Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The month of November is always hard for Aizawa. That was the month he lost one of his best friends and one of his boyfriends. That was the month he lost Oboro Shirakumo.

Usually he would take the day off on the anniversary of his death and mourn. He would make Oboro’s favorite food, play his favorite songs from that one playlist they shared, and watch his favorite movies. Hizzash would still teach, but he was also less excited about everything and was quieter.

This year was different. They had just found out that Kurogiri, the portal villain working for the LOV, was Oboro. Shota and Hizashi had gone to visit him in Tartarus a couple times to see if they could reawaken Oboro, but nothing seemed to work. Now, more than ever, Shota wanted to hide away from the world and not have to think about anything. However, with the introduction of the dorms, Aizawa couldn’t hide away from everyone as easily. His coworkers were always there and would notice his absence faster. He also had his adopted daughter with him now. Shota was sure that if Oboro could have met Eri, they would be the cutest and possibly most chaotic duo ever.

So on the anniversary of his friend's death, Aizawa woke up and got ready to start his yearly routine. Shota had allowed Eri to have a sleepover with Midoriya and Mirio the night before so she was out of the house. Eri had helped Mirio get his quirk back a few weeks ago and she had made remarkable progress in controlling and using her quirk.

Shota was just settling into the couch to watch Oboro’s favorite movie of all time. It was a pre-quirk movie about cats who get catnapped and have to make their way back home. The songs were catchy and always got stuck in Shota’s head.

It was then that his phone rang. He looked at who it was and was confused to see it was Nezu. He had told his boss that he wasn’t coming in today and everything seemed fine so there shouldn’t be a reason for him to call. Curious, and a little annoyed, he answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello Shota-kun, I’m terribly sorry to bother you on your day off, but I have some news that might make it worth it.”

“And that would be?”

“Well I have been speaking to some people about how to possibly bring Shirakumo-kun back and I believe we have found a way to do it!”

“Ok, I’m listening.”

“You might not like this, but the only way that we can bring him back is with the use of young Eri and her quirk. Her quirk should be able to remove the process that turned Shirakumo into Kurogiri and potentially, she might be able to bring him back to life. Of course we would have a team of medical professionals on standby to help once the process is complete, but I would also like to have you there so you can erase her quirk if she loses control.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about Eri doing this, I would need to talk to Hizashi about this before I give my answer. When do you need an answer?”

“Preferably as soon as possible. There is no set deadline on this, but I can imagine you would like this to be done sooner rather than later.”

“I would, but I still need to talk to Hizashi about it. I’ll call him and let you know once we decide.”

“Of course.”

With that, they hung up. Shota waited for Hizashi to come home for lunch like they agreed to earlier. Once he got there Shota had the food ready and they sat down to eat. When they finished, they had some time left, so Shota decided to have the conversation now.

He sat Zashi down, and explained to him what Nezu’s plan was.

“What do you think? I didn’t want to agree to this without talking to you first, and I wanted to be sure we were ready for this.”

Hizashi was quiet for a long moment. (A rare sight at this time of day.)

“I want to see him again, Sho, and I know you do too. But, I don’t want Eri to feel like we’re forcing her to do this, so maybe if we explained it to her, she could agree to do this for us. The other thing to worry about is how our relationship with him will change. When we last saw him, we were dating. It was fine at the time, but now we’re 32 and he will most likely still be 17. That’s just a year or two older than our current students. Both his parents died a couple years ago so he won’t have anywhere to go. Are we going to adopt him or would something else happen?”

Shota had to think. He hadn’t thought this through and was glad Hizashi was bringing it up now.

“We already have Eri, I think she might enjoy an older brother and I can’t think of a better one than Oboro. It might be a bit weird, but we will make it work.”

With that they agreed on the terms and sent it to Nezu. The adults sat Eri down that night and explained everything to her in terms a 8 year old would understand and were relieved that she immediately agreed to help. Nezu scheduled it for the following Saturday so they wouldn’t have to worry about missing class. They also decided to tell Midoriya since he was very close to Eri and wasn’t scheduled to be going home that weekend. He, of course, agreed to accompany them and was excited to see Eri’s quirk in action.

On the day of, Shota, Hizash, Eri, and Midoriya, all got into one of the U.A. owned cars and headed to Tartarus. The medical team was already setting up outside the room. Only Shota, Eri, and a few of the medical team members were allowed inside the room with Kurogiri. Everyone else watched with baited breath from behind the glass.

Eri approached Kurogiri slowly and cautiously and when given her signal, she activated her quirk.

She removed layer after layer of fog until there was nothing but Oboro. She used her quirk perfectly and Shota didn’t need to step in. As soon as she stopped, however, she immediately fainted and was caught by Shota. He handed her off to the medical team as Hizashi and Midoriya rushed in.

“Is Eri ok?” Midoriya asked

“She’s fine, she just fainted due to exhaustion.” replied one of the medics.

Just then, they heard the rustling of fabric coming from the chair. They turned and saw a teenage boy with blue eyes and light blue hair. He had a bandage on the bridge of his nose, and had what looked like an aviator cap on his head. He looked tired and a little disoriented. He looked up and surprise and happiness replaced the exhaustion.

“Shota? Hizashi? Is that-is that really you?” he asked

“Oboro?” asked Shota

“It’s really you, you came back!” exclaimed Hizashi

“Yeah, I’m here. Could you get me out of this straightjacket please? It's really uncomfortable."

“We need to wait for the guards to do that, but once you get checked out, we might be able to go back to U.A.”

“You will need to complete an interview before that can happen.” said someone walking into the room.

“Tsukauchi, what are you doing here?” asked Shota

“I’m here to interview Shirakumo and make sure it’s safe for him to return to U.A. Kurogiri was All For One’s most trusted nomu and I can’t imagine he would take losing him very well.”

With that, he undid the straightjacket to allow for a medical review. Once a basic exam showing that there were no major injuries or complications, the detective put quirk canceling cuffs on Shirakumo before leading him away to a private interview room. Tsukauchi promised that Oboro would be returned if it could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Oboro and Kurogiri were different beings.

The interview finished 2 hours later and it was proven that the goals and intentions of Oboro were nothing like those of Kurogiri. While Oboro had the memories of Kurogiri, they were not the same individual and had vastly different ideals. Oboro wanted to make the world a safer place by being a hero and Kurogiri wanted to follow the commands of his master (AFO) to the best of his ability.

Everyone went back to UA after that. Midoriya went back to the 1-A dorms, and everyone else went to the teachers' dorms for dinner. Eri already adored Oboro, and was not happy that she had to go to bed that night. Once she was asleep, Oboro, Hizashi, and Shota sat down in the living room to discuss a few things.

“So how is this going to work? I’m like 16-17 years old and you guys are…way older than me.”

“Were 32 now, so yeah things are going to be a bit different.” said Shota

“To start, both of your parents died in a villain attack 3 years ago so you can’t live with them.” said Hizashi

“My-my parents are dead?”

“Yeah, we can show you where they are buried later on if you would like.”

“I’d appreciate that…what’s going to happen with me now?”

“We were thinking that if you wanted to live with us, we could adopt you. If we did that, you could join Sho’s class of 1-A or my class 1-C, and you would get to stay with Eri.”

“I would like to have a little sister, and if I were to trust anyone with my care, it would be the two of you.”

“Rockin’, we can get the paperwork started.”

“Now that the issue of where you’ll be staying is covered,” started Aizawa, “I have another question. Do you still want to be a hero?”

“Of course.” Oboro replied almost immediately, “I want to be a hero that can bring light in the dark. I’ve seen the worst parts of society and I can’t just sit with the memories and not do anything to help. I already have some training, but I want to be a fully fledged hero.”

“Then I think it would be best if you joined my class. They are a bit rowdy and loud but I think you’ll get along with them. You didn’t get a chance to talk, but you saw one of my students already. Midyoriya, he was the boy with green hair that you may have seen.”

“I remember him, he looked nice. I would actually really like to be in your class because I want to apologize for everything Kurogiri did. I never wanted you or any of your students to get hurt and I still can’t believe Shigaraki went that far.”

“I know you didn’t mean it and I forgive you. You didn’t do it though, it was Shigaraki, Kurogiri, the nomu, and the other villains that hurt us. Not you. You don’t have to apologize for it. Also you’re getting therapy.”

A chuckle of laughter came from Oboro “Of course I am, I got loads of stuff to work through, but for now, we’re good?”

“We’re good.” both Shota and Hizashi said at the same time.

From then on, November became Aizawa’s favorite month, because it became the anniversary of his best friend (Now son) coming back from the dead.

Chapter Text

“Alright class, that's the bell, Hagakure, please stay behind for a minute.”

Toru stayed in her seat as everyone else passed by. Nobody could tell, but she was incredibly nervous and had no clue why Aizawa would want her to stay behind. Once the classroom had emptied out of all other students, Aizawa sat down in Shoji’s seat that was right next to her.

“Before I say anything else, I want you to know that you are not in trouble.” Aizawa started, “There is an idea that has been brought to my attention and I felt like you should be aware of it.”

That was both reassuring and terrifying. Toru was glad she wasn’t in trouble, but she couldn’t begin to imagine where Aizawa might be going with this.

“And what idea is that Sensei?” Toru asked with as much cheer as possible.

“While I was reading the class’s essays on who would make a good hero duo, I came across Midoriya’s that said you and Yayorozu would make an excellent duo.”

“Me and…Yayorozu? Sensei, I don’t think I get it. Why us?”

“Because unlike many pairings where they both excel at the same or very similar skills, you and Yayorozu complement each other with your differences. You have the stealth capabilities that she doesn’t, and she has the rational thinking and planning skills that you don’t have. Even in terms of smarts you both excel in different things. She is book smart while you are street smart.”

“What does book smart and street smart mean?”

“Book smart is being good at curriculum and learning, Yayorozu excels in this as she has been doing that her whole life. You, however, have more street smarts than her. You grew up learning how to not get lost and how to avoid dangerous places, while she was shielded from that. You could do great things as a duo and I would like to know if you had considered it.”

“Honestly, I really hadn’t ever thought I was going to need a partner since I want to be more underground. Do underground hero’s have duo’s or is that just a limelight thing?”

“Typically an underground hero will work alone most nights, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a duo partner. I have one with Present Mic when we get put on missions together.”

“Really? That’s so cool. Do you have like a name that you use to refer to it or something?”

“Yes, we refer to the duo as Phantom Pulse. Phantom to reflect the silent part that is me, and pulse to reflect Mic’s loud voice and how it pulses through the air.”

“That’s so cool. I hadn’t considered having a partner before, but I think I would like to try it with Yayorozu.”

“Alright, that’s all I wanted to talk to you about, you’re dismissed.”

Toru knew that it would be a big thing to be in a hero duo. She also knew that if she got it approved with Momo that they would be the first hero duo in class. She immediately went to her room and started planning.

‘Ok, step 1 is to find the perfect name for us. It has to reflect both of us, just like Phantom Pulse reflects Aizawa and Mic Sensei.’ she thought.

She wrote down a list of names but each one had a flaw

Invisible Scholar: Momo isn’t invisible and I’m not as smart as her
Glitter & Grace: sounds like a bad sitcom and isn’t heroic enough
The Vanguard: Too heroic and not us

But then it hit her, the perfect name in every. Single. Way. Phantom Forge.

It was perfect, Toru was represented by Phantom in the same way Aizawa is in Phantom Pulse. Momo would be the Forge since she could create any tool they needed. And it referenced Phantom Pulse which was her inspiration in the first place. It was perfect. Now for the perfect way to ask Momo to be her forge. By doing the one thing Momo loved more than a good book, a scavenger hunt.

Thankfully it was a Friday and she was able to spend the night making and hiding the clues. She made sure she would be at the location the final clue led to with plenty of time to spare.

Momo was just returning from breakfast when something on her door caught her eye: a folded note tied with a tiny ribbon. She opened it carefully:

“Step one: Where knowledge shines brightest. Look for the clue hidden between the pages of your favorite book.”

Momo’s eyes widened, she always loved scavenger hunts and she knew just where to go for this clue. The library! She hurried to the main campus and into the library, as she smiled at the familiar quiet. Between the shelves, a classic romance novel she had read her whole life had a note tucked inside.

“Brains and stealth go hand in hand. Find me where the sky feels endless.”

Momo grinned, whoever made this must really know her. She barely needed a second before she had the answer. The rooftop garden! She nearly ran up the stairs in a hurry to get there faster. There, near her favorite bench surrounded by blooming flowers, she found another note pinned to a small potted orchid:

“Training is better with a partner. Head to the field where laughter and sweat meet.”

Momo chuckled at the reference to their sparring sessions. She ran across campus to the field Gamma (the class used this field the most since it had the most space), scanning for the next clue. Her eyes landed on a small, glittery envelope tied to the goalpost. Inside was a tiny trinket — a miniature invisibility cloak made of sparkling paper — with a note:

“Together, we’re unstoppable. Find me where heroes shine the brightest… and you can’t see me coming.”

Momo looked around, puzzled, when a shimmer in the sunlight caught her eye. Suddenly, Hagakure appeared, grinning from ear to ear.

“…Hagakure?” Momo asked, laughter bubbling up.

“…I-it’s a hero proposal!” Hagakure squeaked, hovering in place. “I want us to officially be a duo — Phantom Forge! Brains and invisibility, unstoppable together!”

Momo laughed softly, touched by all the effort. “…You really planned all of this… just for us to be partners?”

Hagakure’s invisible fingers twitched nervously. “…Y-yeah! I wanted it to be perfect… because you’re amazing, and I think we’d be amazing together too.”

Momo stepped closer, smiling warmly. “…Hagakure… I’d love that. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather team up with.”

With that, Phantom Forge was born — and the scavenger hunt became one of their favorite memories, a playful reflection of their quirks, trust, and friendship.

Chapter Text

“We should play in Vino Veritas.” said Mina one afternoon.

The bakusquad was in the common room hanging out and trying to decide what to do that evening.

“I don’t know if you know this raccoon eyes, but we’re all fucking underage. Even if we wanted to, we can’t play vino veritas.” said Bakugou.

“Lighten up Baku-babe, we don’t have to use alcohol, we can stay sober and pretend we’re drinking wine. What if we used sparkling apple juice instead?”

Everyone agreed to that pretty quickly. Bakugou agreed after Kirishima and Kaminari annoyed him enough. Sero and Mina went to the store to get some sparkling apple juice, while the others got some snacks and cups ready.

Once everything was set up, they all sat around as Mina told them the rules.

“Ok so first off, we all have to go. If you have a drink, you say a truth. The truth can be anything you want, but it has to be something that a majority of us don’t know.”

Everyone agreed to those rules and the game began. Kaminari went first. He gulped his cider, slammed the mug down.

“Truth: once I used Sero’s tape to wax my legs. It worked… kinda.”

“WHAT?!” Sero shrieked. “DUDE, I wondered why a whole roll went missing!”

Kirishima was already wheezing. “Was it manly at least?”

“No,” Kaminari said solemnly. “It was sticky.”

Mina downed hers next. “Truth: I put hot sauce in Bakugou’s shampoo last week.”

Everyone froze.

“…THAT WAS YOU?!” Bakugou roared. “MY SCALP STILL BURNS!”

Mina grinned proudly. “Spicy hero, spicy hair.”

Sero nearly fell out of his chair laughing. After calming down, Sero took his sip, smirking.

“Truth: sometimes, when Kaminari’s recharging his brain after frying it, I draw eyebrows on him with a marker.”

Kaminari gasped. “THAT’S why people keep laughing when I wake up!”

Kirishima choked on his drink. “Dude, you gave him angry anime eyebrows last time!”

Kirishima slammed back his cider, grinning. “Truth: I once convinced Bakugou his alarm didn’t go off, and he sprinted to class in his pajamas.”

Bakugou’s face went crimson. “YOU— I KNEW IT WAS YOU!”

Mina shrieked with laughter. “Wait, wait—those plaid pajama pants with the little skulls?!”

“SHUT UP OR I’LL KILL YOU ALL!”

Mina sipped daintily, then smirked. “Truth: once, I replaced all of Bakugou’s grenade gauntlet pins with pink sparkly hair clips. He didn’t notice for an entire training exercise.”

Bakugou froze, eyes narrowing. “…You mean when everyone was staring at me weird in Gym Gamma?”

“Oh yeah,” Sero said, slapping the table. “You looked like you raided a magical girl anime!”

Bakugou exploded — literally — palms sparking, while the others howled with laughter.

All eyes turned to Bakugou. He sneered, chugged his cider, and growled:

“Truth: you’re all dead the second we’re back in the training grounds.”

Mina threw her arms in the air. “CONFESSION OF MURDER, LADIES AND GENTS!”

“LOCK HIM UP!” Sero shouted.

Kaminari collapsed in laughter, Kirishima was crying into his hands, and Bakugou’s palms started crackling like firecrackers.

Mina raised her cider like a champion of chaos. “Another round! Remember: you confess, or you chug.”

“I’d rather die,” Bakugou muttered.

“Good,” Sero said. “We’ll put that on your gravestone: Killed by friendship and sparkling apple juice.”

Kaminari downed his mug, then grinned.

“Truth: I once put Red Bull in my cereal ‘cause we ran out of milk.”

Kirishima nearly spit out his drink. “BRO, DID YOU SURVIVE?”

“No,” Kaminari said gravely. “That’s why I’m a ghost now.”

Bakugou snarled, “You’re just an idiot!”

Sero leaned back, smirking. “Truth: I once taped Kaminari to the ceiling and forgot about him for two hours.”

“YOU PROMISED NEVER TO TELL!” Kaminari yelped.

Mina gasped dramatically. “Wait, was that the day we heard screaming from the vents?”

“Yes,” Sero said proudly.

Bakugou facepalmed

Mina slammed her mug on the table. “Truth: I painted eyeballs on Bakugou’s grenade gauntlets once, so it looked like his arms were glaring at people.”

The room froze. Slowly, Bakugou turned toward her, murder in his eyes.

“…That was YOU?!”

“Yup,” Mina chirped. “You were basically a living anime mech for a week.”

Kirishima collapsed in laughter.

Bakugou growled, chugged his cider in one furious gulp, then slammed it down.

“Truth: I once yelled at a Roomba ‘cause it wouldn’t move out of my way.”

Silence.

Then the entire squad fell apart. Mina was on the floor wheezing, Sero was crying into his sleeve, and Kaminari literally couldn’t breathe.

Kirishima managed, between laughs: “Dude… that’s the most unmanly thing I’ve ever heard.”

“SHUT UP!” Bakugou roared, his palms sparking violently.

Mina sipped her cider after a minute, then smirked. “Truth: I started the rumor that Snipe never takes his hat off because he’s bald.”

The room exploded.

“MINA, YOU CAN’T JUST—” Kirishima wheezed.

Kaminari slammed the table. “So THAT’S why he side-eyed me in class!”

“YOU’RE ALL IDIOTS!” Bakugou bellowed, sparks snapping at his palms.

Kirishima grinned, slamming his drink back. “Truth: I once headbutted a watermelon. Lost the fight.”

Everyone roared. Kaminari actually fell out of his chair, clutching his stomach.

“IDIOT!” Bakugou barked. “WHO LOSES TO FRUIT?!”

“It was a manly fruit,” Kirishima defended, wiping tears from his eyes.

Kaminari shot his hand up like he was in school. “Truth: I once called Aizawa dad by accident… and then just rolled with it.”

The room went silent.

“…You WHAT?” Sero gasped.

Mina spit cider everywhere. “PLEASE tell me he didn’t respond.”

Kaminari put a hand over his heart. “He sighed. Deeply. I think that counts as acknowledgement.”

Sero wiped tears from his eyes. “Truth: I replaced Aizawa’s scarf with toilet paper once. He didn’t notice until he tried to capture someone.”

Everyone screamed with laughter, picturing it.

“I ALMOST GOT SUSPENDED THAT DAY!” Bakugou shouted, remembering the failed capture scarf exercise.

“You’re welcome,” Sero said.

Everyone turned to Bakugou expectantly.

He growled, chugged his cider in one furious gulp, then slammed it down.

“Truth: I made spaghetti once and set the kitchen on fire. Don’t ask how.”

The room went dead silent.

“…How the hell do you set WATER on fire?” Sero whispered.

Kaminari slid out of his chair, already crying with laughter. “BAKUGOU. HOW.”

Mina was on the floor, pounding the carpet. “WAS IT—WAS IT THE SAUCE?!”

Kirishima clutched his chest, red in the face from laughing too hard. “Bro… you’re the strongest one here, but pasta defeated you?!”

“SHUT UP!” Bakugou roared, sparks snapping at his palms. “IT WAS ONE TIME!”

After a few minutes, they all (mostly) calmed down, then Kirishima asked the question they all wanted to know.

“Baku-bro, I’m a little scared to ask, but how did you set the pasta on fire?”

Bakugou was silent for a minute as he internally debated whether or not to tell them, he eventually spoke and told them the truth.

“…Fine. I tried to make spaghetti in the pressure cooker.”

Kirishima blinked. “…With… what?”

Bakugou glared. “…Olive oil.”

Kirishima tilted his head. “…How much olive oil?”

Bakugou’s eye twitched. “…Half the bottle.”

For a moment, Kirishima said nothing. Then everyone burst into wheezing laughter, doubling over on the couches. “BRO—YOU DEEP-FRIED YOUR PASTA?!”

Bakugou shot up, sparks flying from his palms. “SHUT UP OR I’LL DEEP-FRY ALL OF YOU!”

Chapter Text

The common room was dark, except for the faint glow of the streetlamps outside spilling through the curtains. Midoriya sat curled up on the couch with a blanket draped around his shoulders, notebook forgotten on the table. His eyes were closed, but his thoughts kept spinning too fast for sleep.

A soft thunk broke the quiet. Bakugo set a glass of water onto the table, scowling when he saw him.

“The hell are you doing up, nerd?”

Midoriya startled. “K-Kacchan! I, uh—I couldn’t sleep.”

Bakugo scoffed, dropping into the chair across from him. “Figures. You always think too god damn much.”

They sat in silence for a while. The only sound was the hum of the fridge down the hall. Finally, Midoriya gave a small smile.

“Do you remember when we used to walk home from school together? Before… well, before things got complicated.”

Bakugo raised an eyebrow. “Huh? You mean when you wouldn’t leave me the hell alone?”

Midoriya chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah. I guess I did follow you around a lot. But… I always thought you were amazing, Kacchan. Even back then.”

Bakugo looked away, jaw tight. “…Tch. You were a damn pest. You’re still a pest”

For a moment, Midoriya thought that was the end of it. But then Bakugo muttered, softer than usual:

“…But I didn’t hate it. Not really.”

Midoriya blinked, warmth creeping into his chest. “…You didn’t?”

Bakugo groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Don’t make me repeat it. The point is, we were dumb kids. You looked up to me, and I was too much of an ass to handle it.”

There was another pause, this one gentler. Midoriya tugged his blanket tighter and smiled.

Midoriya tucked his knees up under the blanket, voice soft.

“Do you remember… that day at the river? When I jumped in to help even though I couldn’t swim well?”

Bakugo stiffened. Of course he remembered. His fists clenched in his lap.

“…Yeah. Idiot. You almost drowned.”

Midoriya smiled faintly. “But if it were another time… maybe I’d have had a quirk strong enough to pull us both out easily. You wouldn’t have had to… look so scared.”

Bakugo’s eyes flickered, and his voice dropped lower. “…In another time, I wouldn’t have yelled at you for it. Would’ve just… said thanks.”

The quiet stretched, heavy but warm.

Midoriya let out a small laugh, though his eyes glistened. “And in another time… maybe we’d have trained together after school. Sparring in the park instead of me scribbling notes from the sidelines.”

“Tch.” Bakugo leaned back in his chair, scowling at the ceiling. “In another time, I’d have asked you to. Instead of acting like I didn’t need anyone.”

They both sat with the weight of that for a moment, the only sound the hum of the refrigerator down the hall.

Finally, Midoriya tilted his head, green eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. “…But you know, Kacchan? I think I’m glad it happened this way. Even if it hurt sometimes. Because it made us who we are now. Stronger. Closer.”

Bakugo’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. He looked away quickly, but his voice was rough when he muttered, “Yeah. Guess you’re right, damn nerd.”

For once, Midoriya didn’t rush to fill the silence. He just sat there, smiling softly, blanket wrapped tight, watching as dawn began to break over the horizon.

And beside him, Bakugo stayed. No explosions, no shouting. Just two boys who’d walked a hard road to get here, daring to imagine that in any time — past, present, or future — they’d still end up side by side.

Chapter Text

The dorm was still quiet when Ochako slipped on her sneakers. The sky outside was pale, just starting to blush pink at the edges, and she could feel the cool morning air through the cracked-open window. She tiptoed down the hall, careful not to wake anyone.

“Morning, Uraraka-chan.”

Ochako jumped, then laughed when she spotted Tsu waiting by the front door, already in her jacket. “Tsu! You scared me.”

“You’re up early again, ribbit.” Tsu tilted her head. “Same reason as yesterday?”

Ochako nodded, smiling sheepishly. “Mm-hm. I like getting out before the day gets busy. Everything feels… calm.”

Tsu blinked slowly, then pushed open the door. “Then let’s walk together.”

The campus grounds were quiet, dew still clinging to the grass. Their footsteps crunched lightly on the gravel path as birds began to chatter in the trees. Ochako stretched her arms over her head, letting out a big yawn.

“Tsu, you’re so good at waking up early. How do you do it?”

Tsu shrugged. “My little siblings wake up early a lot. I got used to it. Besides, the air feels nice right now.”

Ochako grinned. “Yeah… it’s like the world hasn’t woken up yet, but we get to see it first.”

They rounded a corner near the training field, and Tsu pointed. “Look.”

A family of ducks was waddling across the grass, tiny ducklings trotting behind their mother. Ochako gasped quietly, clasping her hands together. “They’re so cute!”

The two girls stood there in silence for a while, just watching the little parade.

“Y’know,” Ochako said after a moment, “sometimes I wonder if we’ll still get to do things like this once we’re pro heroes. Just… walk around, breathe the morning air.”

Tsu hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe not every day. But that’s why we should enjoy it now, ribbit.”

Ochako smiled, nudging Tsu’s shoulder lightly. “Good point. We’ll make this our little tradition then, okay?”

Tsu’s lips curved into a small smile. “Okay. Our early morning walks.”

The sun peeked over the horizon then, painting the sky in soft golds and pinks. And for a few quiet minutes, Ochako and Tsu just stood side by side, breathing in the stillness, letting the warmth of a new day wash over them.

Chapter Text

Group Chat names

Bakugo- Bakubomb
Midoriya- Green Bean
Kirishima- Manly Man
Mina- Alien Queen
Uraraka- Space Force
Tokoyami- The Bump in The Night
Kaminari- Pickachu
Sero- Discount Spiderboy
Todoroki- Candycane
Jirou- Rock n’ Roll
Iida- Gotta Go Fast

In The Class 1-A-mazing chat

2:03 a.m. – Alien Queen: is anyone else awake? I legit can't sleep and I
m boooreeed

2:04 a.m. – Pikachu- saaaaame I can not get my brain to shut up

2:05 a.m. – Manly Man: Same here. Thought I was the only one!

2:06 a.m. – Green Bean: I… couldn’t sleep either. Been going over last week’s training.

2:07 a.m. – Space Force: I’m up too! Just grabbing a snack 🍪

2:08 a.m. – Pikachui: Ghost town except us! 👻

2:09 a.m. – Rock n’ Roll: Loud ghosts, apparently.

2:10 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: I’m here too… couldn’t sleep.

2:11 a.m. – Candycane: …Same.

2:12 a.m. – The Bump in The NIght: Night is quiet. Observing.

2:13 a.m. – Bakubomb: WHY IS PHONE GOING OFF THIS FUCKING EARLY

2:14 a.m. – Alien Queen: Chill! We’re bonding 😎

2:15 a.m. – Green Bean: Um… maybe we could talk? Not about training… just… stuff.

2:16 a.m. – Space Force: Like feelings? 😳

2:17 a.m. – Manly Man: Ooooh! I love feelings! I have feelings about snacks! And friendship!

2:18 a.m. – Pikachu: Okay, serious mode. I admit I get scared sometimes… even when no one sees.

2:19 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: True. Same here. Night feels… lonelier than day.

2:20 a.m. – Bakubomb: …Hah. weaklings.

2:21 a.m. – Alien Queen: Okay, okay, everyone one truth each. I’ll start: I’m terrified of losing my friends, even though I act all confident.

2:22 a.m. – Rock n’ Roll: …Same. I care a lot, just don’t always show it.

2:23 a.m. – Space Force: I worry I’ll mess up missions and let people down.

2:24 a.m. – Pikachu: I feel invisible sometimes like people only notice when I mess up

2:25 a.m. – Manly Man: Everyone here is amazing. End of story.

2:26 a.m. – Bakubamb: Hmph. …And I guess you idiots aren’t completely useless.

2:27 a.m. – Green Bean: …That counts as a compliment, right?

2:28 a.m. – Bakubomb: Don’t push it, nerd.

2:29 a.m. – Candycane: I worry about being cold or distant… but I don’t want anyone to think I don’t care.

2:30 a.m. – The Bump in The Night: Darkness scares me sometimes, even when I control it.

2:31 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: See? We’re all humans here. Even the Night King.

2:32 a.m. – Alien Queen: Okay, now funny confessions: I once sang in the shower so loud I thought I’d get scouted as a pro singer.

2:33 a.m. – Pikachu: I’ve tried to “borrow” flashlights for training… and dropped them on my own foot.

2:34 a.m. – Manly Man: I practice superhero poses in the mirror. Every morning.

2:35 a.m. – Space Force: I talk to my pillows sometimes… for advice.

2:36 a.m. – Bakubomb: Tch. Pathetic.

2:37 a.m. – Rock n’ Roll: I’ve screamed into my pillow when annoyed.

2:38 a.m. – Green Bean: I… once stayed up all night writing a hero notebook… and forgot to eat.

2:39 a.m. – The Bump in The Night: I… sometimes pet my shadow when I feel lonely.

2:40 a.m. – Candycane: I occasionally eat ice cream at 2 a.m.

2:41 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: …Yeah, me too. Midnight snacks unite.

2:42 a.m. – Alien Queen: Okay, last round: future dreams.

2:43 a.m. – Manly Man: Be the kind of hero everyone trusts.

2:44 a.m. – Bakubomb: I’ll be the strongest, obviously.

2:45 a.m. – Green Bean: I… want to be a hero who inspires others.

2:46 a.m. – Space Force: I want to make people happy. Even small things.

2:47 a.m. – Rock n’ Roll: I want my music to reach people… in any way I can.

2:48 a.m. – Pikachu: …I want to make friends laugh. Always.

2:49 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: Protect everyone I care about.

2:50 a.m. – Candycane: Balance my power and heart, so I can be someone reliable.

2:51 a.m. – The Bump in The Night: Embrace the darkness and the light in myself, fully.

2:52 a.m. – Bakubomb: …Tch. Don’t think I’m letting you all be sentimental without me. I want to protect you idiots too.

2:53 a.m. – Mina: Awwwww 💕

2:54 a.m. – Manly Man: …Okay, now I’m tearing up. We’re such a good team.

2:55 a.m. – Space Force: Promise we’ll always have chats like this? Even when we’re pros?

2:56 a.m. – Green Bean: Absolutely.

2:57 a.m. – Bakugo: Hmph. …Fine. But don’t get used to me being this soft.

2:58 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: Can confirm, feels like family.

2:59 a.m. – Alien Queen: Nighty night, everyone! Sleep tight… if you can 😎

3:00 a.m. – Everyone: …

3:01 a.m. – Gotta Go Fast: ATTENTION, CLASS 1-A! It has come to my attention that several of you are still awake at an hour clearly designated for sleep! This is highly irresponsible and detrimental to your health and hero performance! I ASK YOU TO IMMEDIATELY STOP CHATTING AND RETURN TO YOUR BEDS!

3:01 a.m. - Pickabhu: Iida most if not all of us are already in our beds

3:01 a.m. - Gotta Go Fast: but you still need sleep, please turn off your phones and go to sleep.

3:02 a.m. – Bakubomb: Tch. Damn… the fun police.

3:02 a.m. – Manly Man: But Iida, we’re bonding!

3:02 a.m. -Gotta Go Fast: You are losing sleep and we have class in the morning. Sleep is also very important for the development and sustainability of the human body. I again ask that everyone turn off their phones and go to sleep.

3:03 a.m. – Space Force: We’ll go to bed, Iida… promise!

3:03 a.m. – Green Bean: Yes, sir! Good night, everyone!

3:04 a.m. – Discount Spiderboy: Night, nerd squad 😎

3:05 a.m. – Gotta Go Fast: EXCELLENT. I SHALL VERIFY THAT ALL STUDENTS ARE SLEEPING!

3:06 a.m. – Alien Queen: …He’s terrifying.

3:06 a.m. – Bakubomb: …And he’s right.

The group reluctantly shut their phones, tossing blankets over themselves as the dorm grew silent once more — though a few small, sleepy smiles lingered in the darkness, reminders of a night filled with laughter, confessions,
and quiet friendship.

Chapter Text

It was moving day for class 1-A. After the shitshow that was the summer camp, and All Might's retirement, U.A. had decided to implement dorms for the students.

Bakugou had just finished moving the last of his boxes into his room. He had a lot of stuff to unpack and only one day to do it.

He started by making his bed, then moving on to the desk, closet, and finally he had only decorations left. He might be angry a lot, but he did have taste.

Most of the decorations made sense, posters of various heroes, a few trophies and certificates he was actually proud of, a mini fridge for all the snacks he didn’t want others to eat, and random other knickknacks that he had from trips he had gone on over the years.

When he got to the last box, he wasn’t sure what was going to be in it. He had already put away everything he could remember packing so he wasn’t sure what else he might have brought. He had a feeling that either his parents had sent it with the rest of his stuff to annoy him, or it was mixed up and belonged to someone else.

It was a large box too, not one that would only have a few things. He left for last since he wanted to make room for it and not have everything else in the way. It was also tall, so tall that he needed to ask Kirishima for a step stool before opening it.

Once he finally got it open, he was shocked to see 2 Ikea boxes, and a shitton of blankets..

He hauled the Ikea boxes out to see what they were, and was pleased to find a hutch for his desk and a low table for the room.

But it was the blankets and stuffed animals that really confused him, why did he have so many, and why were they all so thick? His parents knew he ran warm because of his quirk, but they still thought he would get cold easily.

It would be easy enough to give them to the nerd to deal with. He always was cold, so it would be a win-win. He would get rid of the blankets, and the nerd would stop shivering.

Then he saw it. Under the massive amounts of blankets was a singular stuffed animal. He picked it up and recognized it as the one Deku gave him for his 8th birthday. It was a yellow teddy bear with an All Might silver age outfit. He had kept it for some reason over the years, but he never played with it.

He placed it on his desk and didn’t think about it until Deku came a couple days later to see if he had the notes from history class.

“Kacchan can I come in?”

“Yeah, yeah give me a fucking second.”

Katsuki opened the door to let the nerd in. He came in and looked around his room, that's when he saw the bear and stopped.

“Is that the bear I gave you for your 8th birthday?”

“Yeah, what about it?” Katsuki replied.

“I’m guessing you kept it since you found the note.”

Katsuki was confused, he never found any note from the bear.

“No? What the hell are you talking about Deku.”

“You never found it?” Deku asked, looking confused as always. Katsuki shook his head and Deku continued.

“Can I pull out the note to show you?”

“Tch, whatever, just don’t break him.”

Deku picked up the bear and undid the outfit from the back. He then went to the bear's back and found a zipper that Katsuki had never seen before.
“Why the fuck does it have a zipper?”

“I added it before giving it to you. I wanted it to make it easier for you to find the note without ripping open the bear.”

Deku continued to search for the note, he opened the zipper and reattached his fingers inside. After about 30 seconds of searching, he pulled his fingers out and had a small slip of paper and what looked like a playing card in between his fingers. He silently handed them to Katsuki and waited.

Katsuki read the note first, it was faded and yellowed, but it was still readable with Izuku’s 8 year old writing.

Happy Birthday Kacchan,
I hope you like the bear, and have a great birthday. Even if you don’t, I got you something else I know you wanted. You said that you wanted hero card packs and you are really wanting the limited edition Golden All Might card. I got super lucky and somehow found TWO of them. I wanted you to have one so we could both have the full set.
I also wanted to tell you that I think you will be a great hero and I will always look up to you.
Friends forever
Izuku

And just as promised, the card had the Golden All Might from the hero card set. Katsuki kept his set since he knew a full set or almost full set might be worth a lot of money one day. He never found the Golden All Might and it was the one card he was missing. He couldn’t believe that he now had a full collection.

“You know what this means right?” he asked

“You have a full set now and I’m still missing the Gang orca, Best Jeanist, Wash, and Midnight cards.”

“Yeah, but also…you always believed in me.”

“Of course I believed in you. I did then, and I do now. You are going to be one of the greatest heroes of our time.”

Izuku got the notes he needed and left Katsuki in his room to put away the bear. He put the not back inside the bear and put the card in his trading binder for safekeeping. He looked at the bear sitting on his desk and smiled.

Chapter Text

It was not a good day for Izuku Midoriya.

He woke up past his alarm and was almost late to school. Iida was not impressed and Izuku got a small lecture about being on time and how hero students should not be late.

Then during lunch, Monoma started picking on him again and he almost split his lunch on his uniform.

During training, he was partnered with Kacchan (who must have been having a bad day of his own), and he broke his arm…again.

Recovery Girl gave him another lecture about being careful of course, but he was done with the day.

He just wanted to go to the dorm and relax, so he grabbed his laptop and his newest hero notebook, and went to the common room.

He sat down and took note of who was there. Uraraka was working on her art history essay, Kachan was reading a new literature book, and Kirishima was attempting math homework.

Izuku got to work. He started by finding the newest fights from Best Jeanist, Endevor, Ryuku, and Selkie. He kept finding really bad footage that wasn’t helpful. He knew Ryuku and Selkie had developed some new moves after internships. He wanted to see what they were so he could analyze them, but he couldn’t find video of them anywhere. He was getting more and more frustrated with every new video he watched.

He got so fed up with everything and in a voice only sightly louder than a whisper.

“God fucking damit.”

As soon as he said that, everyone looked at him.

“Deku-kun, did you just swear?”

Midoriya’s face turned beet red. “Wh–what?! No! I didn’t— I wasn’t even thinking! It just—slipped!”

“Bro, you just said it out of nowhere!” Kirishima cackled. “Like, no context! That’s even worse!”

Uraraka was already giggling into her hands. “I didn’t even think you knew how to curse!”

“I DO!” Izuku protested. “I just… don’t usually say it!”

“You extras really didn’t know the nerd could swear? He grew up with me, honestly, what else do you expect.”

That sparked something in Kirishima. “Wait—Mido-bro, if you grew up around Baku-bro, you must know all the words, right?”

Midoriya looked horrified. “Kirishima, don’t—”

But Bakugo leaned forward, grin widening. “Yeah, let’s hear it, Deku. Show ’em what real cussin’ sounds like.”

Uraraka nudged him. “C’mon, just one! For research.”

Izuku hesitated. His face twitched. He sighed. Then, under his breath, he muttered,

“…you goddamn walking explosion hazard.”

Bakugo barked out a laugh. “Not bad!”

But Izuku wasn’t done. Something inside him snapped.

Years of biting his tongue, of hearing Kacchan swear like punctuation, just… unraveled.

He pointed at Bakugo. “You’re a total pain in the ass, you know that? Always yelling, throwing sparks around like a—like a pissed-off firework display! You blow up everything in sight and somehow I’m the weird one?!”

Kirishima was wheezing. Uraraka was doubled over, tears in her eyes.

Bakugo, surprisingly, was just beaming. “That’s my protégé right there!”

Izuku kept going, voice pitching up as he gestured wildly. “You’re loud, you’re impulsive, you swear at the wind, Kacchan! You’re like a walking storm cloud with a superiority complex!”

Kirishima gasped between laughs. “He’s gone full Baku-bro!”

Uraraka held up her phone like a reporter. “We are witnessing history.”

Finally, Midoriya stopped, panting. “I— oh my god, what just came out of my mouth?”

Bakugo crossed his arms proudly. “Pure art, that’s what.”

Midoriya buried his face in his hands, groaning. “I’m cursed. I’ve been around you too long.”

Kirishima slapped his back. “Nah, man. You just spoke Bakugo fluently for the first time. Congrats!”

Uraraka giggled, handing him a soda. “You earned this, sailor mouth.”

Bakugo snorted. “Not bad this time, nerd. We’ll work on your phrasing later on.”

Midoriya peeked through his fingers, flustered but smiling. “Please don’t.”

And as laughter filled the room again, the others agreed on one undeniable truth:

Midoriya Izuku had finally inherited the Bakugo dialect — and honestly, it suited him a little too well.

Chapter Text

It had been 31 days since anyone had seen Izuku Midoriya in person.

He was called out for a week-long infiltration mission, but due to new leads and some difficulties with extraction, he had been stuck there for much longer than expected. The class was only told that he was alive and that he should be back soon, but they were growing restless.

They knew he had pushed himself to his limit, it's what he always did. It's what he did best.

So when the door to Heights Alliance finally clicked open that night, the sight that greeted the class didn’t look like the Midoriya they knew.

His hero costume was scuffed beyond repair, the mask hanging loose around his neck. His curls were flattened under a hood. His hands were still trembling faintly, from exhaustion or adrenaline, no one could tell.

But his eyes, still green, still so alive, softened the moment he saw them.

“DEKU!” Mina shrieked before she even realized she was running. Kaminari followed, practically tripping over the couch to get to him.

Kirishima’s voice cracked as he yelled, “Bro, you’re alive!” and crushed him into a hug so tight it almost hurt.

Midoriya stumbled under the weight of it, laughing weakly. “Of course I’m alive…! I told you guys not to worry—”

Bakugo’s voice cut through the noise, sharp and dry.

“31 days, nerd. You’re lucky I didn’t come out there to drag your ass back myself.”

But there was something else in his voice. Relief. Maybe even a tremor he’d never admit to.

Uraraka stood back for a second, watching the chaos with her hand over her mouth — smiling, but with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Welcome home, Deku.”

The dorm exploded with sound again — laughter, shouts, a dozen people talking at once. Someone threw a blanket over Midoriya’s shoulders. Someone else put tea in his hands. He didn’t even know who.

It didn’t matter.

He was home.

Chapter Text

It was Saturday movie night for the Dekusquad. Izuku, Ochaco, and Shoto were in Hitoshi’s room watching My Neighbor Totoro. Iida would usually join them, except he had a family event to attend and was unable to join. The movie was about halfway through when Ochaco asked the question that would change the rest of the night from a calm gathering, to a slightly chaotic mess.

“Do you guys think Iida has a crush on Mei Hatsumei?”

Everyone turned to look at her a Hitoshi paused the movie.

“I mean,” started Izuku, “Iida does volunteer for her experiments more often than not, and it would make a lot of sense.”

“So Iida has a crush on Hatsumei?” asked Todoroki who was oblivious to this stuff as always.

“It would seem so.” said Hitoshi, “So what do we do with this information?”

They thought for a minute trying to think of a good idea. They all thought the two would make a cute couple, but they knew Iida would never confess unless it was the right time. Hatsumei was always too busy with her inventions to pay attention anyway unless they forced her too.

“What if we set them up” said Ochaco with a mischievous grin

The rest of the night was spent planning the perfect date for Iida and Hatsumei. They stayed up planning until 2 am when they passed out on the floor. Over the next 2 weeks, they made sure every detail was accounted for and decided that Ochaco, Izuku, Mina (who found out and wanted in), and Bakugo (who came to make sure nothing bad happened and was bribed by Izuku) would go and watch the actual date to see how it went.

Two weeks later

Iida was nervous, he had been asked to meet a potential sponsor at a fancy coffee shop downtown.

Iida walked in and immediately froze.

“…Hatsume?”

She looked up from her blueprints, equally surprised. “Speedy Glasses? What are you doing here?”

Neither of them noticed their “friends” hiding at a corner table, disguised with sunglasses and an unnecessary number of hats.

“I was told I’d be meeting with a—” he paused, realization dawning. “…You were told the same thing, weren’t you?”

Mei’s grin slowly spread, sharp and mischievous. “Ohhh, I see. We’ve been set up.”

In the corner, Midoriya’s whisper was far too loud. “Oh no, they figured it out already!”

Mina elbowed him. “Shh! Let them talk!”

Iida sighed, but sat down anyway, his posture still stiffly polite. “Well, since we’re both here… perhaps we could at least share a drink? It would be rude to waste the opportunity.”

Mei smirked, leaning back in her chair. “Fine, but only if I can ask you a few questions about your engines.”

He blinked. “My… engines?”

“Yeah!” she said, eyes gleaming. “They’re beautiful. I mean, I’ve dreamed about the mechanics behind them since the Sports Festival!”

Iida flushed to the tips of his ears. “You—you what?”

Mei didn’t notice, already pulling out a small notebook. “The acceleration, the internal cooling system—oh! And the precision of your kicks! I’ve wanted to study them for years!”

“…Since the Sports Festival?” he repeated softly.

That made her pause. She glanced up, cheeks faintly pink under the grease smudges. “Yeah. You impressed me. You were… really cool, you know? Even when you lost, you didn’t give up.”

There was a long pause.

Then Iida smiled — not his usual formal smile, but something gentler. “Funny. I’ve admired you since then, too.”

Her goggles slipped down over her eyes. “Huh?”

“You were fearless,” he said simply. “Confident, brilliant, inventive — you made chaos into art. I’ve never forgotten it.”

Mei blinked. For once, she didn’t have a clever response ready. “You… liked that?”

He chuckled. “I did. A lot.”

The silence stretched — not awkward, but warm. Then Mei grinned, a spark lighting up in her eyes. “Well, if you’ve liked me since then, and I’ve liked you since then… sounds like our friends did us a favor.”

From the corner, Ochacho whispered, “They’re totally flirting.”

Mina squealed softly, “IT’S WORKING!”

Bakugo scowled at them from the next booth. “You idiots owe me a coffee. This is disgusting.”

As the sun dipped low, the “blind date” turned into hours of easy laughter, talk of invention and hero work, and quiet smiles neither of them tried to hide.

When they finally left the café, Mei bumped his shoulder. “You know, Speedy Glasses, you’d make a good assistant for my next prototype.”

He adjusted his glasses, smiling. “And you’d make a… rather unconventional hero partner.”

“Deal,” she said, grinning. “But fair warning — I tend to blow things up.”

“Then I’ll just have to make sure I’m there to help contain the damage.”

Their friends watched from across the street, cheering quietly as the two walked off together — the inventor and the speedster, two opposite forces orbiting perfectly in sync.

Chapter Text

It was game night for class 1-A. Everyone was in the common room for the drama that was about to go down. This week the activity was Jeopardy. They all knew of the old pre-quirk show and decided to play their own version of it with their own questions. They had decided on Midoriya, Bakugo, Iida, and Yayorozu to play since they were all top in the class. Todoroki was also in the top five of the class, but he didn’t want to play.

Aizawa was always at game night since he made sure they ended on time. Iida got competitive and lost track of time frequently so Aizawa made sure they all got enough rest (he also made sure nobody got hurt while playing since tempers often flared).

But this week was special in that Present Mic would not only be attending, but also hosting the game night. Everyone had their favorite snack and got comfy as the show started.

“Welcome everyone, I’m your host Present Mic, and tonight, we’re playing Jeopardy!”

“Tonight's contestants are:”

“The nerding nerd who nerds, Izuku Midoriya!”

“The Bomerianian with an attitude like no other, Katsuku Bakugo!”

“The kid who may or may not be a transformer, Iida Tenya!”

“And what happens when the periodic table comes to life, Momo Yayorozu!”

The contestants stood behind podiums with their names on them. They had fake microphones and a buzzer that would light up the board when pressed.

The game had 3 questions and 6 categories: Quirk or Consequence, U.A. Basics, 1-A Lore, Name the Hero, Who Said That, and Munchies. Each category had questions at 100, 300, and 600 points

Iida chose the first question.

“I’ll do Quirk or Consequence for 300 points.”

“The question is, ‘Name one reason why Eraserhead might have eyedrops in every pocket.’”

Midoriya buzzed in first and said, “What is dry eye?”

“Correct, Midoriya gets the first points of the game. 300 points to Midoriya.”

The game continued on with Midoriya choosing Name the Hero for 600, then Iida choosing U.A. Basics for 100, and so on.

Midoriya had 1,800

Bakugo had 1,400

Iida had 800

Yayorozu had 1,100

By the time there were 2 questions left, neither of the daily doubles had been played and it was Bakugo’s turn to choose.

“I’ll do Munchies for 300 damnit.”

“You just found our first Daily Double, how much do you want to put down?”

“Everything, double or nothing.”

“For 1,400 points, What is Tokoyami’s favorite midnight snack?”

“What are apples and peanut butter?” guess Bakugo since he didn’t know the snacking habits of his feathered classmate and he knew it was a common enough snack.

“Incorrect, would anyone else like to try for 300 points?”

Bakugo ragged swearing and nearly breaking the buzzer

Yayorozu buzzed in.

“What is dark chocolate and black tea?”

“Correct! 300 points to Yayorozu.”

Then it was Midoriya’s turn to get the last question on the board.

“I’ll do U.A. Basics for 600 please.”

“You just got our second daily double, how much do you want to bet?”

After a moment of deliberation Midoriya steeled his mind and gave his answer.

“All in, if Kacchan can go all in, then so can I.” he said excitedly

“Ok, for 1,800 points, Who is the only student to be recommended for the hero course by Aizawa?”

Without a second thought he answered.

“Who is Hitoshi Shinso?”

“Correct! Congratulations Midoriya, you have won this game of Jeopardy with 3600 points. Thank you everyone and have a good night.”

With that the class gave Midoriya a small plastic trophy that said Class 1-A Jeopardy Winner, and Midoriya held it with pride.

Chapter Text

With Todoroki

Todoroki woke up not feeling the best. He knew he was getting sick since he had been sneezing and coughing recently but he had taken some medicine to try and stop it befire it got worse, but it clearly didn’t work. He knew what
happened when he got sick. He mentally prepared for what was to come.

With Midoriya

Midoriya was in the kitchen eating breakfast with most of the class. He was watching his classmates come down and had seen almost everyone. A few of his classmates had already eaten or they were running late. That tracked for Mina and Kaminari, but not for Todoroki. He was never late and always enjoyed eating breakfast with Midoriya.

Midoriya finished his breakfast and then went up to Todoroki’s room. He knocked on the door and was concerned with how warm the door was. He didn’t get a response and got more worried. Todoroki was a quiet guy, but he responded when asked a question. He sai that he was coming in and opened the door.

The door slid open — and a blast of cold air hit him square in the face.

Inside, the room looked like it had been a battlefield for Antarctica and Australia. The right side of the room glittered with frost, icicles hanging from the desk lamp. The left side glowed faintly orange, heat distorting the air above the sheets.

And in the middle of it, Todoroki lay in his bed, flushed and shivering, steam rising from one shoulder and frost crawling across the other.

“Shouto!” Midoriya gasped, rushing forward. “You’re— oh no, you’re overheating and freezing— at the same time!”

Todoroki groaned softly. “Just a fever. It’ll pass.”

“A fever that’s causing weather events, Shouto!” Midoriya said, half-panicking, half-scolding as he pulled his phone out. “You should’ve told me! Or Recovery Girl! Or anyone!”

Todoroki blinked at him through half-lidded eyes. “Didn’t want to bother anyone.”

“Bother— Shouto, the air is sparkling.”

Within minutes, Midoriya had sprung into caretaker mode. He shut the door, stuffed towels under the frame to trap the temperature, and opened the window to keep the air balanced. Then he ran back with ice packs, water bottles, and a blanket.

The blanket immediately froze on one side and steamed on the other.

Midoriya sighed. “Okay… okay, new plan.”

He swapped to a patchwork setup: cold packs on the left arm, a warm compress on the right, and every thermometer he could find in the building sticking out of Todoroki’s blanket cocoon (25 thermometers to be exact).

Todoroki watched in silence as Midoriya darted around the room like a green-haired blur. “You look… very stressed.”

Midoriya stopped mid-motion, pouting. “You’re melting the floorboards, Shouto!”

“I’ll fix them later,” Todoroki murmured, voice muffled under the blanket.

It was lunchtime when the others came back from class and noticed the temperature shift in the dorms.

“Why’s it suddenly freezing and boiling in here?” Kaminari groaned from the common room.

Bakugo scowled. “It’s that half-and-half bastard, isn’t it?”

Midoriya came out of the elevator, hair frizzed from heat and static. “Everything’s fine! Just don’t go into Todoroki’s room!”

Uraraka blinked. “Midoriya, you’re sweating.”

“It’s fine!” he said too quickly, carrying hot water bottles and ice packs into the elevator.

Bakugo raised an eyebrow. “He’s babysitting him, isn’t he?”

“Yep,” Kirishima said, grinning. “Momdoriya mode engaged.”

Inside Todoroki’s room, the chaos had finally quieted down.

Todoroki lay half-asleep, his fever finally beginning to break. Midoriya sat on the floor beside his bed, jotting notes on how to regulate quirk temperatures during illness. Every so often, he’d press a hand to Shouto’s forehead, muttering measurements under his breath.

“…You’re worrying again,” Todoroki mumbled without opening his eyes.

Midoriya blinked. “You could tell?”

“You talk to yourself,” Todoroki said, voice faint but teasing. “And the notebook is on page seven already.”

Midoriya’s cheeks flushed. “I just… don’t want you getting hurt. I’ve never seen you get sick before so I’m not used to it like you are. I also wanted to make notes on how to take care of you if you get sick again.”

A weak chuckle escaped Todoroki. “Sorry. I’ll try not to turn the dorms into Antarctica.”

Midoriya smiled softly. “Good. Because I’m not letting you out of this room until you’re better.”

Todoroki’s eyes fluttered open — just enough to see the stubborn crease between Midoriya’s brows. “…You’d really sit here all day?”

“Of course,” Midoriya said simply. “Someone has to keep the blizzard and heatwave contained.”

That earned the smallest smile. “Thanks, Izuku.”

Midoriya froze, then returned the smile, gentle and genuine. “…Anytime, Shouto.”

By evening, the frost had melted. The air was calm again. Midoriya had fallen asleep at the edge of the bed, head resting against his notebook.

Todoroki stirred, pulling the blanket over both of them — one side cool, one side warm — perfectly balanced.

For the first time all day, the room finally felt normal.