Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

An Introduction

The Sludge Villain was laughing, fires surrounding him and smoke pouring out of nearby buildings, leering at the heroes who stood by and stared with clenched teeth.

Now, usually, Izuku didn't get involved during villain attacks when Heroes were on scene. He stepped in sometimes when there were intense injuries, or if they looked overwhelmed, but not often. Sure, he wanted to help, but he wasn't on duty 24/7, it wasn't his place to step in for usual Villain attacks. So most of the time he just watched and catalogued everything he could as it panned out. Usually it went fine, the Heroes proving themselves perfectly capable, and he'd move along with his day. This time, however, there was a hostage, and the Heroes weren’t moving. This time, the barely visible blond child being held as that hostage by the Villain was his best friend. Katsuki was a pain in his ass and everything, but Izuku'd be damned before he let Katsuki get hurt while he stood by doing nothing.

Izuku glared at the scene and unslung his backpack from his shoulder. Placing it on the ground and rifling through it, he pulled out the item he promised his mother he'd only use in self defence. Well… technically it was self defence. She didn't want Katsuki to suffocate now did she? He also grabbed his main weapon for situations like these. Gripping both items, Izuku sprinted forward, past the police officers holding back the crowd, past the stunned and still heroes, and into the fire zone.

"Idiot! Stop!" Ah, Death Arms, it's sort of cute he thought he could stop Izuku.

The Sludge Villain turned, eyes coming into view with Katsuki's head seemingly in his mouth, and pulled back a massive hand for a slimey punch. Izuku narrowed his eyes and flicked his wrist, launching his throwing knife straight into the Villain's eye. The Villain cried out, head reeling back with pain and surprise, punch forgotten. It was a dumb mistake really, letting Izuku get close. Not that he was any less dangerous at long range; it was stupid to touch those Izuku valued at all.

Izuku reached the sludge body of the Villain, he flicked his taser to live, and pressed it into the sludge. Izuku ignored the warbled screaming, the sludge trying to pull away, the crowd and heroes yelling behind him, even the roaring fires surrounding him; for every move the sludge made backwards, Izuku advanced with his taser in the mass of green goo. Izuku grinned a little bit ferally when the Sludge Villain started shaking apart, wobbling screams and toppling goo falling off until he was nothing but a pool of green glob, eyes rolling on the ground uselessly. Katsuki, of course, was coughing his lungs out in the middle of said pool of Sludge, and Izuku grabbed his arm and hauled him back towards the crowd.

"Someone collect the Villain!" Izuku ordered loudly, Katsuki finally slumping in realisation. Izuku was in charge right now. "I have secured the hostage, but we need a way to contain the Villain! We need immediate medical attention for the victim, someone call an ambulance and a team of medics! Now!" Izuku had walked all the way to where the heroes were still frozen, and with one glare he had Katsuki sitting on the ground, arms folded with a pout.

"Hey, kid! What right do you have to order us around?" Izuku raised his eyebrow at the Hero.

"The Baseball Hero: Slugger." Izuku drawled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his card. "I am Midoriya Izuku, Healer identification number 177908, Ranking A." The Hero paled and took a step back. "I'm not finished." Izuku clicked his tongue as he flipped the card over to show the other side. "I am Midoriya Izuku, and I am a Police Investigator for the Musutafu Prefecture. I outrank you on two levels, and if you don't follow my orders I'll take it up with your Hero Manager."

"Do as the Healer says!" Death Arms yelled, he then eyed Izuku more seriously. "How old are you, Healer Midoriya?" Izuku hummed and started checking Katsuki over slowly.

"No burns from the taser, good job not removing the rubber inserts I added to your uniform… minor oxygen deprivation… no concussion…" Izuku nodded. "You'll need immediate chest X-rays to check for lingering Sludge in your lungs but otherwise you're just fine." Katsuki growled at him but said nothing.

"Healer, I'm talking to you." Izuku glared up at him, not moving from where he had crouched with a hand on Katsuki's shoulder.

"And I am with a patient at the moment. You've seen my credentials, so my age is irrelevant." He narrowed his eyes at the hero. "Speak to me in such a way again and I'll add to my report that you impeded my medical examinations."

"U-Understood, sir." Izuku rolled his eyes and started tapping on his phone, calling the precinct.

"Hello, Musutafu Police Department."

"Hi, this is Investigator Midoriya. I need 10 officers at xxx street crossing xxx. We're in need of a clean up crew for a villain made up of an unknown slimy substance. Gloves recommended, hazmat suits are unnecessary."

"Understood, Midoriya. We'll have them sent over right away. ETA approximately 10 minutes to your location." She hung up and Izuku sighed.

Izuku stood, pocketing his phone, and cupped his hands over his mouth to yell loudly, "Kamui Woods! Healer on scene! I need every person you pulled from the fires brought to me for immediate medical screening!"

"Right away!" Kamui Woods yelled back. Izuku turned back to the other two Heroes, just in time for an ambulance to show up. Although… the press had also finally stopped filming subtly from the back, and were approaching. Medics spilled out as Backdraft seemed to be finally getting the fires under control.

"Thanks for coming." Izuku said to the medics, "Here, this group likely has smoke inhalation and should be checked for minor injuries." Izuku pointed to the growing number of people being brought down by Kamui Woods. "They weren't involved in the main fight." Several nodded, over half heading over and speaking gently to the group. "This here is the main victim, he'll need to be transported to the hospital for X-rays of the lungs. His name is Bakugo Katsuki. He was being suffocated and I wouldn't be surprised if he has Sludge in there. Don't worry about rushing or using the sirens, just get him there." Paramedics moved, some heading for the second vehicle and some headed closer for Katsuki.

"Young man–" Katsuki growled at the medic, baring his teeth, and Izuku frowned.

"Katsuki." He looked up at the sharp tone, face surprised. "You will go to the hospital. You will sit quietly. You will do exactly as they say, and when you are done you will be discharged and Mistuki will pick you up. Are we clear?" Katsuki's eyes widened. Izuku never used his authority on Katsuki, and clearly the boy was surprised. Oh well.

"Fine. Let's just go already." Katsuki got slowly to his feet, and crossed his arms defiantly as the medic beckoned him to the ambulance. Izuku nodded his approval as Katsuki looked over his shoulder, and the boy scowled. Same old Katsuki.

"Hey! You! I saw you take down the Villain!" Damnit, Izuku hated the media. He turned and headed over, several cameras and mics pointing at him eagerly. "Can you tell us who you are? You're ordering people around as if you're in charge!" Izuku didn't glare, but looked into the camera seriously.

"I am Healer Midoriya, also a Police Investigator of the Musutafu Police Department, and I am in charge." The reporter grinned, clearly elated.

"We've seen footage of a new Rank A Healer in the area, but you avoid the media so much we never get anything! Tell us, are you really Rank A? You're so young! Some Healers never make it past Rank D or C! Do you have any comments?" She smiled at him, several nearby looking just as hungry.

"My training and the process of becoming a Healer is private information." Izuku said firmly. "However, I will say I am perfectly qualified, as you're already aware."

"Despite this, can you tell us the qualifications? Do you have a Healing Quirk!? Every good Healer needs one!" Some yelled. Izuku glared at the camera, actually glared, and a few people holding the mics flinched.

"Anyone can be a Healer. Regardless of their Quirk status." Izuku said firmly. "Anyone can be whatever they damn wanna be, Hero, Healer, Teacher, Plumber, whatever. They could be Quirkless for all I care. Asking people about their Quirks as if it was their worth is barbaric." Several reporters looked annoyed, and others looked astonished. "My qualifications are none of your concern, though anyone wishing to be a Hero or a Healer should be strong, and definitely know basic defence at the very least." A mic was shoved closer as a man struggled forward, eager and completely ignoring Izuku's small speech.

"Being a Rank A is a big deal. The only other living Rank A Healer in Japan is Recovery Girl! You didn't answer the question about your Quirk!" He yelled, changing the subject. Izuku lightened his glare.

"My Quirk is my business, and mine alone." Izuku said, but he faced the camera and let his eyes flash with glowing gold irises for a single moment. There was immediate screaming for more, for interviews, for details, and Izuku didn't react. "If you'll excuse me, I have to file a report with my senior officer." Izuku strode away, towards the police putting the bags of slime into a truck for transport to Tartarus. Izuku didn't approve that Villains didn't get trials anymore, and it wasn't a secret, but he never challenged the rules. It wasn't his job.

"Medics." Izuku nodded to a few on his way by. "Anything to report?" A few stopped.

"A few with minor smoke inhalation, as you said. Not much to be done, just handed out water bottles and said to head to the hospital if any other symptoms showed up." Izuku nodded in approval, and looked to the next medic who approached.

"My group had some minor cuts and bruises, some reluctantly admitted it was from the wooden bindings used on them. I recommended ice for their bruises, and I cleaned and bandaged the cuts." Izuku nodded again, and looked at the last medic.

"Nothing to report from my group. No injuries or smoke inhalation, just people who looked scared from the attack. None were in shock."

"Good, thank you for your hard work. Make sure all of this goes in your medical report. Tell the hospital to send me the file for inspection. Number 177908." They all nodded, and Izuku approached the officer standing with his hands on his hips who was staring at the vehicle full of bags of slime. He turned as Izuku approached and grinned.

"Midoriya, we've finished up here. Would you like a ride to the station?" One officer asked. He was a supervisor, by the look of his clean uniform and lack of gloves. Izuku nodded.

"That would be appreciated. Thank you." The officer smiled, and led Izuku to a waiting police car.

"Uh… do you… want to drive?" The man looked suddenly unsure of himself, and Izuku resisted a laugh.

"I'd love to, but I'm still underage. Go ahead." The officer looked as if he was trying not to look too relieved. He wasn't succeeding, but he was trying anyway.

"Hop in, then." Izuku slid into the passenger seat and the officer started the car. They were off, leaving the nearly cleared scene behind them. "So why'd you step in? Witnesses say there were four heroes on scene."

"Death Arms attempted a single punch to the slime, with no effect. He did not engage again." Izuku reported. "Backdraft was focusing on the fires, and Kamui Woods was leading the rescue of nearby civilians. Slugger just stood there staring. Mt Lady claimed to be unable to help, but was just using her Quirk badly. The police officer on scene had his hands full with crowd control, and people were yelling about 'suitable Quirks'." The man driving winced. The whole precinct knew how Izuku felt about that.

"Understood. How did you execute the takedown?" The office asked.

"I threw my knife into his left eye, and then used my police taser on his main body and held contact for over 10 seconds." Izuku said blankly. The officer paled.

"But you're not supposed to–"

"Mutation Quirks aren't included in the regulation files that prohibit an officer from administering shocks for longer than three seconds." Izuku said, shrugging. "It's because of the increase in the possibility of Villains exactly like the Sludge Villains who can just tank the electricity." The officer pulled into the station and parked, nodding slowly.

"Man, I need to reread those regulations and restrictions." Izuku nodded.

"I have a list of every one of them in my bedroom. Handwritten, of course, without the embellishments added by the Commission. I read it every morning."

"Jeez, Midoriya, don't you think that's a little excessive?" The officer laughed nervously.

"No." Izuku denied as he got out of the car. "I don't get to make mistakes." He shut the car door and didn't wait for the man as he entered the station and flashed his card at the front desk lady.

"Jizuno." Izuku nodded to her. "I need to file a Villain Incident Report."

"I already have it ready for you, Midoriya." She smiled, handing the paper on a clipboard over the desk to him. "I figured you'd want to do it, since you called it in." Izuku nodded.

"Thank you. I'll be in the back room." The main part of the station wasn't large, but it was big enough. There was a main lobby, and Tsukauchi's office to the left with a meeting room attached to it. The 'back room' was the main area for the officers. It was separated into two halves, with a sitting lounge on one side and cubicles on the other. There were also two bathrooms attached to the lobby, without genders on either, and a barracks with places for officers to sleep during the graveyard shifts.

Of course, there was the area for criminals, which was much larger. Holding cells, Quirk nullifying areas, labs, interrogation rooms in different sections, the whole works. It was the reason there was only one station in the whole of Musutafu. They were well equipped and ready for Villains.

Izuku found his desk, and plopped down with a sigh. He reluctantly took out his phone and dialled his mother.

"I saw you on TV." His mother said immediately upon picking up.

"Hi mom, good to hear from you too." Izuku drawled. She huffed into her speaker.

"Don't take that tone with me! You're lucky it was Katsuki, otherwise I'd be very disappointed in you! I didn't buy you knives for you to throw at Villains randomly!" She scolded.

"I know, I only used them because it was Katsuki. I'd otherwise have thrown a rock, or something. I'd probably have stepped in regardless due to the hostage and lack of action from the on-scene Heroes, though." Izuku said tiredly. "Also, the taser is police authorised, and the knives are small enough to be legal, you know that."

"That's so not the point!" She exclaimed. Then she sighed. "Oh, when will you be done with your report?"

"Three hours maximum." He hummed in response. "I called to tell you I'm completely uninjured, and I didn't use my Quirk. Katsuki should be at the hospital still, so send Mitsuki over to get him, will you?"

"I can do that." His mother said firmly. She then softened her next words. "Are you really alright, Sunshine?"

"Yeah mom. I'm good." Izuku smiled, a soft smile only for his mother. "Thanks for understanding. I'll be home soon. Ish." She laughed.

"I'll push dinner back so we can eat together, but please have a little snack soon to tide you over." Izuku huffed.

"I know. I have granola bars in my backpack, obviously." She laughed again.

"Bye, Izuku. Focus on your work."

"Will do. Bye." He hung up, and sighed before clearing his mind to begin his report. He didn't know the name of the Villain, never getting the chance to ask before he'd shocked the man unconscious. Nor his age, but he did put a Villain name down.

He dutifully filled out page after page of work, including details about what he'd said, how he'd managed the press (if applicable), on scene Heroes, and how many civilians were caught up in the attack. Izuku never minded the paperwork, though it could be tedious if he did it often enough. Izuku was lucky he barely did daylight work, he hated the press as much as Tsukauchi. Thank the stars Izuku never had to do interviews.

Izuku finished about two hours later, since the incident had been large and in broad daylight, and he headed back to the lobby to turn in his report. He had his backpack in one hand, the clipboard in the other.

"Jizuno, I have my report." He handed over the clipboard of papers, and she smiled at his serious face.

"Tsukauchi wants you. Says it's the Night Stalker case." Izuku sighed.

"Thanks, Jizuno." With that, Izuku turned towards Tsukauchi's office and knocked lightly. "Tsukauchi, it's Midoriya."

"Come on in, Midoriya." Izuku swung the door open, eyes on the floor as he made sure not to hit anything Tsukauchi may have left lying around, and shut it behind him. Izuku looked up, and blinked.

"You didn't tell me Eraserhead was coming. He's a graveyard shifter." Izuku said curiously as he took a step closer. It was true, Eraserhead only worked the overnight shifts due to his Underground Hero status. Tsukauchi was seated, but Izuku didn't join him because the Hero was standing. Power balances, and all that.

"He's joining the case. You're the main Investigator, so he'll be reporting to you." Izuku eyed the Hero, and nodded.

"Nice to meet you." Izuku bowed slightly. "I am Investigator Midoriya Izuku." The man nodded, eyes assessing but stance bored.

"You failed to mention he was so young." Came Eraserhead's tired voice from behind his capture scarf.

"Midoriya is our best Investigator. He's been an asset to this facility since he was eight years old." Eraserhead's eyebrows shot up, and Izuku finally took his seat, the Hero sitting as well. Izuku placed his backpack at his feet.

"Isn't that a little young to be recruiting officers?"

"I started my Healers Training as soon as my Quirk came in." Izuku said, Eraserhead turning to him. "By the time I was eight, I had my Emergency Medic certificate and a Junior Healer Licence. As a Healer, I was allowed on scenes. That's where I met Tsukauchi here." Izuku gestured to the man. Tsukauchi nodded.

"Kid's brilliant." The officer said bluntly. "I asked him what his thoughts on the string of minor robberies causing the injuries seen, and he went into full analysis mode. He even picked up on their patterns of attack. We caught the main leader of the group in under a week."

"So you recruited a child?" Eraserhead sighed.

"Not quite. When Midoriya started realising his ideas were helping, he started just showing up to see me, asking for 'Tsukauchi'. Jizuno was so surprised, she rang me and we talked every time. His mother got sick of Midoriya sneaking out for this, and eventually said he was allowed to help with one case a week, as long as he was paid for his work. I accepted."

"I recruited myself, basically." Izuku nodded. "By the time I was ten, I had a full Healers Licence, which grants me mild privileges to things that are usually age capped. That's why I have a gun licence as well as a motorcycle licence, and of course, my Investigation position within this facility."

"He may be young, but you'll be reporting directly to Midoriya during this investigation." Tsukauchi said firmly. Eraserhead nodded.

"I can do that." Izuku pulled out his wallet and slipped out a card.

"This is my Contact Card. I have my work phone on me at all times, but please keep in mind I am still in middle school." Izuku handed the card over. It was nothing special, a white card with his name in larger letters and his information below that, but Izuku was rather proud to have the need for them at all. "That's not to say I won't answer. The school is very understanding of my position, so if it's an emergency, don't hesitate to call me. The ringtone on said work phone will also wake me from dead sleep." Eraserhead raised an eyebrow, and Izuku grinned. Not a smile, but a full on nearly feral grin. "I take my work extremely seriously, and I don't have room to make mistakes. If you treat me the same as any adult in this precinct, you'll see why people don't mind my age around here."

"Understood." Eraserhead nodded, eyes a little bit more curious. Good, he really did understand then.

"I'm going to head out now, Tsukauchi. My mother is expecting me." Izuku received a nod, and everyone stood as Izuku did.

"When are you next scheduled to come in?" Tsukauchi asked, glancing at his master schedule a little warily. Izuku resisted a grin at his exhaustion, and picked up his backpack to heave over one shoulder.

"I work mornings on Saturdays, so tomorrow morning I'll be reporting in around four am to relieve graveyard. I'll be off just after noon, and then I'll be at the Healers Centre until six." Izuku waved to Eraserhead as he headed out. "I hope you get in touch soon."

Izuku was glad the station had a motorcycle at the precinct for him to use. He could've asked for a car, but it would've been a bother for whichever officer drove him home. No, the bike was much easier. Besides, the station had three total and any staff member with a licence could take a vehicle from the station for 24 hours, no questions asked. Very useful indeed, and he took advantage of it nearly every day.

Izuku picked his usual bike that was unofficially his, and snagged the helmet that was specifically his. He was a kid, so the usual helmet sizes they provided wouldn't fit him. Izuku unzipped his backpack and pulled out his leather jacket and gloves that he'd folded and stuffed into the bottom of his bag under all his school supplies. There was also a medical kit there, of course. He never went anywhere without those.

He threw his riding jacket over his school uniform and pulled on his gloves before securing the motorcycle helmet, and then he tightened the straps of his backpack as he climbed onto the bike. Izuku started it up, and then he was off.

His mother had been hard to convince when he'd first gotten his licence at the ripe age of eleven. However, Izuku had won out in the end. Izuku knew he was lucky. His mother had always supported his decisions, even if she didn't always agree with them. She knew Izuku could do anything he put his mind to, and she'd also accepted that sometimes… kids got hurt. And that was okay, as long as they got right back up and were ready as ever to try again; because that's what kids do. Once he'd been hurt after his… accident… she'd finally understood. Izuku had never been more grateful for her understanding in that moment.

He kicked the stand out on his bike and swung his leg off, dismounting fully. Unclipping his helmet and shaking out his helmet hair, Izuku set the helmet on the bike and headed towards the stairs up to his floor. Upon finding his apartment, he turned the key and found himself being embraced by the warm air inside.

"Mom, I'm home." Izuku called softly.

"Perfect timing!" His mother's joyful voice came from the kitchen. "I just finished cooking, and was about to put all the food away to keep it warm until you arrived, but I'll set the table instead." Izuku took off his shoes and slid his backpack off. He hung his leather jacket, tucking his gloves in the pocket, and headed into the main room. Izuku looked across the room, past the couches and TV, to see his mother in the kitchen-dining room combo and plates of food waiting on the table as she washed her hands.

"Thanks for this, mom." Izuku gave her a smile. She beamed at him.

"Wash up, and we'll eat." With a nod, Izuku went to the sink to wash up, once again reminding himself how lucky he was. He really did love his mom.

Chapter Text

Tough Life

Izuku slammed a hand down on his alarm clock, and resisted a groan. He blinked bleary eyes open as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

1:30am

Izuku climbed out of bed, and began his Saturday morning routine. First, stretching. Izuku lifted both arms above his head, stretching as far as he could upwards before bending at the waist and touching the floor with his palms. He then stood and bent at the waist to both sides, arms up and leaning with him. He then jumped in place for a few moments, loosening his stiff joints. Finally done, he started the second step.

1:42am

Izuku walked, a little bit more awake, to the bathroom and began brushing his teeth. Once that was finished, he jumped in the shower for 7 minutes and dried off. Walking back to his room, he got dressed in loose jeans and a long sleeved shirt, knowing he'd be throwing on his police vest when he arrived at the station. He folded his pyjamas in his bed, and looked around. Step three.

2:06am

He sat in his desk chair and picked up his notebook, opening it and reading through the rules and regulations of the precinct, as well as what he'd written from the Healer's guide. Finished, he shut the book and stood to stretch again, this time more quickly than the leisurely pace when waking up.

2:49am

Izuku padded into the kitchen to start his and his mother's meals. Once he'd started working morning shifts on weekends, she'd started taking graveyard shifts at the hospital so they'd see each other briefly. She was a good nurse, and she was happy there. She usually came home around three am, and he always made sure she had a good meal before she went to bed.

The door clicked open, and Izuku smiled as she made her way inside, exhausted. Izuku set her plate of food down on the table, and she plopped down heavily.

"Good morning, did you have a good shift?" Izuku asked, sitting down with his own food.

"Yeah, productive." His mother yawned and started eating. "There was a bus accident around eleven, and so we had people coming in with everything from mild concussions to internal bleeding to crushed limbs." She smiled tiredly. "Thanks for the food."

"Of course." Izuku smiled at her. "Did you lose anyone?" Ever since she'd come home blank eyed and a little out of it after losing a patient, he'd been sure to ask so he'd know if she needed anything.

"No, but one of them needed CPR and immediate healing on scene. I wasn't there, of course, but I heard about it." Izuku took her dish as she finished, and started washing everything he used.

"I'm glad it all worked out." Izuku hummed as she stood. He felt a kiss being pressed to the top of his head, and Izuku smiled.

"Goodnight Sunshine, have a good shift." She called as he heard her footsteps fade away. Once he was done with the dishes, he headed for the door to grab his work bag and the shoes he wore specifically for work. He grabbed the keys for the bike, triple checked he had everything, and headed out.

Izuku went down to the parking lot, started up his bike, and zoomed off. He grinned the whole way, enjoying the way the cold wind stung even through his jacket. Izuku found it all exhilarating.

3:32am

Izuku sighed as he pulled into the station garage, already missing the thrill of the drive. He loved riding motorcycles; nothing really compared. He swung his leg over and hopped off, shelving his helmet and hanging the keys. Finally, he entered the station.

"Morning Midoriya, clocking in?" Izuku nodded as the man yawned, feline teeth on full display.

"Good morning, Sansa, yes. Have a nice shift?" Izuku wrote his name on the check-in sheet and followed the cat mutant to the back room. He retrieved his police vest from his desk and then joined Sansa in the lounge.

"Eh. Eraser kept us on our toes again. I swear, that one brings in more criminals than all the other Underground in this Prefecture combined. I'm glad to be off in an hour." Izuku chuckled as he threw his jacket over the back of a chair, shrugged on the vest, and headed to the coffee bar.

"He's the best, after all." Izuku poured the hot chocolate powder into a cup, and reached for the espresso machine to use the milk steamer attachment. "I met him yesterday, actually. He seemed like a good Hero."

"Oh? What's your assessment of him?" The voice was teasing, but real curiosity bled through as Izuku finished steaming the milk.

"He's serious." Izuku hummed, pouring the thicker and foamy milk into his chocolate powder. "He takes everything at face value, absolutely no shit from anyone, and says what he thinks." Izuku paused in his stirring, a grin forming. "Also, he's standing behind you because his shift ends in five minutes." Sansa squeaked as Izuku turned around to see Eraserhead standing in the doorway. "Hello, Eraserhead. Nice shift?" The man sighed.

"I have a report for you. Night Stalker hit again." Izuku headed over, sipping his foamy hot chocolate happily.

"Situation?" Izuku asked as he headed for his desk and placed his hot chocolate down. Eraserhead handed him the file.

"Night Stalker went after a group of his usual targets." A group of girls then, between the ages of 17 and 25. "He snagged them outside a club, though three of the five weren't intoxicated. Night Stalker used his Quirk on two of them, and the other three started screaming for help. I arrived two minutes later after he was already gone, but the bodies were still warm and even still bleeding. All dead, though."

Izuku's eyes swept the file as the man spoke, soaking in the details. There was evidence of the man's Quirk all over two of the bodies. The inky blackness spreading into their veins was definitely his signature. But… something about it was off, there were punctures near their wrists, and the other three had been shot in the chest…

"This wasn't Night Stalker." Izuku announced, eyes not leaving the report.

"What?" Eraserhead exclaimed. "Explain. It matched previous sightings from other Undergrounds as well as police."

"It's a copycat." Izuku said, flicking between photos and reports. "Night Stalker has a gun, yes, but all of his kills with it were perfect headshots in the centre of the forehead. His Quirk is a contamination mutation emitter type, his fingernails lethal as they stretch and dig into the victim's skin. The contamination is a type of poison that leeches oxygen from the blood and tissue, killing the victim in under a minute. It also leaves distinct crescent moon shaped marks where his nails make contact. See here?" Izuku tilted the file, showing close ups on the contaminated veins. "No crescents. There are puncture marks, barely visible in this shot but very clearly from a needle insertion. My best guess is the two that were contaminated were caught first, and the copycat couldn't reach the other two with his syringes. He shot them, dead accurate in the heart, but it doesn't match the headshot MO we have for Night Stalker." Izuku finally glanced up, and paused when he saw Eraserhead looking deep in thought.

"You're sure?" Was all the man said. Izuku nodded firmly, snapping the report shut.

"Absolutely positive." Dark eyes bore into determined green ones, and Eraser nodded.

"Do you want me to add it to the Investigation file?" Izuku shook his head, placing the report folder on his desk. He picked up his hot chocolate and held it in both hands, absorbing its warmth.

"No, you've done enough for tonight. Thank you. I'll organise my evidence in a secondary screening report and then hand it in to be added and organised for further inspection." Izuku and Eraserhead headed back to the lounge, away from Izuku's desk, and Izuku gestured to the coffee bar. Eraserhead obliged, heading for his usual Death Coffee that Izuku had been warned on his first day years ago not to touch. "You can go home, your shift ended six minutes ago. I appreciate your help with this case." Eraserhead said nothing for a while, before speaking firmly and suddenly.

"You're clearly intelligent, and certified." Eraserhead said bluntly as he finished making his coffee. "Why not do more field work? I've seen your file. Most of your cases are shadow cases, you work as intelligence away from the action. The only times you intervene is during active scenes you're nearby for. Are you not trained in combat?"

"I am." Izuku hummed, leaning back on a chair with his arms crossed thoughtfully. "I'd be useful in the field, but it goes against my Healer License Code to do field work for the police until High School. Emergency response is allowed, but not anything for my main cases." Izuku rolled his eyes as Eraserhead turned around, coffee in hand. "They say I'm too valuable to risk. Once I'm fifteen and in High School, they can't exactly stop me, however." Eraserhead nodded.

"Healers are stiff like that." He agreed. Izuku sighed.

"Have a good day, Eraserhead. Get some sleep." The man nodded and headed out, seemingly chugging his coffee. Izuku sipped his hot chocolate, hiding an amused smile. What an interesting Hero he was.

"Midoriya, we have a new string case for you." Izuku sipped his chocolate as he pushed off the chair he leaned against.

"Situation?" Izuku followed the officer he faintly recognized into the lobby, Izuku nodded to Jizuno, and into the meeting room attached to Tsukauchi's office.

"Six murders, all at night." The officer said, pushing the door open. "Villain leaves a calling card, that's the only reason we know it's the same killer."

"Victim profiles?" Izuku held out a hand, and was given a thick folder. He flicked through it.

"There's no seeming connection. Different Quirks, features, jobs, skills, ethnic backgrounds, gender, all of it." Izuku raked his eyes down the victims.

Bijiko Mimiya
Age: 19
Sex: F
Quirk: Bone Growth
Regeneration type quirk that made their bones regrow and mend themselves in seconds. Muscles and nerves can still be damaged, with minor strength enhancement.

Jikuza Luina
Age: 62
Sex: M
Quirk: Stampede
Power-up type that allows the user to pump their body with adrenaline, giving them strength and abilities they wouldn't usually possess.

Fukuya Poliua
Age: 6
Sex: F
Quirk: Octopus
Mutant type that causes the user to possess the limbs of an octopus. Suction cups are functional, and can't be turned off.

So on and so on, Izuku assessed every person individually before making his first hypothesis.

"I believe the connection has to do with enhanced strength capabilities." Izuku said, standing to pin each profile to the corkboard. He pulled out a pen and began making notes. "The first victim had minor strength enhancement. The second had a strength Quirk. The third is a mutation that allows incredible strength due to the nature of it. The next has a seduction Quirk, but as you can see here, it notes that he feeds on their energy, making him more physically capable. The fifth has a fire Quirk, but it has an added mutation in his hands, making them stronger to withstand direct heat. The last is more complicated, because it's a floating/flight Quirk. She would otherwise not count as a strength enhancer for me, but it's part of the description that her knees seem to be enhanced so she can handle rough landings after her flights." Izuku circled things and underlined sentences as he worked, the three people in the room nodding and paying close attention.

"That's a reasonable conclusion." One said thoughtfully. Izuku shrugged.

"Not very helpful though. We don't know why the killer is doing it, and we have no way of guessing who or where they'll strike next." Izuku tapped the pen against his chin, frowning. "What's the calling card?"

"He leaves a symbol written in the victims' blood after he kills them." Izuku was handed another folder, this one full of scene pictures instead of just profiles. He examined the mark, a U with a little Z in the centre, inside a star.

"He doesn't kill in any particular way, as you can see." One of the officers frowned. "Each kill is slightly different. All with sharp objects, but one looks like it was done with a butcher's knife, another like a jagged pipe, and one like clean cut katanas."

"The markings are different." Izuku said suddenly, eyes widening. He slid the photos of the closeup shots out of the folder, and placed them at the centre of the meeting table. "See? This one was drawn perfectly, straight lines and crisp edges. The next one is sloppy, almost an afterthought. This one is the exact same as the first. The fourth only has four points on it, instead of a five pointed star. The fifth is the same as the second, and the last one is different still. It's a group, not an individual killer!" Izuku announced, pointing with wide eyes.

"Jesus! How did we miss that?" One exclaimed, leaning over the table a little angrily.

"We glossed over them." Another frowned. "We checked that they sort of matched and didn't think more of it."

"Midoriya, can you take on another group case?" Izuku looked up to see three sets of serious eyes, and Izuku sighed.

"Probably not. I have three open group killer cases, and two single murder cases. That's… also not counting the Night Stalker. Can you do this one without me?" Izuku eyes them all one at a time. "If I need to, I'll pass one of my single murder cases to someone else to take this."

"We can do it, Midoriya." One said, determined.

"If it gets out of hand, we can talk about switching some of your cases around." Another agreed as she smiled at him.

"Thanks for your help, it's great you know your limits." Izuku nodded as he received a thumbs up.

"Alright. Best of luck." They all nodded, and Izuku slipped out to return to his desk.

He pulled out his files for his single cases and began going over the evidence again, looking for new clues. An Investigator's work is never done.

—

"I'm headed out." Izuku waved to Jizuno as he signed the check-out sheet. She waved, and Izuku shrugged on his jacket. He'd already left his vest back at his desk.

"Bye Midoriya. Are you off tomorrow?" Izuku nodded as he shouldered his bag.

"Yeah, I'm spending the day with my mom. I even got off duty in the Healers Centre. I'll still be on call, though." Izuku waved back as he headed out the front, already knowing the walk by heart.

Izuku headed for the small place he always picked up lunch on Saturdays, and usually Sundays, and pulled out his personal cell.

Izuku:
Hospital visit go ok?

Katsuki:
It was fine, broccoli. Doctors put me on some shitty antibiotics.

Izuku:
Ah, so you did have sludge knocking around in there. Sorry to hear.

Katsuki:
Fucker.
Don't act like you didn't know

Izuku:
I'm not denying it, just empathising.

Katsuki:
Dumb broccoli
Any new cases from your job shift?

Izuku:
One, but I had to turn it down.
I don't have the time for another full group killer case right now.

Katsuki:
Just catch the bastards
Then you'll have more time

Izuku:
Ha ha
Very funny

Izuku blinked in surprise as Katsuki called him, and then smiled fondly.

"This is Broccoli speaking." Izuku grinned into his phone.

"Damn right it is." Katsuki said in Izuku's ear. "How're things with your jobs?" Izuku hummed as he hopped over a crack in the sidewalk.

"Pretty good, actually. Saving a lot of people, catching the bad guys, y'know." Izuku said. Katsuki grumbled noncommittally, and Izuku laughed. "What, you don't agree?"

"I'll do better once I'm a Hero."

"Of course Kit-Kat, I don't expect any less." Izuku grinned. "How's the parents?"

"Hag is fine, worried up a storm when she showed her ass up at the hospital." Izuku huffed a laugh.

"Of course she did."

"The old man is happy as ever, the clothing company made a huge sale yesterday, coincidentally." Katsuki tried not to sound proud of his parents, and failed.

"I'm glad!" Izuku grinned.

"How's Auntie?" Katsuki asked nonchalantly.

"Mom's good." Izuku hummed. "She's been having a few rough shifts but it's not too bad. I've got her."

"Broccoli looking ass, taking care of everyone else." Katsuki muttered. "You're doing okay, though, Izuku?"

"Yeah, I'm good." He smiled. "Sunlight has been happy lately."

"Fucker better be." Katsuki answered. "I'll murder it otherwise." Izuku laughed.

"Oh, you will, will you?" Katsuki huffed in his ear. "How will you murder my Quirk and not me, huh?"

"I'll find a way if it misbehaves! Mark my words!"

"Sure, Kat." Izuku chuckled. "I'm coming up on the cafe, I'll see you at school Monday?"

"Yeah. Hag tried to get me to skip but I'm not weak enough to let one shitty Villain get the better of me!"

"Bye, Katsuki." Izuku rolled his eyes fondly.

"Bye, Broccoli." The call dropped, and Izuku smiled softly as he tucked his phone away. Pain in the ass for sure, but Katsuki really was Izuku's best friend.

Izuku pushed the door of the little cafe open, smiling into the warm air. He'd been coming to the Hit-It-Off Cafe since he had begun taking shifts at both of his jobs in one day, when he was around eleven or twelve. The place was smack in the middle of his route from one building to the other.

The bell jingled as Izuku entered, weaving his way between tables to the counter. Someone new was working, and he seemed to be staring at Izuku in shock for some reason.

"Order for Midoriya, please." Izuku said lightly. The boy blinked tiredly, and frowned.

"Did you order with your phone?" Izuku grinned.

"Nope. Is Kiko in?" The boy looked surprised, but couldn't respond before Kiko did.

"Izuku! I have your usual right here!" The pink haired girl rushed forward, white takeout bag in hand.

"Thanks, Kiko." Izuku took it and rummaged in his pocket for the exact amount of money he'd memorised months ago. "Here." He handed it over and she didn't even check it before shoving it in the cash register and beaming at him.

"Did you have a good shift?" She asked, leaning excitedly over the counter. Izuku rolled his eyes.

"Sort of. I had to turn down a case. I'm loaded right now." She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"When do you get off?" Izuku hummed.

"I get off the Centre at six, but if there's an emergency I'll be out with the medic squad a few extra hours probably."

"You're Midoriya Izuku." The tired boy finally blurted. Izuku turned his eyes to the boy, and nodded.

"That's me." Izuku tilted his head, examining the boy. "Purple hair and eyes, white pupils, under eye hereditary discoloration mutation, mild to lean build, insomnia, assumed mental Quirk. I haven't met you before, and you're new enough, hired in the past four days, so you didn't know I came here every weekend with the exact same order." The boy's eyes had gotten steadily wider and wider, and Izuku sighed. "You must've seen me on TV yesterday, then. Am I right?" The boy just stood there, gaping slightly.

"Izuku's a police Investigator." Kiko giggled behind a hand.

"I thought you were a Healer." The boy blinked, uncertain.

"I am." Izuku confirmed. "I have a Healer Licence, as well as a Police Investigation Licence, and a whole ton of other stuff." Izuku shrugged. "I've been working both jobs for years." Izuku checked his watch, and frowned. "Thanks for the food, I have to go." Izuku jogged out, waving to a few regulars who knew him, and left the place. He started down the street, only to pause.

"Midoriya!" He turned to see the purple boy standing at the entrance to the cafe, staring after Izuku with huge eyes. "I need to ask you… something?" It came out almost as a question, and Izuku walked over with his head tilted.

"What's up?" The boy swallowed heavily.

"Did you mean it?" Izuku frowned in confusion. "You said anyone could be a Hero, no matter what their Quirk was. Did you mean it?"

"Of course I did." Izuku said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Being a Hero is a choice, not something you're born to be, or something you have, like a Quirk. It's an attitude, a dream, something that is hard work and will challenge you every day for the rest of your life." The boy fidgeted, a hand rubbing the back of his neck.

"My Quirk, it's mental, like you said. What should I do? I want to go to UA…" He trailed off, and Izuku nodded in understanding.

"You believe you'll be unable to pass the extremely physically biassed entrance exam, right?" Izuku raised an eyebrow and the boy nodded. "I'd recommend getting stronger. You're tall, but you look like you spend more time trying to sleep and less time running. Basic defence is good too, and see if you can learn how to use a weapon and bring it to the exam. Support Items are allowed, and in the orientation speech they even say you're allowed to bring anything. Okay?"

"Okay. Strength training, weapons, and defence." The boy repeated, determined frown in place.

"Hey, what's your name?" Izuku asked. The boy looked up.

"Shinso." The boy said, purple eyes narrowed.

"Well Shinso, I'm looking forward to seeing you become a Hero." Izuku then turned around, and started jogging towards the Healer Center once again. Damn. He had three minutes to go the last ten minutes of his usual casual walking trip if he was gonna make it at his usual arrival. Well, time to figure out how long it took while running!

Izuku took off down the streets, not flat out sprinting, but it wasn't a soft jog either. His heart pounded and his backpack slammed into his back with each step, but Izuku grinned at the feeling. He raced down the roads and around corners, eyes ever alert and watchful as he went. Grinning, he slid the door open and waved at the front desk lady.

"You're two minutes later than usual." She eyed him as he took several deep breaths to calm his heartbeat. Damn, ten minute walk, five minute run. He wasn't late, it was a twenty minute walk at his usual speed, and his shift didn't start until a half hour later. He'd shown up later than he usually did, obviously. Damn, Shinso really held him up. Worth it.

"I got sidetracked." Izuku nodded to her as he signed the check in sheet, and then headed over to the cafeteria so he could finally eat his lunch. He slid into his usual booth that was always invaded sooner or later by annoying medics, and started eating his sandwich.

"Midoriya!" There they were…

"What kept you? You're usually earlier!"

"Did you catch a Villain on your way over?" Izuku sighed as the three people slid into the booth across the table from him.

"I was talking to someone who wanted advice. Got held up." Izuku said between bites. "Anything new?"

"Nope, my shift was really quiet." Huali smiled at him, tiny rows of fish teeth on display. "I only had three patients, and they barely needed treatment."

"Lucky." Tsukira whined, throwing himself into the table dramatically. Carefully as well, though, because he didn't want to impale Izuku's sandwich with his green devil horns. "There was a bus accident last night, so as soon as I checked in they sent me over to the hospital to help stabilise the patients."

"My mom helped with that accident." Izuku hummed, "She said some of the injuries were quite bad."

"Seriously?" The dark haired medic named Gysho exclaimed. "I thought he was being dramatic as usual." Tsukira threw up his hands, y'know, dramatically.

"I was not!" He yelled. "See? Midoriya believes me." He gestured extravagantly to Izuku, who raised an eyebrow.

"I don't even know what you claim to have done. I merely added in what my mother told me this morning at three." Izuku finished his sandwich and began putting his trash back in the takeout bag so he could toss the whole thing.

"Aw! Midoriya! The betrayal." Tsukira placed a hand on his heart, and swooned into Huali, who giggled.

"I gotta go, have a good rest of the day." Izuku waved as he went to throw the bag of trash away, a little glad they all worked mornings. They could be… excitable.

Izuku went to the bathroom and washed up after eating, and then headed up to the clinic. He decided on the elevator, just for fun. He usually didn't, but Izuku liked to spice things up. The doors slid open to the fourth floor, and Izuku stepped out as the smell of powerful antiseptic burned his nose. He walked along the left wall to retrieve his Healer uniform from his cubby, and then headed to the locker room.

Healer Uniforms were more personalised than the standard medic uniforms, but not a lot so they were always identifiable as Healers. Medic uniforms were white and blue, tough pants and lighter shirts, red pockets on the thighs with a red medical belt, and the Staff of Asclepius down their spine. Izuku's Healer Centre uniform was the same style, the pants being identical, but the rest of it was different. Field Healers wore gold stripes down every seam of their uniform shirts, easily visible. The rest of Izuku's shirt was a tough white material, and he wore a lightweight bulletproof vest over it with gold trim. He had a tinted visor to protect his eyes, as well as a face mask to cover his mouth. He only wore those during fieldwork, though.

Pulling on the pants and shirt, he clipped the belt on next before pulling on medical gloves that were required all throughout the clinic floors. Izuku tucked his normal clothes, vest, visor, and mask, all into his locker and turned the key. Making sure it was locked tight, he tucked the key into a thigh pocket and headed out of the locker room. It was time to start his shift.

Chapter Text

Tough Life, Again

Izuku walked all the way down the centre aisle of the massive clinic room on floor four, a few people nodding to him as he walked by in his Healer uniform. There were five aisles to walk down and many, many, many rows. There were roughly 120 Beds in the large room, each behind thin, grey, three walled privacy screens. Izuku ignored the screens and the unhappy sounds of crying and pain, heading right to the very back of the room where the main desk was.

"Healer 177908, Midoriya, reporting in for the afternoon shift." He said blankly to the man at the desk. Izuku had never asked for his name, oddly enough. The Healer world was very different than the police world, though.

"Healer 177908, checked in, head to your supervisor for instructions." The man said, as always. Izuku nodded and headed to the left, a small office where the Head Healer was. Just because Izuku technically outranked her as a Healer, doesn't mean he was the boss. She ran the whole floor, and Izuku accepted that easily. The door was open, so Izuku simply stood in the doorway until she turned to face him.

"Midoriya, good to see you." They nodded to each other. "We have three patients for you to see right now, treat them however you see fit."

"Thank you, Head Healer." Izuku bowed slightly before she stood and handed him a clipboard.

"Bed 18, Bed 90, and Bed 74. In that order, Midoriya." Her eyes were steely, and he nodded. When he was younger, he'd go in number order instead of what his instructor ordered. They still needled him about it even years later.

"Yes, sir." Izuku nodded and strode off, clipboard in hand. He headed for Bed 18, and found a seven year old lying prone and lifeless, a woman who he assumed to be her mother clutching her hand. "Hello. I'm Healer Midoriya. Can you tell me what happened, miss?" The woman turned red rimmed eyes to him.

"I'm Ms. Girua. We were in a car accident, and Kihono was thrown out of the car. I–" Girua took a shaking breath. "She must've taken her seatbelt off. She rolled along the concrete, and we were all taken to the hospital. They… didn't save my fiance. I was healed completely, and so was Kihono… but… she hasn't woken up."

"What were her injuries?" Izuku asked clinically. "Do you have a report I could see?" She wordlessly opened her purse and handed him a medical sheet.

Izuku looked at it and nearly winced. Yeesh, the kid was lucky to be alive. All the skin on her arms and face had been raw and almost completely ripped off from rolling across the pavement. Several breaks in her arms and ribs, and a heavy concussion, both wrists were broken. Mild injuries to her legs, nothing terrible there. They administered a skin regrowth Quirk with antibiotics to prevent the growth of infected skin, as well as a regular healing Quirk used every day for three days to heal the fractures and breaks. It had been a week since the accident, no sign of consciousness. She'd been transferred to the Healers Centre because they didn't know what was causing the coma.

"I'd like to examine her, if that's alright." The woman nodded, and moved away from her daughter so Izuku could approach. She looked pale, and her eyes were still under her eyelids, no sign of REM. Her pulse was steady, and when he checked her blood pressure it was a little high but nothing too bad. Her head wasn't bleeding outwardly, but there was bruising behind one of her ears and minor swelling. Izuku frowned at the spot.

"Is everything okay?" Girua asked, biting her nails. Izuku turned to face her fully.

"Do I have permission to use my Quirk?" Izuku asked seriously. "As a Licensed Healer, I don't really have to ask, but it is polite." She hesitated, but she nodded firmly. "Thank you." He pulled off his gloves, threw them out, and rubbed hand sanitizer into them thoroughly.

Turning back to his patient, Izuku let Sunlight pool into his left hand, making his palm glow faintly. He pressed the soft golden glow into the side of her head, and shut his eyes. Izuku was extremely careful as he let Sunlight leak from his hand into the girl's head, and found the problem. She had a small bleed in her brain, causing mild swelling. The hospital must've neglected a CT scan, which would've picked up on it. Sunlight swirled around the bleed and the extra blood, and soaked in so the patient could absorb the light. Sunlight purified her injuries, and Kihono's eyes fluttered slightly, her breathing catching. The woman behind Izuku gasped, but didn't move a muscle.

"Hello, Kihono. If you can hear me, please give me a sign. A smile will do." She raised tired green eyes to his gold ones, and she smiled. "Good. You've been asleep for about ten days, so you're very weak right now. You can go back to sleep if you want, I'll go fetch a medic to get you ready to discharge." She nodded sluggishly but her eyes held awareness, so Izuku pulled away and turned towards the mother. "Miss Girua, your daughter had a minor brain bleed that I have purged. The doctor did not order a CT scan, which, in future, would be a good idea. Excuse me." Izuku turned away, before pausing as she responded.

"Your Quirk…" She whispered. Izuku looked over his shoulder, eyes still a bright gold. She seemed to collect herself, clearly eyeing the few strands of dull gold in his hair, and his eyes. "Thank you, for… whatever you did." Izuku gave her his Healer Smile™, a soothing one where he showed his dimples. The smile people sighed in relief when they received it.

"It was my pleasure." He then walked firmly away, and raised a hand towards the medic walking by. "Bed 18 is good to go. Minor brain bleed causing a ten day coma, all other injuries treated in the hospital. Brain and skull are clean and healed, good for discharge." The medic nodded.

"I'll pop over, but I have another patient to handle first." She said, smile tight.

"No worries. She can wait, the girl is in perfect health now." Some of the tension seemed to bleed from the medic's shoulders, and she nodded again.

"Good to know. Thanks Midoriya." He gave her a sharp nod before walking down the many many rows of beds in search of Bed 90. He spotted it, entered the privacy screen, and saw two men standing next to another man who lay on the bed with a slightly bloody sheet over his lower body.

"Hello, I am Healer Midoriya." Izuku said as he approached. All of the men were over thirty, and they looked at him cautiously. "Can you inform me of the situation?"

"He was working on the roof, and he fell while on the ladder." One said, eyes assessing Izuku. "He hit the barn nearby, legs going clean through the roof of it. Ambulance took us right here, and we've been waiting about five minutes. The medic numbed his pain, but…" Izuku nodded sharply.

"I'll get right to work. I need space, so please move back." Izuku pulled a new pair of gloves from a belt pouch, pulled them on, and moved towards the patient. Izuku left the top of the sheet around the man's waist, but he pulled it up to uncover up to his knees. Izuku blinked at the horrific sight.

The bones in his legs had been shattered, jagged bone shards peeking out of his body in the complete wrong directions, and his ankles were dangling uselessly, all muscles and nerves disconnected. Izuku examined it more closely. No arteries had been severed by bone shards, there wasn't enough blood. There'd probably be more, but no one had touched the exposed bones that were mostly stemming the bleeding. It could've been much worse, Izuku realised. Izuku turned to the three men calmly.

"Trashcan and barf bags on your left, please." He said as one was turning pale in the face. "Do I have permission to administer my Quirk? Asking isn't required but it's polite."

"Yeah, yeah, just heal him." One said shakily as the pale one leaned over to throw up in the trashcan.

Izuku turned back to his patient, repeating the process of removing his gloves and sanitising. He pooled Sunlight into his hand once again, soft light emitting from his left palm. Izuku cupped underneath one of the man's mangled knees, and shut his eyes. Pressing Sunlight into the man, he felt it swirl downwards to his foot, and then up and over to his other leg. Sunlight filled the man's veins, drifting across bone shards and caressing snapped muscles. Izuku inhaled deeply, and then exhaled, letting the Sunlight absorb and knit and swirl and fix. There was enough Sunlight in the man's legs that they glowed faintly as the Sunlight flowed through his veins and soothed all pain and injuries. Satisfied, Izuku let go.

"He's been completely healed." Izuku reported. "Tell him to have plenty of water and rest; his muscles are new and aren't to be strained." Izuku put in a mild glare at the final words. An order, not a recommendation. They all nodded, staring at his hair.

"Y'know, it looks as if someone with paint on their hands ran it through your curls, don't you?" One man said, pointing vaguely. It was probably true, larger strands had probably been consumed by Sunlight than the few from before. Izuku didn't have to worry unless all of it turned the dull metallic gold colour. Although, he'd have passed out by then, so it wasn't really the goal to get that far.

"I'm aware." Izuku confirmed. He then headed away and snagged a medic that was leaning against a wall. "Bed 90 ready for discharge. I healed major trauma to his legs, multiple open fractures and torn muscles. He needs rest, possibility of weakness after treatment." The medic pushed off the wall.

"Understood. Thank you for your hard work, Midoriya. Honestly… dunno what we'd do without you." Izuku nodded to him before heading off towards Bed 74. Once he was done with Bed 74, he'd need to check in with the Head Healer and file his reports, and if there was still time in his shift he would get a few more patients in.

"I'm Healer Midoriya, what can I do for you today?" Izuku said to the patient who was seated on the bed. She looked okay, sitting up, but she didn't respond to his voice behind her. He entered her field of vision, waved, and started to sign. "I'm Healer Midoriya, as I said. Can you hear things at the moment?" She sighed, and smiled apologetically.

"No, I'm Deaf. Thank goodness someone speaks sign language here." Izuku gave her a Healer Smile™.

"Don't worry, I'll handle everything. Can you tell me what brings you here today?" Izuku took a seat so he could be more at her level as they signed.

"About a month ago, I was injured during a cheer practice. I'm a cheerleader." Izuku nodded for her to continue. "Anyway, I injured my back, and when I went to the hospital they said it was probably a sprain. I waited a week and then went back to practice, but the pain didn't get better. I sort of brushed it off, but this morning" She paused in her signing, and sighed loudly. "This morning I woke up and I can't feel my legs. I called the Healers Center and was brought here because a normal hospital doesn't really fix paralyzation." She set her hands down on her lap, and looked as if she wanted to hide her face but couldn't because she needed to see Izuku's response.

"I understand. The best thing I can guess is that you herniated a disc in your lower spine, lumbar or sacral, and it shifted during your continued exercise to damage your spinal cord. Understand?" She nodded, eyes getting shiny. "Normally, before this happens, you can seek treatment through medication, physical rehabilitation therapy, or even surgery. However, at this stage, a healing Quirk is your best option. It's good you came today. May I use my Quirk on you?" She nodded immediately, ignoring the few tears that slipped from her eyes, and Izuku stood with a nod. He gently helped her lie down on her stomach, and then he removed his gloves and sanitised to once again use his Quirk: Sunlight.

Pooling the light in his hand once more, he pressed his left palm into her back. Sunlight found the injury, swirling around it and softly touching the damage. Izuku let the heat and energy melt into it, shutting his eyes and letting the light leak from him to her. It took much less work than the roof injury guy, which was immensely relieving to Izuku. He didn't want to risk overheating and getting a fever. Izuku opened his eyes and removed his hand. He put on new gloves, and moved to the end of the table to be in the patient's line of sight. She looked at him, eyes wide.

"I'm going to see if you can feel my touch, so I'll gently probe your ankles and legs, and you need to raise an arm for me if you can feel it. Understand?" She nodded, and Izuku went back. He pressed his fingers into the ball of her left foot, and she lifted her left arm. He repeated the action with her right, and she raised her right hand. Izuku sighed in relief. He didn't doubt his Quirk, but he wasn't cocky enough to ignore double checking. Izuku moved to crouch once again where she could see him. "I'd like you to sit up now, without assistance." She nodded, eyes determined.

She slowly sat up, swinging her legs to dangle off the side of the bed. She beamed at him, wiggling her toes. Izuku smiled his Healer Smile™ and nodded in approval.

"I'll bring someone over to discharge you. Take it easy, I'd recommend not going back to cheer for at least three months, plus going to physical therapy. The injury is healed, but your back needs time to recover. Understand?" She nodded vehemently.

"I'm not making the same mistake twice." Izuku nodded in approval once more, and waved as he left.

"Hey, are you done with Bed 90?" Izuku asked as he noticed the same guy as before walking down the aisle.

"Yep. You got another?" Izuku nodded.

"Bed 74. She's Deaf, and I healed her spinal herniation with partial paraplegia." The medic sighed.

"Man, I really need to get around to learning sign. I swear, I keep saying I'll do it next month…" The man left, muttering, and Izuku smirked after him, amused.

Walking down the aisle and weaving through the rows towards the Head Healer's office, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It was probably close to halfway gold, which wasn't terrible so long as he was careful. Izuku stood in the doorway, and she turned to him expectantly.

"Bed 18, a girl with a minor brain bleed. Bed 90, a man with major trauma to his lower extremities with multiple open fractures and torn muscles. Bed 74, a woman with a spinal injury." Izuku reported. "All healed, Bed 90 and 74 both with recommended rest after Healing." She nodded firmly.

"File it, and then–" Her phone went off. Her emergency phone. "Change of plan." She said as she picked up the phone. "Head Healer Kunjku, Identification 499087 of Floor Four." She didn't move, eyes serious as whoever was on the other side of the phone spoke, most likely explaining the situation and asking for Healers. She nodded firmly. "Understood. ETA roughly 17 minutes." She hung up.

"Situation?" Izuku asked as she stood up.

"Get in your full gear. I'm going, you're going, and we're snagging the first medic we see." Head Healer Kunjku ordered. He'd never actually known her name before… huh. "There's been an attack involving Endeavor against a Villain who has some sort of gas Quirk. They estimate about 25 injured and more to come."

"Tell someone to grab me an ice pack and meet us in the garage. I'll suit up and head down." Izuku said shortly. "Who's in command for this mission?" She gave him a scrutinising look before sighing.

"You're more qualified for emergencies. You're in command, I'll be your second." Izuku nodded as they neared the locker room and he split off.

"Understood. I'll meet you downstairs in two minutes." Izuku took out his key and calmly and efficiently opened his locker and removed his gear. He pulled on his bulletproof vest as well as settled his visor around his head and the black mask over his mouth. He locked it again, due to his personal items still being inside, and then strode out of the room.

Izuku didn't bother with the elevator, taking the stairs at a brisk pace but not a run. Wasting energy on running during an emergency was stupid when you could just calmly jog or walk briskly. He arrived on the garage level and a girl was standing there, ice pack in hand.

"Thank you." Izuku took it, nodded to her. Sunlight wasn't really giving him a fever yet, but the ice would help stave off the fever he'll inevitably get. In theory.

He headed for the ambulance that was lit. Izuku climbed into the passenger seat, Kunjku behind the wheel and the male medic from before in the back part of the ambulance.

"Let's move." Izuku said calmly. Kunjku took off down the street, out of the garage. Izuku removed his visor so he could press the ice to his forehead. "Everyone, sound off with identification numbers and ranks."

"Head Healer Kunjku, Identification 499087, Rank C."

"Medic Cauto, Number 8907, Rank 3."

"Healer Midoriya, Number 177908, Rank A." Izuku nodded firmly. "Do we have an active location?"

"During the call they were between xxx and xxx, moving southward." Izuku nodded.

"Head directly to the place you were given. The roughly 25 victims called in during the start of the attack should still be there." He received two nods of understanding, and Izuku fell silent as he watched the road zip by, people moving out of the way of the sirens and flashing lights. "Smoke, there!" Izuku pointed. About a dozen buildings ahead, an entire block was full of smoke, massive clouds heading up. "I'm calling for more medics." Izuku said, pulling out his work phone.

"Understood." Kunjku said as she wove between cars. Izuku rang the front desk of the Center, the second number.

"Identification number and rank?" The girl said seriously.

"177908, Rank A. We need immediate backup on xxx of xxx. My team and I are still enroute and we see smoke pouring out of at least nine buildings. We need a team of a dozen medics here as soon as possible. Reports say the situation is active with Endeavor on the scene." Izuku said firmly, clearly, and quickly.

"Understood Midoriya. We'll send two teams of six to be arriving in roughly ten minutes." She said, clearly already moving into action.

"Good. Send them in full field medic gear. This is an active scene." Izuku then hung up and shoved his phone into his belt. He removed the ice, slipped on his visor, and watched Kunjku take one last turn and come to a stop, leaving the sirens on. "Everyone out, Medic Cauto, make a safe zone for us to leave victims for you to check over. Healer Kunjku, rescue and retrieve."

"Yes, sir!" They chorused, and then they lept into action.

"Healers on the scene!" Izuku yelled as he exited the vehicle. "Victims who can walk, come this way!" People started cheering in relief, several people covered in ash limping over. Izuku jogged from person to person, asking if they needed immediate help, but none did. He directed them toward the safe zone Cauto was setting up, and Kunjku was starting to round up people who had collapsed or were struggling to walk.

Izuku headed into one of the burning buildings, eyes searching for people.

"Healer in the building! Is anyone here?" Izuku heard a few groans, and he went for the sounds. A wall had collapsed, and several people were hiding under a table, nearly crushed by the wall. Without the table, they'd have died instantly rather than be sort of squished. "Stay calm, I'm going to get you out." Izuku held out a hand, and helped pull a woman out first, her whimpering as one of her legs seemed to be twisted. Correction: dislocation in the knee. Izuku then helped a man who seemed okay, mildly favouring his left hand as he gently cradled the other. Last was another woman who was coughing badly, but otherwise unharmed.

"This way, hurry." Izuku ordered as he scooped the first woman into his arms. He led them out of the building and handed the woman to a medic, nearly sagging in relief as he saw both medic teams had arrived.

Izuku searched the whole building, only one other person having been inside. Escorting them out, Izuku moved to the next building. Building by building Izuku searched for survivors, counting the people who were already gone as he went. However, he wasn't ready for the fight to head straight for Izuku and the medic zone.

The Villain was running, a green gas pouring from his hands as he went, a crazed grin on his face. His pupils were heavily dilated, and Izuku figured he was probably high. But, those eyes were trained right on the group of survivors.

Izuku ran, flat out sprinting for the group and stood protectively in front of them. He would protect them, and Sunlight would answer. The Villain made eye contact with him as Izuku crossed his arms in front of his face and stared the Villain down.

"Oh! A Healer! My lucky day!" The Villain yelled as he charged down the street. "If I'm going to Tartarus anyway, I'm taking out as many people as I can along the way!!" He screamed. Izuku shut his eyes, and pushed Sunlight out of his crossed arms.

Sunlight lived inside him, Izuku knew. It made a home there, flowing through his veins and seeping into his tissues, and usable in many ways. So Izuku poured his Sunlight into his arms, and it grew, moving to help fuel his desire to protect.

A brilliant shield, twenty feet high and fifteen feet wide, made of pure blinding Sunlight formed in front of the medic zone. Izuku held it in place, gritting his teeth as his outer forearms slowly became as metallic and dull as gold.

"What IS this?!" The Villain shrieked.

"This is the power of Sunlight, asshole! Leave my patients alone!" Izuku screamed in response. Now, Izuku couldn't see past the shield, but he seriously hoped the Villain wouldn't attack it. He'd lose whatever body part tried to touch it. Agonised screams and sizzling proved that, yeah, the Villain had touched the shield. The gold crept down towards Izuku's wrists, spreading and wrapping around his arms, and Izuku glared in determination.

"It's Endeavor!" Someone cried.

"He's caught the Villain!" Another one yelled, pumping a fist. Izuku uncrossed his arms, gasping, and let the Sunlight shield fade into just golden flickers hanging in the air. Izuku examined his arms, a little relieved it had only covered from elbow to wrists. He could still use his hands, and sort of bend his elbows. Izuku had no feeling in the gold sections, but he'd protected everyone. He spun around, panicking lightly.

"Was anyone hurt just now?" Izuku yelled to the group. "Specifically from the shield, or from the near attack just now?" The closer people shook their heads, while he heard several reassurances that they were fine.

Izuku grinned in relief, and then turned to see Endeavor was indeed glaring at the nearby press, unconscious and handcuffed Villain in hand. Both arms were badly burned, and the Villain was missing a hand, the stump catuerized well but also blackened. Oops. Izuku turned back to face the medics that were gathered.

"Medics! Healer Midoriya speaking, Identification Number 177908, Rank A!" Izuku called. "I need rescue and retrieval inside the buildings down the left side! The attack is over but the crisis is not!" He didn't look to see if they nodded before he turned to face the police squads holding back the bystanders. "Under the authority of Investigator Midoriya of the Musutafu Prefecture, I need half a dozen officers to retrieve the dead from the buildings on the right. I'd already cleared those buildings of living victims." People started moving immediately, and Izuku turned back to the few medics who'd stayed to help treat the victims. "I'll be helping load patients into ambulances. If you need immediate help, let me know. My Quirk is only for emergencies."

Izuku worked into the night, administering first aid, loading patients into ambulances, setting up lights for the medics in the safe zone, and he only needed to heal two people with Sunlight. By the time the fires were all out, the injured and dead were all counted, and Izuku was told he could head to the Center to end his shift, he was positively dead on his feet. He dutifully helped file a Crisis Incident Report with a group of five medics plus Head Healer Kunjku, and then hit the showers.

As he watched the blood and dirt go down the drain, Izuku leaned his slightly burning forehead on the cold wall of the shower and let himself relax under the water. It wasn't warm, not really. He couldn't risk overheating himself after using Sunlight over and over. However, the cold soothed his overworked muscles as well as helped make him more alert. Putting on scrubs temporarily, he dropped his dirtied Healer uniform in the laundry bin to be washed and headed to floor four to retrieve his clothes.

Dressed, showered, and exiting the building, Izuku tilted his head back and sighed. He sat down on the bench outside, and he pulled out his personal cell. He waited as it rang, and smiled when he heard his mother's voice.

"Are you done with the paperwork, Izuku? I saw the TV rerun." She asked softly.

"Yeah. Can you pick me up?" He leaned his head against the wall behind the bench.

"Oh Sunshine, you sound exhausted." She said, and he heard her rummaging around. Probably getting ready to leave the house and retrieve him. "You did wonderful, Izuku. You saved so many lives, and I'm so proud of you." Izuku smiled into his phone.

"Thanks, Mom." He murmured.

They talked quietly as she drove, Izuku admitting to the inevitable loss of life during the emergency. A Healer couldn't save everyone, and neither could Heroes. She didn't try to tell him it was okay, because it wasn't. Those people were gone, and they'd always be gone. She did, however, remind him that he did his best and that was enough.

"Izuku?" He opened his eyes, hearing his name both through the phone and in real life, and he lifted his head from where he'd let it fall against the wall.

"Sorry mom, I guess I'm tired enough my situational awareness totally screwed off." Izuku said apologetically.

"You mean, screwed up?" She asked as he stood, examining his near completely dull golden hair and his solid gold arms.

"No, I mean screwed off." Izuku gave her a tired grin. "The other way I could say it isn't very nice." She gave him a disapproving look, her lip wobbling with repressed laughter, and Izuku huffed in amusement.

"Come on, let's get you home." She said fondly. Izuku loved his mother, and he loved his jobs, but man was his life exhausting.

Chapter Text

Second Best

Izuku swung his leg off his bike, yawning, blinking tiredly and glaring into the sunrise as if it stole his first born child. It was four in the morning, and he was meant to be at school by eight, because classes started a half hour after that. Fantastic.

Izuku had purposefully asked for the graveyard shift on Wednesdays so he'd be closer to the Night Stalker case, but knowing that didn't make school the next morning any easier. It still sucked and made him want to faceplant into next week.

Izuku unlocked and opened the door to his apartment quietly, knowing his mom wouldn't be up for another two hours, and Izuku carefully removed his shoes, coat, and bag, before padding on quiet feet to his bedroom. Upon making it to said bedroom, he changed into pyjamas and immediately collapsed into bed. Sleep…

Izuku was going to murder his alarm clock.

8:00am

Correction, Izuku was going to murder his alarm clock after he avoided being late to school. Izuku blearily stumbled around, throwing clothes everywhere as he tried to find his uniform and yank it on without bothering to use him routine. He grabbed an apple and a granola bar on his way out, barely stuffing his feet in shoes and throwing on his leather jacket before stumbling outside.

The cold air was a wakeup call, hallelujah, and Izuku wasn't squinting into the light by the time he was hopping on his motorcycle and speeding away towards school. He'd never ridden it to school before, and Izuku was a little nervous about parking it there. Instead, he parked it in a garage three blocks down, and sprinted the rest of the way as he tried to shove his jacket into his backpack roughly. It wasn't really working, but it was the effort that counted right?

Izuku skidded to a stop in front of his classroom and took a deep breath, calming his heart rate, and then entered right as the bell rang. He waved to his teacher, who smiled at him, and Izuku took his seat. He was one desk over and one row behind Katsuki… who was staring at him like Izuku was an idiot. He probably was, trying to make graveyard and school work. Izuku gave him an apologetic shrug as he plopped down and started pulling out his things. He had work to do, after all.

When it was time for lunch, Izuku didn't feel like moving his head from where it lay on the desk. Unfortunately, he didn't have much choice since Katsuki existed.

"Oi, Broccoli, wake up." He ruffled Izuku's fluffy hair roughly.

"I'm awake, Katsuki." Izuku muttered. "Believe me, I wish I wasn't." Katsuki laughed.

"Get your ass up, I don't care if you worked graveyard last night, it's time for lunch." Izuku did as he was told, but he angrily muttered some very unkind things under his breath. Katsuki just laughed.

Izuku hated how people waved as he went by, smiling and chatting as if they knew him. As if they were friends. He glared at them lightly, sometimes they took the hint and backed off, but most of the time they weren't put off enough. Because Izuku's luck is oh so lovely, it was a day they elected to ignore his glare and tried to follow him as he walked around with his lunch tray.

As he left the lunchroom completely, they started looking a little annoyed, and when he exited the building they finally gave up. Izuku sighed in relief as he sat on the end of the koi pond, settling his tray on his lap. He smiled as he realised Katsuki was approaching, but said nothing as the boy sat next to him with his usual angry scowl.

"You didn't answer." Katsuki said finally.

"Answer what?"

"The sludge day, a few months ago." Izuku straightened, eyes boring into Katsuki as the boy picked at his food. "I told those extras I was headed to UA, and our shitty teacher asked if you were too." Katsuki looked up, glaring, right at Izuku. "You didn't fucking answer him."

"I don't know if I have the answer he would want, or the one you want." Izuku sighed.

"I don't understand why you don't just become a Hero." Katsuki grumbled. "Obviously a shitty broccoli like you would just be some nobody Hero, but you'd be a Hero."

"I don't know if I want to be a Hero." Izuku admitted, tilting his head back so his face was in the sun as he shut his eyes. "I'm happy with the two jobs I have already. How would I ever fit Hero School into that? I'd have to give something up." Katsuki growled, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Just stop the shitty Healer Centre." Katsuki bit out angrily. "You never wanted to work there anyway, shitty Broccoli." Izuku smiled slightly.

"I know." He admitted. "But I'm happy with what I have. Isn't that enough?" Katsuki didn't say anything, so Izuku waited.

The sun on his face and freckles made Sunlight curl with happiness, swishing inside Izuku and bubbling at the surface. Izuku knew it was sort of sentient, but not quite. It played off his own emotions for the most part. It's why he couldn't ever lose control. Usually, however, the Sunlight just sat under his skin and he could move it around his body without actually using his Quirk. It was a part of him, after all.

Sunlight moved, and Izuku let it curl into his hair as the wind ruffled it in the light breeze. Gold melted into his hair, he knew. Not the metallic colour that consumed him when he used his Quirk, harsh and deep with its gold. When Izuku moved the Sunlight, his eyes flashed like liquid Sunlight, bright and glowing. His hair was the same; curls lightening to an almost iridescent gold, a bright colour full of life and light, glowing in the sun.

He could've asked it not to move as such, keeping it more internal, but that didn't make Sunlight happy. Izuku had no reason to deny it small things like changing his hair or eye colour. Sometimes it even curled around his fingers, making his nails turn gold and fingers glow. He could do it purposefully, flashing his eyes gold to prove a point, using it to make his hair a beacon while working as a Healer. Sunlight was always happiest when Izuku felt the sun on his skin, though. It answered his call better then, too.

"Hey, Goldilocks?" A soft voice came, interrupting his thoughts. Izuku hummed an acknowledgement. "Why would you settle for being happy where you are, when you could chase after a dream that thrills you?" Izuku opened his eyes as Katsuki stood and stalked off, hands in his pockets and slouching. Katsuki had spoken so softly…

Izuku stared at what remained of his food, he couldn't find an answer, and he didn't know why that bothered him.

For the rest of the school day, Katsuki completely ignored him, and Izuku thought that was fair. Izuku, on the other hand, was just repeating what he'd said in his head over and over.

Why would you settle for being happy where you are, when you could chase after a dream that thrills you?

Izuku leaned his chin on a hand as he stared out the window.

Why would you settle… when you can chase after a dream that thrills you?

Izuku didn't know, and that frustrated him. He wasn't settling, he was happy. He was. Whenever Izuku solved a case and watched a criminal or a Villain get locked away, he found himself wanting to beam with pride. When he finished at a scene, Healer gear dirty and well used, he knew his exhaustion was caused by saving people. He felt content, knowing he'd done his part and he'd saved people. But… didn't Heroes save people too? Izuku frowned as he sat through class after class and the day went by. No, Heroes stopped Villains. They saved people, sure, but not like Healers… right?

That one question, one single sentence, had destroyed what Izuku had thought was a perfectly reasonable view of his own life. Izuku was a Healer, he saved people the Heroes couldn't and healed people with a warm hand. Izuku was an Investigator, he helped get criminals and Villains off the streets. But… was that really what he was doing?

Was he really saving people… or was he a second defence, saving people who the Heroes had already let get injured? Was he catching bad guys… or was he just examining crimes that had already happened to prevent even more from happening? What if Izuku wanted to prevent people from being injured in the first place? What if Izuku wanted to stop the Villain before he was looking at a wall of sixteen murders and trying to guess who was next? What if he… what if he was settling for second best? Was he okay with that? Izuku didn't know, and he didn't like that.

Izuku went into the precinct distracted, and it was obvious to everyone around him. He still did his work, still made his steamed hot chocolate, still made sure everything was going smoothly, but his mind kept wandering. They could see it in the way his eyes drifted, they could hear it in how his voice fluctuated on certain words, they could feel it when he finished a report and slumped in his chair silently. They knew.

Izuku's shift was four pm to eight pm, which meant he could go straight home and to bed after since he was off work at the Centre. He had less than ten minutes left, and was resisting banging his useless brain against his desk. He didn't know why what Katsuki said mattered so much. Sure, it was sentimental, unusual from Katsuki, but that shouldn't have made Izuku's brain stop working.

Izuku turned abruptly, knowing something was approaching, and saw Eraserhead heading for his desk. Izuku sighed.

"Midoriya." Eraserhead nodded to him. "You're off in a few."

"Yes." Izuku confirmed. "What do you need?"

"There've been two sightings of the Night Stalker, and I wanted to confirm with you if they're legitimate." Eraserhead said, handing Izuku a folder. "Do you have work at the Centre after this?"

"No. I'm off today, which is lucky. Means I'll actually get some sleep for once." Izuku said absentmindedly as he opened the folder.

There were blurry camera shots along with eye witnesses descriptions for each photo. Izuku started with the first one, taken from a convenience store security camera. The image was of a man in a black suit with armoured reinforcements on his torso and thighs, and a black sort of helmet with curling ram horns on it. A gun was at his hip, and a hand was on it protectively. The eye witness said he was running between alleys, keeping out of the light and in the shadows. The only reason they noticed him was because the witness had a hearing type Quirk.

The second photo was of a man in a black suit with armoured reinforcements on his chest and thighs, with a gun on his lower hip and his hands out in front of him. His helmet had curling ram horns on it near his ears. The photo was taken from a traffic light monitoring cam. The eye witness said they spotted him walking down a dark street, almost shabbling. He moved slowly but every step was silent, and the witness hid inside a building immediately upon seeing him.

"The one from the convenience store shot is the copycat." Izuku said firmly, tapping the photo. "Night Stalker doesn't try to hide other than being completely silent and blending into the already dark streets. He has no need of slinking from alley to alley. Beyond that, see how in the first photo the guy has his hand near the gun, while the second one has his hands loose and ready to attack at a moment's notice?"

"The real one favours his Quirk, while the copycat has to rely on his gun." Eraserhead nodded. "Good catch." Izuku frowned at the paper.

"So we have proof that the real Night Stalker is still out there. Why would he need a copycat?" Izuku frowned harder. "Most copycats come from a Villain's death, or capture. This one just seems like he's doing it for fun or something."

"Pretending we know why a Villain is doing something isn't rational." Eraserhead sighed.

"I know, but this guy isn't a Villain yet." Izuku said, handing the folder back. "We have no evidence he's used a Quirk. That classifies him as a criminal, for now. We need more information, which absolutely sucks because it probably means we have to wait until he's seen, or kills again." Izuku's eyes drifted a little, uncertainty kicking in.

There it was. The truth that Izuku couldn't go out on patrol like Eraserhead, looking actively for the Villain and working his ass off to prevent more murders. No, he was benched and unable to actually save people. If anything, when he arrested criminals and Villains he was really just avenging already dead people. He was giving their souls peace, sure, but…

"Midoriya."

"Yes?" Izuku said immediately, eyes focusing. He knew he hadn't missed anything Eraserhead said, he wasn't that far gone. The man sighed.

"People have been saying you've been off all day. Like that." Eraserhead said bluntly. "Something's on your mind."

"My best friend said something that's messing with my head." Izuku smiled apologetically, "I'll get it sorted. It won't mess with my work, as you have already observed. I'm guessing seeing if I was capable despite my mild preoccupation was a secondary goal of this conversation with me?" Izuku raised an eyebrow, and the Hero eyed him.

"What did your friend say?" Eraserhead pried. "You're one of the best people in this station. Maybe even the best, despite your age. Being in top form is important." Izuku narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but then he sighed when the Hero just stared blankly.

"He asked me why I wasn't going to be a Hero, and I said I was content doing my police and Healer work." Izuku admitted, leaning into his chair and tipping his head back to stare at the ceiling. "He asked 'why would you settle… when you can chase a dream that thrills you?' I don't know why, but it's bothering me."

"Is being a Hero a dream of yours, then?" Eraserhead asked.

"It used to be, before I started really working as a Healer." Izuku answered. "But I thought I'd moved past it, accepting that my two jobs were enough. Realising that I'd accepted it, and moved past it, I started asking myself if I really was content as I thought I was." Izuku sat up and smiled at the Hero apologetically, again. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out."

"I think you friend is right." Izuku blinked. "Settling for a life you ended up in instead of what you wanted will only become a regret once you've lived it for too many years. If you're truly happy with your life, and willing to do this forever, then the thought of becoming a Hero wouldn't be a conflicting or difficult thought." Eraserhead's dark eyes bore into Izuku's, which flashed gold momentarily.

"I'll think about it." Izuku said softly, willing the gold to melt out of his irises. "Thank you for your advice." Izuku stood, giving Eraserhead a nod, and then started getting ready to clock out. His brain needed a break.

He hopped on the motorcycle, clicked on his helmet, adjusted his backpack over his jacket, and sped off.

Night Stalker was a case Izuku had started roughly nine months ago, six months before the Sludge Villain and the copycat showed up. Eraserhead had been brought on board then, because the police weren't getting much farther after they raided Night Stalker's warehouse and found it had been cleaned out completely. It had been a devastating blow to the case, and they'd received heavy criticism from the Commission. They'd promised results and had none to show for it.

Izuku had been at the meeting with the representative of the Commission, and Tsukauchi had let him take the lead in explaining everything they'd done right, and how the failed raid didn't prove they were incompetent. Because Izuku got the chance to shine, rather than sit silently in the back, the representative didn't say a word about his age. Even she could see that Izuku wasn't a child to be treated as such. He wasn't an adult, but he deserved the respect of one, considering his two jobs and his intelligence.

But Izuku couldn't help but feel like Katsuki might've had a point. He thrived in his two environments, but what if he combined them? What if he could save while catching Villains? What if he could prevent harm that needs emergency Healers, while he caught the Villains before they committed horrific murders? Izuku was saving people and catching Villains already, but it wasn't the same. As a Hero, he could be out there with Eraserhead, catching the Night Stalker.

Could he… make a real difference as a Hero? Izuku didn't know, and he kept driving.

"Mom?" Izuku asked as he laid on the couch, both feet over the back of it because why not. "Do you think I could be a Hero?" The rummaging in the kitchen stopped. "I mean, pretend I could have all my work and jobs in pause mode. Do you think I could pull it off?" The kitchen was silent aside from the noise of the running facet where his mother had been washing the dishes Izuku had used in his late night dinner.

"Sunshine, I think you can do whatever you put your mind to." Her voice spoke as her footsteps approached. Izuku turned his head to see her crouching beside the couch. "What brought this on?"

"Katsuki again." Izuku huffed. "I thought he'd gotten over us being Heroes together when I started my job at the station. He'd stopped asking, anyway." He turned his head away, staring at the ceiling once again as if it held all the answers. "Today, he said I could be a Hero. I mean, he said I'd be a nobody Hero compared to him, instead of the childish 'I'll be number one and you can be number two, I guess' that we've both heard a million times." His mother laughed softly. "He said I shouldn't settle for something like my current life, when I could go and be a Hero." Izuku sat up then, removing his feet from the back of the couch and tucking them criss-cross style as he turned to face his mom. "Was he right? Am I meant to live this life, one that's exhausting but makes me happy, or am I meant to reach for the stars, risk it all, and possibly fall?" His mother took one of his hands gently, and trailing a finger in circles around his palm.

"Why not reach for the stars?" She murmured. "You already hold the brightest in your hands, don't you?" Her eyes, green and sad as she searched his face. "I put you in that Healer preschool because they said they could protect you while you were still learning to use your gift. I didn't do it because I was forcing you to be a Healer." Izuku squeezed her hand in his.

"I know." He whispered.

"Naturally, because of your gift, you were pulled into being one anyway. You were so happy that you could help people, and you slowly just stopped wanting to be a Hero." She sighed, looking down at their clasped hands. "I didn't see it before, but maybe you didn't stop wanting, you were just steered in the opposite direction and never did anything to turn yourself back around."

"I thought as a Healer, I was saving people the Heroes couldn't." Izuku admitted. "But I'm realising... I want to help them before they have the chance to get hurt at all. As a Healer, I can't do that." He took a deep breath, and let it out. "As a police Investigator, I'm put on cases to help catch people. I can't be a Detective because that would involve fieldwork, but that's pretty much what I am unofficially. Everyone knows it. When I started High school I'll be allowed to do fieldwork, but it'll only be police work. I thought that was okay with me, before. But… today I paid more attention. I'm on a case with little to no solid evidence other than sightings and actual murders, and I just have to wait for more evidence. I'm waiting for him to kill again, and I realised… maybe I'm not okay with that."

"Sunshine, look at me." Izuku felt gold melt into his eyes as he lifted them, Sunlight curling comfortably under his skin. Inko looked at him seriously, eyes sharp and chin jutted out in firm determination. "Izuku, you can become a Hero." Izuku inhaled sharply. Nobody had ever said that to him before, and he quite suddenly understood Shinso. Izuku's eyes burned, tears pooling as he stared at her, vision getting wobbly.

"You think so?" His voice broke, tears thickening in his throat.

"Sunshine, you already are." Her voice was so full of sincerity that Izuku choked on a laugh. It was a wonderful thing to hear, and Izuku hugged his mother tightly as small tears fell, soaking into his mother's shirt.

"Mom, I think I'm going to be a Hero."

Chapter Text

Go Izuku Go!

Izuku walked right into UA without hesitation. He followed the stream of students through the gates and to the auditorium, taking in the many many rows of seats and the stage below. A giant screen was behind the stage, and Izuku figured the orientation would explain everything digitally, whereas the pamphlet just said it outright.

He wasn't surprised when Katsuki sat next to him, and Izuku waved sarcastically to the boy who was surprised.

"Broccoli, what're you doing here?" Katsuki glared as he regained his composure.

"I'm sorry Kat, did I forget to mention I was going to be a Hero?" Izuku tilted his head with faux innocence. "My bad."

"'Bout damn time, Broccoli." The blond grumbled, and then he fell silent as he faced the front. Izuku resisted a fond smile at the blond, and then looked up in blank surprise as the spotlights above the students shone on the stage and the main lights went off.

The U.A. Logo appeared on a screen behind the stage, yellow letters and blue background on full display. Izuku zoned his eyes on Present Mic who had shown up and was grinning up at the students.

"For all you examinee listeners tuning in today, welcome to my show today! Everybody say 'hey'!" The Hero leaned forward with a hand cupping his ear, but there was nothing to hear. Nobody responded.

"What a refined response." Present Mic shrugged dramatically, mock disappointment radiating through him. "Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam. Are you ready? YEEAAAHHH!" Mic yelled out the last part excitedly, eliciting no response once more.

"As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting 10-minute mock urban battles after this!" The screen behind the hero shifted to show a main area in teal that read 'You Are Here', surrounded by a diagram of linked and colour-coded areas labelled A-G. "You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you'll head to your specialised battle centres, okay?" All students around Izuku started checking their cards, and nobody responded "OKAY?!" Statistics were against Mic in the way of responses from his audience, and Izuku wondered why he was still trying so hard.

"In other words, they won't let you work with your friends, huh?" Katsuki muttered. Izuku glanced at him, seeing he was examining Izuku's card next to him. Sunlight soaked into Izuku's hair, gold streaks forming as Izuku smiled.

"We have consecutive examinee numbers, but different Battle Centres. It's most likely to prevent team-ups." Izuku said thoughtfully. "Fairness and individuality are taken seriously here." His number was #2234, and he was in Battle Centre B. Katsuki was number read #2233, but was in Battle Centre A. Katsuki clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Don't look at my card, Goldilocks." He said with no bite, eyeing Izuku's hair. Izuku huffed a laugh but said nothing as he tucked his card away. Izuku turned to face the screen and noticed it had changed. It showed a model of a city, which meant urban battles.

"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each Battle Centre." As Mic spoke, dark shapes appeared on screen with numbers 1P, 2P, and 3P labelling them around the city. "You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty." Zooming into the city to show a street block, an animated Present Mic walked down the pavement approaching a dark shape labelled 1P. "Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilising the faux villains." As Mic said this, screen Mic defeated another obstacle labelled as 2P. "Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!" Mic waved his index finger dramatically at the crowd. Izuku turned his head suddenly, hearing someone shoot to his feet a few rows ahead.

"May I ask a question!" The boy was stiff, as if wearing medical braces, yet was uninjured. A rich upbringing then, probably a stickler for rules.

"Okay." Mic sounded a little confused, so his voice didn't come out as a shout, and he pointed at the boy. A spotlight lit the kid up, and he was wearing a yellow sweater uniform holding up the orientation pamphlet.

"On the printout, there are four types of villains. If this is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake." The boy sounded scolding, disapproving, as he spoke quickly and loudly. In a heartfelt way he tapped his chest as he lowered the paper, expressing his sincerity. "We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be moulded into exemplary heroes, and mistakes like this are unacceptable."

"Okay, Examinee #7111." He made a thumbs up, grinning. "Thanks for the great message! The fourth type of villain is worth zero points." The screen zoomed out, back to the view of the city with the dark shapes around it, with an added figure labelled 0P. It was worth no points. "This guy's an obstacle, so to speak." Going back to the street view, animated Mic was once again patrolling a street. "There's one in every Battle Center, an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces." Little Mic approached the silhouette labelled 0P, but instead of defeating it, he ran away and turned down a different street. "It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either." The little character ran even farther away, which seemed an odd representation to Izuku, personally. It seemed important. "I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

"Thank you very much." The still standing boy yelled, and then bowed deeply. "Please excuse the interruption!" He then sat down quickly and efficiently, which made Izuku only more sure he cared deeply about routine and rules. He'd asked bluntly and explained his thoughts, and then apologised for making a fuss. He'd need to loosen up to be a good Hero, but the boy seemed fine enough, if a little rude.

"That's all from me!" Present Mic held out his arms. "Finally, I'll give you listeners a present - our school motto! The Hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. Go beyond. PLUS ULTRA!" Mic announced, bent backwards in an odd contortion, and the screen showed the words Plus Ultra in yellow lettering by pink and blue swirls with a green background behind the words. "Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" Mic grinned one last time, and the spotlights went off.

Izuku stood as the main lights came on, Present Mic left the stage, and his hair leaked back into full green mode. Izuku was confident, especially because he'd been given direct permission to bring anything he wanted. He already knew it was allowed, but Mic had specifically said the examinees could bring whatever they wanted. Maybe they wouldn't expect it, but it was allowed.

Izuku headed to the locker rooms, same as everyone else, and found a space to change. He set his backpack down on a bench and opened a blue locker, unzipping his bag, and pulling off his school uniform. As he redressed in his loose exercise gear, Izuku pulled out the belt and holster he'd brought specifically for the exam.

The holster was solid, easy to close but hard to open for safety reasons, and the gun already snugly kept inside, loaded and live. The ammunition cartridges were clipped into the other side of the belt, and he made sure they were clicked in properly and wouldn't fall out. Satisfied, Izuku put his school uniform in his backpack and tucked it away in a locker. He then locked it, smiling as he was glad he remembered his lock.

Izuku went outside, ignoring the people staring at his weapon or him in general, and loaded into the bus headed to Battle Centre B. He didn't see Katsuki on his way, but he didn't really expect to anyway. It wasn't long before the bus left, and it wasn't too long before they rolled to a gentle stop. Izuku hopped out, assessing what he could.

There seemed to be a few under two dozen people he could see, split down the middle whether he could guess or see their Quirks. They all stood in front of a massive gate, which Izuku assumed to be the entrance, some closer than others to the door. Izuku was farther back, and he took deep breaths to remain calm. He started his stretching routine he did every morning, slowly going through the motions to be careful of his gun holster. When he was finished, he stood neutrally and waited for a sign.

"Okay, START!" Izuku took off for the doors, and they burst open faster than should've been possible. However, it was UA, so Izuku didn't question it. "That listener has it! There are no countdowns in real life!" Pounding of feet started behind Izuku, and he removed his gun as he ran, holding it with both hands at his side and pointed at the ground as he pulled back the slide. Rule One of firearms: Never point a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy, loaded for not. Rule Two: Never keep your finger on the trigger, that's how mistakes happen.

A group of robots burst out in front of Izuku as the strict boy zoomed up behind him, and Izuku pointed his gun up and fired directly through the robot's glowing red eye camera. It dimmed, crumpled and collapsed. Gasps and shocked screams came from behind Izuku, but he didn't stop as he methodically began taking out every robot he could see, even as other examinees began to take down their own.

Izuku, assessing his clip down to only three bullets, as well as the growing number of people in his area, sprinted away in search of more robots. He fired directly upwards as he ran, making noise to attract the robots and finishing his clip. Flicking the switch, he ejected the empty clip and clicked it into a slot on his belt. He released a full one before lining it up with the gun as he slammed it into place. Hearing the affirmative click, Izuku pulled back the slide to load the chamber and once again aimed it at the ground with his finger flat against the trigger guard.

He stopped, eyes shut as he listened, and Izuku turned as he heard a robot smashing through a building straight for him. Izuku grinned as more robots amassed to him, shooting them down fifteen shots at a time before he needed to reload while dodging or ducking behind cover. Izuku was about to take off for a new zone, the one he was in littered with robot carcasses, when he paused; looking around for the source of the odd noise, spotted the smoke, and then the earthquake started.

Izuku holstered his gun, clicked it into place, and then sprinted for the rumbling. If people were injured by whatever took down those two buildings, they'd need him. Izuku saw dust clouds forming as the only warning before he saw the massive robot that towered up and over the buildings. It looked as if it was focused in on a single street, which meant the majority of the examinees were there.

Izuku reached the proper street just in time to see a massive fist slam into the ground, crack the concrete, and send debris flying everywhere.

"Everyone get back!" Izuku yelled to the frozen Hero students. "Is anyone injured?"

"No!"

"What the hell is that!?"

"Don't tell me that's the zero pointer!?"

Izuku didn't care what they were saying as long as they were evacuating. He did care, however, when he heard a feminine cry of pain. Searching the debris in the area he heard it with his eyes, he spotted her. Izuku ran for the girl, seeing that she was pinned, and also saw the robot was too close. He'd never be able to evacuate her in time without some kind of speed Quirk. So he ran to her side, crouched down next to her pinned legs, and crossed his arms in front of his face.

"Close your eyes!" Izuku ordered, and then let Sunlight pulse outwards protectively.

Sunlight burst into a shield, larger than his last one, his forearms immediately turning into solid gold. The brilliant light covered Izuku and the girl in a near dome of golden light, spanning the whole width of the street in Izuku's area. He held it, and then shut his eyes as the gold crept down his wrists. Then, relief hit as he felt the robot smash into the shield. Izuku could feel the force used, of course, but it never affected him or the Sunlight. Metal screeched, and Izuku vaguely wished he could see the giant robot getting absolutely obliterated as it tried to attack his shield. Gold melted into his eyes, and he glared upwards defiantly, even as he started losing feeling in his wrists.

"Times Up!!" Izuku dropped the shield as the siren went off, panting, and the Sunlight faded. It left a sparkling hue, like a golden rainbow in the air as it shimmered, and Izuku could finally see the robot. It had clearly tried to punch, and then walk into the shield, and half of it had been utterly melted away. The other half had felt the force and repercussions, holes melted into it from metal being too close to the shield.

Izuku turned away and assessed his arms. No feeling from wrist to elbow, but his fingers still all worked. Izuku then crouched, hands on his knees, eyes assessing the girl closely. She seemed to be staring open-mouthed up at him, and he smiled reassuringly, his Healer Smile™ on full display.

"My name is Midoriya. Do you need assistance in unpinning your leg, or were you panicking in the situation and unable to do it yourself quickly enough?" She turned a little pink, and Izuku assumed it was the latter.

"I can do it, thank you for saving me." Izuku smiled at her.

"Of course, it's what Heroes do." Izuku stood, and looked around, grinning as he saw Recovery Girl heading over and handing out energy gummies.

"Good work, good work, good work." She was saying as her syringe cane clicked against the concrete. The girl he'd protected was tapping the debris, and Izuku realised she had some kind of gravity Quirk, since it started to float and she wiggled out from underneath it. Interesting. She probably panicked during the emergency and thought she couldn't reach her legs from the angle she was pinned at. Rookie mistake, but understandable.

Izuku waved to Recovery Girl and received a respectful nod in response; she'd been at the ceremony the Healers Centre had for his moving up to Rank A. It was a huge deal, understandably. Izuku was one of the Ninety-Seven Rank A Healers in the whole world. He was also the youngest ever awarded the Rank, so yeah. She had attended.

Izuku wasn't finished at UA, even after he'd changed into his uniform and put away his gun, returned to campus and watched the other students leave, he headed to the Principal's office. Izuku had called one day before the exam, and requested a meeting with the Intelligence Hero. Izuku wanted a way to still work while also being a Hero student.

With the Precinct, he'd already worked it out. Izuku, assuming he got into UA, would work from six pm to one am, and then he'd go home and sleep. The next morning he'd go to school, and then he'd clock in for his shift at six pm again. He and Tsukauchi had discussed it in depth because Izuku didn't want to be a zombie all day every day by working a hardcore graveyard shift from ten pm to four am. Working the evening shift, Izuku could still get several hours of sleep before he was expected to be at school.

However, this meant that Izuku would have to completely stop working for the Healers Centre. It just didn't fit in his schedule, and he thought he was okay with that at first. But being a Rank A Healer with all that training and full certifications, Izuku couldn't help but feel he was wasting it all. Thus, his new and perfect plan had come in. The only wildcard variable was Nezu himself. If everything worked out, he could quit the Healer Centre and still be a Healer.

Izuku knocked on the Principal's door, and it swung open seemingly on its own. He entered, face blank, looking around. The room was a good size without being overly large, Nezu sitting behind a desk with a wall of windows behind him. There was a couch facing the desk right in front of the door, with a red rug and table between the desk and the couch.

"Ah, Healer Midoriya, it's nice to finally meet you." Nezu smiled at him. "You asked for a meeting, yes?" Izuku nodded, and walked around the couch to take a seat.

"I'd like to discuss your medical circumstances here at UA, as well as my own usefulness as a Healer." Izuku said bluntly.

"Well then, you have the floor." Nezu looked amused, and Izuku resisted a sigh.

"Regardless of the results from my Hero Course application, I'd like a position here at UA as a Healer on your staff. My Rank is the same as Recovery Girl's, both of us being Rank A Healers with all proper certifications and training. To be honest, having only one Healer here is irresponsible for a school this large and this prominent. In an institution such as this, I'd recommend at least five medics and two Healers. Seeing as I'm wishing to attend, I wanted to hear your thoughts and suggest my own placement here as a Healer for UA." Nezu grinned, and Sunlight bled into Izuku's irises.

"Do you do that on purpose?" Nezu asked curiously.

"I can, but usually Sunlight vaguely asks permission and I let it do what it wants." Izuku answered, letting the conversation diversion slide.

"So your Quirk is sentient?"

"Again, only vaguely." Izuku tilted his head in thought. "Sunlight feels my emotions, but it has its own reactions to them. For example, my shield. The first time I used it, Sunlight lashed out due to my overwhelming desire to protect myself, when the building I was in collapsed during a Villain attack. I was about six years old at the time."

"So it moves around your body, expressing your emotions through small or large reactions." Nezu said, grinning. Izuku nodded.

"That's mostly accurate, yes." Izuku confirmed. Nezu was quiet for a moment before becoming more serious.

"Before we discuss the possibility of you taking a position here, I need to know the specifics of your Quirk." Nezu eyed him curiously, and seriously. "When it was registered, you merely said Sunlight lived inside your veins to be used at your disposal. There is no record anywhere of the exact use of your Quirk and its capabilities. However, when you were eight, there was a cover up in the Healer Centre that caused them to move buildings. They never said why, but there was footage of a bright flash of light before the building became unstable. As well as that, your file says you had a Quirk accident in your early life, but gave no details. Do you have an explanation?" Izuku took a calming breath, and then nodded.

"Sunlight isn't meant to be used offensively or as a weapon. It's meant to Heal, to Protect. However, it does possess such offensive capabilities." Izuku raised one hand, letting sunlight consume his fingers and make them glow a white brightness. "I've always been a stable person, happy and content to do whatever I can to help, and I rarely get truly angry or upset. Since receiving my Quirk, that has become a necessity rather than a personality trait. Extreme bouts of anger or anguish create devastating results."

"Can you elaborate?" Izuku nodded.

"When I was seven, my father died in a Villain attack. I was at school, and I didn't know until I got home. My mother was at work, and I saw a news rerun of the attack and a list of victims." Izuku shut his eyes, Sunlight soaking back into him, and his hands were once again normal. "Sunlight felt my anguish, and sought to take it away. As I started to cry, awful, heartbroken, grief ridden sobbing, gold poured out of my eyes, and waves of Sunlight exploded out of me. I incinerated the entire floor of my apartment building. In an instant, nine apartments were disintegrated, and I killed twelve people. Luckily, we lived on the top level, so all other floors were safe from my anguish and the Sunlight. The police came, but I was already unconscious. They marked the incident as a Quirk accident, and I wasn't in any trouble. The Healer Centre basically covered the whole thing up. I was too valuable. Besides… using Sunlight in such a way… I was screaming and burning up, unconscious for days. I recovered, but mother was careful around me for months. Not afraid of me, but for me." Izuku resisted a smile, remembering how that was the moment his mother realised she couldn't always protect him. "After that… accident… she started helping me a lot more." Nezu was watching when Izuku opened his eyes, liquid gold on beady black.

"And what happened with the Healer Centre?"

"I was angry." Izuku frowned. "I felt such rage, burning hatred that ran through my veins like poison, and Sunlight reached for me. I screamed, anger radiating out of me, and direct beams of concentrated Sunlight went out in every direction coming from my chest. I barely managed to contain it, being a little older at the time, and I aimed it all downwards. Nobody was killed, but Sunlight burned through all six floors under me, and deep into the ground. The building collapsed because Sunlight melted a hole in the centre of the foundation, and then the heat spread and cracked the whole thing. I passed out in less than a minute, and again I was in the hospital, unconscious and screaming, for nearly a week."

"Does happiness trigger such a severe reaction?" Izuku hummed.

"Not in a weaponized way. Extreme joy will make Sunlight come to the surface though. Usually it makes my hair turn a bright white gold and I've been told my skin will glow when I'm really happy about something. The most recent thing I can think of, was when I caught a Villain I'd been chasing after for weeks. Sunlight made me glow after he was sentenced to life in Tartarus."

"If you feel the more negative emotional reactions coming, is there any warning, any way to stop it?" Nezu asked carefully, "It seems like an incredibly dangerous power to have."

"I've experienced it one other time, more recently when I was about thirteen. My friend, Bakugo Katsuki, he said my hands started to shake and my eyes went completely white, pupils and all, a bright and glowing white. He said gold flecks, like sun drops, floated in my hair and around my head as my hands began to glow." Izuku held out a hand and let Sunlight bubble at the surface, making his palms glow softly. "He said it wasn't a soft glow, it was a harsh and blinding light consuming my hands. Katsuki had me dunk my hands in ice water, over and over, even as it evaporated within an instant. It took about half an hour, but my anger calmed and nothing was destroyed. In addition, I'd like to add that my control is near perfect. Those three are the only times it's ever happened." Nezu nodded, smiling once more.

"I understand, this seems easily avoidable, and I'd love to have you as a staff member here." Izuku grinned, nodding in response, waiting for him to continue. "Having only Recovery Girl for years has indeed weighed on my mind, but medics can't be qualified to work on Pro Heroes who are injured while working. They could with students, but it seems still unreliable. You, however, are a perfect solution. You have fully authority to heal whoever needs healing, Pro or not."

"Thank you, sir." Izuku said, smiling a little. "If I am accepted into the Hero Course, do you have ideas as to a schedule? I have my own thoughts, but I'd like to hear yours as well." Nezu grinned.

"Let's hear your ideas first, then." Izuku nodded easily, reaching into his bag and removing a stack of papers. He stood and came to stand in front of Nezu's desk, placing the papers down and leaning on the desk with one hand.

"Homeroom is first, for Heroics classes." Izuku said, pointing at the start of the times table with his free hand. "Then are a few Core lessons, like English and Math, and then Battle Training after lunch. Afternoon classes are more Core lessons, like Literature." Nezu nodded, obviously already knowing this. "My plan would be that I would attend homeroom with the other students, as well as Battle Training, but I'd spend the rest of the time in the nurse's office. Which, by the way, should be called the Healer's office since you have no nurses or medics. Anyway, I could still take those classes, since I have no problem working out of textbooks, and even lesson plans would work for me. Of course, if I fail to keep my grades up, we would need to reconsider. I am confident that won't be a problem, however." He looked up to see Nezu grinning at the paper, clearly interested.

"My, my, you put a lot of thought and research into this." Nezu complimented.

"Thank you." Izuku nodded, turning back to the papers. "If I don't become a Hero student, I would recommend Recovery Girl and I share patients during the school day. I'd need to hack out the details with her specifically, for breaks and things for the both of us, but I'm guessing we both attend every day for the whole school day." Izuku finished happily, and looked back towards the Principal expectantly.

"How did you manage to get a hold of our class schedule?" Nezu asked, grin in place.

"The station has a copy of UA's schedule for every year." Izuku answered with a shrug. "As an Investigator, I have privileges that allow me to access such things."

"I see, wonderful." Nezu clapped his paws together. "Well, the last thing I suppose would be your pay. How does it sound if you make as much as Recovery Girl does? I presume you know how much that is." Nezu smiled pleasantly while Izuku internally bluescreened. Recovery Girl made roughly 20 million yen per year.

"I mean, I won't say no to that much." Izuku swallowed, "But isn't that a bit excessive for someone my age?"

"Age rarely matters if all qualifications have been met. I'm aiming to pay you for your hard work and befitting your proper Rank, Healer Midoriya." Nezu grinned, and Izuku nodded in stunned acceptance. "Everything is set then. I expect you to show up every morning fifteen minutes before homeroom to check that the… Healer's… office is up and running for the day." Izuku smiled, and nodded. Healer's office was much better than nurse's office. "Lastly, if you have time, please come to the Staff Room every morning to retrieve a Staff schedule for the day so you know which Hero classes are most likely to need Healing at what times for the upper years." Izuku nodded again. That made sense. If Class B was in Battle Training when A was at lunch, he should expect B students to be injured more than he should expect A students.

"Perfect. Thank you for your time, Principal." Izuku put all his papers away carefully, and bowed to the small mammal. "I'm looking forward to joining the staff this year."

"I'll be informing the rest of the staff of your new position, but not who will be filling it. It will be more fun to just say we've hired a second Healer." Izuku resisted a smirk at Nezu's slightly mischievous grin. "Can you make it to the Start-of-Year Staff Meeting? It's in three days, at nine in the morning."

"I can make it." Izuku confirmed. "Do you have a place I can park my motorcycle?" Nezu's grin widened even further, if possible.

"Why yes, though you'll need a Staff Card to access the garage." Nezu reached into his desk and pulled out a blue card that was completely blank, and handed it over. "This is a temporary one. After the Start-of-Year Staff Meeting we'll set you up with a more permanent one. The garage is in the back of the school, and the Card will open the back gate."

"Again, thank you very much." Izuku bowed.

"Thank you, as well, Healer Midoriya. Your position here will greatly help our institution and Recovery Girl's burden." Nezu gave him a grin and a nod, and Izuku waved as he left.

He walked through the empty halls, all students having gone, and Izuku let himself smile softly. He was going to be a Healer for UA, and possibly even a Hero student. Maybe he really was meant to be a Hero.

Chapter Text

The Staff Meeting

Izuku woke up more excited than he had in weeks on the morning of his staff meeting. His staff meeting. A meeting where he was a staff member of UA. It was… surreal, almost. He kissed his mother's cheek goodbye as he headed out half an hour before the meeting time, started up his motorcycle, and zoomed away.

UA was only about ten to twelve minutes away on his bike, but he didn't want to risk being late because he couldn't find the back entrance. It didn't turn out to be a problem, since he found the back entrance exactly where the school map said it would be. The archway was identical to the one out front, except the entrance was blocked by the metal security doors. There was a card scanner in front of the massive metal gates. He stopped next to it and pulled off his gloves, flicking up his visor, and took out the card before inserting it into the scanner. He grinned when it lit up green, and the card was gently ejected back into his hand. The gates opened, though a red sensor was lit. It would probably immediately lock if someone without a card tried to enter with him.

He flicked his visor shut and grinned behind it as he slowly rode onto campus and down into the garage under the school. Izuku parked his bike and kicked out the bike stand, took off his helmet and shook out his hair. Sunlight curled there, happiness making white-gold stream through and cover all his hair with light gold.

Izuku made his way through the halls, lit and empty as he spotted the door to the meeting room he'd found on the map. Izuku was suspicious he didn't see anyone else, even though it was five minutes until the meeting, but he knocked on the door anyway.

"Come in." Nezu's voice came through a speaker on the door, which made sense since the room was probably soundproof. Izuku opened the door, and found himself staring at a room with a U shaped table opening towards Izuku. He blinked, seeing fourteen pairs of eyes on him, all seated with folders in front of them.

"You know, I should've guessed that you'd give me the wrong time so I'd show up last." Izuku said, eyes sweeping the room as they turned gold. "And yet, I am still surprised by it." Nezu laughed, and Izuku shut the door behind him as he stepped into the room and walked over to the empty seat between Nezu and Recovery Girl.

Izuku catalogued everyone he could see. Eraserhead, Vlad King, Powerloader, Present Mic, Thirteen, Midnight, Snipe, Cementoss, Hound Dog, Lunch Rush, Ectoplasm, Nezu himself, and Recovery Girl. The last was someone Izuku didn't recognize, a scarecrow of a man with blond hair and deeply shadowed eyes.

"Nezu, who's this?" The Blood Hero: Vlad King asked roughly, eyeing Izuku. He seemed to be taking in the gold eyes and hair suspiciously, and Izuku waved sarcastically as he sat down.

"That is Midoriya Izuku, Healer and Police Investigator of the Musutafu Prefecture." Eraserhead said tiredly. "I'm assuming he's our new Healer on staff." He gave Nezu an exhausted look.

"Exactly right, Aizawa." Nezu clasped his paws together with a grin. "Everyone, as he said, this is your new staff member. Midoriya?" Izuku stood again, giving them his Healer Smile™ and bowing slightly.

"I'm Healer Midoriya, Identification Number 177908, Rank A. I'm fifteen years old, and I'm excited to be working with all of you." He received nods from some, while others just stared, eyeing him up, and he sat again.

"Hey! You were the little listener from Battle Center B!" Mic exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "You took the Heroics Exam; you made that huge shield!"

"That was him?" Cementoss asked thoughtfully, "Didn't he look different? Little green fellow?" Izuku huffed a laugh and pushed his sunlight below the surface, letting green soak into his hair and eyes. Cementoss’s expression didn’t change, but his voice was a little bit higher pitched when he next spoke. "Ah, I see."

"Young man, what exactly is your Quirk?" Izuku eyed the unknown blond.

"My Quirk is classified." Izuku said evenly. "Even Nezu couldn't find any record of it, and had to ask me directly during the meeting we had." The whole room seemed to recoil in shock, even Eraserhead's eyes widening.

"Nezu?" Mic looked to the Principal.

"Delightful, isn't it?" Nezu cackled. "It's true, his Quirk is very powerful, wonderful, and equally dangerous." Izuku scowled.

"It's only dangerous when used wrong." Izuku said coldly. Nezu only grinned.

"Of course, Healer Midoriya. Of course." Izuku turned his head away from Nezu as he noticed Ectoplasm leaning forward.

"Isn't it always dangerous? As far as I saw, you created a shield of pure energy that melted a zero pointer." Izuku hummed, face going blank.

"Sunlight can be dangerous, of course, but when used incorrectly the results are devastating." Izuku said seriously.

"Would you be up for a small demonstration?" Midnight asked eagerly, "I could always knock you out if need be."

"None of you would survive a demonstration." Izuku said, not breaking eye contact as gold flashed into his eyes once more. She recoiled.

"Young Midoriya, I'm sure that's an exaggeration." The unknown man laughed nervously.

"It isn't." Nezu denied. "Unfortunately, if any of us tried to witness such a thing we would all perish. Even All Might himself wouldn't survive such a thing." Izuku narrowed his eyes at the wording, and then his brain caught up as the blond man slumped slightly in his seat.

"It's curious." Izuku drawled, leaning on a hand as he perched an elbow on the table. Eraserhead straightened, recognizing the tone. "Nezu never says anything that doesn't have a double meaning. Mentioning All Might was unnecessary, and yet he said it anyway. You said my answer was an exaggeration, in a way that sounded as if you were above such things as a fifteen year old's Quirk. When Nezu mentioned All Might you slumped in defeat, as if knowing that made all the difference between my words and his. Pair that with your blond hair, scarecrow appearance, and it's curious. It's almost as if All Might was a popped balloon." Izuku examined his nails as the man coughed up blood in surprise. "Now, you wouldn't know the answer, would you?" Izuku raised his eyes to meet the blue in the man's shadowed face, smiling innocently as he did.

"Young man, you must understand that this is a national secret." The man coughed, and then extravagantly became All Might in a puff of steam right in front of his eyes. "Right now, I can only work as a Hero for about three hours a day. It's an injury I got from an enemy's attack five years ago. Half of my respiratory organs were destroyed, and I lost my whole stomach. I've become emaciated from repeated surgeries and the aftereffects." The man deflated again with a bloody cough, standing, and showed a wound to his stomach, purple and bruised as if his torso was caved in and never healed. Izuku stood and walked over, examining it closely.

"Well, I could definitely fix this." Izuku nodded to himself. “Horrible injury, my condolences about your career.” Then he shrugged and started back towards his seat.

"W-wait!" Izuku glanced over his shoulder, nearly laughing at the look on Aizawa's face from behind the scarecrow man. "You could seriously heal me?" Izuku nodded and turned back to face him fully.

"Honesty, it wouldn't even be hard." Izuku shrugged delicately. "It would take, oh, fifteen to thirty seconds max." All Might looked positively ravenous. "First, I'd like to know what you'd do upon being fully operational and uninjured." Izuku raked his eyes up and down the man slowly. "I'm guessing you decided to take a position as a teacher to ease the transition from Heroics into retirement?" Izuku raised an eyebrow. "If I take away your time limit, what's stopping you from dropping your teaching duties and going back to being a Hero full time?" Izuku put his hands on his hips. "Since you've already chosen to be here for this school, I'd expect you to actually be a teacher like you promised. I won't heal you otherwise, which is my right as a Healer. Being late to work because you decided to play Hero would be unacceptable." Izuku glared as he crossed his arms, and the man hesitated.

"I agree with Healer Midoriya." Nezu said in the silence. "Toshinori, you have commitments here, whether you're injured or not." The man, Toshinori, sighed.

"I accept your terms, and will focus on the next generation of Heroes." Izuku nodded curtly.

"Excellent. Sit." The man did as he was told, and Izuku approached. "Remove your shirt please. I'll need skin contact for a job like this." Izuku pulled hand sanitizer out of his pocket and cleaned his hands as the man began removing his shirt, and Izuku shook his hands dry. "Hold still." He warned.

Izuku soaked his hand with Sunlight, palm glowing to the surprise of the teachers, and he pressed his hand to the caved-in wound on All Might's side as he shut his eyes. Sunlight spilled into the man, curling into the injury and filling his muscles and veins with warmth and light. Izuku pressed, ordering the Sunlight to heal, and it did. He heard gasps around the room, and Izuku knew the Sunlight was visible through Toshinori's skin as it worked its way through and regrew organs, stitched muscles together, and fixed severed nerves. Bruising lightened and blood filled previously deadened veins, and flesh grew under Izuku's hand. He felt the emancipation falling away like shed skin, and Izuku released a shaking breath as he removed his hand. Opening his eyes, Izuku saw the purple crawling bruises were gone, and his torso was a fuller and healthier shape. The whole picture of the All Might in front of him was reminiscent of how he'd looked at the beginning of his Heroics career. No more scarecrow. Izuku nodded firmly, satisfied.

"Your organs and muscles are fully operational. I've regrown your stomach and your right lung, as well as dissolved that horrible fake diaphragm they surgically added." Izuku resanitized his hands as he spoke, and ran a clean hand through his now mostly dull golden curls. "Your veins are good as new, as are your nerves. Your heart was fine, if a little weak. You'll need at least two weeks of rest after this, absolutely no Hero work whatsoever. Believe me, I'll find out if you have. All your organs and muscles are brand new, so you'll need to be excessively careful not to strain yourself. It's like trying to lift four hundred pounds with no training. Also, my bad, your whole muscley form doesn't exist anymore. If your Quirk was a transformation type, it isn't anymore. Oh well. You're as healthy as you were at the very beginning of your career, but that means your muscles are significantly weaker. Do you understand?" Izuku looked into blue eyes that were clear of shadows, a healthy face with awe and disbelief hanging in them. Izuku snapped his fingers in the man's face. "Hey, I'm talking to you. If you don't understand just say so, and I'll send a copy of your new instructions to the Might Tower Manager."

"You actually did it." The man whispered. "What the hell is your Quirk?" Izuku rolled his eyes and headed back to his seat.

"I believe we already covered that the information regarding my Quirk is classified. Even from All Might." Izuku sat down again, knowing he'd need an ice bath when he got home. He definitely had a mild fever. "So, Nezu, what's on the agenda for the Start-of-Year Meeting?" Izuku folded his hands politely in front of him, tilting his head curiously, ignoring All Might putting his shirt back on.

"We were about to cover the new students. The staff should be informed of the Quirks and abilities of all students." Nezu said.

"Have you decided on who will attend which class?" Vlad said, leaning forward.

"Yes. As usual, Aizawa will be receiving the more dangerous Quirks who need to learn temperament, while you will have the Quirks who need more growth and fine control." Vlad nodded, clearly already knowing this. Nezu handed Izuku a folder visually identical to the other Staff's, and gestured for everyone to open theirs. "The last two pages, if you please."

Izuku flipped open the thick folder and found the last two pages, a photo of Eraserhead on one page and a photo of Vlad at the top of the other. Twenty smaller photos were on each page, names and Quirks labelled next to each picture.

"We'll be going through Vlad's class first." Izuku nodded as he took in the names and Quirks he could see, listed in seat number order.

Awase Yosetsu
Quirk: Weld
Kaibara Sen
Quirk: Gyrate
Kamakiri Togaru
Quirk: Razor Sharp
Kuroiro Shihai
Quirk: Black
Kendo Itsuka
Quirk: Big Fist
Kodai Yui
Quirk: Size
Komori Kinoko
Quirk: Mushroom
Shiozaki Ibara
Quirk: Vines
Shishida Jurota
Quirk: Beast
Shoda Nirengeki
Quirk: Twin Impact
Tsunotori Pony
Quirk: Horn Cannon
Tsubaraba Kosei
Quirk: Solid Air
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Quirk: Steel
Tokage Setsuna
Quirk: Lizard Tail Splitter
Fukidashi Manga
Quirk: Comic
Honenuki Juzo
Quirk: Softening
Bondo Kojiro
Quirk: Cemedine
Monoma Neito
Quirk: Copy
Yanagi Reiko
Quirk: Poltergeist
Rin Hiryu
Quirk: Scales

"The ones you'll need to focus on most, Kan, will be Copy, Twin Impact, Weld, Gyrate, Razor Sharp, and Black. Those Quirks have a lot of potential, and it's likely the children aren't using them to their full advantage." Nezu said, eyes on the list.

"What about Comic or Cemedine?" Vlad asked, frowning.

"Both are easier to use and to figure out." Nezu placated. "Of course, all your students will need support and advice." Kan, Vlad King, nodded in approval. "Aizawa, you're next." Izuku moved his eyes to the next page, eyes flashing gold as he caught sight of his own name.

Aoyama Yuga
Quirk: Naval Laser
Ashido Mina
Quirk: Acid
Asui Tsuya
Quirk: Frog
Iida Tenya
Quirk: Engine
Uraraka Ochako
Quirk: Zero Gravity
Ojiro Mashirao
Quirk: Tail
Kaminari Denki
Quirk: Electrification
Kirishima Eijiro
Quirk: Hardening
Koda Koji
Quirk: Anivoice
Sato Rikido
Quirk: Sugar Rush
Shoji Mezo
Quirk: Dupli-Arms
Shinso Hitoshi
Quirk: Brainwashing
Jiro Kyoka
Quirk: Earphone Jack
Sero Hanta
Quirk: Tape
Tokoyami Fumikage
Quirk: Dark Shadow
Todoroki Shoto
Quirk: Half-Cold Half-Hot
Hagakure Toru
Quirk: Invisibility
Bakugo Katsuki
Quirk: Explosion
Midoriya Izuku
Quirk: Sunlight
Yaoyorozu Momo
Quirk: Creation

"The ones you'll need to watch are Explosion, Dark Shadow, Sunlight, and Half-Cold Half-Hot." Nezu said to Eraserhead. "All for different reasons, but all extremely volatile." Eraserhead nodded.

"Why is Sunlight on that list? To go through Healer Training he should have perfect control." Eraserhead wasn't being rude, just curious, so Izuku gave him an honest answer.

"It's because Sunlight is partly sentient. It asks permission for things like changing my eye colour or my hair colour, and I see no reason why not to let it." Izuku shrugged. "However, it can also be dangerous, as I mentioned." Izuku looked straight at Aizawa, seriousness in his gaze. "If you ever see my eyes go completely white and begin to glow, you need to shut my Quirk off immediately, and keep it off until Midnight can knock me out, or I otherwise lose consciousness. Do you understand?" Eraserhead didn't question it, nodding seriously in response, and Izuku turned back to the page.

"Midoriya, your letter of acceptance will be arriving in the mail in five days. Please keep your position as a student private until it does." Nezu said, moving past Izuku’s intense warning.

"Why, Principal." Izuku put a hand on his heart in mock offence, "I don't know what you mean. There's been absolutely no confirmation of my placement here, and I won't hear otherwise until my letter arrives." Nezu grinned at him, and Izuku laughed lightly. Snipe raised a hand.

“If I may, Midoriya, why are you enrolling as a student if you’re already a staff member?” Snipe’s helmet didn’t muffle his words as much as Izuku thought it would, and he hummed thoughtfully.

“I’ve been working as a Police Investigator since I was about eight, and a Healer since I was six.” Izuku answered, “But as I reached my current age, I realised I also wanted to be a Hero. So here I am, becoming a Hero, while being a Healer, while also still keeping my job at the police station.” Izuku gave his Healer Smile™ again, and Snipe nodded in acceptance.

“How are you going to be balancing all of that?” Hound Dog asked seriously, “Are you going to be overworking yourself?” Izuku shook his head.

“No, I’ve figured it all out with my superiors.” Izuku denied. “I’ll be at school, being a student and a Healer, and that means I’ll be quitting my job at the Healers Center. Once school gets out, I’ll have some time to relax before my shift at the station starts at six, and then I get off around one am and I’ll go to bed.”

“That’s a rough schedule for a kid.” Midnight frowned.

“It’s a good thing I’m not a normal kid, then, Midnight.” Izuku said, voice flat.

“It's true.” Eraserhead put in tiredly. “Midoriya is the lead Investigator in the Night Stalker case, I report directly to him.” Toshinori coughed, briefly surprised there was no blood, and then spoke.

“You report to him?” All Might clarified, “Surely not, he’s a child, even a talented one with a marvellous Quirk.”

“He’s the second in command at his station, which is above me in many situations.” Eraser stared All Might down. “As an Underground Hero I have authority over him in situations of crisis, but he’s just below Detective Tsukauchi in the chain of command. He’s more than a child with a powerful Quirk, I assure you.”

“Aizawa is right, Yagi.” Nezu chided. “He’s on the same level as Recovery Girl and Tsukauchi, and you should treat him with the same respect you’d treat them.” All Might, Yagi Toshinori, was looking between Aizawa, Nezu, and Izuku, as if he was looking at a maths problem upside down in another language.

“R-right.” He laughed nervously. “What’s the next thing on the agenda?” Nezu hummed and flipped through his folder.

“General Studies, classes 1C, 1D, and 1E. Yamada, we'll start with yours, turn to page 18." Izuku smiled as he found the right page, already happy with his new position.

-----------

Izuku was sitting on the couch, upright this time, filling out his costume allowance paperwork thoughtfully. He didn't need to update his Quirk, so wrote exactly what was on his Quirk Registry.

Quirk: Sunlight
Sunlight lives in the user's veins to be used in a variety of ways, as the user chooses.

Izuku tapped his chin with the pen as he double checked his costume design. He'd already given Nezu the uniform he'd be wearing as a staff member while working in the Healer's Office, but his Hero costume was much different. He wanted it to be perfect.

"Izuku!" His mom called as she shut the front door. "Your letter is here!" Izuku grinned.

"Thanks mom." She ruffled his half golden hair as she handed it over, already knowing he'd rather open it alone. Izuku gave her a nod of thanks as he headed to his room and shut the door.

Spinning in his desk chair, Izuku opened the letter and pulled out a set of folded papers, and a hologram disc. Izuku set the disc down and clicked it on, and blinked as All Might's face consumed his immediate vision.

"I am here as a projection!" All Might pulled away from the camera, grinning. He looked the same as he did after the meeting, healthy and strong, and he'd masked his mild loss of muscle by wearing a suit. It was an awful yellow, but if people noticed he looked different they'd probably assume it was because of that.

"I came to this town to work at UA, and I am here with your Exam Results!" Izuku rolled his eyes at the drama, but figured it would definitely help the students get excited about school. "You received top marks in the written exam! Excellent work Young Midoriya! On top of that, you collected 58 points in the practical exam! However…! There is also a secret scoring given by a panel of judges, as another basic ability we at UA look at!" A scoreboard showed on the hologram, showing 45 rescue points and 58 villain points in first place, right next to his name. "Midoriya Izuku, 103 points!" All Might declared, hands on his hips, as the camera went back to him. "Welcome, Young Midoriya. This is your Hero Academy." The hologram switched off, and Izuku grinned. He’d done it. He’d already known, but now he knew.

Sunlight consumed his hair and eyes, bright white gold spilling out, and even making his skin glow faintly.

Scooping up the papers he'd removed from the envelope, Izuku headed out to join his mom in the kitchen. She'd want to know, and he couldn't wait to tell her.

Izuku was going to be a Hero.

Chapter Text

The Caterpillar

When Izuku woke up at five thirty in the morning, he didn't feel like slaughtering his alarm clock for once. Instead, his eyes popped open, his hands slammed into his alarm clock, and he grinned. First day of school.

Izuku went through the motions of his routine, stretching, brushing of teeth, showering, dressing, skimming his notes, stretching again, and then breakfast. He was sort of rushing, so by the time he was out the door and hopping on his motorcycle, it was only an hour after he woke up.

He pulled into UA at seven:twelve in the morning, and Izuku happily scanned his new Staff ID Card. Nezu had used the same picture Izuku had on his police and Healer ID card, which showed him grinning at the camera with glowing gold hair and sunlit eyes. Izuku had been so proud, so excited for the picture, Sunlight couldn't resist making an appearance.

Izuku headed straight for the Healer's Office, and was once again elated to see they'd changed the sign. It no longer read Recovery Girl's Nurse's Office, but instead said The Healer's Office. It showed Izuku and Recovery Girl's proper status, as well as reminding everyone there was more than Recovery Girl on board now.

The lights were off, so Izuku slipped on some some gloves, flipped them on and started getting the room ready for the day. He opened the curtains, letting the wall of windows flood the room with cloud covered light; Izuku checked the stock of medical supplies, jotting down what they were low on; he changed the sheets on the bed, throwing the old ones in the washer which was attached to the office bathroom; Izuku finished up by wiping down and sanitising all the counters and surfaces. When he was looking at the room, grinning with hands on his hips, he nodded happily to himself. He then turned to see Recovery Girl entering, and waved.

"Hiya." He said cheerfuly. She blinked, and then sniffed. Recovery Girl could clearly smell antiseptic, and looked briefly confused. "Oh, I sanitised everything and wiped down the counters. I changed the bed sheets, and I'm washing them now. Don't worry, I got everything set up."

"Midoriya, I never do all that in the morning." Recovery Girl said, brows scrunched in confusion. "What brought this on?" Izuku frowned, hard.

"It's proper Healer protocol to sanitise healing spaces at least three times a day. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once before closing. We may be Healers but germs still exist, y'know."

"Nothing bad has happened in all my years here, so I don't think it's necessary." Recovery Girl denied, coming further into the room. Izuku put his hands on his hips and glared at her. She paused.

"This will become a mandatory part of our day, Recovery Girl." Izuku ordered coldly. "There are eight cameras in this room leading straight to Nezu's office. I'll be informing him of the proper Healer protocol, and if you fail to comply where he or I can see it, you'll lose your licence. The Healer Code isn't optional, it's necessary to prevent avoidable problems like infections."

"This hasn't ever been a problem before now." Recovery Girl glared at him right back.

"I'm going to give Nezu the benefit of the doubt and say he didn't know it was a break in the Healer Code, or that he just misplaced his trust in you and never double checked your work." Izuku narrowed his eyes at her. "It's half hour till homeroom starts, so I'll be on my way. I'd recommend putting on your gloves. This is a sterile space, and touching things barehanded could contamine it, meaning it would need to be sanitised all over again." Izuku grabbed his backpack from where he'd hung it up, and headed for the door. "I'll be back after homeroom. This is no longer only your Office, so mess with my Healer space and you'll regret it." With that, Izuku stormed out.

His eyes flashed gold with irritation, but he did not take it out on the students he saw as he stalked the corridors. Izuku was in the UA student uniform, but it had a special gold seams and Healers badge on the front of it. People did a double take as he stalked by with a blank face, some looking shocked while others looked curious. Izuku didn't care as he walked briskly to the teachers lounge.

He shoved open the door and headed to the schedule desk, glaring at nothing and everything as he did so.

"Woah, roll out of bed the wrong way?" Midnight's teasing voice came from behind him. Izuku growled and turned slightly.

"Recovery Girl broke six of the Healer Code regulation rules just this morning." Izuku bit out sharply. "She's all but said that over the years she's gotten cocky and careless and believes her Quirk is infinite and immune to germs."

"Oh? What's this?" Nezu popped out of seemingly nowhere. Izuku lessened his glare as he turned to the principal.

"She doesn't wear gloves in the clinic, a violation. She doesn't sanitise the clinic in the morning, a violation, the afternoon, another violation, or the evening, another violation. She doesn't wash things directly after using them such as the sheets, relying on paper coverings, and I doubt she even makes long-term patients change into proper hospital garments!" Izuku threw his hands up in exasperation. "She's grown complacent in her old age, and I warned her that if she doesn't bring things up to Code I'll have her lose her licence."

"Can you do that, young man?" Ah, All Might. Izuku whipped his head around.

"So if a Hero suddenly starts randomly smashing buildings and murdering civilians just because they want to, you'll let them keep their licence?" All Might recoiled.

"Of course not, but these small–"

"These aren’t just tiny infractions!" Izuku spat out, stabbing a finger in All Might's direction. "People die. Infections due to mishandling of medical gear during first aid, germs getting in during surgeries, even food particles contaminating a sterile space can lead to horrific diseases that can only be cured by heavy antibiotics and sometimes a miracle!" Izuku was shouting now, and he took several deep breaths as he felt Sunlight pooling in his hands. Control. Calm. Izuku exhaled roughly, but still glared at All Might even as he lowered his voice. "I take my job very seriously, All Might. You might not understand, but I'll be damned if I let my patients receive subpar medical attention." All Might didn't move, eyes huge in his newly healthy face. Izuku turned away, searching the desk in front of him once again for the proper schedule.

"Healer Midoriya, I'll be watching Recovery Girl more closely from now on." Nezu placated, Izuku's eyes not leaving the papers. "Rest assured, everything will run smoothly even with you in classes." Izuku scooped up the proper schedule and turned to the principal with a bow.

"Thank you, Principal." Izuku said. "I apologise for losing my cool, and for shouting. Despite my passion for my work, it was wrong of me." Izuku turned to All Might, scowling, but he bowed his head slightly to the Hero. "Apologies to you as well. I meant every word I said, but raising my voice was uncalled for." Izuku went to the door, tucking his schedule into a folder in his bag as he went, and then turned to look over his shoulder. "Eraserhead, if you're going to go to class in the sleeping bag, you'd better hurry. Worming your way will take approximately six minutes, and you have eleven." Izuku then swept out of the room. A tiny smile made its way onto his face as All Might's voice rang out behind him shrilly.

"Aizawa! When did you get here? What are you wearing?!"

Izuku pushed open the door to see Katsuki sitting with his feet on the desk, with examinee 7111 standing in front of him with a harsh and stiff type of posture.

"Don't put your feet on the desk!" The boy yelled. Katsuki smirked. "Don't you think that's rude to the upperclassmen and the people who made the desk?" Katsuki snickered.

"Nope! What middle school did you go to, you side character?" The blue haired boy straightened, pressing a hand to his heart and chopping his other in the air like a robot.

"I attended Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya." Izuku stepped inside the classroom as Katsuki went to respond.

"Somei!? So you're a damn elite, huh?" Katsuki leaned forward, nearly bending him half with his feet still on his desk. "Looks like I'll have fun crushing you."

"Crushing!? That's cruel. Do you truly aim to be a Hero?" Izuku shut the door behind him with a click, interrupting them. Eyes were suddenly on him but Izuku just strode forward.

"Iida, we do not criticise others for their aspirations of being Heros. It's unkind." Izuku walked right up to them, standing beside Katsuki. "My friend here just wants to be the best Hero he can be. He wants to crush the Villains in his way and win like All Might. Is that so wrong?" Izuku raised a challenging eyebrow, and Iida seemed stunned. What he'd said was true; Izuku may not be a fan of All Might, but Katsuki certainly was.

"Eh? Broccoli! I'm still mad you beat me in the entrance exams!" Katsuki grinned sharply. "I'll get you next time!" Izuku laughed, delighted.

"Sure you will, Kit-Kat. I'd like to see you try." He ruffled Katsuki's hair as the boy smirked challengingly and Izuku slipped into the seat behind him.

"I see! My apologies!" Iida bowed to Katsuki , but then turned to Izuku as he pushed his glasses up. "You! You're not wearing the proper uniform befitting a UA student! It's disrespectful to the school as a whole and the rest of the students!" Izuku examined his fingers boredly, picking invisible dirt off his nails dramatically. "I insist you change immediately. Class will be starting soon!" The boy then went silent, and Izuku looked up with a raised eyebrow.

"You done? I thought you'd drone on longer, my bad." Izuku drawled. Someone choked behind Izuku, and he resisted a grin. "This is my proper uniform. It was issued to me due to my status as a Rank A Healer, along with my position here at UA as a Staff Member." Izuku pulled out his ID Card and flashed his eyes gold at the boy. "As you so kindly pointed out, class is about to start. I'd recommend taking a seat, Iida." The boy opened his mouth, but the door slid open suddenly.

"Oh, that curly hair! You're the plain-looking one!" Izuku looked her up and down with one eyebrow raised, noting her distinctive hair, and found she was the girl he'd saved. The one with the gravity Quirk. "You passed! You were so cool saving me like that! Your golden shield was awesome!"

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, but the teacher is coming down the hallway." Izuku smiled. "You have approximately four seconds to move." The girl squeaked, and Iida, who was still standing, gasped. They both rushed to their seats, and left the door wide open. Izuku sighed, and heard the yellow sleeping bag stop right outside the door.

"Midoriya, what did I say about warning my students?" The tired voice piped up from outside.

"Absolutely nothing, Eraserhead." Izuku grinned, lacing his fingers together as he leaned his elbows on his desk. "I don't believe we addressed it at all." There was a sigh, and then Aizawa flopped inside the classroom, yellow caterpillar mode still in effect. The students gasped, some squeaking dramatically. Aizawa unzipped his sleeping bag and stepped out boredly.

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota." He said blankly. "Nice to meet you." Izuku waved happily, smothering a laugh at the deadpan look he received in return. "It's kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field." He then dropped a pile of gym uniforms on the teachers podium. "Midoriya, this one is yours." He tossed a clothing ball of gold and blue, and Izuku stood to catch it.

"Wicked." He grinned. Aizawa then departed, and Izuku turned to the class. "Just in case nobody knows where the locker rooms are, feel free to follow me."

Izuku strode out of the room, kids rushing to grab a uniform behind him, and he laughed quietly. He walked slowly and nonchalantly, students catching up easily. He led them to the locker rooms, gesturing to the girls one door over. They shared a wall, so it was easy for Izuku to lead everyone and not just the boys.

Izuku changed quickly, exchanging his UA uniform for his specialised gym one. It was styled the same as the rest, but the red parts in the shoulders were bright gold. He noticed Shinso to his left, a little more filled out with muscle, and he waved to the boy. Shinso didn't have a shirt on, so he looked a little embarrassed, but he waved back with a sheepish grin.

Izuku walked out, Hero students following like little ducklings, and brought them all to the field right outside the gym building. Aizawa was waiting tiredly, and he gave Izuku a grateful nod. Izuku just grinned.

"We're doing a Quirk assessment test." Aizawa announced blankly.

"A Quirk assessment test!?" The class exclaimed. Why did they feel the need to repeat what he'd just said?

"What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?" Uraraka shook her fists out nervously. Aizawa sighed.

"If you're going to become a Hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events." A few people gasped lightly, or made noises of confusion. "UA's selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That's also how the teachers run their classes." A few people looked worried, some blank, some determined. Izuku resisted a snicker. "You kids have been doing these since middle school, too, right?" Aizawa held up his phone, showing a screen with letters and bullet points. "Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their Quirks. It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating." Aizawa turned to Bakugo, shifting to put his hands in his pockets. "Bakugo, you finished near the top of the practical exam? In middle school, what was your best result for the softball throw?" Katsuki perked up a little, but his voice was bland.

"Sixty seven metres." He answered calmly.

"Then, try doing it with your Quirk." Aizawa reached out a hand, seemingly pulling a softball out of thin air. Katsuki took it and walked to the circle, rolling his shoulders and stretching. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up, give it all you got." Katsuki just nodded.

"Blow it up. Blow it up. Blow it up." Izuku chanted quietly, bouncing excitedly. The students around Izuku looked at him funny, and Shinso took a long step backwards warily.

Katsuki wound his arm back, grinned, and threw. "DIE!" The ball exploded, hurled away from everyone and wafted a hot breeze at the class. Izuku grinned happily and cheered.

"Know your own maximum first." Aizawa said to the class. "That's the most rational way to form the foundation of a Hero." He tiredly raised his phone for everyone to see, and it read 705.2 m. The class gaped and several yelled in surprise.

"Yes!" Izuku pumped a fist and Katsuki turned to grin at him. "Great job, Katsuki."

"750 metres? Seriously?" Izuku turned with a raised brow to a boy beside him.

"It's 705, actually." Izuku informed him. The blond blinked, and squinted at the screen.

"What's this?" Some pink skinned girl exclaimed, putting her hands together in excitement. "It looks fun!" Izuku sighed.

"You've done it now." He whispered.

"We can use our Quirks as much as we want! As expected from the Hero Course!" Someone else yelled. Izuku shook his head, smiling ruefully.

"It looks fun, huh?" Aizawa murmured lowly. The class froze. Aizawa raised his eyes, staring hard as he took in the class seriously. "You have three years to become a Hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?" Aizawa smirked, eyes low as he spoke again, voice dropping with amused mirth. "All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion."

The class gaped, some yelling out in indignant fear, and Izuku fought a grin, lips wobbling upward as his shoulders shook slightly from the effort to contain his laughter. Katsuki hit the back of his shoulder with a fist and Izuku choked. They shared a grin.

"Last place will be expelled? But it's the first day of school!" The girl Izuku saved exclaimed, high pitched voice worried. "No, even if it wasn't the first day, this is too unfair!" Izuku turned to the side, glaring, but Aizawa beat him to it.

"Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish Villains. Calamities whose time or place can't be predicted. Japan is covered in unfairness." Aizawa spoke softly, scowling. "Heroes are those who reverse those situations. If you wanted to go talk with your friends at Micky D's after school, too bad. For the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra." Aizawa grinned tiredly, one finger beckoning them challengingly. "Overcome it with all you've got."

Izuku clapped his hands together, grinning with excitement. Katsuki rolled his shoulder again, smirking, and Izuku noticed several other students straightening with seriousness or determination. Eraserhead's speeches at the station before missions were good, but his teaching was great.

"All right, demonstration’s over." Aizawa said, voice back to bland normality. "The real thing starts now."

Chapter Text

Try Your Best!

Aizawa led them to a fifty metre sprint track, robots at the finish to mark time. Izuku hopped in place to get the blood flowing, grinning in excitement. Izuku had been training physically since he was little, starting at the Healer preschool. They didn't slack on the idea of physical capabilities and protecting oneself.

Izuku paid close attention to everyone's Quirks, noting everything down as if it were police evidence, and memorised it. Iida… speed Quirk based on the engines in his legs, probably related to Ingenium, most likely needs to chug juice of some kind as fuel. Frog mutation… jump far distances, probably useful and extendable tongue, amphibian type skin and longer fingers, most likely vulnerable to extreme temperatures on either scale.

"Well, he's like a fish in water." Aizawa deadpanned from Izuku's left, staring a Iida. Izuku choked. "It'll be worth seeing what others do."

A boy with a tail… strengthened muscles and durability in the extra limb, useful for mobility, good for combat. Zero gravity… he needs more info. Some kind of sticky substance from the girl's feet… she didn't make a lot, but she could probably use it better by sliding across it, more info needed. A blue laser from a boy's belt… Izuku wasn't sure if it was a Quirk or a support item, but it was useful in apparently short time frames.

Finally, Izuku lined up right beside Katsuki, and they exchanged slightly feral grins.

"On your mark…" The high voice of the robot squeaked, "Get set…" The start sound of a mock gunshot went off, and Izuku sprinted flat out down his lane. Katsuki went slower, needing to prep his explosions, so Izuku had the lead for a solid second.

"Explosion speed!" Katsuki screamed, and then blew down his lane with his hands propelling him as he held them behind him. Izuku laughed freely as he raced over the line barely after Katsuki.

"4.13 seconds." The robot chirped for Katsuki. "4.49 seconds." Izuku jogged to where Katsuki stopped, and they exchanged fist bumps firmly.

"When I use both hands, the force disperses." Katsuki lamented to him. Izuku went on his tiptoes to lean his elbow on Katsuki's shoulder.

"You'll figure it out." Izuku laughed. "I can't wait to see you legitimately fly one day." Katsuki cackled.

"Damn right, Broccoli." He grinned, clenching his hands into fists and moving to the side with Izuku.

Next was grip strength, and Izuku watched amusedly as Katsuki just grit his teeth and did it normally. Explosions wasn't exactly helpful for that test, and Izuku was living for it before his score was higher than Katsuki's.

He also got the chance to see the boy with six arms do his, a score of 540 kilograms. Izuku faintly remembered seeing him at Battle Centre B with him for entrance exams. Izuku also spotted a boy with oddly shaped elbows that he guessed ejected some kind of projectile as a long distance type.

"Ohhh think your explosive speed will make it over?" Izuku stage whispered to Katsuki as they started the standing long jump. One girl just pulled a Vault pole out of her cleavage, which Izuku found immensely interesting. Was she creating it from within her? Or did her body function as a sort of storage device she could store things in and pull out later? He'd need to ask.

"Definitely. Just watch me fly this shit." Katsuki cracked his knuckles, and Izuku laughed in response. He sort of flew, which was interesting to watch. Katsuki made it all the way across, even if he landed badly and wobbled. When it was Izuku's turn, he bounded over and landed only a foot or two away from the other side. He grinned in satisfaction.

As the others finished up he glanced at Shinso, who seemed like he was vaguely panicking, and Izuku frowned. Izuku padded over and leaned his head and shoulders to the side to be in Shinso's line of vision. The boy blinked, and then turned so he could fully see Izuku.

"Hiya Shinso, how's it going?" Izuku asked. The boy grinned tiredly.

"Better than it would've been if I'd never asked you for advice that day at the Cafe." The boy admitted, voice a little blank.

"I'm happy you're here." Izuku smiled. "I haven't seen you use Quirk, what is it? If I can ask." The boy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's Brainwashing." Izuku blinked.

"That's super fancy. Why haven't you used it?" Shinso looked so horribly confused, it was sort of cute.

"What do you mean? It's not gonna help me jump further."

"Yes it could." Izuku hummed. "The girl with the dark ponytail? If you brainwashed her during your turn, you could’ve made her give you a pole to use. During the strength test, make the guy with multiple arms do yours for you. Softball throw, use Katsuki, or the brown haired girl with the zero gravity Quirk." Izuku shrugged, grinning. "This test is rigged. It's about how hard you try, not the results. Eraser is trying to weed out the people who don't try, or as he'd say, people with no potential. Potential to grow, to be a Hero, that sort of thing." Shinso was staring at him wide eyed, and Izuku caught sight of Katsuki glaring at the purple haired boy and beckoning Izuku over to where the next test was starting. "Ah, I gotta go. Seriously, try it. Your Quirk is super powerful."

Izuku jogged over to Katsuki, who smacked him in the back of the head as Izuku laughed.

"Broccoli looking ass." He muttered. "Stop helping the competition."

The next test was repeated side steps. Izuku was once again intrigued, seeing the ponytail girl just make little feet sized trampolines to bounce off of. Izuku did his best, and he got barely under Katsuki for that test. He glanced over at Shinso who appeared to be thinking really hard, but then just did the side steps himself.

Izuku was excited for the ball throw. Not because he would do better in that one, but because he had a theory that the majority of the students would just end up throwing it. He predicted… over half, at least eleven students throwing the ball normally. Izuku counted as they went.

Creation girl… ball launcher.
Candycane… normal throw.
Tail boy… smacked it with his tail.
Invisible person… normal throw.
Rock head… normal throw.
Redhead… normal.
Blond with the black streak… normal.
Dude with the arms… normal… ish…?
Big lip dude… normal.
Frog girl… used her tongue.
Purple girl… normal.
Pink girl… normal.
Bird head… WOW his Quirk was cool.
Speed dude… threw it normally.
Elbows… threw it normally.
Sparkling… normal.

He got his eleven! Izuku grinned. Even if the guy with the several arms only barely counted, once Izuku himself did his throw that would be a true eleven. The gravity girl went up for her turn, and inevitably did send it to space. It just kept going and going until Aizawa sighed and just gave her an infinity.

Izuku was up next, and he bounded up the circle happily. He was given a ball, and he threw it. Izuku received 69 metres, and he wiggled his eyebrows at Katsuki.

"I'm officially cooler than middle school Katsuki, it's a miracle." Izuku said conspiratorially with mock drama. Katsuki grinned and punched him lightly in the arm.

"Oh no, whatever shall I do?" Katsuki drawled, snickering. Izuku laughed, and then watched as Shinso made his way to the circle. He was fidgeting with his fingers, and looked nervous.

"Woo! Shinso!" Izuku yelled. The boy turned in surprise, but he grinned at Izuku's encouraging smile.

"Sensei, you said anything goes as long as I stay in the circle?" Shinso double checked.

"Yes. Hurry up." Aizawa said in the same dead voice. Shinso nodded firmly.

"Um, really quickly. Gravity girl, what's your name?" Shinso turned to her with an eyebrow raised. She squeaked and then beamed at him.

"I'm Uraraka Ochako!" She then stilled, her stands loosening and her pupils went white.

"Come over and use your Quirk on this ball, and then walk back to your spot." Shinso ordered calmly. The class gasped, some yelling in surprise as Uraraka did as he said, slowly shambling forward and touching the ball with five fingers. She turned back, leaving the circle, and Shinso threw the ball upwards and let it just go. He grinned as he disappeared into the sky, and turned to Aizawa. The man sighed and held up another infinity symbol.

"Eh?" Uraraka looked around confusedly, awareness and brown irises returning. "What was that?" Shinso just shoved his hands in his pockets and walked back to the group of students.

"Hey! You did something to her with your Quirk!" The boy with the tail yelled. Izuku narrowed his eyes, seeing clenched fists and panicked eyes. Shinso turned, dejected, so Izuku stepped forward.

"And?" Izuku said coldly. The whole class turned in surprise, the tail boy freezing. Sunlight spilled into Izuku's eyes and curled into a few strands of his hair in response to his ire. "So what? You got something to say?" The boy hesitated, but he nodded, eyeing Izuku’s hair carefully.

"What did he do? What's his Quirk?" Izuku hummed, tapping his chin in thought.

"Is that your business?" Izuku asked, tilting his head innocently. "Quirks are personal, you know, and people knowing the secrets of them might just make life harder, y'know?" Izuku crossed his arms and waited.

"But he didn't even ask permission, and he… he messed with her head!" The boy exclaimed. The girl laughed nervously, waving her hands.

"N-no it's fine! Aizawa-sensei said anything is allowed." She looked between Izuku and tail boy anxiously.

"Quirk discrimination is illegal." Izuku said, examining his nails. "As a police Investigator, I'd recommend not doing that in front of me. Also, Aizawa is getting impatient. It's time to move to the next test." Izuku then just walked away, Katsuki at his side as he moved to the inside gym for the next test. Shinso seemed to scramble after him, and the rest of the class followed. Tail boy was silent.

Izuku paired with Katsuki for sit ups, and he innocently let Katsuki go first before he went.

"Goldilocks!" Katsuki yelled. "You did that on purpose!" Izuku cackled as he finished, panting and putting a hand to his aching abs.

"I did no such thing, I let you go first out of the goodness of my shining heart."

"Like shit you did!" Katsuki sulked. "You wanted to top my score, you bastard!"

"Eh?" Izuku leaned in as he smirked at Katsuki. "It's not my fault you can't do as many sit ups as me. Losing by only three, too bad." Katsuki smacked the back of his head, and Izuku laughed easily.

He and the pink girl were side by side, and basically neck in neck, for the seated toe touch. Izuku actually had mild perspiration on his forehead as he bent further in half, but eventually admitted defeat by two inches.

"I'm totally going to practise this every day now, I hope you know." Izuku said, offering a fist bump. "I'll beat you someday." She laughed, delighted.

"No way! I'm a dancer!" She exclaimed brightly. "Can't beat this flexibility!"

As Izuku laughed, he realised the long distance run was last as they walked back outside. He immediately went over to the ponytail girl, after sending Katsuki a wave.

"Hey, I'm Midoriya." Izuku said as he walked up, one hand extended. She looked at it carefully before she shook his hand daintily.

"Yaoyorozu." Her voice was uptight but almost girly, and it held an undertone of a rich upbringing, much like Iida.

"I had a question about your Quirk, if that's okay. You don't have to answer." Izuku said, shrugging with a grin. She eyed him suspiciously.

"What's your question?"

"How are you pulling items out of yourself? I'm guessing it's a creation type Quirk, making the objects in your body and ejecting them out of your skin. My second guess would be that you have a sort of storage type Quirk that allows you to hide things within you for later retrieval. Which is it?" She blinked, clearly surprised, and then she smiled.

"The first. My body uses lipids to create anything I know the molecular structure of." Izuku grinned excitedly.

"How would you feel about a team up for this next test?" Izuku proposed, raising an eyebrow. "See, I have a motorcycle licence, and theoretically, if I had a motorcycle for this test, I could bring someone with me along for a ride." She stared at him, eyes clearly assessing and gears turning in her head. Izuku decided Yaoyorozu must be rather intelligent, and he filed it away to be sure to remember later.

"I was planning on making a scooter for this test." She said slowly. "However, I'd end up in second due to Iida's Quirk. A motorcycle would increase my chances significantly." Yaoyorozu narrowed her eyes at him. "How confident are you in your ability to ride on the dirt track?"

"Exceptionally confident." Izuku said seriously. "I ride every single day as my main mode of transportation. However, I am not above safety. Can you make us helmets, or is that too much work for you? Be honest with me." A little bit of respect sparked in her eyes.

"I can do it. I've already started working on the bike, large objects take longer to make." Izuku nodded thoughtfully.

"The lipids need time to come together and form the new substances before they can eject the final product." Yaoyorozu nodded. "I imagine you have to increase your food intake significantly due to this?"

"Yes, luckily my parents have been very supportive." She said a little softly. "They make sure I always have food on hand for when I need it. I even have three lunches in my backpack for emergencies, or if I just need more some days." Izuku smiled at her.

"I'm glad. Starving you and your Quirk would just suck. Not fun." He made a face as he stuck out his tongue, and she laughed behind a hand.

"We're good to go." She opened the front of her gym shirt to reveal a black bra, and the motorcycle appeared in a flash of pink sparkles.

"That is so cool." Izuku exclaimed. She beamed at him as she pulled out two motorcycle helmets, one black and one white.

"Line up." Aizawa called tiredly. "Everyone will be doing the long distance run at the same time." Izuku grinned as he pulled his helmet on and watched Yaoyorozu do the same. People stared at Izuku as he put a hand on the bike, some even gasping as they noticed. Izuku hopped on the bike, seated himself, and then nodded to her as he flicked his helmet visor closed. Yaoyorozu climbed on behind him, settling her legs on either side of the bike on little footholds, and wrapped her arms around his waist to hold on. She was taller than him, but it didn't much matter as Izuku leaned forward and grinned. She'd made him a sports motorcycle.

The mock gunshot went off and Izuku shot forward, gaining speed. He laughed freely as they passed by a shocked and engine powered Iida, and he even gave Iida the two finger acknowledgement wave. Momo squeezed his torso as they went faster and faster, zipping around curves and down the track, but Izuku continued just breathing in the speed and revelling in the moment. Sunlight poured into his hair, no longer covering just a few strands, and turned all of it bright white-gold.

They reached the end a full thirty seconds before Iida did, and Izuku had already turned off the bike and dismounted. By the time Iida fully stopped, panting and engines smoking, Izuku was carefully helping Momo get down while making sure she didn't touch the hot exposed parts that could burn her. Izuku removed his helmet, shaking out his faintly glowing hair, and grinned at the girl.

"That was amazing! Great choice in model!" Izuku complimented. Yaoyorozu's eyes immediately flicked to his hair after she removed her own helmet.

"Thank you." She nodded to him. "May I ask about the hair?" Izuku grinned.

"My Quirk is half sentient. It responds to my emotions." She nodded in understanding, eyes curious but not pressing him further. He appreciated it.

"Goldilocks!" Izuku turned as Katsuki came barreling forward, hands exploding behind him.

"Kit-Kat! You finally made it, I see." Katsuki landed and shoved Izuku lightly with a grin.

"You totally cheated, Goldilocks! Well played!" Katsuki grinned, and Izuku cackled.

"Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed it." Izuku smirked. "Maybe I'll even beat you, huh, Katsuki?" Izuku bumped their shoulders together, and then watched as ever so slowly the others trickled in.

Izuku and Yaoyorozu got matching scores, and she obliged his offer for a high-five when they saw it. Everyone finally showed, and then Aizawa led them to the wall of the gym and stood there.

"Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results." Aizawa said blandly. "The total is simply the marks you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain verbally, so I'll show you the results all at once." He clicked something, and a hologram of a scoreboard appeared slightly above him.

1. Yaoyorozu Momo
2. Midoriya Izuku
3. Todoroki Shoto
4. Bakugo Katsuki

Izuku grinned up at the board. He was more physically fit than most others in the class, including Katsuki, and he'd finished tied for first with Yaoyorozu in the last test. Overall, he had about fifteen fewer points than Yaoyorozu, and Izuku had beaten whoever Todoroki was by two points; it was probably because of the motorcycle, honestly. He noticed Shinso was near the bottom.

17. Kaminari Denki
18. Jiro Kyoka
19. Shinso Hitoshi
20. Toru Hagakure

Shinso had barely snuck by Hagakure, which was good on him honestly. Not that whoever Hagakure was was actually getting expelled…

"Oh!!" The invisible person whined in a high girly voice. "Don't tell me I'm expelled!"

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion." Aizawa said, seemingly as an afterthought. When no one moved, everyone either frozen or unsurprised, Aizawa grinned. He had teeth on full display, eyes wide and slightly crazed. "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks!" Izuku snickered.

"What!?" Several people yelled in shock. Izuku tried to rein in his laughter at pale faces and frozen eyes.

"Of course it was a lie." Yaoyorozu chided, hands on her hips. "It should've been obvious if you just thought it through."

"Actually, Aizawa really does expel people." Izuku said through giggles he was trying to hold in with a hand over his mouth. "Last year he expelled his entire class."

"Midoriya, what did we say about discussing my teaching methods?" Aizawa said tiredly. Izuku gasped for breath, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Absolutely nothing, Eraserhead." Izuku grinned. "I believe we've never discussed the topic." Yaoyorozu raised a hand daintily, a tiny frown in place.

"Is it true? Did you really?" She asked, voice blank but eyes concerned.

"Yes." Aizawa stared her down for a moment as she blinked in surprise, and then he turned to the class. "With that, we're done here. There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom so when you get back, look at them." Aizawa went to walk by Izuku, only to pause. "Midoriya, the school day is short today, but don't forget to check in at the Healers Office." Izuku nodded firmly.

"I won't. I need to make sure she actually took me seriously this morning." Aizawa huffed.

"You blackmailed her. Of course she listened."

"I did not!" Izuku put his hands on his hips. "I gave her incentive and consequences."

"You threatened her." Aizawa threw him a deadpan look and Izuku grinned. "Just go." Izuku laughed, and then waved as the Hero turned and left. Izuku then turned around to see every member of the class staring.

"Uh, hi?" Izuku tilted his head. Everyone was staring at him oddly, some even gaping. He carefully walked around the frozen students and away from the gym spaces. "I'm headed to the locker rooms, you coming?"

"Hold up!" The sharp toothed redhead came running up. "Did you really threaten a Pro Hero?" Izuku hummed. Ah, so that’s why they had been staring.

"She's a Healer, but yes." Izuk nodded. "Pro or not, unfortunately, she wasn't running the Healers Office properly. It needed to be corrected."

"I'm sure she knows what she's doing!" Iida came up to say. "She's been a Healer for many years, her service to UA-"

"She doesn't wipe down the countertops." Izuku cut in. "She doesn't wear gloves, either. She doesn't sanitise the space, and she doesn't keep the healing space a sterile location. It's a direct break in the Healer Code. If you want, feel free to read the posted Healer regulations of the Healer Committee website." Izuku had reached the locker rooms and shoved it open. "You seem the dedicated type to do that, Iida. Anyway, she's gotten complacent in her old age, and I'm determined to correct it." Iida looked contemplative, and Izuku was satisfied by that.

"What were the consequences you mentioned? The blackmail?" The blond with the black streak asked as he pulled off his gym shirt.

"I said I could get her licence revoked." Izuku answered simply, folding his gym clothes as he pulled on his unique uniform. "One report about the way she runs her Office, and it'll be temporarily nullified until the nearest Healers Centre can do a full investigation. Even if they let her keep her licence in the end, it would take months of carefully sifting through all the footage Nezu has from the past years of the Nurse's Office. It could even take a full year before the Healer Committee makes a final decision." Izuku plopped his gym clothes down the laundry shoot and moved so his classmates could do the same. "I'm serious about my work, and she should be too." Izuku turned to leave, the first one done changing. "Bye, I'm headed to the Healer's Office." He waved and left, walking down the halls briskly towards his destination.

Chapter Text

Katsuki and Izuku

The next day, Izuku had his first full day of work at UA. His check in with Recovery Girl the previous afternoon had been short, her glaring lightly as he checked every surface and her patient spreadsheet. He hoped day two would be an improvement.

After a brief check in for homeroom, Izuku settled into the clinic for his first 'shift'. His hair was bright gold and matched his eyes, something he'd decided to always uphold when in the clinic. In addition, he was wearing the Healer uniform he'd requested. It was completely white, and the shirt had gold sections on his shoulders that trailed in geometric straight lines down his arms, and torso. It had a built-in mildly bulletproof lining, as well. The pants were also white, with thigh pockets and dull golden boots. The Staff of Asclepius was featured twice, large and curling down his entire spine, but also on a small patch that was in place of a left breast pocket.

Once Izuku had done the regular cleaning routine, wiping everything down, opening the curtains, washing the sheets, and then putting on his gloves, he sat down at the desk Nezu had added in a corner facing the door for Izuku to use during classes. Nezu had stacked Izuku's textbooks under the desk, and the lesson plans for each day on top of the desk.

Recovery Girl sat down at her computer, with the proper gloves on and a plastic washable keyboard cover, and started doing whatever it is Recovery Girl did when she wasn't healing people improperly.

English was easy for Izuku. He'd always been good at it, even grinned at the papers as he found he knew all of the answers for the lesson plan questions. He dutifully took notes, pretty and neat in his notebook dedicated to English, glancing up occasionally at Recovery Girl as mild supervision. As Lunch approached for 1A, Izuku started paying more attention to the door as he munched on a granola bar and an apple. 1B was meant to be doing Battle Training while 1A was at Lunch, and then they'd switch.

He'd been thinking about patients as he was wiping down where he ate, and as if summoned, the door slammed open with a boy trudging in, scowling. Izuku stood, immediately ignoring Recovery Girl who turned in surprise at the boy's arrival. He faintly recognized the boy from Vlad's list of students, maybe he was the one with the scale Quirk?

"My name is Healer Midoriya, can you tell me what happened?" Izuku gave his Healer Smile™ and the boy blinked, scowl failing to make way for confusion.

"Oh, you work here? I saw you on TV." Izuku nodded, huffing a laugh.

"Yes. You're from class 1B, and you were in Battle Training, is that correct?" The boy nodded, slight glare returning.

"Yeah, Monoma got me with my own Quirk." The boy said angrily. "I should've seen it coming." Izuku held out a hand for the arm the boy was pressing into his chest.

"Come on in, please." Izuku led the boy to a bed, having him sit, and smiled. He threw out his previous gloves sanitised his hands, and then slid on new gloves. "Okay." Izuku gently pulled the arm to him, noticing the boy scrunching his face and biting his lip. "Can you tell me your name, and what happened?" Izuku began examining his arm.

"I'm Rin Hiryu, and my Quirk is Scales." Izuku smiled, he'd been right. "We were doing some indoor battle scenarios, which is super cool with All Might, and I was on the Hero team. Monoma was on the Villain team, and he copied my Quirk." He broke off with a wince, and Izuku moved to a different part of his arm. "I was pretty confident he wouldn't be able to use it, but he hardened his fist with scales. When I tried to block, his fist hit my arm, and I think he broke it?"

All the while, Izuku prodded. There were mild abrasions up and down the boy's arm, most likely from the texture of the scales. A bruise was forming, and that one spot that was most painful likely had a mild fracture. Izuku nodded to himself and leaned back, smiling at the boy easily.

"Thank you, Rin. I believe you're right. I think you have a minor fracture in your radius, mid arm range on the anterior border." Izuku said clinically. "May I use my Quirk to heal you?" Rin blinked.

"Uh, sure?" Izuku smiled, and then removed his gloves. He sanitised again, and then lit his palm with the softness of Sunlight.

Izuku pressed his glowing palm to Rin's arm, and let Sunlight soak into the boy. Sunlight trickled in lightly, barely any was needed as it found and prodded the fracture. Izuku smiled as he let Sunlight absorb into Rin's system, mending the little crack and the broken blood vessels causing the bruising. Satisfied, Izuku and Sunlight both retreated. Izuku Smiled™ at Rin, and the boy was looking at his arm in mild wonder.

"You're all fixed up. I was right, it was just a little fracture." Rin looked up at him.

"I'm not even tired." The boy moved his arm, rubbing it and rolling his shoulder.

"My Quirk isn't like Recovery Girl's, it's extremely unique." Izuku said gently. "Now, why don't you go back to class? I'd guess you have lunch in roughly nine minutes." Rin nodded and hopped off the bed.

"Thanks, Healer Midoriya!" The boy waved as he walked out, grinning. Izuku waved back slightly and then sanitised and put his gloves back on, and started the process of stripping the bed Rin had used.

"You're a natural with the patients." Izuku paused momentarily at Recovery Girl's praise. "I can see why you were reluctant to give it up, even for Hero school." He hummed, continuing and scooping up the sheets.

"I was raised to be a Healer by many." Izuku said gently. "It wasn't really my choice, but I enjoy it. It's a part of me, and I'm good at it. So, here I am." Izuku threw her a smile before ducking away to start the laundry of sheets. He started the load and changed gloves, and then went about redressing the bed and wiping down anything the boy might have touched. When Izuku was satisfied, he pulled off his gloves and finally headed to the bathroom to change.

He gently folded his Healer uniform after removing it, and tucked it away in the cabinet above the sink where the spare sheets and extra gloves were. Izuku pulled on his Hero student uniform and let the green in his hair return. As he'd guessed, there were minor glints of dull metallic gold. They were barely noticeable among the curls, just a true testament to how small the injury he healed was. He smiled to himself and exited the bathroom.

"I'm heading to Battle Training." Izuku nodded to Recover Girl. "I'll fill out the patient report when I get back." He grabbed his backpack from the hook and shouldered it.

"No need, I can do it for you. I'll print you a copy and leave it on your desk. For inspection." Recovery Girl spoke without looking away from her computer, which gave away her anxiety. It was a peace offering.

"Sure, sounds good." Izuku accepted, and then slid the door open and stepped out into the hallway. He knew he was most likely missing the first few minutes of class, but it was probably just Aizawa explaining everything before moving everyone to wherever they'd be doing the indoor battles. Assuming he and Vlad had the same Battle Training lessons, of course. If Aizawa-sensei was involved, nothing was certain. The thought made Izuku smile.

His smile abruptly fell when he approached the classroom to hear All Might's unreasonably loud and booming voice. Great. Was he teaching their Training? Rin had mentioned All Might being there, but Izuku never thought the Hero would've been teaching.

"This is what we'll be–" Izuku slid the door open casually, and All Might paused. He seemed to be in the middle of something with a dramatic pose, wearing his very first costume, which went perfectly with his still healing new form. Izuku raised his hands in mock surrender with a grin.

"I'm sorry, did I step on your moment?" Someone choked, most likely Shinso, as Izuku spoke. "Apologies, you can go back to explaining the indoor battle scenarios, I'll just take my seat."

"Indoor battle scenarios?" Someone called excitedly.

"Without basic training?" Someone asked, and Izuku wondered if it was the frog girl. Her voice sounded almost like a feminine croak.

"Ah, sorry–" All Might cleared his throat nervously, and Izuku laughed lightly as he plopped down.

"I see, so you hadn't actually explained yet. Sorry, Yagi." Izuku said, not at all apologetic. The man regained his composure and grinned at the class.

"As I was saying, to go with Battle Training will be these!" He flung out an arm, and the cubbies in the wall popped open gently. "Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests sent in before school started." The class yelled and cheered in excitement, and Izuku huffed another laugh. "After you change, gather in Ground Beta!" He put his hands on his hips dramatically.

"Yes, sir!" The class cheered, and then rushed for their cases. Izuku would've stood, but Katsuki turned around and surveyed him carefully.

"What extra did you heal?" He said gruffly. Izuku smiled, touched by the gentle concern. Katsuki noticed the gold, then.

"A boy from 1B, they had their Battle Training already." Izuku stood, beckoning for Katsuki to do the same. "He had a radial fracture at the anterior border."

"Minor?" Katsuki knocked his shoulder into Izuku's as they grabbed their cases, and Izuku laughed.

"Yeah, minor. Sunlight was practically bored." Katsuki huffed in approval, and they headed together to the locker rooms.

Izuku opened his case happily, already knowing he'd have exactly what he wanted. Sure, Support Companies screwed up the designs a lot, but Nezu wouldn't allow that to happen to Izuku. It was blatant nepotism, but it was also true.

His main costume was as practical as it was stunning. It was a mainly charcoal grey three piece uniform. The first piece was a sleeveless skin tight shirt that wouldn't inhibit his movements in the slightest. The second was a pair of loose pants, tough material, with a half a dozen pockets running down both legs. The last piece was a jacket, it could be removed in the summer but would be good for the colder months; it had extra pockets, of course.

The beauty of it was the seams and designs. All of the seams, for all three pieces, were a bright gold just like his Healer uniform. They practically glowed against the charcoal colour, just as he'd wanted. There was a stunningly designed sun on the back of his jacket, and bright patterns swirling down his tight shirt both front and back as if Sunlight swept across it in rivers of gold.

As for the rest of it, he had black steel toed sneakers that went up to his ankles with gold laces. He had a medical mask made of tough yet breathable material, and Izuku melted his eyes gold to make the black mask stand out. His freckles barely peeked out above the mask, which Izuku found almost funny. He had a heavy duty knife in a black thigh sheath, which looked absolutely wicked with the grey and gold pants. Lastly, his belt.

Izuku had a gun, the same model as his police issued one, which he absolutely adored, plus ammunition. He had handcuffs, as well as several hanging pockets of first aid supplies, random things like eye drops and gummy bears, as well as lollipops. The most interesting part of the belt was the row of throwing knives strapped to his left hip. His mother probably would've scowled lightly seeing him carrying so many knives, but Izuku beamed.

He walked out into Ground Beta with his class, and grinned at Katsuki who was scowling as usual.

"They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies." All Might's voice rang out as the class came out of the tunnel and spilled into Ground Beta. "Be fully aware… from now on… you are Heroes!" Izuku didn't mean to lose his cool, but he absolutely could not get behind that.

"All Might!" Izuku raised a hand up high, trying to see over Iida in his giant suit of armour. "Clothing doesn't dictate proficiency. I don't think you should encourage the idea that wearing a costume is as good as having a licence." All Might seemed to laugh nervously.

"Your opinion is noted, Healer Midoriya." All Might gave him a thumbs up, and Izuku crossed his arms with a huff. "Anyway, you all look cool!" He complimented in a booming voice. "Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?" Izuku choked on spit, and Katsuki punched him in the shoulder. Zygotes?

"Sir!" Iida raised his hand, this time only at the elbow instead of straight up above his head. "Midoriya mentioned indoor battle trials! Is this the exercise we'll be doing?" All Might nodded, hands on his hips as he puffed his chest out extravagantly.

"That is correct! Most of the time, fighting Villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious Villains appear indoors at a higher rate." All Might declared. "Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals… truly intelligent Villains hide in the shadows." Izuku nodded along. It was true, which was why Underground Heroes were so important. "To this class, you'll be split into Heroes and Villains and fight two-on-two indoor battles."

"I asked before, but I'll ask again." Izuku looked over at the frog girl, recognizing her voice, and he decided he wholeheartedly approved of her costume. Definitely good for more aquatic Heroics. "We'll be doing this without basic training?" She tilted her head, putting a long finger on her chin thoughtfully.

"This is a real battle to understand those basics!" All Might declared, clenching a fist and grinning. "However, the key this time is that there's no robot you can just beat up."

"How will wins and losses be determined?" Yaoyorozu asked blankly. Her costume was... interesting.

"Can we beat them up anyway?" Katsuki muttered, and Izuku bumped their shoulders together with a grin.

"Will the punishment be expulsion like Aizawa-sensei?" Uraraka asked anxiously. Was she wearing heels?

"How shall we be split up?" Iida asked, arm raised to the elbow once again.

"Isn't this cape crazy?" The sparkly one was… hiding behind his blue cloak in a way reminiscent of Pre-Quirk Dracula.

"I'll answer all your questions!" All Might yelled, sweating a little. He pulled out a little book which looked comical in his huge hands. "Now listen here. The situation is that the villains have hidden a nuclear weapon somewhere in their hideout. The Heroes are trying to dispose of that. The Heroes need to capture the villains or get the nuclear weapon in the allotted time. The Villains need to protect the nuclear weapon for the whole time or catch the Heroes." Izuku nodded. Dangerous with untrained students, but a fair lesson to teach. All Might held up a yellow box labelled in blocky letter Lots. "Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots!"

"They're being determined so haphazardly!?" Iida exclaimed.

"Actually, odd team ups often happen during emergencies. Regardless of agencies." Izuku put in blandly. Iida breathed a sigh, seemingly in awe.

"I see. The discernment to look ahead…" Iida then bent to bow lowly to All Might. "Please excuse my rudeness!" All Might posed happily, grinning easily.

"It's fine! Let's get to it!"

Drawing lots was tedious, and it took forever, but Izuku dutifully pulled a team from the box and found his partner.

A. Izuku and Bakugo
B. Shoji and Todoroki
C. Yaoyorozu and Uraraka
D. Ojiro and Iida
E. Ashido and Aoyama
F. Sato and Koda
G. Kaminari and Jiro
H. Shinso and Hagakure
I. Tsu and Tokoyami
J. Kirishima and Sero

"Well, I'd say I feel sorry for our opponents but I really don't." Izuku grinned at Katsuki and offered a glowing fist to him. Katsuki slammed his palm into Izuku's fist, mild Explosions popping against Sunlight's light and cackled.

"We'll crush anyone who tries to stop us." Katsuki smirked.

"The first teams to fight will be…" All Might reached one hand into the black Villain box and the other into the white Hero box (which meant it was totally ringed and half the teams were already destined to be Heroes and the other half was destined to be Villains and the lots were just picking who was fighting who) and he whipped two ceramic balls out (one labelled A and one labelled D) and they looked like balls from that old table game with sticks, oh what was it called… pool! "... these guys!" Oh crap, Izuku got distracted. "Team A will be the Heroes, Team D will be the Villains!" Izuku realised he and Katsuki were up first, as the Heroes. He shared a grin with Katsuki. Excellent. "Everyone else, head to the monitoring room."

"Yes sir!" Students started moving, but the four students up first stayed put, waiting for instructions. Sure enough, All Might led them to a tall building and gave the Heroes a blueprint. Izuku scanned it, Katsuki rolling his shoulder and eyeing the paper over Izuku's shoulder after he refused his own.

"Villain team, go in first and set up!" Izuku eyed the two who stood a little away from Katsuki and him. It was tail boy and Iida. Tail boy was called 'Ojiro' on the team list. "In five minutes, the Hero team will break in and the battle will start!"

"I love how we're the good guys and it's still considered breaking and entering." Izuku grinned as the two Villains acknowledged the Hero's words. Katsuki just knocked their shoulders together.

"What's our play?" Katsuki grinned as he leaned an arm on Izuku's shoulder. Izuku hummed.

"How do you feel about playing distraction?"

"Who do I get to blow up?" Katsuki smirked and Izuku laughed.

"Iida is smart. Stuck up, but smart. He'll know his Quirk will be best to patrol the building, and try to catch us quickly." Izuku said. "But he's also obvious. He'll place the bomb on the highest floor, the fifth. I'm thinking you go in, Explosions blazing, and he'll come right for you. Ojiro, the tail boy, he'll stay with the bomb. From his Hero costume, I'm thinking he's good at martial arts. I'll be a good match for him. As long as you keep Iida busy, it'll be a cinch."

"Finally." Katsuki cracked his knuckles with a grin, and Izuku could feel his muscles rippling from the arm still on Izuku's shoulder. "We'll see who's cruel and unHeroic after I crush him." Izuku laughed brightly.

"Now, let's start the indoor person-on-person combat training with Team A and Team D!" Izuku and Katsuki both looked up, and grinned. Katsuki straightened, taking his arm off Izuku's shoulder, and Izuku assessed the wall critically.

"I'll climb the outside, looking for the correct window. Go." Izuku said. Katsuki immediately headed off, exploding the front door and storming his way inside. Izuku let out an affectionate sigh, and headed for the base of the building.

It was all concrete, harsh and without footholds or grips. Fortunately, the windows were about five feet apart between floors, each indented into the building with convenient and climbable shelves. Izuku started his way up, placing his feet on the inward ledge of the first floor window, which was open for some reason, placing his hands flat on the space just above the window. Carefully, he jumped, catching the next ledge easily with his hands, and then pushing upwards so his hips rested on the ledge. Crouching, he got completely into the small space outside the window, and grinned. Repeating the process for the next three windows, he found himself looking into a fifth floor corridor.

Izuku easily flipped a knife into his hand, crouching on the window ledge, and began using the small tip to unscrew the hinges on the top of the window. Once he had two off, he slid his fingers inside, gripping it, and undid the third. As the window came completely free, Izuku's fingers were the only thing keeping it from completely falling inside and shattering. Grinning, he gently tilted it towards him, and slid inside. His feet hit the floor, the window across his stomach with his upper body still outside, arching backwards. Sliding the glass window down his body and resting the bottom on his shoes, he straightened with a grin.

Izuku placed the glass on the floor, it crunching quietly enough on the concrete that only a person with a hearing Quirk could've caught it from anywhere nearby, and he pressed a hand to his earpiece.

"Don't act like I'm contacting you, but I'd like you to know I'm inside and on the fifth floor." Izuku said into the earpiece, eyes darting around the hallway he was in. “Do you have Iida engaged?”

"Die, shitty engine boy! Bring it on!" Izuku grinned. Good old Katsuki, finding a way to respond and let Izuku know everything was going to plan. Iida was indeed down there, and being distracted.

Izuku then started to move, knees bent and steps as quiet as he could make them. He peaked around the corner and saw several doors leading down the next hallway that spanned the length of the building. The bomb would be inside one of those rooms, and the Villain most likely set it up so he was facing the door. Izuku frowned, and headed back to the window.

He climbed outside again, stepped to his left, and hopped a little until he was on the next windowsill. The glass was tinted and dark, like all the others, but Izuku cupped his hands over his eyes to shield them, and peered inside. It was an empty room. Izuku moved to his left again, peering inside and beamed. The weapon was right in front of the window, and the Villain was nowhere to be seen. Izuku concluded that he must be on the opposite side, hidden from the view of the window due to the bomb. Izuku paused, thinking through several strategies.

He could do stealth again, but Ojiro could hear the hinges being removed and catch him. Izuku could crack the glass by knifing it or shooting it and then jump through, inside and to the bomb, but he might hurt himself as the glass broke. Finally, Izuku thought about combining the ideas. If he shot at the hinges, the window would fall inward. It would shatter, but he wouldn't be jumping through the glass, he'd be landing on it. His boots were sturdy enough for that, definitely. Pulling his gun out, Izuku loaded a magazine and pulled back the slide. He then carefully aimed it upwards and right at the hinges, making sure there was no chance it would hit the weapon. It was for both pretend and actual safety.

In the pretend way, if he shot the weapon it would 'explode'. As an actual safety concern, Izuku didn't know what it was made out of and his bullet might go right through it and into Ojiro. Never aim a gun at anything you aren't willing to destroy, including things behind your target.

Izuku readied himself, balancing on the balls of his feet, and fired at each hinge in quick succession. He shoved the glass, and it fell inside and shattered. Izuku then jumped inside and placed a hand firmly on the bomb with a triumphant grin. Ojiro's head came into view, confusion and fear in his eyes. Izuku, still having the gun out but pointed at the floor, holstered it with a grin.

"Katsuki, I've secured the weapon." Izuku said, hand to his earpiece.

"Hell yeah, Zuku!! Take that glasses!" Katsuki shrieked.

"Hero Team Wins!!" All Might's voice rang through Izuku's earpiece, presumably through everyone's, and Izuku stepped away from the bomb. He held a hand out towards Ojiro, who was standing in place with his hands at his sides limply, and smiled.

"Good match." Izuku said, offering a handshake. The boy looked at him warily, as if assessing any hostility or passive aggressiveness, but there was none to find.

"I didn't account for people climbing through the window." The boy shook his hand, smiling ruefully. Izuku laughed.

"Understandable. However, now you'll know for next time!" Izuku then headed back to the window, climbed out, and crouched down on the ledge. He swung his feet down, holding on by his fingers, and dropped to the next ledge. He caught himself, but winced as his fingers protested heavily. Oh well, it was only one more down until he could jump safely. Theoretically. Izuku was about to let go when he paused.

"Hey Broccoli! You can jump now!" Izuku was four stories up, but he shoved off the wall and jumped without hesitation, laughing as he fell.

Izuku heard Ojiro, leaning out the window above him and shouting in alarm at the same time as Iida, who was yelling from the ground, but Izuku ignored it all as he heard Explosions. As Izuku fell past the third floor window, something slammed into his back, one strong arm wrapping around his waist and another making small controlled Explosions below them to break the fall back down. He laughed all the way down, even as Katsuki slammed into the ground with his knees bent, holding Izuku up. When he was gently placed down, Izuku spun and beamed up at Katsuki.

"You flew! You flew for real!" Izuku enthused, barely noticing that his hair had turned a bright white gold and faintly realising his skin was glowing. "That was so cool, I bet you'll use that move a lot when saving people! Imagine catching someone who was falling, and then swooping them away, and then kicking the ass of the Villain will the civilian safe and sound!" Katsuki was smirking, leading Izuku with one hand on his shoulder as Izuku spoke rapidly, and the Villain team trailing behind silently. "I imagine the descent was the easiest part, since using both hands spreads out the force and makes it harder to control. Once you were only using one, you have full force and better mobility using the single wrist. Right?"

"Exactly nerd." Katsuki chuckled.

"I think that'll improve with time actually, you should start soaking your hands in warm water before Battle class so your palms will be warmer. That or wear gloves before training too. By creating more sweat before using Explosions you'll be able to create bigger ones which will help increase your bodies resistance to the kickback. It might make your wrists hurt, but I can fix that easily." Izuku rambled happily, glowing brighter at Katsuki's fond grin. "I'm thinking of working on improving the way my Quirk works on healing muscle. Sunlight heals it all up, but if it was actually damaged then it grows back weaker. Muscle exhaustion doesn't count, before I'm only soothing the pain and aches, not actually replacing the muscle, y'know? Telling people they have to spend weeks recovering even after I've healed them gets tedious–" Izuku stopped, looking up as he sensed eyes on him. He blinked as he realised Katsuki had led him all the way to the monitoring room, and everyone was looking right at him. "... What?"

"Goldilocks, you're glowing." Katsuki ruffled his hair with a smirk and a laugh. Izuku grinned up at him.

"You flew." Izuku repeated. "Of course I'm glowing." As Izuku turned to face the dark room, he did indeed realise Izuku was a main light source besides the monitoring screens. It was a soft light, bathing the students with warmth, but they still stared in blatant shock.

Izuku blinked harshly as All Might flicked the lights on. The screen changed to say Person-To-Person Combat Training: Battle 1 Review.

"I'd like to say, the MVP of this battle was Healer Midoriya!" All Might boomed, hands on his hips. Izuku grinned. "Why is that? Does anyone know?" All Might raised his hand sky high, as if imitating Iida during class. Yaoyorozu raised her hand, eyes shut in contemplation.

"Yes, All Might-sensei." She declared. "That is because Midoriya anticipated his enemies moves, and planned accordingly." She opened her eyes, intelligence shining in sharp grey. "From watching the match, Bakugo was an excellent partner and did his part, acting on Midoriya's plans. Iida, though he planned well for his Quirk, did not see through Bakugo's obvious distractions and was overwhelmed. Ojiro foolishly left an opening and turned his back to it, allowing Midoriya to slip inside and capture the weapon." She stopped speaking, satisfied and finished. Izuku could've laughed at the expressions on his classmates' faces, ranging from confused, to supportive, to completely blank. All Might coughed a little, as if shaking off surprise.

"Ah.. Well… that was correct!" He gave her a smiling thumbs up, and Izuku smothered a snicker with a hand at Yaoyorozu's completely unimpressed look towards the Hero.

"We should always start with the basics to develop depth of learning. We should strive to devote ourselves wholeheartedly." She had her hands on her hips, declaring her words to the room. "Otherwise, we cannot become top Heroes." She finished, actually satisfied this time, and All Might moved on. Izuku knew he liked her.

"All right everyone, let's change locations and start the second match!" He declared. "Tackle this training while thinking about what we just talked about!"

"Yes sir!"

Chapter Text

Media Menaces

Izuku was not enjoying whatever the hell was going on outside the main gates. He avoided it by taking the back entrance, of course, but he knew that they'd be a problem anyway. So after his check in with Recovery Girl and picking up his schedule in the staff room, he marched right down to the gates and stood in the entrance archway with one hand on his hip.

"Hey! Leave those students alone!" The crowd of hungry reporters spun around, pausing their buzzing and cameras and questions. The two trapped students Izuku faintly recognized as Gen Ed kids rushed by and threw Izuku grateful looks. "This is UA, harassing the students on school property is grounds for police intervention. UA owns the area here, understand?" A mic was immediately shoved in his face.

"You're Healer Midoriya! Are you a student here? What can you tell us about All Might!?" A brown haired woman exclaimed, almost feral. Izuku glared.

"All Might is a staff member here, yes. Even though he's number one, he deserved the privacy warranted by his new teaching position." Izuku said blankly. "All Might isn't here at the moment. He's not working today, so you can clear out." Izuku then turned around and walked back towards the school ignoring the yelling from the reporter woman. He nodded to Aizawa, who was watching from nearby, and they headed towards the building together.

"If they come any closer I'll have them all arrested." Izuku ground out. Aizawa sighed as they walked.

"It's not worth the effort." He said boredly. "I don't know how All Might gets anything done with them hanging about like that."

"He doesn't. In his recent career he's spent more time in interviews than actually working. Probably due to the little problem I fixed for him." Izuku finished carefully. He then looked over his shoulder as he realised the barrier had slammed shut with a heavy click. "They're way too desperate." Aizawa seemed to agree as they both headed to 1A, but didn't respond.

They walked in together, which was a little surprising to some students, but the ones who actually internalised that Izuku was a staff member understood. Izuku took his seat and placed his backpack under his desk, while Aizawa stepped up the podium and picked up a stack of papers.

"Good work on yesterday's Battle Training." He started tiredly. "I saw the video and results. Midoriya?" Izuku sat up straighter. "I don't know how you had real magazines, but you'll be stocked with tranquilliser rounds until third year. It's a school rule, regardless of your gun licence."

"Aw man." Izuku slumped slightly, pouting mildly. Some of his class members looked relieved, which made him pout even harder.

"Now, let's get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice, but today I'll have you…" Aizawa paused dramatically, and Izuku knew it was because he was amused by the tense shudders and panicked expressions his ominousness caused in people. "Decide on a class representative." A moment later the class exploded with noise and clammer.

"I want to be class rep, pick me!" The redhead yelled.

"Me too!" A blond said more calmly. Izuku remembered that one used electricity during the battle trial.

"I want to do it, too!" She'd been partnered with the electric user. Hearing Quirk, based on the mutation features in her earlobes.

"It's a job made for me!" The sparkly one called daintily, one hand on his chest.

"I'll be the leader!" The acid one who was paired with sparkly boy interrupted him.

"Let me do it! Me!" Katsuki declared. Izuku resisted lying his head on his desk, only becoming interested in the screaming when Iida interrupted it.

"Silence, please!" Iida yelled, "It is a job with the serious responsibility of leading others. It is not a job for just anyone who wants to do it. It is a calling that requires the trust of those around you. If we want to use democracy to decide on a true leader, then we should hold an election to choose one." Everyone was now staring at Iida, who had his own hand raised sky high.

"Why did you suggest that?" The electric one asked, confused.

"We haven't known each other for that long." The frog girl said thoughtfully. "So how can we have trust or anything?"

"If that's the case, and everyone votes for themselves…" The redhead trailed off pointedly. Izuku's eyes were drawn to Aizawa, who was climbing into his sleeping bag.

"Don't you think that's precisely why whoever receives multiple votes here can be truly considered the most suitable person?" Iida answered, chopping an arm in the air. "What do you think, Aizawa-sensei?" The man was fully zipped up to the chin, only his face shown in the sea of banana yellow.

"I don't care as long as you decide by the end of homeroom." Aizawa said tiredly, and then he fell sideways onto the floor to lie down. What a mood.

"Thank you very much!" Iida yelled.

Izuku went along with the voting, putting down Katsuki's name easily. When Iida was done writing the results, Izuku blinked at the board.

Midoriya Izuku - 4 votes

Literally everyone else had one vote or none, and Izuku didn't know what to think of that. He stood in the silence, and headed for the podium.

"So, I didn't even vote for myself." Izuku declared, blinking still with surprise. "Anyway, do I need a deputy… or?"

"If the rest are tied you don't need one, but you can vote again on one if you want to." Aizawa's tired voice rang out.

"Midoriya!" Iida yelled, standing. "Who did you vote for? The person you trust to lead the most would do well as your deputy!"

"Oh I voted for Katsuki." Izuku grinned. "He'd make an excellent deputy for me. Hey, get up here Kit-Kat!" Some students looked anxious about this, but Katsuki grinned and came to stand next to Izuku, punching him in the shoulder as Izuku laughed.

"I'm gonna be the best deputy ever." Katsuki announced. "Better than any other extra would." Aizawa sat up so his face was visible over the podium.

"Then, the class rep is Midoriya, and the deputy class rep will be Bakugo." Aizawa then slunk back to the floor. Katsuki leaned an arm on Izuku's shoulder, grinning at the class. Izuku let gold fill his eyes as he smiled.

"I'm excited, and I hope you'll trust me to lead you; also, enjoy watching me ordering Kit-Kat around while I'm at it." Katsuki ruffled Izuku's hair and growled playfully, which made Izuku burst out laughing. "Okay, but seriously, I won't be in class all the time. If you all need me, I'm in the Healer's office. If it's sort of urgent, Katsuki will take care of it. He's actually good with emergencies." The class looked half-nervous half-curious.

"That might not be too bad." The frog girl said, contemplatively tapping her chin.

"After all, Bakugo and Midoriya sure know how to get fired up together!" The redhead grinned up at them.

"They bounced off each other super well for battle training!" The one with tape elbows added. Izuku smiled, and then the bell signalled it was time for him to go.

"Oi, Broccoli." Izuku hummed at Katsuki as the boy took his seat and Izuku grabbed his backpack. "You coming back?"

"No, there's no Battle Training today. I'll be working until school lets out." He offered Katsuki a fist and the boy gave him a regular fist bump. Izuku waved to the class and departed, Aizawa slinking out and Mic showing up to teach the class English.

Izuku walked easily down the halls to the Healer's Office, humming as Sunlight curled in his hair as he felt the sun on his face through the many UA windows. He slid the door open and hung up his backpack, happy to see that everything looked perfectly as clean and neat as he left it that morning. Izuku pulled on a pair of gloves, and then headed to the bathroom to change.

He tucked his UA uniform away and exchanged it for his Healer uniform, and then sanitised and exited the bathroom. As he got settled at his desk, he was on a mission. He literally had access to staff privileges, and it hadn't occurred to Izuku to memorise his classmates' names and faces from the class lists. Y'know, like an idiot.

He spent the next twenty minutes staring at everyone's pictures and shoving the information in his brain, like cramming for a test, except hopefully it'd stick instead of flying away the moment he needed the answer.

His classes before lunch were calm, no patients and no Recovery Girl. Nezu said she'd be supervising a special training with All Might and some student. Izuku had shrugged and said yes, he could hold down the fort at the Healer's Office while she was out. It wasn't like anything crazy would hap–

Izuku hated karma. Not two seconds after he started that thought, an alarm went off.

"There has been a Level Three Security Breach. All students evacuate outdoors promptly." A robotic feminine voice reported calmly over the speakers. "I repeat, there has been a Level Three Security Breach. All students evacuate outdoors promptly."

Izuku grabbed his work phone and immediately phoned the station. Izuku knew exactly what had happened.

"Hello, Musutafu Police Department."

"This is Investigator Midoriya, could we get half a dozen officers up at UA?" Izuku said tiredly. "The press has breached school grounds, and need to be contained."

"Understood, Midoriya. We'll send over a detachment." Jizuno hung up promptly, and Izuku tucked the phone away. He sat back in his chair, and waited. Eventually, the alarms stopped and a few students shyly trickled in.

"Hello, I'm Healer Midoriya. I'm guessing you got hurt during the media break in?" Izuku smiled gently.

"I hurt my wrist, and my friend fell and hit her knee." Izuku recognized them as Gen Ed students.

"Come on in. Can you tell me what happened?"

The next hour consisted of gently treating small injuries, due to what everyone called 'The Panic'. Apparently, everyone had rushed into the hallways and created a block, shoving and pushing and making it impossible to make forward progress in the sea of bodies. It had been calmed when Iida floated to the ceiling and Katsuki caused a huge explosion that made everyone quiet down, which results in Iida making some kind of speech.

Or at least, that's what Izuku could guess from what the students vaguely mentioned. Things like, 'some kid exploded his hands and it hurt my ears' and 'this guy flew, end over end cuz of the engines in his legs, and then he yelled at us about not being good students.' There was also, 'honestly I didn't even notice the blue haired kid floating by the ceiling until something exploded. It made me look around more closely, y'know?' So, Izuku was really only working with bits and pieces and putting the story together like a police case. Speaking of police cases…

Izuku packed up to leave, only to receive a text from Aizawa.

Eraserhead:
Meet at the back gate

Investigator Midoriya:
On my way.

Izuku walked briskly, headed for the back gate, trusting Eraserhead needed something important. As he exited the building, his pace had a misstep as he took in the reason for the text. Aizawa, Midnight, Thirteen, Recovery Girl, and Nezu were all staring at the destroyed remains of the back gate. Izuku walked up to stand next to Aizawa.

"How were the ordinary members of the press able to do something like this?" Nezu asked no one, "Someone instigated this. Did someone evil slip in, or was it intended to be a declaration of war?" Izuku stepped forward.

"Principal, if I may." Izuku said blankly, "I'd like to take a sample of the destroyed parts back to the station. I believe a Quirk did this, but I'm not sure how, or what kind." Nezu turned to him, serious and grave.

"You may." Izuku nodded and walked forward, tugging on a pair of gloves and pulling an evidence container out of his bag. He gently scooped some of it up, noting it was similar to ash. But how to turn metal to ash…?

"I'll take this to the precinct, and have them check every reporter and member of the media for possible suspect Quirks." Izuku said shortly, removing his gloves and tucking the sample away.

"Thank you, Midoriya. I know you have a lot on your plate at the moment." Nezu nodded his thanks, smiling slightly, and Izuku nodded back.

"If I have news, I'll send it. Otherwise, I'll see you for work tomorrow." With that, he bowed, and Izuku headed off for the garage. The other staff seemed to dwindle away as well, which was relieving. It meant Izuku could get out on his motorcycle with running his coworkers over.

Swinging his leg over and starting the bike, Izuku felt the calm slip over him that came with riding his motorcycle. He always said there wasn't anything that compared to riding his motorcycle, and he meant it, but not in the conventional way. He loved talking to Katsuki, and his mother. He loved work, and saving people. He loved caring for others, and making them smile. But with his motorcycle, it was more like… it never failed to soothe him. All his problems seemed smaller, and as the wind whipped across his jacket and the cold stung him even through his gloves, the break in at UA seemed a little easier to deal with.

Sliding off as he arrived at the station, Izuku shook out his hair and headed inside. Jizuno didn't so much as blink when he appeared in front of her desk and held out a hand for the UA case, but many many other people did. Which was fair, honestly, since his shift didn't start for three hours and he usually enjoyed his time off as much as possible on school days. However, the case was more important.

"Jizuno, I want the supervising officer at the UA media scene in the meeting room now."

"Understood." Izuku then turned and headed for Tsukauchi's office. He knocked the door politely.

"Tsukauchi, it's Midoriya."

"Come in, Midoriya." Izuku swung the door open, carefully nudging a dropped pencil sharpener on the floor out of the door's way, and shut it behind him. "This is about the UA break in?" His tired eyes met Izuku's green ones.

"Yes. I've asked the on scene supervisor to head to the meeting room, but I'd like you to be there too." Izuku said with an apologetic smile. "We need to open an official case for this. I have a sample of the UA barrier that was completely destroyed, and it needs to be sent to the lab as well." Tsukauchi nodded, immediately more alert.

"Destroyed?" He asked, standing, as Izuku opened the door into the meeting room.

"That's right." Izuku confirmed. An officer Izuku recognized from an earlier case entered, and they nodded to each other. "The break in happened because the back gate of the UA Barrier was destroyed by some kind of Quirk." Izuku started immediately. He pulled out the bag of ash from his backpack and placed it on the table, absent-mindedly grabbing a sticky label and a marker for it. "This is sort of like ash, too thin to be dirt and wispy when touched. I can't figure out how metal could've been turned to ash, though." Once he was satisfied with the label, Izuku looked up at the two men. "Do we still have the reporters in custody?"

"Yes, we put them all in holding cells." The supervisor said with a nod. "Normally we'd have let them go, but one of them said they'd already been warned to stay off the property and not to harass the students. It means they can’t plead ignorance." Izuku smiled ruefully.

"That was me, before the school day started officially." He admitted. "Anyway, we need to document each of their Quirks. I'd like to see if any of them could cause this kind of damage." Tsukauchi nodded.

"Why don't you go now, Midoriya? You can ask them yourself and get any information personally." Izuku tilted his head in consideration before nodding firmly.

"Alright. I can do that." He decided. "Holding cell six?" It was where they put people who were to be interrogated before being moved to a more serious or personal cell.

"You know it." Tsukauchi confirmed tiredly. Izuku swept out of the room and hung his bag quickly before heading to the barrack. He was still in his school uniform, which would be an issue for interrogations.

Izuku headed for the locker rooms and changed into some of the random available clothes. He chose a short sleeve blue shirt and black jeans. He had to roll the jeans, but the shirt fit well enough. Tucking his school uniform in a locker and securing it with a lock, he headed to his desk to grab his Investigator's vest.

"Midoriya?" Izuku shrugged on his vest and looked at the cat headed man in confusion.

"Sansa, why're you here?" He asked, "Your shift isn't until eleven."

"I could ask you the same thing." Sansa blinked. "I'm here because there was an update in the Rose killing case."

"Ah, that one's rough." Izuku noded in sympathy. The Villain had a rosebush Quirk that they used to strangle their victims with thorny and flowery vines. Very unpleasant, and often gory. "I'm here for the UA break in case, we're starting interrogations."

"Makes sense, good luck with that." Izuku waved as the man departed, and then he headed to the back of the station where the mass holding cells were. They had six mass holding cells, large enough for two dozen people each to be confined comfortably, three dozen if they were stepping on each other's toes. He smiled at the thought. Izuku came to a stop in front of the bars, and dejected angry faces looked up at his blank one.

"Hello, my name is Investigator Midoriya." Izuku said, narrowing his eyes at the brown haired woman he remembered. "I'll be interviewing each of you one at a time. It shouldn't take more than five to ten minutes each." Izuku nodded to the stationed officer, and the woman unlocked the door. "Before you try and escape while the door is open, I'll have you know I'm qualified to tranquillise anyone who resists." With his words hanging in the air, he opened the cell and beckoned the glaring brown haired reporter. She followed him out, fists clenched in anger.

Izuku led her to the section six interrogation room, number two, and sat her down across from him at a steel table. She glanced anxiously back at the mirror behind Izuku, but he genuinely didn't know if anyone was back there or not. He let her think there was, though, it was usually easier that way.

"Can you state your name?" Izuku started, picking up the notepad and pen that was present in every interrogation room. "We'll be checking in the Quirk registry for accuracy after the interview, so there's not really any point in lying." She crossed her arms and glared at the table.

"Kiyo Jikuna." She gritted out. Izuku wrote it down easily.

"And what news station do you represent, Kiyo?"

"HNA News Centre." Izuku nodded and smiled at her prettily.

"Excellent. Now, can you tell me your age, Quirk, and address?"

Izuki went through every person, and unless the guy with the hands that could get as hot as a Pre-Quirk American gas stove had a miracle happen, none of them were candidates for the type of destruction used on the UA Barrier. When the last person left, he laid his head on the metal interrogation table and groaned.

Why did it have to be an unknown assailant?

Izuku left the room and, after he called for an intern to wipe down the room, he went to the back room to make himself a steamed hot chocolate. He deserved it, dammit. Eraserhead was leaning against the wall inside, and Izuku just vaguely nodded in his direction as he started collecting what he needed.

"I'm guessing the interrogations didn't help any?" Izuku frowned as he poured the last of the milk into his cup. They'd need more soon. Should he just go and buy some…?

"No. None of them had Quirks able to destroy the barrier. It's an unknown." Izuku flipped on the espresso machine and double-checked that there was water in it before turning the knob of the steamer and moving to dump his hot cocoa powder into a separate cup.

"Any ideas?"

"It's definitely a Villain. They used their Quirk to destroy UA's property to allow breaking and entering." Izuku turned off the steamer and rinsed the nozzle, then poured the foamy milk into the chocolate powder. "My best guess would be an emitter Quirk similar to Thirteen's; one that instead of consuming and destroying, it allows the user to destroy by turning any substance to ash, or maybe dust?" Izuku shook his head and then sipped his hot chocolate. "Powerful, but highly likely to be discriminated against. Many people with Quirks like that would almost definitely become Villains just because society would push them that far."

"I'd bet it has to do with All Might." Aizawa said tiredly as Izuku approached and just sipped his chocolate with both hands. "The reporters were there for All Might, so it makes sense the Villain is somehow related to that mess as well."

"It's possible." Izuku nodded. "However, it could also be just a coincidence. They could be looking for some way to hurt UA's reputation, or to threaten UA, or to just be an annoyance, and this was the way. We should keep all possibilities in mind." Eraserhead nodded, pushing off the wall.

"I hope you know your shift started an hour ago, while you were doing interrogations." Eraserhead said. Izuku sighed.

"I do know, thanks." He ran a hand through his green hair tiredly. "I need to call my mom, actually. You're not clocking in 'till ten?"

"I decided to start early." Aizawa admitted, sighing. "I wanted an update on the break in while I was here, and then get out looking for the Night Stalker."

"Let me know if you find anything?" Izuku checked, sipping his chocolate.

"Always do."

Chapter Text

The Unforeseen Simulation Joint

It was only the fourth day at school, and Izuku was already tired of his colleagues.

"Hey Midoriya, how's your morning going?" Midnight smiled at him as he headed for the daily schedule.

"Good, Recovery Girl is taking the Code seriously now. Which is a relief." Izuku hummed.

"How's work at the station?" Snipe asked.

"It's going well, I think I got a break in a single murder case. Sansa is following the lead, and the criminal should be brought in for arrest by the time school gets out." Izuku smiled, gold curling in his hair.

"Y'know, I sometimes wonder about the hair." Midnight hummed, "I still wanna know why Nezu is so terrified of your Quirk."

"I can't tell you any more than I already did. Details are classified." Izuku smiled at her tightly.

"So you keep saying." All Might put in, "Who made it classified, anyway?"

"All Healing Quirks are private during preschool and primary school, but can be released for middle school. It's a protocol to protect young Healers from Villains who'd want to kidnap them and use their Quirks for their Villainous purposes before they can adequately protect themselves." Izuku recited easily. "I was already a main Healer at the Centre by then, and they knew already the dangers of Sunlight. They decided to keep my Quirk details secret, only notifying the Healer Committee because it was necessary. I was allowed to tell Nezu because he counts as a government personnel more than a Pro Hero. But, since I’m no longer with the Centre, I could technically release the information to anyone I want. However, it's recommended I tell people only on a need-to-know basis. I've decided you don’t need to know."

"Can't you just make an exception?" Midnight whined. "I want to know more about Sunlight!"

"Even if I did make an exception, I wouldn't do it for you. People knowing could be dangerous for me." Izuku said seriously.

"I think it's fair that she wants to know why you could supposedly kill All Might with your Quirk." Ectoplasm put in blankly, not looking up from his grading papers.

"See! He gets it!" Midnight pointed excitedly.

"Stop bullying my student and let him get to class." Aizawa's tired voice rang out, and Izuku slumped in relief. "Midoriya, let's go." Izuku smiled tightly to his coworkers and slipped out behind Aizawa, who'd emerged from his sleeping bag cocoon.

"Thanks Eraser." Izuku said with a resigned grin.

"Midnight means well, but she's pushy." Aizawa responded. "She's not used to not getting her way, and Nezu completely flattened her when she asked during that meeting."

"Understandable, but still. Classified is classified." Izuku huffed.

The two entered the classroom together once again, and the school day started.

Izuku arrived on time for Hero Training for once, being ahead on his Healer work in the clinic, and he sat attentively as he saw Aizawa instead of All Might.

"For today's Hero Basic Training, it's turned into a class with three instructors, All Might and me, and one more person." The class seemed to all pause in confusion. The boy next to Izuku raised his hand high, nearly standing up.

"Oi! Excuse me!" Izuku remembered him as Sero Hanta, Quirk: Tape. "What'll we be doing?" Without missing a beat, Aizawa thrust his hand into the air with a white card labelled Rescue in blue.

"Disasters, shipwrecks, and everything in between. It's rescue training." The class oohed and ahhed.

"Rescue?" Kaminari, the electric user, said leaning back in his seat. "Looks like it'll be a lot of work this time, too." He spoke to the girl beside him, who Izuku remembered as Ashido.

"Right?" She exclaimed happily.

"Idiot, this is the duty of a Hero!" Kirishima cut in. "My arms are ready to rumble!"

"No one can beat me in the water, kero kero!" Asui put it. Her face was as blank as ever, but her voice sounded a little excited.

"Hey, I'm not done." In Izuku's opinion, Eraserhead looked so done. "You can decide if you want to wear your costume or not this time." He calmly clicked the costume case cubbies open. "Because there are probably costumes that limit your abilities, too. The training will take place off-campus, so we're taking a bus. That is all. Start getting ready." Aizawa then walked away, presumably to the garage to retrieve a bus and probably the driver.

"Are you excited, Katsuki?" Izuku grinned as he grabbed his case.

"Training is training, Broccoli." Izuku snickered.

"Anything you want to try in particular?"

"Landslides or falling buildings would be best." Katsuki grinned sharply. "Watch me blow up those falling rocks and rubble like kindling!" Izuku laughed, entering the locker room.

"I bet. I'm hoping for maybe the water rescue, shipwreck." Izuku hummed as he started to change. "It'll be a challenge, something new. I've never done an active scene in the water before."

"Oh, that's right." Kirishima grinned from the other side of the bench. "You've been doing active rescues for years, right Midoriya?"

"Yeah, field work since I was eight. I was doing clinic work before that. I started around six years old, I think?" Izuku smiled. "I've done all kinds of natural disasters and Villains attacks and stuff, but never water."

"You started super young." Kaminari said, blinking. "Healing must've been a huge passion for you, then."

"You could say that." Izuku said simply.

"Zuku didn't have a choice." Katsuki grumbled. "Extras with Healing Quirks are forced into the Centre straight out of preschool, no hesitation. Broccoli was one of them."

"It wasn't so bad." Izuku then broke off, seeing the boys were suddenly all staring at him.

"Is that true, Midoriya?" Shinso's eyes were huge, and Izuku tilted his head.

"Of course. Healing Quirks are rare, and mine is unusually strong and dangerous." Izuku smiled ruefully as he locked his locker, remembering how the Healer Centre responded to his recent resignation. "I was raised to be a Healer, after all. They said I'd someday surpass Recovery Girl, even." Todoroki slammed his locker shut unusually hard, and Izuku narrowed his eyes at the boy's tense shoulders. "Anyway, we should be getting to the bus."

The walk outside was quiet, people either having quiet discussions or others just lost in thought. Izuku realised they probably didn't know what it was like, being a Healer. Those with Healing Quirks didn't really get the luxury of choosing something else. If Izuku had tried to become a plumber, he'd have been told he was wasting his Quirk and his potential. Not that Izuku would've cared, but it was inevitable and true nonetheless. They ended up outside, waiting with the girls.

"Hey, Midoriya." Yaoyorozu came over with a raised hand.

"Yaoyorozu." Izuku nodded politely with a smile.

"Are you looking forward to the rescue training? I've recently begun searching for your rescues, and it seems you have years of experience." Izuku laughed lightly.

"I'm looking forward to it, definitely. I was just telling the boys that I hope to be doing shipwreck, like Aizawa mentioned. I've never done water rescues before." She gave him a smile.

"I do have a question, after looking at what's on the media and what can be seen about your talents." Izuku tilted his head for her to continue. "Why did you decide to become a Hero? You've completely stopped your work at the Healer Centre since your enrollment." Izuku's smile nearly failed, his lips twitching downwards at another reminder of the Healer Centre and their reaction to his departure.

"Before my Quirk, I wanted to be a Hero. As I grew and became a Healer, I saved people the Heroes missed, or couldn't protect, or that were left behind. I believed being a Healer was enough." Izuku admitted, "Becoming a Hero, I want to help people before they have any reason to get injured in the first place. I felt like my work as a Healer was to make up for Heroes not saving everyone, but I'm hoping to be one of the Heroes who saves as many as I can reach. Does that make sense?"

"That's very noble of you, Midoriya." Yaoyorozu smiled at him. "I'm glad you're here, and following your original dream."

"Me too." Izuku then looked behind Yaoyorozu to see Aizawa walking up looking so done with the class in disarray. "Hold on, do you mind if I do a class rep thing for a sec?"

"Not at all, please do." She smiled, and Izuku stepped around her and stood beside Iida by the bus.

"Everyone!" Izuku called their attention strongly but gently. "Can we all please get into a line beside the bus? We'll be loading soon, and we can enter one at a time and take our seats."

"Midoriya!" Iida's hand shot into the air as everyone started making their way over. "May I suggest forming two lines by student number to make it go more smoothly?" Izuku smiled and shook his head.

"No, everyone can sit wherever they like." He denied. "I just think a line will make the boarding process easier, so we don't all try to rush inside at once." Aizawa then stepped forward as the class formed a messy line behind Izuku.

"Everyone in. Hurry up." He said tiredly. Izuku boarded first, taking a spot on one of the benches. The class came in one by one, all choosing their seats. Katsuki looked heavily between Izuku and one of the window seats in the back, before plopping down arms crossed right next to him. Izuku smiled fondly, and bumped their shoulders together. The bus rumbled to a start as everyone found a seat, and then they were off.

"I say whatever comes to mind." Asui said suddenly from Izuku's other side. She turned to face him blankly, and he mirrored her. "Midoriya…"

"Yes, Asui?" She blinked slowly.

"Call me Tsu."

"Alright. Yes, Tsuyu?" Izuku smiled at her. She blinked at the use of her first name without it being a nickname, but seemed to accept it.

"Your Quirk is very odd." She admitted, huge green eyes on his. Sunlight responded by turning Izuku's eyes gold, which made Tsuyu tilt her head to the side. "That's what I mean. It seems like a colour changing Quirk more than anything."

"It's flashy and brilliant like mine." Aoyama said, leaning on his palms and smiling his constant smile. "That shield during the Entrance Exam was magnificent."

"What does it actually do? You said it was a Healing Quirk." Kirishima asked, leaning around Tsu.

"Sunlight is sort of sentient." Izuku answered, smiling. "It moves around my body in response to my emotions, and light. Here, look." Izuku leaned his head back towards the window, and rays of sun hit the green curls, Sunlight curling into his hair and making it glow brightly. "Sunlight responds best to the sun, which is pretty obvious. It is a Healing Quirk, responding to my need to heal. It also responds to the need for protection, making that shield. When I'm happy, it usually makes me or my hair glow, even without the sun. Like after the Battle Scenarios we did."

"What does it do for other emotions?" Kaminari asked, frowning. "What about anger?" Izuku's smile fell slightly.

"That's classified information." He said shortly.

"Eh?" Uraraka looked confused, scrunching up her nose. "Why?"

"Because Sunlight could be dangerous." Izuku said blankly. "Even natural sunlight can burn."

"So it can be used offensively, too?" Kirishima asked, grinning.

"No." Izuku said sharply. "No it can't."

"Why not?" Hagakure asked. Izuku sighed tiredly, not giving an answer, and leaned his head on Katsuki's shoulder.

"Goldilocks doesn't want to talk anymore." Katsuki declared. "Besides, the shitty Healer rules say he can't tell anyone anyway."

"That doesn't make sense." Hagakure whined. "All our Quirks aren't classified!" Izuku shut his eyes and resisted saying 'Your Quirks didn't blow up two buildings and kill twelve people.'

"Healers Quirks are always kept private until they reach middle school. The Healer Centre just kept me classified, even afterwards, because it's so dangerous." Izuku sighed out, sick of having to explain it to both his coworkers and his classmates on the same day.

"Dangerous?" Iida exclaimed. "Healing Quirks aren't inherently dangerous!"

"It's not inherently dangerous, usually." Izuku muttered. "But Sunlight can be… vindictive." He then fell silent, and nobody bothered asking any more questions.

Leaning on Katsuki, Izuku pulled his cell phone out of a pouch and scrolled aimlessly, pausing when he noticed news about All Might.

Good morning All Might! He solves three cases this morning!

All Might sighted in Musutafu again, saving family!

Robbery stopped in Hosu by Number One Hero All Might!

Number One Hero or Teacher? All Might spotted in Hosu during the school day!

Izuku glared at his phone, letting Katsuki lead him out of the bus as it stopped, and he realised All Might was indeed nowhere to be seen as he quickly glanced around and spotted Thirteen approaching. Izuku hit the call button, a little irritated. It rang, and Izuku waited impatiently as he entered the USJ with his class, ignoring Thirteen's welcome words and the class' awe at the building. Izuku needed to keep his cool.

"Healer Midoriya!" All Might's voice boomed on the other side of the line.

"Don't you Healer Midoriya me, Yagi Toshinari!" Izuku yelled into the phone, completely forgetting his cool as he heard All Might's stupidly proud voice. Every member of the class turned to him in surprise, and Izuku ignored them. "We had a deal, remember? You're not supposed to be working for the next several weeks! You promised not to be late to a single lesson, and I just looked at the news. What the hell are you doing in Hosu, when we have class right now?" He came to a stop as his class did, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Ah, thanks to your efforts I feel just fine! And there were people to save, Midoriya! I–"

"You have commitments here, All Might! You're a teacher now, regardless of any previous circumstances resolving themselves!!" Izuku seethed. "If you don't get your ass in gear, I'll rip out that flawless lung of yours. How does that sound!?" All Might made a noise over the phone, maybe in shame or surprise.

"I'm headed your way, Healer Midoriya!" Izuku glared and hoped All Might could feel it.

"Good. Don't you dare stop for anything. Start taking your job seriously, or you'll have to explain to the media why you're the first Hero to ever be fired from UA." Izuku spat angrily. "Be here in more than twenty minutes and I'll shoot you with a tranquilliser below the belt, understand!?" Izuku then hung up and shoved his phone away, taking a deep breath. He looked up and noticed Thirteen, Aizawa, and the class all staring. He gave them a strained smile. "Sorry, don't we have a lesson to get to?"

"Remind me never to make Midoriya mad…" Kaminari muttered to Kirishima on Izuku's left. "Quirk or not he is terrifying."

Katsuki came over and grabbed his hand, popping explosions against Izuku's palm. Izuku pushed warmth into his hands in acknowledgement, and he gave Katsuki a shaky smile. All Might was a fool and a reckless idiot. Izuku was going to kill him for overworking his brand new body. Just wait till he arrives…

"Um, right." Thirteen cleared their throat. "Anyway, this is a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. It's called the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short." Izuku calmed himself, trying to appreciate the sheer pride and joy in Thirteen's voice.

"Midoriya, All Might is coming?" Aizawa asked tiredly. Izuku nodded, face pinching in anger again.

"I expect him in no more than twenty minutes." Izuku gritted out as politely as he could. Kaminari and some members of the class shuffled slightly, probably remembering Izuku's threats. "He is, however, heading over from Hosu." Aizawa sighed.

"That's the height of irrationality." He replied. "It can't be helped. Shall we begin?" Thirteen nodded as Eraser moved to lean against the wall.

"Let's see… before we begin, let me say one thing. Er, or two, or three… four… five… six… seven…" Thirteen's counting really wasn't helping Izuku's mood. Sunlight was still curled comfortably in his hair and eyes, and he found the smallest amount of comfort in the warmth. "Everyone, I am sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust." They paused, assessing the excited class and Uraraka's happy headbobbing. "I use it for my Hero work, but it is a power that can kill easily." Everyone froze, and Izuku nodded in understanding. So that's where they were going with it…

"Some of you also have Quirks like that, right?" Izuku's hand tightened in Katsuki's. "In a superhuman society, personal Quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa's physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers, and with All Might's person-on-person combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your Quirks to save peoples' lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you'll leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others." The class was now staring with determination and awe, Izuku smiling softly. He'd already learned how to do that, and he hoped his classmates could too. Thirteen bowed. "That is all. Thank you for listening." The class cheered, many yelling encouragements and thanks.

"They got the speech thing down." Izuku whispered to Katsuki. "Like Aizawa-sensei."

"Of course you liked the caterpillar's speech." Katsuki grumbled. Izuku muffled a giggle. Aizawa's had been more of a callout and a wakeup speech to the class, for the physical test. It was true, though, Japan was full of unfairness.

"Alright then, first–" Aizawa and Izuku both froze, and a moment later the lights were flickering. Blue lightning flew along the lights, taking them out one by one until every bulb in the huge strip circling the facility was dark. The room was still lit by many windows and the transparent ceiling, but it was surprising for the class nonetheless.

Down in the courtyard below, the fountain started going on the fritz, spurting water and then failing and then starting up again. It was as if something was jamming the nozzle, making the flow inconsistent and sluggish. Something was spinning there…

Aizawa instinctively spun around the same moment Izuku pushed forward to get a better view, and everyone gasped as a whirling purple mist formed and then blew out and consumed half the courtyard. Squinting yellow eyes hung high up in the dark and swirling smoke, slits ominously watching. Ominously, a single pale hand reached through the mist, and everything went to shit.

Chapter Text

All Might Finally Does His Job

Unfortunately, it wasn't just a hand that came from the mist. Most creepily, a red eye hidden behind a severed hand appeared, and the pale handed person in all black stepped all the way through, dismembered hands decorating him like fine jewellery. Following that first person was a massive crowd of people, most with heavy mutation Quirks.

The person covered in hands looked like a boy, to Izuku, no older than twenty five but definitely past his high school years. He looked thin as well, and his posture suggested he wasn't disciplined or raised to care about it the way most kids were. Despite this, he was most likely the one in charge, evidenced by the massive purple bodyguard with a teeth filled bird beak and an exposed brain. Izuku didn't know if it was some kind of helmet, but if the brain really was exposed that heavily… the person shouldn't be alive.

"What's that?" Kirishima stepped forward, squinting. "Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson's already started?" Izuku held out an arm and pushed Kirishima back.

"Don't move!" Izuku ordered at the same time as Aizawa.

"Those are Villains." Eraserhead continued, placing his yellow goggles on his face.

"Thirteen and Eraserhead, huh?" An ominous voice drawled. Izuku concluded it was the mist Villain. "The teacher's schedule we received the other day said All Might was also supposed to be here." The mist condensed, becoming a warbled head and neck of a misty body with this yellow eyes ever watchful.

"The trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags after all, huh?" Eraserhead gritted out.

"Students, head for the doors!" Izuku called, looking over his shoulder. "You need to warn UA and bring reinforcements." They'd need them desperately by the look of things.

"Where is he?" A quiet and boyish voice carried from the hand Villain. "I went through the trouble of bringing this whole crowd, too… All Might… The Symbol of Peace… I can't believe he's not here. I wonder if he'll come if we kill some kids?" Eraserhead's scarf levitated above his head, writhing.

"What the hell are you doing?" Izuku hissed to the frozen students. "Go!" They started backing up, slowly. "Thirteen, escort them out. Prioritise the rescue."

"What about the trespassing sensors?" Yaoyorozu said nervously.

"Who cares? Move! Katsuki, make sure they make it!" Izuku ordered lowly. Katsuki started grabbing people's shoulders, shoving them and ordering them as quietly as he could. Thirteen started pressuring them to leave, too, and Izuku was satisfied. Eraserhead stepped forward, towards the stairs, and Izuku did too.

"I don't suppose I can ask you to evacuate." Eraser drawled, readying himself.

"Not a chance." Izuku replied, drawing his tranquiliser gun, and they both sprang into action. Eraserhead jumped, clearing the stairs, and Izuku ran down them two at a time and fired as he went.

Eraser reached the bottom first, and Izuku assumed he flashed his Quirk at the Villains, but he couldn't really see it behind the goggles. That was the whole point of them. Izuku took down three on Eraser's left as the man wrapped several up and slammed them together roughly. Villains started screaming, shouting about Eraser's Quirk, and Izuku took the time to empty his magazine by nailing the frozen Villains. He hit the bottom running as he reloaded, and just threw the empty clip to the ground.

Villains surrounded Eraser, and Izuku took down two of them to clear a path to stand defensively behind the Hero. Eraserhead started making his way through the minions, and Izuku worked in tandem to take out any who seemed like they were getting tired of waiting on the sidelines.

Someone charged Izuku, yelling about bringing guns to a Quirk fight, and he ducked under the attack, spinning to the side as he slammed the butt of his gun into the man's face. Another approached, and Izuku pulled the heavy knife from his thigh sheath to attack more readily. He still had the gun in his dominant hand, and it was hard to shoot without his supporting hand, but he made it work. Police didn't slouch around with guns and weapons training.

Suddenly the mist dispersed, disappearing from view. Izuku gripped his knife tighter in anxiety. Where had it gone? Izuku glanced back up to see the tips of purple on the landing above him, and Izuku noticed Eraser take one step in that direction before being surrounded and needing to jump back into the fight. Izuku considered going up to help his classmates, but there was no time. Eraserhead needed him too.

Villains after Villain crossed their paths, Eraser swinging them around and using close range combat for the ones he couldn't Erase, and Izuku slashed at arms and slammed people into the ground, sweat beading on his forehead and Sunlight brightening in his hair from the exertion. Izuku wasn't happy at the way the Villain covered in hands was staring at the both of them, seemingly assessing them, but he couldn't shoot him with so many people between them. It made Izuku clench his teeth in indignation, but he focused on the grunts. He'd never considered that his Healer combat training and police weapons training would lead to Izuku fighting side by side with a Pro, but it did, evidently.

Eraserhead and Izuku were both panting by the time they noticed the hand Villain running for them, and Izuku narrowed his eyes as Aizawa let him approach. Eraserhead threw out his scarf and the man caught it with only a few fingers. He was running with outstretched hands, like the Night Stalker, with no weapons…

"Watch out for his hands!" Izuku shrieked, pointing his gun right at the Villain. But Izuku wasn't fast enough as Eraserhead slammed an elbow into the Villain's ribs, only for a pale hand to grab his elbow. Eraserhead's hair fell, and he heeded Izuku's words, punching the Villain and withdrawing, but his sleeve and elbow had already turned grey and begun to flake off. Ash was left behind, swirling down and disappearing. The UA Barrier…!

Eraser slid back and Izuku ran for him, grabbing his elbow with absolutely no caution or care. The Hero grunted, probably barely avoiding a scream of pain, but Izuku didn't care as he pushed Sunlight into the injury.

Izuku raised his gun in his other hand, a full clip loaded, and fired at every incoming Villain one by one as he healed Eraserhead. Checking Sunlight was done and the bad guys were down, Izuku released him and Aizawa shook out his arm and shoulder.

"Thanks." He said quickly, panting.

"It's my job." Izuku responded breathily. He looked down at his belt to realise he had no more full magazines. He had maybe… four shots left in his current clip? Shit…

"Oh, what's this?" The hand Villain said softly, getting up from where Aizawa had punched him to the ground, "A Healer?" Izuku glared and Sunlight flashed his eyes gold in anger. "What are you doing here, little Healer? Aren't you meant to be safe and sound away from the danger? And Eraserhead… what you're good at is a short fight after surprise attacks, right?" Neither Izuku nor Aizawa moved, assessing and wary. "Even so, you jumped right in to fight us from the front… both of you… was it to put the students at ease?"

A few more Villains approached, and Izuku stepped back so Eraser could grab them with his scarf. He did, flinging them around so they dominoed and smacked each other, knocking them all down like bowling pins. Dominoes and bowling pins weren't at all related, but that's what Izuku's brain went to, okay?

"You're so cool…" The Villain exclaimed, a grin in his voice as he spread his arms. "You're so cool…!" The Villain then seemed to go serious, using his soft and ominous voice again. "By the way, Hero… Healer… I'm not the last boss." The purple bodyguard moved between one second and the next, standing behind Eraserhead, and then slammed the Hero into the floor.

"Eraser!" Izuku cried out, taking a step forward as the bodyguard crouched on Aizawa's back and twisted his arm.

"Ah, ah, ah." Izuku froze at the Villain's amused tone. "I'll tell you, Healer… this is the Anti-Symbol of Peace. If you try to save this Hero… I'll tell Nomu to kill him before you take one more step." The purple monster raised its head to cry out, a sort of triumphant noise halfway between a pterodactyl and a rooster, and then stilled completely. Izuku lifted his eyes to the hand Villain, Sunlight visibly swirling at the surface of his golden irises. "Unless your Quirk can revive the dead, I'd stay there." Izuku gritted his teeth but didn't move.

His vision slid to Aizawa, and his hands twitched. He was face down, his yellow goggles lying cracked beside him as blood slipped across the floor. Crimson streaks came from his head and surrounded him, and the grotesque body of the 'Nomu' straddled him so Eraser had no chance of getting up again. Izuku needed to get to him immediately.

The need to heal him didn't improve any when the creature pulled back Aizawa's arm and twisted it like it was play dough, and Izuku painfully twitched as the man groaned wetly in pain. If there was wetness in his lungs, it meant internal bleeding and the possibility of a collapsed lung…!

"You can Erase Quirks." The hand Villain stated conversationally. "That's wonderful, but it's nothing impressive. In the face of overwhelming power, you might as well be Quirkless." Eraserhead looked back over his shoulder, teeth gritted, and Izuku held his breath. At that moment, Nomu slammed a hand down and broke Aizawa's other arm like it was nothing. The Hero screamed, and there was only a second or two before the monster grabbed Aizawa's head and slammed it into the floor hard enough to crack the concrete.

Izuku gasped, his hands shaking and glowing dully as he watched Aizawa go limp, probably unconscious from a blow like that. He probably had damage to the eyes and jaw, cheekbone almost definitely fractures, possible bleeding in the brain, and a harsh concussion. Izuku didn't even want to consider the possibility of a skull fracture or crack. A little voice started to whisper…

"Shigaraki Tomura." The mist Villains appeared next to the hand Villain, Shigaraki.

"Kurogiri, did you kill Thirteen?" Shigaraki looked over casually. Izuku tensed, eyes wide.

"I put Thirteen out of action," Izuku could've wilted in relief. Not dead. Healable. Hold on, if Thirteen was down… "but there were students I was unable to disperse, and six of them were able to run away." Disperse?? Katsuki…!

"Huh?" Shigaraki said blankly. He raised a hand to his neck, as if itching something, but it became more obsessive until his other hand joined. Izuku watched the intensity, concluding the Villain seemed to be having a mild sort of panic attack, harming himself in his anger as his shoulders shook. "Kurogiri, you… if you weren't a Warp gate I would've crushed you to pieces." Shigaraki then paused, sighing in an almost relieved way and releasing his own neck. Izuku faintly noted minor bleeding there. "We can't win against dozens of Pros. It's Game Over. Man, it's Game Over this time. Let's go home."

Despite the mild relief and suspicion he felt in that moment, Izuku didn't like the language choice. Izuku figured the Villain was older than high school age, and he thought attacking UA was a game?

"Oh, yeah. Before we leave… let's smash some of his pride, as the Symbol of Peace!" Izuku barely had time to react as the Villain jumped straight for him, hand outstretched. Izuku did, however, raise his gun and fire it. It never reached its intended target, a purple wall suddenly between Izuku and Shigaraki. Izuku recoiled with a gasp, taking a step back as he found Nomu right in front of him.

"You move well." Shigaraki's voice came from around Nomu. "You were hoping to take me down, weren't you? Oh, well. I'm done with you." Izuku stepped back again, cursing that he'd been given tranquillisers meant for normal people instead of Villains bigger than All Might. His little tranquilizer round had no effect on the monster at all.

Izuku flinched and whipped around the same moment Shigaraki did, hearing the massive crash up by the entrance. Dust plumed, and Izuku sorely hoped it was reinforcements. His prayers were halfway answered when ominous footsteps rang from the top of the stairs, and a shadow could be seen in all the dust.

"It's fine now." All Might stepped fully into view, tearing off his tie and discarding his awful yellow suit jacket. "I am here." Izuku stared, and his brain had to reboot at the image of All Might standing, announcing his signature words, but he wasn't smiling.

"Oh, we're getting a 'Continue'." Shigaraki said softly. "I've been waiting, Hero. You trash of society." A manic edge crept into Shigaraki's voice that Izuku did not like. Izuku started backing up slowly, away from Shigaraki and Nomu, putting much needed space between them while the Villains were focused on All Might. Izuku risked a glance over his shoulder, eyes glueing themselves to Aizawa and trying to find a path.

Izuku noticed that most of the guys Aizawa had knocked down were up again, facing All Might and yelling. The ones Izuku shot were still out though, so, that's a plus. In a sudden blur and a whoosh, Villains were knocked down too fast for Izuku to follow, and then All Might was kneeling next to a prone Aizawa. All Might gently picked him up, and then dropped him at the edge of the courtyard. All Might then rushed away, yelling something, but Izuku didn't care.

Izuku ignored the fight. He was across the way from Aizawa, far enough from Shigaraki that All Might left him there, and he really needed to get to Aizawa. Izuku started running, and then froze as a massive crash went off, dust radiating upwards in a dome. As it cleared, his eyes widened, and he pressed a hand to his mouth in horror.

All Might was bent over backwards, his hands holding the hips of an upside down Nomu, who's upper body went through the ground, into a portal, and came up under All Might's back. Its claws were embedded in All Might's side, right where all his brand new organs and muscles were.

"Were you trying to keep him from moving by sticking him deep in the concrete?" Shigaraki asked, amused behind his dismembered hand. "You won't be able to stop him like that, because Nomu is as strong as you are." Shigaraki laughed, a sort of half maniacal giggle, and turned to the Warp Villain. "This is good, Kurogiri. It's an unexpected opportunity." All Might released Nomu's hips, instead grabbing the claws in his side.

"This is your first offence?" All Might asked, voice tight with pain, "You'd better prepare yourselves." Shigaraki didn't seem to like that threat, and began scratching his neck again, slowly but roughly.

"Kurogiri."

"I do not want blood and guys overflowing within me…" Kurogiri's voice rang out, deep and amused, "but I would be happy to take in someone as great as you." Izuku was frozen. He needed to get to Aizawa… "You're too fast to see with the human eye. Restraining you was Nomu's job, and then, when your body is halfway in, to close the gate and tear you apart is my job!" All Might gasped in realisation, and Izuku wondered why he wasn't moving, wasn't fighting. Izuku inhaled sharply, turning to his left abruptly. Kat–

"Die!!" Katsuki shot out from nowhere, slamming into the mist Villain, Kurogiri, and actually meeting solid. "Take that!" Izuku sprinted forward, running right for Aizawa as the Villains were distracted. He reached his teacher as ice slid across the floor, creeping up and freezing Nomu solid on both sides of the portal without touching All Might. Izuku passed Todoroki on his left, the boy standing nonchalantly with the trail of ice coming from his right foot.

"All I heard was that you all are here to kill All Might." Todoroki drawled, breathing out frost. All Might, taking advantage of the opening, yanked the claws from his side and flipped away, landing in a crouch between Todoroki and Izuku. Kirishima fell from the sky (what??) and his attack on Shigaraki was dodged.

"Damn it! I didn't get to show off!" Yelled the redhead roughly. Izuku crashed to his knees beside Aizawa, hands shaking a glowing white, and he assessed the damage as he placed his hand on Eraser's cheek.

Sunlight spread from where Izuku touched Eraserhead, and found a heavily damaged orbital bone, fractured cheekbones, and a minor skull fracture. There was brain bleeding, and his arms were completely messed up with almost nothing attached internally. It was a miracle they hadn't been torn off… Izuku felt Sunlight fixing all of it, taking much longer than the few seconds it took to fix his elbow. It built new muscles, produced more blood, rechannelled split nerves and veins, and healed fractures. Aizawa's arms glowed, twisting back into their original positions, and his pinched expression smoothed out. Aizawa opened his eyes, he'd probably been only barely conscious and fighting the pain before, but Izuku placed a hand on his chest to keep him from getting up.

"I'm really sorry about this, but your new muscles and body are too fragile for fighting. Forgive me?" Izuku smiled, even as he felt anger for Shigaraki and Nomu bubbling under his skin, and shot Aizawa with a tranquilliser in the foot. It was a waste of one of his last bullets, but the Hero slumped. Izuku tried to find relief and concluded he had none.

Shigaraki had nearly killed Eraserhead. Nomu had maimed him on Shigaraki's orders, and it made Izuku's blood boil, it just made him angrier. How could Nomu do this? Izuku's hands were still white, Sunlight glowing and pulsing in his fingers as his eyes started to glow. Izuku stood, turning to stand protectively over Aizawa's prone body, and he growled in Shigaraki's direction. Katsuki was sitting nearby, and Nomu had moved, but Izuku didn't care how he just wanted Nomu gone. How dare they attack Eraserhead like that? How dare they attack Izuku's class? How dare the Villain stand there monologuing, as if he deserved to be listened to?

Sunlight answered in his anger, curling around his heart and whispering reassurances. It would fix it, it would take Shigaraki and Nomu away…

"Oi ice boy! Freeze Izuku's hands!" Izuku paused, turning white eyes on Katsuki and narrowing them. Sunlight curled in his hands, and they glowed even brighter, bathing everything in white light.

"What?" Todoroki answered.

"NOW!" Katsuki screamed. Izuku turned to Todoroki, anger bubbling up in throat in Sunlight fueled waves and then Todoroki slammed a foot into the ground and Izuku was shoulder deep in ice. It barely lasted a second, boiling off his skin in seconds as Izuku gasped for breath at the temperature difference. "AGAIN!" Todoroki froze Izuku once more, and Izuku gritted his teeth.

He needed to calm down. Yes Aizawa had been injured, yes they were all in danger, but Sunlight wasn't the answer. It couldn't fix it, it couldn't help, not in a good way. He faintly heard Kirishima yelling to him, but he ignored it to focus. Ice boiled off him again, but it was replaced just as quickly. That one took longer to melt, and then Izuku fell to his knees. Katsuki was at his side in a moment, crouching down and putting his hands on Izuku's shoulder as his eyes faded back to green. His hair stayed mostly gold, but it was more from healing Aizawa than anger.

"Sunshine, calm down. It's fine. Caterpillar is fine." Katsuki said, staring into Izuku's dazed face. "All Might will kill the shitty Villain's ass, okay?" Izuku nodded, seeing stars. If Katsuki was calling him Sunshine, it meant he was really worried. His family wasn't big on sentimental nicknames, but they all knew Izuku loved them.

"Okay, okay." Katsuki looked at him assessingly, and then helped Izuku stand. "Thanks, Kacchan." Katsuki's face softened, squeezing Izuku's shoulder gently.

"You haven't called me that since diapers, Izuku." Izuku knew Katsuki didn't mind, but keeping the nickname close to himself meant it was more special between them.

"I can actually pronounce your name now, Katsuki." He quipped, making Katsuki bark a laugh. Izuku winced as he stood, and looked around to notice Todoroki was eyeing him carefully, confusion plain in his narrowed and mismatched eyes. Izuku gave the boy a shaky smile and a thankful nod.

Todoroki then turned to the Villain with a determined frown. "It's three of them against five of us." He said coldly. His eyes darted to Izuku, dazed and only standing as he clung to Katsuki, but he didn't revise his numbers. Nice of him.

"These guys are crazy, but if we back up All Might…" Kirishima hardened his hands in preparation. "We can push them back!"

"No!" All Might yelled, striding forward from where the floor suggested he'd slid backwards quite hard at some point. "Run away." He held out a hand in blatant 'do not come closer.'

"You would've been in trouble if I hadn't done something earlier, right?" Todoroki drawled, raising a hand in defence, ready to fight.

"That was a different story, Young Todoroki. Thanks." All Might said, clenching a fist. Todoroki hesitated, seemingly surprised by the acknowledgement and thanks. "But it's fine. Just watch as a Pro gives it everything he's got." Izuku reached out a hand, dizzy from Sunlight.

"Hey, I can heal you first." Izuku called. "You're bleeding." All Might darted over, holding out an arm stoically, and Izuku pressed a palm to his exposed forearm. Sunlight wobbled, and Izuku forced it down, heal, heal, heal, he begged it.

Izuku released All Might, and would've fallen to his knees once again if Katsuki hadn't moved from supporting his arm to wrapping a hand fully around his waist to keep him standing. Izuku gave All Might a tired thumbs up, and the Hero turned dramatically to face the three Villains.

"Nomu, Kurogiri. Get him." Shigaraki ordered softly. "I'll deal with the Healer, and the children." Katsuki's hands on Izuku tightened. "Now, let's clear this level and go home." Shigaraki rushed forward, right for Izuku and the boys around him.

"Hey, we've gotta do this after all!" Kirishima exclaimed, widening his stance and rehardening his hands. Fighting wasn't necessarily, though, because Shigaraki was blasted off his feet as All Might and Nomu hit their fists together with so much force they created a crater in the courtyard, and flew away from the Hero students.

"Damn. Hey, you talked about this shock absorption yourself earlier, didn't you?" Shigaraki asked conversationally as he landed in a crouch.

"Yes I did!" All Might declared, and then he and the Nomu started exchanging heavy blows fist on fist, and waves of wind crashed into everyone. Izuku would've completely toppled in his weak state, but he held a hand out defiantly and ordered Sunlight to cooperate.

For the first time, Izuku created a shield directly from his palm without crossing his arms. Sunlight blazed forth, Izuku's hand becoming solid gold as a barrier of Sunlight formed between the students and the fight. Wind blew past the shield, but none of the students were touched by it. Kirishima gasped.

"Midoriya!?" He yelled. Todoroki just examined it, and then took one side step closer to Izuku and away from the edge of the shield.

"I can't get near them!" Kurogiri yelled from somewhere beyond the shield.

"If your Quirk isn't shock nullification but shock absorption, then there's a limit to it, right?" All Might yelled over the wind and his own punches. "Made to fight me? If you can withstand me at 100%, then I'll force you to surrender from beyond that!"

Izuku's vision flickered, spots dancing in his eyes as Sunlight began burning his organs and boiling his blood. Izuku hated going over his limit; fevers and high temperatures were never fun. Katsuki hissed, his skin starting to redden from the heat coming off Izuku.

"A Hero… can always break out of a tough spot!"

Izuku fell to his knees, shield dropping, and panted as pain started filling his every thought. There was no more wind, though, the air was still.

"Hey Villain, have you ever heard these words?" Izuku looked up as he breathed hard, All Might standing in front of a very battered Nomu, "Go beyond. Plus Ultra!" One last shockwave went off, Katsuki shielding Izuku from it, as All Might launched Nomu into the sky and right out of the dome with a massive explosion. It smashed the ceiling and went out of sight, direct sunlight spilling into the USJ from the broken section. Izuku smiled tiredly in relief.

"Is this a comic book or something?" Kirishima asked quietly, seemingly to himself. "It's like he nullified the shock absorption. His brute strength is crazy."

"What insane power…" Katsuki said roughly, voice awed. "Does this mean he rushed at him so fast he couldn't regenerate?" The smoke and dust cleared, revealing All Might in a weird dramatic punch position.

"I really have gotten weaker." Despite the dizziness he felt, Izuku wanted to smack All Might. Why admit that? "In my prime, five hits would've been enough." He straightened, putting a fist to his chest. "But this time, it took over 200 hits." Izuku wondered if All Might would've needed a hundred more if he was still injured, and faintly played with the idea that All Might would've died. "Now, Villains, time to end this."

Shigaraki was shaking with anger, hands seemingly grasping at air in angry attempts to be in denial. As All Might shot forward, Izuku blinked and suddenly All Might was on the other side of the courtyard and the Villains were gone. Kurogiri must have shoved his mist into Shigaraki, whisking them both away.

Katsuki stared for a moment, before he whipped back around to Izuku, and frowned upon seeing the flushed redness of Izuku's face and skin. "Oi, ice boy, we need more ice." Todoroki was still staring at All Might, but Izuku was encased up to his neck in ice very suddenly. Izuku gasped in shock, and it boiled off him immediately. "All of him." Ice was suddenly all around him, over his eyes and his hair and his face, stopping his movements completely. Izuku forced himself to exhale, and his breath melted through the ice easily. The ice slid off all of him slowly and surely, cooling his body. Izuku slumped forward, slamming his forehead into Katsuki's shoulder as he gasped for breath.

"Seriously, Midoriya, do you have a fire Quirk or something?" Kirishima asked, loudly. "It's like you're way overheating."

"He has Sunlight inside him, idiot." Katsuki said with no real anger. "When he overuses it, it boils his internal organs." In response, Izuku was thoroughly covered neck deep in ice again. It steamed off, and Izuku took deep breaths to try and make his head stop spinning.

"Control. Control. Control." Izuku muttered into Katsuki's shoulder, squeezing his eyes shut. "Sunlight is good, Sunlight is calm, Sunlight is fine. Everything's fine." Ice consumed him again, and this time it took awhile to melt off completely, and Izuku sat up.

"Izuku? You good?" Katsuki asked, hovering a hand near Izuku's arm. Izuku swallowed heavily.

"Nope. But this is as good as we'll get unless I'm gonna pass out." Katsuki helped him stand, and then reluctantly released him with Izuku stable enough to walk by himself. Kirishima sprinted ahead, spotting some of their classmates on the platform above the stairs.

"What was that thing you did when your eyes were glowing? That was more than just Quirk exhaustion." Izuku looked over at Todoroki, who was still walking with them and eyeing Izuku carefully.

"That would be why my Quirk is classified. Sorry, I'll explain." Izuku sighed. Stupid classmates and crossing into the 'need to know' category for being observant. "My Quirk isn't meant to be used to hurt people, but it has an 'offensive mode.' Sunlight will consume me, and I'll have no control. Sunlight reaches out and I'll incinerate whole buildings." Izuku raised his arm that had a useless gold hand attached to it. "The first time it happened, I killed twelve innocent people." Izuku then fell silent, and held out a hand towards Katsuki, who wrapped an arm around his waist again. Izuku didn't really need the support, but he wanted it anyway.

The doors burst open, and Izuku looked up to see the Pros had finally arrived. He then remembered the other Hero, and realised All Might was scooping up an unconscious Aizawa and carrying him easily, headed for the Pros who had entered.

Chaos followed, Present Mic, Snipe, and Ectoplasm getting to work and the others spilling into the facility on the lookout for more Villains. Izuku watched as All Might handed a very blood covered Aizawa to Vlad King, and he separated from Katsuki to step forward.

"I've healed him completely." Izuku piped up before Vlad could ask about all the blood. "I also shot him with a tranquilliser to prevent him from fighting. He needs rest."

"I see." Nezu said, popping up on Vlad's shoulder. "Marvellous." Izuku smiled tiredly, and then rounded on All Might.

"You." Izuku raised an accusing finger and pointed it at All Might. "If you hadn't been off gallivanting in Hosu, this wouldn't have happened." He glared, and All Might laughed nervously.

"Healer Midoriya–" Izuku pulled out his gun and shot All Might in the thigh with no hesitation. It was his last bullet, but it was worth it. All Might grunted, pulling the sharp and slightly barbed dart out. It was tinged with blood, which would've made a less exhausted Izuku smile.

"Be grateful I didn't aim a little to the left." Izuku seethed, and was satisfied by the wince he received. "It's not enough to make you pass out, but I'd sit down if I were you. Your body isn't exactly in peak condition right now." Izuku then reached for Katuski again, and sighed as a supporting hand went around his waist. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Chapter Text

Izuku Is Responsible

"Okay, one more time." Izuku leaned his palms onto the table, blinking away the exhaustion. "Newbie, if you roll your eyes at me one more time I'm taking you off the case." Izuku glared up at the girl, and she lowered her purple eyes in shame. Good. "Okay, so, Shigaraki and his army of nobodys arrived, and then Kurogiri moved up to the students, right?" Izuku found it highly inconvenient that Tsukauchi had arrested all of said nobodys, and that's really what they were. None of them knew what Shigaraki's plans were, they just knew they had to kill All Might and attack the kids. Unhelpful, useless, nobodies.

"Alright." Another girl nodded, flipping through her folder. "Kurogiri arrived at the entrance, blocking their path. Kirishima did a running jump attack, only for Kurogiri to Warp him away. He did the same with the other students he could reach." Izuku nodded.

"We'll start with the kids that stayed near the entrance." Sansa pointed at the correct part of the USJ blueprint, where the names of the students had been placed hours ago. "Iida, Uraraka, Shoji, Shinso, Ashido, Sato, Bakugo, and Sero were all just a few feet away from the doors, likely from Midoriya's prompt evacuation attempt." Sansa glanced up, and Izuku gestured for him to continue. "The Villain blocked their way, but Thirteen told the students to run and activated their Quirk. Black Hole went through a portal and came out aiming at Thirteen's back, incapacitating and injuring them. Bakugo yelled for Iida to get help and grab as many people he could carry. In response, and taking advantage of Thirteen's actions, Iida grabbed Uraraka, who was clinging to Ashido, and the three made it out. Shoji then took the Villain's attention by attempting a dramatic escape, which cleared the way for Sato, Sero, and Shinso. Shoji was the only student to remain by the entrance after Kurogiri Warped Bakugo away, and when the Warp Villain left for the Plaza, Shoji cared for Thirteen as best he could." Sansa stopped and sat back in their chair with a sigh.

"Um, so the Conflagration Zone." A newer boy but not 'Newbie' said next. Izuku was tired of the zone name, and wished someone would just call it the goddamn fire zone. "Ojiro and Aoyama were dropped off on opposite ends, both thinking they were alone. They fought minor level Villains, and Ojiro was found by Powerloader after the Pros' arrival. Aoyama got out on his own, and Ectoplasm found him stumbling around outside the dome." The boy fell silent, fiddling with his folder. Izuku nodded to the man who was next.

"In the Ruins Zone, Kirishima was alone for approximately five minutes before Bakugo was Warped to join him." The older man said, his thick grey moustache twitching as he spoke. "They made their way through the Zone, efficiently taking down every Villain they came across. They ended up in the Central Plaza for the Nomu battle."

"Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Kaminari were in the Mountain Zone." A serious and pink haired girl picked up right away. "After protecting themselves with an insulated blanket, Kaminari electrocuted all of the Villains in view, taking them down. The students let their guard down, which allowed a sneak attack that ended up with an over-his-limit Kaminari being taken hostage. They were rescued long range by Snipe, and collected by Ectoplasm." She snapped her folder shut and leaned against the wall with one leg bent and a foot pressed into the wall behind her.

"Tokoyami and Koda were in the Downpour Zone. They were paired up and stayed together throughout the incident." Sansa piped back up tiredly. "Present Mic collected them, taking down any remaining Villains that Dark Shadow missed. As for Asui, she was alone in the Flood Zone and actually managed to take down every Villain in the water using ambush attacks. Asui knocked them all unconscious one by one, and then tossed them up onto the boat in a pile. She then waited there, guarding the Villains until Ectoplasm went to round up the Villains she had." Izuku was more than impressed by her, and had already decided she was already excellent Hero material.

"Lastly, the Landslide Zone." Newbie spoke, eyes flicking from her paper to Izuku, who was standing with his arms crossed now. "Todoroki was with Hagakure, though Todoroki never mentioned her in his interview so it's probable he didn't know she was there. Anyway, Todoroki froze all of the Villains easily, and then took the time to interrogate them for information. He also ended up in the Central Plaza for the Nomu battle. Hagakure stayed with the frozen Villains, and was collected by Ectoplasm at the end."

"And that's every student accounted for." Izuku sighed, running a hand through his curls. "Now, for the battle down at the Central Plaza–" He was interrupted by Tsukauchi swinging the door open.

"Everyone is dismissed." Izuku blinked in surprise. "You've all done amazing work, and you can go home now." The new boy and the scolded Newbie girl both slumped in relief and slipped out quickly. The man and the pink haired woman took the time to close all the folders and stack them before they left as well, nodding respectfully to Izuku. Sansa and Izuku didn't move, knowing Tsukauchi had more to say.

"Detective?" Izuku tilted his head tiredly at the man.

"Midoriya, these off days are supposed to be used for rest." Izuku frowned.

"Just because we have three days with no school doesn't mean I can't come into the station." He argued. "This is an active case, and I'm in charge of it." Tsukauchi eyed him warily.

"You nearly collapsed after the incident, and couldn't make a coherent statement until hours later due to your raging fever." Izuku's lip twitched in annoyance. "Not only that, but your fever didn't come down until yesterday morning and you came directly to the station. Look at the state of your hair and tell me you're fine." His hair was green at the roots, recovering, but dull gold hung in his curls and swirled at the tips. It was proof he'd overdone it during the attack.

"Look, Tsukauchi, I'm not overworking myself." Izuku said seriously. "Yesterday, I worked a morning shift. Eight hours exactly and clocked out. Yes, I was back for the graveyard shift, but I'd rested all afternoon and evening. Today, I came in for the afternoon shift after getting plenty of sleep when I got home from graveyard. I promise, I'm not All Might. That idiot can't take care of himself and ruined his perfectly flawless new body I just fixed up for him." Tsukauchi sighed, but he smiled.

"I know you're responsible, Midoriya. But my other officers aren't necessarily the same." The man said. "Your meetings are productive, and they come out with new information and leads every time. However, I can't let them all burn out because they're trying to keep up with you." Izuku paused, seriously internalising the words, and then nodded slowly.

"Okay, I understand." He said finally. "Thanks for letting me know. If I need another meeting, I'll let them know it's optional. Their health matters more than a single meeting."

"That's… really mature of you, Midoriya." Izuku looked over and Sansa who was staring at him with blatant respect. Izuku hadn't ever worked a case with him before, they'd just gotten to know each other a little over the years because Izuku clocked in when Sansa was leaving his graveyard shift in the early mornings. People respected Izuku due to his reputation, but apparently seeing his work in action was admirable or something.

"You grow up fast in a world like mine." Izuku Smiled™ and then turned when Tsukauchi cleared his throat.

"Midoriya, I'm promoting you." Izuku straightened, eyes wide. "You no longer work at the Centre, and I wanted to wait until you'd settled into the school year to see if you could keep up with the new schedule. You have perfectly adjusted yourself, and still given excellent work at both UA and the station. Congratulations Midoriya, you're a Detective now. I have your new vest and badge in my office for you." The green in Izuku's hair vanished, replaced by luminescent white gold that sat below the dull exhausted gold.

"It's an honour, Tsukauchi." Izuku bowed lowly, a genuine smile glowing on his face. "I won't let you down."

Izuku practically threw the door to the apartment open, grinning openly.

"Mom! You'll never believe it, I was promoted!" Izuku yelled as he hopped on one foot to pull off his shoes. "I'm a Detective now!" He heard his mother's warm laughter from the living room, and he slid open the sliding door and entered, beaming.

"Oh, Sunshine, I know." His mother hugged him tightly. "Tsukauchi called the day of the USJ and said he was filing the paperwork. He wanted my blessing." She rolled her eyes and Izuku giggled, giddy with excitement.

"This means I'll be able to be called in for crime scenes, fresh ones!" Izuku exclaimed. "Examining the evidence first hand instead of photos and statements will be so helpful for my career, and I'll do so much good! I'll have to pass an inspection and field test first but that'll be a breeze!" His mother laughed again, and then reached down and pulled out an envelope.

"Here Sunshine, open this for me?" Izuku took it curiously, examining his mother's fond and happy smile as he opened the blank envelope gently. Inside it were a handful of photos, and he shuffled through them, eyes widening as he went. They all featured a beautiful sports motorcycle, black with gold panelling with police sirens and lights built into the front and back. Izuku stared at them, and then slowly lifted his wide eyes to his mother.

"What is this?" He whispered, liquid gold forming in his eyes and his hands beginning to glow warmly.

"I bought you your own motorcycle, Sunshine." Izuku beamed at the confirmation, Sunlight radiating from his skin and illuminating his mom's face with warmth and light.

"Mom, this is the best present I've ever gotten." Izuku's eyes filled with happy tears, and he hugged her tightly, laughing with joy. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, Sunshine. It's a congratulations for all of your recent accomplishments." His mother stroked his golden curls, dull and bright both. "I've been planning it since you got your acceptance letter from UA, and I finally ordered it after the USJ. It’ll arrive just after the Sports Festival, Izuku." He laughed, tears spilling down his face and some ended up in his mouth as he smiled.

"Thank you, really. Thank you, Mom." She smiled fondly, cupping a hand under his chin affectionately.

"It was my pleasure, Izuku."

Izuku met Tsukauchi at UA for the collective meeting with the staff. Izuku would've been sitting with that staff, but he was going as an official police Detective to help Tsukauchi.

Izuku knocked, wearing a black suit with gold seams, and Nezu opened the door. Izuku smiled.

"Welcome, Detectives." Nezu headed for his seat, and Izuku stepped inside with Tsukauchi in a dark suit behind him. "Please, you have the floor." Izuku exchanged a glance with Tsukauchi, who nodded.

"The police have investigated the group calling themselves 'The League of Villains,' and there doesn't appear to be anyone registered with the name Shigaraki in his 20s that allows him to disintegrate whatever he touches. It's the same with the Villain called Kurogiri with the Warp Gate. They are probably not citizens and are using false names." Tsukauchi said calmly, checking his folder. "In other words, they are people with unregistered Quirks who are a part of society's underbelly."

"You mean we don't know anything…" Vlad said, frowning at the table.

"We must hurry." Snipe cut in. "They could try again whenever they see fit. Their ringleader escaped completely uninjured. It'll be a pain."

"Their ringleader, huh?" All Might muttered.

"What is it, All Might?" Nezu asked pleasantly, leaning forward.

"It was a bold attack that normal people wouldn't carry out even if they thought of it. To suddenly go on and on with his wild statements like that…" All Might frowned. "Although he didn't reveal his own Quirk, he bragged about the Nomu's Quirk. And when things didn't go the way he wanted, he was visibly upset." He paused, tapping chin. "Well, the incident with the Quirk was to force my hand, but…"

"Even so, it was foolish to throw away the advantage of having unknown Quirks when fighting the Heroes." Nezu piped up cheerfully.

"He made immature and wild statements with a straight face. He bragged about his possessions. He thought everything would simply go his way." All Might listed seriously. "Adding to that what I saw of him when he carried out the attack, the picture I get of Shigaraki is that he is someone who hadn't gotten rid of childish sense of omnipotence. A man child." Izuku would call that a teenager, but sure.

"A child with power?" Vlad exclaimed, unhappy.

"Could it be that he never received the Quirk counselling every child gets in elementary school?" Midnight proposed, voice unusually low and serious.

"Well, what does that have to do with anything?" Snipe cut in. Izuku stepped forward and all eyes were on him.

"The police and I vaguely agree with All Might." Izuku nodded. "Shigaraki was the main ringleader for the attack, but Kurogiri was much calmer, though he was following Shigaraki's orders, and it's probable that Shigaraki is being gently mentored by Kurogiri. We've also considered a third and higher up Villain who is leading both of them from the shadows."

"There were seventy-two Villains arrested the other day at the USJ." Tsukauchi added. "They were all small-timers that lurked in back alleys. But the problem is how they all agreed with Shigaraki and followed him." Izuku smiled slightly. Tsukauchi had referred to Shigaraki by his name, completely ignoring the man-child assessment. Good. "In the current environment saturated with Heroes, Villainous people who have been oppressed may be drawn to that kind of simple minded evil." The Heroes leaned back in thought.

"That's true." Vlad admitted.

"There's plenty of people who don't know what to do with their Quirks." Snipe huffed. Midnight hummed.

"This is alarming, though…" She whispered.

"Well, we're making sure to devote ourselves to this investigation." Izuku said seriously. "We'll expand our search network and continue to assist in arresting the perpetrators." Nezu smiled, but his voice was serious.

"Shigaraki…" Nezu hummed. "In some sense, he's like our students. He still has room to grow. If there is indeed a shadowy leader able to cultivate his malice, it could end in disaster." All Might froze at the words, averting his eyes and leaning back.

"We agree." Izuku nodded, eyeing All Might suspiciously. Tsukauchi nodded too, and the Heroes seemed to tense with worry. "However, we'll do everything we can to help."

Nezu escorted Tsukauchi and Izuku out, smiling at them and thanking them for coming, and then retreated to his office.

"What did you think?" Tsukauchi asked Izuku as they headed for the garage.

"All Might knows something." Izuku concluded immediately. "When Nezu mentioned a shadowy Villain to mentor Shigaraki, he looked really worried. It wasn't in the same way the others were, a general anxiety about the possibility of Shigaraki's growth, it was a specific thought he had that made him panic internally." Tsukauchi glanced at him as they approached their vehicles.

"You're sure?" Izuku nodded and placed a hand on his bike.

"Yes. Should we ask him about it?" Izuku tilted his head. "It might be helpful for the investigation. His assessment of Shigaraki were minorly insightful, so his thoughts might be relevant." Tsukauchi seemed to pause.

"I'll take care of it." Izuku nodded easily, picking up his helmet and slipping it on.

"You'll come to me with any new information?" Tsukauchi nodded, but it seemed reluctant.

"Yes. I think I know what All Might is hiding, but I need to confirm. If it's confirmed, I'll come to you." Tsukauchi said finally. "Your insights will prove invaluable, I expect." Izuku laughed, and hopped on his bike.

"What would you do without me?" Tsukauchi grinned in response, and Izuku waved as he sped away.

Thoughts went around and around in his head as he rode, thinking about the USJ and its repercussions. The students would be terrified, some even traumatised. Not the ones like Todoroki, and Tsuyu, and Katsuki; the ones more like Shinso, and Koda, and Ashido. Not because they were weaker, but because they were less prepared, less confident. Sometimes… that made all the difference.

Izuku knew things were changing. The class had gone through something most first years should never have to. The teachers received their first ever heavy school attack, and they were wary.

Izuku wondered just how badly things would go…

Chapter Text

Out the Window

School the day after was a little bit of a shock to Izuku. Waking up, riding to the school, cleaning the Healer's Office, picking up a schedule and chatting with his coworkers… it all felt so normal. Except for the way Snipe's shoulders were tense, and Midnight's hips didn't sway as much, and Aizawa's eyes darted around anxiously, and Powerloader was keeping his hands busy constantly, and how All Might stared at Izuku as if he'd shoot him again, and Hound Dog growling at walls. Even Recovery Girl seemed preoccupied, mind elsewhere.

Izuku settled into homeroom and nudged Katsuki, who tilted his chair all the way back and turned practically upside down. Izuku laughed, choking on spit as he did.

"You are a menace to society." Izuku coughed, laughing. Katsuki grinned ferally.

"I aim to please." Still dead laughing, Izuku reached forward and shoved Katsuki. The boy wobbled, and nearly tipped over with a disgruntled expression, but righted himself triumphantly. The proud look on his face sent Izuku into hysterics, bending over his desk as he laughed and skin glowing.

"Oh my gosh, I needed that." Izuku gasped, wiping tears out of his eyes from laughing so hard. "I was gonna ask how you were but clearly you're just fine." Katsuki cackled.

"Golden-locked maniac." He teased. Izuku grinned as he calmed himself, and then glanced up at the clock. Class started soon. Assessing the students , everyone in their seats chatting, Izuku was satisfied. "Oi, how's work in the Healer's Office?" Izuku turned back to Katsuki, who was now looking back at him more normally, chair planted properly on the floor and just twisted around to look backwards.

"It's good, we haven't had any more patients since 'The Panic' happened." Izuku used air quotes as he rolled his eyes. "Recovery Girl has also been behaving, so I probably won't even have to fire her." Izuku paused, hearing Kaminari choke for some reason, and then the door opened.

"Morning." Aizawa said tiredly. Izuku's skin dimmed at the reminder of Aizawa's previous injuries. Sunlight may have healed them, and erased any possibility of scars, but the blood pooling under his teacher’s mangled body remained in his mind.

"Morning Aizawa-sensei." The class called happily. It seemed they were all relieved he was okay, too.

"Everyone, the fight is not over yet." Ah yes, another of Aizawa's ominous pauses to terrify everyone in the room. "The UA Sports Festival is drawing near." The class collectively blew out relieved breaths. Shouldn't they know how Aizawa worked by now? Rookies.

"The Sports Festival!!" The class cheered excitedly.

"That's a super normal school event!" Kirishima yelled. Then Kaminari's hand pushed into the redhead's face.

"Wait wait!" He hushed, looked suspiciously at their silent teacher.

"Is it okay to have a Sports Festival so soon after the Villains snuck inside?" Jiro asked anxiously.

"What if they attack us again or something…?" Ojiro added. Aizawa sighed.

"Apparently, they think of it as UA showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event." Izuku remembered being notified of that meeting, and crossed his arms. He'd been nearly delirious with fever that day, and hadn’t been able to attend. "Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years. Above all, our Sports Festival is a huge chance. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few Villains. Our Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events. In the past, the Olympics were called a Festival of Sports, and the whole country was crazy about them. As you know, with reductions in scale and population, they're now a shell of their former glory. And now, for Japan, what has taken the place of those Olympics… is the UA Sports Festival!"

"Of course." Yaoyorozu spoke up from the back. "All the top Heroes around the country will be watching. For scouting purposes!" She clenched a fist in hard determination, and Izuku smiled. He remembered that determination from the Quirk Assessment and sort of felt bad he'd never pursued a real friendship with her.

"After we graduate, it's typical to join a Pro agency as a sidekick." Kaminari gave an excited thumbs up.

"A lot of people miss their chance of becoming independent after that and become eternal sidekicks, though." Jiro put in boredly. She then turned to the side. "Kaminari, I feel like you'd be one of them. Since you're dumb." Kaminari's face contorted unhappily, and Izuku leaned forward in his seat so he could see better.

"Shut up, Jiro." Izuku called. She whipped around, eyes wide. "Leave Kaminari alone, he's one of the elite students who enrolled in UA, beating out hundreds of applicants. Shove off." Izuku leaned back again, ignoring Kaminari's huge eyes and Jiro reeling back in shock. Izuku gave Aizawa a nod, seeing tired eyes.

"Of course, joining a famous Hero agency will get you more experience and popularity. Time is limited." Aizawa looked at the class seriously. "If you expect to go Pro, then the path to your future will open up with this event. One chance a year, a total of just three chances. No aspiring Hero can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don't slack off in your preparations!" The class nodded, excited and serious.

"Yes, sir!"

"Homeroom is dismissed." Aizawa then grabbed his clipboard and walked out, Izuku grabbing his bag and following.

"Bye Kat." Izuku waved with a smile.

"See ya Goldilocks." He grunted back. Izuku hummed as he shut the door behind him and headed for the Healer's Office.

He slid open the door and went about his usual routine, heaving up his backpack, putting on gloves, heading to the bathroom to change, and then heading for his desk.

"Midoriya?" Recovery Girl called, making Izuku pause. "Do you have a second… to talk?" Izuku looked up to see she was frowning, sitting in her desk chair with her computer turned off behind her.

"Sure." He nodded slowly. "What's this about?"

"I got a call from the Healers Centre." Izuku froze. "Can you explain why they seemed so hostile?"

Izuku knocked on the tenth floor Healer Office door, shoulders tense but Smile™ pinned in place. Izuku opened the door, reminding himself how important this was. He was the Head Healer of the whole Centre, and Izuku needed to be as polite as possible.

"Ah Midoriya, you asked for a meeting?" The man was in his fifties, and had been running the Musutafu Healer Centre for over thirty years. He was a Rank B, a powerful and experienced Healer.

"Yes, Head Healer." Izuku bowed lowly, respectfully. He didn't know the man's name, and he wouldn't either. Head Healers in control of their own buildings only gave their names to the Board.

"Well then, sit down, and tell me what's on your mind." Izuku nodded and took a seat across from the man, his massive and slightly intimidating white desk placed in between them. "So, you may begin."

"Working here has been a great pleasure, and a wonderful experience." Izuku started, "I've enjoyed my time here, and I'm grateful for every opportunity you've given me. However, I've recently been offered a job at UA, as a Healer, and I've accepted. I'm here to hand in my two week notice, and let you know I won't be coming back." The Head Healer was eyeing Izuku, his blue eyes narrowed and his fingers interlaced in a way Izuku had found intimidating for years.

"You're leaving the Centre?" Izuku nodded, determined. "And taking a job at UA?" He nodded again, a little less firmly. "I see." The Head Healer leaned back, sighing. "You don't seem very grateful if you're throwing away the kindness we've given you all of these years."

"Sir, I don't mean to–"

"I'm not accusing you of anything." The man smiled sharply. "I'm stating facts. You're running away from us because you got a better offer, is that it?" Izuku pressed his lips together, not responding. "After all I've done for you… you were four when I found you and gave you a purpose. You were just a child with a Quirk, and I moulded you into a beautiful Healer, don't you remember? You were given so many privileges, hired when you were six, field work soon after, and I even allowed you to take that part-time job at the station." Izuku resisted biting out that nobody could've stopped him from helping the station, whether he'd gotten permission or not. "Your whole career is formed around the Healers Centre, and this is how you repay us? By leaving?" Izuku gave him a tight smile.

"I aim to be a Hero, Head Healer." Izuku said, "I've taken the Heroics Entrance Exam, and I'm hoping that I'll become a Hero. Working as a Healer at UA is just a side job to me, so I don't waste the hard work I've put into my Healing career."

"A Hero?" The Head Healer laughed. "You can't be a Hero. You have a healing Quirk, you're a Healer, and you'll always be a Healer." Izuku frowned.

"Yes, I'm a Healer. I have a Healer Rank and a Licence. However, I can also be a Hero, and maybe also a Detective someday."

"That's just unreasonable, Midoriya. You know that, deep down." The Head Healer leaned forward to lean his elbows on his desk. "You don't have a Heroic enough Quirk."

"Sunlight has served me well in my Healer career." Izuku pointed out.

"Sunlight is too dangerous and volatile for Heroics, and you'll just be a threat to those you wish to save."

"I respectfully disagree, sir." Izuku replied, "Who's to say I even use Sunlight? I don't need it to be a good Hero." The Head Healer smiled condescendingly.

"Child, your speech on TV that day, about how anyone can be anything despite their Quirks, it was cute. It was adorable, but it was also childish and naive." Izuku clenched his fists in his lap. "You're blind in your youth. That's alright, but you should keep in mind that the only kind of Hero you'd be is a burden." Izuku felt like he'd been slapped. "You're a Rank A Healer, do you understand what that means?" Izuku didn't reply, and the man sighed, disappointed. "Rank As have a special responsibility. You have that responsibility. They are the most powerful ones. Bs have powerful Quirks, and Cs just need to be talented, but you… you’re above all of them. Forget Ds completely. And all the Medics… 1 and 2: the most experienced, 3 and 4: mediocre, and 5 being the newbies, every one of them is below you. Your Rank is the highest, the most respected, and you’re abandoning your job here? Abandoning the Centre? Throwing away your potential so you can play as a weak and useless Hero will not only ruin your career, but burn all of your bridges here at the Centre. Are you prepared for that, Midoriya?"

"Yes." Izuku stood, pulling the envelope out of his pocket and placing it on the desk. "That's all, Head Healer." Izuku said shortly. "That's my two week, I'll be gone before school even starts." He didn't wait for a reply as he stalked out the door and barely resisted slamming it behind him.

Izuku remembered going home to his mother, telling her about it and letting himself cry. The man had always told Izuku he was destined to be a Healer, and that it was his calling and gift. Izuku had known he wouldn't take the resignation easily, but he hadn't guessed the man would emotionally rip him apart.

"Ah, we had a misunderstanding about my resignation." Izuku said lightly, clearing his throat. "The Head Healer of the building didn't want me to resign, and we didn't part on friendly terms. What was he calling about?"

"He wanted to know about your progress as both a staff member, and a Heroics student." She frowned heavily. "It was a very passive aggressive conversation, and as he hung up he told me that when you inevitably failed, I should send you to the Centre to be 'fixed up properly'."

"That sounds about right." Izuku swallowed heavily. "Excuse me, I have classwork to complete." It was a clear dismissal, and she dropped the subject.

Izuku couldn't focus on his work. The Literature made no sense, the Maths blurred all together, and the English grammar escaped him. By lunchtime, Izuku was so done he actually excused himself to look for Katsuki.

He headed for 1A, only to stop short when he realised there was no path. Dozens of students had squeezed up to the doors, blocking the only entrance.

"Excuse me, that's my classroom." Izuku called over the low discussions and conversations in the crowd. People recoiled, some looking actually frightened by his sudden appearance. The sea cleared, and Izuku walked to the door and slid it open. He slammed it behind him, making sure none of the random kids got in.

"Midoriya?" Izuku looked up to see Kirishima looking at him oddly, with the whole class silent and staring. Class was over for a bit, so they were sitting around the room, some on desks and Tokoyami actually perched on a shelf.

"There are over two dozen students outside, and I think they want to interrogate us about the USJ." Izuku said bluntly. "I'm in a terrible mood, and I'm jumping out the window. If any of you want to come, please do. If not, pray the crowd doesn't swallow you whole."

Izuku stalked over to the window and thrust it upwards, a breeze blowing through it. Izuku climbed out, seating himself on the window, and then swung down so he was hanging from the sill by his fingers. They were on the third floor, which, honestly, it could've been worse. Izuku dropped, and then turned as he fell so he could roll off the momentum. He was then on his feet, and shook out his shoulders. He looked up to see Katsuki jumping out, and Izuku moved out of the way as Kirishima threw himself out next. Kirishima slammed into the ground face first, his arms hardened and shielding his face. He stood, yelling a sort of battle cry. That was… definitely one way to do it. Katsuki landed after him with his Explosions controlling his descent.

Next came Ashido and Kaminari, both seemingly weightless from Uraraka's Quirk, and then used their hands to push themselves downwards gently. Todoroki, surprisingly, jumped out without hesitation and then shot ice from his hand to create himself a slide. After that, it was just student after student jumping and landing on the slide, using it to make it down easily. Eventually, every person was on the ground and looking at Izuku expectantly.

"Okay class, your representative will now take you to lunch." Izuku announced, amused. "We have twenty four minutes left, and twenty nine minutes until our next class. Let's go!" Izuku then led his class around the building, counting windows as he went.

He grinned as he spotted the wall of windows with the cafeteria behind it, and he walked up the window scanner. The inside could just open, but you needed a staff card to get in from outside. Izuku inserted the card and the box lit up green, and Izuku popped the window open. He climbed in, and then stepped out of the way so his classmates could follow him through. Katsuki was first, and he just stepped aside to be right next to Izuku.

"Man, that was so cool!" Kirishima exclaimed as he hopped through. He gave Izuku a grin, and then walked off into the cafeteria.

More classmates came through, grinning at him or thanking him as they went by. Even Todoroki and Yaoyorozu both gave him respectful and thankful nods. It seemed they appreciated avoiding the attentions of random students that wanted to pry. Which was a definite mood.

"Oi, Midoriya, that was awesome!" Uraraka enthused as she stepped through and joined him out of the way. "When you jumped, it was scary, but then you made it and it was so cool!" She squealed. "We peeked out the door once you left, and you were right! There was no path, and so many people!" Iida came up next, pushing up his glasses.

"It was reckless, but as class rep, you do what you have to do to lead us." He said, "Good work!" He and Uraraka then marched away. Shinso was last through the window, hesitantly shutting it, and turned to Izuku.

"You're insane." Shinso deadpanned. "What got you so mad you decided to have our whole class defenestrate themselves?" Katsuki seemed to straighten, wanting to know too.

"Ah, Recovery Girl got a call from the Head Healer of the Healer Centre I recently quit." Izuku smiled ruefully. "He had a message for me. Apparently, he wanted me to know that when I fail at becoming a Hero, he'd take me back and fix me up to be a Healer again like I'm meant to be."

"That's messed up." Shinso frowned. Izuku shrugged tiredly. He poured Sunlight into a hand, and Katsuki responded by interlacing their fingers and popping off Explosions into his palm. It calmed Izuku, as he knew it would.

"It's how it is. When I resigned, he told me I'd be a burden on the field, and never be anything but a Healer because he thinks everyone is basically trapped in a box by their Quirks." Izuku admitted. "That thing I said about anyone being a Hero? He said it was naive and childish."

"What you said was one of things that helped me on my road to the Hero Course." Shinso frowned. "I think I'd have ended up in General Studies if I'd just been left to my own devices."

"I'm glad, then." Izuku said honestly. "You deserve to be here." Shinso grinned.

"So do you." Izuku laughed in response.

"C'mon, we should eat. Want to sit with us? I've never eaten in the cafeteria before, and you and Katsuki are the only people I really talk to." Shinso blinked in surprise, but he nodded.

"Sure, let's go." He shrugged, trying for nonchalance. Izuku smiled.

He wasn't completely better, yet again being reminded of the painful experience, but as he sat down with his best friend holding his hand and his new friend rolling his eyes at everything he said, it hurt a little bit less.

Chapter Text

Round One

Izuku leaned against a table with his arms crossed, assessing the room and making sure everyone was accounted for.

Ashido and Ojiro were chatting about the uniforms, Uraraka and Tsuyu were sitting nearby the pair with Hagakure, Sato was with Tokoyami and Shoji discussing the possible activities they'll be doing, Koda was sitting nearby with Aoyama lurking behind him, Kaminari was with Kirishima one table over, Todoroki hovered in a corner, and Yaoyorozu was sitting with Jiro. Katsuki and Shinso were sitting at the table Izuku was leaning on, so they were perfect. His phone buzzed, and Izuku slipped it from his pocket easily.

Eraserhead:
Five minute warning.

Detective Midoriya:
Understood.

Izuku tucked his phone away and looked up. Everyone was relaxing, chatting away happily and he was almost content to just bask in it. However, it was time to get a move on.

"Attention, please, classmates." Heads turned at Izuku's radiating yet polite call. "I'd like to go over the Festival plan one more time. Everyone remembers what I said?" Iida raised a hand high in the air with an intense expression, and Izuku pressed his lips together to avoid laughing as he waved a hand in acknowledgment.

"The first round is a mass elimination!" Iida announced, quoting Izuku. He received a nod, and Izuku then gestured to Tsuyu as she had a polite hand raised.

"Next is the group game, kero." She said, tapping her chin.

"Exactly right." Izuku confirmed. "And the last?"

"One-on-one matches." Katsuki declared, grinning from Izuku's left.

"Every year is different, but that's the basic setup." Izuku reiterated. "It doesn't matter what your score is in the first round as long as you qualify. The second round you'll need to score high, in the top sixteen people or higher. If it's duos, top eight rankings. If it's groupings of four, top four positions. Make sense?" Everyone nodded seriously. "Once you're in the third round, that's when it gets serious. I hope everyone who makes it gives it their all." He smiled at them, and they all cheered loudly. "Now, we need to move to the tunnels." Some people jumped up, cheerful and excited, while others just nervously nodded as they got to their feet. Chairs scuffed as they were pushed in and out, and Izuku pushed off the table to stand straight. "Follow me, please."

Izuku led them through the room and down the hall, Mic's voice could be heard faintly through the thick walls. The closer they got to the tunnel exit, the louder it was.

"It's time for the students to enter the first year stage!" Mic's voice rang out.

"Everyone, it will be loud and very bright. Brace yourself accordingly." Izuku warned in advance. Trumpets sounded, and Izuku strode forward with Katsuki and Shinso flanking him, everyone else fanning out behind them. The sun was shining, and Sunlight spilled into his appearance, consuming the green and replacing it with iridescent gold.

"The Sports Festival!" Mic enthused as 1A spilled into the arena. "The huge battle where fledgling Heroes sharpen their swords once a year! Anyway, these are the guys, right? The miraculous new stars who overcame enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero Course, Class 1A, right!?"

Izuku walked across the field, Smiling™ into the little robot camera flitting about. Katsuki was grinning sharply, eyes darting around, and Shinso was completely blank faced as he walked. Iida was muttering about training to be a Hero, and Kirishima was nervously grinning at Kaminari. The scene of all his classmates taking in the sheer mass of the attention that Izuku was heavily used to almost made him want to laugh. Instead, he simply grinned.

"They haven't gotten as much air time, but this class is also full of talent! Hero Course, 1B!" Izuku smiled prettily at Class B as his own class came to stop in the dirt square surrounded by grass, and a few eyed him suspiciously or blankly. A few showed mild hostility, which was interesting. "Next up, General Studies classes C, D and E!" Izuku was determined to be wary of them after the swarm two weeks prior. "The Support Course, classes F, G, and H are also here! And Business Course, classes I, J, and K! All of UA's first years are here now!" Izuku checked that all his classmates were faring well, and was satisfied with their levels of nervous anxiety. None looked like they were legitimately panicking.

Midnight climbed onto a small and wooden purple dais that stood in front of the dirt square, snapping her small whip that looked more like a limp pompom. A microphone on a stand stood in front of her, but she wasn't actually using it.

"Time for the player pledge!" Midnight announced. The crowd went a little wild, and a few students murmured and swooned. Amatures. "Quiet, everyone!" She snapped her whip. "Representing the students is Midoriya Izuku from Class 1A!" Now, if Izuku was a regular student, he'd have been taken completely by surprise. However, he was not. Nezu had written it in the Sports Festival plans that the first place scorer of the Hero Exam would be doing the pledge. Izuku smiled and waved politely as he made his way up, and then leaned in closer to the mic.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Midoriya Izuku, and I pledge that all of us will do our best. All the courses are equal and deserve to be seen for their own reasons, so keep an eye out!" He Smiled™ and cheers radiated from the audience through the stadium. Izuku wasn't sure if the yelling and cheering from the students behind him were solely 1A, but they sure were loud. He waved and then descended the steps and rejoined his class. Katsuki was grinning, so Izuku offered up his fist as he made it glow, and Katsuki pounded an explosion powered palm into it. They both laughed.

There was a minorly jarring beep from the monitor as it lit up to show a screen labelled First Round and Midnight removed the mic from the stand to hold it up to her grinning face.

"Now, let's get started right away!" Midnight yelled. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier. Every year, many drink their tears here." Izuku glanced around at 1A's unsurprised determined faces, and he smiled. "Now, here is the fateful first game!" She said this dramatically, posing with her wimpy pompom looking whip, and a holographic board formed right behind her as she did. It spun on and on, colours blurring as it flipped. "This year it's… this!" The board beyond Midnight showed a stick figure type person hopping over a traffic cone, the words Obstacle Race hanging next to it.

"Interesting." Izuku muttered. "They probably cut it off around fifty, maybe forty to thin the numbers. Obstacle race sounds like they have preset obstacles in stages, hindering the students' progress. There's probably even a way to get students out completely if they're not careful…" Sparks popped along Izuku's palm, and he clicked his mouth shut. He glanced at Katsuki in thanks, squeezing the boy's hand clasped with his.

"All eleven classes will participate in this race." The board showed very colourful and labelled bubbles for each class converge, creating a splayed out random around the words Full Participation. "The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, about four kilometres!" A model arena lit up on screen, a blue ring around it with arrows moving around in circles and a little miniature running person icon. "Our school's selling point is freedom!" Midnight snapped her pompom and licked her lips. "And as long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Now, take your places everyone!" The crowd was cheering like crazy, and Izuku sighed.

"She's giving permission for people to play dirty." He said, absent-mindedly letting Katsuki lead him by the hand. "Alternatively, it also means team ups are bound to happen. That especially goes for Gen Eds; I'd also include Business in that category, but they're not really interested in winning or even getting close. Their talents lie elsewhere. D'you reckon they'll be friendly to me if I offer to help them get connections in the real world? My sponsorship of any student would mean a lot, simply because I'm a Rank A Healer. As a staff member I'm allowed to sponsor students. Actually… I might even be able to offer official internships as well, if I spin it the right way with Nezu. They'd be medical internships for people who want to learn first aid and some medic training but I'm sure I could–"

"Goldilocks, plan your world domination later?" Izuku blinked, and he realised they had crossed the field and were standing in front of a huge gate, to the left of the tunnel Izuku remembered they'd exited from, with the mass of students standing all crowded together. "We're here."

"Thanks Kat." Izuku grinned, shaking away his analysis fog and focusing on what he could see. "Ah, I see what they've done. Clever." Izuku murmured.

Three green lights.

"Stupid, if you ask me. Like we needed another Panic." Katsuki's eyes swept over the students, seeing the same thing Izuku did in the way not everyone would be able to fit at once. It was a trap, and an obstacle.

Two green lights.

"I'll see you when it's over, Kit-Kat." Izuku grinned sharply, and Katsuki cackled.

"I bet you won't make it in the top ten." He teased. Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? 3,000 yen I make it into the top five." Katsuki narrowed his eyes, gears in his head turning as he tried and failed to see any hesitation in Izuku's face.

One green light.

"You're on, Goldilocks." Katsuki cracked his knuckles. "On another note, I am absolutely prepared to lose 3,000 yen."

Izuku laughed brightly, and then started jogging as the last light dimmed and Midnight yelled "Start!" As predicted, students were all clumped together, shoulder slamming into shoulder and people shoving but making no progress. He was suddenly extremely glad he'd missed The Panic about the break in. Izuku registered Mic and Aizawa doing running commentary, but Izuku didn't pay much attention to it. It was a distraction.

"Hey, gimme a boost?" Izuku grinned at Katsuki who just held out a hand at waist height, and Izuku put one foot on it before launching himself up. Katsuki could use Explosions to easily make his way over. The tunnel was massively tall, even if it was narrow. Izuku, however, needed to get creative. He planted his other foot on the nearest shoulder he could find, ignoring the shout underneath him, and started playing hopscotch with peoples' heads and shoulders.

He didn't pause when he felt the air drop off to freezing temperatures, but he did take the time to sigh in relief that Todoroki only froze the ground. People were suddenly trapped to their ankles and knees, but Izuku was safely far above the ice. Todoroki sailed ahead as everyone froze just outside the tunnel, with most of 1A hot on his heels. Izuku launched himself off a tall browned haired boy with a flip, and rolled it off to keep running. Katsuki was flying after Todoroki, Explosions running as loudly as his foul mouth. It made Izuku grin.

Yaoyorozu had also avoided the ice, same with Kirishima, surprisingly, and Aoyama. Ojiro wasn't too far behind, slapping the ground with his tail to propel himself forward. Izuku nearly choked when he saw Tokoyami legitimately fly by him like some sort of shadow wrapped superhero. Ashido was screaming about close calls as she threw acid around, and other students were precariously starting to slide or march across the ice behind Izuku.

Running on ice didn't seem too hard to Izuku, but that might've been due to the shoes he was wearing. They had said any footwear was allowed as long as it wasn't support gear, and Izuku wasn't passing up the opportunity to have killer sharp traction ridges on his feet.

Izuku watched Todoroki enter a sort of open field then slide to a stop, and Izuku let out a surprised 'eep!' as he saw why. Robots from the entrance exam were right there. Izuku eyed them, and then ran straight forward and right past Todoroki.

A robot went to punch Izuku, but he threw up a forearm as he ran and Sunlight pulsed. A brilliant shield just large enough to cover his arm and face appeared, and the robot's arm and fist completely melted when he tried to hit Izuku. After he'd formed the one handed shield at the USJ, Izuku had started practising forming all kinds of shields without crossing his arms like he used to. The best part was… it worked. Izuku kept running and grinned as he heard ice forming behind him, but kept going. Izuku was holding first, and he heard Todoroki's pounding footsteps following him.

The path was curved, a basic dirt road type thing surrounded by trees with half walls as barriers for the edge of the track. Stay within the walls. Izuku reached the next obstacle first, but Todoroki didn't miss a step as he continued past where Izuku had stopped. It was a canyon, pillars too far apart to jump from spanning the chasm, with thin ropes connecting them. As Izuku's eyes swept across, Katsuki's blew by him positively cackling as he chased Todoroki.

More confident, Izuku jumped right off the cliff and snagged the cable with a hand. He then went hand over hand, dangling from just his finger and arm strength over The Fall. Mic called it that, Izuku was pretty sure.

As he reached the first pillar, he swung up and launched himself off the cable and onto the rock, and then took a running jump to the next cable. As he was crossing his third, a wildly cackling pink, bronze, and blue blur flew over his head and landed on the pillar in front of him. It was a girl, and she was gone again by the time Izuku had heaved himself onto the column. That was… interesting…

By the time Izuku made it across, he was approximately the fifth to make it. He saw Todoroki and Katsuki clear it first, and Tsuyu was just ahead of him, plus that manic pink one. He sprinted as his arms burned from The Fall, laughing at the feeling. Tsuyu was hopping, and Izuku easily overtook her, even going up the annoyingly red staircase as they went.

Izuku came upon the next obstacle, and was immensely surprised to see Todoroki and Katsuki only a few dozen metres away. They were fighting childishly, slapping each other's hands as they made the way across, barely jogging. But why…? Tsuyu hopped forward, and was promptly consumed by harsh pink glitter and a mild explosion. Ah. Bombs. Wasn't that fun?

Izuku started hopping his way across, not pausing as he went and slowly becoming able to look away from his feet. He started to run, grinning as he saw Katsuki firing off Explosions and Todoroki freezing Katsuki's arm. It was then that things started going crazy behind him, as the main pack arrived. Iida temporarily passed Izuku, only for the pink trail of bombs to finally overtake him. He saw several people from 1B running with blank faces, all perfectly keeping their complete cool. It seemed they had some kind of group goal, an alliance between them perhaps?

The minefield was getting denser, and Izuku started glancing at the ground again as he hopped along, pushing off his toes as he landed on the balls of his feet over and over. A couple of times he feared he would fall from the sheer momentum he was building up but also counteracting that momentum as he tried to pace himself. He did not, however, and he was soon completely clearing the field.

Izuku cackled, entering the dark tunnel, and grinning ferally when he was announced as third place. Todoroki was in first, and Katsuki was second. Izuku bounded over to Katsuki, skin glowing with happiness.

"Kit-Kat! You owe me 3,000 yen!" Izuku threw himself at the blond, and Katsuki caught him as he lifted Izuku and spun him around.

"You are a tiny badass Zuku." Katsuki cackled. "Sunlight be damned." Izuku grinned as he was set down, and then turned to smile at Todoroki.

"Congratulations!" Izuku beamed. "You were amazing, you should be proud of yourself." Todoroki made eye contact, and, while his expression was blank, his eyes spoke of a story Izuku couldn't read. Todoroki just nodded silently, curtly, and then walked away as more people streamed through the tunnel and back into the arena. Izuku stared after him.

"Your hard drive will overheat and catch fire if you keep working your mind so hard." Katsuki teased, roughly ruffling Izuku's hair, and Izuku stuck his tongue out childishly.

"Hey! I'm not some crappy laptop!" He denied, making Katsuki double over laughing. "Catch fire, honestly." He only succeeded in making Katsuki wheeze while Izuku huffed, amusement washing over him. And yet, he tucked the little pocket of worry for Todoroki away where he could reach it for later. There was something there, and Izuku wanted to know what it was that made those mismatched eyes burn with such indescribable feeling… and such pain.

Izuku and Katsuki stood and chatted as more and more people streamed in, and more and more people collapsed as soon as they did. Apparently, some people were already at their limits. If they passed, they should almost definitely forfeit, in Izuku's opinion. Going past your limits so early in the game would be stupid.

"Be right back." He whispered. Izuku then bounced over to a group of 1B students all huddled together. They eyed him as he approached, some looking outright suspicious. They'd clearly formed some sort of alliance, probably to make sure their whole class made it through. "Hi, it's so cool I'm finally meeting the other Hero class, I'm Midoriya Izuku!" He waved.

"Eh? 1A come to say hello?" A blond asked, lifting a hand and an eyebrow. "How interesting." Izuku narrowed his eyes.

"I'd just like to wish you all luck." Izuku smiled at their confused faces. "You've probably all made it through to the second round. So, congrats! The alliance you've formed within your class is admirable, but the teamup round is coming up." The blond raised an eyebrow, so Izuku elaborated. "They usually only let a maximum of twenty go to the third round, but it'll probably be closer to fifteen this year based on what I've seen. Do you plan on eliminating all of 1A?" Izuku tilted his head innocently. "What about eliminating your own classmates? Will you be able to stomach it? Who goes out first, picking among 1B, of course? You?" The faces in front of him looked either stunned or annoyed, and he laughed. "But seriously, I just came over to meet you all."

"What's your Quirk?" The blond asked, fingers twitching forward. Izuku narrowed his eyes, assessing. Probably a Quirk centred in his hands, then. He racked his memory of the class lists he'd seen during the meeting at the start of the year, and Izuku promptly froze.

"Hold on, you're Monoma Neito, Copy, right?" The boy recoiled slightly, and Izuku frowned. "I'm not discriminating here, I honestly think your Quirk is amazing. You'll be a great Hero. But you can't Copy my Quirk under any circumstances. Got it?" Monoma scoffed.

"What, 1A too good? Afraid I'll use it better than you?" Izuku glared.

"You could seriously hurt yourself, or someone else." He warned. Sunlight was dangerous, and Izuku had extensive training from the moment he developed it. Monoma lunged forward, a palm out, and Izuku dodged with a glare. "I'm not kidding."

"You think you're so much better you deserve special treatment?" Monoma taunted, stepped back again. "I bet your Quirk is useless and you don't want anyone to know. Just wait until next round, I'll use your worthless Quirk against you ten times better than you've ever used it." Izuku took a step forward, eyes filling with gold angrily.

"You listen to me, Monoma Neito." Izuku grabbed the boy by his collar and yanked him close, whispering in his ear. "I lost control of my Quirk only twice, and I incinerated an entire floor of one building, and brought down another. People died. Watch your fucking mouth." Izuku released the boy, shoving him away with disdainful eyes. "Clearly you're not as impressive as I thought you'd be. I'm going to enjoy destroying you." Izuku threw him one last disgusted look before stalking over towards Katsuki. It did register in Izuku's mind that he probably shouldn't've mentioned Sunlight's offensive mode to Monoma, but oh well. His impulse control needed work.

"Did those 1B bastards do something?" Katsuki cracked his knuckles, glaring behind Izuku.

"Yes. We're going to destroy them." He seethed. "Them and all of 1B. They need a reality check." Izuku then took several deep breaths, holding out his palms to Katsuki. Hands covered his own, and Sunlight warmed his palms as Explosions sparked against them.

"I'm guessing you've got a plan?" Izuku opened his eyes to see sharp red eyes and a massive grin. Izuku laughed.

"The first game of the first year stage is finally over." Midnight declared, calling everyone's attention. "Now, take a look at the results!" A scoreboard appeared, and Izuku scanned it for his classmates' names.

1.Todoroki Shoto
2. Bakugou Katsuki
3. Midoriya Izuku
4. Yaoyarozu Momo
7. Iida Tenya
8. Tokoyami Fumikage
9. Sero Hanta
10. Kirishima Eijiro
12. Ojiro Mashirao
14. Asui Tsuyu
15. Shoji Mezo
16. Sato Rikido
17. Uraraka Ochako
18. Mina Ashido
19. Koda Koji
20. Jiro Kyoka
23. Kaminari Denki
25. Shinso Hitoshi
37. Hagakure Toru
41. Aoyama Yuga

Izuku grinned at the board. All of 1A and 1B made it through! Good. He needed to teach them a lesson. That was forty, and the two others were… a support student, Hatsume, and some random Gen Ed kid he didn't really pay attention to.

"The top 42 made it through to the second round!" Midnight announced. "It's unfortunate, but don't worry even if you didn't make it! We've prepared other chances for you to shine." She licked her lips and Izuku sighed. Her Hero persona was very odd, in his opinion. "The real competition begins next! The press cavalry'll be all over it! Give it your all!" She snapped her whip/pom-pom thing, and another spinning board appeared behind her. "Now then, here is the second game. I already know what it is. But what could it be? What could it be?" She made a dramatic hand gesture, sweeping her arm to point at the board. "I just said it, and now here it is!"

Cavalry Battle was lit up on the board, and Izuku resisted beaming at it. Was it that easy?

"A Cavalry Battle?" Kaminari whined. "I suck at those."

"It's not an individual event, so I wonder how it'll work." Tsuyu thought aloud.

"Let me explain." Midnight grinned, turning to face the board. The board lit up, showing All Might being supported by Present Mic and Thirteen, standing on their hands in between them like a sort of stack. "The participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It's basically the same as a regular Cavalry Battle, but the one thing that's different is… based on the results of the last game, each person has been assigned a point value."

"A point based system like the Entrance Exam?" Sato muttered, "That's easy to understand."

"In other words, each team is worth different points depending on who's on the team!" Uraraka whisper-exclaimed. Ashido gasped, and did finger guns.

"I see!" Midnight then suddenly snapped her whip and Ashido fell silent with a squeak.

"You guys don't hold back even though I'm talking, huh!?" Midnight yelled. "Yes, that's right. And the points assigned go up by five starting at the bottom. So 42nd place gets five points, and 41st gets ten points!" Izuku scanned all the way to the top and gasped. "The point value assigned to first place is… ten million!" Eyes of pure hunger turned on Todoroki, who was completely unfazed by the attention. Izuku nudged Katsuki.

"1B is in a massive alliance. We need to let 1A know to target them. They'll be after Todoroki and most likely distracted at first." Izuku whispered. Katsuki nodded, grinning.

"If we let the extras know to snag as many points as possible, they could get the 1B shit heads all out." Izuku laughed quietly.

"Exactly my plan!"

"It's survival of the fittest with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!" Midnight declared, voice amused. "Now then, I will explain the rules of the Cavalry Battle!" She snapped her whip-thing again. Okay, Izuku seriously needed to know the hell kind of a whip that was! The board showed the All Might team again, this time with little colourful bubbles around it showing numbers for each person. "The time limit is fifteen minutes. Each team is worth the total of its members' points, and the rider will wear a headband with that number on their forehead." The little bubbles combined to make one number, fifty, and suddenly screen All Might was wearing a fifty point headband. "Teams will try to grab each other's headbands until time runs out, and try to keep as many points as they can."

Izuku watched the board switch to show a headband, attached by velcro at the back. It said 'made to be removed easily' which basically meant 'don't let it fall off or get swiped'. Izuku could work with that.

"Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it'll be to manage them!" Screen All Might was then covered in headbands, too many around his neck making him seemingly have too many chins. It made Izuku snicker, and Katsuki elbowed him in the ribs as All Might then became basically a mummy from so many bands. "The most important thing is that even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you're not out!"

"Which means…"

"Since there are forty-two people, there will be ten or twelve teams on the field the whole time?" Sato finished for Yaoyorozu.

"That's tough." Aoyama seemingly appeared from nowhere to whisper dramatically.

"One strategy could be to let someone take your points first so you'll be more free." Ashido tapped her cheek.

"It's hard to say without seeing how all the points end up getting split up, Mina." Tsuyu puts in thoughtfully.

"During the game, it'll be a cruel fight where you can use your Quirks." Midnight says ominously, snapping her whip-thing. "But it is still a Cavalry Battle. You'll get a red card for attacks that are trying to make other people fall on purpose! You'll be removed immediately!" Katsuki scoffed and Izuku laughed at him quietly. "Now you have fifteen minutes to build your teams. Start!" A timer appeared, and Izuku grinned.

Chapter Text

Round Two

"C'mon." Izuku grabbed Katsuki and started dragging him towards Ashido and the girls. "Tsuyu! Yaoyorozu! My peeps!" He beamed at them, though his grin was a little too sharp.

"Peeps…?" He ignored Ashido muttering.

"I don't want you on my team, don't worry." Izuku declared, specifically to Yaoyorozu who was eyeing Todoroki. "However, I have a tiny favour to ask." They all turned to attention, even Yaoyorozu.

"Broccoli wants you to target 1B." Katsuki grunted. Izuku laughed.

"Why 1B?" Yaoyorozu asked curiously.

"You see, Monoma, a blond with blue/grey eyes from 1B, insulted me. He made some… not nice comments about my Quirk." Izuku shrugged, but they could see his radiating anger and smugness. "So, as retaliation, I'm going to destroy every member of 1B to ensure 1A's permanent superiority." The girls seemed taken aback, until Uraraka pumped a fist.

"Let's do it!" She yelled in determination. Yaoyorozu nodded thoughtfully.

"An alliance would be wise, 1B is talented." Izuku nodded with his too-sharp-grin.

"Well, that's it, off I go!"

Izuku bounced from one group of classmates to the next, rattling off his plans, leaving determined eyes and calculating expressions. If all went well, Izuku would have help. If not, well, he and Katsuki would murder 1B together. Finally, Izuku reached Todoroki, who was standing with Iida and Yaoyorozu who'd joined them.

"Todoroki!" Izuku waved as he ran up. "Chill, we don't wanna join." He clarified at Todoroki's resigned and trepidatious expression. "I just thought I'd say Katsuki and I are going to destroy 1B and tear them limb from limb." Izuku said this cheerfully, and Todoroki just blinked.

"Midoriya, don't you think that's a little extreme?" Iida asked, chopping an arm.

"Nope!"

"He said one of them, Monoma, insulted him." Yaoyorozu put in calmly.

"I see." Iida said, putting a hand on his chin. "Very well!"

"Midoriya." Todoroki said seriously, "I won't get in your way, but I'll beat you if you get in mine." Izuku laughed.

"Perfect." Then bounded away, waving to Kaminari who was heading for Todoroki. "Okay. Katsuki." Izuku pressed his hands together and inhaled deeply. "You and me on a team, no one else." Katsuki grinned.

"Hell yeah! You're the rider?" Izuku nodded.

"I'll wear the headband, which'll be 405 points. Do you want me backpack style or on your shoulders?"

"Backpack. It'll make it easier to launch." Katsuki said immediately. "We could just fly around and you can snag what I can't."

"We don't want to strain your wrists." Izuku frowned.

"Could you use Sunlight?" Katsuki put a hand on his hip in thought. "You'd have to be careful, but if you occasionally put some Sunlight into my wrists it could make it easier." Izuku blinked.

"I can't believe I forgot Sunlight." Katsuki choked and Izuku shoved him with a grin. "Shut up. Okay, I could help with shielding. Although, I'll have to be careful. People can't touch it, and if they do I'd need to make sure to heal them." Katsuki nodded easily. "So I'll be mostly defence and some offence, and you'll be–"

"Mostly mobility with some offence as well." Katsuki made a face and Izuku stuck his tongue out good-naturedly. "Y'think the extras will help?" Izuku shrugged.

"Most of them would've gone after them anyway, but they'll probably try a little harder now." Izuku admitted. "Even if they don't, we'll destroy them ourselves." Katsuki cackled in response, and then a buzzer signalled the end of their strategy time.

"Now then, it's about time to get started!" Midnight declared, stretching an arm over her chest. Izuku saw the teams spreading out around the outside of the dirt area, and he and Katsuki moved to do the same.

"After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve Cavalry teams are lined up on the field!" Mic yelled into the mic.

"There are some interesting teams out there." Eraserhead's dull voice rang through the speakers, and Izuku grinned.

"Now, raise those battle cries!" Mic enthused as the crowd exploded with cheers, "It's time for UA's bloody battle! Light the signal fire!" The giant screen on the wall of the arena changed.

On your Marks
< Ready? >

"Alright, you've all got teams? I'm not gonna ask if you're ready or not!" Present Mic screamed.

"It's a little late to pick a team now." Izuku muttered, perching his chin on Katsuki's shoulder. "Ready, Kit-Kat?"

"Let's do this." He couldn't see Katsuki's face, but a malicious grin was audible in his voice.

"Now, let's go!" Mic's voice radiated through the stadium, "Counting down to the brutal battle royale! Three!" Katsuki cracked his knuckles, "Two!" Izuku crossed his ankles, making sure they were secure around Katsuki's waist, "One!"

"Start!" Midnight whip snapped, and teams took off for Todoroki. Katsuki followed, but not for Todoroki.

Izuku leaned back as they neared a group with one hand on Katsuki's shoulder and the other reaching to the side. He snagged a headband, one finger sliding over someone's ear and hooking the point holder before pulling it to his chest quickly.

"Thanks!" Izuku called, laughing as Katsuki blasted away from the now pointless team and made a quick escape. The headband read 240, which brought him and Katsuki from 405 to 645. Izuku could work with that. They weren't above team Aoyama, or Ashido, but they should be above everybody else point-wise. Ignoring blatant first place, of course.

Stopping a small ways away from where everyone had stopped, because Todoroki had covered his team with a massive ice dome, Izuku used the time to secure his new headband around his neck with the number facing inwards. No need to broadcast how many points they had, right?

Izuku gasped as a massive hand came swinging right for him, and he threw up a hand to make a small shield in his palm. The fingertips grazed the bright gold, and a scream rang from nearby. Izuku turned to see the 1B girl he'd just swiped the points from apparently making her hands huge in an attempt to get them back. Ouch. Izuku hoped Sunlight hadn't gotten her too badly.

"Kat, we need to get out of range and head for a new target." Katsuki immediately blasted them backwards, Izuku tightening his hold on Katsuki's shoulders and hanging on for dear life.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" Izuku whipped his head to the side, glaring as Katsuki came to a stop. "Oh? Is 1A angry because you already know you're arrogant and lesser?" Katsuki growled, but Izuku tightened his hands on the boy's shoulder and he relaxed slightly.

"Watch out for his hands. He's got a Copy Quirk. The one in front has Solid Air, so it's a shield like mine. I think Sunlight can break through it, though." Izuku whispered, not taking his eyes off Monoma, who was leaning casually into his back teammates with his hands in his pockets. Talk about arrogant. "I can't remember the cute one with the dark hair, but the shadow's Quirk is obvious. I assume he can melt into shadow, but he shouldn't be able to right now while supporting his team."

"Let's do this." Katsuki cracked his knuckles, and then lunged forward. Monoma reached out, hands splayed out in eager anticipation, but Katsuki propelled himself with Explosions and veered to the side. As he did, Izuku reached out a hand, only to hit a solid wall. Grinning, he activated his shield and the solid air melted.

"Hah!?" The boy exclaimed. "What is that?" Izuku didn't answer beyond swiping Monoma's neck where two headbands sat, grinning.

"No points for you, and I'm not sorry." Izuku grinned sharply.

"See ya losers!" Katsuki cackled and blasted off. He put both hands below them, and literally blasted their way upwards and away. Izuku laughed with joy and his hair filled with Sunlight, green melting away and bright gold taking its place. He lit his hands with Sunlight briefly and pushed it into Katsuki, letting it swirl into his wrists and healing the sore muscles. Katsuki sighed lightly in relief as they descended.

When they landed, Izuku inspected his new haul. 410 and 325 weren't bad at all. Both were greatly satisfactory, and brought team Midoriya to 1,380. Izuku briefly wondered who Monoma had stolen the points from, but discarded the thought as he velcroed the points around his neck.

"Midoriya?" Izuku turned to see Shinso and his team, Tsuyu as the rider with Shinso in front with Uraraka presumably using her Quirk to keep them stable.

"Oh Katsuki, look! It's Shinso!" Izuku said, purposefully avoiding responding to Shinso. He might be friendly, but there was no guarantee Shinso was in the same boat. Izuku took his headbands, inspected them, and brightly held out his headband that read 405. Their original headband. "We have over a thousand, so here! I really want you guys with us!" Shinso looked suspicious, but Tsuyu's tongue shot out and grabbed the headband. Izuku then waved. "Katsuki, let's go. Team Tsuyu is nice and all, but something tells me they won't risk their points. Bye!" Explosions rang and they were launched backwards, Izuku acting as their backup camera to avoid smashing hardcore into other teams.

Katsuki yelled suddenly, and Izuku gasped as soon as he turned to see. A 1B team had seemingly turned Todoroki's ice dome to liquid and it was glooping and jiggling like pudding. Izuku glared at it, reminded too heavily of the Sludge villain, and tapped Katsuki's shoulder.

"We don't want to go anywhere near that." Katsuki scoffed at Izuku.

"No shit, Goldilocks." Katsuki replied. Izuku snickered, but he agreed. They had said they wouldn't get in Todoroki's way. Something beeped, and he looked up to see that Mic had brought up a scoreboard. He grinned.

1st: Todoroki - 10,001,325

He'd stolen lots of points. Good for him! And he'd stolen 1B's points. Excellent!

2nd: Midoriya - 975
3rd: Asui - 870
4th: Tetsutetsu - 685
5th: Ashido - 650
6th: Aoyama - 480
7th: Hagakure - 0
7th: Kendo - 0
7th: Shoda - 0
7th: Kodai - 0
7th: Pony - 0
7th: Monoma - 0

"We're going after 4th place, right?" Katsuki had a grin in his voice again, and Izuku laughed.

"Yes we are. Tetsutetsu is the team with the 1B Kirishima. Endurance type hardening Quirk." Izuku informed him. "I'll recognize him. Help me out?" Katsuki cackled, and then launched them sky-high. Izuku laughed freely as he was raised into the sky, and then scanned below them as Katsuki descended. "There!" He pointed to see Tetsutetsu and Monoma battling it out across the arena.

"Let's crush them!" Katsuki yelled as they blasted over. Izuku once again pushed Sunlight into Katsuki, knowing his bright gold hair had streaks of dull gold resting there. He didn't care, as long as they absolutely demolished 1B. They needed to be taught the lesson.

As they landed and both teams both turned, Monoma's eyes widened and Tetsutetsu grinned.

"Ah, I'll be needing my points back." Monoma said, smirking.

"I don't think so!" Izuku said sweetly. "Kit-Kat, why don't we snag some more points?" Katsuki cackled and blasted upwards.

"Touch down and you're mine!" The one with skull teeth yelled. The ground got darker, and team Monoma started sinking. Izuku cursed under his breath, wishing he could remember more of 1B's Quirks.

"Honenuki! You're getting us too!" The pretty dark haired one yelled. Izuku really needed to get his name, or people would most likely assume some incorrect things.

"How unfortunate!" Honenuki, the one with teeth on the outside of his face, cackled. Katsuki dutifully remained in the air, grinning ferally as he blasted over the team and made Tetsutetsu harden. Just like Kirishima, he couldn't move as well in his hardened state, which looked like metal of some kind, and Izuku leaned out to snatch his headband.

Katsuki immediately disengaged, blasting away as Izuku pushed more Sunlight into him. Katsuki's wrists glowed and he had no problem crossing nearly the whole field. Izuku knew Katsuki would probably scold him later for using Sunlight so much, but Izuku was beaming and laughing as he looked at the scoreboard and there was no 1B in the running.

1st: Todoroki - 10,001,325
2nd: Midoriya - 1,660
3rd: Asui - 870
4th: Ashido - 650
5th: Aoyama - 480
7th: Hagakure - 0
7th: Kendo - 0
7th: Shoda - 0
7th: Kodai - 0
7th: Pony - 0
7th: Monoma - 0
7th: Tetsutetsu - 0

"Take that 1B!" Katsuki cackled as they landed.

"Top four move on, so it's inevitable somebody doesn't make it through." Izuku lamented, staring at Aoyama's name on the board.

"Figures it's Sparkle's team." Izuku slapped Katsuki's shoulder playfully. "What!? I'm not wrong." Izuku just laughed.

"We've only got a minute left." Izuku said, blinking up at the timer. "I probably should've listened to the announcements, I bet Present Mic was excited about announcing that." Izuku shifted on Katsuki's back. "Why does it feel sort of anticlimactic?"

"Because we're not over there." Katsuki pointed, and Izuku caught sight of the mass of people rushing at Todoroki, no longer hidden by his ice dome.

"Ah, that'll do it." Izuku nodded.

"Stupid extras." Katsuki growled. Izuku looked to the side to see several teams approaching, all headbandless 1B groups. "You got 'em Goldilocks?"

"No problem." Izuku waved daintily at the approaching teams, and then crossed his arms in front of his face and pulsed a shield outwards. Sunlight responded, a golden half dome covering both Izuku and Katsuki easily.

"No! Don't touch it!!" He heard a girl scream, most likely the one with the odd ponytail with the huge hand Quirk. "It'll burn you!" Izuku felt no impacts on the shield, and called it a success.

"Times up!" Mic screamed through the speakers, and Izuku dropped his shield to grin up at the board. No one had moved, and they had won. 1B was absolutely and thoroughly destroyed. Excellent. "That's the end of the second round, the Cavalry Battle! Now, let's take a look at the top four teams right away! In first place, Team Todoroki! He managed to keep hold of the million the entire round!" The crowd cheered enthusiastically, lots of them jumping to their feet and screaming praise. "In second place, Team Midoriya!" Izuku hopped off Katsuki's back and jumped excitedly in place.

"We did it!" Izuku cried, holding out a glowing palm. Katsuki punched it, hard knuckles slamming into his hand with explosive sparks. Izuku laughed.

"In third place, team Asui!" Izuku turned to see Shinso standing with his team of girls. Tsuyu and Uraraka hugged each other with pride and Shinso was grinning, all teeth and smugness. "In fourth place, Team Ashido!" Ashido was jumping up and down, Kirishima and Sero clapping each other on the back and grinning. They definitely deserved the cheering they received. Izuku ran over, obliging the high five Kirishima offered.

"You guys did great! Congrats!" Izuku exclaimed.

"You delivered hardcore, Mido!" Ashido giggled. "1B didn't know what hit 'em." Izuku grinned, and waved as he walked away. Katsuki trailed after him with his hands in his pockets, growling slightly as Izuku jogged over to Team Monoma.

"If it isn't 1A." Monoma said, face blank.

"I just came over to say one thing." Izuku said, grinning, "Insult me or my class again, and you'll get the same smackdown you received today but much worse. Neither class is inherently better, but if you keep this attitude up you'll soon realise exactly what we can do with the right motivation." Izuku smiled then, turned in his heel, and joined Katsuki who had stopped a dozen feet away.

"Now, we'll be taking an hour's break for lunch before we start the afternoon festivities! Yeah!!" Mic announced, and Izuku turned as he felt someone approaching.

"Todoroki?" Izuku tilted his head to the side, and the boy stopped a few feet away.

"Midoriya." Todoroki shoved his hands in his pockets, staring in an almost-sort-of-glare. "Come with me." Izuku frowned, but he nodded.

"Katsuki, I'll catch up. Can you buy me a lunch?" Izuku glanced at Todoroki sideways. "Maybe one for him too." Katsuki muttered something about being left out but he stomped off in the direction of the cafeteria. Izuku then smiled at Todoroki. "Where to?"

He followed the boy as Todoroki led him out and around the stadium to a deserted student and staff entrance. He leaned against the wall, and Izuku did the same. Todoroki said nothing for a while, and Izuku waited patiently for the boy to sort out his thoughts. The sadness in his eyes was now coupled with immense anger.

"Your Quirk." Izuku blinked at the sudden and dull words from Todoroki. "It burns you. Right?"

"Yes." He confirmed, seriousness matching Todoroki's.

"Endeavor's my old man. I'm sure you know he's been stuck as the number two Hero forever." Todoroki said. To anyone else, it might seem like a subject change, but Izuku waited patiently for the explanation. "My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world. As a Hero, he made a name for himself with his crushing force. Because of that, the living legend, All Might, is a great eyesore to him. Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved on to his next plan." Izuku really didn't like the sound of that. "You've heard of Quirk marriages, right?"

"I have." Izuku confirmed softly.

"It became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own Quirk and passing it onto your children, forcing people into marriage." Todoroki stared at the floor, eyes tight in a way that looked like he was repressing tears, or a harsh glare. "The old fashioned way of thinking brought back by a lack of ethics. He is a man with many accomplishments and money. He won over my mother's relatives and got a hold of my mother's Quirk. He is trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a Hero to surpass All Might. It's so annoying… I won't become the tool of scum like that." Todoroki spat. He paused, before beginning again more softly.

"In my memory, my mother is always crying." He looked at his left hand, taking it from his pocket, and reached up to cover his burned left eye and forehead. "'Your left side is unsightly.' my mother said as she poured boiling water on my face." He lowered his hand and glared at Izuku, but the anger in his gaze was aimed elsewhere. "My old man had three failures, and I was his masterpiece. You remind me of what my oldest brother could have been. His fire was more powerful than Endeavor's, but he got my mother's icy bodily constitution. One day he trained too hard, and he burned himself up. He died before I turned six." Izuku looked down at his hands, and lit them up softly to show Todoroki.

"My Quirk is Sunlight, and yes, it burns within me." Izuku explained softly. "When I use it over and over again, it raises my body temperature until I pass out from a high fever. When I go over my limit, like at the USJ, it superheats my body and boils my blood and organs. Sunlight is trying to protect me, but it ends up hurting me. In offensive mode, it hurts more than just me. Intense emotions are dangerous for me. " He looked up at Todoroki, who was staring at his softly glowing hands. "I could heal it for you, you know." Izuku murmured as Todoroki's eyes snapped to his with a sharp inhale. "Scar tissue is easy, I just grow new flawless skin and dissolve the old. If you ever want that… let me know, okay?" Todoroki nodded jerkily. "You have a fire aspect to your Quirk, but I've never seen you use it. It's because of Endeavor, isn't it?"

"In battle… I never use my left." Todoroki's left hand balled into a tight fist as the boy ground his teeth.

"You'll need to, someday." Izuku said softly, though a little bluntly. "Being a Hero is hard, and one day you'll have a choice. Use your fire to save, or don't, and let someone die." Todoroki's eyes burned with anger, but Izuku didn't back down. "Repressing a part of your Quirk will just get you and civilians hurt. You're letting Endeavor win by limiting yourself this way. He probably doesn't care if you never use your fire, as long as you get to Number One, right?" Todoroki looked away, glaring. "Just… think about it." Izuku fell into silence, and Todoroki didn't respond. His hands clenched and unclenched, anger clear in his posture and wariness in his eyes. "C'mon, let's go to lunch."

Izuku beckoned as he walked down the hall, and Todoroki shoved his hands in his pockets as he followed. On their way, Recovery Girl appeared and sighed in apparent relief.

"Healer Midoriya, I need you to attend to Miss Kendo." Recovery Girl said, "She touched your shield." Izuku winced.

"Ah, I forgot about that. Todoroki, I'll catch up, okay?" He nodded stoically, and so Izuku followed Recovery Girl towards the room labelled The Healers' Temporary Office.

There was girl with orange hair collected into a side ponytail sitting a little pitifully on one of the beds, one of her hands blackened and looked to be missing a finger and a half. There wasn't any blood, all the damage being cauterised. Izuku winced in sympathy at the agony on her face. He felt bad, especially since he knew she'd brushed it with her fingertips and just forgot.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you to just crash into Sunlight like that." Izuku apologised. Her lip wobbled, but she didn't respond.

Izuku sanitised his hands and headed right over, filling his palm with Sunlight and letting it wash into her veins. It regrew the skin and bone, easily healing the damaged tissue, and repairing the damage almost immediately. Kendo gaped at her glowing hand as it was soon perfectly formed again without scars or damage of any kind to be seen. To her, it was probably a miracle.

"How–?" She cut herself off, looking up at Izuku in wonder. He Smiled™ at her, and sanitised again.

"You'll be fine now, promise." Izuku said to her awestruck face. "Not a twinge or damaged nerve left at all." She stared down at her hand and Izuku turned to Recovery Girl. She was eyeing his hair, which was half bright gold and half dull gold. "I'm going to lunch now. Can you wipe down the counters I touched?"

"I'll also mop the floor." She nodded easily. Izuku smiled, happy she was finally accepting the Code and following it without prompting.

"See ya, Kendo. Say hi to Rin for me." Izuku then waved and headed out. He padded down the halls, humming to himself as he raked a hand through his golden curls. His eyes were still green, and his skin wasn't glowing, but he was sure that'd change if he managed to get third or above. He smiled softly at the thought.

"Izuku!" He turned to grin at Katsuki, also noting Todoroki was slurping soba and completely ignoring the glaring boy across from him. Izuku slid in next to Katsuki, who pushed a bowl of Katsudon in front of him.

"Thanks Kit-Kat." He said fondly. "You and food, I swear. You always notice people's favourite foods." Todoroki’s was almost definitely soba, the way he was slurping away happily.

"I like cooking." Katsuki grumbled, shoving food in his mouth. Izuku laughed easily, and glanced at a content Todoroki.

"Are you looking forward to the third round?" Izuku asked conversationally. “It’ll be the one-on-ones.” Todoroki nodded slightly.

"I'm going to win." Izuku laughed again at the bland conviction in his words.

"I hope I win, or Katsuki. But I wouldn't mind if you did." Izuku said as Todoroki blinked in surprise, and then he nodded slowly as he slurped more of his noodles. Izuku smiled fondly. “Anyway, we only have a few minutes before the recreational games. You going to play?”

“Why waste the energy?” Katsuki mumbled, glaring at the table. “I need to prepare to crush our extras.” Izuku snickered as he noted the way Katsuki had claimed the class as their extras. Extras for sure, but from 1A. It showed he cared, which made Izuku warm inside with gratitude. Katsuki was really growing to be the best Hero he could be.

“True enough. You, Todoroki?” Izuku saw mismatching eyes flick up from his food.

“I agree with Bakugo.” He said simply.

“Well I’m playing!” Izuku huffed playfully. “You two losers can just watch without me.” He stuck his tongue out, and Katsuki turned and put an offended hand on his chest.

“How ever will I cope without Goldilocks by my side, holding my hand?” Izuku elbowed him as Katsuki cackled.

“Oh shut it, you.” Izuku saw Todoroki eyeing them with an odd look in his eyes, and he smiled at the boy. There was lingering sadness there, but also interest. Izuku hoped they could be friends, he really liked Todoroki.

So Izuku ate and messed with Katsuki and made sure to include Todoroki when possible, and prepared for the third round and the games to come.

Chapter Text

Round Three

“Now that lunch is over, it's finally time to reveal the last game!” Mic screamed. Izuku bounced in place, Katsuki grinning at him fondly. "But before that, there's good news for all of you who didn't make it to the finals! This is a sports festival! So we've prepared recreational games that everyone can participate in too!" The speakers were near deafening, but Izuku noticed the cheerful expressions on the majority of 1Bs faces, and decided it was worth it. "We've even brought real cheerleaders from America to liven things up!"

Girls across the field jumped in place, throwing yellow pom poms around and smiling prettily at the crowd. It would've been adorable if they weren't in absolutely horrid orange coloured uniforms. Nobody suited that shade of orange.

"Alright everyone, let's have fun competing in the recreational games!" Izuku looked up as the screens pinged, a sort of chart appearing, and squinted at it. "When that's over, the twelve from the four teams that made it to the final round will duke it out in both multi-person free-for-alls, and one on one matches! Three Tiers of battles, one winner!"

The screen showed a bottom level, with four sections, each with three people. Probably four matches, three people in each. The middle level showed one person from each section moving up, battling one on one with another person moved up. The winners from the first sections will fight in the second. Lastly, the top tier, the winners of the second battles fight it out for first place.

"The last round is both multi and individual matches?" Kirishima said, seemingly awed. "I'm gonna stand on the stage I watch every year on TV!"

"Midoriya, didn't you say the final round was one-on-ones?" Ashido frowned.

"I did." He confirmed, nodding while still examining the board. "It seems they added a free-for-all aspect I didn't expect. However, there are one-on-ones. Just, only three matches of them."

"Now, let's draw lots to determine the bracket." Midnight held up a yellow box labelled Lots, and Izuku beamed in excitement. "Once the brackets have been determined, we'll have the recreational games, and then start!" She then went a little serious as she addressed the competitors. "The twelve finalists can choose whether or not they want to participate in the recreation. I'm sure some of you want to rest and save your strength." Izuku sent Katsuki a playful glare, to which he received a gentle punch to the shoulder, and he was left smothering giggles. "Now, for the first place team."

Midnight descended the stairs and held the box out to Iida and Momo, who both reached in and took out a slip.

"I got two." Iida said, examining it.

"Three." Yaoyorozu hummed, frowning. "That means my match will be third. Yours will be second." Kaminari's tongue popped out the corner of his mouth as he reached in, fishing for a paper.

"I got four!" He declared, grinning. Todoroki pulled his stoically.

"I'll be in the first match." He said, mostly to Izuku, who was reaching for his own paper.

"I'm in the second with Iida!" Izuku exclaimed. Katsuki grumbled as he examined his own paper.

"Damn. I'm with Ponytail." He crossed his arms, and Izuku patted his shoulder with a laugh.

"Don't worry, she'll be a worthy opponent." Izuku faintly noticed Yaoyorozu's pink cheeks, and sent her a smile.

"Midoriya." Izuku turned to see Tsuyu approaching, eyes wide as ever. "I'm in the second match, kero."

"Oh awesome!" He grinned, "You, me, and Iida. We'll just be beating each other up, basically, right?"

"Midoriya, we will be competing in a heroic match for the honour of UA! Nothing so villainous!" Iida declared loudly, making Izuku sigh fondly.

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"Kill me now." Shinso said in way of greeting as he walked up. "I'm against Kirishima and Kaminari."

"Well," Izuku said, resisting laughter at Shinso’s I'm absolutely done with life expression, "You'll have no trouble making them talk." Shinso cracked a grin.

"Should I insult their sunny dispositions, or is that more your department?" Izuku cracked up, unable to stop the laughter as it spilled from his lips.

"Nah, this idiot is the only Sunshine here." Katsuki said, grinning at Shinso. "Those two are cheap excitable copies."

"I'm against Bakugo!" Izuku wiped his eyes with one last amused grin before turning to face whoever yelled in mock anguish. "Well, my funeral starts now. You can have my Manga collection." Sero was grinning with Ashido, who was wheezing at his words.

"That's not so bad, I got Todoroki." Ashido gasped, still giggling. "I'm going to beat him though!"

"I'm gonna beat you both!" Uraraka decaled, throwing a fist in the air with intensity. "Watch out!"

"I'm watching! I'm watching!" Ashido chanted, inching away from Uraraka's terrifying expression, but they all looked up as Midnight snapped her whip-thing.

"This is the bracket based on the results of the lots!" Midnight declared. The empty bits on the chart were filled in with names, laying out the first Tier of battles.

Match one:
Todoroki vs Uraraka vs Ashido
Match two:
Iida vs Midoriya vs Asui
Match three:
Yaoyorozu vs Bakugo vs Sero
Match four:
Kaminari vs Shinso vs Kirishima

"Todoroki." Izuku whispered, leaning around Katsuki. "If we both win, we'll be doing a one-on-one match!"

"Midoriya." Todoroki acknowledged. "If we end up going against each other, know that I will beat you."

"We'll see about that." Izuku grinned, "I'm looking forward to our match, Todoroki. You'd better be there!"

"If you beat Icyhot, you and I would be the finalists." Katsuki smirked, nudging Izuku.

"That's assuming you win against Yaoyorozu, and then Shinso. I'm assuming Shinso will win his match because Kaminari is cocky, and Kirishima just needs to be asked something about manliness." Katsuki cackled, and Izuku grinned sharply at him. "Who knows, maybe Shinso'll win the whole thing!"

"God if only." The boy muttered from behind Izuku.

"I bet you'll do amazing!" Izuku beamed at Shinso, turning around. "Besides, all you need to do is win a single Tier, and you'll tie for third at the very least." He blinked.

"Seriously?" Shinso asked, apparently bluescreening. Katsuki scoffed.

"Only four people make the second Tier. Four people make it to the podium." He said, glaring away from Shinso.

"First, second, and two third place winners!" Izuku continued, once again bouncing on his toes.

"Alright!" Mic's voice crackled through the speakers, "Let's leave the third round aside for a momentary interlude! Let's have fun with the recreation!" Izuku grinned, only for Katsuki to firmly grab his hand and begin pulling him away and towards the exit to the arena.

"Hey!" Izuku complained, nearly tripping from Katsuki's long pulling strides. "I was going to play!"

"Not with your hair you're not." Katsuki said, voice as firm as the hand he had on Izuku. "Besides, you probably need an ice bath."

"You're overheating?" Todoroki said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Izuku.

"Only barely." Izuku said defensively, "My temp can't be higher than 101.2°F."

"Oh, that's fine then." Todoroki responded easily.

"Idiot, you have a fire Quirk. Normal people should stay around 98.7°F." Katsuki huffed, glaring at Todoroki with no heat. "He has a fever."

"I'll be fine!" Izuku groaned.

"You healed me like three times during the Cavalry Battle, and you used your shield loads as well!"

"He also went with Recovery Girl earlier to heal someone." Todoroki added, ever unhelpful.

"What?" Katsuki whipped around, stopping in some random hallway.

"I just had to regrow a finger or two!" Izuku argued, "It only took a few seconds!" Todoroki seemed surprised, while Katsuki looked annoyed.

"Bring the Broccoli back." Katsuki challenged. "Go on, green mode. Now." Izuku crossed his arms, ignoring the numbness there as he made the bright gold flood out of his hair. "I knew it."

"It's not that bad." Izuku grumbled. He knew he was being unreasonable, but he never pushed his limits, was always reasonable, always mature, and maybe… he didn't want to be anymore.

"Your hair is half gold." Todoroki said pointedly. "Plus whatever is on your arms." Katsuki held out a hand expectantly, and Izuku gave both arms to him a little angrily. He had patches of numb and heavy gold on both forearms, both pinkies consumed, plus half his left palm and right elbow.

"You shouldn't push yourself." Katsuki glared, releasing Izuku's arms gently. "You'll never win if you pass out."

"I want to push myself." Izuku said, frowning and looking down as he struggled to explain. "I'm so careful with my jobs, the Healing work and my Detective work. I always make sure I can do what I said I could, and follow through to the best of my ability. It's part of being an adult. But this is a game. There's no consequences. If I pass out while Healing, I become a liability, in office and in the field. While I'm on a case, if I push myself I'll miss things, catch fewer criminals, solve fewer cases. But… that isn't how it is here. Absolute worst case scenario, I spend two days in an ice bath in the Healer's Office and then I'm fine." He raised his eyes, Sunlight filling them with gold, and both boys were watching him with careful scrutiny. "Also…" Izuku grinned, "I want to win." Katsuki broke into laughter at the switch, and Todoroki's mouth twitched.

"Fine." Katsuki grumbled, trying to be stern while grinning. "You can do whatever you want, as long as you go and take an ice bath." Izuku beamed at him, rushing forward to hug him.

"Thanks Kit-Kat!" Katsuki ruffled his hair, almost pulling it with his roughness, and Izuku batted his hand away playfully. He then backed up and turned towards the Healer's Office, looking over his shoulder with a grin. "Bye Todoroki, Katsuki, you're the best!" With that, he sprinted away laughing. He had an ice bath to take, and then a festival to win.

"Hey guys! Are you ready!?" Izuku hated to admit it, but he was getting tired of Mic's voice. "A lot's happened, but now it's come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you're not a Hero, you'll face lots of situations like that! You get it, right? Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of it to rise up!" Izuku had his notebook in hand, eagerly grinning down at the arena as it took shape, fire lighting at the corners. The three that were going first weren't present in the 1A booth, but everyone else was.

"Todoroki's going to win." Izuku declared easily, brushing damp curls out of his eyes.

"Don't you think Ashido and Uraraka have a chance?" Kaminari asked, a little squeaky.

"Nope." He shook his head. "The girls have no counter for his mass ice attacks. Ashido can manage smaller ones with her acid, but entirely entombed by it? Nope. Uraraka can also make use of ice that's left on the ground, but covered in it and frozen in place? Making it weightless won't help her."

"Didn't you say Quirks don't matter?" Shinso asked, raising an eyebrow to show he was just teasing.

"Hmm, yes, but Todoroki is god." Izuku said, just as mockly serious. Kaminari choked, and Shinso grinned.

"Audience! The finals that you've all been waiting for are finally starting!" Mic yelled through the speakers. His face showed up on screen, before being cut into thirds and replaced by photos of the three competitors. "Tier one, the first match!"

They came from different directions, Todoroki coming from the left, Uraraka on the right, and Ashido from the tunnel under where 1A was sitting.

"Our star of the Festival so far, receiving first in both previous rounds, you're way too strong kid! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing! From the Hero Course, Todoroki Shoto!" He was staring blankly, seemingly emotionless as he approached from his side. "Versus, is something going to happen with those horns? Well?? From the Hero Course, Ashido Mina!" Ashido was cracking her knuckles, grinning as she stepped into the concrete square. "Versus a —what's with her face? From the Hero Course, Uraraka Ochako!" She was grimacing in determination, and Izuku winced at her introduction.

"The rules are simple! Force your opponents out of bounds, or immobilise them! You can also win by making your opponents say 'I give up!' Bring on the injuries!" Izuku froze, "We've got Recovery Girl on standby, as well as our very own Healer Midoriya Izuku, who is both a Healer on staff and a Heroics Student!" Izuku groaned, and shoved himself out of his seat, water droplets falling on his shoulders. "Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment! But, of course, anything life threatening is crap! It's not allowed!"

"Izuku, where are you going?" Katsuki hissed as Izuku made his way out of the booth. Mic was yelling about using fists.

"Nezu asked me to be a field Healer when I'm not participating! I completely spaced." He groaned. "I'm supposed to supervise down on the ground."

"Idiot." Katsuki growled. Izuku gave him a look, and disappeared. He jogged through the halls, practically jumping down the stairs and continuing on his way.

Finally reaching the opening into the arena, he took a deep breath and stepped out, casually leaning on the wall just to the left of the entrance so he could see but wasn't in the way. He also spilled Sunlight into his hair and let it dry the curls with its heat.

"Start!" Todoroki didn't even move, ice spreading from his right foot and consuming both girls without warning in a split second. It went all the way up their necks, leaving only their faces and the tops of their heads exposed.

"Eh!? No fair!" Ashido whined, face looking as though she'd been kicking and flailing in protest if she could. Uraraka just looked immensely defeated.

"Todoroki wins, moving on to the Second Tier!" Midnight declared, throwing her sort-of-a-whip forward dramatically. Todoroki stepped forward blankly, pressing his left palm to Uraraka's ice block and melting his ice away. He mimicked this with Ashido, both girls collapsing on the spot and shaking out their arms. Izuku jogged over, giving Todoroki a smile, and he knelt to examine the girls.

"That's Midoriya Izuku, doing his job as a Healer of UA! Thank you Healer Midoriya!" Izuku Smiled™ and gave the commentator box a wave.

"Are either of you feeling chilled? Burned by the water at all?" He asked gently, eyes raking over them. Melting the ice off was effective, but a little uncautious. The girls shook their heads.

"Man, I thought we'd last longer than that!" Ashido complained. Uraraka was silent, and Izuku helped them both up and escorted them to the exit, before going through it himself. The girls walked off, Ashido stretching her limbs above her head as she went, Uraraka stalking off… somewhere.

"Okay! Next up, are these three!" Izuku turned right back around and walked into the arena once more. "Back again is the Healer of a Heroics Student! From the Hero Course, Midoriya Izuku!" He waved to the cameras, grinning at them in genuine excitement. "Versus he's the epitome of middle of the pack! From the Hero Course, Iida Tenya!" He stalked forward, eyebrows drawn in determination. "Versus hold on, is she a frog? From the Hero Course, Asui Tsuyu!" She ascended the steps, hunched as always and eyes darting around cautiously. "Let's go! Second match, start!"

Iida raced forward, and Izuku immediately ducked, Iida zoomed over him with a hand out to grab him. He missed, and he didn't have the best turn radius. Knowing this, Izuku sprinted towards Tsuyu, who threw her tongue. He jumped out of the way, rolling, and Iida was caught instead. Iida tried revving his engines, but Tsuyu threw him out of bounds.

"Iida Tenya is out!" Midnight declared.

Izuku didn't hesitate as he charged Tsuyu again, grabbing her tongue as she went to retract it. He was launched towards her, using the momentum to slam into her face, feet first. She hit the ground on her back, but Izuku overshot and rolled over her. He slid, landing on his feet but bent so his hands touched the ground, and he barely had time to throw himself out of the way of her tongue again.

Tsuyu retracted her tongue and paused, keeping her tongue in her mouth and crouching, assessing him carefully. She probably didn't want a repeat, and wouldn't risk throwing her tongue unless he seemed distracted. Taking advantage of that, Izuku sprinted forward and grinned. She hopped towards him, kicking out a leg that he caught, and twisted. He threw her to the ground and watched as she crawled to her feet. Mic was screaming over the speakers, but Izuku didn't focus on it.

"You could always give up." Izuku smirked. His eyes flicked to where Iida had crashed, but the boy seemed fine, and was exiting the arena.

"Or you." She replied blankly, and jumped at him again. She threw her tongue at him mid-jump, and he didn't dodge fast enough. It wrapped around his wrist tightly, and he panicked. He threw Sunlight into his veins, not a shield, it felt… different… Tsuyu shrieked in her froglike croak, releasing him and pulling her tongue back quickly.

Izuku examined his arm, seeing it was glowing oddly. It wasn't a soft glow like his usual, it was more intense. However, it wasn't the terrifying white glow so he rolled with it. He sprang forward while Tsuyu was whimpering over whatever he'd done to her tongue, and she jumped backwards in response. Izuku grinned. She'd jumped right over the painted white line.

"Asui Tsuyu is out!" Midnight announced, throwing out her pompom-thing. "Midoriya Izuku wins, and moves onto the Second Tier!"

"Are you okay?" Izuku said immediately, stepping forward to kneel at her side.

"You burned my tongue." She croaked, and Izuku winced.

"Sorry, I didn't know I could do that." He pulled on some gloves he had tucked in his pocket, and held out a hand. "Can I see your tongue?" Tsuyu extended it slowly, and Izuku took it in his gloved hands lightly to examine it. There was indeed a nasty second degree burn, already starting to blister, on the underside of her tongue. "It’s alright. I can fix it." He released her tongue and gave her a Smile™ as he pulled off his gloves. Sanitising his hands, Izuku gently took her hand and pressed Sunlight into her, guiding it to find her tongue. It pulsed, and the burn dissolved away in the face of Sunlight's warmth.

"Kero?" Izuku removed his hand at her odd noise, and she stuck her tongue out and wiggled it experimentally. "Thanks, Midoriya."

"Of course, it's my job." He Smiled™ at her, and gave her a hand up. Izuku escorted her to the exit, and then went back to lean on the wall. Mic was saying something, but Izuku wasn't paying attention as he noticed Katsuki stomping down his tunnel.

"—our third match!" Izuku heard. "The explosive second place in both previous games! From the Hero Course, Bakugo Katsuki!" Izuku held out a glowing palm as Katsuki went by, a sparking palm smacking into his in a powered high-five. "Versus a good guy! He's good, but what's with that plainness he can't seem to get rid of? From the Hero Course, Sero Hanta!" Izuku thought he heard the boy mutter about the comment being rude, but he was grinning as he stretched so it was probably fine. "Versus All-Purpose Creation! She was admitted through recommendation, so her abilities are certified! From the Hero Course, Yaoyorozu Momo!" She was standing awkwardly, one arm gripping the other tightly, toes pointing inward as if she were shy, but she was glaring in determination. It made Izuku frown slightly, because it wasn't like her at all. "Third match, start!"

Katsuki launched immediately towards Yaoyorozu, who created a small shield in the knick of time. He blasted an explosion into it, throwing her backwards with a shriek. Sero, at the same time, snagged her ankle with her tape and tripped her. She crashed to the ground, and Katsuki grinned as he went to advance. However, tape circled his midsection, and he was yanked towards Sero.

Katsuki, using his Explosions, propelled himself up and over Sero, still tied to him. He grabbed the tape with one hand as he landed behind the boy, and then pulled as hard as he could. Sero stumbled backwards, still attached, and Katsuki used the advantage to grab Sero's arm and throw him over his shoulder and right out of bounds.

"Sero Hanta is out of bounds!" Midnight's voice rang out. Katsuki took some time exploding the tape around his middle before he refocused on Yaoyorozu, who was on her feet with a shield and long metal pole. He grinned ferally and charged.

Izuku walked forward, heading to where Sero was sitting on the grass and rubbing his elbow. He sanitised as he approached, Smiling™ at Sero.

"Ah, one of his Explosions got my wrist, and my elbow hurts. No big deal." He admitted, grinning sheepishly. "Think I twisted my ankle too."

"No worries. Let's get you fixed up, okay?" Izuku took Sero's Quirked elbow in his hands, and pushed Sunlight into him. It found little cuts, scrapes, and forming bruises, but Izuku kept looking. He found a small burn around his left wrist, and he’d landed badly on his elbow tape dispensers. Sunlight soothed the mild elbow sprain, and healed the burn easily. Izuku then frowned as it found a mild fracture in Sero's ankle, healing that as well. "All better." He declared, letting go and sanitising again.

"Wow, thanks Mido." Sero said, flexing his wrist experimentally. "Your Quirk is like magic."

"So I've been told." Izuku murmured, brushing his hands off as he stood. He offered Sero a hand and pulled the boy to standing, turning to see that Katsuki had beaten Yaoyorozu. The girl was collapsed in the middle of the concrete square, Midnight beckoning Izuku over.

"She's exhausted." Midnight said as he approached. "She put up a good fight, but she has no energy left." Izuku nodded and brushed by the Pro Hero, kneeling by the prone girl.

"I'm going to use my Quirk, it won't hurt." He murmured in case she was conscious, and pressed a hand to her upper arm. Sunlight flowed between them, and he found the problem was muscle weakness. Yaoyorozu had strained them too hard, and she'd collapsed because of it. Izuku soothed the muscles, letting warmth flood her. She inhaled sharply, and sat up slowly as he released her. Izuku faintly noticed that the crowd was going crazy, though he wasn't sure why. "You pushed your body too hard." He said as she turned wide eyes to him. "You did a good job. Pushing yourself in a safe environment like this is great, but make sure you know your limits, okay?" She nodded, though she looked unbearably sad.

"Okay." Yaoyorozu shoved off the ground and walked away, hands balled into fists. She left Izuku sitting on the concrete, staring after her. He stood, brushing off his hands and sanitising. Katsuki was still standing there, hands in his pockets, and Izuku reached for him.

"Wrists." He ordered. Katsuki held out his wrists, and Izuku poured Sunlight into them. As he thought, Katsuki was on the edge of Quirk exhaustion. When he was done, he sanitised again as Katsuki shook out his wrists and rolled his shoulders.

"I hope to see you in the finals." Katsuki smirked. Izuku laughed in response, taking Katsuki's hand as they walked back to the exit.

"I don't know if I can beat Todoroki." He said thoughtfully, swinging his and Katsuki's joined hands. "Sunlight can block his attacks, and he'll eventually run out of ice, but I probably wouldn't win against fire." They reached the exit, and Katsuki reached forward to place a palm on Izuku's forehead, frowning.

"You need more ice." He said, worry in his voice. Izuku smiled.

"I know. My hair's about three-quarters gold, right?" Katsuki glared. "It'll be fine. Promise." Izuku hugged him tightly, and Katsuki ruffled his hair as he released Izuku.

"Watch out for the idiots, will you?" Katsuki said, smirking.

"Of course. As if I'd let our classmates maim each other." Izuku grinned and Katsuki waved as he disappeared down the tunnel.

"Moving on! The fourth and final match of our First Tier, we have manly and passionate Hardening! From the Hero Course, Kirishima Eijiro!" Izuku saw him come from across the field, his hands hardened in anticipation. "Versus the sneaky manipulator of the minds! From the Hero Course, Shinso Hitoshi!" Shinso came from the tunnel on Izuku's left, and he was grinning all teeth again. It would've been intimidating if Izuku didn't recognize the anxiety in his shoulders and the stiffness in his walk. "Versus the Sparky Stunner! From the Hero Course, Kaminari Denki!" Izuku saw Kaminari strolling out from his right, and noticed he looked way too relaxed. Well, great, Shinso had practically won already. "Let's start the last match!"

"So we're all aiming to win?" Shinso called as Kirishima smashed his hardened hands together, and Kaminari lit his hand with electricity.

"Of course!" Kirishima yelled, and then froze.

"I'll be the one winning!" Kaminari grinned, and then also froze.

"I've immobilised them!" Shinso called to Midnight.

"WHAT!?" Mic yelled, "The match just started and two of the competitors are completely frozen!"

"Kirishima, Kaminari, can either of you move?" Midnight called to the brainwashed students. Neither responded, or moved. Duh. "Kirishima Eijiro and Kaminari Denki have been immobilised! Shinso Hitoshi wins and moves on to the Second Tier!" The boys slumped, blinking, and then groaned in unison.

"Man, I can't believe it!" Kaminari lamented, leaving the stage with Kirishima. "He totally got me."

"Same here." Kirishima clenched a fist in front of his chest, "A preemptive attack, so manly!" Shinso jogged over to Izuku, who laughed at the giddy expression on the boy's face.

"I told you so." Izuku said, grinning. "Now you gotta face Katsuki."

"Think he'll fall for it if I insult you?" Shinso asked, also grinning, and Izuku's smile turned vaguely feral.

"Nope. He'll murder you, though." Shinso laughed nervously at Izuku's expression, and then sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't know if I can beat him." He admitted softly.

"Even if you can't, third place is podium." Izuku said gently, placing a hand on Hitoshi's shoulder. "That's amazing! You've done really well, and I'd say you definitely have a chance against him. Okay?"

"Yeah." Shinso said, shaking himself and grinning. "Yeah, alright." He then jogged off and Izuku smiled after him.

"Now we've got everyone who's advancing to the Second Tier!" Mic announced, "So let's get started!" Izuku blinked in surprise. He was up again already? "We have our first match of the Second Tier, which is a one-on-one battle! First up we have two of our strongest! It's the Healer who smashed his opponents into the ground and then helped them up! From the Hero Course, Midoriya Izuku!" He headed for the square again, waving and grinning as he went. Izuku hoped he'd one day be more known for his deeds as a Hero than as a Healer. But… that day was a long ways away. "Versus the boy who had a huge victory, freezing his competition and then melting them out of it! From the Hero Course, Todoroki Shoto!" He was glaring as he went to face Izuku, but Izuku felt it was towards Endeavor. There was wrath in his eyes… Izuku immediately shifted his weight to his back foot in preparation, knowing whatever Todoroki did would be huge. "Start!"

Izuku crossed his arms and pulsed a shield as quickly as he could, covering a good ten feet on either side of him. It was a good thing too, because ice consumed everything. It slammed into his shield, boiling off into steam, but the rest of it went right by and up into the audience, freezing half the stadium. Izuku dropped the shield, seeing a massive ice-free zone where Sunlight had been, and all the ice around him melting as well. Izuku grinned. None of his classmates could've dodged a strike like that. Not even Katsuki. He faintly noticed his skin had begun to glow, but he focused on Todoroki.

"You can’t freeze Sunlight, Todoroki!" Izuku yelled, grinning wildly. His opponent gritted his teeth, sending even more ice in waves. Izuku threw up his shield again, grinning at the feeling of ice on his shield. It felt like a cool breeze on warm skin, making you sigh in relief. Izuku dropped the shield. "Again!" He yelled, glowing brighter as he steadily got happier. He might actually win if Todoroki was gonna stand there until he froze from lack of using his fire.

"I won't let you win!" Todoroki produced more ice, sliding forward on it and throwing it ahead of him, and Izuku created a smaller shield, a foot around him in each direction. He felt ice crash into him, but no Todoroki. As he dropped the shield, Izuku dove to the side. Todoroki slammed an iced hand into the ground, crystals growing where he landed.

"Ohhh getting creative!" Izuku taunted, creating another shield as Todoroki tried to catch Izuku while he was in the air. "Still can't get me! Wow your ice really is a bad match up!" He landed lightly, dropping his shield as Todoroki straightened and exhaled frost. "You're freezing yourself." Izuku said, pointing with a useless golden arm.

"And you're turning to gold." Todoroki bit back, eyes hard.

"Well, yeah." Izuku shrugged, knowing that most, if not all, of both arms were gold. "But I can't exactly help it. You, on the other hand, have a built-in counter to Quirk exhaustion." Todoroki clenched his hands into fists, throwing more and more ice. Izuku just crossed his arms and threw out another shield, melting the ice and dissolving it into nothing but steam. There was no water on the square Izuku and Todoroki were fighting on. Ice remained in the stands, away from Izuku and his shield, but any ice nearby boiled off Sunlight too quickly to leave residue like water. "Your ice is useless!" Izuku yelled. "If you seriously want to win you should stop holding yourself back!"

"Stop holding myself back?" Todoroki muttered, glaring as he exhaled more frost. "Did my damn old man buy you off or something? You're just making me mad!" He ran at Izuku, but it was slow, off kilter, and exhausted. Izuku sprinted for him as well, and Todoroki punched out with his right hand. His slow hand.

Izuku tried to recreate the feeling he had with Ashido, shoving Sunlight to the surface in defence instead of Healing, and he blocked Todoroki's icy fist with his palm. Todoroki jerked back as his fist made contact, crying out lowly and jumping back to cradle his hand. Izuku was briefly elated, because he’d finally found a safer way to defend himself. His shield wasn't exactly gentle.

"Is this what you want?" Izuku whispered, "You want to lose?" Todoroki looked up at him from where he was bent over his hand. "If that's what you want, and you weren’t serious about winning, I'll beat you right now." Todoroki growled, stomping to create more ice. Izuku just jumped to the side, dodging without even needing his shield. It was so slow… Mic was yelling, and the audience was screaming, but Izuku was entirely focused on Todoroki. "Don't you want to be a Hero? Isn't your power your own?" Izuku asked, glaring as Todoroki straightened, wobbly and uneven.

Todoroki didn't respond beyond running at Izuku, icing the floor and spinning around to punch Izuku's shoulder. It worked, but Izuku burned his fist away once again. Izuku stumbled forwards and Todoroki stumbled backwards, and they were once again apart, facing each other.

"Stop playing with me!" Todoroki yelled, glaring at him, and Izuku did the worst possible thing he could've done. He smiled.

"Alright, Todoroki."

Without warning Izuku shot forward, grabbing his opponent by the arm and flipping Todoroki over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. Todoroki choked, sluggish already from exhaustion, and the wind was knocked out of him. Izuku then grabbed Todoroki by the foot and heaved him up, tossing him about four feet and over the boundary line. The ending manoeuvre took about four seconds, and then the match was over. Izuku glanced at Midnight, raising an eyebrow, but she just stared with her lips parted in shock.

"Midoriya Izuku wins! Todoroki Shoto is out of bounds! Also… Todoroki probably couldn't continue anyway?" Mic finally announced for her, and Izuku turned back to see Todoroki pushing himself onto his elbows, only to collapse again. Izuku walked over, crouching next to Todoroki.

"Hey, if I heal you, will you carry my unconscious body back to Recovery Girl?" Izuku asked, tilting his head and sanitising his hands.

"What?" Todoroki asked, straining himself to look at Izuku.

"Perfect." Izuku pressed a Sunlit palm to Todoroki's bare arm, and said Heal.

Sunlight poured into him, flooding warmth into frostbitten veins, mending blood vessels to fix bruising, healing cuts and scrapes as it went. Izuku firmly held it in check, not allowing healing to any type of scarring, just in case he caught the face one by accident. It was traumatic, and Izuku had no right to take it away, even accidentally. As Sunlight curled back into Izuku, happy with its work, Izuku sighed, then promptly collapsed. He clung to consciousness, only for a moment.

"Midoriya!" And then nothing.

Chapter Text

The Podium

Izuku was thrust into consciousness very unpleasantly, and he immediately decided he’d rather be unconscious if the throbbing pain in his head was anything to go by. He groaned, and promptly choked on water.

“Katsuki! We talked about this!” Izuku said, sputtering and coughing as he tried to blink water out of his eyes. “Stop dunking my head under ice water!”

“Then stop passing out, dumbass!” Katsuki’s voice yelled in Izuku's ear. A soft towel was pressed into his face, drying his eyes, and then moving to gently scrunch the water from his curls. A hand helped him sit up gently with a supporting grip on his shoulder.

“How long was I out?” Izuku coughed, opening his eyes and seeing he was in the Healer’s Office bathroom, fully clothed and in the bathtub. He saw Katsuki with the towel and holding his shoulder, Todoroki kneeling with his right hand in the water, and Recovery Girl frowning from the doorway.

“Seven minutes.” Todoroki said blankly, eyes focused on the water.

“Oh, that’s probably my best time yet.” Izuku coughed again. “My previous was twenty-two minutes.”

“Hey! There wasn’t any ice at home!” Katsuki retorted, indignant. “It’s not my fault I had to run down to the convenience store.”

“I wasn’t dissing you, Kat,” Izuku laughed hoarsely, “I was merely praising UA’s bathtubs for being so readily accessible.”

“Yeah, sure.” Katsuki muttered.

“Why did you do it?” Todoroki asked softly. Izuku met his eyes, and found confusion and anger resting there. “Why go so far? You have another match now, and yet you healed me knowing you’d pass out.”

“Because it’s what Healers do.” Izuku Smiled™. “Also, because I pushed you too far. During the match.” Todoroki frowned, eyes flicking to Recovery Girl. She huffed, and then disappeared out the door.

“What do you mean?” Todoroki asked, returning his attention to Izuku.

“I could’ve ended it sooner.” He admitted, and then broke off to cough heavily. Katsuki’s grip on his shoulder tightened until the coughing stopped. He gasped for breath, and then cleared his aching throat. “I was hoping you’d use your fire, y’know, to balance yourself. Homeostasis and all that. You didn’t.”

"So you would've let me win if I used it, is that it?" Todoroki glared, and Izuku sighed.

"No. You'd have beaten me yourself." Todoroki blinked in surprise. "Sunlight can't exactly block fire. If I raised a shield, the heat would just go around and end up getting to me anyway. It might've delayed you, but you would've won in the end." Izuku scooped up water in both hands and pressed his face into it, before wiping the water away and shaking out his hands. "Besides, fire would've raised the temperature of the air, which would've raised my temperature in consequence. I might've passed out anyway." In Todoroki's resulting silence, Izuku examined his hands.

They'd been solid gold from bicep to fingertips by the time he'd healed Todoroki at the end of their match, roughly ten minutes prior. After soaking, there were gold patches here and there, like an odd rash, and the rest of his arms were just vaguely metallic. He could use them efficiently; he wiggled his fingers and grinned when they responded.

"Sunshine, I have my match soon." Katsuki said, standing and placing the towel on the edge of the tub. "They're probably still clearing the ice from the audience stands, but I don't want to miss the announcement."

"Go on Kacchan." Izuku assured him. "I'm good." Katsuki gave a reluctant nod and then stalked off, leaving Izuku and Todoroki alone.

"So you meant it." Izuku looked up at Todoroki's soft words. "You asked, 'Don't you want to be a Hero? Isn't your power your own?' I thought you were trying to distract me, but you meant it. Didn't you?" Izuku nodded, putting his hands under the cold water again.

"Yeah, I did. Everything inside you is yours, especially your Quirk. Every Quirk is genetically unique, y'know." He grinned, and Todoroki frowned in consideration. "You'll be a great Hero. Even greater if you chose to dedicate all of you to it. Using your power however you want to." Izuku looked down at his hands under the water, and sighed. "I was raised to be a Healer. I've been in training since my Quirk came in, and working legally since I was six years old. The Head Healer in my building always told me I'd make such a useless Hero, and I'd help so many more people if I was a Healer. A Healer to surpass even Recovery Girl." Izuku swallowed, remembering, but he pushed on. "Head Healer called, recently. The day we all jumped out the window? He called to make sure I knew he'd still be there for me to crawl back to when my career fell apart and I realised I was as worthless a Hero as he always said I was." Izuku looked up at Todoroki, whose eyes were wide with an emotion Izuku couldn't place. It was between horror and awe, somewhere near shock as well. "And yet I'm still a Healer anyway." He whispered, smiling. "Because he hasn't tainted it for me. Sure, it's not as good as Heroics, but I'm good at it, and it makes me happy. Does that make sense?"

"I don't know if I can do that." Todoroki frowned.

"Well, Todoroki, let me ask you this: Do you want to be a Hero?" He inhaled sharply, his mismatched eyes boring into Izuku's gold ones.

"Yes." Todoroki whispered, "Yes I want to be a Hero."

"Then be the best Hero you can be." Izuku smiled softly, tilting his head. Todoroki nodded, falling silent as thoughts flashed visibly in his eyes. "Thanks for loaning me your ice." Izuku said, changing the subject with a grin. "You've officially become a bath cooler." Todoroki's mouth twitched, and Izuku called it a win.

"Who do you think will take the next match, Bakugo or Shinso?" Todoroki asked thoughtfully, glancing at where Katsuki had disappeared.

"Depends on who keeps their composure." Izuku said immediately. "If Katsuki keeps his head, he'll win easily. Shinso isn't even close to being able to compete with Katsuki physically. He's just not beefy enough, y'know?" Todoroki's mouth twitched into a tiny smile again. "But if Shinso doesn't panic, and manages to get Katsuki to slip up and respond? Easy win for Shinso." Todoroki nodded thoughtfully.

"Which do you think is more likely?" Izuku hesitated before responding.

"My default is to say Katsuki, but I don't know if that's because I'm analysing it correctly or if I'm just being biassed towards my best friend." He admitted.

"Makes sense." Todoroki accepted easily. "So you think Bakugo will win."

"Yep." Izuku grinned. "I can't believe I'm gonna be either second or first." He beamed at Todoroki, who was eyeing him with concern.

"You're glowing." He remarked seriously. Izuku laughed.

"It's not bad, promise. Sunlight is reacting to my joy."

"But you glowed like that while you were fighting me." Todoroki frowned.

"Yeah, I really enjoyed it at first. It felt super awesome to block your attacks like that. I'm definitely the worst matchup for you, because that massive ice attack would've snagged anyone else." Izuku smiled softly, "I was just excited about getting to fight you. I hope we can be friends."

"Friends…" Todoroki just frowned down at the water, and Izuku sighed.

"Okay, I think I'll be fine now. Help me up?" Izuku brought a hand up as Todoroki stood, and he was pulled to standing. Izuku wobbled, legs protesting and head spinning, but he clutched Todoroki's hand and stepped out carefully. "I wonder if it's started." He thought aloud.

"I think we'd hear it if Bakugo started winning." Todoroki said faintly. "He's rather loud." Izuku laughed faintly as he released the other boy. Todoroki reached behind him and grabbed an extra gym set that had been placed by the sink and had previously gone unnoticed. "Here, get changed. I'll wait outside in case you need help getting back to the arena." Izuku smiled in thanks, and Todoroki pulled the bathroom door shut behind him.

In truth, if Katsuki won against Shinso, Izuku would forfeit and take second. His head throbbed from pushing Sunlight too far, and he still had a mild fever. Explosions would be a terrible match-up for him. On top of that, even if his hands were fully functional, his elbows weren't up to proper speed. He could use them, but not enough to take Katsuki. Not even if it was a Quirkless fight. Besides, Katsuki wouldn't be offended if he won by default. Not if it was Izuku. He'd be angry, yes, but he'd also be relieved that Izuku wasn't pushing himself and chose to listen to his body's limits.

Shinso, on the other hand, would be really hurt if he won by default. As a Heroics student with a mental Quirk, he had to prove himself more than people like Katsuki and Todoroki. It was just a fact. In his last match, he'd shown the power of his Quirk. If he beat Katsuki, he'd once again be winning with his Quirk. Against Izuku, he'd have a chance to show off any combat skills he might have. And since Izuku wouldn't be in tip-top shape, Shinso might actually have a shot against him. It was a sad thing to say, but Shinso couldn't beat Izuku in a Quirkless fight if they were both at their best. Izuku just had so much more experience, it was almost unfair.

He finished dressing and then reached into the tub to pull the drain stop out. It started to suck water down and drain properly, emptying the bath steadily, and Izuku placed the drain stop on the edge and shook his hand out. He then pushed the door open, and found Todoroki sitting blankly in a folding chair in the middle of the room. Recovery Girl was staring disapprovingly, obviously displeased he was blatantly blocking the path. Izuku, however, found it amusing and endearing.

"Has it started yet?" Izuku asked, shutting the bathroom door behind himself.

"No, but it's set to start any minute." Todoroki said, standing. He paused, and then folded up the chair and handed it to Recovery Girl. She blinked as she took it, and then glared at the chair. Izuku smothered a laugh and walked towards the door, beckoning to Todoroki.

"C'mon, we'll miss it." He said, still covering his laughs. They headed down the halls, Izuku trying to walk evenly so his vision would stop blurring as his feet slammed into the floors.

"Shoto." Both boys stopped, Endeavor appearing on their left with all his flaming fuckery on full display. "Oh. It's you."

"Hello, Todoroki and I have somewhere to be." Izuku said, grinning ferally at the Hero. "Bye bye." Izuku then grabbed Todoroki's hand and started pulling him away, the boy following easily as Izuku squinted to keep his vision focused on the tunnel in front of him.

"If you'd used your left side, you'd have had an overwhelming victory over this little Healer." Endeavor said. Todoroki froze, nearly making an unbalanced Izuku collapse. "You're acting disgracefully, losing to someone lower than you is insulting. You have a duty to—"

"You're right about him beating me," Izuku said, turning to look past the metaphorically frozen Todoroki. "But, Shoto has no duty. He's fifteen, and he should focus on becoming the best Hero he can be. Whether he becomes number one or not, that's not what matters. Being a Hero is about saving people, and about doing what you can. It should make you happy, and not feel like a chore. It's a choice. Shoto could be the most flawless Heroics student for three years, graduate, and then still decide not to be a Hero, if he wanted. He'd be an adult. Independent. He would be able to do whatever he wanted. Shoto will receive one of the best possible educations here at UA, and that means every path is open to him. But if he wants to be a Hero, if he chooses to be a Hero, it'll be because he's going to use what is his, and use it to save." Izuku turned and started pulling Todoroki with him again. "He doesn't need someone like you pulling him down, and he never will."

Izuku didn't stop walking and didn't turn around, not even to check on Todoroki, until they had reached the exit into the arena where Izuku needed to be in order to supervise the next match. When he stopped, Izuku gently released Todoroki's hand as he turned to look at him.

"I want to be a Hero." Todoroki whispered, looking at his left hand intensely.

"I know." Izuku said, smiling.

"Everybody, sorry for the long wait!" Mic yelled, making them both look up, "In the last match most of the stage and stands were frozen, but it's finally dry! Bring on the next match!"

"I should go supervise. Healer and all." Izuku sighed.

"You're not actually going to heal anyone, are you?" Todoroki frowned. "You'll pass out again."

"Well, if Katsuki wins, I'll definitely be healing someone." Izuku grinned. Todoroki frowned harder before making eye contact with Izuku.

"Then I'll be rooting for Shinso, Midoriya." His face was serious, and it sounded so earnest that Izuku burst out laughing, ignoring the way his vision filled with stars.

"Good to know, thank you Todoroki."

"You called me Shoto." The boy corrected, raising an eyebrow.

"I did, didn't I?" Izuku grinned. In truth, he'd done it so Endeavor didn't feel like he was being complimented in the least, considering he was also a Todoroki. However, Izuku didn't mind it. Todoroki was his friend now, after all. "Well then, Shoto, you'd better go and watch this match from the booth." Shoto nodded.

"Bye, Midoriya." He walked off calmly, and Izuku smiled after him. He then took a deep breath, and exited the tunnel to once again take his place against the wall. Unlike before, Izuku slid down it and sat cross legged while waving to the camera that came by.

"Before we start, people were asking during the break why our little Healer collapsed! Don't worry, he just healed too many people and pushed over his limit. It had nothing to do with his battle performance! He's all good, and ready to participate!" Izuku Smiled™, waved, and was grateful when Mic moved on. "Now we have the second and last match of the Second Tier! This guy was sort of famous in middle school, and his Quirk is explosive! From the Hero Course, Bakugo Katsuki!" He was grinning, competitive glee in his eyes that made Izuku smile fondly. "Versus the manipulator back for more! From the Hero Course, Shinso Hitoshi!" Izuku noticed Shinso was grinning, much, much less nervously than before. He had a plan. "And start!"

"Hey, what were the words to forfeit again?" Shinso yelled to Midnight. Katsuki shrieked in anger immediately.

"You can't forfeit! Get over here you piece of shit!!" Katsuki, having only taken two running steps forward, froze completely.

"I've immobilised him." Shinso smirked, glancing a Midnight. She sighed.

"Bakugo, can you move?" He didn't respond, and she snapped her not-quite-a-whip. "Bakugo Katsuki is immobilised! Shinso Hitoshi moves on to the Third Tier!" Katsuki then unfroze, stumbling forward and looking up in confusion.

"Goddammit!" He yelled, throwing his hands up in frustration. "I can't believe I fell for that!"

"I honestly wasn't sure you would." Shinso said, still grinning as they both walked off the stage and towards Izuku. "But it was the only thing I could think of."

"Shinso briefly considered insulting me, but went for a smarter choice." Izuku teased as the boys stopped near him. He tilted his head back to grin up at them from where he was sitting.

"Smart. I'd have murdered you. Silently." Katsuki grinned, and Izuku gave Shinso a what did I tell you? look that made the boy roll his eyes. "Third place. Ew. At least I'm tied with Icyhot." Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off, leaving Izuku and Shinso grinning after him.

"Do we really need to go back into the tunnels before coming back out to fight?" Shinso asked, raising an amused eyebrow.

"I honestly don't know." Izuku replied with a huff. "Whatever. Help me up? I don't know if I can do it myself." Shinso frowned in concern, but he held out a hand and pulled him to his feet. Izuku wobbled, grabbing Shinso's shoulder with his other hand for balance.

"Are you safe to fight?" Shinso asked carefully. Izuku squinted at Shinso, and nodded despite the dizziness.

"Totally. Tip-top shape, really." He grinned and pushed off Shinso to lean against the wall.

"Should we ask for a few minutes?" Shinso asked, eyeing Izuku.

"Nope, I'll probably be like this until I take like a 12 hour power nap."

"That's not what a power nap is."

"Yes it is! I'm restoring my power levels!"

"No, just no."

"Well, I think it is."

"Your opinion sucks."

"Hey! I—"

"We're going to roll right into our next match, since both competitors are already on the field! Come on up you two!" Mic interrupted Izuku, and Shinso sighed.

"C'mon." He beckoned. Izuku nodded and followed Shinso to the stage, stopping on the side opposite of where Shinso had jogged to.

"It's finally the last battle of the UA High School Sports Festival! The top of the first years will be decided with this one match! The final of the finals, so to speak! From the Hero Course, Shinso Hitoshi! Versus also from the Hero Course, Midoriya Izuku!" Izuku shifted his weight, shutting his eyes and breathing deeply to focus on pushing the dizziness away. When he opened his eyes, Sunlight filled them with a bright gold. He smiled as he realised the cameras were on him, and had seen the switch. "Now– Start!"

Shinso ran forward, and Izuku stayed put as he approached. As Shinso went in for a punch, Izuku side stepped and spun to avoid him. Shinso stumbled from the momentum, and Izuku stuck out a foot to trip him. Shinso tripped alright, but he tucked into a roll and popped right back up. He narrowed his eyes at Izuku, reassessing him. Shinso had probably assumed Izuku was helpless if he was dizzy, which wasn't the case. It just made moving for a continued amount of time very difficult. Small and quick motions were easier, with a small adjustment period afterwards.

"You were faking the dizziness earlier, weren't you?" Shinso baited. Izuku just smiled serenely, and waited. Shinso shot forward again, and Izuku ducked. As he popped up, Izuku blocked Shinso's follow up punch with one arm and slammed his fists into Shinso's stomach. He doubled over, stumbling backwards and straightening with a glare.

"Your combat abilities improved." Izuku complimented as his vision blurred and he fought the way his knees buckled. "In the Battle Training you were only barely able to keep up with your teammate. Hagakure, wasn't it? You won based on stealth." Izuku dodged another punch, jumping backwards to avoid Shinso's immediate secondary attack. "You've come a long way. You should be proud."

"You sound like I should be planning my loss." Shinso said, gritting his teeth. Izuku took a second to breathe and stablise himself. "Cocky, are we?" Izuku smiled sadly and spun to be on the other side of Shinso and punched him in the face. Shinso went down hard, landing on his butt, and then froze. Shinso was staring at the white line he'd fallen across. He'd basically sat down on the line, but his hands splayed out behind him were firmly on the other side of it.

"Shinso Hitoshi is out of bounds! Midoriya Izuku wins!" Midnight threw her hand in the air, grinning as she announced it. Izuku's picture appeared on the screen, confetti surrounding his image, and it was labelled Winner in huge letters.

"And now all the events have been completed! The winner of this year's First Year Sports Festival is from Class A… Midoriya Izuku!" Mic enthused through the speakers, making the audience scream.

"Great. Now, can you help me back to the 1A booth?" Izuku said, shaking out the hand he used to punch Shinso. "That was more difficult than I anticipated." Shinso sighed.

"I don't know whether to be flattered it was harder than you thought it'd be, or immensely disappointed you beat me while halfway unconscious." He stood and brushed himself off.

"A bit of both, I'd imagine." He then reached out and Shinso offered him an arm.

"The Awards will be given in 20 minutes when Cementoss has set up the field again!" Mic yelled, "The students will all gather on the field, and the ceremony will start!"

"Damn, I wanted to sleep." Izuku groaned. "At least we have 20 minutes." Shinso led him to the tunnel, where he found Katsuki and Shoto waiting. "Oh, hey guys." He waved, and then released Shinso to step forward and lean his head into Katsuki's chest with a sigh.

"We noticed you looked unstable." Katsuki said, pulling Izuku in so he could hug him properly.

"Thanks." Izuku said, soaking the feeling of Katsuki. "I learned a new trick, wanna see?" He pulled away from Katsuki to grin.

"I feel like I should be scared." Katsuki said, narrowing his eyes. Izuku raised his hand for a high-five, and Katsuki obliged. He then immediately withdrew with a hiss of pain, and shook out his hand ruefully. "Hey! You burned me!"

"I know!" Izuku exclaimed happily, leaning forward into Katsuki again, even as the boy grumbled unhappily. "I did it to Tsuyu accidentally, and then purposefully with Shoto."

"Hold on, I feel left out." Shinso said, grabbing Izuku's attention. "Why do you call literally everyone by their first name except me?" Katsuki snickered, lacing his fingers through Izuku's as he straightened.

"Dunno Hitoshi, it must be your imagination." He grinned at Shinso's deadpan look, but Shinso's eyes were happy so Izuku figured the name would stick. Izuku's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. "Hold on, it's my work phone."

Head Healer - Team Idaten:
We have a non urgent request for you.
Pro Hero Ingenium, saved by last minute surgery.
He's not expected to return to Hero duty due to paralysis in his lower extremities.
None of our Healers or the doctors at the hospital can restore him to his previous health.

Healer Midoriya:
Understood. Do you mind if I come by in the next three days? I can come in for an examination to assess the damage.

…

"Ingenium is injured." Izuku said to his friends, who were staring, as he watched the little typing bubble pop up. "One sec."

…

Head Healer - Team Idaten:
Any time you can offer your services would be appreciated. He isn't in immediate danger.

Healer Midoriya:
I'll be in contact then.

Head Healer - Team Idaten:
Thanks, Midoriya. We don't know what we would do without you.

Healer Midoriya:
It's my pleasure.

Izuku pocketed his phone and smiled at his friends. "Sorry, it was just a healing request." Katsuki frowned.

"You're not going now, are you?"

"Oh, God no." Izuku laughed, "I'll be going in for an examination, but no healing for at least a week. Don't worry, I'm not irresponsible with Pros. Ingenium needs a full healing session, so I should wait until I'm at my best."

"Did you say Ingenium?" The group turned to see Iida standing, staring. He looked a mess, panting as though he'd been running, and had clearly been passing their hallway when he'd stopped.

"Yeah, I was requested as the Healer on board." Izuku confirmed. "I'll schedule a session with him in the next few days. I'm too exhausted to do it now, I don't want to risk messing it up or hurting someone in the process." Iida stared for another second, before taking a striding step forward and consuming Izuku in a large and tight hug.

Izuku blinked, and leaned into it with a smile. It had slipped his mind that Iida was related to Ingenium. He'd faintly known, but it hadn't stuck in his memory enough for it to really occur to him.

"Don't worry, I'll get your brother back to work within a few months." Izuku said softly. Iida released him, sniffing heavily. "Healing him will be easy, but he'll need time to recover and rest the new muscles. Okay?" Iida bowed, a perfect 90°.

"Thank you! Healer Midoriya!" He straightened, wiping his eyes. "I don't know what I'd have done if he couldn't ever work again." Without another word he sprinted off, and was quickly out of sight.

"Why is it you know everything?" Shinso asked, blinking. "I had no idea he was related to Ingenium." Izuku's phone buzzed again, and he slipped it out without replying to Shinso.

Eraserhead:
Cementoss wants you on the underground level. Take your three with you, and head down. He wants to do some irrationally dramatic reveal for the Awards Ceremony.

Detective Midoriya:
Understood. Will do.

"We're supposed to head down a level." Izuku said, tucking his phone away. "Cementoss has a dramatic entrance for us."

"Of course." Katsuki grunted. He took Izuku's hand gently, and the group started towards the stairs. They headed down, Katsuki and Izuku leading the way, with Todoroki and Shinso following closely behind. Izuku had a feeling they were both waiting for him to collapse, which was a fair concern at the moment.

"Ah, I was about to send for you." Cementoss said as they approached. "I'll be raising you up on the podiums from underneath the stadium." He pointed behind and above him, and the students caught sight of a rectangular hole that led upwards into the arena.

"Eraser texted me." Izuku smiled, "Where do you want us?"

"First place in the middle, here, please." Izuku stepped forward and stood directly below the hole. Tilting his head back, he could faintly see sunlight above him. "Now, second place goes on his right. The other right, Shinso."

"This is my left." Shinso grumbled. Izuku smiled, amused. It was true. He was facing the opposite direction Izuku was, so his left was Izuku's right.

"Third place on his left. Yes, exactly." Cementoss stood back in front of them, and then placed a hand on the ground and waited. Probably for some kind of signal. Shoto was standing next to Katsuki, who was on Izuku's left, and Shinso was to his right. All of them in a line, and it made him smile.

"All of the first year events for this year's Sports Festival have been completed." Midnight's voice rang from somewhere above them, "And now, we will begin the Awards Ceremony!" Music sounded, and the crowd exploded in cheers, and yet Cementoss didn't move. Not until smoke exploded above them, and drifted down the gap in the ground above them. Cementoss activated his Quirk, and Izuku started moving upwards. Shinso started rising a moment later, and the Third place duo starting to move last.

As their heads rose above the ground, Izuku was assaulted by light. The sun shone, and fireworks exploded above his head. Confetti was falling, and all of the UA first years were laid out in front of them. The media was behind a barrier right behind the students, cameras flashing. Despite the spots in his vision and the overwhelming dizziness, Izuku glanced to his side to beam at Katsuki, who grinned ferally back at him. He held out a burning hot fist, and Katsuki slammed an Explosion powered palm into it. They both laughed while Hitoshi and Shoto looked on, confused. Izuku couldn't resist glowing with pride, his skin giving off a warm light that glowed especially bright as the sun hit his face.

"Now, we will award the medals!" Midnight announced, swinging her hips. "The presentation of the medals will be, of course, by this man–"

"HA! HA! HA!" All Might's silhouette appeared on the top of the stadium as he laughed.

"Our very own Hero: All Might!" Midnight declared as he sprang from the roof. At the same time, All Might was also yelling:

"I am here with the medals!" As he landed in the stereotypical hero landing, he threw her a pointed look, and she gave him an apologetic smile.

"Now then, All Might," Midnight cleared her throat and produced the medals from… somewhere. "Please present the medals starting with Third place." All Might took the first bronze medal, heading for Shoto.

"Young Todoroki, congratulations." Shoto lowered his head as the medal was hung from his neck. "I assume there is a reason you didn't use your left side during the Festival?"

"There is something I must settle for myself." Shoto said, face blank but softer somehow. All Might nodded.

"The look on your face is completely different from before." He pulled Shoto into a hug, "I won't ask about the details. I'm sure you will be able to do what you need to do." He pulled back and stepped back to grab the next bronze medal.

"Young Bakugo! Congratulations." Kauski grinned sharply, and snatched the medal in his hand instead of letting it be put around his neck. "Good work. You are exceptional talented." All Might went in for a hug, and Katsuki glared in awkward anger and embarrassment as he accepted.

"I know." He replied, teeth gritted.

"Remember that there is strength in more than Quirks. Don't hold yourself back by only focusing on yours." He stepped away from Katsuki, who clicked his tongue before grinning.

"I'm going to surpass you, and become the number one Hero." All Might laughed loudly, though not meanly.

"I look forward to it!" He then moved on, taking the second place medal from Midnight and approaching Hitoshi. "Young Shinso, congratulations." All Might put the medal over his head, and Hitoshi grinned the same smile he'd been giving all day. All teeth and smugness. "You've done well, using your Quirk to the best of your abilities. However, you've neglected your combat prowess. With both, you'll accomplish even greater things." He hugged Hitoshi, who seemed as awkward as Katsuki had been.

"Thanks, All Might." Hitoshi grinned, cupping the medal in his hand as his smile softened.

"Now then, Healer Midoriya!" All Might laughed nervously as he approached, probably because Izuku had shot him the last time they'd spoken. "Congratulations on First Place!" He hooked the medal over Izuku's head, and Izuku smiled at the Hero prettily.

"Thank you, All Might." The Hero hesitated, looking as if he'd hug Izuku, but one hard look made him laugh nervously and take a step back.

"Now then, these are this year's winners!" All Might announced, facing the students and the media. "But remember, anyone here could have ended up on these podiums. It's just as you saw, competing! Improving each other, and climbing even further! The next generation of Heroes are definitely sprouting! So, I just have one more thing to say. Everyone say it with me!"

"PLUS ULTRA!" Everyone screamed. All Might hesitated, but he yelled the chant as well. Izuku could've facepalmed. He'd probably planned on saying something else, and had been more careful about his words after he'd interrupted Midnight.

After that the arena was emptied. Izuku didn't pay too much attention, since it was mostly Heroes directing the audience out and catching stragglers. The students were brought back to the main building, and everyone headed for their classrooms. Izuku plopped down at his desk, barely awake.

"Good work." Aizawa said, standing at his podium at the front of the classroom. "So, there will be no school tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure the Pro Heroes who watched the Sports Festival will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when you get back. So rest well, and look forward to that."

"Yes, sir!" The class chorused. Izuku set his forehead down on his desk in exhaustion. A hand settled on the small of his back, and Izuku relaxed as he recognized it as Katsuki's.

"C'mon, Goldilocks." He coaxed, "Time to go." Izuku just groaned. "I'll give you a ride. Backpack style." Izuku lifted his head tiredly, and sighed.

"Fine. I'm falling asleep on you, though." He jumped onto Katsuki's back and sighed again as he rested his cheek on Katsuki's shoulder.

"I figured. You overdid it." Katsuki grabbed both their bags, which they'd tucked their medals into.

"I wanted to win." Izuku yawned. "Besides, I beat you, Kacchan. I am God now." He felt Katsuki's laugh radiating into his chest, and it made him smile as his eyes slipped shut.

"Go to sleep Izuku. I'll call the precinct for someone to bring back your motorcycle." Izuku hummed contently.

"I'm getting my own motorcycle soon." He smiled, "In the next few days. Mom ordered it because of my promotion, after the USJ." Izuku sighed again, and let himself slip into exhausted sleep, knowing Katsuki would take care of him.

Chapter Text

Code Names

Izuku and his mom stood in the garage under their apartment complex. Well, Inko was standing, Izuku was fluttering about and bouncing around, circling his new motorcycle.

"It's beautiful!" He gushed, running a hand along the panelling. "The ones at the station are open design, with the engines exposed. This one is completely covered! It extenuates the curve and make the gold panels look so cool! Obviously it's a sports motorcycle still, so I'm able to lean forward for maximum speed and comfortability, so that means I don't need to adjust to a new style! The grey looks amazing, much better than the blue and white at the station. I still have my police lights too! I wonder which button it is…" Both Midoriya's jumped when the lights and sirens blared, ringing through the garage with a deafening echo, and they winced even after he'd turned it off.

"Well, I think you found it." His mother laughed, smiling fondly.

"Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You should be going, can't be late. Not with it being the first day back since the Festival."

"Mom, I'm a staff member." Izuku grinned, "I can't be late ever." She laughed and made a shooing motion, to which he stuck his tongue out at her.

Izuku pulled on his new helmet, grey to match his bike with gold running along it in clean lines. He loved it. To top it off, his mother bought him a new riding jacket that had gold stitch work throughout it. It was 100% on brand for him. Making sure his backpack was secured, he kicked in the stand and was off.

The entire ride he was grinning into his tinted helmet, and his hair was bright gold at the roots. Unfortunately the dull exhausted gold still clung to his tips, which was why he hadn't gone to see Ingenium yet. He'd been in contact with the Hosu General Hospital, however, and they planned an examination for after the school day. He'd take the day off from the station to make sure he didn't have to rush himself. Treating Pro Heroes wasn't anything new to him, but he made sure to give every Pro his full attention during sessions. Not only their lives were in Izuku's hands, but their careers as well. For some Heroes, their career was more important to them than their lives.

All too soon he had arrived, and had to sadly dismount his new bike. Izuku loosened and shifted his backpack to just hang on one shoulder, and then entered the building heading towards the Healers Office.

He waved to people as he went by, smiling. Some waved back, but most of them just stared at him oddly. Fair, since he probably looked like a madman with how happy he was. Izuku slid the door to the Healer's Office open and smiled at Recovery Girl as he pulled on some gloves.

"You look happy today." She said, smiling slightly. "Something good happen?"

"I got a new motorcycle." Izuku beamed at her. "Got to ride it here and everything." He sighed dreamily, and she laughed lightly.

"Glad you're looking so happy." She acknowledged. He nodded in thanks.

"Do you need any help?" Izuku asked, tilting his head.

"I've wiped down the counters, but I needed to go through the footage and add entries about all the injuries that happened at the Sports Festival."

"Oh shoot, I totally forgot about that!" Izuku exclaimed, his hair draining back to green at the roots. "Here, we can switch. I'll do it."

"No, I got it." Recovery Girl shook her head. "You still have classes, and I'm only halfway done. Why don't you change the sheets and sweep the floors, and then head to the Staff room. Okay?" Izuku hesitated, but he nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry again." She waved him off and turned back to the computer.

"You basically passed out immediately after. Pushed yourself too hard, I'd guess." Recovery Girl then fell silent, and Izuku didn't want to distract her by responding.

He went about the motions of setting everything up, humming all the while, stripping beds and pulling out new sheets. Izuku swept the floors, making sure to collect all the dust and anything that might be on the floor, throwing it all out neatly. He opened the windows and wiped them down, since they looked like they'd collected some dust, and even kept them open a little to allow some airflow. Recovery Girl would need to close them if a patient came in, but she knew that. She'd been really good at sticking to the Code since his little reminder, which made sense. Once you start doing it again, it becomes muscle memory. Even if you're as old as Recovery Girl, there's no forgetting the basic Healer Training. Izuku shuddered just remembering it.

As he finished, Izuku glanced at Recovery Girl and found she was deeply immersed in her work, and once again didn't want to interrupt. So he simply discarded his gloves, grabbed his backpack, slid out the door and shut it quietly.

Izuku headed off to the Staff room for his schedule, smiling at his coworkers as he went. He picked up his sheet and examined it, seeing that Midnight was scheduled to come to his homeroom. He briefly wondered why, but didn't really question it. He'd find out soon enough.

Izuku waved to his coworkers once again, and then headed down the hall to 1A. It was convenient they were on the same floor, but it'd be harder when Izuku was a third year, two whole floors above. Though, he smiled at the thought of being a third year, so close to being a Pro and with a Provisional Heroics Licence. Izuku couldn't wait for that, really.

He slid the door open, and promptly made eye contact with his best friend. His hair filled with gold again, and he grinned.

"Katsuki!" Izuku beamed as he shut the door behind him, "I got my new motorcycle today! It's beautiful, you just have to see it later."

"I will, Goldilocks. Chillax." Katsuki grinned as Izuku took his seat.

"It's grey, and it has gold panels on it! Mom even got my police sirens and lights added! Can you believe it?" He noticed his skin was glowing faintly, and it only made him happier.

"It's for your promotion, right?" Katsuki remembered.

"You got a promotion?" Hitoshi asked, making Izuku turn with a beaming smile.

"Yeah! After the USJ. I'm a full fledged Detective, with active Detective privileges!" Izuku exclaimed happily, "I'm on the same authority level as Tsukauchi! It's so amazing, I'm going to do so much good with it."

"Have you actually gone out yet?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"No, I needed to pass a field evaluation test from the Board." Izuku explained, "Though I did it right before the Festival, which means my next shift could be the one!"

"What're active Detective privileges?" Hitoshi asked from behind him.

"It means I get to go out of the station in multiple different scenarios when I'm on a case!" Izuku shook out his hands in his excitement as he turned around to look at Hitoshi, "I could go and do home-interviews, I could be officially called to examine an active crime scene as a full-fledged Detective, and I could even participate in raids! Being allowed to do real field work is going to make a huge difference in some of my cases."

"I hope you're not talking about anything confidential." Aizawa sighed as he entered the room.

"Nope, just excited about my promotion and new motorcycle."

"Oh, congrats on the motorcycle."

"Thank you!" Izuku beamed at the man, who sighed and went to stand at his podium.

"Alright, we're having a special Hero informatics class today." Aizawa said blandly. He paused for ominous purposes that made the class unreasonably nervous, despite the fact that he'd never actually done anything that warranted those fearful and anxious reactions. "Code names. You'll be coming up with Hero names." The class exploded.

Izuku was suddenly surrounded by people literally jumping out of their seats, screaming in excitement and throwing their fists in the air in apparent triumph. Now, if they kept that up, they should be nervous about Aizawa's wrath. Aizawa flashed his Quirk, hair levitating and eyes flashing. The class immediately calmed, but Izuku could only stare. His eyes went bright gold in the same way Sunlight did. They glowed even brighter than Sunlight, however, and it made Izuku lean forward in awe. He'd seen Eraser use his Quirk at the USJ, but he'd always been wearing his goggles!! Aizawa then continued as if it was no big deal.

"This is related to the Pro Hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after the students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to Pros." He explained, once again blank faced. "In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation." The class seemed to take a moment to absorb this, which was fair.

"So we'll have to prove ourselves even once we get picked." Hagakure summed up. Aizawa gave a tiny nod.

"That's right." He acknowledged. "And here are the totals for those offers." Eraserhead clicked a button, and the board in front of them slowly started filling in with numbers and names. Izuku squinted up at them, and then grinned.

Class A, Number of Offers
Midoriya Izuku - 9,702
Todoroki Shoto - 4,123
Bakugo Katsuki - 2,640
Yaoyorozu Momo - 345
Asui Tsuyu - 306
Shinso Hitoshi - 294
Iida Tenya - 219
Sero Hanta - 139
Uraraka Ochako - 44
Ashido Mina - 40
Kirishima Eijiro - 32
Kaminari Denki - 21

Izuku was surprised, actually. Everyone who got to the third round got offers. No one else did, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was just over half the class!

"In other years it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on these three this year." Aizawa jerked a thumb at the top three names.

"Gah, there's such a huge difference!" Kaminari groaned, dropping his head backwards in defeat.

"Those Pros don't know a good thing when they see one." Aoyama said sulkily with metaphorical steam puffed out of his ears.

"Bakugo got so much more than Shinso." Jiro said, but the cadence in her voice made it sound more like a question.

"He placed better than Bakugo, but Shinso has no many fewer than him." Kirishima added with a confused head tilt.

"It's because Pros put more faith in those with stereotypically Heroic or physical Quirks." Izuku cut in, "Hitoshi did amazing, and that's why so many people sent him an offer. Even if they probably think it's a bit of a gamble."

"You're amazing, Todoroki." Izuku heard Yaoyorozu say from the back.

"They're all because of my dad." He said glumly.

"Keep these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you." Aizawa stole their attention. "You will all be participating in internships with Pros." The class seemed to perk up, but in confusion as much as excitement. "At the USJ, most of you already experienced combat with real Villains. But, it will still be meaningful training for you to see Pros at work firsthand."

"So that explains the Hero names!" Sato said, pumping a fist.

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka beamed at him in agreement. Aizawa sighed.

"Well, those Hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it–" Izuku and the whole class collectively flinched as Midnight slid the door open with her foot with a huge crash that was thoroughly interrupted Aizawa.

"Or you'll have hell to pay later!" She announced, grinning wildly. "Because a lot of Hero names used by students become recognized by society, and end up becoming professional Hero names!" She tucked her hands behind her head to stick out her chest, and tilted her hips seductively. It made Izuku sigh in defeat.

"That's right." Aizawa confirmed tiredly. He was clearly as absolutely done with Midnight as Izuku was, and she'd only been standing there for five seconds. "So Midnight will be making sure your Hero names are okay. I can't do stuff like that." Eraserhead pulled out his yellow sleeping bag, "When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you get closer to it. This is what it means when they say 'Nature and Nurture often do agree.' Like All Might, for example." Aizawa gave Midnight a sack of whiteboards and markers, which she handed a few to each person in front to pass to the students in the back. Aizawa then climbed into his sleeping bag, and fell over sideways. Lucky.

"Katsuki!" Izuku stage-whispered. "What're you thinking?" Katsuki handed him his whiteboard, which had four names written on it.

God Explosion Murder
Lord Expulsion Murder
Murder God Explosion
King Explosion God Murder

Izuku couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.

"Hey! You piece of shit! I worked hard on those!" Katsuki yelled, catching the attention of their classmates more than Izuku's hysterical laughter.

"Oh my God." He wheezed, "I'm never letting you pick any of these!" Katsuki crossed his arms but he didn't argue. He just glared.

"What do you suggest, then, idiot?" Izuku took a deep breath, a hand on his chest as he calmed his laughter.

"Why not just stick to one name? I think a four word name is too long." Izuku snickered. "Why not just Explosion? Or Firework or something? Firecracker?" Katsuki snatched up his whiteboard as Izuku giggled, but he did write something, so Izuku called it a win.

"Izuku, have any ideas?" Hitoshi asked, reaching over to tap Izuku's shoulder. "I got nothing."

"Well you could go with something about your Quirk." Izuku said thoughtfully. "Like Mindmeld, Hypnosis, Whiteout, stuff like that."

"Why Hypnosis? My Quirk is Brainwashing." Hitoshi frowned.

"No, it's not." Izuku disagreed, shaking his head. "Brainwashing would allow you to alter people's minds, like memories or making them talk or changing their opinions. What you really do is Hypnosis. You put people in a trance so they do as you command." Hitoshi blinked in shock, and then turned to his whiteboard, seemingly loading mentally.

"You could call yourself Lavender." Katsuki snickered, turning to Hitoshi as the boy looked up with a deadpan expression.

"Gah Katsuki, no!" Izuku groaned. Katsuki grinned wickedly, clearly knowing what he did.

"What?" Hitoshi blinked in surprise.

"Izuku can't stand stupid names like that." He said, near laughter at Izuku's expression. "He's hated it with a passion since we were kids. Says it's stupid."

"What counts as stupid?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow.

"Like naming myself Broccoli, or Goldilocks!" Izuku exclaimed, y'know, passionately. "It would be like Ojiro naming himself Tail Boy, or anything similar." Ojiro slumped in his seat for some reason. "Or if Ashido chose her name based on her mutated appearance, like Pink Girl, or something. Along the same lines, Hagakure calling herself Invisible Girl. Basically, anything involving gender or appearance, I just can't get behind." By then the whole class was zoned in on him, staring blatantly. Izuku blinked, hair drained to green in his annoyance, and Katsuki burst out laughing.

"I told you!" He cackled, pointing at Izuku's disgruntled expression, "He hates it." Izuku crossed his arms, glaring playfully.

"It's not my fault people name themselves stupid shit." Someone cleared their throat and Izuku glanced to see Ojiro looking at him awkwardly.

"Uh, what would you recommend? Since you seem to have strong feelings about this." He seemed nervous, but Izuku didn't really know why.

"Well you could still base it on your Quirk, if you picked something cool. Like using Latin, which is what Ingenium did." Izuku said thoughtfully. He blinked when Ojiro whipped out his phone.

"What about me?" Hagakure asked, her voice as high and feminine as ever. "How could I use my Quirk, when it is my appearance?"

"You could use it, just very carefully." He shrugged. "Crystalline, Invisiblix, Limpid, Pellucid, stuff like that. They all mean clear or transparent; except Invisiblix, which just sounds cool to me."

"You're good at this whole naming thing, Midoriya." Kaminari grinned.

"I'm just opinionated." Izuku denied, swinging his legs absent-mindedly. "There's not a lot I'll argue with people about, but Hero names are one of them. Actually, nearly everything I'll really argue about involves Heroes."

"One of which is whether or not Heroes should be allowed to have certain things approved for their Costumes." Katsuki snickered. "Like heels."

"Heels shouldn't be allowed on the battlefield!" Izuku exclaimed, glaring at his laughing best friend. "A person could snap an ankle, and I'll die on this hill!" Uraraka choked, and he sent her a grin. "Yeah, I saw yours. You're not slick." She burst out laughing, going red in the face as she did.

"Okay, let's start presenting names, starting with those who are ready." Midnight declared, bringing their attention back to the front. Aoyama was immediately on his feet, daintily heading to the front.

"Here I go…" He said, smiling. "Shining Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling!" Aoyama threw his board above his head, showing off the words… written in perfect English. Interesting choice. "Which means, you can't stop my sparkles!" Midnight looked as if she was about to steal his board, so Izuku shot his hand in the air and she hesitated.

"Why not pick something shorter, but just as elegant?" He suggested, "Like Sparkles, or Starlight, or Dazzle?" Aoyama remained smiling, face carved into stone, but he rubbed his sleeve over his whiteboard and wrote something else.

"You're right, Midoriya." He said, smiley as ever. "Shining Hero: The Dazzling Prince!"

"Good enough." Midnight shrugged. Aoyama took his board back to his desk, and Ashido bounced up to the podium.

"Then, I'll go next!" She exclaimed happily, "Hero name, Alien Queen!" Ashido proudly showed off her board, placing it on the podium with blatant excitement. Midnight recoiled.

"Are you trying for the thing with Acid blood?!" She said, visibly disgusted. "I wouldn't if I were you!"

"But you're not her…" Izuku raised an eyebrow, seeing Ashido's dejected expression. Midnight sighed in defeat.

"Fine, if you really want to." Ashido beamed at Midnight, who gave her a resigned look as Ashido bounced back to her seat. Tsuyu raised her hand politely.

"Then, may I go next?"

"Go ahead, Tsu!" Midnight beamed with a thumbs up. Tsuyu headed for the podium, hiding her board.

"I've had this in mind since elementary school." She croaked, smiling, and turned her board around. "Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."

"That's so cute!" Midnight squealed, pressing her hands together, "It seems friendly. I like it! It's a great example of a name that everyone will love."

"Then, I'll go too!" Kirishima declared, replacing Tsuyu as she sat down happily, his board slamming down on the podium. "Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"

"Red Riot?" Midnight held up a finger, "You're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot, right?" Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah. It's pretty old fashioned, but the Hero image I'm going for is Crimson himself." Midnight smiled at him, but her voice was serious when she responded.

"If you're bearing a name you admire, it'll come with much more pressure." She warned.

"I'm prepared for that!" Kirishima declared, clenching a fist in determination.

"Man, I haven't thought of a name yet…" Izuku heard Kaminari complain, tapping his chin with his marker. Izuku narrowed his eyes as Jiro poked his shoulder.

"Why don't I give you one?" She said, grinning. "How about Jamming-way?" Kaminari gasped, beaming.

"It's like Hemingway, who wrote A Farewell to Arms!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Sounds smart. It's cool!" Jiro started giggling, pressing a hand to her mouth to smother them.

"No, it's because even though you're strong… you always end up like that…" She giggled, and Izuku frowned as Kaminari glared.

"Hey! Stop messing with me!"

"Jiro." She was halfway to standing with her board when she froze at Izuku's tone. "What did I say about teasing Kaminari?"

"It's not a big deal." She defended. "When he goes over his limit he goes dumb! It's a fact!"

"And it's bullying if you keep taunting him about it." Izuku said clearly, making her pale. "Lay off. That's a warning." He then gestured for her to continue on her way to the front, and Izuku gave a gaping Kaminari a smile. She placed her board on the podium, still mildly pale.

"The Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack." Jiro announced.

"That's good! Next!" Midnight approved.

Jiro sat back down as Shoji went up to present next, and her eyes darted nervously to Izuku. He gave her an innocent smile that made her shudder, and then turned her attention to Shoji. Izuku followed suit.

"Tentacle Hero: Tentacole." Shoji declared using one his limbs to speak, showing off his board.

"It's like tentacle with some octopus thrown in!" She said approvingly. "It's good. Next!" Shoji nodded as he took his seat, Sero heading up as he grinned widely.

"The Taping Hero: Cellophane!" Sero said proudly. Midnight gave him a thumbs up.

"Nice and simple. That's important!" Ojiro stood shakily, eyes sliding towards Izuku. Izuku raised an eyebrow at him, making the blond swallow.

"The Martial Arts Hero: Cauda." Izuku perked up and grinned, even as Midnight frowned.

"Oh! You went with Latin!" He exclaimed happily, "It means Tail, right?" Ojiro nodded, slumping in apparent relief. He was probably glad someone understood it.

"Oh, clever!" Midnight nodded approvingly. "Your name reflects your body. Next!" Ojiro sped back to his seat with a smile. Sato went up next, also glancing at Izuku. What was up with that??

"The Sweets Hero: Saccharon!" He announced, grinning. "I chose Latin as well. It's a type of candied or ground sugar."

"So sweet!" Midnight squealed, "Next!" Kaminari finally stepped up, beaming as he placed his board on the podium.

"Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt!" Kaminari yelled out. "Combining Charge with Lightning Bolt!" Midnight wiggled excitedly, which made Izuku sigh heavily.

"I feel so tingly!" Midnight cried out. "Very good!" Hagakure popped up next, posture excited.

"The Stealth Hero: Invisiblix!" Hagakure had a smile in her voice, and Izuku grinned happily. She liked his suggestion!

"That's great!" Midnight gave a thumbs up. When no one jumped up immediately as Hagakure sat down, Midnight threw out an encouraging hand. "Come on, let's keep right on going!" Yaoyorozu stood with a deep breath, taking her board to the front calmly and put together. Though… her hands were shaking.

"I hope I will not bring shame to this name." She said sternly, looking at her board seriously. "Everything Hero: Creati." Midnight pressed her hands together with a grin.

"Creative! Next!" Shoto walked up to the front, gently placing his board on the podium.

"Shoto." He said softly. Izuku tilted his head, not frowning but definitely curious.

"Eh? Your name? Is that okay?" Midnight asked, leaning to the side in frowning confusion.

"Yeah." Shoto replied, and then headed back to his seat. Tokoyami stood next, showing off his board.

"The Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi." He said, looking at his board intensely.

"God of the night!" Midnight exclaimed, "Very good. Next!" Hitoshi took a deep breath as he walked up, much like Yaoyorozu had. Although, Hitoshi was more visibly nervous.

"Mind Hero: Hypno." He smiled at Izuku, who beamed back at him.

"Like your Quirk! Smart!" Midnight approved. Hitoshi grinned and took his seat, clearly relieved. Koda went up next, gently showing off his board and saying nothing. He wasn't making eye contact, and he was obviously shy. Come to think of it, Izuku had never even heard him speak. His board read:

Petting Hero: Anima

"Okay, got it!" Midnight said without missing a beat. As Koda smiled and headed for his seat, Katsuki shoved his chair out and stomped up to the podium with a wild grin.

"Dynamite!" Katsuki said defiantly, grinning at Midnight.

"Explosive! Approved!" She gave him a thumbs up, and Izuku beamed.

"Good choice, Katsuki!" Izuku said as Katsuki took his seat again.

"Of course it is, I picked it!" He smirked, knowing full well he only barely picked it. Uraraka then stood, hunched over her board and red in the face.

"Okay… my turn." She said shyly, placing her board on the podium. "This is what I thought of. Uravity!" She cast a nervous smile as Midnight, who cooed at her.

"Sounds stylish!" Uraraka slumped in relief, blowing out a breath as she headed back to her seat.

"Choosing Hero names is going more smoothly than I thought it would!" Midnight said, glancing at the clock with a smile. "All that's left is Midoriya and Iida."

"I can go!" Izuku said, smiling as he stood. He walked up to the podium, sending Katsuki a grin. Izuku flipped his card, proudly showing off his name.

"I'm going to be the Sunlit Hero: Supernova." He announced.

"Isn't that like… a star?" Kaminari asked, raising a hand.

"A Supernova is a star that glows brighter and brighter before it blows up in a massive explosion." Izuku explained. "It's true to me, a brightly glowing sun, a star. But… it also reminds me of Katsuki." He smiled fondly, and then grinned impishly. "Also, Nova means Star, so I'm literally a Super Star." The class burst out laughing, and Midnight squealed loudly.

"It's perfect! Good job, Midoriya." Izuku smiled at her and headed back to his seat as the class dissolved into calmer snickers.

Katsuki sent Izuku a slightly disapproving yet knowing look, which Izuku looked away from. So what if he didn't want to explain the real reason behind the name? It wasn't the class' business. Izuku knew, and Katsuki knew, and that was what mattered.

Iida hesitated a moment, but he walked up and planted his board on the podium firmly.

The Engine Hero: Ingenious

"Ah, that means genius in Latin, like Ingenium does." Izuku said, smiling. "They're derived from the same original Latin word." Iida gave a sharp nod, but said nothing.

"Sounds good!" Midnight gave a thumbs up, and Iida went back to his seat in silence. Izuku narrowed his eyes at the boy. There was something wrong there, and he probably needed to figure out what.

Aizawa half unzipped his sleeping bag, transitioning from 'caterpillar' mode into 'swamped at the hips by sleeping bag' mode. He stood and hopped to the podium blankly.

"Now that everyone's decided on their Hero names, we'll go back to talking about internships." Eraserhead announced, not even taking his sleeping bag fully off. "They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who have offers from Pros will be given their own lists, so you can choose from those yourselves." He retrieved a stack of papers to put in front of him, and showed off a sheet on top. "Those who don't have offers will choose from among 40 agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties."

"For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting Villains." Midnight added as she put a hand on her hip with a smile.

"Think carefully before you choose." Aizawa said tiredly. He then handed out the papers and packets as the bell sounded. "Turn in your choices before the weekend." Aizawa carried his sleeping bag over his shoulder as he and Midnight left, Midnight waving daintily as they went. "Make your decision efficiently. Dismissed." Izuku stood to follow, tucking his packet away into his bag quickly.

"You're heading to the Healer’s Office?" Katsuki asked, making Izuku turn to smile at him.

"Yeah, but I'll be back at lunchtime if I haven't got any patients. Don't worry if I miss it, though." Izuku waved and headed out, Hitoshi and Shoto giving him nods as he went.

He practically skipped on his way to the Healer’s office, excited to look over his packet. His future as a Hero was upon him, and he couldn't wait to see it.

Chapter Text

Volatile

Resisting crumpling the paper in front of him into a little ball and punting it into the sun, Izuku tapped a pencil against his desk. He reminded himself that the world was unfair and that he knew that already. It wasn't new information. It still sucked though.

Izuku looked up from his list of Internship offers as the door slid open, and he blinked away his previous thoughts. Izuku stood, reaching for gloves as a 1B student stepped in awkwardly, and headed over.

"I'm Healer Midoriya. Can you tell me what happened?" He Smiled™ gently, in full golden mode because he was in the Office.

"Monoma." The girl with the orange side ponytail sighed. She was the one who'd touched Sunlight and needed healing, her name was… Kendo? That seemed right. "He used Tokage's Quirk and just… passed out." She opened the door wider, allowing a boy and a girl to come through, both supporting an unconscious Monoma.

"No problem. Bring him here. Is he injured?" Izuku gestured to the nearest bed, snagging a rolling chair and pushing himself over smoothly.

"No idea. Idiot just passed out after Splitting." Rin explained, and Izuku hummed thoughtfully.

"Nice to see you again, Rin." He nodded to the boy, "What do you mean by 'splitting'?"

"I'm Tokage Setsuna, my Quirk is called Lizard Tail Splitter." The green haired girl spoke up, she grinned and showed off sharp teeth like Kirishima's. "I can split myself apart. Like this." She raised a hand, after laying Monoma down, and her hand detached from her wrist. Izuku blinked. "If the parts of me I detach get damaged or destroyed, I can regenerate them. It takes a while, though."

"That is super awesome." He said immediately, and then shook his head to clear him and focus. "Okay, so Monoma copied it and attempted to use it? I'm assuming because it's a mutation Quirk his body wasn't able to handle it."

"What? It's not a mutation. It's transformation, right?" Tokage frowned.

"No, no." Izuku said absent-mindedly, examining Monoma. "It's a mutation. Your body has the capability to regenerate. That means your cells are adapted to split and multiply through an advanced mitosis process. Each individual cell needs to be changed in this way, which means your whole body is mutated. Every cell." Izuku nodded as he deemed Monoma stable and uninjured. "Your Quirk just allows you to manipulate your cells and your mutation. Like how my classmate Oijro can use and manipulate his tail. Simple, really. Anyway, Monoma looks fine. Most likely his cells rejected the Quirk and caused a loss of consciousness through the vast energy kickback." He Smiled™ at them. They all looked astonished, and he tilted his head in confusion. "... What?"

"Holy shit." Tokage said, dark eyes huge.

"So you've got this?" Kendo said, clearing her throat. Izuku nodded to her.

"No problem. If he has any residual cell damage, I can fix it." He assured her.

"His Quirk is a miracle. He healed me at the very start of the year." Rin said to his classmates. "I mentioned it, remember, Kendo?"

"He also regrew two of my fingers after he disintegrated them at the Sports Festival." Kendo added.

"WHAT!?" Tokage burst out, eyes bugging out of her head. Izuku winced.

"I'm still really sorry about that, by the way." He apologised, smiling a little sheepishly. "Sunlight isn't exactly gentle."

"Oh it's fine. You fixed it right up." She waved him off with a grin. Kendo beckoned her classmates and they headed out, each nodding in thanks and throwing glances at Monoma's prone body.

"I don't get why Monoma hates that guy. He seems super cool." Tokage stage-whispered, probably thinking Izuku wouldn't hear as they left.

"Shh!" Rin shushed her. "And yeah, he is cool." The door slid shut behind them, and Izuku smiled softly.

He sat back down at his desk, keeping an eye on Monoma, and went back to his papers. Staring at them once again made him want to drop his head on the desk with a sigh. He barely resisted.

Izuku had gotten offers from way too many Healers. Several thousand of his 9,702 offers were from Healers alone, extending their offers through the Hero Agencies they worked for. Each offer had the Agency request, and who sent it. It was more than a little frustrating that people noticed his Healing capabilities more than his combat abilities. He'd beaten Todoroki, and he'd done it without a scratch on him. He'd taken one punch in the entire fight, and he'd immediately retaliated to make Todoroki stumble more badly than Izuku had from the punch to his shoulder! Izuku pushed away his unhelpful thoughts and focused on the Heroes who had asked for him.

Endeavor had sent him an offer, which made him suspicious. Extremely suspicious. Izuku's eyes scanned the list for more interesting or strange requests.

The Endeavor Agency
Endeavor

The Endeavor Agency
Healer Wishley

Hawks Hero Agency
Hawks

Crust Agency
Crust

Now, Crust was an interesting offer. He was a Pro Hero, the number 6 Hero, to be exact. He was the Shield Hero: Crust, and he had the ability to form hexagonal shields on his body to protect himself and others. He was known for being chivalrous, sensitive, and brutal in combat.

Izuku kept looking.

Gunhead Agency
Gunhead

Gunhead Agency
Healer Tylene

Ryukyu Agency
Ryukyu

PussyCats Agency
Mandalay

Fatgum Agency
Fatgum

Fatgum Agency
Healer Mikuso

Giving up, he sighed and pushed the list away. Izuku could choose an Underground Hero who didn't have any Healers who'd bother Izuku, several had asked for him. But… Sunlight would be more of a liability in the dark than an asset. He'd been a beacon for Villains to avoid, and it'd just be a whole mess. During the day, however, the sun would keep Sunlight happy and he would be free to use Sunlight as brightly as he wanted. That left Daylight Heroes… who all had Healers who would hound Izuku with praise and questions while worshipping the ground he walked on. He was used to it, but it wasn't exactly what he had in mind for his Hero Internships.

The door sliding open interrupted his train of thought, and Izuku blinked in surprise at the person in the doorway.

"Shoto." He said, a little stunned.

"Midoriya." Shoto nodded to him blankly. "I brought you a lunch, Bakugo said you like Katsudon. Bakugo also said bringing you food wasn't necessary, but I did it anyway."

"Oh, thank you, is it that time already?" Izuku glanced at the clock, and found it was indeed 1A's scheduled lunch period. "Sorry, I was going through my list. I have an unconscious patient as well." He smiled as Shoto came in and set a bowl of Katsudon on his desk.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Not at all. There's folding chairs over there." Izuku pointed, and Shoto placed the tray of food on Izuku's desk before grabbing a chair and taking a seat at the desk across from Izuku. "Thanks." Izuku said again, smiling.

"What Hero Agency are you thinking of going with?" Shoto asked conversationally, voice blank. "You said you were looking at your list."

"I'm not sure yet. A lot of them are from Healers."

"You won't be taking those." Shoto replied, slurping some of his soba and looking pointedly at Izuku until he had a bite of Katsudon.

"Yeah, but they can dream." Izuku sighed. "What about you?"

"I was thinking of going with Endeavor, to learn how to use my fire." Shoto said, frowning. "But I remembered what you said, back at the Festival. That I didn't need someone like him dragging me down." Izuku nodded approvingly.

"That's right, you don't. Who else are you considering?" Izuku tilted his head in curiosity.

"I'm thinking of asking Aizawa-sensei." Izuku blinked in surprise. "He's already going to be working with Shinso. I'm considering it because I think he'd be a good choice if the fire gets out of control."

"He could definitely help with that." Izuku agreed. "Did he send an offer?"

"No, but he didn't for Shinso either. Shinso just asked, and Aizawa-sensei promised to 'put him through hell to cultivate his potential.' It sounded like it would be productive." Yep, that sounded like Eraserhead alright.

"I think you should ask, it could be good for you." Izuku smiled. Shoto said nothing, staring at his soba. "You have something else on your mind." Izuku said, watching Shoto carefully as lifted his mismatched eyes so they were looking at each other.

"You had another reason for choosing that Hero name." Shoto said, slurping some of his soba while making eye contact.

"Yes." Izuku had forgotten Shoto had enough information to figure it out, so he didn't bother denying it.

"Because of your offensive mode." Shoto surmised. Izuku nodded.

"It's volatile." Izuku hummed. "Sunlight whispers in my ear, and it tells me it'll take away whatever is hurting me. That it'll fix it. At the USJ, I was so angry at Shigaraki and Nomu for hurting Eraser… Sunlight convinced me it could destroy them. That it could help." He paused, pushing his food around but not eating it. "At any moment Sunlight could turn into a deadly weapon, vaporising all of UA and everyone in it. All it would take is something that pushed me over the edge just once. It's terrifying, and I've always known that. Ever since I was a little kid. Supernova… it reminds me that I burn brightly, but only because of something inside me that is dangerous. It's a gift, but it is a heavy burden I can't ever lose control of." Izuku looked up at Shoto, who was watching him carefully. "Can you promise me something?"

"What is it, Midoriya?"

"If I lose control, really fully, don't try to stop me." Shoto frowned, opening his mouth, but Izuku wasn't done. "Sunlight is volatile, and it expresses itself through me. Freezing me like at the USJ is the best and only way to contain Sunlight, but… someday we might not be able to stop it in time. Can you promise me that if I lose control you'll do everything in your power to evacuate whoever you can, and get them as far as you can away from Sunlight?"

"What d'you mean?" Shoto frowned.

"Sunlight doesn't care who's nearby. I could hurt someone. I could kill someone, Shoto, I already have." Izuku stared at Shoto with complete seriousness. "I… I don't know what I'd do if Sunlight killed anyone. Not again. I don't know if I'd survive it, mentally." Shoto's eyes searched his face, seemingly scrutinising him.

"I promise." Shoto said evenly, "I promise to do everything in my power to contain Sunlight, and keep Sunlight from taking innocent lives if I can't stop you."

"Thank you." Izuku whispered, smiling softly. "Katsuki would never promise, and it hurts. He'd let people die if it meant he had the slightest chance at calming me down. He'd die too, rather than abandon me."

"It's a good thing I'm not Bakugo." Shoto deadpanned, slurping soba. Izuku couldn't help it, he burst out laughing. Monoma's breathing shifted, his eyelids fluttering as his brow scrunched, and Izuku stood immediately. Heading over, he sanatised his hands and slipped on a pair of gloves.

"Monoma?" Izuku prompted, putting a gloved hand on the boy's arm. "Are you awake?"

"Fucking mutant Quirk." Monoma groaned, opening his eyes and frowning, "She didn't tell me it was a mutant Quirk."

"So you're familiar with your body's inability to change to fit a mutation, good." Izuku said approvingly. "I spoke with Tokage and, apparently, she wasn't aware she had a mutation Quirk. She'd labelled it transformation. I had to explain to her that her cells were individually mutated to allow her Quirk to function."

"Yeah, I should've known." Monoma lamented, sitting up. "Regeneration requires the cells to be able to use mitosis on the fly to double and spread, helping create new ones to use for the healing."

"That's exactly what I concluded as well." Izuku said, smiling. Monoma blinked, adjusting to consciousness, and his eyes finally landed on Izuku, whose hand was still on his arm.

"Oh. It's you." Monoma wrinkled his nose.

"It's me." Izuku confirmed. "We don't have to be enemies, y'know, we could be friends. You seem intelligent, and talented, and your Quirk is fascinating."

"You said I couldn't ever Copy your Quirk." He said, frowning even deeper. "That doesn't sound like you think it's fascinating." His eyes held a hurt accusation.

"You really shouldn't Copy Sunlight." Shoto piped up, making Monoma jump in surprise. "It's extremely dangerous, and Midoriya has a lot of training."

"You have a Healing Quirk. Maybe some fire or something too." Monoma denied, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "You said… back then…" His eyes flicked to Shoto and he clamped his mouth shut.

"I have Literature anyway." Shoto said, picking up his tray and heading for the door. "Midoriya, don't forget to eat."

"Thanks, Shoto." Izuku smiled as Shoto left, gently shutting the door behind him. He turned his attention back to a hesitant Monoma. "I said people died when I lost control." Izuku confirmed, smiling sadly. "Shoto knows already, don't worry about it. I actually lost control pretty recently, and he stopped me. I could've killed him, actually."

"Is your Quirk sentient?" Monoma tilted his head to the side. "If it was sentient it would have the ability to take over. You mentioned losing control? I'm guessing your Quirk metaphorically takes the reins, lashing out for you. Right?"

"I knew you were smart." Izuku smiled. "Yeah, Sunlight is partially sentient. When I get overly emotional, angry or sad, Sunlight… talks to me. It promises me things, and I lose myself." He tilted his head to match Monoma's. "Actually, can you even Copy sentient Quirks?"

"I've never tried." Monoma answered thoughtfully. "Could I try? I can feel when I successfully Copy, but I don't have to activate it." Izuku hesitated, but he nodded slightly.

"It would be… useful… to know if Sunlight and Copy are incompatible. If they are incompatible, we don't have to worry. But if they aren't… we'll have to be very careful." Izuku pulled off a glove and held his hand out, palm up. Monoma placed his hand on top of Izuku's, and then gasped.

Sunlight lashed out, almost giving Izuku a head rush before Monoma yanked his hand away. Sunlight then curled almost sulkily away from Izuku's palm and sung lightly. It felt like a hissing snake.

"I… I felt it." Monoma breathed, clutching his hand to his chest and staring at Izuku's still outstretched hand as if it had burned him. "I didn't even have time to activate my Quirk. Just touching you, my Quirk screamed at me. It burned."

"I felt something too. Sunlight lashed out at Copy." Izuku frowned. "If your Quirk responds so viscerally to skin contact, it means I can't heal you. That's a problem." He looked at Monoma, who was still clutching his hand, and reached to pull on another glove. "Are you hurt?" Izuku gently pulled Monoma's hand towards him, examining his palm scrutinizingly.

Every part of his hand that had touched Izuku's was burned. The bottom half of his palm and all of his fingertips, plus the side of his thumb, and it looked like it had spread up his palm into his wrist like it was following his veins as well. Izuku winced, putting the pieces together.

"I'm sorry." Izuku wished he could run a hand through his hair with anxious energy, but he couldn't with his gloves on. "I think I know what happened, but I'm not totally sure."

"What?" Monoma frowned.

"Sunlight burned you by spreading through your veins." Izuku explained, pointing to the burns running up Monoma's wrist without touching them. "Even without Copy being active, Sunlight was probably offended by the possibility and lashed out."

"Offended?" Monoma blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Well, Sunlight is offended by the weirdest things." Izuku sighed, releasing Monoma's hand and standing up. "For example, healing Quirks don't work on me. Sunlight is a healing Quirk, but it doesn't seem to know it can't heal me. Whenever another healing Quirk is used on me, it spikes my temperature rapidly and only makes things worse." Izuku returned to Monoma with everything he needed to wrap his hand.

"So you think Sunlight reacted so badly because it… sensed Copy?" Monoma frowned. Izuku cut open a small packet of aloe and gently spread it across Monoma's hand and wrist. He hissed quietly because of pain.

"Most likely." Izuku confirmed, wrapping bandages loosely around the burns. He wouldn't usually cover burns, but Sunlight had actually burned him quite badly. "My next guess would be that Sunlight sensed your Quirk and was warning you."

"Warning me?"

"Yeah." He confirmed, "Sunlight lashed out, that much we know for sure. Isn't it possible Sunlight was warning you because Copying it might be really bad? Think about it. Could your veins handle being filled with Sunlight?"

"That… actually makes sense." Monoma frowned harder. "You're right, we should've thought of that." Izuku agreed, and felt like kicking himself. Experimenting like that without properly analysing was stupid and reckless.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think everything through before testing it. I'll be more careful in future." Izuku said, examining the bandage and then sitting back, satisfied. "This is the best I can do without healing you."

"You know actual first aid stuff?" Monoma asked, looking at the wrap. "I thought Healers were just people with Healing Quirks."

"No, we go through extensive training. I went to a Healer Preschool, actually. I've been studying Healing since I was four, and working since I was six." Izuku said, smiling. "Medics also go through the training, but they can't ever be Healers. It's blatant discrimination against their Quirks. Medics Rank from experience, instead. 1 being the most experienced and talented, 5 being the newest Medics. Healers Rank A-D, D being useless Quirks and A being the best Quirks."

"So you're a Rank A Healer." Monoma surmised, raising an eyebrow. Izuku nodded.

"Have been since my tenth birthday." He gave Monoma a Smile™. "Anyway, you could probably come in tomorrow and have Recovery Girl heal you. She's out right now, as you probably noticed."

"That reminds me, where is Recovery Girl, anyhow?" Monoma asked, glancing around.

"We've been trying to divide up our time together so we both get breaks." Izuku hummed, "She gets some time off while I'm in class, and obviously I'm not here when I'm in class."

"That makes sense." Monoma nodded. "Also, she's hella old."

"That's what I thought too." Izuku agreed, and then glanced at the clock. "Alright, your class is at lunch right now, and you have approximately thirty three minutes until it's over." Monoma nodded and scooted to the edge of the bed, hopping off and grinning at Izuku.

"Your class may have flatten us in the Sports Festival, but 1B will beat you next time." Monoma declared. Izuku laughed brightly.

"We'll just have to see." He smirked at the blond, "Let's have a friendly competition next time, okay?"

"I can work with that." Monoma sent him another grin before he slipped out the door. Izuku sighed after him, and then frowned. He felt stupid and awful for burning Monoma, but it was important information. He pulled out his phone and started typing with a frown.

Detective Midoriya:
I have new information about Sunlight. Check the cameras, feel free to include audio. Camera 2 and 4 in the Healer's Office will have the best audio, but 6 and 8 might have the best angles visually.

Principal Nezu:
Thank you for informing me, Midoriya.

Detective Midoriya:
Message me when you can. I'd like your input on the new information.

Principal Nezu:
I will do so, then.

Izuku tucked his phone away and sighed. Why did Sunlight have to be such a troublemaker?

Izuku sat down to eat his lunch, though it was cold and the meat was tough. When he was finished, he put the bowl in the bathroom sink and wiped down his desk, changing the sheets on Monoma's bed and putting new ones on, plus everything in between. By the time Recovery Girl was back and the day was over, Monoma's accident with Sunlight and his stay in the Office had been documented fully and properly. Izuku felt bad he'd left all the documentation from the Sports Festival to Recovery Girl. He'd been unconscious, but he still felt bad.

"Midoriya." Recovery Girl nodded to him as she entered.

"Recovery Girl, do you have a minute?" Izuku asked as she was pulling on gloves at the door.

"I do. Did you need something?" She sat down on her desk chair by the computer, and Izuku frowned in thought.

"Monoma Neito. You know of him?" She nodded. "Sunlight can't heal him."

"What?" She frowned.

"Instead of healing him, my touch burned him pretty badly. I have two theories about why, but it doesn't really concern you as far as I know. I'm going to have to talk to Nezu, but if he's injured badly enough that first aid isn't enough, he'll need you." Izuku paused, and sighed. "We're going to have to think more about our taking shifts here in the Office. Or, alternative, you might need to stay nearby while I'm in here just in case Monoma needs healing. Either way, we'll need to discuss it, probably with Nezu as well."

"I'm used to not having any breaks at all." Recovery Girl shrugged. "Whatever is decided I'm fine with, this Office is my life really."

"Thank you, Recovery Girl." Izuku smiled in relief. "I'm not worried he'll die or anything, but it's a comfort to know if he's seriously injured he'll have a Healer nearby at his disposal." His phone buzzed and he gave Recovery Girl an apologetic look. "Excuse me, it's Nezu."

Principal Nezu:
I see. I have reviewed the footage, and I share your concern. Your theories are interesting, and I'd suggest testing them more thoroughly if it wouldn't harm Monoma.

Detective Midoriya:
I'd have been angry if you had genuinely suggested that.

Principal Nezu:
What is your main concern in this situation?

Detective Midoriya:
If Monoma is injured badly, he'll need Recovery Girl. But if she is otherwise engaged, or Monoma has no energy, I'm worried.
Having a Healer is supposed to be insurance and protection for UA and its students, and we can't guarantee his safety around me anymore.

Principal Nezu:
I am glad we discovered this in a non-dangerous way. If it had been during a crisis, there might have been much larger consequences.
Good work, but the school day is over. I believe you have an appointment to keep in Hosu.

Detective Midoriya:
Thank you, Principal.

Izuku tucked his phone away and nodded to Recovery Girl as he went to the bathroom to change out of his Healer uniform.

When Izuku was finished, he grabbed his backpack and slipped out of the room. He was needed in Hosu, after all.

Chapter Text

Examination

Izuku found himself inside Hosu General Hospital, being gently directed up a flight of stairs. He thanked the woman at the desk, who smiled at him. Izuku knew he definitely had the right room because Iida's mother, retired Pro Hero Ingenia, was standing outside and crying softly.

"Hello Mrs. Iida, I am Healer Midoriya. I'm here for an examination of your son Tensei." Izuku said formally, bowing. She sniffed, giving him a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you're here. All Tensei has been talking about is the end of his career." Mrs. Iida admitted sadly. "Go on in. Though, my youngest, Tenya, is also in there. I can ask him to leave–"

"No need, he's one of my classmates." Izuku Smiled™, "It won't be an issue." He was in his Healers Uniform, and he reached into a pocket to pull out his mask. He usually had no need to wear it while in the UA Healer's Office, but he had one. It was white cloth that looped around his ears to secure the mask as it covered his mouth and nose, and the seams were a bright gold to match his signature golden eyes and hair.

Izuku slid open the door and assessed the scene in front of him. Iida Tensei was wrapped in bandages, one of his eyes was swollen shut, his legs were covered by a blanket with bandages no doubt spiralling underneath, and his breathing was slow by steady.

Izuku moved inside, and Tenya inhaled sharply from where he was sitting off to the side. Izuku picked up Tensei's medical chart that was set on the end table, and examined it closely. They'd probably left it there in preparation for his visit.

—————

Tensei Iida: Ingenium
Stab wound, between thoracic and lumbar spinal regions
Shattered T12, L1, severed spinal cord
Paraplegia
Punctured liver
Torn kidney, pancreas
Internal bleeding
Damage to the temporal, nasal, and vomer bones
Concussion
Minor bleed in brain stem

—————

"This is quite the list of injuries." Izuku said absently as he turned to another page. "Several organ transplants, blood replacement Quirks as well as blood stopping Quirks typically used to stem internal bleeding…"

"Are you here to tell me my career is over, Healer?" A rough voice asked, belonging to the prone Pro Hero.

"Just the opposite." Izuku said, turning to smile at him. "I'm here to examine you, and then schedule a Healing session." Izuku approached, placing a gloved hand on Ingenium's arm lightly. "Your career does not end here."

"I don't have any feeling in my legs, did you know that?" Ingenium denied softly, "I know what that means."

"I'm Healer Midoriya, most Pros have at least heard of me." Ingenium's one open eye widened in recognition. "I have healed many patients, even ones with Paraplegia. You will walk again. You will run again. You will be a Hero again. I promise you."

"You are… confident." Tensei whispered.

"I'm talented." Izuku Smiled™ behind his mask, "May I examine you? I would be using my Quirk to search your body, looking at all of your injuries to make an estimate for how much energy I'll need to heal you."

"You may." Tenya was watching his brother with watery red eyes as Tensei gave the confirmation.

"This will not be pleasant. Brace yourself." Izuku pulled off a glove, gently placed his hand on the Heroes cheek and shut his eyes, then let Sunlight seeping through his fingertips. Examinations were something he only ever did with Pros. It was invasive, and didn't involve healing them at all. Sunlight spilled into Ingenium, searching, spreading through his body but not fueling or absorbing. Izuku had been told it felt like ice, so hot as it slid by it almost burned without injury. Ingenium reacted the same as Pros always did, inhaling sharply but making no other noise of discomfort.

Sunlight examined him, noting his new organs, his severed spine, the vertebrae that had been pinned and put back together through surgery, and the nerve damage keeping his brain from talking to his lower body. Izuku reluctantly spread his view into Ingenium’s legs and hips, trying to ignore the information of some specific places he didn't want the exact details and measurements of but now knew anyway. The damage to his lower body was exactly as Izuku expected, and he nodded to himself.

Satisfied, Izuku recalled Sunlight. The second difference, the key difference between healing and examining, was energy. When healing, he poured Sunlight inside someone and it soaked into the person and used as fuel in the healing process. For examinations, Sunlight rushed into the person and collected information, then reabsorbed back into Izuku. He lost no energy, and held absolutely no risk of exerting himself.

"All done." Izuku said, releasing the Hero and putting his hand back in his glove. "I'm sorry, examinations are much more unpleasant than healing. Feels like ice, right?"

"I didn't take your warning seriously." Ingenium huffed, and then smiled. "So what's the verdict?"

"I'll need roughly a week before I can heal you, as I'm still recovering from the Sports Festival." Izuku said thoughtfully. "In case you didn't know, it's Wednesday, so we can do it Tuesday or Wednesday next week. I can heal you all in one go, that won't be a problem." He paused, making sure Tensei was paying attention as Izuku continued. "You'll be healed, but Sunlight isn't perfect. You'll need three weeks of physical therapy, and then six weeks of strength training. After that, I still need to approve you for active duty. It'll be at least two and a half months before you're back to work, probably closer to three. Depending on how serious you are about recovery, it might take shorter or longer amounts of time. Do you understand?" The Hero smiled.

"Healer Midoriya, twenty minutes ago I believed I'd never walk again, never work again. I can wait a few months." Izuku sighed in relief at the words.

"Thank you. Some Pros have been difficult about their recovery time, and I had to hover and supervise everything." Izuku stepped away from the bed with a smile. "I'll talk to your mother and the doctors here, and I'll be back very soon."

"Wait!" Tenya stood as he reached for Izuku, but then he seemed to stop himself. "... You're sure you can heal him? Really?" Izuku didn't take offence to the quiet and shaky doubt in his voice, and just Smiled™.

"My work as a Healer is very important, and one of the first things we learn is to never make promises we can't follow through with." Izuku told him. "I can heal your brother. If he puts in the work it'll take to recover, he will be a Hero again." Tenya's eyes were wide, pupils blown huge in a way unrelated to drugs, and he seemed to only be able to stare. "I'll be on my way then." Izuku exited the room, sliding the door shut behind him and smiling at Mrs. Iida.

"What did you find?" She fussed, stepping forward. "He'll be alright?"

"Tensei will be just fine." Izuku assured her. "I want to come Tuesday or Wednesday of next week heal him, if that's alright." She nodded rapidly, clasping her hands together.

"Whatever works, thank you so much." She bowed lowly, and Izuku Smiled™ under his mask.

"It's my pleasure. Is your Agency's Head Healer here?" Izuku asked gently, seeing she was starting to cry.

"Yes. Enjiko is downstairs. You probably walked right by him coming in." She sniffed. "I'll show you to him. This way." Mrs. Iida padded down the hall, wiping her eyes with her sleeve as she went. Izuku followed at a polite distance, being led back down the stairs and to the lobby. She pointed to a man in medical scrub bottoms and a T-shirt, who looked up at being pointed to. "Enjiko, this is Healer Midoriya. Now, if you'll excuse me." She gesticulated between them in introduction, and then rushed off.

"Hello, I'm Healer Midoriya Izuku, 177908." Izuku held out a hand, which the man shook hesitantly. Izuku assessed the man carefully, taking note of what he could. He was no older than twenty five, new to the job, and extremely anxious. He probably felt like he constantly needed to prove himself, and that made him jumpy.

"Nice to finally meet in person. I'm Healer Reika Enjiko, Rank B, 900411." He smiled nervously at Izuku, who took off his mask to Smile™ back. "Thank you for coming. I know contacting you the day of the Sports Festival wasn't the best time, especially since we watched you pass out on live television." The man then seemed to freeze, biting his lip as if he regretted adding that last part.

"Hmm, true." Izuku said, smiling more softly at him. "But I wanted to push myself, to win. A safe environment like UA is the perfect place for that. I don't mind you contacting me, and I'm glad I can help. I was hoping we could schedule a healing session for next week?" Reika fumbled for his phone with an anxiously awed expression.

"O-of course! I didn't know you'd be able to fit us in so easily!" Izuku laughed lightly as the man frantically pulled out his phone and opened what looked like a calendar app.

"I'm hoping for Tuesday or Wednesday, if that's alright with you. It doesn't have to be a specific time of day, but afternoon or evening would be best considering I do have school and my work at UA." Izuku watched, amused, as the man tapped away on his phone excitedly.

"Either day works. You can decide." The man gave a wobbly smile, and Izuku resisted a sigh. People who wholeheartedly believed Izuku was above them in every way often did what Reika was doing. He was asking Izuku to choose because he was most likely afraid of picking the 'wrong option' and annoying Izuku. That wasn't really possible in scenarios like scheduling, but people feared it anyway.

"Wednesday then." Izuku decided. "You can pick the time, Healer Reika." The man wet his lips anxiously as his eyes darted between Izuku and his calendar. Izuku waited patiently.

"How about six p.m.?" He suggested, "That's between afternoon and evening."

"That works." Izuku would have to take time off work at the station, since six was when his shift started, but that would be fine. "Will you attend the session?" Izuku asked. Usually Healers would jump at the chance, but were too nervous to ask. Izuku usually offered when he remembered.

"Y-yes of course!" He beamed at Izuku, "You're Ranked A for a reason. They say your Quirk is a miracle, even better than Recovery Girl's."

"I'm aware." Izuku Smiled™, though it was strained. "If that's all, I should be getting home. The train ride is pretty long, you see."

"Please do, thank you for coming and giving us your time." The man said immediately, smiling. Izuku turned to leave, and then paused.

"Healer Reika?" The man perked up, though his fingers twitched anxiously. "You should hold yourself with more confidence. You're a Ranked B Healer, and the Head at a prominent Hero Agency. Be proud. Alright?" Reika turned pink and nodded quickly. Izuku then nodded again and pushed the door open to leave without delay.

— — — — —

"What about Crust?" Inko suggested patiently, Izuku having slowly been shooting down everyone on his list. "He likes Shields, right?"

"Yeah but he can't teach me anything I don't already know." Izuku groaned, falling back to lie down on the sofa in defeat. "I give up. I'll just work at the station full time. Maybe I'll finally catch that stupid Night Stalker."

"Sunshine, don't talk about your confidential cases." She chided, smiling. "Why don't you go with a Healer, since none of the Heroes seem up to the task?"

"Because I'm trying to be a Hero." Izuku sighed, looking up at the ceiling in defeat. "I'm already a Healer, and a damn good one too. I could walk into any Hero Agency and they'd let me in without hesitation. Just look at UA; I waltzed in there, asked to be a staff member, had a small conversation with Nezu, and suddenly I'm hired. It's like I'm God or something. I'm powerful, and I know that, but I'm just another Healer with a good Quirk. I– what are you doing?" Izuku rolled over to see his mother typing away on her phone, before looking up at him with a small smile.

"Nothing, Sunshine." She said, coming over. Izuku sat up so she could sit beside him, and he turned to sit criss-cross on the couch, sideways to face his mother. "You're really worried, aren't you?" She reached a hand forward and he leaned his cheek into it.

"Of course I am." He frowned. "I did so well in the Sports Festival, but Nezu had my Healing take front and centre. Mic kept bringing attention to it over and over, too. Sometimes I wonder if all of this is in vain. I know I'm a good Healer. A great one, even. But I was just a little kid when I started training, and the Head Healer of the Centre did his absolute best to hide me away and make me his little perfect prodigy Healer." Izuku sighed, and his mother ran her thumb across his cheek with a smile.

"When he asked me and your father if he could train you, we thought we were doing the right thing by giving him our permission." Inko said sadly, "You were so excited. Combat and first aid training, and you were only five years old. You said you'd save so many people. I think… I think he used that against you. He used your need to save to steer you away from Heroics."

"He's not a bad man." Izuku said softly, "He's just…"

"He is a bad man." Inko told him, taking his face in both her hands. "He hurt you, Sunshine. Maybe not physically, but he still hurt you. It happened less and less as you got older, but you used to come home crying just like after you handed in your notice."

"I just don't understand why he did it." Izuku said. His throat felt tight, and he ignored the way his eyes grew damp. "I was just a kid."

"Do you remember what your father and I used to tell you?" Izuku shook his head and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "You would come home, and you would ask why he said things. You asked why he told you that you weren't good enough, why he told you that you weren't working hard enough, why he never praised you beyond reminding you of your duties, why he told you weren't worth anything unless you were the best. When you came to us, we would tell you that he said those things because he wanted the best for you."

"The best… for me?" Inko smiled, and continued.

"We were wrong, Izuku, and I'm sorry for it." She pulled him into a proper hug, and Izuku couldn't help the tears that fell as she gently held him. "He wasn't helping you. He did not want the best for you. We said those things in comfort, and thought you would understand one day. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry." Izuku smiled into her shoulder, even though he was crying. "You and Dad did your best, and I've always been grateful for it."

"Oh Izuku." She whispered, "Too forgiving. If the Head Healer showed up to apologise, would you forgive him too?" Izuku paused, genuinely thinking his way through it before answering.

"No, I don't think I would." He admitted quietly. "Move past it because of the apology, yes. But forgive him… ? No. I was raised thinking my worth hung on my ability to Heal, and that it was my job to save everyone. The only reason I learned my limits and when to stop was because of Tsukauchi."

"That man is a miracle, especially after your father…" Inko sighed, releasing Izuku from the hug. "Tsukauchi was so apologetic when he came to tell me you had shown up at the station yet again without my permission, and even more apologetic when he said he'd offered you a job. Your little defiant face was enough for me to have laughed if I wasn't so worried." Izuku huffed in amusement as he dried his eyes. "He used to bring you home, half asleep and dead on your feet whenever you worked yourself too hard, and eventually you just started doing it yourself."

"The Head Healer used to tell me I was wasting time resting." Izuku laughed, choking a little as he did. "But Tsukauchi used to let me fall asleep under his desk, when I was still small. Once I was a Junior Officer and had my own desk, I started falling asleep under there instead. It wasn't until then that I was really happy with what I was doing in life."

"And it wasn't until Katsuki that you realised why that was, right?"

"Yeah. I was happy at the station because I was one step closer to being a Hero and one step further away from being a Healer. 'Why would you settle… when you can chase after a dream that thrills you?' It seems like such a small thing, but it made all the difference. I just… am I really ever going to be a Hero?"

"Oh baby…"

"I mean, I'll always be a Healer in the eyes of the public, won't I?" He chewed on the inside of his cheek as his mom remained silent for a moment. "Back in middle school, people knew I was a Healer, especially the Pros. But even now, as a Hero student, that's still all I am to them. I'm just a Healer trying to become a Hero." He didn't even realise he was crying until a tear dribbled down off his chin, and he hurriedly wiped his eyes and sniffed to fight the oncoming congestion. "A Healer… is that all I'm ever going to be? Ever meant to be?"

"I don't know, Izuku." His mother sighed finally. "I really don't know." Izuku then looked up sharply as someone pounded on the door, and his mother seemed to slump in relief. She stood from the couch, ruffling Izuku's hair, and disappeared to answer it. She returned… with Katsuki. That was why she'd been on her phone. She'd been calling for backup.

"Oh, Broccoli." Katsuki smiled at him, and Izuku's eyes filled with brand new tears at the sight of it. He stood and practically dove into Katsuki's arms. "You've been over thinking stupid shit again, haven't you?" Izuku was steered to his bedroom and the door was latched firmly behind them both. "What happened?" Katsuki asked as he reached out to brush his rough and calloused fingertips across Izuku's cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell.

"Well, it started when I was looking at my Internship requests." Izuku sniffed. "Then we started talking about the Healer Centre, and the Head Healer, and now I can't help but think that maybe I'll always be a Healer. That I won't make a difference as a Hero, and nobody will see me as a real Hero."

"So what?" Katsuki frowned, withdrawing his hand and clicking his tongue as Izuku froze. "Who cares what the idiots think? You gonna get a Hero Licence?"

"Well, yeah…"

"And you're gonna kick some ass and save people?"

"Yeah but–"

"Then what's the problem?" Katsuki grabbed both of Izuku's shoulders firmly, making scowling eye contact. "Hey, you and I are going to be Heroes. Those shitty extras are gonna say I'm too violent, or I have too big a temper, just like robot boy said on day one. They're gonna call you a Healer, and announce it on live fucking television like Mic did. But y'know what?"

"What?" Izuku asked, vision blurring with more tears.

"There will be people who know you as the Sunlit Hero, Supernova." Izuku inhaled sharply. "Little shits are being born right now, and when they're fifteen you'll be way high in the Hero charts. They'll think, 'That guy is a great Hero.' Those little fuckers aren't gonna go back into twenty years of history from before they were born and go 'Ah yes, that bitch was a Healer when he was a kid.' No! They'll see what you become. You wanna be remembered as a Hero? Be a goddamn Hero Izuku. You understand?" Katsuki was scowling so hard, looking so serious as he spoke such comforting words, Izuku gave a watery laugh that made his best friend grin in triumph.

"What would I do without you?" Izuku giggled, wiping away tears that fell.

"Eternally spiral, I'd expect." Izuku shoved him, making Katsuki cackle. "C'mon, let's grab the sleeping bags. Which drawer has my overnight shit in it?"

"That one." Izuku pointed, smiling as Katsuki rifled around in it and grinned as he pulled out his skull sweat pants and pink shirt.

"You get the sleeping bags, I'll make the popcorn." Katsuki ordered, "Old hag doesn't expect me home till after school tomorrow. We're watching a goddamn movie."

Katsuki stormed out, presumably to make the popcorn and then salt it to hell and back, which made Izuku laugh. He was still unsure of the future, but Izuku knew as long as he had Katsuki he'd be just fine.

Chapter Text

A Typical Thursday

"Hey Jizuno." Izuku smiled as he signed in on the Thursday sheet. He found it amusing that he signed in one day and signed out on the next day. "Heading out?"

"Yeah, I'm so glad I don't do graveyard anymore." She sighed, hanging her coat on her arm instead of putting it on. "I don't know how you do it every day, especially with school on top of that."

"Six to one isn't exactly graveyard." Izuku raised an eyebrow, and Jizuno waved him off.

"Close enough." She scoffed. "Have a good shift Midoriya."

"Enjoy your evening, Jizuno." He nodded to her as she left, and headed for the lounge.

Izuku hummed as he made his usual steamed chocolate, a little song he'd heard on Put Your Hands Up Radio, and went to his desk to collect the case file he'd need. Izuku's team had finally scheduled a meeting with him, apparently because they had enough to bring a suspect in for questioning. If they were right, it would be a huge breakthrough for the case.

Entering the meeting room, Izuku plopped his case folder on the table and started pulling out the evidence he'd already been given previously. He'd only had the case for two weeks, but he was optimistic. There was more evidence to work with than usual.

"Detective." Gysho nodded to him as he came inside.

"Officer Gysho." Izuku smiled, "Are the others coming?"

"All but Yoysa, she finally got approved for maternity leave."

"Ah, good for her."

Izuku waited for the others to show up, and was happy to see all three of the remaining officers on his team file in. He nodded to them and let them steer the meeting. They were the ones with the evidence, after all.

"We had the lab run the tests you asked for, and the forensic pathologist got all the samples you asked for." Likka excitedly laid papers and pictures on the table, sliding them towards him.

"We found a match in the Quirk Registry for the blood we found under her fingernails." Aotoyo said quickly, pointing with one of her webbed fingers. "Yoishiro Trivoya. You were right, the blood wasn't hers. She most likely got a piece of her attacker while he was strangling her."

"I can work with this." Izuku said firmly, "Gysho, Aotoyo, go and collect Mr. Yoishiro for an interview. Do not arrest him, but let him know he's suspected of a crime and needs to answer a few questions."

"Understood." They nodded.

"Likka, set up section four room five, and I'm putting you behind the glass." Izuku instructed, "Make sure to record the interrogation. I'd like both video and audio."

"Got it." She acknowledged.

"I'll start the interview in two hours, make sure everything is ready." Izuku looked down at the papers, "If you finish a large margin before that time is up, don't worry. Let him stew a bit alone in the interview room. Well, as alone as he can be with Likka behind the glass." Likka cracked a smile. "Okay, dismissed."

Izuku leaned his palms on the table as everyone filed out, and he more closely examined the reports. Three days since their last official meeting, twelve days since he'd brought a team together, fifteen days since he'd been put on the case.

He loved cases that wrapped up quickly. More murderers off the streets and behind bars.

After cleaning up the papers, Izuku headed back to his desk to file them away carefully before sitting down in the lounge and making up a list of questions he'd use during the interrogation.

"Hey Midoriya." Sansa shuffled in with a wave. Izuku blinked at him.

"You're here early, for a graveyarder. Something happen?"

"Ah, a kidnapping case." Sansa ran a hand down his cat-head of a face and sighed. "It doesn't make any sense, which is why we can't put the pieces together. I have a meeting in a few minutes."

"What about it is confusing?" Izuku tilted his head.

"The kid is maybe seven years old, and he has a really weak levitation Quirk that lets him hover maybe four or five inches above the ground." Sansa relayed, making himself coffee. "The ransom note was pretty straightforward, but it was signed 'Better hurry, a good Quirk is at stake.' But, by normal standards, Hover isn't a particularly good or powerful Quirk. Why would the kidnapper draw attention to it like that?"

"It might be a distraction technique." Izuku frowned, "To throw you off and make you focus on the words instead of the evidence. It's most likely the kidnapper didn't even know what the kid's Quirk was, if he was ransoming."

"That's… actually really insightful." Sansa looked deep in thought and then nodded firmly. "Thank you. I'd best be going now, but I'll relay the idea to my team."

"Good luck." Izuku waved as Sansa left. Izuku wished he could do more, but he didn't have the time just then. Oh well, Sansa was a formidable cop.

Izuku checked the time and continued with his questions list. Once he had his list he shrugged on his Detective vest and badge, snagged a tranquiliser gun and a knife, then headed over to section four interrogation room five where he trusted the suspect was with Likka one door over, behind the glass.

Taking a steadying breath, checking he had everything he needed, Izuku pushed the door open and let it fall shut behind him. A man sat at the metal table, unhandcuffed and glaring, and Izuku took the seat across from him.

Brown hair and green eyes that glowed mildly, related to his Quirk that allowed him to enhance his eyesight to see with microscopic precision; lean build, not a lot of muscle, possible drug addict from the way his hands shook and his eyes darted around with slight redness around the edges. Mentally noting all of these things, Izuku smiled.

"Well, please state your name and Quirk."

"Yoishiro Trivoya. Microscope." The man grunted, looking at Izuku suspiciously. "You're that Healer working at UA."

"I am Detective Midoriya." Izuku corrected lightly, "Thank you for coming, Yoishiro."

"I was practically dragged." He muttered.

"Now, do you know why you're here?" Izuku continued, ignoring the comment.

"No." Yoishiro sulked, "I was in the middle of vacuuming, and your officers knocked and then whisked me away. Barely said a word beyond 'You're requested at the police station for an interview regarding a murder case.' Kept quiet otherwise." Izuku resisted a smile.

"Well, we have evidence that you were with Mishimo Kikisha before she died." Izuku slid a picture of her across the table, her glowing blue hair that had star constellations dancing across each strand being immediately identifiable. "Do you know this woman?"

"No." Yoishiro ground his teeth minutely, and Izuku's eyes narrowed.

"You're lying, Yoishiro." Izuku said bluntly, "How do you know this woman?"

"You can't know that, you don't have a truth Quirk." Yoishiro sniffed, "You have a Healing Quirk."

"True, but I've been on the police force long enough to recognize the signs." Izuku flashed his eyes gold, and Yoishiro paled at the sight of it. "Now, can you tell me how you know Mishimo?"

"She works at the grocery store, alright?" Yoishiro cleared his throat, "I remember seeing her there, or whatever. It's the hair."

"I see." Izuku jotted it down, already knowing that was true. She worked in the dairy section, making sure to dispose of spoiled products and rearranging things that are put in the wrong place by customers touching things. "Why were you hesitant to share that? It seems innocent enough."

"Because I'm here for a murder case!" Yoishiro said, his eyes darting around a little frantically. "You think I killed her! Why would I want to admit I'd met her? You people will arrest anyone, right? We're all criminals to you guys."

"Hm, I disagree." Izuku said calmly, "Thank you for telling me, however. I promise you now that you will not be arrested if you are innocent."

"Pfft, sure." Yoishiro scoffed, and Izuku noticed that he was significantly more tense. Being told he'd be let go if he was innocent did not comfort him. Further evidence that he was not innocent.

"I'll cut right to the chase, do you know why your DNA was found under Ms. Mishimo's fingernails?" Izuku stared Yoishiro down, and was amused that the man couldn't look straight at his golden eyes.

"I don't know! I've never even spoken to her!" Yoishiro exclaimed, perspiration forming on his forehead. "Your labs are clearly wrong!"

"I find it hard to believe your blood was found under her fingernails accidentally." Izuku stood and leaned across the table, making Yoishiro cringe away from Izuku's Sunlit eyes.

"I–"

"Ms. Mishimo was strangled with a belt, Yoishiro." Izuku told him, placing his palms on the table to lean further across. "She died of asphyxiation, her blood not getting enough oxygen and killing her slowly and painfully. It must've been hard for her, don't you think? Mishimo must have fought, trying to get even a single precious breath into her lungs."

"Y-You have nothing on me." Yoishiro stuttered, staring at him with wide green eyes. The way they glowed was nothing compared to Sunlight.

"Don't I?" Izuku tilted his head, "Your blood was under her fingernails. I wonder… did she get at the wrists of her murdererer? Did she scratch at their face, maybe their shoulders? Grating her perfectly manicured blue nails so hard into their skin that some of them broke off. Do you think about how she might've died? How her body would've slowly stopped working until she could no longer fight? She was found in a dumpster. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be thrown in a dumpster after being slowly killed while staring into the eyes of your murderer?"

"I didn't mean to kill her!" Yoishiro cried, pushing his chair back as far as it would go where it was chained to the table. Yoishiro had apparently forgotten he wasn't chained, hyperventilating in the face of Izuku's firm gaze. "She saw me buying drugs and I knew she was going to report me! It was an accident!"

"Thank you for telling me." Izuku smiled, sitting back down. "You are under arrest for the murder of Mishimo Kikisha, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney, but if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."

"Wait! I didn't mean it!" Yoishiro shrieked, and he stumbled to his feet as he finally realised he could stand. Izuku just sat calmly until Likka came in and handcuffed the man, taking him away to a holding cell with a scolding look at Yoishiro whenever he struggled.

Izuku watched him go with a satisfied sigh, fondly remembering his very first interrogation. He'd been watching Tsukauchi, and he'd absolutely loved the cold intimidation Tsukauchi used during the process. It was his inspiration. Of course, adding Sunlight to the mix was just the cherry on top.

After calling an intern to wipe down the room, Izuku headed back to his desk so he could fill out a report on the arrest and interrogation. He also tucked his notes in with it, pleased he didn't even have to use a quarter of the questions he'd thought up.

Izuku got home around one thirty after his shift, tired but happy. He pulled off his shoes and shut the door behind him, locking the door as he hung up his bag.

The shower was nice, and he took his time under the warm water to relax. Even a good day at the station was hard, and he was always tense and exhausted when he got home. Plus, showers really just fixed everything. Miracles, showers were.

Despite being more tired after his shower, Izuku dutifully started making two breakfasts as he glanced at the clock.

2:51am

"Izuku, I'm home." His mom called tiredly as the door opened.

"Breakfast is ready." Izuku replied, serving two bowls and setting them down at the table. He smiled at her as they both started eating, noticing she was equally tired.

"How was your shift?" Inko asked, rubbing her eyes a little.

"Good, I had an arrest today." Izuku sighed happily, "A single murder case."

"Congratulations." Inko beamed at him.

"Thanks." Izuku smiled, "How about you?"

"Long. A Pro Hero was impaled by some sort of spike Quirk right through the hand, and he was brought to us so he wouldn't lose his hand before the Healers arrived." She gently took it out of the half ponytail, and made a face at how tangled it was. "He's fine, though, he just needed Healing. It was more of a chore to reassure the panicking interns and newer nurses who've never encountered an emergency or anything before."

"Yeesh, when Pro Heroes are involved there's definitely some uproar." Izuku winced, "An Underground?"

"No, actually, it was X-Less."

"The Eye-Gun Hero?" Izuku frowned as his mother cleared their bowls. "He's Twilight, I think."

"Hmm." His Mom yawned, and Izuku smiled.

"C'mon, we should get to bed. I'll do the dishes when I get up for school and make my second breakfast." Izuku assured her, touching her arm. She sighed, and nodded reluctantly.

"G'night Sunshine." She kissed his cheek lightly and padded to her bedroom.

Izuku followed, brushing his teeth and getting his pyjamas, and passed out into his pillow right after.

3:27am

Chapter Text

A Chat About Internships

Izuku showed up at school and abruptly realised it being Friday meant he was supposed to choose who to internship with, of which Izuku still hadn't made up his mind. He was honestly considering seeing what would happen if he said he'd be interning himself. Nezu couldn't exactly stop him, considering Izuku's position as a licensed Healer and a staff member. However… Izuku knew he should suck it up and go on a real internship like the rest of his class. As a Heroics student, it was what he was supposed to be doing. If he didn't go it'd only be further evidence to the public that he wasn't a real Heroics student.

At the end of the school day, Izuku sighed and laid his head on his desk in frustration. Why was being responsible so difficult? It sucked.

"Oi Broccoli!" Izuku looked up at Katsuki with a raised and annoyed eyebrow. "What're you thinking so hard about?"

"My internship." Izuku put his face back down, shutting his eyes as his cheek settled on the cold wood.

"Haven't you made a decision?"

"Of course not!" Izuku whined, "I've decided that I'll be doing one, since everyone else is, but I can't pick where."

"You were thinking of not doing one at all?" Izuku raised his head to look at Kaminari, who was sitting on his desk looking very confused.

"I'm a Detective, licensed Healer, and a UA staff member. It's not like I want to do an internship with the 5,072 Healers who asked for me." Izuku deadpanned with a sigh. He regretted counting them. It took way too long and it made him feel worse.

"I thought only Heroes could send in offers." Jiro frowned from her seat.

"Any Healer attached to a Hero Agency can send in an offer with the name of the Agency. I got a request from Endeavor, but also his Head Healer." Izuku explained. "So many Agencies only asked for me through their Healers, and I'm tempted to boycott my Internship to spite them."

"But you decided not to?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. He was standing, leaning against Izuku's desk with his arms crossed, and Izuku looked up at him with a defeated expression.

"Yeah. I decided to do an Internship, so no boycotting for me." He confirmed, "Just not with a Healer. It's not like they could teach me anything."

"Oi, gimme your list." Katsuki held out a hand expectantly. Izuku sighed as he slid it across his desk, and Katsuki scooped it up roughly. "Here, I'll pick for you."

"Okay. If you pick Endeavor I'll let Sunlight have your pyjamas." Izuku threatened as he laid his head back down.

"You wouldn't!" Katsuki looked up from the papers in horror. Izuku raised his head again to glare.

"Try me, Katsuki." Izuku narrowed his eyes. "I dare you." Katsuki, wisely, decided to turn his eyes back to the paper and ignore the stares aimed at him.

"Why not Endeavor?" Kirishima asked, making Izuku turn to him.

"Because we had a disagreement, let's say, at the Sports Festival." Izuku said, face blank. "He seemed to think that because I am Healer, I'm weaker than the rest of you. He almost definitely sent me the offer because he believes that I couldn't be a Hero without his invaluable skills." The class glanced at Shoto a little worriedly, who remained as blank as Izuku.

"Don't look at me. My old man has… old fashioned views about Heroics." Izuku winced, remembering the way he'd described Quirk Marriages as old fashioned as well.

"Ta-Fucking-Da." Katsuki declared, shoving the paper back at Izuku.

"Hawks?" Izuku said, staring at the name circled in red. "You picked him because he's the highest ranking offer." Katsuki crossed his arms and turned around, making Izuku snicker.

"Ah, I received an offer from Hawks as well." Tokoyami said solemnly. Izuku frowned.

"Mmm… Katsuki. Katsuki!" Izuku leaned forward to tap Katsuki's shoulder annoyingly. "Pick another one!"

"Oh for the love of–" Katsuki snatched the paper and scribbled on it before shoving it back. "I'm not picking again so deal with it!"

"Fatgum?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at his best friend. "Sure, that works." He shrugged and slumped against his desk again.

"You really don't care?" Kaminari asked, making Izuku roll his head to look at him without picking his head up.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because they can't teach him shit, Spark Plug." Katsuki answered with a grin. "Broccoli over here knows it too." Kaminari gave Izuku a confused look, and Izuku sighed.

"No comment." Izuku said tiredly. Kaminari wisely kept his mouth shut, and Izuku vaguely wondered why Kaminari seemed to be terrified of him.

"Oi, Broccoli." Katsuki grabbed his attention, making Izuku raise his head. "Who should I go with?"

"Not your highest ranking, that's for sure." Izuku answered with a grin. "Best Jeanist would eat you alive and send me pictures." Kaminari choked but Izuku ignored him.

"Fine." Katsuki muttered. "Who then?"

"Mirko would be a good choice." Izuku hummed, shutting his eyes as he laid his head back down. Up and down and up and down, it felt like he'd never just get to forever face-plant like in his dreams. "She's a great Hero, violent like you, and she almost never sends offers."

"Whatever." Katsuki replied flippantly, but Izuku heard him scribbling and smiled.

"So where's everyone else headed?" Izuku asked conversationally, sitting up.

"Actually, I've already decided!" Uraraka declared, "Battle Hero: Gunhead's Agency!"

"Oh, that's actually a great idea." Izuku blinked at her. "Most of you haven't ever had real combat training, right?" There were lots of nods and many contemplative looks around the room.

"I've been wondering about that, actually." Ojiro piped up, "Midoriya, you said you were raised to be a Healer from a young age. Why do you have such good combat abilities? You totally rocked the Sports Festival." Izuku grinned and ignored Katsuki's eye roll.

"Healers need to protect themselves. I started combat and weapons training when I was about five." He noticed Kaminari blanch, but Izuku moved on. "I mained with knives when I was younger, so it's a specialty of mine. Guns were just added into the mix once I was a police officer."

"Why do Healers need so much defence experience?" Yaoyorozu frowned, "Usually they stay away from combat, right?"

"Yeah, but 45% of kidnapping cases are due to the hope of using whatever Quirk the child has for the kidnapper's own nefarious purposes." Izuku hummed, swinging his legs under his desk. "Since they started making Healer Quirks classified when the kids are young, Healer kidnapping rates have gotten much lower. Still, it's a risk for Healers to be defenceless, and if a Healer knows self defence they'll be less of a target. Or at least, harder to kidnap."

"I hadn't thought about that before." Kirishima frowned.

"Anyway, I think Gunhead is a wonderful choice, Uraraka." Izuku smiled at her. "I bet you'll be able to be whatever kind of Hero you want, and still use those skills readily." She flushed all the way to the tips of her ears. "What about everyone else? Tokoyami, you're with Hawks, right?"

"Ah." He confirmed with a nod, his arms crossed. "It's a great honour to be sent an offer from him, even if I didn't make it to the third round."

"I'm going with Aizawa-sensei." Hitoshi shrugged. "He's an Underground Hero, which is what I want to be, so I think it'll be good for me."

"I'm going with him as well." Shoto admitted blandly.

"Hah!?" The class exclaimed.

"Shoto wants more practice with his Quirk." Izuku explained smoothly when Shoto remained silent. "Aizawa-sensei will be able to help him and make sure he doesn't freeze all of UA, y'know?" Shoto nodded and the class seemed to believe Izuku's not-quite-the-truth excuse.

"I'm going with the Chivalrous Hero: Fourth Kind!" Kirishima declared, slamming his fists together with a grin. "It was so manly of him to send me an offer! Plus, he reminds me of Crimson Riot."

"That makes sense." Kaminari approved.

"What about you, Iida?" Uraraka beamed, bouncing over to his desk.

"I'll be interning with my brother's agency." Iida said shortly, not looking up, and his face was oddly blank.

"His Agency is still open?" Tsuyu tilted her head, "Wasn't he injured?"

"He's taking a few months off, and his sidekicks are running the Agency in his absence." His hands clenched into fists, clutching his pants tightly under the desk, and Izuku's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Ah, that reminds me, how is your brother?" Uraraka asked suddenly, eyes wide. "He's okay?"

"There is no need to worry." Iida said, looking up finally. "Healer Midoriya is scheduled to heal him next Wednesday, and he'll be working again in no time. Sorry to worry you needlessly." Uraraka looked vaguely like that old surprised Pikachu meme, but she did nod.

"You're still doing Healing work even though you quit the Centre?" Hagakure asked, wiggling her arms. She probably did that to emote, he realised, since she couldn't express anything with facial cues.

"Of course." Izuku nodded, "I'm a Rank A Healer, which is an invaluable position. Recovery Girl is retired from field work, which is why she's full time at UA. In her prime she travelled around Japan healing people everywhere because she wasn't tied to any one Agency. She only came to UA for her retirement."

"How can you work while being retired?" Sato asked confusedly.

"Healers really don't ever really retire." Izuku rolled his eyes. "Healing Quirks are so rare, and the public pretty much insists they need us all the time. If a Healer retires for real, they'll still get calls for help and jobs. They also usually don't even get paid if they accept because they're technically not working. They're doing 'public service' instead." Izuku used air quotes to accompany his exhausted sigh.

"That's horrible." Yaoyorozu frowned. "They don't do that with Heroes, do they?" Izuku shook his head.

"No, there's more and more Hero candidates popping up in the numerous Hero Courses. There's no shortage of Heroes, and their Quirks can be pretty much anything. It's not as specific or rare as Healers are." He sighed. "It's a little unfair, but I get it."

"Oi Broccoli, when does your shift start?" Katsuki interrupted.

"Not until six." Izuku answered, sending him a smile. "I have a meeting with one of the Heroes about a case, though."

"The confidential one?" Katsuki frowned, and Izuku laughed.

"Yeah, that one." Izuku was seriously irritated they'd made no progress with Night Stalker. It was a blow to the station's reputation too, since the Commission was watching that case so closely. "I'm just going to be going over some evidence, and my meeting is at seven thirty."

"Do you have any other big cases?" Hitoshi asked from behind him.

"Not big ones, but as a Detective I can give input and help with any case I think I can be of use to." Izuku hummed. "I've been doing some work on single murder cases recently, solved one just yesterday; the officers are always really relieved when I accept a case."

"Of fucking course they are." Katsuki muttered, "With your reputation."

"What reputation?" Kaminari asked. Izuku glanced over, and frowned at Kaminari's paleness. "You have a reputation?"

"He's the best analyst at the station." Katsuki grunted, "Solved more cases than the seasoned officers decades older than him. Izuku's analyses are famous in the police industry."

"Analyses?" Yaoyorozu asked curiously, tilting her head.

"Hey, you did an analysis on me." Hitoshi grinned before Izuku could answer. "He took one look at me and guessed pretty much everything about me."

"It wasn't hard." Izuku rolled his eyes. "You were dead easy."

"Only to you, Broccoli." Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"So you also get calls to do analyses?" Tsuyu asked, a finger to her chin. "It seems a little much for someone our age."

"Oh god no." Izuku laughed, "I'm not an analyst, I'm a Detective. I just use analyses to solve my cases. It's just a skill for me, not a profession."

"Alright." Aizawa's tired voice came from his sleeping bag where he’d curled up on the floor behind the podium. "Class is over. Anyone who hasn’t turned in their Internship requests should drop their requests at the teacher’s lounge before they leave."

“Yes, sensei!” The class chorused, straightening.

"I wonder if Fatgum will have any other interns." Izuku hummed as he shouldered his backpack. "Nobody in our class will be there, but maybe some 1B kid will be."

"With your luck, you'll definitely end up with a shitty extra tagging along." Katsuki sent him a grin and bumped their shoulders together. "Though your nerd ass might like that."

"We'll see." Izuku laughed. "I need to drop off my list, you coming?"

"No, I have a train to catch. Not everyone owns their own motorcycle." Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Here, turn mine in too."

"Oh, sure." Izuku took the paper and grinned upon seeing Mirko written in pretty symbols in the first choice slot. "I knew you'd listen to my advice."

"Whatever." Katsuki shrugged, "Internships aren't next week, they're the week after, right?"

"Yep." Izuku grinned, "They start next Monday, and we'll be there until Saturday. Sunday we come back, and the Monday after that we're at UA again."

"That's stupid." Katsuki said, "Why make us wait?" Izuku shrugged.

"I don't know, and I'm a staff member, even." He checked his watch, "Don't you have a train to catch?"

"Ah shit." Katsuki facepalmed, "Bye Broccoli!" Katsuki then sprinted off, and Izuku knew he'd end up at the train station at least ten minutes early.

"Bye Kats!" Izuku yelled after him with a grin. He then padded down the hallway with both slips in hand, and Izuku opened the door to the staff room smoothly.

"That your Internship request?" Midnight asked as Izuku placed his and Katsuki's slips on Aizawa's desk for approval.

"Mine and Katsuki's." Izuku confirmed.

"So you're actually doing one?" She grinned, and Izuku gave her a slow nod. "You owe me ¥3,000!" She exclaimed, pointing, and Izuku couldn't help his startled laugh at Present Mic's loud groan.

"Ah man." The Hero rifled through his wallet and slapped the money into her hand with a pout. "I was so sure you'd work as a Healer instead, Midoriya!"

"You bet on me?" Izuku huffed in amusement as they nodded, one sheepish and the other shameless.

"Midoriya wouldn't do anything to stand out as anything but a Heroics Student if he had the choice." Aizawa said as he stepped into the staff room.

"I considered working full time at the station." Izuku admitted, "But yeah, I didn't want to encourage the way people separate my careers and see me a Healer instead of a Hero."

"Where're you headed?" Midnight asked, tilting her head.

"Fatgum's Agency." Izuku hummed, "Katsuki picked for me."

"Ah, indecision at its finest." Mic gave him finger guns, and Izuku rolled his eyes but didn't deny it.

"You have to admit, 9,000 and some odd number of requests is a few too many to pick from by yourself." Izuku said, ignoring the fact that he had indeed gone through every offer by himself and just hadn't chosen one.

"True enough." Mic conceded with a knowing grin.

"I should head out, bye!" Izuku waved to his coworkers and got varying levels of 'see you Monday' and 'have a good weekend' as he left.

He rode home on his motorcycle, and hummed to himself as he did. A productive day at school, and hopefully he'd have a productive shift as well. Round out a day and make it good all the way through.

Looking back, maybe it was a bit much to hope for.

Chapter Text

Cases: New and Old

"Detective Midoriya?" He looked up from his reports about Night Stalker and up at the man who spoke.

"Yes?" Izuku tried to ignore the twinge of annoyance he felt at being interrupted. He was supposed to be reviewing the Night Stalker case before meeting with Eraserhead to go over any new evidence or information the Hero might've found, not talking to random officers.

"We were wondering if you could take a look at a case before your next meeting?" Oh, so he'd interrupted Izuku on purpose. "We're reopening a cold case, and your name was listed among the people who gave input."

"Which case?" Izuku shut his Night Stalker folder.

"A serial group killing." He answered, "It was closed a few months before the school year started, but you helped identify a victim profile for it before that."

"Sure, I can take a look. I only have about a half hour though." Truth be told, Izuku had no idea what the officer was talking about, and wanted to find out. He followed the man into a meeting room that had three officers Izuku faintly recognized inside.

"Detective, good to see you again." One smiled, and Izuku just nodded.

"Situation?"

"Nineteen murders over four months, and then radio silence for three months." An officer handed Izuku a folder. "A month ago a murder was called in, and the same calling card as last year was seen with the body. Since then there's been five more." Izuku slowly began flipping through the folder, a frown on his face.

Izuku examined the pictures, and he realised he did remember the case. All of the victims were killed at night, and they all had minor strength enhancements. He'd identified that it as a group instead of one killer from the differences in minor things about the calling card symbol. A Z inside a U inside a star.

"Nineteen murders before they disappeared, you said?" Izuku frowned, then set the folder down and spread out the pages.

"When you were called in there had only been six." An officer explained, and Izuku nodded. That sounded right.

"You're reopening the case because of new evidence." Izuku hummed. "The group disappeared for half a year, and then returned without warning… who was the last victim before their hiatus?"

"Vivia Hiyuko." Someone reached over and tapped a page, so Izuku pulled it closer to him so he could examine it.

Vivia Hiyuko
Age: 19
Sex: F
Quirk: Rebound
Shield Quirk that allows the user to create forcefields that cover small areas on the user's body at will. Quirk functions better and increases physical abilities when electricity is nearby, including artificial lights.

"She was killed by poison?" Izuku muttered to himself. Hold on...

He flipped through the other eighteen profiles and counted carefully. Poison was the most common death among the victims. Seven victims were killed by poison, two by pipe, and then all the other killers had three victims each.

"Who are the most recent victims?" Izuku asked, pieces and theories slowly coming together. No one spoke, but an officer slid a separate blue folder towards him. Izuku took it.

Gyo Rijiki
Age: 4
Sex: M
Quirk: N/A

Rytoa Hyuko
Age: 3
Sex: M
Quirk: N/A

Miniki Diazo
Age: 4
Sex: F
Quirk: N/A

Yuiko Wezuko
Age: 2
Sex: F
Quirk: N/A

Tujo Teeyo
Age: 3
Sex: M
Quirk: N/A

Mimi Jikolo
Age: 4
Sex: F
Quirk: N/A

"These all happened in the last month?" Izuku asked, his voice as clinical as possible. He shoved down the horror he felt when he imagined toddlers being murdered in groups. "All six?"

"Yes." Someone whispered. "Two members of the group, the knife and the one… the one with a jagged blade or pipe." Izuku took a deep breath, nodding. It made sense now.

"Where were the victims found?"

"Spread across Musutafu." An officer answered, clearing his throat. "No one specific area, but each parent had minor strength enhancements so we think that's how the killers are picking their victims."

"Where do the children live?" Izuku looked up to see every person in the room pause.

"We never checked." Another person admitted. "You think the group is picking their victims from one targeted area?"

"It's possible, especially with the children being so close in age." Izuku frowned. "If they were stalking a daycare, or a preschool, or maybe a playground, it would be easier to pick the kids they wanted while vaguely sticking to the strength enhancer theme of theirs."

"But why did they suddenly switch to kids?" Someone asked.

"Do you have any of your own theories?" Izuku blinked as they all shook their heads. "Well, the last victim had a Shield Quirk." He shifted the papers to tap her profile. "The poison killer took out the victims with little poisoned darts. It's possible the last victim managed to Shield long enough to poison her killer as well."

"You think they stopped their killings because one of their members died?" An officer exclaimed.

"It makes sense." Izuku frowned in thought. "As far as we know, there are five killers. One uses that ragged pipe, one uses a katana, a butcher's knife which is actually called a cleaver, the one who uses higher quality knives, and then the poisoner. We've got six new victims, but only four killers."

"It could be a coincidence." One of the officers frowned. "But we definitely can't rule it out."

"It explains why they're targeting children." Another chimed in. "If they were scared after losing one of their members, it would make sense."

"That's not all." Izuku sighed, "I think the poisoner was their leader, or possibly their most skilled member. Poison claimed more than double the amount of victims compared to each of the other killers. To kill six kids without seeing poison even once?"

"None of the first six kills when you first analysed the case were killed by poison." Someone pointed out. "Maybe the poisoner hangs back for a while before showing up."

"That's possible as well." Izuku frowned, staring at the papers. "What're we missing?"

"Midoriya?" The door swung open, and Jizuno popped her head inside. "Eraserhead just clocked him. He'll be ready to meet with you in a few minutes."

"Shit." Izuku muttered. "Thank you Jizuno. Can you tell him we'll have to postpone–"

"It's okay." Izuku glanced at the people in the room in surprise. "You've done more than enough."

"I haven't done anything." Izuku disagreed. "All I've brought to the table is speculation."

"You also suggested checking for common places of interest between the children, drew attention to the obvious favouritism towards poison, and suggested a theory as to why they disappeared." The officer said firmly. "This wasn't your case even last year, and it's still not now. We knew you had a prior engagement, we don't mind."

"I don't like this." Izuku frowned. "Would you call me if you need the help? I could try and spare the time to help analyse some other time."

"Can do. Thank you for your help, Detective Midoriya." An officer smiled. Izuku frowned again, but he nodded and followed Jizuno out of the room.

"I'll send Eraserhead to your desk." Jizuno smiled.

"Thanks." Izuku sighed. She waved and headed back to the lobby, and Izuku headed to his desk.

He sat and stared at the Night Stalker papers he'd gathered up and the folders he'd been looking at before he was rightfully stolen away. Izuku sighed and tried to switch his mind away from group killers and slaughtered children to focus on the Villain who used his Quirk to remove the oxygen out of people's bodies.

Problem was, the real Night Stalker had practically gone silent, while the copycat became increasingly more active. Izuku had a few guesses towards why, but nothing concrete. He needed evidence. That was what he hoped Eraserhead had. They needed information, else they'd never catch him or his copycat.

"Detective." Eraser appeared. Izuku smiled in relief, and he slid his chair to the side so Eraser could see the binder he'd laid out on his desk.

"Do you have anything new for me, or are we reviewing?" Izuku asked.

"I spotted the copycat." Eraser said seriously. Izuku froze, and then he snapped his eyes up sharply to Eraser's.

"Report." He said immediately. Eraserhead smirked a little, probably finding it amusing that their roles were so completely reversed when they were at the station from their usual dynamic at school, but then he answered.

"I was running my usual patrol route when I caught sight of a figure darting through back alleys. The only reason I saw him at all was the horned headpiece he was wearing. That's how I knew it was Night Stalker, and then I identified him as the copy from his pattern of staying in the shadows."

"Did you engage?" Izuku frowned, pulling out a notebook to take notes.

"I tried to." Eraser sighed. "I ambushed him and Erased his Quirk, but our speculation was slightly off. He didn't use syringes for injecting his victims, he had a device in his sleeve that fired little darts. He let off two shots, and I immediately withdrew. He didn't pursue me." Izuku nodded, his pen flying across the paper as he absorbed the information as best he could.

"So he uses small projectiles… You said he fired twice, did you get a sample?" Izuku asked.

"No."

"That's fine." Izuku hummed, "If you get the chance, I'd like to get my hands on one of those darts; however, your life is more important. Having no sample is better than having no sample and a dead Hero. Are we clear?" He looked up at Eraser with serious eyes, and the Hero nodded.

"Yes, Detective." Eraser acknowledged. Izuku smiled, and nodded as well.

"Anything else?"

"Not anything worth mentioning or relevant to the case." Eraser shook his head.

"Alright, thank you. You can clock out now." Izuku sighed, rubbing his forehead and rereading his notes. Eraser nodded, then left. Izuku wished he could bang his head against his desk in his frustration, but then his work station would shake and all his papers would go flying and that would just make everything worse. To rectify this, Izuku stood up and headed to the lounge. Melted chocolate was needed.

Izuku went about the motions of steaming the milk, putting chocolate in a cup, pouring milk onto the chocolate, stirring it all up, and he tried to relax as he sipped the thick chocolate. However, that was when he heard raised voices.

"We can just do it later!" Someone was saying, "The kid's fine, I already shelved the case."

"Just because he's safe for now doesn't mean the case is over." Another person snapped angrily. "Someone needs to be on this case! His kidnapper is still out there whether she gave the kid back or not."

"Look, I really don't have the time, and this isn't urgent." The first voice sighed, "Besides, you're off the case, remember? Dismissed. I have a meeting right now."

Izuku sipped his chocolate, pushed off the wall, and headed towards the voices. A man brushed right by him, muttering an apology, and Izuku saw another guy running a hand down his face in resignation.

"Everything okay?" Izuku asked as he approached.

"Oh, hi Detective Midoriya." He sighed with a little wave. Izuku felt a twinge of guilt that everyone knew him and he didn't know them. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable. "Sorry, we just have a kidnapping case shelved. I've just been reassigned, and our leading officer is swamped."

"I can take a look." Izuku offered. "What's the situation?"

"A few days ago a little boy was kidnapped, and his parents received a ransom note." The man explained, and Izuku listened carefully. "They didn't call the police, they spent three days collecting the money, and this morning was the exchange. Luckily it went off without a hitch, but the parents called us because they're scared their son is still in danger. The case was shelved, but I don't like that the kidnapper is still out there."

"I see." Izuku frowned. "I can take the case, if you want. I'm finished with my meetings for today, and I was just going to spend the rest of my shift doing paperwork."

"Oh would you?" The man seemed to sag with relief, "That would be great."

"If you get me the case notes, I'll do what I can." Izuku smiled.

"You're a godsend Midoriya." The guy smiled back at him. "I saw you at the Sports Festival, and everyone knows what a great Detective you are. You're going to be a great Hero."

"Thank you." Izuku breathed, beaming at the guy.

"I'll go grab those notes." He nodded to Izuku, and left the room.

Izuku stood in the same spot for a moment as warmth bloomed in his chest. That's right. He was going to be a Hero.

"Here you go." The man sighed as he handed Izuku a folder, and he seemed oblivious to the immense validation he'd given Izuku with that single sentence. "I'm sorry, but since I've been reassigned there's just you and Koichi. He has four other cases right now, so he won't be much help."

"That's alright, I can take the case from him." Izuku smiled, "Do you want me to inform you if I catch the kidnapper? Not to get you involved, but just so you know everything turned out okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Midoriya." The guys smiled, and Izuku happily waved to him as he slumped off. He must've really been worried about it.

Izuku looked down at the folder in his hand and headed back to his desk, setting it down and opening it as he chugged the last of his chocolate.

———

Yoicha Krita
Age: 12
Sex: M
Quirk: Telename
Status: Unknown

Yoicha Krita went missing xx/xx/xxxx and the disappearance was reported by his mother, Yoicha Pliomi, six days later.

Cause of Disappearance: Kidnapping

Yoicha Krita went missing during his walk home from Xxxx School on xx/xx/xxxx. He left school with three friends and was seen heading into his neighbourhood by those three friends. Somewhere between there and his apartment Yoicha disappeared.

Yoicha Krita's school friends say Yoicha was normal during school hours, and was happy when they saw him departing for home. They immediately denied any chance of a runaway quite vehemently, and officers present agreed with them.

Other evidence:

Yoicha Pliomi and Yoicha Gytra received a ransom note two hours later, before the couple was even worried about their son (they assumed he was doing homework at a friend's house when he didn't come home).

They were given four days to collect ¥1,994,610.00 JPY ($15,000 USD) and told to bring it to an abandoned street in Hosu City, Ishikawa Prefecture. They did so, and Yoicha Krita was returned the next day.

Yoicha Krita was unconscious when he was found on the family's doorstep, but he was conscious for the majority of his kidnapping.

"I was tied up in some small room, and through the window I could see I was on the second floor." Yoicha Krita reported when asked, "It was a sort of… bedroom? There was a locked closet, a toilet and sink along one wall, and a sleeping bag on the floor. There was a little cat flap or something at the bottom of the door, and I was given food and stuff through there."

Yoicha Krita never saw his kidnapper, and reported that he was grabbed from behind when kidnapped. When he was returned to his family, he speculates that the kidnapper grabbed him while he was asleep and knocked him out to transport him.

Investigation Status: On Pause

Leading officer Koichi Midui has the case on pause due to a work overload. If not returned to in fourteen days, the case will be closed.

———

Izuku hummed in thought, flipping through the pictures of Yoicha Krita they'd taken plus exact copies of each interview.

The investigation seemed thorough enough, which made Izuku both glad and frustrated. Glad they were doing a good job before Officer Koichi shelved it, frustrated because it meant there wasn't a lot he could do.

Then he stopped dead when he got to the ransom note.

———

If you want Yoicha Krita back alive, listen carefully.
In four days time, xx/xx, bring ¥1,994,610.00 JPY to xxxxxxx, Hosu, Ishikawa Prefecture, and leave the bag in the middle of the street.
If you do not, Yoicha Krita dies.
If you call the police, Yoicha Krita dies.
Bring me the money, Yoicha Krita will live.
Better hurry, a good Quirk is at stake.

———

Izuku scooped up the folder and stood, striding right for the front desk and Jizuno.

"Jizuno, I need you to call officer Sansa and tell him I have a lead on his kidnapping case." Izuku said immediately, "I also need you to send for Officer Koichi Midui and tell him Detective Midoriya is taking the Yoicha kidnapping case from him. If he wants, he can be present for the meeting I'm calling. If not, take him off the case."

"Understood." Jizuno nodded, jotting everything he said down on a sticky note.

"I want the meeting in an hour and a half, nine o'clock on the dot." Izuku continued, "Lastly, I want the folders of every kidnapping case from the last month on my desk before then. Send for an intern or something, I need those files."

"Did you find something big?" Jizuno asked, moving to another sticky note.

"Not sure yet, but I'm definitely going to find out." Izuku muttered, and then he walked off.

Two kids, completely different cases, the same calling card, one kidnapper. How many more kids could there be tangled up in this without anybody the wiser? One thing was for sure.

Izuku was going to find out and he was going to do something about it.

Chapter Text

Break-Through

"Thirty-five kids." Izuku said, spreading out the folders and glaring at them. "Over the two and a half months we've had thirty-five kids go missing, some found and some not, but all of them were taken by the same person or group. They leave a calling card on each of their ransom notes. 'Better hurry, a good Quirk is at stake.' It doesn't matter what the Quirk is, the kidnapper always says that. It has to be intentional."

"How did we miss this?" Sansa exclaimed, scooping up a folder and flipping through it.

"Kidnapping cases only have three or four officers assigned to them." Koichi frowned, "If none of the officers overlapped, the cases wouldn't have been compared at all, especially since kidnappings are so common. Midoriya's the first one to have looked over more than one case like this."

"I've skimmed each file, and I've been able to put some pieces together." Izuku said, "Out of the nineteen kids recovered, twelve of them could see out a window, and all of them were on an upper floor. The rest had boarded up windows. I'm assuming they're on the first floor, supported by the fact that they were the first seven taken."

"Could they all have been kept in the same building?" Sansa asked, eyes widening. "If that's the case the missing kids could still be there."

"If we can interview the kids that were returned, maybe we could pinpoint exactly which building it is." Koichi added.

"That's what I was thinking." Izuku nodded, "Obviously it'll take some time, but ideally I'd like to have the location by Sunday so we can organise a raid for Monday. The sooner we find the building the sooner we can catch the kidnapper and find the kids."

"Sunday?" Koichi frowned, "That's way too soon. It's Friday night!"

"I'm staying for a double shift, so I'll be here until seven. Then I'll be off until my graveyard shift, starting at one." Izuku waved him off, and then looked at Sansa. "While I'm off tomorrow, I'd like you to build a team of three more officers, making it six total including us. We'll need them for the raid."

"Midoriya, I can't be on a case this large right now." Koichi said with a sigh, "I'll have to pull out of this one."

"No problem. In that case, you're dismissed." Izuku nodded, "Sansa, make that four offices we need."

"But you need more time to rest than that." Sansa said, going back to the topic of Izuku's schedule for some reason as Koichi left the room. "It's Friday. You're staying until seven in the morning, Saturday, and coming back by one in the morning on Sunday. On top of that, you expect to be functional enough to organise and participate in a raid on Monday?"

"I'll be clocking in at one on Sunday, yes, but I'm leaving the station by seven that morning because I work a seven hour shift." Izuku said impatiently, "After that I'll have all of Sunday to rest, and I plan on skipping school to clock in at six in the morning on Monday. If we have the raid in the afternoon or early evening the same day, that's plenty of time to rest. I'm not an idiot, Sansa."

"Alright." He didn't seem happy, but Izuku's logic was perfect and Sansa knew it. "So you're planning on solving this case practically on your own?"

"Sort of." Izuku admitted, scowling at the folders. "Some of these kids have been missing for over thirty days. We don't have time to wait two days to assemble a team of six, and then wait for them to analyse for three days, finalise a location another day, and then plan a raid. Leaving the work to them takes three times as long, so why make them do it when I can do it in under two days?"

"I understand your reasoning but note that I don't like it."

"Noted." Izuku sighed, pulling out a notebook and leaning over the table. "Do you have time to stay right now and help me copy the interview notes we have of the recovered kids? I know it's your time off right now, so it's really okay if you say no."

"It's fine, I can stay." Sansa smiled, "Let's catch this guy, okay?"

"Okay." Izuku nodded.

——————————

"No, that's not right." Izuku muttered to himself, crossing out a line in his notebook. "It's one block South. Further downtown."

The kidnapper consistently asked for the money to be dropped off on one street. Sometimes further North and sometimes further South, but always the one street. According to the eye witness reports from the surrounding area, nobody actually lived there. Five blocks all in a row along that street were abandoned.

"Midoriya?" Sansa knocked on the wall, taking Izuku's attention. "Need any help?"

"No, I've nearly got it." Izuku looked back at his work.

"Have you moved since your last break? It's been a few hours." Sansa said, but Izuku just hummed. "Midoriya, have you eaten?"

"I ate around four." Izuku said absently. "I get off at seven."

"That's in an hour." Sansa reminded him, "Do you want me to bring you something?"

"You don't have to, I know your shift is nearly over too." Izuku frowned down at his work.

White windows. Across the street from the places the kidnapping victims were held had windows painted with white trim. One victim reported being able to see white shutters across the street as well.

Six buildings along the abandoned segment had white painted windows, and four had white shutters.

"Midoriya, I brought you the melted chocolate you like." Izuku looked up to see Sansa holding out a steaming cup, and he took it carefully.

"Thank you." He smiled up at the man, "Sorry, I've been really focused. I'm making a lot of headway."

"I can see that." Sansa nodded to Izuku's desk, which had case files and ripped out notebook pages marked in blue and red pen strewn everywhere. Izuku winced but didn't move anything. He knew where every piece of evidence was, and he wasn't changing that just because it looked messy.

"Thanks for the chocolate." Izuku nodded, sipping the foam on top. Sansa nodded, and then Izuku turned back to his papers. He just needed a bit more.

Five victims reported white painted windows, one mentioned white shutters. Okay. Two more victims remembered a door one building to the left across from their window that was falling off the hinges. Did anyone confirm that?

Yes. Another returned victim remembered seeing a door like that, and said the window above that door was smashed. This was verified by two others.

So the building was one with at least seven boarded up windows on the bottom floor, and across from it had white painted windows and white shutters. The building next to that one had a door that was falling off and a shattered window. Anything else…?

One victim remembered seeing a stop sign that had been discarded randomly on the street across from the holding building.

Izuku blinked, and he hurriedly opened his computer. Yes! The images he'd had up were still open. He flicked through them, absorbing the information as he went and tried to remember.

The police had taken thorough pictures of the areas each parent of a rescued child had dropped off the ransom money. He remembered seeing a stop sign…

There.

A stop sign was discarded in front of a building, and Izuku cross-referenced all the evidence he had. The building had white painted windows and white shutters. Izuku flicked to a different case and skimmed the pictures for a better angle of the same building.

The stop sign! The next building over had a broken door that had been ripped off the hinges by what looked like a machete, and the window above it was broken. It had been broken from the inside, but that wasn't important and Izuku blinked until he was focused again.

Izuku flicked through the images again and finally found the building across from the one he'd been studying.

The bottom floor had seven boarded up windows.

Izuku took a deep breath and forced himself to go over everything one more time, jotting everything into a notebook as he went. Once he had it all, Izuku pushed himself to his feet and headed for the front desk.

Jizuno wasn't working so Izuku didn't know the name of the receptionist, so he just walked right up and cleared his throat.

"Hi, Detective." The man smiled at him, "Clocking out?"

"No, I need you to grab Tamakawa Sansa for me." Izuku said hurriedly, "Tell him I've figured it out, and to meet me in the lounge."

"Can do." The receptionist nodded, and Izuku walked off to plop down on a couch in the lounge.

Izuku started to plan. It was seven in the morning, Sunday, and he'd planned to skip school to do the raid on Monday. But what if he just did the raid a day early? Izuku rubbed his eyes irritably and tried to think. Could he brief a team that fast? It'd be a bitch to organise–

Izuku paused, and then ran a hand through his hair and sighed. His vision was blurring and that meant whatever work he tried to do would be useless. He should do what he'd already planned on doing; go home to rest and come back Monday morning.

"Midoriya?" He looked up to see Sansa entering the room, and Izuku popped up to hand him the notebook.

"I have a location." Izuku smiled tiredly, "I've practically triple checked it, but please go over it again."

"You found it?" Sansa opened the notebook and skimmed its contents.

"We should move forward with planning the raid for tomorrow." Izuku hated the taste of those words in his mouth, but they were necessary. "I'll be back tomorrow morning at six, so I'll contact the team when I clock in."

"I can contact everyone." Sansa offered, "I told them they'd be needed on Monday, but I'll let them know we officially have a location and that you'll be calling a meeting sometime tomorrow around six."

"I'd really appreciate that." Izuku nodded, "I'll clock out, can you put my notebook back at my desk when you're finished?"

"Of course." Sansa nodded, and Izuku waved to him before he started his clock-out process.

When he finally arrived home, it was nearly nine in the morning and he collapsed into bed.

He'd need his energy for Monday.

Chapter Text

I Promise

Izuku blearily shut off his alarm clock, briefly glaring at it for waking him up way too goddamn early for school, but then he sat up straight when he remembered why he'd set his alarm to wake him up at three in the morning.

The raid.

Even though he was anxious to get to work, Izuku didn't skip a single step in his morning routine: stretch, hygiene, dress, rules and regulations for the police station, then food. He may have skimmed a few pages of his notes, but nobody could prove that anyway.

By the time he was ready to leave the apartment, it was almost five in the morning and he had just over an hour before he needed to be at the station. Right as he was going to leave, however, he realised he'd forgotten something really quite important.

"Shit." Izuku muttered as he pulled out his phone. He clicked the call button after flipping through his starred contact list, and then he waited as it rang. Fortunately, Katsuki was a very prompt kind of person and picked up after only a few rings.

"What's the matter?" Katsuki asked immediately upon answering.

"Just letting you know I won't be at school today." Izuku hummed, "I'm leading a raid today for a mass kidnapping case. I already let Aizawa and Nezu know not to expect me."

"Why the fuck am I the last person to know?!"

"Honestly?" Izuku huffed, "Because I completely forgot."

"Garbage piece of broccoli." Katsuki muttered, making Izuku laugh. "What time's the raid?"

"I'm not sure yet." Izuku frowned a little, "I'm clocking in at six and scheduling a meeting a bit after that to get everything settled."

"You'll call me when you get off?"

"Always do." Izuku smiled, "And stop chewing on your lip."

"I'm not chewing my goddamn lip!"

"You always chew your lip or the inside of your cheek when I'm doing 'actually police stuff,' as you call it." Izuku chided with a laugh, "Pop some gum in and relax. You'll be the first to know when I'm off my shift, I promise. Alright?"

"Fucking fine." Katsuki's tone was soft, despite the swear word, and it made Izuku smile.

"Bye Kats."

"Call me when you're done, Sunshine." Katsuki hung up promptly, and Izuku sighed fondly. Katsuki had nothing to worry about, and yet he always worried anyway. Pocketing his phone, Izuku was finally ready to go.

Riding to the station helped a lot with his anxious energy, a byproduct of his amazing motorcycle, and he arrived ten minutes early.

"Morning Jizuno." Izuku greets as he jotted his name down on the sign-in sheet.

"Good morning." She smiled, "I hear you have a meeting to schedule?"

"Yes, can you tell everyone to meet me at…" Izuku checked his watch. "Six:ten?"

"Will do." Jizuno nodded, "Good luck today."

"Thanks." Izuku sent her a smile, then he headed for his desk to set down his bag and snag his evidence notebook. Once he'd done that, he allowed himself a few minutes to make his melted chocolate. Once he had his things, Izuku headed for the meeting room.

Sitting down to wait, Izuku opened his notebook and was pleasantly surprised to see that Sansa had created an actual case file for him and tucked it inside. That man thinks of everything.

Flipping through the pages, Izuku stopped to memorise the page that had pictures and the names of all four officers Sansa had assigned to the case. He'd need to remember them.

——————————

Nomura Ren
Sex: M
Age: 37
Quirk: Flutter (Allows flight via Moth wings, night vision)
—
"As an officer who joined the station only recently, I'm willing to contribute any way I can. I worked for the Hero Commission in espionage for nine years, but six months ago I decided to change career paths and do something that felt more useful and worthwhile."
[Brown eyed man with black hair]
——

Mori Hiroshi
Sex: M
Age: 29
Quirk: Compass (Allows user to know what cardinal direction they're facing at all times)
—
"As an experienced officer of seven years, I've done a vast number of cases that involve all types of work. I am best at hands-on fieldwork and have spent four years with that as my main focus."
[Purple eyed man with navy blue hair]
——

Saito Keiko
Sex: F
Age: 24
Quirk: Thermal Vision (When active, allows user to see thermal temperatures in their field of vision)
—
"I've been an officer for three years and I've worked on multiple high level cases. Most recently I assisted in the capture of the Rose Killer, working under Tamakawa Sansa's leadership."
[Blue eyed woman with green hair]
——

Aoki Asahi
Sex: M
Age: 20
Quirk: Mizaru (User's vision is replaced with a sense that allows the user to sense violent or negative intentions in those within 5m/~16ft the user)
—
"Despite my youth, I joined as a junior officer when I was fourteen and have been an asset since then. My specialty is interrogation and fieldwork."
[White eyed man with white hair]
——

——————————

Izuku looked up at a knock on the door, and he climbed to his feet with a nod towards the five people entering the room.

"Hello, I'm just going to get right to it. If you have any questions, please ask them as I'm talking." Izuku got a few weird looks, and he sighed. "If you wait until the end of this meeting to ask questions you're going to forget them. I have all my notes right here in front of me, so it's not like I'm going to lose track of the information. Ask your questions. Understood?"

"Yes sir." They all chorused except Sansa. The cat-headed man just looked amused where he positioned himself with his arms crossed in the corner of the room.

"Alright. As Tamakawa Sansa already informed you all, this is a kidnapping case involving thirty-five kids under the age of fourteen, of which nineteen kidnappees were recovered." Izuku paused, and he gestured to the board littered with pictures of children he'd pinned to the wall during his two day research spree. "I've located the building that matches the eye witness evidence given by the recovered children and/or their families, and that's where we'll be executing the raid."

"How did you pick a single building?" Saito asked, frowning at the images Izuku had set up of the street. "These buildings are all so similar."

"Lots of cross referencing." Izuku placed his notebook down on the table and slid it towards her. "A key piece was the door that was falling off its hinges with a broken window, and I matched that to the building with the stop sign, which led me to the one across the street with seven boarded up windows on the bottom floor."

"Alright." Saito nodded after examining Izuku's notes, "Continue."

"Ideally there will be sixteen children in the building, which means sixteen hostages. I say ideally, even though juggling that many hostages is extremely difficult, because that means every kidnapped child would be accounted for." Izuku looked down at his notes. "The building should have three entrances. One front door, one back door, and a hatch on the roof. We won't be using the one on the roof for entry, but if you make a good case I'm willing to hear ideas on how we might incorporate it."

"Question." Nomura cut in.

"Shoot." Izuku gestured for him to speak in a handwave-y 'go for it' motion.

"You're referring to the kidnappees as 'children' despite all of the victims being between the age of ten and fourteen." He said, "You're only sixteen." Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Your point?"

"Seeing as you're only a child yourself, averaging two to three years older than the kidnapping victims, why are you leading this mission, Detective?" Nomura was frowning, and Izuku leaned his palms on the table to look him right in the eyes.

"Nomura Ren, I have years more experience in this field than you." Izuku said bluntly, "You changed careers six months ago, which means you've probably done twelve cases maximum. I've been working with the police since I was eight, and even if we're talking careers in general I'm still more experienced than you. I started working when I was five years old, and I'm sixteen, as you so kindly pointed out. Eleven years is a long time Mr. Nomura, and I've already proven my worth here. I'm hoping you'll be an asset to this team, but if you have a problem with my authority over you then you can dismiss yourself."

Izuku made sure to keep a tight rein on Sunlight. He didn't want to be a leader who scared his people into cooperating. Instead he simply laid everything out and gave Nomura an ultimatum. Follow his orders or get out.

"Understood." Nomura said finally, "Continue, Detective."

"Thank you." Izuku straightened, looking back at his notebook and picking up where he left off. "As I was saying, we have three entrances. These will also be our exits, so making sure they're kept clear and structurally sound is a top priority. If there's an emergency and the building comes down, the exits will be invaluable. Understood?"

"Yes sir." They all nodded.

"As for assignments, I have a rough idea of what I'd like each of you to do." Izuku opened his notebook to a new page. "Aoki, your Quirk is named after the 'See No Evil' wise monkey, correct?"

"Yep." The boy nodded, his all white eyes focusing in Izuku's vague direction.

"Can you tell me some of your weaknesses and strengths?"

"I'm very good at reading people, it comes with the perks of my Quirk. I usually hang back and act as a warning system during times when hostility is likely but not guaranteed." Aoki answered dutifully, "As for weaknesses… I don't have any type of weapon certification. My vision only allows me to navigate in small areas of space, and I only see outlines of shapes. In the field I'm usually given a partner, and I assist them in any way I can as an extra pair of hands."

"Thank you." Izuku hummed, pen flying across paper. "I want you on the inside for hostage evacuation. I'll give you a partner that will help guide you, but let me know if you think you need a different assignment."

"That should work, actually, thank you." Izuku just nodded.

"Saito, you're next." Izuku prompted, flipping to a new page in his notebook. "Strengths and weaknesses."

"I'm fast, hard to fluster, and I can adapt well during unexpected situations. I'm also a Licensed Medic, and I take a review course every six months to make sure I'm prepared for anything." Saito talked quickly, but her voice was stable and calm. It was an odd juxtaposition and Izuku found it fascinating. "As for weaknesses, I've never played nice with others. If you're considering me as a partner for Aoki, don't."

"Understood." Izuku hummed, not even looking up. "That's perfect, actually. I'd like you to be our scout and eyes. You'll remain outside the building with your Quirk active, and I'm going to need you to direct us to heat signatures. If you can, identify whether it looks more like an adult or a child. We don't want to accidentally stumble upon a kidnapper while looking for a kidnappee."

"I can do that." Saito nodded firmly.

"Excellent." Izuku grinned into his notebook, "Okay. Mori?"

"I've done field pretty much exclusively for years, so it's definitely a strength for me. I think I'd be a good partner for Aoki because of my experience, and I have no problems working with others." Mori grinned, "As for weaknesses, I can be a bit rash at times. If I don't have clear instructions, I tend to go off the rails minorly. It's never ruined an assignment, but it has occasionally caused hiccups."

"I can work around that." Izuku assured him, "You'll get very clear instructions from me, and I'll expect you to follow those instructions to the letter."

"Easy." Mori declared, to which Izuku acknowledged with a nod.

"Lastly, Nomura."

"I thought you already knew everything about me." The man scoffed. Izuku looked up at him very slowly, and this time he didn't stop his eyes from flashing gold in his annoyance.

"Are we going to have a problem?" Izuku asked lowly, gold eyes on brown, "Or are you going to tell me your strengths and weaknesses?" Nomura stayed silent for a beat too long, but then he seemed to back down.

"I'm a problem solver. I had to be when I worked in espionage, and I work best with computers. I'm good with weapons and I'm not scared to get my hands dirty." Nomura said tonelessly, "As for weaknesses, I'm the same as Saito. I don't like working with others."

"Saito respects authority." Izuku narrowed his eyes, "Can you say the same?"

"Yes." Nomura answered evenly, eyes not leaving Izuku's. Accepting the answer, Izuku nodded.

"You're on hostage evacuation. You'll be with Sansa, separate from Aoki and Mori. After looking through the building plan with all of you I'll give each duo a search area, and you'll be following Saito's directions." Izuku finished writing in his notebook and looked up. "As for me, I'll be by myself. I'm on hostage evacuation as well, but if a team spots the kidnapper, or if Saito locates them, I'll divert to focus on that."

"Why is that?" Aoki asked, cutting in. "Why you?"

"Because I'm the highest ranking authority here, but also I have the second highest case and experience count. Sansa is beating me on the latter two." Izuku grinned at him briefly. "As for the mention I made of the kidnapper engagement, each of you will have permission to engage if necessary. Ideally you'll be able to split up if you encounter the kidnapper; you'd have one officer act as defence to evacuate the hostages and one on offence to keep the kidnapper occupied until you receive backup."

Izuku took a calming breath and blew it out.

"Now, any questions before we start assigning areas and team strategies?" Everyone glanced around the room, and when no one spoke up Izuku sighed. "Alright. Moving on to area assignments then–"

——————————

Izuku waited until everyone had filed out of the room, double checked he really was alone, and then he let himself slump in his chair and lie his forehead on the edge of the table. He was exhausted. Even so, Izuku only let himself stay in that position for a few calming seconds before pushing himself up to stand.

A glance at the clock told him it was ten in the morning, four hours since he'd clocked in, but it felt like he'd been at the station barely a minute because he'd spent the entire time in that meeting. Blinking, Izuku realised he should probably eat something.

"Jizuno?" Izuku called as he exited the meeting room, "If anyone asks I'm headed to Hit-It-Off for some lunch. I'll be back in an hour max."

"Alright, will do!" Jizuno waved as he pushed the door open to leave, "Enjoy your lunch!"

As Izuku walked down the road he couldn't help turning his upcoming plans over in his mind. He'd planned everything out and nailed it all into place. He was ready, and it was so many hours away, and yet he felt unease building in his stomach. With years of practice, Izuku shoved it down and focused on the present.

Bringing out his phone, Izuku opened his text thread with Katsuki.

Izuku:
I scheduled the raid.
Prep starts at noon, and we plan on infiltrating at two.

Katsuki:
When d'you think you'll be done?

Izuku:
If all goes well? Raid'll be over by four.
Maybe five, depending on how many hostages there are.
Also depending on how many kidnappers there are too.
We think just one, but you never know.

Katsuki:
You have a good team?
Fuckers'll do their job? You trust them?

Izuku:
My team is prepared.

Katsuki:
That's not what I fuckin asked

Izuku:
…
They're prepared

Katsuki:
I swear if your bitchass is hiding something I'll kill you

Izuku:
Fine, one of my officers has an authority problem, but it's not the end of the world.
It's just annoying.
Don't worry so much.

Katsuki:
Shut tf up

Izuku:
I know you meant that playfully, but I do have to go.
I'll call you after.
Like I promised.

Katsuki:
You better.

Izuku tucked his phone away with a smile and a sigh. Katsuki was such a worrier, but reassuring him usually reassured Izuku too. It was funny, in a way. Katsuki was always more worried that Izuku would get hurt, but Izuku was worried the raid might go badly. Very different priorities.

Either way, it would be just fine.

… Right?

"NO! STOP!"

"Midoriya, get back!"

"Fuck! We need a medic over here!"

"I– I didn't mean to–"

"Someone get her out of here!! She's dangerous!"

"It was an accident–!!"

"Detective, keep your eyes open, focus. Midoriya!"

"We need to get him to the hospital. He needs surgery, immediately."

  BEEP.

BEEP.

  BEEP.

Izuku couldn't keep his promise.

Chapter Text

The Raid

Izuku pressed a finger to his earpiece as his eyes swept across the roof.

"Saito, how many can you see?" Izuku whispered, glancing back over his shoulder to check he still had the four others.

"I see twelve bodies, Detective." Saito's reply came through his earpiece swiftly, "They're spaced around the building, and they all look to be child-sized to me."

"Alright. Is there anyone near our entrance point?"

"No, you're good to engage." At the words, Izuku got four nods from his team to signal they'd heard through their own earpieces. Silently, Izuku beckoned them forward.

Once he'd reached the edge of the roof, Izuku stood carefully and then jumped to the next one. Using the roof entrance would allow them to search top to bottom and then lead the hostages out all at once. That was why he'd approved Mori's suggestion. It was definitely time efficient. They weren't far apart either, which meant everyone could enter that way without a problem.

Izuku backed out of the way and watched vigilantly as Sansa, Mori, and Aoki all jumped from the previous building to Izuku's while Nomura flew on his large moth wings. Once they were all settled, Izuku waved them forward.

The roof hatch was easy to open, so Izuku presumed the kidnapper did not know about the entrance point or just didn't think locking it was that important. Either way it just made it easier for Izuku to unlatch and slip through, down into the building.

"Midoriya, to get to a group of hostages you'll need to turn right and then turn at your second left." Saito whispered in his ear.

"Understood." Izuku murmured, quickly pressing a finger to his earpiece as he responded.

The interior of the building was plain, but obviously well taken care of. The floors were solid, a white faux tile that reminded Izuku of hospital flooring, and the walls were well painted without peeling or chipped patches. He passed several doors as he walked, but Saito did not say to open those. She was directing the others down their own hallways; Aoki and Mori were on the other side of the building from him, while Sansa and Nomura were sent one floor down.

Izuku finally arrived at the left turn he'd been instructed to take and clicked his earpiece. "Saito, what do I do now?"

"Midoriya, there are two kids on your left. Four doors down and eight doors down. On your right there's a kid in the third room down."

"Understood." Izuku released his earpiece and very carefully counted the doors, approaching the third door on his right first.

Pushing it open, Izuku laid eyes on a very startled young girl with dirty pink hair and wide blue eyes. The room was small, exactly as described by the other victims. She was staring at him, and he smiled gently.

"You're Midoriya Izuku." The girl said before he could speak, "You're that Healer Detective."

"I am." Izuku nodded, "You're Fukui Aya, aren't you?" She nodded very slowly.

"Are you here to rescue me?"

"Yes." Izuku held out a hand to her with a smile, "Come on, there are others we need to save too."

"There's more?" She stood, stumbling a little as she hurried to take his hand.

"Eleven more." Izuku confirmed, "There's a few in this hallway with you. Let's go get them, okay?"

"Okay." Aya nodded firmly, and Izuku squeezed her hand. Approaching the door one down and across, Izuku opened the door and repeated the process of coaxing the kid out and promising he really was there to help.

Once he'd cleared his hallway, Izuku was guided by Saito down two flights of stairs to grab one more child before directing him out.

"Of the twelve, are all children accounted for?" Izuku asked as he reached one of the ground floor exits.

"Mori and I have five." Aoki relayed.

"We have three." Sansa said for him and Nomura.

"I have four." Izuku said, nodding to himself. "Okay, everyone, we need to exit the building and get the children to–"

"There's someone coming." Saito interrupted, "The south entrance. That's near you, Aoki, Mori."

"Saito, guide them to me." Izuku said immediately, "Aoki, Mori, keep your kids calm and follow Saito's instructions. Once you've joined me, I'll give you my four and take care of the incoming person myself. Sansa, Nomura, get your kids out and keep them safe. Everyone clear?"

"Understood." Several choices chorused, and Izuku nodded.

"What's going on?" Tanaka Haru, the oldest of the group at fourteen, asked with cautious eyes.

"There's been a slight change of plan." Izuku said, "Everyone sit down against the wall, we need to wait here for my friends."

"You said someone's coming." Haru pressed as he obediently sat down.

"Are we going to die?" Ishii Miku whispered as her all black eyes filled with tears.

"No, you're not." Izuku bent down to smile at the group, "You're all going to be just fine. There's someone outside, that's all. We don't know who it is, that's why we're being careful."

"Midoriya is a very good cop." Aya piped up, her small voice fiercely resolved. "He'll save us."

"Yes I will." Izuku nodded firmly. "I'm going to protect you all as best I can."

"Midoriya, Aoki and Mori arriving at your location."

"Thanks Saito." Izuku replied. With one last smile at his group Izuku stood and stepped towards Mori as his group rounded the corner. "Mori, Aoki, take care of them."

"Yes Midoriya." Aoki nodded, herding his own group of kids to join Izuku's.

"Alright, be good for my friends. They're going to get you out." Izuku smiled at the four kids he'd saved and then he nodded to his colleagues before pressing a hand to his earpiece. "Saito, where am I headed?"

"The new person is still on the ground floor. They're headed for one of the rooms we just emptied." Saito replied immediately, "Take two right and a left. There you'll arrive in a cafeteria-like area. Hopefully you'll intercept them there. They'll pass through it in the next minute at their current pace."

"Understood." Izuku dropped his hand and started jogging, moving as quickly as he could without making too much noise.

"You're there." Saito said in his ear as Izuku reached the end of a hallway, "The intruder will be entering the main room in 4… 3… 2…"

"Stop there, don't move!" Izuku called as he stepped into the room and put a careful hand on his gun. A woman froze in her tracks, eyes huge as she spotted him, and slowly put her hands above her head. "This whole building is a crime scene. Whether you're involved or not you'll be brought in for questioning. Please cooperate and come quietly."

Izuku slowly walked towards her, watching her movements, and then he paused as he saw her fingers shift as she raised one hand. About three feet from her fingertips, Izuku could see little holes in her fingers that looked suspiciously like they could launch some sort of projectile from them.

"You're here for the kids." The woman's voice shook, "Right? You're a police officer." She gestured to his vest and badge with her other hand.

"Yes." Izuku said carefully, his hand wrapping around his gun.

"Don't move!" She yelled, "Don't make me hurt you."

"Alright." Izuku put his hands at his sides, watching her. "May I ask what your Quirk is? I'm guessing it involves shooting some kind of dangerous projectile from your fingers, right?"

"Dangerous projectiles?" The woman laughed brokenly, "Do you have any idea how much hate I got growing up with guns for fingertips? I nearly killed my parents when I accidentally shot them! I was four!"

"That must've been hard." Izuku said evenly, "But kidnapping children isn't right. You're just making other people suffer. Like you suffered."

"I needed the money." Her voice cracked as she said it. "Those families don't need it like I do."

"There are better ways to make money than kidnapping people." Izuku said as delicately as possible, "Where are the rest of the kids? There should be four more."

"They wouldn't stop fighting." The woman's lip trembled, "They wouldn't just stay put."

"You killed them?" Izuku blinked, and he felt the cold bitterness he always felt when he lost people he was supposed to save. He was too late for them.

"I didn't mean to." The woman whispered. Izuku didn't like the way her hands were shaking. "You don't know what it's like to live the way I do. I was living paycheck to paycheck, and my boss didn't even care that I was losing my apartment when he fired me. I had nothing!"

"Okay, I understand." Izuku raised his hands slowly as she waved her dangerous hands around wildly.

"I'm going back in." One of Izuku's fingers twitched as he heard Nomura's voice in his ear.

"No! Midoriya's handling the situation with the intruder. Don't intervene."

"He would probably appreciate the help–"

"I said no, did you hear me!?"

"I don't care."

"There's more of you." The kidnapper's panicked voice caught Izuku's attention. "They're talking to you right now, aren't they!? You're stalling me!"

"Hey, no, it's just me." Izuku placated, cursing his distraction. "I believe you about the kids' deaths being accidental. If you would just come quietly, we can figure something out."

"You cops are all liars." The woman spat, "You'll send me to Tartarus!" Izuku shook his head and kept his hands raised.

"I can vouch for you." Izuku said seriously, "If you didn't use your Quirk then you can't be classified as a Villain. If you did, but only accidentally, then you'll also get leniency. I promise. You won't go to Tartarus."

"... Really?" The woman looked hesitant, but her fingers were slowly lowering towards the ground.

"Really." Izuku nodded, "A Villain is classified as someone who commits a crime purposefully or harmfully using their Quirk. Everyone else is just classified as a criminal."

"So I won't go to Tartarus." She repeated, letting Izuku take a slow step forward.

"No, you'll be on trial for kidnapping and most likely go to prison for a set number of years." Izuku said honestly, "That's nothing compared to a lifetime sentence in Tartarus, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" The woman looked down at the floor as Izuku reached her.

"Thank you for cooperating." Izuku pulled out a pair of handcuffs–

"Midoriya!" Nomura ran into the room with his gun raised and pointed at the kidnapper.

"Nomura, stop!" Izuku said immediately, stepping between his officer and the woman. "She's given herself up for arrest, stand down."

"Villains don't give themselves up, she's tricking you!" Nomura growled, still holding his gun up.

"Put your gun away now." Izuku snapped, eyes flashing gold. "I'll have you dismissed for going against orders if you don't do as I say right this minute."

"Nomura, he said to stand down." Aoki appeared in the doorway, striding for Nomura.

"I don't like this." Nomura growled, but he did slowly lower his gun. His moth wings fluttered unhappily behind him, but Izuku ignored that.

"Okay." Izuku sighed. "Now–"

"... He said I was a Villain." Izuku would've strangled Nomura if he thought it would fix the tone in which the kidnapper used as she spoke.

"Midoriya, step away from her." Aoki's voice was calm, but Izuku tensed at the warning. "She's hostile."

"Did you… lie to me?" The woman whispered as Izuku turned around so he could face her. Her hands weren't raised, but if Aoki's Quirk sensed hostility then he should be cautious anyway.

"No, I didn't." Izuku said slowly, "You're not a Villain."

"You're lying to me." The woman repeated, taking two steps backwards as she shook her head. "He's going to throw me in Tartarus!"

"He isn't!" Izuku placated, raising his hands slightly as she pointed one dangerous finger towards Nomura across the room. "He's not, I won't let him."

"She is a Villain." Nomura snarled, making Izuku grit his teeth. "Villains deserve Tartarus."

"I won't let him take me to Tartarus." The kidnapper whispered, and there was resolve in her eyes that Izuku recognized a split second before she acted.

"NO! STOP!" Aoki screamed, "Midoriya, get back!" His Quirk alerted him to the same thing Izuku had already seen. Malice.

Three bullets fired harshly from three raised fingers, but Izuku had already jumped in front of her with a shout to shield his officers. One bullet careened the wrong way, but Izuku felt the other two slam into him hard enough to make him stumble backwards.

"Fuck! We need a medic over here!" Aoki screamed, and Izuku heard pounding feet from behind him as he fell.

His shoulder screamed at him, but even more worrisome was the pain in his throat. Izuku's vision swam and he was already lightheaded from the pain. Voices washed over him as he tried to focus.

"I– I didn't mean to–"

"Someone get her out of here!! She's dangerous!"

"It was an accident–!!"

"Detective, keep your eyes open, focus. Midoriya!" Izuku blinked, trying to do just that, but faces blurred above him and none of it made sense.

"We need to get him to the hospital. He needs surgery, immediately."

"He'll never make it, he's losing too much blood." Izuku's hearing dimmed as he was lifted onto what felt like a stretcher.

"Damnit, we don't have any Healers on hand!" Someone cursed, "We need to track one down as quickly as possible. This needs serious healing." Panic filled Izuku so suddenly he felt Sunlight viscerally react to it.

"FUCK! He burned me!"

"You can't use healing on him idiot! You'll kill him!"

"Officer Tamakawa, he might die otherwise!"

"I don't care, Sunlight won't allow it!"

Izuku clung to consciousness, but the rhythmic pumping pain in his throat grew dimmed and dimmer until the world was gone.

"This is Midoriya Izuku, I'm sorry I couldn't pick up the phone right now, please leave a message! If you leave your name, reason for calling, and a point of contact I'll be sure to get back to you when I can." BEEP.

"Hey nerd, it's me. Why aren't you done yet? I called the station but that damn receptionist lady didn't know anything. If your broccoli ass got caught up in some paperwork shit and you didn't tell me I'll kill you. …… Seriously though, call me. You promised."

Chapter Text

At the Hospital

Izuku was assaulted by the sharp smell of antiseptic, felt a dull throbbing in his neck, and heard the telltale beeps of a hospital monitor, all at once.

While his mind shifted from unconscious to conscious immediately, his body was sluggish and lagging behind. He recognized the state of his body as Quirk exhaustion, one where he'd overheated immensely and was in the process of recovering from it. The second thing he noticed…

Izuku's eyes flew open with a gasp, and he immediately looked around for the help button he should have if he was really in a hospital. Instead, he found a man with wide brown eyes and a clipboard staring at him professionally and blandly.

"Get it off." Izuku rasped, uncaring of how dry his throat was from (per his best guess) at least two days of unconsciousness. "Take it off please."

"I'm afraid the bandages around your throat can't be removed for–"

"The suppressants." Izuku's voice cracked, and his eyes watered. "Please get it off, take it off."

"You can feel them?" The doctor seemed curious, but Izuku didn't care because he was reaching for Izuku's left ankle.

Sunlight was buried. Izuku could feel it. Or, well, he couldn't feel it. The gentle swirling and warmth inside him was gone. He felt a bone-deep chill inside him that felt like the life inside him was missing. Sunlight's soft presence was muffled to the point where Izuku couldn't call for it, feel it, or even move it around. That is, until the clasp of the anklet band unclipped and the doctor pulled the device off.

Relief hit Izuku as hard as the heat did.

Tears fell from Izuku's eyes and he curled his hands into fists, gentle sobs bubbling up his aching throat as Sunlight burst through the Quirk suppressant barrier and flooded through his battered system. The heat scorched him, making his hands glow while his hair and eyes filled with gold. Sunlight swirled, reaching every inch and warming him to his fingertips before curling in his chest and resuming its steady presence.

"Fascinating." The doctor whispered, watching as Izuku's hands slowly stopped emitting the soft golden glow of Sunlight.

"Why did you do that?" Izuku choked out, swallowing thickly as the tears slowly stopped.

"If you mean the Quirk suppressants, they were necessary for Healing you." The doctor said, straightening as Izuku met his eyes. "You arrived here with two bullet wounds. One was embedded in your shoulder, and the other went right through your sternocleidomastoid. That injury was worse, but the bullet's path was diagonal because of the way your head was turned, so it entered the front of your throat and came out the left side cleanly." The doctor stopped there, and Izuku shut his eyes as he thought through what that kind of thing a throat injury like that would entail.

The sternocleidomastoid was the largest muscle running down the neck into the collarbone and sternum area. Injuries to the sternocleidomastoid caused sharp pains with any movement. Common side effects to damage were dizziness, headaches behind and above the eyes, nausea, and more. A bullet wound would be hard to fix, requiring hours of surgery. Without a healing Quirk used in tandem the chances of surviving an injury like that were low.

"You used a healing Quirk?" Izuku prompted, frowning. The doctor nodded.

"Yes, twice." The doctor paused, and then sighed. "The first time you were losing too much blood, so instead of a surgery we opted for an immediate healing session upon your arrival. We brought in two Healers, one of which has a Quirk called 'Freeze' that prevents injuries from progressing. We were hoping to use it specifically to stop the bleeding in your throat."

"You succeeded." Izuku murmured, reaching up with his right arm to touch the bandages. "You offended Sunlight?"

"If that's how you want to describe it, then yes. Your body temperature spiked rapidly upon contact, and you had a seizure. You needed a blood transfusion for the blood loss during the seizure." The doctor frowned, "After that, I admit, we were a little desperate. We thought that suppressing your Quirk would be the best way to save you, and to continue the healing session without your Quirk interfering."

"How much healing did you do?"

"Well once your Quirk was nullified, we used both Freeze and the other Healer's Quirk, Fill. It fills in organic material and heals impalement." The doctor paused, "Bullet wounds count as impalement as long as it goes all the way–"

"Yes, I know what impalement means." Izuku snapped, "So how healed am I?"

"Your shoulder is perfectly healed and there's no lingering damage." The doctor smiled at Izuku. "Your throat, however, was only partially healed. You'll need one more healing session, or a week or two of regular recovery."

"No more healing Quirks." Izuku sighed, feeling Sunlight bubble up in indignation. "Only a week?"

"We healed most of it, but the sternocleidomastoid is a delicate muscle and the surrounding area is heavily irritated." The doctor informed him, "You'll experience pain for roughly a month, but mobility won't be a problem after a few days. Though, you can't exercise heavily or you'll strain it and risk tearing it."

"I see." Izuku hummed, and then he looked up at the ceiling with a resigned sigh. He was glad to be alive, but he really was annoyed about the healing Quirk, even though he reluctantly acknowledged it was probably necessary. He still didn't like it, though. "How long was I out?"

"76 hours."

"Three days and four hours." Izuku said it a little numbly, then sighed again. "I didn't get your name, doctor."

"Doctor Masuda." The voice said, "Nice to meet you, Midoriya."

"Please get me Bakugo Katsuki, Tamakawa Sansa, and Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa." Izuku shut his eyes, not bothering with niceties. "Tell them I'm awake and coherent."

"I can notify a nurse for you–"

"Do it personally, Doctor Masuda." Izuku turned his head slowly, ignoring the searing pain to look at the man and stare into his eyes unflinchingly. "I know how this goes. Nurses have other duties and responsibilities, and my people won't be notified for several hours. Get me Bakugo Katsuki, Tamakawa Sansa, and Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa now or I will personally sue you on the grounds of medical malpractice for using suppressants and Quirks detrimental to my health during a life saving emergency without consent from me or a relative authority. I may be a teenager, but as a licensed Healer and a Detective I have more sway in both the medical and the legal community than you and I won't hesitate to have you either fired or thrown in jail."

Izuku did not care for threats, but they got the job done. Doctor Masuda stared at him, his fingers twitching where they rested on his clipboard, and he seemed to be internally loading. When Izuku's patience was hanging on by a thread and close to snapping, the man finally nodded.

"I'll be in contact with those three promptly." Doctor Masuda decided.

"Much appreciated Doctor." Izuku said, and then he looked back at the ceiling as the door slid open and then shut as the doctor left rather hurriedly.

Izuku didn't care that he'd scared the man, he cared that Sansa showed up to update him on the kidnapping case. He cared that Tsukauchi came and told him what action was being taken against Nomura Ren for escalating a dangerous situation and sabotaging a raid. Most of all, Izuku cared about apologising to his best friend for breaking a promise.

Waiting was utterly boring. Izuku ended up pressing the help button and asking for pain medication to be administered through his IV, along with moving his bed to an upright position and asking for some non-solid food to help his body adjust to being awake and functional again.

By the time Katsuki arrived, Izuku was prepared for his horribly worried and anxiously angry best friend.

"You absolute asshole." Katsuki seethed as soon as he stormed into the room. Katsuki approached and sat on the right side of the bed, and he grabbed Izuku's hand to press it to his chest.

"I'm sorry I didn't call." Izuku smiled, brushing his knuckles along Katsuki's soft shirt.

"Yeah, you were too busy being shot." Katsuki clutched Izuku's hand as his red eyes grew misty with unshed tears.

"I didn't mean to worry you."

"A bit too late for that, Sunshine." Izuku noticed he had light bruises under his eyes, evidence of several late or sleepless nights. Izuku sighed, squeezing Katsuki's fingers.

"I'm okay." Izuku assured him, "My shoulder is fully healed, and my throat will be fine in two weeks. It'll be unbandaged in a few days, and after that it'll just be some mild pain for a few weeks." Moderate pain, possibly severe, but Katsuki didn't need to know that.

"The doctors said you almost died." Katsuki accused, wiping his eyes angrily.

"They exaggerated." Izuku lied, and then shifted the conversation with a grin. "Did you hear they used a Healing Quirk on me? Two, actually."

"They what?" Katsuki looked wrathful, glaring sharply at the door as if he were seriously considering murdering someone.

"Yep." Izuku confirmed, "They're worried I'll sue, which is fair since Mom actually might."

"You have every right to take legal action against them." The door slid open to reveal both Tsukauchi and Sansa, much to Izuku's relief.

"I'd like a case update." Izuku said immediately, making both men blink. "That's not a request, Sansa. Report."

"Sure thing, Detective." Sansa was sassing him, but Izuku let it slide because of the knee wobbling relief that filled the man's posture. His cat ears were obvious tells. "All twelve children are safe, unharmed, and back with their families. All your officers are also unharmed, and Yamaguchi Ayaka is in custody."

"The kidnapper?"

"Yes." Sansa confirmed.

"Excellent, thank you." Izuku smiled in relief, and then looked at Tsukauchi. "What about Nomura?"

"Nomura Ren was fired, and then blacklisted from any law enforcement or government positions. That includes his previous job at the Commission." Tsukauchi reported, "Unfortunately, we couldn't do more than that because no civilians were injured and he didn't do anything physically violent towards fellow officers or criminals."

"Alright." Izuku sighed, "Well at least he's gone."

"If I ever see that guy I'll kill him." Katsuki muttered darkly, and Izuku squeezed his fingers again.

"You will not." Izuku glared playfully, "You'll be too busy fussing over me for the next year."

"Ten years." Katsuki scowled still, but it had softened into something more fond than angry. "I take my eyes off you for a few hours and this is what you do?"

"Oh yes, how dare I get shot."

"No, how dare you jump in front of a bullet or three." The look on Katsuki's face was so disapproving and disappointed that Izuku winced.

"I was only hit by two, and Nomura could've been maimed for life if I hadn't." Izuku protested, "His wings wouldn't have ever healed if they'd been damaged."

"That's not your problem." Katsuki grumbled, "Besides, you'd have just healed him with Sunlight. Don't deny it."

"Yeah, but I'd have been petty with him." Izuku grinned, "I'd have put it off for a few months, pretending my calendar was–" He broke off, blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Oh my god, Ingenium! It's Thursday isn't it? Did someone call Ingenium and his family? I had an appointment with them on Wednesday–"

"I called." Tsukauchi said, raising his hand a little. "Mrs. Iida was very understanding. She said her son is willing to wait until you're healed. I think she said something about how your gift will still be there whenever you're ready."

"Cool." Izuku resisted a wince at the word gift, "Thank you. I'll reschedule for next week, same time."

"That's way too soon!" Katsuki protested.

"Internships are next week." Izuku reminded him, "I might as well visit Hosu since I won't be doing much. I can't very well fight and be a full time hero student with an injury like this now can I?"

"But healing Ingenium will take up a lot of your energy." Katsuki countered, "You'll need that energy to heal."

"So does Ingenium." Izuku said firmly, "Besides, Sunlight will be pleased I'm healing someone instead of trying to heal myself with outside sources."

"Don't use Sunlight as a scapegoat." Katsuki narrowed his eyes, "I hate when you do that because I can't dispute it." Izuku just grinned in response, knowing he'd just won the argument.

"Izuku!" The door practically slammed open to reveal Inko, panting slightly with her purse half falling off as she remained in the doorway a beat too long as she stared at him, sitting up and awake for the first time in days.

"Hey, Mom." Izuku smiled, "Katsuki called you?"

"You should've called." Her eyes filled with tears, and Izuku released Katsuki's hand so he could reach for her. She strode over and took his hand in hers, even as they trembled.

"I'm sorry." Izuku whispered, "I didn't mean to worry you." He sent Sansa and Tsukauchi small nods as they slipped quietly out of the room.

"Three days is too long, Izuku." Inko sniffed, "I know you saved that officer of yours, but why…?"

"I had a split second to decide." Izuku said, looking at both Katsuki and his mother as he said it. "There wasn't really enough time to think in that one moment. I was hoping to knock her arm to the side completely, but I knew the odds of avoiding every shot were low."

"You knew you were going to get shot and just let it happen?" Katsuki accused, making Izuku sigh.

"I knew it was a possibility." He admitted, "But isn't it always? My work is dangerous; so is Heroics; so are a lot of things, and it just so happens this time I was hurt. But I'm alright, see?" He smiled at them both warmly, but only his mother smiled back.

"I know, Sunshine." Inko said softly, "And I'm really proud of you for saving those kids and your officers. Not a single injury besides you. My little Hero." She reached forward to stroke his cheek, smiling wobbly.

"Thanks Mom." Izuku whispered as Sunlight filled his hair with streaks of gold at the comforting words.

"Oh Izuku, I hope you know I'm not angry you were injured." They both ignored Katsuki's muttered disagreement. "I was worried, and afraid that I might lose you. As much as I worry, I know saving people is what you were born to do. My only request is that you try to keep yourself safe too, to the best of ability, alright?"

"Alright." Izuku laughed wetly, taking back his hand so he could wipe the small tears away. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve a mother like the one he had, but Izuku was so so grateful to her.

"I have to get back to work." His mother muttered, frowning briefly, "I'll be back to say goodnight to you and Katsuki before visiting hours end."

"Me and Katsuki?" Izuku blinked.

"He's been sleeping here." Inko turned to smile teasingly at Katsuki. "Every night."

"Somebody's gotta watch his dumb ass." Katsuki crossed his arms, firm and completely serious.

"That's adorable." Izuku grinned, and Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"Laugh it up Sunshine, you brought this on yourself."

"I know, Kacchan." Izuku smiled, looking at his family and feeling warm inside in a way completely unrelated to his Quirk. "I know."

Chapter Text

Friday

"You know, you're technically not allowed to come with me." Izuku said, grinning at Katsuki. "Staff only?" He pointed at the sign on the door Katsuki was conveniently ignoring.

"You have to do staff stuff before class, and I have to babysit you. That's just how it is." Katsuki crossed his arms as Izuku grabbed the schedule for the day and examined it for a moment before nodding to himself and leaving the staff lounge.

"I see." Izuku smiled, "Either way, though, you'll have to do exactly as I say once we get to the clinic. Don't touch anything."

"I'm not stupid." Katsuki glared, and Izuku just looked him up and down slowly. "Hey!" Izuku laughed at the offended exclamation.

"Kidding." Izuku grinned, but he felt a twinge in his neck and raised a hand to brush his throat with his fingertips. He noticed Katsuki watching him and sighed. "I'm okay, I swear." Izuku couldn't help a small laugh at Katsuki's disappointed glare.

"You are not okay." He growled, "If it were up to me you'd stay in that damn hospital bed until your neck was unbandaged."

"You're overreacting." Izuku smiled, "I'm perfectly capable of going to school, and it's Friday anyway. One day won't kill me."

"You'll be working in the clinic." Katsuki accused. "You're already stressing the injury."

"I won't be healing anyone using Sunlight until Ingenium." Izuku rolled his eyes, "It'll be first aid and stuff, nothing serious. And right now? We're literally just walking. I'll be fine."

"That's what you think but you never know."

"If it's an emergency, yes, I will use Sunlight." Izuku said, "However, the odds of an emergency happening this day of this week of all possible weeks is highly unlikely."

"Uh huh." Katsuki said doubtfully.

"You're just upset because you're going to have to sit in class while I'm soooo far away in the Healer's Office." Izuku teased, and he laughed brightly as Katsuki glared.

When they reached the Healer's Office, Katsuki did wait outside while Izuku set everything up for the day. Cleaned, organised, tidied up; Izuku was impressed to see that Recovery Girl had been taking good care of the space in his absence.

Of course, the entire time Izuku was in there the door was open and Katsuki was loitering in the doorway.

"Alright, I'm done." Izuku said, pulling off his gloves and dropping them in the bin. "We can go to class now."

"Finally." Katsuki huffed, but as soon as Izuku was within his reach he clasped their hands together and sighed quietly. Izuku smiled and squeezed his fingers.

"C'mon, wouldn't want to be late."

The walk to 1A was much quieter, which Izuku didn't mind. Katsuki was clearly struggling, and he was glad to just walk with him in silence if that was what would make him feel better. Unfortunately, the peace only lasted so long.

As soon as Katsuki pulled the door to 1A open, people whipped their heads around and stared. A staring contest ensued, but it was broken when Shoto stood up and strode over to gently pull Izuku into a hug.

"I'm back." Izuku said, pressing his cheek into Shoto's shoulder. That seemed to break the stunned state of his class, and his classmates were immediately jumping to their feet and crowding towards him.

"Midoriya!"

"Oh my gosh– I can't believe you were injured!"

"Why weren't you being careful!?"

"Why didn't you use Sunlight?"

"An injury to the neck is very serious, Healer Midoriya! Are you really okay to be here?"

"Who did this?! I'll kill them–"

"Hey, shush, I'm fine." Izuku held up his arms to placate them, and he smiled despite the pain raising his arms caused. "I had an accident, and yes, that's why I haven't been at school."

"What happened?" Shoto asked, frowning as he stepped back. "All we were told was that you were injured while working. Aizawa-sensei didn't give any other details."

"Nobody would tell us anything." Hitoshi was hanging back a little, but Izuku made sure to smile at him. It reassured Shinso, as Izuku hoped it would.

"Bakugo was no help either." Ashido said as she waved her arms around with a small pout. "Even though he totally bolted out of here yesterday, in the middle of class no less!"

"You didn't tell them?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at Katsuki.

"Not their business." Katsuki folded his arms and looked away. Izuku smiled fondly, and then sighed.

"I was shot twice during a mission on Monday." Izuku said calmly, continuing despite the gasps and horrified exclamations. "I'm okay, I've been treated by some very good people and I'm going to be fully recovered in roughly two weeks."

"You were shot in the neck!?"

"Midoriya, that sounds serious!"

"Are you going to do Internships, still??"

"You shouldn't be here!"

Izuku sighed, and at the sound everyone slowly backed off enough for him to make his way to his seat. He prompted everyone to do the same, glancing briefly at the clock to make sure he had a few minutes before homeroom started.

"I'll be doing Internships, yes." Izuku said once the room had calmed significantly. "The only thing this changes is how active I'm going to be for my Internship. I'm still going, and I've also rescheduled to heal Ingenium on Wednesday." Izuku leaned back a bit to smile at Iida, who nodded back. To any onlooker, it might've seemed like Iida didn't particularly care. Izuku, however, saw a minute amount of tension in his shoulders bleed out just a little.

"How badly were you injured?" Yaoyorozu frowned, examining him closely. "Your neck…"

"I was shot in my left shoulder, which is completely healed." Izuku said to start, "The other shot went diagonally through the front of my throat out the left side, which damaged a pretty big and important muscle. As I mentioned before, I'm fine."

"Doctors said he nearly died." Katsuki grumbled from in front of Izuku.

"They exaggerated." Izuku reminded him, lying again. "I'm okay, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Midoriya, glad you're back with us today." Aizawa said as he shambled into the room, immediately drawing everyone's attention to the front.

"Good to be back, Aizawa-sensei." Izuku grinned, and Aizawa merely ducked his head into his scarf for a moment before composing himself. Aizawa wasn't fooling anyone though, and so Izuku smiled to himself knowing he'd helped soothe Aizawa's anxieties.

Apparently even Aizawa had been worried about him, which made Izuku feel a tiny bit bad. Unfortunately, Izuku didn't regret his decision one bit. Protecting his officers, even insubordinate ones, was something he'd do no matter what.

— — — — —

Izuku had been productive once he'd left class to head to the Healer's Office. Recovery Girl was with the third years again, unfortunately, but at least she'd asked him before leaving. Either way, Izuku did a full inventory of medical supplies as well as cleaning supplies, and also checked all the technology they used regularly for anything unusual. Aside from one of the monitors having a cracked screen, everything was in order.

That's what led to thinking about Internships. Izuku was lucky he'd chosen someone like Fatgum, who was relaxed enough to properly understand Izuku's situation. He wouldn't press Izuku into doing work that would be too difficult, and he would probably listen to Izuku's thoughts and requests. He was a very considerate Hero.

When his shift ended and he was heading back to class, however, he met Monoma Neito, who was very obviously heading for the Healer's Office. Izuku raised an expectant eyebrow at the boy, who seemed completely frozen.

"Are you alright?" Izuku asked when the boy didn't move.

"You're back." Monoma said quietly, and Izuku blinked. Assessing him more closely, Izuku could see the way Monoma's eyes were glued to Izuku's bandages and the way his hand was balled into a fist and squeezing tightly enough for his knuckles to go white.

"I'm okay." Izuku said with a smile, and he stepped forward to hug Monoma. It took a moment of coaxing, but then arms went around Izuku and trembling hands held his waist very carefully.

Sunlight shifted unhappily, but Izuku purposefully only touched Monoma's clothing. Sunlight might not like Copy, but Izuku liked Monoma and so the fact that Sunlight didn't approve didn't really matter.

"Were you headed for the Healer's Office?" Izuku asked, frowning.

"Recovery Girl said you were injured." Monoma said, pulling back and swallowing heavily. "I went down every day to check if you were back yet. But I wasn't worried! It's just, you weren't here and that's dangerous. I mean, you're a better Healer than Recovery Girl and my class deserves the best treatment only."

"Of course." Izuku grinned, rolling his eyes.

"What happened? You missed the whole week." Monoma frowned.

"I skipped on Monday because I had work, and then I was injured on duty." Izuku smiled gently as Monoma's expression twisted. "Really, I'm okay."

"That was stupid of you." Monoma said, clearing his throat and looking away. "You shouldn't have been working on a school day."

"I'll try to remember that." Izuku laughed, "So you've been visiting here for lunch every day?"

"Yes." Monoma crossed his arms defiantly. "Recovery Girl didn't like it, but I don't care about what she thinks."

"Fair enough." Izuku shrugged, regretting it at the following stab of pain.

"Why're you here?" Monoma said after a small pause, making Izuku blink.

"What?"

"You're in pain." He said, narrowing his eyes. "Why're you here, at school, if you're not fully healed?"

"Because there's work to be done?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Midoriya." Izuku and Monoma both turned to see a group from 1A approaching, and Izuku realised 1B's lunch must've ended and 1A's must've just started.

"Hey guys." Izuku smiled.

"What're you doing with him?" Ashido wrinkled her nose.

"You've met?" Izuku raised an eyebrow at Monoma, who grinned.

"At the Sports Festival." Sero also grinned, "He went after our team at one point."

"I would've won that if I hadn't become distracted by my classmates being utterly destroyed." Monoma scoffed.

"And whose fault was that?" Izuku deadpanned.

"Yours, obviously." Monoma grinned, and Izuku laughed.

"Are you friends?" Kirishima asked with a blink.

"Yes." Izuku said.

"No." Monoma answered at the same time. They grinned at each other, and the 1A students were quite confused.

"Why're we camping in the hallway?" Katsuki's voice could be heard, and then he caught sight of Izuku between their classmates and immediately made his way to Izuku's side.

"Hiya Kit-Kat, miss me?"

"Kit-Kat?" Monoma snickered, and Izuku huffed in amusement at Katsuki's following growl.

"Zip it Copycat."

"Play nice." Izuku grinned, "Monoma and I are rivals, see, and that means only I can beat his ass to the ground."

"Is that so?" Monoma raised an eyebrow.

"It is." Izuku grinned.

"Well then I look forward to our rematch." Monoma grinned back, "Once you're healed, of course."

"Healed!" Everyone blinked at Ashido's sudden exclamation, but she just rounded on Izuku with a frown. "Why haven't you been healed? Where's Recovery Girl?"

"He can't be healed by Quirks, idiot." Monoma scoffed immediately, "Sunlight gets mad."

"It does?" Ashido blinked in surprise.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Katsuki blinked in surprise at the same time.

"Midoriya told me." Monoma rolled his eyes.

"Monoma, you're late for class." Izuku nudged him, and he sighed.

"Crap. Alright, bye Midoriya." He paused, and then glared at Izuku. "If you get hurt like this again I'll kill you myself."

"Duly noted." Izuku grinned, and Monoma nodded firmly before walking off with his hands in his pockets.

"Since when are you chummy with Copycat?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow, and Izuku laughed.

"Since we picked Hero names." Izuku said, "He's actually not so bad. I like him."

"You're crazy." Katsuki shook his head, "C'mon, we're missing lunch."

"Yes sir." Izuku saluted, and he laughed at Katsuki's satisfied smile.

Chapter Text

Fatgum

"I'll be fine." Izuku repeated patiently, "Fatgum is a good Hero, so don't worry about me."

"I know." Inko said, smiling even though she looked worried. "You'll text me every night before you go to bed?"

"Of course." Izuku leaned over to kiss her cheek, and then he opened the door and stepped out of the car. He waited outside the train station so he could wave as she drove off, but then he headed in where he was meeting his class.

When he got there he saw Aizawa handing out costume cases, of which Izuku already had his. One of the perks of being a staff member, much to Katsuki's amusement and ire.

"Oi, Broccoli." Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "You still have your bandages on."

"Yeah…" Izuku smiled sheepishly at Katsuki's accusatory eyes.

"You said they'd come off on Sunday. That was yesterday, dumbass. Explain." Katsuki crossed his arms expectantly, and Izuku sighed.

"Okay, so, technically I could take them off, I wouldn't die or anything, it's just not recommended."

"So you lied." Katsuki narrowed his eyes.

"No, no, the doctor took them off." Izuku grinned, "He just put them right back on afterward."

"Lying by omission is still lying."

"Only if you take offence."

"I take offence." Katsuki muttered, "Big time offence."

"Duly noted."

"Okay, you all have your costume cases, right?" Aizawa prompted, cutting through the chatter of his 1A students. "Remember, you aren't allowed to wear them in public. Don't drop them or anything."

"Yessir!" Ashido exclaimed, throwing her case above her head and grinning widely.

"Speak clearly!" Aizawa snapped, "It's 'Yes, sir.' Ashido."

"Yes, sir." Ashido wilted a little dramatically. Izuku could see a glint in Aizawa's eyes, and he had to smother a snicker because of it.

"Make sure to mind your manners with the heroes at your internships." Aizawa continued a little more seriously, "Off with you now."

"Yes, sir!" The class chorused clearly. Izuku was amused by how Ashido immediately bounced back and started chatting to Tokoyami about Kyushu and his Internship, while the rest of the class started twittering about their own excitements too.

"Hey, Iida!" Izuku called loudly as the tall boy started striding away. Iida stopped, so Izuku held up a pausing finger to his impatient best friend and jogged over to Iida. "Is that staying overnight offer still open? You said before that my staying at your brother's agency overnight after the healing session should work, but I just wanted to make sure."

There was a pause in which Izuku felt a pang of unease, and then Iida turned to look at him with a blank expression. His face was falsely pleasant in a way that reminded Izuku of patients he treated that were on the verge of a mental breakdown of some kind. Because of that realization, he almost missed Iida's short reply.

"Yeah." He said, and then turned back around to walk away.

"Iida?" Izuku reached forward and placed a hand in the boy's arm, glad Iida stopped walking once again. He didn't turn though, which Izuku was concerned by. "Look, I can tell you're not okay. Maybe we could talk more about it when I'm healing your brother? I'd be happy to walk you through his recovery so you can get a gauge on when he'll be back on his feet and working again, if that would help."

"Midoriya…" Iida turned around slowly, and for a split second Izuku wanted to flinch backwards away from the malice in Iida's eyes. After that it was gone in a blink. "I look forward to the healing session."

Izuku's hand dropped as Iida walked away, and something foreboding swelled in Izuku's chest. Sunlight curled unhappily into his fingertips, making them glow a soft golden. With a sigh, Izuku walked back over to where Katsuki was still waiting.

"What was that about?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, I hope." Izuku frowned, but he didn't say anything more. It wasn't his place to share stuff like the mental health of classmates, unless it was to a staff member. Maybe he could tell Aizawa about it if it hadn't been resolved after Izuku's healing session with Ingenium? That would probably be fine…

Explosions popped along Izuku's fingers that still glowed, and Izuku looked up to see Katsuki watching him with concern. Clasping their hands together, Izuku superheated his hand with Sunlight to meet Katsuki's Explosions with a smile.

"It's nothing, just a bad feeling. That's all." Izuku looked up at the board of train schedules and sighed. "I have to go."

"You'll be in Esuha except for Wednesday night and Thursday morning?"

"Basically." Izuku shrugged, "I might get to Hosu a little early, but other than the one healing session I won't leave Esuha. You can stop worrying Kit-Kat, I'll be fine."

"Famous last words." Hitoshi walked up with a grin. His packed bag was purple like his hair, and yet, in Izuku's opinion, it clashed horribly. Izuku's bag was black, which matched everything.

"Hello to you too." Katsuki grumbled.

"Yes, how dare I approach without greeting you?" Hitoshi raised an eyebrow, and Katsuki grinned sharply.

"Exactly. Grovel, bitch."

"Mmm, no."

"The hell!? Yes!"

"Nope."

"See here you Brainwashing piece of shit–"

"Boo, no points. Be more creative."

"I'll show you creative–"

"Girls, you're both pretty, but we have trains to catch." Izuku smiled sarcastically between them, and he received identical deadpan glares that made him laugh. "Seriously though, we do need to board a train. Well, not you, Hitoshi."

"Or me." Shoto said, appearing from behind Hitoshi. "Since we're together."

"Hey Sho, I didn't see you there." Izuku grinned, "Yes, you don't need to board a train either. Katsuki and I do, however, so, bye!"

Izuku smiled and waved to his friends as he left, and he gave Katsuki a Quirk powered high-five before they split to go their separate ways. It was weird to think that he wouldn't see Katsuki for an entire week, but they'd still get to text every night before bed or the morning before they start training. Izuku was pretty sure that telling himself that over and over was the only thing keeping Katsuki sane.

The train ride was uneventful, aside from Izuku occasionally wincing when he moved his head too fast or turned his head to look out the window for too long. It was better, but it wouldn't be completely healed for a while.

Logically, Izuku knew that he could be put under anaesthesia, given Quirk suppressants, healed with a Quirk, and then be woken up after the suppressants were removed, but he couldn't even stand the thought. So healing the normal way was what he had to do, even if it was thoroughly inconvenient.

When he got off the train, Fatgum was waiting for Izuku with a tall boy standing next to him. Izuku immediately recognized him, of course, he'd done incredibly well in the 3rd Year Sports Festival. Izuku tilted his head to examine him a little as he walked over, and then he filed away his observations.

Amajiki Tamaki was clearly anxious, and he hunched his shoulders to make himself appear smaller as though he wanted to disappear. His hands were shoved into his pockets, and his head was ducked submissively. His face was partially hidden behind his long blue bangs, and he seemed uncomfortable with just standing there.

However, his eyes were darting around the platform carefully. To anyone else it might seem like just another anxious or paranoid habit, but Izuku recognized it as caution and vigilance. Even though Amajiki was clearly anxious, he was examining his surroundings seriously and was probably more prepared for a surprise Villain attack than Izuku was.

"Amajiki." Izuku nodded to the boy as he approached. His upperclassman didn't make eye contact, as expected.

"Midoriya." Amakiji whispered in response.

"Midoriya! Welcome to Esuha!" Fatgum grinned, and he opened his arms wide to consume Izuku in a massive hug. Izuku was squished against Fatgum, but it didn't hurt his neck at all; Fatgum's Quirk was like a cushion, which was just fascinating.

"Thank you, I really appreciate your offer." Izuku smiled as he was finally released and set down. "I'm excited to be here."

"Come, come, to the agency!" Fatgum exclaimed brightly, and Izuku laughed as he followed the Hero out into the streets of Esuha. "So, you know our little Suneater already?"

"Oh, not really." Izuku said, assuming Suneater was Amajiki by the way his upperclassmen shrunk in on himself. "I just saw his performance at the Sports Festival. You were amazing, by the way." Izuku smiled.

"I didn't win." Amajiki protested weakly, "Hado and Mirio did better than I did."

"You got second." Izuku reminded him, "Hado got third, and the way you used those wings to meet her up in the air was fantastic."

"She should've won." Amajiki muttered, "I only beat her by pure luck, and I lost to Mirio."

"You just did your best, got second, and it was amazing." Izuku smiled. Amajiki looked at him sideways, and then gave a tiny nod before falling silent.

"Ahh, Midoriya, go easy on him!" Fatgum laughed as he matched along ahead of them. "He'd have such great potential if it weren't for his weak mind!"

"The pressure…" Amajiki muttered, hiding his face in his hands. "It's always like this… only taking me on to harass me! I want to go home…"

"I think you've got potential anyway." Izuku grinned, "You should be proud, you're really talented."

"I can't be cheerful and positive like you and Mirio…" Amajiki said softly, staring at his hands.

"You don't have to be." Izuku tilted his head, "Have you met Aizawa? Eraserhead? He's far from cheerful, and he's a great Hero! You can be like that, if you want. Not everyone is the overly cheerful type, so you don't have to be either."

"... You think?" Amajiki looked up to meet Izuku's eyes, and Izuku nodded with a smile.

"Of course. You're on the same level as Pro Heroes, and you have a Provincial Licence, so you're basically a Hero already." Amajiki stared for a moment, and then he gave Izuku a tiny smile.

"Thanks." His voice was timid and quiet, but Izuku beamed brightly at it nonetheless.

"You're welcome!" Sunlight filled Izuku's hair with little streaks of gold, and they stayed there the remainder of the pleasant walk to the Fatgum Agency.

When they did finally arrive, Izuku looked up at it and sighed internally. The Agency was squeezed between two larger buildings, and the roof was a bit domed to mimic Fatgum's hood on his costume. The windows were stretched oddly into a smile, and it was painted with Fatgum's black Hero mask. Fatgum was a good Hero, but his Agency looked ridiculous.

"Home sweet home!" Fatgum grinned, "Come on in, we have a room for you and everything."

"Thank you." Izuku said absently, looking around the interior as he was escorted through the building.

"We're on the second floor, near Fatgum's office." Amajiki said as they headed for the elevator.

"If you need anything, nine times outta ten I'll be in there if I'm not on patrol." Fatgum said warmly, "Sometimes I even sleep there, so just pop on over whenever!"

Izuku was led to a group bedroom, and Izuku was glad it looked like only Amajiki occupied it so far. The other four beds were empty, of which Izuku picked one and set his bag down next to it.

"Bathroom is attached over there." Amajiki said, pointing to the left. "My stuff is in one of the showers… so… don't use that one?"

"Sure, no problem." Izuku smiled, "So Fatgum, what are we doing today?"

"Not much!" The Hero grinned, "I want to see your costume so put that on and show it off a little, and then we'll do a small patrol that'll last about two hours. Once that's done it'll be time for bed!"

"Alright." Izuku nodded, ignoring the protest in his throat, "What's the rule on engaging if there's an incident? I have a Detective licence that gives me permission to use my Quirk in defence of civilians and myself, but I'd like to follow the rules that you'd give any normal Hero student."

"Well, you'll mostly be watching me and Suneater while we patrol. Don't intervene during an incident unless I give you explicit permission, but I don't think anything major is going to happen." Fatgum shrugged, "What I really want from you is to interact with civilians if they approach you, and try to figure out what kind of Hero you'd like to be. I eat the food of nearly every restaurant or vendor I pass by, and I'm well known for that. Think about what fits you."

"I can do that." Izuku confirmed.

"Excellent!" Fatgum clapped his hands and grinned widely. "Suit up! We're going out in twenty minutes!"

"Yes, sir!"

Amajiki led Izuku to a locker room, and they both pulled out their costumes to get changed. Unfortunately, getting dressed in his skin tight costume was harder than Izuku would've liked to admit.

The charcoal grey shirt and pants with gold seams were as beautiful as ever, and Izuku did decide to throw on the jacket so he didn't risk getting cold. The gold laced steel toed boots were the easiest part to get on, and the belt with all of his fancy weaponry.

The best part of the whole costume was still how beautiful it was. The sun on the back of his jacket and the rivers of gold streaming down his pants were perfect for him. Izuku felt happier in it than he'd ever felt in any of his Healer uniforms.

"I like your costume." Amajiki said as they both finished up.

"Thanks, I like yours." Izuku smiled, assessing it more closely than just the overall aesthetic.

It was clearly layered, and the bottom layer appeared to be a black bodysuit with gold plating at the shoulders and forearm as a type of armour protection. On top of that was a purple vest covered in pockets, and a knee length sort-of-skirt. Matching the white skirt was a cloak, and the hood had gold accents to match the forearm bracers. Oddly, the black bodysuit had stirrup feet and Amajiki wore no shoes.

"Is the lack of shoes because of your Quirk?" Izuku blurted out before he fully meant to ask.

"Uh… yeah." Amajiki mumbled, pulling his fingers. "Sometimes I get random accidental traits from the animals I Manifest… like chicken feet." He ducked his head awkwardly as Izuku smiled.

"That's really cool." Izuku said honestly, "Manifest sounds like it's hard to control, so it's impressive how much you've done with it."

"... Thanks."

"Of course." Izuku tilted his head, "Should we head down?" Amajiki nodded, and they both headed out and toward the elevator.

"Um," Amajiki paused as they entered the elevator, flicking his eyes to and then away from Izuku before he continued, "what happened to your neck? It's all bandaged, but Fatgum didn't say anything. Why?"

"I called him and let him know I'd been injured, and he said he didn't mind as long as it wouldn't horribly impede on the Internship." Izuku said, "Short version: I was shot while on duty during a raid to save hostages. I'm still healing, but I'm not in any danger anymore."

"Oh." Amajiki looked at Izuku briefly before looking away again. "I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Don't be, I'm alright." Izuku grinned, "Besides, you weren't even there, so don't feel bad or anything. Nobody could've prevented it." Except maybe Izuku himself, but that's beside the point.

"Hm." Amajiki hummed noncommittally, and then fell silent.

When they got down to the lobby Fatgum was indeed there and waiting for them, and then they set off on the patrol.

Izuku hadn't ever been out and about in his Hero costume before, and it felt amazing. People recognized him, and some of them knew him from the Sports Festival instead of from his work as a Healer! Every time a kid waved and said they loved watching him kick the shit out of "Endeavor's kid" he felt a swell of pride. Izuku had done that, and they saw it. They saw him.

The patrol, aside from civilians waving and Fatgum chatting up random food vendors, was uneventful. Nothing went wrong, and Izuku even managed to get Amajiki to make small talk with him as they walked! Overall, Izuku counted it as a success.

When they got back to the Agency, Izuku was escorted back to the locker room. Fatgum left while Izuku changed, but he reappeared as Izuku was pulling on his UA uniform.

"How many offers did you get, kid?" Fatgum asked suddenly, and Izuku saw a sudden serious cross the Fatgum's face as he glanced over his shoulder at the Hero.

"9,702." Izuku admitted as he pulled on his UA uniform shirt. His normal clothes were still packed away in his bag that he'd left in his temporary bedroom.

"Jeez." Fatgum whistled. "Congrats kid."

"Thanks." Izuku turned to smile at him as he straightened his jacket, but he paused when someone new walked into the room.

"Midoriya, this is Healer Mikuso." Fatgum said, grinning. Healer Mikuso was a lean man with messy pink hair, and his purple eyes completely consumed his sclera. Izuku guessed it as some kind of mutation that went along with whatever healing Quirk he had.

"Nice to meet you." Mikuso smiled, and Izuku echoed the greeting. There was a small awkward pause after that in which Izuku hung his tie over his arm, and then Fatgum sighed a little.

"Not that I'm not glad to have you kid, but why'd you choose my agency? Well, me, more specifically." Fatgum frowned slightly. "You had almost 10,000 offers, and I know Mikuso sent you an offer through the agency as well." He gestured to the man at his side briefly. Izuku smiled politely at Fatgum as he responded.

"Healer Mikuso was very kind in inviting me to a Healer's Internship, but, as you both know, I'm already certified. My main reason for being at UA was to be a Hero student and to become a Hero. I wanted my Internship to reflect that." Izuku said, and then he directed his focus to Healer Mikuso. "On top of that, my childhood was dedicated to healing; respectfully, I don't think there's much you could teach me."

"Now, I know you're Rank A, Midoriya, but you're young." Mikuso smiled a little condescendingly. "You haven't had as much experience as I have, which makes a huge difference in both training and understanding of the job. Fifty years working as a Healer is no easy thing, you know."

"Is that so?" Izuku raised an eyebrow. Fatgum seemed to sense the shift in Izuku's mood, but Mikuso remained dangerously oblivious.

"You've been a Healer since you were young, and you have a truly wonderful Quirk, but it's not quite the same as being a professional Healer." Mikuso smiled, and Izuku felt Sunlight curl inside him at the words. "Because I have decades more experience, you should be able to understand that, as your senior, I know much more than you do about real emergencies." Mikuso laced his fingers together as he finished, and Izuku could tell he clearly expected Izuku to yield to him.

No. Fucking. Chance.

"With all due respect, I disagree." Izuku's eyes flashed gold, and the Healer's eyes widened minutely. "I've been working for ten years, Healer Mikuso, and in that time I've dealt with more patients than you have in your entire career. An agency Healer only has patients when their Heroes are injured, which can be common in places like Endeavor's Agency which is flooded with dozens of sidekicks. The Fatgum Agency is much smaller, so I expect you don't see more than three patients a week. Sure, that stacks up in fifty years, but it doesn't even come close to the number of patients I've seen."

"But–"

"I treated at least thirty patients every day when I was in both primary school and middle school." Izuku continued. Mikuso's calm smile slid off his face, and Izuku didn't care it was replaced by ire. "The Healer Centre I worked at was busy every day, and I was bouncing from patient to patient over and over and over again for every one of my normal shifts. Aside from that, I was also part of the majority of the Healer teams on scene of Villain attacks. If you search my name on the internet you'll see dozens of my rescues and evacuations caught on video by the hundreds of people I've saved. I'm not trying to say you aren't a real Healer, or that you're bad at your job, but you saying I'm an inexperienced Healer is an insult to me and everyone who poured years into training me." Izuku took a deep breath, but couldn't resist adding just a bit more. "Saying I'm not a real or professional Healer is flat out stupidity and ignorance."

There was a ringing silence after Izuku's speech, but he didn't budge or apologise. Izuku didn't particularly want to be known as 'Healer Midoriya' for the rest of his life, but no fucking way was he letting some no-name Healer from a small agency tell him he wasn't a Healer. Izuku probably wasn't the best one out there in the world, but he was better than this guy that's for damn sure.

"Well, I think it's past time we all head to bed." Fatgum clapped his hands together with a strained grin. "Midoriya, good work today. Mikuso, back to work."

"Alright, thank you. Goodnight Fatgum." Izuku said, "And goodnight to you too, Mikuso." Izuku smiled sweetly, and he relished in the way Mikuso's hands balled into fists. It was petty of him, sure, but he couldn't help it. The guy was a jerk.

Chapter Text

Tuesday's Training

Izuku opened his eyes and fumbled for his alarm clock, only to realise it wasn't his alarm clock making that soft buzzing noise.

"Sorry, sorry!" Amajiki's voice whispered frantically, and as Izuku sat up tiredly he saw his upperclassmen fumbling for a small blue alarm clock and turning it off. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would wake you."

"It's fine." Izuku rubbed his eyes a little, "What time is it?"

"About five." Amajiki pulled on his bangs anxiously, trying to straighten them even though they'd been mussed into complete disarray during the night. "Sorry. You weren't planning on getting up until seven, right?"

"Five is fine." Izuku yawned, wincing as his neck twinged when he stretched. "Just means I have more leisure before training time comes around."

"Yeah, okay, uh, sorry." Amajiki paused, then he shook his head roughly and promptly disappeared into the bathroom. Izuku blinked blearily after him for a moment before yawning again and grabbing his phone. It seemed Katsuki had been woken up even earlier than Izuku.

Katsuki:
What kind of Hero decides to get interns up at four in the morning?

Izuku:
Well, I just woke up and it's five.

Katsuki:
Don't tell me you set your alarm that early

Izuku:
I did not set my alarm that early

Katsuki:
…

Izuku:
Lol
Really, I didn't.
That upperclassmen I told you about last night? His alarm woke me up accidentally.

Katsuki:
Dumbass.

Izuku:
Amajiki felt horrible, so I couldn't even be mad. Not that I would be anyway.

Katsuki:
You're too nice Broccoli.

Izuku:
Or you're too mean, Kit-Kat.

Katsuki:
Duck off
*fyvk
*fuvk
*FUCK

Izuku:
Having some trouble?

Katsuki:
F
U
C
K
Y
O
U

Izuku:
You forgot the space

Katsuki:
yOu fOrGoT tHE sPAcE

Izuku:
Awww were you playing with the Shift button? You really need more practice, you suck.

Katsuki:
Why are we friends?

Izuku:
Because I'm amazing and you're the best so we're stuck together forever

Katsuki:
Y'know that sounds about right

Izuku:
I'd better go and get ready for the day.
Bye Kats

Katsuki:
Bye Broccoli
Don't get injured again.

Izuku:
Worrywart.

Smiling to himself, Izuku rolled out of bed and went about his stretches, already modified to cater towards his neck injury. He went through them slowly, taking his time because he had plenty.

He picked out an outfit after he was done and then padded into the bathroom where he'd left his toothbrush and hygiene stuffs the night before. Amajiki's shower was running while Izuku was brushing his teeth, but he was done and the water was off by the time Izuku started his own shower.

After Izuku was clean and dressed in casual clothes, he went back into the bedroom and found Amajiki reading a book quietly on his bed. Izuku smiled faintly and headed to his own bed so he could pull out his notebook of rules and regulations. Izuku added the usual Hero Agency legality rules and regulations to the notebook a few days prior to leaving for his Internship, which he was glad for.

About an hour and a half after he woke up, Izuku stood and looked over at Amajiki curiously.

"Where would I go for breakfast?" Izuku asked. The boy looked up and blinked at him for a moment.

"Oh, I'll show you." Amajiki stood, shutting his book and setting it down on his bed. "We eat lunch and dinner out, but breakfast is a little buffet in the break room on the third floor where the training rooms are."

"They don't do any other meals?" Izuku questioned as he followed Amajiki. The older boy shook his head in response.

"I think it's too much work." Amajiki admitted, "There's not a lot of staff here, but breakfast is always made around four because sometimes Fatgum or a few of the sidekicks do night patrols and they're hungry when they get back in the early morning hours."

"That actually makes sense." Izuku said thoughtfully. Amajiki just nodded in response.

The third floor was a lot like the first floor lobby, very open except for a few smaller rooms around the main room. The elevator was tucked into a small alcove, so when you turned right and opened a door you were then faced with a round training room with weapons and tools hanging on racks or resting on shelves.

Izuku assumed one of the other rooms was a locker room or maybe a bathroom, but the one Amajiki headed for was probably the break room he mentioned. Sure enough, a buffet table was set up off to the side while little round tables and foldable chairs littered the rest of the room.

"How long do they leave all this out?" Izuku asked, grabbing a plate while Amajiki did the same.

"Well, usually they put it all away around eleven." Amajiki said. He paused for a moment as he picked his food, then continued. "Sometimes it's a little later, if nobody has time."

"That makes sense." Izuku nodded. He sat down at a table with Amajiki next to him and smiled. "When do you usually come up for food?"

"I get up at five, as you unfortunately noticed, but I usually don't eat until around eight." Amajiki ducked his head shyly. "I like sitting in my bedroom in the quiet for a bit before leaving."

"Oh. You didn't have to come with me." Izuku frowned, "I could've found my way."

"No, it's alright." Amajiki sighed, looking away awkwardly. "I don't mind showing you. Sorry, I didn't say that to make you feel bad."

"Alright." Izuku said, then grinned. "By the way, what's your favourite thing to Manifest?"

Breakfast with Amajiki was a mix of quiet responses and anxious pauses, but Izuku enjoyed it. Amajiki seemed like a great person, and an even better friend to the people he cared about. His quiet presence reminded Izuku of Shoto just a little, if Shoto was overly anxious and awkward or if Amajiki was blank-faced and even toned.

After they finished eating, Izuku went down to the lobby alone to ask the receptionist if he needed to do anything. Unfortunately she said no, and that Fatgum didn't plan on starting anything until noon. That prompted Izuku to head back upstairs and examine the training room more closely.

Interestingly, the far wall had targets up for knife throwing. People shaped targets, probably metal, definitely attached to the wall, little knicks from the tips of knives littering the bodies. There was also a rack of knives nearby, conveniently within reach.

Taking a set of ten and walking over to a table along the start line, Izuku got into position and breathed deeply. He hadn't gone knife throwing in forever. Sure he practised lightly once a month or so, but he hadn't had an actual full training session since he was in his second year of middle school.

With that in mind, Izuku started with his usual warm-up exercises: Throwing knives one by one with a long pause between each one, making sure every knife found its way to exactly where he wanted it. If one of them ended up in the wrong spot, he started over completely. Luckily, as he made his way through all ten knives he had, he only had to restart twice. It was solid methodical work, and Izuku smiled easily as he collected the knives.

Next he tried throwing faster, practising rapid succession throwing. One after the other, thunk, thunk, thunk, all ten knives right into the target's weak points. The eyes, the throat, the wrists, shoulders, heart, and the knees. Izuku repeated the exercise at least ten times before he got the hang of grabbing the next knife fast enough while aiming and then managing to land all of them perfectly at the same time.

His shoulders and neck were starting to ache after that, but Izuku resolved to try just one more exercise: Dual throws. Izuku had trained very briefly in throwing with both hands, so he was a little weak at it; even though he could shoot with both hands, no trouble at all.

To start, Izuku set aside eight of his knives and worked with only the remaining two. He threw the pair and retrieved them again and again, adjusting to the weight and the motions of it. After a few tries he managed to hit the target with both knives consistently, so Izuku moved on to aiming for specific points.

By the time he noticed Amajiki and Fatgum both watching him from the other side of the room, Izuku was consistently burying both knives in his target's shoulders.

"Oh, hey." Izuku grinned, wiping some sweat off his forehead with the hem of his shirt. "How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Not long." Amajiki muttered.

"About forty minutes." Fatgum said cheerfully at the same time, and Amajiki ducked his head anxiously when Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"You could've interrupted me." Izuku said, jogging over to them. "I was just practising." He fought a wince at the dull throb under his bandages.

"I can see why you have such a well thought of reputation for someone as young as you are." Fatgum grinned, "You don't slack. I like it!"

"Thank you." Izuku smiled, "I was trained thoroughly when I was a kid, and since then I've kept training on my own even though I finished my lessons."

"That's a good mindset, keep it up well into adulthood and you'll be set for life!" Fatgum approved loudly, "Now, go get dressed and we'll meet in the lobby in five minutes!"

"Yes, sir!"

Izuku practically sprinted down the stairs, and he did a speedy shower rinse in the locker room before throwing his costume on. He ignored his shoulder pain completely, it just being post-exercise soreness, but his neck ached steadily as well. The low throbbing was better than random bouts of sharp pain, so Izuku counted it as a win while he rushed around. Not his smartest assessment of an injury but it's the one he made nonetheless.

When Izuku jogged into the lobby seven minutes later, his hair was damp but he was clean and in full costume. Fatgum was waiting there with Suneater, and the Hero looked Izuku up and down before nodding in approval, and then the three of them were off.

Surprisingly, they all went to lunch first. Izuku mostly ate in silence while Fatgum chatted loudly with the restaurant owners and chefs, occasionally smiling at Amajiki sympathetically when the people who recognized the older boy made a comment about his timid demeanour. He didn't like attention, and that was made painfully obvious in the face of social interaction with strangers.

When they actually started their patrol, Izuku walked next to Amajiki and behind Fatgum, humming lightly. He waved and Smiled™ when people pointed at him or called his name, but he did keep his eyes sweeping the area and tried to remain vigilant. Izuku was both confused and impressed by how Fatgum was seemingly giving random people his complete focus while still paying attention to his surroundings. It was odd, if Izuku didn't know he was a Pro Hero he'd assume Fatgum was completely oblivious to everything around him.

"Did you meet Mikuso?" Amajiki asked hesitantly, near the end of patrol.

"Fatgum's Healer? Yeah, I did." Izuku frowned, "Why?"

"He doesn't seem to like you very much." Amajiki confided quietly, "Mikuso walked by while you were training and said that you were wasting your time."

"Huh?" That was weird. Izuku didn't think he'd be the type to tell Izuku all he'd ever be was a Healer, he seemed rather vehemently against Izuku's position as a Healer when they spoke.

"He said you should focus on being a better Healer instead of wasting your time on weapons training. I think he used the phrase 'practice being a real Healer', actually." Amajiki winced, and he pulled down his hood to hide his face. "I just feel like he doesn't like you."

"He doesn't. We were at odds yesterday about my Internship being with Fatgum and not him; Mikuso sent me an offer for a Healer Internship." Izuku sighed, and he smiled in resignation when Amajiki peeked out from under his hood to meet his eyes. "He's not worth my time."

"Right." Amajiki whispered, and then they both fell silent. Fatgum glanced back at them briefly, but that was the only indication that he'd heard them or noticed something. Izuku caught it though, and so did Amajiki. Izuku smiled, but his upperclassmen ducked his head in either shyness or embarrassment. Probably both, if Izuku was being honest.

The rest of patrol was just as uneventful, and they had dinner on the go as they walked. Fatgum kept handing them food he snagged from random places they walked by, and Izuku had to eventually ask him to stop because he'd had enough. Luckily, because of his Quirk, Fatgum was constantly hungry and more than happy to eat any extra.

Izuku wondered if Yaoyorozu might be the same way. She said back at the Quirk Assessment test at the beginning of the year that she regularly brought three lunches to school, but Izuku wasn't sure if that was a 'just in case' thing or a 'she's constantly hungry to fuel her Quirk and therefore needs extra food' type of thing. Both were plausible, and he wasn't confident on which it was, so Izuku filed the thought away and hoped he got a chance to ask her about it sometime.

By the time they got back to the Agency, Izuku's injured throat was protesting every movement and he could no longer deny that he'd pushed himself too hard while training. He was glad his session with Ingenium was the following day, because otherwise he'd've had to ask Fatgum for a rest day. Izuku was extremely glad it wasn't necessary, but he also knew he would've reluctantly asked for it if he'd really needed it.

"What made you pick your Hero name?" Amajiki asked as they headed to their room. "Supernova is… cool."

"Because a Supernova is a kind of star, and the Sun is a star, and my Quirk is called Sunlight." Izuku explained the same way he did for his classmates, "It represents me well, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it does." Amajiki nodded, "You picked well." Izuku smiled.

"Thank you."

"Midoriya?" Fatgum stuck his head into the room.

"Yes?" Izuku blinked in surprise at his appearance. The Hero already said goodnight to them when he sent the duo up to their room.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Fatgum asked, and Izuku hummed in thought for a moment.

"Early afternoon?" Izuku estimated, "I need to be in Hosu by five at the very latest so I have some extra time as a buffer."

"You're going to Hosu?" Amajiki cut in softly with a confused frown.

"I have a healing session with the Pro Hero Ingenium that I can't miss again." Izuku smiled at Amajiki, "It was supposed to be last week, but I was unconscious in the hospital at the time. I'm sorry it's affecting our time together. Anyway, Fatgum, I'll be back from Hosu Thursday afternoon. I'm staying overnight at the Iidaten Agency."

"Do you have a specific train in mind?" Fatgum asked.

"No, but I'd like to head to the station around one so I have time to pick one at my leisure and be on a train by three, at the latest."

"That's a ballpark I can do." Fatgum nodded, "Be ready to go at one and I'll have someone escort you to the station. I can't go because I'll be leaving for patrol at eleven."

"I'll go." Amajiki said quietly, "I can escort him."

"You'll be on patrol with me." Fatgum frowned.

"Yeah, but if you weren't on patrol you'd take him yourself because you're a Pro, right?" Amajiki pulled at his fingers, "So, doesn't it make sense that I should walk with him? I can miss a patrol this once, right?" Fatgum seemed to be loading for a solid moment, but Izuku could only feel a spark of pride. Amajiki had almost acknowledged his real talent as a Hero, and that was so cool to see.

"I suppose… that does make sense." Fatgum said finally, nodding. "Okay, it's settled then. You two be ready at one, tell the receptionist when you leave and he'll mark it down for me to make sure it went well while I was gone."

"Alright." Izuku said while Amajiki just nodded.

"Night then." Fatgum slipped out and shut the door firmly.

"Thanks for that, you didn't have to." Izuku turned to smile at Amajiki, who nodded minutely.

"Sure, anytime." Amajiki said it a bit awkwardly, but he smiled before he disappeared into the bathroom hurriedly.

Izuku sighed fondly, already used to Amajiki's odd little anxious reactions and once again quite sure Amajiki was a good person to be friends with. Speaking of friends, Izuku slid his phone out his pocket to send Katsuki and his mother texts confirming he was alive and uninjured. After a moment's hesitation, he opened his thread with Iida.

Healer Midoriya:
I'll be at the hospital tomorrow to see your brother.

Iida:
I know.
Thank you.

Healer Midoriya:
Will you be there?

Iida:
No, I'll be on patrol with one of my brother's sidekicks.

Healer Midoriya:
Alright, no worries.
Is your agency expecting me?
I can call ahead if not.

Iida:
They are.
Healer Reika is looking forward to both the session and your overnight stay.

Healer Midoriya:
Good, thanks again.
Your brother is lucky to have you.

Izuku frowned when Iida just left him in read, and he again felt a pang of unease. It was almost like Iida was mourning his brother, who was still alive, which didn't make sense. There had to be something Izuku was missing, and he resolved himself to find out what. After his session with Ingenium, he'd find Iida and ask him what was wrong.

Hopefully Izuku could help before Iida did something he'd regret.

Chapter Text

Hosu City

"Are you ready to go?" Amajiki asked as Izuku pulled on his boots, the same dull gold colour his hair became when he was exhausted.

"Almost." Izuku answered, shoving his Healer's uniform mask in his pocket along with tucking his phone into a thigh pouch.

"What're you wearing?" Amajiki frowned, stepping further into the locker room as Izuku finished up.

"Oh, my Healer uniform." Izuku looked down at himself, "I wear it when I'm doing my work as a licensed Healer, such as when I'm working in the UA Healer's Office."

"It's… a lot different than your Hero costume." Amajiki said, ducking his head as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

"I know, I designed them that way on purpose." Izuku laughed, "Grey and bright gold for my Hero costume, but white and dull gold for my Healer uniform. If you look on the back of my shirt you can see the Staff of Asclepius down my spine."

"Doesn't your Hero costume jacket have a sun on the back of it?"

"Yep." Izuku confirmed, "In theme for me, but very different. I wanted my careers to be clearly separate."

"That makes sense." Amajiki nodded.

"Well, I'm ready now." Izuku said, glancing at himself in the full length mirror as he filled his features with gold.

"Can I ask how you do that?" Amajiki asked as he led Izuku out of the locker room and down the hall to the elevator.

"Sure." Izuku grinned during the small pause before Amajiki spoke.

"... So how do you do it?"

"My Quirk is sorta sentient, and so–"

Izuku was happy to chat with Amajiki about his Quirk, and in turn he learned about Manifest. He knew the basics of it, like how whatever Amajiki ate he could manifest the forms of, but there was a lot he didn't know and could previously only speculate on.

Apparently, Amajiki often Manifested things he didn't actually need because they appeared in tandem with other things he summoned. Though his accuracy for Manifesting what animals and features he wanted in the moment was good, it got the better of him sometimes. For example, the most common mistake Amajiki made was Manifesting chicken wings when he actually only needed claws on his feet or vise versa.

Amajiki also confessed that he'd struggled for a long time with his Quirk, summoning less useful things like plants in his palms, and he'd worked extremely hard for the control he had. In tandem, Izuku also gleaned a bit about Amajiki's relationship with Togata Mirio. Izuku felt like the two had a special connection, sort of like how Izuku was with Katsuki. Though, just maybe, there was a little something extra there that Izuku and Katsuki didn't have. On Amajiki's end, at least; Izuku couldn't speak for Togata's feelings in the slightest.

When they reached the train station, Izuku picked a train that had a departure time that satisfied him, and Amajiki waited with him for it to arrive. When it did, Amajiki stayed until Izuku was boarded and then they waved to each other until the train left the station behind.

On the ride over, Izuku pulled up his notes on Ingenium's injury and reabsorbed the information so he wouldn't be surprised by anything upon his arrival. It would be a lot of energy, but Izuku was positive he could do it in one session.

To his surprise, Katsuki called him while he was on the train.

"This is Healer Midoriya on the train to Hosu, what can I do for you on this very fine day?" Izuku answered, grinning widely.

"You can shut the fuck up."

"Okay then, bye!" Izuku hung up, cutting off Katsuki's angry swears as he did so. Two seconds later, his phone rang again. "Mmmm yes?"

"I hate you."

"No, you love me."

"Not if you hang up on me again I won't!"

"Duly noted." Izuku laughed, "So what's up? I thought you'd be training with Mirko."

"I asked for a break so I could call." Katsuki grunted, "You better not overheat from using too much energy on this session, Goldilocks."

"If I thought I'd be spending too much energy I'd have scheduled more than one session, you know I take my work seriously." Izuku huffed.

"You could be overestimating how much energy you have."

"I'm not an idiot, Katsuki. I don't make mistakes like that."

"You went past your limit healing Half-and-Half at the Sports Festival."

"In my defence, that was purposeful." Izuku grinned, "I even politely asked him if he'd carry my unconscious body to Recovery Girl!"

"Like that's any better."

"Actually it is."

"Whatever you say, Goldilocks." Izuku huffed at the amused edge to Katsuki's words. "Anyway, when're you arriving at Hosu?"

"In about half an hour." Izuku hummed, "I'm going over Ingenium's medical records."

"Wow, so fascinating."

"Oh shut it." Izuku smiled, "It's important."

"Yeah yeah, Healer nonsense and all that." Katsuki snickered, "Sometimes I wonder how you don't fall asleep reading that shit."

"Ah yes, my favourite bedtime story." Izuku drawled, "Life saving surgeries, shattered vertebrae, organ transplants, blood loss, broken facial bones–"

"Okay, I get it!" Katsuki snapped, though Izuku could just feel the eye roll that accompanied it. "Weirdo, reading that shit so casually on a train."

"I'm more than used to it." Izuku reminded him dryly, "Y'know, from the whole decade I spent studying stuff like this as homework?"

"Nerd."

"Accurate." Izuku grinned.

"How's your neck?" Katsuki said it casually, but there was tension in his voice that made Izuku sigh.

"It hurts." He admitted, "I went a little hard training yesterday, but it's not horrible. I didn't reinjure it or anything."

"Be more careful, I'll kill you myself if you hurt yourself further."

"Wouldn't that be counter-productive?" Izuku teased.

"Oh shut up!"

"Gladly, but we're on the phone." Izuku laughed, "If I shut up then we can't communicate. You also did say you'd stop loving me, so…"

"Hey, don't throw logic at me!" Katsuki snapped playfully, "Why are you like this?"

"Because you let me get away with it for years and now you're stuck with it." Izuku grinned.

"Ugh, fine. Fair enough." There was a shuffle on the other end of the line, and then a sigh. "Bunny bitch is yelling for me, I gotta go."

"That's alright." Izuku assured him, "Go kick ass."

"Bye Goldilocks."

"Bye Kats." Izuku sighed as Katsuki hung up on him, but he smiled. Katsuki was always worried about him, it seemed.

Arriving in Hosu at five o'clock was cutting it a little close, so Izuku took a taxi to make sure he made it to the hospital with some time to spare. Izuku arrived at Hosu General Hospital fifteen minutes early, which Izuku was glad for.

"Healer Midoriya!" Izuku recognized the man running up to him as the Iidaten Healer, Reika Enjiko. "Thank you so much for coming, we didn't think you would reschedule so soon after your injury."

"This job is a priority for me." Izuku said earnestly, "Ingenium deserves to be certain of his future, and his family deserves the peace of mind knowing he's going to be just fine."

"Of course, yes." Reiko nodded hurriedly, "Would you like me to show you to his room?"

"Yes, thank you." Izuku Smiled™, and Reiko practically tripped over himself as he scrambled up the steps towards Ingenium's room. Izuku pulled on his mask as he walked, and he nodded to Reika in thanks before slipping inside.

Ingenium was in the same condition Izuku remembered, and Mrs. Iida was sitting on one side of his bed, holding his hand and crutching a tissue in her other hand. She looked up at Izuku and smiled wobbly, but she said nothing.

"Hello." Izuku said to Ingenium, moving to the side to allow Healer Reika to follow him in. "I'm Healer Midoriya, do you remember me?"

"There's no chance I would forget you." Tensei rasped, coughing slightly.

"I'm glad to hear it." Izuku smiled slightly, "This is a Healing session, and I'm going to explain how this will work before we get into it. Alright?"

"Alright." Tensei exhaled roughly.

"First of all, this won't hurt at all. If anything, it'll feel soothing and warm." Izuku said as a start, "Second, my Quirk won't put you back where you were before the injury. This will be a major setback in your career that will take months to recover from."

"I remember."

"This session will accomplish two things." Izuku continued, "The main thing will be your Healing, and returning the feeling to and function of your lower extremities. Additionally, I will walk you through how your recovery will start and what it will be like in the near future. Does all that make sense?"

"Yes sir." Tensei smiled slightly, and Izuku huffed in amusement.

"Alright, I'll start with the recovery process." Izuku nodded to himself, "I'll be sending all this information to your agency and Healer Team via email, so don't worry about remembering it off the top of your head."

"Can I get a copy too?" Mrs. Iida raised her hand.

"Sure, just make sure to give me your email before I leave." Izuku agreed easily, and she nodded before falling silent again. "Okay, after this session you'll have full feeling in your legs again. However, I forbid you from walking or standing on them for the first two weeks. They'll have no real muscle, and even if they did, those muscles would be extremely weak. In those two weeks you'll be doing physical therapy here at the hospital, and then you can add assisted walking and standing exercises after that. Does all that make sense for your first steps?"

"Yes." Tensei nodded weakly.

"After that you'll start slowly working up to more intensive physical exercise." Izuku explained, "After about three months of low stress strength training, your body should be healthy enough to start working out again. Go slow, rest if you have any pain or strain at all, and we'll have regular check-ins on your progress. After I'm satisfied with your physical condition, I'll approve you to resume your Hero duties. That all still sound good?"

"Yes." Tensei repeated, and Izuku Smiled™ behind the mask.

"Alright, if you're ready, we can move on to the Healing session now."

"I'm ready when you are Doc." Tensei cracked a smile, and Izuku laughed.

"Just relax, and don't move." Izuku instructed, then he pulled off a glove and pressed one hand to Ingenium's exposed arm. With a deep breath, Sunlight spilled into Ingenium as Izuku's eyes slipped shut.

Sunlight filled Ingenium's veins, spreading through his body, guided by Izuku to his facial fractures, his transplanted organs, and his spine. Sunlight dissolved the metal plates and pins and healed the damage, soaking into the area to soothe the irritation and injuries. Izuku pushed it deeper, making Sunlight reconnect Ingenium's nerves so his lower body could receive signals from the brain once again, and Izuku continued even as he heard Ingenium inhale sharply.

Sunlight raced lower, into the Pro's legs, and it soothed all the muscles that were damaged from weeks without any movement and the nerves that were cut off from the rest of his body. Izuku swirled the remaining Sunlight around in search of more to heal, and then let it all sink into Ingenium when he found nothing else.

Exhausted, drained, and mildly feverish, Izuku pulled his hand away and opened his eyes.

"You're all done." Izuku said, resisting a wince at how hot he felt. "Can you please wiggle your toes for me?" Pulling back the blanket covering Ingenium's legs, Izuku watched with a tired smile as Ingenium successfully moved his feet and toes.

"I… can feel them." Ingenium whispered, and his voice was coloured with disbelief. Izuku reached to the side to raise Ingenium's bed slowly, positioning him to be halfway to sitting up so he could sit up but wouldn't be putting too much pressure on his newly healed spine.

"You're all healed, Ingenium." Izuku Smiled™ behind his mask as he put his glove back on.

"Thank you." The gratitude and wonder in his voice was enough for Izuku to forget how much energy he'd used for a second.

"You're welcome."

Leaving the hospital took longer than Izuku would've liked, but that was only the case because several staff members appeared with ice packs for him. Apparently, Healer Reika had rightly assumed Izuku would need them and had five ice packs prepared for Izuku and brought them right to Ingenium's room. They assured him it was okay, but Izuku still felt bad that he was just taking the hospital's ice packs.

A quick stop to the bathroom and a look in the mirror made Izuku wince at the state of his hair. It wasn't super noticeable since he'd had it in full gold mode, but once he drained Sunlight from the strands it was obvious how much energy he'd used. No wonder he had a fever, there were only tiny strands of green running through the dull gold chunks that consumed nearly his whole head. Izuku put Sunlight back with a sigh. No need to put his exhaustion on obvious display.

Izuku decided to walk to the Iidaten Agency, breathing in the frosty night air with a smile as he removed his mask and pressed an ice pack to his forehead. He had the four other ice packs tucked into his thigh pouches, and they were steadily freezing his thighs. He was glad for it, especially since the femoral artery running down the inner thigh produced so much heat, and cooling the area helped balance Izuku's temperature a little.

It had taken about as much energy as he expected it to. He was a little feverish and definitely needed rest, but he'd be completely fine to go back to Internships the following day. Yes he was exhausted, no he wasn't wiped out.

Izuku could see the Iidaten Agency when something caught his eye, and Izuku looked up just in time to see a winged creature fall from the sky.

BAM.

The impact shook the street, and Izuku gasped as a Nomu slammed into a building and brought the whole thing down. People immediately started screaming, and Izuku could smell smoke that meant a fire would be starting in that building any minute.

"Get out of the street!" Izuku shouted at the civilians who were screaming and running away. "Get away from the scene! Go find a Hero!"

Izuku sprinted for the fallen building and ran around the wreckage looking for an entrance. It took a while, but he found a way in and immediately started yelling for survivors.

He came across a ratio of about seven dead bodies per one living person.

By the time he'd searched the entire building and found as many survivors as he could, the street outside was on fire. The Nomu was shrieking in high pitched wails, and Izuku ground his teeth as he saw how it was indiscriminately destroying everything in its path.

The League was behind the attack, Izuku just knew it. Shigaraki must've had more Nomus than the one All Might had defeated and the police had retrieved, which no one could have anticipated.

As the Nomu whipped around and screamed in his direction, Izuku crossed his arms and pulsed his Quirk forward. Sunlight responded by forming a brilliant gold shield, and the Nomu slammed right into it.

Izuku's hands and arms were hidden under his Healer uniform, but he felt little patches of numbness along his forearms when he dropped the shield.

The Nomu was nothing but a charred and partially disintegrated husk after touching Sunlight, and Izuku sprinted off down the street towards more of the burning buildings. Izuku feared the Nomu would regenerate and attack again, but he couldn't just stick around to see. People needed his help.

Izuku pressed a hand to his collarbone, breathing deeply as the pain flared. He didn't have a choice in this case, if the wound got worse during the emergency he'd deal with it after. There were more important things going on than his partially healed bullet wound, and he didn't have time to care that his temperature was too high to be so near to the fires around him.

"Healer! There's people in this building!" Izuku whipped his head around to see Manual throwing water onto a building with his Quirk.

"How many?" Izuku yelled back, running over.

"At least ten!"

"I'm on it!" Manual cleared a pass as best he could, and Izuku ducked inside to begin his search. Izuku found four people, injured but alive, and he guided them out onto the street.

A Fly themed Hero corralled them away from the fires as best he could, and Izuku was able to move on thanks to that. Working in tandem, Izuku and the three on scene Heroes cleared four more buildings and saved a dozen more people.

While Izuku worked, another Nomu appeared. It was much more like the one at the USJ, all purple and muscular, and Izuku grimaced as he watched the three Pros turn to face it and all get knocked back without seemingly hurting the Nomu at all.

"Goddammit, where is he? Why did you have to run off, Ingenius!?" Izuku stopped dead in his tracks as he heard a horned Hero curse under his breath, seemingly talking to himself.

"Hey, you! Was Iida Tenya under your care for his Internship!?" Izuku shouted over the cries of the Nomu.

"Yes, he disappeared when the fires started!" The Hero shouted, evidently a sidekick from Iidaten, and Izuku's heart beat wildly in his chest as he finally understood.

Iida was somewhere in Hosu, running away from a crisis, looking for Stain: the Hero Killer.

"Goddammit Iida." Was all Izuku could say between clenched teeth before he sprinted off. He had a classmate to find.

Izuku gritted his teeth against the exhaustion and the pain, running flat out along the street and glancing down every alley he passed.

Stain liked ambush attacks in alleys, and he immobilised his opponents to kill them. Izuku speculated it was his Quirk, but he didn't have much information. Ingenium was one of only four total survivors attacked by Stain, and two of them were completely unresponsive. Safe to say, there wasn't a lot of information available.

Izuku ran by alley after alley, but he stopped dead when he saw a flash of what looked like metal. Throwing caution to the wind, Izuku ran down the alley and felt both panic and relief at what he found.

Iida was lying on the ground face down, a pool of blood spreading beneath him, and Stain the Hero Killer was pinning him down with a sword through his shoulder and boot on his spine. As Izuku caught sight of them, Stain looked up and made eye contact with Izuku.

Immediately, Izuku pushed Sunlight into his skin as hard as he could, glowing brightly until Stain had to cover his eyes. The alley was consumed with bright light, and as Stain stepped back a single step, Izuku analysed what he could. Iida was on the ground, Native was leaning against the wall nearby. Stain was maybe two steps away from Iida's body, which was way too close for comfort.

Izuku ran closer, and as he did he threw out his hands in front of him and formed a shield. It was only waist height and above, so Izuku could charge right to where Iida was lying on the ground and stand over him protectively.

"Iida, I need you to get out of here and get backup." Izuku said immediately, lowering his shield enough to see that the Hero Killer had retreated maybe a dozen feet and was glaring at Izuku. "Are you injured anywhere but your arm?"

"I can't… move at all…" Iida's voice was strained, and Izuku tensed. That was not a good sign. "Ever since he cut me… I think it's his Quirk…!"

"Damn, I was hoping he didn't get you." Izuku swore, "Immobilisation Quirk, involves blood, swords support attack patterns… " As he spoke, he reached into his thigh pocket, keeping one hand out in front of him, and slipped out his phone.

"Healer Midoriya… don't get involved!" Iida groaned, "This has nothing to do with you!"

"Shut up Iida, you'll only make things worse." Izuku clicked the button on his phone, sending a mass text to his contacts that were tagged as Police or Hero. It was his work phone, so there were a lot of them.

"You're a Healer?" Stain called, to which Izuku gritted his teeth and cursed Iida in his head. "Healers are better than some, but I am obligated to kill you because you're in my way." He met Izuku's eyes seriously, and Izuku wanted to flinch away from the radiating hatred pouring off the Villain. "Know that if we clash, the weaker will be culled. Now, what will you do?"

"I'm going to protect those I can reach." Izuku swallowed, "Right now, that means I'm not going to let you hurt Iida, or Native, as long as I am still breathing."

"Stop, run away!" Iida shouted, "Didn't you hear me!? This has nothing to do with you!"

"This has everything to do with me!" Izuku snapped, not taking his eyes off Stain for a single moment. "I took an oath as a Healer to heal and to save, and I'm not going to turn away from this! Even if I hadn't, I am a Hero student of UA and I am going to do everything I can to be a Hero!"

Stain grinned at him, wildly and maniacally, and Izuku pushed his shield forward from the floor to the top of the alley as a solid barrier of Sunlight between Izuku and Stain, protecting both Iida and Native on his side.

"Please, stop!" Iida cried out, "I need to do it! If you could just heal me, I could do it! Please, I need to avenge my brother!"

"Idiot, your brother is fully healed!" Izuku shouted, wincing as the feeling in his arms slowly faded. "I used up nearly all the energy I had healing him, and you're throwing all of that back in my face because you're angry?!" Low blow, but Izuku was mad.

"No! You don't understand!" Iida's voice shook, but Izuku didn't care as he desperately tried to maintain his shield. His hands were trembling badly and he already had a fever.

"Iida just shut up! We need to hold until backup arrives!" Izuku gritted his teeth, and then he dropped the shield as spots danced in his vision. "Damn it!"

Stain appeared out of nowhere, slashing out so quickly all Izuku could do was spin out of range and duck. Izuku hit the ground and rolled, and then immediately threw his shield up again. The shield was usually so easy, but Izuku was already too exhausted. It was too small, and so the Hero Killer ran up a wall and jumped over it, landing in a slide on the far side.

Izuku dropped the shield and turned, but then he froze. Suddenly it felt like his muscles were locked in place, and yet he trembled. His body ached and yet could not adjust, and Sunlight thrashed unhappily without activating.

Stain lowered the blade from his mouth, licking his lips, and Izuku then noticed the slight sting in his left arm. Izuku's mind whirred at double speed, trying to discern what he could and analyse what he knew. Ingestion…?

"Usually I'd say it was foolish to block a faster opponent from view, but that shield is impenetrable." Stain said, straightening slowly. "Not powerful enough though. If you'd been able to hold it indefinitely, I would have had to retreat. People who are all talk are a dime a dozen, but you are worth letting live. You're different from these guys." Stain walked past Izuku slowly, not even looking at him as he stood over Iida and raised his sword.

Izuku didn't know if he shouted for Stain to stop, or if he begged, all he knew was that he could only watch as Stain positioned his sword over Iida's neck and raised it above his head to–

"Hero Killer!!"

Fire filled the alley, and Stain jumped back away from Iida with a disappointed grumble. Izuku hated that Endeavor had been the one to respond to his distress text containing his location and the word "Stain," but Endeavor was a Hero and Izuku was grateful anyone had showed up.

"Endeavor, Stain's Quirk is Blood-Ingestion causing Immobilisation!" Izuku exclaimed when Endeavor paused to examine Stain.

"Stay out of my way, Healer." Endeavor said bluntly, "You've done enough."

"You fake." If Izuku hadn't already been forcibly immobilised, he would've frozen completely at the sound of Stain's voice. "You're nowhere near a true hero, you will be culled!"

Izuku wished he could turn, but as Endeavor raced by him Izuku was facing the opposite direction of their fight. The only thing that he hated more than being immobilised was the heat that was slowly filling the alley and only adding to Izuku's raging fever.

"Why…" Iida whispered brokenly, "Why are you taking this away from me…? This is my responsibility…"

"Because you are a Hero, and Heroes don't take revenge." Izuku snapped, and then he felt his fingers twitch. He gasped, and a moment later he spun around as his body finally cooperated. "Endeavor! I'm going to evacuate the injured!"

Endeavor did not respond, evidently too focused on trying to burn the Hero Killer alive, but Stain turned his head and made eye contact with Izuku immediately. He was too engaged with Endeavor, so Izuku just glared and turned his back. Iida would be too heavy to carry in all his armour, so Izuku first knelt and scooped Native up. The Pro wasn't much taller than Izuku, and he was much lighter than Izuku was expecting.

"Come on, we need to get to a main street." Izuku said, and he started jogging out of the alley as quickly as he could.

"Healer… if you can heal me, I can help Endeavor." Native winced, and Izuku shook his head.

"No, you'd only get in his way." Izuku said bluntly, "Besides, I can't heal anyone right now, I'm too exhausted."

"Healers get exhausted?" Native asked as Izuku set him down, propping him against a building across the street from the alley.

"Absolutely." Izuku replied, and he barely mustered a Smile™ as he stood. "Wait right there, I'll bandage your wounds as best I can when I return with Iida." Without waiting for a reply, Izuku turned on his heel and ran back to the alley.

Endeavor had somehow managed to melt one of the stone walls, and Stain was still very much alive and kicking. His swords were red hot, which was much worse than before, but he was obviously tiring. Izuku refocused on Iida, who was still bleeding.

"I need you to help me." Izuku said as he knelt, "I need you to stand up."

"I can't…" Iida gritted his teeth, and Izuku shook his head.

"You can, get up." Izuku wasn't sure Iida could, but it had been long enough that no matter what blood type he had it should be close to wearing off. Izuku had broken out quickly enough that O was clearly harder to immobilise, but Izuku figured that A and B couldn't be held longer than ten minutes if Izuku had only been held for maybe four or five.

"I–"

"Didn't you say this was your fight?" Izuku cut him off, "Didn't you say you did this for your brother? He needs you. He's healed and whole again, and if you die he'll never recover. I need you to stand up, Iida!"

Izuku grabbed Iida's arm when he noticed the faintest of twitching fingers, and when Iida finally shoved himself off his stomach Izuku was right there to help him stand. Iida glanced back towards the fight only once, then he leaned into Izuku and let himself be led out onto the street.

As soon as Iida sat down next to Native, who had just started moving as well, Izuku pulled out his medical supplies and set to work. He bandaged Native's shoulder as well as Iida's, though Native's was lower and dangerously close to the ribcage. They'd both need healing if they wanted to recover quickly, but Izuku couldn't risk doing it himself.

Once he was done, Izuku stood and looked back down the alley. He saw no more flashes of fire, which was probably a good sign? It was confirmed when Endeavor trudged out, dragging a tied up Hero Killer behind him. Izuku blew out a relieved breath and headed over.

"I called the police." Endeavor grunted, "They'll be here to collect him shortly. I also called an ambulance, but I'm sure we don't need one. You're here."

"Actually the ambulance was a good call." Izuku nodded gratefully, "I'm too exhausted to heal right now."

"Indeed." Endeavor gave Izuku a once over, then turned away and crossed his arms.

Stain was tied up and unconscious, but Izuku still didn't like the look of him. Izuku had seen a lot of Villains, had taken down hundreds of them in his police work, but none had the pure hatred and bloodlust that he'd felt from Stain when their eyes met.

"A Villain!" Native shouted, but, by the time Izuku whipped around to see, the Nomu had already grabbed Izuku around the middle with one claw.

Izuku cried out, but as the Nomu gained altitude he knew there wasn't anything he could do. If he burned the Nomu off, Izuku would plummet to his death. If he didn't, the Nomu was either taking him somewhere or was just bringing him sky high to drop him to his death. Regardless, Izuku began to panic a little as his fingers dug into the thick and greyish skin of the Nomu. That was when the creature froze midair, and started to fall.

Izuku's breath caught as Stain appeared in a flash, slamming a knife into the Nomu's brain and riding it down until they slammed into the concrete. Izuku hit the ground hard, and he ended up rolling a small ways away and wincing at every movement. Spots decorated his vision, and Izuku couldn't have even sat up if he wanted to.

Stain's hand came down on Izuku's back and pushed him further into the ground, and Izuku shut his eyes as he struggled weakly. Then the pressure was gone, and he could look up to see Stain slowly stepping back towards Endeavor and a small group of Heroes that must've recently arrived.

"Fakes…" Stain gritted out, "Someone must be dyed in blood… I must take back what it means to be a Hero… come…" Izuku cringed as Stan's voice slowly raised from a gravelly declaration to a hateful shout, and he felt like he was frozen all over again. "Try and get me you fakes… the only one I'll let kill me… is the true hero… All Might…!!!"

Izuku blinked, and suddenly he could breathe again. Stain stopped moving, stopped speaking, and all Izuku could do was lower his head to the ground before he passed out.

Chapter Text

Hosu, Again

Izuku woke up in an ice bath. Again.

For the first hour or so of consciousness, Izuku was consistently being transferred from one ice bath to the next as they each melted into warm water over the course of about ten minutes. It slowed down eventually, and Izuku was finally let out when he sat in ice for a solid five minutes without melting a single cube.

When he was released from the designated area for deadly fevers and fire Quirks, he was placed in a perfectly normal hospital room for recovery. That much he was used to.

Izuku found it ironic that he'd left the Hosu General Hospital as a Healer not even twelve hours prior, only to end up right back in the same hospital as a patient. It was as depressing as it was amusing. Izuku also seemed to be visiting the hospital as a patient more often than he did before UA, which was odd. Maybe not though, considering his more recent hospital stays, aside from the USJ, were outside of UA completely. Still, it was an odd timeline overlap.

In any case, Izuku was quite used to the ice baths and cold packs he was given both while unconscious and after he woke up. His neck hurt, understandably, but even that was normal enough after his injury. What he wasn't so accustomed to was the very stabbed classmate of his lying on a bed across the room staring at walls.

"Why did you do it?" Izuku found himself asking. It was about two in the morning, by Izuku's best guess, and neither of them were able to sleep.

"Because I was blind." Iida whispered, looking out the window. Hosu was laid out before them, and the destruction caused by the Nomus was still very much evident. The fires were out and the smoke dispersed, but the buildings destroyed and the lives lost couldn't be erased in a mere few hours.

"You were angry." Izuku deduced, scrutinising Iida. "Why? Your brother is alive, healthy, and well on his way to recovery. If you'd died trying to avenge him, how do you think he would have felt?"

Iida's bottom lip trembled, but he said nothing as he clenched his teeth and stared ahead. Izuku sighed, but he didn't push it. Iida had been through enough for one night. Some people just didn't understand what it was like to take on real Villains. It wasn't a walk in the park, Izuku would know. He'd grown up around disasters and pain due to his upbringing as a prodigy Healer, which meant he had a deep understanding that most of his fellow students did not have yet.

Come the next morning, Iida was still ignoring everyone. He stayed silent and still, remaining neutral to even the nurses. Izuku was back to his normal temperature, and was about to request discharge papers when the door opened.

"Midoriya!" Amajiki entered behind two other people, but he was the first to speak as he rushed to Izuku's bed with an anxious and uneven voice.

"Hey." Izuku smiled, "I'm fine." He glanced behind Amajiki to see Fatgum, and he waved.

"Detective." Izuku looked over, and he met the eyes of the Hosu Chief of Police Tsuragamae Kenji. He was as canine as Izuku remembered. They'd met before in meetings for cases that spanned multiple cities, but they weren't much more than work acquaintances.

"Chief." Izuku bowed his head, "What brings you here?"

"I came to speak with you about what occurred last night with the Hero Killer, woof." Tsuragamae said seriously, "Endeavor reported that you sent for help, and that you were on scene before him."

"That's correct." Izuku nodded, "Iida's mentor noticed he'd disappeared, and I went to find him. The city was on fire, and Iida is a classmate of mine."

"Why was he separated from his mentor?"

"He saw Native being attacked and went to investigate. He didn't know it was the Hero Killer, and was injured before he could retreat or send for help." Izuku lied confidently, ignoring Iida completely as he clenched his hands into fists. "When I found them both I stepped in, creating a shield to protect them. Unfortunately, I was on the edge of my limit and couldn't maintain my defence. That's when Endeavor arrived."

"I see." Tsuragamae seemed to be thinking very hard, and Izuku remained attentive and bland as he waited. Iida was trembling, and Izuku hoped he wouldn't say a word. If he admitted to his actions and disputed Izuku's story, Izuku would kill him.

"You have the Hero Killer in custody?" Izuku asked. Tsuragamae nodded, much to Izuku's relief.

"Were you on scene as a Healer or a Detective?" Chief Tsuragamae seemed to be scrutinising Izuku, but he didn't let it bother him.

"A Healer." Izuku said firmly, "I'm well aware that Hosu is outside of my jurisdiction, and my actions as a Detective would be invalid unless recognized and allowed beforehand by you or another Detective." Tsuragamae nodded in acceptance.

"In that case, woof, I'd like you to know that I'll be releasing the incident to the press." He looked at Iida, "I'd like to know if you want to be included. Endeavor is getting his due credit for the Hero Killer's capture, with Healer Midoriya being on scene as aid. Woof. You may choose to be mentioned as a victim, or remain anonymous."

"I will remain anonymous." Iida said softly, ducking his head. "I did nothing. I was unable to assist Midoriya or Native in any way." Izuku felt like it was the right decision. He had nothing to gain from being seen as a victim, and would most likely be seen as weaker because of it. Not that it would be true at all, but the media could be cruel, especially to Heroes.

"As you wish." Tsuragamae accepted, "Very well. Midoriya, thank you for your assistance in the capture of Stain." He nodded to Izuku, who bowed his head. With one last look at Izuku and Iida, Tsuragamae turned and left.

"Sorry about this whole thing, Fatgum," Izuku smiled at the Hero, "But I'll be returning to my Internship today, as soon as I can get my discharge papers."

"Is that wise?" Fatgum frowned, "Were you injured?"

"Nope." Izuku shook his head, "I just overheated. They stuck me in an ice bath, and now I'm fine." Izuku smiled at Amajiki's concern and Fatgum's frown, touched that they cared so much when they hadn't known him even a week.

"Your hair." Amajiki said softly, and Izuku was reminded of the amount of energy he'd used healing Ingenium.

"Oh, that's not from the fight." Izuku explained, "It's from my healing session. Remember how I told you my hair turned gold the more people I heal?"

"Yeah, right." Amajiki nodded, "Does that make it difficult to move around? Are you tired?"

"No, as long as I manage to cool off after using the energy, I'm all good." Izuku assured him, "It just means I won't be able to heal people for a while." Amajiki nodded again, more slowly, in reluctant acceptance.

"Well then, let's get you discharged." Fatgum clapped his hands together with a wide grin, "You have an Internship to get back to!" Izuku grinned back at him, and nodded.

It only took about ten minutes to get Izuku's discharge sorted, and he was given his Healer costume back to put on. Unfortunately, it was completely unwearable; he'd spent maybe an hour running around in boiling temperatures to save civilians, drenching it in sweat and blood, and was then flung around by a Nomu before he fell from the sky, embedding gravel in the sleeves and torso with more blood, but from the Nomu. Safe to say, Izuku asked for simple hospital scrubs to put on for his departure, and had his Healer uniform put in a bag for him.

On his way out, however, Izuku paused. Iida was still silently sitting with both arms wrapped up, staring at seemingly nothing. Despite Iida's continued silence, Izuku felt like he should try to reach out one last time before he left.

"I'll meet you guys outside." Izuku smiled at Fatgum and Amajiki, who reluctantly left the room and shut the door behind them.

Izuku looked back at Iida, and noticed a heavy tension in his shoulders. He also wasn't staring at nothing, but directly at his left hand. Frowning, Izuku approached and set his hand on Iida's shoulder.

"Have they examined you yet?" Izuku asked softly. Iida nodded curtly, his eyes still trained on his hand.

"My left hand might have long term damage." Iida said, and Izuku sighed internally. If the Iida family kept up their record, Izuku might have to heal every one of them. He said nothing, however, and listened as Iida continued. "Both of my arms were pretty beat up, but it looks like the damage to my left hand was especially bad. There was damage to my brachial plexus." He looked up, and Izuku nodded in understanding.

"It's fixable." Izuku said, tilting his head. "You'll experience numbness and tingling in your arm and hand, but especially in your fingers. Movement will be restricted as well. Nerve-replacement surgery would be the normal way to fix it, but I could always–"

"No." Iida's voice was resolute and determined in a way that made Izuku pause. "When I found the Hero Killer, I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should've done was tell Manual, but I forgot myself in my anger. He said to me, 'Being taken in by your hatred before you and trying to fulfil your own desires… That is the furthest from what a Hero should be.' I hate him, but he spoke the truth. That's why… until I become a true Hero, I think I want to leave my left hand as it is."

Iida had completely made up his mind. Izuku could see it in his eyes, and his voice. He was using his injury as a reminder of the regret he felt and the determination to move past it and become better. Despite Izuku's Healer training telling him that leaving an injury like that to fester would most likely be more damaging in the long run, and that it might be impossible if he waited more than two years and then chose the surgery option, Izuku couldn't bring himself to say any of that. Izuku's Quirk would be more than enough to heal Iida whenever he decided he was ready, and besides… Izuku couldn't take that kind of sentiment and dedication away from him.

"I think that's very admirable of you, Iida." Izuku said finally. Iida looked up at him in surprise, and Izuku smiled. He almost instinctively gave him his Healer™ smile, but part of him knew that wouldn't fit in such a situation. Iida deserved a real smile. "Whenever you're ready, I would be honoured if you let me heal it for you."

Izuku stood before Iida, who looked up at him with wide eyes, and it finally hit him that he'd held his own against the Hero Killer, and saved two people from meeting the same fate as dozens before them. Maybe he'd been wearing his Healer uniform, but Izuku felt more like a Hero than he ever had before.

And he let himself be proud of that.

Izuku was halfway back to Esuha when the news hit. Tsuragamae's speech had been broadcasted barely four minutes ago, and now Katsuki was calling. Izuku sighed as he pulled out his phone.

"Sorry about this." Izuku said to his two travel companions, and then offered no explanation before answering the phone.

"Izuku you motherfucker, I deserve an explanation for why you're on the news and involved in the capture of the Hero Killer!!" It was a good thing Izuku preemptively kept the phone a ways away from his ear, because Katsuki was shouting quite loudly. Izuku was positive that both Amajiki and Fatgum could hear him easily. "Not only that, but there's footage of you running around doing your Healer bullshit saving thing while the city is being attacked by the League, right after using all our damn energy healing that bitchass engine Hero! I'd bet a million yen you fell unconscious and were stuck in an ice bath!" Izuku winced.

"... I wouldn't win if I went against you on that one."

"I fucking knew it." Katsuki growled, "You overdid it!"

"In my defence, I actually didn't." Izuku resisted a grin, "Listen, let's meet up on Sunday and I'll tell you everything. It's not something I should just talk about randomly on the train, Katsuki." Izuku smiled at the sound of Katsuki's angry muttering.

"Fine." Katsuki said finally, "But you have some serious explaining to do later."

"I know." Izuku confirmed fondly, "For now, don't worry, I'm okay. We'll talk later."

"We'd better. Bye, Sunshine." Katsuki hung up before Izuku could reply, so he just sighed as he tucked his phone away. He hated worrying his best friend, but sometimes there really wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Who was that?" Amajiki asked with a timid frown.

"That was just Katsuki." Izuku rolled his eyes, "He's my best friend, but he's a pain in the ass."

"Ah." Amajiki ducked his head, but Izuku could see a tiny smile. He was probably thinking of Togata. He, from what Izuku had gleaned from both the Sports Festival and Amajiki, was a very loud individual as well. In a different way than Katsuki, but loud nonetheless.

"What will we be doing when we get back?" Izuku asked, turning to Fatgum when Amajiki said nothing else.

"Patrol, and some training. Boring stuff." Fatgm said easily, "Nothing as interesting as your time in Hosu, that's for sure."

"Believe me, I could use a little bit of boring." Izuku laughed, "I've had enough of that for one Internship, that's for sure."

And to think that Izuku had considered skipping, before. Now he couldn't imagine missing it for anything.

Chapter Text

A Rescue Race

Izuku should've expected Katsuki's wrath, but for some reason he thought Katsuki would understand where he was coming from, and that he hadn't had a choice but to stall Stain. He was wrong, evidently.

"You could've died." Katsuki told him for the fifth time.

"But I saved both Iida and Native." Izuku countered, "They'd've died if I hadn't stepped in."

"That's not your responsibility!" Katsuki snapped, "Native's the Pro, he should've had it handled."

"But he didn't." Izuku ran a hand down his face.

"I'm just saying, if he'd been doing his fucking job–"

"Katsuki." Izuku stopped walking, and he put his hands on Katsuki's shoulders. His friend glared, but he didn't pull away. "Look, I know you're worried, but this is what I do. Yes, as a Hero, I'm still just an intern, and yes, as an intern it shouldn't have been my responsibility to save them. But, I'm also a Healer. Stalling Villains with my shield is something I've been doing for years to protect both civilians and my patients. In case you don't remember, I've also been on scene during active Villains attacks before. This is no different."

"This is different." Katsuki said quietly, "Because you're supposed to be a Hero."

"I'm both right now, Katsuki." Izuku dropped his hands with a sigh. "I probably always will be. But, like you told me, someday I'll be more a Hero than a Healer." Izuku smiled, and he bumped his shoulder against Katsuki's. "Hey, we'll get there someday."

"Yeah, we will." Katsuki smiled back at him, and then slid the door to their classroom open. The class was chatting away, so Izuku faintly listened as he made his way to his desk behind Katsuki.

"Wow!" Ashido was saying, "You got to fight real villains? I'm so jealous!"

"I just helped people evacuate and did logistical support." Jiro seemed to shrug, twirling her Quirked earlobes. "I didn't actually do any fighting."

"It's still amazing though!" Ashido insisted, leaning her palms on Tsuyu's desk.

"All I did was train and go on patrols too." Tsuyu put in, though she tapped her chin and tilted her head as she added, "There was just one time when we caught smugglers from a neighbouring country."

"That's crazy!" Ashido enthused, looking both excited and envious. The enthusiasm made Izuku smile a little as he took his seat. It was proof the USJ and their villain encounter hadn't dissuaded her from the path of Heroism, or scare her away from Villains in general. He was glad about that.

"Oi, Izuku. Look." Katsuki gestured towards Uraraka, who seemed to be practising martial arts in the middle of the classroom. "Pink Cheeks is a lot different since her Internship, don't you think?"

"I suppose." Izuku smiled, "More determined, in my opinion, more serious about her ambitions."

"Good." Katsuki nodded in approval, crossing his arms.

"You respect her for it." Izuku realised with a grin, and Katsuki glared at him.

"So what if I do?" He challenged, "Learning to fight for real always makes for a better Hero. She'll be a great one if she can kick that stupid knack for self-doubt."

"What d'you mean?" Izuku hadn't noticed she doubted herself.

"After her match with Half-and-Half over here," Katsuki jerked his thumb towards Shoto, who had approached and was now leaning on Izuku's desk with bland curiosity, "she ran off and cried somewhere, I could tell. Lame."

"Can't blame her." Hitoshi shrugged, leaning forward from his seat behind Izuku's. "I reacted pretty much the same after the Entrance Exam. I was sure I'd failed. I didn't, obviously, but I seriously thought I did."

"Rescue points?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Rescue points." Hitoshi confirmed.

"Whatever." Katsuki shrugged.

"As for who's gone through the most, it's gotta be Iida and Midoriya, right?" Kaminari caught Izuku's attention as he spoke, gesturing to where Iida was standing. That's when Izuku realised he was hovering near Izuku's desk for some reason, seemingly having joined Shoto just standing there.

"Oh yeah, the Hero Killer!" Sero exclaimed as though he'd just remembered.

"I'm glad you guys made it out alive." Kirishima said earnestly, "Seriously."

"Yeah." Yaoyorozu frowned in concern, "I was worried."

"I heard Endeavor saved you, right?" As Sato spoke, the whole class seemed to gravitate towards Izuku's desk.

"That's amazing." Hagakure put in, "As expected of the Number Two Hero!"

"Endeavor took down Stain, yes." Iida spoke up, "But… it was Healer Midoriya that saved me." He looked over at Izuku with a small nod and a tiny smile, and Izuku beamed back at him.

"I saw on the news that the Hero Killer was connected to the League of Villains." Ojiro stepped forward, and he sighed. "Imagining someone that scary coming to the USJ freaks me out."

"He is scary, but did you see the video, Ojiro?" Kaminari called with a grin.

"The video?" Ojiro raised an eyebrow, "Of Stain?"

"Yeah." Kaminari confirmed. "You–"

"What video?" Izuku interrupted with a frown, and suddenly all eyes were on him.

"You mean you haven't seen it?" Kaminari asked, and when Izuku shook his head Kaminari pulled out his phone. "Well we gotta fix that, here."

Kaminari laid his phone on his desk and spun it around so Izuku could see. The whole class leaned in as Izuku pressed Play, and the video started.

A logo appeared, picturing Stain himself poised to attack with his name written across the screen in thin, jagged lettering. Animated drops of blood filled the screen, and it transitioned to show Stain, captured and unconscious, being taken into custody.

"Hero Killer: Stain, real name: Akaguro Chizone." The voice over said as the words also appeared on screen. "All Might's debut left a deep impression on him, and he set his sights on becoming a Hero. He enrolled in a private Hero high school, but was disappointed by the fundamentally depraved view of Heroes taught by the educational system. He dropped out in the summer of his first year."

"Until the end of his teenage years he called for a return of the old idea of Heroes, making speeches on the street until he realised resignedly that words had no power." Animations flickered by of a dark figure surrounded by light ones, lost in the crowd until it grew into the shape of Stain himself, alone. "For the next ten years, in order to fulfil his 'duty', he studied and trained in killing techniques on his own. During that time his parents passed away, and that affair was considered non-criminal."

Stain, on screen, slowly gained weapons as the voice spoke. Daggers and swords were added to his figure as it continued, and blood droplets flashed across the screen at random intervals. Then it transitioned to showing the city of Hosu from aerial view, and the streets and alleys within it, all the while blood flashing across the screen every so often.

"He emphasised a return to the old idea of Heroes." It said, "Heroes should not seek compensation. The title of 'Hero' must only be granted to those who epitomise self-sacrifice. The present-day Heroes are fakes who are all talk. He wanted society to realise this through his purges one after another."

Next was a scene familiar to Izuku, though not from that angle. The camera was shaking slightly, and the focus wasn't perfect, but it was definitely Stain. He was battered and burnt, but he was on his feet and standing in front of both the dead Nomu and Izuku's very nearly unconscious body.

"Someone must be dyed in blood… I must take back what it means to be a Hero… come…" The camera zoomed in directly on Stain, right on his face, and Izuku could perfectly see his eyes that seemed to glow with crazed determination. "Try and get me you fakes… the only one I'll let kill me… is the true hero… All Might…!!!"

The video ended with a lingering click, and the class was silent for a beat before Kaminari spoke again.

"Seeing that, you can tell how single-minded and, like, tenacious he is." Kaminari seemed oblivious to Izuku's tense posture as he spoke enthusiastically, "Doesn't it make you think he's sort of cool?"

"Kaminari, don't say that." Izuku looked up at him, and saw confusion painted across the blond's face. "That video was made to promote Stain's ideals, and make people admire him. It's meant to draw attention to his cause, and if you've all seen it… that means it's definitely been seen by criminals and Villains as well. This is bad."

Izuku didn't mean to scare his classmates, but it was true. He'd need to talk to Tsukauchi about this, and probably Eraserhead as well. They would almost certainly be seeing an influx of Villain attacks as well as an increase in crime. People imitate what they admire, after all.

"Come on, class is starting soon." Izuku smiled, breaking the tense silence he'd created. "Everyone to their seats, we wouldn't want to be caught by Aizawa-sensei being loud and 'making friends' now would we?"

— — — — —

They ended up outside Field Gamma for Basic Hero Training, and Izuku noticed Katsuki wasn't wearing the massive bomb gauntlets with his costume.

"Missing something?" Izuku asked with a grin.

"Bunny bitch took them." Katsuki muttered, "She said manoeuvrability was everything, and that they'd get in the way."

"And she didn't give them back?" Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"No, she did." Katsuki sighed, "But she also said I should consider modifying them to make them smaller."

"Oh! So you'll be talking to the Support students about modifications, then?" Izuku asked brightly, and Katsuki nodded.

"I am here!" All Might declared, and Izuku turned away from Katsuki to face him. "Anyway, we'll start now. Right. It's Basic Hero Training! Long time no see, everyone! How've you all been?" Izuku resisted a sigh, wondering how in the world he'd forgotten how new a teacher Yagi was. "For this time's Basic Hero Training, since you've all just gotten back from your Internships, we'll have some fun with a Rescue Training race!"

"Sir!" Iida raised his arm high in the air, something he wouldn't've been able to do if he was in his armour, "If we are doing Rescue Training, then shouldn't we do it at the USJ?"

"That place is for training for disasters. Do you remember what I said? That's right, I said 'race'!" All Might grinned, "This is Field Gamma! A dense area filled with factories laid out like an intricate labyrinth. You'll break into four groups of five, and go through the training one group at a time. When I send out a distress signal from somewhere inside, you'll all start at once from the outskirts of the city. It's a race to see who will rescue me first!" All Might broke off with a warning finger, "Of course, you'll have to keep damage to the buildings to a minimum. Now! Let's get into groups!"

The rest of the class ended up on a viewing pier facing several screens that showed video from the many many cameras around Field Gamma, some sitting some standing, to watch the race. The first group to go ended up being a grouping of all the best at mobility. Sero, Ashido, Iida, Shoto, and Katsuki. Izuku wasn't the only one who noticed that fact either, Kaminari was the one to point it out.

"Who d'you think'll win?" Kirhsima asked excitedly, "I bet Sero'll be first!"

"Ah, but Ojiro is there too." Kaminari countered.

"Ashido's pretty athletic." Sato added, "it might be her."

"Even though he's injured, I think it'll be Iida." Uraraka sighed. Tsuyu nodded in agreement.

"I'd say Todoroki." Yaoyorozu said, examining the group they could see on screen. "He did exceptionally well during the race at the Sports Festival."

"It'll be Katsuki." Izuku said confidently, "No doubt."

"Okay, here we go!" All Might said, audible and visible to them via the viewing screens, "Start!"

Izuku watched the screen, and grinned.

— — — — —

Izuku and the others ended up in the locker rooms afterwards, exhausted.

"That was some hard training." Sato sighed as he sat down on the bench.

"Our first class in a while made me sweat." Aoyama sighed, dabbing his face with a sparkly blue cloth.

"Ah, I need to work on my mobility." Kirishima groaned as he pulled off the odd gears from around his shoulders.

"You must compensate for it by gathering information." Tokoyami said, adjusting his tie. Kaminari, who was in the process of pulling off his shirt, sighed.

"That'll put me a step behind everyone else." He said, discouraged. "I'm jealous of guys like you and Sero."

"You were amazing, Katsuki." Izuku grinned as he pulled on his gold-seamed UA jacket. "Though, clearly not amazing enough."

"Oh shut up!" Katsuki snapped, but he was badly suppressing a grin and it made Izuku laugh. "I'll beat Half-and-Half next time, just you wait."

"Ashido and I were using the same technique." Shoto said absently, "I wonder if she'll ever be able to go as fast as I can with my ice."

"Probably not." Izuku hummed, "The way her Quirk works isn't quite the same as yours. She secretes acid, which means there's a small delay, and it most likely can't ever be made as quickly as your ice that can be instantaneously produced."

"Hm, I wonder if I'll be able to use my fire for mobility at all." Shoto looked down at his hand, his left hand, but it didn't look angry for once. It looked contemplative, which made Izuku beam with delight.

"I bet you could find a way." Izuku replied, "I mean, Endeavor can fly. Anything is possible."

"I suppose." Shoto accepted, and then refocused on dressing.

"You did well too, Hitoshi." Izuku said to his friend as they exited. "Since when have you been using Aizawa-sensei's capture scarf?"

"He started teaching me for the Internships." Hitoshi grinned sheepishly, "It's really a lot harder than it looks."

"I bet." Izuku laughed, "Aizawa makes everything look easier than it actually is. Anyway, you very nearly won."

"I got distracted, that's why I fell." Hitoshi explained, "I just barely caught sight of Dark Shadow right behind me and I lost focus."

"As All Might said, it's more about how much you've grown than who won." Izuku smiled at him, "You're gonna be an awesome Hero."

"Too much like our sleepyass teacher though, if you ask me." Katsuki said as he came up behind them, "You'll be his second coming if you keep this up."

"Maybe that's my dream in life." Hitoshi deadpanned, "My life will be complete the day I replace him as the most sleep-deprived Underground Hero ever."

"Well, if you end up anything like him," Izuku said honestly, "you'll already have been an amazing Hero."

— — — — —

When Izuku's shift at the station rolled around, Izuku scheduled a meeting with Tsukauchi about the video Kaminari had shown him in class. It wasn't super important, so Izuku didn't mind pushing it out until Tsukauchi had a free spot in his schedule.

The meeting was scheduled for the next day, so Izuku had plenty of time to go about his shift like normal and wait. He had a relatively easy shift. He mostly did paperwork, reviewing his cases and the evidence he had so far, and looked into joining a patrol team. It would only be once a week, but he'd basically be on a squad of officers who went out and were in charge of arresting small time criminals. The squads can also be called in and sent out by dispatchers who work the emergency phone lines. It was something Izuku realised he wanted to do now that he had field privileges.

Either way, Izuku made sure he was prepared for his meeting with Tsukauchi. Stain was a beacon for the new generation of Villains, and that was never a good sign.

Chapter Text

Robots? Again?

Izuku was only partially paying attention as Aizawa spoke to the class. He already knew final exams were coming up, and he wasn't worried. He had a week to perfect the study guide he'd created the week prior while he'd been doing the majority of his studying. What Izuku was focusing on in class, instead of his teacher, was his midterm results he held in hand.

Midterms had flown by so quickly Izuku hadn't much singled out the written exam he'd taken. It didn't have a physical or practical test along with it, so it hadn't been much of a fuss compared to the majority of things 1A did. Now, Izuku was looking over the paper he'd received with an overview of his grades and his class ranking on academic success. He was fourth in the class, below Katsuki just barely. It was so close that one test question might've been the difference between them, which made Izuku smile.

Katsuki would probably sulk for days about his score, though, because, even though he beat Izuku, he was still only third. Yaoyorozu took first by a significant margin, with Iida just below her. Shoto was in fifth, with Tsuyu after him in sixth. Hitoshi was in tenth, which was middle-of-the-road but not bad at all. He did have room for improvement, though, and Izuku considered offering to help him study for Final Exams. By assuming Hitoshi wanted help felt a bit wrong though, so Izuku resolved not to offer unless Hitoshi mentioned being upset by his score at all.

All in all, Izuku was immensely proud of his friends for doing so well. Not that he had expected differently, they were all exceptionally talented.

"Alright, that's it for class." Izuku looked up as Aizawa spoke, seeing his teacher tap a few papers on his desk to keep them together. "There's only one week left until your final exams. You all are studying properly, right?" Aizawa levelled the class with one of his intense stares, making it extremely obvious as to which students were not studying so well due to their reactions. "I'm sure you already know, but it won't just be a written exam. There's also a practical component. Make sure you train your minds and bodies at the same time. That's all." Aizawa shut the door without another word. There was half a beat of silence, and then the panic started.

"I haven't studied at all!" Several people exclaimed, and Izuku cracked a smile.

"With the Sports Festival and Internships I didn't study even once!" Kaminari complained, putting his head in his hands. Honestly, that made sense. He was 20th on the class midterm ranking.

"It's true that we had one event after another, but…" Tokoyami examined Kaminari, who was still freaking out, and trailed off hesitantly.

"For the midterms we'd just started school, so they didn't cover much." Sato said, "So I didn't really have a hard time with them." The chatter continued, but Izuku turned his attention to a stubbornly silent Katsuki.

"Hey Kit-Kat." Izuku leaned forward in his seat to tap his best friend's shoulder, "Congrats on getting third."

"Third place, gimme a break." Katsuki gritted his teeth, "Why is it always third?"

"Third in the Quirk Assessment, third in the Sports Festival, third in the class ranking…" Izuku grinned.

"Actually I got fourth on the Quirk Assessment." Katsuki muttered, crossing his arms.

"Ouch." Izuku said, completely unsympathetic. Katsuki glared, and Izuku laughed. "Well, at least you beat me this time."

"Always do, always will." Katsuki grinned back, and Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"Huh, that's funny." Izuku smirked, "I could've sworn I beat you at something recently. Hold on… what was it again?" Katsuki scowled, and Izuku grinned teasingly. "Oh yeah, it was the Sports Festival wasn't it? Tsk. Guess I have beaten you, huh Kit-Kat?"

"Oh shove off." Katsuki snapped, but his lips were strained as he tried not to laugh.

"Never, you love me." Izuku grinned, leaning over his desk towards his best friend, and then Katsuki promptly shoved him backwards with a palm in his face. Izuku laughed as he was shoved back into his own chair, "I knew you loved me."

"I don't understand how that is a declaration of love." Hitoshi drawled from behind him, and Izuku turned to shrug at him.

"That's Katsuki for you." Izuku said, "Besides, I give as good as I get."

"Dream on." Katsuki scoffed, and Izuku laughed.

"Yeah!!" A collective cheer from the back of the classroom caught his attention, and he saw a group of students cluttered around Yaoyorozu's desk.

"Then, let us hold a study session at my residence this weekend!" Yaoyorozu said, beaming with excitement.

"Seriously? I can't wait to see your house!" Ashido enthused.

"Oh! In that case, I must tell Mother and have her open up the hall." Yaoyorozu didn't seem to notice the stunned faces around her as she continued, "What kind of tea are you all partial to? In my family, we always drink Harold's or Wedgewood, so if you have any preference, let me know! Of course, you can trust me to help you study, too! I will definitely show you how I can help!"

Izuku wanted to laugh a little at the overwhelmed expressions of his classmates; Yaoyorozu, when she wanted to be, was quite excitable, evidently.

"You're gonna go, aren't you?" Katsuki asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yep." Izuku confirmed easily, "You?" Katsuki pursued his lips, then nodded.

"I guess it couldn't hurt." He frowned, "Maybe I'll get to kick their asses and finally be first in the class ranking."

"Maybe, maybe." Izuku laughed, "Excellent, I'm actually looking forward to it. It's not often I get to study with a bigger group."

The bell for lunch rang loudly, prompting the class to move to the lunch room. Surprisingly, the topic of exams did not fade with the transition. It continued even as they sat down with food and began to eat. Though, the topic moved towards the practical exam.

"I wonder what it'll be." Izuku said, and he tilted his head when Hitoshi mumbled something about hoping it wasn't something too Quirk-biassed.

"I don't think it'll be anything crazy." Iida replied, "The written exam questions will come from what we studied in class, so I'll be able to manage."

"You'll… manage… huh?" Uraraka seemed rigid and stiff, and seemed a bit resentful or perhaps trepidatious. Ah, Izuku remembered that she ranked thirteenth on the midterms.

"It'll be a comprehensive test of everything from first semester." Hagakure recited.

"That's all Aizawa-sensei would tell us." Tsuyu added. Uraraka looked thoughtful.

"Everything we did so far…" She hummed, "So, combat training and rescue training, and then basic training."

"I'm sure it'll be alright." Izuku smiled, and he grinned at Katsuki, who was glaring at his plate. Then Izuku let out an "Oof!" as a hand swiped the back of his head.

"Still alive, are we?" Monoma's voice drawled, and Izuku turned to see him holding a lunch tray and examining Izuku closely.

"Hiya, what's up?" Izuku grinned at him, "It's been awhile."

"Oh, I'm just dropping in to check on an idiotic 1A student who can't help but end up in the hospital every other week." Monoma raised an eyebrow at him, "How are you not dead yet? I mean, Stain? Really?"

"It wasn't planned, believe me." Izuku laughed, and Monoma rolled his eyes.

"Planned or not, if you keep ending up in a hospital bed I might start to think you have a death wish."

"Nah, I still have to kick your ass." Izuku said brightly, "Can't die before then, can I?"

"Suppose not." Monoma shrugged, but then he grinned and turned his attention to the rest of the table. "So, you guys speculating on the final exam?" Nobody seemed inclined to answer him.

"Yep, we are." Izuku confirmed.

"Kendo thinks it'll be combat against robots, like the entrance exam." Monoma told him, "Apparently she had some upperclassmen friends who remember the exam being robots. She feels bad though, thinks it's cheating."

"Seriously!?" Hitoshi caught everyone's attention with his aggravated exclamation. "Fuuuccckkk." He groaned, and then he laid his head down on the table in defeat.

"Ah, yeah, that seems on brand for UA." Izuku muttered, "I wonder if they intended for us to ask someone to gain an information advantage. It seems reasonable for them to expect us not to want to go in blind. They probably wouldn't dock points if it was allowed or expected. Though, if they really were meant to find out ahead of time, Nezu wouldn't have denied me access to the final exam planning sheets." Katsuki flicked him, and Izuku blinked. Monoma was watching him with a raised eyebrow, and his classmates were staring.

"Well, that was interesting." Monoma grinned, "I better get back to my class. Good like in puzzling out whatever it is you were muttering about." With a sarcastic wave to Izuku's classmates, Monoma departed.

"He's weird." Katsuki said, watching him go.

"I think he's cool." Izuku grinned, "Or, well, he has an interesting personality. I like that."

— — — — —

"I can't believe it's robots!" Ashido exclaimed happily after Hagakure relayed the information once they were back in the classroom.

"It'll be so easy if it is!" Kaminari pumped a fist.

"You guys look like you'd have a hard time controlling your Quirks against people." Shoji said, speaking through his mouth-arm.

"Yeah! But I don't have to worry about that with robots!" Kaminari laughed.

"It'll be a cinch for me to melt them!" Ashido added with a wide smile.

"Now you just need Yaoyorozu to help you study, and you'll be set for the finals!" Sero sent them fingerguns from across the classroom.

"We'll definitely be able to go to the training camp now!" They shouted at the same time. Izuku couldn't help but smile at their enthusiasm.

"Stupid robots." Izuku turned around in his seat to see Hitoshi sulking. "Stupid biassed exams. Stupid UA."

"I think you'll be fine." Izuku said, interrupting his friend's pity party. "You've grown a lot since the entrance exams, so, if it's robots, I bet you'll find a way to do well."

"I know, but it's not a guarantee like everyone else." Hitoshi muttered, "This is stupid. It'll be way harder for me than it is for them."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I really do think you'll do well." Izuku smiled, and Hitoshi looked up at him with a resigned expression. "Seriously, you're really good with your capture scarf."

"... Thanks." Hitoshi sounded sincere, but Izuku could tell it didn't help much, unfortunately.

"Oi, what're you idiots celebrating for?" Katsuki caught everyone's attention as he slung his backpack over his shoulder, and seemed to be specifically scowling at Kaminari and Ashido.

"Oh shut up!" Ashido whined the same time Kaminari said, indignantly, "Who're you calling an idiot!?"

"These exams aren't meant to be a cinch." Katsuki cut off their complaining, "If you can't control your Quirks, then learn. You can't half-ass your way through this. These exams are where we prove who's the best right now, and a chance to be better than where we were at midterms." He then turned to Izuku and nodded towards the door. "You coming?"

"Yeah!" Izuku said as he realised he'd been blanking staring, "Let's go." He grabbed his bag and jogged to where Katsuki was opening the door, and smiled at his friend.

"... Was that a Bakugo peptalk?" Someone muttered from the classroom, and Katsuki chuckled as the door slipped shut behind them.

"Nice speech." Izuku grinned, "Where'd it come from?"

"The goodness of my heart, obviously." Katsuki smirked, and then he sighed. "Our classmates haven't been taking anything seriously, especially those two idiots. They think they can skate on by but they can't. You'd think they'd've learned that with the USJ attack and then learning about your encounter with Stain, but it hasn't hit them how dangerous it can be yet. They'll get themselves killed if they don't get their shit together."

Izuku didn't know how to respond to that, at first. They were only first years, and yet Katsuki had a point, even if it was a bit sad to realise.

"That makes sense." Izuku said after a moment, "Well if they don't get serious about it and fail the exam, you can always say 'I told you so.' I know you'd love that." Katsuki laughed, and Izuku grinned.

"I would." He admitted, "Now c'mon, I wanna hit Ground Beta before it closes. We should train a bit before we head home."

"Sounds good!" Izuku said brightly, and he followed Katsuki across the campus with a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

All For One and One For All

It was midnight, and Tsukauchi still hadn't visited Izuku's desk. Usually that wouldn't have been a problem, considering they didn't collaborate on very many cases since they were both Detectives, but Izuku had specifically scheduled a meeting with him to discuss Stain and what his newfound fame would mean in the near future. It was midnight, and Tsukauchi had officially missed their eleven:thirty appointment.

Izuku's shift ended at one, and he reluctantly acknowledged that he'd have to go poke his fellow Detective if he wanted to have any meaningful amount of time with him. Usually Izuku would feel bad about just dropping in on Tsukauchi unannounced for something non-urgent, but they did have a prior engagement that was missed, so Izuku decided it was a good enough reason.

"Tsukauchi?" Izuku knocked on his office door, and waited. "Tsukauchi? You got a minute?" No response. Frowning, Izuku turned and approached the guy at the front desk. "Hey, where's Detective Tsukauchi?"

"Hm?" The man looked up, and then squinted at his computer for a moment before smiling a little apologetically at Izuku. "He's been out since about eleven."

"What?"

"Yeah, he said he had a meeting at UA." The man shrugged.

"Okay, thanks." Izuku said, but he was frowning still as he pulled out his phone.

Detective Midoriya:
Where are you?
Do we need to reschedule our meeting?

Detective Tsukauchi:
Almost back. Wait in my office. It's important.

Izuku sighed, but he dutifully tucked his phone away and pushed open the door to Tsukauchi's office. There was a stapler on the floor, along with two pencils, and Izuku winced as the stapler skidded across the room as he smacked it with the door. Of course the one time Izuku didn't check the path of the door was when something was on the floor in its path. Izuku shook his head fondly, and went to start collecting the scattered objects.

In the process, Izuku bent down and caught sight of something yellow under Tsukauchi's filing cabinet. Probably another random thing that someone else hit with the door and didn't pick up, so Izuku huffed in mildly annoyed amusement as he reached under to retrieve it as well. What he pulled out, instead, was a case file.

It was in the usual yellow folder, and Izuku could see colourful tabs just barely peeking out the side, no doubt marking various sections on the pages within the folder. The weird part was that it was completely unlabelled. There wasn't a case number or name or date of anything on the folder that could explain what was inside. Usually they were labelled with one of the previously mentioned categories to make filing easier, and also identifiable. The only reason Izuku could think of for it to lack a label was that it had purposefully been left blank so no one would know what was in it.

Setting the stapler and pencils on Tsukauchi's desk absentmindedly, Izuku played with the edge of the folder, biting his lip in indecision. Why would Tsukauchi hide something under his file cabinet, and leave it unlabelled? That seemed odd, even for him. What was so special about whatever was in the file?

Carefully, Izuku opened it and looked at the first page.

Confidential - National Security Risk
Concerning: All For One and One For All

Izuku snapped the folder shut and shook his head. National Security was serious shit, and absolutely none of his business. Izuku knelt to wedge the folder back to approximately where he found it, and brushed himself off as he stood. As Izuku was sitting back down, Tsukauchi pushed the door open with a sigh. Izuku tried not to look guilty.

"Sorry, Midoriya, I needed to meet with someone." Tsukauchi said as he sat down behind his desk.

"That's what the guy at the desk said." Izuku nodded, "I presume it took longer than expected?"

"Not exactly." Tsukauchi grimaced, "I didn't mean to overlap my visit to Yagi and my meeting with you, but, well, let's just say I had a good reason for it."

"I see. Did it involve me, then?" Izuku raised an eyebrow, and Tsukauchi nodded.

"Remember that meeting at UA after the USJ incident?" Tsukauchi asked, "The one with all the staff members, after your official promotion to Detective."

"Yes." Izuku tilted his head.

"I said I'd keep you updated, specifically on the topic of what Yagi may or may not know about it." Izuku blinked. He did remember that! All Might was acting slightly suspicious and Izuku, at the time, figured he was hiding something. "Well, I finally got permission to inform you of the situation."

"Permission?" Izuku frowned, "It's above my clearance?"

"Very." Tsukauchi said seriously. "It's one of the most well kept secrets in all of Japan." Izuku narrowed his eyes.

"Then why are you telling me?"

"Because it's a need-to-know basis, and we decided you need to know." Tsukauchi said, "It pertains to the League of Villains case, which you're deeply involved with."

"Alright." Izuku nodded, "I'm listening."

Tsukauchi stood, which surprised Izuku, and he bent down to retrieve the folder Izuku had already discovered. Tsukauchi was holding it gently, but his hand was tense and he was clearly unhappy about whatever the topic. Izuku swallowed his nerves.

"Um, just so you know, I saw that while I was waiting for you." Izuku admitted, and Tsukauchi looked at him incredulously, freezing minutely in his movements. "I didn't read it! There was a stapler on the floor, and I saw that folder under the cabinet by accident. I opened it, which I apologise for, but I didn't read past the first page. It said it was confidential, and I put it back."

"Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter now." Tsukauchi blew out a breath, and he sat down heavily with another sigh, this time from exhaustion. "Did Yagi ever mention how he got his injury? The one you healed?"

"Just that an old enemy caused it five years ago."

"Well we think that enemy is the same as the one that's behind the League." Tsukauchi slid the folder towards Izuku and sat back in his chair. "Have a look." Slowly, Izuku picked up the file and flipped past the cover page.

———

All For One: "Boogeyman of the Underworld"
Rank S Villain
Quirk: All For One
Description: User possesses the ability to take Quirks from others, as well as the ability to gift Quirks to others, through touch via the hand.

All For One has allegedly been around since the dawn of Quirks, having been one of the first ever to develop a Quirk. The legend surrounding this "Boogeyman of the Underworld" speaks of a saviour who will take away Quirks society deems unfit, and bestow Quirks to those in need. Many Villains and criminals have been seduced by these rumours, and arrests have been made in the past where Villains will claim they were given their Quirk, saved by 'him' and guided to reject Hero society.

There is no physical evidence to corroborate the previously mentioned claims.

———

Izuku looked up at Tsukauchi, trying not to let his doubt show. "It says there isn't any physical evidence to support this."

"And there wasn't, until Yagi and I became friends and he confided in me." Tsukauchi ran a hand down his face, and Izuku remained silent as the man collected himself. He looked… exhausted. Really, truly exhausted. "It's all explained, but there's several tedious pages of speculation before anything substantial is mentioned in those files. To sum it up, All For One was just a myth until a Hero called Shimura Nana discovered him. Yagi then first found out about him when Shimura died, practically right in front of him. It was a surprise attack, and Yagi was lucky to escape alive. He was barely out of UA when it happened." Izuku frowned.

"What was Shimura's Hero name?"

"The Sky Hero: Aerial." Tsukauchi smiled faintly, "She had a Float Quirk. Yagi talks about her a lot."

"Were they friends?" Izuku felt like he was trying to piece a puzzle together in his head, but he was missing the corners and didn't know how to begin without them.

"Shimura was his mentor, she took him in when he was fourteen, and helped him train for all his years at UA." Izuku blinked in surprise.

"Why isn't she more well known, then?" Izuku asked, "If Shimura trained All Might, then I would've guessed she'd be super popular."

"That's where it gets messy." Tsukauchi folded his hands and leaned on his desk, "Do you know what All Might's Quirk is?"

"No." Izuku raised an eyebrow at the odd question, "Nobody does, as far as the majority goes."

"It's a secret for a good reason; it involves All For One." Tsukauchi said, "All Might's Quirk is called One For All. It's a stockpiling Quirk passed down from person to person through DNA transfers. All For One wants to steal One For All more than anything, and he's spent generations hunting down every user of One For All he could find. Shimura was one of them, as is Yagi."

"Transferable by DNA?" Izuku couldn't help the disbelief in his voice, and Tsukauchi chuckled.

"I felt the same way when I found out, it's unbelievable isn't it?" Tsukauchi shook his head with a little smile. "One For All is special, unique. As a stockpiler, every user's strength is added to the Quirk as it's passed on. Yagi says Shimura experienced an intense power boost when she received it, and her Quirk became twice as strong almost immediately."

"So All Might's extraordinary strength and power can be attributed to One For All." Izuku deduced, "What Quirk did he have originally?"

"He didn't." Izuku blinked slowly, processesing, and Tsukauchi huffed in amusement. "Yagi was Quirkless until Shimura passed down One For All."

"Huh." Izuku couldn't think of a proper response beyond that, so he moved on. "So Yagi survived All For One, both times they met, but none of the others did?"

"We don't really know." Tsukauchi frowned, "Yagi is the eighth holder of One For All. Shimura was his direct predecessor, the seventh. She got it pretty much by pure luck, her predecessor gave it to her on his deathbed. He'd been fatally wounded, and couldn't risk dying without passing it on."

"So, basically, All For One's got a track record of being completely unbeatable." Izuku paused, "Until All Might."

"Until All Might." Tsukauchi agreed with a smile, but then it slipped away as he spoke again. "Yagi survived their second meeting, but only barely. He finally tracked him down five years ago, and their fight destroyed everything around them in over a five mile radius. We thought All For One was killed in that battle, but recent developments have led us to believe otherwise."

Izuku remained quiet for a moment, then asked, "What developments?"

"Mainly, the Nomu." Tsukauchi said, and he reached over to flip through the folder to tap a page marked with a pink sticky tab. "We found that each of them had multiple Quirks shoved inside them, and they were completely unresponsive because their bodies can't handle the stress of all those Quirks. The only way the Nomu could have multiple Quirks, ones that aren't meant to be there, would be for them to have somehow received them from an outside source. The only plausible explanation for that seems to be All For One." Izuku found no flaws in that logic, so he nodded.

"Okay, but what about Shigaraki?" Izuku prompted, "What's he got against All Might?"

"I think All For One, as his mentor, must be coaxing Shigaraki to hate all Heroes, especially All Might." Tsukauchi hummed, "It wouldn't be exceptionally difficult, what with Shigaraki being so childish. Even the smallest influence from a Villain like All For One can cause disastrous results."

"I understand." Izuku nodded, trying to pretend he wasn't way out of his depth. "So Yagi has a secret Quirk that nobody's allowed to know about because All For One, an S-Rank Villain, is hunting down everyone who's possessed it. We thought All For One died, but he's actually still alive and leading the League of Villains behind the scenes to… what, destroy society?"

"It's unclear what his actual goals are, beyond obtaining One For All." Tsukauchi admitted with a sigh, "For now, that's all the information we have." He met Izuku's eyes, tiredly but firmly. "Yagi thought you'd be in danger if you knew, but I argued that having another trustworthy person who knows the truth could be invaluable. Do you understand the weight of everything I've told you?"

"Yes." Izuku said immediately. Despite his tangled feelings and the mess of information in his mind, one thing was for sure: this whole situation was completely out of Izuku's depth, much more dangerous than he could've known, and there was no way he was going to be sharing this with anyone. "You can trust me with this."

"I know." Tsukauchi smiled tiredly, "Alright. So what did you actually call this meeting for, now that that's over with?" Izuku almost frowned in confusion before he remembered.

"Right, yes. So, I wanted to talk about Stain and the influences it might have on Villains who admire him—"

————

"Izuku."

"Izuku."

"Izuku!"

Izuku flinched in surprise, startled out of his thoughts, and looked up at Katsuki in confusion.

"Yeah?"

"… Are you coming?" Katsuki looked amused, one eyebrow raised, and Izuku flushed.

"Shut up." Izuku muttered as he stood, grabbing his bag, and he shoved Katsuki on his way by for good measure. Izuku pointedly ignored the cackle Katsuki let out, and exited the classroom with a sigh.

It had been a week since his meeting with Tsukauchi, and yet their conversation tumbled through his head near constantly. The only time he got a break was during his exams, but the third day of the written exams was officially over now, much to Izuku's frustration. He appreciated Tsukauchi's level of trust in him, honestly he did, but sometimes Izuku wished he was still oblivious to the true threat of the League and All For One.

"I wish you'd talk to me." Izuku stopped and turned to look at Katsuki, who'd stopped in the middle of the hallway. He sounded… a bit defeated.

"I'm sorry, Kat." Izuku sighed, running a hand through his hand anxiously. "We've been over this, it's–"

"Confidential police stuff that you wouldn't share even if you were allowed to, I know." Katsuki scowled, "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"To be honest, I don't like it either." Izuku laughed sheepishly, "I'm sorry, it'll probably be fine after Final Exams." Yeah, that was a fucking lie—

"Better be." Katsuki eyed him for a moment, then grinned sharply. "If you flunk and miss the Summer Camp, I'll rub it in your face forever." Izuku laughed.

"I wouldn't expect any different from you Kit-Kat." They grinned at each other, and then both turned as someone cleared their throat from around a nearby corner.

It was All Might, and Izuku blinked in surprise at his arrival. He hadn't seen the man at all outside of their Basic Hero Training classes. Honestly, Izuku had been sort of avoiding him after learning so much about All For One and everything.

"Ah, Healer Midoriya, I wondered if you might have a moment?" All Might asked quietly, and Izuku frowned. "It's about… what you spoke to Tsukauchi about."

"Right." Izuku tried not to look tense, and turned to smile at Katsuki. It was more strained than he'd have liked. "I'll see you later. I'll drop by yours for dinner after, can you let Mom know for me?"

"Sure, okay." Katsuki eyed him and All Might for a moment, but then he withdrew without a fuss.

"Do you have an office?" Izuku turned back to All Might expectantly.

All Might led the way to a small room that had couches facing each other, and a low coffee table situated between them. It was a nice, cozy, sort of room, and Izuku smiled at the view out the window. He could see the sky just beginning to change colour. It didn't seem like an office, more of a simple meeting room, which made sense, Yagi being a new teacher and all. Yagi was fidgeting anxiously as they took their seats across from one another, betraying his nerves. Izuku, in contrast, remained completely still and composed. Not that he actually was composed when it came to anything even remotely related to All For One, but Yagi didn't have to know that.

"You spoke with Tsukauchi?" Yagi prompted, and Izuku nodded.

"I did." Izuku confirmed, "What's this about?" Yagi took a deep breath, and blew it out.

"I wanted to ask exactly how much Tsukauchi told you." Yagi said, calmer and more focused.

"He told me about All For One, and One For All, to start." Izuku answered as casually as possible, "Also we talked about your mentor, Shimura. I'm sorry for your loss, by the way. You were, what, eighteen?"

"Yeah." Yagi looked down at his hands, and, despite his healthy and newly restored build, he looked almost small. For the first time, Izuku could see the person behind the All Might smile; he didn't know what to think about that.

"I'm sorry." Izuku repeated softly, "She must've meant a lot to you."

"Nana gave me everything I needed to build myself up into who I am today." Yagi smiled, "She made me work for every bit of strength I built, and she made sure I'd truly earned it before giving me One For All. She looked at me, a Quirkless middle schooler with a crazy dream, wanting to save everyone I could reach, and gave me a chance when no one else would. I owe her everything."

Izuku didn't know how to respond, so he said nothing as Yagi fell silent. Surprisingly, Izuku didn't find it unpleasant. Usually he'd have frowned, or perhaps glared, at being alone in a completely silent room with All Might. But it was a peaceful sort of moment, which Izuku found he actually enjoyed.

"Anyway, that wasn't what I wanted to discuss with you." Yagi said, clearing his throat. Izuku didn't comment on the slight dampness the man blinked from his eyes. "I wanted to talk about One For All."

"Right, All For One wants it." Izuku swallowed, "I don't suppose you have a plan as to how you're going to prevent that just now, do you?"

"Well, no." Yagi admitted, "I suppose… I actually wanted to ask for your advice." Izuku didn't reply merely because of how surprised he was, but Yagi kept talking to fill the awkward silence that had settled over them. "I know how you feel about me, but I'm hoping you can put that aside for this. Originally I came to UA to find a successor, someone to pass One For All to so I could ease my way into retirement. But now that's unnecessary; I'm perfectly able to continue my work as a Hero since I'm fully healed."

"Once the school year is over." Izuku reminded him firmly, "Your teaching commitment is valid for at least a year."

"Right! Of course." Yagi laughed sheepishly, "What I'm trying to say is that I'd like your input on who you think would be a good ninth holder of One For All. I don't need to choose as quickly as I'd thought, with me being healed and all, which is why I'm asking you and taking the selection process more slowly. Though, it would be smart to start considering candidates that might fit the role now."

"And you trust my judgment?"

"I do." Yagi smiled, surprising Izuku. "You're a very capable Healer, as well as a Hero student. I often hear Aizawa praising your work at the police station too" – Aizawa fucking what – "and I trust his judgment as well."

"Ah, I see." Izuku was lying, he had no idea what was happening.

"So, if you could think of that, I'd appreciate it." Yagi smiled, and finally fell silent.

"Right." Izuku said slowly, "So you'd like me to suggest candidates to take on your Quirk" – the one a massive Supervillain's after what the actual fuck – "in the not-so-near future."

"Precisely." Yagi confirmed brightly, and Izuku swallowed back both his fear and his uncertainty.

"Sure, I'll think about it." Izuku would absolutely think about it, a lot, but there was no way he was going to pick the person destined to take on the mantel of a transferable Quirk that was being hunted by the most dangerous Villain ever recorded. Izuku had barely finished processing what Tsukauchi told him, and now this?

"Good talk." Yagi said with a nervous nod, and then he stood. Izuku stood too, almost automatically, and followed him out of the room.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yagi." Izuku waved, but he barely heard Yagi's parting words as he mechanically walked down the halls of UA and out onto the streets towards the train station.

Izuku didn't know what to think. If it was up to him, which it wasn't, One For All would be better off dying with Yagi. Not that Yagi should die! But it would probably be best if he kept it his entire life and let it die with him, never being passed on to the next generation as he intended it to be. Sure, it was powerful, but why had the legacy been continued for so many generations anyway? What need was important enough to keep the Quirk alive so long? Why did Yagi feel obligated to pass it off as those before him had done? Was it a compulsion attached to the Quirk, perhaps?

Whoever possessed One For All would be in danger, and even considering handing it off like some kind of sacred torch was reckless in the face of so much danger. There was a Supervillain attached to that Quirk for fuck's sake! No one in their right mind would accept it if they knew the truth about All For One. Did Yagi just plan on glossing over it and only mentioning how much danger they were in after it was too late? That was even worse!

When Izuku arrived at the Bakugo mansion (not as big as the Yaoyorozu estate but much bigger than Izuku and his mother's apartment), he was barely able to think straight. His brain felt like goo leaking out the side of his head, and as soon as Katsuki opened the door he plopped his forehead on his shoulder with a sigh.

"What the fuck happened?" Katsuki's arms came around him, and Izuku melted into him in near knee-wobbling relief. He smelled like caramel, which meant home to Izuku, allowing some of the tension he'd been carrying in his shoulders to relax minutely.

"Just a rough conversation." Izuku muttered, pulling away to smile tiredly. "My brain is going to catch fire like a crappy laptop if I think about it any more."

"Well, come on in." Katsuki grinned, "We'll make your mouth burn too, then you'll be all set!"

"Did Auntie make spicy curry again?"

"Just for you." Katsuki confirmed, and Izuku laughed fondly.

"That sounds perfect. Thanks, Kat." It wasn't perfect, but it was enough. Katsuki would always be enough, and Izuku was, as always, grateful to have him by his side.

Chapter Text

Robots!! Wait... what?

"I'm hyped." Kaminari said as he shook out his limbs, rolling his shoulders as he finished putting on his jacket. Surprisingly, Kaminari's Hero costume was among the sparse few in their class that Izuku actually approved of. It was simple, well designed, and suited both his image and his Quirk.

"I'm so ready for the Exam!" Kirishima smashed his fists together excitedly.

"I just hope I do well." Ojiro rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish laugh.

Izuku's classmates chatted as they dressed, looking both anxious and excited for their upcoming Exam. Katsuki was leaning towards the 'excited' side of things, probably because of his new accessories. Dangerous and stylish.

"I like your costume." Izuku told him with a grin. Ever since Mirko had confiscated (and then returned) his oversized bomb gauntlets, Katsuki had been forgoing them completely during classes. "You visited the Support Course, then?"

"Yeah, I think you'd like the fucking gremlin who made these." Katsuki sighed, "She's even crazier than you, and that's no small feat."

"Well, she does excellent work." Izuku hummed, "Maybe I'll pay her a visit sometime."

Katsuki's overall costume was the same, black with orange accents and that big X over his chest, the green garters and those absolutely badass boots of his, but his arms were now adorned with mildly lethal weapons again. The new support item was a long green attachment strapped to the back of Katsuki's hand, sort of like the barrel of a gun running down his wrist and forearm. It was a glove too, and Izuku surmised that the parts covering his palms and fingers absorbed his sweat and transferred them from his hands to the store inside the attachment on his arm, loading it into a projectile that could be fired at will. So, basically the same thing as before but smaller and probably more effective.

It didn't look like a bomb anymore though, which was probably why Katsuki was pouting.

"It's much more practical." Izuku grinned at him as they headed for the Central Plaza, "And I bet your shoulders won't hurt as much now, what with all that weight taken off and everything."

"Just because you're right doesn't mean I have to like it." Katsuki grumbled, and Izuku laughed.

They, having been joined by the girls, arrived to stand before what seemed to be the entire Hero/Teacher squad. Except All Might, but, really, Izuku didn't consider him a real staff member. Just a sort of tack-on special exception because of One For All.

"We will now begin the practical exam." Aizawa said firmly, "It will be possible for you all to fail this exam, of course, so remember that. If you want to go to the training camp, don't make stupid mistakes."

"There are a lot of teachers…" Jiro whispered to Yaoyorozu, and Izuku mentally agreed with her. It didn't seem quite right if all they were going to be doing was fighting robots…

"I expect that you have all gathered information ahead of time, and, thus, have some idea as to what you'll be doing." Aizawa continued, confirming Izuku's guess that day in the cafeteria.

"We're fighting giant robots like at the entrance exams!!" Kaminari cheered, and he was throwing out his hands in what sort of looked like a Present Mic reference.

"Fireworks! Curry! Test of Courage!" Ashido enthusiastically listed off activities they had to look forward to at the upcoming Summer Camp, pumping a fist with a wide grin.

"Too bad!" Izuku's eyes widened as Aizawa's scarf started to warp and writhe, from the inside without Erasure active. "For various reasons, the exam will be different from now on!"

"Principal Nezu!?" The class exclaimed at the same time Izuku thought, Ah, it's Principal Nezu.

The little Principal popped out of Aizawa's scarf with his usual grin, which immediately prompted Kaminari and Ashido to practically collapse. Izuku felt sort of bad, did they really have no confidence in their abilities?

"Different?" Yaoyorozu prompted, holding her hands to her chest anxiously. Izuku frowned. Why would she be—?

"From now on, we want to focus on person-to-person combat and hero work," Nezu explained brightly, using the scarf to slide down Aizawa's side, "and stress a teaching method that is actually fighting." He stuck the landing and grinned, but it became a little disconcerting as he pointed a warning finger in their direction. "So, we'll have you form teams of two to fight against one teacher!"

As per usual when an announcement was made, the class immediately gasped and let out various worried exclamations, and Aizawa spoke up to silence them. Izuku remained silent, but he was seriously glad All Might wasn't participating. That'd just be a disaster and a half, considering he really didn't know when to hold back.

"In addition, the pairs and who each pair will be up against have already been decided." Aizawa explained boredly, "They were determined at my discretion based on various factors, including fighting styles, grades, and interpersonal relationships. So, here they are: First, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu will be a team, and they're fighting me." The grin he gave them immediately told Izuku he'd paired them up because those two heavily relied on their Quirks, and he was going to teach them a lesson. Ouch. "Next, Midoriya and Tokoyami will be in a group up against–"

"I will do it!" All Might fell out of the fucking sky, and Izuku resisted a groan. Just his luck. "Do your best, and work together to beat me!" All Might put his hands on his hips dramatically, grinning widely at them.

Of course they'd make All Might fight like the other teachers; what was Izuku expecting? Well, now they'd have that disaster and a half. Izuku would bet a million yen that Aizawa put Izuku with All Might just to piss him off. He shot Aizawa a glare, but the Hero merely grinned back at him. Asshole.

"Now!" Nezu said, straightening a little to get everyone's attention back, "We'll be announcing the teams and the teacher they'll be up against all at once!"

Izuku listened carefully as each team was listed, trying to guess why Aizawa put people together against certain teachers. Speculating on why Aizawa grouped everyone else together was better than trying to guess why Izuku was stuck with All Might of all people, so he focused on his classmates.

Sato and Kirishima were put against Cementoss, probably because they had similar 'power through it' attack vibes that would easily be countered by Cement.

Next announced was Koda and Jiro against Mic, which made Izuku wince. Jiro would have a lot of trouble with Mic's volume, and Koda's Quirk relied entirely on animals being able to hear him. At least, as far as Izuku knew.

Ashido and Kaminari against… ouch, Nezu. No explanation needed.

Ojiro and Iida were paired against Powerloader. Izuku didn't have a guess for that one. It seemed like a random pairing, really, but maybe Aizawa saw something he didn't.

Aoyama and Sero were fighting Midnight. Izuku sort of saw that one, they were both long ranged fighters, but so was Midnight. Also, they were both guys attracted to girls. Bad combo when facing Midnight.

Hagakure and Shoji were up against Snipe, which Izuku didn't get either. Maybe because Snipe had great spacial awareness to counter Hagakure's Invisibility? Or it could be that Shoji was one of the few in the class who could easily keep tabs on Hagakure using his Quirk? They'd probably make a good team, which might've been a deciding factor.

Hitoshi and Tsuyu were fighting Ectoplasm, which Izuku knew would definitely be interesting. Hitoshi's capture scarf was sort of like Tsuyu's tongue, so he could see why they were put together. Similar fighting styles.

Katsuki and Uraraka were paired against Thirteen. Uraraka loved Thirteen, if Izuku was remembering correctly, and he wondered how she'd approach it. As for Izuku's best friend, Katsuki was eyeing Uraraka up appraisingly (which she did not seem to appreciate).

"The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes." Nezu then explained enthusiastically when the pairing announcements were over, "Your objective is to either put these handcuffs on the teacher, or to have one of you escape from the stage!" The handcuffs he showed off weren't standard police issue, they were lined with yellow and shaped a little hexagonally.

"Capture the teacher or escape." Kaminari repeated, holding his chin in thought, "It's sort of like the battle trials."

"Is it really okay to run away?" Ashido questioned loudly, raising her hand. Nezu gave her a thumbs up.

"Yep!"

"But this'll be different than the battle trails!" Mic spoke up with a grin. "You'll be fighting people WAY better than you!!"

"Better… than us?" Jiro blinked at Mic blankly, "I can't really imagine it though…" Izuku had to smother a laugh as Mic started loudly complaining to a completely uncaring Jiro. She seriously needed to stop underestimating people, it was stupid. But… since it was Present Mic, and his ego was definitely stable enough to tank an insult from a teenager, Izuku was more amused than disapproving.

"This time, your exam will be very similar to a real battle." Thirteen continued easily, "Think of us as the Villains!"

"Assuming you come across the enemy, if you think you can win a fight against them, then that's fine." Snipe added, "However–"

"—In cases where there's too big a difference in your abilities, it would be smarter to run away and get help." Izuku nodded at Aizawa's words. He had a very 'know your limits' kind of teaching style that Izuku heavily admired. "Iida, Midoriya, I'm sure you two understand this well."

Izuku looked over and saw Iida staring at his left hand. He couldn't tell what expression Iida was wearing, but Izuku hoped it was just as determined as the one he wore back at the hospital.

"I won't make that mistake again." Iida said quietly, "I will pass this test and prove that."

"Fight and win, or run and win." Izuku hummed, and then he blinked as All Might struck a pose.

"That's right! Your decision-making skills are being tested!" All Might shouted, "But with these rules, you're probably thinking the only choice is to run, right? That's why we had the Support Course make us these!" Izuku frowned as All Might theatrically displayed a small black and grey bracelet. Or maybe it was an armband?

"Ultra compressed weights!!" Present Mic declared, and Izuku thought, ohhh yeah okay. It was a handicap; that checked out.

"We'll put on about half our body weight." All Might demonstrated by clasping a bracelet on each wrist and ankle, as did the rest of the teachers. "This is to give you a handicap. It's a bit old fashioned, but it effectively makes it harder to move and eats up stamina!" All Might twisted his wrists a bit to adjust to the added weight, and then looked up to grin at the class. "By the way, there was a competition to decide the final design, and we ended up using young Hatsume's!"

"Okay, now I've got to meet her." Izuku nudged Katsuki with a grin, who snickered at him.

"Alright, each team will take the practical exam on their prepared stage one at a time." Aizawa called everyone's attention, "Sato, Kirishima, get ready."

"Hai!"

"Those waiting their turn can either watch the exams or talk over strategies as a team." Aizawa said as the teachers started walking away. "Do what you want. That's all."

"Midoriya." Izuku turned as everyone started pairing off, and smiled at his partner.

"Hey Tokoyami, talk about a bad match-up, huh?"

"Yeah." Tokoyami nodded solemnly, "One of us will be at a disadvantage, constrained by our Quirks, no matter what we do."

"That's what I was thinking too." Izuku grimaced. Sunshine would smother Dark Shadow completely, so either Izuku couldn't use Sunshine or Tokoyami couldn't use Dark Shadow; they'd have to pick one at a time. They'd definitely been paired up that way purposefully.

"Putting aside our Quirks' incompatibility, we should consider our opponent." Tokoyami said, crossing his arms. "All Might will not be an easy enemy to face."

"Ughhh, yeah, you got that right." Izuku groaned, "I can't believe they put us against All Might when we're already at a disadvantage because of our Quirks." Okay, fine, he was whining a little, but so what? Aizawa was being a jerk on purpose.

"I suppose we have no choice but to run away." Tokoyami said, and Izuku sighed resignedly.

"Yeah, I agree." He nodded, "There's no way we win if we fight him head on. We need to find a way to make it to the exit safely, which won't be easy. Even with those weights, All Might is fast. We'll need a way to stall him, or delay him." Izuku paused, "... Any ideas?"

"Your shield is the obvious choice." Tokoyami replied, "It would create an impassable barrier, effectively allowing us to escape."

"I don't think I can make a shield large enough." Izuku frowned, "The arena is probably too large, All Might would just go around it."

"Ah, I see." Tokoyami frowned as well, "It is too bright during the day for Dark Shadow to be a serious threat to All Might, though I could cause a distraction. It might be enough to allow you to escape."

"It's possible." Izuku hummed, "Though, it would be better if we were able to escape together. In both those scenarios, one of us is left behind."

"It might be unavoidable, due to our incompatibility." Tokoyami pointed out, "As you mentioned before, we cannot both use our Quirks at the same time."

"That's so bullshit." Izuku muttered, then he sighed. "Okay. All Might will be weighed down, which means he'll probably be slow enough for us to at least see him when he moves. That'll give us better odds of keeping track of him."

"How does that help us?"

"Well, if we can see him, it's possible we'll be able to counter him." Izuku shrugged, "I honestly don't know what to expect from him. All Might's fighting style is completely ruthless, he likes to end fights as quickly as possible with bruet strength, and I don't expect he knows how to hold back. If we fight him head on, I have no illusions that he'll do everything he can to incapacitate us."

"I see." Tokoyami sighed, "That raises the stakes even higher. We have no room for error."

"So what're you thinking?"

"I believe the best course of action would be to distract and escape." Tokoyami said after a moment, "Unfortunately, that means the distractor will most likely be left behind. Despite that, it is most likely our best chance for success. On their own, both of our Quirks are capable of great destruction. Either one is capable of the distraction role. Meanwhile, the other will head straight for the exit to complete the exercise."

"Yeah, I was afraid you were going to say that." Izuku ran a hand through his hair, and then nodded. "Right. Let's make a plan."

Chapter Text

Sunshine and Shadow

Izuku took a deep breath as he approached the entrance to the city, Tokoyami at his side. Their plan really wasn't all that great, and they both knew it; unfortunately, they hadn't been able to think of anything better in the time they were given to prepare. Not that it was a bad plan per se, but it definitely could've been better.

"Ready?" Izuku asked his partner as he checked over his costume one more time. Not that his tranquilliser or knives or emergency flares would do him any good, but it was nice knowing he had them anyway.

"Yes." Tokoyami confirmed solemnly, "As prepared as can be expected against an opponent such as All Might."

"Right." Izuku grimaced, "Well, let's get to it then."

A loud buzzer rang through the cityscape, and a steady male voice came through a moment later.

"Team Midoriya and Tokoyami, practical exam." The voice said, "Ready, go!"

Izuku and Tokoyami made their way towards an alleyway to the left of the entrance, and started methodically darting from alley to alley while completely avoiding the main road. Remaining out of sight would work for a while, but All Might was capable of destroying entire cities with a single punch, so really it wouldn't help much in the long run. They could only hide for so long.

"I'll draw his attention first, like we agreed." Izuku whispered to Tokoyami as they moved quickly and quietly, "But if you can't get away, switch with me."

"I will do my best to take up the distraction mantle if I find myself unable to escape." Tokoyami confirmed, "Use as little Sunlight as possible in that scenario, however, because I will need to rely on Dark Shadow when distracting the Villain."

"I can do that." Izuku nodded, "We should be able to make it at least half way across the city before he finds us if we're lucky–"

Ah, they weren't lucky.

The street next to them was blown away, completely and utterly annihilated as a blast of wind crashed through the city and reduced an entire block to rubble and dust. Izuku and Tokoyami hurried down another alley away from the destruction, though it was futile as the street in front of them was also blown out.

Izuku shielded his eyes as airborne debris made the area cloudy, and he was abruptly glad for the mask across his face that kept his lungs free of concrete dust. He didn't have much time to be thankful, however, because All Might came strolling down the destroyed street with a menacing smile painted across his face.

"Who gives a damn about the damage to a city?" All Might mused, "If you think of this as an exam, you'll be sorry. I am a Villain, come at me with everything you've got!"

"Oh shit–" All Might charged forward, much faster than should've been possible with all that extra weight, and Izuku barely had time to throw up a shield before All Might could smack him away or flatten him or whatever. Izuku looked over his shoulder at his partner behind him, "Go, Tokoyami!"

"I think not!" All Might yelled, but Izuku expanded his shield into a larger area to block All Might's immediate path. Unfortunately, as predicted, All Might simply went around it and batted Izuku out of the way with a backhanded smack.

Izuku should've expected the pain, but the feeling of crashing into a building at high speed was somehow more painful than he'd imagined. His left side slammed into a concrete support beam, and Izuku cried out as he felt his bones creak unhappily.

He rolled twice when he hit the ground, and for a moment was completely stunned by the impact. When the spasming in his lungs stopped and oxygen again made itself known, Izuku was able to weakly push himself off the ground and shove himself to a stand position. Damn. He'd only taken a single hit and already his body hurt like hell.

Forcing down the pain, Izuku started jogging after the path of destruction. Tokoyami hadn't made it far, evidently, only about a block towards the exit before being intercepted.

"You cannot escape!" All Might boasted as he grabbed Tokoyami by the front of his beak, and he completely ignored Dark Shadow jabbing at him and pulling his hair tufts.

Izuku, against every instinct in his body, turned and sprinted down a nearby alley towards the exit. It felt… wrong to turn away from an enemy and leave his partner by himself, but he didn't exactly have a choice. If he wanted them both to pass the exam–

“Are you running away and leaving a teammate behind?" Between one breath and the next, All Might was at his side and grinning openly at him. "That's not very heroic now is it?"

Izuku shrieked as All Might grabbed him by the arm and threw him across the street, and felt his costume tear as he hit the pavement and rolled across the concrete. His arms felt burned all to hell with road rash, but it would've been worse if Izuku hadn't cradled his head with his arms when he hit the ground. Still, he couldn't move for a few seconds as his body tried to convince him not to get up. Eventually Izuku's stubborn determination won out, though.

Crawling his way to his feet, Izuku winced as he straightened. Fuck he wished he had real ammunition. If he could just shoot All Might in the shoulder, maybe the knees, he'd be incapacitated enough for them to escape! Or handcuff him, if they were feeling cocky.

"Midoriya, we can't win like this." Izuku whipped his head around, ignoring the sharp pain in his neck as he did so, and saw Tokoyami limping across the street towards him. "We need a new plan."

"I don't have any." Izuku shook his head, "Our best chance was in separating, but he's too fast. He can take us both at once, easily."

"I did notice that." Tokoyami nodded, wincing as he moved one of his arms. His shoulder was dislocated, and Izuku stepped forward to push a glowing palm to Tokoyami's exposed forearm.

"There, that's better." Izuku smiled as Sunlight soaked into Tokoyami, healing the scrapes on his face and the hairline fracture of his left radius and the torn ligament in his dislocated shoulder.

"You should not waste your power." Tokoyami said, rolling his now healed shoulder. "It's unwise. You may need the energy." He was eyeing the dull gold now resting in Izuku's hair pointedly.

"It's not a waste if it helps keep you standing." Izuku grinned, "We're going to have to do this together if we want to win."

"I think that's enough chatter!" All Might very suddenly fell out of the fucking sky, and Izuku was blown off his feet as the force of his landing cracked the concrete and sent a shockwave in all directions. Luckily it only sent Izuku tumbling a few feet, and he was able to climb to his feet with fewer winces than expected but many more bruises.

"Tokoyami, we need a plan!" Izuku shouted to where his partner was also climbing to his feet.

"Ah ha! I have a present for the one who ran away!" Izuku looked up, and shrieked as All Might descended upon him with what looked like a whole ass railing, posed to impale him or possibly trap him. Regardless, Izuku threw his hands over his face and formed as large a shield as he could.

'I need to defeat him. I need a way to be stronger. I need to protect Tokoyami!'

Sunlight answered him, pulsing outwards so brightly it blinded even Izuku for a moment. He heard All Might's astonished yell from beyond the shield, but felt no heavy impact to indicate he'd killed the Number One Hero. That was probably a good thing. He'd get in trouble for killing All Might, especially since he was on camera.

When the spots finally blinked their way out of his vision, Izuku realised he'd surrounded himself in a dome of Light. Bright sunlight caged him in every direction, a perfect half dome that protected him from everything but what was beneath him. A perfect shield… one that All Might couldn't go around.

Izuku straightened from his cringing defensive position and gritted his teeth as he forced Sunlight to part just enough for Izuku to make out his surroundings. Tokoyami, luckily, wasn't too far away.

"Tokoyami!" Izuku yelled, and, luckily, his partner trusted him enough to just sprint his way towards Izuku without hesitation. He trusted Izuku probably a bit too much, which is why Izuku almost incinerated him as Tokoyami just charged straight at the shield while Izuku forced Sunlight to cooperate and almost didn't succeed.

"For a moment I thought I'd walk straight into the shield and burn." Tokoyami said a little breathlessly once he was safely inside the burning dome with the gap shut behind him.

"For a second I thought so too." Izuku laughed a little, and then he sighed and tried not to focus on how weak he was already feeling from the immense effort. "Okay, we need to get to the exit."

"We'll be safe inside the dome, but I do not think you'll be able to hold it the entire way." Tokoyami eyed Izuku's hands; they were splayed out in front of him as he concentrated on maintaining the shield, trembling and slowly solidifying into solid gold.

"Oh definitely not." Izuku agreed tiredly, "But if I can make it just close enough, you might be able to make it through and win for us." Tokoyami merely nodded.

"Let's move." He said.

Walking while maintaining the dome was possibly the hardest thing he'd done in years. Izuku felt the strain of holding it in place through his entire body, and he could tell it wasn't just his arms that were losing feeling. Spots along his ribs were going numb, as were his toes. Vaguely, Izuku wondered what would happen if his entire body turned numb and gold from exertion. He'd never had to consider it before, since it had only affected his arms, but this new move opened up a lot of new doors.

"Are we getting close?" Tokoyami asked, and his gaze flicked briefly to Izuku's left ankle that had started to buckle.

"I'm not sure." Izuku said tightly, "We're walking in the right direction though." Clenching his fists, Izuku pried open a small view hole in front so he could get a view of the street, sort of like a window, and he nearly collapsed in relief as he found they were in sight of the exit; or maybe he was just on the verge of collapsing anyway, but Izuku chose to believe it was the former.

"You are turning gold." Tokoyami noted as they drew closer, and Izuku's arms were giving out on him as the numbness spread from fingertips to biceps.

"It just has to last a little longer." Izuku gritted his teeth, but determination could only get him so far. They were within sprinting distance of the exit gate when Izuku's shield failed, and he collapsed on the spot with a heavy gasp.

His arms were useless, gold to the core, and his left leg was pretty far gone as well. The heat from the shield hadn't helped, and Izuku knew he was flushed from it. Spots danced in his vision, but Izuku could see Tokoyami sprint for the exit so they'd win. For a moment Izuku thought he'd make it, that they'd done it, but of course it wasn't that easy.

"You're strong…" All Might appeared in a flash, charging Tokoyami so quickly Izuku nearly toppled as he passed him, "But not strong enough!"

"I knew this would happen." Tokoyami's voice carried, and Izuku's eyes widened as a dark blur shot forward out of Tokoyami's back. "Go! Midoriya! Win for us both!"

All Might moved to change direction, but that split second turn around was enough for Dark Shadow to reach Izuku, wrap around his torsox and throw him at the exit gate. Izuku, who was not expecting to be tossed over a dozen feet quite so suddenly, screeched in a rather undignified way as Dark Shadow released him.

"I won't let you–!" All Might charged for Izuku, on track to intercept his flight course, but Dark Shadow grabbed All Might around the chest and yanked him backwards with all the strength he had. It wouldn't've been enough to stop him, but it was enough to delay him.

As Izuku tumbled through the gate, under the sign with Nezu's plastered smiling face, a happy little ding sounded. Then the steady, male announcer voice was back.

"Team Midoriya and Tokoyami have passed."

Izuku would've been relieved, if he hadn't then hit the ground and rolled twice. With a groan, Izuku could barely keep his eyes open. The last thing he saw before passing out was All Might's smiling face. Ew.

— — — — —

When Izuku woke up, he was thoroughly surprised to find he wasn't in an ice bath. Instead he was laid out on one of the beds in the Healer's Office, but now in a clean standard gym uniform.

Testing his limbs carefully, Izuku sat up when he found he wasn't in any pain. He was dizzy, but otherwise he felt fine. He did take a moment to examine himself, and found there were splotches of gold scattered all across his body. Spots the size of his palm were decorating his legs, small dots littered his arms, and he realised a portion of his jaw was numb as well.

"Oh, you're awake." Izuku looked over to see Recovery Girl approaching from one of the side rooms, carrying three cold packs with her. "I was just changing out your ice."

"Thank you." Izuku took them from her, placing two in different places on his legs and pressing the third to his face. The cold felt nice on the surrounding skin, and the numb patches tingled. That was a good sign.

"You pushed yourself far this time." Recovery Girl eyed him warily, "You'd nearly turned yourself into a statue. We soaked you in ice for two hours before most of it faded, and you still didn't regain consciousness. The exam ended about nine hours ago." Oh shit that was a long time…

"Sorry, new move." Izuku winced, and then he straightened to attention. "Wait, did Tokoyami score well? He didn't escape with me, but really he's the one who won. Did he–"

"Your team scored exceptionally high." Recovery Girl interrupted with a small sigh, "Tokoyami was judged fairly, and he passed same as you, despite not actively escaping himself. Teamwork was as much a factor as anything else."

"Right. Okay." Izuku took a deep breath, and smiled. "And the others?"

"You'll be happy to know Bakugo and Uraraka passed with flying colours." Recovery Girl smiled, "As for the rest, only three teams failed. Sato and Kirishima were defeated by Cementoss; Ashido and Kaminari failed against Nezu; and Aoyama and Sero were incapacitated by Midnight."

"The others all made it?" She nodded, and Izuku grinned. "Awesome. Is it bad I can't wait to see what Aizawa has in store for those who failed? Because you know he's going to put them through hell at the training camp."

"I cannot speak to his teaching methods, but I'd say it's reasonable of you to be anticipatory." Recovery Girl mused, "For now, however, I suggest you rest. I'll call your mother and let her know you're awake, and have her come pick you up." Izuku frowned, but nodded.

It was a shame he needed to be picked up; that meant he was leaving his motorcycle at school overnight and he'd need to walk or carpool to school in the morning. Not that he'd argue the issue, of course, he wasn't stupid enough to try and ride home with random body parts unreasonably numb. Not safe. Not smart.

With a sign, Izuku laid back down and smiled up at the ceiling. He'd done it. They'd done it. Izuku and Tokoyami passed their exam against All Might. The others had passed as well! Or, rather, most of them. The majority passed. Either way they were all going to the camp together, no matter what Aizawa had said.

Izuku couldn't wait to see what happened over the summer, especially since Aizawa was in charge training during the whole trip. They'd not had much training from him specifically, most of the time it was with All Might or Thirteen or sometimes they just trained on their own; regardless, Izuku was excited.

Finals were over, summer was on the horizon, and Izuku let himself relax as his eyes slipped shut.

He was just glad everything was going so well.

Chapter Text

Exam Review

Izuku sat with his mom for a leisurely breakfast, a rare occasion for a week day, and told her all about his exam. Apparently she thought he should've shot All Might with his tranquilisers, but Izuku had to reluctantly remind her that even with those weights on his wrists and ankles All Might was fast. Izuku doubted he'd've been able to land a shot, and even if he had, by some miracle, it probably wouldn't've been enough to stop him.

Still, Izuku enjoyed talking to his mom. She asked about his classmates, and Izuku happily told her what he'd heard from his classmates about their own exams. He especially enjoyed talking about Katsuki's exam; apparently, they only won because Katsuki suggested they run away instead of fight, and Uraraka had been so surprised by the suggestion she'd let go of their cover and managed to capture Thirteen with an accidental surprise strike using her Gunhead martial arts. Uraraka was embarrassed she'd won by accident, but Katsuki thought it was hilarious.

"Now that exams are over, Aizawa'll be going over the Training Camp expectations and stuff in class today, along with reassuring everyone who failed that they can go, and then we have the day off tomorrow." Izuku said as he helped his mom wash up from breakfast.

"Are you taking time off work to go?" Inko asked, and Izuku nodded as he took an offered plate to dry it.

"The station understands." Izuku smiled, "I was actually surprised, so many of them kept telling me how proud they were to see me becoming a Hero. I thought they'd see it as a waste of my career there, but not a single person has told me so."

"That's because it's not a waste." His mom told him warmly, "Everything you've worked on in your life has been a stepping stone to get where you are, and working at the station has been an especially great learning environment in preparation of becoming a Hero. They see that."

"Thanks." Izuku said softly, "I guess even now I'm surprised it seems to be working out. I would've thought more people wouldn't like it." Actually… it seemed only the Healers he knew seemed against his Heroic aspirations.

"They'll always be outliers, of course, but the supportive majority is what matters." Inko said, and she dried her hands. She turned to him and smiled. "You're already doing so well, Izuku, never forget that."

"Thanks, Mom."

Because Izuku left his motorcycle at the school overnight, Izuku took the train to school for the first time ever. It was an experience for sure, one he hadn't been prepared for in the slightest. People knew him.

"Oh! You're Midoriya, the 1st year winner of the UA Sports Festival!"

"Your Quirk is so cool, I can't imagine what it'll grow to be when you go Pro!"

"I heard he's a Healer on the side, which I think is so kind. He's practically already a Pro!"

"Mom, that's Midoriya Izuku! Mom, mom, can I ask for his autograph? The kids at school will never believe this!"

Izuku was used to the media, or 'vultures' as Aizawa called them, but civilians being so excited to see him was definitely a first. He took it in stride though, smiling and laughing, and he caused quite a few gasps as his skin radiated his happiness for all of them to see. It was surprising and amazing. People knew he was a Healer, but instead of seeing him as a Healer first and Hero second, the majority barely commented on it at all!

By the time Izuku got to UA he was walking with an extra spring in his step. Recovery Girl noticed, and laughed when he told her he hadn't expected such praise and support. Apparently she'd been expecting it.

On a different note, Recovery Girl informed him she had everything all set for his absence during Training Camp, and Izuku thanked her properly and sincerely. He knew she was fully capable of handling everything herself, considering she'd done so for many years prior to his existence, but knowing she was all set was still a relief to hear. Despite the fact that he loved Heroics more than he ever did Healing, he genuinely enjoyed Healing the students of UA and being a part of the staff.

"Midoriya!" Midnight exclaimed as he entered the staff room to snag a schedule, "We all saw the video of your exam, well done against Yagi!"

"Thanks! Tokoyami and I did our best." Izuku said brightly. "I'm actually surprised we did as well as we did."

"You should've seen Recovery Girl fussing over you." Midnight cooed, "She hit Yagi over the head with her scary syringe cane at least twice while she scolded him."

"She was thoroughly upset she couldn't heal you without upsetting your Quirk, which is why she was so rough with All Might." Snipe added from where he sat in a corner. "And it was definitely more than twice."

"Damn near gave him a concussion." Aizawa said, appearing from out of nowhere. "I made sure to thank her for it." Izuku laughed.

"Well, I appreciate your concern." Izuku smiled, "Anyway I gotta run, it's almost time for class. And, Aizawa, that would be your class too."

"Don't remind me." Aizawa grunted.

"Well, see you." Izuku waved to his coworkers and headed off to class happily. There seemed to be a rain cloud hanging over the classroom as he arrived, but he ignored it as he saw Katsuki. "Kat! You'll never believe the morning I've had."

"Oh?" Katsuki grinned, eyeing Izuku's near white glowing curls.

"I took the train to school because Mom had to pick me up after the exam yesterday, and people actually knew me!" Izuku enthused, leaning against Katsuki's desk. "They didn't call me a Healer either, they called me a Hero!"

"Of course they did." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Because you are a Hero."

"Hero in training." Izuku corrected.

"Makes no difference to them." Katsuki shrugged.

"People recognized me too, right after the Festival." Hitoshi spoke up with a grin, "I was surprised, they actually encouraged me. None of them thought my Quirk was a problem."

"That's because it's not." Izuku bumped his shoulder.

"People have always recognized me." Shoto said blandly as he joined them by Katsuki's desk. "My old man has always paraded me around in the media. It wasn't that surprising."

"Midoriya, can't you see we're trying to sulk over here?" Ashido whined, and Izuku looked over at the rain cloud half of the classroom. It seemed to be everyone who'd failed their exam.

"Why?"

"Because we can't go to the Training Camp!" Ashido cried, "I was so looking forward to it too…"

"You are going to the Training Camp though." Izuku tilted his head, "Aizawa is going to put you through hell to make you regret failing."

"Ah, I don't know if that's better or worse." Sero rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh.

"Midoriya, what have I said about revealing my teaching twists?" The moment Aizawa stepped through the door everyone was suddenly in their seats, all except Izuku.

"Absolutely nothing, Eraser." Izuku grinned, "I do believe we've never addressed it." Aizawa scowled, and Izuku laughed as he took his seat.

"Okay, now." Aizawa stood at the podium at the front of the classroom, looking out at them tiredly. "There are many of you who failed the practical exam. As such, for the Training Camp, everyone's going!"

"Told you." Izuku muttered, and Ashido sent him a teary scowl. It was more relieved than angry, however, which Izuku approved of.

"Though some of you failed the practical, no one failed the written." Aizawa said, "In the practical Ashido, Kaminari, Sato, Kirishima, Aoyama, and Sero failed the practical. For this time's exam, we on the Villain side made sure to leave a way for the students to win while watching to see how you all would take on the task at hand. If we hadn't, most of you would have gotten stuck before you even started."

"So when you said you were out to crush us…"

"That was to make you feel cornered." Aizawa nodded to Ojiro, who looked thoughtful. "In the first place, the Training Camp in the woods is designed to increase strength. Those who failed need it most; they have to get stronger. It was a rational deception!" The grin he wore was precious, and Izuku had to resist laughing. His classmates did look quite terrified.

"I was tricked… again… As is expected of UA…" Iida was practically trembling in his seat, and after a moment he shot to his feet with his hand high. "But Aizawa-sensei! Since you tricked us twice, our faith in you could waver!"

"I suppose that's true. I'll consider that." Aizawa said, "But I wasn't lying about everything. Failure is failure. We have prepared a separate time for extra lessons for you all who failed. To put it bluntly, it'll be tougher than the extra lessons you'd have had if you remained behind." Izuku smiled at the despair on his classmates' faces. Predictably, Aizawa did too. "Now that that's out of the way, I'll be passing out your grading analysis that details why you scored the way you did. If you have questions, you'll have the rest of the class to bring them up with me."

Because it was Aizawa, as soon as everyone had their grading sheets he curled up under his desk zipped snugly into his terribly banana coloured sleeping bag. That left the class to discuss their exams and enthuse over the Training Camp.

When they'd finished all their classes for the day, everyone seemed to linger and stew in their excitement. Izuku stood among his classmates, looking over the packing list and brochures they'd all been given.

"We have a lot to bring." Izuku hummed, "It makes sense though, we'll be gone a week after all."

"I don't have a bathing suit or anything." Kaminari said thoughtfully, "I'll have to buy all that stuff."

"Oh! Since we're off tomorrow, and just finished our exams, why doesn't Class A all go to the mall together?" Hagakure suggested brightly.

"Oh, good idea!" Kaminari exclaimed, "Wouldn't this be the first time we've all hung out together?"

"Yeah!" Uraraka nodded enthusiastically.

"That sounds like a great idea!" Izuku agreed, "Katsuki, doesn't that sound fun?"

"Meh." Katsuki shrugged, "I'll go if you go."

"What about you Hitoshi? Shoto?"

"I'm in." Hitoshi nodded amicably, "I need some bug spray, hopefully better than the useless stuff I've got now."

"I go visit my Mom on our days off." Shoto said, "I'll have to pass."

"Ah, no worries." Izuku shrugged, "Anyway, this'll be fun!"

"See? Midoriya gets it!" Hagakure laughed, "Let's do it!"

Chapter Text

The Only Successful Field Trip of the Year

Izuku glanced down at the group thread open on his phone, resisting a sigh of amusement.

Class 'A' -dventure

Ashido:
Who all will be there? Lol I forgot

Iida:
I believe we'll be without Sato, Koda, Todoroki, Aoyama, and Tsu. That is what I was informed of.

Ashido:
Ah man!! They're missing out.

Kaminari:
I'm so excited!!!! Class A field trip!!

Katsuki:
You idiots are blowing up my phone, chill out.
We all know where we're meeting, and we'll see each other in an hour.
Seriously, shut the hell up.

Hitoshi:
…
Where are we meeting?

Katsuki:
Oh my fuck.
I've befriended complete idiots.

Hitoshi:
Awwww we're friends?

Katsuki:
I will blow your skinny ass up, don't test me.

Izuku:
We're meeting at Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Hitoshi.

Ashido:
It's the newest and bestest shopping mall around!! It has all the coolest stores and products, everything is super fancy!

Izuku tucked his phone away even as Ashido continued spamming the chat with excited praise for their destination, and pulled on his shoes as he snagged his wallet to shove in his pocket.

When he opened the door, Izuku stopped short as someone was blocking his path.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"I live here, Katsuki." Izuku grinned at his best friend, leaned casually on the wall with a blandly amused expression. "Came to pick me up, did you?"

"Bet your ass I did." Katsuki smirked, "Someone has to babysit your disaster show."

"I'm thoroughly offended by your insinuating comment, I'll have you know." Izuku crossed his arms, "This might be the end of our friendship, truly."

"You'll get over it." Katsuki ruffled his curls roughly, making Izuku laugh. "Come on Broccoli, we've a train to catch."

Inko was at work already, but Izuku made sure to text her that he was headed out with his friends. Katsuki also texted her and very sarcastically said he was Izuku's personal babysitter. She found it endlessly amusing because of course she did. Izuku, fondly amused, allowed the teasing because he could see the tension in Katsuki's shoulders as they walked to the station.

Though life and work had been uneventful since Internships, Izuku could tell his rather repetitive injuries had taken a toll on his best friend. When they were younger, Izuku was often kept away from the dangerous aspects while he worked. Even as a police officer and then an Investigator, Izuku was sheltered from all that. It wasn't until their second or third year at Aldera that Izuku started getting involved during active Villain attacks, and even then he'd never really suffered harsh injuries. Not like he had in recent months.

Even though the wound on his neck was fully healed, the bandage removed, he had a scar grazing across his throat that he often saw his classmates glance at when he mentioned work, almost like a subconscious remembrance of Izuku's time recovering. Katsuki especially was bothered by it, and also he glared at anyone who mentioned the Stain incident at all. He'd never gotten over Izuku's involvement in that fight; it was something he and Katsuki could never agree on.

Despite Katsuki's tenseness, they had an enjoyable walk to the train station and a calm ride to Kiyashi Ward. They arrived at the mall about ten minutes early, but several of their excited classmates were already there.

"Midoriya! Bakugo!" Ashido squealed loudly, "You made it!"

"We did say we'd be here." Izuku laughed.

"We've never all hungout before." Kirishima said brightly, "I'm glad we're using our day off to be productive while having fun at the same time!"

"If shopping is your idea of fun." Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets with a resigned sigh.

"Well, I hope you manage to have fun too!" Kirishima replied happily, "Midoriya'll help with that, I'm sure."

"Hi!!" Ashido shouted suddenly, yelling at another group of their classmates approaching. "Uraraka! Kaminari! Yaoyorozu! Jiro!! Over here!"

They stood around chatting for maybe another five minutes or so before everyone arrived, and from there the conversation devolved into a clammer of voices declaring their purchasing intentions. Though they said they'd be shopping as a class, pretty quickly they realised they all needed different things and eventually decided they'd split up with the plan of meeting up again at 3 o'clock.

It all seemed to happen really fast, which was surprising. One moment they were standing together and the next they were zooming off in groups of two or three.

As for Izuku, he needed new wrist and ankle weights, which meant Katsuki decided he would buy some as well. Izuku grinned when he realised it was probably because Izuku's weights were getting nearly as heavy to Katsuki's, so he no doubt felt the need to do better by upping his as well. It was constant competition with Katsuki, Izuku knew, and he loved that about him.

"I've noticed running with my wrists and ankle weights has been getting a lot easier, and I realised that meant my overall strength was also improving!" Izuku told Katsuki happily as they walked, "I've been pushing myself lately because I think becoming stronger will help me in pursuit of Heroics, promoting a better foundation for intense training and the like. I hope Aizawa has us do combat exercises soon, I really want to practise with knives more. I practise shooting a lot to keep my licence for working as a Detective, and I did some knife throwing at Fatgum's Agency, but I haven't done hand-to-hand combat with heavy duty knives at all recently. The most recent would've been… let's see… the USJ? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I pulled some knives on those guys."

"Fuckers deserved to be stabbed harder." Katsuki said, scowling.

"I didn't stab them, mostly." Izuku grinned, "I predominantly used my gun. They were tranq rounds, unfortunately, but it worked out in the end."

"Right." Katsuki said, though he was grinding his teeth. Izuku sighed.

"Anyway, are you excited for the Training Camp?"

"If it makes me strong enough to kick your ass, then hell yeah I'm excited." Katsuki grinned, "You better watch out."

"I'm watching." Izuku laughed, "I'm always watching you."

"I can't tell if that's supposed to be encouraging or vaguely threatening."

"That depends on whether you're being a dickhead or not."

Shopping with Katsuki was always an adventure. His dad, Masaru, worked in the fashion industry, which meant Katsuki was raised surrounded by fashion facts, knowledge and a whole lot of judging. Izuku remembered being dragged along behind Katsuki as his mother, Mitsuki, stalked through the stores and bossily purchased a variety of only the highest quality items due to the insights Masaru offered from his work. Katsuki did hate shopping, but he was exceptionally good at it anyway.

"You put that back right now you overripe piece of broccoli." Izuku was in the middle of examining a pair of hiking boots when Katsuki flicked his forehead.

"Ow!"

"Those are Trio's boots, Izuku, those shoes are worth the same as gum stuck to a gym floor." Katsuki plucked the box from his hand and shoved them back on the shelf. Izuku rubbed his forehead ruefully.

"What's wrong with them? Is Trio's a bad brand?"

"Their manufacturers skip out on buying good materials in favour of playing it cheap." Katsuki scoffed, pulling Izuku away from them and towards a different section in the aisle. "They fall apart after a scratch, trust me. Here, try Runner Soles. Not the best shoes out there, but they're high quality and inexpensive because of how small the company is. Dad says they'll be on top some day, but hell if I know."

"Fine." Izuku huffed. He bent down to examine the new row of shoes, and smiled. "Thanks, Kat."

"Just hurry and pick a shoe, Izuku." Katsuki said, but he was smiling too.

Izuku snagged shoes, sunblock, some more gauze and plaster for his first aid kit, and those weights he needed before heading to meet his classmates back near the entrance where they'd started.

Predictably, several of them were late to the meet-up. Yaoyorozu and Jiro were on time, as were Kaminari, Iida, and Hagakure, but the rest were much slower and ran up to them out of breath at fifteen past 3 o'clock.

"Guys! I found the cafeteria." Ashido was the last to arrive, Hitoshi and Uraraka in tow, and she was breathless but clearly excited. "They have so many options! Are you guys hungry?"

"I'm starving!" Kirishima enthused, "Lead the way!"

"I could eat." Ojiro agreed.

"Everyone, let's follow Ashido and proceed to the cafeteria!" Iida chopped his hands in the air, and Izuku laughed at his productive intensity.

"How'd you end up with Uraraka and Ashido?" Katsuki asked, walking with Izuku and Hitoshi. "They don't seem your type."

"Uraraka was by herself, like I was, and Ashido didn't actually need anything. She was just excited to be out and about." Hitoshi sighed, "Basically we just ended up together and wandered around. We dipped into random stores that interested Ashido, mostly."

"Did you get what you needed?" Izuku asked, "You mentioned wanting bug spray."

"As it turned out, Uraraka needed bug spray too." Hitoshi said, "It all worked out. Though, I could've done without Ashido dragging me around by the arm when I fell behind." Katsuki snickered.

"Tough luck." He replied, smirking.

"I would've gone with you, but you left so fast." Hitoshi complained with resignation, "Everyone did. I was left standing there like an idiot."

"Sorry about that." Izuku winced, "It did all happen really fast."

"Ah well, just don't ditch me again and I'll forgive you." Hitoshi bumped their shoulders together with a grin. Izuku laughed.

"Deal."

Class A had a leisurely lunch altogether, which turned out to be somewhat relaxing, somehow. Ashido seemed to calm down finally, and they all sat together by pushing a bunch of cafeteria tables together and stealing lots of nearby chairs. It was haphazard, and Izuku ended up sitting on a corner wedged between Hitoshi and Katsuki, but it was a lot of fun.

"I hope we get the chance to do this again." Hagakure said as they ate, "This is so much fun!"

"Yeah." Uraraka agreed happily, "I never get to go shopping, so this was really cool."

"I go shopping regularly, but never with friends." Yaoyorozu smiled, "I like this much better."

"I'm just glad they had a good selection of footwear." Iida declared.

"What did you buy?" Katsuki narrowed his eyes, "What brand?"

"I believe it was… Nile."

"Nile? Seriously?" Katsuki groaned, "Their soles have absolutely no support whatsoever! Did you at least try them on before buying them? If you try running in those you'll break an ankle, especially with that speed Quirk of yours. Look, if you want the same style, with the whole high ankle and arched foot shape shit, go for Riker. That's what I wear. It's expensive, but a Hero legacy like you should be able to afford that no problem, especially since it's important to keep your feet fucking supported while using your Quirk!"

"Of course I tried them on, and I didn't see or feel any sort of problem with them." Iida replied.

"Well then you're just fucking wrong."

The whole table was then subjected to a debate between Katsuki, with a parent in the fashion industry, Yaoyorozu, from a very successful and wealthy family, and Iida, someone who needed firm proof before believing any new information. Safe to say, the whole table was listening to the back and forth of Katsuki making points with Yaoyorozu weighing in on her own experience while Iida defended a brand Katsuki would rather die than wear or praise.

By the time Iida was finally convinced to return the shoes and buy different ones, lunch was over and they were all ready to go home.

"You know, I'm glad Hagakure suggested this." Izuku said as Katsuki walked him back to the train station. "Did you have fun?"

"Well I did get a few things that'll be nice to have for the Trip." Katsuki said, "Also, Iida's an idiot, but at least he listens to reason. Eventually."

"And Yaoyorozu?"

"She's got a good head on her shoulders."

"I think so too." Izuku smiled, "I like our classmates."

"Of course you do." Katsuki rolled his eyes.

"You like them too." Izuku grinned at him, "Don't deny it."

"They're idiots." Katsuki said, "But yeah, I like them."

"That's what I thought." Izuku nodded, pleased. Katsuki shoved him, and Izuku laughed.

The two headed to Katsuki's place afterwards, mostly because Inko wouldn't be home until one in the morning and Katsuki insisted Mitsuki wouldn't mind him coming over for dinner. It wasn't a hard sell - Izuku loved being at the Bakugo mansion, it was like a second home. He practically grew up bouncing from his apartment to the mansion and back, Katsuki at his side the whole time.

As he dropped his head on Katsuki's shoulder, hugging him tightly before leaving to go back home, he smiled. They had a great day.

Chapter Text

Unhappy Meetings

Izuku was packing his things for the Training Camp, watching the time as he did, when his work phone rang. He glanced at it in surprise. Izuku was technically on leave for the trip, which meant a sudden call from his work phone was… odd.

Izuku scooped up his phone and pressed it to his ear. "Midoriya."

"This is Tsukauchi, Midoriya." Tsukauchi's voice came through the speaker, "I'm sorry to bother you; I know you leave for a school trip tomorrow morning."

"It's alright." Izuku hummed, "What's up?"

"I'm meeting with Yagi about updates on the League of Villains, sharing the information we've collected since the Hosu attack." Tsukauchi told him, "I wouldn't bother you with this usually, but considering you're aware of the bigger threat at large I wanted to extend an invitation." Izuku's eyes slipped shut at the words. All For One. They were meeting to discuss the League and motherfucking All For One.

"When?"

"In an hour, ten o'clock, at the station." Tsukauchi relayed. Izuku sighed.

"I'll be there." Izuku said.

"Thank you, Midoriya." Tsukauchi seemed relieved, "I really appreciate it."

"Sure." Izuku hung up and rubbed his temple tiredly. Just when he thought he could focus on school, pushing aside the mess in his head related to the boogeyman and transferable death Quirks, that's when Tsukauchi brought it all back. Because of course he did.

"Izuku?" His mother stood in his doorway, and he turned to her with a sigh. "Is something the matter?"

"I'm going to the station in a little less than an hour." Izuku said, "Tsukauchi called, I have a meeting at ten."

"I thought you were on leave." Inko frowned.

"I am, but this is a personal favour." Izuku told her, "He practically begged." For Tsukauchi, saying please was begging.

"Is this about the confidential information you were given weeks ago?" Inko asked, stepping forward in concern. "You were upset by it."

"I can't discuss that." Izuku said reluctantly, "But I believe it is connected in some ways."

"Well, you'd best get ready then." Inko smiled. She reached out and brushed a curl behind his ear; Izuku leaned into her hand.

"Yeah." He agreed.

Izuku arrived at the station ten minutes before the meeting time, then stood in the parking lot for about five minutes trying to remain calm. He hadn't expected for All For One to come up again so soon, but perhaps he was naive for such an assumption.

When he did enter the station, Tsukauchi was sitting in a chair by the door, leg bouncing nervously. That did not help Izuku's anxieties.

"Midoriya." Tsukauchi stood then, a bit hurriedly, clearing his throat. "Thank you for coming. Yagi is waiting in the meeting room." Izuku swallowed back his doubts and nodded.

"Lead the way."

Izuku was led to the station's largest meeting room, so empty looking with just All Might seated at the table meant for two dozen. He looked up when they entered, straightening slightly with attention.

"Healer Midoriya." All Might acknowledged with a nod.

"Yagi." Izuku said, pithy.

"Thank you both for coming." Tsukauchi sighed out, leaning his palms on the table. Izuku took a seat at the end, half a dozen seats down from All Might. "I wanted to brief you, All Might, on what we've collected on the League thus far."

"I see." All Might said, "Are there new developments?"

"Not new precisely, but more information is never disparaged." Tsukauchi pointed out, "I've compiled some summaries in these folders." He slid slim white folders towards them across the table. "Please, look them over."

Izuku accepted the folder slid towards him, opening it to scan the contents. He skimmed the report until a passage caught his attention; the information he already knew, but now it was laid out in front of him recorded with to-the-point, unembellished information.

—
UA High School was attacked by the League of Villains during a rescue training session, which is now referred to as the USJ Incident. There were indiscriminate attacks by the Hero Killer: Stain and the League of Villains in Hosu City, which soon after became known as the Hosu Incident.

There have not been any sightings or significant moves made by the League of Villains or Tomura Shigaraki, thought to be their leader, since that last attack. Though the investigation is ongoing, little evidence has come to light in recent weeks.
—

Izuku moved on after that, flipping the page and scanning the words with only partial focus. He was looking for something specific, and he found it on the third page in the folder. It was about All For One.

—
Nomu remains recovered from the scene of the Hosu Incident were studied with the help of staff from the Hosu General Hospital and Hosu Police Station. In their studies they confirmed the previous observations made by the Musutafu Police Station regarding the presence of extra Quirk factors present in the bodies of all three recovered Nomus.

Through further investigation it was found that the multiple Quirks residing within the Nomus weren't genetically compatible, implying that the Quirks present did not belong in the host they were found in. Though this baffled many scientists and medical personnel, the information was confirmed through various undisputable genetic testing.
—

And there it was - the speculation of All For One's involvement had been inadvertently confirmed by an oblivious, unbiased scientific party.

Izuku looked up to gauge All Might's reaction, watching as he read the report as well. He looked grimly aware of the information laid out before him, his hands clasped on the table with seriousness. That should have comforted Izuku, the fact that he was taking the threat seriously, but instead it pooled unease in his stomach. If All Might looked so grim, what were the chances they really had at defeating an S-Rank Supervillain like All For One?

"So there it is." All Might said quietly, "That monster still lives."

"The evidence is overwhelming and irrefutable." Tsukauchi agreed, wary and tired. "I knew you would want to know." All Might gave him a grateful nod before Tsukauchi continued. "Aside from that, the purpose of this meeting is to consider what it means that the League seems to have slipped out of the public eye completely. They haven't been sighted since the Hosu Incident."

"I suspect they are still making waves below the surface." All Might said, "They are planning something, I'm sure of it."

"I suspect as much too." Tsukauchi replied, "The police are working with Heroes to gather information about the League of Villains. When that investigation comes to fruition, we'll be counting on you, All Might."

"Of course, Tsukauchi." All Might said, nodding firmly. "I am prepared."

"You're not." Izuku spoke up then, "There's no way to prepare for facing All For One again, if he's mentoring Shigaraki and controlling the League's movements. He's too much of a wildcard with an unknown amount of Quirks." Though it pained him to even consider, Izuku wasn't certain All Might could win that fight.

"There is little choice, Healer Midoriya." All Might said to him, smiling. It was a grim sort of smile; tight and gaunt. "All For One will come for me eventually, and I must be as prepared as I can be when that day comes."

"I just hope it's not for a long while." Izuku sighed, "You're still not in top condition."

"I thought his injury was healed?" Tsukauchi frowned.

"It is, but his muscles aren't up to par with how they were pre-injury." Izuku explained, "I can repair them, and I did, but rebuilding his strength and endurance takes time. He's healthy and recovered, but his strength took a big hit. It could take years before he's back to how he was before."

"Healer Midoriya told me back when I was healed that my power is at a similar level as it was around the time I graduated - the start of my Heroics career." All Might added, "I was unusually strong due to possessing One For All, but I was not yet the Number One Hero I grew to be after my time spent in America."

"I see." Tsukauchi frowned, "That is most definitely a problem. You may not be able to take him on, Yagi."

"I will face him nonetheless." All Might said stoically, "And I never go into a fight thinking I will lose."

Izuku and Tsukauchi had nothing to say to that.

The meeting ended shortly after, Izuku again relaying his understanding of how secret All For One's existence was and how prevalent it was to keep it between them. Izuku reminded them again that he was trustworthy, and more than capable of keeping their secret, though both Tsukauchi and Yagi never doubted him for a moment even without the reassurances.

Izuku didn't go straight home after the meeting; instead he drove on his motorcycle in circles around Musutafu in an attempt to clear his head. Even with the peace brought on by a ride, Izuku couldn't relax knowing what it meant to have an untouchable threat looming over him. Izuku knew he was powerful, more so than any of his classmates, but he was only one person - and a student at that! Though Izuku knew he would protect as many people as he could if All For One ever made himself known, Izuku was under no illusion that he'd survive such an encounter if the Villain wanted him dead.

Such morbid thoughts sent Izuku to Katsuki, as always. Two firm knocks on the front door brought him into the comfort of his second home, and he spent the rest of the night with Katsuki. His mother showed up for a midnight snack with the Bakugo's, who were more than willing to stay up with Izuku as he tried to unwind.

When his mother kissed his forehead and said her goodbyes, she handed over Izuku's packed bags for the school trip that she'd brought so Izuku could stay the night without having to worry about retrieving his things in the morning.

Though Izuku felt weak, as though he wasn't enough against a powerful Villain such as All For One, being surrounded by people he knew loved him helped soothe the anxiety and fear.

The school trip loomed on the horizon, and would hopeful provide Izuku the chance to grow stronger - strong enough to protect everyone he loved even from Villains much more powerful than him.

"One day I'm going to be even more powerful than All Might." Izuku whispered, lying side by side with Katsuki.

"Damn right." Katsuki huffed, "We are going to be stronger than All Might. Don't forget, we're a team. Dynamite and Supernova: The best Hero Duo ever."

"Hell yeah." Izuku laughed, "The best."

Chapter Text

An Early Start

Izuku stood beside Aizawa with the bus, leaning against it with his arms crossed in boredom. He'd left Bakugo Mansion early in the morning with a short goodbye to a very sleepy Katsuki, and arrived around the same time as Aizawa. The rest of the class was set to arrive some time in the next five minutes, but Izuku hadn't seen any sign of them. Though, they all knew Aizawa had zero tolerance for tardiness, so there was a chance they'd all show in time.

"Is that the 1B bus?" Izuku asked as a second bus arrived, pulling in to park nearby.

"It is." Aizawa confirmed tiredly. He sighed. "Vlad will be tiresome to work with."

"I don't see much of Vlad King." Izuku said thoughtfully, "He's rarely in the staff room when I go to grab my schedule."

"Vlad interacts with the rest of the staff very little." Aizawa sighed, "He cares a lot about his work, and the school, but he usually keeps to himself. It doesn't help that he sees me specifically as a bit of a rival. Vlad pits his class against mine every year, creating an unnecessary rivalry between the students. His teaching methods are very different from mine as well, which separates us even further."

"How do your teaching styles differ?" Though, Izuku did have an idea as to what it might be.

"I believe in pushing my students to as close to the breaking point as possible, weeding out those that aren't serious about being a Hero." Aizawa said, "I prepare my students for the harsh reality, unlike Vlad. He prefers a gentler approach, encouraging his students and teaching them the basics to build up from there. He's an exceptional teacher, and his students turn out to be great Heroes. The disconnect is that we achieve the same goal through dissimilar means."

"I suppose that makes sense." Izuku said, "I suppose I'll get to see it firsthand soon enough."

"Oh?"

"We'll be together at the Training Camp." Izuku grinned at him, "We'll get a good look at what Vlad has his students doing, compared to what we'll be doing."

"Fair." Aizawa acknowledged.

"Of course, all of 1A knows you're going to put us through hell." Izuku huffed, "Now I'm looking forward to what 1B will think of it all. I myself don't know what to expect, but I wager you have some tough plans for us."

"Let's just say you'll be having an early start." Aizawa said mysteriously. There was a little smile on his face that Izuku knew meant trouble.

Exactly on time, the whole class arrived in one big crowd of excitement. Izuku could tell that Aizawa was pleased by that, though Izuku doubted the class could tell that.

Izuku joined his classmates then, slotting himself between Katsuki and Shoto easily. Hitoshi was lingering nearby, scowling out at the world a bit. He probably didn't like the fact that they'd all been told to arrive early in the morning, about two hours before they usually arrived at school for classes.

"Alright." Aizawa called their attention; immediately all eyes were on him. "UA's first semester has officially ended, and summer vacation starts now. However, those of you trying to be Heroes will not be allowed days to rest." Aizawa looked out at them steadily, "At this Summer Training Camp, we'll have you aiming for even greater heights. Remember, Plus Ultra!"

"Yes, sir!" The class chorused. With that, Aizawa nodded before heading to the bus, probably to talk to the driver.

"Excited?" Izuku asked Katsuki.

"You bet." Katsuki cracked his knuckles with a grin, "We both know 'teach over there is gonna kick our asses, but I'm more than ready."

"I'm ready as well." Shoto nodded, "We need to get much stronger before we can become Heroes."

"What about you, Hitoshi?" Izuku leaned around Shoto to see him.

"I don't care what Aizawa puts us through, I'm gonna suffer either way if he keeps making us get up so early." Hitoshi muttered, "I hope they have coffee at wherever we're going."

"Oh? Funny seeing you here." Izuku turned to the new voice, meeting Monoma's eyes with a grin. It seemed 1B had arrived, the majority of the class standing around closer to their bus.

"Hey, Monoma." Izuku laughed, "Aizawa said your class would be tagging along."

"Tagging along?" Monoma raised an eyebrow, "I must disagree. It's you all that'll be tagging along. This is a 1B trip, you 1A people are just the extras."

"Agree to disagree." Izuku grinned.

"Monoma, are you playing nice?" Kendo approached, looking between them curiously.

"I'm always playing nice." Monoma scowled at her, though it was more fond than aggressive.

"Don't worry Kendo, I'm quite capable of handling him." Izuku said with a wink.

"You hated each other last I checked." Kendo put her hands on her hips.

"That's all in the past." Monoma threw an arm around Izuku, carefully avoiding his skin. Sunlight writhed a little in protest, but not harmfully. "He and I are buddies now."

"Ah, whatever." Kendo sighed, "Well, it's always nice seeing you, Midoriya."

"Likewise." Izuku nodded to her. Monoma pulled away as Kendo turned back to the 1B bus, sighing.

"She thinks she has to babysit me." Monoma muttered, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, I'm glad you're still in one piece. Still alive and kicking."

"Soon enough I'll be kicking your ass, you mean." Izuku smirked, "Unfortunately that won't be happening at the Training Camp, seeing as your class will be completely separate from ours."

"What? Really?" Monoma blinked.

"Aizawa has a much more… severe teaching style." Izuku said vaguely, "I imagine we won't be seeing each other much. Vlad has very different plans for you guys than Aizawa does for us."

"What does that mean?" Monoma asked suspiciously.

"Well, to put it lightly, I wouldn't be surprised if Aizawa set each of us on fire and wished us luck in putting ourselves out before ditching us." Izuku said, "We're doomed, basically."

"Yikes." Monoma made a face, "More proof 1B is superior."

"Or that 1A is cooler for enduring Aizawa's hell training." Izuku grinned, "Either way, we'll not be seeing much of each other."

"A shame." Monoma sighed rather dramatically, "I was looking forward to competing with you guys during training."

"There'd be no competition, Copycat." Katsuki cut in, smirking. "We'd destroy you in mere seconds."

"You'll have to put your money where your mouth is someday." Monoma grinned, "Well, I'd best be off to join the superior class."

"You've already found it." Hitoshi said dryly. Monoma laughed.

"See ya, Midoriya." He offered a parting wave.

"Bye!" Izuku replied brightly.

"I don't know what you see in him." Hitoshi sighed.

"I think he's interesting." Izuku said with a grin, "And, Monoma cares more than you'd guess." Izuku smiled, remembering how worried Monoma had been after Izuku was shot.

"If you say so." Hitoshi shrugged.

Izuku caught sight of 1B loading onto their bus, some of them looking over at 1A curiously, and waved to them.

"Hi, 1B!" Izuku called, "Are you all excited?"

"Yo, Midoriya!" Tokage grinned at him, "We're pumped!"

"We're glad you're coming, Healer Midoriya!" Rin added brightly.

"We're looking forward to getting to know you all!" Tokage added, acknowledging the rest of the class.

"We're getting on the bus now!" Kendo called to her class. With a few more waves, 1B climbed onto their bus and disappeared.

"Alright, that means us too!" Izuku signaled his classmates. "Everybody on the bus!"

The class slowly followed his directions, clambering onto the bus and haphazardly making their way to find a seat. Katsuki helped get people settled, bossily ordering people to jump into whatever seat they were closest to when people started being wishy-washy about where to sit. Izuku found it highly amusing to watch people follow Katsuki's authoritative deputy class rep orders.

Once they were on the road, Izuku happily enjoyed the chaos that was class 1A not paying the slightest bit of attention to Aizawa. He did try to get their attention once, but he gave up and muttered something about letting them play around while they still could. Ominous, but Izuku could roll with it.

After about an hour, the bus pulled off to the side and Aizawa herded them off the bus with a tired gruffness. The class took their chance to stretch their legs, sighing in relief to be off the slightly cramped bus.

"This is a weird place to pull over." Katsuki grunted, looking across the small dirt area they'd pulled over on.

"Yeah, I thought so too." Izuku glanced over at Aizawa, raising an eyebrow.

"There's no point stopping without reason." Aizawa said unhelpfully.

"Who's that?" Hitoshi squinted at the black car parked off to the side. A moment later, the doors sprang open and two very colorful Heroes popped out.

"Hey, Eraser!" Ah, Izuku recognized them. Their puffy skirts and sparkly outfits were easily identifiable.

"Long time no see." Aizawa bowed his head respectfully. With that, 1A turned and stared at the two new arrivals.

"Lock on with the sparkly gazes!" Izuku sighed as Mandalay did a dramatic twirl, which was part of her little squad's signature introduction.

"Stingingly cute and catlike!" Pixie-Bob added with a little giggle. Then together they said, "Wild wild Pussycats!"

"These are two of the Pro Heroes who we'll be working with during camp." Aizawa gestured to their dramatics vaguely, "The Pussycats."

"The Pussycats are part of a four-person Hero team who set up a joint agency." Izuku added, laughing a bit at his blank-faced classmates. "They specialize in mountain rescues, which makes sense." He pointed off the edge of the cliff area they stood on, towards the forest mountain land below them.

"Well, greet them, everyone." Aizawa said when the class still stared in surprised silence.

"Nice to meet you!" The class chorused immediately. Izuku laughed softly, which earned him an elbow in the ribs courtesy of Hitoshi.

"Now then." Mandalay grinned at them all, "We own all this stretch of land here. You guys will be staying at the foot of that mountain." She pointed way off into the distance, smiling brightly at them.

"Well, why did we stop here, then?" Uraraka asked, eyes wide.

"Could this mean…?" Tsuyu gulped.

"No way!" Sato laughed nervously.

Apparently, they were all thinking the same thing. A couple of them shuffled backwards a few steps, nervously eyeing the Heroes and the edge of the cliff. Izuku just sighed in resignation.

"It's 9:30am right now." Mandalay told them, grinning slyly. "If you're fast, maybe you'll get there around… noon?" Izuku stayed right where he was, even as the majority of his class sprinted for the bus. Did they really think they could make it, considering where they were? They were standing on Pixie-Bob's area of expertise: earth. "Kitties who don't make it by 12:30 won't get any lunch!"

"Sorry, kids." Aizawa muttered, completely unapologetic. "Training camp has already begun." With that, Pixie-Bob slammed her hands, which were padded by gloves resembling cat paws, into the ground. Yep. They were toast.

Pixie-Bob's Quirk, capable of controlling dirt however she wanted, swallowed them up as the earth beneath their feet rose, tossing them over the poor excuse of a railing surrounding the cliff. His classmates were screaming, even though Pixie-Bob's Quirk cushioned their fall so no one was badly injured despite the immense height they'd fallen.

Izuku hit the ground, then tripped backwards on the uneven forest ground and fell on his ass. His classmates weren't in much better shape, all groaning loudly where they were sprawled across the dirt floor.

"Hey!" Mandalay shouted from up on the cliff they'd been evicted from, "This is private land, so you can use your Quirks however you want! You have three hours! Head to the facility on your own two feet, after getting through The Beast Forest!"

"Oh shit." Izuku scrambled to his feet as the forest they'd landed in loomed. "Everyone up! On your feet!"

"UA does this way too often." Jiro complained.

"It's no use complaining." Kirishima chided, "Listen to Midoriya, we have to go!"

"Everyone! Pay attention. Pixie-Bob's Quirk allows her to control the dirt." Izuku said, looking around at his classmates. "She's probably creating 'Beasts' out of the earth to fight us."

"What is that?" Kaminari had taken several steps towards the edge of the looming forest, and answered his own question exceptionally quickly. "Midoriya's right! It's a Beast! Dirt Beast!"

The majority of the class didn't really have to do anything, just watching as Shoto charged forward to freeze the Beast's feet as Iida kicked off one of the Beast's arms while Katsuki got the other. The Beast toppled in mere moments, completely destroyed.

"Wow, you beat it so fast!" Sato exclaimed.

"Guys, there's going to be more." Izuku waved them all forward, "If we want to get there before dark, we have to hurry. Now!"

"Oi! Everyone stay together!" Katsuki shouted, shooing the stragglers into the forest, "Let's get going, idiots!"

"We have to take the shortest route to get through quickly." Yaoyorozu added, nodding firmly.

"We need to take the Beasts down together!" Iida declared.

"Our goal isn't to win, or to beat them." Izuku disagreed, "Pixie-Bob can keep making more and more until we drop. We need to get past them."

"Like in the Final Exams." Shoto said, "Right."

"I see, so the Exam was to prepare us for this!" Iida nodded, "Got it! Only engage when necessary."

"Come on, let's go!" Kirishima, despite the odds, was grinning widely at the challenge.

"Stay together!" Izuku called, "Katsuki, you lead."

"Fuck yea!!"

With that, class 1A was fumbling through the woods, evading when possible and destroying when they had to. Progress was slow, especially once Kaminari went overboard and Sato was forced to carry him. But they ran their way through the Forest as quickly as possible. They didn't bother guessing how many Beasts there were or setting a lookout, they merely forced their way through the trees and obstacles with reckless abandon.

Katsuki was the only one wearing a wristwatch, so every so often he shouted out the time and very angrily told everyone to hurry their asses up. Noon came and went, which did not raise their spirits even slightly; but, luckily, Izuku was there to up their energy when they started to exhaust themselves. That was pretty much Izuku's whole job.

"Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu fell behind where she'd been running to reach out to him, and Izuku pressed Sunlight into her skin as they briefly clasped hands. Her damaged shoulder, nearly dislocated but not quite, was healed in an instant. "Thanks!"

Every so often someone tripped or took a harsh hit, and Izuku was there to keep them going. It was a bit reckless of him to keep giving away his energy over and over, healing as needed without paying much attention to his limit, but he knew his classmates were working hard to do their job of breaking through the Beasts and so he worked hard to heal them when he had to.

Occasionally Izuku had to throw out a shield to dodge an attack aimed right at him, or protect a classmate who was otherwise engaged, so his arms were dotted with patches of gold as well. He'd lost feeling in two of his fingers, but he ignored it as he kept on running.

They made solid progress, and, if Katsuki's watch was to be believed, they burst out the other side of Pixie-Bob's nightmare Forest at about three in the afternoon. They'd taken double the time Mandalay gave them at the start.

"Hey! Welcome back!" Pixie-Bob exclaimed as soon as they entered the clearing.

"What did you mean when you said three hours?" Sero burst out, groaning. He bent over and pressed his hands to his knees with a sigh.

"Well, that's how long it would've taken us." Mandalay laughed unsympathetically, "Oops! Sorry!"

"So you were trying to boast how much better you are then us?" Sato complained, "That's mean."

"I'm hungry." Kirishima sighed, "Dammit, we missed lunch." Pixie-Bob burst out laughing, giggling behind her kitty gloved hands.

"Honestly, I'm impressed! I thought it would take you much longer. You guys didn't have any trouble evading my Beasts, and defeated a few of them easily too!" She said happily, "You guys are great. Especially you three!" Pixie-Bob rushed forward and pointed to Shoto, Katsuki and Iida. "Were you able to act so quickly because of your experience? I'm looking forward to seeing where you'll be in three years!!"

"What– What are you–?" Iida swatted at her, "Get away!"

Izuku smiled as she swarmed them, watching as his friends cringed a bit away from her excitement as she ran in circles around them with manic giggles. He didn't often see Katsuki unnerved, but he seemed to really dislike Pixie-Bob's swooning.

Surveying his classmates, Izuku counted to make sure they had everybody and glanced at their general conditions. Nobody seemed injured or on the verge of collapse, though they were dirty and tired and hungry. Those were all completely understandable, so Izuku nodded to himself. They'd be fine after some food and rest.

"Alright, everyone." Aizawa called, gaining the attention of the class. Pixie-Bob paused her motions, allowing Katsuki, Shoto and Iida to focus as well. "Get your things off the bus. Once you've put all your bags in your rooms, we'll prepare a late lunch in the cafeteria. After that you'll get the chance to bathe, then you may rest until dinner is served. We'll start for real tomorrow."

"Yesss." Kirishima grinned tiredly, "Food!"

"Bags first." Yaoyorozu called lightly as a reminder.

Izuku wobbled a bit as he headed for the bus, unstable on his feet, but a moment later Katsuki was at his side.

"Idiot. You're burning up." Katsuki scolded, pressing the back of his hand to Izuku's forehead. "You pushed yourself too hard."

"Yeah well, so did everyone else." Izuku sighed, "Come on, let's grab our stuff." Katsuki glared, but said nothing as he took Izuku's hand and gently pulled him towards the bus.

As it turned out, there were four rooms total: two rooms per class; one for the girls, one for the boys. Katsuki, after insisting, carried both his and Izuku's bags inside to drop them off in the room designated for the 1A boys before they all made their way to the cafeteria for a late lunch.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen 1B around." Ashido thought aloud as they sat down, "Where are they?"

"Most likely 1B drove their way here on the bus without stopping. They'd have arrived way before us." Izuku said, accepting a bowl Katsuki shoved his way. "I'd wager they're bathing now, or resting."

"D'you think we'll be eating dinner together?" Hagakure asked, "I haven't met any of them yet!"

"I have no idea." Izuku said plainly, "I suppose we'll have to wait and see."

"Oi, eat something." Katsuki elbowed him, scowling.

"Sorry." Izuku smiled; he dutifully started picking at his lunch, Katsuki watching him as he did so. In truth, Izuku wasn't very hungry because he was quite feverish.

"Are you alright?" Shoto asked, eyeing Izuku's hair. "You did a lot of healing today."

"I'm tired." Izuku said, "That's all."

"Fucking liar." Katsuki grunted, "This idiot overdid it again, healing us in the forest and keeping us fit to fight. He's got a raging fever."

"Oh." Shoto frowned, "Here." Shoto leaned across the table and touched his right hand to Izuku's head, pressing a light layer of frost into his hair. Izuku shuddered as Shoto pulled away.

"Thanks." Izuku sighed. The ice was a bit painfully cold against his scalp, but it was soothing his headache a little.

The lunch served was practically devoured by 1A, several of them just downing everything they could reach with little to no consideration that they also had dinner in a few hours. Izuku laughed when Kirishima inhaled rice at one point, Sero having to clap him on the back to clear it. They ate a bit more slowly after that.

"Alright you lot, the baths are that way!" Mandalay ordered them after, "Get yourselves cleaned up! 1B's all finished, so you're in the clear."

"Thank you very much!"

"Midoriya." Aizawa pulled him aside once the class started towards the baths, "I presume you're not going with them?"

"You'd presume correctly." Izuku said with a tired smile, "The hot water won't help my fever any."

"I figured as much." Aizawa sighed, "Your classmates seemed too energetic when they returned, and your hair is near completely gold, as are your hands. You spent that whole way healing them through the forest, didn't you."

"That was my role." Izuku confirmed, "I did what I could."

"I expected this, and had the Pussycats prepare an ice bath for you upstairs." Aizawa gestured towards the stairs, "Come back down when you can."

"Oh." Izuku blinked, "Thank you. You didn't have to do that."

"Your classmates are not the only ones who will be put through hell." Aizawa said pointedly, "You'll be expected to keep up, which means not dying of heatstroke before we've even started."

"Fair enough." Izuku huffed, "Thanks."

"Just go." Aizawa grunted. Izuku grinned, but nodded.

The training camp had barely started, but, of course, it was already kicking their asses. Izuku couldn't wait to see what else Aizawa had in store for them.

Chapter Text

Aizawa's Hell Training

"If I pass out, leave me for dead." Hitoshi dropped his head onto Izuku's fluffy curls, yawning widely.

"You're not going to pass out." Izuku huffed.

"They have no coffee." Hitoshi muttered, "Coffee runs through my veins more than blood, Midoriya, I might die without it."

"Caffeine addiction is a very real thing." Izuku said mildly.

"Shut up." Hitoshi said, though not meanly. "Leave me and my coffee obsession in peace." Izuku smiled despite himself.

"Oi, stop being dramatic." Katsuki snagged Hitoshi's shoulder and pulled him off Izuku, "We're needed on the field, 'teach is waiting for us."

"Ugh." Hitoshi groaned, "Fine."

"I'm with Shinso." Uraraka blinked, bleary eyed. Her hair was a disaster, which Izuku thought was just a little funny. "How are you a morning person, Midoriya?"

"Broccoli's been waking up for shifts at five in the morning for years." Katsuki rolled his eyes, "Sometimes even earlier."

"I often had to get up early for training as well, even before I started at UA." Shoto put in blandly, "I'm not tired. Just a little sore from yesterday."

"Not everyone has been training for this all their lives." Sero complained, stretching his arms above his head. "Man, I'm barely awake enough to stand. I don't know how I'm going to train like this."

"Sheer determination." Uraraka mumbled, rubbing her eyes. "We got this…" She looked asleep on her feet, despite her words.

"That's the spirit!" Izuku grinned.

"Too bright." Ashido yawned, "Even without your Quirk active you're too sunshine-y. Let us be sleepy and complain in peace." Izuku laughed at that.

"Come on, Aizawa-sensei is waiting!" Iida, even dishevelled and obviously tired, spoke loudly and firmly. "It is reaching five-thirty!"

"That's true." Izuku nodded, "Alright everyone, outside."

There was collective unhappiness at that, but everyone shuffled their way out of the building, zipping up their gym jackets for warmth in the chilly morning as they did. Aizawa was standing in the middle of the clearing, so the class meandered over into a semi-circle around him.

"Good morning, everyone." Aizawa nodded to them all, "Today we'll begin the Training Camp in earnest to increase your strength and overall abilities. The goal of this summer training is to increase your strengths and, with that, for everyone to obtain their provisional licences. It is to prepare you all to face hostilities that are becoming more real by the minute. So prepare yourselves." Aizawa reached into his pocket and threw a ball, which Katsuki caught easily in one hand. "Bakugo, try throwing that."

"This is from the fitness test." Katsuki said suspiciously, looking from the ball back to Aizawa.

"Your previous record, from right after you started school, was 705.2 metres." Aizawa said, "Let's see how much you've improved." Ah, Izuku understood. Briefly he felt bad Katsuki was chosen for the demonstration, but he really was the best person to make Aizawa's point obvious.

"Oh? We're checking our progress?" Suddenly Ashido looked incredibly energetic as Katsuki walked a small ways away to throw it.

"Since a lot has happened in the last three months, right?" Sero guessed, watching Katsuki with a wide grin. "Maybe he can throw it a kilometre or something now!" Izuku sighed as Katsuki rolled his shoulders, already knowing what was going to happen.

"Alright…" Katsuki muttered, "Go to hell!" Reeling back his arm, Katsuki launched the ball into the air with a trail of smoke in its wake, sparks flying just as dramatically as always. He then grinned, looking to Aizawa expectantly.

"709.6 metres." Aizawa said blankly, which caused gasps ringing from the entire class. Katsuki blinked in shock as well. Izuku just winced. "It's about three months since you all started high school. Through various experiences, you've definitely improved in that time. But that improvement has mainly been on mental and technical levels, with some increase in stamina as well. As you can see, your Quirks themselves haven't improved much." The class looked at each other in surprise and understanding. "That's why we'll be working on improving your Quirks starting today."

Aizawa smirked, the signature terrifying grin that made the whole class fear for their sanity. It was official; they were fucked. "It'll be so hard you'll feel like dying." Aizawa told them, smug and challenging. "But, try not to actually die. We have work to do." With that, Aizawa led them to their doom.

Aizawa had been very thorough in his plans for the class. Every one of them was challenged significantly, forced to push their limits to break through the boundaries to rebuild better and stronger bonds. Quirks were like muscles, and Izuku knew everyone was going to be so sore he wouldn't be surprised if a few of them passed out, including himself.

Katsuki was assigned to dip his hands in a vat of boiling water, forcing his sweat glands to expand, then repeatedly blasting explosions into the sky to increase the scale at which he can blow things up. Katsuki very much did not like it, but his poor showing with the ball throw was definitely motivating him.

Shoto ended up standing in a vat filled with water that reached just above his naval, aiming to keep the water lukewarm by repeatedly alternating between his fire and fire; it was meant to help him control the temperature of his flames, as well as increase his endurance to freezing himself over and over. Shoto never used fire and ice in rapid succession, so he was exhausted almost immediately.

A few people were doing endurance training, like Sero and Kaminari. Sero continuously produced and sent tape off a cliff, overusing his Quirk practically ten times over. Kaminari was throwing electricity at a battery to fry his brain repeatedly, helping him adjust to handling large amounts of energy so he wouldn't overload himself so often.

Others were targeting discomfort while using their Quirk. Aoyama was pushing through nausea to shoot his laser even when he felt sick, which would help him push past the discomfort of it, but also increase the range of his attacks. Uraraka was also pushing through nausea, tumbling in zero gravity to train her ear canals to stop triggering her nausea as often when she was weightless. Iida sort of fell in that category, running long distances even if his legs cramped or he was low on energy, but also to increase his endurance.

Jiro and Ashido were side by side standing at a mountain wall; Jiro slamming her jacks into the rock to strengthen them to hopefully increase the quality of sound she heard or produced, and Ashido was intermittently secreting acid to increase her tolerance to it. Yaoyorozu and Sato were also side by side at a table littered with food, eating and using their Quirks at the same time; Yaoyorozu was practising speeding up the Creation process while fueling her lipid stores, while Sato was overloading his system with sugar while lifting weights to strengthen both his tolerance and endurance.

Tsuyu was shooting her tongue upwards and scaling a cliff face, working out her whole body as well as her tongue muscles, and Tokoyami was nearby batting Dark Shadow in a pitch-black cave, trying to obtain some form of control, but it didn't seem to be working so well if the screaming was any indication.

Aizawa also paired a few people up based on the compatibility of their Quirks to actively work together. For example, Hagakure and Shoji were paired up; Shoji used his Quirk, creating as many eyes and ears as possible and straining to detect Hagakure, while Hagakure was sort of playing hide and seek to hide her presence and train her stealth capabilities.

Another pair was Kirishima and Ojiro, who were sparring with their Quirks. Kirishima remained Hardened for as long as possible while being repeatedly assaulted, and Ojiro attacked with his tail to strengthen it against Kirishima's harsh Quirk while pushing through the resulting bruising and soreness.

Koda and Hitoshi were together as well, oddly enough. Koda was just screaming himself hoarse to strengthen his vocal cords so more animals could hear him from further away, and to help him push past some of his shyness, while Hitoshi was shouting over and over to help strengthen his voice and learn to project it further. Basically, they were doing the exact same thing.

As for Izuku, he was under the supervision of Aizawa while he practised the new shield technique he'd discovered during the Final Exam. He was being supervised because of how dangerous it was, but it still annoyed Izuku no matter how practical it was. It made him feel weak to need a babysitter, even though he knew it was the exact opposite. Sunshine was too powerful - too dangerous. He didn't have to like it though.

Sunlight boiled under his skin, writhing as he held his arms out and forced a shield to form in a dome around him, holding it as long as he could. Sweat fell in his eyes, his arms trembled, gold splotching his chest and face in a way unfamiliar to him. Usually the dull gold that deadened his skin only consumed his arms, but using the dome had it spread across his body, differently every time he tried again.

Izuku dropped the shield, gasping harshly as he leaned forward and gripped the edge of the empty metal vat he stood in for stability. One of his feet was completely numb, and he was losing feeling in his right shoulder too. Then ice was dumped down his back as Aizawa emptied another bag into the barrel; Izuku shuddered at the painful temperature difference.

"Again." Aizawa ordered. Izuku gritted his teeth for a moment before he worked up the energy, then complied to the best of his ability.

Throughout the day, Izuku had to periodically stop as the fever raged a bit out of control; Aizawa would give him fifteen minutes in an ice bath, in which Izuku dunked himself fully under the freezing water for ten seconds at a time before surfacing to gasp for air for five seconds before going back under again. It was definitely effective in cooling his temperature, and it meant Izuku was working out even during his breaks from using Sunlight.

When the sun was finally dipping towards the horizon, they were all released to stumble their way back to the building for dinner. Izuku had a bag of ice pressed to his face as he walked, dizzy with a mild fever but still conscious.

It was then that the Pussycats showed them they'd set up an area with counters and tables and meal prepping spaces with large platters of ingredients. Izuku just sighed in resignation when he saw it.

"Yesterday we said it was the last day we'd be doing stuff for you!" Pixiebob told them with a wide grin. Ragdoll, another member of the Pussycats, stood by her side. Izuku remembered she had an analysis type Quirk. It was called Search, he was pretty sure.

"Now the least you can do is make your own food!" Ragdoll said brightly, "It's curry!!" Both classes, exhausted, merely groaned their understanding. It made Ragdoll laugh. "You all look exhausted!! But that doesn't mean you can make any old sloppy cat food!"

"Oh… I see." Iida muttered, blinking in apparent understanding. "It's true that part of rescuing someone is filling the stomachs and spirits of those exhausted during a disaster. Ah! That's UA for you, no opportunities wasted!" He turned to address the crowd of dead-on-their-feet students with choppy robot hands. "Everyone! Let's make the most delicious curry we possibly can!" Finally, that got everyone's attention enough to rouse them from their exhausted stupors.

Izuku sat at a table and chopped vegetables, all the while balancing an ice pack on his head. His fellow students all delegated different jobs, from Todoroki lighting fires to Yaoyorozu managing the seasonings being added to the sauce. Everyone was given a job to do, and everyone found a way to participate.

By the end of their rather chaotic attempt at cooking, they did manage to make the curry. It was rough, and definitely sloppy, but everyone was too exhausted and starved to care. They all agreed it was a rough but successful cooking experience.

While they ate Vlad brought him another ice pack, which Izuku thanked him profusely for. He didn't like that he was being slightly coddled compared to his fellow students, but his head was spinning so he wasn't going to complain.

"Midoriya, do you still have a fever?" Shoto asked, watching Izuku press the bag of ice to his throat and chest.

"Yeah, but not a bad one." Izuku smiled tiredly, "Though, I'd definitely pass out if I tried to call on Sunlight again." Aizawa really was trying to kill them all.

"Are you taking another ice bath tonight, while the rest of us are bathing?"

"Dunno." Izuku shrugged, "But–" He broke off as he caught sight of a kid wearing a red hat in his peripherals. Izuku remembered vaguely noting his existence, but he hadn't actually paid the kid any real attention. Izuku frowned, watching as the child wandered off into the dark by himself.

"Zuku?" Katsuki touched his arm, frowning.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Izuku smiled at him, "One sec. I'll be back." Izuku stood, bringing his ice pack with him as he looked around.

"Kota!" Izuku turned to see Mandalay was shouting out into the woods. "Kota, it's time for dinner!"

"Is Kota the kid in the red hat?" Izuku asked, padding over. Mandalay turned to him in surprise, then smiled a bit ruefully.

"Yeah, he's my cousin's kid." Mandalay said, crossing her arms a bit sadly. "He wanders off like this sometimes, but he really should eat something."

"I can bring him something." Izuku offered, "I saw he went that way, it shouldn't be too hard to find him."

"He doesn't much like Hero students, or Heroes in general." Mandalay sighed, "I'm not sure he'd receive you well, especially when he wants to be alone."

"He doesn't like Heroes?" Izuku asked, tilting his head. "Why not?" It seemed odd for him to dislike Heroes when he had family in the business.

"It's… complicated." Mandalay sighed.

"Kota's parents, Mandalay's cousin, were Heroes." They both turned as Pixiebob approached, sober. "They were killed in the line of duty."

"Oh." Izuku frowned.

"Two years ago, protecting civilians from a Villain." Mandalay looked back towards the woods, and suddenly the way she crossed her arms seemed sad. "For a Hero, it was a respectable way to die - an honourable death. But, as a child barely aware of what was going on around him, Kota couldn't understand that; his whole world revolved around his parents. Society kept praising them, saying it was a good thing for Heroes… a wonderful thing." Mandalay glanced over at Pixiebob, who looked sad, and sighed. "He doesn't seem to like us that much either, since we're Heroes, it's like he's only here with us because he has nowhere else to go. He doesn't understand Heroes, and he finds them - us - unpleasant."

There was a silence after that, one in which Izuku thought about that. It made sense; Kota was just a little kid who saw the world through a glazed lens created by praise that should've been consolation. The world lost two Heroes, but Kota lost his parents. Izuku remembered what it felt like to lose his Dad, he remembered how badly he reacted with Sunlight and couldn't imagine what would've happened if he'd lost his mother too.

"I'm sorry." Izuku said softly, "Do you think there's anything I could do to help?" Mandalay looked at him in surprise, then smiled.

"Kota is very stubborn, and has suffered a great loss." Mandalay said sadly, "I'm afraid it's all up to him. All we can do is be there for him." Izuku thought about that for a moment, then nodded to himself.

"Alright." Izuku said, "I'm going to bring him a bowl of curry then."

"Really?" Mandalay blinked, "But he might not want it."

"That's okay." Izuku shrugged, "It's the offer that matters, sometimes, more than anything." He smiled at them, then headed back to the tables to snag a bowl before heading off into the Forest in the vague direction he remembered seeing Kota.

Surprisingly, there was a small trail he could easily follow up the mountain that was probably what Kota had followed. It was peaceful in the Forest at night, and Izuku tilted his head back to see the universe above him. He'd lived in a bright city all his life; Izuku had never seen stars bright as the ones in the sky above them. Izuku smiled, continuing on his way.

Izuku found the kid sitting on a ledge overlooking the whole Forest, an amazing view of the sky and stars spread out before him. Kota sat knees to his chest, just looking out at it all with a blank expression. He looked almost peaceful.

"Hey." Izuku called, soft but firm. Kota startled, whipping around to look at him in surprise. "Are you hungry? I brought you some curry, in case you want any."

"What–?" Kota jumped to his feet abruptly and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "How did you find this place?!"

"I just followed the path." Izuku gestured to the trail and rock they'd both walked along. "Of course, I also followed you as much as the path. Would you like some curry?"

"I'm fine." Kota said immediately, watching Izuku with suspicious eyes as he lowered his hand. "I don't need any, and I don't want to hang out with you. Get out of my hideout."

"Your hideout?" Izuku prompted, tilting his head. Kota gritted his teeth and looked away.

"You guys all trying to improve your Quirks… it's gross." Kota's hands clenched into fists. Izuku blinked at the abrupt subject change. "You want to show off your power that badly?"

"Not particularly." Izuku answered honestly, "I just want to save people." He paused, assessing Kota slightly. "Your parents did too. They were Water Hose, weren't they?"

"Did Mandalay tell you?" Kota demanded, looking up at him sharply.

"Not exactly." Izuku said. Mostly it was context; Hero teams were rare, and Water Hose was the only duo that died in the past few years. It was a reasonable jump. "But, I remember that attack. I'm sorry for your loss."

"Shut up." Kota turned away, instead facing the ledge and the view before them. "Everyone's crazy, calling each other names like 'Hero' and 'Villain' and killing each other, talking about their Quirks and stuff; it's because they're all showing off that it ended up like that. It's so stupid..." Izuku understood that, a bit.

Quirks had definitely changed society as a whole, creating a world where superheroes and supervillains from comic books were suddenly real and capable of anything, but that wasn't all it was. Kota blamed Quirks for the society that justified and praised the death of his parents, when it was much more complicated than just that. Something so complex shouldn't be weighing on a child's shoulders, yet Kota was clearly suffering under the weight of it anyway.

"What is it?" Kota spoke when Izuku said nothing, "If there's nothing else, then just go away!"

"What about Quirks that aren't for fighting Villains?" Izuku prompted, and Kota froze. "My Quirk is for healing and protecting. It's not for fighting."

"But– I saw you practising." Kota frowned.

"I was creating a shield out of pure Sunlight." Izuku smiled, "I use it to protect people to the best of my ability, instead of weaponizing it to hurt people." Sunlight wasn't a weapon; the damage it could do was too devastating to even imagine.

"Well, that's stupid too." Kota said after a moment of sputtering, "You're still showing off, even if you're not fighting!"

"I suppose." Izuku shrugged lightly. Slowly, Izuku spread Sunlight into his hair and turned it into a stark gold that glowed in the darkness. Even with the dull exhausted gold threading through it, Sunlight shone brightly as ever.

"What…?" Kota stared at him with wide eyes, surprise written plainly across his face.

"Quirks are more than weapons, more than pointless tools Heroes and Villains use to kill each other. Sometimes they're beautiful, and they can be used to do amazing things." Izuku drained the gold from his hair, Sunlight settled back into his core, exhausted as he was. "I'll leave this here for you, just in case." Izuku knelt to set the bowl of curry and rice down on the ground, then straightened with a smile. "I hope you eat something, Kota. Goodnight."

Izuku made his way back down the path, smiling as he realised Kota was going to fine. Kota was sad, which made him angry, which festered into resentment; but one day that anger would burst, and Mandalay would be there to help him patch up the pieces left that were sad. He was grieving, which would heal in time.

"Oi, where have you been?" As soon as Izuku stepped back into the clearing, Katsuki was immediately right up in his face. "Everyone else is heading to the baths!"

"I was taking care of something." Izuku huffed, "Don't worry, I'm not going to pass out in a ditch somewhere. My temperature is fine now."

"Hmmm." Katsuki narrowed his eyes, scanning him suspiciously, but all the gold patches splashed against his skin had faded to a faint glistening like a cloud of glitter. "Fine. But I'm watching you."

"I'd expect nothing less." Izuku laughed, "Come on, Kit-Kat. Let's go." Katsuki punched his shoulder, making him laugh. The day ended well, Izuku decided; even if Aizawa did try to murder them.

Chapter Text

Unexpected Guests

The Summer Training camp was exactly as hard as Izuku thought it would be. But, his classmates apparently hadn't believed him when he said Aizawa would put them through literal hell to make them stronger, so quite a few of them complained loudly and often. Not that it was unexpected, but it did get old really fast.

The six members of 1A who failed the practical exam were especially fond of complaining, mostly because they had additional training on top of all their physical stuff. They spent hours at night going over study material with Aizawa, probably getting the information he presented drilled into their minds until they were reciting it in their dreams during the few hours of sleep they managed to sneak in when they weren't training or studying.

By the third day of camp, everyone had pretty much settled into a terribly exhausting routine. They were constantly training, always dead on their feet, and forever surrounded by energetic Heroes (barring Aizawa) that were more than happy to laugh at them while encouraging them.

After that first day, Izuku was supervised by Mandalay instead of Aizawa. She always stood by with bags upon bags of ice in dozens of packed freezers, repeatedly dumping buckets of ice, and sometimes water, on him between sets of using Sunlight.

"I know it's none of my business, but I wanted to ask anyway." Mandalay said at one point, pouring another bucket of ice down his back. He hissed as it melted almost immediately, which prompted Mandalay to throw in a second for good measure. "Why are you trying to be a Hero? I've seen your rescues, and I know you're the youngest Rank A Healer in the world. You had an easy career ahead of you, but you chose this instead. Why?"

"I wanted more." Izuku threw out his shield, an impenetrable blaze dome of death, trying to remind himself to breathe as he almost instinctively held his breath while holding the shield. "I realised I was settled for second best by being a police officer and a Healer. What I really wanted was to be a Hero, so here I am."

"I guess that makes sense." Mandalay's voice was muffled slightly by the shield, but Izuku heard it. "What made you realise?"

"Katsuki." Sweat slid off Izuku's nose, but he ignored it as he tried to remain firm even as his arms trembled, more than half gold. "He asked me why I didn't want to be a Hero, and I said I was content where I was. It was like a light bulb, I guess. Suddenly I realised being 'content' wasn't the same as being 'happy.' So, I chased that, which led me here."

"That's very admirable." Mandalay hummed. A moment later Izuku's shield failed, spots dancing in his eyes as a rush of dizziness had him clinging to consciousness.

"Fuck." Izuku gasped. He couldn't feel his fingers, or his left knee.

"Alright, fifteen minutes in the ice bath." She grinned at him before immediately dumping freezing water on his head, promptly followed by two buckets of ice to fill the barrel he was in. "Ten seconds under, five seconds up. I'll refill the water level as necessary."

"Yeah yeah, I know." Izuku shivered in the freezing temperatures. "Great." With a deep breath, Izuku dunked himself under.

Izuku trained quite a distance away from everyone else, centred in a clearing away from trees that could burst into flame if Sunlight got too close, so he didn't hear the announcement that there'd be a 'test or courage' that night, 1A vs 1B, until Katsuki mentioned it while they were making dinner.

"I wonder what that means." Izuku pressed an ice pack to his forehead, leaning into the freezing cold and wincing at the steam it produced.

"We probably have to scare each other or something." Katsuki grinned, "I'm going to crush them."

"I bet you are." Izuku laughed tiredly. "Though, you probably can't actually blow them up. Since it's about courage?"

"We'll just have to see." Katsuki shrugged. He went back to chopping carrots, expertly slicing them with practised ease, which prompted Uraraka to comment on his skill with surprise and awe.

Izuku smiled to himself as he listened to Katsuki berate her for not knowing how to cut vegetables, and it didn't surprise him at all when Katsuki shoved the knife into her hand and started bossing her around so she'd learn. Uraraka seemed incredulous, which was fair. Katsuki didn't often interact with their classmates in an environment that would show his dedication to important skills, especially outside Heroics. Katsuki considered culinary skill to be necessary, which is what led to Uraraka chopping the rest of Katsuki's vegetables with Katsuki hovering over her shoulder, correcting her when she did it wrong.

Dinner was a bit more lively than usual, probably because they were excited for the 'test of courage' thing. Even exhausted, it seemed both classes were more than happy to set aside their aches and bruises to face off in any form of competition.

"I'd rather pass out in a tree during the game than play." Hitoshi said, his voice hoarse and raspy after three days of screaming off a cliff. "I don't know why Aizawa-sensei doesn't have me working with the 1B kids doing stretches and jumping jacks with Tiger." Tiger was the fourth member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, but Izuku hadn't seen much of him. The girls in their little quartet were louder and much more enthusiastic, which contributed to how they got so much more attention.

"You think you need physical training more than Quirk training?" Izuku asked. His ice pack was warm, so he turned and snagged a new one from the cooler he'd taken to carrying around with him.

"Definitely." Hitoshi confirmed, coughing a bit. With a scowl, he chugged a glass of water.

"Well, Aizawa has his reasons." Izuku shrugged, "I bet he'd tell you if you asked."

"No, he'd stay something unhelpful and ominous about my Quirk needing to be remodelled." Hitoshi muttered.

"You know, I can't really argue with that." Izuku laughed, "It's part of his charm."

"What charm?" Shoto asked dryly. Hitoshi snorted into his second glass of water, triggering a coughing fit mixed with choked laughs.

When dinner wrapped up, both classes followed the Pussycats as they led everyone into a wide clearing. Since they'd eaten, they all looked more ready and excited now that they weren't starving. Izuku also felt better since the night air was cold on his feverish skin, though he still had an ice pack he pressed to the back of his neck just to be sure his temperature dropped properly.

"Alright everyone, you know what's next!" Pixie-Bob beamed at them all.

"Test of courage!" Ashido enthused, pumping a fist.

"Let's test our courage!" Sero whooped happily, Kirishima, Sato, and Kaminari right with him.

"Before that." Aizawa stepped forward, "It pains me to say this, but the extra lessons group will have class with me now. Sorry."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Ashido looked like she might've stomped a foot angrily if Aizawa hadn't wrapped her and the other five firmly with his scarf.

"Your training during the day wasn't good enough, so I have to use this time to make up for it." Aizawa then walked away, dragging behind him Ashido, Kaminari, Sato, Kirishima, and Aoyama.

"Yikes." Hitoshi said, "Glad that's not me."

"I thought you didn't want to do the test of courage." Izuku raised an eyebrow.

"No, I said I'd rather go to sleep." Hitoshi grinned, "But that's always true."

"Alright everyone! Pay attention!" Pixie-Bob called. Immediately all eyes were on her, much to her obvious delight. "Now, the Class B kids are the scarers first, and Class A will head into the forest in pairs every three minutes. There are tags with your names written on them in the middle of the route, so bring those back with you to show you walked the whole course!"

"Revelry in the dark…" Tokoyami muttered ominously. Uraraka inched just a little bit away from him at that.

"Those being the scarers aren't allowed to make direct physical contact with the other class." Pixie-Bob continued, "Show us how scary you are with just your intimidating Quirks!"

"I see!" Iida exclaimed, "They're trying to make us refine our ideas by making us compete with each other, giving us more options for our Quirks in the process! As expected of UA!" As usual, Iida's intellectual outburst went ignored.

"Now, 1A will draw lots to determine their partners, and 1B can spread out across the trail to set up their scares!" Pixie-Bob announced brightly, holding out a bunch of little slips of paper. "Get to it little kitties!"

Izuku stepped forward with the rest of his class, taking a slip from the enthusiastic Hero before retreating to make room for the next person. His paper had the number 5 written on it.

"What've you got?" Shoto asked as he approached, holding his own slip. "I've got two, so I go second."

"Fifth." Izuku said.

"Mine says two." Katsuki sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Damn."

"I'll try not to be insulted by that." Shoto said blandly.

"You do that."

"Midoriya, did you say you're going fifth?" Iida stepped towards him. "My slip says five as well!"

"Oh, great." Izuku grinned, "Well, I suppose I don't mind being frightened with you around."

"Why?" Iida looked awfully confused.

"Because you're awesome." Izuku said, "Obviously."

"Oh." Iida blinked, "Well, you are equally awesome!"

"Does everyone have a partner? 1A?" Pixie-Bob called loudly, "We have even numbers guys, find your people. Line up with your partners! Who's up first?"

Izuku stood with Iida, fifth in line after Uraraka and Tsuyu in fourth, Jiro and Hagakure in third, Katsuki and Shoto in second, and Tokoyami and Shoji going first.

"Alright, enter!" Pixie-Bob grinned at them, "Go on, Shoji, Tokoyami. You're first." With that, the test of courage began.

There was screaming and alarmed shouting as people continued in on Pixie-Bob's cue, pairs strolling in or clinging to each other for bravery.

But something changed before it was his turn, and Izuku noticed as several of the Heroes froze, looking towards the forest in sync. It took a moment, but Izuku understood why when the smell wafted towards him.

"What's this burnt smell?" Pixie-Bob whispered, half to herself and half to her Hero partners. That's when they all noticed the smoke, and concern built as panic set in.

"What? Is something burning?"

"Is that smoke?"

"Could the forest be on fire?"

Izuku stepped towards Pixie-Bob to ask what was going on, but a moment later she lit up a neon pink and floated, suspended in midair; she gasped in surprise before being sharply yanked by something and went flying towards the woods with a scream.

"Pixie-Bob!" Mandalay cried, taking several steps forward.

"These pet cats are in the way." Two Villains made themselves known, and Pixie-Bob was thrown at their feet. One of them was carrying a massive weapon wrapped in bandages, which slammed into Pixie-Bob's head and knocked her firmly unconscious. Izuku's eyes widened as blood trickled from her head, a thin line also dribbling from her mouth. Any more force and it might've killed her with that one blow.

"How are you this evening, UA students?" One of the Villains stepped forward, sporting a complete lizard mutation, wearing a terribly familiar getup. "We are the Vanguard Action Squad of the League of Villains!"

"The League of Villains?" Ojiro exclaimed, "Why are they here? You shouldn't've been able to find us!"

"Oh, should I crush this girl's head? How about it?" The other Villain asked, holding the giant weapon firmly against Pixie-Bob's temple. "Well, what d'you think?"

"Like I'd let you!" Tiger stepped forward, "You–"

“Wait up, Big Sis Mag! Don't be hasty." The lizard Villain held out a placating hand, "You too Tiger, calm down. It all depends on whether having power over life and death follows Stain's tenants or not." So it wasn't coincidence, his costume really was mimicking Stain's.

"So you're the ones his ideology brought!" Iida clenched his hands into angry fists.

"That's right! I'm Spinner, the one who will spin Stain's dreams into reality!" With that the Villain drew his weapon, of which Izuku had never seen anything like before. Spinner seemed to have wrapped and combined dozens of swords into one warped weapon, the size of two or three dozen put together. It seemed hefty and cumbersome, but Spinner wielded it with confidence and surety.

"I don't care, you bastards." Tiger strode forward, undaunted. "That woman lying there, Pixie-Bob, has recently started worrying about getting married. She was doing her best to find happiness as a woman, despite her age and career. You can't damage that woman's face and stand there laughing thoughtlessly about it!"

"What's a Hero doing to try and be happy like a regular person?" Spinner countered, intense and grinning.

"Tiger, I've broadcasted instructions." Mandalay cut in quickly, "Leave the safety of the rest of the students to Ragdoll. The two of us will hold them back here." Mandalay looked over her shoulder at the students, of which she'd stepped forward to protect. "Go, everyone! Listen carefully, do not fight. Midoriya, you're in charge."

"Everyone, back to camp." Izuku said immediately, "Go!" As he went to run, suddenly a thought snagged him that forced him to pause. In a split second his decision was made, for better or worse. "Iida, lead everyone to camp. I'll join you in a minute."

"What?"

"There's no time!" Izuku snapped, "Take everyone back to camp! Go!" Iida gritted his teeth, but nodded sharply.

"Come on!" Iida herded the rest of the students with him into the forest hurriedly.

"Mandalay." Izuku said quickly, catching her attention. "I'm going to find him. Don't worry, I'll keep him safe!" It was vague, but it would have to do. With that, Izuku sprinted off and prayed he wasn't too late.

Izuku knew Kota wasn't with them, or back at camp, which meant he had to be at his hideout on the ledge. It wasn't far, but every step felt too slow as Izuku sprinted his way up the mountain and jumped from ledge to ledge until he heaved himself up onto the ledge he remembered from that night he'd followed Kota.

"Oh?" Izuku gasped as he saw a Villain looming before him, one eye a mechanical red that matched the rest of the Villain's manically twisted delighted as Izuku sprang to his feet and jumped back away from him. "What do we have here? The little Healer on our list."

Scanning the area, Izuku saw Kota had ducked into the small cave and was trembling with tears streaming down his terrified face. Despite that, Izuku felt knee wobbling relief that he was miraculously alive with an extremely dangerous Villain maybe a dozen feet from him.

"What list?" Izuku asked, firmly placing himself between the Villain and Kota.

"You're Midoriya, right?" The Villain asked, raising a hand that seemed to warp with tendrils of what looked like actual muscle hanging off his arm. It seemed he had a regenerative Quirk that could create muscle and flesh from nothing, acting as a power-up strength enhancing Quirk as well. "Ah, Shigaraki has his eye on you."

"How flattering." Izuku said coldly.

"It's not just you." The Villain clicked his tongue with a grin, "I'm really here looking for someone named Bakugo. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?"

"Not a clue." Izuku snapped, but his mind was whirling. Villains were after Katsuki. Izuku needed to let someone know, but he had Kota to protect first!

"I was told specifically not to kill you." The Villain said with a wicked grin, "But I've never been good at following orders. So I'm going to kill you, and make sure you suffer properly too; so, show me your blood kid!" Izuku threw out an arm and blasted a shield up in front of him, blocking the Villain completely as he tried to charge forward with muscles encasing his arm.

A satisfying scream rang out as the Villain made contact with the shield; Izuku felt the impact against Sunlight. It wasn't a harsh enough hit to have killed him, but the Villain was definitely in pain and probably missing a hand.

Dropping the shield, Izuku glared at Villain cradling his right arm. His fingers were singed off, blackened muscles curling backwards lifelessly. His lips curled back into a sneer, eyes crazed with pain and hatred.

"Why does Shigaraki want Bakugo?" Izuku demanded.

"I'm not telling you shit." The Villain growled, then he lunged again and Izuku threw up his shield. Izuku created a half dome, covering above him and to both sides to keep the Villain at bay as he looked over his shoulder at Kota.

"Kota, I need you to run." Izuku said hurriedly, "Go run down to camp, don't look back."

"But–"

"I can handle this!" Izuku interrupted the teary denial, "I'm trying to be a Hero, remember? Let me save you. Run to camp and find Aizawa, Eraserhead! Tell him they're after Bakugo Katsuki, with the Explosions Quirk!"

"I can't leave you like this!" Kota was sobbing, but his fists were clenched. "I can't!"

"You have to." Izuku told him. He gritted his teeth briefly as his arms twinged with numbness. "You need to go tell Eraserhead that my friend is in danger. You need to be a Hero right now, okay? Bakugo is counting on you!"

Indecision splintered in Kota's eyes to make way for serious determination, and he climbed to his feet with a sniff. "Don't you dare die."

"I wouldn't dream of it." Izuku grinned. He was losing feeling in his wrists - if Kota didn't leave Izuku would have to risk dropping the shield even though he knew the Villain was lying in wait on the other side. "Now go!"

Kota scrambled off, heading down the mountain towards camp. Running, it'd take him maybe three to five minutes? If Kota made it to Eraserhead, there was a chance Katsuki would be warned in time for him to know how serious the situation was. It wasn't a random attack - they were targeting specific students for an unknown reason. Izuku was apparently a target as well, but the Villain said he wasn't to be killed so it probably didn't matter enough to mention.

Gasping, Izuku dropped the shield and immediately dropped to the rocky floor as the Villain lunged forward at his face. Rolling, Izuku popped up and jumped backwards to put some room between them. The air was cold, but Sunlight was close to the surface. Izuku could only hope he had enough energy to defend himself.

"You've got an annoying Quirk there." The Villain sneered, "I thought it was supposed to heal people."

"It does heal people."

"Doesn't seem that way to me." The Villain's mutilated hand twitched. "That isn't very Heroic now is it?"

"I can be whatever I want." Izuku said, "If that means mutilating Villains to save lives, I'm willing to make that sacrifice." Izuku wished he had his gun, or even some knives! Sunlight wasn't meant to be used as a weapon, his shields were supposed to HURT protect.

"You hide behind walls of fire." The Villains grinned, "That's cheating."

"Not if it works." Izuku formed shields around both forearms, sprinting forward to throw a punch towards the Villain's side. Predictably the Villain dodged, jumping straight into Izuku's waiting fist on the other side. The Sunlight shielding his arm seared along the Villain's side, smoking and cauterising as it sliced clean through the deep muscle the Villain had created in defence.

This was wrong—

The Villain screamed, but Izuku advanced and drove his other hand into the Villain's shoulder with Sunlight in his palms. Izuku gritted his teeth as his hand sank through layers and layers of muscle and skin, burning a hole where Izuku's hand touched the Villain. It felt so wrong.

Sunlight wasn't supposed to be used like this—

But then it was over. The Villain crumpled, unconscious when he hit the ground. For a moment Izuku could only stare at what he'd done. Sunlight had carved a wound through his abdomen, probably deep enough to hit his liver and a few ribs, but it wasn't bleeding because Sunlight had sealed the injury completely by burning his flesh together. Debatably worse was Izuku's handprint burned into the Villain's shoulder all the way down to the bone.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be—

Izuku shook his head and left the Villain lying there, turning his back to sprint back down the mountain. He was now doubly glad Kota had left - Izuku wasn't sure a child his age would ever be able to forget watching someone mutilate a human being the way Izuku just did.

It was wrong, Izuku should have stopped—

Looking around at the foot of the mountain, Izuku couldn't see Kota anywhere. "Kota? Kota where are you!?"

"Midoriya? He's with me!" Eraserhead called in answer. Izuku couldn't see him in the darkness of the forest, but he sprinted for the voice and found the Hero a distance away with Kota in his arms. "Midoriya, what happened? Kota says you fought a Villain."

"I did, he's back on the ledge. Don't let Kota see it." Izuku said quickly, "They're after Kacchan, I need to warn him!"

"No, Midoriya, you need to take Kota back to the camp–"

"I respect you deeply, Eraserhead, but I'm sorry. I have to go after Kacchan." With that Izuku sprinted off, knowing Eraserhead would feel obligated to take care of Kota instead of abandoning him as Izuku did. He hadn't been lying about needing to help Katsuki, but Izuku also didn't want to see his teacher and friend injured so badly ever again - he wouldn't allow another USJ. If he could protect Eraserhead by shoving a child at him, he would do it.

Sprinting at full speed, Izuku reached the clearing within minutes and found the two Pussycats were still fighting Spinner and 'Big Sis Mag' with everything they had. Izuku hated to distract the Heroes, but it was necessary.

"Mandalay!" Izuku shouted, "They're targeting students specifically, not you Heroes! You need to give them permission to use their Quirks to defend themselves! Now!" Izuku didn't have any kind of authority to give people permission himself, especially out in the middle of nowhere where he had no legal jurisdiction, but his classmates couldn't be left defenceless. He had to try.

"Fine!" Mandalay shouted back, "But only because I trust you're making the right decision, not only as a Healer but as a future Hero!" With that, a voice rang through his head as Mandalay broadcasted the message to everyone she could reach.

"Class A and B, I, Pro Hero Mandalay, give you permission to use your Quirks in defence of your life! I repeat, Class A and B, I, Pro Hero Mandalay, give you permission to use your Quirks in defence of your life!"

"Midoriya!" Mandalay called vocally, dodging a swipe of Spinner's massive jumble of swords, "Get back to camp!"

"I need to find Katsuki first!" Izuku yelled back, "They're after Katsuki! Tell everyone over Telepath that they're targeting Bakugo Katsuki, and maybe others!"

"Wait! Don't–"

Izuku disregarded her shouts and sprinted for the path they'd set up for the test of courage, the area Izuku knew 1B and the rest of his classmates were. If they hadn't moved, of course, but Izuku hoped they'd stayed put enough for Izuku to find them.

A knife flew by his head as he reached the edge of the clearing, but it missed completely even without his shoddy dodge attempt and almost hit the Big Sis Mag person that he hadn't even noticed had lunged for him. The Villain jumped backwards to avoid the knife, and Izuku kept running as he counted his blessings for Spinner's terrible aim with throwing knives.

Katsuki was somewhere in the forest, and Izuku was going to find him or die trying.

Chapter Text

The Worst Kind of Defeat

Sprinting through the forest, only vaguely following the path, Izuku stumbled along in the dark before a hand shot out from the foliage and yanked him into a mess of bushes. Izuku gasped at the sudden motion and damn near burned the person who pulled Izuku to his chest, but luckily he didn't need to burn them because it was just Shoji.

"Shoji, what's going on?" Izuku asked quietly, "Is there a Villain nearby?" Izuku couldn't see anything in the darkness of the forest, but he was running on pure adrenaline and shoving down a raging fever so he wouldn't bet on his senses being completely accurate.

However, Shoji didn't have to answer because it became completely obvious what they were hiding from when a roar shook from nearby; a flash of a shadow blacker than the forest around them, darted between the trees with wicked force.

"Oh shit."

"Yeah." Shoji sighed. "We were ambushed by a Villain and I covered Tokoyami as best I could, but when I knocked him down it unleashed his Quirk. He'd been trying to keep under control this whole time, but the impact distracted him."

"Dark Shadow." Izuku shot to his feet, pushing away from Shoji's protective embrace. "We need to calm him!"

"We need light, it'll force Dark Shadow to retreat." Shoji agreed immediately; a moment later their eyes met. "Ah, right, we have a light already."

"You bet we do." Izuku sprinted into the darkness, headed for the writhing mass with Tokoyami at its centre. His face was contorted in pain as Dark Shadow consumed him, lifting him into the air and pinning him between shadows.

"Stop please!" Tokoyami yelled at him, even though his eyes were filled with fear. "It's not safe, Dark Shadow will kill you!"

Izuku said nothing as he shut his eyes and pushed Sunlight to the surface, flashing his inner glow so brightly it lit up the night like a mini sun for a single moment. In his haste it was even brighter of a flash than he'd used on Stain as his control slipped, Sunlight writhing beneath his skin. Then it dimmed, leaving the only light remaining in Izuku's curls, glowing like a white gold beacon.

Luckily, that was all it took. Dark Shadow shrieked and dissipated, sinking back into Tokoyami. It left him kneeling on the ground, panting painfully for air and control.

"I'm sorry, Midoriya." Tokoyami was trembling, staring down at his hands in betrayed disbelief. "I lost control… I surrendered to my anger and released Dark Shadow. I'm so sorry, I could've killed you!"

"But you didn't." Izuku offered him a hand up. "I'm going to find Katsuki, you guys need to head back to camp. Eraser is holding down the fort there, but the Pussycats are fighting Villains in the clearing. Be careful."

"Wait!" Shoji jogged over to them, "You can't go alone."

"And you can't come with me." Izuku replied firmly, "I'm more than qualified to participate in Villains attacks, and you very much aren't. Please, get back to Eraser and tell him you're safe." Izuku didn't bother waiting for a response before sprinting off again. The gold bled from his hair, replaced by green that damn near matched the trees and bushes in the dark.

While he was running, Izuku started hearing the commotion of a fight. Metal-like grating sounds, plus the sharp sound of Shoto's raging ice. If Shoto was nearby, then so was Katsuki. Izuku sprinted right for the sounds of fighting without even thinking about it.

Izuku found ice spread all across the area as he burst into a small clearing, Shoto and Katsuki standing in the centre of it. Shoto had a 1B kid on his back, but that wasn't really the main issue. It was the Villain above them, throwing what seemed to be elongated teeth at them. That explained the grating noise he was hearing.

"Shoto! Katsuki! Close your eyes!" Izuku sprinted to where they were and didn't even bother checking if they listened before again glowing probably-too-bright, even brighter than a flash grenade blown right in someone's face.

The Villain, apparently wearing a black straightjacket that covered everything apart from his gaping mouth and wicked teeth, screamed and lost his balance, falling from the delicate balancing act he'd been using with his teeth.

"Shoto!" Even without Izuku's prompting, ice poured out from Shoto's right side to engulf the Villain as he toppled from the resulting blindness caused by Izuku's flash of light. Shoto froze him solid up to the neck, then headed over and slammed his fist into the guy's nose hard enough to knock him out immediately. Very effective.

"Izuku you fucking idiot!" Immediately Katsuki stormed up to him with trembling hands and a harsh voice. "You should've stayed back at camp!"

"And you should know that was never even an option for me." Izuku snapped. He turned away and looked at Shoto, who was kneeling next to the unconscious 1B kid. Izuku recognized him as Tsuburaba, the one with the air Quirk. "Shoto, is he alright?"

"He inhaled some of the gas." Shoto muttered.

"What gas?" Izuku blinked.

"There was a Villain that produced a toxic gas that, once inhaled, knocked you unconscious." Shoto explained quickly, "It seems to have stopped, so I can only guess that means the Villain was defeated."

"Well I guess it doesn't matter now, as long as we can all get back to camp safely." Izuku said, frowning. "Alright, we can't take the scare path thing without stumbling upon the fight going on in the clearing, which means we have to just head through the forest in vaguely the right direction as much as possible."

"Camp is that way." Shoto pointed to their right, "If we head straight we'll end up at the other side of the loop, and camp is beyond the woods continuing in that direction."

"Good." Izuku nodded, "We don't know how many Villains there are though, so stay alert. Katsuki, that means especially you."

"I know!" Katsuki snapped, "Let's just go already!" Izuku nodded firmly, then they started running.

Izuku ran with Todoroki, carrying Tsuburaba, beside him, Katsuki just two steps behind. Izuku kept wanting to check on him by looking over his shoulder, but that would slow down their progress. They had no time, so Izuku trusted Katsuki to keep up and ran through the forest in the direction Shoto led.

"What's that?" Shoto, winded slightly, pointed to a parting in the trees, "What–"

They broke through the treeline and found Uraraka with Tsuyu, but also a blonde Villain with twin buns on top of her head pinning Uraraka to the ground. A moment later she was up on her feet, springing away from them. Izuku locked eyes with her for a moment before the Villain sprinted off into the woods with a little spring in her step.

"Wait!" Uraraka shouted.

"Uraraka, stop!" Tsuyu grabbed Uraraka as she made to chase the blonde girl, Tsuyu clutching her arm tightly to keep her in place. "It's too dangerous in the dark like this, and besides, we don't even know what Quirk she has."

"Who was that?" Shoto asked as they reached the girls.

"She was a Villain." Tsuyu said, stating the obvious. "A crazy one."

"Are you both alright?" Izuku asked hurriedly. "Uraraka you're hurt." Uraraka was favouring her left leg slightly as she stood, blood trickling down her thigh from a pinprick wound. It looked like a wide gauge needle, which was odd. What kind of a Villain fought with needles?

"I'm fine." Uraraka said, "I can still walk."

"Good." Izuku sighed in relief, "Okay, Katsuki–" Izuku turned, but he broke off because Katsuki wasn't standing beside him. In fact, he wasn't anywhere in sight at all. "Katsuki?!"

"Ah, him." They all looked up; Izuku gasped as he saw a Villain was standing high in a tree, adorned with a white mask, a tophat, a lengthy yellow trench coat, holding a well polished cane. "I'm afraid I stole him, with my magic. I'm exceptionally talented in theatrical arts." The Villain played with a shiny blue marble, tossing it in hand and slipping it between his fingers. Was that his Quirk? "You're terribly fond of him, I see. That's just what Shigaraki wanted."

"Give him back!" Izuku shouted.

"Oh? Give him back?" The Villain echoed, "No, I don't think so. See, we chose Bakugo because we know how special he is. We know all about him, and you."

"Shut up!" Izuku lunged for the tree, but Shoto attacked first, firing ice in a large attack up into the tree. The Villain launched off it, jumping off the ice to another tree nearby.

"We want your attention!" The Villain continued, "Bakugo is a piece of the puzzle Shigaraki is laying out for you. All for you, little Healer." He landed even higher in a new tree, amused. "How does it feel? You've lost your best friend. Isn't it marvellous?" Izuku could hardly breathe, the words only barely registering.

"You're going out of your way to talk to us." Shoto snapped, "You're underestimating us."

"Well, I was originally an entertainer, you know." The Villain told them conversationally, playing with that blue marble again. "This dramatic flare is a bad habit of mine."

"Uraraka, take this guy." Shoto dumped Tsuburaba into Uraraka's arms and sprinted forward, promptly forming a glacier double the size of the one at the Sports Festival. Izuku gaped in surprise, even more so when the Villain popped up a ways away, completely untouched by it.

"Sorry, tricks and running away are my only redeeming features!" The Villain seemed to laugh, jumping through Shoto's ice and disappearing behind it every so often only to pop up again further away. "There's no way I'd fight fledgling Hero candidates like yourselves. Vanguard Action Squad, target successfully collected." Izuku watched the Villain press a hand to his ear. "It was a short run, but with this, our show has come to a close! As arranged, head to the retrieval point in the next five minutes!"

"No!" Izuku sprinted after the Villain as he jumped from tree to tree, Shoto running just ahead of him.

"Damn it!" Shoto seethed, "This guy is fast!" Already they were losing him.

"If only Iida were here…" Uraraka was jogging along with them, apparently dragging the unconscious Tsuburaba behind them by the arm with reckless abandon.

"I got it!" Izuku exclaimed, "Uraraka, make us float, and Tsuyu, throw us with your tongue as far as you can. It's the only way we can reach them. Uraraka, you'll have to measure the distance as best you can, then release us when it feels right!"

"Okay!" Tsuyu wrapped Izuku and Todoroki in her tongue immediately, surprising both of them, and Uraraka dropped Tsuburaba to smack both Izuku and Todoroki just as fast to make them float. It was barely a second later that Tsuyu flung them across the forest and threw them straight after the masked Villain who had Katsuki.

"Watch out!" Shoto grabbed his hand as they flew; they crashed right into the Villain's back together. Uraraka released her Quirk then and the three of them went crashing down into the ground at high speed, Izuku and Shoto firmly on top of the Villain.

Izuku, though he was on top of the Villain when they landed, felt his knees buckle and ankles roll as he landed badly. He hissed in pain, but ignored it in an attempt to orient himself and gauge their new position.

Izuku examined the area and counted three more Villains; a goth with blue eyes, the blonde crazy, plus a man wearing a skin tight black costume with grey markings seemingly mimicking his facial features.

"Oi! I know those kids!" The black suited Villain exclaimed.

"Mister, get out of the way." The goth ordered immediately, raising a hand.

"Roger that!" The masked Villain beneath them turned blue before vanishing completely, leaving Izuku and Shoto kneeling on the ground in confusion. What in the hell kind of Quirk—

A moment later they both had to lunge out of the way with shouts of surprise as blue flames leapt from the goth Villain's palm; it was hotter than any fire Izuku had ever encountered, which was a seriously bad sign. Izuku didn't know how Sunlight would react to it if he overheated, which was never good.

"Ah! This boy's on the kill list!" The bodysuit Villain dove towards Shoto, "You're dead!"

Izuku would've moved to help Shoto, but an odd weapon snapped at his face and his attention was drawn to the blonde with the buns. She was giggling; her weird metal tube weapons were tipped with large needles, which explained Uraraka's injury.

"Hi! I'm Toga, Izuku." The girl introduced with a crazed smile. Izuku jumped backwards as she lunged for him, a knife in her hand. "You know what I think? You'd be so much cuter covered in blood!"

"I'd rather keep my blood where it belongs, thanks." Izuku said. As Toga attacked again, Izuku caught her wrist and twisted; Toga dropped the knife with a gasp. Before she could react Izuku shoved her backwards with a foot out to trip her, then scooped up the knife.

"Eh? That's mean." Toga dodged the swipe at her ankles, not even stumbling as she slid backwards, then pouted at him a little before drawing another knife. "So uncute." Izuku's eyes were drawn away from her as he saw 'Mister' reappear with a vivid blue glow as a tiny marble he hadn't noticed before took shape, which gave Izuku enough information to guess his Quirk. He could turn people or objects into little marbles in a way of compressing and confining, probably through touch, including himself.

"Ow." Mister complained dramatically, "I can't believe you guys flew so far just to catch me; talk about thinking outside the box."

"Where's Bakugo?" The goth Villain asked, voice bored.

"Ah, now isn't that the question?" Mister laughed. Izuku gritted his teeth, but he couldn't get to them with Toga and her writhing needle weapons in his way. Shit, if only he had his gun–

Izuku gasped as portals swelled around them, recognizable purple swirls appearing in blots all around the small clearing they stood in. Looming directly behind Mister and the goth was a wall of darkness, paired with yellow eyes in sharp slits.

"It's been five minutes since the signal." Kurogiri said lowly, "Let's go, Dabi." With that, Toga and the guy in the black bodysuit stepped into portals.

"Sorry Izuku, I'll see you later!" Toga called as she did. Mister moved towards a portal as well, but the goth stopped him. Was he Dabi?

"Wait, we haven't got what we–"

"Actually, we have." Mister said, amused. "See, I took precautions. Bakugo is safe and sound."

"Where is he?" Izuku demanded, "Where is he?"

"With me, of course." Mister laughed; with that, he reached up and removed his mask. He was wearing a black mask underneath the white one, hiding all but his mouth and eyes. "As I said, I took precautions." He stuck his tongue out, displaying a tiny blue marble sitting on his tongue.

The knife in Izuku's hand was unfamiliar, but it didn't matter as he whipped it forward and threw it straight for the Villain's face without missing a beat. Mister dodged sharply with a shout of alarm, dropping his mask, and the marble fell out of his mouth in his surprise. But it didn't matter at all, because Izuku and Shoto were both too far away. The goth Villain snagged the marble with a sigh.

"Oi, make sure you got the right one." The goth said.

"I don't make mistakes like that." Mister scooped his fallen mask off the floor, and with a snap of his fingers marble flashed blue to reveal Katsuki, firmly held by the throat by the goth Villain. "Well, it seems the show concludes on that exciting endnote."

Before Shoto or Izuku could reach them, they both stepped backwards into Kurogiri's portal and disappeared. The purple mist dispersed, leaving Izuku and Shoto standing alone in the middle of the clearing.

"I–" Izuku could only stare at the empty space Katsuki had been only moments before, right in front of him. Izuku was standing right there, so close, and yet he'd lost him. Katsuki was gone and it was Izuku's fault—

"Midoriya, we need to get back to camp and tell everyone what happened." Shoto's voice was distorted; Izuku barely heard it. Katsuki was gone— "Midoriya!"

Izuku head was full of static, but he was thrust back into focus as Shoto froze him solid, the ice steaming and boiling off him in moments. Izuku's skin was burning, Sunlight thrashing against the surface as it promised him it would burn the forest to the ground for what happened— Sunlight would get Katsuki back—

"Midoriya." Shoto caught him as he swayed, his knees giving out as his temperature spiked. "Come on, we have to get back to camp. Please. This isn't going to help Bakugo."

Izuku's control was slipping, but Shoto looped an arm around him to hold him upright, freezing his right side as Izuku leaned into him for support. The cold was steadying, so Izuku gasped for breath as he shoved Sunlight down. Shoto was right - burning the forest to the ground with his anger wouldn't do anything; they needed to find Eraserhead.

"Fine." Izuku hissed through his teeth, "Let's go."

With Shoto's help, Izuku stumbled back towards camp in the vague direction they guessed was correct. They met Uraraka on the way, who'd been looking for them after she sent Tsuyu back to camp with the unconscious 1B student. Katsuki should've been with them— She went back to camp with them, fluttering about at Izuku's side worriedly. Shoto snapped at her a few times for fussing because it was slowing them down, but Izuku was barely lucid enough to care.