Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Keigo is seven years old when he is noticed by them, his quirk manifests at age four, as many other children’s quirks. The mutation was obvious from the beginning, but at four is when he learns to detach and use his feathers, it's around this time that some of his avian instincts start kicking in. 

At seven years old he steps in on a public fight, using his quirk. His father is later apprehended by Endeavor, but Keigo is kept in the eye of the commission after that. 

A week later they knock on the door of their small house, in suits, full of fake smiles and hidden disgust at the place.

“We saw what your son did the other day. We believe we could train him, make him a hero, give him a better life than… this.” The woman says as she looks around. Keigo is hiding behind the wall, hearing every word of hers, and his heart is filled with excitement at the thought of being a hero. “He showed us a very powerful quirk, we can use that. Of course, you would be greatly rewarded for this, but you would have to sign a few forms for us, nothing too serious.” She smiles.

His mother doesn’t hesitate, her smile is sharp and vicious at the thought of not having to feed her son anymore… and that thing too. “You can take him, but only if you take his bastard of a brother too.” His mother’s words are full of vitriol, and Keigo hates it so much, how she can talk about his Izuku like that.

“His brother..?” The agent is surprised at this, she hadn’t seen anything about that in the boy’s fathers profile. The agent quickly regains her composure, “How old is he?”

“Yes his brother, he doesn’t go anywhere without him. He’s barely a few months old.”

A few months old, that certainly wouldn’t do, too young to be trained, would only be an expense more for her facility. But then again… They did say that the older boy wouldn’t go anywhere without him, and with how powerful his quirk was, maybe this kid’s would be too. And if it wasn’t, then it would be a good way to bribe their new charge. 

“His brother… Is he not your son? Do you happen to know anything about his mother’s quirk?”

“His whore of a mother died in childbirth, the only thing I know is she must have had white hair but…” Keigo’s mother remembers something now, a mumbling of her stupid husband while drunk. “I remember now, that idiot said she had burned him while… Her quirk is fire breathing.” 

The agent smiles brightly at this. “I believe we can make an exception for him, I wouldn’t want to separate two brothers.” Keigo’s mother sees right through it, the fakeness, it doesn’t concern her. With the money and no other attachments she would finally be able to leave this godforsaken country. “Then we have a deal.” She says, smile too sharp… Too wrong. 

“KEIGO! GRAB YOUR BROTHER AND COME HERE” Keigo does as told and runs to pick up baby Izuku, the boy wakes up, looking at Keigo with his round eyes and a smile forming in his face. 

Keigo is by his mother’s side in less than a minute, the agent notes his wings and how they flutter slightly, the baby on the other hand is completely alert, true to her words the baby has a tuft of white hair on his head, and is swaddled unskillfully. 

Keigo watches the agent and her companion, the man hasn’t talked for the whole time they’ve been here, he’s standing with his arms crossed, and he is very alert, his hands twitching every other minute, as if preparing to attack. 

Keigo watches the woman silently, a sense of dread washes over him, he shoves it down, nothing could be worse than how they live right now. 

“Do you own anything? Is there anything valuable to you here?” Keigo only looks down to Izuku, and then around the room. He only has the clothes he’s wearing, and Izuku only has his blanket. 

“No. Just my brother” He hears himself say. 

“Good, then we’re leaving now.” Keigo nods, grabbing Izuku tighter. The woman makes his mother sign some papers hurriedly, and his mother does so in seconds, not bothering to read anything. 

“The money will come through by cash, in an envelope to this same location. We expect you to leave this house by the end of the month.” His mother nods, understanding. Then the man goes to grab his arm, and Keigo tightens his hands around Izuku more, not wanting anyone to take him. 

The man doesn’t mind the obvious nervousness from the boy, and still takes his arm, dragging him to the black car waiting for them. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Takami Izuku has never known anything besides Keigo. Keigo was the one constant in his life, well… his big brother and… the Hero Public Safety Commission. He is four years old when he manifests his quirk, the mutation was, as well, obvious from the start, something that delighted every handler of them for the wrong reasons.

At first it was just his wings, with small soft white feathers, then, months after his fourth birthday, he was practice sparring against Keigo. Keigo was going all out against him, and he had to dodge, his handler had said ‘No attacking back.’ So that’s what he did, dodging, trying to evade his brother’s hits, he could see the pain in Keigo’s face everytime that a hit connected, of course it did, Keigo was seven years older than him, had been trained for longer. 

“Never show weakness to your enemies, Hawks.” Their handler said. Keigo wanted to scream at her, that this wasn’t an enemy, it was his baby brother, who could only avoid getting hit maybe once out every five strikes. 

“02, try harder, you would be dead against a villain by now.” Keigo hated that even more, it wasn’t just Izuku, it was 02, just a number, just an experiment, he didn’t even have a name yet because his quirk hadn’t fully manifested, and they wanted for it to be accurate, ‘on brand’, unique to the ‘Bird Brothers, Heroes of Tomorrow.’ 

Izuku actually started dodging more now, he kept Keigo at arms length, sidestepping him quickly, faster than ever. 

Then Izuku’s wings burst into flames, sending an attack at everything and everyone in the room. Keigo stops attacking immediately. Their handler didn’t even have a chance to be mad for breaking the one rule they asked. Because here is what they have been waiting for, Izuku’s awakening. 

“You can stop now, consider it your lucky day, practice will be cut short so 02 can see the quirk doctor. We will be updating your profile and hero name now.” 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Quirk Viability and Asset Longevity Department

Name: ████████

Age: 4

Hero Name: Phoenix

Quirk: Blazing Wings

Quirk Type: Emitter-Mutant hybrid

Phoenix possesses white avian wings extending from his back, wings are always present and structurally similar to Hawk’s. Broad, powerful, built for sustained flight. Subject is able to fly for as long as necessary if pushed correctly. 

‘Blazing wings’ has an auto-regenerative response when exposed to critical damage, along with rapid cellular repair when body temperature exceeds 1,200 C. Subject has a thermal resistance far beyond the baseline human limits, and is not damaged by his own fire. Since activation the subject now has an elevated body temperature. 

Commission Medical Notes

Subject exhibits a high return on investment potential if conditioning continues. Emotional bonding to Hawks must be regulated to prevent any resistance behaviors. Pain response suppression is advantageous: Do not correct. 

Recommendation: Increase incremental stress exposure to accelerate regeneration ceiling. Sibling proximity can increase emotional volatility, and must be monitored. Must evaluate and test further  to understand the quirk’s complete capabilities

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

The visit to the doctor only makes Izuku more nervous, and the fact that Keigo can’t be with him just makes it worse. After several tests and limit evaluations he feels exhausted. He goes completely quiet as the doctor keeps talking to his handler about his quirk and potential abilities. He nods his head every now and then to make sure they know he understands and is listening. 

He wants to go back to his room, he wants Keigo. He doesn’t want to just be Phoenix. He doesn't want Keigo to just be Hawks either. But this is all he has ever known, and the thought of being able to save people in the future truly makes him happy, like he’s meant to. 

He sees it, how his brother is pushed every single day, training for longer hours than Izuku. After Izuku once talked about Keigo’s quirk in front of their handler they made him start doing analytics classes, making him sit whenever Keigo is training and write down every one of his drawbacks.

They soon start testing him about other heroes, making him write for hours until his hand is sore. At least sometimes it gets him out of physical training, and it gets Keigo out of having to hit him so much. 

With his analysis abilities in mind they make him start writing, Keigo is waiting for him in their room. But he’s still writing, because they want a full debrief of the abilities of his quirk, potential abilities, passive effects and drawback of using his quirk.

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Main abilities

• Blazing Wings – Feathered wings present at all times, feathers appear to be fire resistant and can regenerate naturally. Wingspan is proportionate to age and expected to expand with growth. Natural aerial control comparable to Hawks, excellent balance and instinctive navigation. Can glide without flame ignition.
• Wings burst into bright golden-red flames. Note: If fire temperature is augmented then the color of flames could change. Will need further testing. Fire increases speed and maneuverability. Body temperature rises during flight. 
• Fire differs from a standard combustion, it burns without consuming oxygen, fire does not spread unless the user is willing to. Can burn selectively, whether it is a target or an object. Temperature of fire fluctuates depending on emotional state rather than exertion. 
• When injured the body enters a combustive stasis, damaged tissue converts to ash and then reforms. A complete phoenix resurrection is not possible yet, but massive wound closure and bone reconstruction is possible.

Izuku feels a shudder remembering how his handler used her quirk on him, going too far, then realizing his bone could reform, and doing it again. 

• When unconscious body temperature drops, flame wings collapse into small embers. 
• Theoretical – Unconfirmed: After watching ash residue crystalize, there might be a possibility of frosted breath. The cold is clearly connected to the quirk since it is used to stabilize cellular reconstruction, and could prevent overheating during a ‘rebirth’. Possibility – Fire that freezes, if changing the temperature is possible then maybe it could be controlled for it to go below zero, or ice that feels like fire.

Passive Effects

• Elevated basal body temperature.
• Reduced pain perception when fire is activated.
• Instinctual control of fire.
• Emotional dampening during high out-put states.

Drawbacks

• Quirk activation consumes calories at a high rate. 
• Regeneration converts fluids into ash, which could lead to an electrolyte imbalance. 
• Heat dependency.
• Regeneration closes wounds but does not restore stamina.
• Rapid switching between high output and recovery may cause shivering despite the heat immunity. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Izuku feels so tired, but at least he’s done with his debrief, he’ll be able to hand it in and finally see his brother. His handler almost looks pleased at his work, and takes him to his room.

The door opens, and Keigo is there, waiting for him. He doesn’t call out to him, or hug him, he nods in recognition, and their handler looks pleased. The door closes behind him, their handler tells them to be on time for training.

“Zuku!” Keigo runs to him, he picks him up, twirling around with him in the air. “I was so worried about you, no one told me anything at all. What did they do to you?”

“Just a lot of tests.” Izuku shrugs, hiding his head in his brother’s shoulder. 

“What kinds of tests?” Izuku shakes his head, his body trembles, and his brother whispers in his ear. ‘I’m here, you’re okay.’ 

“At least I have my quirk now.” Izuku whispers. They’re in their nest now. Keigo holds him close. “We’ll be hero partners.”

“We’ll be the best heroes, Zuzu. Then we will be able to get out of here.” He whispers too. “I have a plan…” Izuku nods.

“Me too, I’ve been thinking about something, I think we can make it work.” 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Ever since that day they started planning, hoping. Keigo was now seventeen, would be turning eighteen, Izuku was only ten, but Keigo would soon debut as a hero, and Izuku would be doing his provisional license exam soon. 

Why? The Hero Commission wanted Hawks to open his own agency soon after his debut, to be able to boost his own ratings. That meant Izuku would now be alone at the facility, but if Izuku started working at Hawks’ agency, then they would spend more time together.

“Phoenix! What are you doing?!” Izuku is actively trying for his flames to not die out while not passing out. “If you want to be with Hawks you need to be stronger! What happens when Hawks needs your help in a fight but instead gets hurt while helping you? Are you really that useless? Can’t help your brother?” Izuku doesn’t reply, he knows she doesn’t want an answer. He knows she’s just pushing his buttons on purpose. He knows. Yet her words shake him to his core.

His flames go from red to blue in a matter of seconds. His feathers scatter to his targets perfectly. Exhaustion claws at him, he doesn’t allow himself to succumb to it, not yet. They’ve been so good lately, they need to see they can be good. They need to see they can trust them.

“Finally! Again, Phoenix.” The targets are back in place, and Izuku feels like he could cry. He’s shaking slightly. ‘This is for your own good.’ He tells himself, he wants to believe it. ‘You’ll need this training when you’re in the field, when you need to save your brother, you need to be stronger’ And Izuku wants to be stronger wholeheartedly, so he does it again, and again, and again, until his handler is satisfied. Until she allows him to have a moment for himself.

“Heal yourself.” She orders. “You’re done for tonight.” He nods.

He returns to his room, completely shattered. Keigo is there, waiting for him. The door closes and he picks him up. “I’m so sorry. I swear, it won’t be long now. My debut is only a couple of weeks after my birthday… It should only be six more months of this. But you’ll be alone for four of those months. I’m so sorry.” He repeats his apologies like a prayer, like a mantra, like maybe if he says it enough then the outcome will change. He doesn’t want to leave his baby brother alone, but he has to. If everything goes right, then it would only be less than half a year. And he knows both would suffer, but their gain would be huge.

“I’m scared for your debut. They will want to make it high stakes, for the media coverage.”

“I know.” Keigo whispers back. “But once I make my grand entrance, my agency will follow, and then once I go up in the rankings my apartment. You’ll be able to leave the facility.” Their plan was already in motion, the Commission thought they came up with the idea to make Izuku intern at the agency, thinking it was so he could analyze the heroes and work under different avian quirks. But making Izuku live with him would be harder. They had to play the media just right, so that the Hero Commission could hand Izuku to ‘Hawks’ on a silver platter, as if it was their own idea.

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

LIVE BROADCAST

‘We’re getting confirmation now- This is Hawks’ first official deployment as a licensed Pro Hero. He’s only eighteen years old, freshly registered this morning-’

‘Wait- wait. No- That doesn’t look like a small fire. The entire block- The upper floors are collapsing!’ The camera shakes, the screaming is heard through the audio.

‘This is going from a debut to a disaster in real time. All of the emergency services are overwhelmed- Hawks is flying, but- This- No rookie should live through this situation.’

‘His feathers look like they’re being torn apart midair. He’s also fighting the environment.’ Hawks dives into the smoke, his feathers scatter across multiple buildings.

‘-HE SPLIT HIS WINGS. Do you see that? He’s sending individual feathers into every window!’

‘He’s locating survivors one by one.’ The reporter gasps, the save count tally appears on screen. Twelve rescued turns into twenty-one, and soon it’s thirty-three.

‘He’s not stoppin- He’s not stopping! He’s pulling people through fire, he’s using his body as a shield.’ A support beam collapses, and then Hawks vanishes from the camera. 

‘We’ve lost visual…’ It’s quiet for a second. The reporter feels his voice breaking as he goes to speak. ‘He’s only eighteen.’ Seconds later Hawks bursts out of smoke carrying two children.

Confirmed saves: 43 civilians

Fatalities: 0

Headline: “EIGHTEEN AND AIRBORNE: HAWKS SAVES 43 IN DEBUT DISASTER”

“Phoenix.” Izuku is there in fractions of a second, attentive to orders. “What is the media saying?”

“The preliminary breakdown is already circulating,” He says smoothly. “His response time was under two seconds, his feather dispersion had a density we thought we would see in his late career. His civilian extraction efficiency was of a hundred percent.” A pause. “Everyone is loving his debut, there is small backlash of people asking why the rookie was the only one deployed, but I’m sure it will die down.” Izuku smiles, the fake smile they’ve been trained to do but somehow they always assume it's genuine. “They’re calling it talent.” 

She exhales through her nose, half impressed.

He scrolls through the tablet, shifting it just right for her to not be able to see the screen. He pauses long enough to seem thoughtful rather than deliberate.

“There is some curiosity… Nothing aggressive, just some speculation. Many people wonder what year Hawks was competing in the UA sports festival… I’m sure they just assume that since it’s the biggest hero school he would’ve gone there…” 

“Speculation has a way of growing teeth.” Her gaze is sharp. 

“You’re right, Madam.” He’s Phoenix, calm and confident, no nervousness in sight. “If we handle it correctly it becomes just mythology, a prodigy who appeared fully formed, people love that story.” 

“And if it isn’t handled correctly?” She asks.

“People could start asking who was the one to shape him.” ‘And why.’ is left unsaid. Silence stretches, it’s not uncomfortable, just heavy. She studies him for a moment, wondering where he learnt to speak like that, before remembering it was under their guidance it happened.

“I see… I’m sure the questions will stop once they see more of him. I expect an analysis of his performance today.” Izuku nods once.

“Already on it.” He replies never missing a beat.

“You can leave now, Phoenix.” Izuku bows and turns, his footsteps never making a sound. As the door slides shut behind him, his expression finally shifts, just a fraction. Calculation. He doesn’t allow himself to smile. He is still Phoenix, composed beyond his years. The perfect asset. The perfect child. Perfect quirk with more than enough power, and no drawbacks, none that matter anyway, not like his brother and fire. 

Inside though. ‘It worked.’ He’s so sure of it, of her gaze as he mentioned it, as she saw they would ask questions once again after his own debut. UA shouldn’t have been an option for him, not really. Too public. Too uncontrolled. Too many eyes that are not the Commission’s. 

But with Keigo having such a perfect debut. With being on his way to be adored. And with just the right amount of questions about his mentorship… They won’t be able to cage them anymore, not fully at least. 

‘Send Phoenix to UA’ They’ll tell themselves. ‘Let the public see our next hero, our legacy, Hawk’s other half’ Izuku understands just what kind of logic they follow, it's as easy as breathing. Symbols are created, and stories sell much better in symmetry. One hero? Impressive. A duo? Unforgettable.

Hawks will open his agency soon. They’ll keep him busy, missions, interviews, night patrols. So busy they will think he won’t notice the leash.

But he’ll be visible. And that is a crack they’ll exploit.

One day, a smiling reporter will ask a soft harmless question. ‘Why are you a hero? Who inspires you?’

And why wouldn’t Hawks answer honestly? Why wouldn’t Hawks mention his adorable baby brother? The one he hasn’t seen enough. The one he worries about. That part is not classified. Not really. There’s no rule against missing his brother. 

The fans will eat it up. ‘Look how gentle he is. He must be such a good brother.’

Once the narrative is created the Commission won’t be able to resist. They’ll give Phoenix to Hawks easily enough. They’ll call it optics, they’ll say it's a gift. ‘For your ratings’ They’ll say, smiling. ‘You can handle it. You will handle it.’ They’ll add when he hesitates. ‘You’ll learn multitasking.’

Izuku knows Hawks will protest just enough to be convincing. He’ll sigh. He’ll say he’s busy. He’ll look worried he won't be able to take good care of him. And then he’ll take Izuku anyway.

Izuku can already picture it. The apartment, too high up in the building, big windows. Feathers on their nest. Burnt food in their stove. Noise. Warmth. Freedom.

Phoenix lowers his gaze as he wanders the halls of the Commission. Expression blank, ten years old, and perfectly harmless. Inside, his wings stretch. ‘Checkmate.’ He thinks calmly. Their cage is now a little bigger. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

It happens exactly as they plan it, it’s even better. Izuku gets his provisional license, it’s not great, there’s no applause like there would be if he was a highschooler. Just him and their private exam, then his license is issued to him with no problems. Keigo signs where they tell him to.

And then, quietly, Izuku stops going back to the facility. His training shifts to one location only.

Emberwing Agency.

Officially, it’s for efficiency. Unofficially, it’s a small amount of trust. The Commission congratulates itself on a seamless transition, and on how well their assets integrate when handled perfectly. Then the review process for the agency comes.

Izuku takes the review process seriously, just like Keigo. They meticulously select every single one of the staff. They don’t just glance at the resumes, they dissect them. Career paths, gaps in employment, mentorships, internships, social circles. Which heroes trained together, which ones didn’t. 

They flag the Commission patterns. They dismiss them with no further thought. The applicants with UA connections move to the second round. The support tech with independent patents, the analysts who study disaster response instead of metrics, the medics who chose field work over prestige. 

Every hire is deliberate. Building loyalty. Keigo jokes about how serious Izuku is about the process. He calls Izuku his ‘tiny HR department.’ Izuku smiles at his brother. 

Behind the scenes, Emberwing becomes something rare.

No Commission ties.

UA trainings and mentorships.

Independent funding.

Transparent analytics.

By the time the Commission checks in, casually, it’s too late. Emberwing has a reputation. High save rates, clean ethics, civilian trust. All of the heroes are safely climbing the charts. Practically untouchable. Izuku thinks to himself that maybe it’s a trap for them, the Commission would have never allowed any of this. Were they getting too comfortable? Was it just a false sense of security before they took him back to the facility?

That never happens, Izuku is allowed to keep living with his brother, but his training at the agency intensifies. His handlers become meaner, and rougher, even cocky to some degree. They make Phoenix well aware that he’s still theirs. Their Asset. Their Hero. 

They extend his training, he stays in the agency for longer hours, Keigo stays with him, claiming he has to work on reports. Sometimes their handler makes him fight Phoenix. Now it’s Izuku trying to be careful, his brother is more experienced and stronger, but Izuku’s quirk is his literal weakness. Whenever they fight Izuku lowers the temperature of his flames, making sure to never actually burn him.

The sidekicks and heroes learn to never question why the kid is always working with them, they learn that some questions can’t be answered, but silently they offer their support for both of them. 

That is how four years pass for them, Phoenix trains, gets stronger, and is sent on the occasional secret mission with Hawks. Hawks climbed the charts, entering the top twenty in his first few months of his debut, later breaking into the top ten not even a year after. Then they go back to their apartment, their home, the only space of privacy and safety they have.

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Nedzu scans every UA candidate profile closely, this year has very promising hero aspirants. He moves onto the next pile. Recommendations. Probably his least preferred type to read. 

The students are always the same, private school with a family member in the field, even if they’re good, they don’t have the same type of need to prove themselves as the other students. The recommendation students are exceptional, but sometimes they want to be a hero for the wrong reasons. 

He pauses for a second as he reads the name of the first file. ‘Takami Izuku’, he’s heard the name Takami before, he’s sure. He grabs the file and opens it, at the same time he’s already searching in his database. 

‘Takami’. And there it is. ‘Takami the thief.’ Arrested fourteen years ago. He searches Izuku’s name on his database, but what he finds surprises him. Young Takami was registered only a month ago, around the time the initial applications were sent. His quirk ‘Blazing Wings’ was registered around the same time. 

He looks at Takami’s profile. His hero name has been picked, he has his provisional license already, it was issued to Phoenix, and not his legal name. There’s too many notes on his quirk, too many statistics that he shouldn’t know yet. 

‘Phoenix shows rare emotional maturity for his age. Danger lies not in his recklessness but the willingness to burn himself out for others. Natural hero identity.’

‘Phoenix has not achieved a true revival yet. His wound healing is faster now, but death is still death for now.’

‘Phoenix has a smaller wingspan than Hawks, making him much faster at his age.’

Nedzu thinks they sent him the wrong chart, surely they don’t want him to know all of this information. He deduces that the Commission is behind this, somehow, and now he connects Phoenix- ‘Takami’ He corrects himself, to Pro Hero Hawks, Takami being the little brother he loves to mention in interviews. 

Nedzu leans back in his chair, his eyes no longer reading, but anchored in the chart.

The Commission never sends anything by accident, if a file like this reaches his desk, they wanted him to see it. He scrolls through, digitalizing every part of the file. His quirk appeared only a month ago, but it’s been documented with data that requires years of observation. Medical annotations, recovery times, stress limits. 

This child… Nedzu doesn’t want to think the worst. But it paints a very clear picture. 

His gaze flicks to the Hawks comparison chart again. They aren’t just measuring Izuku against Hawks. They’re pairing them. He pulls up Hawk's public profile next to Izuku’s. He overlays the timelines, then he adds the Commission logs he technically shouldn’t have access to. 

The pattern is unmistakable.

Fourteen years ago Takami the Thief is arrested, then disappears from the system shortly after. Then four years ago Hawks emerges, polished and perfect. Now, Takami Izuku appears, fully formed, with a license before being enrolled, bearing a name that will be more famous than most graduates will ever achieve. 

Nedzu’s tail flicks once, thoughtful. ‘Why did they send you here?’ Then, realization dawns on him. ‘Of course… I see’.

He reads the recommendation letter. It’s flawless, carefully worded to UA’s values. It’s the kind of document written by a committee, then approved by someone very high in the chain of command.

His eyes soften involuntarily as they catch Izuku’s photo. The boy stands straight, his expression composed, his wings are alright, a soft white ember. Not smiling. Not afraid. 

A child who has learned survival before childhood. “Well then,” Nedzu says, closing the file, his decision made long before the boy even takes the physical and written exam. “If they insist on placing you in my care…” 

He taps the acceptance stamp once against his desk, not yet pressing it down on his file. “...the least I can do is make sure you learn what it means to choose to be a hero.” 

Somewhere in the city the Emberwing Agency glows warm against the night. For the first time since opening his chart Nedzu smiles, wide and sharp, but sincere. “Welcome to UA, Phoenix. Let’s see what happens when a caged bird is taught how to think.”

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Izuku’s wings buzz with a mix of nervousness and excitement. He’s going to UA, he’s taking the exam. Keigo is just as nervous as him, he stands to his right, his wings fluttering every other minute.

Izuku feels warmth, then he watches Endeavor approaching them. “Kei!” He grabs attention to his brother while half-whispering. 

“Endeavour! My man! How are you?” Keigo takes the hint and goes onto take his hand, his perfect polished smile on his face. 

“Hawks.” Endeavour nods. “I didn’t know you had a kid.”

Hawks laughs like it's the funniest thing. “Oh no, I have my-” Izuku pops out from behind him. “There you are, little bird.” Izuku laughs, easy and carefree. 

“Hi.” Izuku says, looking at Endeavour, his smile is bright at the man. ‘You’re Phoenix, just be Phoenix.’ “I’m Hawks’ little brother.” He says, extending his hand to the man. 

“Yes, this is my little nugget, I’m surprised you didn’t know, I’m always talking about him.” 

“Right, I think I remember that. Anyway, have you met my Shoto?” Endeavour says as he looks around the room, and Shoto stays in the corner out of his father’s eyesight. Izuku catches sight of him, and they make eye contact for a second. He feels a pull to talk with the boy, but he can’t leave Keigo’s side. ‘Maybe later…’ He thinks.

There is a crowd forming around them now, small heroes and tech supporters surrounding both top ten heroes. Then Present Mic joins them.

“Hawks! Aww and your little listener is here!” Present Mic coos at Izuku. 

Hawks takes the opportunity like a lifeline, he steps back, stretches his wings, the people around him are now farther away. He turns his back slightly to Endeavour. “He was so excited to finally be here, it’s all he talks about. Isn’t that right, chickadee?” 

Izuku laughs, he blushes slightly. Present Mic laughs, and moments later he’s calling someone over. “Hawks, have you met Eraserhead yet?” Izuku’s head snaps at the name, Aizawa notices this but doesn’t call it out. 

“Please call me Aizawa, I’m only Eraserhead on the field, today, I’m just another teacher.”

“Ooh, I have to tell you, my little brother here is one of your biggest fans, he’s collected the small amount of merch you’ve sold.” Aizawa doesn’t look impressed.

“Really?” He’s skeptical, of course. Not many kids are his fans, not many kids know of him. 

“Yes sir, I’m always watching your fighting technique. It’s really hard to find videos of it though…” Izuku trails off. Keigo takes it from there. 

“Kid, go meet the other applicants, okay?” Izuku nods once, smiling. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Aizawa is confused, mainly because here is Hawks, with his little brother, who he always talks about in the media, but never shows. Sure, maybe Hawks could be weird about privacy, but then Takami’s chart is just full of red flags. 

Medical notes about previous injuries, many annotations about a too developed quirk, statistics, records, none of it is the usual private school curriculum he sees in student recommendations, in fact, Aizawa hasn’t been able to see any of his previous test scores. None. It’s just like ground spit this kid up with a too powerful quirk. Aizawa can’t even believe-

“Eraserhead-san?” Right. He’s meant to be interviewing this kid. His written test score was perfect, no incorrect answers and that hasn’t been since… ever. Those questions weren’t meant to be answered at such a rate, they were meant to make the hero aspirant think. But never he thought one of his students- potential students would be able to understand the experience of being a hero. Not before graduating. Aizawa blinks once, long and slow. tries to ground himself. 

Interview. 

Hawks sits too casually in the chair beside the kid, legs crossed, posture loose. He’s trying very hard to not look like a shield, that of course, makes him one. Takami Izuku, Phoenix as the chart reads, stands in front of his desk, hands folded, back straight, eyes forwards. Too controlled. 

Aizawa hates it. 

“Eraserhead-san?” He repeats, calm and polite. Aizawa clears his throat. 

He flips the file closed with one finger, then opens it again, maybe it will make more sense this time. It doesn’t. 

Healed fractures, thermal exposure beyond the safety limit, exhaustion events… Quirk development, not by a teacher or mentor but it reads like a field report by a hardened veteran. The gaps make him feel sick to his stomach. No middle school transcript, not even an elementary one. No standardized physical tests. Just pure results.

Izuku doesn’t look like a child, his face is round and soft, his white hair curls a little, but as a hero, as a teacher, he doesn’t look like a child. Posture too perfect, smile too rehearsed. He’s seen kids, hell, he’s saved them, he’s dragged them out of fire, floods, he’s seen them shake after the event. Izuku doesn’t shake, and if what Nedzu theorizes is true then he can only imagine how they got rid of such a normal stress response.

Finally Aizawa finds his words. “Your written exam was perfect.” He says slowly. He regains Hawks attention then, his slouch snaps into something sharper, more alert. Aizawa pays him no mind. He keeps his eyes on Izuku.

“Yes, sir.” 

“You did it in record timing.”

“Yes, sir.” Izuku nods.

Aizawa exhales quietly. “Hawks I believe you’re done here, you answered all my questions perfectly.” ‘And every single answer sounded rehearsed.’ He thinks.  “I’ll ask some individual questions to Takami now, and his results could be impacted if you stay in the room.” 

For less than a second he watches Hawks hesitate, then the persona comes back into place. Perfect smile, relaxed shoulders, slightly amused. “Of course.” he says. “Don’t give him too much trouble, little bird.” He ruffles Izuku’s hair. Izuku smiles softly, and Aizawa thinks he sees the real them for a second. Hawks leaves the room, and the door closes.

“You may sit down, Takami” He does so immediately, and Aizawa realizes that all this time he’s been waiting for the command. He watches Izuku closely, his wings are pulled in tight, feathers rigid and tense. 

And Aizawa realizes that the chair has a back, he glances back at the chart. ‘No special accommodations’. No wing cutouts, no adjusted uniform, no notes about what he needs for his comfort. ‘Someone didn’t want to admit you need them, I’ll fix it.’ He thinks grimly. 

Aizawa folds his arms. “Let’s start simple.” He watches as Izuku straightens.

“Why do you want to be a hero, Takami?”

“To be a hero with Hawks of course, we’ll have our own agency together. And I’ll be able to save many people.” He answers quickly. ‘So they made you rehearse your answers too? What a problem’.

“What if Hawks wasn’t a hero?” Izuku blinks, just once. 

“I would still want to save people.” He says after a beat. 

They go through every single one of his questions, every answer is polished, and practiced, even if he tries to get him off balance, the kid corrects automatically, staying the perfect hero in training, with enough emotion and enthusiasm, he says the right things, the kinds of things you only hear from years of media training. And he does it as easy as breathing. 

He has a natural magnetism, both brothers do. It’s undeniable. Aizawa can feel it, he hates that it works for him too. Aizawa gives up trying to find a crack, he asks his last question before the kid leaves to do his physical test. “Who’s your favorite hero?” 

“Keigo.” He says, too fast, no hesitation, smiling until he realizes what he just said and then his smile vanishes and the color drains from his face. Maybe it lasts for a second, and then the smile is back in place, smaller. 

Aizawa nods, scribbling down his notes. Pretending not to notice that to Izuku there’s a clear distinction between Keigo his big brother and Hawks the Pro Hero. 

“Understood. You may leave, your physical test is starting soon. Please change into the uniforms provided when instructed.” He closes his notebook.

“Yes, sir.” Izuku stands, bows neatly and then- He’s gone. Almost bolting out of the room. Wings tucked too tight, like he’s afraid of brushing against something.

Aizawa waits until the door is closed. He leans back into his chair, tired eyes stare at the ceiling. “They really did a number on you.” He mutters into the air. 

He opens his notebook again. 

Favorite hero: Keigo.

Important. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Izuku’s in the locker room getting changed, when the boy walks in. Endeavour’s son. 

“Hello.” He says, getting closer. 

“Hello. I’m Takami Izuku.” Izuku hopes that he’s allowed to say his name, since technically it's what he’ll be using now. 

The boy looks at him like he doesn’t trust him. He doesn’t smile at him, he assesses him, his eyes flickering to his wings and his too perfect posture.

“Hawks’ brother.” Izuku nods, smiling. Izuku can practically hear the cogs turning inside his head. Doubt. Caution. The weight of inherited expectations, Izuku knows it too well. 

Shoto realizes this is the moment where he should introduce himself, but he doesn’t know what to trust, or who to trust, and he’s seen Hawks’ say that Endeavour is his favorite hero. He exhales quietly. And takes a leap of faith. “I’m Shoto.”

Izuku notices, of course he does, no last name, the distance between his father and him. The omission isn’t accidental, just a boundary, maybe a test. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Shoto.” Izuku recognizes something in him, familiarity, maybe? 

“You don’t… mind?” Shoto frowns slightly, studying him. 

Izuku only tilts his head. “Why would I?” 

“...Most people say my full name, or they enter into a rant about him.” He replies.

“Most people aren’t listening.” Izuku answers, and wow, this is the most vulnerability he has allowed himself with someone other than his brother. 

Shoto’s expression shifts, recognition. Izuku feels it, this feels too important to be a simple introduction. Outside a whistle blows. The test is about to begin.

Izuku reaches for his gloves. “Good luck out there.” 

Shoto nods, once. “You too.”

Both of them think at once ‘Maybe I’m not alone here.’

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Keigo watches in amusement and disbelief at the physical test, a simple race. Maybe a hundred meters, quirk assisted. ‘Is this a joke?’ He wonders. ‘How is it fair to the rest of them? Because his Izuku is fast. Faster than him at fourteen for sure, and when assisted by his fire? He’s simply unstoppable.'

Keigo leans against the railing, arms crossed. The aspirants are all starting to line up. He catches sight of Izuku easily, with his white hair and wings, the boy sends a smile at him. He looks calm, focused, he thinks he detects a little tension behind his brow. He sees his posture, and for a second he thinks Izuku might hold back, at the unfairness of it all.

‘Don’t,’ he thinks reflexively. ‘Just not here.’ The signal sounds, and Izuku launches himself. And Keigo feels relief. The boy’s wings snap open, enough to direct him, the ground cracks faintly at the force. 

He’s first, Endeavour’s son is close behind, and a kid powered by wind is right behind him. Izuku’s not just fast, he’s efficient. Every flame burst is timed to the second, he doesn’t waste movements, he doesn’t try to show off. He minimizes the drag, the fire only lets him accelerate even more. 

At the finish line Izuku is flying through cleanly like he planned to from the start. Izuku looks back to where he knows he’s standing, looking for approval. Keigo nods at him, smile on his face. And something protective twists in his chest. 

Around him there are murmurs from the rest, he catches sight of Endeavour, not looking pleased at his son in second. He grins, sharp and proud. And decides to break the silence, if only to appease Endeavour. 

He pushes off the railing and speaks up, his voice is easy, his tone is just loud enough for it to be impossible to ignore. “Well, that’s a tough race to win.” He shrugs, like it’s nothing. A few heads turn towards him.

“I mean, kind of hard to beat the little brother of the fastest hero in the field.” A few laugh at this. The tension loosens. Hawks tilts his head toward Endeavour, grin still in place, his tone is light, meant to be harmless. “Great kid, came real close.” Endeavour doesn’t reply, but his flame eases around the other, and his face is considering. ‘Good enough.’ 

Keigo leans back again, satisfied. ‘Let it be because of skill, because of blood. Not suspicion.’ 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Izuku sits perfectly still, he holds his hands over his lap, his wings are tucked so tight to his sides they almost hurt. His handlers sit around the table, they see right through him, just another asset, a machine. Keigo sits to his right, Izuku feels the heat of his brother, he feels the small vibrations of his feathers, its grounding. Keigo doesn’t look at the handlers, his gaze is fixed forward, and his usual smile is nowhere to be found. 

The hologram appears promptly. “We are pleased to inform you you have been accepted into UA after achieving a perfect score, your overall rank is… number one-” The hologram is quickly shut down and discarded by his handler.

“Very well, you’ll be going to UA.” She says coldly. “Don’t forget who approved this, Phoenix.” The man next to her continues, as if they were a hivemind, perfectly connected to continue the others’ sentences. “If you don’t perform to the best of your abilities we’ll be forced to use other measures. UA is a privilege, one we can easily revoke.”

Izuku feels his brother twitch, just enough.  “The facility misses you.”

Izuku nods. “Yes sir, I understand.” Inside he feels the slight fear coiling around him, it is quickly replaced by resolve. 

“If you excuse us, we would like to celebrate this, you know. Publicly, for the ratings. I’ll take my brother to dinner.” Keigo breaks the silence, he smiles without warmth. 

“We are not done yet, Hawks-” Their eyes narrow. 

“He got into UA, that’s what the meeting was about, no? Let him have the night.” His voice is smooth, polite, his usual amused tone he uses in interviews.

“Don’t get cocky with us, Hawks-” He’s leaning forward, and if Keigo didn’t know better he’d think the man is about to use his quirk on them. 

He’s cut off. “You’re dismissed.” Keigo stills, feeling he went too far. Izuku feels it too, the subtle shift in the air. “But I expect you both to report early to the agency tomorrow, training will be… interesting. “ 

Keigo grins, bright, perfected. “Wouldn’t miss it.” Izuku was already standing, and did so as soon as he heard the dismissal, bowing perfectly, a soft ‘Sir.’ escaping his lips. Keigo turns without waiting for permission, maybe being a hero did make him cocky. The doors slide open for the brothers, the light around the halls is sterile and too bright. 

Once the doors are sealed Keigo allows himself to exhale. “...Interesting. Guess you could call it that.” 

Izuku ignores it, focusing on the night ahead. “Dinner?”

Keigo looks down at him, smiling, sincerely, protectively. “Dinner.” A confirmation. “Somewhere loud and public, somewhere they can’t follow us.”

Izuku nods, his wings loosen a little, he ignites a small flame out of reflex, just because. Tonight at least, they belong to no one but themselves. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

It’s the first day of classes, and Izuku feels nervous and apprehensive, not knowing what to do or how to feel. He doesn’t have friends, he has his brother, and the closest interaction he’s had with someone his own age was with Shoto, and the boy wasn’t exactly the best example, since Shoto talked to even less people than him at the test. 

Keigo catches him while in his own head. “You okay there, little bird?” 

Izuku doesn’t answer right away. “I just don’t… know. It feels weird. I’ll be away from you for most of the day. And what if… What if UA isn’t what we think it is?” This last question is whispered, muttered through his teeth. Because he doesn’t want to think about that. He doesn’t want it to be a possibility. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay, Zuku. We can hope that it won’t be like that.’ Keigo crouches slightly, they’re now at eye level, his wings shift slightly. Hope is dangerous, it’s uncertain, but it’s the only thing they have right now. Keigo reaches out and taps two fingers to Izuku’s temple, “And if it isn’t what we expect, then we deal with it. Same way we always do. Together.” Together. 

“You won’t be there.” Izuku replies, he tries to swallow the knot forming in his throat. 

“I will.” Keigo says immediately. “Not in your classroom, but I’m in the city. Still your emergency contact, I’ll still be there every day when they send the car for you. And… you should know your big brother will raise hell if anyone looks at you wrong, plus, we have these.” Keigo takes out his necklace, one of Izuku’s baby feathers hanging from the string, Izuku’s hand instinctively goes to his neck, where one of Keigo’s red feathers lies. Connected.

Keigo notices, of course he does. “See? You’re not alone, you’ve never been. I have always been by your side. I’ll always be. And if anything ever happens…” 

“I know, Kei.” 

“Alright little bird, let's get you to your school. We don’t want you being late do we?” As he says that Keigo gets a notification from their handler. “Perfect timing, looks like the car is here.” Keigo wishes he and Izuku could simply fly to school, but alas, they need to conform to their rules. 

Whatever UA is. He’ll still face it. 

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

When Izuku gets to class 1-A, there is only one person in the room. The boy has blue hair and engines in his legs. ‘Ingenium’s brother…’ He thinks. Tenya Iida. Quirk: Engine. Took the regular exam instead of the recommendation. Family of heroes with high moral standards. He remembers the file, and his mind goes through on autopilot. The Commission made sure he learnt all of his classmates' profiles, he doesn’t know how they got them, and it's better if he doesn't ask.

He steps into the room fully, and the door slides shut behind him with a soft click. The other boy looks up immediately, his eyes lock onto Izuku like he’s been waiting for someone. They study each other in the same way.

Tenya recognizes him, Izuku can see that easily. The boy rises from his seat in a single, precise motion, and he adjusts his glasses with ease. “Good morning, I am Iida Tenya, from Somei Private Academy.”

Izuku smiles, practiced and polite, he inclines his head just enough to be respectful without showing submission. “Good morning.” He replies. “Takami Izuku. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Iida’s gaze flickers to Izuku’s wings, a beautiful pearly white, they seem to burn slightly in a soft almost cold fire. “Hawks’ brother.” Iida says, its not meant to be accusatory, more like stating a fact. 

Izuku nods. “I am.” His smile is almost real this time. 

Iida inclines his head in return. “I look forward to our time together as classmates.”

Their quiet is interrupted as the other students filter in. The chatter is loud and bright, full of wonder for their first day learning to be heroes. Desks scrape, and their bags thump to the floor. 

A boy with spike ash blond hair storms in like he owns the place. Bakugo Katsuki. Someone else laughs too loud, and a pink skinned girl waves enthusiastically at people she hasn’t met yet.

Iida straightens further, clearly overwhelmed but determined to maintain order. “Everyone please take your seats in an orderly fashion!”

Of course, no one listens. Izuku watches it all quietly. And Shoto is by his side in a second, a small hi and a wave, an almost smile on his face. They talk quietly about nonsensical things, and then someone- too loud and brash asks Izuku a question.

“Hey! You’re Hawks brother right? Do you know anything about our heroics class?”

Izuku almost freezes, no one notices him faltering of course. Instead he smiles at the girl, Mina Ashido, his mind supplies. And makes a thoughtful expression. “I’m not entirely sure, It’s my first time at a real school!” 

Mina falters, confusion spreading onto her face, and the people around her get quiet immediately. Izuku now realizes he misstepped. “After all, it would be a security issue if the family of a top ten hero was in public all the time. Right, Shoto?” He keeps his eyes light and bright, charming enough that his classmates lower their guards.

Shoto nods at his side. “It’s my first time at a school too. Usually we were tutored at home or at the agency.”

Izuku beams at his friend. “Yeah! Sorry I don’t know any more about heroics!”

His classmates ‘Awe’ around him, with Kirishima saying. “Oh I think I’ve heard about that before!”

Izuku notices the blond in the background, Bakugo Katsuki, and how he is not entirely convinced at what he said. Bakugo doesn’t say anything. He just stares, sharp and assessing, his red eyes narrow like he’s trying to see through Izuku’s smile. It’s not hostile, but it’s not convinced either, and Izuku recognizes this and files it away for later. 

Mina laughs, and the tension has now dissipated completely. “Dang, that’s kinda sad though! First real school and it’s UA? Quite the jump.”

“Right?” Kirishima grins, easy and friendly. “But that’s pretty manly if you ask me!”

Izuku laughs with them, light and practiced, the sound times just right. Shoto stays at his side, quiet and solid like an anchor. The room returns to its earlier buzz, attention drifting away from him.

Good. Crisis averted. 

Then-

Thump.

The door slams open, and the room goes dead silent. A man in a sleeping bag steps in, eyes half-lidded, voice flat and unimpressed. “If you’re here to play hero, you’re in the wrong place.”

Izuku straightens at his voice instinctively, his wings tuck in tighter, and every muscle of his body goes alert. Aizawa Shouta, his homeroom teacher, underground hero Eraserhead, and of course the man he met at his interview. A high level threat in the eyes of the commission for the single reason of being impossible to buy.

Izuku notices how a few students flinch. And Aizawa’s eyes pause for a fraction of a second on Izuku. Izuku meets his gaze evenly.

Aizawa sighs, long and tired, and glances at the clock on the wall. “It took you three minutes and twenty seven seconds to shut up.” 

The room gets colder. “That’s too slow.” His eyes are sharp, cutting through the class without needing to raise his voice. “In this line of work that would be more than enough time for civilians and heroes alike to get killed. Villains don’t wait for you to be ready. Disasters won’t pause because you have to gather your thoughts.”

A few students shift uncomfortably, Izuku doesn’t. He’s heard worse and harsher, delivered with smiles and consequences attached. This is blunt, but it’s honest enough to be grounding. 

“Again.”

The memory crashes into him without warning. 

The command echoes in the empty training room. Izuku’s knees ache, his wings tremble despite how tightly he’s holding them in. Sweat mats the  feathers along his spine. The timer on the wall blinks red. He’s too slow.

“You hesitated.” The handler says calmly, tapping her screen. “That pause could have gotten someone hurt.” 

Izuku opens his mouth on instinct, then closes it. He adjusts his stance instead, swallowing the burn in his throat. 

“Your control is improving.” She continues. “But improvement isn’t enough. Hawks doesn’t get almost saved.”

That one actually hurts, more than the burn in his body. Izuku nods and steps back onto the mark. His flames flicker alive, unsteady at first but he forces them to stabilize. The target drones rise again.

“Begin.” 

He moves faster this time, it’s not perfect-he’s never perfect- but its better. His feathers strike cleanly, and the timer stops under the threshold .

“Acceptable. Reset.” 

Relief never comes, not until later when his brother cools him down. But for now there’s only the next run, and then the next.

He comes back into himself as Aizawa talks. “You came here thinking this would only be a continuation of middle school. That you’d get flashy lessons and inspirational speeches.” Aizawa’s mouth twitches. “Wrong. UA is about results, and if you can’t keep up then you’ll be left behind.”

He gestures toward the door. “Change into your uniforms, we’ll be doing quirk apprehension tests.”

Surprise ripples through the room. “Now? What about orientation?” 

“Yes, now. Orientation is not for the hero course students. I’ll be waiting outside, if you’re slow again I will notice.”

Izuku stands immediately, Shoto right behind him, then the room explodes into motion. Izuku is halfway through the door before most of the class can process it. 

In the locker room the noise is louder. But Izuku changes quickly and efficiently, taking little notice as Kirishima and Sero praise his body. He keeps his wings carefully folded as he swaps his uniform.

He’s out of the locker room in under three minutes. Too slow. He thinks, but as he heads out Aizawa nods to him, not praise, but good enough.

As they head to the field Izuku feels the familiar shift inside of him, the focus that settles in before a test. But this isn’t the commission, and it isn’t the facility. 

It is an evaluation, however. And the commission will probably get ahold of his results, so he cannot fail. 

The field stretches out in front of them, wide and exposed under the sky. The wind tugs at Izuku’s hair, and it brushes against the edges of his wings. 

Aizawa stands, stopwatch in hand, expression unreadable. “This is a quirk apprehension test.” Aizawa says flatly. “I want to see your raw ability.”

Izuku’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. Raw ability. It’s a dangerous way to phrase it. Raw is what the Commission loved. Raw is what got him hurt most of the time. He exhales softly, steadying himself. 

“Bakugo.” The blond takes a step forward. “How long was your throw in middle school?”

Bakugo scoffs, rolling his shoulders as he steps up to the line. “Tch. Don’t remember. Far enough.”

Aizawa clicks the stopwatch on, completely unimpressed. “Answer the question.” 

Bakugo bares his teeth, something halfway between a grin and a snarl. “Sixty seven meters."

A murmur ripples through the class and Aizawa gestures toward the ball. “Let’s see if that still holds.”

Bakugo grips it, explosions popping sharp and loud from his palm as he hurls the ball forward. The blast sends dust flying across the ground, the ball is launched through the air and lands far. Very far.

Aizawa checks the reading. “Seven hundred and five meters.” The class erupts in excitement.

Bakugo pumps a fist. “Yeah! Beat that!” 

“Wow!”

“This should be fun!”

Aizawa looks unimpressed. “Fun? I have three years to form you into proper heroes. I can’t waste my time with people that have zero potential. So, whoever comes last will be expelled.”

The field gets quiet, and the excitement evaporates like it was never there.

“Expelled?” Someone repeats, barely above a whisper.

Aizawa doesn’t soften. “This isn’t a joke. UA isn’t a daycare and heroics isn’t a game you get to lose without consequences.”

A ripple of panic spreads through the class. A few students glance at each other, suddenly afraid. 

Bakugo scoffs loudly. “Hah? That’s it? Fine by me.” 

Iida feels himself stiffen. “Expulsion on the first day would be highly irregular-”

“Life threatening situations are also irregular, but I would rather expel you from the heroics course and give you a place in General than have a student and future hero die because of zero potential.”

Izuku feels the words settle into his bones. Last place will get erased. Not injured or yelled at. Simply gone. This isn’t the Commission’s cruelty wrapped in bureaucracy. This is sharper. A blade laid on the table so everyone can see its edge.

I cannot be last. He thinks. Results are currency in their world, and he needs to be good, for the Commission, for his brother. He can’t waste this. 

Someone will read these numbers, his handler, maybe. The president. They will compare it to the him of before, examine him, calculate and decide if UA is truly worth it.

Aizawa speaks once more. “Next.” 

Izuku steps forward without hesitation, expression calm, posture perfect. He takes the ball, and considers for a moment how he should throw this. If this is about raw ability then… 

He wraps the ball in fire, manipulating it just enough. The flames coil tight around the ball, compressed and disciplined. The pale fire licks along its surface, humming softly as Izuku calibrates the pressure in his wings and the angle of release. Raw, he reminds himself, but not everything he can show, just enough to place himself at the top. As he throws it he sends a blast of air with his wings, the motion is smooth and gentle. His wings snap once, and the fire burns brighter.

The ball vanishes into the sky. For a second there’s nothing, then the monitor screams. The numbers climb faster than Bakugo’s.

“What-”

“That’s insane-”

Aizawa’s eyes narrow, sharp and focused, his stopwatch lays forgotten as he watches the reading.

“...One thousand four hundred and eighty nine meters.” He says.

Bakugo stares, teeth clenched. Mina’s mouth hangs open. Even Shoto turns fully toward Izuku, something like awe flickering across his face.

Izuku lowers his arm, flames already extinguished, his wings fold back into place.

Aizawa studies him for a long moment. Interest clear in his face. He writes the number down. “Good control.” A mere observation. “Next.” 

Izuku steps back into line without a word, his face is calm but his heart beats just a little too fast. Still, it should be enough. Enough to stay and justify UA. Enough that they won’t take this away.

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

Izuku tops every single test. In the end, as he watches the board his name stands in first place. Followed by Momo and Shoto closely.

Bakugo stares at the rankings like they’ve personally insulted him. His jaw tightens as he realizes that he isn’t the best. Not anymore. Not in UA. 

Aizawa is speaking now, about results and expectations, about logical ruses for them to be better. But Izuku’s attention slips, his sharpened vision catching movement at the edge of the group. 

Mineta Minoru moves as if to grab one of the girls from behind, and Izuku reacts on instinct. 

Sending feathers to pin Mineta to the ground, leaving his uniform scorched. Mineta shrieks, thrashing uselessly against his hold. 

Izuku will be damned if he lets it happen on his watch. His body tenses, feathers quivering as they hold Mineta in place. His mind flashes, quick and sharp.

Izuku is eight years old and pinned to the mat, the new hire holding his hands tight over his head. This should have been only a training session, a brutal one, yes, but not this. Never this. 

The room feels smaller by the second. The two way mirror shows nothing, and gives away nothing. Izuku can’t move, too exhausted to even produce any fire. He doesn’t understand how they even got here, only that something has gone terribly off script. 

There is a commotion outside the room, shouts from outside the two way mirror, and Izuku thinks he hears Keigo shout at them. Finally the door is unsealed. 

“Hands off!” The voice yells before a single gunshot can be heard. And then the weight is gone all at once. The hands vanish, and air rushes back into Izuku’s lungs as he curls in on himself, his wings flare instinctively.

The room is suddenly full of people, Commission staff, security, someone is barking orders. And the new hire’s body is dragged away. Keigo is there in a heartbeat, dropping to his knees, wings wrapping around Izuku without hesitation, purring and chirping at his brother. “I’ve got you.” He repeats over and over, his voice low and furious, and he himself is still shaking.

Later, they will call it a breach. An error in the beta process. A violation of protocol. 

But right now Izuku presses his face into Keigo’s jacket and clings to him with everything he has. 

The memory is brief and violent. The taste of panic, and blood on his mouth, the cold burn of fear, then the sudden relief when the Commission intervened, swift and final. The world had shifted overnight for him, one moment he was trapped and vulnerable. The next he was with Keigo, wings wrapped around him, training paused, a weekend of safety with just his brother. And the handler… gone. Like he never existed, never to threaten him again. 

He blinks, and he shakes the memory off. 

Mineta’s squirming doesn’t matter. Aizawa’s voice cuts through the haze, sharp and urgent. “Takami! What on earth are you doing?” 

But Izuku doesn’t shrink. “I stopped him.” He says evenly, there’s steel beneath his words. “He was trying to-” The boy is screaming trying to get off from the feathers hold.

“I saw him.” Momo steps forward, backing him without hesitation. “Aizawa-sensei, he’s right. I saw Mineta trying to grab or… see under our skirts once the test was over.” 

Aizawa studies Izuku, then he exhales. “Understood, release him.”

Izuku obeys on command, and Mineta scrambles up, red faced and furious. Izuku doesn’t flinch, and he doesn’t apologize either.

“Looks like one of you is actually going home today.” Aizawa states.

No one laughs. Aizawa makes a call and later Mineta is being escorted away. Aizawa will make sure this ends with a black stain on his record, bad and explicit enough it will assure no other school takes him as a student.

⋆ ✦ ⋆ ✦ ⋆

It’s late enough that the halls have thinned out, the sharp edge of the first day finally dulled. The free period stretches long and unstructured, most of the class has scattered, some talk too loud, some pretend they aren’t exhausted.

Izuku is by the windows. His forehead rests lightly against the cool glass, watching clouds drift, wishing he could have a flying session with Keigo soon.

“Oi.” 

Izuku turns his head, just enough to show he’s listening. Bakugo Katsuki stands a few feet back from him, arms crossed, and a scowl firm in his face. He looks irritated in a way that Izuku thinks means that he’s thinking too much. 

“Bakugo.” He says calmly. 

Bakugo bristles at the ease in which he says his name. “Don’t say it like that. Like you’re better than me.” 

Now Izuku fully turns his head, his white hair shines with the sunlight, bright enough that it hurts to look at. “I didn’t.” His expression is neutral, and unreadable in a way that somehow makes him feel worse.

Bakugo clenches his fists. “You think I didn’t notice? You were holding back. You pretend you don’t care. Then suddenly-” His hands gesture vaguely, frustrated. “-you’re at the top of every damn chart.” 

“I wasn’t pretending. I was thinking.” Izuku says quietly.

That makes Bakugo scoff, almost laugh. “Figures.” The silence stretches, Izuku’s feathers result slightly. 

Bakugo looks away first. “You piss me off.” He mutters. “But you didn’t look… happy. When you won.”

Izuku blinks. “I wasn’t.” He admits. 

Bakugo frowns, not sure of what to do with the honesty. “Stop acting like this is just another mission for you to do.” Izuku laughs, unexpectedly. Bakugo doesn’t know it, but this is meant to be just another mission. Just another step for Phoenix.

“It’s just how it is.” Izuku says, smile still in his face. Back to Phoenix, carefree and easy. 

Bakugo’s jaw tightens. He steps closer now, invading Izuku’s space like they haven’t just met. “Don’t do that. I can’t chase after someone who’s halfway gone.”

Izuku studies him for a second, then his smile is more real. “Then don’t chase. Run with me” 

Bakugo blinks. “What?”

“Come train with me.” Izuku clarifies.

Bakugo scoffs. “Here?”

Izuku shakes his head. “At my brother’s. Emberwing. After classes. Tomorrow?”

Bakugo’s eyes flare in interest. “You serious?”

“Yeah.” Izuku meets his gaze. “If you want to catch up…” 

Bakugo grins, sharp and feral, completely delighted. “Ha! Don’t regret it, birdy.”

Izuku’s smile widens just a fraction. “I won’t.”