Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Push and Pull
After the revelations about One for All and All for One in the previous chapter, they were excited for All Might to finally pass his Quirk on. As the screen showed them arriving on Takoba Beach, they saw what they had been hoping for.
"So. How do you pass on One for All?" he asked Yagi quietly. "I can just take it from you if you want?"
Yagi smiled. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Since All for One and One for All are 'brothers' so to say, One for All can't be stolen by All for One. It has to be passed down. Plus, even if you could, there's a possibility it would lose the strength it's cultivated from all the users in the last few hundred years."
Izuku nodded quickly. "That makes sense! So, how does it pass on then? Do you touch me- that's how mine works. I just touch someone with all 5 fingers and take it. Do you just touch and give it?" He could practically feel his father perk up in interest behind him.
"Not... exactly. We can do it right now if you'd like," he said.
He jumped. "Huh? R-right now? But what about you-"
Yagi smiled. "Don't worry. It won't leave me once I give it to you. We'll both be able to use it. But eventually, the flames of One for All inside me- they're already just embers. Small sparks. They'll eventually be snuffed out. So it doesn't make a difference if I give it to you now, or a year from now. But U.A.'s entrance exam is only 10 months away." He smiled, "I thought we could take that time to get you used to One for All. I'm very glad you're in great physical shape. If you were scrawny we'd have to waste this time getting you bulked up. But with the way you take care of yourself, I'm certain you could handle the power.... mostly."
Everyone was reassured that One for All couldn't be stolen, as the sheer power it possessed would turn any villain into a world-ending threat. That sentiment was even more accurate for All for One, who was already capable of taking on entire countries. The thought of him having One for All and its stored power was a horrid one, and it was comforting to know that it wouldn't come to pass.
Aizawa now suddenly understood why Midoriya had been so gruesomely injured during the entrance exam. He had not even had One for All for a full day yet! It was incredibly foolish, but of course, he was here to watch. Shota could castigate All Might later. He understood that the time had been necessary to prepare Midoriya's body, but the thought that he could have been better in preparing him to actually use the power was predominant in his mind.
"What do you mean mostly?" Dad asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Well..." Yagi started, "I never had this problem. For some reason One for All allowed me to use its full strength from day one, but Nana described the power as being so great it would destroy her body. She had to train a lot in order for it to not seriously hurt her. It's possible that Izuku might have some backlash problems at first but I think with enough training we can make it so he can use the lower end of the power without hurting himself. He'll need it for the exam."
"I see," his dad said slowly, "How badly hurt are we talking?"
"I... I don't know. In all honesty, Izuku could seriously hurt himself. But I think between the two of us, with everything you know about quirks, and my personal experience with this quirk in general we can train him."
Dad seemed to think for a long moment. "Ok. I'm trusting you on this Toshinori."
He smiled and looked down at Izuku. "Alright. So. Shall we?"
Izuku bit his lip. He was going to do this. No matter how badly he hurt himself. Right here, right now. "I'm ready," he said. "Give me One for All."
Again, Aizawa was grateful that, at the very least, the other Midoriya had his father present to help him learn to use One for All in a safe way. And through watching him, they could learn better techniques for using it safely. Of course, not everything would translate, as he wasn't All for One's son and heir, so he wouldn't be able to use the additional quirks.
Yagi smiled brightly before he took a long look around. "Good, no one else is nearby." He inflated into his All Might form. "Seems fitting to look like this," he said and ran a hand through his hair. Izuku smiled up at him. It was still so odd watching Yagi turn into All Might. He wasn't sure he'd ever be able to get used to it. Yagi smiled at him, and from his head, he held out a single golden strand of hair and said words that would stay with Izuku for the rest of his life.
"Eat this."
Izuku jerked back in surprise. His father gaped at Yagi "YOU PASS IT ON THROUGH HAIR?" Dad asked.
"You didn't know that?" All Might asked.
"No! I thought it worked like mine?" Dad said, his voice getting more hysterical sounding. "That's so gross!"
"You need to ingest my DNA! And this is the most palatable way to do that I thought. I doubt you'd want to eat my skin or my spit-"
Izuku gagged. "Stop- stop!" he cried, grabbing the hair and shoving it down his throat just to make the conversation end. Gross. "That... that was disgusting. Yagi-san I really hope this hasn't been some weird long con prank to make me eat your hair."
"Nope!" All Might laughed.
Kacchan laughed. And by laughed, he full-belly cackled, in a terrifyingly accurate impression of Nezu. Everyone else who didn't know was simply shocked. The fact that such a power was passed on through DNA, and that Midoriya gained his power by eating All Might's hair? Completely unbelievable! Everything about this was completely unbelievable! Now, they were starting to realize exactly how they had never figured out what was really going on. While they certainly noticed that All Might was close to their classmate, and they had similar quirks, they had always settled on simpler explanations, completely ignoring the sheer lunacy that was actually happening!
Midoriya was deeply embarrassed at this. All Might consoled him, saying loudly, "My master made me eat her toenails until One for All finally manifested. It took about an hour to manifest, and every second was terrible!" At this, Bakugo let out a howl of laughter, laughing like a rabid hyena. Monoma, too joined in, though his laughter was not as grating and abrasive as usual. He seemed to be genuinely amused for once, and not just mocking them.
They were going to UA the first Saturday after Izuku received it. Yagi had explained that he was going to be a teacher there next year. Izuku's teacher if he got into UA. So he could go on campus as much as he'd like. He'd also explained that two of UA's staff knew about One for All and who he'd given it to; The principal, Nedzu, and the school nurse, Recovery Girl. (Nothing about All for One or anything regarding him however, that was a secret between the three of them, and Izuku would rather keep it that way.)
Recovery Girl was actually the reason they'd test the quirk on school grounds first. Just in case the backlash was as strong as they thought it might be, they'd need her to keep Izuku from... you know. Dying. Just in case using One for All broke every bone in his body, she'd be nearby to help patch him up.
Once Saturday came, the three of them all piled into his father's old truck, and off to UA they went. All Might got them through its tight security, and soon the three of them stood in one of UA's massive fields.
"Ok!" Yagi said, "I have us here for a few hours. What do you say we try it out?" He turned to Izuku. "Give us a punch, kid."
"Yes!" Izuku said and closed his eyes. He tried to reach inside him for the power. He hadn't ever had more than just Pull inside him and the feeling of more was new. In his head, he could feel the vortex of All for One, and in it, his mother's Pull was swirling around in the void. But... something else was here now. A new power. It fizzled around him, mixing and mingling into the void of himself, unlike Pull which sat neatly, just within reach. Izuku held up his right arm, power coursing through his body. He drew back his arm, gut tightening. He could do this! Plus Ultra!
"I like that you actually have a plan for this. Granted, the plan was probably Midoriya senior's idea, but it's good that there is a plan in place," Shota observed. All Might slumped.
He fired off a punch.
The burst of wind pressure was massive. The ground shook from the air smacking back down on it. It was power, unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was amazing- this was his-
Oh god, his arm was broken. Purple and flopping on his side. Explosive pain- the worst he'd ever felt in his entire life crept up his spine. He might be ill. He was ill, guts spewing up onto the ground under him.
His father was yelling. He couldn't make out the words, his ears ringing in pain. How the hell was he going to do this? His knees hit the ground. "Ouch..." he mumbled. He wasn't sure what was happening. How time worked. How did time work? How long had he been here on this patch of ground, his arm torn to shreds?
"Smooooch."
Wet lips pressed to his forehead.
The pain faded at once. His arm was... fine! He wiggled his fingers, grinning madly.
"Like the Entrance Exam all over again," groaned Present Mic, with Aizawa nodding grimly. The students outside of 1-A were horrified, not being used to the sight of Midoriya's mangled limbs. Monoma looked disgusted, but thankfully it was a stockpiler, and there was no risk of dying if he accidentally touched Midoriya. Tetsutetsu and Kendo were mortified, with even the stalwart steel quirk user thinking it was too much. Hatsume was horrified, for a moment, before of course, wheels and gears began to spin in her mind, and an idea for a baby began to germinate.
"That was way more backlash than I thought!" his father yelled at Yagi.
"Hisashi I had no idea it would be this bad!" Yagi yelled back, "Damn kid, you fired that off at 100%. Once you're feeling better we gotta get you to take a little back."
Izuku forced himself to stand upright again. "I'm... I'm okay!" he said.
"Absolutely not young man!" Recovery Girl- at least he assumed that was who this old woman was, yelled. "My quirk takes up your own energy to heal you! You need to take it easy!"
He shook his head, "No way! We just started!" he said, feeling more steady on his feet. "I feel like I just ran 5 miles but I run that much half the time anyway! I just need like... three minutes and then I want to try again."
His father gripped his shoulder. "Izu, are you sure?"
"I'm fine Dad," Izuku said, putting his hand over his dad's hand. "I want to try again, please."
Recovery Girl sighed deeply. "Toshinori, I can't believe you managed to find a successor almost as reckless as you."
Aizawa looked at All Might and Midoriya, and the two, thoroughly chastised by Recovery Girl's counterpart, had the common sense to look ashamed. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu, however, started to question the boy about his workout routine. With a sigh, he turned back and continued to watch.
Yagi smiled softly. "Are you sure?" he asked Izuku, "It's not a problem to stop-"
"I can do it," Izuku said, more firmly this time, "I want to." Dad and Yagi shared a look before nodding. Recovery Girl only sighed and took a step back, clearly hesitant to walk away completely.
Dad chewed on his lower lip. "Let's not... throw a punch this time," his father said, "Try a finger. That way if it gets out of control, it's not as painful and healing it won't cost nearly as much energy."
"Great idea Hisashi!" Yagi said, "I'm glad you're with us."
Izuku nodded and held out his hand, getting ready to give his middle finger a single flick. He held his wrist to keep his arm steady. His father put a hand on his shoulder "Don't go full power. We know that your body isn't ready to handle that yet. Do you think you can try using less than that?"
"I can try?" Izuku said. He closed his eyes again, finding his mind back in the vortex. He reached out for One for All, this time easier now that he knew what he was feeling for. The power flooded his finger, and his entire arm shook. "Pull back..." he mumbled. Wait... there's an idea. Could Pull help? He reached out for it, the familiar sensation of it swirling around his body. Like his mother's hand on his shoulder. Pull back...pull back... how low could he go? 100 percent felt all-encompassing. 50 percent still makes his body shake. 35 percent is too much. Ten percent burns. One percent- he could handle that.
Izuku flicked his finger.
He could feel the air quiver. His finger didn't break.
"I did it!" he cheered.
Midoriya had already picked up on the trick of using individual fingers on the first day of class, but the concept of percentages had not occurred to him. All Might had said after the exam to find a way to vary his power between 0 and 100, and it seemed so obvious now in hindsight that he wondered how he had not thought of it sooner.
In front of him, Aizawa sighed, relieved that now his main Problem Child knew how to control his power to a more manageable and less destructive degree. The amount of times that he had gone to Recovery Girl was high, for a first-year, and the USJ was an isolated incident. Something told him that there was more on the horizon. The League of Villains would surely rear their heads again.
Every Saturday was the same. Wake up, go to UA, and practice using One for All, and then the three of them would go and get Katsudon. Progress was slow.
…
"My crybaby," he added with a playful laugh. "Izuku, I understand you're frustrated. We'll get through this. The three of us."
Midoriya could relate to his counterpart very deeply. He was struggling to make One for All work, and he had yet to find a solution. The thought that he was a failure was frequent, his insecurities tormenting him as his attempts to improve proved fruitless. Though he was somewhat soothed to hear the voice of his other father reassure him so.
"What if I can't do it?" Izuku asked, more tears spilling down his face. "What if I never get it? What if you picked the wrong person?" he asked.
Yagi frowned and leaned down. He grabbed Izuku's face in his long skeletal hands. "Young Izuku, I am not a perfect person. I have a lot of regrets. I have failed, and I have been wrong many times in life. But this?" he said, "Picking you as my successor? It's the best choice I have ever made."
A sob broke from Izuku's throat. Yagi was too kind to him. Izuku was a fuck up. He'd stolen All Might's power and he couldn't even use it. But All Might believed in him. Still, even months later he still thought Izuku could do it. "I'm sorry..." Izuku cried softly.
Dad and Yagi both hugged him. Dad wrapped his arms around him, and Yagi around his neck. "Izuku, you have no reason to be sorry," Yagi told him. "It's okay. Do you want to take today off?"
Not pity- Izuku hated pity. It reminded him of being quirkless. You poor dear, and you had dreams of being a hero? I'm so sorry Izuku... It reminded him of after Mom died. I'm so sorry, you must feel awful. Do you want to take it easy? He was not to be pitied.
"No," Izuku said firmly. "I don't- I can't! We only have six months until the exams. I need every second-" He pulled himself from their grip. He put the water bottle down and stood up. He wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his hoodie. "I'm never giving up... I'm never giving in."
Yagi smiled, and said something that would stay with Izuku for as long as he could remember. "That's exactly why I picked you."
As his counterpart voiced those same fears, he felt a stab of guilt, bracing for the weight of All Might's coming rejection of him. And when Yagi stood by him, he felt his doubts dissolve, momentarily forgotten. His tears began to flow, slowly. He didn't notice, transfixed by the vision of his other self.
"Let's go kick ass." He held out his hand to pull the water bottle toward him. He would take today with his entire being. Throw himself into every exercise. His whole body-
The water bottle didn't move.
Instead, the entire truck was pulled towards Izuku's hand. Dad and Yagi jumped out of the way as Izuku dragged it to him. Izuku looked down at the truck. "...Did you see that?" he asked them.
"You... You pulled the entire truck," Dad said, his eyes wide. "Can you even lift the truck?"
"I'm strong, yeah, but I'm not that strong!" Izuku said back. "I just-" He grinned. "I have an idea."
Dad raised a brow but nodded along. They moved the truck back into place, and ran off toward their normal field. "So, what's this idea?" Dad asked, as he and Yagi sat off to the side. "You seem fired up."
Izuku grinned and turned toward them. "I was thinking that I have to put my entire self into this. If I'm only using a little part of my body to hold all that power, it's like it can't handle it. My finger can't handle more than one percent, but if I use my whole body at a low percentage maybe I can up how much overall power I can put out. Even if I can only get to five percent, that might be enough. Especially if I combine that with Pull, I'll have enough to compete with UA's students."
"What if you break all of your bones?" Dad asked, "I just don't want to see you get hurt like that."
"That's a risk I'll have to take," Izuku said, "One for All... five percent." He closed his eyes and fell into the void of his mind. That crazy power that filled his veins. Power coursed through his entire body for a moment. He opened his eyes, as green electricity sparked off his body.
Yet another idea that made him jump for joy. As he saw All Might's wide grin at the edge of his vision, he smiled, confident that he would succeed. His mentor leaned over and whispered, "I have been waiting so long for you to figure that out. Fortunately, it seems like your other self is a better teacher than I am!"
Dad and Yagi both stood up. "Can you move like that?" Yagi asked.
"I dunno," Izuku said honestly. He took a step forward. He felt energized. Light. But he wasn't breaking. "It doesn't hurt!" he cried and took off. He ran through the field, and he was fast. He jumped, soaring about ten feet into the air. He landed into a roll and stood up again. "THIS IS GREAT!" he cried and turned running back towards them. "LOOK!"
"He's really doing it!" Dad said.
Izuku jumped in front of them, the power fading. He smirked and tapped Yagi on the chest. "Tag!" he cried before the green electricity of One for All covered him again. He ran off, and looked back at his teacher.
Yagi looked down at his chest where Izuku had tagged him. He blinked a few times before he grinned. "Oh my goodNESS-" He inflated into All Might. "I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!" he turned and began to sprint at Izuku.
He laughed as he tried to outrun All Might. It was clear All Might was holding back for the sake of the game, but Izuku had fun all the same.
And thus, Full Cowling was born.
The silly scene of Midoriya playing tag with All Mightmade the entire theater giggle. While it was obvious that his mentor was holding back, it was still a funny sight. The Symbol of Peace, using his powers for a game of Tag, of all things, was uproariously funny.
Soon, the UA Entrance exams were upon them. Izuku was going to pass. He told himself that in the morning while getting ready. He told himself that in the truck sitting behind Dad and Yagi. He told himself that when they waved to him as he walked away from the truck.
HE WAS GOING TO PASS DAMMIT. HE WAS GOING TO-
"STOP STANDING IN MY WAY, DEKU!" Kacchan yelled.
…
"I talked to a girl!" Izuku whispered reverently under his breath.
Everyone tensed minutely when Bakugo appeared, but relaxed when Deku replied so casually to his taunting. His first meeting with Uraraka, and his reaction garnered laughs. He was so adorably shy around girls that it made everyone laugh (save for Mineta, who since they had arrived, had been bound and gagged).
Kacchan rolled his eyes, "You're so fucking pathetic." He grabbed Izuku by the collar and dragged him along. "Come on nerd, we have a test to pass. I'm obviously going to get the top score so shoot for second place and we'll crush the extras."
…
"Awwww, thanks Kacchan!"
The interaction between the two, so very similar to the ones they knew, but so much healthier was quite unusual for the other students of 1-A. All four of the other students had little frame of reference as to how they usually behaved, not really having seen much of any other classes thus far in this term. But still, they did notice the slight differences between the two versions, such as the other Midoriya not being nearly as nervous around Bakugo as the one they knew.
Turned out Kacchan would have to wait to see him in action. They were sent to separate grounds for their practical exams. The area they'd be fighting the robots in were massive cityscapes. Izuku ran towards the front of the group, stretching his legs and getting down into a lunge before switching to the other. His plan was simple. Run in there and pull as many robots as he could towards his fist, and punch them with Full Cowling and hopefully, that would be enough to destroy it.
HE WAS GOING TO PASS GODDAMMIT.
He looked up from his stretch, his eyes landing on someone just a few feet ahead. The cute girl! He smiled. She had saved his face earlier from certain doom on the sidewalk. He took a step forward. He should wish her luck.
"What do you think you're doing?" A voice asked, a firm hand on his shoulder. Izuku turned and was met with the handsome face of a taller student. Strong jaw, dark hair, undercut, glasses... Athletic build. Handsome. "You didn't come to obstruct your fellow test takers did you?"
"Hey, Iida, it's your big introduction!" Uraraka chirruped. Tenya sighed and, turning to Midoriya, said, "I'm sorry for what I said that day. I was quite nervous, you understand, and I know I can be quite strict and harsh."
Izuku easily waved off the apology, as Iida had already apologized after the exam. Besides, he had a feeling his counterpart would be a bit more eloquent than he had been.
Izuku gaped. Obstruct her? If anything this guy was obstructing him! Handsome or not, Izuku didn't take that shit! (Maybe he'd been picking too many fights with Kacchan and that little pomeranian was rubbing off on him.) "No. I was going to wish her luck since I met her outside," he said simply, "Mind your business. You're kind of rude, you're lucky you're so handsome."
…
Izuku laughed, feeling giddy. "So? I still want you to pass. Honestly, I want everyone to pass. The more people who pass here the more people who can become heroes. The more heroes the better the world, right?" He grabbed the glasses guy by the wrist and hauled him up on his feet. "Do great handsome guy."
Everyone in the audience audibly and visibly shuddered at the thought of Midoriya behaving more like Bakugo. Even Midoriya himself was not quite comfortable with the idea, even though Kacchan remained his image of victory.
The following few minutes were surprising, as everyone knew that their Midoriya hadn't scored any villain points. So seeing one who was blitzing the robots so effectively was quite jarring. His point to Iida was a good one, and many agreed heartily with it.
Tsu spoke up, asking, "So Midoriya, do you find Iida handsome?"
Midoriya turned red and started muttering faster than usual, but eventually calmed down and confirmed that, while he did think Iida was attractive, he would prefer they remain friends.
With that, Izuku was off, not giving him a chance to respond. Their time was running out soon and Izuku needed more points. He'd been destroying robots left and right, so he was sure everyone else had been as well. He needed more points if we were going to make it. Izuku was brought out of his musings by a scream.
"RUN!"
The ground underneath him shook wildly. A massive zero-point robot came onto the scene, knocking into the buildings around it. Crap. That thing was massive. Izuku turned on his heel ready to run. Zero points meant not worth engaging with.
"Oof!"
He glanced back. The cute girl was there, pinned under rubble. She couldn't move. She must have worn herself or her quirk out too much from destroying the robots.
Once again, his legs moved before he could think.
In the vortex of All for One he called forth One for All. 5% wouldn't be enough. 20% in his legs. He could feel his bone splinter. He didn't care. He jumped. It was enough to get him into the air, heading right for the zero-pointer.
100%- no time for holding back- in his arm, and he punched with all his might. The wind pressure sent him back as the zero-pointer folded in on itself. He did it. He saved the cute girl.
He was falling. His legs were fractured and his arm was soup. He was falling to his death.
Sorry, Dad. Sorry, Yagi.
Would his funeral be big or small?
The ground was coming fast. He could move his legs. Maybe if he landed on them they could absorb the shock. They'd be broken but he'd live-
He stopped just short of the ground, weightless.
"R-release," the girl said.
Izuku thumped to the ground. He was on his back, her cute round face over his chest. "Th-thanks," he said to her, unable to feel anything.
Then she puked on him.
Everyone who didn't know of his valiant rescue of Uraraka had their jaws dropped on the floor. Those who did were sporting various looks of exasperation with the infamous bone-breaker, who was at this point already a good 30% of Recovery Girl's caseload.
Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were the first to break the silence, and they of course said the most predictable thing they could ever have said.
"That was SO MANLY!!!"
"Stepping in to save someone…"
"…even though you knew you would injure yourself…"
"…now that's heroic!"
"And real foolish. If he pulls something like that, as a student or as a hero, he could – no, would get seriously hurt and maybe even killed," Aizawa interrupted, growling out the last word.
"I AM HERE!" he yelled, "With a letter!" Izuku dropped his half-eaten toast, running from the kitchen so fast he might as well have been using Full Cowling. Yagi stood in the hallway holding up an envelope. "Figured I'd drop by in person. They had me recording messages for all the exam takers," he said, "but since I'm here all the time anyway I thought me in person might be better suited."
"Toshinori!" Dad smiled. "I'm glad you're here. Are you hungry?"
"Starved!" he said cheerily.
"Did I pass or not?" Izuku asked, skating Yagi by the arm."You can eat after, did I pass or not?"
Yagi only laughed. "Well, why don't you tell me?" he asked and handed him the envelope. "It's the top ten scores," he said.
Kaminari, with the help of those around him, began to take bets on who got what placement. Hagakure had to be reminded that Momo and Shoto had taken the Recommendation Exam, and were probably scored and admitted separately because it was a completely different test. She reluctantly put her money on Bakugo, knowing that he got a large amount of points. Bakugo himself chose not to get involved in betting, instead deciding to split the pot with De- Izuku.
Izuku tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter. His name was the first thing he saw there.
Midoriya Izuku; 45 Villain points. 75 Rescue points. Total 120. Bakugou Katsuki; 77 Villain points. 0 Rescue points. Total 77. Kirishima Ejirou; 39 Villain points. 35 Rescue points. Total 74.
Not only did he get the top spot, but he also beat Kacchan out by 43 points . Tears sprang into his eyes. His father jumped to his side, reading over his shoulder. Dad laughed, grabbing Izuku around the stomach and lifting him up into a hug "Izu!" He cried "You did it! You got the highest score too- oh Izu your mother would be so proud of you."
At the mention of his mother, Izuku sobbed harder.
"Great job Izuku," Yagi said, inflating into his massive All Might form. He grabbed both Izuku and his father and pulled them into a bone-crushing hug. "You've made us all so proud," he said.
Izuku couldn't speak. Every time he opened his mouth all he could get out was another sob. He did it. He passed. He was going to UA.
He was going to be a Hero.
Those watching were not celebrating. After all, they already lived in a world where Midoriya had made it in (his classmates counting their blessings for this daily). The primary focus of most of the audience was on collecting the money that was owed. Almost no one had bet on Midoriya, and aside from those few people getting a refund plus some extra, the rest of the pot was split between Midoriya and Bakugo.
Of course, while the money was being collected, Aoyama approached Midoriya and All Might and began to speak in hushed voices. They seemed to not want their conversation to be heard, but no one seemed to notice. Once they were finished, Aoyama went back to his seat, and Yagi leaned over to Eraser, who began to type rapidly on his phone.
Magnus smiled. He had given Aoyama some good advice that would hopefully help them gain an advantage. Soon, the boy and his family would be free.
Chapter 5: Chapter 4: The Ice Prince
All Might and Aizawa sighed. They had suspected there was a traitor within the class, but to have their suspicions confirmed was heartbreaking. What had truly broken their hearts was the tale that Aoyama had told them, of a Quirkless child whose parents had effectively sold their souls in exchange for a Quirk. Midoriya had been sobbing relentlessly in one of the side rooms for half an hour after he left the theater, and had come back looking much worse for wear.
But they steeled themselves, because there was more for them to learn, more information that could be useful. So, they sat down, and began to watch.
Izuku fumbled with his tie in the mirror. He'd never been any good at this, no matter how many times his dad showed him. He gave up and sighed, the tie hanging loosely around his neck. He settled for ruffling his hair in the mirror. He'd had it cut before school- he figured new school year, new him right? Plus being a hero meant all those curls would get in the way. He'd insisted it go short. At least on the sides, cropped above his ears with a long poof of messy curls on top.
It made him look older.
As old as he could with his still very soft and round cheeks and the smattering of freckles courtesy of his father. He sighed loudly. He'd be doomed to have a baby face forever, wouldn't he? Ah, well.
This domestic scene helped them to focus, as the anguish of Aoyama was banished for the moment. Most of the students were complimenting Midoriya's looks, the girls adoring his 'baby face'. Ashido was suffering a fatal cuteness overload at the thought of Midoriya as an actual child.
"Izu?" his father called, knocking on the bathroom door. "It's almost time to go," he opened the door and smiled upon seeing him. "Look at you, son. You're a high schooler now. I can't believe it." He approached him "Need help with your tie?"
"Please," Izuku said "I can't get it. It just looks stupid when I do it."
Dad laughed and leaned down to fix it. Izuku could smell the fire in his father's throat, calming his nerves a little. He tied the tie with ease, then smoothed it down his chest. "There we go. Picturesque," he said with a laugh and ruffled Izuku's short curls. "I do miss the mop top."
"Absolutely not. No more broccoli hair for me."
His father laughed again, harder this time. "What, you wouldn't want to be Broccoli Man: the Vegetable Hero?"
Most of the theater laughed at the idea, finding it a little silly. The warmth of the interaction was heartwarming. Todoroki was looking contemplative, envious of Midoriya for having a better father. Then again, it was easy to be better than his sperm donor/abuser.
"Want me to drive you?" Dad asked "I don't have any appointments until later. Plenty of time to drop you."
Izuku shook his head "It's ok. It won't take me long if I leave now. It's only one train ride, and the station isn't far from the apartment," he said and pushed past his dad to leave the bathroom. He grabbed his signature yellow backpack, prepacked last night..
"If you're sure," he said, "Do you have everything?"
"Yep! All packed!" he replied and walked into the living room. In one corner of the room was a small shrine, a picture of his mother, looking young and beautiful, sat there. Izuku stopped, sitting in front of it. "Ok, Mom... I'm going to UA today," he said softly.
Izuku could feel his father's eyes on him.
"I made it... I know if you were here you'd be so happy... Dad and I miss you all the time." He sat there in silence for a minute. "Ok. I'm gonna go. Wish me luck," he stood and ran to the front door, slipping on his bright red sneakers.
"Izu," his father called. Izuku looked up only to be met with his face being pulled into his dad's chest. Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders and squeezed tight. "Good luck."
He hugged back and smiled into his dad's chest. He could do this. "I'll see you after school," he said softly.
"I look forward to it."
Izuku pulled back and with one final wave, he was out the door.
The quiet moment of remembrance for his mother made Midoriya's heart break. He didn't know what he would do without her. Nobody spoke, not wanting to disrespect Mido's mom. She was clearly a lovely woman, and the few times he had mentioned her, he had spoken only praise of her.
"You shouldn't put your legs on the desk! It's rude to your classmates as well as the school!" The handsome guy with the glasses stood over Kacchan, his arm chopping in the air as he scolded him. Izuku couldn't help but smile.
"Who cares what you think you two-bit extr- DEKUUU!" Kacchan's eyes landed on Izuku. He sprang up from his desk, stomping up to him and grabbing him by the front of his jacket "Just what kind of stunt are you pulling huh? Scoring higher than me on the entrance exam huh???" He yelled in his face. Izuku sighed deeply. Never change.
He grabbed his wrist, pulling it from his jacket "It's not a stunt Kacchan."
"Don't call me that here," he snarled.
"Kaaaaaaaacchaaaaaan," he drawled, giving him a shit-eating grin, "Anyway, no stunts involved. I just did better than you. Maybe get better yourself before you worry about what I'm doing, hm?"
Bakugo seethed in silence. Though he could see that this relationship between him and the Chosen One was a lot healthier, he was still irritated by stuff like that. Being so casual while lording your superiority over him always infuriated him, challenging his idea of the world. If he wasn't the strongest, what worth did he have?
But he was slowly learning that this was not the case. Perhaps… All Might could be right. Power and victory wasn't what mattered, but force of will and determination. Chosen One over there may not have been born with a quirk, but his hard work made him worthy of inheriting One for All, worthy of standing in the ring with him.
Shitty Hair and Dunce Face, as annoying as they could be, were pretty cool themselves. Not that he'd ever say so where others could hear, but… they were alright. They definitely weren't extras, and they certainly complemented his skills, Kirishima especially. Perhaps having sidekicks wasn't a sign of weakness like he thought.
Completely unaware of Bakugo's thoughts, Midoriya was in shock at the easy friendship his counterpart had with Kacchan. Being able to insult Kacchan in his face when he was already mad? That was something he would never dare to even think of doing! Did it really make such a difference just because he had a quirk? (Internally, he knew that yes, it had. But that was more on Bakugo and Aldera than it was on him.)
The glasses guy was on him in a moment "Ah! You!" he said and bowed his head, "Thank you so much for your help during the exam. I must also apologize. You scored the highest with all of those rescue points. I thought you were just showing off at the time but now I see you saw the test for what it truly was! I have so much to learn from you! My name is Iida Tenya. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," He grabbed Izuku's hand and shook it hard.
"Uhh... thanks? I'm Midoriya-"
"Ah!" Another voice called from the door. "Curly-haired kid!" She said and ran to his side grabbing the hand that Iida wasn't currently holding. "I'm glad you're here! I wanted to thank you for saving me at the exam!" she said happily.
"What the fuck are they talking about Deku?" Kacchan snapped.
"Oh during the exam I-"
"I wonder what kind of teacher we'll have!" The cute girl said. Wait, she was still holding his hand. His entire face was turning pink. Cute girl. Talking to him. Touching him. Handsome Guy was touching him too actually. Oh god. Oh god, he was too bisexual for this. "Do you think the opening ceremony will be fun oh-"
Iida was just barely able to restrain himself from entering into a little speech and was beaten to the punch by All Might. "Do not forget, students, there is a reason why we are called Heroes. When someone is in danger, we go to help them!" Everyone nodded, Aizawa adding, "But this does not mean you rush in like a fool. Be smart, and use every advantage you can to make sure both you and the citizens are safe!"
When Midoriya began to blush onscreen, everyone laughed, knowing that their Midoriya was just as bad. Only when he mentioned that he was bisexual did they stop, realizing that he was not quite as he seemed to be. True, he had called Iida handsome earlier, but they had just played it off as a friendly thing. Could their Midoriya also be bi?
Something yellow was crawling on the floor outside of the classroom. He blinked. What the hell was that? He pulled the cute girl and Iida behind him on instinct.
"If you're here to make buddies, leave," it said. Was it a person cocooned in a yellow sleeping bag? The man stood up, stepped out of the massive bag, and tossed it behind the teacher's desk. "I'm Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. Welcome to the heroics course. Go get your gym clothes on and meet me outside," he said and left without another word.
What a weird guy. Was he a pro? He had to be, to work here. He sighed and went to leave the classroom, but no one else was following, still processing everything that happened. He looked back over his shoulder "Well, you heard him," he said, and stalked off to the locker room.
The Students of 1-A were completely unfazed by this. Monoma, Kendo, Tetsutetsu, Shinsou and Hatsume, however, were completely caught off guard. They had not seen Class 1-A at Orientation, but they hadn't expected their sister class to start work on the first day.
Izuku ended up being the first to meet his teacher outside. He began stretching at once. He'd been instructed to put his gym clothes on so they must be about to do something physical. Maybe a day one test? He'd been in classes like that in middle school. Something ungraded, just there to gauge how much you already knew. That made sense.
Another person joined him in his stretch. Izuku glanced out of the corner of his eye. His heart stopped.
The most attractive person he'd ever seen was standing next to him. He was tall, with a head of white and red hair split down the middle. One eye was grey and the other an icy blue. The blue eye had a gnarly red burn scar around it but it seemed to only make him more appealing. Pale skin and nice arms. He reminded Izuku of a prince. Was everyone in the hero course this stupidly good-looking?
"That's just unfair," he mumbled.
"Excuse me?" the handsome boy asked, his voice cold. An ice prince, apparently.
Izuku went red in the face, standing up straight like he'd been electrocuted. "N-nothing!" He was met with a glare before the boy turned away from him. Great, just great. He meets the most handsome boy in the world and he's already pissed him off. Just his luck.
The other students finally met them outside, saving Izuku from more awkward interactions with pretty-boy-scar-face.
"We're doing a quirk apprehension test," Aizawa said once they'd gathered around.
The evidence for Midoriya being bisexual continued to pile up, as his first interaction with Todoroki left him flustered. Todoroki was intrigued that Midoriya found him attractive, even with the blatant scar over his eye. The five students from the other classes understood now exactly what they were doing, and they now wished they had done the same, rather than listening to Principal Nezu for hours on end. This somewhat explained how 1-A had gotten so far ahead of 1-B, given that they had had a slight head start.
"Uh sir, what about the entrance ceremony?" the cute girl (Izuku really should find out her name) asked.
Aizawa gave a noncommittal shrug. "If you're going to be heroes you won't have time for such frivolities," he said simply "You're all familiar with U.A.'s reputation for freedom. That applies to the teachers as well. We're going to do a few simple middle school tests, but here's the catch. Whoever scores lowest… is expelled." A gasp rolled through the students.
Izuku frowned. He should be fine... even without Full Cowling, he was pretty athletic to begin with. He was pretty sure he'd place in Not Last without it. And with Full Cowling he might even place decently well.
"You're really going to expel a student on the first day?" Iida asked.
"Expelled my whole homeroom class last year. UA takes my expulsions very seriously," he said with a shrug "Let's get to it. Midoriya," he said, "You got the top score on the practical exam." Izuku felt his peers' eyes on him. "How far could you throw a baseball in middle school?"
The threat of expulsion on the first day still rung true, even for those in Class 1-A. They were still operating under the assumption that he had been lying, but to hear that he had done so in the past was terrifying. Then, Aizawa-sensei spoke up, and their scattered conversations hushed.
"I would only expel a student if I thought they had zero potential. This year, every one of my students had at least some potential, so none of you were expelled. So I said that it was a logical ruse to make you feel better. If one of you didn't show any potential, I would have expelled them. After all, it's cruel to let someone keep dreaming of something that will never come true."
This made sense to them, though they were of course still terrified that they could have actually been expelled on the first day of class. This fear extended especially to Class 1-B, who knew they were a bit behind 1-A in regards to combat, and they might not have made the cut had they been in 1-A.
Izuku thought for a moment "Uh... I dunno 50 metres?"
Aizawa held up a baseball. "Throw it, with your quirk."
Izuku nodded, taking a step forward. He held up his hand, pulling the ball into his palm before Aizawa could even toss it. How best to do this? 5% of One for All was pretty strong. He felt into the void, calling the strength and letting it pile in his entire body. He reeled back, ready to let loose when pain erupted in the side of his head like a knife. He looked back at Aizawa then-
Nothing. The pain vanished. One for All vanished. Full Cowling- Pull- All for One. He couldn't feel any of it. Aizawa's eyes were glowing red, his hair floating around his head. Why couldn't Izuku feel- it hit him like a truck. A wide grin spilled onto his face.
"You're Eraserhead!" he said, lowering his raised arm.
Midoriya flushed red, beginning to explain what he had done during his exam. All Might looked exceedingly proud, while Aizawa's smile looked almost manic. Even Hatsume was disturbed, though only slightly.
That seemed to surprise Aizawa, making him blink. The feeling of having his quirk given back and then taken away again immediately did not feel good.. "...How do you know me?"
Izuku blushed a bit "Sorry- sorry I know you're underground uh... My dad, he uh- he met you once. You hired him- gosh I dunno how long ago it was I think I was like 9... Anyways, my dad Midoriya Hisashi is a qui-"
"The quirk consultant?" Aizawa asked before humming "Yeah I suppose. I thought the name Midoriya was sorta familiar. You don't look like him."
He rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah well... I take after my mom. But I remember your case. It was one of his first- he recommended a support agency that was able to make you better eye drops. It took him a few weeks because your eyes actually have a slightly different chemical makeup than most. Something with your quirk factor. Normal eye drops weren't cutting it."
"...I remember."
Izuku smiled, "I'm glad. Erasure right? It works by maintaining a sight line with a person, you can deactivate the quirk factor of one person as long as you're looking at them. So you can't blink or lose sight of them." Something occurred to him "Hey wait, why ask me to use my quirk if you were just going to erase it?"
"I saw you at the exam. You threw a punch so powerful that it shattered all the bones in your right hand. If you did that in the field it would take you out of the fight-"
Izuku rolled his eyes, "I know that," he said, "I wasn't going to use that much force. If you saw me at the exam you would also know I can use a lower percentage of my overall power without hurting myself at all," He tossed the ball into the air, using Pull to have it come back down into his palm. "Can I throw the ball now if I promise to be a good boy and not break my arm over a baseball?"
He heard a few students gasp. Talking back to a teacher who was threatening to expel students without a second thought was probably not a good idea. Kacchan looked almost proud. Dammit, he really was rubbing off on him.
The other Midoriya muttering up a storm over the technical specs of the help his father had given Eraserhead made most of those watching nod, well used to the infamous Midoriya mutter. The one in the theater was frantically writing in the notebook, trying to make sure he had all of the specifics down so that Sensei could get better eyedrops. For this diligence, Aizawa shot him a genuine smile, which was only mildly reassuring.
When Midoriya began to sass Eraserhead, everyone was shocked. Bakugo, like his counterpart, was almost jumping for joy at Izuku finally showing some backbone and standing up for himself. The idea that he was making the nerd more able to stand up for himself instead of less able made him feel a bit more at ease. He felt less guilty when he saw himself being kind to Midoriya.
Aizawa seemed to debate something. Izuku felt a roll of doom in the pit of his stomach. Then Aizawa smiled. It did not give Izuku any sense of comfort. "I like you, problem child," he said finally. "Throw the damn ball."
Izuku dared to smile back. Once again, he used One for All, calling upon Full Cowling, and threw the ball. It shot through the air, flying into the distance. Aizawa looked down at a small reader, holding it up. It must have been connected to the ball to measure its distance.
"Not too bad, problem child. 312 meters," he said, holding the reader up for the class to see.
Izuku grinned.
"What the hell was that?" Kacchan yelled, stomping forward. "That wasn't your quirk! I've seen your quirk and that was not Pull. The hell Deku???"
Izuku's grin only grew "I told you at the exam, didn't I? It's Push and Pull now. That was the push ."
Kacchan's jaw dropped.
The sheer terror of Aizawa smiling terrified the assembled students and All Might. That fundamentally did not belong in existence. Such eldritch and unknowable things were not meant for the eye of mortal man! Of course, he himself was quite pleased with the effect he had caused.
Bakugo understood now just what was going on with D-Izuku. He knew that what was going on with him, and he knew that it didn't mean he was weak now. But, through Midoriya's perspective, he saw what he looked like- a hot-tempered fool who thought only of himself. The visual disgusted him because he knew deep down, that it was true.
He was a selfish idiot who blew up at the slightest provocation. It didn't help that his explosive personality manifested as literal explosive powers. And he had used those powers to—He stopped himself before he could fall into a downward spiral. Now was not the time for recriminations. He would make amends one day, and one day he might earn the right to be called Izuku's friend again.
The rest of the tests went about as well as Izuku suspected they might. He did just fine. With Full Cowling making him faster and stronger than the average person, he was able to do perfectly well in all the tests. He wouldn't say he was the best- but he was scoring in the top five in every test Aizawa was throwing at them.
After it was all said and done, he'd placed fourth. Not too shabby.
Handsome Guy, whose name was apparently Todoroki Shouto, placed 2nd. Endeavor's son. Izuku hadn't ever liked the number two hero that much. Call it a hunch but he seemed like an asshole. His son, as pretty as he was, wasn't helping Izuku with that impression.
During the entire test, he was standoffish, impolite, and carried an air of 'holier than thou' which Izuku found rather distasteful. Still, he was so, so pretty. The kind that would probably come back to haunt Izuku in the shower, or in the dead of night when it was just him, his hand, and a bottle of All Might endorsed lotion. But that was between him and God.
What pretty boy asshole Todoroki didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
Back on track.
When the tests were completed, Aizawa kept to his word. The worst performing was expelled. A tiny guy with weird purple balls on his head. Mineta or something. Izuku felt bad for the guy for all of about three seconds before the girls in the class mentioned some creepy things he'd said to them.
Yeah, fuck that. Good riddance grape boy.
Other Mido's assessment of Endeavor, it seemed, was spot on, as Shoto nodded vigorously. The thoughts about his looks were ignored, for the most part, as no one wanted to touch that with a mile-long pole. Though the blushing of their Midoriya was put on the pile as evidence for him being bisexual.
When the other version of Mineta was expelled, the theater was overjoyed. But Aizawa had a question. "Why was he invited if he got expelled so soon?"
Of course, Magnus answered. "This Minoru Mineta is still part of Class 1-A, and will have to endure what is to come. And the actions of the other will serve as an example of what not to do. Believe you me, this is not the end of his story, but a beginning."
With that, the audience began to contemplate what the future held for them, and what was so bad about the other Mineta.
It was the end of the school day now. Izuku was very tired. He was ready to go home, curl up on the couch and watch TV with Dad.
He left the classroom but didn't get far before a hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked back and smiled softly at Iida. "I have to say, Midoriya-kun you keep impressing me. The exam, saving me, scoring well in the tests, and knowing the professional history of our teacher. I really do have much to learn from you."
He laughed. "I just know a lot about heroes from my dad's notes. And my own notes, but mostly his since he's worked up close and personal with so many pros," he stopped before adding, "Your brother is Ingenium right?"
Iida smiled brightly "Oh yes! My elder brother, Tensei."
"Yeah, he's employed my dad a few times. Never for himself, since he has that famous Iida family engine quirk- you do too if I'm not mistaken. But he's hired him to help out with some sidekicks here and there. My dad says he's super nice."
Iida was of course, slightly embarrassed at the attention, confirming that he was in fact the younger brother of Ingenium. The revelation of the family legacy that Tenya was carrying now made his strictness a little more understandable; after all, he had heavy expectations to uphold.
Before Iida could respond, a voice cut out "Hey wait up!"
The cute girl was running down the hall to catch them. Izuku tried not to turn beet red on the spot.
"Ah yes, the infinity girl," Iida said. He was right. She'd floated her baseball up into the sky, getting the highest score on that test.
She smiled, "I'll have you know my name is Uraraka Ochako!" What a cute name! Fitting for such a cute girl! "You're Iida Tenya and Midoriya Deku right?" Izuku choked on his own spit "Or is that not right? The really loud explodey guy kept calling you that."
"Kacchan? Yeah, he does. It's not my name. It's Izuku. He's been calling me Deku since we were little kids. It's an insult. And he's a jackass so-"
And there went the cozy atmosphere, as the reality of Bakugo's cruelty reared its ugly head once more. Everyone could piece together what exactly he had meant by that, and the fact that he had been saying that so flagrantly and consistently made his cruelty all the more damning.
Uraraka frowned "Oh man I'm sorry. But... I kind of like Deku. It sounds like 'I can' ya know?"
Well shit, just fire an arrow of cuteness right through his heart why doesn't she? "You can call me Deku if you want. The name doesn't bother me. I'm pretty sure it's a term of endearment at this point anyway. Most of the people in middle school did."
She smiled brightly, stepping between them, and grabbed each of them by the elbow. "Ok then! Iida-kun and Deku-kun! We're gonna be great friends!" She announced. Izuku rather had the feeling he didn't get a choice in the matter.
But he wasn't about to complain.
And back came the cozy atmosphere. Magnus spoke up again, saying, "Uraraka turned that name around for you so much that you actually used as your hero name later on in your future. Can-Do Hero: Deku. And Katsuki, 'King Explosion Murder' won't fly, nor will 'Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight' or any variation thereof, for obvious reasons. Though I do have a few that I like. Maybe Explosion Hero: Ground Zero. Or maybe you like Dynamight, spelled like All Might. Just throwing it out there."
Katsuki huffed, but nodded contemplatively. If his first picks were definitely off the table, then he would have to go for something different. And those two that he had suggested were definitely good. He would have to think on it for a while.
Dad looked up as Izuku came into the house. He kicked off his shoes as his father came to meet him at the door. "So, how was it? Tell me everything!"
"I'm starving. Can... can we go get Katsudon?" he asked in lieu of a response.
"Put your shoes back on," he said, grabbing his wallet and keys.
It was only another 15 minutes before Izuku was seated across the small table in the dingy little restaurant they frequented. Akira's. A hole in the wall with the best Katsudon Izuku has ever had in his life. He dug into his bowl happily.
"So. First day at UA," his dad said, starting to eat himself.
Izuku swallowed his bite. "My homeroom teacher is Eraserhead.
Dad blinked at that. He looked up, smiling with the chopsticks in his mouth "You're kidding!" he said, speaking through his food.
"I'm not. He remembered you too," his dad made a soft squeal noise at that. "We did a quirk apprehension test. Scored fourth overall." Dad nodded in approval. "The last place kid got expelled but he was apparently harassing some of the girls so not a loss."
"Did you have a quirk counselor watch your tests?"
He shook his head. "Actually... I don't know if the school has one."
Dad frowned "What kind of hero school doesn't have an on-staff quirk counselor?" He sighed. "I'm talking to Toshi about that... Wonder if I should apply." Izuku choked on his Katsudon. His father quickly distracted him by switching topics to one Izuku was sure would only kill him faster "So, any cute girls catch your eye?"
Izuku was dying. He was going to die here in this booth. He coughed on his food. His mind supplied the image of pretty Todoroki, with his face, eyes, strong jaw, tall, broad shoulders, and his perfect hair. God he'd love to see him grow it out he'd look like an angel if he did that- "Uh there's this girl named Uraraka. She's super cute," he said instead.
He felt a little bad for not telling his dad the full truth. It wasn't that he thought his dad would love him less if he told him he liked guys as much (if not more, let's be real here) as girls. He just... Didn't want to change their relationship. He knew Dad wouldn't judge him. At least not out loud. He didn't want to change the way his dad looked at him or disappoint him. Maybe that was stupid and irrational of him. Being bi was nothing to be ashamed of.
The point of them not having a quirk counselor was quickly noted, Eraser immediately getting a message from Nezu about his plans to remedy that oversight. Of course, the students were more focused on Midoriya's little coming-out crisis to notice, save for a few of the more academically gifted students. Yaoyorozu looked like she was thinking about it seriously, as did Todoroki.
Speaking of Todoroki, he was blushing deeply at Other Midoriya's idle fantasizing, while Uraraka was similarly red over hearing Deku calling her cute. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were cheering on Midoriya, encouraging him to come out, saying he wouldn't lose his manliness in doing so.
He'd made the connection that he was bisexual when he was 12. He'd always sort of intrinsically known he was different from other boys. Of course getting into street fights with a sweaty, often shirtless Kacchan had definitely helped him awaken to his less than platonic feelings towards boys. Not that he'd ever date Kacchan. That would be like dating a cousin. Too close. They'd shared bathtubs as 2-year-olds, there's no coming back from that. Not for Izuku at least. But he'd be an idiot and liar to say he hadn't thought about Kacchan in that light at least once.
But that was between him and God.
The point being, talking to his dad about Uraraka was safe. Bringing up Todoroki and his perfect face and abs and- well he wasn't even sure if he was ready to have that talk with himself. Todoroki, as pretty as he may be, was still a dick. Uraraka was soft and sweet, and he could easily see himself on a date with her.
"Oh yeah?" his dad asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He took another large bite. "What's she like?"
Gushing about Uraraka was easy. "Aside from being cuter than a kitten, her quirk is amazing. When she touches something she can make it weightless. I think the more she does the sicker she gets. She was the girl that puked on me during the entrance exams."
"Oh yeah? I'd love to meet her and learn more about her quirk. It's not the most straightforward when it comes to combat but she'd make a great rescue hero." Dad said thoughtfully. "Not to say it wouldn't be dead useful in a fight. Not many people around that would be able to fight in zero gravity. Plus all the creative positioning you could make. Pair it with the right quirks and you'd be hyper-mobile."
"That's what I thought too! Pull and her quirk would go great together. I'd be able to pull... anything really since she'd make it weightless!"
"You could throw people around with Push too," his dad said. When in public, all talk of One for All became talk of Push instead.
Izuku grinned, "I hope we get to work together soon. I'd love to see what we'd be able to accomplish together."
"And she's super cute," his dad winked. Izuku rolled his eyes, "Anyone else stand out?"
"Iida seems nice," he said "The younger brother of Ingenium."
Dad smiled "Nice! I'll shoot Tensei a text. Tell him you met his little brother. Tenya or something right? Tensei only has good things to say about him so I hope he treats you well. Is Katsuki in your class?"
At the praise, Uraraka flushed, so flattered to be thought of so highly. Bakugo, in comparison, almost retched. He did not want to think about that at all. He wasn't interested in the damn ne- in Midoriya- like that at all. It was disgusting to think of someone who was like a cousin to him like that, someone who he had shared baths with. Though he was also pleased that the green-haired boy at least thought he was handsome.
Todoroki was surprised that Midoriya thought that he was cold and impersonal. It was unintentional, for sure, and a result of his trauma, not that he knew that. He heard a voice speaking in his ear. "You know, there's someone at Shiketsu who hates you for treating him like Endeavor did at the entrance exam. Not to mention your eyes, cold like Endeavor's he said. Name of Inasa Yaorashi. He's the entire reason why you fail the provisional license exam. If you reach out before then, you can mend that harm."
Magnus' advice was surprising, but helpful. He took note of that information, and was disappointed that he had acted like Endeavor in any way. The aspiring hero vowed he would surpass his father in his own way. He may use his ice and even his fire, but not in the way that his shitty father had. Shoto would be better than his father. He would be.
"Yeah, but he was honestly fine today? He was pretty confused when I used Push, but he took it pretty well. Maybe I'll be nice and goad him into a fight tomorrow or something." Izuku said "...It's been a minute since he and I fought. Maybe I miss it?"
"As long as there's no quirk usage-"
He cut his dad off. "We know Dad, we're not stupid." Izuku pulled his phone out and opened his conversation with Kacchan. It was a simple back and forth, mostly just fist emojis and times and places to meet.
(Fist Emoji) tmrw aftr school?
He hit send. It was only 2 seconds before he got a reply.
Hope you're hungry for sidewalk Deku.
Dad sighed into his food. "Izu, please stop fighting the kid who sweats nitroglycerin. I shouldn't have given him pointers to make bigger blasts last year..."
"Oh come on Dad, it was the right thing to do. Plus it's not like I'm completely helpless. I can handle Kacchan no problem. Besides there are kids in that class that seem way spookier than a puffed-up pomeranian."
His father put down his chopsticks slowly. "Has anyone bothered-"
Katsuki and Izuku were shocked. The casualness with which the other Midoriya had thought of actively goading Katsuki into a fight was shocking. They had thought that their dynamic was better in that world, but not as much as it had appeared. "Oi, D-. Fuck, Izuku. Do you do shit like that to me?"
Midoriya shook his head. "No Kacchan, I never do that. I would never look down on you like that! Fighting you isn't a chore, it's a workout!" His agitation soothed, Bakugo sat down, appeased for the moment.
Izuku cut him off by waving his hands frantically. "No, it's nothing like that. No bullies. There's just this one guy... his quirk is insane and he's a bit of a dick? Not in the way Kacchan is just... I dunno how to describe it. Something about him just keeps... sticking to me," his father quirked an eyebrow, clearly waiting for him to elaborate. "His name is Todoroki Shouto." Ok, while talking about how pretty he was might be off the table, talking about him was something he clearly needed to do. "He's got this half ice half fire quirk. Though... I don't remember him using the fire today? Anyway, He's Endeavor's son."
Dad nodded "I... See. I met Endeavor once. I was doing a consultation for one of his sidekicks last year. Burnin'. Nice woman, but he passed me on the way up to his office. Cold guy for someone with a fire quirk," he took another bite of food, chewed, and swallowed. "I didn't like him," he bit his lip before adding, "I couldn't imagine living with a guy like that, and I only had a short interaction with him. A nothing. A blip. Then again, Endeavor could be a big soft family man at home."
"I doubt it," Izuku said "Todoroki was just very... I dunno. At first, I chalked it up to him being stuck up but. I dunno. Something isn't right there. The more I think about it the more it bugs me."
"Intuition. I tend to trust mine," Dad said "I wouldn't go poking the bear on this one. If you outright ask the kid 'Hey is your dad as big of a dick as I think he is?' and he's not, you're just going to piss him off. Or if he is, you might spook him. I'd just... wait and watch."
Izuku frowned. If his dad's impression of Endeavor was matching his from seeing him on TV, then there might be something there. He thought back to the way Todoroki didn't engage with anyone. He put on a new lens. Instead of stuck up was he...scared? That image certainly changed things. Suddenly the image of himself carrying Todoroki bridal style away from a suddenly large and imposing (maybe even villainous) Endeavor appeared in his head. He squashed it. "I'll keep an eye out."
"I can tell you the tell-tale signs of child abuse," his father said quietly.
"Please."
At the mention of child abuse, everyone straightened up. The adults turned to Todoroki, fear in their eyes. He nodded, slowly. Magnus spoke up quietly, but it echoed in the silent theater. "Enji Todoroki was not in the room during that last part. I used what powers I have to make him need the restroom desperately. Nezu is already organizing a case, and Endeavor willpay. But later, we still need him for the moment."
Everyone nodded, and indeed, Aizawa, Vlad and Yagi all received texts from the principal. They nodded and continued to watch.