Chapter 3: Dress For Success!
"So, where exactly are we going, Sensei?" Izuku sat shotgun as Midnight drove the two of them deeper into Musutafu. The older beat up sedan was not the type of car he would have guessed the R-rated heroine would drive, but he supposed it made sense to stay incognito. The dark blue car, with all its pits and dings, blended in perfectly with all the other cars on the road. Of course, Izuku thought to himself as he desperately clung to the safety handle above his head, it could just be because she pays so much in insurance! Weaving through traffic, Kayama let out a laugh.
"Why, that's a secret my dear student." She turned to wink at Izuku, heedless of the angry honking from others on the road. "While I do appreciate an eager learner, the best things come to those who wait." Midnight turned her attention back to the road in time to bank left, narrowly avoiding a parked car and rocketing down a sidestreet. As Izuku debated if it was rude or not for him to use a small percentage of One for All to hold on tighter to the safety handle, the car mercifully pulled to a stop in one of the rougher boroughs of the city. Izuku all but fell out onto the street as he opened the passenger door. He did his best to steady his heart rate with hands on knees while Midnight rounded the front of the car and put her hand on his back. "You look like Yamada down there, kid! He's always getting car sick around me for some reason. Come on, let's go inside. This is just our first stop." He looked up to see a small store front. The glass windows showed several chairs inside and a small sign denoted the place Spring of Youth Salon and Hairstyling .
The inside of the store was clean and well maintained, though clearly old. The leather chairs were vintage, an older style that had gone out of favor years ago, the wall paper peeling in places, but rather than make it seem run down it gave the store a lived-in feel. The building felt as if it had stood for generations and would continue to stand for many more. Midnight directed him to sit in the farthest chair from the windows. As he began to sit down, he heard a rasping voice from the back call out.
"Nemuri? Is that you?"
"Yeah it's me, grandmother. You want to come say hi to the sprout?" The curtain blocking the salon portion of the store from the back moved to reveal a fairly wizened old woman. She was around the same height as Gran Torino and bore just as many wrinkles, though Izuku knew first hand how little that meant. She had a far kinder look on her face than Gran had ever worn around him however and the lines around her mouth were from smiling rather than scowling. Her white hair was gathered in a tidy top knot and brown eyes, still keen and sharp, sparkled with mirth at seeing Izuku and Midnight. She dropped the broom that she had been clutching in her hand and walked over to Kayama embracing her in a hug.
"It's good to see you, dearie. You look as beautiful as ever." Midnight squeezed the older woman just as tightly before letting go with one arm to gesture at Izuku.
"Grandmother, this is Midoriya Izuku, one of my students. I'm helping him with his confidence at the moment. Midoriya, this is Watanabe Hisui, owner and operator of this fine establishment." Izuku stood from his chair so that he could bow.
"It's an honor to meet you, Watanabe-san." The old woman waved off his greeting with a smile.
"It's just Hisui, young man. I'm far too old to be dealing with all this pomp and propriety. It's a game best left to the young, hm?" Hisui turned to Midnight. "You're all set up, spring flower. Just make sure to clean up and lock the door when you're done. I'll be upstairs. Make sure he eats something too, that boy is far too thin." His teacher laughed as the older woman made her way back behind the curtain. Izuku returned to his seat and Midnight spun his chair so that she could look into his eyes through the mirror.
"So, Midoriya-kun, are you ready to get started?"
"Yes, sensei. Er, what exactly is it that we're going to do though?"
"Today's lesson is all about appearances. Dressing for success is half the battle, no? Being put together and looking good can make people think more highly of you. Instead of others seeing you as somewhat unkempt, they trust you more. If it looks like you know what you're doing, people will assume you do know what you're doing."
"That makes sense." Midnight settled a cover over his shoulders and tied it before placing a towel over the back of his neck. "I need to look the part, right? It's like when I'm in my costume. Civilians put their faith in us when we look like we're heroes."
"Very true, Midoriya. Though there is another reason for it as well." Izuku made a noise of confusion as the water in the sink was turned on. "Simply put, it's because it feels good as well." Izuku's chair was spun and his back lowered until the warm water began to rush over his hair. "It's been proven before. People feel better when they look better. Humans are pretty vain creatures overall. So much of our internal self-worth is measured by our external images and we don't even really realize it." Midnight began to run her hands through his hair, pulling and tugging at the curls. "If you look good you feel good. That's why it's important to put on your best face for the world." Izuku melts a little into the chair as Midnight finishes washing his hair and pulls him up into a seated position. She dries his hair with the towel around his neck before spinning him again and meeting his reflected eyes.
"What do you see when you look in the mirror, Midoriya?" Izuku frowns at his reflection as it stares back at him.
"I guess, I just see… me, sensei. Just Midoriya Izuku."
"Just Midoriya Izuku, huh? Well, I see a young man who has fought and clawed his way to where he is now. I see someone with pretty incredible potential. Maybe after I'm done with you here, you'll see what I do, okay?"
"Okay, sensei." Izuku sniffled past the tears that had started to leak out of his eyes. They fell into silence as Izuku let his tears dry and Midnight decided how she wanted to style his hair. The gentle sounds of the scissors and his teacher's murmuring to herself about length and texture was a soothing soundtrack. By the time his tears had dried Izuku felt almost meditative. He felt at peace in a way that was rare for his overactive mind. After a few more minutes where the snipping of scissors was the only background noise, Izuku could hardly resist the stupor he was being lulled into. When the spell was broken by Midnight, it was all the more jarring.
"She's not my real grandmother, you know." Izuku tried to look at his teacher, but she redirected his gaze forward again with a gentle grip on his head. "My mother was a bartender in the neighborhood. She was a single mother, so things were tight. I got a job here with Hisui when I was about eleven. Just sweeping floors and things for a few yen under the table. It took a few years, but eventually I worked up to cutting hair and styling. I learned how to cut and color and do makeup and paint nails and whatever else I could to earn a little bit more cash. But I had my sights on something bigger.
"I went to UA too, not sure if you knew that part." Izuku did know that. UA boasted a huge assortment of top pros as alumni, but even then producing Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Present Mic, Ingenium and Midnight within a five year span was impressive. "My mother… Well, she always hated that I wanted to be a hero. Eventually she left, and I had to figure everything out for myself." Her work continued uninterrupted despite the conversation. "I managed to get emancipated as a minor, and Hisui let me move in with her. I worked here every day that I could after that. Once I really made it as a pro, I paid Hisui back for everything that I could. Not that she would take much of it, the stubborn old bat." She said with a snort.
Izuku swallowed through the new tears thick in his throat. He couldn't see his teacher's face, but he doubted she wanted his apologies or his sympathetic crying. His mother had never accepted his dream of being a hero when he was quirkless. Even now that he had a quirk and had proven himself, he worried that she would break under the stress of watching him in the hero course. But he had never worried for a moment that she would just leave. He couldn't imagine what he would do if she had but he didn't think he would handle it nearly as well as Kayama-sensei had. She was amazing. She had taken all that life could give and used it to forge herself into an incredible hero.
Izuku could only hope he would one day do the same.
He stared unseeing as old worries bubbled to the surface. Could he really become a hero? Even if he did have All Might's quirk now, underneath he was still just little quirkless Deku. He was just now starting to catch up to all of his classmates but he still had years of work to do in order to reach their level. He was weak and awkward and a terrible choice for the ninth holder of One for All. No one could reach All Might's level. No one ever had or will. So how was he supposed to surpass him? How could he succeed the Symbol of Peace? Izuku sighed and did his best to banish the thoughts from his mind. He was doing everything he could to get better every day. He was doing his best, chasing his dream with his entire being. It didn't have to be today. He would get there eventually. He would .
( It didn't matter , whispered the insidious part of his mind. He would always and forever be Deku and that would always mean useless.)
"What do you think, Midoriya-kun?" Izuku refocused on the mirror in front of him and his new reflection stared back. Midnight had trimmed his curls into a more manageable size on top, closer cropped and cleaned up, but still retaining an edge of the untamed wild it started with. The sides of his head were buzzed down and Izuku reached up to run his fingers over the fuzzy sections. It was startling, Izuku realized, to think that he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he allowed Midnight ( an adult , the whispers reminded, a teacher ) to take a razor to his head. The new haircut gave him a mysterious edge. With the small nicks and cuts on his face from today's training and the fresh trim, he cut an almost dangerous figure. He smiled and nodded at Kayama.
"I like it! You did amazing work, Kayama-sensei." Her expectant eyes simmered into joy and amusement.
"Years and years of practice, kiddo." She ran her hand through his new curls, letting them shift and reform through her fingers. "You've got nice hair, very fluffy and soft. I'm sure it will be very popular with the young women of 1-A, hm?" Izuku flushed looking like a particularly uncomfortable tomato as Midnight just cackled in glee. "Alright, up up up. We've got another two stops to make so no time to waste, Midoriya!"
His teacher grabbed his arm and power walked toward the exit dragging him behind her. "But- wait! Midnight-sensei, what about cleaning up?" Her laughter only grew in volume.
"Oh, don't worry Midoriya-kun, Hisui is never serious about making me clean up." The faint yell of Kayama Nemuri get your ass back here! did not support her claim. She shuddered at the fury in the voice. "Just run, kid. And hope she's gotten slow in her old age." They made it back to the car just in time to see the door to the shop fly open as Watanabe Hisui stood wreathed in growing flowered plants, glaring at Midnight. Massive thorny vines sprouted from her hands and launched themselves toward the back wheel. Midnight simply grinned at Izuku.
"That's our cue, kid! Time to skedaddle!" Izuku's screams were drowned out by the squeal of rubber and Kayama's mad howling laughter as the two shot away from the now cursing grandmother.
One whirlwind trip through a clothing store later, and Izuku could barely think straight. New terms and color combinations just kept floating through his train of thought. Change layers to add three-dimensionality to your outfit. Coordinate shoes, belt, and tie. Socks can be a statement piece, or should blend with the pants. Slim jackets make the shoulders pop more and accentuate his narrow waist. Never too much green to drown out his hair, never more than three colors or more than one piece with three colors on it, always match warm tones with warm tones and cold tones with cold. Black is always black, there's never a new black.
They hadn't even bought anything! Izuku was worried at first but Midnight had just waved off his concerns like usual. "This is just to teach you what to look for when you go shopping on your own. Once you've got the basics covered they can kinda be applied to any situation, much like a good leather jacket!" He had filled the middle third of his Lessons in Confidence Volume One notebook with all the knowledge Midnight had thrown at him over the past hour and it was all Izuku could do to not let his brain leak onto the tile beneath him.
Blessedly, they had reached their final destination. Izuku looked up past the haze of phantom clothing haunting his mind to see a small high-end tailor squashed in between a perfume shop and, to his horror, a lingerie store. He ignored the burn in his cheeks and stared stubbornly straight ahead as he followed Midnight into the tailor. The inside was well appointed in dark wood paneling, a severe change from the modern mall they had just left. To the left were various racks of blazers, pants, and full suits. To the right were three changing rooms along with a small display of ties. In the back was a long counter behind which an older man with elf-like ears sat listening to a small vintage radio. When he spoke, his words came out with a gentle rasp.
"Ah, Kayama-san. I had heard you were coming in today. Is this the young man in question?"
"It is indeed, Shiba-san. Are we still good to use room three for a bit?" The man nodded and waved them toward the marked changing room before returning his attention to the radio. Midnight strode to the room, snagging two ties from the display on her way, as Izuku made to follow her. The rooms appeared to be simple changing stalls, and Izuku was skeptical that both he and Midnight were going to fit in one of them together. As the door opened, however, the two found themselves in a private lounge area. A small table sat against the far wall, two chairs on the right hand side opposite a small raised platform with three mirrors facing the center of it. Clothing racks with empty hangers flanked the raised stage. The floor was a dark cherry wood, accented by a navy blue throw rug that dominated the empty space between the platform and the table. Izuku blinked away his surprise.
"Uh, Kayama-sensei? How is this room so big?"
"Hm? Oh, that's Shiba-san's quirk. He can create small pocket dimensions out of rooms to create more space within them. It's a very handy quirk for a store owner." Izuku's mind began to race with all the possibilities of such a quirk until a soft flick to his forehead brought him back to reality. "Think quirks later, Midoriya-kun, I have a very special assignment for you. Today, you are going to learn how to tie a tie."
"Huh? What's wrong with my tie?"
"Oh, honey… just, no. I'm not sure whatever you were doing to your school uniform counted as a tie at all. Here, watch me." She adjusted the tie to a proper length and then began to fold it into a half-windsor knot. "It's pretty simple, once you get the hang of it."
"I didn't know you knew how to tie a tie, Kayama-sensei." She looked up from her hands to give Izuku a wink.
"Well, I am an expert in all sorts of knots and ties, Midoriya-kun. They're just not normally around my neck." Izuku blushed crimson for the umpteenth time at his teacher's antics. In a few moments, she tightened the fabric around her, and held out her hands in a small ta-da . "And there we are! Think you can do it?"
The answer, which quickly became apparent, was no. With a huff, Izuku pulled the end taught, which somehow trapped the index and ring finger together on his right hand. Groaning, he thunked his head lightly against the mirror.
"I think it might be hopeless, sensei." Midnight, sadist as she was, merely laughed and took his hands in hers. With deft pulls, Izuku was freed from his self-inflicted bonds.
"Here, one more time. I'll guide your hands as you do, okay?" As she attempted once more to teach Izuku the vexing knot, he caught the image of their reflections in the mirror. Kayama, with her heels enhancing her already impressive height, was several centimeters taller than Izuku and bent slightly at the knee to help him. He looked like a kid playing dress up and Midnight was his older sister trying to assist.
A memory, unbidden, rose into his mind's eye. He had snuck into his mother's closet and taken out a large dark brown leather jacket. It smelled of pine and wood smoke, leather soft and worn with age. To Izuku at age 3, it was the perfect cape. He tottered toward where his mother was working in the kitchen before striking a mighty pose.
"I am here!" He shouted. His mother turned, a smile already quirking her lips upward. "Oh wow, Mighty Boy, I'm so glad you're here. I have an extra special mission for you." Warm arms surrounded him and brought him up to his mother. "It's called 'rescue the dishes from the evil dishwasher'! Do you think you can help me, Mighty Boy?"
"Yeah! Because I am Here!"
"And done." Izuku blinked back the last traces of the memory to see his tie, tied perfectly in a smart half-windsor, around his neck. He looked up at Midnight who beamed back at him. "You did it! Want to try doing it yourself this time?" He nodded.
"Yeah. I've got this."
Who needs fathers, Izuku would think to himself later, when I have such incredible women in my life.
All Might felt eyes on him as he walked into the teacher's lounge. He was in his smaller form, so even if a student had come in early for help it was unlikely that they would stare at him with this much intent. No, he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him and waiting to pounce.
Turning, the Symbol of Peace shuddered as his beheld Midnight, toying with the end of her whip as she stared him down from where she leaned near the coffee machine. When they locked eyes, she pushed off from the counter and stalked her way towards All Might. Idly he wondered if this was how gazelles felt when they encountered a lion near the watering hole. Midnight put a hand on his shoulder, the casual air to her demeanor belying the strength of the grip she had on him. She didn't speak, merely choosing to lead Toshinori toward one of the empty meeting rooms, the same meeting room where he often met with Young Midoriya. As they passed the desks of the other teachers, All Might felt the same pitying looks upon him that he would at a funeral procession. Yamada and Aizawa, in particular, looked at him as if he were being walked to his execution.
Once they entered, she all but shoved him onto a couch before perching on the edge of her own sofa across from him. I've had villains stare at me with less venom in their eyes!
"Ah, good morning, Kayama-san! What can I do for you?"
"Shut it, Yagi." Oh boy, this can't be good. "What the hell is your relationship to Midoriya Izuku?"
"I, ah, why I'm not sure what you mean, Midnight. He's a smart young man and-" "You're a better liar than Midoriya, Yagi, but that does not make you good at it."
Midnight uncurled her whip and placed it on the low table between them. She untensed her muscles and stretched languidly, like a big cat. Despite the slow methodical motions, Toshinori could not shake the fact that this was a threat. An apex predator in front of him displaying just how little a challenge she considered him.
"You have weekly private meetings with Midoriya. He took an internship with a man who taught here at UA for just one year, your first year as a student, in fact. He knows about your smaller form. I've seen the video of the USJ attack. His actions indicate that he knew you were already pushing your time and jumped into help. He practically worships the ground you walk on. So tell me again how Midoriya is just another student to you." Toshinori could only gulp and Midnight took his silence as guilt and forged onward. "I have a theory, and tell me how close I am, All Might." She leaned in close so that her burning blue eyes could stare into his own.
"Is Midoriya your son?"
Blood sprayed as the number one hero choked. Midnight waited as his coughing fit eventually subsided. "Kayama, please, you are misunderstanding the situation! I am not young Midoriya's father!"
"But you do have a connection to him."
"Yes, I will admit that I met Midoriya before the school year began and he accidentally saw my weaker form. But I assure you that there is no conspiracy here!" Midnight relaxed her posture but kept her eyes trained on the man across from her.
"Alright, Yagi, I'll believe you for now. But know that I know that not everything in your story makes sense. I will find the truth. And if I find out that you have done anything untoward to this boy, so help me All Might I will plant your fucking hair spikes on the moon. Got it?"
"Y-yes, ma'am."
"Good. Now that you know that I know that you know that I know, know that my knowing knows no bounds, you know?"
"Er, I, uh… what?"
With that, Midnight left the conference room leaving a stunned and confused All Might in her wake. Toshinori turned toward the empty room as the door swung closed.
"What just happened?"
Izuku made his way to the support labs while his friends went to lunch, leaving an oddly red-faced Uraraka being dragged away by Ashido behind him. Pushing his friends' antics out of his mind, he focused on the notebook in his hands. He had a lot of ideas percolating in his mind. His new beta suit that he got was great, but he could have used more protection for his arms and legs in case he had to go over his top percentage again. Plus, he wanted to talk to Mei to see if he could add some sort of capture equipment to his utility belt. He did not want to continue to rely on random rope that had been thrown in dumpsters if he could help it.
The sound of explosions let him know that the woman he was looking for was in the studio. Should he be worried that Hatsume caused more explosions than Bakugou? She did make incredible gear, so he figured that it was just her "creative process" at work. He went to knock on the door when another crashing BOOM sounded from within the room sending eight feet of metal flying. Izuku made to dodge but felt a soft weight smack into him sending him to the floor.
"Huh? Well I guess the mixture on the cryogenic grenades are a little too reactive with oxygen. Oh well, back to the drawing board. Hey, Ten Million. What are you doing down there?"
So. Soft. Izuku did his best to ignore the parts of Hatsume that had landed on him, planting his hands firmly on the ground and away from his friend and mad genius. "Hatsume, would you please get off of me?" His voice was muffled by the cloth of her tank top but he assumed she got the message as she stood and pulled him up with her. She made her way inside the design studio dragging Izuku in her wake. What is it with girls dragging me places? I can walk on my own you know!
"So what can I do for ya, Mr. Ten Mil?"
"Er- I was actually hoping to talk to you about my costume. I was looking to get some modifications done? I actually figured out a new way to use my quirk." Hatsume whipped around, pink braids flying behind her.
"Did you already break the babies I made for you?" "No, no, no. I-" "Aw, I was kinda hoping you had busted them. The best way to make new and better babies is to iterate on old designs! Alas. What were you thinking about in terms of modifications?"
Izuku let a bit of One for All flow into him, just enough to wreathe himself in lightning. "You know how my quirk breaks my limbs, right? Well this is the amount of it I can control by using it all over. It's only around five percent of my max. I was hoping to get some reinforcements or stabilizers for them? Just in case I need to go over my limit again." Hatsume looked delighted over the crackling energy that surrounded him.
"That is definitely doable. I'll need to collect some data over your next few heroics classes and maybe do some additional testing to see how much stress you're putting out. I might have to change the material of your suit too. The lightning is cosmetic? Or can you use it offensively?"
"It seems to be just cosmetic, but it does create a little bit of a pressure drop in the air around me." Hatsume nodded and began to write rapidly on a spare scrap of paper.
"That's all definitely doable. Might need to increase the insulation if there's going to be lightning everywhere. Heavier on the legs of course. Ooh! And what if I…" Hatsume trailed off as her furious writing continued. Seeing her consumed in her work, an odd sight for him to be on the other side of someone else's mutter storm, Izuku wandered a little deeper into the studio. The rest of the students had disappeared to lunch as well, leaving the two of them alone for the moment. There were various bits and bobs of half-completed projects littering the tables. A small sword with the blade sheared off laid next to a drone spilling internal wires from its guts. Armor plating and robot arms, circuits and scraps of fabric all formed a chaotic labyrinth that felt overwhelming even to Izuku's overactive brain. Spotting a flash of red on the ground, he pulled a black chest piece to the side revealing a long red cape. It was heavier than expected in his arms, the fabric rippling from Izuku's grasp making the end flutter.
The heat of One for All roared in his bones and lightning sung in his blood. Flashes of memory and emotion assaulted his senses. The smell of ozone as he flew through the center of a storm. Wrapping up a young child in a long cape, whispered promises and reassurances as they cried. Standing proud above the glittering expanse of a city, dawn breaking on the horizon. He felt power in his fists. Adrenaline coursed in his veins, the reckless heady rush of a fight. Joy. Boundless freedom. Soaring over clouds and rising so far above the world that all of his problems faded from existence.
The moment of resonance ends. Izuku still felt that inexhaustible sense of freedom running wild in his blood. He was beginning to sweat, heart pounding. The pure joy that One for All had flooded him with felt like nothing he had ever experienced before. For a brief moment, it felt like Izuku could level mountains and tame hurricanes. Like the sun itself was dimmer than the power he held in his chest and the heavens trembled with his footsteps. Was that what All Might felt like all the time? Something inside of him whispered. Its words unheard but the emotions coming across keenly. Safe. Love. Pride. He turned back to Hatsume and called out.
"Hatsume, can I get a cape?"
Chapter 4: Smile!
"For today's homeroom we will be going over something vital to your careers as heroes, at least of those of you who aren't going underground." Aizawa's voice was sharp despite the exhaustion evident in it. He ignored the last echoes of the first bell and continued speaking. "We are going to be talking about hero personas. You all have done well so far in conducting yourselves in your classes as well as at the Sports Festival. Those, however, are isolated situations. You are not acting as heroes at the Sports Festival, but as students. Similarly, there is no audience or bystanders during training. That will only take you so far. Hopefully, you all got to experience a little of what real heroes in action are like during your internships." His glare toward Izuku, Todoroki and Iida was not subtle. "How you act in front of the public and how you respond to civilians that are caught in the line of fire are crucial to being a good hero no matter how you specialize. If you cannot protect bystanders from a villain, if you cannot reassure a victim of a natural disaster, if you cannot get a witness of a crime to trust you, you will not last long in our world."
Aizawa moved to the board, and made a venn diagram of two concentric circles labeled Hero and Civilian . "Hero personas are not lies, per se. We are not becoming completely different people once we don our costumes. We are simply amplifying certain parts of ourselves in order to keep the public calm in an emergency situation. If you're calm, they're calm. Your persona can also be tied into your brand and image in order to help market yourself as a pro, but that topic is covered more in your second and third years. This lecture is mainly an introduction to the idea. To use a salient example, how would you describe Present Mic as a hero?" A few hands went up, and Aizawa nodded at Yaoyorozu.
"He's a very personable and affable hero. He spends a lot of time with his fans while on patrol but in a fight he becomes very serious and focused." Aizawa wrote under the hero portion, personable andfocused. Iida spoke up next.
"He is a forceful presence in the field! Thanks to his quirk he is able to effectively take command and share information!" Commanding and forceful were added next.
"Right. And what is he like when he's here and not on duty?" Jiro was quick to answer.
"He's funny. He's always saying hi to students in the halls too."
"He's more laid back," Kaminari offers. "I've seen him in the news and he always, like, is kinda commanding like Iida said. But here he's not really as strict and he normally lets the other teachers decide stuff and he goes with the flow."
"Good. There are similarities between Yamada and Present Mic. Both are outgoing and personable. When he's on duty, though, Present Mic turns up his personable nature even more, allowing him to make those connections with his fans or even bystanders at a scene. He hides his more laid back nature under his hero persona, instead becoming more of a leader. You all will end up doing something similar. It's a good idea to start thinking now about which traits of yours would help in a hero persona and which would be better left to your civilian life." The bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom and the beginning of the passing period. "That will be all for now. Write a list of your ideas and we can discuss them in groups tomorrow.
"As a reminder, your practical exercises tomorrow will be rescue training simulations at the USJ." Aizawa scanned over the classroom, his face becoming more serious though his voice softened. The whispers that had stirred up at the bell died out rapidly. "I understand that it may be uncomfortable for many of you to be there after what happened last time. If you elect not to come with your classmates you may stay here and do a theoretical exercise. If you do attend, there will be four teachers there including myself, and we have completely overhauled the security system. I can promise you that nothing like what happened last time will ever happen again at this school." He met each of his students' gaze. Some of them looked down, nervous with fear and apprehension like Koda and Aoyama. A few bore their emotions behind a blank facade like Asui and Todoroki. Aizawa was pleasantly surprised to see the majority stared directly ahead, fire brimming in their eyes. Good. They'll need that fire once they're pros.
"That being said, let me know by the end of the day if you will not be joining. Everyone else, meet outside the entrance after lunch. If you're not ready three minutes after the bell, you'll be left behind and will fail the exercise." Aizawa strode from the room, then, desperate for a nap.
Izuku let Cementoss' literature lessons float in one ear and out the other. He had already read this book before and he was sure that even if there was something new in the lesson he could get the notes later from Iida. There was something in Aizawa's lessons that was lodged in his brain. It reminded him a lot of the confidence lessons he had been taking.
All Might was an idol. Even after knowing him for over a year, when his predecessor was in his muscular form it was still hard to talk to him. He was just so much . He was boisterous and loud and upbeat. But he was also slightly aloof in a way. He was untouchable and so far above the normal that it was hard to relate to him on a personal level. Yagi Toshinori tended to be a little quieter, more thoughtful. He had a more biting sense of humor but he was more relatable than his hero persona. Using a hero persona was just putting that confident facade even further out into the world. Exaggerating his personality and the various components that make him up.
All Might had his smile and booming voice. Gran Torino had his gruff one-liners and chaotic movements. Midnight was teasing in and out of costume, but it took a more aggressive tone when she was in the field. Izuku felt like there was something just out of his reach. He didn't have to mirror his mentors, but between the three of them there's a path forward for him. He just had to figure it out. It was surreal to think about, in many ways. This was deciding what kind of hero he wanted to be. He wasn't just operating in theoreticals anymore. He was here . He was at UA, the best hero school in the world. He wasn't just some starstruck fanboy anymore. He had fought real villains. He had helped save Native. He was a hero. Deku was a hero. His worries were no longer dodging bullies and trying to survive middle school. Now he had to worry about dodging villains and trying to survive high school. (Maybe things weren't so different? Maybe it was just him that was different.)
A cold hand shook Izuku from his reverie. He turned to look into Todoroki's mismatched eyes. "Lunch is starting. Are you coming?" Izuku glanced around the now empty classroom and began to gather his things.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I got caught up in my thoughts, I guess." He and Todoroki made their way toward the cafeteria. "I was thinking about Aizawa's lecture this morning."
"Sure."
"I'm trying to figure out what my hero persona should be. I've always wanted to be like All Might, you know? But I don't know if I can be the same kind of hero he is."
"It is natural to want to be like your father." Izuku elected to ignore that remark.
"I want to be a symbol like him, but I'm not sure I can be a pillar for society. And, like, should I? Should anyone? Do we need to pin everything on the shoulders of one man? Is it fair to him? To us?"
"He does have large shoulders."
"I want to save people with a smile. But how do I make that into a persona?"
"Well, there are different kinds of smiles." Izuku refocused on his friend. With a sigh, he straightened his back as he realized he had slouched over while walking. Todoroki continued, "All Might has a sort of confident grin. There are happier smiles. There are sort of sinister ones, like the one Aizawa has for his logical ruses." At this point he shrugged. "Why are you smiling? That's what determines what your persona is."
Izuku stopped, pulling Todoroki to the side of the entrance to the cafeteria. When the taller boy raised an eyebrow at this, Izuku pulled him into a hug. Hugging Shoto was always an interesting experience. He was tall enough that Izuku had to press his nose into his collarbone and his arms were just barely long enough to wrap around his torso. The two different temperatures on his torso gave it a distinct feeling that no one else in the world could replicate. Falteringly, Todoroki put his arms around Izuku in turn.
"You're a really good listener, Todoroki-kun. Thanks."
"Of course." He said stiffly. "Though I am still unsure why you would not simply ask your father these things."
"And the moment's over." Izuku sighed. "I've told you before, All Might is not my dad."
"So you claim, Midoriya. So you claim."
"Kayama-sensei, how did you make your hero persona?" The afternoon sunlight filtered in through the windows of gym lambda. They had shifted to one of the smaller practice rooms on the outskirts of the campus. Izuku had just finished running through the obstacle course while shouting positive statements about himself and he was incredibly out of breath. Midnight had justified it by saying it was a cardio workout and a test of his positive attitude, but he had a suspicion that she was just as much of a sadist as Aizawa was. The woman in question put a finger to her chin as she thought about her answer.
"Midnight originally started as a joke actually." She laughed a little at the evident shock on his face. "It's true. I was joking around with a friend of mine and we were laughing about some of the more sensational headlines they ran about heroines back in the day. She suggested that someone should go out doing hero work in the nude to give them some real headlines. Midnight sort of stemmed from that. I knew that no matter what I did they would report more about my looks and attractiveness than my hero work, so I tied them so closely together that they're inseparable. I made my sexuality a weapon.
"Flirting is a lot of fun for me, and it's a great way to throw people off their game in a fight. The more dominating parts of my persona are mostly there to help me keep control in a situation. People tend to listen to a woman with a whip," she said with a wink. "You thinking about your persona?"
"Yeah. We had a lecture this morning in homeroom and it got me thinking." Kayama let out a hum.
"Well, the good news is that you don't need to have all the answers today. My advice would be to try a bunch of different things. Be charming and witty for a few practicals or mysterious and aloof or whatever feels right." She wrapped her arms around herself with a squeal. "The spring of youth is the best time for experimentation ."
Izuku burned a bright red and raced toward the locker room, chased by the cackles of his teacher.
In the end, all twenty members of class 1-A boarded the bus to return to the USJ. Izuku sat in the back between Tsu and Iida, Uraraka and Todoroki sitting together nearby. There was little chatter on the ride there. A pallor hung over their heads, no one sure what to expect in the coming exercise. Most people clumped up with their friends or fiddled nervously with their costumes. Izuku's new costume was still in the shop with Mei, so he wore his beta suit. At his side, Tsu rolled a small chibi frog around in her hands that was usually tucked into her belt.
"Nervous?" Iida leaned across Izuku to ask her. "I confess I too am harboring some reservations about our destination."
"I am nervous, kero. I know we all went through it together, but we almost died." Tsu looked up from her hands to stare directly into Izuku's eyes. "Midoriya-kun, I abandoned you down in the plaza. I went to get help and left you with that thing ." Her gaze dropped once more to the charm in her grip. "I'm nervous but I want to do better. I will do better, kero."
"Aw, yeah! So manly!" Kirishima cried. The group at the back started at the sudden cheers. "Tsu is right everybody. We should all use our nerves to fuel us! Let's make sure to show off our chivalrous spirits!" Several people echoed his shouts with their own raised fists until soon the bus had returned to a more familiar upbeat attitude.
"Wow, it looks like you really inspired people! Way to go, Froppy!" Uraraka shot her a wide grin and a thumbs up.
"It wasn't my intention, but I'm glad I could help."
The new wave of energy carried them all the way through the doors of the USJ and the reintroduction of the facility given by Thirteen, who was joined by Midnight and All Might in addition to the ever-stoic Eraserhead. They were then split into groups of four and randomly assigned different zones in the facility where they would rescue civilian-bots under the supervision of All Might and Thirteen. The rest of the teams would observe from the control room with Aizawa and Midnight. When the teams were announced, Izuku could not help but feel lucky, being paired with Yaoyorozu, Shoji and Uraraka. Between Shoji's scouting and physical strength, Uraraka's maneuverability, Yaoyorozu's intelligence and versatility and his own talents, they were well off for a rescue operation. He turned to Uraraka and gladly accepted a high five before the two turned to find their group.
"Noooo! How come I didn't get any of the lovely ladies with me?! It's a total sausage party over here." Izuku couldn't block out the grating whines of Mineta as he weeped over his assignment. His group had Kaminari, Koda and Tokoyami who only let out a soft 'What a mad banquet of darkness' at the outburst. Personally, Izuku thought their team composition looked good between scouting, mobility and raw power but evidently Mineta had other ideas in mind.
"Well," Yaoyorozu said once they had gathered together. "I am looking forward to working with all of you." She took a moment to create three ear pieces and handed them out. "I hope this does not come off as disparaging, but I am very glad I did not end up on his team."
Uraraka let out a laugh. "No worries, Yaomomo. I think our group is going to crush this exercise!" Shoji nodded in agreement before Yaoyorozu continued.
"We were assigned the landslide zone, which is the largest of the six, so these communicators should help us stay in contact the whole time. I will start by creating a first aid station near the entrance."
"Thank you, Yaomomo-san." Izuku fit the ear piece into his ear. "I'm pretty fast so I can get Uraraka-san and I anywhere within the zone pretty quickly. Between the two of us we should be able to get most victims out pretty easily. Shoji, will you let us know where to go?"
"Of course."
"We should start from the bottom and work our way up," Yaoyorozu pointed out. "We want to avoid triggering other slides if we can."
"Right." "Yeah!" "Affirmative."
Before long the group found themselves outside of the zone, buried structures causing the landscape to peak and curve in weird ways. At the top there were a few houses that looked nearly untouched. The fake office building at the bottom, in comparison, was buried up to the roof in dirt and sediment. A tree had been uprooted and now stuck through the upper floor in a final insult to the ruined building.
"Remember, you'll have twenty minutes to rescue as many civilians as you can. All Might and I will be here in case of a real emergency, but otherwise you all are the first responders on the scene." Thirteen nodded and All Might flashed them a patented smile. "Good luck, and your time starts now."
The four students jumped into motion, Uraraka and Izuku clearing out a small area for a first aid station as Yaoyorozu began to create supplies and Shoji scouted for the robots. The debris was easy to clear between Uraraka's quirk and his own strength, and soon the two of them were floating down toward the bottom of the landslide. The two of them skipped low across the ground, briefly touching down in places to reapply zero-gravity to keep from shaking the ground too much. They landed on the roof of the office building.
"Deku, Uravity, I'm not seeing any additional movements from the debris near you." Shoji's voice broke over the communicator. "The office building has some odd acoustics due to being buried, but I am hearing something inside of there. I can't determine where inside it's coming from so you'll have to sweep the whole thing. I'm going to scout out other areas nearby to see if any other sections are in danger of sliding."
"Keep the comms open. I'll join Tentacole and see if I can find any signals from civilian bots. Be careful you two."
"Acknowledged, Tentacole, Creati." Izuku moved to the roof access door. "We'll check in with what we find. Deku out." Together, he and Uraraka entered the building. The stairwell was completely dark, windows completely covered by the earth and rubble that had fallen down from higher elevations. The top floor was littered with broken pieces of furniture and bits of ruined walls and dirt. The only things of note were the two stairwells on the east and west sides of the building and the large oak tree pierced through the building like a final dagger in its heart.
"We should probably bring any of the civilians we see up to the roof before we take them out to the command center." Uraraka said. "I'm a little worried about the integrity of the building, but I think that's a better bet than risking leaving everyone in the basement and having another slide either bury us or bring the whole place down on us."
"Good plan. I'll take the east and you take the west? We'll meet together in the middle of each floor before proceeding on. Let's do this!"
Midnight did her best to ignore the chatter of the students behind her and focus on the exercise on the screens but she lived for gossip. It was one of her guilty pleasures of teaching high school. And other students gossiping about her personal mentee? Well, that was too good to pass up. Besides, if pressed she could say that it counted as evaluating just how far Midoriya had come in their lessons together. Probably.
"I'm serious," Hagakure whisper-shouted at Ashido. "It has to have been a girlfriend. No way that Midoriya just happened to decide to get an undercut like that. Have you seen him recently? He looks hot . Nobody just improves that much on their own."
"You don't know that it was a girlfriend," Jiro pointed out. "It could have been his mom or an older sister."
"I don't know, I think Toru might have a point. Haven't you noticed that he's like, not as slouchy anymore?" Ashido chewed on her lip in thought. "He kinda went from cute to like woah , you know?"
Nemuri rolled her eyes at her students' attempt to keep quiet. Was she ever that bad about hiding when she was talking during class? Ostensibly they were all paying attention to the first group's run, but most appeared to have gathered in small crows of either friends chatting or teammates working out strategies. At some point Sero had taped Mineta to the wall near the other boys and none of them seemed in a hurry to let him down. She refocused on the screens in front of her in time to watch Midoriya and Uraraka land a little heavily on the roof of the office building.
"Points off on the landing," Shouta grunted next to her. "If the structure had been weakened he could have fallen through the floors or destabilized the whole building."
"Lighten up, Mr. Sourpuss." Nemuri nudged at him with her elbow. "This is their first attempt at it, right? They're doing pretty well, all things considered."
"They should be doing better than first timers. They're going into this with far more experience than the usual crop. I suspect my expectations are just as high as their own."
"You're getting soft, Sho."
"I don't care if you're a teacher, I will find a way to expel you, Nemuri."
"Oh? You don't have to work so hard to prove you're still hard to little old me, Shouta."
"I hate you."
Midnight trilled out a laugh at her friend. As much as he would deny it, she knew that he cared for his students in his own grumpy way. The students in the exercise continued to make their way down the stairs. They had already managed to find three civilians and bring them back to the roof and had gone back for the next few. Uraraka was floating one through the stairwell while Midoriya removed rubble off another.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. Let's get out of here, huh?" Nemuri's smile grew a little more wicked. Her student was just so precious. Just a little change in the emphasis of his statement and he could be well on his way to being the next 18+ hero. On the screen, he gathered up the civilian in his arms and made his way to meet with Uraraka. Nemuri narrowed her eyes at the display. The girl had lit up when she saw Midoriya. Between that look in her eyes and the girls earlier, that boy might be turning into a monster without even knowing it.
"The problem child is doing well. He's been more vocal in classes recently. I assume that's your doing?"
"Mmm. It's mostly him. He's the one doing all the hard work. I'm just giving him a little more polish."
"So long as confidence tips are the only thing you're teaching him, we won't have a problem." Midnight scoffed.
"Such baseless accusations! Are you implying that I would corrupt such an innocent young man?"
"I don't think I'm implying anything. Just don't stir up even more trouble in my class."
"Why I never! I have never caused trouble before in my life."
"There was that time in my third year when you went up to that Ito kid and-" "We do not talk about the Ito Incident." Nemuri broke in. "Besides that was Hizashi's fault and you know it."
"Regardless, just try to keep your particular brand of crazy from infecting my problem child too much. He already acts like a mini-All Might. We don't need a symbol of peace knockoff with your ability to mess with people's heads. Japan would never survive." Midnight was saved from responding at the sound of explosions.
"HUH?! What the hell did you say about Deku?! There's no way that fucking nerd got a girlfriend!" Aizawa sighed before turning to launch his capture weapon around Bakugou. One strand of it wrapped around his mouth muffling the curses still being spit behind it. His hair started to drift upward with Erasure's activation.
"I should have expelled every single one of you."
Confident that he had it in hand, she ignored the outburst behind her. Midnight watched on as Midoriya and Uraraka cleared the office building and continued up the landslide, catching the stray starry-eyed looks the girl sent his way. I think you're wrong, Shouta. This kid is going to change the world. And I can't wait to watch you do it, Deku!
Chapter 5: Accept A Compliment!
DekuSQUAD
Glow Stick
Cmon stop making fun of him
It wasn't that bad
Sugar and Spice and Incredible Violence
Deku, no, it really was
I love you but what were you thinking @Cold Soba Is My New Dad
Frogalicious (So Delicious)
Could you even see out of the ice kero?
Cold Soba Is My New Dad
I was thinking that I did not want to look like my father. And no, not really.
Sugar and Spice and Incredible Violence
LMFAO
Frogalicious (So Delicious)
lol
Get Down Mr President
Oh my.
I am very glad you got a replacement costume made, Todoroki!
It is certainly begger that you can see out of it now!
Frogalicious (So Delicious)
begger
Sugar and Spice and Incredible Violence
begger
Glow Stick
begger
Cold Soba Is My New Dad
Begger
Get Down Mr President
I apologize for my mistake! I will do better to proofread my messages in the future!
Sugar and Spice and Incredible Violence
lol, no worries Iida
Did you guys do the problem set yet? I got Kyoto as the answer for the first one.
Get Down Mr President
How?? That problem set is for algebra??
"Izu-kun?" Izuku put his phone down ignoring the continued messages in the groupchat. "I brought back some more clothes, honey. Can you open the door?" Izuku opened the dressing room door to reveal his mom, tottering underneath the weight of various pants and shirts in her arms. Taking them from her he placed them on the bench.
"Thank you so much. These are great."
"Are you sure about these, baby? What about your t-shirt shirts? I think those are pretty funny."
"I do too, mom." Izuku closed the door and began to try on the next outfit from the stack of clothes. "But this was something that Kayama-sensei suggested. She says that looking good leads to feeling good. I'll still wear my t-shirt shirts, but these will be for when I'm going out, you know? I'll probably keep my normal stuff for when I'm doing homework or staying in." Izuku chose a pair of black pants, not jeans but a stiff material similar to denim, and added a white shirt overtop.
"I'm just a little worried. This is kind of a big change, honey. I know you're growing older and becoming a man and everything, but you don't have to grow up too fast okay? You're still allowed to be a kid, Izuku."
"I won't mom, I promise." Izuku finished adding the jacket, a similar shade to his favorite red sneakers, and exited the changing room. "So, what do you think?" Izuku spun in place and faced the mirror.
Several seconds passed and Izuku began to get nervous. He looked back over his shoulder at his mom who had giant tears rolling down her face.
"My baby!" His mother crushed him in a hug, pressing her tear stained cheeks into his chest. A minute or two went by with his mother latched onto him. Eventually, she pulled herself away and wiped at the drying tears with a handkerchief from her purse. "I'm sorry, Izuku, it's just. You're growing up so much. You're chasing your dreams and becoming a hero. You look so much like your dad." She reached up to place a hand against his cheek. Her eyes, still reddened from her earlier bout of tears, turned wistful. "I wish he could see you, now. I'm sure he'd be so proud of you, baby."
The questions danced on his tongue. What happened to him? Where is he? Why can't he see me? They died as he met his mother's eyes. There would be more times for questions, but it wasn't now. He wrapped her in his arms again.
"I love you, mom."
"Aw, I love you too." She pulled back slightly to tug at the jacket. "I do like this jacket. Maybe it's not a bad idea to change up your look a bit." They laughed and continued on with their shopping, Izuku feeling lighter than he had in a long time.
Izuku felt the soft weight of a stuffed animal hit his head before it joined the pile of its comrades that had fallen to the floor at his feet. He sighed and turned back toward his mentor.
"I thought I was doing better that time?"
"Oh you were," Midnight called from across the room, laying the modified t-shirt cannon down next to her. "But it's pretty clear you're caught up in your own head, so I figured we can end it early today. I have some grading I should do anyhow."
It had been a long slog of various rescue exercises over the past week in their heroics classes to prepare them for finals, so Midnight had decided that Izuku would work on reducing his anxious movements and tics instead of anything more physically demanding. So he ended up sitting cross-legged on a raised platform in gym theta while alternating between meditation and answering the questions, mostly related to the classwork she had assigned and occasionally requests to say something positive about himself, shouted at him by his mentor. If she caught him bouncing his leg or fiddling with his hands, she would throw an animal at him. If he got a question wrong, she would throw an animal at him. If he didn't respond with a positive trait about himself quickly enough, he would get an animal thrown at him. She had started out sitting closer but had at some point moved so she could plug her phone into the far wall. And then she broke out the t-shirt cannon.
Izuku realy hated that t-shirt canon.
He began to get up, gratefully stretching out his legs and back, before gathering the various stuffed toys around him. Midnight moved forward and joined him.
"You alright, kid?"
"Yeah, Yaomomo made sure the cannon didn't pack too much of a punch."
"That's good, but not exactly what I meant." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You seem a little distracted. Is there anything you want to talk about?"
For a moment he was tempted. Between the rush of schoolwork at the end of the semester as well as his normal workouts, extra practice to try and master full cowling, and the lessons he was taking with Midnight now, he was starting to run on empty. It would be nice to be able to confide in someone, to let someone know every part of what was going on in his head. The only person who could really understand everything that Izuku was going through was All Might, but he couldn't just walk up to the symbol of peace and complain about how busy he was. He'd die of embarassment!
He couldn't really think of a person he would rather tell. His mom, maybe, but she would worry even more than usual. Midnight was a hero and more than that she was one of few teachers he had ever had that seemed to actually like him. He felt comfortable being around her and she had done a lot to help him.
But it wasn't just his secret. This was a secret about All Might too, and he had had the quirk for over forty years and only told a handful of people. How did he know who to trust? How could he just reveal a secret like that? He couldn't, he decided. He would wait. Maybe he could talk to All Might about figuring out who to let in on the secret, but his mentor had also been incredibly busy as of late. Whenever Izuku had asked why the man would just laugh and tell him it was related to an active case.
"I, uh, no sensei, thank you though." She looked over at him for a few minutes before finally nodding.
"Alright, if you do have something you want to tell me, I'm always here." Her hand came up to ruffle his hair. "You've been doing really well recently. I'm proud of all the progress you've been making. Keep it up, yeah?"
"Ahh," Izuku struggled to respond. "Thank you, sensei, it's really not that much. I mean, I'm still working on not slouching and I think I still need some work on not doing the anxious movements and everything. All the fashion stuff is still fairly new to me. And I haven't developed a hero persona yet. And I-" yet another stuffed animal smacked Izuku in the head.
"Midoriya, breathe." Once his breathing was back under control, Midnight returned the stuffed animal to her bag. "Right, apparently there is a much more pressing issue that's come up. You need to learn how to take a compliment, kid. I'll give you some strategies to try out and you work on it during the week, okay?" At Izuku's nod, she continued. "Alright, here's a few basics to remember…"
Izuku wiped down the barbel and his bench, cleaning it off for the next person who came through. At this early hour Izuku was alone in UA's weightroom. It often went overlooked among the many gyms and training areas on the campus, but for Izuku it was a bastion of paradise. He had carved himself into a suitable vessel, according to All Might, but if Izuku ever wanted to push over the five percent cap he had on his quirk, he would need to continue to build muscle. All Might had modified the American Dream Aim to Pass Plan to be the American Dream Western Muscle Expansion Plan (He really needed to stop letting All Might name things) and Izuku was seeing results, if more slowly than he had while training at the beach. He could feel himself improving bit by bit. Eight percent, the next marker he wanted to hit, was only sustainable for a few minutes at a time. Ideally, he wanted to hit eight percent and be knocking on the door of ten before final exams came but to do that would take a lot of hours in the gym.
When he finally exited the locker rooms after changing into his uniform, it was still half an hour before homeroom would begin. Oh well, Izuku thought as he made his way toward the classroom. I guess I can get to work on the English assignment for Monday. He worked for a few minutes before the door swung open again to reveal Tenya Iida, dressed as impeccably as always in his uniform.
"Ah, Midoriya-kun! Good morning!"
"Good morning, Iida-kun!"
As he placed his bag underneath his desk and pulled out his supplies for the morning, Iida said. "I must admit, I am impressed you managed to beat me here! It displays your evident dedication to your duties as a heroics student!"
Izuku went to respond until he heard his mental sensei shouting at him: Strategy One, Humility! Playing it down can work with the press or other heroes to make sure you come across as humble. Don't dismiss your accomplishments but make sure to remain approachable! Say it was a team effort, or you couldn't have done it without someone else.
"Oh, thanks, Iida-kun! I'm just trying to emulate you, you know? You inspire me to give it my all, even if it's just making it to class on time." Iida's chest visibly swelled as pride overtook his features. It made his eyes sparkle behind his glassess. "You were definitely the right choice for class president!" At this the dam burst and his arm began to chop rapidly in the air.
"Thank you for your kind words, Midoriya-kun! You are one of my closest friends and I hope that we can continue to inspire each other to grow even better!" Both friends beamed at each other and fell into a comfortable silence. Eventually, the rest of 1-A filed in and the day began in earnest. Classes were never easy at UA, the heroics students were held to the same high standards as everyone else, but Izuku could admit that he was enjoying classes for the first time. He was answering more questions and talking more with his friends. He didn't feel like the rest of the class was just waiting to lull him into a false sense of security so that they could lock him on the roof of the school when it was set to be fumigated and force him to climb down the gutters in order to get down, so it was already better than middle school.
By the time lunch came around, Izuku was riding high on a wave of positivity. He grabbed his food and sat at their claimed table, one directly in a sunbeam that gave it a pleasant warmth. Izuku sat between Todoroki and Tsu, opposite Ochako and Iida. Tsu seemed to be drifting off a bit in the sunlight, slowly eating her food as the other three bickered.
"I am telling you for the last time, Best Jeanist has a mouth. Why wouldn't he?"
"But have you ever seen it?!" Ochako slammed her hands onto the table as Todoroki solemnly nodded. "Do you have any proof or are you just another sheeple buying into his propaganda?"
Tenya sighed. "Just because I have never seen his mouth does not mean he does not have one."
"But it doesn't mean he does! Quirks are weird, maybe he just doesn't have one?"
"Then how would he eat?!"
"I believe," Todoroki cut in, "that his teeth actually have individual pairs of jeans on them that are perfectly fitted. He doesn't show them off because he doesn't want others to be jealous of his jeeth." As usual , Izuku thought as the other two exploded into a clamor over their newest theory, I can't tell if Todoroki-kun is kidding or serious. A soft poke to his side distracted him from his thoughts.
"Huh, oh what's up Asui-san?"
"It's Tsu, kero," Dang it I really need to do better at that . "I just wanted to say that you have been a lot more vocal and happy recently. It's a nice change. You have a good smile."
Strategy Two! Izuku cursed whatever god there was that he had a mental version of Midnight in his brain. Tell them how much the compliment means to you and thank them!
"Thanks, Tsu. That means a lot coming from you. You're one of my best friends and I know you're always honest, so really it means so much that you think that. I have been happier recently and it feels good. I think it's because I have incredible friends like you around." It was easy to see the dark red blush grow on her face as he looked into her eyes. A soft kero fell from her. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted as something slammed into the side of Izuku's head with a wet slap!
"Oh no! I'm so sorry Deku-kun, I was aiming for Todoroki!" Izuku turned to look at his friend. Her face burned with a mixture of embarrassment and competitive fury.
"I think that was an overreaction." The two-toned boy in question stated. "It's entirely possible that Thirteen is a space gerbil that operates a mechanical suit. No one has ever seen what they look like underneath their costume."
"This kind of behavior is unacceptable as students of UA! I insist that both of you desist at once before the state of things devolves even further!" Izuku could only laugh as Tenya lectured a stone-faced Shoto as Uraraka appeared to be furtively searching for more food she could throw at Iida. He grabbed a nearby napkin and cleaned most of the sauce from his face, saving the amphibious girl next to him from explaining the blush on her cheeks. Neither noticed the glares Uraraka snuck toward their side of the table.
Eventually, they made it to their heroics class where All Might awaited them. Izuku had new strengthened boots that extended into bracers that went up to the knee and longer white gloves that turned into compression sleeves as they reached his mid-bicep. Mei promised that the rest of his new gear was close to being finished, but because they were the first done and needed the most data on his capabilities, Izuku had the new limb stabilizers on his original costume.
"Alright, gather round you zygotes! Today we are going to be running the full gauntlet uphill! You'll be running in staggered starts, so for those who are waiting you may do some individual training with Ectoplasm's clones that are on standby or you may brainstorm changes to your costume you would like to make before finals! Power Loader has asked me to remind you that all changes have to be discussed and finalized with the support students by Monday! Now, let's get to it! I am setting up the timer like a normal person!"
Izuku took the time before his run to stretch and warm himself up. Gym beta was the second largest indoor training facility, mostly because of the programmable obstacle courses that could be moved and changed throughout the facility. The gym itself was a large cylindrical shape and each obstacle course was one lap around the perimeter of the gym, about 2 kilometers in length. The four different obstacle courses were created to represent different types of environments that heroes could operate in and the challenges they would face. The urban course had tall side walls to bounce off of, random civilian bots and parked cars, and even overhanging pipes and fire escapes to grab onto. The mountain course had more uneven footing and the path changed elevation in places. There were also the boulder launchers that would randomly roll massive rocks into the way. The sand course was Izuku's least favorite. The entire course was done on shifting dunes of sand with interspersed quicksand pits to fall into as well as robotic snakes that would drop from the ceiling. There were no walls to bounce off of, so you just had to power through it unless your quirk allowed you to fly over it. The final course was the shootout track where students had to dive from cover to cover as robot's armed with paintball guns shot them from afar. When all four courses were combined into the full gauntlet, each would be at a slight incline, and would connect so that they spiraled from the top of the gym to the bottom.
It was a combination of physical conditioning and clever quirk application that made it a good heroics exercise despite the brutal length. Most finished the entire course in about an hour, though those with enhanced mobility like Iida finished much quicker. At five percent, Izuku could finish the course in forty minutes but he figured that this was a prime opportunity to test out how long he could hold eight percent for.
The first leg flew by. The urban environment was always his best with the various surfaces to bounce off of and ledges to grab on to, but with the increased power he felt like he was walking on air. Cuts and jumps that normally would have required pushing off two different walls now just needed a single burst of eight percent to clear. In places he had to overcorrect for the increased power before he slammed into an obstacle. It felt like no time at all had passed before Izuku finished his run at just over thirty-four minutes, crushing his previous best. As the final runs finished and people began making their way toward the locker rooms, All Might pulled Izuku aside.
"Young Midoriya! That was an incredible run, my boy. Was that eight percent?"
"Parts of it. It was mostly at five percent but I ramped it up for jumps and the sprint at the end. Still, I'm pretty sore having it on for that long."
"I thought it was great, my boy." All Might dropped a hand onto his head and ruffled his hair. "You've come so incredibly far from that skinny fanboy I first met, young man." Izuku didn't bother trying to stop the tears that sprung from his eyes. "Hahaha, and there's the waterworks. You're still a bit of a crybaby, my boy, even if you have grown up in other ways."
Strategy Three! Izuku was beginning to wonder if he should talk to someone about his mental sensei. Double Down! Take a moment to be a little cocky. You deserve it every once in a while, just don't become too arrogant.
"You're right, All Might. It's taken a lot of hard work to get here, but I couldn't have done it without you. I'll keep making you proud!"
Not exactly it, but not bad, kid. Izuku ignored Midnight's voice and followed the now equally tearful All Might toward the locker rooms.
Ochako shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited for Deku. Tsu had to take care of her siblings, Todoroki had just sort of vanished, and Tenya had a physical therapy appointment for the lingering wounds from his fight with Stain. So Ochako waited for Izuku. Alone. By herself. So they could walk home. Together. She wasn't freaking out! It was just Deku! Who cared if he looked a lot more confident or looked hot with his new haircut, or was walking out of the locker room with properly fitting clothes that showed off his arms! Dammit why is he doing this to me?!
"D-Deku-kun! Hi!" He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. Her eyes traced over the way the jacket he wore bunched around his biceps and- Bad Ochako! No ogling your friends!
"You ready?" She took a moment to blink and force her brain to reset before responding.
"Yeah, let's do it." They began to make their way out of the school, neither in a hurry home. "So, do you have any extra work classes or anything you need to do after today?"
"No, today's my day off actually. I'm under strict orders from Kayama-sensei to not workout or do anything strenuous this afternoon. I'll probably just end up studying," he said with a shrug.
"I should probably study for finals too, I want to crack the top ten for the end of the semester rankings."
"You know, we could study together?" Eh?! Ochako whipped to the side to look at Izuku who kept walking forward. "You could come over to my place and my mom could make us dinner." Phew, I thought he was going to suggest a date! "Or we could go over to your apartment. That way we could be a little louder if we wanted." Ochako choked on air over her friend's suggestion. She couldn't hear him checking on her over the pounding of her heart and the fury of lewd thoughts that stormed her mind. Get it together girl! He probably means studying with the whole group.
"We could probably get the whole group together to study before finals too, now that I think about it." See? Now will you please calm down? "It's probably a good idea to have Iida-kun there, we might get pretty distracted otherwise." Fuck! Ochako stared at her friend as he walked toward the train station, completely oblivious to the hell he was putting her through. I swear if you weren't such an adorable idiot I would float you into the sun!
"Now that I think about it though, we haven't hung out just the two of us in a while. We should change that." EEEHHHHHH??!!! "How about we go get mochi next weekend? It'll be a nice break from training." Ochako's brain shut down. Apparently she had managed to say something in the affirmative, because Izuku just sent her another beaming smile and continued on his way. Everything felt underwater. It was a similar feeling to when she used her quirk on herself and the blood rushed to her head as her stomach tried to separate itself from her body. It took most of the walk to the station for her to regain some control over her faculties but she still couldn't stop her traitorous blush or the drumbeat of her heart. It was longer still for her to feel confident speaking without blurting out something embarrassing, enough time for them to both be on the tracks waiting for their train.
"Deku-kun?" He made a noise of confusion and turned toward her. "I really like your new haircut, by the way. I'm not sure I said anything before but it's very cute." He smiled at her, and if Ochako had any doubts about her feelings they were banished by him. His smile was bright and broad, the corners of his mouth crinkling the freckles on his cheeks. The sun struck his hair and turned his curls a brilliant green, eyes closing slightly due to the size of his grin.
I'm so screwed.
"Thanks Uraraka-san! I really like it too. Do you want to feel it? It's still pretty fluffy." Between heartbeats, Ochako found her fingers running through the soft curls on top of Izuku's head. They are pretty incredibly soft , she thought. The pads on her fingers scraped slightly against his scalp, and Deku leaned into her touch like a pleased cat. His movements brought him a full step closer until they were separated by mere centimeters. Ochako desperately hoped he couldn't hear how fast her heart was beating.
"I-it's really soft."
"Thank you," Ochako shivered at the proximity of Izuku's voice right beside her ear. "It means a lot hearing that from someone so important to me. Your hands feel really nice, Uraraka-san." She swore, for years to follow, that Deku had a hidden time stopping quirk. The sounds of the other passengers faded away, Japan stopped its frantic motions and the sun's descent paused just for the two of them. The world itself ceased to matter as she stared into Deku's eyes, at this distance able to pick out the swirls of teal among the darker greens. She hardly dared to breath in fear that it would ruin the moment. A voice from deep inside her whispered. Tell him. Tell him how you feel.
"Deku-kun, I- I-" In the corner of her eye there was a flicker of movement.
"Shit, my train!" Suddenly, Ochako found herself alone as Izuku dashed into the nearest train car, narrowly avoiding the closing doors and the older woman standing near them. "I'll see you tomorrow, Uraraka-san!"
Ochako blinked at the train that now rapidly pulled out of the station, her thoughts consumed by angelic green eyes.
Yeah, I'm definitely screwed.
Stuck grading papers in the U.A. faculty lounge, Midnight suddenly shot up in her chair. "I sense young love!"
"Shut it, Nemuri. I will find a way to expel you."
"Shove it up your sleeping bag, Shouta, someone is falling in love!"
He walked down the street, kicking a stray rock out in front of him. According to the hag, walking was supposed to be therapeutic and it gets him in touch with nature but really he just thought she wanted him out of the house for longer or she couldn't be bothered to come pick him up herself.
Katsuki kicked the rock again, this time letting a bit of his anger bleed out, and it rocketed off down the street. What the fuck was going on with that damn nerd? He started bulking up out of nowhere in middle school, then he sprouted a god damn quirk out of his ass? Not just a quirk, but some bullshit strength enhancer that knocked down buildings and shattered bones when he used it. Katsuki managed to win the sports festival and prove he was better than all those shitty extras but all anyone would talk about was Deku. His fight with that half-and-half bastard was all over the news overshadowing the fight that Katsuki fucking won .
Then came his disaster of an internship. He went with Best Jeanist because he was the highest ranked hero that sent him an offer but he just wanted some doll to dress up. He went on and on about image and how he presented himself and never gave Katsuki the chance to prove who he was. He was Bakugou fucking Katsuki god dammit, he wasn't meant to be shut away inside an agency. He was meant to be in the field teaching shitty villains a lesson they would never forget. But no, he had to get the most boring top ten hero as his mentor.
If his internship had been that shitty, he knew all the other extras in his class had to have gotten even less out of theirs. Except for Deku , once a-fucking-gain. He and the glasses guy and that shitty two-toned ice princess found themselves on national news. And when they got back Deku was looking down on him. He finally managed to control his quirk like a fucking toddler and suddenly he was hot shit. He got that fucking haircut and started hanging around the stripper sensei and now he lorded it over everyone.
It made Katsuki sick.
How dare that quirkless bastard stand in his way. He had spent years teaching Deku his place and what was worse was that he was the only one who saw it. The extras fawned over him and gossiped about how much better he had gotten. Well he would show them. He would remind everyone that Deku would always mean useless. Even if he had to beat that lesson into the shitty nerd's corpse.