Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

In a world monopolized by heroics it was every child’s dream to be a hero, and the path to be one often began at the most prestigious school in all of Japan. It was how every hero-to-be dreamed to start out. All U.A. alumni had high rankings and not to mention great track records. Plus it helped that the current Number One Hero of Japan went to that school too.  

The school that created All Might. The symbol that every child wished to become.

To work at the most prestigious school one had to go through layers upon layers of testing– psych evals, drug testing, medical history, teaching evals, the works. But it was a career choice that made all those who make it in even more valuable. Only a select few of heroes are able to pass the rigorous tests required to work at Yuuei. Only the best for their students after all.  

Hired at U.A.? You may as well be set for life with that sort of career.

Finally, to be the head of Yuuei, to control the nation’s most influential school? It was near impossible to pass the required curriculum. With nearly all applicants being turned down without a second glance, while others who make it past the first are often removed soon after. It’s a position of power, one that could rival the prime minister of the country or the president of the hero commission; if the Yuuei Head so pleased. With countless heroes at their beck and call, only the most qualified would ever be considered.  Since U.A.’s original founding all headmasters had all been in the possession of some sort of intelligence quirk.

That knowledge made it all the more sweeter when Midoriya Izuku walked into their new office for the first time. He still believed it was a dream that he’d yet to wake up from. Becoming the principal of the school he had always dreamed to go to yet was constantly rejected from? Well it was something he’d never expect to have happened. Yet, here he was, an office befit of a true pro hero and an army of pros and heroes in training at his beck and call.  

The path to get to this point was rough, as shown by multiple scars that adorned their bodies. But together they prevailed and made it to the top. Together they would fix this skewed system. It would just take some pulling of the strings- something they were both well aquatinted with. 

Yagi fiddled nervously with his fingers. He’d use his tie but it wasn’t as discreet as his hands, his fidgeting was due to him spent the past few minutes since arriving in an awkward silence. His attempts to look everywhere but at the man seated across him seemed to be in vain.  Of course he was failing miserably. With intelligent emerald eyes boring into him, it was difficult to keep any sort of composure whenever he was requested to visit.  

That was saying something considering this was only his fourth meeting with Midoriya-sensei ever since meeting the young man.

Despite Yagi being nearly two decades his senior, Midoriya Izuku still managed to strike an intimidating figure. Though the other man reached about five foot five inches and was around twenty-eight years old; he still commanded more respect with his presence than even Gran Torino had. While the older man would beat up Yagi physically, Midoriya beat him up mentally. Running scenarios around him until the hero wanted to pass out.  

Sometimes Yagi would be called into a meeting just for Midoriya to run hundred of what-if scenarios by him.

Today was not one of those days.  

Today, upon entering the office, Midoriya had simply gestured for the gaunt hero to take a seat. That had been twenty minutes ago. No words had been spoken since then. Apparently the silence didn’t bother the other man in the slightest, he seemed more than content to sip from his cup of tea that was oft present in his scarred hands. Only stopping to refill his cup, or to click something on his computer beside him.  

Otherwise?

His attention was centered entirely on Yagi.  

Hence the man’s nonstop fidgeting.  

Finally, Midoriya’s lips pulled into a sad mimicry of a smile– as though he hadn’t known how to do such a motion with his muscles– and set his teacup down. “I trust that you’ve gone over the work I’ve assigned you?” He finally broke the silence, steeping his fingers together while his eyes bore deep into Toshinori’s soul.  

“A-uh, y-yes! They were quite helpful Midoriya... sensei,” Yagi’s back straightened as he spluttered, “though, I am unsure if you had meant to include ‘ High School Teaching for Dummies’ with the other titles you had given me.” Midoriya’s expression didn’t change, showing nothing that would allow Yagi to gauge if the man was irritated or amused with his statement. Instead, he didn’t answer and simply brought out two manila files from wherever he had kept them beforehand; Kami knows where that was.  

“I’ve taken it upon myself to look over our prospective students and consolidate those who would be the best fit for your quirk.” He raised an eyebrow, “Since I know that’s the only reason you’ve requested to teach here after all.”

Yagi flinched and looked to the side.

“Now, I know your interest lies mainly in the students but I will also recommend you to consider looking into the newly debuted younger heroes; perhaps they could also be a fit. After all, considering the state you’re in–“  

Yagi spluttered from his seat, though he was ignored by the younger man entirely; who had his gaze focused on the innards of one of the manila folders.  

“–it might be more beneficial for you to consider someone already in the field as opposed to a student who is still wet behind ears.” He hummed and tapped the folder before sliding it and it’s contents to Yagi while he tucked another back into a drawer. He rummaged through a few drawers in his desk before he slid another file over to the pro hero.

“This,” Midoriya tapped the file with a pen, “contains the old curriculum outlines that much of our own school’s current training regimen is based off of. It wouldn’t be smart to start an entire new routine from scratch after all what with you being new to teaching and all that, use these as a guide until you feel confident making the necessary changes.”  

Something warm and heavy had settled in Yagi’s hands, startling him enough to make it almost drop. With wide eyes he looked at the small innocent teacup cradled in his grip. When was he given this and how long has he had it? Midoriya-sensei hadn’t moved from his position, still reading from the files he had pulled out and organized. A thin stream of mutters from him the whole while.  

A thinnest sensation of a gentle caress on his upper arm had him startling again. This time so badly that his knee jerked against the table. Which caused Midoriya... it still felt weird to call someone two decades younger than him... sensei’s gaze to focus on Toshinori. A grin was splitting his lips and his fingers began to tap an unusual rhythm on the mahogany desk.  The man didn’t mention the movement, choosing to continue on as though nothing had occurred.

“Though you are here to find a successor, you will be contracted to teach the heroics classes here. So, if I find you slacking your duties I’ll not hesitate to bury your entire legal team to the necks in paperwork.” A notebook materialized in his left hand; the one hand that wasn’t tapping. Midoriya slid the notebook to Toshinori’s side of the table. “If you’d sign on the line please, you will start at the beginning of the school year.”

Yagi set his mystery tea down and reached for a pen before pausing and doing a sharp double take at the notebook he was given. Above the contract’s terms were eerily detailed notes that were written in a winding code that had his head spinning. Alongside it was a detailed sketch of his hero form and the support gear that is used in the most current costume. Yagi signed as quickly as he could, no longer wanted to see that well of forbidden information the young principal had on him.  

“It was nice speaking with you Yagi-san.” Midoriya dipped his head slightly, the unnatural grin still in place as Toshinori stumbled over his own goodbyes as he attempted to leave as fast as possible without insulting the man that could probably kill him with ease.  

The second the door clicked behind the frazzled number one hero, Izuku allowed himself to laugh. His fingers stilling as he began the process of reorganizing his desk.  

“Well, that was quite fun.” A small voice chirped nearby his ear, causing Izuku’s grin to widen as he chuckled in response.  

Gently running a hand through his seemingly messy locks, Izuku felt his first friend slowly shift from his hiding place. With a mess of vibrant green and black hair, it was believed that the High Spec’s Hero hid a multitude of secrets within the viridian locks. And though the people aren’t wrong in that regard, they incorrectly assume the amount; for he’s not hiding multiple- no, just one secret.  

He felt his friend grip his hand and allowed Izuku to gently remove him from the tangled green and black fibers. It was like a magic trick, somehow Izuku had procured a white, rat-like creature that wore a matching, albeit smaller, vest as Izuku himself.  

Once on stable ground, the rat hopped over to the teacup that Yagi had abandoned in his haste to escape their office.  He lifted it and began to sip at the still warm tea.

“I do feel a bit bad, should we have teased Yagi-san so much?” Izuku didn’t feel that bad, it was wholly entertaining and his companion knew it.  

“It’s tradition to haze the new hires, though Yagi was by far the most fun we’ve had in awhile.” He clasped his paws together and a glint came to his black eyes, “I do wonder if we can startle him so badly that he punches a hole through the wall?” The rodent, so caught up in his schemes to scar the number one hero, almost spilled his tea down his vest from his vibrating. His teeth were grinding in excitement as he grinned at his first friend.  

Midoriya Izuku and Nedzu made up the hero known as Dioscuri. Officially known to have an intelligence quirk, only a select few know the truth.  

Midoriya Izuku, 28 years old, one half of the team that makes up Dioscuri. Entirely quirkless, he is the first and possibly only, quirkless pro hero.  

Nedzu, the other half of the team that makes up Dioscuri. With the quirk High Specs that granted him increased intelligence. He is the only non-human pro hero in all of the world.  

Alone, these two would have never made it into the profession. With quirkless being less and less common with each generation; Izuku was never given any opportunity to follow his dream. Nedzu, being a chimera, wouldn’t have been able to get far on his own. The system was twisted in favor of humans only; animals couldn’t legally be heroes. Alone they were cast out of society.  

Together they formed the pro-hero and principal of Yuuei High School: Dioscuri.  

“Come on,” Izuku put his hand out once Nedzu had finished his cup, “we still have work to do, and maybe we can sneak up on All Might if we have the time.” He laughed as Nedzu ground his teeth in glee. Once reseated in the nest of curls, the two left their office.  

They had plans to work towards after all.  

Dioscuri was made off of ideals and hopes that will one day, though unknown when, shake the entire world of heroes to its core. Dioscuri was here to pull the strings of society.

Change is inevitable. They will be the face of a new era, willing or unwilling, that is yet to be seen.

Chapter Text

Midoriya was a thin, lanky boy that stuttered and fidgeted so much that on most occasions he resembled a shivering chihuahua more than an actual human. Add that to his large doe eyes and a short stature, and you got the perfect punching bag. In fact it made it all too easy to pick on him. 

Of course he was further singled out after a student found out he was quirkless then blabbed about it days later. Of course it wasn’t  long before it began to circulate around, until eventually, the entire school knew that Midoriya Izuku was quirkless: useless. A mere pebble beneath their feet on their path to greatness. The students made sure to make it known how unwanted Izuku was, how he was just a burden. 

It didn’t take long for the bullying to go from purely verbal abuse to physical abuse. With the teachers being zero help in the matter. 

“They’re just roughhousing!” One bespectacled lady had huffed. 

“Why are you so keen to ruin these bright students’ dreams? Don’t you realize he’s lying for attention?” A portly man had wheezed while rubbing sweat off his brow with a soaked handkerchief. 

“Your son is just jealous.” Another teacher had sneered. 

Inko was done. Her son didn’t explicitly tell her of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his bullies, but it wasn’t hard to see. As the years progressed he slowly turned in on himself, not long after he began coming home with mottled bruises and cuts littering his body. No longer looking forward to school and speaking less and less.

It broke her heart.

Yet every complaint brought up was met with a multitude of excuses from his teachers. Teachers who were supposed to teach him and help him achieve his dream. Instead they belittled him and turned a blind eye to the abuse occurring in their classrooms. If she could have afforded it, Inko would’ve sued them she’s ago and dragged the school through the mud. 

For now all she could do was be there for her son. 

One day though she would drag that school through the mud for what they’d done to her baby.

It was pouring and well past his curfew; no doubt his mom was worrying over him. But Izuku couldn’t go home just yet, instead he was wandering the streets past dark in search of his bag. 

With it being vibrant saffron color, it should have been easy to find, except it wasn’t. His hopes were lowering with each unsuccessful alleyway or dumpster he checked. 

It had been ripped from his person and dumped by the bullies at his school. They had cornered him after Izuku managed to get one of his notebooks signed by Best Jeanist. A notebook that had been placed in his backpack. 

His backpack that was stolen and dumped elsewhere. And that he could not for the life of him locate.

Izuku was on clearly borrowed time. His phone battery was low and he’d have to be home before his mom could panic and call him in as missing. One more alley, he bartered with his own guilt complex as he walked to the last alley he would look at before going home for the night. 

The light of his phone flashlight was weak and barely cut through the fog from the precipitation in the air. Yet it was able to weakly illuminate the alley; and showed no sign of an almost neon yellow backpack. Izuku stifled a sigh and prepared to turn and begin his trudge home, until a small shuffle, barely heard over the thundering rain caught his attention. He turned off the light out of habit. Afraid that he’d been seen, Izuku shuffled towards the noise slightly. The urge to check it out was high and he shifted on his feet for only a few heartbeats before he began to hesitantly step forward.

Sue him, he was a curious child, and the bullying hadn’t staunched his natural curiosity. As much as the other students tried, he would always remain curious to some degree. It was just his nature.

Turning his flashlight back on he shone it in the direction of the sound; and he flinched back when he saw it. Dingy white fur stretched thin across visible bones and scraggly limbs, it was some sort of small dog, large rat, or something in between. But Izuku could not surmise its true species. He contemplated turning and leaving the creature, until his own conscious reared its ugly head. 

You’d abandon it here? To die? You’re no better than your bullies. It won’t last long in this weather if you abandon it. The voice was cruel and sounded so disgustingly similar to Kacchan, someone Izuku once looked up to but now never wishes to be. Kacchan would abandon it.

Izuku won’t.

So, with a soft huff of breath, Izuku began to creep closer to the creature. It’s eyes focused on him immediately but it made no move to do anything. Instead it lay there, heaving gasping breaths that were thick and sounded sickly. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you,” Izuku murmured as he slowly moved closer and closer. His movements were choreographed and small, doing his absolute best not to startle the poor thing. “I just want to help you,” he murmured, “I promise.”

However, the moment his hand had made contact with what he presumed was its shoulder, it was almost impossible to tell with the way its bones all jutted out–its head shot forward fast as a snake and sunk its teeth into his hand. Izuku cried out and couldn’t help the involuntary jerk of his hand, its jaws didn’t loosen from their tight clamp; causing its body to be dragged along with the instinctual motion. 

During his jerked movements, his phone had dropped and possibly broke upon impact since the flashlight was no longer on. However, when a peal of lightning flashed overhead, Izuku could see its face. Black eyes wide with terror and a thick wound beneath its eye that was still sluggishly dribbling blood. In that moment the two made eye contact, Izuku could see himself in this small creature. 

Dealt the cruel hands of fate, it had clearly gone through hell and back. Only to fight one last time against the human it assumed would kill it. It had clearly suffered at the hands of others.

Just like him. 

No longer were its jaws tightly clamped down, at some point it had gone completely slack and slowly began to curl in on itself. Shivers wracking through its soaked form as it seemed to succumb to its own fate. And, with only a moments hesitation, Izuku shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around the creature before picking it up and running home. He barely remembered to grab his phone as he sprinted out of the alley as fast as he could. 

He didn’t want this animal to die before he could attempt to rescue it. 

“Mom! Mom!!” Izuku about nearly slammed through the front door in his haste to get in, nearly forgetting to shut the door behind him as he scrambled towards his mom. 

Inko had jerked awake and nearly fell off the couch at her son’s shouts. She had dozed off at some point while waiting for her son to get back home. 

“Izuku, it is nearly thre–“ her voice stopped in her throat as she took in his appearance. Completely soaked and muddied he was cradling a bundle in his arms. Seemingly wrapped in his jacket, he was frantically muttering while worrying the bottom of his lip. 

“Hold on, take a deep breath,” she forced herself to calm down, it would do no good to panic. It would only fuel her son’s panic after all. Once he had followed her advice and taken a few calming deep breaths, she motioned for him to continue. 

“I-I don’t know what to do,” thick tears began to run down his cheeks, “I found it in the alleyway and it looked so scared and hurt, I just couldn’t not do anything.” He sniffled weakly and blinked to clear the tears from his vision to no avail. 

“Here, let’s bring it to the bathroom so I can see what I can do.” Inko had to remain calm, no matter how much she wanted to panic, her son’s emotions were riding too high and if she panicked he would follow suit. She didn’t want that. 

He had set the limp jacket in the bathtub after unwrapping it from the shivering creature. She walked in as he was swaddling it in fresh towels in an attempt to keep it dry and warm. During that period Inko had gone to her room to grab one of her heavier first aid kits to hopefully help whatever her son had found. 

Ignoring her son’s anxious hovering behind her, Inko unwrapped the creature and barely hid her grimace. The only visible wound was the one beneath its eye, but she could see a myriad of thin, straight scars crisscrossing its fur in a sick sort of mosaic. She wasn’t blind to the possibility of this being a victim of some sort of experimentation, in fact every sign seemed to point towards that being the situation. 

It’s fur was thin and raggedy, barely hiding the dull grey of its paper thin skin beneath it. Atrophied muscles and weak bones caused her worry to grow. “Izuku,” she grabbed her son’s shoulder as he paced behind her, “go clean off your hand and wrap it instead of pacing.” 

Izuku huffed but complied, going to their other bathroom to take care of his small wound and leaving her to continue her impromptu examination. It didn’t take too long for her to finish. With only needing to apply some ointment to the wound beneath its eye, she couldn’t do much else. 

With practiced movements she pulled out one of Izuku’s old play pens and layered it with the softest blankets that she ran through the dryer to heat up. Now swaddled in warm blankets, she could see the way it’s form had slowly relaxed, it’s whiskers no longer twitching rapidly and it’s paws loosening their grip on the blankets. 

When Izuku finally stumbled in, after getting a stern talking to by his mother about why he was out so late, he nearly tripped over something in the middle of his floor. Once his eyes adjusted though, he noticed the form of the odd rodent placed within blankets in his old playpen from when he was an infant. 

“Goodnight.” He whispered to the silent room. 

If he listened hard enough maybe he would have heard the soft answering chirrup from his newest roommate. 

Chapter Text

“Do you think All Might wishes he chose to search for his successor at Shiketsu or Ketsubutsu now?” Izuku snickered, and Nedzu’s chirping laugh was answer enough. 

During the upcoming months the dual principals had terrorized the number one hero as passively as they could. On one occasion startling the large man so badly that he had actually slugged Eraserhead in the face on accident. 

That had been a messy week for everyone involved.

Izuku and Nedzu would both agree it was 100% worth it though.

Though it was just the penchant of chaos the two simply enjoyed. Nedzu liked to pull the strings to set everything into place and Izuku was always more than happy to push the first domino down to trigger their thickly woven plans. However their games had to be cut back due to the amount of work that was caused by having the number one hero on their staff all of the sudden. 

With the media hounding them for interviews like sharks pinpointing a drop of blood, to the hero commission attempting to put forth a contract that would put UA beneath their grasp; it was a busy few months for the hero duo. 

“How many students do you think Eraserhead will attempt to expel this year?” Izuku didn’t lift his eyes from his analysis as he initiated conversation. 

Nedzu stopped mid-stamp to hum in thought, “I’m not sure,” he began, “I was shocked how he had expelled the entire class that one time,” he snuffled and stamped the paper, “one would think he was the principal with that move of his.” 

Izuku grimaced. That had been an absolute mess to clean up. Though the two didn’t tell the staff, it wasn’t hard to see how much busier the principal had gotten after the expulsion of twenty hero students in the top brackets of the exams. It was no surprise that the parents of said students were livid. It was a lengthy process that the pair would rather not have to deal with again. 

Currently the two were sorting the students’ files. Paperwork was something Dioscuri was more than accustomed to doing. With Izuku writing full analyses and Nedzu scrambling those into an almost unreadable code that had other’s heads spinning- it was a useful system. The process was similar with regular paperwork– with Izuku writing summaries and ideas and Nedzu shortening as well as adding– the paperwork that Dioscuri worked on was a thing of dreams. Something all other heroes aspired to achieve, a Dioscuri-level report. Though the heroes did not know that Dioscuri was actually two beings instead of one.

Together they worked like a well oiled machine and in almost everything Dioscuri did, it showed.

“We have a meeting with the rest of the staff over student placement soon.” Izuku glanced up at one of the clocks in their office– they had many but only a select few told the correct time. It was a useful intimidation tactic when needed after all. “We have all the papers for it, right?” 

Nedzu chuffed in agreement before he stored the uncoded notes in a well fortified safe, they went to great lengths to protect their students. Once locked, he clambered up Izuku, putting his paws in well hidden footholds that simply appeared aesthetic on the other male’s outfit. Once to his perch, Nedzu hooked his shoes into the straps on Izuku’s shoulders and let himself blend into the seemingly messy tangle of hair. 

Izuku took great care of his hair, it only appeared mussed up as a way to hide and protect his other half. 

It was a logical ruse.

“It’s showtime.” He began his trek to the teacher’s lounge. Taking some amount of comfort in Nedzu’s presence.

The school meetings were held in their most secure staff room. With multiple layers of security as well as being near impossible to find, it helped the seasoned pros breathe just a bit easier. 

Dioscuri was often the last to enter during the meetings, not for any particular reason exactly, it was just how it usually ended up being. Today should have been no different, except All Might was now on the staff. 

Dioscuri was not the last one to enter. 

“Ah, it seems we are missing one,” they looked around the table, tapping their fingers to an invisible beat the whole while. “Did we forget to notify All Might?”

“No, sir,” Snipe shook his head, “we let ‘im know but uh... I don’t think anyone told ‘im how to get here.” 

“Oh well. I suppose we’ll begin without him for the time being.” 

“Should one of us go get him?” That was Powerloader. 

“No, he’s still in the newbie phase. We all had to find this place ourselves.” Eraserhead glared across the table at the principal. Dioscuri only smiled his awkward grin. 

“Now, let’s begin with sorting the students. We’ve yet to finalize any predictions of possible examinees passing, it is still best to make this as seamless as possible.” Dioscuri passed out thick packets, organized by year it both contained the students returning and the students hoping to make it in. 

“We have a large number of hero hopefuls that we have to look over this month, with the exams beginning next week, we should all have time to sort through and remove any student that someone got past our thorough background checks.” Dioscuri never once paused in his rhythmic taps as he spoke, it was part of his image so to say. “Any questions before we begin?” 

No one answered, and Dioscuri smiled. 

“Let’s begin.” 

The room was quiet apart from the shuffling of papers and the occasional murmured conversation that would sprout up. It was a peaceful affair; the heroes shuffling through papers, putting down their possible interest in the student and marking down whether or not they want to assign them to one zone or another. Though primly known for pushing out hero hopefuls, Yuuei also had a wonderful Support and Management program– with some of the lowest acceptance rates in the nation but sported the highest rates of success as a result. They only accepted the best of the best and it showed.

With Powerloader, Thirteen, and Cementoss organizing the applications for those wanting to join the Support course. While Lunch Rush, Ectoplasm, and Midnight going over the students wanting to get into the Management course. Everyone else? Well they were there to sift through the absolute mass of applications from students all over. Yet, U.A. Only accepted thirty-six new hero students a year. 

The rest? If not outright denied they were admitted into the General Education course. Although there were only 160 Gen Ed spots open per school year. 

It was an organized mess. But one that Dioscuri prided themselves on. With an adjustment to the physical exam- examinees were placed in one of four zones. One of which was catered specifically for non-combative quirks. 

That was an eight year legal fight and Dioscuri was proud to say that they won. 

The door slammed open, or it would’ve but instead someone slammed into the door. With all attention focused on such, no one moved until Aizawa got up with a tired groan. 

“Took him four hours to find it.” The hero huffed.

Dioscuri nodded and wrote the time in one of his notebooks that was always on his person. 

“I apologize for being late!” All Might was ruffled, and rightly so considering he was four hours late to a meeting that he didn’t realize was occurring until Dioscuri had emailed him a few hours before the scheduled time.

It was just his luck that it was in the most confusing part of the school to get to. 

“It’s quite all right All Might,” Dioscuri smiled, “your tardiness was expected after all.” His hands were still tapping, twisted, gnarled fingers tapping an indecipherable rhythm that no one has been able to decipher. 

“Now, let’s get back to where we were before All Might arrived.”

Chapter Text

When Shouta Aizawa was a student at Yuuei, it was when the school was under a different headmaster. So when he’d been requested to meet with the current headmaster he’d been confused and rightfully so. He’s just an underground hero? Why would one of his former sensei’s want or need to speak with him. 

So imagine his surprise when he entered the headmaster’s office and saw what he first assumed to be a teenager sitting behind the desk. 

“Ah! Eraserhead!” The teen smiled in a way that was supposed to look kind but just came across as awkward, “I’m so glad you agreed to our meeting today.” 

“Of course,” the underground hero was caught off guard, “though I have to ask what happened to the old headmaster?” He took the proffered seat and watched as the teen shuffled a few papers before going about to pour him a cup of tea. Once he pushed the cup towards Shouta, he began to speak.

“You must not have heard! He retired, hmmm, maybe four years ago or so?” He moved and poured himself a cup, his tongue between his teeth in concentration.

Shouta resisted the urge to jerk in surprise. Somehow he couldn’t believe that this teenager seated across from him was the newest principal of U.A., it must have shown on his face because the teen across from him snickered. 

“I do have to admit that I look far younger than I am, I assure you I am an adult.” The man snickered, “but my age and appearance aside; I called you here for a reason, Eraserhead-san,” his fingers tapped a few times before he continued, “I would actually like for you to come and teach here at Yuuei.” 

“Wouldn’t you want a limelight hero?” Shouta snorted and appraised the teen with a tired glare.

He had expected the answer because he only chuckled. “Who better to teach the dangers of heroics than a hero who sees the worst of the worst? I believe it would be far more beneficial to employ an underground hero who has seen what happens in the field of heroics.” The man’s eyes took on a steely glint, “not enough students realize that this can take their lives. Many just become a hero for the glory. I don’t want a limelight hero to teach them the best parts, no. I want someone to show their students the worst of this profession.” 

Shouta nodded along in thought, he could agree with that sentiment. Too many students came in not realizing the full meaning of being a hero. 

“You of course need not decide today. Just merely email me with your answer and we can schedule an appointment for the paperwork.” The new principal smiled, this time more normally before standing, Shouta following suit at the clear dismissal. 

“Ah, I don’t think I–“ before he could finish the door closed between him and the principal. He’d realized too late that not once had he gotten the principal’s actual name. In fact he hadn’t been aware there was a new principal until today. 

Shouta sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. He’d have to do some digging when he got home. 

“Do we have any more appointments today?”

“Nope! Aizawa-san was the last one of the day.” Nedzu chirped from his place in Izuku’s hair. 

Izuku nodded and raised a hand to help Nedzu down before getting up and locking their office. He loves his job, he really does, but he misses being able to speak to Nedzu while he works. They can’t do that while the school is in session or when they have appointments scheduled and meetings to attend to. 

It would be a shame if someone walked in and saw two principals instead of the one that they were led to believe. 

Nedzu readjusted his small vest as he took Aizawa’s untouched cup of tea for himself. “I believe he would be a good fit here,” the rodent nodded to himself. 

Izuku’s only response was a noncommittal hum while he sifted through their shared desk. Currently in search of a specific notebook that had some of their first analyses ever. After all, Dioscuri wasn’t made in a day. It took years for the two to operate as one combined unit. 

Dioscuri the High Specs hero was constantly asked to work on cases or submit their world famous analyses of villains on certain cases. With Izuku and Nedzu operating as one, they became what could be the most intelligent hero in all of Japan. 

Only one person knew the truth about Dioscuri though. It was the best kept secret between the two and they went to great lengths to protect their identities. The commission would have never allowed a non-human hero and a quirkless person to join the ranks of heroes around the world. 

The system was cruel and unfair but Dioscuri was here to change that. Together they would pull the strings and change heroics for the better. 

“Any issues with the gates?” Dioscuri didn’t tear their gaze from the multitude of screens arrayed before them. 

“None Dioscuri-sama,” Powerloader scratched his neck in thought, “all the passes worked and as long as the students have one on them the gates shouldn’t trigger.” 

Dioscuri nodded in thought. It had been a recent development to give the examinees a temporary pass to the school grounds. Boasting a heightened security system, if anyone unauthorized or lacking the correct credentials attempts to enter the school it will trigger an alarm that will set off the Yuuei Barrier. 

Past headmasters had disabled the alarms for the testing month or done something in a similar regard. Something he refused to do.

Once in the seat of power, Dioscuri had made a multitude of changes to the school. With heightened security and systems to prevent information leaks; they were praised for their ideas. The current one being a temporary ID that will allow examinees to cross into the school safely without them having to disable the gates.

“Everything good with the management exams?” He tapped into the communicator device that would relay his question to Lunch Rush- who was currently overseeing the exams for the management course students. 

Once Izuku got the okay he relayed it to Nedzu with a series of seemingly innocent taps. Of course the rodent would communicate the same way to notify Izuku of any possible issues or things he may have missed. 

“Hero exams begin in twenty minutes.” Dioscuri got up from their chair to pass out a thick stack of papers to certain teachers. “Midnight, Present Mic, and Cementoss. You guys will be overlooking the physical portion of the exam in zones Alpha, Gamma, and Theta.” The aforementioned heroes nodded as they accepted the papers they were handed. “Aizawa; you’ll be overlooking testing site Omega in the Non-Combative Quirk test.” The sheet Izuku handed to the underground hero was thinner than the others. With less students, Aizawa apparently got off easier in the sense of paperwork. 

“All right everyone,” Izuku smiled and he felt Nedzu shivering in anticipation from his hiding place, “let’s go above and beyond, Plus Ultra.” 

The exams were an organized affair. Overseen by multiple pros as well as some hired help, it was rare that a student was removed for attempted cheating on the written exam. Despite all of this, Shinsou couldn’t help the feeling of being vastly unprepared. 

The questions were vague and often could have multiple answers but with only one true correct one. It made his head spin and he couldn’t help but grip his hair in concentration. He had to get in, it was his dream, he would get in. 

“Examinees,” shit the time limit, “please remain seated while the staff comes to retrieve your exams. Once your exam has been picked up please make your way to Auditorium E for further instructions.” The man holding the microphone droned. 

Shinsou fidgeted the entire time while waiting for his paper to be picked up. Once it was finally his turn to exit he bumped into a short green haired teen. Frazzled and utterly lost; he couldn’t stop the threads of his quirk creeping into his question. 

“Where is the auditorium?” 

“Hm? Ah–“ the teen’s eyes glazed over, as he was pulled into the effect of the brainwashing quirk. Before Shinsou could panic and release his hold he felt the weak tether snap not a moment later. “You can find Auditorium E if you make a left then go straight until you find the fourth door on your right.” 

The teen didn’t stay long after, leaving almost immediately after directing Shinsou. However once Shinsou thought to locate the boy and apologize, he was already long gone; seemingly vanished into thin air. 

Later he would realize there was no one else in the hallway with the two of them. There was no way for that boy to snap out of Shinsou’s brainwashing. But that is neither here nor there. 

He was too frazzled to notice that oddity as he hurried to the auditorium. Unaware of the two pairs of eyes following his rushed form. 

“How curious.” Izuku hummed. 

Quirk. Broken. Force. Nedzu tapped the words against Izuku’s skull. A practice the two were well-versed in what with Nedzu being unable to speak while they were Dioscuri and all. 

“True, if it’d not been for that who knows what would’ve occurred.” 

And though their interests were piqued, the two still had to return to the camera room to continue their joint observations. Dioscuri wasn’t even supposed to leave at all during the exam periods but they’d needed a break. Who’d have believed that a break would lead to them getting brainwashed. 

“Curious indeed.” Izuku hummed as the two returned to the monitoring station. 

Chapter Text

Cold steel beneath his paws and the thick scent of fear and blood in the air. The taste of death lodged in the back of his throat. Screams and howls of pain echoed around him. He couldn’t stay here, he couldn’t take anymore of this. 

Sharp knives digging into his skin, pulling him apart, dissecting him. 

Once escaped, he could only mourn the fact he would die not in captivity but once freed. What a cruel mistress fate was.

Especially with death appearing to be a small green human. All he remembers was biting it, yet nothing else. Sensations were dulled after years of poking and prodding. He didn’t want to experience the pain of the punishment that no doubt awaited him. 

At least he got to experience water falling. He’d only ever heard of it from word of mouth from the other experiments. To experience it himself, well that was the highlight of his sorry life. 

When he next awoke, it was to the sounds of soft taps and a voice speaking at an incomprehensible rate. It wasn’t like the clear cut voices of the scientists. No, this one was gentler, younger even. 

“Oh! You’re awake!” His eyes blearily focused on the mop of green hair that took over his vision. This boy was very green; it reminded him of grassy fields and knolls of emerald. A land that he’d never get to experience. But for now he was warm, a first in years too, and he could feel his eyes slowly slipping shut once more. The mutters of the boy above him soothing him into a dreamless slumber. 

When he awoke again, he was far more cognizant. Immediately on edge as he glanced around the room he was in. It wasn’t a metallic grey, something he was thankful for, instead it was bright somehow. It frustrated him to be unable to explain why it was bright. 

The boy that had found him was slumped over a desk with a variety of papers strewn about. Unable to quell the rising curiosity, he hesitantly clambered out of the warm space he’d been sleeping in moments prior. 

Blank pages- an empty canvas for his thoughts to be poured down onto. He didn’t hesitate, his paws clumsily grappling onto a nearby pen and without waiting a second more he began to expel all the thoughts and ideas loaded within his mind. 

High Specs was both a blessing and a curse. 

“No.” Izuku’s lips were pulled down in a grimace. “I’m not going to abandon you, we’ll figure something out together.” His hands wrapped tighter around the shivering form of the chimera. 

“They’ll just take me back, I’m just a danger!”

“You’re family now.” And Izuku left it at that. 

It was safe to say that after that, Nedzu slowly found his place in the mother and son pair. With his own penchant of chaos, the two went everywhere together. Nedzu had learned that Izuku’s hair was just barely long enough to hide his form, so he would often be found there if Inko had ever needed him. The two were good for each other. 

Nedzu’s quirk: High Specs along with Izuku’s in-depth analyses; well it would be a crime to deny these two a place in the world. Except it was impossible for a rat to go to school and for a quirkless teen to become a hero. 

Dioscuri was born out of the desire to be what they were denied. To become both a hero and a teacher; and it wasn’t long before the two began to claw their way up the ladder to the top. 

It was poetic in a way: the two had been denied entry to Yuuei: “intelligence quirks won’t get ya anywhere”, the headmaster at the time had sneered before slamming the door on Izuku and a hidden Nedzu. And it was merely five years later that he got to meet his new successor that had been hired. 

The same green haired boy that he had slammed his door on so long ago stared back at him. An almost cruel grin pulling at his lips. Intelligence quirk wouldn’t get me anywhere huh? his expression seemed to imply as he flaunted his new position in front of the few cameras allowed access to the changing of power. 

No one knew the origin story behind Dioscuri, but perhaps it would show itself to those who manage to get close to the secluded principal. 

Izuku tapped into the comm channel that Aizawa’s earpiece was set to. “Brainwashing quirk, looks like a mini you!” The principal chortled before cutting connection just as quickly as he had established it. It wouldn’t do to distract the proctors. 

“What do you think of this year’s students, All Might?” The gaunt man was seated beside the principal to search for possible students that might catch his eye. 

“Ah, I do believe they’re a lot more lively this year.” He tugged at his tie when the camera feed showed a pink-skinned teen splashing acid over the robots with nary a thought of her surroundings. 

“I’d just call them savage.” Aizawa walked into the room, startling All Might while Dioscuri remained unaffected. Nedzu had tapped out his observations to Izuku and at some point gave warning about Aizawa attempting to sneak up on them. Most of the information is filed away subconsciously while Izuku taps his own responses back out of habit. 

It’s a good thing no one has been able to figure out their coded speech after all. They might’ve been screwed long ago if it’d been that easy to decipher. 

“They do seem to have more energy this year,” Izuku said as the primary camera flipped to show a student smashing the robots with a sort of hardening quirk, “though I wouldn’t go so far as to call them savage!” The camera panned to a different student; this one had his mouth open as explosions from his palms destroyed the multiple robots that had targeted him.

“Ah, well I suppose it’s good that the next generation is getting stronger.” All Might coughed awkwardly into his fist  

“Maybe,” Aizawa grunted as he seated himself in an adjacent chair to the two. 

“No.” Izuku’s eyes were steely as he glared at the two teachers. “It’s not good that quirks are evolving; heroes aren’t the only people that use their quirks. Villains’ quirks evolve as well.” Gnarled fingers gripped tightly at the arm of his chair. “We have to prepare our students and prepare them for the inevitable.” 

Aizawa and Toshinori had nothing to say in response. It wasn’t often that the principal got serious, in fact the two had never seen the man like that. 

Aizawa knew he was intelligent– one had to be to be the headmaster at the most prestigious hero school in Japan– but it wasn’t often that Midoriya-san: The U.A. Principal, acted like his hero persona Dioscuri: The High Specs Hero. Despite being on staff with the man for the past few years, it was rare to see the principal outside of scheduled meetings or functions. 

Dioscuri was a busy man. 

And Aizawa had no choice but to accept him for that. When he had first been hired, he wasn’t very keen on working beneath such an eccentric man. It was only Hizashi’s harassment that kept him on staff. But it wasn’t long before Aizawa no longer thought about Dioscuri being the principal– for the principal was almost never around. 

“Villains will always be in our society,” Shouta saw Midoriya-san’s hands start to crack the wood of his chair, “be sure to push your classes. Plus Ultra and whatnot.” His eyes were hard as they flitted over multiple camera point of views; while the hand that wasn’t gripping the arm of the chair was flying over a notebook with speed that could overwhelm any lesser hero. 

“Of course sir.” Shouta inclined his head. He respected Midoriya-san for everything the man had to do. It was only after he expelled an entire class that he got to witness and experience the rage of Dioscuri. 

“We have a good batch this year.” Dioscuri grinned and Shouta swore he saw a gleam from within the man’s hair. 

Chapter Text

Grooming oneself was important. A rule that Nedzu lived by and he had even managed to get Izuku to understand the importance of looking ones best. While their anatomy was different, the way Nedzu groomed his fur was the exact way that he soon began to groom and care for Izuku’s hair. 

“If I’m gonna sit in your hair, I want it done the way that would be most comfortable!” Nedzu had proclaimed at the time, shifting Izuku’s viridian locks the whole while. 

Dioscuri was meticulous in their overall appearance, not for any sort of vanity. No, they did this to protect themselves from others. Few people knew the truth of Dioscuri: The High Specs Hero– they wanted to keep it that way. 

And with it being the first day of a new semester at Yuuei? Well, they had to look their best of course. 

Attending the orientation was optional for the teachers. Since the change in headmasters, the teachers were given even more freedom in how they chose to teach. Something Aizawa appreciated despite never saying so. 

Orientations were a waste of time in his opinion; why bother doing all that when he could be evaluating his students and all that. They would learn the rules and layout of the school on their own free time. Not on his. 

“Aizawa-san.” Dioscuri nodded to the scraggly man. 

“Dioscuri-sensei.” He bowed slightly in respect. “What is it that you need?” Shouta kept his head bowed slightly, this man deserved all of his respect for what he had accomplished as well as giving the underground hero what could be considered administrative power. Shouta would possibly even kill for this man if asked. 

“No need to be so formal,” his eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. “I merely wanted to join you for your evaluation.” 

“What about the orientation?” 

“Ah, we’ve decided to do things a bit different this year.” Dioscuri’s smile turned grim, “with the increase in villain activity as well as the soon change in power– it’s crucial that we prepare our students for what’s to come.” 

Shouta hadn’t noticed that they had been walking towards his classroom, he was too deep in thought over the way that the system would change. But Dioscuri was right, with the soon retirement of All Might, there’s no doubt that there would be a spike in villainous activity. 

“So? What’s this new system?” He slowed his steps, not wanting to enter the classroom yet. 

“Each course will have their own orientation as well as evaluation. So instead of one massive orientation, I will be doing four alongside evaluations to find out whether or not they slipped through the cracks.” Dioscuri stopped, the two were standing in front of 1-A’s door, “I’ll be waiting at the grounds.” 

A change in system- yet none of us were notified. What the hell is that idiot up to this time.

He opened the door and walked in on some sort of chaos ritual. One student was shouting at another while a third seemed to be egging them on. Whatever, he’d get through to them. 

“All of you, quiet down.” 

It took almost ten seconds for the room to be overtaken by an almost suffocating hush. That was what he wanted; Shouta was an unknown hero to the younger generation- something he used to his advantage in situations such as this. 

“It took you lot around eight seconds to fully quiet down. By the end of the year I want that to be instant.” He ran his gaze over the standing students, some were seated but most were caught unawares and uncertain. They didn’t want to be the first to move and ruin the moment. “I am the home room teacher for 1-A, Aizawa Shouta. Pleased to meet you.” He inclined his head before strolling up to the podium where a box lay concealed. “Now, change into these and meet me on the grounds. Quickly now.” 

Shouta didn’t wait before turning and leaving the room. Behind him he could hear the chaos as the students rifled for their assigned gym uniform in the box. 

He could have been nice and had them all placed on their assigned desks. But why do that when this was much more logical. It would help them communicate and speak to one another. 

He would turn that lot into the finest heroes around. 

If they met his expectations that is. 

“We’ll have to schedule a few meetings,” Izuku had his notebook out while he walked to the grounds that the used for evaluations, “and change up some of the schedules as well.”

Orientation. Students. 1-A–Eraser. 1-B–Blood. ETA 5 minutes.

Izuku didn’t pause his writing as his mind filtered through the shared code and relayed it into specific phrases. Once Nedzu had finished, he lets him know by laying his paw flat on Izuku’s head, Izuku nodded to himself and closed his notebook. Only to place it onto his belt and open an entirely new one. 

Since becoming principal, the two decided to keep a master file of every student and their quirks and growth each year at U.A., something they used to gain more funding due to having graphs and actual figures to show off to the Commission. It was a good move on his part, though a bit tedious to write the entire notebook in an amalgam of codes. 

It was important for the safety of their students though; which is why every uncoded notebook is immediately burned. A process that takes up a good portion of their time. 

Aizawa. Sekijiro. Student.

‘Time to get started.’

No longer were they Izuku and Nedzu. On the field they worked as one; Dioscuri. 

“Ah, Eraserhead-san, Vlad King-san.” He didn’t move from his position, if not for Nedzu Izuku probably wouldn’t have noticed the two heroes coming towards him. He did notice the students. 

Forty of them, all taking their time as they made their way to the field. Some were faster than others. 

None knew Dioscuri and the threat he could hold. 

“Who the fuck is that pipsqueak!” Bakugou Katsuki. Quirk: Explosion–blond medium build, aggressive, 1-A.

Nedzu tapped his observations and without reacting Izuku greeted the teen. 

“Bakugou Katsuki. Your quirk is Explosion, correct? You secrete a nitroglyceric compound in your sweat that you are then able to ignite into a mass of sparks. Placed first on the practical and seventh on the written exam.” Dioscuri didn’t turn around from their faced away position–choosing instead to focus on their notes as they spoke. 

Of course that silenced the horde of students as they just witnessed a short boy–they assumed he was younger than them due to his stature–completely pick apart a student without even turning to look at them. It left them in a state of shock. 

“Class,” that was Shouta’s exhausted voice, “please show respect. This is Dioscuri: The Principal of U.A. High school.” 

One could hear a pin drop. And Izuku took that as his cue to turn and face the forty students. 

“Thank you for having me.” He mock bowed, all the while his hands continued to write his and Nedzu’s combined observations. 

Chapter Text

“If you all would be so kind to line up!” The kid–man–that Katsuki had believed to be younger than him, smiled as he gestured to a white line. No doubt wanting the students to line up there. 

He was in shock though. Somehow that idiot had been able to tear him down without looking at him and not even in a physical altercation. Instead the man had spoken without hesitation and not once did he glance back towards the students. 

What the fuck was this school and why did Katsuki feel as though the principal was keeping a close eye on him now?

Maybe because you yelled at him. His brain supplied. 

“We will be doing a quirk apprehension test,” Aizawa-sensei began once all the students were lined up. “It’s important that we have a baseline for your quirks when you enter our school. All hero students are required to take one at the beginning of each year.”

The man wearing red continued where Aizawa-sensei had left off. “You will also be required to take mandatory counseling sessions with Hound Dog at minimum once a month. It is pertinent that you students take care of your mental well-being as well as your physical.”

“Well said you two!” The green haired man had turned to face them while the two teachers were speaking. Finally Bakugou was able to see the man’s face. 

He had to stamp down the urge to laugh. 

This person looked like he was far younger than any of the students here. With a thin frame and wide doe eyes, well, it’s no surprise that Katsuki wasn’t the only one with the desire to laugh. Katsuki had stifled his. 

The other person didn’t see the need to do the same. 

The peal of laughter washed over the now silent training field. 

It was like the world paused around them.

“Would you mind sharing with the class the source of your amusement, Monoma-san?” The principal’s grin seemed to have sharpened and his emerald eyes narrowed. 

The principal didn’t look as sweet and innocent as he did before. Now? Now, he looked dangerous and Katsuki was immediately glad that hadn’t laughed out loud. 

“Ahm! My apologies principal sir.” The boy–Monoma–stood ramrod straight, sweat beading down his brow. “I had merely remembered an old joke, I apologize again for my out of turn laughter.” 

The teen’s voice sounded rushed and reedy with fear and adrenaline saturating the words. No doubt now intimidated by the ominous looking man. 

“Why don’t we begin with you then, Monoma. After so kindly volunteering to go first!” Dioscuri’s grin sharpened as he stared down the student. 

Katsuki felt a tugging in his gut. One he hadn’t felt for years. 

Was that what fear felt like?

“Dude he was no joke!” The blond teen–Dunce Face–shivered as he thought over the apprehension test they had earlier. “I thought he was gonna kill that other guy for sure.” 

“Dioscuri-sensei wouldn’t do something so unmanly! He was probably just—“

Katsuki tuned out their useless blathering as he grabbed his lunch tray and plodded off to find an empty table. Except the idiots were still following after him like lost dogs. 

Great. On the first days he’s already attracted strays. 

“I swear Nene-tan I was about ready to slap that child.” Izuku was standing in their kitchen as he cooked for the two of them. 

“As entertaining as that would have been Izu, we are the principal of a school. A school where principals cannot slap the students.” Nedzu was seated on his shoulder, adding spices as Izuku fluttered from pan to pan. 

“Should be able to slap children.” Izuku sulked. Nonetheless he dropped the subject as he began to plate their dinner. 

The two ate in comfortable silence. There was no need to fill the gap with useless blather of topics both know about. They work together, hell, they are almost attached at the hip with how close the they are. Izuku wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Do you think Aizawa will expel any more students?”

Nedzu huffed on his bite of cheese–a delicacy that Izuku was proud to splurge their money on– “he can expel a few just not the entire class... again.” 

“You’re right,” Izuku chuckled before returning to his dinner. 

Alone they were just Izuku and Nedzu. A boy and an animal slighted and forgotten by society. 

Shouta was tired. He was always more exhausted during the first month of school. With all the paperwork and behind the scenes staff meetings as well as submitting reports–he wanted to set his desk on fire at this point. 

Though Midoriya-sensei wouldn’t say anything, he knew that the principal would just have a new desk with an even bigger stack of paperwork for him to return to. 

It took Shouta a couple years to feel out his boundaries and how far he could push them and how long it would take before the principal pushed back. And surprisingly enough he was allowed a great deal of leeway. He didn’t know if it was because of his position as an underground hero or if the principal really wanted him on his staff. 

It was neither of those. 

“Aizawa Shouta.” Dioscuri’s voice was cold and his gnarled hands were steepled before him. “Take a seat.”

Midoriya-sensei lacked his trademark smile. The one that seemed permanently pasted to his face–until today. Today his face was overcome with a deep set grimace as he stared down the underground hero.

Aizawa sat. This was the first time he had ever felt cowed in the principal’s presence. Beforehand he hadn’t particularly respect the younger kid–man–but now that he was at Midoriya’s mercy? Well he had enough fear to last him for a lifetime. 

“It has come to my attention that you expelled twenty students from U.A., why is that?”

“Well, Midoriya-san, this isn’t the first time I’ve expelled students. I’m confused to why this is a problem now.”

“An entire class Aizawa-san. Eighteen students who got in through passing the physical, mental, and emotional stress that was the exam.” He slammed a file down onto his desk, “two students who scored the highest in the recommendation exams.” Another file was slammed down onto the desk. “Now why, pray tell, did you expel twenty of our students without asking permission first?”

“I’ve expel–“

“Twenty. Students. Half of our Hero Course.” His hands snapped a pen. Without looking he fished out another and continued to fiddle with it, as though there weren’t globs of ink splattered over his person. 

“I am not sure what I should do then, sir.” Aizawa had grit his teeth. He was being made a fool of by someone younger than him. 

He would have to be an idiot to try to combat Midoriya-sensei’s ruling. 

And this job paid too well to ruin that. 

“Aizawa Shouta–I, Midoriya Izuku, AKA Dioscuri: The High Specs Hero–hereby revoke your teaching license for two years. You will go to each student you ‘expelled’ and apologize to them personally as well as let them know that it is null.” A stamp came down on the first file. “Your paycheck will be docked by 50% with 10% of that going to the families of the falsely expelled students.” The second stamp sealed Shouta’s fate as it hit the second file. 

Dioscuri finally looked up from the papers. “You will spend those two years as my assistant. Understand?” 

“Yes sir.” Aizawa had been backed into a corner. He had no choice in this matter–the other choice being his release from the staff. 

He wanted to test his boundaries. He just shoved so far past them that he poked the sleeping bear. He wasn’t expecting it to poke back. 

Despite the circumstances that led to him being Dioscuri’s assistant. Aizawa had learned more underneath the man than he had at a teaching course. Sure, Dioscuri was eccentric, but his mind could and has killed. 

“Good Morning class.” Aizawa Shouta learned his lesson. “As you may have learned yesterday; I am the homeroom teacher for the Heroics Class 1-A. Since it is still the first week, we will be having multiple tests to gauge your level on the coursework. Due to that, today’s homeroom will only consist of introductions. Once finished you will have the rest of the time to yourselves before the next class begins.” 

Twenty pairs of eyes stared back at him. Twenty pairs that would hopefully be there to graduate. 

He had to do better. 

He wouldn’t fail this time.

“I swear if it will get me out of these tests I will go and shove a fork in that plug over there.” Kaminari whined from his desk. 

His sentiments were shared by most of the class. Every class so far they’ve had to take a multitude of tests. Some did well while others bombed them. 

When Cementoss plodded in with a stack of papers in his hand, Kaminari stuck to his promise and found a fork and promptly shoved it into the plug in the wall. 

If anything that just prolonged their testing. 

Sekijiro was not as harsh on his students as Eraserhead was. Maybe that made them lesser but he felt as though they benefitted more from a gentler hand. 

“Monoma Neito.” However he had to set down some ground rules after yesterday’s showing. “You will be writing an apology to Dioscuri-sensei as well as meeting with Hound Dog in the counseling office twice a month.” He laid the forms on the student’s desk. 

Monoma scowled but didn’t say anything as he began to leaf through the papers. His scowl deepening the entire time. 

Kan continued his lecture when he returned to the podium. “It is an important lesson for you all to learn. Though you’ve not been dealt the punishment that your classmate Monoma-san has. I know many of you thought similarly.” He leveled a disappointed stare across the class, “Not every hero will look the way you believe then to or how the media will portray them.” 

The hero course students were still collectively reeling in shock at the idea of that short man being the head of the most powerful hero school in Japan. 

Hitoshi nearly vomited from nerves. He had failed the hero exam but had qualified for the general education course. 

With the schedule changes, he was a bundle of nerves. And he about passed out when he walked onto the training field with the rest of his class and saw the person he had brainwashed on the day of exams. 

“Hello General Course Students!” the man spread his arms in a welcoming gesture, “Welcome to U.A., as you may or may not know; I am the Pro Hero Dioscuri, here though you may refer to me as that or as Midoriya-sensei. Whichever you are most comfortable with!” His eyes seemed to linger on Hitoshi for a heartbeat longer than the other students. 

Hitoshi near shit himself when the man continued. 

“I am the principal of this school and I just wish to congratulate all of you on making it in–“

The rest of his speech was tuned out. 

Holy fuck. He had brainwashed the principal of the school. 

Chapter Text

Shinsou had brainwashed the principal of the school. Ohgodhewasgoingtohurl. 

“Shinsou-san,” the principal turned to him once he finished his orientational speech and had focused his attention on the pale teen, “why are you here? This is the wrong class.”

“I-it’s the class on my schedule S-Sensei.” He was a shaking stuttering mess. He was going to be expelled. Oh fuck

“I see. Well, why don’t you come to my office with me after we finish up here.” It was more a statement than it was a question. 

Shinsou could only nod his head. He was utterly fucked. 

He did awfully on the physicals and couldn’t even use his quirk to get a better score. He was useless, the principal was going to expel him. Fuckfuckfuckfuck–

“Shinsou-san?”

He jolted in place. Standing in front of him was Midoriya-sensei–holy fuck he’s short–and the man was gesturing for Shinsou to follow him. 

The walk to the principal’s office was tense. His steps were jerky and he was trying to keep the tears at bay. It didn’t help that the man beside him had a cheery disposition, as though he were happy to crush Shinsou’s dreams. 

“Here we are.” Midoriya-sensei pushed open the door with ease and let Shinsou squeeze past him. 

The office was pristine. A massive desk with what looked to be at least ten different monitors and two keyboards, a few leather loveseats and even a sofa, as well as what looks to be a beanbag pushed towards a shelf of books. Aside from the furniture decorating the room, it seemed oddly impersonal. As though Midoriya-sensei didn’t have anything to show or put on display. 

It felt almost wrong. But Shinsou wasn’t here to contemplate the fung shway of the room. 

With a stiff gait he seated himself. 

“My apologize Shinsou-san,” here it comes, “I had placed you in the incorrect class! You’re supposed to be in 1-A,” aaand... what?

“What?” 

“The heroics course? That is the course you wanted to be in yes?” Midoriya-sensei tapped his finger to his chin in contemplation. “Maybe I’m remembering wrong,” he hummed to himself. 

“W-wait! You were right!” Shinsou stuttered. He was honestly in shock. 

“Right then! Let me guide you to your class and give you your new schedule on the way.” Midoriya smiled and rocked on the balls of his feet. At some point he had stood back up and was carrying an armful of thin files. 

Shinsou had no idea what in the fresh hell he was experiencing but he didn’t dare get his hopes up. Maybe this was all some sort of sick prank. 

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.

.

It’s not, holy fuck he was actually guided to the class and Midoriya-sensei is entering so he has to follow. Oh fuck oh shit. 

—

“Aizawa-san!” Izuku practically skipped to the podium where the 1-A homeroom teacher was on the floor. “Got a fresh one here!” He gestured to the quivering boy behind him. 

Maybe it was cruel to put the teen through all of this but Izuku and Nedzu were still a bit upset at being brainwashed. Better to make the teen fear them with their joint chaos. 

“Dioscuri-sama.” The man shifted and inclined his head. 

“Too formal!” Izuku threw one of his notebooks at the teacher and cackled when the man didn’t bother moving out of the way. 

“Did you just come in here to abuse me with notebooks again, Midoriya-sensei?” 

“No, no, I’ve got a student.”

“My class is full.”

Izuku paused at that before he squinted around the room. All of the students were paying attention to the conversation between the two teachers. Good. 

“Expel whichever one you dislike the most!” Izuku grinned. “I will take care of the paperwork for it this time.”

Shouta didn’t waste any time. The man got up almost immediately and pointed to a short student. “Him, get rid of that one.” Aizawa’s voice took a whiny overtone, “I don’t like him.”

Izuku nodded consolingly, “It’s okay,” he cooed. “Anything for my favorite student.” 

“Shinsou!” 

The lilac haired teen jolted to attention. 

“Welcome to class 1-A.” Dioscuri and Eraserhead had matching grins. 

He was so fucked. 

“On today’s news; we report that there has been a change of Headmaster’s at U.A. High. The newest headmaster limited the number of cameras and new stations that could show up to his inauguration.” The news cut to a lanky man. 

“It’s posturing,” he sniffed imperiously, “clearly they believe themselves to be above us common folk.” 

“There are some speculations that the newest headmaster is barely older than the students he has vowed to teach!” A larger news anchor slammed a meaty fist onto the table. “I for one would never send my child to a school that employs anyone below the ages of thirty.” He sneered. 

“Change isn’t what we, the masses, want–“

Izuku flipped off the tv. “Stupid old farts,” he huffed. 

Nedzu choked back a laugh from his position on their couches. He had been in the middle of sipping one of his own made tea blends when Izuku had interjected. Nedzu didn’t want to waste this tea by accidentally spitting it out. 

“People are so uppity. Especially that last guy, he looks like he smells like gross things.”

“We’ll prove them wrong soon enough.” Nedzu shifted to pat Izuku’s calf. The teen was in the middle of pull-up sets so the only location that Nedzu could reach were his calves. Curse being small. 

“Still, doesn’t give them the right to absolutely dance on our ideas!” 

It had been a week since their official inauguration into U.A., and as expected, it was going about as smoothly as they had thought it would. Which is to say, not at all. 

The commission had pulled out every stop they could to prevent Dioscuri; their largest hero dissenter, from gaining any sort of power. They could only do so much, especially with the current political climate. 

Dioscuri had made it into a position of power and the commission  has already begun to fear what is to come. 

“Any patrols?” Izuku had asked after he returned from his shower. 

“None scheduled today.” 

Their system was a well oiled machine. With Izuku being what the public assumes to be Dioscuri–while Nedzu organized their outings and show offs from the background. They were two halves of a whole that could easily burn down an entire city if they so pleased. 

“The media have gotten bold.” Nedzu sneered from his position on Izuku’s shoulder. 

It was around 5 a.m. and there were already the beginnings of a media huddle forming at the gates of the school. Luckily the windows for the principal‘s office were one way; so they could see out without people seeing in. Which meant that Nedzu didn’t have to claim his position hiding beneath Izuku’s hair for awhile longer. 

“I don’t like the scenarios of this.” He ground his teeth in displeasure as his quirk analyzed all possible outcomes. 

Each one made the fur on his spine stand up straighter. 

“We’ll watch and wait for now.” Izuku’s left hand continued its task of consolidating notes while his right lifted to smooth Nedzu’s coat down soothingly. “You know what stress does to your fur, Nene-tan.”

The rest of their morning was spent watching the media herd slowly grow larger; all while coding and recoding old and new notes. The only difference this morning compared to others was the uncomfortable prickle of dread that ran through Nedzu’s body. 

“Costume?”

They had to be prepared for the possible worst. 

“Costume.” Nedzu agreed. 

The most important thing about the Dioscuri Joint Costume Zeta was the ability for Nedzu–under specific circumstances–would be able to control Izuku’s movements. A function that had saved both of their lives. 

Izuku flexed his gnarled hand at the memory. 

Nedzu’s instincts were what kept the two alive and on the field. For that, Izuku was more than happy to shed his principal attire for their hero gear. 

The air held a hint of death to it. They could only hope that it wasn’t related to their students. 

Chapter Text

The media was the first sign that something wasn’t right. The second? 

The crumbled wall of the U.A. Barrier. Meaning: someone used their quirk and the damned media vultures, instead of reporting it, utilized the now open path to the school. 

Izuku and Nedzu were no longer acting as the principal. No, they were acting as the hero they trained to be. 

“Nedzu.” Izuku’s voice was serious as he began to insert thin needles into his arms. “Something about this isn’t right. I want you to check the sewers.” 

Nedzu didn’t respond as he untangled himself from Izuku. 

It was only when Izuku heard a door close that he knew that Nedzu had heeded the order. 

He took a breath before leaving their office. He had to take the spotlight while Nedzu sifted the shadows for the answers. 

—

Aizawa felt the pager on his belt vibrate in a familiar pattern. One that only Dioscuri used when he needed someone else in case of possible disaster. 

Not a minute after the pager had alerted him, the school alarms went off. A level 3 break in. 

On the first week of classes they have already had a break in. 

Shouta didn’t bother to lock his classroom door. He had no worthwhile information and if anything were to happen, he currently had useless papers that didn’t note anything about the classes that one couldn’t find online. Everything else? 

Wrapped up in thick layers of code that even he couldn’t fully decipher. 

“Dioscuri-san,” he huffed as he stopped next to the shorter man. 

Dioscuri was pissed. His lips were drawn in a thin line and his eyes were narrowed as he stared down the horde of news people stampeding towards them. 

He didn’t so much as flinch as they barely managed to stop themselves right in front of his person. 

Aizawa couldn’t reel in his own instinctive flinch, and mentally berated himself for it after. 

“You are all trespassing on private grounds.” Dioscuri practically snarled from behind his mouthguard. He rarely had it donned but when he had it, it was like his voice carried a hazy quality. Almost modulated but not quite. 

“We deserve answers!” It was her, “you have refused all of our questions!” the same woman who set off the barrier in the first place and possibly caused his whole mess. 

He wanted to punch her. 

Dioscuri had no such issues doing that. He walked up to the woman until they were nose to nose and reeled back his fist and slammed it directly into her face. The only sound was that of the woman’s nose snapping and crackling beneath the force of the shorter man’s fist. 

Shouta hid his smirk beneath his capture weapon. At times like this he loved working beneath the possibly insane principal. 

“You have trespassed on private grounds, photographed unwilling parties, heckled and harassed my students, and endangered all of U.A.”

Aizawa was there mainly for support, but he couldn’t deny that he enjoyed watching his principal rip into the horde before them. 

Fuck...

He’s hot. 

—

Izuku scrubbed his face tiredly. His head was pounding and his throat raw, but he doesn’t regret it. 

“Ne, how are things on your end?” 

He had to wait a few moments for a response before his comm crackled to life. 

“A lot of seedy deals and muscle being hired. Crime rate has gone down in the surrounding prefectures but increased near Kamino. Everyone and anyone who looks bad or rough has been propositioned.” The line went dead for a few seconds before Nedzu tuned back in, “I don’t like what my quirk is theorizing.” 

He hummed, “Come back, we need to speak with the staff.” 

“Got it.” 

Izuku leaned back in his chair as he settled down to wait for Nedzu’s return. 

He could begin the meeting without the chimera, but it was comforting to have the weight of his closest friend settled on his nape. As well as the instant theories and ideas that Nedzu’s quirk thought up for them. 

Izuku didn’t like this. 

Maybe Thirteen would be getting a visit from his first years earlier than they’d thought. 

Chapter Text

Shinsou isn’t sure how they got to this point. Just two weeks ago he had been shoved into this class of freaks by a monster masquerading as a principal, and now his teacher was on the floor, bloody, with only himself between Eraserhead and his deathbed. 

Great. 

Probably too late to drop out now. 

“Fuck...” he murmured before inhaling deeply. 

“U.A. Classroom meeting number 18 for year one hero students enrolled in course A. Personnel involved in this meeting are as follows: Hirooki Anakuro; Thirteen, CLASSIFIED ,  Kan Sekijiro; Vlad King, and Aizawa Shouta; Eraserhead. 

In response to the most recent break in at U.A. High School through Gate sector 16 B, I, Dioscuri, have authorized an overhaul of the entire campus security. 

Due to such measures being taken, Eraserhead will be working in tandem with pro heroes: Thirteen and Classifiedin moving class 1-A from the premises while U.A. undergoes overhauls in systems. 

Class one hero course B will be led by Kan Sekujirou; Vlad King alongside Snipe and Midnight in Training Field Gamma.” 

Izuku paused his recollection when Aizawa raised his hand slightly. The other man started to speak once Izuku motioned for him to do so.

“Dioscuri-sama, will there be no other protections?” Aizawa was aware this was being recorded and saved for later dates. “Surely myself, Thirteen, and Classified will not be enough if things were to go awry?” 

“The Commission,” the sound of paper being shuffled as Dioscuri leafed through forms, “has told me that there is no need for extra precautions. Due to us having the number one hero on staff, we are not qualified for the extra protection. Thoug–“

The tape cut off with a stutter. 

Midoriya Izuku glared at the four people across him. 

One fidgeted and looked away, another played with their hands, the third looked everywhere but at him, and the fourth? She didn’t so much as tear her gaze from his own. 

“As you can see, president,” he spat the word, “it is clearly the fault of your negligence in securing the locations.” 

Midoriya could almost hear Nedzu’s enraged screeches. Sadly the chimera was not available to come along to witness and provide  live feedback. He could only listen through a remote microphone that Midoriya kept on his person. 

“So, I want to know what you have to offer me to keep these from being leaked to every available news source.” 

“Is that a threat?” The woman’s gaze was sharp and if it were possible, would have cut the short male. 

He snorted and steepled his fingers, “No, I would never do such a thing. But, it would catch eyes if U.A. suddenly cut all contact with the Commission. Wouldn’t it?” 

The woman seemed to snarl at him from across the table. 

Midoriya Izuku was livid and he would get revenge on all those that caused this. Starting with the people he could reach first. 

It was only a matter of time before he would bring the wrath of the people down on the HPSC. 

Dioscuri may be missing the second half, but he didn’t need to be whole to do what he had planned. 

Shinsou woke up in a low lit room. His mouth was fuzzy from an unknown amount of sleep and his mind was sluggish and slow. It was nearly seven minutes after his awakening that he saw the figure in his room. 

Heavily built yet short, the person’s lips were downturned in a scowl. 

“Shinsou-san–“

The lilac haired teen jerked as he recognized the voice. He hadn’t noticed beforehand since he’d never seen the principal in his civilian clothes. It was surprising to his foggy mind. 

“I apologize on behalf of all of U.A. for what you have been forced through.” Dioscuri prostrates himself into a deep kowtow. 

“W-wait sensei–“

“If you feel the need to, I will allow you to move to a different course. I understand if what has happened was too much. You will not be judged for whatever choice you make.” 

“Sensei please stand up,” Shinsou covered his face in embarrassment, he hated seeing the man kowtow this low over something he clearly couldn’t control. 

Dioscuri looked up and Shinsou startled at the bloodshot eyes of the enigmatic man. 

It wasn’t often when a mission called for Dioscuri to split. With Izuku taking care of the event with a more public approach, Nedzu’s job was to take them out from the shadows. 

Only connected through a few pieces of equipment they were, the two still managed to work in near perfect tandem. 

Nedzu shook his head with a huff before shrugging off his suit. For this job he had to look the part of a simple sewer rat, no matter how degrading it may or may not be. 

At least he had company in the form of the actual rats that inhabited the sewer system. They were his own little following if you will. 

The trickle of information that came through them was paramount to nearly all of their operations. So important in fact that many of these rats have a home on U.A.’s campus. It was beneficial to all parties involved. 

Dioscuri received information while the rodents were housed and fed comfortably. 

Nedzu padded forward, baring his teeth in a smile before he dropped to all fours and loped off in a lazy run. 

He had a job to take care of. 

Chapter Text

Thick tension blanketed the room. It was almost stifling, and any who experienced it immediately left.

Midoriya was seated in one of the many meeting rooms at the commissions HQ. It was a ploy to make the man nervous and more prone to mistakes that could be caught on camera then later used as incentive. Except their plans were derailed the instant Midoriya Izuku walked through their doors.

Smartly dressed, he had forgone his usual hero getup. Those leading the meeting had planned on grilling him over that. Or they would have if Midoriya hadn’t ruined that whole plan with a simple wardrobe change.

“You know,”Midoriya’s voice was smoother than silk as he looked across the table at the president. “I rarely get to dress this nice, I just couldn’t bring myself to come in my ratty hero suit.”

As he spoke his smile got wider and wider, and with sinking realization, Mera knew that they had invited a predator worse than themselves into their own den.

“Of course,” he grit past a fake smile.

The meeting hadn’t even started and already Dioscuri was running circles around those present. Though the man may not be a major spotlight hero, he still has a license and even with no physical quirk, his body holds signs of countless victories.

The commission focuses on heroes that have physical flashy quirks. Heroes with analysis quirks are no match for them.

Until they poked the wasps nest that is Dioscuri.

With an agency that employs almost entirely hidden quirks, the man has a large following. Quirks that were shunned or told to be useless in heroics all found a place in Dioscuri’s own agency.

They wanted to play with fire, but they didn’t expect the fire to play back.

“Ah! President-sama,” Dioscuri’s smile was falsely sweet, “it’s a pleasure to see you once again.”

The commission’s president, Sayaka Kinoshita, grimaced at the sight of the shorter male. Instead of bowing in greeting and offering Dioscuri the same amount of respect, she merely inclined her head.

Mera groaned silently and bemoaned the fact that he had to be here as a witness for this meeting. He was too overworked and underpaid for these mind games. Yet he was required to be here, alongside a slew of others from varying departments.

Except only two were doing the talking while the others were forced to sit and watch it all play out.

“You’re bold coming here and claiming such things.”

The meeting had started off on a sour note. Courtesy of Dioscuri slamming a thick manilla folder on the table. The smile that stretched across his lips was sharp and promised revenge.

“I suppose it’s beneficial that I have evidence with me then, isn’t it president?”

The woman had been caught in a web, it was well known to anyone that has worked or will work with Dioscuri is that he always wears a bodycam on his person. The data being uploaded to a computer located in UA live.

This was only learned when multiple heroes lost their careers after crossing the analysis hero.

“You see President, we’re at an impasse.” He folded his hands under his chin, “I want the best for my students and after what happened, I place the blame on your shoulders.”

A man grit his teeth and moved to stand, opening his mouth as though to reprimand. Only for him to be shoved down by another seated beside him.

Dioscuri didn’t care, they weren’t important parts of the game. He was focusing on the prized piece that controls the other half of the board.

“From today forth, I will pull all my resources and agents out of all commission run missions and orders. No longer will you be allowed to snoop around in my school.”

Shouts broke out around the room as every worker present began to voice their arguments. The loudest was the President herself.

“You will do no such thing! We will cut all funding and remove your school from the face of the earth!” Her face was red and spittle flew from her mouth.

“You’ll be shocked to know that I’ve already done so.”

Midoriya Izuku’s smile was predatorial and sharp. He would play the long and difficult game of detaching himself from the corruption that spread throughout the commission.

“Your turn Ne-tan.”

Chapter Text

The break was extended from three days to a week after no one heard from the principal. Yamada was internally panicking when Dioscuri sent out the lengthened time, stating that he was out on business. 

But it gave the students an extra four days to rest and comprehend what the hell had just happened. 

“Yamada-san,” the door to the staff room was loud for a reason, yet the voice hero was still caught off guard and screamed directly into the face of his boss. “Apologies,” the man swept his mussed hair back into place before continuing, “pass this along: Eraserhead, Cementoss, Hound Dog, Vlad King, Midnight, Powerloader, All Might, and Present Mic.” As each name was listed Dioscuri handed over a thin file with the names of the aforementioned heroes. 

“S-sir?” 

“Yes?” Dioscuri paused on his way out of the room. 

“Y-you have a rat on you?” 

“Oh.” The man was calm as he scooped the small rodent into his hand. “This is just Nedzu. He’s always with me.” And left. Leaving a confused and concerned Yamada behind. 

“What the fuck.” Was his only response. 

—

“It’s rare of you to send Agent. What have you found?” Izuku only spoke to the rodent once he had locked down the entire office. 

“This information is important. However, what occurred with the meeting with the Commission?” 

Izuku placed the rat on his desk and watched as its body seemed to expand and contort before opening with a schlik and showing a small screen. Nedzu’s fur was dirty, and his ears were slightly downturned in exhaustion. 

“We’ve lost support from them.” Izuku told his counterpart grimly. 

Nedzu ran a paw over his face. “I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later. Though I’m uncertain which would have been better in this scenario.” 

They’d been apart for nearly a week now, both gathering any and all information possible while still remaining hidden. The benefit of their shared agency was that it employed a large quantity of intelligence quirks and animal mutation quirks. Heavily rodent based mutation quirks. 

“How long are you planning to remain in Web?”

“At least two more weeks. With the sheer quantity of newer rats and mice that have been born, I need to take time to train them. My older ones are beginning to falter.” Nedzu’s whiskers twitched, and he grimaced. “Does your situation require me to return?” 

“No,” Izuku shook his head and angled Agent to show his computer screen. “Though I’ve lost support of the commission, I have the support of the seedier cities and their individuals. At this time I have a few prefectures and their organizations willing to work for us.” 

Nedzu hummed. “More progress than I’m getting with the Web. The news I’ve been receiving has worried me more than I’d like to admit.” 

“Is it related to the break-in at the USJ?” Izuku leaned closer, a pen seemingly materializing in his hand. 

“I think it’s bigger than that.” Nedzu shuffled a bit, no doubt getting comfortable before the long report. 

—

“Have you seen Midoriya-san today?” Aizawa pushed his way into the break room, an empty mug cradled in his hands.

“Uh, last I saw him it was near the support studies.” Powerloader looked up from the report he had been reading and gestured further into the room where Yamada was staring at a pile of papers. “I guess he stopped by here after to have Yamada-san give some of us the reports for USJ. I think I saw a file with your name on it in there.”

Aizawa nodded his thanks and moved towards Yamada. The other was staring down at his own file with a frown pulling at his lips.

“Hizashi.” He called as he moved closer. Almost immediately his friend’s face lightened up into a wide grin. Without a second glance, Hizashi shut the file and stood up.

“Shouta! I was thinking I would have to go drag you out of your classroom to give this.” Hizashi huffed as he handed over the thin file. “Midoriya-san came in earlier this morning and gave them to me. Except he had a rat on him.” His face pulled into a grimace, “but when I mentioned it, he just picked it up and continued on as though it were normal!”

Shouta huffed at his friend’s antics as he brushed past him. “You should know that Midoriya-sensei has always been weird. I’ve seen him talking to himself on more than one occasion.”

“That’s practically normal for Midoriya-san at this point!” Hizashi rolled his eyes. “This was weird, even for him, come on, Shou! It was a rat! What kind of person keeps a rat on them while working?”

“One of my students.”

His snarky response got a blank look from Hizashi. “Your student,” he started slowly, “isn’t the principal of a major school in the country.”

“Dioscuri is just weird.” Kan shoved past Yamada and grabbed a cooling mug of tea, “A rat is hardly the weirdest animal he could have on him. Maybe its his pet that followed him home or something.” He shrugged and took a sip.

Yamada opened his mouth but before he could continue with his argument, the door slammed open and Midoriya stumbled in. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, cradled in his hands was a small black device. He paid no heed to the others in the room as he stumbled towards All Might’s computer and shoved the device into the system.

“Where is All Might.” Midoriya asked in a deceptively calm voice.

“We haven’t seen him yet. Do you need one of us to go find him?” Aizawa stepped forward when it seemed like no one else was going to answer.

“Send him to my office.” Midoriya snatched the small device and stomped out, his fists clenched so tightly that Aizawa could see them beginning to whiten.

Only after the sounds of footsteps faded did anyone deign to speak.

 “Wonder what that was about.” Hizashi murmured. Aizawa could only agree mentally. Whatever it was that he must’ve found on the computer was enough to drive rational and calm Midoriya into a fury.

“I have to go hunt down the blond idiot.” Aizawa sighed. With a wave to those still in the lounge he squeezed out the door and began to meander the halls in search for All Might. Hopefully he’d be able to find the man, lest Dioscuri’s wrath be pushed onto him.

--

Izuku scowled down at the small device in his hands. Found by one of his own sidekicks at the entrance of his own agency, it was a clear taunt. After calling around he discovered that a similar one had been sent to both All Might and Sir Nighteye’s agencies.

A small drive that contained the names of all his students, alongside their appearances and some even had their quirks outlined in a mediocre fashion. But this information wasn’t from his own, nor any of his employees’ computers. With heavy security measures keeping any sort of information leaks, such an event should have never had occurred. It could have been prevented, if All Might had listened to his warnings and use the school provided computer system.

Izuku grit his teeth and before he could stop himself, he slammed his fist into a nearby wall. At that same moment the door to his office opened and Aizawa and All Might stood in the doorway, staring in shock at the scene before them.

Izuku said nothing as he pulled his fist from the wall and gestured the two to sit down. When only Aizawa moved forward, Izuku stared down All Might, and with a sneer he spoke; “Take a seat.” He growled. And that was enough to make the symbol of Peace scurry forwards.

“Now then,” Izuku began, “Mind telling me why your personal computer has all the records of my students on it?”

Chapter Text

As a relatively unknown and unimportant hero, Aizawa was unsure of why it was that he was called into this meeting between the two. Though Midoriya-san was a relatively obscure hero as well, he had his own agency, thus placing him above most other underground heroes who worked on call with other agencies. This was all to say that Shouta had no reason to be here. With little jurisdiction or say amongst certain territories, it was odd for him to have been called here as well.

Midoriya-san was tense, tenser than usual at least as the other man was a well of nervous energy. His hands were often fidgeting with something, be it the numerous scars adorning his fingers, or even the small rodents he has begun to keep within his office. At this moment though, he was scarily still.

“Now then,” This was not Midoriya-san speaking. This was the pro hero Dioscuri speaking, and he was pissed. “Mind telling me why your personal computer has all the records of hero course 1A students and their entire histories and information?”

At that moment it was clear why he was called into this tense meeting. The world narrowed down until the only sound he could hear was his heart beating within his body. The silence was suffocating, though it lasted only a few moments before his head snapped towards Yagi. He had been one of the victims of the USJ information and had come out with the most injuries. Going so far as having to limit his own quirk due to the damage done on his head. And all this to find out that it was the number one hero’s fault that that entire ordeal had happened? Aizawa, upon hearing no denial from Yagi, stood in an instant.

“You’re the reason my students nearly died?” His voice was barely above a whisper, though it echoed throughout the room with ease.

It was deathly silent. The only noise being a thin squeaking from a small cage located further in the office. Though it was ignored in favor of the issue that Aizawa had just learned.

“Aizawa-shounen, it was important for me to have that information. You see—“

Before he could continue his excuse, he was cut off by Aizawa who slammed a fist onto the desk.

His voice was quiet, it was clear that Yagi was forced to strain to hear him. “You nearly killed me and my students for your own bullshit reasons?” Aizawa could remember the fear on his students faces as they were forced to deal with something that they were not ready to deal with. The injuries were minor for some, but he remembered watching others receive injuries that he himself could not stop. All because of All Might. He saw red. “You weren’t even there to suffer the consequences of it all. Instead, it was me having to clean up the mess you caused, after the villains came searching for you.”

“Now now, let’s keep it civil. We’re all heroes.” Midoriya-san interrupted before he could get up strangle All Might.

He could only grit his teeth and settle back into the plush chair.

“Yagi-san, would you like to share why you had all the information instead of requesting to see it from myself or any of the staff? We’d all be willing to share it, you only need ask.”

“I needed to be able to see it at times the school was closed.”

It was a weak excuse. One so fragile that Shouta saw through it with ease. Which is to say that Midoriya-sensei was not and would not buy the petty excuse.

“You see Yagi-san, you may be the number one hero; The Symbol of Peace himself, but I do not need you. You, however need me and it’s in this case that I believe you’ve made a mistake.”

In the far corner of the room, unaware to the two men, a small rodent ceased running on its wheel and turned its red gaze to the three men seated. Black pupils watching. Waiting. Listening.

“I’ve no choice but to fire you.” He delirvered the final blow. The statement that Aizawa was ecstatic to hear.

It wouldn’t be All Might if the man didn’t attempt to fight the decision however.

“But sir, you made a deal with me—“

“A deal that is null the moment you caused bodily harm to my students and endangered my staff.” Midoriya-sensei leaned back, pulling out a thin tablet.

“Unless you’ve something to offer me, I’ve no reason to reinstate you here. You need UA more than UA needs you.” And with that final statement the office door opened and the man focused on the slim tablet in his hands. Uncaring of Yagi’s attempt at getting his attention or his pleas.

Eventually Yagi left. Aizawa however, remained seated. He wanted answers. Answers that only the man in front of him could offer.

—

Nedzu’s fur was dirty. Grimy and coated with who knows what, and he hated it. It reminded him too much of his time back at the lab. He’d have to push through it however, Izuku was relying on him and his own network to bring forth information on whomever caused the break-in.

“There’s a safe nesting spot further along, you’ll find others like yourself in need. I ask for nothing other than information.” He watched as the ragged rat thanked him and scuttled off in the direction he had motioned towards. Pups carried precariously in her teeth.

His network was vast, though it relied heavily on hearsay and secondhand accounts. Accounts that Izuku would look into on the human side.

Many people didn’t notice the thousands of eyes that watched their every move. The rodents that claimed home to alleyways and abandoned buildings where victims were cornered and abused.

Felines and canines that wandered the streets, witnessing crimes committed in the twilight. Their keen eyes and noses remembering the minute details that passerbys forget.

The pigeons and crows and songbirds that nested within trees and bushes within the crowed cities. Their songs holding notes and songs as they pass along news between one another until it reaches the ears of Nedzu.

Nedzu heard everything that occurred around the cities within their prefecture. The method was far from perfect, but it was not meant to be so. All that mattered was he had ways to gather obscure information on obscure and unknown cases.

Kidnappings that occurred. Hidden from humans but seen by the murder of crows nesting outside their compound.

Murders that happened. Witnessed by the dogs that scrounged for scraps and the cats that sat upon the rooftops above.

Rape and sexual crimes that transpired. Heard and remembered by the rodents that hid within the walls and rubble surrounding them.

Nedzu heard of all of it.

Izuku heard of all of it.

It was a game of telephone. The crows told the pigeons who told the dogs who told the cats who told the rats who told… Nedzu who then told Midoriya Izuku. The face of their hero persona.

These webs took years to cultivate. But with it, came knowledge.

“We saw some misty thing. No scent to it whatsoever.” A thin ragged mutt was gnawing on a bone Nedzu had requested to be brought, he paid his informants well. “One moment there. The next? Gone. All scents with it gone too.”

“I see.” He tapped a claw to his chin. Deep in thought. “Do you know of any other of the informants saw something similar?”

The bone snapped and bone shards flew, one hitting Nedzu, as the mutt loudly chewed. He waited for the other to finish.

“Not too sure. Could smell a coupla cats around, prolly killing off those rats of yours.” It chuckled a raspy laugh before ending in a series of coughs. “Can’t say I saw anything within the alley with me at the time though.” And continued to focus on the bone Nedzu gifted.

A clear sign of dismissal. One he didn’t take offense to. This was how he built his web after all. Payment and safe places to sleep and live in and eventually they were loyal to him and Izuku, though the other rarely joined Nedzu on these missions. He was often busy organizing movements on the human end of things.

“Thank you for bringing the bone over.” Nedzu often had company, it deterred the more feral and uncaring strays from going after him. This time it was a kind shiba that had been sexually assaulted by a man before being left for dead.

“Of course Ne-nii!” She hopped on her toes. The small vest on her back wiggling with the movement. “D’ya need a ride somewhere else? I think I know of the alley he was speaking of. Heard a few cats talking about something similar.”

He nodded, and climbed into the pouch situated on her vest. Thankfully it wasn’t uncommon to see dogs with vests patrolling the cities. Cameras and recording devices strapped as they patrolled in lieu of police or heroes. Only used for the less crime riddled cities however.

It worked in their favor. A large number of vested animals actually worked for their agency, and such Nedzu was able to ‘hitch a ride’ to get to his informants.

It was a short trot to get to the starved mutt over to the family of cats he had mentioned. There were about five of them overall, a family. A mother with her litter, though their ages were staggered.

“Nedzu, it’s been awhile.” The mother, a dappled tortishell moved forward to greet him.

Back when he had helped her, she was a mere kitten herself. Alone and famished on the streets. Doomed to starve or freeze. Whichever got to her first.

He always felt a swell of pride when he came face to face with the animals he’s helped. Animals who were in situations he had once been in himself.

“I apologize for intruding, but I’ve been told that you might’ve seen something odd?”

She dipped her head and twitched her tail in the direction of one of the cats situated behind her. They crept forward nervously, belly touching the ground and haunches low.

A coat of orange and black and white, but their thick jowls showed they were a male. “Probably meant me, m’unsure what I saw but was scary. Was just trying to look outside the alley.” His voice was soft and his ears low. No doubt expecting some sort of scolding.

Nedzu didn’t much care to do that. He wanted information whatever went on with them was their business. Not his.

“Do you think you can describe it for me?”

“It was weird,” he shivered, as if the mere thought of it brought chills to him, “one moment I’m hunting a rat, the next there’s a man stepping on it. Blood erupting from its paws as he walked by. He came out of nowhere.” His tail and hackles raised, “he came out of nowhere.” He finished, his voice a hush whisper.

At his side his mother licked his shoulders and cheeks soothingly. His siblings similarly crowding around and purring, mumbling praises and soft words and affirmations.

“I apologize for bringing it back up.” And Nedzu was, the poor youngling had no doubt wanted to explore only to witness by some weird fate, a major villain. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Do you remember what that person looked like at all?”

He shuddered, but responded. “Thin, tall, he towered over me. He smelled like those abandoned buildings that mama keeps us away from. I would’a sneezed if I wasn’t so ‘fraid.”

“Ah, thank you very much.” Nedzu bowed to the family of felines before trotting to the shiba that sat patiently in the mouth of the alleyway. “I’ll be sure to send along someone with food and water as payments.”

He saw the mother nod briefly before guiding her small family further into the depths of the alley and out of sight.

Nedzu sighed.

None of this was turning out well for him and Izuku.

Chapter Text

It was eventually decided that although the sports festival for the first years would be suspended, the other two years would still have theirs.

The second and third year students were given the green light to begin preparations for their own festivals, whilst the first years would be barred from both attending and participating in their own.

A much needed safety precaution given the events not too long ago after all.

The other classes were calmed with the knowledge that their internships were still going to be occurring. Instead each agency that was partnered with U.A.’s internship program would be receiving video submissions of each student participating in a few set challenges.

A decision Midoriya himself had come up with to soothe the upset towards the hero classes for going through what they had.

A good idea, phenomenal idea even. Except for one hiccup.

Midoriya-san was unavailable to schedule and be at the board of submissions, leaving the job of running the school to the vice prinicpal. If there was one. Except there wasn’t. So it landed on the backs of all the teachers.

Shouta was ready to slam his head onto the table as his peers bickered over the best way to create the tasks each student would partake in to show off their skills. They’d been arguing for far too long, and he was beginning to get impatient.

“Let’s just ask him what he wants then.” He finally snapped when Snipe once again decided a suggestion was too easy without offering any improvements or other ideas. He was getting sick of all of this and the others were little to no help.

“He said not to contact him though.” Thirteen, brought up, rather unhelpfully. She tapped her helmet. “He seemed rather serious about that command as well.”

She was right.

Goddamnit she was right. In the rare moments of seriousness, Midoriya had told them not to contact him unless it was an emergency. His voice and posture lacking any semblance of his usual lighthearted humor.

The commanding tone reminded Aizawa of why he was the principal of U.A. and that he wasn’t just some random idiot that had nepotized their way up. That despite his attitude, he was in fact a licensed hero like the rest of them.

“I feel as though this could be considered an emergency. This relates to the entirety of our first years and could impact their careers later in life.” He argued.

There were no further objections to his suggestion.

With silence as his answer, Aizawa pressed the call button and all turned to watch the screen at the head of the room.

It flickered and buffered for a few moments, making him believe that his call would go unanswered and they’d be back to square one, or even ignored and he’d be reprimanded later for calling him during a possible mission.

Neither happened. Instead, the call was picked up.

Midoriya-sensei was on the screen. His body was battered and his hair was white. Bright yellow eyes glared at the screen he was clearly holding.

He’d answered whilst on duty.

“What is it?” Bright gold eyes glared through the screen, his own gaze strong enough to make every hero in the room wilt and avoid it once it made its way to them.

“Apologies Midoriya-sama.” It was clear their prinicpal was not in a good mood. So it was best to play it safe. “We were having trouble coming up with possible ways to show off our student’s capabilities.”

Midoriya’s eyes narrowed slightly, however before he could respond, a sharp crack echoed from his end and a thick bolt embedded itself within his shoulder, a small spatter of blood flying into the air while the man stared at the device in his hand.

Holy. Fuck.

“I will communicate with you all over the best course of action for our students. By the end of the week I will have a list laid out and you may choose how to divvy it and adjust it to best show them off.”

Another sharp snap echoed but this time Izuku sidestepped it, and it embedded itself into the concrete behind him if the sound it made was any indication.

“We will speak on this later.” He said before ending the call.

The screen was black and Aizawa was currently bluescreening internally. Their call was answered, sure, and they had been given an answer that all could agree was best, yet the informant was for whatever reason out getting shot by crossbows in broad daylight.

“We can’t deny that was pretty cool, though.” Hizashi was the first to break the silence. “Though he looked kinda scary with his whole getup!”

“No doubt a persona of his to gather information.” Ectoplasm reasoned. “He does engage in many operations where his identity must be hidden.”

The others nodded, but all Shouta could focus on was the sickening sound of flesh being impacted. Sure, the principal was a hero just as they all were, but he’d never stopped to think what hero work Midoriya took part in. He’d always, rather naively now that he thought of it, assumed that Midoriya worked from the back lines while the more physically able heroes took care of the front lines.

It was jarring enough to see the normally carefree man with a steep downturn to his lips and bright gold eyes and hair that was whiter than any possible dye could achieve.

He’d gotten answers that he’d been looking for, only to stumble face first into more questions and uncertainties.

Just who was Midoriya exactly.

—

Izuku tore the bolt from his shoulder, normally he would keep it in, but Nezu was kind enough to inform him of a few agency members, one of which had a minor healing ability on their way. He hadn’t meant to get involved in whatever this situation was. It had just happened, as most of the situations he finds himself stuck in do.

“Sorry Ne-tan, I had to answer that.”

Nezu’s tinny sigh was the only response. The two weren’t together at the moment, leaving them on open comms while Nezu guided Izuku through the base.

Sure, it wasn’t the best idea to storm it alone, especially without his other half, but there were files that were being moved that he had a limited window to access.

It was paramount that he had as much information regarding the yakuza prowling around his city after all. Especially after whispers came forth of a drug that can enhance a quirk.

Everything after was child’s play, up until he barged in of course. Crossbows were an interesting, albeit if a painful, choice that had Izuku wishing he’d waited for backup.

Backup’s ETA was too long, with Nezu’s prediction they’d have lost access to the files on the newest drug hitting the streets and the gang would no doubt lay low for who knows how long following.

No, it was best that he do this now.

“Backup is arriving soon, right?” Izuku was regretting pulling the metal bolt from his shoulder, what with the blood flowing down, barely staunched by a makeshift bandage he’d made from his shirt.

“Their ETA is four minutes, I let them know to apprehend the remaining villains in the building and that you were currently injured and in need of healing.”

Izuku could kiss Nezu. He wouldn’t, maybe he would give him a gift later though, but all that aside, he was so very grateful for his hero partner because what would he do without his other half.

Those thoughts would have to wait however, there was still enough time to move down at least another floor before his team forces him back to the sidelines out of worry for his health.

Chapter Text

A single phrase was written on a sheet of paper. 

??? = Trigger ?

Shouta felt awful about snooping, or he would normally, had Midoriya not told him to go to his office to speak about something. No doubt the whole sports festival and his calling the other man during what he now knew as a crunch time raid. 

But, when he’d entered the office, Midoriya was nowhere to be seen. Just the quiet atmosphere of the room to keep him company. 

Oh, and the multitude of rodents that called the spacious office home. They were newer inhabitants too, or at least that’s what he thought for he couldn’t remember if he had actually seen the mice or rats along the wall before. He’d had to have noticed it before, right? 

New or not, he definitely noticed them now. 

Their cages were sprawling, taking up an entire wall of space for what appeared to be only one white mouse. Its beady black eyes followed his movements, as if it was judging him snooping through its owner’s stuff. 

It almost made him feel guilty. But he quashed the feeling down. He wouldn’t feel guilty about snooping just because his boss’ pet rats watched him do it. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, in fact there was no way for Midoriya to even know he was snooping. 

The man was adamant on no cameras in his office, citing some reasons to the others that Aizawa had tuned out at the time. Gods he wished he had listened to why his boss had such a hatred for cameras. 

The white rodent continued to watch his every movement. It was unnerving how its beady eyes tracked his figure. Every movement he made the rodent watched. It had even moved so it could see him better, he was sure of it. 

He felt stupid for doing this, but some unknown reason prompted him to speak to the rodent. As though it would understand and follow his orders. “Don’t tattle on me.” He tried as its beady gaze remained fixated on him. “I’ll bring you cheese or something if you don’t tell your owner about me being here.” He tried when the rodent's black eyes continued to follow him. It was worth the shot.

Where it had been in one of the lower sections of the cage, now it was seated at a higher vantage point. As though it were keeping an eye on what Shouta read and found. It was unnerving. 

Shouta eventually sat down, the odd rodent weirding him out too much to properly snoop or even think of snooping correctly. It wouldn’t do to leave behind evidence of his snooping. So, he opted to sit and wait. 

Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long, Midoriya was aware of his schedules and usually on time to their meetings or conferences. Him being this late was an outlier that Shouta wouldn’t hold against him. He’d heard of the injuries his boss had sustained while out on the raid. 

“Apologies.” 

Shouta about jumped out of his chair. His boss had come in through a formerly unknown entrance to the office. 

“I was preoccupied with a few things; I didn’t mean to be so tardy.” Midoriya laughed somewhat sheepishly as he dusted himself off. 

Shouta tried to discreetly angle himself to catch the entrance his boss had arrived, but the positioning of Midoriya blocked any possible entrance and by the time he had finally moved, any previous sign of it had been removed. He hated having to deal with people that were aware of their surroundings. 

As Midoriya puttered around the room, he noted the odd getup his boss still had. His formerly green hair was a shock of white and his eyes were similarly changed, though they were a bright yellow. It had his thoughts grinding to a shrieking halt. 

“I didn’t have time to remove the dye.” Midoriya sheepishly explained as he finally settled at his desk. “I didn’t want to keep you waiting much longer, Aizawa-san, I know how busy your schedule is, or at least will be.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, your students are preparing for their internships and there’s been some unrest going on in the underground; no doubt you’ll experience it during your patrols.” Midoriya steepled his hands and frowned, his golden eyes flicking over the paper he had placed in front of himself. “We’re also still trying to dig up anything on the USJ perpetrators. But we’ve found nothing. Their names aren’t in the systems and the quirks that the ringleaders had were clearly unregistered.” He sighed and dragged a hand down his face. “Frankly, we’ve hit a roadblock in the investigation into them. They’ve been quiet since, and there’s been no reports or notices of the decay quirk user or the warp quirk user.” 

“Does that mean we’ll be cancelling the internships then?” Aizawa leaned forward. “If the investigation has come to a halt, I may be best to keep the students where we can monitor them instead of sending them out.” 

“The choice is not entirely mine to make, Aizawa-san. If it were solely up to me; they’d be kept here. Housed here and trained here to prevent any mishaps.” Midoriya leaned back in his chair, pulling a file along with him. “However the school requires funding from those agencies we team up with, and by removing the internship program, we would lose out on a good amount of money that goes towards the amenities of the school.” He sighed heavily. 

In that moment Midoriya looked twice his age. Though the other man was only 28, he held a weight that made him seem older, wiser even. And throughout their conversation, Shouta could only note how Midoriya had gone through every possible situation and had clearly planned out the necessary steps for the students, all while appearing as carefree and happy like his school hadn’t just suffered a major villain attack. 

New respect grew for the esoteric man. 

“What if we halved the number of students that were to do the internships. Half from 1-B and half from 1-A.” 

Midoriya frowned and turned his head, appearing to stare at the rodent cages behind him. “I’d had brought that up in a meeting but the overall consensus was if we do half then we may as well do all of them.” He grimaced. 

Aizawa didn’t stop the frown that pulled at his lips. For all their talk of protecting and keeping the next generation of heroes safe, it seemed more and more likely that those above Midoriya didn’t care for the students, and instead were worried over the money and possible impact of the school’s reputation.  

He sighed heavily, pulling a bark of laughter from the other man. 

“That’s how I feel when I have to deal with them.” He snickered, mirth layering his voice. 

“Enough about all this boring mumbo jumbo, you needn’t worry yourself with my problems.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, but Aizawa didn’t feel as though they were close enough for him to offer to assist, so instead he bit his tongue and waited for Midoriya to continue. 

“I wanted to request your assistance and involvement in a case that is currently growing. While the students are away on their internships– not counting the ones you may pick up to teach– id like you to get into contact with Sir Nighteye, whenever you’re free to of course, he’ll be aware of your contact and will be able to inform you of what is to be done.” Midoriya pushed a rather thin Manila folder towards him; the same folder that had held the small note of ‘??? = Trigger’. 

There was next to no information within it. Only a few scant paragraphs of possible drugs being circulated and the presence of yakuza within the adjacent precincts. 

“It’s still in the infant stage of development; don’t worry over the lack of information.” Midoriya’s voice drew his eyes from the thin file and its contents. “For now, focus on the students and their internships,” the man grimaced, “If any new information comes up regarding this case, I’ll be sure to inform you.” 

Midoriya stood up, and it was clear that their mini meeting was complete, but Shouta remained seated. He still had questions and he was going to get his answers. 

“Come, come, no need to be stubborn.” Midoriya laughed and gestured towards the door. “I need to take these contacts out and fix my hair before it gets stuck like this!” He made another shooing motion. 

And damn this man. Damn him for being so charismatic that Shouta found himself standing with a sigh and shuffling out the room before he even realized he was leaving. Damn him. 

He never got to ask about the rodents in the office. 

—

“Shit.” 

Hitoshi grunted as he landed face first into the linoleum tiles. 

“Most people catch themselves when they fall.” Aizawa-sensei piped up from behind him. 

Screw it. He lived here now. Simply out of spite. 

At least until he felt Aizawa grab him by his gym uniform, holding him the same way one would scruff a kitten. 

“My hands were on the capture weapon.” He tried to explain, he was still embarrassed by the face plant he just went through. 

“Right, but when you’re falling, you unhook your hands and catch yourself instead of just eating the ground.” Though the man’s tone of voice didn’t change, Hitoshi swore he could hear a note of mirth in his tone. 

“I didn’t have time to untangle myself!” He whined and tried to demonstrate. It took too long to remove his hands from the wrapped position that he was to keep them in when using the weapon. At least that’s what would normally happen. 

In this case, in front of his sensei, his favorite hero, his hands slipped free without any difficulty. 

Hitoshi swore to set this specific weapon on fire when his sensei wasn’t looking. 

“Right, it takes too long.” Aizawa was clearly fighting a grin as he watched his student suffer. “Here,” he helped Hitoshi rewrap his hands in the correct manner, “try again. This time, try not to trip before we start.” 

Though the training was grueling, he was glad that even with no sports festival, Aizawa-sensei had offered to take him on as an intern. It saved him the awkwardness of having to beg for his sensei to teach him one on one. 

Later he would be pleased at getting to learn how to use his Sensei’s infamous weapon. For now, he hated it. He hated this half alive capture tape. It seemed to exist solely to spite him and embarrass him. 

“I am going to set you on fire if you don’t let me wrap my hands I swear to the gods.” He whispered under his breath towards the tape harshly. 

And, as though the tape heard him, the next moment he got entangled within its grasp. If he were a weaker man, Hitoshi would be crying right now. As it was, he grit his teeth and began the tedious process of slowly untangling himself from the weapon’s grasp. 

Whilst he was busy struggling with the capture weapon, he didn’t notice Aizawa responding to something on his phone until the man grabbed him by the neck of his uniform once more. In an instant the capture weapon fell from his body, coalescing into an unorganized heap on the ground. 

“I just got an SOS message from a student in Hosu, since you’re under my watch you have to come with.” He spoke quickly as he made his way to the entrance of the gym, only to be stopped by a green-haired man. 

“Aizawa.” Was all the man said. 

The principal of the school was armed to the teeth. Hitoshi tried to dredge up any memory he had of the man wearing his hero costume before, but nothing came up. This was the first time he had seen the enigmatic principal look so stonefaced. Usually there was a grin on the man’s face as he moved about the school. 

“Hitoshi is my intern. I-“ He was set down as his sensei began to explain, though he cut himself off a moment later as Midoriya-sensei turned around. 

“I never said he couldn’t come. Just keep a close eye on him. This isn’t a normal situation.” Midoriya’s strides were long as he led the two of them further within the school. 

“With this being so last minute, I recieved permission to travel to Hosu by helicopter.” 

Every step Midoriya took was around three normal steps for Hitoshi, leaving him to awkwardly jog after the two pro heroes.  

“Hitoshi-kun, be sure to hold on and don’t fall out.” Was all Midoriya said to him before ushering him and Aizawa within the helicopter. 

Within moments they were taking to the skies, leaving him to hold the railing with white knuckles as he tried not to look down. 

Chapter Text

Taking a moment to breathe and center himself, Izuku began to circle the location that the original SOS had first pinged in from. Hosu was on fire, but right now was not a time for him to panic and lose his cool. He was a pro hero. He could do this. 

With such a high stakes mission on such short notice Nedzu was forced to stay behind to run surveillance for him. They didn’t have time to prepare to work as one, they’d have to be split for now. 

“Three bodies, two downed one still up. One appears to be dead.” The clacks of the keyboard came through their shared intercom as Nedzu evaluated the situation. The rodent’s own eyesight better than Izuku’s. 

“Two students are engaging with the hero killer. Todoroki Shouto and Tenya Iida. 

“Fuck.” Izuku pulled the helicopter up into a hover and began to unbuckle himself. 

Over the deafening whirr of blades,, he turned to Aizawa and his intern. “Shouta-san, you know how to fly a helicopter right?” He’d gotten the seatbelts holding him in the pilot seat off, and to the panic of his two passengers he began to crawl to the back towards them. 

“No? I’ve never learned how to fly a helicopter, Dioscuri-san what are you doing?!” 

“If we survive this, I’ll be sure to reach you how!” He patted Aizawa as he squeezed past the now clearly panicked man. “Just hold her steady, you’ll do great!”

With a bright “pardon me, I’ll return this when I’m done.” He unraveled Shinsou’s capture weapon and slung it around his own neck. 

“Try not to damage her!” He called out to the panicked pair and with no further explanation or instructions he jumped from the aircraft. 

As he fell, Izuku made sure to twist his body and wrap the capture weapon around his midsection as securely as possible before throwing a section of it and twining it around the foot of the helicopter. With his fall now guaranteed not to kill him, he tapped through the small keyboard on his forearm. 

Nedzu’s squeaky voice broke through with a crackle. They should really upgrade their comm system–he’d look into doing so later. “Stain is currently standing above Iida-kun, Todoroki-kun is nowhere to be seen so he must have also been incapacitated by Stain.” 

And Izuku could just barely pick out the slowly sharpening figure of Stain hunched over one of his students. The man looked insane, waving the damaged katanas erratically whilst shouting something unintelligible to the youngest Iida beneath him. 

“Fuck, I don’t have time for this.” And he didn’t have time for a controlled, non bone breaking fall. He was running out of time. Time he and his students clearly didn’t have. 

Izuku slammed his arms and legs into themselves and pointed his chest downwards immediately losing any resistance as he was forced to speed up his fall into a dive that could be considered suicidal to anyone else but him and Nedzu. Sure, it would hurt, but the landing won’t kill him. 

As he sped closer to the pavement, he slammed his arm out and gripped the capture weapon still around his midsection, he had a few more seconds before the weapon would be at its max length and snap him in two if he didn’t slow his descent. Except he couldn’t afford to slow his descent, so with an expertly timed twist of his wrist, he felt the weapon loosen its hold on the foot of the helicopter before beginning to wind around his arm. He’d use it to snag onto something closer to the ground, which was fast approaching. 

“Expected outcome?” He kept his voice low, certain it would be picked up by the mediocre comms. 

“Some injuries on our end, however it seems overly positive. Over 80% chance to walk away with all victims still alive.” 

He could work with that. 

The fall from the helicopter felt like hours, but it was less than a minute from his jump to his swinging landing that had Izuku bowling Stain over, catching the serial hero killer by surprise. The man had clearly not been expecting aerial support from the heroes. 

Still, he was well trained and barely hesitated before lunging towards Izuku, hoping to catch him unawares. 

No doubt some bones were bruised, or slightly fractured, but nothing he hadn’t had before. Izuku danced between the blades thrust towards him, listening to Nedzu’s continuous stream of information as he thought over his moves. 

“Sensei!” The youngest Iida was still bound by whatever time limit Stain’s quirk worked off of, perhaps that was for the best. It kept the battlefield clear of others that Izuku would have had to keep an eye on. 

“Stain, I didn’t expect you to go after students.” Izuku ducked beneath a wide arcing slash, no doubt meant to sever a limb or his head. 

“They came to me. I am merely nipping their unjustness in the bud.” If he was frustrated by Izuku’s continuous dodging he didn’t show it, at least not through emotion. 

The way he moved was getting sloppier, and Izuku could see Todoroki-kun twitching slightly. The man’s quirk was useless on him if he couldn’t hit him. 

The wider arcing slashes and frenzied jabs were clear that Stain was getting sick of his slippery target. 

The hit came as a surprise. All it took was a lapse in Dioscuri’s attention. 

“Leave Sensei, this is my fight!” Iida’s voice cut through his concentration. 

Iida Tenya had the audacity to reject assistance from the principal of his school. Midoriya had dropped everything when he found out, rushed faster than heroes in the Hosu prefecture–and he was still being deemed as less. By a student no less. 

That was all it took. It wormed beneath his skin as though it were laden with spikes. The insults of his younger years before he began his fake quirk. 

Midoriya–no longer Dioscuri as he ignored Nedzu’s panicked cries–turned to rip into Iida. 

That was all the distraction Stain needed to finally hit his opponent. The slash was controlled, a movement that came from the shoulders as he aimed for the hero’s blind side. 

The scraping of metal on bone through layers of muscle and fat was deafening. It was music to Stain’s ears. Finally, he’d gotten the man, it had taken some time and granted he’d nearly lost all composure, but he succeeded in the end. 

Midoriya grunted as the effect of Stain’s quirk hit him. Immobilizing him and causing him to crash to the ground. The adrenaline pumping through his veins was the only reason he didn’t scream as the stump of his arm took the brunt of his weight, but it was close. He tasted blood in his mouth as he bit his tongue. 

He breathed heavily through his nostrils as Nedzu’s panicked cries faded in and out. He was nearly delirious with pain, but it didn’t take a genius to realize the dire situation he found himself in.  

Blood was squirting from the remaining stump in time with his heartbeats. It should slow to a sluggish stream before squirting out as his heart beat, valiantly trying to keep him alive. 

“What’s the situation, Nedzu?” Midoriya could barely will himself to speak, his mind was slowing down, and everything was blurry. He was losing blood. Too much too fast. 

“The quirk seemed to wear off on Iida-kun and Todoroki-kun.” Nedzu’s voice shook as he spoke. “I believe Todoroki-kun erected an ice wall between you and Stain and is at your side.” 

“Perfect.” Midoriya realized then that his eyes were closed. 

The effort to pry them open was monumental, leaving his brain throbbing and splotches dancing in and out of his vision. 

Nedzu was right though, the air held a slight chill and Todoroki-kun’s panicked visage slowly came into focus. 

“Sensei, help is on the way.” The young teenager’s hands shook as he attempted to wrap the bloodied stump. 

It was for naught however as the blood continued to soak through whatever it was that he tried to bind the wound in. Midoriya was going to bleed out at this rate. 

“Cauterize it.” His voice was a pained whisper, black slowly taking his vision over. 

“Excuse me?” Todoroki-kun’s alarmed response would’ve had Midoriya smiling at any other time, but now he could barely find the energy to speak. 

“Use your fire to cauterize the wound.” He twitched the remaining stump, the blood slowed to a gurgle that still sped forth with each slowing beat of his heart. “Use your fire to close it.” Midoriya took a shuddering gasp, feeling as though his lungs were collapsing in on themselves at the sheer effort it took. “Please Todoroki-kun.”

The youngest Todoroki didn’t respond and Midoriya closed his eyes. Silently offering apologies to Nedzu and his mother, certain he was going to die here. 

The white-hot pain that overtook him was almost a relief. He slammed his teeth into his tongue to prevent the pained wails that wanted to erupt. It was clear that Todoroki-kun wasn’t in the best mental state to handle using his fire on another person and listen to aforementioned person screaming as a result. 

The pain was unbearable, but it was as though the heat that radiated from the freshly cauterized wound sucked in the icy chill that Midoriya hadn’t even realized spreading throughout his body. 

The world swirled around him, not long after it began, he felt Todoroki-kun get shoved away from him. When Midoriya opened his eyes, he saw Endeavor grimacing down at him. 

The large hero looked up at him for a moment before pushing forth a stream of white-hot fire down onto one of the relatively undamaged blades nearby his own body. Cloth was wedged into his mouth, and he bit down on it, eyes screwed shut. 

It didn’t take long, but it felt like forever. 

Midoriya’s eyes were hazy, when the pain finally stopped. His vision was blurred and everything seemed to spin, but he was able to catch the slight movement from Stain who laid face down, tied up, but no hero actively watching him. 

When the man moved, he didn’t hesitate to grab the still partially molten knife from Endeavor’s hands, despite the man’s shout. 

The molten blade was lodged in Stain’s throat. While Stain’s own blade had gone through his abdomen, though much of the force had been redirected thanks to the sturdy fabrics of his costume. 

“I will only let a true hero kill me.” Stain wheezed, somehow able to speak past the boiling knife in his throat. “Only All Might may have the honors of killing me.” His crazed gaze landed on Midoriya. “And you. I will fall to no other.” 

Stain collapsed moments later, the blade shifting in Midoriya’s abdomen as his grip slipped from it. 

Midoriya collapsed seconds after. 

——

Shinsou, despite what some might think, didn’t have bad eyesight. In fact, his eyes were really good. This would normally be some sort of humble brag in most cases. 

In this case? He was regretting it. He could see everything going on below the helicopter but was unable to do anything. 

It finally came to a head, where he had to do something, and the only thing he could think of doing involved pulling out his phone and dialing one of the few numbers he had added to it recently. 

It rang. One. Two. Three. Fo–

“Hello?”

“What do you mean ‘hello’ how are you going to answer the phone all normal as though the principal of UA isn’t bleeding out in front of us.” Hitoshi hissed into the receiver. 

The other end was quiet for a heartbeat before Todoroki answered, hesitation thick in tone. “Would you like to talk to Dioscuri-sensei?” The other tried. 

This only served to have Hitoshi thread a hand through his hair and pull harshly. The only way he could be sure that he wasn’t dreaming up whatever fucked up situation this was. 

“No, I do not want to talk to Dioscuri-sensei!” He took a breath to calm himself. “I just needed to know the situation down there.” Hitoshi would later feel bad about putting Todoroki on the spot like this, but for now he needed some way to assist. Even if it was feeding information to his sensei. 

“Oh.” 

He was going to strangle this kid. 

“Well, Dioscuri-sensei fought with Stain but got distracted by Iida-kun calling out to him and lost his arm. So he asked me to cauterize it and I was until Endeavor arrived and took over.” 

How Todoroki could say all of that and not sound the least bit hysterical had Hitoshi becoming hysterical for him. At least until what Todoroki said finally comprehends in his mind. 

“He lost his arm?” 

“What?!” Hitoshi could barely hear Aizawa’s frantic shout over the whirr of the helicopter blades. 

He winced, only now noticing he had shouted that into the phone and his sensei had heard. Which meant that now he had to explain everything that he had learned from Todoroki. 

“Yeah.” Todoroki answered his question, still sounding as though he wasn’t in the middle of a crime scene with his principal possibly dying nearby. “Endeavor said he’ll be alright following the cauterization though.” Todoroki tried to reassure. 

If only the other knew how much that did the opposite. 

Hitoshi hang up and picked his way through the cabin, keeping a hand on a railing at all time as the vehicle wobbled and shook. Hopefully Aizawa-sensei was doing better than he was. 

——

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit.” Shouta had no idea what it was that he was looking at. Buttons of different colors, shapes, and brightness were blinking back at him. He’d been shoved into the pilot’s seat of the helicopter before the man previously driving it jumped out of it like a lunatic. 

Shouta could hear nothing around him, until he thought he heard his intern shout something from behind him as he struggled to work the helicopter. 

“What?!” He called back, hoping to be heard over the blades and sirens in the background. 

“Dioscuri-sensei lost his arm and was bleeding out on the pavement.” Shinsou’s voice was moderately easier to hear, but the news had his heart dropping to his stomach. 

Shouta closed his eyes for a moment before he called back “I have to land this thing first.” He scrolled furiously through the results he’d gotten online. ‘How to land a helicopter’ and was somehow feeling even more concerned as he read further. 

As much as Shouta wanted to panic and bash his head into a wall, he was currently the pilot of a vehicle that could kill hundreds if not handled correctly. He’d have to unpack what he just heard from his intern when he wasn’t in charge of such a vehicle. And who knew how long that could take. 

His blood pounded through his ears as he slowly fiddled with the buttons that he was directed to from the online guides, thankfully it seemed relatively simple, if scary, to think that one press of the wrong button could have him killing both himself and his intern. 

Prior to Shinsou’s update, Shouta had had zero clue what had happened to Dioscuri once the man shoved him to the front of the helicopter. Hell, he barely even knew what his intern what doing and how he had gotten that information; that’s how focused/stressed he was on the current situation. 

The time it took to find an adequately sized building was painstaking. He wasn’t a good judge of size–how was he supposed to know the weight and measurements of this helicopter!?–and had passed on multiple buildings that looked large enough but not strong enough to hold the weight of the vehicle. 

The moment he turned off the engine, he immediately shoved his way out, snatching Shinsou’s arm as he passed by and dragging his student. Who knows what could have occurred in the time it took to park this godforsaken thing. 

The scene they arrived to… was not pretty. Blood was everywhere. Large glaciers and dented concrete decorated the area. And in the center of it all: his former sensei stood, legs wobbling and eyes unfocused as he held a blade that went through Stain’s throat. 

When he saw Dioscuri’s legs shake, he didn’t think as he ran forwards. Catching the man and breaking his fall. Only then did he notice the knife stuck in his abdomen. 

Lights flashed. Red blue white. Flashing white and flickering reds with blinking blues. There he stood, with the bloodied and beaten figure of UA’s principal held within his grip. 

This was going to be one hell of a publication to take care of. 

Chapter Text

“They’re always one step ahead, it’s ruining our image and putting doubt in the minds of both the people and the government. For the best, I’ve decided to send the first years on a training camp so that I can work through the negative press we’ve been receiving thus far. With the students in an unknown location, with a squad of trained heroes, for about a month or so, it should give me time to make adjustments and regulate the current situation.”

Dioscuri’s shoulder was still bandaged. Despite their best attempts, the man had refused any and all medical care despite missing an arm. He’d pushed for the youngest Iida and Todoroki to receive assistance first, and for good reason. Both were in poor shape and the youngest Iida was at risk of bleeding out. 

It was a sight to see. A hero with a passive quirk having held off and defeated a known serial killer of heroes, the presser was frothing at the mouth to get to him, but Dioscuri hadn’t been seen in public for months following the incident. 

Aizawa was concerned for his employer. Midoriya was working himself to an early grave by the looks of it. He held a perpetual frown and the bags under his eyes only grew deeper as the days passed. He hadn’t been seen leaving the campus grounds, and other staff had believed him to be sleeping in his office. 

It was concerning. 

This was the first meeting he had called that involved all faculty since the entire stain incident. 

He carried himself as though nothing happened, as though he hadn’t lost his right arm, leaving him with a stump at the elbow. It made Shouta wince internally every time he saw the still healing flesh. 

“It’s a training camp. I need the hero students to be away for a week or two while I set a few things up. No one will be told of the location except for a select few that I know are trustworthy.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Thirteen spoke up, she was nervous for the students and for her employer. “So far every event in which our students have been involved in, somehow the villains find their way to them.” Worry was thick in her tone. 

Shouta understood where she was coming from though. The other teachers weren’t as concerned; they hadn’t been on the receiving end of the villains yet. They hadn’t had to nearly sacrifice themselves to save their students. It made his stomach churn and if he were any less composed, he’d be grinding his teeth. 

As it is, all he could do was try to support his employer. “I think it might work. The villains are stretching themselves thin.” He started tiredly. “Though I’d like more pro heroes to be patrolling the location, if you already have one in mind.” 

Midoriya-san nodded and inclined his head towards Shouta with a grateful twitch of his lips. “Thank you, Eraserhead-san. The Wild Wild Pussycats have agreed to let our students train on their land with their protection included. Though I will be hiring a squadron of other heroes to work as extra guard.” His stump twitched and Shouta’s eyes were immediately drawn to the movement. “We can no longer treat this group as though they were everyday heroes. It is clear that they are targeting the hero students in 1-A. However, we have yet to discern their motives.” 

Midoriya moved his stump arm so that it was hidden by the table, the movement forcing Shouta to look away from the still raw wound. 

“What happens if villains find the camp?” 

“I’ve planned for that. I’ll be sending along a number of rodents that will assist in patrolling and answer to whomever is in charge. They’ll be able to sneak through where heroes can’t, in this case; they’ll be on the lookout for a possible traitor.” 

“It can’t possibly be one of the students.” Present Mic was pale.

“For now, it’s still uncertain of whether or not we do have a traitor.” Midoriya-san sighed, slumping in his seat slightly. “I’d like to trust our students, but the villains have been one step ahead of us every time. I have to consider this possibility.”

Shouta understood, it didn’t mean that he liked it, but he could understand. No doubt with the villain attacks, Midoriya-san was clearly under pressure to solve the problem. As much as he wished to offer his assistance or act as a support; this was not the time for it. 

As he tuned back in, he watched Midoriya-san spread a few papers out with his left hand and pulled a rat from his shoulder before seemingly showing the rat the maps. 

Shouta could only hope that nothing went wrong. 

In the back of his mind, he felt icy cold fear wash over him. This training camp was doomed from the start. 

—

The hero students had only just returned from their first round of internships, so it came as a surprise that they were going to a training retreat so soon after the whole Hosu debacle. 

Shinsou had reservations about all of this, hell, he was still scared shitless from the night he’d been dragged along to watch his Sensei’s sensei get his arm cut off and impaled. 

“Shinsou-kun, you look a little pale, kero.” Tsuyu had her finger to her chin as she tilted her head at him. “What did you do during your internship with Aizawa-sensei?” 

The others in 1-A had been gossiping loudly about their adventures. Everyone else except for two other students. Both of whom had their heads down prior to Tsuyu’s question. He could see Iida flinch slightly from his desk and Todoroki raised his eyes and caught his from where he sat. 

“Nothing interesting.” Shinsou deflected. They were on gag order following the entire ordeal; it helped that there were no photos of him circulating the web unlike the other two students that were there. 

“Did Aizawa-sensei take you to Hosu with him?” Tsuyu dug further. 

He panicked, but before he could say anything, he was saved by his aforementioned sensei. 

“Quiet all.” He shuffled in, looking even more exhausted than usual. 

Everyone dispersed to their seats and Shinsou was left alone. No impending questions to answer over the night that still left him waking in a cold sweat. 

“Shinsou-kun.” Aizawa waved a stack of papers and without thinking, he stood to grab them. “Go see Midoriya-sensei in his office. Your request to join the hero course has been approved.” 

The class cheered around him, but he heard nothing apart from the beating of his heart as he stepped past his peers. He hasn’t seen Dioscuri-sensei since that night. He didn’t even know that the principal had come back; he didn’t even know that the principal was alive!

Yet, there he was when Shinsou pushed past the heavy mahogany doors. 

His eyes were sunken in and his hair was dull. Though, the man didn’t look sad, like any other person would after losing a major limb. Instead he held a small smile as he watched a rodent crawl between his hands–er hand and stump. 

“You needed me, sensei?” He tried not to stare at the wound, but he clearly failed if the way Midoriya-sensei moved his hand out of view was any indication. 

Thankfully he didn’t call Shinsou out on his staring. 

“Yes, we’ve finally gotten the approval you needed to join the hero course officially.” He leaned forward and leafed through the stack of papers Shinsou came in with. Highlighting a few lines here and marking off others there. 

“If you could just sign under the highlighted lines and initial the marked lines, you’ll be all good to continue on with your day.” Midoriya-sensei squinted at him for a moment, and everything Shinsou feared felt as though the man could see it. 

“If you’re still interested in the hero course, that is.” 

It felt like he’d thrown a brick at his face. His stomach dropped and he immediately scrambled to sign the forms, only for them to be quickly moved away. 

“Shinsou-kun.” 

Hitoshi paused, and managed to take a deep breath. He hadn’t even noticed his breathing speeding up he’d been so panicked. 

“I understand if you wish to pull your application.” Midoriya-sensei raised his right arm and gestured to it with his left. “You had to witness this as a first year, not even with the same training as your peers.” His voice softened and he hid the stump from view once more. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about.” 

“No!” It came out louder than he wanted so he tried again after a breath. “No, I still want to be in the hero course.” When Midoriya-sensei still didn’t pass the forms back, Hitoshi explained the fear he had hoped to keep to himself. 

“All heroes will be afraid of something at some point, Shinsou-kun. I apologize for being the cause of yours.” And Midoriya-sensei pushed the forms back. 

Hitoshi signed them quickly, the atmosphere in the office had grown stuffy and tight. He could feel his heart hammering within his ribs and he hoped that the principal couldn’t hear it. He didn’t want to be in this office any longer. 

He stood and turned to leave, not bothering with thanking or saying goodbye to the principal, though as he left, he heard Midoriya-sensei call out to him. 

“You’ll have mandated sessions with HoundDog following your class’ return to the campus.” And the door slammed shut, cutting off anything else the man might have said. 

Out of view of the main hallway, just outside the principal’s door. Hitoshi collapsed to his knees and sobbed. 

Gods. He was pathetic. 

—

“Should we do something?” Nedzu took Hitoshi’s untouched tea–the student didn’t even seem to notice it–and began sipping it whilst staring at his scrunched form outside their door. 

“I don’t think it’ll help in this case.” Izuku had seen the way the student had stared at the wound. No doubt horrified that he had been nearby but was unable to help or something similar in regard to that. “At least it won’t help him to see me. Whatever’s going on in his mind has to do with the missing part of my forearm.”

Nedzu huffed and rolled his eyes, as best he could at least, before pushing his tea a bit closer to Izuku. “You humans and your emotions.” He complained. 

Izuku laughed. “Yeah, we’re emotional to a fault.” He gently pulled Nedzu’s whisker. “Don’t forget our hero persona is technically human.”

Nedzu snorted. “Yeah, but you take care of the human stuff. I would never be able to understand what you humans and your emotions mean.” 

Izuku rolled his eyes and gently shoved the chimera. “Yes, yes, you’ve made sure to let me know of your superiority when it comes to staying calm. Can’t say I haven’t heard your warnings.” He wiggled the stump with a derisive snort. 

Nedzu huffed but didn’t bother arguing back. Izuku was right, there was no point in arguing that fact. He’d been livid that his other half lost his arm because of a student disobeying superiors. 

He wanted to expel Iida for that. 

It’s a shame that Izuku’s signature is the one that carries the weight and not his. 

——

The plan held three major parts. While Dioscuri held a public conference, the hero courses were on a bus to the Wild Wild Pussycat estate with their teachers, plus four extra heroes per class as well as a slew of rodents that were employed by Dioscuri. 

While Izuku wore the suit and smiled for the press and donors, Nedzu would be tracking everything throughout the Web back in their office. Any hint of villain activity would spring the final measure; one that Izuku was going to have to hold another press conference for. 

Whilst the villains had quirk’d brain dead nomu, Dioscuri had a small army of chimeras. Eight of them were lying in wait, wearing a specialized costume to signify to the heroes that they were there to help. 

He’d rather had kept the chimeras from the public’s eye–in fact the decision to use them resulted in the largest argument between Izuku and Nedzu to date. 

Cameras flashed intermittently. Any movement or twitch triggered the slew of clicks and flashing lights as reporters vied to be the first to get the in on the enigmatic UA Principal. 

“Dioscuri-san, your school has been attacked by the villains twice. Why do you continue to fund the hero class?” 

He could almost hear Nedzu’s growls. How dare a human question their decisions. There was a reason that Izuku was the face of Dioscuri. 

He leaned a bit lower, allowing the mic to squeal before he fixed the feedback and answered the callous question. 

“UA has been victim to only one attack this year. If one villain attack was enough to shut down the hero track; then wouldn’t all schools be getting attacked?” The man sputtered, but Izuku continued; “the students in the hero track will face villains one day, they’ve just gotten a head start.” 

“Sir, shouldn’t we fund programs that would benefit our children more than the hero course can?” A woman called. 

The near silent mechanics of his prosthetic whirred as he steepled his hands together and took a breath. It wouldn’t do to lose his cool now. Not when there was so much riding on their plans. 

Chapter Text

Hindsight was always 20/20. Izuku would later think back to this moment. The moment he was forced to choose a path, and with the chaos around him, he chose wrong and everything he’d built fell apart around him.

But that would come later, now, he was stuck with the issue of monitoring and tracking any possible LOV activity that might threaten his students and staff.

Izuku sighed, he missed Nedzu.

——

Shouta had been both warned and notified of the chimeras sent to patrol the premises, but he hadn’t put much thought into it until he saw moving figures that were quite honestly massive. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn’t that.

The first day was easy enough. While Midoriya-san dealt with the public, Shouta and an entourage of heroes were on their way to the Wild Wild Pussycat Estate with multiple decoy buses that each veered off and took differing, winding paths that placed them in various locations with different groups of heroes to guard and watch the area.

The first day was just getting to the location. With the amount of stops and bus switches or the occasional split of the class to differing buses, it was a time consuming ordeal. One that left him with little patience for any sort of drama between his students. Thankfully they were behaved for the most part.

By the time they’d arrived, the sun was low in the sky and Shouta could barely spot the flicker of blue that bounced off of the collars along Dioscuri’s specially curated chimera squad that were placed along the perimeter.

The second day was when things became interesting.

Koda was aware of the chimeras and had said something about it, no doubt confiding in Shoji, however, he’d spoken about it where the more gossipy students had heard and now the whole class was aware of their secret guard detail. Some had even tried to sneak out at night in an attempt to spot the hidden guards, thankfully Shouta had been alerted to multiple students exploring the grounds and was able to round them up soon after.

Shouta got little sleep. The chimeras didn’t patrol throughout the day, or if they did there weren’t as many or they kept themselves better hidden away from the prying eyes of his students and his own halfhearted attempts at spotting them.

It was on the third day that things began to go wrong.

The day started normally enough, Shouta woke his students then they’d eat before going to work on their quirks. Is what would normally happen at least. Instead, he was interrupted before he could meet Vlad King on the training field by one of the chimeras approaching him.

It was as if it appeared from thin air. One moment he was walking with his class in tow, the next there was an absolutely massive tiger standing in front of him. The blue light of its collar flashed before a small projection was emitted from it.

“Eraserhead-san.” Midoriya’s face was pulled into a deep frown and his skin held a sickly pallor to it. “Apologies for having to make contact this way. Please send your students away. This information is not for them.” His tone brooked no argument.

It was clearly a dire sort of situation then if Midoriya-san was that grim over their comms. Not to mention removing the students. Something had happened and when Shouta turned to dismiss his class, to send them along to Vlad King, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise.

Something wasn’t right. And he didn’t know what it was, but he was on edge now.

The class dispersed with some mild complaints. To make certain that none tried to double back and listen in, more of Dioscuri’s chimeras melted from the shadows and escorted the group of students to the training grounds.

He was alone once more, only Dioscuri on comms and four chimeras standing nearly stock still at attention. No doubt establishing some sort of perimeter.

Once certain they were alone, the tiger chimera rumbled something into their muzzle. Midoriya sighed a moment after.

It was hard to fully distinguish the overall position his boss was in, but Shouta could see the sheer exhaustion that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

“We’ve gained intel of an attempt by the LOV. They plan on attacking the training camp. How they got the location, I still have no idea.” He scrubbed a palm over his face. Just out of focus Shouta could see a small form skitter past. “I hadn’t wanted to humor the thought of a traitor placed amongst the students, but it’s clear we have a leak of info somewhere surrounding your class.”

Shouta was grim as the faces and observations of each student rapidly flickered in his mind. He tried to recall any sort of shady or mysterious behavior but kept falling short. Not once had he looked at any of his students with the suspicion that one might be against them.

“Despite our intel, I am unable to cancel the trip.”

“What!?” Shouta lurched forward, his quirk snapping into effect for a moment out of habit.

Midoriya had a grimace when he continued. “My concerns were deemed unfounded by the commission. They vetoed my request for either backup or the return of my students.” He sighed again. “I’ve sent along another group of chimeras from my own agency. They’re aware of their duties.”

“What if Vlad and I were to leave with the students tonight?” He was serious, if it meant saving his students more pain, he would round them all up now and get them back to safety.

“The commission has notified me that due to this trip being funded on their behalf, they would consider it treasonous and would apply a black mark to the record of every hero that participates in returning the students to UA.”

Shouta scowled.

Midoriya-san sighed again, “our hands are tied here Eraserhead-san. I am unable to do anything with the commission’s blatant threats.”

As much as he hated it, the principal was right. A black mark on the record of every hero would ruin tons of lives. Shouta would be barred from teaching and would be forced to redo his training to remove that mark. The commission had really blocked them in such a way that no matter what, someone lost.

“They will be arriving by midday, I can only hope nothing goes wrong then.” Midoriya sighed once more, any previous light attitude or humor completely gone. The man seemed to age in the few days Shouta hadn’t seen him. “Good luck, Eraserhead-san.” The call cut off before Shouta could reply.

The large tiger chimera rumbled, pulling the man from his thoughts. “We will stop them.” He said with conviction.

Shouta said nothing, for he had nothing to say. He knew this was nothing to end well. And though he appreciated the sentiment, he wouldn’t bother agreeing when everyone knew that they were royally fucked.

The fourth day passed with tense air, it was heavy and all-encompassing. He kept his students nearby, always within sight. Nothing happened.

The training camp continued. Day five, nothing. Day six, nothing. Day after day, nothing.

It was almost considered a false alarm. Almost.

Day thirteen was when they attacked.

Shouta and Vlad had gotten lax, they’d decided to split the students into groups and allow them into a section of the forest. It was during this activity that bright blue flames erupted into the sky.

The League was here and all of his students were separated.