Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku Midoriya was put on this earth to be a hero. He knew it as soon as he learned the word. And he knew that absolutely nothing would stop him, not even fate itself…

but boy did it try.

He was never diagnosed quirkless but by the time everyone in his kindergarten class had gotten their quirks, it became very clear that he wouldn’t be following them. The doctor called it an invisible quirk, only discovered under very specific circumstances. Most people with invisible quirks, though there weren’t many, lived their lives actively quirkless. At the end of the day there wasn’t really an issue with that. Humans got along just fine without them and yet, in today’s society they played a vital role into one’s contributions. A quirkless person could work most jobs just fine but all their coworkers would reguard them differently. Modern day quirkism or just plain old ableism.

Izuku was given a pretty hard time because of his quirk situation. Being effectively quirkless meant the same as worthless to a lot of people. People like Kasuki Bakugo. Katsuki or Kacchan as Izuku called him had an amazing quirk and never, ever doubted himself. He could create explosions in the palms of his hands.

When you know someone like Katsuki you learn a couple vital things. One: Katsuki is the best. Two: Katsuki is strong. And three: Katsuki loves to prove it. He used his quirk at any chance he got and unfortunately, that was mostly on Izuku. To really hit the worthlessness home Katsuki gave him the nickname “Deku.” An incorrect reading of his first name translated to useless and it was all too fitting.

For years he held out hope of his quirk appearing… but that too was a cruel twist of fate.

Izuku was taking the walk home from school slowly. He had banged a shin against a step in his rush to avoid Kacchan and his thugs and was paying for it. Still, better than a beating.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to scroll mindlessly through news feeds. Anything related to heroes he was subscribed to. Seems like an underground hero had stumbled into the spotlight for a second. A couple articles mentioned a man in black leaving a crime scene after stopping a villain. The end of the battle occurred on a road in broad daylight but the hero still avoided being identified. So cool!

Izuku hadn’t been paying attention to his surroundings, too absorbed in his phone and memorized route.

A panicked shout alerted him a tad too late. The scene unfolded as such. Before him was an intersection and in the middle a fight was going on. The fight consisted of several men armed with handguns and heroes Death Arms and the lesser known Fly. Izuku ducked to the side of a low wall to avoid distracting the heroes. As he watched them he realized they were having some trouble. Death Arms had incredible strength and had clearly dealt with a few of the criminals already, if their unconscious bodies were anything to go by. A small crowd had formed on the opposite side of the intersection from the boy. Normally the heroes would have dealt with the villains by now but the limited space along with the criminals having some serious agility was keeping them from capture.

Just then Fly performed a stunning jumping kick, propelled by the wing like appendages on their forearms. Already muttering, Izuku pulled his notebook out of his bag and began jotting down how useful a quirk like that could be. When it came down to it, it didn’t look like much but the “wings” helped greatly for their mobility. In fact the reason they were having so much trouble was because the agile villain could match their speed and strength, vaulting and dodging like—

“Wahh!”

At that moment someone’s bicep curled around his throat, pulling him forcefully right into the middle of the battle. He was shoved to his knees by one of the villains. Their thick arm was now forcing his head to meet the barrel of a gun.

“Fuck off or the kid’s dead, ya hear?!”

The sky rumbled and darkened. Screams flew up from the crowd as the cool metal pressed harder against Izuku’s temple.

Both Death Arms and Fly froze in the middle of fighting. Fly was none too lucky and the agile villain got a nasty blow in with a hunting knife. Fly blocked it with their forearm but it sliced through their flesh like butter. They leapt back, now side by side with the other hero and clutching their injured limb. Death Arms had put his hands up in a non threatening gesture, not yet stepping forward. The first sprinkle of cool rain rushed from above.

“Hey,” The strong hero said.
“Put the gun down. This doesn’t have to get ugly.”

The villain responded by squeezing Izuku tighter. The boy whimpered.

“Back. Off.” He growled

Freezing drops began pelting the group as light began to fade from the scene. Fly backed off enough to keep the tens of bystanders from getting to close, most of them already covering their mouths in horror.

With a boom that could have been mistaken for thunder something huge impacted the pavement between the heroes and the hostage.

“I AM H—!“ a gunshot.

A large splatter of blood joined the wet ground, pooling and mixing with each drop of water. Shrieks sounded and the number one hero’s eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

Chapter Text

The police had been called and were wrapping up the incident. The crowd had dispersed, a few had to be comforted with shock blankets before leaving. Toshinori felt awful. His entrance had startled the villain into pulling the trigger and the scene ended with a young man losing his life. Thankfully most of the- egh- debris had been washed away in the rain, leaving the pale soaking corpse of a middle schooler in its wake. The paramedics that had arrived scooped his limp body onto a stretcher and covered him with a tarp before loading him into the ambulance, siren never sounding.

The hero Fly was having their wound tended to, the look in their eyes as stormy as the gray sky. Death Arms stood close, one thick arm closed over his chest while the other kneaded at his brow.

After speaking with the authorities, All Might shot into the air. When he landed, the two tufts of hair on his head had slicked to his scalp. In front of his home, out of sight, he dissolved into a stark and faded image of himself. He silently thanked the weather for letting him cry in peace.

That night as he was mournfully preparing for bed his phone began ringing. The caller ID read “Tsukauchi Naomasa.” Toshinori pressed accept and put the device to his ear.

“I heard what happened today.”

The hero gulped, squeezing his eyes shut tight in memory. The image of the boy slumping in the villain’s hold, face slack. The criminal tossing his body to the side, a picture of fear on even his face. The boy had been identified as thirteen year old Midoriya Izuku. Toshinori regretted that the only image he could conjure at the name was the dark green hair plastered wetly to his lifeless face.

“I have news. The kid’s alive.”

“What?!”

“I know, real lucky too. He woke up in the hospital. Turns out his quirk… it’s weird but it brought him back. He didn’t even have brain damage.”

The old hero sat slack jawed at the foot of his bed. Impossible! A quirk that can bring one back from the dead? Healing quirks weren’t very common, and even then they had limits. He saw the child die. He… caused it.

Hot tears began to burn in his eyes. Whatever twist of fate this was, he was glad. Some kind of miracle but one he would accept. He just hoped the poor boy wasn’t too traumatized.

“How is he? Is- ?” Instead of finished he let out a short chuckle in disbelief.

“He was discharged. The doctors noted that there wasn’t a scratch on him when he came back. They think his quirk sort of restarted his body. Kid was confused but he didn’t seem too upset. He went home with his mother and should be fine.”

Toshinori sighed in relief.

“You… holding up Toshi? What you saw…”

“I’m feeling much better now.”

“Good. You might wanna take a break, okay? I know you don’t like to but don’t feel bad to take some time off. I’m sure the kid’s doing the same.”

Toshinori huffed through his nose.

“You’re right. I can’t go out too much anyway because of my time limit. I’ll take it easy, don’t you worry.”

“Alright. I should tell you though, I’m going to meet with the Midoriya’s in a couple days. That quirk… knowledge of it can’t get out. You know how many folks would kill for an asset like that, or worse.”

He was absolutely right, as usual. Still it must be rough. If this is what young Midoriya’s quirk is then it probably hadn’t shown up before. He’d lived his life quirkless and now that he had a quirk it had to be kept secret.

“You’re going to make all the witnesses swear to secrecy, right?”

“I’m not planning on telling them at all. Excusing Fly and Death Arms none of them will know the boy survived. It’s unlikely they’ll ever see him again. You didn’t stay for this but the majority of the civilian witnesses had been visiting from across the country.”

“Probably for the best, knowing he lived wouldn’t change what they saw that day.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome to join me when I speak with the family. I know you don’t give up a guilty conscience easily.”

“I will, thank you.”

“See you then, Toshi.”

The detective crackled a goodbye and hung up.

—————

When Izuku woke he felt as stiff as stone. His body felt simultaneously heavy beyond reason and light as air. His head felt like he was thinking through tissue paper. He blinked groggily, noticing that it was just as dark with his eyes open as closed. That’s… weird. He inhaled deeply. Uh oh. Above him, a surface sounding of plastic crinkled and sucked towards his mouth. He was in a bag maybe? And he couldn’t breath very well. At all actually.

Had he-
Suddenly a memory came ripping through him. The villains, the stand off, the gun to his head and then-

The gun shot.

Blinding pain and then… nothing.

Izuku wasn’t too hung up on the lack of afterlife. He was more concerned about dying again but of suffocation. He did all he could think of.

He screamed, loud and bloodcurdling. Clawing desperately on the inside of the- the body bag! He was crying now, in the insulation his tears and breath moistened the air until it really felt like drowning.

With no warning a slit was torn across the side of the plastic and light stabbed into Izuku’s eyes. Gasping and heaving he felt a pair of hands lift him to sit upright.

“God, kid how the hell-“
Hiccuping and sobbing he wiped snot and tears from his face on a sleeve.

“Hey, hey it’s okay kid.”
The hands smoothed over his face and hair, not doing much to comfort him in his overstimulated position.

“N- no please don’t-“ he stuttered out, batting away the digits.

“I’m gonna call a doctor.”

The hands left and he took a shaky breath. Smearing the last of his fluids off his face he blinked unsteadily. The light was still too much, too cold and the room itself wasn’t very warm. He was wearing his school uniform still, it probably hadn’t been very long since he… died.

Died. He had died but now he was, well physically he felt okay. Not hurt but an indescribable itch covered his body. He began flapping his hands by his ears, the motion familiar. He squeezed his eyes closed and crumpled in on himself, knees shoved up to his chest. Far too much.

—————

Inko knew hysterics wouldn’t help her. No amount of logic could stop the fit she had got herself into. Her little boy, her baby wasn’t coming home. Izuku…

She knew she couldn’t drive home right now, her mind and vision too muddled to focus. She was sitting in one of the padded plastic chairs in the waiting room. A few other people were there, averting their eyes. They knew the reason people cried like that in hospitals.

The secretary sent her a pitying look from over their monitor. The only other noise was the clacking of their keyboard and the hushed whispers of staff in white coats. One of them approached Inko, a bit awkwardly, waiting for her to compose herself. She dabbed her face with her hanky and looked up at them, her raw blurry eyes struggling to make out their expression.

“Mrs. Midoriya? We have news about your son.”

Inko’s brow furrowed. What was wrong now? He was already… dead.

“Please come with me.”

Inko stood, quite confused but walked with who she could only assume was a doctor through the stark white halls. The air smelled harshly clean and cool.

As their steps echoed down the quiet building the doctor opened their mouth to speak. He had several rows of razor sharp teeth.

“When he was removed from the scene Izuku had passed away but when his body was put into processing he uh- woke up. One of our interns discovered him alive and kicking.”

Inko stopped dead in her tracks (poor choice of words I know). Izuku was… alive?

She stuttered too fiercely to get any words out.

“It shouldn’t be possible but- I went over your son’s file when he came in. He has an invisible quirk right? I hypothesize this has something to do with it.”

He lightly took her wrist and got her walking again.

“We can discuss the specifics of the quirk with both you and your son but… the boy’s in shock. We figured he’d want you.”

Inko was crying again. Her boy was not only alive but had a quirk? A quirk that brought him back from the dead?

They reached the end of the hall where the mortuary was. No other bodies were inside, thank heavens, but when the door was opened something a little more distressing was revealed.

Izuku, looking pale and panicked, sitting on a metal table and rocking violently.

“Izuku!” “Mom!”

She ran forward but hesitated, Izuku wasn’t always the biggest fan of touch but this time he welcomed her embrace. There was something special about mom hugs. He tucked his face into the crook of her shoulder. She didn’t care about the fluids he was probably wiping on her, she just cared that her baby was okay.

“Gods, Izuku,” she pulled back, looking him in the eye. He averted her gaze, as usual, but he gave a wobbly smile.

“I was so scared.” He managed.

—————

The doctor, Dr. Ishiyada, patiently waited for them to calm down. He asked for the rest of the staff to give them some space while he spoke with the Midoriya’s. He told Izuku that his quirk, Undying he called it, would come with some rules. He said that he would be discharged but somebody from the police would be over to speak about Izuku’s safety in regard to his quirk. He also said that he wouldn’t be changing Izuku’s official status of having an invisible quirk.

“It’s just,” he wrung his hands.
“A quirk like this is tricky, if it was out that someone has a quirk that essentially makes them immortal it would attract a lot of unwanted attention. Villainous attention.”

Izuku was looking somewhere over his shoulder with a sourly thoughtful face.

“Also don’t go dying again, okay? We don’t really know if you’ll come back again.”

Chapter Text

Izuku was very glad to be home. The sharp light and smell of the hospital had been sickening to him so he welcomed the almost musty smell of the apartment. He immediately shuttled to his room while his mother locked the front door. She didn’t bother to stop him, knowing that he needed some alone time. Usually he was so drained after school that he spent the rest of the night in his room, excusing dinner.

Even with his lack of energy, Izuku found himself too alert to rest. He pulled his notebook out of his backpack, which was returned to him when they left the hospital.

During the car ride home his mind had been racing with thought of his.. quirk. Holy whoa he had a quirk! Part of him was happy about this development but most of him thought it was just cruel.

It’s not like he could show it off or use it for hero work. Then again, some heroes did operate essentially quirkless. Heroes like Eraserhead, who’s quirk erased others by looking at them.

If Izuku was going to be a hero, which he was, it was going to be harder than it was for anyone. He could do it. Probably.

Sitting at his desk he flipped to the next blank page.

Quirk: Undying

He didn’t actually remember really what it felt like. He knew his body had stitched back together. The tissue that had been affected were his skull and brain matter. He wasn’t sure if those parts had been regenerated or where the new tissue came from. It was also remarkable that he didn’t have brain damage afterwards. If his brain had truly regenerated a new section then how did it seem to behave just as it had before.

Scribbling furiously he began to hypothesize. It was almost like a loaded save point in a video game. He had regenerated to the state his body was in before.

Dr. Ishiyada mentioned that his quirk might not continue to bring back from the dead. There could be a limit. Izuku had no idea whether that limit might be a number of times died or how much tissue to repair. Perhaps if his body was burned or crushed he wouldn’t be able to come back because of too much damage. Ugh, as disturbing as it was to think about a quirk like this was still kind of cool.

He guessed that he would die at some point, it would be illogical not to. If he lived that long he’d like to die of old age but even then the quirk might interfere.

He would like to run tests to learn more about it but again, he didn’t know if he’d come back. He’d have to try to stay alive for now. Gosh, that sounded morbid.

Mom made katsudon, one of Izuku’s favorite safe foods. After dinner he washed up for bed, taking some melatonin gummies to help him sleep. Even though he was exhausted he usually struggled to get his mind quiet enough to sleep.

It was particularly loud tonight, replaying events that had happened today, rolling over everything from the harsh words of Kacchan to the fear of the villain attack.
Hopefully tomorrow would be less eventful.
—————

Spoiler alert: it sucked.

The day started pretty normal with Izuku insisting to still go to school. He was too restless to stay at home and he didn’t want to fall behind. His mother smiled sadly at him but wished him farewell. She parted with a light kiss to the forehead.

When he arrived at school he saw that someone had stolen his inside shoes again. Typical. He kept his red high tops on. He didn’t get scolded for it, his homeroom teacher didn’t even blink at his breaking dress code. It had happened so many times over that it was practically routine.

Kacchan was just as loud as ever. Whenever he raised his voice or the telltale popping of his quirk set off Izuku covered his ears. He got through the lessons okay and breathed a sigh once the day was over. Shouldering his backpack he made his way to the classroom door. A hand reached out, charring the thin sheet in contact.

“Where do you think you’re going, Deku?”

Izuku barely had time to turn before something smacked him in the chest. Fumbling he caught one in his hands. His inside shoes. They were blackened and smoldering. Tears welled up in Izuku’s eyes. Not only because they were still hot but that was another pair he’d have to ask his mom for. Another expense from her limited paycheck.

“Pfft, look he’s already crying!” Another boy, not Kacchan but someone who followed him around howled.

The King of the school himself was perched on the edge of a desk, hands stuffed in his pockets and grinning menacingly.

“I know you never put up a fight but I’m getting tired of the crybaby shit.”

Kacchan stood, getting up in Izuku’s face and shoving him roughly against the door. He gripped the front of his uniform in a smoking fist.

“How bout we give you a lesson, huh?!”

With that he yanked him through the door and began hauling him to the stairwell. On the roof he let go of Izuku’s jacket suddenly, leaving him sprawling on the concrete.

He winced and grunted, bloodying his palms in his fall.

“Kacchan, leave me alone. You and me both have better things to do.”
He mumbled out.

“Hah?!” He scoffed.
“Like what, Deku? Taking notes in your nerd journal? So you can be a hero?!”

He and the other boys cackled, the sound tearing deep into Izuku’s skull.

“You’re fucking quirkless, Deku. Like you’d ever save anyone. You make a much better punching bag, it’s the only thing a worthless loser like you is good for.”

His jaw creaked from how hard he ground his teeth.

“Shut up.”

“What’d you s-?!”

“I said SHUT UP.”

Izuku picked himself up before Kacchan could plant his boot on his chest.

Izuku had seen villainy up close and personal. He knew what it took to be a hero. The kind of person who can be relied on. A hero who’s smile reassures all that hope has arrived.

“All you’re good for is hurting people and that’s not what heroes do. You think you’ll be a hero with the way you act?!”

Kacchan’s fist connected with Izuku’s face with crack. He stumbled, hot tears and blood spurting onto the roof. Kacchan snatched his uniform by the shoulder, his hands sizzled and popped. Izuku screamed, hot nitroglycerin burning his skin. The sickening smell of cooking flesh rose to his nose.

Wind tore at his clothes. They were standing at the edge of the roof, a low fence the only thing keeping Izuku from toppling over.

“YOU FUCKER!” Kacchan growled.
“YOU THINK YOU’RE ALL THAT?! YOU’RE NOTHING, YOU HEAR ME?! NOTHING!!”

The back of Izuku’s knees painfully pressed against the wall. Piercing red irises burned into his.

With a deafening rrrip, the cloth Kacchan was gripping split through his fingers. The last of what was holding him flew into the wind as the boy’s body tipped backward.
—————

For a suffocating second nothing happened. The sweet caramel scent of nitroglycerin filled Katsuki’s nose. The wind gently caressed his violently spiked hair.

Deku’s body hit the asphalt with a wet crack.

The bloody pigment in the blonde’s eyes swirled in confusion, shock. Slowly, painfully slowly, he peered over the edge of the rooftop. Deku’s body was a smudge of black surrounded in a dark pool. His head had landed on the concrete bank of the koi pond in the back of the school. The water was already dirty but now appeared poisonous. Deku’s crumpled form was draped over the side, legs tangled and contorted. Even from up high, Katsuki could make out his half open, judging eyes.

He screamed.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t a school day and Izuku was home with his mother. Just as the doctor had said somebody from the police had reached out via email and set up a date to meet. His name was detective Tsukauchi Naomasa and he asked to bring someone he called his partner. Izuku took the two days before off because… reasons. He told his mom that school had taken a lot out of him and that he should have stayed home like she suggested. She smiled and nodded in her all-knowing motherly way and agreed.

Today was the day the detective would come. Izuku had spent the morning cleaning the apartment, mindlessly carrying out memorized tasks. Before he knew it the time was 11:00 and the doorbell rang.

His mother greeted a rather plain looking man. He was tall, with light skin and dark hair. He gave a confident close lipped smile. Who really caught Izuku’s attention was his partner, a thin blonde man that towered over their heads. He looked sickly, like he might keel over at the next string breeze. His suit hung a couple sizes too big. Mom rushed them both inside and set them up on the couch, pouring tea for all of them.

Izuku sat with his fingers clutching at his pants. He stiffly regarded the pair before him. They were certainly odd but not wanting to offend or misspeak he waited for his mother to return.

“I’m Midoriya Inko and this is my son Izuku, though you already know that.” She chimed animatedly.

“Good to finally meet you both, though I wish it were in better circumstances.” He replied smoothly. He spoke in a practiced yet natural manner that was sort of pleasing to listen to.

“This here is Yagi Toshinori, he’ll be joining us today.” The skeletal man smiled warmly, despite his appearance it was still bright and friendly.

“So, I’m sure you’re very confused Midoriya. Your quirk appeared last week, correct?”

Izuku nodded.

Tsukauchi hummed in confirmation.

“To rip off the bandaid, you’ve got to keep this secret. Not a word we say here can be shared publicly. Due to the nature of your quirk, Undying, you’ve done something no other human has come back from: death. I’m sure you understand why somebody would want a quirk like yours.”

Izuku nodded again, staring at his palm. It was unbelievable that someone would actually want to be in his situation but on its own, Undying sounded pretty cool.

“There’s a lot we don’t know about your quirk, mainly it’s limits, but if word of this got out hundreds of villain organizations would be out for your head. That’s why knowledge of Undying stays between a few people.”

His dark eyes searched Izuku’s face. The attention made him uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry it has to be like this, I’m sure you have lots of feelings about it.”

The boy’s knee began to bounce. He was eyeing Mr. Yagi now. His face was… difficult to read, though that didn’t mean much to Izuku. There was a tension in the air around him. His brow shadowed his eyes quite completely but his bright blue irises were visible and startling.

“I’m sorry if it’s rude,” he began. “but why is it you’re here?”

The man started. He coughed into a fist and averted his gaze.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be surprised but I came because I owe you an apology, both of you.” His gaze shifted to Mom and then back to Izuku.

Now both of them were puzzled. Mom’s brow furrowed and a nervous smile quirked on her face.

“What do you mean?”

He stood, shifting in his too-big suit.

“The both of you know me better by another name. I am-“

“ALL MIGHT!”

In an instant his body swelled, muscles bulging in the confines of the dark fabric. Air rushed out like a fan blowing back Izuku’s bangs and making his eyes crinkle. They got impossibly big when he realized that the SYMBOL OF MOTHER HECKING PEACE WAS IN HIS LIVING ROOM.

“Please calm yourselves!” He said in his usual roaring voice.

Izuku’s mother looked like she was about to leap off the sofa like a startled cat. Her expression matched her son’s if not more exaggerated.

“All Might?!” She gasped, “buh- wh- how?!”

Thick steam blew off the heroes body and he- deflated, right then and there. Shrinking into the scrawny man they saw before he sat down heavily, coughing violently into a closed fist.

“Allow me to explain myself,” he started.

“A couple years back I won a terrible battle. It injured me gravely and I haven’t been the same since. These days I can only keep up my hero form for a couple hours. When I’m not fighting crime or keeping up appearances, I’m this.”

He gestured to his frail body.

“Young Midoriya,” his flaming cyan eyes pinned Izuku to his spot on the couch.

“Because of me you were killed, please believe me when I say I am deeply sorry.” He bowed, properly bowed to him.

The symbol of peace is apologizing to me in my living room.

“A- All Might, please don’t blame yourself! It was a wrong place, wrong time kinda thing.”

All Might- Mr. Yagi- looked up.

“No, Young Midoriya. It is my fault you went through what you did. A true hero would’ve entered a situation like that more carefully. I'm only thankful your quirk saved you.”

Izuku pursed his lips, unable to argue with his logic.

Detective Tsukauchi sat awkwardly, saying nothing but giving All Might a confident look.

Mom looked down at her folded hands.

“I have to admit I was very upset with you. To think that All Might would make such a careless mistake shook my confidence in heroes. That’s why,” she looked him in the eye, all nervousness lost.

“I’m trusting you to do better. Make up for it by saving more lives, All Might.”

All Might gave her a thankful grin. Somehow it looked more sincere in his reduced form. Even with how strange he appeared, this side of him was so much more… human.

Chapter Text

Ever since All Might and the detective’s visit Izuku threw himself head first into hero training. Something about All Might was just so empowering! He turned his meager workout routine into pushing his limits every other day. His mother, ecstatic about his new found passion, threw herself into supporting him. She began preparing healthier meals, packed with protein and vitamins to keep her son ready to face anything.

“Oh, I’m just so proud of you, Izuku! You’re growing into great hero material!”

Izuku could hardly stop smiling.

He did though, eventually.
—————

School was more trying than ever. K- Bakugo had stopped bullying him, in fact he avoided him like the plague. Something about accidentally killing someone does that to a person. He thought of confronting the boy but just the thought of it made his legs tremble in preparation to run. For now it was benefiting him at least. It felt terrible though. One of the boys who had witnessed the incident transferred to another school. The other didn’t seem affected in the slightest, he just followed Bakugo around like he was on a leash.

Every now and then he’d catch Bakugo staring at him, like- well, like he’d seen a ghost. Part of Izuku basked in the peace. That part of Izuku was small and he hated it.

Focusing on his old best friend would only distract him. He was on a mission.

The next few months passed in a blur. Izuku cranked into his studying and training harder than ever. He joined a couple of martial arts programs, meshing together something that would cover all the bases. Logically, he knew that keeping this up would be exhausting. It was taking up most of his time and energy and yet he felt unstoppable. Unkillable.

Izuku was itching to test his skill. It was still several months before graduation and the U.A. exams but with his working so hard he wanted to see just what he could do. He had gained weight, building muscle and some much needed fat. He didn’t appear all that bigger but he felt great.

It was a cool night. The air was dry and tense. The sound of his window slipping shut behind him barely did anything to disturb the all encompassing quiet. The sky was nearly cloudless so the dotted light of stars twinkled softly.

Gathering what courage he had, he carefully dropped from the window ledge to the fire escape, cringing when it creaked with age. He had swapped his usual red high tops for black combat boots. He had some athletic leggings on paired with a black hoodie. His hair was held back with a headband and he pulled his hood up for good measure. He wasn’t sure of all the things he’d need but he figured he’d find out by taking this chance. Anything he thought to use he would bring next time.

He hopped onto the handrail of the fire escape, perching for a second before launching himself to the roof above his floor. He thanked his mother for picking a third floor apartment as he pulled himself up. His biceps gave a satisfying burn.

This is where he’d really be challenging himself. He’d seen heroes pull this off hundreds of times over. He’d have to parkour from roof to roof. He knew he was strong enough to do it, it’s just that- well he was pretty high up. A fall from here would kill him, and even if he recovered from that it didn’t stop him from hesitating.

He a deep breath, straightened up and took off at a dead sprint. When his momentum was at his highest his toes met the edge of the roof and he leaped.

His calves strained with the landing. Never stopping he kept up his run and made the next jump… and the next! Holy whoa, he was really doing this! Fatigue vanished from his limbs and he let out a startled laugh. He felt like he was flying. He felt like a superhero.
—————

Izuku snuck out at least once a week. He hadn’t yet caught any trouble. For now he was focused on getting practice in areas he wouldn’t get otherwise. He was becoming a master at using his surroundings to get around. Any rusty fire escape, drainpipe or ledge was useful.

As he suspected he needed to add a couple elements to his garb. So far he had spent most of his saved up birthday money on knee and elbow pads, gloves and a face mask; all in black. It was what he could afford for now.

Tonight the air was damp. It had rained for almost the entire day but once the moon rose the dark clouds had disappeared, revealing a dazzling evening sky. Izuku was glad that his boots had enough traction that the wet ground wasn’t an issue.

Picking out a new route Izuku made off into the night. He had perfected his landing technique, thank the gods, so his ankles didn’t sting with each step. He was nearly silent too but he wasn’t worried about that skill. He’d learn it better at U.A.

Gods, he felt so strong! He couldn’t wait until the exam.

He had been going for a while now, the rushing of adrenaline keeping him from getting tired. He was still in Mutsufu but a good ways away from home, entering a shadier side of town. He had traveled in this particular direction to see if he could really stop a crime. He hadn’t caught any sort of action in all his time scouting but he had a good feeling about this night.

He paused to catch his breath. He didn’t relish losing his rhythm but he knew he could get back into it easy enough. With a slow breath he smelled… something. Smoke, burning and something vaguely familiar. Maybe… some very bad cooking? Whatever it was Izuku could’ve gagged on it.

He decided to check it out. Probably nothing but- gods it was so bad, something must be wrong.

He leapt a few for roofs before the smell got about as strong as he could bare and peered over the edge into the alley below. He suspected this was were the smell was coming from not just because of the horrific scent but also of a light that had dimmed a bit before he got there.

From where he was he could see someone clad in a dark coat, standing with a hand raised. The hand was wreathed in bluish flames. More problematic were the several charred… things on the ground.

Izuku knew why the smell was familiar now. Burning flesh.

—————
Touya Todoroki sighed in satisfaction. Ash circled up from his position. He’d have to get out of here before someone noticed. He took a moment to appreciate the carnage.

He went to meet with these weirdos when they reached out to him online, looking to destroy some evidence. There was a fee of course but by the time the job was don’t they’d gotten cocky, said they’d pay but not turning him over to the police. He turned them into rotisserie chickens.

A creak sounded from overhead. Without thinking, he shot a plume of flame in that direction. A scream.

A body tumbled off the roof from about two stories up. It hit the pavement with a crack and they continued the thrash and shriek.

Touya narrowed his eyes noting how small they were. The damp ground worked to snuff the fire though the damage had been mostly done. A kid lay smoking before him. Green tufts of hair and round face just visible around all the blistering. They were still alive but not for long. They let out a rattling wheeze before Touya let more flame blast from his palm.

The kid screamed once more before quieting. Shame, they were young.

Chapter Text

Burning to death was not fun. What was worse, was waking before sunrise to the smell of your own cooked body. Izuku peeled his charred remains out of the alley, taking a slower but much more doable route back home. He managed maybe one hour of real sleep before he had to wake up for school. Okay, maybe a break from this whole patrol thing.

Exams would be coming soon and Izuku wanted to be in tip top shape. This meant getting the proper nine hours of sleep so he decided to skip out on scouting until they were over. U.A. high was in his sights and boy was he ready.
—————

School ended and Izuku was walking home. Before his little “incident” last year the route he took was a little out of the way. He negotiated with Mom to still walk but instead took a path that gave him more time in the populated city, where more heroes hung out. It was also a great excuse for Izuku to take longer, getting distracted by the heroes he saw.

It was sunny and warm out. Sunset was hours away as Izuku strolled down the sidewalk. He’d gotten used to more heavily monitoring the time and surroundings from his training. The street was a little more crowded than he would’ve liked and thumbed at his backpack straps nervously. This was fine. He was fine.

As if responding to his stress a boom roared from somewhere ahead. A mushroom cloud rose from a block or two away followed by the telltale popping of- Bakugo’s quirk! All too familiar screams bounced off buildings as he sprinted forward. He wove in and out of people's way, dodging panicked civilians until he reached a hoard of them.

Several heroes already appeared at the scene. In there ranks was Death Arms the strong hero. Kamui Woods swung from above, grabbing a few bystanders in his vines before tucking them safely to the ground.

The two buildings beside the explosion were on fire and it only got worse as Bakugo Katsuki panicked in the hold of a column of greenish sludge.

The swarming mass was struggling to encompass the explosive boy. Every few seconds it’s form would be peppered with Bakugo’s sweat fueled booms. It almost looked as if the sludge, somebody with a mutation quirk no doubt, was attempting to cover his face. His explosions kept it from succeeding… for now.

Izuku stood, sheltered by the crowd, wondering why the hell no heroes seemed to approach the villain. He caught a fragment of their conversation, shouted between blasts. No one's quirks were suited to this sort of thing? Are you kidding?!

Izuku’s quirk wasn’t suited to human life but he still pushed on. What kind of privileged bullshit was this?

Fuming, Izuku’s eyes darted around the scene. Bakugo was still struggling against the villain but it had gotten it’s slimy tendrils around his mouth. The boy desperately clawed at the gunk but seemed unable to grasp it. His tear stained eyes pleaded.

Before Izuku knew what was happening he was running. Shouts followed him but they fell away as he dove towards the battle. He ripped his backpack from his shoulder, using his entire body weight to propel it flying into the villain's bulbous eyes. It shrieked, relinquishing it’s hold on its victim for just a second. Just long enough for The Symbol of Peace to blow it away.
—————

The boys tumbled across the pavement. Gasping for breath, Katsuki lifted his head.

“You tryna get yourself killed?!” He hollered. His eyes widened at Midoriya Izuku. Deku’s hollow green eyes stared blankly at him. The boy picked himself up and walked away.

Katsuki watched as the heroes ran at him.
They applauded his “bravery”. He hadn’t done anything and neither did they. Stupid Deku ran in to… save him. Katsuki wasn’t sure what he saw last year but something about it was very very wrong.

Why would Deku want to save him? Think he could save him. Some of the heroes chewed him out as he was checked over by a medic. One completely ignored him.

What Katsuki was more interested in was why All Might seemed to be giving the weakling a second glance. He patted him on the shoulder and grinned his signature smile.

He didn’t know what was going on here but he was going to find out.
—————

Izuku’s evening got substantially better when All Might arrived. He did scold Izuku for being reckless but told him that his actions were heroic.

“Your feet were moving before you could think, correct?” He rumbled, still in his big muscly form. He was so cool!

“You have the makings of a hero, Young Midoriya.”

His eyes glistened with tears.

“Really? You really think I can do it?”

All Might looked a bit startled at his reaction. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly. Not like his signature hero grin but something a bit more subdued and genuine.

“Of course, my boy.”

“I’m gonna try to get into U.A.” He managed.

“That’s where you went. I know it’s going to be hard but I want to be a hero more than I’ve wanted anything.”

Chapter Text

(Chapter 7)

Izuku woke up feeling oddly refreshed. With his sleep schedule repaired he felt like doing things… and then doing more things after. It was weird but not unwelcome and alluded to the value of his health. Who knew taking care of yourself had benefits.

He was glad that he had gotten his sleep on this particular day because it was the day of the U.A. entrance exam. Getting up he dressed in his uniform as specified. He packed a duffel bag with his athletic gear for the practical portion of the test. He sped through breakfast, too jittery to have much of an appetite but forced down some toast. It was happening, it was happening today!

Holy whoa.

With a hug and kiss goodbye Izuku set off to the testing facility. His train was packed with other students riding all around the country for their exams. Everybody here was fighting for their future.

He arrived with time to spare after jogging the rest of the way there. He was just so restless he was practically vibrating. He paused for a second in front of the testing site, taking in the huge building. He took a deep breath, a step forward… and tripped on an untied shoelace.

That’s it, I'm dead. For real this time.

He stopped mid fall. Just stopped. As if gravity turned off.

“Sorry for using my quirk without asking but I figured you wouldn’t mind.” sang a cheery feminine voice.

Izuku froze, he could move anyway but- holy whoa someone was speaking to him! A girl was speaking to him! She had a brown bob cut and a friendly round face that matched her voice in every way possible.

“Gods, this is crazy, right? The U.A. exam… well, see you inside. Good luck!”

With that his feet met the ground once again. The girl walked up the steps into the exam hall. He stood there for a second, stunned. A shaky grin rose to his face. He could do this. He approached the building and with a deep breath entered.

—————
Staff and student hopefuls crowded the area, making an environment Izuku would hope to avoid. His picture was taken and he signed up for the hero course… and gen ed as back up. Plenty of people failed the exam and most of them had showier quirks. There was actually a huge chance he would fail but Izuku was optimistic.

The written tests went by in a blur. Izuku knew most of the material, only a handful really challenged him and he silently thanked his mum for helping him study.
He hoped that nice girl wasn’t struggling.

Soon enough the students were divided into their top choice programs. The hero practical exam was about to begin. The voice hero, Present Mic took his place at the podium and shouted far too loud for the space about the exam to come. They would be divided once more, this time into groups going to different testing sites. The setting was urban and the students would be combatting faux villains to gain points.

It seemed too simple, Izuku noticed first. There’s got to be more to it than that, anyone can break robots. That’s not what makes a hero. Still, his confidence was depleting. He didn’t have any sort of cambatative abilities. His body wasn’t weak but these things were made of metal.

Izuku mumbled to himself. He’d need to be resourceful. His bare hands couldn’t break the robots but with some kind of tool or weapon…

“And you with the unkempt hair! Stop muttering, you’re distracting!”

He squeaked and clasped his hands over his mile-a-minute mouth.
—————

He and others gathered in front of their testing site. It looked like a real city. It was huge and vaguely looked like any city block you might see in Japan. Izuku muttered to himself how a school got all the funding for so much property and buildings. Then he remembered this place produced heroes and heroes usually got rich.

A chirping voice pulled him out of his head. He looked ahead and caught sight of that nice brunette girl among the examinees. He stepped toward her, thinking to thank her for keeping him from falling earlier.

“What do you think you’re doing?” A stern voice questioned.

Izuku gasped. The voice belonged to the same student who scolded him earlier. He was tall and broad with dark hair and rectangular glasses.

“You’ve been doing nothing but distracting your fellow examinees, is that your intent?!”

“Wh- no, I-“

“What is your problem?” Another voice said.

Izuku jumped and turned to the speaker. He was a boy not quite as tall as the first but just as intimidating with deep set violet eyes overcome with shadow. He had purple hair that defied gravity by sticking up unnaturally.

“Do you have to think so cynically? That’s obviously not what he’s doing.”

The shortest boy stepped back as the two in front of him bega arguing. Something about taking the exam seriously. Everybody else was ignoring them, getting ready in front of the massive entryway.

“G-guys?”
They both turned to him a bit stunned.

“It’s about to start.”

“GO! There are no countdowns in real life!!”

Izuku slid past both the boys and through the door to the model city. I didn’t wait to see if either were following but was soon left in the dust as the both of them and many others passed him. His feet pounded against the asphalt with bruising intensity. Several showing quirks were sparking and triggering already and the first of the robots made their appearance.
—————

It was not going well. Izuku was scrambling around the mock city. He’d only come across a handful of robots so far and had no luck in laying a finger on them. He did try of course. He was swatted away like a fly in the wind. After being sent sprawling on the rough concrete it came apparent to him that he was probably going to fail. Most other people were ripping the metal creatures apart. Lazer beams fired and limbs glowed with power.

Over the tops of the buildings something shattered glass windows. That something was an enormous faux villain. It came storming through the spaces between structures like a mechanical Godzilla.

On the ground many examinees started screaming, retreating once the zero pointer came into view. Izuku froze where he stood. The machine was going fast, spraying rubble and debris everywhere. Present Mic said these things were unbeatable and the students seemed to agree.

Izuku turned to run but stopped when he heard something.

“Help!”

He turned back towards the raging beast. This time his eyes zeroed in on a figure at the foot of the robot. Somebody was trapped under a large section of upturned concrete.

“Somebody help me!”

Izuku didn’t have time to think as he shot forward, leaping within practiced ease across the scattered debris like a rabbit. The monster hadn’t quite reached the fallen student but it was gaining quickly. As he skidded to a stop against the rubble he got a good look at the person stuck. It was the nice girl who’d spoken to him.

He hooked his hands under her armpits and tugged hard. The pavement gave way and he lifted her fast to wrap arm over shoulder. Together they hobbled forward and away from the rampaging villain.

“AAAAAAND TIMES UP!” A voice rang over the intercoms.

It was over. He had failed

Chapter Text

Izuku had been sitting hunched over his desk for the last ten minutes. His eyes were unfocused but staring in the vague direction of an unopened envelope. The front was stamped with the U.A. emblem. His test results. He had failed.

He had to open the damn thing eventually but couldn’t find the energy. Finally, with the white square burned into the back of his eyelids he reached forward and roughly ripped open the envelope. The paper inside fell to his desk rather anticlimactically. He was greeted with a paragraph that looked to have been printed many many times. He skimmed it, not really picking up any information until he read, “unfortunately your score on the practical portion of your exam was not passing.”

He knew that already. You don’t have to rub it in.

The letter went on to say that his written exam was nearly exemplary and he had been emitted into the General Studies course.

No matter what Mom and All Might said he had failed.

Tears fell and stained the paper. He clenched his fist, partially crushing the damp page.

He could still get into the Hero Course from here. Technically. Every year there was a huge competition called the U.A. Sports festival. The entire country was attracted to the event where each year of students would compete in a series of challenges. It always ended with a one on one sparring tournament. Those who placed well would be scouted by pro heroes for internships and possible employment.

Students enrolled in other courses could apply for a transfer and if they proved their worth they would be enrolled into the hero course.

There. That was his ticket out. He’d just have to figure out how to do better in the festival than he did in the exam.

That evening he broke the news to his mother. She smiled sadly but not necessarily surprised. It was a little disheartening.

He went out for the first time since the exam. At this point his routine was muscle memory. Stuff his sheets with his spare pillow, get dressed, head out without a sound.
—————
The time waiting for school to end and then start again was excruciating. It was… boring. A year ago he couldn’t fathom school going by uneventfully but here he was, bored. Not getting shoved in lockers, not getting his shoes stolen, not at the other end of a fist.

He felt stronger in more ways than one. Still though, he ached for action.

Failure burned in his sternum.

—————

Izuku gripped the yellow straps of his backpack with enough force to bruise his fingers. The last time he stood in front of this school he made an absolute fool of himself. How could he possibly be a hero with a quirk like his? No, shut up. That’s bullshit. That’s what some of these privileged assholes say cause they’re ignorant. Just because they couldn’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t.

He was here with a mission. Izuku Midoriya was going to be a hero so that no one, no one, would go unsaved.

The halls of the school were bright white and high ceilinged. He still had time before the bell so he didn’t rush even though his class was far down from the entrance. He passed the hero course rooms, already filling with chatter. Taking a turn he got to the general studies class. The door was just as tall as the ceiling and made a clacking noise as he opened it and entered. It was much quieter here than down the hall. The hero students seemed to have all the energy in the world while this class was considerably less vibrant.

There were a few other kids already there, busying themselves before the teacher arrived. As he set down his bag and pulled out a chair he couldn’t help but wonder if a pro hero would be teaching. That’s what the hero kids got, right? Izuku didn’t know all the heroes that worked at the school yet. What if it’s Present Mic?! He was at the entrance exam so maybe… no, the school probably keeps high profile heroes like him for the hero course. Maybe someone underground?

He fought a grin from appearing while he silently vibrated with excitement. He knew he was in gen ed but still. This school is just so cool!

It appeared Izuku wasn’t being nearly as subtle as he thought he was. The chair in front of him squeaked as it’s occupant turned to face him.

“Would you stop that?” They groaned. An incredibly annoyed pair of deeply shadowed eyes glared under a halo of gravity defying purple hair.

“Oh- uh sorry.” Izuku mumbled.
He took another look at his classmate as they turned back around in their seat with a long suffering huff.

He blinked in surprise. “Oh hey, you took the hero exam too, didn’t you?”

They looked over their shoulder at him again, seemingly recognizing him and then turned again.

“Yeah, I see you didn’t pass either.”

Izuku grinned sheepishly. “I should have guessed they’d pull something with robots. There’s not a whole lot I could do.”

His classmate gave him an understanding look, violet eyes softening just slightly even with the eye bags darkening them.

“I’m Shinso Hitoshi.” Shinso said, holding out a hand.

“Midoriya Izuku.” He shook it readily.

It was then that their homeroom teacher walked in, and was revealed to be none other than the voice hero Present Mic. Izuku was giddy with excitement. Today was already going miles better than any of his other schools.

Present Mic or Yamada Sensei, as he introduced himself, started off by taking attendance but instead of “present” he insisted they respond with an enthusiastic “YEAH”. Nobody did but he didn’t seem too disappointed, saying he was looking forward to teaching all of their “bright shiny faces”.

It was startlingly… normal. Present Mic was a good teacher and always pushed them to try their hardest and to ask questions. Izuku talked with Shinso during lunch and they found that they both were shooting for the hero course, hoping to transfer by the sports festival.

Class was dismissed and they found themselves on the same train home and chatted as the machine hummed out of the station.

They were sitting side by side, each with their school bag on their lap. Shinso looked over to Izuku, an indiscernible look on his face.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s your quirk?” He interrupted himself before Izuku could answer.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I was just curious.”

Izuku kneaded his lap with his fingers. He had a feeling this would come but because of how Shinso came across he didn’t feel nervous.

“I don’t know yet.” He then burst out laughing at his classmate’s confused expression.

“I have an invisible quirk,” he explained, “it just hasn’t appeared yet.”

Shinso let out a bewildered ‘huh’ but had no reaction otherwise.

“So what’s yours?” Shinso recoiled as if he was shocked with electricity.

He took a long sigh, with Izuku staring expectedly.

“It’s… brainwashing.”

“THAT'S SO COOL!” Izuku practically bounced in his seat.

“That’s an amazing quirk for heroism! You can stop so many crimes from even occurring! How does it work exactly?”

Shinso sat in shock while Izuku rummaged through his bag for his notebook.

“Oh uh, well it works by someone verbally responding to something I say. Then I can take control.”

“Does it have to be questions?”

“That’s usually how I use it but it’s only to get a response.”

“Do they have to know it’s you who’s speaking?”

“No, I don’t think so?”

“Do you have to verbally tell someone what to do or can you order them telepathically?”

“I have to tell simple orders that don’t make them think too hard.”

Izuku scribbled furiously into his notebook, biting a nail while muttering to himself.

“That’s just so useful, especially in hero work.”

His eyes got a far off look. “Hostage situations would be a sich.”

“Wait wait wait,” Shinso waved his hands around to get his attention. Izuku blinked owlishly.

“You think my quirk is good for hero work?”

“Well duh.”

Shinso’s lavender eyebrows knit. “No one’s ever thought that. Everyone I’ve ever told about my quirk clocks me as a villain in the making.”

“Quirks don’t define the people who have them,” Izuku said. “People define their quirks. Anything other than that is just quirk society talking, bullshit black and white ideals that don’t reflect the real world.”

Shinso looked at him with a mix of feelings he couldn’t put a name to.

“I think we’re gonna kick the hero course’s ass.”

Chapter Text

Izuku was buzzing with a new kind of excitement. He wasn’t technically getting into trouble but if he slipped up it could end up bad.

Earlier in the week he had had the chance to look around the rest of the school toured by Present Mic. During the tour his attention was grabbed by the Support Course. Everybody in support had access to a workshop filled to the brim with gadgets. He knew he didn’t have the knowledge to take on the course which was why he chose gen ed as his backup. However, in preparation for the sports festival in a couple months, students in the support and general courses were allowed to bring support gear into the competition.

That was his excuse at least. He was planning to take advantage of the opportunity to make his own gear but he would be utilizing it a bit more broadly. Ahem, well, illegally.

Yamada Sensei enthusiastically gave permission for Izuku to stay after school to work on his gear, praising him for getting started so early. Even though he got permission he still tried to be quiet heading off to the support wing. The workshops had steel reinforced doors like the barrier outside. He guessed it was to keep people from breaking in and gaining access to dangerous machinery. Kind of like he was doing now.

He technically didn’t lie but he was still using school funds for illegal activity. Not the most goody-two-shoes path to follow.

Izuku approached the door and punched in the code he had gotten from Yamada. With a jarringly loud beep the door slid open, retracting sideways into space within the wall.

It was barren of people. The lights blinked on and illuminated the space in a cool glow. Several metal and plastic tables sat piled with various bits and bobs of machinery. The walls were covered in pinned up blueprints and a couple of inspirational posters sporting photos of kittens in various heart covered edits. Half finished projects were strewn around and Izuku marveled at how many they were. They were not even a week into the school year and already the support course was working hard to improve.

He slid the door closed behind him with a grunt and settled at a work table. He pulled out his hero notebook, pulling up a page of improvements he wanted to add to his existing gear and things he wanted to make new. Now was when he really started breaking rules. He hoped the risk would be worth it.
—————
The risk was worth it. Through the next week and a half Izuku spent at least an hour after school in the workshop. He had already pumped out steel reinforced combat boots, expanding pocket staff, gloves and was working now on his mask. This was the part of the design he was most excited about. It was comprised of night vision goggles attached to a mouth guard segment. It secured through a strap that would go across the back of his head. He was having trouble putting it together. He wanted it to be compact, not bulky but he didn’t have the experience to really achieve that just yet.

Worrying his lip between his fingers a loud and familiar beep sent the unfinished mask clattering to the floor. The door was buzzing open quickly, revealing his admittedly feeble attempt at embezzlement. He scooted back fast, knocking over his bench and startling him even more. In his panic Izuku briefly floated the thought to hide under the table and in the next—

“HI!”
—————
Hatsume Mei was a very interesting person, as Izuku found out in the first five seconds of knowing her. The first thing he noticed was that she was very high energy. Izuku didn’t study mechanics so he didn’t understand most words coming out of her mouth but he got the impression that’s how it was for most people she spoke to.

Hatsume lit up when she saw him. It was like she had been plugged into a wall socket and suddenly she was at his side, talking mile-a-minute, asking every question on the planet, her pink locs bouncing all the way. Hatsume was already taking part his prototype before he could even get a word out and it only seemed to occur to her then to ask his name.

“Yes, hello, I’m Hatsume Mei, remember that name, it will go down in history and no I do not accept criticism. Who are you again?”

Izuku blinked. “I-I’m Midoriya Izuku, I’m from Gen Ed.”

He peered over her shoulder at what she was doing with the barrier between him and illegal activities.

“What are you doing to my, uh-“

“It sucks, it’s terrible, I’m helping.”

“Ah- okay but could I please—”

“No.”

“Oookay.”

Izuku backed off, giving the loc haired lady some space. That was a good idea because the tool she was using emitted a small puff of smoke, making him jump.

Hatsume glanced up at him without moving her head. Her eyes were strange, reminding him of the lense on a sniper rifle. Bit of a dark comparison but okay.

“Why are you making hero gear if you’re not in the hero course?”

Izuku was equally startled and grateful for her bluntness. He thumbed his sleeves.

“Well, I’d— I wanna be a hero. Getting a head start I guess.”

“Well, you’re not doing very well. You don’t have any prior knowledge of basic engineering, do you?”

Hatsume paused. She looked up at him completely for the first time, pinning him in tense eye contact.

“How bout we make a deal, Midoriya. I won’t tell about your secret spooking and you’ll let me fix this mess.”

Izuku’s jaw dropped. He gasped like a fish for a second before gathering himself.

“You- why do you wanna help me?”

She gave him a blank stare.

“You seem interesting, plus I’m bored and my classmates aren’t entertaining enough for my liking. So how bout it? Deal?”

Hatsume squeaked off her stool, wiping her gloves on her front and offering a hand. She grinned expectantly.

“Weeeellll?”

Half out of reflex, “yeah sure,” choke out.

“Yaayyyyy, okay, fuck off before my teacher gets here and scolds me for blowing stuff up.”

“Blowing stuff up?”

BOOM

Chapter Text

Izuku was extremely grateful for Hatsume’s existence. After the initial meeting and subsequent deal they got to know each other quite well and found that they had much in common. They ended up staying after school most days to work, study or simply chat.

One of the most notable similarities was Hastume’s dedication to improving. She explained to him that she did often make mistakes, often ending in explosions. This used to hurt her confidence quite a bit until she learned that messing up was the only way to improve. No matter how many times she failed she got back on her feet and tried again.

Izuku strives to have that kind of mindset when it comes to his hero work.

Instead, he was focusing on practicing his battle strategy and working out. Izuku wasn't a big guy but he was getting about as big as he could.

Hatsume made a surprisingly good workout buddy too. She liked to wear these tight black tank tops that showed off her muscled shoulders, which Izuku appreciated a perfectly normal amount and did not at all turn red whenever he thought of it.

In the next month they had advanced Izuku’s technology to the point where Hatsume allowed him to go with it and was instructed to be ‘gentle with her babies.’

He found himself perched like a gargoyle on the corner of a roof, taking a small respite to adjust his chest piece. Hatsume’s additions include full body armor. Izuku’s favorite part was that it was lightweight and breathable, and he had been worried about overheating. Sending a quick text to praise her, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and launched himself off the rooftop.

He decided to slip into his regular routine of hopping across rooftops to practice his parkour. He thought back to recently when he exchanged a couple emails with All Might. The hero had reached out to Izuku, comforting him after he failed the exam but praising him for shooting for his goals and not giving up on his career. Izuku was surprised but ecstatic. He could hardly believe that the All Might was interested in his heroing career. He responded by expressing his gratitude and spent an evening going back and forth about his plan to do well enough in the sports festival to transfer.

Izuku hopped down from a ledge with the use of a fire escape and dropped to the ground. Hi unzipped the dark backpack he had on, another addition, and pulled out a large green hoodie which he pulled on over his gear and replaced his mask back into his bag.

He took a late train to a new area he wanted to scout, counting how many hours he could sacrifice before he’d have to go home to sleep. Izuku watched the city glide by and got off at a random stop. He made his way up onto a roof and a rundown section of the city. He took off his hoodie and pulled in his mask, taking a deep breath through the respirator.

He was adjusting his gloves when a door opened below him. Light cut intensely through the dark.

“—calm yourself,” he caught before the door closed and a figure made its way outside. Izuku ducked his head behind the rim of the building, trying to make himself as small as possible. The figure was a thin man, average height with shaggy light hair. The dark didn’t allow him to make out many details but he could hear him. He was grumbling angrily, scratching roughly at his throat and scalp. Izuku wondered for a second if he should go down and check on him but then he made out what the man was saying.

“—kill them, I’ll kill them all. I’ll watch as they break into little pieces in my hands, game over, no respawn…” his voice was raspy and tore at his throat as much as his hands.

Izuku froze from his place on the roof. The feeling that washed over him was the same as with that fire villain that burned him to death. Only he had no idea what this man would do to hurt him. Maybe rip him apart with his bare hands, nails biting into flesh. Izuku’s eyes were wide and he fought the tremmer taking over his body.

Finally, he regained control of his limbs and crept slowly away from the edge only to jump when the door opened again, casting the man in warm yellow light. He could see his neck was irritated and bloody where he had clawed.

“Are you finished?” Rumbled a disembodied voice.

“Yes.” The man spat and he stomped back into his den. It was like a switch had flipped and suddenly Izuku was gasping and heaving. He covered his mouth, feeling hot tears make their way under his mask.

He’s gotta get out of here.

He slept fitfully that night, waking before his alarm and accepting that sleep just wasn’t happening that night. Instead he just tried to cool down before going to school.

Chapter Text

“Whoa,” Shinso said as Izuku sat down at his desk.

“That obvious, huh?”
Izuku’s eyebags were deep and his face was pale. From what he saw in the mirror it wasn’t too different from Shinso but that was out of place for Izuku.

“Dude, did you sleep at all last night?”

Izuku eyed him snarkily.
“You’re one to talk.”

Shinso clutched his chest in mock hurt. “Your words cut me deep.”

Izuku laughed. Class started as usual, even with a small mishap with the gate. Present Mic was getting more and more excited as the sports festival grew closer. Before long they had broken to go to lunch. Shinso and Izuku sat together and chatted animatedly as they ate. Between quips Izuku found himself thinking about his encounter last night with… whoever that was. The only way he could describe him was evil.

An alarm blared loudly, making Izuku jump and drop his chopsticks. Shinso muttered a small “what the f-“ before every student in the cafeteria rushed out in a horde of panicked voices. Izuku was quick to grab his classmate's sleeve and drag toward an exit—the same exit everyone else was tearing through. Soon the people packing both his sides became unbearable, especially when he caught an elbow to the head. Shinso slipped from his grip in the same moment and he heard his friend’s yelp over the heads of the crowd.

That’s not all he heard.

A deep voice cut through the din.

“Everyone, calm down!” it bellowed.

“The press got through the gate, you are NOT in danger! You are UA students! Act like it!”

The gathering of students immediately stopped, staring at the one who had spoken, who had plastered himself to the wall over the door. Izuku found himself staring at the same loud boy with glasses that had scolded him before the entrance exam. He admitted the boy was a bit overzealous but he appreciated that he staved the panic as well as preventing Izuku from getting trampled.

As the students dispersed and the boy got down, he was hit with the realization that he’d gotten into the hero course no doubt. A girl who helped him down, who he recognized as the girl he saved during the exam, with the gravity quirk. She’d gotten in too. He was so far behind.

Shinso and him finished their lunch in silence. Izuku suspected they were thinking the exact same thing.
—————
“You’re training right?”
Izuku and his friend were hanging out after school. The greenette swung his legs from his perch on a low wall. Shinso coughed into his fist.

“Um, sorta. Why?”

“I don’t wanna be mean but you’re a little noodle-y.”

“Hey!”

“Have you? Been training I mean.”

Shinso rubbed his neck nervously. It was a stark contrast to the bizarre scratching of that man last night.

“Not as much as I should. I work out, I just… haven’t gotten around to much more.”

Shinso avoided his gaze.

“Hey, no judgment. I was gonna ask if you wanted to train with me. Like sparring.”

“That depends,” Shinso softened.
“Are you gonna wipe the floor with me?”
Izuku grinned.

After that exchange they planned days in which they’d train together after school. Shinso didn’t have much experience with real hand to hand combat. Their first session together they stretched before moving to the gym’s mat. Izuku was thankful for his mom blowing money on his membership. It was up to him to repay her. For now he focused on his awkward taller classmate.
—————
Hitoshi didn’t like the look Midoriya got when he stepped into the ring. He was well aware that Midoriya was strong. From the little he’d seen when changing in the locker rooms during gym class, his friend was kinda beefed. Sure he was a smaller dude but that didn’t seem to stop him. Come to think of it, nothing did.

Midoriya first asked him to throw a punch.

“You’re not gonna hurt me, just go for it.” He did… and found himself flat on his back. He huffed, air knocked from his lungs.

“You promised!”

“No, I didn't.”

He got to his feet, giving his classmate plenty of space and eyeing him warily. Midoriya laughed brightly.

“I’m sorry! I know that was mean but there’s a lesson in there, I swear.” He chuckled.

After that Midoriya got him into the right stance. He corrected the way he held his fist, where his feet were positioned and then had him throw a punch in slow motion. He guided him through what he did to throw Hitoshi to the ground and then had him try. Midoriya was heavier than he thought but he did successfully. They spent the afternoon going through some moves and basic tactics. By the end of it Hitoshi was exhausted but filled with something he hadn’t felt in a while. Hope.

—————
The next day didn’t go quite as smoothly. Well, class went just fine but at about midday the entire school was sent home. Teachers sent an online message to their classes and later seen on the news, informing them that while a hero class was away on a field trip they had been attacked by a large group of villains. It was deduced that the security breach the day before had been a diversion so a villain could sneak in and tap into the hero class’s schedule. The class that was attacked was none other than class 1-A, the class All Might had been teaching. He had expressed his worries in some emails.

Izuku’s eyes were glassy and wide, trained on the television. His phone buzzed in his pocket, a text from Shinso.

‘Are you seeing this??’

He was seeing too much. A photo of a man taken from a security camera was blown up on the screen. The man had light shaggy hair and a scarred red neck. The man’s name was Shigaraki Tomura.

Chapter Text

With the festival one week away Izuku, Shinso and Hatsume crammed final adjustments to their gear. This time Mei wasn’t allowed to help them since they could only bring things they made by themselves. Still though it helped that she taught them some about engineering, enough to make stuff that worked.

More than a few times Izuku found himself running in the early hours of the morning. He recognized some students from the hero course out there as well. Soon he’d be one of them. All he had to do was not die.

Easy peasy.
—————
Izuku felt like dying. Anxiety had taken hold and he was in that stage where his limbs all felt like jelly or over cooked noodles. Shinso didn’t look much better, trembling as he pulled up his PE pants. They were both ready, it was just that performing in the largest event in the country was a little nerve wracking. Just a bit.

This was his only chance because even if he failed here and did well next year he’d already be so far behind that he wouldn’t be considered for a transfer. This had to be it. Even with all the worry coursing through his veins he couldn’t help but be excited. He hadn’t shown Shinso or Mei all that he could do and he was willing to pay for a picture of their faces. He tapped his chest and took a deep breath, forcing his shaking hands to steady. This was fine. This was totally fine.

Izuku remembers that his mother was cheering him on, recording from home. She had no idea how good he was. Hopefully she’d be proud and not cause any severe flooding.

Izuku would be facing the best of the best. The students who passed the entrance exam, meaning decimating those robots in ten minutes. He could do this.

Swallowing his fear, he shot Shinso a look. Mustering his strength he stepped out into the light.
—————
Izuku shielded his eyes from the sun. When his vision adjusted, the stadium appeared, packed, roaring unrestrained. The hero students were already on the field, having been announced first. Getting closer Izuku could see that boy with the glasses and the gravity girl in their midst. He wanted to prove to them he could do it too.

This year the hero Midnight was chief umpire. She cracked her whip and the cheering quieted. The other classes had filed in with no issue. Izuku could hear whispers from his classmates about how they were only here to make the hero classes look good. Shinso and him would prove them wrong.

Finally the stadium quieted and Midnight tapped her mic.

“Welcome to the UA first year sports festival!”

Izuku winced at the chorus of excited shouts. The fanfare quieted again and Midnight began to announce the games.

“First is a simple race. You must reach the finish line, defeating each obstacle in your way. I won’t spoil the surprise but it will be quite the challenge! You are allowed to use your quirks as much as you like! A full free for all!”

A large panel slid away from the stadium wall and revealed a tunnel leading out to the course.

“Try your best to finish early, and please don’t get killed. Plus Ultra!”

The speakers blasted a startling tone to signal the start of the race. It was nearly drowned out by pounding feet.

Izuku was almost trampled, reminding him of the stampede the week before. Pushing and shoving his way through the throng, he felt a vibration through the soul of his shoes. Screamed coupled with an icy cold wind alerted him to what had happened up ahead. A student with an ice quirk, no doubt a hero student, had gotten their way through by freezing others in their place. For Izuku this meant a path was created but it was covered in ice and scittering contestants.

Izuku grinned. The frost crunched under his cleats. He dove to catch up with the hero students, most who were in the process of clearing the ice. He spotted a whisp of purple hair and noted Shinso being gently carried by two other students. He always had a flair for the dramatic.

The ground before him turned back into packed dirt, just in time for it to burst in a spray of dust. Shielding his face, he peered up at three 0 point robots from the entrance exam. Izuku’s mouth went dry.

Snapping back to reality just a tad too late, the giants were already encased in ice. They were mid step, leaning even more intimidatingly. Seizing his chance Izuku sprinted between their legs and just in time. The next second they went sprawling to the ground, kicking up more dust into the faces of the students. Izuku spent a split second worrying if any had been caught underneath the beasts when a muffled clanging sounded from within.

He started when he realized he was losing time. He hefted up a loose section of metal paneling, having a feeling it would become useful. He didn’t have the luxury of a physical quirk. Just as he began running again, an all too familiar boom rocked the course.

A streak of smoke and steam rocketed from the robots. Izuku turned and ran. He caught up with Mei at the next obstacle. The course was now a gaping chasm interspersed with stone pillars connected by long metal wires. Some students, like a dark hair girl who was- wow going really fast, were already shimmying across. Mei took the opportunity to show off her babies and fly across, leaving Izuku in the dust, literally.

He swung the metal panel behind his back and secured it with a broken off wire left over from the robots.

Unfortunately all he could really do was shimmy like everyone else as fast as he could. He was happy to see that he wasn’t slowed with the extra weight and passed many of his classmates. Rope climbing at the gym really paid off.

Before long he hit the next and final obstacle. Izuku saw students like the one with the ice powers, with split colored hair making his way slowly through the field. The entire thing was covered in little mounds of dirt covering land mines. Already, other competitors were getting impatient, blasting themselves back to the beginning. Izuku grinned. This is where he could really shine. With his skills in parkour he was great at detecting obstacles and finding paths. The only problem was that it would still take far too long. That ice boy and… someone else were already a good halfway way through the minefield and quickly gaining on the end so he had to think of something faster. He glanced at his sheet of metal and had an idea.

Chapter Text

Izuku could feel a couple odd looks at what he was doing, which was fair. Digging into a minefield with a giant sheet of metal was kind of a weird sight.

A certain spikey blonde coasting across the field had given him the idea. Izuku wiped his brow and looked down at his pile of bombs. The explosions they caused were relatively small. Mic described them as just strong enough to “make you wet your pants.” He was guessing here but by getting this much together could cause a blast much bigger.

He stepped back, wrapping the cord from the sheet around his forearm and then lunged forward and slammed his body against the mines.

The explosion did not make him piss himself. It did however send him rocketing over the course just as he planned. He was very quickly gaining on the two boys in front, who, distracted by the noise, stopped in their squabbling to stare up at him.

He grinned widely in reply. The hero course had another thing coming. He knew it would put a target on his back but he wanted to win.

Soaring through the sky he was now losing height. Present Mic was howling in delight. As he got closer and closer to the ground the two boys below him drew nearer. In the knick of time he flipped off the panel, and it swung in front of him. Using the momentum, he planted a foot of the back of each student and slammed the sheet into the mine filled ground between them.

The ground erupted in a wave of pink, sending Izuku rolling over their heads while sending the two sprawling. He tumbled a few times before springing back to his feet and setting into a dead sprint. The finish tunnel was approaching fast. Izuku couldn’t afford looking behind so he continued.

Finally, he burst into the sunlight.

Izuku raised his hands over his head and shouted with delight. The crowd was roaring along with him. Izuku panted, leaning over with his hands on his knees. Behind him he heard the split haired boy and another jogged out of the tunnel. He placed first, the boy, Endeavor’s son named Shouto Todoroki placed second and… ugh fine, Bakugo Katsuki placed third.

Todoroki was glaring at him with eyes colder than his ice but Izuku could hardly notice.

He won. Him. A general studies kid with a practically useless quirk won an event in the UA sports festival.

Present Mic had announced his win and a snapshot of him running through the tunnel's end was plastered onto the large screen all over the arena. Izuku usually cringed at pictures of himself but he stared at this one proudly.

Other contestants were spilling out onto the field, most grumbling or huffing with annoyance and exhaustion. Izuku noticed that he didn’t see any of his classmates from 1-C or the other general class. It was him, the hero course and… yes! Shinso and Mei had made it too.

Time was spent letting the other students catch up and setting up the next event. This time the screen behind Midnight displayed ever changing events names, scrolling through before randomly selecting one. Every year the sports festival had two events like regular school games and then, by eliminating the majority of students, the final ones would get to go on to the tournament round.

The screen finally landed on… Calvary battle. A classic kids game in which children would ride on each other’s backs, attempting to knock each other over. Izuku hadn’t played a game like this in such a long time, probably since elementary school.

“Forty two of you qualified to move on. You’ll split into groups of two to four, leaving no one alone. You have ten minutes to split into teams and strategize.”

Some chattering came from the hero course before Midnight quickly shushed them.

“You are all assigned point values based on how you placed in the first event. Forty second will have five points, forty first will have ten and so on. The first place winner will have ten million points! Each team rider will wear a headband displaying the team's collective point value. Steal other teams headbands to win! The top four teams will go on to the finals.”

Izuku suddenly felt very unsafe. All eyes were on him. All these really intimidating hero students with strong quirks. Mentally slapping himself he got to planning. He needed a team.
—————
This was becoming just a tad challenging. He knew only two people here personally, which could make a team but simply put, Shinso, Mei and him simply weren’t much compared to the powers of their classmates. None of their quirks were physical, the most offensive being Shinso’s. Izuku gravitated to him instinctively but was surprised when Shinso denied him.

“I’ve been riding on your coat tails for months now, it doesn’t feel right.” Izuku ground his teeth.

“I understand, man. Good luck,” he clapped his shoulder and sped off looking for anyone else.

As much as it stung it was sort of true. Izuku loved helping people but not everyone wanted to be doted upon, something he got from his mother. Shinso was tough and it wouldn’t prove their individual strength if they stuck together the whole time. However Izuku still needed a team and all the other people were either ignoring him or glaring daggers.

Mei hopped on his back almost immediately.

“Good job drawing attention, this is the perfect opportunity to show off my babies!” Mei was practically vibrating, or maybe that was one of her babies. Either way, they were still down a player or two. It was unlikely the two of them would be able to do much together. Even with Mei and his gear, other people had quirks. Izuku narrowed his eyes as he scanned the field. Most people had already picked teams. Even though he knew a good many of their quirks it was unlikely any of them would trust him enough to te up. And then there was his point value, meaning if someone wanted to win the game all they needed to do was take it from him.

Having everyone’s eyes on him was eerie but Izuku noticed Mei didn’t mind. She didn’t do stuff like that, or fear death.

An advantage appeared, not necessarily to Izuku’s surprise but to his slight disappointment. He was approached by a blonde young man who introduced himself as Monoma from class 1-B.

“The other class will avoid you like the plague because they're scared of you. You haven’t even shown a quirk yet and you’ve whipped their butts. So I’d like to make a proposal: let’s join forces.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow. This kid was talking like a comic book super villain… and he kind of looked like one. From what he saw in the obstacle course he didn’t have a singular flashy quirk, and stuck close with his classmates. It was a good idea to team up, he needed allies. But this Monoma guy was shady, still he didn’t have many choices.

They shook.

“Alright, but no hard feelings if we end up against each other in the tournament.”

“Agreed.”

Chapter Text

Izuku regretted ever doubting Monoma. He quickly met up with more of class 1-B, learning about their quirks. They were all very cool and Izuku fought the urge to fanboy and write it all in his notebook.

For this event Hatsume and he teamed up with two students from Monoma’s class. One was Rin Hiryu who’s quirk was called scales. He could grow and detach reptilian scales which he could manipulate to use as weapons or shields. It was a fascinating quirk with so many applications. Because of its uses Izuku had him on his right. In the front was Shishida Jurota. He was a big tall guy covered in fur and his quirk beast allowed him to get super strong. Mei was on Izuku’s left, fitting him with the last of the gear she brought. She had on one of her favorite creations, hover boots that increased the group’s mobility tenfold. She’d lent a lesser pair to Rin. With his teammates' strength and skill, Izuku was determined that they’d place well.

Lacking a useful quirk Izuku was hoisted on their shoulders, Rin remarking at him being heavier than he looked. Izuku decided to take it as a compliment. Either way the start of the game had approached fast and the other class had joined teams of their own. They all stuck to their own class except for Shinso, who had no choice but to band with people from each class.

“Time's up! Your team values and placement are presented on the screen before you. Keep hold of your headbands and… begin!”
With a flourish of her whip the game had begun.

Right away all attention was on Izuku’s group. Shishida huffed a growl behind him and they started running. His beastly comrade was quite fast even without using his quirk and with those boots they went shooting out into the field.

Already Todoroki’s team was taking them. The mismatched boy threw up his right hand, summoning a spiky wall of ice that cut through the middle of the field, separating Izuku’s group from the rest. It seems Todoroki had it out for him.

“That front horse is super fast, we’ll have to spend most of our time dodging.” He muttered.

“If we’re really in a bind I can cover your head in scales,” Rin added. Izuku hadn’t noticed he was speaking out loud.

“Mei, are you powered?”

“Yup!”

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.”
—————
(Shouto pov)

Everything about Shouto was cold. Always had been. From the moment the water had seared into his flesh he was surrounded by a constant chill. The cold was stifled momentarily when he started school here, his classmates wanted to speak to him. To make friends. Shouto didn’t have time for friends.

His classmates all had more personality than anyone he’d ever met before, and that was fine. Even the shouty one he could deal with. The friendly ones were tolerable too, but some were just annoying. Shouto was used to being told he was barren of all personality, people his age were just too colorful.

So when Shouto saw this boy, plain looking, short, and seemingly powerless, flying through the air on nothing but a sheet of discarded metal he was reasonably surprised. He had been sure all of his competition was in the hero course, save for that sleep deprived kid who threatened them once and even then he didn’t feel intimidated.

Something about this boy showing up out of nowhere, literally, swooping in and beating him in something was jarring.

In the few minutes he had to prepare after gathering his team he connected the dots. All Might had talked up somebody he had been mentoring. Someone who wasn’t in the class but who would “announce their existence and say I am here!”

Whoever this Midoriya kid was, he had caught All Might’s attention which meant he caught Endeavor's attention. And therefore caught Shouto’s.

Nearly everyone was avoiding the boy as they chose teams. He seemed to be sticking with a pink haired girl he didn’t recognize.

When the alarm sounded and the game started Shouto swung his left hand forward, creating a long wall of ice cutting the field in half. Midoriya’s team was composed all of people he didn’t know but they must have been strong because they didn’t hesitate. The big one at the back lifted the entire team and lunged to the side.
—————
(Izuku pov)

The cavalry battle was almost over

Todoroki was half frosted over, visibly shaking, either from cold or rage he couldn’t tell. Mei’s boots were spent, rattling and creaking from misuse. Shishida was breathing hard. Rin’s scales had been scattered and torn numerous times and Izuku’s thighs trembled keeping himself upright.

Thirty seconds left.

“We can do it, it’s almost over,” Izuku huffed.

“Let’s just hope they don’t try anything,” Rin hissed through his teeth.

Evidently Todoroki’s team didn’t like this suggestion. So far they had avoided the groups attest at the headband by using the hover boots and Shishida’s strength to propel them into the sky, narrowly missing a surge of electricity that crackled through the stadium. So far, they had succeeded in keeping their point secure. So far.

So far, they were still in first place with the ten million. They’d even managed to snag a headband from another team as they were dropping from the sky after another escape.

Ten seconds left.

A plume of dust shot from behind the rival group.

Eight seconds.

Izuku’s head snapped back violently as something grabbed at his hair. Rem scrambled to stabilize him.

Six seconds.

Izuku brought a hand to his head, feeling for the headband…

Gone.

Two seconds.

“TIME’S UP!”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s heart rattled in his chest as the buzzer went off. It was over.

At the last second Iida Tenya, the younger brother of Ingenium, had used a special move to snatch the headband from his forehead. They had lost.

Present Mic zealously announced which teams had passed but his voice dimmed as he sniffled.

“Sorry guys, I really blew it.”

Shishida huffed, crossing his furry arms. Mei giggled.

“Not so fast,” Ren took him by the shoulder and spun him to face the scoreboard.

Izuku blinked up at the board just as Mic’ voice rang out over that stadium.

“AND IN FOURTH PLACE TEAM MIDORIYAAA!”

“W-what?” Izuku spluttered.

“We passed, dipshit.” Shishida grumbled.

Izuku didn’t have much time to celebrate the victory. He followed his teammates back inside for a quick break between events. Wiping the last of his snot and tears, somebody approached him from behind.

“Midoriya,” Todoroki Shouto gritted.
—————

Izuku was crying again, this time in the darkened hallway Todoroki brought him to. It had been a minute or two since the two-toned boy left but Izuku remained. For the second time today he was scrubbing the salt off his face, trying his best not to look puffy for the next event.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting Todoroki to tell him but it sure wasn’t the story of pain and anguish he heard. He’d never been a huge fan of Endeavor, he was just too rude. Heroes often put on persona’s to get more popular or to protect their personal life. Turns out he wasn’t that different behind closed doors.

Washing up in the bathroom before returning to the field, he looked up at the screen projecting the singular battles. First he was fighting someone named Sero from class 1-A.

Oh, riiight, he was the guy who shot tape out of his elbows. Pretty cool quirk. The sound of it wasn’t too special but by applying it creatively you could capture villains easily, use for mobility, it could probably make some elaborate traps—

“You're Midoriya, right? You made quite the impression.”

Startled from his muttering he turned to see the boy in question.

“I heard you don’t have a quirk but don’t think I’ll go easy on you.”

Izuku copied his grin.
—————

For the first time in this entire festival Izuku felt confident. He had a strategy against Sero, he only hoped it worked out. His smile was shaking as bad as his hands and he stepped up to the platform, his battle first on the bracket. Sero was stretching on the other side of the ring as Midnight went over the rules. You could win three ways: get your opponent out of bounds, restrain them to the point where they can’t move, or get them to cry uncle.

“FOR THE FIRST ONE ON ONE OF THE FIRST YEAR'S FESTIVAL WE HAVE: THE HERO COURSE’S, SERO HANTA!!! VERSUS, THE QUIRKLESS WONDER HIMSELF, ITS MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM GEN ED!!”

With a crack of her whip Midnight began the match.

“No hard feelings, man!”
Immediately Sero shot his tape forward. If he’d lingered for a second Izuku would’ve been caught. He lunged into a cartwheel to avoid the sticky bands. As his hand met the ground he snatched one of them up, which Sero tore quickly, to avoid what Izuku had planned.

Too bad he’d planned for that too.

When his feet were on the ground again he set a dead sprint at Sero, taking him by surprise and rolling out the way of another volley. On the upswing of the roll, he wound the length of tape he grabbed around his forearms, leaving a foot of loose tape between them.

It must have looked odd from an outside perspective, binding his arms together as if to trap himself, but he had something different in mind. Because of his quirk, Sero was more used to long rage fighting. By using his ability against him and getting up in his face he’d play against his strengths.

Ducking under another round, he was practically on top of him. Likely instinctively, Sero shot a length of tape at his face, which he caught a wound around his arm with the rest. Next he shot a foot out which caught the junction between Sero’s thigh and hip. The boy went down fast with a grunt but not before Izuku swung his own strip of tape over Sero’s forearms, which he had raised to protect his face. In that same motion, Izuku kicked off the ground, swinging around to the back of his opponent. As Sero’s chest met the ground, Izuku’s rear hit his back.

Sero wheezed, then yelped when both his arms were pulled up over and behind his head.

“No hard feelings, right?” Izuku breathed.
—————

After Midnight announced his victory both him and Sero were sent to Recovery Girl. Sero had some bruising and scrapes from his tumble in the dirt and Izuku needed his help to pull the tape off his arms.

“Ow ow ow owwwwww-“ he groaned. Sero chuckled.

“You got yourself into this, man. Even so, that was really cool!”

Izuku grinned, trying his best to ignore the little green hairs speckled across the used tape. Free waxing treatment.

“Really? It wasn’t very flashy…”
He didn’t have to mention his lack of quirk. Sero nodded.

“You hogtied me in two seconds, it was pretty badass. Besides, it’s important to be good at hand-to-hand. My teacher Aizawa Sensei does the same stuff except he has a capture scarf.

“Oh whoa, Eraserhead, right!?”

Izuku nervously rattled off all the facts he knew about him, occasionally wincing and squealing as his arms lost more and more hair. Eventually Sero was done and they got to sit down for the next match. As Izuku made his way to the Gen Ed seating he overheard Sero talking to a yellow haired classmate of his.

“Not gonna lie, that was really fucking hot, dude—“
—————

Izuku groaned at missing part of the second match. Shinso and that Iida boy had taken the field. Immediately, his mouth started to move but the distance made it impossible to hear what he was saying.

Iida’s mouth opened and it looked like he was barking a scolding when his body went rigid.

Izuku admitted the strategy was good but he hated that Shinso had fallen into his old habits. He even brainwashed people into being his teammates during the cavalry battle. Two of the boys, one with a tail and the other short and round, decided to opt out of the rest of the games, saying that it wasn’t fair to those who worked hard if they hardly remembered how they got there.

Noble, but it sucked that they lost this chance to show their stuff.

Iida was walking stiffly and slowly to the edge of the ring when he… tripped. He literally just tripped over his own feet and that was enough. Shinso’s control break when a person is touched forcefully enough and it looks like knocking his own shins together was enough for Iida. Before Shinso could try to taunt him again, dust erupted over the ring, Iida’s engine loudly starting. A bright light pierced the cloud and Shinso went sprawling to the outside of the ring, apparently pushed.

He was out of bounds; it was over.

Chapter Text

The rest of the matches ended about the way that Izuku expected. He’d taken notes about the quirks he’d seen displayed already and filled many more pages with the solo battles.

The most attention grabbing was Uraraka Ochaco’s battle against Bakugo Katsuki. Uraraka was the nice brown haired girl he’d met before. She was in the same class as Bakugo and had a quirk that allowed her to release gravity’s hold on objects through touch. Her strategy was to let K- Bakugo tear up the floor of the arena with his explosions so that she’d have weapons to work with. She used her quirk to amass a floating avalanche of rock and dirt, keeping everyone’s attention on her instead of this hidden volley. She then released her quirk and let them all come down, raining on the arena like a meteor shower.

Unfortunately, she was too beaten up to move on and passed out before she could inflict the final blow. The fight was brutal but Izuku could see even from the stands… Kacchan was scared.

Izuku was a tad jealous.

It was disappointing that Shinso lost his match with Iida but it made sense. Iida had him outmatched in every way, his only hope of winning was using his quirk and that failed. Now Izuku had to worry about fighting Iida next.

He was tall, broad and… admittedly very pretty. As the youngest son of the Iida family, he came from a long line of UA graduated heroes. From what he observed, both from the cavalry battle and further in, his quirk was the engines in his legs which allowed him to move at superhuman speeds and kick with incredible power. Basically, he was fast and strong, both far more than Izuku was.

He’d have to rely solely on his support items and trying to be faster than the Turbo Hero’s kin.

Or maybe-! No, that probably won’t work… could give it a shot though…
—————

The pires flanking the battlefield were roiling, the heat stinging Izuku’s skin as he approached the platform. Iida Tenya did the same in front of him, mouth set in a firm line.

Similar to his first battle, all he had to do was get close. Present Mic once again called attention to his lack of quirk as he announced him.

With a snap the match had begun. Immediately, Iida lowered his front to the ground in a runner's lunge, then pushed off and propelled himself with alarming speed towards Izuku’s trembling form. Air hissing out of his engines as they hummed loudly.

Like a shot from a gun Iida zoomed across the field, eyes hardened and red. In less than a second he was in his face and Izuku made his move. As fast as he could manage he lunged forward, using his momentum and his opponent’s shoulders to spring over his head, giving an extra push to knock him off his balance. Iida scittered, clearly not expecting his opponent’s plan. He veered harshly to the side to avoid sliding over the boundary line, just barely.

“You fiend!”

Izuku couldn’t help it, he snorted and stifled a laugh into his hands.

“Worth a shot,”

Iida steeled himself again, seemingly thrown off by Izuku's attitude. Izuku had guessed that little bull fighting trick wouldn’t work, it was just too easy but by the looks of it it might’ve paid off. He’d take any advantage he could get. Time for plan A.

Izuku leaned over, knees bent and arms wide, ready for anything. Iida charged again. Engines huffing he was there in the blink of an eye, feet sending sand and dust flying. Izuku spun, just barely glancing off the man’s thick arms. He kicked up, spinning and slamming a foot into Iida’s back as he passed, knocking the man into a stumble but not falling.

“You can keep doing that forever.” The boy gritted.

He was right of course. Either he’d get tired or Iida would catch him. The boy was superior to him in every physical aspect, he’d nab him eventually.

The rule of three is something that occurs very often in life. There’s always something different on the third.

Izuku dashed back towards the line, being sure to keep his shows just barely off of it. This time when Iida rushed him, he had his arms spread wide to keep him from dodging. He would’ve caught him too except the world slowed. Many things happened in the span of barely a second. First, the spectacled boy was inches away. Second, Izuku jumped, kicking off the knee the Iida had forward. With that jump he rolled over Iida’s shoulder. I’m a love similar to what he pulled with Sero he wrapped a thigh around his throat. His weight threw Iida onto his back. His hands instinctively grabbed at Izuku’s leg which had been joined but the other in firmly pressing on his classmate's trachea. Iida gagged, clawing and punching his thighs. It hurt but he squeezed down tighter. They we’re starting there, sprawled and spluttering in the dirt for a couple minutes until the boy's face started to match his hair. At that point Midnight clapped her hands to call attention.

“Iida? Can you move?”

Izuku knotted his brows wondering how she expected Iida to answer. A soft ‘oh’ escaped and he loosened his hold. Iida gasped painfully.

“Gghh, haa,”

“Iida?”

The boy's red face had nothing to do with asphyxiation. Desperately, his nails bit into his leg. Izuku bit back a yelp and tightened once again. After one more furious attempt the well built boy slapped his thigh lightly. Releasing fully he scrambled to his feet as Iida coughed into the dirt.

“Iida has given up! Midoriya wins!”

Chapter Text

It was awfully chilly here in the waiting rooms, Izuku noted for the something’th time. The AC was relentless, blasting any trace of the spring heat away and also his own body warmth. It was almost funny, as though the room was giving him a preview for the next ten minutes.

His next battle was against Todoroki Shouto, youngest son of the flame hero Endeavor. The boy was cold in every sense of the word, from what Izuku knew. He didn’t make friends with his classmates, or talk very much at all and his classmates didn’t seem to have much love for him except for his powerful quirk. And the fact that he was kind of famous.

The second reason Izuku was fearful was because of what happened during the cavalry battle. Being his only interaction with the bi-colored teen it was a bit of a defining moment for him.

Todoroki was downright hostile toward him. Reasonably, of course, since getting Izuku’s headband would assure that team passage into the next event. Still, though, it was kind of terrifying.

And then there was what he had told him.

Izuku’s sneakers kicked dust into the air as he walked back onto the stage. He racked his brain for what he knew of this boy, anything to grab onto. He just hoped the ice wouldn’t make him slip.

Todoroki didn’t seem to have the same struggle, padding into the arena with the same brooding expression a tiger gives its prey. Midnight excitedly called for their attention.

“You know the drill boys, play too rough and a teacher will step in. Win by forcing your opponent out of bounds or by getting them to give up. Oh, and also if it’s clear they are defeated.”

The whips tendrils snapped.
Izuku didn’t even make out the word ‘begin’ before the temperature dropped drastically. His breath came out in little puffs and he jumped instinctively, just missing the spread of ice that would’ve trapped him in place.

He hit the ground running and was immediately thankful for the cleats on his boots. Maybe he should add some sort of ice skate function, one that can rotate between wheels on the heel on the boot- he was getting unfocused.

The cold quickly cut through his thoughts. Todoroki wasn’t letting him get close, seeing how effective that strategy had been so far. Jujitsu being his best studied style he was best at grappling with an opponent. As a long distance fighter Izuku would expect his hand to hand to be poor but he factored in the fact that this was Endeavor’s son. He doubted that man would let that happen. And then there’s… his left side.

Marked with bloody red his left was wide open. Ice only came from his right and he seemed determined not to use any fire. That should be an advantage.

Izuku’s boots thundered on the ice. He dodged another glacier, skittering around it and remaining on the boy’s left. Seeing the pattern Todoroki stomped his foot. Frosty spikes rose from the ground where the shorter boy’s squat, no doubt to freeze him in place like what he did in the cavalry battle.

He took it in stride. Using the rising cluster he propelled up and over, rotating in mid air to land behind Todoroki's back. Specifically on his right. That way where the boy whirled around to face him-

Izuku’s foot planted into his side, his left side.
—————
(Shouto pov)

Shouto winced at the collision. How the fuck was this kid not frozen yet? Speaking of, his own skin was beginning to go numb. Frost had spread on his cheek and his forearm with just the two volleys he’d made so far. The soft flesh right below his ribs ached. In the back of his head he noted that it was only because of his height that the boy nailed him there.

Shouto immediately fired another volley, and the boy- Midoriya, scrambled on top of the miniature glacier. Getting the high ground wouldn’t help, long range was Shouto’s strong suit. He immediately stomped, sending a creeping path of frost over its surface to freeze him in place—

Fuck-! Blood spurt from his left thigh. It beaded up from where a razor sharp icicle had embedded itself.

“Leaving out a whole side,”

Shouto spun around. Midoriya’s voice bounced dizzyingly off the ice bergs.

“You’re wide open, Shouto. And you’ve given me the perfect playing field.”

With a satisfying crunch more ice rained down around him. Shielding his face with an arm, Shouto instinctively raised more ice to defend himself. He was creating an artificial hailstorm out of Shouto’s ice, leaping from ledge to spike, breaking off deadly chunks that rained over the field. To bring up more ice was just to supply him more weapons, he had to get above him.

Before he got the chance to stomp his boot, he lurched forward as Midoriya’s cleats slammed into his left shoulder blade. The steel spikes pierced his skin like serrated saw blades. Through squinted eyes he saw the boy use him as a springboard. He caught the side of another ice tower and scrambled over the side.

Hot blood trickled from the wound, stinging as it began to freeze to his skin. It was so cold.

Midoriya couldn’t keep this up forever. But he kept up for far too long.

Several minutes later, Shouta was bloody, bruised and frost bitten. The boys voice rattled in his ears.

“Use your fire! You have to!”

Shouto’s jaw creaked and his face warmed in rage. He couldn’t, no matter how much it hurt, he wouldn’t use that bastard’s quirk. That damned fire.

Shouto sent a pillar of ice colliding into the boy as he made the jump between two glaciers. He roughly tumbled down the ice, lying for a moment on the frosty ground. His boots contacted the ground with a crunch.

“C’mon Sho,”

He spat a glob of blood the icy ground.

“Everyone here is giving their all, I’m giving my all and here you are, literally half-assing it!”

The boy shakily got to his feet, swaying a bit before falling into a fighting stance. He ran at him, feigning a jab at his right and whirling to his left before Shouto had a chance to counteract. A roundhouse struck his ribs but his right foot frozen to the ground stopped him from falling. Midoriya spun around his back, spending less than a second on his right before sending an elbow into Shouto’s stomach.

Shouto reached forward, preparing to freeze the boy in place but as soon as his right arm left his side something came violently thrusting into his chest. Ice shattered. He lurched backward, tripping on his own ice and colliding gracelessly with the arena floor.

Above him, green hair haloed in the afternoon sun was Midoriya Izuku. His breath froze in the air and hung like clouds. Midoriya was looking down from a mound of ice, cleats crunching into its surface. By his side was a long metal pole, a Bo staff that had seemingly materialized from thin air. He looked like he was wreathed in fire.

“I have nothing and I’m still working harder than you!”

Hot blood oozed from the cut on Shouto’s head. “But my father-“

“I DONT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOUR DAD!”

Shouto rolled to avoid a swing from the staff. He scrambled to his feet, frost creeping from his right side.

“I’M NOT FIGHTING HIM RIGHT NOW!”

Another desperate swipe cleaved Shouto’s ice in half. He just barely had the sense to form a shaft of ice in time to stop the hit but he chalked it up to instinct. Midoriya expertly spun the staff between his fingers. It sent a spray on snow and frost blinding Shouto and allowing him to put some distance between him and Midoriya.

“I’M FIGHTING YOU!”

Shouto reached for his ice. Reached again. What the fuck?! Why wasn’t it working?!

He ducked under another blow. Ice still sat on his clothes and skin in a crackling shell but he couldn’t summon any more. Where the fuck was it?!

Ice and sand shifted under his feet and he tripped. He clumsily caught himself with his hands but Midoriya was already on top of him. Shouto’s head hit the ground hard, pinned there by the staff which also held down his arms with bruising force. Midoriya's knees were on either side of his waist, his green halo of hair blocking out the sunlight.

“Use your quirk, Shouto.” He hissed, diggin to metal into his throat. For once in his life the frost didn’t come as he called it.

“I-I won’t use— his quirk-,”

Midoriya let out a gravely shout.

“IT’S YOURS! IT’S YOUR QUIRK, NOT HIS!”

Suddenly, Shouto wasn’t cold. It was warm, not only because of proximity to another body. Midoriya's face was red and blotchy, streaming with tears and sweat. Suddenly, it grew warm and then without warning, scorching hot.

Midoriya lurched off him with a delayed shriek. He rolled onto his knees, Bo staff forgotten at his side.

Flames rippled against Shouto’s skin but it didn’t hurt. Frost melted and hissed into steam. Shouto rose to his feet, looking down at his opponent. It was a lot easier to see Midoriya’s expression when he was bathed with light. His hair was blown back by the wave of heat and he sported an unmistakable smile. Toothy and slightly crazed eyes light up the same as Shouto’s side. His left side.

“You must be crazy. Helping your enemy.”

Midoriya chuckled. “It’s worth it.”

And then everything went white

Chapter Text

Izuku blinked back to consciousness slowly and immediately regretted it. Everything hurt, as if his whole body had become one big pulsing bruise. The cold light of the nurse’s office was far too harsh against his eyes and he tried to move a hand to cover them. But he couldn’t. Izuku looked down to see his arms bound in several layers of gauge and hanging from fixtures above his bed.

“That was very foolish, boy.”
Said a rattly voice.

Jumping, Izuku saw an old lady, barely a meter tall, dressed in a white lab coat and visor.

“Recovery gir!” He yelped.

Her frown softened slightly at this.

“Now that you recognize me, please listen to me, young man.” She tapped something against the floor irritably, a short cane shaped like a giant syringe.

Izuku nodded dumbly, suspended fingers itching for his notebook.

“Good, now I need you to understand that you were burned pretty badly and you’ve overworked your body. I understand you’re used to overcompensating for your lack of quirk but your body is fragile.”

She poked at his bound arms and he winced, expecting pain but it didn’t hurt.

“I’ve healed your injuries enough for you to continue to the tournament.” She continued. The youthful heroine reached up and undid the clips holding his arms up. She gently brought his arms down beside him and peeled back some of the bandages, revealing raw reddened skin.

“If you intend to keep up this hero business you must promise to take some protective measures.”

She rebound his wrist and spun in her wheelie chair. Izuku looked down at his hands. The skin was calloused and hard. A burn had gone all up his arm to his bicep, leaving rough pink skin in its wake. It didn’t hurt at all but it was ugly to look at.

He was so weak. Soft and powerless like the Deku he was.

“Yes, I promise. Miss… Recovery Girl?”

“What is it, young man?”

“Can I get your autograph?”
—————
It wasn’t until far too late that an undeniable truth set in for Izuku. He had won the match. Over technicality, sure, but a win nonetheless. The air in the arena had been super heated after being cold for so long, causing an explosion that blew both boys across the field. Fortunately, or maybe not, Izuku’s body had been flung just inside the line while Todoroki’s had slammed against the far wall. Recovery girl had given him a firm slap on the head because of Todoroki’s injuries. He had broken several bones and suffered lacerations due to Izuku’s improvised hailstorm.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku was surprised he didn’t crack the windows with the frankly embarrassing squeal he let out. The boy himself seemed alright. He was upright and wandering the back halls same as Izuku, although with significantly more bandages wrapped around his body. Almost all places his clothes didn’t cover were wrapped in gauze, including multiple patches on his face. One warm gray, one bright cyan, his eyes seemed a lot softer.

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted with a bow.
“I’m sorry! It was wrong of me to intrude on your family matters… and call you by your first name. I just… kind of figured you didn’t want to be called by your family name is all. I’m sorry!”

Izuku’s eyes were squeezed shut tight and just as color was starting to spark behind them he sneaked a peek at Shouto’s face.
—————
Shouto wasn’t sure what to make of Midoriya. Every time he felt like he knew what to expect this green headed sprig of broccoli would do the exact opposite. Upon first glance he was short, meek, and generally unassuming. The kind of nondescript individual one of his classmates would call an “extra.” The second time he met Midoriya was in a radically different context. Out of nowhere, he sprung upon his place like a python and claimed first place in the obstacle course. Then, Shouto watched, internally gobsmacked as he fought and won against two of his classmates. Midoriya showed a clear drive and proficiency toward his goals, as if he would stop at nothing to quit.

Shouto was never good at reading faces but Midoriya’s seemed to harden as soon as he stepped into the ring. He went from stuttering and sobbing over his words to shouting in his face. One moment he was the scariest and… most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The next he was a sweating mess, bowing and apologizing for calling him Shouto.

“I wanted to thank you.”

Sure it was his name, just like it was his quirk. But being called Shouto, it was like he was his own person away from Endeavor. For a second he forgot all about him.

“You helped me use my fire, and I’m the one who brought up my family. It felt… better to not think about him for a while.”

Midoriya blinked up at him and rather belatedly stood up out of his bow.

“Are… you sure?”

Shouto nodded.

“And… you’re okay with me using your first name?”

“I’d prefer it.”

“Okay…”

There was a pause and Shouto thought it might be one of those awkward ones Fuyumi talks about but then Midoriya let out an exhale that left his whole body deflated.

“Oh my goooods, I was afraid you’d be really mad, and then when I transfer into your class it’d be super weird cus you’d hate me and stuff.”

“I don’t hate you.” Shouto said, a tad too quietly but Midoriya heard anyway.

“I’m glad.”

Shouto let a breath out of his nose. He shifted on his feet and picked at the bandage on his face.

“I was hoping… I could have your phone number. You showed me that I rely on my quirk too much so I’d like to see if you can teach me anything. I think it would be good to have your perspective.”

He didn’t say, ‘because you're quirkless,’ but it's what he meant. If Midoriya was fit to be his rival even without a quirk that he would’ve worked at least twice as hard. There was also that he wiped the floor with his classmates with hand to hand.

The next minute was spent with Midoriya scribbling his name and number on Shouto’s cast like an autograph, fumbling over his words like someone might on ice. He wasn’t someone to look out for anymore. He wasn’t a back to glare at and pursue like his father or All Might. He was someone to watch because they would give a show.
—————

Holy shit holy shit HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT FUCK!

He was up against Bakugou. HE WAS UP AGAINST BAKUGOU FUCKING KATSUKI.

Dead. He was dead for real this time. He was absolutely, certifiably dead right now. And likely in the next few minutes. Izuku mourned his loss of the rounds in between, having slept and ate through them. Todo- Shouto encouraged him with a nod though it seemed uniquely difficult to decipher his expression. Part of that was his fault. Shouto’s admittedly handsome face was marred with bruising and bandages. Oops.

There was just about no way Izuku could beat Katsuki in a fight, especially in an arena with a roaring crowd, with all of his weapons and tools already making an appearance and ruining any chance at surprise. Its setting deprived him of any environmental advantage and unlike Shouto, he couldn’t use his opponents' creations against them. Izuku was well accustomed to quirk jealousy and especially towards the explosive blonde. His quirk was just nearly perfect, he had the perfect advantage in the competition. Izuku’s only hope was the boy’s tendency to ignore or underestimate him.

Izuku grit his teeth. He was not in middle school anymore. He clenched his fists. He was not the same boy. Sweat dripped and splattered on concrete.

I’m stronger now.

The cries and screams grew louder with each step. They shouted for blood.

I’m unkillable.

Chapter Text

Shouto was… excited. Of course it was difficult to tell from the outside but he was. Midoriya was full of surprises and was now about to fight maybe his biggest rival in class 1-A. Bakugou didn’t exactly make a good impression so Shouto was savoring the sight of him getting beat for once. He was far too loud, obnoxious and overly confident.

Shouto couldn’t blame him for seeing people as stepping stones, after all he was just as guilty. But something about having one of those stepping stone hit back changed his perspective. He hoped something similar could happen with Bakugou.

He limped over to his seat, away from his other classmates as they were far too loud, thank you, wincing from the pain in his leg. The icicle to the thigh really hurt at the time, and even though it was duller now it smarted with every step. He sat down just as Present Mic started hyping up the crowd for the last fight.

“WELCOME, LISTENERS, TO THE FINAL SHOWDOWN OF THE FESTIVAL!!!”

The seconds before the fight started left Shouto with time to be conflicted. Less than an hour ago his entire life view had been turned upside down by some quirkless boy. Suddenly there was no room to think about Endeavor. All he could think of was Midoriya.

(Iida pov)

Tenya was… embarrassed. He was so prepared to make Tensei proud by winning or at least getting far but he was beaten in his second fight. Midoriya had surprised him. He had no idea who he was and suddenly he was winning. He made less of an impression during the cavalry battle and Tenya was glad to get the drop on him. He had hoped to eliminate the potential threat and was disappointed when Midoriya continued in the tournament. He chided himself for this of course, Tenya didn’t get to decide who deserved to get their chance. Even then it seemed like he’d earned it if he’d made it this far.

When he learned he’d be facing this boy, he was happy. Happy to get a chance to prove himself against someone who earned it. And perhaps, he secretly assumed the fight would be easy. After all, Midoriya was quirkless. Surely anyone with a quirk had a better chance of winning. His fight with Sero though… Sero was strong, with a strong quirk and creative application of it. But Midoriya outsmarted him. He was clearly a very intelligent person, thinking his way out of challenges like with the mines. It was honestly admirable but Tenya didn’t anticipate him having the same skill in hand to hand. In a one on one battle, with nothing but his hands at his disposal, Tenya was sure he would win.

Not only was he not empty handed, but he could still beat him without using any of his weapons. It was honestly disappointing. His finger ghosted his throat as he remembered suffocating under him. Tenya was so excited to bring home a metal. The only thing he could hope now, was that his adversary could win against Bakugou. Admittedly, Tenya was not a fan of his classmate. If Midoriya could beat him, then maybe he could beat his classmate.

And if Midoriya lost, well then he’d say Bakugou avenged him, though he would never admit such a petty thing out loud.

Midoriya and Bakugou were introduced for the last time. Screams rained down from each level of the arena including from his fellow classmates. It was difficult to make out from so far but both of them were a tad beat up. Midoriya had bandages all up his arms, likely from burns. Tenya guessed there was significant bruising under his uniform. After all, he had really wailed on his leg expression when they had grappled and Todoroki did a number on him while knocking the boy around with ice. Bakugou also had some gauze wrapped around his wrists. From what Tenya understood, Uraraka’s match had forced him to overuse his quirk. Out of the two of them though, Midoriya was far more injured. On top of that he seemed to be extremely anxious.

Being anxious seemed par for the course for him, but he was walking about as stiff as his snapshot plastered on the screens. Both boys came to a stop in the middle of the arena and for the last time Midnight all but skipped the rules.

“Play nice, you two.”

Tenya cursed that no microphones were placed in the arena or on the contestants because Midoriya shouted something as soon as Midnight fled from earshot. Whatever it was must have angered Bakugou, (though that didn’t mean much), because the blonde quite literally exploded. Sand and soot were kicked up in such a way that the two boys were hidden.

The dust didn’t ever clear, in fact it only grew. Present Mic voiced his frustration, something about how he couldn't commentate if he couldn't see what was happening. Eventually though, Midoriya was sent sprawling out of the cloud of sand. He rolled and just as quickly sprung up onto his feet. His front was low to the ground, almost in all fours like some kind of animal. Tenya saw his mouth move but whatever he said was lost to the flurry of explosions that followed it. Midoriya shielded his face from the wave of dust and rushed back into the fray.

Bakugo must not have expected it because he was the next to tumble to the ground. Both boys grappled on the arena floor in a mess of limbs and dirt. Tenya huffed at not being able to see and turned his attention to the screens above where cameras had zoomed in on the boys. Midoriya had his hands around Bakugo’s neck, his knees pushing hard against the blond’s chest. Bakugo had one dangerous palm flat against his opponent’s face, pushing Midoriya off of him and stifling his attempt at strangulation. In the struggle Bakugo grabbed a handful of his unruly hair and yanked hard. The greenette was violently pulled off of Bakugou and their positions reversed, Midoriya now pinned beneath the larger boy’s body. They kicked and punched, both of them increasingly covered in grime, blood and bruising. A point blank explosion made Midoriya spit blood. A gash on his forehead opened and spilled blood down his face, mixing with the blood that remained on his chin and mouth. His nose was obviously broken, marked by a muddy mix of soot and red. There was still a hand in his hair keeping his head on the ground and his chin raised.

Midoriya screamed loud enough that it reached Tenya’s ears. A feral desperate sound that seemed more from frustration than pain. “Just hit me already! What, are you scared it’ll kill me?! COWARD!”

He thrust his hands towards his face, clawing wildly like a cornered animal. Thankfully Bakugo jerked himself out of the way, stifling his attack with another explosion to the face. Midoriya’s head violently struck the dirt and came back up covered in soot and ash.

He was grinning. Not a happy grin like a kid in a candy store. Not even the crazed grin of a madman. More like the grin a wild animal makes when it's going to bite. All Might smiles as part of his costume. Midoriya brandished it like a weapon.

Bakugo slammed his hand over his grinning face again, smacking him roughly into the dirt with a spray of dust and sparks. That final hit had Midoriya looking dazedly at the sky, still smiling. Bakugo backed off. He almost threw himself off the other boy as if burned even though it was the other boy’s clothes and hair that was smoking. The blond scrambled to his feet and shakily took a step back. Losing his balance momentarily he stumbled.

Midoriya’s eyes slipped closed and the crowd cheered. Midnight raised her whip and shouted excitedly, ending the match. Present Mic’s voice rattled out of the speaker system, congratulating Bakugo and announcing him the winner.

Cameras zoomed in to Bakugo and his terrified visage was projected all over the arena.

(Bakugo pov)

Deku was just… lying there. His head was bleeding, not enough to pool but Katsuki’s vision flickered. Suddenly the hole in Deku’s head was a lot bigger, a chasm nestled between curls and spilling dark red that swirled and distorted like paint in puddles. His eyes cast downward. Unblinking and terribly critical. Gazing at him with an unseeing, cynical light.

“No-“ Katsuki’s chest constricted. It was getting hard to breathe. Deku wasn’t moving, hadn’t even twitched since Katsuki got off of him. His under eyes were deep and bruisy. There was so much blood. His hands were covered in blood, Deku’s blood.

“Not again-,”

A scream ripped from Katsuki’s throat. He dimly felt his knees collide with the sand. He watched as his hands moved on their own, grabbing Deku’s shirt, his face, hair, anything. Vision blurring he must have screamed again, otherwise why would his throat hurt so much. Something hot was streaming down his face.

He couldn’t see through his murky peripherals but pink mist trickled into the arena. The sweet smell startled him enough to breathe in more and soon his darkening vision had nothing to do with seeing Deku bleed. His head collided with the sand and the last thing he saw was Izuku’s unconscious body.

Chapter Text

Midoriya didn’t wake up in time for the medal ceremony. Hitoshi didn’t see any use in attending it either, so he trudged down the lengthy gray hallways until he found Recovery Girl’s temporary office. Midoriya was splayed on the only occupied cot, everyone else had rushed back onto the field to see everyone get their medals and praise. Soot smudged the sheet under Midoriya’s body. Streaks of it were smeared on his face and throat. His forehead was bandaged, a wound had appeared under his hairline at some point. Hitoshi remembered him lurching out of the dust and smoke, blood streaming down his brow and dripping all the way down his chin. A manic, almost feral look on his face and he inaudibly screamed at the blonde.

Hitoshi never imagined Midoriya could get that look on his face.

That’s just what it was like for kids like them. The weak. The undesirables. They had to get ugly and mean in order to get on the same level as the others. Bakugo’s quirk was amazingly powerful. Midoriya had taken every blow like he’d done it thousands of times before. He barely flinched at the sound of each explosion and shook off every hit with ease. How many times had he been hit to get that way?

The end of their fight just solidified it for Hitoshi. They knew each other. It was more than a competition for Midoriya, it was a personal hurdle. And even though he had technically lost, it seemed like Midoriya had overcome it in his own way. A little terrifying sure, but overcome nonetheless.

Hitoshi sat down on the plastic chair beside the cot, hands shoved in his pockets and ankles crossed. He had some… rough feelings about how far he’d made it in the competition. Mostly he regretted folding to anxiety. One second he had a plan and the next it was gone. Suddenly he was brainwash kid all over again and all he could do was run his mouth just like old times. Turns out he hadn’t learned much at all.

A groan sounded from the cot. The leafy bush he called hair ruffled as he twitched against his pillow.

“Hey man.” Hitoshi whispered.

Midoriya’s eyes fluttered open and met Hitoshi’s.

Bonk.

Both boys recoiled in pain after Midoriya sat up so quickly they cracked heads.

“Ooooohohohhooowww—“

“Jesus Christ!”

“Why were you that close?!”

“I was just saying hi?!”

“Really?! Cuz it looked like I was about to get Snow White-d.”

“It absolutely did not—“

“It did!”

“Oh my god, you are impossible.”

Hitoshi’s chest shook with laughter. Midoriya was still writhing around on the sheets, just like the dramatic little shit he was. At least he seemed to be feeling alright.

“Are you like… okay and stuff?”

Midoriya rolled over to face him.

“Oh, yeah I think so. My head hurts though.” He rubbed his head. Then he gasped and touched it again only to find the bandage on his forehead. His eyes darted down his arms as if surprised to see them covered in dressings.

“I guess I got pretty banged up…”

Hitoshi let out a huff of air.

“You should see the other guy. Or guys. You have a body count now.”

Just then the infirmary door gave way to the pile of teens pressed against it. The room got a lot more full as one, two, no five people tumbled in, and a lot more loud as they all started talking at once.

“Holy shit, dude, that was epic!”

“Oh my god, are you okay?!”

“Please teach me your way, oh great and wise one.”

Hitoshi recognized the first, a tall black haired boy with a tape dispenser mutation as the one Midoriya fought first. He immediately went to give his opponent a hardy pat on the back and Midoriya lurched by the strength of it. The sec of was a thankfully well mannered girl with a brown bob cut and a baby face roud enough to rival the greenette’s. She thankfully kept her hands off of Hitoshi’s only friend and fussed from a distance. The third actually did tumble in and took a second to regain his balance before throwing himself into Midoriya’s cot. He had bright yellow-blonde hair with a striking black streak in the vague shape of a lightning bolt.

“Puh-leeease, how the heck did you do all the cool shit, bro?” He wailed, clasping his hands as if in prayer.

“It’s not very manly to beg, my guy.” Said a fourth and hopefully reasonable boy with a spiked red plume of hair.

They all piled in close practically cornering the boy on his cot and dousing him in praise. Hitoshi found himself smiling fondly despite the taxing situation. These 1-A kids were far too loud for his tastes.

Bringing up the rear, entirely on their feet and walking normally was Todoroki Shouto. The boy who tore up the arena so bad they had to pause to repair it was lingering almost shyly in the doorway, clutching a silver medal by its ribbon.

The small crowd of Mido-fans seemed to pick up that they were making him claustrophobic and backed off slightly.

The baby faced girl spoke up. “We kind of figured… well, you’re in gen ed but since you kicked so much ass you’ll be one of us soon. We’re the only class with any spots. And we have two! For both of you…”

She eyed Hitoshi like he might spring up and bite her.

“I remember you in the entrance exam. You were super heroic so I was confused when I didn’t see you in class. I hoped you were just in the other class but you weren’t. I’m— we are all very excited to see you guys in class.”

Hitoshi groaned inwardly. Once again, he was the villain.

—————

Izuku practically skipped through the front entrance, absolutely giddy with Shinso bringing up the rear. Every few seconds he glanced over his shoulder at his classmate, giving a beaming smile accompanied with a zealous giggle.

He could hardly believe it! Well he could but still. Izuku had been dreaming of heroism his entire life. When he bombed the entrance exam a little part of him fizzled away. Logically, he knew it was likely he’d fail, which was why he applied to gen ed as back up. The sports festival had been brutal but he had made it! The principal was impressed and transferred both him and Shinso into class 1-A.

Ever since the beginning of the year it was known that 1-A was lacking a twentieth student. When the underdogs met with Nedzu for their transferral he explained that not enough students had made the cut. It was decided not to let in an exception in in order to uphold U.A.’s plus ultra standards. To make room for the both of them though, a student was kicked and put into general studies. The student in question was one Mineta Minoru. Apparently this particular student had a habit of harassing his classmates so when it came to who would make room the decision was thankfully clear for the faculty.

During the meeting Principal Nedzu also admitted something else.

“It’s true that the Hero Course entrance exam is geared towards those with powerful physical quirks. You may find it unfair and reasonably so but there is a reason for it. It’s to challenge the drive of less fortunate hopefuls. The both of you have proved your resourcefulness and capabilities. How could I let such determined little heroes stay in General Studies?”

Afterwards, Shinso and him stood just the slightest bit in shock outside of the office. Izuku sniffled. Shinso turned, startled.

“Are you… crying?”

He barked a laugh, aggressively rubbing at his wet eyes.

“Y-yeah, I’ve just wanted this for so long, you know?” He forced a wobbly smile.

Pink dusted Shinso’s cheeks as he returned it.

Chapter Text

Izuku slid the classroom door open. The chattering voices inside, ones he and Shinso had gotten used to hearing from down the hall, quieted.

The whole class was staring at the two of them. The girl with the zero gravity quirk, Uraraka smiled brightly and so did the tape boy Sero. Before the undeniably awkward introduction of the two students who whooped several of their butts, Aizawa Shouta shouldered his way past the boys.

He covered a yawn with his hand, resting the other on the podium. His bloodshot eyes swept over the room as if daring anyone to … something.

He gestured to Izuku and Shinso who were now standing stiffly at his side.

“As you all know the sports festival was a chance for students out of the hero course to transfer in. You should also know that these two deserve to be here. If any of you disagree you can follow Mineta.”

He looked over his students again, this time really daring.

“Also, most of you have already decided on what internship you’re going to take. Those of you who got scouted chose from those agencies and the rest chose from agencies who agreed to take on interns.”

He eyed the newbies. Izuku realized his class already knew all this and he was just catching them up to speed.

“You two though,” he rasped. “Don’t have the experience of the rest of the class so each of you will be joining a classmate on their internship. Midoriya with Iida and Shinso with Yaoyurozu. They’re the class representative and deputy.”

With that he shuffled the stack of papers on his desk.

“Go sit down. I’ve graded all your homework.”

From his spot in the back of the class, Izuku aimed a cheery smile at his classmate. Iida returned a strained grin over his shoulder. Iida had been acting strangely since after the sports festival. Reasonably of course, his brother was attacked. The Hero Killer had been attracting a lot of attention as of late. Every month or so another handful of heroes were put out of commission, sometimes disabled, sometimes dead. It didn’t help that Stain’s ideology was about destroying false heroes and Ingenium… he was nothing like that. Izuku recognized the agony in Iida’s face. He was glad he could keep an eye on him.

—————

Izuku is not sure how he found himself part of a girls night. All he did was mention that he was still making his costume with the help of a support student and suddenly he was being body slammed by a pink alien. Now he was having his nails painted, hair braided and design critiqued by the entirety of 1-A’s girls plus Mei. Apparently the girls all had advice for him when it came to creating a practical hero costume and took it upon themselves to unleash all this knowledge in the form of a sleepover.

Yaoyurozu, lovingly dubbed Yaomomo, graciously offered her home since it was large enough to host the gaggle of rowdy students. That was an understatement. The house, if you could even call it that, was huge, easily taking up the same space as UA’s main building. Yaoyurozu was actually quite helpful when it came to the costume because she herself was also redesigning her outfit.

Izuku sat in the middle of the circle of girls, who fussed over him as he threw out ideas.

“I don’t see what the problem with a jumpsuit is. Everybody wears jumpsuits.”

“Exactly! Everybody’s done it already. Next!” Ashido cried. The overzealous girl was the one to eavesdrop on him in the first place. Apparently the costumes her male classmates wore disappointed her so much that she “couldn’t let him embarrass himself.”

“A jumpsuit is fine,” chided Jiro. “This one is just ugly.” Her punk rock sensibilities were enough to earn her a place in the “council.”

“The bagginess does nothing for you, honey.” Hagakure chimed in.

Asui croaked her agreement. “Better make it tight.” She gave a sharp tug at Izuku’s scalp making it shriek in pain. He’d only ever had his hair braided once when he was young. The kids at school made fun of him but he looked much shorter. Thankfully, Asui wasn’t giving him cornrows, just French braiding half of his head. In comparison the other side’s curls flared out like a lion’s mane.

“Meiiiii, help meeee!” He whined. She giggled manically, the little shit.

“No, I agree. Tsu’s tight costume is very flattering. Plus it's more aerodynamic. You get around via quirkless parkour, you need every advantage you can get.”

The girls continued their discussion without him, talking over each other rather loudly. Izuku shot Uraraka a desperate look. She responded by laughing in his face (traitor).

“The gloves are a good idea of course, need gloves… he’s more of a kicker though. And lots of tackling… oh! Leg protection!”

Izuku agreed that some form of reinforcement on his legs would be valuable. It would armor his most useful weapon and add more power to his kicks. Some sort of brace technology would help him not over extend and something to absorb the shock of landings would be great. Connecting leg armor to his shoes made sense, keeping it all together and using some of the same material and ideas.

Mei had been frantically sketching in Izuku’s (stolen) notebook. Her scribbling finally ceased and she waved the completed image in his face proudly.

Thigh highs and a matching garter belt.

“Absolutely not!”

Chapter Text

When the day came for internships to begin the whole class met at the train station. Aizawa Sensei told them all to be on their best behavior and then sent them off. Izuku waved to Todoroki before boarding his train to Hosu with Iida. His classmate stood gripping the hanging handle overhead even stiffer than usual. The sun was glaring off his glasses so Izuku couldn’t see his expression from where he was sitting.

The city slid by as Izuku kicked his heels against the seat. Manual’s agency was nothing too special. This was a bit of a relief to him because there had been plenty of high profile hero agencies on Iida’s list and he didn’t want to be overwhelmed or embarrass himself by fanboying. Now that he thought of it, why did he pick Manual? He was a fine hero, no doubt but it made more sense to go for someone who had made it big, right? Maybe he wanted to avoid the sort of attention famous heroes got. Yeah, that made sense. Still, working here wouldn’t be nearly as overwhelming as it could have been.

They started off by touring the facility. The building itself was pretty plain, constructed of concrete with big glass windows that light up the office space. Sidekicks waved and chatted as they typed away at their computers.

“Don’t worry about any paperwork, I’m going to be taking you out patrolling for the most part. I want to get you guys used to the city, make sure you’ve got some hands on experience before I send you home.”

Izuku and Iida nodded. Manual was pretty young, just in his twenties. Even though he wasn’t very famous he was a dependable hero who raised an agency out of nothing.

Heroism isn’t all interviews and flashing cameras, Izuku reminded himself. This isn’t glamorous work but it serves a purpose.

“Why don’t you kiddos get changed into your costumes? We’re heading out!”

Izuku’s costume had been a bit of a hassle to create. He was attached to the look of his original vigilante-ing outfit but he wanted to distance himself from it, not wanting to risk being recognized. The costume was a simple dark green jumpsuit, tight fitting and made from a flexible yet tough fabric. After zipping up the back he noticed some areas on the suit seemed to be padded. After clipping on the breastplate he saw that the denser fabric was protecting his stomach where the flesh was soft. Izuku predicted the fabric was cut resistant to deflect blades.

The suit had a built in hood that sported two stiff spikes of fabric. He’d wanted to ditch the nod to All Might but the nostalgia got the best of him. Remaining in the case was more. A pair of black gloves, the palms and fingertips padded and textured for grip and knuckles reinforced with hard plastic.

The next piece was something he’d been dreading since the whole girls night incident. Thankfully his leg support was in no way underwear. Instead it was sturdy padding that buckled over his thighs and shins. The knees were padded but still flexible. The shins had a hard plate that would add some extra punch to and kicks. The shoes were the best part. Instead of a brand new pair there was an attachment that would go over his sneakers. The bottom was a thick three centimeters and spiked with cleats like Mei’s old design. The attachment extended over the toe in a hard shell like a steel toed boot would.

They fit comfortably with no issues in the size. He only hoped they worked out in the field.

He left the agency locker room feeling a bit anxious for patrol. He’d only ever gone out like this at night and illegally. Now people were going to see him, notice him. He just hoped the added costume would draw too much attention. Thank goodness it wasn’t very flashy.

That being said, quite a few people recognized him on the street. His face was showing with his mask down and he had made it far enough in the tournament to make an impression.

“Hey, it’s the underdog!” Someone called.

Izuku smiled and waved. Although he was blushing a mess it was still nice to have his hard work appreciated.

Even without him the group got attention from pedestrians. Just seeing heroes, not even licensed heroes seemed to bring spirits up. Their costumes were practically beacons, attracting smiles and waves left and right. When he mentioned it to Manual he grinned in response.

“Oh definitely,” he said. “Patrolling regularly mainly acts as villain deterrent but it doesn’t hurt to keep up appearances.”

Manuel tried to be subtle but Izuku saw him sneak a worried glance at Iida and rightfully so. He had been mostly silent during their walk and hadn’t spoken much since they arrived, only chiming in with a handful of questions and remarks.

It must have been rough being back in Hosu where it… happened. He chose to go to Hosu right after…

—————

The city was on fire. Screams echoed past buildings before being silenced by the roaring of flames and… some kind of monster. When things were just barely going to shit Manual shouted that these creatures have appeared before. At the USJ attack. At that point Izuku turned to Iida, who had survived the attack and might know something about these things but he was gone. Lost in the chaos. Manual caught the tail of the armor clad student sprinting away.

“Midoriya, go, track him!” He yelled.

“Yes sir!” Izuku called after, pulling on his mash and running after his classmate.

Calling Iida fast would be an understatement and Izuku knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up. Spotting a fire escape on the side of a building, he jumped up and grabbed the side, hoisting himself up as quickly as he dared. He reached the roof in no time, silently thanking whoever designed this city for putting the buildings so close together. There was a distance of about six to ten feet between each roof which was a distance Izuku could easily leap if he kept up momentum. Even then he felt his thighs strain and his ankles groan at each landing.

“Where are you going?” He mumbled to himself.

If this attack was orchestrated by the League of Villains shouldn’t Iida know to stay and help? He’s fought these guys before, why abandon them now? More pressingly, where the hell was he running to? He clearly had a destination in mind, not hesitating once as he propelled himself through the alleys.

From up here Izuku could see that the chaos was restricted to a couple of areas, probably thanks to the heroes there.

On the roof of a nondescript concrete building, the former vigilante stopped his journey. He could see that Iida had stopped running, the rumble of his engines having quieted. Creeping over the side of the roof he could hear him talking, well yelling actually. His shouts were miles above the scoldings he regularly gave to his class.

Careful to hide himself as he didn’t know what sort of situation he was approaching, Izuku ducked his head close to the roof, letting his eyes peer over. From here he could see Iida on the ground as if he had fallen but he didn’t appear to be making any attempts to get up. Someone else was in the alley, also unmoving, leaning against a wall near the back. Iida wouldn’t stop shouting. He was still on the ground and screaming at someone near the mouth of the alley.

Izuku’s blood went cold.

Images of the Hero Killer had been plastered all over screens after the attack on Ingenium. From his view above the scene Izuku could see blood red fabric drip over muscled shoulders. An unnaturally long and dextrus tongue curved and lapped at the cool night air. The alley was overcome with paralyzing quiet as Stain rasped to his victims.

“A child who calls himself hero, only to die for the sake of petty revenge. You have no right to that title.”

“You had no right to attack my brother!” Iida strained.

“He was a true hero, and now he’ll never walk again! I’ll kill you for what you’ve done!”

Izuku smothered a gasp with a gloved hand. He’d never- Iida wasn’t like this. He should've spoken up, maybe if he had talked to Iida more he would have kept him from this scenario. Whatever the case, now Stain stood over his classmate’s limp, apparently frozen form. He drew a long katana from its sheath on his back. He poised it over Iida’s torso. If the blade came down the blow would kill him but thankfully his desperate hollering covered any noise of Izuku’s movement. Before the Hero Killer could bring down his weapon both of the boy’s feet collided into the side of his head in a devastating kick. Izuku scrambled back as soon as he hit the pavement and the villain toppled. Stain regained his balance quickly, now with a good bit of space between him and his intended targets.

“Sorry I kept you waiting, Iida. Everything’s gonna be okay.” Izuku hissed, fists raised defensively.

Stain signed through his nose.
“Another kid-hero? Do me a favor and save yourself. You’re not the one I have to kill tonight. Don’t prove me wrong.”

His voice was as rough as sandpaper.

“I can’t do that. What kind of hero would I be to abandon someone in need.”

Stain grinned. It was a sickening sort of smile that oozed malice and conviction. Izuku did not want it aimed at him.

“Finally, someone with their priorities straight. You might prove just, hero, but don’t think that’ll stop me from dispatching your counterparts.”

Izuku silently answered his challenge.

[same time different place, shouto’s pov]

Everything was on fire, but this time it wasn’t his fathers fault. Shouto Todoroki was interning with Endeavor, searching for the Hero Killer when pandemonium erupted around them. Three different creatures- the nomus had appeared. They were similar to the one at the USJ except with completely different abilities. Endeavor was doing most of the work holding them off while Shouto tried to get civilians to evacuate. It was hard to concentrate with his father’s shouts of “watch me, Shouto!” and “pay attention.” It was annoying.

Several other heroes had appeared at the scene. They had rallied the nomus together and away from any other buildings or people. Shouto was glad to have so many experienced fighters at their side because Endeavor wasn’t doing so well on his own. His fire was never very controlled and there were plenty of heroes doing damage control.

One of the heroes had a quirk he used to direct the flow of water and was dousing flames left and right. Everyone was distressed but him more so somehow.

“Shouto!”
Endeavor growled.

On instinct Shouto turned away but thought better of it that last second.

“You seem like you can handle yourself, I’m going to see what else I can do.” He called over his shoulder and went to meet the other pros.

The water quirk hero, Manual he was called, greeted him as he approached. He was still busy directing some other heroes but he turned to face Shouto for a second.

“You’re one of the UA kids, right? Do you know Iida? Or Midoriya?”

Shouto nodded frantically.

“Have you heard anything from them? Neither are answering their phones. Dammit!”

Shouto shook his head. They weren’t with their supervisor? Why the hell would either of them go off on their own? Iida always responded within minutes of any notifications and Midoriya… well they both just didn’t seem that irresponsible.

A loud chime. Shouto jumped half expecting a Nomu to jump out from behind him. No, it was just his phone, a text from… Midoriya. A location.

He needs help.

He didn't think. Shouto ran.