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Chapter Text

It was a rainy summer evening and the majority of Class 1a (plus Shinsou) was hanging out in the common room of their dorm. Bakugou, Shoji and Aoyama were in their rooms doing their own things but the rest of the students were chatting amongst themselves peacefully.

Yaoyorozu and Sato were in the kitchen making tea and hot cocoa for anyone who wanted some and Hagakure helped with handing out all the mugs. Kirishima,Iida, and Sero were sitting on the largest sofa facing the TV (which was currently off) with Tokoyami perched on one of the arms of the couch. On another couch, Tsuyu, Jiro, Mina and Uraraka sat together snuggly, with Tsuyu and Uraraka sharing a blanket. Midoriya and Todoroki sat together in an armchair, also sharing a blanket (with all mights face plastered on it). Kouda and Ojiro sat in individual beanbad chairs while Kaminari and Shinsou shared one (bean bag chairs made by Yaoyorozu) each spread out through the common area.

Mineta sat on the ground.

Some people were talking about school and homework (well, Iida mostly) and others were just conversing about how their day went as Hagakure went around handing out drinks to people.

“Yeah! It was like as big as my palm! SO scary!!” Mina exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear. “What are you talking about Ashido?” Kirishima asked, leaning over the side of the couch almost enough to fall off the edge.

“Oh! Earlier I saw this HUGE spider in my locker when getting my stuff. It freaked me out so when I saw Midori leaving and I asked him to put it outside.” The majority of the students looked surprised and turned towards Midoryia. He hadn't been listening to the conversation and looked especially startled when half the class was suddenly staring at him. “Deku, you're not scared of spiders?” Uraraka asked, sipping her cocoa. “Bugs creep me out.”

“First of all, they're arachnids. A-and I'm not afraid of them r-really.” He stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Spiders just don't bother me a-all that much. In a way they're kind of interesting”

“Huh, I wouldn't have pinned you as the type to like spiders Midoryia.” Iida stated. Shinsou nodded to Iida's comment. “Yeah Midoryia. I mean, I understand where you're coming from but even I'm uncomfortable around spiders.”

Nearby, Kouda shuddered “I agree, I really don't like bugs.” He signed “They're okay sometimes, but I prefer other animals over insects.”

“I don't mind bugs.” Everyone was now facing Jiro who seemed to be surprised at the fact that so many of her classmates were scared of insects. “Same.” Tsuyu agreed as she held her tea while sitting next to Jiro. “They're not all that bad, ribbit.”

“Why does this matter so much?” Midoryia asked. “They're just animals, right?”

“YEAH BUT THEY'RE CREEPY!!!” Mina shouted, instantly gaining everyone's attention. After noticing everyone looking at her, she slumped down in her seat, slightly embarrassed. “I’m kinda gonna have to side with Ashido on this one, Midorya.” Kamanari said, taking a sip of his hot cocoa “Sure I'm not the most scared of spiders but you've gotta admit that they're at least a bit weird.”

“We've fought against villians on multiple occasions and you're afraid of a small little spider?” Todoroki said flatly.

“Yeah, well what are you afraid of Todoroki?” Mineta said smugly, crossing his arms. “What is the resident pretty boy scared of?” Everyone glared at Mineta and Kamanari proceeded to smack him in the back of the head.

Todoroki looked down at the tea mug in his lap. “I don't like heights.” He said quietly as everyone's head's snapped up, away from Mineta. “Huh.” Sero said “Who would've guessed.”

Todoroki looked embarrassed and most people seemed to notice. “It's alright Todoroki.” Yaoyorozu said, walking into the common area, holding her tea mug “ I, myself am not very fond of heights.”

“Whaaaaaat!! Momo! I never would have thought you didn't like heights!” Hagakure said, supposedly standing next to Yaoyorozu, judging by the floating mug and pajamas. “Yeah…” Yaoyorozu muttered, slightly blushing. “I also feel unnerved when flying in an airplane.”

“I don't like airplanes.” Tsuyu said “Or small areas in general. I'm kind of claustrophobic.”

“Me too!” Hagakure chimed in “Although, it's more specifically when I'm in large crowds. I don't like so many people around me. I'm scared that I'd get lost.”

“I don't like being around people.” Shinsou said. Everyone faced him blankly. “Dude, we're becoming heroes. It's kind of a priority to be around people.” Kamanari stated

“ Plus, you're here with us now. How is that any different?” Kirishima asked, still looking confused. Shinsou shook his head “I dunno how to explain it. It's more like that I don't like strangers. And sure I don't like people but I want to be able to save them.” He said “It's different with you guys.”

“Awwwwww! Shinsou loves us!” Mina said sweetly.

“No.” Shinsou grumbled. But it was too late, everyone was now cooing about how Shinsou loved them. He put his head in his hands in frustration, but really under that, he was smiling.

Everyone continues to talk about what they were afraid of. Some were obvious while others were surprising. Kouda and Mina were afraid of bugs, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were afraid of heights, Hagakure, Tsuyu and Shinsou didn't like crowds or small spaces, Uraraka was afraid of needles, Sato and Tokoyami were afraid of clowns, Kirishima was afraid of the dentist, Jiro was afraid of the ocean (drowning specifically), Kaminari, Iida and Sero were afraid of the dark, Ojiro was afraid of snakes, and Mineta… well nobody cared what Mineta was afraid of.

“Hey Midoriya, what are you scared of?” Tsuyu asked plainly. Midoriya looked up, processing the question (he had been writing in his notebook for the majority of the conversation). He put his index finger on his chin while thinking of his answer.

“I think my biggest fear is being forgotten.” Midoriya said, putting his hands in his lap. “All my life I've always wanted to make an impact on the world. To help people. Now that I'm at UA, I can make that dream a reality. A-and don't get me wrong! Saving people is my top priority and I don't need any recognition for it at all. It's enough to know that I've helped someone but…” he trailed off for a second “If it turns out that in a few years after I'm...gone, that nobody remembers me. It's almost like I wasn't there to begin with. It's almost as if I didn't matter. That no one even cared about me in the first place.”

The room was silent. Midoriya was looking at the notebook in his lap but didn't seem to see it. Like in that moment he wasn't entirely there. He was smiling weakly, the corners of his mouth faltering a bit and he looked… sad, almost pained in a way. Midoriya then smiled brightly and looked up and the moment was gone in a second as if it never existed. “Well at UA I probably won't have to worry about that anymore!” He said cheerily. “I have friends and it's much better now.” everyone was still looking at Midoriya as he closed his notebook and stood up. “Well, I'm headed to bed. Goodnight everyone!” He said with a smile that looked strangely forced. Everyone said goodnight as the greenette walked out of the room. A few seconds pass in silence before Todoroki decided to break it.

“'It's much better now ’” Todoroki said, head's turning his way. “What?” Kirishima asked, confusedly. “He said 'it's much better now .’ Like as if it wasn't okay before.” Todoroki replied, as Bakugou walked into the room.

“Hey Bakugou.” Mina said, approaching the explosive teen. “Whaddya want, I'm busy.” He growled. “You went to school with Midori before UA right? Did he have a hard time in school or have any bullies or anything?” she asked. When Mina asked that to Bakugou, no one expected much of an answer. Maybe someone picked on him every now and then or he struggled with his grades something along those lines. Something simple.

Oh boy were they mistaken.

“Everyone hated him.” He said bluntly.

“Excuse me?” Yaoyorozu said, not believing what she heard.

“Everyone hated him and everybody knew it.” Bakugou repeated, with a tinge of pain in his voice, almost barely noticeable. “Up until UA, nobody thought the nerd had a quirk, not even him. So until highschool, Deku was a quirkless nobody.” If the shocked expressions of his classmates were anything to go by, Bakugou knew that Izuku hadn't told them anything. Not very surprising for that Deku actually.

He continued “The bastard was bullied and basically used as a punching bag all his life. The idiot didn't even stand up for himself, he always just got back up again.” Before he realized it, Bakugou's hands were curled into fists and were shaking at his sides. "He didn't stand up for himself and nobody stood up for him. There were only people who tolerated him and even then they wouldn't do shit to help. He'd always get himself involved in other people's shit when they got targeted and got himself hurt in the damn process. Fucking Deku didn't have any friends until UA. Hell, I'm betting round face was the first friend he's had since preschool.” Some people turned towards Uraraka who looked absolutely mortified. “Now fuck off and leave me alone. I've got shit to do.” Bakugou grabbed a mug off of the kitchen counter and headed towards his room.

Everyone seemed unnerved in that moment. No, not unnerved. Utterly horrified. How could Midoriya, the kindest and most caring student of the class, the bravest, most heroic student and the kid who was almost self sacrificing to a fault, how could he have been bullied all his life and still smile brighter than the sun? They remembered Midoriya mention that he hadn't had the best childhood but he never said it was this bad. With what they heard just a moment ago, too many things started to fall into place.

After that night, his classmates began to take notice of Midoriya's strange behavior and finally things began to click. There were so many signs and everyone mentally face palmed themselves for not noticing sooner.

It was the simple stuff that usually went unnoticed. Stuff like his usual stutter or flinching when there were sudden loud noises. His classmates just brushed it off as 'typical Midoriya behavior' but with their newfound knowledge of his past, it was now clear that wasn't the case.

There were also other signs that pointed to the fact that Midoriya's past still affected him to this day.

The first sign: He has self esteem issues

Well, issues is putting it lightly. Midoriya often tended to break down his self worth constantly and believed that other's lives were drastically more important than his. Every hero should want to put civilians and other's lives above themselves sometimes to make sure they're safe, but being willing to die for another person without a second thought is going was too far. He was not only selfless, but self-sacrificing, which could easily end up in him getting horribly injured (again).

The second sign: He never accepts kindness towards him

Every time somebody would compliment him or praise him for his accomplishments, Midoriya would brush them off as if they were nothing. Like he couldn't acknowledge the fact that he did well. Gifts, nice words and other kind gestures would be denied by him because he thought he wasn't worthy of them. One time, Jiro and Midoryia were at a music shop just hanging out, when a low level villain attacked nearby. There were no heroes in sight and the man was getting away with a thrift shop's cash register a little too quickly. Since the two students had their provisional licences already, they were able to detain the man easily.

Afterwards, the police were congratulating and thanking them for their help. Even with a whole crowd of people around telling him that he did a great job, Midoriya refused to accept the fact that the compliments and thanks were directed towards him. "It was Earphone Jack that really did all the work." He had said, "She reacted quickly enough for me to tie up the villain after using her quirk on him."

The third sign: He hates loud noises

On the battlefield, those sounds were expected and there were people to save as well as villains to defeat, so the greenette didn't react to them as much during a fight. But, when it is in a casual situation and there is a sudden loud noise, he seems to curl in on himself and holds back the urge to cover his ears. There was one game night in particular that most seem to remember. Most members of the class were hanging out in the common room and after finding out Todoroki had never played a videogame before, Kirishima declared a Mario Kart tournament would be held that very moment.

The first few rounds were used to teach the heterochromatic teen how to play, but after that, a war began to take place. Hours went by with everyone taking turns playing the game, four players at a time. Whoever won each game would move onto the next round. The final contenders consisted of Bakugou, Sero, Asui, and (surprisingly) Yaoyorozu. The players were lined up and the game started. Most of their classmates were engaged in watching the contest while a few others sat on the sidelines, maybe tuning in every now and then. Midoriya was one of the ones who decided to mostly say out of the commotion, instead choosing to finish his homework. It was a heated battle, but in the end it was Momo who came out victorious. Once she crossed the finish line, all hell broke loose.

Sero, Bakugou and the rest of the Bakusquad threw their hands in the air in frustration. Uraraka and Tokoyami congratulated Tsuyu on getting into the finals and the rest of the onlookers cheered for Yaoyorozu excitedly. While this was going on, Asui noticed a particular green head in her peripherals. In his chair, Midoriya's hands were clamped around his ears and his fingers dug into his hair, pulling at the strands. His eyes were shut tightly and on his face he wore a distressed expression. His knees were climbing up to his chest as he further curled in on himself. After breaking away from the crowd, Tsuyu made her way over to the teenage boy as quickly as she could.

"Midoriya?" She asked as quietly as she could over the background noise. He didn't seem to be responding to her and still had his hands over his ears. When she looked closer, Asui saw how he was shaking. Not good.

At that moment, Todoroki noticed the situation and broke away from the crowd as well. After a second of surveying the situation, he decided to gently put his had on the other boy's shoulder. Green eyes snapped open and Midoriya jumped, as he proceeded to punch Todoroki's stomach, powered with One for All. The taller boy flew across the room, smacking into the closest wall with a crack as he fell to the ground. At this point, everyone's attention was torn away from the game night and was now on Midoryia's situation.

The freckled boy was now beginning to snap out of his stupor and was realizing what he had just done. He inhaled sharply and his hands went up toward his mouth. Some of the class went to help out Todoroki while others were still momentarily in shock. Tsuyu, Uraraka and Mina began to comfort Midoriya, as his hands still covered his mouth and his eyes wide like saucers while he whispered "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Over and over, seemingly to himself.

In the end, Todoroki was fine but Iida insisted he took a trip to Recovery Girl just in case. Midoriya had calmed down but still felt overwhelmingly guilty and apologized profusely. Todoroki told the shorter boy that he should have known not to touch him without consent and that it was his mistake, so Izuku shouldn't feel bad about it.

But he did.

Nobody really knew how the situation began except for Asui and Todoroki, but even then they didn't really know what was wrong. Whenever they asked Midoriya about it, he would say that the whole situation was fuzzy in his memories but after a little while of talking to him, they managed to get out that he wasn't fond of loud noises. But that was all they ever got.

The fourth sign: He flinches at sudden movements

Whenever something is thrown his way or somebody makes a move towards him quickly, depending on the situation he could barely tense up or he could jump ten feet in the air. Some of his classmates teased him about it playfully but didn't really think much of it. Chalking it up to his typical behaivor again. On a Friday afternoon, Mr.Aizawa passed out their grades quizzes back to the students. Mina and Kaminari groaned when they saw their grades while Sero sympathetically patted their backs. When Kirishima got his paper back, the redhead perked up when seeing his 80% score. Nearby, Midoriya sat in his chair, waiting to receive his quiz sheet. When it was handed to him, he smiled. Kirishima peeked over at the green head's paper and...

100%!?

I mean, Ejirou knew the guy was smart but this was an especially hard quiz! Even Yaoyorozu only got 95% on hers! After this internal conflict subsided, the redhead decided to congratulate the other teen. After getting out of his seat he called out for the freckled boy. "Hey, Midoriya!" He said as the boy in question looked over at him "Nice job on the quiz! I only got an 80." The greenette smiled "That's alright Kirishima, I'm sure you'll do better next time." He said kindly. Ejirou rubbed the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly "Ah, I'm not sure. I don't understand quadratics at all. Math was never really my strong suit." He admitted.

The shorter boy looked thoughtful for a moment before asking Kirishima is he wanted to study with him. "Really?" He asked excitedly "You would do that for me?" Midoriya nodded, still smiling. "Yep! I think i-it could be fun." The standing boy's eyes filled with manly tears as he mouthed 'Bro!' to the other teen before holding up his hand for a high five, a second later. As he went in to high five his friend he stopped midway when Ejirou realized the other boy's shoulders had tensed up and his head was turned to the side, eyes shut. Kirishima suddenly felt guilty and put his hand down. "Midoriya? Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. The sitting teen opened his eyes again and faced Ejirou. "O-Oh, sorry. Bad habit." Midoriya stuttered "I'm a bit t-tired right now, heh. A-Anyway, how about we study on Saturday i-if you have nothing planned?" Kirishima just nodded, a worried expression on his face. Midoriya let out an 'ok' as he grabbed his things and got up to leave. Ejirou could only wonder why his friend tensed up at his high five as if he were going to attack, as he watched the green haired boy exit the classroom.

Even with all of that, there were still a lot more signs that proved the so called "problem child" was hiding more than he let on.

With all these things that his friends noticed, it was about time they did something about it. From that moment on, Class 1a (plus Shinsou and a few others), made it their mission to help Midoriya. This is the story of how the "Deku Protection Squad" was formed.

Chapter Text

Izuku has no idea what is going on.

It was about a week after the night the class had talked about their fears and ever since then, there have been so many 'slight' changes in his friend's behaivors that it was no longer as subtle as they'd like to believe.

For starters, not only did he get more encouragements and compliments almost daily, but he started receiving gifts from his peers as well! On monday, Sato handed him a container of cute little cupcakes with bunny designs in frosting on the top. On Tuesday, Todoroki gifted Izuku a new limited edition All Might figurine (which was very expensive, mind you). Izuku first didn't accept the gift, saying that it was far too expensive to waste that money on him, which Todoroki replied with "I used Endeavor's money to buy it." and Izuku was much less reluctant in taking the present. This pattern had been repeated every day, where he sometimes even received two or three gifts a day.

Disregarding all of those things, Kaminari and Sero had lightened up on their teasing significantly. Izuku doesn't have the slightest clue as to why though. He hadn't said anything about it because it doesn't really bother him. It's a hundred times better than what the people at his old school said on a daily basis. His friends now did it playfully, not intending to hurt like his old classmates did. The jokes were also dispersed evenly among their groups, not targeting a specific person.

There was also a small indecent yesterday that added to his confusion even more. Once again, most of the class was gathered in the common room for a game night. Though this time the game was Uno. Since they only had one deck, everyone took turns playing. Yaoyorozu could have made another deck but it's more interesting with one deck where everyone watches the purge, I mean game, go down. But this wasn't the confusing part, oh no. After about three games, Kacchan had been getting increasingly more frustrated. Everyone was supposed to take turns, but after losing to Jirou in the first round, he refused to stop playing until he won. He hadn't won a single game yet.

"HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU EXTRAS BEATING ME AT THIS GODDAMN GAME?!"

"It's not a game Bakubro, it's a bloodbath."

Izuku winced and felt himself curling up already. He hated this reaction but couldn't help it.

"SHUT THE HELL UP SHITTY HAIR!"

Kirishima proceeds to hold up a blue reverse card. "No u."

"YOU MOTHERFUC--"

"Bakugou!" Uraraka said harshly as the blonde's head snapped towards the brunette. "Remember our agreement?" She said while leaning forward. Crimson eyes momentarily flashed over to Izuku as Kacchan grumbled something incoherent while holding his cards closer to his chest. Izuku couldn't believe his eyes. Did someone just tell him to calm down and he listened??

How was this possible? Was he brainwashed? Was this a copycat? Oh god what if Toga got into the Dorms again. Last time she tried stabbing Izuku in his sleep by disguising herself as Todoroki and he wouldn't want that to happen again. Maybe he's just in a good mood? Well, at least as good as a mood as Kacchan can be in. He was playing games with them so it isn't too farfetched. Oh! What if--

"Stop your fucking muttering nerd, it's pissing me off."

Oh. Izuku snapped his mouth shut. He had been talking out loud again. Ahem. Anyway...Kacchan's actions were strange, and no matter what the cause, it was strange behavior.

All of these things building up to today have been contributing to an exponentially more confused Izuku.

What in the world is going on?

_____

"What are you all doing?"

The class froze and looked at Shouta. They had just finished a training excercise and Midoriya was injured while pushing Hagakure out of the way from some falling rubble. He was currently in the nurse's office while the rest of his peers returned to class.

"W-What do you mean, Aizawa-sensei?" Mina asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose."I mean why are you all confusing Midoriya to the point of where he believes that Bakugou has been brainwashed." The class looked at eachother and winced. "We aren't trying to confuse him or anything, it's just..." Uraraka trailed off, not sure of what to say before Asui finished the sentence for her. "We've decided to make a 'Deku protection squad', to help him feel safer with us." she croaked. All of her classmates' attention snapped towards her. "Asui!!" Kaminari said harshly. "He was going to find out anyways, ribbit, so it would be better to tell him now instead of later." Most of the class hummed in agreement and settled down.

Shouta was rendered momentarily speechless. He would rather deal with Hizashi on coffee than this. Wait, he takes it back. The last time his husband drank Shouta's coffee, he ended up destroying their dining table. How Hizashi managed to do it, nobody knows. Anyways...

"A 'Deku Protection Squad'?" He asked flatly. "Yes sir! It has come to our attention in the last few days that Midoryia is not always the most comfortable in the dorms during certain times." Iida stated, waving his arms around "And as the class president as well as his friend, it is my duty to make sure Midoriya and everyone else feels safe and welcomed in our enviroment." The silence lasted a good thirty seconds, growing increasingly more tense.

"I want in." He said.

"What??" His entire class yelled simotaniously. "I want in." He repeated "The kid needs to learn his worth. He's incredibly reckless and is going to hurt himself severely one day...again."

"Huh." Kirishima huffed "Who woulda known."

"Plus, you all are awful at making the adjustments casual. He's more observant than you give him credit for and you'd drive him mad without me."

"Yaaay!! Mr. Aizawa joins the squad!" Hagakure chirped

"So uh, so far we have Class 1a, Shinsou and Aizawa-sensei. That makes-" Sero stopped mid-sentence when increasingly loud footsteps were heard getting closer to the classroom. Suddenly, Hizashi burst in through the door and shouted "LET ME JOIN TOO PLEASE!!" with his quirk, before Shouta decided to put an end to the madness. "Hizashi, I swear to god if you yell another word, I'll kick you out of our apartment this instant." he said, activating his quirk for further emphasis.

Shouta saw the loud man shrink in his place with a guilty smirk. "Y-Yeah, so I heard what you little listeners were saying about the green bean protection club and I want to be a part of it!" His husband said proudly. "how did he hear us all the way from his classroom?" Kaminari said under his breath.

"Wait, Yamada-sensei, don't you have a class right now?" Ojiro asked. "Yep!" Hizashi said while grinning, still not leaving the doorway. "So am I in or no?" He asked curiously. A few kids looked at eachother and nodded. "I don't see why not." Yaoyorozu said enthusiastically "Welcome to the 'Deku protection Squad' Yamada-sensei!" The blonde teacher smiled brightly and clapped his hands together to bid the class farewell, as he ran back to his other class.

Just a few seconds pass when Midoriya pokes his head through the classroom door. "Uhh, why did I just see Yamada-sensei running down the hallway?" He asked.

Shouta is seriously considering retirement at this point.

_____

Toshinori had just finished making himself some tea in the teacher's lounge, when Present Mic crashed into the door, effectively causing Toshinori to spill his drink.

"AAAAAAALLLL MIIIGHT!!!" the shorter blonde yelled while skipping towards Toshinori. "What is u-" Present Mic stopped short when he saw the other teacher's predicament. Chamomile tea now stained the carpet next to the couch.

Aizawa's favorite sleeping spot.

"Ahh, sorry about that All Might." the loud hero said sheepishly. Toshinori smiled back while collecting napkins to clean the mess "It's quite alright, Yamada. I have more tea brewing anyway." he replied. "Well, at least let me help clean up!" Present Mic said as he grabbed the napkins from Toshinori's hands. The older man sighed "It is really no trouble at all. But if you insist..." The younger teacher gave him a thumbs up and started scrubbing the floor.

"If I may ask, why is it that you came to the teachers lounge in such a rush?" Toshinori questioned. The other hero perked up at the question and looked to Toshinori. "Oh! Right! The 1a kiddos decided to start a group dedicated to helping the little broccoli boy! They told me to ask you because they thought you may be interested in joining." It took a few seconds to process what Present Mic had just said. 'little broccoli'...Oh!

"You mean young Midoriya?" Toshinori asked as Present Mic nodded "Not that I don't want to join, but why me specifically?" At this, the other teacher actually laughed. "All Might, I admire ya I really do, but you're a blockhead." He said while throwing away the dirty napkins "Everybody and their mother knows he's your favorite." Toshinori felt his face turn red "W-Wha- No! I-I don't-" he spluttered as the other man laughed maniacally in the background. "Admit it bud. I'm not the brightest when it comes to reading a situation or connections, but even I can tell you two have some kind of connection. Half the time I see you both, you're acting like father and son!" Toshinori covered his face, not able to reply.

"What have you done now Hizashi?" A gruff voice said from the door. Toshinori's head snapped up to see Aizawa standing in the frame of the door with an empty coffee mug in one hand, sleeping bag in another. Present Mic chuckled "Just told him of the Protection Squad's invite." Aizawa grunted and made his way over to the coffee pot and began preparing himself a drink. "... He's not wrong when he talks about your relationship with Midoriya ya know."

At this comment, Present Mic started cackling again as he held his stomach upon seeing Toshinori spit blood and choke out an 'AIZAWA!' , voice cracking in multiple places. The insomniac grinned as he made his way over towards the couch, newly brewed drink in hand. Mic, still laughing hysterically in the background. Upon reaching the couch, Aizawa froze, looking at the ground.

"...why is my spot stained?"

_____

If you asked Koji, when Midoriya entered the classroom, he looked absolutely horrible.

His hair was tangled beyond repair, uniform wrinkled, tie askew, and eyebags dark enough to rival Aizawa's. Nobody really noticed him at first but it didn't last long before everyone saw his condition.

"Hey, Mido- oh my god, are you alright?" Heads turned with Kirishima's question, earning a couple of silent gasps along with it. "M'fine." He mumbled, taking his seat. The redhead raised an eyebrow "Really?" Midoriya nodded a small bit, eyes closed "Just stayed up a bit too late last night." He slurred. Before anybody else could ask anything further, Aizawa-sensei arrived to class and began the lesson.

Throughout the class, various students shot worried glances toward the greenette. And although Koji wasn't the closest to Midoriya, it was still concerning to see his friend in that state. He's almost certain that the reason why the short boy was so tired had nothing to do with him staying up 'a bit too late'. When classes ended for the day and everyone got their things, Koji decided to stay behind to wait for Midoriya. Not for any real specific reason, just to make sure he got back to the dorms safely. Yeah. Let's go with that.

He had to wait outside of the classroom for a minute because Aizawa-sensei told Midoriya to stay behind to talk. Not really surprising considering he was now a member of the 'Deku Protection Squad'. Koji did wonder what they were talking about though...

_____

When class ended, Izuku sluggishly gathered up his things and headed to the hallway in a daze. "Not you Midoriya. We have some things to talk about." He looked behind him and there stood Mr.Aizawa, arms crossed and leaning on the his desk. Izuku kept his head low and walked over to his teacher. "Yes, Aizawa-sensei?" He asked groggily. His teacher's eyes narrowed which made him tense a bit. "What's going on?" He asked. Izuku tilted his head a bit "Huh?" The older man sighed and uncrossed his arms "What caused you to be so tired that you almost fell asleep in class, multiple times. You look dead on your feet, Midoriya." Izuku kept his head low and winced. He had been studying for the majority of the night because he couldn't sleep and when he finally did, he woke up from a nightmare. Not very pleasant.

"I-I was just stayed up too late l-last night. That's all." The underground hero got off of his desk and walked towards Izuku. Resisting the urge to step back, he looked up at his teacher. Aizawa's eyes were filled with many emotions. Some emotions were unreadable. His gaze was laced with annoyance, confusion... but mostly concern. "If you don't want to talk to me then that's alright, as long as you speak to somebody about this." The silence seemed to stretch in for hours before Izuku let out a reluctant "Okay. Thank you." And left the classroom.

He stared at the floor and tried making his way to the dorms when he bumped into Kouda. "Oh. Sorry." Izuku said, regretting his tone. When he looked at Kouda's face, it wasn't annoyance that he saw, but kindness and empathy. "Hi, Midoriya", he signed "hey, can you close your eyes for a second? And hold out your arms too please." Izuku was confused but obliged. He trusted Kouda anyway but in the moment he was too tired to really contemplate the consequences. He heard rustling before a ball of fluff was placed in his arms. He flinched at the touch but quickly realized the thing in his arms was alive. He opened his eyes, and in Izuku's arms was a bunny with a golden coat and blue eyes. "Wha-" he started, while looking to Kouda "How-?" He stopped when the other boy held up a hand, signaling for him to stop. " You can give her back tomorrow, but if you still need her longer then tell me." the taller boy signed, before walking away.

Izuku stood there, silent, bunny in his arms, for a solid minute before completely taking in what just happened.

Kouda.
Just handed him.
A
Rabbit.

Izuku looked down at the aforementioned rabbit and held it tight. The bunny snuggled up to the greenette and he smiled. A year ago, he would his classmates would taken advantage of Izuku's tired state to hurt him, not help him. He had some really good friends now, didn't he?

_____

""Now where did he go??"

Shouta was walking to the front of the building when he heard the familiar voices of his students.

"He should be around here somewhere, ribbit."

When he rounded a corner, there he saw Uraraka and Asui searching for something. Or more accturate, someone. "Who are you looking for?" He asked, almost smiling at how Uraraka jumped. He loves his students but with all their antics, he deserves the right to scare them. "A-Aizawa-sensei!" She stuttered "We were just looking for Deku. He seemed a bit.. (what's a nice way to say it?)... out of it? And we wanted to make sure he was okay." Shouta hummed "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry for now." He said to the girls. They looked at eachother, confused. "What do you mean by that Aizawa-sensei?" Asui asked, finger on her chin. Shouta just grinned and signed for the others to follow him.

He led them to the school's courtyard and pointed to a specific tree. Underneath it, Shinsou sat, reading a book...with Midoriya sleeping on his shoulder with a rabbit in his lap. There were flower petals getting in their hair from the cherry blossom tree above them, but neither seemed to care. Uraraka and Asui 'aww'ed at the sight which caused Shinsou to notice them. Once he did, his face flushed and he shook his head. Uraraka replied with an evil grin and by pulling out her phone while nodding. She proceeded to take a picture of the two cuddle buddies and send the photo to the new 'Deku Protection Squad' group chat. Shouta got a notification from his phone and smiled.

Group Chat:
'Deku Protection Squad'
(23 members)

Defying Gravity: img.0129_look_at_my_bois_png

Defying Gravity: Guys look

Alien Queen: AWWWWW!

UcantCme: AWEEEE!! >w<

RockHard: Aww! My broskis!

Earjack: That's adorable oh my god.

Pikachu: ...

Offbrand Peppermint: ...

Speedy Gonzalez: Is it really appropriate to photograph our friends without consent Uraraka?

Mindfuck: no.

Mindfuck: no it is not.

Defying Gravity: Aw, c'mon Shinsou!

Mindfuck: never.

Kermit: In our defense, you look really adorable.

Pikachu: Yeah, true

RockHard: Yeah dude! It's really manly of you to let Midoriya sleep on ya when he needs it!

Offbrand Peppermint: ...

Speedy Gonzalez: Are you alright Todoroki?

Alien Queen: Why does he have a bunny?

Snow White: That was my doing ^^

Snow White: He seemed stressed so I let him borrow her for a while

Kermit: I was wondering where Midoriya got her

Defying Gravity: Kouda and Shinsou both get +10 friend points

Mindfuck: I hate you all

Pikachu: love you too!

Shouta sighed at his phone. His students this year were really something weren't they?

Chapter Text

Classes for the week had just ended on July 12th, and everyone was hanging around the classroom, just chatting before the weekend.

"Hey Tsu! Are you free this afternoon?" Ochako asked. "No, I'm sorry Ochako, but my sister's birthday party is tonight and I want to be there, ribbit."

"Awe! Well tell her I said happy birthday!" The gravity hero replied.

"Yeah! Tell her I said happy birthday too!"

"Same!"

Tsuyu smiled and nodded at their replies. "Thank you guys, ribbit, I'm sure it'll mean a lot to her."

"That's so neat! Mine is in a few weeks!" Mina chirped. "Hey! Same!" Sero said. There were a few more people who added their inputs as well.

"My birthday was last month!"

"Mine is on the 1st."

"Heh, my birthday isn't anywhere close to now."

Ochako heard shuffling from a nearby desk and looked over. Deku was gathering his things, almost seeming like was in a hurry. This would've been fine considering earlier he told her and Iida that he was staying the weekend with is mother, and it would be understandable if he wanted to leave early but... he was calmly chatting with Todoroki and Shoji just a second ago. Plus he said he was having dinner with her, when right now it was barely 3:00.

"Uh, s-sorry guys, but I have to go. I'm spending the weekend with my mom and don't want to be late." For a second, it looked like Todoroki wanted to object but nodded anyway. The class said their goodbyes and the greenette continued to leave the class in a rush. Most of the others continued talking amongst themselves but Ochako couldn't help but be worried.

"Hey, Todoroki. Don'cha think that was kind of weird?" She asked the other teenager "Ya know, how Deku left so quickly?" The heterochromic boy looked over at her and nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, I agree." Todoroki replied. Iida seemed to have overheard because he quickly piped in "Why was his behavior considered strange?" He asked "He explained that he would like to arrive at his house early. What's so confusing about that?" Ochako really appreciated Iida and even though he was incredibly smart, he could also be incredibly dumb at times, never able to read other's emotions properly. "I dunno. He seemed pretty anxious about leaving but I don't know why." She said while resting her chin in her hand.

"Well, I noticed he seemed rather distracted when you all started talking about birthdays."

Ochako, as well as many of the other students turned to Todoroki. "Why would he be all weird about birthdays?" Kaminari asked with a confused look on his face. "Bakugou! Do you know of any reason why he'd be uncomfortable talking about birthdays?" The electric teen asked. The crimson eyed boy glared back at Kaminari and scoffed "Why the hell would I know about his stupid opinions? I'm not his goddamn mother." He grumbled something else under his breath, that Ochako couldn't hear but she could tell he knew more than he let on. She chose not to push him anymore though.

"Does anyone know when his birthday is?" Kirishima asked the class. There were some whispers and muttering but nobody could remember when their resident greenbean's birthday was. After that, Mina got out of her chair and skipped to Mr.Aizawa's desk. "Hey, Aizawa-sensei! Do you think you could find out when Midori's birthday is?" She asked curiously. Their teacher sighed but Ochako could tell he was invested in the conversation as well. After rifling through a few papers, he snatched one out specifically and started scanning the page. When he reached somewhere in the middle he read a few lines before his eyes widened ever so slightly. "...July 15th." He said.

There was a beat.

And then chaos ensued.

"WAIT THAT'S IN THREE DAYS!!!"

"WHADOWEDOOOOO???"

"I DON'T EVEN HAVE A GIFT OR ANYTHING!!!?!?!!"

"DO YOU THINK HE LIKES GLITTER??"

"Wait! Everybody listen up!" Ochako's voice rang out among the panicked teens. "What if we threw him a surprise birthday party?" Kirishima was the first to react by yelling "That's a great idea Uraraka!!" There were cheers of agreement before the class started excitedly planning the event.

"Who's gonna bake the cake?"

"Uh, Satou obviously."

"I'LL HELP DECORATE THE COMMON ROOM!!!"

"Oui! Me as well!"

"What does he even like besides All Might?"

"Dude, we've know him for over a year and you don't know?"

"Well, you tell me!!"

"WILL EVERYONE SHUT THE HELL UP!?!"

Bakugou's outburst quickly silenced the class, and all attention was on him. "Did it ever occur to you that there's a fucking reason that he didn't want you finding out his stupid birthday?" He scowled with his arms crossed. At this point everyone had stopped cheering and the mood was dimmed by the explosive teen's comment. Everyone seemed to be processing what he said and started taking it into account. What if he didn't want a party? Maybe that's why he didn't want to tell them. Ochako slammed her fist in her hand and looked up. "Well at the least we can give him the greatest birthday ever! He deserves this after everything he's gone through and everything he's done for us!" A chorus of "YEAH!"s rang through the class and Ochako could see how their eyes sparkled. Bakugou was still slumped in his seat but nobody seemed to notice within all of the commotion.

Ochako was going to throw the best party for Deku and nothing was gonna stop her!

_____

The first order of business was to go shopping. Before they could do anything, they had to get the right materials in order to throw the best birthday party for Midoriya.

At first, Kyoka wasn't particularly close to Midoriya but over time, she started to befriend the shy boy more than she originally thought she would. They had a shared interest in music tastes and regularly had times where they would spend time in eachother's bedrooms, listening to different songs. Midoriya wasn't great at singing but his talent surprised her nonetheless. He could analyze every song to see why people enjoyed one over another and what instruments would compliment eachother the best. It was incredibly impressive and when Kyoka introduced him to her dad, he asked to keep Midoriya as his personal composer. He was joking but it resulted in a flustered greenette which was hilarious to watch.

At the current moment, Kyoka was out with her classmates (as well as Shinsou and Mei Hatsume) at the mall. "Okay gang! Let's split up into groups!" Uraraka cheered. Before the groups could be chosen, Bakugou grabbed Kirishima's arm and pulled him away from the class. Kyoka watched as Bakugou dragged the redhead away and everybody else sorted into the aforementioned groups. And they included:

Kirishima and Bakugou (They guess?)

Satou, Aoyama, Hagakure, Mina, Kouda and Ojiro

Sero, Shinsou, Kaminari, Iida, Uraraka and Asui

Tokoyami, Shoji, Hatsume and Mineta

And Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Kyoka herself.

After the groups were all decided, everyone went off looking for something to give to Midoriya. Kyoka already knew what she was getting for her friend but it would take a little while for it to be done, so she was mostly just there to be with her friends. Momo wasn't sure what to get so she was just looking around for inspiration. Out of the three people in their group, Todoroki was easily the closest to Midoriya. So, Momo was also asking him what he thought the greenette would like.

While looking around, they stopped at a craft store and began looking around. Kyoka was astonished at the pure amount of art supplies and even more by their prices. $162 for a measly pen? No thanks. It's not like none of them could afford the supplies. Momo was incredibly rich, Kyoka was from a family of popular musicians and Todoroki... well Todoroki was the son of the number one hero for goodness sake. Anyway, when they left the store, Kyoka had a bag of multicolored puffy paints as well as a sealer for them, Momo had bought a variety of different paints 'just for fun' as she'd said and Todoroki purchased a wooden picture frame. He also asked Momo if he could borrow her paints, which she gladly allowed.

After they finished shopping, they headed back to the food court where they decided to meet when they finished. Kyoka couldn't really do much but wait for Hatsume to finish shopping because they were planning on giving Midoriya a gift together. Kyoka could only wonder what the others were up to.

_____

Mezo doesn't know how he got himself into this mess...

At the moment, he was holding Mineta by the scruff, keeping him away from the eccentric support department girl while Tokoyami was trying to keep the aforementioned girl in check.

"Shoji let me down!!"

"I wonder where they keep the blowtorches!"

"I thought you were making headphones?"

"Yep!"

...he really has no idea.

Well, at least he has Tokoyami with him. Though, the other boy seemed to be struggling just as much with Hatsume as Mezo was with Mineta. She was... passionate, to say the least. The tall boy could barely keep track of her, even with the ability to literally see behind his back. If he hadn't known her quirk was being able to 'zoom in' on things, he'd be convinced she had super speed, with all of her darting around. Even with how quick she is, Mezo held Mineta up just in case he tried anything with her. And knowing the two of them, it's not Hatsume he's worried about.

They were headed towards an electronic store for Hatsume after they just finished paying for some All Might stuff at a hero merchandise based store. With Midoriya, the fall back plan is always to go for All Might. Mezo had gotten him a few pairs of socks as well as an All Might themed beanie. He could use it with all of that curly hair getting in his face. Tokoyami had decided to get Midoriya a new pair of shoes. When Mezo asked his friend how he knew the greenette's shoe size, he saw the other boy blush slightly and said that Tokoyami had to borrow Midoriya's shoes for a few days because the feathered boy had lost his own. Who woulda known?

At the same store, Mineta had tried to get Midoriya a Mt.Lady body pillow in which the other three from then on banned the short boy from buying anything without somebody else confirming the choice to purchase. They took about six minutes at the electronic store to get all the materials Hatsume needed. She ended up buying three bags worth of stuff and pushed two of those bags in Mezo's arms while the third which was full of snacks, she started to rummage through. How she managed to buy so many snacks at an electronic store, none of the others know.

Mezo sighed and Tokoyami sent him a look of sympathy his way which the taller boy was thankful for. At least there was someone else who understood Mezo's pain. After that catastrophe, they were finished shopping and were on the way to the food court by now. At least there was some good news.

_____

Denki was looking at a few hero themed keychains at a display in the mall when he heard a large crash behind him. Startled, his head whipped behind to see Sero on the ground with basically thirty hero plushies on him, Uraraka laughing hysterically, Asui and Shinsou taking pictures of Sero and a very frustrated Iida waving his arms around in his typical Iida fashion. Denki stifled a laugh and walked over to Shinsou who was smirking.

"What in the world happened?" The blonde teen asked while watching Sero get up and apologize to a shop owner. "Oh, Uraraka and I dared him to try and take a plushie from the bottom of the pile without knocking them all over. Ya know, Jenga style." Shinsou explained while gesturing to the situation "Didn't work out too well as you can tell."

"If you ask me I think it worked perfectly well." Uraraka wheezed while holding her stomach from laughing so much. "Uraraka! Shinsou! It is innapropriate to pressure another classmate into destroying a store's property and hard work! You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Iida said while waving his arms around sporadically. Uraraka only replied by wiping a tear from her eye and Shinsou just shrugged. "It's cool Iida!" Sero told the class president while putting a hand on his shoulder. "It was all in good fun. Plus, the store owner didn't seem to mind much either." Defeated, Iida crossed his arms and huffed a small bit, much to the other's amusement.

"Hey, Kami. What'd you end up getting for Midoriya?" Shinsou asked. "Oh! I got him an All Might drawstring bag and a few keychains to go with it." He replied with a smile and holding up his bags. The insomniac hummed and started looking at other displays. Denki's attention was caught by the crinkle of Shinsou's bags and the electric teen looked down. In the other teen's bag was a plethora of sewing supplies. Fabrics, needles, thread and other things of the sort. Curious, the electric teen decided to ask Shinsou about it. "What's with the sewing stuff?" He questioned casually. The purple haired boy smiled, and the only reply Denki got was "You'll see." Shinsou is an enigma if Denki's ever seen one. Hm. Oh well.

"Hey, Uraraka! Asui!" His attention was ripped away from Shinsou when he heard a cheery voice. When Denki looked over to where the voice came from, he saw two members of the Big Three. Togata and Amajiki. The former waving to the group while grinning brightly and the ladder shyly playing with his sweater sleeves. "Togata-senpai? Amajiki- senpai? What are you doing here ribbit?" Asui croaked in question. Togata only smiled wider and laughed "That's what I was about to ask you all!" He said once he reached the group "We're just out on our day off." He told them while putting his arm around Amajiki's shoulder. "Well, our class is planning on throwing a surprise birthday party for Midoriya! It's in two days and we're out getting gifts and supplies." Uraraka said joyfully.

Togata's eyes widened at this "Oh! What a coincidence! My birthday is on the 15th as well! He gave me a present just yesterday for it! He never told me we were twins!" The taller blonde joked. "Well happy early birthday to you Togata-senpai! Hey! How about you two come with us? Only if you want though. Wouldn't that be fun?" Uraraka asked the older students. Denki saw Togata's smile soften slightly as he turned to Amajiki. "Would you be alright with that, Tamaki?" He asked. The shy boy looked to Togata and nodded nervously. "Yeah... I'd like to get Midoriya a gift too." If it was possible, Togata smiled even brighter and side hugged his 'friend'. "That's the spirit! Well in that case, we accept your invitation!"

_____

Ejirou and Bakugou had already finished shopping and were headed to the food court. The redhead had gotten a pair of swim trunks for Midoriya after Bakugou mentioned that they were going to the beach soon and the shorter boy's swim trunks had been destroyed or lost at the summer training camp somehow. They weren't All Might or anything because Ejirou thought that he could give his friend a break from the hero merch based on what his classmates were saying about the gifts they got in the 'Deku Protection Squad' group chat. Ejirou wasn't sure what Bakugou purchased for Midoriya because everytime he looked, the explosive teen hid the gift. At the second time he peeked, the redhead decided to give it a rest. It wouldn't be very manly of him to intrude on other's privacy.

There was one moment earlier that still makes Ejirou smile when he thinks about it. It was right after the blonde teen had pulled him away from the others:

"H-Hey, Katsuki. I think you can stop dragging me. We're far enough from the group." Bakugou looked down at the redhead and dropped his shirt so Ejirou could get up. "Fine." The taller boy grunted while taking the redhead's hand in his. After a long discussion a few weeks ago, the two decided to keep their relationship a secret for the time being sans Ashido. Mina had accidentally found them kissing in the dorms and was 100% supportive, so the two knew they could trust her. Bakugou didn't want the unwanted attention and Ejirou was concerned about how the others would react. Ejirou smiled at his boyfriend and they kept walking. "Hey, Suki. Why did you pull me away from the others like that?" He asked. Bakugou looked to the side "You're the least annoying and..." He mumbled something after that "Hm?" The redhead hummed. "...and I wanted to spend more time with you." Ejirou put his free hand over his heart and 'aww'ed. "Shut up." The other teen snapped. If his boyfriend wasn't looking away so much then he could've sworn he saw a little bit of blush.

Currently, Ejirou and Bakugou had just finished ordering their meal from the food court and we're waiting for it to be done at one of the many tables. They selected one outside just for the sake of privacy. They talked about a few random things and what they thought some of their other classmates got for Midoriya, but Ejirou could tell the blonde was hiding something. "...Hey Katsuki. You alright?" He asked, concerned. The other teen was quiet for a minute, trying to piece together his thoughts. Ejirou could wait though. "When I told you and everyone else about Deku's past, there's something else I left out." The redhead nodded and waited for his boyfriend to continue. "When Deku was beaten and bullied at our old schools, it was my fault..."

"Hey, you can't blame that on yourself. Just cause you didn't stand up for him dosent mean--"

"That's not it!" The explosive teen growled, fists shaking on the table. Ejirou was taken aback for a second but put his hands on Bakugou's hands if only to offer a bit comfort. The blond took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I wasn't just a bystander. I was the worst one." Ejirou inhaled sharply but stayed silent. Their food arrived at that moment and both boys thanked the woman who brought them their meal.

"I was the one who originally told them to fucking hurt him. And-and even though I hate myself for it now I know I'll never be able to take back what I did." He paused and Ejirou gently squeezed the other's hands. "If I apologized to Deku, he'd probably, fuck, he'd definetly forgive me instantly, but I'd never be able to forgive myself. I put Deku through so much shit and it's all my goddamn fault!" He said running a hand through his hair. He sighed. "I know I don't feel half as horrible as Deku probably did but... I feel so guilty. Every. fucking. day."

At this, tears started to form in Bakugou's eyes and Ejirou pulled his boyfriend into a hug. The embrace felt like it lasted forever before Bakugou spoke again. "I know I'll never be able to make it up to him but I don't know what to do anymore." His voice said, muffled through Ejirou's shirt.

Ejirou pulled away from the hug and held the blond's hands in his. "Maybe all of that is true. And maybe...maybe you can't make the things you've done up to Midoriya..." At this, Bakugou tensed and Ejirou took a deep breath.

"...But maybe you don't have to."

Crimson eyes gazed at eachother as Ejirou continued "I'm not saying what you've done is okay, but you've both obviously grown and I'm sure just being friends would be enough for the time being." Bakugou looked down another time and closed his eyes as he seemed to be contemplating what the redhead was saying. Ejirou felt the other's hands loosen and the blonde teen exhaled as he opened his eyes again.

"Thanks Ejirou." The shorter boy smiled and leaned over the table to kiss his boyfriend's forehead. "Anytime, Suki."

And with that, the two teens began to dig into their semi-cold food.

"Mmph! Katsuki! How do you eat food this spicy??" Ejirou said while fanning his mouth.

"It's not that spicy, you dork."

The redhead laughed and started eating more at Bakugou's 'challenge'. In the end, Ejirou pretty much died with his mouth on fire and Bakugou got them both ice cream. Ejirou was just glad he could help his boyfriend.

_____

Mina was more observant than others would think. She noticed how Midoriya would constantly have to push hair out of his face recently, espically in training exercises where they were moving around more. She noticed how he had to tuck his hair behind an ear every thirty seconds when looking down at his notebook. And she definitely noticed how much it bothered him. At first, Mina thought of getting him some hair clips but what's the fun in that? She wanted to give him the best gift ever, and what's better than a makeover? The other teen's hair wasn't much different from her own and Mina cut hers all the time. It shouldn't be too difficult to fix him up a new hairdo. But! Just in case he didn't want a haircut, she bought a few cute hairpins and an All Might water bottle.

But just in case.

She felt a buzz from her pocket which snapped Mina out of her thoughts as she reached for her phone. She tilted her head when she saw the private message from the class' resident redhead, expecting it to be another from the 'Deku Protection Squad' group chat.

Direct messaging
'Kirishima'
Status: Active

Kirishima: img.0701_mhp_fk_lmf

It was a picture of Kirishima with a big goofy smile and icecream smudged on his face. Cone in hand with a peace sign on the same one, next to Bakugou who was eating his calmly on the sidelines, glancing toward the camera.

Kirishima: *thumbs up emoji*

Mina smiled. Look at her boys growing up!! She quickly texted a congratulations and directed her attention back to the shopping group. Kouda was looking around his general area, not seeming to be looking for anything in particular. He said earlier that he already had most of the supplies he needed for his gift, he already owned and just came to be with the rest of the class. Mina didn't really need anything either, so she guessed she was in the same boat. Everything she could ever need to prepare, she could ask Momo for. Hagakure was supposedly holding Ojirou's open hand, judging by the tall boy's body language while the ladder's other hand and tail was full of a variety of bags. Some from Aoyama and his party supplies, others from Sato's baking supplies but most from Hagakure and her...own 'needs'.

"Isn't that too much glitter Aoyama?"

"Mon amie! There I no such thing as 'too much glitter'!"

"C'mon hurry up Ojiro! We gotta go to the clothes store!!"

"I'm starting to think you only keep me around to carry your bags...''

"Of course not, silly! You can also reach the top shelves in the dorm's kitchen!"

Mina giggled at her friend's antics. She had such amazing people in her life!

_____

When Toshinori arrived at her house, Inko could just feel the joy radiating off of him in waves. She greeted him at the door and kissed him on the cheek "Good day?" She asked. The tall man chuckled and nodded "The kids found out about young Midoriya's birthday and are planning on throwing him a surprise birthday party." Inko's eyes widened and she found her hand had found its way to her chest. Although she doesn't trust UA fully anymore, Izuku has made so many great friends there. Even over a phone call, Inko can tell how much happier her son has been over the past months at that school. "I'm glad." She replied as she went back to the kitchen to prepare the blonde man some tea.

Inko wasn't ever exceptionally smart but she was able to tell how sad her son was at his old school. How he'd return home with bruises and burns almost every day. How he'd smile to hide his pain from her so she wouldn't worry. But Inko would worry. It's part of being a mother, she's learned. Her heart hurt whenever he'd lie to her but she understood it can be hard talking to your parents about certain things. So when Izuku comes through her door with a smile that could rival All Might's and a group of real friends, it makes her feel so happy for her baby.

"So, what have the students been planning for this party?" Inko asked Toshinori from the kitchen. "Well, they'll be throwing it in the dorms with the permission of our staff." He replied "The entire class as well as a couple other students, Aizawa, Yamada and myself will be attending. Young Bakugou actually asked me to forward an invitation to you if I could." Now this caught Inko by surprise. Katsuki had never been one to stand out in her eyes as somebody caring or compassionate. After he manifested his quirk, he started acting so horribly to her Izuku. Of course it's not completely his fault. He was mislead by the adults and kids around him, but that doesn't mean she'll forgive him for his mistakes. So when she hears that same boy wanted her at Izuku's birthday party, well...how is she supposed to react?

"Oh? Is that so?" She asked with an underlying tone of venom. If Toshinori heard the dark tone then he didn't comment on it "Indeed! It quite surprised me when he came to me of all people. He said he would be honored if you were to take up the invitation. Well... In his own way. He was also one of the ones who came to me about the party as well. Young Bakugou has grown a lot over the school year. He and Young Midoriya are even proper rivals on the way to becoming friends, I've noticed. I know how you feel about him and his actions but you should give him a chance." Inko sighed as she handed the man his tea and sat down. " I-I don't know, Toshinori. It's been so long since I've seen him in person and I... I really just don't know." Maybe he has changed and she's being too harsh on him, but can you blame her? "I will go to the party and I'll try to keep an open mind, but I cannot promise I will change my opinion on him anytime soon." The taller man nodded "That is all I ask of you, Inko."

At that moment, the two then heard a jingle of keys as the front door opened. "Hey, mom! I'm home!" A familiar voice called. Inko's go up from the couch and went over to greet her son "Izuku!" She said as she hugged her son "Welcome home, hon."

For Izuku. For the sake of her son she'd try. Because right now it's all she really can do.

Chapter Text

Hizashi pretty much had to drag his husband out of their apartment to go shopping. One reason being to get groceries (as well as a gift for Midoriya) but the second being that Shouta had been overworking himself lately which just wouldn't do! As much as others tend to think the underground hero was lazy or uncaring, he really tried his best in ensuring he can help his students. Shouta is the kind of man who looks cold and gruff but on the inside he's really a softie. (But you didn't hear that from Hizashi)

Anyway, after getting the insomniac out of the house (not without a bit of effort and a lot of complaining from the ladder) and to the grocery store, Hizashi decided to bring them to the mall. If they were lucky, they could still catch the little listeners near the food court (according to their group chat). Since Shouta was an underground hero and barely anyone could recognize Hizashi without his costume, they should be fine going out in public. In the passenger seat of his car, Shouta groaned, mumbling something about 'birthday' and 'problem child'.

Hizashi was already aware of the plans created by the 'Deku Protection Squad' for the little listener's birthday party because of the group chat and his husband. When the blond was told, he was so excited that Hizashi started cheering (which scared his entire class), and started to plan his present (heh) for Midoriya. There were many ideas to choose from but there was one that he kept coming back to. It would take some preparation but for the lil green bean, it would be worth the trouble.

Inviting Midoriya onto his radio show.

First of all, he had to talk to his producers to make sure the greenette would be allowed on his show. Second, he would need permission from Midoriya's mother. That second one would probably be arranged with ease. Hizashi had met Inko Midoriya and she was one of the sweetest people he had ever met. He visited her place with Shouta while sick one time and he ended up staying the night. Lastly, Hizashi had to make sure that the short boy actually wanted to join him on the podcast. In the end, it would all depend on whether Midoriya chose to be on the show. Everything else was just permission and logistics which could be taken care of pretty easily, so the blonde man wasn't very worried about that part. Shouta told Hizashi it was a good idea, so he decided to stick with his decision.

As they arrived at the mall, they noticed 1a exiting the building. All of them were holding a variety of bags, from electronics to art supplies, they had it all. The blond was about to go say hi to the kiddos when Shouta stopped him. Confused, Hizashi turned to face his husband and saw him looking elsewhere. Following the dark haired man's line of vision, he saw an all too familiar green head.

Oh...

Oh, no...

Midoriya was walking towards the mall with All Might and his mother, neither had been invited to the 'Deku Protection Squad' group chat which explained why they hadn't come at another time in order to not spoil the surprise. Hizashi almost screamed at the sight of the short boy but his husband saved the day and slapped a hand over the loud man's mouth.

"You take care of Midoriya, I'll go warn the kids." The underground hero said before heading over to the class in a rush. The blond did as he was told and went over to distract the freckled boy. "Hey there, little listener!" he called out as the one in question, as well as the ones with him, turned to face Hizashi. "Present Mi- I mean, Yamada-sensei? What are you doing here?" correcting himself when seeing his teacher's reaction to saying the hero name in public. "Ah, I was actually going to the mall myself! To get some...uh..." he looked around frantically for the thing he was supposedly buying "...some ice-cream!" Hizashi concluded triumphantly, putting his hands on his hips. The three others seemed suspicious but didn't say anything "Heh, well we were just on our way to the entrance. Would you like to accompany us?" Inko asked the loud hero. "I-ah actually wanted to show you something over there!" Hizashi said while pointing to the opposite direction "YEP! That's why I came over here to see you!" he cheered, followed by a couple nervous laughs.

After he pointed the other way, Midoriya had turned around to look and as he did, Hizashi caught the attention of the two adults by flailing his arms and shaking his head. They looked confused so he pointed to the front of the mall where the class resided and dragged his finger across his throat. The others finally got the point and quickly nodded. When the younger Midoriya finally turned around, the loud man walked next to the short boy, taking his attention away from where the rest of his class resided. "Hey! I was getting ice cream but how about you all come with me since you're here?"

"Oh, we wouldn't want to-" Midoriya started before Hizashi interrupted "Ah, ah, ah little listener! Remember! I'm a pro hero and teacher at UA! I get paid pretty well. I'd love to treat you guys, I insist!" The greenette still looked like he was on the fence but Hizashi's Lord and savior, Inko, stepped in to help "Come on Izuku, it wouldn't hurt. Plus, I'd like to speak with your teacher a little bit as well." It was said without any ill intent but that last bit still had the blond somewhat on edge. After his mother spoke, Midoriya (reluctantly) agreed to follow Hizashi and they headed to get some ice cream.

Hizashi was lucky because there was actually an ice cream shop in the direction he had pointed in. The first one to order was Midoriya, who got strawberry and vanilla icecream. At first, All Might didn't know what to get but eventually chose mint chocolate chip at his student's recommendation. Both of them headed to find a table while Hizashi and Inko were left alone.

"So, care to explain why everyone in Izuku's class is at the mall?" The blonde man startled at the sudden question but answered quickly "Ah! They've all decided to throw Midoriya a surprise birthday party in the dorms! They're here to pick up supplies and gifts." At this, Inko's eyes widened and she smiled. "Oh right! Toshinori told me about the party just yesterday. I'm glad Izuku has such amazing friends now." She thought for a moment before looking at Hizashi again "How come you knew about their plans?" The short woman asked curiously.

"Oh yeah! The 1-A kiddos have a group chat for the...uh..." Oof "Deku Protection Squad?" Inko chuckled "You sure about that?" She asked the taller man as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, the kids came up with that one. At this point there's no changing the name." He sighed.

After that, the two received their icecream as the blond paid for the desserts, (Inko got pineapple sorbet while Hizashi got dark chocolate chunk ice cream) and headed towards the table where the others sat. On the way, the small woman asked to be invited to the group chat and Hizashi easily complied. As the two got closer, they say Midoriya making gestures with his hands as he talked to All Might, ice cream momentarily forgotten.

"-And then Ashido and Tsu jumped in to distract Sato so Iida could grab the flag! It was really exciting! Plus, everyone was using their quirks in unique ways which I wrote down in my notebook later that evening." All Might just nodded along with a smile on his face as he listened to the boy rambling on. Hizashi and Inko sat down silently, the woman sliding next to All Might and the loud hero in between the two Midoriyas. They all happily listened to the student as they ate their ice cream and enjoyed the company.

______

Meanwhile...

______

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??"

"Hm?"

"DUDE SERIOUSLY WHAT THE HELL?"

"It's fine, I swear!"

"That can not be good for your health."

Hitoshi didn't know what he was expecting when he agreed to go shopping with 1A, but it certainly wasn't this. Currently, Kaminari was holding a fork, inches away from an outlet outside of the mall and everyone else was freaking out.

"You're going to d i e Kaminari."

"Trust me, bro! I do this all the time!"

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY BETTER!?!"

"Why am I not surprised..."

Hitoshi sighed and walked over to the blond, causing the said teen to turn to the insomniac curiously.

"Kami?" He asked.

"Yeah, Shin-" the electric teen went slack and his eyes because distant. In the crowd of kids, there were sighs of "oh thank God" and "thanks Shinsou!" Hitoshi continued to pick up his dumbass boyfriend and throw him over his shoulder, also causing him to snap out of his transe. After realizing his predicament, Kaminari sighed. "You're not putting me down are you?" Shinsou grinned.

"Nope."

At that moment, he noticed his mentor quickly making his way to the group. "Aizawa-sensei?" He questioned, catching the attention of more than a few of his friends. "Wha- oh! Hey Mr.Aiza-" Mina's cheer was cut short when the dark man 'shush'-ed her.

"Midoriya is on the way to the mall. Hiz- Present Mic is distracting him for now but I don't know how long he can do that. You guys have to leave. Now."

After hearing that, most of the students began to freak out a bit but Hitoshi (with Kaminari still on his shoulder) and Iida managed to calm them down and lead the group away from the mall. As the class began to flee from the shopping center, people started breaking off to leave. Togata and Amajiki had left earlier once they got to the food court and Hatsume grabbed Jirou, and they just seemed to disappear, taking the numerous bags with them. After a while, the only ones left in the group were Hitoshi, Kaminari, Uraraka, Asui, Todoroki, Sero, Ashido and Mr.Aizawa. They had made their way to the park and were now just walking around and enjoying the weather.

Hitoshi put Kaminari down after a multitude of protests and some odd stares from bystanders. The insomniac put his hands in his pockets and began to make his way over to his teacher.

"Hey, Aizawa-sensei, how come you knew Midoriya was at the mall?" The older man huffed and looked away "Hizashi dragged me out of our apartment to go to the mall and we just so happened to spot Midoriya there with his mother and-" he paused "...and we decided to warn you guys, knowing that you were all there." Hitoshi hummed as they kept walking but the underground hero had seemingly come to a stop. "Speaking of which, I should probably get back to Hizashi. I trust you all can take care of yourselves?" He asked and the others nodded. "Good. I'll see you all later, don't forget to do your homework."

There were murmurs of "Okay" and "Yes, sensei!" as the group continued to chat amongst themselves. At one point, Mina yelled "The floor is lava!" And everybody scrambled to get off the ground (well...except one). Sero used his tape to climb a tree, Asui just grabbed Uraraka with her tounge and jumped onto the closest bench, and Todoroki made some ice to stand on. Kaminari couldn't find a spot and was frantically looking around. After a moment, Hitoshi decided to get the electric teen's attention as he laid on the ground. There were protests but Kaminari ended up sitting on Hitoshi's legs as carefully as possible in the time limit. It was all in good fun and there were other games played in the evening like that.

Eventually, the sun began to set and the group separated, leaving Hitoshi and Kaminari alone. They were all eventually headed to the dorms but some stayed out later than others. The walk home was silent with the occasional crinkle of their bags until the blond snickered out of nowhere. "What?" Hitoshi asked flatly as the other continued to giggle. "It's nothing, just that when we played 'The floor is lava' earlier, you just laid down so I could get out of the lava." He explained, grasping Hitoshi's open hand.

The purple haired teen smirked "I didn't do it for you, I wanted the lava to consume me so I could finally be at peace." He expected a chuckle out of his boyfriend but was met with silence as he looked to his left. Kaminari was frowning and squeezed Hitoshi's hand. "It's just a joke, Kami," he clarified but the look of concern didn't leave the blond's face. The shorter teen sighed "I know it's a joke, but... I still worry about you, ya know? I want to make you as happy as you make me feel and... sometimes it seems as if I'm not doing that, and that I'm not enough."

Hitoshi stopped walking and looked at his boyfriend "Kami..." The other laughed humorously in response "I know it's dumb a-and I shouldn't worry so much but-" "Kaminari." The blond looked up and saw Hitoshi's serious expression " It's understandable for you to worry about me because I do for you as well. Don't ever doubt that you're not enough because you are so much more than that. You make me feel safe and accepted, something I never was before UA. You mean so much to me, don't think that you've ever let me down."

The electric teen stared at Hitoshi in disbelief for a moment before he smiled "Thanks Shin." The insomniac squeezed Kaminari's hand a bit "You too, Kami."

______

Tsuyu couldn't help but notice the underlying stress that Ochako carried during their conversations on their way to the dorms.

"-And earlier today on the news there was this story about someone finding a bunch of dogs left alone behind an abandoned store, which is so horrible! To think that someone would leave them-" "Ochako?" The taller girl looked over to Tsuyu and made a hum of acknowledgement "Yeah, Tsu?" The frog girl frowned as she looked to the brunette. "Are you okay?" She asked, watching as Ochako grew tense "You know you can tell me anything right? ribbit"

The round faced girl laughed and rubbed the back of her neck "Heh, yeah I'm alright Tsu. I'm just a little worried about... the party." Tsuyu nodded and gestured for her girlfriend to continue. "Remember when we thought of throwing Deku a birthday party, what Bakugou said?"

The frog girl thought back and could remember that Bakugou was against the party because he thought Midoriya wouldn't want one. "I remember ribbit."

Ochako sighed and looked up from the ground "I'm worried that he...that he actually had a point. I'm nervous because I really want Deku to have the best birthday he can but if he doesn't like the party then what's the point? Bakugous known Deku longer so what if-"

"Ochako." The other girl looked to Tsuyu "It'll be okay. You're doing your best and even if Midoriya doesn't want a party he'll appreciate the effort we've put into it ribbit." She croaked encouragingly. The other teen was silent for a while but Tsuyu was patient.

"Thanks,Tsu. For everything." The frog girl pecked Ochako on the cheek and the taller girl wrapped her arms around the other as they headed back to the dorms, both satisfied and excited for the day to come.

_____

It was finally the day of the party and everyone was extatic. The previous nights, the class had to hide their gifts and preparations from Midoriya, which had been stressful. He almost caught Sato looking at birthday cake recipes but Kaminari quickly jumped in to distract the greenette, much to the class' relief. Besides that, things were going smoothly. All Might took it upon himself to distract Midoriya for an hour before the party so they would be there in a while. The streamers were set up, all of the balloons were tied down, the room was set and the food was prepared. All in all, their plans were all being followed through accordingly.

At least... until they weren't.

Tenya was about as excited as everyone else considering Midoriya was one of his closest friends and it was only right if he organized the preparations alongside Uraraka. One factor he didn't account for was the people invited. Everybody in the Protection Squad was there. Everyone in class 1A, as well as Shinsou, the Big Three, Eri, some of their teachers, Inko and...

"Engines! Get over here! I need you to test my new baby out!"

The tall boy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose "For the last time Hatsume, it's Tenya Iida. And I believe it is innapropriate to be testing your inventions in the dorms." He said exasperatedly. Hatsume huffed and went over to grab Tenya's hand anyway. "No! It's perfect, you see! I made a confetti cannon for the party! Look!" She proceeded to yank at a string attached to the machine and a loud 'BANG' erupted in the room as colorful paper shreds and glitter shot out of the cannon into the air. This immediately got the attention of everybody in the room.

"What the hell was that??" Sero asked over the sound of his classmates chatter.

"Calm down everybody! It was only a confetti cannon made by Hatsume that caused the loud noise. There's nothing to be concerned about." Iida explained to the crowd. There was muttering as everyone started to go back to their activities but before they could:

"Is that supposed to be happening?"

Tenya turned around to see Todoroki staring up at the ceiling, or more specifically the streamers. The engine based hero in training followed his line of sight and startled when he saw what his friend was asking about. Most of the of the streamers closest to the ground were on fire. There were cries of alarm and confusion as more people saw the source of panic. Iida immediately jumped into action, grabbing the closest fire extinguisher and aiming it towards the flames to the best of his ability. The fire was out after a few seconds and Tenya was thankful it hadn't spreader farther. Although the fire was put out, the streamers weren't as lucky in surviving.

About two fifths of the streamers were burnt or completely destroyed. "Oh come on!" Mina cried when observing the damage "These took forever to put up!" At that, Hatsume started to look a bit guilty. "I'm sorry about that. I didn't think it'd set anything on fire and usually the support department has nonflammable rooms. I can help put some more streamers up if you want!"

Tenya smiled and nodded "It's alright, Hatsume. And yes, it would be helpful if you helped with fixing the streamers." Who Tenya assumed was Hagakure hissed through her teeth, gaining his attention "Uh, class prez? We kinda used up all the streamers."

After their interaction, Yaoyorozu suddenly looked panicked after glancing at the clock and rushed over "Midoriya and All Might should be here in ten minutes! We don't have a lot of time left!"

Tenya hummed and tried to get the attention of the class "Well then we'd better hurry. Everyone get to work!"

_____

"Happy birthday, young Midoriya!"

Izuku didn't know why All Might needed to talk to him at Dagobah beach but what Izuku didn't expect was for his mentor to pull out a gift box from seemingly nowhere.

The greenette blinked surprised, "W-What? How-How did you know?" He stuttered. The tall man chuckled and smiled at the teen "Son, you're my student and the holder of One for All and you expect me to not know your birthday?" He paused and then said under his breath "Plus your mom told me..."

Izuku giggled and took the gift "Well if your reasoning is that I'm your student, how come you didn't give everyone else a gift for their birthdays?" Immediately the blonde man turned red and rubbed the back of his neck "I uh..." His student laughed at the flustered man before him as he began to unwrap his gift. Inside the box, he felt a soft cloth as he pulled out the object. It was...a blanket?

"Um...All Might? You do know it's summer right?" His teacher laughed and shook his head "Just keep looking." Izuku did as he was told and pulled out the entire blanket. Looking at it closer, he saw there were a bunch of sections with different cloth sewn in, all with different fabrics, some sewn better than others. Confused, the greenette looked back up towards All Might. The man smiled and took the blanket into his own hands "I had planned this a while ago but I could never find the right time to do it, your birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity! A while ago, sometime when you were in the hospital for whatever reason" Izuku rubbed his neck, embarrassed that he couldn't remember which indecent had caused his hospitalization, " Know and I got the class together and we all sewed this blanket for you."

Suddenly the patches made sense and Izuku could see who had sewn which squares. All Might continued to point at a few of the patches and naming who had done them. He pointed to one with musical notes and another with bubbles "this one was Young Jirou's, and this was Young Uraraka's." He continued to name every one of them until only three were left.

He gestured to a green patch with flowers "Your mother said that it should just be a 'class project's but your friends insisted she add one as well." One with explosions "Young Bakugou couldn't find a fabric he liked so he personally went into the city to find the perfect one." The stitches on this one were surprisingly well done, and neater than Izuku thought they would be. All Might pointed to the last one, with yellow, red, white and blue shapes, like stars, squares and triangles. The teen could have guessed but waited for the blond to tell who it was anyway "This one was me. Even against my will, everyone insisted that mine should be in the middle." He smiled fondly "I hope you like it."

The short boy could feel the tears welling up in his eyes as he scanned over the blanket once again "I love it." the greenette said as he jumped into his mentor's arms "Thank you, so much!" The two stayed that way for a minute as All Might checked his watch "Ah, it's about time we'd leave. What do you say?" Izuku nodded as they both left, driving back to UA, unbeknownst to the teen, there was something more waiting for him from his friends.

_____

When walking up to the dorms, Izuku could sense something was a bit off. First of all All Might was acting a bit strange and second, there was nobody around! Usually there are at least one or two people outside during the summer, playing games or reading or something, but nope! Trying to shake his uneasy feeling, the greenette kept making his way to the 1A dorms with his teacher. As Izuku got closer, he could smell the scent of something...burning? A fire.

The teen shook his head. No, maybe someone was cooking? Yeah, that sounded about right. He was probably just worrying about noth- "Young Midoriya, are you alright?" Izuku snapped to face a concerned looking All Might and nodded "Y-Yeah, I'm alright!" The tall man nodded as they reached the door to the building.

Why was it so quiet?

Prepared for the worst, Izuku opened the door and- "SURPRISE!!!" The short boy jumped slightly at the shout as he saw half his classmates turn to glare at Hatsume

"What? I thought we were gonna cheer!"

"Not that loudly!"

"Yeah, Mei! We told you like, six times!!"

"It's alright, he's fine."

Izuku was stunned. His eyes kept darting around the room, taking in the scene. There were balloons, confetti pieces and streamers hung up and displayed all throughout the common room. (Although, when he looked closer, some of the streamers looked more like Sero's tape...) on a long table across the room, there were snacks and other foodstuffs all laid out nicely, next to a large cake. But above the doorway, there was a large colorful banner that explained the situation right away. In bold green, glittery letters, read: "Happy Birthday Midoriya!" As Izuku looked back to his cheerful classmates, along with many others.

______

Tooru knew that nobody could see her smile but even though her face hurt from grinning, she didn't care. It was all worth it to see Midoriya's reaction to the surprise! Or...so she thought?

"It's not much considering we found out your birthday only a few days ago but we hope you- Midoriya?" Kirishima had cut himself off and when the invisible girl looked to her friend, she saw why. Their resident green head had his free hand covering mouth (the other holding a box) and was crying. All at once Tooru could tell that everyone was rethinking their plan. Why was he crying? Was Bakugou right? Oh god what if he hates it? Was it a good idea to-

"Thank y-you."

Tooru was snapped out of her thoughts at Midoriya's words, and so it seemed everyone else.

"T-Thank you. S-So much!" Though his tears, the short boy was smiling brighter than the sun and the hand that once covered his mouth was now hovering over his heart. "N-Nobody's ever done something like this for m-me. I-I, I j-just..." He couldn't seem to find his words at the moment, so Tooru took it upon herself to swoop in and save the day! She rushed forward and hugged the small boy and she could feel him leaning into the embrace. Soon enough, everyone else had joined into the pile and eventually Midoriya had stopped crying, but his smile was still just as wide.

Tooru clapped once to get everyone's attention and smiled "Well! With that all said and done..." Mina and Ochako jumped next to their friend to finish the sentence:

"LET THE PARTY BEGIN!!"