Chapter Text
It starts with a message, a ping that echoes out from Izuku’s computer. A tiny ding that plays like music throughout the room and wakes him from his slumber. Golden sunlight drips in from his window, shimmering off the poster set up on his wall, dark blue signature standing out against the pastel colorings.
Izuku stretches, reaching his hands up over his head and back arching with a loud pop! He slumps back against his bed, rolling over and clutching his blanket closer against his chest, grimacing. Last night had been spent at Kacchan’s house during dinner with his parents.
A fluttering warmth fills his chest, a sigh escaping him. The night wasn’t exactly long, but it was certainly tiring. Aunty Mitsuki and Masraou had been hammering him with a lot of questions of how he and Kacchan got back to communicating and how their relationship officially started. Gosh… He was dating Kacchan! What a weird turn of reality that his life was taken. It’s still hard to believe, ugh.
And then he and Kacchan had gone back to cuddle in his room and- and they’d kissed. Izuku groans, rubbing his hand over his face. He guesses that he’s not sure what he was expecting from a first kiss. Maybe somewhere romantic- on a date! With a gorgeous sunset and maybe on a farris wheel or- or-
Not just while they’re… chilling. In a plain ol’ room.
Kacchan’s room, but he digresses.
Somehow, he convinces himself to leave his warm and comfortable bed. His alarm is about to go off in a couple of minutes, he’s sure, but he’s too tired to really care, keeping his blanket bundled up around his shoulders as he trudges over to his computer, plopping down on the chair pushed into the desk. An old, worn out keychain rests against the side of his monitor. He’d like to keep it on his person, but the clip on the top was busted when he got it. He should have gotten a refund, he idly muses, logging into the computer and waiting for the site to boot up.
WannaBeAllMight
The site still gains a fair bit of traction every now and then. Izuku really doesn’t post very much, and yet there were people all over the world coming in to read his analysis. His inbox was constantly flooding with the requests of strangers, and sometimes, when he needed to scratch that itch of analyzing, he would indulge the- and he hates to say it- fans he has.
Fans. Of him! It’s still something he can barely wrap his head around. He lives in fear of the growing comment section under his every post.
[Chat]
GonnaBeAllMight
>> Oi, shitnerd, when are you leaving for UA
Izuku blinks down at his monitor, scoffing.
AllMight
>> You have such a way with words…
GonnaBeAllMight
>> Just answer the damn question.
AllMight
>> I don’t even get a good morning? :(
GonnaBeAllMight
>> Goodmorning.
> Hope you slept well.
> How are you feeling.
> When are you leaving
AllMight
>> !!
> <3
> I’m feeling ok! I’m still so… AUGHUGHUDHSG;H
> WE KISSED LAST NIGHTTTTTTT
> I’m dyingggggggggg
> You were so pretty T^T
GonnaBeAllMight
>> This was a mistake.
AllMight
>> You love it!!
> : )
GonnaBeAllMight
>> …
> Sure
AllMight
>> I’ll be leaving soon! Did you want to have breakfast together? Is that why you messaged?
GonnaBeAllMight
>> Don’t overthink it, fuckin hell
> I just cooked some extra shit for myself and wanted to see if you wanted some
AllMight
>> So sappy Kacchan…
GonnaBeAllMight
>> SHUT UP
AllMight
>> LOL
Izuku snickers as his computer pinged with a few more light insults. Despite what Kacchan says, Izuku has gotten amazing at seeing right through him! Part of it comes from them knowing each other their entire lives, minus the times they spent in conflict. The other part is from the time they spent.. Ah, together, without knowing who the other person was.
It’s weird thinking of GonnaBeAllMight as some faceless stranger now. It’s like, now that he knows the face behind the screen, he simply can’t imagine ever not knowing. He feels different, though, too.
There’s other ways that he’s changed.
He’s got a quirk, gifted by AllMight, the number one hero! He has an actual boyfriend and trusted friend in Kacchan now, instead of a bully that had created a years long rift between them.
He’s more confident, outspoken, and prepared.
And-
He’s also putting on his brand new school uniform trying not to pass out from nerves.
The gray fabric of the UA uniform looks weird when he glances in the mirror. It’s a starch contrast to the pitch black of the Aldera uniforms. It’s- friendlier, he supposes he could say. But also more, ah, professional. Well known. UA.
It’d been his dream to go there, back when he was still quirkless. He never would’ve imagined that he was going there like this, with Kacchan at his side and the entire world cheering his name. Maybe not his name, but his username. He was- known. By heroes, who’d discovered his posts. By police, who’d arrested those he deemed dangerous. And by villains, who understood the kind of upper hand he could give them if they just got him on their side. (Not that he ever would, of course.)
It’s comfier than he thought it would be. Stiff, in that it would take a few more wears before it felt natural, but doesn’t irritate his skin the same way new clothes typically do. It’s high quality, and he takes a moment to marvel at the fact that UA really doesn’t cut any corners. Wow!
He shuffles out of his room, packing his bags with books and pens and other back-to-school supplies that he could possibly need. He isn’t entirely sure of all of that which he needs to grab, but just kinda chucks everything in just in case. The last thing he wants is for him to need something in class and not have it!
He’s making his way towards the kitchen when he hears a light knocking at the door. Settling his bag on the couch, he goes to answer it.
It’s a bit lighter out when he opens the door, cool breezy morning ruffling his unkempt hair. The light is blocked out by a taller figure, one with blond hair and determined red eyes. He wears the same uniform as Izuku, and holds a brown paper bag in his hand.
“Kacchan!” Izuku perks up, eyes roving over his boyfriend’s(!!!) face. “What are you doing here?”
“Breakfast, stupid.” Kacchan grouches, shoving past him and into the house. Izuku splutters, tripping over himself to close the door and chase after the other, mentally kicking himself for the absolute mess that his kitchen is. Typically, his mother cleans it, but she’s been busy, and Izuku’s been stressed about UA! Everything’s kind of just- gotten out of hand. A little bit. “Ew. When was the last time yall cleaned?”
Izuku pouts, shame curling in his gut. “I-“
“Whatever.” Kacchan cuts him off, setting the paper bag on the table and going over to the cluttered countertop. “Eat. I’ll deal with this.”
Izuku cringes, “Kacchan… you don’t have to clean after me, I can do that myself.”
Kacchan doesn’t pay him any mind, back fully turned to him and engrossed in the new task he presented himself with. Izuku wilted, sinking into his seat and opening the bag to start eating the breakfast his boyfriend had brought over.
He drags a hand over his face, embarrassed. He hadn’t known that Kacchan would come over just on a whim like this! If he had, then he would have put more effort into making the house more presentable- fix up the counters, the table, the living room-
“Stop overthinking.” Izuku grumbles something back at Kacchan’s call, finishing the last of a breakfast sandwich. Kacchan still isn’t looking at him, arm deep in dishes that didn’t even smell that bad. “I can hear your thoughts from here.”
“Well can you stop listening.” Izuku mumbles, squinting at his boyfriend who just grunts something back in reply. Izuku frowns, shoving away his embarrassment for a moment to analyze the other boy in his house. There’s something… different. There’s a lack of usual banter, just quiet, overbearing silence.
Kacchan’s shoulders are tense, raised up by his ears. He washes the plates with a force that threatens shattering. He curses in a hissed breath when soapy water splashes on his uniform, but doesn’t move to pull away.
Izuku gets up from his chair, legs squeaking against the floor, and walks up to the counter, peering up at Kacchan.
Kacchan, whose brows are furrowed in a thin line. Kacchan, whose jaw is shifting from gritting teeth. Kacchan, who refuses to look at him.
Izuku stares down at his hands, letting out a breath. “You’re nervous too.” He observes, suddenly feeling a little lighter that he isn’t the only one daunted by the fact that they’re going to UA. The highest hero school in all of the country.
Kacchan shifts, expression tightening. The dishes clink in his grasp, before huffs a sigh, setting the dishes down and turning off the water, drying his hands on the towel hanging on the wall. “I ain’t fuckin’ nervous.”
Izuku raises a brow that earns him an eye roll when Kacchan finally turns around to face him. “You are!” He accuses, reaching out with his hands and holding his palms up. Kacchan stares at them for a beat, still, before slumping forwards, grabbing his hands. Izuku tries not to feel immediately flustered by the temperature difference between them- Kacchan runs a lot warmer, whereas Izuku’s fingers feel almost always encased in ice. The heat from the other’s hands sink into him, calming some of his nerves. Lowers his erratic heartbeat. “It’s ok, Kacchan. We’ve been training for this day! Besides- it’s, ah, just the first day. I’m sure they won’t have us doing anything too strenuous!”
Kacchan levels him with a flat look, “It’s UA, Izuku.” He croaks out, swallowing thickly, hunched in on himself. “But it’s not that that I’m fuckin’ worried about.”
Izuku cocks his head, blinking, “Then what’s going on? You can talk to me, you know.”
Kacchan nods, glancing away. “I know.” His voice is soft. Izuku thins his lips, wanting to press more, but the other boy really doesn’t seem ready to open up much more about whatever it is that’s bugging him. Clearly, it must really be getting under his skin if he came all the way to Izuku’s house to stress clean!
The time to leave comes all too soon. His mother greets them both, fixing their hair and muttering about things that surely have no purpose other than to share just a little bit more time with them before they set off to start their first day of high school. Another step in their life, one that’s terrifying and filled with millions of uncertainties.
They have to take the train, living too far away from the school to simply walk. They sit side by side in tense silence, bags slung over their shoulders and pinkies entwined. They only let go when they finally step off and the gates of UA’s entrance comes into view.
Students flutter about, filing in through the gates and swiping their IDs. Izuku grimaces at the crowd that’s formed, slowing in his stride. Kacchan doesn’t let him get too far, securing a hand around his arm and dragging him pitifully along. There’s just- so many people. It’s one thing to be known by millions online, it’s different to be thrust into a crowd of hundreds of random teenage students.
They get swiped in, pulled and tugged by the weight of the crowd. Chatter mutters lowly in their ears, cheers and greetings from old friends and new meetings. Izuku wonders idly who all is going to be in his class. He knows Shinsou and Shoto will be in there, two more friends that he had met through the WannBeAllMight website. So, at the very least, there should be some familiar faces.
Though, of course, it was the unfamiliar faces that were bringing him pause. Would the girl who saved him during the entrance exam be there? What about the robotic-like boy that he had briefly encountered just before the exam started? He had been rather intense… Ugh, hopefully he wasn’t in his class.
Jeez, now he’s wondering if there’s anybody from GonnaBeAllMight that knows him is going to be there! He hasn’t posted anything that’s identifying, as far as he knows, but what if he’s accidentally let something slip in the past? What if-
“Oi, stop overthinking, we’re here.” Kacchan interrupts him from his thoughts, bringing him to a halt in front of the large, towering 1-A door that guarded their homeroom. So lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t even realized that they’d traveled all the way here.
He breathes in deeply, squaring himself against the anxiety that has been following him all morning, sparing a glance at the other boy. This was ok, they’ve been through worse than meeting new people and growing futures. Whatever was on the other side of this door, they could handle it.
Izuku just had to trust that.