Chapter 3, also unofficially named "It gets a little bit better from here on out"
Izuku hissed as the thick cold metal was locked in place around his neck. It was somewhat heavy, but not unbearably so. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the group sat in the waiting room of the police station. Aizawa, his new keeper, along with Todoroki, Kachaan, and the two others whose names he had yet to gather. He kept his eyes trained on the boy with the dual-coloured hair, however. 'He doesn't seem much different than he did back then… quiet, reserved… he even looks the same.' He let out a soft sigh, the collar causing it to come out a bit shakier than he anticipated. He heard a small humming as it was turned on, but tuned it out almost immediately. Naomasa gave Izuku another one of his soft smiles as he went into the simplistics of how the collar functioned. "...you'll be able to get it wet, and it shouldn't activate unless you attempt to use your quirk. If you attempt to use your quirk for a prolonged period of time, it will notify us and we'll be alerted of your location. This will also occur should you attempt to remove it. This also isn't meant to be a subtle piece of equipment, so others will recognize you as a potential threat."
"Wouldn't that make me a target for criminals?" The messy haired boy deadpanned. Naomasa scratched the back of his head awkwardly, as though he was hoping this question wouldn't be asked.
"Yes and no. These collars are usually used for those on probation, and most people have their probationary officers accompany them if they plan on being out for a prolonged period of time. Since you're likely to spend a majority of your time on U.A. grounds, we figured you would be safe with the collar." The detective offered a brief smile. "Speaking of, we've done the service of contacting your mother. She's been briefed on your situation, and would like you to contact her as soon as you're settled. You're all set though, and you probably shouldn't keep your new friends waiting. Something tells me Eraser-Head might nip at your heels if you do."
Izuku nodded reluctantly, glancing briefly back at the police officer before the door opened to the waiting room and he stepped out. 'How the hell am I going to explain this to mom…?' His personal effects bundled in his hands before he thought crossed his mind. Scrambling to keep his items from falling on the floor - and failing miserably - he manages to get the jacket out of the bundle of things that managed to stay in his arms. Bakugo snickered at the boy's predicament, while the student with the glasses sighed, walking over to help Izuku pick his items up off the floor. The green haired boy muttered a brief 'thanks' before making his way over to Todoroki. Half of his stuff bundled in one arm, he held out the jacket with his free hand. "I know it's been a couple years, but I think this is your's. Sorry I didn't find you sooner."
Shoto didn't know what to say. Here, standing in front of him, was the boy who invaded his dreams for almost 3 years at this point. Round green eyes glittered and the boy's smile was so wide it seemed to almost eat his face. It took him a minute to register just what the boy said, and what he was handing him. Gingerly taking the item of clothing in his hands, all he could do was blink his mismatched eyes. "Um, thanks." He muttered, still unsure of what to say.
"No problem!" The smile was starting to look strained, as if it hurt. He was about to voice such concerns when another, louder voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Wow Deku, you kept a dude you didn't know's jacket for fucking years? That's kinda creepy." Bakugo snickered, an angry smirk ever-present. Shoto kept his eyes trained on 'Deku,' watching as the smile fell into despair before a glint shone in those deep green irises as they turned their attention to the blonde.
"Wow Kachaan, still bullying the weak after fucking years? That's kinda pathetic." The shorter bit back, causing Shoto to raise an eyebrow. Beyond the attitude and venom in Deku's voice, however, he could hear a small waver. '...is he afraid under that facade?'
"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU PUNK?! YA LOOKIN' TO GET YOUR ASS KICKED?!" He heard Kirishima groan, and Aizawa scold the boy, but he could care less. He just kept his eyes on Deku, watching the emotions swirling around in those eyes.
"Come on Midoriya, we'll get you settled in the dorms. Let's leave the introductions and tour of the facility for tomorrow morning." The teacher spoke, already heading out the door with a tight grip on Bakugo's shoulder. Shoto watched the others pile out the door, following behind them as they began their way to the train station. He walked shoulder to shoulder with Midoriya, feeling a bit of nostalgia overwash him.
"Izuku Midoriya." A small voice uttered next to him, breaking their comfortable silence. Shoto turned his head at this, looking down at the shorter boy. He raked his eyes over the boy's appearance. His thick fluffy green hair was sticking up in every direction, his wide bright green eyes seemed to burn holes into the sidewalk as they walked. He seemed petite under the bagginess of the plain grey sweatpants and hoodie the police department gave him, but not sickeningly so. He was the same height as when they first met, and his face still yielded a youthful glow. Shoto felt his hands grow clammy, so he shoved them in his pockets and averted his gaze directly ahead of them, watching the others walking ahead of them.
"Shoto Todoroki."
Upon entering the gates of U.A., Izuku could already feel judgemental eyes burning into him from the students that hung outside. The sun was beginning to set, a slew of orange and pink tints overtaking the sky. Nezu and a vaguely familiar thin blonde man was waiting to greet the group in front of the main building. But he wasn't focused on them, he was focused on the small crowds muttering nearby.
"What's with that kid?"
"Dude, is that a Quirk-Cancelling Collar?"
"Surely not, they wouldn't let a criminal in here!"
Even though their words were hushed, Izuku could hear them clear as day; the mutterings burned his ears. He lowered his head, letting his hair fall in front of his eyes before he felt a heavy arm wrap around his shoulders. A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Todoroki was the culprit, the boy keeping his mismatched eyes trained on the other students as they continued to approach the main building.
"No way, if he's a criminal he wouldn't be buddy-buddy with Endeavor's kid."
"You never know dude!"
The group's words seemed to drown out now, only registering in Izuku's mind as light buzz behind them. He kept an eye trained on the boy who had his arm around his shoulder, his expression hidden from the others, he allowed his suspicions to show slightly. His thoughts were broken, however, when a cheery voice greeted them. "Welcome back! I thought I'd personally see to it that you were settled into a dorm, and your situation was told in brief to your roommates." The mammal gestured to the man next to him. "This is Toshinori Yagi, All-Might's personal secretary. He's here in his stead."
It was then that Izuku raised his head to meet sunken bright blue eyes and felt his breath hitch in his throat. The blonde seemed to recognize him as well, his jaw dropping slightly. The emerald-eyed boy doubled over, allowing Todoroki's arm to fall back at his side as the shorter of the two choked on his own breath. Next to them, Aizawa tsk'd and Bakugo chuckled at the other's predicament. "Are you alright young Midoriya?"
He snapped his attention back up to the thin man in front of him, allowing their eyes to lock. A moment of heavy silence past before Izuku waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, I'm fine…" he chose his next words carefully, "...you just look like someone I knew."
The adult kept his eyes trained on him as Nezu spoke behind them. "Oh, have you two met before?" The question was so simple but both men knew the severity of it. Izuku felt the ember of spite spark in his chest, and letting out a huff he answered the principal before Toshinori had a chance to open his mouth.
"I met his boss." He heard a boisterous laugh to his left, no doubt coming from Bakugo, but didn't take his eyes away from Toshinori. If looks could kill, the retired Symbol of Peace would be dead 3 times over.
"Like fucking hell you met All-Might-"
"He told me there's no way a loser like me could become a hero." Izuku spat, glaring over at Bakugo before returning his gaze to man in front of him. He knew those weren't All-Might's exact words, but that's how he took them. For a moment, there was a silent stand-off of wills before Toshinori let out a sigh, running a hand through his messy blonde locks.
"I'm sorry, kid."
The reply was so quiet that he almost didn't even hear it. He felt the rage die a little in his chest, and simply gave a shrug in response. He may be upset, but there's no way he's going to just give up the man's cover. The redhead - whose name, he learned, is Kirishima - let out a cough. That seemed to shake everyone's attentions away from the tension hovering above them. Nezu launched into a small speech about the rules of U.A., but Izuku couldn't bother to listen to him. As they neared the dorm building he'd be staying at, he finally cleared his thoughts enough to allow him to hear what the principal was saying. "The female student's dorms are kept on the 2nd floor, and the boy's dorms are above that, taking up the 3rd and 4th floor. We do have elevator and stairway surveillance." The green haired boy may have appeared bored to the untrained eye, but anyone who knew him could see his eyes were glittering with excitement. "Our students usually know better, but we had to expel a student a year ago for breaking into the girl's dorm rooms." He heard an unfamiliar stifled snicker behind him, which Izuku totally didn't jump at. Turning around revealed a young man, a bit taller than him with blonde hair (save for an odd black streak, resembling a lightning bolt), dressed in U.A.'s gym clothes.
"R.I.P. Mineta." The boy murmured before holding out a hand to Izuku, slinging a white towel over his shoulder with his other hand. "Hey dude! You new here or something? I'm Kaminari."
Izuku wasn't sure what exactly to do at first, he just stared into the boy's golden eyes before taking the boys hand in one of his own scarred palms. He noted that the boy had a weak handshake, which more than likely eluded to weak close-combat prowess. Another look at Kaminari's face had a smile gracing his face. The boy's seemed to be contagious. "My name is Izuku Midoriya, my enemies call me Deku."
"Midoriya it is then!"
Before Bakugo could begin to bite back a remark, he heard Nezu from behind him. "Well, I can see you're making friends here already! Now, you don't need to attend any classes, in fact, we'd recommend staying in the dorms for your first couple days here to allow your roommates to become accustomed to your presence. After that, you may feel free to roam the outdoor section of the campus as long as you have supervision. We put you in room 344; there's some basic furniture and a monitored cell phone, so you may contact your mother." The mammalian creature chirped, prompting Izuku to nod with understanding as Toshinori handed him a keycard. "Furthermore, we provided you with a school uniform, so our other students still feel secure within our walls."
The green haired boy muttered a quiet 'thanks' as the three adults spoke to the other students, parting soon after. As soon as they left, the tension from earlier returned. The air around him tasted stale and thick, and the silence was sickening. It was Kaminari who eventually broken the quiet, clearing his throat. "Well dude, I think I'll take the initiative and introduce Midoriya here to home sweet home."
"Whoa, this place is huge!" Izuku exclaimed upon entering the dorms. To the right of the entrance elevator, there was a couple couches and a flatscreen TV built into the wall. Behind the seating area was a spacious kitchen with an island, bar-stools tucked underneath the counter. To his left, there was a line of doors and a staircase leading up to another landing lined with more doors. It was unlike anything the green haired boy had ever seen before, but to his dismay, a group of people sat on the couch took notice of him.
"A visitor?" A calm voice questioned, prompting Izuku to make eye contact with a… eagle-headed boy? Green eyes blinked a couple times before he choked down a surprised noise threatening to emerge from his throat. He felt a hand grip his shoulder gently, squeezing ever-so-comfortingly before Kaminari stood next to him, addressing the strange boy sat on a loveseat.
"Yo Tokoyami, this is the transfer that the principal spoke to us about a little while ago."
"That's the villain?" A black haired boy with weirdly shaped elbows piped in. Izuku felt his face burn in shame, pushing his way past the others. Not saying a word, he made his way past the sofas to where the unfamiliar male students sat laxly. Letting out a shaky exhale, he leaned down over the boy who dared to insult him, giving a small smile as his round eyes glinted in the soft lighting.
"Call me that again, and you'll be grateful I'm wearing this collar." He watched as the others tensed, and a heavy quilt of silence draped over the room. They stayed like this until Izuku felt a sharp pain on the back of his head.
"Tch, lookin' for a fight already, Deku?" Bakugo spat at the boy, bringing his hand up to activate his quirk. "Then why not fight me?"
Izuku held his breath, readying his body for a confrontation. The sound of hurried movement filled the room as Kirishima and Iida pulled Bakugo away from the viridescent-eyed boy, Todoroki and Kaminari standing between them. "Let's not start fights on our first day with Midoriya here, alright? It wouldn't be manly." The redhead muttered to the blonde, patting the other's hair lightly.
"Kaminari, Todoroki, why don't you take Midoriya to his dorm room?" Iida muttered, struggling to keep his grip on a thrashing Bakugo. The others nodded, leading the short boy up the staircase.
Izuku let out a sigh, falling into the plush mattress. Pulling the comforter over his shoulders, he shivered slightly. 'Everything here is so different from there...' He frowned, his thoughts beginning to spiral a bit. He was so consumed in his own mind that he almost didn't register the knock at the balcony door. Startling slightly, he made his way to the sliding glass door. There, Kaminari stood proudly in his pajamas. After the moment of shock passed, the freckled boy yanked open the door. The smile faded from the yellow haired boy's face as an almost eerily serious expression took over.
"It's about time we had some alone time, wouldn't you agree Izuku?"
A/N: Because honestly fuck Mineta, creepy midget.