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Midoriya Izuku was a mama’s boy, from day one they had a bond that would keep him by her side. Being an only child also added to the bond. She was his rock and he was hers. They were there for each other when Izuku’s father left, and when Izuku’s friends started to pull away Inko was there with a distraction. Inko was a hard worker, though she could be scattered at times, missing that her son was being bullied, or forgetting dinner, or even forgetting to pull her hair up as she ran out the door. Izuku was a very energetic child causing his mom to chase him down more often than not, and as he grew older he started to notice her forgetfulness and decided to help.
Izuku would steal ponytail holders from his mother’s room to keep with him, and when he noticed her fiddling with her hair more than normal he would offer her the stolen elastic. Once Izuku reached middle school he found himself keeping at least one ponytail on him as a precaution whether he planned to be with his mom or not. Around his second year he discovered the brilliance that are scrunchies, they didn't dig into his wrist during the day like the elastics and he noticed his mom's hair looking more healthy after switching over. Sure the bullies would tease him for the ‘girly’ accessory but they weren't going to like him no matter what he did, so he did what he liked and started growing his collection little by little. He liked secretly coordinating the scrunchies with his shirt of the day, or even the special edition All Might pattern he managed to find online.
But the main reason Izuku carried on carrying them was how happy his mom would get when he’d offer her one. Many times when catching her cleaning he would sneak up behind her just to pull her hair back for her. This was how he supported her, and let her know how much he loves her. Inko Midoriya knows her son is a bit odd but she appreciates his kindness no matter how simple the gesture is.
Izuku kept up with his tradition even after getting into UA, he was prone to keeping a dark green scrunchie on his wrist because it matches the green of his uniform. No one ever pointed them out, so he never needed to explain why he had them. Bakugou, knowing his little habit, chose not to care and in turn never mentioned the ever rotating cast of colors.
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People only started to notice after moving into the dorms. Izuku tended to wear short sleeves around the commons, which put his wrists and arms out for everyone to see. Most didn't notice them being there though until he started using them. It was small things, he did them so quickly like they were muscle memory.
One night Momo decided to cook with her hair down after a shower, consequently as it dried it started to get in the way. Noticing this Izuku silently came up behind and pulled it up like it was nothing, a quick sweep of adept fingers through her hair and it was up.
“Thanks!” a busy Momo throws over her shoulder as footsteps walk away. She only realizes it wasn’t one of the girls behind her when she registers how heavy the retreating footsteps sound.
She’s even more confused later when she pulls an unfamiliar red scrunchie from her hair.
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Another time he spots Tsu and Jirou in the commons having a conversation about Jirou’s guitar. When she passes it to Tsu to inspect, he sees the start of hair falling into her eyes and jumps into action. He quietly pulls her hair half up and retreats to work on his journal.
“Thank you, kero” she says, still engulfed in her conversation and the impromptu lesson.
Izuku simply hums from his seat.
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The class finally witnesses one of these moments first hand during an in class spar between Izuku and Uraraka. As their fight picks up he notices Uraraka shaking her hair out of her face more and more. It had gotten quite a bit longer since they had moved into the dorms and like most of the class she hadn’t had time to get it cut.
“Pause” Midoriya says with his hands in a ‘t’.
“Problem Child, why-?” Aizawa is cut off.
“Turn around” He says quickly to Uraraka, “Your hair has gotten long, it's not a good fight if you can’t see”
Izuku quickly pulls her hair into a small bun securing it with the scrunchie on his wrist.
“Okay, lets go” he falls back into a fighting position, and they resume their fight.
The class watched stunned and slightly confused.
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After class Uraraka goes to Izuku to return his scrunchie. She is confused at its existence but thankful nonetheless.
“Why do you have that?” she asks.
“Oh, well my mom used to always forget a ponytail holder, and her hair is really long so it’s just a habit I picked up.” He replies scratching his neck.
“Are you the one that's been doing our hair!?” Momo asks from the exit of the girls locker room. “I’ve been wondering who’s scrunchie that was! I'll grab it when we get back to the dorms.”
“Yeah, sorry if it's weird. Like I said, it's kind of ingrained at this point.” Izuku grimaces remembering his slightly creepy antics.
“It's not a problem Midoriya, we appreciate it, kero.” Tsu says, popping up from behind Uraraka. “I'm glad I can finally return this.” She pulls a light blue scrunchie from her wrist.
Izuku chuckles, “Thanks, I was actually looking for this one.”
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The girls later bombard Izuku asking to see his collection to which he responds by proudly showing them his drawer full organized by color, style, and fabric. He admits that it started as a couple but he later found himself having too much fun pairing them with his outfits and the holidays and his love for them grew. At that point his count was up to about thirty with all the limited edition All Might prints he had found.
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From that day forward the girls (and guys) of 2-A know where to go for hair help. Izuku’s hobby comes in handy when Shouto comes back from break with hair a bit past his shoulders. He decided that he would make his teenage rebellion a bit more subtle.
Izuku took great joy in putting Shouto’s long hair into a high cheerleader ponytail. Though it was still pretty short, the All Might print gold scrunchie Izuku bought just for him never failed to make the class giggle.
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During the Shei Hasaiki raid the heroes were surprised to find Eri with a pink scrunchie in her hair as she was pulled from Izuku’s unconscious form. She clung to it during her recovery, and claimed it was the first gift shed ever received from a hero.
After being released and moved to UA she could be found with an alternating carousel of colors in her hair as she moved through the halls. Izuku was happy to run across her during random times of day. He made sure to keep extra colors on him so he could trade them with her.
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Izuku's habit grew into a way for him to connect with the girls of the class, and others, like he had his mother. He could use it to show them that he was there for them no matter what. Izuku was happy that they felt safe enough to bring him their secrets and their triumphs. Like he used to with his mother, anytime they needed anything he was there scrunchie on his wrist, arms open ready to support. He wanted to be a hero that made people feel safe, and maybe this could be another thing to make people feel a bit more cared for.