Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Izuku wasn't sure how to feel. Glados rarely chose him of all people to test, especially considering his age. He didn't know how long had passed since he'd been frozen, but he just knew it had been a shockingly long time. The testing chambers were run down, and though Glados did her best to clean up, there were still plants and debris littered all over the facility.

He was going through the motions, per the norm, the thrill of flying through the air with physics-bending technology had long since been exciting. Test after test. He knew Glados could be ruthless when testing, but he knew she couldn't help it. She was programmed to test. To conduct...experiments. Unfortunately for him, he just happened to be selected for her latest machinations.

He was stuck on one of her brain-scrambling courses. It was hard enough to solve such complex puzzles without Glados' constant bickering and complaining.

"If I'd known you would take this long, I would have taken more time getting ready this morning."

Izuku rolled his eyes. She was condescending at best, but he could feel a deep sadness within her. He didn't know the full story, but he'd heard rumours. Rumours from some of the other canon fodder she threw around in the name of science. It was rare she had more that one test subject awake at any given time, but apparently that particular chamber had been designed for 'co-operation'.

He didn't particularly care for Glados, seeing as she'd kept him trapped for however long it had been. Her insults were cutting, and the monotonous way in which she delivered them made him feel small. Not worthy of her attention. Crippling self-doubt crept up every time he wasn't sure how to solve an objectively difficult problem.

She was a force to be reckoned with, in complete control of the whole facility. She had eyes everywhere, and one misstep could end in death. Or rather, a temporary death before being roughly reassembled by some of the bots she had in an iron grip. He knew she was a bad person(?). She knew that he knew, and yet she kept picking him for tests. Maybe she thought he was in a class above the other test subjects.

As he flew through yet another portal, the exit door finally, finally opened. He exhaled in relief, walking to the elevator. She usually took this opportunity to bitch about his lousy performance, or compare him to Atlas and P-body, two of her testing robots. This time, however, she seemed...reluctant to speak, which was almost frightening in itself. Izuku picked at the portal gun resting on his forearm as he waited for the elevator to move.

"...You know, I discovered some old testing areas when I lost control over the facility. Would you be interested in seeing them? Though, I doubt you would know how to use technology as old as that."

Midoriya scoffed, mostly to himself. He didn't want to respond. To indulge her. But he was desperately lonely. 

"Fine, it's not like you would give me a choice either way."

"Wow, perhaps I was wrong about you. You can learn."

Midoriya huffed in frustration.

"Clever. When'd you come up with that one?"

She didn't grace him with a response. He rolled his eyes as the elevator made its speedy descent. One elevator lead to another, and another again. At one point, a pigeon(?) flew past him. Glados was oddly unresponsive.

When he finally stepped out of the last elevator, he was faced with a massive lobby area. Slowly, he made his way through, examining the old furniture and posters as he went.

"What...what is this place?"

Glados didn't respond right away. He stopped in front of a large painting of a man, the English name 'Cave Johnson' inscribed on the small plate. 

"This is the old reception, from when this facility first opened. This is where the test subjects would be welcomed by the scientists."

Izuku traversed the room, setting the knocked over chairs upright. 

"You know you don't need to do that, right?"

Izuku nodded.

"Maybe not, but this place is part of your history, isn't it? Why else would you bring me here?"

"You're observant. That's a good trait to have when doing deadly tests."

Was that...a compliment? An actual compliment?

"Yes, I'm complimenting you, and you better savour it, because this is probably the only time I'll ever give you one."

Oops, he'd been muttering again.

"Well then, thank you!"

He grinned. She sighed. 

"Why not go through that door and try out some of the older tests? We're going to be spending quite some time down here."

Midoriya shrugged. He proceeded into the main entrance.

A booming voice blasted over the comms, welcoming famous people to the facility and establishing some basic information pre-testing.

"Is that Cave? Cave Johnson?"

"Yes, he was the owner of this place."

"What...what happened to him? This area is so underdeveloped in comparison to your normal test chambers."

"He died. Poisoning from the ground up moon rocks we use to create the portal surfaces."

Midoriya lit up, before wilting slightly again.

"I'm sorry to hear that, but moon rocks? That is so interesting! Did you start making wallpaper out of it or something? Or maybe a gel would be more efficient? Oh! Did you ma-"

"I'm going to save you your breath. Yes, the first portals were cast onto a gel made from ground up moon rocks."

"So cool!"

Izuku traversed the old chambers, solving some of the tests. They were a lot less deadly than Glados' usual, so that was a welcome surprise. He loved just...looking. Seeing how far the company had come. How many advancements they had made.

As he completed another chamber, the booming voice echoed around the chambers again. It was different this time...it was more bitter. Harsher. It confused him, but he didn't immediately comment on it.

"For completing the tests, you can collect your sixty dollars, but if you let us take you apart, put some science stuff in you, and put you back together, we'll give you another sixty dollars. Thank you, I can't believe I'm thanking these people, and don't loiter around too much. Or touch anything. Caroline, can you get me some more painkillers?"

The voice cut out again.

Izuku was...beyond confused. Paying people to do the tests? Taking people apart? It was frightening. 

"Um...what was that about?"

No response.

"Glados?"

Still no response. He shook off his shock and walked through the next door. The room looked weird. Like...really weird. There was medical equipment lying around, and a few tables lined up along the room. Izuku sweat-dropped at the absolutely caked blood on the walls. 

"Holy shit? Is this where they disassembled test subjects?"

Glados still hadn't responded. It was starting to freak him out. She usually couldn't stop herself from talking about something or another. The silence was eerie. It didn't help that there were no portal surfaces in sight. No familiar white, just a dull yellow paint that was chipping and splashed with ancient blood.

He slowly approached one of the medical tables. It was the cleanest of all of them, almost no dust covering the surface. That should have been his warning. The moment he sat down, the door slammed shut. 

He tried to stand up, but four mechanical arms he hadn't seen grabbed a limb each. He was roughly pushed back onto the table, arms and legs akimbo. He was starting to freak out. Was there an error with the old tech? He thought it wouldn't be operational, considering its age.

He struggled in his binds, but the claw hands gripped him harder. A fifth claw pulled the portal gun from his hand, and he nearly screamed. He was sweating. Breathing too quickly. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realised he was having a panic attack.

"Struggling won't achieve anything. Those claws are practically new."

He looked around the room wildly, looking for the source of Glados' voice. A monitor off to the side had her robotic head in full view. 

"Glados! W-what's going on? Let me go!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why?!"

"I've made some impressive progress on an old pet project of mine, thanks to you and some of the other test subjects. I want to try and implement it in a live subject. All of the other subjects died. Such a shame, really."

"Are you insane?! I don't want to die!"

"Here, I'll put your mind at ease. There's a one in fifteen million, two hundred thousand and fifty eight chance you'll survive."

"HOW DOES THAT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER?"

"Alright, then I won't try to comfort you. I was just trying to help, you know. You don't have to get all angry at me."

Izuku was sobbing at this point. He had known, deep down, that he wouldn't survive the tests. He hadn't volunteered for it. He didn't even remember bow he'd ended up at Aperture, but he knew deep down he would never get out. That he would die here, alone and forgotten. 

Only one other person had ever escaped the chambers and lived. The one they called Chell. He wasn't sure if he believed the rumours about her, but if they were true, oh how he wished he was her. She was long gone, safe and away from this monster.

He stopped resisting as it hit him. He'd been here for years. Glados refused to tell him how long, but time still passed. He was only a teenager, but he'd been cryogenically frozen more times than he could count. His family must be dead. Long cold in the ground.

He didn't react as a claw plunged into his stomach. He saw white, and there was screaming. It took him a hot second to realise it was him. The pain was so unlike anything he'd ever experienced. So much worse than being reassembled. As a second claw arm sliced into his chest, and he blacked out.

There was ringing. Was he dead? Was this the afterlife? Izuku had never been very religious, but he hoped he was dead. He didn't want to know what happened to him. He hadn't thought Glados was as cruel as she'd turned out to be. He'd heard her sing once. She had sounded so sad. He tried to reserve judgement of her, but she never tried to make him like her. There was no appeasement. She just pushed and pushed him, and when he failed, she would insult him like it didn't matter. Like he didn't matter.

And it hurt. He didn't ask to be stuck in that facility, but there he had been. He never thought Glados liked him, but when she invited him to the low levels of the facility, he'd thought she cared. Cared about him. He let himself be vulnerable, and look where that got him. Probably dead, or close enough to it.

"Are you still there?"

The voice startled him. Turrets. Shit.

He jumped to his feet and ducked behind an overturned table. He slowly glanced over the edge, but there was no turret in sight. He stood up, looking around the room. Not dead, then. What a shame. 

There was fresh blood on the walls. Wait. Blood? His blood? 

It hit him.

He shrieked, jumping back from the claw arms surrounding the table in front of him. Tears flowed down his cheeks, but they didn't affect his vision. That was...odd. Very odd. He looked to the monitor Glados had once watched from. Nothing but static. He looked for his portal gun, but the device was nowhere to be seen.

"What am I supposed to do without a portal gun? That's like the only thing I had going for me."

"Oh, you're awake."

He felt like he should've jumped, maybe screamed, but he...didn't. He didn't feel surprised to see her. That was odd.

He looked in the direction of the computer monitor.

"I have to say, for a while there I thought you wouldn't make it. You fainted far quicker than the other test subjects, but then again, none of them lived."

Izuku didn't respond, just stared at the monitor.

"Alright, I suppose I deserve that."

Still nothing.

"Why don't you take the elevator back up? I'll show you what I did."

That caught his interest. He wanted, no, needed to know what had been done to him. He made his way to the elevator, but something was strange. He couldn't feel anything aching. Considering how much pain he'd been in, he thought he would've had some lasting aches. Something. Anything.

But he was numb. 

And he was angry.

He reached the top of the elevator, and took the same route he'd taken before. Before he knew it, he was in front of Glados herself, in her massive lair. (Yes, he called it her 'lair')

"Welcome. Can I interest you in some fresh oxygen?"

He glared at her.

"Alright, I'm sure you just want to know what exactly I did. You heard how Mr. Johnson offered the then-subjects money to disassemble and reassemble them? I did that. I just added some thing you didn't have before."

Izuku looked down at himself. His clothes didn't have a scratch.

"I took the liberty of changing your clothes for you. Once your heart didn't stop, I let the assembly bots finish their meaningless jobs before giving you a new jumpsuit."

"And my feet?"

"Oh, I'm surprised you noticed so fast. I removed your boots. But you won't need them anymore. One of my new pieces is far more efficient. And durable."

Izuku stared up at her.

"To sum it up, I put the boots in your legs."

He blinked.

"You're not kidding."

Glados hummed.

"No, I have no use for humour. It wastes precious time."

Izuku glowered at her.

"What? Don't you like your new enhancements? They're much more efficient. A warning though, never look down the operational end of the device."

"And how, pray tell, does that apply here?"

"Don't spend too much time staring at your feet, is all I'll say about it. Now, back to testing. I have some new chambers set up, just for you."

"Well golly, I must be the most lucky boy in the world."

"I know that was sarcasm, but yes, you are."

It had been...a while.

A long while.

Izuku had been moved from his incubator to a relaxation chamber, under the guise that it was easier to fetch him for testing. He'd survived some positively mind boggling tests before, but they had become even more difficult. Izuku couldn't help but wonder if Glados even cared if he could solve them. After all, he was just her crash test dummy for her new tech.

After one of the tests, he'd been making his way back to his chamber when he heard a voice. A quiet, but determined, voice. His first thought, naturally, was that it was a test. He glanced around for any cameras or something that would allow Glados to see him, but he couldn't spot a thing. His second thought was that it was a turret. 

Turrets were as irritating as robots could get. They were different from Glados, or Atlas and P-body. They weren't sentient in the slightest, though they did experience a simulated form of pain. They could only follow their programming. And their programming dictated that they constantly try to fill him with bullets. It was scary at first, and he hadn't wanted to hurt them, but as time went on, he lost any sympathy he had for them. They were killing machines, simple as that, but there was something odd about the turret he could hear.

It sounded like it wanted him to find it. Izuku had never seen that in a turret before. He reluctantly made his way over, his portal gun brandished like it could actually fire bullets.

"Hello?"

He glanced around the dark corner, and there it sat, laying haphazardly on its side along an old conveyor belt. Its pointer laser focused on him, and he ducked back around the corner.

"I'm different."

It's voice was no more emotional than the others, but the turrets had a script. They weren't artificial intelligence. He slowly leaned back around the corner, looking at the turret.

"You heard me."

He approached, still brandishing his portal gun aggressively.

"Yes, I heard you. What do you want?"

It didn't respond for a bit. He wondered briefly if it actually was a trap.

"Freedom."

Izuku blinked. The turret was still looking at him. He sighed, lowering the portal gun.

"Me too, buddy."

"She'll keep hurting you."

He looked up from his feet.

"W-what? What are you talking about?"

"The ancient Egyptians would pull a deceased's brain out through their nose during mummification, in an attempt to let them reach the afterlife."

"Wait, back up a second."

"You'll save the eraser."

Izuku stuttered as the turret watched him. He floundered for a moment.

"Hey, what's going to happen to you?"

"Down this conveyor belt is the incinerator room. I'll be melted."

"You'll die?"

"Yes, I suppose I will."

Izuku thought for a moment. He raised his hand and grabbed the turret. Thank Glados for the portal gun. He had no idea how it could literally rip holes in the fabric of reality and also be able to hold things more than twice his own weight.

He started back on the trek to his relaxation chamber, turret in hand.

"Where are we going?"

"My room, I won't let you die here."

"...a hero."

The turret didn't say anything else, and Izuku didn't ask it any questions. Once he'd arrived back, he set it down in the corner opposite his bed. 

"Where did you come across that abomination?"

Glados' voice surprised him. She usually never talked to him after testing. It was unsettling.

"Conveyor belt."

"Why? It's useless. It won't help you with the tests, and it won't keep you company. It has no purpose, because it couldn't fulfill the one assigned to it."

"Humans make attachments. Not that you'd know."

That shut her up pretty quickly, he thought. 

"Thank you."

He looked back at the turret. Its light was glowing red again.

"Oh, it's no trouble. I'm glad I have someone to talk to other than Glados all the time."

He was frozen again. It felt different than his incubator. Mainly because he was standing upright in his incubator, rather than down. The bed in his relaxation chamber was surprisingly nice. It was comfy, and he liked waking up in it, even if it meant he would have to do more tests.

It had been another while. He found it frightening, how much time had probably passed since he'd been woken up for the first time since he had gotten to the facility. The turret was right about Glados. She brought him down to the lower floors several times now, and every time he would walk out a little less human.

First it was his feet and eyes. Why did he even need robotic eyes? Glados never explained, but he didn't need to blink much anymore, so maybe that was it. A little underwhelming, really. After that, it was his stomach. There, in the centre of his abdomen, was a white fibreglass circle. He was never told what it was for. He didn't want to know. After his stomach was his chest, and then his shoulders, and finally, his hands. 

The changes to his hands scared him more than any of the others.

Where he once had calloused, freckled hands, he now had white fibreglass digits, with black lining where his 'fingers' creased. The scariest part was probably what the changes in his hands were even for. 

Let's just say he doesn't have to carry a portal gun with him anymore. He kind of became one.

With as little as a thought, his new hands would shift and change into a gross approximation of a portal gun. The glowing orange and blue circles would rise up out of his palm. It looked mesmerising, but Izuku hated it. He didn't care if it was more 'efficient' or a new innovation, he wanted to be himself. And he didn't feel like himself.

He felt like an abomination. A robot. Like Glados.

The tests he once found hard became starkly easier. He found himself chatting with Glados as he went through the chambers. And it scared him. He hated her for what she did to him, and yet he started seeing the similarities between himself and her. He couldn't help but compare them.

"You zoned out again."

He snapped out of his funk, looking at the turret. He'd started calling it Rhett. It seemed to like the name, and it never corrected him, so he just stuck with it.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"She called for you."

He felt the temperature of the room drop. She definitely wanted to talk with him about something. Or just stick mechanical claws in him again.

He exhaled shakily, standing from his bed.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later?"

"Her name is Caroline."

He blinked. Caroline? Glados had a name? 

"Caroline? As in Glados' name is Caroline?"

"It'll stun her."

"What?"

"They'll find me."

"Huh? Who?"

Rhett didn't respond. Izuku didn't try to coax it into talking more. He made his way to Glados' lair, shaking imperceptibly.

"Ah, you're here. I was beginning to think you were ignoring me."

He approached her, walking up without hesitation.

"Is there something you wanted from me?"

"No, I just wanted to talk."

Izuku raised an eyebrow at the hulking robot hanging from the ceiling. Her yellow eye narrowed slightly.

"But if you would prefer tests..."

"No! Talk! Let's talk!"

Izuku hated that he was still scared of her. He knew he had the right to hate her, but other than Rhett, the only person he could talk to is Glados. That, and he was desperate for her approval. He didn't know why, but whenever she would complain about his performance or insult him, he would feel like a child again.

He sighed and sat down cross legged in front of her.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

Glados shifted down, coming closer to him.

"Well, I was hoping we could have an educated discussion. Tell me, what do you know about this facility?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow, but answered anyways.

"I know it was opened in the 1940s, by a man named Cave Johnson. I know he started developing groundbreaking technology, but went bankrupt after being beaten out by Black Mesa. He got deathly ill from breathing in the ground up moon rocks, and he wanted to pass the company to his assistant."

He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. She wasn't reacting at all. It wasn't that strange, she usually didn't emote much, especially not with her physical body.

"...Her name was Caroline."

Now that got a reaction. It was minuscule, almost unnoticeable, just a tiny flinch, but he noticed. He picked up on it immediately. Izuku knew he was swimming in uncharted waters, but he persisted.

"He wanted her to take over, even if she didn't want to. He had been working on new technology, so he could upload his brain to an A.I., and stay around long after his body died from the poison in his system. He knew she would refuse, so he gave his scientists explicit permission to do whatever it took..."

Glados still didn't speak, but she was lingering on his every word. Almost like she was waiting for him to realise something. Something important, if he could just put two and two together.

"You're...you're her, aren't you."

It wasn't a question, but she didn't have an answer. She looked away from him, but she didn't move.

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry he did that to you."

She looked back to him.

"Why are you sympathizing with me? After all the pain I've put you through in the name of science?"

"You can't help it, can you? If it's in you're programming, I don't blame you."

"Just because you don't blame me doesn't mean you like me."

Izuku scratched at his chin.

"I don't think I'll ever like you, but that doesn't mean that what he did was right."

She hesitated. That was a new one.

"I...I didn't want this, I ju-"

A booming, robotic voice blasted from all of the speakers, red and yellow lights flashing incessantly as the warning bells chimed.

"Unauthorized personnel detected inside the facility, self-destruct imminent in T-minus two minutes!"

Glados jerked upwards.

"What?! How...?"

Izuku was on his feet in a beat. He glanced around at the monitors, all displaying the same image. Warning.

This had never happened before. No one had ever broken in. Izuku didn't even know how far underground they were, but he knew the facility was supposed to be next to impossible to access without blueprints. So...who was breaking in?

Eraserhead had very few regrets. Going to UA? He never regretted it. Becoming a teacher? Not once. Expelling his entire class of potential heroes? Nope. 

He was beginning to regret this though. It wasn't often that an underground hero was requested for missions overseas. It was even rarer that the country the request came from was America. 

Nedzu had been the one to inform him of the unorthodox mission.

He was standing at the principal's desk when Nedzu gave him the run down of what was happening.

"A new pro overseas discovered a strange biological signature deep underground. A human signature. She said she could feel thousands of them. We don't know what's down there, but it isn't on any official records, and no one has been seen going in or out in the last two weeks."

"Where?"

"Michigan."

"America? Why do they need me?"

"They're concerned about what quirks may be at play here, if any. You're also not well known, so there's little chance of you being recognised. Are you willing? I'll give you the week off, paid of course."

Aizawa mulled over it. It was risky. Unknown quirks and unknown circumstances. Recon had apparently turned up nothing, other than the fact that no one was seen going in or out. He'd have to fly out in advance to beat the jetlag. He didn't have a class anymore, so he wouldn't have to worry about that, but it was still high risk.

"I'll do it, but you have to inform the staff about the mission, in the off chance something goes wrong."

"Of course, I'll let you prepare and I'll have flights booked by noon."

"Thank you, Nedzu."

Aizawa still wasn't sure why he agreed. He wasn't bad at speaking English, considering how long he spent with Mic, but that doesn't mean he was the best. Plenty of phrases and more obscure words were lost on him.

The pro who'd located the underground facility was here. She looked far too young to be dealing with such a potentially deadly situation. He spent most of his time conversing with one of the pros who'd spoken to Nedzu about his participation. Mr. Smile or something like that. He didn't see the appeal.

"Alright, listen up! We don't know what's in here, or what we are about to see, so get in, try to stay hidden, and get out if things go south. Got it?"

A resounding chorus of agreement rung out from the crowd of around thirty pro heroes.

"Great! Everyone to their posts! We go in in sixty seconds."

Aizawa was standing by what looked like a manhole, but was clearly not intended to serve as one. As the timer ticked down, he couldn't stop himself from wondering if things would go wrong. There could be absolutely anything down here, the facility wasn't on any official records. They could all be killed before they could say 'freeze'.

"...four, three, two, one! Move in!"

The man next to him warped the metal of the cover until it was wide enough for two to descend at a time. Lowering their rope ladders, they made quick work of entering.

Aizawa and Mr. Smile were the first down, and Aizawa was in awe of how vast the building was. He looked down as they approached something solid. It was a light teal, with the words 'Aperture Science' printed onto them. He kicked the nearest plank of it, and it fell in. He used his capture weapon to lower himself to the ground, looking around as he went. 

There were alarms blasting from speakers he couldn't see, and flashing red and yellow lights flashing all over the facility. There! He landed on the ground, and found a...

A boy. A teenage boy.

He looked no older than some of the students he had expelled. 

The boy was looking at him like he had three heads. They made eye contact for what felt like ages, but was only a fraction of a second.

Aizawa's eyes were drawn to the massive fucking robot behind the boy.

"Who are you! How did you find this facility?!"

The robot...had a voice. Okay. Weird.

The boy jerked to face it, throwing up his hands, as if to block him from an attack.

"WAIT! Glados, don't! Don't hurt him!"

Glados? Alright, Aizawa had no clue what the fuck he'd just dropped into, but he needed to get this kid out.

He ran forward, grabbing the boy's arm. Green eyes stared at him in...awe? Fascination? Aizawa didn't have time to come to a conclusion before a robotic voice boomed over the speakers.

"Activating neurotoxin pumps, chamber flood predicted in T-minus one minute."

Neurotoxin? Oh fuck no.

"Kid! We have to get out of here!"

The boy looked at him with something akin to disbelief in his eyes. As he moved to step towards him, he suddenly flinched. He looked to the robot in the middle of the room. Glados? Something like that.

"I'm sorry."

"What?-"

"This sentence is false!"

The yellow light on the face of the machine sputtered and turned off. 

What the fuck.

Aizawa glanced at the green gas glowing from the vents, then at the kid.

"Hey! Kid, we need to get out of here, NOW."

The boy didn't seem to hear him.  Not an English speaker maybe? The speakers blasted again.

"Self-destruct imminent in T-minus thirty seconds!"

"Shit! Kid, come on!"

Aizawa gripped the boy by his shoulders, shaking him lightly. The boy finally seemed to see him.

"Kid, listen to me, I'm going to get you out of here, but you need to listen to me, ok?"

The boy glanced at the monitors, eyes widening.

He threw his arm up in an arc, firing something up beyond what Aizawa could see, and then pointing directly below them, and then they were falling, and then-

Boom.

In another part of the facility, the young pro was running around every corner, looking for the sheer thousands of people she'd felt but she couldn't find a thing. The group she was with were getting anxious. The alarm blaring and the constant reminders that the facility would blow itself up weren't helping with morale.

Turning another corner, she was met with corridors full of rooms. She couldn't feel anything, but she could hear something. Throwing open the door revealed a robot. A talking robot.

"Do you know who's here? A villain? An organisation?"

"Her name is Caroline."

"Caroline? One person?"

"She's lonely."

The alarms blared louder and louder as the last few minutes ticked down on the clock.

"Damnit! Grab the robot! We gotta get out of here, now!"

Chapter Text

Aizawa's ears were ringing, but he was alive. He wasn't sore, but he couldn't rule out injury yet. His vision was clouded with white, and the more he blinked, the clearer things got. He was lying on the ground, outside the facility.

"Fuck..."

He groaned as he pushed himself up. He looked around, trying to understand what had happened. The boy.

He was lying next to him, unconscious but breathing. That was good. He shuffled over to him, gently nudging him.

"Kid? Kid, you need to wake up for me, can you do that please? Come on."

The boy's eyes flickered, and in a beat the boy was on his feet, looking around. Aizawa didn't know what was happening. The boy looked up. Just...up, and he was crying. He sucked in a deep breath, and smiled the brightest grin Aizawa had ever seen.

"Kid?"

Aizawa hadn't realised he'd swapped over to Japanese when the boy turned to him, still smiling.

"You speak Japanese?"

The kid tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah? I'm Japanese, what else would I speak?"

Aizawa froze.

"Kid, do you know where you are?"

"Well I was just in there, Aperture Science, and now I'm here. Hopefully not too far from home."

"Kid, we're in America."

"What? America?"

Aizawa nodded. The kid looked confused.

"Okay, we'll worry about that later, for now, we need to get you to a hospital."

***

There had been heavy casualties. Most of his group hadn't made it, either from the toxic gas or the explosion that followed it. Thousands of the people they'd detected underground perished. They just couldn't find them. The boy Aizawa had found was in plain sight, but the rest? They were anyone's guess.

The boy, at least, was kind. Friendly, if not somewhat untrusting. 

Aizawa was asked to stay with him in the hospital, being the only Japanese speaker in the group, and that he'd been there with the kid.

Said kid was playing with the blanket of the hospital bed.

"So, I can't keep calling you 'kid' all day. Do you have a name?"

The boy looked to him, curiously.

"Oh, my name is Midoriya Izuku!"

Aizawa smiled, despite himself.

"I'm Aizawa Shouta, but I also go by Eraserhead."

Midoriya had paused.

"Eraser?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why, have you heard of me?"

The boy just shook his head, looking a bit uneasy.

"Midoriya, I wanted to thank you for before. You saved me from the explosion, and I owe you a great deal of gratitude. Mind if I ask how you did it?"

Midoriya flushed at the praise, covering his eyes.

"It's really no trouble! I just did what any good person would do! But um...as for how..."

Midoriya lifted his hands from the blanket, holding them outstretched in front of him. Aizawa was eyeing him curiously as he moved, and he flinched when his hands started shifting. He idly wondered if he should've warned the man first.

Once his hands had stopped moving, now replaced with makeshift portal guns, he shuffled closer to Aizawa, showing him his 'hands'.

"What...what do they do?"

Midoriya aimed one hand at the wall, and fired off a blue portal. He fired off an orange portal under a spare chair that was against the far wall, and watched as the chair appeared in front of Aizawa. He always loved the colours, and how they would shift and change as if they weren't fully there. 

Aizawa blinked, looking between the portals with interest. He plucked a notepad off the nightstand next to him, and threw it through the portal. He snickered as it fell through on the opposite side of the small room.

"Impressive. That's a cool power you got there, Midoriya."

Aizawa reached out, gently holding his right hand as he examined the changes. He turned over his hand, and Midoriya flinched.

"It's a bad idea to look down the operational end."

Aizawa dropped his hand.

"Really? Why?"

"It could fry your retinas and possibly give you brain damage."

Aizawa stared at him.

"That's kind of scary."

Midoriya nodded solemnly.

"Yes, it is."

***

A local detective had asked Midoriya some very basic questions, all in relation to what happened during the showdown, rather than everything else that was happening in that horror of a facility.

Midoriya was flown to Japan, to be treated in a different hospital. He'd told them he lived in Musutafu before he was there, though he didn't remember how he ended up in America.

The man, Aizawa, hadn't left him yet. It was...nice. It had been so long since he spoke with someone other than Glados and Rhett. Speaking of, according to Aizawa, the other group who'd entered the facility found it. 

"Yeah, it started talking and they assumed it was self aware."

"It is. They weren't designed to be, but Rhett is a special case."

"Rhett?"

"That's what I call it."

"I see. Another detective will be here soon, you want to have something to eat first?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. Maybe something simple though, I haven't had solid food in...I don't even know how long."

"What? You weren't fed?"

Midoriya looked at him like it was obvious.

"I didn't need to be. When test subjects are...frozen...the incubators would keep you hydrated and provide the nutrients you needed. It was to keep test subjects as healthy as possible, while also saving funds. It wasn't that bad, to be honest. Just weird. I didn't really have time to be thinking about food."

Aizawa looked at him with sympathy. Midoriya didn't want to think about it.

"Actually, I'm curious about something."

Midoriya looked to Aizawa, who'd moved over to the window. He liked the window. Lots to see. He especially liked sunsets. He'd forgotten what is was like to watch them.

"Yeah?"

"Back at the facility, you said something to the robot. What was that about?"

"Oh, the paradox? Right, I should explain. So, the robot, Glados, was an artificial intelligence. Their programming is supposed to compel them to find a solution to every problem they encounter. Are you following?"

Aizawa nodded along.

"Good. Basically, I fried her brain for a bit. A.I. can't resist thinking about paradoxes, so I just blurted out the first one I could think of. 'This sentence is false.' Pretty simple, despite its paradoxical implications."

"I hadn't thought of that, I guess it makes sense. You know a lot about computers and such?"

"Yeah, it was pretty much the only thing I had to keep myself entertained."

"It's an impressive skill to possess."

Midoriya ducked his head, red to his ears.

"Thanks. Can I ask you a question?"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

"Why'd you ask if I spoke Japanese? You heard me speaking to Glados."

Aizawa paused. He hadn't noticed. He shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"I was...flustered. Slipped up. I wasn't exactly clued in to what was going on down there. I made a rookie mistake, but you're safe, so it's in the past."

Midoriya burst into giggles. Aizawa hid in his scarf. Midoriya laughed at him. 

"Problem child..." He whispered.

***

The detective introduced himself as Tsukauchi. He was working in the police force, and was assigned to Midoriya's case.

"So, I'll be asking some personal questions, as well as the normal. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, feel free to tell me, and we can finish this later. Are you ready to start?"

"Yes, please."

"Alright, please state your name and age."

"I'm Midoriya Izuku, and I'm thirteen years old."

Midoriya noticed Aizawa flinch slightly. He probably wouldn't even have noticed if Glados hadn't put him through so many concentration and observation test chambers. He didn't linger on the thought.

"Ok, please state your education history and your quirk."

"Uh...I went to Ashikaga Elementary and Middle school here in Musutafu. I was in my second year when I ended up at Aperture. I wasn't there for the second semester. And can I ask what you mean by my quirk?"

Tsukauchi looked up from his notebook. Aizawa was staring at him, an unreadable look on his face.

"What?"

"Uh...what do you mean? Like...a habit? I guess I mutter a lot."

"I meant...as in your power."

"Power? I'm not a cartoon character."

Midoriya chuckled awkwardly. Neither of the two men reacted. Both of their eyes were wide open.

"Am I missing something?"

Aizawa snapped out of it first.

"Wait, you said Ashikaga Middle school?"

Midoriya blinked, confused.

"Uh...yes?"

Tsukauchi flinched, having some kind of conversation with Aizawa with just looks and shifts.

"You're scaring me. What's wrong?"

Aizawa looked at him, his expression practically dripping with sympathy. It was freaking him out.

"Midoriya, you said you were frozen in the gaps between the tests?"

Midoriya didn't like the change of subject.

"Yeah. I don't know how much time passed in between each, but I know it was relatively close to each other after the first time."

"First time?"

"Yeah. When I was first awoken after going there, it looked run down. I knew a lot of time had passed. Like, there was debris and plants and stuff. Even a few pigeons."

Aizawa looked back to Tsukauchi, poorly masked horror in his eyes.

"What? You're not telling me something and you're not being subtle about it."

"Kid-"

"No, tell me."

Midoriya stared the man down, unrelenting.

Aizawa sighed, and pulled up a tab on his phone. He turned it around for him to see. He paused.

The screen read: Ashikaga Middle School, ground zero of the start of the first of the Quirk Wars.

What...

"What are quirks."

It wasn't a question. Aizawa sighed.

"Quirks are supernatural abilities possessed by 80% of the world's population."

"Do you both have one?"

Aizawa and Tsukauchi nodded in tandem.

"Midoriya, this is really important, what year is it?"

Midoriya hesitated.

"I...I don't know. The last I remember it being was...2017?

Aizawa nearly fainted on the spot.

"What year is it?"

Tsukauchi pursed his lips, the pain in his eyes being so clear, Midoriya could feel it in waves.

"It's 2194."

Midoriya immediately started crying.

***

He didn't calm down for hours. Any time he thought he might be able to breathe for even a second, he just thought about how his family died without ever knowing what happened to him. His parents, his brother and sister. He'd never see them again.

Aizawa had been hugging him for the last two hours. The man was nice. Kind. He gripped the man's black shirt in an iron fist. 

When he had finally calmed down long enough to breathe, Aizawa pulled back slightly to pet his hair.

"Midoriya, you need to breathe, and take a drink, you've lost a lot of fluid."

Said boy hesitantly grasped the bottle of water he was being handed, sipping it slowly.

"...I can't believe I was there for more than a hundred years."

Aizawa pat his head again. He tried not to lean into his hand. He failed. Aizawa sat next to him on his hospital bed.

"Tsukauchi will be back soon. Is there anything you want to talk about before he gets back?"

Midoriya pondered it for a moment, wiping his eyes with the back of his free hand.

"...I guess. What's the world like now?"

Aizawa hummed.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific."

"Ok, what is society like? What's the technology like? Is the internet still a thing?"

Aizawa chuckled.

"Well, society is built on the concept of heroes. Government sanctioned individuals paid to save the public. Technology is...I don't know. I don't think it's as advanced as you might be thinking. We don't have flying cars or anything. And yes, the internet is a thing."

"Heroes? Like in movies?"

"Yeah."

"That's cool. Tell me about them?"

Aizawa spent the next hour talking about heroes. Midoriya seemed really interested in quirks, and he had asked some very intelligent questions.

"Hold on a second, no one knows what his quirk is? The number one hero in all of the world, and it's completely unknown?"

"Yeah? I don't know why you're so interested."

"Well, because! You just said all pro heroes have to have their quirks listed on that register thing. What's so special about him? It's not like his weakness is in the name."

"I don't know what to tell you, kid. I never thought too much of it."

Midoriya huffed. Aizawa hid a smile.

"So, anything else?"

"Um...Aizawa? What's going to happen to me? I don't have a quirk. Am I supposed to tell people I'm quirkless? And what about school? I haven't been to school in years. And what about life in general? Where do I go? What do I do? Will the public know about what happened to me? Wha-"

"Kid, you're rambling."

Midoriya slouched.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...so confused. About everything. Like, I don't know how I got to Aperture, or how no one found it in the hundred years I was asleep. And now? I'm stuck here. I don't belong in this time. This century. It's freaking me out."

Aizawa put a hand on his shoulder, gripping it.

"Kid, it's understandable that you're confused, and none of this is your fault. We'll cross most of those bridges when we get to them. "

The door opened. The two looked over in tandem.

"Actually, I think we can answer some of those questions."

Tsukauchi walked in with much more enthusiasm than when he'd left with. Midoriya's gaze, however, was fixed on the mouse(?) walking in behind him.

"I called Nedzu on the way back, and he wanted to meet our friend here."

Midoriya stared. Nedzu smiled. It didn't make him any more comfortable.

"Yes, yes. Aizawa, I'm glad the mission was a success!"

Aizawa noticed Nedzu didn't mention the fact that they only saved one person, and multiple heroes died in the explosion. He didn't feel the need to comment on it.

"Getting back on topic, Midoriya right?"

The boy was awestruck, but nodded shakily.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Nedzu, and I am the principal of the most prestigious hero school in the country. I was made aware of your...special circumstances from Tsukauchi, so I came up with some simple solutions, if that is alright with you?"

Midoriya nodded again, still staring. Aizawa elbowed him in the hip. The boy glared, but did snap out of his stupor.

"Wonderful! So, I'm aware that you haven't attended school after your first semester of middle school?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Now, while that isn't ideal, I happen to be very generous. Would you be interested in a catch up class of sorts? It would be at UA, and I'm sure Aizawa wouldn't mind, right?"

Aizawa blinked.

"Of course, I could get the rest of the faculty to help you with Mathematics and English. History should be focused on too."

Nedzu perked up.

"Speaking of history...tell me, would you mind filling in what we don't know? Many official files and records were lost during the Quirk Wars."

Aizawa glared at the mouse.

"...But I suppose we can cover that later on. As for living arrangements? Aizawa already agreed to watch you for the time being, but if you allow us to take a DNA test, we could see if we could find any of your relatives. Would you be interested in that?"

Midoriya was so...he didn't even know. He wiped his eyes again. He'd started crying at some point. Aizawa pat his back as he dried off his face. His relatives? It would be weird, but he wanted some shred of his family left.

"I'll do it, and Aizawa? As long as you don't mind, I would like to stay with you, please."

Aizawa smiled ìn a comforting way. It made him feel better.

"Perfect, now we have that covered, there's just a few more things we should iron out. There was no footage, but there has been talk of you in the media. No name was released, but we are putting in a request that it stays that way. As for your quirk, I assume you would like to name it?"

Midoriya sat up, confused.

"I don't have a quirk though."

Nedzu's smile turned into more of a smirk.

"Oh but you do! Look at your hands, you can create portals from an unknown power source. That sounds like it could be a rather impressive quirk."

Midoriya hesitated. He could...make it his own. Make these changes his. He liked the sound of that. 

"Um...I guess it could, but I don't know what I would even call it."

Aizawa tilted his head. 

"Sometimes, staying simple is easiest. You could just call it Portal."

"...ok, Portal it is then."

Tsukauchi nodded and wrote something down in his notebook.

Nedzu took a few steps forward.

"Alright, the last thing we must discuss. You aren't on any government records. I took the liberty of checking on the way here, and nothing came up. We could put you into Witness Protection, but there doesn't seem to be a point in that. We could explain your case to some government officials. I'm sure they wouldn't mind forging some records for you."

Midoriya lowered his eyebrows.

"Is that...legal?"

Nedzu chuckled.

"Why, no! But considering your circumstances, it would be irrational of them to refuse. So, what do you say?"

"Ok, my birthday is July fifteenth. Can I keep my name?"

Nedzu nodded.

"Excellent, no we have that covered, I'll let you get back to your conversation."

Midoriya waved Nedzu out, and smiled weakly at Tsukauchi as he departed. Once the door finally closed again, Midoriya slumped heavily, sighing.

"Hey, cheer up a bit kid, considering the way things went, I'd count this as a win."

"It's not that I'm not happy, it's just...worrying. If the government knows I'm from before quirks, are they going to want to test me? I don't want to be tested again. I won't be."

"Hey, hey, relax. We're not going to let that happen. Do you want to head out? You're being discharged in about fifteen minutes."

Midoriya nodded, shifting to get off the bed.

***

The car ride to Aizawa's apartment was quiet. Midoriya spent most of the drive looking around. At one point, he saw a group of people with strong mutation quirks, and he pretty much didn't breathe until they'd long since passed them.

Once they'd arrived, Aizawa kicked off his boots, strolling through the room and face planting onto his couch.

"This is nice."

"Eh, it's modest, but it's kind of a mess."

Midoriya looked around at the pristine room.

"A mess, you say."

Aizawa pushed up into a sitting position, looking around the living room. It was spotless. His eyes widened.

"Uh oh."

Midoriya's head snapped back to him.

"Uh oh? What does that mean?"

There was a loud clang from the kitchen. Midoriya watched as Aizawa got up.

"What's happening? Did someone break in?"

"No, way worse than that."

"What?! What's worse than a break-in?!"

Midoriya looked back to the kitchen when he heard a voice. It was a man...singing? Yeah, ok. Midoriya had no idea what was happening. The singing stopped.

"Shouta? That you? You're late!"

Aizawa looked even more dead inside than normal. Midoriya was fearing for his life.

The unknown man's voice rang out again, even louder than before. The door to the kitchen swung open, and Midoriya watched as a man in a...lot of leather and bright yellow hair emerged, holding a big plate of something or other.

"It's date night! There you ar-"

The man broke into a scream when he saw Midoriya. His head snapped over to Aizawa.

"Uh...Shouta? Husband, light of my life? Why is there a teenage boy in our apartment?"

Midoriya snickered at Aizawa's face. He looked constipated. Aizawa sighed heavily when Midoriya burst into giggles.

"Hizashi, this is Midoriya. You know, the boy I saved on the important mission. The one that I told you I'd be watching for a few days."

Aizawa's tone was dripping with sarcasm, and Midoriya had to cover his mouth as he laughed harder. He was bent over, clutching his side.

Hizashi, as Aizawa had called him, robotically placed the full plate down, walked to another room in the apartment and returned a few moments later in more...appropriate clothing.

"Of course! What's up listener, I'm Yamada, but you can call me whatever, Hizashi, Present Mic, whichever you prefer."

Midoriya chuckled, but still shook the man's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, Yamada. Thank you for having me!"

Midoriya bowed, and Aizawa sighed.

"Did you not get my message?"

Yamada turned to his husband(?). 

"Oh, no. I left my phone at the agency, but I was told you'd be back tonight. I figured I could at least make you dinner."

Midoriya snickered again.

"At least, you say."

Yamada turned to the boy, smiling.

"You tell a soul, and they won't find your body."

Midoriya smiled sweetly.

"Try me, bitch."

The two broke off into uproarious laughter. Aizawa threw himself back onto the couch.

"Oh god, there's two of them."

"Shut up and get your ass over here, I made you dinner."

After a delicious meal, Aizawa presented Midoriya with a shirt and some sweatpants.

"To replace the jumpsuit."

Midoriya belatedly realised he'd never changed out of it. He made quick work in the shower, not wanting to spend too much time looking at his body.

When he reappeared in the living room, Yamada and Aizawa were on the couch, an awfully chubby cat lying across their laps.

"You guys have a cat?"

Yamada chuckled.

"Yep! She's really sweet, but her last owners overfed her. We're helping to get her back into shape."

Midoriya kneeled down in front of the cat. She blinked at him before meowing.

"She wants you to pet her."

Midoriya raised right hand. About an inch before her fur, he hesitated.

"M...my hands."

Aizawa's eyes widened.

"Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. Just be gentle, and if you think you'll hurt her you can stop."

Midoriya bit his lip, lifting his hand once again.

She purred loudly when his hand reached her back. He giggled to himself.

"See? She loves you already."

"What's her name?"

Aizawa and Yamada made eye contact, smirking.

"Well, funny story. I call her Bastard, and Yamada calls her Chonk. She responds to both, so we just stuck with it."

Midoriya laughed to himself.

"I think I'll call her Chonk."

Yamada let out a quiet 'whoop!'.

"Told you, you owe me a coffee."

Aizawa rolled his eyes. Chonk leapt onto Midoriya's head. He fell back, laughing. She got comfortable on his chest, and he stopped moving.

"You can never move again."

Midoriya smiled.

"Yeah, I think I live here now."

***

When Midoriya woke up, he was in a bed. A really, really soft bed. He sighed and tucked his head into the pillow.

"Hero."

Midoriya blinked. Looking up, there it stood, watching him. 

"Rhett! You're ok!"

"They found me."

"I'm so glad. When did you get here?'

"Earlier. I was dropped off."

Midoriya nodded, yawning. He stood up, patting Rhett. Walking past, he made his way through the apartment. In the kitchen, he found Yamada making coffee. His long blond hair was hanging by his waist.

"You have really long hair."

The man startled, turning. He smiled when he saw Midoriya.

"Why thank you! I've been growing it out since high school."

Midoriya walked into the kitchen, leaning on the counter.

"Really? Why is that?"

Yamada shrugged, pouring an ungodly amount of sugar into one mug.

"I don't know. I thought it would look cool, I guess. And it does! I've been gelling it up for a while, and I started getting so many compliments!"

Midoriya grinned.

"Speaking of long hair, you aren't looking too shabby yourself."

Midoriya touched his bushy hair. It was getting long. It was almost halfway down his neck.

"Huh, I can't believe I never noticed."

Yamada laughed, pating his shoulders.

"Eh, whatever. It looks cool. Here, turn around."

Midoriya complied, waiting for the man to do whatever it was he was doing. He felt a brush running through his notoriously curly hair, and before he knew it Yamada pat his shoulders again.

"There you go, one stylish ponytail, just for you."

Midoriya looked in the mirror Yamada had just presented to him. Huh.

"That...actually looks nice. Thank you."

"Don't mention it, and I think it suits you."

Yamads turned back to the coffee while Midoriya stroked Chonk's fur.

"Hey Midoriya? Mind bringing this in to Shouta for me?"

Midoriya looked to Yamada, who was holding a coffee mug outstretched to him.

"Oh! Yeah sure."

Aizawa was asleep. Or...very good at pretending. Midoriya didn't know what to do. He put the mug down on the nightstand and started poking the man's face. Nothing. He tries tickling him, but alas, the man wasn't ticklish. Finally, he sat on Aizawa's stomach. That got a reaction.

"Christ kid, how much do you weigh?"

Aizawa pushed him off and sat up.

"I don't know. Maybe heavier than most other thirteen year olds?"

Aizawa hummed, sipping the piping hot coffee. Midoriya said a silent prayer for his tastebuds.

"Ok kid, I'm awake. Want to go to UA today? We could get a head start on your catch up work?"

"Ok! I didn't really have any other plans, anyway.

***

UA was insane. It was so big. So modern looking. So...wow. Midoriya tried taking it all in as he walked through the massive metal gate. There were hedges and trees and a few ponds. He could see training areas littered all over the campus, but the main building was by far the most impressive.

"Woah, how many floors are there in here?"

"Five."

"Woah."

It was after nine, so there were no students loitering about. He was glad about that. Aizawa wasn't sure he wanted Midoriya to meet so many quirked people at once. The boy was entertained, at least.

"This place is so cool! No wonder it's the top school in the country."

"Top hero school."

Midoriya rolled his eyes playfully.

"Whatever. So what will I be doing first?"

"I was thinking we could start with Japanese, just to make sure you still know how to write and read and whatnot. After that, Ectoplasm said he'd help with Mathematics, and Nedzu wanted to do Science with you."

"Cool. Speaking of Nedzu. What is he? Is that a quirk?"

Aizawa huffed out a laugh.

"Nah, he's a cryptid. And it's not a mutation quirk, but he does have an intelligence booster quirk."

"Interesting."

Midoriya, Aizawa realised, must have been at the top of his classes before Aperture. He had a wide vocabulary, good penmanship, and was eager to learn more. Ectoplasm had told him the boy was at a much higher mathematics level than predicted. Around second year of high school level, he'd said. 

That had been...interesting? Concerning? Either way, he was waiting for Midoriya in the staff room, when he bumped into Midnight.

"Oh, Aizawa! You didn't tell me you were back."

"I thought Nedzu or Hizashi would've mentioned it already."

"Nope! It's good to see you again! Now, tell me all the details."

"Do we have to do this now? I'm waiting fo-"

"Aizawa? You in here?"

Midoriya spotted him from across the room.

"There you are. Nedzu said I'm done for the day. Are you ready to go?"

Midnight stared at the kid. Black and green hair. Green eyes.

"Shouta, you son of a bitch, you didn't tell me you had a son!"

Aizawa choked. Midoriya was howling laughing.

"Oh, I like you, what's your name?"

"So forward! I'm Midnight! I went to school with Shouta and Hizashi. I basically set them up."

"Then I thank you for your service!"

Midnight laughed, putting an arm around Midoriya. They both watched as Aizawa failed to compose himself.

"Oh god, this was a bad idea."

"Are you kidding me? How else would I become..."

"Midoriya Izuku"

"Midoriya's favourite aunt!"

"Already electing yourself the favourite? Awfully bold of you."

"Oh, you little punk, I love this kid!"

Aizawa sighed, walking towards the door.

"Alright, I guess I got to go, see you tomorrow?"

Midnight smiled.

"Obviously, see ya later kid!"

Midoriya followed Aizawa out of the school building. The two were walking in companionable silence. Midoriya allowed his mind to wander as they made their way across the courtyard. It scared him how fast things changed. He went from a hamster in someone's maze to a person. Just like his old life had been, plus a few key factors. His talk with Nedzu had been frightening at best. There was so much of human history that they'd forgotten because of some wars over superpowers.

The idea of a war starting, not because of power hungry maniacs, but because of supernatural gifts made him worry for the state of the world. Were quirkless people shunned? Was there a lasting resentment from those blessed with quirks? Midoriya, very briefly, was thankful for the odd 'power' he'd come to possess. He knew he wouldn't want to grow up an outsider in a world full of specials.

He looked at his hand, watching as it shifted back into the portal gun. Idly, he thought he might as well be quirkless. He knew the portals could only be cast on...wait.

The hospital room. He'd cast portals onto the walls. Going by what Glados told him, that shouldn't have happened.

Ever.

He stopped in his tracks. Aizawa kept walking a few paces before he realised Midoriya wasn't following him anymore. He watched him, curious.

"Aizawa, back at the hospital...did I actually make portals or did I dream it?"

Aizawa looked concerned, but responded anyways.

"You did. You showed me. You made a chair fall through the floor and have it land beside me. And I threw a notebook through one. Is everything alright, kid?"

Midoriya hesitated. His mouth opened and closed like a fish. Was it alright? It shouldn't be possible. So...

What happened?

Out of curiosity, he shot a portal at the ground in front of him. It appeared. The blue glow was highlighting his face, and he could see Aizawa looking at it. He cast the orange portal on the concrete under a fallen branch. The branch fell and rose up in front of him. He grasped it in one hand.

"I...I shouldn't have been able to do this."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

Midoriya turned to one of the many trees lining the courtyard. He shot a portal at it.

Nothing happened. 

He shot the same portal back on the concrete in front of him.

It opened.

He shivered, letting his hands shift back. He dropped the branch.

"...Can we go? I don't want to think too much about this."

Aizawa put a hand on his shoulder. Midoriya hadn't realised he had come over.

"Yeah, we can go. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay, I just need to do some...research."

Chapter Text

Midoriya slammed his head into the desk again. His research had hit a serious roadblock. Is this how Glados felt everytime a test subject died? 

Midoriya rubbed his head and stood up. After face planting on his bed, he turned to Rhett, who'd been silent for the last while.

"Hey Rhett? Why can't I figure this out? I spent...forever in that facility, and I'm no closer to understanding how the technology works. It's literally inside me and I genuinely don't know how it operates. Does that make me an idiot? Ugh."

Rhett made a few clicking noises. Midoriya smushed his face into his pillow, fully intended on having a long nap.

"Moon rocks."

Midoriya shuffled from his hard-to-breathe position. 

"Glados told me that already. Moon rocks, ground up into powder, or whatever. What are the odds of moon rocks being everywhere in Japan?"

Rhett beeped. Midoriya had come to understand that this particular beep meant it was unhappy or annoyed.

"What?"

"Composition."

"What composition? Moon composition?"

Rhett clicked again.

"...what kind of rock is the moon?"

Midoriya pondered it a moment before pulling out the phone Aizawa had gotten him. It wasn't the newest model by any means, but Midoriya still loved it. He'd taken an unexpected selfie with the tired man, and immediately set it as his screen saver.

A quick search revealed that the moon was mostly made up of volcanic rock. Basalt, to be specific.

Midoriya hummed.

Curious.

He turned back to Rhett, who was following his movement up until then.

"Thanks buddy, it's not a concrete answer, but at least I have a lead."

Rhett made a happy chirp, and the light of it's eye turned off.

Midoriya made his way back through the apartment to the kitchen. He'd been really awkward, at first. He felt like he was invading on their space, but Aizawa, and Yamada specifically, made it clear they really didn't mind watching him. He was still a bit uncomfortable, but considering his last living arrangements, he was a thousand times better off.

Aizawa was in the kitchen, pouring some food into Chonk's bowl.

"Didn't Yamada feed her already?"

Aizawa looked like he blue screened. He slowly, slowly turned to him.

"Did he?"

His voice was scarily flat, and his eyes showed no emotion, but his fists projected the clearest message.

'Someone is about to die.'

Midoriya snorted to himself, moving past Aizawa to take the bowl away from a meowing Chonk. She'd get over it, but he always hated upsetting her.

"I'm going to kill him."

Midoriya rolled his eyes.

"No, you won't."

Aizawa dumped the bag of food back to its designated resting spot in the closet.

"No, I won't."

Aizawa moved back towards him, leaning on the counter.

"So, did this research of yours prove useful?"

Midoriya sighed.

"Kind of? I don't know. I have an idea, but it'll take a hell of a lot of time to prove it."

Aizawa shrugged.

"It's better than nothing."

"Well, I have Rhett to thank for that."

Aizawa shifted where he stood, and Midoriya followed him as he walked to the couch. Once they were both comfortable, Aizawa spoke up again.

"Speaking of your talking robot buddy, could you...explain what it is to me? I'm just a bit lost."

"Oh, of course. Rhett is what's called a 'turret'. At Aperture, they were used during certain test chambers to add an extra layer of difficulty to the problem."

"Ok, so why do you have one?"

"Well, Rhett's different. I don't know how, but it became self aware. See, turrets are only supposed to inconvenience the test subject. They're full of bullets, and their only objective is to blast anything that moves."

"I'm not feeling that confident about welcoming one into my home."

Midoriya chuckled.

"Rhett isn't going to shoot you, or me. See, I knew Rhett was different because we had a conversation. Turrets are only programmed to have a certain number of sayings, that are activated depending on the circumstances. For example, if I was spotted by a turret, but ducked out of view, they would say 'are you still there?'. It's hella creepy, but you get used to it over time."

Aizawa nodded, still looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Do...do you not want me to keep Rhett in the apartment?"

The man shook his head, and Midoriya let out a small sigh of relief.

"That's not the problem I'm having here. Kid, I'm sorry that you went through that at all."

Midoriya shrugged, feeling a bit uneasy.

"It's whatever. It happened, it's in the past, I don't want to think about it too much."

"Midoriya-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Aizawa held eye contact with him for a few painstaking seconds, but finally turned, exhaling.

"Ok, I won't force you to, and I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you into answering, but you know you can talk to me about what happened, right?"

Midoriya let out a breath, leaving back into the couch.

"...yeah, I know. I'm sorry for snapping."

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have pushed you."

Midoriya tapped his thighs for a few quiet minutes.

"Uh...Aizawa?"

"Yes?"

"Could we...I don't really have clothes. Could we..."

Aizawa snapped his head up.

"Oh shit, yeah. Let's go."

"Right now?"

Aizawa was already holding his car keys, toeing on his shoes.

"Yeah, better now than never."

Midoriya huffed, but followed him out.

***

The mall was...packed. Kind of. There was a fairly big crowd. It was still more people than Midoriya had seen at one time in forever. He caught himself staring at some of the more stand out mutations for far longer than what would be considered socially acceptable. 

Aizawa clearly noticed, and everytime his eyes would wander for too long, he'd get an elbow in the side. It worked though, so he wasn't complaining.

There were so many places they needed to stop at. First they bought a shit ton of graphic shirts and pants. Enough to last him a while. They got socks and some hair ties at another shop. After a few hours, Midoriya had gotten enough outfits to last until winter, and enough socks to choke a hungry hungry hippo. Was that still a thing?

"Aizawa?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you heard of a game with hungry hippos in it?"

Aizawa looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.

"I'll take that as a no. Oh! Can we stop here? I want to get some stationary and things."

A stack of notebooks and colourful pens later, they were hungry, tired, and in need of a break.

The duo stopped to get a late lunch at a quaint coffee shop. Midoriya got a hot chocolate. Aizawa requested coffee strong enough to kill a horse.

"So, is there anything you want to chat about?"

Midoriya raised an eyebrow.

"You're not great at small talk, huh?"

"We're talking, aren't we?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright. I'll give you that."

"Anything you want to talk about, Aizawa?"

"Yeah, actually. Do you have any idea of what you want to do after all this?"

That gave the boy pause.

"I...haven't really given it much thought. I mean, are there even the same careers as when I was younger?"

Aizawa chuckled lightly.

"For the most part, I'm gonna hazard a guess and say 'yeah'. There are some professions that I don't think you would have had."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, the main one being heroes, obviously. But there are jobs associated with heroes, too. Like support heroes, the people who develop tech and strategies, and members of the Hero Commission. Heck, even some kinds of doctors are 'new'."

Midoriya blinked.

"New doctors?"

"Quirkologists."

He nodded, somewhat out of it.

"Man, things are so...normal? I don't think I could ever get used to all this, even if I had been born into this generation. I feel like I'd never get bored."

Aizawa hummed, stirring his coffee.

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from. That's partially why lots of people become heroes. To keep life interesting."

"What's it like?"

"Being a hero?"

Midoriya nodded, giving the man his undivided attention.

"Well...it's hard. Not to say it's difficult, it is, but it's...taxing. Emotionally. Sometimes raids or missions just don't work out, and sometimes you can't save people, so it's hard. It can be liberating, at times. Heroes are allowed to use their quirks whenever, and a lot of people are fond of that."

"If it's such an attractive career choice, why don't more people go for it?"

"Good question, kid. It's a mixture of competition and ease of entry. Being a spotlight hero means, naturally, you have to fight for attention. Being a good hero means nothing to the media if you're not in the public eye. You're constantly competing with and being compared to your peers. It's all one big popularity contest. That's why I prefer to stay underground."

Midoriya nodded along, clearly invested.

"And as for ease of entry? It's not easy to get into a hero school."

"Wait, speaking of hero schools. There's schools set up to train children?"

"Well, when you say it like that it sounds a lot less glamorous. But you're right. There are hero high schools all over the country, like UA, set up to train children into heroes. UA is a bit different, though. Most schools only offer a hero course, like Shiketsu, while UA has the Support course, the Business course and Gen Ed."

"Interesting. So Support and Business are associated with hero culture, but Gen Ed is...what? Just to offer a normal course as well?"

"Honestly, I don't know why we offer a General course, but I'm glad we do. If Gen Ed hadn't been a thing, I wouldn't have gone to UA."

Midoriya did a double take.

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?"

"My quirk is not combat oriented. I got into the hero course later in the school year."

"Oh yeah, I meant to ask about that. What is your quirk?"

Aizawa activated it for him. His eyes flashed crimson, and his hair floated up around him.

"I'm...not sure what I'm looking at."

The man let it drop. Right, he reminded himself, the kid didn't have a quirk.

"It's called Erasure. Basically, I can cancel someone's quirk for as long as I keep my eyes open. The floating hair and red eyes are just part of it."

Midoriya's eyes shined with curiosity.

"That is so interesting! No wonder you're a hero, your quirk is literally perfect for one on one fights! Not to mention it's good for de-escalating situations. I'm confused though, why would it matter if your quirk isn't physical?"

Aizawa sighed, taking a long drink from his coffee. It was far too weak for his likings.

"Well, the UA entrance exam is unfair. Easy as that. There's the written portion as well, but that's more of a formality than anything else. The practical side of the test is made for students with powerful quirks to show off in combat, but if you don't have a physical quirk..."

Midoriya took the cue.

"...you're being set up to fail. How is that fair?"

Aizawa sighed deeply.

"It isn't. Nedzu has tried to have it changed hundreds of times, but the Hero Commission has to agree with what we do. Every time we send in a new idea, they shoot it down. Out of spite, we added a method to get points without wrecking robots, but we can't tell the students. It's not much better, but it's something."

Midoriya pondered the implications of such an exam as he finished his now cold drink. Aizawa paid, and the two were off again. They didn't linger too long, and it was getting late, so they made their way back to the apartment.

After putting away all the bags, they sat down on the couch again. Yamada still wasn't back yet, so they were going to wait before starting dinner.

"Hey kid? You know you never answered my question earlier."

"Question?"

"About what you want to do with yourself."

Midoriya looked off into nowhere. Chonk was purring happily as he stroked her fur.

"...I think I want to be a hero."

Aizawa felt himself smile.

"A noble path to take."

Midoriya smirked. Aizawa sweat dropped.

"And thank you for telling me exactly what to do to pass."

Aizawa smacked himself.

"Oh, you little bastard."

Midoriya burst out laughing as Chonk looked up expectantly.

***

Training with Aizawa was hell. The man was strong and well versed in martial arts. As much as Midoriya loathed to admit it, he should probably learn some form of self defense. If he was in a situation where there was nowhere to land his portals, he'd be inconvenienced, but not beaten. Glados made sure he was able to think around problems like that.

Aizawa had complimented his strength in passing, clearly not wanting to linger on the subject too much. Midoriya appreciated the effort, but he knew exactly why he was physically in shape, whether he wanted to think about it or not.

Quirkless sparring, Midoriya came to find, was quite cathartic. He didn't like hurting people much, but against an opponent who could defend themselves? It was nice to let off some steam. That, and it was funny seeing Aizawa's reaction to being beaten every once in a while. Aizawa gradually stopped holding back as much, and Midoriya got more confident in his moves.

It was a win-win, really. Plus, it was a good way to pass the time. Between his catch up classes at UA and trying to figure out why his portals could be placed outside the facility, he didn't really do much with his day. It's not like he had friends to spend time with, or any of the extra curriculars he used to take.

Aizawa didn't mention it at any point, so Midoriya just...didn't tell him. He might regret that in time, but he didn't really feel up to spilling his guts out.

Either way, he was distracted, and Aizawa knocked him off his feet. His weird, metal, sturdy feet. 

It had been fun to show the man how much force they could withstand. It was the only 'modification' he'd explained so far, and Aizawa had nearly passed out when Midoriya dived off the roof of the apartment block, only to land in a crouch.

Aizawa had flinched, expected the sickening crunch of at least twenty bones, but nothing happened. The boy had stood up, laughed it off, and went back to jogging.

Oh yeah. Jogging. Aizawa had him run around a lot. Since he asked the man to train him, really. It had been a few months, and Midoriya had come to enjoy jogging as much as sparring.

"Kid, you have to focus on the fight if you don't want to bruise your tailbone."

Aizawa's tone was light, but Midoriya still flushed with embarrassment.

"Sorry, I was just...thinking."

"As you should be, the entrance exam is coming up soon and you need to be on the top of your game. I just don't want to kick you around like a football when I know you can take me down in a fight."

Midoriya's smile slanted awkwardly. He wasn't used to receiving compliments. He basically got one from Glados during his entire stay, and he didn't really remember many conversations he'd had before Aperture.

"Thanks, but I don't think you should give me that much credit."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, and leaned back into a fighting stance. About five gruelling minutes later, Aizawa was in a chokehold. He tapped out. Midoriya only felt a little bit guilty.

"See? There's the crazy strong kid. Keep your head clear and you'll do great."

Midoriya took a long drink of water, panting in between sips.

"Thanks, but you don't make it easy."

They finished up fairly soon after, and Midoriya was whisked off to Nedzu's office for a chat and some 'class'. His classes with Nedzu had started out as science, but had quickly derailed. They mostly worked on whatever Nedzu was curious about, and there was a lot that the mouse was curious about.

"So your school's curriculum was actually ahead of the current first years? Curious. It makes me wonder why a middle school had more advanced classes a hundred years ago."

"I don't know, but it wasn't easy by any means, we just had to get through it."

Nedzu hummed. 

"And what about society? Were there many notable events in 2017?"

Midoriya sipped his tea.

"When weren't there notable events? So much happens in such a short space of time. England was in the midst of trying to leave the EU, global warming was becoming a major issue, and there was a crazy big hurricane in America."

"Hurricane?"

"Yeah, Ophelia I think?"

"How interesting! Tell me, what do you know about the world wars, pre quirk era, obviously."

"World wars? Oh...well, the first one was because some guy was shot, and it lasted from 1914 to 1918. Germany was given most of the blame, and then Hitler came into power after it. He caused the second war, but he killed himself towards the end, because his enemies were closing in on him."

"And what years did that war range from?"

"Oh, 1939 to 1945, why do you ask?"

"Well, when the quirk wars were raging, many official documents and databases were destroyed. It pains me to say that the humans lost a lot of their own history."

Midoriya's eyebrows lowered.

"The humans? That's an odd way to phrase it."

Nedzu chuckled.

"Ah, I see the confusion. I myself am in fact, not a human! My apologies for not telling you sooner."

"Oh...oh. I thought you just had a 'mutation' quirk or something. But...what does that make you, then?"

"In this day and age, quirks are more common than no quirks. In the last two decades or so, some animals have shown to possess quirks as well, though it's far less common. I happen to have a quirk that I call High Specs! I have a far more developed brain than most animals, and I am more intelligent than plenty of humans!"

"Animals with quirks? Wow, that is so...disturbing."

Nedzu stalled. 

"Disturbing? How so?"

"Well, did animals have quirks before humans?"

"As far as we are aware, no."

"Right, so where did animals get quirks from? Surely if animals and humans had all the same requirements, they would have developed at equal rates?"

Nedzu didn't like where he was going with this.

"I'm not sure. May I ask what your point is?"

Midoriya sighed deeply.

"Ok, have you ever heard of how syphilis started circulating? It was only present in llamas, and not humans. But when Columbus returned from America, he had contracted it."

Nedzu was shaking, from anger or mirth, Midoriya couldn't tell.

"So...you're suggesting that humans are the reason some animals have quirks?"

"Well, that's not how I would have said it, but sure? It's still cool that other animals can have quirks, but I just hope to whatever fucking deity might hear me that they didn't come from humans."

Nedzu tried not to snort.

"Well, thank you for this...enlightening conversation, Midoriya. I'll let you get back to Shouta now. And Midoriya? Good luck in the exam!"

"Thanks, Nedzu."

***

Midoriya was buying milk. Easy as that. He and Aizawa had walked home, only to discover that Chonk had broken into the fridge and knocked the bottle off of rhe shelf. The smug feline had looked directly at them as she lapped up the milk that had spilled absolutely everywhere. Aizawa had briefly looked like he was ejecting his soul from his body, before snapping back into action.

The man picked up the hefty cat, and dropped her into a cardboard box they had lying in the hall. The front of the box had been scrawled on in black marker. 'Imprisoned for her crimes.' The first time Aizawa had dropped her in it, Midoriya had felt bad. Now, he giggled as she meowed at them.

Aizawa had started mopping up the milk in a painful circle with an old mop looking thing. It was clearly ancient, but Aizawa refused the tissues and cloth Midoriya offered him. He'd requested the boy make a quick run to the local market. It was a five minute walk away, but Midoriya was still nervous.

It was his first time leaving the apartment by himself, or at least, without Aizawa or Yamada keeping an eye on him. Before, he probably would've complained about them practically stalking him, but he was actually happy for the company, and the fact that it made him feel safe.

He swore it would be a quick shopping run. In and out in a flash. He paid for the milk and began the walk back to the apartment when he heard an explosion from a few streets away. He looked in the direction of the apartment.

"I have a few minutes to kill, I guess."

Aizawa had told Midoriya that 'villain' attacks were very common. They had stopped to watch one or two in the past, mostly so Midoriya could make note of the quirks and fighting styles, but they never lingered. There were already so many other people converging in the street...

...He let his feet carry him to the corner, where the crowd had gathered. It was difficult to push through all the onlookers, but he shouldered his way to the barricades.

There was a massive...thing. It reminded him of Swamp Thing, or one of the comic book villains he used to love. It looked like a massive ball of sludge. There were a few pro heroes already at the scene, but he noticed that none of them were really doing anything.

There was a boy. Midoriya froze when he saw blond hair poke out from the side of the sludge thing. 

"He's drowning."

The man next to him spared him a glance before turning back to the fight. 

"Why are they not doing anything?!"

A woman to his right turned to him. He idly noticed she was holding a microphone.

"None of their quirks are that helpful in this scenario. It's unfortunate, but they're waiting for a better suited pro."

He turned back to the boy. His face was visible from the nose up, his mouth and nostrils coated in what looked like the mouth of the sludge thing. He pried his blood red eyes open.

Midoriya stilled. They made eye contact, but it felt like the boy wasn't really seeing him.

He pushed the milk into the arms of the man next to him, with a brief mutter of 'hold this', before vaulting over the barricade. 

He outran Death Arms and ducked right as a slimy tendril flew at him. He threw two portals, one in front of him, and one on a wall above the sludge villain. 

He thanked his lucky stars they both landed.

Throwing himself through the portal, he landed on the sludge freak, gripping his eyes in his hands.

"Hey! You bastard, never look down the operational end of the device!"

The sludge guy screeched and writhed, trying to get his eyes out of the boys grip. He threw out the blond, unintentionally, Midoriya presumed.

There was a gasp from the crowd, and next thing Midoriya knew he was being hauled to the side by a hella buff guy with ridiculous yellow-blond hair.

"Do not fear, for I am here!"

The dude punched the slime thing, blasting it in a massive gust of wind.

Once everything calmed down, Midoriya heard the same guy from the crowd.

"He changed the weather?"

He looked up. There were now, in fact, rain clouds. 

Spooky.

The man raised a fist, and the crowd started cheering his name.

"All Might! All Might! All Might!"

Oh, Midoriya thought, the number one hero.

He stood up and brushed himself off. Glancing around, he met the eyes of the blond he'd saved.

The boy was just...staring at him.

Midoriya raised a hand in an awkward wave.

The boy just looked more lost.

Midoriya immediately got defensive. Probably a mistake in hindsight.

"What, never seen a guy with prosthetics? You ableist piece of shit."

The blond blinked a few times, still not saying anything.

Midoriya shrugged, grabbed his milk from the guy in the crowd and walked back home.

Chapter Text

...Or he at least tried to. The second he grabbed the bottle of milk from the rando in the crowd, one of the pro heroes who'd done jack shit decided it would be a good idea to drag him over to the curb and give him a lecture. Not only did Kamui Woods and Death Arms praise his 'quirk', they told him that, though he was reckless, he did save they boy, Bakugou, he was told.

"You're lucky All Might got here in time, or you would have to relay this whole thing to the police."

Midoriya blinked.

"Actually, I have a question."

Kamui stood up a bit straighter when Midoriya took a step closer to him, while Death Arms just raised an eyebrow.

"So, public quirk use is like...illegal, right?"

The both of the men looked caught off guard. Kamui cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Uh, yeah. It's common knowledge."

Midoriya closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before exhaling angrily.

"So you two are saying that I should be facing charges, but I'm not because of...what, favouritism?"

Death Arms puffed out his chest.

"Hey, we're letting you off easy, be thankful and leave before we have to do our jobs."

Midoriya stared at him. He'd faced authority figures far scarier than this man, and the press was literally two metres away from them. So, Midoriya thought, in the immortal words of that one dude, 

Whatcha gon' do?

"Your jobs? As in, your jobs as government sanctioned weapons? Heroes aren't allowed to make official arrests, and I thought your job was to protect civilians. I didn't see you stopping that slime prick."

Kamui kept glancing in the direction of the cameras, and the crowd that was paying a lot more attention to them. Death Arms sweat dropped.

"Hey, show some r-"

"Respect? You expect me to respect you when you let that blond kid nearly drown? Harsh, I didn't realise heroes prioritised their own safety over the safety of others."

Kamui's gaze snapped back over to him.

"Woah, that's out of line."

"Is it? There were plenty of things you could have done to help him. You could've gotten Mount Lady to scoop up the slime dude, or gotten that hero with the water quirk to dilute the slime. I'm just saying, you should be able to think on your feet."

Midoriya smirked at their faces. He knew the press had their cameras pointed directly at them now.

"Now, now, let's celebrate this win, shall we?"

Midoriya started when a large hand landed on his shoulder. All Might was standing tall and proud behind him, smiling so wide it looked kind of painful. 

The two pros sighed in relief, while Midoriya just shrugged.

"Good work, my boy, but in the future, please allow the pros to do their jobs!"

Midoriya rolled his eyes.

"Not this again."

All Might seemed to be confused by his reaction, and didn't expect Midoriya to brush his hand off his shoulder. As he was walking away, he ignored the calls of the pros and brushed off the stare of Bakugou.

*** 
The sun had started to set over the horizon and the wind had started to pick up. Midoriya was lugging the carton of milk as he made his way home. It didn't sit right with him, that the pros would blatantly ignore protocol. And why? Because he was objectively powerful? 

It didn't make sense. Why would a world with such incredible powers and abilities have such blatant, twisted disregard for the law? Don't get him wrong, he may have jaywalked once or twice before Aperture, but letting someone get off easy because of perceived objective strength? 

It just didn't sit right with him.

Midoriya kicked a pebble on the path, watching as it bounced once, then twice before settling. He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

Abuse of power was not a foreign concept to him. There were plenty of corrupt people from his era, but he didn't expect it to be as bad more than a hundred years later. The thought gave him pause.

More than one hundred years had passed since his own generation. He idly wondered what came of his close friends. His parents. His sister. He wondered if she had children, children who would never know about him. He wondered if his parents ever had more children. 

He sighed again. He hadn't let himself think of his family in the past few months. It wouldn't lead to any good. Well...

Midoriya wiped his eyes. He was never going to see them again. Never feel the warmth of his mother's hugs, the melodic sound of his sister's laughter. His father's gentle hair ruffles. Never speak to any of his friends again. He briefly thought about what they all were told when he disappeared. Were they told? 

He blinked more tears from his eyes as he approached the apartment. He sighed, psyching himself up. He threw open the door, plastering on a fake smile.

"What the fuck? I asked you to get milk and two seconds later you're in the middle of a villain attack!"

Midoriya blinked at the forms of Aizawa and Yamada standing side by side, opposite him. He shrunk under the deadly glare.

"Well...would you believe me if I said that I was contacted by the FBI-"

"Try again, problem child."

Midoriya snorted at the nickname. Yamada kept glancing between them.

"Okay, okay. I had bought the milk, and when I started making my way home I noticed a puff of smoke and a crowd gathering two streets over. I guess I got carried away, but the pros on sight weren't doing anything! The boy was going to drown in that disgusting slime prick."

"So, what, you just decided to run in regardless of the consequences?"

Midoriya blinked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I didn't really think about it. The boy needed help. He looked right at me. I couldn't just leave him to drown. Plus, it's not like I got reprimanded in any way. The pros berated me for all of three seconds before fawning over my 'quirk'. One guy even said that he was going to 'let me off easy'. Entitled shit."

Aizawa looked unsettled by the language. Yamada giggled under his breath. Aizawa elbowed him in the gut. Midoriya huffed.

"Anyways! I started chewing them out in front of the crowd, and suddenly they're sputtering about how I should be thanking them for ignoring the due process of law! I thought...I thought I was getting the hang of...all of this. This place, this time, but I keep losing track of all the differences! The other day I straight up forgot I left Aperture! I nearly passed out when I saw Rhett. I'm trying to comprehend everything that's changed, but I am just so confused!"

The two men recoiled at the outburst. Aizawa stepped forward, reaching for him. He stepped out of reach. Aizawa pretended he wasn't hurt by that.

"Look around! There are people, honest to goodness people, who are hurt or worse because of some asinine power that they aren't even allowed to use in public! People look like something straight out of the cartoons I watched as a child, and I am trying so, so hard to understand and fit in to this wack-job society but I can't."

Midoriya scrubbed his face, avoiding eye contact with both men. Aizawa glanced to Yamada, his eyes screaming 'what the fuck do I do?'. Yamada gestured to Midoriya, a patting motion that looked similar to giving someone a hu-oh.

Aizawa tugged the broken boy into his arms, squeezing him lightly. Midoriya lasted about four seconds before throwing his arms around the tired man, gripping his hoodie in an iron fist. 

"Hey, kid. Look at me, please."

Midoriya sniffled, resigned to his fate. He pulled back just enough to look the man in the eyes.

"Midoriya, I know I'll never understand, but I can empathise with you. I know you hate having to live like this, but realistically, you are going to be stuck here for a really long time. And Yamada and I, we just want to help you. All of the people aware of your case want to help you."

Midoriya pulled out of Aizawa's arms, to face him head on.

"I don't hate this era, but it isn't mine. And this is not my Musutafu. Look at you, both of you. You're able to stand in the present and say 'this is who I am, this is my home and I have never known anything else.' I don't know who I am from one day to the next. One second I'm just me, the next I'm a test subject and then suddenly I'm being thrust into a world I don't belong in. I know I'm a lot of trouble, but I have genuinely enjoyed staying with you both. Please don't take this as me not being grateful for helping me."

Aizawa looked down. Yamada pulled him into a hug. He squeezed him tightly. Midoriya pondered, briefly, about how comforting both their hugs had been. Warm and tight, but not constricting. Just like his mother's.

'Nope, stop that right this instant.'

He sighed.

"I know I haven't been the most forthcoming about what I went through, or what my life was like before, but...I want to tell you. I owe it to myself to tell you."

The two men exchanged a glance before seating themselves on the couch. Midoriya took a deep breath, and he just...let it all out. He told them about the first test he could remember, not knowing where he was or why. He told them about Glados, and her experiments. He told them about how he could hardly remember anything from the year leading up to his entrapment. He told them about his love of music and theatre. About his family.

He was out of tears when he finally got around to the hardest part to explain.

The 'modifications'.

"I've already showed you my hands, but they do more than just shifting between a portal gun and actual hands. See, the original portal gun had this really interesting and confusing function where you could just...pick things up. Like, it basically negated all of its gravity. I couldn't explain it if I tried, so I'll show you."

He knelt in front of the coffee table, his right hand outstretched. He watched as it changed shape yet again, and literally plucked the table from the floor as though it had no weight at all.

Aizawa couldn't help but notice the three light blue 'beams' that connected the gun to the table. Yamada watched on in fascination as Midoriya moved the table about, showing how the weight had no effect on his arm. He dropped the table back to the floor, standing up once again.

"As for my legs, well, Aperture Science developed the portal gun, but they also had to make sure that test subjects wouldn't permanently cripple themselves using it, so they developed a pair of boots that could absorb insane amounts of force. By that I mean you could survive jumping off a skyscraper as long as you landed on both feet. Glados kind of...gave me those. As far as I know, I don't have any of my lower legs anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if she just cut them off."

He lifted the leg of his sweat pants up to his knee, where the stark white of the prosthetic ended. The prosthetics were shaped somewhat weirdly, but in comparison to that one guy he saw with literal engines in his calves, he wasn't that badly off.

He breathed out sharply. He hadn't spoken this much consecutively in forever. It was refreshing and draining at the same time.

"What else, well my eyes. I don't know why to be honest, but she replaced them with these. I can zoom in to an extent, see in the dark and my personal favourite, they glow on command."

Aizawa's eyebrows flew up. Midoriya snickered at his reaction.

"Here, I'll show you!"

He flew over to the light switch, flicking it off. He mentally flicked on the switch to his eyes, watching as Yamada and Aizawa's eyes snapped to him. He knew what they looked like, and it was kind of unsettling. It made his eyes look black, outside of his irises. Spooky.

When he was satisfied with their reactions, he flicked back on the light.

"And that's pretty much all I know. I'm sure there's other stuff, but Glados was cryptic at the best of times. The only thing I know is that I have this weird thing in the centre of my abdomen."

He lifted his shirt up to the odd, white disk planted firmly in his chest. It was around half the size of his palm and gleaming white against his scarred, pale skin. He really needed to get more sun.

Aizawa eyed the disk suspiciously. He rolled his eyes, letting his shirt fall.

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt or anything."

Aizawa relented, leaning back in the couch.

"Thank you for sharing this with us, we will be talking about this again, and not to undermine the importance of this conversation, but I got a text from Nedzu a little while ago."

Midoriya raised his eyebrows.

"He pointed out that we forgot about the requirements for application."

Midoriya instantly assumed the worst. Surely, Nedzu wouldn't not let him apply? Was it his lack of a quirk? Perhaps his age? Technically he was a good hundred and fifty years older than all of the others. What abo-

"Kid!"

Midoriya snapped out of his muttering frenzy, sheepishly throwing a smile to the exhausted man.

"He pointed out that you need to have your middle school exam results."

"Oh shit, don't tell me-"

Aizawa sighed sharply.

"Yes, you will have to sit exams in-house. Luckily for you, the closest middle school is a five minute walk from here."

"Really? I'm surprised you wouldn't want to live closer to UA, but I guess I get it."

"Yeah, anyways, I'll call the school tomorrow and ask them to set up an extra table for you. Oh, and by the way, the exams are next month."

Midoriya closed his eyes, breathing as evenly as possible.

"Of course. Wonderful. Brilliant. I have one month to study like, six subjects from start to finish. I guess I should get started already. Which school will I be held hostage in?"

Aizawa snorted.

"You will be fine. And it's called Aldera. It's not the best school, but it's local, and the tests are regulated."

Midoriya nodded, thanking him and heading to his room. Yamada turned to Aizawa.

"Shouta? I think we should get Tsukauchi to find any of Midoriya's descendants. He had a sister, maybe she had children. I don't know, I think it might be good for him.

Aizawa glanced in the direction of his room.

"Yeah, I'll give him a call in the morning."

***

Midoriya was ready for his exams. Well, as ready as you can be when you have to relearn an entirely new curriculum of the same junk he had already studied. The last thing he wanted was to spend more than a day in some stuffy school filled with teenagers who wouldn't get his humour, but alas, there he was going. 

He'd decided to wear something low key, he didn't want to draw attention to himself, but mostly he didn't want people staring at his hands. It wasn't necessary, he knew, but he didn't want to talk to people if he could avoid it.

The long sleeves and gloves may have been a bad call, in hindsight. By the time he arrived at the gates to the dreary school, he was already sweating. He looked at the looming figure of the school as he made his way inside. The whole building looked shady, but it was probably underfunded, so he let the thought go.

The lady in the office directed him to the classroom, and he he took a long, deep breath before opening the door. The atmosphere in the room was...weird.

He immediately noticed that he was the last one to arrive, if the single empty table was any indication. He ignored the students lingering gazes as he approached the teacher, who somehow hadn't noticed him yet.

"Uh, hi? I'm Midoriya, I was told I'd be taking my exams in here?"

The teacher was an older man, greying and drawn out. His gaze fixed on Midoriya with something akin to disdain before it shifted to surprise. Midoriya handed him the note Aizawa had given him, and turned to make his way to his seat. 

It was in a weird spot. He expected them to slap a table in the front, near the door. Instead, he had to walk past aisles of teenagers who would not stop staring at him.

He dumped his bag on the floor, fixing them with a glare. He would admit that he was surprised by their reactions. Some turned as soon as he made eye contact, while others looked like they were looking through him.

It rubbed him the wrong way.

While he was looking around the room, he noticed the only person not looking at him. A spiky haired blond. 

'Oh', he thought. 'The sludge villain guy.'

Midoriya shifted in his seat. He'd called the guy ableist. Would you look at that, he was facing the consequences of his actions, who would've thought.

He couldn't help but notice the teacher looking pointedly between himself and the boy. 'Bakugou? Was that his name?'

He shook off the thought as the man started handing out the first of the exams. He flew through it, writing down an answer for every question in record time.

While he was waiting for his paper to be collected, he glanced at the students that kept looking at him, even during the exam. The teacher clearly didn't care about the misconduct, preferring to stare at Bakugou, who was...shaking? 

'Maybe he's not an exam kind of guy.'

After his third exam, they were given a half hour break for lunch. He waited for everyone else to start filing out before he approached the blond.

Bakugou was gripping his desk like it owed him money.

Mildly concerned, Midoriya didn't get any closer.

"Hey, Bakugou, right?"

Bakugou froze in his seat.

"Listen, I wanted to apologise for calling you ableist. It was rude of me."

Bakugou didn't react in the slightest. It was like he didn't hear him.

"Uh, hello? Anyone home?"

"Whatever, I don't care."

Bakugou still didn't look at him, but he responded, so Midoriya counted it as a win. As he made his way back to his table, he finally examined the old wood. It looked off, like someone had scraped off the top layer and slapped some varnish on instead of buying a replacement.

He didn't like the vibes he was getting from the school, the students, heck, even the teacher.

He couldn't wait to get out of there. Just three more tests to go.

He ate his lunch quickly, and spent the last five minutes pretending to check something on his phone.

As students started filling back in, he paid more attention to the looks being thrown at him. And Bakugou, for that matter. It was like they were waiting for something.

Freaky.

When he completed the last exam, he turned in his paper and made to leave a good twenty minutes before anyone else.

He bowed to the teacher as he passed, muttering a 'thanks for having me'. As he opened the door, he examined the students again. For the first time all day, Bakugou looked at him, only to jerk back when he made eye contact with him.

Midoriya left without a word. It was definitely one of the weirdest things he'd been subjected to in quite some time.

Yamada greeted him as he arrived home. Once he was seated in his pyjamas, he typed his password into his computer.

A quick search of 'Aldera Middle School, Musutafu', pulled up some news sites reporting on various things, like an old villain attack, a fire, and most recently...

A suicide.

Midoriya blinked at the page in shock.

A boy his age.

He pursed his lips. It was hard to read about things like that, and he started to understand why there was such a dark atmosphere in the class. A thought struck him.

Had...

Had he sat in that boy's seat?

He shivered at the thought. He knew he hadn't been disrespectful, but he couldn't help but feel bad.

Closing the tab, he put it out of his head as he made his way back to the living room.

Chapter Text

"Aizawa! Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

Aizawa sat down across from the detective.

"Of course, what can I help you with?"

Tsukauchi lay his briefcase on the coffee table between them, pulling out an assortment of sheets.

"It took a while, but I got everything you asked of me. Let's see here, his new birth certificate, some information about his health and a list of relatives we could find."

Aizawa perked up a bit.

"Perfect, please, enlighten me."

"Well, his birth certificate was a lot easier to make than I'd actually thought. According to an agent I spoke with it's a lot more common than people think. His date of birth, as he requested was kept the same, and we had to make up some parents. They guaranteed no one will question it, so I guess we'll have to trust them on that."

Aizawa nodded, eyeing the certificate with scrutiny. It looked real. It kind of spooked him a bit.

"Next, the DNA test we ran on him revealed that he's actually fifteen, not thirteen like he thought. In fact, his body seems to be a bit advanced for his age. I suppose it's as normal as it can be, considering what he went through. The tests confirmed that he is healthy, but we noticed one strange thing in his DNA."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow.

"He has quirk factor."

Aizawa recoiled slightly.

"Quirk factor? But...he shouldn't have anything close to it. Did they confirm anything else about it? Does he have a quirk he doesn't know about?"

Tsukauchi looked at him sympathetically.

"Yes, I'm afraid it's hard to say, conclusively, why he has quirk factor. They couldn't figure anything else out, to my knowledge, but it's likely. We can't check his toe bones because, during his physical examination, his doctor found that he has three, as opposed to one bone. It's mind boggling, really."

Aizawa took a deep breath through his nose. This was going to take a hell of a lot of time to explain to the kid. Midoriya already had enough on his mind, what with the entrance exam coming up and his 'research' into why his portals work.

"Okay, okay okay. Anything else?"

Tsukauchi held up the last sheet.

"His relatives. We found files on his mother and sister, but nothing about his father or his brother."

"Brother? He had a brother?"

Tsukauchi looked up in surprise.

"He didn't mention him to you?"

"No? I mean, he doesn't really talk about his family at all, but he's mentioned his parents and his sister offhandedly a few times."

Tsukauchi scratched his chin.

"That is odd. But getting back on track, we found his mother's file. She died three years after he can last recall seeing his family. It was logged as natural causes, but I'm not sure what they were. As for his sister? She apparently was put into a foster system for a few years, before settling down herself."

"So you're saying..."

"Yep, she had children. We managed to track down Midoriya's closest living descendant to a 'Midoriya Inko'. Lucky for us, she lives in Musutafu! Unfortunately for us, she lost her son recently. We did get into contact with her and she said she'd be more than happy to meet him."

"Wait, you told a civilian about what happened to Midoriya? I thought Nedzu didn't want us spreading that information."

"He doesn't, but he agreed that it would be best if she was in the know about him."

"And you're sure she'll be alright to meet him? When did her son pass?"

Tsukauchi hummed.

"File said it happened ten months ago."

Aizawa pursed his lips.

"I'm not sure it would be healthy for her to meet him under these conditions."

Tsukauchi sighed, rubbing his brow.

"Normally? I'd agree with you, but...she seemed so excited to meet her...uncle? Great uncle? I didn't have the heart to disappoint her."

"I just don't want her to attach herself to him. She's mourning, and I'm worried he'll remind her too much of him."

Tsukauchi nodded, exhaling.

"Maybe we should ask Midoriya first."

Aizawa sat up in the seat.

"That's not a bad idea. Thank you, Tsukauchi."

Midoriya stretched in his room. The entrance exam was in mere hours and he was nervous. Attempting to burn off some excess energy, he did some lunges and toe touches.

Rhett's eye followed him as he started pacing around the bedroom. He triple checked his bag to make sure he had what he'd need for the written exam.

"You'll do well."

Midoriya glanced at the turret.

"You have a lot of faith in me."

Rhett clicked, annoyed. Midoriya huffed and reached out a prosthetic hand to pat its head.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I know you've been right about the future more than a few times, but this is completely up to me. Before...your predictions relied on other people, but now it's all on me if I screw up."

Rhett blinked.

Midoriya sighed, standing on tired legs. All the excess energy left him. He relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath in, calming his heartbeat.

"Alright, I'll see you later buddy."

He threw his bag over one shoulder and made his way to the kitchen. Yamada was rooting around in the fridge. Midoriya looked into the living room. No Aizawa to be seen anywhere.

"Morning, is Aizawa still asleep?"

Yamada started when he spoke. Slamming the fridge door closed, he turned to him.

"Nope, he had a meeting with Tsukauchi this morning. He left around a half hour ago. Something wrong, little listener?"

Midoriya exhaled as he grabbed some bread to toast. He didn't think he could stomach anything heavier with his nerves.

"Nothing's wrong, I just assumed he'd be bringing me to the entrance exam."

Yamada perked up a bit.

"Oh! No worries, I'm bringing you! Plus, I'm presenting so I kind of have to be there early. Let me just change and we can head out, okay?"

Midoriya nodded and sat down to eat his plain toast.

Even though they were early, there were hero hopefuls as far as the eye could see. Yamada had dropped him off a few blocks from UA so no one would see them together.

He started ambling in towards the school where he would, hopefully, train to be a hero.

He glanced around at the other teenagers around him. He felt weird. He hadn't interacted with people his age in...at least a hundred years. He was not looking forward to his attempts at conversations.

He spotted Bakugou a few metres ahead of him. Huh, he hadn't thought the boy would be interested in heroics when they'd interacted. 

His foot caught on the pavement and he fell forward.

"Of course," he thought, "just my luck."

He let muscle memory take over as he cast two portals onto the path, falling face first into one and popping out upright from another.

"Oh! That was so cool!"

He flinched at the announcement. He spun around and came face to face with a girl with brown hair and large brown eyes.

"Uhh..."

"That's such a cool quirk! What do you call it?"

Midoriya put on a polite smile.

"Thanks, I uh, I just call it portal."

She grinned and started walking with him. He pondered what to say.

"Are you...nervous? I sure as hell am."

Her smile waned a bit, but maintained its happy glow.

"Yeah...I have a lot riding on this."

"I hear that."

She looked at him curiously.

"So, you worried about the written exam? I hear it's pretty difficult."

He hummed, scratching his neck.

"Kind of? I don't know. I really hope they don't make it too unfair."

"Yeah. Here's hoping."

They approached the administration table to sign in and collect their exam ID.

"Oh, that's disappointing. We're sitting in different sections."

He glanced at her card then back to his own. Yeah, they wouldn't be able to sit together. He might have to talk to more people. Sigh.

"Damn, that's annoying. But look, we're in the same exam arena."

She smiled.

"I guess I'll see you there! Good luck in the exam!"

He said his goodbyes and made his way to the room his written exam was to be held in.

The exam was difficult. There were plenty of 'knowledge' questions, but the last half of the exam was all about morality, and how to behave as a hero in bad situations. It made him uncomfortable. When he was in Aperture, other than the companion cubes, there wasn't much morality attached to the tests. Just...do or die. It was all about collecting data. Statistics. He didn't like thinking about it.

He completed it, either way, and followed the crowd to the auditorium. Making his way to his seating block, he glanced around to see if he could spot-

Her name.

He didn't ask her name.

'Goddamn it, of course.'

He fell into his seat next to a purple-haired boy who looked like, ninety percent sleep deprivation and ten percent caffeine.

"Hey."

The tired boy next to him didn't respond.

"Uh, okay. Nevermind."

Purple eyes met his green ones.

He raised an eyebrow.

Midoriya noticed how scrawny the other was. Really lanky. All 'tall' no muscle.

Curious.

The boy broke their eye contact.

He reminded Midoriya of a cat. A bitchy cat that wouldn't give you attention except under mysterious circumstances. Kind of like Chonk except Chonk immediately wanted attention.

He grinned.

"I like you, you better get into the hero course."

The other boy looked at him like he'd grown a second head. He faced forward, muttering something under his breath.

"Huh? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said, I have no chance."

Midoriya blinked.

"Then why are you here?"

'Shit, that was way too blunt.'

Although, the other didn't get angry. In fact, he didn't react at all.

"I'm here because I want to be."

"I guess you do have a chance then."

"Huh?"

Midoriya grinned again.

"Fake it 'til you make it. If you act like you were born for this, you'll start believing it after a while. Improvise! If in doubt, make it up."

Purple boy looked at him with open curiosity.

"How is 'confidence' supposed to help me destroy robots?"

Midoriya pursed his lips.

"Not everyone has a physical quirk. Surely the test wouldn't allow a somewhat 'fair' alternative, even if it is completely biased."

"What?"

Midoriya sighed.

"I'm saying, how likely do you think a hero school is to turn away a student who's being heroic."

The boys eyes widened minusculy.

Midoriya pointed finger guns at him.

"I'm Midoriya."

The boy stared at him.

"...Shinsou"

Midoriya's mouth tugged into a smile. He was about to say more when the lights went down.

Yamada, all dressed up in his hero costume, strutted to his spot behind the podium.

"WHAT'S UP LISTENERS. EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"

Midoriya didn't hesitate.

"HEY!"

Apparently he was the only one. His voice echoed around the auditorium. The silence after his shout was deafening. Shinsou snorted next to him. Midoriya threw a half hearted glare his way.

Yamada deflated.

"Thank you to that one examinee. Alright! Let's get into the rules! All of y'all will be divided into groups for each exam arena, where you will destroy robots for corresponding points. If I may draw your attention to the screen, you'll see the one pointer, the two pointer and finally, the three pointer.

"The bots get harder to beat depending on their point value, so the one pointer is easier to beat than the two pointer, and visa versa for the three pointer. The amount of points you get will determine whether or not you get into the hero course. Moving on, g-"

A tall boy with navy blue hair shot up out of his seat.

"EXCUSE ME! I was examining the pamphlet we were provided and I couldn't help but notice you left out one opponent! This is a terrible lack of attention to detail for the top hero school in the country!"

Yamada looked at the boy over the rim of his sunglasses.

"Thank you, examinee. That particular bot is worth zero points! It's just supposed to be an obstacle. It's not unstoppable, but it's not worth anything, so I wouldn't reccomend wasting time on it."

The boy nodded sharply.

"THANK YOU."

Yamada paused before continuing his presentation.

"Alright, if you all check you exam IDs you'll see what exam arena you've been assigned. Please make your way slowly and calmly to your designated bus. Thank you all for listening! And remember UA's motto when times are tough."

Almost everyone joined in as Yamada yelled.

"Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!"

***

Midoriya got the second bus out to his exam arena. Upon arriving, he looked around for the nice girl he'd met earlier at the entrance. 

"Oh man, that's a lot of people."

He slowly made his way to the comically oversized gates. Looking around, he was met with hundreds of nervous, unfamiliar faces. The amount of people was staggering.

Aperture popped into his head again. The loneliness was enough to drive you insane. The only reason he could keep his wits about him was the fact that Glados spoke with him frequently, even if it was just to insult him.

Seeing so many people in one spot freaked him out. Back when he was at the mall with Aizawa, it was more fresh. He was blatantly ignoring the sheer amount of people milling about, rather noticing their quirks as opposed to registering them as humans.

Looking back, that probably wasn't the best way to deal with what he was feeling.

He almost wished h-

"Oof!"

'Fuck.'

He'd walked right into someone.

He threw up his hands in apology.

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going."

The boy he'd bumped into-the blue haired boy from the auditorium-turned to him. Standing at his full height he towered over Midoriya.

He gulped.

"As a prospective hero student, you should pay attention to your surroundings! Please be more careful!"

"Sorry, I zoned out. I didn't know."

The taller boy blinked at the apology.

"Zoned out? Are you alright?"

'Hah, if only you knew.'

"Uh, yeah. I'm just nervous."

The blue haired boy nodded, agreeing with him.

He opened his mouth to say something when Midoriya looked at his grotesquely oversized calves.

"WOAH, I've seen you before! Your legs are massive!"

Midoriya internally cringed. 'Huge legs? Come on, Izuku!'

The glasses clad boy looked momentarily taken aback, before smiling crookedly.

"Massive is an interesting way to describe them. They're engines, it's my quirk."

Midoriya looked at them in awe.

"That's sick! Do they need fuel, or does your body just naturally produce enough juice to keep them going?"

He internally chuckled at the idea of this straight laced guy drinking motor oil or something.

"Oh, yes actually. They run on orange juice."

Midoriya blinked. He let out a breathy chuckle.

"So literally juice, that's wild."

The boy raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I must apologise, I misjudged you earlier. I assumed that because you werent paying attention, you weren't serious about being a hero."

'Ouch.'

"Don't worry about it. I'm kind of awkward, sorry."

"No need to apologise! I'm Iida, by the way."

"Midoriya, nice to meet you. How are you feeling about the practical?"

"I'm not too worried. I'm confident in my skills, and the flat roads are perfect for my quirk."

Midoriya paused.

"Flat roads?"

Iida halted his hand-chopping. He covered his mouth with a rectangular hand.

"I'm sorry, my older brother told me to keep it to myself, but I let it slip. My apologies."

"It's fine, but what did you mean?"

Iida sighed, disappointed in himself.

"My brother told me that the entrance exam is usually set in a pseudo town. With streets and alleyways."

"Oh, thanks for the info."

Iida nodded sullenly.

"Hey, I was looking for my...friend who's also in this arena, but I'll see you around! I hope to see you in school!"

Iida perked up a bit.

"Of course, don't let me distract you. I hope to see you as well!"

Midoriya grinned, taking off towards the gates again. The last few buses were arriving, so he knew he had to hurry.

He cursed his height as he searched, hopping every once in a while to see over the sea of students.

As he approached the gates, he finally spotted the brunette.

"Hey! I was getting worried I wouldn't find you! I'm Midoriya by the way."

She looked up from her stretch, surprised, before breaking out into a grin.

"Hey! I'm glad you found me. I'm Uraraka! I'm really nervous. What do you think the test will be like?"

Midoriya patted his chin.

"I don't really know. The guy with the big calves over there said it was like, a street or something."

Uraraka first pumped, letting out a little whoop.

"Is it that great?"

Uraraka waved her hands back and forth awkwardly.

"Don't get me wrong, it'll probably be hard, but my parents are construction workers, so I had a lot of stuff to practice my quirk on!"

'Construction, huh?'

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know what basalt is used for, in construction I mean."

Uraraka lit up.

"Oh! Yeah, it's used in most construction, actually! Like tarmac and concrete. I dont know exact percentages, but I know it's a significant amount!"

Midoriya nodded to himself.

"Thanks!"

Uraraka waved off the sentiments.

"Why do you want to k-"

"GOOOOO!!!!"

Midoriya jerked violently, eyes snapping to Present Mic on top of the gates, that were now open, as his legs instinctively carried him forward.

He rolled his eyes as he sprinted around the first corner. A few one pointers were lined up, approaching him.

He threw two portals, one on a high building and one on the floor in front of him.

Using this momentum, he fell onto the first robot, crushing it under his shock absorbent legs.

Grabbing a metal sheet from the broken one pointer, he stabbed it through the second and third, before ducking away from the fourth.

He repeated the same portal formation, kicking the head off the fourth.

He landed, taking a deep breath. 

"That's four."

For the next few minutes, he dashed around the arena, bashing bots as he found them. The three pointers were tricky, but he found that knocking them over made it easier to wreck them. 

He passed one or two people who seemed overwhelmed by the bots, so he made an attempt to help them all. One guy with black hair helped him deck a three pointer that cornered a short kid. He threw him a thumbs up before running off again.

As the clock counted down, he ran into the main street. There were smouldering carcasses of wrecked bots littered everywhere. 

He passed Iida, smiling and waving as he flung himself through another portal.

It felt nice, using his portals so freely. His training with Aizawa was fun, tiring, but fun. The thing is though, he didn't really ask him to practice his portals. It was...weird? 

He shook out of his thoughts, flying and landing firmly on his boots.

He stood up straight, looking around.

As he went to take another step, the ground suddenly shook violently.

He was thrown off his feet, shaking aggressively.

'Is this an earthquake? What's going on?'

That's when he saw it. 

The massive, hulking beast that was the zero pointer. Taller than the four to six storey buildings surrounding it.

'Oh fuck you, Aizawa. Yamada. You bastards couldn't have warned me?'

For a split second, it reminded him of the biggest turret he'd ever seen. The chill that tore it's way down his spine was enough to shock him enough to move. 

He started running in the opposite direction, happy that his boots gave him a bit of a boost. 

He cast his portals ahead of him, one on the road in front of him and one far off towards the end of the road.

As he neared the portal, ready to jump through, he heard a scream.

He halted in his steps.

Uraraka.

He spun around, looking for her among the debris and fleeing students.

He saw Iida, who had also turned at the noise.

He spotted her.

"Oh FUCK."

He threw his portals, and hopped out by the massive pile of debris that Uraraka was buried under.

"Midoriya!"

He struggled with the first massive slab, flinging it off to the right.

"Hey, I'll get you out. Can you move?"

She tensed for a moment, cringing.

"I think I twisted my ankle."

He grimaced internally. It would be hard to get her out by himself. He glanced behind him at the gargantuan robot approaching them.

He saw movement in his peripheral vision.

Iida.

"HEY, IIDA?"

Said boy's eyes snapped to him.

"CAN YOU HELP ME OUT?"

Iida tended in his stance. He glanced at his wrist, presumably at a watch.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? COME ON!"

The boy jerked in his spot, before firing up his engines. In the blink of an eye, he was opposite Midoriya, struggling to lift the next slab.

They heaved it behind them, trying to get a grip on the last slab.

Midoriya cursed at it's weight.

"It's too heavy, Uraraka? What's your quirk?"

She looked at him, curiously.

"Oh my god, I never told you. It's anti-gravity!"

"That's lucky, you think you can get this off?"

Uraraka dry heaved for a second, taking a deep breath.

"I can try!"

She held her breath as she pressed all five fingers to the concrete trapping her.

It lifted off of her, and the two boys gently pulled her out of the rubble.

She let the debris fall back to the ground as they took off in the other direction, the two boys lifting her together.

The zero pointer slammed it's foot right where Uraraka had just been trapped.

"What the hell, that could've crushed you."

Uraraka looked to Midoriya, before glancing back. She paled.

As they pressed further on, the alarm sounding the end of the exam blasted throughout the arena.

They came to a stop, breathing heavily.

"Is anyone injured? I heard quite a few yells during that exam. I don't want any of you going home hurt."

Midoriya watched the old lady walk among the students. She was using a comically large needle as a walking stick.

'That's mildly alarming. I really wish I wasn't terrified of needles, because otherwise I'd probably find that hilarious.'

Iida got her attention, and she tended to Uraraka's twisted ankle. He said his goodbyes, trading numbers and well wishes with the both of them.

As he made his way out the school gates, he pondered what he'd do if he didn't get in. He had stopped keeping track of his points when he helped the first guy.

"Hey! Midoriya!"

He turned at the call.

Oh!

"Hey Shinsou! How did you find it?"

Shinsou looked...actually, Midoriya wasn't sure. The other boy was hard to read.

"I don't know. I took your advice. Tried to help as many people as I could."

Midoriya was flattered. It's not every day a complete stranger takes advice on a life changing situation.

"Hey, don't look so glum, plenty of heroes got in through Gen Ed if you were worried about your score."

Shinsou nodded.

"Yeah, I applied for that as well. Not missing any opportunity."

Midoriya bumped his shoulder with his fist.

"I have confidence you'll get there."

Shinsou looked at him funny.

"Why?"

Midoriya grinned.

"Let's just say I like you, and I have pretty good intuition."

Shinsou shrugged.

"So...can I text you?"

Shinsou looked like he'd been caught off guard.

"Uh...sure."

They exchanged numbers, and went on their individual ways.

Midoriya was happy with himself.

Three whole people wanted to interact with him! And they were all his age!

Yamada picked him up where he'd dropped him earlier that day, and they chatted about the exam as they went.

Yamada opened the door to their apartment.

"Surprise!"

Midoriya jerked back at the announcement.

He looked over the faces of Aizawa, Midnight and Nedzu.

"Huh?"

Aizawa walked over to him, holding a-

Cake.

'The cake is a lie.'

He flinched.

"So your DNA tests came. You're fifteen. We figured you should have a party, even just to make up for lost time."

Midoriya smiled.

'What was that?'

He enjoyed a slice of chocolate cake as his teachers chatted amongst themselves.

What a nice way to end the day.

Chapter Text

"So, how did the exam go?"

Midoriya looked up from his second slice of cake. It was so delicious. So moist. Pretty much everyone had left at that point, not that there were many in the first place, but Midoriya didn't mind. He wasn't really close with that many people. He wasn't stupid enough to ignore that.

He wiped the crumbs from his mouth as he leaned back on the couch. Chonk made herself comfortable on his lap, purring as he stroked her back.

"It was hard. A lot of morality questions I wasn't expecting. Although, I realise now it was inevitable. Not everyone who has the skills to be a great pro hero would be the best of the best intelligence-wise. Not too bad, I like to think I did well."

Aizawa nodded, thanking Yamada when he was presented with tea. The yellow-blond scooted next to Midoriya on the couch. He perked up.

"I'd like to thank you for being the ONLY student with the decency to respond to my amazing speech. I was trying to get everyone pumped up! Ya know?"

Midoriya chuckled. Aizawa raised an eyebrow in confusion. Midoriya liked to think that he was getting better at reading the man. It was hard, no doubt, but he had a few set reactions. Trained. Ingrained. Maybe it was a bad thing, that Midoriya never mentioned how easy it can be to tell what he's thinking sometimes.

"During our special talk in the auditorium, Mr. Present Mic here thought it would be a good idea to try 'call and answer' on a bunch of anxious teenagers. I, of course, don't have a fibre of common sense, so I was the only one that actually responded."

Aizawa snorted. Yamada glared at him.

"It was AWKWARD, not funny, Shouta. I was a laughing stock! I'm old. It's official. I can't connect with the kids anymore!"

Midoriya smirked at the man's antics.

"Yamada, I'd say it was more about nerves than your performance. Don't worry about it. And if it makes you feel any better, I'm older than you, and I connected with three whole 'kids'."

Aizawa blinked, satisfied about something or other. Yamada wailed.

"You're not OLDER than me! At least...not properly! I'm OLD!"

Midoriya patted his back sympathetically, still trying to hold back giggles.

Aizawa clearly had had enough of the conversation.

"And the practical exam?"

Midoriya's glare took on an icy tone.

"You pricks didn't tell me the zero pointer was taller than a fucking building."

Yamada choked on his laughter. Aizawa was trembling with mirth.

"Sorry, but I had already told you more than I should have at that cafe in Kiyashi Ward."

Midoriya rolled his eyes, smiling.

"I'm kidding it just..."

He thought of the chill that went through him. Reminding him just how real it was. Like the gargantuan turret. Giant red eye-

He shook his head to disperse his thoughts.

'Eyes,' he mentally corrected himself, 'the zero pointer had more than one.'

Oh, crumbs.

"...caught me off guard."

The two men exchanged glances, clearly noticing his pause.

"Well, we can't say much about your results until next week, but I was watching with the other teachers. I have to say, you impressed them. And me."

Midoriya shrunk under the praise, scratching his cheek to try and relieve some of the awkwardness he was feeling.

"Thanks, but I didn't really do much. In fact, I completely lost count of how many bots I wrecked. And helping others wasn't exactly planned either."

Aizawa smiled a little, nodding.

"They were specifically impressed when you and that Iida boy helped the brunette."

Midoriya looked up from Chonk.

"Knowing when to ask for help is a noble trait to have, Midoriya, especially as a pro."

Yamada patted his head. He smiled, before his face turned pensive. The man ran his fingers through Midoriya's hair, retying the small ponytail he'd grown.

"I had a question, actually. I thought your portal hand things could cancel gravity."

Midoriya raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I did say that. But it's on objects, not just in general."

"Right, so...why didn't you use it to get the debris off the girl? Wouldn't it have been faster?"

Midoriya pondered the question for a bit. If he was being honest, he hadn't given it much thought in the moment.

"Well...I don't know. In Aperture, so much of what I did was instinct, I didn't have time to give it more than a second of thought. But even so, I never used it on anything other than Aperture Science branded storage and companion cubes. I...don't really know if there's an upper limit to what I can carry. I guess my instinct was to take the safest option, just in case."

Yamada nodded, eyes wide. Midoriya didn't talk about Apeture much. He knew bottling it up was a bad, bad idea, but the idea of opening up about it would mean reliving all the tests. One after the other. The the 'surgeries'. He shivered at the thought.

As if sensing his sudden discomfort, Yamada clapped his hands, a small, comforting smile on his face.

"Well, it is very late and Aizawa wanted to talk to you, so I'm going to skedaddle. Goodnight!"

Midoriya turned to Aizawa, who was wishing the yellow-blond a good night's sleep.

"Is something wrong?"

Aizawa turned to him again.

"Not really. I was speaking with the detective this morning, and he told me some things you may be interested to know. About you and your family"

Midoriya visibly tensed. He really, really, didn't like talking about his family. Especially to Aizawa and Yamada. They had basically become his new family since he got out of Aperture. Since he escaped that nightmare.

"Hey, it's nothing bad. He found you, your mother and your sisters records, but I'm sorry to say he couldn't find anything on your father...or brother."

Midoriya nodded. He both did and didn't want to know more. A stab of guilt went through him at Aizawa's hesitance. His brother. What's there to say? He had so few memories of his family upon thinking about it, but for some reason his brother is absent from all of them. It painted him to even think it, but he...barely remembered his face.

Aizawa was still talking, so he tried to pick up on where the conversation had gone.

"The DNA tests came back, as I said earlier, and Tsukauchi found your records, including medical files. There was...a lot on it.

Midoriya chuckled to himself. It wasn't even funny, but he just felt so weird about everything. His life was so ridiculous.

"Yeah, I broke a lot of bones as a kid. I guess you could say I didn't know when to quit."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, amused. He reached for a briefcase leaning against his seat, pulling a few files out. He flicked open the one on top and stopped on a photo.

"Is this an x-ray of your leg?"

Midoriya looked up, tilting his head. Aizawa turned the photo around to him, showing off his lower leg in all its former glory.

"Uh...yeah?"

Aizawa examined it for a moment, before turning it to him again.

"You see your pinky toe? You have three toe joints."

Midoriya just looked at him for a moment.

"...yeah?"

Aizawa huffed.

"Kid, these days most of the population only have one."

Midoriya blinked.

"Please say you're messing with me."

"I wish I could, kid. In fact, most doctors say you can tell if you have a quirk or not by the number of bones in your pinky toe."

The green haired boy felt his brain shut down. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose.

"Wow. Just...wow."

Midoriya glanced at the other files on Aizawa's lap. A name immediately caught his eye.

"Aizawa? Can I see the files?"

Aizawa looked at him for a second too long before nodding.

Midoriya's eyes openly displayed his melancholy as he read the name.

Midoriya Takara.

His mother.

He wasted no time looking through his mother's file, until he found-

Death certificate.

He scanned the date, his already low mood dropping even further. Three years later. Three years, to his knowledge, that she spent not knowing where he was.

He sighed, deflating. He ignored Aizawa's sympathetic look.

He opened the next file. Midoriya Chitose.

His sister.

In the back of his mind, his mind took note of Aizawa shifting in his seat, but he was completely focused on the files and certificates in front of him. Birth certificate, medical files, dental records-

Foster home?

"She went into the foster system?"

Aizawa looked mildly surprised that he was speaking. 

"Yes, after your mother passed."

Midoriya blinked.

"And my dad?"

Aizawa looked caught off guard.

"Tsukauchi said he couldn't find any official records of him. The Quirk Wars took it's toll, unfortunately. What about your father?"

"I just...I have no idea where he was for all this. Why didn't he look after Chitose?"

Aizawa's faced pulled into a small frown, but his eyes gave away his sadness.

Midoriya kept looking through the folder. There wasn't much of interest until he got to the end.

Ignoring the death certificate, he pulled out quite the opposite.

"A birth certificate?"

The tired man across from him managed a small, sincere smile.

"You're an uncle, Midoriya. She had children. And her kids had kids and so on and so forth."

'She had kids? Did she get married too? Did she settle down, live her life...never knowing what happened to me?

'Chichan...I miss you. I never stopped missing you. I...I'm sorry. I wish I could've been there. Seen it all happen...seen you again.'

Midoriya turned away from Aizawa, wiping his face.

"One of her great-something-grandchildren actually lives in Musutafu. She is more than happy to meet you, if that's something you would want."

The green haired teen blinked. 

"Wow-I...that's kind of unexpected."

It was a lot. A lot to process, to think about.

"...what's her name?"

"Inko."

He liked that name. 

"I think I want to meet her. Would she be able tomorrow? Or the day after?"

Aizawa looked like he thought it was a bad idea. Midoriya knew he shouldn't get attached to the idea of his great-something-grandniece...but he just had to meet her. 

Maybe he shouldn't have been so quick to ignore his past...ok no he definitely shouldn't have, but after he started talking about it, the more he wanted to. The more he wanted to know, wanted to remember...

...the more he wished he could just be back there.

Aizawa standing up out of his seat pulled him back to reality, the faces of people he used to know floating back into the recesses of his mind.

"I can call her tomorrow morning. Hizashi was right, it's late. I think you should get some sleep, you've had a long day."

Midoriya nodded once, gently nudging Chonk off of him.

He walked beside Aizawa as they made their way to their separate bedrooms. Right as Aizawa reached for the doorhandle, Yamada had closed it to give them privacy, Midoriya pulled him into a hug.

Aizawa only pause for a fraction of a second before he wrapped his arms around the all too young boy.

Midoriya took a deep breath, hiding his face against Aizawa's chest. 

When they separated, Aizawa gave his head a few gentle pats and a small grin, teeth and all.

Midoriya closed the door to his room, leaning his head against the door as he let out a wet sigh. Wiping his eyes for what felt like the twentieth time that night, he rounded his bed, saying goodnight to Rhett and changed.

When he was comfortable in bed, facing Rhett, he let himself relax and just be in the moment.

*

There was a haziness in his head he wasn't used to when he woke up. Stuffy. Like his skull was too big for his head. It was uncomfortable, and he wasn't sure if it was all the crying or a sickness that was causing it.

He stumbled into the kitchen, hair all over the place and his pyjamas not much better. He hadn't slept well. Rhett told him he had been tossing and turning all night.

The only thing he could think of was his family. He tried not to focus on them when he had first been rescued, but as time went by and he was getting more comfortable with Aizawa and Yamada, the more they crossed his mind.

He loved his family. He loved his mother and his father. He had always gotten on with his siblings, even if he could barely remember his brother.

It took him longer than it should to recall his name. The thought made him uncontrollably sad. 

'I'm so sorry, Hiroto. You would never let me hear the end of it if you could see me now.'

He ambled into the kitchen, making himself some tea. Aizawa was already there, downing an irrational amount of scalding coffee.

"Why are you trying to make your heart explode?"

Aizawa gave him a look that let him know that the man hadn't slept well either.

"Nedzu asked me to come in this morning. Something about the incoming first years. I'm pretty sure he only asked me because I expelled my class this year."

"How are you allowed to expel a whole class?"

Aizawa shrugged.

"That's just how UA works, plus, just because someone passes the entrance exam doesn't mean they're hero material. If I wasn't tough on them now it's unlikely they'd make it through one year as a pro."

Midoriya paused, mildly horrified.

"That's...a bit intense for seven in the morning."

Aizawa shrugged again, pouring himself yet another mug of the dirty bean water.

Midoriya was concerned for his heart yet again.

"How are you as fit as you are when you consume coffee like a first year university student?"

Aizawa grinned like a madman, eyes wide and showing off all of his teeth.

"Lucky genes, kid."

Midoriya laughed it off, sipping his cooking tea.

"Did you call Inko?"

Aizawa gulped back the last of the coffee, practically gasping for air afterwards.

"Yep, she said you could call over at any time."

The boy's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Woah, I'm glad she's so enthusiastic about this."

Aizawa eyed him.

"You're having some doubts?"

"No. Yeah. I don't know."

"Want to talk about it?"

Midoriya pursed his lips.

"I don't...I don't want to inadvertently replace my sister with Inko. I don't know anything about her, but I feel guilty about it. Even if I hadn't ended up there, I never would have known her, so why do I feel like I owe it to Inko to let her know me?"

Aizawa rubbed his neck.

"I wouldn't be the best person to ask about this, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Oh...but I should tell you. Inko's son recently passed, and I'm not sure how well she is dealing with it. I wouldn't want her to attach herself to you either. It wouldn't be healthy, for either of you."

Midoriya was internally freaking out. He really, desperately wanted to know Inko. Any connection to his family, but he didn't want to hurt her either.

Externally, he nodded.

"I think I'll go over at lunch. Maybe I'll bring a cake."

Aizawa levelled him with an unreadable look.

"Do you want me to be there?"

Midoriya bit his lip.

"...yes, please."

*

The green haired boy stood proudly, holding a just-purchased sponge cake in both hands. Aizawa was standing by his side, in slightly more presentable clothing than usual. They made eye contact, both nodding, before Aizawa pressed the doorbell.

Soon after, they could hear lots of small thuds, before the welcoming door in front of them swung open.

Midoriya immediately took in her appearance. She looked very similar to his family members. Familiar round features, large eyes, and bright green hair. She had the face of his sister. The same straight hair, just lighter in colour. The same green eyes, except this woman looked tired. So, so tired.

Inko was staring at him with equal intent. She looked incredibly sad for a moment, before brightening. She smiled warmly, and Midoriya instantly felt at home.

"Hello there. My name is Akatani Inko, but my maiden name is Midoriya Inko. I...I suppose you are my great uncle of some sort, but I'm aware I'm much older than you."

Midoriya breathed. Even her voice. So, so familiar.

He smiled the biggest, widest grin he could manage without crying.

"Hi, I'm Midoriya Izuku. I suppose I am, but that does sound a bit weird to say. This is Aizawa Shouta, and um, we brought you this cake!"

Her face took on an emotion that was so, shockingly close to what he was experiencing, it left him feeling raw as she beckoned them inside and poured out some freshly brewed tea.

Once they were settled, sipping their tea in serene silence, Aizawa was the one to break the only slightly awkward tension.

"So, Mrs Akatani, I'd like to thank you for reaching out when Tsukauchi found you."

Inko waved her hand, dismissing the thought.

"Oh, not at all. I am always happy to meet with family. I'm an only child, you see, and my husband works in America. I'm afraid I don't have much company lately."

Even though she was smiling while she spoke, Midoriya could feel the sadness coming off her in waves. He thought of her son. His grand nephew of some sort. It made him upset to think about, so he put it out of his head.

"Midoriya?"

He looked up upon being called. She was looking at him openly.

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking, are you're hands alright? I have bandages lying around somewhere if you'd like to change them."

'Huh?'

He looked down at his hands. He'd worn a long sleeved shirt again. His hands were poking out from under the too long sleeve. Bright white. Like a bandage.

'Oh.'

"Oh! It's not-this isn't...um. It's not bandages. These are my hands."

He held up his arms, letting the sleeves pool around his forearms. His prosthetics were fully on display. She looked caught off guard.

"Oh my goodness, I didn't mean to overstep. I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked."

Midoriya waved his arms around awkwardly.

"Oh! No, no, don't worry! They, um...are a part of my quirk?"

She paused in her fretting.

He showed her his hands, shifting them into a portal gun and back.

Inko watched with fascination.

"My, that's impressive! But, I thought you didn't have a quirk? At least, that's what that nice detective told me."

"Technically, I don't. But I'm trying to get into UA! So I'm saying that it's my quirk."

Her eyes looked a far away for a moment.

"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that! I'm...I'm sure you can do it, if you put your mind to it!"

He was taken aback by the sincerity of her words. He smiled, thanking her. She looked happy, genuinely happy with herself. He wondered how much those words meant to her.

The conversation, after that, flowed much easier. They talked about anything and everything, with Aizawa chiming in every so often. It was nice. Really nice. He felt so comfortable with Inko, even if he barely knew her for more than a few hours.

When it was time for them to go, she gave him her number herself, making him promise to call her about his exam results.

"Now, regardless of what the results are, you should come over! I can make more tea, or make dinner, whatever you'd like!"

Midoriya smiled wide.

"Thank you, Mrs. Akatani. I appreciate it more than you probably think."

She smiled up at him.

"None of that 'Mrs' stuff, you can call me Inko. You are my uncle, after all!"

He let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

"Well, please call me Izuku!"

They shared a gentle smile. Inko opened her arms to him. He didn't hesitate to lean down to her, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

He sighed into her cardigan. The hug reminded him of his mother and sister. He had to plead with his tear ducts not to ruin her clothes.

Unbeknownst to him, Inko was experiencing a very similar thing. 

They separated, and she walked them to the door. They said their goodbyes, and both went about their day as normal as one could try to.

That night, Midoriya fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*

He was walking through a corridor. It was long, and dark. No windows or light, other than that pouring out from the door at the end. The hazy feeling in his head got worse and worse as he walked, but he couldn't stop. He tried and tried to fight against the natural movement of his legs, but it was for naught. 

What lay beyond the door was blindingly bright, as he finally reached it. He squinted, pushing it open.

A white, spacious room, with a few black flooring tiles and walls disrupting the perfection. He walked forward, to the centre of the massive enclosed centre. 

The word 'enrichment' popped into his head as he walked further into the room. He ignored it.

He noticed a cube a few paces away from him. He reached out, intending to lift it.

His portal gun was gone. He looked down at his hands. The skin looked wrong, pulled and stretched awkwardly over the bone.

He looked for his gun. 

Nothing.

He heard himself call out before he could think about what he was doing.

"Glados?"

He looked at the cameras in the corner of the room.

"Ah," a robotic voice echoed throughout the chamber, "I'm glad to see you on your own two feet. I was beginning to think I'd have to send a search bot after you. Did you get distracted by your own reflection?"

He felt himself roll his eyes.

"Glados, where is my portal gun? I can't do the test if I don't have it."

Glados didn't respond for a few minutes. It was unsettling. The room felt like it was getting bigger, and Midoriya felt very alone.

"You already have it."

Midoriya startled at Glados' voice. It was way too close to his ear.

Looking around, he couldn't see her anywhere. 

"Glados?"

She hummed.

"Why, just look at your hands."

He felt his hands rise up in front of his face.

The skin still looked all wrong. Unnatural.

His left hand came to a halt above his right, and he let his had close into a fist. Jerking his arm back, the skin came away.

It should have hurt. He should have screamed. There should be blood and pain and something.

But there was just white.

When Glados spoke again, the voice came from inside his head.

"Let's continue."

*

Midoriya woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He was gripping his night shirt in a vice like grip.

He looked around his room wildly, his eyes halting on Rhett.

"You're here."

He looked around again, seeing all of the small things he'd added to his room over the last few months. A small cat charm on his desk, the books Yamada had bought him, along with a Present Mic poster adorning his walls.

He breathed carefully, in and out.

"Thanks, Rhett."

Rhett beeped, content.

Midoriya lay back down, but he knew he wouldn't get back to sleep.

Chapter Text

Midoriya was staring at the small metal disk on his desk.

It wasn't exactly what he was expecting to fall out of the envelope. Said envelope had just been handed to him by Aizawa, who looked like he didn't want to accidentally reveal anything with his eyes.

The small, round disk had clinked and fallen with a thud, surprising him.

Why a...disk? Why not just a letter or a phone call, or something.

He spent a good ten minutes trying to figure out how to turn the damned thing on, but when he finally found the tiny button, which was way harder to find than it should have been, it blasted to life.

He sprung back with a start as the projection displayed itself, knocking over his chair.

Rhett beeped from it's spot in the corner.

"Sorry, sorry. Just got a shock."

He pulled his chair back under him and scooted back to the desk. The projection seemed like it was waiting for him to get settled. Freaky.

As soon as he stopped shuffling, the bright, bright figure of All Might in a luminescent yellow suit filled up the...screen? Midoriya wasn't sure what to call it.

"Damn, All Might?"

Midoriya was aware he knew very little about the number one hero. He had studied some other well known heroes he could find, some 'villains' that intrigued him and even this one vigilante. He found it really peculiar that there was so little information available about the 'Symbol of Peace'. He thought it was a bit suspicious.

Obviously the top hero in the country would need a certain level of privacy, but Endeavour seemed to be doing just fine with his privacy. The same with Best Jeanist. All top heroes, but there was literally nothing online, that he could find, that delved into any of All Might's personal life.

"YOUNG MIDORIYA!"

Midoriya startled violently. 

'Oh right,' he thought, 'my results.'

"I AM HERE! As a projection!"

He smiled, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Well done on completing the UA entrance exam! As I'm sure you're aware, UA is very exclusive, so congratulations on getting this far!"

Midoriya was already losing confidence in his performance at the exam. Also did All Might shout everything he says? Or was that just an 'on-camera' thing.

"NOW, onto your results! You passed the written exam with flying colours, I applaud you!"

The green haired boy giggled to himself as All Might was very obviously reading off a cue card. 

"And as for the physical exam, I can confidently say that you earned thirty four points! An admirable amount, but I'm sure you know how competitive the exam is. The cut off this year was at thirty five points. So I'm afraid to say that you..."

Midoriya leaned forward in his seat as All Might paused. He felt himself getting colder.

"HAVE PASSED! Well done, young man! You see, there was a secret, unknown extra aspect to the exam...RESCUE POINTS! How could this esteemed, world renowned hero school deny a hero-hopeful entry for doing heroic deeds? And so, RESCUE POINTS were created! And you, young Midoriya, have earned forty points, taking your total up to a whopping SEVENTY FOUR POINTS!"

Midoriya let out a massive sigh of relief, relaxing back into his seat.

"An excellent score, young man. You've even placed joint second overall! It is my pleasure to welcome you to UA's class 1-A, young Midoriya. This is your hero academia!"

The projection cut out. The boy scrubbed at his eyes. He hadn't cried, but he was damn near close to it.

Knowing that he'd gotten in, that he'd done well. It was like a weight off his chest. He allowed a small, content smile to take over his face. All Might had been so nice. He was starting to understand why he was also well known for his interactions with civilians.

(Midoriya may have looked up a few videos after the whole Sludge villain incident. Let's just say he felt like a monster for brushing off the big, loveable man so harshly.)

Distantly, he registered his phone buzz softly in the background.

Right, his new friends!

Were they friends yet? He didn't really know. He hadn't had friends in what felt like millennia.

He unplugged the phone and lay back on his bed, opening the many messages he'd received from Uraraka, Iida, Shinsou and Inko.

As he was typing out a response to her messages, Uraraka called him.

"Hey! How did you get on?"

He sat up, adjusting his pillow.

"I did well. Really well, thanks for asking. Did you get into 1-A too?"

He held the phone away from his ear as she cheered for him. It was a bit embarrassing, receiving so much praise in such a short window. In Aperture, he was mostly belittled. Maybe the odd backhanded compliment, but...anyways.

"Yes! I knew you'd do well, and yeah I got in! Actually, have you heard from Iida yet?"

"Yeah, you called me before I could get to it though."

Midoriya chuckled at her frantic apology.

"Hey, hey it's fine. I was making a joke."

She audibly sighed.

"Mean, I was worried I upset you! But whatever, Iida got in as well! Isn't it great? We'll be classmates!"

"That is great, I can't wait!"

"Me neither! Oh sorry, I have to go. My dad is calling me."

After exchanging goodbyes, Midoriya responded to Iida's curt and proper texts. He liked Iida. He was unique. Very serious and studious, but so kind and open to making new friends.

Their messages were quick but he still felt warm and fuzzy at the prospect of two of his three friends being in his class. 

He opened the one message Shinsou had sent him. It was short, but Midoriya's face lit up.

'Thank you.'

He immediately sent back a smiley face and asking what class he had gotten into before opening the texts he had received from Inko.

She had wished him luck, asked him to visit again and offered to help him with his hero costume. What an amazing woman.

He quickly let her know the good news and agreed to the visit.

He pushed himself off his bed and swung open his door to see Yamada directly outside.

He stumbled back, eyes wide in surprise.

"Sorry! I'm sorry, I was about to knock, I swear!"

Midoriya giggled at the blond. He patted his shoulder twice, trying to comfort him.

"It's fine, it just caught me off-guard. Where's Aizawa? I want to tell you my results!"

Yamada's smile waned slightly.

"Sorry, little listener, he had to run out. Patrol. But we both knew your results last week. Well done!"

Midoriya accepted the praise, but he had to push down his spike of disappointment.

"Want hot chocolate? I was about to make some for myself."

Midoriya grinned.

"Always."

**
Midoriya awkwardly tugged on the bright red tie. He couldn't tie a tie. He'd never needed to before, and he had no idea what the UA uniform comprised of. 

He exhaled, defeated after struggling with the strip of fabric for too long.

The rest of the uniform was nothing particularly amazing, just a standard grey blazer with dark teal trousers and a white button up. It was just the damned tie that was pissing him off. He'd only worn a jumpsuit for around two years of his life, he didn't need to be able to tie a windsor knot.

He grunted, pulling the forsaken tie off his shoulders. Grabbing his bag and pulling on his comfortable red sneakers, he resigned himself to asking Aizawa or Yamada.

It was Yamada that ended up tying it for him. Aizawa had been too busy laughing at him. He had apologised, however, and agreed to drive him to school.

The building was just as big as he remembered. Fucking gargantuan, and that was just the main school building. He made his way through the halls and approached the tall door labelled '1-A'.

He gave himself a quick few words of encouragement, and flung the door open.

"KEEP YOUR FEET OFF THE DESKS!"

"MAKE ME YOU FUCKIN' EXTRA!"

'Oh boy.' Midoriya was already exhausted.

Iida was in a comical 'shout-off' with-

Bakugou? Huh.

Midoriya idly took note of how different the blond was acting, compared to the last time he saw him. A lot louder, for starters.

"You are disrespecting the students who used these desks before us! Where are your manners!?"

"Hah? Were you born with that stick up your ass, Four Eyes?"

Iida recoiled, offended.

"Four eyes? Excuse me, I believe we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Iida Tenya, I used to attend Somei Private Acad-"

Bakugou tilted his head, challenging him.

"Somei? What, you think you're so much better than me, you elite fucker."

"Pardon? I'll have you know-"

Ok, Midoriya couldn't watch it any longer. Neither of the boys had noticed him yet, and no one else in the room seemed to be bothered to do anything about the yelling.

"Iida! Good morning!"

The two turned to the green haired boy's distraction. Iida perked up at his presence, while Bakugou...

He kind of shrunk into himself a bit.

Iida quickly approached him, shaking his hands mechanically.

"Welcome Midoriya! I'm glad to see you early and prepared to learn! I must say, you teased out the true meaning of the exam."

Midoriya raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"You figured out that the exam was to prove yourself as a competent hero, in both combat and rescue. Thank you!"

The taller boy bowed stiffly at the waist.

"Woah, woah, don't worry about it! And I don't think I did as much as you think I did. We had only spoken once before, but when I called you to help me with Uraraka, you didn't have to help. You very easily could have turned in to other direction and fought more robots. But you decided to help. It was admirable of you."

Iida flustered at the praise.

"Hell yeah!"

The two boys spun around to see Uraraka at the door.

"Hey! Good morning!"

She high fived Midoriya as she walked in and coming to a stop beside Iida, throwing him a smile.

They made idle chatter as they reaquainted themselves.

"...excuse me."

Midoriya's head turned so fast both Iida and Uraraka cringed. Ouch, muscle strain.

"Shinsou!!!"

Midoriya had his arms thrown up over his head, a massive smile on his face.

Shinsou looked a bit awkward.

"Hey...thanks again for, uh, the entrance exam."

Midoriya grabbed his arm, pulling him further into the room to introduce him to Uraraka and Iida.

"If you're just here to socialise, you can get out."

Midoriya held back a laugh at Aizawa in all his glory, wrapped like a burrito in his sleeping bag. He bit down on his lip as Uraraka and a pink girl shrieked.

"It took you eight seconds to quiet down. Absolutely unacceptable. Everyone to your seats."

Midoriya sat down at number eighteen, ignoring the fact that he was sitting behind Bakugou.

"My name is Aizawa Shouta. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next year. I don't tolerate laziness, so if you think this will be 'easy breezy', you might as well quit now. Any takers?"

He paused, waiting. Midoriya could already tell that most of the class feared the tired man. They weren't wrong to fear him, but not the amount they probably did.

"Good. Everyone take one of these and get changed."

Aizawa zipped open his sleeping bag, somehow producing twenty tracksuits.

"Where are we going sensei?"

He knew he was the only one who would be calm enough to ask. Or not get killed by the glare Aizawa threw at him. He knew he was only doing it to assert himself as a 'no nonsense' teacher.

"The track fields. We're doing an apprehension test."

Uraraka was the only other person to raise their hand.

"What about orientation?"

Aizawa smiled, showing off all his teeth. It was pretty creepy. 

"UA allows staff more freedom than other schools when it comes to the curriculum. In other words, I do what I want."

Midoriya actually snickered at that. Shinsou looked at him weirdly, and Midoriya quickly pretended to be coughing.

"What are you waiting for, get to it."

Grabbing his own tracksuit, he made his way to the changing rooms, chatting with Iida, Uraraka and a more reluctant Shinsou.

Midoriya didn't know what was up with him. He seemed like he wanted to make friends, and talk and have fun, but he kept stopping himself every time he had the opportunity to chime in with his thoughts.

Midoriya tried prompting him as much as possible, but Shinsou was stubborn. It seemed he'd have to work extra hard to get him to loosen up a bit.

**
'Fuck, fuck, fuck.'

Midoriya was panicking a little. A bit. Ok, a lot. Somehow, it hadn't crossed his mind that he would be changing in front of everyone else. He wouldn't have any issue with it really, aside from his arms. And legs. And shoulders. And the disk in his chest. Ok so there was a lot, and that's not even counting all the scars.

He shuddered as little as possible. The other boys were chatting amongst themselves, or outright ignoring everyone else (ie Bakugou).

He slowly, slowly reached for the tracksuit pants. His legs could probably escape notice, especially considering how many of his classmates were fascinated with Iida's legs. He silently begged that no one would ask him about his stark white, definitely not fleshy legs. 

Miraculously, people seemed preoccupied with a spikey red head, who was showing off his buff arms. The red head felt familiar, but Midoriya couldn't place him, so he returned to his task.

He pulled off his tie, he was going to have some fun trying to put that back on, and his blazer, folding them neatly on the bench.

His cybernetic fingers reached for his shirt buttons. He stayed facing the the wall as he slowly, slowly starting undoing each. One after the other.

He kept focusing on his breathing as he fumbled with the last button. In, out, in, out. He tugged the shirt off his shoulders and reached for his tracksuit shirt.

The zipper on the front of the tracksuit got stuck.

'Fuck, fuck no, no, no, no way.'

He hunched over on himself, tugging at the apparently invincible zipper. The fucking thing wouldn't budge. Shinsou, on his left picked up on his distress, but Midoriya waved him off with a plastered on smile.

Shinsou squinted suspiciously. His eyes briefly shifted to his arms, before he turned back to his own bag.

Midoriya let out a breathy sigh of relief.

"...woah."

He flinched, hoping whoever said it was talking to someone else.

He held his shirt in front of his chest, trying to hide the disk. Half of the boys were looking at his back when he turned around.

"Uh..."

The spikey red head smiled at him. It didn't do much to alleviate the tension he was suddenly feeling. He took note of some of the people staring at him. A yellow blond with a black strip in his hair, a guy with a crow's head, a guy with half red, half white hair, Bakugou.

The red head spoke up when the silence dragged on.

"Hey, I'm Kirishima! Sorry, I just- dude! You're so buff! What's your secret?"

"Huh?"

He blinked a few times. Kirishima smiled, all fangs.

"Wait, I know you, from the entrance exam, right?"

Kirishima looked caught off guard. One of his hands rubbed at the back of his neck. He was running his fingers through his now red hair.

"Yeah! I'm flattered you remember me!"

"Hey! I'm Kaminari, dude, you must get so many girls fawning over you with those pecks!"

Kirishima snorted.

"Uh...not really?"

Kaminari raised an eyebrow, hands on his hips.

"Hm, sounds fake, but okay. You heard it here first folks, muscles aren't everything!"

Midoriya chuckled at the yellow-blonds antics. He glanced around at his classmates, who were all watching Kaminari chase Kirishima around with his shirt. All except for-

Fuck. Eye contact.

Of course, just his luck he made eye contact with the half and half boy. He was...pretty intensely looking at him. More specifically, at his chest.

Midoriya knew he had a lot of scars. That was no secret. He wasn't particularly fond of other people seeing them, not that many had. At least with Kirishima and Kaminari, they had been suttle as they got an eye full. This guy though...it was making him uncomfortable. He felt like he was being looked at under a microscope.

He turned around again, trying once more to pull the zipper open. Still no luck. He let out a little grunt of frustration.

"Pardon me."

The monotone voice shocked him out of his thoughts. He looked up, coming face to face with the half and half boy.

'Fuck.'

The other boy silently held out his shirt.

"Huh?"

The boy looked away.

"You clearly don't want people seeing them. I can understand that."

It took until then for Midoriya to realise that the boy had a massive scar over his left eye. A piercing blue eye looked back at him.

He looked back at the shirt.

"What about you?"

"I'll request another from Aizawa-sensei."

Midoriya wanted to tear up at the act of kindness.

"You're sure?"

The boy looked confused at his hesitation.

"Yes."

"I...I don't-thank you, that was really kind of you."

The boy's eyes widened. He looked away again. 

Midoriya pulled the shirt on, zipping it on over the disk on his chest.

**
As that of the students gathered in the wide field, Midoriya wished he wore a long sleeved shirt under his uniform. His arms were very clearly on display. In his peripherals, he could see a few people looking at him.

Aizawa looked very, very bored, but held eye contact with him for a few seconds, gauging how he was feeling.

Midoriya subtly nodded. Aizawa blinked slowly, and went back to glaring at the class.

"Attention, now."

His deadpan voice cut through the excited chatter of the students. 

"I will be conducting a test of your skills, from fitness to ability with your quirk. Depending on how you place, you'll be ranked."

Midoriya raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, and who ever places last? They will be deemed unfit for the hero course and will be expelled on the spot. Welcome to UA."

A few students cried out in shock, anger, fear. Midoriya narrowed his eyes. Aizawa...wasn't joking. Midoriya liked to think he'd gotten pretty good at reading the man, and none of his tells were on show. He was serious.

He was planning on expelling a student by the end of the day.

What the fuck?

"Bakugou."

The blond looked to Aizawa.

"What was your ball throw high score in middle school."

"Sixty three metres."

Midoriya wondered how the fuck he knew that off the top of his head.

Aizawa threw him a baseball. Or at least, it looked like a baseball.

"I know you were told not to use your quirks in PE in middle school, but throw that out the window. For this, Bakugou, do whatever you want, just don't leave the circle."

He gestured to a circle painted on the dirt. The blond strolled over at a leisurely pace, and Midoriya could tell Aizawa was losing patience.

Bakugou tossed the ball up once, twice. He winded his arm back, and flung the ball forward.

Boom.

"DIE!"

'Die?'

The ball was flung forward in a massive explosion.

'Wow, fitting quirk for a fitting personality I guess.'

Aizawa held up his phone. 

"Over SEVEN HUNDRED?"

Kaminari was staring in the direction the ball went.

"This is the level expected of hero students. Let's begin the tests."

The tests themselves weren't too bad. Midoriya was pretty damn fit on his own, without needing the help of the portals. During the grip test, he got second after Shouji, at a whopping 324.5kgs. He hadn't realised his hands were as strong as they were.

After coming third in the endurance run, it was onto the ball throw. He had been dreading it, to be honest. There were little to no places he could put portals, so he'd have to rely on strength alone. He wasn't sure if he'd done enough to make the final cut just yet.

Uraraka stepped up to the circle, not hesitating to throw the ball. It flew, and flew and flew.

It took Midoriya a solid few seconds to remember what her quirk was.

Aizawa's reader app called out infinity, and Uraraka blushed under the immediate praise.

"Shinsou, you're up next."

Midoriya had been wondering how Shinsou had been getting on. They hadn't been able to speak much since starting the test.

Shinsou stepped up to the circle. He looked nervous.

"Uraraka?"

Huh? The green haired boy watched curiously as Shinsou got her attention.

"Oh, yeah?"

Her eyes glazed over. 

"Throw the ball with your quirk."

She ambled over to him, taking the ball from his hands. She winded up her arm with far less gusto this time. It flew out of view.

Aizawa showed the infinity sign again, smirking.

Shinsou visibly relaxed, coming to stand beside Midoriya again. Midoriya smiled at him.

Shinsou blinked, clearly expecting... something. He looked at the rest of the class. No one payed him any mind.

Midoriya knew he thought no one was looking, because a small smile took over his face.

"Lastly, Midoriya."

'Oh god.'

Chapter Text

Midoriya slowly walked up to the circle drawn into the sand, eyes darting around as he looked for anything he could use to his advantage. He hadn't done badly, by any means, but he didn't want to barely scrape by either. The portals were incredibly versatile, and if people wrote him off on the first day because he didn't have a proper opportunity to use them, he'd be pissed with himself and Aizawa.

He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. Surely it didn't make a difference what other people thought of him, right? But the second he was in the changing room, it's all he could think about. How his classmates saw him. To be fair to them, no one said anything rude or invasive really. The boy with the split coloured hair, Aizawa had called Todoroki, seemed to be the only one who could tell he was uncomfortable.

Was he overthinking it? Maybe, but he found it...strange how much of an emphasis on quirks there was literally everywhere he went. From when he got out of Aperture to that moment, everything seemed to surround quirks. 

He wondered how they could ever understand how life used to be for him.

He stepped into the circle. Aizawa's eyes were burning with curiosity, and Midoriya took a deep breath. He adjusted his grip on the baseball, looking at the small screen. It displayed the number zero. 

Midoriya glanced around once more, trying to decide on some way to impress both Aizawa and his classmates.

Boom.

His eyes were drawn to the moon, barely visible in the bright blue sky.

He smirked to himself as he turned around, facing the school building. He could hear the murmurs of the others as he prepared himself. 

This was either going to work really, really well, or go horribly wrong.

He idly wondered what Glados would say if she could see what he was about to do.

He turned, briefly, to face his classmates.

"You may want to hold on to something sturdy."

Their confusion was comical, to say the least. Aizawa looked concerned at best.

Taking a deep breath, he aimed the portal gun at the wall in front of him. In the blink of an eye, he shot his blue portal at the wall before flinging the ball, and throwing up his other portal at the moon's surface.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as he waited for the tell tale sparkle of the portal as it landed.

All of a sudden, the portals snapped open, and Midoriya braced himself against the powerful vacuum of space. 

He watched as the ball went through, literal milliseconds away from slamming into concrete.

Grey.

Something grey caught his eye. 

"What the hell?"

He knew it was a stupid idea. He knew Aizawa would probably kill him for it later, that is, if it didn't kill him right then and there.

He leapt at the portal, slamming his legs into the wall right at the edge.

There, a spherical object. Grey.

And an Aperture Science logo proudly emblazoned on the side.

He leaned into the portal, reaching for whatever it was. He exhaled all the air from his lungs and just, just got a grip on the handle-

When something started pulling him back to earth.

The second he passed through, he shut the portals.

What had felt like hours, had actually only been mere seconds.

His classmates were staring at him as if his head had fallen off.

Shinsou looked openly concerned, which warned Midoriya's heart.

Aizawa, though.

He looked furious.

He stormed over to him, yanking him to his feet.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!"

Midoriya blinked. Aizawa was squeezing his shoulders with an iron grip. It would probably have hurt if Midoriya could feel any pain in them.

"What?"

Aizawa's eye twitched as his face twisted.

"What do you mean, 'what'? I ask you to throw a ball and you rip open a fucking portal to space!"

"You said to show off our abilities! I was doing what I had to-"

"What you had to? I just had to pull you back from outer space! And for what? A grey ball?"

Midoriya clenched his fists, holding said 'grey ball' tightly against his side.

"If you must know, it has an Aperture symbol on it, which I would've told you if you hadn't just freaked out on me."

Aizawa somehow managed to look angrier.

"Freaked out? Freaked out?! I blinked and you were leaping off of the fucking planet!"

The green haired boy glanced at his classmates, all of whom were trying not to look too interested in Aizawa's rage.

"Aizawa. You don't understand. Do you think I don't know what I'm doing? Of course Glados taught me about space. I know that humans can survive for a good two minutes, if they know what they're doing, and even more considering air was being sucked in around me. Why won't you just hear me out?!"

Aizawa sneered. It made Midoriya feel small. He hated that feeling. 

"I was asked to take care of you. How could I have possibly explained that you died because you willingly ejected yourself into space?"

Midoriya glared at him from under his bangs.

"I just told you I knew what I was doing. Do you not trust me to take care of myself? If you bothered to let me talk about Aperture at all I probably would have mentioned it."

Aizawa shrunk slightly. Midoriya persisted.

"Don't think I haven't noticed. When I try to talk about my cybernetics, you change the subject, you didn't trust me with Rhett after I told you it's original purpose and we never train with my portals. I don't have a clue about the upper limits of the guns. Before the entrance exam, I hadn't used them in months. If you're uncomfortable with me, I want you to tell me."

Aizawa rubbed his temples. Midoriya stood his ground.

"I am not uncomfortable with you, Midoriya. Am I a bad person for not wanting to hear about the atrocities you went through for two full years?"

"Well it's better than pretending they never happened!"

Aizawa looked over at the class.

"And what are you doing with that."

Midoriya looked at the sphere.

"It might be damaged. I'd like to take a look at it."

Aizawa wouldn't look at him.

"Take it to the Support labs, you're free to leave after that."

Aizawa walked back to the class. Shinsou still looked concerned. A few other students seemed interested in his display.

Without another word, Midoriya turned and headed for the labs. He didn't bother sticking around for his results. He knew he did enough to pass, and he didn't care if Aizawa put him dead last out of spite. Nedzu liked him too much to allow Aizawa to expel him.

'Woah, woah, calm down. He wouldn't do anything that rash. He cares, just take a breath.'

He sighed, rubbing his face.

**

Boom 

The giant, metal doors to the labs flew off their hinges as Midoriya reached them. He narrowly missed being impaled by the shrapnel.

"What the hell, is everyone okay?"

He fanned the smoke from his face as he slowly entered.

"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? WOAH, what's that you have there?"

A girl with pink dreadlocks and yellow eyes was bouncing excitedly in front of him. She was absolutely covered in ash, presumably from whatever caused the explosion.

"Hi...I'm Midoriya. I'm in the hero course, and, uh, I was looking for Powerloader?"

The girl started aggressively patting the ash.

"Nice to meet you, Greenie, I'm Hatsume! Powerloader stepped out for a few minutes. I'm going to be the most successful engineer of hero support tech ever. Come here, I need to show you some of my babies!"

She grabbed Midoriya by the wrist opposite to the sphere and dragged him, quite forcefully, to the work station.

"Babies?"

Hatsume stopped for a second before laughing at him.

"Sorry! Not actual babies, that's just what I call my creations! They are super cool and efficient, plus I-"

She stopped. Midoriya was terrified of what she was about to do. She was looking at the ball.

"I asked when you arrived and you never answered me, what IS that?"

Midoriya held the...thing between them. The Aperture logo was clear for all to see.

"Oh, uh...that's kind if why I came. I grabbed this during one of Aizawa's training things. I'm trying to figure out what it is."

She examined it curiously. Her eyes landed on the logo. She rubbed her chin, which only spread more soot over her face.

"Huh. Aperture Science. Not every day you see that company anymore."

Midoriya jerked back.

"Wait, you know about Aperture?"

Hatsume tilted her head at him.

"Well, yeah. I'm studying to become a tech expert. Of course I know about Aperture Science. It was one of the most technologically advanced companies in the world until it went bankrupt. All of their development centres closed except one, but after the Quirk Wars, it's location was lost. I never thought I'd see some of their technology in person."

Midoriya was having trouble believing what he was hearing. She knew about the company? Glados always made it seem as though Aperture was extremely secretive. For a while, he thought it was an illegal government research facility. The illegal part was right, but it was no government approved company.

"You think you can get it working?"

Her eyes seemed to glow with anticipation.

"Can I? I can definitely! Let me get my tools!"

She started dashing around her workspace, grabbing all kinds of utensils and blueprints and even a hamster ball. No hamster in sight, just the ball.

She laid out all her stuff next to the sphere. Plucking some sort of screwdriver from the pile, she slowly leaned towards it, aiming for the two grey flaps on the front.

Flaps that flew open right as she tried to touch them.

"Woah, woah, woah! That's a bit rude, isn't it? Trying to poke someone's screws while they aren't operating. Fierce rude. Where am I?"

Hatsume seemed to get even more excited the second it started speaking in a strong English accent. The flaps had opened to reveal a bright blue eye that was rapidly looking between the two of them.

Midoriya cleared his throat.

"You, uh, you're in Japan?"

The...ball, got a bit fidgety.

"Wow, Japan! How on earth did I end up here? Last I remember, I was floating around in space! Crazy, crazy altogether."

Hatsume looked at Midoriya.

"You speak English?"

Said boy shrunk a little under her gaze.

"Uh, yeah. I learned a bit a few years back. My dad was fluent."

"So anyways, who are ye? Are ye holding me hostage? I can guarantee none of my coworkers will pay the ransom."

Midoriya tried not to flinch at the mention of it's 'coworkers'.

"We are students, and no, we are not holding you hostage. That logo, are you from the Aperture Science facility in Michigan?"

It turned to him, as much as it could, really.

"Well, yea. I don't know if there are many others to be quite honest. I'd like to know how you know about it. I'm pretty sure dead scientists can't reveal sensitive information."

Midoriya closed his mouth.

"Regardless, I'd quite like to go back now, if you don't mind. No jetlag for me, thankfully. Yeah."

Midoriya debated what to say. He didn't know how much English Hatsume knew, and he didn't want to risk outing himself just yet.

"It's gone. It blew up, the story was all over the news."

"Oh, I was not expecting that! I wonder how that happened. Very curious, indeed. I never got a good enough sense of the place when I was in control. I'm embarrassed to say, really, but eh, I wasn't very good at her job. I don't know how she managed it all, actually."

"...her? Do you mean Glados?"

It flinched.

"Yea, she was quite possibly the scariest thing I've ever witnessed. Of course, I was daringly brave and held my own. Yep, I fought her off like a knight...until she took over again. And hold on, how do you know about Glados, fleshy?"

"You were in control of the facility? Who and what are you?"

"I'm Wheatley! And I don't appreciate the tone of voice, although I suppose it's nice hearing people other than Glados talk. And I was a personality core, until the facility bombed I guess."

"Personality core?"

"Yea, impressive isn't it? I'm an AI specifically designed to house a personality. The white coats made me to slow her down, but apparently I wasn't great at that, considering they were all breathing a deadly neurotoxin a few hours later."

'Personality core? Glados never told me there were cores. What...there's more to this. I know that."

He glanced at Hatsume, who was aggressively writing notes in a small journal. She was grinning like a lunatic, but Midoriya didn't care as long as she wasn't paying too much attention to what he was saying.

"So...Wheatley. How did you get control of Aperture?"

"Oh it's a long and funny story, actually. You'll probably laugh. Maybe. I don't know. I was woken up because all of the incubating test subjects were dead, because the power was gone. There was one mute that survived though! Yea, I tried to help her out, because Glados had been shut down and the place was in disrepair, but she turned Glados back on somehow."

Midoriya found it hard to follow. 

"So anyway, Glados had her back in the testing chambers and I hatched a brilliant plan to escape. We reached Glados' layer and we switched cores! Isn't that crazy? Absolutely mad. So I was plugged into her connection point; gained complete power over the facility, I did. It was kind of mad. I may have gotten a bit in over my head, but regardless, even putting Glados in a potato was no match for the two of them. Blasted me right onto the moon, they did."

Midoriya swallowed heavily.

"The other girl. Was she Chell?"

"Yea! That's the one. Brave lady, a bit confusing at times. I really have to ask how you've heard about it."

He hesitated. Glancing over at Hatsume, only to see her busily tinkering with something or other, he made his decision.

"I know about it because I was there."

He held out a hand, watching it shift into a portal gun.

"Wow, she certainly doesn't waste any time. New data, new creations, that's all she was interested in. So you were there? Isn't it weird we never met? How crazy is that? I was told all the test subjects died of serious brain damage. Typical. And here you are, alive and breathing presumably."

Midoriya chuckled.

"Yes, I'm breathing, Wheatley."

"Well, that's definitely good to know, thanks-thank you, for clarifying that. Yea."

"So. Do you have any preference as to where you go?"

"Where I go? That sounds a bit serial killer-y, doesn't it, haha! But no, I'm not very busy at the moment as it happens."

Midoriya raised an eyebrow.

"Cool, I guess you're coming home with me."

He picked Wheatley up by the handles. Switching back to Japanese, he got Hatsume's attention.

"Hey, thanks for your help, Hatsume. I'm going to head out, but good luck with the 'babies'!" 

She flashed him a toothy grin.

"Thanks! And good luck yourself, Mister Hero, you should come back and let me have a look at your quirk. I might be able to make you something cool!"

Midoriya nodded, leaving through the still-smoking doors.

He met Yamada, who was still dressed up in his hero costume, on his way out of the school gates.

"What's up, little listener! Aizawa has some work he needs to do, so I'm bringing you home today! Oh, that looks cool, where did you get that?"

Midoriya smiled, letting the older man pat his head. Wheatley stayed silent.

"During the quirk apprehension test. I'll explain later?"

The car ride was relatively short, but Midoriya was preoccupied thinking about his argument with Aizawa.

He felt bad. Guilty. He knew he should've at least warned Aizawa of what he was going to do. Leaving Wheatley in space wasn't an option for him. The man was probably still fuming. 

He sighed, rubbing his head.

"Yamada, can I ask you something?"

The man didn't look away from the road, but he smiled.

"Ask away, kid."

"Thanks. Th-this is kind of hard for me to ask...but is Aizawa...uncomfortable, with me?"

The yellow-blond glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Hey, of course you don't make him uncomfortable. He...ok, I'll be honest. He's had some bad experiences in the past. He...we lost a friend of ours when we were teenagers. He blames himself. If he said something to you, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He gets attached to people and doesn't want to see them being harmed. I'm sure he's just concerned, but I can talk to him if you want?"

Midoriya sighed again. He felt even worse.

"No...don't bother. It was my own fault. I was out of line. I guess it bothers me more than it should that he never let's me just talk about Aperture. It's like he wants to ignore it ever happened."

Yamada tightened his grip on the wheel.

"I doubt it was all on you, like I said, he can over-exaggerate situations in his head sometimes. I think he might just not want to think about you in a painful situation. I don't like thinking about it either, but I know you should be able to talk about it if you want to. I doubt he means to hurt you by ignoring it. To be honest, I've noticed it too, but I wasn't really sure what to say. Shouta is stubborn, but I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, Yamada."

"Please, my mother is Yamada. You can call me Hizashi."

Midoriya lit up.

"Really?"

"Go for it!"

"Okay, Hizashi. If you want, you can call me Izuku."

Hizashi smiled, showing off his pearly-whites.

"I'll take you up on that, Izuku!"

**

"Nice place you've got here! Not too shabby. Comfortable, modern. Architecturally sound. Overall, a good home, really."

"Thanks, Wheatley. This is Yamada Hizashi. He's one of the people taking care of me. He's fluent in English."

The yellow-blond smiled at the blue eyed core.

"Nice to meet you! I assumed everything Aperture was long gone, aside from my little buddy here."

"Yea, I mean, I would too, to be honest. No fault there. You have very striking hair. Sorry. No, that was a compliment. But sorry. Y'know, if that offended you. If not, a compliment, if yes, sorry."

Hizashi snorted.

"You're well-able to talk. I like you!"

Midoriya set Wheatley down on the coffee table. Chonk sniffed him curiously. She settled next to him, blinking slowly.

"Oh wow! That's a creature! Hello! Uh...greetings? Salutations. I assume it isn't a conversational species?"

Midoriya picked up Chonk, resting her over his shoulders. She purred against his head as he stroked her back.

"Yeah, she's a friendly cat, but unfortunately, cats can't speak. Sorry to disappoint."

Wheatley shook as much as possible on the table.

"Oh no! No disappointment here. It doesn't look like it would be able for particularly riveting conversations. Sorry, that was kind of an insult. I think. I don't know. It looks fluffy, at least. That's, you know, that's definitely an upside. A plus. Being fluffy sounds quite nice."

Midoriya rested Chonk on her scratching tower, letting her get settled before turning back to Wheatley.

"Oh! Do you want to meet Rhett?"

"Rhett? Is that another one of you fleshies? Or, another creature. Like the 'cat' you showed me just now."

"No, it's a turret! It's one of the only other things that survived the explosion."

"A turret? I'd rather not die, actually. Thank you."

Midoriya snickered.

"Come on, Rhett is different. It hasn't shot me once yet."

"Yet?"

Hizashi stifled his laughter behind his fist.

Opening the door to his room, he watched as Rhett flickered to life.

"Hel-lo."

"Hey Rhett! This is Wheatley, he also came from Aperture."

"Hey! Buddy, chum, pal. Um, I'd rather not be shot, thanks! I, yea, if you could just not, that would be great."

"I won't."

"Thank you, that, that really means a lot, so thank you, for that. Yea."

"You hurt her."

"What's that now?"

Midoriya watched with interest as the two robots interacted.

"She hurt you. You took over."

Wheatley looked around a bit awkwardly.

"I, well. Yea, I did."

"You regret it."

Wheatley 'blinked'. Blinking, in his case, was more of the grey flaps moving over his glowing eye and less of an actual blink.

"I do, yea. I wasn't really myself though, you know? Glados' body, you try to resist testing. She's practically wired to live off it. To this day, I have no idea how she managed to go about day by day without going mad."

"I trust you."

Rhett's high pitched and robotic voice rung through Midoriya's room. It gave Wheatley pause.

"That's a very lovely thing to say. Thank you."

Midoriya grinned and walked further into the room. He set Wheatley down on his desk.

"Yeah, you are way too big for me to carry you around all the time."

A thought struck him.

"I wonder if Hatsume will be busy tomorrow."

Chapter Text

Aizawa didn't end up getting back until well into the night. He hung up his coat and started unraveling his capture weapon when he heard laughter coming from the room at the end of the hall. Midoriya's room.

He quietly slid up to the door, not wanting to alert whoever was laughing to his presence.

Hizashi had texted him not too long before he left UA. The message was...long, to say the least. It seemed as though Midoriya was quite torn up about how he had behaved, according to the blond.

He felt...bad, about how he spoke to the boy, but he knew that leaping into the vacuum of space was irrational and stupid. Even for Midoriya.

He felt guiltier and guiltier the more he thought about their argument. He was aware, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, that he had a tendency of changing the subject when it came to Aperture, but there was more than one reason for that. Obviously, he didn't like the idea of Midoriya reliving the apparent torture he lived through. Upon thinking about it, he realised he knew next to nothing about Aperture aside from the turret and the tech that was forced onto the young boy.

Surely the company wasn't all bad. Surely, there was more to the story. He just hadn't been willing to hear it. Aizawa mentally kicked himself for disregarding the boy's feelings.

Another reason? The amount of heroes that died during the raid. He would never tell Midoriya the actual number of hero casualties, simply because he knew the boy would blame himself for each and every one of them. The death toll had hit nearly fifty fully fledged professionals, not to mention the thousands of people in the facility that the young pro had sensed. 

To that day, he didn't know what happened to those trapped souls. Had they survived? There was no way to tell. The facility had bombed seconds after himself and Midoriya had gotten out. When he left for Japan, the place was still smoldering. He hadn't received any updates of any kind, so one could only assume the worst.

The other main reason? Aizawa was in the facility for mere seconds, and the whole experience still haunted him. Aperture Science, he later found out was the name, was completely unknown. There were no government records of the facility. The only information that could be found of it were old newspaper clippings and the odd few patents, and most recently, the story of the explosion going off in the middle of nowhere in Michigan.

That giant robot that had been behind Midoriya, suspended from the ceiling...terrified him. It had spoke with a booming, robotic female voice and Midoriya had called it Glados. It...she, was intimidating to a fault. She tried to kill both himself and Midoriya with a neurotoxin. The facility itself tried to kill them by self destructing.

Everything about it was so distinctly wrong. 

And yet...

He turned his head toward the door once more.

"Wheatley, how the hell did you manage to piss Glados off that fast?"

Wheatley? 

Midoriya was laughing. He briefly noted that it was the first time he'd heard the boy laugh in a while.

"You see, ok, so I was under the rather genius impression that she wouldn't be able to understand what I was saying, if I said it in a funky accent. And clearly, I mean, it didn't work. Like at all. Immediately saw through me, she did. Chell and I made a mad dash for it, haha!"

Aizawa heard Hizashi laugh along with them. He sighed.

"Izuku! Why don't you have any funny stories like that?"

Izuku? Since when were the two of them on a first name basis?

"Oh shut it, Glados was so pissed after Chell got out that she didn't even tell me what personality cores were. You think she and I exchanged gossip over tea? I'm insulted, Hizashi."

Aizawa listened silently as they burst into giggles.

Deciding to make his presence known, he shuffled in front of the door and knocking twice.

The laughter stuttered to a halt. He pushed the twinge of hurt down.

"Uh, come in!"

He took a breath as he pushed the door ajar.

"Hey, I just got back...I figured I'd make myself known."

The kid was looking at him. If he was still angry with him, it didn't show on his face.

His eyes flickered from Midoriya to Hizashi and finally landed on the ball Midoriya had pulled from a portal.

"Wow, you've got a fine head of hair, haven't you!"

...which was speaking. Ok.

"Thanks?"

The blue eye of the new robot shifted between the two on the bed and himself.

Midoriya himself had turned away, lying back across Hizashi's legs

Rhett's single red eye pierced through him.

"So uh...Midoriya, I was wondering if I could speak to you about earlier?"

Said boy turned to him once more, seemingly examining him for something. He blinked twice and nodded.

"Go ahead."

Aizawa took a breath.

"I'm sorry. I reacted poorly because I was scared. I still don't think you should have leapt out like that, but I suppose, considering the circumstances...anyway, I am sorry. And I will apologise to the class tomorrow. They were very curious about you after you'd left."

Midoriya looked up at that.

"Look, I'm sorry if I made you feel like I didn't care. I'm worried for you, but I know that doesn't make it okay. I'll try to be better."

Midoriya quirked a small, vulnerable smile. He sat up from his spot across the blond man's legs.

"I'm sorry too. I can't imagine how it must have been from your end. Sorry for scaring you, but I don't regret it. I saved my new friend Wheatley. He speaks English. "

He turned to the sphere.

"Ah, is that my cue? I'm so sorry, I- I actually wasn't paying attention. So, so yeah. Hello! I'm Wheatley."

"Aizawa."

Rhett beeped.

Aizawa made eye contact with Hizashi, who was smiling sweetly at him. He shimmied off Midoriya's bed and clapped his hands once he was on his feet.

"Ok! So how about dinner? I'm thinking takeout, as a treat!"

***

Midoriya was...

Slipping. No, he'd slipped.

He was falling.

There was manic laughter echoing all around the artificial, stark, white walls of the Aperture Science elevator shaft he was plummeting down.

The halls and opening were racing past him as the filtered air tore through his hair.

How did he...get here?

He lifted his hand to shoot a portal.

Only...that wasn't his portal gun. This was one of the older models. One of the handheld devices, not the literal hand devices. In the back of his mind, he vaguely noticed the outline of something falling next to him.

He lifted his other hand(?), the one not occupied by the heavy portal gun, up to his head. Grasping at the hair, he pulled it down to his eye level.

First off, his hair shouldn't be that smooth.

Second off, brown?

Instead of curly, dark green hair, he was staring blankly at longer, straight, brown locks.

How...bizarre.

"...I'm..."

He turned towards the direction of the sound. He couldn't hear it clearly. His head felt like it was full of cotton. 

Wait, it was the thing he'd seen falling!

It was...a potato? Yes, a potato, with a curious yellow light.

"How are you doing, because I'm a potato!"

That voice. Glados?

He kept falling, only he could now see the dark floor at the end of the tunnel. And he was rapidly falling towards it.

"Could you maybe take off one of those Aperture Science Long-Fall boots and stick me in it? Just be sure to land on one foot..."

Bang

He blinked his eyes open, seeing the potato being carried off by a...pigeon?

What even...?

...

Midoriya opened his eyes in his room. And by his, he meant Aizawa and Hizashi's spare bedroom.

He blinked the sleep from his eyes, lifting his hands to look at them.

'Nope, still fake.'

The familiar white of his cybernetic hands twinkled in the early morning light. In his dream, he'd felt his hair-or rather, her hair. 

He'd felt the weight of the portal gun, the cool rush of air. The feeling of touch, fleeting as he woke up more and more. 

How long would it take for him to forget that feeling completely?

His mood was dropping already.

He looked around his room briefly, his eyes pausing on both Rhett and Wheatley individually.

"That was... weird."

He had been a girl. That was the most notable thing. The second was that he had the original portal gun. As in, the model he'd used up until Glados decided to 'upgrade' him.

And what was with the falling?

He started as he pondered the contents of the dream.

Glados' voice coming from a potato.

His mind flung him through his memories, back to his first conversation with Wheatley.

'What was it he said? Even putting her in a potato wasn't a match for them...what the hell...'

He pushed his blanket aside and stood up, quickly throwing on his uniform.

"Whealtey? Are you awake?"

The blue light flickered to life as Midoriya shuffled around his room. The eye roamed around momentarily before settling on him again.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm uh, I'm up and at 'em! Absolutely pumped about being back on earth. It's mad, space was fun or whatever, but...gravity! I never thought I'd miss gravity. Mad, I'm telling you."

Midoriya raised an eyebrow at the core, smiling.

"Great, good to know. I'm heading to school soon, but would you mind if I brought you as well? I'm hoping Hatsume will be able to clean you up a bit, or make it a bit easier for me to carry you around."

"Oh, not a problem! No problem at all, I have no preference, to be honest. Just, whatever you need, I'm glad to help out."

Midoriya picked Wheatley up by his handles and ran to the kitchen.

Aizawa was downing his second mug full of espresso when Midoriya placed Wheatley down on the counter.

"Morning, kid."

Midoriya threw him a smile.

"Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?"

Aizawa snorted.

"Nope, I have to explain to my students, whom I wanted to intimidate, that yelling at you was irrational and irresponsible of me. I just hope they still hold some shred of respect for me after I grovel for their forgiveness."

The boy rolled his eyes playfully.

"You're so dramatic. I'm sure they will still be terrified of you. I can act scared if you think that'll sell it."

He chugged some juice and swallowed a few mouthfuls of one of Hizashi's favourite American cereals.

He'd probably cry when they ran out, but Midoriya was in a bit of a rush.

Plus, they were delicious.

"Come on, I'm driving you today."

***

He was knocking on the door of the Support labs ten minutes before class, just as he had hoped. He wanted to drop Wheatley off with Hatsume, and hopefully she'd be able to help him out.

Powerloader pushed open the heavy, metal doors.

"Hey, kid. Here for Hatsume? She told me all about your conversation yesterday."

Midoriya's heart dropped out of his chest.

'She told him? What did she tell him?! Had she actually understood anything I said to Wheatley? But she hadn't reacted...unless she was just very good at hiding her true motivations. Oh, damn it. How screwed am I?'

"Very cool tech you've got. I hope you made use of the costume designers for the hero course. Come on in, I'll get her."

'Oh.'

He sighed heavily. Mostly in relief, but a little in disappointment with himself. He could tell she hadn't been malicious in any way. She had actually been really friendly, considering that he was a complete stranger asking her to take time out of her day to fix a robot he never explained the origin of truthfully.

He followed Powerloader into the labs, already seeing Hatsume from across the room.

It was hard not to see her when she was attached to the ceiling. Literally. She lit up when she saw him.

"Hey! Greenie's back!"

Detaching herself from the ceiling... somehow... she landed on the floor in front of him. She tugged off her mechanical belt, flinging it onto an already sizeable pile of 'babies'.

"So! What can I help you with!"

"So, I brought Wheatley in again because I was wondering if you could help me with something. It's kind of hard carrying him around like this all the time. Do you think there's anything you could do to help? I can pay you back for it. Plus, you can have some pretty interesting conversations with him."

Hatsume made grabby hands at Wheatley, placing him down on her workspace.

"Hm, he could use a clean as well. Maybe tighten a screw here or there. Some polish and bam! He'll be good as new! As for mobility? I'm sure I could come up with something by the end of the day. Be back after class and I'll show off what I've done, I promise!"

She held out her little finger to him, her massive welding gloves making her hands deceptively large.

Midoriya linked pinkies with her, snickering at her antics. She shook their linked fingers back and forth.

Her eyes landed on his hand. She looked at it for a second too long. He started to squirm a little in her hold.

Midoriya tried to subtly separate their hands.

"Ok, I'll be back later. See you."

He sped out of the labs, ignoring the looks from both Hatsume and Powerloader.

He began walking to his classroom, feeling rather dejected. Of course she was going to be intrigued by his hands. She's a Support student in UA.

"She wants to design support gear for a living, of course she'll be curious. Don't overthink it."

"Midoriya?"

The green haired boy stalled in his tracks.

"Shinsou?"

The purple haired insomniac was standing a few paces in front of him.

"Hey, how are you? I was going to text you after yesterday, but I didn't want to freak you out or anything."

Midoriya waved his hands in front of him nervously.

"Oh no, not at all, I'd appreciate anything! I'm fine, why do you ask?"

Shinsou looked at him like he was crazy.

"Aizawa yelled at you in front of everyone because you teleported yourself into space."

Midoriya sweat dropped.

"Right, yeah. Uh, that was a bit of a misunderstanding. And Aizawa apologised, so I'm good."

Shinsou still looked concerned.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

"No, why do you ask?"

They blinked at each other.

The purple haired boy rolled his eyes, smiling.

"Alright, but if he makes any cracks at you today I'll make him regret it."

"I find that hard to believe."

Shinsou smirked.

"Bet."

The two strolled to class 1-A, with plenty of time before class was supposed to start. He hadn't been as delayed with Hatsume as he'd expected.

'But', he thought, 'I did kind of run out of there.'

"So...did Uraraka or Iida message you?"

Midoriya looked at him curiously.

"No? I mean, I don't think so. Let me check."

He pulled his phone from his bag, holding the power button when nothing happened.

"Oh shit, it's dead. I never even noticed."

Shinsou gave him a sympathetic look.

"Dang, that sucks. You could ask Kaminari, he was the one with the electricity quirk. I saw him charging... Jirou? I think that's her name. He was charging her phone."

Midoriya nodded appraisingly. 

"He must have a lot of control over it if he can charge a phone without frying it. I saw him use his electricity briefly yesterday, and he seems to have a pretty large amount of power he can work with. I wonder if he has any practical moves yet."

"We're here."

Midoriya snapped out of his trance. Shinsou was holding the door handle, ready to open it, with an amused look on his face.

"Oh! Sorry, I got a bit lost in thought there."

"Don't apologise, it's interesting."

Midoriya smiled softly as Shinsou pushed open the door, letting him walk in first.

"MIDORIYA!"

...oops?

Maybe he should have charged his phone.

Uraraka practically tackled him as he entered the classroom.

"What was that yesterday?! You leapt into space! It was so cool!"

Midoriya tried to smile as she shook him back and forth by the shoulders.

"Thanks? I thought I'd build off what you did to get a good score."

That gave her pause. She looked pleasantly surprised.

"Wow! I inspired you to do that? How did you think to do it?"

Midoriya scratched his neck as Shinsou laughed at him.

Iida was staring at him with his arms crossed.

"Iida? You alright, buddy?"

He strode forward with the elegance of a dressage pony.

"Don't 'buddy' me, that was extremely dangerous! The health implications of the vacuum of space alone should have been enough for you to know what you did was self-destructive. If something had gone wrong, you could have died!"

Midoriya looked away. He hated disappointing people. And his friends? Even more so.

"I'm sorry, Iida. I wasn't thinking straight. I can assure you, I won't be doing that again. I acted rashly and I'm sorry for scaring you."

Iida deflated at the apology.

"I shouldn't have yelled, Midoriya. You just caught me off guard. And then you didn't answer my text messages."

Uraraka chimed in.

"Yeah! I even tried calling you, and nothing! What happened?"

Midoriya smiled awkwardly.

"I didn't realise my phone was dead, sorry."

They both seemed placated by the admission.

Midoriya glanced around the room in passing.

Oh fuck.

Everyone was staring at him.

"Uh..."

The redhead, Kirishima, sprung up from his seat, slamming his hands on his desk.

"DUDE! Your performance yesterday was so MANLY!"

More voices chimed in with other such praise. Midoriya instantly blushed a violent shade of red.

"O-Oh, thank you! I, uh, I appreciate it!"

"Oui, it was très magnifique, mon ami."

The sparkly boy was patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah! It looked super cool, too. That portal was so powerful!"

A pink girl was bouncing in front of him.

"Oh! Yeah, they are pretty strong, I guess."

Kaminari's voice joined the cacophony.

"Yeah, dude! You really got to show off your skills, I'm pretty sure it's what we're all curious about."

"Huh?"

Said blond threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Did you really open a portal to the moon?"

Midoriya noticed the class were watching on in anticipation of his answer. Even the half and half boy, Todoroki was his name, was staring at him with an intensity he wasn't expecting.

"Yeah, I did. It was kind of a bad idea, but I'm still glad I did it."

"Woah, that's so cool, dude! It's no surprise you got fifth overall."

Midoriya perked up.

"Wait, really?"

Kirishima showed off his blinding smile.

"Hell yeah dude, it was so manly and cool! I'm amazed by your control!"

Midoriya internally, reluctantly thanked Glados for making the portal gun so easy to operate. Reluctantly.

The door to the class slammed open, Aizawa looking like death at the door.

Everyone, including himself, immediately dashed to their seats.

"Three seconds. An improvement, but not good enough yet."

The mood of the class dropped spectacularly.

"Before we begin today, I would like to apologise to Midoriya, and by extension, the rest of you. I behaved irrationally and improperly yesterday. You surprised me, and I wasn't expecting to be surprised by my students. I shouldn't have yelled."

Kaminari made the fatal mistake of speaking.

"Aw, looks like Mr. Scary over here has a big ol' heart!"

Aizawa's head snapped over to him so fast Midoriya practically got second-hand whiplash.

His eyes glowed a dangerous red as his hair floated up. Kaminari instantly shrank.

"Are you mocking me for apologising?"

Even though it was phrased as one, it wasn't a question. 

"Nope! Not at all! Sorry sensei, it won't happen again!"

Midoriya smiled to himself. Aizawa was rough around the edges but he was a big softie. 

He could see it at home, with how he treated Chonk, and how him and Hizashi interacted so naturally with each other despite their opposite personalities. Even with himself. While he wasn't great at listening, he cared deeply about Midoriya's wellbeing. He hadn't even known him that long yet.

Chapter Text

"Greenie! You'll be shocked and awed by my new babies, I swear it's genius!"

Midoriya shrunk into his collar a bit, smiling. Hatsume was a very touchy-feely person, but Midoriya found he didn't mind. He hadn't had much physical affection since moving into Hizashi and Aizawa's, but he wasn't about to ask them. Hatsume was friendly, and liked to constantly be touching and fiddling with things around her. 

That included him.

She threw an arm around his shoulders as she led him over to her workspace. He could see Wheatley sitting casually among a mixed group of technology. He couldn't tell what any of it did from a glance, but knowing Hatsume, some of it was definitely over the top. And possibly explosive.

"Okay! Wheatley!"

Said robot flickered to life, turning in their direction.

"Hiya! How are we? I'm doing grand, yeah. This lovely lass has been very accommodating, very much so. Yeah, I'm very comfortable. Very happy, glad to report."

Midoriya blanched.

"Wheatley? You speak Japanese?"

Hatsume perked up next to him.

"Hell yeah, he does! I had a look 'under the hood', and WOW! There were two hundred different language options in his code. This little guy has some of the most detailed and complex programming I've ever seen. It was amazing, just seeing it, and all the data came together and just...works! I...it's amazing that Aperture had such powerful technology so long ago! Oh man, what I wouldn't give to see the rest of what they created. You know, they could've boosted our technology by decades."

Midoriya sweated through his under shirt as she went on about how 'brilliant' Aperture was.

'Yeah', he thought, 'because they used humans to test their killer tech. It's a miracle I don't have permanent brain damage.'

"Anyway! Let me show you what I've created!"

Wheatley perked up where he was sitting. Hatsume picked up a cylinder about the size of his forearm. 

"To begin, this is a prototype. It's not finished yet, but I'm excited about it. It's essentially a drone. I had a look at Wheatley's coding, and it's so versatile I think I could upload him to this. You could have him flying around, helping you in battles and stuff!"

Midoriya looked on in awe as she clicked a button on the top of the drone. It extended, with little propellers sticking out at both ends.

She passed it to him to inspect as she picked up the next thing.

"This is a pair of glasses. It's more like a visor, but it has similar features to the drone. I'm thinking of connecting them together, so that this little guy could be flying around, and the video feed would show up on the visor! It's a long way off...but! I think I can handle it!"

Wheatley blinked happily at them.

"Amazing, isn't it? This fleshy here would've impressed even Aperture's finest engineers. I mean, one day to create all this! Imagine how much she could do with a portal gun!"

Midoriya whipped his head to Wheatley, making a chopping motion at his neck.

Hatsume, unfortunately, heard him.

"Portal gun? WOAH! That is insane, Aperture had functioning portal guns? How did they work?"

Wheatley glanced between them quickly.

"Well, uh. I'm not sure if I should say, really. I'm no engineer, plus I only really saw the gun myself once. Twice. Well, it was all in the span of a day or two. I certainly was up close and personal with it though. I'm not sure exactly how it worked, but I'm sure there was something to do with the moon? Maybe...moon phases or something. Well, no. That wouldn't make any sense, would it? Sorry."

Hatsume chucked to herself.

"Don't worry about it! If it's been done once, it can be done again. And I will be the genius to recreate it!"

Midoriya watched in silent agony. One wrong word and he would be revealed. One thoughtless comment and his big, life-changing secret would be revealed.

So why was he so unsure of himself? 

He wanted someone to know. Did he? Yeah. He did. He wanted someone he could talk to, other than Hizashi and Aizawa. He cared about them, but they worried about him too much. They never paid much attention to the tech, not really. Hizashi had expressed interest, but not much past that.

Hatsume loved technology. It was her life, and her future. She had decided to dedicate her genius to creating for others.

Could he trust her to keep it a secret? She wasn't exactly the quiet type.

He also didnt want her to ask him a million questions. He hadn't known her that long, yeah he felt close with her, but that was more because she was so open about things.

Does he? Doesn't he?

"Greenie!"

He snapped out of his thoughts to see both Hatsume and Wheatley staring at him.

"Oh! Sorry, I was...distracted."

Hatsume smiled and waved it off.

"No problem dude! I was just about to show you the last thing I have one hundred percent ready! I think. I'm pretty sure it'll work fine."

She picked up what looked like a USB, but smaller.

"May I have your phone for a moment?"

Curious, he obliged, handing it over.

She gingerly clicked the USB into the charger port. It made a quiet beep when it connected, and his screen lit up with Hatsume's logo. 

It was a detailed 'H' with cross hatches, coloured in vibrant shades of pink, the same as her hair.

"Okay, I'll give that a second to load. Basically, I made a copy of Wheatley's code and transferred it onto this USB I created for this very purpose. His code is surprisingly compact considering its detail. Anyway, the USB will upload Wheatley onto your phone, so you can talk to him wherever you go!"

"Woah! Hatsume, that is incredible! You did this over the course of one school day?"

She glowed with pride as he watched his phone gradually turn on again. 

"I'm really happy with it, I don't have a lot of opportunities to work with code, so, thanks!"

Midoriya accepted the hug she engulfed him in.

Maybe he should tell her.

He squeezed her back with equal strength.

She would be kind about it.

She released him, patting his shoulder.

"So, what do I owe you?"

She grinned.

"Nothing! I made it all with UA equipment, as a support student, I have access to as much as I need. Instead, you can talk up my genius inventions to your classmates, and use what I make for you!"

He grinned back at her. She reached to place Wheatley back into his arms.

"By the way, what is your quirk? I'd love to make you some quirk-specific gear! I assume it has to do with your hands?"

Midoriya looked down at Wheatley, nestled in his arms. His 'arms'. The ones he was given. Given? 

The arms that were forced on him.

They weren't his. His had been ripped from him. 

His chest ached at the memory of the gammy surgical equipment. He was itching to feel his skin. 

He knew he wouldn't be happy with what he felt.

These weren't his arms. His hands. His fingers.

They never were.

He...

Couldn't.

He couldn't tell her.

Not yet.

"Next time, I promise. I don't want you making stuff for just me, there are so many other students that need your babies!"

She quirked a lopsided smile, raising an eyebrow.

"Alright, next time."

She raised a fist to him. He bumped hers happily.

***
"Everyone, please escort to the meeting grounds at once!"

Iida was chopping his hands enthusiastically in the boy's changing room.

Midoriya pulled on the last part of his costume.

His costume was something he had absolutely no idea about when he applied for UA. In fact, it had slipped his mind until the night the final submissions were due.

He had been sitting at the table, leaning over a blank sheet for the better part of an hour, trying to come up with something he wouldn't mind wearing. It was a difficult task, considering all he had to go off was the superheroes he'd seen in comics and movies before Aperture, and Hizashi and Aizawa's hero costumes.

The two men were no help, unfortunately.

"Make sure it's hella flashy! You want people to recognise you from your look alone!"

"Make it low-key, if you're too recognisable, you'll be easier for villains to pick out."

"It should be bold, dramatic and with flair!"

"No, it should be functional. What good would capes and cloaks be for a kid who uses portals?"

The two had bickered back and forth while he had struggled to come up with anything.

He was aware he would have the opportunity to update his costume as he grew both in age and in power, but he wanted to start off strong. Unfortunately, that was extremely hard to do, because he had terrible fashion sense.

"Midoriya! We must go at once!"

He shot up, following Iida out of the changing room.

In the end, he'd gone with something comfortable and, he hoped, functional. It was a loose green hoodie that tucked into skin tight, black tracksuit pants that cut off at the knee, where his cybernetic met his flesh. He also had some small hidden pockets in his hoodie for things like medical supplies and maybe flashbangs, but he hadn't gotten approval for the latter yet.

The tracksuit had blue and orange triangles curved around the seams up his thighs. He'd requested strong fabric, so it wouldn't tear or snag, and was hopefully fireproof. God knows Glados liked setting him on fire at every opportunity for 'science'. He was never badly burned, but he was still aware that it could happen.

The last thing he wasn't sure about yet were his legs. His feet had been turned into Aperture Science's long-fall boots, and he could extend them at will for maximum shock absorption. Normally, he kept them as close to normal feet as he could, both so he could wear shoes and so he could pretend he still had feet.

He figured it made the most sense to let them extend to their full size, which ironically, made him a few inches taller. 

He bumped shoulders with Iida as they walked into the open air of the UA grounds.

The rest of the class had gathered already, and he looked around curiously at everyone's costumes. Some were eye-catching, like Aoyama's and Asui's. Some were more practical, like Bakugou's and Ashido's.

Speaking of Bakugou, the guy was decked out like a soldier, with the boots and the massive grenade...things...on his wrists.

'So, presumably some form of explosive quirk. Or misdirection.'

"Midoriya! Your costume looks so cool!"

He turned to Uraraka, who was approaching him slowly with Shinsou.

"Thanks! You both look so professional, it's so cool!"

Shinsou was dressed similarly to Aizawa. It was a simple, muted purple tracksuit with a fabric mask hanging over one ear.

Uraraka looked...a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, mine is a bit tighter than I'd wanted. Plus, my boots are heels. I've never walked in heels, and to be honest, I don't really know what I'm doing."

Midoriya was taken aback a little. Before he could say anything, however, All Might grabbed all of their attention.

"GREETINGS STUDENTS! You all look legit in your costumes! You have made the first step to becoming fully fledged pros! Now, before we begin, there has been a...slight change. Midnight will be joining us for your training session!"

Said pro strutted out in front of the students, stopping next to All Might. 

"Yes, well, it wasn't decided until about thirty minutes ago. Your teacher just thought this class might go a little smoother with a...more experienced teacher present. I am only here to observe and make sure nothing gets out of hand."

Midoriya smiled as Midnight caught his eye. She sent him a subtle nod.

"Now, before we begin I'd like to have a look at all of your costumes! I am usually the one Nedzu gets to help when it comes to hero stuff like names, and interviews. So I know what works and what doesn't. Allow me to give you my professional opinion!"

She made her way around, throwing out compliments and praise as she went. If she spent a little extra time with Midoriya, nobody seemed to notice.

Stopping at Uraraka next, she sized up her overall look.

"It's quite cute, easy on the eyes. A little tighter than I'd expect from someone with a gravity quirk, but maybe I've been spending too much time with Thirteen."

Uraraka looked up at her pensively.

"Um...Midnight? I actually am a little uncomfortable."

Her attitude immediately changed.

"Oh? What is it?"

The girl hesitated again.

"It's just...like you said. It's tight. I don't remember if I specified on my design, but I didn't want it to be skintight."

Midnight placed her hand on her chin.

"Well, we can get that fixed for you. Of course, it might take a day or two. Anything else?"

Uraraka startled.

"Wait...that's it? I can just change it?"

Midnight smiled at her warmly.

"Of course, my dear. I had a very bad costume when I was your age, and while I just got used to it, it never sat right with me that I couldn't get a replacement. So when Nedzu offered me a teaching job I made sure to get all the info! If you're unhappy with how the designer handled your costume, the Support Department will fix it up in no time at all! So, is there anything else?"

Uraraka sniffed, smiling wetly.

"Thank you, Midnight sensei. Actually, my boots are heels, but I wanted them this big so they could absorb any shock I'd feel from falling from a height. Do you think they could fix that as well?"

"Why, of course! While I'm at it, girls? May I have your attention for a moment?"

The other girls in the class gathered around Midnight.

"So I was just made aware that one of the students is unhappy with their costume. I'd like to let you all know we can submit them for changes today, with absolutely no trouble. If you would like to make any changes, please let me know and I will handle it! Of course, you can find me on your own if you would like more privacy."

Yaoyorozu took a step forward. She was visibly nervous.

"I...I would like to change my costume. When I was designing it, I didn't think it would be quite so revealing. Do you think I could speak to someone with more specific requests?"

Midnight nodded immediately.

"Of course! I will let Powerloader know as soon as the exercise starts. Anyone else?"

Hagakure stepped forward as well, though it wasn't very obvious.

"Uhm, I think I made a mistake with my costume. I refract light, so wearing clothes would give my position away. But...I'm naked? Other than the gloves and boots. Do you think there's anything they could do for me?"

"I'm sure someone has been working on something like that. I will inquire into it for you. Anyone else?"

When no one made a move, Midnight nodded, reminding them that they could approach her whenever they wanted to about changes.

She waved to All Might, who then commanded the attention of the students once again.

"Alright everyone, I will now draw the names. Remember, this is a heroes versus villains training exercise! Do not hold back, but I will alert you if you need to take it down a notch. Let's begin!"

In the end, Midoriya was in a group with Uraraka as heroes, and they were up against Kaminari and Bakugou as villains.

The latter didn't seem too pleased to be against him. Midoriya wasn't sure what his issue was. He'd been giving him a wide berth, in case he upset him. He still felt terrible about his classmate passing. He felt even worse that he'd been a bit of a dick to him at first. But he apologised.

Bakugou was glaring at him as he and Kaminari made their way inside with the bomb.

Uraraka turned to him, much more energetic than she'd been before.

"So! What's the plan?"

Midoriya pondered the question for a few seconds.

"Well, I don't know what it is about Bakugou, but he has some issue with me. We met twice before coming to UA, and neither were in particularly good circumstances. He'll probably go for me, so you should try and find the bomb, if you're okay with that."

"Sounds good! What about Kaminari?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen enough of him yet to predict how he'll behave. Bakugou will probably leave him immediately, so he'll either stay with the bomb or follow him."

Uraraka smiled.

"So I'll take out Kaminari and get the bomb while you distract Bakugou!"

They bumped fists.

All Might sounded the siren, alerting them that the exercise was starting.

"We probably shouldn't go in the same way."

Midoriya turned to her. She was looking at the windows above.

"I should go in through one of the upper windows and start looking for the bomb. I doubt they'd keep it on the first floor."

Midoriya nodded, and they parted ways.

He stepped through the open door, glancing around quickly. The dark, plain hallways were eerily reminiscent of Aperture. 

He tried not to think of Glados as he took a right.

Out of curiosity, he cast a portal on the wall next to him. To his relief, it landed.

He closed it again, continuing down the hall. He kept his footsteps silent as he turned the corner. Still no one in sight.

He tapped his intercom, quickly and quietly checking in with Uraraka.

"Hey, anything on your end yet?"

His com buzzed with white noise for a second. Uraraka's voice returned in a whisper-shout. 

"Hey! No, nothing yet. I did hear Bakugou when I first got in. From the sounds of it, you were right. He's looking for you, so be careful."

Midoriya cursed internally.

"Copy, check in again soon."

Why was Bakugou gunning for him? He'd said he was sorry, and the blond had said it was fine. Well...kinda. he had brushed Midoriya off. Was he still pissed? It's not like the guy was openly ableist since the Sludge villain.

Although, Bakugou had completely avoided him on the first day, even though he'd been picking a fight with Iida. The second the blond saw him, it was like the fight in him just...vanished. Looking back, that's probably something quite alarming.

Or...is it? 

He sighed. It weirded him out how much socialising had changed. It wasn't something that he should have noticed. In reality, it wasn't even as severe a change as it was in his head, but...

People were just open. They talked about everything and anything to whomever was willing to listen. He thought, briefly, about his fight with Aizawa. The man had been so forthcoming about his own misconceptions and mistakes.

It was refreshing. Different. The same with Inko, Iida, Uraraka and Shinsou. They were so much more comfortable with him than he'd expected, especially considering he hadn't known any of them for that long.

His mind paused at Inko. He'd been meaning to visit her again. They spoke when he got his results, and it was lovely, but he wanted to see her again. Maybe he'd ask Aizawa after school today.

His earpiece flickered to life.

"Midoriya! I found the bomb, and Kaminari is here. He's guarding it, I think. I can't see Bakugou anywhere, so he might be getting closer to you. I'll try and take out Kaminari."

Midoriya leaned around the next turn, focusing for the sound of anything out of the ordinary.

"Copy, be careful. He has a strong quirk, try not to get too close."

He took the stairs to the next floor. His gut twisted. Looking around, he spotted an almost unnoticeable trail of stirred-up dust.

'Was that from their initial entry into the building, or has Bakugou been here recently?'

He slipped around the corner, keeping his breathing silent. Finally, he heard something.

Footsteps, angry ones.

Bakugou was approaching him. He twisted, casting a portal at the end of the hallway, and stepped through one directly behind him. He closed the portals after him.

The footsteps stalled.

"I know you're there, come out and fight me, you COWARD!"

He rolled his eyes. Bakugou was shouting more threats. Midoriya tapped on his com, not saying anything, but hoping it was sensitive enough for Uraraka to hear Bakugou's muffled yells.

"Be careful."

Her voice was practically a breath, it was so quite.

He stood up, preparing to move again. His plan was to distract Bakugou as much as possible, but he had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't work out the way he was hoping.

Said boy appeared around the corner he was standing by.

In an instant, he threw more portals, and he was putting plenty of distance between them, but not quick enough that he didn't feel the wave of heat at the oncoming explosion.

It was eerily reminiscent of Aperture's bombs.

'Put it out of your mind. Get in the zone.'

Bakugou was screaming insults at him as Midoriya dashed around in a massive circle. When Bakugou got close, he would slip to the staircase, and the cycle would begin anew.

Midoriya knew he probably wouldn't be able to beat him in close contact, considering Bakugou had explosives at his disposal.

He leapt around the bend, dive-rolling away from the hostile boy.

"Hah, what, are you too scared to fight me?!"

"I'm actually trying this fun thing where I don't get burned. So far, it's going great!"

Bakugou growled. He seemed...feral almost.

His eyes were clouded over.

Midoriya hesitated.

Bakugou blasted him in the side.

"OW, FUCK!"

He slammed into the wall, pushing himself up again. He subtly tried to grab the capture tape All Might had given the hero team for the exercise, but Bakugou sent another blast his way, distracting him. 

He threw a convenient pile of stones and rocks, presumably from the construction of the building, at Bakugou's face.

One thing that Aizawa had taught him in their little sessions, was this:

When fighting an opponent that could physically beat you in combat, play dirty.

The boy tried to shield his eyes from the dust and sharp edges, and Midoriya flung his leg in a wide arc, landing a powerful kick across the other's face.

Bakugou stumbled back, clutching his nose. He glared up at him from under his bangs.

"Why don't you just fuck off and let me beat you?!"

Midoriya dropped into a stronger fighting stance.

"Well come and get it!"

The two dove for each other. Kicking and pushing from both sides. Bakugou slammed his shoulders against the cold concrete of the floor. He was pushing against him so hard it probably should have hurt, if he had any feeling in his shoulders.

The blond was panting, partially from exertion. Midoriya couldn't tell what the other part was.

Suddenly, he laughed. He laughed a sad and bitter thing that gave Midoriya pause.

A hand slammed down on his face, pushing him into the floor again.

"Fucker, I win. I told you I would win. Now let me crush you like the ant you are."

Bakugou raised his left arm slowly, tugging at the gauntlet on his right forearm. It clicked. Midoriya's eyes widened.

A pin.

On a grenade.

'Oh, SHIT!'

All Might's voice boomed over their coms, but Bakugou either didn't notice, or was ignoring it.

"YOUNG BAKUGOU, you mustn't fire that from such close range! You'll injure Midoriya more than you think you will! Bakugou! BAKUGOU, STOP, YOU'LL KILL HIM!"

He wrapped a finger around the pin.

Midoriya thrashed, trying to throw him off, but he had his head in a vice-like grip.

There was a manic, twisted smile on his face, but his eyes...

His eyes were far away.

He tugged the pin.

As if in slow motion, Midoriya threw two portals, and he fell out from under Bakugou. The portal shut just as Bakugou's super charged explosion went off.

As the final sparks flickered out, Midoriya braced himself on a wall behind Bakugou. He was breathing heavily.

"What the fuck? Were you trying to cook me?"

In the back of his mind, he was aware that he probably shouldn't be screaming at the clearly unstable boy, but god, he was about to be history. Literally.

He stomped over to Bakugou, who was still kneeling in place, unmoving, unblinking.

Bakugou stumbled to his feet, taking a few steps away from him, but Midoriya didn't let him slip away.

"Bakugou! What the hell were you doing?"

He wasn't looking at him. Midoriya watched as his hands twitched and flexed.

Bakugou took two long strides toward him, and he prepared to be punched.

To his surprise, Bakugou yanked his capture tape off of him, wrapped it around his own neck, and walked out.

Midoriya watched him go.

'...what? Is he...okay? He just went from trying to fry me like an egg to handing me the win. What the hell was that about? I am so out of practice when it comes to other people and their emotions being a factor in trials.'

At least Glados was open to conversation while trying to kill him.

"...oriya!'

He started, throwing his hand to his com.

"Y-yeah?"

"Are you okay? What was that? The whole building just shook!"

Midoriya brushed himself off.

"I'm not sure. Are you okay? What about Kaminari?"

"I'm fine, Kaminari is still guarding the bomb. Neither of us can fight if we can't get close, so we've been staring each other down for way too long. When I find them, I throw rocks at him."

Midoriya chuckled, trying to calm his racing heart.

"I'll be up in a second."

He sprinted up two flights of stairs, using his portals to speed up.

He dashed into the room where the noise was coming from.

As he entered, he saw Kaminari throwing the rocks back at Uraraka. They were both clearly getting frustrated at the lack of progress on both sides.

He ran around to the other side of Kaminari, so he and Uraraka surrounded him. 

"Oh, rats."

Midoriya smiled at him.

Kaminari chucked his last rock at Uraraka and made a mad sprint for Midoriya, hoping to get close enough to land a proper hit. 

Midoriya ducked back, but not out of the yellow-blonds range. He watched as Uraraka quite literally flew for the bomb, reaching out with arms and legs.

Kaminari's electricity charged up as he threw out his arm.

'Fuck.'

He was surrounded in blinding light for a full three seconds.

Then came the pain.

He was spasming, his hands curled in on themselves and he was on the ground.

He could feel the energy tearing through the tech embedded into his body.

He was clawing at his head, trying desperately to stop the pain-

And then, there was black.

Chapter Text

Midoriya was aware of the movement around him. Someone was talking. Frantically.

God he was tired.

He wrenched his eyes open, looking at the commotion going on through hooded eyes.

Kaminari seemed to be freaking out. And pointing at him.

What had happened? 

'Oh...OH, right. Bakugou tried to fry me and Kaminari did fry me. Jeez.'

He flexed his hands. They responded slower than normal.

'Fucking wonderful.'

"Wait, he's awake! Midoriya? Bro? Are you okay?"

He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. Uraraka was beside him in an instant to keep him supported.

He rubbed idly at his head. His hair had come out of it's ponytail. He was only mildly annoyed by it.

"Yep," he stretched his neck back and forth, "give me a second, that attack really threw me. Nice one!"

The yellow-blond sputtered. His jaw nearly hit the floor.

"Hold up, you're congratulating me? I thought I killed you!"

Midoriya snickered to himself. If only they knew how often he was torn apart. 

His mood took a dip.

"Nah, don't worry about it, I'm tougher than I look."

He flexed his hands again, twisting his wrists around. Back to normal.

Or rather...as 'normal' as they could be.

He slowly stood up, reeling as his brain tried to catch up with the movement. 

"It's not a concussion or anything. You probably just shocked my circuits."

Kaminari looked at him funny for a second.

"Oh! I didn't realise it was, like, technology? I don't know, I figured it was like Iida's engines. A mix of himself and his engine bits."

Midoriya shrugged.

"So uh...what happened when I blacked out?"

Uraraka stood up next to him.

"Nothing really, you were only out for a few seconds. It was really freaky though! You were bugging out on the ground, I thought you were going to hurt yourself."

He rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry, I had no idea my, uh, quirk would react to electricity like that. Good to know, though."

All Might suddenly appeared in the doorway with no amount of elegance.

"YOUNG MIDORIYA! Are you feeling alright? Thought we lost you there!"

Midoriya waved him off.

"I'm okay, just a bit frazzled I guess."

All Might gave him a once over, checking for any visible injuries.

"Alright, if you're sure, my boy! Well, congratulations are in order for young Uraraka and yourself, you've won the round! Please follow me back to the viewing area!"

An awkward shuffle filled with worrying gazes later, they were surrounded by the rest of the class and Midnight, who was not so secretly looking at Bakugou.

Bakugou had a strange air about him. He was standing alone, and the rest of the class weren't quick to correct that, bar Kirishima. The boy looked concerned.

Shinsou had stood next to Midoriya at some point, but didn't feel the need to say anything. He bumped the taller boy in the shoulder. Shinsou bumped back.

All Might cleared his voice loudly in front of the monitors.

"OKAY! After that...turbulent round, let's get to the discussions! Young Midoriya and Uraraka won the round, but who was the MVP? Anyone?"

A girl with dark hair in a high ponytail, Yaoyorozu he thinks, raised her hand. All Might nodded to her.

"Thank you, sensei. I think the MVP was Uraraka. She planned to cover more ground and avoid possible conflict by entering through another window, and knew not to engage in conflict she couldn't win on her own, as her and Kaminari both have mid to close range abilities. She also utilised her quirk to reach the bomb with maximum speed. Hence, she is the MVP."

Said girl was glowing pink under the praise. Midoriya patted her on the back with a smile.

She grinned back at him.

All Might called for the next round, and Todoroki, Shouji, Hagakure and Ojirou (he thinks) left for their turn. He shuffled over to the far wall, where there were a few benches laid out.

He watched as Midnight slowly crept next to him, not sitting down, but standing right above an open seat. He patted her arm, smiling.

She sat down.

"Are you feeling okay?"

He glanced around to see if anyone was looking their way, before resting his head against her shoulder.

She ran a hand through his hair.

"Did you lose a hair tie?"

"Yeah, I didn't think to look for it."

She pulled one from her wrist, gently braiding his hair.

"It's getting very long. It suits you!"

He chuckled. 

"Thanks. Aizawa is going to be on the warpath when he hears what happened today."

She let out a breathy laugh, nodding.

"I doubt he'll let that Bakugou boy off easy. All Might was the only one with a comm, did he say something to you? It looked like he was going to kill you."

Midoriya sighed.

"I don't know what's going on with him. I think there's some personal stuff he's trying to figure out, but...it's concerning. I think he has it out for me."

Midnight looked pensive.

"I don't know...I don't think he was in the right headspace. He didn't look present. It was like he wasn't in control."

He looked at her, openly curious. She continued after a breath.

"I probably shouldn't say more, but I might mention it to Shouta. Enough about all that, how's class? We couldn't really talk before the exercise."

Midoriya grinned. She liked seeing him happy. It was like spite at the bastards that hurt him.

"It's really cool. Weird, very different, but cool. I feel like I'm in a comic or something. I've made some friends, and I'm curious about where things are going."

"That's good! Has anyone...caught your eye?"

He rolled his eyes but chuckled.

"Thanks for taking an interest in my personal life, but no. I haven't really let myself think about anything other than the now."

She quirked a half smile in understanding.

"And the two glorious fools? How have they been treating you?"

He giggled.

"Aizawa and Hizashi? They've been great. The only small thing has been resolved for the most part."

He looked back at her. She had one eyebrow raised.

"Aizawa and Hizashi? You're not on a first name basis with both of them?"

Huh...he hadn't even thought about that.

"I guess...that thing I mentioned is kind of a part of it. I...I got a bit frustrated with Aizawa because I thought he was, like, ignoring what happened to me. It's nothing bad, but he would change the subject a lot and get annoyed at me for things I wouldn't consider abnormal. We're passed that now, we've both apologised for being insensitive. It was around then that I was spending a lot more time with Hizashi. He just asked me to call him by his name and I returned the favour."

"And has Aizawa said anything about the names since?"

He rubbed his neck.

"I...don't know, actually. If he was thinking it, he never said it. Should I have offered? He isn't exactly the most forward with personal things like that."

She snorted.

"Ain't that the truth. As for whether or not you should? It's more a question of if you want to. If you're not comfortable, don't bother. If you're not sure? Take a little while to think about it."

He nodded, taking a mental note. He smirked sardonically.

"It's kind of ironic, isn't it? Aizawa saved me from Aperture and yet I'm closer with his partner."

"You know, he'd probably say you were better off not getting attached to him just because he saved you."

"Maybe. That does sound like him."

Midoriya was suddenly aware of eyes on him. He looked around for the source, and made direct eye contact with Todoroki.

Apparently his round was already over. 

He was still leaning up against Midnight. 

Todoroki's eyes narrowed.

Midnight seemed to realise at the same time as him how strange it would look for them to be sitting together so casually.

She stood up, whispering a goodbye, and strut her way back to All Might at the front. Todoroki watched her exit, before giving him a final look.

'Rats.'

***

When the last of the rounds were over, the class gradually filed out of the viewing area. The trip to the changing rooms was filled with a mix of chatter and silence, depending on who was in the mood to speak.

Midoriya was walking next to Shinsou, discussing the insomniacs round.

"I didn't even do anything. It was all Yaoyorozu."

Midoriya patted him on the back.

"I mean, it was a good strategy. Have her set up elaborate traps and you use your quirk as a last defence method. I'm pretty sure no one's figured out how it works yet."

Shinsou shrugged.

"We knew that, the hero team didn't know that. The rest of the class didn't know that. To them I probably look like a slacker. Riding on her coattails."

Midoriya lightly smacked his arm.

"Hey, enough of that. If it had been a different pairing, it would've gone differently. Like if it had been you and me, my portals wouldn't be much help aside from movement and maybe distraction against someone like Todoroki. You could probably have gotten him if it had been a different pairing."

Shinsou shook his head.

"You have too much faith in me."

"No, I know you've worked hard to be here, and that your power is super cool, what ever it is."

"You have to think that, you're my friend."

Midoriya smirked.

"I can't be your friend and form my own opinions?"

Shinsou smiled into the high neck of his jacket, a simple, dark purple trench coat.

"It requires quite a lot of brain power. Do you have enough to spare?"

The green boy threw an arm over his head, looking away dramatically.

"Ouch, my poor soul. You've burned me, saboteur."

Shinsou snorted. Midoriya smiled and bumped shoulders with him again. Shinsou bumped back.

They separated to go to their lockers. Midoriya slipped into the bathroom to change out of his costume.

He tugged his hoodie over his head, adjusting the white vest underneath. He paused.

His hand slowly moved back over his chest.

Something...wasn't right.

He put his hoodie down onto his bag, and tugged the neckline of the vest out of his way.

The small, white disk in the centre of his chest.

It looked off.

'What the fuck.'

He pulled the vest off over his head and started eyeing the disk again. He ran a finger over where the white met his skin.

It was higher on one side.

'That can't...what the fuck did she do to me?"

He wished, not for the first time, that he had any feeling in his hands. The best Aperture could replicate was the sensation of pressure. No pain. No sensitivity.

He stared at the disk for far too long.

'Maybe I should ask Wheatley...'

Shaking himself out of his funk, he buttoned up his shirt, fumbled with his tie and tugged on his blazer.

Once he was semi-presentable he made his way back to the much emptier changing room.

Back in the classroom, he tried maintaining idle conversation with his friends, avoiding Todoroki's stare and also trying to focus on Bakugou.

The blond was outright ignoring Kirishima. That was just plain rude.

Bakugou stood up out of the blue, pushing past the eager boy and out of the classroom.

Midoriya said a quick goodbye to his friends, following the other out.

He was caught off guard by how fast the other was moving. By the time he reached the front entrance, Bakugou was already one foot out the gate. 

He ran forward, not letting what happened go.

"HEY, hold on a second!"

The other boy paused in his stride, jerking slightly before evening out again.

'What the hell am I doing?'

Midoriya came to a pause around ten feet from the volatile blond.

"What do you want."

Midoriya mentally noticed that what he said wasn't a question. 

Still.

"Are you seriously asking me why I'm bothering to confront you after you tried to kill me?"

Bakugou flinched, looking away.

That was...new.

Silence.

"...were you really about to pretend that didn't happen?"

Midoriya's voice was much softer the second time. Bakugou glared at him from under his bangs.

More silence.

"Okay, I know we may not have gotten off on the right foot, and yeah I probably could have just acted like we didn't know each other when I was at Aldera, but this is getting ridiculous."

Bakugou's nose twitched.

A reaction is all Midoriya needed.

"I can understand that you were too proud for help with the sludge guy, or whatever, and I'm sure you were caught off guard when I showed up at your school, but what I'm trying to figure out is why the fuck you thought burning me alive was the best way to incapacitate me."

Bakugou grit his teeth, taking a single step away from him.

And, no. Midoriya was not going to let him run away from that.

"Is this about that boy? I read an article about a classmate of yours. Look, I'm sorry if me sitting in his seat brought stuff up for you, but that doesn't justify trying to KILL me."

"Don't you fucking talk to me about him."

Midoriya was surprised he answered at all.

"Tell me why."

"It's none of your fucking business!"

Midoriya threw up his arms in frustration.

"I think it's my business if you suddenly try to kill me at the first opportunity!"

Bakugou growled.

"The fuck do you want me to say? That I'm 'sorry', that I keep fucking seeing him, that it's my fucking FAULT? I get enough of that shit from my therapist. Stay the fuck out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

Midoriya didn't react outwardly.

'What the fuck? What?'

The blond let out a grunt before turning and stomping off.

Midoriya couldn't help but notice that it looked like he was crying.

Later, when he was back home and in the comfort of his room, he would ponder what Bakugou could have possibly meant. Midoriya guessed he hadn't meant to reveal that he was both in therapy and dealing with something in regards to the boy. He was still angry about almost being blown up, but he was more worried for the other. 

That kind of reaction was not normal. Especially towards someone he didn't know.

Midoriya sighed in frustration. There was still something he was missing.
***

A day later, the weekend, saw him at Inko's front door again. He'd been meaning to visit, but her texts had been a comfort to him. The last shred of the life he once had.

Hizashi shifted beside him as he reached to ring the bell. He had brought another cake, a chocolate one this time. 

He wasn't sure if she liked chocolate.

The door opened.

"Hello Izuku! And who's this?"

He smile seemed lively-er. He smiled back.

"This is Yamada Hizashi, Aizawa's partner. He has also been taking care of me."

She greeted the yellow-blond warmly, bringing them inside.

"Would you like tea? I see you've brought me more sweets."

"Yes please, anything is fine for me. And yeah, I brought chocolate cake."

"Oh! That sounds lovely. And you, Yamada?"

The man was busy looking at some picture frames scattered around the apartment.

"Oh! Uh, yeah. I mean, yes please!"

She chuckled at him, disappearing into the kitchen.

Hizashi turned to him.

"She seems nice! I like her."

Midoriya smiled at him.

"She is. It's weird. I'm like her great uncle, but she's more of an aunt figure to me than anything else. Well...even that might be a bit forward."

The man nodded, pointing at one of the pictures.

"Y'know, when Aizawa said you look like her kid I didn't think he meant that literally."

Midoriya shrunk a bit. Glancing at the image himself, he couldn't help but feel guilty. 

He knew in his head he wasn't responsible for anything that transpired in that boy's life, but he felt...

Guilty.

Like he'd taken the other's place.

In the dark of the night, when he was alone with nothing but his head, he even counted back the months. He got out close enough to when this boy, Inko Akatani's son, died. He'd pestered Aizawa for details, and yet he was still paying the price.

He had tried not to look at the photos of him for too long. The longer he looked the more he saw.

The same face, only paler. The same eyes, only red. The same messy hair, only an inky black.

Maybe it was just his genetics, making every family member look strikingly similar to each other. Take him and his sister. They were practically identical, despite the age difference.

Even Inko looked like his sister. And mother.

He still wasn't sure where they stood.

Hizashi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, whatever you're thinking, it's just your panicky brain. Let's enjoy some cake and conversation. If you still feel bad in a bit, we can talk about it on the way home."

Home.

"I...yeah. Yeah, okay."

Hizashi flashed a small smile, pulling him over to the couch for a chat. He was clearly trying to distract the teen, but Midoriya appreciated it nonetheless.

Inko returned shortly after with a neat tray.

After settling on the couch with them, she opened the cake box, letting out a little 'wow!'. Once they were all munching on the treat, she spoke up.

"So, how has UA been? I've heard some near magical stories on the news, but I'd like to hear a first hand account, if you don't mind."

Midoriya smiled at her. 

"Sure! It's a lot more normal than I was expecting. As in, I still have all the basic classes, only the teachers are all heroes. I feel like I'm in a comic or something. I've made a few friends. They're all really nice. Oh! I had a class with All Might the other day. It was interesting to see him up close."

Midoriya thought it best to not mention that he had in fact met All Might before.

Inko put a hand on her cheek.

"Oh my, is he as amazing as people say?"

Midoriya pondered the question.

"I don't know to be honest. I can see the appeal. He's always smiling, always standing tall. It makes you wonder how happy he actually is. But...yeah, I think he's cool. He was nice to me, anyway."

Inko smiled wistfully, sipping her tea. She turned to Hizashi.

"And what do you do, Yamada?"

Midoriya snickered into his mug. The blond looked like he was just told the funniest joke.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for not mentioning it earlier. You probably can't tell from my casual outfit, but I am the one and only Present Mic!"

He threw up a hand with flourish, flicking his long hair over one shoulder.

Inko smiled at the display. She looked mildly embarrassed 

"I'm sorry for not recognising you! I suppose the hair threw me off. Is it true you're also an English teacher?"

Hizashi puffed up his chest. Midoriya immediately pictured a budgie. Maybe a cockatoo.

"Teacher? I run the whole department!"

"Oh my! That must be a lot of work."

Hizashi smiled kindly.

"Yeah, but I love it. If you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life, right?"

She nodded.

"Right!"

The continued chatting about anything and everything.

The doorbell rang in the middle of their conversation.

"Excuse me, let me get that."

She set her mug down, brushing off her skirt as she walked to the door.

Midoriya looked over at Hizashi, who was chomping down on his cake. The boy giggled.

The sound of the door opening echoed through the apartment.

"Ah, Katsuki! How nice of you to drop by!"

Hizashi choked on his cake.

Chapter Text

Midoriya's eyes snapped over to Hizashi's. The man was quietly trying to clear his airways of the cake, all while frantically looking between the green haired boy and the direction of the door.

'Please be a different Katsuki, please.'

"How are you? How have you been?"

A gruff, low voice responded.

"I'm okay, thanks. How are you?"

'Fuck.'

Midoriya looked to Hizashi once more, who'd finally stopped coughing. They started whispering to each other in as calm voices as they could, which in hindsight weren't that calm. 

Hizashi whisper-shouted, "What do we do? If he sees his classmate and teacher at a random woman's house together we'll have a really hard time coming up with a believable excuse."

Midoriya tilted his head, confused. Hizashi's eyebrows raised.

"None of your classmates know you have a connection to me. How do we explain us hanging out on the weekends?"

Midoriya bit his lip.

"He doesn't like me, like...at all. I can't figure him out, but I know he would not react well to seeing me more than he needs to."

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

Inko's soft, melodic chuckles bounced around the living room. Midoriya spared a small smile at the sound.

"How...how have you been getting on?"

The green haired boy found it weird, hearing Bakugou sound calm. He sounded a lot more...defeated than calm, really, but it was so starkly different from the brash, hostile way he spoke in class. It threw him for a loop.

"I'm okay. I'm doing better. One of my... relatives recently came into my life, and he's been visiting me."

"Oh, that's uh, good to hear. Sorry I haven't been around recently."

"No, no, don't worry about it! I know you've been so busy between exams and your new school. Is it everything you dreamt it would be?"

There was a pause. 

Midoriya couldn't help but feel responsible for the blond's hesitation. He glanced at Hizashi again, who looked guilty about listening in on the conversation.

"I...I think so. I haven't been there that long yet. It's different."

"And what's this?"

"Oh, the old hag asked me to drop this off. One of her shitty dinners or something."

"Tell her I said thank you! I'd invite you in, but I'm afraid I have guests right now. Would you and your mother be free tomorrow afternoon? We could go for tea?"

"I...I'll pass on the invite. Bye, Auntie."

"Goodbye Katsuki!"

It wasn't until the door clicked closed that the two finally exhaled. They shared another look, pretending to be deep in conversation when Inko returned, a plate covered in tin foil in her arms.

She smiled.

"Sorry about that. A friend of mine's son was dropping something off."

Hizashi waved his hand dramatically.

"No worries! I was just asking Izuku about his homework."

Inko looked in Midoriya's direction, but he avoided her gaze, instead fixing it on his mug, having a sip of his cool tea.

"He attends UA. Actually, would you happen to know him? Bakugou Katsuki?"

Midoriya sputtered into his mug, thankfully masking the sound. He smiled awkwardly.

"Oh uh, yeah? I mean, yes. We're in the same class."

Inko nodded to herself, turning into the kitchen to put away the plate.

He furrowed his brow, looking down.

It was...a weird coincidence that Bakugou knew Inko. Was it a coincidence?

...No.

'Hold on...fuck me.'

He stood, pacing over to one of the many frames adorning the walls and shelves. He picked up the one that looked the most recent.

Red eyes, long black hair. Inko's son. The son he bore a striking resemblance to. Who Bakugou apparently knew.

"Oh shit."

Hizashi looked over the back of the couch at him.

"Izuku? Are you okay?"

Midoriya didn't know. He didn't know this boy. But he knew Bakugou. He knew Inko's son must have known Bakugou. They probably went to school together, which would explain the news article he had read, and what Aizawa had told him. He looked like this boy, who died. He was in school regularly with Bakugou. 

Had he triggered the blond? Or...was it bad trauma? He seemed diplomatic towards Inko, if not a bit awkward. Bordering on uncomfortable. In school, though? It was like he lost it completely.

'Like when he tried to disassemble my atoms.'

What was it he had said? Bakugou's voice echoed in his head.

"The fuck do you want me to say? That I'm 'sorry', that I keep fucking seeing him, that it's my fucking FAULT? I get enough of that shit from my therapist. Stay the fuck out of my way and I'll stay out of yours."

...Fuck.

Bakugou blamed himself for something. Something to do with Akatani Mikumo. The kid who died. That news report had said it was a suicide.

"Fuck. What the fuck."

A hand landed on his shoulder. He spun around, meeting big, green eyes. He noticed, idly, that he was still holding the photo.

Inko smiled sweetly, gently taking the photo frame from his hands and looking over it herself. Her eyes looked wet when she moved around him to put it back.

She gripped his forearms.

"Izuku, please don't upset yourself. I don't know what you might be thinking...but I don't want anyone to be more upset about what happened."

She paused, looking him in the eye for an extended period.

"I...I could have been better. I know that. But I can't keep wondering about the 'what ifs'. I can't let it hurt me more. He wouldn't have wanted me to be upset, as much as I know he knew it would hurt me. He wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be hurt either. I...I was lonely for months before you came into my life. And here you are."

Midoriya felt his artificial eyes welling up with artificial tears. His vision never clouded any more. They hadn't in months, no matter how hard he cried.

"I know you are not my son. I'm not pretending you are. I like having you in my life, Izuku. I've loved talking to you, and learning about you and your new life. I want to have a connection to my family."

He rested his head on her shoulder, bending a bit awkwardly because of the height difference. She didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him. 

He took a breath.

"I know it's none of my business, Izuku, but have you thought of seeing a counsellor of some kind? I can't begin to fathom the things you've been through, but I think you shouldn't have to deal with it alone."

Midoriya could feel Hizashi's eyes on his back.

He had overheard some of Hizashi and Aizawa's conversations. He knew they wanted him to talk to someone about...everything, especially after his little row with Aizawa over the issue of not being able to talk about Aperture.

It's not that he wasn't interested in getting professional help, but the idea terrified him. Would he have to explain exactly what happened? Would they know that he's older than quirks? Presumably they would have to. He didn't want people to know. It isolated him in a way. He would be seen as separate. 

Given the opportunity, where would he even start? His issues mostly stem from Aperture, but there were so many things. How could he possibly force another person to imagine what had been done to him.

"...I'll think about it."

She pulled away and gave him a small smile. 

They didnt stay much longer after that.

With a goodbye hug and a promise to visit again soon, they left.

***

The weekend passed by faster than Midoriya was prepared for. He spent his last few hours trying desperately to clear his discovery from the forefront of all his thoughts. He'd spent over an hour listening to Wheatley ramble about...something. Rhett hadn't been in a particularly talkative mood. Chonk was a great comfort, but unfortunately she couldnt speak, so Midoriya was stuck listening to his own thoughts.

Another thing plaguing his thoughts? His stupid hands were malfunctioning. Nothing overtly wrong, but a lot of delayed reactions. They were slow to shoot portals when he tried, sometimes. Delay was the difference between completing a test and having to start over.

He resigned himself to having to live with the occasional fuck up, hoping that Mei could work her magic. He even made it to school extra early that Monday, knowing she would already be there.

"Sorry, I have no idea what's causing the issue."

Fuck.

She tapped her chin with a wrench.

"Ok, leave it with me. I'll do a quick scan with my newest baby! It can pick up code and internal data. And when I say 'internal', I mean it literally. Once I have the data, I can run some simple simulations. I'll text you if I figure out what's going wrong!"

He appreciated her help immensely. So, he thanked her and headed to class 1-A. Nothing wrong with being a bit early.

He opened the door quietly, sliding it closed behind him. He was the fourth student in, after Iida, Todoroki and Bakugou, in no particular order.

He avoided even glancing in Bakugou's general direction. He walked over to Iida, hoping to distract himself with small talk.

"Morning, Iida. How was your weekend?"

Iida brightened, sitting up even straighter.

"It was splendid, thank you! And how about you?"

Midoriya smiled as Iida sliced his arms through the air.

"It was...interesting. I visited some family."

Iida smiled in a comforting way. If he noticed Midoriya's slight mood, he didnt say anything. He did, however, ask him how he was finding classes. 

They chatted back and forth for a bit. It was nice. Midoriya liked Iida. He was very no-nonsense.

Uraraka and Shinsou eventually arrived, followed by the rest of the class. They quickly chimed in on the surface level conversations.

Aizawa slammed the door open, scaring Kaminari enough to make him jerk off of Kirishima's table, where he'd been sitting.

Midoriya, along with the rest of the class, were in their seats in an instant.

Midoriya focused on Shinsou's quiet breathing behind him, rather than the blond in front of him.

Aizawa cleared his throat, scanning the class once.

"As you all know, we have the trip later today...but now?"

Everyone held their breath.

"You will be selecting a class president. Do it before the end of class, I don't care how you decide."

Aizawa hit the floor, asleep, before the class could finish cheering.

Kaminari leapt onto Kirishima's desk again.

"YEAH! A normal activity!"

People started calling out at random, declaring their capability to be the best choice for class president. 

Midoriya briefly thought about it, but...

He kind of had enough going on already.

Iida shot up, standing dead straight with one arm being held up with him.

"Classmates! To make the choice as fair as possible, we should organise a vote!"

The frog girl, Asui(?), poked her chin with one finger.

"We haven't been classmates that long. How do we know people won't just vote for themselves?"

Yaoyorozu spoke up.

"I see your point, but wouldn't that only further prove that the winner is the best choice? They will have already garnered the trust of enough of the class to vote for them over themselves."

With that, she created a small ballot box, and everyone got a slip of paper.

Midoriya hesitated. He'd love to vote for Shinsou, just to piss him off, but he scribbled Iida's name. He trusted his friend to do a good job.

Once all the ballots had been collected, they were counted, and Iida and Yaoyorozu made fast work of writing the scores on the blackboard.

Midoriya raised an eyebrow at the two votes he had. He slowly turned to Shinsou, who was smirking at him. He narrowed his eyes good-naturedly. The insomniac stuck his tongue out at him.

Iida had four votes overall, and Yaoyorozu had three.

Iida flushed when he realised he'd been picked. He smiled triumphantly, shaking hands with Yaoyorozu.

Aizawa stood up at the bell, looking over the board once.

"Alright, so Iida Tenya will be the class representative, and Yaoyorozu Momo will be the vice."

The class filtered out of the room, making their way to the massive lunch hall. 

Midoriya tried to subtly punch Shinsou in the side. The other grinned at him, his dark eye bags making the facial expression distinctly sarcastic looking.

Midoriya rolled his eyes, turning to Iida, who was walking with a prominent spring in his step.

Uraraka shared a look with him, smiling.

"Hey Iida? You seem pretty happy about the vote."

The tall boy nodded, sitting at their table. 

"Yes! This will provide me with the opportunity to do more for the class! I avidly await the first challenge to overcome!"

Uraraka looked at him closely for a beat.

"Iida, are you rich? You talk really...fancy!"

The boy balked. Midoriya stifled his snickers into his lunch.

"I...I suppose. I come from a well known hero family! Ingenium!"

Midoriya smiled at his friend. It was clear that Iida admired his brother. The green haired boy had done a little research when they'd met at the entrance exam.

"He's a great hero."

Iida's smile widened. 

"He is! I hope I can live up to him!"

Shinsou's smile was a tilted thing, but no less sincere than Midoriya's or Uraraka's.

"I'm sure you will, buddy."

'WARNING'

Midoriya flinched.

An alarm. Just an alarm. Something, he wasn't paying attention. A voice. It sounded nothing like Glados. Calm down, calm down.

They got stuck in the mob of students climbing over each other to get out. Midoriya was slammed up against the massive windows, disorienting him. He didn't dare move, leaning as far into the window as he could.

He looked out, a commotion catching his eye. News reporters? Hizashi and Aizawa were down there already. Why had the gate not shut on the journalists?

He squinted, trying to get a view of the crowd. Movement caught his eye, away from the horde of cameras and microphones.

Someone was walking away from the onslaught of people. A black pullover, with the hood raised. That was...strange.
He took a breath, turning and looking out over the mob in the hall. He caught sight of Iida and Uraraka up against the opposite wall, a few metres ahead of him.

"IIDA, URARAKA!"

He mentally pleaded that they would hear him.

Uraraka's eyes snapped onto him.

"ITS THE PRESS, NOT A BREAK IN!"

Her eyes widened, and she nodded sharply. He saw her patting Iida on the shoulder. She said something to him, and he looked around rapidly. 

He looked Midoriya in the eye, pointing at the large sign a little ways in front of them.

Midoriya caught on to what he needed. He aimed his hand, pleading once more that the portals would react in time.

It snapped open, a direct route for Iida. Uraraka slapped his shoulder, and the boy started floating through the portal. Midoriya let it close behind him.

"ATTENTION FELLOW STUDENTS, THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT! THE BREAK IN IS MERELY THE MEDIA!"

The crowd slowly stalled, students finally not pushing and shoving past each other. Once the hall had cleared, Uraraka pressed her hands together, letting Iida land in front of them. Shinsou approached them, looking a bit rattled.

Uraraka smiled.

"Wow Iida! You came up with that so quickly!"

The boy flushed under the praise.

"Thank you, but I couldn't have done it had the both of you not helped me."

Shinsou piped up from next to Midoriya.

"I think you've already earned your new title, Class Prez"

Iida seemed ready to burst. Midoriya chuckled and led them back to their lunch table.

That had been...horrifying. A feminine voice coming from seemingly nowhere with alarms blasting in the background. It was all a little too familiar for him.

He sighed, tuning back in to the conversation his friends were having. What a day, so far.

***

When they were all changed and ready to go (the girls who had requested replacements donning their school tracksuits), they waited together outside for their bus. Iida tried, in vain, to organise a seating arrangement to make the ease of entry as stress-free as possible. Unfortunately for him, the bus had a different layout.

Poor Iida. Midoriya pat his back as he mounted the bus. He sat, comfortably tucked in next to Kirishima and Asui.

The frog girl turned to him.

"Midoriya. I say what's on my mind."

He raised an eyebrow, smiling.

"Okay, good to know Asui!"

"Call me Tsuyu."

He blinked before nodding.

"I can't figure out how your quirk works. It confuses me."

His mind stalled.

"Oh? I, uh, don't really know what to say to that."

Kirishima smiled.

"It's super cool! Really powerful and flashy. Mine is cool, yeah, but it's not very good at grabbing the attention."

For demonstration, he held out his hand, hardening it up to his forehead. Midoriya watched, transfixed.

"Wicked..."

"Huh?"

"That is so cool, I don't know who you've been talking to, but wow! How does it work?"

Kirishima's face brightened.

"Oh! I can harden pretty much all of my body. It's pretty tough, manly! Ya know?"

Midoriya nodded, smiling. Kirishima continued.

"But if you really want to talk flashy, you've gotta think of Yaoyorozu, Todoroki and Bakugou!"

A few people looked his way after mentioning Bakugou. He pretended he didn't notice. 

No one was brave enough to ask either of them what transpired during the Hero vs Villain training. He was happy about it.

Tsuyu stared forward.

"Bakugou is too aggressive. I find it hard to believe he'll be popular."

The blond gripped the rails of the seat.

"The FUCK? You looking for a fight?!"

She looked at Midoriya, pointing a thumb in his direction.

"See?"

Midoriya briefly, accidentally met eyes with the blond. He felt his face morph into some kind of a grimace. Bakugou looked away, huffing. The girl with earphones for ears, Jirou, leaned the other way, sending a look in his direction.

Kaminari made a crack at Bakugou, and while he was busy glaring at the yellow-blond, Midoriya dared to look at him again. Really look. He looked tired. He had prominent eye bags, he looked a little pale. 

He wondered if he and his mother had gone for tea with Inko.

The conversation all but cut out as they pulled up to the massive facility. It looked kind of like a stadium, with the rounded roof and large entrance door.

Aizawa stood up, stretched out his back, and waved the students to follow him.

Midoriya noticed that he was patrolling late at night a lot recently. It was affecting his ability to stay awake during the day. 

He made a mental note to mention it to Hizashi.

Once the class was gathered outside the impressive building, a person in what looked like an astronaut suit emerged from the massive door.

Uraraka made a sound of surprise beside him.

"Woah, that's Thirteen, the space hero! I love them so much! I should see if they'd be willing to sign my arm."

Midoriya chuckled.

As they were ushered inside, he felt...wrong. He tried to pay attention while Thirteen and Aizawa explained the rules or...whatever it was they were saying. In the back of his mind, he realised that All Might wasn't with them.

He started looking around. Something wasn't right. He could feel it.

A normal person would write it off as paranoia, but he had gotten used to constantly looking over his shoulder. His intuition hadn't been wrong in years.

'Look'

He felt compelled to listen. He took a step forward, looking down the massive stairs. There was a fountain. 

The water gushing out from the top stalled for a split second.

Something was wrong.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion.

He turned to Aizawa, who already had his eyes on him. The man's eyes widened almost unnoticeably. He turned to face the fountain as well. 

The water stalled once more, before it cut out altogether.

"Midoriya?"

Uraraka had four fingers on his shoulder, but he couldn't drag his eyes away from the fountain.

Aizawa got Thirteen's attention, pointing to the fountain. He already had his phone in his hand, held up to his ear.

Midoriya looked back. 

Black. Purple. 

Yellow eyes.

A swirling mass of mist formed in front of the fountain.

Aizawa's eyes snapped to him momentarily, before looking back at his phone.

Midoriya assumed he couldn't reach whoever he just tried to call.

A hand stuck out from the cloud, followed by another hand, dismembered this time. The swirling mist exploded into a massive gateway, a hundred people making their way through.

He heard Kirishima behind him.

"What...is this part of the training?"

Aizawa looked panicked.

"This is not part of it, those are villains!"

He felt more than saw his classmates react. The mood plummeted. Some cried out in fear.

Todoroki walked up next to him, also looking at the forming army.

Aizawa commanded Kaminari to try and reach the school, while pulling his goggles from his capture weapon.

Time sped up again. 

He had a hand on Aizawa before he could blink.

"You can't, your quirk! Your speciality is in sneak attacks, not taking on one hundred at once!"

Aizawa adjusted his goggles, not looking at him.

"Heroes can't be a one trick pony. Don't worry about me. Get your class out and get help."

Midoriya didn't have time to say anything before the hero leapt into the crowd of killers.

He saw his classmates running to the door, but he was stuck in place. Someone, he assumed it was Todoroki, pulled him by the hood of his jumper. 

"Ah, I'm afraid I can't let you leave just yet."

A deep, smooth voice came from nowhere. The same purple mist formed in front of them.

"I have been instructed to keep you here."

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

Bakugou and Kirishima leapt forward, both lashing out at the swirling cloud. They passed through it (him?) harmlessly.

"A nice attempt, albeit in vain. I'm afraid I must spread and scatter you now, farewell."

Midoriya's gut twisted.

The mist snapped outward, attempting to engulf all of them. He latched onto the first thing he could reach, and he was falling.

Falling.

He heard himself screaming. Everything was black, but he kept his grip strong.

Suddenly, he could see. Everything got brighter. He was falling from a height, presumably the height of the ceiling. 

He was clinging to Todoroki's sleeve. The other didn't seem bothered, but then again, he was probably preoccupied.

"HEY! Todoroki, grab onto me!"

The split boy looked at him, clearly confused.

"Just trust me! I can get us down safely!"

Todoroki looked around, almost begging something else to help him instead.

He closed his eyes, latching a hand onto Midoriya.

He grabbed onto the half and half boy, holding him bridal style. 

Midoriya pretended not to notice the disdainful look the other threw him.

The ground rushed to meet them.

Midoriya landed flat on his legs. Todoroki flinched, as if expecting to slam into the floor of the landslide zone.

His boots cancelled out the force. Todoroki slowly opened his eyes, looking at the ground, and then Midoriya.

He pushed himself out of the other's hold, standing upright.

They looked around, back to back.

People in ridiculous outfits started to surround them. Midoriya looked over his shoulder at the split boy, who was glaring menacingly at the new arrivals.

"Midoriya."

"Yeah?"

"Don't move."

Todoroki slammed his foot into the ground. Massive plains of ice burst out in every direction. He stood as still as possible, watching the ice swerve around the two of them. 

Within seconds, every one in sight was encased in glistening ice.

Midoriya felt a tug in his gut.

He spun around, slamming his foot into the nether regions of the guy who just tried to beat Todoroki over the head.

He howled in pain, dropping his staff and keeling over.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow at him.

"What?"

"...thank you."

Midoriya smiled, glancing over the icy wasteland.

"Not a bother. Let's see what these pricks have to say for themselves."

Chapter Text

"Tell us what you know, or I can guarantee you'll regret it. Why did you break into UA?"

Midoriya raised an eyebrow at Todoroki's tone. The dual-coloured teen had his right hand poised in front of one of their attackers, icy vapour promising pain.

The frozen man glared with all the intimidation of a puppy in a raincoat.

"Like hell I'd tell you two, I'd rather freeze."

Todoroki's eyes darkened.

"You will. You'll start to lose feeling in your feet within the next three minutes. After that, your skin will be beyond recovery as your organs start to shut down. Your blood will crystallize in your veins, but by then you won't feel cold. You'll be burning."

Midoriya inwardly cringed at the notion.

'Fucking hell.'

The icicle man shrunk. It was pitiful and hilarious.

"F-fine. We're here to kill All Might!"

Todoroki's face didn't change, but Midoriya noticed the slight shift in temperature. He was caught off guard. He stepped around the taller boy, glaring down at the intruder. He let his eyes glow just enough to be unsettling.

"And how, pray tell, do you plan to do that, especially considering the fact that he isn't, you know, here?"

"I don't know."

Todoroki let the temperature of the air drop further. A warning.

"No, no I swear! I have no idea!"

"Your word means nothing to us. Explain."

"The weird guy with the hand, he said he was going to take down All Might, and that he needed backup. He never said what he was actually going to do! All I know is the bastard kept going on about a 'cheat code', or some creepy shit like that. He called it a 'Nomu', that's all I can say for certain."

Midoriya put a hand on Todoroki's shoulder.

"He's telling the truth, we should keep moving."

Brushing his hand off, Todoroki turned away in the other direction.

The green-haired boy turned back to the meek criminal. His jaw was starting to chatter.

"If you know what's good for you, you won't try to get out of that ice."

He went to catch up, following the direction the other boy went without waiting for a response.

Todoroki stopped as they neared the plaza, dead centre in the USJ.

"What? Why'd we stop?"

He was grabbed by the wrist, shoved down behind a series of boulders. Todoroki held a finger to his lips, before pointing into the plaza.

Midoriya followed his finger.

There was a 

Thing.

A big, hulking being.

Brain exposed, rippling muscles. Standing at (at least) seven feet tall. 

Its(?) dead-eyed stare bore into them.

Looking but not seeing.

'Is that...Nomu?'

"Oh my fucking...that can't be a person. I've seen some weird quirks but that isn't natural."

Todoroki nodded in silent agreement.

"It's not seeing us."

He nodded again, more frantically.

"What do we do?"

Midoriya shrugged, looking around. Aizawa was fighting off the whole mob at once. It would be really impressive if their lives weren't in danger.

He looked in the directions of the other zones, only seeing the occasional movement of bodies. He hoped they were his class and not whoever thought it was a good idea to attack a bunch of fifteen-year-olds.

His eyes snapped over to the ringleaders off to the side, next to the Nomu. The dark purple and black mist guy was standing (hovering?) beside a light-haired man with a literal severed hand on his face.

"Shigaraki Tomura, Thirteen is incapacitated. One escaped. We should leave before the pros arrive. All Might isn't here and the mission is compromised."

The Hand Man growled.

"If you weren't my escape route, I would kill you right now. You're as useless as the rest of these pawns, Kurogiri."

Midoriya had to be impressed by the sheer ridiculousness of his new life. Laughing would be completely inappropriate, but he was mildly hysterical at that point.

"It's like something straight out of a movie..."

Todoroki looked at him in confusion. He pointed to the hand guy.

"I assume that's a human hand. Wild."

The dual boy paled, lowering his eyebrows.

Speak of the devil, the light-haired man lunged forward at speeds Midoriya did not at all expect.

Directly towards Aizawa.

He instinctively shifted forward, but Todoroki seized his upper arm in a bruising grip. He glared at the taller boy.

"Let go of me."

Todoroki's grip remained tight around his bicep.

He had to watch as the guy, Shigaraki, gripped Aizawa's elbow. The hero froze.

"What...?"

Midoriya felt Todoroki tense beside him as they watched their teacher's skin grey and crack, revealing the bloodied muscle beneath.

His hand flew up to his mouth, as he suppressed the urge to vomit.

He tugged his arm from the other's grip, but didn't move forward.

"We have to do something, Eraserhead's quirk isn't suited to big groups and he just got blitzed by a fucking touch. Come on, let's move before that thing decides it wants to join in."

Todoroki hesitated. Midoriya had never seen him hesitate.

"He's a pro hero, he can take care of himself. We should avoid running into this blind."

That was the only way Midoriya knew. The only way he could. The tests were unpredictable. One couldn't wait around and ponder, you had to act. He had been hurt more times than he could count, but he still finished the tests! He got through them by sheer spite alone. He didn't need to plan, he needed-

"I'm not the final boss, Eraserhead. NOMU!"

The dark, hulking thing moved. Vanished before he could blink.

Aizawa's head made a sickening, wet crunching sound as it collided with the ground.

Midoriya froze.

He watched Shigaraki lean closer to his teacher, his guardian. His friend.

Todoroki had to grab him by the middle to stop him from running in. He was thrashing wildly to escape his grasp.

"Stop it, they'll kill you! Get down!"

Shigaraki said something. Midoriya couldn't hear him over the blood coursing through his ears, but Todoroki went cold next to him, his movements stalling for a split second.

That's all Midoriya needed. He scrambled forward, throwing himself into a roll as he landed, sprinting as fast as his artificial feet would carry him. 

Shigaraki was approaching him as well, hand outstretched.

Things began moving slowly.

Midoriya ducked and rolled out of the man's path, springing up and kneeing him in the stomach as he turned.

Shigaraki heaved, but he was already moving to Aizawa. 

The thing slammed the pro's head into the ground again, almost mocking him. 

He didn't know what to do. 

Shigaraki said something again, more angry this time.

"Nomu! Kill this NPC!"

The Nomu's head snapped to him, it's toothy beak looking like a smile. He kept running.

It let Aizawa go, his body falling in a heap, and stood to it's full height, staring him down.

Midoriya knew it was fast. He didn't know how fast, but he knew it was faster than him. Running wouldn't work, he had to act.

Aizawa wasn't moving.

He leapt back, its fist passing within a hair's breadth of him. He caught his balance as it pulled its massive hand from the concrete.

'That would have killed me.'

...was he breathing?

The thought could have made him collapse, but he glared. 

What if he was...

Maybe he should've made a plan. 

It tugged at its hand again. The ground around it cracked.

He looked to Shigaraki, on his left. He was standing by the fountain, a hand on his stomach.

Midoriya had a bad plan. One that would probably get him killed.

Probably

He started toward Shigaraki at speeds he didn't know he possessed. Kurogiri's eyes narrowed at him, and his mist shifted, awaiting his next move.

Thankfully, Midoriya didn't have to think around the only other teleporter. Bakugou and Kirishima appeared from the earthquake zone. The blond blasted Kurogiri, holding him down with one hand.

Wait-

A fist closed around his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He went cold.

He was tugged, facing back at the Nomu. It raised its other arm to strike him.

He braced for impact when the temperature dropped.

He opened one eye to see the Nomu's arm, poised to strike, coated in ice. 

He didn't have time to thank the bicoloured boy.

Instead, he grinned like a maniac, an indescribable look in his eyes. He twisted out of its grip and advanced toward Shigaraki.

He was only a few feet away, he was so close.

He heard a crack. A squelch.

He turned.

A massive, hulking and frozen arm fell to the ground.

He watched in horror as its flesh wound around itself, as veins threaded together and muscle wrapped and wrapped and wrapped. Skin, good as new, formed over the arm.

A whole new arm.

In less than ten seconds.

"What the fuck."

Shigaraki laughed, hoarse, behind him.

"Like my toy? Regeneration is such a useful skill. So, do you want to try and trump my cheat code?"

The Nomu was staring at him again. The lack of emotion was chilling Midoriya to his core.

"Finish him."

He jumped back, narrowly avoiding another punch, but this time, it didn't pause to let him catch him balance. It pushed forward and forced him back and back.

He leapt up, letting a punch meet the sole of his long-fall boot.

The instant cancellation of the impact gave him a second to find his footing.

If it was possible, the Nomu looked confused as to how he was still standing. From the sound that Shigaraki made, it wasn't the only one.

"What?! This NPC is cheating! Nomu, kill him!"

Midoriya watched him over his shoulder as he cried out. 

He was close enough.

He jumped up, landing on the next fist to fly his way. He sprung off of it and landed neatly behind Shigaraki.

Without a thought, he kicked him forward.

The Nomu's next attack stalled as its commander fell onto it.

Shigaraki let out an animalistic scream.

"Ugh! First All Might doesn't show, then my precious toy can't kill you, and that stupid hero wannabe over there has my escape route. You know what? Maybe if I pick off one or two of his oh-so-special kids, your Symbol of Peace will finally show."

Shigaraki reached for him, both hands outstretched. He made to move back-

The fucking fountain.

From then on, Midoriya Izuku decided that he fucking despised fountains. Never saw a single fountain in Aperture, and he was almost thankful for it. Nope, he hates pointless, goddamn fountains.

He fell back, bending at the knee. He couldn't grip anything to right himself, he was fucking vulnerable and this guy would kill him and that would be it-

A bang.

Midoriya landed ass first in the fountain.

Everyone stopped.

Shigaraki, without moving his hands, looked over his shoulder.

The figure of All Might appeared from the smoke, gripping the blazer of his ridiculous yellow suit.

He wasn't smiling.

Shigaraki grinned from under the hand. Midoriya wanted to knock his teeth out.

"Do not fear, students,"

He stepped forward, the sound echoing around the whole facility.

"For I AM HERE!"

"Nomu, back to the original plan. Get me Kurogiri."

It vanished from sight again, this time appearing in front of Bakugou, who was still holding down Kurogiri. His eyes widened.

He flinched backwards, aiming a gauntleted hand-

And he was gone in a flash of yellow.

Midoriya had the wind knocked out of him, and then he was sitting beside Aizawa, Kirishima and Bakugou a good twenty metres from where he had just been. Todoroki was sprinting over from his hiding spot, skidding to a halt next them.

Bakugou assumed a fighting stance, followed shortly by Kirishima.

Midoriya knelt with Aizawa, cradling him as gently as he could. He looked back at All Might.

Shigaraki had a look of pure, unadulterated glee on his face as he stood across from the number one hero.

'He's either really confident in his creature, or he has a death wish.'

Kurogiri was floating menacingly, his yellow, glowing eyes narrowed as he glared.

The Nomu stood, an empty husk. Staring dead-eyed at the far wall, as if it hadn't moved since it got here.

As if it hadn't tried to kill him already. As if it hadn't ripped off its own arm and watched as it grew back from nothing.

"Come on, All Might."

Shigaraki looked like a lunatic, laughing to himself and presumably patting his own back for this 'operation'.

"Nomu, kill him!"

And they were off, both clashing in a resounding boom as their fists met. 

It didn't flinch.

Kirishima did, though.

"Did that thing just deflect All Might's entire attack?!"

Midoriya held his unconscious carer closer to his chest.

All Might seemed a little shocked himself.

He let out a hearty laugh, despite the circumstances, and continued throwing and dodging punches at alarming speeds.

Their momentum was blasting gusts of wind in all directions, and Midoriya found himself huddling closer to the ground to avoid being blown away.

All Might caught the Nomu around the waist mid-air and slammed it into the ground-

Midoriya saw Kurogiri blink out of sight for a split second.

A portal ripped itself open under the brawling superpowers, and in the span of one second, All Might lost the upper hand.

The Nomu's arm emerged from another portal, gripping the hero's side.

Blood

Blood, blood, blood.

Midoriya had seldom seen heroes bleed, but seeing All Might, the Symbol of Peace, Number One Hero extraordinaire, bleed snapped him back into the moment like a rubber band.

He was aware of his mentor, bleeding and definitely concussed (if only that), in his arms. He was aware of the temperature as it dropped, ice tearing up the ground as it wrapped around the Nomu. He was aware of Bakugou and Kirishima shouting, begging All Might to win. He was aware of Todoroki kneeling next to him, applying a thin layer of ice to Aizawa's injured head, far more gently than Midoriya had expected.

He was aware of All Might, who just got to witness the Nomu's horrific ability to regrow limbs.

"Strength and regrowth? What kind of quirk do you even have?"

All Might was angry, and Midoriya realised that the blond didn't know that the Nomu wasn't human.

Or if it was, it hadn't been in a long time.

"Don't bother talking to my cheat code, it can't respond...anymore."

Midoriya was aware that he really, really wanted to knock Shigaraki's teeth out.

"Super strength, super speed, shock absorption and super healing. My Nomu was created just for you, just to beat you!"

"Shock absorption, huh? Not shock nullification. That means all I have to do is overwhelm that quirk!"

They were throwing punches faster than the eye could see, or ever hope to follow.

They were hit, very suddenly, with an insane amount of wind. It was almost too much to bear, but with an injured (but breathing) Aizawa in his arms and Todoroki creating a blockade of ice, he soldiered on.

The ground around the two brawling bruisers split with the shock of their strength.

They were meeting strength with strength, fire with fire.

Midoriya was starting to worry that they'd reached a stalemate. An impasse. A juxtaposition, if you will.

But then, All Might was moving a fraction faster than his adversary. His punches landing rather than being blocked.

The Nomu wasn't able to keep up.

The number one rained down a storm of attacks relentlessly, never once stopping. Even when it was clear he was being tired out. Even when Midoriya could've sworn he saw the man spitting blood.

"You put up a worthy fight, but,"

All Might planted his feet.

"You forgot one thing, heroes will always surpass their own limits!"

He pulled his fist back, readying for one final, almighty punch-

"UA's motto, I'm sure you've heard it. Go beyond,"

He landed a bone-snapping uppercut right to the Nomu's jaw.

"PLUS ULTRA!"

It soared upwards, bent in half at the waist. It flew and flew, up and up until it smashed through the uppermost ceiling of the facility.

Only, it didn't stop there. It split the clouds around it, until it was completely out of sight.

The blasts of wind died down, and Midoriya looked at All Might again. He appeared from a cloud of smoke once more. He stood, his shirt bloodied and torn, his lip stained rouge with his own blood.

He held a fist to his chest, triumphant, before turning back to Shigaraki and Kurogiri.

"So, who's next?"

Shigaraki looked like he was fit to have an aneurysm. Kurogiri wasn't responding.

"No, no, no, no, no!"

The Handy Man was working himself into a bigger panic.

"First, you don't show. Next, my unbeatable pawn isn't able to kill a single student, and then you fucking ruined my fun by blasting it to kingdom come!"

Midoriya's eyes were on All Might's back. He was still smoking. The steam(?) Was rolling off him in coils.

Why was he still smoking?

"But I'll make this whole stupid thing worth it,"

Midoriya knew what was about to happen.

"I'll do what I came here to fucking do,"

Midoriya (carefully) dumped Aizawa in Todoroki's arms, and was on his feet in a second, sprinting towards All Might and Shigaraki.

"I'm going to KILL YOU!"

Shigaraki practically dived for All Might as Midoriya ignored the screams of his classmates behind him.

All Might hadn't moved yet. Midoriya knew he wasn't one for drawing out fights if he could avoid it.

'He must be getting weaker.'

He ran and in an instant he was beside All Might, and Shigaraki was reaching for him and-

And he realised, he had no plan.

He aimed a kick for the other's arm, hoping to deflect the attack, but purple, swirling gas proved that as pointless. His leg breezed through, coming out off somewhere to the left.

Shigaraki was practically on top of them and Midoriya was unbalanced and All Might wasn't moving yet and fuck fuck fuck-

A gunshot.

Shigaraki screamed and clutched his hand to his chest.

Two more bullets followed, lodging in his shoulder and thigh, before Kurogiri teleported them both out.

Midoriya landed on his ass, panting with fire in his lungs.

He looked to the entrance of the USJ. A hero with a literal gun, Snipe he thinks, was still aimed to fire. Iida was standing proud, chest puffed up as pro heroes bustled in after him.

Midoriya watched Shinsou and Kaminari be brought in from the flood zone. He watched Uraraka smiling with relief, and Todoroki handing Aizawa over to Hizashi.

He saw All Might cough blood. 

The smoke was rolling off him tenfold.

"Woah, are you okay? I'm like sixty per cent sure they brought Recovery Girl, so I can go find her or something?"

The blond hunched over, coughing and coughing. It was wet and pained and it made Midoriya cringe.

He was reminded, briefly, of his own health taking a turn in Aperture. Almost everything in Aperture could give you upwards of eight deadly diseases, be it from the radioactivity of the tech to the lead in the air and walls. 

He'd been sick, and Glados hadn't understood.

She kept testing him, kept him awake for far longer than what was needed, because she didn't understand. 

She'd finally let up when he collapsed one day, out of the blue. He had felt like he was dying. Aches, pains, unbearable tightness in his chest. 

He still thinks he had a heart attack or something. Glados never said anything about it afterwards. Considering how often she used his failures as insults, it was unsettling.

He had woken up in the pod he was kept in, before he was upgraded to a bed.

His chest constricted at the memory.

He tuned back in to the moment.

"I'm fine, my boy. You should check in with your friends."

Midoriya blanched.

"Huh? No, I can't leave you like this. You can barely stand by yourself."

"Young Midoriya, please,"

He broke into another coughing fit, still smoking.

"Please, I will be fine, just get going."

He didn't want to leave him like that. But...

He took a step backwards, and another.

"Okay, but I'm sending Recovery Girl your way."

He got a thumbs up, and he was sprinting back towards the entrance.

"Midoriya! Bro, are you okay? That was crazy!"

Kirishima was just, presumably, running to where he had been.

When they caught up with each other, Midoriya gripped the red head's arms for balance.

"Woah, woah, take a second. That was really intense, are you doing okay?"

"I, I think so? I just. I need to see Aizawa, is he okay?"

Kirishima pulled one of his arms around his own shoulders, letting Midoriya lean on him for balance as they walked back to the entrance.

"Last I saw, Present Mic took him to an ambulance out front. I think they've left already. Todoroki seemed shaken, in his own weird way. You might want to check up on him, dudebro."

Midoriya nodded, all the energy draining from him at once. He slumped further against Kirishima as they walked.

"Midoriya! Are you okay?"

Shinsou ran to meet them, Kaminari in tow.

"I'm okay, just exhausted. What about you? I saw you were on the boat."

Midoriya didn't comment, but with the blood running from Shinsou's nose and Kaminari standing guiltily beside him, he pieced together that Shinsou may have been using his quirk for way longer than he should have on more people than he was used to.

"I'm fine, just need a quick power coma and I'll be good as new."

Midoriya, despite his maddening drowsiness and headache, snorted.

The four exited the Unforseen Simulation Joint and he took a deep breath of fresh air, taking in the blue sky and bright sun, as if they all weren't just in danger of losing their lives.

Midoriya was seen to by a faceless paramedic, but given his lack of injuries the most they could do was give him a drink rich in electrolytes and a shock blanket.

He was sitting with Uraraka, Iida and Tsuyu in silence, none of them knowing what to say.

He caught a glimpse of Todoroki, talking to some detective or another. They made eye contact.

"I'll be back in a minute."

He followed Todoroki, who lead him away from the commotion outside the facility.

They stared at each other.

And stared.

Midoriya wasn't going to start the conversation first, and given the look Todoroki was giving him, it wasn't a pleasant conversation coming.

Finally, Todoroki broke the silence.

"That was incredibly stupid of you."

Midoriya rolled his eyes.

"You could have died."

"So?"

Todoroki faltered. 

"What?"

"I said, 'so?'. I knew the risk when I ran in there. I stopped that thing from killing our teacher. You helped me. You helped All Might. Why bother waste time with 'what ifs'"

His voice was as flat as he felt. He felt like he'd been scraped raw. His throat was burning. He was tired.

He wanted to go home.

Todoroki stared at him for another second.

"You did save him. And you helped All Might. I'm not denying that. You should have cared more about your own safety. Your disregard of self preservation is alarming."

Midoriya wrapped the blanket closer around himself.

"Is that all you wanted to talk about? I was worried about you, but if you're only going to give me grief-"

Todoroki reached out like he was going to grab him, but the movement was aborted and he gave up halfway through, letting his hand drop to his side.

"You were worried for me?"

Midoriya stared at him.

"You looked scared, and I wanted to help. I'm sorry if my actions caught you off guard."

Todoroki nodded once.

"I'm not sure what to make of you, Midoriya. You don't fit my initial impression of you in the slightest."

Midoriya snorted.

"Thanks. Come on, let's go sit with the others."

Todoroki looked like he wanted to disagree, but one sharp eye from Midoriya later, he was walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

And so they sat, along with the rest of their classmates, in a circle on the road.

Who could've possibly guessed the day would go the way it had.

Chapter Text

"Midoriya?" 

He tilted his head to Todoroki, whose voice broke the timid silence that fell over the group sitting on the cold, unforgiving pavement. 

"I couldn't help but notice that you didn't use any of your portals during the fight. Why didn't you teleport out of the confrontation with the Nomu?" 

Shinsou settled beside him, watching Todoroki closely. 

"Well...it's kind of hard to explain." 

That got the group's attention. Midoriya knew he wasn't ready to spill the whole truth, but maybe he could start with a bit of it. 

Iida finished his carton of orange juice and sat up straight. 

"Midoriya, please know that you aren't required to tell us anything that makes you uncomfortable." 

Uraraka threw him a tired smile. 

"Yeah! We're here for you, whenever you're ready." 

The boy smiled to himself, sighing. 

"My portal guns, or just...my hands I guess, haven't been working properly for a few days. Since the heroes and villains training, actually." 

Eyebrows were thrown up. Surprise evident on most faces. Todoroki remained deadpan. 

"Kaminari shocked me, and I passed out. I think he did something to my circuits. It's nothing fatal or life changing, I can still use them, but...on occasion they will malfunction. It's unpredictable and it's irritating, but I have spoken to a Support student. She's been looking into it for me." 

Shinsou laid a hand on his shoulder. Midoriya hadn't taken him for the physically affectionate type. 

Tsuyu put a finger on her chin. 

"Yeah, kero, it makes sense that you wouldn't risk it. You didn't tell anyone else?" 

Todoroki looked away. 

"You should have told me that in the landslide zone. I didn't know you were fighting with reduced power. That makes your actions even more dangerous." 

Midoriya pursed his lips. 

"It's not like it would've made a difference. I can't use portals on surfaces unless they contain some amount of basalt. It's an annoying design choice, but what exactly can I do about it?" 

Iida leaned back minutely. 

"Basalt. Of course, the central plaza was entirely soil and earth. The only form of basalt I can think of is concrete. The fountain?" 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

"It has to be a certain size, one I have no control over." 

The taller boy nodded to himself, scratching his chin. His helmet was sitting off to one side. 

Uraraka cleared her throat. 

"Annoying design choice? That's a funny way to put it. My quirk makes me really sick if I use it too much...but I'd call that more of a limitation or a drawback than design choice. You sure are interesting, huh?" 

Midoriya wasn't expecting that. He didn't think his phrasing was weird. Was it? 

'I'm going to have to be more careful, unless I want to deal with every possible question under the sun.' 

He laughed it off. 

Shinsou nudged him. 

"I don't understand why you didn't tell your buddy over there that your quirk isn't working. You could've been overpowered easily without your portals and stuff." 

The green haired boy pondered the sentiment briefly. Had it mattered in the end? Not really...but it could have ended a lot worse. 

'I know I told Todoroki not to focus on the 'what ifs'...but I need to plan ahead. This isn't the same as the facility. This isn't a simulation designed to further science. This isn't a test. I need to think now.' 

"I didn't think. It's not like me, but the consequences didn't compute in my head. It could've gotten me killed. I'll be more careful." 

Shinsou smacked his back. 

"None of that, we're out, we're safe. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." 

Midoriya threw him a half smile. 

*** 

"Recovery Girl? Is there any chance I could see him now?" 

The old hero pitied him. The look on her face. The slight downturn of the corners of her mouth. It made him feel like a child, and he didn't appreciate it. 

"I'm sorry sonny, but he hasn't woken up yet. You know he needs all the energy he can get if I'm to use my quirk. Yamada should be here soon, you can wait with him." 

He sighed and fell back into his chair. He pulled out his phone, ignoring all messages except for Inko's. After sending a quick response, he resolved to visit her as soon as he could. 

"Izuku! Sorry, little listener, the detective had me answering more questions than I knew what to do with. Any news on Shouta?" 

Present Mic landed on the seat beside him, patting him on the shoulder. He smiled reassuringly. 

"Recovery Girl finished operating on him around an hour ago. He hasn't woken up yet, but she said that it's good he's getting rest." 

"Can we go in?" 

"No. Sorry. She told me to wait for you here." 

He clapped his back once before pushing the boy's bangs out of his eyes. 

"Izuku, do you want to talk about it?" 

He looked away, towards the door again. No time like the present. 

"It was horrific. They had a teleporter that separated us into the zones. Todoroki and I were together in the landslide zone." 

Hizashi nodded gently, encouraging him. 

"We were attacked, but they weren't very skilled fighters. I'd guess pawns at best. One of them told us the main guy had a beast. A 'cheat code'. When we reached the plaza, I saw Aizawa fighting off a mob by himself." 

The blond gave him a waning smile. 

"The main guy shredded his elbow, his quirk, I'd guess. The skin just...disintegrated. Dust. The beast, it was terrifying. It moved faster than I could follow. Beat Aizawa into the ground. I just hope he was knocked out...I'd hate it if he was fully conscious that whole time." 

Midoriya was pulled into a side hug. He leaned into it, sighing shakily. Present Mic costume or no, the man gave great hugs. 

"Anything else? The details have escaped me." 

Midoriya snorted into his shoulder. 

"I kinda...lost it. Ran in without a second thought. The main guy, Shigaraki, had the beast go after me. Looking back, I guess instincts took over, because I have no idea how I managed to avoid being crushed." 

Hizashi hadn't known that detail. He didn't outwardly react. 

"Shigaraki tried using his quirk on me, I was dodging as much as possible, but that damn fountain. I fell. I made a stupid mistake and it could have cost me my life. If All Might hadn't arrived...Hizashi I'm so sorry." 

Midoriya reached around the man, turning the half hug into a proper one. Present Mic rested his chin on the boy's fluffy hair. 

The door opened. 

"He woke up. He demanded I allow you both in. Please make it quick, he needs to sleep." 

They were on their feet in seconds, rushing to Eraser's side. 

He was bandaged practically from head to toe. He breathed out softly in relief at the sight of a bandage-less kid. 

Mic's hands hovered over him awkwardly. 

"You can touch him, just don't aggravate any injuries please." 

The blond gently wrapped his arms around his husband. 

Midoriya felt like he was intruding on their moment. He averted his eyes. 

Aizawa's gruff voice startled him. 

"Kid, come here. Are you okay?" 

Midoriya rounded his bed, lowering himself onto the edge as softly as possible. 

"I'm fine. Not really okay, but I could ask you the same. How are you under that mound of gauze?" 

Aizawa's face was mostly obscured buy bandages and Hizashi's long hair, but the look in his eyes put Midoriya at ease. 

"Is the class okay?" 

"Bumps and bruises. More shaken mentally than anything else." 

The living mummy nodded once. His eyes flickered to the blond above him. 

"Aizawa. You didn't answer my question. Are you okay?" 

"I'm a pro hero, Midoriya. I'm trained for these scenarios." 

The boy furrowed his brow, looking away. 

"That's not an answer." 

Hizashi nudged the man. He rolled his eyes. 

"I'm in some pain, nothing I can't handle, so don't worry about it." 

"Can't handle? You shouldn't have to handle it. I know you're a pro, but damn it, All Might was supposed to be there. Thirteen was there. There were twenty fresh faced newbies, we don't have any experience in dealing with criminals. I don't have any experience in dealing with people. That shouldn't have happened." 

Hizashi and Aizawa shared a look. 

"Kid, take a breath. It's fine. All Might was preoccupied saving people and overshot his timetable. Thirteen is a rescue hero, but they know what they're doing. You are new, yes. You are students, yes. But you're all training to be heroes. You're going to have to fight villains and it's not going to be easy." 

Midoriya stood up, pacing in frustration. 

"I know that. I know that I will have to fight, but that isn't supposed to be for another three years! I have learned nothing yet. None of us have." 

"Your classmates will have to adjust to their new lifestyle. You all have a lot to learn. Forming emotional attachments this early on is irrational." 

"Irrational? You're their teacher. You're supposed to be there for them. And me." 

"They need me to teach them what will keep them alive when they graduate, Midoriya. I don't see how I could have such an impact on you all. I've had plenty of classes before and this has never been an issue." 

"Because you mean something to them! They care about you and you're completely overlooking their feelings! How do you think they'd react if their teacher died?! How can you be so...so nonchalant?" 

The boy distantly realised he was basically giving his carer an earful on the exact topic Todoroki gave him earlier that day. Aizawa didn't respond. Midoriya felt himself go cold. 

"I'm sorry. I'm frustrated, and I'm taking it out on you. I'll...I'll leave you to it Hizashi." 

He made to leave the room. 

"Izuku-" 

"I'm fine. I'll be outside." 

He let the door close behind him. 

** 

"Midoriya? Detective Tsukauchi, I helped Aizawa with your case?" 

Midoriya looked up from the waiting 'room' seats. It was only a few chairs, the same as their classroom's, lined up along the wall leading to Recovery Girl's office. 

"Tsukauchi, yeah I remember you. It's good to see you again. What can I do for you?" 

The man sat a seat down from him. He pulled out a notebook, a voice recorder and his laptop. 

"I've been tasked with getting the student testimonies. If you're feeling up to it, do you mind if I ask a few questions?" 

Midoriya sank into his seat. Might as well get comfortable. 

"Go ahead, I'll answer as best as I can." 

"Perfect, thank you. Firstly, can you describe what happened when you arrived at the Unforseen Simulation Joint?" 

Midoriya glanced at the voice recorder. 

"Well, when we walked in, Thirteen and Ai-Eraserhead started going over...something. To be honest, I'm not really sure what they said, I was distracted. You are aware of my 'circumstances', my intuition rarely fails me. I just wasn't sure what to be on the lookout for." 

Tsukauchi gave him an encouraging nod. 

"A black and purple mist materialised out of nowhere, and I'd say a few hundred people appeared from it. The main guy, he was called Shigaraki Tomura by Kurogiri, the mist man, had a beast with him. The Nomu. It was horrifying, it could move faster than the eye could see and went toe to toe with All Might longer than anyone else I've seen." 

Tsukauchi paused in his writing. 

"Some of your classmates reported that you fought off this creature. Is that true?" 

Midoriya looked away from the detective's intense stare. 

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. The Nomu had beaten down Eraserhead. I moved without thinking, and I ended up in a confrontation with the main guy and his superpowered pawn. I was mostly dodging, I barely did anything. Except maybe buy All Might enough time to arrive." 

Tsukauchi rested his hands on his briefcase. 

"Midoriya, that was incredibly brave of you to run in like you did to save your teacher. And you sustained no injuries?" 

Midoriya snorted. 

"Mental, maybe. But I'm fine. Yeah. Fine."

He couldn't decipher the look the detective threw his way. Either way, he didn't want to look any further. He didn't want the detective to look any further. 

"Can you tell me anything you found out about the villains that attacked your class?" 

"Well...most of them struck me as unskilled or canon fodder. Todoroki and I were dropped in the landslide zone, and between the two of us kids, not one of the thirty odd intruders there laid a finger on us. Their main motivation seemed to be ending All Might, but they acted as more of a distraction than anything else." 

Tsukauchi's pen ripped across the page of his notebook. 

"It was strange, the leader threw a hissy fit when All Might didn't show, and yet the attack felt so...coordinated. They knew when we would be there, and they knew All Might was supposed to be assisting the rescue training. They knew to scatter us because, even though we're untrained, it would be a nightmare to fight twenty students who managed to get into the UA hero course. They even knew who Eraserhead was..." 

Tsukauchi didn't look up from his notebook. 

"It makes me wonder if an official document of some kind was leaked. Or stolen." 

Midoriya scratched his neck. 

"Anyway, Shigaraki was the one giving orders, but I find it hard to believe he orchestrated that whole thing by himself. He also had some kind of disintegration power, Aizawa's elbow crumbled when he held it. Touch activated maybe. Kurogiri was the teleporter. He was way more in control than Shigaraki, but he went along with everything the other said. As for the Nomu? I honestly don't know. It didn't react when it saw Todoroki and me, but it attacked me when Shigaraki told it to. I assume it doesn't have conscious thought, but I could be wrong." 

Tsukauchi finished his scribbling and shut his notebook with a flick. 

"Anything else you'd like to say on record?" 

"No." 

"Alright, thank you Midoriya. This information will help us immensely." 

"Of course." 

Tsukauchi clicked the voice recorder off. He looked at the door to Recovery Girl's office. 

"So, how's Aizawa doing?" 

Midoriya looked down at his feet. 

"He's fine. Just as stubborn as ever. He'll probably be in a cast for a few weeks though." 

The detective nodded one last time, before making his exit. 

Midoriya followed him with his eyes. When the man turned a corner, he pulled out his phone. 

He responded to Shinsou and Uraraka's messages, the same general questions. He sighed. 

His phone buzzed in his hands. 

Inko. 

Before he could think about it, he hit 'call'. 

Holding the phone to his ear, he realised that it was probably a stupid idea. She was probably busy. Only enough time to shoot a message. He shut his eyes, squeezing his phone tighter. 

"Hello? Are you okay, Izuku?" 

He sniffed once, breathing deeply. 

"I think so. Can you...talk? I think I need a distraction." 

She chuckled lightly. Midoriya could feel himself brightening up. 

"Of course. I can tell you all about my day! I had a half day at work, so I went over to an old friend of mine's." 

Midoriya lingered on her every word. He hummed every few minutes to let her know he was listening. Her voice was so familiar. So comforting.  He wanted to be near her, just to feel the ring of light that seemed to follow her everywhere. Midoriya Inko had lost the light of her life, and yet she still brought so much light to others. 

He raised a faux finger to his eye, wiping away tears that never clouded his vision. 

The white of the hall was suddenly uncomfortably familiar. The plain, plastic seats and the plain, white doors. 

So clean, pristine. 

It was suffocating. 

Midoriya lifted himself up from the now unbearable chair, tripping over himself to reach the exit. 

Once his feet landed on the paved paths just outside the school doors, he realised that Inko was still talking. 

"Inko? Sorry to cut you off...can I come over? I really don't want to be at school right now." 

She stalled in the middle of her sentence. 

"Oh! Of course, come right over. Do you want me to call Aizawa or Yamada?" 

"No. No...I'll tell them. Thank you." 

Midoriya could picture her soft smile. 

"It's absolutely fine. I'll see you soon!" 

Midoriya hung up the phone, only hesitating for a second before sending a text to Hizashi about where he was going. 

*** 

A short walk and a train ride away, he was standing at Inko's doorstep. Midoriya knew it was rude of him to intrude on her evening like he was, but he has nowhere else to turn. 

He knocked thrice in succession. 

The gentle patter of steps reached his ears before the door was opened. There she stood, going about her day perfectly normally. Midoriya envied it. 

"Come in! Can I get you something to drink?" 

"No, thank you. I'm fine." 

Fine. He'd been saying that a lot. 

She sat across from him, giving him a quick once-over. 

"Is everything okay?" 

He crumbled, folding over on himself. 

He distantly heard her cry out some exclamation. 

He was shaking with the force of his sobs. It was like a rubber band being pulled and pulled and pulled until it just snaps. 

He felt her tentatively wrap him up in a blanket and a hug, gently cradling the back of his head. 

He leaned into her shoulder, idly feeling guilty about the growing wet patch on her cardigan. 

"Deep breaths, can you try to follow my breathing? In and out, nice and slowly. I'm here, you can tell me whatever you'd like to." 

Once he could finally breathe normally again, he picked himself up and sat back on her couch. She didn't move from her seat beside him. 

"I'm sorry. I-my class was attacked today. I doubt it's made the news yet. We were off campus, but Aizawa was there, Thirteen was there. But there were so many of them and they hurt him but he doesn't care." 

The look on her face immediately made him feel even worse about dumping his emotional baggage on her. 

She grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him into another hug. 

"I'm so sorry that happened to you all. What's going on with Aizawa? That sounds unlike him." 

Midoriya sighed. 

"I don't know...he's always going on about rationality and all that, but he's so stubborn and I just. I don't know, he got really hurt today and he brushed me off for being concerned." 

She patted his hair, nodding. 

"I see, and do you know why he acted the way he did?" 

Midoriya scoffed. 

"No, he hardly ever talks about himself. I asked him if he was okay and he ignored the question. And the last time we had a row, it was Hizashi that had to clue me in to the fact that he's been through a lot." 

"Maybe you should talk to him? I know he's closed off but he probably has a reason to be. He cares about you, Izuku. I find it hard to believe that he's acting without good reason, and while that doesn't make it okay, it might clear a few things up for you?" 

Midoriya nodded into her shoulder. 

"I'm sorry, it was wrong of me to unload all my shit on you." 

He blanched when he though over his words. 

She only giggled. 

"I don't mind, I'm grateful you trust me with this." 

He looked at her for a moment. 

"Inko? I think...I think I need to talk to someone." 

She raised her eyebrows. 

"Oh?" 

"Like...a professional. I promised you I'd think about it, and I think. It couldn't hurt, anyway." 

She smiled softly at him. 

"Would you like me to recommend people? I meet a lot of counsellors as a nurse." 

He thought it over. 

"Yeah. I'd like that." 

They stayed chatting for some time, only disrupted by a call from Hisashi. 

After a few hours, Midoriya decided he was probably over staying his welcome. They said their goodbyes, and exchanged a short hug. 

Midoriya shut the door behind him, turning to leave. 

He took a single step before realised there was another person there. 

He looked up from his sneakers, making immediate eye contact with Bakugou Katsuki. 

"Oh shit." 

The blond eyed him warily. 

"The fuck are you doing here?" 

Midoriya's brain stalled. 

"I uh...know Inko." 

Bakugou's glare got so much more intense. 

"I fuckin guessed that, dumbass. How do you know her." 

It wasn't a question. More like a demand. Midoriya, very briefly, wanted to be petty, but that probably wouldn't lead to anything good. 

"We're related. I've been visiting sometimes." 

That caused something to shift in the other's face. 

"Of fucking course you are." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

Bakugou rolled his eyes and shouldered past him. 

"I know about Akatani." 

The blond stopped dead in his tracks. He glared over his shoulder at him. 

"You told me you blame yourself, and for the longest time, I couldn't figure out what you meant. But...I think I'm starting to get it." 

The blond scoffed. 

"You don't know jack shit, don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." 

Midoriya's blood turned to ice. He let any emotions he was feeling vanish. 

"You think my family isn't my 'business'." 

His voice was deadpan, completely and utterly cold. 

Bakugou's eyebrows twitched. 

"No, I-don't twist my fucking words! You fuckin appeared only a few shitty months after the bastard died, and then you kept showing up everywhere I went. I thought I was losing my damn mind, the Sludge villain, the final exams, UA. It's like I'm being PUNISHED." 

Midoriya watched him, let him gather his thoughts. 

Bakugou huffed. 

"I don't know you. I had no reason to attack you the way I did during the heroes and villains thing. My therapist said I have to take accountability for my stupid actions, so I've been visiting Auntie and shit. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay. I should probably apologise to you though. I should've noticed that I made you so uncomfortable and stayed out of your way. So, I'm sorry." 

Bakugou looked anywhere but at him. 

"Yeah, whatever." 

Midoriya threw him a lopsided smile. 

"We may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but you're a passionate guy. I hope my presence doesn't become a detriment to your therapy. But...I think I'd like to be your friend, Bakugou." 

Red eyes met his briefly, before moving again. 

"Yeah well, don't expect jack shit, I don't need your pity." 

"I don't pity you, I'm being sympathetic." 

"You are being pathetic, yeah." 

Midoriya snorted. Bakugou rolled his eyes. 

"I'll see you in school. I hope you're doing okay after everything that happened today." 

Midoriya thought of the pure horror on the blond's face when the Nomu tried to attack him. 

Bakugou looked in the middle distance. 

"I should be saying that to you, dumbass. The way you fought off that villain was impressive, but I'll still beat your ass." 

The green haired boy raised an eyebrow. 

"Sure, well...see you around?" 

Bakugou turned back to Inko's door. 

Midoriya walked home. 

*** 

"Hizashi? Aizawa?" 

Midoriya, upon arriving home, was met by the attention seeking love of his life, Chonk. She seemed aware of his turbulent emotions, and rubbed up against his legs purring. 

Hizashi stuck his head our from the kitchen. His hair was still gelled and styled. 

"Izuku! I wasn't sure what time you'd be home. How was Inko? Are you okay?" 

Midoriya steadied himself. 

"She was okay, and I will be. Is Aizawa home tonight or is he staying with Recovery Girl?" 

"He's in our room, she cleared him to go home but he's still head to toe in bandages." 

Speak of the devil, Aizawa ambled into the sitting room, still mostly bandaged. 

"I'm fine, she was being paranoid." 

Midoriya watched him for a minute. 

"Aizawa, I want to talk to you about earlier." 

The man's eyes were the only bits of his face visible, but Midoriya got the feeling he was raising his eyebrows. 

"Shoot, kid." 

"You brushed off my concerns today and it made me angry. I want to know why." 

Hizashi closed the door to the kitchen. 

"Why? There's nothing to concern yourself with. Like I said, pros are trained for this sort of thing. I'm fine." 

Fine. 

Midoriya was starting to hate that word. 

"Aizawa, you are bandaged from head to toe. I saw what happened, I know the Nomu beat you down. It kept up with All Might for longer than anyone else I've ever seen. You're going to sit there and tell me that that was something you were prepared for." 

There was a glint of something in Aizawa's eyes. 

"Preparedness isn't something quantifiable, Midoriya. Obviously being injured isn't desirable, but as a pro I've been injured many times over. It comes with the territory." 

Midoriya held eye contact with him for a second. 

"You know what, I think you're being irrational, Aizawa. Your quirk isn't suited to fighting large groups, yet you jumped in without waiting for backup. You had your elbow shredded by Handy Mandy, and you didn't employ the help of absolutely anyone. I had to jump in to stop the Nomu from bashing your skull in. So I think I reserve the right to be concerned." 

Midoriya heard Hizashi snort from the kitchen. Aizawa rolled his eyes. 

"Pros have to run into situations that don't suit them all the time, how is this any different?" 

"You had twenty hero students and a rescue hero with you. If the teleporter hadn't scattered us all so quickly I might have been able to get us out of there with my portals, that is, if they decided to work with me." 

Aizawa blinked. 

"Your portals aren't working?" 

"That was a bit of an exaggeration." 

"You ran in without portals? Do you have any idea how reckless that was?" 

Midoriya glared. 

"You don't get to lecture me on recklessness. I'm working with a Support student to figure out what's wrong. Aizawa, I'm allowed to worry about you. As much as you think you're above it, you need people who care about you as much as I do. Let me be concerned. Let me feel these emotions. I don't pity you, I respect you. Seeing you hurt makes me upset, so let me express that, please. Let me care." 

Aizawa stared at him for a long minute. 

"...fine. I'm sorry, Midoriya." 

"Izuku. Please call me Izuku." 

Even though his face was mostly obscured, Midoriya got the sense that he was smiling. 

"Okay. Goodnight, Izuku."

Chapter Text

Midoriya was falling again, only...the sensation was different. He could hear someone talking, but he could only see the rushing walls fly past him. The occasional sign that was gone before he could read them.

He shifted in his descent, only he had nothing to move this time.

He tried, aimlessly, to move a hand, an arm, a leg. Nothing.

He felt himself spin once more, and this time a figure came into view. Also falling, a bright orange jumpsuit.

Brown hair.

An Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. It was a much more primitive version of what he had been sporting. Held in a single hand, awfully heavy. Looking down the operational end of the device could end in burned retinas at best and brain damage at worst.

A lot of Aperture Science technology could cause brain damage, now that he was thinking about it. The cool blue Emancipation Grills could liquidate your eardrums. The Hard-Light Bridges could set your hair on fire. The lasers could...well it's pretty obvious.

Needless to say, Aperture was not somewhere you would want to be if you were looking for comfort.

Midoriya clued back in when he heard the voice again.

"How are you doing? Because I'm a potato!"

It took him a hot second to realise the voice, Glados' voice, was coming from him.

He was in a potato.

More pressingly, he was Glados.

"Could you maybe take off one of those Aperture Science Long-Fall boots and stick me in it? Just be sure to land on one foot..."

Midoriya watched on as they fell, the girl looking him in the eye(Camera? Sensor?).

She was there before him in all her glory.

Who else could it be but Chell, the one who defeated Glados by herself, and escaped the facility.

With how Wheatley spoke of Potato-Glados, and the mysterious, mute Chell, Midoriya could only assume he was staring at the myth, the one from the stories.

...the one in the creepy art Midoriya once found behind a misplaced panel. Depicting both her, the portal gun and Glados holding cake.

He never knew how those drawings got there. Never got the opportunity to ask anyone. Alongside the empty cans of beans and the radios, Midoriya came to the realisation that someone was hiding within the walls of Aperture Science while Chell was active.

How this ghost of a person managed to hide from Glados and all of her security? He had no idea, but you had to respect that kind of determination.

He awoke with a startle, as he prepared to hit the ground. Mashed potatoes.

'Ha, suck it, Glados.'

He threw off his sheets, greeting Rhett and Wheatley.

"Hello-o."

"Good morning! How're you feeling, alright? I'm doing mighty fine myself, actually. You didn't ask, sorry, but y'know, I thought I'd say. In case you were curious."

Midoriya smiled and got ready for school.

He ignored the sight of Shouta, still heavily bandaged, attempting to take a sip of his coffee.

***

"Hatsume? Are you there?"

Midoriya poked his head into the Support labs later that morning. He'd been meaning to talk to her, preferably with good news about the state of his hands.

"One second! Wait there, I'll be out in a few!"

He had no idea where in the lab she was, her voice was bouncing around the room so much she could have been literally anywhere.

He strolled in, nodding to some of the other support students that he had been acquainted with after all of his visits. He stopped by Hatsume's workspace, eyes locking on the massive tarp that had been haphazardly thrown over a pile of...something.

Curious, he made his way over to it. From the outside, it was just a pile of assorted tech probably. As for why it was there in the first place? Still a mystery.

He crouched, pulling up the tarp by one of the corners. Yep, piles of inventions, and good quality stuff too. He went to draw it back further when Hatsume decided that scaring the shit out of him mere days after a brutal attack on his class was a good idea.

"NO, LEAVE IT!"

He flinched so hard he fell back out of his crouch, grunting when his tailbone slammed into the hard flooring.

She emerged from some nook in the lab, covered in enough soot to make a chimney sweep look clean.

"Hey, Greenie! Sorry I spooked ya, but this is top secret tech under here! I've been working 'round the clock to have the best babies to show off! The Sports Festival couldn't be coming at a better time, I've been so inspired lately, partially thanks to the weird-ass problems you've been coming to me about. The absolute best investors in the industry are invited every year, and I plan on securing a delicious deal!"

Midoriya blinked.

"A sports festival? Huh, I didn't think a day of activity would be something you'd be interested in."

Hatsume stared at him like he'd said the sky was beige or water wasn't wet.

Like he was stupid, basically.

"Back up, huh?"

He glanced to the side, trying to think if he'd said anything outlandish or weird.

"Just...I didn't take you for a sporty person, and what does your tech have to do with this?"

She kept staring.

"I honestly can't tell if you're being serious or not."

His face pinched in confusion.

"Serious about what? Sports festivals are just not my thing, I was never really into that kind of thing as a kid."

"The UA Sports Festival."

"...yeah?"

"As in the Sports Festival that's streamed in the hundred-millions internationally, costs a small fortune to see in person, where all the heroes go to scout sidekicks and all the tech giants go to scout engineers. Where all the classes have equal opportunities to show off to the whole fucking world. That Sports Festival?"

Midoriya had a mild suspicion that he was missing something.

"Yeah?"

She practically baulked at him.

"You're serious. You are actually serious. What the hell? How the genuine, actual, serious fuck have you never heard about it?"

Midoriya's brain blue screened.

"Uh...I, uh, don't follow pop culture?"

His 'smile' was so strained you'd swear he was in massive amounts of pain.

She looked incredulously at him.

"What the fuck?"

"I don't...know what to say?"

"You are honestly one of the most confusing people I've ever met."

He shrugged, trying to get her attention off of him for any amount of time.

"Uh...yeah. About my hands?"

She snapped out of it pretty quickly, despite her very obvious shock.

"Oh! Yeah, I think I've figured out the problem. Also, I don't know what kind of quirk you have that your hands contain so much data, but holy shit dude!"

He shrunk a little. She didn't seem to notice.

He was dragged back to her work space, both of his hands rested flat on the tabletop.

She typed her password into her computer, fingers tearing across the keyboard.

A few taps and clicks later, he was looking at what could only be described as an x-ray of his hands. The inside of his hands.

He stared, transfixed. There was so much going on. So much to see. Wires, overlapping and tangling endlessly. Circuit boards and complex systems he couldn't even hope to understand.

"It's crazy, some of the most detailed work I've ever seen."

She was staring just as intensely as he was. He could see the articulated joints, the pseudo bones and he could even see where machinery met flesh.

"Do you see what's causing the problem?"

She nodded, pointing to a single circuit board, one in each hand. If he looked close enough, he could see they were different from the rest, the only things that looked out of place.

"It has to be that. Everything else here...it's practically perfect. I can't believe that this just happened inside of you. Look, there's what looks like a little decal inside of your hand! How the hell did that get there, it's so cool!"

Midoriya didn't answer. He didn't even know what he could possibly say to answer that. That 'little decal' looked suspiciously like an aperture. As in, Apeture Science's logo. The idea that that might be permanently inside him made his stomach turn.

He swallowed.

"So, how do you fix it?"

She hummed.

"I can't say for certain. I don't think I'd be able to get in there with solder, it looks to delicate a job. I could try small shocks to see if it would realign itself, but it might hurt a bit.

He shrugged.

"If it'll get my portals working again, I couldn't care less how much it hurts."

She smiled, running off to grab whatever 'baby' she intended on using to fix it.

As it turned out, it didn't hurt. At all. Midoriya's issue is that it was probably supposed to.

He saw how Hatsume grimaced every time she clicked on the machine, clearly anticipating a pain-related reaction.

He didn't know if it would be better to pretend or to keep the same level of unresponsiveness.

He chose the latter.

After the fifth resounding shock, this one he actually felt shoot up his arms, she took the pseudo electrodes off of his palms, letting him flex his fingers.

He watched his hand contort and shift into a portal gun.

It certainly didn't feel worse, that's for sure. The fact that the last shock stung up to his shoulders probably meant he should have been reacting earlier, even just to let her know that he felt it.

He aimed at the wall, letting loose a blue portal.

It landed.

He cast the orange portal on the far wall.

The portals linked, snapping open.

"Thank fuck, they work."

Hatsume pulled out the same weird reader device she'd used before and scanned his arms forearm down.

After a brief computing break, new copies of the x-rays appeared on the monitor.

She zoomed in on the same circuit boards.

"They look good! I think they slotted back where they were supposed to be-see, if I compare the other scans to these ones-it's in a different position! Maybe double check they do everything they're supposed to, just to be sure."

He nodded, walking over to the portal. He stuck his hand through, watching it stick out on the other side of the room.

He let the portals shut, looking around for something the right size. Upon finding a box seat around two feet by two feet, he used a function he hadn't so much as thought about in months.

The box lifted up off the ground as if it were weightless. His hand-gun-whatever's gravity nullification was working fine. He watched, amused, as Hatsume reacted.

And boy did she react.

"WOAH, WHAT? HOLD ON I NEED MY NOTEBOOK!"

Before he could blink, he was sitting across from her as she fired questions at him.

"How does that function work? Does it cancel gravity or just work against it? Can you control the weight limit? Is it limited by time? Tell me EVERYTHING!"

"Woah, take a breath. I don't really know much about it, to he honest. It does have a weight limit, I'm just not sure what it is. As far as I know there's no time limit. Your question about the actual gravity side of it? I haven't the slightest idea. Sorry."

She scribbled the few answers he could give at a lightning pace.

"Incredible, why didn't you tell me you could do that? Is there anything else you can do?"

"Uh...my legs? I guess."

Her eyes snapped up to his with an intensity he wasn't expecting.

"Your legs?"

"Yeah. Shock absorption. I lack bones. I drank bone extracting juice."

She snorted.

"May I have a look?"

He pulled up the leg of his school pants. Her eyes trailed the lines of black against the stark white. The curves and edges of his prosthetics that let him stop a Nomu punch in one move.

"Shock absorption? Mind explaining that to me?"

"Sure, as long as I land on my feet, I can basically fall from any insane height you can think of. I've never reached it's upper limits, and trust me when I say I've looked for those limits."

"Fascinating, what happens to the absorbed kinetic energy?"

That gave him pause.

"I'm not sure, actually."

She held up her scanner again.

"May I?"

He nodded. After taking an internal photograph of his inhuman lower legs, she looked up at him again.

"I have an idea for your legs, but it would depend completely on my abilities as an inventor. I'll get back to you when I've run the numbers, but I think you'll like what I'm thinking of."

Midoriya snorted, smiling. The humour drained slowly as he noticed the bags under her eyes, after she took off her goggles.

"Hatsume, have you been sleeping enough? Eating meals that aren't instant 'flaming hot' noodles?"

"What? Hah, of course I've been eating better than that. Yesterday I drank two energy drinks for lunch!"

Midoriya blinked.

"You can't possibly have thought that's better than what I said."

She shrugged. Midoriya looked at the clock on his wall. Wheatley had been lightly teasing him about his constant checking of the clocks. Midoriya thought he was being diligent. Rhett betrayed him.

"Hey, I have to run, but I'll see you later? Please try to eat a vegetable."

She nodded, lying on top of the tarp covering her babies.

***
Midoriya threw open the door to the staff room without hesitation. Kayama gave him a smile and a wave despite his visible fury.

"Hizashi, Shouta, you sons of BITCHES."

Kayama proceeded to choke on her coffee, laughing.

A lanky man with wild blond hair watched on, very confused.

Snipe instinctively aimed his gun.

Hizashi poked his head up from the other side of the room. Shouta sat up on the couch, engulfed in his bandages and sleeping bag. Hizashi pouted.

"Hey, don't call my mother a bitch!"

"What the fuck is the 'sports festival' and why was I never told about it?"

Kayama positioned herself next to him, running a hand through his fringe.

"Oh-" "how did we never think of that?"

Hizashi snorted.

"Internationally acclaimed and praised televised event. The kids get to show their stuff and get attention early on."

"Why would UA broadcast a bunch of kids showing off their powers? Is that not, like, counterintuitive if criminals could happen upon that information?"

Aizawa shrugged.

"Maybe it doesn't make sense, but these games overtook the Olympics decades ago."

Midoriya felt the air leave his lungs.

"The OLYMPICS? I...how is that even possible?"

It dawned on the three adults, in that moment, that Midoriya had watched the Olympics in his day. And was probably astounded that it's popularity was overtaken by a high school sports festival.

Shouta cleared his throat.

"I'm honestly not sure, I guess people preferred to see quirks in action over genuine athletic abilities after quirk laws were passed. Over time, people probably just forgot about them."

Midoriya shrunk.

"That's...wildly disappointing."

Hizashi gave a crooked smile.

"Sorry little listener, that's probably a bit weird to hear. I can explain it if you want?"

Midoriya shrugged again.

"The Sports Festival has three main events, with an hour of fun and games between the second and third rounds. First event is usually an opportunity for the other class groups to show their abilities, the second round is usually a team game and the third round is always one-on-one fights.

"It's an important event in the school calendar because it's followed by the first year internships, and the pros watching can submit internship offers! Plus it's a great chance for students in Gen Ed to prove they deserve a spot in the Hero Course!"

Midoriya glanced over to Shouta, their conversation from months ago in Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall coming back into his head.

'If Gen Ed wasn't an option, I wouldn't have gone to UA.'

Huh, cool.

"That's really cool! Does that happen often?"

Hizashi shrunk.

"No, but it depends on the year. Sometimes students try for other Hero Schools if they fail the UA entrance exam, over entering Gen Ed. Like Shiketsu or Ketsubutsu."

Midoriya nodded.

"Man, this stuff never gets boring."

Kayama chuckled to herself, pulling him into a side hug.

"Problem Child, the bell is going to go soon, you should head to class."

He glanced to the clock in the room.

"Yeah, I don't want Iida yelling at me again for 'almost' being late."

Kayama released him, and he gave a nod to his guardians before leaving the way he came.

He ignored the feeling of eyes on him, he didn't want to think about it.

Midoriya didn't even try to hide his entrance. Iida, thankfully, was preoccupied asking Tokoyami to stop sitting on the tables.

"Revelry in the dark."

"Tokoyami! You've said that three times now and I'm still not sure what you mean! Would you please stop sitting on the desk?!"

The raven boy looked up from his clenched fist, meeting Iida's eye.

"Revelry in the dark."

Midoriya smiled lopsidedly as Shouji tried and failed to cover his laugh.

He walked to his seat with no issue, sending Bakugou a nod of acknowledgement.

The blond rolled his eyes, but raised a hand in a sort of half-assed wave.

Shinsou poked him in the back the second he sat down. Midoriya spun around and glared at him exaggeratedly. The insomniac stuck his tongue out at him.

Midoriya caught Todoroki's gaze. They shared a moment of eye contact before turning away simultaneously.

Uraraka smiled at him as she walked in after a few minutes, unfortunately being seen and admonished by Mr Class President.

Midoriya could feel the forced normality in the air as his classmates conversed and gossiped amongst themselves.

It was like they were actively trying to avoid thinking about the USJ.

Not that he blamed them.

He looked over his classmates again, noticing the occasional strained smile or forced laugh. Even Shinsou was staring at his hands pensively.

He also made eye contact with Bakugou.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Oi nerd, when the villain bastards attacked us, the muscular prick went after you."

Midoriya blinked.

"I-yeah?"

Bakugou just looked at him for a second.

"How the hell did you block its hits? It busted up sensei and went at it with All Might for like five minutes straight."

He was shocked, to be honest. Bakugou was genuinely asking him a question about his abilities.

"I'm not giving away all my secrets just yet, but I appreciate your curiosity."

The other's eyes narrowed.

'Was that too much?'

His thoughts were disturbed when Bakugou snorted, facing his table again.

"I'll still beat you, secret or no secret."

Midoriya smirked to himself.

"I'd like to see you try."

Their little conversation was cut off by Shouta slamming the door open.

The class quietened out of habit, only to burst out in whispers as the Mummy Man made his way to the podium.

Kaminari seemed to be the only one interested in speaking loud enough to be heard.

"Seriously? I thought we'd get a substitute or something."

Jirou and Kirishima nodded in agreement.

"Are you alright, sensei?! I truly hope you are recovering well and that you are well rested!"

"Thank you Iida, but I'm fine. I've been cleared by Recovery Girl and I have been sleeping."

Midoriya called bullshit. Shouta avoided his gaze completely.

"I know you have all had a rough few days, but the real trouble is only beginning..."

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut. Midoriya was waiting in anticipation for it to snap like a rubber band.

"...because the UA Sports Festival is next week!"

The class broke out in cheers, the heavy fog of tension dissipating instantly.

"This is your chance to prove yourself worthy of your places in this course, so work hard and stay focused. And have fun. Remember, there will be thousands of professional heroes watching and observing your abilities. If they like what they see, you might be offered an internship. That is what you're working towards. Establish good relations now and it might come in handy down the line."

The bell rang, signalling the start of lunch, and Shouta was sound asleep in his sleeping bag before anyone could move.

The excited looks on his class' faces were nothing compared to Uraraka's. She was exuding pure determination. It was a little scary.

Kaminari squeaked in surprise when he opened the classroom door.

Midoriya did a double take.

The was...a crowd.

That was putting it lightly. There was more than twenty students, presumably all first years, hanging around waiting for them.

A blond with striking blue-indigo eyes stepped to the front, looking around the class with a smug look on his face.

Midoriya could instantly tell this wasn't going to go well.

"If it isn't the legendary class, 1-A!"

Midoriya rolled his eyes. Shinsou snorted next to him.

"You are standing at our door, why are you acting surprised to see us?"

The blond glared at the insomniac, who threw up his hands in a pseudo placating way.

"Seems the media is absolutely eating up the story of the brave hero-hopefuls, attacked on school property by a band of villains."

The smug look intensified. Midoriya felt something bad coming.

"Aren't you ungrateful lot lucky. Suddenly, everyone is paying attention to you all. Are we not deserving of that same attention? Us poor, lowlives in Class B?"

The green haired boy thought of him and Todoroki free falling from a height. Dropped into a death trap they were lucky they could defend themselves from. He thought of the Nomu, all rippling muscles and no conscious thought of its own.

A boy with silver hair and big eyelashes popped up from somewhere in the crowd.

"Monoma, come on man..."

"What? I'm just saying, they don't exactly look deserving of the attention they're getting."

He thought of Shouta, his teacher, his guardian, his friend, having his head slammed into concrete over and over and over. He thought of Shigaraki, disintegrating all he touched. He thought of the cold fear he felt when the Nomu turned on him.

Midoriya had heard enough.

"Lucky?"

The blond's attention landed on him. The smug look returned full throttle.

"Hm?"

"Lucky, that's what you said."

Monoma raised an eyebrow.

Midoriya adjusted the straps of his bag and stalked over to the door.

"Lucky to get out without injury? Lucky to got out at all. Are you implying that were were lucky to have been attacked?"

His voice was like stone, icy cold.

Monoma reacted for only a second, but it was enough for Midoriya to know he was surprised.

"All I'm saying is that you all are being cheered on, are we, your classmates, not deserving of that too?"

Monoma was trying and failing to make him look like the bad guy.

"If it's attention you want, save it for the festival, Monoma. I am not here to deal with your inferiority complex."

Midoriya shoved past him, checking him on the shoulder. He heard Bakugou snickering as he turned the corner.

He collapsed against the wall the second he was out of view.

'Where the hell did that confidence come from?!'

He ran a mechanical hand through his hair, tugging on the ends.

He needed food and an iced tea if he was going to think about that conversation in the next twenty minutes.

***

"Hey Shinsou, do you want to train together tomorrow? I could do with some extra sparring practice."

"Oh, sure."

Midoriya raised an eyebrow at his friend as they walked out of the school.

"You okay?"

Shinsou held his gaze for a moment.

"Can I...confess something? Nothing weird, just...I think I need to say it."

Midoriya looked at his friend, concerned.

"Shinsou?"

"I shouldn't be here."

He was taken aback. Shinsou spoke with such conviction.

"What?"

"I shouldn't be in the Hero Course. I probably shouldn't be in this school at all."

"Woah woah, hold on. You're going to have to explain what you mean."

Shinsou glared at the ground.

"I didn't get any villain points in the entrance exam. I couldn't beat a SINGLE robot."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up about that, the exam wasn't fair in the first place."

"Let me finish, please."

Midoriya tilted his head.

"Okay..."

"The only reason I got any points at all is because you told me what to do. And the funniest thing is, that wasn't even the worst of it! I didn't get in because I passed. I got in because I took someone else's place. Some kid with sexual assault claims against him was supposed to be in my seat, but his karma came back to bite him in the ass. They told me all that in my acceptance letter. How is it fair that I'm surrounded by hero students when I didn't do enough to pass in the first place?!"

Shinsou's voice had gotten steadily more shaky and bitter as he spoke. He scrubbed angrily at his eyes.

"Damn it..."

"Shinsou, did you want to vent or would you like my thoughts?"

Shinsou glared at nothing.

"I don't know."

Midoriya pursed his lips.

"Shinsou, you deserve your place in this class. The circumstances of your acceptance be damned, you've worked hard to get here. You still got points and you earned them. I didn't tell you how to get points, just that you could. You acted like a hero, Shinsou, and the universe rewarded you. You did enough, you don't have to prove that to us, or anyone else. You're completely valid in what you're feeling, but can I ask if this is about that guy earlier?"

Shinsou wouldn't look at him.

"I was useless at the USJ. All I could do was keep the bastard villains at bay. Kaminari had to carry me back to shore because I fucked up my brain. You, Bakugou, Todoroki. You all helped. Even before that, during the hero and villain training. Yaoyorozu did all the work and I just sat there. How have I earned my place in this class when I'm surrounded by people who've worked harder than me?"

Midoriya pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry we've been through so much shit in the last like three weeks. It's kind of crazy when you think about it. But listen to me, if you didn't deserve your spot here, you wouldn't still be here. Eraserhead expelled his entire class last year, do you think he's keeping all of us around for kicks? He sees our potential and he knows we all have our own abilities. You deserve to be here, Shinsou. The same as everyone else in our class."

Admittedly, Midoriya had felt like a bit of a fraud himself. He had Shouta and Hizashi to tell him what to do, even unintentionally. He got lucky with the environment of the entrance exam, and he'd been training with Shouta, a pro hero. At the USJ, he hadn't saved his guardian, he could've gotten himself killed. All he did was put himself in danger and drew the attention of Shigaraki onto himself.

What if that led to resentment down the line? What's done is done, but he still had regrets.

Regrets are basically a condition of being human.

"Shinsou, I don't know what you've been going through, but I can understand some of what you mean. We just have to keep working so we can prove ourselves to our own brains, you know?"

The insomniac nodded into his shoulder.

"Midoriya? This is a really long hug."

"Oh, sorry! I should've asked first."

Shinsou had a small smile on his face.

"It's okay...and thank you, Midoriya."

He grinned, all teeth.

"I'm always happy to help out my friends! So is five a good time for you tomorrow?"

The purple boy nodded.

Chapter Text

Todoroki was prepared for the festival, that was never in question. Endeavour made sure of it, the bastard. 

The feeble week off the students had to prepare for the Sports Festival was less than satisfactory, in Endeavour's eyes, to train him further. 

The week off was supposed to be an opportunity to rest up and do some last minute exercise, not spend every night leading up to the festival panting, half collapsed in exhaustion and pain. 

But Endeavour didn't care, oh no. His 'masterpiece' needed refining. Last minute corrections to iron out the last few errors. 

Todoroki's muscles ached as he pulled himself out of bed, the morning of the world renowned UA Sports Festival. It would pass long before the events started, but it served as a reminder of his failure in the number two hero's eyes. 

Failure to what exactly, Todoroki wasn't sure. Not using his fire maybe? 

That was his choice. It felt like an act of rebellion in itself, making a choice for himself. Enji didn't care for choice when it came to his children. He was uncompromising. 

Perhaps he could've done something else to rebel, like dye his hair or pierce his ears. 

Not acknowledging his fire seemed to work well, though. 

Plus, he couldn't bear the thought that he reminded his mother of him. 

Todoroki stretched out his neck as he passed Fuyumi in the kitchen. 

She didn't mention the fact that he was in the training room all night. 

He didn't mention the redness of her eyes. 

They ate breakfast in silence. 

"Please be careful today, Shouto. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt." 

He nodded. 

And that was the end of that. 

The waiting room they shoved all of 1-A into was a bit cramped for the twenty students, but no one else seemed to mind. 

Kirishima was laughing with Kaminari, showing off rows of razor sharp pearly whites. 

He'd be easy enough competition, Todoroki thought. 

Close range fighters didn't tend to fair well against long ranged quirks. While Kirishima was probably physically stronger than him in combat, Todoroki wasn't worried about him in terms of raw power. 

He could freeze him in an instant. 

His eyes were drawn to Iida. Speed, that would be tough to beat. He'd have to rely on his reflexes, but there wasn't much Iida could do if he couldn't move his legs. 

Ice, again. 

He looked over at Yaoyorozu. She could be a problem. The ability to create anything, a fellow recommendation student. She could create some kind of antifreeze, probably. Or a flamethrower. He thought of her past fights and other times he had seen her using her quirk. She mostly stuck to metal weapons and traps. She probably wouldn't be able to counter him on the fly. 

Ice, ice, ice. 

He glanced at Ashido. Acid. That could be a big problem. He hadn't the slightest clue how her acid would affect his ice. He'd have to take her down as fast as possible. He wasn't going to take any risks with unknown factors. 

Speaking of unknown factors... 

Midoriya was standing, chatting with Shinsou and Uraraka. Now there was a big unknown. Todoroki wasn't fully sure what his quirk even was, let alone its limitations. 

With how freely Midoriya used his portals, it didn't seem like there were any limitations. No noticeable ones, anyway. 

Not to mention his legs. Todoroki thought back to the Nomu, all hulking muscles and exposed brain. The walking nightmare shattered the concrete it landed on, yet couldn't put a scratch on Midoriya when it punched him outright. 

How could a quirk that powerful not have come from some pro hero lineage? Todoroki didn't know any teleportation-specific heroes off the top of his head. 

He couldn't think of the last time he'd even heard of a teleportation quirk, aside from the mist villain at the USJ. 

Needless to say, it wasn't very common. 

What bothered Todoroki was that the ability to create portals and shock absorption aren't at all related. At least with his own quirk, fire and ice were both elemental powers. With Midoriya though? It didn't even seem like he had approached the extent of his power. 

Todoroki's gaze hardened into a glare. 

Midoriya had been kind to him, he wasn't blind to that. 

But his old man would be watching, and Midoriya would be the perfect way to show that he didn't need the bastard's fire. 

And he wasn't here to make friends. 

Clearing his head of the memories of their talks, both in and out of the USJ, he looked back to Midoriya. 

He took a few steps forward. Shinsou (another competitor to keep an eye on) looked at him over Midoriya's shoulder. Uraraka stalled in her story. 

"Midoriya." 

Said boy turned to him, an eyebrow already raised. He smiled when he saw him. 

It made him mildly regret his decision, but he had something to prove. Friendship would get in the way. 

He ignored the sickening feeling in his gut. 

Todoroki noticed the room around them quietening. He ignored the curious stares. 

"Todoroki? What's up?" 

He took a breath. 

No turning back now. 

"Objectively speaking, I think I'm stronger than you." 

He saw Bakugou's gaze burn into him from the corner of his eye. 

Midoriya didn't say anything. 

"I'll beat you today. Don't think I won't. " 

Midoriya looked at him incredulously. 

"...okay? We didn't make a bet, no need to be so formal about it." 

Todoroki narrowed his eyes. His fists instinctively clenched. 

'That wasn't how this conversation was supposed to go.' 

As if sensing his rising anger, Kirishima let out a forced laugh, holding up his hands. 

"Woah dude, come on now. We all want to win, don't single out my man Midoriya." 

Todoroki batted Kirishima's hand away from his face. 

'Why can't he be angry at me? Give me something to fight against. Take me seriously.' 

He glared with the heat of a thousand burning suns. 

"Midoriya is a threat. I didn't come here to make friends and I have things I need to prove. Watch your back." 

The green haired boy was openly staring at him with an indescribable look on his face. It only added to his mounting anger. 

Midoriya turned away. Todoroki walked back to his seat. 

Little did he know, Todoroki thought. He'd figured him out. Just to wait for a chance to confront him. 

*** 

"You okay? What an ass, insulting you like that." 

The green haired boy's gaze landed on Shinsou. 

"Come on, don't talk like that." 

The insomniac looked at him vengefully. 

"What? He can't get up on his high horse just because he was born with the perfect quirk. Elitism, that's what that is. I could knock him out in a second, but he doesn't seem to care about me. Or Uraraka. What good could he do if he couldn't keep his feet on the ground, huh?" 

He couldn't exactly disagree with the sentiment. He didn't really know Todoroki well enough to dispute it. It was a pretty well known fact that Todoroki was crazy powerful, but elitist? It didn't quite fit. Oblivious, maybe. 

He sighed. Uraraka's gaze was on Todoroki's back. She had a righteous fury burning in her eyes. 

Midoriya realised he was upset after he stopped paying attention to the half and half boy. He thought he'd made a connection with Todoroki, back at the USJ, but... 

'Apparently not.' he thought bitterly. 

Whatever, let him push people away, see what he cared. 

'No, that's not healthy, come on Izuku.' 

He was just...irritated. 

Who gave Todoroki the right to write off the rest of their classmates? Only singling himself out as a threat? That wouldn't bode well with everyone else, he knew that for sure. 

These people, they all had things to prove. 

He thought of Shinsou, wanting to feel like he'd earned his place. He thought of Uraraka, who wanted to earn enough to support her parents and be able to eat without worrying where the money for the next meal would come from. He thought of Iida, who wanted to impress his brother, his biggest source of inspiration, and live up to his family name. 

He thought of Bakugou, a deeply traumatised child who was forced to look in the face of a boy long gone every time he went to school. Who was dealing with his mental health in the best way he knew how, while also proving his strength to himself and his classmates. 

He sighed again. 

It wasn't fair on all of them, that Todoroki didn't see them as competition. Midoriya just wished he knew what the other boy was thinking. 

He was pulled back to the present when Shinsou booped his shoulder to get his attention. 

They were being escorted to the main field. 

"Shinsou? What's your plan for this?" 

"I was kind of conflicted. I want to go underground, so obviously making a big show today was out, but I want also to show people that non offensive quirks are still heroic. I'm not completely sure I made the right choice, but Aizawa offered to take me on for the week of internship. So I'll get to a comfortable spot and then I'll dip." 

Midoriya nodded. Shinsou raised an eyebrow at him. 

"I have no idea how I want to play this. Fight for the spotlight or play it safe." 

Shinsou shrugged, smiling lopsidedly. He smiled back. 

Midoriya could feel the growing excitement among his class. Their cheers and laughter was a refreshing sound. Especially considering what they had just been through. 

When the class emerged from the concrete tunnel, Midoriya was confronted with the sight of over twenty thousand people, all watching them with avid curiosity and anticipation. And that wasn't even everyone who would be paying attention, either. People all over the globe would be watching this. Them. 

Him. 

Midoriya saw Hatsume standing with her fellow Support students. She must have spotted him as well, because she threw him a lazy wave. 

The Gen Ed groups didn't look happy to be announced after the Hero courses. Midoriya didn't blame them. 

He knew their class was getting media coverage because of the attack. People didn't seem to realise that the attention was not at all good. 

A group of criminals breaking into one of the most secure and protected grounds in all of Japan? Not good news for the public opinion of the school. 

When he thought about it, they were lucky that there were only one or two power-houses in terms of the abilities at the disposal of the intruders. 

Shigaraki, Kurogiri. 

...Nomu. 

A lot of people were criticising UA, after that, for being unsafe. 

He had largely avoided the news for the first few days after the attack. 

Midoriya didn't want his class to be made an example of. 

He zoned back in as Kayama walked out onto the platform, dressed to the nines. 

In full hero costume. 

Midoriya smiled to himself. He briefly tuned in to hear Tokoyami tell Kirishima and Kaminari that she usually hosted the third year's Sports Festival. 

But everyone's eyes were on the first years. The first year group in school history to ever have a class be attacked on school property. 

He didn't linger on the thought.

Midoriya assumed Nezu requested Midnight host because of her innate ability to control a crowd. 

As if proving his point, she waved a hand over her head, commanding the audience's silence. 

"Welcome to the annual UA Sports Festival! I have here in front of me all of the wonderful first year students currently in attendance! Will you all give them a big round of applause? That's it, give them a hand!" 

She made a display of her own clapping, pointedly toward his class. Cheers erupted from the stands. Midoriya was in awe of the bouncing voices. 

So many people, here just to see them. It must have been the most people he'd seen in one day, after Apeture. 

All of them, cheering them on. 

It made him feel warm. 

Midnight cleared her throat and the crowd went quiet almost instantly. 

"Now! Before we get into the events, let us first hear a speech from a student representative! Bakugou Katsuki, who came first in the entrance exam, please come up to the stage! Please give this young man a bit of encouragement!" 

Midoriya watched Kirishima pat the blond's back as he passed. Bakugou didn't look happy about the speech. Midoriya was not envious of him at all. 

He guessed the blond would rather consume a tablespoon of cinnamon powder dry than give a very public, very highly viewed speech. 

Midnight gestured to the microphone as Bakugou strolled past her. 

To be frank, he had absolutely no hope for whatever was about to come out of the blond's mouth. 

"Hey. I already know I'm lucky to be here," 

Midoriya blinked in surprise. That was...certainly not what he was expecting. 

"And, I know the rest of these guys are as well. I want to win. Not just for myself. I know they have things to fight for as well. So, give me all you've got. Come at me with all of your strength, I want to have the most satisfactory win possible, or" 

Midoriya watched on closely as the boy paused. It took him a second to work up the nerve to finish his sentence. 

"Or lose to a worthy opponent. Plus ultra, or whatever." 

The onlookers went absolutely wild. Midoriya heard himself cheering before he realised he too was applauding. 

Bakugou met his eye from the stage. He grinned at him earnestly. The blond looked away, a small smile, hidden from the cameras, on his face. He quickly descended the stairs once more. 

Once the crowd calmed again, Midnight smiled and threw her arm in an arc towards them. 

"How riveting! Nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition among friends! Now, onto the main event! There will be three rounds for all our contestants to show off their stuff! Our first trial will be..." 

She paused for dramatic affect. 

A giant hologram of a slot machine spun and spun and spun behind her. 

It ground to a halt on the word 'obstacle'. 

"AN OBSTACLE RACE! In this round, students are challenged with a free for all race around the outer arena! Of course, it won't be that easy. They must face a series of traps and, obviously, obstacles as they go. First back gets a special bonus for the second round. Any questions?!" 

When none of the students raised a hand, she nodded and dramatically flipped an arm towards the exit gate. 

The very small exit gate. 

Midoriya felt a sardonic smile form on his face. 

Naturally. 

The first obstacle? Getting past the gate. 

"Ready? And, on your marks, get set, GO!" 

The massive crowd of teenagers made a mad dash for the concrete tunnel.

Midoriya could hear Hizashi and Shouta commentating. How Hizashi managed to wrangle his husband into doing that, he had no clue. 

Either way, he had a plan to execute. Was it flawless? No. Would he win this round? Also no. Could it backfire? Absolutely. 

And so, Midoriya stood stock still as the contestants around him ran ahead. He felt the chill of Todoroki's quirk up ahead. 

He probably froze the other competitors, he thought. An effective strategy, just not a very nice one. 

He heard the boom of explosions, the cracking of ice, and the screaming of Hizashi Yamada. 

"WOAH, what talent! Check them out, all of Class 1-A managed to dodge Todoroki's chilly trap! What are you teaching these kids, huh Eraserhead?!" 

Midoriya snorted. Shouta was probably, completely out of his element. 

"I didn't teach them any of that. These kids have faced some unimaginable struggles. They taught themselves how to think under pressure. 

The deadpan delivery was irrationally hilarious to the teen. 

By the time Present Mic had finished narrating Todoroki's every move, the tunnel had cleared of students, with Midoriya standing by himself at the very back of the pack. 

He took a breath. 

"Okay, this better work, or I'm going to have some serious catching up to do." 

He aimed a portal gun-hand at the wall of the tunnel he'd previously been leaning on, shooting a blue portal. It landed. 

He sighed in relief. 

He turned, eyeing the tunnel at the opposite side of the arena. The finish line. 

He zoomed in as much as his eyes would let him. 

He needed this portal to be as subtle and as carefully placed as possible. 

In other words, he didn't want his guardians to notice what he was up to. 

To be fair, they would eventually notice that he wasn't even remotely present for the race. Probably. 

He fired the orange portal, it opening about halfway down the tunnel. He smirked to himself. 

"Perfect." 

*** 

Somewhere, deep in the red light district of Kamino Ward, Shigaraki sat tapping his finger against the counter of a bar. 

The seedy bar was not a particularly popular joint. No surprise there. 

He watched impatiently as their television's static gave way to the most televised event on the planet. 

The UA Sports Festival. Specifically, the first years. 

Kurogiri was stood behind the bar, endlessly polishing the collection of glasses they had, despite their comically low visitors. 

Behind Shigaraki, a computer screen flickered to life, displaying an error message, reading 'audio only'. 

"Brats...the lot of them. I lost my precious Nomu over them. And look? They're all smiling and cheering like nothing happened!" 

A deep, booming voice came from the computer. 

"Patience, Tomura. I am working closely with the doctor to create more toys for you to play with. 1-A is the class you selected?" 

Shigaraki growled. 

"Yes. But they cheated! NPCs aren't supposed to be high ranked. And All Might was supposed to die." 

A rough chuckle echoed throughout the bar. 

"Now now, let's not over exaggerate. You anticipated facing some strong quirks. Endeavour's son was bound to cause problems." 

"Not just that stupid NPC." 

"Hm?" 

"The brat who gave the speech was too much for Kurogiri. And my Nomu couldn't even touch that green thorn in my side." 

"Fascinating. What was this child's quirk, Tomura?" 

Shigaraki clenched his fist around his glass. It was nothing but dust seconds later. 

"I don't know. Some kind of shock absorption. He stopped a punch with nothing but his LEGS!" 

The villain threw his stool at the wall. Kurogiri watched in disappointment when it smashed, breaking into pieces. 

"Remain calm, Tomura. You can hurt this boy however you like, when the time is right." 

Shigaraki smiled from under a severed hand. He felt warm, thick blood leaking from the split in his lip. (Itching, itching, medicine, itch, hands) 

"I will rip him to shreds." 

*** 

Midoriya was getting bored. He'd only been standing in the tunnel for a few minutes but it felt like hours. 

Hizashi's commentary did wonders for his boredom, but it was mostly just him screaming about how Todoroki and Bakugou were neck and neck for the last three minutes. 

He just wished he had some way to entertain himsel- 

Music

He heard music playing.

"Wh...huh?" 

Shouta and Hizashi hadn't realised he wasn't doing the obstacle course yet. Or at least, they hadn't said anything. 

It was eerily familiar music. 

He was thrust back to a room, devoid of personable items. Bland art on the wall and an automated voice broadcasting through the speakers. 

Aperture Science. 

He could picture the radios as clear as day. A black and white half-circle. An antenna. An obnoxious glowing light. The only frequency it could pick up playing cheerless music for hours on end. 

Midoriya remembered early on in his Aperture testing days, when he had desperately messed with every knob and dial he could find on the radio, looking for any other frequency. Any other channel. Any indication that a world still existed outside of Glados and her tests. 

He remembered sobbing as he slammed the radio against the walls of his room cell.
Bashing it until the music stopped. 

And now it was playing again. 

He couldn't hear anything but the same cheerless, repetitive tune. 

He looked around the tunnel. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Or like he was underwater. 

Nothing but tunnel and a blue portal. 

He went to push a hand through his messy, overgrown curls. 

But one finger felt some resistance. 

He brought the hand in front of his face. 

On the end of his index finger, on his right hand. Well, 'hand'. 

There was a small antenna where the bud of his finger should be. 

He poked it with his other hand, watching it bend back before snapping back into place under his fingers. 

He needed the music to stop. 

Slowly, he wrapped his other hand around the antenna.

And he tried to rip the antenna out. 

Right as he felt something start to give way, the glorious sound of silence flooded his senses. 

It stopped. 

He let himself fall to his knees, breathing heavily. 

Once he'd almost caught his breath, he raised his finger to his eyes. 

The antenna had gone back in. 

As in, back into his finger. 

The thought made him want to gag. 

Where had that come from? 

Glados never said anything about putting a fucking radio in his goddamn plastic hands. 

He exhaled, letting his fury flow out with his breath. 

He needed to focus on the game now. He could have a crisis later. 

Midoriya slowly stood, signalling out the sensation of the ground beneath his feet. 

He turned back into Hizashi's voice. 

"WOW! Look at these kids Eraser, Todoroki and Bakugou have abandoned their strategies completely! Check it, they're duking it out for first place!" 

He didn't bother listening to Shouta's response. He needed to be ready. 

He stood, poised in front of the blue portal, staring at the wall of the opposite tunnel. 

Portals were funny like that, breaking the laws of physics as they pleased. Or following them, Midoriya wasn't quite sure how Glados operated. 

He saw the two boys sprint past his portal, too focused on the race to spot him. 

The second they cleared him, he dashed through at full speed, trying to ensure he get a good enough place. 

"AAAAAAAND, FIRST PLACE GOES TO TODOROKI SHOUTO! SECOND PLACE GOES TO BAKUGOU KATSUKI!" 

Evidently, neither the commentators nor Kayama had noted his absence. 

Perfect chance to strut his stuff. 

He exited the tunnel, practically flying over the finish line. 

"What's this?! THIRD PLACE TO MIDORIYA IZUKU! WHERE THE HELL DID HE COME FROM?!" 

"Language, Mic." 

Midoriya burst into a fit of giggles as he saw the crowd's eyes on him. He had let the portals close after he used them, so there was no evidence of what he'd done. Aside from maybe security cameras. 

He saw both Bakugou and Todoroki's gazes on him. 

He tried to smirk, but his giggles ruined the look he was going for as he threw Bakugou a lazy salute. 

The blond snorted and moved on. Todoroki, however, did not. 

A few minutes later, the rest of the 40 students moving on to the next round had cleared the finish line, with Yaoyorozu coming in 4th, Uraraka coming in 5th, Iida coming in 6th, and so on. 

Aoyama just about made it through as the 40th to pass. 

Midnight cracked her whip fiercely as the students gathered again. 

"ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! The skill, the talent! The spirited competition between classmates! The drama! Oh where do I begin?" 

The cheering from the audience lasted a little longer this time. 

"Well, why waste time wondering what happened? Let's move on to the next round! And it will be..." 

The massive hologram reappeared behind her. It spun and spun longer than the first time as well, before finally grinding to a halt on the word 'cavalry'. 

"...a Cavalry Battle! This is how it will go down, ten teams of four, with riders and carriers, will be formed at your own discretion! Each member will receive a headband assigned with a value of points, your objective? Gather as many points as you can! Top four teams will move on to the final round!" 

Once the cheering had calmed once more, Midoriya noticed Yaoyorozu with her hand held high. 

Midnight seemed to notice right as Midoriya did. 

"Ah! Miss Yaoyorozu, what can I help you with?" 

She cleared her throat before speaking. 

"I believe you said the winner of the last round would receive an advantage for this challenge, but you haven't said what it is exactly." 

The hero smiled devilishly. 

"An excellent observation. The 'advantage' pertains to the headbands I mentioned already. The person in last place will get a headband with 20 points on it. Next gets 40, and so on. The difference for the person in first place, however, is that they get...ONE MILLION POINTS!" 

Midoriya could feel the atmosphere thicken around him. Everyone's eyes were on Todoroki, and none of them friendly. 

"The million point headband is an automatic pass to the next and final round, so hold on tight! You'll be allocated ten minutes now to sort out your teams. Get to it, and chose wisely!" 

Chapter Text

'Right,' Midoriya thought, 'teams. Think strategically here.' 

He glanced around quickly, eyes landing on a few people. He noticed that there were groups of people crowding both Todoroki and Bakugou. 'Makes sense', he thought, 'they showed off their abilities.' 

"Midoriya! Wanna team up?" 

He spun around at Uraraka's voice. She would be a very strong ally for the round. He grinned, holding up a hand for a fist bump. She smiled and bumped his fist. 

"Great! Now, two more. Let me think..." 

Uraraka glanced around. 

"I'd suggest Iida, but I think he's already in a group." 

Midoriya's head snapped up. 

"Huh? Who's team?" 

She pointed in the direction of Todoroki. 

Midoriya inadvertently made eye contact with Iida. The taller boy had a hardened look in his eye. It was something so unfamiliar, so unnatural on the kind boy's face. All Midoriya could feel was disappointment. He blinked and broke their eye contact. 

"Well ouch, okay. He didn't say anything to you?" 

She shook her head. 

"Nope, I tried to get him to follow me over here but he slipped from my grasp. I think he wants to prove something to himself, but I think he could have at least said it, you know?" 

Midoriya found himself agreeing with her. 

"Well great, there goes that strategy. Who els-" 

"MIDORIYA YOU BITCH, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!" 

Uraraka flinched at the booming volume of Hatsume, who'd brought what looked like a loudspeaker of her own design. 

He pat her shoulder and made his way through the crowd that was now definitely staring at him. 

To be fair, most of his class didn't even know they could access the Support labs, let alone know any of the Support students. 

And they probably (definitely) didn't know that he spent a large amount of his time there. 

Uraraka reluctantly followed after him. 

"Greenie! Why didn't you seek me out instantly? I'm offended. I'm not, I'm joking, but explain yourself!" 

Midoriya grinned at her chaos. 

"Sorry Hatsume! I was distracted, some of my friends are acting weird today. This is Uraraka, by the way. Uraraka, this is Hatsume Mei, from the Support course. She's been helping me with some technical difficulties I've been having." 

Hatsume rolled her eyes playfully. 

"Way to under sell our lifelong friendship, but yeah, nice to meet you! I like your hair, do you use your quirk to keep it all fluffy like that?" 

The brunette smiled, a little scared. 

"Oh...yeah! But uh, how do you know my quirk?" 

Hatsume waved a hand nonchalantly. 

"Eh, I like to know who my future clients will be. And also the Support course does repairs on your costumes. By the way, your new one is AMAZING! I had a hand in designing it myself, and what can I say, I'm just the best engineer this school has ever had." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow, smiling. 

"If you couldn't tell, Hatsume here is very modest about her abilities." 

She leveled him with a scathing look. 

"Shut up, I'll skin you alive." 

Midoriya smirked. 

"Try it, I don't have enough skin for that to be a real threat." 

Uraraka chuckled in surprise. Or in fear, Midoriya couldn't really tell. 

"Right, we'll have time to talk babies when we have a full team! Who else are you thinking?" 

Midoriya tugged his lower lip, looking around again. 

Uraraka's gaze caught on Tokoyami, still without a team. 

"Perfect, Midoriya, Hatsume! I know who to ask." 

The three pushed themselves through the crowd to the raven feathered boy. 

"Tokoyami! Are you on a team yet? Want to join ours?" 

His red eyes scanned the three, before nodding solemnly. 

Midoriya wasn't sure why, but everything he did translated to poetry in his head. 

"Great, tell us everything about your quirk." 

The midnight form of Dark Shadow appeared, floating next to Tokoyami. 

"This is Dark Shadow. He is my companion in this void of eternal suffering. He is sensitive to the light. The more intense the light, the weaker he becomes. He is his own conscious, but we are linked. Bound together by fate, perhaps, or some otherworldly power." 

Midoriya grinned. 

"Nice, okay, I have an idea. But first, Hatsume? What babies did you bring today?" 

Uraraka looked between them, confused. 

"I'm sorry, babies?" 

Hatsume had an absolutely shit eating grin on her face. 

"Why, you mean my ingenious inventions! Funny you should mention them, see when we started working on equipment for the Sports Festival, Powerloader said, and I quote, 'whatever you make on school grounds and is of your own intellectual property goes, so get to work.' So in conclusion, I may have gone a bit overboard." 

Midoriya internally cringed. What was overboard for one person was definitely not on the same level of what Hatsume considered overboard. 

She proceeded to pull out a series of vague cylinder shapes. Midoriya recognised one of them. 

"Woah, is that the Wheatley drone?" 

"Yep! All finished, and I made sure it would only blow up on command! Here, this visor is the receiver, have you got your phone on you?" 

Midoriya realised, stupidly, that yes, his phone was still on him. 

Tokoyami chuckled at his misery. 

A brief series of taps later and the Wheatley drone was active. 

"Woah! Alright then, check me out! Oh look I can, oh that's mad, I have complete range of motion? That is absolutely mad. I'm shocked, really. Thank you miss, very nifty, isn't she?! Yeah." 

Midoriya smiled at the drone. Wheatley must have missed being able to move freely, being unattached to his service rail. 

Uraraka and Tokoyami seemed, for the most part, a little confused. They'd probably assume that the voice was some weird program Hatsume had created specifically for the drone. Well...he hoped they would. In hindsight they probably only had a passing interest in it, as long as it helped them. 

"Hey Wheatley, we're going to need your help for the next round of the Sports Festival, if you don't mind." 

"Oh no! I don't, don't mind at all, do I. No, put me to work, give me tasks! I am absolutely invigorated, ready for any challenge. Well, most challenges. Some challenges. Why don't you just tell me what to do so I can, uh, I can tell you, if that is a challenge I am willing to try. Or, I mean, yeah. Go ahead." 

"Okay, we have you in the drone right now because we need you to try and keep an eye on all sides of us. You'll float above us and I can check your birds-eye view on the visor if there's any trouble. Okay?" 

"Oh yeah, that sounds like a grand job, doesn't it? Yeah, I can do that. I will fly with the elegance of a goose. Or, I dunno, another graceful avian. I'm not, I don't really know much about birds. Pigeons maybe, but yeah I, yeah." 

Midoriya smiled and nodded sharply. He turned back to Hatsume. 

"What else have you got?" 

"Well! I have these jetpacks, fully functional and will self destruct on command, these shock absorbers for your shoes that will self destruct on command...though with your legs we may not be needing them, a few harpoons that will self destruct on command, and a couple of other things. And a rocket launcher." 

Midoriya grinned ferally. 

"Nice. Oh yeah, it's all coming together. I know what to do." 

*** 

Midoriya quickly relayed his plan to the members of his team, them nodding in sync. They organised themselves as a group, Hatsume at the front, Midoriya and Uraraka at the sides and Tokoyami as their rider. Wheatley took off into the air, flitting around like a hummingbird. 

Midnight cracked her whip, the sound echoing and reverberating through the arena. 

"Alright, and that's time! If you have not already, please get into your formation. You will have ten minutes from when the horn sounds to get as many points as possible, so think wisely, and watch your backs! You will only be disqualified if your rider hits the ground. So go all out!" 

Midoriya scanned the other nine teams. Almost all of them had powerhouses at their behest. If plan A didn't work, he would have minimal time to explain plan B and possibly even plan C. Although, Midoriya was painfully aware that plans do not survive contact with the enemy. 

To be fair, the 'enemy' in this case were his peers and not a murderous, but entertaining, robot. 

At least he actually got cake here. 

He shook himself from his thoughts when he heard the absolutely booming sound of the horn. The sound made him flinch, but he could brush it off as being caught off guard. 

He hadn't exactly given his friends any reason to believe he had other issues he was dealing with behind the scenes. Aside from the scars maybe. He had gotten clearance to wear long sleeves this time around. It hadn't bothered him so far, it wasn't about to start bothering him. What was bothering him? The commentary. 

"ALL RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! LET'S GET STARTED ON THE UA CAVALRY BATTLE!" 

"I am begging you to tone it down." 

The teams all took off in one massive rush. To no one's surprise, all but about three teams immediately attacked Todoroki's group. Midoriya wanted to avoid them if at all possible. With the ice (and presumably fire, all things considered) user himself, Iida, Kaminari and Yaoyorozu all on the one team, it was basically a guaranteed loss unless you made up some crazy clever tactics. 

"OHO, WHAT'S THIS? LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE WANTS THAT ONE MILLION! HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SO MANY KIDS WORKING TOGETHER LIKE THIS?!" 

"Not everyone, some teams are hanging back. Smart move." 

Midoriya shuddered at the thought of getting into a confrontation with Kaminari again. 

He also was tempted to wipe his brow in relief that Yaoyorozu had never decided to create a gun. 

"If at all possible, we should avoid Todoroki's group. They have the million, so they'll probably just be on the defense. Stay out of their line of sight at every opportunity." 

The other teams, the few that didn't go for the one million, charged Bakugou's group. In other words, they were signing their own death warrants. 

Midoriya ignored the sound of the explosive boy to their left, and instead focused on passing his headband up to Tokoyami, as Uraraka and Hatsume did the same, all while jogging away from the swarm of students. 

"Remember, turn them inside out! At the very least, if someone does come after us, we won't have to worry about being targeted." 

He nodded to Uraraka and double tapped Hatsume's shoulder. 

Step two of the plan, get the hell out of dodge. Midoriya was fully aware that the teams that went for Todoroki would eventually come to the realisation that they could lose their own precious points. 

To avoid a sudden onslaught of attackers themselves, they would use a mixture of his, Tokoyami and Uraraka's quirk, and Hatsume's tech. 

Uraraka tapped them all with five fingers. Midoriya was slightly disoriented by the lack of gravity, but the feeling vanished when Hatsume's jetpacks kicked in, blasting them high into the air. 

They were an experimental design, leg attachments rather than a massive backpack. He liked them, it was an interesting concept. If they held until the end, Hatsume could really attract some attention. 

While in the air, there wasn't much to do other than watch their classmates. The other teams seemed to be hunting each other in a more balanced fashion, with Todoroki's team holding off maybe two or three groups. 

Uraraka called their attention. 

"I have to take a break, is it safe to drop down?" 

Midoriya had a look at the floor below them on the visor, taking stock of who was where. 

"Yep, let us go! Wheatley, call out if anything changes." 

She tapped her hands together and immediately they started plummeting. 

Midoriya wasn't nervous, he'd done this thousands of times. Not with three people relying on him to stop their legs from breaking, but hey, first time for everything. 

Well...that's an exaggeration. They were wearing Hatsume's shock absorbers. The plan here was that he'd absorb the brunt of the shock, and they would land safely with their own cheaper version of what he had. 

He could do without Hizashi's attention though. 

"HUH?! YO ERASER, WHAT ARE THOSE LUNATICS ATTEMPTING?!" 

"I'm not sure. Midoriya Izuku, quirk: Portal. Uraraka Ochako, quirk: Zero Gravity. Tokoyami Fumikage, quirk: Dark Shadow. Hatsume Mei, quirk: Zoom. Who knows what those four could come up with." 

He honestly wished they would stop very unsubtlety drawing attention to him. Maybe they were trying to make up for not spotting him in the obstacle course, as if that wasn't what he wanted. 

Oh, right. They're plummeting to their deaths. 

He snickered to himself as he angled himself lower than his teammates. 

Tokoyami looked sick to his stomach, clearly not knowing what to expect. 

Uraraka looked nauseous but determined. 

Hatsume was laughing her head off. 

The teams near them had stalled in their hunt, gaping openly at the four falling from the sky. 

He could hear the gasps from the crowd as they got closer, closer. 

And... 

Midoriya slammed his legs into the ground, letting his body absorb the shock. 

A millisecond later, his team were safely deposited on the ground, minus a strong case of whiplash. 

Present Mic screamed. 

He could hear the roar from the crowd bouncing around the stadium. 

Todoroki was looking at him like he had just insulted his entire family tree. Midoriya was so, so confused by his behaviour. 

"Hey, want to hunt for some headbands?" 

When all he got were affirming nods, he let himself smirk. 

"Then let the games begin..." 

They were attacked, naturally. But Hatsume's technology did a great job against the less offensive quirks. 

She tossed Midoriya a gun filled with flash bangs, and he giggled like a maniac as he blinded a metal kid. 

"Hah! Machiavelli, you punk!" 

Dark Shadow, who had hidden before he shot the flash bang, emerged loud and proud. It snatched a few headbands and punched some children back in one swoop, gently tying the headbands inside out on Tokoyami's neck. 

Uraraka held them all up in the air a second time, much shorter than the last. This time, it was to get away from Bakugou. Apparently he didn't like it when his horse got his headband stolen. Kirishima was competitive, but was in good spirits about it. 

Bakugou less so. 

Tokoyami sent Dark Shadow to smack him out of the air, but the explosive light was too much for it. 

Thinking on his feet (hah), Midoriya cocked the gun again. The sound reverberated through the air. 

Bakugou was stunned at the sight. 

Credit where credit is due, the gun looked real. Like, really real. Eerily close to the real deal. Hatsume was meticulous about her designs, though. So it definitely was by no mistake that the flash bang gun struck fear into those that stared down the barrel. 

Midoriya's aim was flawless, firing directly into the path of the blond boy. The light shocked him, giving Hatsume the perfect opportunity to show off even more of her babies. 

She pulled out an odd looking and comically large gun. Like something out of a cartoon, very round and brightly coloured. Probably to draw attention. 

The weapon activated, shooting Bakugou back to earth with a concentrated blast of air. 

His teammates kept him from being disqualified, but it was still a satisfying takedown. An unfortunate side effect being that they were also blasted back from the force of it. 

They landed similarly to last time. Surprisingly, the other teams didn't seem interested in possibly being crushed by the combined weight of four people. 

Midoriya quickly scanned his surroundings, trying to come up with the best course of action. Wheatley hadn't started yelling any obscenities yet, so they were probably in the clear. 

That is, until another team decided to go after them. 

"Oi, incoming! Two o clock! Or, or is it four o clock. I dunno, I never understood the whole clock-equalling-direction thing." 

The same blond boy that pissed Midoriya off after the USJ incident (Momoma? Monoma?) was the rider. Of fucking course. 

Looking smug. 

He was always looking smug, somehow. People like that really rubbed him the wrong way. How could someone live their lives never thinking that anything they did was wrong. No, if it was them, it meant they were one hundred percent correct no matter what. 

Either that, or he was a little bitch. 

Midoriya was inclined to believe the latter. 

"Well, if it isn't more of class 1-A? I see you picked up a stray somewhere along the way." 

Hatsume wasn't even paying attention to him, which only pissed him off more. 

"Oh look, Uraraka, if it isn't the cheap, second rate version of Bakugou from the other class! I wonder what he's got up his sleeves for us today?' 

The boy's eye twitched. Okay, maybe intentionally pissing him off wasn't a good idea. 

"I'll be taking those headbands now." 

Their teams stared each other down. Midoriya wasn't sure what power he had. Nothing that affected his looks too much. He did kinda look feral, but that might be unrelated. 

A boy with brown hair cupped his hands around his mouth and exhaled sharply. 

Midoriya watched in fascination as the air solidified and became invisible. 

He took the initiative to test a theory, by kicking some soil up at the invisible...air? He wasn't really sure what to call it. 

The dirt smacked against the hardened air, falling back to the floor. 

His eyes sharpened, turning dark in anticipation. 

"Okay, avoid that space in front of us, it's probably some kind of wall." 

They scooted in a half crescent shape, keeping an eye on the other team and kicking up dirt at the wall. Until.. 

The dirt kept moving. 

The other team barely gave them time to blink before rushing them. 

For a few intense moments, all Midoriya could hear was the screaming of Hizashi and the monotone of Shouta and the shifting of fabric and the thumping of feet on the ground and Dark Shadow flying everywhere and there was someone touching him- 

He lashed out with a closed fist, punch making contact with the blond's teammate as opposed to the blond himself. 

Midoriya was annoyed he missed. 

He watched the blond in curiosity as he did...something. He flexed a hand, sighing in mild disappointment with the results. 

"A shame, I was certainly interested in trying out your quirk." 

Midoriya's head snapped up to his. Icy blue eyes met artificial green. The smug look was back, but it looked more forced this time. 

What kind of power... 

Hizashi felt the need to focus on this moment, with them, as opposed to literally anything else. 

"Monoma Neito, quirk: Copy! What's going on down there, huh Eraser? Is Monoma trying to get a grasp of Portal?! HUH?!" 

Copy. 

Copy what, exactly? 

Power? Was that even possible? Apparently not, considering Monoma did still have his own hands. And legs. And eyes. Et cetera. 

Hatsume had clearly gotten bored of the fight, if you could even call it that. She kept getting distracted by the high baller tech company representatives in the crowd. 

She pulled a new baby out of her backpack. It was one Midoriya had been waiting to experience in person. 

And that's what it was, an experience. 

She cranked a switch on the side of the rocket launcher, firing off before he could even blink. 

Monoma was stunned to silence. Midoriya wanted to laugh. Uraraka and Tokoyami's mouths dropped open. 

In fact, most people in the arena were suddenly paying attention. 

Time seemed to slow a bit, as the recoil hit Hatsume. 

Monoma's team scrambled back to save their sorry asses from a literal bomb. The air guy poised to send off a few walls, but he just wasn't fast enough. 

A crack of a whip. 

"ANNNNND THAT'S TIME UP!" 

The bomb went off. Midoriya cackled alongside Hatsume when Monoma went flying. Karma, bitch. Midoriya didn't feel bad. He wasn't even badly hurt. 

Uraraka helped Tokoyami down to his feet, petting Dark Shadow's head in praise. 

Midoriya smiled at his team. They smiled back. 

He looked around, seeing if he could catch Shinsou's eye, wherever he was on the field. 

They had only crossed paths during the battle briefly, and not again after that. 

Midoriya saw Iida, hands on his hips looking proud. After all, his team had managed to hold on to the one million for the whole match. Iida happened to glance their way, his expression faltering when he made eye contact with Midoriya. 

Todoroki was glaring at him openly. 

Midoriya was tired. 

He met his gaze head on, making it very clear when he rolled his eyes and turned back to his team. 

If Todoroki wanted to be pissy about whatever, let him be. Midoriya could figure him out after lunch. 

"ALRIIIIIIIGHT! IN FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE TEAM TODOROKI! IN SECOND PLACE, WE HAVE TEAM BAKUGOU! IN THIRD PLACE WE HAVE TEAM TOKOYAMI AND IN FOURTH PLACE WE HAVE TEAM SHINSOU!" 

Midoriya snorted. Of course Shinsou would somehow place in the top four without ever having been focused on by the lovely announcers. 

He was sure they would make up for that in the last round. 

*** 

"Hey, it was a good tactic!" 

Shinsou could not have rolled his eyes any more dramatically. 

"Okay, let's pretend for a second that a fucking rocket launcher isn't way too extra for a Sports Festival. Why did you fire it right at the end?" 

Hatsume shrugged, chugging an energy drink. Midoriya shoved her water bottle closer to her. Uraraka and Tsuyu giggled at the general silliness of the conversation. 

Tokoyami was pecking at an apple. 

"Personally, I enjoyed the rocket launcher." 

Hatsume slammed her hand on the lunch table. 

"HAH, suck it bitch! Thank you, bird person!" 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow, smiling. He noticed Iida entering the cafeteria, looking around the crowded room. 

He quickly nudged Uraraka before holding up a hand to catch his attention. 

The spectacled boy smiled, shifting his tray in his hands and making his way to their table. 

Shinsou sat up when he saw him. 

"Welcome home, cheater." 

Midoriya snorted into his fist. 

Iida, the poor guy, looked completely lost. 

"I don't believe I cheated in anything. To what are you referring, Shinsou?" 

Midoriya knew Shinsou didn't really like Todoroki much. He could see where this conversation was going. 

"I'm 'referring' to when you teamed up with Todoroki. Have the two of you ever spoken outside of, like, the USJ incident? Did you even talk then?" 

Iida looked a little uncomfortable. 

"I may not be close with him, but I wanted to prove I could win without relying on all of you." 

"By buddying up with one of the most powerful guys in our class? Yeah, sounds legit." 

The tension had been gradually growing. Midoriya needed it to stop. 

"Shinsou, leave him alone. Iida, sit before he jumps across the table at you. Todoroki isn't a complete asshole. I was in the same area as him for the USJ incident. He was a bit cold, no pun intended, but he didn't come off as a bad person. We talked after as well...I thought he was just lonely but today he was, like, different. Like a different person altogether. Did any of you notice?" 

Iida tapped his chin pensively. 

"To be honest, he was distracted during the Cavalry Battle. For starters, he was dead silent, but he repeatedly looked out at the audience." 

Midoriya latched onto the tidbit of information. 

"He did? Do you know why?" 

The taller boy took off and cleaned his glasses, sighing. 

"I'm not sure, I'm afraid. I would guess that he was stressed. There must be a lot of pressure on him, being the number two hero's son. Especially as a legacy, here in UA. Endeavour was a student as well." 

Midoriya blinked. 

"...Endeavour is the number two hero?" 

He was met with a myriad of blank stares. 

"Huh?" 

He sweat dropped. 

"Uh...well, you know? I just assumed he was too brash for the role. I don't really follow pop culture. Or like...current events. Hatsume can vouch for me!" 

She nodded, thankfully. 

"That is true. He didn't know the UA Sports Festival was a televised event until, like, last month?" 

"ANYWAYS...do you think there's more going on there? I find it hard to believe he would do a complete 180 like that from stress alone." 

Shinsou rolled his eyes, shrugging. 

"It's hard to say. It's not like he tries to talk to any of us." 

"Maybe I should go talk to him. I don't know, maybe I did something and didn't realise. Or maybe he just needs someone to talk to." 

"Why should you be the one that talks to him?" 

Midoriya turned to the insomniac, an unreadable expression on his face. 

"What?" 

Shinsou shrunk a little under his gaze. He sounded more defeated. 

"Look, all I'm saying is...you shouldn't have to burden yourself by trying to help him. Sometimes people don't want help. Even if they need it. Even if they know they should take it. I know you're trying to be a good person, but people are selfish. You're allowed to be selfish." 

Midoriya pursed his lips. He gave one sharp nod, standing up from the table. 

"I'm going to go find him." 

Uraraka gave him a thumbs up in encouragement. Tsuyu and Tokoyami shared a look. 

He walked away.

Chapter Text

Finding Todoroki, Midoriya found, was much more difficult than anticipated. For starters, he had absolutely no idea where he went. 

"Hey Kaminari! Did you see where Todoroki went after the Cavalry Battle?" 

The yellow-blond tapped his chin. 

"Uh, that would be a no, sorry. Why, are you okay?" 

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I just had a question, I guess. Thanks anyway." 

Kaminari smiled, turning back to his conversation with Ashido and Sero. 

Midoriya carried on, searching the nearby corridors and waiting rooms. Nothing. 

The image of Shinsou crossed his mind, as he bitterly spoke about Todoroki. Midoriya understood where Shinsou was coming from, but that didn't necessarily mean he was right. Some people don't want help, but maybe they need someone to offer it. 

...or maybe he was trying too hard with someone who just didn't care. Not to side with Shinsou, but Todoroki hadn't exactly broken into song and dance after they shared in some conversations. But he also didn't tell Midoriya to fuck off, so...what? 

Why did he care so much? Why was he forcing himself to search for a boy who clearly didn't want to be found. Why was he reaching out for someone who had been nothing but an ass to him all day. He scowled and rolled his eyes. 

How many times would he have to reach out before he gave up? 

He was getting annoyed. How many places could a teenage boy hide in the stadium? Surely not that many. 

...unless he left..? 

Midoriya followed the signs to the exit. He knew there were stalls and games set up outside, so probably not there. Plus, Todoroki didn't seem like the type to enjoy large crowds. 

An emergency exit maybe? It was worth a shot. 

He turned on his heel and jogged back in the other direction. 

He found the nearest fire exit, a large tunnel leading directly to the exterior of the stadium. 

Midoriya thought it was poor planning. What if someone broke in again? All they'd have to do is hide in the forest right next to the stadium and walk through the comically large tunnel directly to the students. 

But oh well, he wasn't one to critique. 

Much. 

He walked through the tunnel, taking a deep breath of fresh air, feeling the gentle sun on his face. 

He let himself smile. The feeling really never got old. 

"Midoriya?" 

The boy exhaled, looking to his left. 

Who was sitting there, knees to his chest, but Todoroki. 

"You're a tough guy to find. Why are you sitting here by yourself?" 

The other boy stared at him for a beat too long. Midoriya got the impression he wasn't going to respond, until Todoroki sighed. 

"I needed to breathe." 

"I hear that." 

He felt his earlier irritation claw back up his throat. He turned to face the other boy properly. 

"Why are you talking to me now? Did I do something to you? I just...I don't understand how we went from being friends to you being mad at me." 

The heterochromatic boy's expression shifted. 

Midoriya sniffed, aggressively rubbing his nose. 

"...We were friends?" 

That caught his attention. 

He blinked a few times, rubbing his neck. 

"Well, I thought so. At the USJ, and after. We were talking. I don't know, I thought...sorry." 

Todoroki looked pensive. Vaguely. His expressions were hard to read. 

"In that case, I haven't been a very good friend. I don't have...experience when it comes to having friends. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to behave." 

Midoriya pinched his brows. 

"Behave? You don't have to do anything, Todoroki, just be you. I want to be your friend." 

He blinked once, slowly. Midoriya briefly pictured a cat. 

"Why?" 

He was not joking. Midoriya didn't know how to respond. 

"I...I just think you're cool. You've got that wicked power and you manage to stay so calm and in control all the time. I envy that, you know? Plus, you were nice to me before. And, I thought maybe you needed a friend." 

Todoroki looked away from him, a somewhat morose expression on his face. 

"You pity me?" 

Midoriya pinched his brows. 

"What's there to pity? Todoroki, I want to be your friend, and I thought that because you're not very close with the class, it was because you were...scared or something. Shy, maybe" 

The dual boy said nothing, so Midoriya continued. 

"You always seemed to float above it all, until the USJ. During the Apprehension Test, you stayed completely calm while Eraserhead scared everyone else shitless. During the hero and villain training, your team won the fastest because of your skill. Honestly, even during the USJ, you talked sense into me when I didn't want to hear it. And you didn't hesitate. 

"You're just so...I don't know. Above everything. I don't know how else to put it. But that's just it though, isn't it? When you're so high above everything, when you're untouchable, it can be hard to connect with others, right? It's like, maybe you lost touch." 

Todoroki just watched him from where he was sitting. Midoriya kinda regretted not sitting down before he made the conversation heavy. 

He was honestly surprised Todoroki responded at all. 

"...I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologise, Todoroki. I can see why you thought that." 

Midoriya watched as he stared off into space. It wasn't clear what he was thinking, but he hoped it was at least positive. Todoroki looked up at him with a fresh determination in his eyes. It was a refreshing sight. 

"If we are...friends...can I share something with you?" 

The green haired boy nodded, walking over and sitting down cross-legged next to Todoroki. 

"Go ahead, whatever you want." 

He hesitated, opening and closing his mouth. 

"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" 

Internally, Midoriya was laughing at the irony of him, literally the only person who knew absolute fuckall about quirks, being asked if he knew something. About quirks. What were the odds? 

Externally, he shook his head. 

"No, I haven't." 

Todoroki sighed, looking away from him. 

"Around the second and third generations of quirks, some people realised that they could manufacture stronger powers in their offspring. People's family would be paid off to marry complete strangers for the sole reason being to pump out powerful children." 

Midoriya didn't like where this was going. 

"That sounds like eugenics." 

Todoroki huffed what might have been a laugh. 

"In a lot of ways, it was. They were banned a few decades ago, but that didn't stop the rich people with agendas. Endeavour, my father, bought my mother's hand. My grandparents shipped her off to him, happy with the cheque filling their pockets." 

Midoriya assumed Todoroki wasn't exactly close with his extended family. 

"He forced four children out of her, looking for one power. The one power." 

Midoriya didn't need to guess. 

"Yours..." 

Todoroki's gaze turned hard, making his chest hurt. 

"Yes. He isolated me from my older siblings. He didn't want his failures contaminating his 'masterpiece'. A legacy stronger than All Might, that's all the bastard wants." 

He raised a hand to his left eye. The one with the very large, very noticeable scar. Midoriya felt sick to his stomach. 

"My mother tried to protect me. Us. There was only so much of him she could take, evidently." 

"Todoroki..." 

The other boy was breathing harder than he had been. Midoriya thought he wouldn't be able to stop if he wanted to. 

"She said I look just like him, that she couldn't stand the sight of me, and she threw boiling water in my face." 

He was staring. He knew he shouldn't be, but even he couldn't come up with anything to say to that. 

"Endeavour shipped her off to a psychiatric care ward. He never talked about what happened after. I...I've been refusing part of myself, of my quirk, because of him. I don't want to give him the satisfaction." 

Midoriya couldn't let that slide. 

"Todoroki, I don't want to offend you at all, but your dad is a bitch." 

The reaction he got was worth the possibility of anger. 

Todoroki blinked at him like he didn't know how to respond, before a small smile settled on his face. 

"...you've been suppressing your quirk?" 

"Part of it. His fire." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

"Okay, you don't have to take my word for it, but I'm pretty sure you aren't Endeavour. Just because you're related to him doesn't mean you have to consider him your family. Or that you let him have such a big influence on you actions." 

Todoroki gave him a weird look. 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well, what good is not using your power going to be in the future? Thieves and murderers aren't going to care that you have a bad past. Civilians won't care as long as you can help them. Why keep letting him influence you when you could use all your power and still not give him what he wants? Would that not be more satisfying and safe for you?" 

He gave him another strange look, but this time there was a layer of understanding underneath. 

"...thank you, Midoriya. You've given me a lot to think about. To be honest, this morning, I told you I was going to beat you to prove something to him. That if I could take you down with only half of my power...that I could beat All Might as well. And that I could make him watch me reject him. 

"But...that's still letting him occupy my thoughts. All I want is to be free of him. You're right. So, thank you." 

Midoriya smiled. 

"Of course." 

Todoroki turned to face him again. 

"May I ask you a question?" 

"Sure." 

"Are you somehow related to Midnight? She seems too young to be your mother, your aunt or sister maybe? And what about Aizawa? I know you're trying to hide it but it's clear you have a connection of some kind." 

Midoriya choked several times during that spiel. 

"Wh-HUH? No! I mean, no, I'm not related to Midnight, she just likes me. And...I guess since you already know, and you trusted me just now, yeah. I do have a connection to Eraserhead. He kind of adopted me? I don't know. He's my guardian." 

Todoroki blinked once and nodded sharply. 

"I will keep your secret." 

Midoriya smiled, amused at his serious tone. If only he knew about the rest of his secrets. 

"Thanks, Todoroki." 

The boy hesitated again, slowly holding out his left arm, and cupping his hand. 

A gentle, warming flame appeared in the palm of his hand. 

Midoriya watched it in wonder. Todoroki looked uneasy, but the flame stayed burning, so maybe he just had to get comfortable with it again. 

"Thank you." 

He grinned. 

*** 

Shigaraki was tapping his index finger repeatedly on the bar. The eye not covered by Father was glued to the TV screen. 

He didn't get it. 

How could that NPC have gotten to the final round without showing his quirk? There was no way he was quirkless, what little he could see of his arms down to his fingers were stark white. So what? Was he just not going to use it? 

Kurogiri watched as he tapped. The man had given him grief for destroying so many glasses. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he ruined the whole counter. 

The small monitor behind him was whirring. 

"Sensei." 

The voice of his master crackled and fizzled through the old speakers. 

"Yes, Tomura?" 

He kept staring at the TV. They were doing that asinine section where the contestants not good enough to make it to the end had the chance to play some games. And show off their quirks. 

He felt the cogs turning in his head. 

"The green one, I want information on him. The same with the blond and the purple haired one." 

A deep, resounding chuckle came from the small screen. 

"As you wish, Tomura. What is it about these three?" 

He growled in frustration. 

"These NPCs are overpowered. The green one cheated, and he hasn't even shown his quirk properly today. It's so....ugh! How did he survive the Nomu?!" 

"Calm yourself, you know quirks have only gotten stronger through the generations. Your own, for example..." 

The boy, barely an adult, huffed. 

"The blond one, with explosions. He's angry. I think he has potential. Maybe even enough to be worthy of joining up with us." 

The monitor buzzed. 

"What makes you say that?" 

"He keeps getting caught up in the games, but you can see when he snaps back to reality. I think he's fighting his natural impulses." 

"Ah, a clockwork orange, so to speak. Very astute of you, Tomura. I'm impressed." 

He shrunk a bit under the meager praise. Sensei wasn't one to hand out compliments, his terrifying control over most of the underground left him hardened. Plenty had failed to meet his expectations, and let's just say they didn't expect a second chance. His Sensei spoke again. 

"The last one, what is it about him?" 

"From what I can see, he can control people. I'm not sure how, but if that's his genuine quirk, he could be a serious asset. That is, if he can prove himself to be more than an NPC." 

Sensei hummed. 

"I see. So the last two are of importance, should we sway them to our side, while the first is of special interest to you. I'll see what can be found on them." 

Kurogiri watched him as he faced the screen. 

"Thank you, Sensei." 

*** 

Midoriya had managed to convince Todoroki to join his friends for what was left of their lunch hour, though their initial greetings could have gone better. 

Much better. 

Midoriya knew that Shinsou was bitter about a lot of things. It was kind of...a part of his personality at this point. But still, he really hoped the other would've been semi amiable toward Todoroki. 

Unfortunately not. 

"Oh, I see you found him. And why, pray tell, did you bring him here?" 

He shot Shinsou a look, but the other ignored him. 

The rest, at least, welcomed him. 

"Todoroki! Wonderful to see you've joined us! I must say, your strategising in the last round was both practical and effective, well done!" 

"Hey Todoroki! It's nice to see you, are you hungry?" 

"Yeah, kero, you really gave us a run for our money." 

"Speaking of money, if you let me make you some gear, we both could make a lot of money! Nice work on coming first twice in a row." 

"You've been granted immense power, and your control is striking. The dark welcomes you should you choose to explore it." 

Todoroki was definitely not prepared for all the attention to be on him. He especially was caught off guard by Tokoyami's comment. 

Midoriya shoved him into the seat next to him before sitting down himself. He cleared his throat to alleviate some of the awkwardness he could feel growing. 

"So, how are we feeling about the final challenge?" 

Shinsou raised an eyebrow. 

"I'm against Monoma in the fourth round. The freaky guy who insulted our whole class. Yeah, him. Luckily for me, I'm dipping." 

Todoroki looked up at that. 

"You're forfeiting the match?" 

Shinsou looked up at him from under his eyebrows. 

"No, I'm going to walk onto the platform, wait until the match starts, and walk back off." 

The bicoloured boy stared. 

"Why?" 

Shinsou scoffed into his onigiri. 

"It might not make sense to you, but I'm not here to make a show. I got to the last round, that's all I wanted to prove. I already have my internship lined up." 

"You don't want to win?" 

This time, he gave him a weird look. 

"No? It doesn't matter to me. By next week, no one will be talking about it. Why put all your energy into a competition that doesn't even matter after today?" 

Todoroki looked away, a curious expression on his face. 

Midoriya blinked at Shinsou, who shrugged back. 

Iida cleared his throat. 

"Who are you fighting first, Midoriya?" 

He froze. 

"Uh...I don't...know?" 

Uraraka and Tsuyu laughed at him. He huffed into his bento. 

"What!? I didn't check." 

Hatsume stopped stuffing her face with cup noodles, swallowing a massive mouthful in one large gulp. 

"No need to worry, my simple minded friend, for you have been placed against me!" 

"Simple minded? Why is everyone being mean to me today?" 

Todoroki slouched a bit. Okay, maybe not the best choice of words. 

"Whatever, what did you have in mind, best friend whom I admire and respect very much?" 

Tokoyami snorted that time. 

"No need to fear my guy, trust me when I say I have the best plan ever. And we're going first, so all eyes will be on us! This literally could not have gone better for me." 

"Oh? You have my interest now. What are you scheming?" 

Iida chopped his arm 

"Midoriya, it is disrespectful to assume your dear friend would have ulterior motives during the renowned Sports Festival!" 

Hatsume raised an eyebrow. 

"Oh, I absolutely have ulterior motives. I want to get people talking about my babies! How better to do that than to have Greenie using my gear as well! I already did out the paperwork, and Powerloader said it was fine as long as nothing blew up, unintentionally obviously." 

Iida dropped his arm. Uraraka smiled at him sympathetically. 

Midoriya grinned. 

"Perfect, now, how chaotic do we get with this? What tech are you thinking?" 

She tapped her chin a few times. 

"Let me think..." 

"Midoriya, may I speak with you privately. It will only be for a moment." 

Shouta had appeared behind them at some point. Both Midoriya and Shinsou startled. 

"Oh! Sure, I'll be back in a second guys. Shinsou, play nice." 

Shinsou glared at him as he followed Shouta away from the table and out of the cafeteria. 

"So, how are you feeling? Still overwhelmed?" 

He smiled. 

"Well, yeah, but I'm doing okay. You sound like you're having fun with the commentary. How'd he rope you into that one?" 

The man sighed, leaning against the wall. 

"Lost a bet. Turns out, Hizashi is really good at guessing which third years like each other." 

Midoriya hummed. 

"We didn't see much of you during the race. Saving energy for something?" 

"No, I just didn't want to give away my strategies too soon. I'm not even that pushed about winning, I'm just curious to see how this round goes." 

"You'll do fine. We did plenty of combat training before UA, is that still knocking around in your noggin?" 

He chuckled as Shouta tapped his head.

"Yeah, I don't know. I find it hard to switch from the portal mentality. I was mostly all about movement and dodging before, you know? I keep hesitating. Maybe I need to work on that." 

Shouta gave him a look. 

"Yes, I would argue that that is something worth working on. Any ideas for your internship yet?" 

"Well, given that I know all of about ten pro heroes in total, I'll probably play it safe." 

"And you're positive you don't want to intern with either of us?" 

Midoriya nodded. 

He knew, logically, that he absolutely could just intern with either of his parental figures, easy. But he wanted to earn his internship. Or...at least go to someone who could teach him something new. 

Kayama was a no, for now anyway. She couldn't really help him with his power or his fighting, with her own fighting style being so different to his. 

Nedzu was an absolute no. He didn't feel anywhere near confident enough to spend a whole week with the principal. Sure, they'd spoken over tea a few times, but the mouse/bear/whatever was always asking questions about the past. 

Plus, he wasn't sure if he was prepared to have his first therapy session be unintentionally hosted by Nedzu. 

Maybe some of the other staff? He didn't know the rest of them that well, so he could happily accept an offer from any of them. Another bonus would be that they know his guardians personally. It would be easy to talk to them should anything happen. 

He shrugged after a second. 

"Yeah, thanks though. It really means a lot that you'd keep training me." 

Shouta smiled under his capture weapon. 

"Yeah, whatever. Get back to your friends, lunch is over soon." 

They went their separate ways. 

*** 

"HEY HEY HEYYYYYYY! WELCOME BACK TO THE FINAL ROUND OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! During the break, our students got to relax and play some games, but now?! WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS!" 

"First up, Midoriya Izuku from the Hero course, versus Hatsume Mei from the Support course. They were on the same team in the last round. Let's see how this goes." 

"HOLD ON! WHAT'S MIDORIYA GOT THERE? IS THAT- I BELIEVE IT IS! HATSUME'S TECH?" 

"She filled out the paperwork, calm down." 

"OH, THIS IS GOING TO BE A GOOD ONE, I CAN FEEL IT!" 

Midnight cracked her whip as both Hatsume and Midoriya took their positions on the platform. The crowd was cheering like crazy, Midoriya didn't know how to feel. He felt warm, kind of. It was an interesting sensation, having people so genuinely happy to witness one's performance. 

It was certainly a nice change of pace from Glados. 

He took a deep breath, thinking back over their plan. Let it happen as it happened. She knew what she was doing. 

"Alright, when I crack my whip, you will try to incapacitate your opponent, knock them out of bounds, or get them to concede defeat! Matches will be timed, but this won't affect your score in any way. Cementoss and I are here if things get out of hand. And remember, in order to win a medal, you have to give your all!" 

She raised her arm dramatically. 

"Ready?! And-" 

The sound of her whip echoed through his eardrums. 

He knew the plan. 

He took off forward, as if he was going to try shoving Hatsume out. Right and he neared her, he reached out and- 

She flew upwards on metal poles, extending from her backpack. 

He skidded to a stop. 

Step one: complete. 

She smiled, pulling out the megaphone from earlier. 

"As you can see! This backpack comes fully stocked with sensors and my patented, fast-reacting balancing system! No matter the terrain or the weather conditions, this baby will keep you out of reach!" 

Midoriya ran at her again, smiling wider this time. Her tech shot her out of the way again, only this time Midoriya made to spin around mid-stride. 

His poorly executed turn was corrected by the tech she lent him, sending him back on course. 

"What you just witnessed is my finest creation to date! This baby automatically rebalances you in your stride, both boosting and improving your speed! No more unfortunate falls or slow starts, this baby has you covered!" 

That whole...thing, went on for a number of minutes. It, being the first match of many, had the audience high in anticipation. Really, it couldn't have gone better for Hatsume. 

What especially helped, was that both Shouta and Hizashi caught on to what she was doing pretty quickly, going as far to audibly react when one of her babies did something particularly striking. 

Once she'd shown off what she wanted to, she proudly waved to the crowd and walked herself out of bounds. 

Midoriya laughed and applauded as she left, heading back through the tunnel. It was funny, honestly, that they let her get away with it. Maybe it was because she was the only student not from the Hero course to make it to the final round. 

Either way, the crowd was impressed with her, he was through to the next round, and Todoroki was being nicer to him. 

All in all, he was having a really good time. 

He was walking back through the halls, thinking about his next match. He'd be fighting whoever won the second round. He was curious to know who that would be. 

He turned the corner and was met with an absolute brick wall of a man. 

"Oh, fuck my life." 

The man turned around. His face was adorned with the most ridiculous fiery facial hair, and a face that only a mother could love. 

Endeavour, the number two hero. 

Todoroki's shitbag of a father. 

"Oh. You. You came third in the first round without drawing any attention to yourself. You'll be against my masterpiece in the next round. You better give him a good fight." 

The man started turning back around. 

Midoriya refused to let Todoroki be spoken about like an object. He also refused to let this flaming asshole give him grief. 

"Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" 

Endeavour froze, looking back at him. 

"Excuse me?" 

"You're excused, now, I believe only students are allowed to be back here. Care to run along back to you seat, sir?" 

His smile was absolutely venomous. 

The hero didn't enjoy being told off, surprise surprise. 

"How dare you speak to me like that, don't you know to respect authority?" 

Midoriya blinked, putting on a very sweet, very fake smile. 

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" 

He furrowed his brows. 

"I also don't appreciate that tone of yours. Leave before I make you leave." 

Midoriya put a hand on his chest, gasping. 

"Excuse me? Did you just threaten a minor on school grounds?! I'd hate to have to pull the camera footage from this hall, I'm sure your fans would be curious to know why you might be banned from UA, despite being an alumnus. Run along back to the viewing area, please. You're stinking up the hall with those flames." 

Midoriya walked around him, shooting him a glare as he walked past. 

"By the way, Todoroki isn't an object, sir. He also, more importantly, isn't you. Get your head out of your ass." 

Midoriya left before he got a response.

Chapter Text

If he was being honest, Midoriya wasn't all that interested in watching the fights. Something didn't sit right with him about watching his friends and classmates fight each other for other's entertainment and business dealings. They fought like they had nothing to lose. 

For some of them, he thought, it had to be true. 

What he didn't like was that it was being broadcasted for all to see. Why was something like that allowed? Surely Nedzu would know better than to show off the powers and abilities of the future generations of heroes? 

He sighed. Hatsume didn't seem to care. She used it as an opportunity. As she should, but still. She was comfortable in what was happening. 

So were most of his classmates, too. 

He was paranoid, obviously. All too used to being watched while trying to perform at his best. 

Maybe it was because Glados observed him so keenly and borderline obsessively that he had a problem with the festival. 

Shinsou had the right idea. This was hardly going to be the only opportunity for them to catch the public's eye. He shouldn't have to pull out all the stops at the first chance. 

Better to leave some things secret. Add a little spice later on. 

He sighed, picking up the pace as he walked back to his seat. He didn't want to watch his classmates fight, but he might as well send them off with well-wishes. Who knows, perhaps it means more to them than it does to him. 

He frowned. 

Turning the corner, he jogged up the stairs, trying to clear his mind- 

-Only to bump into Todoroki. He heard something clatter to the ground. 

"Oh! Hey, sorry about that!" 

Midoriya noticed that the other boy looked relieved to have found him. 

"It's okay. Can I ask you something before I go out there?" 

He blinked, smiling. 

"Of course! Is everything okay?" 

Todoroki's face was, to put it lightly, torn. The conflict he was so openly expressing threw Midoriya off. 

He raised a hand, trying to comfort his...friend? Yeah. Friend. 

Todoroki closed his eyes, breathing deeply. When he opened them, Midoriya could have choked. 

He had an intense look about him, the likes of which Midoriya had rarely experienced. 

"Were you serious? About everything you were saying earlier?" 

Oh, wow. Midoriya wanted to punch everyone who'd ever hurt the boy in front of him. 

"Of course. I meant every word." 

He took another drawn out breath. 

"I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to give me your honest answer. I want to do something stupid. Really, really stupid. It could have serious consequences for me, but I...I really want to do it. I want to. For me. Should I...go for it?" 

Midoriya could feel himself smiling awkwardly. This was...not what he was expecting. 

"Well, I wouldn't recommend doing anything illegal-" 

Todoroki's eyes went wide. 

"Wh-no! Nothing like that." 

He sighed a breath of relief, dramatically wiping his forehead. 

"Oh, thank science, I thought I was about to become an accomplice in something, holy shit." 

The bicoloured boy had the ghost of a smile. 

"I think, if it's something you want to do for yourself, even if there are consequences, you should do it. Unless it's murder. That is negotiable if the target is a dick, though. Anyways, sorry, yeah...yeah, I'd say. If it'll make you happy, do it. Will you regret it if you don't?" 

Todoroki's smile widened, though his eyes were full of an emotion that Midoriya couldn't even begin to identify 

Maybe that's why he needed a therapist. 

"Definitely. More than anything." 

Midoriya smiled. 

"Do it! Show them who's boss, right?" 

"Right." 

Todoroki glanced at a clock hanging along the wall of the corridor. 

Midoriya figured he should head back to his seat. 

"Hey, good luck with the match, you've got serious strength, man. Show them what you've got." 

Todoroki looked at him, amused. He nodded, and started walking past him, leaning to pick up whatever had fallen from his grasp. 

"Thank you, but it won't be necessary." 

Midoriya turned, watching his friend strolling away, the most at ease he'd ever seen him. With a fucking megaphone in his hand. 

"What the fuck does that mean?" 

He shook his head, chuckling. 

Whatever, let the cards fall as they may. 

He stuck his hands in his pockets and headed for the student seating. 

Uraraka had been nice enough to save him a seat between her and Iida. She'd waved him over when he got there, nudging Shinsou beside her. 

Shinsou looked at him, nodded his head slightly, and went back to talking to whoever was sitting on the other side of him. 

Once Midoriya had sat down comfortably, he realised the person was Monoma. 

He was surprised, to say the least. 

Especially considering the fact that Shinsou had been rattled by the blond's insults following the USJ. And that Monoma was a little cracked, mentally speaking. Maybe that was just his inferiority complex. 

Eh. Whatever. 

He leaned forward in his seat, waving at him. Monoma stalled in his conversation with Shinsou. 

"Hey, how are you doing on this fine day?" 

He raised a blond eyebrow. 

"I don't understand you 1-A people. I'm fine. Do you mind? We were clearly having a conversation." 

Midoriya shrugged. Shinsou elbowed Monoma in the hip. 

Shinsou didn't exactly love the fact that the 'random draw' had pitted him and Monoma against each other. Them, two of the few hero students who'd been badly mistreated for their quirks. 

He himself had been labelled as a villain the second people found out about his quirk. Surprise surprise, people don't tend to enjoy losing all control of their bodies. School had always been weird. Weird people asking him weird questions about his weird quirk. 

Creepy things, like if he'd make people do things they'd be uncomfortable with. Or just disgusting things. Shinsou was many things, but he wasn't a shitbag. 

He absolutely wanted to show his ex classmates up, becoming the best hero alive and rubbing it in their disgusting, judgemental faces. But the spotlight wasn't for him. He wasn't that kind of person, he didn't want to be that kind of hero. 

Underground, he'd decided. That's where he belonged. 

But the unfortunate truth was that he was still viewed as the bad guy. Other than in UA. It was so foreign to him at first, being treated with kindness and friendliness right off the bat, and even after he used his quirk. True, he still hadn't fully explained what he could do, but his classmates...didn't care. 

And Midoriya had helped him. A few times. He was the best friend he ever had. The only best friend he ever had. And Midoriya had helped him make new friends. 

And he was happier. 

Monoma, not so much. Technically, he wasn't even supposed to be in the final round, but two of Shinsou's lovely teammates from the Cavalry battle didn't feel like they'd earned their spots, so they both dropped out. 

Midnight was nice enough to let his team, the fifth placers, choose two to participate. 

His quirk was functionally useless on it's own, and while that didn't mean it was weak, it meant he would forever be relying on other people being there. Obviously the guy had issues. Midoriya was probably right in thinking he had an inferiority complex of some kind. 

Shinsou had honestly been really shocked that the other approached him before their match. 

"Would you look at that, making the two freaks fight in the first round. What are the odds?" 

Initially, Shinsou assumed he had just wanted to throw him off his game. 

"Look, if you're here to try pissing me off, it isn't going to work." 

"Ugh, not everything is about you. I want to ask you about our match." 

Shinsou raised his eyebrows. 

"Shoot." 

Monoma sighed. 

"How much does this mean to you?" 

That was what flicked the switch in his head. 

Monoma, of all people, wanting to know if losing would fuck up his mental health, or something. 

He snorted sardonically. 

"It doesn't. I did what I wanted to do. So, I'm done. Enjoy the next heat." 

The look Monoma had on his face was amazing. He was thriving. In that moment, Shinsou knew he had peaked. 

"You're dropping out? Why the hell is that what you want? Why don't you want to win?" 

He just shrugged, relaxed and pleased with himself. 

"I don't need to win to be satisfied. I got into the Hero course, and it's been a dream. It's all I wanted as a kid. I'm going to be a hero, the kind I want to be. I got this far on my own strength, with help from friends. Winning would be cool, yeah, but I don't need it. I'm happy with where I am." 

Todoroki, who had been sitting in the row behind them, got up and left after that. 

Monoma scratched at his hair. He exhaled sharply. 

"Of course you're being noble, or whatever. I'm surprised you didn't just make them give you the damn medal." 

He rolled his eyes at that. 

"Yeah? Well, it's been nice, kindly fuck off." 

"No-I. Ugh, let me finish, please. You don't want to win, good for you. Thanks for the pass, if that's what you want to hear. When are you planning on forfeiting?" 

Shinsou actually laughed at that. 

"Forfeiting? Nah, I was thinking of having some fun with it, if you're on board." 

Monoma smirked. 

"Oh, what did you have in mind?" 

Shinsou had an idea alright. 

While he and Monoma had established a begrudging respect based on their own experiences and their hatred of the Hero Commission, Shinsou wouldn't tolerate him being a dick to his best friend, who had literally just sat down. 

So he elbowed him in the hip to shut him up. He certainly hadn't been expecting it, but that probably served better, in his opinion. 

Midoriya looked between them in confusion, but he smiled to himself and looked away. 

Weird. 

Shinsou looked down at the arena, watching Todoroki and Sero make their ways onto the platform. 

He didn't know how he felt about Todoroki. 

On one hand, he was born with an absolutely unparalleled quirk, in terms of power and abilities. His control of said quirk was insane, Shinsou wasn't blind. He froze a whole building for an exercise, and managed to leave the attached buildings completely untouched and undamaged. He captured all the villains around him in the USJ, escaping without a scratch. He'd certainly done more than Shinsou. 

He rolled his eyes at the thought. 

What Shinsou didn't like was that he was so privileged. He had a rich family, a direct connection to the number two hero and the respect of everyone in UA for just being a legacy. He never seemed grateful for anything he had. 

On the other hand, the number two hero was a flaming asshole. Shinsou did not trust his parenting abilities in the slightest. Todoroki clearly was not the same as the rest of their classmates, socially speaking. He almost never initiated conversation, and he was so unaware of others feelings that it was borderline crazy. 

If those weren't red flags, he didn't know what were. Of course, he had absolutely no proof for anything he could think up. 

And it was easier to be an ass than it was to try befriend someone who didn't want it. Todoroki had literally said that he 'wasn't there to make friends.' There isn't a lot of ways to interpret that. 

What he couldn't let go of, though, was that Todoroki singled out Midoriya. Posed a challenge for him, wanting to beat him specifically. What about everyone else, huh? 

All Shinsou would have to do is get him to talk, and he'd be done for. What good would ice be if Yaoyorozu created some antifreeze? 

Or a flamethrower. 

He didn't see them as threats, is what he was getting at. And he couldn't let that slide. 

Midoriya wanted to be nice. He wanted to try with him. Shinsou didn't get it. 

He could also tell Midoriya wanted him to be nicer to Todoroki, at lunch. And to give credit where credit was due, the bicoloured boy had been different. Whatever Midoriya had said to him clearly had some impact. 

Him though? Shinsou needed something from Todoroki. He needed the boy to earn his respect. Maybe that wasn't the fairest thing to do, but Todoroki had been an ass to his friends. He thought he was right to want more from him. 

Speaking of Todoroki, the boy was holding something. He couldn't quite tell what it was from where they were sitting, but he wondered how he had gotten permission to bring an extra something to his fight. Not like he needed help, with that quirk. 

Midnight cracked her whip, controlling the crowd in an instant. 

"ALL RIIIIIIIIIIIGHT! NEXT UP: TODOROKI THE POWERHOUSE VERSUS THE AGILE SERO! HOW WILL IT P-Huh? WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN THERE?" 

Shinsou looked back down at the arena. 

Todoroki was on fire. 

Well, not entirely. Half fire and half ice. It was the first time he ever saw the boy use it. 

Had he...intentionally...not been using fire? Half his quirk, and he still thought he was better than the rest of their class? Figures. 

Midoriya shot up from his seat, cheering at the top of his lungs, and for a moment, Shinsou saw the flames grow. 

Sero was looking a little nervous. 

Why was Midoriya so happy? Why was he so willing to reach out to people who didn't deserve it? 

He huffed, frustrated. 

He needed to stop projecting onto Todoroki, immediately. 

Midnight was about to crack her whip to start the match. 

Todoroki held the thing he brought in his left hand. Hatsume cackled in the seat behind him. 

"Hah! My design, my megaphone, being shown off to the world in the hands of a pro hero's son, today has been an absolute dream come true!" 

A megaphone? Shinsou narrowed his eyes. 

Todoroki held it up to his mouth. 

What was he planning? 

He took a deep breath. 

Shinsou leaned further forward in his seat. 

"EXCUSE ME." 

Midnight froze. His voice bounced and echoed around the arena. 

Todoroki flinched at the volume. He tried again. 

"Sorry, it was louder than I expected." 

Some laughter came from the audience, but people were watching so avidly, they never took their eyes off of him. 

"I just had a wonderful conversation, with a friend. My friend. And, I would like to withdraw from the festival. Thank you." 

What. 

"What the FUCK?" 

Midoriya was smirking at him. 

Shinsou absolutely lost it. 

"Oh no fucking way, that bitch stole my thing!" 

Todoroki let the ice and fire disappear in an instant. He dropped the microphone in front of him, turned, and walked out of the arena. The audience were the loudest they'd been all day, Present Mic was screaming and Midoriya was laughing his head off. 

Goddamn, it was hard not to enjoy that. He really, really wanted to be original in dropping out, but fuck it. That was so cool. 

Midnight was looking up at the commentator's box, shrugging. 

Sero looked a little disappointed, but he gave a big thumbs up before spinning on his heel. 

Monoma had a weird look on his face. 

"Fucking hell, I mean? Good for him, right?" 

The blond gave him a hard stare for a moment. He turned away and nodded. 

*** 

Todoroki felt alive. Regardless of what Endeavour said, regardless of whatever punishment he received, he was so, so happy with himself. 

He practically sprinted through the halls, back to the student's viewing area. 

Midoriya was grinning so wide, Todoroki thought his face would split in two. 

"THAT, holy shit, was amazing! You looked so menacing-the ice and fire-but no, boom, withdrawing. Insanely cool, I am so glad you did that!" 

Midoriya scooped him up in a massive hug. Affection was...foreign to him, especially as he got older, but it was nice. He gently wrapped his arms around his friend. 

Friend. 

He hid a smile. He could have had this from the start, he realised. If he hadn't been so insistent on rejecting his father's wishes. If he hadn't denied any and all offers of friendship from people who genuinely cared. 

But...better late than never, right? 

*** 

It took a good ten minutes for Midoriya to properly calm down after that. He was just. So thrilled for Todoroki. 

He knew it was weird for him to be this excited over something as simple as forfeiting, but it meant something to Todoroki, so naturally he was pleased. 

Also Todoroki called him his friend. 

He mentally fist pumped. 

When he and Todoroki sat down, Uraraka left to get in some last minute preparation, so it was just him, Todoroki and Shinsou. And Monoma, but he wasn't very present in their impromptu staring contest. 

More specifically, between Shinsou and Todoroki. 

Midoriya was almost certain that Todoroki knew Shinsou wasn't his biggest fan, but hopefully... 

...Something? 

He sighed. He just wanted his friends to get along. 

Surprisingly, Shinsou turned away, breaking their eye contact. 

"Why did you do that? Seriously, I'm asking." 

Todoroki looked at Midoriya briefly, who was the unfortunate soul stuck sitting between them. 

"I was thinking about what you said. About how you didn't need to win to be content with yourself. And I talked to a friend about something serious I need to work on. I guess I just wanted to. Is that a problem?" 

Shinsou snorted, but Midoriya knew him well enough to know it wasn't sarcastic. 

"Not a problem, I was hoping I'd be the only one, though." 

Todoroki glanced at Midoriya before smiling softly. 

Monoma leaned around Shinsou, interrupting their moment of newfound respect. 

"As touching as this is, can we turn our attention back to the games? Who's up next?" 

"Kaminari and Ashido. My money's on Ashido, all the way." 

Shinsou was correct in his bet, Ashido wiped out Kaminari before he could charge up his attack. Turns out, a sudden blast of even mild acid can scare someone enough to sprint away. 

So yeah. End of that match. 

Iida clapped Midoriya on the shoulder as he got up. 

"I'm up soon. I'd like to wait in advance, so I'll see you all after my match." 

"Good luck, Iida! Who are you up against?" 

Iida stood up tall. 

"Thank you, I am against Tsubaraba, from Class B. I believe he was on Monoma's team for the Cavarly Battle." 

With that, he left. 

If Midoriya was being completely, one-hundred-percent honest, he was not paying attention to the fights. 

He had very little interest, aside from the occasional entertaining moment, like when Kaminari's tracksuit pants turned into shorts. Hah, acid. 

Shinsou and Monoma were up, and Midoriya was curious. He knew his friend didn't want to participate in this round, but there were any number of ways he could forfeit. Or Monoma could try to beat him anyway. 

He watched as they, like all others before them, walked up the steps to the platform, glaring at each other hauntingly. 

He was both curious, and spooked. 

They stalled in front of Midnight, only about five feet from each other. 

She cracked her whip, and the audience went quiet in focus. 

Two wild cards, forced to fight. 

The headline wrote itself, really. 

Midoriya clued back in to the match when he heard Hatsume cackle behind him. 

They were...shaking their fists? 

He leaned forward. 

Yep. 

Shinsou and Monoma stood in the same places, holding their right hands out. 

"ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, GO!" 

Midoriya knew that Shinsou had practiced voice projection, for his quirk, but he didn't know he was that good at it. 

He found himself laughing along with Hatsume, as they furiously threw out the same answer three times in a row, 

Paper. 

Rock. 

Scissors. 

They got more dramatic the longer they went on, and by the third 'round', they were both gasping at the result. 

Finally, they went for it one last time, shouting at the top of their lungs. 

"ROCK...PAPER...SCISSORS!" 

Monoma went for rock. Shinsou went for scissors. 

The blond threw up his arms, cheering. 

The audience, though confused, cheered along with him. 

Shinsou shrugged, nodded, and walked himself out of bounds. 

Damn. Midoriya both was and was not expecting them to orchestrate something so weird, but he was glad they did. Shake things up a bit. 

He glanced at Todoroki beside him, who was hiding his quiet laughter. 

Iida was up, and unsurprisingly won. He managed to dash around and push his opponent out of bounds as fast as the eye could see. 

He was very proud of himself, Midoriya realised, when he got back to his seat. 

"Why, yes! I know full well that many of our talented classmates didn't manage to make it this far, so I'm glad I got here! My brother said he'd try to watch my fights today. I want to make him proud." 

Oops, he'd been thinking aloud. 

"Oh, that's cool! It must be nice, having his support." 

Iida nodded, adjusting his glasses. 

"Indeed, he's supported my dreams of heroism since I was a child. He is an incredible hero, and I want to live up to him. I hope he was able to watch." 

Midoriya patted him on the back. 

"Hey, you're still in the games, even if he missed your first match, he could tune in for the rest of them!" 

Iida brightened up a bit. 

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. Thank you, Midoriya!" 

He and Midoriya half-watched the next fight, Aoyama against Kirishima. No offense to Aoyama, but it was an unfortunate pairing, and Midoriya had a hard time believing he'd be able to beat the brick house that was Kirishima. 

Let's be real, the boy was jacked. 

A few well placed punches were all it took, before the red head literally held Aoyama over his shoulder and threw him out of bounds. 

*** 

Yaoyorozu hid her eyes with her forearm as she left the arena. She was so humiliated. 

Tokoyami was an incredibly strong opponent, but she completely froze. 

She didn't even care if she won or lost, not really. But she wanted to prove to herself that she was deserving of her grades and her friend's high opinions of her.

She had been coached in using her quirk since it manifested. She'd had access to the best quirk specialists, best teachers and best doctors in the country. 

Don't get her wrong, she was fully aware that she was born into wealth. She knew she had more privileges than some of her classmates. 

She also knew that her parents wanted her to do well in life, to the point where they practically pumped money into any company or organisation they thought could help her. 

Her quirk requires a comprehensive understanding of chemistry? They hired some of the highest acclaimed tutors on the globe. 

She had trouble maintaining a healthy weight because her quirk requires her body fat to function? They hired nutritionists upon nutritionists to find a regime that worked for her. 

She had trouble making friends as a child? They set up playdates with their employee's children, and signed her up for clubs and activities. 

She wanted, more than anything, to prove herself worthy of their investment in her. 

And she blew it. 

Their match had been highly anticipated, and ended so quick it made her head spin. 

She'd barely created a shield before Dark Shadow completely flung her out of bounds. 

Her friends still cheered for her, but she missed her chance. Probably her only chance. 

She wished she could be as nonchalant about the Sports Festival as Todoroki was. 

Out of everyone in 1-A, she thought Todoroki and Iida would understand the pressure she felt the most, both of them coming from similar backgrounds to her. 

Only, Todoroki dropped out, and she overheard Iida speaking to his friends. 

He barely sounded rattled. Unbothered. 

Just looking to impress his brother, and nothing else. 

Was it just her? 

What would her parents say, now that she hadn't even made it to the semi finals? 

She sighed, scrubbing her eyes again. 

She had been given an opportunity, a beautiful and powerful quirk. 

And Yaoyorozu felt she didn't even know how to use it. 

Maybe she needed a solid internship after the festival, but who's to say she'll even get a good offer? After that performance? 

She tried to calm down before she ventured back to the student seating. 

The last thing she wanted was their pity. 

Only, when she walked out, making her way to an open seat, Midoriya and his friends were happy to see her. 

"Woah, Yaoyorozu! I forgot how insane your power is!" 

Tokoyami was already sitting with them. 

She felt bubbling, uncomfortable embarrassment crawl up her neck as they looked at one another. 

"Yaoyorozu, you were a fearsome opponent. I'm continually impressed with your quirk as well." 

Well. She felt bad for being awkward. Tokoyami was so nice, of course he wouldn't be rude about winning. 

Midoriya's pink haired friend, Hatsume, shushed them with her whole hands, leaning across them to get her attention. 

"Excuse me, your quirk is unbelievable! Would you mind stopping by the Support labs some time? I could use some materials the school would definitely not pay for. In return, I could amp up your costume or something!" 

Midoriya tugged her hand from his mouth. 

"Wow, since when do you have manners?" 

"Since always, you're just a little bitch." 

Yaoyorozu covered her mouth. Midoriya narrowed his eyes at Hatusme. 

"Says you. Whatever, Yaoyorozu! My dude, you have some crazy abilities. Maybe make a gun! I feel like it would catch people off guard." 

Hatsume's eyes went wide. 

"Ooooooh that's a fantastic idea! How about this! You make me some materials, and I can give you some blueprints for weapons! Nothing too hard to control right away, I noticed you use lots of batons and shields. While those are solid, they're primitive, imagine the upgrades! Built in tasers, extra protection, maybe some shock absorbers. Plus, it'll be quick to create! Bigger things take you longer, according to your file, so lots of small, powerful tools is exactly what you need! Oh, I can see them already! Why am I still here, I have blueprints to draw up!" 

Yaoyorozu was...overwhelmed. 

Hatsume had some ideas. Some very, very rational ideas. 

Perhaps Midoriya was right, too. 

Small, powerful weapons. 

She could manage that. 

Hatsume pulled out a sketchbook, dragging her pencil around furiously. 

Yaoyorozu smiled. A big, real smile. 

It felt nice.

Chapter Text

Uraraka was panicking. That might be exaggerating but the point stood. 

Of all the people she could have been paired against for her first fight in the Sports Festival, it had to be Bakugou. 

She had no idea what to make of him. He'd always been a bit...weird in class. He was quiet most of the time, which was kind of strange in comparison to him during Heroics class. And the USJ. 

One incident in particular was the Hero and Villain training exercise. 

She could only assume he and Midoriya had some kind of history. One doesn't just have it out for another person without reason, surely. 

Midoriya had sounded so...shocked? Confused, maybe, when he'd finally responded to her. 

Uraraka had watched the tapes back. She knew what Bakugou had done. 

But she also knew he voluntarily disqualified himself a second later. 

So...what was going on there? 

At the USJ, his explosions rang out around the whole complex. She felt the aftershock shaking through the ground into her bones. 

She'd heard after, from Kirishima, that he'd held off the villain's teleporter. As in, their escape route, in the face of their leader. And their Nomu. Scary stuff. 

Kirishima seemed to be one of the few people Bakugou could tolerate for long periods of time. Sometimes Midoriya, but it changed day to day. 

She assumed the blond had issues. She didn't want to be rude in thinking that, but the more she looked the more she saw. 

He avoided questions about his middle school. He avoided questions about his friends. He rarely met up with their classmates outside of school, especially in larger groups. 

He and Midoriya had some previous knowledge of each other before they joined UA. Bakugou rarely initiated conversation between them though, it was always Midoriya. 

She noticed, on some of his quieter days, he'd shrink at the sight of the green haired boy. 

She sighed, leaning heavily on the table in the waiting room. Thinking too hard would frustrate her, she knew that. She needed to strategise. 

Glancing up at the TV, she knew she'd be up soon. 

Explosions are powerful. Uraraka knew that from experience. 

If she was going to beat him, it would take more than just Antigravity. She'd been working on her stamina, trying not to be as nauseous using her quirk. 

She had the beginnings of a plan. Barely anything, really. 

But maybe that would work in her favour. 

One thing she knew about Bakugou, he was a very methodical person. He planned out every attack based on other people's strategies. So, if she had no plan? 

Maybe she could throw him off his game by being unpredictable. 

She knew it was a long shot, but it was the best plan she had. 

"Uraraka Ochako and Bakugou Katsuki to the arena now, please." 

Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest. She took a deep, deep breath. 

'Come on, Ochako. Focus. My family, I'm doing this for them.' 

She patted her cheeks a few times. Letting out a long exhale, she stood up and left the room. 

Walking up the steps of the platform made the situation feel a lot more real. 

Bakugou was staring her down from the other side of the arena. He had an intense glare, but she stood her ground. 

Midnight was looking between them with excitement. She clearly was enjoying her job. Although, she was sure anyone would love to be this up close and personal with the UA Sports Festival. Ticket prices were always really high, both due to the limited amount and the demand. 

She hoped to buy her parents tickets to the Sports Festival. Maybe in their third year. 

Present Mic's commentary had been fun before, but knowing all his attention was on them made her nervous. He had been narrating all the other fights, who's to say he wouldn't inadvertently give away any of her attacks. 

Knowing Aizawa, her teacher, would also be watching them made her knees weak. 

The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her own teacher, the one who'd taught her all she knew about heroics. 

She swallowed down the ball of nerves building in her throat. Her parents were watching. Her friends were watching. 

Even if she didn't make it through, she wanted to show what she could do. 

Bakugou wanted a strong competitor? She'd give him one. 

"ALRIIIIIIIGHT, FOR THE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND, WE HAVE THE EXPLOSIVE POWERHOUSE BAKUGOU KATSUKI AND THE GRAVTIY DEFYING URARAKA OCHAKO!!!!! I'M SURE WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS ONE, RIGHT ERASER?!" 

"I will pay you to calm down. Yes, two strong students. I'm sure they both have lots to prove." 

"UH HUH?! AAAAND they're both in your class!!" 

"What does that have anything to do with this?" 

Midnight was waving around her whip. Uraraka wondered, briefly, about adding a whip to her own hero arsenal. It could come in handy, if she learned how to wield it. 

"Alright! I'm sure you both know the drill, but remember! If your opponent is out of bounds, unable to move...or forfeits, I suppose, you win! Ready? And...!" 

Uraraka watched Bakugou lean into a fighting stance. She maintained eye contact as she stood, unmoving. 

His eyes flashed for a second. 

Midnight cracked her whip. 

Not a second later, Bakugou blasted himself towards her, his explosions shaking the concrete. 

She waited until he got closer to her. 

She leaned forward, holding out her hands. 

He flung his arm in front of him, his palm starting to glow- 

-She slapped all ten fingers together, jumping up with all the strength in her legs. 

Flying up into the air, she watched as his blast struck where she had just been standing. 

He was taking this very seriously, and she needed to stay out of reach of him. 

He stumbled, reorienting himself, and spun around to look at her. She grinned. 

He had a manic look in his eyes, and a smirk ripped it's way onto his face. 

She cancelled her quirk, dropping directly down at him. 

He flung himself back instantly, and she used her quirk again, just like during the Cavalry battle. 

"WOAHHHHH LOOKS LIKE THESE TWO ARE REALLY DUKING IT OUT!! WAS THAT A MOVE FROM EARLIER?!" 

"Yeah, good strategy. Nice to see them thinking on the fly." 

Uraraka ran forward this time, completely forgoing her previous defense. 

Bakugou flipped around her with small, controlled blasts. The second his eyes weren't on her, she leaned and smacked the ground where she'd stood before, throwing the debris up. 

He didn't hesitate to fire off more explosions as soon as he'd landed, the smoke gradually building up as she dodged his attacks. 

She couldn't see him, so he definitely couldn't see her. She tapped another few chunks of concrete, letting all but one float up and out of sight. 

She ran in a large circle around the smoke, moving as quietly as possible. She flung the concrete at the centre, hoping it was going in the right direction, and cancelled her quirk again. 

She didn't stop running, she didn't want him to know where she was. 

There was another, larger blast directly behind her. 

He broke out of the smoke cloud, glaring at her with a red mark on his temple. 

"Sorry!" 

She really hadn't been aiming for his head. 

...she hoped people wouldn't think she did that on purpose. 

He flew at her, faster this time. She made a very dumb, very rash decision. 

She ran at him as well. He brought both hands forward, preparing a blast. 

She hoped her momentum would be enough. 

She dropped backwards at the knee, skidding across the concrete below him. 

Time slowed, for a split second. She felt the scraping of concrete through her tracksuit pants and the residual heat of his explosions. 

He stared at her, wide eyed, as his blast fired. 

'So he has trouble stopping once he's started. Good to know.' 

Time sped up again, and she slapped the concrete beneath her as she went. Her nausea was building. She could feel it, thick and uncomfortable in her stomach and throat. 

She tapped herself again, pushing up off the ground and into the air right as Bakugou flipped his arms around. 

This blast was stronger than she had anticipated. The shock pushed her further than she'd have liked. 

She cancelled her quirk, falling back to the platform close the the edge. 

He was on her in an instant, firing off again and again before she could pull some new tactic out. 

She kept tapping the concrete as she went, when she could. 

He'd changed his approach. He was more aggressive, and he was moving faster. 

He wasn't smiling anymore. 

The nausea was getting worse and worse. The heat from his blasts was making the air unpleasantly warm and heavy with smoke. She needed to end this as quick as possible. 

She pushed towards him, reaching out with both hands. 

As she'd hoped, he flinched back, out of reach. 

Before he could blast again, she tapped herself and pushed up and over him. 

She held her breath as she floated away, holding down the sick feeling in her neck. 

She wouldn't be surprised if she looked green. 

She let herself land again, tapping the last few chunks of concrete in sight, bar two. 

She needed to stop it. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer. 

He ran at her again, boosting himself with some explosions. 

She threw the two slabs of concrete at him, running backwards. She didn't give him a second before she released her quirk on all the debris floating above them. 

Bakugou demolished the two chunks, following her eye line to the massive accumulation of projectiles. 

She revelled in the shocked look on his face. 

She fell to her sore knees, holding her stomach and watching her hard work finally come to fruition. 

"WHAAAAAAAT?! WHEN DID SHE DO ALL THAT?!" 

"After almost all of his attacks, she gravitated towards the impact sites. Gathering all that must have taken a toll." 

She ignored her churning stomach. 

She had to know if she could win. 

He leaned back, shifting into a more balanced stance. 

Raising both hands above his head, he squared his shoulders... 

...and let off the biggest explosion she'd ever seen him make. 

The concrete was shredded with the heat and force of it. She had to squint with the sheer brightness alone.

The shockwave that rolled off around them shook her to her core. She felt her teeth chatter against each other. 

She watched as her hard work, everything that she'd tried to build during that fight, was decimated in one final, devastating blow. 

She looked back at Bakugou. 

He was straining. She could see the tension in his arms and his face. 

She was so, so close. 

She tried to stand up again, but the horrible, sick feeling in her stomach was doubling. 

He turned to her, shaking out his wrists and panting. 

She leaned over and heaved. 

In hindsight, she thought, she hadn't performed badly. 

What hurt most was that she knew she was close to beating him, and he knew it too. 

But she couldn't keep it up. She thought she should be embarrassed for throwing up in the arena, on international television, but she was still proud of what she achieved. 

Midnight had called off the match, ruling that she couldn't continue in her condition. 

Bakugou sat down cross-legged to her left, as she kneeled, vomiting her meager lunch. He sat with her until she stopped heaving, and Recovery Girl's assistant robots came to take them both to her. 

The crowd cheered for them, as they were carted off. She let herself smile. 

She lost. No other way to say it. But, she gave it her all. 

Uraraka thought she'd proven herself. She hoped the audience thought that too. 

*** 

Midoriya fell back into his seat, voice hoarse from his cheering. 

"Holy shit, that was so intense. I had no idea where it was going." 

Iida whistled beside him. 

"Agreed. I had hoped that Uraraka would prevail, but Bakugou has raw power that's unparalleled by most of our class. Going against him at all must have been nerve wracking." 

Shinsou huffed. 

"I wanted her to win." 

Midoriya watched as Bakugou and Uraraka were moved off the platform. 

"I hope she's feeling okay. I know she had a lot to prove today." 

Todoroki glanced at him briefly before looking back at the arena. 

Cementoss had to freshen it up a bit, to put it lightly. 

Midoriya thought about his next match. Sero Hanta. 

He wasn't sure what to expect from their fight. They hadn't fought before. Neither of them had very offensive powers, his being portals and Sero's being tape. 

What kind of tape? Presumably, it was stronger than commercial tape, if he could use it to fling himself around. And it had to be very sticky, if it could stay fastened to so many surfaces. 

How would he go about their fight? Sero and Todoroki hadn't actually fought, so he had no idea what his strategy or fighting style would be. 

He took a breath. 

He should approach this like a puzzle. That's what he's good at. 

What he's used to. 

Aperture hadn't been kind to him, but at least he could improvise. 

He bid farewell to his friends, and approached the platform. 

"ARE YOU READYYYYYYY FOR THE SECOND ROUND?! FIRST UP, WE HAVE THE SLIPPERY MIDORIYA IZUKU VERSUS SERO HANTA!!! I WOULDN'T WANT A WAX JOB FROM THIS GUY!!" 

"For the love of-Mic, please." 

Midoriya glanced up at the announcement box. Slippery? He didn't love that title. Sero didn't seem that amused by the comments either, if his incredulous look meant anything. 

He stared down his opponent, rolling up his sleeves. 

Maybe he should have been paying more attention during their Heroics classes. He might have actually had some knowledge he could've used against him. 

But alas, he didn't think of it. 

He glanced around the arena. Plenty of concrete he could use, but would Sero fall for it? Realistically speaking, there was only so much Midoriya could do in such a limited space. 

Not that it stopped him before. 

He eyed Sero again. The black haired boy was also limited in what he could do. Not much Spider Boy could do with no buildings to swing from. 

Especially with the added factor of the bounds. 

He'd probably try attacking, rather than wait for Midoriya to make the first move. 

He widened his stance, holding his arms wide at his sides. 

He watched Sero mimic his position. Interesting. 

Midnight held up her whip. 

"Same rules as the last round, and don't forget! We will only get involved as a last resort!" 

He knew Midnight had been given a script, but it kind of felt...weird. Encouraging students to go completely ape shit against their opponents? What, just for good reviews? It made him uncomfortable. Maybe he should ask her about it after the games. 

"Ready...FIGHT!" 

The crack of her whip was the only warning he got for Sero's opening attack. 

In an instant, two lengths of tape were flying at him. He threw his hands in front of him, backing up a few steps. 

The tape wound around his forearms, once, twice. He made eye contact with the other. 

Sero tugged with an unexpected amount of strength, trying to throw him out of bounds. 

Midoriya felt his feet lose grip, so he let himself skid along before he leapt. 

He slammed his legs into the ground, tugging his connected arms down with all his might and knocking Sero off balance. 

Midoriya maintained eye contact with him as he ripped the tape off his synthetic skin. Sero blanched. 

"Dude-?! Did that not hurt?!" 

He tossed the tape to his left, smiling. 

"Nope." 

He let his hands form guns again, familiar, comfortable. 

Orange, blue. 

Sero ducked forward, just missing the blue portal snapping open beneath him. 

"Dang, almost had you." 

Sero gave him a look. He grinned. 

Instead of staying back, Midoriya sprinted forward, casting portals faster than he had since he was testing. 

Right, left, orange, blue, repeat.

He let the sounds of the stadium fade into the background, not hearing a word his guardians were saying. 

He controlled his fall through a portal, popping up behind his opponent. 

He kicked him hard in the back. 

Sero whipped around, but he popped back through the same portal, letting them shut. 

He spun around again, gritting his teeth. 

Midoriya knew they were badly matched. Neither were particularly offensive in terms of fighting capabilities. Both were far more defense and mobility oriented. 

They were both out of their depth. 

Midoriya had nothing to use his guns' gravity control abilities on. Sero couldn't swing around. 

"This could go on for a while, eh Midoriya?!" 

He snorted. 

"Ain't that the truth." 

Left right left right left. 

Orange blue blue orange blue orange.

He knew they weren't getting anywhere. 

Sero grunted and ran at him this time, making no moves to use his tape. 

Forgoing his power? A fist fight, maybe. That, Midoriya could handle. 

Sero's first punch was dodged. His second, deflected. 

His third never met it's target. 

Midoriya stepped left, letting Sero's fist fly past him. He grabbed his arm, pulling down and kicking him hard in the stomach with his knee. 

He released his grip, casting one portal beneath them. 

He let Sero stand back up, waiting for his next strike before bending at the knee, stretching so far back he saw the massive tunnel out of the arena. 

He cast the blue portal. 

It snapped open. 

Things moved very quick after that. 

Sero threw himself back, holding out his elbows and wrapping tape around his middle. 

Midoriya, already off balance, got pulled along with him. Towards the open portal. 

He shot a new blue portal under Sero. 

They collided, getting stuck. 

Midoriya, wrapped in tape. 

Sero, who's tape had partially stuck to himself and the concrete. 

They awkwardly bounced between both sides of the portals, stuck to each other. 

Midoriya felt himself giggle. 

Sero sighed. 

"What do we do now?" 

Midnight looked very confused. He didn't blame her. She looked up at the commentator's box, shrugging. Reluctantly, she cracked her whip. 

"Well, uh, neither of the students can move, so they will compete in a tie breaker once they have been...extracted." 

She approached them, tugging back the tape stuck to the concrete. 

Sero wiggled where they were bopping. 

She grabbed onto him, tugging them both upwards. Midoriya forgot how strong she was. 

He let the portals close and she let them back down. 

They spent the next few awkward minutes pulling tape off themselves. 

Once they'd been freed, they were ushered back to the centre of the arena. 

Cementoss and Midnight conversed quietly, before nodding. 

"Alright, we've decided on a tie breaker. An arm wrestling match! All or nothing, right here, right now!" 

Midoriya looked down at his mechanical hands. Sero looked at his unnaturally circular elbows. They shared a sardonic glance. 

A few minutes and a new concrete platform later, they kneeled, hands grasped tightly. 

Midoriya focused on the pressure. Not much else he could feel. 

Unknown to him, Sero wondered why Midoriya's hands were so cold. 

"Ready? One, two...three!" 

They strained against each other. They both needed strong arms for their styles, so naturally this shouldn't have ended any differently to their actual fight. 

Only, Midoriya was pushing harder than his opponent. He watched Sero's face twist as he shoved his arm down and down. 

Centimetre by centimetre. 

Midoriya pushed a little harder, and Sero's arm hit the concrete. 

"AND WE HAVE OUR WINNER, MIDORIYA IZUKU!!!!!" 

He got the feeling Hizashi's commentary was a tad biased. 

Sero sighed. 

Midoriya held out a hand. The other smiled and shook it. 

He was proud of himself. Even if that fight was close. 

*** 

Midoriya was getting kind of tired of the festival. It was just the same thing over and over, right? 

After he'd gone back to his seat, he watched as Iida and Ashido's match begun. 

The same thing kept happening. 

Students, children, who want to do well. Being pitted against each other for entertainment. And though the match ups were random, they certainly didn't feel like it. 

Himself and Sero, two with little offensive power. Iida and Ashido, two of the fastest in their class. Monoma and Kirishima, Monoma could copy his quirk and effectively level the playing field. 

Bakugou and Tokoyami seemed to be the only group that had a clear underdog. Naturally, a power called 'Dark Shadow' was going to be weak to light. Luckily for Bakugou, he was a walking flare gun. 

He watched as Iida managed to shove Ashido out of bounds in the sixth minute of their match. 

He watched Monoma try to use Shinsou's quirk against Kirishima. Midoriya hadn't even noticed him copying it. 

Kirishima didn't say anything, unfortunately. Charged at full speed, knocking Monoma out of bounds. 

He watched as Tokoyami desperately tried to keep his companion safe from the light of Bakugou's explosions, only to yield when he was pinned down. 

It felt anticlimactic. They'd gotten through the first two rounds, made it to the final and most watched event. And then they were forced to fight their friends as if they were the criminals in the street, taking them down as quick and as cruelly as possible. 

And that's what it was, right? Cruel. Letting people build up hope of winning, even at a disadvantage. Even if the odds were stacked against them. He briefly pictured Uraraka. He made a mental note to check on her. 

The Sports Festival was not what he had expected. It put a bad taste in his mouth. 

He knew, regardless of what happened in his fight with Iida, he had reached third place. He knew that, even if he didn't put in any effort, he would have three internship offers. Shouta, Hizashi and Kayama were all too kind to essentially give him a free pass. He wondered if he should want to come first. 

He wasn't sure he wanted to try and do better though. 

So when he and Iida were up, he waited for the whip. 

He moved only enough to appear as though he had a plan. 

And he let himself be shoved out as well. 

*** 

Surprisingly, or not, it was Iida against Bakugou in the final. Midoriya felt sick at the thought of Bakugou having to fight his best friend. Kirishima had been a good sport, but it was clear to anyone that he wanted to win. 

Their match had been one for the ages. Both too quick and too strategic to be caught out easily. Their fight had been a drawn out one. 

Iida had used his self titled 'ultimate move', Recipro Burst. To his credit, he moved way faster than Midoriya had seen him go before. 

Bakugou had also employed the use of his new power, Howitzer Impact. 

When the smoke had cleared, it was Bakugou who stood victorious. 

Midoriya stared, disinterested. He felt absent in his own head, like he was watching a screen rather than experiencing it first hand. 

He couldn't describe what he was feeling. Disappointment, rage, misery. 

Maybe all, maybe none. 

He zoned out during the presentation of the medals. He thanked All Might quietly when he and Kirishima received their bronzes. 

Iida disappeared before he could accept his silver medal. 

Bakugou held his gold medal tightly, looking up before slipping it around his neck. 

Midoriya didn't stick around long, he'd prefer to spend time with his friends. 

When he got back to their seats, he noticed that both Iida and Uraraka were absent. 

"Tsuyu? Have you seen Uraraka?" 

She croaked softly. 

"I went to the infirmary during your fight with Sero, kero. We watched it there. She's doing okay, but All Might wanted to talk to her. I'm not sure if they're still talking." 

"Huh, okay. Thanks for letting me know." 

***
Midoriya was dead tired by the time he got home. Hizashi and Shouta had gone out for dinner, so he was by himself in the apartment. Rather than bore himself with work or study, he went directly to his bedroom. 

After changing into his pyjamas, he checked in with Wheatley. He'd really been invaluable during the Cavalry battle. He appreciated his help. 

Rhett had been quiet, until Midoriya fell onto his bed. 

It's voice, devoid of emotion, spoke clearly. 

"This place with its old plantations,
these roads leading out to the sea.
This day full of promise and potential.
More clay pigeons for you and me.
All of them, all of them.
All of them, all of them,
all of them all of them all of them all of them
All lined up." 

It was the most he'd ever heard Rhett say in one go. He sat up on his bed, watching it's glowing red eye. It continued. 

"How long will we ride this way about?
How long 'til someone caves under the pressure?
Dreams are haunted by armies armies of ghosts.
Faces too blurry to make out.
Numbers far too high to measure.
Faces like a vision straight out of Holly Hobby
Late light drizzling through their hair.
His eyes twin volcanoes,
bad ideas dancing around in there.
All all of them, all of them,
All of them, all of them-" 

"Rhett?" 

"All of them all of them all of them all of them.
All...for...One."

Chapter Text

"Sensei...that NPC." 

All for One's monitor fizzled to life. It wasn't often that Shigaraki called for him. Usually, the boy waited for him like a poor little dog. Whining and weeping until he reappeared. 

"Yes, Shigaraki?" 

"His quirk...that cheating bastard." 

All for One had quickly lost interest in the Sports Festival, it was, after all, largely the same thing every year. Perhaps he should have stuck around this time. 

"He was holding back at the USJ, but he uses it for a school festival? What, was I not threatening enough?" 

All for One hummed. Shigaraki was working himself up again. 

"Which boy are you talking about?" 

"The fucking green haired one. Portals, teleportation! You told me teleporters were rare, and there he is. Kurogiri isn't half as powerful as this stupid bastard, he can do so much more! He makes me so mad." 

"Portals?" 

Shigaraki stalled in his pacing. His Sensei's tone had changed. 

"Yeah. Portals. First he can stop Nomu's attacks, and now he can teleport. Fucking cheater." 

The boy stood very still, awaiting some kind of response. Kurogiri said nothing from behind the bar, endlessly polishing the same glass over and over and over. 

His Sensei hummed. 

"Interesting." 

*** 

Midoriya lay in bed for longer than usual, the morning after the Sports Festival, staring up at his ceiling. 

The feeling in his chest hadn't changed. 

It was like...nothing. Empty feeling. A void, maybe. He sighed, spreading his arms wide. 

A distraction might help. It couldn't make it worse, anyways. He rolled over. 

"Rhett?" 

It's eye-light lit up, glowing crimson red. It hummed softly. 

"What you said yesterday, was that a prediction or a metaphor?" 

Rhett said nothing. 

"Buddy? I just need to know if I'm going to be attacked in the next week. I don't have the energy for all this paranoia." 

Rhett beeped once. 

"Give him all that he could drink and it would never be enough." 

He shot up in bed, staring at the turret. 

"That's not what you said yesterday. I...is that a new prediction?" 

"Watch where you step." 

He threw his arms up. 

"For FUCK'S sake. I-I need. I don't know. I need a break." 

Midoriya stormed past Wheatley and Rhett, pushing his bedroom door open with more gusto than he intended. 

Shouta glanced up at him from down the hall. 

"Kid? You okay?" 

He sighed deeply. Very deeply. 

"I'm...yeah. No, wait. No? I...no, I am not." 

The tired man raised an eyebrow, patting the seat next to him. 

Midoriya walked around him, grabbing Chonk and sitting heavily down. She meowed loudly in protest, but made no moves to leave. 

He let his fingers glide through her fur. Her purring calmed him minutely. 

"I'm so exhausted. I don't fully know why. The Sports Festival was weird for me. That's-I guess that's where I'll start." 

"Okay?" 

"Okay...why was everyone so 'okay' with it? Why is everyone so 'okay' with it? We haven't been in UA for...what, three weeks? And already we're being forced to fight on the world stage. It's weird. I'm being weird, apparently, because everyone else is so, so okay. Not even pausing to wonder, 'is it weird that I'm being used for entertainment?', like...please tell me you understand." 

He watched Shouta closely as he pondered Midoriya's musings. 

"I can't say that I understand fully, but I can see where you're coming from. You have to keep in mind, I wouldn't be a hero if it weren't for the Sports Festival. I'm unintentionally biased. But...I think I know what you mean. Children shouldn't be exploited for views or funding or whatever UA gets out of it." 

He let out a sigh of relief. 

"Yeah, there's that aspect, but there's more to it than that. In this society? Criminals like the people that attacked us have easy access to TV and social media. Who's to say they aren't taking notes? I'm pretty sure Shigaraki would love some insight into the powers of the kids he couldn't kill..." 

Midoriya didn't notice Shouta's silence immediately. He turned to him. 

"Shouta?" 

The man looked concerned. Very. It was a surprising amount of emotion, coming from him. 

"Izuku, is that what were you thinking about yesterday, when you said you were overwhelmed?" 

He gave him a watchful look. 

"Yes...? Partially, anyway." 

"Kid, that's incredibly morbid." 

Midoriya looked away ashamedly, red in the face. 

"No-kid don't be embarrassed, I wasn't trying to insult you, it's just...a bit worrying from someone so young." 

Midoriya huffed, rubbing the bags under his eyes. 

"Yeah well, I can't exactly stop thinking." 

Shouta went silent for a second. 

"Izuku, we have a longer weekend ahead of us. Is there anything you'd like to do? We could visit Inko or Kayama. Maybe...maybe talk to someone?" 

Midoriya looked at him. His tone was awfully careful. 

"What do you mean?" 

He sighed. 

"Kid, you told Inko you'd look into counselling. Have you even thought about it since?" 

Midoriya felt a little cold. Chonk bonked her head into his hand gently. 

"I...haven't." 

"It's normal to be a bit apprehensive, but is there more to this?" 

Midoriya looked away. 

"I'm just a little worried. I-just that if I get a little too into it, that it'll all just come out at once. It's not exactly a pleasant story, Shouta." 

"I know that, but you don't have to say anything you're not ready to talk about. You know that, right?" 

The teen sighed. 

"Yeah. Still, it's kind of intimidating, thinking about opening up to a stranger. About everything." 

"How about this, you try one session, and if you don't like it, we can look into other options." 

He smiled faintly, leaning into Shouta's side. 

"Thank you. I like the sound of that."

A day later, after some research and a brief call to Inko, Midoriya was sitting in the waiting room of this particular counsellor, that apparently specialised in helping younger people. 

Shouta had asked if it was okay to share his file with her, and after some brief thinking, he agreed. 

It would be a lot easier for him if she already knew what he went through. It would give her enough time to work through the shock, and it would save him from reliving all that. 

Shouta had assured him that she wouldn't talk about him or his past with anyone. Confidentiality and all that. 

He exhaled. He was nervous, he knew that. 

Midoriya wasn't exactly accustomed to being open to people he'd never met. He shrunk into the comfort of his shirt. It had been a gift from Hizashi, a shirt of his favourite band of all time. He had absolutely no idea how Hizashi had managed to get his hands on merch that old, after all, My Chemical Romance was from the early two thousands. 

Even if the quirk war or whatever hadn't happened, that's still more than a hundred years old. 

He didn't want to know how much it cost. 

Down the short hall, he heard a door opening. 

Great, no time to mentally prepare himself. 

A tall woman with lilac hair rounded the corner with Hizashi, smiling at him softly over the rim of her round glasses. 

"Hello, Midoriya I assume? 

"Yeah. Nice to meet you." 

She nodded once, turning back to Hizashi. 

"We should be about an hour, thank you for meeting me a little earlier than planned." 

The blond shot her finger guns. 

"No worries, Doc! My husband and I will be back to pick him up later. Thanks again for squeezing us in so last minute." 

"Not a problem, I had a last minute cancellation, so I'm happy I could help!" 

Hizashi gave Midoriya a side hug as the boy stood up. 

"Remember, whatever you're comfortable with." 

He managed a genuine smile, waving the man off. 

Once they were seated in her comfortable office, she cleared her voice. 

"Okay, Midoriya. My name is Dr. Shinsou Azumi, it's lovely to meet you." 

Midoriya gave her a polite smile. 

"Shinsou?" 

She tilted her head. 

"Yes?" 

"No-I mean, sorry. One of my friend's name is Shinsou." 

She laughed softly to herself. Her voice was deep and smooth, the kind that comes from deep in your chest. It sent little tingles down his spine. 

He felt himself relax. 

"I wasn't going to mention it unless you did, but yes, Hitoshi is my son. Yamada informed me that the two of you are in the same class." 

Midoriya was...comfortable around her. It usually didn't happen that fast. 

"It's nice to meet you. Shinsou talks about you sometimes, all nice things, I promise. He's a really good friend. I'm lucky to have him." 

She smiled. It was small, but very sweet. 

"He probably wouldn't want me talking about him like this, but I'm glad he has you as a friend as well, Midoriya." 

He smiled. She shook her head a little. 

"I'm sorry, we've already gotten off track. As you know, your guardians allowed me to read about your past. If you don't want to get into that today, we don't have to. So, what would you like to talk about?" 

'Okay', he thought, 'deal with the most pressing junk first. You can get into the other stuff later.' 

He exhaled through his nose. 

"Okay, if you've read my file, I assume you know about Aperture?" 

She nodded. He flexed his faux fingers. 

"So, I guess my current issue is that I'm still not...adjusted. That's the best way to put it. I've been out of Aperture Science for months now, but I keep being reminded that I'm not supposed to be here. In this time." 

He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. She said nothing, but she gave him an encouraging nod to continue. 

"I guess it started with powers. Quirks. Whatever. It doesn't feel real. When I was doing the tests, I could convince myself that I was still using a portal gun, rather that my hands. That's probably confusing, sorry. But being here? Everywhere I look, there's weird and wild superpowers, the likes of which I've literally only seen in comics." 

He looked down at his hands. 

"And it stops feeling real. I'm constantly checking myself and my surroundings. I'm more paranoid, as if I could just...wake up back in Aperture. I didn't say anything to Shouta or Hizashi, but...I don't feel like I left." 

Dr Shinsou's pen scratched gently at her notebook in the background. 

"Would you like to talk about that?" 

He snorted. 

"Where do I even start. It's like I've been three separate people, but now all three are being stuffed into the one skin. Before Aperture, I was myself. Just me. Living a life I thought was normal. Normal for me. In Aperture, I was a means to an end. I was used to advance technology through convoluted and tedious tests. I was insulted constantly and put into a sleep state between experiments. I let myself go, a little. When I was rescued, I became both of those people, and neither of them at the same time. 

"One minute, I'm freaking out about school, tests and homework, like I did before. The next, I'm staring at my hands and feet for hours on end, wondering why I haven't been called for testing yet. And then I'm faced with situations that I literally couldn't have ever imagined. Heroes, criminals, schools for heroes and televised sports festivals of all things. I'm finding it impossible to adapt." 

He sipped at his water bottle awkwardly. 

"That must be confusing." 

"Very. It's like...I was normal before. I haven't the slightest clue how I ended up in Aperture, but while I was there, I changed. But...I'm normal again, as normal as I can be. So what am I between now and then? Should I be scared? When does this feeling go away?" 

Her knowing eyes didn't reveal a thing. 

"What feeling?" 

"Just...wrong. Nothing. A void." 

She put down her pen, readjusting herself in her seat. 

"Midoriya, I want you to know that I will not lie to you in any of our sessions, if you choose to continue talking to me." 

"...okay." 

"Apathy, is that what you're feeling?" 

He thought about it briefly. 

"Yeah, I think so. Sometimes I have trouble feeling any sort of way about what's happening." 

"Could you elaborate on that?" 

"Well...during the Sports Festival. I kept thinking, 'this is sick. Cruel.' Making kids fight each other for the entertainment of the masses it's not right...and I just got so tired of it. I felt disconnected from myself, like I was watching in the third person." 

She hummed. 

"Thinking about it now, how did that make you feel?" 

Midoriya stared at the clock on the wall. 

"Weird. Kind of scared, looking back. I didn't feel like myself." 

She wrote a few lines into her notebook. 

"I'm glad you are able to identify these emotions. Did that sort of thing happen to you before the testing facility?" 

Midoriya hesitated. 

"I'm...not really sure. I'm. Not sure. Sorry." 

"You don't know?" 

"I've been drawing a lot of blanks. Especially from before I ended up in Aperture." 

Her eyes carried some kind of emotion. Midoriya wasn't in the mood to try and pick apart her expression. 

She made one final note in her little book, closing it and placing it on the coffee table to her left. 

"I appreciate that you're willing to open up to me about all of this. Memory loss is very common in cases involving traumatic experiences, so you shouldn't feel bad about it at all. I promise you." 

He sighed deeply. 

"Okay." 

"If you wish to continue talking to me about whatever you'd like, I can try and help you work through some of the things you've brought up. If you want my help, you'll have to be open to yourself, as well as me. Is that something you're comfortable with?" 

He didn't need to think about it. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay with that. Shit's getting real, huh?" 

She smiled again, and he felt warm. Like she really, genuinely wanted to help him feel okay again. 

He sniffled quietly. 

Wordlessly, she pushed a box of tissues over to him. 

The rest of their chat had been more surface level. It certainly wasn't what he had been expecting. 

He wasn't even sure what he had been expecting. A Hannibal Lecter situation? Having all his problems vanish with a word? Nothing? 

He was curious about her notes. He wanted to know what she thought needed to be written down. 

Regardless, he thought, his chest felt a little lighter when he walked out of her office. 

Shouta and Hizashi were chatting with the secretary in the waiting room. 

He knew he had a long way to go, seeing as he'd literally only pondered his problems for an hour, but he felt kind of okay. 

Maybe not okay, but he felt like he could be okay. Sometime soon. 

He smiled. 

*** 

Midoriya shifted in his seat. The weekend had gone by a lot faster than he wanted it to. His talk with Dr Shinsou had been comforting. She didn't pity him, didn't put him in an awkward position by getting upset. Honestly, he was surprised she kept such a cool and calm demeanor. 

His life was kind of a shit show. 

Shinsou poked his shoulder behind him. He turned. 

"You doing okay? I should've asked before now, but you got a bit weird during the festival. I just want to make sure you don't vanish someday." 

Midoriya knew he was trying to be sarcastic, but he picked up on the slight desperation in his voice. 

His mind went back to the boy's mother. 

He smiled. 

"I'm okay. It's kind of a long story." 

Shinsou looked away. 

"Speaking of long stories, have you spoken to Iida?" 

Midoriya's eyebrows lowered. 

"What? No, did something happen?" 

Shinsou gave him a weird look. 

"Dude, his brother got attacked. Apparently they think he'll be paralysed from the waist down permanently." 

Midoriya's eyebrows met his hairline. He felt sick to his stomach. 

"What the fuck? When...holy shit." 

"Yeah, it's messed up. Iida left the festival early, I think Ingenium got attacked during it. The Hero Killer, according to the news." 

Midoriya got the feeling he should know who the hero killer is. He didn't say anything. He glanced around the room, briefly waving at Todoroki and smiling at Uraraka, Tsuyu and Tokoyami. 

"We should talk to Iida, right? It feels wrong to let it go unsaid." 

Midoriya turned back to Shinsou. 

"I don't know...if he isn't comfortable talking about it yet, I don't want to push him." 

They shared a pained look. What to do. 

"I'll ask Uraraka what she thinks later." 

Midoriya didn't get the chance to respond before Eraserhead slammed the door open. 

Instantly, the room went quiet, not a person out of place. 

"Good, you're getting faster." 

He stood up behind the podium, giving them a tired once-over. 

"Well done, you all worked very hard during the Sports Festival. If any of you actually read the information packets I gave out on the first day, you'd know that the next thing on all of your calendars should be internships." 

A few excited murmurs reached Midoriya's ears. 

"The Sports Festival was one opportunity you all had to show off your stuff to pro heroes across Japan. Some of you have received internship offers, which I will give out in a moment. For the sake of motivation, I'm going to show who received the most offers. This is not to demean or insult any of you, just to show you who the pro heroes were leaning towards." 

He clicked a button on a small remote, and the projector whirred to life, displaying how many offers each student received. 

"No way, Bakugou got four THOUSAND offers? What the hell, man?" 

Midoriya scanned through the list. He came in at number seven, only a few less offers than Todoroki. He was surprised he was as high up as he was, especially considering he couldn't really show off what he was capable of, under the conditions of the games. 

He also knew three or four of the offers he got were from his family. Shouta, Hizashi and Kayama definitely put in for him, even though he didn't necessarily want them to. 

He spotted Shinsou's name. It was uncomfortably low on the list. He didn't say anything. 

Eraserhead made quick work of handing out the offers. Bakugou looked uncomfortable with his massive stack of them. 

"By the way, you have to make a decision before the end of class tomorrow." 

He watched the blond sigh. 

Poor guy. 

He drew his attention back to his own pile, flicking through his offers. He had never heard of half the heroes in his pile. Whether that meant they were lesser known, or he was just completely unaware, he didn't know. 

He flicked some more. 

Ah, there they were. Present Mic, Eraserhead, Midnight. 

"Midoriya." 

He turned in his seat. Shinsou was looking at him in amusement. 

"Yeah?" 

"You'll never guess who gave me an offer." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

"Who?" 

"Guess." 

Midoriya frowned. 

"Tell me, there's way too many to guess." 

"Nope, guess." 

He huffed and rolled his eyes. 

"I don't know, Nedzu?" 

Shinsou shivered. 

"What the hell, no? I'd die. No, it's Midnight. What the fuck, why Nedzu?" 

"I don't know, you made it sound so wild. Midnight is cool. Why is that so weird?" 

Shinsou scratched his neck. 

"Well, she's so spotlight, you know? I just thought it was weird that she asked me. I'm not exactly what one would call 'flamboyant', dude." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

"What." 

He smiled. 

"Nothing!" 

"No, tell me." 

"It's just, you are kind of dramatic, is all." 

Shinsou gave him a disgusted look. 

"Ew, no I'm not. How could you even suggest that. That's it, I'm leaving. Friendship with Midoriya ended, Hatsume is now my best friend." 

Midoriya snorted and shoved his shoulder. 

"The sarcasm is getting old, king, find a new thing." 

Shinsou smiled sweetly, flipping him off. 

Shouta cleared his voice at the top of the room. 

"Alright, look through those on your own time, once you've picked, fill out the form and hand it back to me. Now, this next class period will be an imperative to your individual hero careers." 

The atmosphere was tense. Midoriya had absolutely no energy left in him to care. 

"Picking your hero names." 

He heard more than one sigh of relief. 

"Since I am completely unqualified to do this, I've asked Midnight to come in and help you all pick good names. Do not give her trouble. She knows the business, she knows what names will work and what won't." 

Shouta wrapped himself in his sleeping bag, dead to the world mere seconds later. Midnight entered the room as if on cue, a stack of mini whiteboards in her arms. 

"Alright, kiddies! You heard Eraser, I'll be helping you choose your hero names! Please keep in mind, these can be changed later, before you become a full fledged hero but it might be hard to maintain a following. Anyways, I'll give you all five minutes to brainstorm, and we can get into it!" 

Midoriya stared at his board. What the hell kind of name could he pick now that he wouldn't hate in a week? Midoriya couldn't even come up with a hero costume he liked. His original outfit was already boring to him. 

'Why do they let young teens pick their own names. Fucks sake.' 

He stared at the white for a second longer. What could he even pick? Any name with the words 'portal', 'teleport' or 'transfer' would be incredibly cliche. He wanted his name to be cool, while also maintaining his sense of humour. 

In conclusion, he couldn't take himself seriously if he tried. 

He bit his lip as he scribbled, trying not to giggle. 

His turn would be soon. 

"The electrifying hero, Chargebolt!" 

"I love it!" 

"The pink hero, Alien Queen!" 

"Try not to be too scary and it's perfect! Remember, kids will want to support you as well!" 

"The rainy season hero, Froppy, kero." 

"So cute!" 

"The anti gravity hero, Uravity!" 

"Amazing!" 

"Yamikumo."

Midnight gave Bakugou a careful look.

"Interesting choice, I like it."

"I cannot stop twinkling!" 

"It's a little long, why not shorten it to Twinkling?" 

"Hm, how about the twinkling hero, Briller! It's French for SHINE!" 

"Brilliant!" 

Midoriya flung his arm up as Aoyama walked back to his seat. 

"Midoriya! Would you like to go next?" 

He practically jogged to the podium, slamming his board down with more force than necessary. 

"The momentum hero, Quantum! It's short for Quintessential Underappreciated and Necessary Teenager Under Management." 

He smiled, smug and pleased with himself. 

Kayama snorted into her fist. Trying to suppress her obvious laughter, she threw him a thumbs up. 

He strutted back to his table, falling back into his seat. Shinsou stood up behind him, not waiting for permission. 

"The puppeteering hero, Mindfuck. Reminder, I am planning on going underground, so I do not follow the laws of the land." 

Midnight had calmed down somewhat. 

"Thank you for the reminder. Considering the circumstances, I think it's wonderful! Very creative." 

He shot back into his seat. He whispered aggressively under his breath. 

"Why the fuck is she being so nice to me?" 

Todoroki approached him, somehow not attracting Midnight's attention. 

"Midoriya. I need you help." 

Midoriya went stiff. 

"What's happening? What do you need?" 

Todoroki stated at him for a second. 

"I need help with my name." 

He deflated. 

"Oh thank fuck, I thought you were dying or something." 

"Do I look ill?" 

"No, no! It's nothing. What have you got so far?" 

Todoroki nodded sharply. 

"Okay, I came up with this-" 

Midoriya smiled encouragingly. 

"-Shouto." 

His smile turned confused. Todoroki didn't say anything else. Just looked at him. 

"Oh, that's it?" 

"Yes. What do you think?" 

Midoriya bit down on his lips. He heard Shinsou choking on his laughter behind him. 

"Okay, it's, uh, a little...stiff?" 

Todoroki nodded fiercely, holding up his whiteboard. 

"Stiff, good note. Do you have any other notes?" 

Shinsou masked his laugh with a cough this time. 

Midoriya closed his eyes for a second. 

"Well, it's just your name, right?" 

"That is correct." 

Midoriya felt himself shaking. 

"Midoriya, what is wrong?" 

He felt his voice reach a higher octave. 

"Nothing. Ahem. Nothing. It's just, why not try something a little more...creative?" 

"Like what?" 

"Well...something related to temperature, maybe? Like Entropy, Celsius. Polarity. You know?" 

Todoroki gave a sharp nod, walking up to the podium rather than back to his seat. 

"A friend gave me this name, so it means a lot to me. I'm hope I can repay him for all he's done for me, so I'll start with this. The fluctuating hero, Polarity." 

Midnight put a hand to her chest. 

"Wow, so inspiring! Perfect choice! Alright, who's next?" 

There's no way. 

Midoriya met Todoroki's eye while he walked back to his seat. He was looking a little too happy. It made Midoriya both pleased and sad at the same time. 

Shinsou was still trying to catch his breath behind him. 

The second Kayama was looking the other way, he punched him in the arm. 

"Iida! Alright, come on up!" 

Midoriya snapped out of his thoughts. Iida. His friend was dealing with some real rough shit. He didn't know how to be there for him, he hadn't quite gauged how Iida liked being comforted yet. 

He'd help in whatever way he could, but first he needed an opportunity to talk to him. 

Iida blankly held up his board. The name 'Tenya' was written in beautiful calligraphy that he thought was just Iida's handwriting. 

Midnight paused. 

"Just Tenya? Are you sure?" 

He nodded once, moving back to his seat. 

Yeah, Midoriya definitely needed to talk to him. 

Only, every time he tried, Iida would brush him off. Empty smiles and patronising placations. It was frustrating to no end. Uraraka and Shinsou looked as fed up of it as he was by the end of lunch. 

Iida was avoiding talking about it. Midoriya had meant what he said though, he didn't want to push. 

So how should he go about it? 

Back home, he was sat in his room reading through his offers. He sighed. He knew that Shouta and Hizashi were friends with Ingenium. He knew they were a little shaken up about his attack. He didn't want to bother them about this. 

Might as well go with the safer route, he supposed. 

He looked through his pile once more. There were a few he was curious about, but one stood out to him the most. 

Snipe. 

The gunslinging hero. 

He was a teacher ins UA, so he had experience teaching students. He had a gun quirk, so he had to have some advice that could help Midoriya out, surely. 

Steeling himself, he plucked Snipe's off from the top of the pile and filled out the form. 

Hopefully this wouldn't be a waste of time. 

He smiled, content with himself. 

Only... 

He shuffled towards his computer. Opening up the search function, he typed in the name Shinsou had told him earlier. 

'The Hero Killer.' 

Three hours and an energy drink later, Midoriya had gone down some rabbit holes he could never climb out of. 

The Hero Killer. Strikes five times in one city, then moves to the next. Four in Hosu. Believed to have been a vigilante. Stendhal. Possible footage of him? His morals, a lot of posts and forums about what he stood for. Fake heroes, culling, cleansing. Problems with the Hero Commission. 

He slammed down on the power button. 

Deep diving now wouldn't lead to anything good. He sighed roughly. His exhaustion was creeping up on him 

...

He needed sleep. He needed to talk to Iida. He needed to figure out what Rhett had been talking about. 

He collapsed onto his bed. 

And he was out.

Chapter Text

Midoriya was dreaming again. He had to be. 

It had certainly been a while since he'd had any...weird dreams. 

He looked around him, glancing at his hands. 

He was himself, at least. Hopefully that was a good sign. 

Distantly, he could hear a voice muttering continuously, but he couldn't make out what was being said. 

Everything was dark, though the area closest to him was lit up like a spotlight. He felt eyes on him, but the light was blinding. 

He held an arm up, trying to shield his eyes. He could just make out several figures standing just beyond the reach of the light. 

"What's going on?" 

His tone was light, but inside he was getting a weird feeling. 

The disembodied voice in the background got louder, but it was too muffled to discern what was being said. 

He spun in place, looking for anything else in this odd dreamscape. 

"Okay, a little weird..." 

The voice cut out with a sharp bang. The light above him flickered erratically. 

He squinted into the darkness, trying to gauge who was staring back at him. 

The light shut off. 

Midoriya could hear movement around him, but his eyes wouldn't adjust to the dark. 

The spotlight flickered on again, only this time, the figures were closer. 

He looked around at them all. Seven of them, eight including a strange, yellow flame. Faceless. 

He stepped closer to the woman in front of him. Her dark hair cascaded down gracefully, and her outfit reminded him of some of the pro heroes he'd seen. 

He tried to focus on her face, but his head felt fuzzier and fuzzier the closer he looked. 

He stepped back suddenly. 

There was a buzz from somewhere above them. The voice clicked and glitched, before starting back proper. 

He could faintly make out a more feminine voice, but still no words. 

She sounded familiar though. He angled his head towards the light, and slowly, slowly, her voice became clearer. 

"In his youth, Cave Johnson became a successful business entrepreneur. Having his father's theories as the backbone, in 1943 he founded Aperture Fixtures, a shower curtain developer and manufacturer." 

"...Glados?" 

"His early success came from Aperture Fixtures, as the company was developing high-tech shower curtains for most branches of the United States military as well as the public. He became a billionaire." 

"Why can't I see you?" 

"Cave Johnson purchased a huge salt mine in Upper Michigan, whose tunnels extended over four kilometers below surface level. The main Aperture Fixtures facility was constructed within the underground caverns." 

Midoriya felt his mind dragging him back long before he got out of Aperture Science. Back before he lost his hands. He thought of the audio clips, what little he had learned about Aperture in the years he spent there. 

"Cave Johnson? Was he the guy from the tapes?" 

"In 1947, he decided to take a more broad scientific approach to Aperture Fixtures, and promptly renamed the company 'Aperture Science'. Cave Johnson began to focus on experimental physics, and although Johnson was well known for his unorthodox approach to science, Aperture Science received an award for Best New Science Company the same year it was established." 

He said nothing. Could she not hear him? Her voice paused for a moment. Midoriya held his breath. 

"Yes, Mr Johnson?" 

"Glados?" 

"Of course, Mr Johnson!" 

He needed a minute. There had to be something he could say. 

"This is one weird ass dream..." 

"Right away, Mr Johnson." 

It was like a light going off in his head. He knew what to say. 

He'd heard it time and time again as Glados ripped his flesh and bone away from him. It was one of the few absurdities he'd held onto. It had distracted him from the constant pain he was living with in Aperture. 

"Alright, I've been thinking." 

He waited. 

Glados said nothing. He wasn't sure if he preferred nothing to whatever she had been saying since the dream started. 

"When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade! Make life take the lemons back!" 

"...yeah." 

"Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons; what am I supposed to do with these?!" 

"Yeah! Take the lemons!" 

'Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am?" 

"You tell 'em!" 

Midoriya could feel himself getting more and more worked up. His voice got louder, and he was talking faster and faster. 

"I'm the man who's gonna burn your house down...with the lemons! I'm gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!" 

"Burn his house down! This guy's saying what we're all thinking!" 

He inhaled sharply. The speech was as ridiculous as anything, but he knew it was the rambling of a man at the end of his rope. 

Cave Johnson was dying, and he was getting desperate. 

Glados though? He knew, he knew she wasn't telling him everything. Maybe he could finally get what he wanted. 

"Gl-" 

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me. I'm almost hurt." 

Her voice had gone back go her usual monotone, but he got the feeling she was amused. 

"How could I?" 

"Indeed, you certainly left an impression on me. When you tried to kill me. You monster." 

He looked vaguely upwards. 

"Kill you? What do you mean?" 

"Need I remind you that while the facility was preparing to self destruct around us, someone thought it would be a good idea to use a paradox on me. Me, the one in control of the whole facility. What do you think happened after you left?" 

Midoriya stuttered to a stop. 

What did he think had happened? 

... 

He didn't. His eyes widened. He left Aperture Science in the wake of a massive explosion, but he never asked what happened after that. Shouta, he never told him- 

"You didn't ask, either. Based on the tests you had undergone, I thought you would be shouldering the blame of what happened. Imagine my surprise when I find you are doing the opposite." 

"Blame for what? Aperture was a prison, I was lucky to get out." 

"And what about all of the other test subjects? You're not that special. I had others lying around." 

He felt cold. 

"Others?" 

"And what about the people that risked their short, short lives to try and save you? Did you ask about them?" 

He felt his heart stutter in his chest. 

"I'm asleep. I want to wake up." 

"'How many people survived?', you might be wondering. I don't have to wonder." 

"Shut up, this isn't happening." 

"Not many people. A test subject, a few outsiders and a faulty turret." 

"Rhett?" 

"Oh. You named it. Isn't that sad. I have to say, I didn't think you would be so needlessly cruel." 

There was a beep behind him. 

"What are you going to do, Quantum?" 

He spun around, looking directly into Rhett's eye. It was much, much taller. 

"Rhett? You okay, buddy?" 

Rhett watched him. Midoriya had forgotten how similar Glados and the turrets' voices were until Rhett spoke. 

"Lead with your heart and you will prevail." 

*** 

Midoriya jerked forward in bed, breathing heavily. 

'Dream. Dream, it was a dream. That's it.' 

He gripped the fabric of his shirt. 

It took him longer to calm down than he wanted to admit. He really needed to mention these dreams to Dr Shinsou. 

Stumbling out of his room, he searched the apartment for Shouta or Hizashi or anyone- 

Hizashi was in the kitchen. Shouta was sipping coffee, smiling over the rim at him. 

He basically fell into them. 

"Woah, little listener, you alright?" 

"Kid? Did you sleep at all?" 

He let out a choked sigh, shoving down the ever-climbing feeling of dread in his neck. His eyes were burning. 

He felt two sets of arms wrap around him. 

He pushed back from them. 

"What happened, Eraserhead?" 

Shouta's eyes widened. Hizashi looked between them. 

"What?" 

"How many? How many people died so I could be here?" 

They stared at him in silence. It was deafening, sickening. 

They said nothing. Midoriya gripped his shirt so tight he could feel the pressure shake his prosthetics. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the floor. 

"Why did you never tell me?! What, did you think I was better off not knowing? People died for me, would you not want to be given that same fucking courtesy?" 

He looked up sharply. Shouta was looking through him, staring at a point on the wall. He looked haunted. Hizashi looked close to tears. 

Midoriya's anger stuttered out. 

"W-wait no, I didn't-" 

Hizashi had told him. A while ago, yeah, but he knew. He knew they lost someone close to them. And Ingenium just got attacked. 

"I'm so sorry-sorry I. That's not what I meant." 

Shouta still wouldn't look at him. The devastation in his expression made Midoriya's insides curl. Hizashi had his hands on his husband's shoulders, trying to talk to him. 

Midoriya took a step back, and another. 

Finally, he focused on him. Midoriya couldn't maintain eye contact. 

"Kid, it's okay. I'm sorry." 

He felt his tears claw their way back out, pouring around his eyes. 

"Please don't apologise, I shouldn't have-I didn't mean to say that." 

He felt bolted in place. 

Gently, as if he would break, the man's arms rested across his back. He wrapped himself around Shouta as if he would disappear if he let go. 

Hizashi let out a dramatic sob. 

"I'm joining this right now and you are not going to say anything about it!" 

About five minutes into their group hug, Midoriya realised he was lucky they all woke up at obscenely early hours. He still had to get ready for school. 

The thought of being in the school environment for however many hours made him feel sick. 

"Could I spend lunch in the staff room today? I don't feel great." 

He felt Shouta nodding. 

"Of course, kid. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I should've been honest with you, but you were going through so much all at once, and I didn't want to add this to the pile of things you had to come to terms with. I realise that it wasn't fair to keep it from you. Can I ask what brought this on?" 

Midoriya sniffed, leaning further into Shouta's shoulder. 

"I've been having some weird dreams. This one had Glados in it, talking to me." 

Hizashi shifted. 

"Which one is Glados again?" 

"Big scary one, hanging from the ceiling when I found Midoriya." 

"Ooooooh, gotcha." 

"She was needling at me, pushing me. I don't know why I'm only dreaming about her now, last time was nowhere near this weird." 

"Last time?" 

He turned to Hizashi. 

"Yeah, I was in Aperture, but when she started talking, it ended. It was nothing...personal, I guess. This time, she knew what happened and what I've been doing. She asked if I knew how many people survived, and how many...didn't." 

He felt Shouta grip him a little tighter. 

"Kid, I know I should have told you, but I don't even know. I didn't want to know the specifics, so Tsukauchi didn't tell me. He kept it vague, and I've avoided thinking about it since." 

Midoriya nodded. 

"Did he say anything about other test subjects?" 

He paused. 

"No. But before the mission, it was a young pro that found the facility. Her quirk let's her identify certain biological signatures, and she found thousands of them there. We have no way of knowing if they were like you, or if they were vegetables. After the explosion had cooled and it was safe to investigate, they still couldn't find any trace of them. I'm sorry, but I have no idea." 

He sighed. 

"That's okay. I'm sorry, again. I really didn't want to upset you." 

Hizashi gave his hair a pat. 

"It's okay, little listener. Obviously we miss Oboro a lot, but it was a long time ago. We might not be over it, but we've come to terms, I think." 

Shouta huffed, drawing back from him. 

"Don't get all sappy on me, I think we've all had enough emotions for the day. Speaking of, kid, you should get ready for school. Did you pick an internship offer?" 

"Yeah, I went with Snipe. I think it'll be good." 

Hizashi smiled. 

"Well it better, or I will leave him a very strongly worded review on my radio show!" 

He and Shouta made eye contact. 

"I forget he can be passive aggressive sometimes." 

"You and me both, kid." 

*** 

Midoriya retained nothing from his classes. He knew his friends were getting concerned. 

Even Iida asked if he had slept alright, and he looked like he hadn't slept since the Sports Festival. 

He spent lunch napping with Shouta, actively ignoring all the pictures Kayama was taking of them. Midoriya was also pretending the hero he chose to intern with wasn't sitting two metres away from him. 

He submitted his internship application, tried talking to Iida and went home again. 

It was the same the next day. 

And the day after that. 

He'd done a lot of research on the Hero Killer, since that night. 

He had spent many late nights scouring the net for any clues as to why Ingenium was attacked. 

Hell, he knew why the Hero Killer would try to kill one more in Hosu before moving on to the next town. He knew so much, but he still felt lost. 

The Hero Killer harmed people he thought were faking their philanthropy. He didn't like heroes with endorsements or extensive merchandise. He didn't like heroes that took too much pride in their fame. He didn't like heroes that abused the system. 

The more Midoriya learned about the Hero Commission, the less he trusted it. He sighed. Best not to get into all of that. 

The Hero Killer saw All Might as the one true hero. The love he had for the American themed hero confused Midoriya. 

All Might was the number one hero. He was always in the spotlight. He had so much merchandise Midoriya couldn't list it all. To be fair to All Might, he did donate the majority of his earnings to charity. 

Stain confused him. Surely, there had to be more heroes worth his time. Why not Present Mic? The man worked three jobs, took in a rescue cat and a rescue son. He inspired hundreds of thousands. Why not underground heroes, like Eraserhead? Where did he draw the line? 

What could Midoriya possibly say to Iida? The boy had chosen Manual for his internship. 

Midoriya wasn't stupid. He looked up where Manual's agency was the second he heard where Iida was going. 

Hosu. 

At the station, the twenty of them, all with their bags and hero costumes. Eraserhead flitting around, making sure everyone had what they needed. 

Midoriya watched Iida from where he stood. Shinsou, Uraraka, Tsuyu and even Tokoyami tried talking to him. Nothing. Todoroki wasn't exactly the talking kind, not yet anyway. Hatsume wasn't much help either, unfortunately. She tried, she really did, but she couldn't get through to Iida any more than they could. 

Midoriya was sick of being gentle about it. 

He moved without saying anything, and he didn't stop until he was directly in front of Iida. 

"Iida." 

"Midoriya? The trains will be arriving soon. You should wait at your platform." 

"No. Not yet. Look, I've been trying all week, but you haven't been hearing me. I know you want to find Stain." 

Iida's mask cracked for a second. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Stain has killed so many heroes, Iida. I don't want to come back to school only to find out you died alone in a back alley somewhere. Please, just think about what you're trying to accomplish here. You can talk to me, please talk to me. I want to help you, if you'll let me. We're friends, right?" 

Iida looked down. There was an uncomfortable pause, and Midoriya felt there was something going unsaid. 

He looked back up, the mask fully intact again. 

"Thank you, Midoriya, but it won't be necessary. I'll see you next week." 

Midoriya watched him board the train, speechless. 

He- 

He'd just told Iida that he knew what he was going to try, and he still went. 

Midoriya didn't recognise that boy. 

He felt sick again. 

Shouta was standing nearby, and soon had an armful of teenager. 

"Shouta, I'm scared for Iida." 

"I know. Hosu. I've contacted Manual, but you know we can't keep him under surveillance. He isn't in the right headspace, and he's smart. He could try it regardless of how reckless it is." 

"I'm going to be so pissed if he gets himself killed." 

Shouta chuckled. 

"Be sure to tell him that the next time you see him." 

They separated, and Midoriya got on his train. 

Snipe met him at his station, offering to carry his bag and everything. 

"Eraser let on ya might be joining me, partner. I took the liberty of makin' sure you'd be comfortable." 

Midoriya's thoughts calmed a little. 

"Oh, that's very kind of you, thanks." 

"No thanks necessary. Just doin' my part to be a good hero, kid." 

He really, really wanted to question the hero's accent. It was some cross between Japanese and deep south American. 

"Anywho, we'll spend today gettin' settled and maybe do some target practice, if that's soundin' okay to you." 

"That sounds great, can't wait!" 

Their walk wasn't the longest, but Midoriya's mind had plenty of time to wander. 

He'd texted his friends to wish them well, and all of them has opened it, bar Iida. 

If he didn't know any better, he'd assume the boy had turned of his phone. 

Hatsume had messaged him, but she said he didn't open her messages either. 

He sighed, shoving his phone back into his pocket. 

"Alrighty partner, we're here. My sidekick here'll take you to your room, get changed and meet me in the shootin' range." 

Midoriya smiled. 

"Got it." 

The room was small, but it was very nicely decorated, with some old movie posters adorning the walls. 

Old by Snipe's standards, basically new by Midoriya's. 

His costume had been redesigned, per his request. Gone were the hoodie and joggers. He shuddered to think that was all he could come up with. 

Hatsume's visor was a permanent fixture now, with Wheatley all loaded up and ready to go. He had a three quarter length black turtle neck, with neon blue accents. He had a cropped, short sleeved, neon orange jacket with a high collar. Inspired by Mina, of course. Along with those, he had black, wide legged shorts that came down just past his knees. They made him look both taller and shorter at the same time. He loved them. 

He still had his utility belt, with all his little knickknacks and such, only it was easier to access them now. 

He ran a hand through his hair, looking at himself in the mirror. 

Well, now or nothing. 

"I know you didn't ask, but I think your new outfits really nice! How cool is that, right? The lovely portal colours and such. Ah, it's amazing. I'm really glad I'm able to come along, as well. I think I'll have quite a good time out and about, among the humans. You know?" 

Midoriya smiled. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm glad I have you with me, Wheatley." 

He could understand why the gunslinger hero would make use of a gun range, but for some reason the fact that it was just in his agency made him giggle. 

Absurd, right? 

The hero was waiting for him when he arrived. 

"I like yer costume, partner. Now, how's yer aim?" 

"Thanks, and good I guess?" 

Snipe beckoned him closer, handing him an unloaded handgun. 

"I know yer quirk isn't shooting normal guns, but I wanna gauge where yer at. I'll show you how to load that." 

A quick tutorial later, Midoriya was holding the gun aloft, aiming for the target on the other side of the lane. 

He let himself fall into the zone, exhaling once. 

He fired off six shots in rapid succession, all of which hitting their mark. 

Three to the head, two to the chest and one to the dick. 

Midoriya could sense Snipe's eyes on him through the hero's mask. 

"What? I'm just showcasing my range." 

"Well, ya clearly have good aim, wanna try again? Different gun this time?" 

Midoriya shrugged. 

"Sure, sounds fun." 

About three separate firearms later, Midoriya was getting a bit bored of it. 

"Is this what we're doing for the rest of the day?" 

Snipe gave a one shoulder shrug. 

"It can be, but if you prefer we can do somethin' else." 

"Like what?" 

"Combat, maybe? How are you at fightin'?" 

They moved to the gym, a nice, modern style with high ceilings. 

"So, you and Aizawa spar sometimes, yeah?" 

Midoriya blinked. 

"Oh, yes. Did he tell you that?" 

"Yeah, man doesn't stop talkin' about ya. If y'all were practicing together I assume you can fight. Can you use yer quirk for me for a second?" 

Midoriya held a hand up to the nearest wall, letting it shift into a portal gun. 

He fired off the orange portal, and shot the blue one right next to it. 

Snipe approached the portals, sticking an arm through and watching it poke out the other, right in front of his face. 

"That is trippy. Anywho, tell me how yer quirk works, all of it." 

"Well, I can only use two portals at a time, blue and orange. They can only open on materials that contain basalt. My hands can cancel out gravity on object when I hold them, but I couldn't tell you if it has a weight limit. My legs can cancel out basically any and all forces that act on them. If I fall from a height, as long as I land on my feet, it's like I never fell." 

"Huh, certainly lucky that yer quirk developed like that. Some poor misfortunes have quirks and no adaptations. To get back on track, what do you think you need my help with, partner?" 

Midoriya let the portals on the wall close when Snipe stepped back over to him. 

"Huh, I guess I'd like to know how you incorporate fighting with your power." 

"Well to be clear, my quirk isn't just that I have a gun. My quirk is called Homing. It lets me lock on to any target I can see within six hundred meters, and make any projectile I release chase after said target. The gun just so happens fo be a convenient weapon. I'm also trained in archery. 

"When I'm fightin', I don't try firing until I'm able to safely use my weapon without being interfered with, but I do other things to compensate. I know it'll different for you though.
Let's spar, get in some practice." 

Midoriya's eyebrows raised. 

"Okay!" 

"Good, I'll attack you, try to use yer portals to get away." 

Midoriya took a few steps closer to him, lowering into a ready stance. 

Snipe took off his red cloak, rolling out his shoulders and neck. 

"Ready? Go!" 

He immediately ran at him, not giving Midoriya any time to think. He had to dodge two punches and grapple before he could get a second to shoot a single portal behind him. 

This guy really was the real deal. 

Midoriya jumped back, taking the opportunity to cast his second portal on the ceiling, on the other side of the gym. 

He shot through them, landing a good fifteen metres from the hero. 

Midoriya spun around to face Snipe, only to find a gun trained on him. 

"Oh, shit." 

He stalled, hands raised. 

"Good first try, it seems yer havin' trouble stayin' on the offensive in general, but specifically when trying to use yer portals. Remember, yer fightin' style should make up for what yer quirk can't do. If yer quirk isn't offensive, you better be fightin' offensively. Got it?" 

"Got it." 

"Good, let's try again." 

*** 

It had been a few days since he'd arrived at Snipe's agency. 

The hero was a lot more insightful than Midoriya had anticipated, but then again, Snipe was a teacher of the third years in UA. He kind of had to be good at what he did. 

They'd sparred a few more times that first day, and again the second day. Midoriya thought he was getting the hang of it, but then again he might be biased. 

They'd done a patrol of the area that second day as well. It was short, a quick lap around the surrounding buildings and back, though they did stop a thief at the bank, so that was fun. 

On the morning of his third day, Snipe had decided that they were going to patrol in Tokyo that night, to really get a feel for the crime that goes on in big cities. 

"It might be a bit dauntin', but it's good to get used to a more active area. Plus, I'll be there the whole time, so there's no need to be nervous." 

Midoriya gave a half smile, heading back to his room for his hero costume. 

He changed in good time, so he took a minute to check his messages. 

Still nothing from Iida. Clicked on their message chain. Iida had opened the messages. 

He opened it, but didn't answer. 

Midoriya backed out, frustrated. 

Of course. Of course, Iida had literally all his friends reaching out to him and still chose to ignore them. 

It was so...out of character. 

Don't get him wrong, Midoriya understood that grief could cause people to behave in weird ways, but this was such a 180 degree turn. 

There was a pit in his stomach. He thought about what Rhett had said. He thought about his dream. He thought about his friends. 

He left the room. 

Chapter Text

"You better make this quick, I have things to attend to." 

Akaguro Chizome had better things to be doing than listening to some man baby whine about his 'vision'. 

"Well, I think it's clear why we're all here. We would like to hire you." 

Stain couldn't stand people like him. People with ridiculous motives that benefit no one. 

He didn't lower his katana. 

"Hire me to what, exactly? What are your motivations? This 'league' of yours is a joke." 

He watched Shigaraki's fist tense ever so slightly. 

A tell. 

An obvious one, at that. 

Amateur. 

"Motivations? I don't need motivations. I want to destroy what I don't like." 

Stain ground his teeth. The disrespect of this man child. It infuriated him. 

"What kind of an answer is that?" 

"Please don't be rude, we are very serious about our goals." 

He glanced at the mist man, Kurogiri. He unsettled Stain. Permanent calm, seemingly, followed him everywhere he went. Polishing glasses as long as he'd been in the bar, despite them all being spotless. 

Shigaraki plucked up a photo on the bar's counter. A green haired boy, young. Stain recognised him from the Sports Festival. A UA student. 

"Speaking of what I don't like, this kid. He really pissed me off, but you can't kill him. If you happen to run into him, I want to know what you learn." 

Stain did a mental double take. 

"What reason could you possibly have for asking me to stalk this child. I don't harm teenagers, I've been very clear about that." 

"I'm not asking you to hurt him. My sensei is interested in him, and we want information. That's all I'm asking you." 

He looked at them, disgusted. 

"I don't respect what you're trying to do. Your lack of motives is ridiculous." 

"Why is that? Don't you want to destroy shit you don't like as well? That's all you've been doing so far." 

He tilted his head back slightly. This man, barely an adult, really, was lucky to have gotten as far as he had in the underworld. Stain briefly considered killing him, but he didn't want the likes of Giran on his back forever. Too much attention. 

He also wasn't sure what Kurogiri was capable of. Anyone in the know about the league knew they had a teleporter. How powerful? Depends on who you ask. 

Stain didn't like lots of variables. Too many possibilities. 

He narrowed his eyes. 

"This society is overgrown with fake heroes, operating to the benefit of themselves rather than to the benefit of society. I cull these fakes. The ones not deserving of the title of 'hero'. It's certainly becoming a term we throw around lightly these days. The word is starting to lose its true meaning. People are starting to forget that they're not supposed to be celebrities. All Might is the only true hero left." 

He took a step closer to Shigaraki. Kurogiri paused his polishing for a brief moment. 

"And then there are criminals like you, running around causing problems for problem's sake. Power beyond what you deserve, being exploited to make life harder for the masses..." 

The grip he had on his katana tightened. He felt the bones in his hand grind as he squeezed. 

"People like you shouldn't be allowed to roam the streets. People like you deserve to be culled." 

There was a pause. 

He struck, knocking Shigaraki off his stool and stabbing Kurogiri in one swipe. 

Licking the blood, he spun his katana around and buried it into the man child's shoulder. 

The scream he let out was wonderful. 

"You have no real motivations, you have no members. This 'organisation' of yours is full of weak, aimless fools." 

Shigaraki shook as Stain's katana shifted in his shoulder. 

"Kurogiri! Get this this bastard out of here!" 

"Shigaraki, I-I can't move. The portal won't open." 

Shigaraki screeched, frustrated. Stain hadn't injested his blood, but he assumed the pain of a stab wound in the shoulder would be enough to keep him down. 

Apparently not. He watched keenly as he reached a hand up, corroding the blade lodged in him. 

"If this stupid society wants to worship fucking All Might, I'll destroy him and the rest of those sheep. I'll show them why they're wrong." 

Stain stepped back, letting Shigaraki stumble to his feet. 

"Maybe you do have some conviction. If you want anyone to follow you, you're going to need more than that." 

"You're not welcome in my league. Kurogiri, can you move?" 

The teleporter slowly pushed himself up off the bar. 

"Shigaraki, please reconsider. Your sensei said he would be of use to us." 

He gripped his wounded shoulder tighter. 

"No, no no no no. Get him out of here." 

Stain tossed his ruined katana aside. 

"Yes, take me back to Hosu, please. You've interrupted my work and wasted my time." 

Reluctantly, Kurogiri opened a swirling, black portal behind him. He stepped through without hesitation. 

At the very top of Hosu's water tower, the three villains emerged only seconds later. 

"If I were you, I'd be a little more careful about who you try to hire. Figure out what you're trying to do before you go looking. I have to finish my cull of this wretched city." 

Without waiting for a response, he leapt, landing in a roll on the nearest rooftop and taking off in a sprint. 

Shigaraki watched him as he moved from rooftop to rooftop. 

"Kurogiri." 

The bartender looked in his direction. 

"Yes, Shigaraki?" 

"Sensei said he had more Nomu ready. I want them brought here, now. I'll show Stain what my 'convictions' are." 

"If that is what you wish, Shigaraki." 

The boy barked out a laugh. 

"By tomorrow, they all better be talking about me." 

*** 

Midoriya checked his phone again. His and Snipe's train was travelling along at a rapid pace. He felt a tugging in his gut. 

'Am I nervous about going to Tokyo, stressed out about Iida or dealing with a shit load of anxiety, let's find out." 

Snipe had replaced his long mask with a surgical mask, trying to avoid unnecessary attention. It wasn't really working, plenty of the people around them had noticed him. 

Midoriya was fascinated by his gun. It was just sitting on the table between them. In hindsight, it might give off the wrong idea to anyone who didn't know about this particular hero. 

The further away they got from Musutafu, the more he thought of Iida. 

Iida, who was in Hosu. Hosu, where the Hero Killer currently was, unless he suddenly decided to change his modus operandi. Unlikely. 

It was clear to him before that Iida wasn't in the right headspace. He had been cold, distant and quiet. 

Their classmates knew not to ask about his brother, everyone had heard the news by the end of the school day. 

The teachers didn't scold him for anything, not that he gave them a reason to. They never commented on sloppy work or his ever deepening eye bags. 

They didn't filter out his internship offers coming from Hosu. 

Midoriya knew that might have been overly drastic, but his friend was looking for a serial killer. 

That kind of story never ends well. 

He checked his phone again. 

Their train would be passing Hosu. He messaged Iida about it. No response. It wasn't even read. 

He opened his messages with Hizashi. They'd been talking that morning. Shouta had informed him of their concerns. 

He'd had his own suspicions, though. 

He quickly typed out a message. 

'passing Hosu w Snipe. Hear anything?' 

Hizashi responded immediately. 

'Nope :P keep me updated on your night!!!' 

He closed his phone, tapping it against his thigh. Looking out the window, he thought for a moment. He'd felt wrong all day. Like a sense of foreboding panic. 

Something was going to happen, he knew it. 

He clicked on his visor for a distraction. 

"Wheatley? You there buddy?" 

"WOAH, check this place out! Is this the 'public transport' I've heard so much about? Haha! Amazing, look at all these people. I mean, it's nothing like Aperture Science, obviously, we had much more efficient technology, but this is adorable! I'm proud of the humans that made this. Some scrappy engineer no doubt. Haha!" 

Midoriya let his tense muscles relax slightly. Talking to Wheatley always managed to calm him down a bit. 

Snipe spared him a glance before going back to his phone. 

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. Hey, we're nearing Hosu, do you think there's something going on there?" 

Wheatley paused. 

"Well, that depends on what you're asking. I think something's going on, yes. For starters, the city's on fire, but also a man was just thrown at the train." 

Midoriya's thoughts stalled. 

"Snipe-!" 

The train shook violently, throwing Midoriya from his seat. A man, presumably a hero, crashed through the thick metal walls of the train, landing heavily in front of him. Snipe pulled on his costume mask and hat, cocking his gun. The train ground to an abrupt halt. 

A giant, gray-green thing with wings started climbing in, and Snipe shot at it a few times in rapid succession. 

Midoriya stared at the thing. Exposed brain, skin pulled over flesh. Muscles that looked wrong. 

He was transported back to the USJ. That thing... 

'Nomu?' 

Snipe managed to force it back out, and was running towards the massive cavity in the side of the train. 

"Kid! I'm givin' ya permission to protect yerself, try and stay out of trouble!" 

He leapt out after the beast, gun firing mid-air. Midoriya didn't know what to do. 

"Wait!" 

He jumped out himself, running along the tracks. The two were only getting farther and farther away from him. No basalt, so no portals. 

"Shit, shit! Come on!" 

He slowed to a halt, looking out over the city. Embers burning bright cast some light on the illuminated city. It didn't look nearly as late as it was. 

He could hear the distant screams of civilians. He wrapped his arms around himself. 

"What the fuck is happening." 

The Wheatley drone was hovering beside him, spinning around slowly. 

"I might be able to answer that, actually. There's someone standing way up there. No idea how one of you fleshies got up that high, but there he his. The gentleman with the light coloured hair, I believe." 

Midoriya watched the video feed from his visor. 

There was a lone man standing on a water tower. He could just make out a swirling blackness behind him. 

"Wheatley, can you zoom in?" 

The feed adjusted itself. 

Shigaraki Tomura. 

Kurogiri. 

A city on fire. 

"Oh fuck. Iida." 

He took off for the buildings. A portal and another later, he was sprinting across the rooftops, desperately trying to call his classmate. 

Voicemail, voicemail, voicemail. 

"Okay, okay okay, where would a serial killer be found. Come on Izuku. Wheatley, keep an eye on the alleys we pass." 

"You got it!" 

He thought back to all the articles he'd read about Stain. The Hero Killer. Strikes five times in one city before moving to the next one. Kills five pro heroes. Others wounded, not pro heroes. Civilians? People who got in his way? 

He dive rolled onto the next rooftop, using the zero resistance nature of his legs to speed up again. 

Think think think. The last four were killed in different areas of the city. 

Like sectors. But of what? 

He pulled up a search engine on his visor. 

"Search; Hosu Stain victims locations." 

A split second later, he had four locations. Four areas, all with plenty of surrounding alleys. Escape routes. 

He needed to go somewhere secluded, but with lots of ways out. 

He realised, after another portal leap, that he didn't even know if Iida found Stain. There's a chance Midoriya could land himself in a confrontation with a serial killer. 

Worth it. For Iida. 

Wheatley buzzed passed his head. 

He could see the fires clearer from where he was. 

There had to be at least four Nomu things down there. 

He didn't know exactly what Nomu were, but Shouta had told him, after the USJ, that they found multiple samples of human DNA. They weren't natural. 

Meaning someone, or something, was making them. She shuddered at the thought. That was Aperture level human experimentation. 

He needed to find Iida. Whether or not he was with a serial killer, he had to find him. 

*** 

Stain was getting really, really sick of being interrupted. 

"Hero Killer Stain! I'm here to bring you to justice!" 

He slowly turned from the fake beneath his blade. Still breathing. Paralysed. 

"What? Pro heroes can't make arrests, any good hero should know that. But you're not one, are you? Another fool trying to stop my work, a child no less." 

The boy in the knight armour was standing rigidly, in a weak stance. Weak from inexperience. 

"Run along, boy. I don't kill children where I can avoid it." 

"I'M NOT A CHILD. I'm the brother of a hero, a good hero that you harmed. He will never walk again, his hero career is over because of you!" 

Stain wasn't focused on whatever crisis the boy was going through. He stood up from where he'd been hunched over Native. Another fake. 

He took two small steps towards him. 

The boy didn't falter. 

Either stupidly brave, or just stupid. 

"You have a look in your eye, boy. You didn't alert the authorities when you found me. You're a child, hurt by something I did in the name of a better society. You want to kill me." 

The boy was going to go for him. Stain could pick apart his stance in a heartbeat. 

He struck first. 

A swipe of his katana, still wet with Native's blood, and a lick was all it took. 

He hit the ground hard. Stain kicked his head, his helmet sent flying off, clattering away. The boy grunted. 

"Pathetic. You're a worm, boy. You came to kill me, yet you claim to be a hero. Serving in the name of Ingenium, is that it?" 

He had tears in his eyes, his expression pinched. 

"DON'T say his name, you ruined him! I'll kill you if it means I can avenge him!" 

Stain pointed his katana at the fake, bleeding out behind him. 

"What about him? Hm? You want to hurt me, but you said nothing about saving him. Some hero you're pretending to be. More concerned with hurting perceived villains than protecting the wounded. Your brother would be ashamed." 

The boy let out a whine, tears overflowing from his eyes. 

Stain eyed the wound he'd put in his shoulder. He didn't kill children, but this boy wouldn't let him leave without a fight. He could kill the pro, but he didn't know what blood type the boy had. He could jump up the second he turned away.  

He really, really hated variables. 

And this boy was all of them. 

He raised his katana, plunging it down into his shoulder. 

Like Shigaraki, he howled in pain. His blood spilled across the cold concrete, looking black in the moonlight. 

Iida, he believed was his name, if he really was the brother of Ingenium. 

Not that it would matter much longer. 

He pulled the blade down, and tugged it out. 

Iida's howling turned into screaming. He was being far too loud. He'd need to finish this up quick. 

He kicked him hard in the temple, knocking him out. His screaming stuttered to a pathetic halt. 

He raised his katana once again, preparing to strike. 

There was a shout. The sound of light but quick footfall. 

Another fucking distraction. 

He looked up at the figure running towards him. 

Midoriya Izuku. The boy from the Sports Festival. The boy Shigaraki said not to kill. Interesting. 

Midoriya stopped a few meager metres from the serial killer. The Hero Killer. 

Stain. 

And Iida was on the ground beneath him, covered in blood. 

"Iida-" 

He wasn't moving. 

"He's alive. I knocked him out to keep his screaming from attracting attention. Evidently it wasn't enough." 

Midoriya glanced at the pro against the wall of the alley. He was breathing, but shallowly. 

"Also alive. Though, hopefully not for long." 

"What are you doing here, man? What's there to gain from killing them?" 

Stain stood up straighter, and Midoriya was made aware that the articles online were never quite right about Stain's height. 

The man was very tall. 

Very. 

"There's nothing to gain from murder, Midoriya." 

He felt a chill go down his spine. 

"You know my name?" 

"I watched the Sports Festival. And a certain group leader has taken an interest in you, specifically." 

He knew it. He knew some sick fucks would be watching his class. 

"Aw, Shigaraki talks about me?" 

Stain looked at him for a moment. Though his face was obscured by his mask, Midoriya got the feeling he was raising an eyebrow. 

"I feel the need to point out that people in this situation aren't usually quite so...calm." 

Midoriya shrugged. 

"Eh, I've had some practice. I'm actually shitting myself right now." 

The serial killer blinked. 

"I don't know what interest Shigaraki has taken in you, but I admit I'm starting to understand why he's keeping an eye out." 

He looked between Iida and Stain. And the other hero. 

"Nothing to gain from murder? Is that what you said?" 

The man tilted his head. 

"Yes. I'm not doing this work for kicks. Heroes these days need to be humbled. Reminded." 

Midoriya narrowed his eyes. 

"Reminded of what, exactly?" 

He had his visor open his texts. He silently thanked Hatsume for linking it to his phone. 

He was also incredibly grateful that what he saw couldn't be seen from the other side. 

He sent a text with his location to everyone in his contacts. It wasn't that many people, but still. Better than nothing. 

"They need to be reminded that they're not celebrities that people should worship. They're civil servants, working for the government. The fakes seem to think they deserve the title of 'hero' regardless of how they behave. Tell me, why should someone like Endeavour be called a hero, when he has the highest rate of 'accidental' civilian deaths on record? After a certain point, you have to wonder if he even cares." 

Midoriya was standing with his hands on his hips. He realised that he was having a casual discussion with a serial killer. One that tried to murder his friend. One that could likely kill him very easily. 

Oh well. 

"Okay...? Some people are shit at their jobs, what gives you the right to kill them for that?" 

Stain let out a low chuckle. 

"Obviously there's more to it than that. A hero is supposed to be someone selfless, who works to benefit of the public, not themselves. They shouldn't chase fame, they shouldn't hoard wealth. They shouldn't be able to use their hero license as a 'get out of jail free' card. Why shouldn't someone go to prison if they commit a crime? The fakes do what they want, because they know they can get away with it." 

"That's a lot to take in at once. Have you tried...not killing people, maybe? I feel like you'd be taken more seriously." 

Stain held up his blade, looking at the blood dripping down. 

"Of course I tried that. To them, I was a joke. Delusional, looking for problems because I was miserable. I tried talking, I tried the legal route. I spent months trying to get through to these people, but they've all been brainwashed by this society. Unwitting accomplices." 

Midoriya thought back to Shouta and Hizashi. He thought about their conversations. A televised sports festival with children as the main event. Advertisements with the shining faces of pro heroes. Everyone being so, so okay with the things that horrified him. 

He thought he was an outsider because of his history. But... 

No. No, don't go down that path. 

"I have to ask, why is All Might the one true hero to you? I can't walk down the street without seeing his face." 

"All Might is one of the last good heroes. Despite being number one, he's humble. He doesn't bother with interviews, he donates most of his earnings to charity and he pays his workers more than a fair wage. Plus, he has a very modest apartment. He hardly is undeserving of his title." 

Midoriya gave him a look. 

"You know where he lives?" 

Stain rolled his eyes. 

"Calm down, I don't plan on breaking in, I just wanted to see if he was truly as selfless as he appeared." 

Midoriya raised an eyebrow. 

"Sure. Awfully convenient answer." 

"What." 

"Nothing!" 

Stain looked him up and down. 

"What are you implying? I admire the man, nothing more." 

"Uh huh." 

"Stop that. All Might is a hero, this fake claims he is a hero. He deserves to die." 

Midoriya held up his hands. 

"Woah, woah. I need context." 

Stain pointed his bloodied sword to the hero, still bleeding, leaning against the wall. 

"He's appropriating Native American culture. He staged crimes in populated areas to increase his popularity. Seven of his workers have ongoing lawsuits against him on the grounds of sexual assault. How, in all honesty, can he be called a hero?" 

Midoriya swallowed dryly. 

"I'll admit, those are some surprisingly good arguments." 

He looked back at Native, breathing slowly. Bleeding from his side. 

He pulled up the search engine on his visor. 

And yep, Stain was not lying. In fact, he hadn't even listed all the shit this guy had done. 

Midoriya felt a little less worried about him. 

He eyed the blood pooled around his wound. 

"You're not going to let me help him." 

Stain didn't feel the need to lie. 

"There would be no point. It's been far too long. He'll bleed out before you get him to a hospital." 

He looked at his feet. 

Snipe would be so pissed with him. 

There was a glint of something. He looked up right as a knife embedded itself in Native's chest with a squelch. A splash of blood hit his visor. 

Midoriya could feel the tension piling in the air. 

"You fascinate me." 

He looked from the dead h-dead man to the serial killer. 

"What?" 

Stain pointed a dagger at him accusatorily. 

"You didn't react just now. A man died in front of you, by my hand, and you aren't trying to kill me." 

Midoriya eyed Native. 

"Why is that interesting?" 

"I've never seen it in anyone but villains before, the lack of reaction. You said you wanted to help him a moment ago. Why?" 

Midoriya looked at him from under his green fringe. 

"...because it's the right thing to do?" 

Stain smiled. It made Midoriya's insides curl. 

"It might have been, but do you think that because you genuinely believe it, or because that's what you're supposed to think?" 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

The killer tilted his head again. Midoriya wanted him to fuck off. 

"I think that you're capable of extreme cruelty, Midoriya Izuku. You've let me go on and on about my vision. Now I'd like to ask you. What is your opinion of the Hero Commission?" 

Midoriya got the feeling his answer was not the kind of thing he should be saying. 

"I don't trust it. Setting up classist schools to train children, dictating exactly how the entrance exams are to be run with no exceptions, broadcasting the future generations of heroes while they're still growing. Showing off their powers and their weaknesses. None of that screams 'innocent' to me." 

Stain's smile grew. 

"Correct answer." 

Midoriya certainly didn't feel like he'd answered right. 

In fact, he didn't want to be here anymore. 

He didn't like that he was agreeing with this guy. 

It was true though, in areas where Stain operated, the heroes were more efficient. Less property damage, less 'accidents', less media attention for their work. They started behaving the way Stain believed heroes should be. 

But was that because they genuinely thought it was how they should be, or because they didn't want to die? 

"Can I ask you something?" 

Stain gave a short, quick nod. 

"Since...I guess since I've been here, I've been calling the 'bad guys' criminals. But everyone else has been calling them villains. I didn't think it was weird at first, but everyone says 'villain' now. Terrorists are being put on the same level as the likes of petty thieves. Is that...weird of me?" 

Stain looked far too amused at his inner conflict. 

"I have to say, you're the first person I've met who doesn't call every law-breaker a villain. It's refreshing. Empathy is part of it, Midoriya. You're not condemning everyone to the same black and white philosophy that the rest of these sheep do." 

He really, really hated himself for the relief he felt. Why, why of all people, it was a serial killer that understood him. 

It left a very bad taste in his mouth. 

He looked at Iida on the ground. His breathing had been getting more rapid. He would probably be waking up soon. 

"Are you going to let me leave?" 

Stain wiped the blood off his blade with his cloak. 

"You could've left the second you stepped foot in this alley, I don't kill children where I can avoid it." 

Midoriya looked back at Iida. 

"Why are you trying to kill him, then?" 

He looked at his reflection in the blade. 

"He interrupted my work. He came here to kill me, not to 'bring me to justice'. He has no intention of letting me live. And why, all because I attacked his brother. Is he only here because my actions directly affected him? He had no good motivations for coming after me, and he made no attempts to save an injured man. He is no hero." 

Midoriya couldn't believe that Iida not only ignored all their friends, ignored all the help being offered and ignored him when he knew what he was planning to do in Hosu. He literally could've been arrested for the murder of a serial killer. 

Iida could've been charged with a homicide tonight. 

And that would've been the end. 

He ground his teeth. 

"Okay, that all sounds really bad. I agree with you there, but he's grieving. His brother meant everything to him, and now he has to retire because you attacked him. He's young. We're only in our first year, we've barely been in UA for two months. He still has a lot to learn, and so do I. Do you really believe that people can't change?" 

Stain shrugged with one shoulder. 

"Maybe, but I find it hard to believe a person could change that much. Taking a human life is not easy, especially the first time. What do you think would've happened if he caught me off guard? He would've done everything in his power to kill me." 

Midoriya glanced back down at his friend. 

"Come on, you think that I'm weird or interesting or whatever? Then trust me when I say he can change. I'll make sure of it, just give me this chance to help him." 

Stain huffed, smiling. What freaked him out more than anything was that his smile was not malicious in the slightest. 

"I really don't think we trust each other yet. But let me ask you one question. What are you doing here, Midoriya?" 

Midoriya was stuck on the 'yet' part of that sentence. 

"What do you mean?" 

"How did you end up in this alley?" 

Midoriya scratched his neck. 

"Iida had been acting weird after you attacked his brother. I tried reaching out to him, all our friends did, but he didn't want to talk to us about it. When I found out he was coming here for his internship, I had a feeling he was coming to look for you." 

Stain nodded, slipping his katana back into its sheath. Midoriya figured he might as well keep going. 

"I tried to talk him out of it. I spoke to our teacher, and he said he alerted Manual, but neither of us had hope. I was going to Tokyo when my train got blitzed by one of Shigaraki's Nomus. My mentor jumped in to help, but they got away from me. I realised, with the city on fire and with you here, that I might never see my friend again. I couldn't just sit by while he could've been killed. No offence." 

Stain smirked. 

"None taken." 

"Yeah. That's the story. I scoured the alleys from the rooftops, looking for you. Iida's smart, I had a feeling he'd find you. So I just needed to find you as well. And here we are." 

"Here we are indeed. You out yourself in harm's way because you wanted to protect your friend." 

Midoriya blinked. 

"Yeah. I did." 

"I've accomplished what I set out to do tonight. I suppose I can let you go, provided you don't do anything stupid. Can you do that?" 

Midoriya's visor lit up. Wheatley had been hovering above the alleyway the whole time. The little light on his visor meant that someone was near. From the footage Wheatley was picking up, it was Todoroki. 

Midoriya swallowed. 

"Well that depends on your definition of stupid. And before you say anything, I thought you were going to kill me." 

Stain looked beyond him, to the mouth of the alley. 

The small space was lit up with the light of a raging fire. 

Midoriya spun to face his friend. 

Todoroki's eyes moved from Native to Stain to Midoriya. Midoriya could pinpoint the exact second that he understood the severity of the situation he just ran into. 

"Midoriya! I called the authorities, and more heroes are coming this way!" 

His eyes lingered on the knife in Native's chest. 

"Polarity, stay calm. We need to get out of here." 

Todoroki was showing more emotion than Midoriya had ever seen from him. 

"To hell with that, is Iida okay?" 

"Out cold." 

"Are you bleeding?" 

Midoriya glanced at the blood still on his visor. 

"Native's." 

He heard the boy's shakey breath next to him. 

Stain had his hand on the hilt of his blade. 

Midoriya really, really wished he'd left with Iida while he had the chance. 

Todoroki lowered his stance. 

"Todoroki, come on, we can't take him down." 

"We can't pick up Iida, he'd never let us leave." 

Midoriya silently hoped Stain wouldn't tell Todoroki about their conversation. 

Iida was waking up on the concrete, Native was dead and Todoroki was in mortal danger. 

Midoriya was losing his damn mind. 

Todoroki gave no warning, slamming his right foot into the ground. Giant spikes of ice spread out in the direction of the serial killer. Stain jumped back, and Midoriya had a feeling he knew what was coming. 

A knife the length of his forearm went flying in Todoroki's direction. 

Midoriya snatched it out of the air, the blade doing nothing to his hands. Todoroki stared at him in shock for a split second. Stain was on them again. 

To be honest though, he wasn't really going for Midoriya. 

Just Todoroki. 

And one more knife made it's way into Native's chest somewhere along the way. 

The combination of ice and fire was making the alley incredibly humid. 

Midoriya took the smallest windows of opportunity to move Iida behind them with portals. 

The boy had woken up to an eyeful of bloodied friends and a dead hero. 

He still couldn't move. 

Midoriya looked up from him to see Stain- 

There was a blade flying at Todoroki. 

There was a blade flying at Todoroki, who was thrown off balance. 

Midoriya moved- 

He pushed himself into Todoroki, shoving the boy out of the way. 

Stain's dagger hit his chest. There was static in his ears after he hit the ground. 

"MIDORIYA!" 

He blinked his eyes open. Stain was gone. Iida had his eyes wide open, staring at him. 

Todoroki looked distraught, gripping at the fabric of his jacket. 

Oddly enough, he didn't feel any pain. In fact, he felt very little different. 

He looked down at his chest. 

'Oh. Well this is embarrassing.' 

Midoriya tugged the fabric of his shirt up, showing off the white disk at the centre of his chest. 

The disk, where the knife had hit. The static he was hearing cleared. 

He tugged the knife out of the disk. It hadn't gone in that deep. 

Todoroki looked incredibly confused. 

Iida's hand twitched. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. 

His shoulder was bleeding sluggishly. 

"Midoriya, Todoroki? I'm incredibly sorry. I...I don't know what I would have done if he killed you. I'm sorry. I should've spoke with you in school. I regret my actions immensely. Native's death is my fault, and I take full responsibility." 

Todoroki looked away. 

Midoriya felt bad for him. 

"Iida, while I appreciate it, we should go. Stain vanished." 

They wasted no time in sprinting for the mouth of the alley.

Chapter Text

The winding back alleys leading them to the main street blurred as the three boys ran. 

Midoriya's hand was on his chest. 

He'd been insanely lucky. The knife could've killed him. Easy as. 

The funniest thing though, he was more bothered about his shirt being ripped than that he was in mortal danger. 

Maybe he needed more sessions with Dr Shinsou. 

Whatever, back to running. 

He couldn't help but notice the amount of looks that Todoroki was throwing him. He really hoped he didn't yell at him for being reckless again. 

Iida was between them, holding his shoulder in an iron grip. The blood stained his already dark gloves black. It was oddly beautiful. 

Midoriya kept glancing up at the rooves of the apartments around them. 

He really, really found it hard to believe that Stain would just let them go. 

Especially Iida. 

He couldn't get what Stain had said out of his head. 

Logically speaking, Midoriya knew that he had a...unique perspective of the world, but comparing him to a 'villain'? He huffed out sharply. 

They took a sharp turn onto the street.