Chapter Text
“One more photo!”
“Dad, you already took at least two dozen!” Izuku protests. “And besides, I don’t want to be late!”
“School doesn’t start for another hour,” Hisashi mutters, but he reluctantly lowers his camera. He's only taken thirty photos (nowhere near enough to mark such a momentous occasion), but Izuku is leveling with a look that is... rather reminiscent of Inko. “Just… I’m so, so proud of you, Izuku.”
Izuku sniffs and hugs him, and Hisashi savours the feeling. Izuku… His little boy isn’t so little anymore. He’s a teenager, ready to leave and make his mark on the world, and Hisashi just can’t quite believe it.
“When did you get so tall?” he asks as they separate, and he can’t help himself, he adjusts his son’s tie for what is probably the tenth time that morning. “Oh, Izuku, your mother would be so proud.”
The sadness he feels is familiar by now. He doesn’t think he’ll ever stop missing Inko, and a part of him feels guilty as he looks down at their son. She deserves to be here far more that him; he can picture her now, sobbing her eyes out. But she would be smiling, too; she would be absolutely beaming, so incredibly proud of their brave, kind, intelligent son…
“I know, dad,” Izuku sniffs and Attracts a box of tissues from the coffee table.
Hisashi isn’t ashamed to admit the action brings tears to his own eyes. Because Inko might be dead, but she’s not gone; she is probably watching them both, proud of her son and, hopefully, her husband. (Or maybe not, he admits to himself. She probably isn’t too pleased by the fact that her only son has chosen a career that is… not the safest. Although at least the mortality rate for heroes significantly decreased for some mysterious reason Hisashi knows absolutely nothing about approximately a decade ago.)
Thinking about Inko reminds Hisashi of his brother, and he can't help but wonder what Yoshito would say. He would probably be proud of Izuku, yes, but... It irritates that old wound deep in Hisashi's soul to imagine his brother smiling down at Izuku, and then turning to Hisashi with that same old smile, that twinkle in his eye...
Then Hisashi's thoughts drift to far pleasanter matters and he has to smother a rather villainous cackle. If the dead holders of One For All are watching him, he's fairly certain they're in shock; hell, he's probably caused at least one heart-attack.
He hopes it was Daigoro; he really liked that suit...
“Right,” he clears his throat as he quickly turns his thoughts back to more socially acceptable matters. He isn’t entirely sure why he’s so emotional; Izuku is only going to school for a few hours, and will be back for dinner. It’s not like he’s leaving the country, or going off to war. “…You should probably go. Don’t want to be late on your first day.”
“Yeah,” Izuku sniffs and then hugs him again. “Kurogiri!”
“Here you go,” their resident mode of transportation emerges from the kitchen, carrying a plastic box. “Now, when you're done, text me, and…”
“…I can get lunch at the cafeteria…”
“I thought you might want to share some cookies with your classmates,” Kurogiri shrugs. “Of course, if you’d rather…”
“You’re wonderful and I love you!” Izuku snatches the box before the warper can change his mind. “Oh, and I love you too, dad…”
“I know, Izuku,” Hisashi smiles. “I love you too. And… We’re all so proud of you.”
Izuku grins. Then he glances up the stairs, takes a deep breath and calls out, “Bye, Machia!”
A loud, not quite human wail answers him, and Hisashi sighs. Gigantomachia’s devotion to Izuku is unquestionable, and something he encouraged, but… Unfortunately, their resident bodyguard never quite accepted that Izuku going to school means he has to stay home. True, it probably wasn’t helped by that time Izuku got abducted in primary school, but still…
“He’ll get over it,” Hisashi assures Izuku even as he pulls him into one last, final hug.
“I know, dad,” Izuku sighs. “Just… be good…”
Hisashi rolls his eyes as his son steps through a Warp Gate. He isn’t entirely sure what Izuku thinks he can do in the few hours he’s going to have; taking over Japan is not something that can be accomplished in an afternoon, and certainly not if he has to also cover his tracks. There is absolutely no way he is risking hugs for something as inconsequential as world domination.
Then Hisashi glances up the stairs himself and winces. He isn’t entirely sure Gigantomachia has quite grasped that Izuku is going to be taught by heroes. And Hisashi suspects… Well, it would probably not go over well if Gigantomachia killed one of Izuku’s teachers, even if it’s an accident.
“Kurogiri,” he turns to the warper. “Open a Gate to… Somewhere in the countryside. Uninhabited. As far from other people as possible.”
Gigantomachia will need to get this out of his system.
Izuku takes a deep breath as he stares at the door to his classroom.
This… This is his first step towards becoming a hero.
(It does not count that he has technically been saving the world since he was a toddler. He was not aware at the time his father was once the fearsome villain All For One, and he’s pretty sure if he ever claimed to have saved Japan by way of pillow forts and bedtime stories, he’d get laughed out of the room.)
Izuku adjusts his bag, takes another deep breath and opens the door.
“…Insist you show the appropriate respect to this noble institution!”
Izuku almost slams the door closed again.
He doesn’t, because he is going to be a hero. And also because, terrifying or not, Tenya is his best friend. So he takes another deep breath (he’s starting to get slightly dizzy), plasters on a smile and enters the battlefield, ready to save his fellow classmates from the worst of Tenya’s well-meaning nagging.
“Hi Tenya!” he greets his best friend.
“Izuku!” the taller boy spins around, a wide smile on his face. “How responsible of you to arrive so early! I was slightly concerned, since you were not responding to my messages, and I was unsure whether Kurogiri would be allowed…”
“He dropped me off just outside the gates,” Izuku interrupts his friend. “And I turned my phone off last night, just in case someone decided to wake me up way too early. Again.”
“I was concerned you might oversleep!...”
“Tenya, I live with Kurogiri,” Izuku points out as he drops his stuff off at his desk. “I really don’t need to wake up at four in the morning.”
“I suppose…”
“Now come on, I’ve got cookies to share,” Izuku grins as he opens the box. “Bribery is the perfect start to a meaningful relationship!”
“Momo Yaoyorozu,” the girl sitting behind him introduces herself. “Thank you so much.”
“I’m Izuku Midoriya, and the cyborg here is Tenya Iida,” Izuku gently nudges his best friend. “I know he can be a bit… intense, but he means well.”
“Don’t mention it!” a voice booms, and Izuku turns to find himself face to… well, chest, with perhaps the largest teenager he has ever met. (Tenya included.) “It’s great to see someone with so much passion!”
“Please keep your voice at an acceptable volume!”
“Tenya, be nice,” Izuku hisses once he has recovered from his shock. (Seriously, is this guy related to Machia?... Oh, god, Izuku should not have thought that, now he has to try and not imagine Machia having sex...) “Here, have a cookie. And you too, ah…”
“Inasa Yoarashi!” the big guy grins as he takes a cookie. “I’m so stocked to meet everyone!”
“…Right,” Izuku slowly nods; then he spots a familiar teenager behind Yoarashi and decides this is the perfect opportunity to escape. “Oh, hey, Bakugo! Want a cookie?”
“Whatever,” Bakugo growls, grabs one and bites into it angrily. (Izuku never knew it was possible to bite a cookie angrily.) “Fuck, this is good.”
“Please do not use such vulgar language!”
“Fuck you, Four-eyes!”
Izuku sighs, makes a mental note to interrogate Shoto on the subject of Katsuki Bakugo, and then drags Tenya off to stand by the front door. They manage to greet about three people; then Yoarashi starts getting excited and Tenya rushes off to reprimand him.
Izuku closes his eyes and prays Shoto will arrive soon.
“Hey, are you alright?” someone asks him.
“Quite alright,” he assures the girl and then realizes she’s invisible. “Oh, want a cookie?”
“Thanks! I’m Toru Hagakure, by the way!”
“Izuku Midoriya.”
“So, like, did you bake these yourself?” a well-built guy with rather odd lips asks.
“Actually, I…” Izuku tries to think of a way to describe Kurogiri that won’t make him sound posh (the word butler is officially out) or rather odd (which is probably even more difficult; butler is a lot less awkward a descriptor than minor-criminal-my-dad-recruited while-he-was-still-trying-to-destroy-society-as-we-know-it); then he spots a teenager hurrying in their direction with a very… distinctive hairstyle.
For just a second he stares, astonished; then he laughs, and shoves the box in the direction of Hagakure’s clothes.
“Sorry, but – I have to go. Could you watch these? Thanks! Tenya! Tenya, Shoto’s here!”
“Thank goodness for that!” Tenya exclaims as he hurries over. “I was beginning to grow concerned something may have happened! It is most irresponsible of him to arrive so…”
He trails off as he catches sight of their friend.
“Sorry I’m late,” Shoto gasps as he comes to a stop. “Touya insisted on seeing me off, only he got caught up in an incident… I had to stop by the station on the way, and then he wanted photos, and… What? What is it?”
“Your hair,” Izuku breathes.
“Oh,” Shoto flushes. He glances over his friends’ shoulders to where several of their classmates are staring at them, and winces. “…Could we maybe talk about this somewhere else?”
“Of course!” Tenya recovers quickly. “Our apologies, Shoto! It is only to be expected you would not wish to discuss personal matters in such a public place…”
“…Which is why we are moving to the loos right now!” Izuku interrupts his friend. “Hagakure, could you take over giving cookies to the new arrivals?”
“Sure!” the invisible girl agrees easily. “And your friend’s hair is awesome, by the way!”
With his responsibilities appropriately discharged, Izuku grabs Shoto and drags him off in the direction of the nearest bathroom, Tenya close behind.
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Shoto sighs just outside the door. “I want my cookie.”
“I must apologize profusely!” Tenya immediately bows. “I have often criticised your excessive use of hair dye, and whilst I meant well, I can now see why your actions were entirely justified! I can only assure you that my criticisms, whilst misguided, came from a place of genuine concern for your wellbeing!”
“Apology accepted,” Shoto sighs, but there’s a faint smile on his face. “So, cookies?”
“…So you’re not going to dye your hair anymore?” Izuku asks. He feels almost… sad. He’s gotten used to Shoto’s ever-changing hair colour, although… Well, considering his real hair colour is even more unique than he imagined, he understands why it was necessary. “…Aren’t you afraid…”
“I…” Shoto takes a deep breath. “…I think I’ll always be a bit scared. But… Now that I’m going to be a hero, I don’t… I don’t want to hide from Endeavor anymore.”
“That is incredibly courageous of you!” Tenya nods. “And, should you or your family require assistance, you need only ask!”
“Exactly!” Izuku smiles. “We’re a team, the three of us!”
Shoto laughs and relaxes just the slightest bit. But he’s still tense, and as Izuku glances back towards the classroom, he can see several teenagers staring shamelessly in their direction. Shoto has never been the most outgoing of their trio, and so Izuku decides a few more minutes won’t exactly hurt.
“So, who do you think will be our homeroom teacher?” Izuku asks. He’s been racking his brain for weeks and has at least a dozen theories (some of which are rather ridiculous or outright impossible). And besides, it’s a subject his friends will probably be interested in, unlike speculating about the mechanics of Hagakure’s invisibility.
(Not for the first time, Izuku feels a warm glow as he imagines how delighted his dad will be at the prospect of analysing all these new Quirks. There’s always something special about those late-night Quirk Analysis sessions, even if Tenya'll no doubt be outraged the next morning.)
“It will most likely Present Mic or Eraserhead,” Tenya shrugs.
“What? Why?” Izuku frowns. He considered them, of course, but ended up deciding it was unlikely. (After all, they're Hitoshi's parents, and however great he is, Mic is about as likely to remain impartial as Izuku's dad is to marry All Might. And whilst Aizawa can remain impartial, he'd probably quit rather than deal with Izuku's habit of getting into... Situations.)
“Because of your Aunt From Okinawa,” Shoto answers.
“…Is Auntie Rei from Okinawa?” Izuku frowns. He could have sworn she told him she was born in Tokyo, and anyway… What does that have to do with their teachers?...
“I mean your Quirk!” Shoto hisses, glancing around suspiciously. “Aunt. From. Okinawa. Get it?”
“Oh!”
“Perhaps we should think of an appropriate codename,” Tenya suggests. “To avoid further confusion.”
“Yeah, but what? Ants… Frolicking…”
“Apples fucking…”
“Perhaps something shorter and less… Vulgar?” Tenya winces. “I was thinking perhaps Pokémon would be a suitable codename?”
“Why?” Izuku frowns as he tries to figure out the connection. Then he decides it’s probably a pretty good suggestion; he doubts anyone would think there is anything connecting the terrifying villain All For One and adorable little Pikachu.
“Well, I was thinking about it, and… We switch, don’t we?” Tenya smiles.
Shoto and Izuku nod in understanding.
“So I thought it might be an appropriate codename.”
“Alright, Pokémon it is!” Izuku grins.
“Right, have we sorted everything out?” Shoto asks just as the bell rings. “Cause I want my cookie!”
“Yes, we should return to class! We do not wish to leave a bad first impression!”
“Alright!” Izuku laughs. Not for the first time, he’s grateful they’re all in the same class. This is how they imagined themselves as children; side by side, fighting the forces of evil and prevailing because Good and Justice and all that other stuff little kids believe. And sure, in the near future they’ll probably be battling more English assignments than villains... But it’ll still be great, he’s sure of it. “U.A., here we come!
Tenya, obviously satisfied and eager to get back to class before they are all expelled for tardiness, spins round and Izuku and Shoto roll their eyes behind his back. He only gets about two steps down the hallway before he stops and, in a voice his friends know only too well, exclaims, “Mr Eraserhead! Whilst I am delighted to see you and am certain you shall prove an excellent teacher, I must protest! Your behaviour at present is not at all befitting a member of staff here at UA.!”
The yellow caterpillar lying in front of the door slowly rolls over and sits up, and for just a second Aizawa stares at them.
“Hi, Eraserhead!” Izuku smiles and waves.
Aizawa groans.