Chapter Text
Size doesn't matter. A phrase commonly used to comfort one who feels small, but to Izuku Midoriya, it was just a flat out lie. In this world, size does matter. It didn't just matter, it was everything and that's what he was here to fix, his size.
"Shatterdome, this is seven thirty-one, are we cleared for landing?" The pilot of the Sikorsky helicopter had a rough voice, it grated against Midoriya's ears as it echoed in his headset.
Confirmation was given and the pilot touched them down so softly Midoriya barely felt it. He was dressed in a plain hoodie and casual jeans. He hadn't been given any instructions on what to wear, so he went with functional clothing.
There were seven other people in that chopper with him and the pilot, but he had barely given them a second thought, until now, "One of them. I'm going to drift with one of them." The eight cadets sat in rows of four, lined up against the sides of the military vessel. Only two people caught Midoriya's green eyes, one was a blond-haired boy, looked the same age as him, eighteen. The most striking thing about him was his face, a mishmash of negative emotions, rage, hate, annoyance, but oddly enough the one that stuck out the most was boredom.
"What are you looking at?!" The boy had noticed Midoriya's stare and immediately began to treat it like some infectious disease. As Midoriya turned to the second cadet the blonde kid just scoffed and looked back down at his lap, tapping his foot rapidly.
There was no other word for her, besides stunning, or maybe elegant. She held up her midnight black hair in an enormous ponytail. Her eyes were similarly dark, a mix of intelligence and anxiety. "She definitely doesn't look like one to belong here, but I shouldn't stereotype, especially at a place like this." Midoriya was not wrong, however, her figure contrasted everyone. Slim, dainty almost, she was taller than Midoriya, that much was certain, however, she was tiny compared to the rest of the chopper. There it was again, the thought of size, how big you could be. It wasn't an innuendo, it was just reality, it was just… a Jaeger.
"Alright pile on out! Gotta get this show on the road!" The pilot was grinning back at the new cadets, he had seen his fair share of newbies, but this was the first set in a long time.
They all unbuckled and stood as the Sikorsky's ramp descended, revealing two people, two legends. Wind tousled Midoriya's green hair and heavy rain was the background soundtrack.
"Cadets!" They all snapped to attention. The man spoke in a rugged voice, but it wasn't grating like the pilot's. He was blonde, just like the other boy, a rough stubble covered his jaw. The uniform he wore, if you could call it that, was essentially what Midoriya was wearing.
The woman next to him, however, was more formal, a commander's uniform, neatly pressed, an umbrella hovered above her head, blocking the rain. "We are your commanders." She gestured to the man, "Raleigh Becket." Her short black hair bobbed as she faced forwards once more, "And myself, Mako Mori."
Raleigh was American and yet he spoke perfect Japanese, which complimented his wife nicely. Midoriya knew everything about these two, to the point where it got obsessive, creepy even, but they were his heroes, his symbols. They were the two who closed the breach so that the Kaiju couldn't return anytime soon.
Their new CO didn't seem to mind the rain, it soaked his body, revealing a muscled form underneath his clothes. "Grab your shit and get inside! You're wasting time!"
Midoriya snatched a single bag from under his seat, he had packed light and followed the two warriors to a massive metal door. As they passed through and out of the rain Midoriya noticed it was an empty room, "It's an elevator." He realized as the hydraulic doors began to close.
"Hold the door! Hold it!" A girl with pink hair and crazed yellow eyes slipped through the crack at the last moment, carrying a cylindrical container. Midoriya couldn't see what was inside, but he could hear a sloshing, almost like water.
"We've updated the housing for cadets, you'll all be sleeping in the same room, so get accustomed when we reach it. You'll have an hour to unpack, and then another hour to eat before we begin assessments." Raleigh turned towards the pink-haired girl, "And for god's sake Mei, stop cutting it so close, that's five times in the last ten days you've nearly gotten crushed by that thing."
"Sorry, I've just got so much to do, no time to wait for- oooo are these new cadets?" Mei began to inspect each one individually, spending ample amounts of time on the blond-haired kid, and Midoriya himself.
Just before she could reach a hand out to physically inspect them, much to their annoyance, a small ding echoed throughout the space. Mako gestured to the hallway that led to a single door, "Those are your quarters. Be prepared to meet us for assessment at oh eight hundred."
Everyone except for Mako, Raleigh, and Mei shuffled out of the elevator, "Out of my way losers!" That blond-haired kid pushed past everyone making for the door immediately.
"How dare you! We are all allies here and intend to become the best we can be!" Midoriya looked over at the guy and tried not to laugh, the bluish haired kid was rapidly chopping his arms through the air, just like a robot.
"Did you really get a stick that far up your ass at boot camp?" As the robotic cadet tried to formulate a response, the other laughed, "You're all just stepping stones to my success!"
Both Midoriya and the onyx eyed girl spoke at the same time, "You're forgetting something." They stared at each other, and Izuku being the gentleman, gestured for her to continue. She flashed him a shy smile, "Well, we have to be drift compatible right? So how can we do that with you if you're constantly acting better than everyone? One cannot have dominance in the drift."
"Damn that smile was cute. And she said exactly what I was gonna say!" Midoriya crossed his arms and waited for a response, but the only one they received was a scoff as the door was torn open.
The girl glanced over at Midoriya who twirled one finger around his temple in the universal signal for crazy. She covered her mouth, but he could tell she was amused.
The room was plain, just bunk beds, lockers, and some chests by their beds for any other belongings. The girl stood from her chest, "Ok, I think it's about time we all introduced each other."
"You're fucking kidding me! You want to do an icebreaker?!" The blond-haired kid was somehow viscously and yet neatly folding his clothes.
Seeing no more objections she stood, "I suppose I'll start. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu and I joined, so that like all of you, I could help protect my family and my world."
A yellow-haired kid laughed non-maliciously, "Is that why you joined? Shoot, I feel stupid now." He rubbed the back of his neck as everyone stared at him, "Um, I guess I'll go next, I'm Denki Kaminari, and well… I joined to pilot a giant ass robot, about as simple as it gets."
It was an odd way to introduce each other, but it worked, Tenya Iida was the guy who had been so strict, Katsuki Bakugo was the angry blonde. The others were Kyoka Jiro, who had dark purple hair and always seemed to have at least one earbud in, Ejiro Kirishima, a spiky red-haired, testosterone-filled bodybuilder. And finally, the quiet one, he had two mismatched eyes and a burn scar over his left eye, his hair was equally split, one side white, the other scarlet, Shoto Todoroki.
Finally, it came to him, Midoriya stood, "I'm Izuku Midoriya." That was all he wanted to say, he feared if he started to talk about why he joined, it wouldn't stop.
Kirishima looked puzzled at his abrupt declaration and subsequent cut off, "Uh dude? Are you gonna say why you're here? We all did."
The green cadet pursed his lips, giving the room a careful once over, "It's personal."
Kaminari scoffed, "Dude, you came to the wrong place to keep a secret. One of us is gonna be in your head sooner or later."
Izuku shrugged, "One person knowing is better than seven."
"The real question is why they started recruiting again." Everyone turned to Todoroki, his quiet demeanor giving him the advantage of seeming loud during the few times he spoke. "The Kaiju haven't been spotted for years. And-"
"You don't think the Breach could open again do you?!"
Bakugo gave Kaminari a piercing glare. "Dumbass! Why the hell would you come here if you weren't prepared to fight something?!"
"Well… I just thought… ya know… peacetime and all that."
Yaoyorozu shook her head, "I'm certain that the Breach isn't opening anytime soon, but-"
She was cut off by a blaring siren, one that made Izuku jump a foot in the air and want slam his hands over his ears.
"Rogue Jaeger spotted approaching Tokyo! All Pilots, man your Jaegers and engage the target! This is not a drill!"
"Yeah… peacetime," Bakugo said before slapping the back of Kaminari's head, "Nice going dumbass, you jinxed us."