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“Dad, hurry up and take the picture!” Chiyoko giggled, still posing with her box next to the gate of the school.
Her father was practically laying half way in the street, his green hair a mess as he snapped the photo. “Alright! Got it, we can keep moving now!”
He got up, brushing off his pants and picking up the boxes he set down on the curb. Chiyoko smiled, turning to face the school. She hesitated before taking her first step onto the campus.
There was a click and a flash of light. She turned over her shoulder, looking unamused. Her father was standing, his boxes put down again and his phone back in his hands.
“Sorry…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Needed a candid for the scrapbook!”
She laughed, rolling her eyes and looking forward again. It was weird to think about how her father had one stood where she was, feeling just as nervous and excited. While they may not have been in the exact same position, the feelings they felt must have been similar. They had the same wonder in their eyes and the same quirk running through their bodies.
She took another step towards her future.
---
“We should split up and meet back here in thirty minutes.” Hiroki’s father was staring at the move-in itinerary. He looked down at the one in his hand as well, noting the detail. It shouldn’t surprise him that the head of the Iida household took the time to print these out. He even laminated them.
“Don’t you think this is a bit much?” He whispered to his twin sister.
Haya shrugged, observing her own schedule. “It’s best to just humor him.”
Hiroki hummed, watching Haya tap her foot against the floor. It annoyed him for some reason, like she didn’t have the time for any of this. He rolled his eyes, but no one noticed.
Their mother smiled, putting her hand on Haya’s shoulder. “Alright, I can take Haya up and help her unpack! It will give you and Hiroki time to talk.”
Hiroki and his father both tensed up at that. “Ah… right, of course. It’s only fitting.”
He wasn’t stupid. He knew that his relationship with his dad had been… tense recently. It was mostly his own fault, a mixture of his distance and his father’s lack of a spine.
But his mother had spoken. Not only that, but she and Haya were already headed towards the girls' dorms. There really wasn’t any room for argument.
“So maybe after I help you unpack, we can get something to eat.” His father smiled, carrying a stack of boxes up the stairs (who knows why he didn’t just take the elevator). “I’m sure your mother will want to do something special for Haya as well.”
“Uh… Thanks but I’d rather not.” Hiroki said awkwardly. “I’ll just unpack after you guys leave. I’ve only got a few days to get settled so I don’t wanna waste any time.”
His father’s face fell. “Ah… right. Diligent as always, I suppose. Good work, son.”
They stayed in silence for a little longer, not speaking as they put boxes down on the bare floor. There was a very weird energy to it all, Hiroki leaving the room just as his father entered like clockwork.
“I could give you a tour.” He offered, putting down another box.
Hiroki sighed, struggling to open up one of his boxes. “No, it’s ok. It’s all pretty self explanatory so I’m good.”
“Oh…” His father hesitated, trying to think of a new conversation topic. “Hey, did you know you’re one floor below where my room was?”
“Huh.” Hiroki narrowed his eyes, grabbing the box cutter off of the desk.
He tore the box open, greeted to several gold and pink throw pillows. Well that would explain why it was so light. He put the box cutter down and folded it shut again.
He stood with a sigh. “One of Haya’s boxes got mixed up with my stuff. I’m gonna go run it over.”
“Oh, do you want me to come with you?” His father put the stack of boxes down.
Hiroki shook his head. “No, it’s light. I’m capable.”
He left before his father could protest, enjoying the breath of fresh air. He didn’t go straight to the girls’ side of the dorm, choosing to take a breather on one of the couches instead. He watched the other students filing in through the door, their parents following behind them with totes, boxes, and duffle bags full to the brim.
“Are you sure you have it, Haru?” Hiroki turned his attention to the deep voice. The man it belonged to had the head of a bird and looked vaguely familiar. He was addressing a short boy with spiky green hair, his scrawny arms wrapped around a large box that didn’t look very easy to lift. Hiroki’s muscles tensed.
The green haired boy gave an impatient huff. “Yeah, I’m fine! You can let go of it now!”
Hiroki could tell from the way the boy was standing that he was definitely not ready. His legs were too close together and the way his back was arched was only going to hurt him. But the boy’s father couldn’t see that. He let go of the box and Hiroki jumped up the moment the man’s fingertips left the cardboard.
He felt the weight of the box lighten under his palm, becoming light enough that a small child could probably toss it around no problem. Haru, the boy with the green hair, had stumbled backwards. Hiroki wasn’t sure if he had fallen on his own or if he had accidentally pushed him on his way there.
The boy’s father let out a sigh of relief, opening his mouth (beak?) to thank him.
“It’ll only last for ten minutes.” Hiroki cut him off before he could say a word. “Make sure you don’t put it down too hard, the force will make it bounce.”
The man stood, mouth still open as he nodded. He must not have been expecting a child to talk to him like that, but didn’t reprimand him considering that he had just saved his son from getting crushed by whatever it was he had packed.
“Thanks!” Haru piped up behind him. Hiroki turned around, looking unimpressed. But the other boy’s smile didn’t falter.
He sighed, reaching out his hand to help him up. “It wasn’t a problem. Don’t read too much into it.”
“Still that quirk is-” He was cut off by a startled noise forcing its way out of his own throat as Hiroki accidentally lifted him high over his head with only one arm.
Hiroki stuttered, realizing he hadn’t turned his own quirk off. “Oh, uh… Sorry. It’ll wear off in a bit, but you’ll have to stay up there.”
Haru blinked his wide eyes at him before laughing. “Are you always this dry?”
Hiroki didn’t know if that was supposed to be an insult or not. “Uh, I don’t-”
Haru smiled down (literally straight down) at him. “I’m Haru. Haru Tokoyami.”
“Oh.” Hiroki said as Tokoyami tried to move his arm in a way that was meant to be a hand shake. At least now he had a proper name to call him. “I’m Iida. Hiroki Iida.”
“Iida... “ Tokoyami mused before suddenly looking queasy. “Uh… Do you mind holding me straight out? The blood is rushing to my head.”
Hiroki didn’t need to be told twice.
---
“Ochako?” A familiar man with green hair grabbed their attention in the hallway outside of Haya’s dorm. Haya had the last box in her hand, given to her by her brother just a few minutes earlier.
Her mother turned and smiled. “Deku! It’s so good to see you!”
She gave the other pro hero a hug, squeezing him tightly. Haya turned her attention to the girl with dark purple hair that was standing next to her honorary uncle.
“Hey, Chiyoko!” She greeted, calling the girl by her given name. Chiyoko smiled, putting her box and going in for a friendly hug as well.
“Glad to know we’re on the same floor!” Chiyoko smiled. She got up on her tiptoes. “Do you know where Hiyaka’s room is?”
Haya sighed, shaking her head. “She’s not on campus this semester. Her parents and all that, you know?”
“Oh, yeah…” Chiyoko looked disappointed, but nodded. “That does make sense.”
Haya smiled. She and Chiyoko weren’t super close, but seeing another familiar face made it feel like they were. “I saw Yuzuki Kaminari earlier.”
“Oh, really?” Chiyoko muttered. “I think I saw Arakan earlier too, but I wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to go up and ask just in case I was wrong. He’s in our class, but I’m not sure when his move in time is. I’ll probably see him at dinner though.”
“It’s kind of weird isn’t it?” Haya walked over to her door, kicking it open and giving a nod for Chiyoko to follow if she wanted. “Seeing all these people we already know mixed in with people we… well, don’t I guess?”
Chiyoko nodded, flipping a light on in the bare dorm room. “It’s only going to get worse in the actual class. I mean, with Joben Ashido, Hiyaka, and Koemi being added in. I think that makes it almost a fifty-fifty split between acquaintances and strangers.”
Hearing Koemi Togata’s name made Haya’s face split into a devilish smile. “Koemi’s in our class? How is that going, exactly?”
If she had asked the question two years earlier, Chiyoko would have blushed and stuttered like they do in all of the movies when crushes get mentioned. But today she just smiled softly. “Just as well as always. It’s funny, you’d think something would have gone wrong by now.”
“I mean some relationships just work I suppose.” Haya shrugged. “Good for you guys, though! Going on two years, right?”
“Yeah, two years this May.” Chiyoko laughed. “Not that I’m keeping count or anything.”
Both girls laughed, and it felt like no time had passed at all. That’s part of what Haya liked about talking with Chiyoko. They weren’t super close, but the conversation still felt easy and always seemed to pick up where they had left it. It was the kind of casual bond that Haya cherished.
“Well, I’ve got to finish unpacking.” Haya said, putting her box of pillows down on the bed. These conversations worked best if they were short and sweet, always keeping Chiyoko’s friendship at a comfortable but attainable distance. “But I’ll see you around!”
She smiled at her. “Sure thing, you’re gonna be at dinner right? You should sit with Arakan and I.”
“No, my mom’s taking me out. Thanks though, I’ll take you up on that offer sometime!” Haya said, dumping the pillows on her bed. She flashed Chiyoko a mischievous smile. “Tell your girlfriend I said hi!”
Chiyoko stuck her tongue out, closing the door behind her.
---
“Why couldn’t Mom come?” Michi asked, watching his father drag the last box into the room.
Natsuo Todoroki ran a hand through his hair. “Something came up, so she called me.”
He reached over, probably to ruffle his son’s hair, but Michi stepped out of the way. It was cold, yes, and maybe unnecessarily cruel. But he didn’t want to be touched right now.
His father seemed to understand, letting his hand drop at his side. “She says she’ll come visit sometime next week.”
“Is she bringing her fiance too?” Michi said, adding a little too much venom to his voice. His dad chose not to answer, meaning that it was probably a yes.
There was a moment of silence as Michi let his back hit the bare mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
“Well, I guess you probably want to get settled in.” His father deduced, breaking through the quiet.
Michi grunted in response, not having the energy to give a proper answer.
He heard the door creak open quietly, his father hesitating before leaving. “If you need anything, call me. Ok?”
Michi gave another grunt of affirmation, an answer that must have satisfied Natsuo. The door creaked to a close.
Michi didn’t know how long he laid there. He really shouldn’t have been shocked his mother couldn’t come. After all, she has more important things to do. A fiance to plan weddings with. A new house to keep. A new son to give her undivided attention to until he bores her as well-
He needed to stop. He told himself he wasn’t going to cry about that kind of stuff anymore. It’s not like we never saw her, he still went over to her house every other weekend. Even if it did make him feel like he was just looking in through some kind of invisible window. It’s not like she abandoned him. Her priorities just changed.
It’s not like his father was much better. He seemed to have recently developed an interest in parenthood, only about ten years after getting full custody. Better late than never though, or at least that’s how he seemed to see it.
Michi didn’t quite agree. The impromptu father-son bonding moments were more of a source of headaches than they were anything of value to him. He had gone almost a decade without them, developing a taste for the quiet anyway. As far as he was concerned, move-in day couldn’t have come fast enough.
Thirty minutes into his ceiling stare down, there was a knock on his door. At first he thought he had imagined it, pulling himself up to a sitting position and looking around at all of the boxes on his floor.
Another, more eager knock followed soon after. Michi raised an eyebrow, now knowing that he hadn’t imagined it. He walked over to the door, nearly tripping on the backpack he left laying in the middle of the floor.
There was a boy standing on the other side of the door, with curly red hair and a friendly grin.
“Hey!” He waved. “I’m Tomo Maki, I’m in the dorm next door!”
He gave a little bow. Michi nodded, giving a little half bow in response. “Nice to meet you, I’m Michi Todoroki.”
He stepped aside, allowing Maki to squeeze past him and enter the room. “Todoroki…” He mused out loud. “Are you related to Enji Todoroki? You know, Endeavor?”
Endeavor… The name sounded familiar, like he had heard it once or twice in passing but not enough to attach any meaning to it. “Uh, sorry. I don’t think so.”
“Huh… Never knew it was such a common last name.” Maki looked around the bare room. “Must be cool though, sharing a name with a famous person.”
“I guess…” Michi still didn’t know who this guy was. Maybe he was a talk show host or something? The name did sound really familiar… Oh well, that could be something for him to look up later. “So do you need something?”
Maki looked back at him, as if he had no idea what he was talking about. “Huh? Oh! Right! No, I was just going to go around the dorm and say hi to people. See if anyone wants to go down to the convenience store before curfew.”
Michi blinked. That was… all? He supposed he didn’t see a reason to go door to door in a building full of strangers and ask if anyone wanted to take the ten minute walk to the store for… what, exactly? Snacks, maybe? They did have a fully stocked kitchen downstairs, so it’s not like they really needed to go shopping right now.
“Uh… Why?” He asked, hoping he didn’t sound too rude.
Maki shrugged. “Dunno, it just seems like there are a lot of kids here who don’t know each other yet and I thought it might be fun.” He smiled. “No pressure though, I’ll be fine if you say no. But if you say yes then I’ll help you unpack when we get back.”
“... I’m the last person you went to, aren’t I?” Michi said. He wasn’t offended by any means, just making an observation.
Maki rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well… Yeah, kinda. I knocked earlier but I guess you weren’t in yet. And everyone else had plans with their parents, so it was a pretty solid no from them.”
Michi nodded, surprised at the honesty. He thought about saying no, but there was something in his gut telling him to take a chance. He wasn’t sure how much he trusted that intuition, but thought it might be worth a try. Hesitantly, he reached for his jacket. “I don’t know where the store is off the top of my head.” He admitted. “You’ll have to lead the way.”
Maki looked up at him, surprised. “Wait, you’re coming?”
“Yeah, sure.” Michi said. He didn’t quite know why he was coming. He wasn’t particularly social, but he supposed that could just be attested to never really getting invited places. Plus, Maki seemed… cool. Nice, even. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that the idea of going with him to a convenience store seemed… fun.
It felt normal. And something about feeling normal for twenty minutes really appealed to him right now.
Maki smiled, following Michi out the door. “I knew the unpacking thing would work!”
Michi let out a soft exhale of breath, something akin to a laugh as Maki fist bumped the air and waved enthusiastically at people passing by them in the hall. Only a few waved back, but being ignored by the rest didn’t seem to bother Maki. He was in his own little world. He was definitely strange. But it was a magnetic strange that pulled Michi in instead of pushing him away. Like opposite ends of a magnet.
He was starting to think that he might just learn like this place.