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Had blowing a hole through the structure and shattering the bones in his arm been Izuku’s best idea? Probably not. Was it the only one he could think of at the time to win against Bakugo without actually killing him?

He thought through this as they carried him out on the stretcher, All Might telling him not to move every time he tried to sit up.

Unfortunately, it had been.

Though, Izuku reflected, if he had more time he probably could have thought through a better solution but the pressure of the explosive boy hunting him down in the building for a confrontation had limited his time to think.

What’s done was done, really.

Izuku attempted to sit up one more time, feeling a big hand pressing against his chest when he did. All Might was hovering over him, smile more grim than usual.

“I’m fine!” Izuku argued. “My legs still work.” 

“Young Midoriya,” the large figure boomed down at him, tilting his head. “Please, be careful with yourself. Just rest. Recovery Girl will be angry enough as it is.” Izuku winced, both from pain and the inevitable disappointment on the shriveled woman’s face he was about to experience. 

“Midoriya!” He turned his head to see a familiar shock of red hair rushing up to him, jaw open wide, admiration on his face. Izuku blinked. That was unexpected. “That was so manly !” Kirishima pumped his fist into the air. He seemed to catch All Might’s gaze and faltered. “Uh, but not great that you broke your arm, I guess.” Izuku suppressed a laugh.

“T-thank you.” Izuku stuttered out. He smiled back bashfully. “Probably wasn’t my best plan, but uh, I guess it worked.” Uraraka and Iida were running up to him now too, even as the workers trying to pull him out on the stretcher were getting impatient, attempting to move him through the crowd of classmates.

“Deku!” Uraraka cried. “Are you okay?”

“Midoriya-kun! That was an ingenious plan! I can say I definitely did not expect a hole through the ceiling and floor!” Iida’s gesturing made Izuku want to laugh. His unwavering enthusiasm was almost infectious. 

“Unexpected as it may be, young Midoriya put himself in a very unfortunate position.” All Might chimed in. “And now must go to Recovery Girl to treat his injuries.” His classmates looked embarrassed as the crowd parted to let him go through. 

“Wait! I should go with him!” Uraraka insisted, pink in her cheeks almost matching that of her costume. “He’s my partner, after all.” Her brow had furrowed and Izuku was worried she felt guilty for the condition he was in. It wasn’t her fault at all . The matchup of them vs Bakugo and Iida wasn’t something they could control and as soon as Bakugo was involved, all bets were off. There was nothing she could have done, really. 

“Don’t worry about me, Uraraka!” Izuku protested. “You should stay and watch. I don’t want you to miss a learning opportunity just because I punched a hole through the building and got myself hurt.” She gazed down at him, lips pursed and brow still furrowed.

“Are you sure, Deku? You shouldn’t have to go alone.” Izuku nodded back enthusiastically.

“I’m sure I’ll just be sleeping for the rest of the time anyways.” He said. “Healing broken bones kind of knocks me out.” He laughed a little nervously. Uraraka looked hesitant, but the workers were already dragging him off. He waved at his classmates, trying to ignore Bakugo who was seething in the corner, a dark, explosive energy practically emanating from him. “Don’t worry about me!” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t affected by the chorus of well wishes that followed as he was carried off. He smiled to himself. It was still hard to believe that all these people actually liked him. He had never felt so welcome, even with his broken arm pulsating at his side, pain shooting up his shoulder occasionally. 

Recovery Girl was predictably upset with him when he arrived, though he tried to explain the situation and that he didn’t have another way of defending himself against Bakugo. His childhood friend had been putting him through the ringer and Izuku was certain Bakugo wouldn’t have stopped until he was unconscious on the ground, likely severely injured. It didn’t have the effect he thought it would though, and he was hesitant to answer when she demanded to know which teacher’s class this had been.

“All Might’s?” He squeaked out, already drifting into sleep from the wet kiss she had planted on him. 

“That fool.” She muttered, but patted him on the head. “Go to sleep, dear. I’ll be having words with your teacher when he gets here.” 

“Uh...okay...” He didn’t want All Might to get in trouble. After all, it was Bakugo. What could really be done about that? And he was training to be a hero . He needed to learn to handle tough opponents, with Quirks that didn’t have any obvious weaknesses. But he was so tired he was having trouble forming a coherent response, so he drifted off to sleep, eyelids closing against his will.

XXXX

Toshinori knew he was in for it when he got to Recovery Girl. He should have stopped the fight, but he could tell how badly Midoriya wanted to beat the explosive boy. It was personal for him, and he couldn’t help but want to give Midoriya the chance to succeed. And Midoriya had, ultimately. With a plan Toshinori himself hadn’t seen coming, though he supposed the source of his surprise was that he would have never expected Midoriya to sacrifice his arm to win. 

He had a deep fondness for the boy, but sometimes the little green-haired teenager was frightening.

He should have stopped it anyways; Bakugo’s use of force had been excessive. Downright dangerous. He was honestly shocked Midoriya wasn’t burnt and battered and that the only real injury besides some bruises was the broken arm he had inflicted on himself. Those explosions had been powerful enough to blow the building apart, certainly hot enough to scorch and blister skin. Yet Midoriya had come through it in mostly one piece. Perhaps there was some heat resistance in the fabric of his costume, though. That would probably explain it, and was smart for Midoriya to include.

So he stood there, head hung in shame as Recovery Girl ripped him a new one, his student snoring softly in the bed next to them. His figure was visible through the curtain Recovery Girl had pulled around him, sleeping peacefully. 

“Really, Toshinori. I cannot believe you.” She pointed a finger at him. He didn’t know how he could defend himself; everything she said was true. He needed to teach Midoriya more control. He needed to teach him how to put his safety above his objective. He should have stopped the match sooner. He shouldn’t have allowed his personal feelings for Midoriya, his desire to see him succeed, cloud his judgement. He should have been a better teacher. 

He fought back the feelings of pride though, that surfaced nonetheless when he looked at Midoriya. He knew that everything had been dangerous and risky, but the green-haired boy had won. He had pulled it off. It was clever and it was ballsy and All Might knew he shouldn’t praise him for putting himself in such a position.

But he would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed.

“I understand. I will do better.” He promised. He lifted his head, to see the older woman huffing at him, shaking her head. He took one last look at Midoriya, who was still knocked out, and turned to leave.

“Oh, where do you think you’re going?” He twisted back around, confused. She was sitting in her chair, arms crossed.

“Back to the teacher’s lounge?” He said, blinking. She shook her head.

“I’ve called Aizawa here. There’s something else we’ll need to talk about.” Toshinori cringed. He could only imagine the look on Aizawa’s face when he found out what happened. The disheveled man was terrifying when it came to his students. And Toshinori could tell that Aizawa had taken somewhat of a shine to Midoriya already, if his behavior during the Quirk Apprehension Test said anything. 

But it was Toshinori’s fault that Midoriya was laying in that bed right now, so if suffering Aizawa’s wrath was his punishment, he would accept it.

“I understand. I failed his student.” Toshinori said, hanging his head again, voice filled with shame. Recovery Girl snorted.

“It’s not all about you, you foolish young man.” His head shot up. She started pulling up scans on her computer, one of a foot. “It’s about Midoriya. I noticed something odd when I healed him the first time, so I decided to take a look at his medical records.” She said, gesturing to the x-ray of what was presumably Midoriya’s foot. “He has the extra joint, like someone Quirkless would.” She tapped her pen against it, as evidence. “But I don’t think he’s Quirkless.” Toshinori was confused where she was going with this.

“I told you I passed One for All to him. His very condition is evidence of that.” He responded, brow furrowed. 

“I know that.” She said dismissively. “But there was something odd. And there is still a small chance that he could have a Quirk, even with the extra toe joint. But he had the extra toe joint and he never showed signs of a Quirk, so the doctors never mapped his genome. There was no reason to. But I did.” She pulled up another image, marks on a screen that Toshinori didn’t understand. She tapped one in particular, turning back to level a serious look at him. “He has a Quirk factor, Toshinori.” 

It wasn’t unheard of, for someone to have an extra toe joint and still have a Quirk. Certainly, it was very rare. But cases of it still existed. Still, it was so rare that unless someone was showing obvious signs of a Quirk, Quirk counselors and doctors alike rarely expended the effort to map a genome and take a serious look at someone's Quirk factor. The process was still expensive, and there were too many Quirkless people that clung to the hope of a few rare cases that it was considered unreasonable to indulge their wishes. 

Rare, but not impossible. 

“You think he has a hidden Quirk.” Toshinori said, staring at what she was preventing as irrefutable proof that Midoriya did indeed have a Quirk factor. Hidden Quirks were either something so subtle that there was no way to prove they ever existed, or that the circumstances required to bring them out were so rare that someone may never know. Like someone having a Quirk that allowed them to regrow limbs; they may never know until there was a circumstance where they lost one. Or a Quirk that gave someone good luck. It wasn’t a quantitative thing; it was almost impossible to prove. And if you had good luck your entire life, you may just think you were lucky, not that it was some unseen force at play. 

Chiyo looked back at him seriously, mouth pressed into a thin line.

“No, I don’t.” 

“What do you-,”

“Wait for Aizawa.” She interrupted. “I don’t want to have to repeat myself. I just wanted to let you know, since Aizawa is not aware that One for All was bestowed on the boy by you.” 

“Are you sure we should be informing Aizawa?” Toshinori asked. A variety of possibilities were running through his head and he was having trouble figuring out what she meant. But Chiyo had gone deathly serious in an instant and it was foreshadowing something he did not think he was going to like hearing.

“His Quirk could manifest suddenly in a high-stress situation. Like any one of the exercises or practices he is involved in. Aizawa needs to know what he could be dealing with.” Even though Toshinori was hesitant to inform him of anything that even got close to the truth of One for All, he couldn’t argue with that logic. He supposed there was no way to definitively tell what Midoriya’s true Quirk could be and any number of dangerous conditions could manifest. He was wracking his brain, trying to remember what the green-haired boy had told him of his parents. It was likely that his Quirk was similar to one of theirs. He could swear his student had said his mother had some kind of telekinetic ability but could remember nothing about his father. 

In fact, he wasn’t even sure if Midoriya had ever mentioned his father.

Which, now that he thought about it, seemed very odd. Midoriya was very talkative and cheerful and he had spoken at length about Midoriya Inko. She seemed like a sweet woman and a good mother, from the impression Midoriya gave him. But he had never said a single word about his other parent. 

His musings were interrupted by the door swinging open, Aizawa stepping in. He took one look at the unconscious boy on the bed, past the curtain, and then stared back at Toshinori.

“All Might.” His voice was icy. Toshinori cringed. The dark-haired man’s eyes were boring holes in his head and he could tell that the underground hero was angry . “I’ve been informed of the situation.”

“I should have stopped the fight.” Toshinori said quickly. Aizawa raised an eyebrow back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I am aware that this situation is my fault and that it should be within my responsibilities to do what I can to-,”

“Toshinori, shut up.” Chiyo interrupted. “We have more important things to talk about than you being a bad teacher.” Toshinori cringed again. She turned to look at Aizawa. “Midoriya Izuku was diagnosed as Quirkless at five years old, due to a lack of any visible Quirk and the fact that he does in fact have an extra toe joint.” She said, pulling up the scan. Aizawa did not seem affected.

“It is rare to have both a Quirk and an extra toe joint. But not unheard of.” He said with a shrug. “Seems par for the course, for Midoriya. Did he simply develop late?” 

“Yes.” Chiyo answered, face darkening as she glanced over at the sleeping figure. “Very late.” The answer begged a question and Toshinori felt like he could see the gears turning in Aizawa’s head.

“How late?” He asked.

“A few months ago.” Aizawa’s head snapped to the side, to stare at Midoriya’s prone form. 

“No wonder this idiot keeps breaking his bones.” He hissed. “He should have said something.” 

“What do you mean?” Toshinori’s tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He wasn’t expecting that reaction from Aizawa. Maybe for him to be shocked, but not irritated . Aizawa gestured at Midoriya.

“If he had told me his Quirk had developed so late, I could have arranged for him to speak to a Quirk counselor or to take extra classes to gain more control. So he doesn’t keep breaking his bones .” He said. He narrowed his eyes at Toshinori, who resisted the urge to jump back. “You knew.” Toshinori flung up his hands.

“I had suspicions!” He said quickly. 

“If he was diagnosed as Quirkless, he’s likely never spoken to a Quirk counselor. He has no idea how to control his Quirk. Everyone else has had years of guided practice and control.” The unkempt man snapped back. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can’t help him if I am not aware of his situation.”

“So you will help him?” Toshinori asked hopefully. Aizawa glowered back, before turning back to Recovery Girl.

“So he had a hidden Quirk.” He said flatly. She shook her head, her mouth back into that grim line.

“No.” Aizawa blinked, and then waited for her to explain. “He has internal mutations. I do believe they developed late, presumably after his initial assessment was done. But he has them. It’s not a hidden Quirk.” Aizawa straightened instantly.

“You think he repressed his Quirk.” He said quietly. Chiyo nodded.

“Repressed Quirk?” Toshinori asked. He knew he was out of his depth with some of this terminology. Having been born Quirkless himself, he never saw a Quirk counselor either. He really had no idea how any of this worked and he was beginning to realize that his lack of knowledge had hurt his student. He should have at least informed the school that Midoriya would not have much control over his Quirk. Maybe he could have gotten him scheduled time to work with him, under the guise of their Quirks being similar.

“It happens, sometimes.” Chiyo said carefully. “Kids are both resilient and fragile. Their Quirks can hurt them. Sometimes, if a child experiences something traumatic around the age that their Quirks should present, they repress them to avoid harmful memories or experiences. It’s a stress response. They do eventually present, usually...at Midoriya’s age. Around adolescence, when their body starts changing more.”

Something traumatic.

Toshinori balled his fists at his side, the power of her words hitting him. He didn’t even want to look at the small teenager right then, unable to imagine a world where little Midoriya Izuku had experienced something so traumatic at such a young age that he would repress a Quirk for the next ten years. 

“Is there any other reason?” He practically begged.

“Some medical conditions. I checked for all of them. He doesn’t have any.” Toshinori closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw Aizawa nod sharply to himself.

“We will arrange for him to see a Quirk counselor and a regular counselor.” He said. “Thank you for informing me.” Chiyo worried her lip.

“We’re not done yet.” It was just one bomb after another, wasn’t it? “I don’t believe his Quirk has presented yet in its entirety, due to his internal mutations. And I don’t think it’s...a passive Quirk.” 

“What do you mean?” Aizawa asked. “What kind of internal mutations?”

“He is highly resistant to high temperatures, both internally and externally. His costume wasn’t fire resistant at all, and yet none of the explosions he described put a burn on him.” She said and Toshinori wanted to hold his head in his hands. “His respiratory system too, is highly unusual. I cannot definitively say what it does, as it seems to have never been activated before in an atypical capacity. I doubt he knows either.” 

“What do you mean, high temperatures?” Toshinori asked carefully. Recovery Girl glanced back. 

“I mean that I think you could pour molten lava down his throat and he would barely feel it. He could probably eat it, honestly.” 

“That is...quite a mutation.” Recovery Girl nodded, and pulled back the curtain. Midoriya’s head was tilted to the side, an IV in his unbroken arm. The broken one had been partially healed and was still bandaged while he slept. She pushed her pen against his skin.

“I’ve also noted an unusual tensile strength in his skin. It’s why only his bones break when he uses his Quirk and his skin doesn’t rip apart. It comes from the resistance to high temperatures.” She pushed her pen against his skin again. The boy didn’t even stir. “It’s a very interesting Quirk, but I cannot be certain of what it does, exactly, until it manifests. And with the way UA works, that could be at essentially any time.” 

“Should we inform his mother?” Toshinori wondered out loud. He was having a hard time looking at the small, freckled face in front of him, without dread building in the pit of his stomach. 

“ No. ” Aizawa snapped. “The most common source of this kind of trauma is childhood abuse. Severe childhood abuse. If it is an ongoing situation, we risk putting him in danger until we have more information.” Toshinori couldn’t imagine a world in which the lovely woman his student had spoken about hurt him so badly that he would repress what was clearly a strong, complex Quirk. 

“He’s right, Toshinori.” Recovery Girl said. “We simply have to wait until he’s ready to talk, and try to coax out the rest of the Quirk before it manifests on accident. The school will investigate in the meantime. That doesn’t mean abuse is ongoing; it could have been a singular traumatic incident when he was young, or it could have lasted for longer. There’s no way for us to know right now.” 

“I will be checking police reports regarding Midoriya.” Aizawa said, straightening again. “There may be some information that could help us.” He turned on his heel to leave, but stopped to glare at Toshinori. He felt himself shrink under the unkempt man’s powerful gaze. He wasn’t using his Quirk, but with how small he felt, Aizawa might as well have been. “In the meantime, we will be keeping a close eye on Midoriya and I expect you to be the same. If anything, and I mean anything happens, you will inform me.”

“Of course.” His voice cracked. Aizawa stormed out, leaving Toshinori to look at the small figure in front of him. He wanted to smack himself, for not having noticed anything wrong sooner. But Midoriya was always so cheerful and talkative and powerfully optimistic. He had such a strong heart that Toshinori had never imagined him being any way else. It was just another in a list of his own failures. He had to do better .

XXXX

Izuku felt like Aizawa was staring at him. 

Sure, the underground hero was always staring at their class, cowing them into silence under his admittedly powerful gaze. No one shut them up faster than their terrifying teacher. But Izuku tried to be good . And quiet, during class. So he wasn’t sure why Aizawa was staring at him specifically.

Maybe it was the arm breaking? He had told him not to do it and Izuku had gone and done it again, proving what Aizawa had thought of him on the first day. That if he couldn’t use his Quirk without hurting himself, he didn’t have potential.

The thought worried him, and he chewed on the end of his pencil. He would just have to work harder to control it. He had already spoken to All Might about it. The hero had told him that he was going to get time to practice controlling his Quirk more, and that Aizawa knew it had only ‘manifested’ recently. There had been an odd energy in Recovery Girl’s office when he woke up, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. He tried to ask, but Recovery Girl had simply insisted that Aizawa would follow up on his lessons from class that day and shooed him off. She had stopped to ruffle his hair affectionately though, so he figured she wasn’t that angry with him. 

Even though he had broken his arm in the process, he couldn’t help but ride the high of success of being able to beat Bakugo so thoroughly. The look of shock on his former bully’s face had been somewhat satisfying despite all he put himself through to get there and Izuku had practically skipped back to class. He had even waved at Aizawa as he walked down the hall.

Come to think of it, that was when Aizawa had started staring at him, even though it had been two days ago. Almost in disbelief, if Izuku had been reading his expression correctly, which he wasn’t sure he was. 

“Aizawa-sensei? Is something wrong?” He had asked, as he screeched to a halt in front of him, his arm still bandaged. 

“Go to lunch, problem child.” The underground hero had simply ordered, waving him off. “Stop breaking your bones.” He’d added. He seemed irritated, but not angry at Izuku, so he hadn’t thought that much of it and had gone to lunch anyways.

But maybe he was? Izuku mused, as he scribbled notes during class. That was the only explanation for him to be staring so intently at him.

A ball of paper hit him in the face and he turned to see Kirishima gesturing at him once Aizawa turned around. Izuku leaned forward, giving an apologetic smile to Sero, who didn’t seem to mind. 

“Psst! Midoriya!” Kirishima whispered. “Is it just me, or is Aizawa-sensei staring at you?” Izuku was instantly relieved that someone else was seeing what he was seeing. 

“I think he’s mad I broke my bones again.” Izuku whispered back. “He told me not to.”

“But it was so cool! ” His voice got louder on the last word.

“I am not deaf .” Aizawa snapped at the front of the room without turning around as he continued to write and Kirishima jerked back in his chair, the legs squealing against the ground. 

“Sorry, Aizawa-sensei!” 

The lesson continued without interruption. Well, not without interruption . Eventually, Mineta threw one of his purple balls at the back of Bakugo’s head and the explosive boy whipped around and tried to grab Mineta by the throat. Izuku had squeaked as he dodged to the side.

But when the class eventually came to an end, Aizawa dismissed them with his usual level of irritation. 

“Midoriya.” He said as they started to file out, chattering voices creating a now-familiar thrum that Izuku was starting to enjoy. Uraraka had sidled up to him to chat, but his head whipped around the moment Aizawa spoke his name. “A word.” He waved goodbye to his friends, shuffling out of the group. There was an ooh Midoriya’s in trouble , but Aizawa walked over and slammed the door shut behind them pointedly, leaving the two of them alone in the classroom. Izuku gulped nervously. 

“Um, Aizawa-sensei, have I done something wrong?” He asked, shrinking in front of his teacher. The underground hero stared at him for a moment, expression unreadable, before he put a hand on his shoulder. Izuku almost jumped under the movement, surprised. But he held himself still. 

“I’m not angry with you, Midoriya.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I have been informed that you’ve only had your Quirk for a few months.” Izuku cringed. Aizawa released him, walking back to his podium to grab a piece of paper. “You will be seeing a Quirk counselor, starting next week.” He handed it to Izuku, who scanned it quickly. It looked like a schedule, with names listed on each block, and then numbers and emails for the names on the side. 

“Um, why?” Izuku asked slowly. He didn’t really think a Quirk counselor could help him with One for All. It was supposed to be a secret after all.

“Because you need control and that’s exactly what a Quirk counselor is supposed to teach you. Your classmates have had years to learn it and it is apparent that you have not.” Izuku cringed, glancing back up at Aizawa, who let out a breath. “It is UA’s responsibility to keep you as safe as possible. I’m trying to help you not hurt yourself every time you use your Quirk.”

“Oh. Okay.” He offered a small smile back. “What about this?” He tapped another name he didn’t recognize.

“That’s a counselor.” Aizawa said. Izuku blinked.

“Like a therapist?” He was beginning to get the sense that there was something going on behind the scenes that he wasn’t privy to. “Why? I don’t need therapy.” 

“You’ve shown an unusual willingness to put yourself in danger.” Aizawa responded. Izuku blinked back.

“I know it was a stupid decision during class but...I’m just...trying to help people.” His voice cracked. “I couldn’t leave Uraraka during the entrance exam. She could have gotten seriously hurt. I didn’t know how to win against Kacchan without seriously hurting him and I didn’t want to do that.” He knew his voice was shaky when he spoke, but he didn’t know he had done anything so wrong that they wanted to put him in counseling. 

“Midoriya, you got seriously hurt.” 

“I just broke an arm.” He said honestly. 

“You shattered three out of your four limbs during your entrance exam.” Aizawa pointed out. His voice wasn’t harsh, but it was firm. Izuku winced. “You are not required to go to counseling, Midoriya. This isn’t a punishment. You’ve experienced several traumatic injuries. The fact that they have been healed does not mean they were not harmful to both your body and your mind. Many people would not be okay after experiencing what you’ve experienced, especially after developing your Quirk so late.”

“I don’t have to go?” Izuku asked hopefully. “I won’t get in trouble if I don’t?”

“No, Midoriya. I ask that you go to at least one session, but you will not be punished if you don’t. What you and your counselor speak about will be private. If you would like to continue going after or even at some point in the future, these services will be provided to you by the school.” Aizawa said. “Furthermore, if you would like to speak to me on any matter, regardless of how personal it may be, I am always here.” 

“I’ll...think about it.” Izuku said, chewing on his lip. “But I really mean it when I say I’m okay. I mean, it hurt breaking my legs and I don’t want to do it again. But I’m okay!” Aizawa did not look like he believed him. “Are you...going to tell my mom?” He wished he didn’t sound like such a little kid when he said that, but he didn’t want to worry his mother. He knew it was already an odd situation, him suddenly getting a Quirk, and she felt so guilty already for not believing in him or supporting his dream. When it wasn’t her fault at all. She couldn’t have known he would receive a Quirk from All Might himself . He couldn’t put any more stress on her because she would only blame herself.

Aizawa’s face hardened, and Izuku didn’t know what he had said to cause that. 

“No, Midoriya.” His voice was surprisingly soft. “Barring a life-threatening injury, your mother will not be informed of any medical or psychological treatment you wish to undergo. This matter will be handled by the school privately. She will only know what you want her to know.” 

“Oh, okay.” Izuku brightened. “Thank you, Aizawa-sensei. Um, what’s this last one?” He asked, pointing at an empty slot on his school schedule. 

“You and I will be meeting to work on your Quirk and draw out its full potential.” Izuku could have passed out , the idea was so exciting to him. One-on-one training with Eraserhead ? One of his favorite childhood heroes ? He couldn’t believe his luck, being mentored by All Might and trained by Eraserhead all in one year. “We don’t want any last minute surprises manifesting during class and if things get out of hand, I can erase your Quirk to prevent injury.” Aizawa said. 

Izuku wanted to whoop in excitement.

“Thank you Aizawa-sensei!” He burst out. “I won’t let you down!” Aizawa sighed. 

“Go to lunch, Midoriya. We will start our meetings next week, as well.” Izuku practically skipped out the door again, on cloud nine . 

XXXX

“Midoriya-kun!” Iida waved him over, his loud voice cutting through the crowd instantly. Izuku spotted his friends and rushed over. Friends . The word already made him giddy. He couldn’t believe that he had friends , who thought he was cool. Friends , who wanted to sit with him at lunch. As scary as that day under the bridge had been with that slime monster, Izuku didn’t regret one second of it. Ever since he met All Might, his world had completely turned around and he was getting to achieve one dream after another. Izuku hurried over with his food, taking a seat next to Uraraka. 

“Is everything okay, Deku?” Uraraka asked. Izuku nodded. 

“Yeah, everything is great!” He beamed. “I have to meet with a Quirk counselor to try and get some control on my Quirk, though.” Uraraka brightened.

“That could be a good thing though. I would hate to see you get hurt again.” She said. “Didn’t you say your Quirk came in really late?” He nodded back, green curls bouncing as he did.

“Yeah, so I’ve never actually met with a Quirk counselor before.” He said bashfully. “Maybe it’ll help.” Iida looked horrified.

“Never had a Q-quirk counselor?!” He spluttered. Izuku resisted the urge to laugh at his righteous indignation. “Quirks can be quite dangerous and yours is powerfully unique. If I did not have the guidance of my own counselor and my family, I could have seriously injured myself. How did such an oversight come to be?” Izuku shrugged.

“They thought I was Quirkless for a really long time.” He said. “So there was no reason to see one.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I’m really behind you guys.” Uraraka knocked her shoulder against his.

“You’ll catch up, Deku. You’re really smart and really talented. I’m sure you’ll get a handle on it in no time.” 

“Did I miss anything while I was gone?” He didn’t mention the one-on-one sessions with Eraserhead. He didn’t think his teacher wanted him broadcasting that. It felt private, the way he had pulled him aside, and Izuku didn’t want to do anything that would lose his trust. 

“Kirishima cracked a table demonstrating how hard his head was.” Uraraka said, gesturing to a table wheeled up against the wall. There was big, jagged lines zigzagging from a crater-like centerpoint, marring the surface. “They had to get a new one.” Izuku glanced over to see Kirishima at the table to his right, sitting with a few other students. He waved back at Izuku cheerfully, no sign of any damage done. 

“He damaged school property!” Iida said. “He should not be so happy. It is disrespectful to the employees who have worked so hard!” Izuku laughed anyways as he waved to the red-haired boy. He liked Kirishima; the boy was so friendly and cheerful and Izuku couldn’t help but feel like he’d been adopted by the extroverted powerhouse that was the redhead. He liked pretty much everyone in their class so far, to be honest. 

They chatted for a while about the field trip they had heard whispers of. Supposedly, at the end of the week, they were going to another UA facility to work on practical training. Izuku was excited, though he supposed he was going to have to work harder to not break his bones in the process. He didn’t think his teachers would be too happy with him if he did. 

“Maybe it’ll be rescue missions?” Uraraka suggested. “That’s what I’m interested in.”

“That makes a lot of sense, with your Quirk.” Izuku said. “You’d be really good at that, Uraraka.” She smiled back.

“Thank you, Deku! I hope we get a chance to see different types of hero careers. It’s not all punching bad guys, you know.” She said, beaming at him. “Though I think you’d be really good at that.” Izuku laughed, rubbing his neck.

“I’m not sure what I want to do yet. I just want to help people, really. Though I suppose-,” he looked down at his hands. “-, my Quirk is a little bit better for punching bad guys than rescue missions.” 

“There are many applications for your Quirk, Midoriya-kun! You can’t know what you’re capable of yet!” Iida argued cheerfully. “After all, you’re just beginning to understand your Quirk.”

“Think of Thirteen!” Uraraka said. “Their Quirk would be amazing for fighting villains too, but they focus on rescue missions and they're one of the best at it!”

“Do you like Thirteen?” Izuku asked. Uraraka blushed but nodded.

“They were one of my favorite heroes, as a kid. You know, growing up out in the country, we don’t get a lot of villain attacks. But there are natural disasters and they're the kind of hero that really saves people where I’m from.” She said. “Their kind of hero really makes a difference. I think I would be happy doing something like that.” 

“What about you, Iida?” Izuku asked their other friend, who swallowed the last bite of his meal. He opened his mouth to say something, but then the bell rang. They still had time to get to class, but Iida immediately sprang to his feet. 

“We must get back to class!” He cried.

“I’m sure we’ll make it on time.” Uraraka said with a frown.

“I am highly punctual, Uraraka-kun, and I don’t intend to stop that today!” She giggled and they got to their feet, collecting the remnants of their meal. Kirishima slid out of his own booth after them, dumping his stuff as well. He slung an arm around Izuku’s shoulder as he turned to greet him. 

“Uh, don’t look now, but Bakugo’s ready to kill you.” Izuku squeaked, as Kirishima grinned at him, slapping him on the shoulder. “He’s behind us. Just thought I’d warn you.”

“He’s still angry about losing?” Izuku asked, but immediately amended his words. “That was a stupid question.” Kirishima laughed in response as they walked. 

“You’re a funny guy, Midoriya. What did Aizawa want to talk to you about?” he asked curiously.

“Uh, basically me breaking all my bones.” Izuku said, avoiding direct eye contact. The redhead snickered. “We’re trying to avoid me doing that again.”

“It happens to the best of us?” He offered.

“Does it, though?” Izuku asked. 

“Not really.” Uraraka supplied cheerfully, jumping into the conversation. “I mean, I vomit sometimes when I use my power too much. I guess everyone has a different blow back from their powers.” 

“Sometimes I get weird hardened growths.” Kirishima said honestly. “So I have to file them down.” Uraraka wrinkled her nose, making a face.

“Eww!”

“I saw you puke during the entrance exam!” Kirishima protested. “That was gross too!”

“But everyone gets nauseous sometimes. Not everyone files down weird growths!” She said. “What about you, Iida?” The teen pushed his glasses up on his nose as they walked down the hallway. 

“My engines do...occasionally overheat.” He admitted. “The cramping can be quite painful.” 

“But you don’t file down weird growths, now do you?” Uraraka poked him in the arm.

The taller student nodded staunchly, but politely. “I do no such thing.” Iida affirmed and Kirishima screwed up his face.

“I get it already!”

Chapter Text

Aizawa refused to tell them what their field trip was, even as they filed onto the bus for it. They were all theorizing, but he hushed them into silence as they got on, ignoring the questions aimed his way. Izuku felt a little odd, just in his gym uniform, since everyone else had their costumes, but he supposed it couldn’t be helped. Plus, he wanted to make some upgrades to the costume anyways so it was probably a good thing. He took a seat next to Asui, a girl with green hair and a frog mutation-type Quirk. 

She seemed friendly and even complimented him on his green hair, reaching out in solidarity. He touched the curls self-consciously, as he thanked her, flushing.

“Is it part of your Quirk?” She asked, as hers clearly was. He shook his head.

“Uh, no. My mom has green hair too though.” 

“You know, ribbit, you Quirk is a little like All Might’s.” He resisted the urge to seize up, and instead just laughed nervously.

“Yeah, I guess. I might ask him for some tips in controlling it.” He said. “If he’ll speak to me. I still get nervous talking to him.” That part was true; even after being trained for ten months by the man, Izuku still found him to be everything he thought he would be and more . Of course he still got flustered around his hero.

“I think you’ll be okay, ribbit. You’re a nice person, Midoriya.” He flushed even redder. Asui had a straightforward way of speaking, saying exactly what she was thinking, and unbothered by his blushing face.

“Unlike Bakugo over there.” Kaminari, a blonde-haired boy with an electric type Quirk volunteered, jerking a thumb at the boy who was sitting a few seats down. Bakugo immediately started roaring, springing to his feet and grabbing the railing.

“Say that to my fucking face, you electric weasel .” 

“Bakugo's got a strong Quirk, but his personality is in the toilet.” Asui offered honestly. 

“I still can’t believe he tried to strangle Mineta.” Jiro, another girl, offered. She considered her own words for a moment. “Nah, actually, I can. He’s so explosive, it’s no wonder that’s his Quirk.” Izuku couldn’t believe what he was seeing, watching as Bakugo roared back, cursing and shouting at his classmates who just laughed, continuing to tease him.

Bakugo was being teased . The idea of it was so foreign to Izuku; the taller boy had been top dog at their middle school because his Quirk was so strong. Though, Izuku was realizing that when everyone had a strong Quirk, that didn’t mean as much anymore. 

He looked around the bus, his eye catching Uraraka and Iida enthusiastically conversing on one of the booth-type seats. Everyone seemed to be chatting cheerfully, except for Todoroki, who was sitting alone. Not that he had been isolated; Izuku had noticed the split-haired boy seemed to prefer it that way. He had such a cool Quirk, but he was relatively aloof compared to the rest of their cheerful class. Izuku still felt a little bad though, and resolved to try and sit next to him on the way back. Maybe he just hadn’t had a lot of friends before UA, like Izuku. Though, he thought Todoroki was such a cool guy that he couldn’t imagine him being as lonely as Izuku was. 

When they finally got to what had been referred to as USJ, they couldn’t contain their gasps of excitement. They could see vastly different areas set up, clearly with different scenarios for them to play through. A shipwreck zone, an earthquake zone, and far, far more. It was huge , the sheer vastness of the facility blowing his mind. 

“Hello, students!” 

“ Thirteen! ” Uraraka shrieked, as the space-suited figure appeared before them, arms up in the air. She slapped a hand over her mouth, turning bright red. Izuku bumped his shoulder against hers comfortingly. He hadn’t reacted well to seeing his heroes the first time either. 

Thirteen just laughed as they stepped forward.

“Welcome to USJ, Universal Studios Japan!” There was a ripple of awe through the class, before Aizawa’s voice cut through the crowd.

“Try again.” 

“Aw, you’re no fun, Eraserhead.” Thirteen said. “This is the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. Today’s focus is on rescue circumstances.” They launched into a speech about the nature of their powers and the kind of scenarios they could face in their career, briefly demonstrating their abilities. They stepped a little closer. “All of you should remember that while your Quirks may be very powerful and even fun to some of you, that all of you have the capacity to kill or cause serious harm. And that should never be taken lightly; a hero’s job is to save lives, not to end them. Today, we are going to work on just that.” They clapped their hands together. “Alright, you are all going to split up into-,”

A sound like a gigantic tear interrupted him, Thirteen whirling around to find the source of the noise. It was like static, bleeding out into the facility and buzzing loudly. It reminded Izuku of the white noise from a TV, but turned up so it was blowing the speakers out. Fuzzy and awful. Izuku spotted a dark substance gathering at the center of the facility, down a series of steps. It drew together like a flat disk that seemed to void all the light around it. 

And then a hand reached out.

Things happened so fast from there - one second, they were all thrilled to learn about rescue missions, to use their powers. And the next, the room was filled with villains. Aizawa was leaping forward into the fray, goggles on, moving fast and sharp. Eraserhead in action was an unbelievable sight. Izuku had been worried, because he was fighting essentially Quirkless, but he was kicking serious ass .

And then the warp villain was up near them and they were screaming and trying to fight , the reality of what was happening beginning to set in. That they were under attack . That there weren’t nearly enough pros for the amount of villains that had just flooded in. That there were no signals in or out of the facility and that they were talking about killing All Might . There was fear gripping Izuku’s chest and then it was black and the panicked voices of his friends were gone.

And the burning in his chest started when he was plunged underwater, but he managed not to panic, trying to swim upwards until he was saved by Asui, who pulled him aboard the ship. The burning got more intense when he realized what kind of danger they were in, especially when he realized the only Quirks they could rely on were Asui and Mineta’s. And that none of them had the kind of firepower to take on the villains circling the ship. He could feel the panic creeping up his throat, hot and sharp, as the ship cracked in half and they started to sink and still only had the beginnings of a plan.

He took a deep breath, trying to put all the worry out of his mind briefl, and focus on the situation at hand. He ignored the burning.

He had to come up with a plan. One that didn’t involve breaking his arm. His fight with Bakugo had taught him that; maybe they could get out of this arena, but once they made it past these villains, they were still in big trouble. And he couldn’t help them if he was smashed to bits. His first plan could not be the one he enacted. 

“Asui-,”

“Call me Tsu.” Izuku blinked, looking at the green-haired girl who had saved his life only moments before. She grinned back. “If we’re going to die, you can call me Tsu.” He let himself smile shyly.

“Okay, Tsu.” He rubbed his head. Mineta was still wailing. “I have an idea, I think.”

“One that doesn’t involve breaking your arms, ribbit?”

He glanced out, gripping the railing as the angle on the ship changed as it continued to sink. “Um, not my arms. It involves breaking some fingers, but I think that’s a sacrifice we can make.” He said. Tsu considered it seriously, and then nodded. 

“Okay.”

He explained his idea, of having Tsu throw him in the air where he could release a One for All powered finger flick, that would spiral through the water. The veritable whirlpool would pull the villains together, giving them a chance to escape from the ship without getting demolished by the enemies surrounding them. 

“I think we can use Mineta’s balls.” He said. “If they stick things together, you can throw them into the water and it’ll help bind the villains. That way, even when the whirlpool settles, they’ll be stuck together.” 

“It’s a good plan.” She agreed. Mineta was clutching his head next to them, trembling.

“How can you be so calm?” He demanded. “We might die !”

“If we don’t stay calm and make a plan, then we’ll definitely die.” Izuku responded before he had time to think. “At least we might make it out. Someone is going to notice something is wrong eventually. And they don’t know our Quirks. We can probably take a lot of them down.” he said. Tsu nodded.

“Otherwise they would have put me in the fire rescue arena. I would have been dried out and useless there.” Tsu said. “They don’t know what we can do. We have that advantage.” Izuku couldn’t help but think of Bakugo. He had almost taken down that warp villain. If they went head to head again, Izuku was certain that Bakugo could . As fiery and explosive as Bakugo was, he was a force of nature in a fight. The nature of his Quirk made it so the longer he fought and the sweatier he got, the more dangerous he became. 

Even Todoroki. Izuku heard of what he did in his exercise, freezing the whole building in seconds. Even if they couldn’t take on all the villains at once, he was confident that someone in his class would be able to get out of the building and get to the pros at some point. 

They weren’t going to die here.

He wasn’t going to let that happen, even if he had to break every bone in his body to do it. 

If they could get a hole into the side of the building and get back to the center, he was certain they could send Iida to the pros. He was the fastest and once he got there, the pros would be flooding in. Izuku was certain he could blow a hole in the side of the building. If his friends needed an opening, he would buy them the biggest one possible even if he had to pay in blood. 

“Hold onto me.” Izuku said firmly. “And let’s do this.” He took a deep breath, fighting the burn in his chest, steeling himself. He didn’t want to break his fingers, but he would. He sent as much power as he could into them, as Tsu and Mineta climbed on, Mineta starting to pull balls off his head, crying already.

And honestly?

It went better than expected. 

Tsu flung them into the air, Mineta screaming and crying as he started to throw balls into the water. Izuku released his fingers.

The flick was powerful enough to send a shockwave through the surface, burrowing a hole directly through the water. The sudden vacuum caused a whirlpool of ridiculous strength, the villains getting sucked together as they ran into sticky spheres. Izuku saw them trying to pull them off, even as the trio sailed through the air, all of them screaming. There was blood dripping down Mineta’s head as he howled, throwing more and more into the water. More and more villains bound together, yelling as the force of the water pulled them. 

The trio went flying over them, the villains bound together in one gigantic, messy form as they struggled, unable to free themselves and getting rocked by the waves of a unnatural magnitude. When the three of them finally landed in the water, they were a safe distance away from the pull of the whirlpool, barely able to see the floating mass stuck together. 

They swam up to the edge, trying to duck under the surface of the water as they got closer to the villains that Aizawa was still fighting. 

Izuku couldn’t help that his jaw dropped as Aizawa tore through them, his capture weapon flying with a deadly grace. He had known Eraserhead was a martial artist, but this was unbelievable.

But it also couldn’t last forever. He could see Aizawa slowing, taking more hits than he did before. He had cleared a significant portion of the villains. They were lying on the ground, either unconscious or bound in his capture weapon, but Izuku could see the ashen-haired one with hands on his face gesture towards the monstrous creature next to him. It was huge and inhuman, its brain exposed to the air and with nothing behind the eyes. There was no way that was a Quirk.

Izuku didn’t know what that was. 

He heard the ashen-haired villain call it a Nomu , but that didn’t mean much to him. 

What did was when the villain clearly ordered it to attack Aizawa.

“This is taking too long.” The villain said. “We need All Might here. Get him.” The Nomu charged , and Izuku’s mouth opened against his will, but Tsu slapped a hand over it. He was unable to tear his eyes away as the Nomu sent its own allies flying, stomping towards Eraserhead. Aizawa seemed to instantly realize the strength the creature possessed, and dodged the charge, instead of meeting the Nomu head-on. It stomped over one of its own, a sickening crack coming from the limp form, screams bitten off as it crushed internal organs and shattered bones. 

It lifted a bloody foot up and when Aizawa’s capture weapon slung around him, their teacher attempting to use the Nomu’s momentum to sent it tumbling to the ground, it grabbed the capture weapon. Aizawa went skidding across the pavement. He quickly rolled to his feet, dodging another charge from the creature. He weaved through heavily projected swings, landing hit after hit of his own, all of which seemed to have no effect. 

Eventually, Aizawa wasn’t fast enough. 

The Nomu caught one arm and flung him against the ground, and Izuku cringed, knowing that must have dealt some damage. Aizawa was up in a second though, despite breathing heavily. His goggles had been torn off long ago, cracked and hanging near his neck. The Nomu grabbed one of his arms and Aizawa went to twist out of his grasp, when the ashen-haired villain leaned in, placing one arm on Aizawa’s elbow.

Aizawa screamed .

Izuku watched in horror as the skin began to decay and flake off in layer after layer, going down to the muscle.

“Eraserhead, you’re no All Might, but even I have to admit. You’re pretty fucking cool.” The ashen-haired villain said, tilting his head. Izuku didn’t know how he saw with that hand in his face. “You can call me Shigaraki. Now, where is All Might? If he doesn’t get here soon, I’m going to have to kill your students.” Aizawa wrenched away abruptly, twisting and sweeping one of the legs of the Nomu out from under it. He dodged as the Nomu went careening into its master, the villain shrieking as he stumbled away. Aizawa was almost away-,

And then the Nomu’s hand shot out, throwing Aizawa to the ground and Izuku heard the crack of bone and splitting skin as the Nomu ground Aizawa into the pavement. There was a wet coughing noise from their teacher as blood burst from his lips, the Nomu grabbing his head with his other hand and slamming it back down. 

He was going to die, Izuku thought, waves of nausea rolling through him. A little voice in his head whispered, we're all going to die here.

“We have to get him out of there.” He whispered, all the blood draining from his face. His chest was burning so much now, the sensation going up into his throat, and fuck maybe he was injured and he just hadn’t realized it yet. “As soon as you can, grab him and get out.”

“I can’t get all of us out at once.” She whispered back.

“He’ll die if we don’t.” Izuku insisted.

Tsu let out a whimper.

“Oh?” 

Fuck .

Shigaraki had noticed them at the water’s edge, over in an instant, hand outstretched as the Nomu dragged Aizawa towards its master. They weren’t far to begin with, but his hand reached towards Tsu and Izuku froze in fear. He could see, in his mind’s eye, Tsu flaking away into nothing. Layer after layer of blood and skin and bone disintegrating into the air, unable to even scream as she died.

And he couldn’t do anything . He was just as helpless as he had always been.

He thought he was going to throw up. 

And then Shigaraki’s hand closed over Tsu’s face. 

Nothing happened.

It was Aizawa, Izuku noticed. Despite all odds, despite being smeared across the ground like a limp corpse already, he had dragged his blood-stained head up at the last second, erasing Shigaraki’s Quirk before he could touch Tsu. His eyes glowed red.

“Fuck.” Shigaraki said. “Eraserhead, you really are cool .” He laughed. “Kill him.”

And then Izuku opened his mouth and screamed .

XXXX

Shouta had spent some time trying to theorize what Midoriya’s Quirk could really do. There were mutations that should have given them a clue. But the super strength similar to that of All Might’s was confusing, seemingly unrelated. He had tried to find records of his parents, both to compare Quirks and to find a clue as to what a young Midoriya may have suffered. He could only find one for Midoriya Inko, who had a telekinetic Quirk and a seemingly simple life.  Shouta couldn’t even find the name of Midoriya’s father. One half of Midoriya's parentage was a veritable ghost with no Quirk, no name, no record. It was startlingly unhelpful.

Maybe Midoriya knew something, but maybe he didn’t. Shouta had debated confronting him with the fact that Midoriya likely had a trauma-repressed Quirk but it wasn’t a bomb he wanted to drop on the boy in the middle of the school day. He had decided to tell him little by little and get him to talk to his Quirk counselor and regular counselor first, people who would be far more equipped to deal with trauma of that nature. After all, Shouta had realized Midoriya had likely been so young it was a possibility he barely remembered what happened or didn’t fully understand it. And the last thing they needed was the boy having a panic attack in an insecure environment with a powerful, complicated Quirk manifesting. 

Though the moment those villains stepped through the warp gate, he wished he had spoken to him about it earlier.

But what Shouta was not expecting was a white-hot burst of flame to launch itself from Midoriya’s mouth. It seared straight into the Nomu’s skin, making a horrible sizzling noise and the smell of burnt flesh making its way into Shouta’s throat, Shigaraki yanking his arm back to avoid the blast and released Asui. The Nomu howled, releasing Shouta's head which thunked against the ground heavily. He tried to turn it, but he was so beaten and broken it was a struggle to even look up. He couldn’t see well either, with blood dripping down his face and into his eyes and he didn’t trust himself not to put himself directly into the white-hot stream that would immolate him in seconds.

He felt something pull him away and the next thing he knew, he was being launched in the air. His head fell back, and through his disorientation, he could see Asui’s crying face swim into view. They were on the other side of the room, having been pulled away, Mineta clutching the green-haired girl’s arm. 

“ I left him .” She sobbed and Shouta felt the blackness creeping onto the edge of his vision. He fought it, pulling his head up, to see Midoriya , panting, eyes wide and horrified. He was pale and shaking, in the edge of the water and oh fuck no he was manifesting a Quirk that he had repressed for the first time in the middle of a villain attack and-,

Midoriya was going to die, Shouta realized. He tried to surge up but pain laced through his body, his muscles and bones failing him. He could not move what would no longer work, thoroughly beaten and crushed by the monstrous creature that had grabbed him. Shigaraki’s hand was already reaching for the trembling boy and he forced his Quirk to work, erasing Shigaraki’s Quirk as best he could.

But there was blood dripping into his eyes and he was already fighting to keep them opens, just barely able to peek out as Shigaraki’s hand grasped his face-,

And his vision went black.

He was dragged into unconsciousness, fighting every step of the way. The last thing he heard was Asui sobbing so hard it sounded like it hurt and the screams of his students.

He had gotten Midoriya killed .

XXXX

Izuku didn’t know what was happening, but when Shigaraki grabbed his face, he knew he was in trouble .

He opened his mouth to scream again, and just as the ashen-haired villain’s real hand made contact with his face, he breathed out a stream of fire that was so hot it immolated Shigaraki’s hand in seconds , burning straight through the villain’s forearm and stopping the spread of the Quirk before he could be turned to dust.

Or so he thought .

He felt blood drip down his face from where Shigaraki’s hand had been, but he still felt something there as he reached up to touch it, shaking and horrified and mouth burning . The villain was screaming and clutching his hand, which had thunked to the ground, twisted and burned as it wetly separated from the stub remaining. It had been instantly cauterized, but the stump looked raw and mutilated. He let out a shriek that could have shattered glass as he fell to his knees, clutching it to his chest. He stared at Izuku through the side of his hair, peering under the hand still on his face.

“ Kill him! ”

Izuku realized, a moment too late, that Shigaraki was talking about him . He tried to scramble out of the water, barely getting to his feet on dry land before the Nomu was rushing him. His body felt numb and he honestly couldn't feel his limbs moving. He could only pray that they were. The creature caught him in the side, throwing him 10 feet through the air. He felt his ribs crack as he hit the ground and he landed weirdly on one arm. There was a different kind of burning in his chest, a different one from the fire in his lungs that he didn’t know he had.

Like his father had had.

He wanted to scream and cry into the dirt and be overwhelmed, but there wasn’t time for that because the Nomu was coming. He rolled to his side, choking as he got to his feet. It stomped over and Izuku powered up with One for All.

If there were a time to use it, it was now .

He swung and hit , his hand hitting the Nomu solidly. There was a rush of wind as the incredible force behind it kicked up all the dust and smoke and the smell of burnt flesh. Izuku coughed, a small amount of flame coming out as he choked on the particulate matter, taking a step back. A force like that should have sent the Nomu rocketing away and he was expecting to feel the familiar pain of a shattered limb. 

But then he looked down and stared at his fist, opening and closing his hand.

He was fine .

Sore, but his arm wasn’t broken.

He’d controlled it, he realized and Izuku could have laughed at the irony of now being the time. 

And he noticed way too late the Nomu swinging at him. 

It hit him directly in the chest and a jet of flame shot out from his mouth involuntarily as he went flying back. It hit the Nomu directly in the shoulder, searing through flesh again and it let out a horrible shriek. Izuku felt his head smack against the ground as he landed, like his brain was rattling around inside. He was dizzy, vision swimming and instantly nauseous. He barely managed to tilt his head, watching the Nomu swing around wildly, trying to put out the fire. It managed to stop the spread, but it felt to its knees. The arm was hanging weirdly from the shoulder, severed by the hot flame at one point and hanging on by burnt threads. 

It roared and ripped its own arm off.

Izuku choked back vomit at the sight.

A twisted nub started to appear, spiraling out in a mass of disgusting, moving muscle. The noises were wet, squelching as it formed a new arm and in moments , it was like the wound had never been there.

Fuck.  

Izuku tried to get his arms under him, but he almost collapsed. One of his arms was broken, he realized. Not the one he had punched with, but the one he had landed on earlier. And he knew there was something else wrong inside, his insides feeling all smushed from where the Nomu hit him. He glanced over to see where Tsu and Mineta were cowering.

Tsu was clutching Aizawa to her, staring at the horrible scene in front of her. Tears were rolling down her face openly.

Once the Nomu was done with him, it would be coming for them. And with Aizawa unconscious and bloodied in Tsu’s arms, they didn’t stand a chance . 

Aizawa hadn’t stood a chance.

He tried to stumble to his feet, spitting out blood and breathing heavily. He was still dizzy and there was blood getting in his eyes, but he had to get up .

He was on the verge of collapsing, when he felt strong arms wrap around him, pulling him up and lifting him off the ground. His legs dangled uselessly. The person grabbing him grunted.

“You’re kinda heavy, Midoriya.” Came the weak quip and Izuku let out a sob, twisting to press his face against Kirishima’s chest. “I got you, bro.” The redhead gave him a gentle squeeze that made him cry harder. Izuku lifted his head, realizing that Todoroki and Bakugo were there too. When he first looked up, Todoroki and Bakugo looked determined, anger splashed across his childhood friend’s face openly. But when they saw Izuku, they both faltered.

Izuku coughed wetly.

“It heals.” He choked out. His throat was burning. “It lost an arm and it grew back . And I hit it...not with my full force but hard . It didn’t affect it at all . I think it has some kind of shock absorption Quirk.”

“Yeah...w-we saw that.” He heard Kirishima swallow. 

“What the fuck happened to you, Deku? ” He heard Bakugo bark out, but there was a tremble in his voice. Izuku let out a laugh. He didn’t know how to answer that.

“The other one.” Todoroki said quickly, and he stamped his right foot. Ice shot out, quickly encasing the monster. It went up its legs and the Nomu started to struggle but was having trouble getting the momentum necessary. It wouldn’t hold it for long, but Todoroki was buying time. “What can he do?”

“Some kind of decaying power.” He forced out. “Don’t let him touch you, your skin and muscle will flake off until you’re nothing.” He thought for a second. “He only has one hand now, though. H-he grabbed my face before I got free....i-is it bad?” He shook his head. “Nevermind. Don’t tell me now.” 

“Did you take off his hand ?” Kirishima asked, holding onto him. Izuku coughed again, momentarily struggling to breathe, and the panic was starting to set in.

“I-i don’t know what’s h-happening.” His ears were starting to ring. 

Crack!

The Nomu broke free in an instant , and before any of them had time to react, it was charging at an inhuman speed. Kirishima let out a yell and Todoroki stumbled back, eyes wide at the thing in front of him. Bakugo immediately let off an explosion but the creature didn’t even feel it, charging straight through the blast. Izuku ignored the screaming pain in his broken arm, yanking his hand up and pushing Kirishima’s face out of the way. He closed his eyes and breathed out as a large, clenched fist swung for Todoroki’s face, inches away from pulverising the teen’s skull into nothing .

When Izuku opened his eyes the creature was shrieking, stumbling back and clutching at its melting, warped hand. Todoroki quickly sent out ice spikes that shot towards the creature, breaking against its skin but holding it back. He encased it entirely in ice, letting out a shaky breath as it started to crack through already, layering it. He turned to look at Izuku with wide eyes and he could see how much his classmate was shaking.

“Midoriya-,”

Izuku puked. It was a mixture of blood and ash and whatever had been in his stomach that day. It dripped onto Kirishima, who made a noise, but said nothing. Izuku’s lungs were on fire and his head hurt terribly. His vision was blurry, both from the pain and the tears. The only small miracle he had was that he knew, at least to some extent, what this strange new power was and how to use it. A gift from a monster he didn't want, but something he needed.

“Get him out of here.” Todoroki said quickly. “He hit his limit a long time ago.” Kirishima hauled Izuku on his shoulder. He got ready to rush off-,

Crack!

A chunk of ice went flying off of the creature, knocking them both over. Todoroki tried to shoot more back and Bakugo let out a roar, leaping in with explosions to slow it down. Kirishima released him as they fell, but he had hardened his arms around Izuku, which had protected them somewhat. Izuku rolled over, both of them groaning and got to his feet slowly.

“Midoriya.” Kirishima whispered as Izuku dry-heaved into the dirt. He wiped his mouth with his unbroken arm and straightened up.

“The only thing that slows it down is fire.” He said, turning back to his classmates, who were getting sweatier by the second. Todoroki looked like someone had stabbed him when Izuku said that. “I-i can help.” It wasn’t meant to be a dig at the fire that Izuku knew Todoroki had, but didn’t use. He didn’t know what his reasons were and if the reason was I can’t control it at all it was probably better he didn’t use it than get everyone killed.

Not that Izuku had much control over the fire that was currently bursting from his lungs.

But he knew enough. He had seen it used before, had seen the smoke curling out from the mouth of his father, had seen white-hot flames shoot out and terrorize his mother.

He could do this.

“This fucking piece of shit !” Bakugo screamed, letting out a concentrated blast aimed at the Nomu. The fire took off the top layer of its exposed skin, showing the scorched muscle underneath, and Todoroki tried to follow up by covering it with ice, trying to freeze the skin and prevent it from regrowing. The creature was shrieking in pain, eyes swirling around aimlessly as it writhed.

“Kirishima, protect Midoriya as best you can.” Todoroki forced out as he concentrated on the task at hand. The redhead nodded wordlessly, hardening his arms and hovering near Izuku. 

“Eat shit !” Bakugo shrieked.

Izuku stumbled forward, when Todoroki’s brow furrowed.

“What-,” His ice was flaking away and the Nomu was freeing itself.

“The other one is behind him.” Izuku barely realized he was the one who spoke, and he opened his mouth and forced another jet of flame from his tired lungs. It felt like they were cramping, a horrible, painful sensation. But he forced it anyways , and an almost conical flame shot out, wide and long, focused more on area than heat.

He heard a loud screech coming from the man behind the Nomu as he dodged to avoid the flame. He banged his stump on his knee frantically as he appeared from behind the Nomu.

“You’re ruining everything !” He screamed. “ Everything! ” Shigaraki was smeared in ash by now, some of his hands having fallen off. The one on his face was still there. He sounded so genuinely upset, like a child who had seen their sandcastle destroyed. It was so impossible to reconcile with the horror of what had occurred that Izuku spoke automatically.

“Uh, sorry.” 

“ Deku, don’t fucking apologize to the villain you stupid piece of shit! ” Izuku cringed.

“Sorry.”

“ Rip his fucking face off and rub his dumb fucking stump in the dirt! ” Bakugo shrieked, letting off an explosion that shook the ground they stood on, knocking Shigaraki backwards. “Are you waiting for a fucking invitation ?” He let off another explosion, turning to scream obscenities at Shigaraki, who was scrambling away. Bakugo was a bad match-up for him, Izuku realized. Bakugo was a mid to long range fighter and his attacks were light, fire, and sound, all forms of energy. When it came down to it, things that the villain could not decay. Shigaraki lurched forward to free the Nomu, who was consistently cracking the ice Todoroki was repeatedly encasing him in, almost desperately at this point. But Bakugo set off another explosion and Shigaraki fell again. “It’s a good thing you’re fucking covered in hands because you’re going to need them after I blow the rest of your shitty fucking fingers off! ”

Izuku wanted to sink to his knees and sob. 

He was so grateful that Kacchan was there.

But he didn’t, because Bakugo was there. 

“And then you’ll just be some dumb Quirkless motherfucker with no goddamn hands! ” The blonde blew off a chunk of ice from the Nomu, and a chunk of its shoulder to boot. “DIE,YOU FREAK! ”

And then All Might arrived .

XXXX

Kirishima had dragged Izuku’s broken body off to the side, while Todoroki snagged Bakugo by the collar and hauled the screaming boy away as All Might took on the Nomu.

“ It has regeneration! And shock absorption! ” Izuku screamed to All Might, dragging his feet as Kirishima tried to pull him away. They didn’t know about All Might’s time limit. They didn’t know he was weaker. They just thought everything was okay because he was there. But Izuku knew better.

And Tsu’s words on the ship haunted him. 

They wouldn’t be here unless they had a way to kill All Might .

Sure, they had all slowed down the Nomu a little bit. And maybe, if it was human, there would be a limit to its Quirks. 

But it wasn’t, and Izuku didn’t think there was.

He was sure that everyone else thought his apparent insanity, his struggle to stay in the fight, was because of the variety of head injuries he had seemingly accumulated. That he was undergoing a stress-related reaction because of everything.

And maybe they were kind of right; after all, since the manifestation of his father’s Quirk, Izuku had been wanting to drag his nails down his face until he bled. But thankfully, Shigaraki had already taken care of that for him. 

But Izuku also knew that All Might had a limit and if he wasn’t already at it, they were approaching it. 

“Midoriya!” Kirishima grunted. “You’re hurt .”

“I’m fine.” He babbled, fighting Kirishima’s grip. “They’re going to kill him .” He watched the Nomu plunge its clawed fingers straight into All Might’s side in the struggle, gripping him tight. The warp villain had appeared at some point, complicating the struggle even further. No matter how many hits All Might landed, it didn’t seem like any of them were affecting it. Blood soaked through his mentor’s shirt. Todoroki stopped in his tracks, eyeing the struggling Izuku carefully. Kirishima had frozen as well.

“Midoriya, your body is falling apart. We’ll help him. But you have to stop .” 

“ We ?” Bakugo snapped.

“Don’t you want another crack at the warp villain, Kacchan?” Izuku said weakly. 

“You bet your shitty ass I do.” That was really all the provocation the blonde needed. He turned on his heel and blasted the warp villain out of the fray, the villain letting out a squeak of shock as it sailed away against its will. Todoroki joined too, freezing the Nomu’s arms enough that All Might could break free. The warp villain was fleeing from Bakugo as All Might went head to head with the Nomu again. 

Izuku watched intently as Kirishima tried to carry him away, even as Izuku dragged his feet.

“The pros will be here any minute, if All Might is here.” Kirishima said. “Midoriya, you’ve done enough .”

“No, I haven’t .” He rasped. He knew the truth and didn't that make him responsible to act on it? What was all this power for if he couldn't even use it?

“Shigaraki!” The warp villain shrieked. “Get this fucking kid away from me!” The ashen-haired villain let out a scream of frustration, clutching at his hair with one hand. Like a child throwing a tantrum, Shigaraki fell to his knees once again, banging his single fist against the ground and howling about how unfair this all was.

All Might and the Nomu had started punching each other, All Might hitting him with a speed that Izuku could barely follow. 

“ Holy shit .” he heard Kirishima whisper and Izuku had to agree. All Might was hitting the Nomu faster than it could regenerate and the force of the blows had knocked everyone besides the Nomu to the ground, flattened by the wind and blow back it had created. If not for Kirishima's strong grip and hardened body, Izuku would have gone skidding away like a leaf.

And when All Might launched the Nomu to space , Izuku could almost be relieved.

But All Might was turned away, exhausted and frozen. The steam was already coming out from his body, one arm still outstretched. 

He didn’t know when Shigaraki had gotten up, but he hadn’t seen it and neither had All Might.

He screamed , ripping himself from Kirishima’s arms and rushing forward. He heard his classmates calling his name, but he could tell how slow All Might was to move and how close Shigaraki’s hand was as it emerged from the dust. It was bloody, fingers curled like he was going to claw his way through All Might's flesh.

Izuku flicked his fingers, aiming at Shigaraki.

The blast sent him flying back off his feet, his hand having been inches from All Might’s arm. Izuku screeched to a halt, the pain in his hand beginning to get to him, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side. He had felt something break in it even worse, when he had pushed Kirishima’s head out of the way to save Todoroki’s life, but he had ignored it. He let out a heavy breath and a jet of flame shot out involuntarily. His chest creaked uncomfortably.

“ Midoriya .” His name was almost a whisper, and he turned to see All Might, rooted to the spot, steam already coming from his body. He looked pale. 

And then a shot rang out, into the foot of the ashen-haired villain who had started to rise again. He screamed, yanking himself away and Izuku could hear the voices of the pros at the door and the cries of relief from all the students. Shigaraki was cursing and disappearing into the warp villain before anyone could stop him.

Izuku let out a sob of relief, falling to his knees. His vision was swimming, and he finally looked at his left arm.

There was a jagged white bone sticking out.

Ah . No wonder they had been looking at him like he was crazy.

He vomited again, straight blood this time as he fell forward. Everything was pain and burning flesh and he didn’t know how he was still conscious, his head twisted towards his mentor, who was reaching a shaky hand towards him as he deflated. His skeletal form was already visible to Midoriya, eyes becoming more hollow. They were filled with concern, mouth pressed into a thin line. But he was safe. He was alive. They were all going to be okay. Despite all odds, everyone had survived.

“You saved me.” Was the last thing Izuku heard, spoken almost in awe.

Chapter Text

Shouta had woken up furious .

A few times, Hizashi had informed him. He had tried to get out of bed and fought anyone who got in his way. They had sedated him multiple times, insisting that everything was fine and that he needed to rest.

He was calmer now, no longer confused about where he was and how he got there. But his rage was burning under the surface and he was already making lists in his head of everything he knew about the villains who had attacked. Everything about the villain that killed Midoriya Izuku. He was bandaged like a mummy, though thankfully, his face had only suffered surface damage. His Quirk was intact, and he had been informed that the damage could have been so much worse and that he was very lucky to come out of this the way he did . 

Midoriya was dead .

And Shouta was going to hunt down the villains that killed him and make them pay. He had never lost a student while they were under his care.

“Shouta. You need to calm down.” Hizashi said, uncharacteristically quiet.

“I am calm.”

“You’re planning something.” Hizashi said. “I can tell. It’s scary.” Shouta clenched his fists.

“They killed my student .” A freckled little green-haired boy who had beamed at him earlier that day, like the sun shined out of his face. And Shouta could not shake how horribly he must have died, panicking from a trauma he was unequipped to handle as he was stripped down to nothing. He had saved Asui and died a hero but he was too young to die a hero.

Asui would never forgive herself; he could hear her words echoing in her head as she had sobbed. I left him .

“ What? ” Hizashi said. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Midoriya. Shigaraki killed him.” He spat out. “I saw it.”

“Shouta, Midoriya isn’t dead .” Shouta didn’t believe him. The staff kept insisting everyone was fine to get him to calm down. And there was no way everyone was fine. It was a lie to placate him. He had given those same same, vague responses to victims before.

“You can cut the act, Hizashi.”

“No, I’m serious. What did you see?” The blonde man was forcing him to look at him through the bandages, eyes filled with concern. He wasn't in his Present Mic getup, but a soft flannel, long hair tied into a bun. Shouta could tell he had been here the entire time, looking after him.

He grit his teeth. 

“I saw Shigaraki grabbing Midoriya’s head. And I passed out , Hizashi. I couldn’t erase his Quirk. He had hold of him when...” He shook his head.

“Midoriya’s alive .” Hizashi insisted. 

“Stop lying to me.” He knew what Shigaraki’s Quirk did; his elbow was proof of that. If Shigaraki had hold of Midoriya, it would have only taken him seconds to degrade him to nothing . And there had been no one to come to Midoriya’s aid. 

“Look,” Hizashi said, leaning in. “I’m not really supposed to show it to you, but I have the video of what happened. You can see for yourself. Midoriya survived.” Shouta watched him intently, as Hizashi pulled out a tablet, clicking on it for a few seconds before he pulled up the footage from the USJ incident. He watched him fast forward to where the overhead camera was focused on the Nomu, Shigaraki’s hand grasping Midoriya’s face. Shouta felt nauseous at the sight. He didn’t want to watch the green-haired boy die. “They spliced together all the footage of the Nomu and Shigaraki. Thankfully, for you, your boy is in all the important bits.” He set it on Shouta’s lap, angling it up so he could see and pressing play.

Shouta watched for a second, before he reached out and paused it.

“What the fuck .” He said flatly. Hizashi snorted, reaching out and setting a comforting hand on Shouta's leg.

“Greenbean is okay, Shouta. He lost a few layers of skin in some spots, but it’s going to heal just fine. It looked pretty gnarly when I saw it, but it’ll only scar a little on the seam of the grafts, apparently. He roasted that fucker's hand before he could get the job done.” 

“So he’s okay? He’s uninjured?” Shouta could hardly believe that, and his suspicions were confirmed when Hizashi’s face fell. “Tell me.” He demanded.

“Well, he broke two of his fingers getting Asui and Mineta away from some villains earlier- they bundled them up pretty nicely for us, actually, remind me to tell you about that later-,”

“Get to the point.” Shouta ordered.

“It’s better if you just watch the rest.”

When the video finished, Shouta didn’t feel better.

He leaned back in his bed and closed his eyes, tamping down the wave of nausea that washed over him. 

“Give me a list of his injuries.”

“I’m not sure this is healthy-,”

“Hizashi.” He said sharply and Hizashi complied.

“The Nomu broke his arm and well...he made it worse saving the Todoroki kid. Concussion, cracked ribs and sternum. Internal bleeding. Punctured a lung on a rib too, I think. Shattered two more fingers. Overstressed and overused his Quirk.” Hizashi rubbed his neck. “You’ve got a tough kid. He saved a lotta lives. The Todoroki kid’s head would be dust without him.”

“He saved mine.” Shouta said quietly and for once, Hizashi didn’t say anything. “Has he woken up yet?” He saw the hesitation instantly. “You’re not helping by hiding anything.”

“He woke up screaming and set the room on fire.” Hizashi said, letting out a laugh. “He was sedated, but I think he’s okay now. I mean hey, you two are peas in a pod.” 

“What about the others?” 

“Some cuts and bruises, but everyone’s mostly okay. Bakugo passed out from dehydration eventually, but not before he scared the living shit out of that warp villain. Kid was screaming and kicking and almost bit Midnight until she knocked him out and he just stayed down until they got some fluids in him. Kinda like Midoriya.” Hizashi shook his head. “What are you teaching them?”

“Those two came like that.” Shouta said dryly, letting out a huff of breath. He wanted to rub his eyes, but it was hard when he was mummified . The ones on his face would be off before long, though apparently, his nose would be crooked for the rest of his life. 

That was very, very low on his list of concerns and he’d almost attacked the doctor who had solemnly told him that.

“You really thought he got killed.” Hizashi said.

“I really thought I got him killed.” He snapped back. “It is a fucking miracle he wasn’t. I don’t know how, but it somehow got worse once he got away from Shigaraki.”

“He knows about All Might.” Hizashi changed the subject. Which was likely a good thing, because even thinking about the level of pain his student had withstood to protect Shouta was making him angry. “I...think he knew before. There’s a reason he threw himself at Shigaraki again.” Shouta let out a sigh.

“Maybe not. It seems to be in his nature.” Hizashi reached out and set a hand on his arm.

“Greenbean is a good kid, Shouta. You should be proud of him.”

XXXX

Shouto spent most of his time in class now thinking about how close he had been to dying.

They had taken off a few days of school and then Present Mic had subbed in for Aizawa for a few more. Almost everyone was in class, except for Midoriya. They had all been informed that Midoriya was okay and expected to make a full recovery, but it didn’t make the empty seat in class any less glaring. Uraraka had even gotten signatures on a card and a green stuffed teddy bear for Midoriya, patiently awaiting his return to give it to him. 

Every time Shouto looked at the empty seat, he couldn’t help but think of himself, rooted to the spot in fear, the Nomu’s fist in front of his face. Unable to act.

If Midoriya hadn’t pushed himself , hadn’t ripped apart his own body to protect him, things would be very different.

He didn’t know what he was going to say to the green-haired boy.

Shouto wasn’t the best at social interactions with people his own age to begin with, and it was going to be even worse with someone who had done so much for him so unthinkingly. He couldn’t recall a time in his life when anyone protected him like that, let alone someone he barely knew.

It had been almost a week and he still didn’t know what he was going to say to him when he came back; he had tried to write it down at one point, but nothing felt right and he crumpled every draft and threw it out. 

The door slid open, drawing everyone’s attention. Every day, he knew most of the class hoped it was going to be Midoriya, but it was just Present Mic coming in to start class.

But this day, a mummified figure stepped in; his arm was in a cast, bandages up and down his body. There were some on his face; he wasn’t totally wrapped up, but it was still hard to see his eyes through it. 

“ Aizawa-sensei! ” A chorus of voices cried.

“Should you even be here?!” Ashido wanted to know, lurching up from her chair. They were staring in disbelief as their teacher shuffled in slowly, still clearly injured.

Maybe everyone at UA was crazy, Shouto thought. 

Aizawa shuffled up to the podium and Shouto didn’t miss the way his eyes caught on Midoriya’s empty seat. Shouto didn’t know the full list of Midoriya’s injuries, but they had been pretty bad from what he saw so he wasn’t surprised that even Aizawa was back before him. Or, honestly, if the green-haired boy just needed some more time at home before returning to school. 

Shouto wouldn’t be surprised if the green-haired boy was traumatized . Of all of them, he had the most reason to be. 

“I am fine. We will continue class as usual.” Aizawa said flatly. Shouto didn’t know how that was going to be possible. “Before we begin, I will say a few words on the USJ incident-,”

The door opened again. 

Everyone turned to look simultaneously, as a curly tuft of green hair was instantly visible, Midoriya taking a hesitant step into the room and looking around curiously. His left arm was in a sling, he was moving a little gingerly, and there was a bandage stuck on his forehead. There was a red seam that was going through his eyebrow, disrupting the natural hair growth, but it was relatively small. Good , Shouto thought. He knew what it was like to walk around with a horrific scar on his face and he had been concerned when he first saw Midoriya at USJ.

“Uh, hi?” He squeaked out, giving them all a small smile. 

“ Midoriya! ” Too many voices to count cried at once and people sprang from their seats. Kirishima was there first, leaping over desks to grab the smaller boy and wrap him in what must have been a bone-crushing hug. People took that as their cue to swarm the smaller boy, embracing him and patting him on the back carefully. Shouto could see Midoriya hugging the redhead back with one arm tightly. Despite the major disruption, Aizawa allowed it to continue, his bandaged face impossible to read. 

After a few minutes, their teacher rapped his knuckles against the podium, calling them all to attention.

“That’s enough. Stop swarming Midoriya.” Students separated from him, smiling and retaking their seats. Except Uraraka, who darted to hers and then back.

“Wait!” She was holding the card and the bear. “We got something for you!” She pressed it into a stunned Midoriya’s arms. He looked up from her, to the gift, and then back again. “We all wanted you to get better, Deku.”

Shouto resisted the urge to squint as he tried to get a good look at the green-haired boy's bowed head. Were those... tears ?

“Oh, Deku, don’t cry!” She insisted, ruffling his curly hair. Midoriya wiped his eye with one hand as he lifted his teary face. 

“It’s...it’s so sweet of you guys..” He sniffled. “...that you went to this kind of effort f-for me..”

Shouto could not believe what he was seeing. The teen who he had watched face down the Nomu with no hesitation, attack Shigaraki to defend All Might, take hit after hit after hit with his own jagged bone sticking out of his arm, never any sign of anything but pure determination...

...was crying tears of happiness after being handed a stuffed bear. He looked so innocent, button nose twitching, his little freckled face shining with tears under his mop of curly hair. A significant change from the exhausted, bloody figure that breathed fire like an ash-covered demon he had seen at USJ. He remembered the smell of burning flesh vividly.

Eventually Midoriya took his seat, hugging the stuffed bear to his chest. People were still reaching out to touch his shoulder and ruffle his hair. They had all seen the broken figure carried out on a stretcher, laying there like a marionette with its strings cut.

“Midoriya.” Aizawa’s voice cut through the room and Midoriya’s head snapped up. “Welcome back. Since you’re all here, I have notes on several performances at USJ.”

“What?” Shouto’s voice burst forth before he could stop it. Several heads whipped around and he heard someone giggle. Aizawa ignored it.

“Bakugo...don’t bite teachers.” Aizawa ordered. “Also, if your Quirk dehydrates you, bring a water bottle.” 

“I didn’t fucking know we were going to-,!” Aizawa interrupted the explosive boy, wheeling around to look at Shouto. He almost jerked in his chair, the sudden criticisms unexpected.

“Todoroki...you’re weak in close combat situations and it almost ended poorly. Figure out a solution, Quirk or otherwise.” Shouto just nodded back firmly, still shocked that they were receiving notes on a traumatic incident. Aizawa pivoted to Midoriya, pointing a hand at him. The green-haired boy blinked innocently back. “Midoriya...just, do less. ”

“Do less?” He asked quizzically. 

“When your bone is sticking out of your arm, you can stop .” Midoriya winced in his chair. 

“I had a concussion!” He protested. “I didn’t know my arm was broken! No one told me!” Shouto blinked.

“We thought you knew.” He was speaking before he could stop himself, and everyone whipped around to look at him. 

“Yeah, Midoriya, you looked like a straight horror show.” Kirishima said cheerfully. Not the words Shouto would have used, but he agreed.

When they had first seen Midoriya, he was covered in ash and blood, hunched over in pain. His arm had been hanging limply at his side, an odd, twisted angle that had evoked such a feeling of wrong in Shouto’s gut that it made him nauseous when he’d seen it. Layers of skin had been stripped off of Midoriya’s forehead so that his face was caked in blood. Blood that had been steadily dripping down his face, even as he spoke, seemingly unaware of what was happening. His green eyes glowed from the mess underneath, smoke curling from his lips. He remembered too, the purple, broken fingers on his hand. And then he’d thrown up and the mix of blood and soot dripped down his chin, making his mouth look like a black, bloody mess had been particularly memorable, jagged white bone sticking out of his upper arm. 

He shivered at the memory.

“A horror show?” Midoriya squeaked. 

“No calling classmates horror shows .” Aizawa ordered. 

“I promise I’m not crazy! I just had a head injury!” Midoriya tried to add on, in his own defense. He waved one arm enthusiastically, the bear still tucked to his chest. It had been gently placed in his lap.

“That is all for the USJ incident for now. We are moving onto other matters.” Aizawa said, ignoring Midoriya’s protests. 

Shouto ignored the uproar of excitement at the announcement of the Sports Festival in a few weeks time. He watched Midoriya instead, who was still hugging the green teddy bear to his chest. At one point during class, he saw the green-haired boy look at it and start to get teary all over again, before he wiped them away and steeled himself.

Maybe Midoriya was crazy, but he was also...kind of cute, Shouto admitted.

XXXX 

“Midoriya.” Aizawa said, voice muffled by his bandages as they all started to file out of class. “A word.” Izuku had been expecting Aizawa to pull him to the side again. He waved his friends off as they tried to protest, but he insisted he was fine and skipped back to where Aizawa was standing. 

“Yes, Aizawa-sensei?” Izuku asked. He had tucked his teddy bear into his bag, so that the head was just sticking out of the top. Ashido had cooed at it on her way out. 

“I wanted to thank you.” Aizawa said, voice firm. Izuku opened his mouth to insist that wasn’t necessary, but his teacher wasn’t going to let that happen. “Midoriya, you saved several lives at USJ, including my own. Thank you, for that.” Izuku rubbed his neck.

“I was just doing what anyone would, sensei!” Izuku insisted.

“No, you weren’t.” Aizawa said, with no hesitation. “That is part of what I would like to talk to you about.” The dark-haired man was normally very difficult to read, but it was absolutely impossible with the bandages. “I apologize for my failure to help you. I failed you in many ways at USJ, and they all could have resulted in your death. That is not something you should have ever been concerned about, and I am truly sorry.” Izuku was stunned . He stared for a second, not sure what to say, before he waved his hands quickly.

“You don’t need to apologize for anything, Aizawa-sensei-,”

“Midoriya.” His teacher cut him off. “You could have died. And furthermore, I was made aware by Recovery Girl that there was the possibility of you having aspects of your Quirk that had not yet manifested. I believe you have been informed of your internal and external mutations that come from this.” Izuku almost choked on his spit. He didn't understand where Aizawa was going with this.

“Y-yes.” They had told him in the hospital, how he was able to breathe fire and that there had been subtle internal and external mutations that had occurred sometime after his initial Quirk assessment. The shock of learning that he had a Quirk after all had left him shaking; his mother only thought it was a secondary part of One for All, but Izuku knew better. 

“Recovery Girl informed me of this possibility before USJ. It was my intention to arrange for you to speak with a Quirk counselor and a regular counselor before our own meeting to address it. I had thought that you being able to speak to professionals on this matter was the proper course of action. I was mistaken. Instead, you were in a dangerous situation when your Quirk fully manifested and it is only due to a resilience that cannot be reasonably expected from anyone that you survived.” Aizawa took a deep breath. “Midoriya, I have been doing this for a long time. And I am aware there are a limited amount of reasons for a Quirk to be repressed and then manifest in adolescence.”

Izuku gulped. They had talked to him about this, at the hospital. He had stared at his hands the whole time, trying to stop them from shaking. He looked down at them now, before he felt something touch the top of his head. He peered up, to see that Aizawa had plopped his cast onto his curly tuft of hair. The action was surprisingly affectionate. 

“You do not need to speak to me about it. I understand that whatever traumatic circumstances that surround this are personal. But if you would like to, I will listen. If it is a situation that is ongoing, I will do everything in my power to help.” His voice was soft. 

It took Izuku a few beats to realize what Aizawa was saying.

“My mom isn’t-,” He breathed sharply. “I-it wasn’t my mom, sensei. I just know she worries a lot and she feels guilty about not supporting my dream before my Quirk...manifested.” Izuku said quickly. “I just don’t want to worry her. She isn’t hurting me.” Aizawa nodded firmly.

Izuku took a deep breath.

“I-it was my father.” He fidgeted. “He’s gone now, though. He’s in prison. For hurting people.” He laughed a little. “I have his Quirk.” Hisashi had been in prison since he was little and Izuku had put him out of his mind. He had understood the gravity of what his father was doing to his mother and him when he was young. He knew exactly what kind of danger he had been in and he still remembered the relief when they realized he was never coming home. Even though Izuku had always wanted a Quirk, deep down, he had been glad that at least he didn’t have his father’s. He couldn’t imagine the look on his mom’s face if she had seen him breathing fire in the same way that had once hurt her so badly. 

There really wasn’t much he could do about it now. 

“It’s your Quirk.” Izuku’s head snapped up to look at the dark-haired man, who was staring down at him seriously. “It’s not his Quirk. It’s your Quirk.” Izuku let out another nervous laugh.

“Thank you, Aizawa-sensei.” 

“You may already be aware, but the entirety of Class 1-A is required to undergo a psych evaluation before participating in practical exercises.” Aizawa said. Izuku nodded. “Though, I’m not sure some of you would have passed before.” He added dryly. “But some students in particular are also being required to undergo counseling sessions as well.”

“I’m one of them?” Izuku asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yes. Let me remind you again, this is not a punishment. You are not the only one in class in this position. After your first counseling session, you will be allowed to participate in class activities again, provided Recovery Girl clears you.” Aizawa eyed his bandaged arm. “There are a certain amount of sessions you will be required to complete, as determined by your counselor. As long as you continue to go as required, you will be able to participate in class activities.”

 Izuku nodded back. He had been thinking about taking up Aizawa’s initial offer anyways. His mother had cried into his hair and begged him to talk to someone when they had been told about the reasons his Quirk may have been repressed. He had done a pretty good job of compartmentalizing all the terrible things that had happened when he was little and the fact that he never had to look at his father’s face again or be reminded of him had helped. But that wasn’t the case anymore; he carried a reminder with him always now. 

Tell me you’ll go . His mother had begged and he had insisted that he was fine, that he would be okay and his mom had cried harder, even though all the doctors had said he would make a full recovery with very minimal scarring. He had seen the red seam on the side of his forehead and had been told that it would go down to a faint, white line pretty soon. If he took good care of it, there was a chance he might not even see it in a few years. You were a victim too, Izuku , was what she had said and he couldn’t tell if she was talking about USJ or his father. 

“I understand, Aizawa-sensei.” He said. Aizawa nodded, and turned to shuffle back to his podium to get his papers.

“I will see you after school tomorrow, Midoriya.” Izuku made an odd noise.

“What?”

“Our meeting, to work on your Quirk.” His teacher said like it was obvious. Izuku fidgeted, but asked what he was thinking anyways.

“Is your...Quirk okay? Even with your injuries?” 

“Yes, Midoriya. Thanks to you.” He waved a hand at Midoriya. “Go...eat lunch or hang out with your friends. Whatever you children do.” 

“Oh..okay, Aizawa-sensei.” He brightened, and waved as he rushed out the door. “Thank you!” 

Izuku closed the classroom door behind him, already thinking about what kind of training they were going to do. Maybe they were going to test the limits of his Quirk? After all, Izuku only had a little bit of an idea of what it could do and it stood to reason that his Quirk would be somewhat altered than that of his father. And besides, while he had seen it in action before, who knew the full scope of what his father had been capable of? He remembered a lot, but he had been too young to know everything. He had written something down about it at one point, but he had ripped the pages out and destroyed them when he realized his father was gone forever. Which, at the time had seemed like a good idea, but now he was wishing he had kept them....

“Are you muttering?” Izuku whipped around, letting out a small shriek. He ignored the pain that lanced through his body when he saw Todoroki, standing by the wall, arms crossed. The split-haired boy was staring at him, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. 

“Todoroki!” He gasped. “Uh, yeah. Sorry.” Todoroki shrugged.

“You don’t need to apologize.” The taller boy took a step forward. 

“Um, can I help you?” Izuku squawked out nervously. Todoroki was still so cool to him, even more so after seeing him fight off the Nomu with him at USJ. Though, Izuku had remembered that he puked and he cringed a little at the memory and hoped that the other boy didn’t think he was a complete loser. 

“I wanted to talk to you. We can walk to lunch.” Todoroki said, gesturing with his hand. 

“Ah, oh. Right.” Izuku took a timid step forward as they started to walk. Todoroki pressed his mouth into a line first and Izuku was trying to run through all the events of USJ in his head and figure out what the other boy wanted to talk to him about. It hit him, suddenly. “Wait, Todoroki-kun, I’m so sorry!”

“What?” Izuku launched directly into his explanation; he wanted to get his whole apology out there before anything could be misinterpreted, because he really hadn’t meant to hurt the other boy’s feelings.

“When I said the thing about using fire at USJ...I’m really sorry, Todoroki-kun. It wasn’t meant to be a dig at you or your abilities or anything, I mean I don’t really know you or your reasons and you could have had really good ones and I wasn’t trying to attack you for it. I just knew that I could help and I wanted to try and that’s really all I was thinking about but I realized after that I may have hurt your feelings and I really didn’t mean to and I see how what I said could be really mean and that wasn’t my intention at all -,” He stopped to suck in a breath.

“Midoriya.” Izuku blinked at him, hoping he hadn’t upset the aloof boy. He was difficult to get a read on, and Izuku was really enjoying being friends with his class. They were going to spend the next three years together, and he wanted to keep those good relationships. “You’re nuts .” 

Was that disbelief on Todoroki’s face?

“Uh...” Izuku wasn’t sure what to say to that. 

“I...wasn’t offended.” Todoroki said, but Izuku remembered the look on his face when he had said that. “Midoriya, I’m trying to thank you for saving my life .” 

“Oh.” Todoroki rubbed his forehead, sighing as they walked. Izuku felt monumentally stupid. 

“Thank you. I would probably be dead if you hadn’t helped me and you hurt yourself badly in the process.” Todoroki said solemnly. “I...don’t know how you weren’t scared.” Izuku blinked.

“I mean, I was pretty numb. I didn’t really feel a lot.” He reasoned out loud. “And I absolutely was scared!” 

“You didn’t act like it.” Todoroki didn’t sound like he believed Izuku.

“I threw up on Kirishima I was so scared!” Izuku argued. He hadn’t apologized for that yet, he realized, and resolved himself to. Todoroki shook his head.

“You threw up because you were in excruciating pain.” Todoroki corrected him. Izuku shook his head back insistently.

“No, I swear! I really didn’t feel a lot! I threw up because I was terrified .” He thought for a second. “I’m really glad Kacchan was there, though. He made me less scared, when he was yelling at them.” 

“I guess.” Todoroki was eyeing him oddly. “I just wanted to say thank you. You didn’t have to help me and you did. In fact, we should have helped you more.”

“It’s okay.” Izuku said. “I was being pretty difficult.” He remembered Kirishima trying to drag him away on more than one occasion. He had not made it easy on his classmates. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“If there’s anything I can do, just, uh, let me know.” He looked back to the split-haired boy. He seemed entirely unsure of himself, his eyes flicking away when Izuku tried to make eye contact. 

“Actually,” Izuku said shyly, and Todoroki’s head snapped back. “Could I borrow some of your notes? For the classes I missed.” The other boy just blinked at him.

“Yes. Of course.” He said slowly. “I can give them to you at lunch.”

“ Psst! ” Izuku froze, stopping in his tracks.

“Did you hear that?” Izuku said, whirling around to try and find the source.

“It seems someone else is looking for you too.” His classmate said dryly. Todoroki had obviously spotted it and was staring as well. Izuku followed his eyes, to see All Might , in his full form, crouched by one of the doorways. He was holding a little sack lunch in his hand and was waving at them.

“Young Midoriya!” It was almost a stage whisper. “Would you like to join me for lunch?” Fuck yeah Izuku wanted to join him for lunch. But he felt bad, after having essentially just made plans with Todoroki. He glanced back and Todoroki shook his head.

“Go. I can tell your friends you’re having lunch with All Might.” He said. Izuku beamed at him.

“Thank you, Todoroki-kun!” He turned and waved back at All Might, bounding over. All Might opened the door for him to the teacher’s lounge, and the moment the door was closed, pulled Izuku into a crushing hug. 

“It is good to see you, young Midoriya.” He heard the deep voice next to his ear.

XXXX

Toshinori wasn’t going to push for Midoriya to tell him everything. Not yet.

But he was glad Midoriya told him anyway. 

He fought back tears of his own as Midoriya sat in front of him, wiping away his. He had laughed through them, apologizing for being such a crybaby and even apologizing for pulling the green teddy bear that had been gifted to him out of his backpack to hold to his chest. 

Toshinori didn’t mind; he didn’t need Midoriya to prove he was strong. He knew that much already. He could have all the comfort he wanted, especially as he was spilling secrets about a dark family past that Toshinori could have never imagined.

Midoriya was always so...sunny. So cheerful. So helpful and determined. It was horrible to imagine the truth of what this small boy in front of him had already lived through. And that if Toshinori thought he was small now , how small he must have been back then. 

“Sorry...I’ve cried a lot today...” Midoriya hiccupped.

“Have your classmates been giving you a hard time?” Toshinori asked, surprised. His brow furrowed and he reached a skeletal hand towards the boy. Midoriya shook his head and looked down at the stuffed animal in his arm.

“No...they got me this bear ...and I ...” He dissolved into tears again.

Ah , Toshinori realized. These were happy tears. He couldn’t fight the smile that came to his face.

Chapter Text

“We’re trying for heat, first.” Aizawa informed him. They were in a large training room, and Aizawa had set up a series of targets. He was still mummified, but he had insisted that the bandages were coming off soon and that he was fine to use his Quirk. Izuku didn’t argue with him, though he wanted to. “It’s fine if you destroy the target. We have others.” He said, and he was holding a small device like he had for the Quirk Apprehension Test.

“So should I start from a base level and then just increase it?” Izuku asked quizzically. He had some free time during practical exercises and in between catching up for class, he had spent those trying to analyze his own Quirk. 

“Can you increase heat once you’re already breathing fire? Or do you need to close your mouth in between?” Aizawa asked. Izuku rubbed his forehead.

“I’m not sure.” He had thought the same thing himself. And he thought he could increase heat as he went, but there was only one way to be sure. 

“Try it. Don’t push yourself too hard. We just want to see if you can do it.” 

They learned pretty quickly that yes, Izuku could do it, but it took some time. 

And the whole fact that he was breathing fire meant he was essentially limited by how long he could go in between inhales. Aizawa had instructed him to work on cardiovascular endurance when he was healed; he’d recommended running or swimming or just practicing holding his breath. The longer Izuku could hold his breath for, the longer he would be able to exhale fire. 

As for how hot the flame could get?

Aizawa had put on his goggles for that, stepping away as Izuku went for short, hot bursts of increasing heat. 

“Stop.” Izuku paused, panting as he turned to look at his teacher. 

“I can keep going!” He insisted. 

“You’re sweating. Drink water and take a five minute break.” He wanted to argue, but seeing Eraserhead himself turn to him, bandaged like a mummy, goggles on over them, and clearly glowering even though Izuku couldn’t see his eyes sufficiently frightened him into taking that five minute break. 

“I can expand distance and width pretty far.” Izuku said as he sat on the ground, taking slow sips from his water bottle. “I did it at USJ, probably about 10 feet of flame. Kind of like a cone-shape.” 

“Can you go further?” Izuku scratched his head. 

“I think so. I was pretty tired by the time I did it, so I think I could definitely go further. I never saw my father go further than maybe 15 feet, though.”

“That may be your upper limit for now, but it can likely be expanded.” Aizawa said, taking a seat next to him on the ground. “Your Quirk is like a muscle; the more you use it, the stronger it will get.” Izuku considered his words but Aizawa seemed to notice him deep in thought. “ This is not a pass to get yourself hurt .” He hissed.

“I wasn’t going to push myself that hard.” Izuku protested.

“You’re a bad liar, Midoriya.” Aizawa rubbed his forehead. “It is not a bad idea to play some cards close to your chest, Midoriya.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that for now, you may not have much of a choice since you still can’t wield the other half of your Quirk without hurting yourself-,” Izuku winced at Aizawa’s tone. He was trying to work on that, though. He had told All Might he managed to control it against the Nomu and they were planning on trying to replicate that. Though, it was a little hard since Recovery Girl still had not cleared him and even just strength and endurance training were basically out of reach for at least a few more days. “-, but once you can, it’s not a bad idea to keep some secrets about your abilities.” Aizawa finished. “When you faced Shigaraki and the Nomu, no one had any idea you could breathe fire. If he had known the full extent of what you could do, he might have sent the Nomu at you from the beginning and never risked his own hand.”

“You’re saying to keep it a secret?” Izuku asked tentatively.

“I’m saying that you keep a few tricks up your sleeve until you desperately need them.” Aizawa said. “You don’t need to show your hand all at once. Though...” He looked Izuku up and down. “That may not be possible at present.” 

Izuku cringed.

XXXX

By the time Izuku was out of his bandages, he had already been to one counseling session and one Quirk counseling session. Neither of them were as bad as he thought they were going to be; he had a long discussion with his counselor on the nature of heroism and self-sacrifice, before she started to poke and prod at his own circumstances. He had been honest about everything; even honest about the fact that it made him upset to talk about. 

She had made some good points, even if Izuku didn’t like to think about it and had given him some homework - to talk to his mom about what had happened. 

“I think you’re dealing with all this about as well as you can be expected to.” She had said, tapping her pen against her clipboard absent-mindedly. “I think you would benefit from more counseling sessions and I think there’s a lot to get into, but if you don’t want to continue long term, I’m not going to require you to, as long as I don’t think you pose a threat to yourself or others.” She had informed him. “A few more weeks of counseling until you meet your required minimum and we can talk about what you’re thinking of this whole process then.” 

All in all, it was looking like he was going to have to go to 6 weeks of counseling. Which seemed like a lot at first, but he thought about how fast the first session seemed to have gone, and it didn’t seem so daunting. He liked Dr. Nakamura. She had told him that she had an empathic Quirk from the get-go, that it let her get a better read on his emotions. She reminded him a lot of his mom, to be honest and he didn’t really mind talking to her, ultimately. 

His Quirk counselor was...more interesting. Though, Izuku had been informed that he was paired with a non-traditional Quirk counselor, due to the nature of his late manifestation. Maybe that was why the guy was so eccentric; it was an older man, who had bright blue hair. He had told Izuku right from the get go that it wasn’t a mutation; he had started to go grey so he bleached and dyed his hair for fun. 

“How old are you?” Izuku had wondered. He didn’t seem that old, maybe in his 40s.

“You’ll have to earn that one.” Shibata had said. They spent the whole first session writing down every fact they knew about his Quirk, before Shibata had made him do breathing exercises for 15 minutes. 

The guy was kind of zany and evasive and countered every single one of Izuku’s questions with another question. Which Izuku could see as becoming annoying, but he also had a tendency to think out loud and answer his own questions with a few more minutes of thought and Shibata encouraged that, so maybe Izuku didn’t really mind. 

He would also interrupt Izuku when he went on for too long by sticking a candle in front of his face and telling him to light it, without thinking about it.

The first time he did that, Izuku almost scorched Shibata’s blue eyebrows off, but the older man didn’t seem to mind at all. 

It was nice, having people he could talk to about all this. He had found getting One for All so daunting, like he was plunging into the deep end of a world he had barely scratched the surface of and was realizing that it was because he was . He had never thought too hard about how almost everyone he knew got a slow, steady, guided introduction into their Quirk and twice now he had been thrown off the high-dive with little to no warning. Not that he blamed All Might in any way; there wasn’t a lot he could do to mentally prepare for the fact that he was receiving a legendary Quirk passed down through the generations to heroes of true hearts and strong moral values to fight evil. 

He was feeling more confident in his Quirk, even if he hadn’t totally figured out how to control One for All yet. Him and All Might had the ‘egg in the microwave’ discussion, but he still wasn’t able to execute it consistently. He would have to think more on that, or maybe try and read about people who had strengthening Quirks.

It was a process, but Izuku didn’t feel like he was just treading water anymore. 

He told his friends as much at lunch, and Uraraka had beamed at him.

“I’m glad to hear that, Deku!” She said. 

“Does that mean you can pop this popcorn for me?”  Kirishima asked, holding up a bag. Iida smacked it out of Kirishima’s hand and Izuku stifled a laugh. The redhead was sitting with them today, trying to get Uraraka to give him her notes. She was refusing, insisting he had been in class and had no excuse.

“Kirishima-kun! You should be ashamed , asking Midoriya-kun to utilize his Quirk for such selfish reasons.” 

“I’m just asking!” Izuku didn’t think he could, actually. He was certain he would set the bag on fire at this point. Maybe that could be a good exercise in control, though. After all, being able to control the heat and flow of the flame long enough to be able to pop a bag of popcorn without setting it on fire would show a lot of skill on his part. He filed that away for later; maybe that was something he could work on at home, or him and Aizawa could try something similar-,

“Deku, you’re muttering again.” Uraraka knocked her shoulder against his. 

“Hm?” He jerked up. “Oh, sorry. I was thinking about it.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Whenever I go off on a tangent, my Quirk counselor makes me try and light a candle.” The redhead across from him grinned back.

“How’s that working out?” Izuku shivered.

“Uh, dangerously.” Kirishima just laughed.

“It’s alright, bro. You’ll get the hang of it.” 

“So, what do you think of the Sports Festival, Deku?” Uraraka chirped. Izuku opened his mouth and he was certain that his face must have lit up because Kirishima lurched across the table and covered his mouth. 

“I don’t think you’re ready for the answer to that question, Uraraka.” Kirishima said. 

“Mhm mhmmm mm-,” Izuku tried to make noises through the palm over his mouth. 

“Aw, you can let him go.” Uraraka said. “I don’t mind.” The hand was removed from his mouth and Izuku immediately launched into his tangent.

“The Sports Festival is the most exciting event shown every year and I’ve been watching it since I was-, hey is that Tsu?” He turned his head, having spotted the friendly green-haired girl out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting at a table alone, her notebook out, eating slowly. 

“Uh, yeah.” He heard Kirishima say nervously, and Izuku looked back to his friends. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. Uraraka fidgeted next to him. “What?”

“She’s been...pretty upset since USJ.” Uraraka admitted. “She’s been sitting alone a lot. We’ve tried to invite her over but...”

“I believe Asui is suffering from some stress related to USJ.” Iida chipped in. “We have tried to talk to her about it, but it is not our place to attempt to counsel her on what she experienced. I do not believe any of us could understand it.” Izuku stood up.

“Deku-,”

“I’m going to go talk to her.” He said firmly. “I want to make sure she’s okay.” 

“Are you sure?” Uraraka asked. Izuku nodded, and he slid out of the booth and made his way over to Tsu. He walked up to the end of the table, ignoring the eyes he knew were on him. 

“Tsu? Is it okay if I sit down here?” He asked. Her head jerked up, and she looked lost for a moment when she saw him. 

“Uh, yes. Ribbit.” He took a seat in front of her, and smiled. 

“Is everything okay?” He asked. “You seemed kind of lonely.” She wasn’t meeting his eyes, he realized. It only took a moment for him to spot the tremble in her hand. 

“I’m okay, Midoriya.” She slowly responded, looking up at him for a second, before flicking her eyes back down. “I-i just...”

“Is this about USJ?” He asked timidly. She didn’t respond. He decided to be totally honest with her; he’d always found being an open book to be his best strategy. “You know, I have to go to counseling now, for it.” She looked up at that, and Izuku nodded back. “The school is requiring it. I didn’t really want to, at first. But I went to the first few sessions and my counselor is really nice. And it’s kind of nice, to talk about it. I think it’s helping me; sometimes she has words to help me describe the way I feel that I couldn’t really find on my own. I know that I might not be the person you want to talk about it with, but it really helped me and I’ll always listen-,”

“You’re not angry with me?” Tsu burst out. She was making eye contact with him now and her lip was trembling. She was gripping her pencil tightly. 

“W-why would I be angry with you?” Izuku asked, confused. 

“B-because I left you.” He could see unshed tears at the corners of her eyes. “I left you and I thought you were going to die .” Izuku ran through all the events of USJ, trying to figure out why she would think he was angry with her.

“You didn’t leave me. You saved Aizawa-sensei.” Izuku said. 

“And I left you behind Midoriya.” She rubbed her eyes furiously and Izuku could see how hard she was trying not to cry. 

“Tsu, Aizawa couldn’t move at all. And you couldn’t know that Shigaraki would come for me next.” Izuku insisted. “Plus, I could still defend myself. Aizawa couldn’t. I had opportunities to run away too, and I didn’t take them.” There had been several moments he could have escaped from the Nomu, but he had stayed behind, to try and fight. “For what it’s worth, I think you made the right decision. I don’t think anyone could have made a better one, with the pressure we were under.” 

“I froze.” She said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “And you didn’t.”

“I totally froze.” He argued. “When Shigaraki reached for you the first time. I could have helped and I freaked out . And when he reached for me, too.” She made a quiet noise, rubbing her face again. 

“I just...I don’t know if I did the right thing.”

“I think you did, Tsu.” Izuku insisted. “I do.” He reached out and touched her hand. “It’s okay to cry, you know. I cry like, every day. Yesterday, I cried because I saw a really cute dog.” He insisted. “Kirishima hit his head during practice today and I cried because it looked like it hurt. Two days ago, Uraraka called me cute and pulled on my hair and I cried.” Tsu laughed, wiping away tears on her face. Izuku didn’t even want to get into how many times he had cried over the bear he had been given. It was an... embarrassing amount of times.

“How do you not dehydrate?”

“It’s really hard, I’m not gonna lie.” He said. She laughed again. “Do you want to come sit with us?”

“Not today, Midoriya.” She said, but she seemed happier than before. “I’m going to catch up on some work for now. But maybe tomorrow.” 

“Okay.” Izuku said with a nod, and smiled at her. “You’re always welcome.” He went back to his seat, hoping something he said had helped.

The next day, she sat with them at lunch.

XXXX

Getting in shape to use his Quirk better was hard , harder than he thought. Not only had Aizawa taken to making him do suicide runs before their meeting every day, but he was forcing him to work on flexibility, which Izuku was admittedly pretty bad at. 

He hadn’t been, before he started training with All Might. But while he’d been building muscle and dragging refrigerators, he neglected to keep up with it and now touching his toes left him disturbingly sore. Aizawa was appalled . 

“Your specialty is hand-to-hand combat.” He had said in disbelief. Izuku was currently in a downward dog position, trying to stretch out his hamstrings and cycling his feet. He was embarrassingly stiff. “Flatten your back.” Aizawa ordered. 

“I...uh...” The blood was rushing to his head. “Haven’t had any real martial arts or combat training.” He could practically see Aizawa pinching the bridge of his nose in his mind’s eye. 

“Lift your left leg up.”

“And do what?”

“Straighten it.” Izuku attempted to follow his order and quickly crashed to the side, rolling onto his back. 

“Ugh...” He looked up to see his bedraggled teacher looming over him ominously.

“That was horrific.” Aizawa told him. Izuku panted, looking up.

“Um, I’ll do it...but I don’t think I understand what the purpose of this is.” Izuku trusted his teacher and he would do whatever the man thought was best for training, but beyond just generally being healthy, Izuku didn’t know what specifically flexibility went to.  Aizawa sighed, his arms crossed over his chest. The bandages had been removed, though he still had a cast on his arm. 

“Your fire breathing has given you a mid-range attack, but even if you increase the distance, I doubt you’ll ever make it more than 20 feet. As such, you need to improve your close combat capabilities and right now the impact on your body is destroying not just your bones, but your joints regularly.” Izuku gingerly touched his own elbow. “Hence, learning an actual fighting style and increasing your flexibility.” 

“Oh. Okay. That answers my question.” Izuku said, sitting up slowly so the blood didn’t rush to his head. “Aizawa-sensei, I know you wanted to help me with my Quirk, but why are you taking the time to teach me all this?” 

“You’re my student.” Aizawa said, simply. When Izuku stared back blankly, he sighed. “Midoriya, most of your classmates have some kind of martial arts training already. It’s common for Quirk counselors to recommend to give them some discipline and bodily control for their Quirk. 

“ Oh. ”

“It is my responsibility to ensure that you operate at an appropriate level to no longer be injured during class exercises. I am simply bringing you up to the starting line.” Izuku scratched his head.

“I really was a lot further behind than I thought, huh?” He said, with a sheepish smile. Aizawa nodded sharply.

“Now, get back into downward dog. And try not to fall over this time.” Izuku groaned as he got back onto his hands and knees.

XXXX

“Deku.” 

The Sports Festival was here . Izuku had been so nervous last night that his mother made him take a melatonin just so he would go to sleep. He had been training to try and get a handle on his Quirk. And while he felt like he had come far with the fire-breathing in the short amount of time he had it, he still felt like he was making very little progress with One for All. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that fire-breathing was ultimately the Quirk he was born with, so it came a little more naturally to him. But One for All was still a struggle to get a handle on. Sure, he knew he needed to decrease power output, but he still couldn’t pull it off and his ability to do it was way too inconsistent to even practice it without breaking his bones. He felt like he had an idea of how to use it, just on the cusp, almost formed, but with catching up on classes and getting ready for the Sports Festival, he hadn’t had the time to really grind through it. 

This is your opportunity to tell the world, I am here! All Might had said to him, but then he took Izuku by the shoulder and crouched down. He forced Izuku to make eye contact with him. Young Midoriya, I want you to show the world how strong you are. But remember, that I know how strong you are already. You have nothing to prove to me. I will be proud of you no matter how you place.  

What if I don’t make an impression?  Izuku had asked nervously, trying not to fidget in front of his mentor. Even when he was in his smaller, almost emaciated form, Izuku still felt the presence of All Might. 

He had just laughed , a big, booming sound. 

You will, young Midoriya. You couldn’t stop yourself if you tried. It’s in your nature.

It was nice to know that All Might believed in him, and Izuku knew he wasn’t trying to put pressure on him. But Izuku wanted so badly to do this for him. He wanted to make an impression. He wanted to tell the world he was there. For himself, and for the man who had changed his life so much.

“ Deku! You deaf bastard!” Izuku’s head whipped around. They were all in a waiting room, dressed in their gym uniforms. He had been chatting with Jiro, Momo, and Kaminari. The three of them seemed to have formed a pretty strong bond after USJ. 

“Bakugo, what the hell is your problem now?” Jiro asked as the blonde boy stormed up to the table they were sitting at.

“Uh, hi, Kacchan. Can I help you?” Izuku asked, blinking back at his already fired up classmate. His hands were clenched at his sides, face screwed up in a semblance of rage. Izuku was pretty sure it was his resting expression at this point. 

“You fucking-,” He shook his head like a dog, pointing a finger directly at Izuku. “I’m gonna fucking kick your ass, today.”

“Um, okay?” Izuku wasn’t sure how he should respond. 

“Don’t um, okay me you deaf dumb motherfucker .” Bakugo snapped. “You’ve been riding your success since fucking USJ-,” Izuku wasn’t sure he would qualify getting the shit beaten out of him as success , but he wasn’t about to interrupt him now. “-, getting a fucking secondary Quirk -,” He muttered furiously . “-, but even with your fancy little fire sneezes, don’t get so fucking comfortable. I’m going to rip you apart .” 

Oh . Bakugo was trying to challenge him, officially . Izuku had never realized that the former ones had stopped. Though, in a way Izuku figured this was kind of a compliment, coming from Bakugo. He wouldn’t have even stopped to talk to Izuku if he didn’t think he was some kind of threat. Otherwise, Izuku would have been delegated to the ‘extras’.

Izuku beamed back and the blonde slammed his hand on the table, making everyone around them jump.

“What the fuck, Bakugo!” Jiro shouted. 

“Stop fucking smiling at me like that!” He raged. 

“Let’s both do our best, Kacchan!” 

“I’m going to blast that stupid exprssion off your dumb fucking face!” He spat, turning on his heel. Izuku just waved back as he left, setting off small explosions in his hands and screaming in frustration to the ceiling. 

“Uh, Midoriya. What was that?” Momo asked, leaning in. Her brow was furrowed. Izuku turned back, still smiling. 

“That was a compliment, I think.” 

“Who’s that weird purple guy?” Kaminari interrupted, as the two girls exchanged looks. Izuku twisted to see where his classmate was looking. It was another student, one that Izuku didn’t recognize except maybe in passing. He was probably in Class 1-B or one of the other courses. After all, they had been told general studies courses and support courses were also participating for the chance to potentially transfer into the hero courses. 

The student in question had almost lavender colored hair, a style similar to Izuku’s own but pushed back from his face in a wild fashion. His eyes were a similar color as well, though the most distinctive feature was the dark circles under them. He reminded Izuku of Aizawa when he was using his Quirk. 

He was staring at the exchange that had just happened in shock, clearly not familiar with the personalities of Class 1-A.

“He must be in general studies.” Momo said. 

“We should invite him to sit with us.” Izuku decided out loud. 

“Um, Midoriya, I don’t know if that’s-,” Izuku waved at him. It took a second, for the student to zone in, but then he turned, as if to look around and make sure it wasn’t him Izuku was waving to. 

“You should come sit with us!” He called out and for a brief moment, it looked like the student had been slapped. Before his jaw tensed and he turned, walking away. 

“Midoriya, I think you’re too nice.” Jiro said, as Izuku turned back around, a little disappointed. 

“I just like to get along with people. Even if he isn’t in our class specifically, he’s still our classmate.” He set his jaw in his hand. “Besides, we can’t let Kacchan scare everyone off.”

“I disagree. I think that’s his best use, to be honest.” Kaminari said, holding up a hand. “Unwanted visitor? Boom! Throw Bakugo at them.” Jiro snorted, covering her nose.

“If you told me that warp villain still had nightmares about some crazy exploding motherfucker gunning for him, I would believe you.” She added, laughing out loud. “I don’t know how you still call him Kacchan , Midoriya. There is nothing cute about him.” Izuku just shrugged.

“I don’t know, I’ve just always called him that.” 

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him and Izuku turned in his seat again, to see Todoroki standing behind him.

“It’s your other boyfriend.” Jiro supplied helpfully.

“That’s not nice, Jiro-chan.” Izuku said absently, blinking at the split-haired teen. Though, to be fair, Todoroki looked embarrassed coming up to him. “Is something wrong, Todoroki-kun?”

“I had meant to speak to you before, but I suppose Bakugo beat me to the punch.” Todoroki said. He set his jaw. “Objectively, Midoriya, I think I’m stronger than you.”

“Oh yeah, for sure. Aizawa made me do yoga the other day and I could barely touch my toes-,” Kaminari snorted so hard it sounded like it hurt. He covered his mouth, his head tipping back as he almost fell out of his chair. Izuku turned to look at him. “Are you okay, Kaminari-kun?” Jiro tapped the table behind him and he turned back. 

“He’s trying to challenge you, dummy.” 

“ Ohhhh .” Izuku tilted his head at Todoroki. “I’m sorry. You weren’t finished.” Izuku said, clasping his hands in front of his mouth and gesturing for the split-haired boy to continue. Todoroki sighed heavily .

“We’re going to be opponents today and while I am grateful for what you did at USJ, I intend to beat you.” He said, though he seemed to be crumbling under the green haired boy’s innocent gaze. 

“Aren’t we... all opponents?” Izuku asked cluelessly. 

“Yeah but he’s saying he actually thinks you’re a threat.” Jiro filled in, crossing her arms and tilting her head at Todoroki. “Right?”

“Oh, so like Kacchan. It’s kind of a compliment!” Izuku said. 

There was a pause.

“I thought this would go easier than this.” Todoroki muttered. “I just-, nevermind .” He turned as if to walk away, but apparently, was not going to be let off that easy. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing you fucking Canadian flag ?” Kaminari howled with laughter and fell out of his chair as Bakugo stormed back over. “He’s my fucking rival and he’s not even the one you should be worried about, Abominable Snowman!” 

It was...kind of sweet? Izuku couldn’t decide. He scooted his chair back as Bakugo literally shoved Todoroki. 

“I’m gonna go-,” He whispered, slipping away and waving at his friends. 

“ Get back here Deku! ”

XXXX

They were getting ready to head into the stadium, lined up against the wall. They could hear Present Mic hyping up the stadium over the speaker, as well as informing them that Aizawa would be providing his commentary as well. Honestly, Izuku loved his teacher, but he couldn’t think of anything funnier than Present Mic emceeing with Aizawa at his side. 

“I still can’t believe Bakugo’s the one giving the speech, ribbit.” Tsu said, leaning against the wall. “He’s going to say something stupid.”

“Um, I guess words aren’t really his strong suit.” Izuku admitted, looking up and down the hall. “Where’s Mineta?” he wondered out loud. 

“You didn’t hear?” Tsu asked, tone changing suddenly. Izuku shook his head, leaning back into position. 

“What? Is he okay? Did something happen?” Tsu put her hand on his shoulder, giving him a serious look. 

“He transferred out of the hero course, Midoriya.” That shocked him. He knew Mineta had been quiet lately, ever since USJ. He had been told later that Mineta, despite not being injured, had only come back to school a few days before Izuku had. He figured that it had been the stress of the incident hitting him hard, but hadn’t realized how bad it was. He held a hand to his mouth in shock.

“Oh my god.” He said. He shook his head abruptly. “I should have tried to talk to him! I didn’t realize he was so upset!” He turned in horror to Tsu. She just shrugged. 

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much.” She said. “He didn’t have the best motivations for becoming a hero. And he was second to last in the Quirk Apprehension Test, only above you. And he was using his Quirk the whole time.”

“But if he transferred out because of stress that’s not fair-,” Izuku started saying, thinking about what he could do to help the little purple-haired boy. He didn’t love Mineta, but he somehow felt personally responsible for what happened to Mineta at USJ. His counselor would probably tell him that was unreasonable.

“Midoriya, I spoke to him.” Tsu said. She shrugged again. “He just said that it wasn’t worth it. That he didn’t want to be a hero enough to put his life on the line. I don’t think it’s a bad thing; it’s probably good that he figured this out while he was still in school, instead of after graduation.” She was making a good point; after all, saving lives and putting your life on the line to do so was something quintessentially heroic. It was the essence of the job, in Izuku’s opinion. And if it truly wasn’t what Mineta wanted, he would accept that. But he couldn’t help but worry that it wasn’t. 

Tsu seemed to see the concern on his face and she patted his arm. 

“You can’t worry about everyone, ribbit.”

“Oh, I can, and I will.” Izuku promised, but Tsu just laughed.

They headed in eventually, to Present Mic’s booming voice and a screaming crowd. It was exciting, certainly. Izuku could see all the pro heroes, and his face must have shown how excited he was. Before long, his entire class was laughing at him good-naturedly. Kirishima asked him if he was going to pass out and Izuku swatted the hand away that went to poke him between the eyes, unable to hide the blush on his face. 

Everything about it was so exciting and unbelievable, it was just another reminder of how far Izuku had come and how hard he worked and how his dream was paying off. He truly did want to do well, not just for All Might, but for himself.

“ I’m coming in first .” Bakugo stepped down from the podium, hands in his pockets, a disdainful look on his face.

The stadium was dead silent. 

Present Mic started up his commentary at the same moment the audience reacted, so no one heard Kaminari laugh so loud he discharged an electric shock that hit Jiro besides Class 1-A. She smacked his head and he felt to his knees, wiping tears from his eyes. 

“Bakugo is the funniest person I’ve ever met.” Kaminari declared. "You couldn't make that up. A stadium full of professional heroes and he-," Izuku suppressed his own giggle as Bakugo walked past them all, head held high. Not an ounce of embarrasment or shame.

“What’s it to you, extras?”

Chapter Text

Izuku ended up not using his Quirk at all for the first challenge. Or, well, maybe he did. After all, he had felt the heat coming up from the pile of landmines he launched himself off of and wasn’t sure if it was his increased temperature resistance protecting him or not.

Still, it was pretty satisfying hearing the scream of rage from Bakugo as he literally stepped on him, and the look of shock on his face right before it happened. As he had rocketed towards the finish line, he could hear his childhood friend spitting out dirt and curses.

Though, after finding out about the 10 Million Point target on his back, he was kind of wishing he had come in second or third instead.

Maybe he wouldn’t have had the entirety of his class gunning for that stupid headband if he hadn’t. 

No , he told himself. He really didn’t mind having to work a little harder to stay in the game during the second round. He wouldn’t trade that first place victory in the race for anything. 

The cavalry battle was... interesting as well. He had intended to use his fire Quirk to ward off those who might get close enough, but he saw the hesitance in Tokoyami’s face when he mentioned it during the planning period. He thought hard for a second, about how Tokoyami had confessed to Dark Shadow not being as strong during the day. He ultimately decided to abstain; after all, the goal was to remain out of reach of any team anyways, with Uraraka’s Quirk and Hatsume’s support gear. It would be worse to sacrifice their defense just to get in some cheap shots, he had decided, thinking that Dark Shadow must be vulnerable to the light from his fire.

Besides, he thought back to what Aizawa had said. Sure, 1-A knew about the fire Quirk, but there was a third stage after this and there were going to be some people from 1-B for certain, with the way the cavalry battle had been going. 

They came face to face with other teams only a few times. At one point, Monoma’s team got close and desperate to not use his fire Quirk, Izuku had swung out before they got away and cracked Monoma across the jaw. The boy had looked at him, stunned , as his team launched back into the air, just in time for Bakugo to bowl them over and rip all the headbands off Monoma’s neck. 

Though, Izuku would admit, that the grip Bakugo had on Monoma’s neck and he ripped them off was perhaps...unnecessarily tight. He throttled the skinny blonde boy, screaming swears. 

They had decided to focus on defense, but a few times, Izuku was surprised to feel a headband drop over his neck. He twisted to look, and saw Hatsume, with a giant extendable claw hand, grinning back. She opened and closed it a few times, demonstrating the grip strength. She had been ripping them off other teams as they got closer. On a few, she latched the claw hand straight onto their heads and tore down the formation. Izuku just grinned back. There was a little bit of blood on the end.

“Hatsume, you might want to be more careful with that. I think you’re scratching people.” He said, frowning.

“Oops.” Hatsume said, mockingly. He heard Tokoyami laugh. 

And then it all came to a head, with Todoroki snatching the 10 Million Points away with help from Iida’s Reciproburst. Izuku thought at that point that they might be able to snag a few more headbands and stay in the game without his former headband and voiced it to his teammates. It might not be worth tangling with Todoroki’s team again. 

“What do you want, Deku?” Uraraka’s voice had been deadly serious.

“I want my fucking Ten Million Points back.” He said, out loud, quickly covering his mouth when he realized he swore. Uraraka giggled. 

“Then let’s go get them.” She said. 

They went after Todoroki’s team, with everything they had, and he heard Momo shriek when they charged them. He couldn’t figure out why, until some smoke curled up into his eyes, and he realized his mouth was burning with unreleased fire. 

“He looks like a demon!” Kaminari shouted as they charged them. Todoroki was wearing several stacks of headbands around his neck, having accumulated ten or so high point headbands. But Izuku was certain that the one he wanted was on top. He couldn't see the points on them, so he had to make an educated choice.

“Hatsume.” Izuku hissed. “Hand me the claw hand.” He felt it smack into his palm and he heard Todoroki order Kaminari to charge up. Izuku realized what was about to happen and he pressed the extender. The claw hand shot out 20 feet, colliding with Kaminari’s face and latching on. The blonde screamed in surprise, almost falling over as the entire formation sagged in his direction, screeching to a halt that almost flung Todoroki off the top. 

“ Get it off me! ” Kaminari yelled, trying to pull the hand off, but it was stuck on. Izuku felt a little bad, but he could hear Hatsume laughing maniacally behind him and he just swallowed his guilt. He handed the claw back to her, still latched onto Kaminari and holding Team Todoroki in place, lest they break formation and get disqualified.

“ KAMINARI IS TRAPPED IN TEAM MIDORIYA’S CLAW CREATION-, OH JESUS, ERASERHEAD, WHAT ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR STUDENTS?”  

As soon as they were close enough, he lurched forward, trying to grab the headband on top. He saw Todoroki’s eyes widen, and he felt One for All flowing through his arm as it shot out. 

Don’t let the egg explode, don’t let the egg explode -,

A burst of flame on Todoroki’s hand had Izuku jerking back. It went out as soon as it had appeared, Todoroki looking equally shocked about what just happened. In the confusion, Izuku grabbed the top one off Todoroki’s neck and his team launched away, Hatsume finally releasing Kaminari, blowing him a kiss. There was a hand-shaped bruise over the center of his face and he looked dazed. 

They screeched to a halt on the side, and they could see Bakugo’s team charging in, Bakugo already launching off his ‘horse’. 

“Hatsume! Give it to me!” Uraraka cried and the pink-haired girl tossed the claw hand to her. It shot through the air, much further than Izuku would have thought possible and nailed Bakugo directly in the chest. He shrieked as it grasped and tore through the front of his uniform, sending him flying back into his own formation. His teammates grunted as he landed, trying to catch him.

“You have good aim, Uraraka.” Tokoyami complimented her. While they had time, Izuku flipped over the headband.

70 points.

That wasn’t going to be enough. 

“We have to go back in!” He cried, his team taking off towards Todoroki. The claw hand shot out again, but this time, the split-haired boy was ready for it and he froze it in mid air-,

Just as the time went off. 

Their formations broke apart instantly, Uraraka removing the weightless effect from all of them. Izuku spun, stricken with panic, to face his team. 

“Guys, I’m so sorry , I grabbed the wrong one and now we’re-,” There were tears coming to his eyes. 

“It’s okay, Deku. You know that-,” Uraraka started, trying to reach out and comfort him.

“Midoriya.” Tokoyami said, as Izuku tried to wipe the tears off his face, turning to his friend. Dark Shadow was out, a headband in its shadowy beak. “I got this while you distracted Todoroki.”

The headband flipped over. 

Ten Million Points .

Izuku practically assaulted Tokoyami, hitting him like a freight train and knocking the air out of him as he bowled him over. He grabbed his bird-like face, tears springing from his eyes and he let out cries of happiness. 

“Tokoyami, I could kiss you.”

“Please don’t-,”

“DO IT!” Hatsume cupped her hands and called from the sidelines. Izuku planted a kiss on Tokoyami’s beak, ignoring the exaggerated gagging noise coming from the boy he held firmly in his grasp. He sprang off Tokoyami and whooped, before falling to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes uncontrollably. 

“ AND GREEN BEAN PLANTS A WET ONE ON THE DARK SHADOW HIMSELF-,” Present Mic’s voice boomed over the speaker, snorting uncontrollably.

Hatsume retracted her claw hand, the ice breaking off and shot it back into the air in celebration, screaming in excitement, as Uraraka embraced Izuku, trying to get him to stop crying. 

Izuku could barely see the other teams through his tears, but he knew they were looking at the four of them like they were nuts . He could even see Todoroki staring, grasping the rest of his headbands in one hand. Team Todoroki made it through, in second, but Team Midoriya was first . 

XXXX

“So, first place in both events, huh?” Izuku heard a voice behind him, rotating to see the lavender-haired boy from earlier. His team had made it through as well, though Izuku had some concerns given what Ojiro had said when he dropped out. The boy tilted his head, a grin on his face. He opened his mouth to respond, when Ojiro slid in between them, glaring at the lavender haired boy. He smacked his tail over Izuku’s mouth, preventing him from answering. 

“Don’t say anything , Midoriya.” Ojiro said, narrowing his eyes at the other boy. He grabbed Izuku by the shoulders and hustled him away. 

When Ojiro told him what had happened, knowing that Izuku was going to be facing off against Shinso, the lavender-haired boy, in the first round, he felt a lot of things. He felt a little scared, for his own progress in the tournament. He felt bad, for Ojiro, who had been taken advantage of.

He felt bad for Shinso . 

It was an odd thing, as they were about to be opponents. But they weren’t enemies. And frankly, Izuku knew a thing or two about having a Quirk that inspired fear in people. His own had scared the shit out of him. It was memories of this exact Quirk that had haunted his dreams for years, despite him being able to clear it from his mind in the day. It was the exact Quirk that had hurt his mom, had hurt other people . Midoriya Hisashi was in prison for hurting people, but he had never been prosecuted for what he did to his own wife and son and something about that stuck with Izuku. His counselor had said that sometimes, the acknowledgement of pain and trauma was cathartic in its own way and that might be something he felt like he was lacking. She said that he should see if charges could be pursued, all these years later. It make Izuku feel kind of stupid; after all, the man was already in prison for life for the six people he killed with his Quirk. No law enforcement officer or lawyer was going to waste their time trying to give more time to a man who was going to be serving multiple life sentences already. But she was right, he thought. 

So maybe Izuku could sympathize with Shinso. He must want to be a hero too, he had thought. After all, no other general studies student had even made it past the first challenge. 

But Izuku still had to beat him. 

They were taking their noon lunch break and just as Izuku was walking to get some food, he heard a voice behind him. 

“Midoriya.” He turned, to see Todoroki. He smiled at him. 

“Hey, Todoroki-kun!” He could swear the scarred boy winced, but it was so fast he wasn’t sure he saw it. 

“Let’s talk.” He said grimly, and Izuku ended up following him to somewhere they could speak in private.

“Are you All Might’s love child or something?” Was the first question out of the boy’s mouth and Izuku almost fell over. 

“Oh god no. But I wish .” He had said with a nervous laugh. If only Midoriya Hisashi had never existed.

And he was in no way prepared for what Todoroki told him next. About Endeavor, about Quirk marriages. About the scar on his face everyone assumed came from the fire he wouldn’t use. Izuku choked back tears; it felt inappropriate, to cry for someone else’s pain. He didn’t want Todoroki to think he was pitying him, but he couldn’t help but grieve for him. He sounded so...broken. So alone . Izuku had spent so much time thinking that he was just cool and aloof, but he wasn’t. He was lonely . And scared . At least Izuku was safe now, but that was something that it seemed like Todoroki had never known.

“You made me break my pledge.” Todoroki said. “Wait-, Midoriya, stop crying.” Izuku had his hand clamped over his mouth. 

“No, I’m f-fine. Continue.” His voice was muffled as he blinked back tears. Todoroki sighed, holding a hand up to his face.

“You’re going to dehydrate.” He said. 

“C-continue.” Izuku choked. He couldn’t tell him that Todoroki’s own story was hitting close to home for him; that the pain and betrayal that came with abuse was still fresh on his mind, even fresher since USJ. 

“That’s why I’m going to beat you, without using my father’s Quirk. Whether or not you’re actually All Might’s child, he has his eye on you. I’m going to achieve what my father couldn’t, without him.”

Aizawa’s words echoed back to him, and Izuku had responded before he could say anything.

“It’s not his Quirk.” Todoroki blinked back.

“What?”

“It’s not his Quirk, Todoroki-kun. I don’t know if there’s anything I can say that can help you right now.” Izuku admitted. He was getting the distinct feeling that Todoroki was determined to go down a lonely path. That there was plenty of pain and unresolved trauma bubbling to the surface. “But I do know that it’s not his Quirk. It’s yours.”

“You don’t understand, Midoriya.” Todoroki said quietly, shaking his head. 

“Why wouldn’t I?” Izuku asked. 

“You have people .” Todoroki said, through a clenched jaw. “You have friends. You have family. You have people who love you, who would damn near die for you. You have a mentor that is genuinely all everyone says he is and more. My father has taken that all away from me and I will crush him if it’s the last thing I do.” Izuku just wanted to hug him, but Todoroki looked like he would ice him if he did. Izuku took a slow step forward.

“Todoroki-kun.” He said softly. “I think I understand more than you know. But a lot of people have supported me to be here. I fought so hard just to get to what I thought was the starting line, and then I found out I wasn’t anywhere near it. I’m still fighting, and people are still helping me. So it’s not just my own hopes that I have riding on me. It’s their hard work too. I’m going to make them proud of me. So I’m coming for you, Todoroki-kun. Get ready.” He turned and walked away before he could say anything else. He was a little afraid that he would break and pull the taller boy into a tight hug and that seemed like the last thing Todoroki wanted right then. 

Todoroki needed help , he knew that much. And Izuku wanted to help him; he couldn’t keep his nose out of other people’s business. He just wasn’t sure how. 

XXXX

“Is it bad to stick your nose in other people’s business?” Izuku asked All Might. They were meeting somewhere private, All Might having sought him out before his match. He had put a big hand on Izuku’s shoulder, in his full form. 

“I suppose it depends on what it is.” All Might answered, seeming caught off-guard by Izuku’s question. Izuku clenched his fists at his side. 

“Something bad. He doesn’t have anyone to help him. I don’t know if anyone will.” All Might bent down, raising an eyebrow. 

“Are you talking about someone in particular?” All Might asked, voice filled with concern. Izuku wasn’t sure if it was his secret to share; he wanted to help Todoroki but he also knew the kind of retribution that could come from this, retribution that would only blow back onto Todoroki. Besides, who would believe that the number two hero would hurt his own family like that? It wasn’t time to share; not until they could figure out a real plan. 

“Uh, it’s hypothetical.” Izuku knew without a doubt that All Might didn’t believe him, but as bad as Izuku felt about not being able to share the full truth with him, he knew it was to protect his classmate. He would tell him, when it was safe. 

“Then I would say that kind of meddling is exactly what heroes do, young Midoriya.” All Might tilted his head. “Especially when no one else will.”

“What if it were to affect my placement in the competition?” Izuku said, wringing his hands. “You wouldn’t be disappointed?” A giant hand encapsulated his shoulder, warm and comforting. 

“Midoriya, I could never be disappointed if you were helping someone in need. You’ve already made me proud.”

“Even though I’ve already cried on national television today?” All Might laughed. 

“Even though you’ve already cried on national television today.” He ruffled Izuku’s hair. “Maybe stop being such a crybaby, though.” He teased. “Are you scared?”

Izuku blew out a breath that knocked some hair from his face. 

“Yeah.” He admitted. There was no point in lying about it. He shook his head. 

“Smile. Even when you’re filled with anxiety and fear.” All Might said. “It helps to ease the pain.” All Might straightened up, smiling down at him. “I’ll be watching, young Midoriya.”

XXXX

And then there was Shinso Hitoshi.

Izuku broke. 

He was ashamed. He’d been warned . But he couldn’t keep his big fat mouth shut, and now he was walking towards the edge of the bounds, against his will. It was like a buzzing static in his head, being a prisoner in his own body. Everything was going black, like Ojiro had said and he knew he would be out soon, gone . Nothing left until Shinso had decided he was done. 

He was getting closer and closer to the boundary when a dark mass began to take shape. On the tunnel, on the other side. Like an amorphous blob of blinking eyes that stared out at him. They were slowly starting to take shape and he hears whispers in his ears.

Don’t let him, kiddo .

You are not alone.

He needed a shock . That’s what Ojiro had said. Anything . He needed something .

And he couldn’t move-, wait no. He could feel his fingers twitch, the power of One for All pouring in. But...they would break. He could win now, but who knew what would happen a match from now?

You have another Quirk, don’t you ?

He wasn’t sure if it was his own thought or someone else’s.

But they were right. 

And he could still breathe .

He poured the power into his chest, feeling it suddenly constrict as he sucked in a breath through a clenched jaw.

Egg in the microwave, egg in the microwave, egg in the microwave- ,

And he released a jet of flames , white hot that soared for well over 20 feet. Well past the limit he and Aizawa had imagined, almost licking at the lower rungs of the crowd, who screeched and dove back from the flames. Izuku cringed as the brainwashing broke, knowing he had maybe singed a few audience members. 

He turned around. 

He tuned out Present Mic screaming his surprise over the speakers, tuned out even the quiet what? That he could swear came from Aizawa. He saw Shinso’s lips moving, but the blood was rushing in his ears. His chest hurt a little, from using One for All on his lungs, but it didn’t feel like anything was broken. Just like he had a little more kick. 

“That’s quite a Quirk there. Hadn’t heard about that one yet, just the super strength-,” Shinso was saying. Izuku braced both his hands against his chest, and he could feel Shinso stutter. “Pretty interesting. I thought yours were pretty heroic before, but I don’t know now. Tell me about it?” Izuku kept his mouth clamped shut as he started to push, Shinso struggling. But he wasn’t very strong and Izuku hadn’t spent ten months dragging refrigerators for nothing. 

He didn’t need his Quirk to beat Shinso, as long as he kept his stupid mouth shut. 

He’d been given a second chance; if he squandered it, he didn’t deserve to win. 

“Must be nice, huh? Having been born with a heroic Quirk?” Shinso was running his mouth. “What, don’t want to answer?” Izuku kept pushing and Shinso tried to grind his feet back, pushing back. He punched Izuku in the face, his jaw snapping to the side, but honestly, these days, Izuku barely felt it. 

He did feel the hands around his neck a little more, ignoring the gasps of the crowd and Shinso tried to swing him around, to get away from the edge of the boundary. But he was moving his weight all wrong and Izuku could see he wasn’t going to get the leverage necessary.  Izuku bent his knees, grabbed Shinso around the waist and lifted . “ Fuck! What are you doing?” He kept asking questions, trying to elicit a response, even as he kicked his legs at Izuku, twisting in his grasp. But he was unable to break his grip and Izuku tossed him over the boundary line. 

Shinso tumbled to the ground, cursing. He stared up at Izuku, as the declared victory for Izuku.

“You don’t get it .” He hissed. “You don’t know what it’s like...being born with a villain’s Quirk.” He clenched his fists, looking up at Izuku. “I have to fight so hard just to be here. I’m not even at the starting line .” He shook his head and Izuku felt like his heart broke. He crouched down. 

“Shinso.” He said. “I know what it’s like being born with a villain’s Quirk.” His voice was quiet enough that there was no way any microphone was picking it up. He saw Shinso’s eyes widened. Midoriya Hisashi hadn’t been a villain, really. Just an angry man with a Quirk. But close enough, in this day and age. 

“You’re lying.” His voice was quiet. Izuku leaned in, holding a hand out. He shook his head. “This isn’t a game to me. I’m serious about this. I know everyone thinks I’m one step away from being a villain, but I won’t let that happen .”

“He was convicted under the name of Iwasaki Hisashi, but I always knew him as Midoriya Hisashi. You can look him up.” Shinso hadn’t taken his hand yet, but was instead, eyeing Izuku carefully, like the moment he took it Izuku was going to push him back down again. It felt almost good, honestly. To let that part of his secret go to someone besides his counselor. Aizawa and All Might had both offered themselves as listeners, but he had stayed away from details, like names and dates. “Do you want to be a hero, Shinso?” He asked. 

“Of course I do.” Shinso spat. “That’s why I’m here . That’s why I want to transfer into the hero course. I couldn’t get in through the entrance exam, but I will get there somehow . You can't help the things you long for.” Izuku smiled. He took Shinso’s hand. He was done waiting. 

“Then let’s be friends, Shinso-kun.” He slowly pulled him up to his feet. “Honestly, fuck everyone else.” Izuku said, giving him a sneaky smile. “I think your Quirk is pretty cool.” The lavender-haired boy was staring at him like he was lost. 

“Midoriya Izuku, was it?” He asked, finally.

“Yeah.”

“You know, I could have just brainwashed you then.” Shinso said, eyes unreadable. Izuku shrugged.

“I trust you.” Izuku paused. "You know...you are not alone. Not as much as you think you are."

Shinso stared at him like he’d punched him in the face. He stilled, before he finally spoke again.

“Don’t lose too pitifully to the next guy, okay?”

XXXX

“You have a fire Quirk.” Came the surprised voice as Izuku walked out through the tunnel on his side to cheers.

It was Endeavor himself, standing there, waiting for him. His fiery facial hair gave off barely any heat, but was constantly moving, just like Izuku had seen on TV. He was a huge, intimidating figure.

And yesterday , Izuku would have been excited to meet him.

Now all he felt was disgust. He didn’t want to look at him. He wanted to throw a punch, but everything about that was a bad idea. He knew some of it was his own, unresolved anger at his father bursting forth. The man he had never had an opportunity to face; he could see him in Endeavor instantly. The way he held himself. The way he smiled. The idea that he thought he could come here and intimidate Izuku at all.

Maybe Izuku was projecting.

Or maybe all abusive pieces of shit were the same. 

“Uh, yes.” Izuku realized that he had failed to answer Endeavor. “I do.”

“It’s pretty interesting. Almost scorched a few audience members.” Endeavor narrowed his eyes. “You’ll be seeing my son next.” Izuku knew Todoroki’s round hadn’t happened yet, but he also knew it was a match between Todoroki and Sero. He knew who was going to win that one. 

“Probably.” Izuku said, his tone clipped. “Can I help you with something, sir?” 

“You don’t seem impressed that the number two hero is speaking to you.” Endeavor noted. “Though, I suppose you’re All Might’s boy, aren’t you? Hard to be impressed with number two when your mentor is number one.” The words were spiteful, disdainful, and the tone was insulting. Izuku bit his tongue.

“Uh, no, sir. You just remind me of my own father, that’s all.” Izuku said, keeping his tone as neutral as he could. 

“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, kid.” Endeavor said, his voice joking but his face vindictive. 

“That wasn’t my intention at all, sir.” The green-haired boy said honestly. 

“Shouto is just like me, you know.” Endeavor said, with a wicked grin. “Try not to give him an embarrassing round.”

“I disagree, sir. I don’t think he’s anything like you.” There was more spite in his voice than he intended, but Izuku just turned to walk away before he said something that got Todoroki in trouble with his father. 

“I didn’t dismiss you -,” Came the angry hiss, the pro hero reacting to the bite in Izuku’s words. He could feel the heat flare behind him from his fire, and then a hand on his arm, yanking him around to look at Endeavor. His grip was so hard Izuku wondered if it was going to bruise as he was pulled to face an angry Endeavor, his fire flowing from his facial hair. He glowered down at Izuku, looming over him. 

Izuku ripped his arm away. 

“Excuse me, sir. ” He said, and walked away. 

XXXX

Izuku had barely used his Quirk, he realized, sitting in the stands, watching Uraraka’s round against Bakugo. It hurt to see her take so many hits, but he could also see the hard set to her jaw. Her narrowed eyes. Her determination . He didn’t know if she was going to win this; Bakugo was a fiend in combat. 

But he wanted to hug her so tight and tell her how proud he was. It was a crazy, ballsy plan. He had started to notice the veritable meteor shower of debris hovering over Bakugo’s head that the explosive teen had not yet and Izuku suspected few had. He smiled to himself. Even if she didn’t win, she was going to give Bakugo a scare.

But he had been thinking back on his own performance, and realized that he hadn’t even used his Quirk, except to break Shinso’s brainwashing. It seemed crazy , honestly. Even in the first challenge, when he had taken out one of the robots without using his Quirk at all . He probably could have taken out more, if he used his head a little bit more. Or if that had been the objective, he reflected. But he had won the cavalry battle with a well-selected team and some determination. Even though he’d been ready to use his Quirk against Todoroki, he hadn’t actually done so. 

He could have laughed; his dream, that seemed so far off once, hadn’t really been so. He probably could have gotten the points he needed during the entrance exam without a Quirk. He would have won the first two challenges without it too. It was almost funny how far it had once seemed and now Izuku had two Quirks and he had just spent the past day using neither of them. 

If anything too, Hatsume kicking Iida’s ass had been proof that you didn’t need a Quirk; you just had to use your head. 

He looked out at the battle, watching his short, slim friend stare down Bakugo with a fire in her eyes he hadn’t seen before.

Yeah, he decided. He was exactly where he was meant to be.

Chapter Text

When Izuku stepped into the ring against Todoroki, he didn't know how the round was going to go. 

He knew his fire wouldn’t be as effective as he would like it to be; he couldn’t hold it for long enough to break through a giant ice mass like the one Todoroki had used before.

There was absolutely no way he was getting out of this without breaking some bones, to be honest. He had to get close; he knew that much. Todoroki was still weak in close combat fighting and that was Izuku’s strongest point. 

So when the match started and Todoroki sent that first wave of ice at him, Izuku flicked his finger and dove right in. 

It ripped through the ice like it was nothing, the wind pressure sending gasps through the crowd as Izuku dove forward. He ignored the pain in his hand, clenching his left first, leaping over the ice rubble and taking a swing. Todoroki dodged, stepping back, but Izuku rolled to the side and brought his leg up for a kick that caught Todoroki in the ribs and flung him to the side. He caught himself on an ice structure and sent another wave of ice Izuku’s way.

Izuku rolled, dodging it, letting out a burst of flame when it got too close. They were closer to the center than the outskirts now, Izuku getting to his feet. They were circling each other, waiting for the next attack.

“Todoroki-kun.” He said. Todoroki was staring at him, specifically, his hand. 

“You broke your finger.” He said. “In that attack.”

“That’s okay.” Izuku said. “I still have a few tries left.” Todoroki’s eyes widened and Izuku sprang forward. He leapt over one layer of ice and Todoroki ducked down, dropping into a crouch as he sent a pillar of ice overhead. Izuku opened his mouth and let out the hottest burst of flame he could, destroying the pillar in an instant. The flames licked towards Todoroki, who covered himself in a layer of ice to defend from them, before he ducked away.

A spike nearly caught Izuku in the side as it jutted out, but he dropped down and dove out of the way.

By the time he looked up, there was another , bigger wave of ice coming at him. Far too big for Izuku to leap over. 

He took a deep breath, and flicked his next finger. 

CRACK!  

It blew out apart, the wind pressure forcing Izuku back a few feet, skidding against the now icy ground. 

He took a deep breath and straightened, knees bent in case he needed to dodge again. He could see Todoroki, bent over as well, before he straightened up. His eyes looked wilder than they had before. More present. 

Good .

“I can do this all day, Todoroki-kun.” He said, letting out a small breath of fire on his exhale. “And you’re starting to look a little cold.” It was true; while on this side of the arena, Izuku had blown apart all of Todoroki’s attacks, scattering the ice, all the rubble had ended up on Todoroki’s side. He had frozen some of it in place to prevent it from blowing back on him and had even guarded against being flung over the boundary with walls of ice behind him. It was getting cold, too. The air itself was chilled, from Todoroki’s quirk. 

Still, it was much colder on Todoroki’s side than his and Izuku had the fire in his chest to keep him warm. The split-haired boy looked like he was freezing, beginning to shiver, patches of snow sticking to him. 

“I’m fine.” Todoroki said. “You should worry about yourself.” He said, his eyes flicking to the stands. Izuku knew exactly who he was looking for. 

“Hey. I’m your opponent.” He said. They were about fifteen feet apart, he decided. 

“What-,” Izuku breathed a cone of flames that was once again, more about area and distance than it was heat. They filled the field in front of him, shooting towards Todoroki. He saw the boy’s eyes widen and he shot more ice forward, chilling the air as best he could before they got to him. 

Those breathing exercises were really paying off, Izuku decided.

“If you used your Quirk, you wouldn’t be cold.” Todoroki’s eyes hardened. 

“Don’t talk to me about my father’s Quirk.” A wall of ice, bigger than before shot towards Izuku, who tried to leap back. But it was spreading from Todoroki faster than he could manage and it was looking like it was going to shape up to be almost as big as the one that encased Sero, with the way the air temperature dropped.

So Izuku broke another finger, unable to curl his hand into a fist. Instead, he hooked it in his mouth to flick it.

It shattered , letting out a terribly loud noise that drowned out the screaming crowd as shards of ice started to fly. People cowered in their seats and the beginnings of the large structure came down around them, Izuku tipping his head back and letting out the longest jet of flame he could manage to protect himself from falling debris. He was a little short of breath, but he didn’t want to get taken out by a chunk of ice. 

When he tipped his head forward, he could see Todoroki staring at him with disbelief, trembling visibly now. He heard Present Mic comment on it over the speaker, and Izuku really realized how much Todoroki had limited himself by not using his left side at all. He could probably send massive ice structures to crush Izuku indefinitely , if he would just regulate his temperature with his fire. 

“What are you doing this for? Fear?” Izuku asked. He understood that one clearly . “Everyone else is giving their all. And you’re barely using half . It’s insulting.” Izuku shook his head. “You’re making me feel like Kacchan .” Todoroki stiffened. 

“Y-you-,” His teeth were chattering .

Izuku took off after him like a bullet, and Todoroki jerked, sending another pillar towards him. 

But it was slow .

And Izuku? Was doing just fine. 

Egg in the microwave, egg in the microwave, egg in the microwave -,

He swung his left, unbroken arm, feeling the familiar thrum of One for All under the skin. He nailed Todoroki in the stomach, even as the boy tried to twist out of the way. He went shooting back , letting out a garbled noise of pain. Izuku had felt the bones crack under his fist. Todoroki slammed into an ice wall of his own making at the last second, coughing as he laid against it, before pulling himself to his feet. He let out a shaky breath, eyeing Izuku coldly.

Fuck -,

The pillar almost crashed into Izuku and he rolled back, dodging it. 

“You keep saying I’m done ,” Todoroki said, straightening up. “But you’ve broken every finger on your right hand.” Izuku’s fingers were swollen and purple, almost useless at his side. “I’m ending this now , before you get yourself killed.”

A mass of ice shot towards him, smaller than the last large attack Todoroki had sent, but substantial regardless.

Izuku blew it apart with one of his already broken fingers.

It hurt like a bitch .

But when the rubble settled, his limp hand hanging at his side, Todoroki couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“We’re not done yet.” Izuku said. He curled his broken hand into a fist and Todoroki turned a little green.

“You’re crazy .”

“I spoke to your father.” Todoroki’s whole demeanor shifted, like something was dawning on him. 

“He paid you, didn’t he? To take this so far?” Izuku pulled up his sleeve with his good hand, where there was a bruise forming on his arm from Endeavor grabbing him. 

“No. Believe it or not, I’m not doing this for anyone else. He just got angry when I said you were nothing like him.”

Todoroki closed his eyes and Izuku felt like he knew exactly the emotions that were crashing down on the split-haired boy. More than anything, the feeling of helplessness in the face of danger. The lesson that Todoroki had probably spent his life learning Izuku had learned only recently; he could have all the power in the world and still be so helpless when it counted.

And when Todoroki's eyes opened, they flicked to Izuku’s broken hand. 

“How can you say that? Standing there like that?”

“We are not our fathers.” Izuku said, taking a step forward and clenching his fist. “I know what it’s like, to inherit a Quirk you would rather have been born without.” Todoroki tilted his head, brow knitting together.

“Wait, are you All Might’s-,”

“No!” Izuku said. There couldn't be less of a family resemblance!

He let out a puff of fire instead, trying to make his point. “Todoroki-kun when I say I know, I mean that I know .”

The split-haired boy froze. He looked almost fearful, trembling in the cold. They were surrounded by jagged, fallen structures, the air chilled but Izuku didn’t feel it at all.

“But I use it anyway. Because it is my Quirk . I decide what to do with it. He would have never saved anyone with it; he wasn’t capable of it. And it’s your power. It belongs to you and only to you.”

“You have a better heart than I do.” Todoroki said it like it was a fact, simply. He clenched his fists at his side, and Izuku honestly had no idea what was going to happen next. From the way he spoke, the words themselves sounded like he was just giving up and it made something in Izuku's chest ache to hear it. But there was just enough of an edge in his tone that kept him believing that Todoroki wasn't done yet.

XXXX

There was something in that fierce boy’s face that reminded Shouto of his mother, he decided. Even standing there, fingers broken and limp, a ghastly purple. His jaw was clenched, tears at his eyes. He was so determined , a fire shining through. But he was soft, too. Sweet.

He was reaching out to him. By picking a fight, maybe. But reaching out, nonetheless.

He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time and his words kept echoing. 

It’s your power .

It’s not his Quirk. It’s your Quirk.

We are not our fathers.

He remembered, so long ago. His mother stroking his hair, telling him he didn’t have to be a slave to his bloodline. He hadn’t really understood it; he’d been so small . He remembered too, sitting on her lap and crying, pressing his face into her chest as she held him. 

You can be a hero too, Shouto .

He was going to do it, he thought. He was going to break the promise and use his power.

Because Midoriya was right, wasn’t he? It was his power. His father had nothing to do with it. His father wasn’t capable of love, not really. 

And for a long time, Shouto thought he wasn’t either but every word out of Midoriya’s mouth reminded him of his mother and how fiercely he had loved her. Even after the pain Endeavor caused him, even after the pain his mother caused him.

She had burned him and he had sobbed for days when she was taken away because he still loved her. 

“I don’t think you’re here just to surpass your father, Todoroki-kun.” A soft voice cut through the air and he could see Midoriya standing there, chest heaving, head tilted. A small, soft smile on his face. There were flakes of ice falling in the air, peppering his dark, curly hair and Shouto’s breath caught in his throat. “You would have left me so many times over at USJ if that was all. So why are you here?”

Shouto looked down at his trembling hands. 

And he ignited the right one.

He lifted his head to look at a grinning Midoriya, as the fire spread along his body, beginning to burn through his uniform. He could feel it on his face, wreathed in flames but it didn’t burn. The crowd started to whoop and go wild. 

“I want to be a hero too.” He croaked out, instantly embarrassed by the way his voice cracked. It was a simple desire, one that drove everyone in this program but it felt nearly impossible to say out loud. Like he would be punished for wanting something for himself. But he clenched his fist and took a deep breath and repeated himself, with a slight alteration. "I will be a hero."

“Let’s go, Todoroki-kun.” 

“Midoriya...” He shook his head. “Sometimes, you take things too far.”

“If only someone had warned me of that before.” The green-haired boy said wryly, smiling.

“You might have won, you know.” Shouto said. Midoriya shifted back, raising his left, unbroken arm in a fist, ready to fight, a grin across his face.

“I don’t know, Todoroki-kun. You haven’t put a single scratch on me.”

He could hear a voice, similar to his father, shouting in the background. It sounded almost like praise, but he ignored it. He didn’t want to hear a single thing from him; didn’t care to hear it. 

“Fuck him, right?” Midoriya whispered, and Shouto almost broke his composure, hearing the innocent boy in front of him curse. He laughed. 

And then they collided .

They ignored the screams of Midnight and Cementoss, blasted straight through the concrete walls Cementoss raised at the last second to try and spare them some pain. The cooled air heated up, the dramatic change in pressure creating a force of unimaginable proportions, Shouto putting his all into it as Midoriya did the same. That incredible pressure, that power that had resided in just a flick of his fingers coming from his entire arm .

Those concrete walls never stood a chance .

And when the dust settled, Shouto was on his hands and knees, choking on the blood coming from his broken nose. It hurt like a bitch , blood smeared across his face and in his hair. He must have gotten hit with something sharp, because his head was bleeding a little too. His ribs were cracked and broken, chest on fire. He hadn’t felt it so much because of the cold, but now that the air temperature had warmed up he could really feel how hard Midoriya had hit. He looked down to see his hand, a few fingers looking crooked through the cement dust. He tried to shake it off, but when he moved them it hurt. He didn’t even know what he hit them against, not really. 

He slowly got to his feet, breathing ragged. Once he got over the blood smeared across his face he could focus a little more, looking out onto the crowd, searching for Midoriya in the dust. He hoped he hadn’t really hurt the freckle-faced boy. But if he hadn’t given it at all, Midoriya might have beaten his ass. As cute and innocent as he was, another hit like one that had presumably cracked his sternum , would have put him down. 

He finally spotted him, laying against a hunk of ice.

Out of bounds. 

He heard the announcement that he had won, but he hopped over chunks of ice and cement and raced over to Midoriya, ignoring Midnight’s yells. He crouched over his classmate, searching his face for signs of consciousness. He kneeled down, ignoring the screaming in his own chest.

Midoriya’s arm was broken and useless at his side, devastatingly purple. Shouto sucked in a breath and held out his right hand. 

He heard panicked movement behind him, from Midnight, presumably thinking that Shouto wasn’t done with the fight yet, but he ignored them. He carefully encased the arm in ice, straightening it and attaching it to Midoriya’s shoulder, using ice sticking out from the makeshift cast and encasing Midoriya’s side with it to hold it still. 

“Ugh...” Midoriya’s eyes fluttered open. “That hurt...” He muttered, before he really saw Shouto over him. He coughed, and Shouto quickly dodged a small puff of flame. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Shouto said, without thinking. “Let me help you up.” Midoriya slowly sat up, Shouto helping him stand and getting him to his feet. He was careful not to jostle Midoriya’s broken arm and tried to avoid his hand as much as possible. Though, Midoriya yelped when it brushed against Shouto’s side. “I’m sorry.” he said quickly. 

“Hey, don’t apologize.” Midoriya said, almost a sing-songy reiteration of what Shouto had said. “You know, you didn’t actually do any of this to me.”

“But my father did this to you.” He said, gently tapping his upper arm. Midoriya shrugged, and turned his face to him, smiling as Shouto shifted his good arm over his shoulders, grabbing Midoriya by the side to help him out. 

“That’s because he’s a bad person. But you’re not like him at all .” he was practically beaming at Shouto, and Shouto fought back a blush in his face. 

“Why did you do that?” he asked. “You sacrificed your body, your win. Why ?” 

“You looked like you were asking for help.” Came the simple, honest answer and Shouto almost broke down and cried right then. Instead, with a feather-light touch, he started to form his ice over Midoriya's hand, holding it in place and hopefully soothing the throbbing pain. Giving him something, anything to concentrate on besides what the green-haired boy just said. He felt Midoriya’s curly head bump against his bare chest, where he had lost his shirt. “Sorry.” Came the slurred answer, and as they finally turned around, Shouto could see Cementoss and Midnight, standing at the ready, eyes serious, jaws hardened. 

They relaxed, when they saw Shouto was just helping Midoriya off the field, Midnight dropping her stance immediately. She smiled at them. 

“Thought you two boys were still going at it. You looked ready to kill each other out there.” Midoriya squeaked next to him. 

“No! We’re friends!” Midoriya promised. Shouto blinked.

“We’re friends?” He said out loud, peering down into deep, green eyes. Midoriya’s button nose wrinkled.

“Yes. Of course.”

“When...did that happen?” Shouto asked, confused. 

“Just now.” Midoriya answered decisively. 

Shouto smiled, a warm, genuine one, eyes crinkling. He wasn’t sure the last time he smiled like that.

“Okay.” 

“Aww.” Midnight cooed. “Adorable.” They started shuffling across the field slowly; the tunnel Midoriya would have normally used was cracked and collapsing and also covered in ice. Cementoss could have probably gotten Midoriya through safely, but Shouto wanted to carry him out with him. 

When they got to the center of the field, Shouto paused.

“Am I really that heavy?” He heard the innocent question, and he almost laughed. Instead, he reached up, gingerly taking Midoriya’s iced hand that was flung over his right shoulder.

Facing the crowd, he raised it to the air with his.

The audience went wild . 

XXXX

Izuku had guessed that Endeavor was going to be waiting for Todoroki, a gleeful look in his eyes as he stepped in their path.

“Shouto.” He said, reaching a hand out towards Todoroki and Izuku immediately felt Todoroki flinch underneath him. 

He forced out the largest cough he could and a jet of flame shot out, hot enough for even Endeavor to take a step back. 

“Sorry.” Izuku said, voice raspy. “Todoroki-kun is being kind enough to take me to Recovery Girl.” He wished he hadn’t broken all his bones so he would be more intimidating. 

“Shouto, we will talk. Later .” Endeavor said, a big smile still across his face. “I’m glad this tantrum of yours is finally over. You’ve finally accepted yourself, and become a perfect upgrade of me. When you graduate, maybe you’ll even be ready to be my sidekick.” Izuku was feeling the nausea build with every word, the sick, twisted vision Endeavor had for his son being impressed upon them. He could feel Todoroki stiffening next to him. 

Endeavor pivoted, to look down at Izuku, his smile shrinking. 

“I guess you didn’t provide an embarrassing match for him, and he finally used-,”

“ Don’t talk to him .” Todoroki’s voice cut through the air, icy and cold. Izuku felt Todoroki’s hand on his side tighten, holding him close. “You don’t deserve to.” Endeavor looked startled . “The only reason I used my fire was because for a split second, it wasn’t about you .” Todoroki hissed. He started moving, walking Izuku past him without looking back. 

“Shouto-,”

“You really don’t have to stay for the rest of the festival.” Todoroki said. “You saw what you wanted, right?” They walked away, backs to Endeavor. Todoroki’s head was held high, eyes narrowed, features schooled into a perfect mask.

“Is it rude to blow a raspberry?” Izuku whispered when they were out of the hallway. 

Todoroki’s mask cracked, and he smiled.

“You’re pretty.” Izuku said out loud and Todoroki’s eyes widened, head turning to Izuku. 

Izuku couldn’t believe he said that out loud. 

“You don’t look like him at all. You must take after your mother.” Izuku said, trying to soften what he had just said. 

“Pretty?” Todoroki repeated. “I’m covered in...blood. My nose will probably be crooked.”

“It’ll just make you rugged.” Izuku insisted, and he watched that mask crack further, the smile growing wider. 

“You’re kinda weird, Midoriya.”

“Uh, sorry.” He offered.

“No, I don’t mind.” Todoroki said. “It’s...nice. You’re nice. To me.” 

“We’re friends.” Izuku said firmly.

“Do you really mean that?” There was a tinge of fear in Todoroki’s voice, like he was afraid Izuku was going to say no .

“I do.” Izuku promised. “I really do.” 

They got Izuku up to Recovery Girl, Todoroki himself needing to take a seat on one of the beds. 

And oh, Recovery Girl was furious . 

She spent a good amount of time reaming into Izuku for shattering his bones again, Izuku wincing, but taking it. He cringed a little when she said he needed surgery in his hand, but he supposed this is what he got. 

“It will be crooked for the rest of your life!” She berated him. “At least one of you had the good sense to splint it!” Izuku glanced over at Todoroki, whose head was hung as well.

“Midoriya.” He said. “I am so, so sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault, Todoroki-kun!” Izuku said quickly. “I could have tapped out way sooner. I did this to myself.” Recovery Girl whacked him on the head with her clipboard. 

“Oh, no. I saw the match. What on earth made the two of you think that level of destruction was appropriate for a school sports festival ?” She pointed at Todoroki. “Lay back.” She ordered. “Your ribs and sternum are cracked.” She stared at Izuku as she said it. 

“I’m really sorry?” He said. “I didn’t...realize I hit him that hard.” 

“Midoriya Izuku, I am more familiar with your Quirk than you are , so when I say this, I mean it .” She breathed in. “ Learn to control it better .” 

“I should share the blame; I did not anticipate going from cooled to superheated air in a short time span.” Todoroki said from his position on the bed, his words sounding like his mouth was filled with blood. “If he hadn’t hit back as hard as he did, I might have killed him.”

“You two don’t know how to stop digging, do you?” Recovery Girl asked, hands on her hips. “Say whatever you want now, because as soon as you’re done, Todoroki will be asleep and you are going in for surgery.” She pointed at Izuku, turning to get her materials together. Todoroki reached up and pulled the curtain away, rolling onto his side to look at Izuku. He looked intensely guilty. 

“Don’t say it.” Izuku said quickly. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t provoke. Besides, this was all me.” Todoroki winced. 

“Fine.” He said. “I won’t.” He took a deep breath. 

“I’m rooting for you, y’know.” Izuku told him. Todoroki blinked back. “Even if it's Kacchan.”

“Why?” 

“Because you have a good heart.”

XXXX

Chiyo let Toshinori in without a word, just an angry look. He didn’t really have a response, anymore. 

Midoriya had woken up, and was sitting up in bed groggily, looking at his hand. He could tell Chiyo had already read the green-haired boy the riot act, from the guilty look on his face and the way he flexed his scarred, crooked hand. 

“All Might.” He said, his voice wavering. His eyes flicked downward. “I’m sorry.” He said. 

“For what?” Toshinori asked. He knew he had told the boy to make an impression, and even though ultimately, his protégé had been unable to defeat Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya certainly made one . It had been unbelievable, the destructive force wielded on that field. Toshinori had stood up in his seat, mouth gaping. He had clenched his fists at his side, worried for the small boy, but every time the rubble cleared, he was still standing. Broken, but standing. He couldn’t hear what he was saying to the Todoroki boy, but everyone had seen the way it affected him, until the long-awaited flames had been released.

Toshinori had a feeling his student had something to do with that. 

“I lost.” Midoriya murmured, before he peered up at him.

Honestly? It didn’t matter what fights came next. It barely even mattered who won, even though it was looking like it was going to end up being Bakugo vs. Todoroki. There was no way a single fight was going to touch what the stadium had seen. They all knew it; that had been the fight to see . The one that everyone was going to talk about for years to come.

The name Midoriya Izuku was famous already.

“Young Midoriya,” Toshinori crouched in front of him. “I couldn't care less about whether or not you won that death match.” The entire Sports Festival had been delayed, for crying out loud, because they had to rebuild the arena . Midoriya’s face brightened, but Toshinori tapped his hand. “What I do care about, is that you broke so many bones in the process.” He watched the boy wince. 

“Yeah, about that...” His voice was a little shaky.

“Was Todoroki the one you were talking about?” Toshinori asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Midoriya nodded, his legs swinging a little off the bed. “Did you help him?”

Midoriya’s expression abruptly changed, beaming up at Toshinori. He never got tired of it. 

“Yes. As much as I could.” 

“Then that’s all that matters.” Toshinori said, gently rubbing his shoulder. “That’s what you’re at UA for, isn’t it?”

XXXX

The final...wasn’t exactly what Izuku expected. He had seen Todoroki falter, refuse to use his flames at the last second. It had sent Bakugo raging , his victory cheapened. But Izuku figured Todoroki had his reasons, ultimately. 

Even as they were on the stands, waiting to be presented with their medals, Todoroki looked better. He looked free, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulder. Not once, did Izuku see him look out towards the crowd.

Bakugo on the other hand....

Was muzzled like a dog, having to be restrained to a pole on the platform after refusing to be presented with first place. They had all heard him screaming,

“ I DON’T FUCKING WANT IT!”

Followed by several loud explosions. Izuku figured he had tried to bite Midnight again, because she looked especially smug about Bakugo being muzzled on a platform on national TV. It was horrific, but Izuku had struggled not to laugh.

Kaminari was howling .

“Didn’t you lose ?” Jiro asked, as Kaminari rolled around in the grass.

“I think everyone here is a winner.” He insisted. “Everyone except for Bakugo !”

Bakugo seemed to agree, because he screamed and writhed in his bonds, even as All Might approached, shining his megawatt smile, holding medals in his hands to present to his students. 

The rattling of the chains was especially disturbing. 

“Deku...” he heard Uraraka whisper. “Were you really childhood friends with him?”

“Uh, yeah.” Izuku admitted. “I know it seems hard to believe.” She shivered, pressing a hand to her forehead, before she accepted the reality.

“He couldn’t have always been like this, huh?”

“Uh-,”

“ Deku .” She was almost reprimanding him .

“Really, Midoriya?” Tsu asked. 

“He was pretty much always like this.” Izuku admitted sheepishly, as they watched All Might present them each with their medals, having to unmuzzle Bakugo for his. He fought and screamed as soon as it was released. Izuku watched his mentor ultimately place it in Bakugo’s mouth, before patting him on the head and leaving a seething boy on the first place stand. He laughed.

A few photos were taken, and then the classes were released, to go congratulate their classmates. Obviously, camera crews stuck around, waiting to get shots of the competitors celebrating. Present Mic kept on emceeing, but Izuku thought that was actually because he wasn’t capable of stopping. 

Izuku went to Todoroki’s stand first, crowding with the other students around it who were waving up at him and congratulating. 

“Todoroki-kun!” He said, waving with his good arm. As soon as Todoroki spotted him, he felt himself move up into the air, and he pinwheeled his arm in surprise, looking down at the pillar of ice that had risen beneath him. Todoroki held out a hand as he took a large step onto the platform, Izuku grinning up at him. Todoroki smiled back, before his face changed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t-,” Izuku wordlessly pulled him in for a hug, leaning up on his tip toes.

“I’m proud of you.” Izuku breathed out. Bakugo roared on the platform next to them. Izuku smiled to himself, and then squeezed Todoroki tight. “You did it! You should be happy! You should be celebrating!” Izuku insisted, and then he slipped his hand lower, bending his knees, and he lifted .

“ MIDORIYA! ” The high-pitched shriek that came out of Todoroki made Izuku laugh , as he lifted Todoroki off the ground. He felt icy cold hands suddenly grip his shoulder as Todoroki almost bent over him, flustered that his feet were leaving the ground. Izuku knew he was pretty small, but really, Todoroki was practically nothing compared to the refrigerators he had dragged. He could probably toss him if he wanted.

Izuku heard a wolf whistle, and cheers from his classmates. 

“ Flying the Canadian Flag! ” He heard someone- probably Kirishima -shout. He figured it would be too much to spin Todoroki around, so he set him down, Todoroki stumbling back. His face was red, hair mussed. His nose was a little crooked now, Izuku realized. But he was still pretty . Izuku laughed. 

“Also, I promise not to do that again.” Izuku said. “The fight to the death, not the lifting you. I’m definitely going to lift you again.” He promised. Todoroki tried to brush his hair out of his face, letting out a huffy breath, before his face cracked into a real smile, no matter how hard he held it back. His nose crinkled as he smiled, a small, real laugh coming out of him. 

“You’re too nice to me.” He said. Izuku smiled back.

“I’m going to go track down Shinso and make friends.” He said. “You should be happy! And celebrating! Let them carry you on their shoulders or something; there’s no way they’re getting near Kacchan without losing a hand.” Todoroki rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I don’t know about that .” He said wryly. Izuku turned, seeing Tokoyami on the other platform, and he waved. 

“Tokoyami!” He shouted. “Congratulations!” Tokoyami smiled back, but when Izuku took a step, as if to hop down from the platform and head over, the bird-like boy shook his head and held up his hands. 

“Midoriya, you are an excellent teammate and amazing friend, but please not again.” Izuku laughed. Kissing Tokoyami on the beak had totally been worth it. 

“Wait, that reminds me.” He said. 

“Of what?” He heard Todoroki ask, and he spun around, making eye contact with Todoroki, who had turned to see Tokoyami as well. Izuku leaned up on his tip toes and kissed him lightly on the right cheek. 

Todoroki’s left side went up in flames instantly.

The whoosh! Of heat was sudden and blisteringly hot, and the crowd went wild for it.

Present Mic could barely speak. Even Tokoyami let out a screech.

“You fuckin nerds-, ” Tsu had climbed up onto the first place platform at some point, and was in the process of remuzzling Bakugo as his chains rattled and he tried to jerk his head away like a misbehaved dog.

“I’m gonna die. Midoriya, I’m gonna die! Oh God I can’t fucking breathe. ” he heard Kaminari in the crowd, screaming with laughter. The entire class was rolling as Izuku tried to help his friend pat down the flames, unaffected by the heat. 

Todoroki looked like he was going to pass out. He had a death grip on Izuku’s shoulder, and Izuku smothered his laughter as he patted out the last of the flames on Todoroki’s side; he had changed into another gym uniform for the final ceremony only to ruin it again.

“Oh, I’m so sorry , Todoroki-kun. I didn’t mean to do that to you, on national TV-,” He cut himself off, wincing. He had just wanted to do something nice! He didn’t mean for Todoroki to catch fire.

Todoroki groaned audibly. He waved a hand.

“Go find Shinso.” he said. Izuku looked back hesitantly. “I’m okay, Midoriya. Really.” His face was still bright red, but he created a set of steps for Midoriya to hustle down, the crowd parting as he did. He was going to smack Kirishima later for the lewd whistles that followed him. 

He quickly spotted the wild lavender hair through the crowd as they parted around him, and Shinso spotted him coming first, backing up slowly, eyes wide. He held up his hands. 

“I don’t need a-,” Izuku broke out into a sprint.

Shinso legged it away, kicking up grass behind him, but Izuku was faster , even with his injuries. He tackled him into the grass, the general studies student groaning as they hit the ground. 

“ THAT’S THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP RIGHT THERE, FOLKS! ”

“ Ow. ” Izuku hugged him with one arm, tightly. “Didn’t you break all your bones? ”

“Not all of them.” Izuku said, leaning up, and letting Shinso prop himself up on his elbows in the grass. The lavender-haired boy tilted his head at him, raising an eyebrow in disbelief as Izuku stuck out his phone.

“What?”

“Put your number in.” He insisted. 

“ Why ?”

“Because we’re going to be friends.” Izuku insisted. “And I’m going to help you train to transfer into my class.” Shinso stared at him. 

“You?” He asked incredulously.

“Shinso, I could throw you over my head like a roll of paper towels without my Quirk.” Shinso quickly typed his number into Izuku’s phone. 

“Why are you like this?” He asked, pulling himself up to a sitting position. “You’re crazy .” Izuku smiled at him. 

“I think you’re pretty cool. And you made it this far in the competition; I can tell you want it. And I know what it’s like, to want it so bad, and have everyone tell you that you just can’t .” He gestured at himself. “But I got lucky, and I have someone in my corner. And now I’m here.”

“So?” Shinso crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrows still raised. He seemed like he was trying to get a read on Izuku. 

“Who would I be if I forgot about all the people who got me here?” Izuku said. “And if I didn’t try and do the same for someone else who deserves it.” Shinso rubbed his face. 

“You know, I actually think you’re genuine.” Izuku beamed at him, and leaned in for another hug. Shinso planted a hand against his chest. “Do. Not. Kiss me.”

When Izuku looked back, he could see Todoroki on Kirishima’s shoulders, looking terrified, having been forcibly removed from the platform. His classmates were cheering for him, chanting and dragging him around. Though Kirishima had hardened his neck so that the death grip from Todoroki’s thighs didn’t knock him out. The teen’s hands were gripping Kirishima’s wild red hair like claws. Mismatched eyes were wide , unsure of what to do. But for a split second, when Kirishima patted his legs and insisted, I’ve got you, Icyhot , he even looked happy .

Chapter Text

Learning what had happened to Iida’s brother through the news had pulled the air out of Izuku’s lungs. He had gotten dizzy, reading about the Hero-Killer’s attack, having to sit down on the couch heavily while he absorbed it. 

“Izu-kun?” He heard his mother ask, noticing the abrupt change in her son. “Is something wrong?”

He didn’t even know how to address that. 

It somehow hurt more that Iida hadn’t said anything about it first, Izuku realized over the past few days. Like he didn’t trust them, or he couldn’t talk to them about it. Izuku pushed quiet feelings of rejection away; after all, it was not his brother. He couldn’t judge his friend for the way he was dealing with... this . It wasn't his place to do so.

But it still hurt to watch. His friend was normally so chipper and composed and the first day back at school it was like all that had drained away. The facade was still there, but it lacked the spark behind it. 

Izuku didn’t know if it was the right way to deal with it, if he was crowding his friend. But he did the only thing he was capable of, and he crushed Iida in a hug against him. He could hear him start to protest, insisting nothing was wrong, going tense under Izuku’s grip. But Izuku wrapped his arms around his neck, rubbed Iida’s back, and hooked his chin over his shoulder in the tightest, most empathetic hug he was capable of; a long one, one where he wouldn’t let go until Iida was ready. 

Iida went slack against him, and it was only seconds later, when he realized Izuku wasn’t letting go that he wrapped his arms around him and hugged him back. He felt a face press against his neck and if there was a quiet noise of anguish that escaped his friend, he would never tell.

When they finally parted, Iida’s eyes looked red and his eyes darted away, but Izuku put his hand on his arm and told him with all the earnestness he could muster that he was there for Iida. 

But when Izuku saw Iida, he knew it wasn’t enough. 

Things were different after the Sports Festival, at least for a time. Iida was more subdued, Uraraka had a fire lit under her, Bakugo’s competitive nature was reaching a boiling point, and Todoroki...

It didn’t escape Izuku that when the split-haired boy walked into class, briefly catching his eye, his cool expression had softened. The tight line of his mouth seemed to turn up a little at the ends. It was subtle, almost more of a grimace than anything else, but it hit Izuku out of the blue. 

Todoroki was trying to smile. 

Izuku took too long to respond though; and he watched the expression start to slide off his face. 

“ Todoroki-kun! ” Izuku burst out. Maybe with too much enthusiasm; Todoroki looked startled . “Good morning!” Several members of the class looked over, attention drawn by Izuku’s outburst. 

“...Good morning, Midoriya.” The teen finally answered, slowly. His expression had softened again. Not quite a smile; but getting there. “How...is your hand?” He asked and Izuku was having a hard time reading the tone in his voice. Regardless, Izuku stuck his scarred hand up into the air. Todoroki winced, visibly. 

Izuku flexed it, grinning back. 

“It’s good as new, Todoroki-kun!” Izuku insisted. Maybe that wasn’t quite true; it was a little crooked, a little stiff. It was mostly cosmetic; Recovery Girl had said that with some physical therapy and hand exercises, it would loosen up as long as he was diligent and avoided injuring it again soon. 

She had said the last part with not even a shred of faith in him. 

“I doubt that. But...I am glad to hear you are doing better.” Todoroki said, almost solemnly. With a dip of his head, he took his seat in the back, signifying the conversation was over. Kirishima leaned over Sero, eyes sparkling mischievously as he caught Izuku’s attention. 

“Thawing the ice prince, huh?” Izuku threw his pencil at Kirishima, who hardened his forehead so it bounced off uselessly. He let out a barking laugh. 

When Aizawa walked in, the inane chatter came to an end quickly. He took his spot at the front of the room, looking out on the class, and pinching the bridge of his nose. The bandages had been removed, and despite the sudden rush of congratulations and questions about his condition, he silenced them with a glare. 

“As you may all know, I was providing commentary and analysis for the Sports Festival.” He said, looking out at the group. They tittered nervously in their seats; Izuku could still remember walking in with his busted arm, forehead, and ribs and Aizawa’s scathing commentary about USJ. He winced at the memory. 

“Pretty cool, huh ?” Kirishima said, pushing out his chest proudly. 

“I watched you and a student with identical Quirks knock each other out.” Aizawa responded flatly. “If I wanted to see two fools crack their heads together and end up unconscious, I could just watch Kaminari and Ashido during gym.” 

“ Hey! ” The blonde cried. 

“Watching all of you clowns gave me a headache.” Aizawa snapped. Izuku sunk down in his chair as the unkempt man’s piercing gaze ran over the class, ultimately ending on him anyways. “ Midoriya .”

“Uh, yes, sensei?” Izuku choked out. 

“You know that this is a school event and if you are too injured to continue, you can say so at any time, correct?” Izuku nodded timidly. “I need a verbal answer, Midoriya, so I can ensure that I did indeed lay out the rules appropriately and your skull just happens to be made of granite .” 

“Uh, yes, Aizawa-sensei. I knew I could forfeit.” He says, staring at his desk, bright red. His cheeks felt hot. 

“Todoroki.” Izuku raised his head to see Aizawa pinning the split-haired teen to his seat with his glare. He briefly made eye contact with the other boy, who averted his eyes quickly. Aizawa hadn’t even said anything yet, and Todoroki looked equally chastened, knowing what was about to come. Izuku wanted to protest, to confess that he had pushed Todoroki so hard on purpose and baited him into the fight. But he figured Aizawa would not appreciate the sentiment. “Were you aware that Midoriya’s Quirk means he is highly resistant to extreme temperatures?” 

Todoroki’s eyes widened. 

“No.” He admitted. 

“Then I would like to impress upon you the fact that if it had been anyone besides Midoriya caught in an explosion that blew a concrete stadium apart -,” Aizawa sounded like he was grinding his teeth. “-, the potential magnitude of the force you utilized. Do you understand?” 

“Yes, sensei.” Todoroki’s expression was largely unreadable, except for the wide eyes that looked shell-shocked. “It won’t happen again.” 

“See to it.” Aizawa leaned back, bracing his hands against the podium and sighing. 

“While I saw advancements in many of your performances, the best technical performance I saw was Bakugo’s.”

“I don’t want to HEAR IT-, ” Aizawa silenced the blonde with a sharp look. 

“And yet, despite winning , had to be restrained on the podium .” He crossed his arms over his chest. “While there are individual victories that should be celebrated, I don’t want any of you to think that there aren’t necessary improvements to be made.” He said. “All of these will be addressed; but as for the rest of today, we have a different task ahead of us.” 

“ Training?”

“Studying?”

“Pop quiz?”

Came the nervous suggestions. 

“Hero names.” Aizawa said. 

XXXX

Shouto wanted to sink down and die . 

He knew that Aizawa was going to call them out; his match with Midoriya had been so rife with violence and injury that their teacher had to. The magnitude of the power shown in the stadium that day necessitated addressing, even shaming . He hadn’t realized that Midoriya was resistant to high temperatures and he had felt almost nauseous at the thought of what could have happened to anyone else. 

He glanced over at the green-haired boy who was writing on the board and erasing it periodically, obviously deep in thought over his choice of hero name. He couldn’t stomach the thought of the short, sunny boy being burnt and broken. Even seeing him laying limply against the ice had sent a spike of fear through Shouto’s heart, far too reminiscent of Midoriya’s condition at USJ. 

Shouto hadn’t known what it was like to care about... a friend before. But that’s what it was, right? He hadn’t known it, but it was unmistakable. The rush of fear at seeing his...friend injured. The idea of damage being done to him. 

Shouto hadn’t pinpointed exactly when he had officially put his classmate so near to his heart. Sometime in between watching him crack his broken knuckles in the arena and a bone-crushing hug that forced his feet off the ground and watching Midoriya tackle his former opponent to the ground with unbridled optimism.

Maybe when he told him he was proud of him, even though Shouto was wearing the second-place medal and not the first. His father would have ripped it off of him and told him that second place wasn’t good enough; that he had thrown away first and any contentment with his current position was failure. 

Maybe then, Shouto decided.

Though if it hadn’t been then, it probably would have been the kiss on the cheek that sent a rush of heat to his face so violent he had quite literally burst into flames. He wanted to bang his head into his desk at the thought; he wasn’t active on social media in any form, but he had caught glimpses on his classmates’ phones and the press had gone absolutely wild over his fiery debut in the public eye. 

It was just that Shouto hadn’t had someone touch him so tenderly in years. The last time he had been kissed was by his mother and the last memory he had of her was her disfiguring him permanently with boiling water.

So that had gone so well, obviously. 

It was so soft and sweet and sudden-,

And Midoriya was cute and it made it so much worse. 

Shouto tried not to think about it too much, but he certainly had thoughts about being this disfigured, ugly freak. Scarred. Mismatched. He tried not to let it affect him too much; after all, personal relationships had always been impressed upon him to be weaknesses. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t attractive; he didn’t need to be, to be a hero. It didn’t matter, right?

And then the soft, sweet, absolutely jacked boy had called him pretty and kissed him on the cheek and had reached a hand out to him when he had needed it most-,

Shouto let out a sharp breath and pinched the skin on his arm.

His face was feeling hot again and if he went up in flames in the middle of class he would die on the spot of embarrassment. 

It felt stupid to even consider; Midoriya had done so much for him, protecting him from his father, fighting tooth and nail to get through to Shouto, forcing him to look at the truth and take a step closer to accepting himself instead of fighting it. The least of what he had done had anything to do with Shouto’s looks and he felt dumb for even thinking about something so trivial. 

But for a moment, Shouto had entertained the thought that someone so cute thought he was pretty and he had held his face into his pillow and tried to get ahold of his stupid self without lighting on fire again. 

Fuyumi had even teased him.

His mother hadn’t said anything about the Sports Festival yet since he began to talk to her again. After all, there was so much else to catch up on. But he didn’t miss the faint smile when she asked how he liked his new classmates.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Midoriya putting his board down on the podium without hesitation, jaw hardened. He jerked in his seat at what was written. 

“Midoriya-kun...” Uraraka whispered. “Are you sure?” A ripple of unease went through the class; they all knew what the word meant. Useless . An insult from a childhood bully that had followed Midoriya to high school. Shouto almost snapped his pencil in his hand. 

Midoriya nodded firmly.

“For a long time, this meant something negative. Something bad.” Midoriya admitted, running a hand through his curly, tangled hair. “But it means what I want it to mean. And it reminds me of my time here, with all of you, and everything to come that I look forward to. It inspires me to be better, and I want it to do the same for everyone who hears it, one day.”

Deku .

Written in bold letters across the board and not a single ounce of hesitation on Midoriya’s face. 

Shouto could swear he saw Aizawa crack an eye open from his sleeping bag in the corner of the room. 

Midnight cheered and approved Midoriya’s name nonetheless, sending him back to his seat for the next person.

Shouto swallowed as he caught another glimpse of Midoriya’s board, the moment of confidence in those green eyes. 

I don’t deserve him . None of us do.

XXXX

Izuku needed to talk to Todoroki privately, he realized. 

But it was hard to find the time, really. Todoroki hadn’t sat with them at lunch, though Izuku had already mentally made a to-do list that involved harassing the teen until he did. After all, it wasn’t like Todoroki looked sad when he sat at lunch with a book and ate quietly alone. But Izuku knew how unbearably lonely it could get and for the first time in his life he had friends and by God he was going to share them. 

“Hey, what’s this?” Kaminari said, bending down near the wall in the locker room. They were all in various states of undress as they changed, Kaminari still shirtless. The blonde could get distracted easily though, and the moment he spied whatever he was currently examining, he had dropped his shirt on the bench and walked over. 

Izuku stepped out, frowning. Most of the boys were trying to figure out what exactly Kaminari was looking at. 

“What is it?” Sero asked. 

“It looks like a hole? But like it’s been purposely drilled-,” Kaminari squinted against it.

And then he jerked away, letting out a shriek of shock and discharging some static that traveled along the lockers and had Kirishima swearing as he jumped away from the metal. 

“Kaminari-kun?” Izuku tilted his head as he walked forward. “Are you okay?” Kaminari was on the ground, his face bright red, stammering. 

“ Nothing! ” He responded. 

“I don’t think that was his question, bro.” Sero said, snorting. “If you aren’t gonna tell us, I’m gonna take a look.”

“ You can’t! ” Kaminari shrieked. He covered his face with his hands. “I know I should be enjoying this but I feel so guilty , even though it was an accident-, ”

“Bro, your muttering could rival Midoriya’s.” Kirishima said.

“I fucking doubt that.” Bakugo snapped from the back. “Spit it out, electric weasel. We’re all waiting with fucking bated breath for your goddamn brilliant reveal.” 

Izuku had a deep, dark confession that he would never ever ever say out loud to anyone. 

Sometimes...the mean things Bakugo said were funny and Izuku had to fight the urge to laugh.

Sometimes, he thought about Bakugo calling Shigaraki a freaky one-armed bastard with fat fucking fingers and he couldn’t control his wheezing.

He felt so bad about it, because after all, no one really deserved Bakugo’s ire and the comments directed at their classmates were unkind and Izuku would never condone that. Most of the time, it didn’t get to him. But once in a blue moon, when it hit just right, Izuku had to excuse himself or he would choke on his own spit. 

“ Spark plug! We don’t have all day! ” Bakugo barked. 

“It’s the girl’s locker room .” Kaminari said with horror .

“ Oh. ” Izuku squeaked out. Iida started to sputter uncontrollably, hands making wild chopping motions.

“Mineta probably drilled a hole in the wall before he left. A pervy calling card, if you will.” Sero suggested. “A gift for the generations.” He joked. “But we should probably cover it.”

“Jiro is going to kill me.”

“ Kaminari .” Izuku couldn’t help his disapproving tone. 

“ It was an accident! ” he wailed. “I didn’t know what I was looking at!” 

Sero held out his arm and shot off a piece of tape towards the hole in the wall, covering it. Kirishima walked over and flattened it, smoothing it out for good measure. He glanced at Kaminari who was bright red and wailing on the ground.

“I won’t tell if you don’t tell?” Kirishima offered. “It was an accident, after all.” 

“Right?” Iida demanded, looking at Kaminari pointedly. Though, with the way he was crying, Izuku didn’t think for a second that Kaminari had meant any harm. 

“It was!” he cried. “I feel so guilty!”

“Y’know, you acted like such a perv when Mineta was around but have you ever seen a girl naked?” Sero asked quizzically, clearly already knowing the answer to his question. 

“Guys, stop! ” Sero laughed. He offered a hand out to Kaminari, helping him up from the ground. “Like any of you have seen a girl naked!” Most of the boys shrugged nonchalantly, admitting so. Ojiro looked briefly guilty, and Kirishima zeroed in on him instantly. 

“Ojiro! I see that flush!” Ojiro averted his eyes. 

“I just spend all my time at the dojo and some of the girls there...don’t really care about closing doors when they change.” Ojiro admitted with a shrug. “It’s just kind of weird. They’re like my sisters.” Shoji nodded behind him. 

“My family is pretty body positive.” He said, lifting several of his arms with a nonchalant tone. “I walked in on my sister and her friends showing each other their mutation type Quirks, once. The worst part was when they started drilling me on mine.”

Izuku flushed next to him, letting out a small squeak. Shoji turned immediately. 

“Oh, not like that, Midoriya! I mean...they wanted to know what other body parts I could make multiples of. It was uncomfortable.”

“ Oh God. ” Izuku slapped a hand over his mouth, understanding immediately what the taller boy was saying. 

“Don’t know why fucking Deku is acting all sweet and innocent.” Everyone’s heads snapped towards him immediately.

“ Kacchan! ” Izuku squeaked. 

“In the sixth grade, these fucking idiot girls wanted to tease him and they grabbed him and pulled him into the bathroom with them and started getting changed to see what he would do.” Bakugo said, ignoring Izuku. Izuku wanted to lay down and die; he could feel everyone’s eyes boring into him. “Idiot was too dumb to understand and he ran out with a red face and fell down the stairs and busted his nose.” Izuku covered his face with his hands. 

A body slammed into him from the side, hard enough to almost knock him over and Kirishima rubbed his knuckles into his head, howling with laughter. 

“Aw, Midoriya. You’re too good!” 

“It was inappropriate!” He yelled between his fingers, wincing under the strength of Kirishima’s noogie. He remembered the incident vividly; he knew after the fact that they were making fun of him. It was a group of older girls and he had been so shy and quiet for his age. They were generally friendly to him, in the way one might play around with a small animal. He was a novelty; Quirkless and shy and rambling and absolutely nothing about him was threatening. It was cruel, though. And he knew later that it was. But in the moment he had just been so flustered that he ran out of the bathroom while they laughed. 

“Midoriya-kun was acting in an appropriate manner and I am glad to hear so!” Iida said, chopping vigorously. “I would expect nothing less from his upstanding moral character!”

“Can we please change the subject?” Izuku begged. A ripple of laughter ran through the room as they finished getting changed, boys starting to head upstairs. When there were only a few people left, Todoroki being one of them, Izuku decided to try and talk to him. He sat down on a bench near the split-haired boy, tying his shoe .

“Hey, Todoroki-kun.” He said, as Todoroki adjusted the sleeve of his gym uniform that had rolled up awkwardly. His classmate glanced over at him. 

“Yes?”

“Can we talk for a minute?” Izuku asked quietly, tracking the last person, Kaminari out of the corner of his eye. He was heading up the stairs, oblivious to their conversation. 

“I suppose so.” Todoroki said, shutting his locker and turning to Izuku expectantly. 

There wasn’t really an easy way to approach this topic, but Izuku understood more than most that it needed to be done. 

“I wanted to talk to you about your dad.” A mask immediately fell over Todoroki’s face.

“I don’t think there is anything else to say.” He said coldly. 

“Todoroki-kun, I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I’m worried. About you. That you’re not safe at home.” Izuku confessed. “And I know how hard it is to ask for help, especially when you still have family that he can hurt, even if it’s not you.” Todoroki jerked back as if he’d been burned. Izuku didn’t know Todoroki’s exact situation, but there was something about violent fathers with fire Quirks, he supposed. “But whatever he’s doing, he’s not going to stop.” 

“Have you been spying on me?” Todoroki was uneasy. Izuku tilted his head, confused. He shook it. 

“No. I just know my father wouldn’t have stopped until he killed me or my mom.” 

Todoroki closed his eyes. 

“So...when you say you understand-,” Todoroki cut himself off, jerking his head away. 

“I understand .” Izuku said, seriously. “Quirks can be repressed, y’know. Because of trauma. Emotional. Physical.” He tapped the side of his skull. “Head.” 

He had suspicions that he had brought up with his counselor. Not that it mattered, what the specific event was that had caused him to repress his Quirk was. It had happened. It was done. 

But he remembered one argument. Right around his fourth birthday. Seeing Hisashi grab his mother’s arm and knowing immediately what was to come. Of balling up his little fists and pushing on his father’s leg, trying to help his mom and Hisashi shoving him so hard he went careening into the counter and cutting his head open. He remembered bleeding all over the floor, dizzy and hot and confused and his mother’s sobbing, concerned face swimming into view above him. Something about that night felt pivotal to him, in a way that was hard to put his finger on. 

His counselor had told him that ultimately, the repression of his Quirk was a psychological response. If he felt it was pivotal, even at the time, it probably was. She didn’t brush him off or tell him it didn’t matter, but talked to him about it seriously. 

“What did happen?” Todoroki asked quietly. “To him?”

“He was arrested.” Izuku said honestly. 

“For-,?” Izuku shook his head.

“No, he killed six people.” Izuku said and Todoroki stilled even further, if that was possible. “He wasn’t a villain, really. If that’s what you’re wondering. He was angry . And a bad person. But my mom never told anyone and he never would have stopped otherwise.” Izuku stretched his legs out. 

“He’s the number two hero.” Todoroki said numbly. “I don’t think anyone would believe me.” 

“Aizawa would.” Izuku said. “When all this started...happening.” He gestured at his throat. “He knew that it had something to do with trauma and he suspected my mom. He came to me and offered me Quirk counseling and therapy, through the school, completely confidential, and I think he started building a case about me. In case it was her, so he would have everything needed to take legal action.” Izuku said, trying to get all the facts out before Todoroki could shoot him down. “And I mean, he didn’t need to after all. But he kept it under wraps, even from me. If you tell him something, he’ll keep it a secret. He won’t do anything that will get you hurt.” 

“There’s nothing he can do.” Todoroki said bitterly. 

“I don’t know about that.” Izuku said. “Plus, the school has Principal Nedzu on their side. I think he could take Endeavor any day.” Izuku didn’t think now was the appropriate time to launch into the explanation of hero matchups he had considered before; Endeavor was brawny and fiery, but he had no doubt Nedzu’s superior intellect would demolish the devastatingly predictable hero any day. He had never hated Endeavor before learning the truth, but he lacked the same spark that had driven All Might to number one. 

Todoroki wavered at the thought; seemingly having forgotten about their High Spec-principal.

“I’m not saying everything will go right away to being alright. But they can help. They can try and protect you.” Izuku rubbed his head. “You have older siblings, right? Maybe they could help them try and get custody of you. Or get you and your mom financially independent from him. Or they could add extra ‘training’ for when you don’t want to be at home with him-,” 

“Midoriya.” Todoroki’s voice cut through his rambling. Izuku’s head jerked up. Todoroki seemed deep in his own thoughts. “I-i’ll think about it, okay?” 

And Izuku believed him. 

“And I know you might not feel totally comfortable with me yet, and that’s okay, but I also thought if you ever just wanted to talk about it I’m not exactly a qualified therapist but I could listen or if you needed help with injuries I got pretty good at first aid-,” 

“Midoriya.” 

“Sorry.” Izuku apologized for rambling, rubbing his neck sheepishly. He offered the split-haired teen a small smile. “I ramble.” 

“No, don’t apologize.” Todoroki said. “I might-,” He paused. “I might take you up on it.” 

“Oh.” Izuku blinked. “Good!” He gave him the sunniest smile he could manage. If he wasn’t sure it was just the odd lighting in the locker room, he would swear Todoroki was blushing. Even so, the split-haired boy definitely averted his eyes. 

“We should go.” Todoroki said, jerking his head towards the door. “We’re going to be late.” 

“Oh, yeah!”

Chapter Text

“Shinso!” Izuku shouted, shooting up from his seat in the lunchroom. He spotted the lavender-haired boy from across the room and started wavering vigorously.

Shinso visibly cringed. 

“Deku, shut the fuck up.” Came the snipe from the table over, and Izuku’s eyes fell onto Bakugo, who was clenching his silverware in his hand. “Some of us are trying TO EAT IN PEACE-, ” His childhood friend was already building in volume, but Izuku ignored him. He could hear Kacchan let out a shriek of frustration, his Quirk going off and warping the object in his hand. Shinso practically darted across the lunchroom, before slamming his hand down on the table. 

“ Midoriya. ” He hissed. 

“You should sit with us!” Izuku said cheerfully. He watched Shinso drag a hand across his face. 

“You’re killing me.” Izuku debated the merits of what he was about to do, but figured that since Shinso had warded him off during the Sports Festival, he had earned this.

He stuck his hand in Shinso’s fluffy hair and ruffled it. 

His classmate’s jaw dropped open. 

“ Midoriya! ” He shrieked, jerking away and petting his hair down. 

“Oh, come on. Just sit down with us.” He said. 

“I’m not here to make fr-,”

“If you finish that sentence, I’ll take it as a challenge.” Izuku teased him. Shinso sat down in an open seat abruptly. They had texted a few times since the Sports Festival, but things had been hectic. Izuku sensed Shinso’s reluctance to reach out, as if he was afraid that something would go terribly wrong.

Izuku wasn’t worried though; he was certain Shinso felt it too. He felt connected to this boy, almost instantaneously. Similar to the way he was with Todoroki, but he felt more comfortable teasing Shinso. 

“Oh, great. Another fucking addition to the Dekusquad.” He heard Bakugo snipe across the table, and Izuku looked over at him. He wasn’t as afraid of Bakugo as he had been early in the year; facing the boy still made his hands shake, sometimes. But beating him in the class activity had restored some of his confidence. It helped that Izuku actually had friends now and didn’t feel so horribly isolated.

“That’s a cute nickname!” Uraraka chirped behind him. “Dekusquad! I like that!” Iida nodded his agreement, and he watched Uraraka go into her phone to change their group chat name. 

“Thanks, Kacchan!” Izuku said. The blonde slammed his hands down on the table. 

“ Everything about you makes me want to rip your hair out of your head."  He screeched. 

“Kacchan?” Shinso asked quizzically. Izuku waved his hand.

“I’ve known him since we were kids.”

Kirishima was patting Bakugo on the arm, trying to get him to calm down and snickering into his elbow. Shinso yawned, and started opening up his lunch.

“ What are you looking at, Useless Deku?! ” Mina caught his eye from Bakugo’s table. 

“Don’t worry, Midoriya! Bakugo just can’t stand all your boyfriends.” 

Shinso spat a mouthful of rice out onto the table, coughing and rubbing his chest. 

Uraraka started to giggle next to Izuku, throwing her head back and smacking her hands on the table. She started to settle down, and then would look at Shinso’s shocked face for a moment, before it started all over again. 

Bakugo tried to grab Mina by the horns, but she just spat acid at him. Izuku didn’t pay much attention to the struggle going on at the table next to them. Instead, he tried to get Uraraka to calm down. But every time she got close to it, her bubbly laughter would surface again. Tsu looked close to laughter as well.

When the round-faced girl next to him finally calmed herself, Izuku turned back to Shinso. 

“Boyfriend s ?” Shinso asked, emphasizing the plural. Izuku considered his next words for a few seconds. 

“What, you don’t want to be my boyfriend? That hurts, Shinso-kun.” He teased him. The lavender-haired boy snorted. 

“You’re funny.” He said. “Funnier than I thought you would be.”

“So it’s settled then, huh?” 

“I could do worse.” Shinso shot back, a small smile twitching on his lips. His eyes flicked up suddenly, and Izuku twisted around to see Todoroki rooted to the spot, deeply confused. 

“Congratulations?” Todoroki’s brow was furrowed deeply . 

Uraraka shot water through her nose, she snorted so hard. Iida spluttered as it hit him directly, dabbing at his uniform vigorously and reprimanding the girl sitting across from him. 

“Oh, no, we’re just kidding, Todoroki-kun!” Izuku said quickly. 

“I’m crushed.” Shinso deadpanned. “I can’t believe it’s ending like this. All our history. Our chemistry.” Izuku flicked a piece of rice back at Shinso, ignoring the fact that it definitely came from Shinso’s mouth . 

“Are you related to Aizawa-sensei, ribbit?”

“That makes more sense.” Todoroki said, ignoring the lavender-haired boy. “Did you two know each other? Prior to the Sports Festival?” The split-haired teen shifted his book in his hands, brow still furrowed. 

“Nope.” Shinso popped the p .

“I actually think I saw you at the entrance exam.” Izuku said. “Your hair is very distinctive.”

“That’s an incredibly bold statement, 1-A.” Izuku touched his curly green hair self-consciously

“Hey!” He protested, before turning back to Todoroki. “Why do you ask?” 

“You two just seem...close.” Todoroki said with a shrug, eyeing the boy sitting across from Izuku carefully. He was certain the split-haired teen remembered Shinso from the festival, even if he had been caught up in different matters for the majority of it. 

“I’ve never seen this man before in my life.” Shinso said, picking his chopsticks back up, taking interest in his lunch again. Izuku fought the grin that was starting to spread off his face. 

He was glad that he wasn’t the only one who felt the easy nature of their friendship already. He loved the rest of the... Dekusquad , as dubbed by Bakugo, but he didn’t really have any friends he felt comfortable teasing about being his boyfriend. Maybe Kirishima, but Kirshima was liable to take it too far and that would really set Bakugo off. 

“Would you like to sit with us, Todoroki-kun? I promise I won’t make any more jokes about dating Shinso.” Todoroki blinked at him. 

“Ah. I have some work to do, so I won’t be joining you today. But-,” He glanced at the rest of the Dekusquad. “Thank you for the offer. I may join at a later date.” Izuku beamed at him. 

Todoroki squinted. 

“I’ll see you in class?” He offered, while Izuku nodded back vigorously. When Todoroki departed, Izuku twisted back to see Shinso raising an eyebrow at him. 

“What?” Izuku asked.

“He’s one of your many boyfriends, I’m guessing?”

“Shinso-kun!” Izuku said, horrified. The lavender-haired boy shrugged back and continued to eat, the same flat, nonchalant look on his face.

“I like you, Shinso-kun.” Uraraka said. “You should sit with us more often.” A smile tugged at the corner of Shinso’s mouth as he dipped his head at Uraraka.

“And Todoroki-kun is just a little shy.” Izuku insisted.

“He launched you out of the stadium .” Shinso said incredulously, staring at Izuku. “ Shy ?” 

“Midoriya has a big heart and even Todoroki-kun can’t resist it.” Tsu offered, leaning around Iida to make eye contact with Shinso. She and Iida introduced themselves to the boy, even though they were all generally aware of each other through the Sports Festival. Izuku was glad they were taking to Shinso well; after all, he hadn’t really asked them if it was okay to invite Shinso over. He didn’t exactly have a fantastic reputation with Class 1-A so far. Ojiro still seemed bothered by the mind control, but Izuku didn’t see what all the fuss was about. After all, he had shot a claw hand onto Kaminari’s face during the festival. They had to forgive and forget, right? 

“Oh, I’m aware. I saw the flames.” Izuku cringed and Uraraka knocked her shoulder against his playfully. 

“Oh, it was sweet, Deku.” She said. “He looked happy, after.”

“Even though his face looked like a tomato.” Tsu supplied helpfully. 

“I myself was not there to witness it, but upon reviewing the footage, it was quite touching.” Iida said, stabbing the air with his chopsticks as he spoke. He flashed a smile, but it was more subdued than usual. 

“Touching and not horrifyingly embarrassing ?” Izuku said, groaning. Uraraka patted his shoulder.

“I don’t know, I think it was a good thing for Todoroki-kun. He can come off quite cold and Endeavor is known to be kind of standoffish as well. But it really humanized him, I think.” Uraraka said thoughtfully. “It shows that he’s shy, not cold. He got a lot of great offers from top heroes for internships, a lot more than everyone else. Including Bakugo.” 

“Did you all get offers?” Shinso asked the group. Izuku shook his head. Uraraka glanced at him carefully. 

“Iida and I did.” Uraraka said. “But they’re placing everyone regardless, so even if you don’t get offers, it’s okay.”

“You didn’t get an offer?” Shinso looked directly at Izuku when he said it. He cringed.

“Uhh...I think the bone-breaking scared people.” He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I got one offer.” But it was really All Might’s connection that got it for me. He had spoken to All Might about Gran Torino; he’d never heard of the pro hero. That didn’t mean he had any doubt in his mind about taking it. It was All Might’s mentor , after all. And given the way the tall, imposing man had literally trembled at the thought of his former mentor, a teacher who would put Izuku through the ringer. Frankly, that was what Izuku wanted. Especially after the Sports Festival. Everyone was right. He couldn’t keep breaking his bones whenever he needed to fight. Having the fire-breathing was a good back up and between Aizawa and his Quirk counselor, he was improving stamina and control rapidly. 

But he was given One for All so that he could use it. 

And while on the surface, breathing fire seemed like an excellent combat Quirk, it wasn’t as good as it seemed. He was limited by his own breathing, and using it in anything other than short bursts affected his mobility, his breathing, and his vision. The smoke in his eyes and the lack of breath in his lungs would certainly drag him down during long-term conflicts. Not that it wasn’t useful. In short bursts it could be overwhelming and effective. But he needed to do more . 

“It’s one of our teacher’s old mentors.” Izuku confessed. “I think that’s why he took me on.”

“Gran Torino, right?” Iida asked. He tapped his chin. “I am very up to date on all active pro heroes, but I have never heard of him.”

“He’s retired, I think. And he used to teach, here at UA.” Izuku said. “I couldn’t find much about him. He was kind of from a different era, you know? Before all the fanfare, I guess.” 

“Whose mentor was he?” Tsu asked curiously.

Izuku debated his answer, but he figured that it wasn’t that hard to find out who exactly Gran Torino had taught. When he googled the old hero, he found an interview with All Might where he listed him as a mentor and influence. 

“...All Might’s.”

“ What? ” Uraraka banged her hand on the table excitedly. “Deku! That’s so cool! ” Izuku smiled sheepishly. 

“Your Quirk is similar to All Might’s, ribbit.” Tsu said. “He could probably help you a lot if he used to teach All Might.” 

“That’s what I’m hoping.” Izuku said, glancing down at his scarred hand. “I really have to stop doing this to myself. I would have taken his offer even if I got others.” He reflected on the shudder that had gone through his own mentor at the mention of Gran Torino’s name. “All Might seemed...scared of him.”

“Scared?” Shinso asked quizzically. “ All Might? ” Izuku nodded. 

“He said Gran Torino used to make him puke.” He whispered.

Shinso snorted. 

“It was nice knowing you, Midoriya. I’ll come to your funeral.” Izuku groaned. 

“I’m excited...but I am scared.” He admitted. “I just know I’m gonna yak it too.”

XXXX

“Gran Torino, huh?” Aizawa asked, watching as Izuku stretched. He was more flexible than before by a significant degree. Aizawa had even started teaching him some combat moves in addition to their Quirk training. All Might had talked to Aizawa about Izuku’s Quirk, essentially telling the man that as Izuku’s body got stronger, he would be able to utilize the strength enhancement more effectively without breaking his bones. Not that Aizawa didn’t still work with him on One for All. He had made control paramount , especially after the debacle that was the Sports Festival. 

“Yeah. Do you know him?” Izuku asked from his place on the ground. His homeroom teacher shrugged in response. 

“Not well. He was a teacher here, a long time ago. A good hero.” He said with a dip of his head. That was a high compliment, coming from Aizawa. “All Might said he taught him. I’m assuming you intend to work on your strength enhancement with him?” Izuku nodded. 

“Yeah. Hopefully I can get-,” He gestured to his hand. “- this , under control.” 

“He may be able to help you with your fire-breathing, too.” Aizawa said. “His Quirk is Jet.”

“Jet?”

“He moves quickly by propelling himself with air. I don’t know the specifics of how it works, but I do know it has to do with the air he inhales.” 

Izuku’s head shot up instantly. He could see exactly what Aizawa was getting at. 

“He probably saw it at the Sports Festival, right?” Izuku said, scratching his head. 

“HIs fighting style may line up more with what you’re capable of than All Might’s.” Aizawwa said, staring at him pointedly. Izuku cringed; it must have been obvious then, that the first few times he used his Quirk, he was only emulating what he had seen All Might do with it. It had improved somewhat by the Sports Festival with Aizawa’s training. But Izuku was still a long way off from having an effective style of his own. “ Smash isn’t the only way to fight.” Izuku got to his feet, twisting and stretching his core a few times as he did. 

“I just don’t really know where to take it.” Izuku said. “I’ve been working with Shibata-san and you on control, but I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of my Quirk.” Quirks , he almost said. Aizawa shrugged again. 

“That’s to be expected. You’ll get there. But in the meantime , stop breaking your bones before you do irreparable damage.” He said flatly. The green-haired boy winced. Aizawa paused, clearly thinking. “You keep calling it strength enhancement, but it can be applied to any part of your body, right?”

“Like my legs?” Izuku said, confused. He had used it before to jump, during the entrance exam. Not without shattering them, but he could use it on his legs. 

“No. Your lungs.” 

Izuku’s eyes widened. 

He hadn’t even thought of that. But probably, right? One for All could be applied to his arms,  his fingers, his legs. Presumably more, given how sturdy All Might appeared to be. 

“Do you think I could apply it to muscle fibers and bones too, to increase their density? What if that could prevent my bones from breaking so I can use it at a higher level? Maybe that’s what All Might does; after all, super strength doesn’t mean super bone density which seems about par for the course for Quirks but he’s so sturdy that he must do something , if his Quirk is an enhancement like mine.” Izuku burst out. “Or if that’s something that will come if I apply it to my lungs? After all, if I apply it to my lungs I could probably absorb more oxygen which would naturally make me stronger and faster anyways since I could increase blood flow, oxygenation, maybe even brain activity-,” 

“Midoriya.” Aizawa’s voice jerked him out of his thoughts. His face was unreadable, but he reached into his scarf and pulled his goggles up, snapping them onto his face. “We won’t know until we test it, right?”

XXXX

The thing about Izuku’s Quirk was that it wasn’t a form of pyrokinesis that was generated in his mouth. His lungs actually produced a gas, similar to propane, that was exhaled along with the carbon dioxide. Izuku had an extra piece of anatomy, deep in the back of his throat, that could rapidly increase in heat, providing the ‘spark’ necessary to ignite the gas. Izuku’s lungs were naturally enhanced, anyways. After all, even if he could ignite the gas, he needed to be able to propel it out of his mouth. His lungs were larger and more powerful than a regular person’s in order to provide that extra push necessary. 

Once the spark was lit, the fire could grow from the oxygen in the air. Though, that meant several limitations; it meant Izuku was vulnerable to exhaustion and running out of accelerant in his body. There seemed to be a limited amount he could produce at once; it wasn’t endless. Sure, through training and constantly feeding his wildly overactive metabolism, he could produce more for longer. But if it was raining, or humid, that would limit him as well. If he exhausted his lungs and couldn’t propel it, he would just end up with a mouthful of fire. It also meant that once the fire left his mouth, he had no control over it. If it started to spread and get out of hand, there wasn’t much he could do to stop it.

It was fundamentally anatomical and limited by what his body could realistically handle. 

Thankfully, with an enhancement Quirk, he could stretch that limit quite a bit. 

On the other hand....

Neither of them were quite prepared for the massive white-hot fireball that scorched the ground as it flew from Izuku’s mouth and immolated the target on impact. It burst apart, flames shooting everywhere at once, a stream of fire still hissing from Izuku’s mouth and dripping down his front as he stared with shock. He vaguely felt it burning through his clothes, but he was more concerned by the roaring fire that was beginning to spread from the target, so hot he could feel it from there. 

The flames from his mouth abruptly stopped and before he knew it, there was foam everywhere .

He shut his mouth, with a click, testing the ‘spark’ mechanism at the back of his throat and finding that it could no longer get hot. The only part of his anatomy Aizawa could technically affect with his Quirk was that; the rest was an internal mutation that already existed, but Aizawa could shut down the ignition. 

Izuku blinked, turning to Aizawa, who was sweating a little in the heat. He was holding a jumbo-sized fire extinguisher. It was almost as large as Aizawa himself, with a gigantic nozzle attached to it. Though, that wasn’t surprising, seeing as it must have shot at least 50 feet of foam to smother the flames. He had seen it wheeled around the training room before, but hadn’t thought much of it until now. 

“I commissioned it from Support.” Aizawa said, pulling his goggles off his face and blinking at Izuku curiously. He had released Izuku from his Quirk as soon as the ignition had been cut.

“I should get myself one of those.” Izuku heard himself say, still shocked . “Add something like that to my costume.”

“I would recommend that, yes.” Aizawa responded flatly. Izuku shifted, turning back to the target. He waded over through the foam, brushing some of it off to get a good look at it. 

Whatever was left crumbled to ash it his touch, leaving nothing but the post it was attached to, burnt and warped at the center. 

“Oh shit.” It slipped out before Izuku could stop himself. He could swear he heard Aizawa snort behind him. 

“I don’t recommend doing that again when I’m not around.” Aizawa said, padding over. He stayed on the outskirts of the foamy mess. He peered over at the target. “We make these things fire resistant.”

“Couldn’t tell.” Izuku admitted. 

“Can you go bigger?”

He gaped at his teacher.

He was still strict and demanding, like he was in class. But there was almost a gleeful desire for destruction behind those words. Normally, Aizawa would be beating it into him to control his Quirk, berating him for going so destructive so quickly. But now he was egging him on, pushing him to increase the destructive power. 

“Are you sure I should do that, sensei?” Izuku asked timidly. “This seems...not like you at all.” 

Aizawa grinned .

“Midoriya, the purpose of this is to figure out your limits. Every other student grew up with their Quirk. They already know what their limit is and how to avoid hitting it. We have no idea what yours is. You’re here to learn to be a hero. That doesn’t always mean hitting every challenge at 100%. Sometimes, you’re only going to need 50 or 60 or 70%. But we don’t know what that looks like for you yet.” Aizawa poked the twisted stand. “And there’s only one way to find out.” 

“Is it really okay for me to be destroying these like this though?” Izuku felt bad about the damage he was doing to the school’s property. 

“We made them for that exact purpose.” Aizawa walked back to safety, where he had been standing before. “Take a deep breath and let’s try again. If you think you’re gonna blow your lungs apart, stop .” 

XXXX

“ Gah! ” Izuku shrieked when he stepped in to see the shriveled figure on the ground, what looked like blood and guts leaking out of him. He took a moment to recover from shock, the blood rushing in his ears, as he ran forward and crouched next to him. “Sir? Can you hear me-,”

And then it shot up and a small fist caught him in the throat, a garbled noise coming out of his mouth and his head snapping back. The man hit something he shouldn’t have because a jet of flames shot out involuntarily, straight for the old man. 

Izuku jerked his head back down, trying to blink through the flames.

“Oh my God, are you-,” 

“Hmm.” Izuku twisted around with a shriek, to see the small figure standing behind him. It was an old man, wearing a grey and yellow hero suit that seemed a little baggy on him, black mask over his eyes. He was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Toshi? Since when can you breathe fire?”

“ What? ”

“Toshi? Is that you?”

Izuku rubbed his eyes, and glanced back down at the bloody mess that was in front of him. 

Sausages and ketchup. 

He let out an audible groan.

“You’re going to hit me until I puke, aren’t you?”

Gran Torino actually cackled .

XXXX

Gran Torino made Izuku’s head spin. 

He scolded him thoroughly for his use of his Quirk during the festival, ripping on Izuku nonstop and then taking on All Might next. The entire time he bounced around the room at a speed Izuku could barely keep up with. Occasionally, he would fly past Izuku and catch him with a hit that would take his breath away. 

It was a nightmare . 

“I saw you breathed fire at the festival too. Interesting Quirk, huh?” He said, zipping from the floor to the ceiling and back at a speed that made Izuku dizzy. “Try and land a hit on me. Try not to burn the house down while doing it.”

Izuku really wished he had time to get a fire extinguisher. 

“Tell me about the fire; I already know about One for All.” Gran Torino demanded as he jumped back and forth. Izuku was trying to keep up and take a swing at the old man but he was just so fast . 

“I breathe fire. It’s an anatomical mutation type Quirk.” Izuku breathed out, ducking and stumbling. He lurched for Gran Torino when he seemed close enough, but once again, missed . “I can breathe out a jet of flame about 15 feet of varying-,” He grunted. “Heats and widths.” He took another swing and another miss. “A few days ago, Aizawa-sensei had me try and use One for All on my lungs-,” Gran Torino was too fast for him to hit head-on. There was no way Izuku could keep up with him. Maybe with the full use of One for All like All Might could, but he was nowhere near that yet. 

If he was going to hit Gran Torino, he was going to have to figure out where Gran Torino was heading . Even then, the old man was fast enough to dodge a strike, so it had to be quick. 

And in between talking and Gran Torino kicking him in the back and sending him stumbling, he could hardly keep up with his movements, barely able to see a pattern. The only common thread was that whenever Izuku almost had him, whenever he was right in front of Izuku’s grasp, he always ended up behind him. It wasn’t just a trick. It meant that he was totally out of Izuku’s view and Izuku’s reach, even for a few brief seconds. In whatever time it took for Izuku to turn around, even if he was anticipating Gran Torino’s movements, he was still too fast. The old hero was undeniable. Even if Izuku knew how his Quirk worked, knew what he was likely to do, it didn’t mean he could defeat him.

But it was the closest thing to a shot Izuku had. If he could use his fire to force Gran Torino to dodge when he wanted him to, maybe he could graze him. 

“-and I almost blew up the gym-,”

He shot out a jet of flame in front of him as Gran Torino shot towards him. The old hero quickly changed directions mid-air, bouncing behind Izuku, who already swiped his leg out to try and catch him off guard. He couldn’t even see him, except out of the corner of his eye as he whipped his head around, hand shooting out blindly towards the pro. 

He saw him in enough time to watch Gran Torino change directions just before Izuku made contact-,

And then he was flat on his back on the ground, Gran Torino crouched on his chest and poking him in the forehead. 

“ Ugh... ” He groaned.

“Not half bad, kiddo.” The old man observed. “Still couldn’t hit me though.” He punctuated his statement with a laugh, hopping off Izuku’s chest. He slowly sat up, rubbing his sore ribs. “You tracked my movements and tried to force me into a corner.” Gran Torino said. Izuku nodded back. “Would have been better if you literally tried to box me into a corner.”

Izuku slapped himself in the face. Why hadn’t he thought of that?

“Not that I would have let you, kid.” Gran Torino said, patting him on the arm patronizingly. “Backed into a corner is a bad spot for me and I would have avoided it.” 

“You’re so fast .” Izuku breathed out. “No wonder All Might is scared of you.”

“Aw. You are sweet.” The old man cackled. “I was rough, on Toshinori. But he was a better hero for it.” He wandered over to start righting furniture, as Izuku got to his feet, wheezing. “So, used One for All on your lungs, hm?”

“Yeah...” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t think I should do that indoors.”

“Oh, I bet not. It lets you increase the breath on your inhale and exhale more powerfully. So, what? Increases range, heat, length of burst?” Izuku nodded back. 

“Yeah. Aizawa-sensei said that you might know something about it, given your Jet.” Izuku answered more timidly, trailing off in confidence. He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to know about Gran Torino’s Quirk, though he guessed given his status as a former pro hero, it was already within the realm of public knowledge. “He’s been pushing me on cardio and breathing exercises, so I can sustain a longer conflict with my fire-breathing. He wanted to see what my upper limit was, too.”

Gran Torino hopped up onto a chair, his short legs swinging over the side. They didn’t even touch the ground. How could someone so small be so brutal ?

“Eraserhead, right?” Izuku nodded back. “Hmm. Good. He’s right. The underground heroes always do have to use their heads a little more than Toshi does.” His eyes bored into Izuku. “You have a good head. You need to use it more.”

“Like-?” Izuku didn’t know exactly what Gran Torino was getting at. 

“Your loyalty to All Might is a shackle. Your movements are too stiff, you’re barely utilizing a Quirk that would force any idiot with a normal sensitivity to heat into a corner, and I can tell all you know is smash .” Izuku cringed under the weight in Gran Torino’s gaze. It was like hearing it from Aizawa all over again. “Toshinori took to One for All right away. He didn’t have any of the troubles you do. You can’t follow him off a cliff.” 

“I know.” Izuku said, looking at the ground. “I’m trying to figure out where to go with this. Aizawa-sensei has been helping me. I feel like I’m so close to figuring it out but I’m just not there yet.” He admitted. Gran Torino hopped down from his chair. 

“I’m going to go get us some food. Clean up and think. You have a better head on your shoulders than Toshi did. A better head for analysis.” The old man picked up a cane from the side as he hobbled towards the door. Izuku watched him, incredulously. There was no way the little old man needed it. 

He rubbed his chin, his mind starting to go a million miles a minute. 

“You’re right.” Izuku’s head snapped around to look at the shriveled hero as he stepped through the doorway. “You are close.” He winked at him, closing the door behind him. 

XXXX

Oh. My. God.

Izuku was so stupid.

All the pieces were there; Aizawa had spent all this time teaching him to strengthen his body, his legs, his core. Flexibility. Throws and holds that came from the strength in his legs and his core instead of his arms. The distribution of force across his whole body to lessen the impact in his joints. 

He had made him practice calling up his Quirk just to send it back, to give him some more control, to practice being able to pull that destructive power to his finger tips in seconds. 

To help make it his .

The last piece was using it on his lungs, the final key. 

If One for All could be used on any body part at once, why not his whole body at once?

If he could use it on everything all at once, to increase muscle density, to strengthen his bones and joints, to increase blood flow and cardiovascular capabilities to go harder for longer, he would be able to take a lot more without less injury, as long as he didn’t push his entire body past his limit. He wouldn’t have those earth-shattering blows that could blow zero pointers apart like nothing, but he would be faster and stronger than normal. If he focused a little more on marital arts and how to use momentum and force, he could certainly make up part of the gap in strength as well. 

And top it all off, he could breathe fire while doing it. Fuck, maybe he could even propel himself, like the way Bakugo and Gran Torino did. 

Aizawa had been shoving the tools in his face to do it, and Izuku had seen Gran Torino’s eyebrow raise the moment he said he used One for All on his lungs.

“So, have any thoughts?” Gran Torino’s voice brought him out of his mumbling, and he shot up from his seat on the couch. The small man waddled over to the table, setting down the bag of take out. 

“Yes!” Izuku said excitedly. “I do. I need to make One for All an extension of myself, don’t I? It’s an overall enhancement. I’ve been using it on my arms and fingers for these cannon-like blasts, but that’s an oversimplification of what it can do. It has to be a part of me.”

Gran Torino cackled . 

“You are a smart one.” He said, hopping up onto a chair. He tapped the table. “I’m glad you put that big brain to use, but come eat. Gotta replace what you burnt off earlier, dontcha?” Izuku shuffled over to the table, taking a seat and opening up the container Gran Torino pushed towards him. 

“This seems a little far-fetched right now, but do you think One for All could technically be used to increase brain activity? I mean, it can enhance your body to run better, be stronger, so theoretically you could push your limits in all sort of ways but I feel like that runs the risk of causing irreparable damage to your nervous system-,”

“Kid.” Izuku closed his mouth. “How many calories do you think you burn in a day?”

“Uhhh...” Izuku didn’t know how to answer that. 

“Between using a massive stockpile of energy that can break your bones, the cardiovascular power of your lungs, and the gas you produce that can be ignited.” Gran Torino continued, chewing on some food. “How many calories do you think you burn in a day?”

“...More than I’m currently consuming per day?” The green-haired boy squeaked out. 

“Yeah. Eat your food. And ask Toshi about seeing a nutritionist when you get back.” 

Izuku shoveled some food into his mouth, thoughts on whether or not he could technically increase cell turnover in his body to potentially heal faster or if that kind of small scale technical adjustment required more brain power than was possible.

XXXX

After a few experiments in the alley that night that had Izuku on his ass , he was becoming incredibly grateful that Aizawa made him practice calling up One for All and sending it away again. It was hard to switch it on and off, but it would have been harder without the practice. It was making it easier to try and meld the brilliant power with his whole body as well, though the immediate boost to his lungs had him pressing his lips together as he tried to leap up the walls.

When he fell, it was definitely with a burst of fire and a high-pitched shriek. 

He didn’t stay out all night. After he felt like he’d made some good progress, he headed back up to where he was staying in Gran Torino’s house, and took a shower. He smelled like garbage . 

He hopped onto his bed, feeling boneless from the strain on his body and the hot shower. He reached out for his phone to set an alarm and was surprised to see a few unread messages. He had sent some to Iida and Uraraka before getting into the shower, to see how their own internships were going. 

Iida’s response was stilted, that he had great respect for the hero he was interning with, Manual. It still seemed impersonal and clipped to Izuku. But he had offered his ear many times, tried to get Iida to talk about his brother, had swore up and down that he was there for his friend and he didn’t know if he could push Iida any further. Maybe Iida was dealing with it well; everyone handled things differently, and if he needed some time to himself, that was okay too. 

Uraraka’s response was a selfie of her with Gunhead in the background. He had caught her just as she took the picture and flashed a thumbs up at the photo, the moment of shock caught on her face. 

I was so embarrassed!!!!! But he’s actually adorable.

Izuku smiled, as he typed out a response.

There was a message from Shinso, too. 

Have you puked yet?

Gran Torino is terrifying.

He’s like 80 and he kicked my ass today and he’s going to kick it again tomorrow.

Imagine: as fast as All Might and mean as shit.

But I love him. 

Gran Torino was small and scary and not afraid to grind Izuku’s face into the floorboards and Izuku loved him for it already and he wasn’t afraid to say it. 

He moved his stuff around, getting ready for bed and stretching as he waited for a response. 

Sneak a picture. I want to know what he looks like.

He’s three feet tall.

No fucking way.

HE’S LIKE A BULLET

When I got here, he pretended to have been murdered.

I’m in love.

And then there was the message from Todoroki . Izuku had texted him earlier, something innocuous. Just asking how his internship was. Todoroki had taken an internship with his father’s hero agency and that in itself made Izuku nervous. Todoroki had brushed aside his concerns, saying that he had dealt with Endeavor for the past 15 years and that one more week was going to be fine. That despite everything, he was number two for a reason and that Todoroki needed to learn from him if he was going to be a good hero.

And the unspoken he won’t hurt me around his subordinates

Regardless, Izuku was worried about him. 

Everything is fine. Mostly paperwork and introductions so far. I sparred with some of his sidekicks. They’re nice. How is your internship?

It was polite, and assured Izuku that he was fine. It was nice, but Izuku was hoping he could get a real answer out of Todoroki. 

I ate floorboard 10-20 times today.

And landed in a pile of garbage in an alley.

He’s great.

Todoroki answered much faster than Izuku was expecting. 

Are you okay?

I can’t tell if this is sarcasm or not over text.

Oh no!!! It’s not sarcastic. He’s amazing, I’ve learned a lot already.

Not a lot about heroing rly, but I think we’ve got a way to use my Quirk where I won’t break my bones.

I’m learning what I came here to learn i'm glad he took me on.

I even think he likes me. 

There was a pause; Izuku watched the text bubble pop up, signifying that Todoroki was typing.

Don’t push yourself too hard.

 No promises. :)

There was another pause. The bubble popped up, stopped, and popped up a few more times. 

>:(

Did I do that correctly?

Izuku stifled a laugh.

Chapter Text

When Full Cowl crackled to life for the first time, Izuku knew he had it.

Gran Torino cackled like a madman . 

The ensuing battle between them destroyed half the room, left scorch marks on the ceiling, and even singed the edge of Gran Torino’s cape. It ended with Izuku launching a coffee table at him.

Izuku wasn’t done yet; he knew that. Full Cowl was at 5%, they estimated. It didn’t seem like a lot, but the structural damage in Gran Torino’s house spoke otherwise and Izuku would take it . It gave him an effective way to fight without destroying his body and he knew he could raise that percentage eventually. It was hard to imagine what a Full Cowl at 10% would look like. It didn’t seem like much, but really, it would be double what he had now and that simple idea was blowing Izuku’s mind. 

They went round and round for a while, before taking a break so Izuku could power through some snacks that Gran Torino tossed at his face. 

“Let’s talk about your little fire tricks, kiddo.” Gran Torino decided, hopping to sit up on the table, peering down at Izuku who was breathing heavily on the ground as he munched on the energy bar. 

“What about them?”

“Well, first of all, you’re gonna make them better .”

That seemed like a reasonable request, Izuku thought. 

“But with Full Cowl, the range and power should be increased already.” Gran Torino said. “So first, try not to burn yourself or anyone else to a crisp.” Izuku nodded, wiping some sweat off his forehead. 

“I’m naturally resistant to high temperatures.” He confessed. “Inside and out.”

“Good. One less thing to worry about.” Gran Torino said. “Now as for how to use it. You said Eraserhead was teaching you some martial arts?”

“Throws and holds.” Izuku said, sitting up more. “He also talked about playing my fire-breathing a little close to the chest.” He paused, to give Gran Torino a chance to interject, but the pro just cocked his head at him, waiting for him to continue. He was almost startled, every time Aizawa or All Might or Gran Torino did this. The thought that his ideas were actually worth something was unexplored territory for him. 

He pressed onwards.

“First of all, if I’m going to fight, I have to be prepared to sacrifice some mobility and stamina to breathe fire. I can only produce so much accelerant, after all. I can probably make my use more efficient, so that I can do more and target more accurately with less, but I have a hard limit on it no matter what. And I know that it was televised, me using it, but some footage of me burping flames doesn’t really encapsulate what it’s capable of, I guess. Aizawa-sensei suggested that it’s not a bad card to keep in my back pocket. I already know that they’re going to avoid close combat with me. The breathing fire gives me a mid-range weapon that could take them by surprise. I don’t need to never use it, but if I do, I should finish a fight with it, not start one.” Izuku knew he was rambling, but Gran Torino looked interested. 

“But I think I see what you’re getting at with the martial arts? I can’t control it that well once it leaves my mouth, but the fact that I’m pretty fire-resistant means that I don’t have to worry about it burning me and I can theoretically use momentum and inertia to aim it more.”

Izuku didn’t want to say exactly what he was thinking out loud because the idea sounded dumb, but he had an image in his mind. 

“And that would be?”

“You’re going to make me say it?” Izuku said, cringing. Gran Torino laughed. 

“Spit it out, kid.”

“Fire whip.”

The old man slapped the table, still laughing. 

“That stupid?” Izuku said meekly, as he shrunk down against the back of the couch, where he was sitting. 

“I was going to say ‘giant rolling ball of fire’. Your idea is better than mine.” The green-haired boy blinked. 

“Oh.” he said. Gran Torino hopped off the table.

“Don’t discount your own ideas, kiddo. They aren’t bad.” He patted Izuku on the shoulder. “I use my Jet and inertia to change direction mid-air and use pressure-based attacks. It’s possible, especially with the boost to the propulsion you get from One for All. You have the core strength to pull off some fancy moves. You just have to learn them and figure out what works best to redirect flame. It’s going to be hard. You’re not pyrokinetic, like the Todoroki kid you fought during the festival. “

“So I should try it?”

“Kid, if I was a villain and I saw a whip made of fire coming from the mouth of something moving fast enough I could barely see it, I would shit myself.” Izuku blinked. He felt hands grabbing his cheeks, pulling the skin apart and moving it up and down. “I can’t believe you have this baby face and you breathe fire.” Izuku made a garbled noise as Gran Torino pulled on his face. When Gran Torino released him, he patted the skin on his cheek. “You’re making a lot of progress.” 

“Thank you?”

“Toshi chose well.” Izuku felt his face go bright red as he tried to stutter out a response. The old hero just grinned back at him and gestured for him to get back to his feet. “Let’s get back at it, kid.” 

XXXX

And then everything happened so fast . 

They were off to fight some real villains, so Izuku wouldn’t get too many ‘weird habits’ from sparring with Gran Torino exclusively. 

And then the Nomu attacked.

And the fires were raging across Hosu, obviously more than one of these terrifying creatures attacking the city. Izuku knew exactly how powerful they were, how much it had taken out of All Might to defeat even one of them, and while there was a low chance of them having the same odd amalgamation of Quirks as the first, they were all formidable.

And all he could think about was Iida. Out there in Hosu, undoubtedly at Manual’s side and he had to help .

Leaving the bullet train was likely not his best idea and he was sure Gran Torino would kick the shit out of him later. But if there was any chance he could help his friend, he was going to take it. 

And then he knew .

That his level-headed, rule-following friend had gone after the boogeyman himself; Stain, the Hero Killer, that had already killed several pros and left Ingenium paralyzed. 

Iida was strong and fast and strategic but Izuku already knew he wasn’t thinking clearly and they still had no idea how Stain was taking down his victims, pro after pro. 

60% of all Stain’s attacks took place in secluded alleys. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was something .

Feeling guilty, Izuku raced down the streets, checking alley after alley. He really should have stopped to type out a quick message to Gran Torino. He felt terribly guilty, but if it was between his guilt and Iida’s life, he was going to choose Iida’s life every time. And given how quickly Stain had been churning through victims, he didn’t have time to stop. 

XXXX

Tenya felt the presence before he heard it. Even though he was laying on the ground, blood pouring from his shoulder, Stain leering over him with his own bloodthirsty aura pressing down on him oppressively, he felt it. 

They both did. 

There was a moment of hesitation; a curiosity that prevented Stain from dealing the killing blow. 

And then there was the crunching . Rapid, and brutal, like bricks cracking under extreme force.

And then crackling? Like static electricity, but louder, a powerful aura emanating from behind Tenya. 

A green flash tore past him, fist outstretched, with a rush of wind that sent Stain’s mask whipping back as the pressure swept through the alley and scattered loose garbage.

“ SMASH! ” Came the guttural scream and there was a look of shock on Stain’s face as his head snapped back and his body went with it, going careening down the alley as if he’d been struck by All Might himself.

Midoriya Izuku landed in front of Tenya with a strength that cracked the pavement, twisting around. Crackling green eyes searched his own and Tenya felt like crying .

“Iida-kun? Are you okay?” He choked back a sob. “Can you move?”

He was simultaneously so grateful to see that freckled face staring back at him and so guilty . That move...was unlike anything Tenya had seen Midoriya capable of so far, but it wasn’t enough. Midoriya couldn’t have made enough progress in only three days to be able to take on a serial killer who had left Native paralyzed in the alley next to him, slumped against the wall. That had left Tenya at his mercy. That had already killed pro after pro.

Tenya was about to get Midoriya killed. 

“N-no. If he consumes your blood, he paralyzes you. You have to leave , Midoriya!” He shouted. “Get out of here!” 

The green-haired boy glanced back at him, and Tenya could see he was doing something behind his back on his phone. 

“Okay.”

Tenya felt like he couldn’t get enough breath in his lungs. He wanted Midoriya to leave. He wanted him to save himself. But he was still scared- ,

“I just won’t let him cut me.” 

“M-midoriya?” He choked out. Izuku flashed him a soft, encouraging smile. 

“I’m going to save you, Iida. I’m here to protect you.” His eyes hardened and he turned back to Stain, who had risen up from the alley, yanking himself to his feet. He was hunched over, a crazed smile on his face as he took the newest addition in. 

And then he started laughing . 

It sent chills down Tenya’s spine, and whatever feeling of relief he had was immediately gone again. 

“Not going to run away, little hero?” Stain asked, leering at them. In the dark, with the flowing edges of his mask streaming behind him, he was a twisted, imposing figure. He was backlit by the moon, blades already dripping Iida and Native’s blood. 

“ Midoriya! This isn’t your business! ” Iida shrieked. He wanted to grab him, tell him to run . Tenya didn’t want to die, but the idea that he would have gotten his friend killed in his own foolishness as well would make it so much worse. 

“Meddling in someone else’s business is kind of what heroes do, Iida-kun.” Midoriya tucked his phone away with one hand. “I’m not leaving you or Native.” 

“You might even be a real one, little hero.” Stain’s bone-chilling voice cut between them, as he lifted his blade. “But my work is too important to let you get in the way.” 

XXXX

God, Izuku was glad there was no one with a mind-reading Quirk around.

All they would have heard from him was one fucking long scream.

XXXX

Shouto barely made it in time. 

He knew something was wrong when he received a location drop from Midoriya that was nowhere near where Midoriya was supposed to be for the week. 

A location drop. 

In Hosu . 

Where Stain was operating. 

In a Nomu attack.

Shouto could think of a million different problems that seemed statistically unlikely for Midoriya to encounter, yet was certain the green-haired boy would anyway. He was a magnet for trouble. 

It took barely a moment of thought for him to ditch his father and go sprinting in the direction of the location drop, telling him to send any pros his way when he could. Endeavor shrieked after him, but Shouto waved a hand and ignored him. Midoriya wasn’t one to ask for help, so that meant his life was almost definitely in danger and likely the lives of others too. 

And then he saw Native slung against the wall, bleeding. Iida, trapped on the ground. Midoriya, hunched over, rooted to the spot, the twisted, imposing figure of Stain himself passing him, running a long finger down Midoriya’s spine. 

“You might be a true hero, little one.” The words themselves felt invasive and cold, like they were pooling at the base of his skull and sending shivers down his spine. Shouto didn’t know what his Quirk was, but there was an aura of killing intent strong enough to rattle him. “You will not die today.” He took a step past Midoriya, who screeched Iida’s name. “But you-,”

And Shouto let loose, fire and ice shooting through the alley and very nearly colliding with the Hero Killer. Shouto had to admit, this man possessed nearly inhuman reflexes, twisting and darting out of the way, using the walls to leap out of Shouto’s range. He pressed forward, forcing the warped man back even further so that he was next to Iida, hovering over Midoriya who was frozen to the spot. 

“Midoriya.” He heard a sigh of relief from the boy in front of him, who seemed unable to turn around. “You should give more details.”

Stupid, stupid, stupid , Shouto reprimanded himself. 

A nervous laugh came out of the boy in front of him. 

“Sorry, Todoroki-kun.” He said. “He paralyzes you by consuming your blood. Don’t let him cut you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He shot a column of ice towards Stain, who leapt over the side. He shot out column after column but the man was inhumanly fast, leaping and dodging even as Shouto followed up his attacks with a roaring fire that would have put Endeavor to shame.

“What are you doing here?” Iida cried. “ Run! ”

If that was an option, Shouto would have taken it. But not without Midoriya, Iida, and Native. And there was no way he was strong enough to carry them all out on his own, especially with Stain pressing forward relentlessly . They would have to hold their own until a pro could get here.

Shouto could do that, right?

He thought back to Midoriya during USJ. A demon of ash and blood, jagged bone sticking out of his arm, screaming and spitting to stay in the fight because he had seen what the rest of them didn’t. Shouto watched the tenacious boy save All Might’s life . Not everyone knew exactly what happened at USJ, but Shouto had been close enough to spot Shigaraki out of the corner of his eye as he lunged, and he knew how close of a call it had truly been. 

Shouto could absolutely do this. 

“ Shut up, Iida! ” Shouto snapped, a wall of ice rising as Stain leapt at him. “We’re saving your goddamn life! ”

“You’re pretty strong, but you should pay attention more.”

And then there was a knife shooting past his face and Shouto felt his heart leap into his throat, twisting to avoid it. It whizzed past, and Shouto felt a drip on his face, a drop of blood welling up and then Stain was on him. His long, slithering tongue out of his mouth almost onto Shouto’s cheek . 

Fire burst forth from his left side, sending Stain rocketing back as he took his place on one of the columns of ice, grinning down at Shouto.

Don’t throw up, don’t throw up-,

Fuck.

That was a close call. 

“You have to stop .” Iida said. “Get out of here! This isn’t your business! Ingenium will be the one to-,” Shouto stopped listening. He knew this was nothing but a ploy to try and get his friends to save themselves. 

“Funny.” Shouto said flatly. “I never saw that look of vengeance on Ingenium’s face.”

Stain lurched forward and Shouto tried to slam him back with a wall. 

“ Please, run! ”

“ IIDA, SHUT THE FUCK UP!” The guttural scream that ripped itself from Midoriya’s throat was punctuated by a crackle of energy around him that raised the wind pressure. Shouto almost stumbled back, even as he heard Stain’s breathing, suddenly closer and out of his view.

“You should never block your view-,”

Midoriya lurched from his position awkwardly and shot forward like a bullet.

Shouto watched him slam into Stain’s side, twisting with a sharp kick straight to Stain’s chest. The villain’s eyes almost bugged out of his head with the force of it as he flew back, a knife falling from his hand, onto the ground. 

Midoriya didn’t pause though, leaping into the air. The ground cracked under him, and it was all Shouto could do to gape at Midoriya. 

He moved with the momentum of a train, fast, way faster than before, changing and twisting mid-air. He used one of Shouto’s ice structures to leap off of, the ice shattering under his crackling foot as he pushed onward towards Stain. He watched Midoriya snag him low, around the waist, trapping his arms close to his center of gravity. A jet of flame shot from Midoriya’s mouth and they flipped mid-air. 

Midoriya threw Stain like a discus.

Three fucking days.

Shouto was dimly aware of the realization hitting him, that if Midoriya had been fighting like this at the Sports Festival, he might have crushed Shouto. 

The green-haired boy zig-zagged along the walls with a force strong enough to crack the bricks under his feet, skidding to a halt at Shouto’s side and twisting to face Stain who had been flung down the alley.

“Midoriya.” Shouto said. “What the fuck was that?” 

“I told you I figured out how not to break my bones, right?” Came the answer next to him, Midoriya sucking in breath rapidly. “Can you control fire that’s not your own? Or at least, protect yourself from it?” The answer to the control part was no , but he could protect himself, certainly. 

“Yes. Why?”

“Uhh.....I’ll be extra careful, I promise.” What was he planning ?

“Did his Quirk wear off?” Shouto asked instead, brow furrowing. 

“He was the last one paralyzed.” Native shouted from his position down the alley, still trapped by his own body. “It should have worn off him last.”

“The only thing I can think of is that it must come from amount of blood consumed, amount of people he has under paralysis, or-,” 

“Blood type.” Shouto finished for Midoriya. 

“Congratulations.” Stain was rising to his feet. “It’s blood type. Won’t help you.” 

“Try and keep him away. I’ll fight close combat, you fight ranged.” Midoriya said, eyes tracking Stain with an intensity that was making the villain grin. Shouto had heard enough to realize that this frightening figure in front of them had already formed an odd attachment to the little green-haired boy next to him. 

The little, fire-breathing, terrifying green-haired boy next to him. 

This wasn’t the time for it, but fuck , he was hot right now. Maybe it was the fear of death, addling Shouto’s brain. 

He didn’t exactly like the plan. He would much rather just get the wounded out of here, but there was not a shadow of a doubt in his mind that Stain would pursue and turning their backs on him for even a second was not a risk they could afford to take. 

“There are pros on the way.” Shouto said. “We have to hold him off until they arrive.”

“If you get cut, ice over the wound.” Midoriya suggested. Shouto nodded. It was a good idea; Stain seemed to have mastered those fucking blades and if he couldn’t avoid them, he could at least do his best to keep his blood away from him. 

“You’re clever, little hero. Lots of ideas in that little head of yours.” Stain hissed.

“Shut up.” Midoriya said. 

And then he was gone .

XXXX

Izuku shot forward towards Stain.

Thank God , for Gran Torino because imitating his zig-zag of movements was the only thing keeping Izuku alive right then. He bounced around him, ignoring his creaking bones as he ducked and swerved around Stain’s blades. He managed to distract him enough to force the katana to swing towards Izuku instead of Todoroki, but couldn’t stop the blades that shot from Stain’s hand and embedded themselves in Todoroki’s arm. To his credit, the split-haired boy didn’t even flinch, and iced them over, even though they were on his left side and would almost certainly melt in a few seconds. 

Seconds counted right now. 

Izuku zig-zagged out of grasp and then surged forward, trying to catch Stain off guard. In this moment, he desperately wished he had more martial arts training, especially against Stain who was clearly a master of it. 

Stain twisted, and lifted the katana, as if he were about to slice Izuku apart.

He heard a cry of alarm from behind him, but Izuku dropped his jaw, sparked the ignition at the back of his throat, and breathed .

He heard a shriek from the Hero Killer as he flung himself away from Izuku, having to jerk back as a pick of ice shot straight for his head. Stain screeched to a halt against the ice, shoving the ruined katana into it to slow his skid. The metal was still so hot it melted the ice on contact, Stain bumping into the wall. Izuku sprang back again, grabbing a fire escape and hanging onto the side of the wall. He took a breath, trying to make sure he didn’t run out of steam halfway through. 

He watched the twisted figure raise the warped, ruined , smoking hunk of metal that used to be his katana to his eyes. It was useless and blunted. 

“Shit, kid.” 

Izuku took a deep breath. 

He was about to cause some property damage. 

At least it wasn’t Gran Torino’s house. 

He leapt off the wall, letting out a stream of flames, holding his mouth like he was whistling. He made it white hot and thin, nothing like the conical jet he’d used before. As hot and dense as he could make it. 

Put some spin on it, kid .

He couldn’t tell if the voice in his head was Gran Torino’s or Aizawa’s. 

But he tightened his core and twisted as he shot through the air, the thin stream of flame twisting around him like it was licking him. It managed to stay connected, a fiery whip that was flaring and burning, scorching the bricks and gaining speed as it twisted. 

Izuku ducked his head, and flung his legs over his lead, not graceful, but keeping the rotation as best he could, still letting out the flame even as he could feel himself running of air. 

The effect as he collided with Stain was the best he could hope for. 

The whip of fire ripped along the alley, cutting through ice structures and scorching the walls. It was wrapped around him, almost protectively, but the end whipped out, at the mercy of the rotational force Izuku put on it, rushing towards Stain. The Hero Killer attempted to dodge, distorting his body to try and avoid the ever-changing motion of the whip and let himself get bowled over by Izuku.

Stain screamed , as the fire surrounding him burned his skin and Izuku’s weight collided with him. He tried to keep his own yelp silent, fully aware of how ungraceful this attack was, smoke and flames still billowing out of his mouth like a furnace.

He heard something snap as his body hit Stain’s and he went skidding along the ice, feeling something catch and rip skin as he hit the alley wall. When he finally stopped, he immediately tried to shoot to his feet, even though Stain was laying limply against the icy ground. 

And couldn’t . 

“ I’M PARALYZED! ” Izuku immediately shouted to Todoroki. “ I’M SORRY! ” He glanced down, to see where his leg had caught against one of Todoroki’s ice spikes, ripping through the skin. But he couldn’t see where-,

The villain rose up, groaning and smoking. Izuku could see burnt, blistered flesh, smoking, twisted burns zig-zagging across Stain’s torso and arms as the man breathed raggedly. He was holding a small knife to his lips, and it was smeared with blood. 

Izuku flicked his eyes down again, and spotted where his suit was sliced open along his arm - a thin, shallow cut that wouldn’t have stopped him in a normal fight. 

But any cut was one too many in this one. 

He still couldn’t figure out what caused the snap he had felt so violently under his body. He felt okay, other than the stinging pain in his leg, the wound deeper than the one in his arm. Sore, but not like anything was-,

Stain took a pained step forward, his hunched motions familiar to Izuku. 

Oh. Izuku realized. Those were his ribs.

“Nice move.” The ragged compliment came, and it drew Izuku back to reality. He stared, stunned at the villain, who was grinning. “Needs some work, though.” 

Izuku had never been more convinced that the entrance exam was bullshit than in this moment. If it were Shinso in this alleyway, the fight would have been over in two seconds flat. Fuck, Stain would have walked himself into a police station by now.

Were all villains incapable of shutting the fuck up?

XXXX

When the smoking villain took a step toward the frozen figure of Midoriya, a spike of ice so large it surprised Shouto shot towards the mid-section of Stain, who leapt out of the way, despite his clearly injured state. The man was still smoking , skin burnt and warped by a whip made of fire that had gone careening through the air, twisting around the small figure of his classmate. It had sheared his ice structures apart, sending debris flying. Shouto had ducked as it ripped down the alley to be certain it wouldn’t hit him. 

Shouto was jealous .

Endeavor would never teach Shouto how to make a whip made of fire because he was stilted and boring with absolutely no creativity. His flames were effective, that much was undeniable. But goddamnit Shouto wanted to learn something that would cause the pants-shitting shock he saw flit across even Stain’s face as it came for him at a speed that was too fast for anything but instinct to dodge. 

It had been messy and inaccurate, but with some tweaking, Midoriya could have probably taken Stain’s head off with that thing. 

Not that the green-haired boy ever would ....but a deterrent for whatever idiot tried to cross Hero Deku in the future. 

“Stay away from him.” The words came from Shouto’s mouth before he could stop himself. Stain turned back around, grinning. 

“I wasn’t going to kill the little hero. Just wanted a closer look.” 

Shouto had been hoping that the obvious injuries dealt to Stain would slow him down, but he shot forward with the same goddamn intensity as before and Shouto threw everything he had at him. 

“Please... stop. ” He could barely hear Iida’s voice over the roar of the flames, all his attention devoted to keeping Stain at bay. Whatever qualms he had about using lethal attacks, he let go of, shooting spike after spike at the man. Nothing short of that was going to keep the howling beast away from him. It leapt from structure to structure, taunting him. Words, spilling forth from a mouth that was too wide, rolling across a tongue that was too long. Inhuman and warped, every feature saturated in sick intent and a desire for blood . “ Stop. ” It was close to a sob.

“No.” Shouto said, eyes tracking Stain, delivering attack after attack . 

It wasn’t enough. 

“There’s nothing you can do . Please. Don’t pay for my mistake.” Iida sobbed. “This is my fault. I let my grief cloud my judgement. But you can’t die for me.” Like you could stop Midoriya , Shouto thought briefly. 

“We aren’t leaving you here. Either of you.” He could see Midoriya trying to move, struggling against the paralysis. The green-haired boy would be free soon; he could tell. Stain’s unwillingness to kill him might be the key to all of their survival. 

“ Please -,”

“You act like you’ve already given up! Like you made a mistake and you’re condemned forever by it!” Shouto shouted. He wanted to shake Iida; he could tell how rattled Iida was by grief. He had sensed something was wrong. But he had never guessed the path it would lead him down.

Shouto was no Midoriya . He didn’t have a gift for inspiration, a way with words like the green-haired boy did. All he had was his own experience, the memory of the way Midoriya made him feel. The indomitable will present that lit a fire in everyone around him. He couldn’t copy him, but maybe he could channel him.

This was a last stand. The moment Shouto was defeated, every single one of them would die. His friends would bleed out in front of him. To survive, they all had but one option: to fight.

“I’m not going down until he puts his fucking knife through my throat. ”

“You can’t-,”

“If you wanna stop this, then STAND UP! ” Shouto shrieked, flames bursting from his body, peeling down the alley in a rush of heat . “Because I’ve got one thing to say to you! Never forget who you want to become! ” 

XXXX

It was time to get up.

XXXX

Stain was slowing down.

It had taken him a second, but Izuku could see the effect of his injuries getting to him. It was remarkable, the way his indomitable will pushed him forward. But when it came down to him, no matter how demonic and warped the twisted figure seemed, he was human. And he could only take so much. 

But he was still too fast for them .

Izuku saw him leap through the air, finding the smallest opening in Todoroki’s nearly impeccable defense, his knife out and aimed for the split-haired boy’s throat. Izuku let out a cry, trying to rip himself from the last dregs of the paralysis that held him back but he couldn’t and his friend might die-,

And then Iida stood up.

Reciproburst sent Stain shooting backwards, his knife dropping from his hands and blood spurting from his mouth at the impact. He flew past Izuku, away from his two friends and Izuku almost cried, he was so relieved. He could feel the tears smarting at his eyes, but he blinked them away. Now was not the time to break down into a blubbering mess, even as it started to hit him how truly close to watching Todoroki bleed out in front him he was. 

He could see Iida hunched, one arm at his bleeding shoulder, his engines sputtering from the force of the kick he nailed Stain with. 

But it wasn’t enough.

Somehow , Stain was still getting back up. Despite the multitude of injuries, the blood dripping from his lips, the never-ending battle was going to continue .

God .

Was this how people felt about fighting Izuku?

He was leaping forward, knives flinging into Iida’s arm as he blocked Todoroki, and then retreating back as Todoroki tried to defend them. He could only hear Iida’s booming voice echoing through the alley, as he pulled and he pulled . He could feel how close he was to being free, and yet he was stuck while his friends fought. 

“My friends have bled enough for me.” It was resolute .

Stain shrieked back, his logic impossible to follow. He was losing it. Becoming overwhelmed . His fights probably didn’t go this long, Izuku realized. Two people had already been freed from his paralysis and while his guerrilla style and mastery of blades was a force of nature in short attacks, he was facing a literal force of nature. Todoroki had a hard limit, Izuku guessed, with how much he could use his ice and fire. But since he was using both halves to keep his temperature regulated, Izuku was guessing that limit was a lot further off than it was at the Sports Festival and his attacks were bordering on lethal, now. 

They weren’t going to hit his limit anytime soon and Stain was becoming flustered, shrieking and howling. 

And then Izuku was free . He vaguely heard Iida saying something to Todoroki, but he took off, cracking the ice under his feet as he leapt for Stain. He watched the figure twist, eyes widening as he realized Izuku was coming for him and he tried to lurch off the wall. A pillar of ice shot up in front of him, boxing him in, and Stain plastered himself to the wall, starting to slide down, trying to avoid the superpowered boy gunning for him. 

But Iida had shot up the pillar of ice, skating along it fluidly, eyes narrowed, jaw set.

In an unspoken moment of harmony, of coordination that seemed almost unmatched, Iida twisted along the ice, spinning and aiming a powerful kick up , catching the sliding Stain and forcing him back up towards Izuku.

Izuku, zig-zagged forward, using the ice to kick off, twisting just how Gran Torino did, rotating in mid-air to aim his kicks. 

And drove Stain straight through the brick wall. 

It crumbled around him and he heard a garbled yell come out of the soft body under his foot. Izuku tried to shield himself from the falling bricks, but the moment he felt his foot touch something solid, he jumped back.

A little more force than he intended, bracing his back against the thick ice pillar that shattered on contact. 

“ Gah! ” he shrieked as he went careening towards the ground, shards of ice flying around him and scraping along his arms-,

He hit something cold and solid, but slid to a surprisingly smooth stop. Izuku hadn’t even realized, but he shut his eyes as he had caught nothing but air, shooting backwards through it and unable to find any footing. The moment of panic that shot through him had him involuntarily closing his eyes.

Which, in retrospect, was an incredibly bad instinct. 

“Midoriya.” Izuku opened his eyes, peering up at Todoroki. His friend had made a ramp of ice, so he had slid down harmlessly, instead of crashing into the ground. When the familiar heterochromatic eyes swam into view, he grinned up at him, sitting at his feet. “You’re kind of scary.” 

“Me?” Izuku squeaked. 

XXXX

They dragged Stain out of the building. His legs had hung limply over the edge, but after Midoriya kicked him through a brick wall, the man was out . Alive, but injured and hopefully not waking up any time soon. Though, Shouto was still hesitant about that. They approached him out of necessity, removing the multitude of blades from his body and tying him up with some rope that Shouto had coiled up on his utility belt. He was still afraid the whole time that Stain was going to wake up and cut his throat with a hidden blade. Midoriya seemed to sense it, and he sat on Stain’s back and pinned his arms down while Shouto searched him. 

Just in case.

Once Stain was completely immobilized, Native was starting to get up, and they could take a breather, Shouto watched Midoriya whirl around onto Iida. 

“ Iida-kun! ” He shouted. Iida turned, facing the smaller boy with his head hung. He was still bleeding from his shoulder, holding his arm carefully. He was bruised and beaten, knife still lodged in his arm. A knife he took for Shouto. 

“Midoriya-kun,” Iida’s voice was low, full of shame. 

Smack!

It was barely anything at all, Shouto realized. He couldn’t even tell what Midoriya had done, until Iida reached up to touch his head where Midoriya had smacked him. He looked surprised. 

Shouto suppressed a laugh. 

“I’m gonna beat you up!” Midoriya shouted at him. It was so... innocent .

Shouto almost choked holding back his laughter. 

“You’re-,” The green-haired boy was obviously struggling to find the words to say. Iida’s head dipped lower in shame. 

“Midoriya-kun-,” His classmate reached out and grabbed the taller boy abruptly, pulling them together so they knocked heads. Shouto heard the sound of them colliding as Midoriya pressed his forehead against Iida’s. The taller boy winced, the impact of their foreheads probably hurting more than whatever that swat Midoriya had tried did. He smothered his laughter with his hand, struggling to hide his smile.

Until he heard Midoriya’s gutted sob . 

He felt his own smile slide off his face instantly and watched Iida go limp underneath Midoriya’s death grip on his head.

“You scared me.” The shorter boy lifted his head, pressing a teary kiss to Iida’s forehead, tears streaming down his face silently. 

“I am sorry, Midoriya.” The voice was muffled, but the shame in it was audible. “I...have made a terrible mistake. And it is only through your intervention that I survived it.” 

“You know I’m here for you.” His voice was frail, the words almost like a question, spoken hesitantly. 

“I do. It was never your kindness or your heart that I doubted, Midoriya. But my own.” The green-haired boy held Iida close for a few more moments, gripping him tight, before he finally let go. When he did, he watched Midoriya turn on his heel, looking straight at Shouto.

“Oh.” Shouto realized, as Midoriya made a beeline. It was his turn. 

Strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him into a hug that made him wheeze . A fluffy head of green curls pressed against his chest, tickling his nose as he peered down at the smaller figure locking him down. He was pretty sure he couldn’t escape Midoriya’s hug even if he tried . The shorter boy was disturbingly strong, even without his Quirk. He informed him so, as he hesitantly laid an arm over Midoriya’s shoulder. 

Midoriya sniffled against his chest. 

“It’s so I can give better hugs.”

Shouto laughed . It gave him a warm feeling in his chest, being held so close and Shouto could have stayed there forever, he thought.

Eventually though, the green-haired boy released him, wiping tears from his face. He took a step back, limping slightly, but eyes full of determination. Shouto would never stop being amazed by Midoriya. He couldn’t believe the same teary boy that hugged him so tight it was hard to breathe was the same that threw himself head-first at a serial killer, wielding a whip of fire with his entire body .

They got ready to go, Shouto and Iida dragging Stain behind them jointly, Midoriya being carried on Native’s back. 

It was nice to take a breather, to relax for a moment. The fight against Stain couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, really. But it felt a lot longer to Shouto. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d been close to death, every single second counting. 

A blur rocketed through his vision, zooming straight for Midoriya. 

“ I told you to stay on the train!” It yelled, a foot colliding directly with Midoriya’s face and knocking him off Native’s back with a grunt. 

Shouto blinked.

In the second before the foot smushed Midoriya’s face, he had caught a glimpse of his classmate’s expression. And it was unfamiliar to him, looking out of place on his face.

Frankly, it looked a lot like resignation.

Chapter Text

Izuku cringed under Gran Torino’s glare, flat on his ass on the ground as the pro ripped into him. He jabbed a finger at Izuku pointedly as he yelled at him. He didn’t know how to defend himself. He kind of deserved it, after all. After a few moments of bellowing, Gran Torino wheeled around to evaluate the rest of the group, all of them clearly young and inexperienced. 

And then he spotted Stain, his eyes flicking to the knives still embedded in Todoroki’s arm, the haphazard bindings on Iida that were already red with blood. 

“Is that...Stain? ” 

“Uhh....” The answer was clear, but Izuku didn’t want to get in any more trouble than he was already in. “I found Iida paralyzed in an alley. Stain was going to kill him.”

“And me.” Native added. “He had already paralyzed me too.”

“You kids did this?” Gran Torino asked, poking Stain in the head, as if to check that he was still unconscious. 

“Yes.” Todoroki said. “We didn’t have a choice.” It was hitting Izuku that Stain fought Quirkless . Like Aizawa, he had a powerful Quirk but it’s effect was on others, not himself. The superhuman speed, the mastery with blades as if they were an extension of his own body , the martial arts, the stamina....was all just him . 

Izuku shivered. 

Gran Torino rubbed his forehead. 

“None of you thought to bring a pro with you?”

“Midoriya only sent me his location. I told my father to send any pros this way when he could. I didn’t know it was Stain; if I did, I would have ensured one of them came with me.” Todoroki said coolly. He was respectful, but still confident, as if he would have made the same decision over again. 

“Endeavor?” Gran Torino asked. Todoroki nodded. “He’s the one who sent me. Little fucking brat didn’t even remember me. I taught the bastard when he was yay high-,” The old man gestured with his hand, holding it to a height that couldn’t be much taller than Izuku. “- and 140 pounds.” 

Todoroki abruptly slapped a hand over his mouth but Izuku could see his eyes dancing with mirth. 

“Like a wet rat, I tell you.” The old man muttered. “I thought you were bad and all you knew was smash .” He shot to Izuku, who had climbed to his feet with some assistance from Native. “Blast this, blast that. As boring as the day I met him.” 

A strangled noise came out of Todoroki, who bent at the waist abruptly. One hand came down to his thigh and Izuku could tell he was choking back laughter. 

“Midoriya?” Todoroki choked out. “Is this the hero you’re interning with?”

“Yeah. This is Gran Torino.” Izuku said. His classmate straightened up, sucking in a breath, and sticking his hand out to Gran Torino.

“Todoroki Shouto.” He said. “We’re Midoriya’s classmates.” The old hero looked the split-haired boy up and down first, eyes narrowed. He was obviously studying him, formulating his opinion. Eventually, he took his hand, shaking it. 

“Eraserhead must be going grey.” Gran Torino said, tilting his head, before breaking out into a cackle. He turned around to Izuku again, a grin on his face. “Seems like a fun group.”

“That’s a word, for it.” Todoroki offered dryly. Iida was already sputtering, face going bright red. They started to drag Stain further out of the alley, a few more pros running up to them, battering them with questions about their wellbeing and Stain. Thankfully, Native and Gran Torino stepped forward to handle most of it, giving the students a moment to breathe.

They were at the other side of the street, handing Stain off to a Pro more equipped to take him in than the currently injured trio hobbling down the road. Izuku glanced back into the alley as they left it behind. It was still crested with ice, columns and pillars decorating the sides. Some were destroyed, melted, cracked , even stained with blood. He could see the scorch marks along the bricks, from both Todoroki and him, thin, whipping lines marking the walls along with the places where Izuku had crunched brick. He flexed his right hand as he took it in. He couldn’t believe that he had gone through all of that without breaking a bone. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. There was some pain radiating out from his foot and Izuku was pretty sure he at least cracked it kicking Stain through the wall. But it was different from the shattering that One for All did to him. 

Not that Izuku wished he had used One for All at 100%. He had thought about it, briefly. But Stain was so fast , and there was no guarantee that he would hit him. And if he didn’t get him in one shot, he would have been out of the fight and they would probably all be dead. 

Even though Izuku was pretty sure All Might was going to freak out , he was excited . He could finally use One for All in a fight without turning his body to dust. Even the fire whip; he hadn’t really wanted to use it right away, but at least he was able to test it and it had been effective. He had done some damage to Stain, which saved them in the last part of that fight.

A loud screech pulled him out of his thoughts, and everyone whipped around to see a winged creature, brain exposed dive-bombing the alley. 

One second it was coming for them, claws outstretched, drool and blood flinging from its mouth, all wings and teeth. One of the pro heroes snagged it but it was hard to see in the struggle as it whirled around and then Izuku saw sharp claws and he shoved Todoroki away before he could only see veiny wings. There was a pressure on Izuku’s abdomen, sharp points of pain pushing through the skin. He yelled as he felt weightless, like Uraraka had used her Quirk on him and when he blinked, he realized that he was whipping through the air, his friends getting further away. His arms were still outstretched and he saw fear in familiar mismatched eyes, Todoroki’s hand outstretched uselessly.

Fuck .

He started to struggle and twist in the Nomu’s grasp, banging on its claws, screwing his eyes shut. They were moving higher up and if it took too long to get free-,

He heard yelling below him, sounding like Iida’s voice. 

“I can’t -...my engines! ”

“ Midoriya!” He heard the guttural yell, eyes snapping open, and then his vision was completely obscured by ice and they were frozen in mid-air. He blinked, to see a massive glacier shooting up from the ground like a ramp, catching the Nomu around the midsection, barely tall enough to encase it. It was shrieking, still alive, but frozen in place. 

Izuku let out a sigh of relief.

And then the Nomu shrieked again and its wings beat down heavily , a shockwave rippling out from it and shattering the ice. It burst apart violently, and Izuku barely got his hand in front of his face before a few pieces of ice embedded themselves shallowly in his palm. Shattered, dust-like particles rained down on his head and he tried to blink them away. He couldn't see what was going on, but as soon as he heard another sharp scream, he started beating on the claws again, as useless as it was.

The Nomu screeched and they were suddenly losing altitude. Izuku spotted the dark figure leaping from the ground, climbing through the air and using the weak remnants of the glacier. They shattered under his feet as he leapt forward, mask twisting behind him like a bloody specter. Izuku let out a garbled yell as Stain’s body hit the Nomu that was quickly descending towards the ground weakly and Izuku realized Stain must have gotten ahold of its blood somehow. There was a sick, squelching noise as the knife flashed in front of Izuku’s face and Stain twisted it into the exposed brain of the Nomu. 

They hit the ground hard , the Nomu’s shrill screaming burning itself into Izuku’s brain, ripping up concrete as they hit. Izuku winced, groaning at the pain in his back. But the worst part was being forced to stare up at the wide, bloody mouth of Stain, his expression warped into a sick grimace as he ripped his knife through the Nomu’s brain. He knew they was no remnant of consciousness in the creature, but it was still disturbing . 

When they slid to a stop, Izuku found himself face-to-face with the limp, bloody figure of the Nomu, eyes still wide and panicked, blood spurting from its brain. 

Oh God, he was going to throw up. He looked up to see Stain hovering over him, glaring down at the Nomu like it personally offended. 

“I will be coming for you next .” he hissed, and Izuku knew it wasn’t directed at him. “Both... this sham-filled society...and the criminals who wield their power... in the name of petty mischief ....” He was rambling, and Izuku took the opportunity to try and scramble away but Stain planted a foot on his leg. Not hard enough to injure him, but pain lanced though his wounds, causing him to cry out. “...the targets of my purge ...” Stain hissed. He was staring at Izuku as he spoke, but he wasn’t speaking to him, his voice far too venomous for that. “... all for the sake of a better society.” 

Stain just saved his life, he realized. He didn’t have to. He had been bound, on the ground. But he had freed himself, ripping a knife from seemingly nowhere and lurched into action, while everyone else was frozen to the spot. Todoroki had tried, at least.

But Stain had moved without a second thought. A dark, frightening figure tearing his away across the night sky, but without any hesitation.

He ripped the blade from the Nomu’s brain, the blood spraying across Izuku’s face as he stared with wide eyes at the man before him. Twisted and warped as he was but it was abundantly evident that despite the trail of blood that followed him wherever he went that Stain was the other side of the coin. 

A warped reflection, but a reflection nonetheless.

Vaguely, Izuku saw a fiery man appear at the edge of his vision, knowing it was Endeavor. Likely chasing after the Nomu that had just gone down. But it was hard to focus on anything besides the man in front of him, who whipped around to face the crowd, hunched over. His hands were twitching, a blade still locked in one of them as he stepped forward. There was a lust , an aura he was projecting that kept Izuku pressed to the ground even though Stain had released him. 

“All of you...fakes... liars ...” His voice started out quiet, but it was building. His intensity grew with every word, every step forward and Izuku could see his friends rooted to the spot, staring. “If I don’t fix it...if someone isn’t...stained with blood ...” He took a step forward, his voice building. “If heroes aren’t restored!! ”

His next step punctured through the already cracked concrete. 

“ Come! Just try me...you fakes! ” He roared. His mask had fallen away and Izuku couldn’t see his bloodshot eyes, but he could see the horror on the faces of the heroes watching him. “ The only one allowed to kill me is....ALL MIGHT! A TRUE HERO-, ”

And then it all just.... stopped .

Even his hair and clothes that had been blowing in the wind seemed frozen in place, mouth open in a guttural scream. 

Later, Izuku would learn that his broken rib had punctured through his lung and that Stain had truly fallen unconscious at that moment. Standing up, rooted to the spot, his bloodthirst and indomitable will pressing everyone in the area to the ground with fear. 

But it was like watching that moment be preserved in time forever. 

Wincing, ignoring the blood streaming down his leg, Izuku stood up. 

XXXX

He couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. It was like Stain had reached down his throat and pulled them out of his chest, eyes smarting in the struggle to breathe. 

And of course, it was Midoriya who got up first, shooting to his feet. He looked injured, hobbling, one hand at his side where the Nomu must have punctured skin. But alive . 

Shouto couldn’t believe it. 

The green-haired boy limped over to Stain, his hand going to the Hero Killer's, and prying the knife from his death grip, letting it fall to the ground. 

And then he turned, to study Stain’s face. Shouto couldn’t tell what happened. Was Stain unconscious? Dead ? Frozen in time forever?

Midoriya poked him in the cheek. 

“ Midoriya!” Iida shrieked behind him. The green-haired boy lifted his fingers to his neck, before turning to the crowd slowly. 

“He’s alive.”

That was enough . 

Shouto broke out into a sprint, shoving one of the pros aside. He darted for Midoriya, grabbing him by the arm and yanking him away, the green-haired boy almost falling over as he did. 

“Get away from him!” He hissed. His classmate stumbled, and Shouto quickly looped his arm around Midoriya’s side without thinking, lifting his arm over Shouto’s shoulder. A position reminiscent of when he helped him off the field at the Sports Festival. He dragged him away from Stain, practically lifting him off the ground as he did so, with a grunt. 

“Todoroki-kun, it’s okay.” His voice was soft. 

“No, it’s not!” Shouto hissed back. 

“H-he saved my life .” He had, but Shouto wasn’t taking any risks. He dragged Midoriya back to Gran Torino, who immediately started checking him for injuries. His classmate insisted he was okay. Bruised, but no worse than he was a few minutes ago, really. He released his classmate to him, about to step away when fingers snagged his wrist. “Todoroki-kun. Thank you.”

“I didn’t save you.” Shouto said bitterly. “It wasn’t enough.” He hadn’t even realized how close the Nomu had been to grabbing him. It was happening so fast, everything a blur of wings and limbs and noise . But it had been and Midoriya, selfless, kind Midoriya had shoved him out of the way at the last second. He only realized what was happening too late.

A second too late.

If he had gotten the Nomu even a moment earlier, had he used his head , he would have trapped the Nomu in the center of the glacier instead of the top. He could have frozen its wings, so it wouldn’t have been able to use that shockwave to free itself. So that it wouldn’t have ripped that moment of hope and relief away from him. 

“You tried.” Midoriya said, giving him a soft smile. “You acted.” His eyes suddenly flicked to the side, and Shouto turned to see his father approaching. Looking stunned .

Like a wet rat , ran through his mind and Shouto suppressed a snort. Was it too late to try and get an internship with Gran Torino?

“This is where you ran off to?” Endeavor’s voice wasn’t a snap , per se. He sounded like he was at a loss for words. Shouto nodded, regardless. He jerked his head towards the icy alley. 

“My friends needed help.” He said.

“So you said. ” Endeavor hissed. Midoriya’s grip on his wrist tightened and Endeavor seemed to realize that he was there for the first time. He glared at him. “This one? From the Sports Festival?”

“Yes.” Shouto answered flatly. “My friend.”

XXXX

Izuku probably should have guessed that Todoroki had a fiery side.

He was just always so cool and collected that it seemed so surprising. But watching Todoroki storm forward, voice building in intensity as he defended himself, as he defended them , it seemed perfectly in character. 

“You dog -,” He’d snapped and Izuku’s face had gone bright red . 

But despite everything, it was all going to be okay . Izuku didn’t need the recognition for taking down Stain. It wasn’t about defeating him; he was glad just to get out with his life and the lives of his friends. He was more than happy to accept the deal and was glad his friends would do the same. Even Todoroki’s eyes softened, when the chief thanked them for what they did, taking a seat on Izuku’s hospital bed when the chief started to fill them in on more details. 

“By the way, the city has funds for these purposes, but there will be no charges or anything for the property damage. So you have nothing to worry about, young Todoroki-,” 

The split-haired boy crossed his arms over his chest abruptly, his eyebrows shooting up and the chief came to a halt, tilting his head. They had filled them in on as many details as they could, but they hadn’t walked them through a play by play of the battle. 

Izuku had an idea of where this was going.

“It wasn’t me.” Todoroki said, but Izuku heard a hint of amusement in his voice. “The property damage.” 

Izuku was thinking about pulling the blankets over his head. He could feel Gran Torino’s eyes boring into him, waiting for him to fess up. He seemed amused as well, probably having taken a guess as to what Izuku had done but he knew the old pro liked to watch his students squirm.

“Ah, then. Iida-kun-,” Iida shook his head, giving Izuku an apologetic glance. 

It took a few seconds for Tsuragamae to move to Izuku, eyes wide. Manual was staring at him now too, jaw hanging open. 

“I’m sorry!” Izuku burst out. He felt a hand pat his leg, and turned to see Todoroki pressing his mouth into a thin line so he wouldn’t smile. 

“The scorch marks?” Tsuragamae asked, confused. “Those were not Todoroki-kun?” Sure, there was some from his friend, but they were mostly on the ground. The primary culprit was Izuku’s fire whip that had ripped down the alley with a lot of destruction and very little control. 

“Uh, no.” Izuku squeaked. Tsuragame nodded to himself sharply.

“Well, no matter.” He said. “I did not realize you had a fire Quirk as well, is all.” He paused. “And the hole in the wall?” His eyes darted back to Iida, who obviously had the strength in his legs to do so. 

“Uh, no. Me, as well.” Izuku said. 

“Midoriya-kun kicked Stain through the wall.” Iida supplied. “It was quite an interesting move.”

“I fractured my foot, though.” 

“Oh. Okay.” The chief scratched his head, blinking at Izuku. “Pardon me, but what is your Quirk?” Izuku wanted to die .

Gran Torino just cackled.

XXXX

When Toshinori saw he had a missed call from Gran Torino at 5 am , well, he got worried. 

He had called him back as soon as he could, worried that young Midoriya was hurt, that he was bleeding , that his bones were broken -,

And was in no way prepared for what Gran Torino told him. 

“Stain. ”

“ WHAT ?!” Toshinori slammed his hand down on the table, his mug of tea wobbling with the force. 

“ Your kid fought Stain.”  

How was it so much worse than Toshinori was imagining? He knew that Midoriya was in for a rough week with Gran Torino. Rough, but effective. He was hoping that he would gain some control over One for All and maybe fight some low-level villains. 

Not the villain that had been on a hot streak, killing experienced pros left and right with a practiced ease that had rattled the whole country. 

He shot up from his seat, stumbling into his room to try and get dressed. He tossed his phone onto the bed, putting Gran Torino on speaker as he quickly changed shirts and pulled on a pair of pants acceptable for going outdoors in. 

If Midoriya had fought Stain, he had certainly used One for All. There was no other option; Toshinori wasn’t happy about the injuries Midoriya must have caused to himself but if he was fighting Stain Toshinori didn’t blame him. If it was between Midoriya breaking his arms and certain death, Toshinori wasn’t going to be mad, he wasn’t going to yell at him. But all he could imagine was how much pain the little green-haired boy must be in, what Stain must have put him through, how scared he must have been until the pros arrived-,

“I’m getting ready right now, send me the name of the hospital and I’ll be there-,”

“Hold your horses, Toshi.” He froze. “Kid’s fine.”

“ Fine ?” Toshinori repeated. The word didn’t compute. 

“ He won.” He choked at Gran Torino’s words. Midoriya must be really injured-,

“But he must be hurt-, ” He started, but the old hero interrupted him again. 

“ He cracked his foot kicking Stain through a wall, but it’s not paste or anything. He can still walk on it. Your kid is fine, Toshi. Some bruises and bumps and the Nomu punctured his side but it’s shallow-, ”

“The NOMU?”  Toshinori was enraged .

“ Take a seat. I’ll fill you in. But your kid is fine. He’s a tough one. And he had some back-up. The Todoroki kid went chasing after him.”

“How did he end up facing Stain in the first place ?” He begged, as he took a heavy seat on his bed. His hands were shaking, but he balled them up and pushed the feeling away, as he picked up the phone again. 

“ Uh, you know Ingenium’s baby brother? Engines in his legs from the Festival?”

Iida.

“Yes.”

“ Midoriya found them in an alley. Stain was about to chop his head off.” 

Toshinori swallowed.

XXXX

When Shouta walked into the teacher’s lounge to make himself some coffee, he was almost surprised by the sight. 

There was All Might, looking like he got dressed in the dark , his shirt half-tucked into his pants awkwardly, sitting heavily on the couch. He was in his smaller, weaker form and it always struck Shouta how wild the lanky man appeared with his spiky blonde hair. Like an emaciated lion, he reflected.

His hands were covering his face. 

It seemed like a problem that Shouta didn’t want to get involved in, but he knew exactly what All Might said. About meddling in others business. 

So he sighed, sipped on his tea, and gently touched All Might’s shoulder. He could see the man’s phone in his lap. When he touched his coworker, All Might’s head shot up, his hands falling from his face. 

“All Might.” He said. “Is everything alright?”

“ No! ” He was surprised by the intensity that All Might burst out with. “Is it normal? For them to make your hair go grey?” 

So it was about Midoriya . 

He thought back to what he knew about the green-haired boy’s internship. He knew he was interning with Gran Torino, All Might’s former mentor. An old pro, a hero who taught at UA before Shouta did. It seemed like a good choice for Midoriya. He had seen what happened on the news and spoken to some contacts briefly in Hosu, who had simply informed him that Stain had been caught. He intended to dig more, but he knew things were hectic with the clean up in Hosu, so he didn’t press yet. But he also knew that Midoriya wasn’t interning in Hosu. If anything, he was concerned about Todoroki and Iida.

“Normally, no. But I would say Midoriya is a special case.” This entire class, really. Though, Shouta couldn’t blame them. The attacks at USJ were no fault of their own and Shouta couldn’t deny he felt closer to his students after that. Closer than he had been to any of his classes in a long time. 

“He was in Hosu .” All Might’s voice was ragged. Shouta blinked. 

“I see.” He said carefully. “Is he alright?” Probably not, Shouta guessed. Some more broken bones, which was par for the course. He would scold him about that when the week ended. All Might sighed, scrubbing at his forehead. 

“You’ll hear about it soon enough, but it has to be kept under wraps.” All Might said. Shouta didn’t know where the lion-like man was going, but he just nodded, walking so that his coworker had a better view of him. “He fought Stain.” 

Shouta choked on his tea. 

“They’re the ones who took him down, not Endeavor. But they were all operating without a provisional license, so the city is keeping it quiet.” All Might said, sighing heavily. 

“ They ?” His coworker unlocked his phone and handed it to him. 

Young Midoriya, are you okay?

Image attached

We lived!!!!!

Shouta clicked on the picture. 

It was a selfie, Midoriya’s freckled face beaming in the bottom corner, bandaged lightly. They were clearly in a hospital room of some sort, three beds filled. He could see Iida, off to the side. His arm and shoulder were heavily bandaged, and he was waving enthusiastically at the camera, despite the obvious scrape on the side of his face. Off to the right, in the background was Todoroki, sitting cross-legged on his bed with a book in his lap. He looked confused, but was holding up his fingers in what looked like a peace sign, brow furrowed. 

There was a second image, which Shouta swiped too. It looked like the same position, except a shriveled old man in a yellow and grey hero suit appeared, looking unamused and reaching for the camera. The image was blurry.

He could feel a stress headache forming behind his eyes. 

“Any broken bones?” Shouta asked carefully, forcing his voice to remain even. All Might shook his head.

“No, but keep scrolling. It gets worse.” Shouta wasn’t sure if he wanted to see the rest.

Are you injured?

Just a little! I’m okay though. I cracked my foot when I kicked him, but it’s not shattered or anything

It’s like a normal injury

I’m gonna reinforce the boots on my suit

Also I have good news/bad news

Young Midoriya, I am very worried.

Good news: I have a fan

Bad news: it’s Stain

Please elaborate.

What do you normally do with fanmail?

Hypothetically

Please tell me.

He wrote me a letter from jail

He says some very nice things in it

Do I respond?

NO!!!!!

It feels rude not to?

He saved my life, technically

FROM WHAT?

Uhhhhh

A Nomu carried me off

We thought we had him tied up but he swallowed a knife apparently and yakked it up when he woke up

But i’m good now i swear

He is a serial killer, young Midoriya.

He’s says i’m too ‘pure’ to kill

He’s a big fan of yours too

Shouta couldn’t read anymore or his brain was going to shut down. 

All Might’s dejected expression made a lot more sense, now. He handed his phone back to him, watching his coworker groan and rub his face. 

“He’s alive, at least?” Shouta offered. “And relatively uninjured.” He didn’t know what to say about the fact that a psychotic serial killer had developed an attachment to Midoriya.

“My head hurts.” All Might confessed. “I don’t know if I should be proud of him or if I should yell at him. I know he was just defending himself and his friends and that they would have died if they didn’t. But he never should have gotten himself into that kind of situation in the first place.” 

Shouta was conflicted as well. Personally, especially after USJ, he felt that there needed to be a larger exception in the laws for Quirk use in self defense. The students had gotten away with it during USJ because it was UA property, ultimately. They had been told they were going to use Quirks for training. But the police had made it explicitly clear that UA needed to be more careful and that if it had occurred anywhere but UA property, the students would be potentially facing charges.

Even though they would have all been violently killed if they hadn’t defended themselves. It had made Shouta’s blood boil, but he kept quiet, not wanting to cause any more trouble for his students and the school. They needed time to recover, not legal matters being thrown in their face. 

He had been keeping up with Stain and all the heroes he had killed; there was no doubt in Shouta’s mind that it was a matter of life and death, using their Quirks. That if they hadn’t, they would have been killed. Except for maybe Midoriya, but Shouta didn’t want to dwell on Stain’s insistence on Midoriya’s moral character for too long. If the situation was being kept quiet, it was to avoid charges against his students. Meaning that they would have faced them, if not for the grace of the Hosu police and the proximity of Endeavor to the situation. 

He didn’t like that at all .

“I can’t tell you what to do. I don’t know the full measure of the situation yet.” Shouta said. “I don’t know if there was anything Midoriya could have done differently. But if it were me, I would scold him for the things he could change, but not for defending himself. I don’t believe a fifteen year old should lay down and die rather than use his Quirk. Provisional license or not.” He said with a sharp nod of his head. 

All Might sighed again, setting his phone down. 

“I’m going to think about what to say to him.” He said. “He never has any ill intentions, at least.” Shouta nodded to that. “He says he has something to show me, when he gets back. You too.” He cocked his head to the side, sipping on his tea. 

“Something good, hopefully?”

“He can use his Quirk without breaking his bones now.” All Might answered. “And he did something...interesting. Gran Torino talked about it, but he was cackling too much to be clear, exactly. All I got was that we should use a fireproof training room. Midoriya just said it was hard to explain.” 

“I can arrange for that.” Shouta said, unable to deny his curiosity. He wanted to see what that crazy strength enhancement looked like without blowing the teenager’s body apart. 

XXXX

Shouto was aware he was playing with fire. 

He was aware from the moment his father found him sitting next to Midoriya on his bed, pressed thigh-to-thigh. They had been talking quietly, while Iida went to physical therapy. The green-haired boy seemed to get shaky when it got too quiet, so he had taken to sitting next to him and reading. His presence seemed to be enough for Midoriya, pressed into his warmer, left side and scribbling away in one of his noteworks. His handwriting was a messy scrawl, so characteristic of the teen that it made Shouto smile. 

Occasionally, Midoriya would stop writing, flex his hand, and spend a few minutes doing hand exercises. 

“It gets a little stiff.” Midoriya explained. “But I’m working on it! As long as I do this regularly and try not to break it again too soon, it’ll improve.” He promised.

On the third round, Shouto reached over and put his own hand over Midoriya’s. His heart had been pounding when he did it, but he wanted to do something .

“The heat.” Shouto explained, trying to ignore the sounds of the blood rushing in his ears. “Might loosen it up.” Yeah. That’s why I’m holding your hand.

Midoriya blinked and smiled. He laced his fingers through Shouto’s without a second thought, squeezing his hand.

Shouto had no problem whatsoever raising the temperature on his hand a little. In fact, he was struggling to keep it down. 

He watched as Midoriya picked up his pencil with his left hand and started writing. It was a little messier, his hand smearing the writing a little, inevitably. But more than effective. 

Shouto blinked. His classmate was full of surprises.

They sat like that for a while, occasionally chatting quietly while Shouto tried not to get distracted by the way Midoriya puffed his cheek out while he was concentrating. He was writing about Stain’s Quirk, incomprehensible notes in the margins. 

And that’s how Endeavor found them. 

He quickly released Midoriya’s hand when he saw the first big boot step into the room, his head appearing through the doorway. Hopefully, he had pulled his hand back fast enough. He knew Endeavor didn’t like that he had any association with All Might’s protege and hand-holding would break his brain. 

“Endeavor.” He said, as his father stared at his position on the bed with Midoriya. 

“Hello!” Midoriya said cheerfully, setting his journal on his lap. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It is good to see you again, sir. ” It was like watching Midoriya spit in his father’s face, even though his words were kind.

He loved it. 

He pushed it later, too. 

When he was back at Endeavor’s agency, surrounded by sidekicks who were asking him if he was okay, commenting on how scary seeing Stain must have been, but at least Endeavor was there to save him. He fought back a smile, able to tell how his father was simmering in the back. Being forced to take credit for Shouto’s victory was making him grind his teeth; he absolutely hated it. 

One of the sidekicks, Candlelight, had been there. She had seen Shouto drag a tied-up Stain out of the alley, Endeavor nowhere in sight. But she met his eyes and said nothing, with a quiet nod of acknowledgement, knowing that things had to be this way. 

The video was out, too. Of the Nomu attack on Midoriya, Shouto’s attempt to save him, and then Stain . Shouto wasn’t in trouble for using his Quirk against the Nomu, as the authorities had determined the creatures had no semblance of sentience. It wasn’t great, but it was akin to defending himself and his friend from a wild animal that was attacking. 

“Father.” Shouto said, cocking his head to the side. “Midoriya can do something very interesting with his fire Quirk. I was hoping I could learn something similar to that.”

“Something interesting?” Endeavor ground out, the eyes of his entire agency on him. “Like what?”

“The closest I can approximate it to is a fire whip. The hero he’s interning with helped him learn it. Do you know anything similar?” His father’s flames were currently out, but if they had been on, they would have started to flare. He knew his father had nothing like that; Endeavor was an effective hero, but creativity was far from his forte. 

“No, but I’m sure we can work on it.” He spat out. There were some hushed comments of wow, that’s so interesting and Oh, I wonder who his friend is interning with ? And is that the guy from the Sports Festival?

Shouto smiled. 

“I know he’s just learning so much at his internship. I was very impressed with what he told me. Gran Torino is very experienced.” Shouto said, before he tilted his head a little more. “I spoke to him a little. He said he used to teach at UA, and you were in one of his classes.” The words were dripping with politeness but he knew every single one of them was cutting into his father.

“Oh, wow Tododorki-kun!” One of his father’s sidekicks said. “That’s amazing! I would love to meet one of your father’s mentors! I can’t believe Midoriya is so lucky, to be able to work with someone who used to teach such great heroes!”

Endeavor looked like he was going to have an aneurysm. 

“Actually,” Shouto said. He knew he was twisting the knife at this point. But nothing he said could be construed as negative by anyone besides Endeavor and he was feeling bold. “I think Midoriya mentioned he taught All Might too.”

“ Amazing! ”

Chapter Text

Izuku knew he had to keep the incident with Stain quiet, but he had been thinking about it a lot . About things they could have done differently. Easier, pain-free ways to take him down. 

He couldn't think of any.

The man was inhuman . For someone who fought essentially Quirkless, he had been running circles around them. If he hadn’t been flustered, if it had been one fewer person in that alley, they wouldn’t have made it. If Todoroki hadn’t reacted fast enough that first time Stain cut him, they would all be dead. If Iida hadn’t gotten up in time, they would all be dead. If Stain hadn’t decided that Izuku was too pure to kill, they would all be dead . 

It was terrifying, really. 

And all he could think, really, was how easily Shinso would have won. 

Hey.

We’re getting you into the hero course

He knew his friend had started working out; going for runs, doing some exercises. It was a slow start, but Izuku also knew that they could get Shinso there faster. 

That’s the plan.

What’s bringing this on?

Fought a villain. 

It was...bad.

What villain?

I can’t tell you.

For legal reasons.

He wanted to tell him so badly, and maybe he would be able to one day. But not now. There was a pause in the conversation, the text bubble popping up a few times and going away again. 

Those are good reasons.

You would have taken him down in a second. 

Your Quirk is perfect for heroics.

It really was; Izuku wasn’t just being nice. He objectively understood why the gut reaction to Shinso’s Quirk was negative, but if anyone put even a second more of thought into it, they would see how great it was. A Quirk that could make criminals handcuff themselves and sit quietly as they waited to be arrested. A Quirk that could end conflict with no bloodshed whatsoever. Hostage situations, active shooters, terrorists, villains of every kind. There were some barriers; of course, once you knew the trick, it could be defeated. But some villains, like Stain, seemed physically incapable of shutting up. Even if he knew what Shinso’s Quirk was, Izuku doubted the Hero Killer would have been able to keep himself from responding. 

Besides, if Shinso stayed an underground hero, he would be able to keep his Quirk under wraps. And this kind of mind control Quirk was so rare . Psychological ones always were, and there wasn’t a lot of research done on them. It was hard to quantify their effect. Maybe they could observe it, but as for how his Quirk actually affected the people it was used against, it was hard to know. Shinso could likely expand his control in a lot of ways. Izuku doubted he had much practice with it; he would need a willing test subject and kids could be cruel.

Besides, Izuku already had plenty of ideas for getting around some of the downfalls.

How good are you at voice mimicry?

Not great but I know where you’re going with this.

Are you serious about this?

Yes.

This guy killed people.

If there were a hero like you, none of that would have ever happened.

Alright then. 

What’s the plan?

Shinso was going to regret asking him that.

XXXXX

Izuku got to class early, their first day back. He hadn’t seen Iida in a few days. Once the taller boy was well enough, he had been released back to his family. Todoroki had departed not that long after, though Izuku could tell how hesitant he was to go. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Izuku had whispered as his friend gathered his things. Todoroki had nodded stiffly, but he was moving so slowly. Before he left to go meet Endeavor in the lobby, he had sat down on Izuku’s bed without saying anything, fists clenched at his sides, knuckles white. 

Izuku had scooted down the bed to sit next to him. 

“Come stay with me.” Came out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Not that it mattered; his mother would take Todoroki in a heartbeat. He could text her now and she would start getting a futon ready. 

“You don’t have to do that.” Todoroki said, lifting his head slowly. He turned to look at Izuku. 

“I want to.” Izuku said, and he tentatively reached out to touch the split-haired teen’s arm. 

“You’re my first friend, you know?” Todoroki seemed almost surprised that the words left his mouth, but he nodded to himself at the end of his sentence. “I was never allowed to have them when I was young and then by the time I was older I just...didn’t know how to.” Izuku shifted next to him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and moving closer to him, so that they were shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. “What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to take care of me. You just being there is enough.” He seemed hesitant to meet Izuku’s eyes, but Izuku took his hand and forced him to make eye contact. 

“Would I be your first friend if I didn’t try to take care of you?” Todoroki smiled. 

“I guess not.” 

He left, not long after that. They had texted a few times since, Todoroki assuring him everything was okay and that he was making a full recovery. That he had been relegated to light office duty, rather than going out into the field with his father so he was spending most of his time around sidekicks. 

He made Iida text him as well and he seemed better, though he admitted that his brother had yelled at him for a half hour before bursting into tears. 

Still, when he opened the door to the classroom and saw Iida there, he bolted across the room. 

“Iida-kun!” He barreled into his side, giving him a tight hug. He felt his friend wince under the force, but he hugged him back and smiled when they separated. 

“I am fine, Midoriya-kun.”

“I know, I just missed you.” Izuku said with a small smile. He spotted some long dark hair out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Aizawa standing at the podium, shuffling some papers and raising an eyebrow at them. He usually came in right at the bell, so it was surprising to see him there so early. 

“Don’t mind me.” Aizawa said dryly. 

The door slid open again, and both Iida and Izuku whirled around to see a familiar split-haired boy walk in. He waved at Todoroki cheerfully. He didn’t smile back, which Izuku thought was odd, but he walked directly over to them, clearly moving with a purpose. Surprised, Izuku backed up into Iida, who steadied him with his hands on his shoulders. 

Todoroki pointed a finger at him, moving so that they were almost nose-to-nose.

“Fire. Whip .”

Todoroki-kun?” Iida questioned him, equally confused. Izuku could feel Todoroki’s breath on him; this close, he could see himself reflected in his heterochromatic eyes. 

“Teach me. Please .” Izuku blinked, as it took a few seconds for his friend’s request to hit him. 

“Oh!” He realized. “Yeah, of course! I didn’t quite get the rotation I needed for it to work but you’re pretty good with hand to hand and martial arts, right? I talked to Gran Torino and he said I should work on some of them because I might be able to pull off the kind of force I need better.” Izuku was already rambling, thinking through how they could make it work for Todoroki. His friend nodded back. 

“I was taught several styles. How do you ensure that it doesn’t burn you?” 

“Well, I’m naturally resistant to high temperatures but I also made sure my suit has some fire resistance so maybe you could upgrade yours or I was thinking you could use your ice to cover your skin for a short time to ensure it doesn’t burn you. Really, though, you have to get some lift off the ground, unless you went for a vertical kind of rotation instead of a horizontal rotation-,” Izuku started to gesture with his fingers what he meant, and Todoroki nodded intensely, following his logic. “Really, you just need some way to generate the propulsion which actually might be easier for you than me-,”

“Maybe we could do something to try and model the motion of the whip?” Todoroki suggested. “Get a better idea of what kind of propulsion would send it in which direction?” 

The fact that Todoroki was directly feeding into this kind of brainstorming was like crack for Izuku. He loved nerding out over this kind of stuff.

“Yes! If we didn’t want to try out every type right away maybe we could use a computer program? I have to link up with Hatsume anyways and she would be thrilled to test it out-,”

“Don’t forget the wind.” Iida interrupted. “There wasn’t any at the time you used it but in different terrains that may be a problem and will affect the projected motion-,” Izuku could have kissed both of them. Even Todoroki was nodding enthusiastically. 

Slam!

They turned around to see Aizawa, who had brought his hands down on the podium heavily. 

“I’m putting a stop to this before it gets out of control.” He said, narrowing his eyes at them. Izuku gulped. 

“Sensei?” He watched their teacher sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“ If you do this, it will be under the supervision of myself or another instructor.” He ordered, glaring at them. “It will be at a designated time. In a designated room. You will be required to get approval from me first.”

“Yes, sensei!” Izuku said quickly. 

“There will be fire safety measures .” Aizawa continued. “Extinguishers. Sprinklers. Safety gear. Got it?” Todoroki nodded back. Their unkempt teacher rubbed his forehead. “We do work on developing special moves for you later in the curriculum, but I suppose it would be too much to ask you to wait that long?” 

Izuku knew his face was red; that was a given. But he suppressed a smile when he saw Todoroki’s ears turn pink. 

“We will be careful.” Todoroki said. “We’ll have Emergency Exit himself watching us to make sure nothing happens.” Izuku had kind of forgotten about that; he had been worried that Iida would be offended by the nickname, but it was well-loved by everyone. In fact, the taller boy even took pride in it.

“Sensei! I will ensure they follow proper fire safety precautions!” Iida said, chopping so vigorously he almost hit Izuku. “As class representative, I will ensure all rules are followed to the letter!” 

The door slid open again, all of their eyes darting to the figure that entered. 

“ Deku! Why are you making me look at this fucking nerd threesome? ” Iida started to sputter as Bakugo raged, spinning around on his heel and immediately marching back out of the room, yelling into the hallway that Izuku was, “ as disgusting as ever! ”

Offhandedly, Izuku did realize that he was pressed up against Iida and boxed in by Todoroki in an odd amalgamation. Todoroki seemed to realize as well, because he backed up apologetically, looking embarrassed. 

“Why are you all here so early, anyways?” Aizawa snapped at them. “Wouldn’t you rather be sleeping?”

“I receive 8 hours of satisfactory sleep every night!”

“I get too excited and wake up early.” Izuku said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. 

“Forget I asked.” 

XXXX

Toshinori was dumbfounded .

He couldn’t believe how far his student had come in just a week. Six days ago, Midoriya would have broken his legs leaping from structure to structure. Now, it was done with an ease, green lightning crackling around his body as outpaced all of his classmates. He was zig-zagging back and forth in a way that reminded Toshinori of Gran Torino.

He knew he was supposed to be watching everyone, but he couldn’t focus on anyone else. The entire class was screaming , the red-haired boy that Midoriya seemed friendly with thumping his hand on the ground as they cheered. 

“ GO, DEKU! ” Uraraka, the girl with the anti-gravity Quirk from the Sports Festival was cupping her hands around her mouth and yelling, jumping up and down excitedly.

He was going to win by a landslide , Toshinori was realizing, even with Sero fast on his heels. Jumping from pipe to pipe, never slowing down until-,

He had suppressed a laugh when Midoriya slipped, the garbled yell and look of shock on his face as his foot slid off the pipe and he went tumbling. He caught himself a few pipes down. It took him a little while to get back up, ultimately putting him at the back of the pack, but Toshinori didn’t care. He still congratulated him when his student tumbled to a stop at the finish line. Not that he needed to, really. The rest of his classmates were pulling him to his feet and complimenting him, expressing their awe at the difference in his abilities. 

And now , in the fireproof training room Aizawa had arranged for. His coworker was off to the side, goggles on, with a gigantic fire extinguisher by his side. 

“Uhh....” Midoriya had rubbed the back of his head. “You might want to duck, if you see it coming for you.”

“We’ll keep that in mind.” Aizawa sounded amused.

And then he was leaping , crunching against the walls as he zig-zagged across the room. Even Toshinori’s normally cool and collected coworker looked amazed .

Of course, then came the fire . A thick, dense stream of flames burst forward from his mouth and Midoriya took off from the side of the room, twisting mid-air with a core strength Toshinori hadn’t known the kid had.

The twisting whip of fire shot out from around his body, snapping in mid-air and Toshinori ducked for cover.

He could barely see what was happening, Midoriya looking like a blurry mass of twisting fire as he rotated, sending his head over his heels-,

“ Gah! ”

THUD.

Toshinori snorted as he straightened up, to see Midoriya in a mass of limbs on the ground, at an odd angle. There were small fires burning around him, the temperature of the entire room having been raised. The white-hot whip had scorched the walls and sliced through 5 or 6 targets, leaving them burnt and mangled.

“I’m still working on the landing.” Midoriya confessed, from his odd upside-down position. He rolled to the side, groaning, as his instructors approached. Aizawa sprayed the fires around Midoriya lightly, smothering them quickly. 

“ That’s what you want to teach Todoroki?” He heard the amusement in Aizawa’s voice. 

There was a pause, as Toshinori realized what was being said. 

“Oh, no .” Slipped out. The green-haired boy blinked, shifting to a sitting position. 

“He’ll probably be better at it than me.” Midoriya said. “Since he’s pyrokinetic.” He probably would have better control; but it didn’t exactly fit with what Toshinori had seen of young Todoroki’s fighting style. “Gran Torino said I should work on martial arts; that way I can generate the force I need with my body. And I wished I knew more when-,” The small teen closed his mouth abruptly, looking up at Toshinori with wide eyes. 

“When you fought Stain?” Aizawa said, his mouth twitching. He removed his goggles, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m aware that Endeavor is not the one who defeated Stain. You can speak freely to us.” Toshinori nodded his approval to his student, who had been looking to him, as if for permission.

Midoriya took a deep breath, and shuddered .

Toshinori felt his heart drop. 

“He fought Quirkless .” Midoriya said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And we barely won. He got flustered towards the end.” He rubbed his head. “I don’t want this to sound like I like him, because he was crazy and he tried to murder my friend.”

“Go on.” Aizawa said. 

“But it was amazing . It really was. He was faster than I was, even with my Quirk. Almost as strong. We couldn’t keep up with him. Hand to hand combat, blades, anything. He was just better .” Midoriya took another breath, glancing down at his scarred hand and flexing it. “I want to learn. I have to.” 

“Young Midoriya,” Toshinori started, and both turned to look at him. “I agree, that you still have far to go. But I don’t want you to forget how far you’ve come .” He bent down, offering a hand to his student. Midoriya took it, and he pulled him to his feet. “The changes you’ve made in the past week...they’re not just impressive. They’re beyond that. More than any of us expected from you.” He patted down the green-haired boy’s mess of curls as he stared up at him with giant, doe eyes. 

“All Might is correct.” Aizawa said. “It is not surprising that you felt overwhelmed fighting Stain. You have a powerful Quirk but that doesn’t mean you’re ready to be a hero just yet. That is why you are here .” He levelled his gaze carefully at Midoriya. “I doubt it needs to be said, but I will anyway. Stain wasn’t just any villain. He was stronger, smarter, and more skilled than most; so much more so that many heroes will never encounter someone like him in their career.” 

“I know.” Midoriya said, glancing downwards. “I just want to be better .”

XXXX

Hitoshi was going to die .

He was almost regretting taking Midoriya up on his offer to help him train. He had severely miscalculated how much of Midoriya’s strength was his Quirk and how much was just him . He looked so small , but the moment they headed to the locker rooms together to change, he knew he had made a fatal error. 

When the short, green-haired boy took off his shirt and Hitoshi could see just how jacked he was, he knew that he was in for it. 

“Shinso?” Midoriya asked, furrowing his brow. “Is something wrong?” He ripped his eyes away from Midoriya’s absolutely shredded torso to look up at wide, green eyes.

“Uh, no.” He said, quickly changing. 

And Midoriya’s idea of a ‘quick warm-up’ was already making Shinso sweat. They did some stretching, something Shinso wasn’t terrible at. He could see it was a little harder for his friend, who confessed that he was trying to work on his flexibility and to keep that in mind while they trained.

“You might lose your flexibility if you focus only on strength.” Midoriya explained. “That’s kind of what happened to me, so we’ll make sure you don’t.” Midoriya led him through a series of stretches that seriously tested his balance and left him feeling boneless, before they were off on their run. 

When they finished, Hitoshi collapsed on the mat, sprawling. He had been going for daily runs, but Midoriya was brutal . Every time Hitoshi seemed like he was slowing down, his friend would poke him in the side and take off in front of him, teasing him. Somehow, he would pull that burst of energy from somewhere, even when they were already two miles in. 

He breathed heavily, wiping sweat from his forehead, groaning. His heart was pounding, vision swimming. 

The little green-haired bastard appeared in his view, standing over him with his hands on his hips. Hitoshi waved his hand at him, as if to swat him. 

“Ugh. Get away.” Midoriya nudged him with his foot. 

“Sit up and drink some water.”

“Let me die.” Midoriya nudged him again, and Hitoshi lurched forward, grabbing Midoriya’s leg. With a yelp, he pulled him to the ground next to him. He was satisfied with the heavy thud as Midoriya hit the mat.

Slowly, he rolled onto his side and sat up. The green-haired boy had already rolled onto his back, grinning at him. 

“Now that we’re finished with the warm-up-,”

“If you finish that, I’ll throw up on you.” Hitoshi interrupted him. 

“We’ll just do a few exercises!” Midoriya insisted. “Just to get you started!” He dragged his hands over his face, groaning. 

“Are you really this strong without your Quirk?” Midoriya bounced to his feet immediately. 

“Let me show you?” He offered, smiling brightly. 

This felt like a bad idea.

“Okay?” Hitoshi said, crossing his arms.

And then he yelped and squirmed as Midoriya grabbed him by the leg and the armpit, lifting him off the ground before he could stop him, his legs kicking out as he went higher and higher-,

“Don’t be a baby! ” Midoriya insisted. 

Hitoshi stared down at the curly green hair below him, Midoriya peering up at him. He was holding him over his head, fingers digging into his side. 

“This is making me nauseous.” Hitoshi informed him. It was disgusting how strong Midoriya was. His classmate grinned, bent his knees, and squatted with him. Strong arms still extended, holding him above his head with ease. He did it a few times, before he tilted to the side and set Hitoshi down so that his legs were underneath him. He was wobbly when his feet touched the ground, stumbling away from his shorter friend as he regained his balance. 

He glared at Midoriya, who was beaming at him still. 

“Tried that on Todoroki yet?” The green-haired boy’s face went bright red, and he looked somewhat like a strawberry, with his freckles and green hair on top. 

“Shinso!”

“He’ll pass out if you lift him over your head, I’m sure of it.” Midoriya tackled him from the side and he hit the mat with a grunt. 

It was good-natured though, and after he allowed Midoriya to lead him through exercises for another half hour, he collapsed, boneless. He had soaked through his shirt with sweat, disgusting and sticky, face down. He wrinkled his nose against the mat; it smelled horrible. 

Eventually, he rolled onto his back, peeling his skin off the material. He turned to see the shorter teen already stretching, beckoning him to join. Reluctantly, he did so. And while they did, Midoriya started to talk .

“So.” 

“So.” Hitoshi mocked back. Midoriya waved a hand at him dismissively. 

“I have some thoughts on your Quirk.” He raised an eyebrow at him. “So I know you can give direct orders, but how complicated can they be? How long does the brainwashing last, if they don’t get knocked out of it? Can it be broken out of by will alone? Can you make it stronger? How deep into their mind does it actually go? Like could you order them to remember something they thought they’d forgotten? Can you make them access the subconscious part of their brain for information? Could you implant memories or emotions? Or give long term orders that only come into effect under certain circumstances?” Hitoshi’s head was already starting to hurt as Midoriya rambled. “Like, if you brainwashed me and ordered me to do a headstand on Friday, would I act normally in between? Would I remember you ordering me to do it?” 

“Midoriya.” Hitoshi interrupted. “The answer to pretty much all of those questions is ‘I don’t know’.” The green-haired boy flushed red again, squeaking as he bent to touch his toes, trying to flatten his back as much as possible. 

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Hitoshi would like to know the answer to most of those questions. He knew his brainwashing could be broken by will alone, apparently; it had never happened before, but Midoriya was able to do it. Then again, he had never used his brainwashing in such a high-stress situation as a competition before. Still, he was inclined to believe that Midoriya was more of an exception than the rule.

He knew generally how his Quirk worked and he had some instincts as to what it could and couldn’t do so far, but he never really had an opportunity to push the limits. Most people were too afraid of the idea of being forced to do things that they would never voluntarily subject themselves to his brainwashing. He had never asked anyone in his family, for fear of what he would see on their faces when he did. 

“It doesn’t work through an electronic amplifier.” He finally said, watching Midoriya’s eyes light up as he did. “My Quirk counselor thought it was because it translates my voice to an electronic signal. So I can’t use a megaphone or anything to increase my reach.”

“What if you use something acoustic?” Midoriya suggested. 

“Then that’s fine. But I wouldn’t be able to use a microphone or anything to take control of a whole stadium or something like that.” He said bitterly, remembering all the things people had said in middle school. How great of a villain he would be.

Midoriya nodded sharply to himself, and then grabbed a notebook out of his bag, plopping down on the ground and flipping it open. Hitoshi had seen him with it before, but he didn’t realize what he was doing with it. He scooted over to Midoriya, peering over to see his own name printed at the top.

“What is this?” His friend lifted his head sharply, looking bashful.

“Sorry, I take notes on every new Quirk.” 

What?

Midoriya must have seen the shock on his face, because he started waving his arms frantically.

“It’s not just you!” He promised. He flipped to another page, tapping it. Uraraka Ochako - Uravity was printed at the top. There was a crude sketch of a hero costume and notes about her Quirk below. It was divided into Strengths/Weaknesses, scribbled notes and suggestions in the margins. “It’s kind of a...hobby.”

“You wrote about me?” Was he flattered? It was mostly weird. It was in character for the quirky teen next to him, though. 

“Uh...yeah.” He flipped back to Hitoshi’s page, adding a few notes on the side once they were back about not being able to use electronic amplifiers. “We should test things.” Midoriya said. 

“On who?” The green-haired boy blinked back. 

“Me, obviously.” 

Hitoshi wasn’t so sure about that. He didn’t have a lot of friends, not even in the general studies department. It had followed him here, the wariness of his Quirk. He had kept it quiet, mostly. But after the Sports Festival, he could tell people were nervous. Especially that purple-haired boy who had transferred in from heroics. The one with the weird balls on his head. He was kind of a brat. 

Maybe Midoriya said he was okay with Hitoshi using his Quirk on him, but losing control of his own body would change that quickly. 

“Only if you want to!” Midoriya said quickly. “But I’m a willing test subject! I really don’t mind. We could record them too, so that way I can look at them later if I don’t remember things.” Hitoshi leaned back on his hands, still sitting cross-legged.

“I think you’re going to change your mind.”

“I doubt that.” Midoriya responded. “Just don’t have me do anything too bad, and it’ll be fine. I promise! I’m curious. Plus, I can even practice breaking out of it. It’s a useful skill to have.” Hitoshi eyed him warily. 

“Are you absolutely certain?” Midoriya nodded enthusiastically, eyes lighting up again. 

“Yes! We have to develop your Quirk, to get you into heroics.” He made some notes on the page, scribbling furiously. “I know how you feel.” Something must have shown on Hitoshi’s face, because Midoriya started waving his arms again. “I know you don’t believe me! But my Quirk didn’t come in until I was 15-,”

“ What? ” Hitoshi had never heard of someone getting a Quirk so late in his life . The idea of it was ridiculous . Such a powerful Quirk too. No wonder the guy had busted his limbs in the Sports Festival and had absolutely zero control over it. Hitoshi couldn’t even remember what it was like before he had his Quirk anymore. Midoriya nodded, rubbing his head. “What, did they think you were Quirkless or something?”

Midoriya was silent. 

Oh, fuck.

The only people in his school treated worse than him, a villain , were those who were Quirkless. They were pariahs. He remembered the girl in his grade who had been Quirkless and she always had bruises and scrapes and burns, people harassing her for something she had no control over. Acting like she was incomplete, like she was missing something. And she didn’t even have a Quirk to defend herself with. 

It was horrible. 

“Yeah.” Midoriya finally said. “They did.” 

Maybe it was a good thing, though? Hitoshi was trying to see an upside to not getting your Quirk until you were 15. Maybe it was safer; after all, with a Quirk that could blow his bones apart as a teenager, he could only imagine what would happen to a four year old. 

“So you really have only had it for...what? A year?” Hitoshi asked. Midoriya looked up at him, guiltily. “Wait, Midoriya. When did you get your Quirk?” He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Uhh....would you believe me if I said I got it the day of the entrance exam?” He squeaked out. 

Holy shit.

“Well, I got the strength part the day of the entrance exam. They noticed I had internal mutations, but we didn’t know what else they did. I got the fire-breathing at USJ.”

“When you...were attacked...” What the fuck was wrong with this kid?

Midoriya nodded back. 

“We’re backtracking here.” Hitoshi had something he wanted to know. “Were you planning on taking the entrance exam without a Quirk? ” Midoriya looked even guiltier.

“Maybe.” 

“You’re crazy .” He said with disbelief. That pulled a laugh out of the green-haired boy. 

“So I’ve heard.” He shook his head. “I’m just saying that I know what it’s like, to feel like you’re so behind your classmates. I get it. And I want to help you.”

Maybe Midoriya was crazy, but Hitoshi didn’t doubt that. 

XXXX

“Is that what my name is in your phone?” Izuku nearly knocked Shinso over as he tried to get a good look at it. Shinso whipped his hand away and held it over his head. “Oh, real mature!” Izuku jumped in the hallway, trying to reach it. 

“What do you think you saw?” Shinso asked, grinning as he stepped away, turning so he was walking backwards. Izuku bent his knees a little more and leaped.

“ Strawberry Shortcake! ” He burst out as he jumped, clearing a few feet of the ground and snagging it from Shinso’s hand. He went to open it, to try and see, but the phone had locked. He held it out to Shinso, demandingly. “Show me!”

They had been testing out Shinso’s Quirk for about a week now, and frankly, Izuku was thrilled to get a chance to learn so much about such a rare kind of Quirk. Shinso didn’t quite get his enthusiasm, but was nevertheless, grateful. It had been incredibly informative, Izuku taking detailed notes. 

They were walking back from their free period now, Izuku’s class coming up first. They had started their last unit before final exams in 1-A and were tearing through the material at a rapid pace. 

Shinso unlocked his phone, so Izuku could open up his messages, spotting the last one he had sent to the lavender-haired boy. 

Strawberry Shortcake stood out, loud and clear to him, with an emoji of a strawberry punctuating it. 

“You bastard!” Izuku burst out, and quickly pulled out his own phone. 

“What are you changing mine to?” Shinso asked. 

“ Mind Fuck. ” That pulled a laugh out of the taller boy, as he pulled his phone from his grasp, tucking it back in his pocket. There were a few people ahead of them, milling into Class 1-A as the free period drew to a close.

And then....

Everything went blank.

XXXX

Shouto wasn’t sure how to feel about Shinso . 

The lavender-haired boy sat with them at lunch sometimes, now that he had taken to sitting with Midoriya and Iida. He and Midoriya seemed close, in an odd way. He had never seen Midoriya fling rice at someone before Shinso got there and even the rest of the Dekusquad seemed surprised as well. There was an odd energy between them, that Shouto couldn’t quite put his finger on. 

It bothered Shouto, that was for sure. He suspected he was jealous at how easily Shinso could start a conversation with Midoriya about something inane. The teasing things he said, his willingness to reach out and yank Midoriya’s food away from his mouth the moment before he bit down. It was playful and easy for him, whereas Shouto felt like he had to psych himself up. Even when he thought about teasing his friend, like he saw Shinso and Uraraka do, he felt like it would be weird coming from him. Like they would take him too seriously and then he would just be embarrassed.

It wasn’t that he disliked Shinso, really. Though, he was still surprised at Midoriya’s instant friendship with someone who brainwashed him the first time they met. He was just... jealous of how easy it was for him. 

Yeah, he could never tell anyone that. 

He sounded like an idiot, being jealous of the ability to make a joke or hold a conversation. 

He spotted the lavender-haired boy with Midoriya, right outside the door. They were talking and laughing, having walked back from the free period. He guessed Midoriya must have spent it with him. They still had a few minutes until the bell rang, though Aizawa was already at the podium, waiting for them all to get there.

And then something changed .

The moment Midoriya’s foot crossed the threshold to the door, his eyes went blank.

Instead of going to his seat, he walked up to the board and picked up a piece of chalk robotically. A murmur ran through the class, Shinso stepping in behind him and Shouto stood up abruptly.

Midoriya was being brainwashed .

A few people noticed, and he heard an outcry as Midoriya started to do something on the board, Aizawa’s head snapping to the side. 

“What are you doing ?” He hissed to Shinso, who was watching Midoriya curiously. 

“ Stop that. ” Shouto snapped, already walking towards the front of the classroom. Shinso held up his hands 

“I swear, we were just testing something. I’m not-, I know he’s brainwashed right now, but I didn’t brainwash him . He knew it was coming.” If it hadn’t been Midoriya, it would sound ridiculous. “He’ll snap out of it in a second.” 

Though, Shouto would be lying if he said there wasn’t a flurry of negative thoughts going through his head. He knew, objectively, that Shinso probably couldn’t manipulate higher brain functions. Like making someone be his friend. But there was a dark moment of what if that whispered in his ear the moment Midoriya’s eyes went blank. 

True to Shinso’s word, Midoriya stepped to the side, set the chalk down, and turned around, his eyes clearing. He blinked, obviously confused. 

The class could see what the green-haired boy had been doing on the board now. 

He’d drawn a small cat face, crude, but similar to the doodles Shouto had seen in the margins of his notebook. He’d written NYA under it. It was cute, actually.

Their classmate twisted, to see what everyone was staring at. His companion let out a snort, covering his mouth. 

“ Shinso! ” Midoriya shouted, and he darted for him in a flurry of small, clenched fists, reaching for his shoulders. “ I’m gonna throttle you! ” He shook the lavender-haired boy, who was snickering to himself.

Aizawa sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Shouto felt kind of stupid, now. Standing there, dumbfounded. There was nothing wrong, even if it was weird .

Midoriya took a step back, and fell onto his butt abruptly with a yell . He looked down at his legs.

“Are my shoes on the wrong feet?”

“It took you three hours to notice.” Shinso informed him. 

“Shinso-kun, usage of Quirks on other students is highly inappropriate-,” Iida started, jerking up from his seat.

Aizawa interrupted him with a glare, stepping out from behind his podium to survey the scene in front of him. Their long-suffering teacher looked so tired .

“What are you two idiots doing?”

Midoriya blinked up from the ground at him, as Shinso pulled him to his feet and he almost tripped again. He stood in front of the lavender-haired boy, waving his arms frantically. 

“I told him to use his Quirk!” He said quickly. “We were just testing to see if he could order me to forget something.”

“This is ridiculous .” Aizawa said. But then, he paused. “Do you remember now?” Shouto had to admit, he was a little curious too. As terrifying the prospect of mind control was, Shouto was well-read enough on Quirks to know how rare this kind of Quirk was and how little they confidently knew about them. Midoriya glanced at the taller boy behind him.

“No, I don’t.”

“Do you think I could order you to remember?” Shinso asked curiously. 

“Give it a shot-,” Before Aizawa could say anything, his mouth already open, Midoriya’s eyes went blank. 

“Remember putting your shoes on the wrong feet.” Shinso said, and the green-haired boy’s eyes cleared immediately. “Do you?” Midoriya thought for a second, rubbing his jaw, before nodding vigorously. 

“When did you tell me to write on the board?” Midoriya asked, tilting his head. 

“Yesterday.” 

Shouto watched Midoriya’s face light up . His friend had an obsession with Quirks and he was sure this kind of experimentation was absolutely thrilling to him. In fact, if he had to guess, he would say this entire thing was Midoriya’s idea.

“Let me get my notebook!” He flung his bag off his back, setting it down on the desk in front of him and ripping it open-,

“Stop.” Aizawa said, his voice cutting through the air abruptly. “Class is starting.” 

The two of them paused, guiltily. 

“You can test this on your own time.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But not right now.” They nodded stiffly and the general studies student turned to the door, to leave as Midoriya gathered his things and shuffled to his seat, stumbling every few steps. He had yet to fix his shoes. “Shinso.” Aizawa’s flat voice drew the attention back to him. “Come to my office after school.” And then he slammed the door shut, stalking back to the podium. 

Midoriya slid into his seat, face bright red. He glanced back at Shouto, who had long since retaken his seat. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned by the uneasy expression on Midoriya’s face. 

“He ordered me to forget that he told me to do it.” Midoriya said. “Not that I couldn’t notice.” Shouto blinked. His classmate covered his glowing face.

Oh.

“Deku, you’re fucking stupid .” Bakugo barked out, without even turning around. 

“I didn’t notice my shoes were on the wrong feet for three hours! ” Midoriya wailed. “I’ve been walking around like this the whole time!”

Chapter Text

It started - as so many things did - with Kaminari. 

The class was quiet, the only noises being the sound of chalk on the board and Aizawa’s voice as he led them through the material. Sometimes, Izuku could pick up on the scratching of pencils to paper. But it was quiet, one of those rare, few moments of it. 

And then the blonde boy started sniffling . 

Izuku looked up, but Kaminari didn’t seem upset. He was just making noises, as if he had a runny nose or had to sneeze. He checked his bag to see if he had a tissue to give to his classmate, but didn’t see one. It was probably fine, except Izuku knew Bakugo like the back of his hand. 

And he guessed they had about three minutes before he blew Kaminari’s desk to pieces.

Sniff, sniff .

More chalk, more scratching of pencils. Bakugo’s shoulders were tense.

Sniff, sniff . 

Izuku heard a snap from in front of him, like someone pushed too hard on the paper and broke the graphite in their pencil. Slowly, he saw his childhood friend reach into his bag and take out another pencil. 

Silence, for a little while longer. 

Sniff, sniff .

Crunch.

Izuku winced, as the broken shards of what used to be a pencil crumbled from Bakugo’s grasp. 

“Kacchan-,” He started to whisper, but it was too late. 

“ Blow your fucking nose!” He exploded, whirling towards Kaminari with a sudden fury. Ashido screamed in terror as the bang! Of explosions went off in his clenched hands. Kaminari shrieked, as Jiro jerked away from her desk in shock, Bakugo practically shoving her out of the way. “ If you don’t stop sniffling I’m gonna blow your nose off your face! ”

“ I’m sorry! ” Kaminari said. “I have a runny nose!”

“ Yeah NO SHIT!” Slowly, Aizawa rotated around, still holding the chalk to the board. He looked unamused . 

“Bakugo.” He said, without raising his voice. “Don’t make me use my Quirk. Stop shouting.” It was a testament to the fear their teacher struck into all their hearts that Bakugo slammed his hands flat on his desk, growling, but relenting. “Kaminari.” Aizawa addressed him next. 

“Yes?” Kaminari’s voice sounded muffled, as he wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand. 

“Get a tissue.” Silently, Shouji offered one to him and Kaminari thanked him, pressing it to his nose. 

And then Kaminari sniffed once, twice, eyes going up to the fluorescent light in the ceiling, inhaling sharply and Izuku realized that the room was beginning to buzz , static electricity crackling to life on Kaminari’s clothes. He opened his mouth and Izuku grabbed the corner of his desk, ready to duck-,

Aizawa’s hair flew up , eyes flashing red as Kaminari sneezed, failing to cover his mouth until the last second. The static electricity dissipated before anything happened. Their teacher stared at him, glowering. 

“Kaminari.” He said. 

“Yes.” The blonde croaked. 

“Are you ill?”

“Uh...no?” That seemed like a lie; Izuku saw him coughing at lunch. 

“And if I release my Quirk, you will not be sneezing again?” Aizawa said, leaning forward intensely, hair still raised into the air. The odd, anti-gravity force around him felt like a black hole of energy. 

“No!” Kaminari promised. “I’m fine, really!”

“Good.” Aizawa’s hair settled, turning back to the chalkboard. 

Izuku saw Kaminari’s nose twitch, the electricity that always seemed to surround him crackle, and he ducked for cover. 

“ ACHOO! ” Several students screamed as the resulting discharge of electricity zapped them, singing clothing and sending all the desks screeching with the force. There was a series of popping noises before the bulbs in the ceiling burst, sparks showering down on them as students dove under their desks and away from Kaminari, who was glowing with electricity. 

When the light show finally settled, Izuku peeking over his desk, the room was significantly darker, the only light coming in from the windows. It was overcast outside, so there was an odd grey light over the room. Enough to see by, but grey-toned and dreary. It left the front of the classroom shrouded completely in darkness though, almost impossible to see Aizawa at the front, with the dark clothing he wore. 

Kaminari inhaled sharply again and a series of screams rippled through the classroom before the glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness.

“ Achoo! ” The blonde boy sneezed into his arm harmlessly. 

“ Kaminari. ” Came the low, angry voice. Slowly, Izuku watched his classmate lift his head from his arm, looking immensely guilty. “Recovery Girl. Now .”

“But the exams-,” Kaminari started to protest as Aizawa released him from his Quirk. 

“-, will be postponed a week.” Their teacher finished flatly, covering his arm. A murmur went through the class, before Iida shot up from behind his desk. 

“But sensei, our schedule-!”

“Iida.” Aizawa interrupted. “The last time you sneezed you propelled yourself into a wall. Three of you are likely to catch fire. One of you shoots acid. Kaminari just blew out all the lightbulbs in this room. And God forbid Present Mic gets it because I have no desire to replace all the windows on the third floor again and I doubt Recovery Girl wants to treat your bleeding eardrums.” Izuku winced. He hadn’t thought of that. Really, he had never thought much about how getting sick would affect people’s Quirks, not having one himself. He remembered when they were in elementary school and Bakugo came to school with a fever and melted his desk, but they had been little then. And that was only the second desk of the six he destroyed that year on purpose, so it was easy for it to get lost in the shuffle. 

He almost forgot, too, that he had a Quirk that wasn’t One for All and that he was one of those students likely to sneeze fire. He paled at the thought. 

“If any one of you comes to school unwell, I will forcibly remove you from campus. Understand?” Aizawa said, glaring. 

“Yes, sensei.” They chorused back. 

XXXX

“Midoriya!” He heard his voice being called from down the hallway as Present Mic’s voice boomed out of the classroom he was exiting. Izuku turned, to see Shinso waving him down. There was an expression Izuku didn’t quite recognize on his face, a wide, joy-filled smile that was uncharacteristic. It was excitement, Izuku realized. He wasn’t sure what had gotten his friend there, but he beamed back, waving to him, stepping away from his classmates milling about. 

The lavender-haired boy ran up to him, face flushed from the excitement. Izuku realized that Uraraka and Tsu were following him, with Todoroki hovering. Shinso seemed to realize, too.

“Uh, can I talk to you for a second?” He asked. 

“Aren’t you coming to lunch with us?” Izuku asked, confused. Shinso nodded. 

“Yeah, but-, I-,” He rubbed his head. “I just need to talk to you for a second, alone.”

“Yeah, sure!” Izuku said, immediately. He glanced back at his friends. Uraraka was obviously bursting with questions, pressing her lips together. Todoroki was less subtle, brow furrowing. He pressed his lips together, flicking his eyes to Shinso and back to Izuku. They had all been sitting together for a while now, and Izuku still couldn’t figure out whether or not Todoroki liked Shinso. He didn’t hate him, Izuku was sure of that. But he also supposed it took him a while to warm up to people. It happened quickly with Izuku, mostly because Izuku broke all the bones in his hands doing so. And somewhat faster with Iida, but that was a bond formed from a near death experience. Uraraka and Tsuyu too, were likely easier because both were generally positive, cheerful people and their class had already bonded somewhat at USJ. 

Izuku was guessing Todoroki didn’t trust Shinso. He didn’t think it was because of Shinso’s Quirk or at least he hoped not. But rather that Shinso was an outsider to their group and Todoroki didn’t feel sitting together at lunch was sufficient to form an attachment. That was Izuku’s opinion, at least, but he could be wrong. 

“We’ll catch up to you guys in a minute.” Izuku promised, grabbing Shinso by the wrist and tugging him down the hall. Shinso glanced behind his shoulder one last time, before he conceded. “What’s going on?” He asked, once they were away from people. 

The lavender-haired boy smiled to himself, before grinning at Izuku. 

“You know how Aizawa asked me questions about my application for a transfer to heroics?” Izuku certainly did; they’d both been convinced that the man was planning on ripping him apart for their Quirk experimentation when he told him to come to his office. 

“And how you were shitting yourself all day thinking about it?” Izuku responded with a grin. His friend generally didn’t bend to authority, unafraid of the majority of their instructors. But Eraserhead was different, both a respected hero and terrifying teacher. Shinso flicked his forehead, before continuing. 

“He pulled me out of class last period.” He said, a wide, genuine smile on his face. Izuku’s breath caught in his throat. He squeaked and clasped his hands over his mouth, waiting for Shinso to continue. “He says I’m not ready to transfer in yet but that...” Shinso paused, smiling to himself again. “He’s taking me on as a student, Midoriya. Privately.” 

Izuku threw himself at him, wrapping his arms around his neck in a tight hug and yanking him down. 

“ Midoriya , why do you always have to go for the over not the under ?” Shinso grunted, but Izuku could tell he was smiling, squeezing him back. 

“I’m so happy for you-,” Izuku choked out. 

“You’re not allowed to cry .” Shinso said, pulling back and glaring at him. Izuku wiped away tears, blubbering. “ Stop! Are you going to cry when I see you during training?”

“Y-you’re gonna be at my sessions with Aizawa?” Izuku stuttered out, tears welling back up at his eyes. 

“Are you going to cry if I am?” His friend demanded. He hiccupped. 

“Yes!” Shinso dragged a hand over his face, sighing as Izuku tried to wipe away the never-ending stream of tears. When Izuku finally stopped crying, they started walking to lunch, Shinso eyeing him carefully like he was going to burst into tears any moment. 

“How do you have space in your body for all those tears?” Izuku rubbed his nose. 

“It’s a Midoriya family secret.”

When they got back to their friends, Izuku took a seat next to Uraraka, while Shinso sat across from him next to Tsu. Iida was missing today; he had woken up with a runny nose and stayed home in terror of Aizawa punting him off campus like he promised he would. The day before, Sero coughed as he entered the classroom and Aizawa wrapped him up in his capture weapon and dragged him struggling down the hallway, slingshotting him through Recovery Girl’s door. 

Izuku started inhaling his food, only stopping when he realized all his friends were staring at him incredulously. He’d finished his meal and had moved onto some snacks he brought with. 

“Midoriya-chan.” Tsu said, and he lifted his head, slowly crunching down on his pretzels. “How much did you just eat ?” Even Todoroki looked dumbfounded. He slowly swallowed.

“Uhhh...” He stuttered. “My metabolism...is a lot faster than we initially thought.” He had asked All Might about it, like Gran Torino suggested and his mentor had promptly taken him to Recovery Girl. She had informed him, packing energy bars into his hands as she spoke, that he needed to be consuming a base amount of 5,000 calories per day minimum and that if he felt hungry or weak that he should feel free to consume up to 4,000 more. They would reevaluate in a month or two and see if his needs were being met, and that she would consider upping it from that. 

You’re a growing boy , she had said. 

Izuku’s mouth had dropped open, but apparently, between his Quirks and his training, he was at the range of a high level endurance athlete. He had wandered out, dazed, but All Might had just clapped him on the shoulder and laughed, saying that in his prime, he had needed to consume around 12,000 per day at least. All Might had pushed him to eat more in the 10 months of training, insisting on it, even. But Izuku hadn’t expected his metabolism to jump that much. 

“How fast?” Uraraka asked, tilting her head. Izuku shifted back in his seat.

“Well, now I don’t want to say....” He could feel his cheeks burning. 

“You looked like a squirrel, with all those pretzels stuffed into your mouth.” Shinso informed him and Izuku covered his face with his hands. “What, did you intend to swallow them whole ?” He swatted blindly at his friend, giggles coming from the girls at the table. 

“It’s okay, Midoriya-chan. I had to up my calorie intake too, once we started training.” Tsu said between laughs. “My Quirk is very physical.” 

“How many pretzels did you have in your mouth, Deku?” Uraraka was giggling already. 

“I genuinely don’t know how they all fit in that small head of yours.” Shinso remarked. Izuku dragged his hands away from his face, still bright red. 

“Six? I think.” 

“I bet I could beat that.” Shinso said, and Uraraka’s head snapped to him immediately. 

“I want in too!” She cried out. His friend had a surprisingly competitive streak, something that had become more prominent after the Sports Festival. Izuku waved his hands frantically. 

“Wait, when did this become a competition?” He wanted to know.

“Afraid you’ll lose?” Uraraka challenged him, an intensity entering her eyes. Izuku’s eyes widened. 

“You’re on.” Shinso said, grinning at her. “Midoriya, give me your pretzels.” Izuku blinked before, bending to the side to reach into his backpack. 

“You guys are lucky.” He plopped the nearly full bag of pretzels on the table.

“I’ll keep count, ribbit.” Tsu volunteered, pulling out her notebook and a pencil. 

“Todoroki-kun?” Uraraka asked him. “Would you like to participate?” The split-haired boy looked bewildered , eyes flicking from side to side. 

“I...think I’ll just wait, for now.” He said. 

“Are there any rules?” Izuku asked. Tsu rubbed her chin.

“Avoid breaking them, if you can. We want whole pretzels.”

It started to get weird around 6 or 7, seeing his friend’s cheeks puffed out. It wasn’t so odd on Uraraka. As mean as Bakugo’s nicknames were, she did kind of have a round face. Izuku had seen her puff out her cheeks before too, when she was using her Quirk on herself and trying to keep the nausea down. It was cute, and Izuku tried to inform her through his mouth of pretzels. It came out garbled, but she flushed, so she seemed to understand. Shinso, however, looked ridiculous with puffy cheeks, bumpy from the pretzels he was packing into them. 

“You ‘ook ‘ike the shtupidest chifmunk alive.” Izuku tried to tell him. 

“Your fashe is a’ways round.” Shinso responded, shoving another pretzel into his cheek. 

Around 9 or 10, Kirishima noticed, and demanded to be a part of it. Everyone tried to explain through garbled noises, until Tsu took pity and explained for them. The red-haired boy pulled up a chair, puffed out his cheeks, and started shoving them in rapidly.

At 12, Todoroki reached across the table to take a pretzel out of the bag and Kirishima slammed his hands on the table and roared with delight. The split-haired boy’s eyes widened. 

“I just wanted to eat one.” He said quickly. 

“Pweeeease?” Kirishima was the only one of them still capable of speech, but they all nodded enthusiastically. Todoroki shook his head, but Kirishima started pressing them into his hands until Todoroki reluctantly put two in his mouth at once. He settled them in his cheek, and then looked at them, as if he was seeing the scenario for the first time. 

He made a brief, choking noise before a snort ripped itself from him, so loud and unexpected. Izuku pressed his jaw down, surprised to see Todoroki laugh , and he felt a quiet snap . Uraraka slammed a hand against the table, jabbing her finger at him with a garbled yell. 

“You gotta add one more, Midoriya-chan.” Tsu said, clicking her tongue. “Otherwise I won’t count it, ribbit.” He stuffed one more in, glaring.

At one point, he turned to Shinso and tilted his head. 

“‘Ou rink your irk oul ork ike ish?” 

You think your Quirk would work like this? He was trying to say. 

“On’t ow unil ee ry.” Shinso responded with a serious nod. Won’t know until we try , Izuku thought he was trying to respond.

“-ay” Izuku felt a sudden blankness overcome him. 

“-ut anoyer retshel in your ouf.” Came the order, but Izuku felt no compulsion to move, and the grip on his mind released. “Hrrrr.” 

There was a small group around them now, Ashido and Hagakure hovering to cheer them on as they started to reach newfound heights. Uraraka had achieved 16 pretzels with surprising ease, looking smug as she slid another in. Izuku was struggling at 14 not to snap them and Shinso was up to 15. Kirishima kept snapping them on accident as he got excited. Todoroki had been bullied up to 7, his cheeks puffing out, but not to the ridiculous proportions the rest of them were at. It was hard, not to laugh at the competitive spirit, but Izuku was determined not to break any more pretzels. He was so focused, in fact, that he didn’t even hear the heavy footsteps until the large figure was behind him. 

“Young Midoriya!” The voice rang out. Izuku felt his eyes go wide, and everyone instantly fell silent. He twisted around in his seat, to see the larger-than-life figure of his mentor standing over him, hands on his hips, and beaming down at him. All Might looked confused, for a moment, when he saw how puffy Izuku’s cheeks were. 

He couldn’t think of how he was going to respond easily. 

“Yesh?” He tried, and there was a resounding CRUNCH behind him. They all turned to look at Todoroki, who had crunched down hard on the pretzels in his mouth in surprise. There was a beat of silence, as he blinked back in shock. 

He couldn’t help it; Izuku started laughing , the pretzels in his mouth snap snap snapping as he tried not to choke on them. He quickly grabbed a napkin, as they started coming out of his mouth and he tried to hide how disgusting it was, slamming his head down on the table. He could hear cracking noises coming from Shinso as he struggled not to laugh and Uraraka chewing and swallowing rapidly, covering her own mouth. 

All Might’s laughter boomed . 

XXXX

Izuku’s life was a joke .

All Might had asked to meet with him during his free period later. He had obviously intended to speak to Izuku at lunch, but had laughed and waved him off as Izuku tried to get around the mouth of pretzels, claiming that he could see Izuku’s presence was indispensable . 

And then he’d gone to see him and All Might had reluctantly dropped the bomb of All for One on him, and the secret of their shared Quirk. 

“I’m sorry, young Midoriya. I didn’t want to tell you, after seeing you enjoying yourself with your friends.” All Might apologized, sinking in the couch. He was in his frailer form, and it was obvious that it was weighing on him heavily. “You don’t have to worry, though.” 

That didn’t really help; Izuku was incapable of not worrying. 

“I will defeat him.” All Might had said, jaw set, serious look on his face that was almost uncharacteristic. “I thought that I had handled this, that this would never be your burden to carry.”

“But if he’s back-,” Izuku had tried. 

“I won’t let you shoulder it.” All Might said. “If it’s the only thing I can do for you. This should never be your battle.” It sounded...like he was going to sacrifice himself and the thought of that alone made Izuku nauseous.

“I want to help.” Izuku had said. “Not just because I have One for All. But because you’re...you.” He had felt like his point wasn't coming across clearly, struggling for the words.

“Because I’m All Might.” His mentor said softly. “It’s not your burden.”

“No!” Izuku said. “Because I care about you! I don’t want you to face this alone!” 

All Might had been silent, his face going abruptly unreadable, almost blank. His hands hung limply between his knees, head bent.

“You’re not just All Might to me...” Izuku said, balling up his hands. “You’re my...mentor. My friend . I want you here with me . I know you want to protect me, but if taking this on alone means you won’t be here to see me stuff pretzels into my mouth like an idiot, then the price is too high .” He had waited, for a few moments, not sure if he had overstepped, if he had been rude, when his mentor hadn’t responded. “Did I-,” He stopped, not sure what to say. 

“Young Midoriya.” All Might said. He lifted his head slowly, mouth slowly turning in a small smile. “You continue to surprise me.” He reached out across the table, large hand settling in Izuku’s hair, ruffling it. Izuku was certain he turned bright red. “Every day I become more certain of my decision.”

“To?” Izuku said, tilting his head, confused.

“To choose you .”

XXXX

“Todoroki-kun?” Shouto heard the familiar voice from behind him in the locker rooms. He turned his head, to see the tuft of green hair sticking out from behind the corner. They were ending the day with some practical exercises, most of the other boys having changed and headed home by now. “Is everything...okay?”

Everything is fine , was the response that wanted to fly from his lips. But he had snuck around the corner to change. He had been walking gingerly all day. He had kept to ranged attacks, all day, so he wouldn’t have to fight hand to hand with anybody and risk making it worse. 

Shouto was good at hiding when he was injured. Or maybe he was just good at ignoring it, and everyone else followed his direction. It didn’t matter; he always had to be strong around Endeavor. If he slipped up in training because his ribs were bruised, he would be told that he needed to learn to fight through such a little injury. That the villains wouldn’t stop, just because he was a little sore. That he needed to learn to take a hit . 

And then Endeavor would show him how to take a hit. 

It was better to power through it; just less mess, in the end. 

And he liked school, anyways. He liked being in class and talking to Iida and Midoriya. He even liked sitting with Uraraka and Asui at lunch. Studying with Momo sometimes, trying to understand all the English idioms in Present Mic’s class. He even liked Aizawa, as strict and terrifying as he was. 

If he was injured, they would send him to Recovery Girl. Or they would send him home.

He didn’t want to go home. He wanted to stay with his friends. 

His friends.

The thought made his breath catch. 

He should have guessed, though that one of those friends would notice. Especially Midoriya, who knew all the things to look for all too well. 

“It’s alright. I will be okay.” He said, finally. There was a big bruise, spreading along his side. It was probably yellowing, nasty looking and sore. Midoriya bit his lip, looking like he didn’t believe him. He waved his hand. “It was just a training accident. Nothing too bad.” It had hurt, but it was a blow he should have blocked, really. Not good, but nothing like the times he felt helpless and scared. He could deal with it, even if it hurt a little. 

“Are you sure?” Midoriya said. “We could go to Recovery Girl.” Shouto shook his head. 

“No,it’ll just make me tired. It will heal on its own.” He said. Endeavor would probably leave him alone for the next few days. After all, Shouto had to stay at the top of his class and he had to study for final exams.

Green eyebrows cinched together, his classmate still looking concerned. 

“We’ll be going to the training camp after finals.” Shouto said. “Don’t worry about me.” He was looking forward to the training camp, actually. Even after everything, Shouto didn’t mind training, not when it was at school. Aizawa pushed them, but he always knew exactly what each student could handle and wasn’t afraid to intervene if things were getting dicey. Shouto wouldn’t say he trusted Aizawa-, well.

Maybe he did .

Watching his teacher selflessly defend them at USJ, fighting long past the point of reason to protect his students had earned him some measure of trust, at least. He would never forget any of that. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Shouto asked, and silently reprimanded himself, when it came out harsher than he intended. Midoriya seemed unaffected though. He shrugged. 

“I’m meeting Shinso for a run. And some painful stretches.” He said. As if on cue, Shouto heard the locker room door open, and a voice call out, 

“Midoriya? You still down here?” Shouto realized that Midoriya had changed from their gym uniform, but not into their school clothes. It was a pair of shorts and an old, loose t-shirt. The footsteps got closer, and before long, there was a flash of purple hair in Shouto’s view. His first instinct was to hide the injury on his side, but he knew that would make anyone instantly suspicious. It would make him suspicious, after all. They were training to be heroes. Sometimes that meant they got bruises. The idea wasn’t unusual.

Shinso stopped, behind Midoriya, lips pressed together, mouth a thin line. 

Shouto didn’t hate Shinso. He had been wary, maybe a little jealous. But after watching him stuff 14 pretzels in his mouth and almost choke on them, the purple-haired boy had grown on Shouto a little. He didn’t mind him as much anymore. 

But sometimes he hated how perceptive Midoriya’s new friend was. 

“Hero training hits hard, huh?” He asked, voice flat and Shouto could tell Shinso knew something was wrong almost instantly.

“Yeah.” Shouto responded, pulling his shirt on. 

“Are you okay to go home?” Midoriya finally asked, worrying his bottom lip. 

“Yes.” Shouto said, picking up on the double meaning of the green-haired boy’s words. “I have to study tonight.” Midoriya nodded, and Shouto gathered up his things, walking past him. He didn’t miss the way he felt Midoriya’s fingers brush gently against his arm, or his own, sudden desire to sit down on that bench and let Midoriya coddle him. He would; Shouto knew that if he asked, Midoriya would be tripping over himself to get him to Recovery Girl, to tell Aizawa, to call the police. 

But even if he could , even if someone would believe him, Shouto had his mother to think about. Fuyumi. Natsuo. All people Endeavor was capable of hurting, if Shouto defied him. 

Maybe attachments are a weakness , Shouto reflected and it stung that his father had always been right. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Midoriya. Good luck with your training.” Shouto said, to both him and Shinso.

Chapter Text

Izuku bit back a groan when he saw he was paired with Bakugo for the final exam. Paired with Bakugo and facing his mentor . His mentor, who Izuku was absolutely certain would destroy him, even with the cuffs. He could guess that they were pairing them up based on their weaknesses, both partners and their opponents. Him, Bakugo, and All Might were fairly obvious. Todoroki and Momo vs Eraserhead made sense too; matching up the people who relied on their Quirks the most with someone who could erase them. 

Kaminari and Ashido’s made sense , but Izuku felt bad for them.

“We’re idiots! ” Ashido shrieked, grabbing her horns. Kaminari had his head in his hands, shaking it frantically. 

“Why would they do this to us....” He muttered. Hesitantly, Izuku rubbed Kaminari’s back. 

“Just try your best, Kaminari-kun!” He said. Though, Izuku had done as much research into Nedzu’s Quirk as he could and it didn’t bode well for his classmates. He didn’t think they were stupid, even if Ashido was yelling it to the sky, but would admit neither of them were masters of strategy. 

Nedzu was, though. 

Regardless, Izuku was going to need to focus on his own match. Bakugo had already shoved him aside and snapped, telling him to get out of his way and let him focus on winning. So Izuku knew that Bakugo wasn’t going to take the time to work out a strategy with him. He was going to have to figure that out on his own. 

He had thought about it, of course. Izuku had been obsessing over All Might’s Quirk since he was little. The only problem was that for the Advantages/Disadvantages portion, the Disadvantages side had been looking pretty sparse. The extra knowledge about One for All helped and maybe years from now, when Izuku knew the inner workings of the power like the back of his hand, he could use that. But it wasn’t going to do him a lot of good now. 

It was kind of like his fight against Gran Torino; just because you understood how someone’s Quirk worked didn’t mean you could defeat them. When it came down to it, All Might, even weakened, was still faster, stronger, and more experienced. The only advantage Izuku might gain would be through strategizing and cooperation with Bakugo. After all, they had known each other since...birth, basically. That should have been powerful , the ability to work in tandem with little communication, to know what the other was thinking as they were thinking it. 

Except Bakugo would refuse to cooperate. In fact, Izuku would take a guess that unless something changed, his childhood friend would actively work against him. 

It still made his heart hurt, that Bakugo barely spoke to him. They hadn’t spoken at length, really, since that day after their class activity. When Izuku revealed his Quirk had been given to him. Except he’d been wrong, hadn’t he? He had another Quirk all along, and just never knew it because something so horrible had happened-,

Izuku stopped himself, chewing on his lip as he watched the other exams. That was a can of worms he didn’t want to open right now. 

They exchanged words, Bakugo yelled at him, Izuku tried to deflect because he didn’t want to think about it too hard. It hurt . And his childhood friend was always simmering with rage, eyes burning a hole through him. Liar. Useless. You had a Quirk and you couldn’t even use it. Might as well have been Quirkless. Stupid, useless Deku. He was imagining his childhood friend saying that, but it wasn’t far from the things he had said. 

“ You think just because you have your little friends and your little Quirks that you’re not the same useless Deku?”

He had been trying to avoid him. It still hurt that Bakugo seemed to hate him so much, but Izuku had decided to give him his space. And he had other friends he could spend time with, so it was a little easier to put some space in between them. There had been a few occasions, though, when Bakugo’s verbal barbs had built and built in intensity until he was almost nose-to-nose with Izuku and he flinched at the fire in his palms. When that happened, Todoroki had slid between them cleanly and said nothing, simply taking Izuku by the arm and walking away when Bakugo screamed at him. 

It was one of the rare times Izuku wanted to cry and didn’t.

It was somehow worse, seeing him bond with students in their class. Not that Izuku didn’t want him to; deep down, he was glad that he had friends like Kirishima and Sero and even Ashido no matter how hard Bakugo resisted. He had seen him tutoring them, even if he screamed “ USE THE FUCKING FORMULA, SHITTY HAIR! ARE YOU BLIND? ” 

The people at UA were better, for sure, than the sycophantic classmates from their middle school. It was just proof that Bakugo wasn’t incapable of friendship or affection and that it wasn’t him that was the problem. Somehow, it was Izuku.

And then the trial started .

All Might was terrifying . 

Izuku had seen the videos, felt the force when his mentor had defeated the sludge villain. When he defeated the Nomu. But it was different when it was aimed at him with the intent to hurt .

And then they were getting the absolute living shit beat out of them. Trapped on the ground watching All Might hit Bakugo so hard he vomited was chilling. And oh, Izuku had tried to convince him to cooperate. 

That conversation had gone poorly.

“ I’d rather LOSE THAN TAKE HIS HELP! ” He heard Bakugo scream and that was the moment he knew that his childhood friend wasn’t okay.

“ DON’T SAY THAT! ” Izuku screamed back, and he gave back tenfold what Bakugo had done to him at the beginning of the match, when he hit him so hard he made him fall silent. He sent the blonde boy flying, and zipped forward, snatching him out of the air and zig-zagging away from All Might as fast as they could. When they landed heavily, Izuku’s heartbeat pounding in his ears so loud he was surprised he could hear anything else. His hands were shaking. 

“Why the fuck would you do that?!” Bakugo hissed, ripping himself away from Izuku. “ You don’t get to take me out of the fight! ” 

“ Shut UP! ” Izuku snapped. “What is wrong with you? What the fuck did you do with Kacchan?” If there was one thing Izuku knew about Bakugo, it was that his friend’s desire to win was pathological. His tenacity was terrifying. 

“Just what do you think you’re saying , shitty Deku?” Izuku balled his fists up at his sides. He could feel angry tears smarting at his eyes, but he fought them back. It wouldn’t help. It would only make Bakugo angry. But he was just so frustrated . 

“If you would rather lose than work with me, then get out .”

“That’s what I’m trying to do-,”

“Of UA.” Bakugo froze. His head turned slowly, like it was creaking and the silence coming from him, coming from the field where they knew All Might was waiting for them, was oppressive. “I don’t know what is going on with you,” Izuku forced out. “-, but you don’t lose. You would never choose defeat, even if it means working with me.”

“I don’t need you.” Bakugo spat out. “You and your little Quirks , pretending to be useless all this time, thinking you could fool me. As weak as you’ve always been . You wanted a Quirk so bad you fucking wished it into existence and now you pretend like you’re innocent , like you couldn’t use it like-,”

Izuku slapped him.

The dam broke; there were tears streaming down his face openly now. 

The blonde looked at him for a moment before he lunged grabbing Izuku by the throat and shoving him against the wall hard with a frustrated scream , spit flying into Izuku’s face. He ignored the pain in his neck, the snap of his head against the wall. 

“How dare you .” Izuku choked out. “How could you say that? You remember him, you know what he DID!” He grabbed a finger on Bakugo’s hand and tried to rip it back, but the crack of a small explosion against his skin forced him to release it. “ HE ALMOST KILLED US YOU PIECE OF SHIT! ”

“You got a Quirk out of it, didn’t you?”

“You think I WANTED THIS? The ONLY good thing about being fucking Quirkless was that at least I didn’t have his Quirk!” Izuku screamed back and he couldn’t even see Bakugo’s face through his tears. The other boy was nothing but a blurry blonde figure in front of him. “And I am trying to deal with it! I’ve been doing the work, I’ve been trying to control it , I went to fucking therapy and it doesn’t change the fact that he almost killed me. ”

“Deku, be quiet-,”

“SHUT UP!” Kacchan got to yell all he wanted, whenever he wanted. “Because you know what?” Izuku snapped. “He almost killed me, he almost killed my mom, and you’re STILL the reason I flinch!”

XXXX

“We need to stop the exam.” Shouta said, quiet, but firm. He knew there had been tension between the two students, but had never quite figured out where it came from. He assumed that the fights, the arguments, came from both sides. He knew Midoriya was sweet, but he also knew Midoriya was a spitfire. He had never seen him back down from a fight.

And now he was realizing that he was wrong.  

In his opinion, they should have stopped the exam the moment they all saw Bakugo hit Midoriya, for no reason other than trying to strategize. 

“You put them together.” Nedzu said. 

“I was wrong .” Shouta said through gritted teeth. He was glad that they were one of the last exams, most of the other students having gone to Recovery Girl or taken a breather. The moment Bakugo had hit Midoriya, he had gone and shut the door to the viewing room before any other student could come in. He heard the disappointed voices from outside, as their classmates came once they were free and found the door was locked. 

He objectively knew Midoriya didn’t get his Quirk until UA. But he had not thought it through clearly enough or else he would have figured it out earlier.

 Midoriya had been Quirkless . 

He wasn’t, not really. 

But that’s what everyone would have believed.

“Nedzu.” He said. “Tell me what you know about the statistics of Quirkless people.” Nedzu paused, lacing his paws together. 

“If Midoriya was to be considered an average Quirkless person,” That boy had never, ever been average. “-, then he would have been told to kill himself 2.3 times a month.” 

Midoriya was an abused child; Shouta didn’t know all the details, but he knew enough. He repressed a Quirk for eleven years. And in his experience, most young, abused children didn’t lash out, didn’t fight back. They just took more abuse. Because they thought they deserved it. 

And Bakugo had certainly seemed to think so too. 

“Midoriya has shown himself to be exceptionally tenacious.” Nedzu said, calmly. “He can persevere, even through this.” 

“The Midoriya we know now is a testament to that boy’s exceptional will and exceptional heart. Not an excuse to subject him to a cruel, traumatic experience bordering on torment.” Shouta snarled, standing up. 

“The exam is already in progress. If we stop this now, do you think anything will be better, for Midoriya? Or Bakugo?” Nedzu said. “They’re both here and have been unable to avoid conflict. This was bound to happen at some point.” 

“I don’t care .” Shouta snapped. He really didn’t; he was itching to expel Bakugo on the spot. He had refrained, even though the boy had an explosive temperament before now because the main subject of his ire, when it bordered on cruelty was Midoriya. And when they weren’t going head to head, when Midoriya wasn’t looking he had seen what he had only been able to qualify as... respect . For Midoriya and his abilities. When the green-haired boy wasn’t paying attention, it wasn’t hate in Bakugo’s face. It was something more complex, something that Shouta thought had more to do with Bakugo than it did Midoriya. 

But after seeing this , it didn’t matter even if all of that was true. This was abhorrent; it was inappropriate in a thousand ways and Bakugo should have never made it back the background check for the entrance exam. Shouta could only guess that none of the incidents of assault Bakugo had committed against the smaller boy had never been recorded due to the fact that Midoriya had been considered Quirkless. It made him sick to his stomach, the years of torment that must have gone on under the eyes of so many adults, so many educators, so many caretakers .

All because Bakugo had a strong Quirk and Midoriya didn’t have one at all.

“Are you going to expel him?” Nedzu asked, simply. His voice was toneless, like he was going to accept whatever Shouta’s decision was. 

He hated this, but he knew that Nedzu wasn’t going to stop the exam, not when it was already in progress and it infuriated him. He knew Nedzu was concerned with raising the next generation of heroes, always. But he had come to know Nedzu was someone who was also concerned with raising children. Especially these children, who had already had to live through something horrible and violent. It was mind-boggling, the way he was acting now. But Shouta took his seat, clenched his fists and thought about all the ways he would ensure something like this would never happen again.

“He has the next 20 minutes to give me a reason not to.” 

XXXX

“Shut the fuck up! ” Bakugo hissed, and he grabbed Izuku by the throat with both hands. He wasn’t choking him, per se, but holding back. The explosive boy looked nearly purple with rage. “You don’t get to play the innocent!” He snapped. “ Always fucking looking down on-, ”

“Why do you think it’s always about you? ” Izuku sobbed.

Bakugo abruptly let him go. 

“Why did you save me?” His voice was uncharacteristically quiet. Izuku’s hands snapped up to his throat, rubbing it and coughing. A small puff of flame came out. 

Somehow, even when Izuku thought he knew everything there was to know about his childhood friend, he could still surprise him.

“ What? ”

“Don’t fucking act stupid . That fucking-,” It was like it legitimately pained him to say it. “-, before UA. The-,” He stopped, growling, before he clenched his fist and screamed in frustration. All Izuku saw was a grenade bracer swinging for his head and he took a sharp breath and closed his eyes-,

CRACK .

He forced his eyes open, stunned, when he felt no pain. Trembling, he turned, to see where Bakugo had slammed his fist into the wall. 

“Why-,”

“You were my friend once.” The words came out of Izuku’s mouth before he could stop himself. “It would kill me, if you die.” Hands grabbed him by the front of his suit, yanking him forward roughly, so that he was almost off the ground. 

“ I fucking hate you. ” Izuku had no idea what the fuck was going on. “Open your mouth.”

“ What? ”

“Open your goddamn mouth!” Slowly, Izuku obliged. Bakugo held up his grenade bracer, releasing one hand, and tapping at a specific metal portion of the bracer. “Bite down.”

“Do you want me to break my teeth ?”

“I’m going to fucking murder you. Bite down. ” Izuku did, lightly. Making a noise of frustration, the blonde grabbed the top of his head and fear shot through Izuku as he shoved down and with the position he was at against the wall, Bakugo pressing into him he had no choice- ,

It shattered my teeth, Izuku thought. And I just don’t feel it.

And then Bakugo released him and the grenade bracer was free of his arm, sliding it off the end and there was a metallic taste in his mouth like blood.

“If you choke on that shit I really will let you fucking die.” 

Izuku spat out a hunk of crunched, twisted metal into his hand. 

He stared at it, stunned. No blood, no nothing. His teeth were all there, he realized, as he brought up his hand to check. 

And then Bakugo shoved the bracer into his hands, eyes burning .

XXXX

Toshinori had heard the screaming; it was almost impossible not to. He couldn’t catch exactly what was being said, but when he heard the cracked, broken voice of his student, it hurt . He wanted to intervene, wanted to stop whatever horrible thing was going on that he just couldn’t see. He had a bad feeling since he saw the explosive boy hit his student, for seemingly no reason. Things had only gone downhill for them since there. 

There was a path to victory in every exam they were giving. More than one, in reality. But one built on purpose by Aizawa. The end goal of young Midoriya and Bakugo’s was cooperation . If this were a real fight and if he were a real villain, he could have found the two of them with ease and ended this already by immobilizing them. But he had been specifically instructed to allow them to talk, if it seemed like they were. To hang back and give them a moment to work things out, if they could.

Toshinori could not tamp down the feeling that they couldn’t. He didn’t understand their relationship and likely never would. But he had seen the mock battle that first week and heard the horrible, horrible things young Bakugo said. The determination not to beat Midoriya, but to hurt him. He hadn’t seen that level of ire for anyone besides perhaps Todoroki in the final of the Sports Festival. 

His young student had given it right back to him at the time, but Toshinori was beginning to get the feeling that might have been the first time Midoriya had stood up to his childhood friend ever .

The thought made him sick. 

It had gone quiet, for a while though. No screaming. 

Now Toshinori really didn’t know where they were.

Not that either of them particularly excelled at stealth though, so he was certain he would find them soon. 

And there it was, the sound of crackling explosions as young Bakugo ran out on the field. He looked furious , face screwed up in rage, hands clenched as he leaped through the air towards him, snarling.

Toshinori clicked his tongue. This boy would really never learn that a frontal assault wasn’t always his best option. 

He was ready to counter, leaning more into his ‘villain’ presence. It was kind of fun, at first. Even if he did feel bad about the damage he was dealing to the young boys. He was attempting to channel Gran Torino, but it might have taken a darker turn inadvertently. 

“Oh? And you think you can win this now, alone? Injured?” He boomed as he flung Bakugo into the dirt. “Where is your partner now? ” Part of it was the villain act; but part of it was because...he wanted to know. He didn’t see Midoriya anywhere, and he saw how hard Bakugo had hit him earlier.

So he was concerned about his student. 

Sue him.

“I don’t fucking need him.” Bakugo spat out. “This victory is mine and mine fucking alone! ” He screeched and he ducked Toshinori’s next lazy blow, rolling just out of grasp. It was no matter, all Toshinori had to do was turn-,

And then there was the telltale crunch of cracking bricks.

He flicked his eyes up, to see a crackle of green lightning, zig-zagging from building to building, moving rapidly, with no hesitation . He almost smiled. 

“ Get the fuck out of here, Deku!” Bakugo screeched. “ Get out of my way! ”

And then his student was leaping and Toshinori raised his hand to block but he-,

He didn’t need to.

He watched, in horror, as with a shriek of unbridled rage, a shriek that could have shook the very ground they were standing on, young Bakugo held up his hand and attacked his own opponent.

“ Die, you stupid Quirkless loser! ” It wasn’t a small explosion, it wasn’t a warning , it was reminiscent of the dense, deadly explosion he had used to incinerate chunks of falling concrete during the Sports Festival, aimed directly at Midoriya from underneath. There was no way he could anticipate, no way he could block -,

Midoriya, his partner. Midoriya , who had only been trying to cooperate. Midoriya, Toshinori’s student who loved him so much it hurt-,,

And Toshinori broke. 

He couldn’t help it; he had seen the kind of damage that Bakugo was capable of and this was crossing the line . It was unacceptable, and Toshinori had already allowed Bakugo to go too far once before and he had vowed to never allow that again. 

“What are you doing -,” He shouted and through the dense explosion, the light and the smoke clearing he caught Bakugo’s smug sneer.

Because Midoriya wasn’t lying broken on the ground, smoking and bleeding. Midoriya was nowhere in his sight.

Because he was launching through the air behind him, pulling off aerial acrobatics he hadn’t know the small teen was capable of, and Toshinori realized, somewhat belatedly, that Bakugo only had one grenade bracer.

He didn’t even know where to look .

Not that it mattered, because light filled his vision and his feet left the ground. 

Huh, Toshinori thought, as he felt pain lance through his body. I forgot Midoriya was fireproof.

XXXX

“See?” Nedzu said. 

Shouta was trembling with rage. 

A quick glance behind him showed Nemuri, clutching her mouth in shock, tears streaming down her face. The shock and horror he felt was reflected on every single teacher’s face. Hizashi was shaking. 

“They figured it out.” Nedzu said, though the way he blinked at the screen showed Shouta how uneasy even he was. 

He had no idea how to feel; the horror of watching Bakugo wrap his hands around Midoriya’s throat. The reference to something none of them understood, something that involved....Midoriya saving Bakugo’s life somehow, something long before UA. Bakugo, knowing something about Midoriya’s Quirk that the rest of them didn’t, including Midoriya.

And the fucking batshit plan that had compromised All Might. A plan that Shouta could say having watched the footage, that those two must have come up with telepathically because once the screaming had ended Shouta had watched them say maybe ten words to each other. 

Before they were moving with an absolute synchronicity and trust that Shouta had never seen before, not even in the top pro hero duos. 

Not a single moment of hesitation, on either of them. 

What was most disturbing was that Shouta couldn’t tell if any of the things Bakugo said when he faced down All Might were true or not. He said them like they were, and yet it was undoubtedly an element of their play. It had broken All Might down; Shouta had seen the moment he saw the attack on Midoriya, the attack that convinced every single one of them that in 15 minutes, Bakugo would be expelled and arrested. 

And yet .

He watched. Midoriya threw the grenade bracer to the side before he even landed, and Bakugo was setting up another explosion. One hand propelled Midoriya threw the air and the other lifted Bakugo and-,

Midoriya grabbed his hand and the flames started flowing from his mouth and it was a move Bakugo had never seen and yet he was using his explosions to give Midoriya the rotation he needed like they had practiced it a thousand times-,

And Midoriya burst through the air, the whip of fire cracking around him, long, longer than Shouta had ever seen . It ripped through the ground, snapping out towards All Might, who was only beginning to get to his feet.

There was a moment of pure, unadulterated shock on All Might’s face as it snapped towards him and scorched through his suit, going straight through the flame resistant material Shouta knew it was made of. The force sent him off his feet as he tried to block and Midoriya pressed on , bringing his foot down as he rocketed towards him in a kick that Shouta knew was going to hurt .

But All Might wasn’t number one for nothing, because faster than Shouta could have imagined, his hand shot out and he grabbed Midoriya by the leg and he was tossing him in the air like he was nothing , the knee to his back sending the small green boy’s body towards Bakugo like a weapon.

Shouta could swear he saw Midoriya’s eyes roll back into his head for a moment and his nails pushed through the skin of his palms. He had been standing for longer than he could remember now, hunched over and shaking. 

Snipe grabbed a trash can and pulled it between his legs. He didn’t throw up but he was looking...nauseous.

Recovery Girl covered her mouth with her hands.

And even though they both went tumbling into the dirt, Bakugo rolled, grabbing Midoriya with him and forcing him to his wobbly feet and their plan was dead in the water, Shouta knew. Even he was surprised at how strong All Might was. Even with his injuries and the weights and the blow from the grenade bracers. It was terrifying .

Then he watched them make eye contact and Shouta was scared for them all over again. 

“We have to stop this.” His voice was shaking. 

Onscreen, Midoriya snagged Bakugo around the waist and with a crackle of green lightning, he was zig-zagging in that same way again, around All Might, and they were turning around, Midoriya still hanging on. His explosions were more of a nuisance, disorienting the giant of a man and then using them as thrust , they were pushing All Might down, one of Midoriya’s feet planted on All Might’s head and the other on his neck .

All Might bent, and threw his body back, throwing them off with ease just as Bakugo fired his explosions downward, one of the dense, super explosions that Shouta could tell burned his skin from the way he gritted his teeth. 

“That’s what they wanted.” His voice croaked out, as he realized what was happening. They were flying through the air, propelled by Midoriya’s jump, All Might’s throw and Bakugo’s explosions. 

Midoriya threw Bakugo like a frisbee, sending him rocketing towards the gate.

They were going to pass, Shouta realized, numbly.

Midoriya started to fall, without the extra propulsion. Not that it mattered, because All Might was up and jumping towards Midoriya, grabbing him and throwing him into the ground hard enough that what used to be concrete and had long since been cracked and melted and ground down went flying in a massive spray. Shouta could barely fathom how many limbs Midoriya must have just broken and the flash of the red marks on his throat in the shape of hands was all he could see. They would be bruised and mottled, soon. 

Snipe retched into the garbage can. 

And then Bakugo did something unexpected.

He was sailing towards the gate, home clear as All Might dealt with Midoriya. Shouta could see his face, contorted with rage. And then, the blonde boy glanced over his shoulder and something changed. 

He changed directions, rotating his body mid-air, foot out and aiming towards the gate. He went not through, but on , his foot making contact with the top of it and there was a resounding crack at the force, the metal warping and bending under him, before a series of explosions launched him back into the air. He didn’t go for Midoriya, who was laying limply on the ground, likely unconscious. He went to the warped hunk of what used to be a car, nearby and he-,

Oh.

He wedged himself underneath it and the next thing any of them could see was it flying through the air, launched with an unseen force towards All Might while Bakugo scrambled to his feet and took off towards Midoriya. Shouta could see the gloves on his suit had burned away, the skin underneath red and blistered and bleeding . 

While the Symbol of Peace took a two-ton hunk of metal directly to the head, Bakugo snatched Midoriya off the ground, hauled him over his back, and went running for the gate.

When they crossed the barrier, his legs gave out under him and they went skidding to the ground. The green-haired boy lolled limply off Bakugo’s back, onto his side. He watched, as Bakugo roughly pushed him over, so that Midoriya was face-up, looking bloodied and broken. 

He went back for him. 

They would have passed, even if he hadn’t. It was only required for one to make it through and while they took the method of victory into account, it wasn’t incorrect. The idea was that in a scenario against an opponent like All Might, that a potential correct answer was one partner escapes to go get help while the other attempts to hold off a villain that left unchecked, would kill thousands. It was the hard choice; but not the incorrect one. 

Shouta watched Bakugo blister his hands open, likely causing permanent nerve damage to them, just so he could go back for Midoriya in a fake scenario in a test that was already over.

He didn’t know what to think.

“Sh-shouta.” Hizashi’s voice was trembling. “What the fuck was that?”

“I don’t know.” He said. 

“That was...” Nemuri’s face was drained of color. “I’ve never had a fight like that before. Not even against a real villain.” 

“They didn’t even speak .” Nedzu said, and Shouta saw red when he realized that it was triumphant .

“ No .” Shouta’s voice echoed through the room. 

“Shouta-,”

“ NO. ” He roared, wheeling around onto Nedzu.

“They made it through.” Nedzu said, quietly.

“Just because he can , doesn’t mean he should have to , or that we should hold his future over his head to make him do it! ” Shouta didn’t know if he had ever been so angry on a student’s behalf in his life . But what he had just seen could never happen again. “ He’s a CHILD , not a SOLDIER! ”

Shouta couldn’t even remember the last time he had deemed it necessary to raise his voice. 

Slap!

Before Shouta could finish, he was whirling around to see Bakugo smacking an unconscious Midoriya across the face. 

“ Kacchan? ” His answer was groggy.

“Wake up! ” The blonde roared in his face, bent over him, almost nose-to-nose and spitting .

“How’d you...know....I could-,” Midoriya clacked his teeth, eyes bleary. He was concussed, for certain. Shouta watched his eyes close again, starting but-,

Bakugo snapped his fingers in front of him. 

“Fucking look at me while I’m talking to you! ”

“-kay.” Midoriya tried to sit up, and instantly gave up. He reached up, slowly, pulling at the collar of his costume. “-, his Quirk ?” He slurred, hands picking oddly at it, like he wasn’t sure what he was trying to do. Bakugo ripped his hand away, pushing them against his chest, obviously irritated. 

“It’s not.”

“ Ngh ?”

“I remember perfectly fucking clearly. You don’t have his goddamn Quirk, you stupid fucking parasite.” Bakugo snapped. “Yours is different. It’s better.”

“-mkay...” Bakugo was sitting on the ground next to Midoriya, legs out in front of him and bent over, breathing heavily. The green-haired boy’s hands were drifting again and the blonde’s hand shot out and grabbed it before he could worry his throat. For a moment, it looked so violent Shouta almost-,

He clasped it. Despite everything, even when Midoriya’s eyes shut again, Bakugo didn’t let it go. He held his hand in his, and then Shouta watched his other hand come up and hold it too, clenching it between his tightly almost desperately , once he thought no one was watching. 

When Midoriya was failing to keep his eyes open, they watched him shuffle, slowly, across the ground and slowly release Midoriya’s hand, his own going to Midoriya’s shoulders.

"I fucking hate you." He said.

Shouta watched the most explosive boy he had ever met slowly lift Midoriya’s head and gently set it in his lap. And then slowly, painstakingly, reach down to take his hand again.

He didn’t know what he was expecting to happen next, but nothing did. Bakugo sat there and waited quietly.

“I-i....” Hizashi stumbled behind him. Shouta heard him swallow, heavily. “I understand less than I did before.”

Chapter Text

Izuku wasn’t sure what exactly happened. 

He had spent the next few hours, in and out, even with Recovery Girl’s Quirk. He knew All Might was there at one point, having woken up groggily to a large hand in his hair before slipping back into blissful unconsciousness. Bakugo was there too, sitting up on the bed next to him while Recovery Girl double-checked his injuries after some healing. He knew Bakugo knew he was awake, because through his haze he heard them talking. 

“Oh, look who’s awake.” Came the quiet, familiar voice of the older woman as she examined Bakugo’s hand. 

“Not for long.” Bakugo said. He didn’t even turn to look at Izuku, who knew his head was lolling to the side. He attempted a small smile at Recovery Girl, who was looking at him softly, but he didn’t remember much after that, having fallen back asleep. 

The next time he woke up, they were alone and he was more awake than he was before. He realized he couldn’t remember how the fight ended after All Might threw him to the ground. He must have hit his head, because everything was blurry and confusing after that, but he had been so sure that they put enough distance between Bakugo and All Might that his childhood friend would have made it through the gate. If All Might had caught up to him again, after all that , then Izuku didn’t know what the teachers had wanted them to do during the exam or how there was supposed to be any path to victory. 

He remembered, briefly, laying on the ground outside the gate. He could see Bakugo’s blurry face in his mind. 

Yours is different. It’s better. Bakugo had said something like that, right? It seemed like a dream, but he could hear the words so closely in his mind. But it sounded further from reality and more of the kind of thing Izuku would want him to say. One of the instructors must have carried him off the field, he guessed. 

“Kacchan?” He said to the room, rubbing his eyes. Something shifted in the bed next to him, and the blonde-haired boy sat up, head turning slowly to face Izuku who had curled up onto his side. His eyes were narrowed.

“ What ?” Bakugo snapped. 

“What happened?”

“We passed, idiot .” Bakugo said. Izuku could see bandages on Bakugo’s hands. It looked... bad . Much worse than he thought it was when they had made their play against All Might and Bakugo had propelled him over his mentor’s head instead, so they could hit him with the grenade bracers at the same time. 

“Oh.” Izuku said. “Okay.” He was still groggy, eyes bleary. 

He remembered something else.

“How’d you....know my teeth could do that?” He remembered believing with such conviction that  Bakugo had just shattered all the teeth in his mouth forcing him to bite through a piece of metal. But he had been fine . In fact, he barely felt it. It had been easy to crunch straight through the metal. His hand came up to his mouth absently. He had no idea he could do that. 

“Because you ignite a combustion reaction at the back of your fucking throat and propel it with enough force to crack a goddamn whip, you dense motherfucker.” Bakugo snapped. Izuku winced. If there was one thing Bakugo knew about, it was the science behind explosions. And really, Izuku should too at this point. “Your teeth can’t be normal or else you’d have been drinking your katsudon since USJ. If they can stand temperatures that would turn a brick of iron into some goo on the ground they can bite through a stupid attachment.” A pause. “And they remind me of that shark-toothed idiot.” Kirishima?

“How could you be sure?” Izuku tried. That I wouldn’t break my teeth ? Bakugo paused, glaring at him.

“I hit you in the mouth, dumbass.” He said. 

“Yes, I know.” Bakugo clenched his hands; no explosions went off, but he looked like he wanted to. 

“I should have knocked out one of your teeth but instead I almost broke my stupid hand. It was like hitting All Might in the chest.” Izuku blinked. “ Happy ?” The answer was of course, no . But he was satisfied with the explanation, yes.

It was easy to forget how perceptive Bakugo could be, with how angry and direct he always seemed. Many people wrote him off as an idiot who only had eyes for explosions and maybe that was partly true. Izuku knew that Bakugo really did only have eyes for explosions, but he was disturbingly clever when he wanted to be. 

Izuku slowly shifted on the bed, scooting further up so he could support his back with the pillow. He had ended up curled on his side and his back was still hurting. He could tell Recovery Girl ahd healed it, but it was still sore. He was feeling tired, again, eyes drifting.

“How’d I get off the field?” Izuku asked and he sounded sleepy.

“Do I look like your fucking babysitter? I don’t know, I wasn’t paying attention.” Bakugo seethed. “Ask a magic eight ball.” Izuku supposed it didn’t really matter; All Might probably carried him off, once the test was over. His mentor had carried his unconscious form home an embarrassing amount of times, cradling him like a child. 

Izuku wanted to ask more questions, but he figured he was already playing with fire here, even if Bakugo couldn’t burn him anymore. Besides, he was sleepy and his childhood friend was barely looking at him, obviously done answering questions. 

“‘Kay. Thanks for working with me, after all.” He murmured, rubbing his eyes again. “You didn’t have to, but you did.” Izuku didn’t know if he really understood the argument they had in that alley way. He had screamed at Bakugo, so briefly angry he lost control of himself. Honestly, it was hard to remember all the things he said, even if he knew them to be true. But after he had said them, something had changed and he didn’t quite understand what yet.”

“Don’t fucking thank me.” Bakugo said. “Aizawa’s going to expel me.” 

Izuku jerked up in his bed. 

“ What ?” He cringed at the pain, but Bakugo barely even acknowledged his question. He watched the blonde boy look down at his hands, running his fingers over his bandages, picking at the edges. Izuku still had no idea what happened to do that to his hands. He felt like he was missing something. 

And shrug.

“Kacchan, no , I’m so... sorry? We can’t let that happen-,”

“Shut up.” Bakugo said. “Don’t know what you’re fucking apologizing for, Deku, you stupid rambling idiot.” 

His face was utterly unreadable. 

“But Kacchan...”

“Someone had to do something.” Bakugo said bitterly, but there was a shocking lack of malice in his voice and Izuku realized he didn’t understand at all what Bakugo was talking about. Well, he had an idea, but even considering it was stupid because it was so unlike the Bakugo that Izuku had come to know that it was impossible. 

Izuku rubbed his bleary face, trying to stay conscious. It was getting harder, even through his worry. Bakugo, expelled ? The thought of it made him nauseous. He knew that even though his friend was explosive and temperamental and caused Aizawa plenty of headaches that more than anything, he wanted to be a hero. Actually being expelled would crush him. It was his dream and he always thought that if he had to go out, Bakugo would go out screaming. But Izuku didn’t understand what was going on at all , let alone his reaction to it. He felt like he was missing pieces of information from the exam. Maybe something had happened after All Might knocked him out? He wasn’t sure.

“Go the fuck to sleep, Deku.” Bakugo said. 

“Maybe....” He yawned. “...if I say something to-,”

“No.” Izuku blinked. “I don’t want your fucking help with this. Go to sleep.” And he got up from his bed, finally turning to look at Izuku and there wasn’t a trace of anger in Bakugo’s face and that confused him more than anything else.

Bakugo grabbed the curtain divider and pulled it in between them. 

XXXX

Shouta had more of a slow, creeping kind of anger. It simmered, slowly, festering. Until it grew, hot and dangerous, like lava, and encompassed everything else. He rarely raised his voice; he was more of a man of action, than anything else. 

But he had snapped earlier, watching Midoriya and Bakugo’s final exam. Watching Midoriya relive years of abuse before his eyes. Watching the sick, twisted plays the two of them made. 

They were brilliant, coordinated. Almost effortless communication between them, complex ideas communicated with a simple look. Not a single staff member, not even Nedzu had seen it coming.

And Shouta would never allow anything like that to happen again. This was supposed to be a school exam. They were supposed to be challenged, not broken and beaten to the point of an emotional breakdown he could hardly begin to understand, on both of their parts.

He didn’t blame All Might, necessarily. In the end, perhaps the man had taken it too far, but Shouta had seen the exact moment All Might was going to end the test. Until the entire world turned on its head, and then both those students, even sweet, little Midoriya who idolized him, were gunning for him with a ferocity Shouta hadn’t been expecting. They had injured him, too, more so than Shouta thought possible. Their attacks had been twice as brutal as his, they just lacked the same strength that he did. 

Maybe he would reflect on the exam later and find other things to critique, but at the moment, the last thing on his mind was All Might. 

Besides, All Might had tried to do more than the rest of them. They had all done nothing.

Which is why he was standing in front of Nedzu. He needed answers . He had known the principal to be analytical, to be calculating, but he had also known him to be kind. To understand the plight of these children, to understand there was a difference between raising heroes and raising soldiers and yet he had refused to stop the exam when it had gone far beyond what was appropriate for two fifteen year old boys that had both been traumatized in some way. 

Shouta had done some reading, and it hadn’t taken long to find the incident he assumed Midoriya and Bakugo were talking about. A sludge-like villain that had encased Bakugo, almost strangled him to death. The real story was hard to find, but the video spoke volumes. Little, skinny, Quirkless Midoriya. Absolutely nothing like the Midoriya Shouta knew now except for those teary eyes and impossibly powerful heart, had thrown himself in when everyone else stood by and did nothing and saved his friend from a certain, traumatic death. 

No. Shouta amended. 

Saved the boy who tormented and abused him . 

It was selfless and kind beyond belief and Shouta didn’t understand it and he doubted Bakugo did either. 

“Take a seat.” Nezu offered.

“No.” Shouta crossed his arms over his chest. Nedzu didn’t try again, nodding and lacing his paws together. “Why? Why didn’t you stop that? Why didn’t you let me stop that?”

“Midoriya could handle it.” Nedzu said. 

“Midoriya is a child . He is not a soldier. ” Shouta echoed his own words from earlier. “He shouldn’t have to. His well being, for once in his life, gets to come first.”

“Midoriya is All Might’s successor.” Nedzu said, simply. Shouta furrowed his brow.

“Because they have a similar Quirk ? That means you get to turn this exam into a trial of...a gauntlet of courage? Of perseverance? Of an absolute lack of self preservation or even a hint of self esteem when he’s reliving one of the worst experiences of his life?” The notion was ridiculous. He knew that All Might and the boy were close, and that he was in most ways, All Might’s protege. His favorite student. As much as he disliked it, he understood it. The two were similar, in Quirk and in attitude. But just because All Might had fantasies of Midoriya becoming the number one hero one day didn’t mean this kind of treatment was justified. 

“No.” The principal shook his head. “Because All Might chose him. He is our next Symbol of Peace.”

Shouta was considering erasing All Might’s Quirk and hanging the sickly man from the rafters, and doing the same to the rat-bear creature in front of him. 

“There were things I had to know.” Nedzu said. “All Might chose him out of the blue, with no vetting. A whim, I was afraid. I apologize. It was perhaps not the time or the place and I did not understand his relationship with Bakugo Katsuki.” He dipped his head. 

“And what? ” Shouta spat. “Did he pass your test? What do you think now ?” Nedzu tilted his head, a smile breaking through his furry face.

“That he is exceptional, in every way.” 

Even though he understood what Nedzu had been doing, it filled him with absolute rage . All this Symbol of Peace stuff was bullshit. It didn’t matter if Nedzu himself had decided Midoriya was going to be the next King of the World. It didn’t justify treating him like a soldier and putting him through torment just so he could satisfy his curiosity. It was Shouta’s job to teach heroes, not fulfill legacies. Fundamentally, Midoriya was a child in need of guidance first, hero-in-training second.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied .” He hissed. “And what about what did happen? With Bakugo?” Nedzu sighed, reaching a paw up to brush over his face.

“I know you won’t like what I’m going to say.” He said quietly. “But they were brilliant.” Nedzu splayed his paws back down on the desk, before he lifted his head to look back up at Shouta. “I know you believe this was all unnecessary.”

“It was. They are children.” 

“But they’re not just children.” Nedzu countered. “They both wield dangerous, destructive powers. There are things we have to know, standards that we must hold them to beyond that of others. I dislike it. But to pretend otherwise is to ignore reality. I am genuinely regretful that Midoriya in particular had to experience such abuse at the hands of a student and we did not stop it. I apologize for pushing the exam forward despite your wishes. But we have all learned things that we needed to know. Things that I anticipate have forced you to reevaluate both of their futures as heroes.” Shouta knew what he was getting at it instantly. He leaned forward and pressed one hand to the desk, keeping eye contact with Nedzu.

“This is the last time you deny me, when I say it’s done. Or I’m done.” But Shouta was sure the mammalian creature in front of him knew that without him needing to spell it out.

Nedzu nodded. 

“I understand. Will you expel Bakugo?” Shouta paused. 

“I don’t know.” He said, and he finally took that seat. “I don’t know if I’m going to expel Bakugo yet. Every time I think he’s gone too far he...does something.”

“Something that makes you believe he’s not without potential. And not just potential for heroics, I take it.” Nedzu said and he was correct. It didn’t sit well with Shouta, allowing someone with such a violent, dangerous temperament to continue along that path. But whenever Shouta thought he might be beyond hope, that really wasn’t anything beyond that temper, Bakugo surprised him. He proved he had potential, not just as a hero, but as a person.

He still wasn’t sure it was enough.

“He is a child.” Shouta said. “A child not without potential. That is what is stopping me. His actions are abhorrent; but the blame doesn’t fall solely on his shoulders.” He saw the records, the praise. How strong of a Quirk Bakugo had. How great of a hero he would be. Sparkling comments from his teachers, even when Shouta knew he must have been blowing up desks left and right and harassing other kids. Instead of anyone stopping him, Shouta guessed he had not only been enabled, but encouraged to act that way his whole life. “Like you said, he has true, destructive power and I cannot help but wonder if-,”

“Expulsion will ultimately do more harm than good.” Nedzu finished. “I see your predicament.”

“And yet, is that our concern? Do we not have to protect the safety of students individually? Does Midoriya not deserve basic rights?” Shouta said quietly.

“Heroes fundamentally shape society and UA is at the top of that field. It is not inaccurate to say that we have a hand in what the world looks like. It is difficult to know sometimes, where our responsibility to the world ends and where our responsibility to our students begin, especially when the two may be in conflict.” Nezu said. He blinked. “I’ve thought about this a lot in hypotheticals. I will admit I wasn’t expecting to be faced with this choice so soon.”

“Does it have to be?” Shouta said. “In the span of thirty minutes, I was both convinced that Bakugo was utterly irredeemable and also that he may care for Midoriya enough to die for him.” He had been so certain that the explosive boy’s time at UA was over and then he went back once the exam was essentially over. He thought it could be written off as Bakugo considering anything less than total victory as not worth anything at all, but then they had seen him when the teen thought no one was looking. Placing Midoriya’s head in his lap and hunching over him protectively, like someone was going to take him away. Holding his hand like it was his last chance to ever do so. 

“Love is a fickle thing.” Nedzu said. Shouta drew back suddenly, narrowing his eyes.

“Bakugo is not a little boy, pulling on Midoriya’s hair because he doesn’t know how to talk to him.” He hissed. The mammalian principal shrugged.

“I didn’t say he was. Though, I don’t believe that analogy is without merit.” He added. Nedzu rubbed his chin. “What I mean to say is that what they feel for each other is uniquely complicated and uniquely powerful and as it evades understanding, I think the closest analogy is a form of love. What else allows you to both hurt and care for someone so deeply you would burn all the skin off your hands doing both?”

“I don’t know.” Shouta said, and he meant it. “I really don’t.”

“Let me be clear; I will defer to your judgment in this matter. My opinion is that expelling Bakugo will hurt both of them. But my weakest point is exactly these kinds of interactions between people. I am out of touch and I trust your choice.” Nedzu said with a quiet nod.

“If he stays...” Shouta began, sighing and tilting his head down into his capture weapon. “If he stays, it will entail therapy. Anger management. Probation. He will be required to prove to me that he is capable of change. He will not touch a single hair on anyone’s head outside training and if he looks at Midoriya wrong, he’s gone. They will never be paired or pitted against each other again.” 

“If.” The principal echoed.  

“I haven’t decided, still.”
XXXXX

“I still can’t believe you two got All Might and they won’t let us see it.” Uraraka whined. They were sitting at lunch, Izuku powering through his meal, some snacks, and a few energy bars. He was mostly healed, still a little bruised. He was still amazed All Might hadn’t broken any of his limbs, even though he did a number on his back. It had been a few days and he was just relieved exams were over. 

“We couldn’t see it, but we could hear it, ribbit.” Tsu said, tapping her mouth with a finger. “It sounded unbelievable.”

“I know .” Izuku said. “They won’t even let me see the footage and I was there .” He still couldn’t remember much about the end, other than the fact that their plan had worked. Bakugo didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk to him and even Kirishima couldn’t get a straight answer out of him. We passed, Hair for Brains what the fuck else do you think happened? He had said. 

It was odd; after all, the other exams had been free for anyone to observe. He figured UA wasn’t in the business of handing out these recordings, but even when he tried to say he just wanted to use the opportunity to improve and to do so, he needed to see what actually happened , he was denied. He had paused outside the door of their classroom.

“Aizawa-sensei, I was wondering about the tape of the final exam again-,” Izuku had begun, as Aizawa got up from his spot and walked over to the door.

“What about it?” He asked.

“Well, I was hoping I could see it.” Izuku said, rubbing his neck and offering a smile. Aizawa paused.

“Try your luck later.” He said dryly. And then closed the door.

“I saw Bakugo and Aizawa speaking privately, the other day.” Todoroki said quietly, and every head at the table snapped to him instantly. He looked surprised. 

“I swear , if he showed Kacchan the tape and not me -,” Izuku thumped his hand against the table. He wanted to see it. And he really did want to improve! But so what if he maybe....wanted a personal recording of as close to an all-out fight he was going to get against the greatest hero who ever lived?

It was like the goddamn golden goose of All Might memorabilia, personalized for Izuku. He had even gone begging to All Might, who had laughed, apologetically, saying that the matter was up to Aizawa.

“What did you see?” Uraraka demanded, but Iida chopped a hand down vigorously, interrupting her and almost hitting her. The round-faced girl sprang back with a cry.

“I apologize for almost hitting you!” He said sternly. “But really, this seems like a private matter and it would be inappropriate for Todoroki-kun to expose a classmate’s private affairs!” Izuku almost giggled.

“But, Iida-kun ,” Uraraka pursed her lips, setting a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not really just his , isn’t it? I mean, if it’s about Deku’s final exam....”

“Yeah, Iida!” Izuku tried, leaning across Uraraka. “I just want to know about what happened! And Kacchan refuses to tell me!” Or look at him, really. The last few days had been odd. He hadn’t spoken to Izuku once, avoiding him in the hallways. He almost bumped into him during gym and Bakugo had hissed Deku-, and promptly cut himself off and looked down silently.

“You just want to snoop!” Iida cried.

“I didn’t hear much.” Todoroki said. “It was just what I saw.” He glanced to Izuku. “I’ll tell you, if you really want to know.”

“Please!” Uraraka spoke before Izuku could, and then she stuttered, patting him on the shoulder. “I mean....you go.”

“Slick.” Shinso drawled. Her face flushed. 

“If you feel comfortable, Todoroki-kun!” Izuku chirped to the split-haired boy, who simply shrugged, ignoring Iida’s protests.

“They were just standing there. Aizawa looked...” He paused. “Angry? I think. Bakugo’s head was down and he wasn’t arguing back, just listening. He looked upset too, when he finally raised his head.” Todoroki said. “That was it, really.”

“Upset? Like...angry?” Uraraka asked, though it seemed as if that would have been impossible to miss. Bakugo’s various contortions of rage were very familiar to all of them. Their classmate shook his head.

“No, not angry. His eyes looked red.”

“His eyes are red, ribbit.” Izuku caught the slightest hint of a pink flush on Todoroki’s cheek, the tips of his ears reddening, before he shook his head. It was cute, Izuku decided and he smiled softly.

“No, bloodshot.” Todoroki corrected himself.

Izuku stopped smiling. 

“Like he’d been...” Uraraka spoke before he did. 

“I don’t know. I couldn’t say.” The split-haired boy responded. Izuku stood up abruptly.

“I should-,” Shinso reached across the table and grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him back down. 

“No.” He said, taking a sip of his water. 

“But-,”

“No.” The lavender-haired boy said again. 

“It’s a bad idea, Deku.” The round-faced girl next to him slowly placed her hand over his. “It seems private and he’s been...off since the exam.”

“I don’t even know what happened!” He protested. “He wouldn’t tell me!”

“Then he doesn’t want you to know.” Shinso said tonelessly. “Just give it some time.” Though, secretly , Izuku was thinking of his and Shinso’s memory experiments and whether or not Shinso could get him to remember something he didn’t think he did. The short answer was he could make him remember something he had forgotten, but Izuku wasn’t entirely sure it would work for the final exam. If he had a concussion and blacked out, which seemed entirely likely, even if he had fleeting moments of consciousness, he might not have been able to form memories at all. Shinso couldn’t make him remember what wasn’t there.

And his lavender-haired friend didn’t seem too keen on the idea right then anyways. 

Izuku sighed.

“Midoriya.” Todoroki’s voice was soft and even though Izuku didn’t like letting things go, he appreciated Todoroki’s attempts to comfort him. Would it be too much to ask him to hold his stiff hand and warm it up right here? He had liked that. “I’m sure it will work itself out.” He lifted his head and put it in his hand glumly, facing his split-haired friend. 

“I’m just frustrated.” He admitted.

“Eat your greens.” Shinso said. “High in vitamins.” There was a bowl of mixed veggies in front of him and Izuku threw a carrot at Shinso. Uraraka rubbed his shoulder as Izuku picked at it, before she squealed and pulled something out of his bowl.

She held it up next to him. 

“What?” Izuku asked, but her hand was blocking his view. It looked like Todoroki was flushing though, and Tsu covered her mouth.

“It’s you!” Shinso snorted, reaching in as well.

“Hey!” Izuku protested, and Shinso held it up, showing him. 

It was a piece of broccoli. 

His lavender-haired friend flicked his eyes from the broccoli, to Izuku, and back. Todoroki lifted his hand and covered his mouth, eyes crinkling.

“Uncanny.” The word was muffled by the split-haired boy’s hand and Izuku was too stunned by Todoroki’s smile to be mad that his friend was comparing him to a vegetable he didn’t really like. Instead, he reached out and plucked it from Shinso’s hand and popped it in his mouth. 

“ Cannibalism .” Shinso deadpanned. 

Izuku snatched the other one from Uraraka as she giggled, eating it as well. It was kind of good. 

“Don’t you dislike broccoli?” Todoroki asked, finally regaining his composure. His eyes were glimmering, still crinkled at the edges and his nose wrinkled a little. It warmed his heart that Todoroki had noticed.

“Yeah, but it actually tasted pretty good. I’ve been craving it lately-,”

Holy shit.

He snapped to make eye contact with Shinso, both of them probably looking deranged as they stared at each other. 

“Actually I’ve gotta, uh,-,” Izuku stood up abruptly, almost knocking his tray off the table.

“Bathroom?” Shinso suggested, eyes wild.

“Yeah-,”

“I should...uh-,” The lavender-haired boy scrambled out of his seat. “-with. Go with.” Izuku grabbed his arm. 

“ We’ll be back in a second! ” He called, dragging his lanky friend behind him. 

XXXX

Shouto felt like he was missing something. One moment, they had been chatting, teasing Midoriya about how much he looked like broccoli. He had been a little proud of himself, psyching himself up to make a little comment and it had gone over well . It hadn’t been weird, or at least he hooped not. 

And then Midoriya was red and stammering about the bathroom, him and Shinso staring at each other before they scrambled off. He saw Midoriya almost trip as they darted from the lunchroom, Shinso grabbing him by the back of his shirt and yanking him to his feet before he could hit the ground. 

“Hmm.” He heard Asui say. 

“Hmm, indeed!” Iida added, and Shouto turned towards both of them. Asui was tapping her finger against her chin again and even Uraraka’s cheeks were puffed out, brow furrowed as they disappeared from the lunchroom. 

“I like Shinso, ribbit.” Asui said. “But Midoriya-chan’s been acting odder lately.”

Oh thank God , someone else noticed. 

“Deku’s always been kind of quirky.” Uraraka agreed. “But him and Shinso do weird things.” 

Shouto could only nod stiffly in agreement. 

“I saw them training yesterday.” He admitted. He had spotted the two as he left the school, Midoriya waving enthusiastically. He was still on light rest, not participating himself in the exercise, but guiding the sweating boy next to him. Shouto had waved back tentatively, rewarded with a beaming smile. And then he saw Shinso’s mouth move and Midoriya turned on his heel and....”Midoriya tackled him. Not sure what it was about.”

 He had seen as after sending the lanky boy to the ground, his green-haired classmate had grabbed him around the middle, Shinso struggling the whole time and hauled him over his head. It had seemed like something Midoriya likely should not be doing while injured, let alone carrying the purple-haired boy over his head while he kicked and struggled.

Though, Shouto had felt a sudden rush of heat in his side watching Midoriya squat with Shinso, the taller boy trying to swat at him the whole time. It was stressful, watching Midoriya carry another human being over his head. Because he was injured, right? Shouto’s heart had been pounding against his ribcage in concern . 

Put me down! He heard the shriek, even from a distance.

Though, he reflected, it was impressive, how strong Midoriya was. He was sculpted , strong arms and surprisingly broad shoulders for his small frame. His thighs looked powerful, supporting both his body weight and that of another person as he bent his knees, muscles flexing-,

Shouto swallowed.

XXXX

Izuku ripped the pages out of his notebook, crumpled them out, and popped them in his mouth. He shut it tightly, breathing out a small flame that incinerated them instantly.

“Thank you.” Shinso said, uneasily. They were hiding in the bathroom, Izuku managing to have the presence of mind to snatch his journal before they ran away. 

“It’s no problem.” A puff of smoke came from his mouth when he spoke. The lavender-haired boy rubbed his face. 

“It’s just-,” He paused. “It was easy . No headaches. No nosebleeds.” They had found, while testing out Shinso’s Quirk, that when they pushed the limits, it took its toll on Shinso, like everyone. The delayed commands had been giving him headaches, edging into migraines for the ones that took almost a week. When too many complex orders were given at once, sometimes his nose bled. It wasn’t unexpected; he would just have to work at it, like a muscle.

But they had started a different kind of experiment. Izuku had been considering this from the beginning and he was pretty certain the only reason Shinso agreed to it was because he didn’t think it would work. 

Can you implant an idea into someone’s mind?

Yes.

Yes, you could.

It had been innocent curiosity and they had picked broccoli when Shinso had teased him about his hair one day and Izuku made the mistake of revealing he was not a fan of the vegetable. It was simple enough; after all, if Shinso implanted the idea that Izuku actually liked broccoli into his mind, it wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe you’ll enrich your diet , Shinso had joked. 

They hadn’t expected it to work so well.

“I really do like broccoli now.” Izuku said, puzzled. “It tasted... good . I want to go back and finish the rest of it.” His friend looked like he wanted to bang his head against a wall. 

“I didn’t even get a headache doing it.” It had taken a few weeks, Izuku insisting that they needed to give it a control period to make sure that it worked. But all Shinso had really done was try and convince a brainwashed Izuku that he actually enjoyed the taste of broccoli. 

“People must be highly suggestable, like that. I have been thinking a lot more about broccoli lately.” Izuku admitted. 

And then, he guessed, the thought became pervasive. He had tasted it a few more times, and found the taste to be wanting. And then okay. And then today , he liked it. 

“Midoriya, you knew that I did it, and it still worked.” Izuku shrugged. 

“A thought is a thought and a feeling is a feeling. Even if you know where it comes from, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect you.” Shinso pressed his head against the wall. 

“We can’t tell anyone about this.” He said. “This is bad. Like really bad.” 

“No, we can’t.” Izuku agreed. There were a thousand reasons why. First, that no one would ever trust Shinso again, knowing that he could implant a feeling or a thought into your head that would take on a life of its own and spread with no further intervention. Shinso had already stated prior to their experiment that on the off chance it worked , he would never, ever do it again, but if people thought they couldn’t trust their own mind, that would mean nothing. Second, while Izuku’s first thought was make criminal think crime is bad , he couldn’t deny that some people, unfortunately, drifted towards world domination .

It was why Izuku ripped the pages out of his notebook. No one else needed to find out about it.

“I feel nauseous.” Shinso said, and he wasn’t joking this time.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Todoroki-kun, are you coming with this weekend?” Izuku asked, rushing over to the split-haired boy. Even though Aizawa has revealed they were all going to the summer training camp after all, regardless of whether or not they failed, that it was another ‘logical ruse’, the energy in the room had taken a nosedive. Ashido and Kaminari were groaning into their desk at the thought of the ‘remedial training’ they were about to go through. So they were all grateful when Kirishima suggested they go to the mall together. 

“I go to visit my mother on weekends and I won’t see her for a while because of the training camp.” Todoroki said softly, shaking his head. Izuku almost squealed. He knew Todoroki had seen his mother since the Sports Festival, several times even. But he had not realized it became a regular, weekly thing. It was sweet and Izuku knew how big of a deal it was for him. 

“That’s okay Todoroki-kun!” Izuku said, waving his arms quickly. “You’ll just have to come another time!” His classmate tilted his head a little, mouth softening into a warmer expression. 

“I would like that.” He swung his backpack over his shoulder and then reached out thoughtfully, a hand touching Izuku’s hair gently. There was a little pat pat and Todoroki looked so soft . Izuku fought to keep his face from burning. “Try to stay out of trouble, without me.”

“Does that mean when I’m with you it’s fair game?” Izuku teased and Todoroki let out a small, breathy laugh. 

“Bakubro!” Kirishima slapped the explosive boy’s desk. “Mall?” Izuku turned, to see his blonde friend slowly get up and out of his seat.

“I’m too busy this weekend to hang out with the fucking peanut gallery.” Bakugo snarled. The red-haired boy shrugged.

“Do you need anything before the training camp?” He offered cheerfully, unfazed by the aggression. 

“...No.” As Bakugo slung his backpack over one arm, he turned just enough to see Izuku, standing next to Todoroki and his eyes slid right past them without comment. As if he didn’t even see them, even though Izuku knew he did. It was odd, certainly.

And then a moment later, Kaminari was poking him and asking him what he was so busy with and Bakugo nearly singed his hair in his explosive response. 

“Oi, Deku!” Kirishima called back. “You should invite Shinso!” Izuku blinked.

“Oh. You guys...want him to come?” He said hopefully. 

“Yeah!” Uraraka said cheerfully, before her face darkened. “I'm going to eat more fries than him.” 

“He’ll take that bet.” Izuku said absently, glancing at the hopeful faces of his classmates. “Okay then! I just wanted to make sure you’re all okay with it, since he’s not in our class or anything.”

“He’s so brooding and mysterious.” Ashido said with a giggle.

“But then you guys try to enter a door at the same time and almost crack heads.” Kirishima said, snickering. “It’s endearing.” Izuku’s face reddened at the exact memory he knew they were referring to. 

“Plus he’s hot.” Kaminari said and several people rotated to stare at him. He shrugged nonchalantly. “What? I’m speaking the truth. Back me up, Mina.” Ashido tapped her chin. 

“You’re right, I just didn’t expect you to say it. He is eye candy for the people and since the prettiest boy in our class is being a doting son and can’t come-,”  Todoroki’s face remained calm, but Izuku watched his ears turn bright red . “-, we have to recruit some prettier faces around here!”

“He’s not exactly as pretty as Todoroki-,” Kaminari said thoughtfully and Ashido nodded her agreement. 

“But Midoriya’s adorable and Shinso’s rugged so if you add them together it kind of evens out.” Izuku lifted his hand to his chest, eyes widening. 

“You think I’m...adorable?” Kirishima slung his arm around his shoulders, levelling a serious look at him. 

“Bro, like, top four most adorable people in the class. It’s you, Uraraka, Koda, and probably Ashido. Easy .” Izuku covered his face as it started to turn red and he felt Kirishima’s knuckles rub against his scalp, laughing. 

XXXX

The thing that Izuku was most excited for was probably the hero merchandise. Which was predictable, but it didn’t seem like the other students really realized what he was getting at. Yes, he needed a few things for the summer training camp, but the idea of finding merchandise with his face on it was so exciting he absolutely needed to see it first. Since they all appeared in the Sports Festival, all of their images were licensed out by the school, something they gave them permission for when they enrolled. Not to say they were guaranteed to find merchandise for everyone, but they might find some group shots or even some of the top three. Class 1-A was well known, and Izuku became even more convinced when they were instantly recognized at the mall. 

“What was that about?” Shinso asked, as Uraraka high-tailed it out of there. Izuku blinked, the back of her brown hair disappearing into the crowd. He had tried to ask her what she wanted to do as they all split up into groups but she had blurted something out and ran away before he could say anything else. 

“I don’t know?” He offered. “I was going to suggest we check out some hero merch and see if they have any of...”

“Of?” Shinso prompted. He had a messenger bag slung over his shoulder and his hand in one of his pockets. It was still strange, seeing friends outside of class and in regular clothing. 

“Us.” Izuku offered. “Sometimes it gets made after the Sports Festival.” Shinso’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Looking for a nitotan of yourself with broken bones to match?” Izuku burned bright red as his lavender-haired classmate smirked back. 

“I just wanna see!” He protested. “I might buy one of some of my friends though...” He would love to see a mini Uraraka or Todoroki or Iida. Maybe if they had a little red-eyed Bakugo he would get it and give it to his mom to pass to Mitsuki. Bakugo would never let his parents find out there was a tiny angry doll out there bearing his likeness but it would be amazing. “They might have you!” Izuku insisted. 

“I doubt that.” Shinso said dismissively as they walked. 

“You don’t know! They usually make them of the students that make it to the challenge bracket!” He could only imagine a tiny version of his friend with the ruff of purple hair. It would be adorable. “We have to check, at least.”

“Hmm.” Shinso said, tapping his jaw. “Or are you looking for one in particular, maybe? One of a certain boy with red and white hair...” 

“No!” Izuku said quickly. “Well, maybe...but I thought he could give it to his mother since she doesn’t get to see him and she can have a little huggable version of him when he’s not around during the training camp...” He realized he was muttering. If there were nitotans of any of the students made, he was sure there would be one of Todoroki. The thought of the doll with big, mismatched eyes was just too much to handle.

“She doesn’t see him?” His friend asked. Izuku’s head shot up. He realized he may have said too much. “Isn’t he like...the son of Endeavor or something? Seems like they’d be one big happy family.” 

“Uh, no.” Izuku said curtly. “She’s...” He bit his lip. He didn’t want to reveal too much about his private life, but it seemed relatively well-known in the class that his mother did not live with them. He was sure as well that most people knew that she was in the hospital. “She hasn’t lived with them since he was young. He didn’t see her for a long time, but he visits her now.”

“Is she...” Shinso hesitated. “Is she in a psych ward?” Izuku’s eyes widened. 

“How did you-,” He cut himself off, biting his lip. 

“My mom is a psychologist. She works in the psych ward of a hospital.” He said with a shrug. “And my dad’s a regular doctor. Works in a burn unit. My mom is an empath and my dad can control the physical sensations a person feels.” Izuku blinked, as he started to realize how the two Quirks combined to form Shinso’s. It seemed like an obvious possibility now, some form of mind control. 

“...oh.” Izuku hadn’t realized that his friend was probably uniquely qualified to recognize Todoroki’s situation. 

“She burned him, didn’t she? He must have gotten it when he was young. You can tell from the way the skin looks that he grew up with it.” Izuku nodded stiffly. Shinso’s voice was low and serious.

“You’re...very perceptive, Shinso-kun.” He said and his friend shrugged back. 

“I just took a guess. It would explain why he hasn’t seen her in a while and why he didn’t visit her. Did he...did he forgive her?”

“She was very sick.” Izuku said. “When she hurt him. I think he understands now.” Even before his friend had been to visit, when he first told Izuku about his mother at the Sports Festival, he always got the feeling that Todoroki didn’t really blame her. That he saw her as a victim, not an aggressor. It was telling of the person that Todoroki was underneath the cold exterior. 

“I don’t know if I could do that.” Shinso said. “Even if she was sick. He seems cold and stiff when you first meet him, but first impressions aren’t everything, I suppose.” He ran a hand through his gravity-defying hair. “He must be a good person.”

“He is. He’s just...shy.” Izuku said. “He was very isolated before coming to UA.” 

“Yeah.” His friend was staring off into the distance. “I guess it makes sense, if your father is the number two hero. Can’t exactly have a normal life.” He shrugged again.

They split up, briefly. Izuku needed to get a few things from one of the stores they passed and Shinso needed to get a new notebook from the one next door, so they decided to meet outside once they did. It would only take a few seconds. 

And then, when Izuku walked out of the store, there was Shigaraki .

XXXX

Izuku was doing his best not to freak out. After all, it was imperative that he keep the villain calm or there was going to be a lot of bloodshed. He didn’t even try to use his phone or get a message; with Shigaraki’s hand at his throat, it wasn’t worth the risk. 

Though, Izuku was thinking that there was a good chance Shigaraki would kill him anyways. Since he was the one who maimed him after all and cut his ability to use his Quirk in half . It was a five point Quirk, like Uraraka’s. He needed the contact of all five fingers, which was the total amount of fingers the villain had after he attacked Izuku at USJ. 

Four were currently resting on Izuku’s throat. 

He barely knew what he was saying , just trying to keep the man engaged in conversation and calm. He wasn’t giving straight answers, but trying to let the villain come to his own conclusions. He was too afraid to say something that would anger him. If it was ultimately the villain’s idea, he couldn’t get mad, right? It was exactly what he wanted to hear. 

And while Izuku would love to try and poke holes into Shigaraki’s logic and maybe even talk him out of whatever awful plans he had, the man was wildly unstable. In fact, Izuku was pretty certain that no matter what he said to Shigaraki, the man would have come to the twisted, warp conclusion he always wanted in the first place. He just wanted someone else to confirm what he already desired. 

Just stay calm, stay calm, stay calm....

Izuku thought as they sat there, swallowing. He was surprised he wasn’t trembling. But he wasn’t going to let Shigaraki go loose and start killing people today. 

He would do something, if he had to. Even if it hurt him. 

“Midoriya?”

Fuck, fuck, FUCK

It was Shinso’s voice and Izuku could see his friend in his peripheral vision as he started to walk towards him. 

“We’re friends, remember?” Shigaraki whispered and Izuku nodded stiffly. His lavender-haired friend rounded the corner, stopping in front of Izuku.

“I thought that was you. Wondered where you disappeared to. You aren’t answering your phone.” Shinso said and Izuku watched his eyes flick to Shigaraki and back to Izuku, narrowing almost imperceptibly. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. Got caught up with an old friend.” Izuku said, praying that Shinso would both realize something was wrong and walk away. Izuku’s words might have been enough. He had talked to Shinso about his experience in middle school, being considered Quirkless. 

Shinso knew Izuku didn’t have any old friends. 

“Ah, okay. Sorry to interrupt, I’ll let you guys catch up.” Shinso said with a nod and a half smile, going to walk away, one hand rustling in his messenger bag as he put the notebook he bought in. 

“Good. You’re doing good.” Shigaraki whispered. 

“Oh, wait, actually-,” Shinso had walked a few steps away, messing with his bag. 

What are you doing! Izuku wanted to scream , but he just swallowed, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth. 

“Sorry, you’re Midoriya’s friend, right?” He said, directly to Shigaraki. Izuku felt the villain shift next to him, head turning.

“Me?”

Gotcha .

Well, not totally. His friend knew better than to use his Quirk on a random person who looked suspicious. Izuku probably seemed uncomfortable, but it was a big jump to go from seeing someone who made him uncomfortable, to assuming that his life was currently being threatened by the League of Villains. Even if Shigaraki was creepy. Besides, Shinso wouldn’t recognize him. He hadn’t been at USJ. 

The worst part was that even though Shigaraki was a dangerous, Class-A villain, Izuku knew firsthand that Shinso would be in deep trouble for using his Quirk to stop him. Not that he thought Shinso would hesitate if their lives were on the line, but he didn’t want his friend to have his life messed up by doing so. 

At the very least though, they had their opening. If Shigaraki acted, Shinso had him. He could stop him. 

The feeling of relief was like a weight off his shoulders, even though the weight of Shigaraki’s arm was most certainly on his shoulders. 

“Yeah, sorry, I couldn’t help but notice but I get really bad psoriasis and it looks like you do too-,” Shinso said, rummaging in his bag. “Here, my dad’s a dermatologist and he got me this really good hand cream. I have it in my bag. If you show me your hand I can let you know if it’ll work for you-,” 

Oh, Izuku could kiss him.

The villain hesitated next to him, clearly uncertain about what to do. He didn’t want to tip anyone off by acting too oddly, but he also didn’t want to remove his hand from Izuku’s throat. 

“This’ll just take a second, I’m sure.” Izuku said as calmly as he could imagine, but there was a tremble in his voice. “We can get back to our conversation in a moment, right?” He said to the villain. 

“Please, I insist.” Shinso said, with almost a soft smile. “I know how painful it can be. And a friend of Midoriya’s is a friend of mine, right?” He was playing it up . Izuku knew his friend was never this friendly. He deserved an award for his acting. “Would you mind showing me?”

Slowly, Shigaraki lifted his arm from Izuku’s shoulders. 

“You really don’t have to.” He said quietly, head tilted down still so that the hoodie obscured most of his hair. He was peering up at the lavender-haired boy though, through messy, pale blue hair. He removed his arm completely from Izuku, still keeping it close to Izuku’s body, but no longer so near his throat. 

“A-ha! I think I’ve got it.” Shinso said, with a wide smile. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Right.” Shigaraki said tonelessly.

And then Shinso pepper sprayed him.

Shigaraki started howling, hand and warped stump coming up to his face and away from Izuku as he tried to shield his eyes. His screams set off an instant panic, people starting to run and shrill shrieks beginning to fill the plaza.

“ Stop! My eyes, my fucking eyes!” The villain shrieked, stumbling up and trying to get it away. Shinso held it down much longer than necessary, a steady stream straight into Shigaraki’s eyes even as Shigaraki tried to twist away, covering his face. Izuku scrambled away, out of reach of Shigaraki’s single hand.

“ Motherfucker! ” Shinso yelled. He could already see the red, inflamed skin of Shigaraki’s face and Izuku himself couldn’t help but cough at the pepper spray, eyes watering. It was hard to keep them open, as he coughed into his sleeve, trying to stay ready to fight just in case . 

But there was something else, solid in Shinso’s other hand and he watched his friend lurch forward and shove it against Shigraki’s hunched back as he tried to shield himself. 

BZZZZZZZZT

The villain convulsed violently, muscles twitching as Shinso held it against him ruthlessly. Shigaraki’s knees buckled and Izuku rushed forward and slammed his elbow into Shigraki’s temple. 

His head snapped to the side and he collapsed, face-first. His body shook for a few more seconds with aftershocks from the stun gun, but before long, he had stopped moving, limp on the ground. Immediately, Izuku planted one foot on Shigaraki’s wrist where it was laying against the ground, bonelessly. He sat down on the villain’s back, keeping him effectively pinned down, even if he regained consciousness.

 He turned to see Shinso, who had dropped the stun gun to the ground, breathing heavily. He grinned at him, even as his friend’s eyes looked wild and he was shaking. In fact, he looked a little pale-,

Shinso turned around and rushed to a nearby garbage can, retching into it. Thankfully, Izuku could barely hear it over the panicked screams of the people at the mall. Otherwise, Shigaraki would have been getting a stomach full of katsudon on his hair, because Izuku was naturally, a sympathy vomiter. He gagged a few times, even knowing that his friend was emptying the contents of his stomach into the garbage can. He had to look away, eventually. 

When his trembling friend walked back, Izuku had already called the police. Though, it seemed like they were likely on their way already, due to the high volume of calls that must have resulted from Shinso pepper spraying him and tasing him in public. 

“He is a villain, right?” Shinso asked, grabbing a water bottle out of his bag and holding it to his mouth. He sipped some water, swished it around, and spat it into a flower bed. 

“Oh, yeah. He almost killed me at USJ.” Izuku said, with a sharp nod. “His Quirk is decay; if he touches you with five fingers, he can disintegrate through organic and non-organic matter in seconds.” 

Shinso paused, closing his eyes and swaying a little. 

“Please don’t remind me how close you were to being killed right now.” Izuku suppressed a giggle. When his friend opened his eyes again, he made sure to smile at him softly. 

“Thank you, Shinso. You saved my life. And probably the lives of a lot of people here. He was threatening to start killing if I did anything.” Izuku said. “You were fantastic. You got his hand away from my throat and you even had him with your Quirk, just in case.”

“Uh...no problem?” The lavender-haired boy offered, rubbing his forehead. “I thought it might be a problem, using my Quirk, if he didn’t turn out to be a villain. Aizawa would drop-kick me out of the school.” His eyes widened suddenly. “We should probably call him, right?”

Oh, yeah . 

“Yes, definitely!” Izuku said. “I don’t have his number though-,” Shinso fished his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. 

“I do. He gave it to me so we could arrange training times.” He pressed his phone, and offered it to Izuku as it rang. “I don’t know what the fuck this guy’s name is.” He said, and Izuku took it, holding it to his ear. 

After a few rings, the other line picked up. 

“ Shinso? ” Came the low, dry voice. It sounded groggy, as if their teacher had just woken up. 

“Uh, this is Midoriya. On Shinso’s phone.” Izuku said. 

“ To what do I owe the pleasure? ” Izuku wasn’t really sure how to word this. 

“Well, we’re at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall with the rest of the class and one of the villains from USJ showed up here. The leader, Shigaraki, with the decaying Quirk and he’s trying to kill-,”

The line went dead. 

Surprised at the abrupt stop, Izuku pulled the phone away from his ear, and looked down at it. 

“Uh.” Izuku said. Shinso let out a groan, dragging a hand over his face. “Your phone died.”

“That was the worst point it could have possibly ended on.” Shinso said. “When he gets here, he’s going to kill us.” 

“Any chance you have his number memorized?” Izuku asked, almost timidly. 

“Nope.” He took the phone from Izuku’s hand, pressing at it a few times aimlessly, as if it might turn on again. Izuku scratched his head. Maybe he could let All Might know? He could get into contact with Aizawa, perhaps. He took his own phone out and typed out a quick message to his mentor, even as he heard sirens in the distance.

Hey, do you have Aizawa-sensei’s number by any chance?

It’s important.

If you could get into contact with him.

He waited a second, but there was no response. After another minute, he called, but All Might didn’t pick up. He was probably working, Izuku guessed. Even with his reduced time, he still went out and did hero work regularly. I can get a lot done in an hour, my boy! He had insisted. 

“Well, shit.” Shinso said. “Wait, isn’t that electricity kid in your class like a human phone charger?”

“Oh yeah!” Izuku cried, and he messaged in the groupchat that Kirishima made for their trip to the mall.

Small Might:

Hey guys. Shinso and I are at the plaza with the big fountain at the mall. Can you guys head over here?

Red Riot:

You mean where the screams came from?

The police are blocking it off.

Small Might:
Yup, that’s us. 

We need Kaminari.

For phone charging capabilities, or Aizawa is going to kill all of us.

Pikachu:
Are you guys okay?

I’m trying to get through but the police are SDHGOIEH

Space Girl:

Is everything okay?

Small Might:

Yeah, everything’s okay. We’ll tell you guys later.

What happened to Kaminari?

Red Riot:
Almost got arrested. Shouji yanked him before he got tased.

He would have been fine but he woulda blown every light bulb in this mall.

Izuku sighed, and showed his phone to Shinso, who snorted out loud. Shigaraki breathed heavily against the ground under him. Unsettled, he leaned to check the villain’s face, to see a purple bruise forming at his temple. He was still unconscious; it was just odd to feel his seat inhaling and exhaling.

“I wish we had something better to tie him up with.”

“I don’t know, you’re pretty heavy.” Shinso said. “And he looks like a strong wind could blow him over.” He did seem frail, but Izuku had seen Shigaraki fight at USJ. He was stronger than he looked. That deranged burst of strength that only came because the man was seriously unhinged. 

“Where are the police?” Izuku wondered out loud, to the empty plaza. All of the people had fled, and given what Kirishima said, they were blocking off the area. Though, he didn’t see any of them yet and he felt like they should be a pretty big priority-,

Clang.

A small canister rolled to them, stopping against the soft body on the ground. 

“Goddamnit.” Shinso said, before the tear gas exploded . 

Izuku had obviously never been tear gassed before, though he had seen it plenty of times in movies and TV shows and even occasionally, on the news. He had, of course, evaluated the possibility of using it before he had his Quirk and still intended to apply to UA. Even in the age of heroes, it was still an effective tool, for many reasons. 

All of which, Izuku was experiencing simultaneously.

“ What the fuck! ” He screeched as tears went streaming from his eyes uncontrollably, stinging so badly that even shutting them didn’t help. He sprang off of Shigaraki instinctively, trying to get away from it as he coughed. His lungs were burning , and it hurt so bad his first instinct was to breathe out but as he stumbled and retched, trying to cover his eyes, he realized that there was a big risk of the tear gas catching fire. 

He could hear Shinso hacking up a lung, though it was hard, in between the hissing of the canister and the shouted instructions from a megaphone at them. He couldn’t see anything with the way his eyes were stinging, tears running. His mouth was salivating, oddly, and he felt so nauseous as he stumbled. Worse, it had some sort of color to it, likely formulated to stain their skin in case villains managed to get away through the cloud. It was red, and Izuku could feel it all over his body. 

“ We’re not villains! ” Izuku cried.

“ He attacked us! ” He heard Shinso cough out. It wasn’t true, exactly, but damn it, they weren’t the bad guys. Izuku reached out blindly through the red cloud, trying to find something to hang onto and his hand brushed what must have been Shinso’s chest and then he stumbled forward, hacking .

CRACK!

“Ow!” Izuku cried, holding his forehead as they jerked apart. It felt like his brain was rattling in his skull, pain shooting through his brain and back behind his eyes. 

“Whad tha fu-, ” Shinso was muffled and Izuku took a step back and his foot landed not on the ground, but on something else and it slipped under his foot. The stun gun Shinso had dropped, Izuku was realizing and he planted his other foot down hard , except he had no idea where he was standing and there was a loud-,

CRUNCH.

He felt something thin and elongated underneath his foot, and he winced. 

“Whad was dat ?” He heard the choked question. 

“His-,” Cough. “-, fingers.”

He could hear the strangled laughter, even as it sounded like his friend was throwing up agian.

XXXX

The fear that had shot through Shouta as the line went dead was like nothing he had felt before. The closest thing he could approximate it to, was when Shigaraki’s hand had locked around Midoriya at USJ. That time, Midoriya had narrowly avoided death and Shouta remembered being so convinced that his student had been killed. That even several of his students may have been killed. He hadn’t been awake to see All Might arrive; all he knew was that he was the only pro hero there, and that he had been unconscious.

He had woken up expecting to be handed pictures of dead, mangled bodies of twenty children that had all been under his care. 

This was worse. 

The only reason he could think of for Midoriya having Shinso’s phone was that one of his students was already dead and then no one answered when he called back and Shouta feared the worst. 

He broke a disturbing number of traffic laws getting there, ignoring the other drivers honking at him. All he could feel was his heartbeat pounding in his ears, thinking of how almost every single one of his students was at that mall today. That all the lives that had been saved at USJ were about to be ended , all over again, by the same person Shouta had failed to catch -,

When he got there, he ripped through police barriers. He spotted a few of his students in the crowd and he allowed himself to feel a temporary sense of relief, that at least a few were alive. At least some of them survived.

He barreled past a few uniformed officers, flashing his hero license, refusing to stop, until he spotted one lone officer that looked to be of a higher rank. He was further into the plaza, and he was trembling, clipboard rattling in his hands. Shouta narrowed his eyes, grabbing the man by the shoulder. 

“The kids .” He hissed. “ Where are they?! ” The man’s eyes went wide, and he lifted a trembling hand. He looked shell-shocked and Shouta instantly believed the worst. Of course, he did, after all. He had felt the effects of Shigaraki’s Quirk and if he had used it on his kids -,

Shouta felt nauseous. He was afraid to see their bodies.

But he had to, or he would never believe it. He had to .

“Th-they’re p-past the s-stairwell.” There were no paramedics, no EMT’s. No ambulances that Shouta could see nearby. He had seen a few, but they had been treating crush injuries from the stampede of people running out of the mall on the other side. 

He was in danger of throwing up, he thought. If there were no paramedics, that meant they weren’t going anywhere. There was nothing they could do. 

He took off towards the stairwell, blood rushing, fighting the nausea. He had to know .

And when he rounded the corner, for the first time in a very, very long time, he almost dropped to his knees and sobbed. 

There was a dripping, fine spray of red soaking the ground. Staining it. There were two bodies, one of them slumped against a concrete bench. He could see the hints of purple hair underneath the dark, dripping red. Another, smaller shape laying limply against him, head resting on Shinso’s abdomen. Limbs askew, unmoving. Green curls barely visible underneath all the blood . 

Shouta covered his mouth as a choked noise slipped out.

Shigaraki must have gotten their throats first and opened up an artery and Shouta was looking at, no, standing in all the blood in his students’ bodies. 

Kaminari and Kirishima were bent over the bodies. Their hands were stained red, Kirishima pressing one palm against the white cloth that had been laid over Midoriya’s face. The only thing visible were his parted lips. He couldn’t see Shinso’s face, only a hint of the hair and the edge of a similar cloth the police must have used to cover their faces, trying to give them a semblance of privacy. Kaminari’s shoulder was obscuring the rest, hunched over Shinso’s corpse. 

Both of them...students he had tutored personally . He had seen them yesterday, made them run laps yesterday . Watched Shinso whisper something to Midoriya that made his face go red and laugh until Midoriya tried to pull on his hair but was too short to do so, having to jump to get a good grip-,

Dead, stained with blood on the ground. Fifteen years old.

Kirishima turned, as Shouta muffled a guttural cry. He looked panicked, eyes wide. 

“Aizawa-sensei!” He said quickly and Shouta dropped his hand, walking forward numbly, trying to ignore the squelching noise his shoes made against the wet ground. He couldn’t fall apart in front of them. They still needed him.

Kaminari whirled around and-,

Was that a cord sticking out of his mouth?

Before Shouta could speak, the phone at the end of the cord came free and flew towards the covered corpses and-,

“ OW! ”

Shouta froze. 

“ Did you just drop my phone on my face? ” He heard the familiar, deep voice snap. It was muffled somewhat, like Shinso’s mouth was filled with blood and a hand came up, lifting the end of the cloth and Shouta could see tear tracks down a red-stained face and crusted blood underneath Shinso’s nose. Kaminari snorted, and reached out, pressing the cloth down.

“Hold on, you’re light sensitive.” Shinso threw his hand up, and when he set it down, it came directly into contact with Midoriya’s forehead. 

“Ugh....” Came the voice underneath the other sheet and Shouta could hear Kirishima fighting back a laugh. “Stop it....” Came the slur. “‘M concussed....”

“Maybe if your head wasn’t so fucking hard we wouldn’t be in this situation!” 

“What.” Shouta had to stop, as he inhaled sharply. “Is happening ?”

“Uh....good to see you, Aizawa-sensei!” Kaminari said tentatively.

“Aizawa’s here?” Midoriya slurred. 

“He’s...gonna kill us.” Shinso choked out through what was likely a mouthful of blood from a broken nose. 

Seems likely , Shouta thought. He didn’t know what was going on, but when he got to the bottom of it, he was going to string them both from the rafters of the gym. They could hang upside-down from his capture tape and reflect on what led them here. 

“You should....charge your phone...more often.” Midoriya murmured, shifting his arm and rolling his body in Shinso’s lap to press his face against the taller boy’s abdomen. 

“Midoriya. Bro.” Kirishima said, sounding like he’d done this before. “You can’t go to sleep yet.”

“...tired....”

“My question was not rhetorical. ” Shouta said. “And I am really, truly in want of an answer here.”

“Oh, yeah!” Kirishima said quickly. “Sorry.” He laughed nervously, rubbing his neck. “Uh, Shigaraki was here? I guess. And he had his hand on Midoriya’s throat. I think? The story we got from them was a little fragmented. They’re both concussed.” That much was fairly apparent. Shouta sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course, the only two people who could tell him exactly what happened had head injuries. 

“Pepper...spray.” Shinso muttered.

“Oh, yeah. I think they pepper sprayed him? There was a stun gun around here somewhere too, but I think the police took it.” Kirishima said. 

“No, I overheard the police!” Kaminari said, voice a little too loud. Shouta watched both prone figures wince. “They pepper sprayed him and then Shinso tased him.” He patted the shoulder of the lavender-haired boy, letting out a little sigh. “A man after my own heart.”

A choking noise came from under the cloth. 

Shouta resisted the urge to cover his face with his hands.

“Kaminari.” He snapped. 

“Uh, right.” The blonde said. “So they knocked him out and all and then the police mistook them for the-,”

“They tear gassed us!” Midoriya cried out. He sounded dizzy, and also as if he was about to burst into tears. “They thought we were villains!” Shinso’s hand came up blindly to pat Midoriya on the shoulder, even as the green-haired boy attempted to lurch off Shinso, before the exposed, lower half of his face started to look green and Kirishima pushed him back down. 

“And they color the tear gas red so if villains get away they’re easily identifiable.” Kirishima said. “Hence...all this.” He gestured at the spray of red. “Kinda looks like blood.”

“Yes.” Shouta said sharply. “It does.” The red-haired boy’s eyes went wide , as he realized what the scene must have looked like when Shouta came upon it.

“Oh God.”

“How did they get concussed?” He demanded.

“Well, I guess they cracked heads in the confusion and Midoriya’s forehead broke Shinso’s nose.” Kirishima explained. “And then Midoriya slipped on the stun gun and he...uhh...”

“Broke Shigaraki’s fingers on accident.” Kaminari supplied helpfully. 

“Why are they not being treated?” Shouta asked. “They’re obviously injured.”

“Well, the paramedics said they were busy treating crush injuries from the stampede, so they gave us some cloth to help protect them for the light and told them to hang tight.” It seemed like an obvious violation of protocol, especially after it was his two students that the police essentially assaulted, but Shouta could believe it. 

“To be perfectly clear...” He said. “All of their injuries, all of this ,” he gestured at the red-stained ground and the two boys who were soaked in it. “-, happened after the villain was apprehended?”

Kirishima nodded.

It was so unexpected, going from thinking he was about to see his students’ mangled corpses, then seeing a bloody massacre , to finding out it was a truly abysmal comedy of errors-,

He couldn’t help it. 

Shouta bent at the waist and let out a roaring laugh .

Chapter Text

When Toshinori got to the Kiyashi Ward mall, he feared the worst. He had seen the message left to him from Midoriya, had seen he missed the young teen’s calls. And then he saw the news, that there was some sort of villain attack at exactly the mall young Midoriya was supposed to be at today and he feared the worst .

He called up Naomasa as he drove like a maniac, holding the phone to his shoulder, trying to get the scoop on the situation. Naomasa seemed to be confused at his call, but confirmed that he was at the mall and that no, there were no fatalities, though there had been a few crush injuries from the stampede of people leaving the mall in a panic. Oh, and there were two concussions, but other than that, nothing to be worried about-,

Toshinori didn’t trust it. 

Not that he didn’t trust his friend. 

He just didn’t trust young Midoriya not to get himself injured. If there was trouble, he would find it or it would find him and that was a fundamental truth of the universe, as plain as it could be. 

He called Aizawa too, as he parked and ran out of his car towards the entrance of the mall. He could see police blockades and ambulances and it was making his heart pound .

“ All Might.” Came the clipped answer. 

“I just got to the mall, young Midoriya messaged me a while ago asking for your phone number and then I heard about the villain attack-,” He felt like he was rambling, almost like his student did. He ran a hand through his hair, realizing how nervous he was. 

“ Midoriya is fine. I’m here with them right now. Where are you ?” Toshinori glanced around. 

“By the east gate.”

“Stay there. I’m coming to find you and I’ll walk you through. I’m assuming you aren’t in your hero form.” Toshinori winced. He couldn’t exactly flash his license at them and get through the blockade like this. 

“Uh, no.”

After a few minutes, he spotted the bedraggled, unkempt man in the crowd. He frowned, as he realized he was tracking something red on his shoes, but it looked too thin to be the consistency of blood. Or that was what he thought, at least. 

Aizawa waved him over and he meandered forward, the hero taking him by the arm and showing his license to the uniformed officers keeping the crowd back. 

“He’s with me.” He informed them, walking Toshinori a little away from the crowd, before he stopped. “Before you see them, there’s something you should know.”

Toshinori felt his heart drop.

“The police used tear gas that dyes the people caught in it red. What you are going to see is remnants of the tear gas, not blood.” Aizawa said sternly and Toshinori blinked. He felt like he was missing something. “Midoriya and Shinso managed to apprehend the villain.”

“Are they injured?” Toshinori asked quickly, brow furrowing in concern. Aizawa snorted. 

“Shinso’s nose is broken, Midoriya’s head is bruised, and they both have concussions. I’ll leave the detective work on that one to you.” He said dryly, before letting out a sigh. “I already put in a call to Nedzu to get any footage of them pulled from the media, but I don’t know what has and hasn’t been shown yet. All you need to know is that they sustained no injuries whatsoever from Shigaraki and the way they look is misleading.”

“Okay?” Toshinori wasn’t sure what he was getting at, tilting his head in confusion. Aizawa paused. 

“All Might. It looks like they’re covered in blood.” 

“ OH .” He clasped a hand to his mouth. His coworker nodded, and then motioned for him to follow him. 

When Toshinori saw the two of them, laying there limply and groaning, looking like they were soaked in blood, he had to remind himself of what Aizawa said. That it was just cosmetics; the two of them really were fine, if a little out of it. 

It really did look like blood, though, he thought, as he stopped in his tracks in front of them. 

“What?” Aizawa asked. 

“Midoriya’s mother absolutely cannot see this.” He said. 

XXXX

Shouto wasn’t one to be particularly active in the class group chat, so when his phone went off, he just turned it over and ignored it. 

“Shouto?” His mother said. “Shouldn’t you answer that?” He shrugged.

“It’s fine.” He said. He preferred to be present and paying attention while he was with his mother. Especially since this was likely the last time he would see her for at least two weeks.

“Go ahead, honey. I don’t mind. What if it’s your friends?” Hesitantly, he reached out and picked up the phone. He was wondering if it was a message from Midoriya. 

Red Riot:

Hey, I got the name of the hospital Midoriya and Shinso are at. Kaminari and I were gonna clean up and go to see them, if anyone else wants to come.

Shouto choked. 

“Shouto?” His mother asked, reaching a hand out and gently touching his arm, concern filling her eyes. “Is everything okay?”

“M-my friend.” He said. “He’s in the hospital. I don’t know what happened.” She gently guided him towards the bed, so he could sit down. His hands had started shaking. Quickly, he tapped the name Red Riot so that he could direct message him. He didn’t have everyone’s number, but the class group chat made it easier. 

What happened? Are they okay?

After a moment, Kirishima messaged back. 

Uhhh....check the news. 

I feel like I shouldn’t say. It would be unmanly of me to expose Midoriya like that.

WAIT DON’T LOOK AT THE NEWS

BAD IDEA

THEY’RE OKAY

Shouto dropped his phone on the bed, ignoring Kirishima’s advice. 

“Mom.” he said, his tongue feeling thick and heavy in his mouth. He swallowed. “Can we turn on the news?” She nodded, reaching for the remote to the small TV in her room. She flipped through a few channels, until they landed on the report from the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. 

“ Today, in Kiyashi Ward, a villain was apprehended after attempting to kill two UA students... ” 

Shouto swallowed, hard, and there was a hand over his, his mother running her thumb over the back of it gently. 

“ Thankfully, there were no fatalities today. We have managed to obtain cell phone footage of the scene and are showing it to you now....”

It was a shot of the empty plaza, the shaky camera moving across the scene before it landed on-,

Oh.

Oh God.

He was going to throw up. 

How could Kirishima say they were okay? How could they be? Like that? Laying there, limp and bloody, the entire ground stained . He spotted the curly green hair underneath the blood and a ragged cry ripped itself from his throat. His vision blurred, even as the footage abruptly cut and the reporter was holding his hand to his ear, saying something about how the footage of the scene was being pulled and they weren’t able to show any more but he didn’t pay attention because he couldn’t breathe -,

“Shouto.” His mother’s soft voice cut through his hyperventilating. She was trying to pry the remote that was currently encased in a block of ice out of his hand. She leaned forward, switching off the TV and sliding off the bed. 

“Those are my classmates .” He choked out, dizzy. “I was supposed to be there, Midoriya asked me to come .” I could have protected him, he didn’t have to end up like this bloody and broken and limp how could Kirishima say he was okay, he wasn’t OKAY-,

His mother was kneeling by his feet, holding his hands in his lap. 

“They’re alive.” She said. “That’s what matters. The news said there were no fatalities.”  He hunched forward, and he felt a tear drip off his face. “What did your friend say?”

“H-he said they were okay but how could they be-,” She had seen what he saw. All the blood .

“News reports can be misleading.” She offered. “Your friend was there, right?” He nodded stiffly. “Then you should trust him over what it says on the news.” A hand stroked through his hair. “Would you like to go see him?” 

He managed a nod. 

“Then you should. Take a cab and go to the hospital. You can see in person, if your friend is okay.”

XXXX

Everything was bright . 

Even though they had dimmed the lights for him, Izuku was still squinting, his head pounding. God, having a concussion sucked. 

The beeping of the hospital machines was quiet, and the door opened, as they rolled Shinso back into the room. They had gotten them cleaned up and put them together and now Shinso was back from having his nose set, a bandage over it. He gave a drowsy thumbs up as they rolled him past Aizawa, who had pulled up a chair to the edge of Izuku’s bed. 

All Might had been there too and Izuku remembered the tall, weedy man gently stroking his hair and suppressing a laugh, like Izuku couldn’t tell that his mentor was cracking up as Aizawa told him what happened. He pouted, at the memory. The blonde man had stepped out to....make some calls or something. Things were fuzzy. 

Izuku sank back into the pillow, reflecting on their trip to the mall. 

He had really wanted to check out the hero merchandise and didn’t get to. It would have been adorable, having little nitotans of his friends. Frankly, he couldn’t wait until they were all pro heroes and his friends had real merch, but the thought of the look on Todoroki’s face when he gave him the mini-me was unbearably adorable. He could totally imagine the blank confusion, Todoroki accepting it because it was a gift from Izuku, but staring down at the doll, squeezing it like he’d never seen one before. He might not have. It would be a tiny, huggable version. Adorable.

“Shut the fuck up about nitotans. This is the fourth time you’ve talked about it in two hours.” Shinso snapped sleepily. Izuku blinked. How much of that had he said out loud? “ All of it .”

“Oh.”

“Oh, Todoroki-kun, you’re so cool !” Shinso raised the pitch of his voice, imitating Izuku. “So handsome and mysterious! I’m gonna buy a doll of you!”

“Aizawa-sensei?” Izuku slurred out, moving a little to try and catch his eye.

“Yes?” The man responded, without looking up. He seemed pointedly attempting to ignore their conversation.

“Can you do me a favor?” He flicked his eyes up from his phone. 

“We’ll see.”

“Can you suffocate Shinso with a pillow? Just...a little. You don’t have to kill ‘im.” Izuku suggested. 

“No.”

“ Hah!....urgh... ” He could hear the lavender-haired boy groaning as his head likely pounded from his sudden outcry.

“You like to act all tough but if there was a nitotan of you, you’d burst into tears.” Izuku said, vision still blurry. He knew they were both acting...oddly. But his head hurt so bad and he was so confused and he was still slurring .

“But there won’t be, so you’ll never see it.” Shinso said back, sounding like he was drifting off. “I....” A soft snore followed. Coward , Izuku thought, as he settled back on the pillow, blinking and squinting in the darkened room. He was tired, but he still didn’t feel like going to sleep. Just laying there was comfortable enough. 

“Aizawa-sensei?” Izuku asked, a sudden thought hitting him. He’d had it before, but now, there was hardly a filter from his brain to his mouth. He couldn’t stop himself. 

“Yes, problem child?” Izuku tried to lift his head to look at his teacher, who looked vaguely amused. 

“Have you ever tried to use your Quirk on yourself?” Aizawa stared back, pausing. He settled back in his chair. 

“Yes.” He finally said, after likely debating whether or not to tell Izuku. 

“What happened?”

“It was my first year of UA. I tried to erase my Quirk using a mirror and knocked myself unconscious for eight hours.” He said flatly. Izuku snorted, imagining a 15 year old version of his teacher staring into the mirror, hair flying up, eyes burning red, and then immediately blacking out, collapsing into a heap on the ground. 

“Could a villain use mirrors to trick you into using it on yourself and disable you in a fight?” Izuku wondered out loud. 

There was another pause. 

“I hadn’t considered that.” Aizawa responded, after a moment. “Hm.” Izuku watched him tap on his phone for a moment, writing himself a note.

“Are you only telling me this because you think I’m about to fall asleep and I won’t remember?” Izuku said, yawning. 

“As astute as ever, Midoriya.” He tried to lift himself to check on Shinso, to see if he was awake, groaning at the motion. His teacher just raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Before I forget.” He slurred. “You should know. It was Shinso.”

“What was Shinso?” Aizawa asked, nonchalantly, sitting back in his chair.

“He’s the one who saw Shigaraki with his hand on my throat. He-,” Izuku paused, blinking. He was getting sleepy, barely able to keep his eyes open. “...talked him into responding to him....got him to take his fingers away from my neck.” 

Aizawa sat forward a little more, narrowing his eyes. 

“Not with his Quirk!” Izuku said quickly. “But if he needed to he could have used it...” Izuku yawned. “...if things went wrong. He pepper sprayed him....and then he stunned him? Stun-gunned him?” He couldn’t think what the word was, but Aizawa deserved to know that it really had all been his friend’s doing. He read the situation, acted accordingly. His friend was trying to transfer into the hero course; Aizawa needed to know. “He saved my life.”

“I understand, Midoriya.” Aizawa said. 

“He should be in the hero course.”

“Nothing has been made official, but the idea of a transfer has been positively received.” The unkempt man said, leaning back in his seat again. Izuku could barely see him through his closing eyelids. “He’s not ready yet. He still needs more training, but if he stays on the path he’s currently on, I don’t see a reason why he shouldn’t be joining you all shortly.” Izuku attempted a sleepy smile.

“Good...” He yawned, eyes closing. 

XXXX

Toshinori could take a breather. 

Shigaraki was in custody, having woken up screaming angrily about his broken fingers at one point. Naomasa had offered to pick up Midoriya Inko, so he could let her know that her son was okay. And Nedzu had cracked down on the media outlets, getting all footage of young Midoriya and Shinso looking like they walked out of a slasher film pulled. He was currently gleefully raking the outlets over the coals, for using their images without permission and misleading the public and potentially their families. Young Midoriya said that his mother was supposed to be picking up a shift for a coworker, that she was a nurse and probably hadn’t seen the news yet. Toshinori hoped not; they had already called Shinso’s parents after they noticed the thirteen missed calls on his phone and they had been furious . 

Thankfully, Aizawa was there to talk them down and explain the situation, that he had gotten to the scene as soon as possible and the only injuries their son actually sustained was from his friend accidentally head-butting him. They were on their way as well, but both worked further out and wouldn’t be able to get to the hospital for another hour. Aizawa promised them that he would stay until they got there. 

Everything was okay . In fact, it was a little funny. Scratch that, very funny. He felt bad, for laughing at his concussed student, but the scenario was comical . Not to mention the two, confused boys spitting insults back and forth. 

Your head is a rock, I swear to God.

Your bones are made of peanut brittle!

Not all of us like to break our bones for fun.

You’re being a baby!

Midoriya had also talked about nitotans at length, to absolutely no one. He wasn’t sure what had gotten him fixated on the dolls, but it was certainly odd. 

And then there was young Todoroki, bolting from around the corner. He looked pale and shaky, eyes wild as his head spun from side to side, reading room numbers. He must have seen the news before they pulled the footage, Toshinori guessed. 

“Young Todoroki!” He said, walking towards him, waving. The split-haired boy screeched to a halt, staring at him. Belatedly, Toshinori realized he probably didn’t know who he was, looking the way he did. Maybe he had seen him in the hallways, but he had never introduced himself to the first years before.

“You...work for UA?” Todoroki said, brow furrowed. His face looked bleak. 

“Yes, I teach second and third year classes.” Toshinori said quickly. “Yagi Toshinori.” He extended a hand, and Todoroki hesitantly shook it. He could feel how much the teenager was shaking. “You’re here for Midoriya and Shinso, correct?” The boy nodded. “I can show you to their room.” He offered.

“O-okay.” 

“Young Todoroki, they are mostly uninjured. I take it you saw the news?”

“How can they be uninjured ?” The boy snapped suddenly. “They were covered in blood.” He reached a hand out, putting it on Todoroki’s shoulder. He didn’t miss the way the boy flinched at his touch. 

“It wasn’t blood. The police tear gassed them on accident.” Toshinori said. A variety of emotions flitted across the boy’s face, leaving him blinking, with his brow furrowed, frozen in his tracks in the hallway. “They simply have to remain under observation overnight.” He steered him towards their room gently. “They may be sleeping, but if you can remain quiet, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to see them.” He said. “If young Midoriya is awake, I’m sure he would be happy that you came to visit.” The boy nodded stiffly.

 Upon first meeting the boy, he had thought that young Todoroki reminded him of his father, Endeavor. But Toshinori realized that he was wrong. Whereas Endeavor’s stiffness came from an arrogance, a standoffishness uncommon in most heroes, his son was unlike him. He was shy, Toshinori had realized. He had seen him open up since the beginning of the year, even smile around his classmates recently. It wasn’t that surprising; he had likely been isolated growing up. For safety reasons even. After all, Endeavor was a very public figure and had likely taken steps to shield his family. And beyond that, young Todoroki had a powerful Quirk. If it could be triggered by emotions, it was no surprise that he may have been kept home when he was first learning to control it and schooled from there. 

He seemed like a kind boy though. Perhaps one who was just learning what it was like to be around others his age, though he was certain that his rambunctious, almost painfully cheerful student had been fast-tracking that process. He remembered the pretzel incident vividly, and pressed his mouth into a thin line to avoid smiling at the memory. 

He ushered him into the dimly lit room, the sound of snores filling his ears. The lavender-haired boy from the Sports Festival was dead to the world, limbs splayed out in his hospital bed, mouth open. Midoriya was curled up in his bed, almost a little ball. He couldn’t tell if his student was asleep or if his eyes were just closed, but his shoulders were rising and falling softly with his breathing. Aizawa was sitting in a chair near the foot of the beds, between them. When Toshinori entered, he twisted, to see him. 

“Todoroki?” He said, furrowing his brow. 

“Kirishima put the hospital address in the group chat.” Todoroki said stiffly. “In case anyone wanted to come visit. Him and Kaminari are coming after they get cleaned up.” Aizawa sighed. 

“Great.” 

The curly green hair shifted, as Midoriya rolled over, grunting. 

“He keeps waking up.” Aizawa said to Toshinori. “He’s asked me three times to suffocate Shinso.” Toshinori stifled a laugh. He felt Todoroki stiffen next to him, and he gently patted his shoulder.

“Why don’t you go up and see him?” He suggested. “Be warned; he keeps talking about nitotans.” Todoroki’s brow furrowed. 

“Nitotans?” He wondered out loud, before he slowly approached Midoriya’s bed. He looked hesitant, but when Toshinori’s student began to blink awake, he immediately recognized the split-haired boy. 

“Todoroki-kun!” He cried out, and there was a grunt from Shinso as he woke up suddenly. The teen looked taken aback, but he nodded slowly. 

“Are...are you okay?” His voice was soft.

“You came to visit me!” There were already tears threatening to spill over from Midoriya’s eyes. 

“Uh..yes.” Midoriya scooted close to the edge of the bed, and Toshinori spotted him flexing his right hand, as he so often did since the Sports Festival. Toshinori watched the other boy slowly lift his left hand and offer it to Midoriya. 

“I can...try and help with your right hand.” He said. “If it’s hurting.” Midoriya nodded, wincing. Todoroki reached out, and slipped his hand into the green-haired boy’s, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Toshinori raised an eyebrow. 

Oh.

Midoriya let out a pleased sigh. 

“So warm... ” He said, his fingers laced through Todoroki’s. “Put your cold hand on my head.” He whined, like a petulant child. The split-haired teen’s ears blushed red, and Toshinori smiled to himself as he reached out with his right hand and placed it on Midoriya’s forehead, before frowning. 

“Is your forehead bruised?”

“He broke my nose with it.” Came the raspy voice from the bed over. Todoroki’s brow furrowed deeper. 

“Did you two... concuss each other ?”

“Maybe...” The green-haired boy slurred. “Kirishima didn’t tell you?”

“He said it would be unmanly to expose you like that.” Todoroki let out a sigh, like he was frustrated, but the tension had seeped out of his shoulders. Toshinori smiled. “I should have gone with you today.” 

“We were fine...” Midoriya slurred. “Shinso was like wam bam and then he pepper sprayed that motherfucker.” Toshinori startled. He had only heard his student curse a handful of times and never anything wildly inappropriate. Hearing him swear surprised him. 

Todoroki blinked. 

“But I wanted to check and see if they had all the stuff from the Sports Festival and Shigraki grabbed me before I got to go in....” His student had started rambling. “....I thought there might be stuff of us from the Sports Festival and that there would be stuff of you and I thought how cute it would be if I could get you a little-,”

“If you say nitotan one more time I’m going to make you jump out the window.” Shinso threatened, rolling in his bed and covering his head with his pillow. 

“A mini you!” Midoriya insisted. “I thought you could have a little huggable version of yourself! It would be adorable!”

“Midoriya...” Todoroki said, slowly. “You don’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to!”

Bam!

The door swung open, light flooding in from the hallway and both teenagers groaned. Toshinori turned from the awkward scene in front of him to see a short, stout woman. She had green hair, a familiar shade, and with the way it was pulled back, half-up half-down in a small bun behind her head, it was reminiscent of Nana. Wide, teary green eyes took in the scene, and the figure in front of them immediately began blubbering. 

“Oh my God there’s two of them.” The lavender-haired boy groaned, peeking out from under the pillow. She rushed in, barreling past Toshinori before he could even greet her, running up to the other side of Midoriya’s bed. She reached out for her son’s face, tears streaming from her eyes and peppering kisses on his cheeks. Todoroki withdrew his hand from Midoriya’s forehead quickly. 

“Izu-kun!” 

“ Mom .” Young Midoriya squirmed. 

Toshinori was certain he wasn’t the only one struck by how strong the resemblance was between Midoriya and his mother. The two of them were birds of a feather; he even looked just like her. He let a smile creep onto his face. It was cute, even if his student was embarrassed. 

“Midoriya-san,” Aizawa greeted her, standing up from his seat. She released her son’s face, wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve. She bustled over instantly, as Aizawa extended a hand and pulled him into a tight hug instead. He could swear he heard Aizawa’s back crack under the force of the hug. He grunted.

Yup, definitely Midoriya’s mother. 

“You’re Aizawa-sensei!” She said. “My Izu-kun talks about you.” Midoriya sank down in the bed behind her. Toshinori almost laughed out loud, before she was greeting him as well. Not quite with the same, crushing hug, but a cheerful handshake where she grasped his arm. Finally, she rotated around onto Todoroki-kun, pulling him into a tight hug. “And you must be Todoroki-kun!” 

The split-haired boy went stiff as a board, but she just hugged him tighter, her hand coming up to stroke his hair. 

“It’s so kind of you to come see my Izu-kun.” She said. “I’m so glad he has friends like you!” And then she was off, straight to Shinso’s bed. Midoriya had pulled up the covers over his face, squeaking. She was giving him the full treatment, fussing over him almost as much as she had over her son.

Toshinori watched Todoroki smile softly, leaning in towards Midoriya. 

“Your mother is very nice.” He said quietly. The green-haired boy made a pained noise underneath the covers. 

XXXX

Eijiro toweled his hair off as he got out of the shower. He was planning to head over to the hospital Midoriya and Shinso were at, but both him and Kaminari had been stained thoroughly red by the dyed tear gas. Not to mention the traces of it on his clothes had started stinging his eyes. Besides, his friends were okay, if a little concussed. He could take a second to get cleaned up. 

He pulled on some different clothes, as he bent over his phone, checking it. He hoped he hadn’t scared Todoroki. The guy was still a little stiff and awkward, but he obviously cared about Midoriya. It was sweet, in Eijiro’s opinion. That he worried about their little green-haired classmate. 

But Eijiro had a missed call.

In fact, he had three missed calls. 

Furrowing his brow, he opened up his phone, to see a series of messages from Bakugo, demanding he answer his ‘ goddamn phone Shitty Hair! ’

He clicked on their thread, typing a message back. 

Bro, is there something wrong?

The answer came almost immediately, surprising him. 

Is there something wrong?

Are you fucking stupid?
YOU SAID DEKU AND THAT PURPLE FUCK ARE IN THE HOSPITAL!

Eijiro blinked, before he smiled. Oh, he knew Bakugo couldn’t hate his childhood friend as much as he pretended to. 

Shigaraki showed up at the mall and went after Midoriya.

He was barely through the rest of another sentence, when the bubble popped up and message after message came in. Whenever Bakugo texted, it was with as much aggression as he had in person. 

That one handed freak from USJ?

What the FUCK

Why was he at the goddamn mall

What happened

God, he typed fast.

Nothing? Shinso tased him and the police arrested him. 

Midoriya and him are fine, but they knocked heads pretty hard and they’re being kept under observation. 

It was pretty funny. 

They kind of looked like they were dead for a little bit tho

NO SHIT

I SAW THE FUCKING NEWS

WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

Got tear gassed on accident, I guess.

Mistook them for villains. 

Aizawa was there and he LAUGHED AT THEM

It was terrifying

He says Nedzu is going to rake the police department over the coals tho

It was funny, but really, they had tear gassed two innocent fifteen year olds. Eijiro didn’t think Midoriya thought too hard on it, besides getting tearful over the fact that someone thought he was a villain, but someone should probably do something. He would let the adults handle it.

THOSE STUPID FUCKS CAN’T TELL A FUCKING HERO FROM A VILLAIN????

Are you...worried about Midoriya?

I’M THE ONLY ONE WHO GETS TO KILL THAT DUMB MOTHERFUCKER

Aw, Eijiro realized. He was worried about Midoriya. It was nice to know that underneath it all, Bakugo had a heart. Though he might try and blow Eijiro’s head off for saying it later.

Chapter Text

“Hey, Shinso.” Izuku said, slowly sitting up in his bed. He stuffed a pillow underneath his back, to sit more comfortably. The lavender-haired boy was awake as well; visiting hours were over so they were alone for now, with only nurses to come and check on them every few hours. But they had both been in and out all day so it was no surprise to Izuku that he wasn’t quite ready to fall asleep yet. 

“Yeah?” His friend rolled over to face him, lifting his head so he could prop it up with another pillow. There was something Izuku couldn’t get off his mind.

“You talked about Todoroki-kun and the way he forgave his mother earlier.” Izuku said, and he had already started fidgeting nervously. “It just sounded like...you had some personal experience.” His friend raised an eyebrow at him, before he let out a sigh. He sat up, slowly, folding his legs and putting his hand in his lap. The room was dark, but Izuku could still see his face in the light that was peeking out from under the door. 

He just couldn’t help but notice how odd and stilted the relationship between Shinso and his parents was. They had seemed upset that he was hurt, had come as soon as they could. Everything about their outrage over his injuries should show the part of loving, doting parents. And yet, when they actually arrived, they seemed unsure of what to do with him. How to speak to him, how to touch him. Izuku knew he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Aizawa had seemed to pick up on it too. Even though he was supposed to leave once Shinso’s parents arrived, he had stayed. 

And after twenty minutes, when the room was filled with awkward silences and darting eyes, he had slowly informed them of what time they could expect Shinso to be discharged the next morning, and that visiting hours would be ending soon.

They had nodded, saying something about having to get back to Shinso’s siblings, made a show of saying goodbye, and left. 

“You told me about your father like, the first day I met you.” He said, slowly. “I suppose I can tell you this.”

“You don’t have a good relationship with them.” Izuku said and it wasn’t a question. 

“No.” Shinso agreed. “There’s a lot of things they did when I was younger...when my Quirk was first coming in and I couldn’t control it.” He was picking at his nails. “Isolating me from my siblings. Refusing to speak to me. Sometimes, when it became too much for them, they would send me to stay with my grandmother.” 

“Your grandmother?”

“She had gone deaf.” The lavender-haired boy explained. “Can’t use my Quirk on her.” He sighed. “I didn’t know what I was doing, at first. I just thought they were agreeing with me, when I wanted to do something. I couldn’t tell they didn’t actually want to eat ice cream or go to the park or that I was supposed to get up early.” 

“You couldn’t have known.” Izuku said gently. His friend just shrugged. 

“But even when I started to figure it out, they were...paranoid. Everything was my fault. I wasn’t safe to be around. They couldn’t trust their own thoughts. I wasn’t allowed to see my siblings. They would just lock me in my room all day, because they didn’t know how my Quirk worked and they didn’t know what else to do. It...got worse, at some points.” Shinso didn’t elaborate, but he stopped, staring down at his hands silently. He was clearly remembering something traumatic, more so than the neglect and abuse he had already mentioned. 

“You don’t have to talk about it.” Izuku said. “Or at least, not right now. If you don’t want to.” 

“They apologized.” Shinso said, running a hand through his hair. “They said they know what they did was wrong. They’re trying to make it up to me. It’s painfully obvious. But they just don’t...don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.” Izuku nodded, quietly. 

“Do you forgive them?” The lavender-haired boy paused, thinking.

“No.” He scrubbed at his face. “Is that bad of me?”

“No.” Izuku said. “They hurt you. They were supposed to protect you and they didn’t. I don’t think you have to forgive them just because they said they were sorry.” He stopped, trying to formulate his thoughts. “Do you think they...actually changed their behavior? Or do they just feel bad?”

“They flinch whenever I mention the hero course or UA.” Shinso said. “So no. I don’t think they’ve changed enough.” 

“I don’t think you should feel obligated to forgive them.” Izuku said. And he meant it. If they didn’t earn it, he didn’t think that Shinso should be the one feeling guilty about not forgiving them. “You were a kid. They were the adults. They should have known better in the first place.”

“I don’t think I-,” Shinso stopped, inhaling sharply. “Never. I’ll never forgive them. They keep trying to give me everything I want but what I want is-,” He shook his head, frustrated. His voice was cracking. “I want my life back. I don’t care if they’ll cook my favorite meal for dinner every night for the rest of their lives, or if they offer to buy me whatever new fucking thing they think kids my age like. They could offer me the sun and the stars and I wouldn’t fucking want it. I want it to never have happened in the first place. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop resenting them.” 

Slowly, Izuku slid his feet off of his bed. He was wobbly when they touched the ground, but it was a short distance to Shinso’s bed, so he thought it would be okay. He hopped onto it, sitting next to the lavender-haired boy and scooting so that they were shoulder to shoulder. He felt his friend lean into him, subtly. 

“I want to be a hero and I want to do it without them and I don’t ever want to look back because they can’t just fix what they did.” He said, head bent down. His voice was muffled slightly by the position. “Is that wrong?” Izuku leaned back, letting his head bump his friend’s shoulder. 

“I don’t think so.” He said. 

“Will you ever forgive your father?” Izuku thought for a moment, about his own early childhood. The blood and fire and the bruises on his mother. The moment his father shoved him into the counter, splitting his head open, blood everywhere. He had spent a long time wondering what he had done wrong, that maybe it was his Quirklessness that drove his father to hurt him and his mother. He objectively knew that was wrong. Now, at least. But it was still hard to shake the feeling, like he was somehow at fault. 

He tried to focus on his mother and all the other people his father had hurt instead, trying to take himself out of the equation entirely. And while there was that dark, whispering voice in his mind that was all his insecurities wrapped up tightly and weaponized, that justified the way his father hurt him, it had a loophole. It only whispered about Izuku. He could find no justification for the way his father hurt his mom or all those other people. It made his answer easy.

“No.” He said.

“What about Bakugo?” Shinso asked, and Izuku startled, turning to look at him. “I don’t really know everything, but it’s pretty clear he treated you like shit before UA. He still does, but-,” Izuku gripped the edge of the bed. 

“It was worse, before.” He admitted. “I...don’t know about that one.” He said, lifting his head. He felt like he would forgive Bakugo. Not right in that instant, but that he would one day. If Bakugo changed enough. He had changed already, since coming to UA. He was better all around, to everyone. It was hard to believe, with his explosive attitude, but Izuku knew what he saw. He just wasn’t there with Izuku. Yet, he hoped. “Kacchan was a kid, at least. It was shitty. It still kind of is. But he was a kid, too.” He felt a weight against his shoulder, and lavender-hair tickled his cheek. 

“Someone should probably do something about all the teachers who didn’t do anything about his dogshit attitude.” Shinso drawled. “I find it hard to believe no one noticed his behavior.”

“They noticed. They didn’t care.” Izuku said, studying his feet. “I was Quirkless, remember?”

“Is every hero like this?” Shinso said. “I feel like half your class has a traumatic backstory.” Izuku snorted, leaning his head against Shinso’s soft hair. 

“I don’t think you get into heroics unless you see something wrong in the world you want to fix. If it’s closer to home...all the more reason to keep it from happening to anyone else.” 

“It almost sounds comforting, the way you say it.” The lavender-haired boy said, sighing.

“I think it is.” Izuku confessed. “What is it but empathy for mankind? To care so much about people you’ve never met that you would put your life on the line so that they don’t have to suffer like you did?” He had thought about this extensively. For a long time, he didn’t have a Quirk. He had no easy path to being a hero. But he didn’t let that stop him because he couldn’t bear the thought of letting others suffer through what he did alone. If he could save one person, any amount of pain and heartache on his part would be worth it. It was why All Might was his favorite hero. He wasn’t just a symbol of peace, but a symbol of hope and Izuku knew more than most how valuable that was. 

“You’re too noble for your own good.” Shinso murmured against him. 

XXXX

“You have no idea how helpful you’ve been.” Tsukauchi said, reaching a hand out towards Izuku, to shake it. He was one of the detectives on the case and was directly handling Shigaraki, apparently. The story of Shigaraki’s incapacitation had already been relayed, but after Izuku had some time to readjust to the head injury, made better with some well-placed healing Quirks and light painkillers, the detective had wanted to go over the details with Izuku. 

Besides, All Might had informed him quickly that Tsukauchi was a dear friend of his and that was enough for Izuku to know that the detective was trustworthy. Besides, now that Izuku was thinking a little more clearly, he found that there were some details about his conversation with Shigaraki he had missed the first time around. 

“Sorry, that I couldn’t help more.” Izuku offered ruefully, scratching his head. “I got the impression that it didn’t matter a whole lot what I said. He just wanted validation.” Tsukauchi shook his head. 

“Midoriya-kun, you did plenty.  Shigaraki is unstable. There was nothing more you could have done.” Izuku would always disagree with that last statement, but that was just him. 

“Do you think you’ll get any information from him?” He asked, hopefully. He knew firsthand how dangerous the League of Villains could be, even if they were disjointed. They had some powerful backing. If ‘Sensei’ was who they all thought he was, it was plenty of cause for concern. Tsukauchi’s eyes flicked to All Might, who was sitting in a chair behind Izuku, before they went back to him. 

“I will be honest; I don’t believe Shigaraki will intentionally tell us anything.” Izuku’s face must have fallen, because the detective followed up his statement quickly, offering him a warm smile. “That doesn’t mean he doesn’t say plenty that we can use. Besides, you and your friend took a dangerous villain off the streets. I’d say that’s a lot more than we had before, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess.” Izuku scratched his head. “I know he’s crazy but he just seems...”

“Seems like?” Tsukauchi prompted.

“Like a child, I guess.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. You just have to wonder how he ended up here. I don’t think it was on purpose.” He could picture the man vividly, scratching at his neck frantically. Melting down when things fell apart. He couldn’t be that much older than Izuku and he acted even younger. Sure, the guy was nuts, but after seeing him taken away, he looked so small. So young . And from the way he spoke about Sensei , so impressionable.

He had read more than a few books on the ethics of heroism and the idea was put forth more than once that criminals, even if they were called villains in this day and age, were people society had failed in some way or another. If you searched enough, you would find all criminals had been victims once, too. It wasn’t meant to justify their actions, but to educate the people who were meant to face them. 

Some villains may be easier to empathize with than others, but what is imperative to understand in our society is that people rarely intend to take a path of villainy. We will never truly know the circumstances that motivate anyone, but it falls to the heroes of today to understand that they do indeed exist. Sometimes, a problem can be solved with a punch. But sometimes, a problem can be solved with an offered hand and a dedication to help, even those we consider to be the worst reflections of ourselves.

It was from one of his favorite books on the matter; Izuku had read it upwards of ten times. When he saw it on the schedule for Aizawa’s hero ethics material, he almost screamed. 

“I don’t think so, either. Hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of it.” Tsukauchi said, offering Izuku a smile. “You have a lot of empathy for him, Midoriya-kun. Given he tried to kill you.” Twice , Izuku thought. 

“It just seems...sad.” He offered. 

They dropped him back off at his apartment building, All Might walking him up to the door with him. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.” He said, his hands clasped together. Izuku blinked, surprised at the sudden apology. He processed for a moment, before he waved his hands frantically. 

“No! You didn’t do anything wrong!” He said quickly. 

“You were in trouble. And I could not help.” His mentor said solemnly. “You even called and I failed to answer.”

“Shigaraki was already unconscious by then, though!” Izuku insisted. “Besides, it was just a trip to the mall. You couldn’t have known anything would go wrong! I can’t be chaperoned everywhere I go for the rest of my life.” All Might just reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“I worry about you.” He confessed, levelling a serious look at him. “But...I am glad you have so many friends who care for you.” Izuku thought back to all the friends who came to see him in the hospital. They were only there overnight, but they came anyways. Uraraka and Iida had accompanied Kirishima and Kaminari, bringing the two of them food and well wishes even though they had to be quiet and couldn’t stay for long. After Kaminari discharged a shock of electricity that almost hit Aizawa, their teacher had kicked them out without hesitation. 

Though, Izuku had noticed how red Shinso got when Kaminari sat on the edge of his bed and poked him in the calf. The blonde had offered to supercharge Shinso’s stun gun. 

“For the next time.” He’d said. 

“Next time?” Shinso croaked. 

“What, done saving us already, hero?” Kaminari teased and the lavender-haired boy looked ready to melt into the covers. 

“Speaking of that...” He said, and All Might dug a hand into the bag slung over his shoulder. Before Izuku knew it, something soft and plush was being pushed into his hand. 

“A nitotan ....” Izuku whispered. When he glanced down at the plush doll, he almost dropped it. 

It was him . Big, round green eyes, one of them winking. They had made his untameable, messy hair a little nest of green spikes. The little doll was dressed in his gym uniform. He pressed his thumbs into the soft, round cheeks, tears already threatening to spill over. 

“It’s me! ” He exclaimed. He was on the verge of tears, and he hugged it to his chest. It was so soft . This was so many dreams of his wrapped up into one; vaguely, at the back of his mind, he had known that one day there would be hero merchandise of him but he didn't expect it so soon . How could he not cry? “I love it! ” He blubbered. 

What was his life now? The greatest hero who ever lived, the Symbol of Peace , his mentor bought hero merch of him and gifted it to him.

“They had some of young Todoroki, as well. If you’d like to follow through on what you...” All Might coughed. “...spoke about at length.” Izuku flushed red, squeezing the doll. “He seems like a very kind boy, young Midoriya.”

“He-, uh...I....” All Might’s laughter boomed out. 

“A good friend , at the very least.” Izuku covered his eyes with his hand.

“I can’t believe you bought this.” Izuku said, switching subjects. He held up the doll, eyes shining with tears. “This is amazing! ”

“Ah, and the best part is that I have one to match!” All Might said, holding up a finger. When he pulled the matching green-eyed doll out of his bag, Izuku’s jaw dropped. “I had to get one of my favorite hero!”

Izuku’s soul left his body.

XXXX

Aizawa counted them, as they filed onto the bus. Even though it didn’t particularly matter what order they entered the bus in, he was checking each student as they went before he waved them on. He stopped Kaminari for a full three minutes, drilling the blonde about whether or not he brought his toothbrush, clean underwear, and more than one pair of socks. 

“I think so?” Kaminari said. Aizawa sighed, before waving him on. 

Izuku was ready for any questions, a list of all the things he had brought jotted down and in his hand. He bounded onto the bus, and Aizawa flicked his eyes to him, looking him up and down. He reached into his pocket, and held something out. 

Pepper spray.

“Never know when you may need it.” Aizawa drawled. Heat instantly rushed to Izuku’s face, but he timidly reached out and took it, squeaking as he shot to his seat once his teacher waved him on.

The ride was uneventful, though it was nice to have some time with his friends, laughing and teasing each other. Izuku sat next to Todoroki, who was quieter than most of the other people on the bus. 

“Todoroki-kun!” Izuku said cheerfully. “Aren’t you excited?” His friend hesitated for a moment, before he smiled. 

“Yes, I am, actually.” He responded softly. Izuku had noticed that the split-haired boy seemed to have a special tone reserved for him alone. It was slightly softer than he spoke with everyone else, as if they were the only two people in the world when Todoroki was speaking to him. It made Izuku feel special, and as if he commanded Todoroki’s full attention during their conversations. 

“I heard that we’re going to work on training our Quirks specifically!” He chirped. “I’m really excited to work on mine.”

“You’ve come very far already.” Todoroki responded. Izuku flexed his hand and shrugged.

“It helps that I can apply it all around.” He said. “But I can’t really use the full range of my ability without blowing my limbs off and I’d like to...uh....work on that.” 

“I struggled to use my Quirk for a long time when I first got it.” Todoroki offered. Izuku didn’t know if his friend knew exactly how late Izuku got his Quirk, but the class generally knew that he was a late bloomer and that he hadn’t had as much time to learn control as the rest of them. Though, only Recovery Girl, Nedzu, Aizawa, All Might, and Shinso knew exactly when Izuku got it.

“I can’t imagine that.” Izuku confessed. “You have such great control over it now.” Todoroki made a face, wrinkling his nose. 

“Midoriya, I almost killed you during the Sports Festival because I didn’t have enough control over my left side.” Izuku waved his hand. 

“Almost killed me , maybe. But you didn’t almost kill yourself! That’s pretty good, in my opinion.” The split-haired boy blinked.

“You should raise your standards.” He said, and Izuku laughed. “I don’t really have that great of control. My mother could make little ice figurines with the finest details. I can’t do anything near that.” 

“That’s so cool!” Izuku said. “You probably could too, if you practice enough!” 

“I’ve been trying.” Todoroki admitted. “I’ve gotten better at making defined objects, but details are still hard. They make for very interesting ice cubes.” He let out a giggle, and his classmate blinked at him, before the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

They chatted for the rest of the ride, until they stopped for a ‘bathroom break.’ Izuku should have guessed it was another logical ruse, but they barely had time before they were being chased by giant monsters made of earth through the forest. Every time it felt like they had cleared them out, there were even more. On top of that, Izuku couldn’t orienteer for shit.

There was also a limit to what he could do; he considered using the flame whip to try and take down a lot of the earth creatures at once. Iida had even suggested it, but he ultimately decided to forego the move. He hadn’t perfected it yet, and while it certainly didn’t put him out of the fight, between the physicality required and the stamina to create the perfectly suitable flame, it seemed unsuitable for a test of stamina. Which Izuku was pretty sure this was . 

Besides, there was no way his classmates could give him a wide enough berth, dodging earth creatures left and right, for him to use it without hurting anyone. And potentially setting fire to the forest, which Izuku would prefer not to do. 

“ Gah! ” He choked as one of the creatures snagged him in its gigantic hand. He squirmed, before he opened his jaw wide, leaned forward, and sheared straight through the hand of the beast with his teeth. He tore through a few of the fingers? before it dropped him and he rolled away.

“Holy shit!” Kirishima cried. 

“I didn’t know you could do that!” Uraraka said.

It was hours before they got back to camp, starving and exhausted. They were dirty and battered and Izuku felt like there was a layer of grime coating him from head to toe. A few of them collapsed once they got to the clearing. Momo, who had been trying to make them support items the entire way there, was leaning against the shoulder Izuku offered her. Todoroki had handed her some ice wordlessly, which she pressed against her neck. 

“Ugh....” She groaned. “I need to eat.” 

“Can either of you produce water?” Izuku wondered tiredly. There was a groan from some of his classmates, that of course Izuku would be asking that in a time like this. 

“Yes, technically.” Momo said. “Consumables are difficult; I can make the biological structure, but the taste seems off. It consumes my stamina though, so creating food to eat is counterproductive for me.” That had been Izuku’s follow up question, but he was glad that she had beat him to it. 

“Yes.” Todoroki said. “I wouldn’t drink it, though. The formation of ice comes from the water in the air, so the quality of the water is entirely dependent on that alone. Inevitably, pollutants will be condensed alongside the water.”

“So, like, maybe you could drink it here, but not in downtown Tokyo?” Izuku asked as they stumbled towards the structures. The split-haired boy considered his query.

“I suppose so.” He agreed.

They were all relieved to find out that they were going to eat after all. The Wild Wild Pussycats had praise for them, saying that they made it through faster than they thought they would, but once the word dinner was heard, most of Izuku’s classmates barely heard anything else. 

Eventually, after an odd encounter with the angry little boy Kota, that left Izuku in pain , they sat down to eat a delicious dinner prepared for them courtesy of the Pussycats.

“This is amazing .” Izuku groaned, through a mouthful of food. He could see his classmates shoveling it in. Kaminari almost choked at one point at the speed he was forcing food down his throat and Shouji slapped him on the back with two arms at once to dislodge the food stuck in his throat. 

“You know, Deku, I’ve never seen you do something like that.” Uraraka commented. 

“Do what?” He asked, covering his mouth as he spoke through a mouthful of food. 

“Bite through things!” She said, jabbing a finger towards his mouth. Izuku’s eyes flicked towards Bakugo, briefly. He was sitting at the end of the table, Kirishima having dragged him over. He seemed like he didn’t want to be involved in the conversation, his head down, uncharacteristically quiet. Kirishima couldn’t resist being involved though, leaning over Sero as he joined the conversation. 

“It was pretty badass.” He said. Izuku pressed his finger to the point of his teeth absently. 

“I haven’t really tested it, but I know it can go through metal pretty easily.” He admitted. 

“Guess it means your Quirk isn’t like Todoroki’s, ribbit.” Tsu said. She tilted her head. “I was wondering if it was pyrokinetic, but if you have bodily reinforcements, then it’s a mutation-type ability. I have similar changes.” Izuku nodded. 

“I produce a gas in my lungs and there’s kind of like an extra piece of anatomy at the back of my throat that acts as the ignition-,” He stopped himself, before he launched into an explanation. “You guys aren’t really interested in this, are you?”

“I was curious, as well.” Momo confessed. She was packed in between Jiro and Tokoyami. “So it isn’t ignited in your lungs, but your mouth?” Izuku nodded. 

“You have to be careful putting stuff in your mouth then.” Kirishima said, and his tone had a lilt to it, like there was a joke to it that Izuku wasn’t understanding. 

“I suppose.” He responded, brow furrowed. “I did get jabbed in the throat once and I ignited on accident. I guess there must be at least a small amount of the gas that leaks out even when I’m not actively producing it. Though I don’t really know what I would be putting in my mouth that would make it a problem.” 

“Dick.” Kirishima said promptly and Izuku inhaled the rice in his mouth. Half the table broke out into howls of laughter. Jiro was slamming her hand down on the table, laughing so hard she was wheezing, even while Izuku felt like he was about to choke to death on the rice that had been in his mouth. He was making terrible noises, even as Iida started to smack him on the back, scolding the table. The other half of the table was trying to comfort him, even as they started breaking their composure. A quick glance at Todoroki told him that he was participating in neither, frozen to the spot and bright red, refusing to look at anyone, including Izuku. 

“That is highly inappropriate! ” Iida cried. “You should not use such vulgar language or imply such vulgar acts and tease Midoriya-kun like this-,”

Uraraka and Tsu had collapsed into each other giggling, even though they tried to pat his hand and comfort him. Ashido was shrieking at the end of the table. 

It was horrible .

“Wait, wait -,” Jiro wheezed. “Midoriya, is your tongue textured?”

“Maybe-, stop! ” He covered his face with his hands. He felt so unbelievably flushed that he was going to pass out. He didn’t want to look, cowering in his seat.

“So, either one day, Midoriya is going to make his girlfriend a very happy lady, or he’s going to maim some poor boy-,” Jiro dissolved into laughter, and Ashido pounded her fist. 

“He goes to give a blowjob and just- snap and woosh!!!! ”  She gestured with her hands and another wave of roaring laughter took over the table.

“Commentary on Midoriya-kun’s sexuality is highly inappropriate! What Midoriya-kun may or may not choose to do with a partner he respects and cares for is private!” Iida protested, even as Izuku wished he was dead . 

“ Stop! ” he cried. 

“Maybe he’s a pillow princess-,” Jiro started and Izuku fell backwards off the bench, scrambling in the dirt. 

Eventually, they settled down. Kirishima apologized, muffling laughter. 

“It was just right there, bro.” He said. “Besides, even if you are gay, it’s manly.”

“Manly?” Jiro asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Twice the men.” Kirishima said, like it was obvious. “It’s as manly as you can get.” 

“Hard logic to argue with.” She said, seeming pleasantly surprised. “What about a threes-,”

“I gotta go.” Izuku said suddenly. “Somewhere. Into the forest.” The idea of getting lost in the dark, creepy forest in the middle of the night was preferable to this. Jiro laughed.

XXXX

They helped with the clean up after, gathering dishes and wiping down tables. As Izuku stacked a few dishes, he heard rapid footsteps approaching him. 

“Shitty Deku !” Came the familiar roar. It was almost a relief to hear the familiar epithet. Not that Izuku was looking forward to facing the ire of his childhood friend. But Bakugo had been acting strangely lately and Izuku had to wonder if their final exam had something to do with it. He remembered Bakugo saying something about getting expelled, but nothing had happened so far. Though, he couldn’t help but wonder about the conversation between the explosive boy and Aizawa that Todoroki had caught sight of. 

Izuku spun around, to see his childhood friend storming over, full force. He looked furious , face contorted with familiar rage, hands clenched. He was already jabbing a finger in Izuku’s direction. 

“We’re going to have a fucking conversation , you shitty-,” He cut himself off, letting out a noise of rage. 

“Uh...” 

“Don’t make that fucking noise.” Bakugo growled, as he planted himself in front of Izuku. His hand shot out and grabbed the green-haired boy by the front of his shirt, yanking him forward violently. “ Uhhh-, so stupid .” Izuku’s feet were almost off the ground, as he blinked at Bakugo. He had truly no idea where this was going. 

“Is everything alright, Kacchan?” He asked. The question seemed to enrage him.

“ Shut up! ” He screeched. “Mind your own fucking business!”

A hand reached out, abruptly pulling Bakugo’s fingers from his shirt. It slipped from his grasp, and Izuku stumbled back, coming up to grab where the material from his shirt had bundled beneath the blonde’s fingers. There was some oily residue on it, likely the nitroglycerin from Bakugo’s hand. He must have been sweating, at least a little. It was warm out, Izuku supposed, but he had felt comfortable in the weather. 

His head snapped towards Todoroki, who had stepped in between the two of them once Izuku had stumbled back. The blonde ripped his hand from Todoroki’s grasp, snarling .

“What do you think you’re doing, Icyhot?” He snapped. “This isn’t any of your fucking business.” Todoroki just stood there, raising an eyebrow. He crossed his arms over his chest, exuding an aura of calm and collectedness. 

It was pretty cool, Izuku thought, as he peered at the scene. He felt silly, as if he was hiding behind Todoroki. 

“Midoriya is my friend. It’s my business.” Todoroki said flatly, staring Bakugo down. 

“Like fuck it is. This is a private fucking conversation between me and Deku, you nosy freezer burnt motherfucker.” Bakugo fired back, reaching forward to grab Todoroki’s shoulder. 

“Kacchan, don’t!” Izuku said quickly. “Please leave Todorok-kun alone. We can talk if you just-,” Todoroki’s hand came up to cover Izuku’s mouth, pushing him back. “Mhm fmmhm-,”

“Oh, what a fucking hero .” Bakugo said sardonically. “If shitty Deku is fine talking with me, it’s none of your fucking business -,”

“You’re threatening him.” Todoroki said. “And threatening me. Forgive me if I doubt your intentions.” The last part was spoken sarcastically. “I don’t care for the way you treat him at school and I’m done with letting you get away with it.” Bakugo let out a shriek of rage, springing forward. Small explosions were going off in his hands, which he brought up in a rush towards Todoroki’s face. Izuku’s eyes widened, and he pushed Todoroki’s hand down. 

“Kacchan wait-! ” He cried, but the explosions never left the confines of Bakugo’s hands. He simply snarled in Todoroki’s face, the split-haired boy never once flinching. When it was clear that he wasn’t backing down, Bakugo spun around on his heel and walked away, setting off a larger explosion towards nothing. Even though it wasn’t aimed towards anyone, Izuku still flinched, gripping Todoroki’s hand tighter. 

They both watched Bakugo’s retreat, Izuku stunned . He had never seen the other boy back down from a fight, and it had been like watching a train start to derail, bound to crash and explode at any second.

Todoroki turned towards Izuku, blinking at him blankly. 

“You didn’t have to do that, Todoroki-kun.” Izuku said, quickly dropping the other boy’s hand. He hadn’t realized he was still gripping it. 

“He’s an asshole.” Todoroki said simply. “And I’m sick of watching him hurt you.” He scratched the side of his head nervously. 

“Kacchan isn’t so bad. He’s better than he used to be-,”

“That’s not good enough.” Todoroki interrupted, crossing his arms. Izuku let out a sigh, wringing his hands. 

“I wish you had let me handle it.” He admitted, quietly. He had a hard time looking the other boy in the face. He knew that the split-haired boy only intended to help him, but he knew Kacchan best and he didn’t think Todoroki was helping by getting involved. Izuku could handle it; he’d been handling it for years. Besides, he was hoping he was finally going to get some clarity on his childhood friend’s markedly odd behavior since the final exam or even a hint as to what happened. He had started to think it must have been bad, or at the very least, personal for Bakugo. There wasn’t another reason for his teachers to refuse to show him, other than it being a matter of privacy for the other student.

“You don’t, though.” Todoroki said. “I don’t know what it is, because I don’t believe you would tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone else or to anyone else. I’m not going to sit by and watch you get hurt because you have a blind spot for Bakugo.” Izuku clenched his hands at his sides.

“I just-,” In a brief moment of spite, he thought that the same could be said of Todoroki’s own situation, with his father, and his unwillingness to go for help. But he batted it away quickly, because any mention of it would be uncalled for and unkind, especially when his friend just wanted to help. And it wasn’t really the same. Todoroki wouldn’t go to the teachers for help because even if they could ensure his safety, there was no guarantee they could ensure that of his mother and his siblings before they could be hurt. The rest of them were deeply and intricately connected to his father, especially Todoroki’s mother who had essentially no legal autonomy whatsoever. Even ensuring Todoroki’s safety was a big if in his friend’s mind, with the position his father held to the public. It was an unfair comparison and Izuku knew that. And it was the reason why Izuku hadn’t broken down and gone to Aizawa on his friend’s behalf yet. 

“I don’t mean to upset you.” Todoroki said, voice softer. “But he’s your weak spot.”

“I-i....yes.” It was true. 

“Friends defend each other’s weak spots, right?” He asked it, almost like he was totally unsure of the answer. Izuku scrubbed at his face. 

“Yes.” He said. “They do.” He sighed. “Thank you, Todoroki-kun. I hope it won’t be needed in the future.” 

“I am glad to help until it isn’t.” 

XXXX

Eventually, they were ushered off to the hot springs. They settled in, the hot water feeling amazing against all their bumps and bruises. Izuku probably could have drowned in the water and he would have been grateful. 

They could hear voices on the other side of the wooden wall, figuring out fairly quickly that the girls were likely on the other side.

“ No one will act inappropriately while I am in attendance!” Iida said, gesturing so vigorously that water sprayed up at them. Izuku laughed into his arm, though Sero clapped the enthusiastic boy on the shoulder. 

“Don’t worry, we’re not Mineta.” He said, seriously, before grinning. 

“Oof.”

“Low blow.”

“It’s true.” Bakugo snapped. “That purple freak didn’t know when to quit.” He was as far away from Izuku as he could possibly be, though Izuku didn’t think it was on purpose. He glanced towards him, and his childhood friend held his gaze, red eyes smoldering. Izuku looked away quickly, unsure of what to do. He brought his attention back to the scene in front of him. 

 Kaminari had rushed quickly towards the wall, rapping on it with his knuckles. 

“ Yo, Momo!” He said. “You should make a speaker! Get the music cranked! ”

“ This is supposed to be relaxing, dummy! ” Jiro shouted back. 

“You can play forest sounds or something!”

“ We’re in the fucking forest!”

“What are you doing ?” A voice came from above them, and they spotted the young boy from earlier that had accompanied the Pussycats at the top of the wall. Izuku could spot the top of a chair.

“Hey, Midoriya, isn’t that the kid who Texas-smashed you in the nuts?” Izuku flicked at Sero, who snickered. 

“I just wanted to say hi!” Izuku said, trying to cover his red face. 

“If you try something,” Kouta waved a stick. “I have permission to jab you with this.”

“ Thank you, Kouta-kun! ” Came the chorus from the girls’ side of the bath, and the little boy glanced over.

“I-,” His face instantly went red , and the little boy took a step back. Izuku saw him wobble for a moment and prayed that the little boy wouldn’t lose his balance but-,

A second later, the stick went flying from his hand as the back of his heel slipped over the edge and Izuku snatched his towel up and wrapped himself in it as he burst forward, using the surface of the wood to push forward on and grabbing the little boy out of the air.

Kirishima wolf-whistled. 

“A natural born hero!” Sero shouted, using his hands to amplify his voice.

“ Aw, did we miss Midoriya doing something really cool?” One of the girls cried out from the other side of the wall.

XXXX

After taking the little boy back to his aunt and hearing about why he had such disdain for heroes, Izuku could understand why the boy had been so averse to their presence at the camp. He was still grieving, Izuku guessed. There wasn’t much anyone could do besides try to be there for him. He was just so young to have lost his family and it was obvious how painfully the loss was felt. 

When he wandered back towards where they were staying for the night, he spotted Todoroki sitting out on the porch of the room all the boys were piled into. He was sitting with his legs over the side, a book in his lap, reading by the moonlight. Izuku smiled when he saw them, and when he was close enough for his footsteps to be heard, the split-haired boy looked up at him, closing his book. 

“You didn’t have to wait up for me.” He said. 

“I volunteered.” Todoroki said. “Had to make sure you didn’t get attacked by the League of Villains during the walk back.” Izuku laughed. 

“Am I really that much of a trouble magnet?” He took a seat next to Todoroki, stretching his legs out in front of him and yawning. It was cooler out, now that the sun had been down for a few hours. It was bordering on chilly, but Izuku figured he would probably be comfortable enough underneath a blanket. 

“Need I remind you that the news made everyone think you were dead very recently?” Izuku cringed. He’d seen the video. It looked pretty gorey, especially with the way him and Shinso had been laying there limply. His head had hurt so bad though, and laying still was the only thing that helped. 

“But I wasn’t actually dead.” He protested. Todoroki tilted his head at Izuku. The moonlight was catching him just perfectly, lighting his every feature and making the nearly snow-white half of his hair practically glow. He reached a hand out, setting it in Izuku’s hair. He pat patted it gently, and Izuku’s face must have gone red. 

“I can worry.” He tucked his book under his arm, and they both stood up, making their way into the room where they were staying. There were futons laid out for them. They had likely been in neat lines, initially, but since the boys had rearranged and tilted them so that they were a haphazard mess. Most everyone was still awake, but having settled in. 

“He’s alive!” Kirishima exclaimed. 

“Our hero!” Kaminari called out. Izuku waved a hand at them, like he was swatting as he grabbed his pajamas to change. 

XXXX

Shouta sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had sent Pixie-Bob to the girls’ room, to make sure they were all awake and accounted for while he took the boys’. He thought it best, in case he accidentally caught them in various states of undress. But frankly, he figured it was the boys who would need the most wrangling. They had been given a time to be awake and ready by, but they were teenagers and his expectation on that particular task was low.

He knocked on the door before he slid it open, sticking his head in. 

It was chaos . 

He could hear several boys in the bathroom, taking showers and splashing water on their faces. Kaminari looked like a zombie, walking directly into a wall, wrinkling his nose, and then wandering into the bathroom aimlessly. A few boys were almost dressed, pulling on pants and almost falling on their faces at that particular task, and Todoroki was laying down, blinking slowly at the ceiling like he’d just woken up. There were a few blankets bunched around him.

Shouta sighed. 

He stepped in, mentally keeping track of who he had and hadn’t seen so far. 

“Aizawa-sensei!” Kirishima said, from where he had fallen onto the ground pulling shorts on. “We’re almost ready!”

“I doubt that.” He said dryly, though he could hear Iida’s voice from the bathroom trying to corral the teens. 

“We even started taking a headcount!” Kirishima said enthusiastically. His hair was wet, the top almost flat against his head, uncharacteristically so. He must have taken a shower. “I’ve been counting everyone in here, and Iida went to count off everyone still in the bathroom.” There were footsteps, and then Iida stuck his head out of the bathroom. 

“I have Bakugo, Tokoyami, Shouji, Sero, Aoyama, and Kaminari.” Iida said. 

“I’ve got Todoroki, Ojiro, Koda, and Sato.” Kirishima responded, and Shouta mentally went through his class roster. He frowned. That left-, “Wait, no Midoriya?” The red-haired boy asked. Iida’s face fell, and he stuck his head back into the bathroom, before he popped back out, looking pale.

“I do not see Midoriya-kun!” His eyes widened. 

“Could he have gone for a run?” Kirishima asked. “Gotten up earlier?”

“I was up at 430.” Bakugo snapped, walking out of the bathroom. “No one left. Unless he left before then, then no.” 

Kirishima sprang to his feet, glancing around frantically. 

“Oh God, we lost Midoriya! ” He was running around the room, Iida going the other direction. “Everyone, look for Midoriya!” He called out, sticking his head into the bathroom. “He’s small, so there’s a lot of places he could be hiding!” 

Shouta resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead. How did they lose a whole student? While there was a voice at the back of his mind that worried something was wrong, he knew it was more likely that he had slipped out and wandered around the camp without thinking and without informing anyone. 

“Kirishima.” Todoroki’s voice cut through the room, and they all screeched to a halt, turning to look at the split-haired boy. He reached over his body with his right hand, going to the blanket next to him and Shouta began to realize that the bunched blankets next to him were not just cloth, but a solid figure underneath. Todoroki pulled the blanket away, exposing curly green hair and an arm wrapped firmly around Todoroki’s waist. Midoriya’s head was pushed against the teen’s ribcage, but the rest of his body was angled away oddly. He was gripping something with his other hand, too, and Shouta realized it was Todoroki’s wrist, his arm stuck under the green-haired boy. 

“Oh.” Kirishima said. 

“He’s like a heat-seeking missile.” Todoroki said grimly, and Shouta could see a path of disturbed blankets and futons across the room. He had helped lay their luggage next to the futons himself and he knew that where he had put Midoriya’s stuff was nowhere near where Todoroki was currently laying. “I can’t feel my left arm.” 

“Why don’t you just shake him off?” Shouta asked, and Todoroki demonstrated, by trying to sit up. The arm around his torso tightened, hard .

“I think he just cracked my back.” The split-haired teen confessed. Kirishima snorted. 

“Aizawa-sensei, can you erase his Quirk so Todoroki can get free?”

“I don’t believe Midoriya-kun is using his Quirk.” Iida said. “At least, there is no indication of it.”

Shouta sighed. He stepped forward, through the path of blankets and futons, bending down next to the prone, sleeping form of his student. His head was turned to the side, sleeping face in view. He looked especially young, lips parted slightly. 

Shouta reached out and pinched his nose shut. 

It took a moment, but after a few seconds of cutting off his airflow, Midoriya’s body jerked, and he released Todoroki’s torso, eyes flying open. He released his student, straightening up and stepping back as Midoriya’s limbs flailed. 

“ Wah! ” He cried out, jerking up to a seated position. Kirishima let out a snicker. 

“We’ll have to use that tomorrow morning,” he said. “Thanks, Aizawa-sensei!”

“Do not suffocate your classmates.” He groused, hoping that it didn’t need to be said. 

He started walking towards the door, as Midoriya apologized profusely to Todoroki, fussing and waving his arms frantically. He tried to massage feeling back into Todoroki’s forearm.

“It was just so warm .” The green-haired boy said, sounding embarrassed. 

“It’s okay.” Todoroki said, amused. 

“How did I even get here?” Midoriya wondered aloud. “I’m so sorry, I’ll just sleep on the other side of the room-,”

“Midoriya.” Todoroki’s voice was soft. “You can sleep next to me again, tonight. If you want.”

Shouta ignored both of them, stepping out of the room.

“Be at the dining hall in ten minutes! ” He yelled, shutting the door behind him. He wasn’t paid to deal with painfully awkward teen romance.

Though, apparently he was paid to wake up stubbornly strong students who used others like a human heating pad.

Chapter Text

The next day...was brutal . 

Not that Izuku wasn’t grateful for the opportunity to just work on increasing the output of One for All; Tiger was pushing him hard . He was showing him more than just how to strengthen his augmentation Quirk, too. He had shown him several moves that Izuku was determined to copy. 

“You’re not half bad at this.” Tiger reflected, after he had knocked Izuku on his ass again. “Some of these moves remind me of...” Izuku saw his eyes flick across the clearing, to wear Aizawa was speaking with Pixie-Bob. 

“Yeah.” Izuku said. “He showed me a lot of them.” He slowly got back to his feet, bending at the waist and stretching as he did. He did so almost fluidly, much easier than he had when he first started working with Aizawa. 

“You move well.” Tiger said. “You might even be on the verge of your own style. Just not quite yet.” Izuku sighed as he straightened back up. 

“Yeah. I get that a lot.” As effective as the moves Aizawa had showed him were, they weren’t completely compatible. They had significantly different builds and strengths. Izuku had spent a while trying to emulate those of the best fighters he had seen; All Might, Gran Torino, Aizawa, even the Hero Killer. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t borrowed a few cues from the inhumanly fast man. And then, the biggest influence of all. 

Bakugo Katsuki.

No matter how he acted, how angry and aggressive he was, Bakguo had the strength to back it up. He was a genius when it came to battlefield tactics and his fighting style was versatile and brutal . It was incredible, honestly. Izuku had to admit that his fire whip had been influenced by Bakugo’s Howitzer Impact. 

“Hey, Ragdoll!” Tiger called, beckoning the small woman over. He glanced back at Izuku, grinning. “She might be able to give you a hand.” The green-haired woman bounded over cheerfully and Tiger whispered something to her before he broke off to work with the other students. 

She stood in front of him, hands on her hips, long-hair swinging. She was short, maybe an inch or two taller than Izuku, but about the same height. She grinned at him. 

“I hear you’re short and you don’t know when to quit.” Izuku scratched his head. 

“Maybe?” She leaned in.

“Don’t worry. I’m also short and I don’t know when to quit.” She glanced around the clearing, at his other classmates. “You’re going to be smaller than a lot of your opponents. I hear you can’t take your Quirk too far without blowing your limbs off because you got it so late. And that you can’t stay out of trouble.” Izuku cringed at every word, shrinking under her yellow gaze. 

“Uh.....” He wasn’t sure how to respond. “Yes?”

“But you’re pretty smart, too.” She tapped her temple. “A lot of these kids have big, flashy Quirks and they’ve had them for years. So they don’t use their heads too much. That’s a weakness you’re going to exploit.” She tilted her head. “My Quirk isn’t as physical as the rest of my team’s. It’s great for rescue work, but not so much in a one-on-one fight. So I have to get creative.” Izuku checked his mental catalogue of heroes - Search , he believed her Quirk was. The ability to track and monitor up to 100 people at once. Not just monitor their locations, but their condition. Their wellbeing. Their weak points .

“I write analysis for all kinds of heroes.” Izuku confessed. “It started when I was young, but I’ve been breaking down my classmate’s Quirks as well. It’s just kind of a hobby, but-,” Ragdoll’s grin stretched wider. 

“You pay attention.” She said. “That’s what my Quirk does; it gives me a lot of information, but it is up to me to break it down and use it. And there isn’t room to be picky, either. I’m shorter and weaker than most of my opponents. I should be easier to take down.” Izuku had been following the Wild Wild Pussycats since he was little, and he had seen the fight breakdowns between Ragdoll and a variety of villains.

“But you’re not.” 

“No, I’m not.” She agreed. “Because I find their weak points and I use them. If I see a bad knee, I’m going to smash their kneecap into itty bitty pieces. If I see a bum shoulder, I’m going to force them to block on that side until I can pull it out of the socket. If I see a bad eye...” She tilted her head at him again, grin almost feral. “...I’m going to rip it out and smash their face in.” Izuku shuddered, rubbing his neck. 

“Isn’t that a little... dirty ?”

“All fights are dirty, kiddo. You end it as fast as you can because the longer it goes on, the more likely you are to get injured. And you can’t, because there’s always going to be another fight.” She leaned back, but placed a hand on his shoulder. “You go in fast, you go in hard, you find their weaknesses, and you get ready for the next one because there’s someone else who’s gonna need you. You feel me?” She asked. 

“Y-yes.” Izuku understood what she was getting at. It was something he struggled with, particularly. Getting in and out fast enough where he didn’t get injured. He needed to be able to decisively end a fight, as fast as he could. He was good at taking hits, but he needed to stop taking them . He was lucky, that he was young, had an insane pain tolerance, and had a lot of good friends to watch his back. But it was as Aizawa had said that first day; how was he going to fight with a broken arm? Was he just going to be a burden on his friends once he was incapacitated? 

“Now, let me show you how to take down an opponent bigger than you.” 

XXXX

“ Ugh... ” Kaminari collapsed onto the ground in front of the benches filled with ingredients. There were small, electric discharges coming off of him. “I don’t know how to cook!” He cried out into the ground. 

“I mean, I can kind of cook?” Uraraka offered. “It’s edible.” Izuku glanced over at Bakugo, who was arguing with Kirishima about something, looking incredibly bothered , while the red-haired boy just grinned. 

“Y’know...” He started. “Kacchan is an amazing cook.” Jiro’s head snapped towards him immediately. 

“No way.” She said. 

“It’s true.” He nodded back. “Kacchan is actually very good at a lot of things, but he refuses to do them for anyone else so you’ll never know. He makes an amazing curry.” Kaminari dragged himself up from the ground.

“Yeah, but if we ask him, do you think he’s going to bite our heads off?” 

“Oh, for sure!” Ashido chirped. “He’ll throw a pot at your head.”  Izuku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“You can probably trick him into doing it.” He suggested, and he felt multiple heads turn towards him at once. “Once you flip his switch, all you have to do is step back and let him do the rest. We’ll have a delicious curry in no time. It might be a little spicy though, so you should hide any ingredients that are too hot for your taste.” 

“Deku...” Uraraka whispered. “Are you telling us to manipulate Bakugo?”

“Manipulate? I mean...that’s kind of a strong word...” he said, laughing nervously and rubbing his neck. Bakugo could just be so disagreeable some times, that Izuku had devised a way to get him to cooperate. It wasn’t perfect; it hadn’t really been applicable to the final exam because Izuku needed something that Bakugo didn’t want to do in the first place. But cooking would fit perfectly. “We don’t have to do this, if you guys feel bad about it.”

“No, I absolutely want to do this.” Todoroki interjected and Izuku was so surprised he stumbled. 

“Oh, please .” Ashido said, clasping her hands together. “Impart upon us your wisdom!”

“Well, you see, Kacchan is very disagreeable and very competitive, so you just have to get him to ‘prove you wrong’. Once he’s set on a task, he’ll take care of himself from there. If you aren’t doing it well enough, or fast enough, he’ll take over because otherwise he would look bad. He’s kind of a perfectionist.”

“What do you suggest?” Jiro asked. 

“Just imply he can’t cook or he’s a bad cook and he’ll start from there. Then, you need to seem incompetent or too slow at whatever task he assigns you and he’ll immediately take over.”

“That’s all?” Ashido asked. “That seems almost too simple.” Izuku shrugged. 

“If he throws a pot at you, duck, I guess?”

“Yup, there it is.” Kaminari commented. He twisted around. “ Hey Bakugo! I heard you’re a terrible cook! ”

Years later, Kaminari would still swear that Bakugo’s head rotated all the way around his body like the girl in The Exorcist . It was like the climax in a horror movie.

He stormed over, dirt kicking up behind him. He grabbed Kaminari by the collar, and yanked him off his feet. 

“ What did you fucking say about me, Pikachu? ” He hissed.

“I bet Bakugo’s curry would taste terrible .” Jiro said aloud, glancing at Izuku while she did. 

“ My curry is delicious! ”

And with that, Bakugo’s switch was flipped. 

“ Start lighting the fucking fires! ” He had roared, gesturing with his knife violently at Todoroki and Izuku. They scampered off, Izuku letting out little puffs of breath as he stooped down to light the fire. 

“Is this a good idea?” Todoroki whispered to Izuku. He shrugged. It wasn’t hard to get his childhood friend fired up, so he didn’t feel bad about that. 

“His curry really is delicious.” He whispered back. 

“ And when you’re done you can fucking peel potatoes, rich boy! ” Uraraka and Ashido were already pretending to struggle with chopping and peeling vegetables. At one point, Uraraka even made a show of trying to cut with the wrong side of the knife, until Bakugo threw a carrot at her and snatched them from her hands, chopping carrots furiously . Izuku could see Uraraka suppressing a giggle from his position.

“I’ll be honest.” Todoroki whispered. “I’ve never actually peeled a potato.” Izuku’s head snapped to the side so fast it almost strained the muscles in his neck. 

“ What? ” Todoroki shrugged. 

“I mean, I understand how it works, obviously. I’ve just never cooked before. No reason or time to.” Sometimes, Izuku forgot how ridiculously rich and freakishly isolated Todoroki was and he was not at all surprised to find basic household tasks missing from the split-haired boy’s skillset. But still, the concept of never having peeled a potato was mind-boggling.

“Well, thankfully, you won’t have to start today.”

Nevertheless, watching Todoroki stare at Bakugo with one eyebrow raised, peeling a potato as slowly and poorly as humanly possible, almost killed Izuku. The split-haired boy made a show of dropping the potato on the ground and bending down to pick it up at a painstaking speed. 

“Oops.” He deadpanned, making pointed eye contact with the blonde. Bakugo flew at him in a rage, ripping the potato from his hands and crushing it into chunks in his own. He started pelting Todoroki with it, the split-haired boy not even attempting to shield himself. Thwip, thwip, thwip!

“ If I ever see you in my kitchen again, I’ll fucking kill you and then myself! ” He screeched, hurling the last piece of potato at him. “ You’re a goddamn disgrace! ”

 The split-haired boy scampered away, shooting Izuku a smile as he started brushing chunks of potato out of his hair. The green-haired boy stifled a laugh, and he gestured for Todoroki to come over. His classmate stopped in front of him, and Izuku picked pieces of potato out of his hair, giggling. 

“Sorry, Todoroki-kun.” He picked out a chunk from the white side; it was significantly harder to see, but when the split-haired boy shook his head a little, pieces of potato toppled out. 

“It’ll be worth it for the curry.” He said, bending his head forward. 

“Please tell me you were playing it up and that’s not actually how you would peel a potato.” Izuku said, laughing. 

“I may have added some theatrics.”

Thunk!

A chunk of carrot collided with the side of Todoroki’s head, bouncing off harmlessly. 

“ You two make me fucking sick! I can’t stand to look at you! ” Bakugo shrieked. “ You can pick each other like monkeys during your free time! ” They slipped away, Izuku laughing into his arm. 

Of course, the curry was fantastic, if a little on the spicier side. Jiro and Kaminari had taken it upon themselves to hide the spiciest peppers, but still, Bakugo prevailed. Izuku liked spicy food, but he was pretty sure Bakugo had basically no taste buds left from the heat of the food he ate. They all chorused their thank-yous to the explosive boy, who angrily slammed the knife down at the prep station and screamed at them to shut the fuck up and eat and never question my abilities again!

“Do you think he’ll fall for it tomorrow, too?” Jiro whispered to Izuku. Kaminari was on cloud nine, shoveling curry into his mouth and groaning in delight. 

“Please say yes.” He said through a mouthful of food. “This is fantastic, and that’s not just because I’m exhausted.” 

“Kacchan’s pretty tenacious.” Izuku said, thoughtfully.

“Meaning he never learns his lesson?” Uraraka asked hopefully. 

“No, he does not.” Izuku agreed, and she grinned. 

XXXX

“Deku.” Izuku jumped at the voice so close to him, startled, but he set the bowls he was stacking back down on the table and turned to see Bakugo. His hands were shoved in his pockets, and he was glaring at Izuku, but he wasn’t yelling. “I want to fucking talk to you.” He said flatly, and his eyes flicked around the clearing, taking in the students who were still nearby. A few faces were watching curiously. Izuku could see Todoroki helping to wash dishes, his back turned. “I’m serious. I know fucking Icyhot wants to beat my face in, but you can call him the fuck off.” Izuku blinked. 

“I’m not, I don’t-,” He stuttered, catching a fleeting look of rage on the blonde’s face. He paused, composing himself. “I want to hear what you have to say, Kacchan.” He finally said. “You just...kind of came at me, yesterday.” Bakugo made a noise of irritation deep in his throat. 

“What-fucking-ever.” He snapped, but it lacked the regular, explosive ire. “We have shit to talk about.” Izuku took a seat on the bench. 

“Okay.” His classmate rolled his eyes. 

“You really think I want all these nosy fucking extras listening in? They couldn’t mind their own business if I punched them in the face. Come on.” He jerked his head to the side. Izuku was hesitant, but he stood up nonetheless, following Bakugo. He didn’t really know where this was going, but he knew that his childhood friend was right. There was no way to have a private conversation where they were. Bakugo probably didn’t plan to hurt him, Izuku reasoned. After all, if that was what he wanted, he would have done it, audience or no audience. 

“Does this have something to do with the final exam?” Izuku asked, as they walked further away from their classmates. He watched Bakugo’s shoulders shoot up immediately, a stutter in his step. “Aizawa won’t let me see the recording. Did something happen after I got knocked out?”

“No.” The blonde snapped. “Nothing happened.” Izuku didn’t believe him. 

“Okay, Kacchan.” Bakugo led him to a small clearing, still close to camp but secluded enough that their voices wouldn’t carry. It was private. Izuku still found that he was nervous, as his childhood abruptly stopped, and spun around. His face was contorted in an odd expression. “Are you feeling well?” Izuku couldn’t help but ask. Bakugo blinked.

“Shut up, Deku.” He growled, but it lacked the usual bite. “I need to-, goddamnit. ” He snarled, but from the way he tilted his head down, Izuku got the impression it was more to himself than Izuku. “I’ve been-, ugh. ”

“If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.” Izuku said. 

“Just be quiet! I’m fucking saying something here!”

“You’re really not.” Izuku pointed out, and Bakugo spun around, letting out a guttural scream of rage towards the ground. A few explosions pop pop popped in his clenched hands, but Izuku was grateful they weren’t aimed at him. After a moment, the explosive boy turned back around, leaving the grass scorched behind him. 

“I’ve been acting like a little shit, alright! ” He roared and it was like Izuku had been slapped. It seemed too impossible to believe, that this could be maybe going towards something Izuku had wanted to hear for a long time, that maybe Bakugo was even capable of-, “I was a fucking bastard, I still am a fucking bastard, but-,” If this wasn’t real, Izuku wouldn’t be able to take it. If this was a joke, he would break down because this was targeting his biggest insecurities, his biggest weak points and even though he knew they existed and tried to protect them it would be like getting his heart torn out. He could feel tears already springing to his eyes. 

“Stop.” Izuku choked out, and Bakugo’s head shot up. “Stop talking. If this a joke or a prank stop right fucking now -,” He felt a tear slipping down his cheek and he wiped it away angrily. He didn’t want to cry. 

“ IT’S FUCKING NOT! ” Bakugo exploded at him and Izuku flinched, taking a step back. The blonde’s face fell almost immediately. “I know I’m supposed to be a fucking hero and I want to be a fucking hero and I’ve been acting like a villain and I wanted to say I’m going to-, to stop....fucking doing that. Okay?” He snapped. 

“Okay?” Izuku repeated. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Are we okay ?”

“Are we ‘okay’? Are you kidding me ?” Izuku’s voice was rough, from choking back tears. “What do you fucking think ? Was that supposed to be an apology ?”

“I-it was a fucking apology.” Bakugo snapped, though he sounded unsure of himself. Izuku wanted to tear his hair out. It was nowhere close to one. He took another step back, shaking his head. He needed to put some distance between him and Bakugo or he didn’t know what was going to happen. He was upset he didn’t even care about the kind of retribution that might come back on him. 

“I’m not some fucking kid you were rude to in a hallway once.” Izuku said. “I-I don’t know what you want me to say. I know you hate me but you don’t even care that we were friends once, it sounds like all you want is to just shove this all away so you can be a hero without the baggage of the way you treated people like shit affecting you.” Bakugo was looking at him strangely, and when Izuku stopped, wiping his tears away, he thought the explosive boy was going to yell at him. 

He wasn’t expecting the low, almost quiet tone that came out of his mouth, that was building with intensity with each word. It was worse. 

“I don’t care ?” Bakugo repeated. “I don’t fucking care ? How do you know what the fuck I do and don’t care about?! ” 

“You don’t act like it !” Izuku screamed back. “How am I supposed to believe you? ”

“What do you want hear? That I crossed a line bringing up your evil father? That I treated you like shit and that was wrong? That you were my best fucking friend and I threw it all away and I’ve never had another real fucking friend since? ” Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, eyes wide and dripping with tears. He stared at the face of his childhood friend, illuminated in the moonlight. It was the first time in a long time Izuku had seen something besides anger on his friend’s face when facing him. Instead, his brow was furrowed, his lip bitten. He even looked sweaty.

He was nervous. 

“I was a fucking piece of shit!” He roared. “I’m trying to be better! I know I fucked up, okay?! ” Izuku wrapped his arms around himself, trembling. 

“I don’t-,”

“ I’M FUCKING SORRY! ” His voice rang out through the clearing, ragged, and filled with rage, though Izuku didn’t know who it was directed at. 

Despite how badly Izuku had spent wanting to hear those exact words, expletives included, coming from Bakugo’s mouth, he had never once believed it would be happening any time soon. He thought it far more likely that Bakugo would one day find him tolerable, and the abuse would just stop without any acknowledgement. That’s what happened for every other victim of Bakugo’s bullying, but then again, it had never been quite so personal for anyone besides Izuku. 

He stared at him, mouth hanging open. The blonde was breathing heavily, hands clenched into fists at his sides. They stayed like that, silence between them, until Izuku broke it. 

“D-do you want me to forgive you?” Izuku snapped. “Is that what this is about?”

Silence. 

“I-i... fuck -,” Bakugo looked away. “Maybe-, fuck, goddamnit, YES! ” 

“I-i don’t-,” Izuku paused, covering his face with his hands. He was breathing heavily as well, shaking violently. There were still tears running down his face, eyes wet and red. “I don’t know , okay? I don’t fucking know. I didn’t-I never thought I would hear this. So I didn’t really consider what I would do if you did apologize.” His voice was slightly muffled by his hands. He finally dragged his hands away, as a thought hit him. “Why now? Why are you apologizing now?”

“I-i just...I fucked up. Big time.” Bakugo muttered. 

“Is this because of what you said? Did Aizawa threaten to expel you if you didn’t apologize?” Izuku asked suspiciously. If this apology had ulterior motives, it was absolutely worthless to him, and he would be excusing himself to hide under a tree and sob violently. 

“ No! ” Bakugo snapped. “He told me to stop fucking talking to you, alright? Not to make fucking nice .” He growled, low and angry. “I-I’m doing this of my own volition, okay?”

They stood there, silently, Izuku wiping tears from his face and staring at his feet. What should have felt good and cathartic just made him feel like shit. He understood what Shinso was saying, now more than ever. He felt like he didn’t want an apology, that Bakugo could offer him the world in apology and he wouldn’t want that either. He wanted it to never have happened in the first place. 

All his feelings were just all so twisted up together and complicated. He was angry , almost. At Bakugo. That he got to decide when things would be okay. That he got to just choose a time to drop a bomb on Izuku and send his world spinning and then ask for forgiveness. It was absolutely infuriating.

“Do you?” The explosive boy finally asked. “Just give me an answer, okay? I-I’m not trying to fuck with you.” 

“I-I don’t know.” Izuku said. “I...just want to think about it, okay?” 

“Okay.” Bakugo echoed hollowly. 

“I don’t know, okay! It’s a lot . I...still don’t understand why you wanted to apologize. Why you wouldn’t have just let everything be.” Bakugo stared at him. 

“Because you wouldn’t have.” He said and Izuku felt so lost . The blonde rubbed his knuckles along his scalp. “I’m not fucking expecting us to be best buddies and run off into the sunset like you and that half ‘n half bastard, alright?” Izuku felt a spike of anger, but he pressed it down. “I just...don’t want things to be so fucking awful. I get so angry looking at you.” Izuku trembled. 

“Sorry.” He said coldly. “For making you so angry. Should have tried harder not to, I guess.” 

“I’m not fucking-, ” Bakugo stopped himself, when Izuku flinched, lowering his volume. “I’m not angry at you , okay? I hate being reminded, goddamnit.”

“I just-,” Izuku had no idea where he was going with this. The moment he started talking, he wished he hadn’t. 

“Just fucking think about it.” Bakugo snapped. “Whatever.” He turned, storming off towards the edge of the clearing. He stopped, at the edge, abruptly. “Deku.” He said. He jabbed a finger in a clear direction. “Just-, just fucking walk straight in this direction. To get back to camp.” Izuku dimly realized that his childhood friend remembered how bad at orienteering he was. He didn’t know if he should be happy that Bakugo remembered that detail, or even more frustrated than he was before. 

After Bakugo left, Izuku stood there for a little while, silently. He didn’t want to cry and he was holding back the tears, but he didn’t really know what else to do with himself. He should be happy, right? Glad that Bakugo finally apologized, right?

So why was he so confused ?

Was he going to forgive him? Once upon a time, he felt like the answer would have been an immediate yes. But...things were different. Izuku had friends . He had people who cared about him. And he was becoming more convinced that maybe it hadn’t been his fault. That the abuse, the mistreatment, the assault really hadn’t been his fault. That he didn’t provoke Bakugo, or at least, just being himself wasn’t justification enough. None of his new friends had turned on him like that. If there was something wrong with him, surely they would have?

And if all that was true...was Bakugo deserving of forgiveness? Was it even about whether Bakugo was deserving of forgiveness? Should Izuku do it anyways?

The explosive boy had changed, since coming to UA. Izuku knew he was capable of it. He knew he was capable of friendship. Of compassion. He had just thought that Bakugo wasn’t capable of those things when it came to him, but it was looking like he...may have been wrong. 

Could he change enough?

At some point, Izuku started walking back, in the direction Bakugo had pointed. When he got back to the dining hall, his classmates were still cleaning up, revealing that Izuku hadn’t been away for as long as he thought. A few people seemed to notice that Izuku’s eyes were red, because he felt Kirishima’s hands on his shoulder, compassionate, eyes watching him closely. 

“I’m fine.” Izuku said numbly, not even sure if that was the correct response. Eventually, heterochromatic eyes came into view, hands on his shoulder. One hot and one cold. 

“You went off with Bakugo.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Yeah.” Izuku said. 

“Did he hurt you?”

“No.” Izuku said, and he sounded dishonest to himself. He felt a hand against his chin, but he was focusing too hard on not breaking down and crying to do or say anything. Even though he could tell Todoroki was checking him for injuries. “I’m fine, Todoroki-kun.”

“No, you’re not.” His friend said firmly. 

“I...we just talked, I promise.” Izuku said. He glanced over, to the remnants of the curry, still warm in the pot. He had seen Kouta leave earlier, sneaking away without any dinner, looking upset. He had seen his small fists clenched at his sides. “Kouta didn’t eat.” He said. 

“What?” Todoroki blinked at him. 

“Kouta. I saw him leave before dinner.”

“We can save some food for him, for when he gets back.” Todoroki said, before stooping to force Izuku to make eye contact with him. “Midoriya, you aren’t okay. What do you want to do?”

Izuku blinked, the surprise of his classmate’s question almost snapping him out of his daze. He stared up with wonder at his friend. 

“What do I want to do?” He repeated, confused. Todoroki nodded. 

“What would make you feel better?” He felt a hand brush a strand of hair from his forehead. “I could punch Bakugo, if you’d like. It’s a training camp, after all. We’re supposed to spar, aren’t we?” Izuku let out a quiet laugh, but he shook his head. 

“No, don’t...don’t do that. He didn’t do anything to deserve it.” 

“I can think of a lot of things he’s done that would deserve that.” The split-haired boy countered, but he sighed, softly. “We’re all just worried about you. Iida and Uraraka look like they’re about to burst.”

“I’m okay.” Izuku said, feeling more honest, this time. “Or I will be. I think I’d just like to take Kouta some food. Walking for a little would be nice. And it’ll make me feel...useful.”

“Okay, then.” Todoroki said. “Just be careful, okay?” Izuku nodded, as he pivoted to make a plate for the little boy. 

It was nice to have some time to walk and think alone. He didn’t really want to see anyone else, because he knew they were going to have questions as to why he walked out of the forest with red-rimmed eyes and he didn’t want to talk about it just yet. He probably should, he reflected, as he followed the small footsteps. But for now, he wanted to keep it to himself. 

Even though the conversation went poorly, he was glad he dropped off some food for the little boy. He walked back slowly. Even as tired as he was, he was delaying his return. 

The longer he spent thinking about it, the more he realized that he wasn’t sure he was actually angry at Bakugo for apologizing. He truly did want his childhood friend to be a hero and even the act of apologizing and acknowledging he was wrong showed more humility than he thought the other boy was capable of for a long time. 

What had really hurt was that Izuku thought he had moved on. That he had friends and he had school and he had All Might and his dream but that Bakugo was still capable of cutting him to the bone so easily . That maybe, underneath it all, Izuku was the same, scared Quirkless boy he had always been. Unfit to be a hero. Cowering from the looming figure of his father in a dark room. 

He had this fear that all of this was fake . That he was actually still Quirkless and that all of this was an elaborate dream and one day he was going to wake up and face reality. That Todoroki, and Shinso, and Uraraka, and Iida were all just going to go poof and all these wonderful people he thought cared about him were just figments of his imagination that he made up because he was so fucking lonely . It all seemed too good to be real and Bakugo’s apology was almost the final straw to convince him that this was all a lie. 

Or even if it were real, that there was no way it could last. 

He felt so small , in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

XXXX

When Izuku got back to camp, Aizawa was waiting for him. 

He was leaning against a tree at the edge of the forest, down the path Izuku had taken. 

“I was just bringing Kouta food.” Izuku said quickly. “I’m sorry if I was out too late.”

“You’re not in trouble.” Aizawa said, blinking at him. He pulled himself off the tree, to peer down at Izuku, gesturing for him to continue walking. “Your friends asked me to check on you.”

Izuku cringed. 

“I’m sorry that you have to waste your time with this. I’m completely fine, and I know that this isn’t really what you’re here to-,”

“Midoriya.” His teacher’s flat voice interrupted him. The unkempt man tilted his head. “They were right to come to me. This is what I’m here to do.” His voice was firm, but gentler than normal. Izuku blinked back blankly, as they walked towards the dining hall. “Take a seat, Midoriya.” He gestured to the bench and Izuku sat down abruptly. 

Aizawa crouched down, so that he was lower than Izuku even, peering up at him. 

“So you spoke with Bakugo.” He said. 

“Yes.” Izuku squeaked back. 

“Are you hurt?” There was no judgement, no push in the question. Izuku shook his head silently. “Okay then. That’s a start. What did you talk about?” Izuku didn’t want to tell him, it felt ridiculous to burden his teacher with such a dumb, childish thing, but-,

“He...apologized.” The words were spilling from his mouth before he could stop them. 

“Ah.” Aizawa said. “That’s complicated.” Izuku nodded, stiffly. 

“I...should feel happy, right? He...did it right. It took him a while to get there. But he isn’t pretending like I’m wrong or overreacting, so I guess it’s okay, right?” He asked timidly, looking to Aizawa for validation. His teacher was listening carefully. 

“Is it? Okay? Just because he apologized?” 

“No.” The answer came from Izuku before he could stop himself. “I don’t know.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears he felt smarting at them. “I feel like I’m angry at him just for apologizing. Which is stupid, because I should want him to.” 

“He hurt you, Midoriya.” Aizawa said. “And that’s just what I can tell from UA. I can’t imagine how it must have been before he came here. Having complicated feelings about him isn’t stupid.”

“He’s better, actually.” Midoriya confessed. “Maybe...not to me. But to everyone else. A lot better.” 

“That’s not good enough.” His teacher said, gently. “You count, too.” 

“He said something..while we were at Recovery Girl after the exam. That he expected you to expel him.” His teacher sighed, and nodded. 

“I was going to.”

“Please don’t.”

“That’s what I thought you would say.” Aizawa said wryly. “I didn’t ask for your opinion on it, because it shouldn’t be your burden to determine the future of the person that hurt you. There are many conditions on his continued presence at UA.” The bedraggled man said. “I’m still not convinced he should stay.”

“Did you...require him to...” Izuku didn’t even want to say it. He thought Bakugo was telling the truth, but he had to know .

“To apologize? No. In fact, I would prefer if he kept his distance from you completely.” He tilted his head at Izuku. “I’m not going to keep him here because you say so, but if you think he should go, I will expel him. Not that I won’t expel him anyways, if I think he fails to meet my standards. Do you understand?” Izuku nodded, slowly. 

“Should I forgive him?” He wondered aloud. “It seems easier, but I...don’t know if he deserves it. Even if he does, is forgiveness about him at all? ”

“I can’t answer that for you.” Aizawa said, placing his hand on Izuku’s knee. “I don’t know if I would, in your position. But I don’t know the full extent of your situation, and I’m not you.” He made pointed eye contact with Izuku, peering out from strands of dark hair and forcing his student to hold his gaze. “I can tell you that not forgiving him is not a mark on your moral character. I can tell you that you don’t deserve to be treated like that. I can tell you that this isn’t a decision you have to make immediately and that if Bakugo made you wait years for an apology, he can wait however long you want for an answer.” 

Izuku pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. 

“I hate this.” He said. “I’m so weak .” He felt a hand on his wrist, tugging on it gently, pulling it away from his face.

“Midoriya Izuku, you are not weak .” Aizawa said sternly. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and you are one of the strongest students I have ever had the privilege of meeting. I think many people, including All Might would agree with me.” Izuku was trembling, now. “Having feelings doesn’t make you weak . Even when they are difficult.” 

“I-,”

“And before you apologize for burdening me, remember that caring for the wellbeing of my students is quite literally in my job description.” His eyes softened. “But that I would be right here even if it wasn’t.”

Izuku smiled, even through his tears. 

“If you tell the rest of the circus animals that, I will deny it.” Aizawa told him. He slowly straightened up, his hand coming out to touch Izuku’s shoulder. “Midoriya, you have good friends. They want to help you. You should let them.” He paused. “One day, we’re going to talk about middle school, and all the things that went on there. But don’t worry about that for now. Just let Kirishima shove chocolate down your throat.”

“Chocolate?” Izuku blinked. 

“I saw him pulling the bars out of his bag. I have a feeling he’s saving them for a certain someone.” Izuku laughed, wiping his face. “He is debilitatingly well-intentioned.” 

“Aizawa-sensei...” He asked, slowly. “When we get back, can I see the video of my final exam?” His teacher paused, before giving a firm nod. 

“Yes.”

With that, he shooed him off to bed. Izuku did feel better, and he could forget about how teary he was when he sat down next to Todoroki and the other boy pressed a water bottle into his hands. True to Aizawa’s prediction, Kirishima practically crammed a piece of chocolate into Izukus’s mouth, flopping onto his futon and fussing over him. It was odd, having people to worry about him, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face, pressed in between the people who cared so much about him.

Chapter Text

They slogged off to lunch, exhausted from another half-day of training to expand their Quirks. It was brutal work, but it was good for everyone. They had heard whispers about some sort of fun activity tonight too, and that was getting everyone’s hopes up. 

They were chatting enthusiastically as they ate, Izuku pressed in between Iida and Uraraka. He was thankful no one was handling him with kid gloves after yesterday. He hadn’t explained what happened exactly to anyone else yet, but he doubted Bakugo had either. He would prefer to keep it private, for now. 

“Everyone.” Aizawa’s voice cut through the clamor. “Quiet down. I have an announcement.” He wasn’t speaking loudly, but the voices hushed down, dying away as he stood at the end of the tables, arms crossed. His face was unreadable. “There was an attack on the former training camp site used in previous years by UA.” 

Izuku stilled, a ripple of unease going through the crowd. Uraraka grabbed his hand, letting out a small squeak. Her eyes were wide, looking exactly how he felt. Aizawa stared at them silently, allowing them a moment to react, before he continued. 

“It seems that a Nomu was released there and quickly caught. We are currently operating under the assumption that this was an attack by the League of Villains and that the students of UA were the target.” Izuku felt his friend grip his hand even tighter. “However, we anticipated this possibility. There is a reason the training camp is being held in a different place this year. The logical ruse for our route here was not only a part of your training, but a safety measure to guarantee not even the students knew the location of the camp until we arrived.”

“It worked.” Uraraka whispered. “Oh God, that could have been us .” Aizawa crossed his arms over his chest, looking across the crowd of nervous students. 

“Nevertheless, once you finish lunch, please return to your respective rooms and pack your things. We will be departing at 3 pm and returning to UA. The Wild Wild Pussycats have graciously offered to accompany us on the buses for extra protection.” He glanced towards the team, which were lined up off to the side. They nodded back, but they looked uncharacteristically serious.

 “I understand that it is disappointing to have our trip cut short, but we are already planning summer training programs that will take place at the school.” Their teacher continued. ”It is not ideal, but it should continue the work you’ve already begun here.” Aizawa paused. “That is all. If you have any more questions, I will be here to answer them. Gather here at 3 pm.” 

He turned and walked to the side, where the Pussycats were standing. A murmur of voices started back up, but Izuku’s classmates were all, understandably, subdued. He looked down at his own food and found he had completely lost his appetite. He pushed at it, almost unwilling to eat it, even if he knew he should. It was still somewhat of a struggle to meet his dietary needs; after all, going from eating a normal amount to an insane amount of calories per day was a big change. He was glad he had stuffed his bags with meal-replacement energy bars and had taken to eating them rapidly whenever he had a free moment. 

“It’s not so bad.” Uraraka said. “I guess?”

“Yeah.” Izuku said. “It could have been worse.” A lot worse. Izuku remembered USJ vividly, despite the head wound he had received there. He felt like only he knew how close they all were to dying, how difficult All Might’s fight against the Nomu had been. He had been in Hosu; he knew firsthand that plenty more of those things existed. If Shigaraki had brought a second Nomu to USJ, he didn’t know how it would have turned out. He sighed, puffing out his cheek and forcing himself to eat. 

“I did make some progress with my Quirk, though!” Uraraka chirped, her hands splayed out on the table. “I don’t think it was for nothing.”

“I did as well.” Todoroki commented quietly. “Though I would much rather stay here than go back.” Izuku straightened up, glancing at the split-haired boy. He was looking down at his food glumly and Izuku couldn’t help but want to reach out and wrap him in a hug. He knew that Todoroki really had been excited for the training camp and how good it was for his friend to spend time away from his father, and that oppressive house. And now, he was going to have to go back, so much earlier than he thought. His classmate had become much friendlier since the start of the year, even if he was still more reserved than many of their classmates. But since being at the training camp, being away from his father , Todoroki seemed freer to Izuku. Like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He smiled more. He interacted more, with people besides Izuku. He even seemed bolder.

It was like watching that weight being laid right back on him.

 Izuku decided to put on a positive face, at least for his friends. Todoroki could probably do with something to look forward to. 

“I’m sure UA will create a really cool training program for us to do at the school!” Izuku said quickly. “And they have some spaces for residences on campus! Maybe they’ll even have us stay overnight so we can get the full effect!” Todoroki lifted his head, slowly, blinking at him. 

“That sounds like something they would do!” Uraraka chirped back, and even Iida joined in. 

“And while it is possible it may come with negative memories for some of us, USJ has, in fact, been repaired!” The dark-haired boy added thoughtfully. “With such skilled rescue heroes such as the Pussycats willing to work with UA, surely they would take advantage of the tutelage they could provide! After all, we never did get to complete the USJ activity.” Izuku nodded enthusiastically, smiling at his friends. 

“I mean, if they had to check with anyone’s emotional state about USJ it would probably be mine, and I don’t really care!” He said, before he paused. “Ah, maybe that’s a harsh way to put it...” He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. Uraraka just shook her head and patted his shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Deku. We know you’re crazy.”

“I passed the psych evaluation!” He protested. She rolled her eyes. 

“ Bakugo passed the psych evaluation. I don’t think the bar was that high.” Izuku caught the hint of a smile on Todoroki’s face.

XXXX

Soon enough, they were all piled onto the buses. Class 1B was taking a separate bus, with Tiger and Ragdoll. Mandalay and Pixie-Bob stayed with Class 1A, Kouta included. He seemed irritated, to be stuck with all of them. The energy had gone back up since the announcement earlier, Izuku and Kirishima doing their best to cheer up their classmates. Kaminari had offered to short-circuit himself for everyone’s amusement, but Aizawa had loomed over them so menacingly he quickly retracted his statement. 

“But Aizawa-sensei,” Jiro complained. “Kaminari going stupid is truly the purest form of entertainment.”

“No.”

“But sensei-, ”

“ No .”

Though, they still got some amusement when Iida confessed he had a nightmare the previous night that he failed to properly develop his Quirk and Aizawa erased it permanently as punishment. Kaminari screech-laughed, subsequently zapping the closest four people. 

“Hey, Kaminari, Kirishima.” Izuku said, twisting in his seat to look at his friends. “Shinso and I were planning on going to the mall to check out the hero merchandise store. Apparently, there’s merchandise for some of us. I thought it’d be nice, if you guys wanted to come. We could buy you lunch or something.” He rubbed his neck, coughing. “As a thank you for taking care of us.” Quite literally . 

“Of course!” Kirishima said enthusiastically. “You don’t have to thank us, though! We were more than happy to help, Midoriya!” Izuku shook his head. 

“Still, I want to.” 

“With Shinso?” Kaminari asked immediately, and Izuku furrowed his brow. The blonde’s tone wasn’t negative, but it was hard for Izuku to read. He thought Kaminari liked Shinso just fine. In fact, Izuku had a suspicion that Shinso really liked Kaminari . His name had come up more than a few times during conversations between Izuku and his lavender-haired friend. While Izuku wasn’t totally sure of anything, he was tempted to tell his friend that Kaminari called him hot , just to see his reaction. Normally, Izuku would feel bad, but Shinso teased him ruthlessly about his relationship with Todoroki and turnabout is fair play. So what if he thought Todoroki was cool? He was just so talented and kind and attentive -,

Maybe a little shy, but Izuku thought it was sweet.

And pretty, which Izuku’s brain reminded him he had said out loud at the Sports Festival and he resisted the urge to collapse in on himself at the memory. 

“Yeah.” Izuku said. “Is that a problem?” Ashido elbowed the blonde hard , giggling. 

“It’s not a problem for him.” She said cheerfully and Kaminari shrank down in his seat. There was a sprinkle of pink across his cheeks and-,

Oh .

Well, Izuku didn’t mean to embarrass the blonde.

“I’m sure Shinso would be happy with you coming.” Izuku said, almost timidly to Kaminari. “He likes you.” The blonde’s eyes widened. “Uh, both of you.” 

“Oh, that’s good!” Kaminari said, but his face had fallen. 

“He’s actually mentioned your name a few times!” Izuku said quickly. “He was very flushed after you called him a hero. It means a lot to him.” The blonde perked up and Ashido instantly began elbowing him again, poking and teasing him. Kaminari slapped her hand away. 

“I just think he’s a cool guy!” He insisted to their pink-haired classmate. She laughed.

“Sure.” She said. “And Shinso being ruggedly handsome and mysterious to boot has absolutely nothing to do with it.” Even Izuku could pick up on the sarcasm in her voice. 

“Shinso’s really not mysterious.” Izuku offered, but even Kirishima laughed. 

“Of course you don’t think so, after you two concussed each other.” He said. “You two are peas in a pod. How did you guys even become so close?” The red-haired boy asked, and Izuku shrugged back. 

“Take notes.” He heard Ashido whisper to the blonde boy sitting next to her. 

“I just harassed him until he was forced to be my friend.” Izuku confessed, scratching his head. Kaminari straightened up, grinning. 

“I can do that!” He declared. 

At this point, Izuku was reminded of the fact that Aizawa privately trained Shinso and could likely hear they’re entire conversation. He cringed inwardly, and hoped that their teacher was tuning out the inane conversations of his students. Though, despite the fact that Aizawa was personally familiar with the subject, theirs wasn’t the worst by far . He was pretty sure he heard someone declare on the back of the bus that they would, Marry All Might, that’s a no-brainer, kill Present Mic, sorry, but I can’t marry him and he would blow out my eardrums during sex, and oh, absolutely fuck Cementoss .

Followed up by a if you think Snipe wouldn’t hold you tight at night, you’re delusional .

At least Izuku wasn’t talking about which of their teacher’s coworkers he would sleep with. Though, he had to agree that marrying All Might was a no brainer.

XXXX

“Eraserhead.” Pixie-Bob whispered quietly, turning to him. She was holding her hand to the comm in her ear, a tinny noise coming from it like a voice on the other end. Shouta straightened up and leaned over the aisle. “Ragdoll has been doing a sweep with Search every ten minutes and she picked up on something.” He narrowed his eyes, but nodded for her to continue. “She says six people besides the students and teachers are within range and they seem to be getting closer to the buses. Wait, no-? There is something strange about one of them.”

“Strange how?” Shouta asked, furrowing his brow. This wasn’t good; it could be a coincidence, someone out on this mountain road besides them. But probably not, he reflected. After all, the former training camp location that was attacked was within a few hours of this one. Realistically, they could have been tracked here. He hadn’t been sure he wanted them to leave, worrying they would be a target on the road. But at least they were closer to UA, closer to help and together, not trapped in the forest and spread apart. They would be easy to pick off that way, as opposed to a united force. Much harder to break apart. He pulled out his phone while the blonde woman spoke, shooting a message to Nedzu to send reinforcements. 

Maybe it would be for nothing; maybe not. 

“She says it’s like it’s injured all over. She can’t even tell what’s keeping it together-, almost human? But not quite. It’s moving as if there is nothing wrong, though.”

“Not human.” He repeated quietly, and Pixie-Bob nodded. “Would you say...as if multiple humans had been stitched together?” The blonde woman stilled, and nodded again slowly.

“That’s exactly what she said.” 

Shouta stiffened. They had analyzed the Nomus left behind and found several different samples of DNA in the creature, all human. They had been praying that their theory was incorrect, but Ragdoll’s report only added further evidence to the idea. That the Nomus were once humans, dismantled and melded until they were little more than mindless creatures. The thought made Shouta sick to his stomach. 

“We should stop here and wait for reinforcements.” Pixie-Bob confessed and Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose. “With the road-,” They were about to drive through the mountain pass; a narrow road that seemed barely big enough to fit the large vehicle with a sheer drop off on one side, only fenced off with a guardrail. No shoulder, no space to turn or maneuver if necessary. If they were attacked there, they really would be stuck. In fact, they would be at risk of the entire bus going over the side of a cliff. As much as Shouta disliked the idea of stopping, he didn’t want to risk getting trapped at that bottleneck. It was short, probably only a few minutes of driving to get through the curve, but it was exactly where he would go after a high priority target. 

“Mandalay.” He said. “Send a message to Vlad King. Tell him to stop the bus.” She nodded sharply at him. He told their driver the same, the vehicle slowing to a halt. He could hear the murmur of students in the background as they stopped. He quickly typed out a message on his phone, sending their exact location to Nedzu.

“I’m going to get off and take a look.” Pixie-Bob said, slowly rising. “Just in case.” He nodded at her, and she got off the bus, walking to the front. He could see her through the front window, glancing around and surveying the area. 

A few things happened at once. 

First, Mandalay shot up from her seat suddenly, Pixie-Bob stiffening at the front of the bus. 

“They’re here!” Mandalay cried and Shouta was on his feet before he could even think. 

Unfortunately, a hooded figure burst from the side of his vision, flying at Pixie-Bob who was at the front of the bus. A chorus of screams came from his students and Shouta jerked, watching a wall of earth shoot up between Pixie-Bob and her attacker. But a huge warped, bulging mass of muscle swelled from underneath the cloak, vaguely in the shape of an arm that plowed through the wall easily, Pixie-Bob letting out a shriek as the dirt flew everywhere. Shouta was about to erase the villain’s Quirk when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something blue and flickering and he tore his eyes away from the scene in front of him and knew he had no choice. 

The figure off to the side of the road, with black hair and an odd, stitching pattern along his lower jaw waved at him, a blue flame beginning to burst from his hand and rocketing straight towards the bus-,

Shouta could only erase one Quirk at a time.

The blue flames vanished from existence as Pixie-Bob’s scream of pain pierced the air. 

XXXX

“ Off the bus! ” Aizawa roared as Izuku’s classmates screamed, scrambling to their feet as their teacher leaped onto the back of one of the seats and busted straight through the window, glass raining down. He was maintaining his view of the villain, Izuku realized, as they evacuated the bus. Earth creatures had overtaken the road in front of them, attacking the odd, bulging figure. He was tearing through them, but the distraction had given Pixie-Bob a chance to get away. She was holding her arm, a grim look on her face. The blonde woman was clearly injured, but she was alive . Mandalay was off the bus as well, but keeping Kouta close to her side.

“ They have permission to use their Quirks to defend themselves! ” He heard his teacher scream as he lunged towards the villain, capture weapon released and flying around him. “ Broadcast it! ”

Izuku almost fell when he heard Mandalay’s voice in his mind, all of his classmates looking around with wonder. 

Attention, all students, you have been given explicit authorization to use your Quirks to defend yourselves against these villains.

He felt a hand against his shoulder, and turned to see Todoroki, Iida, Tsu, and Uraraka. Uraraka looked nervous, hands shaking. She was pressed close to Tsu, whose eyes were narrowed seriously. There were similar expressions on Todoroki and Iida’s faces. They were frightened, maybe. But ready. 

“Let’s stick together.” The words came from Izuku’s mouth before he was thinking, but then nodded. He knew they were thinking about the fight with the Hero Killer as well. They would be strongest together. He glanced over, where he could see Aizawa fighting the blue flame-villain, obviously overpowering him while his Quirk was useless. 

“Oh? Who do we have here?” And then the villain was maneuvering at an unbelievable speed, ripping himself away from one of the earth creatures and using the bus to twist in mid-air, the side of it crunching. He reached down, and Mandalay seemed to realize what he was doing as he was doing it, letting out a scream and the villain winced as it pierced through his skull. But he didn’t hesitate, and he snagged Kouta by the back of his shirt and lifted him up-,

Izuku was moving before he could stop himself. 

He leapt into the air, Full Cowl crackling to life around him and aiming a Detroit smash for the villain’s upper shoulder, hopefully forcing him to drop Kouta but even though he made contact it was like nothing happened. The villain didn’t even budge , Izuku realized with horror and it was like facing the Nomu all over again. A chill went down his spine, blood rushing in his ears, but this villain had gone straight for that little boy and Izuku had no delusions about what this man intended to do with him. He felt overwhelmed instantly . Muscle fibers shot out from the villain’s arm and wrapped around his forearm, effectively trapping him against the villain and he let out a cry of surprise. 

Fuck.  

This was Muscular , Izuku realized. The villain who had killed Water Hose.

And now he was going after their son. 

And apparently Izuku was along for the ride. He tried to free himself from the villain, pulling hard on his arm, but the fibers were too thick and too dense, almost impenetrable against One for All .

“You can come too, I suppose.” Muscular laughed . “I’ll just kill you quickly.” Izuku tried to dig his fingernails into the muscle fibers, about to lean forward and sink his teeth in, but before he could stop the villain, the muscles around his legs expanded and Izuku sucked in a breath.

A wave of ice shot towards them, encasing the lower half and upper arm of the villain quickly, and Izuku twisted to see his friend’s brow furrowed, arm out, ice shooting from where his foot was planted against the ground. The icy structure held the villain to the bus and Izuku let out a sigh of relief, even as Kouta kicked and yelled, still trapped in the grip of the villain. 

“Cute.” Muscular said. 

Crunch!

Izuku felt like he could vomit as the magnitude of the trouble he was in began to hit him.

The bus crumpled as Muscular sprang off the structure, the screams of his classmates audible. Shards of ice rained down on them as it cracked and flaked off the villain. Todoroki released another wave of ice that shot towards them, but not fast enough because they were already in the air , the villain leaping away towards the side of the mountain. Wind rushed past them, a deep chuckle rumbling in the villain’s chest.

FUCK!

Izuku twisted, to where Kouta was screaming and kicking, trying to free himself from the villain’s grasp. He threw his hand back towards the little boy who grabbed it instinctively. 

“ Hold on! ” He yelled, not sure if the little boy heard him, but he felt the grip tighten on his hand. 

And he twisted back and sank his teeth into Muscular’s arm, ripping through layers of muscle quickly. He sank his teeth down and tore , ignoring the taste of flesh filling his mouth and Muscular let out a yell . Izuku felt Kouta’s weight suddenly pulling at his arm, realizing that the villain must have let go and Izuku swung his arm, flinging the little boy onto his back. The muscle fibers were already reforming around Izuku’s arm, but he tore through the muscle again as fast as Muscular could make them. They were losing trajectory, not going towards the cliffside the villain seemed to have been aiming for, but tumbling towards the ground quickly. 

As Izuku sank his teeth in again, he felt something shoot out and then he couldn’t see because fibers and tendons were wrapping around his head and holding him down against the hot, exposed muscle. He let out a strangled yell, frantically trying to pull his head out and clawing at Muscular’s arm-,

They hit the ground hard. Muscular must have augmented his body to survive the impact as they skidded through trees and shrubbery, branches ripping against Izuku’s skin. He couldn’t see, his vision completely dark as it was trapped against Muscular’s arm. But he was sure they were on the ground so he reached his hand up, body crackling with Full Cowl, dug his fingers into the fibers on top of his head, and tore .

The top layer came away and Izuku ripped his head away, kicking off Muscular's body and skidding away. He sucked in a breath, blinking to clear his vision, breathing heavily. 

The villain was getting to his feet, his cloak having been ripped off. Both arms were augmented, red, heavy masses of muscle. The spot where Izuku had ripped was already repaired, with no mark to show for it. He grinned, tilted his head. A scar went through one eye, clearly prosthetic. 

“Kid, you’ve got a mouth on you.” He said, a bloodthirsty look painted across his face as he eyed Kouta hungrily. Kouta, who was clinging to Izuku’s back and shaking violently. 

“You don’t know the half of it.” Izuku said, numbly. 

XXXX

“ Goddamnit! ” Shouto screamed, watching the bulging mass of muscle go flying towards the ground. There was a boom from where the trio had hit and he could see where the trees had been flattened in their descent. “ He said to stick together! ” He yelled and Shouto was furious . Furious at Midoriya for getting himself into trouble again, for acting against a villain without thinking, and now he was somewhere out there, in the forest. Furious at himself, for not acting fast enough. For getting caught up in the shock of watching that villain take a hit from the boy like it was nothing . If he had acted a little faster, maybe he could have used his fire, maybe he could have made the ice colder and tried to kill off the muscle faster, but no , he thought, if I made it that cold it could have seriously hurt Midoriya and Kouta and- ,

He hated the idea that he could have done everything right and it just didn’t matter.

He let out a guttural noise of frustration, just as Aizawa flung the villain wrapped in his capture weapon in front of the bus. 

“Aizawa-sensei-,!” Iida started to yell.

“Grab Vlad King and go after them.” Aizawa said, interrupting him, staring down at the villain trapped. Shouto didn’t need anymore permission, grabbing Iida by the arm and running towards Class 1B’s bus. They had yet to leave their bus, but Shouto could see the teacher already up and leaving the bus. 

“Kan-sensei!” Iida cried. They were being accompanied by Uraraka and Tsu, tears already streaming down Uraraka’s face. She was holding it together, though, even if she was shaking a little. 

“I saw, we’ll go up the mountain and-,”

A screeching noise so loud it rivaled Present Mic at full volume tore through the air and it was like taking an ice pick to the brain. Shouto inhaled sharply as he crumpled to his knees, vision blurring. He felt like he couldn’t even hear himself think , finding it difficult to catch a breath. He dragged his head up, against the earth-shattering shriek, to spy a winged Nomu, flying towards the bus. It was further up the mountain, releasing shrieks that were ripping up trees and sending them flying down the mountain.

Straight towards the bus that all of Class 1B was still on. 

Fuck.

He twisted his head, managing to see Aizawa through his blurry vision. His class was also bent to the ground under the force of the sonic Quirk, but Aizawa was still using his Quirk, keeping the villain trapped.

Until the villain grinned and turned to mush , melting away against Aizawa’s capture tape. Their unkempt instructor was a little blurry to Shouto right then, but he could swear he saw his face contort in rage, head snapping up just in time for a huge , white-hot circle of blue flames to shoot from nowhere , rising five, ten, fifteen feet tall and encircling both buses, effectively trapping them inside.

Oh, and now those trees tumbling down the side of the mountain and sliding straight for the bus, eliciting screams of terror from the students inside, students frozen to the spot with fear and crumpling under the force of the sonic attack by the Nomu?

They were flaming .

Chapter Text

Izuku was in trouble . 

He had known that the moment his punch failed to cause even a second of hesitation in the villain. Muscular wasn’t a villain he could take on alone; his muscle augmentation made him stronger, faster, and more durable than Izuku. And with his regenerative ability, Izuku was hesitant to use One for All at 100%. 

Even after he had been flung around like it was nothing .

He had already tried to grab Kouta and escape, but Muscular was too fast. He had been thrown through trees, ground into the ground. His left arm was hanging at his side uselessly, pulled out of the socket, the bone having splintered under Muscular’s grip. There was blood in his eyes, and he didn’t know when he had cut his head, but it felt bad . His body felt like it was on fire. He had tried to use a burst of flame too, but the villain generated muscles so quickly that it smothered the flame. He had laughed, as Izuku stared in horror , before flinging him into a tree.

The terror that gripped him was absolute; he was outmatched, outclassed in every way. He had been working hard on his Quirk, on his training, on his stamina. He was even sure he had managed to raise the capacity of Full Cowl by a percentage point, though he felt like he would need All Might to confirm. 

And yet he was relatively certain Muscular might kill him here. Izuku felt so small and weak against him.

He couldn’t stop though. No matter how much pain he was in, no matter how many times Muscular cracked his bones underneath his grip, he had to keep getting up . Because it wasn’t just his life on the line, but Kouta’s. He had to protect him, because there was no way to know if anyone else was coming or if they would get here in time. Izuku had to function like it was the worst case scenario, because chances were that it was .

He would be willing to sacrifice his arm in a one-shot at 100% if he could guarantee that he and Kouta could get away safely. But Muscular barely felt the impact of Full Cowl. Even if a blow at 100% would injure him, it was no guarantee that Muscular would be unable to function or that he couldn’t regenerate enough to continue the fight and then Izuku would really be in trouble. 

“ Stop it! ” Kouta screamed, as Izuku laid limply on the ground, trying to crawl away and scramble to his feet even as Muscular planted a foot on his back. He let out a shriek as the force must have cracked his ribs, grinding him into the ground. He could feel bile in the back of his throat, either from the action of Muscular compressing his internal organs, or the pain . 

A rock flew towards Muscular’s head, and his muscled arm shot up, catching it in his hand. He grinned sadistically at the little boy, crushing it in his hand. Pieces crumbled out when he opened his palm once again. Izuku tried to twist to see the villain, even with his heart pounding, his hands shaking, blood smeared across his face.

Izuku’s Quirks were essentially useless in this scenario, but he had something that Muscular didn’t. Something his teachers had encouraged him to cultivate, something a certain pro hero had harped on during the training camp, insisting it was his greatest weapon. 

A mind for analysis; a skill for picking out weaknesses and strengths. Even if the situation seemed hopeless, even if Muscular’s Quirk was powerful, no Quirk was invincible. It was up to Izuku to pick out those weaknesses, even as he was being quite literally crushed underfoot. He had a single advantage in this scenario as well; Muscular thought he already had him beat, if the way he was gloating meant anything. He had beaten him bloody already, barely breaking a sweat.

Izuku was going to use that.

If I see a bad eye, I’m going to rip it out of the socket .

He could hear Ragdoll’s voice in his mind and Izuku was struck by the realization that even though Muscular had augmented most of the muscles in his body, his head and face were relatively unaltered. There were much fewer muscles in certain parts of the body and Muscular’s Quirk was fundamentally augmentation . He couldn’t augment muscles that didn’t exist, like his eye. Or his knee. Or his ankle. 

He probably didn’t augment them in his face either, because there were fewer there to begin with and there wasn’t much combat ability to be gained with a muscular face. On top of that, it would likely obscure the man’s already limited vision. 

Izuku reached his arm done, feeling for something in his pocket, even as Muscular pushed downwards on him, taunting Kouta about how he killed his parents. The little boy was openly sobbing, terrified out of his mind. 

There it is.

Izuku had a plan. Maybe it was bad, but he didn’t have a lot, right then. He had a broken arm and some willpower. 

He twisted, so that his head was towards Muscular’s other foot, that was planted right next to his face. 

And he sank his teeth in. 

He punctured through the bone easily, feeling it crack and the tendon underneath tearing. Blood was filling his mouth, but he ignored it, tearing and tearing and tearing at the joint. The villain let out a shriek as his ankle buckled, falling to his other knee, and lifting his weight off of Izuku. Izuku scrambled away, forcing himself to his feet and ignoring the horrible pain lancing through his torso. He dug the item out of his pocket and flung it at the villain’s head. Even distracted as he was by his ruined ankle, Muscular reflexively caught it, growling and crushing it in his hand.

It was a good thing that Muscular was overconfident and predictable.

The pressurized container exploded , pepper spray appearing in a cloud over Muscular’s face. The villain screamed, and Izuku could see the red, raw irritation appearing over his eyes, his face, his exposed muscle. The villain was screaming and trying to wave the cloud away, but it wasn’t going anywhere. 

Not all pepper sprays were flammable; Izuku had done some research after Shinso had taken down Shigaraki nearly single-handedly. Of course, many companies recognized that it could be a hazard in some scenarios and there were a variety of them on the market they were and were not flammable. 

But thankfully, Izuku liked to read the labels and ingredients on products and the one Aizawa gave him just happened to use butane as a propellant. 

He shot out a jet of flame and the cloud ignited .

The high-pitched shrieking as the fireball engulfed his vulnerable face was practically ear-splitting. Muscle fiber after muscle fiber was shooting out to try and protect himself, but they were burning away, and the damage to Muscular’s eyes had already been done. The man was practically blinded, stumbling, his ankle buckling.

Izuku sucked in a breath and launched himself into the cloud of flame, ignoring the way his clothes were certainly beginning to burn away. He grabbed for Muscular’s head, barely able to see through the cloud himself, but he scratched at his face, even as Muscular attempted to augment the muscles in protection. He could feel them, hot, and pulsating, and he felt down the muscles, shooting out jets of flame and burning them away when Muscular tried to trap his hands. 

He felt and felt and felt and then he felt something hot and metal underneath his grip and he jammed his fingers in. It was probably turning his fingers bloody, but he did it over and over and grabbed at the eye and ripped . He was vaguely aware of the horror of what he was doing, but he didn’t have time to feel bad because this man was planning on killing him and a little boy just because he could . Izuku was smaller, and weaker, and less prepared for this fight so he had to go in fast, go in hard, find their weaknesses, and get ready for the next one.

He could hear the man shrieking as he jabbed at the exposed eye socket, and then they were-,

They hit the ground with a thump . The hands grabbing at him had gone limp, and Izuku rolled away, out of the cloud of fire. He dragged himself across the ground, coughing, a small puff of flame coming out. He patted down his clothes, glancing back at the prone form. The man was laying there, unconscious. The augmented muscle fibers were scorched and bloody, arms laying limply at his side. Blood was dripping from his empty eye socket. He was still breathing, still alive, but Izuku imagined the extreme pain and damage had probably gotten to him, along with the lack of oxygen from having his head....engulfed in a fireball. 

Regardless, Izuku wasn’t touching him with a ten foot pole. He forced himself to his feet, wincing at the pain throughout his body. He held his good hand out to Kouta, coughing. 

“Kouta.” He rasped. “Grab on.” 

The little boy had fallen onto his butt, shaking violently, tears streaming down his face. He looked up slowly at Izuku, eyes wide.

And started to sob violently. 

XXXX

The Nomu was hurtling towards the ground at a frightening speed, a long, thin spike of hardened blood impaling it through the brain. It was already dead, Shouto knew, but that didn’t mean that it’s heavy body descending straight towards them couldn’t still cause some trouble. 

“Don’t worry about the Nomu or the flames!” Kan shouted, leaping in front of him. “Focus on the bus!” Shouto was hesitant, but he could see the blood liquefying in the Nomu’s brain, flowing back to Class 1B’s teacher. A shield of blood was gathering in front of him, as he prepared to soften the impact of the Nomu. Shouto tore his eyes away and back to the bus, reinforcing the ice structures keeping the trees from crushing it. They kept cracking, the weight of the dirt and wood pressing down on the bus as Uraraka, Shouji, and Tokoyami worked frantically to get the debris off of the bus. The round-faced girl would make the larger structures weightless, Shouji and Tokoyami both using their Quirks to pull the debris off rapidly. 

The kids in the bus were pressed to the floor. There was enough compression on the bus that they couldn’t get the door open. The top of the bus had been warped, making the windows too small and twisted to get through. He was certain that a few of the students inside could probably bust out of it, but there was no guarantee they could prevent the mountain of debris from crushing the rest of them to death. Their teacher had ordered them to stay still while Shouto smothered the flames and used his ice structures to prevent the weight from crushing the bus further. Ragdoll and Tiger were on board, shielding the students as best as they could. 

He wanted to try and smother the flames circling them in, but they burned hot , even hotter than his father’s and he would need his full concentration to put the blue flames out. He knew that Kan was right, and that the only thing Shouto should focus on was the 20 students at risk, but he felt like he could be doing more . Not to mention he couldn’t even think about Midoriya, all alone. Facing off against the villain he had heard Mandalay whisper the name of brokenly. 

Muscular .

Shouto wasn’t as into heroes as Midoriya was, but he was deeply entrenched in the world of pro heroes courtesy of his father. He knew exactly who Muscular was and how violently he had killed Water Hose. He was strong, probably stronger than Midoriya and Midoriya had a huge liability at his side, having to protect Kouta as well as himself. 

When he thought about it, he got dizzy. 

BOOM!

The Nomu hit the ground hard , dirt spraying in every direction. Shouto shot up a wall of ice behind himself, to keep it from getting into his eyes. The skidding body of the Nomu ran straight into Kan’s shield, the larger man anchoring himself into the ground and preventing the limp corpse from hitting anyone. 

After a moment, he could hear Kan panting, before a heavy hand clasped his shoulder. 

“You doing okay, kid?” His breathless voice asked and Shouto nodded, mouth feeling dry. He heard one of his ice structures crack! and he quickly strengthened it. His classmates were making a lot of headway, but the bus was still trapped. 

“Yeah.” He said. “We have to go after Midoriya.” He forced out.

“We can’t get through the circle yet-,” Kan started.

“ I could .” Shouto snapped. He didn’t know if he would be able to put out the flames faster than the villain could release them, especially given the insane heat of them. But enough for someone to get out and go after the green-haired boy. “He’s alone against Muscular.” 

And Aizawa was busy , fighting off a villain that had stepped in when the flames parted briefly. A strange one, that fought with a measuring tape and no discernible Quirk, face covered with a mask. He was going toe to toe with Aizawa. Though, to be fair, the unkempt man had the disadvantage of 19 students and an injured pro hero to protect. 

“What the fuck !” He heard someone scream, and he twisted to see a girl with blonde hair, almost in a schoolgirl’s outfit tackling Momo. She was holding a butcher knife and stabbing it towards Momo, who was holding her back with her forearm, face contorted with fear as it got too close to her face. Shouto startled, fear shooting through him, and was about to send a spike of ice towards them when Jiro blasted her off of the dark-haired girl, sending her small body flying through the air with the sound of her heartbeat. Momo was probably one of Shouto’s closest friends at UA; the daughter of a rich family, getting in on recommendation, and with all the pressures Shouto was so familiar with even if his situation carried a different kind of intensity. They had naturally bonded, had even texted regularly since the final exam and he couldn’t help but worry for her. He was grateful when Kan took off towards the villain. 

Things were chaos .

Kaminari and Kirishima were trying to drag Pixie-Bob away, back towards the bus and treat her. Bakugo was attempting to use the force of his explosions to defend against fireballs the fire villain was sending their way. The rest were trying to support the landslide into the second bus and get the students out without compromising the structural integrity of the bus, though it looked like Ojiro was running to Momo and Jiro’s aid. 

And then there was something rocketing through the air. Shouto twisted to see a figure burst from the trees, crackling .

Midoriya .

Shouto breathed a sigh of relief; he wasn’t close enough to truly see Midoriya’s condition, but he was alive and that was what mattered. 

He could hear a tinny sort of yell coming from the small boy on Midoriya’s back.

“ Watch out! ” He could swear he heard as they sailed towards the ground. Shouto frowned; they weren’t close enough to the ring of fire to make it through, looking like there were about to crash into the trees-,

BOOM!

The wind pressure flattened the leaves and Shouto almost stumbled back under the force. The gust blew the flames almost out , flattening them against the ground briefly, as the blow gave the two figures more height, over the ring of fire.

Midoriya had flicked his fingers, Shouto realized. 

Holy shit, I forgot what that was like.

And as they landed, there was a second, smaller boom! , dirt spraying from the ground as they made impact, a rush of dust flooding the area. He heard a yelp from the villain who had been mid-leap when Midoriya landed as he went flying out of the ring of fire, only saved by the fact that Midoriya’s landing flattened the flames near them. Shouto coughed, blinking hard, eyes watering. He could see the shadowy figure of his friend and as the dust cleared, he could tell that Midoriya was bent down on one knee, the dirt kicked up in a ring around him, chest heaving. 

Kirishima wolf-whistled. 

“ Superhero landing! ” He shouted. Shouto could spot the smile on Midoriya’s face as he stood up before he stumbled .

It wasn’t dirt, on Midoriya’s face, Shouto realized. It was smears of blood, dripping from a head wound. The green-haired boy was holding his side, bent over awkwardly and Shouto could see where his arm was hanging out of the socket limply. The elbow of the arm was twisted in what looked like an unnatural angle. The little boy was still clinging to his back, face pressed into Midoriya’s shoulder and Shouto realized he could hear him crying. He swallowed heavily. 

Fuck.

And then he spotted the blue fireball sailing straight for Midoriya. 

XXXX

Izuku barely had time to react when he saw the blue flames heading straight for his face.

Only for a wall of ice to shoot out from the ground suddenly, the fireball colliding with it with a horrible hissing noise. The ice melted instantly as the fireball hit, but the collision dissipated into steam, instead of blue flames that would have absolutely torched the little boy on his back, even if Izuku would have survived. 

He swallowed down his nausea and glanced to where Todoroki was across the field, ice shooting out from right foot, eyes narrowed and jaw set in determination. He was twisted oddly, his hand out towards-,

Oh.

Izuku swallowed at the sight of the landslide that was almost engulfing the other bus, held back only by structures of ice and whatever support the other students could provide. He could see his friends on top, digging out the bus as quickly as they could. Todoroki made eye contact with him briefly, eyes filled with concern. 

“ You-! ” Izuku’s head snapped over, to the villain that was the source of the blue-flame, visible only briefly through the ring of fire that was quickly roaring back to full power. He had a spark of blue flame held in his hand, that was quickly swelling until-,

Izuku watched his eyes slide over Todoroki, who seemed not to notice and the villain faltered, the fireball in his hand abruptly going out. The flames roared back up to full height, obscuring the view once more.

Huh.

Izuku felt a weight drop off his back.

“ Kouta! ” Mandalay’s voice cut through the air and the little boy ran past him, into the arms of his aunt.

Good , Izuku thought. Everyone was going to be okay .

He took a step and the sudden pain through his body almost knocked him over. He stumbled, until strong hands steadied him, and Izuku peered up at the person who caught him, breathing raggedly. 

Black eyes peered at him through strands of hair and Izuku let out a sigh of relief. 

“Muscular isn’t getting up any time soon.” Izuku forced out, quickly. “I think he’s unconscious, I just grabbed Kouta and we-,”

“Midoriya.” Aizawa said calmly and Izuku was grateful for that, when his own heart was beating rapidly. “I’m going to put your shoulder back in now.”

Izuku swallowed, and nodded. He felt Aizawa’s hand on his shoulder.

“ Fuck! ” He cried, the swear escaping him before he could stop it. He covered his mouth quickly, glancing furtively at Kouta, but the little boy hadn’t heard. He looked back to Aizawa, who looked amused and was already splinting his arm, steadying him. 

“How did you get away?” Aizawa asked calmly as he worked. Izuku glanced around; he had seen that villain get thrown out of the circle by his landing and he could see another, a girl being restrained by Vlad King. The only concern right then was the bus and Uraraka was already on it, trees floating away as she pressed her lips together, puffing out her cheeks as her face tinged green. 

“Um...” Izuku was trying to think, but he was a little dizzy, actually. “Oh! Yeah, uh...your pepper spray. It saved my life.” Aizawa lifted his head, eyeing Izuku carefully. He offered his teacher a smile. “Turns out, when you crush a pressurized can filled with a flammable propellant....it really, really hurts.” He said, and Aizawa snorted. 

“I see you made it out without turning your bones to paste.” He glanced down to Izuku’s broken fingers. “Most of them, anyways.” 

“I...” Izuku needed to impress upon his teacher how bad it had been. He felt like someone needed to know. He had made it out, but it was pure luck that Aizawa had given him that pepper spray. “I thought I was going to die , sensei. He was so much stronger than me. If I hadn’t had that pepper spray-,” Izuku stopped, shaking his head. “He was overconfident. If he hadn’t been so overconfident he would have broken my neck at the start of the fight. He could have. He just wanted to toy with me.” He could think of a million ways that fight could have gone differently, all of them ending with Muscular snapping his neck like it was nothing. He felt nauseous at the thought. If he had died....what Muscular would have done to Kouta . A little boy .

Izuku felt two hands against his shoulders, bringing him out of his thoughts. 

“You didn’t die.” Aizawa said. “I’m willing to bet that you used his overconfidence against him, too.” Izuku nodded, slowly. “You had some luck, sure. But that wouldn’t have meant anything if you weren’t smart enough to use it. It doesn’t help to dwell on what-ifs right now. You faced an opponent physically stronger than you. It was rattling. But your Quirk isn’t your only weapon and you knew that. You outsmarted him and you lived. You’ll be better prepared next time. That’s all you need to think about for now.” He felt Aizawa wipe a cloth against his forehead, clearing some of the blood that had been dripping down into his eyes. “Okay?”

“O-okay.” Izuku said, finally. 

“Go sit by Kirishima and Kaminari.” Aizawa said, patting his shoulder. “You’ve done enough.” Izuku couldn’t help but look at the villain Bakugo was still defending against, tossing fireballs at them as Bakugo got closer and closer to breaking through the circle. He was essentially alone, out there, ensuring Pixie-Bob, Kouta, and the other students were shielded. HIs Quirk wasn’t good for rescue work, so this was likely the only way he felt like he was useful. 

“But-,” He glanced back at the bus, and then back to where his childhood friend was breaking the fireballs. “I’m fireproof.”

“And?” Aizawa asked.

“I can help. He can’t hurt me.” Izuku said, somewhat numbly. 

“You can’t be sure.” Aizawa said. Izuku paused.

“Yeah, I can.” And then he sprinted over to the edge and stuck his hand into the flame, hearing their instructor shout after him as he did. It felt hot, but not searing, and when Izuku pulled his hand, it was fine. He stared down at it, before turning on his heel and holding it up to Aizawa. “See?”

He watched his teacher flick his eyes back and forth indecisively. 

“Just until you get a visual on him.” Izuku said. “That’s all.” His teacher pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes for a moment. 

“ Fine. ” He snapped, and Izuku grinned. 

“ Kacchan! ” He shouted. “ You know that move we pulled during the final exam? ”

XXXX

Finally, with enough debris cleared off the top of the bus, Shouto watched as Shouji slid down the side of the hill and ripped the door off. Students started piling out quickly as Shouto’s classmate stepped to the side, getting clear of the bus as soon as possible. He kept watch on his ice structures until everyone was clear, before he finally stepped away and relaxed. They didn’t crack and collapse immediately or anything like that; but he could stop concentrating and reinforcing them. He let out a breath. 

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a big hand on his shoulder, and he peered up into the face of Vlad King, who towered over him, smiling down cheerfully. 

“Thank you, Todoroki-kun.” He said. “You saved my student’s lives.” Shouto shrugged back, blinking. 

“I didn’t do much.”

“Didn’t do much? You put up those ice structures in the blink of an eye .” Shouto blinked blankly back. 

“I didn’t help Midoriya or Momo or Bakugo, though.” He said. “I couldn’t stop any of the villains.” He hadn’t fought any actual opponent. Kan’s face fell, a little, as he stepped in front of Shouto. 

“Todoroki-kun, you saved their lives. If you hadn’t acted, they would have been crushed to death before we could do anything. We would have been scavenging for survivors before anyone who survived the initial impact suffocated to death. You did more than anyone else here today.” Kan said. He had bent down, so he was almost eye to eye with Shouto. “Hero work isn’t all fighting. Have you given any thought to rescue work?” 

It was hard to wrap his head around what Kan was saying. Shouto had only ever been taught to use his Quirk to fight; Endeavor held himself up as the standard of a hero. Endeavor didn’t do rescue work. He fought villains. Real hero work. His Quirk was destructive by nature, and Shouto always assumed his would be too. He didn’t intend to be as destructive as his father, but it was really the only type of hero Shouto knew how to be. He was sure when this was over his father would demand to know what villains he fought and he would admit that he hadn’t fought any and Endeavor would be angry with him for it. 

Thankfully, Shouto didn’t have to answer, because Midoriya came barreling over.

“Todoroki-kun!” The green-haired boy burst out. “You saved me!” He said. Shouto couldn’t help but be distracted by the bloody smears still on his face. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, reaching one hand out to try and brush some dirt off of that little freckled face. 

“Yeah, I’m okay!” He said, though Shouto could see his arm was splinted and that he wasn’t moving as well as he normally did. “Uh...Muscular did a number on me, though.” He admitted. 

“You alright, kiddo?” Ragdoll was jogging over. She had a scratch on her head, likely from having to throw herself to the ground when the roof of the bus started to cave, but she looked okay. “Muscular’s a Class-A villain.” Midoriya blinked for a moment, before a sharp, uncharacteristic grin spread across his face. It was almost feral.

“I took your advice.” 

“Ripped his fucking eye out?” She asked. 

“Yeah.” He said. “I did, actually.” Shouto almost choked, but the green-haired woman just grinned back. 

“Good for you.” She said. “What can I help you with?”

“Flame villain.” Midoriya said. “What can you tell me?” Her grin became even wider, bloodthirsty even. 

“He’s burning himself.” She said. “If he uses his flame for too long, it blows back on him, I think. His body can’t handle the heat.” That sounded familiar, to Shouto, but he put it out of his mind.

“Excellent.” HIs green-haired classmate said. “Todoroki-kun, are you free?” Shouto turned towards his classmate, nodding. Midoriya smiled, softer now. “Perfect. And I can’t believe you did this!” He said, gesturing wildly at the bus. 

“This?” Shouto asked, furrowing his brow. 

“You saved them! It’s amazing! Your Quirk is so cool and versatile, I don’t really know all the Quirks of 1B but I don’t think any single person here could do what you did and without you things could have been bad, but really, you saved them all and you did it so quickly , it really is incredible-,” Shouto felt like he was about to burst into flames. He could feel his ears turning pink, practically shrinking under the enthusiastic green-haired boy’s megawatt smile. He felt the eyes of everyone on him as Midoriya rambled, including Kan, who was just grinning.

He had been confused when Kan said it, but if Midoriya thought it was amazing...well, he must have done okay, right? 

“Midoriya.” He interrupted, embarrassed. “What do you need me to do?”

“Oh, right! We’re getting Aizawa a visual on the fire villain. We could use your help.”

“We?” Shouto asked. Midoriya scratched his head. 

“Kacchan and I?” He frowned at his green-haired classmate.

“Isn’t your arm broken?” Shouto asked. 

“Maybe....” Midoriya gave him a pleading smile. Shouto sighed; he would refuse if he wasn’t so convinced Midoriya was going to go ahead with it anyways. 

“ Fine. ”

XXXX

Shouta felt like he had made a mistake, he just didn’t know where, yet. Kan had the girl with the knife, the one with the measuring tape was trapped outside the ring of flames, and the one with the flames was currently under siege from his three most powerful students and didn’t have any time to try and focus on anything besides them. Pixie-Bob seemed to have sustained some sort of head injury, but she was being well taken care of and Kirishima was holding onto Kouta protectively, body hardened in case he needed to block him from a stray fireball. 

The attack was going incredibly well; Midoriya was acting as the vanguard, letting the flames hit him and break apart as Bakugo helped fling him around and catapult him through the air. It was reminiscent of their attacks in the final exam, playing off each other perfectly. Midoriya was using his own flames to cut through that of the villain, who was seemingly starting to panic, being forced further and further back to keep away from the mouthful of fire that was coming from the green-haired boy. Shouta had noted the villain wasn’t fire resistant like Midoriya, and that he was at real risk from being burnt, both by his own flames and Midoriya’s. 

Todoroki was shielding them all, keeping the flames that were bursting apart contained and protecting Bakugo from the fire. He was icing over the edges of the ring too. To try and keep up, the villain was letting out massive bursts of flames, burning through the ice before the flames were even out and still covering himself visually from Shouta.

But he was getting tired and Shouta smelled sizzling flesh and his students were pushing the man to his limit. 

“ Kurogiri! ” He heard the man yell. “ Get us out of here! ” The same purplish matter started to materialize behind the villain and Shouta frowned. He couldn’t spot the warp villain and guessed the man was probably out of view. He debated going after the warp villain, but with almost forty students here, still vulnerable to attack, it was an acceptable loss for the villains to get away. They already had one, the girl with the knife. She would certainly lead them to the rest, before long. 

The villain stepped backwards through it, disappearing. The blue flames flickered out of existence and his students fell back for a moment-,

Before the measuring tape-villain appeared out of nowhere , lunging straight for Shouta but there was something worse happening, because there was another flame villain . He hadn’t come through the warp gate, but blue flame shot from his hands towards them. A wall of ice shot up, blocking the blue flames which burst apart, not even hot enough to totally melt them and Shouta narrowed his eyes, dodging a swipe from the sharp-edged measuring tape. He flicked the baton down his sleeve and hurled it towards the head of the flame villain. 

Sure enough, the moment it impacted, the villain melted to mush , like it had never been there in the first place. 

A piercing shriek cut through the air.

“ Deku! ” It was Bakugo’s voice, but it was ragged and fraught with anguish and Shouta twisted to see-,

The girl with the knife had gotten free, somehow. 

And that knife was currently plunged into Midoriya’s side. 

The green-haired boy had frozen, immediately going pale, like all of the life had flowed out of him. She was pressing something against his side and there was only a small amount of blood falling from him and the rest she was collecting . She swiped a finger against it, and licked it. Midoriya’s eyes had rolled back, going limp, knees buckling, even as she held him up to take his blood.

“Yummy.” He heard her say and she pulled the knife away, blood rushing from Midoriya’s wound and angled it towards Midoriya’s chest, swinging down . It would have plunged straight through, but Bakugo tackled her from the side, screaming wordlessly, explosions propelling him forward as he launched himself towards her-,

And straight through the warp gate. 

It snapped shut behind them. 

Shouta was furious .

He had trusted his coworker with that girl, the girl with no discernible combat Quirk, and that fucking idiot had let her go, he had failed, Shouta’s students had protected his, saved his, rescued his and Kan had let it all go to fucking shit they were about to be out with minimal injuries, three out of five villain captures, and it didn’t fucking matter because Bakugo was gone to wherever the warp gate took him, surrounded by dangerous villains-,

With a scream of rage, his capture weapon shot out towards the villain with the mask, wrapping him up as he lunged at him. The warp gate appeared, and Shouta ripped the villain away from it. He wasn’t getting away this time, he wasn’t going to let it happen-,

“ AIZAWA-SENSEI! ” He heard Yaoyorozu yell and he twisted in time to see Shouji flinging one of the Class 1B students through the air, something blinking in his hand and Shouta barely managed to recall his Quirk, Weld , and oh .

He swung the masked villain towards the student and Awase collided with him, planting his feet against his back. The villain let out a shocked yell, but Awase was welding the tracker to his back before he could do anything, and then springing back off him and out of the way. 

Shouta made a choice.

He released his capture weapon, and the warp gate appeared, swallowing the villain whole. 

He didn’t have time to think, running straight to Midoriya.

The small, green-haired boy was slumped against Todoroki, who had caught him. He was cradling him against him, reminiscent of that day at Kiyashi Ward and Shouta couldn’t help but feel sick at how it was real this time, Midoriya soaked in his own blood. The knife had been ripped from his side by the villain at the last second and the green-haired boy was bleeding profusely. His head had lolled back against Todoroki, who looked panic stricken. He was clutching the green-haired boy desperately, frantically trying to push against the wound, to apply pressure and keep it from bleeding so much. 

Shouta dropped to his knees next to them reaching up and pulling Todoroki’s hand away, to peer at the wound under. 

“ Goddamnit! ” 

It was deep. It was bad . Shouta knew help was on the way; this whole battle felt like it lasted forever, but it had been less than thirty minutes since the start. Help would be here any second, except Shouta didn’t know if Midoriya was going to last that long at the rate he was losing blood. Shouta had some first aid items, but nothing that could stop a wound this deep. He could only think of one option. 

“Todoroki.” He said. The split-haired boy’s head shot up and Shouta tried to ignore the fact that the boy looked to be on the verge of tears, clutching his dying friend. He was about to ask him to do something difficult. “Can you cauterize the wound?”

“C-cauterize?” Todoroki forced out. “But he’s fire resist-,”

“Externally, not as much internally. Recovery Girl told me she could use a cauterization tool during surgery to do it at a small level. It had to be hotter than normal, but she could do it. I know what I’m asking you to do. If you can’t, that’s fine, but I need a yes or no now. ” Shouta spoke quickly, and low. The spectators had the good sense to stay back, even as they watched with fear. 

“ Yes .” Shouta grabbed his hand and guided it close to the wound. He placed his thumbs on either side of the wound, pulling back the pierced skin. He could hardly see the flesh through the blood leaking out, but as long as they got muscle-to muscle, they could do it.

Shouta took a deep breath. 

“Go ahead.” He said. 

Todoroki’s hand didn’t burst into flames like Shouta was expecting. The heat was intense; even he could feel it, but it was close to the skin, a shimmering flame encasing his fingers and palm. Intensely hot. 

Midoriya’s body jerked in response as Todoroki pressed his hand to the wound, making a noise of pain. Thankfully, he was mostly unconscious, but that didn’t stop Todoroki from trembling or from Shouta wanting to close his eyes. He kept watch, though and tried to ignore the smell of burning flesh. 

“Done, I think.” Todoroki said quietly, pulling his hand back and Shouta examined the wound, flicking the blood away from where it had been welded shut. It was ugly and awkward, the skin around it pinched, but it was shut. 

He spotted something on Todoroki’s hand though, and he grabbed the boy by the wrist, yanking his left hand forward. The split-haired boy was clutching Midoriya to him with his right. 

“Todoroki.” He said, softly, as he examined the scorched, blackened flesh of Todoroki’s hand. “You burned yourself.” He wasn’t as surprised that the split-haired boy had done it. It was clear that Midoriya was his closest friend. But he was surprised that Todoroki hadn’t made a single noise while doing it. 

The boy ripped his hand back. 

“He needed me.” Was all he would say. 

Footsteps brought Shouta’s attention away from the prone form in front of him and he looked up into the wide eyes of his coworker, who opened his mouth, face contorted in shame. 

Crack!

Before he knew it, he was on his feet, pain lancing through his hand. Kan had been knocked back into the dirt and was holding his hand to his nose, which was dripping blood. Shouta was so angry all he could see was red and he realized he was already speaking. 

“- let her get away and now Midoriya is hurt and Bakugo is gone , all you had to do was RESTRAIN HER until-, ” He couldn’t even stop himself. He was aware he was ripping into his coworker in front of his class, but Shouta was standing there, covered in the blood of his student. His student, who he wasn’t even sure was going to survive this anyway, cradled in the arms of another student who had to make a decision today to save the life of his friend that he never should have had to make. Another student was gone , essentially kidnapped while saving Midoriya’s life, and the only reason they had any kind of way to find him was through the quick-thinking of Shouta’s students. They should have had three out of five villains in custody and minimal injuries but in the span of ten seconds, all that had changed. “ -weren’t useless, you were LESS than useless-, ” He wasn’t screaming , necessarily, but Kan’s head was still bent before him. Shouta didn’t care; of all the people he should be able to rely on, Vlad King was supposed to be one of them. Instead, it was his own students who stepped up to defend their own, far before they should have to.

Eraserhead .

Mandalay’s voice caused him to halt his tirade, and his head snapped over to her. 

“ What ?” He snapped at her. The pro seemed unwilling to answer.

“I-it’s enough.” She said, finally. 

“It’s enough ?” He hissed, stalking over. “Midoriya could have died . Midoriya might still die. Bakugo has been kidnapped . Todoroki fucking cauterized his best friend’s wound to try and save him. My students should be able to expect a semblance of protection, at least an effort by a pro hero responsible for their wellbeing -,”

He grinded to a halt, realizing that Mandalay was shaking, too. She shook her head, and he saw the tears in her eyes she tried to wipe away. All of the Pussycats, he realized. They all felt ashamed, for not doing more. 

Good , Shouta thought. They should be.

Chapter Text

Katsuki tumbled through the portal screaming .

He felt his fist make contact with that knife-freak’s face and she squirmed underneath him but he grabbed her by the head and set off an explosion in her face. He could hardly hear her screams of pain underneath his own rage-filled shrieks and he didn’t fucking care . He hit her, over and over and over , until her face was slick with blood. 

He rolled instinctively, as a weak flicker of flames came flying in his direction, but he brought up his own explosion to blow it away. There was quiet sobbing, the villain who had fucking stabbed Deku trying to crawl away in the confusion but oh , Katsuki was paying attention. He slammed his foot down on her wrist, where she was still trying to grip the knife soaked in Deku’s blood . There was a crack and she screamed as he ground his heel down. He had never felt such cold rage; his was always explosive and violent, but he thought he might actually kill her. 

He couldn’t get the image out of his head, of the way Deku had just gone limp , green eyes rolling back in his head. The moment Katsuki knew that-,

That he could die . That Deku could actually die . He had seen Deku bloody and beaten and his arms turned to paste and he had never seen him crumple limply like that and Katsuki wanted to kill this fucking knife-freak bitch.

He had just fucking talked to him for the first time. Deku-, well, Katsuki didn’t know if Deku was going to forgive him. He didn’t. But he had finally, finally fucking apologized. Had a shot at maybe getting that fucking nerdy green-haired boy to-, he didn’t know what he wanted, exactly. If anyone suggested the idea of him being friends with Deku again, he would have blown out every fucking window in their house. But...all Katsuki knew was that if Deku died before he had a chance to forgive him or not, he would lose it. He knew that they had always been chasing each other’s backs in one way or another. Maybe it had been Deku chasing him for a long time, but since UA started, he knew unmistakably he was chasing Deku’s.

He didn’t know what was going to happen to him if Deku was gone.

He let out a scream of rage, using his explosions to propel himself towards the source of the sizzling sound, the unmistakable aroma of burnt flesh emanating from the creepy fucking Endeavor knock-off.

He careened into him, sending the villain crashing to the ground. He grabbed him by the neck and used an explosion to propel him over the bar of where they had landed. The bottles on the shelves shattered , glass raining down on the villain, covering him in alcohol.

When the villain straightened up, fear on his face, hair soaked with what smelled like vodka, Katsuki smirked and aimed his palm at him. 

“Say goodbye, you fucking dollar store Endeavor knock-off.” He hissed. The villain jolted, holding up his hands defensively, eyes wide as he realized that Katsuki was about to torch him.

And then there was something practically gagging him, pulling away. It was fluid-like, choking him, almost like the slime villain from so long ago, wrapping around his body. He stumbled back, trying to wriggle free from the slithering mass. He couldn’t even speak, his mouth covered and he let off an explosion from his hand that blasted straight for the wall, except Katsuki couldn’t see what happened because his vision went black-,

And he landed in a plain, white room, filled with an odd, constant whirring sound.

He scrambled to his feet quickly, head jerking back and forth as he searched the room and he almost stumbled at what he saw. Running along the floor were huge, black tubes, all leading to what looked like an obsidian black chair. It was futuristic and smooth, like there were geometric patterns of lights throughout. A man in a black suit sat there, almost perfectly still, a mask covering his face. There was some kind of contraption attached to the front of it, linking with the tubes that ran along the floor. He was so still that Katsuki wasn’t even sure he was alive. 

“Bakugo Katsuki, is it?” The deep voice felt like it was coming at him from all sides, but the only person Katsuki saw in the room was this creepy motherfucker. There was no mistaking the source. 

“Why the fuck am I here? What did you do?” He demanded, dropping into a defensive stance and bringing his hands up, explosions ready in his palms. The guy didn’t look like much, but as much as he hated to admit it, there was something about him that made Katsuki nervous. He narrowed his eyes, ready to attack. 

“Take a seat.” Katsuki opened his mouth to snarl back-,

BOOM!

The shockwave knocked Katsuki backwards, his back colliding with the ground as it rippled through the room. His head shot up to see the bulging, twisted form of the man’s hand, which slowly deflated, leaving the hand a normal shape. 

He swallowed. 

“I would prefer to keep things civil, Bakugo Katsuki. I am sure you would prefer it as well.” Katsuki had never once in his life preferred to keep things civil.

But he gritted his teeth at the thinly veiled threat and swallowed the words on his tongue, attempting to ignore the dread he felt.

Katsuki had always been the best . Not just because he was talented or because he had a good Quirk, though those things helped. But he worked hard . He studied. He practiced. He had found himself in a much lower position than he thought when he entered UA and he had clawed his way back up to the top where he belonged .

The only time he had felt this outclassed was when he faced All Might during the final exam and he didn’t have Deku at his back right now. 

Maybe never again , a voice whispered and he shoved it away, glaring at the villain in front of him. 

What the actual fuck is his goddamn Quirk?

“Sure.” He forced out from between clenched teeth. 

“I realize that your attendance right now is....less than ideal.” The figure tilted his head and he could practically feel the smugness coming off of him. It was infuriating . 

“No shit .” Katsuki snapped. The figure held up a hand solemnly. 

“The attack on the buses wasn’t my idea; I allowed Tomura’s coworkers to act independently. The idea of attacking your training camp was something floated some time ago, prior to Tomura’s imprisonment. Without Tomura, I’m sure you can tell that the operation was rather...poorly planned.” Katsuki wanted to rage and scream . He didn’t give a shit about the level of competence of their attack on his fucking school. 

The villain let out a sigh, shaking his head. 

“I do not concern myself with you ‘heroes in training’, but your class had piqued Tomura’s interest. It seems to have been his downfall, ultimately.” 

“Are you fucking talking about Shigaraki ?” Katsuki asked incredulously. The figure paused, putting his hand to where his chin should be. 

“Ah, yes. I have failed to introduce myself. I apologize; that is rude. You may call me All for One. Or, if you’re feeling open to the idea-,”

“I’m not open to shit.”

“-Sensei. Well, I suppose you have time to warm up to the idea.” So this was the man he heard that hand-obsessed fucker waxing about longingly during USJ.

“So why am I fucking here? Trying to get back at us for Shigaraki fucking up and getting pepper-sprayed like an idiot?” Katsuki snapped. He wasn’t going to warm up to fucking anything .

“I wish you wouldn’t use such crass language,” All for One started. “But, no. I had higher hopes for Tomura, but-,” Another long-suffering sigh. It was condescending, even towards Shigaraki. Katsuki didn’t give a single shit about what happened to that one-handed freak, but it was as if Shigaraki’s imprisonment was somehow a burden on the man in front of him. Katsuki hated people like him. “-, it seems that he was perhaps not the successor I imagined him to be. So unfortunate, but I suppose his temperament always did make him a risk.”

Katsuki felt his thoughts grind to a halt.

“You’re not breaking him out of prison.” He said. It’s not that he felt bad for the freak, but it was obvious that the guy idolized this faceless monstrosity sitting in front of Katsuki and it sounded like All for One was intending to abandon him. All for One tilted his head at him, and if that motherfucker had any eyes behind that dumb mask, Katsuki was sure he would be blinking. 

“Why would I do that? He failed and got himself kidnapped. And with the damage to his hands-,” Katsuki had heard that Shigaraki’s remaining fingers were busted. “-, it really does make using his Quirk nearly impossible and limits the Quirks that I could give him-,”

Katsuki froze. 

All for One waved his hand dismissively. 

“We’ll get to that, I’m certain. I had hoped to use Tomura against All Might, but I must admit that All Might’s pawn has taken mine off the board permanently. I’ll lose a piece to win the game, even if I dislike it.” 

Quirks he could give him? 

All Might’s pawn?

Was he talking about Deku ?

“You really fucking like the sound of your own voice, don’t you?” Was all Katsuki could manage to say, sneering at him. 

All for One laughed. 

“You are quite entertaining, Bakugo Katsuki.” Katsuki saw red , but he clamped his mouth shut. I’m not some pet to do tricks for your entertainment Darth fucking Vader-,

“Why am I here?” He demanded. 

“Winding up with you here was an accident, but one I believe we can capitalize upon. I would have preferred not to intervene in the first place, but I simply couldn’t allow you to take out the rest of my pawns and you were going to create quite the mess.” Katsuki clenched his fists at his side and forced himself to stay silent. The way this motherfucker was talking, as if lives meant absolutely nothing to him. Referring to Shigaraki and Deku as pawns in a game of chess . “Bakugo Katsuki, I believe you could be a great asset to me.” 

“ You want me to join the League of fucking Villains ?” He screeched . 

All for One seemed unbothered, lacing his hands together. 

“Ah, don’t worry yourself with all that nonsense. Nothing of the sort. Unless, you wanted to, of course. Not join , but lead , if you prefer. Otherwise, consider it disbanded.” He offered, with a palm out towards Katsuki.

He was vibrating with rage. 

What the fuck would make this idiot ever believe he could be a goddamn villain -,

“You have a lot of talent, Bakugo Katsuki. And despite the rather brutish nature of your Quirk, you also have a mind for strategy. An excellent grasp of your own abilities to boot. I saw your performance at the Sports Festival, and I can see that you always strive to be the best, to develop your skills.” 

“I’m not a fucking villain .” Katsuki snapped, and All for One waved a hand. 

“I’m not asking you to start robbing banks or pushing heroes down flights of stairs or whatever these silly little villains are doing these days.” Killing people .

“Then what the absolute fuck are you talking about?”

“I am working to build a better world. This one is unkind to those with Quirks unsuitable for hero work. If you aren’t a hero, you can barely use your Quirks in public.” All for One explained, and his conviction seemed real, but Katsuki didn’t believe for a second that it was. “These are gifts that are meant to be used, but we suppress them instead. People are persecuted for them, all the time. Is that fair?”

He looked at Katsuki, like he wanted an answer, but he wasn’t about to feed into this bullshit megalomaniac world fucking vision. Obviously, it wasn’t fair, but he just wanted Katsuki to say yes to fucking softball questions to make himself seem more likeable. Katsuki wasn’t an idiot . He knew exactly what he was trying to do. 

“If you hadn’t expressed such a desire to be a hero from a young age, you could have easily ended up like Tomura. Branded a villain, tormented for a powerful Quirk you have done nothing wrong with.”

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. 

This guy didn’t know shit , because Katsuki had done plenty wrong with his Quirk already. 

“I simply want to make the world a better place. Anyone who doesn’t fit into the vision those in charge have for this world is automatically a villain. Is that fair?”

“I’m not fucking answering you.”

“I could offer you many things. Autonomy. Freedom. Independence. Power. If you would like to kill Toga, I find the matter a little unpleasant for my taste, but I certainly understand.” 

Toga? Katsuki blinked to himself. 

All for One shifted in his chair, and it felt like he was smiling. 

“Ah, the one who killed your friend.”

No no no no no NO

“Deku isn’t fucking dead .” He snapped, immediately . Not because he knew, but because he couldn’t be. That nerd was too tough to die. He was annoying, he smiled at everyone like the stupid sun shined out of him, but he was tough . He wouldn’t. He couldn’t die .

The dark figure leaned forward, and when he spoke, his voice was soft, almost gentle. 

“I apologize I am the one who bears this news, but Midoriya Izuku did not survive his injuries, I’m afraid. It is very unfortunate, but he is dead.” 

Katsuki’s world immediately started spinning. He was hyperventilating, he realized. He didn’t know when that had started, but the blood was rushing in his ears and his hands were shaking and he didn’t want to believe it but he had seen the way Deku crumpled, the way the life just seemed to leave him-,

He had hoped he was saving him, trying to protect him from that last blow but he was stupid for thinking he had done enough, that that alone could keep him from dying. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, Deku was supposed to forgive him or he wasn’t but Katsuki was supposed to spend the rest of his life trying to be better for that dumb green-haired motherfucker and they were supposed to be heroes together like they had always talked about-,

“I regret that I must be the one to inform you, but Toga could be disposed of in any way you wish-,

If this motherfucker thought for a second Katsuki would buy into the mound of shit he was selling just because Deku was dead, he was fucking wrong. Like Deku would ever want him to become a villain just because he had been killed by one. 

The way Katsuki saw it, if Deku was dead, the buck stopped with the no-faced freak in front of him. 

He let out a scream of rage and flew at him.

XXXX

As All for One restrained the screaming , spitting boy to the ground, explosions bursting from his palms and blowing apart the panels on the floor, he was struck by a thought he didn’t often have. 

He had done his research on Class 1-A, of course. Tomura’s little obsession had become a thorn in his side quickly and it was obvious anyways that the successor to One for All was among them. He had briefly considered Bakugo as a candidate for recruitment, but had decided to forego any efforts among the hero spawn. Most of them were too deeply entrenched in the ideology to be open to recruitment.

However, he had attained videos of all their final exams, and found Bakugo’s to be particularly interesting. There was an oddly complicated relationship between All Might’s successor and him and now that the explosive boy had been dumped on his doorstep, he had thought he might take advantage of it. Surely, from what he had seen, the boy would snap if he believed the boy to be dead.

He just hadn’t quite expected him to snap in the direction he did. 

He may have miscalculated.

He snapped the long tendrils that came from his fingertips, attempting to wrangle the boy. It wasn’t as simple of a task to restrain him without injury to himself or the boy as he was expecting. 

He may have miscalculated severely.

Well, he supposed it was an interesting Quirk regardless.

One he may just take for himself.

XXXX

“Watch the boy for now.” All for One ordered. He tossed the unconscious boy towards the one who looked most uninjured, Tomura’s little friend in the mask with the duplicating Quirk. He caught the boy, surprised, but immediately started to make preparations to restrain him. 

Meanwhile, All for One surveyed the room carefully. The boy had done a fair amount of damage before he snagged him. Toga was bloodied and shaking, apparently less enchanted with her own blood than others. She was holding what looked like a broken wrist. The other one, Dabi, was pulling glass out of his skin still from where it seemed he had been thrown into the bar. 

“Sensei...” He glanced over to Kurogiri, who was behind the bar, sweeping up slowly. “Are we getting Tomura out of prison?” The hopeful tone was unmistakable. All for One sighed; Kurogiri was one of his earliest creations. The first Nomu, essentially. He had made Kurogiri with the sole purpose of being a day-to-day caretaker for Tomura, someone who could support the boy’s vision. There was a reason the Nomu lived and died for the boy despite all the abuse sent his way. 

But Kurogiri was also a perfect example of why All for One disliked making Nomus with sentience. It afforded them too much independence. When given consciousness and objectives, their loyalty was no longer to All for One, but to their objective. When the two conflicted, he could be sure which way Kurogiri would swing. 

“No.” All for One said. “He can barely use a Quirk. Even if his broken fingers heal correctly, he still lacks a hand.” Kurogiri stopped sweeping. 

“Could you not simply give him the boy’s Quirk-,” All for One shook his head.

“This one’s Quirk requires the use of his hands; it is the only place he is capable of igniting the nitroglycerin. Even if I gave it to Tomura, he couldn’t use it properly. I am disappointed as well, Kurogiri.” The man set the broom down, taking a step closer to the bar. 

“Are we not going to get him out anyways? This would be the perfect opportunity, if you intend to face off against the heroes, they would all be distracted and with a Nomu I could-,”

“No.” All for One interrupted. “It’s not the time.” It would never be the time. Tomura had outlived his usefulness to him; it was unfortunate, of course. He had hoped that Tomura would be capable of succeeding him one day, but he could always find another. Perhaps Midoriya Izuku. It would take some work, to get the boy into the correct mental state, but he had plenty to work with, didn’t he? Seemingly Quirkless prior to UA; that gave All for One boundless material. Who else would want to see the world change, but the formerly Quirkless given power for the first time? It would hurt All Might far more than Tomura would as well. Sure, the boy was the grandson of his mentor, but this was his protege. 

“Perhaps when I find a regeneration Quirk.” He offered to the warp villain. “And I can restore function to him.” Regeneration Quirks were rare , almost as rare as psychological Quirks. If he found one, he doubted he could be convinced to part with it. Speaking of psychological Quirks, that boy from the Sports Festival had an interesting Quirk as well. Brainwashing , was it?

He would certainly like that.

“Tomura will unfortunately be imprisoned for quite some time.” All for One informed Kurogiri. “We must focus on a dangerous adversary for now.”

He truly wasn’t surprised for a portal that was Kurogiri’s body to expand and for the villain to disappear into it, before it snapped shut. He sighed. 

If Kurogiri got caught going after Tomura, he would be quite upset to lose such a valuable asset. 

“What are you going to do with him?” Dabi spoke up, and All for One looked back to the post where they had the UA boy sitting on a chair, chained to it with Quirk suppressing cuffs and muzzled. He was beginning to stir. 

“I thought I might wait to take his Quirk until All Might is there to witness it.” All for One said softly, stepping up to the boy who was startling awake, pulling against his chains and staring at him wide eyes. “That is my Quirk, Bakugo Katsuki.” He said. “I can take and give Quirks however I please. You should be flattered. I only take those that interest me.” The boy made an odd screeching noise, chains rattling as he strained against them. He gently placed a hand on the boy’s chest. “Don’t worry; you’ll be able to keep it for a little longer. I only intend to take it where All Might can see me. I prefer for him to know the true extent of his failure. You’ll be Quirkless, after. How quaint that will be.”

 The boy let out a muffled scream, face contorting in rage. He simply patted his chest, before withdrawing his hand. 

It would work out perfectly, he decided. Maybe taking Bakugo’s Quirk away in front of All Might’s little protege would even further that avenue. After all, it was the person who had seemingly harassed him for being Quirkless, once, now becoming Quirkless himself. Poetic justice. Though, All for One could admit he didn’t know exactly how it would be received. 

No matter.

It would hurt All Might, and that was what counted. 

XXXX

“The press is calling for a conference on the attack and Bakugo’s-,” Shouta spun around, eyes flashing at Nedzu. 

“Do I seem like I give a shit what the press is calling for?” Shouta snapped. “We have to act quickly.” 

They were standing in the lobby of the hospital. Shouta had gone with Midoriya to the hospital.Before his legal guardian was there, Shouta was essentially the one who had the most responsibility for the boy. Besides, he wasn’t too keen on letting the small, pale figure out of his sight until he knew he was in good hands. Recovery Girl had already gotten to the hospital and was currently overseeing the boy’s medical treatment. 

The hospital had been kind enough to give them a room to discuss in while they waited for news on Midoriya. Yaoyorozu had gotten the receiver for the tracker on the masked villain to both them and the police and they were currently planning strategy. 

In the room, it was Tsukauchi, a few officers, All Might, Nedzu, Kan, Ragdoll and Tiger. He already knew that the detective had called in a few favors and some top heroes were on the way already, Best Jeanist among them. Shouta supposed Bakugo had interned with him; the hero had a personal stake in his student’s well being. 

“Between Ragoll’s Quirk and the tracker, we should be able to act quickly.” Shouta argued. 

“We don’t want to be rash,” Nedzu began. 

“I agree with Aizawa.” Kan said, flicking his eyes towards Shouta nervously, who crossed his arms. “Getting Bakugo was an accident. They have no reason to keep him alive. We need to find him as soon as possible before they decide he’s more trouble than he’s worth.” 

“This is the League of Villains.” Nedzu countered. “This gives a real chance to find their hideouts, plan a well-executed raid, gather them in their entirety-,”

“ No. ” All Might interrupted. “I’m sorry, I would like to have longer to plan this operation, but our student’s life takes priority. If we don’t get them all, we don’t get them all.” He said, and the man looked tired . He was in his weaker form for now and Shouta guessed he didn’t want to use up any time he had for meetings. Besides, the Pussycats had been brought into the loop out of necessity. Ragdoll would be able to see through him anyways. 

“I’ve already tagged Bakugo.” Ragdoll offered. “Tracking him will be simple, especially considering we have a way of finding his general location already.” She held up the receiver to the tracking device Yaoyorozu had passed to them. 

“Alright, then.” Nedzu said, lacing his paws together. “The media will just have to wait.”

“By the time we call a press conference, we could have Bakugo home with his parents.” Shouta said flatly. This was hardly the time to pander to the media. He understood that it was important to make sure all parents were thoroughly informed, but it had been less than 30 minutes since Bakugo’s kidnapping. Between the police escort and Hizashi’s frightening driving of government vehicles, they had gotten to the hospital in ten minutes flat. If they acted fast, they could be informing the press within the next few hours that all students were safe and accounted for. 

“We’ve already been keeping track of calls in the area for anything that might indicate Bakugo’s presence, like explosions or fighting-,” Tsukauchi offered, just as the door creaked open. A young officer peeked in, before hurriedly walking over to the detective. He leaned in, and whispered something to the detective. Tsukauchi’s brow furrowed and Shouta watched carefully, narrowing his eyes as the two spoke. The brief conversation ended with Tsukauchi nodding at him, before the young man scurried out of the room. 

“What was that about?” All Might asked. 

“We have reports of explosions in a bar in Kamino Ward. Something that sounded like someone shouting ``die”, as well.” Tsukauchi said. “No one saw anything, but the noise was enough to draw a complaint.” 

That was without a doubt, Bakugo Katsuki. 

The thought was almost comforting to Shouta. He had thought about the villain’s they had faced. They had taken a beating, truly. While he was worried for Bakugo, the boy wasn’t facing off against a fully charged League of Villains. He was facing off against a burnt out flame villain, a bruised and beaten masked villain, and one with no discernible combat Quirk. He wasn’t going down without a fight and the slipshod crew wouldn’t be in good shape even if they could restrain him. 

Or kill him .

Shouta ignored the thought. 

“We leave in the next 30 minutes.” Shouta said. “As soon as the rest are here and up to speed, we leave for Kamino Ward.”

“Wait.” Ragdoll interrupted, looking down at the receiver. “I’m not close enough to... see exactly where Bakugo is, but the person with the tracking device just moved. And it’s a different place than where Bakugo is, I believe.” She held it up, showing them. 

“Two teams, then.” Nedzu suggested. “It must be something important.” Shouta nodded. 

He made a mental list of who was going to be joining them. He knew that the attack on UA had evoked a particularly strong response in the top heroes of their nation, so they should have plenty of firepower. 

Shouta didn’t like it. 

They didn’t need firepower, really. The current League of Villains was in bad shape already; but they had been clever enough so far to keep their location hidden. It wasn’t about outgunning them, but outsmarting them. Some of the top heroes in attendance were smart, Shouta knew. But he couldn’t help but think that many of them had been at the top for so long that they weren’t used to outsmarting their opponents. They had a tendency to take them head-on. They still didn’t know who the face behind the League of Villains was, but they knew that person, Sensei , was powerful enough to create monstrosities that could nearly overpower All Might. 

They needed to be smart . 

Before he could voice his concerns, the door opened again, all heads snapping over. 

It was Recovery Girl, arms crossed, lips pursed. 

“Toshinori.” She said, directing her words to All Might. The man sprang up from where he had been sitting, eyes wide. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Shouta knew how distraught the man was over the condition of Midoriya. “You’re lucky your kid has been so good about following his diet.”

All Might’s shoulders seemed to relax. 

Shouta glanced over, to see Ragdoll mouthing his kid? At him, but he ignored her. 

“His diet?” Shouta asked, instead. 

“We decided he needed to up his calorie intake significantly. It would help him build stamina, keep up with his Quirk, better nutrition. I was able to do much more than I anticipated because he’s been following at least one of my recommendations. He’s tired, but he should be awake soon.” Recovery Girl said. Shouta let out a breath. “He’s getting blood transfusions, but his arm and the wound are healed. He will recover. The rest of his body is...in less than top condition, but he should be able to go home within the next few days.”

“Th-thank you.” All Might’s voice trembled, betraying how scared he had felt for Midoriya. Shouta couldn’t blame him. He had carried that small, limp body in his arms. He was still wearing Midoriya’s blood. 

“I’m tempted to let the rest heal naturally.” She threatened. “Taking on Muscular by himself ? What was that boy thinking ?” Shouta didn’t want to encourage Midoriya’s reckless behavior, but-,

“He didn’t have any choice.” Shouta said. He had seen how Muscular had trapped Midoriya. The green-haired boy probably shouldn’t have tried to take him on alone in the first place, but Shouta had authorized his students to use their Quirks and the villain had been trying to kill a little boy, with no one else intervening. He hadn’t known for certain who the villain was until he was already carrying the two boys off and Midoriya likely hadn’t either when he acted. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Muscular essentially kidnapped him. If Midoriya had run and gotten help after that, Muscular would have murdered a five year old boy in cold blood, like he already killed the boy’s parents.” 

Recovery Girl stiffened. 

“I believe he made the right choice.” All Might said, firmly, but flicked his eyes nervously towards Aizawa. “Don’t tell him I said that, though. Not until he gets reprimanded for breaking his fingers.” 

“Regardless, he’s going to wake up very soon, and he’s going to be asking questions.” Recovery Girl said. “You need to figure out what to tell him.”

Shouta closed his eyes. He had almost been hoping that the boy would remain unconscious until they retrieved Bakugo. Midoriya was already emotional to begin with. Combine that with his deeply complicated relationship with Bakugo and the conversation they had only a day prior and Shouta wasn’t sure what was going to happen. 

He started making mental notes to himself about which students to approach personally, when this was all over. Bakugo and Midoriya, certainly. Todoroki, who was bordering on traumatized.

“I should speak to him.” All Might said, his eyes cast downward. 

“You want to tell him?” Shouta asked, surprised. The blonde man looked back up at him. 

“Of course I don’t want to tell him.” He said. “He will be distraught. But I should.”

“No.” Shouta responded, slowly. “I will inform him what happened. I’m his teacher. I’m responsible for both him and Bakugo. You should still see him, before we leave.” All Might nodded. 

Midoriya was what All Might had characterized as a ‘crybaby’. He cried openly and often. He cried when he was sad. When he was happy. When Koda showed him a bunny on school grounds. When Uraraka asked him for a hug. It was open and genuine. A little loud sometimes, maybe. Never for show, Midoriya just felt so strongly about everything he couldn’t stop himself. 

Never this broken, Shouta thought, watching silent tears stream down Midoriya’s face. The green-haired boy sat there and listened, not making a sound or a move to wipe them as they dripped onto the hospital blankets pooled at his hips. His face was blank, his eyes lacking that usual spark. It was like someone had reached into his chest and pulled the light out of him.

Chapter Text

“One more thing.” Aizawa said, before he left the room. He fished a small device out of his pocket, and set it down on Izuku’s lap. “If you would like to watch the end of your final exam.” Izuku glanced down, able to see his own face reflected in the black of the screen. 

“No.” He said. “I forgive him. I don’t need to see it.”

It had been blurry, accompanied by a rush of blood, of dizziness. But he remembered just fine what happened when the villain stabbed him. How she ripped the knife out and was about to swing it down into his chest to kill him. 

Bakugo saved him. 

Without a second thought. He had heard the way Bakugo cried out his name and then tackled that girl straight into the portal, probably knowing what he was risking to try and save Izuku. He needed to know Bakugo was capable of.... something , of kindness, of some form of love for him and he got his answer when he saw the look on his childhood friend’s face. 

Izuku slowly picked up the device and offered it back to Aizawa, who bent down and took it. 

“He went back for you.” Aizawa said. “I know you don’t care to see it, but he went back and carried you off the field.”

“I know.” Izuku said. “I didn’t need you to tell me that.” He had been thinking about it, since waking up. And Bakugo had been so adamant about not knowing or caring how Izuku got off the field. The only way he was going to refuse to answer was because it was something he didn’t want Izuku to know. He knew it must have been something like that. 

“We’re going to get him back.” His teacher said firmly. Izuku stared at the blankets. “We’ll be back before you know it.” 

Aizawa departed shortly after. All Might had to leave earlier, to help fill in the other pros, but things had been awkward before he left. He seemed...ashamed. Like he was afraid to meet Izuku’s eyes. But he had sat on the edge of his bed and leaned in and promised him that they would get Bakugo back. Izuku wanted to believe both of them but he was afraid . 

All of his training, all of his fighting, and he hadn’t been able to do anything. In fact, it was Bakugo who saved him and had paid the price for it.

So when Todoroki walked into his room, still dirty, covered in blood, but with a hardness in his eyes Izuku hadn’t seen for a while and told him he had a plan , the answer was easy. 

They got Izuku cleaned up and dressed. He was still sore, but the worst of his injuries had been healed and he could stand and walk just fine, getting ready while Todoroki told him about the tracker Momo had planted. 

“Who’s coming?” Izuku asked as he slipped his shoes on. 

“Kirishima, Momo, and I.” Todoroki informed him, reaching out to steady Izuku as he almost stumbled. 

“I’m fine.” Izuku said quickly. “I swear. Just need something to eat.”

They collected their friends, making their way down to the lobby, Izuku shoving an energy bar down his throat. Kirishima looked shaky, almost deflated. He was far from his usual, cheerful self. Izuku knew him and Bakugo were close; in fact, Kirishima was probably Bakugo’s closest friend at UA. Something about his cheerfulness had pierced through that wall the blonde liked to keep up.

“I should have been more useful.” Kirishima said. “And I wasn’t. I have to help him.”

They ran into Iida outside the hospital who protested and fought them but Izuku managed to talk him into coming along to help. 

“I know we can’t use our Quirks to fight.” Izuku assured him. “In fact, I don’t even think we would want to.” He knew more about All for One than his classmates and it was beginning to look like this was where the fight was headed. Izuku knew they were about a hundred years too early to think of taking on the near-mythical villain. “But we can help find him. Help him get out safely. Nothing illegal.” 

It took some talking, but Iida eventually agreed to come with. Secretly, Izuku thought he also felt like he wanted to do something to help. It was hard not to, with their classmate having been taken in front of all of them. 

“Here, let’s follow the tracker.” Momo said and they set off for Kamino Ward.

XXXX

“Aizawa.” All Might called to him, as they were heading out. Shouta twisted, to see the man hanging back; not that it was subtle, in his huge, muscled form. “Before we go, there’s something you should know.” They had all been briefed about the possibility of facing All for One, a man who seemingly wielded potentially dozens of Quirks. It was a terrifying thought. 

“Yes?” Shouta asked dryly. “We’re on a schedule.” All Might nodded quickly. 

“I know, but I need to inform you.” All Might explained, with an apologetic smile. “With All for One’s Quirk, he’s the one who creates the Nomus, I believe and at USJ, you were unable-,”

“To erase their Quirks.” Shouta finished. “I know.” The blonde man stilled. 

“I’m afraid I don’t think you’ll be able to erase them all. I don’t even know if you’d be able to erase any, besides perhaps his original Quirk.” 

Shouta had thought about this, after facing the Nomus. His first thought was that it wasn’t human; it wasn’t, but it was made from humans. His second theory had been confirmed with some discussion with Recovery Girl. Ultimately, Shouta disabled the Quirk factor in a person’s DNA. The Nomu’s DNA was too much of a hodgepodge for it to work, but he wondered if each Quirk altered the DNA of All for One. It seemed unlikely, because he doubted anyone would survive the unforeseen consequences fundamentally changing a genetic structure many times over would cause. That was essentially what happened to the Nomus, after all. 

The only Quirk he would likely be able to completely disable with certainty  would be All for One’s original Quirk, the Quirk to give and take Quirks. He would try with the others, but there was no guarantee. Even if he could disable a few of them, the man had hundreds and Shouta had a limit. 

“I know.” Shouta said. “If I can’t be effective, I’ll stay out of the way.” 

“Once he realizes what your Quirk is, if it does work, he won’t let you get another visual.” All Might confessed. “He will destroy the city if he has to do it.” 

“So either way, you’re saying I have one shot.” Shouta responded. “To disable him.” All Might nodded.

“I believe so.”

“Better make it count, then.” Shouta remarked. 

XXXX

They ended how Toshinori always feared they would. 

He had gotten to the hideout, had Bakugo within his grasp. He had been in the midst of tearing that muzzle off his face when the boy tried to tell him something-,

And the slimy, bubbling liquid surrounded the remaining villains and Bakugo. Dabi, the flame villain had let out a burst of flames and tore out of the hideout, but Bakugo was quite literally torn from Toshinori’s hands. Even as Kamui Woods tried to hold on, the newest pro yelling tearful apologies that he couldn't.

They had simultaneously heard the screams of the team from the Nomu factory over the communications line and there was very little doubt in Toshinori’s mind that All for One had arrived and that was where he had taken young Bakugo. He was forcing Toshinori into a one-on-one showdown, knowing that he was weakened.  

Of course this is what it was going to come down to. He managed to give some directions to his team before he headed over. They nodded him on his way, knowing he could get there faster on his own. 

Which was how he ended up standing in the smoking crater All for One had made, destroying buildings and leaving the strike team laying there limply. Toshinori spotted the masked villain, Twice, they had learned. He knew the other one, Toga, should be around, but he couldn’t spot her. Instead, he looked out at the masked figure, hovering just below a warped structure he had destroyed in his attack on the other team of heroes. They appeared to be alive, though Best Jeanist looked to be in bad condition. He needed medical attention, immediately but Toshinori couldn’t afford to turn his back on All for One for a second. He just hoped his reinforcements would arrive soon and they could help him where Toshinori couldn’t.

And there was Bakugo, trapped in All for One’s grip, his hand at the back of Bakugo’s neck, a muzzle strapped back over his mouth. The blonde boy’s eyes were wide and Toshinori could see the fear in them. 

“Let him go.” Toshinori said. His objective, before facing All for One, was to secure the boy’s safety. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if one of his students was killed. He certainly would never be able to face young Midoriya again. He remembered vividly what it was like to lose Nana to All for One. Someone he loved dearly, but only for a short time before she was ripped away from him. 

Midoriya had known Bakugo his whole life . 

He had to save him. 

As long as Bakugo was here, he was at risk in so many ways. Any attack from All Might or All for One could be fatal. There were villains dotted about. Nomu, everywhere . Too many risks.

Gran Torino had arrived as well, but he was hanging back, ready to provide support. Toshinori knew that as much as Gran Torino would love to kick All for One’s ass, he was far from his prime and a wrong move could prove fatal to Bakugo in seconds. 

“Are you certain, All Might?” The masked man asked, sounding amused. A sense of dread was beginning to creep down Toshinori’s back. “Is this the one you want me to let go?”

“This one?” Toshinori croaked.

And then, the same sludge-like warp that had pulled Bakugo away started to gather in All for One’s other hand.

And the figure that appeared made Toshinori’s heart drop. 

XXXX

They were frozen to the spot in fear; unable to move, to breathe, to even tremble . It was not unlike the oppressive aura of the Hero Killer three of them had faced so long ago. A power, an ambition so intense it reached down your throat and held your heart in its hands. It was all they could do to hide and slowly watch the events unfolding, rooted to the spot.

Until now. 

“ What the fuck? ” Izuku hissed. 

He was looking at...

Himself ?

All for One had called something to him through that warp-power, but it certainly wasn’t Izuku. It looked just like him, but maybe more pale and battered. The not-Izuku was trembling with fear, held by the back of his neck in All for One’s crushing grip. 

All his friends stared at him. 

Kirishima poked him in the side tentatively. 

“I’ve been with you the whole time!” He whispered.

“Just checking.” 

But Izuku was aware that this was bad . 

He saw the way All Might froze , seeing both Bakugo and Izuku himself trapped within All for One’s grip. He wouldn’t attack, not with their lives on the line. All for One might not be able to take One for All, but he could certainly kill Izuku. He had shown no qualms about doing so to past users of the power. 

“Midoriya...” All Might whispered. The warp-like substance was still covering not-Izuku’s mouth, preventing him from speaking. 

“Toshi-,” Gran Torino barked. “Twice has the ability to make doubles.” 

“Oh, this isn’t a double.” All for One interrupted. Odd, thick, geometric tendrils extended from his fingertips and plunged into not-Izuku’s arm. Not-Izuku jerked, and then All for One lifted not-Izuku’s arm with one of the tendrils. “Twice’s doubles unfortunately lose their shape once they sustain enough damage.” The wrist on not-Izuku was visibly broken, his green eyes wide with fear. 

Bakugo started to make a noise in the muzzle, jerking, but he clearly couldn’t get the words out through the contraption. It was like he was trying to communicate something in Izuku’s opinion. Probably that this wasn’t the real Izuku. But how would he know -,

That girl .

Had taken his blood .

She probably had some kind of transformation Quirk, Izuku realized. Bakugo might have seen her transform into him. Otherwise, what would she have used his blood for? It almost made sense, her needing his DNA to transform. 

“Midoriya. Bakugo.” All Might said firmly, his typical smile gone from his face. “Everything is going to be okay.” He assured Izuku’s classmate and not-Izuku. 

“Only partially.” All for One’s voice boomed out, and the tendrils on his other hand extended, abruptly pushing into Bakugo’s chest. Izuku startled and his childhood friend jerked, but they didn’t appear to puncture the skin, exactly. It was obvious it hurt, but it didn’t appear to do damage . “I’ll be taking his Quirk, now.” He said, slowly descending towards the ground, feet touching it gently. “I wanted you to bear witness. To know that you failed both your students so deeply. He’ll be Quirkless and useless in this world. Isn’t that funny?”

Izuku’s head snapped to the side immediately, towards his friends. 

“We need to act now .” He said, and they nodded in agreement. 

XXXX

Toshinori wanted to rush forward and rip his students from All for One. Wanted to grab Bakugo and get him away before All for One could steal his Quirk. But in his other hand, he held Midoriya’s life. Being Quirkless was better than All for One killing Bakugo, right? If Toshinori rushed now, he could kill the boy and Midoriya and then it would have all been for nothing. 

He clenched his hands at his sides.

He had almost gone dizzy when Midoriya appeared, and then felt like he might vomit at the assurance that this wasn’t a double. It was Midoriya. It was his little green-haired student with a smile like the sun, pale, battered, injured, and firmly trapped in All for One’s grasp. He couldn’t protect him. He was so stupid . They should have left more guards at the hospital, more pros, something . All of the students should have been kept together. They hadn’t known that All for One had this kind of warping Quirk and it was his fault for not thinking ahead. 

And now Midoriya could die , because of Toshinori’s mistake. Die like Nana did. Brutally, before his time. 

He was so young . 

Toshinori felt tears coming to his eyes, but he couldn’t-,

He couldn’t, not in front of them. He had to let them know he would save them, no matter what it took. 

“Useless.” All for One said, clicking his tongue. “Your affection for these boys will keep you from acting; that much is a guarantee.” The tendrils lit up and Bakugo squirmed, starting at Toshinori with wide eyes as the light surged into his chest-,

And abruptly died .

The tendrils shattered .

It all happened within moments, barely giving Toshinori time to react as he took it all in.

Midoriya hit the ground with an oof , the warp-sludge disappearing from his mouth, crumpling on the ground.

All for One stared, dumbfounded. He seemed to attempt... something . He tensed his legs, like he was trying to jump back into the air, but nothing was working. Bakugo was dropped to the ground unceremoniously, hands scrabbling at the muzzle on his face.

And then they looked up .

Eraserhead was perched on one of the twisted metal beams. The anti-gravity field around him was active, his capture weapon lifted up and looping around him, hair up and above his head, red eyes glowing from behind his goggles. 

Toshinori could have cried with relief. 

Aizawa’s Quirk had worked far better than they expected. It erased all of All for One’s Quirks.

“Fuck.” All for One said. “Tomura was correct. You are pretty cool, Eraserhead.” He said, dipping his head in acknowledgement.

 He pulled a knife from his side and stuck it to Midoriya’s throat.

“ Nomu! ” He shouted.

And then there was a sound like a glacier moving and Toshinori twisted to barely move out of the way of a massive structure of ice bursting from the side of the villain, higher, and higher, and higher until it was far above any building in the area-,

And a crack , as another familiar green-haired boy appeared in the air, crackling with green lightning and the strength of One for All.

He appeared from over a piece of rubble and he lurched through the air, screaming ,

“ Kacchan, take my fucking hand!! ”

It happened in a split-second. 

His feet collided directly with All for One’s shoulders, a loud smack as Bakugo’s hand fell into his.

“ I CAN’T FUCKING STAND YOU! ” The blonde roared. For a brief moment, it seemed that Midoriya looked directly at Toshinori, green eyes filled with determination , and Toshinori knew without a doubt that this was the real Midoriya. He knew it from the burst of noise behind him, from Iida’s Reciproburst propelling Kirishima and him up the gigantic ice structure, from the look on Midoriya’s face, from the way the green lightning crackled faster around his legs and how sure he was that was One for All.

Pushed to 10%. 

Midoriya used All for One as a kick-off point, propelling the currently Quirkless man in the ground with an,

“ ACK! ” and a subsequent BOOM! from the following shockwave. There was a cracking noise that sounded like it came from the mask that All for One wore as he was ground ruthlessly down by the force.

But Midoriya and Bakugo were already flying through the air, towards his friends that were about to launch off the ice structure. There was a winged Nomu heading straight for Aizawa, nearing the boys, but a flood of light and sound came from the pair flying through the air, heading straight for the screeching Nomu, with an,

“ EAT SHIT AND DIE! ” That sent the Nomu careening through the air, scorched and smoking. 

Toshinori always thought that his young student was gentle inside, but he was realizing he may have miscalculated exactly the level of influence his childhood friend had on him. He just kicked a Quirkless man in the head with a superpower that could blow apart buildings. 

Toshinori smiled, hearing Gran Torino cackle as his students sailed to safety, screaming at each other and blowing apart any Nomus that got in their path.

He glanced up at Aizawa, who was gripping the metal hard, looking strained and desperately trying not to blink, from the force of holding All for One’s Quirks back. Like he couldn’t even move to attack or restrain the Quirkless man or he would lose the hold he had on him.

“Go.” He said, not sure if the man heard him or not.

He could take it from here.

XXXX

Izuku was feeling a lot of different emotions right at that moment, as they hurtled through the air. 

Mostly expressed through screaming. 

They were gripping each other as they sped towards Iida and Kirishima, Bakugo practically drenching him with spittle. 

“ I hate you!I” The blonde shrieked, face contorted in rage, as they took turns sending out jets of flame towards Nomus and correcting their path. 

“ I don’t hate you but I want to kill you right now!” Izuku screamed back. 

“ I’m so fucking angry you got yourself stabbed and then that bitch transformed into you!”

“I want to be worried but you’re such a BASTARD!” Izuku couldn’t tell if it was rage or relief bubbling out of both of them.

“ I don’t want you to fucking worry about me! Mind your own BUSINESS, SHITTY NERD!”

“I forgive you!” Izuku yelled back.

“ You have the worst fucking timing! Wait until we’re on the fucking GROUND, you IDIOT! ”

“ Bakugo! ” Kirishima shouted to them, and he held out a hand. “Come!”

And Izuku smiled to himself as he watched Bakugo move without hesitation, a sense of relief passing through the other boy as he reached for Kirishima’s outstretched hand without a second thought. 

He even smiled at the red-haired boy and Izuku hid his own at the way Kirishima gripped Bakugo’s hand tightly, a weight-lifting from his shoulders. 

XXXX

It felt like hours that Shouta held All for One, but it was mere seconds.

He felt like his eyes were bleeding, panting as he tried to hold his gaze, refusing to blink until his students were safely out of range of the man. All Might was rushing forward, in attempt to restrain the man before Shouta had to let go but then there was a Nomu coming from nowhere , leaping towards Shouta-,

He blinked, and he felt the tenuous hold he had on All for One snap , and the shockwave came immediately .

He felt his feet leave the structure and he was flying back-,

And then there was a gruff voice in his ear, a hand at the back of his uniform, and he was safely tucked away behind some rubble, peering up at the hero who had a grip on him. 

Well, down , really.

“You did well, kid.” The diminutive man informed him, like Shouta was one of the students he himself taught. The grizzled man patted him on the knee. 

“Kid?” Shouta asked, incredulously. 

“You’re a fucking infant .” The man informed him. “Gran Torino. You’re Eraserhead.”

“Yes.” Shouta said, not sure how to feel about this turn of events. He reached up to his face, and his hand came away-,

Red. Slick with blood. 

Fuck .

His eyes were bleeding.

“You shouldn’t do that again.” Gran Torino said. “Your Quirk isn’t meant to take on something like that. You risk burning it out permanently.” 

“Yeah.” Shouta said. “That’s what I was afraid of.” His eyes hurt , and Shouta was certain if he tried to use his Quirk again today, he might go temporarily blind. It had happened once or twice before, when he was learning his limits for the first time. He had clearly expanded them, or else he never would have been able to take on something like that . “We theorized I would only have one shot anyways.” 

“You made the right choice.” The old man said. “You made it count.” 

“I’m going to kill them.” He said flatly. “I swear, those two are a bad influence.”

“Midoriya?” Gran Torino asked, and Shouta finally peered out over the rubble to see just how far they were from the fight. He could see the two figures facing off, even more buildings having been blown apart. 

“Yes, Midoriya.” Shouta said. “He interned with you.” Gran Torino thwacked him on the head.

“I’m not so old I would forget that!” He snapped. “Besides, I don’t think anyone could forget Midoriya.” He added. 

“No.” Shouta said. “I suppose not.” He went to stand up and the god-awful migraine that shot behind his eyes made him instantly nauseous. He stopped, and closed his eyes for a moment, breathing. 

“He’s good.” Gran Torino added, before he even laughed . “He’s much tougher than he looks. The balls on that kid. He kicked that motherfucker into the ground .” Shouta sighed. 

“I suppose I never did rescind my authorization for him to use his Quirk defensively.” He said. “Or at least, that’s what Midoriya should tell the police in thirty minutes. He did kick a technically Quirkless man in the head.” He heard the sickening crack of the mask. 

“Oh, I don’t think the police are going to be questioning him for a while.” The old man said. 

“No?” Shouta said, and he opened his eyes to see the old pro looking back at the fight nervously. 

“This is his last fight.” Gran Torino said, anxiously. Despite the sudden shift in subject, Shouta knew exactly who the old pro was talking about.

“He’ll win.” Shouta said. He knew All Might’s power was waning and he knew just how powerful All for One was personally, but he knew the blonde man. He would win, if not for himself, for his student. Midoriya, who showed up uninvited, and reminded everyone what a hero was supposed to be like, again. 

“I know.” Gran Torino said. “It’s just a question of whether or not he lives through it.”

That...Shouta didn’t know how to counter. 

“Is he that close to the end?” Shouta asked. 

“All for One killed his mentor, y’know. My closest friend. I trained Toshi because he was practically orphaned after that. And after six years ago....” Gran Torino shook his head. “We’ve been afraid he’s been running on borrowed time ever since. I know he believes he is. He’ll win, because he doesn’t want this to be Midoriya’s burden. He made his peace with dying like this a long time ago.” 

“He loves that boy.” Shouta said. “I wouldn’t discount the influence Midoriya has on him.” 

“Maybe.” The old pro turned back to him. “Get out of here. Go find that little troublemaker and make sure he doesn’t try and do something stupid like help Toshi.” Shouta slowly got to his feet, trying to suppress the nausea that came from the fireworks of pain in his head. He could still give a hand with rescue efforts or wrangling the army of Nomu All for One had released into Kamino Ward.

“I can still help-,” A tiny fist rammed into his hip and Shouta nearly fell over. 

“I see where the kid learned it from.” He said, glaring up at Shouta and he almost felt guilty. 

“Were you like this during his internship?” Shouta muttered. 

“No, I kicked him into the floorboards fifty times a day. I’m being nice because you almost melted your frontal lobe doing something everyone agreed was impossible.” Shouta stumbled over the rubble, charting a path away from the conflict and back to the street where evacuation was taking place. 

“Hmm.” He hummed in response. 

When he glanced back, Gran Torino was already gone, back to the thick of it.

Chapter Text

As soon as Izuku got off the call with Todoroki and Momo and knew they were okay, he smiled at his friends. Kirishima grinned back, clapping him on the shoulder.

“Everyone is safe and accounted for!” Izuku said cheerfully, though he wasn’t sure he was selling it so well. He was glad they got out of All Might’s way, but he couldn’t help but feel drawn back to him, to go and help. He wasn’t sure what All for One was capable of and he knew better than most what kind of condition All Might was in. 

“We should try and-,” 

BOOM!

The ground shook and screams rippled through the crowd as they all crouched. Their eyes immediately went to the giant screens broadcasting the fight and Izuku’s hands trembled as he realized the magnitude of the hit that All Might had just taken. Head-on, instead of dodging. 

Because there was a building with people behind him. 

It was a reasonable concern, to worry about whether or not the heroes they all spent their childhood idolizing were actually everything the media said they were. After all, Izuku had met Todoroki and then Endeavor and it was obvious that he was the furthest thing from a hero. He was an abusive piece of shit. Others, seemed not quite their public personas, but they weren’t bad people by any means. 

Except All Might.

He was exactly as his public persona purported him to be, and more . Every inch the hero Izuku expected and beyond . He loved people and he would fight and die for them out of the strength of will alone. 

Which was exactly what Izuku was afraid of when the smoke cleared and All Might’s weakened form was exposed. 

People shrieked, expressing their concerns at the bloodied, scarecrow-like form of the emaciated man. His classmates were grabbing their hair, drawing the connections between the man seen in Izuku’s hospital room and around the school. Tears sprang to Izuku’s eyes and he turned around slowly to face them. Kirishima grabbed him by the shoulders, eyes filled with concern and confusion. Behind him, Izuku could see something dawning on Bakugo. 

“Midoriya!” Kirishima said. “You...you knew? He’s...been like this for-,”

Izuku burst into tears and Kirishima released him, startled. 

“His last fight with All for One.” He choked out. “It injured him. Badly. He came to UA, to find a successor, to try and pass on-,” He wasn’t planning on saying One for All , he was planning to say his knowledge and experience as a hero, but Bakugo’s eyes widened suddenly. 

The fight continued, All for One clearly saying something to All Might that couldn’t be caught on audio. It affected the man, from the way his eyes widened, his jaw clenched, shoulders dropping. It wasn’t just the brutal, relentless attacks he was faced with, Izuku realized. The faceless man was doing his best to break him.

Izuku didn’t need to wait another second. 

He took off through the crowd, charting a path back to Kamino Ward mentally as he ran, shoving people aside. 

“ DEKU! ” He heard the scream, and footsteps indicated that Bakugo was hot on his tail. He ran, ignoring the pain shooting through his body, through the bones that had creaked and strained under the use of One for All at 10%. He zigzagged down to an alley, getting closer to Kamino Ward. His heart was pounding and the only thing he could think of was that he needed to help All Might . He had to save him. In the background, he could hear people screaming for All Might to win, cheering for him despite his weakened form. They were trying to let him know that they still believed in him; that no matter his weakened state, he was still their number one hero.

Izuku didn’t know if it was going to be enough. 

He was about to push a little of One for All into his limbs, to get there faster , the booms and shockwaves from the battle getting closer and more intense-,

“ GAH! ” He shouted as he tumbled into the dirt, a weight colliding with his back and smushing his face into the ground. It lifted off of him and Izuku quickly rolled onto his back, trying to sit up slowly. He rubbed his face where it had scraped against the ground. He realized he could still see one of the massive screens against a building at the end of the alley, broadcasting the beating that All Might was taking.

Bakugo was in front of him, on the ground as well from tackling him. His red eyes were narrowed, face contorted in rage.

“Kacchan, I-,” Izuku tried to say.

“Shut up! ” Bakugo’s fists were clenched. “Are you a fucking idiot? You’re going to get yourself fucking killed! You might as well throw yourself off that fucking building if you really fucking think you’re going back there! ”

“He needs help! ” Izuku shouted back tearfully, and Bakugo surged forward, grabbing him by the shirt. Red eyes searched his face. 

“ Leave it to the fucking gazillion pros running around! ” He shouted in Izuku’s face. “You’re beaten to shit , I know you strained yourself coming after me, and more importantly, you’re not fucking ready for this shit yet! ”

“This is my fault! ” Izuku screeched back, hands coming up to try and free himself from Bakugo’s grasp. 

“ Why the fuck would it be your fault?! ”

“Because I’m the reason you got kidnapped! It’s the only reason All Might is here in the first place! If I had been more careful-,” Izuku felt tears streaming down his face and he shook his head. “And...he can’t take him on like this. Not anymore . Because of me .” 

Bakugo released him abruptly. 

“You said your Quirk was given to you.” His voice was quiet, in comparison to the screaming and shouting of seconds prior. Izuku knew instantly that the other boy knew exactly where this conversation was going. 

“He... doesn’t have it anymore .” Izuku sobbed, hunching in on himself. He was beginning to feel the pain and fatigue, now that he had stopped moving. It was creeping through him slowly, and Izuku wasn’t sure how he had been moving so much before without falling over. “He gave it to me. What he has left... it’s not enough . And it’ll be gone soon.” He covered his face with his hands, not caring how dirty they were. “I have to give it back.” He choked. “I have to , somehow .” 

He wasn’t stupid; with every fight since the beginning of the year, All Might had lost a little more time. And none of those fights had been as extreme as this one. Izuku feared what he knew to be true; that he was watching One for All fade away from All Might, in real time. And even worse, that it might be gone before this was over.

If that happened, it would be an emaciated, weak, Quirkless man against a walking nightmare . 

He had to find a way to help.

Hands abruptly grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently.

“He gave it to you , you fucking IDIOT! ” Bakugo screamed in his face. “He fucking knew what would happen when he did!”

“But-,”

“You can’t fight every fucking battle in the world!” His friend shook him again when Izuku tried to open his mouth to protest. “He’s a grown fucking hero. He can fight this one on his own.”

“But what if he dies ?” Izuku squeaked, and Bakugo dragged a hand down his face. 

“Do you remember the mock battle in the beginning of the year when you blew a fucking hole through the building?” He demanded and Izuku nodded tentatively, tears still streaming down his face. He didn’t know where Bakugo was going with this. “But in the middle of it, he should have fucking stopped it. We all know it. I was taking it too far. But he let it continue anyways, because it was your fucking fight and he knew it was important to you. So he let you fight anyways, even when it seemed like everything was fucking hopeless and you were outmatched.” 

“I-i r-remember.” Izuku said. 

“This is his fight.” Bakugo said shortly, and for a moment, his eyes looked watery. 

“But that was school , this is real -,”

“I don’t want you to fucking die! ” Bakugo burst out, and Izuku studied his face. He could see now how his childhood friend’s eyes were rimmed with red. Izuku’s hands trembled. “I want you to survive this! And if you go, you won’t survive! ” 

Izuku bent his head, his hands in his lap. He hadn’t-, he didn’t think of how his actions affected the people around him. That if something bad happened to him, his friends and family would be upset. If Bakugo wasn’t so visibly upset, he was sure he would tell him no shit, you fucking idiot.

A sound like a sob , ripped itself from Bakugo’s throat and he scrubbed at his face, tears falling openly. Izuku was at a loss for words; he wanted to reach out and offer comfort, but he was certain the other boy didn’t want it. 

“He told me you died .” Bakugo choked out. “That Toga killed you, and it was all for nothing.” 

“Kacchan, I-,”

“Shut the fuck up! I’m not done talking!” He snapped, voice ragged. “We just got... okay , for the first time in a long time. And you want to just fucking throw your life away and abandon me!” 

Timidly, Izuku reached out to touch his friend’s knee. If he hadn’t already been crying, he was sure he would have started now. He tried to wipe some of them away, but just smeared dirt on his face. 

“I-I’m not trying to throw my life away.” Bakugo didn’t pull away from his touch, so Izuku took it as a cue and scooted forward. He reached out and slowly, as if the blonde was a wild animal that might snap at any moment, pulled him against his shoulder. He felt the other boy’s head come to rest against him, and he set his own against Bakugo’s shoulder. 

“ Don’t leave me. ” The words were muffled, but it was enough.

Hot tears started dripping down onto Bakugo’s shirt, and Izuku reached up to grasp it tightly. There was another BOOM behind them and Izuku heard the crowd begging for All Might to win and Izuku twisted the blonde’s shirt nervously. He closed his eyes.

Please, he begged, to the unknown faces he had seen, the ones that All Might had told him were previous wielders of One for All. That they were passed down to him. 

And he had counted eight , All Might already among them. 

Please, I know you’re there. 

He was pleading .

You have to help him. He has to live. I don’t know how to help him.

His head hurt, whether from the crying or the exhaustion or the injuries, he didn’t know.

I’ll do anything. I don’t care what it takes.

The pressure in his head increased sharply, and Izuku jerked, letting out a noise of pain. 

“Deku?” Bakugo’s voice cut through the haze and Izuku realized how blurry his vision was getting. “What the fuck? You’re fucking glowing! ” Izuku leaned back, and they both looked down at his hands, Izuku’s vision getting darker. But despite that, he could see the light under his skin, starbursts of brightness moving around slowly, like a constellation trapped within his body. 

It burned.

He gasped, as pain shot through his head again and his vision went completely black. He jerked away from Bakugo, collapsing forward into the ground and he vaguely heard the boy screaming what did you fucking do , but it was difficult to hear. 

Are you sure about this?

It wasn’t Izuku this time, pleading. It was a different voice in his head.

Yes.

And then there was someone...standing in front of him. A figure against the blackness, and Izuku lifted his head, gasping.

She bent down in front of him, cape fluttering in a non-existent wind. She had dark hair and dark eyes, but when she smiled at him softly, it brightened her face. It looked familiar, to Izuku and he thought he knew exactly who this was. 

“Hey, squirt.” Nana said and reached out to ruffle his hair. Izuku stared with wonder, his head pounding. He knew she wasn’t really there, but he still felt her hand in his hair nonetheless. “This is gonna hurt, y’know. The connection isn’t really supposed to work in this direction.” 

“It has to.” Izuku choked out. “It has to, today.” She considered him carefully, taking in his small, bruised form, wide green eyes, and dirty face.

“I know I’m just an echo...” she said softly. “But I think I would have liked you.” 

Tears were still falling from Izuku’s eyes. 

“Thank you.” she said. “ For letting me see Toshi again.” 

“Thank you .” he said. “You heard me.”

“We’re always here. You just have to ask for help. I know how hard that is for you.” She teased and Izuku trembled, trying to process everything she was saying with the pain in his head. “What message do you want me to bring to him?”

When he told her, she let out a deep laugh , shaking her head. 

“You really are something, squirt.”

XXXX

They were all trying to help him.

Edgeshot, Endeavor. Kamui Woods. Tiger. Digging people out of rubble, fighting the Nomus, trying to distract All for One. To give Toshinori even an inch .

He was taking it. 

Even though he sacrificed his right arm, the limp, broken limb flinging out as he came back with his left, he wasn’t done yet. 

He would take that inch and he would get a mile, he would have to-,

“Took a page out of your kid’s book, didn’t you?” His head snapped to the side abruptly and he felt his lip tremble at what he saw. He had been imagining her this entire time, recalling her words, her voice, her image, but this wasn’t any of that .

This was her.

Standing there, at his side. Smiling just like he remembered. She was surrounded by an almost ethereal glow and for a split second Toshinori wondered if he had already died .

“He sent me.” She said. “He’s an amazing kid, Toshi. ” She offered her hand to him, slowly, and even though it couldn’t actually be her, it couldn’t really be Nana here, he knew it was just an echo that remained with One for All, one apparently sent to him from his kind , loving , bull-headed boy-,

Her hand felt so real in his. 

“I have a message from him.” She said, and he could see she was crying. “You are not alone. ”

And when she grasped his hand, he felt One for All flowing back from his left hand to his right, but it was even better this time, more than before. Closer to what he felt in his prime. As if Nana, no, Midoriya , had offered him a little piece of it back. He didn’t know if he had, didn’t know if that was possible. 

But seeing the face of his mentor, holding his hand, and telling him that despite losing One for All, despite facing the villain who had killed holder after holder before him that he was not alone , that they stood with him, even if he could no longer see them-,

He felt like he had the moment he first touched One for All.

Why had he ever doubted that he could do this?

He took a deep breath, ripped his eyes away from Nana, knowing deep down that this was the last time he would be seeing her for a long time. Once, he had thought he would be seeing her shortly after facing All for One again.

But he would live . He would live because he was going to raise that boy and hold him tight and teach him all the things Nana had never been able to. 

Even if he was pretty bad at it. 

He felt her hands at his shoulders as he released his final attack on All for One, a force of energy, the last burning ember of his power, exploding behind his eyes like a supernova.

XXXX

“ Where. Is. Midoriya? ” Shouta demanded, staring down at the frightened faces of Kirishima and Iida. They were glued together in the crowd. It had taken him a while to find them, but the moment he did and found the two problem children of his class missing, he feared that he was too late. That Gran Torino was right and the little troublemaker himself had thrown himself headfirst into trouble. 

“Sensei!” Iida choked out. Shouta had watched his face quickly warp from joy at All Might’s clearly regaining his strength, to fear as his teacher stalked towards him. Shouta realized that he must be quite a sight, face and hair streaked with blood from his eyes, disheveled and dirty. It would explain why all the civilians had been giving him such a wide berth. “Bakugo went after him!” He said. “And his exact words were-,”

“I ‘ won’t let that shitty nerd get himself killed’ ” Kirishima quoted. He looked worried as well, but less so than Iida. “Bakugo wouldn’t let anything happen to him, sensei.”

Almost as if on cue, Iida suddenly started pointing violently through the crowd and Shouta turned to see his two students. Thankfully, there, and not at Kamino Ward, though...

It looked as if Bakugo was carrying Midoriya and Shouta’s vision was bad, but the blonde boy looked visibly upset, Midoriya’s face tucked against his shoulder. His hands were gripping the green-haired boy tightly. 

“I don’t know what he did.” Bakugo said, once they were closer, meeting halfway. The boy’s voice was ragged, and now that Shouta could see his face clearly, it was obvious that Bakugo had been crying. “He did...something. To help All Might.” The blonde boy was eyeing him carefully, and Shouta stopped. They all looked towards the screen, watching All Might’s head snap to the side suddenly. As if he was seeing something no one else could. “That’s what Deku did. It was like...he saw something I couldn’t.” The boy’s voice was low, and with Kirishima and Iida behind Shouta, only he could hear the blonde clearly. He suspected that was intentional.

The green-haired boy shifted against him, and Shouta watched as Bakugo slowly bent his knees to help get Midoriya’s legs under him. His classmates assisted, Kirishima slipping one arm under Midoriya as they rotated the green-haired boy so he was supported between them. His head was still resting against Bakugo’s shoulder and Shouta’s heart almost stopped. 

Midoriya’s face was covered with blood. From his eyes, his nose. It had stopped actively bleeding, but the stains on his face were still there. Shouta ran his head through all the possibilities. Midoriya had theorized about using his enhancement Quirk to boost his brain’s ability, his mental capacity, but if this was the product of that, he still didn’t know how All Might factored into it. Every possibility seemed more ridiculous than the last and the only conclusion that Shouta came to was that he would be having a talk. With both All Might and Midoriya when this was over and they would tell him whatever secret connected them before he assigned both of them detention for the rest of their lives. 

Iida sputtered at the sight as well, going to clean Midoriya’s face up, but pausing as the boy awakened. His eyes were glued back to the screen, and as much as Shouta wanted to inspect the boy, he couldn’t help but watch the rest of what was happening. 

They watched together, as All Might landed the last blow he would ever deliver. 

The tension in the air was so thick they could have cut it with a knife as they waited for the smoke to clear, the blonde hair slowly coming into view. They were waiting , not to see if All Might had won. They already knew that their Number One Hero had made this last fight count. Of course he won, because he would never go out while leaving them in danger.

No, they were waiting to see if he lived . 

And when the man lifted his fist, retaking his muscled form, the crowd cheered. Shouta breathed a sigh of relief.

And Midoriya cried .

Of course he did; Shouta hadn’t expected anything less. But this was deeper than normal. He knew there was something he couldn’t possibly begin to understand, some emotions he couldn’t touch swirling around in the freckled boy’s head and Midoriya expressed it the only way he could. 

Bakugo didn’t even snap at him for crying, Shouta noticed. The boy’s grip just tightened on him. 

They watched as the rest of the heroes descended and helped clean up Kamino Ward, getting the villain into the iron maiden. A reporter was talking animatedly into the camera, All Might visible in the background. He had deflated, his suit baggy on him. He started to lift his arm, his mouth opening, his back visible. The camera jerked towards him suddenly, every reporter wanting to make sure the Symbol of Peace was heard.

He lifted his arm and pointed into the distance, away from Kamino, and towards, if Shouta got the directions correct, the evacuated group. Towards them . 

His voice was low, but serious. Filled with conviction. Heard around the world, in a moment that would surely become iconic. 

“ Next, it’s your turn. ” The crowd started to cheer, but Shouta knew better. It wasn’t directed at the crowd, at aspiring heroes, at villains yet unseen. It was directed at one specific person, the unlikely successor. Small, inexperienced, emotional. But heroic .

It was the end of the Symbol of Peace. He glanced towards his students and the others were cheering, but Midoriya’s lip trembled, slowly meeting Shouta’s eyes. The tears were back, welling up and threatening to spill over. 

Suddenly, the crowd was all shushing each other, as All Might lifted his head on the big screen, the image mimicked by all the screens around them. He turned to the camera, bony and pale with hair like a lion and he smiled. He looked so different, but there were yells of joy, because the smile on his face was exactly the same. 

“You are not alone. ” He promised them, before turning away. 

The dam broke and Shouta watched Midoriya cry silently, head bent as to not disturb his celebrating classmates. Bakugo clutched his side, like he had been struck when hearing the words and he looked towards Shouta, lifting his chin defiantly. Almost protectively . 

Shouta wondered what the hell he missed.

Chapter Text

Shinso:

midoriya

Midoriya

MIDORIYA

Your bus was attacked???

Is everything okay???

YOU’VE BEEN STABBED?

Does this only happen in 1a and i’ll be safe in 1b when i transfer into the hero course orrrrrrrr

I’m kidding

I would never reconsider

But I think you’re cursed

Midoriya

Please answer me.

I need to know if you’re alive.

YOU’RE IN FUCKING KAMINO WARD????

YOU LEFT YOUR LOCATION ON U IDIOT R U TRYING TO BE SNEAKY

BECAUSE YOU. ARE. B A D. AT. IT.

I KNOW YOU’RE OKAY IF YOU’RE PLAYING HERO

Sry will talk l8r

Getting kacchan

Don’t tell love u bye

I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS

XXXX

Izuku would be lying if he said he didn’t cry like a baby while All Might held him on the beach. It had been a rollercoaster over the past few minutes, from getting punched in the face, informed of All Might’s official retirement, even if he already knew it was coming, being reprimanded, to the tearful admittance that All Might was just glad he was all right. 

When they leaned back, Izuku wiping away tears, the blonde man sat down on the sand in front of him, offering him his hand. 

“I don’t know how you do it, young Midoriya.” He said. 

“Do what?” Izuku asked. 

“Anything you do.” All Might admitted, and Izuku could see his eyes glistening under the moonlight. “You sent Nana to me.”

“I begged for any of them.” Izuku said. “She’s the one who came.” The memory of the pain like an ice pick through his skull, the blood coming from his nose and eyes at the strain was certainly going to keep him from trying to reach the wrong way across a connection. His mentor let out a laugh, squeezing his hand. 

“Of course she did.” He said, kindly. “You somehow know exactly what to do and say.” Izuku blinked, the words processing slowly. He started waving his hands frantically. 

“I never know what to do or say!” He protested. “I put my foot in my mouth all the time!” He insisted. A hand interrupted him by smoothing back his hair. 

“Trust yourself, young Midoriya.” All Might said. “Your instincts seem to be on the money every time.” He paused. “I didn’t know you could reach across the connection like that.” The blonde man confessed and Izuku winced. 

“Uhh....” he said. “Nana said you’re not really supposed to do that.” He gingerly touched his nose, and All Might tilted his head curiously. 

“Did something happen?”

“It gave me a migraine.” Izuku offered, but All Might’s brow furrowed and Izuku could tell he didn’t believe that was it. “And maybe made my nose and eyes bleed.”

“ Midoriya. ”

“I had to help somehow!” Izuku cried. “And Kacchan tackled me when I tried to run off!”

“Thank God for that.” The blonde let out a sigh. “How are you and young Bakugo? Things seemed quite volatile during his rescue.” 

That was one word for the unrepentant screaming. 

Izuku scratched his head, trying to think of a way to encapsulate the relationship between him and Bakugo in words. It defied logic, most of the time. 

“We’re okay. I forgave him.” He admitted. 

“Forgave him for-?”

“Everything.” Izuku said. “And he-, well.” He paused. He didn’t know how he felt divulging things about his relationship with Bakugo, but it wasn’t like All Might was going to blab about it to anyone. “It feels sort of private, I guess. I think he would be embarrassed.” And enraged . 

“I wouldn’t tell anyone.” All Might promised. “If you wish to confide in me. However, I understand if you choose to keep this between the two of you.”
All Might was his mentor, Izuku decided. One of the most important people in his life. 

“He was scared for me.” Izuku said, quietly. “All for One tried to convince him to join them by telling him I was dead. That I didn’t survive. I think seeing me alive rattled him and when I tried to run off he-, he got upset with me.” He would admit he hadn’t been thinking clearly and probably deserved it. “He might kill me if he finds out I told anyone this, but he broke down and begged me not to go so I would live.” 

“Ah.” All Might said. “That’s complicated.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad that young Bakugo feels comfortable showing you that he cares about you.” All Might offered him. “I must admit I found myself unsure at points of his feelings towards you during your final exam.”

“Yeah.” Izuku said and he rubbed his hand along his hairline. “I guess it just means that all his issues with me kind of were more about him than me. Which was always true, I suppose, but I don’t think I ever believed I didn’t deserve it until recently.”

Abruptly, All Might moved. He shifted across the sand, until he was sitting next to Izuku, his shoulder pressed against his. He looped his, not good , but better arm around his shoulders and pulled Izuku to his bony side protectively. 

“You should talk to me more often.” He said softly. 

“I don’t want to burden you.” Izuku confessed, allowing himself to curl up into his mentor’s side. 

“You could never burden me, young Midoriya. You have done nothing but make my life better since the moment you came into it.” Izuku abruptly covered his face to try and stifle his sniffles, but he felt the booming laughter that emanated from All Might’s chest. “It’s okay. You can cry.” 

XXXX

Shouto was having a bad day. 

A bad week, really. 

School being out in the midst of the disaster that was Kamino Ward meant that he was trapped at home with the de facto number one hero who apparently couldn’t stand it. There was so much happening that the fact that Shigaraki had been broken out of prison by Kurogiri and a Nomu had barely been covered. It sent chills down his spine when he caught the coverage of it. 

He had hoped that his father’s anger would be self-contained, that the man wouldn’t want to train him or see him because he would be reminded so vividly that everything he did to his family was for absolutely nothing, ultimately. Endeavor had never expected to surpass All Might in his lifetime and it was killing him that he was now the number one hero not because he actually did surpass All Might. But because All Might gave his all in an epic battle that people would remember for generations, bowed out respectfully as a hero and handed number one to Endeavor. Not because he deserved it, but because All Might was done. 

Shouto was sad that the Symbol of Peace was coming to an end, but he realized it had been a much longer time coming when he first saw the scarecrow-like form of All Might. He had seen Yagi-sensei in the hallways of school, in Midoriya’s hospital room, and he knew that this wasn’t a fluke, a loss of power at the end. All Might had been on his way out for a while and he finally reached the point of no return. So while it was upsetting, seeing his favorite hero retire, he was somewhat comforted by the knowledge that All Might’s career hadn’t been abruptly ended the way everyone else seemed to think. Him taking Midoriya under his wing so obviously, despite the transparent attempts to hide it...All Might had been making preparations for the future. 

So Shouto allowed himself to feel vindicated . At the crushing turmoil of emotions his father was feeling. 

A last fuck you . 

He tried to stay out of his way though, because he didn’t know how the volatile man would react to seeing him. By this point, Endeavor certainly had seen that Shouto had been involved in Bakugo’s rescue. He was mostly successful, creeping around the house carefully. 

Until he ran straight into Endeavor in the hallway and it all boiled over. 

He dragged himself back to his room, after their little ‘training session’. His father hadn’t even tried to call it that. He had just started by spitting insults at Shouto except now Shouto had friends who supported him and loved him and he gave it right fucking back until it turned physical.

And then he paid the price for it.

It was stupid, he thought, as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He tried to clean the blood off his face and poked and prodded at the bruises and abrasions marring his body. He should have just walked away. It would have been better for him. But he knew he had a temper, a more fiery side of himself that had been drawn out recently and it was backfiring spectacularly on him. 

There was a knock on his door. 

“Shouto?” His sister’s voice was muffled by the wood. “Can I come in?”

“N-no.” He forced out. She didn’t need to see this. She would want to help and Shouto just wanted to be alone. “I’m just not feeling very well.” He said. It wasn’t a lie; he felt like shit.

A pause.

“Can I bring you anything?” Fuyumi obviously knew , but she wasn’t going to push, knowing he would only resist. 

“J-just come get me for dinner, if I’m not up.” He responded, trying to keep his hands from shaking. He didn’t know why his father was always capable of messing with his head like this. He would have learned by now, right? It shouldn’t affect him this deeply, after so many times. 

“Okay, Shouto.” She promised. “How about tomorrow you come with me to run errands?” She suggested. “If you’re feeling better.”

“O-okay.” He said. “That sounds nice.” 

XXXX

Shouto hissed in pain as the teenager bumped into him, pulling away. He glanced over to Fuyumi, who had jolted, and was already reaching over to try and soothe him. Her hand ran over his chest, cold, even through the shirt he was wearing. He had managed to cover most of the bruises, but there were a few by his collarbone and one mottling his unscarred eye that were visible. 

“Sorry-,” The person apologized without looking over, before the familiar shock of purple hair rotated around. “Oh, wait, Todoroki! Uh, hey?” 

Shinso’s eyes ran up and down him quickly, darting to his injuries and Shouto tried not to feel like he was being dissected and examined. The boy’s eyes narrowed. Shouto just nodded back stiffly. 

“Uh, hello.” He said. 

“You okay?” Shinso asked outright. “Midoriya said you were in Kamino with him.”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Shouto said quickly. “Thank you for asking.” He didn’t know how to feel about the fact that Midoriya had told this lavender-haired boy everything. He had texted with Midoriya since, mostly the green-haired boy wanting to know if everything was okay with him at home. He had lied and said yes, but the repeated texts and offers to stay at his house indicated that Midoriya didn’t believe him. But Shouto knew how much his classmate probably had on his plate right now and he didn’t want to burden him, so he kept his responses limited. Admitting that Endeavor was angry and that he was trying to stay out of his way, but omitting what happened when he didn’t.

Once again, Shouto found himself envious of their easy closeness.

He had been hoping that Shinso would leave it at that, but the lavender-haired boy didn’t seem to believe his claims at all. 

“Hey, do you wanna get lunch?” The boy suggested, eyes unreadable. It felt like less of a friendly suggestion and more of a...serious proposal, if Shouto had to label it. “We can catch up.” The boy said, like they had ever caught up before. Shouto narrowed his eyes, knowing outright that he didn’t know what the boy was getting at it. But when he opened his mouth to politely refuse and say he had plans with his sister, Fuyumi beat him to it. 

She clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. He could tell she knew he would have refused, but she seemed enthused by the prospect of Shouto having lunch with a... friend? Acquaintance from school?

“You should!” She said. “I’ll just go run a few more errands! We can meet up in a little while.”

“Fuyumi, I don’t want to leave you alone-,” Shouto tried to protest, furrowing his brow, but he had a creeping feeling that his resistance was futile. She waved her hand at him.

“I insist! ” 

Which is how he ended up tucked into a booth in the corner of a cafe. Shinso had led him to the back, far away from anyone else deliberately and Shouto couldn’t help but find himself curious about what the lavender-haired boy had in mind. There was clearly something . Shouto had been avoiding tugging nervously at his shirt or jacket, knowing that trying to hide the marks would only call more attention. But under Shinso’s piercing gaze, he found his hand drifting in an attempt to hide them, before he forced it down. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Shouto asked flatly when they took a seat and Shinso let out a breath. 

“You really just cut right to it, huh?”

“I have nothing against you.” Shouto said. “But we are not close friends.” The lavender-haired boy shrugged, having no illusions about their relationship. 

“Your dad do that to you?” Shinso said, flicking his eyes to Shouto’s collarbone and jerking his head. He stiffened, in response. “Midoriya didn’t tell me anything, I’m just not stupid. I don’t know much, but I know who you live with and those are burns.” 

“Training accident.” Shouto said stiffly. “It happens.” The teen across from him snorted in response. 

“No, it fucking doesn’t.” He narrowed his eyes. “I would know.” 

Wait.

“Not like you.” Shinso drawled before Shouto finished processing. “But let me just say I have an eye for the things parents do to their children, now. You’re so fucking skittish I could clap my hands together and you would bolt.” He just glared back at the lavender-haired teen.

“So you think you know something.” Shouto said, but he knew that Shinso did . He had seen him like this before, purely on accident and the teen didn’t seem to believe him then either. He was perceptive enough to connect the dots.

“Okay, listen.” Shinso said, leaning in. “I don’t know you that well, but Midoriya cares a lot about you and I know you’re like...a really good fucking person. Better than I would be. Which is the reason I’m about to tell you this. And I don’t care if you say yes or no or if you tell me to fuck off but that’s it. It doesn’t go any further. Got it?” 

Shouto was so confused. He must be missing something, right? 

“I have literally no idea where you are going with this.” He said. The teen across from him clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Doesn’t matter. Just listen.” He said, before carding a hand through his hair. 

“Okay.” 

“Midoriya and I...conducted a little experiment. You’ve seen his notebook, you know he writes about everyone’s Quirk, right?” Shouto nodded, leaning in curiously. “Well, he wanted to test the limits of my Quirk. There’s some arbitrary ones. I can’t take control of higher functions; if I want them to write or draw something, I have to give exact instructions. I can’t force people to think the thoughts I want them to.” Shouto had bore witness to plenty of their odd experiments. Swapping shoes, drawing on boards, cartwheels in the lunchroom that sparked Ashido’s participation. She was good at them, if he remembered correctly. 

“Okay?” Shouto said. “I still don’t know where this is going.”

“I can’t force people to think the thoughts I want them to, but I can suggest them.”

Shouto froze , and his heartbeat quickened inadvertently. 

“Do you understand why what I’m telling you can’t go any further?” Shinso demanded, voice low. 

“Yes.” Shouto croaked. 

Holy shit . 

What did he mean, exactly? Suggesting thoughts? How far did it go? Had he done it to anyone-,

“Before you freak out,” Shinso said, eyeing him. “Let me tell you how it works.” he managed to nod back. “While I’m brainwashing someone, Midoriya and I discovered that it puts you in a highly suggestible state. I can plant a seed. We tested it with..broccoli.”

“Broccoli?” Shouto asked, furrowing his brow. He vaguely remembered a day in the lunchroom where Midoriya had an odd reaction to the vegetable and then the two of them practically went tumbling out of the room. 

“Broccoli.” Shinso confirmed. “He didn’t like it. We wanted to see if I could suggest an idea; I didn’t make him like broccoli. I suggested he might actually like it, that it could taste good. The thought stuck with him. He tried broccoli a few more times and he acquired a taste for it, without really intending to. We thought it would be a safe test.”

“Okay.” Shouto said, less to contribute to the conversation, but more to indicate to Shinso that he wasn’t about to flip his shit and attack him for the implications of what he was suggesting. Brainwashing already seemed like a dangerous Quirk and the idea of planting thoughts into someone’s head was...on an entirely different level. 

“The mind is a funny thing.” Shinso said, glumly putting his chin in his hand. He didn’t look too happy about this revelation, which Shouto supposed was a good thing. Not that he could be entirely sure since he knew firsthand how some heroes hid their vile, private lives, but he wasn’t getting villainous intentions from the lavender-haired teen. “It can take a suggestion and run with it, make it its own thought entirely. Midoriya knew I was doing it, but we think it would be even more powerful if the target didn’t. A suggestion could affect an enormous amount of change.” He flicked his eyes to Shouto. “To clarify, I never intended to use this. It is unethical and frankly can’t be used in hero work anyways. The thought comes to fruition weeks later and I don’t think anyone should know about this because I doubt mental rehabilitation would be the first thing on some people’s minds.” 

Shouto understood what he was getting at. It was inherently too invasive and powerful to be entrusted to any organization. Too many people would want to take advantage of that. This power should stay between Shinso and Midoriya and... him , now, he guessed. It would be to Shinso’s benefit to make him forget he ever told him this.

“Why are you telling me this?” He asked. 

“Because I think he might end up killing you.” Shinso said, gesturing towards Shouto’s injuries. 

“These aren’t lethal.” Shouto said numbly, and the boy rolled his eyes at him. 

“I’m fully aware that you’re at the fucking mercy of this guy. And that it’s going to be even worse now that he’s number one. Maybe something could happen. Maybe he’s untouchable. I don’t know. But law enforcement isn’t going to prosecute him for a long time, not with All Might retiring like, two days ago.” Shinso explained. His eyes were deep and serious, voice unwavering. “I’m telling you that if you want me to, I’ll stop... this. I'll use it because you deserve to live.” He didn’t look away from Shouto as he spoke, as if he was trying to impress his intent upon him. 

Shouto’s breath caught in his throat. 

Oh .

He felt his eyes water and he abruptly blinked it away. He hadn’t been expecting this volatile mixture of emotions to swell up inside of him the moment he...he was truly offered a way out. A way out that would keep him, his siblings, and his mother safe. He didn’t speak, because if he did, his voice would have sounded ragged. 

He would have broken down right there.

Instead, he looked at the table. 

Shinso was offering to fix everything. To help him. To use this unimaginable power for his benefit against ethics, laws, just so Shouto wouldn’t have to live like this anymore. 

He was so overwhelmed.

He gripped the edge of the table, trying to keep himself from crying, to think through this. 

“W-what w-would you do?” He stammered out. “Specifically.” Shinso sighed.

“Probably implant the idea of guilt over what he’s doing. Hopefully, it becomes so all-consuming that he never touches you again. That he lets you and your family go without trying to hurt you. I don’t think the guy is a sociopath, just a violent asshole, so it should work.” Shinso scratched his jaw. “Though you would know best.” He added.

“C-can it change someone’s...innate nature?” Shouto asked tentatively. The teen shrugged.

“I don’t know. Do people really have an innate, normally unchangeable nature? Or are we the sum of our experiences and are in a constant state of change and development?” Shouto sunk his head into his hands, elbows against the table, letting out a groan. “Psychology gives us explanations and theories, but the mind is an uncertain thing and that’s probably the only thing we know for certain.” 

Shouto sunk until his head was on the table. 

“Yeah.” Shinso said. “That’s pretty much how we reacted. Midoriya tried to be positive but I thought I was going to throw up.” 

There were so many questions to this; it would be an easy fix, but it seemed almost too easy. Too frightening. Shouto knew that getting Shinso a private meeting with his father wouldn’t be that hard; he could introduce him at his office, as if he was trying to get a friend from school an internship. All it would take was one word.

Was it unethical? Immoral? To alter someone’s mind like this? Was it acceptable because of the things that Endeavor did to hurt him and his family? All the things he did to Shouto’s mother?

“Does Midoriya know about this?” Shouto asked quietly.

“No.” Shinso said. “And I’m not going to tell him. Not because I don’t trust him but because this stays as quiet as possible.”

Would Midoriya approve? It was hard to know. The surface answer was no , but Shouto knew that the green-haired boy had been through abuse of his own. The answer was unpredictable.

“I don’t think he would disapprove, necessarily.” Shinso offered. Shouto’s face must have displayed more of his thought process than he expected. “If you gave the word a week ago, he would have asked All Might to beat up your father.” Shouto blew out a breath that was almost a laugh at the thought. “Yagi-sensei would probably still try.” The lavender-haired teen remarked. 

“I can only imagine the media coverage of that event.”

“The boniest man alive kicks Endeavor’s ass.” Shinso said and Shouto did laugh. He rubbed his hands over his face. 

“Can I think about it?”

“No, I dropped a moral and ethical bomb on you and you have to decide if you want your father whammied now .” Shinso said sarcastically. 

Shouto was beginning to understand why Midoriya liked Shinso, he thought. 

“We should actually get something to eat.” The teen said. “You look like you’re about to keel over.”

XXXX

“Izu-kun!” His mother called his name down the hall. He poked his head out of his room. “The press conference with your teacher is on!” she said and he quickly darted back in, grabbed his phone off his bed, and rushed to the couch where his mother was waiting. She turned up the volume when he took a seat.

It was Aizawa but.... not? His hair was pulled back from his face, exposing the scar on his cheek. He was wearing an actual suit, a far cry from his usual baggy hero clothes. 

“Holy shit.” He whispered and his phone went off. 

Alien Queen:

Guys is Aizawa hot or is it just me?

Pikachu:
No, he’s definitely hot

Ingenium2:

Discussing our teacher in such a manner is inappropriate!!!!

However, I will agree that he does appear quite composed.

His suit is very crisp, I admit.

Pikachu:

Bro I have no idea what that means

U can just say the man looks suave as fuck

Small Might:

I almost didn’t recognize him????

Red Riot:

Lmao he’s about to rip us apart on national tv

Rip the Bakugo Rescue Squad

It was an honor to serve

Space Girl:

Is it really a surprise????

Small Might:

Not really

He reamed us out after already and he was really scary when he promised us there was more to come

After making sure they were all okay and getting Izuku back to the hospital to rest and make sure he hadn’t done any damage with his little stunt, their teacher had closed his eyes and taken a deep breath.

When he opened them, they had all shrank down, clutching each other. 

He didn’t yell , but it was worse . 

All in all, it was probably thirty minutes of him ripping into them, with almost as much ferocity as he had done to Vlad King after the bus attack. He had promised that they would be experiencing a severe punishment shortly, once Kamino Ward was cleared up and they were back in session. 

“For...how long?” Kirishima had squeaked and Aizawa towered over them ominously. 

“Until I decide you’re done .” He said darkly. 

The rest got to split after that and go home, with the promise that they would speak to the police the next day. For Izuku though, Recovery Girl had shown up in his room and berated him for another half hour for doing what he did with One for All. The entire time, he hadn’t been sure whether or not he had seriously hurt himself. After thirty minutes of yelling and suspense, she had revealed that he was fine and that he just needed rest; the pain itself had been the price of what he did, though she said he was lucky you didn’t melt your brain!

So frankly, Izuku didn’t know what exactly Aizawa was going to say. They weren’t being expelled, or at least he didn’t think so. 

And while the press certainly wanted to come for the heads of the panel up there, Kan, Nedzu, and Aizawa, the fact that Bakugo had been retrieved and that Aizawa himself had become an infamous image of the battle at Kamino Ward meant that he was afforded a little leniency. At least, personally. Aizawa had hero status, from holding back All for One. The helicopter hadn’t exactly been there yet thankfully, not for the daring escape that Izuku had masterminded, but plenty of witnesses saw and one had snapped a picture of Eraserhead in action. 

He had checked online and already the image had become iconic, of a single man holding back a literal monstrosity. 

“ Eraserhead! What do you have to say about the attack on the buses?” One reporter demanded. Aizawa turned slowly; it wasn’t his blank, long-suffering stare that he nailed his students with daily. It was surprisingly attentive. 

“ That the attack was the work of the League of Villains.” He said shortly. “ We have one of the members in custody currently. There were three casualties in the attack; two students, Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki, as you already know, and Pro Hero Pixie-Bob of the Wild Wild Pussycats.” Aizawa informed them. His tone was polite, but he was limiting the information. “ All are expected to make a full recovery from any injuries sustained.”

“You authorized the students to use their Quirks, despite knowing that it was a potentially dangerous situation, directly involving them. What do you have to say about that?” 

“Oh, he seems upset by that question.” His mother whispered, pointing to where Aizawa’s brow had furrowed slightly. His face hadn’t changed distinctly, but Izuku could tell. Before the man could say anything, Kan raised his hand. 

“ Allow me to answer that.” He offered, before leaning into the microphone. “ The students, at the time, were quite literally surrounded by villains whose powers we didn’t know the extent of. It quickly became clear to us that the only objective of the League of Villains was to cause injury or loss of life. There were six pro heroes and 40 minors at risk. The students were already directly involved; whether or not they used their Quirks didn’t change that. However, my colleague made the choice to allow them to defend themselves against certain injury or death, and it is because of that choice that we are looking at only three casualties instead of far more. ” Kan said, before leaning back, slowly. 

“ You chose not to hold a press conference after the kidnapping of Bakugo Katsuki and the attack on your students. What do you have to say about withholding information from the public on the matter?”

“The relevant parties were informed.” Aizawa stated shortly. “ All guardians received communications on the matter. The public is not privy to the private information of my students and will not be in the future either. The choice was made to retrieve Bakugo Katsuki as soon as possible through a coordinated effort with the police and several pro heroes, rather than hold a press conference. Ensuring the safety of a minor took priority over informing the press.” 

“ But what about after when several students went to Kamino Ward-,” One of the reporters started. He was abruptly silenced when Aizawa leaned in; even obviously out of his element, Aizawa carried a gravitas that was unmistakable. 

“ That matter is being dealt with by the school privately. Law enforcement has graciously allowed us to take point on this given the unusual circumstances. No harm was caused by the students with their Quirks to anyone besides All for One. The student that caused harm to All for One with his Quirk has been determined by law enforcement to have been acting in self-defense-, ”

Izuku blinked.