Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Hawks had a lot of interns. His interns had interns. Despite the sheer number of workers that answered to him, Hawks liked to think he could at least recognize the people who work in his agency. It wasn’t too hard to know all the interns (and sidekicks) that inhabited the building in a near constant flow. He made it a point to at least be shown each new employee’s file before they were officially hired. While he didn’t have any real say in who his sidekicks were, a commission rep would carefully select the heroes that they felt fit the image they’d crafted him, the interns he had free reign on.

    Hawks was aware that he probably took this, exceedingly small, freedom for granted, but he found the task of shuffling through all those prospective interns incredibly boring. So, he left this job to his numerous interns. They’d know the better who to hire into their ranks than he did anyway. All this led to him staring down at a joining intern who is obviously a kid. Keigo snorts at the scribbled “16” on the line for the applicant’s age. He could tell from the picture alone that this kid was most definitely not sixteen. But Hawks was curious as to why a kid would lie about his age to join his agency and just bored enough to sit back and watch this play out.

    Things started to pick up not too long after and the hero forgot about the kid joining. It was almost two months later when he remembered. Seeing the kid silently distributing files during a meeting about a villain some of the sidekicks were hunting. Hawks tilted his head slightly, watching the kid curiously. The boy was pretty small, almost concerningly so. His wild green curls hid a large portion of his face, and he was curled into himself to be as unnoticeable as possible. The kid, Keigo really needed to learn his name, suddenly stilled. Keigo watched as the young intern shuffled some papers in his hand carefully before placing them back inside the last folder he had in his hands. The hero frowned, moving to ask for the folder as the info in it was no doubt classified.

    Before he could, the folder had already been swiftly placed in front of a sidekick, Gale: the gusty hero, if he remembered correctly. The woman opened the folder and glanced down to skim through the forms, Hawks sitting back and keeping a careful eye on the kid, before giving a soft gasp as she held the paper that had been laying on the top of the stack. “Wait! Has anyone tried to follow up on the witness from the third assault? The report mentioned that the assailant’s mask was damaged in the scuffle. But there isn’t anything in the report about a sketch artist being called in or even a rudimentary description. They might be able to identify our guy!” Keigo watched as the rest of the people around the table began to shuffle through countless papers for the one that’d Gale was holding. It was recognizable as being the thinnest packet in the folder.

    There was a moment of silence as the rest of the people examine the report. Keigo raised an eyebrow as numerous voices started calling out game plans and ideas on how to get in contact with the witness. All while the small intern in the back went unnoticed by all but the number three hero. The man the only witness to Midoriya Izuku’s pleased smile.

    Huh, interesting.

    Midoriya, as Hawks had learned his name was, had been working there in the evenings for a month and a half. While the kid seemed small and unassuming, Hawks had seen that he was more than he appeared from the scene last week in the conference room. When Keigo researched further, he discovered that the boy tended to be a bit chaotic. He had a running feud with the snobbier members of his sidekicks as he apparently had a tendency to wear the same three hoodies. Whoever decided certain articles of clothing were unprofessional had too much time on their hands. Keigo thought as he watched several sidekicks sneer at the teen as he scurried around the office sorting files. A baggy sweatshirt that suspiciously resembled Fatgum’s costume the target of their ire. Keigo laughed softly as he watched the boy pointedly brush imaginary dust from the front before he approached a sneering man’s desk.

    Further researched revealed another gem about the intern in question. The support department had taken it upon themselves to ban the kid from using the coffee machine. Rumor around the office claimed that one of the engineers in the support team had a technology centered quirk and had used his quirk to prevent the machine from producing coffee if a certain greenette was in the vicinity. A rumor Keigo was open to believe as he had observed said greenette flipping the coffee maker off while chugging from a to-go cup of coffee that advertised the café down the street.

    Keigo’s observations came to a head when the building housing his agency became a casualty of a villain attack. The hero who’d attempted to round the rampaging criminal having been blasted through the wall and nearly taking out the poor boy in the process. Hawks managing to pull the boy out of the way in time. “Aw man that was my favourite place to get nuggets!” the boy shouted, gaze locked on something behind the hero’s shoulder. The blond man blinked before following Midoriya’s gaze to see a smoldering pile of rubble. Damn, they did have some good nuggets. Keigo shook his head, forcing himself to focus on the situation. He turned to see if the kid was hurt, happy to see only a few scraps and bruises.

    “Go to the support department, they have emergency protocols that will keep you and the other interns safe” the kid nodded; eyes serious. Hawks was thankful the kid wasn’t panicking. The hero smiled to himself as he saw the kid helping others out from rubble and leading them in the direction of the support department. He turned back to the villain that was now laughing loudly as he waged a path of destruction. Keigo sighed to himself before moving to handle the situation. Making a mental note to talk to the kid later.

Chapter Text

               By the time that Hawks managed to round up the villain, lecture the original hero on minimalizing collateral damage, mourn the loss of a perfectly innocent nugget joint and handle the reporters, he’d forgotten his plan to speak to Midoriya. This plan was only remembered once he’d flopped down into his bed. Sighing to himself he settled for cornering the intern tomorrow. Plans made, he scrolled through his phone idly waiting to feel tired. Purposefully ignoring the messages from his handler. She was rather annoying at best and had gotten her feathers ruffled (pun intended) after seeing the incident that morning. Seeing a notification that was much more interesting, Keigo clicked to open it up. His messaging app opened up to his newest text.

               Them legs tho: It seems you had your hands full today. Still up for our game night tomorrow? I’ll bring some chicken…( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

               It’s NOT cannibalism: Hmm, I’ll consider your bribe. What quality of chicken are you bringing to the table?

               Them legs tho: What sort of friend do you take me as? Only the worst quality for you Kei.

               It’s NOT cannibalism: Aww Rumi, you really know how to treat a man. I’ll see you tomorrow night after work. You bring the grease; I’ll bring the booze.

               Keigo closed out of the chat and plugged his phone in. Snorting at his friends parting quip about getting therapy for his cannibalistic tendencies before going to bed.

              The next day brought the sudden realization that half his agency had been demolished. Keigo stared blankly at the half-burnt building hoping this got him out of the meeting with his handler. He was brought out of his musing by a coffee cup being thrust in his face. Hawks blinked but accepted the proffered beverage. As he guzzled from the cup, casually ignoring the scalding of his tongue, he turned to the newcomer. “Oh, it’s you” he stated eloquently.

               “Yes…?” The green haired teen answered hesitantly. Keigo winced at Midoriya’s apprehensive expression. Not my smoothest moment.

               “Midoriya. Right? What are you doing here, don’t you have school?” He asked, glancing around the now semi-crowded streets.

               “Classes ended almost an hour ago. Um…h-how? Why do you know my name?” Midoriya asked, stepping back a little. Eyes widening slightly before waving his hands frantically, “Not that it’s a bad thing necessarily! It’s just, well, you know. You’re a big hero, you’re super important and I’m just some random kid who decided to intern here…” the interns voice lowers the longer he talks before stuttering out completely.

               “Having the title of hero doesn’t mean I suddenly gain more importance than other people. I just have different responsibilities. But honestly, I didn’t know your name until recently. I actually asked around for your name when something you did caught my attention”.

               If possible, the teen became paler. “Wh-what did I do? I’m sorry! I know it’s not technically dress code to wear the hero merch and hoodies all the time, but I don’t exactly have anything else to wear except my mi-high school uniform and that doesn’t usually look too good because Ka-reasons! I’m sorry! I’ll start looking for more professional clothes and I promise I won’t hack the coffee machine and slurp it in front of Hiniachi in support anymore! Really, whatever mistake I made I’ll make sure to correct it! Pl-please don’t fi-f-fire me!” Midoriya finished his panicked ramble with a deep bow.

               Keigo blinked dumbly as he processed everything the kid had said. The man smiled, crouching down to peer up at the kids face. “You don’t need to apologize kid; I don’t care about dress codes or that weird feud you have with the coffee machine. Though between you and me, I’m rooting for ya,” Hawks added with a wink, coaxing a small smile from the teen, “I wanted to talk to you about something I saw a little bit ago with the rash mugging case”.

               “Oh…” Midoriya watched, wide eyed but thankfully calmed after the reassurance he wasn’t in trouble, as Keigo rose from his crouch. The hero looked around before sighing.

               “We’re gathering a bit of a crowd, how bout we head somewhere a little more private before we discuss your promotion?”

               “S-sure!” Midoriya stuttered, shooting a confused look in Hawks direction as the man moved behind him. “Where are we going?”

               “Don’t worry! Just don’t let go” Keigo sent him a sharp grin.

               “Don’t let go? Wait, did you say promot-ahhhhh!” Midoriya’s questions cut off as arms suddenly wrapped firmly around his middle and he was in the air. He gripped the arms frantically before gasping out a breathless laugh. Before he could truly appreciate the new view, he was being gently set on top of a roof. He spun to meet the older man’s smug gaze. “That was amazing Mr. Hawks-sir! I’ve always wondered how it felt to fly! And your takeoff! I’ve seen it on the news and in videos before, but never in person! The strength of your wings to be able to preform a standing take-off with a passenger is astounding! I knew that the sheer size of your wingspan was part of why your capable of carrying yourself but I hadn’t accounted for your ability to carry additional weight. The fact that your hero costume and support gear add a healthy amount of excess weight was something I attempted to factor into my analysis before but without knowing the materials that made all your support gear it was purely guess work and a lot of research into support guidelines. Have you worked out your functional weight limit when it comes to carrying and not hindering your ability to maneuver while in flight? If you practiced enough, would you be able to raise that limit? Or was the limit predetermined with the length your wings stopped growing at? Perhaps the weight limit isn’t solely based on your wing’s capacity but the ability of your arms yourself? Like another limb, where the skill and abilities aren’t necessarily distributed equally amongst the limbs but simply a sum of all the limbs. Oh! Have you seen if-" Midoriya suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth red faced and horrified.

               Keigo stared in shock before laughing. “You got quite the brain under that bush, don’t you? I knew you were something from what I’d seen and heard these last few weeks, but this is completely left field. You’re a chaotic brain gremlin and I didn’t even realize until now!” He wheezed some more before several more giggles slipped out at the thoroughly baffled gaze of the green haired boy. He inhaled deeply to calm himself, directing a serious look at the kid. “Tell me Midoriya, how do you feel about being a personal assistant? No more of the glorified coffee boy lark. I saw your subtle trick with the paperwork with that case Gale cracked”.

               Midoriya ducked his head, fidgeting with the slightly frayed cuff of his hoodie sleeve. Hawks had to resist the sudden urge to ruffle the kids hair. “I didn’t do much, I just noticed that no one was paying much attention to the report because it was so small. I figured if it was front and center it’d be more likely to be read, that’s all” he murmured.

               Keigo smiled, “I wouldn’t say that’s all. You managed to notice something important in a case that had passed through several professionals’ inspections and yet they were all stumped until you pointed it out. Don’t sell yourself short. Your smart kid, we can work on you owning that fact in the future. So, how bout it?”

               Midoriya remained silent. Face a picture of awe, as if he wasn’t used to such praise being directed at him. Keigo didn’t like how that thought made him feel. We can work on that later, after he agrees to this. Suddenly, the teen straightened up and flashed a feral grin Keigo’s way, “Deal”.

               Hawks matched his grin and offered his hand for a handshake. Smile growing wider as the teen took it without hesitation. “This is going to be fun,” Keigo stepped back to examine the boy consideringly, an idea forming. “Are you free tonight? I got someone I’d like you to meet.”

Chapter Text

      After Midoriya stuttered out a quick assurance he had no plans that night, Keigo pulled out his phone. Wincing at the time displayed on the lock screen.

      Them legs tho: Keiiiii where are you?

      It’s NOT cannibalism: Sorry, got sidetracked. I’m going to have a passenger I want you to meet.

      He closed out of the chat without waiting for a response. Looking up at Midoriya who stood awkwardly waiting. “Okay kid, let your parents know you won’t be home till late tonight and then we can go”. Midoriya blushed and ducked his head.

      “U-um, I don’t have um…”

      Hawks winced, way to put my foot in my mouth, “Shit, sorry Midoriya, I shouldn’t have assumed. Is there anyone you need to notify?” Keigo felt an odd tug on his heart when the teen shifted anxiously and gave a tiny shake of his head. “Let’s head out then, want to fly again?” he asked, hoping to cheer the kid back up. Smiling to himself when the Midoriya’s eyes started to practically sparkle.

      “Yes!”

      A few minutes and one windswept walk bush later, Hawks was swinging open the door to Rumi’s apartment. The heroine grinned widely, swaying slightly as she shot to her feet. “Keigo! You’re late! I was forced to entertain myself.” Keigo raised an eyebrow at the two empty sake bottles behind her.

      “I’m sure you managed somehow” he replied dryly. Rumi laughed before her eyes widened. Keigo looked over his shoulder and saw that Midoriya was peeking around him, wide eyes locked on Rumi. Keigo stepped into the apartment, allowing the teen to enter as well. “Rumi meet Midoriya, Midoriya this is-”

      “Mirko! I’m a huge fan! Your fighting style is incredible. Especially your takedowns! Can I have your autograph before I leave? Your one of my favourite heroes!” Midoriya probably would’ve continued on his spiel if Keigo didn’t interrupt him with an affronted noise.

      “Hold on! Why does she get the fanboy reaction and I get coffee and a skill report?” He asked indignantly.

      Midoriya waved a hand in the air, “I already fanboyed over you when I first started working at your agency. Not my fault you didn’t see”. The teen replied casually, leading Rumi to smile smugly at him. Keigo huffed and turned to find the food.

      “I’m getting the chicken,” he grumbled. “You want some kid?” he called as he grabbed some plates from the cabinet.

      “You eat chicken? Isn’t that-”

      “Don’t even think of finishing that question!” Hawks interrupted, head popping out from behind the doorway that separated the kitchen from the rest of the building to mock glare at the teen. Midoriya tilted his head, glancing from the blond to Rumi who pointedly avoided his gaze, a playful smile playing at her lips. The teen looked thoughtful before nodding.

      “I get it. Don’t worry, I don’t judge. Sometimes, cannibalism is just something you gotta do.”

      Rumi snorted loudly, moving to muffle her amusement behind her hand. “No! No, it is not!” Keigo exclaimed. Moving fully out into the living room with the other two.

      “Oh.” Midoriya murmured, looking genuinely shocked.

      “Who have you been eating?!” Keigo questioned, sounding distressed.

      “Hey! I’m a minor! I can’t believe a hero would insinuate something like that about his young employee” The teen exclaimed. Placing his hand to his chest in mock offense. Rumi, having regained her composure, shook her head solemnly.

      “How shameful. I apologize Midoriya, he has tainted your innocent ears.” She bowed before letting out a low giggle. Midoriya joining in with his own laughter as Keigo looked at the ceiling and questioned his decision to bring the child. How am I the sane one here?

      When Hawks agreed to a slightly drunk game of never have I ever with his friend and intern, he'd done so very reluctantly. Rumi and the little gremlin had the power to destroy what remained of Keigo's sanity if allowed to become more than acquaintances. Their combined power had already made Keigo regret extending an invite to the kid several times that night. He pointedly ignored the small part of him that knew he didn’t truly regret bringing Midoriya. Keigo had gotten to know him a little more and the kid was starting to grow more comfortable around him. Something that would be important if he were going to be working directly under him.

      Forcing his thoughts back to the problem at hand, Keigo despaired at the mischievous look in Rumi’s eyes. She was up to something, and he knew it would leave him with a headache. For Keigo's own sake, he needed to end this game as soon as possible. He knew just the questions to ask that would get Rumi out. The bird themed hero smirked, "I'll go first since you two were the ones who begged me to play".

      Midoriya snorted and muttered something under his breath. Hawks, in an incredible show of maturity, decided to ignore said comment. "Never have I ever...stabbed someone with a fork." Keigo finished with a smug grin. Just as he planned, two fingers went down.

      Wait. Two fingers?

      The moment that thought processed the blond man's head whipped around to stare at the teen to his left. Midoriya blinked and held his questioning gaze for a moment before simply shrugging. A lazy grin appearing at the loud cackles from Rumi. "Keep this one Kei! I'm already in love!" the woman wheezed through her laughter. Keigo could feel his precious sanity slip away with each echoing guffaw. He was shaken from his despair when Rumi leaned heavily against him as she wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. “Ah man, that was hilarious. You should’ve seen your face. It was priceless!”

Keigo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, he pondered between asking for an explanation or pretending the last five minutes didn’t happen. He settled on retaining plausible deniability to the crimes his gremlin of an intern may have committed outside of work.

      Hours later, after Keigo decided to be a responsible adult and take the kid home, the two stepped out onto the street. Midoriya shivered slightly and pulled the sleeves of his hoodie over his hands. “C’mon let’s get you home, it’s starting to get chilly. Where do you live? I can fly you home”. The kid’s eyes widened, smile dimming slightly.

      “Oh! Um, you don’t have to do that! I can just walk home!”

      “It’s nearly midnight kid, I wouldn’t feel right if I let you walk home alone”. Midoriya fidgeted with his sleeves looking away from the hero.

      “Really, it’s fine! I can walk. Please?” Hawks frowned, studying the kid. He could tell from his panicked expression that something was up. But the hero knew when to push and when to admit his losses. He feared if he continued to press, the kid would likely clam up. Best to let the kid come to him when he was ready. If Hawks saw signs that he was being hurt at home, he wouldn’t wait but, for now, he’d respect the kid’s boundaries and see where this led.

      “Ok, but,” Keigo watched the relief flood Midoriya’s expression before he immediately tensed at the man’s conditional, “text or call me when you get home. So I know your safe. Here, let me add my number”. Midoriya hesitantly passed his phone to him, slipping it away into his pocket when Keigo returned it. The teen smiled awkwardly, turning to walk away before pausing and looking back.

      “Thank you, for tonight. I…I had a lot of fun. Keigo sent him a reassuring smile.

      “No problem, kid. We’ll have to do this again sometime; Rumi would like that too”. Midoriya ducked his head to hide the pleased blush on his face. Keigo leaned against the apartment wall as he watched until Midoriya disappeared from sight. I was around twenty tense minutes later when his phone pinged. Smiling slightly when he saw his newest message.

      The text was from and unknown number, the message a simple: Home : )

Chapter Text

      Izuku shivered slightly, huddled in near the back of a general store. He’d dove in to hide from Kacchan and his pose. Checking the time, he sighed at the fact he was now going to be late after getting home and changing. He’d been hoping to get to work early but had been caught by his classmates before escaping the class. One of them had grabbed him while another used their quirk to send a stream of water at him, soaking him instantly. He’d stumbled back with a yelp only for him to slam into Kacchan. The other boy quickly becoming enraged, leading to where he was now. Soaked and hiding in a store. He was sure he’d waited long enough, and he didn’t want to be later than he already was.

      Slinking through the pathway he’d carved into the trash heaps of Dagobah Beach. Izuku stopped once he’d reached the abandoned motorhome that he’d uncovered. The small camper wasn’t much, the missing hitch and the rusted wheel wells the assumed reason for it’s abandonment. He clambered in and carefully laid out his waterlogged notebooks before changing into dry clothes. He snorted at the message from Hawks that just came through his phone, sending a quick reply and heading towards the agency.

      His hair was thankfully dry by the time he arrived into the bustle of Hawks’ agency. Izuku slumped back against the elevator for a moment to collect himself and then exited to find Hawks. He smiled to himself at that thought. He’d never consider himself a lucky person, but it could only be luck that led to him being noticed by Hawks and the man asking if he wanted to work directly with him. A hero wanted to work with him. Thought he was worth the time to listen to. Thought he was smart. Izuku knew objectively that he was smart, but his teachers only ever had criticism and scathing remarks about his lack of ability. It made it hard to believe he could possibly be anything other than Deku.

      Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he cautiously opened the door to the hero’s office. Hawks had mentioned he had a meeting around this time, which was why he’d hoped to arrive early. He noiselessly slipped into the room after seeing that there was still someone there. The woman seemed irritated while Hawks appeared bored but silent as she talked. Careful to remain unnoticed, he busied himself with straightening up the corners of the room. He couldn’t help but absently catch pieces of what sounded like a lecture. Hiding his surprise when the hero didn’t say anything to her.

      He frowned at a particularly snide remark toward the man’s usefulness. He snuck a glance at the woman’s face, her name should be on the schedule today. Some research wouldn’t hurt…

      His thoughts were derailed when he gave himself a papercut from his inattentive paper shuffling. Turning back to his hand and inspecting the small cut. Shaking his hand, he pulled his navy-blue sweater sleeve down to cover his fingers. It wouldn’t be good to bleed all over important files. Blushing when he noticed Hawks raised eyebrow that was sent his way. Hopefully he hadn't noticed him staring and was just reacting to the small hiss Izuku had given when the paper had sliced a neat line into his finger tip.

      When the woman finally left, he laughed softly at the exhausted groan from Hawks as he seemed to melt in his chair. Rolling his neck, Hawks sat up and smiled at Izuku. “Now that that’s over, let’s get to the fun part of work. A new case came in the other day, a series of break ins with very little evidence. They’ve gotten security footage of what appears to be the burglar using a quirk to melt things to bypass locks and doors. Frost said that the few witnesses there are have claimed that the person used a different quirk when handling them though. Sound like something you’d be interested in Izuku?”

      Izuku’s eyes widened, practically sparkling. “Yes! Is that really ok? I’m not that great at analyzing quirks, I’m sure there’s better people in the agency who-”

      “Kid don’t worry. Of course, it’s ok. Don’t undersell yourself either, your skilled kid, the analysis you’ve provided for cases have been better than most the professionals I’ve worked with.” Hawks assured, reaching over to ruffle Izuku’s green curls.

      “Thanks Hawks” he said, smiling happily.

      “Call me Keigo kid, you’ve been my personal intern for two months now, no need to be so formal”. The hero said fondly before turning to pull out the correct file. Finally retrieving the papers he’d been saving for Izuku to read through, he brandished them triumphantly in the air between them. Izuku smiled near ferally as he accepted them, moving to settle into a comfortable spot on the floor while reading. Deftly tuning out the man’s comment about there being other chairs in the room.

      When he tuned back in from his reading, he looked up to find the hero busy with his own notes and files. He shifted anxiously before collecting the papers he’d spread around him and standing up, clutching the file tightly to his chest. Hawks glanced over, gaze expectant. Izuku ducked his head shyly at the attention but forged on determinedly. “I left notes in the file with some ideas and thoughts on the burglars quirks. As well as their method and possible activity range. I think there’s more than one. Two at least from the reports provided. The video evidence appears to only have captured one person but the quirks that have been seen and/or witnessed don’t hold any correlation. Making it a very low possibility that it’s the same person wielding a dual quirk. The footage always catches a figure with the same outfit, but the clothing covers any significant features meaning there’s no way we would be able to tell if there’s more than one person parading around in the same costume to mask their identities. They could possibly be working like a tag team. The one with the melting quirk, could be designated as the one to handle situations without hostages, while the one with the light flare quirk could be the one that handles hits where they would come across people who would need to be stunned or subdued in some way. I suggest looking into people who have similar builds that work near the first place that was broken into. It was the messiest, less organized so likely the first attempt and a crime of opportunity”.

      Hawks grinned and reached out to accept the files, “Good job kid. I’ll take a look at these and send them back to Frost tomo-Are those bruises?” The hero cut himself off as he frowned down at Izuku’s exposed wrist where his sleeve had ridden up while he wrote. Izuku inhaled sharply moving to retract his arm when Hawks gently grabbed him by the elbow. Leaning forward to carefully examine the bruises circling his wrist. Hawks looked at him, concern clear in his gaze, “These are shaped like fingers…kid, did someone attack you?”

Chapter Text

      Keigo carefully nudged the card he held until it rested securely against the other balanced on the desk. Slowly moving his hands back, he observed the small card tower he’d made. Keeping an eye on the cards, he moved to grab another card to add to his creation. Only to give a small noise of despair when his phone that’d been sitting on his desk buzzed loudly, disturbing the delicate stability of the tower. Silently mourning his work, Keigo picked up his phone, sliding it open one-handed. The other collecting the scattered remains of his card tower. Glowering at the alarm that flashed on his screen, a reminder for his meeting.

      He double checked the time before sending a text to Izuku. The kid usually showed up by now, he was hoping to show him a case that Keigo knew Izuku would love to examine. He wasn’t too worried, Izuku had mentioned that he walked to work from home. It was rather chilly out for it being spring and he would understand if his intern decided to stay home. It would be more worrying if he didn’t show up or at least message Keigo back by the time his meeting ended. Until then, he’d just have to sit through the visit his handler had demanded on making. Hopefully, though Keigo wasn’t too optimistic, she wouldn’t find too much to lecture him on.

      As luck would have it, his handler had decided he needed to sit through a long-winded lecture. What the topic of said lecture was, Keigo wouldn’t be able to say. He tuned out the moment words like proper presentation and hiring appropriate skill sets came into play. Idly wondering how drunk he’d be if he started a drinking game where a shot was taken for every time the woman said “appropriate”. Maybe Rumi would join in. Feigning a quiet cough to hide his amused grin, he pushed the thought to the side for later inspection. Perking up at Izuku’s near silent entrance. Keigo turned back to the meeting reluctantly so as not to draw the handler’s attention to his intern.

      Splitting his attention between the two. Suppressing a snort when the greenette scaled part of a shelf to put away a file he’d picked up. Something the woman in front of him said must’ve caught Izuku’s attention as his head tilted slightly in their direction, eye slitted narrowly as he observed her. Only for a grimace to overtake his features, Izuku turning back to the stack of folders he was holding. Keigo raised an eyebrow wondering what happened as the kid adjusted his sleeves. Izuku noticed his curious glance as he could see his head duck shyly in his peripheral vision. Before he could attempt to silently ask Izuku, he was forced to turn back to his handler. The woman sharply knocking against his desk, primly asking if he felt she should reschedule if he was too busy to pay attention. Keigo grit his teeth and forced a polite smile, shaking his head no.

      Eventually the woman left, Keigo flopping back in his chair with a groan once the door shut behind her. Tilting his head to throw a grin Izuku’s way at the sound of his soft laughter. Keigo heaved himself back up, stretching as he did so, giving a wince at the crack his neck gave. Checking the time, he was happy to see that the meeting hadn’t taken too much of his time. Quickly proffering the case file to the teen. Feeling his grin grow fond at the pure excitement Izuku exuded. He felt his happiness dim a little at the self-deprecating mumble storm Izuku was quickly heading into. Keigo gently interrupted him, assuring him of his skills. Ruffling Izuku’s unruly hair, chuckling at the pout he received for said action.

      His grin quickly turned into its own pout when the kid called him Hawks. Wagging his finger at Izuku in mock scolding, “Call me Keigo kid, you’ve been my personal intern for two months now, no need to be so formal”. Not giving him time to protest, Keigo retrieved the files and gave them to Izuku. He raised an eyebrow when the kid sat on the floor and began to spread the papers around him. “You know there’s plenty of other chairs, right? The designers for the agency felt the need to make this office ridiculously large”. He shook his head in amusement when he didn’t receive any response. Izuku already lost in his own world mumbling softly to himself as he shuffled through papers.

      Keigo busied himself with his own paperwork, focusing on getting through all the reports from sidekicks he needed to sign off on. Glancing up when he heard movement. Waiting patiently as Izuku gathered himself before starting to explain his thoughts on the case. Keigo could feel his smile growing the more he spoke. At first, it’d taken a lot of coaxing before Izuku would share even a single comment on cases. It was a slow process, but Keigo felt a flare of pride with each step toward the confidence his intern deserved to have. He only just stopped apologizing whenever he dropped into mumble storms. Keigo smiled when Izuku finished talking and praised his work, reaching out to accept the files. “Are those bruises?”

      The man carefully pulled the limb toward him, leaning in to examine the dark splotches. His heart sank and a feeling like ice gripped him when he recognized the curved shape of the blemishes in Izuku’s skin. He looked up to meet Izuku’s wide, panicked eyes. “These are shaped like fingers…kid, did someone attack you?” He loosened his grip immediately when the kid tried to yank his arm away. Watching, concerned, as he pulled his sleeve down to cover the bruise.

      Frantically shaking his head, Izuku hurriedly replied, “N-no! It’s nothing, I just fell, and someone grabbed my wrist a little too tightly to catch me! Really, i-it’s no bi-big deal! You know how clumsy I am!”

      Keigo frowned, “Izuku, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen bruises, scratches, sometimes the occasional burn on you. I haven’t pushed the issue because I want to respect your privacy, but this is something that can’t be explained away by some random accident. These are fingermarks, someone grabbed you hard enough you bruised. If you truly tripped, then I apologize for overreacting, but…” the hero paused, hesitating to ask something he’s wondered for a few weeks now, “Kid, are you safe at home? Is this why you were late today?”

      He watched as several emotions flashed across Izuku’s face before settling on panic, “No! I mean yes! I-I’m safe! I just, I-” Keigo cursed mentally as the kid’s breathing grew fast, hands waving anxiously in the air between them. The hero rose and swiftly rounded the desk, hesitating when he reached him.

      “Izuku, can I touch you? It’s ok if you don’t want that just nod or shake your head, ok?” Keigo waited for some indication from the hyperventilating teen. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, hands still moving anxiously. “Ok, that’s ok, I understand. I need you to focus on your breathing though kiddo. Try to follow my count, ok?” Keigo attempted to pitch his voice so as to sound comforting, coaching Izuku through breathing exercises until the kid had a somewhat shaky control on his breath.

      Leaning against his desk, Keigo waited for Izuku to slowly blink his eyes open. Casting an anxious glance at the older man before croaking out an apology. Mentally berating himself, Keigo shook his head. Keeping his voice gentle but firm as he replied, “You have nothing to apologize for Izuku. I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I was asking some sensitive questions and not giving you time to process or properly answer. You never have to apologize for something like that”. Izuku watched him, eyes still wide but no longer holding that panic that was there before. “Like I said before, I want to respect your privacy. But I need to ask, can you honestly say you are safe at home?”

      Izuku nibbled his lip, Keigo gripping the desk he was leaning against as he waited for an answer. “No one is hurting me at home” Izuku said at length. Keigo felt relief sweep through him as his shoulders dropped from their tensed position. Nodding he looked back up at Izuku.

      “Is someone actively hurting you somewhere else?” he asked softly. Izuku clenched and unclenched his hands before nodding.

      “At school. The other kids don’t really, um, like me. Some-sometimes, they get a-a little rough…” he elaborated. Keigo carefully kept his face neutral as he processed this.

      “Have you talked to a teacher about it?”

      Izuku looked away, “They won’t do anything”.

      Keigo frowned but bit back his initial response. “Why won’t they?”

      Izuku heaved a shaky breath, “Can, can we not talk about this anymore? It’s just a little bullying. Nothing I can’t handle".

      The hero gave him a reassuring smile, “Yeah, we can stop. Thank you for trusting me with this".

      Izuku shuffled his feet and looked nervously at him. “I’m, um, it’s been a long day, I should um, head home".

      “Of course, of course” Izuku hesitated before turning to leave, Keigo calling out to him before he could reach the door. “I trust you when you say you can handle it. But you shouldn’t have to. Please, if someone hurts you again, come to me. I don’t care who it is or if you don’t think it’s a big deal. You don’t deserve to be hurt.”

      Izuku held his gaze, a tense moment of silence between them. He looked down at his hands, fingers grazing across his bruise. “Ok”.

      Keigo watched Izuku leave just as quietly as he came. Waiting for the door to fully close before he sighed deeply, running his hand down his face. Straightening his shoulders, he moved back to his desk, he had some things to look into. Middle schools within walking distance being first and foremost on his list of to-dos.

Chapter Text

      Aldera Junior High, largely unremarkable from the outside in Keigo’s opinion. He ignored the twinge of guilt at having gone behind Izuku’s back to dig into the bullying. It’d taken some work to find the proper school, there being a quite a few surrounding the agency. He’d approached Izuku the first day they directly worked together, asking about the false info listed in his application. After a short but serious conversation on the dangers of falsifying info on official documents, he’d learned that Izuku was actually 14 and in junior high. Going from that and the time it took Izuku to message Keigo he was home, the hero managed to narrow down that potential list of schools. Slowly going through the process of elimination, Keigo was left with four possibilities. From there, he was left to guess which would be the Izuku’s. Having scoped out the other two the day before. Luck wasn’t with him as he managed to check all the wrong ones first. He had just landed near the school, sighing as he realized it was way past the time classes ended. He’d have to come back tomorrow, but at least he knew which school was the correct one. He was about to leave when a familiar voice called out to him.

      “You know, if you hang around middle schools too much, people are going to start getting the wrong idea.” Keigo winced, Damnit, he wasn’t supposed to find me. When he turned to face Izuku, he was met with an unimpressed look, the teen raising an eyebrow at him.

      “Guess I wasn’t as subtle as I meant to be”.

      “Doesn’t help that the news posted ‘Pro Hero Hawks seen fleeing from a group of grade schoolers’ almost half an hour ago” Izuku stated dryly, “What were even doing in a prefecture so far away?”

      Keigo pulled a face, wings ruffling slightly, “Those children were demon spawn that found undue enjoyment in pulling my feathers” he declared. He silently observed Izuku before asking, “How did you know I was here? I didn’t see you anywhere when I landed”.

      Izuku shrugged, “Aldera isn’t much to look at but the view from the rooftop is pretty good. I saw you and came down. I checked the news feed on the way”.

      The hero frowned, “What were you doing on the roof?”

      “I was testing something” Izuku said with a shrug, the movement drawing Keigo’s attention to the singed shoulder of his school uniform.

      “Testing what? Does it have something to do with that burn?” he asked, something wary settling in his tone.

      “…It’s a long story” was the only response he received. The small greenette looking away, eyes shadowed with something a little too dark for Keigo’s liking. He narrowed his eyes, debating on if he should push the issue when Izuku said something too soft for him to catch. He was about to ask for him to repeat what he said when Izuku shook his head. “Never mind, don’t worry about it”. He began to walk away, Keigo moving to follow him. “I’m not really feeling up to working today. I’m going to take the day off it that’s ok” he said softly, not quite meeting Keigo’s eyes.

      “Yeah, don’t worry about it. Let me know when you get home ok?” he asked. Izuku nodded and started to pull away from him. Keigo couldn’t leave it at that, reaching out to gently lay a hand on his uninjured shoulder, “Izuku, if you ever want to talk about anything, I’d be more than happy to listen. No matter the time or subject, I’m here”. Izuku remained silent as he stared at the sidewalk, heaving a shaky breath before he began to walk away once more.

      “Thanks Ha-Keigo” he whispered as he turned the corner. Keigo was tempted to continue following him but felt he’d invaded his privacy enough that day. If Izuku showed up with severe injuries or asked for help, he wouldn’t doubt to raze hell, starting with the dilapidated school he’d just walked away from. But for now, he would remain patient until Izuku trusted him enough to help.

      When Izuku showed up to work the next day, he looked like he hadn’t slept at all the night before. But there was a determined, if slightly manic gleam in his eye. Keigo paused, gaze flickering to the concerningly large cup of coffee he held. “You sure you should be drinking that?” The teen took a slow sip of his drink before sending a pointed look at the trashcan that Keigo knew, without looking, contained at least two empty energy drinks. He hadn’t slept much last night either out of concern for Izuku and not wanting to miss any possible message from him. “Point taken. There isn’t much to do today, just a lot of filing”.

      Izuku hummed as he fully entered the room, closing the door behind him. He chewed on his lip and carefully analyzed Keigo. The man stayed still, unsure what he was mulling through but sensing it was important. Izuku seemed to gather himself for something, calmy setting his cup done before blurting, “Do you think I could be a hero?” Keigo blinked, not expecting that particular line of questioning.

      Careful with his response, knowing this likely was related to whatever happened yesterday, Keigo tilted his head. “I don’t see why not. Your smart, have a good hear and want to help people. You’d could certainly be a hero if you went for it”. Izuku clenched his fists, looking uneasy but continuing to barrel on in his sudden interrogation.

      “Even if I don’t have a quirk?” Keigo’s eyes widened, but he was quick to smooth out his expression.

      “Your quirk status doesn’t define you or your abilities” he said firmly. Izuku’s eye became shiny, tears building up as he stared at Keigo.

      “Do you really mean that? You honestly think that a quirkless person like me can be hero?” He demanded in a wobbly voice. Keigo moved so that he stood in front of him, wanting to make sure Izuku knew he was taking this seriously.

      “I don’t know a single hero that hasn’t had to face someone without their quirk before. I won’t lie, it’ll put you at a disadvantage, but you’ll come out even stronger because of it. If you want to be a hero, be a hero Izuku. With your brains and heart, I know you’ll make a damn good one” he said earnestly. Izuku made a pained noise, starting to pace. Keigo panicked internally, thinking he’d said the wrong thing. “Izuku, I-“

      “Why?” Izuku continued his pacing, but Keigo knew the question was directed at him.

      “Why what? I’m not following kiddo”.

      “Why?” he repeated, “Why would you think that? What makes you so different from everybody else?” He yanked angerly at his sleeves, shaking hands just visible past the cuffs. “These past few months you’ve wanted to get to know me! You’ve wanted to work with me and complimented my skills!” Izuku gestured wordlessly in agitation, “No one has ever done that before! Not for a worthless, quirkless Deku like me. So, why? Why do you care?! I don’t get it!” Izuku’s voice broke as he buried his hands in his hair, pulling harshly at the strands.

      Keigo surged forward, gently pulling his hands away and squeezing them lightly. “Izuku, deep breathes. It’s ok kiddo” he murmured, pulling Izuku into him and wrapping his arms around the teens shaking shoulders, “I don’t know who it is that’s been telling you all those things, but they aren’t true. I’ve only known you for a short while, but that’s long enough for me know that you’re an amazing, kind person. I’ll tell you that as many times as it takes to make you believe it. I don’t know how to answer your question Izuku, but I need you to understand that I do care for you. Being quirkless doesn’t change that fact”. He felt Izuku clutch at his jacket, a muffled sob sounding in the otherwise quiet room. Keigo raked a hand through Izuku’s hair, “If being a hero is your dream, then follow it” he said fiercely. Falling silent, not knowing what else to say to try to comfort the kid. The two stood there for a while, Izuku clutching to the man while Keigo continued to run his fingers through the other’s fluffy curls. Not commenting on the rapidly growing wet patch on his shoulder as he whispered reassurances.

      By the time Izuku’s tears slowed down and his sobs stopped, the light outside the window had greatly dimmed. Izuku leaned heavily against Keigo, hands loosening from where they’d been desperately clutched to him. Keigo gently pulled away, leading him to settle into the closest seat. The teen sat, pulling his legs up onto the chair with him and loosely wrapping his arms around them. Izuku gave a small sniffle before croaking out a soft apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to have a melt down like that”.

      Keigo shushed him, ruffling his hair fondly, “There’s nothing to apologize for kid, that seemed like it was building for a while. Holding all that in isn’t healthy so I’m glad I could be here to help when you let it go. Do you want to talk about what happened to cause that or do you want to sit down for a bit?”  he asked, crouching to be level with him.

      “Can I just sit here?”

      “Of course, kiddo, take all the time you need”. Keigo stood and pulled a blanket from its small drawer, draping it over Izuku’s shoulders. Izuku gripped the edges of the blanket and pulled it tighter around him. Keigo smiled softly, moving back to settle into his own chair. Quietly resuming his filing and keeping an eye on Izuku. At some point, the greenette had dozed off, exhausted from his emotional breakdown. Keigo sighed, tipping his head back to rest against the chair. There were a lot of things that were going to need to be addressed after what happened, Keigo created a mental list of all the things that Izuku had said that raised red flags. If Izuku expressed that he didn’t want to talk when he woke up, Keigo would settle for having him visit Hound Dog at the very least. He couldn’t comfortably walk away from this without knowing Izuku had some sort of fall back. Whether that be him or a licensed therapist was up to Izuku. Keigo wished he could just grab the teen by the shoulders and shake him until he understood he was worth being cared for, could just demand answers and names of the ones who’d instilled such a firm self-loathing in him. But doing that would be unproductive and just make him clam up. So, forced to take the slow road, Keigo turned back to his paperwork and steeled himself for the conversation ahead.

Chapter Text

      When Izuku woke up, Keigo calmly closed out of the game he’d been idly playing on his computer. He patiently waited for Izuku to fully wake up, confusion muddling his expression as he blearily looked around. Keigo offered a casual wave when the teen’s emerald eyes latched onto him. He could see the moment Izuku remembered what had happened. Keigo gave a sympathetic smile, gesturing to the coffee cup that’d been forgotten during their previous discussion. “This seems like a caffeine required discussion, why don’t you drink that before we do anything?” Izuku reluctantly uncurled and stood from the chair, still clutching the blanket around him like a cape. He took a sip of the beverage, pulling a face once he realized it had completely cooled.

      “I should’ve finished this before I decided to have an emotional breakdown” he joked weakly, wincing at the look Keigo gave him. He spun the cup between his fingers before he sighed and proceeded to chug the cold drink.

      Keigo raised an eyebrow, “I figured you’d want to avoid this conversation, not jump headfirst into it”.

      “Trust me, normally, I wouldn’t touch this situation with a ten-foot pole but both of us have questions we want answered” he replied with a wince, “You answer my questions, I answer yours?”

      “Sounds fair, ask away kid” Keigo acquiesced.

      Izuku steadied himself with a deep breath. “Why do you think I can be a hero?”

      Keigo frowned slightly at the question, he’d hoped his previous answer had been enough for the teen. However, he had promised to repeat said answer until the kid believed it, so if this was what he needed, Keigo would happily provide him support. “You have a generous heart and your incredibly intelligent. Those are two of the most important things in heroics. If you wanted to become a hero, you would be an easy fit. You even have experience, not everyone can say they’ve worked directly with heroes before even entering high school” he kept the intrusive thought of mainly cause they didn’t falsify documents to himself, knowing that it wasn’t the time for his normal playful teasing.

      Crossing his arms with a soft huff, Izuku rebutted, “You keep saying that but there’s plenty of people out there who are all those things and more, but they aren’t heroes. And they have quirks! How could I be selfish enough to presume I’m worthy of being a hero when people who are better can’t do it. Being kind or smart doesn’t automatically mean your good enough to be a hero. I mean, you have to be strong and able to fight. And it’s been made quite clear that I’m neither”.

      “Strength and combat skills are things that can be learned,” Keigo tapped his chest where his heart was, “but a good heart? That’s something that comes innately in the best of heroes. You’ve made countless analyses that more than proved quirked individuals aren’t infallible. People with quirks are not better than you. I am not better than you simply for being born with one. Anyone who tells you differently can come to me”. Izuku still looked doubtful, though a hint of hope shone in his wide eyes. “I can train you”.

      “You-you’d really do that?” Izuku croaked. Staring, shocked at the sudden offer. Keigo blinked, shocked at the unplanned words himself. Not willing to backout with the teen’s hope resting on him, he committed.

      “If learning to fight is what you need to feel confident in your dreams, then I’ll help with that”.

      Izuku thought it over for a minute before hurriedly agreeing. “Yes! Yes! I- you have no idea how much that means to me. A-are you sure?”

      Keigo smiled and nodded. Already forming plans on how they could train and time frames. Izuku beamed back at him and wiped at the tears that pooled in his eyes. Keigo watched fondly, a warmth building in his chest from being able to give Izuku such happiness. “Of course,” he replied assuringly. “I’ve never trained someone before but I’m not too shabby at hand-to-hand combat and I’ve used my feathers as melee weapons enough times that I’m confident I can give you a good understanding by the time high school entrance exams role around”.

      If possible, Izuku’s smile grew wider. “I guess that answers my other question” he commented with a wry laugh. He elaborated when he noticed Keigo’s curios look, “I wanted to ask if you actually wanted to work with me. I refuse to be a pity case, so if that’s what this is than I want to know now”.

      “No, I’ve never viewed you as a pity case, everything I’ve done has been because I genuinely appreciate your company and want to help as best I can” Keigo said firmly, “You may not understand it now, but one day you’ll realize your stronger than the world’s given you credit for kid”.

      Izuku bowed his head shyly but there was an unmistakable hitch in his voice when he spoke. “Thank you, I already said this but, you don’t just how much this means to me”. Keigo moved so he stood close enough to Izuku to ruffle his hair affectionately. He had a feeling no one had taken the time to nurture Izuku’s dream of becoming a hero. Their loss Keigo thought proudly as he waited patiently for the teen to finish crying. His calm presence a reassurance to Izuku that this wasn’t a desperate dream but reality.

      When Izuku’s tears petered out, Keigo tilted his head and carefully broached the question that had been lingering since this whole situation began. “What happened?” Izuku looked confused so Keigo rephrased himself, “What happened to make you suddenly so unsure of your desire to be a hero? You’ve always been anxious about yourself and your abilities, but this was different. Something happened and I’m willing to bet it was yesterday”. Keigo’s guess became all but confirmed at the panic that flit across Izuku’s face.

      “I-I’m not sure where to start, a lot happened yesterday to be honest” he laughed darkly, “I guess the best way to sum it up would be the saying ‘don’t meet your heroes’”. He scrubbed at his face harshly, “I uh, I got attacked yesterday, by that slime villain that made the news” he barreled on, ignoring Keigo’s horrified exclamation, “I was alone, trying to walk home after school when he came out of nowhere. I thought I was going to die”. Izuku’s voice was growing weak, tremors returning in his shoulders as he continued his story. “But A-all Might saved me. I did something stupid. He um, he was leaving but I had to ask. I had to know. I grabbed his pant leg as he jumped away and he was forced to land on a rooftop. I took that chance to ask him if I could be a hero. I know it was wrong of me, but I just wanted a sliver of hope to grasp onto. All Might tells everyone they can be heroes too so why should I be any different? I thought, if All Might says I can, than all the times my classmates, teachers, and anybody else who’s mocked my dream wouldn’t matter anymore. B-but…” Izuku’s wobbly voice trailed off.

      “He told you that you couldn’t” Keigo murmured, forcing the simmering anger back so Izuku wouldn’t think he was mad at him.

      “He said I needed to be realistic” Izuku said bitterly, “He was just like everybody else. And then he left me, alone, on that rooftop. I can’t say I never though of it, but well in that moment, with my hope snatched from me… Someone had just told me to take a swan dive off the roof that very same day and it felt like some cruel, twisted form of fate”.

      Keigo felt himself growing tenser with each word he heard. Anger and horror battling inside him, but he kept his face carefully empty of these, allowing only his concern to show in his features. Crouching down to be level with him, Keigo gently gripped his shoulders, mindful of the healing burn hidden under his sweatshirt. “Izuku, if you ever feel that way again, I want you to come to me or call me. Please, reach out, my hand will always be there”. Izuku nodded, curling into him once more. Keigo carefully holding him, hand coming up to cradle the back of his head. “Can you promise to call or come to me when you feel that way? I don’t want to lose you kiddo” he whispered.

      “I promise” came Izuku’s muffled response. Keigo squeezed him tighter and mentally made his own promise to not fail the kid the way the world already had.

Chapter Text

      After they both had calmed down, Keigo dragged the teen to the doctor stationed in the agency. Though he had protested the checkup, Keigo couldn’t let him go untreated after he admitted to being the victim of a villain attack and also sported a nasty burn alongside some scraps and bruises. The doctor had cleared him with a slight warning about keeping an eye on the burn but was otherwise confident he’d heal up in a few days. They were walking toward the front doors, both leaving for the day to their respective homes. Keigo listening as Izuku chattered about the doctor’s quirk. The man had a heteromorphic empathic quirk that left him with scales lining his arms and part of his neck, the scales changing colour to the emotions of whoever he focused on. The bright yellow hue they took on the moment Izuku’s eyes caught sight of them had made the doctor chuckle. The older man answering any questions the teen rattled off while he completed his examination.

      Izuku paused in his mumbling to rummage through his bag and pull out his notebook. Keigo’s eye’s widened when he saw the burnt appearance. Izuku saw him looking and smile sheepishly, “Don’t worry, I’ll rewrite everything in one of my blank notebooks later”. He turned back to his notebook and scribbled down a few notes he didn’t want to forget before cramming both notebook and pen back in his pack. “So…when, um, are we going to start training?” he nervously asked. Keigo debated questioning him on what led to his notebook being destroyed but ultimately decided to allow the teen his deflection.

      “Why not tomorrow? There’s a training area near the support department. We can find a good starting point for you and then go from there”.

      Izuku looked surprised. “What about work?”

      “Mostly just signing things right now, crime rate is at a low currently,” he refrained from mentioning how they’d dropped after All Might had made an appearance in town, “I’m really only called in for the big things or on cases that are turning cold. Besides, I run my patrol before you get out of classes” he finished with a shrug.

      “You sound almost happy to avoid your paperwork” Izuku commented, looking amused.

      Keigo made a face, “Why I need to sign off on every report that my sidekicks file, I will never know”.

      Izuku snickered, “It’s called being a responsible adult, I can imagine why that would be so unappealing to you”.

      “It’s called tedious and annoying, you little gremlin” Keigo shot back with a mock glare. He ruffled Izuku’s hair, eliciting an indignant squawk from the teen. Keigo smirked, “Just you wait kid, when you become a hero, I’ll make sure you get as much paperwork as possible”. He began to walk away, heading toward home. Missing Izuku’s flushed face as he did so.

      Izuku’s smile remained firmly in place even after he’d sequestered himself into his home. He curled up on the lumpy sofa like bed that sat near the end of the camper, pulling a small photo from under a balled-up hoodie. The photo was of a slender woman and a small child. He smiled quietly, “I’m going to be a hero mom, Hawks, Keigo, he’s going to train me.” He gave a watery laugh, “He said when Mom. Not if, when”. Reverently tracing the edges of the picture before carefully sliding it back under the hoodie. Taking a moment to collect himself, breathing deeply as he leaned back against the wall. Feeling steadier, he stood from the sofa and moved to the dilapidated kitchenette on the other end. There was no running water or safe way to heat things, but Izuku often used the area to hold snacks. He shuffled through his stash of food, picking a bag of chips and a granola bar. Eating as he moved about, pulling out some fresh notebooks. He plopped back down on the sofa, beginning to transfer the salvageable notes and what he remembered from his burnt notebook into a new one. Feeling satisfied, he put the burnt notebook aside before checking the news and hero forums for any new villain fights that he could analyze.

      Falling into a comfortable rhythm, Izuku quickly lost track of time. Only closing his notebook when refreshing his feed for the third time revealed nothing new. Sighing he checked the time and settled on getting some rest. Packing away his notebooks and placing his school stuff beside his shoes, Izuku turned off the little battery-operated clock lamp on the counter beside him. He’d spent a good amount of yen on it, but it’d been worth it to have a good light source at night, the digital clock being a bonus. Smiling to himself as he wondered what would happen during his first day of training, Izuku quickly drifted to sleep.

      When Keigo opened the training room up and gestured Izuku in, he couldn’t help but laugh at the starry-eyed expression on the teens face. He led the Izuku to stand in front of a generic obstacle course. “This is where we start, this is what everyone has creatively called the “Test Run”, not very original but aptly named” Keigo announced, sweeping his arm in a grand gesture to showcase the whole structure. “Support uses it to field test their equipment in a controlled environment,” he added with a head tilt toward the large window built into the wall to the left of them, “it’s designed to simulate a run through a city, and can be used to test mobility, speed, and endurance among other things”. Keigo turned to look back at Izuku, directing a shit-eating grin his way. “And you, my dear intern, are going to run it”.

Chapter Text

      “…What?”

      Keigo sniggered at the blank look leveled at him. Whipping out his phone to quickly snap a pic and setting it as Izuku’s contact photo before the teen finished mentally rebooting. Izuku glanced wide-eyed between the course and Keigo. “Run it? I-I’ve never run an obstacle course before!”

      “Don’t worry about doing it perfectly. This will help me get a good base line of your abilities. To do that, I need to see both accomplishments and mistakes. That way I know what needs work and what just needs some polish” he finished with a reassuring grin. Izuku still looked nervous but had now turned an appraising eye on the course.

      “So, I just run through it to the other side?” he asked cautiously.

      Crouching down, Keigo pointed toward the beginning of the course. “The beginning is fairly simple, just run and avoid the holes in the path. As you get farther in, the difficulty rises. Just do your best and we’ll go from there”. He stood and flashed Izuku a thumbs up. Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly releasing it. His eyes opened and Keigo was proud to see the pure concentration blazing in them. After a moment’s hesitation, Izuku was off. Nimbly leaping over the small potholes and skirting corners.

      Keigo kept an eye on his progress before moving to stand on the opposite side where the course ended. He turned on the small console that was built into the wall, a live feed of the course flickering to life on the screen. Despite the simple appearance, the course was well made and became more challenging as it progressed. One section completely hidden from view made to emulate a subway tunnel. If one wanted, they could avoid the section, but Izuku would likely be funneled into it. A few moments later, his suspicions were confirmed as Izuku was forced to go down a set of stairs after hitting two dead ends in an attempt to avoid them. The screen flickered and switched to the underground view, following the teen’s movements.

      When Izuku finally stumbled out of the course, he flopped onto the floor with a groan. Keigo laughed and moved to help him up. Izuku shot a frustrated look at the course and sighed heavily. “I did awful” he groused. Keigo gently nudged him, a small frown on his face.

      “You can’t expect to be perfect on the first try, that’s an unrealistic standard” he stressed, “You did pretty good for your first go at it. I’ve already seen some good things”. Izuku looked skeptical but nodded. “Now run it again” Keigo said cheerfully. Izuku slumped, staring at the man incredulously. “Go on, don’t look at me like that,” moving his hands in a shooing motion, Keigo herded the teen back toward the front, “An experiment only run once is hardly grounds for a conclusion. Or something sciencey like that”.

      Izuku snorted at the bumbled adage. He opened his mouth to send a retort, but Keigo cut him off with a light push toward the entrance. “You get to snark after you’ve run” he called as he returned to the console. This routine continued, Keigo watching carefully as Izuku began to improve in increments with each run. As Izuku was starting the sixth run, Keigo adjusted some of the settings for the course. A loud cackle falling from his lips when an echoing yelp sounded from somewhere in the course. The footage showing Izuku just barely managing to avoid face planting into a cardboard cutout that had shot out from the wall. Raising his voice so he’d be heard, “Did I forget to mention there are simulated villain encounters?” he called. Giggling when a faint voice called back something that sounded suspiciously like bite me.

      Izuku looked thoroughly exhausted as he wobbled out of the course, Keigo trying and failing to conceal his grin. Glaring wearily, Izuku pointed at the hero, “I will put salt in your coffee when you least expect it”. Keigo put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended.

      “I’ve done nothing wrong. The fact you don’t believe me when I even apologized wounds me”.

      Looking unimpressed, Izuku lowered his hand. A wry grin found it’s way on his face as Keigo continued to giggle to himself. A curious expression suddenly overtook the grin, “Why did all the cutouts look like that woman that came in the other day?”

      “I don’t know what your talking about” Keigo quickly responded. He’d forgotten that when support was designing the course, he had been in charge of the enemy design and made them all look like cartoonish villain versions of his handler. Izuku raised an eyebrow at the hurried response. Keigo clapped his hands, “Alright, I think you’ve run enough today. You go ahead and grab your stuff from the office, I’ll close up the course and we can head out after”.

      Izuku tilted his head, “Head out? Where are we going?”

      Keigo smiled, “After a long training session, it’s best to rest and get yourself some good food to restore your energy. Knowing you, you would skip that last part. So, we’re going to get some food, my treat”.

      “Are you sure?” Izuku asked, wide-eyed.

      “Of course! Now go get your things. I got to finish up here”. Looking hesitant, Izuku nodded and raced off toward the office. Keigo watched him leave before turning back to the console. Setting the footage from today to download to his phone so he could review them later, Keigo set to work turning off lights and completing a general sweep of the gym to make sure everything looked alright. Once his phone pinged to alert him it was done downloading, Keigo shut off the console and made his way out of the gym. Mulling over how to proceed with Izuku’s training, he proceeded to the front door to wait for the teen. Smiling fondly when the greenette made his appearance. Swamped in a large sweatshirt that Rumi had given him and signature red shoes replacing the light blue track suit he’d worn for training. Izuku saw him and smiled widely, the sight inexplicably making Keigo want to pull the kid into a hug. A voice that sounded oddly like Rumi echoed in his head you’re going soft, Keigo shook his head slightly and looped an arm around the teen’s shoulders as they walked out of the agency.

Chapter Text

      Teaching, Keigo decided, was hard. Izuku had been getting steadily better at the course over the past few weeks. Keigo had started to implement hand-to-hand combat in their training regimen but was struggling to properly explain certain aspects he could tell Izuku was confused about. Heaving a sigh, he decided to get another opinion.

      It’s NOT cannibalism: I’m headed over

      Them legs tho: Cool

      Them legs tho: Something up?

      It’s NOT cannibalism: I need some advice on the kid (he’s fine)

      Putting away his phone without waiting for an answer, Keigo moved to the balcony. Hopping over the edge and allowing his wings to unfurl as the wind gusted around him. He closed his eyes enjoying the feel of the wind as he flew to his friend’s apartment. Rumi greeted him cheerfully, “Hey Kei! Want anything to drink?” Keigo flopped onto the sofa, giving Rumi a thumbs up. Moments later, a cold bottle was dropped in his palm. Keigo looked down to see a cool can of soda, pouting slightly at not getting any of the booze he knew sat behind the milk. Rumi snorted at him before flicking his forehead. “You have a news interview tomorrow; I’m not going to be the reason you go with a hangover”.

      Huffing Keigo opened the soda and sipped. “I’ve developed a new respect for our old teachers”.

      Rumi hummed, dropping onto the cushions beside him. “From what I’ve heard you’re doing pretty good. Your kid’s always excited to talk about what you got up to in training. Not once have I heard a bad thing”.

      “I forgot you two text often”.

      “His meme stash is even greater than Yamada’s. What did you need advice on?”

      Keigo slumped, “I never realized how different my fighting style is because of my wings. I know how to fight without them, but my center of balance is completely different not to mention the way I move to not injure them or use them to carry me further. It’s something I’ve always done and now that I’m trying to explain proper footwork, I can’t think of the right way to someone who can’t do the same”.

      Rumi considered the problem. Tapping her fingers against her soda can. Her face brightened and she hopped up from the sofa. “Let me help teach him! If it’s footwork you need, then I’ll stop by and help explain it to him. I’ve got the best damn footwork around; he’ll turn into a little Thumper when I’m done with him”.

      Two days later, Keigo found himself watching as Rumi struck a drill sergeant pose and pointed at the teen. “Izuku Midoriya!” The greenette startled, straightening up and staring wide-eyed at her. “What type of hero do you want to be?” Izuku blinked, looking so confused Keigo couldn’t help but laugh softly to himself. As Rumi remained silent and pointing, Izuku fidgeted.

      “Um, I’ve wanted to be a daylight hero all my life but I don’t really think that’s possible…” he trailed off. “Why did you ask that?”

      Rumi dropped her pose and smiled, “If daylight heroics is the plan that daylight heroics it’ll be. Each type of hero tends to have a commonly shared fighting style. And different fighting styles have different footwork. You deciding to be a daylight hero gives you a variety of choices. If you were a underground hero, you’d be locked into more subtle styles as they rely on surprise and stealth. Most daylight heroes focus on flashy styles to gain attention from potential supporters. But they still vary. Take Kei for example, his fighting style isn’t necessarily flashy but his use of his wings make it so. He has a more steady fighting style while heroes like Kamui Woods are more jumpy”.

      Izuku listened avidly, nodding in understanding. “I’d written about that in some of my analyses. If I had to choose one, I’d probably go with Eraserhead’s fighting style. I know that it’s more geared toward underground heroics but I’ve always been partial toward that style of fighting when analyzing heroes and it’d make more sense for me to use that due to my build”.

      Rumi nodded in approval. “Your observations of so many different types of heroes are more helpful than you might think. You’ve seen the movements in action and studied them extensively. Now it’s just learning how to do them yourself. Something me and Kei can help with”.

      Izuku bounced on his toes, excitement exuding from him in waves. He grinned broadly, “Thank you for helping Miss Usagiyama!”

      Smiling softly, Rumi ruffled his hair, “You can call me Auntie or just Rumi kiddo. Now, let’s get to work”.

      Finding and pulling out the correct supplies with practiced ease, Keigo carefully wrapped the injured ankle. He glanced up at Izuku, expression softening at the dejected look the other sported. They’d barely even started that day’s training when Izuku had rolled his ankle. Having attempted to roll out of the way of Keigo’s swipe, Izuku had landed awkwardly. Wobbling as he tried to stand up before falling back on the ground. Patting the teen’s knee, Keigo stood. “Don’t look so down Izuku. Injuries like this happen all the time in the field. We’ll just modify your training slightly so you can let your ankle heal”. Izuku opened his mouth, ready to protest. “No,” Keigo cut him off, already knowing the train of thought the teen was following, “I understand wanting to work hard and improve, but if you don’t allow yourself a break, you’ll only end up hurting yourself”.

      “But it doesn’t even hurt that bad! I can still-”

      “Kiddo, your determination is admirable, but you need to step back for a little bit. Ok?” Keigo gently insisted. Izuku frowned, frustration still clear on his features. Finally, after a few moments of deliberation, he nodded his assent. Keigo rewarded him with a smile and a hair ruffle. Moving to collect their things, he added, “Besides, there’s plenty of things you can do aside from physical training. Hero work isn’t just punching things after all”. Keigo smiled at the small laugh his words spurred.

      “I seem to remember there being a great deal of paperwork that gets turned into paper airplanes. Could you finally be teaching me the art of creating a perfect airplane?” Izuku quipped dryly.

      Keigo snorted, “Of course not, a master never shares his secrets”. Things collected, Keigo turned back to Izuku. Helping him stand, they headed back to his office. Once there, Izuku settled into one of the soft cushioned chairs, curious gaze focused on Keigo as he dug through some folders. After a few moments of quiet rustling, Keigo pulled a few out from the bunch and placed them down on the desk. “I’ve been meaning to ask you some things and since we’re taking a break from the physical aspect of your training, I thought I’d take the chance to ask them”.

      Izuku tilted his head. “What did you want to ask?”

      “First, what high school are you planning to apply for?” Izuku’s eyes widened and a blush coloured his cheeks. He ducked his head, hands anxiously fidgeting in his lap.

      “I-I, um, I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet”. Keigo raised an eyebrow, waiting silently as Izuku worked out what he wanted to say. “I…well…I always wanted to go UA” he murmured, looking down.

      “Do you not want to anymore?”

      “I don’t know…” Izuku’s brows furrowed as he thought through his answer, “I always wanted to go because All Might graduated there. It also is one of the few High Schools accepting quirkless applicants. But now…I’m not sure. There’s a rumor that All Might is possibly becoming a teacher there and I don’t know if I can handle that to be honest. Not to mention the fact that UA has the lowest acceptance rate of the pool of hero schools. Their entrance exam is known to be incredibly hard and if so many kids can’t pass it with quirks, how could I possibly hope to pass it without?”

      Keigo frowned at Izuku’s words. “You being quirkless doesn’t make you lesser than any of your peers. I won’t lie, most entrance exams for hero schools heavily favour flashy and powerful quirks. But there are ways around that. Training like you have been these last two months is one. If you don’t think that you can handle being in a school where All Might teaches, then don’t push yourself into something uncomfortable. I’ll support you either way”.

      The teen’s fidgeting settled as Keigo spoke, Izuku sorting through his thoughts over UA and the recent disillusionment for his favourite hero he’d experienced. Keigo watched, giving Izuku time to figure out what he wanted but ready to help if called upon. After a few moments, Izuku squared his shoulders and stared Keigo determinedly in the eyes. “I’ll go to UA. Even if I went somewhere else that accepted quirkless people, society would hardly accept me as a hero. The only way for me to stand on the same platform as other, quirked heroes, would be to climb the tallest ladder. And right now, that ladder is UA”.

      Keigo didn’t stop his grin from growing on his face, nodding in approval at Izuku’s words. With that decision settled, he opened the folder that held info on UA. Izuku looked confused until Keigo explained, “I knew hero school was the goal but didn’t know which, so I printed out a few admittance forms and other info that correlated with possible schools I could think of”. Izuku blinked, looking almost touched, that Keigo had done that. Looking to avoid a conversation that would involve admitting to his own fondness for the teen, Keigo hopped to the next question. “Ok, so there’s two ways to get into UA, the standard entrance exam or the recommendation exams. Would you want to try the recommendation exams?”

      There was no hesitation when Izuku firmly shook his head. “No,” wincing at the harsh tone, Izuku continued, “thank you, for offering, but I can’t accept that. Before you say anything, it’s not because I’m quirkless. Or, well, it is but it isn’t. I’m honoured that you would do that for me but I’m already going to stand out because of my quirklessness, it’d be even worse if I was a recommended student”. Keigo smiled understandingly.

      “That leaves the regular entrance exam that’s in,” he paused to check the papers, “eight months. The entrance exam has two parts, the practical and a test. Both are just as important so don’t focus solely on the practical. Study when you can, there’s a mock exam on UA.’s website you can practice with if you want. The practical portion of the exam tends to change with the year so I can’t tell you for sure what it’ll entail but I can try to give you a well-rounded understanding of most combat related parts to hero work. After your ankle heals up, we’ll start on that alongside your hand-to-hand”. Izuku nodded excitedly, face exuding anticipation. Keigo circled a few things on the papers before closing the folder and pushing it to the said.

      “Now, this just leaves one final thing,” Keigo leaned forward, steepling his fingers together and resting his chin on the bridge they formed. The shadow of a sly grin present as his eyes danced with mischief, “Izuku Midoriya, what type of hero would you like to be?”

      Izuku grinned impishly, “I’m going to be a daylight hero”.

Chapter Text

      To say time flew, would be an understatement. Before either of them knew it, they were entering the last month of their training before the entrance exam. Keigo could feel Izuku’s uneasiness. The kid’s approach to each challenge becoming more desperate, the blinding grins he would give Keigo at every accomplishment growing infrequent. Keigo worried he was overworking himself, the near constant rings under his eyes growing darker with each day. Frowning, he watched as Izuku stared blankly at the paper he held. He’d been trying to cut back training subtly, hoping to give Izuku a reprieve since he could tell he was training outside of their time together. But despite his attempt at allowing the kid some rest, he still grew increasingly exhausted. It was when the kid wobbled and nearly collapsed that Keigo drew the line. He wrapped a steadying arm around Izuku’s shoulders and helped lead him to a seat. Placing the back of his hand against Izuku’s forehead, he was relieved to find no temperature.

      “I’m fine Keigo” Izuku mumbled softly, not meeting the man’s eyes.

      “Kid, I can tell that’s not true. You’re exhausted. You’ll end up sick at this rate. We’re going to take a break today-”

      Izuku jolted forward, eyes wide. “What? No! I can’t just skip out on training cause I’m a little tired! I’m nowhere near where I need to be to even think of passing the exam!”

      “You’re not skipping, we’re taking a break so you can rest and clear your head. Think of it as a lesson if it helps. I’m not going to let you drive yourself into the ground. So, today is going to be focused on pacing. It’s ok to push yourself, to try to improve and get better, but pacing yourself is important. You’re human, you have limits and you’ve reached yours”. Keigo tried not to wince at the distraught look on Izuku’s face. He’d didn’t like being the cause of it, but Izuku had to understand that there was a difference between working hard and tearing yourself apart. “I know that isn’t what you want to hear kid. You’re stressed from the approaching exam, and I understand that. But you’re doing amazing and have improved so much from when you started. What you need right now, is rest”. He looked imploringly into Izuku’s eyes and was rewarded with a small nod.

      “Ju-just for today, right?”

      Keigo hesitated, preferably, Izuku would rest for a few days. He wanted to see those dark circles fade but he knew if he pushed for longer, Izuku would never agree and just train behind his back. “Right. Rest today and then tomorrow we can talk about how to adjust your training. This training is for you, so it’s up to you what the end goal is. But for now, try to get some sleep, ok?”

      “Ok, thank you” Izuku said quietly. Keigo gently ruffled the green curls and smiled. Nudging Izuku to lean back in the chair, Keigo stood and passed him the blanket that sat on the other chair. He didn’t expect Izuku to actually sleep, Keigo could tell he was too wired for that. But at least he wouldn’t be straining himself. They fell into a comfortable silence as Izuku curled into the blanket Keigo gave him. Keigo observed him in his peripheral for a while before turning back to his work. Finishing the remaining paperwork for the day, he shot a quick text to Rumi and moved back to where Izuku sat.

      “Let’s go,” he called, holding out his hand to help Izuku stand up. Izuku looked up confused.

      “I thought we were taking a break today?”

      Keigo laughed, “Who says a break can’t be fun? C’mon kid, you’ll have fun, I promise”. Izuku eyed him with suspicion, attempting to figure out what he had planned before sighing and taking his hand.

      When Keigo neared Rumi’s apartment, he heard Izuku snort loudly. Realizing where they were headed and likely what they were doing. Keigo looked down and smirked at the teen, Izuku’s hair whipped wildly in the wind but for the first time in a week, his smile was wide and carefree. Izuku needed to rest his body, but he also needed a mental break. A night at Rumi’s with some games and food would help with that. Landing lightly, Keigo let go of Izuku and followed the now excited teen into the apartment. Rumi had left her door unlocked for them, so Keigo strolled in with Izuku without bothering to knock. Rumi sent a throw pillow careening through the air where is smacked into Keigo’s face. Keigo looked over at her, affronted at the sudden assault. Rumi met his gaze with an innocent look, “What? You startled me. Did you forget your manners or just decide to ignore them and not knock?”

      Keigo narrowed his eyes, “You knew we were coming”. Izuku laughed and scooted out of firing range when Keigo proceeded to lob the pillow back at Rumi when the only response she gave was a shrug. Rumi cackled, easily dodging it, and ignoring the small crash that emanated from it knocking something from the coffee table.

      She smiled and ruffled Izuku’s hair, “Hey Thumper! How’s my favourite student doing?” Izuku ducked his head, blushing furiously.

      “I’m ok” he replied, yelping slightly in surprise as she began to pull him into the living room. Amused, Keigo watched the bunny themed hero rope Izuku into what looked to be an eccentric version of charades. He stopped by the kitchen to snag drinks for all of them before joining the two in the living room. Smiling to himself at the sight of Izuku laughing with Rumi. Operation Cheer Izuku Up: Success.

Chapter Text

      Izuku flopped back onto the floor. Keigo snorted as he gathered the last of Izuku’s cards. Having won them and eliminating Izuku from their game. The teen huffed and made himself comfy on the ground, content to remain there. Snickering to himself as the adults bickered like Izuku imagined siblings would. Keigo pretended not to notice as Izuku helped Rumi cheat. Grumbling whenever he lost a few of his cards and smirking when he successfully misleads Izuku into giving Rumi the wrong hints. A few minutes later, Rumi’s face softened, and she gestured for Keigo to look behind him. Turning, he couldn’t help but smile. Izuku slept peacefully, arm propped up on his elbow, still in the air where he’d dozed off mid-gesture. Shaking his head, he gently moved Izuku’s arm to rest more comfortably. He ran a hand through the kid’s curls, grabbing his jacket from beside him and draping it over Izuku like a blanket. He turned back to his cards, avidly avoiding Rumi’s knowing grin.

      “Let me know when you finally decide to adopt the kid” she said, looking down at her phone with a smile. Keigo gave her an unimpressed look.

      “You and I both know I’m not parenting material”. He would’ve mentioned the kid’s parents if he hadn’t realized abruptly that he knew nothing of them or if they were in the picture. He fell silent as he considered the fact Izuku never mentioned his home or family. He’d assumed it was a touchy topic and had carefully tread around it not wanting to overstep boundaries or upset Izuku. Aside from the few bruises Izuku gained during training, he rarely showed up with other injuries. The times he did always being from an unnamed bully. Izuku still remained painfully thin despite Keigo constantly ensuring he ate after training. But not to a health threatening point. Keigo was distracted from his thoughts when his phone buzzed.

      Them legs tho: Shared an attachment

      Raising an eyebrow at his friend, Keigo opened the message. It was a picture, taken just moments ago of him smiling fondly down at a sleeping Izuku. He felt a blush find it’s way to his face and glared at Rumi. She smirked, refraining from pointing out that she’d seen him save the image to his phone, and pretending to innocently examine her cards. Keigo, after a quick glance back at Izuku to ensure they hadn’t woken him up, followed suit and picked his cards back up.

      Keigo grunted as his alarm went off. Blearily, he glanced toward the sound. Frowning when he realized he was on the ground. He moved to grab the phone and silence the alarm when he noticed a warm weight against his left side. Moving his head to get a better view, his eyes widened when he recognized the lump of green curls and beige cloth as Izuku. Panic shot through him as he realized that he’d fallen asleep without taking Izuku home. Izuku must’ve spent the night. Izuku must’ve spent the night and Keigo was going to be arrested for kidnapping. What a way to end a career, the commission is going to lose it. He moved his arm out gently from under Izuku and gently nudged him. “Izuku? Zuku, kiddo, I need you to wake up. Your parents are probably worried out of their mind right now”. Izuku made a sleepy noise of protest and curled further into Keigo’s side. It took every bit of Keigo’s willpower not to just let the kid keep sleeping. Continuing to gently nudge the sleeping teen until Izuku’s eyes cracked open to level Keigo with a grumpy glare. Keigo stared back in bemusement, “You got to wake up kid, you can go back to sleep when you get home”.

      “Don’t ‘ave one” Izuku slurred before pulling Keigo’s jacket over his head like a shield. Keigo continued to poke him, despite the jacket shield before he froze, sleep fuzzed brain latching onto what Izuku said. Beside him, he felt the teen stiffening as well. They sat in a pregnant silence, both processing the seemingly harmless three words.

      “What-”.

      “I can explain!” Izuku cried, shooting up into a sitting position to stare wide-eyed at Keigo. Jacket falling to settle around his legs. “I have a place! Or, not a place place, but I live there, so it’s a place…home…thing” Izuku elaborated, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. At Keigo’s persistent silence, Izuku kept talking, “I-it’s just, well, n-n-not, u-um, something that others would call a…uh…home?” Izuku visibly winced, aware that Keigo wasn’t going to settle with that answer.

      Keigo took a moment to calmy approach the situation. The worry thrumming in his head forcibly pushed back so he could logically assess the situation. “Izuku, I need you to explain. Not an excuse or something you think will make me feel better. I need to know exactly what you mean by what you just said”.

      “I technically don’t have a home. But I’ve been there for around four or five years now so it’s home to me. I was put in a group home when I seven,” Keigo winced mentally, so parents are out of the picture. “But they didn’t really like me. Most people don’t like getting saddled with a quirkless kid. So…they didn’t really care when I stopped coming back after school. Eventually, I just never returned. I haven’t heard anything about them reporting me missing and I’ve been going to the same school the whole time so it’s hardly like they don’t know where I am. I just moved out early”.

      Adding this group home to the growing mental list of people to thoroughly investigate and hopefully arrest, Keigo frowned. “If they are running a group home then they’ve opened their doors to any kid in need. They don’t get to pick and choose who they want to help, and if they want to do that then they don’t deserve their job” he said firmly. “Where have you been staying?”

      Izuku averted his eyes, blushing heavily as he fidgeted with the sleeve of Keigo’s jacket. “I-I, um, I found this abandoned camper”. At Keigo’s horrified expression, Izuku began to wave his arms, “It’s not as bad as it sounds! Really! It’s a little broken down and doesn’t have running water but it works”. The teen ducked his head when Keigo’s concerned expression didn’t waver. “Sorry” he murmured.

      Keigo shook his head, “No, you have nothing to apologize for. I’m not mad, I’m just worried about your safety. I asked once if you were safe at home, and I apologize that I didn’t look deep enough into that to help you”.

      “It’s ok” he whispered, face still ducked. Izuku clutched his hands together, squeezing and releasing them anxiously, looking thoughtful. The next words came haltingly, as if Izuku weren't sure if he really wanted to ask.  “Wo-would you like me to show you?” The hero blinked in surprise, considering the offer. Keigo would like to hunt down this group home and demand answers as to how they let a kid disappear for four to five years and not report it. Keigo would like to find out just what lead to Izuku living in an abandoned camper and viewing it as completely normal. But for now, Keigo settled on nodding and following as Izuku hesitantly stood to leave the apartment.

Chapter Text

      Standing frozen on a beach, Keigo found himself confused and concerned. Keigo ran a hand roughly down his face. “Kid, this is a beach covered in trash…” he trailed off, scanning the polluted beach, and taking it all in. Izuku shuffled, sheepishly nudging some beer bottles near his foot.

      “You know…this beach used to be really beautiful? I remember going here a couple times when I was little. It still was sorta a dump but not as bad as it is now”. He stooped down and picked up the bottles, tossing them in the waste bin nearby. “I try to clean up what I can, but people use the area to illegally dispose of their garbage. The camper is this way” he commented after returning to Keigo’s side. Izuku walked forward, Keigo taking a moment to pull out his phone and snap a few pictures before moving to follow. Keigo pulled his wings in toward himself when as he walked through the narrow path, worried that any disturbance to the mountains of trash would send it toppling.

      A few twists and turns later and Keigo was able to step out into a clearer area. Still uncomfortably small and surrounded by trash. But at least Keigo could allow his wings to relax without worry. Izuku fidgeted with his sleeves, silently watching as Keigo observed the area. Keigo could see the confusion on Izuku’s face when he took more photos. “This is for later,” he briefly explained, moving to inspect the camper that sat behind Izuku. The teen’s face scrunched up, baffled, as Keigo’s words did little to explain. Keigo smiled reassuringly, “Don’t worry kiddo, it’s nothing bad. I’ll explain in a little bit, ok?”.

      Izuku hesitantly nodded, remaining where he stood as Keigo circled the camper. Keigo returned to Izuku’s side after carefully inspecting the camper and capturing some additional images. Izuku opened the camper and swept his arm in an awkward welcoming gesture. Keigo ruffled the Izuku’s hair, hoping to ease his anxiety and walked forward through the small doorway. His first impression was that it was rather dismal, side panels dented and some slightly rusting. The roof looking concerningly bowed with a large section in the corner covered in a tarp that presumably blocking a leak. When he looked closer, he noticed that the inside was fairly clean. There was a small section that doubled as the kitchen and dining area to the right. There were some cabinets that lined the wall above what appeared to be a beaten-up sink, as well as a gap where a stove might’ve sat in the past. Instead, a medium sized wire cage rested there, looking to be the newest thing there. It was empty so Keigo moved on to inspect the other side of the camper. To the right of the door was a sofa against the far wall. It was torn in some areas with a hoodie sitting on one end. A small clock and a stack of notebooks sat on a counter that extended past the kitchenette area. While Keigo was looking at the kitchen, Izuku had made himself comfortable on the sofa, dropping his backpack against the wall across from the counter.

      Next to the backpack was an open door that led to a tiny wet bath. It was mostly empty with only a toothbrush, toothpaste and a first aid kit sitting beside the sink. A cracked window above the sink housing another tarp. Keigo looked over at Izuku and sighed. “How long did you say you’ve been living here?”

      “A few years. But it’s not that bad Keigo! Look! I fixed up a lot of the panels so now only a few of them are rusted! And there’s this gym down the road that I go to when I need to shower and stuff. Miss Sasaki, she runs the gym, lets me in without a membership since I help her fix the equipment when it breaks or run errands when she can’t”. The teen was giving Keigo the most earnest look he’d ever seen. Racking his brain for a way to carefully broach the fact Izuku couldn’t continue living here, Keigo began to speak. Only to cut himself off and whip his head around to stare at a cabinet above the kitchen sink that seemed to be rattling on it’s own.

      “Kid, please tell me you haven’t been living with rodents”.

      Izuku gasped, sparing a glance at the wire cage before laughing slightly and moving toward the cabinet. “No. It’s just Knobs. He must’ve gotten out of his cage again”. Izuku opened the cabinet door and reached in, pulling out a small furry animal. Keigo’s eyes widened and Izuku laughed at him. Holding the animal out to him, Izuku smiled. “This is Knobs! He’s a ferret! He’s technically Miss Sasaki’s or, well, her sons. He apparently bought it from this overseas pet store, but he moved out and left Knobs with her. She was trying to find someone to take him in and I always wanted a pet, so I agreed. Miss Sasaki still watches him sometimes, says it keeps her connected with her son, but he mainly stays with me”.

      Keigo hesitantly reached out and pet the ferret’s nose. Knobs wiggled and Izuku loosened his grip to let him crawl up his arm and burrow into Izuku’s hood. Keigo smiled, finding the interaction endearing. He looked back at where the cage sat and sighed, drawing Izuku’s attention from where he was grabbing a bag of dried fruit out of his book bag. “Izuku, you can’t stay here. I can’t leave you here”.

      “What? Keigo, I know how to take care of myself! I can even fight now! I like It here! Please, I-” Izuku’s voice dropped, “I don’t want to go to another group home.” he murmured.

      “Izuku, this, living here, isn’t ok. Your living in an abandoned camper surrounded by trash. You could get badly sick, there’s no electricity, or running water. The chances of you getting tetanus is uncomfortably high. I promise I won’t send you to a group home, and I’m thankful you at least had this place when you needed it, but I could never forgive myself if I let you keep living like this” Keigo crouched, gripping Izuku’s shoulders gently.

      “Where would I go?” Izuku asked in a watery voice. “I’m a teen, that alone lowers the amount of potential foster homes, let alone the fact that I’m quirkless. No one would want me Keigo” The hero knew that Izuku’s words, while harsh, were unfortunately true. Staring intently, Keigo met Izuku’s teary eyes. Keigo remembered Rumi’s words the night before, Let me know when you finally decide to adopt the kid. He was no where near a proper parent, but Izuku had wormed his way into Keigo’s life and Keigo couldn’t walk away now. If he was going to help him out of a bad situation, he was going to see it through. If he handed Izuku off to the proper authorities and left it at that, he’d regret it. There’d be no going back but if Keigo were being honest, he was ok with that.

      “I’ll foster you. I’m not-. I can’t replace your parents. I’m not going to try. I know this has been where you felt safest for a long time, and I understand why you wouldn’t want to leave. But Izuku, I can’t leave you here. I’d take you in, in a heartbeat, if you let me. You don’t have to, it’s completely your choice, but staying here isn’t an option”. Keigo was already thinking of anyone that might be able to house Izuku if he didn’t want to stay with him. Rumi was fairly fond of Izuku, they texted regularly, maybe Izuku would be ok with staying with her. Izuku was studying him intently, reaching up and grasping the edge of Keigo’s sleeve.

      “I don’t want to be a burden. I can’t ask that of you. Keigo, you’ve already done so much for me. Don’t feel like you have to do this out of obligation”.

      Keigo shook his head, “You wouldn’t be a burden, kid. I am obligated as a hero and an adult to get you out of this place. But I’m offering because I care for you. Don’t ever think of yourself as a burden just because someone’s giving you basic necessities that everyone deserves. I’m not saying I’d be perfect. I’m going to make mistakes, trust me. But I do not and will not see you as a burden”. Izuku gave a small sob, nodding his head.

      “Okay. Okay, I’m ok with that. Are you sure?”

      “Yes, I’m sure” Keigo felt his own eye become watery as he pulled Izuku into a tight hug. Izuku buried his face in Keigo’s chest, still crying. After a few minutes, Keigo felt a furry nose prod at his cheek, looking out of the corner of his eye he saw Knobs peeking out of Izuku’s hood. The ferret crawled out of the hood and made itself comfy on top of Keigo’s shoulder. Izuku pulled away, scrubbing at the tear tracks on his cheeks.

      “Sorry,” he laughed quietly. Keigo smiled, ruffling his hair as he stood up, careful not to dislodge Knobs.

      “Don’t worry about it, why don’t you go ahead and get your stuff ready. We’re going to have to make a few more stops before this is anywhere near settled but for now let’s get you moved out of here”. Izuku returned his smile, moving to collect his stuff. It didn’t take long for him to get everything, Keigo helping him put as much as he could into his backpack and shoving the rest into the spare bag that the teen procured from under the kitchen sink. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, and grabbing the other one, Izuku gestured to Knobs cage, suddenly looking nervous.

      “What about Knobs? Will I be able to keep him?”

      “Yes, you can keep him. He seems to have already made that decision for us” Keigo said jokingly. Izuku snorted and opened the cage, rising to his tip toes he scooped the ferret off Keigo’s shoulders and placed him gently inside. Keigo picked the cage up and titled his head toward the door. “I got him, you ready to go?”

      Izuku paused, looking around what had been his home for the last few years. Keigo heard the teen whisper a soft goodbye before shooting him a blinding grin, “I’m ready”.

Chapter Text

      Exiting the beach, Keigo swapped their loads so that Izuku now held Knobs in his cage. Keigo made sure he had a good grip on both the bags and smiled back at the teen. “Stay here for a couple minutes, I’ll be right back”. Izuku looked confused but nodded, watching as Keigo took off in the air seconds later. Keigo quickly made his way to his home to drop off Izuku’s things. He wasn’t sure how the ferret would take to being flown so decided to hold off on that delivery and wait till they arrived at the building naturally. His house was actually farther from the beach than his agency, nestled midway between the agency and Rumi’s house. Something his friend had teased him for when he first moved into the city from his old one. Landing on the small balcony, Keigo dug out his key and entered. As he walked toward the spare room he never used, he mulled over how he would explain this to the Commission. He sighed and dropped off the bags near the empty room’s door. He’ll just have to cross that bridge when it came.

      When the beach came back into view, he could see Izuku and Knobs, now out of his cage, standing where he’d left them. Landing quietly, he ruffled Izuku’s hair. “Where did you go?” Izuku asked, Knobs seeming to mirror his owner’s expression as the small animal tilted his head and stared at Keigo too. Stifling a snort, Keigo picked up the wire cage Izuku had set down and started walking, prompting Izuku to follow.

      “I dropped your bags off at home, we can walk Knobs there since he might not take to well to flying”. Having moved ahead, Keigo didn’t see the blush and small, happy smile that appeared on Izuku’s face when he said ‘home’. Keigo glanced back when he didn’t receive a response, noticing that he’d gotten farther ahead than he thought and pausing to let Izuku catch up.

      Izuku trotted along beside him, curiosity seeming revived after a couple minutes of silence, “Where are we going? You wouldn’t have bothered to fly my stuff to your house if we were going straight there”.

      Keigo hummed, “It’s your house too now, kiddo” he commented absently as he checked for traffic before leading Izuku across the street. “We also need to stop by the police station and start making this legal. It won’t be immediate, but we can start the process now, so it’ll be done before the entrance exam”. Izuku nodded in understanding. He chewed on his lip, wiggling his fingers in the air for Knobs to swipe at them playfully.

      “Hey Keigo?” Keigo watched as Izuku grew increasingly nervous. “If someone were to…hypothetically…be known at the police station for some casual arrests, would that make this more difficult?” Keigo raised his eyebrow, casual arrests he thought dryly.

      “Then, hypothetically, you would’ve had to do some major hacking to clear your background check that you had when you first applied at the agency”.

      “Oh, I was never charged, just taken to the precinct…. hypothetically”. Keigo stopped as they reached the doors of the precinct.

      “Kid, am I going to need to bail you out before we go home?” Izuku shook his head again.

      “Don’t worry, the law has some questionable loopholes, namely the fact that the legal definition of vigilantism doesn’t apply to a quirkless individual or someone who didn’t use their quirk in the incident. So, when I accidently, hypothetically, might’ve gotten arrested, I couldn’t be charged for anything.”

      “Hypothetically, grammatical rules dictate that might’ve means the same as hypothetically, meaning you just used a double hypothetical. Which I’m inclined to interpret as a double negation and take your words to mean this isn’t a hypothetical and actually happened” Keigo replied, looking unimpressed as the teen grinned sheepishly at him.

      “Oh, it definitely happened, I’ve been the one doing the paperwork each time”. Izuku and Keigo startled at the new voice, turning to face the speaker. Keigo heard Izuku squeak beside him.

      “Detective Tsukauchi! Fancy seeing you here! I thought you were off for the weekend?” The detective sighed deeply.

      “We had a few call ins so I came in to cover,” turning to address Keigo, “What did he get himself into this time?” Izuku made an affronted noise that caused the detective’s lips to curve slightly in a poorly hidden smirk.

      Keigo smiled and held his hand out to shake, “He’s not in trouble this time. Nice to meet you, Detective. I take it your usually the one who handles Izuku when he gets brought in?”

      The detective smiled openly this time, shaking Keigo’s hand, “Officer Sansa or I are usually involved when Midoriya is. Nice to meet you Hawks”.

      Detective Tsukauchi looked worried as he processed everything that Izuku and Keigo had explained to him. He studied Izuku, who shifted anxiously where he stood. Keigo squeezed Izuku’s shoulder sympathetically. “I know you’ll have to complete an investigation into the whole situation before anything else happens. I have some pictures of where Izuku was staying that I’ll send over and I can file my address for a social worker to inspect before I leave”.

      Tsukauchi nodded appreciatively, “Thank you, it shouldn’t take too long since you’re a pro hero to get approved as a foster parent. I do need to take a statement from you, Midoriya about what happened at the group home and what led to you running away. As well as a few other questions. Unfortunately, since Hawks is directly involved he can’t be present during the questions”.

      Izuku suddenly looked nervous, glancing at Keigo who smiled and gave him a thumbs up. The teen looked back at Tsukauchi, “Can Knobs stay?” Tsukauchi frowned, confused.

      “Knobs?” he asked, looking bewildered. Izuku blushed as he realized Tsukauchi had never met the little ferret.

      “H-he’s my ferret. Keigo left his cage outside, but I still have him with me.” Izuku tugged at his fingers and avoided the detective’s eyes. Keigo held back a small laugh when said ferret peeked out from Izuku’s curls. Knobs had burrowed into Izuku’s hair at some point and seemed curious as to why the teen had said his name. The small nose twitching before Knobs lost interest and disappeared once more in the veridian locks.

      Tsukauchi smiled gently and nodded, “Of course he can stay”. Izuku’s shoulder’s relaxed and he beamed at the man. Keigo ruffled his hair, careful not to disturb Knobs, and tilted his head toward the hall.

      “I’ll just be out there. Maybe this Officer Sansa will be able to tell me about these hypothetical situations”. He smirked as Izuku narrowed his eyes at him. Detective Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow, the amusement clear in his eyes betraying the neutral expression he held.

      “No need, I have the folder right here.” the man easily located a folder from a drawer and handed it to Keigo. Izuku slumped and grumbled traitorously about the two plotting against him while Keigo left, patting his shoulder in encouragement as he did.

Chapter Text

      Flipping through a folder full of Izuku’s brushes with the law left Keigo feeling like he’d gained a few grey hairs. He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut as he closed the folder. He looked over at the receptionist that had been silently watching him since he’d sat down. Holding the folder up and tilting his head Keigo asked, “You wouldn’t happen to know if an Officer Sansa is around, would you?”

      “He should be in the back. I believe he was finishing up some paperwork for a recent arrest. Did you need him for something Mr. Hawks?” they asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.

      Keigo shrugged, “Nothing important, just wanted to see if he had anything to add to this file here. But I can always ask later, no need to interrupt him if he’s busy”. The receptionist giggled, nodding their head toward the folder.

      “Is that Midoriya-Chan’s file? Officer Sansa would definitely have comments to add. Especially after that one-time Midoriya-Chan jumped off a fire escape onto him because he wanted to check if Sansa really had cat-like reflexes”. Keigo wanted to feel surprised but could only feel mild curiosity on why Izuku wanted to check for cat-like reflexes. A wry grin forming as the receptionist laughed.

      “I’m so glad you find amusement in sharing my misfortune, Aiuchi” an unimpressed sounding officer called as he strode through the door leading to the back rooms. He looked human save for his head, shaped like a cat’s with orangish brown fur. Cat quirk, cat-like reflexes. Izuku, you dork. Keigo thought, refraining from laughing himself as he realized the reason for Izuku’s actions. Officer Sansa’s ears were slightly flattened as he patiently waited for Aiuchi to regain their composure, amusement shining through his resigned expression. “Tana mentioned that she saw the kid come in, is Tsukauchi handling it?” Sansa asked. They nodded, pointing toward the door that led to the office Tsukauchi and Izuku were in. Sansa looked surprised, “Door closed and everything? Must be serious this time”.

      Keigo stood, stretching as he did so. “They’ve been back there for a while, they’ll likely be out soon” he smiled in greeting at the man, “Izuku came in with me today, he’s not in trouble though. I was hoping to talk to you actually, I was reading Izuku’s file and was curious if there was anything missing in it?” Sansa turned his attention to Keigo, ears flicking forward as he studied him.

      “Missing?”

      “Nothing big, just noticed there wasn’t anything that mentioned someone being stabbed with a fork”.

      “I don’t recall any incidents that involve someone being stabbed with a fork” he replied, looking impressively unphased at such a question. Though after reading the file, Keigo could understand why. Hearing the office door open, the three turned to look at the threshold. Izuku exited, Knobs held gently in his hands as he shuffled toward the group. Keigo winced, the kid looked exhausted. He ruffled Izuku’s hair when he stopped beside Keigo. Izuku breathed deeply, seeming to regain his energy after exhaling slowly.

      “Hello Officer Sansa and Mx. Aiuchi!”

      “Hello Midoriya-Chan!” Aiuchi replied, Sansa dipping his head in a much more reserved greeting. The man’s eyes narrowing when he noticed Knobs. The ferret hopping onto the cushioned chair Keigo had been sitting at previously, beginning to investigate the new environment. Knobs stopped attempting to climb into the seat and trotted closer to Sansa. They stared at each other for a few moments before Knobs began wiggling between the seat cushions again. Izuku snickered and Sansa huffed.

      “That’s Knobs, he wont bite, he just gets curious about new places”.

      Keigo grinned conspiratorially, nudging Izuku from where he stood amusedly watching Sansa and Knobs. “These two were just telling me about some of the chaos you’ve been up to”. Izuku’s eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed as he glanced between the three. “Interestingly enough, in all these various incidents, ranging from stealing a mugger’s shoes and using them as a weapon against said mugger to managing to accidently expose a CEO for tax fraud, there is zero mentions of you stabbing someone with a fork”.

      Izuku tilted his head, “There isn’t?” he asked, looking to Sansa for confirmation. The officer shook his head and Izuku blinked. “Huh, I thought it was” Izuku raised his hands defensively when he was met with two admonishing looks, “It’s not my fault that people decide to cause trouble when I’m around. I just happen to be a victim of poor timing”.

      “You interrupted a drug trade by throwing an egg at the dealer’s head and shouting ‘This is your brain on drugs!’ ”.

      “In my defense they weren’t armed”.

      “Yes, they were” Tsukauchi chimed in as he entered the room, not even looking up from the stack of papers he was ruffling through.

      Izuku froze, “…visibly” he tacked on after a moment of silence.

      Keigo inhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose. He heard Aiuchi beginning to laugh again, “It isn’t on any reports, but my personal favourite is when a convenience store that Midoriya-Chan was shopping in had a minor fire and instead of evacuating like everyone else, he stopped to take a selfie with the store’s flaming dumpster and sent it to Tsukauchi with the caption twinsies”.

      Tsukauchi made a long-suffering noise, “I gave him my number for emergency use only”. Izuku snorted, looking unapologetic and Keigo took another deep breathe. I’m going to get grey hairs early. Tsukauchi shook his head fondly as he passed the stack of papers to Keigo. “These are the papers you’ll need to fill out for now, they’ll likely want to have you answer a few questions later on about why Izuku was cleared to work with you despite his age and a few other factors. Now, that top paper there, I need you to sign before you leave. That allows you to gain temporary guardianship of Izuku until they can complete the proper inquiries and file for official foster forms should they see fit. The other ones are consent forms for an investigation into your finances and home, completely standard when someone is looking to become a foster parent, I assure you it wont be anything too invasive. As well as a form for you to give your own statement on how you came to be aware of Midoriya’s situation, since you are a hero, you have the ability to fill that out in the comfort of your home and file it later”. Keigo flipped through the papers as Tsukauchi explained their purposes and nodded. “Lastly, you will need to separately file some paperwork with Midoriya’s school, since his address and guardian forms still list the group home. There will be an investigation into the group home, again, since you are directly involved you won’t be able to participate in the investigation. I will be leading the investigation and take whatever info you do give me in your report, seriously”.

      Tsukauchi smiled warmly and clapped his hands, “That should be all for now, I’ll contact you if anything comes up”. Keigo returned his smile while Izuku grinned brightly, moving to collect Knobs from where he’d wondered over to Sansa and was attempting to scale the man’s leg. Keigo and Izuku bid the group of people goodbye, making sure they had everything before they exited the building. An excited gleam appeared on Izuku’s face as he wiggled excitedly. Keigo laughed and together they began to make their way home.

Chapter Text

      Keigo began to feel a little nervous when they reached his building. Worried that Izuku might not like it, but when he glanced over the teen was visibly brimming with nerves himself. Keigo huffed out a small chuckle and ruffled his hair. “We’re almost there,” he cheered as he dug out the keys from his pocket. Izuku smiled, looking at the buildings around them that were steadily thinning as they navigated out of the crowded inner city. Keigo lead them around one final corner before halting in front of an apartment building. “I’ll get you a key to the apartment tomorrow. The front door to the building has a number code that changes every three months. Currently it’s 4560, the owner of the building will send everyone a letter when it changes. You won’t have to enter a code when you’re leaving but it will auto-lock behind you”. Looking around surreptitiously, Keigo leaned down as if sharing a secret. “One of the other tenants forgot his phone and the new code so he was stuck outside until he used his voice quirk to get his husband’s attention. Poor guy was apparently still home sleeping”.

      Izuku laughed, wondering if he’d get to meet the two. He followed behind Keigo as he directed him through the lobby and toward a carpeted hallway. Opening a door to their side, Keigo held it open for Izuku as they walked into the stairwell. After a quiet climb up to Keigo’s floor, the pair entered another carpeted hallway that had five doors. Keigo opened one on the left and stood to the side, watching as Izuku looked around. The front door opened up to a living room that transitioned into a kitchen/dining area. A set of double doors on the far wall beside the kitchen counters led to a small balcony. A hallway that led off from where the kitchen and living room separated yielded four doors. One was left open and was a bathroom on further inspection.

      Keigo gestured at the other doors, “There’s a hall closet down at the end of the hall. There’s plenty of blankets in there if you need any. The room with your stuff outside is yours, it was supposed to be an office, but I never really used it. Don’t worry about dust, I regularly clean the rooms”.  Keigo squeezed Izuku’s shoulder and moved past him. “My room is this one right here,” he paused to knock his hand against the closed door and smiled. “No room is off limits just knock before entering if my door is closed. Now why don’t we get you settled into your room. It’s getting pretty late, so I’ll order something too. Any preferences?” Izuku shook his head and Keigo smiled.

      Keigo could tell Izuku was feeling a little overwhelmed, eyes widened and shining with wonder. Opening the door to Izuku’s new room elicited a small noise of amazement from the teen. It was fairly empty but held a desk and chair in one of the corners. Keigo winced, how did I forget about Izuku needing a bed. “Make that pick-up, I’m going to head out and get you a bed and grab the food on the way back”. Izuku blinked, looking surprised.

      “You don’t have to do that! I can just sleep on the couch. Really, beds are expensive. You don’t have to do that for me”. Keigo shook his head, smiling gently.

      “It’s your home too now, and that includes a bed. I’ll be back, Kiddo”. Ruffling the kid’s hair, Keigo turned and left through the balcony doors.

     After an hour of flying around looking for somewhere that would have a mattress and frame that Keigo could buy and take home, the man came to the disappointing conclusion that mattress stores shipped the majority of their items. Determined, Keigo kept searching until he found a tired employee that was willing to sell him a newly received box that was supposed to be assembled to be their display. Now, Keigo was faced with how he was going to lug the thing home. He didn’t have a car. Pulling his phone out, he quickly messaged his friend.

      It’s NOT cannibalism: Rumi I need your car for the night

      Them legs tho: ???

      It’s NOT cannibalism: I need to bring a bed home, but I can’t carry it

      Them legs tho: Why can’t you just ship it? Isn’t that what most mattress stores do? Where are you?

      It’s NOT cannibalism: That new bed store that just opened. It replaced that one thrift store that went out of business

      Them legs tho: I should question this more but I’m on my way

      It wasn’t long before Rumi was slowing to a stop beside the store and getting out. “Kei your ability to think ahead is sometimes questionable”. Keigo glowered but his ire was only met with an unaffected grin. Rumi moved to the other side of the large box and they both hefted the thing closer to the car. Rumi fumbling with her hand to open the back door while still helping Keigo hold the boxed mattress aloft. It took a few tries before they managed to fit their load in the back of the car. Once Keigo had settled into the passenger seat, Rumi began to drive back to Keigo’s apartment. “So, what made you buy a mattress and frame at nearly 10 at night?” Rumi questioned after a few moments of comfortable silence.

      Keigo thunked his head against the window, “I’m adopting Izuku and forgot that I don’t have a bed so went to find one but couldn’t. This was the only place that had one not assembled and was willing to give to me today”.

      Rumi whipped her head around to look at Keigo before turning back to the road. “Your adopting Izuku?! Oh my goodness! I’ve been waiting for this since you introduced me to the little beansprout! Congrats Kei!” She exclaimed happily. Keigo couldn’t stop the smile that grew with her words. Happiness welling in him as he fully processed that Izuku was now family in more than just sentiment. That happiness stayed with him as they stopped for take-out before reaching home. Keigo flew the take-out to the balcony and left it there for when they made it up the stairs with the mattress.

      “That elevator really needs to get fixed soon,” Keigo sighed as they maneuvered the bed around yet another set of steps. Eventually, they made it to Keigo’s floor and dragged the box inside. Rumi snickered as Keigo sprawled out on the ground beside the box. She opened the balcony door and snagged the food and began to divvy it out on plates. Keigo stood up and walked over to Izuku’s room, smiling fondly at the sight that greeted him. The teen was curled up, asleep where he’d been going through his bags on the floor. Keigo carefully picked Izuku up, pausing when Knobs emerged from one of the bags and hopped onto the teen. Carrying Izuku out to the living room, he placed him on the couch. Rumi and Keigo could work on setting up the bed while Izuku slept. Combing Izuku’s hair gently, Keigo stood to rejoin Rumi in the kitchen. “Welcome home Kiddo” he murmured before leaving the room.

Chapter Text

      It took some time, but after a few days, Izuku began to settle into the apartment. Keigo quickly became used to Knobs scurrying around the house, the pet had quickly claimed the top of the fridge as his own. Keigo had thought it cute, until he woke up one morning to Izuku perched up there as well. While they were still working on Izuku completely settling in, things were going great at the moment. With an official inquiry being held on both the group foster home and Izuku’s school, Keigo had convinced Izuku to take the rest of the school year online. Convincing Izuku hadn’t been too monumental a task since he’d stopped enjoying school long ago. But Keigo could see Izuku was feeling conflicted. They compromised with the agreement that the teen would try online and if he didn’t like it, he could go back.

      “So how has school been?” Keigo asked, glancing at the kid as they walked down the hall from the apartment. Keigo had wanted to go out and get Izuku some stuff to personalize his room, as well as stop by the agency for some training. Izuku was starting to get restless and kept asking if they could start training again. Keigo smiled at the way Izuku seemed to light up at his question.

      “It’s actually been really nice! I didn’t realize how nice it is to work at my own pace rather than stuck going with the rest of the class. I’ve managed to get pretty far ahead so now we have more time to train!” Izuku cheered. Keigo laughed, not surprised in the slightest that Izuku would work ahead so he could get more training in. The man reached out and ruffled the teen’s hair.

      “I’m glad you’re enjoying your classes. I may not be as much of a brainiac as you but let me know if you need help. I’d be more than happy to help” he opened the stairwell door and held it open for Izuku. Izuku glanced curiously into the small windowpane in the door to another floor as they passed.

      “How come we almost never run into anyone else? The only other person we’ve met is the landlord and Mr. Abiko”.

      Keigo didn’t answer for a moment, contemplating how to answer. “The apartment complex is a fairly secure one and the landlord doesn’t ask unnecessary questions. In some cases, that can attract criminals or people who just want to stay off the grid. But in this case, it tends to attract heroes that need a secure place to live while staying near their patrol routes”

      Izuku’s eyes had grown large while they were talking, “This complex is full of heroes?” he whispered. Practically vibrating in excitement.

      “Not full of them, just an oddly high amount of underground heroes happened to move in. I’m fairly certain only a handful have realized this though.”

      Izuku tilted his head, “So, why did you move here? I remember you used to have an agency somewhere in Fukuoka. What caused you to move locations?” Keigo shifted, not wanting to explain the commission and the leash they kept taut on him.

      “It’s a long, boring story. I-” Keigo paused when Izuku stiffened suddenly. The teen shifting as if to hide behind Keigo. He followed Izuku’s gaze to find a man and another teen headed up the stairs they were walking down. The man’s charcoal eyes narrowing as he studied them, the teen with him looking unbothered.

      Recognition flashing in the man’s eyes before he sighed. “Midoriya, how…unexpected” he drawled. Raising his eyebrow at the small eep Izuku gave.

      “Hey there Eraser…” Izuku greeted sheepishly. He shuffled out from his half-hidden position, fidgeting nervously. Keigo glanced between the two curiously.

      He smiled charmingly, nodding at Eraserhead. “Hello, Eraserhead and…mini Eraserhead. Didn’t know you two knew each other”. Eraserhead and the kid avoided making eye contact with each other. The kid, Keigo mentally dubbed him Mini Eraser, hid his face in his hoodie, a blush dusting his cheeks. “So, how’d you two meet?” It was Izuku’s turn to blush now.

      “He stabbed me with a fork” Eraserhead replied in a deadpan voice. Mini Eraser gave a surprised bark of laughter before slapping a hand over his mouth. Eraserhead shot him a glare while Izuku winced. Keigo, regretting his choice of conversation starter, mentally face palmed.

      “He’s the one you stabbed with a fork?” he questioned Izuku incredulously.

      Izuku gestured vaguely with his hands, “Now, technically, it was a spork”.

      “Regardless, the intent was there”.

      “You scared me while I was trying to enjoy a nice bowl of Katsudon!” Izuku exclaimed.

      “You ate Katsudon with a spork?” Mini Eraser asked, looking disgusted.

      “I didn’t have anything else!”

      “Maybe if you didn’t steal it, you would have been given the proper utensils” Eraserhead commented dryly.

      Keigo turned to Izuku, “You stole a bowl of Katsudon?” he asked, concerned.

      “At least it wasn’t candy?” Izuku offered.

      “Or from a baby” Mini Eraser noted, face completely neutral.

      There was an awkward beat of silence before Eraserhead frowned, “This conversation has been illogical,” he stated. “How did you know he stabbed someone with a fork? I didn’t file anything about that”. Mini Eraser looked intrigued, motioning something Keigo missed and raising an eyebrow toward Izuku who mimed a stab and then made a breaking gesture. Both teens shared an understanding nod before silently turning to observe the adults.

      Keigo shook his head, returning his attention to Eraserhead. “Izuku mentioned it when we were playing never-have-I-ever” at the underground hero’s unimpressed look Keigo tacked on, “It was a friend’s idea and she was slightly on the buzzed side”.

      “Why were you playing never-have-I-ever with a minor and a drunk?” Eraserhead asked.

      Keigo slumped in exasperation, “When you say it like that, you make it sound like she has a drinking problem. Which she doesn’t” he declared. Defensiveness flaring on Rumi’s behalf. Mini Eraser waved a hand in the air.

      “Who cares about that. I want to know more about Dad getting stabbed with a spork, Pops will love to hear about this” he said, sounding amused.

      “Hizashi won’t love it because he’s not going to hear about it” Eraserhead grumbled, not moving his gaze from where he was glowering at the wall slightly to the left of Keigo. Mini Eraser didn’t look fazed, shrugging before offering his hand to Izuku.

      “Shinso Hitoshi, we live on the second floor”.

      Izuku smiled, shaking Shinso’s hand. “Nice to meet you Shinso, I’m Midoriya Izuku”.

Chapter Text

      Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement when they reached the agency. Keigo chuckled, reaching out and purposefully poking random buttons on the phone Izuku was happily clutching. Izuku gave a grumbled protest and moved the phone out of reach. “Keigo! You almost made me send a gibberish text!” he declared, blushing.

      “Kid, your texts are gibberish more often then not. I mean, what does ‘yeet’ even mean?” Keigo said with a snort. Izuku looked mildly offended before shaking his head. To prevent Izuku from going on another informative discussion about vines and their social significance, Keigo nudged the teen. Smiling, he tilted his head toward the support department. “Thought we’d do something a little different today”. Izuku shot him a curious glance but hurried to follow behind. “Now, you’ve been doing great in learning hand-to-hand, and you seemed to be a natural with agility. But, as we discussed, the physical part of the entrance exam is likely going to be biased. So, you’d benefit from a support item of some kind. Usually this consists of some type of weapon, capture item, or both. I figured we could start filing the request with the school so you can have one on you during the exam while we still have time”.

      Izuku’s eyes lit up with understanding. “We’re going to the support department to figure out what type of gear I’d be carrying”.

      Keigo nodded, “You can always change them in the future. For now, we’ll just be finding what suits you for now”. Izuku’s grin was mildly concerning, but Keigo decided it was probably best not to ask. The support department could handle the teen’s gremlin tendencies for a bit. Keigo strode through the open door of the support department and headed for the tall woman in the back. She looked up from the hunk of metal she was fiddling with and smiled warmly.

      “Hawks, it’s a pleasure as always” she turned toward Izuku and nodded, “Midoriya, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from some of my colleagues.” Izuku blushed, looking embarrassed. “My name’s Chouko, Hawks asked me to help in finding you some support items. Did you have any ideas for what you’d like to have for support items?”

      Izuku hummed, “I had a few ideas but they’re mostly unusable now…I would like to have a capture weapon, something like Eraserhead’s scarf. But I’m not really sure about what type of weapon would benefit me. Maybe a sort of knife or dagger? I don’t want a sword and a close-range weapon would mesh better with my fighting style. Though I would like to branch out into long-range attacks in the future, but for now I should stick with my strong suits until I’ve managed to cement my specific style of fighting”.

      Chouko looked amused. “You can start with a dagger and see if it works for you. If not you’re more than welcome to stop by again and try something else. Here, we have some miscellaneous support items stored in the back. You can take a look and if you see something you like, we can go from there”.

      She ushered them toward a small storage area near the back corner. Izuku tilted his head curiously as he followed along. “Who did they belong to beforehand?” he poked through some of the items on the shelfs and scrunched his nose at the ones he disliked.

      Chouko gave a dismissive wave of her hand, “No one! These ae mostly just random prototypes or tools that were made when someone came up with an idea or wanted to test something”. Izuku continued to peer around at the carefully stocked shelfs. Keigo was curious himself, he rarely bothered to explore the support department. Izuku’s attention turned to a bin that held a small blade, it looked fairly dull with a plain hilt. Izuku picked it up and tilted it this way and that to better inspect it. He moved to gently touch the blade, when Keigo quickly intervened.

      “Don’t! Trust me kid, you don’t want to touch that, it’s a lot sharper than it looks”.

      Izuku smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, don’t know what I was thinking”. He looked back at the knife and studied it further. The hilt had a deep, near forest green cloth wrapped around it to make the grip easier to hold. The blade was the standard silver but with flecks of black through out it. “What project was this one?”

      Ms. Chouko gave a small sigh, “A failed one, unfortunately. We were attempting to make it possible for others to sharpen their weapons in the same fashion as Hawks does. But despite numerous attempts we couldn’t isolate the correct neuropathway that is activated in Hawks’ brain. Without being able to do that, we can’t properly trigger that pathway in others. The blade is a combination of different metals, made to be incredibly strong and sharp. The metals are combined by my quirk in such a way as to allow the best qualities of each to shine through”.

      Izuku thoughtfully held the knife for a few moments. “Keigo, would I be able to use this for now? See if I like it?” he asked, glancing at Keigo nervously.

      Keigo hesitated, wary of giving him an incredibly sharp weapon. He reasoned that he could train the kid in how to properly handle a knife while using a substitute for the actual weapon. Plenty of people used that method, he concluded. Keigo pointed a gloved finger at Izuku, “We’ll use fake ones to start with, until I’m confident you can handle a knife in a fight without hurting yourself. Deal?”.

      Izuku nodded seriously and they grinned at each other. Izuku began to bounce in excitement again, “I’m getting a support item! I can’t belief I actually have my own support item. I can’t wait to show Shinso!” the teen exclaimed. Keigo felt dread lightly tug at him. Something told him Eraserhead, and his husband wouldn’t be too thrilled if he sent a knife wielding, excitable teen to meet their son. “Shinso mentioned that he has support items similar to his dad’s. Maybe he has a blade like Eraserhead! We could spar!” Keigo pinched the bridge of his nose. He was starting to realize that Izuku and Shinso’s relationship was likely going to cost him a lot of sleep.

Chapter Text

      Keigo cursed, reaching over as he attempted to save his burning toast. Plopping it onto a plate and lifting it up out of the reach from a curious Knobs. He spun to send a light glare at the snickering teen sat at his table. “How come only my toast is the victim of your experiments on our toaster?” he muttered as he prodded at the charred slice of bread. Izuku ripped a small chunk off his own slice of bread and passed it to knobs still looking overly pleased.

      Izuku’s phone gave a small chime before he could respond. Checking the notification, Izuku smiled. “Shinso wanted to know if we’re going to stop by tomorrow as a little celebration before the entrance exam?” he pulled a face, “The exam can’t really be next week, can it?”. Keigo checked the date and winced.

      “It would appear so. Did you submit those forms you were working on for your costume?”

      Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I submitted them last night before I went to bed. Can I tell Shinso yes?”

      Keigo got up and collected their plates, “Sure, but we shouldn’t stay too late. Both you and Shinso will want to be well rested for your exams. Detective Tsukauchi messaged and said he needs us to stop by later today when we get the chance. We have the never-ending paperwork and some more questions for you”. He rinsed the dishes and turned to lean against the counter. Keigo smiled openly when Izuku perked up at the announcement. He knew how close Izuku, and the detective had become from all the times the teen had gotten himself into trouble. They hadn’t gotten to see much of the other man since Izuku started living with Keigo.

      “He mentioned wanting to know if you had any friends in the group home since they apparently have been struggling with getting any of the kids to talk to them. Tsukauchi said the state of the group home and the owners bank statements should be enough, but he doesn’t want to risk losing to a well-paid defense”. Izuku gave a small noncommittal noise, looking down as he fiddled with his phone. After a moment’s hesitation, he shrugged with a small shake of his head.

      “Most of us in the home were just waiting to age out of the system. No one really talked much, I know I wasn’t the only one that snuck out, but I never asked where they went. I stuck to my business, and they stuck to theirs”. Izuku paused once more before flashing Tsukauchi’s contact pulled up on his phone. “I’ll call him and let him know the kids will be more willing to talk if he promises that he’ll make sure they will be taken care of. The majority of them have been passed from home to home, I just got skipped over until they moved me there. But they thought they finally escaped that cycle; they probably don’t want to start it again”.

      Keigo smiled thankfully, “Thanks, Kiddo”. He dug out his phone and checked the time, sighing in resignation. “I need to go to work, I have a meeting with someone, so we won’t be able to train today. We can go to the precinct after the meeting is over”. Izuku nodded in understanding and gave a cheerful thumbs up. Keigo smiled, leaving the room to get ready for work and ruffling Izuku’s hair as he passed by.

      Keigo felt profoundly bored throughout the meeting. His handler had announced an impromptu meeting after she received a notification of his name being involved with the multitude of investigations that had spurred from Izuku’s situation. The woman continued to drone on about how much she disapproved of Keigo’s actions. The man had long since mentally checked out. He found no interest in listening to what she felt was wrong with Izuku. He tuned back in when he noticed a lull in the constant flow of words. She was frowning intently at the papers she’d brought. Keigo tapped his desk silently, hoping this meant she’d be leaving soon.

      She suddenly looked up, fixing Keigo with a severe look. “We won’t interfere with this whole adoption lark but if it became public knowledge at any point, we would have to discuss how best to present this Midori. Naturally, his…quirk status will be an issue we’ll have to get ahead of. He would fall under the committee’s guidance, and I would assume the role of his handler as well. This will let us manage backlash and ensure an appropriate public image”. Keigo frowned, protectiveness for Izuku rearing its head at her words.

      “There’s nothing natural about that. I work for you, not Midoriya. If you try to force him to work for you, I’ll go public with all the dirty secrets that the committee doesn’t want known”. His handler glowered at him.

      “You seem to have forgotten that there are consequences to not doing as you’re told. We could easily jog your memory if we so choose” she said with faux calm.

      “I’m well aware, I just don’t care. Midoriya is off limits. You touch him, you lose your favourite pawn. Is a petty worry over my public image worth that?”. When she didn’t answer, Keigo straightened from his slouch. “Now, if we’re done here, I have other things to do”.

      She silently glared for a few more moments before rising with a huff and storming out of the room. Keigo slumped with relief when the door slammed behind her. He was going to need to find a better protection against the committee getting their grubby hands on Izuku. He would work on that tonight after they stopped by the precinct to see Detective Tsukauchi he decided before rising himself and collecting his things to pick Izuku up.

Chapter Text

      Izuku felt like he could vomit from the amount of nerves coursing through him. He paced nervously in the living room, watching the second hand on the clock tick along. A furry weight settled into his hands, halting the nervous tugging of his fingers. Izuku smiled as he shifted to hold Knobs more comfortably. “Hey buddy” he murmured, gently scratching between his shoulder blades. Knobs chittered happily and curled up to in a satisfied bundle of fur. Continuing to pet Knobs, Izuku took the time to collect himself. Keigo entered from the hallway and ruffled the teen’s hair.

      “You’re going to do great kid”. He paused to give Knobs’ an affectionate pat before continuing on his way to snag his keys and shoes. “But we’ll be late if we have to fix the dent you’re putting in the carpet from all that pacing” Keigo commented with an amused nod to the clear track Izuku had made. Blushing, Izuku paused in his back and forth. Keigo smiled and gestured toward where Izuku had his stuff ready and waiting. “C’mon, we should head out. I promised Yamada I’d pick Shinso up since him and Aizawa had to leave early to set up for the exam”.

      Izuku moved to collect his things, allowing Knobs to hop down onto the couch as he did so. “Be good, don’t cause too much chaos while we’re gone, all right bud?” Knobs scrunched his nose and headbutted Izuku’s hand. Laughing, Izuku straightened up and joined Keigo in the doorway. Within a few minutes, Shinso had joined the two and they began the trek to U.A. High School.

      Izuku breathed deeply as he approached the gates. He edged away from the main crowd of students and took in the large building he was approaching. Wide eyed and starstruck, Izuku missed where the path was elevated slightly and was pulled from his thoughts by an abrupt loss of balance. Of all the times for gravity to…He peeked his eyes open to peek at the ground below. He was almost perfectly horizontal in the air, yet he wasn’t falling. Before Izuku could fully panic a warm laugh sounded beside him.

      “Sorry for not asking before I used my quirk on you! Falling is bad luck and I didn’t want you to get hurt!” a girl his age exclaimed, smiling happily as she guided him back to his feet. Izuku watched as with a light tap of her fingers, gravity seemed to reappear. He continued to silently gape at the girl as she proceeded to wish him good luck before hurrying off. Shinso snickered from where he stood a few feet away.

      “Mido, you are such an awkward disaster that it makes me look sociable” he said. Izuku blushed heavily and crossed his arms with a huff.

      “I thought you were going to visit your dads?” Izuku playfully huffed, he and Shinso resuming their walk toward the school.

      Shinso shrugged, “Apparently they have a confidential guest in the evaluation room or something. They wouldn’t let me in, could hear Pops yelling hi though”. Izuku hummed, preparing to respond only for his shoulder to be jerked forward with a harsh shove. Stumbling to maintain his balance Izuku glanced behind him. Stiffening when he caught sight of Kacchan.

      “Get out of my way fucking nerd or I’ll explode you” the blonde growled as stomped by. The frantic responses that bubbled up his throat popped by Shinso giving a derisive scoff beside him. Eyes narrowed analytically on Kacchan’s back.

      “What’s that dude’s problem” he sneered. Izuku fidgeted and went through a confusing cycle of hand gestures. Shinso just blinked, “Either I’ve forgotten JSL, or you’ve taken to miming” he commented dryly. Izuku couldn’t help but laugh softly at the blank faced delivery of his statement.

      Shuffling closer toward Shinso, Izuku fidgeted with his hands. “He, um, w-was…We’ve been cl-classmates since we were kids”. Shinso eyed him consideringly but seemed to take the poor explanation for the time being. Falling back into silence as they finally entered the main doorway. The hallway was sparsely filled, most of the hopeful students having already gone to the room where the written exam was held. Izuku gazed through the doorways they pass in awe. The doors were obscenely large, leading to surprisingly bland classrooms. Izuku attempted to snag glimpses of anything that might give away any clues as to who taught in which classroom. Eventually, they reached the exam room and separated to their designated seats. Double checking that he had all the supplies he needed, pencils and erasers as well as a sharpener for the inevitable moment he broke the lead of his pencil.

      Izuku leaned forward eagerly when Cementoss entered. Listening with barely concealed excitement as the man calmly explained the rules and general information about the test. He could feel the growing annoyance from Kacchan who, as Izuku’s bad luck would have it, was sat directly beside him. Hoping to prevent any explosions, both metaphorically and literally, Izuku did his best to keep his muttering to a minimum. Once Cementoss was finished with his explanation, test packets were handed out and they were given the go to start. Heaving a deep sigh, eying the brooding figure of Kacchan beside him, Izuku steeled himself for the hardest test of his life so far.

Chapter Text

      Once Izuku had completed his test, double checked he’d answered all the questions and gave one last look through just to be sure, he closed the test booklet with a soft sigh. He glanced around noticing that the majority of U.A hopefuls were still completing the test. Fidgeting slightly, he went to reopen his booklet out of worry that he’d rushed. He’d managed to scrutinize his test twice more before noticing that he was being watched. Looking for who was watching him, Izuku’s eyes caught onto Cementoss who was proctoring the written test. The man’s expression remained neutral, but his gaze was calculating. Izuku gave a nervous grin before ducking his head and closing his packet once more. Peeking back up, Izuku was relieved to see that he was no longer being scrutinized by the hero.

      The relief was short lived however as Izuku was still faced with an abundance of nervous energy. Izuku tapped his pencil nervously against the desk, eyeing the left-over scratch paper that had been provided. He’d admit that he might have gone overboard with how much he’d taken when it was being offered but at least he now had something to pass the time with. Sliding the sheets in front of him, Izuku began to scribble down some analysis on the quirks of the test takers around him. He wasn’t able to analyze everyone but there were several that exhibited physical manifestations of their quirks. Right as he began to hypothesize the quirk of a silent student with a head of dark feathers and sharp beak, Cementoss’ calm voice announced for everyone to put their pencils down. Laying his pencil neatly alongside his test booklet, Izuku collected the scratch paper he’d used for his analysis and put it to the side of his desk. When Cementoss came by to collect his booklet, Izuku was confused when the hero kept his hand outstretched expectantly. “We need to collect scratch paper as well,” the man explained after Izuku continued to look puzzled.

      “Oh! The scrap paper I used for the test is in the booklet. I put them in the pages that have the questions I used them for. I wrote on these after I finished the test to pass the time”. Cementoss raised an eyebrow but didn’t walk away.

      “We’re still required to collect all scrap paper regardless of their use for security purposes. If you would like the notes back, you can request photocopies be sent alongside your grades after they’ve been screened for possible cheating”.

      “Oh…” pouting minutely, Izuku picked up his stack of analysis and gave them to Cementoss. Blushing brightly when he noticed the conversation had drawn the attention of the teens around him. One teen, with rectangle glasses and navy-blue hair, seemed particularly displeased by the hold-up. Embarrassed, Izuku shuffled in his seat. Not looking to his side at Kacchan’s signature scoff. He was saved from the awkward moment when Present Mic made a loud, cheerful entrance. Izuku excitedly leaned forward, shouting out a greeting when Mic asked for it. Only to freeze when his lone voice echoed the otherwise silent room. Sinking in his room as the attention once more shifted to him. Present Mic shot Izuku finger guns with a wide, pleased smile. He noticed Shinso looking just as embarrassed in his seat further to the front of the room. Izuku focused on Present Mic’s spiel on what would happen during the physical exam.

      “Excuse me!” he was jolted from his intense concentration when the same blue haired boy from before shot from his chair with a stiffly raised arm. Mic called on the teen with the same exuberance he’d exuded from the start of his presentation. The student, examinee number 7111 as Mic called him, pointed out the missing villain with a stern reprimand on the assumed error. Izuku jumped when the student then turned around to point at him and demand he stop muttering. He quickly covered his mouth with his hands and squeaked out an apology.

      Mic thankfully worked to calm down the crowd of students, silencing the snickers that had started up. “Thanks for calling in! That villain is worth zero points! So, I suggested not wasting your time on that one and aim for the top of the charts!”

      “Thank you, please continue” the teen responded, bowing, and returning to his seat. Izuku couldn’t help but notice that most of his movements were stiff and formal. Simultaneously wondering why, he looked so familiar. The spotlight that had shined on him allowing Izuku to get a better look at the shockingly familiar features. Dragging his attention back to Present Mic’s words, he clenched the informational sheet with bubbling excitement when the hero yelled out a “Plus Ultra!” before dismissing the teens to their respective battle areas.

      Weaving his way through the throng of students filing out of the auditorium, Izuku managed to find Shinso to yell out a quick good luck before heading for battle arena B. Thankfully, there were changing areas for students to prepare for the physical portion of the exam in. Izuku ducked into the sectioned of area, sliding his backpack from his shoulders to pull out a track suit, his dagger, and hard soled shoes. Izuku rushed to change, wishing he could be wearing the costume he’d designed instead of the baggy sweatpants and jacket he was currently dressed in. He took a steadying breath, clipping the sheathed dagger against his thigh. Slipping the hard-soled pair of sneakers on and exiting the area quietly. Thankfully, he managed to avoid drawing the attention of the other boys in the changing area as he left.

      Izuku curiously glanced around at the students that were grouped near the locked entrance of the fake city they’d be fighting in. Shaking out his hands and shifting his weight from foot to foot, Izuku went over the rules Present Mic had given. Finding some humour in the rouge thought that Kacchan might struggle with the rule about not attacking other students. He caught a glimpse of gelled blond hair at the top of the walls they stood in front of and knew the test would be starting soon. It was as he was returning his gaze to doors that he noticed the kind girl from before. It’s her! I should thank her for saving me from falling earlier he thought. Stepping forward to do so only for the formal teen that had asked about the zero pointer to stop him with a hand on his shoulder and a severe expression. Eyes widening, Izuku flinched in shock. He’s here too?!

Chapter Text

      Izuku gaped, silently panicking. “She looks like she’s trying to focus, are you trying to distract her? If you aren’t here to take the test seriously, then you should leave” the blue haired boy lectured after a beat of silence. Scrambling back and waving his hands, Izuku jumped to defend himself. He could hear the muttering of the other examinees whose attention had been drawn by the interaction. Feeling his face heat up in embarrassment as they wrote him off. Once more, Present Mic came to the rescue.

      “Alright, let’s start! Get moving, there’s no count downs in a real battle!” Izuku blinked, mind buffering as it shifted from the defensive. “Run, run, run! You’re wasting airtime!”

      Looking over, he jolted into action when he realized that everyone had already taken off. Working quickly to take stock of the area, Izuku beat back the panic that attempted to surge when he noticed the amount of already destroyed robots. He ducked a flying piece of metal and skidded around a corner. It took entirely too long before Izuku actually found a robot that hadn’t been attacked yet. The moderate sized two-pointer lumbering out from the shadows and moving toward him. Unsheathing his knife, Izuku scanned the robot for a weakness. Ultimately deciding to aim for the junction between the robot’s neck and shoulders. A shock of wires peeking out of the shockingly flexible neck joint.

      Wary of losing his knife, Izuku opted not to throw the blade at the weakness and instead find a way to physically attack it. Adjusting his footing, Izuku waited for the two-pointer to be close enough before using a dumpster next to him as a springboard to get closer to his target. Grabbing the robots head to steady himself, Izuku slashed at the pocket of wires blindly. Scrabbling to get a better grip on the robot as the machine’s large head whipped around attempting to knock him loose. When his actions proved ineffective Izuku cursed. Looking at the wire filled crevice, he crowed in delight when he noticed the sole yellow coloured wire. Nestled just under the rim of the robot’s shoulder piece. Contorting to reach, Izuku snapped the wire easily and gave a relieved laugh when the robot slumped and halted.

      Sliding off the now dead two-pointer, he landed with a soft thump. Mentally tallying points and time left, Izuku moved to take off. Nearly face-planting when he noticed a blond teen standing silently, posed, and seemingly twinkling as he stared at Izuku. Taking a half step back, Izuku reminded himself students weren’t allowed to attack each other. Before Izuku could think of something to say, the blond boy winked and with an “Adieu” rand off. Izuku stared blankly at the now vacated spot, completely thrown by other teen’s actions. Startled back to attention when Present Mics voice echoed through the arena with an update on the time they had left.

      Shaking his head, Izuku sped toward the sound of fighting, hoping to snag some more points now that he knew a weakness he could exploit. Managing to rack up a few more points out of some other two and one pointers lingering in the back alleys. He even snagged a three pointer after climbing a fire escape ladder and hopping of the platform to land on the robot. Sending a cheery smile at the student who had been the three-pointer’s target, offering them a hand up. The teen shook their head and gestured toward the ankle they gripped in their other hand. “Thanks, but I’m out for the count with this,” Izuku made a sympathetic noise, and hesitated, not wanting to leave them vulnerable to any other robots. They seemed to realize his dilemma and gave a thumbs up, “Don’t worry, I can shut them down with my quirk, but I need some time to recharge. I’ll be fine soon”. Biting his lip, Izuku nodded and after a quick glance around, took off once more.

      He continued toward the ever-building sounds of fighting, attacking any robots he crossed. Helping out other teens when he could. His steady progress was halted when his grip on a one-pointer slipped, and he landed on his elbow. Feeling a sharp pain shoot through his arm, causing him to yelp. Grimacing, Izuku kicked and caught the robot’s lowered head as it prepared to send a powerful punch his way. Pushing himself up gingerly, he felt minutely thankful that he’d landed on his left arm rather than his dominant arm. Careful this time, Izuku used the robot’s treads to hop back up onto the thing’s shoulders. Lashing out quickly and landing back on the ground, he staggered as the ground shuddered beneath him. The shouting and sound of fighting came to a halt, everyone staring as a metal monstrosity emerged from a sudden cloud of smoke. A zero pointer Izuku thought. He backed up, quickening his pace when the large robot suddenly struck the ground. Sending copious amounts of debris and smoke into the air. Couching harshly, he looked for a way to avoid the zero-pointer. Others running back toward the entrance and past him, Izuku was tempted to join but he couldn’t afford to waste time. He needed points, the amount he’d mentally tallied couldn’t possibly be enough compared to the other scores he’d heard shouted by other teens.

      Izuku’s racing thoughts came to a screeching halt when he heard a pained cry coming from the pile of rubble the zero-pointer had caused. Easily finding the source of the noise, the kind girl from earlier. She was trapped under a large chunk of cement and clearly exhausted. There was no way he could hope to defeat the zero-pointer, but the girl would be crushed by the robot based off the direction it was headed. Running forward in a move eerily reminiscent of the slime incident with Kacchan, Izuku slid to stop beside the girl. “Do you have enough energy to use your quirk?” She looked nauseous at the thought but nodded. “Can you use your quirk on this piece of cement?”

      Distressed, she shook her head. “I can’t reach it fully! I need all five fingers to come in contact with it!” Checking on the zero-pointers progress, Izuku dragged a smaller piece closer.

      “Use your quirk on this one”. Confused, the girl reached out and tapped it. Izuku could feel as the weight seemingly disappeared from the slab he held. Able to lift it, he hurriedly carried it over to the girl’s left side. He wedged the tip of the piece under the larger one pinning the girl. The effect of the quirk allowing his piece to stay floating, held in place by the large slab. Moving back in front of her, he rechecked his work. “It won’t work for long, but when I say go, release your quirk”. Nodding, she held her hands close together but not touching. Cautiously, he leaned forward and hooked his arms under her armpits. “Go!” Squeezing her eyes shut, the girl tapped her fingers together. The smaller chunk slamming down to the ground, the force of it’s sudden fall causing the larger slab of concrete to lift off of her legs. Quickly, he yanked. Allowing himself to fall back, the momentum pulling her out faster without putting as much force on her shoulders and possibly injuring her.

      The smaller chunk slipped from it’s precarious perch and the large slab came crashing back into place. Thankfully, the girl was already free and stumbling up to her feet. Wavering, she paused to help him up. The two running to join the large clump of examinees a safe distance away from the robot. The girl smiled and began to say something, only to suddenly clamp a hand to her mouth and turn around. Izuku didn’t have to wonder as to why as she quickly began vomiting. Wincing sympathetically, Izuku awkwardly hovered. Unsure what to do as they received stares and a few pointed comments. Present Mic announced the end of the exam, Izuku realizing glumly that he hadn’t managed to score anymore points. His shoulders slumped, the action causing his left arm to throb in protest. Carefully cradling his arm, Izuku inspected the limb. With all the adrenaline, he’d completely forgotten about the bad fall he’d taken.

      “Would you like some gummies dear?”

Chapter Text

      Izuku looked up, momentary confusion clearing when he realized who it was speaking to him. “Rec-Recovery Girl!” he exclaimed in a mix of shock and excitement. He blushed as his shout echoed slightly in the now mostly silent arena. The elderly women smiled sweetly, offering the gummies in one hand, and reaching out toward his cradled arm in the other. Jittering with excitement over meeting Recovery Girl, Izuku struggled to keep still as she analyzed his arm with a critical eye. Watching raptly as her lips puckered, stretched unnaturally far from her face, and lightly pressed against his arm. Someone wondered aloud about what she was doing as Izuku’s arm began to glow, a voice belonging to blonde from before rung out coolly in response.

      “You’re watching a school nurse in action, the youthful heroine: Recovery Girl. She is why U.A can hold reckless exams like this one”. Once Recover Girl had released his arm, giving him a gentle pat, and gesturing toward his gummies.

      “Make sure to eat those and get plenty of rest, dearie.” She said, moving on to continue passing out handfuls of gummies. Izuku lingered, wanting to take notes as he watched the heroine in action. Not many where injured, mostly just scrapes and bruises not major enough for a quirked healing. With only a few exceptions like Izuku, the teen with the sprained ankle and another with what looked like a black eye. Jumping when the brown-haired girl suddenly entered his line of sight.

      She still looked a little worse for ware, but the gummies Recovery Girl had given her seemed to have helped. She waved cheerfully but was unable to initiate a conversation as Present Mic announced the need for everyone to file out of the arena. The two jostled and separated in the immediate shuffle for the main gates, Izuku unsure if he was grateful for the escape from a potentially awkward conversation or put out by the abrupt departure. Focusing his attention on navigating the herd of students, he managed to utilize his small stature and squeeze through to the edge of the crowd. Heaving a sigh of relief once he’d exited the gated arena. He began to make his way to the entrance of the school grounds, keeping away from the largest clump of people.

      Izuku sped up when he saw Shinso and Aizawa standing under a tree off to the side. Joining the pair, he muffled a snicker at the sight of Shinso sprawled along the ground. Aizawa leaning against the tree looking at the crowd of teens with disdain. “Midoriya,” Aizawa greeted with a nod. Shinso lifted his head, checking the crowd still funneling out the gates, before raising his hand briefly in a greeting. Giving a slight wave of his own in return, Izuku dropped to the ground beside his friend.

      “We’re waiting for Pops; he has to write up anything notable he saw. Since he was too busy making sure the rules were followed, he couldn’t make notes like the other proctors” Shinso explained in the silence that followed. The silence returned but Izuku felt comfortable in their company. Laying back against the grass like Shinso, he ate one of the gummies Recovery Girl had handed him. He fiddled with the edges of the modified capture weapon that Shinso was still wearing, silently observing the now thinning crowds. Shinso commented every so often on someone he recognized from his battle arena, one pointed comment standing out as he mentioned “the exploding Pomeranian was in my group too”. Causing Izuku to give a startled snort at the description.

      It wasn’t long before Yamada, now changed out of his Present Mic gear, joined them as well. Cheerfully urging them along as they began to walk home. The man turned to the two teens after they’d left school ground. “I’m sure you know me and Shou can’t tell you anything about the results, but I can say from what I saw, you two did amazing!” he cheered.

      Raising an eyebrow, “You weren’t proctoring my group Pops” he deadpanned. Yamada pouted before his smile quickly returned.

      “Let me be a proud parent Toshi!” he scolded playfully. “I don’t need to have watched to know that” he declared with large grin. Shinso muttered mutinously and buried the lower half of his face in his capture weapon. Failing to hide his blush as he did so. Izuku gave him a sympathetic glance but remained quiet not wanting to draw the well-intentioned but embarrassing attention. In the short time Izuku had come to know the hero couple as neighbors and the parents of his friend, he’d quickly realized that Yamada was quick to give praise that was as sincere as could be. Despite the slightly embarrassing method of delivery.

      Aizawa glanced back momentarily before returning his gaze straight ahead again. “You staying with us until Takami returns? The cats wouldn’t mind the company” he drawled. Izuku hesitated but nodded.

      “Thank you for having me!” he said with a happy grin. Yamada flashed a wide smile and shot finger guns at Izuku and Shinso. He faced forward once more, leaning slightly against Aizawa as he hummed softly. Izuku smiled at the happy sight, pausing, and looking at Shinso when his friend nudged him gently in the side.

      “He says the cats won’t mind but he really means he won’t mind” Shinso murmured conspiratorially. “He and Pops like you a lot” he added.

      It was Izuku’s turn to blush, “I like them too, they’ve been really kind to me” he choked out through the lump in his throat. Shinso pulled him into a quick one-armed hug. The closest thing Shinso would get to showing outward affection.

      “Don’t start crying on me now Mido, save that for when we get mailed the results”. Izuku pulled back from the hug, his eyes quickly drying as he rubbed the back of his neck. Once the danger of happy tears dissipated, and the heat had faded from his cheeks the two friends shared a smile before hurrying to catch up to the happy couple.

Chapter Text

      Trudging through the door, Izuku made a point to flop heavily onto the couch. Knobs appeared, head peeking out from under the couch where he loved to hide his stash of swiped goods. Keigo laughed only to pause when he noticed what was held in Knobs’ mouth. He narrowed his eyes, that’s where that went. “Knobs” he called, overly sweet. The ferret’s ear twitched, turning his head to look back at Keigo still hovering near the door. Knobs’ head slowly disappeared back under the couch. “No! Knobs give me my ID!” He moved to kneel beside the couch, trying to catch sight of the furry thief. Izuku glanced up, snickering before burying his face back in the cushions. Keigo shot a mock glower his way, the little traitor.

      Keigo stood up, huffing softly in amusement, and shaking his head. He’d realized his ID was missing when he got to the agency but hadn’t had time to get back home to look for it. Thankfully, he hadn’t needed it. Ruffling Izuku’s hair lightly as he left to grab water from the fridge. Mentally plotting the bribe he’d give to Knobs to retrieve his ID. “Yamada told me you got a little hurt during the exam, but Recovery Girl took care of you. How are you feeling now?” he called back to the teen after he’d opened his bottle. Izuku rolled over so he wasn’t speaking directly into the couch cushions and held his arm up, poking at it. He leaned his head back to view Keigo upside and gave a thumbs up, “It doesn’t hurt anymore”. Keigo smiled, glad he was ok.

      “Recovery Girl’s quirk can leave you feeling pretty tired. Do you want to get some rest before dinner? I can text Rumi, ask her to come by a little later”. He knew he was likely fussing over nothing but today was a significant day for Izuku and he didn’t want to inadvertently let him down somehow. He heard Izuku mumble something but couldn’t tell what is was. Izuku gave a slow roll off the side of the couch, landing in a half crouch. Standing up and stretching.

      “I’m ok. Thanks, Keigo” he said sincerely. Smiling and trotting over to join Keigo in the kitchen. He held out a hand, Keigo’s ID laying in his palm. At his baffled look, Izuku smirked. Knobs comfortably perched on his head, his rounded ears just barely visible through green curls. “Knobs likes stealing plasticky stuff. It’s how he got his name” Izuku continued with a laugh. Keigo raised an eyebrow, taking his ID card and slipping it into his pocket. He’d wondered where the name Knobs came from but hadn’t been sure when the best time was to ask.

      “I’d been meaning to ask, what’s the story behind the name Knobs?” he questioned. Tilting his head as he tossed his water bottle in the recycling bin. Izuku hopped up to sit on the counter and leaned back on his hands.

      “It was back when I first got him. The camper still had this stove installed but it wasn’t functional. The wiring had been chewed through at some point, so I just decided to scrap it for some cash and use the space to house Knobs. But I didn’t really know much about ferret handling, so I didn’t have Knobs put in his cage properly. He got the door open and was smuggling parts of the stove I was taking apart into his cage without me noticing. I only realized what had happened when I went to clean the cage and found a pile of those temperature knobs inside the pouch he used as a bed. Thought it would make a fitting name, so I started calling him Knobs and it just stuck”. Izuku reached up and gently scooped Knobs up so he could cradle him. “I wasn’t sure I’d be able to really take care of Knobs, but he was lonely and I… couldn’t ignore that…” he murmured softly. The I was lonely too was left unsaid, but Keigo could tell by the small crease that formed between Izuku’s brows. The way the sentence had trailed off to a half-truth while the teen held Knobs closer to him. Knobs chittered happily accepting the affection.

      Keigo hated that Izuku hadn’t had a family or friends to rely on other than an adopted ferret and gym owner but didn’t push for Izuku to elaborate. He knew that if he treated every moment before Izuku came to live with him as something taboo that needed seriously discussed, Izuku would be more hesitant to share with him. Izuku looked up at him and beamed, “The rest is history as they say” he said brightly. Keigo didn’t bother to try to conceal the quick photo he took. Izuku’s smile, Knobs comfortably snuggled against his chest still cradled in his hands, was a sight to pure to ignore. The fondness that swelled up in Keigo was the only thing he focused on as he saved the photo and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Izuku looked unimpressed with his actions, but a calm smile still remained on his features. “Auntie has plenty of blackmail material she’d be happy to lend me if you intend on using that” he said calmly. Sliding off the counter and dancing out of the way of the playful swat Keigo aimed at him.

      Laughter echoing through the room, Izuku disappeared into his room. Keigo’s own laughter joining his as he slouched back against the now vacated counter. He pulled his phone back out and pulled up the photo he’d taken. Smiling quietly as he sent it to Rumi, Keigo snorted after receiving an almost immediate reply. A long string of heart emojis and a declaration of war against anyone who “threatened that smile”. He backed out of his messaging app and put his phone away once more. Only to immediately dig it back out. He studied it silently, the mostly plain device only holding subtle hints of personal touches. The home screen a photo of him and Rumi from years ago. Everything else still the dull generic setting from when he first bought it. After a moment’s hesitation, Keigo fiddled with the setting before smiling in satisfaction and pocketing his phone. Beginning to work on household chores with a cheerfulness that came with the addition of a new lock screen and lighter heart.

Chapter Text

      Waiting to receive the results for the next week was stressful for Izuku. Keigo did his best to keep the teen’s anxiety from completely overwhelming him. Mostly through training and tricky case files for him to analyze. The night the results arrived, Keigo came home with a mix of comfort and celebratory snacks. He had absolute faith in the teen having been accepted but knew Izuku could get stuck in his head and would likely have a bout of intense self-doubt regardless of the results. Arriving home, he called out a greeting while placing the groceries in the kitchen. He walked back to the living room, where Izuku sat on the couch anxiously staring at an envelope. Keigo plopped down on the ground beside his legs, leaning against the couch.

      “Hey kiddo, how’re you doing?” he asked, looking over to the teen beside him. Izuku groaned and buried his face in the thick envelope he held. Keigo laughed softly, patting Izuku’s knee. “You don’t have to open it right now, you can wait until you feel ready”.

      Izuku shook his head, “I want to open it but…I-. What if it isn’t good news?” he asked quietly. Eyes fixed on the envelope. Keigo shifted so that he was facing Izuku.

      “If it’s bad news, then you can eat way too much junk food and watch that new hero movie that came out. And we can move forward however you would like the next day. If that means trying at another hero school, entering U.A’s general course, or anything in between is up to you” he reassured him.

      Izuku continued to stare at the envelope, fiddling with the small tab you could pull to open it. There was a beat of silence before he spoke again, “What if it’s good news?”

      Keigo hummed, “Well, you can eat way too much junk food and watch that new hero movie that came out”. Izuku paused, finally looking up from the sealed envelope.

      “But tha-that’s the same thing?” he stuttered.

      Keigo smiled, “Izuku, no matter what that letter says, it won’t change you. You worked hard to get where you are, and you tried your best. That’s all I could ask from you. Accepted or not, you did an amazing job”. Izuku flushed, ducking his head at the straightforward compliment. Steeling himself with a determined look, Izuku gripped the envelope and clumsily ripped it in half. A thick sheaf of papers nestled in the half that wasn’t ripped away. Keigo snorted at the unique approach but didn’t say anything as Izuku began to read the papers.

      The calm Keigo felt was threatened when tears suddenly sprang to Izuku’s eyes. Beginning to internally panic, he prepared himself for the worse. Slumping slightly in relief when Izuku looked up with a wide grin. Happy tears, just happy tears Keigo thought. “I got in!” Izuku shakily exclaimed. Keigo grinned as well, pulling the teen into a tight hug.

      “Good job Izuku!” They sat there for a while, just basking in the good news. Izuku laughing and crying in equal measure. Keigo offering support as Izuku worked through his emotions. When Izuku’s tears dried up and he moved back, Keigo released him from their hug. Keigo took a second to make sure the teen was ok. Izuku looked exhausted from the emotional last few minutes but was otherwise happy. He hopped up to his feet, holding a hand out to help Izuku up as well. He led Izuku to the stash of snacks he’d bought before coming home and laughed at the way Izuku’s eyes widened.

      “That’s a lot of food” Izuku commented as he stared at the table.

      Keigo nudged him toward the table, “Take what you want, it’s celebration time!” Keigo cheered. He left after Izuku began to rifle through the snacks. Headed back toward the hall closet, he couldn’t help but laugh when Izuku gave a startled shout.

      “Keigo! These are all my favourites! You didn’t have to do that!” he shouted. Keigo returned from his expedition to the closet with blankets and dumped them on the couch. Going to the kitchen and snagging himself a snack and ruffling Izuku hair.

      “I’m proud of you kiddo” he said. Popping open a bag of chips, he added “Besides, as we’ve discovered, I can’t cook katsudon. So, snacks it is”.

      After grabbing snacks and getting settled in the living room. Keigo pulled up the hero movie Izuku had been talking about since its release two weeks ago. Izuku was currently buried inside a mound of blankets, face just barely visible. Keigo took a quick picture before he needed to defend his food from Knobs who made and appearance just to try to steal his open bag of chips. Having been thwarted, Knobs turned his attention to Izuku and disappeared inside the blankets. Izuku snickered at the two and nestled deeper into the couch. Keigo briefly wondered if Izuku was just going to melt into the couch as he observed the indistinguishable lump of blankets. Shaking his head in amusement, he began the movie. Relaxing as Izuku was quickly drawn into the movie, the now common sound of him muttering through his thoughts accompanying the soundtrack of highly dramatized fights and villainous speeches.

      A soft knock on the door caused Keigo to blink awake. Rubbing a hand over his face, Keigo glanced over at the door and then turned his head to check on Izuku. He readjusted the blankets that had slid off him at some point and rose. Stopping to pop his back, silently griping about getting old as he moved toward the door. Looking through the peephole, Keigo frowned at the sight of a package sitting outside the door. Keigo hesitated, trying to think of what the package could be or who had sent it. Failing to come up with a reasonable answer, Keigo began to consider the possibility that a villain found him when his phone dinged. Pulling out his phone and glancing at it, he felt even more confused.

      "The package is safe. Am I a bear? Am I a mouse? It’s me Nedzu!"

Chapter Text

      The next day, Izuku rolled off the couch, still cocooned in blankets and hair sleep mussed. He wondered over to the kitchen, tilting his head curiously at the box that sat on the table. Reaching out, he flicked the box. When nothing happens, he shrugs, and goes to his room to get ready for the day. Keigo raised an eyebrow from where he’d been sitting on the couch, an amused smile tugging at his lips.  “The box is for you, Zuku” he called. A couple minutes later, Izuku poked his head back out from around the corner.

      “For me? What is it?” he asked around a mouth full of toothpaste. Keigo paused, realizing he wasn’t sure what the box held. The only thing he did know was that Izuku’s soon to be principle seemed to have gotten his number without him knowing and knew exactly when to message that the package was safe. He was beginning to believe the horror stories that Aizawa and Hizashi had told of Nedzu.

      “I think it’s school stuff, it arrived late last night, and it’s addressed to you from U.A.”

      Izuku disappeared from the doorway and reappeared after he’d finished brushing his teeth. “Last night? I didn’t even hear anything” he murmured as he approached the box. Keigo laughed at the huff of irritation Izuku made when the packaging tape refused to tear off. The teen rummaged through one of the kitchen drawers and withdrew a butter knife.

      Keigo sat up, gesturing at a small cup of office supplies near the couch. “Kid, we have scissors” but Izuku had already neatly sliced the box open.

      Izuku shrugged, opening the box after putting the knife down on the table beside him. “It was closer. Anyway, it’s a butter knife, it’s not like it’s actually sharp” he commented. Keigo raised a finger, preparing to argue on the safety of using knifes but froze as he was struck with the thought that he was regularly training the kid to use a much more dangerous knife.

      Without even turning to look at Keigo, Izuku snorted at the lack of response. Amusement turning to a quiet hum of confusion. Keigo joined Izuku at the table, surprised to see a fairly sized stack of papers sitting neatly in the now open box. There was a thick book nestled in the box beside them, the cover blank. Izuku held a small paper and was reading the note typed on it. “What does it say?” he asked when Izuku’s face scrunched slightly in confusion.

      “It says that the principal Nedzu wants to offer some additional lessons on analysis. Apparently, he read the notes I took on some scrap paper?” he answered. Looking at Keigo with a slight bit of trepidation, still looking confused. “He wants me to meet with him after classes the first day of school…Do you think I’m in trouble?” Keigo hummed, taking a closer look at the papers still stacked in the box. The very first one had a rough sketch of someone with sharp angular looking hair and multiple, webbed arms. Keigo had gotten to read plenty of Izuku’s analysis and while he was proud that his kid’s intelligence was being recognized, he felt a shiver of dread at it being recognized by Nedzu.

      “I don’t think you’re in trouble, kid. You have a knack for analysis and what better place to refine that than a school. I’m sure he just wants to offer some advice or tips” he reached into the box and pulled out the book. He held it out toward Izuku. “I can check with Aizawa if you want me to. He’ll certainly know more about Nedzu than me”.

      Izuku smiled thankfully and accepted the proffered book. He flipped it open and scan through a few pages. He laughed and turned it so Keigo could see. “It’s a book of brain teasers. I used to love doing these as a kid. But then I started taking notes on heroes and that took all my free time”. He turned it back to face him and began reading the puzzle on the page. Without looking away from the page, he wandered back to his room. Muttering about the riddle he was solving as he did so.

      Hizashi outright cackled when Keigo asked if Aizawa could explain Nedzu’s actions. Keigo looked over at Aizawa, the man looked pained. Izuku had managed to convince Hitoshi to meet Rumi, Keigo figuring he would ask while the kids were out. Aizawa sighed, “I might have been a student of his, but I can’t explain Nedzu. He does what he likes, and the only thing we can hope is that it doesn’t involve world domination”. Keigo frowned, switching his gaze between the still giggling Hizashi and the stoic man in front of him.

      “Okaaay. Well, Izuku was worried he was in trouble. I told him he wasn’t but said I’d check with you”. Aizawa nodded and sipped from his coffee mug.

      “Nedzu and Izuku, I haven’t gotten enough sleep for this combination” he muttered. Hizashi pat Aizawa’s shoulder with a sullen expression.

      Hizashi suddenly perked up, “Sho! Nedzu hasn’t picked a student up since you. But you were too much of a party pooper and we could’ve been expelled. With the little listner…”

      “Hizashi, we are not having Izuku play pranks on the principal of the school we work for”. Hizashi huffed but was still smiling. Keigo made a mental note to avoid the principal’s office as best he could so as to not get caught in the crossfire. Aizawa and Keigo’s phone began ringing at the same time and the three adults shared cautious looks before picking up. Keigo moved a little away from the two so he could hear.

      “Rumi? Is everything all right? Are the kids okay?” Keigo asked as soon as he put the phone to his ear.

      “Well, the kid’s are ok. But they seem to have gotten into some trouble when I was paying for some snacks at a convenience store. I was only turned around for a minute, not very convenient huh?” Rumi answered after a moment of silence.

      “What type of trouble?” he asked apprehensively. Before she could answer, Aizawa called from where the other two were still sat.

      “Detective Tsukauchi says he has both Hitoshi and Izuku in front of him. He wants us to come to help wrangle the two problem children”. They began getting ready to leave and Keigo sighed.

      “Tsukauchi is involved? Rumi it’s only been an hour”. Rumi gave a wry laugh.

      “You’ll probably want to come hear the explanation in person. But at least they aren’t getting arrested?” Keigo followed Aizawa and Hizashi out the door, saying a brief farewell to Rumi before hanging up. Hizashi glanced back at him.

      “I take it you got the same call?” he asked.

      Keigo nodded, “Sorry about this, Rumi says she turned away for only a minute”. Aizawa in a rare display of open emotion, snorted.

      “This isn’t the first time Hitoshi has gotten himself in a situation like this. Don’t worry, we aren’t mad at you or Usagiyama-San” Keigo was relieved they weren’t blaming his friend. He worried about Izuku, Rumi had said he was ok but he still didn’t know what had happened to cause Tsukauchi to show up.

      “Is this the first time you’ve had a situation like this with Izuku?” Hizashi asked gently. Keigo nodded, looking sheepish.

      “I know Izuku can be a trouble magnet. He has good intentions just sometimes gets in over his head. But this is the first time something like this has happened since I adopted him” he replied.

      Hizashi smiled, “It can be stressful trying to navigate new territory like this. Don’t worry, Tsukauchi said they weren’t in too much trouble. At worst, you might have to lecture Izuku about being careful but I feel safe in assuming you’ve already passed that milestone” he finished with a chuckle. Keigo laughed softly as well, feeling much better about the situation as they exited the apartment building.

Chapter Text

      Arriving on the scene to see Izuku and Shinso perched on the hood of detective Tsukauchi’s car and Rumi crouched next to a wide-eyed kid. She saw the three of them approaching and stood with a wave. Keigo tossed a wave in return and moved to where Izuku was lazily swinging his legs. “Hey kid, Rumi called” he said once he was in hearing range of the two teens.

      Izuku winced and scratched the back of his head. “We saw someone I recognized off of the bulletin board at the precinct. I called Tsukauchi first! But we didn’t want him to get away…”

      “And now he’s trying to claim he was kidnapped by two crazy teens. Thankfully, footage from the street cameras in the area can corroborate the account you two gave. Else I would be needing to have a very different conversation with Hawks, Eraser and Mic” Detective Tsukauchi commented as he joined them at the car. Shinso straightened and Izuku looked scandalized.

      “It wasn’t kidnapping!” Shinso exclaimed. Izuku nodded emphatically.

      “We were just following him. Really! All we did was follow him so he wouldn’t get away while you were on the phone with me”

      Tsukauchi raised an eyebrow, Keigo mirroring his look as looked between the teens and detective. “You ignored my continuous directions to stay put and not follow the possibly armed suspect and then put me on mute after telling me you’d been spotted”. The teens winced looking chastened as they glanced at the adults grouped around them.

      Mic titled his head curiously, “Was there a fight? I can’t imagine someone who has a warrant on them not putting up some form of fight” He looked over the two, “Neither of you are hurt?”. Keigo took the chance to double check they were ok, despite having been assured by Rumi over the phone.

      Shinso shrugged, “We’re fine. Even when he spotted us, we just followed behind him. The guy has like, zero stamina because he tried running off but barely went anywhere. At that point we just started walking beside him”.

      Keigo frowned, “He still didn’t fight after he couldn’t run anymore? Did he even know why you two were following him?”

      Izuku paused, “He never asked and we never said anything about us recognizing him. He might not have known why…” he looked apologetic for all of 4 seconds before he perked back up. “The guy’s file states,” Tsukauchi narrowed his eyes, “his quirk is like photosynthesis. He gains energy and strength from the sun. He usually sticks to holding up small stores when it’s sunny out. What got him on the bulletin was his last stick up when he attacked the lone worker at a street stall and injured them. It’s been rainy and dark the last three days, so he likely didn’t have a lot of energy stores at this point. He could’ve used the last of it when he tried to run.”

      Shinso hummed, “He did look really exhausted after. Didn’t attempt to fight or join our conversation when we asked him questions” a small scowl lined the purple-haired teen’s face for moment before it cleared.

      “Honestly us following him was more like forced companionship than kidnapping” Izuku smiled brightly as a thought occurred to him, “Do you think after he gets some sun, I could ask him about his quirk? It really is interesting, he’s just using it for the wrong reasons”.

      Detective Tsukauchi looked tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose and Rumi snickered off to the side where she stood. A glance over at Eraser revealed the man slowly emptying a jelly pouch he’d pulled from somewhere and Hizashi pat Keigo’s back while chuckling softly.

      “Welcome to parenthood Hawks! It’s a gremlin!”

Chapter Text

      Izuku shivered slightly as he entered the air-conditioned hallways of U.A. Mentally chanting the class number he was assigned as he hurried through the halls. His backpack swinging along behind him as he took a sharp turn. Arriving outside the daunting doorway, Izuku paused. Adjusting his uniform and wincing at the state his tie was in. Keigo had snorted when he’d seen Izuku’s mangled tie, deftly fixing it before ruffling the teen’s hair. Somewhere between home and school, the tie had become mangled once more.

      Bracing himself he entered the room. The quiet of the hallway was instantly washed away, replaced with two loudly squabbling voices. Izuku felt dread curl in his stomach when he instantly recognized one of the voices as Kacchan. The blond sat slouched in a chair, snapping irritably at the blue haired teen from the exam. It was hard to understand what the argument was about exactly, but Izuku wasn’t interested in getting involved. Though it was nice to learn the blue haired teen’s name, Iida was less of a mouthful. He sighed quietly as he realized the seating chart had him sat directly behind Kacchan. Outside of the brief encounter at the exam, he’d mostly managed to avoid the blond since moving in with Keigo. Izuku doubted that Kacchan would be to happy to see him in the same class again.

      A quick scan of the room revealed Hitoshi sitting at a desk near the back. At least he would be sitting in front of Hitoshi, it made sitting behind Kacchan a little less intimidating if he had literal and metaphorical back up. He tiptoed around the edge of the room, aiming to hide out in the corner with Hitoshi until the two had calmed down enough for Izuku to take his own seat. Hitoshi glanced over from where he was blandly observing Kacchan and Iida. He flicked his fingers in a lazy salute toward Izuku who waved back. The action, as small as it was, drew the attention of Iida and Kacchan. The sudden halt to their argument drawing the attention of the rest of the class, who now stared at him.

      Fidgeting nervously, Izuku stuttered. The blue haired boy marched forward, saving Izuku from needing to choke out a greeting. “I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is-”

      “I heard!” he yelped. Blushing when he realized he’d interrupted the other, “Um, I’m Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Iida”.

      Iida leveled him with a grave expression, “Midoriya, you realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn’t you?” He shook his head, “I misjudged you, you proved yourself better than me” he declared remorsefully.

      Izuku shared a confused look with Hitoshi, “Sorry, I didn’t realize anything” he replied. Iida didn’t get the chance to respond as the brunette with the gravity quirk from the exam joined the class.

      “The plain looking boy!” she exclaimed happily. “I’m glad you passed too!” she began to cheerfully recount the way he’d helped her escape the rubble. Izuku felt his face flush a bright red as the entire class continued to stare, Hitoshi raising an eyebrow as he covered his face shyly.

      “If you want to make friends, go somewhere else” Aizawa drawled from his sleeping bag on the floor. Izuku heard Hitoshi’s barely concealed snort as Aizawa continued to address the class in a monotonous voice. Peeling himself from the sleeping bag and calling the class irrational as they watched dumbfounded. Izuku was just glad the attention was finally off him. Aizawa quickly directed them to get dressed in their gym uniforms and to go to the field. With his message given, he turned and walked out of the room.

      After a moment of silence, the class quickly scrambled to go to the locker room. Kacchan knocking his shoulder against Izuku’s as he passed. Hitoshi glowered at the blonde’s retreating back. “You said you two were classmates?” he asked. Izuku nodded, shrugging sheepishly.

      “It’s sorta a long story” he replied. Hitoshi looked between him and the door Kacchan had walked out of with the rest of the class.

      “I’m not one to pry but he gives off the vibe of a bully,” he trailed off momentarily before continuing, “Pops and Dad are different. Hawks seems to be too. If he’s in the wrong, they won’t let him go unpunished”. He locked eyes with Izuku for a moment before nodding and leaving to join the rest of the class. Izuku lingered alone in the class, tugging at his fingers anxiously. He shook his head and stormed out of the room and quickly caught up with Hitoshi. The two silently joining the remaining stragglers in the locker room and getting dressed.

      Hitoshi yawned and Izuku awkwardly avoided Aizawa’s unimpressed gaze as they arrived on the field. “We’ll be holding a quirk assessment test” the man declared, turning to address the whole class. There was a chorus of surprise from the crowd of students. Aizawa ignored them and continued, “U.A’s teachers are fairly unrestricted in their methods. That’s part of what allows for the range of staff to be so efficient. Your time here is limited, it’s illogical to waste it on an orientation ceremony. You’ve been doing assessments since junior high. The only difference will be this time you can use your quirks”.

      Aizawa continued to explain how the assessment would be held but Izuku’s mind was already flitting through what the possible tests could be. The ball throw being the obvious first test since Aizawa held up the ball and asked Kacchan how far he could throw. He shuffled closer to Hitoshi and made an aborted gesture to cover his ears when Kacchan was called to use his quirk to throw. A raven-haired girl near him saw the movement and covered her ears with a confused glance between Izuku and the stretching blond. After Kacchan set off a loud explosion to send the ball flying, she shot him a grateful look. Hitoshi muttered something about unnecessary screaming and Izuku snickered, “Kacchan’s always been like that. But the whole ‘Die!’ thing is new…” he mused.

      In the clamor of students excitedly reacting to Kacchan’s throw, a pink skinned girl exclaimed how fun it looked. Causing Aizawa’s neutral gaze to sharpen, “The hero course isn’t just for fun. If you keep that mentality you won’t pass. To prove that point, whoever places last in this assessment will be deemed to have no potential and expelled”. Izuku’s thoughts derailed, part of him steadily working through a plan of action while the other sputtered and stalled at the realization that screwing up meant expulsion. He couldn’t reasonably expect to win against people with quirks like the nice girl’s control over gravity or Kacchan’s explosive power. His anxiety spiked, overpowering the voice that reminded him that people like Hitoshi didn’t have physical quirks that aided them in this situation. He couldn’t bear to go home and explain to Keigo he’d been expelled on the first day. But it was a quirk assessment. How could he hope to compete when he had none?

Chapter Text

      Izuku tuned back into what Aizawa was saying when Hitoshi nudged him. “Zu, are you ok?” he murmured. Not completely looking away from Aizawa but head tilted towards the greenette. Izuku squeezed his hands together in an anxious rhythm. Giving a shaky nod and forcing himself to listen to his teacher give instructions. His mind felt like it was racing yet filled with sludge all at once. When the class began to mill over to the first test in the assessment, Izuku stamped down on the panic that was surging through his mind. He needed to focus, failing this would mean failing his dream and he couldn’t afford that.

      Try as he might to ignore the panic, it remained present the entire assessment. Even as he found himself analyzing his classmates’ quirks and itching to take notes, it buzzed in the back of his mind like an irritating bee. When Aizawa gestured for him to take his turn in the short sprint, Izuku stretched his legs. He could do this, Keigo had made him run through that obstacle course a ridiculous amount of times. He shakily moved to the start line and glanced at the classmate standing beside him. He wasn’t sure what his quirk was, there was no clear physical manifestation of it. They were given the signal to start and Izuku sprang forward. Sprinting as fast as he could he was grateful to see the other teen falling behind. He staggered past the finish line and looked back at the boy, he was hunched over panting for breath. “Are you ok? I can try to find some water if you need some” he asked.

      The boy looked up, startled at being addressed and waved his hands in front of him. Looking sheepish he smiled and offered a thumbs up. Izuku smiled back and moved out of the way for the next runners. After that he threw himself into the tests. He knew he wasn’t landing anywhere near the top 10 but he felt semi-confident in staying out of last place. It came time for the ball throw and he glared down at the small ball in his hand as he tried to figure out what he could do. His classmates began to mutter as he remained still in the little circle.

      “We don’t have all day Midoriya, there are still introductory courses you are expected to be present in today” Aizawa drawled from where he stood to the side of the field. Izuku flexed his grip on the ball and looked back at Aizawa.

      “Anything is allowed as long as I stay in the circle?” he questioned. Aizawa raised an eyebrow but nodded. Izuku looked behind him at the group of students and quickly found gravity girl’s eyes. He blinked and flushed as he realized he didn’t know her name yet. “Um,” he gestured at her, “Would you please use your quirk on the ball?” He hesitated to extend the ball toward her incase she refused but her eyes lit up and she jogged forward. Tapping all five fingers to the ball.

      “Good luck!” she cheered before returning to the huddle of students. Izuku nodded and quickly spun around and lobbed the ball into the air. Grinning as he checked that Aizawa had accepted his actions. Aizawa had a fearsome grin on his face before it was quickly hidden in his capture weapon. His grin quickly slipped as a clamour sounded from where the others stood.

      “Deku! You think you can just use that extra’s quirk to make up for your worthless hide?!” Kacchan snarled as he launched forward with his explosions. Izuku had enough time to flinch back and move his arms to cover his face before Kacchan was roughly halted in midair. Aizawa was staring coolly at the furious blond.

      “Bakugo, attacking classmates is strictly against the rules. U.A has a zero-tolerance policy for bullying. You may be attending this course to learn how to fight but if you plan to use these skills against your classmates or any other students you will expelled. You have detention with Cementoss after classes, this will serve as your only warning”. Kacchan continued to snarl as he twisted in the capture weapon. He stared down Aizawa, who returned his gaze with a quirked glare of his own. After a tense silence, Kacchan went limp with a few grumbled profanities.

      Izuku tensed when Kacchan was released to the ground, half expecting the blond to go charging at him again. Hitoshi had said Aizawa was different. But watching Kacchan storm away, Aizawa’s stern glare fixed on him until he’d stormed to the back of their classmates, left Izuku stunned. He’d been relieved that Hitoshi and his dad’s were different enough to not care about his quirklessness, to not mock him for his dream. But Aizawa had protected him, even gone so far as to give Kacchan detention. He felt a little lost. He’d warned me and Hitoshi he didn’t play favourites but wasn’t that what he just did? He couldn’t possibly accept the favouritism that was punishing Kacchan for something as little as yelling at him.

      Fidgeting, he avoided his classmates’ eyes and returned to his spot near Hitoshi. His friend shifting a little closer as he eyed him worriedly. The assessment ended shortly after and Aizawa moved to the front to project the scores. Izuku’s thoughts were too overwhelming to fully read the scores. Merely picking out his name and confirming he wasn’t last. He winced as the girl with the invisibility quirk gasped and began to cry. Aizawa closed the projection of scores, “Of course none of you will be expelled, that was simply a logical ruse to get you all to put your full effort into this course”. Hitoshi jolted beside him, small enough that he only noticed because he was so close. He could see the shock on Hitoshi’s face out of the corner of his eye. “That being said,” here he paused to fix the class with a stern expression, “if I feel your potential drops to a zero or you are not taking the course seriously, I won’t hesitate to remove you from the hero course. There are plenty of general course students vying for a spot, don’t forget that”.

Chapter Text

      After Aizawa dismissed them, Izuku lingered. Hitoshi hesitated before nodding at Aizawa and with a quiet goodbye, he left with the rest of the students. Aizawa remained standing, leaning against the wall. He silently observed as Izuku worked up the courage to broach the subject he’d been turning over in his head since that morning. “Um, S-sensei-”.

      “Class ended Midoriya, you don’t have to call me sensei” the man said softly.

      Izuku blinked, “Right, um, Aizawa. You didn’t have to do that earlier. Uh, with Kacchan. I know you wont play favourites, I won’t expect you to go out of your way t-to stop him. I’m used to it, and Kacchan has such a great quirk and would make a wonderful hero. He’s always been a little angry so it’s fine. I don’t want you to get in trouble for showing favouritism toward someone like-” he startled when hands gently rested on his shoulders. At some point Aizawa had moved over to him and was now crouched down to look him in the eye.

      “Kid, I didn’t go out of my way. Bakugo was attempting to hurt you. Seeing as he was unprovoked and not in a mandated match, his actions were against the rules. As a teacher and hero, I won’t sit back and allow someone to endanger or harm another. I’d do that for any of my students. It wasn’t favouritism to stop Bakugo and give him detention. It was an unbiased and deserved punishment for the actions he took”. Izuku gnawed on his lip, wanting to defend Kacchan.

      “He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s just upset that I didn’t listen when he told me not to apply here…” he murmured. Aizawa looked at him with a gentle, knowing look.

      “Why don’t we discuss this inside?” He prompted, wanting to give Izuku a chance to talk freely without worrying about being overheard. Izuku nodded following behind Aizawa who stood and guided him through the halls back to their classroom. Aizawa gestured to the nearest desk, motioning for him to sit. Izuku shuffled in place before anxiously perching on the seat. Settling into the desk across from Izuku, sitting sideways to face him, Aizawa rested his arms on his knees.

      They sat in a tense silence for a few minutes, Aizawa studying Izuku and Izuku studying the floor. Aizawa broke the silence, “When a student breaks the rules, what happens?”

      Izuku hesitated, “They get punished or reprimanded”.

      Aizawa nodded, “Yes. Bakugo broke a rule, a very serious one, and I gave him detention. Was that wrong of me to do?” Izuku felt tears building in the corners of his eyes and shook his head.

      “But he broke them because of me! If I hadn’t of pulled the stunt, I did with the ball throw then he wouldn’t be in detention!” He waved his hands angrily. Frustrated by his own actions and inability to explain why Kacchan wasn’t supposed to get in trouble. Kacchan never got in trouble, it was just him. Always useless Deku. His thoughts spiraled in a self-depreciating loop.

      “Whether or not your actions were what angered him, he still made the choice to attack and that’s what he’s getting punished for. Can you tell me how you think I should have handled it?” He kept his face neutral while observing Izuku puzzle through his thoughts. After a prolonged silence, Aizawa sighed. “Bakugo is already in detention, it would be illogical to pull him from it when Cementoss made time to watch him. I understand you feel conflicted about the situation, it’s obvious you two have a history together. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll personally talk to Bakugo about why he was given detention”.

      Izuku reluctantly nodded, staying sat at the desk while Aizawa stood. “You did good today kid, I’m sure the birdbrain will say the same” he ruffled the teen’s hair. “Now, I believe Nedzu wanted to talk with you after classes” he reminded gently. Izuku jolted and leapt to his feet.

      “I forgot! Excuse me Sensei, thank you for agreeing to talk with Kacchan!” Izuku exclaimed as he ran off. Aizawa watched him sprint toward the principal’s office before slumping back to his own desk. The paperwork was light since school was just starting but he wanted to dig deeper into the history between Izuku and Bakugo. Takami had mentioned Izuku’s old school was being heavily investigated, he’d need to mention the issue with Bakugo when he got a chance.

      Just the thought of dealing with the hero’s newfound mother-hen tendencies had Aizawa changing course to get coffee from the teacher’s lounge. He’d still talk with the explosive teen, give him a chance to get on the right track. As proficient as he was in fighting, his potential was being overshadowed by his poor attitude. As he waited for the coffee to heat up, Aizawa messaged Hizashi to let him know he’d likely be late. Checking in with Hitoshi as well before returning to the classroom. Goal in mind, Aizawa pulled up the digital files for Izuku and Bakugo.

Chapter Text

      Panting, Izuku attempted to gather himself after sprinting to Nedzu’s office. Raising a hand to knock, he jumped when the door preemptively swung open. Izuku entered slowly, glancing around the seemingly empty room. He tilted his head curiously before taking a few more steps toward the desk. “Feel free to take a seat” Izuku yelped, spinning around to see where the voice had come from. Nedzu, in his signature suit had a wide grin on his face, swinging his feet where he sat on top of the door.

      “Wh-when did you get up there?” he asked. Glancing back behind him to check he hadn’t missed anything else. Blinking in confusion when he was met with an empty doorway once more.

      “Would you like tea? I have a wonderful new green tea” Izuku was growing dizzy from the amount of times he’d spun around in the last few minutes. He stared intently at the small principal until his eyes couldn’t stay open. Nedzu cheerfully prepared two cups, oblivious to or ignoring the relieved sigh Izuku released when he didn’t disappear again. He handed Izuku a teacup on a saucer and sat in his own chair. “So, I’ve been looking forward to this meeting Midoriya. Did you enjoy the puzzle book I sent?”

      Nodding, Izuku smiled. “It was fun! I got stuck on a few but after looking back, I realized there were a series of connected themes throughout the book! I assume it was on purpose that the theme was looking past stereotypes to find the true answer. It seemed to follow the whole all is welcome brand you’ve enacted since becoming principal of U.A.” he froze, wincing. “Sorry, Keigo says it’s ok to ramble, but I don’t want to waste your time and I was already late-”

      “No need to apologize Midoriya! You were correct in both identifying the overall theme of the book and the fact I chose that on purpose. As for rambling, your guardian is correct. One can hardly be faulted for the way they process their thoughts” he paused to sip his tea. “Now, I enjoyed reading your analysis and was happy to see a lack of bias in your regard toward fellow applicants’ quirks. Would you mind me asking where you learned to analyze quirks?”

      “Oh, um I didn’t learn anywhere. It’s just been a hobby of mine since I was old enough to write. Not that the first ones where any good! They’re all in crayon but I wouldn’t say my current analysis is all that great. Just random trains of thought, anyone can write that” he murmured, blushing in embarrassment. Nedzu considered him for a moment, eyes sharp but not unkind.

      Resisting the urge to squirm, Izuku drank some of his tea. It was good, like Nedzu had claimed. “Would you like to learn from me? Your analysis was skilled, especially for being self-taught. Whether that is something you agree with can be worked on over time. But I hope to help you grow this natural talent if you would allow me to” Nedzu asked after a Izuku finished his cup.

      Wide-eyed, Izuku sat up straighter. “Like a personal student? You want me as a personal student? But there’s so many better students here. I can’t steal someone else’s chance to learn from you!” Nedzu laughed cheerfully if not bordering manic.

      “It’s not stealing if I’m only offering it to you!” Izuku sputtered, shocked. He’d had several ideas in his head going into the meeting, but this hadn’t been one. Nedzu had stated why he wanted to teach him but that part of him that had only grown through middle school refused to let him believe it. There had to be some catch. Or Nedzu would change his mind after Izuku had accepted the offer. Once Izuku had enough time to screw up somehow and prove how useless he was to his principal. “I see promise in you, Midoriya. If you let me, I can help you see it too”.

      Izuku gnawed on his lip, staring down at the empty teacup and saucer sat in his lap. He wanted to accept. It would obviously help him be a better hero. But what if he messed up and it got him expelled? He’d never be able to be a hero if he was expelled from U.A. He felt frustration surge, he wanted to be a hero, and this was an opportunity to do better as a hero. He’d just have to be careful to not give Nedzu a reason to give up on him. Determined, he met Nedzu’s gaze. “Yes, I’d like to learn from you” he declared. Nedzu’s grin grew sharp and Izuku smiled back, excitement bubbling up at the prospect of actually being trained in analysis.

      If possible, the principal’s grin widened. Clapping his hands together he leaned forward. “I don’t want to take from your other class times, so we’ll meet after school. Next week, after you’ve had time to gauge your workload, let me know which two days would work best for you. I look forward to our future meetings Midoriya!” he cheered.

      Izuku stumbled to his feet, bowing repetitively. “Thank you for this opportunity! I’ll do my best!” He was about to leave when Nedzu called out.

      “Before you leave, I have another puzzle book for you! When you finish, tell me what you think the overarching theme is for this one”. He retrieved a book from a drawer in his desk and slid it toward Izuku. The teen picked up the book, tucking it against his chest and bowing once more as he left the room.

      He made it all the way out of the school and back home without losing his grin. Delicately placing the notebook on his bed, he picked up Knobs and spun with the ferret gently grasped in his hands. He let himself fall back onto the bed, laughing when Knobs stretched out along his neck. “I’m going to U.A and Nedzu wants to teach me analysis” he whispered in disbelief. “I’m going to U.A and Nedzu wants to teach me analysis!” he repeated. Knobs chittered, moving with a near silent huff away from his throat. “Sorry” he whispered, petting Knobs in apology.

Chapter Text

      Keigo cursed under his breath. “Can you quit poking at it?” he glared over his shoulder. Rumi met his glare, unimpressed. Holding his gaze as she wrenched his shoulder back in place. He carefully held his breath, biting back a pained noise and exhaling slowly. Rumi stretched out his wing, much gentler with the feathered appendage, to check for anymore injuries.

      “You’re lucky, only a dislocated shoulder” she smacked his back and moved to grab a sling from her supplies.

      “I hate those things” Keigo sighed.

      “No one likes them” Rumi snorted. “But you have Izuku now, so you have to at least pretend to be responsible about injuries. Don’t want to pass your habit of shrugging of injuries to him, do you?”

      Keigo sighed, “Yeah, he already does that enough”. Rumi frowned, helping put the sling on properly.

      “I hope Thumper’s ok at school. Kiddo’s had a rough start to life” she muttered. Keigo nudged her, standing up and carefully stretching.

      “That’s what he has us for. Speaking of which, he’s probably home now and would appreciate a visit from his Auntie” Keigo teased. Rumi smacked his shoulder, happily ignoring his yelp as she moved to exit his office. “Rude…” Keigo muttered, pouting as he rubbed his shoulder, “You aimed for the injured shoulder on purpose” he accused.

      Rumi smirked, neglecting to answer as they walked through the agency’s hallway toward the front door. They left the building, walking in companiable silence as the took the less busy streets. “I meant what I said earlier,” Keigo raised his eyebrow confused, “About having Izuku now. You have to be more careful. Today was pretty light for the condition I’ve seen you come back in”.

      Keigo huffed, “Rumi, it’s not like I purposefully went out and picked a fight with a dude who could toss me around without breaking a sweat. The commission assigned me the case, I had to fight the guy”.

      “Not alone, Kei. I was here and would’ve been happy to help”.

      Stopping to punch in the code to apartment complex’s entrance, he swung open the door with a heavy sigh. “I’ve told you already Rumi, on any other case, of course I’d ask for help. But the commission sent my handler to assign it to me. I don’t want to bring their attention on you”.

      Rumi huffed, not happy with the answer. Another silence, this time awkward as they took the stairs. She paused outside his apartment, holding a hand for him to wait when he began to dig for his keys. “Just-” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “I’m used to not being sure if you’re going to come back alive from those damn missions the commission is obsessed with. Hell, I’m used to not knowing if I’ll be coming back alive from my own. It’s a part of being a hero, I get that. But Izuku isn’t used to that worry”.

      Keigo raked his free hand through his hair, wings shifting anxiously behind him. “I know-” Rumi cut him off.

      “I understand that you’re in a difficult situation. I understand that you’re trying your best. But you took Izuku in promising him a home” her eyes shone with worry, face stony. “Don’t let breaking that promise be the last thing you do”.

      Before Keigo could form a response, the door they’d been standing at, opened. Izuku poking his head out curiously. “Keigo? What are you doing standing outside the door?” the teen’s eyes lit up when he noticed Rumi. “Auntie! I used one of the balancing tricks you showed me during class today!”

      Finally breaking eye contact, Rumi focused on Izuku. “You did? What happened?” She ushered him back into the apartment, “C’mon Thumper, tell me about your day”.

      “Well, Aizawa is a strict sensei. But he’s really cool! We started with this assessment…” Their voices were lost as they disappeared from view. Keigo stood, staring intently at the now empty doorway. Rumi’s words bouncing around his head. Deafening in the now silent hallway. Taking a deep breath, Keigo released it slowly, counting to ten. He’d always wanted to get out from under the commission’s thumb, but he didn’t know how. His desire to burn bridges hinder by his lack of matches. Maybe it was time to borrow a page from Endeavor’s book and just blow it up. Shoving those thoughts back for later contemplation, he entered his apartment, closing and locking the door behind him.

Chapter Text

      Walking into class the next day, Izuku was relieved that he’d arrived early enough that only him, Hitoshi, and Iida were there. Hitoshi gave a lazy wave, nursing a coffee Izuku knew he’d smuggled from the teacher’s lounge. Iida offered a greeting that Izuku shyly returned. Izuku plopped down at his desk and eyed Hitoshi’s coffee. The purple haired teen snorted, “Didn’t you get grounded from caffeine after Hawks found you mixing redbull with the coffee grounds at 3 in the morning?”

      “Not grounded just limited access to the coffee pot. Keigo says it’s ‘unhealthy’ to drink so much” he grumbled. Hitoshi snickered and sipped contently at his coffee.

      “I’m inclined to agree. I’ve gotten your text rants when you drink that heart attack juice”. Izuku narrowed his eyes, reaching over to flick the near empty cup. Causing it to dangerously wobble before Hitoshi was forced to save from toppling into his lap. It was Izuku’s turn to snicker while Hitoshi huffed. It was at that moment, Kacchan stomped in. Izuku stiffened and Hitoshi sat up straighter.

      Worried his friend would provoke Kacchan with a snark about yesterday, Izuku forced the tension from his shoulders. Smiling he pulled out the notebook he’d picked for English class. He’d been unable to get a Present Mic themed notebook, but he'd settled for one that had the word “Yeah” in English largely printed on the cover. The font resembling that of old pre-quirk comic books.

      “I think Yamada-Sensei will love this! It’s what he always shouts when fighting villains!” Hitoshi’s gaze lingered on Kacchan as the blond ignored them and practically threw himself into his seat. Their classmates who were already there seemed to sense the tension in the air. The semi quiet pockets of conversation going silent as Hitoshi continued to stare at Kacchan’s back. Izuku doubted Hitoshi could tell but Kacchan’s body was rigid. He knew he was being stared at Izuku felt nervousness bubble up at the fact he hadn’t lashed out yet.

      Not wanting to deal with Kacchan’s reaction when he finally lost patience with being stared at, and Aizawa’s words still on the forefront of his mind, Izuku pushed the notebook into Hitoshi’s hands. Forcing him to hold it and pull his attention away from Kacchan. The class went back to their own before class activities and Hitoshi gently returned the notebook. Izuku wasn’t given a chance to ask Hitoshi what was wrong as Aizawa came slouching in.

      Homeroom went by quickly, the atmosphere in the room lightening significantly once they realized it wasn’t going to be as intense as the first day. Izuku should’ve known the other shoe would drop eventually. He had just turned to Hitoshi, mouth open to crack a joke when All Might barreled through the door. Izuku’s mouth clicked shut audibly, voice dying out. While the majority of their classmates excitedly cheered at meeting the hero, Izuku slumped down, hoping to hide from All Might’s gaze. Hitoshi remained disinterested but shot a concerned glance at Izuku. Hitoshi knew Izuku enough to know he practically adored every hero there was and had assumed All Might was included. Izuku melted further into his seat, cursing his horrible luck for managing to rear its head every time he began to feel comfortable.

      All but dashing from the room after the class was provided their hero uniforms. Only slowing when he realized he’d inadvertently made himself the first dressed and ready. He didn’t want to be alone with All Might, he couldn’t handle that so soon. “Are You ok?” Hitoshi questioned from behind. Izuku jumped, spinning to face his friend and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

      “I’m ok, just…I didn’t want to be alone” he answered. Hitoshi, in a quickly forming theme for today, studied him with open concern.

      Hitoshi hummed, “C’mon, we don’t want to be late”. Izuku nodded, wilting in relief as Hitoshi resumed walking toward the room All Might was waiting for them in. Thankfully, the small conversation in the hallway was enough of a delay to allow for other students to arrive ahead of them.

      “Woah! Your costumes look so cool!” a cheery voice exclaimed. The girl with the gravity quirk was bouncing toward them. Hitoshi inched away from the excited brunette, Izuku blushing as he waved his hands in front of him.

      “B-but it looks so plain compared to everyone else!” He exclaimed. He’d aimed for simple yet effective. Izuku had sat down with Keigo and worked out what to requests from the school’s support department. He wore a forest green sleeveless jumpsuit. Arm braces that stretched from wrist to elbow, designed to appear almost like bandages. A mask hung against his neck that would protect the lower half of his face when worn. The final piece of his ensemble were a utility belt that held some smoke pellets and flash bangs as he’d requested for support gear.

      “I doubt the flashier costumes are as functional as the simple ones.” Hitoshi drawled as he lazily scanned the steadily filling room.

      Humming, the girl tilted her head. “You have a point, both of you look comfortable in your costumes” she huffed, looking down at her own costume. “I wish my costume wasn’t so tight…Oh! I’ve been meaning to introduce myself! I’m Uraraka Ochako! You’re Midoriya, right?”

      Surprised, Izuku nodded. “How d-did you know?”

      Uraraka grinned sheepishly, “Honestly, I thought it was Deku at first. But then I saw your name on the ranking board for the quirk assessment and remembered Sensei calling you that” she hesitated, “Is Deku a nickname?”

      “O-oh, um. Not really, Kacchan called me that to make fun of me when we were in elementary school. It just didn’t end up going away…” Hitoshi’s face tightened but didn’t react beyond that.

      Uraraka deflated slightly, “Oh, that’s a bummer. I thought it was cute, like dekiru or I can do it!” A light blush dusted his cheeks as he stuttered out a response. Hands waving and head ducked slightly. Hitoshi, like the wonderful, sleep-deprived angel he is, chooses this moment to swoop in.

      “Looks like All Might is about to start class, we should join the rest of the class” He nods towards the loose group of teens who are gathered waiting for All Might. Uraraka jolts, eyes widening as she glances back.

      “Right! I hope this isn’t like scary-Sensei’s assessment. Let’s do our best in class!” she cheers as she leaves.

      Hitoshi nudges him lightly, “The number one hero is currently shuffling through index cards to give the lesson. I wish I had my phone, Dad’s reaction would be priceless” He snickers and Izuku risks a glance at the hero. He muffles his own laughter at the sight of the blond seriously studying a stack of flimsy white cards. Izuku’s laughter comes to a choked halt as All Might looks up, ducking behind Hitoshi as All Might’s gaze sweeps over them and the rest of the class. Izuku ignores Hitoshi’s concerned glance as All Might gives his signature smile and begins explaining the lesson.

Chapter Text

      Izuku wonders sometimes what he did to tempt fate. This question once more flits across his mind as he’s stood preparing to face Kacchan. He was teamed against Kacchan and Iida, with Uraraka as his partner. He spread out the map they’d been provided between him and Uraraka. She leaned in curiously, both observing the layout. “They’ll likely hide the bomb somewhere on an upper level. Make us come to them with no easy escape. Knowing Kacchan though, he’ll likely storm off to go after me and leave Iida to defend” he commented.

      “Are you and Bakugo close? You seem really familiar with each other” Uraraka asked.

      Wincing, Izuku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “We…uh, used to be? It’s kinda complicated.” Uraraka studied him for a moment before nodding solemnly.

      “A fated battle between rivals” Izuku squawked and waved frantically.

      “We’re not rivals! I’m not trying to compete with Kacchan!” He dropped his arms as she began to laugh cheerfully. Izuku had been laughed at by his classmates a lot in his life, but this was different. It held a lighter tone, her eyes mirthful rather than mocking.

      “Maybe not rivals than, but still a battle. So,” She held her hand in front of her with a fist, “lets beat Bakugou and Iida, Dekiru!” Izuku blushed brightly, a wide grin spreading across his face.

      “O-okay…yeah! Let’s win!” He raised his fist to mimic her pose.

      She wilted slightly, “But first we need a plan…”

      “I think, uh, I might have a plan?” Uraraka brightened instantly, slamming her hands on the table and crinkling the map. Izuku flinched back at her intensity and fidgeted sheepishly. “Well, since Kacchan is probably going to target me, we could separate. Can you use your quirk on yourself?”

      “Not really, I end up feeling really nauseous if I use it on myself” her enthusiasm deflated.

      Izuku tucked his chin down, mumbling through half-formed plans at a rapid place. Snapping his attention back to Uraraka when one remained strong. “Can you float the table to the top with you on it?”

      She smiled widely, glancing over the flimsy folding table before nodding “Of course! I can use the table as a weapon too!” she clapped her hands together in excitement. Before they could say anymore, All Might announced the beginning of the battle. Uraraka handed Izuku the map, tapping the table and placing a hand on the top as it began to slowly float “Are you sure you want to go in alone?”

      “Our best bet will be to split up. I’ll draw Kacchan’s attention, and you go to the top level to find the bomb. If you run into Iida and need help, let me know and I’ll try to disengage Kacchan and get to you.”

      “That goes for you too. If you need help, send me a message through the com.” She carefully got on the table and Izuku gave it a little push up. Waiting for the table to get near the top before dashing into the building. He sprinted through the halls, looking for some sign of Kacchan. He heard a rumble from the floor above and dashed through the door to the stairwell. Barely making it onto the second floor and around the corner before he needed to jump back from an exploding fist. Wincing at the heat of the blast, he checked his com was still intact.

      He was thankful his suit was still intact due to the padding Keigo had insisted they add. Keeping his eyes on the fuming blond in front of him, he tapped his com. “Kacchan is on the second floor with me, Iida won’t have back up now.”

      There was a burst of static, “understood. I found Iida,” she giggled softly “he’s mostly villain monologue right now.”

      Kacchan growled, “You get in my way, you weasel your way into U.A, the least you could do is pay attention when I’m kicking your ass!” he rushed forward and Izuku straightened. Shifting his feet and grabbing Kacchan’s arm, Izuku slammed the teen to the ground.

      “I’m not going to let you toss me around anymore, Kacchan!” he shouted, hands clenched as he stood above his childhood friend. Kacchan quickly recovered, another crackling explosion leaving spots In Izuku’s vision. He stumbled back quickly before ducking below a right hook. He used the close proximity to elbow up into Kacchan’s chin and pushing the blond back. Retreating to gather space, he ripped open the pouch on his belt and snatched a smoke pellet out. Securing his mask, he tossed it at Kacchan’s feet and sprinted back toward the stairs after the hall filled with smoke. He sped up at the enraged scream that echoed from the halls.

      Activating his earpiece, he ducked onto the next floor and crouched in the doorway, “Uraraka, how are you doing?” he whispered. After a moment, he heard the buzz of Uraraka opening her end of the channel.

      “Um, I was seen by Iida but I’m trying to get a hold of the bomb. He’s moving around it too fast, but he doesn’t seem to plan on attacking, just defending the bomb. I’m not sure how to get to the bomb now with his focus on it.”

      “Can you try to use your quirk on him? He won’t be able protect the bomb like he is if he can’t stay on the ground.” He shifted in his spot, wanting to move but needing to focus on helping Uraraka. “On-only if you feel comfortable w-with um attacking.” He added as an afterthought. Adrenaline coursing through him, leaving him feeling both shaky and energized.

      “No, no, I can do it. I’m just not sure it would work since he could easily dodge it?” Izuku’s hand rose to rest on his chin, muttering as he tried to work through the situation. “Dekiru? I think I can do it if we can distract him long enough. I’m not really good at combat and he’s moving too fast to use my quirk on him but if he’s distracted, I can take advantage of that.”

      There was a loud explosion in the staircase, Izuku flinched. “I can make the distraction, wait for my signal” disconnecting, he reentered the stairway. Running up them to get higher he paused to look back and shouted “HEY KACCHAN! Come and get me!” before resuming his sprint up the stairs. He heard a series of explosions and cursed as he realized that the blond was using his quirk to propel himself up and skipping the stairs. Well, that complicates things a bit he thought idly as he dug out a handful of flashbangs.

      They weren’t heavy duty, the school had sent back an amendment to his request about using smaller grade versions of his support gear during class and related exercises. Though it did allow for the real deal to be accessible once he was granted a provisional license later on in his academic career. Despite them being a lower power, the smoke bomb had been more than effective, so Izuku hoped the flashbangs were as well. Not bothering to aim, he tossed the small disc like weapon behind him and squeezed his eyes shut. Trusting his feet and his firm grip on the handrail to carry him away from Kacchan.

      From there, it was like a game of cat and mouse. Kacchan would gain on him with his quirk, only for Izuku to blind him momentarily with a flashbang sporadically. Causing him to fall back until he got his vision back. It really only worked for a handful of times before the blond surged forward and threw Izuku to the ground. Izuku hissed as his palms scraped against the rough concrete. Note to self, get some gloves. Forcing himself back to his feet, he narrowly avoided the explosion power punch. The ground cracking under Kacchan’s fist. Izuku winced, the cracked concrete could’ve been his skull.

      “All this time, you’ve been a pebble underfoot. Barely even worth worrying about. But, somehow, you’ve managed to weasel back into my way. Have you been playing with me?! Making my life harder just for the hell of it, Hah?!” the blond screamed as he stormed after Izuku.

      A staticky crackle sounded in his ear, “Dekiru? I can hear you and Bakugo now. I think you’re on the floor below us. Do you need help? I’m not really getting anywhere with Iida but I might be able to help with Bakugo.” Izuku chewed on his lip while desperately dodged Kacchan’s attacks. This was taking longer to get upstairs than he’d initially thought. At this rate, they’d lose due to running out of time. They were going to need to do something soon.

      Heaving an internal sigh, he prepared for another mad dash up the last floors. His legs were already aching, and he wasn’t sure how much time they had left. Kicking up of the floor, he shook his head. Not sure which person the response was for. “Stay where you are, I’m on my way.” he wheezed out to assuage the concern he heard in Uraraka’s voice. Looking back at his former friend, he pushed himself up the last few steps to the floor above. Only to trip on the last step and crash to the floor. I’m getting really tired of falling on my face, he grumbled internally.

      A heavy boot stomped onto the small of his back. The smell of burnt caramel wafting through the room, seeming to thin the air and making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. “That’s more like it,” Kacchan sneered. Small pops sounding as he leaned down tauntingly. “You’re a pebble Deku, and pebbles are only good for crumbling below pressure.” He pushed down with his boot, to emphasize his words. Izuku crying out and squirming to get out from under Kacchan. Kicking out at the leg not pinning him down, Izuku managed to land a hit on the other’s ankle. Harshly striking the sensitive muscles on the side of Kacchan’s foot with the heel of his own.

      Disrupting his balance enough that the foot on his back lifted as Kacchan caught himself. Taking the chance, Izuku pried himself out from under Kacchan and scrambled forward, scanning each room he passed for his teammate. Skidding to a halt when he almost ran past the room that held the bomb, Iida and Uraraka. Kacchan was uncomfortably calm as he followed behind. “You like to take notes in that little stalker book of yours, so you know how my quirk works.” He rolled his shoulder and flexed his hands. “I use my sweat to ignite my explosions, but I can’t create too big of explosions without injuring myself. These grenades aren’t just for show, they’re made to collect sweat.” Izuku’s eyes widened, stumbling back as Kacchan raised his right hand, left arm raising to support it.

      Kacchan grinned manically as he the gauntlet lit up a bright orange. “Time to see how they do.” Izuku dove through the doorway as a blast of intense heat destroyed the hallway, hissing as the blast shot a searing pain across his left arm. Cradling his arm, he staggered up and looked up to see an almost comically frozen in place Iida. The blue haired boy paused midstep as he stared at the scorched doorway with Uraraka stood to the side, clutching a table leg like a bat.

      “Dekiru!” Uraraka used Iida’s distraction to smack her palm down on Iida’s back, rearing back and using the table leg to send the boy spinning away from the bomb. Yelping indignantly, Iida attempted to boost himself back toward the weapon with his engines but couldn’t control his trajectory, ending up slamming into a pillar near the entrance of the room. Uraraka giggled, “Sorry Iida!” she called, before moving to claim the weapon and end the exercise.

      “Hold it round face! This ain’t over.” Uraraka spun around, and Izuku stiffened at the metallic clink behind him. Turning to face Kacchan, he quickly realized what the teen planned to do when he saw the raised left arm, wreathed in an orange glow.

      “Young Bakugo! Stop this! Your attack will kill them!” All Might’s voice crackled loudly through their earpieces.

      Kacchan sneered, “He’ll be fine, as long as he dodges!” he declared as he reached for the pin of his left gauntlet. Uraraka dove behind the nearest pillar, tapping her fingers to release Iida from her quirk.

      Iida landed gracefully, exclaiming “Bakugo! I must insist that you stop!”. Kacchan ignored his teammate, a building orange glow signaling danger. Shooting forward, Izuku grabbed Iida’s armored wrist and tugged. The two of them managing to escape being scorched but both crying out as the force of the blast threw them into the corner. A moment later a harsh horn blared through the arena. Izuku groaned, not even trying to get up as his world spun and disappointment swirled in his gut.

      “AND THE HEROES WIN! CONGRATS! PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE IF YOU ARE INJURED AND MEDICAL BOTS WILL ARRIVE SHORTLY!” All Might’s voice boomed, bouncing off the walls and ringing in his ears.

      The heroes won? But…we didn’t capture the weapon or the others. Letting his head loll to the side, his eyes caught Kacchan’s. Wide, crimson eyes with an emotion Izuku hadn’t seen on the other’s face since they wordlessly parted at his Mom’s funeral. It was raw and like he was desperately trying to change what he saw in front of him. Closing his eyes, Izuku breathed carefully, The heroes won.

Chapter Text

      Izuku isn’t sure how long he stayed collapsed on the ground, eyes closed and head spinning. Eventually, he heard shifting near him and the now familiar voice of Iida nearby. “Midoriya? Are you in need of assistance? All might said there will be medical bots on their way.” Izuku peeked an eye open and gave a weak smile.

      “Ye-yeah, I’m ok, thank you for checking.” He blinked a few times as his vision settled from the change in light. Iida was hovering over him, a slight frown on his face, clearly not believing Izuku’s words. He wonders vaguely where his glasses and helmet went. Before he could ask, Uraraka appeared beside Iida, peering worriedly at Izuku. Her brown hair was a little singed at the ends and outfit partially burnt.

      “Dekiru! Are you ok?” She questioned, leaning down to offer a hand. Izuku gratefully took the proffered hand, Iida quickly supporting him as he sat up.

      “Don’t worry, I’m alright! Just a lot of minor burns and some bruises. I’ll wait for recovery girl’s medical bot here, you two can go ahead and meet back up with the class. You’re not injured right?” his concerned gaze briefly swept over both of them to gauge for injuries. The two glanced at each other, before Uraraka gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

      “Dekiru, those burns look pretty bad, I don’t want to leave you alone when you’re hurt like this. That just doesn’t feel right.” She frowned, looking at his left arm that was still painfully warm. Iida nodded, hand moving in an aborted gesture to adjust glasses that weren’t there before falling to clench on his thigh.

      “Uraraka is right. It would be unheroic to abandon a fellow classmate in need. You are injured, adrenaline from the fight is likely helping to dull the pain. I would hate for you to be alone when the adrenaline wears off.” Izuku gaped, mouth opening and closing as he struggled to form a coherent response to two people, who he barely knew, insisting they stay with him out of genuine concern. He could feel tears springing to his eyes, causing Uraraka to quickly remove her hand from his shoulder. Panic was evident in her eyes as Iida looked confused, squinting at the two. “Is everything alright? I’m afraid my glasses were broken in the last moments of the battle so I can’t see well.”

      “I’m fine. Thank you for staying with me.” He smiled, tears still leaking but refraining from wiping his eyes with arms that were quickly starting to feel like lead weights. Uraraka smiled brightly, beside her Iida chopped his arm with a sharp nod. Izuku held back a smile when the hand Iida still had pressed against his back in support shifted in a mirror of his swinging free hand. A quiet mechanical whir reached his ears as the promised med bots arrived with two cots that stopped beside the three of them. Uraraka and Iida helped him stand up fully before he moved to sit on the cot. The other two hovered before Izuku waved them off gently, Uraraka backing away and Iida moving to perch on the other cot, posture just a little tense. Uraraka waved as the bots began to pull their cots away to the entrance. Izuku remained sitting up, not alone in this decision as Iida remained sitting up but his eyes were closed.

      “Do you want to lay down Iida?” Izuku hedged, worried the other would fall off.

      Iida frowned, a slight shift of his head indicating a no. “I would like to avoid jostling my side. I believe it might be bruised from our rough landing. I’ll be fine sitting up until we reach our destination.”

      Izuku chewed on his lip, “does your head hurt? I-is that why your eyes are closed?” He kept his voice light, not wanting to make Iida feel like he was interrogating him.

      Iida hummed, “Our surroundings are blurry without my glasses, that combined with our movement is making me dizzy. Closing my eyes helps me stay steady; I’m sure once I have my spare pair of glasses, I’ll feel much better.”

      Glancing around, Izuku could see a doorway that the bots were heading toward. “I think we’re almost there. If you, um, need anything, I can help.” He offered awkwardly. Glad that Iida’s eyes were closed since his face was ablaze, feeling clumsy and off balance trying to navigate a budding friendship for the first time in years.

      Thankfully, they reached Recovery Girl’s office before Iida responded or Izuku could embarrass himself anymore. The heroine looked up when they entered and sighed, placing her pen down on the desk. “I’d heard that All Might was taking charge of the heroics class for the first years, I should have known that fool hardy…” she continued to mutter under her breath while she moved to ready her supplies. Iida stood, wobbling slightly before making his way to the beds lined up against the wall of the room. Izuku followed his lead and sat in the empty bed closest to him.

      Recovery Girl moved to first examine Izuku’s arm, a concerned glint in her gaze. She gently prodded at the bright reds around the worst of the burns before tutting. “Thankfully it’s only 2^nd degree, if it’d been any worse, I wouldn’t be able to help much. Burns are a tricky thing to heal with my quirk, I can’t guarantee you won’t have small scaring at the more intense spots, but they’ll be small and fade.” Her sharp gaze trailed over the scraped fabric of his suit over his knees and the raw skin on his palms. Moving away to grab tweezers before returning and carefully picking away some of the threads that had fused to his skin. “You’re lucky that only some of your suit melted or this would be much worse.” Twisting his arm slightly to check there wasn’t anything in the burns she raised his hand and placed a wet kiss on his wrist. A wave of exhaustion crashed over him as the warmth in his arm was replaced with a gentle chill that crept along his skin. Her nimble fingers quickly wrapped Izuku’s arm in bandages. The weathered woman pats his shoulder, slipping a couple gummies in his hands with a soft smile. “Get some rest dearie, I’ll contact your teacher to excuse you from class.”

      Izuku sagged back against the bed, nodding absently as he blinked heavily. He watched Recovery Girl move to assess Iida, his classmate waiting patiently. Closing his eyes, Izuku couldn’t help but marvel at how peaceful the nurse’s office was compared to his middle school’s. The room was quiet except for a hushed conversation between Iida and Recovery Girl.

      He doesn’t remember nodding off, but he must’ve at some point as the room was now dimmed and Iida was gone. Izuku swung his legs over the bed and pushed himself upright. He looked around curiously before spotting the heroine working through files at the desk nearby. She looked up at his movement and offered a smile. “How are you feeling dearie? Did you get enough rest?” she shuffled over and eyed him, assessing, before offering gummies. “You fell asleep before you could eat them, it’s best to replenish your stamina immediately after my quirk or you risk getting sick. Though sleep works the gummies help speed up the process.”

      Izuku sheepishly accepted the gummies and ducked his head in thanks. Recovery Girl pat his knee reassuringly, “Are you feeling up to grabbing your stuff from class or do you want to stay here for your guardian to pick you up?”

      Eyes widening, Izuku shot to his feet, forcibly blinking the spots away from his vision. “You, uh, you don’t have to call him. I’m fine to go back to class.”

      “There’s no need to push yourself, classes are already over. I called him while you were sleeping, and he assured me he’s on his way. Now, if you are feeling better, you can gather your stuff from class, or I can call and have a classmate drop them off. But I would be remiss to allow you to walk home after being so severely injured.” She refuted sternly.

      Slumping slightly, Izuku fiddled with the bandages on his hand, “I can walk to class. Um, tha-thank you for, um, taking care of me.” He bowed, “I didn’t mean to sleep for the entire day, I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”.

      The stern expression on the heroine’s face gentled, “It’s my job to take care of you Dearie, no need to apologize for resting. I used up quite a bit of your stamina and expected you to rest here after.” She tapped his ankle with her cane, “Now chin up, I’m sure your friends are dying to see you. You’ll need to keep those bandages on and clean until tomorrow morning and come visit me before classes so I can finish healing you.

      After getting released by Recovery Girl, Izuku made his way back to 1-A’s classroom. He hoped to slip in unnoticed and grab his stuff before Keigo came to pick him up. Hitoshi had already texted him to warn him that the class wanted to ask him about what happened in the exam. Unfortunately, the moment he opened the door, Izuku was accosted by his new classmates.

      “Dekiru! I’m so glad you’re all right!” Uraraka exclaimed.

      “Midoriya! You were so manly!” The boy with bright red hair cheered. Izuku thinks his name was Kirishima but wasn’t completely sure. Shuffling in place, Izuku attempted to wave off the crowd of his classmates so he could make it to his bag and book it out of the building. Having his peers’ full attention has never worked out for him and he wasn’t looking to stay for when the support turned sour.

      “Please allow Midoriya space to retrieve his possessions!” Iida shouted over the class, hand chopping in what was quickly becoming a recognizable habit. He stood firmly in front of his desk, posture stiff as the aforementioned spare glasses slid down his nose from the movement.

      Hitoshi materialized on his right, slouched and looking unimpressed at the rest of their classmates. “Let the guy breathe, he just got released from the nurse’s office.” He drawled. The two comments serving their purpose as a path to his desk cleared. Quickly picking up his bookbag he smiled nervously at the others in the room.

      “Thank you for the concern, I’ll be fine after some more sleep. Um, it was nice to meet everyone…see you tomorrow!” He squeaked, voice cracking on his words before scurrying out the door.