Chapter Text
Yagi Toshinori settles himself down into a seat in the viewing area for teachers and others watching the entrance exams. He feels, well, extremely out of his depth is a good word for it. Nedzu, however, thinks that the best bet for him finding a successor would be with a young hero in training who is still young enough to have a sudden and rare “Quirk Awakening”.
He supposes that it will be fine. The other Heroics teachers are set to help him with everything, but no one has really stood out to him yet. Though they do not know of One For All, just that All Might was looking for a protégé. Or that he was taking an interest in passing on his knowledge to the next generation of heroes.
Passing on One For All, it needs to be someone…
Well, he’s not sure. It’s like there’s a voice inside of him, one that sounds like Nana’s, saying that he’ll know when he sees them. He just hasn’t seen them yet.
Toshinori is so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn’t notice that Kayama and Kan, as they insisted upon introductions, took seats near him. Thankfully, he doesn’t startle so badly that he coughs up blood.
“Interesting new batch of kids this year,” Kayama purrs next to him. “And we have thirty-five seats to fill.”
Toshinori blinks, “I thought that there were only four recommendation spots. Wouldn’t it be thirty-six?”
“Normally,” Kan agrees. “But one of the teachers invoked a third entrance option. It’s a secret one so we don’t get harassed by prospective students, but it gets a kid into the Hero Course on a teacher’s recommendation. Nedzu-san would rather us not leave to focus on training an apprentice.”
Ah, well, that does make sense. Such tactics screamed of Nedzu’s practicality. The chimera was often loathed to part with teachers after he spent so long getting them to his exacting standards.
“In fact, I think the little ball of sunshine will be tagging along with his grumpy shadow,” Kayama says brightly. “I think the principal wants to see how his analysis does on the fly.”
As if on cue, the door opens.
“I’m telling you, Izuku,” grumbles Aizawa, slouching in. “I’m fine. I don’t need you to mother me.”
“It’s not mothering. Hizashi-san says you need to eat more solid food and not your nutritional jelly packets, Aikkun,” a teenage boy dressed in the uniform for Somei Private Academy says. He has his arms crossed with two furoshiki-wrapped bentos in each hand. Also, apparently quite brazen to calling Eraserhead by a cutesy nickname, though Kan and Kayama do not react to it. “Besides, Mom made it. Are you really going to say no to my mother’s cooking?”
The pair stare at each other. Aizawa’s eyes narrow into a glare that makes even Toshinori a bit nervous, feeling like a schoolboy in major trouble. The freckled boy with curly green hair merely raises an eyebrow, unphased and perhaps the slightest bit amused.
Eventually, Aizawa sighs.
“You know you don’t need to be so formal with Hizashi, right? He’d love a nickname from you.”
“It’s a work in progress,” the boy chirps. “Now take the food, Aikkun, and say thank you to my mother.”
The dark-haired man takes the wrapped bento, “Thank you to your mother.”
The child giggles brightly at that. It’s only then that he addresses the other adults in the room with that winning and warm grin.
“Hello Kayama-sensei, Kan-sensei! Please forgive the intrusion.”
“Oh it’s not a problem at all, Midoriya-kun,” Kayama pinches the boy’s cheek. He takes it with good grace. “It’s always fun watching you harass Eraser into taking better care of himself. This is Yagi Toshinori by the way. He’s…”
“All Might’s assistant,” gasps the boy with wide eyes. He turns to Toshinori and bows deeply. “It’s so nice to meet you, sir!”
Now that? That’s surprising. Most people don’t recognize him when he’s, well, himself.
“You know who I am?”
He thinks he hears Aizawa disguise a cough of fanboy, but Midoriya doesn’t look at the other man. Though there’s an air to the boy that says I am purposefully not letting you bait me right now as he keeps those bright green eyes focused on Toshinori.
“Oh yes! I mean technically you’re one of the most influential quirkless people in Japan! It’s very cool. I’m a big admirer myself,” he gives a bright sunshine grin. “I’ll be joining you on that list. Well hopefully.”
Toshinori connects the dots, “You’re the fifth student with a spot in the hero course.”
Midoriya blushes at that, “Aikkun insisted. I said I could take the tests, but he said they were illogical and dumb.”
“I didn’t call them dumb,” Aizawa replies from where he’s getting settled. He’s looking into the contents of the bento box and seems quite pleased with the selection. The that fact that he’s visibly pleased enough for Toshinori to pick up on it makes him wonder about the caliber of the food.
At that Midoriya looks over his shoulder toward the man, “It was heavily implied. And the fact that Hizashi-san can recite your speech about the inherent bias of the public entrance exam by heart.”
Toshinori did not know what to make of this friendship or mentorship between one of the most terrifying Underground heroes that he’s ever met and a chipper quirkless middle school student. He grabbed onto the one thing that made sense.
“And you’re…quirkless?”
The boy eyes him carefully, “I am. I plan on going into Underground Heroics. Or Twilight! Which usually has people with unusual quirks. I don’t want to go full Underground because I think people knowing there’s a quirkless hero out there is important.”
Toshinori swallows at that. Two animals are at war inside of him. One is the wounded animal that fought All For One and barely survived with the most powerful quirk in the world at his disposal. The other is a little quirkless boy, saddened by the death of his beloved mother, and desperately wanting to be a hero.
In this moment, it’s the little quirkless boy who wins.
“I wish you all the luck in the world, young Midoriya,” Toshinori says sincerely. “Aizawa is one of the best in Underground Heroics, you’re in fine hands.”
Midoriya beams at Toshinori.
And in his heart, he hears a chorus of voices say “he’s next”.
Oh dear.
“Oh! I need to go join Aikkun to watch the exams. It was so nice talking to you, Yagi-san!”
He bows to Toshinori quickly before scurrying over to Aizawa.
Toshinori does try to pay attention to the test, but his gaze keeps drifting toward the quirkless boy, scribbling away and mumbling under his breath.
It’s funny, Izuku thinks, how your life can change so drastically over the course of almost two years. He didn’t really know a lot of details about the court cases, most cases involving any remnants of Destro and his ideology tended to be handled quietly, but Aikkun looked thoroughly satisfied about whatever happened to Fujiwara-san.
Though honestly, Aikkun looked more satisfied at Aldera being shut down with the students being sent to different schools nearby and the villains hiding amongst the staff arrested. The only one who was able to cut a deal was Yama-san, who was always nice to Izuku and had fallen on some hard times which led to some of his more criminal dealings.
Aikkun reintroduced himself properly to Izuku’s mother along with getting her permission to train Izuku as his apprentice. He also introduced Izuku to Present Mic or Hizashi as the other man insisted. He still calls him “Shochan’s emotional support middle schooler”, which he doesn’t mind. Aikkun works very hard as a pro hero but needs more nudges from him and Hizashi-san to look after himself better. And his mom, who has made herself known as one of the more terrifying and competent nurses amongst the Heroics Ward staff at her hospital.
But things had been going very well. Izuku somehow got a scholarship to Somei for his remaining time in middle school. So, he got to be classmates with Toshichan and since the headmaster’s quirkless, no one cared that he was quirkless at all. It was an extremely freeing feeling, and it feels like it will be much the same as UA.
Plus, two of his other classmates Tenya-kun and Momo-chan were going to the Heroics course as well. Maybe they would be in the same class again! That would be so much fun! They both got very flustered when Izuku happily said that, but he wasn’t really sure why.
Toshichan just smirked when Izuku brought it up after school before linking their pinkies together and declaring that he wanted to get milkshakes.
(When Izuku brought it up to Mikuchan later, his friend just got flustered and muttered There has to be something in the water for future UA students and quirkless kids. And then he turned a brighter red when Izuku asked what he meant by that.)
Right before the Entrance Exams started for hero schools, Kacchan even came to apologize: a proper apology for everything. They both went to different middle schools now. But his Mom said that his childhood friend was in therapy and anger management. And Kacchan meant his apology when he came over too. He said he wanted to prove himself worthy of being Izuku’s friend again.
There’s nothing to prove though. At least, not to Izuku, Kacchan just needs to make sure that he doesn’t change back to a bully. That’s the only change he needs. Even if he didn’t see him every day, Izuku still thinks he knows Kacchan better than anyone. So he told his former childhood friend that he hopes that he can prove himself to it.
(All Izuku ever wanted was to be friends with Kacchan again anyway.)
Now he and Aikkun were heading out to get some dinner together, Hizashi-san had an interview for a new producer at the radio station and begged off.
“I’ll see you Sunday, Izuku,” the other man laughed, kissing Aikkun on the cheek. “And I’ll see you at home, grand love of my life. Pick me up a dessert.”
“Good luck with your meeting, Zashi.”
“You alright?” Aikkun grumbles, jostling Izuku out of his thoughts.
“Oh! Yes. I am. Sorry about that. That entrance exam was really impressive, huh?”
“Hmm. We’ll see in a classroom setting. Bakugou has definitely…mellowed at least.”
“If Kacchan ends up in your class, then you have to treat him nicely, Aikkun. Or, well, not nice but like every other student.”
His friend smirks. Izuku rolls his eyes.
“I’m nothing if not fair, Problem Child.”
“I do not cause problems on purpose.”
“No. And if you didn’t have the test results to prove it, then I would think attracting problems is your quirk.”
Izuku sticks his tongue out at that. Aikkun snorts.
“But you did well today. I’m sure Nedzu’s going to be dragging you in for private lessons by the second week.”
That does sound fun. Aikkun and his mom both said no lessons with Nedzu until he was a UA student officially. But he and the principal did play chess and go online. It was fun!
“We’ll still have lessons though, right?”
“Course,” Aikkun nudges his shoulder lightly. “I still got to twist you like a pretzel for yoga.”
Izuku groans, “You were a contortionist in a past life, I swear.”
His friend laughs as they walk down the road.
Shouta always enjoys the first day of school. No one ever believes him, except Hizashi but that’s because his husband knows him better than Shouta knows himself. It would be concerning, but he’s the same with his husband as well.
It comes down to fresh starts and new beginnings. He likes the idea of a clean slate, starting new. Maybe, this time he won’t be expelling all of his class. Like last year’s disappointments.
(Those damn kids thought it was funny to insult quirkless people-like Izuku-amongst other vile things that no hero should think and Shouta saw red.)
But this batch of students was not without potential, he’ll have to gauge more with the Quirk Apprehension Test. At the very least, there is an excellent spread of Rescue Points this year. Between that and Izuku’s detailed notes from watching them fight in videos from the Entrance Exam, the year promises to be an exciting one, if boisterous.
“You going to inchworm down the hallway in your sleeping bag?” Hizashi asks, sipping his thermos of tea to enjoy his final moments of peace before heading to his new 1-C homeroom.
“It’s tradition,” Shouta says. “And it helps with the situational awareness.”
“You also just like being the school’s Cryptid.”
“Obviously.”
Hizashi shakes his head and kisses Shouta’s forehead, “Have fun. Make sure you leave some kids in the class so Izuku has friends, alright?”
Shouta nods and begins inching down the hallway in his sleeping bag.
Izuku was going to definitely open the door to 1-A.
Yep.
Any minute now.
Mikuchan and Aikkun said that UA was different. They promised. And he had a nice time at Somei, he unlearned a lot of what he had to do to survive in the Aldera school system. But his therapist said that he had trauma, and it was the kind that didn’t go away. It just got easier to manage with time.
And there were knowns and unknowns beyond that door, Izuku knows how quickly things can change. There was safety at Somei and he wants to believe in the safety of UA as well. Just…
Well…
“Izuku?”
Izuku jumps and looks down at Aikkun, who is in his sleeping bag. His friend and now teacher looks up at him with tired eyes.
“Ai-Aizawa-sensei, um,” he says nervously. Goodness, that was going to take some getting used to.
“We’re not through the doors yet. You can still call me Aikkun for the moment.”
Izuku nods at that. He twists the spinner ring on his finger. It helps with his anxiety and to not twist his fingers like he does. He crouches down next to his friend, who is sitting up and has unzipped the sleeping bag partially.
Aikkun looks at him patiently, not pushing or forcing Izuku to speak. The words come easily with that familiar and comforting gaze on him.
“I’m a bit…scared? Because it’s just, I know some of my classmates. But I also don’t know a lot of them and I’m really scared that…” He makes a frustrated sound. “I don’t even know why I’m scared. Mikuchan and you say that UA is safe. And I had safe school with Somei, but now I’m…”
“Scared,” Aikkun supplies.
Izuku nods, “Yeah.”
His friend nods seriously, “Sometimes, emotions just aren’t rational or logical. Because they’ve been wounded before and they only know that pain and hesitance for it. But this is your dream. And you have me watching your back. You also have Shinsou, Iida, and Yayorozu. Hell, you’ve even had Bakugou probably. I think it’s going to be good. Because you’re already a brave person for others.”
Aikkun gently pokes his chest.
“Now use some of that bravery for yourself.”
Izuku tears up a bit, wiping his eyes at the sudden welling of tears in them.
“Crybaby,” Aikkun teases lightly.
“Oh, shush you,” he says. “Could…I know you probably have some sadistic horror show of an entrance plan. But could you walk in with me?”
His friend shakes his long black hair in amusement.
“Sure. I can always do my sadistic horror show of an entrance tomorrow. Lull the little darlings into a false sense of security.”
Izuku laughs at that, drying the last of his tears.
But the two of them stand up, Aikkun rolls up his sleeping bag and Izuku grips the straps of his backpack.
Together, they open the door and step in.