

"Yes boss! Already distributed the stuff to Team Tag It!"

"Wonderful."

"Hey Boss, is he really going to -"

"Not if I can help it. Besides, even if he were to pass, he'll still become the laughing stock of the nation."

"That's good and all, but I assume you didn't forget about our little arrangement together, Kanja-san?"

"Of course not. The Support, GenEd, and Business Departments may not have the physical prowess of you Heroics kids, but we make up for it in number and resources."

"Hmph. After this festival, might we arrange a meeting to discuss any future endeavors against 1-A?"

"You'll have to ask Dekiru that when he wins."

~*~

Izuku nervously paced back and forth in the waiting room. Today was the day. It's the Sports Festival. He was at the edge of the crowd where the 1-C students were with Toshi and Shikisou-kun (now upgraded to Kaeru after slamming him into the mat enough times during training!). He can feel the weight of their combined stares. Well, Toshi's exasperated one - oh, was that his third sigh in the past minute?

"Izuku," A tired, deep voice drawled. "There's going to be a trench there named after you."

He hummed absently, not really paying attention as he patted himself down. His fingers ran over the visor and metallic mask combo Meimei built for him on his face. He fingered the small button that ran down the panel next to his ear. Two presses and a flick down retracts the mouth guard. Same process but flick up retracts the entire mask. The vambraces on his arm had a diamond-shaped piece on the end where his wrist was. It was a pain to get this one approved since he's only a GenEd student and not a Support Course student, so there were a lot more restrictions on utilizing gear that wasn't meant to curb the dangerous side effects of quirks.

"Yo, Greenie, calm down. You got this thing in the bag!" Kaeru winked and flashed a finger gun at him.

"But what if I don't?" He fretted. "Wh-what if I screw up? What if I can't do it? What if everyone was right and I'm just a loser who doesn't know when to quit - "

"Izuku, stop."

A hand fell on his shoulder. He turned around and gazed into Toshi's soft, violet gaze. Izuku hugged him and he grunted, but nevertheless placed a hand on his back and started rubbing calming circles between his shoulders. He buried his face in Toshi's chest, pressing an ear to his heartbeat.

Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.

Strong. Steady. Just like Toshi's always been since they first met. It was a soothing lullaby that coaxed him out of his panic. Izuku let out a deep breath and let all of the tension drain out of his frame.

"Thanks," He murmured.

"You're welcome," Toshi muttered back.

"Gayyyyyyyyyyyyy."

Izuku rolled his eyes at Kaeru's antics and pulled away, already missing the warmth of Toshi's body wrapping around his. The intercom in the room chimed. The trio all turned to one another as the announcement was made.

It was go time.

What happened next was a blur for Izuku. He kept quiet and close to Toshi as their class exited out into the arena and into the sunlight.

"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaand C, D, E, Support Courses F, G, and H, as well as Business Courses I, J, and K!"

Toshi and Izuku sighed at the blatant discrimination. They knew Mic didn't like it either but was forced to do it anyways by the board. Though frankly, they knew the way he was showing the discrimination was a weird roundabout way of egging the other departments on against the Heroics one so that they can shine brighter once they trumped the Hero course.

And by Kami, were he and Toshi going to be the ones who did it.

They all grouped up by their class before the stage. Midnight-sensei was up there. She was smiling brightly with a hip cocked out confidently. Her new costume made it's debut for the world to see, and honestly? The crowd was going wild for it. Izuku had based it off of Silk Spectre's costume from the Watchmen film adaptation in 2009, only with the white, black, blue, purple, and red accents of Midnight's color scheme. It was infinitely more appealing than Midnight's original costume design, while still abiding by the laws for female costumes. Plus, it was more durable and including support for her chest, which was lacking in her previous costume and got in the way of fighting. And he was thrilled when she had taken his suggestion about pressurizing her gas into ammo when he saw the brand new vambraces equipped to her wrists.

"Welcome one and all you lovely darlings to the UA Sports Festival!" Midnight-sensei proudly announced, and the crowd shrieked their approval. "Now, without further ado, let's kick things off with the student pledge from our First-Year Representative, the one and only to receive first place on this year's entrance exams, Katsuki Bakugou!"

The crowd stamped and roared excitedly as Kacchan took the stage. Izuku shivered. He took a quick glance around and noticed how everyone was staring at Kacchan, but they seemed vaguely . . . angry? It wasn't just any kind of glare you would give to a rival though.

Wow. Even in competitions everyone was taking things Plus Ultra!

Kacchan leaned into the mic and it briefly shrieked. The crowd quieted. They waited with baited breath for him to start speaking. He sneered and heatedly challenged, "I pledge to win. You extras better give it your all when I wipe the floor with you and get first place."

The reaction was instantaneous. Both the stadium and the students were in an uproar at the announcement. Kacchan looked unfazed by everyone's reaction as he casually walked off stage, deftly ignoring the jeers and booing of the crowd. 1-A just looked pained. Izuku winced sympathetically, knowing that Ochako and Iida were there. He had his fingers crossed for the rest of the class too, because while he hasn't met any of them face to face, he really did appreciate the gift basket and sweets and the card they made for him after the USJ. Toshi can attest to the buckets of tears he had to lug into the bathroom to dump.

"Ugh, what a douche!" Kaeru grouched, seething. "I can't believe you had to grow up with a guy like him, Midori. Hey Shinsou, you can deck him for me when you get to the one-on-one battles, yeah?"

Toshi nodded, face passive but barely containing the fury simmering underneath. He grinned and suddenly Izuku got the feeling that something big was about to go down. "Only if he makes it that far."

That ominous feeling suddenly intensified.

"And now, let us choose what we'll have for the first round of the competition!"

Their attention snapped back to Midnight as she spun the wheel. Toshi leaned over and whispered, "You said that it's likely a mass elimination event, right? Got any guesses what that'll be specifically?"

He cupped his chin in thought. "Um . . . Laser tag?"

The bells went off as the wheel crawled to a stop. Midnight glanced at the result and raised a hand. "An obstacle race!"

The stadium rumbled. Structures began rising from the ground, starting off with a tunnel. Midnight started announcing the rules, but Izuku was only paying half attention. He tugged on Kaeru's and Toshi's sleeves to get their attention.

"Careful of the tunnel, you two," He murmured. "It's pretty narrow so it'll get congested really quickly, like that time at the cafeteria when the media broke in."

Kaeru grimaced. "Why do I get the feeling that this thing was based off of that incident?"

Toshi scoffed. "Probably because it is."

"PLAYERS! Take your positions!"

They swiftly scrambled over with the rest of their class to their assigned spot. Izuku gulped and wiped his hands on his pants as he checked over his gear one last time.

"Hey."

The green-haired boy's eyes flickered over to his friend. Toshi grinned and ruffled his hair, eliciting a squeak from the smaller male. "Knock 'em dead, just like back in training."

"R-right!" He clenched his fists and nodded to himself. He slapped on a bright smile and cheered, "Let's do our best!"

"GO!"

The contestants were off like a rocket. Hizashi commentated, hyping up the crowd, but he's been doing this for enough years that he can do it automatically and focus his attention on something else. 

Like locating Shinsou and Midoriya. His eyes lit up as he saw their figures diving into the tunnel. He bit back a squeal and swiftly turned off his mic during a brief lull in the action. "Look, Shou! Look at the Little Listeners go! Ooh! Shinsou just started wall running and stepped off of someone's face! Remind you of anything, Shou?"

His husband, his beautiful, grumpy kitten, just grumbled and burrowed further into his seat. Hizashi indulgently smiled at him. Ah, yes. He can remember their first meeting as well. So bright and clear, with his emerald eyes turned upwards as a dark figure blotted out the summer sun, the roaring of the stadium echoing all around. He descended down to him like a fallen angel, and for a moment, Hizashi really did think he was an angel. 

Right until he got a boot to the face.

Hizashi snickered and tuned right back into the race. He pressed his finger on the button and grandly announced, "Looks like Todoroki has taken the lead and iced the competition! Talk about being cold, yo! And right behind him is - "

He coughed and spluttered. Shou was immediately on his feet and solemnly asked, "What is it?"

The blonde announcer wheezed, eyes bulging out of his sockets as he blinked once, twice, thrice, but couldn't quite understand just what he was looking at. He took in a deep breath after confirming, oh yeah, this is happening and he didn't get whacked over the head by his overly violent husband.

"Hizashi?" 

He held up a finger and sealed his mouth shut. He leaned forward into the intercom, trying desperately to hide his giggles as he commentated. "I-It looks like Bakugou was hit by a stray quirk! He's c-currently to the side doing a remarkable impersonation of a very aggressive chicken - aaaaaand now he's hopping around like a rabbit and - are those students leaving EASTER EGGS around him?! And baskets! And chocolate boxes - what even is going on down there?!"

"What in the world?" Shou incredulously deadpanned, absolutely flabbergasted by the sight, as his husband tried not to fall off his chair in hysterics. 

"Oh! It looks like he's finally snapped out of it! The contestants are now coming up to the Robo Inferno! Some of you kiddos might recognize these, and - OH KAMI!"

Shouta immediately yoinked the mic away from his husband as he fell onto the floor laughing. Even amongst the audience, they could hear Mic howling in the background. Shouta squinted as he tried to make out what was happening down below. "Um . . . It seems that Kami Seibutsu from 1-D is flinging something at Bakugou and making him avoid it. Judging from our cameras, they seem to be . . . paper shuriken? And now he's being pelted by fruits and tomatoes."

Very faintly, from down below, one could hear a person yelling, "Tomatoes are fruits . . . !"

He wanted to crawl back into his bed and sleep for the rest of eternity. He was not going to touch that debacle with a ten-foot pole.

"After the robots comes the Pit Fall. Students, prepare for death if you fall. There's a net down there, but if you land on it you'll be disqualified. So try to keep your balance. Todoroki is currently using his ice to slide across the ropes, as is Iida, and it looks like Bakugou is finally free of whatever predicament he found himself in. He's propelling himself over the pit with his blasts, and he's knocked Mei Hatsume out of the air. Oh. It looks like Mic's finally done hacking his lungs out. Here you go."

His husband indignantly sputtered as he unceremoniously lobbed the intercom at his husband. Shouta immediately tuned out his dramatic wailing of how dry his commentary was, but honestly, it was his fault for not maintaining any semblance of professionalism at a live event. 

He settled back into his seat and sighed. Thankfully enough, it looks like The Problem Child hasn't -

A loud explosion ripped through the peace and rocked the stadium. A sinking feeling settled in his gut as he wearily looked at the minefield.

He just had to jinx it. 

~*~

Izuku whooped as the wind whipped into his face. He recalled the hook and was sent free falling through the air before sending it out and catching him once more. He sent it out one last time against the cliff face at the end of the pit. He shot up into the air and released the hook, tethering it back into the gauntlet. He twisted midair to angle himself for the landing and rolled once he hit the ground running.

The next and final obstacle was in sight. The other competitors were carefully with swiftly picking their way through a minefield. Explosions went off, students screaming as they were launched wildly through the air with a blast of bright purple smoke. Meimei was there too, stopping at the entrance to the field at the side of the track. She cursed as her wings were bent out of shape. "DANGIT! Stupid Blasty, he hurt my baby!"

Izuku ran over to her as fast as he could. "Meimei, do you need help?"

She wailed as she held the corpse of her wings in her arms. "My baby! Bakuvitch just blasted past me and knocked me off-course and damaged the wings, so now I can't fly far enough without these wings to glide because the engines in my jet pack will overheat! Ugh, now I havt to waddle through the mines with my anti-gravity boots, and they're huge. They'll be blown to smithereens by the force of the blast! And it's not even the good kind of explosion!"

Izuku frowned as Meimei cursed the world and cried over her destroyed invention. He analyzed the wide, flat surface of the one wing that wasn't a slightly charred metal husk. He looked back at the field and noticed most of the mines at the beginning were left untouched. An idea flitted into his mind and he grinned.

"Hey Meimei?"

She paused in her wailing and looked at the green boy. She couldn't see his expression from the mask, but from the tone of his voice she had an inkling of an idea of what was about to happen next.

"How about we make an explosion together?" He suggested, with all the chaotic energy of a cat about to knock a vase over. "A really big explosion?"

She quickly saw where this was heading and beamed.

~*~

"Bakugou and Todoroki are neck and neck in the lead!" Hizashi screamed from the announcer's booth, slipping into his full Presentation Mic persona and riling the ever-enthusiastic crowd to hysterics. "But they better watch out, because the rest of their competitors are swiftly gaining on them! Hitoshi Shinsou from 1-C is certainly - !"

A loud explosion rocked the stadium. Hizashi yelped into the mic, "What the hell just happened?!"

"Language," Shou absently reprimanded, but he too had his eyes wearily fixated on the source. 

A huge plume of purple smoke billowed up from the ground. Hizashi was momentarily stunned, because what the hell happened the explosions are not meant to be this big!

Not even a second after he thought that, two figures came streaking out the smoke screaming and laughing hysterically. He looked to the cams for a closer view as they zoomed in on the action. His jaw dropped.

"I-Izuku Midoriya and Mei Hatsume are sailing through the air on a sheet of metal from that mega huge blast!?"  He meant for that to be an exclamation, but his own incredulousness seeped through and made it a partial question instead.

The camera's caught sight of Izuku as he flew over a familiar purple-haired kid's head, who was staring up at the duo with a mix of awe and exasperation. The green bean waved wildly like a lunatic while the advanced mics on the cams picked him up screaming, "HI TOSHI! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR THIS!"

Hizashi barked a laugh. Shou groaned. And down below, Izuku was screaming his head off in joy as the wind whipped through his hair, Meimei screaming in elation alongside him, Kacchan and Todoroki too engrossed in their rivalry with one another to notice them approaching.

"Greenie! We're loosing altitude!" She warned. "We won't be able to surpass them at this rate!" 

"I have an idea!" He yelled, glancing between the two rivals and the ground of mines beneath. "But Toshi's going to kill us after this for sure!"

"THEN DO IT!" She excitedly screeched.

"Hold tight!" He grabbed onto the strap of the wing fluttering in the breeze. Meimei immediately caught onto his plan and tensed, grabbing the strap alongside of him. "JUMP!"

They pushed off the metal wing at the same time. Izuku flipped them both midair as Mei clung onto his back like a koala. They hurtled towards Kacchan and Todoroki and he didn't hesitate to plant both his feet onto their backs and haul the wing over his head together with Mei and slam it into the earth between them. 

BOOM!

Another explosion ripped through the course, much less intense than the previous, but nevertheless effective for their purposes. Kacchan and Todoroki were blown away by the blast, Kacchan screeching something lost to Izuku in the exhilaration pumping through his veins. He and Mei rocketed forward towards the finish line screaming in terror and glee. It switched to pure terror for Izuku at the last minute when he realized they didn't have any way to land without ended up as a smear across the track. 

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" 

"NOT TODAY, GREENIE!" Mei cackled. Her fingers flew across something on her arm before she swung it forward like she was brandishing a shield. 

Which wasn't that far off the mark. Darkness exploded out in front of him as they crashed. They bounced around a cramped space like ping pong balls, and belatedly Izuku realized that they were completely sealed within a spherical capsule before a crack was heard and light broke out. They were both sent flying out of the enclosure and tumbled painfully across the ground. Izuku groaned as his body throbbed from the impact. He shakily got up and locked eyes with Meimei, who sat straight up and was looking past him. He turned around.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Mic screamed as Izuku stared wide-eyed at the finish line five feet behind them. "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL, WE HAVE NOT ONE, BUT TWO FIRST PLACE WINNERS! AND THEY'RE NOT EVEN PART OF THE HERO COURSES! GIVE IT UP FOR MEI HATSUME FROM CLASS 1-F AND IZUKU MIDORIYA FROM 1-C!"

The crowd went ballistic. Half of the stadium was standing as they screamed and jumped from the shock of it all. Izuku collapsed onto the ground in a fit of giggles. 

"GREENIE!" 

Mei crashed into him in a hug and accidentally jammed her knee into his gut. He gagged and recoiled, but his pain did nothing to deter the sheer elation exploding out of him as he laughed and wrapped his arms around her. 

"We did it!" He yelled. "Meimei, we did it! I can't believe it!"

"Midoriya! Hatsume! That was a highly dangerous thing you both did! You could have burn severely injured by those blasts!" The stern and terrified face of Iida poked into his vision.

"Awww, lighten up Glasses!" Meimei crowed, hopping back onto her feet and jumping up and down like a rabbit. "We won! We won! I'm gonna get so much publicity for my babies!"

"Hatsume, I highly doubt this is the time to be concerned about your inventions -"

"Actually Meimei, what was that last one you used?" Izuku glanced over at the wreckage of thick material the lay in shards and jagged pieces behind them. The hard blue material was slowly melting into blue goop that steadily seeped into the ground. 

"A barrier capsule!" She happily provided. "The blue stuff comes from one of my client's quirks! It can create a hard, resin-like material that lasts for a minute before breaking and melting! This is it's first field test!"

Iida gasped, scandalized. "Hatsume! You mean to say you haven't tested it prior to this event?!"

"Of course I did, Glasses!" She flippantly explained. "This is just the first time we get to see it in action outside of the lab!"

The stern, blue-haired boy looked a second away from fainting. Another boy, tired with wild purple locks, stormed up to them with all the fury of a tempest and pinned Izuku under his furious violet gaze. 

Uh oh.

"You," Hitoshi seethed, jabbing a finger to Izuku. The smaller boy sheepishly grinned, though it wouldn't be seen with the mask on. Toshi planted both of his hands onto his shoulders and stared directly into his eyes. "Are a goddang nightmare to deal with."

The smaller boy nervously chuckled. "A-at least M-Mei and I got f-first place?"

Meimei screeched. They all jumped and looked at her, but she was looking away from them. She pointed at someone who just stumbled across the finish line. "OH MY KAMI, IS THAT BLASTY?!"

Izuku's head whipped towards where she was pointing. His jaw dropped. Iida's jaw dropped. Toshi let out a bark of laughter and ended up on the floor laughing.

Somehow, in some way, in the brief amount of time Izuku was focusing on his win with Meimei, Katsuki Bakugou came stumbling across the finish line in twentieth place seething. 

While covered in glitter, confetti, feathers, and bright pink paint with a sparkler on his head.

Laughter howled out of the speakers from the announcement booth before being swiftly cut off, no doubt by Aizawa-sensei. Iida shook his head in bewilderment. Other students that crossed the line had stopped to balk at Bakugou, and a blonde nearby whistled appreciatively. 

"Hey guys!" Ochako-chan dashed up to them before doubling over, resting her hands on her knees and panting. "Do you . . . know . . . what happened . . . to Bakugou . . . ?"

"Ain't that the question of the century," Kaeru piped up as he strode over to them, drenched heavily in sweat. 

Izuku saw his hands shimmer suspiciously before he pocketed them. The color-changing teen flashed him a a charming smile and a disarming shrug. 

Izuku narrowed his eyes even more. 

"Congratulations to the first forty-two contestants who passed the finish line!"  Yamada-sensei's voice boomed back over the speakers. "You'll all be moving on to the next round! As for the ones who didn't - that's alright! We've got games you can participate after the second round! Now onto our lovely host, Midnight!"

A crack in the air snapped Izuku's attention to the stage. Midnight-sensei stood there with her whip poised to strike in front of her, grinning wide and manic. "Our next event will be - " She dramatically paused as the light spun round and round. It steadily slowed until it came to a stop. Another crack as Midnight-sensei whipped the air and announced, "A cavalry battle! Teams of three or four will have one "rider" and the rest as horses! Your objective is to steal as many headbands as you can and rack up those points! Keep in mind that if the rider falls to the floor, you'll automatically be disqualified!"

Izuku tried not to wince. He felt sorry for whoever had to be the rider. 

"Each team will receive a headband with their total number of points calculated from the previous round. Starting from place 42nd with ten points, five points will be added to each rank rising up!" 

A small sinking feeling pooled in his stomach. Wait, did that mean -

Midnight-sensei's smirk grew positively wicked. "As for the first place winners, they will each receive FIVE MILLION POINTS!"

Izuku's stomach dropped. Everyone was staring at him with a predatory gleam and bloodlust rolling off of them in waves. Meimei was shrieking happily and shaking him, screaming something about more publicity for her babies.

He regrets ever waking up today.

Chapter Text

Alright, that's it. Sweetflower is officially Lovely's resident memelord. I legit CAN'T stop laughing after seeing all these memes. It's glorious. Absolute masterpieces, every single one of them. XD

Knife to Meet You, Kacchan! :)
Sharing is Caring! <3
Izuku and Mei Be Like:
Naruto Running to Ruin Bakugou
Gay Stealthmode Activated
Midnight's Canon Costume Where? :)

Also, MIDNIGHT'S COSTUME O8Y240VHY1H24UGYG19G313V PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pastelvsbez this is just. Yes. Izuku kissing and winking for the cam???? HECK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I Do Adore <3

~*~

Izuku was freaking out. Fifteen minutes on the clock to gather up two more people. Hatsume already declared they'd be partners, which made the target on them even bigger now that they're both on the same team, but hey.

It's not all that bad. Right? RIGHT?!

He immediately turned to Toshi, eyes shining and unhidden. He didn't even get the first word out before -

"No," He stoically said, and the other boy felt betrayal like no other. Not even the head ruffle he got seemed to make up for it. "You know my quirk works best when there's no one paying attention. And you and Mei stick out like sore thumbs, even without the ten million points."

Izuku felt his heart shatter. He internally screamed and ran around in blind panic, but outwardly he slumped over. "Okay," he mumbled, still dejected.

". . . Do you want a hug?" The taller teen awkwardly offered.

Izuku wasted no time latching himself onto Toshi. He snuggled into him for a few seconds, relishing the contact before pulling away. He hopped on the back of his feet and looked up at him resolutely. "No holding back, right?"

The smirk Toshi gave him was absolutely wicked. "I'm not going easy on you just because we're friends."

"Good luck Toshi!"

"You too, bush baby," He waved, stalking off to find his own team.

"Dekiru! MeiMei!"

Izuku turned around and lit up. "Ochako-chan!"

She smiled wide and bright as she tackled the two of them in a hug. She bounced back. "Do you guys need another member?"

He stared at her. He burst into tears and pulled her back into another hug, eliciting a squawk from Meimei as she shouted, "Greenie! Don't get my baby wet! There's circuitry in that mask!"

"I-I'm just - !" He scrubbed his face dry of the waterworks. "I'm just so happy you want to help us, Ochako-chan!"

She grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "What are friends for? Besides," Her grin turned malicious and she punched her open fist. "With everyone gunning for that ten million, that means it's gonna be even more of a challenge to win! I can't wait to punch everyone else into the sun!"

"Violent as ever, I see."

Izuku jolted a foot into the air and whipped around. A blonde haired guy stood there beside MeiMei, sneering at Ochako-chan. He frowned. Something about this guy reminded him a lot of Kacchan, and he didn't like the hostility directed to his friend.

His grin grew wider when he took in his fluffy hair, bright green eyes, and the freckles peaking over his face mask. "So you're the infamous Dekiru, huh?"

He narrowed his eyes. He shifted into a battle stance and simply said, "Who's asking?"

"Yeah! Who're you?" MeiMei leaned into him and asked, quickly diverting the attention away from him. He nearly cried and hugged her in relief. She shoved her face right up against his, zooming in and analyzing his face. His confident smirk faltered slightly at the sudden invasion of space, but it picked back up again when he placed more distance between them.

He flicked the fringe of his hair. "Ha! I'm Neito Monoma from Class 1-B. I'm here to join your team," he confidently declared.

He frowned even further. "Sorry, but it might be better if you -"

"Okay."

Izuku blinked incredulously at Ochako-chan. She was smiling at him with all the friendliness of an alligator. "I look forward to being teammates, Neito."

"And to you as well, Ochako," He sneered right back.

Izuku's head whipped between the two as the malicious aura multiplied and all his senses screamed, Danger! Danger! Run away!

"Alright contestants!" Mic-sensei's loud voice blasted across the stadium. "Time's up! I hope you found yourself good teammates, because you'll be stuck with them for this round! Now, get in formation! You have five minutes before we begin whether you're ready or not!"

Okay, well, looks like Monoma-san's part of their team now.

"What is everyone's quirks?" Izuku immediately blurted. "I have Adoration. Anyone I kiss on the lips will obey my commands, and I can manipulate how much attention I receive depending on how much of my face is shown. Uncovering my face draws the attention of everyone in the vicinity. Partially hiding it will only make me visible to people nearby, and hiding my face completely makes me invisible, but there are some exceptions. Tosh - Shinsou-kun, the purple-haired guy over there and Ka-Bakugou, the very angry blonde who did the student representative speech are the only people who can see me in invisible mode."

"I've got Zoom! I can zoom and see things from far away! Down to the most miniscule details!" MeiMei crowed.

"Zero Gravity, but it's gravity manipulation at this point," Ochako-chan solemnly explained. "I can make things float or sink so long as I touch them."

Monoma-san scoffed in amusement. "Well, now! My quirk is Copy. I can use the quirks of anyone I touch, but only for five minutes unfortunately."

Izuku stiffened. His eyes went wide, sparkles gleaming in his eyes as his fingers itched to write it down in his notebook. Quirks that utilizes other quirks are super rare and for one to be able to copy someone else's quirk?! Oh my Kami, can he copy mutant abilities? Or just transformation and emitter types? How does his body handle certain quirks that require certain builds or mutant-related features, like Sero's tape quirk? Would his elbows shift into something similar to Sero's and be able to dispense tape? What about the backlash? How many quirks can he store at once? Can he switch between any of them as much as he wants? Or can he only use a quirk five minutes at a time before using another one? This is so cool and seriously whereishisnotebookhehassomanyquestionstoaskMonoma-sanbecauseimaginewhathecoulddoonateamhe'dbethemostversatilememberever-!

"Greenie!"

Meimei's voice snapped him out of his mumble storm. He blushed.

"Quirk geek out later, plan now!" She yelled, waving her arms.

He coughed, trying to hide his blush. "R-right," He took a deep breath, eyes flickering and calculating every single ability and possibility that was open before them. He didn't even notice the way they all automatically deferred leadership to him, a GenEd student when two of them were in the Hero Course. Even the ever boisterous Monoma was patiently waiting for him to take charge, if not a little stunned that someone thought his quirk was something to be praised (and not looked down on because he was weak, weak, weak, for being dependent and leeching off of others). But it happened anyways. Because each of them has seen (or heard in Monoma's case) the insanity that Dekiru can bring.

Izuku's eyes shot up to the sky. Midnight-sensei's words played over and over again in his head in a loop. After all, if there's anyone who can make it out of the Cavalry Battle with Ten Million points on their heads, it would be the person who can do anything.

Dekiru.

~*~

Shouta observed the teams and their formations down below. There were a few interesting deviations to his predictions. The Tired Child wasn't part of The Problem Child's team and formed his own, which was intriguing given how protective he was over the kid that caught the rat's attention. The irritatingly loud Show-Off Child from Kan's class was with The Problem Child's team, which included the Bubbly Child from his class. It raised a few eyebrows from him, considering how the Show-Off Child made his sentiments to his class extremely clear. Then again, The Problem Child had a habit of attracting the strange ones, including Majima's very own Explosive Problem Child, so this wasn't all too surprising in the grand scheme of things.

He watched as the Show-Off Child climbed up his other teammates and became the rider. Also intriguing. Better accessibility for the Show-Off Child's quirk then.

"On your marks! Get set . . . !" Zashi's voice boomed over the speakers, pausing to raise the tension to near catatonic levels before striking it down. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Shouta could already see how this was going to play out even before it began. Like it was every year, every single team would go after the ten million point headband. Knowing it was The Problem Child's team, he reckon they would make it past the initial onslaught and hold onto that headband for six more minutes tops before they lost it. Or maybe they'll do the impossible, because The Problem Child will forever be THE Problem Child, and has a long record of breaking pas exceedingly impossible odds while being the center of absolutely insane situations. Shouta has long since concluded that The Problem Child defies all logic.

Which is to say he nearly spat out his drink thirty seconds into the match.

Zashi flipped his shiz as he choked on his water. "WHOAAAAA, WHAT AN UPSET! It hasn't even been a minute into the second round and team Todoroki swoops in to nab the ten million from Monoma's team faster than they can even blink! Will the new owners of the ten million be enough to defend their claim to first place?! Or will they have it snatched faster from them than team Monoma's?!"

Shouta kept a keen eye on the field. This was not in his predictions. Something was wrong. The Problem Child's team barely reacted when the match began and they had more than enough time to dodge Endeavor's Emotionless Child's team. In fact, it was almost like they wanted it to happen. And now he's watching as The Problem Child's team skirts around the edges, getting closer to the Flirty Child with the color-changing quirk's team. Show-Off Child reached a hand out to one of the members in the team and -

He blinks. He blinks again. He has to blink a third time and lean forward ever so slightly before scanning the field once more.

"Shou?" Zashi's concerned voice flitted from the side, mic turned off for privacy. "What's wrong?"

"The Problem Child's team just disappeared," He muttered, some of his disbelief seeping through his voice. "I-I can't see him or any of the other members anymore. It's like they're just. . . gone."

"What? But you're completely immune to his invisibility quirk!" His husband squawked. "And even then, you should still be able to see the other members! Did the Little Listener's quirk evolved while we weren't looking and didn't tell us?!"

His expression darkened. "Maybe. Be on guard in case this is a villain attack. It may seem irrational, but that kid is a magnet for trouble."

His phone buzzed on the console. Shouta leaned over the screen as the messages popped up, since his arms were still out of commission and he couldn't pick it up.

RatGod
Fret not, dear Aizawa-kun!
Our sensors indicate that team Monoma is still in the stadium and is actively participating in this event.
So there is no indication of a villain attack occurring at this venue.
I strongly suggest you pay close attention to the festivities.
You never know how these students may surprise you!
:)

The Underground Hero immediately backed away from the phone and blanched. "Zashi?"

"What did Nezu have to say?"

He turned to him. Seriously. Solemnly. With all the weight of the situation in his gaze.

"Things are about to go to shiz."

His husband blinked. ". . . Alrighty then," He coughed awkwardly, glancing worriedly between him and his phone. He turned back to what was happening below and turned on the mic.

"Team Todoroki send out another wave of ice to team Tokoyami, adding another wall to ice maze he's just created! But that doesn't stop team Tokoyami! Mezou Shouji is scaling that wall like a champ with Tsuyu Asui and Tokoyami in his arms on his back! Just look at that creative formation folks!"

Shouta mentally nodded. Frog Child's idea, most likely. Calm and level-headed as always. But he didn't expect to see this level of creativity from her.

His eyes roamed across the rest of the field. Chaos was erupting amongst the other teams. His eyes narrowed as they all flailed, shouting something indistinct. What the . . . ?

"Five minutes left, Listeners!" Zashi announced. "Things are about to get dicey for all the competitors that haven't - wait, what's going on with the scoreboard?!"

The normally tired hero's attention immediately snapped to the unnecessarily gigantic, over-the-top billboard fixated across the stadium. His eyes widened.

"What's happening?!" Zashi screeched into the mic. "T-Team Monoma is shot up the rankings and is now in fifth place! But I don't see them on the ground-"

Not even two seconds after that statement happened, Shouta's focus was immediately yanked down into the stadium. His eyes landed on The Problem Child's fully uncovered face, and even from the vast distance he could see the smile and wink he flashes for the camera. Then he reaches a hand up to his head and -

He disappears. The team disappears behind one of the melting ice pillars Emotionless Child made, and suddenly he doesn't know where they are again.

Zashi shook his head. "Whoa! Talk about an attention-grabber! Team Monoma appears only to disappear once again! No, wait - ! They're reappearing and disappearing from view! How are they doing that?!"

It was starting to give Shouta whiplash because he's trying to track their movements, because seriously what the hell is happening down there -

His attention is jerked yet again, but this time he was more successful at resisting it. Yet as the scene unfolded before his very eyes, only one thought flashed through his mind.

Problem. Child. He seethed as bewildered screams erupted in the stands and field.

~*~

"On your marks!"

Izuku tensed, keeping a tight hold on Monoma-san's left calf.

"Get set . . . !"

He took in the determined faces of his teammates. Monoma-san flashed him a cocky smirk and a wink. Ochako-chan looked ready for war. Meimei had a wide, manic grin on her face as she couldn't wait to test her baby she managed to remodify in the few minutes they had between rounds.

Mic-sensei's voice boomed over the speakers, like a gavel striking the base. "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Five different teams, all from 1-A, swarmed them at every angle. They rushed forward with their eyes on the prize - Monoma-san's head. They put up a token resistance. They wove past the attempts of the first two teams (invisible hands darting out to Monoma-san, only for him to duck an explosion from Kacchan) and the third come close.

Todoroki-san swiftly snagged the headband away from their team, and instantly all the focus redirected to them.

Mic-sensei was yelling something over the speakers, but Izuku drowned it out in the adrenaline. They had to enact the next phase of their plan. They pulled back and ran straight into Shikisou-kun's team, sticking out despite being one of the horses because of his hair and skin flashing through a myriad of colors, still blissfully unaware of their approach. His hair stopped at a deep green the moment he turned and squawked.

The other team tried to move away, the female rider raising her arms to her face in defense. Still, they couldn't do anything as Monoma-san brushed his fingers against the bare skin of the girl's forearm. They ducked behind an ice pillar. Izuku activated his full face mask just as Monoma-san touched his head and -

Blank. The other team was in chaos. To them and everyone else in the stands, it seemed like they just vanished. But for his team, they knew the truth.

The rider on the other team was Sainou Museigen, Class 1-D, a previous client of his and Kanja's current secretary. Her quirk was called Upgrade - it boosted the quirk of anyone she touches, two-finger contact, for a duration of ten minutes. It can't be applied again on the same person until five more minutes passed. He's worked with her quirk before and she tested it out on him. The result?

Instant invisibility for him and everyone else he's in immediate contact with. It's an amazing quirk that made her the perfect support candidate for heroes.

He glanced at Ochako-chan, then Meimei, and up to Monoma-san. They swiftly got to work. MeiMei tied them all together with a length of strap she pulled out of somewhere, accounting for slack. Monoma-san activated Upgrade on Ochako-chan before making her float, and together they used Zero Gravity to make everyone float. The broke formation and rearranged themselves. MeiMei, him, and Ochako-chan were huddled together, while Monoma-san had a longer length between himself and Izuku.

"Ready?" Ochako-chan grinned.

"Are you?" Monoma-san sneered.

Meimei grabbed the button from Monoma-san and screeched, "Enough waiting around! LET'S GO!!!!!!!"

"Wait you crazy idiot - !"

Too late.

Monoma-san's protests fell on deaf ears as MeiMei jammed her thumb down on the button. The jetback on the blonde's back fired up and they rocketed into the sky screaming in an unholy combination of terror and glee. Izuku caught Shikisou's gaze and he pointed up at them, shouting to the rest of his teammates who started screaming along with him.

"Stop! Stop!" Monoma-san screeched as they careened above the field. "You're going to make us crash!"

"Sorry, Monoma-san, but we've got limited time before Upgrade wears off!" Izuku apologized. "We can't afford to slow down! Look for headbands we can grab!"

"There!" Ochako-chan pointed. "The one headband that's floating in the air! That's Hagakure's team!"

"Hold on!" Izuku warned. He aimed his grappling hook down near the other team's path to the side and fired, the other end embedding itself into the tough bedrock. He flicked his wrist and they shot down as his gauntlet reeled them in. They kept themselves from screaming to give away their positions as they approached the floating headband, closer and closer -

Izuku reached a hand up to his ear and flicked a switch. The mask completely retracted, bare face on full display. He felt a million eyes on him and his first instinct was to curl up into a ball, but Ochako-chan's challenge echoed in his ears and Midnight-sensei's encouragement burned in his soul.

He flashed a flirtatious smirk and winked at the other team right as they stumbled.

MeiMei's hand reached out and snagged the headband as they passed by, too caught up in Izuku's quirk to pay any attention to anything else that was happening. Hagakure-san panicked and flailed from the way the boys beneath her wobbled. Ochako-chan and Izuku caught Monoma-san as he came down and threw him back into the air, activating the jetpack for a second time, and they launched back up into the sky without loosing any of their momentum. Anguished screams erupted behind them as the other team realized they had their headband stolen, and a breathless laugh escaped from Izuku's lips behind his face mask. They dove down and nabbed another team's points with the same tactic before bounding themselves off the ground, over and over. Like a falcon dipping into the water for its prey before taking off.

"There's almost five minutes left on the clock!" Ochako-chan warned. "How many points do we have?!"

"We're barely holding on to fifth place!" Monoma-san shouted back. "Phase Three?!"

"Phase Three!" Izuku ordered.

"Found him!"

They honed in on the direction MeiMei was pointing. Todoroki-san waved his hand and another glacier of ice raced out to another team, forcing a large, bulky student to jump off the glacier he was climbing in favor of survival. There was no time to waste. They had one shot of doing this. Monoma-san activated the jetpack and they spiraled away towards Todoroki-san's team, Izuku aiming towards the sheer face of the glacier past that to anchor their pass.

Someone below cried out. Suddenly shrieks of shock and confusion swept the entire stadium. Izuku gritted his teeth, knowing that Upgrade had worn off and so did the team's invisibility, but they didn't have time to count regrets. He flicked his wrist and they shot towards Todoroki-san's team like a bullet, the other team swiftly spotting them. His eyes met Todoroki-san's, viridian connecting with slate grey and icy blue as Izuku retracted his mask.

Monoma-san's hand darted out to the headbands around his neck. Todoroki-san saw the movement and jerked away, bringing his left arm up. A flicker of flames erupted out of his arm and Monoma-san had to yank his arm away before it could get burned, but Izuku wasn't about to give up.

Or more accurately, Mei wasn't about to give up.

She whipped out a claw contraption and fired it at Todoroki-san's neck with deadly precision the moment the flames came out. She nabbed a handful of them and ripped it away. They bounced off the glacier and blasted past Todoroki-san's shocked face, but they didn't have time to celebrate. His face morphed into cold fury as he flung his arm out. Monoma-san tried to dodge it but it was too late.

They yelled as the ice thoroughly encased them. Monoma-san tried to fire up the jet pack and break them free of the ice, but the invention only let out a sputter and died.

"OH, COME ON!" MeiMei furiously shrieked. "MY BABY!"

Izuku smelled the ozone before he felt the pain. He screamed as electricity raced up his spine, white hot and burning, and he could hear the other screams of his friends' right beside him. The pain went away and he slumped over. His vision was wavering. He could vaguely make out Todoroki-san and his team approaching. Iida-kun thundered forward up the ice with the black-haired girl, Yaoyorozu-san, holding tightly onto a seemingly-drunken blonde who flashed a thumbs up. They threw Todoroki-san up and he scaled the rest of the way up. Izuku's heart leapt to his throat as his hand reached out to MeiMei, knocked unconscious, the headbands fluttering freely in her claw sticking out of their frozen prison where they can be easily snatched.

He screwed his eyes shut. He gritted his teeth even as tears threatened to leak out. He held out to hope even when it started to burn out with every second that passed. They were too close now to just lose! Not after all those months spent training, the nights spent analyzing what events to expect, the days spent pushing himself to be stronger, to be better, just so he and Toshi can earn their seats in Class 1-A at the Sports Festival because they fought tooth and nail all their lives just to get to the starting line and they wouldn't let it be taken from them now.

Todoroki-san snatched the headbands from MeiMei.

Izuku's face fell. The roaring of the battle fell on deaf ears. This was it, it's over now, his one shot at becoming a hero through the Sports Festival dashed because he just wasn't good enough.

He squeezed his eyes shut. Sorry Toshi, he thought, fighting the tears threatening to spill. The scoreboard flashed in his mind's eye and he let himself hope. At least you'll be moving up in third place. 

"HEY! SECOND COMING OF ENDEAWHORE SAY WHAT?!"

Todoroki-san reeled back and blurted, "Wha-?"

He suddenly went limp. His teammates were screaming at him down below but Izuku couldn't hear any of that. His head whipped to the side where that antagonistic voice came from, the same voice that's been by his side since that very first day at UA, that voice that brought him out of his shell, befriended him, and protected him. The very first person outside of home he could trust.

A wide grin broke the darkness on his face. "TOSHI!"

Hitoshi Shinsou grinned up at him from his own team, his voice changer hanging around his neck, smug but beaming. He gave a two-fingered salute before refocusing on Todoroki-san and commanding, "PUT THE HEADBANDS BACK IN THE CLAW AND KEEP YOUR TEAM AWAY FROM THE GREEN-HAIRED KID'S!"

Todoroki-san's team yelped as twin columns of fire and ice rained down upon them. They scrambled away, shouting at him to stop, but Izuku knew from experience that it would be impossible for him to break out. An horn blared across the stadium as his heart soared.

"TIME'S UP!" Mic-sensei loudly boomed. "THE SECOND ROUND OF THE SPORTS TOURNAMENT IS NOW OVER! And as for the first place winners of the Cavalry Battle, they are . . . "

Izuku's heart throbbed in his chest. He looked at the scoreboard and the breath was knocked out of him.

Team Monoma - 10,000,690 pts

The stadium screamed. Izuku laughed, happy and breathless, the tears streaming down his cheeks in despair turning into joy. He caught Toshi's gaze, his lips quirked upwards in a half-smile that was as genuine as it could get. Todoroki-san shook his head as the control on him dropped. Izuku had no idea what happened next. He knew that he and his friends were being melted out of the ice by someone. He knows MeiMei got up disorientated at one point. He knows all his friends surrounded him, hugging him and congratulating him and team as laughter flowed past his lips like bubbles. He spotted a shock of purple hair making his way to the front of the crowd and he took off.

"TOSHI!" He screamed and tackled his best friend into a full-bodied hug. Toshi grunted and stumbled back a few steps before wrapping his arms around his waist. Izuku pulled back a little, beaming wide and ecstatic as he yelled, "We won! Toshi, we actually did it! We're both making it to the third round together!"

He huffed, lips still quirked in that amazing half smile. "Yeah. We better have with all we went through at Hell Bootcamp. You're an absolute slave driver, you know that?"

Izuku snorted, rolling his eyes. "Consider it payback for all those times you made me blush."

Toshi laughed. It was rich and hoarse and carefree in a way that was rare for the purple-haired boy. His violet eyes crinkled at the edges. His cheeks were flushed with exertion. His face was dripping with perspiration in the summer heat and the blinding sun beating down behind him illuminated his figure. A light breeze passed by, making the fly-away indigo hair on his head sway gently with the wind. His smile was small and genuine and so incredibly warm.

Izuku pulled him down and kissed him.

His lips were as soft and gentle as they always had been. Warm and comforting, like coming home. All that time spent kissing him to train and experiment with Adoration. Even that time they made out, scared and hesitant but drowning in each other's lips as the words passed by them unspoken. Hitoshi was safe. Safer than Izuku has ever felt.

And that's when he realized what he was doing and his brain screeched to a halt. He jumped away and squeaked, slapping his hands over his mouth as Hitoshi stood there, frozen and wide eyes, white pupils flooded with pink.

"OH MY KAMI!" Izuku flubbed. He floundered to come up with an explanation. "Toshi! I am so sorry! I didn't - I just - I kinda got caught up in the moment and you know - ?!"

Toshi made a sound that was vaguely reminiscent of a whimper, and it struck Izuku like lightning. He was by his side in an instant, taking in his frozen state. "Uh, right. U-um, close your eyes and don't peak until you break out of my quirk!"

He made another strangled sound, probably an agreement, and did exactly just that. Ten seconds passed before Hitoshi's hand slid down his face. His cheeks were flushed pink even though he tried to look as stoic as possible. "You kissed me," He bluntly said.

Izuku nervously chuckled and looked away, playing with his fingers. "Uh, right. Y-yeah, s-sorry about that. Um, w-we're still friends, r-r-right?"

He nodded slowly. "Friends," He simply agreed, taking a deep breath before looking straight at him. "Catch me."

His head snapped up and he blurted out, "What?"

Toshi's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell backward, but not before Izuku yelped and rushed forward to catch him before he hit the ground. He swiftly threw his friend around his shoulders and bolted past the crowd to Recovery Girl's tent, blatantly refusing to listen to all the catcalling and wolf whistling behind his back.

Toshi was so going to kill him for this.

Chapter Text

SOMEONE DREW SHIKISOU AND KANJA!!!!! Thank you Kedy for these lovely works!!! XD (pun intended) 

Kaeru Shikisou

Kumo Kanja

And also, also, also, triskit2!!! DREW HITOSHI "I'M NOT HERE TO MAKE FRIENDS" SHINSOU AND IZUKU "WALKING BALL OF ANXIETY WITH A KISSING QUIRK" MIDORIYA!!!! 

"I'm not here to make -" *Enter Midoriya

Sweetflower I just. . . holy shiz. Holy shiznit. I am DYING of laughter from these memes and this amazing art based off of the last chapter. It's just 10/10, HECK YEAH!!!!!!! 

And They Were Good Friends

When He Helps Your Team Win First Place
*Turns Back Around Five Seconds Later*
You MISSED!
The Fear is Real
Here's Your Diploma
Shinsou's Pining Butt: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The BETRAYAL
The Real Plan All Along!!!

Hitoshi was dead. Deader than dead. He was so dead, in fact, that he had been revived as a zombie and haunted UA as their very own animated corpse.

He wanted to scream in to the void. So. freaking. badly.

The moment after the Cavalry Battle played over and over in his head like a goddang broken record. He can see it clearly in his mind's eye, the moment Izuku realized that he and his team won first place. So many people had come up to congratulate him, riding on the high of the sheer insanity of the team that dive bombed teams for points.

And yet despite being swallowed by a sea of people, Izuku spotted him the moment he breached the throng of sweaty kids. His face lit up, mask fully retracted without even realizing it, and suddenly, Hitoshi had his arms full of an overly-excited babbling bunny with eyes like emeralds and a smile wider than he's ever seen. He couldn't help it. He laughed when Izuku sassed him right back. The endless nights spent curled up around Izuku after nightmares he won't remember in the morning, and days where he and his friends built up the confidence of someone the world put down but never gave up - it was amazing.

Kami, he was amazing.

Which was exactly why he didn't expect a hand to grab the front of his shirt, yank him down, and have Izuku kiss him.

He brain immediately shut down after that. He couldn't tell if it was from shock or Izuku's quirk kicking in. All he knows is that by the time he snapped out of it, Izuku was standing there absolutely mortified and spouting an endless stream of apologies. And then Hitoshi just had to repeat the obvious like the idiot he is.

Friends. It was a kiss shared between friends. Because one of them just won first place by the skin of his teeth and wasn't thinking straight.

And no, that was not a pun on their sexualities.

This whole thing is just. . . a lot. Not just the kiss, but Hitoshi also using his quirk on that ice kid to help Izuku out. He could see the fire in Izuku's eyes as he struggled against the glacier trapping him. He could see the moment that fire died when the Endeavor kid easily took the headbands from Hatsume. He could remember his own panic from seeing the light from his friend fade, because that should never ever freaking happen because he was Izuku goddang Midoriya. The boy who smiled when the odds were against him and blazed through every single freaking obstacle through sheer determination - yeah. So, Hitoshi may have used his quirk in a highly attention-grabbing situation, and he may have completely ruined all his chances of making it through the third round because now everyone knows how what his quirk is, but the terrifying thing was that he would do it all over again. His only regret would have been that he didn't get there sooner to wipe that crushed look off his friend's face.

And that knowledge absolutely floored him. Being a hero meant everything to him growing up. He wanted to save people, and when classmates, teachers, foster parents, even freaking strangers on the streets that heard about his quirk told him he'd become a villain - he didn't give up. He'd become a hero out of spite. It'd be the biggest screw you to everyone who thought he couldn't do it, because he was a spiteful little shiz fueled by anger and frustration, and that translated into a scary amount of determination.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have interfered. Izuku knew the ins and outs of his quirk. He couldn't beat him in a fight, much less Quirkless combat, which Izuku excelled in. Uraraka was on his team and was just as terrifying in a fight as he was. If he had just let it go, he would have taken out two of his biggest threats and continued to the third round with the element of surprise on his side.

Except he didn't let it go. He just couldn't. It was a repeat of their first day at UA all over again, when Izuku was just some nervous wreck he mentally dubbed Bush Baby, and Hitoshi was some aloof guy who couldn't stop himself from intervening when Mic skipped over his introduction. Of course, he didn't even realize just how much freaking trouble that one moment would cause him over the next few months, but goddangit, he wouldn't change a single thing.

And that terrified him. His junior high self would be staring at him like he'd gone insane. He pretty much destroyed any chance he had of getting into the Hero Course through the Sports Festival. His dream for as long as he could remember, and he intentionally jeopardized it without a second thought for the sake of Izuku. He wouldn't have batted an eye if it had been anyone else, even Ochako and Iida and Hatsume and Shikisou and Kanja because they didn't need to win like he and Izuku did, but the fact that it was Izuku he did it for was . . .

His mouth dried up. Even now, the thought of just not interfering made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't fathom why he would go so far for a person he had only known for a few months of his life. To the point he would throw away his lifelong goal to keep that light in his heart.

He looked down at the boy sleeping at his bedside. Izuku was on a chair, arms folded, head resting comfortably on top, and soft little breaths escaping his lips as his back rose and fell.

Hitoshi slowly reached a hand out. He hesitantly carded his fingers through those green curls like he would with a cat, and his friend leaned into the touch with a contented hum.

His heart throbbed. A little voice in the back of his head whispered that he knew exactly the reason why he was like this. Why he'd interfere over and over again for the boy that became his friend. Why he'd fight to keep a smile on Izuku Midoriya's face no matter what.

He closed his eyes and shoved it down. A bitter smile crossed his face as he took in the blissful one on Izuku's.

It's just a stupid crush. Not as small as he once thought, but it'll go away on it's own eventually.

Right?

~*~

Shouto didn't know what to make of the last two events.

Up until the moment at the minefield, he believed that the only real competition he had would be Bakugou. Temperamental to a point of sociopathic. Egotistical to the level where he believed no one could defeat him, and those that did were on the receiving end of his infamously explosive temper. Numerous challenges have been issued between the two of them since the school started. Attempts to beat him down, only for Shouto to come out on top at the end with his overpowering ice every time, even if it was by a marginal amount.

He was a lot like Endeavor. Between the fiery temper and equally fiery hate that spews out of his mouth. Only Endeavor was more restrained in how he shows his anger, often going for stoic anger rather than immediate fury.

Still. It didn't make beating Bakugou any less therapeutic for him. Especially the day after Endeavor dragged him off for more training.

So to say that he was shocked at the outcome of the first event was an understatement. His initial speculation was that he and Bakugou would be neck-in-neck until Shouto did something to bring him forward and he would barely win, but win nevertheless. It was guaranteed at that point. It was the same song and dance they had played, so it wouldn't be a surprise if the results were the same.

Except he didn't expect for two people to show up out of seemingly nowhere, slam into his back, and then blow up the cluster of mines between him and Bakugou to distract them while they took first place. He thought he managed to get back at them in the Calvary Battle. It was easy to take the ten million points away from them and achieve first place while keeping everyone else away from him with his ice, but what he didn't expect was for that same green-haired and pink-haired kid to come flying out of nowhere, literally, again, and take the ten million points and a few others too.

And just when he thought he had finally beaten them when he had them encased in ice, a purple-haired kid with deep eyebags had called out to him and he just blanked.

Three times. Three times he had been defeated. Two of them were by the same duo, but it seemed like the purple one was the green one's lover if the kiss they shared implied anything.

Three other students had beaten him so soundly that there was no way to dispute the winnings. Two of them were from General Education. The other was in Support.

None of them were Heroes. And yet they still won against him. He was feeling a mix of things and he didn't know what to make of it. Not that he could particularly feel anything right now with Endeavor screaming at him.

"-outo! Shouto, are you listening?!"

He schooled his face to be impassive and as hard as his mother's ice. Even when a familiar chill not brought on by his mother's quirk seeped into his body. Endeavor was scowling, as per usual. The flames on his face flared, and Shouto felt a slight tinge that told him to run away and hide from this person.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" He spat. "You let two masked freaks from the General Education Department and a crazy girl from the Support Department surpass you! This wouldn't have happened if you stopped this childish tantrum and start using your fire! Put a stop to this nonsense already. You were created to defeat All Might! Do you not understand the duty that you hold?! I've spent so much time and effort training you that - "

Shouto tuned out pretty quickly after that. It was the same things, over and over again. Predictable. Expected. Endeavor yelling at him about needing to surpass All Might. About how he was Endeavor's masterpiece. It was the same, monotonous ritual repeated throughout his entire life. His only worth is to become the Number One Hero. All others are either weak civilians that needed saving, horrible villains that needed to be beat down, or other heroes that he needed to step on to reach that goal.

But those three kids . . . Supposedly, they were weak. They were civilians. They weren't even in the hero course. But he knows that the green-haired kid had defeated the villains at the USJ by himself with nary a scratch, a feat that his teacher was unable to accomplish and left him with severe injuries he's still recovering from. Now again, at the Sports Festival, where he and two others had so easily shot right past him and obtained victory.

He mulled over this realization as Endeavor continued spewing vitriol at him. Endeavor was wrong about a lot of things, Shouto quietly thought to himself. Like the fact that he needed his fire to succeed where he failed. Or that Touya, who bravely fought the towering man at every turn to protect his siblings, had died because he was too weak.

Maybe there is an opponent that would challenge him.

~*~

Katsuki was seething as he stormed down the halls. He blew off all those freaking extras that clung onto him, pestering him to eat lunch at their table. He could barely restrain the urge to blow up. The familiar heat gathered in his palms and he was a second away from exploding this entire competition out of the water.

Because everything in his life, that Quirkless little runt just had to go and mess everything up. Hell, the effing freak wasn't even Quirkless to begin with! How long has he had that kissing quirk?! How long has he been at UA?! Why the hell did he keep acting like a sniveling coward when he's supposed to be strong enough to defeat that chapped crusty nasty-razz flaky rotten yellowed-chomper bad breath-having motherfudger back at the USJ?!?! HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN SNEERING DOWN AT KATSUKI FOR ALL OF HIS EFFORTS WHEN THE STUPID FREAK GETS EVERYTHING HANDED TO HIM?!?!

He scowled.

He thought he got rid of the stupid idiot a year ago after the Sludge Villain. He stopped coming to classes, and Katsuki finally thought that villain had made that stupid nerd wake up from that stupid pipe dream he kept chasing. Then Aldera shut down a few weeks into the new school year and he transferred to another no-name junior high. Some of the other extras from that class had been there, and the last year of junior high wasn't any different from his second. Extras followed him. Teachers praised his quirk. All the weak pebbles with useless quirks cowered from him. He got into UA with high grades and a single-minded focus to obliterate the competition once he arrived. And finally, for once in his life, there would be no Deku trailing after him in his shadow with his creepy muttering and that stupid mask.

(He tried not to think how his heart twisted when he looked around and didn't see a head of green curls. He didn't want to listen to that strange feeling that echoed like a loss, because Katsuki Bakugou never loses.)

Then he got to UA and took his rightful place as first in the entrance exams. The moment he set foot into 1-A, all he saw were a bunch of no-names and some hobo teacher on his path to being Number One. Even better - no Deku in sight. Ha! Useless runt was so useless he couldn't even get into UA! Now there was no one left to look down on him and take his spot as Number One. 

But then that Icy Hot freak took first place in the Quirk Assessment tests. In the Battle Trials, he won against Round Cheeks and Glasses with minutes to spare, but Icy Hot froze the entire building and won in seconds. Every single thing after that was a constant battle against Scarface. In class and in battle - he'd always be one step ahead. It was frustrating. It was exhilarating. Finally he had some real competition and he'll enjoy wiping his face to the floor and claiming his spot at the top of the class.

And then the USJ happened, and Deku was so useless he managed to get himself captured by a bunch of small-fry villains.

(He stopped breathing when green curls emerged from the mist freak's portal with the villains. Deku wouldn't help the villains. He wouldn't, not when the nerd always said that he'd be a Hero, and he breathed a sigh of relief on that boat when he realized he wasn't working with them)

The Quirkless freak had followed him all the way to UA. Of freaking course. The nerd was a parasite since they were in diapers, never staying far enough away from Katsuki's side. He wanted to shake the nerd down and demand answers from him, but the medics rolled him away after he fainted like the coward he is.

(He was terrified when he saw Deku kissing the hand villain, that Deku had really joined the villain side and Katsuki pushed him too far that day when the Slime Villain attacked him and he was drowning drowning drowning the heroes were doing nothing to save him - )

And when they got back to school, Deku was everywhere. In the hallways with that purple freak, hanging out with Glasses and Round Face at lunch, running around like a headless chicken talking to extras in different departments or whatever. He wanted to march over and confront him about what happened at the USJ.

So why did his feet refuse to move whenever he saw him? Why did his screams dry up in his throat when he heard his laugh? Why did he start sweating, his heart start pounding, his gut start churning whenever his terrified face flashed into his mind?

He gritted his teeth.

It doesn't matter. He has to focus on the competition and getting first place. What happened in the first two rounds made zero sense for him. One moment he's running through the mine field in the Obstacle Race, neck in neck with Half and Half, and then he turns around to screaming and sees Deku and some pink-haired chick about to crash into him before they blew up the mines around them. Then when he's about to get up and run, something slammed into his back and he fell down on a bunch of mines before bouncing around and getting blown up. And when he finally crosses the finish line, turns out he's in 20th place. Not first. Or second. Or even goddang third.

Twentieth.

And he was coated in goo and confetti from Kami knows where. He still hasn't managed to get some of that gunk out of his hair.

Then there was the Cavalry Battles. Stupid Hair, Soy Sauce Face, and Raccoon Eyes all pestered him into joining their team and he relented. He was hellbent on being the first to claim the ten million points from Deku before Half and Half got there first.

The horn blew, and almost instantly he got swarmed by a bunch of 1-B extras trying to nab his points. The whole entire time he had to keep dodging them because the moment he attacked, another one of them would be able to take his headband. It was infuriating! And he landed in fourth place because of that!

His hands steamed and fizzled as his quirk began to flare. It didn't matter what happened in the first two rounds. He made it into the third. He'll show Deku and the rest of those extras.

He'll beat them all and become Number One.

~*~

"So. . . got any other ideas?"

Kumo glanced up from their phone as Kaeru sat across them. Students in their gym uniforms chattered excitedly all around them, laughing and eating away at their tables as they recounted the events of this morning. Every now and then, some of their gazes would drift over to them. It wasn't the usual ones that were the result of their frightening appearance or their "villainous" quirk.

They were anticipatory. Ready to deploy at a moments notice.

They sighed. "Bakuvitch was admittedly a tougher opponent than I originally predicted. The glitter bomb, turning 1-B against him - he blew past all the obstacles I and the rest of the school had set up and managed to claw his way into the third round. It's annoying."

"Well, look at the bright side," Kaeru shrugged. He twirled a piece of broccoli around with his fork. "You made him look like a joke on national tv thanks to that glitter bomb, and I bet you he's seething because he got no where near first place in the first two rounds. I'd say the public humiliation he'll face tomorrow is worth it."

"Nevertheless, he's still a threat," They bit their bottom lip. "This is irksome. I shouldn't have underestimated him. I thought he'd be similar to that Monoma kid - all air and no punch."

"And now you know he's both," He pointed out. "But you know, without Monoma's help, we wouldn't even be here to begin with. It's thanks to him and 1-B's support that we could distract Bakuvitch and get Midori a leg up in the competition. Sure, having both Mei and Midori both win first place was pretty unexpected, but at least Monoma filled in that last spot they needed for their team. And Museigen was a pretty fun gal to work with, even if our team lost."

"Everyone on that team made it clear that they weren't planning on going to the third round," They huffed, lifting an eyebrow. "Did you hit on her too?"

He mocked gasp, placing a hand over his heart. "The nerve! Of course I did! She's cute!"

"Hands off my secretary, Kaeru, the girl's got enough anxiety to deal with as is."

"By your command, your Royalness," He bowed, gesturing grandly for emphasis.

The rolled their eyes. "This whole entire competition was messy to deal with. Oh well. We held up our end of the bargain with 1-B and managed to take out most of 1-A by the second round, even if about half made it into the third round. The little rabbit and his guardian should be more than enough to wipe out 1-A. If not, there's always Uraraka."

"Ooh, is this about me beating up all of my classmates in 1-A to help Dekiru-kun out?"

Kumo lazily turned their head as Uraraka approached, flanked by Iida and Hatsume. They nodded. "Yup. You're our insurance, granted you don't face off against the Little Bunny. Congratulations on passing the last event, you three. I should've sold popcorn to the stands with the show you all put on."

"Yo," Kaeru gently placed his hands down on the table and stood up, bouncing on his two feet, eyes and hair flashing through a myriad of colors in his excitement. "Can we just like, talk about what happened between our two pining idiots?!"

Uraraka squealed, placing her hands on her cheeks with a wide smile. "YES! The tension! The flair! The buildup! It was so romantic! Like it came straight out of a manga!"

"Wait, what happened?" Hatsume blinked, spoon halfway up to her mouth. "I was out for most of it!"

"Ahem," Iida cleared his throat, cheeks red even though he was trying to look professional. "I recall Todoroki-san trapping you all in his ice. He was able to take the headbands you stole, Hatsume-san, when Shinsou-san did something and he . . . stopped? And obeyed him? He gave the headbands back to you and fought us off afterwards. I didn't understand what his quirk was exactly."

"No, not that!" Uraraka shook his shoulder. "Shinsou-kun totally swooped in to save the day like a knight in shining armor! You should have seen the look on Dekiru-kun's face when he did that! And then when Todoroki-san melted us out of the ice, Dekiru-kun practically flew into Shinsou-kun's arms and he kissed him! No quirk training involved! They totally have to be dating now!"

Hatsume blinked. "I thought they were dating already?"

Kaeru let out a choked laugh. Kumo sighed and rubbed their temples. Uraraka offered a pained smile as she looked at her. Iida, the only one who didn't see a problem with that question, merely nodded solemnly in response. "We have all made the mistake of believing that before they confirmed that they are not a couple."

"Yet," Kaeru waved a finger. "Heavy emphasis on that 'yet'. I've got ten bucks that they'll get together before our second year!"

"But they're oblivious to each other's feelings," Kumo pointed out.

He turned and looked at them straight in their eyes. "Not if I can help it. I'mma be the ultimate wingman, because like hell I'm putting up with their pining and Shinsou's late-night gay panics! I get enough of that with my sister around."

"I thought you liked both of them though?" Mei frowned in confusion. 

"I'm going for the poly route!" He winked, and she gave a thumbs up right back. 

"Wait," Uraraka frowned. "How'd you know Shinsou-kun is a disaster gay?"

"Gaydar," All three non-Hero students chimed together, not even batting an eye at their synchronicity.

"Look me in the eye, my fellow bi," Kaeru intensely stared at Uraraka. "And tell me you can't sense it too."

She paused, the gears turning in her mind. "I can totally see it now. Especially after he fainted when Midori-kun kissed him."

"I'm confused," Iida hesitantly chimed. "What exactly is this 'disaster gay' that you speak of?"

Kaeru lit up like a Christmas tree and Kumo silently shook their head. The poor man has no idea of what he's just unleashed. 

~*~

Nezu hummed as he spectated the First Year Sports Festival from a hidden room in the stadium. This year was proving to be quite intriguing indeed. Izuku Midoriya revealed to be quite the conundrum, but he already anticipated as such. The boy was a viable candidate for the position of his personal student, but he'd hesitated taking him on as such in light of his previous attempts. He'd rather not make the mistake of taking on a student only for them to withdraw again. It happened quite often in the past, as he was overeager to cultivate a mind that could match his own (or more exciting yet - a mind that could surpass his), and his indulgence led him to overlook the possibility that it wouldn't be possible.

It was laughable, truly. The most intelligent being in Japan believed to not have an ounce of empathy, did in fact experience loneliness. Perhaps it wasn't the same kind that humans experienced (the way humans felt the urge to draw distinct lines between what was "humanistic" and "beastial" was fascinating to observe), but nevertheless, they were emotions. Urges born of an evolutionary need to group together in order to increase the species' chance of survival.

And so, he would hold off on his offer in favor of watching Midoriya-kun instead. Analyzing him. Testing to see if he would finally be the student he was waiting for. The Sports Festival would be ample enough time to come to a conclusion, and if Midoriya-kun succeeded in placing in the top three, then it would be easy to slip private lessons to his new Hero Course schedule.

That said, Midoriya-kun has been nothing but delightful thus far. The kidnapping was an unfortunate surprise, but to turn it into an opportunity to gather information on the enemy was a surprising move. Equally surprising was the way he handled the situation at the USJ, though sloppy, but still well done for a student without any prior training.

Then there was the matter of Dekiru not even a week after. He had his eye on Kumo Kanja for a while now, and he must say that she had surprised him as well with this particular endeavor. Capitalizing on Izuku Midoriya's abilities as an analyzer to expand the snack business in the Business Course and establish connections in other departments. Of course, the major loss of funds to the Support Course without proper compensation was an issue he could easily resolve (he would be remiss to ignore the benefits it brought to the school and accomplishments of his students), but he wanted to see how they would handle it.

He calculated a 60% chance for it to happen, but to see Midoriya-kun stand in his office and argue to keep the system standing was a wonderful experience nevertheless. So much so that he couldn't help but genuinely grin. He anticipated that his anxious nature from a childhood of discrimination would stand in the way of displaying his true abilities, but the fact that he was able to stand tall for the sake of his friends. . .

Nezu watched as Midoriya-kun blew past the competition with his wits, teammates, and an entire school that he unknowingly rallied behind him.

Chapter Text

Congratulations to McFries!!! The second person to correctly guess all four exceptions to Izuku's invisibility!!! If you could put your email info in the comments section that'd be great (don't worry, I have to approve comments on this fic before they can be seen to public, so you don't have to worry about any info getting out). The rest of you have one last chapter before the big reveal, so good luck to you all!

"My quirk is called Quirk Inquiry," The woman smiled, a bit lopsided, but friendly nonetheless. Her aqua eyes sparkled enthusiastically even with the cold, fluorescent lighting of the cozy room they were in. Couch, table, blankets, bowl of mixed cookies and snacks - it was remarkably similar to Midnight-sensei's office. The only real difference was the basket of kid's books, the well-used plush toys on the shelves, and boxes of puzzles and single-player board games neatly stacked in a corner.

Quirk counseling. Dr. Toi Wakaru's Office, someone who Hound Dog recommended for help on the attention manipulation aspect of his quirk. His mother and Aizawa-sensei sat beside him on the couch, since they were the only adults who can consistently see him, and because he needed a Pro Hero escort with the League still at large.

Dr. Wakaru had butterfly clips in her hair and a colorful t-shirt under a cardigan. Paired with the blue antenna sticking up from her soft pink hair, she looked more like a kindergarten teacher than a doctor.

"What my quirk does is that it lets me understand the quirk of whoever I touch," She continued. "But it only works if I ask specific questions. I can't outright ask a quirk 'how do you work' or 'what are your downsides,' but it'll work if I ask 'how many bubbles can be emitted at once,' or 'how long can this hand stay transformed'? I'm limited to just five questions per person however, no more and no less."

"Oh. Um, well," Izuku fidgeted, glasses tucked in his bag. His mother grasped his wrist and he looked up. She offered a small smile and an encouraging nod, and he took in a deep breath before turning back to Dr. Wakaru. "We just need the one question."

She nodded. "Alrighty then. May I?"

She held her hand out, palm up. Izuku wasted no time and slipped his hand into hers.

"What do you want to know?" She kindly asked.

His mouth felt dry. Izuku took in another deep breath, slightly shaking. He looked her in the eye and resolutely said, "I want to know how people can see me even with my face fully covered."

~*~

If people thought the Cavalry Battles were insane, then the Single Matches were an entirely different kind of behemoth.

That isn't to say that there weren't any . . . tame matches. Eijirou's and Tetsutetsu's brawl certainly was, meeting each other blow for blow and block for block. It was like watching two boulders fight. Equal parts amusement and equal parts boredom from spectating two unmovable walls grapple each other out of the ring. The audience could only stare in disbelief when they knocked each other out and Midnight called a tie. Seriously, what even was that match?

The next one was more exciting. Ashido zipped around Yaoyorozu, gliding on her acid like a champion roller skater. She whooped and sent stream after stream of grey liquid that melted all of the other girl's creations. Her face was twisted in panic as Ashido placed her on the defensive. It wasn't long before the entire arena was covered in silver acid and Yaoyorozu had no where left to stand except for the small island of dry ground around her. She admirably held her ground even as Ashido raced towards her, but ultimately, Ashido knocked her out of bounds with a nasty kick on the back.

Shouto and Monoma's match was even more memorable.

Monoma grinned, snubbing his nose at his stoic-faced opponent. "Ha! I thought you'd be a tougher opponent because you're Endeavor's son - "

He only managed to get that far before Shouto iced him - and half the stadium - in a giant iceberg that left everyone speechless.

Not that Hanta faired any better against Katsuki. Monoma lasted about ten words before he was trapped in a block of ice.

Hanta lasted ten seconds.

Kendo and Ochako's brawl was absolutely vicious. This wasn't a school Sports Festival anymore. It was a gladiator match. Kendo's discipline and martial arts background made for devastatingly brutal punches and kicks. Ochako overwhelming presence dominated the battlefield like a war maiden with an equally frightening tenacity to boot. Watching these two fight was like watching an underground fighting ring. Blood flew. Bruises formed. Clothes damaged.

The crowd could only watch in stunned awe as two fifteen year old girls battled each other with everything they could throw. Suffice to say, they successfully cemented into everyone's minds that they should not cross these girls under any circumstances. Especially Ochako, holding her head up high and one fist victoriously in the air as the match was called.

It was awesome. Not to mention the absolutely terrifying image she made, with blood gushing down her nose and staining the teeth of her grin red.

Up until that point, all of the battles had been intense. Fists flying, quirks exploding, bruises forming - it was everything Japan had come to expect from UA's Sports Festival Tournament. Two kids brawling it out for a chance to achieve victory, relying on nothing more than their quirks and brute strength to succeed.

Which is precisely why they were completely blindsided by the next three matches.

~*~

His heartbeat drowned out the roaring of the crowd in the stadium all around him. Izuku strutted across the grass, chin up, shoulders back, oozing every ounce of confidence that he did not have. His eyes darted to the stadium where he knew 1-C was. His classmates were all cheering him on (kinda hard to be invisible after he was unintentionally outed as Dekiru to the whole school . . . not to mention what happened the past two rounds). Kaeru-kun was wildly waving his hands in the air and hollering something incomprehensible thanks to the rest of the stadium. Toshi was casually leaning against the railing, but the grin on his face may as well had him screaming and waving like Kaeru-kun was.

The false flame in his chest flared up and felt a little more real. The determined smile he sent back certainly felt more real.

He stopped walking at the edge of the field. He mentally took in his opponent. Blonde with a streak of black in a zigzag pattern, friendly and easy-going. The files from his team in the League flitted through his mind and combined with the information he received from the Cavalry Battles.

Denki Kaminari. A one-shot wonder. Opening move will be a powerful, indiscriminate blast of electricity likely able to blanket the entire field, making it impossible to dodge. Getting close before he uses his quirk is unlikely given the distance of the field, and Izuku needs to get in close because he doesn't have any long or mid-range capabilities he can use. The odds were stacked against him as a close combat fighter against an opponent he can't even get close to. One shock and it's all over for him.

Izuku took a deep breath and steeled his nerves.

You've got this.

"HEY!"

Kaminari-san waved enthusiastically, cupping one hand to his mouth to make his voice louder. "MIDORI-SOMETHING, RIGHT?! FROM THE USJ?! THANKS FOR HELPING OUT MAN, BUT NO HARD FEELINGS WHEN I WIN THIS ROUND!"

Izuku blinked. He'd be a liar if he said he wasn't jealous of his opponent's confidence.

"Contestants, are you ready?!"

The green-haired boy quickly got into position, sliding one hand to the side of his mask. Kaminari-san dug his heels in and was grinning wide.

"BEGIN!"

Kaminari-san thrusted his hands out and confidently declared, "INDISCRIMINATE SHOCK - !"

"WANNA GO ON A DATE WITH ME?!"

The blonde boy stumbled and his quirk fizzled out in a shower of sparks. He jerked back, staring at his opponent with wide and eyes and blurted, "Wha - ?!"

His jaw dropped. A dark flush spread all over his face. Denki had only seen the guy from a distance at the USJ so he couldn't get a close look at his face, but oh my Kami this guy was HOT. Dark green curls, tanned skin, plush peach lips, brilliant viridian eyes like gemstones, golden freckles across his cheeks and nose - wait, hold on how is he able to see that and when did he get so close - ?!

Something warm was on his lips. He was on his lips.

Wait, there's a really cute guy kissing him. Where's his brain again? Why does he feel so floaty? And - oh wow, this guy is really cute and poor bi heart can't handle that angelic face right up against his-

Izuku watched as his blonde opponent's dark pupils turn pink. Kaminari-san was still staring at him with his golden orbs blown wide and mouth parted slightly in shock, just as he did the moment Izuku unmasked his face and swiftly grappled himself over. He tilted his head and offered a small smile, making Kaminari-san's blush deepen even further. Izuku placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him down closer to his level so that he could line his lips up to his ear and whisper, "Sorry about this, but please walk out of bounds for me."

Izuku leaned back and winked. Kaminari-san took a step back, absolutely flustered as he looked away and answered, "Uh, y-yeah! Sure thing! Hey, uh, i-is the date thing still up for grabs?"

He offered a tentative smile. "Um, ask me again after the Festival?"

He beamed. A million-watt smile for the guy who can literally discharge a million watts. He snapped both of his fingers and offered him a pair of finger guns and a flirtatious wink. "You got it, babe! It's a date!"

His grin grew a little lopsided as he gave a two-fingered salute and dashed off, glancing back every once in a while before he finally managed to cross the border.

Midnight-sensei's hand shot up into the air and grandly declared, "IZUKU MIDORIYA WINS!"

The crowd was on their feet in seconds. The stadium vibrated with the force of their screaming. Shock and confusion spread amongst spectators like a wildfire, but only a select few knew what was happening.

Izuku glanced to the side where 1-C was seated. Kaeru-kun was jumping up and down screaming with the crowd as the rest of the class was thrown into chaos, while Toshi was off to the side with his lips ticked up to the side.

A tiny flutter of pride flitted around in his chest. He wasted no time dashing off the field and down the dark hallways and up to the stands, where he was immediately assaulted with Kaeru-kun screeching into his ear, "MIDORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Izuku yelped as the color-changing boy slammed into him from the side with a hug. He let himself be practically manhandled by his friend before he gasped, "Kaeru . . . can't . . . breathe . . . !"

Kaeru-kun yelped as someone hit the back of his head and he dropped Izuku. He rubbed the sore spot and pouted. "Yo! What was for?!"

Toshi coolly lifted an eyebrow in response. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh?" Kaeru-kun smirked and Izuku suddenly had flashbacks to Midnight-sensei flirting with a pillow. "Playing hard to get, babe?"

He scoffed and grimaced. "The only thing that's 'hard to get' is getting you away from me."

He squawked and slammed a hand over his heart. "I am offended you would say that! I'll have you know I'm a goddang delight to be around!"

Is it weird that their bickering feels oddly familiar and comforting?

Toshi snorted, and with a beat too late Izuku squeaked. He slapped his hands over his mouth as Toshi stared at him in amusement. "I'm more than happy to take this dunce on any day of the week."

"So we're going with the enemies to friends to lovers route?" Kaeru-kun grinned.

Toshi's smile dropped. 

He shoved the other teen off his seat.

~*~

Just like he expected, knowledge of Hitoshi's quirk spread like wildfire amongst the students. Everyone knew that he had a quirk that can control you. Fortunately enough, no one knew how. They knew Hitoshi yelled something out and Todoroki turned around and looked at him, but the bi-colored teen's response was drowned out by the chaos of the Cavalry Battle. Some say you have to lock eyes. Others say you needed to be within physical range. Some correctly guessed that you needed to respond, but it was relegated as one of many unknown possibilities.

Which is why he strutted into the ring with a terrifying grin worthy of Aizawa. An intimidation tactic he's seen countless times on Underground Heroes, a way to mask the unease he felt from the public information about his quirk being released while petrifying his opponent. They want to make him out as a villain? Then he'll make himself just as terrifying as one. He'll blow this competition out of the water and show those flashy quirks in the Hero Courses. He may no longer have his voice changer for the single match ups, but that's alright. Less hints that his quirk is voice-activated, not to mention that he couldn't rely on the element of surprise to utilize it properly on an open field like this anyways.

"Contestants! Are you ready?!"

Hitoshi tensed. Shiozaki held firm with her hands clasped to her chest.

"Begin!"

Shiozaki sent wave after wave of vines from her hair to him that burrowed into the arena where he once stood. She was taking this match seriously. She giving it her all, Plus Ultra style. She had an overwhelmingly strong quirk and it seemed like this match would be a one-sided slaughter fest for the kid with the mental quirk.

* So naturally, Hitoshi overthrew their expectations out of spite.

"IS GOD DEAD?!"

Shiozaki gasped. She kept her mouth screwed shut and forced herself to avoid her eyes from his smirking face.

"RELIGION IS A SCAM AND YOU'VE BEEN HAD!"

Her face turned red.

"HOW CAN MARY BE A VIRGIN WHEN SHE GAVE BIRTH TO JESUS?!"

Apparently, it didn't much to get a rise from her and she finally snapped. She whipped towards him with all of the fury of Mother Nature concentrated into two green orbs and screamed, "She is a virgin and the most pure mother of - !"

"TELL THAT TO ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY YOU PEOPLE SHOVED INTO CONVERSION THERAPY!"

"That is highly unethical and any branch that practices that is not a welcome member of the community - !"

To everyone else in the stands, their jaws were dropped as they watched the verbal smackdown. Mic muted the field mics for the sake of avoiding a lawsuit. They didn't know what to make of it. Kaeru was torn between laughing hysterically and smacking his face into the railing. "Holy shiz. This guy literally fears no god."

Izuku buried his head in his hands. "Oh my Kami . . . "

Kaeru anxiously chuckled. "That's our future boyfriend right there, Midori! Will fight god for a cute little angel with curly green hair."

He flushed bright red, memories of the Cavalry Battle flashing through his head. He sunk deeper into his chair and let out an embarrassed whine.

"Shiozaki has been knocked out of bounds! The winner of this match is Hitoshi Shinsou!"

The crowd went wild with cheers and jeers and outrage from his discriminatory comments. Hitoshi sighed and briskly jogged over to Shiozaki on the other side of the ring, still under his control to prevent her from walking away before he managed to say what he needed to say. He stopped right in front of her and dropped his quirk. She jolted, blinking a few times as her senses came back to her, and then rounded onto Hitoshi with a glare that rivaled Medusa's.

"You - !"

"I'm sorry," He quickly blurted out.

She jerked back, eyes wide in shock.

Hitoshi took a deep breath. He held the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean any of the things I said back there. It was all a load of crud. My quirk needs a response from the other person in order to work, and I had to use whatever was available to me to get you to talk. I'm not going to hold back just because you're religious. Still, it doesn't mean I shouldn't apologize for my actions afterwards. I hope you forgive me for my words back there."

"But . . . why tell me how your quirk works?" She shifted uneasily, staring at him warily. "I could tell the others not to speak when they fight you, and you'll have to battle Quirkless for the rest of the tournament. I heard from the others that you're aiming to be in the Hero Course. So why jeopardize yourself like this?"

Hitoshi stared at her seriously. "To show that I'm being sincere with my apology."

A spark flashed in her eyes. She sighed. "Alright, I accept you apology as your intentions have been made clear. God gives mercy to all those who seek it, and so I shall do the same."

He bowed low at the waist. "Thank you, Shiozaki-san."

She nodded. "The secret of your quirk is safe with me. I disapprove of your methods, however."

He snorted and placed one hand into his pocket. "Yeah, that's fair. Walk out together?"*

Well, the crowd was (somewhat) placated by both once-enemies walking off the arena side by side, chatting amicably like old friends and not the opponents they were not five minutes before.

~*~

Now here's a quick lesson on why more Heroes should properly appreciate their Support Departments. Case and point -

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Izuku watched with no small amount of horror as Iida was dragged around like a ragdoll by one of Hatsume's babies in the ring. The mad inventor herself was cackling in all her glory, standing in the same position since the start of the match and wildly fiddling with the controls on her remote.

"As you can see here, it doesn't matter if you have a speed quirk!" Mei's voice boomed over the hacked speakers to a slightly stunned crowd. "Because THESE babies will get you anywhere you need faster than Ingenium ever will!"

"HATSUME-SAN, I BESEECH YOU TO STOP THIS MADNESS!!!!!!!!!!"

Kaeru-kun was shaking his head in disbelief. "I am so glad I didn't get to the third round."

Toshi crookedly smiled. "Izuku, what are the odds that we'll be in the same ring as her?"

"W-well, actually-"

Izuku squeaked as his friends turned on him. He offered a tentative smile in response. "Sh-she said that i-if she ever g-g-got to the single matches, sh-she'd forfeit a-after showing off her i-inventions . . ."

"I wouldn't count on that."

Izuku jolted, whipping his head around to the spectator stands. Kanja-san languidly leaned over the railing, typing away at their phone without meeting the three sets of curious eyes in the seats below. They flashed a smug grin. "I spoke with little inventor girl before the match, and gave her some . . . advice. Specifically for dealing with the less savory companies after her babies."

Kaeru-kun blanched. "Kumo, what the hell did you do this time - ?"

Their attention was wretched away by Iida's scream growing louder. Their jaws dropped as the rockets on his torso blasted him up the stadium, shooting higher and higher into the air until he was a speck in the sky.

"And now, for my final trick - !" MeiMei grandly announced.

She hit a button on her controller.

Terrified screams erupted in the stadium as Iida slipped out of the rockets. He fell through the air with his arms flailing and fearful screams from his throat. Izuku shot up to his feet and got ready to jump over the rail and use his grappling hook to swing over to Iida and break his fall, Cementoss swiftly creating a slope for Iida to safely fall down -

A box flung itself into the middle of the arena right below Iida-kun. In the blink of an eye, a huge airbag sprung forth and blanketed almost the entire field with it's sheer size. Jaws dropped. The Hero student fell smack dab in the middle of the inflatable cushion before it snapped back and launched himself back into the air screaming. MeiMei brought out - oh my Kami, is that a bazooka?!

Holy shiz, what the freak MeiMei?!

She cackled as she took aim and fired. A net spiraled out of the weapon and swiftly ensnared Iida-kun before reeling him back in like a fish. Another airbag, albeit smaller, sprung up from the bazooka's nozzle just in time for Iida-kun to smack into it without any injuries to himself.

A huge blast ripped through the sky above the stadium. People screamed and ducked as the stands violently trembled underneath the force of the blast. 

Izuku, Toshi, and Kaeru hesitantly peeked back up over the backrests of the seat in front of them with wide-eyed fear.

Kaeru-kun watched in horror as the giant smoke cloud above the stadium began to dissipate. "Did. . . did the rockets Iida was using just. . . explode?!"

"Yup," Kanja-san remorselessly answered, not having looked up once from their phone.

"Don't worry about my baby imploding just now, folks!" MeiMei beamed at the cameras. "Any prototype of my baby such as this one is set to self-destruct if it gets more than twenty meters away from me! Good luck trying to steal THESE designs, because I made sure that the blast is strong enough to reduce my babies to ASHES! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!"

Iida-kun wailed, still thoroughly tied up in his net. Midnight-sensei exchanged a few words with him, looking absolutely wrecked from what just happened. She raised a hand. "Iida is unable to battle! The winner of this match is MEI HATSUME!"

The inventor girl cackled. She pumped her fists up in the air. "WHOOHOO! More screen time for my BABIES!"

In the distance where the teachers sat, Powerloader finally snapped.

"HATSUMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

~*~

Hell Bootcamp Survivors

Welcome to My Web
@Mother of All Inventions!!! @InsomniCat @Bush Baby @Gravity Gal @Sanic
Congratulations
You have all attained meme status
sent seven images
(hi_toshi!.png)
(itsabirditsaplanenoitsabunchofcrazykids.png)
(youwannagoonadatewithme?!.png)
(numberofgodsfeared-zero.png)
(lookssweetwillpunt.png)
(boiaintmadetofly.png)
(donotmesswiththesupport.png)

ColorMeChameleon
iida's FACE in that second to last one!!!!!
never seen a man so TERRIFIED in my life!!!!!!!!!!

Sanic
I had every right to be.
Truly, my life flashed before my eyes.
I am disappointed in my loss but nevertheless, I am happy that Hatsume-san will be moving up!
I will take this match as an opportunity to strive for greater heights!

ColorMeChameleon
literally
you went flying, my guy

Sanic
Please do not remind me!
I am still experiencing flashbacks!
Did I use that term correctly, Uraraka-chan?

Gravity Gal
heck yeah you did!
but wow!!!!!
i look AWESOME in that punt meme!!!!

ColorMeChameleon
my sweet summer child
you like freaking TERRIFYING in that photo
there is legit BLOOD on your TEETH
i am     S H O O K E T H
btw, where's the other three in this chat???
@ InsomniCat @Mother of All Inventions!!! @Bush Baby  where you at????

Welcome to My Web
Found them.
They went to buy drinks and are currently at the vending machine in the east hallway on the second floor.
Little bunny is freaking out and Shinsou is just staring at his phone.
Meichan is cackling on the floor and screaming, "GLORY TO SUPPORT!!!!"
They have yet to notice my presence.
I'm only four feet away from them in the middle of an empty corridor.
For two people aiming to be in the Hero Course, they certainly lack situational awareness.

Gravity Gal
oooh
speaking of memes
look what I found!!!!  ( ˙꒳˙ )
sent (twocuteboismakingoutonthequad.png)

Welcome to My Web
Midoriya just sputtered and is currently hacking up a lung.
Shinsou is turning bright red.
Oh look. They've finally acknowledged my presence.
sent (hitoshiangwy.png)

InsomniCat
run
:)

ColorMeChameleon
HAHAHAHAAAAA
RIP KUMO
THIS IS PAYBACK FOR THE MEI THING EARLIEiaueW83R89Rqkur971G4BQ
OQy29po4YC781yjfy71F4

Welcome to My Web
You were saying, Kaeru?

ColorMeChameleon
HOLY SHIZ
WHY THE FREAK DID HE NOT COME AFTER YOU FIRST?!?!?!
I AM HIDING IN THE BATHROOMS LEGIT SCARED FOR MY LIFE RN

Welcome to My Web
I have blackmail
And I'm also his main source of cat-themed mochi treats
Also, you may want to find a different hiding spot after you revealed your location in a groupchat Shinsou has access to.

ColorMeChameleon
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU09U214SRUKHwkjbriq091480H

~*~

"You're the General Education student who was at the USJ, correct?"

Izuku nearly jumped out of his own skin and flung himself into the wall. He swiftly places his hands on his chest and takes a step back, cheeks turning a bright red. He's still recovering from the picture of him kissing Toshi that Ochako-chan sent over the group chat, and all these sudden jump scares are not helping his frayed nerves in the slightest.

He glances up at a shock of hair half white and half red. The other party had heterochromatic eyes, a steely grey on the right and an icy blue on the left. Oddly enough, he seemed really familiar -

It clicked at the last second. "O-Oh! T-T-Todoroki-san! I-I-I didn't e-expect to see y-you here. Um, c-c-congratulations o-on winning y-your l-last m-m-match!"

The other boy coolly regarded him without an ounce of any other emotion marking his face.

It was. . . uncannily similar to how Toshi looked at the beginning of the year actually. . .

"D-do y-you need m-me for something, T-Todoroki-san?" He managed to stammer.

The taller boy stared at him for a few more hair-raising, stomach-churning moments before he finally broke the silence. "Follow me. I want to talk."

"O-okay?" Izuku tilted his head, lips tugging downward in a frown.

He trotted after him as the taller boy walked briskly down emptied hallways and further away from the crowds. Izuku casually held the side of his head to activate his full mask and disappear. He slipped a hand into his pocket where his phone and had a finger poised over the screen, ready to shoot an SOS of his location to the group chat.

He may be naïve, but he's not stupid. It's not like Kacchan. He's not going to let himself get beaten up by another bully. Not today.

Todoroki-san halted when they reached a dead end. The hallway was completely barren the other way, save for the lone vending machine and benches around it.

Izuku breached the topic first. "Wh-what do you want to t-talk about?"

"You . . . who are you?"

The green-haired boy blinked. Then he frowned and looked at the other person, wondering if he was just pulling his leg, but his face was as blank as ever. "U-um . . . Izuku Midoriya . . . ?"

His lips twitched down. "I don't understand."

"That's m-my name . . . ?" Izuku hesitantly clarified, because why would that need further clarification? No wait, maybe he somehow obtained a concussion in his previous fight and hasn't realized it? It's possible, considering those with concussions typically feel dizzy enough for regular thinking to be impaired so he might not have realized he should go to Recovery Girl and in that case Izuku should be the one to take him before he accidentally harms himself even further -

"I don't have a concussion."

Izuku squeaked and slammed both hands over his mouth. "S-s-sorry! I-I h-h-have a bad h-habit of r-r-rambling, I d-d-didn't m-mean to be r-rude or a-anything . . ."

"Why would it be considered rude?"

He winced and opened his mouth to explain, but took one look at Todoroki-san's blank expression and shook his head instead. "U-um, nevermind. Y-you wanted t-to talk about s-s-something?"

The dual-haired teen nodded, face still blank. "Right," He stared at the smaller boy critically for a second and Izuku had to hold back a shiver. "During your match . . . you flirted with your opponent."

Izuku's brain blanked. "Uh . . ."

"And you kissed him too."

His cheeks flooded with color and his voice became strained. "Um . . ."

"And during the USJ, you seduced the leader into kissing you to make the villains retreat."

Izuku buried his face into his hands. ""Please don't remind me!"

"So all of that is true?" Todoroki-san unrelentingly pressed.

Izuku prayed for the heavens to come strike him down where he stood. Since he's currently still standing, he internally sobs before rapidly nodding his head instead, wishing for the other boy to just accept his answer and leave.

The stoic student leaned away, seemingly satisfied with Izuku's compliance, and the green-haired boy sighed in relief. Thank Kami that was -

"Are you Midnight's secret love child?"

He sputtered and choked on his own spit. He stared at him in horror. "No! W-why would you - ? How would I - ? I look nothing like her?!"

Todoroki-san squinted. "But you act similarly. You flirt with your opponents and have a large amount of sex appeal - "

"SEX APPEAL?!" Izuku gripped his curls and was five seconds away from a conniption- 

"- and use a cord-like weapon in battle," Todoroki-san barreled on, nonplussed by the major panic attack he's inciting. He nodded to himself. "Yes. I understand now. Midnight uses a whip while you use a grappling hook. You must have trained extensively under her in the art of seduction in order to get close to the leader of the USJ attack. It explains your combat prowess as well. Did you have to go to the hospital after training sometimes as well?"

Aaaaaaaand there goes Izuku's brain. Taken a vacation to Hawaii to melt away. 

Izuku wheezed and fought his body's rising temperature. "T-Todoroki-san, I didn't even meet her until this year. Wh-what happened at the USJ wasn't the result of any training, it-it was just a fluke. I was panicking and did the only thing I could think of at the time. And why would I be sent to the hospital for training?"

Something shifted in his eyes. He looked vaguely more confused as he asked, "You haven't?"

Izuku's eye twitched. "Todoroki-san, if you had to be rushed to the hospital after working out even once, then I would be very concerned about your training regimen. I understand wanting to push your limits, but driving yourself to the point of collapse is downright lethal. Not to mention detrimental to your own progress."

Todoroki-san blinked. "It is?"

"Yes," Izuku resolutely answered, still wide-eyed in shock. "It most definitely is. I'm not a trained professional, so I don't know how to tweak your schedule without it being completely harmful to your health, but maybe you can ask Aizawa-sensei to recommend you to someone? I'm certain UA has the personnel for this sort of thing!"

"Oh," Izuku was taken aback by the way the other boy seemed to withdraw into himself. "I'm not certain my father would allow it."

". . . Why not?" The green-haired teen hesitantly asked. 

Todoroki-san's heterochromic eyes held his viridian ones for a few seconds. Izuku's stomach dropped. He didn't like where this was going. 

The other teen seemed to finally come to a decision and asked, "What do you know about quirk marriages?"

Chapter Text

YOOOOOOOOO, Bootboxbunny25 drew the scene where Izuku pushes up Hitoshi's shirt to inspect his muscles and it is amazing.

THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!!!!

The tendrils on Dr. Wakaru's head softly glowed. The pads of her fingers where they touched his hand lit up with the same gentle light. It faded. She opened her turquoise eyes and stared at him inquisitively. "Hmm . . . You have a very complex Quirk, Midoriya-kun. I can see why you're having trouble figuring out how people can see past the invisibility aspect of it."

He nodded. "Right, I, uh. . . Initially, I thought situation awareness was the key, but then I started thinking about it more, and it seemed like there were actually more exceptions to the rule."

She blinked. "Wow. You're perceptive! Most people would think that the cause is just one thing instead of considering multiple ones."

He blushed and ducked his head. Dr. Wakaru chuckled. "Now then. You're right about there being more than one exception to your invisibility. You have four."

Izuku hummed in contemplation. "Four . . . ?"

Her eyes glimmered with mischief. "What were your guesses?"

He blinked. "Well - "

~*~

Mei cackled as bomb after bomb shot out of her grenade launcher. Ashido yelped as she skated away on her acid right before a bomb landed at her feet. Light blue foam exploded out of the shell and completely engulfed her. She struggled, but the sticky substance clung to her limbs like glue, and spraying acid on them wasn't making them melt away either.

"What is this stuff?!" She screeched.

"Ashido! Are you able to move?"

Mina looked at Midnight with the biggest puppy dog eyes anyone has ever seen. She valiantly struggled one last time to free herself from Mei's sticky substance to no avail. She sighed and hung her head. "I can't . . ."

Midnight raised her hand. "The winner of this match is Mei Hatsume!"

Mina groaned. Aw man! And she couldn't even break out a dance move like the last match either!

~*~

Hitoshi bared his teeth in a grin as he barely dodged his opponent's fist. The sharp edge of his knuckle grazed against his cheek and warmth seeped down his face. He couldn't dodge the next blow to his gut and he grunted, grabbing his foe's wrist and pushing him away to catch his breath. He ducked underneath another punch from the other guy's hardened fist and dug his elbow into his opponent's thigh, eliciting a yelp as he backed away. Hitoshi took the opportunity to move away and breathe. The red head with spikier hair than Bakuvitch winced and favored his other leg.

Kami knows how many times Izuku used that move on him, He bitterly thought. A dark chuckle rumbled out of his throat. "Don't tell me Mr. Hero Course student is scared now. That wouldn't be very manly now, would it?"

The red head's mouth opened to respond. At the last minute something flashed across his face and clicked his jaw shut. Hitoshi nearly broke his composure with a scowl, but he managed to hide how unnerved he felt with the sneer still plastered on his face.

Well screw me, another person who's giving me the silent treatment. Whoop-dee-frigging-doo.

He wove past another punch and danced around his opponent. Fine, so he'll have to fight Quirkless this round. No pressure. No pressure at all.

He ducked another punch and moved out of the red head's range. He eyed in disdain as his fists hardened before his opponent yelled and charged back in again. The red head's brow was furrowed and his expression was contorted.

Frustration.

An idea struck him as he dodged once more. Ah, so maybe he doesn't have to fight this match completely Quirkless after all.

"You seem tired, Mr. Hero," Hitoshi faux empathized. He chuckled and rolled out of the way of a grab. "And I'm not even panting. Are you even trying to win this competition? Or maybe all you Hero Students are just that weak."

No response. The tension in his shoulders was more visible now, so it was a win in Hitoshi's books.

"I wouldn't be surprised. I bet you're all just like that Bakugou guy," He sneered. "How is a bully like him in the Hero Course? Just because he has a flashy quirk, he gets away with whatever the hell he wants, is that it? You know, I noticed he has impeccable control of his quirk. It's odd because you wouldn't think he'd be able to train it much with the law on quirk usage. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time people turned a blind eye to what people with heroic quirks did. I wonder how many kids he's abused for practice in school . . . ?"

His opponent took in a sharp breath. He glared and bared his teeth. "Bakugou would never - !"

Bingo.

Hitoshi snatched the cord and pulled it. Kirishima's eyes blanked and he stopped moving. The tired teen grinned and commanded, "Come at me with your fist reeled back like you're about to punch me, but keep running until you're out of the ring. Make sure you yell furiously at me for our adoring spectators."

The red head screamed out a war cry and charged forward like an angry bull. Hitoshi smoothly rolled out of the way and watched in satisfaction as his opponent kept thundering forward way after he had dodged. The stadium was up in arms from confusion. Mic was announcing something indiscernible over the speakers. Nevertheless, the bewilderment from the audience exploded the moment the red-head barreled over the border.

Midnight raised her hand up. "Kirishima has stepped out of bounds! The winner of this match is Hitoshi Shinsou!"

Hitoshi grinned. He dropped the chord and watched as his opponent whirled around, locking onto the boundary and then to the tired teen in bewilderment. Hitoshi sent back a smarmy smile and placed his hands back into his pockets. Sure, the end of that fight could've gone a lot more smoothly, but Hitoshi wasn't going to complain about a win. He couldn't manipulate that fight to be any more realistic to disguise his quirk and activation method. Too many complex instructions all at once would kill his brain and make his nose bleed again, which was never a fun experience during training.

Oh well. No matter. Another win down, and another step closer to beating the crud out of Bakuvitch.

~*~

Ochako took in deep breaths. She can do this. She can do this. She can do this! For herself. For Midori. For her parents!

A quiet knocking broke her out of her thoughts. She glanced up from the table as the door squeaked open.

"Yo!" Kaeru flashed a bright grin as he popped his head into the room, pushing it further open. Iida and Dekiru were there too, and they offered a nod and small wave as they all came in.

Kaeru dramatically threw himself into the chair opposite to hers and languished all over the table. "So tell me, my dear, what ails you today?"

She snorted at the ridiculous, posh accent he put on.

"Don't worry, Uraraka-chan!" Iida-kun waved his hands wildly in the air. "I have the utmost confidence that you will win against Bakugou!"

She winced. "Can I really though? I mean, I'm a lot stronger than I was back in the Battle Trials, but so is he, and I, well . . ."

"Ochako-chan."

She lifted her head from her lap. Dekiru-kun approached her, and even with the face mask on, she can clearly envision the gentle smile on his lips. His held up his notebook. "I grew up with Kacchan all my life, and I have notes on his quirk, his moves, the best way to counter his assault and win-"

Ochako closed her eyes. A desperate part of her whispered to take the information. It's a valuable edge she wouldn't otherwise have on her brutal opponent, and taking it would increase her chances of winning. She admired his strength and his drive to dominate every single opponent in his way, no matter how the odds are stacked against him. But more than that, she wanted him to look at her. Really look at her. The only one he ever looked at was Todoroki - everyone else was relegated to a no name 'extra.' Of course, that wasn't true in the slightest. She's seen Ashido skate loops around Momo on her acid, and Ojirou was no joke when it came to one-on-one sparring sessions during training in class. Still, she wasn't about to back down from a fight. She wanted Bakugou to acknowledge her as a proper rival than some bubbly little girl playing around in the background. She wanted to be seen as a threat.

She smiled as the fire in her soul returned in all it's blazing glory. She nodded to Dekiru-kun, mind clear on her next move. "Thank you, but I've got this."

A spark flashed in his emerald eyes. They widened. He nodded at her, putting his notebook away and saying, "Good luck."

She stood up, hearing the intercom calling her name. "Thanks," She automatically answered, resting her hand on the handle of the door. She paused. She looked back at her friends staring at her in wonder, and the burning in her chest grew. She ferally grinned and put her canines on full display. "But I won't need it to beat Bakugou."

She strutted out of the room with her head held high and determination singing a war ballad in her veins. Every step leading to the arena felt like it was shaking the Earth. She's only human and fully aware of her own mortality, but for Kami's sake, she felt invincible. Nothing was going to matter in the upcoming match. It's just her, Bakugou, and the roaring of the crowd far away from their intense focus.

Midnight stood firm in the dias as she regarded the two contenders. "Bakugou! Are you ready?"

He snarled and held his hands out. "Let's do this, teach!"

"Uraraka, are you?"

She grinned and got into position. "Born ready, sensei!"

Midnight nodded once, eyes flickering between the two one last time before slowly raising her hand. The entire world seemed to hold it's breath. Her hand cut down and she yelled, "BEGIN!"

Ochako wasted no time in darting forward, hands out, keeping low to the ground as she collected speed to hurtle towards Bakugou like a comet across the field. Just like she anticipated, his hands directed at her and ignited his blasts. Ochako smoothly rolled out of the way as heat and acrid smoke rolled right over her back before dissipating. She charged back in, again and again, fingers splayed as she tried to touch him. Each attempt was countered with an explosion that sent her back. She had him on the defensive and she wasn't going to let up the assault. The dust. The sweat. The searing of her skin. The roaring inferno that screamed loud and clear in that summer afternoon thrummed the energy trapped beneath her skin.

The dust was kicking up and starting to billow over their heads. Ochako tore off her jacket and threw it at Bakugou before rounding to the other side. Another blast. Another step closer. Bakugou's back was turned to her as she dashed forward, hand outstretched and -

Glinting garnets met ferocious tiger eyes. He turned around, palm out, ready to explode her back.

An explosion went off point blank in her face right as she smacked his knee.

The blast sent her tumbling back, the skin of her face burning from the aftermath of the flames licking it, but it didn't matter. She felt her quirk activate and send Bakugou shooting back from the force of his explosion. He was floating in the air halfway across the stadium where she can no longer reach and throw him out of bounds, but that was alright. She wouldn't falter here. She'll do what she's always done - she'll adapt.

And looking at the vicious grin Bakugou sported and the way his eyes glinted maniacally as he stared back at her, she can finally fight him. As equals.

With a roar, he blasted forward, swiftly adapting to zero gravity like he's done it all his life. Ochako dug her heels in spread her arms out, grinning, ready to take the attack head on and throw down.

Well. That was the plan at least.

"STOP PLAYING AROUND WITH HER YOU JERK!"

Bakugou blasted too early and slammed into the ground. Ochako whirled around to the audience with her jaw dropped open. More Pro Heroes were standing up, anger written all over their faces as the audience booed.

"Back off!"

"Yeah! What do you think you're doing to that poor girl?!"

"It's shameful to keep beating your opponent like that! Send her out of bounds already!"

" You're training to be a Hero, but these are the actions of a Villain!"

"She's just a girl! Lay off, kid!"

White hot rage flooded her system. Just a girl? JUST a GIRL?! 

She snapped. She stepped forward to the stands and hollered, "HEY! Can the people who just spoke look down here for a second?!"

Heads swiveled down to meet hers. Her eyes flickered to the side and noticed that the camera was broadcasting her face on the screens and picked up her audio.

She smiled as sweet as can be and stared straight into the lens of the camera. Some of the Pro Heroes donned satisfied smiles on their face.

She bared her canines and blithely said, "Screw off, you sexist creeps."

Jaws dropped. Eyes bulged. She relished the stunned silence that smacked into everyone that screamed just a moment before. "Lay off? Stop playing around? Go easy on her just because she's a girl?" Each and every single one of her words sliced into the stadium. "My opponent is giving me his all. He's not holding back because that's a testament to how much of a threat I am to him. He's giving it his all because he knows that anything less would be disrespectful to an opponent that's giving everything she's got against him. To demand him to take it easy on me is an insult to every single person in this competition that has pushed their limits and fought valiantly against their opponents. You've just besmirched the determination and effort of all the students that have participated and made it this far. You want this match to be more 'fair'?  The first rule of being a Hero is that nothing in life is fair. You think an earthquake is gonna wait until you've recovered from that stab wound you got in a villain fight? Or tell that little boy you failed to save his parents because of a bad quirk match up against a villain?! If you want life to be fair, then hang up your costumes and turn in your licenses because this isn't the right job for you."

Flinches. Paling faces. Scowls from being shamed by a fifteen year old girl.

"She's right."

Ochako jolted and looked up to the booth. The deadpan voice of her teacher reverberated throughout the stadium shocked into silence.

"Bakugou is a tough opponent that recognizes Uraraka as a threat. He knows that it's irrational to underestimate her. To the Pro Heroes who just spoke, you've blatantly disregarded decorum and rudely disrupted a match between two these two fighters and caused an unnecessary amount of trouble. Everything she just said is true. This is UA. They are here to go beyond their limits. Anything less will have failed them to prepare themselves for the real world of Heroes when they graduate. That said," Aizawa-sensei continued, sounding ten times more exasperated than before. "I don't know if this match can be continued."

Ochako blinked. Wha - ?

Midnight-sensei raised her hand and bellowed, "Uraraka has stepped out of bounds! The winner of this match is Bakugou!"

Her eyes immediately darted down at her shoes. She completely crossed the line a few feet back to get to the camera, which meant she inadvertently threw the match and made Bakugou win by default. Whoops.

"Are you KIDDING ME?!" Bakugou screamed. "This can't be it! I refuse to accept this as a win - !"

"Then fight me the next time we meet!" She yelled back. "Let's have a real battle in the gym, you and me, any day and any time you want. Without any interruptions this time."

She shot a glare to the stadium and they all cowered underneath her glower. She huffed and held her hand up high as Bakugou marched off the field, fuming. She tapped her fingers together and commanded, "Release!"

Concrete rubble shot down from the sky like missiles and blasted the arena below. Screams went up from the stands as a huge dust cloud kicked up in it's wake. Ochako momentarily sweat dropped when she realized that she accidentally increased the weight of the rubble in her leftover fury and completely razed the entire arena to oblivion.

"Whoops. . ." She cringed. "Sorry Cementoss-sensei."

She sighed and left the arena, all the fight draining out of her. Time to call her parents and apologize.

~*~

Hell Bootcamp Survivors

ColorMeChameleon
it's official
women are TERRIFYING
sent HeroTube link (Student Tells Off Pro Heroes for Dissing Her Opponent)
i'm not sure who i'm more terrified of
you or mei

Welcome to My Web
Would it be me if I was a girl? :)

ColorMeChameleon
NO!!!!!!!!

BAD KUMO BAD!!!!!!!!

ALL OF YOU ARE TERRIFYING!!!!!
THE ONLY ONE WHO IS SANE IN THIS CHAT IS IIDA
MY SOULMATE
MY BUDDY
MY PAL
YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE NORMAL HERE!!!!

Sanic
Normally, I would reprimand you for raising your voice against our elders, Uraraka
However, I believe there are justifiable reasons for doing so this time
I would be remiss of them to dismiss you simply because of your gender
I applaud you greatly for standing up for your ideals!

Gravity Gal
awwww
thanks iida!
i wish i won the match
i stepped out of the ring without realizing!!!!
that's so embarrassing!!!! o(>< )o

InsomniCat
nahhhh
it was beautiful
the expression of every single pro after you told them off will forever be engraved in my memory
especially after you brought the ring down on itself
amazing
i wish i had a picture to show you

Welcome to My Web
Fret not.
Here.
sent (arenadestroyer.png)

Gravity Gal
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
dont remind me!!!!!!
i didn't mean to destroy the field!!!!! o(>< )o

InsomniCat
but you did
and it was great
you've struck terror into the hearts of many pros and now the teachers will be quaking in their boots every time you pass by them in the hallways

Gravity Gal
SHINSOU!!!!!!

InsomniCat
me

Gravity Gal
keep talking and spam this chat with memes of you and dekiru kissing!!!!!! ヽ('⌒'メ)ノ

InsomniCat
bold of you to assume that's a punishment
i'll be here enjoying izuku's flustered face

ColorMeChameleon
you know, i can't help but notice that the only person in this group that you tease is midori
care to share, hitoshi?
(￢‿￢ )

InsomniCat
no

ColorMeChameleon
ooh didn't know you were the possessive type
my dashing knight in shining armor, daringly rushing in to fend off all those who have fallen for my charm and wit!

InsomniCat
you'd need a brain to admire in the first place

ColorMeChameleon
you didn't argue when i said you'd be my knight!!! (✧ω✧)

InsomniCat
i'm quitting the guard and joining the rebel assassination squad

ColorMeChameleon
GASP
you plan to kidnap me so that we can elope together away from our eternally fighting families!!!
how dastardly!!!! how cunning!!!!!!
of course i will be your husband my dear juliet!!!!!

InsomniCat
why the hell am i the girl in this

ColorMeChameleon
because we've just established women are BAMFs and there's two equally terrifying ones in this chat right now and I value my life thank you very much?????

Welcome to My Web
Good boy

ColorMeChameleon
i have CONCERNS

Sanic
I strongly suggest you all put your phones away!
Midoriya's match is about to begin!

Mother of All Inventions!!!
but you're on your phone too

Sanic

I am placing it away now for safekeeping!

ColorMeChameleon
LOLOLOL

~*~

Izuku was on a warpath the moment he stepped into the ring. The roaring of the crowds were a distant memory in his ears. The grandiose announcements from Mic-sensei in the booth fluttered over his head. He only focused on one thing.

Shouto Todoroki. Quirk: Half Cold, Half Hot. He only uses his ice and not his fire, but by Kami was Izuku going to help him if it's the last thing he does.

It's one thing for the number One Hero All Might to forgo taking Izuku to the hospital after a villain attack, much less leave him atop a very tall building after crushing his dreams. That was a mixture of neglect and carelessness, but at least it stemmed from good intentions. It was another matter altogether for the Number Two Hero, Endeavor, to commit domestic abuse against his family and most likely sexual violence against his wife. Not to mention all the lies Shouto was forcefully fed (Izuku doesn't think the dual-haired boy would like it if he referred to him by last name as if he were a possession of that monster). Masterpiece? Perfect quirk?! Izuku's spent his entire life studying quirks and the notion of there being a "perfect" quirk for Heroics is so laughable that you might as well tell him that All Might isn't a Quirkist sonuvawitch. 

Yes, he just cussed out his former idol and the Number One Hero. Sue him, he's livid.

But all of his scheming will have to wait until after the Festival. Right now, he's got a traumatized teenager with the most skewed perception of his quirk possible, and like hell he isn't going to break that mentality. 

It's all or nothing here.

"Shouto-kun!"

T-Shouto-kun started from being called his first name. Izuku held his gaze, unwavering, even with twenty feet between them and the stadium cheering their names. Izuku took a deep breath before cutting loose. "IF YOU WANT TO PROVE YOUR FATHER WRONG, THEN GIVE ME YOUR FULL POWER! IF YOU KEEP USING YOUR ICE, YOU'LL LOSE! THAT'S YOUR FIRE AND YOUR QUIRK! DON'T LET THAT MAN TAKE ANYTHING ELSE FROM YOU!"

He didn't know what kind of expression the dual-haired teen was making, nor could he tell if his words reached him. He could feel Midnight-sensei's puzzled gaze on him, but Izuku ignored it for now. He gritted his teeth. Only the battle can determine if he's willing to break his chains or not. 

"Are you ready, boys?"

They didn't say anything, but there wasn't any need to. The way they shifted their stances in preparation for the war ahead spoke in their silence. Electricity crackled through the air as they glared at each other down. One, tall and stoic, the countenance of a frozen tundra and ice that blazed anyone that dared to draw near. The other, tense and way, a jungle shining with life, growing and growing with ferocious tenacity no matter how many times others tried cutting it down.

Izuku brushed his fingers against the mechanism of his mask.

"BEGIN!"

Izuku flicked open his mask right as Shouto sent a giant glacier. His attention was immediately yanked to Izuku's face and he faltered, the ice slowing it's advance for just a brief second, but that single second was all he needed. He shot his grappling hook out and pulled himself to the side just as the glacier raced past the tips of his boots.

Shouto was a long-range fighter. That much was clear. Izuku needed to be close to levy his expertise in hand-to-hand combat, but any attempt to get nearer to him was rebuffed by a glacier of ice threatening to encase him whole. There was no way he can get hit by that attack. The moment he does is the moment he'll be stuck, frozen, unable to do do anything but watch as Midnight-sensei calls the match.

Yeah. No way he's going to let that happen. 

So for now, he's stuck dodging the onslaught of icy spires that threaten to impale him. It's a deadly dance of cat and mouse, one that Izuku's played a thousand times before with the bullies that haunt his childhood. The only difference between then and now is that Izuku knows how to fight back.

Then again, his bullies never tried to crush him with a gigantic iceberg on live tv, so . . . first time for everything?

Shouto shifts his foot and a torrent of ice comes racing forth. Izuku dodged each and every single assault somehow, whether by diving out of the way or using his grappling hook to yank himself away, all while masking and unmasking himself to scramble Shouto's attention and throw him off his game. Half the arena became a twisting maze of frozen pillars that jutted out from the ground in a cluster of spikes. Izuku took shelter behind one of the pillars to catch his breath, unable to see his opponent behind the icy monoliths. He kept a keen ear on Mic-sensei's live report on the battle.

"WHOA! Midoriya has disappeared once more in this frozen forest! Will Todoroki finally give chase? Or will he try to freeze this sneaky assassin once more?!"

Mind running a mile a minute, Izuku hastily decoded the state of the battle. Shouto hasn't moved from his spot since the beginning of the fight and was completely reliant on his quirk for combat. None of the structures he's conjured thus far weren't anything near as grand as the ones in Monoma's match, much less the Cavalry Battle. Quirks are like muscles - you can train your stamina as much as you can, but eventually, you'll start slowing down as your energy reserves begin to dwindle into nothing.

And it seemed like Shouto Todoroki is finally starting to tire.

Izuku took a deep breath. He ignored the twinge in his heart and the prickling of his eyes. A part of him screamed to step out of his hiding spot and shout at Shouto to stop letting that man keep control over him. 

He closed his eyes. His fingers brushed against the cold glass of his visor and the metal of his mouth guard, checking to see if his face would be fully obscured for the next phase of his plan. He cautiously lifted one foot and set it down on the ground with nary a sound. Dr. Wakaru's words rang in his ears as he finally unraveled the mystery behind his quirk.

"-if I . . . make a sound, I guess?" Izuku anxiously theorized. "I remember when I was seven and it was Halloween. I wore a mask, and the only time I would be noticed is if I spoke up. It was the same in classes too."

Dr. Wakaru. "Mmhm, that's right. What's your second guess?"

Izuku stealthily slunk across the frost-covered ground, taking careful steps to ensure he didn't make any noise.

"Some sort of familial bond, maybe," Izuku hazarded, wincing. "My mom's quirk, Pull, isn't a mental quirk, because it doesn't affect the mind or come from it. Yet she can still see me, which leads me to conclude that the invisibility aspect of Adoration doesn't affect family."

"Mmm, you're close," the antennae on her head waved as she bobbed her head to the side. "It's any kind of bond that features strong love from both ends. It can be familial, or romantic, or even the platonic kind shared between friends - so long as you both love each other deeply in some way, then the other party can see past the invisibility."

Izuku nodded, eyes shining. "That's so cool! Does this mean that people who were affected by my invisibility can become immune?"

She grinned, nodding her head with just as much excitement as him. "Exactly! You have to spend some time with them first and nurture that bond, but theoretically, it should work!"

" And for the third exception, I'm guessing it has to do with mental quirks?" He continued, waving a hand to gesticulate his point, neck-deep in analysis mode."Aizawa and Toshi were able to see me in our first meeting despite my face being fully covered, and Erasure and Brainwashing are both classified as mental quirks. Being able to meet Principal Nezu would help confirm this theory, since High Specs is a mental quirk, and I don't know anyone else with one aside from those three. . ."

Izuku pressed himself against a pillar. Shouto was only ten feet away and his eyes were warily darting all over the field. A hushed whisper blanketed the stands, wondering where in the world Izuku had disappeared to.

" - I can't figure out what's the last one, though," He frowned. He racked his brain and brought out his notebook, scouring every line penciled into paper about Adoration. "I know it has to do with the reason why Mic-sensei and Kaeru-kun saw through my invisibility, even though they were strangers at the time and don't have a mental quirk. Oh, and, Kacchan too, I guess. Mic-sensei can only see me when I'm in the classroom or at home, while Kaeru-kun saw me right after school resumed after the USJ Incident, but like Mic-sensei, he couldn't see me anywhere other than the classroom or if I'm with Toshi after that . . . but none of those two things seem connected."

Her eyes glittered. "Maybe consider the context surrounding those two things? You have set times you're in a classroom. And it seems that you're never far from 'Toshi', who I'm assuming is a very close friend."

Izuku shook his head up and down rapidly. Then it clicked and his mouth opened slightly as the realization hit him with the subtlety of a bullet train. "Oh."

She grinned.

"Oh," He repeated, a little more empathetically this time because, yeah, no wonder his quirk was such a nightmare to figure out. "They can't see through my invisibility if they don't know where I am."

Which is exactly the rule he has in play right now against Shouto. Yeah, his opponent and the stadium knows he's somewhere on the field, but the area is too vast to break through his invisibility. Mic-sensei knows where he sits in class. Kaeru-kun knew Izuku was somewhere in the classroom after it got out that the GenEd student at the USJ was in Class 1-C. They both know that he and Toshi always hang out together, so they can see him then, but any other instance makes Izuku invisible to them. Even when he's right in front of their faces, their gaze will pass right through him so long as he stays quiet. No exceptions.

So unless Shouto can somehow pinpoint his exact position at any given moment, he is completely blind to Izuku's presence. The labyrinth of ice Shouto created became the perfect cover for Izuku to "disappear" into. The ice he relied upon so heavily became his greatest foe in the end, just as he prophesized at the beginning of the battle. It gave Izuku a massive field advantage that wouldn't exist otherwise if Shouto-kun used his fire, and it would have came with the added bonus of keeping Izuku - someone only effective at close range - away to avoid being burnt. 

Yet none of that happened. Shouto-kun stubbornly stuck to using his ice, even as frost began to creep up his left arm. Izuku could see him trembling, the glassy sheen coating his eyes, and his lips slowly tinting blue. 

He pursed his lips. He pushed down the guilt threatening to boil over in his gut with a deep breath. I'm sorry about this, Shouto-kun.

Shouto Todoroki was slowly succumbing to hypothermia. He struggled to keep his mind on the battle, even when his brain felt numb to the cold. 

Which is exactly why he didn't see the momentary shadow blocking the sun above him. By the time he realized the sudden shade and made a move to get away, it was already too late.

A boot connected to his face and he blacked out. 

Chapter Text

Someone else drew Midnight's revamped costume and I am HYPED!!!!! Thank you to BeanMachine (Bigworm) for the amazing artwork. (Also, the difficulty of drawing that POSE-)

Midnight's Costume

". . . So . . ."

Shouto watched silently from his bed as the strange, green-haired student from General Studies twiddled his thumbs. The boy bit his lip and shifted anxiously in his chair. 

". . . How are you feeling . . . ?" He tremulously asked with an odd smile. 

Shouto blinked. "Why are you here?"

The boy rapidly waved his hands and stammered, "I-I was w-w-worried a-and wanted to ch-check up o-on you! Um, I-I-I k-k-kinda k-kicked you h-hard in the h-head f-from a little w-way's up, a-and y-you w-weren't getting b-b-back up so I p-panicked and -"

"You were. . . worried about me?" Shouto narrowed his eyes. "Why? I'm your opponent. You're the victor. Why would you show concern for someone you won against?"

He was staring at him with that strange look in his green eyes again. "Because I wanted to know if you were alright?"

"But why?" Shouto pressed. "You shouldn't."

The boy fixed a dead stare at him. "Just because I shouldn't, doesn't mean that I will."

"How does it benefit you?" Shouto frowned. "You have nothing to gain from doing this."

"Then doesn't that just prove that I'm doing this just because I can?" 

He fell silent. ". . . Has anyone told you that you are oddly persistent?"

The got a snort from the other boy. "All the time. I know, it's a problem. Toshi says I can't keep my nose out of other's problems."

The silence stretched out between them. Sometime in the midst of their conversation, the curtains surrounding his bed were ripped away and Recovery Girl immediately zeroed in on the green-haired boy. She waved her cane in the air and screeched, "Young man, your name has already been called for the next match! Hurry up and get out of my office before you're late!"

"Ah!" He scrambled up to his feet and hastily bowed. "Th-thank you, Recovery Girl! Get well soon!"

The dual-haired teen could only blink as the other boy dashed out of the room with impressive speed. Recovery Girl scoffed and shook her head, grumbling something about teenagers under her breath as she hobbled back to her desk. Shouto stared at his hands. Just because he should doesn't mean that he will . . . ?

His brow furrowed. It still didn't make any sense for him. He didn't understand why the boy would be so invested in his care, something he hadn't seen since his mother was ripped away from him. It just didn't make sense. Nothing about that boy fit in with what Shouto knew about people, especially those his age.

. . . So why exactly did that feel like a good thing?

\\~*~//

Izuku and Hitoshi stared at each other across the field. The summer sun blasted down on them as twin columns of fire spat out from the ends of the field. The roaring of the crowd was a distant memory in their ears. The only thing running in their minds at the moment was, Oh no.

It was bound to happen eventually. They were fortunate enough to make it to the semi-finals without having to face each other until now. They wouldn't be forced to fight the other and crush their dreams of advancing into the top three, therefore securing their position in the Hero Course. As it stands, it was good that they were facing off in the semi-finals versus before. At the loser would have a shot at obtaining third place if they won against the loser of Katsuki and Mei's battle. Which would probably be Mei. No offense to her, but there was no baby in existence that could win against the sheer power of Katsuki Bakugou. (Not in a school-sanctioned event anyway)

That said, Hitoshi already knew who would be fighting Mei after this, and it definitely wasn't going to be Izuku. He's not delusional. Izuku knows more about his quirk than he does at this point, and a few month's worth of training is nothing compared to the years Izuku spent conditioning himself. The only way he'd win this match is by divine intervention, and Hitoshi learned long ago that the heavens do not smile upon him. So yeah. They both know how this match is going to play out. 

He grinned smugly as Midnight began the match. 

It doesn't mean he can't give them a show. 

"Why the silence, babe?" Hitoshi goaded. "You sang so well for me with that sweet voice of yours last night -"

Izuku swiftly redirected a punch and silently screamed for him to shut up-

"- pining me down and using that obscene tongue of yours to make me beg your name -"

Izuku jerked to the side and left himself wide open for an attack in his embarrassment. Hitoshi took the opportunity like a cat with a canary and lunged, and he just barely managed to roll away from the attack. Izuku was going to wrangle his neck later when all this is over. He had flashbacks to Midnight's flirting tactics. He knows they can be applied in battle, but oh my Kami he never thought they'd be used against him. And worst of all, it's working. His concentration is scattered and he's finding it harder not to respond, and he's giving Toshi way too many openings that normally wouldn't happen in the first place if he could just focus but apparently Hitoshi was really determined to ensure that he turns into a blushing mess because he's a jerk that takes way too much pleasure in ruining his life and this was all on live tv ohmyKamiMomisgonnabeseeingthisandhe'llneverlivedowntheircombinedteasingaftertheSportsFestivalisoversomeonejustpleaseendhimrighthereandnow-

He narrowly caught Hitoshi's kick to his legs. Izuku yanked and Hitoshi fell forward right into his fist. He heard him gag and his flirting finally stopped, but that wasn't enough. Izuku quickly grabbed his shirt before he could recover and smashed their lips together before pulling away. He slammed Hitoshi face-first into the dirt, grabbed his arm, and stamped his foot squarely between his shoulders to keep him there, deftly ignoring the choking his not friend made.

"Stay," He hissed.

Hitoshi turned his head slightly to look up at him. His lips curled into a small smile as the pink pupils in his eyes glittered with mischief. "Step on me, baby."

Distantly, Izuku could hear the sound of his soul entering the afterlife. He glared at him. "I hate you."

"Love you too, babe."

"Shinsou, are you able to move?" Midnight-sensei called out.

Hitoshi wriggled underneath Izuku's hold, but he tugged his arm in response. The tired teen winced and pouted. Actually pouted.

"No, I can't."

Midnight-sensei raised her hand up in the air. "Shinsou is no longer able to move. The one who will be advancing to the finals is Izuku Midoriya!"

Cheers erupted around the stadium, but the noise did nothing to drown out the rapid pitter-patter of his heart. His cheeks were still stained red with mortification. Izuku begrudgingly got off of the other teen on the ground and stalked away because like hell he's sticking around here any longer than he has to. He is a guy with priorities. And his first priority is to find a cliff to hurl himself off of because he's never going to recover from this fight.

"Izuku!"

He groaned. He made the mistake of turning around and asking, "Wha-?"

Hitoshi kissed him. Izuku's brain short circuited. Hitoshi grinned as he pulled away, pupils still bright pink from Adoration.

"Consider this my apology for all that," He cheekily answered before pivoting around and walking away, whistling a merry tune all the while.

Izuku blinked slowly. He turned his head to Midnight-sensei, who had the biggest, smuggest grin on her face as tapped her mic. "And there you have it! A passionate kiss between our darling young couple! Ahh, the shamelessness of youth!"

Izuku drew in a deep, slow breath of air into his lungs. He let it out. He turned around and started his journey back to the stands where no doubt his friends would tease him about him and Toshi's non-existent romantic relationship.

He made it exactly five paces before eating dirt.

~*~

Hell Bootcamp Survivors

ColorMeChameleon
@InsomniCat  you sure you and  @Bush Baby  aren't banging????
cause im pretty sure it sounded like you were banging before present mic cut off the audio from the battle

Welcome to My Web
I'm more surprised that Iida has yet to come online and reprimand the both of you for your behavior.

Gravity Gal
oh he will
he's just too busy blue screening atm
tbh its kinda funny
sent (takemysoul.png)

Welcome to My Web
I appreciate how the rest of 1-A in the background fare no better than him.
There are at least five counts of quirk usage, a giant bird, a lot of sparkling, and many children running around screaming like headless chickens.
Iida, I understand.
But why the rest of the class?

Gravity Gal
they're all traumatized
IM traumatized
dekiru-kun is such a cinnamon roll, but now i have second thoughts after that match

ColorMeChameleon
and here i thought shinsou would be the top in this relationship

Mother of All Inventions!!!
nope!!!!!
he's a total bottom!!!!!!!! :D

InsomniCat
what can i say
i like a man who treats me right

Sanic
SHINSOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

InsomniCat
me

Sanic
THAT WAS HIGHLY INNAPPRORIATE BEHAVIOR FOR A SCHOOL SANCTIONED EVENT!!!!!!!!
AND ON NATIONAL TELEVISION NO LESS!!!!!!!!!!!!
THINK OF ALL THE FAMILIES THAT ARE WATCHING THIS EVENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

InsomniCat
how do you think families get made in the first place then?

ColorMeChameleon
holy shiz that cLApBAck

Sanic
FUTHERMORE
WE ARE ALL FIFTEEN YEARS OF AGE
WHY WOULD YOU AND MIDORIYA ENGAGE IN
IN
IN
IN

Gravity Gal
take your time sweetie

Sanic
YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!

InsomniCat
no, actually, i don't

Sanic
THE THING!!!!!!

InsomniCat
what thing?

Sanic
PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ME SAY IT SHINSOU-SAN!!!!!

InsomniCat
sorry iida, but idk what you're talking about
looks like you're going to have to say it

Sanic
S
S
SE
ENGAGING IN THE EXCHANGE OF REPRODUCTIVE FLUIDS FOR RECREATIONAL PURPOSES!!!!!!!!!!!

InsomniCat

Gravity Gal

Mother of All Inventions!!!

ColorMeChameleon

Welcome to My Web

Mother of All Inventions!!!
now that's an interesting way of saying sex

ColorMeChameleon
HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
IIDA
YOU BLESSED BOI
YOU AMAZING PERSON
AN ABSOLUTE KING AMONGST US PEASANTS
THIS IS MY NEW FAVORITE PHRASE
IT SOUNDS EVEN DIRTIER THAN THE ACTUAL WORD ITSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sanic
i
i didnt mean it like that
oh kami please forgive me

Mother of All Inventions!!!
glasses isn't even using proper grammar anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wow, we REALLY broke him

InsomniCat
i have zero regrets
i'm just claiming my revenge for what he did at the cavalry battle

Bush Baby
@InsomniCat  hide your eraserhead merch
because i am going to BURN them :)

InsomniCat
i still have zero regrets

Bush Baby
midnight-sensei is enacting wine aunt privileges to kidnap you for the weekend

InsomniCat
still no regrets

Gravity Gal
but midnight-sensei is awesome????

InsomniCat
wanna go with her then?

Gravity Gal
nahhhhh
i think i'll enjoy your suffering for now :D

InsomniCat
screw you

Gravity Gal
i don't think your boyfriend would appreciate you getting together with me

Bush Baby
WE AREN'T DATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mother of All Inventions!!!
so you're friends with benefits then?

Bush Baby
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ColorMeChameleon
so thats a yes then? owo

InsomniCat
i can neither confirm nor deny

Bush Baby
Hitoshi Shinsou

Mother of All Inventions!!!
oooh, full name action!!!!

InsomniCat
izuku midoriya
we already established that you're about as terrifying as a baby bunny and that nothing you can do or say can scare me

Bush Baby
i just received a text
my mom wants to talk to you about some CHOICE THINGS you said on tv

InsomniCat

Welcome to My Web
Good luck.

InsomniCat
hahahaha
i have one (1) regret now

\\~*~//

There's not a lot of things Katsuki regreted in life. Regretting means you screwed up somewhere, and screwing up means that the outcome was less than perfect. And if there's one thing Katsuki has ever done, it was that he worked for that perfection. He gives it his hundred and ten. He gets the results he wants every time. Tests? Aced. Body? Conditioned for battle. Quirk? Powerful and perfectly controlled. 

But if there ever was one thing he did have to regret, it was not beating down Deku hard enough.

Katsuki stepped out onto the field with his head held high and raring for a beatdown. UA was supposed to be the best of the best. Everyone that attended this school was supposed to be a challenge for him, but this whole entire competition has been nothing but bullshiz after bullshiz. He thought the third round would be different from the previous two, but eff no it wasn't. Soy Sauce Face barely put up a fight. At least that crazy inventor chick lasted longer with those stupid machines of hers last match. The only opponent that was worth fighting so far was Round Cheeks - and then she had the freaking gall to step out of the ring and throw the match!!!! How the HELL is he supposed to prove he's the best out of all these extras here if he can't even fight the actual competition????

He snarled.

It couldn't get any worse. But no. It did.

Deku, that Quirkless freak, the one who sniveled and sobbed if anyone so much as glared at him, the whiny little brat that said he'd always be a Hero despite never working for it, the pebble who should have just stayed at the bottom of the society where he belonged - was his opponent for the finals in the UA Sports Festival. It should've been the butt of a stupid joke. But there he is, twenty feet away, wearing that same, infuriatingly determined expression on his face.

"YOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! We've finally made it to the last round of the UA Sports Festival! LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE FOR OUR FINALISTS!!!!"

The crowd cheered. Katsuki clicked his tongue. Those cheers were meant for him and whatever strong extra that was supposed to be his opponent, not some lame weakling that's been pestering him his entire life.

"In one corner we have the explosive, bold, and feral blonde himself from 1-A, KATSUKI BAKUGOU!!!!!!!"

More cheers. More shouts. More cries.

"In the other corner we have the seducing assassin, the dark horse of this year's tourney from 1-C, IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!!!!"

Katsuki wanted to explode that freak show's face off. He could even hear the annoying cheers coming from all those extras in his class. 

"Contestants, are you ready?!" 

Katsuki shifted into position. His hands were out to his sides, slick with nitroglycerin-laced sweat. He's going to enjoy blasting that lying, sniveling, coward again.

"BEGIN!"

Blasts ripped through the stadium. Katsuki hurtled himself at Deku with all the force of a rocket. He reached one hand out to the pathetic nerd's chest and mercilessly let out a huge blast point blank. Smoke billowed up from his hand. 

The hairs on the nape of his neck rose and he swiftly ducked a kick. His eyes widened as Deku's leg harmlessly sailed through the space right over his head. He gritted his teeth and blasted him, forcing him away. He internally swore as he whipped his head around, noticing that the nerd was no where in sight. How is that even possible?! He was right there! 

Something appeared out of his periphery and he swiftly moved to counter. The blast sent the nerd back, the smoke obscured his vision. Once more, the nerd had disappeared from their fight. One more, he appeared out of no where nearby before Katsuki blasted him away. He growled as Deku stopped attacking, warily scanning the area for another attack. It was the fight with Round Cheeks all over again. Her putting him on the defensive, Katsuki could accept. She's got one hell of a spine under all that 'soft cutesy uwu' bullcrud, but Deku?! That weak, Quirkless, miserable runt that somehow managed to get to the finals on a fluke - he was actually trying to be a challenge to him?! Where the hell was all this while they were growing up?! Since when the hell can a Deku like him fight back?! 

Katsuki dodged another kick.

And since when the hell did Katsuki's senses yell at him that Deku was a threat?!

"Stop running away from me, you coward!" He screamed, punching Deku across his face. He felt the crunch of metal shards and plexiglass crack underneath his fist. Deku stumbled back, trying to get away.

Oh hell no. Katsuki charged towards him and let off a blast right in front of him, getting a familiar, sharp cry of pain he's heard for the past decade of his life. He switched it up to close combat once the smoke went away. He grinned when he realized that Deku didn't disappear this time. He was sprawled out on the floor with his head turned away and looking down, shaking, trembling, cowering like the same old coward that he is.

Katsuki barked a laugh. "That's it? Come on, nerd, can't you put up more of a fight? You think you're some big shot just because you managed to weasel your way into UA and flunk your way to the finals? Tch. And here I thought you'd finally grow a spine, but you're just the same Deku as you always were. Give up and accept that you're going to lose."

He went in for the final blow. Maybe, maybe this time he can drill it into that stupid skull of his that he was never meant for Heroics, and that he'll never be better than him even with that fake quirk of his. 

Except in that moment, it was like a switch was flipped. One moment Katsuki was raring up to fire another explosion. The next, a heavy pressure slammed into his chest and made him wheeze, all the air knocking of his lungs as he tried to breathe. 

A single, toxic viridian eye glared back at him. The other was covered by dark curls cascading over his face. Blood poured down his head and cheeks in crimson rivulets, contrasting with the bone-white pallor of his skin. The jaw of his mask lay in pieces on the ground. The visor lay shattered beside it too. Jagged glass and metal framed his face. His lips, stained vermillion with his own blood, parted open to rasp, "Kachaan . . . ?"

Katsuki did the first thing that came into his mind. He swung his fist forward and slammed it into his skull. 

~*~

Unfortunately, it seems that even Recovery Girl couldn't save Izuku from attending the awarding ceremony with a concussion. Albeit a minor one that felt more like a migraine than an actual concussion, but nevertheless, it was a witch and half to deal with considering all the flashing cameras. He just screwed his eyes shut and prayed that this got over quickly. 

"In third place, after the epic, decisive match between Mei Hatsume and Hitoshi Shinsou, we have. . . HITOSHI SHINSOU!"

Loud cheering broke out. The noise level sent a pang of pain right through Izuku's skull and he quietly groaned. A hand rested on his calf (most likely the only place Toshi could reach given the height distance between the podiums), and started gently but firmly rubbing circles into the back of his leg. Izuku took in deep breaths before slowly letting it out. The point of contact was grounding for him, even when he would prefer to just crawl into bed and sleep it all away. 

"Thanks," He murmured.

"Don't fall off now," Toshi's smooth baritone murmured right back, and Izuku could practically see the smirk that came with it. "Or people will accuse you of falling for me."

Izuku rolled his eyes behind closed lids. "Really, Toshi?"

"You're training to be the next Midnight, so you're one to talk."

"Would you two imbeciles just shut up?!"

Izuku stiffened as Kacchan hissed at the two of them. Toshi's ministrations stopped and he could feel the cold rage rolling off of him in waves.

 "Why don't you make me shut up, you explosive Pomeranian?"

"THAT'S IT, EYEBAGS - !"

"Boys!" 

Izuku squeaked and trembled. He still wasn't opening his eyes, but could certainly feel the weight of Midnight-sensei's glare at the three of them. 

"Behave!" She snapped. "Save the squabbling for when you're off the podium, because any minute now, you're going to be given the medals by All-"

"AHAHAHAHAAA!"

*

Izuku's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't breathe. His stomach swooped down and took a swan dive off a roof. Flashes of acrid burns on his shoulders, sludge forcing itself down into his throat, the sensation of drowning on dry land and hissing whispers of QuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessQuirklessgotakeaSWANDIVEOFFTHEROOFdEkU-

"I'm sorry young man, but without a quirk it's impossible to become a-"

A figure landed into the ground with all the impact force of a missile. Izuku automatically braced himself as the wind buffeted his clothes and threatened to tear him down from the pedestal he stood. His breath hitched.

Wide smile disappointed frown booming laugh bloody hacking bulging muscles skeletal limbs Symbol of Peace I'm on a time limit now 

"Here you are, young man! Congratulations on receiving second place!"

Izuku dimly registered that his idol the man was standing in front of him, delicately placing a heavy weight around his neck. He could feel his throat tighten. It like a noose had looped itself around his thin neck, waiting for the pedestal to be kicked out underneath him. All Might The Hero was saying something that Izuku couldn't hear through the static invading his mind. It was like he was underwater, drowning, just like back then underneath the overpass with the slime forced down his esophagus and it's tendrils touching everywhere -

*

"That last battle must have taken a bigger toll on you than I thought, young man!" The Hero nervously laughed. "You look like you've just seen a ghost!"

Izuku reflexively forced a smile on his face and plaintively answered, "I-I'm alright sir. Just a minor headache. It'll subside soon enough."

The Hero threw his head back and coughed laughed. "Well, you take care of yourself young man. Be proud of what you've accomplished today!"

"Y-yeah," He weakly agreed. "Today sure was. . . something . . . !" 

He couldn't hide the waver in his voice. He admonished himself in his head. Get it together Izuku, it's not like he remembers you. I mean, why would he recall a not-exactly-Quirkless kid that he saved from some run-of-the-mill villain who just so happened to figure out his biggest secret of all time and whose dreams he crushed on a very high rooftop where he was left stranded -

Izuku made the mistake of looking up. Tight blue eyes bored down at him, seeming to glow in the shadows of his face. His breath caught yet again and all the life seemed to drain out of him.

Oh, He numbly thought. He does remember.  

Chapter Text

MasterBlaster @Blam!Blam! • 3h

Thought 1-A would be the only ones worth watching at the Sports Festival, but holy shiznit was I wrong

356 retweets 5 quote retweets 1.2 likes

AloeHalo @madameplanter

That one tech girl???? Absolutely SLAUGHTERED the competition. I was SHOOK when the jet pack exploded and that other guy fell.

 

BeanieSupreme @sneakerlife

Stg, my heart stopped for a solid minute. Women scary

GravityGalStan @iLIKEshiny!!!

Don't forget my gal, the one that POPPED OFF against those "Heroes" for telling blasty boy to back off. She is a true Queen, an Icon, and we stan <3

#HangUpYourCostumes #LifeAin'tFairSoFIGHTFORIT #ScrewSexism #GravityGladiator #ArenaDestroyer

view 34 replies

Fangirl4LIFE @lovelylucygucci • 24 min

Can we just like, TALK about how CUTE those two boys were in the second round????? Greenie, trapped in the ice, points stolen and no way out, AND THEN THE PURPLE GUY SWOOPS IN AND SAVES HIM LIKE A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR!!!!  I am SWOONING.

278 retweets 3 quote retweets 821 likes

AlcheMimi @lovingthatchemistry

Someone get me a MANS who does that!!!! He deserves that kiss!!! XD

FNAFanboy @indiegameref

lol, the PURPLE guy

CoffeeNerd @roastedntoasted

I love how Mic just muted this dude for all of his 1v1's. It's hilarious. Like yo, what this dude say to get him muted so quick???

published on TheDailyMusutafu.com on May 15.

First Year's Go OFF at UA Sports Fest!!!

by Shinbun Kasouteki

Playing the Easter Bunny? Flying kids dive bombing their peers? Yelling at Pro Heroes to resign?

This year's Sports Festival has it all!!! As a nation, we were SHOCKED when it was announced that UA will continue hosting it's annual Sports Festival after the USJ was attacked. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering how - and IF - Class 1-A made it out unscathed.

Turns out, there was nothing to worry about! In fact, the VILLAINS should be the ones afraid of THEM! There wasn't a single dull moment in the stadium. Here is a Top Ten List of all the memorable moments that took place. From the kids who blew themselves up to get first place in the first event, to a passionate love story unfurling in the second, and multiple kids destroying the arena in the third! Read how this year's Sports Festival has defied all expectations and broke Japan!

WubbaBubba @BobaTeaWitch  • 1h

You know, now I understand why no one died in the USJ attack. These kids are INSANE.

46 retweets 278 likes

ParadingAHOLE @jerkwadsupreme

No wonder the only ones that got hurt were the teachers. RIP all those villains that had to face off against those kids.

VibeCheck @reallybuddy???

My guy

ParadingAHOLE @jerkwadsupreme

whut??????

VibeCheck @reallybuddy???

I really don't need to explain how freaking insensitive that post was

ParadingAHOLE @jerkwadsupreme

Eff you too, you special snowflake

VibeCheck @reallybuddy???

You wanna tell that to the teachers who put their lives on the line for these kids?

~*~

Shouta Aizawa has been preparing for this day. The day when his life would take a turn from bad to worse. He figures it was karmic justice for having expelled his entire class last year, because now the universe decided to dump him with the most hellish group of kids he's ever had to look after. Most of the time, his classes are whittled down to anywhere between five to ten kids, with the highest being fifteen. Most of the time, he gets saddled with one designated problem child, but if the universe really wants to spite his existence, he'd get three problem children.

This year he gets twenty.

But apparently that's not enough because he gets the Problem Child to end all Problem Children. There's no way a single kid can catch the goddang rat's attention, get kidnapped by villains, outsmart said villains, and then turn around and turn the whole school into a syndicate with him as the head and not realize what kind of power he holds. And that's without touching on his analyses which have the power to bring every single Pro Hero out there to their knees.

What the actual hell, Problem Child. His only saving grace was that The Problem Child isn't in his class yet.

Which is why he knew the moment his phone pinged with an email from Nezu not even a minute after the Sports Festival ended, the only bit of mercy he had left in this hellish life was smashed to pieces on the floor. His husband only sent him a sympathetic look before dumping MSPD and Nightmare on his lap. 

Now here he is, on his seventieth-something hour spent awake, standing in front of his hell class the weekend after the Sports Festival while nursing a thermos of coffee in his hand. He took a long swig of the heavenly dark mixture, and no Zashi, there aren't six shots of expresso in this thing, are you sure you aren't seeing things - ?

"Aizawa-sensei," Frog Child piped up. "It's good to finally see you out of your bandages, ribbit!"

He grunted in acknowledgement. But oh Kami, he wished he was back in those bandages if only to fake being in pain to avoid this day.

"Hellspawn," He wearily began. All eighteen of his students snapped up to attention. Oh, these sweet, sweet, innocent children. They have no idea what's about to happen. He sighed. "We have two new students joining 1-A. Don't enable them. I expect to see UA still standing by the end of the day at least."

He got sixteen bewildered stares, but Bubbly Child and Robot Child already knew full well what he meant. He heard the door rattle open to his doom. Gasps went up. Zappy Child shot up from his seat and yelped, "It's you!"

A crash instantly yanked his attention to the side where the Explosive Child had stood up. Shouta blinked, bewildered by the sudden overwhelming aggression (because Bakugou was temperamental, yes, but never this angry in a classroom) and he roared, "DEKU!"

The scent of burning caramel slapped him in the face. Shouta instantly activated his quirk and barked, "Bakugou!"

He glared right back. He snarled and Shouta gripped his capture scarf, letting it float ominously in silent warning.

His scowl deepened but he relented, sitting back down and opting to send a vicious glare to the two new students at the front instead.

Said students were a little . . . miffed. To put it lightly. Shinsou looked ready to murder and Midoriya was stock still, a little pale, and Shouta would bet good money that the kid's eyes were wide behind those tinted glasses.

Shouta blinked and let his scarf fall back down around his shoulders. He felt his eyes begin to water in spite of his dry eye problem. Kami, not even one step into the classroom and already The Problem Child was living up to his name.

. . . He needed to get wasted with the other teachers tonight. Nem's gonna screech when she hears about this.

~*~

Okay, so Denki remembers absolute zilch about what happened in his match against Midori-something. Like, yeah, he gets it. He forgets a lot of things, but he's pretty sure he would remember asking him out mid battle.

Much less kiss him. He really thought Mina was just, I don't know, pranking him when she told him. And internally, he's both confused, elated, and absolutely freaking devastated. He got to kiss a cute boy for once in his sad, sorry, bi disaster of a life. Sure, he makes all those jokes about being bi himself, that he's just doing swell getting bi without a boyfriend/girlfriend, but why?! Why did Kami have to remove his memories of his first kiss?! He knows he sounds like an overdramatic tween girl, but you know what? Screw it. He just wants a cute person to cuddle with and tell him he's not stupid and laugh at all his dumb jokes. Is that really too much to ask?

"The Hero Who Can Do It: Dekiru!"

Midoriya was smiling up on the podium as he presented his name.

"Interesting name," Midnight-sensei thoughtfully hummed. And then she smirked. "I thought you'd be going for something a little more risque honeypot-chan."

Midoriya flushed bright red and started sputtering. Which, again, Denki's bi brain already established as absolutely freaking adorable. Midnight-sensei threw her head back, guffawing, and slapped him on the back to reassure that he was okay before he scuttled back to his seat. Bakugou was glaring at him from across the room (Aizawa-sensei had him move seats after the yelling earlier). Did these two know each other before? Oh, wait, isn't he the guy that called Bakugou that cutesy nickname at the USJ?

Then new hottie number two walked up to the podium. Turns out Denki had a thing for tall, brooding, and mysteriously handsome guys as well, because the other new guy was pure one-hundred percent boyfriend material.

"Yo," He languidly drawled. Denki shivered and his eyes popped wide out of his head. Holy shiz. This guy's voice. "I'm the Subversive Hero: Psyren. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not here to play nice."

Midnight-sensei snorted. "Now that's a call out if I've ever heard one! I like it!"

The bell rang at that exact moment. Denki couldn't hear what Midnight-sensei said next, something about pre-quirk comics for class? Maybe? He really hoped there wouldn't be another paper.

Whatever! It's finally break! He's been itching to run up to the two new guy's desks!

He immediately runs over with some of his other classes and blurts out a greeting. "Are you two dating?!"

He swears he could hear Jirou's facepalm in the background. Whoops. Did not mean to say that. Midoriya flushed bright red and started stammering, and Shinsou was looking at little red in the seat in front of him himself. Mina squealed and bounced over, jumping up and down and fangirling. "Oh my Kami. You are! You were both super adorable during the Festival!"

"W-wait, there's s-some kind of mistake!" Midoriya frantically waved his hands. "W-we're not  - he's not - us?!"

"Ooh, so you're keeping it on the dl," Mina snapped her fingers and winked. "Gotcha."

"We're not keeping anything on the down low," Shinsou grumbled.

Denki squinted. Eyebags, deadpan, wavy hair sticking up - "Are you related to Aizawa-sensei?"

Shinsou stared back right at him, right into his soul, and said with the straightest face to ever exist on a human face, "Yeah. I'm his secret love child. How did you guess?"

(In the desk ahead, Shouto's eyes widened and he whipped his head around, instantly locking onto Hitoshi with all the intensity of a feral fanboy. He whipped out a notebook and flipped open to one of the newer sections, hastily writing in a rushed scrawl while internally, he was screaming with glee.

Somewhere in the school, Shouta Aizawa shuddered. He sat up in his sleeping bag and warily glanced around the teacher's lounge. He suddenly felt the urge to strangle someone, which means one of his problem children has done something stupid and he's about to get no sleep soon enough.)

Denki's jaw dropped. "No way."

"Toshi's just joking," Midoriya sent a look at Shinsou. "He's more like Mic-sensei, anyways."

(Shouto was writing five times faster than before, mildly freaking out all of his classmates within a meter radius of him. This time, Hizashi was blissfully unaware, unlike his husband who got another full-body chill just then.)

"Mic. . . ?" Mina echoed, putting her chin in her fist and thinking hard about it. "Wait, does this mean that Aizawa-sensei and Mic-sensei are dating?!"

"Yo, that means we can finally settle the bet!" Denki cheered. "So what is it? They got be married at least!"

"No way, they're just friends," Jirou scoffed - killjoy. "Besides, we shouldn't be talking about this, Aizawa-sensei will kill us if he caught wind of it."

"But have you seen them together?!" A floating uniform popped out of nowhere and waved her sleeves. Midoriya's mouth dropped open, and yeah, Denki had the exact same reaction when he saw her for the first time too. "They're in love, I tell you! In. LOVE!"

"Oh my Kami."

Denki blinked. Midoriya was still staring at Hagakure with a wide, excited smile on his face and was practically vibrating in his chair. Shinsou glanced at him and groaned.

"Here we go again," He heard him mutter.

"Is your quirk invisibility?" Midoriya near reverently asked.

Denki caught onto the way her sleeves momentarily stopped moving. He didn't get why, Midoriya was just asking about her quirk, but in that moment she seemed . . .  hesitant?

"Uh, yeah!" She brightly said, but for some weird reason there was a . . . waver? In her voice?

Wait, did she meet Midoriya before? If he did something to her, he was about to catch these hands - !

"OHMYKAMITHAT'SSOAMAZING!" He squealed.

They all took a collective step back, because holy shiz it just got a whole lot brighter.

"Can you turn it off? Or is it just constantly on? How exactly does it work? Is it an emitter or a mutation? If you where to cut your hair, would it still be invisible or would it suddenly be visible? Did your quirk manifest itself after the age of four or when you born? Does your quirk reflect light to make you seem invisible? And if that's the case, have you tried bending light yet? Ooh, does that mean you can bend heat from UV rays too? Because if that's the case, you would have a handy defensive move for hand-to-hand combat situations and a great offensive move to integrate into ambush attacks - wow, your quirk is practically made for stealthandsubterfugeandbeabsolutelyamazinginUndergroundHeroicsespeciallyinreconandgatheringinformation-"

"Izuku, breathe."

Midoriya suddenly tensed and clammed up. He noticed the way the entire class was staring at him with their eyes wide open. Some of them even had their jaws dropped. He hunched into himself and muttered, "S-sorry, I got really e-excited . . ."

Shinsou just stared at Midoriya. There was something else to it though, something beyond that deadpan expression. . . bemusement? He snorted. "You think all quirks are cool."

"But that's because they are," Midoriya stressed. In an instant, his face snapped to Denki's and he full out flinched. No, Jirou, he did not scream like a little baby. Shut up! "You're Denki Kaminari, right?"

"Uh. . ." The blonde boy shuffled a bit and looked away. "Y-yeah?"

He lit up. No literally, Midoriya just lit up. He was wearing those sunglasses things, but he's got this wide, beaming smile that turned him into a mini-sun. Denki had to literally squint to see the guy because holy shiz. And that's when his brain realized, Oh my Kami, it's another Kirishima.

"Do you mind answering a few questions I have about your quirk? I've been dying to ask ever since I saw it in action at the Sports Festival!"

Denki took one look at that pleading expression and suddenly blurted out, "Sure."

Aaaaand he's back to being a tiny sun once more. Wow, those sunglasses did nothing to hide that light.

"Great!" He chirps. Then he whips out a notebook out of nowhere, flips it open on his lap, and Denki just. . . stares at the page. It's full of cramped, tiny, downright miniscule handwriting that looked like you needed a microscope to see. It was a mess of letters and numbers and random symbols that made no amount of sense to Denki's dumb brain. Wait, were those all questions? He's not going to ask all of them is he?! He didn't even get his banana milk yet!

"Okay, that's enough terrorizing for one day, Izuku."

Midoriya whined as Shinsou managed to swipe his notebook right out from under him. The purple-haired guy (and Denki's lizard brain had just enough time to think hot before he forcefully reminded himself, he's taken you idiot!) shot an unimpressed stare at the green-haired dude. "No. You're limited to giving out four a week and you just did one for free. Do you really want to waste all your other chances?"

Midoriya looked absolutely betrayed. Denki could hear Sero snickering somewhere behind him.

"In any case," a smooth, female voice regally announced. Yaomomo approached the small group with a gentle smile with all the grace and airs of a queen.

Denki could swear he saw Jirou blush.

"My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, but feel free to call me Yaomomo," She greeted. "I'm the vice representative, and on behalf of the class, I'd like to welcome you both to 1-A. Feel free to come to me, or any of us, if you have any concerns."

"Ah, shoot!" Mina tapped her hand against her forehead. "We totally forgot to introduce ourselves! Right, I'm Mina Ashido! I like dancing!"

"Touru Hagakure! If you need any help with clothes, I'm your gal!" A pair of sleeves flapped.

"Sero Hanta," The dude himself grinned and gave a two-fingered salute. "Also known as Discount Spiderman."

""I'm Asui Tsuyu," The dudette croaked. "But call me Tsu, ribbit!"

"Denki Karminari!" He chimed in, shooting a pair of finger guns and a wink. "Nice to meet you two handsome dudes!"

Shinsou stiffened. For a moment, Denki's stomach dropped and thought, oh shiz, please tell me he's not grossed out, when all of a sudden, the hot purple-haired guy whispered, "Oh Kami, it's another Shikisou. Kill me now."

"Shikisou?" Kirishima - after finally calming down the beast that is Bakugou - pipped up. "Who's that?"

"A friend from 1-C!" Uraraka chirped, skipping over. "He likes to flirt, and Shinsou is all grumpy about it because he keeps hitting on Dekiru-kun!"

Shinsou slammed his head onto his desk. "Well screw you too."

"Dekiru-kun can take care of that!"

Midoriya sputtered as Uraraka patted his shoulder and winked. Denki pouted and internally sobbed. Why are all the cute ones already taken?

~*~

There's something wrong with Iida. That much is clear.

Kaeru can see it in the line of his shoulders, the plasticity of his smiles, the blankness in his eyes, and the empty aura that pervaded him. They should be celebrating Shinsou and Midori's transfer into the Hero Course, something they had long fought hard for, but . . . entire group knows what happened to Ingenium. They know how much Iida idolizes his elder brother. They know he's not okay no matter how many times he says he is, but they've all collectively agreed to give the guy some space and just be there in case he needs someone. So they don't force him to talk during lunch. They offer to come over or go out somewhere and breath a sigh of relief when he answers, even if it is only a negative. They dodge any talk about Heroes outside of their internships. To anyone on the outside, it only seemed like Iida was grieving.

Except Kaeru wasn't born a dunce and spent years learning to read people. He knows that look. He's seen that look. The others haven't caught on, probably because they can identify it like he can, but Kumo could pick up on his underlying anxiety with a subtle lift of their brow.

His fingers thrummed against his thigh, then his neck, and then he tilted his head off to the side before redoing his ponytail. Later, need to speak with someone else first.

They discretely nodded before tuning back into a conversation with MeiMei about one of her babies. It was lunch and the cafeteria was swarmed. Iida took his leave a few minutes prior, stating he wanted some quiet to go over his internship options. No one stopped it. As it stands, Midori was neck-deep in going over Ochako's offers with her, with Shouto Todoroki quietly slurping his noodles nearby which really threw him for a loop when Midori asked the guy to sit with them. Right now, he's watching Midori spouting out quick stats about the Rabbit Hero: Miruko, and judging by the hungry gleam in Ochako's eyes. . . Yeah, no. He values his life, thank you very much.

Kaeru went over to Shinsou. He flashed a grin and gave a lazy salute. "What's up, pretty boy?"

He got a dead stare in response. "Don't you ever get tired of flirting?"

"Do you ever get tired of kissing Midori? You're still trending after the Cavalry Battle ~ ."

If looks could kill, Kaeru would be six feet under in a casket. So he just grinned a little more charmingly in response.

The resident grump grunted and went back to his meal. "If you came to bother me, then drop it. Go flirt with Uraraka or something instead."

He chortled and shook his head. "Okay, but in all seriousness, uh, Aizawa-sensei is Iida's teach too, right?"

Shinsou's eyes narrowed. ". . . What about it?"

"You mind passing on a message for me?" Kaeru grimaced. "I think Iida might be planning something, something that's gonna get him in a whole heckton of trouble, so it'd be great if a teacher can keep an eye on him. You know what I mean?"

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Are you seriously suggesting Iida's going to go after Stain for revenge? Iida, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes and Stickler-For-The-Rules Iida."

"Consider it a contingency plan," Kaeru offered up. "You know. As a just in case if it ever comes down to that. Better safe than sorry, eh?"

He sighed. "Fine, whatever. But I don't think it'll happen."

He shrugged. "Meh. By the way, are you gonna eat that broccoli?"

Shinsou stared at him wordlessly. He kept eye contact as he viciously bit the vegetable without any hint of remorse.

~*~

Toshinori Yagi frowned. He poured over Young Midoriya's file, over and over again, trying to see the connection. Admittedly, he should feel guilty for utilizing Tsukauchi to gain information on the boy - information that is private no less -, but he can't bring himself to regret his actions in face of the potential threat the boy is. He can remember the bright-eyed, hopeful face of a curly-haired fanboy from a year ago now. Standing atop of a rooftop. Exposing the biggest weakness to date. All to convince a Quirkless child that Heroics would be too dangerous for someone like him, that it would be safer if he stuck to another profession instead. It left a bitter taste in his mouth to see that hopeful light in his eyes extinguish. Toshinori was already a block away from the building, still wallowing in his thoughts, when the weight of his actions slammed into him with all the impact of a Detroit Smash. He cursed.

That kid had been through a near-death situation with a villain and had his dreams crushed by his idol. And like an idiot, Toshinori just left him alone on a roof. All because he was beating himself up for being such a failure that he nearly cost a civilian their own life and revealed his shamefully weak form. All Might wasn't supposed to be weak. He wasn't supposed to be Quirkless Yagi Toshinori, someone who could do nothing but just stand there whenever there's trouble. He hoped having a quirk would change the hopeless, bullied teen with dreams too high for him to reach. And it did. But now he's a shell of what he used to be, he endangered the existence of the One for All just because he ran into that fight with All for One unprepared. His guilt and pain clouded his judgement with that child and he made a slew of terrible decisions. He needed to escort him down and call up an ambulance before he does something rash -

And then came the explosions. The realization that his pockets were empty. Toshinori swore a second time and quickly ran to check up on the kid (he knows he should go to the explosions, but the boy was a painful reminder of how he used to be, how he was before Nana, and there should be other Heroes rushing to the other scene but All Might is the only one who knew about the boy - ). Only, it turns out he didn't need to, because his attention was jerked to that same kid dashing down the sidewalk with a desperate look on his face, racing to get to the explosions.

At least he's okay.

That was the only thought he spared towards the boy before rushing to the scene of the action. He flinched when he saw the area engulfed by flames. The Slime Villain was towering over everyone and - no no no no no, there's a kid trapped inside him!

A wave of self-loathing crashed over him. He didn't have any time left as All Might. He was back to being Quirkless, powerless, useless Toshinori. What hope did he have up against the Slime Villain when all he would be is a liability? He had to rely on the other Pro Heroes, but they were helpless against the villain's fluid form. With despair, he could only watch as the boy continued to drown, another young light snuffed out before it could take bloom, all because he was useless, he's Quirkless, Nana could've done better than picking some plucky kid with no quirk like him - 

And then Young Midoriya rushed in, whacked the villain in the face, and then yanked the other boy out of there. Toshinori panicked. He found the resolve to become All Might once more and Detroit Smashed his way to victory, carefully angling his punch so that the air pressure would go into the sky and not the buildings, and warped the weather enough so that it could rain and put out the flames.

In that moment, a fleeting thought occurred to him. A single, Quirkless, powerless child had done what none of the Pro Heroes on the scene was able to do - save a life. He rushed in because someone needed help when no one was there to give it, one of the most defining traits of an amazing Hero.

For moment, he considered making that kid his successor. Of deigning him to be the next wielder of One for All.

But as he looked at the way Young Midoriya hunched into himself as the other Pro Heroes berated him . . . He couldn't do it. Not to someone so young. He couldn't drop the burden of a two-hundred year old legacy on that boy's shoulders, much less the expectations of becoming the next Symbol of Peace. That child had too much to live for, and Toshinori wasn't about to force him into a dangerous profession where he would have to constantly risk his life.

He tried to find Young Midoriya afterwards to at least apologize for his carelessness and get him to the hospital, but he lost the boy in the crowd of reporters swamping him. He thought that would be the last he saw of the Quirkless boy. And slowly, the boy faded from his mind, replaced by thoughts of training Young Togata to be the next holder of One for All.

And then he sees Young Midoriya again at UA, a year later, after he's been kidnapped by the League of Villains with a quirk. He can't help but be on edge of what this could mean. A formerly Quirkless boy suddenly having a quirk? And it's just any quirk, it's a strong one at that. It was one of those interesting quirks that He would no doubt want. He might have waved it off as just coincidence, given the activation requirement (he can see why the kid would believe that he's Quirkless if his quirk requires a kiss to activate . . . ), but with the Nomu at the USJ having multiple quirks, Shigaraki speaking of a Sensei, the League's knowledge of him being weakened, and then rumors of a traitor in UA . . . It's difficult not to suspect Young Midoriya. Especially after befriending someone with a Brainwashing quirk. Yet another powerful, interesting quirk that All for One would want. It would be easy to lure young Shinsou in using Midoriya.

So yes. Toshinori is a little worried that Young Midoriya may be entangled with nefarious entities. He certainly has the motive if his carelessness and the inaction of those other Pro Heroes were of any indication.

He sighed.

"Any luck?"

Toshinori grimaced. "No."

Naomasa sent him a sympathetic look and handed him a cup of water. He gratefully drank it as his Detective friend went back to his desk.

The Detective took a long, slow gulp of his coffee. "Do you really think he could be the one?"

Toshinori flipped through the incident report of the USJ once more. "I hate to think that of a student, much less one I am about to teach, but given the circumstances. . ."

He nodded. "I see. Have you gone to Principal Nezu?"

"I have," He shifted uncomfortably. "He's reassured me that he'll keep a close eye on Young Midoriya , especially now that he's transferred into the Heroics course and become his personal student. I trust that he'll be able to discern the identity of the traitor soon enough, but I still can't help but feel uneasy about this whole situation."

"It'll be alright, Toshinori," Naomasa folded his hands on his desk. "No one can get past Nezu. He's the best of the best. Just treat the kid like you would do with the others in your care. The last thing we want to do is convict an innocent person, and the kid has already been through enough if he's being genuine. There's no need to raise an alarm when there's no fire breaking out."

The old Hero sighed and slumped over. "I-I guess you're right. This whole year has been shaping up to be a mess."

He snorted. "I know what you mean. Anyways, have you eaten lunch today yet?"

Toshinori grimaced. Oh boy. He's not looking forward to this.

Chapter Text

So . . . It's been a while. . . And by that, I mean a whole year. Wow. 

I have no excuses for myself. Well, technically I do—my muse for BNHA fanfics kind of ran out on me? And I've been sticking my fingers in a bunch of original projects, (namely making comics, writing my own stories, and I'm currently learning how to make a visual novel—surprisingly fun, once I learn how to code) but enough of that. 

You're here for a story. For the old readers, thank you for coming back and I apologize for leaving you hanging. I love interacting with you guys in the comments, and I will cherish each and every interaction I've had so far with you. I'm sorry to say that I don't know if I can write an ending to this fic. Which sucks, but I don't want to put out subpar content and ultimately ruin the story—no story deserves that kind of half-baked effort, fanfic or otherwise. Hopefully I can pick this fic up again in the future and finally be able to say THE END. But until then, I have some good news. Turns out I have six more chapters lined up that I never got around to publishing. Whoops.  

I'll release them slowly, once a week as per usual. I'll still reply to comments like I always did, though it may take me a while since I have a backlog of 300+ messages in my inbox. I'll be posting this message across all my fics. And. . .yeah. That's about it. Look forward to seeing a new chapter soon!

-NKane

Chapter Text

Ochako looked at the address in her hand and then at the building in front of her. It was plain, practically indistinguishable from the other buildings nearby. Concrete walls. Tan paintjob. Glass windows. Glass double doors.

But Ochako is the daughter of Uraraka Construction Co. She's been watching her parents and her aunts and uncles - not by blood, mind you - demolish and create buildings since day one. They never really got around to working with high-end materials, but she can identify it anyways because of the few clean up jobs they got from villain attacks in the upper class areas. Which is why she recognized that the concrete was reinforced concrete, the glass was all bulletproof, and she would bet this week's ramen dinner that there's a hidden facial recognition scanner somewhere near the entrance based on the wiring.

So yeah. Definitely a Hero Office. Go figure.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She shoved the paper back into her pocket and marched forward, holding her head up high as she walked right up to the doors. They automatically parted for her as she waltzed right into the lobby.

. . . If you can even call it that.

It was a cramped space about half the size of a classroom. There was a guy manning a beaten-up counter that took up half that space, armadillo plating running down his head and back, tail swishing violently in agitation as he shouted at a woman leaving over the counter.

"You are insane. Literally insane," He raised his hands up, and Ochako could see that he had armadillo paws as well. "You can't just challenge everyone to a fight the moment they walk through that door! Please tell me that you're actually planning on teaching the kid something on their internship. Or at the very least, let the poor girl unpack and settle in before you challenge her to a cage match, Rumi!"

Pro Hero Miruko threw her head back and guffawed. "Ha! There's nothing 'poor' about that girl! She's got a fighter's spirit, just like I do!"

Armadillo man groaned and slapped his face. "I am not going to be dealing with two of you. Oh, hey. You must be the intern. The Gravity Gladiator, Destroyer of Arenas, the Gal Who Gives Zero G Fricks to Sexism -"

"Yes, that's me!" Ochako hastily cut in, internally screaming in mortification at all the nicknames. She felt herself literally steam from the embarrassment. She bowed. "I'm Ochako Uraraka! It's nice to meet you both!"

"Great," The Armadillo Man drawled. "Welcome to Hell. Hope you don't enjoy your stay. If you're gonna be sent to the hospital, then pencil it in for tomorrow. I ain't calling an ambulance tonight. I actually have a date for the first time in years."

He shot a pointed glare at the Pro Hero that did nothing to deter that feral grin on her face. In fact, it grew even sharper until her canines stood out. "Relax, Arma! Ain't my fault you got stood up last time!"

"That's because you made me call an ambulance for that fricking sidekick!" He shook his fist in the air and screamed. "By Kami! That was like, the fifth one we had before they quit! I've got the hospital on speed dial now because of you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatev's. Hey newbie, get changed. We're fighting in the gym in ten. You can leave all your stuff with this smother hen over here."

"I am not your gofer!" He hollered, only for it to fall on deaf ears as Miruko stalked off. He groaned and slammed his hand on the counter. "I swear to Kami that woman is the sole reason my blood pressure is high," He sighed, turning back to Ochako. He gave her an uninterested once over and grunted. "Arma Gunsha. Call me Gunsha, no 'fics. Actually, never use them so long as you are in this building period. If I hear so much as a '-san' to my name, I will kick you outta here faster than you can say sorry."

Ochako raised one eyebrow. "Bold of you to assume you'll even land a hit on me."

"What was that, punk?" He spat, but the grin betrayed the sharp tone in his voice. "Let's see you back talk like that once you get in the cage with Rumi. Give your bags here, little girl. Ain't no time to chit chat when you gotta go change."

"Yes sir."

He whipped a glare on her like a gunslinger to his revolver. She smiled prettily and skipped ahead. "Call me a little girl and I'll show you just how little I am."

He barked a laugh. "You little shiz."

Ochako grinned, sharp and wild as the blood in her veins thrummed in anticipation. Oh yeah. She had no regrets for picking Miruko.

~*~

"How's the fit, kid?"

Shouta watched as his charge fiddled with his gray gloves. He patted down his deep purple jacket, adjusted the belt around his waist, and checked to see if his knee and shin guards were in place. He bounced on the heels and pads of his feet to test the flexibility of his combat boots. His vocal chords fit snuggly on his face, all specifically designed away from a muzzle to prevent any . . . triggers.

Overall, he looked good. Practical too. The kid came to Shouta numerous times while designing his outfit, since his initial one was just a plain black bodysuit with a purple belt that suspiciously looked a little too close to Eraserhead's, and no, Zashi, he did not intervene to prevent any more love child theories, why would you even suggest that? The capture scarf Shouta plans to give him will be enough ammo. He didn't need any more. Still, needs to be adjusted for the summer heat though, Kami knows how stifling full body suits can get on an August night.

Now time to see this kid die in training.

Psyren nodded to him. "Good to go, sir."

Eraser grunted. "Alright. Now start doing the basic stretches I taught you while we wait for The Problem Child."

He could see surprise flit through his face. "Izuku is here too?"

Eraser grunted once again in affirmation. "Don't think that just because you ranked high in the Sports Festival means that your battle is over. Both of you are still new to the Hero Course. While your peers have months of training, you have zero. You and Midoriya will be paired up with a member of the faculty for this entire week to play catch up with your peers while they're off at their internships. It'll be grueling work. You may even want to drop out and go back to 1-C before the week even ends. You'll spend day in and day out studying theory and putting it into practice in the gym."

Psyren just tilted his head, eyes crinkling in amusement. "You say that like it's supposed to scare me."

Eraser hid the sadistic smile in his capture weapon. This cheeky little brat.

The door to the gym slammed open and he resisted his urge to hiss. He turned his annoyed glare to the door, still creaking on it's hinges, as Midnight strutted in with a wicked smirk on her face. It was de-ja-vu all over again.

Except. . .

Eraserhead narrowed his eyes. "Midnight, where the hell is the kid? Don't tell me you lost him."

She paused and sent him an absolutely bewildered look. She whipped her head around and instantly slumped, pouting, and swiftly sashayed her way back to the gym's entrance and popped her head out. There was a rapid, whispered discussion that took place. Eraser could hear the abashed undertone of The Problem Child's squeaky voice and could already guess what would happen next.

He sighed as he woefully bid goodbye to what a good night's sleep tonight. Midnight came back in with a fire in her step, dragging a beet red Problem Child behind her, and - yup.

She deposited The Problem Child right at their feet. His gaze firmly locked onto the floor as he fidgeted uncomfortably with his gauntlet, face and ears a bright, crimson red.

Admittedly, it's not the most scandalous thing Nem could put him in, but he could see why he's nervous. Sleeveless, skin-tight, dark teal full-body suit. Full length compression sleeves underneath white vambraces. Red knee-high boots, and - ah. Slight heels too, about two inches high and steel-toed.

. . . Then you had to factor in the small chest window that made him have a sweetheart neckline, the white lines that gave the illusion of a chest, the thigh windows, the choker, the heart-shaped ear cuff, the clip-on extension, and - oh. He's wearing light makeup too. Lipstick, gloss, blush, eyeshadow, winged liner. All Hero-grade, meaning it's smudge and sweat and heat-proof.

Which meant that Nem turned the kid into a walking honeypot. And as Shouta took a wary glance to his charge, hoping that this wouldn't end in the way he predicted -

Hitoshi Shinsou was furiously blushing, eyes fixated solely on The Problem Child, and was possibly a second away from having a heat stroke. Then the kid let out a whimper, a freaking whimper, and he embarrassingly wheezed out, "Freckles . . . ?"

Shouta felt a piece of his soul leave his body. That's it. He needs a tall and stiff. For Kami's sake, he can not deal with this sober. He shot a glare at Nem, who was smirking like Nightmare after she knocked a jelly packet out of his hands, trying to telepathically convey the words with his stare alone, This is who you've deemed to be my son? Really? This gay disaster?

She sniggered as she looked between their two charges. The Problem Child was staring at his charge in befuddlement. He hasn't even realized what kind of an effect he's having on this walking disaster of a human being.

Ugh, teenage hormones. He is not paid enough to deal with this shiz.

Eraser pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed. "Alright you brats."

Both teens snapped to attention. Good, at least their reaction time isn't affected.

"Today we'll be testing your costume's capabilities," He gruffly announced. "A single loose strap in those shin guards can be the difference between an intact leg and a shattered kneecap. It is vital that you equip yourself properly. Any improvements that need to be made can happen further down the line as you develop your own fighting styles."

"That's right, lovelies!" Midnight winked. "Your first year is the perfect time to start experimenting with different costume ideas and support gear! I know I had fun ~."

"You wore literally nothing in your third year." Eraser deadpanned.

She waved him off. "Details!"

He was sorely tempted to just smack her with his scarf. Instead, he turned back to his two charges. "We've set up an obstacle course for you two to run through. I want you two to get accustomed to moving around in your gear, especially considering the restrictions you each have. Psyren, that jacket is heavy because it's slash-proof and stab-proof. You stated that you were going into Underground Heroics, and Underground Heroes tend to run into a lot of thugs that want to shank you. Believe me, this will save you many trips to the hospital. So get used to moving with that weight around."

"Yes, sensei."

"And Dekiru . . ." He raised one eyebrow and pointedly looked at his feet. ". . . I'm assuming you have a good reason for those heels, kid. And that earring. And that choker."

The Problem Child jolted. "Uh, right! It's partly because of aesthetics. Making myself more physically attractive can fluster my opponent, which makes it easier for takedowns, or for getting in close to use Adoration. And, um, Midnight-sensei and I are testing a theory that being more attractive enhances the potency of Adoration, but we're still gathering data on that end. The charm on the choker is detachable, so there's no worry about it getting caught and causing a choking hazard. And the earring is an ear cuff, which is equally just as detachable as the choker. The heels are only two inches tall, with padding to prevent any blisters, and I've gotten lessons from Midnight to help me run in them. Plus, I noticed that I tend to do a lot of kicking, and the heels are made of steel, so . . ."

Eraser could see Psyren flushing even further. Again, he's not paid enough to deal with teenage hormones and their kink discoveries. He did not need to know his charge had a thing for The Problem Child wearing heels.

He crossed his arms and nodded. "Good. At least you thought things through. Now start stretching, we don't have any time to waste."

"Yes, Sensei!"

"That's Eraserhead to you two brats," He tiredly snapped. "Call me Sensei when we're back in school."

". . . But we're at school," Psyren smirked.

Eraserhead grinned. "Then enjoy running a lap around the gym before we begin, brat. Get to it."

The absolute look of betrayal on his face was priceless. Admittedly, he wanted to assign more laps, but he needed the two brats to get started on the obstacle course soon. One lap is enough time for The Problem Child to finish stretching.

. . . And for him to talk to Nemuri about a little . . . situation on their hands.

"Do you really think little Ten-chan would go after Stain?" She whispered, standing beside him and they both watched their charges. "I mean, this is Tenya we're talking about. I know he's devastated over what happened to Tensei, but . . ."

Eraser grimaced. "I don't like this situation any more than you do, but Shinsou's the one who brought it up. The kids are closer to him than we are, and if they say they're concerned, then they may have good reason to be. Manual is keeping an eye on Tenya for now and has likely realized what he's doing. But I think we should move to Hosu halfway through the week just to be sure."

She jolted. "You don't mean to bring the kids-?"

"Absolutely not," He growled. "If an emergency occurs, I'm leaving the kids with you and heading out on my own. Knock them out if you have to, especially considering The Problem Child's tendencies. If nothing happens, it'll be good fieldwork experience for them. Kami knows those kids have been going stir-crazy from being cooped up all the time."

Her eyes lit up in grim understanding. "Ah. Right. The League."

He sighed. He watched as The Problem Child bent over to touch his toes and the other Problem Child sneakily casting a glance over. He tripped and fell flat on his face, prompting The Problem Child to snap up and quickly rush to his side, spouting questions as his charge buried his face into his hands. He groaned as Nem snickered beside him.

Kami, this is going to be a long week.

~*~

This is going to be a long week.

Shouto stoically watched as his father yelled down at him. Truthfully, he didn't sign up for this. He did submit the paperwork to be Endeavor's intern, but by no means did he actually want to be here. He established a tentative relationship with Midoriya after the Sports Festival. And by that, he means that the boy marched up to him the moment it ended and demanded his phone number. Then he was added to a group . . . chat . . . thing. . .

It went over his head. He's asked Fuyumi to explain it to him, but all he got was a hug and tears. Then she started saying how they were tears of joy because now he has . . . friends?

Was - was this friendship? Was he and Midoriya friends? Does one fight a person to establish that they are friends?

Fuyumi stared at him for an entire minute when he asked that question.

Regardless of the status of his relationship with Midoriya, it does not change the fact that the strange boy had become more involved in his life. He drags him to sit with his friends at lunch. He doesn't mind if he's not in the mood for talking, Midoriya has a habit of speaking enough for the both of them without it feeling overwhelming. He knows Midoriya is trying to encourage him to use Endeavor's fire, but he just. . . can't. He says that the fire is his and not his father's, but Shouto doesn't really believe him. Fire has only ever hurt people. Touya's fire quirk hurts him. Endeavor's fire hurts him. His fire hurts Mom until she burned him with boiling water.

Fire brought nothing but pain.

But apparently, Midoriya can't take no for an answer. And perhaps Shouto can admit, that he's partially effective in his endeavors. . . Not that he'll ever confess that to Midoriya. He's still not comfortable with using the flame side of his quirk, but he does like the idea of using his fire to help make hot chocolate. It's delicious and he's never had it until Midoriya shoved a mug his way.

The point is, he isn't comfortable with using Endeav - his fire. He's slowly warming up to the idea of using it for everyday things, like making hot chocolate or boiling water for Yaoyorozu's tea, but he's not ready to use it in combat. And Midoriya respected that decision. In fact, he was the one who proposed that he looked into other areas of Hero work outside of combat and villain apprehension.

Shouto wanted to use his quirk outside of hurting people? Then interning with the Rescue Hero, Snowfall, was the best option. She was based in the countryside, where her quirk is used to rescue skiers and hikers and small villages in the snowy mountains. It'll be the perfect place to exercise his ice quirk and get away from any reminder of Endeavor.

. . . Until he found out about who Shouto planned on interning with, and threatened him into going with him. He felt bad about having to lie to Midoriya. He was so hopeful when they picked out Snowfall together. He didn't have it in him to speak about what happened. It'll only be a week with Endeavor before he's able to go back to UA.

At least he stashed away hot chocolate packets in his bag.

Chapter Text

Okay, so Hitoshi can most definitely say that Izuku Midoriya does not do "cute". At all.

Him being shirtless, post-shower, unmasked with water still dripping down his long neck and that six-pack? Oh yeah. Past Hitoshi had been so naïve. That moment had absolutely nothing on the moment Izuku Midoriya waltzed into that gym decked out in his Hero costume.

There were freckles. On his thighs. And there was a chest window. And heels.

It was absolutely unfair for Izuku to be so . . . Izuku all the time! Someone who was small and cute and looked like he needed protecting at all times, and then he just turns around and slams you on the floor and pins you down, which is the hottest thing Hitoshi's ever had the joy of experiencing.

Curses, Mei was right. He was such a bottom.

Thirsting over his insanely gorgeous best friend aside, Hitoshi had more pressing concerns to deal with.

Namely laughing his butt off at said hot best friend.

"It's not funny!"

His only response was to roll on the floor, laughing even harder. Izuku pouted and crossed his arms.

"How," He wheezed, still cackling as he took in the hilarious situation unfurling before him. "We'll be gone for two days, Izuku. Two days. Why the hell would you need an overstuffed backpack on top of a duffel and even a freaking suitcase?! Are you bringing an armory in there or something?"

He whined and buried his face into his hands. "Toshi, you're mean! The suitcase and duffel are to carry all the makeup and clothes Midnight-sensei helped me get. She's teaching me how to make disguises while we're in Hosu."

"And you need all that?"

Izuku leveled an unimpressed look at his smirking friend, even if sitting on top of the suitcase to zipper it shut kinda ruined the effect. "Yes. Now are you going to help me out with this or what?"

Toshi snickered one last time before moving in to help. In the end, Toshi was the one who sat on the suitcase while Izuku struggled to zipper it shut.

"Why am I the one sitting on your luggage again?"

Izuku grunted as he tried to move the zipper. "You weigh more than me."

"Wow. Rude."

They managed to do it in the end, right as a knock came to their bedroom door. Aizawa-sensei opened the door and swiftly appraised their packed belongings. Especially the suitcase. "I said to pack light."

"It's disguises for Midnight-sensei," Izuku half-sobbed and half-pleaded with all the misery of someone who explained it multiple times. "Please, Sensei. I'm required to bring it!"

". . ." Aizawa-sensei regarded him with a blank stare. He sighed. "That's it. She's driving. Just get it in the car somehow, Problem Child. You'll be the only one responsible for it."

"Right, Sensei!"

"It's Aizawa when we're civilian's off-campus, brat," He exasperatedly sighed.

"Of course, Sensei," Hitoshi grinned.

He sent a quirk-laced glare his way and his hair started floating off his shoulders, looking every inch of the demon teacher he is. Totally worth the extra laps he'll have to do later.

But what wasn't worth it was the entire cluster fudge of a journey to Hosu. Of course, nothing could go normally this year. Their car got clipped on the way to the station. They got wrapped up in a villain attack at the station, but apparently the villains made the genius move of taking the Pro Hero Midnight (albeit in civilian form) as hostage, which meant that the villain duo were clonked out in minutes. Then they had to stay to give a report, because the trains were delayed from the attack, and when their train finally arrived, the conductors had to compensate for the other missed train, which meant that their train was twice as packed as usual. And no extra seating, so guess which group of hapless Heroes had to stand up without rest for hours on end.

But of course, that couldn't be the end to their misfortune. Because the moment they touched down in Hosu, Izuku got hit with some random kid's quirk and wound up speaking backwards for the next two hours.

Seriously. What even is this?

So by the time they reached their apartment-base-gym complex that was owned by the Underground Hero Network, it was later afternoon and they were wiped. Aizawa-sensei didn't even tell them to go change into their costumes and jump straight to training. He just marched up to the fridge, rummaged around the freezer, and plopped an icepack onto his head before dramatically flopping face-first into the couch.

And honestly? Big mood.

Midnight pinched the bridge of her nose and popped a kink in her back. She winced. "Alright, kiddos. You two go and get some rest. Dinner's at 7. I hope you both like takeout, because there's no way any of us are going to be cooking any time soon."

An unintelligible groan of confirmation came from both of them. Midnight snorted. "Go pick out a room and start unpacking. Midoriya, sweetheart, we'll be practicing applying makeup after dinner, so set your luggage in another empty room."

",iesneS, sey" Izuku mumbled, still under the effects of that kid's quirk for a solid half hour more. He stumbled across the living room to one of the doors and blearily swung it open. The next five minutes were a blur of assigning rooms. There weren't enough beds for everyone, considering this was a small base and Underground Heroes tended to work solo, which meant that there were only two bedrooms available. One with a double bed and another with a single.

Suffice to say, Midnight immediately claimed the single and Aizawa claimed the couch, which meant that Hitoshi would be sleeping with Izuku.

In the same bed.

He swears Midnight did this on purpose. She kept shooting meaningful glances to him after Izuku started his tutelage under her. He doesn't even know what it means.

Whatever. All he cares about is that he's in bed with a massive headache, and the only thing that's managing to stave off the pounding is Izuku running his fingers through his hair. He hummed contentedly and nuzzled more into his hip. One leg was lazily entangled with Izuku's and an arm thrown over his thigh. Yeah. He's full-body cuddling his friend's leg. So sue him, he's a little touch-starved and his friend is a goldmine for physical affection. It's not like he can get his usual cuddles anyways, considering that Izuku has a laptop propped on his lap and he's typing away at . . . something to do with . . .

Hitoshi narrowed his eyes. He shifted in his position to get a better peek at the screen and frowned. ". . . Izuku, are you on an Endeavor hate forum?"

His friend jerked away and nearly sent his computer tumbling off the bed. He caught it at the last second and looked at everywhere else but him and stammered, "Uh, I, uh, y-you s-s-s-see - "

"I . . . didn't say it was a bad thing," Hitoshi slowly said, warily eyeing his friend's skittish reaction. "I just wanted to know what Endeavor did to make the number one Hero nerd of all time dislike him."

His fingers twitched over the keyboard. His face reflected the argument he was waging inside of him and Hitoshi's frown deepened. He reached up and poked Izuku's forehead, snapping him out of it.

"You back yet?" He amusedly drawled. "Was it the property damage or his general snob-nosed brat attitude? It's not like it's a secret or anything. You don't have to like every Hero just because they're a Hero."

"No, it's not that," Izuku anxiously twiddled his thumbs. "I mean, kind of? I didn't like him a long time ago because of that and how he handles villains and rescues, but i-it's just something else that's bothering me."

"Does it have anything to do with you convincing the guy's son to sit with us at lunch now?" He chuckled.

"Y-yeah?"

Hitoshi snorts. "Guess 'daddy dearest' ain't all he's cracked up to be. Now that I think about it, where did Todoroki get that scar . . . from . . ."

Suddenly he felt cold. He watched as Izuku blanched and looked away, his fingers completely stilling. Hitoshi let out an unsteady laugh, sitting up and rubbing the back of his nape. "Yeah, th-that's a dumb thing to ask. There's no way that he would, right? H-He wouldn't, not to his own son . . ."

He watched as Izuku's face fell more and more. His mouth went dry. Hitoshi completely went limp and groaned, flopping down on the bed and flinging an arm over his eyes. "That sonuvagun is a child abuser, isn't he?"

The fact that Izuku made no move to refute him made him groan even louder. "How do you even find yourself in these situations, Izuku?"

"They, uh, they kinda find me?" He awkwardly shrugged. "Also, Sh-Shouto may have been forced to accept an offer at Endeavor's agency this week and I'm worried about how he's doing."

"And you didn't think to tell Aizawa about this?" He incredulously asked. "Or Mic? Or Midnight? Or any one of our teachers from school?!"

The green-haired boy huffed in frustration. "I tried convincing Shouto, but he won't budge. And I'm not about to betray what little trust he has in me by telling all of his secrets. I didn't even know he was interning with Endeavor. I only found out about it just now, and that was through social media! He said he was going to be with the Rescue Hero Snowfall this week! He wanted to learn how his quirk can be used to help people instead of hurting them like his father has always taught him to, but I guess that's no longer an option since he's with him now!"

"There are so many things wrong with what you just said," Hitoshi shook his head. "And I'm guessing you're currently planning a way to get him out of there somehow?"

He frowned. "S-sort of? There's not a lot I can do as a student."

"Didn't stop you from taking over the school with Kanja in two weeks," He muttered.

Izuku flushed. "That's different! I don't have any legal power to absolve any legal hold Endeavor has over Shouto, but I can dig up information about Endeavor and give it to my mom for the future court case."

"How do you know it'll be her?"

He looked at him dead in the eyes with a strange glint in those viridian orbs. "Trust me. She'll find a way. All I can do now is keep an eye on Shouto's situation in Hosu through social media while sifting through Endeavor hate forums for plausible accounts and statistics of his failings."

"Wait, Shouto's in Hosu right now?"

"Yeah," Izuku sighed. "But tracking them through social media is pretty. . . unreliable. It would be great if I can directly observe them somehow instead. . ."

"I can help with that."

Izuku whipped towards him, eyes wide and blinking. "W-wait, you can? But how? Oh, we're not supposed to go out in public -"

"We're not going to be leaving this building," Hitoshi got up and pushed the covers away, patting down his shirt and sweat pants. He nodded his head to the side. "Come on."

Izuku closed his laptop and scrambled to get up, hugging his computer to his torso and trotting after his friend like a lost puppy which. . . he kinda was at the moment. "Where are we going then?"

He pressed his finger to his lips, and immediately Izuku closed his mouth, frowning. Hitoshi cracked open the door to their room and peaked out into the living room. Aizawa was still lying face-down on the couch with his back slowly rising and falling in deep slumber. 

Hitoshi opened the door a little more and slipped outside. He beckoned Izuku to follow after him and he did, albeit a little reluctantly. They stepped out of the apartment and went down the steps. 

"Where are we going?" Izuku asked once more.

They reached a landing where the stairs descended into the other direction. Smooth wall encompassed all around them, save for a single light fixture on the wall before them. 

"Give me one second. . ." Hitoshi muttered and ran his fingers along the bottom of the round base. He smiled when he felt the gap. He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and procured a single, rectangular, plastic keycard that looked like it came straight out of a trading card game. He slipped it into the gap underneath the light fixture and waited. 

The light blinked out. Hitoshi grabbed the fixture and turned it ninety degrees before tugging it. 

Kachunk.

Izuku's jaw dropped as the entire section of the wall slowly began to move away. "Wha . . . ?"

Hitoshi rolled his eyes. "Come on, we haven't got all day."

He grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the room, as the wall slid back in place. It closed with a final rumble and plunged them into darkness. A beat passed. Then slowly, the room became gently illuminated as the lights dimmed back on. Izuku had to blink. There was a round table in the middle of the room, and a bunch of monitors that lined the wall across from them over an extensive console system. The two walls that flanked it were completely filled with rectangular drawers, reminding him eerily of a morgue. 

"What is this place?" Izuku dared to ask. 

"An information center," Hitoshi easily answered as he strode up to the console. "It's part of the Underground Hero Network. Every safehouse that's part of the organization has one, and it has complete access to every camera on this side of Hosu. Endeavor's agency is nearby, so it's likely that he and Shouto will be on one of the monitors."

"Oh my Kami," Izuku breathlessly whispered.

Hitoshi hummed, letting a small smile grace his face. "You said you wanted to see him live, and this is the best way to do it. Phones don't work here by the way. There's a scrambler for any mobile devices in this room, something about a security risk, so you won't be able to use social media to track him anymore. You can go to the other half of the monitors and flip through them, see if you can find Shouto."

"Right," Izuku mumbled, taking a seat and pulling up to a keyboard stationed there. "How do you flip through the cameras?"

"Press these two buttons - no, the one on the right - yeah, that one," He pointed out. 

Izuku tapped the keys and watched as the scenes changed on the monitors. He slowly familiarized himself with flicking through the cameras as Hitoshi did the same, although more deftly than he did. After a moment of careful searching, there was a chair squeaking as Hitoshi announced, "Found 'em."

His smaller friend practically flew over to his seat. Hitoshi bit back a laugh as he enlarged one of the camera shots on the screen. There, in the grainy footage, was the unmistakable towering form of Endeavor. Even the terrible fps of the video feed did nothing to obscure the glower on his flaming face, or the reserved nature of the bi-colored haired boy stiffly walking behind him. Pedestrians gave the duo a wide berth. Whether it was because of the intimidating aura that poured out of the Pro Hero in blistering waves, or because of they were in the presence of a widely known Hero was unknown. 

Though for Shouto's sake, it looks like a good thing. It didn't look like he'd respond positively to being swarmed by Endeavor's adoring fans right now. That pensive expression on his face was one Hitoshi had seen on himself every day until Izuku crashed into his life - the countenance of someone screaming to be left alone but couldn't vocalize it just yet.

"Okay," Izuku took a seat beside him without taking his eyes off the screen, muttering. "Do you know if these things can record?"

"Already on it," Fingers clacked over the keys as Hitoshi swiftly brought up the program. "Here. Press this button to start and this one to stop. You've got six minutes max of recording time, so make it count."

Izuku gulped. "Right. Hm . . . it's unlikely that Endeavor would do anything to Shouto while they're out in public like this. Maybe when they get to a more secluded area? Or maybe in the event of a villain apprehension? In any case, maybe I can cross-reference Endeavor's patrol route and look up the population density in those areas and run the probability of a crime occurring nearby - then again, maybe this is all just a wild goose chase and the only feasible evidence that we can obtain of Endeavor abusing Shouto is by investigating his estate -"

"Did you just say the Number Two Hero is abusing his own son?" 

Both teens jerked and whipped around. Well, Izuku swiveled around and nearly fell off his chair from the momentum, and Hitoshi slowly cranked his head away from the monitors with cold sweat breaking out of his back. 

They both stared at the tall figures of their slightly shocked, slightly furious, and thoroughly disappointed mentors. Hitoshi rubbed the back of his neck in shame. 

"I'll ask this again," Aizawa pushed himself off the wall and marched towards them. He stopped a foot away, enough to look down on the two teens and make them feel incredibly tiny underneath his dark glower. "Is Endeavor harming his son, the same student in my class, the one who has refused to open up to anyone this entire quarter semester until you two transferred in?"

Izuku opened his mouth.

"Unless you're intending to explain the situation regarding your friend and Endeavor, then I suggest you close your mouth." The man snapped.

Izuku immediately sealed his mouth shut. 

Aizawa sighed. "Problem Children. The both of you."

"Shou," Kayama warned. 

He shot her a quick glare. They both seemed to have a silent argument with each other, neither one of them letting the other gain ground, until the mood abruptly shifted around Kayama into something notably. . . darker. 

It seems that some sort of consensus was finally made because Aizawa sighed. "Fine," He took a seat at the table behind him. Kayama took the chair next to him and crossed her legs in a way that somehow read as threatening. Aizawa looked at them both dead in the eye before he started talking. "Now I know you two are good kids. So good, in fact, that you two can't stop throwing yourselves headfirst into everyone's problems and try to fix them. You're just as bad as The Problem Child, Shinsou, don't think you're exempt. You're an accomplice to all of The Problem Child's deeds."

Alright, fine, but still. Rude.

"So I am assuming that all of this," He lazily gestured to the room and monitors around them. "Is because you're trying to help Shouto out of a bad situation. Correct?"

Hitoshi let Izuku do the nodding for him. Aizawa took a deep breath. "Alright. Here is what we're going to do." 

A beat passed. 

"We are going to talk," Aizawa pointedly stated. "I am your homeroom teacher and a Pro Hero. I will do whatever it takes to get Shouto away from his father. If you think that I can't, then I hope you can remember what Principal Nezu is capable of."

Judging by the look on Izuku's face, Hitoshi can safely say that he knew exactly what the dog-mouse-bear being was capable of. 

"I can't promise you that we'll get Shouto away from Endeavor right away, or even completely away from that man," Aizawa blinked slowly. "But I can say with absolute certainty that UA is capable of getting him out of the house and won't stop until he's free at least. Is he in any immediate danger right now?"

"U-um," Izuku winced. "I-I'm not sure. He won't tell me much about wh-what it's like to train under Endeavor, j-just that i-it's extremely brutal. As long as he's in the public eye, then h-he should be fine."

"But behind closed doors is another story."

Izuku's lips pressed into a thin line, but he slowly nodded. 

Aizawa ran a hand through his hair and hissed. "Goddangit. I'll send a message to Nezu. He can make up an excuse to pull Shouto out of Endeavor's internship and place him under my care. I assume he won't be comfortable with any of us knowing about his situation?"

Izuku shook his head. "I-I'm the only one who is supposed to know. T-Toshi found out by accident."

 Aizawa nodded. "That's fine. We can plan around it. Shouto can tell us when he's ready, but if there are any life-threatening details that he won't divulge, then you must tell us for his sake. Clear?"

He hesitantly nodded. The tired man grunted. "Good."

A quiet buzz sliced through the tension. Aizawa fished out his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. "That was Nezu. He just responded. He's already making preparations to craft a cover story and told us to prepare Shouto's arrival."

Hitoshi frowned. "You have a signal here? I thought these rooms had a jammer."

Aizawa raised one eyebrow. "This base is most frequently used by both me and Nezu. He was the one who designed most of these bases to include an information center. And speaking of which - " He leaned forward and pressed his hands together, the curve over his mouth like the seriously annoyed teacher he is. "How exactly were you both aware that these rooms existed? The only ones that should be aware of these rooms are registered Underground Heroes. They are impossible to come across on accident. Especially considering you stole my keycard to access."

Aaaaaaaaaaaaand he's busted, Hitoshi forlornly thought, already sensing the incredulous look Izuku was pointedly trying not to send his way. 

"Shinsou?" The man's gaze turned to the young teen. It wasn't Izuku's fault he couldn't act to save his life. "Explain."

His hand reached up to the back of his neck and he turned away. ". . . I may have picked up a slightly less than legal hobby before coming to UA and stumbled across someone mentioning these rooms on an Underground Hero chat forum . . ."

Aizawa kept staring at him. ". . . You hacked your way into an Underground Hero Network forum? The ones that can't be accessed unless if you're registered with the Network? The same ones that have multiple firewalls that not even technoquirks can breach?"

Hitoshi felt his cheeks blush furiously. ". . . Yes?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Shinsou, I hope you realize just how dangerous this is-"

"I-I didn't give out any information I saw in the chats," He stammered. "No one knows that I know how to access those forums. I swear the only reason why I did it in the first place was because I wanted . . . to . . ."

Hitoshi looked down and mumbled the rest, hoping that no one could hear him. 

But of course, luck was never on Hitoshi's side, because Izuku's jaw dropped and he yelled, "Wait, you learned hacking so that you can fanboy over Underground Heroes?! Oh my gosh, this explains how you know so much about Underground Heroes and the cases they've been on! I just thought you were a really hardcore fan and found out on the deep web somewhere, but this makes so much more sense! I can't believe I met another avid Hero Spotter!" 

Hitoshi wanted to strangle his painfully oblivious friend. He took a page out of Izuku's book and groaned, burying his face into his hands. "Someone please end me."

Kayama snorted, holding back her laughter. Aizawa looked absolutely done with the situation. "This is the kind of behavior I expected from The Problem Child," He gruffly stated, like it was a reminder to himself and not to the rest of them. He sighed. "I'm not sober enough to deal with this shiz. Shinsou, when we get back to the apartment and get Shouto settled in, you and I are going to have a talk about what you've done, what information you've obtained, and how to use it legally."

His brow furrowed. "You won't tell me to stop?"

Aizawa leveled a deadpanned stare at him. "Do you want me to?"

"No Sensei," He quickly answered. "Uh, thank you, for, you know -"

Kayama cooed. "Aww, I'm so proud of you Shinsou! You're growing up to be a fine Problem Child!"

He blinked. " . . . Thank you?"

Aizawa groaned and massaged his temples. "Ugh. Kami. I need a drink after this. Let's go you two."

Shinsou breathed a sigh of relief. "Right," He murmured, pushing away from the console and standing up, ready to go back to bed and silently pray that tomorrow's training won't worsen because of this incident. Knowing his luck and Izuku's natural penchant for trouble, he can confidently say that it probably will.

And then the room exploded.

Chapter Text

Izuku screamed, dangling from the Nomu's claws as it sped through the burning sky. His eyes watered as the beating of the monster's muscled wings pushed acrid smog into his face, his hair painfully snapping his skin as the wind whipped it.

So. You're probably wondering how he got into this position. Frankly, Izuku was starting to see what Toshi and Aizawa-sensei meant when they say he was a trouble magnet. It was becoming less terrifying and more annoying at this point, but right now, he's content screaming his head off thank you very much.

Oh, no. Toshi's rubbing off on him more than he thought. He isn't sure when that happened, but if there is a moment in his life when he can accurately pinpoint everything going south, it would be this one right here. Dozens of feet above scorched pavement. Hoping that he does not become a smear on the tarmac.

It started with the safehouse exploding.

Izuku stumbled and nearly brained himself on the table as the ground shook. Midnight-sensei yelled something at him, but his ears were still ringing. He blinked and managed to tune back in.

"—with me! Let's go, kiddos, we're getting out of here!"

"Wait, hold on!"

"Problem Child, this isn't the time - !" Aizawa-sensei yelled.

Toshi pointed at the monitors and vehemently snapped, "Yes, it is! Look at what's happening on this camera!"

Immediately, three pairs of eyes snapped towards the screen. Aizawa-sensei swore. Midnight-sensei gasped.

There, on one of the monitors, was a crooked camera relaying captured feed of an alleyway from an awkward angle. 

With Native and Stain fighting. And Iida was running closer to the fight.

Aizawa-sensei jumped straight into action and rushed to the steps and out of the room. Hitoshi reached a hand out and yelled, "Wait, Sensei—!"

"Use the comms to direct me to the fight!" He barked as he slid his goggles down his face. "You have my permission to use the information center! Send backup! You are to stay with Midnight and listen to her orders."

Hitoshi hesitated, clearly conflicted, but his face cleared. He nodded resolutely and answered, "Yes, sir."

He whirled around right as Sensei ran up the steps, taking back his seat at the console and inspecting it. A switch, a program, and a few lines of code later, Hitoshi pressed down on an intercom. "Sensei? Can you hear me?"

"Give me a location."

Hitoshi flicked through the cameras. "Chi Avenue, keep going straight and take a right at the butcher shop. There's—what the fu-!"

A hulking figure leapt onto one of the screens and reared its head, belting out an ear-splitting shriek. Izuku's breath caught in his throat. Hitoshi blanched and whispered, "What the hell is that?"

"A Nomu, the mysterious monster that appeared during the villain attack on the USJ," Midnight-sensei gritted her teeth. "For one of them to appear here—"

"Th-there's three of them," Hitoshi stammered, rapidly cycling through the cameras. "Aizawa-sensei, did you catch all of that? None of them are near you, and they're already being taken care of by the other Pro Heroes, so—oh shi—!"