The spark in your eyes

by UnderratedHero

He did it. He defeated All for One. The world saw it, and now he's to become the youngest #1 hero in history. He should be happy, by all means, but he feels lost. He doesn't know how to react or what to do with this giant spotlight aimed at him. As the world expects him to be the next All Might, Ochako will remind him that he's still Izuku Midoriya. And how that's more than enough.

3. Reunion

Sorry for taking so long, I had to take a break to focus on college, which was BRUTAL this month lol

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments! They really motivate me to keep this going and push myself to get this done. This one's a bit longer (I believe it's longer than the previous two combined lol) but people that know me from other fandoms know that I tend to get longwinded with my chapters. And this one could have been longer, but I felt like I had a good place to put an end to it. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Also, I updated the cover with a picture I drew. Slightly spoilery, but it's just a costume spoiler lol Now you know he'll get a new costume. Yay!

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Reunion.

By all accounts, Ochako should have assumed they were under attack.

Mera had barely opened the door two inches before someone charged right into the room, almost bulldozing over the skinny man. Not even the mighty Death Arms seemed to be strong or fast enough to keep the trespasser at bay. Ochako, who thought of herself as a hero in training with above-average reflexes, couldn't even stand up before a short figure was already throwing itself at Izuku. Her protective instincts kicked in, and she was ready to put her quirk and the Gunhead Martial Arts she knew to good use, throwing whoever dared attack Izuku under her watch out the window and into the stratosphere. She'd let them float aimlessly up there for ten minutes and then, if she bothered to remember, she'd release her quirk.

Her inner Toga kept coming up with more ways of protecting Izuku, but she noticed two things in the millisecond that she had to process what her eyes saw. One, whoever entered the room was crying a river. And two, they had dark green hair.

Her moment of hesitation was enough for the woman to reach Izuku, seemingly throwing herself right into his arms, though Ochako could tell that she made sure of not pressing herself onto him too hard. It was a much more gentle and careful embrace than the ones Ochako had been giving him since she caught him in the air, and that realization made her feel a bit guilty. She obviously hadn't been trying to hurt Izuku or cause him any pain, that went without saying, but looking at this woman's careful touch made her realize that she might have gotten a bit carried away, indulging in her selfish desire to feel his body next to hers. To make sure he was alive, that it was real and not yet another one of those fleeting dreams where he came back.

Whoever this person was, Ochako could tell that she loved Izuku enough to still be worried about not adding to his pain, no matter how much she wanted to hold him close. And that, combined with the beautiful shade of green in her hair, was enough for her to put two and two together.

"MY BOY!" The woman wailed, her eyes becoming two waterfalls that, given enough time, could have flooded the entire room.

Any doubts Ochako may have still had about the identity of the woman were dispelled right then. She'd recognize that way of crying anywhere.

"Mom!"

The way Izuku's face lit up was priceless. The shock from the unexpected intrusion turned into the happiest of smiles, as he closed his eyes and pushed past the pain and tiredness to hug his mother. He was already emotional with everything going on, and when he surrendered himself to his mother's embrace, he couldn't help but cry as well.

Ochako felt like crying, too. She'd seen Izuku at his best and also his worst. She thought she'd seen almost all aspects of him, but right then she realized that she had never seen him like this. It was easy to forget his actual age when more often than not he was fighting unbelievably strong and dangerous villains, throwing himself headfirst into the fray, breaking his bones like it was the most normal thing in the world.

But he was still a sixteen years old boy. And it had never been clearer for Ochako than right then, seeing him cry as he hugged his mom like there was no tomorrow. She had been upset at him for leaving them all behind, but it dawned on her that there was no way Deku, someone who cared so much about his friends and loved ones, would have been fine all by himself, running away from everyone. The dullness in his eyes… He'd been in pain, she could tell.

She doubled down on her promise to make him feel better. To protect him. Maybe she wouldn't be able to protect him from exchanging blows with supervillains —though she was gonna still try her damn hardest anyway—, but at least she'd save him from loneliness and feeling lost.

Something moved to her left, and she turned to see all sorts of small objects beginning to float around the room. Pens, pieces of paper, unplugged cords, medical instruments. Every tiny thing that wasn't fixed to the floor or a wall began to slowly move towards Izuku and his mom. Ochako was perplexed. Was it maybe Mrs. Midoriya's quirk?

Best Jeanist moved a finger, and strings of cloth jumped from his jacket, catching every object and gently placed them back where they were. He, Hawks, and Gran Torino exchanged a quick look. He finally took a step forward and cleared his throat.

Izuku and his mom broke the hug to look at the pro heroes.

"I'm sure the two of you have much to talk about. We'll leave for now, but feel free to call us should you need anything," Best Jeanist said, leaving a card on the nightstand next to Izuku's bed. "I'll be talking with the representatives of the Hero Public Safety Commission to sort out how to continue from here."

"I'll go talk with the press," said Hawks, looking resigned. "I'm sure they want to hear the current Number One talking about what happened. I'll keep them busy so they don't bother you."

"I'll be meeting with Principal Nezu", added Gran Torino. "U.A.'s staff is taking direct responsibility in securing the hospital and watching over its students' recovery and they need all the help they can get."

The three made a move to leave the room, but Izuku's mom stood up and put herself between them and the exit. The pro heroes didn't flinch, but Ochako could feel the tension rising in the room.

The woman kept crying, clutching her chest like she was afraid her heart would pop out of it. Her arms and legs shook with evident fear, but her resolved expression would have intimidated the scariest of villains. Ochako turned to look at Izuku, and she could see in his pale face that he dreaded whatever was going to happen next.

She gulped and turned to look at the adults.

"I know you were working with All Might while my Izuku was off on his own fighting dangerous villains," the woman said, her words very measured as she tried to keep her worries aside. "He risked his life for weeks, away from everyone. He had to leave his school. His friends. His home. Had to deal with something no child should ever have to deal with."

"Mom…" Izuku began, though he wasn't sure of what he could say. Ochako bit her lip. She'd heard Gran Torino's reasoning and Izuku's logic as to why he did things the way he did. Even then, she still had some gripes with him, and she certainly didn't appreciate the pro heroes letting him do all that by himself. If that angered her, she couldn't even begin to imagine how his mother was feeling.

If Mrs. Midoriya ended up throwing hands with the Top Two heroes, Ochako decided she would be cheering for her.

"You let him go out by himself, fighting the League of Villains and all those fugitives. He was doing the job you were supposed to do. You… We all saw it on TV. You only showed up when he got the leader of the League out of his hiding spot. You used him as… as bait! To get the villains to come out of their hiding!"

It was obvious that Hawks and Jeanist had nothing to say in their defense. Ochako could tell that they weren't particularly proud of their behavior. They didn't look defiant nor did they try to justify their actions. They looked exactly like they had a couple of months ago with Endeavor when they took full responsibility in front of the press for everything that had gone wrong in the battle against Shigaraki and the Paranormal Liberation Front. They wore resigned looks on their faces and the heavy shadow of guilt in their eyes. Ochako could tell that they were going to stand there and take whatever slings and arrows Mrs. Midoriya decided to throw their way.

Izuku looked away, clenching his fists, and his eyes met Ochako's. She kept her silence but tried her best to soften her expression. She was at a point where she wasn't sure she had any words left for the day.

"Seeing my boy risking his life… Watching him fight on national TV… I had never been more terrified in my life," his mother continued. "He's so young… He may be strong, but he's still my little Izuku. You are the Top Two heroes. We should be counting on you; you shouldn't have to count on him! As a mother… I'm not sure I can ever forgive you for putting my son through so much."

Jeanist eyes darted to the side, and Hawks took a deep breath, though his expression remained neutral.

"I want nothing but the best for Izuku. His safety. His happiness. But… But I also want him to chase his dreams," she said, her voice dropping and her trembling legs trying their best to keep her from falling to her knees. "Being a hero is all he's ever dreamed of. And that's a path I can't help him with. So… So even though it worries and it pains me to see him risking his life… Even though you two let him put himself at risk, you… you can help him with his dream more than I ever could. I know it's selfish of me to ask this from two professional heroes… But All Might promised me that he'd stay alive to teach him and make sure he grew up to be a great hero, and now he's gone. I want to support Izuku and watch him become the hero I know he can be, but I need to know that he won't be alone. I know you have so much on your plate, but my Izuku risked everything to save everyone, and he's all I've got! I still believe in heroes! I believe in you two! But as a citizen and a mother, I have to ask you to make sure my boy won't be on his own like that ever again!"

Best Jeanist took a step forward and readied his answer...

"He won't."

...only to stay silent as he, along with everyone else in the room, turned to look at Ochako.

Her pink cheeks turned red, especially with Momma Midoriya's eyes set on her. She didn't mean to interrupt a conversation she wasn't a part of, she really didn't. She knew Izuku's mom wasn't talking to her. She wanted real reassurance from real heroes, not some teenage girl jumping the gun and speaking out loud without realizing it.

Her heart had spoken without asking her mind for permission. Hearing Izuku's mother speaking about her worries and what she wanted for Izuku, Ochako had felt a strong sense of kinship. She could relate to those feelings, she knew them too well. It was the same thing she wanted. In different ways, they both loved the boy with freckled cheeks. They both wanted him to succeed. They both saw him for who he was: a true hero at heart. They were both worried about his safety and the fact that he was stubborn and heroic enough to try to do everything by himself just so others wouldn't have to worry and get in trouble for him.

Ochako knew exactly what they were both going through, and she was determined to become the solution to their problems. To be the hero Izuku needed, even if he didn't realize it.

She kept thinking all of these things but soon realized that no one in the room could read her mind, and they were all looking at her expectantly. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and focus, standing up and crossing both hands over her chest. All eyes were on her, but she wouldn't let the embarrassment win her over.

"Deku won't be alone," she said, and she surprised even herself with how determined she sounded. "He has us. He has friends that care deeply for him. The rest of our class, we were all so worried about him. He'll never admit it, but we all look up to him like a leader. He inspires all of us to become better heroes, better people, and… And I know that every one of us will do our best to keep him safe. I know I will. He's my best friend, and I want to make sure I'm there for him from now on. I… I know I'm not a pro hero, but I can promise you that I'll do my best to be there for your son!"

She gently bowed, though she mostly did it to let her bangs fall and hide her blushing face. She tried really hard to come off as a worried friend, but it was hard to measure her words to make sure she didn't give out just how much she truly cared for Izuku, and how much deeper her feelings for him were. She was also aware of the fact that her first interaction ever with her best friend's mother was her interrupting a conversation between adults to promise to protect and be there for her son. She hadn't even introduced herself properly! Should she just excuse herself and leave the room? Should she apologize?

She tried to calm herself. It wasn't a big deal, right? She was just trying to show support for her best friend. His mother was understandably upset, and she was reassuring her that she had every intention of keeping Izuku safe, or at the very least, to be there with him whenever he had to risk himself. It was fine. She was fine. Everything was going to be okay.

"You… You're Ochako, right?"

Oh, God, everything was so not okay. She knew her name? How did she recognize her? Obviously, she'd heard of her from Izuku, but how much did she know? Just that they were classmates? Why would she assume that she was Ochako and not Momo or Tsu? What in the world did Izuku say about her? How much did he talk about her with his mom?

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

The woman's face softened, and she seemed to be about to say something to her, but Hawks rushed in.

"Mrs. Midoriya, as you can see, your son is in good company," he said, and Ochako saw him giving Izuku a weird smirk like there was an inside joke or something he knew that he wasn't sharing with anyone else. "He has some great friends. And I know for a fact that his classmates are shaping up to become better heroes than most would expect."

"Even then, you are absolutely right," Best Jeanist chipped in. "As talented as they are, they're still children. We know our actions have caused you grief and, as pro heroes, that's something we're deeply ashamed of. All I can say is that everyone in this room," he said, and his eyes rested on Ochako for a second, "will do our best to help your son become a great hero."

Gran Torino sighed and shook his head with a smile on his face, the wrinkles around his eyes visible even under his mask.

"No, Jeanist," he said in his wise-old-man voice. "The hero he's already turned into. You've raised a fantastic boy, miss. He's gone far and beyond all of our expectations. He may be a young, stubborn child, but he's already a hero in his own right. Our job isn't to get him to become a hero, but to make sure he stays on this path for as long as he wishes to."

Both Midoriyas began to cry waterfalls, and if it wasn't for the fact that the veteran hero's words were so kind and true, Ochako would have allowed herself to giggle at the sight of the two green-haired fountains. She'd always found Izuku's sensitive nature adorable, and seeing that he'd gotten it from his mom made it even cuter.

"We offer our apologies. And should any of you ever need anything, you can call us or our agencies and we'll offer as much help as we can," added Best Jeanist, but neither mother nor son was in any condition to reply. "We won't bother you any longer for today. Rest well, Midoriya. You've earned it."

The pro heroes left the room, bowing their heads at Izuku, his mom, and Ochako, who realized that was probably her cue to leave as well. She didn't want to. If she could have it her way, she'd get a chair to stay next to Izuku until he left the hospital. But she hadn't considered that his mom would obviously want to be with him after so many weeks and with all the crazy dangerous things he'd gone through.

"I should get going, too," she said, holding the bandages on her left hand. She took a tentative step towards the exit, but then both Midoriyas turned in her direction.

"Wait!" They both said, before looking at each other in surprise. Ochako drew a sharp breath and had to actively stop herself from squealing.

"Y-You go first, mom."

Izuku's mother rubbed her hands against her eyes, sweeping away the lingering tears, and then proceeded to step right in front of Ochako, giving her the sweetest of smiles.

"My name is Inko Midoriya, honey. I can't believe I'm finally meeting you!" She said, her voice cracking with the heavy emotions she was going through. "I've heard so much about you!"

Izuku's face turned beet red, and if the heat in her cheeks was any indicator, so did Ochako's.

"M-Mom!"

"I was so happy to learn that Izuku made friends so quickly at U.A.! And the way he always talked about you… I've wanted to meet you for the longest time."

"I, um, the pleasure's all mine, ma'am," she said, trying to stay calm and control her shaking arms.

"I remember watching you at the sports festival last year. You were so… fierce! And today… T-Today, I saw you flying to catch my Izuku." Inko's eyes narrowed and looked ready to spew out more tears. "I saw how you caught him, and how you helped him stand up. A-And you helped him raise his fist, and brought him here… A-A-And j-just now y-y-you just said you w-want to be th-there for him… It means so, so much to me..."

Inko began to rub her hands together. Her body language told Ochako that she was ready to hug her, but for some reason kept holding back. Maybe she was afraid of hurting her? Because of all the blood, cuts, and bruises on her body? Or was she afraid of coming off as too abrasive?

In Ochako's mind, the fact that this was the first time they ever spoke to each other meant nothing. There was a certain boy they both cared deeply for, and that was enough to make Ochako feel like they were on the same page. And so, feeling confident, she grabbed Inko's hands and held them tight, giving her a gentle smile.

"Deku's my best friend, Mrs. Midoriya. He's a great hero and an even greater person, and I know he'll always have my back. I'm just doing the same for him," she casually explained, though her eyes then moved to meet Izuku's grateful gaze. "He wants to protect everyone, and he's strong enough to do it. But he's still a person, and sometimes things can be too much even for him. So I wanna be the one that helps him help everyone else. If that makes any sense..."

"It does," Izuku said with a conflicted look that betrayed his radiant smile. "It really does. I just… So much has happened, and I'm still trying to make sense of everything. It's… surreal…"

His gaze lost itself in the air, staring at nothing until he suddenly shook his head and forced a bigger smile.

"What I'm trying to say is… Thank you, Uraraka. You probably don't even realize how much you've helped me in the time we've known each other. Starting on the day we met. You didn't even know who I was, and you still helped me."

"Says the guy that saved me from a giant robot that was worth zero points," she retorted. Izuku probably didn't realize it, but the fakeness of his previous smile became even more evident now that a genuine one took its place.

"You helped me first," he pointed out, engaging in playful banter. "And when I broke half my body, you saved me from falling. Just like you did today."

"But this time you didn't have to break your bones to beat someone. We're making progress," she said, and they both shared a giggle. A giggle that was interrupted by Izuku having a coughing fit that, judging by his pained expression, hurt his ribs. "So, uh, I should get my hand checked out. And I know you two need some time to talk and catch up, so… I guess I'll leave for now. But I'll come back to check tomorrow, alright? If they let me."

"I'll make them let you," he said with a smile. "Thanks, Uraraka."

"Thank you so much, sweetie. Please, go get taken care of," Inko said, gently bowing. "And please, call your parents to let them know you're okay. I'm sure they must be worried sick."

With everything going on, Ochako hadn't considered that idea. It was still the middle of the afternoon, so her parents must have been at work, but with all the cameras that were there at U.A., family and friends had most likely seen what was going on, and they must have let them know. Her parents were probably desperately calling her, but the siege started in the middle of their heroic class, so she didn't have her phone with her. It was still in her room, assuming it hadn't been destroyed during the attack.

She grimaced. She wasn't in a position to afford a new phone.

"I will. Thank you. And Deku…"

She took a second to breathe in and keep her emotions in check.

"Yeah?" He asked, slightly tilting his head.

Ochako stared at his tired face. He looked inexplicably older, but she could still see the cheerful, excited boy she knew. His round cheeks, his adorable freckles, his deep green eyes.

"I'm so happy to have you back with us," she finally said, and then turned around and walked out of the room before the desire to hug him one more time got the better of her. At some point, it would start to get weird and too obvious. He needed time to rest, to recover, and to deal with all these new changes he was being forced into. He didn't need the stress and distraction of her feelings for him added to his baggage.

Soon, though, she told herself. Soon, once the dust had settled and the time was right, she'd make a move. She'd stop running away from her feelings and would instead actively fight for them.

She closed the door behind her and found herself in a very crowded hallway. Death Arms was standing near the door to Izuku's room, talking with Mera and Chief Tsuragamae. Several armed guards were stationed at the corners of the hall and next to the windows. A couple of doctors walked past, looking scared by all the guns and security.

She was about to ask one of them if they were able to treat her, but Mera from the Hero Public Safety Commission spotted her.

"Ah, yes," he said, stopping one of the doctors with a hand gesture. "This girl is a student from U.A. Please take her with the rest of her class and make sure she receives the treatment she needs. Let Doctor Toriyama know where she is so he can communicate it to the U.A. staff."

"Yes, sir," the doctor said, turning to face Ochako. "Please, follow me."

"Thank you," she told Mera, who nodded politely. She was about to leave, but Death Arms cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, kid, but are you from Class 2-A?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"Do you know if Jiro is alright?"

She frowned in confusion. The hulking hero, with arms that were almost as big and wide as her entire body, showed some deep worry in his face, and the gentle, polite way that he asked seemed to contrast with his tough, imposing look. Like watching a great white shark at a tea party.

But then she remembered that Kyoka had interned with him, and his worry made a lot more sense. She tried to think back. When All for One and the League of Villains showed up at the front gates of the school, the teachers had sent all the students to the barracks where civilians and refugees lived. They were tasked to evacuate them as fast as possible while the pro heroes tried to keep the villains at bay. Soon enough, however, Dabi and many others had managed to sneak past, and that's when Iida stepped up and led them and class 2-B to join the fray. Ochako, Tsu, Denki, and Tetsutetsu went one way, and the rest split up into different groups. She vaguely remembered Kyoka running with Rikido and Setsuna. She hadn't seen her during the rest of the battle… but she could swear she was there with everyone else when they ran to celebrate Izuku's triumphal return. She hadn't properly examined her friend, so she wouldn't be able to say that Kyoka was fine, but she didn't seem to be in any critical condition.

"She made it out alive," she said. "I haven't talked with her, but she seemed to be holding up well… all things considered."

Death Arms let out a sigh and crossed his massive arms over his chest.

"I see. That's good to hear. She's a tough one."

"She is."

"Thanks. And great job, kid. You all acted like real heroes today. Go get better; we need more people like you," he said, before turning back to continue a conversation with his superiors.

"Come with me, miss," the doctor said, snapping Ochako out of a little trance. A pro hero had just congratulated her. She didn't hold Death Arms in any particularly high regard, but he'd just moved significantly up in her personal billboard. His words hit her hard.

Real heroes. They needed more people like her. As the doctor asked her questions to get a sense of her state and led her to a room, she felt like she was floating but not because of her quirk. She'd truly acted like a hero. She'd protected civilians. She'd single-handedly defeated Toga in combat, knocking her out and incapacitating her for pro heroes and the police to capture her. She caught Deku and helped him get on his feet to introduce himself to the eyes of the world.

She didn't need a hero license. She felt proud of herself, and that was all that mattered.

She was led to another wing of the hospital where the U.A. students were seemingly being treated. She saw a lot of students from the management and general studies department, and a few from the support department. What caught her attention the most was the number of pro heroes moving around, carrying wounded students, talking to nurses, or simply patrolling. She recognized Fourth Kind, Mr. Brave, Centipeder, and even the prestigious Wash, but the sheer number of costumed individuals walking around kept her eyes moving like crazy.

That is until a voice called her name.

"Uraraka! Come here!"

She would recognize that mechanical voice anywhere in the world. She turned to look at her favorite rescue hero, Thirteen, walking towards her with her battered costume. Her helmet had some cracks, and there were many cuts on her suit, but she seemed to be fine. It still pained Ochako to see the missing arm on her teacher, but the joy to see that she had made it out alive from the battle overrode any other emotion.

"Professor!" She said, running to her teacher.

"How are you doing? Are you alright?" The Space Hero asked, examining her student.

"Yeah! I'm fine, really. Only my hand got a nasty wound," she said, showing her bandaged palm.

"Can you move your fingers?" The hero asked, opening and closing her own as an example. Ochako tried it, and even though the medications didn't completely remove the pain, she was able to do it. "Alright, your tendons don't seem to be compromised. Still, try not to move it too much. Recovery Girl is treating your friends; she'll get to you soon. Come with me."

Thirteen told the doctor she'd handle Ochako from that point, and thus the student and teacher walked towards the other end of the wing.

"Uraraka, I would like to tell you in the name of U.A. that we are more than proud of the way you and your classmates responded to the crisis," Thirteen said.

"I… Thank you," she said, finding it hard to believe that her favorite hero was proud of her. "We just did what any of you would have done."

"You did. The school continues to fail in protecting you, but every one of these crises has shown us that the future will be bright with heroes like you. We'll try our best to— Uraraka!"

"S-Sorry!" She said, pressing her fingers together and releasing her quirk to stop floating up towards the ceiling. "I was, uh, I just…"

Thirteen laughed at her blushing face. "It's alright. I know it's a lot to take in. For now, let's go to your room and wait for Recovery Girl. Focus on getting better and resting. You've earned it."

Ochako sighed and tried to relax. They kept walking, passing by many rooms and students being sent to different parts of the hospital. Very few seemed to be unharmed. Almost everyone had some kind of minor injury. Cuts, burns, bruises, slashes, blood-covered clothes. A few doctors and heroes carried kids with oxygen masks and bandaged heads and torsos. Some students were crying or screaming in pain. At one point, Ochako saw Snipe running with a first-year student in his arms, and judging by all the blood and the way her pants flopped, she seemed to have lost at least a foot.

She felt sick to her stomach, and Thirteen put her hand on her shoulder.

"Attacking a school. Targeting children. I don't think I've ever seen a more outrageous act of villainy," the Space Hero said, seething.

"Are my friends okay?"

She wished her teacher would reply right away with an energetic yes, but a second and then two passed with no reply.

"They all made it out alive," she finally replied. "Some suffered some injuries, but nothing crippling or major. The hero courses performed exceptionally well in this crisis. The rest of the departments… they didn't have your experience in the field or your training to respond to a catastrophe like this."

Nothing else was said as Thirteen led Ochako to her room. Upon arriving, the latter was glad to see that there were other beds in there, and sitting on them with a couple of nurses checking them up were Tsuyu and Mina. They both showed bruises and a few cuts on their costumes but seemed to be fine otherwise.

"Ochako!" The pink girl said.

"Guys! I'm so glad to see you're okay!" She said, running closer to her classmates. She couldn't hug them because she didn't want to bother the nurses, but they all smiled at each other.

"How are you doing?" Tsu asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"And how's Midoriya doing?"

"He's alright," Ochako said, not realizing the smile on her face or the way her hands moved over her chest. "He's… being taken special care of. You know, the Public Hero… No, wait, the uh… The Safety Commission guys. They have pro heroes next to his room. Hawks and Best Jeanist were there, too."

Mina and Tsuyu exchanged a look, though Ochako could see that Mina had an impish smile.

"Well, he did kind of save the world, ribbit."

"All of you did a wonderful job, girls," Thirteen intervened. "You all acted like real heroes and fought dangerous villains. Don't sell yourself short."

"I'm not saying we didn't do our part," Tsuyu said. "We all know what we did and how much we helped. I'm just saying Midoriya came just in time to save us, and he defeated All for One. If there were any remaining villains out there, he would be their top target right now, so it makes sense for him to be protected."

"Though it's a shame he doesn't have his number one bodyguard," Mina theatrically said, striking a dramatic pose with the back of her right hand pressing against her forehead.

"Huh?"

"I'm talking about you, girl!" The horned teen pointed a finger at Ochako, her evil smile stronger than ever. "We all saw you jumping in the air to catch him! And the way you helped him stand up! Ah! So romantic! I was waiting for a kiss in front of the cameras!"

"MINAAAAA!"

This time, Ochako was mindful enough to keep her pinkies away from her face as she covered it with her hands. The last thing she wanted was to float away, adding to her already astronomical embarrassment. The fact that she could hear Thirteen giggling behind her only added to her shame.

"I was happy to see you and him together after so long, though," Tsuyu added, thanking the nurse that finished stitching a knife slash on her forearm. "I hadn't seen you smiling like that ever since he left."

Ochako peeked through her fingers. This wasn't the first time her friends brought up how sad she looked during the past few weeks. The girls had tried multiple times to cheer her up, but the general mood of the class had dropped since one of them didn't return for their second year.

"Well, yeah, it was also great to see Midoriya back. And oh boy did he put up a good show. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Maybe when All Might fought at the USJ."

"He does seem to have developed new quirks," Tsu mentioned, examining her forearm. "I saw him creating a smokescreen."

"Your boyfriend has a lot of quirks, Chako."

"STOP IT!"

"Fiiiiine," Mina said, and she softened her smile. "But seriously, do you know if he's coming back to U.A. now that All for One's gone? He will, right?"

"Well… He sure wants to…" She then turned to look at Thirteen.

"I haven't talked with Principal Nezu, but I would guess that U.A. will be more than happy to have a student back."

"We gotta have a welcome back party. A Super Returnapalooza. Lots of junk food and good music; it's gonna be awesome."

"While I'm glad to see that you're healthy and in a good enough mood to plan celebrations, I think for now you should all focus on resting and getting better," Thirteen suggested. "And I don't mean to intrude in your personal relationships, but if I may, I have a piece of advice regarding Izuku Midoriya."

Tsu and Mina sat straighter, the smiles leaving their faces, and Ochako turned to look at her teacher with concerned eyes.

"You probably know more about the details of everything that's been going on with your friend than me, but I do know that today will have consequences. The status quo will change drastically and urgently, and your friend will be in the spotlight. His battle was broadcasted to the entire nation, and whether he wants it or not, he'll be reaching levels of popularity and relevance that he's never dreamed of. Becoming a public figure isn't easy, it's something we pro heroes struggle with every day, and he'll have to face it at a rate and level that I don't think anyone else ever has. It's not gonna be easy. It's going to be one of his hardest struggles to date, and he's gonna need all of you to keep him grounded."

It was impossible to see her face through the dark glass of her helmet, but her voice was ominous and filled with worry, and her words felt like a cold hand grasping Ochako's heart. None of them knew about Deku becoming a pro hero, or the money he was getting, or the interview, or how they wanted to push him as a new symbol of hope. She did, however, and the joy she felt for her friend was starting to turn into worry and preoccupation.

"The best advice I can give you is to try to keep treating him the way you did during your first year of school. Remind him that you're still there for him and that above everything else, he's still your friend." She then made a pause, before turning her head at Ochako. "Or, well, whatever your relationship with him ends up becoming."

"AAAAAH!"

Tsu reached with her tongue to catch Ochako before she floated out of the room and left her hovering over her assigned bed like a big, adorably embarrassed, crimson balloon.

"We understand, ribbit."

"Yeah. We're all excited to see him again and we definitely have a lot to ask him, but we'll do our best to make sure he's okay. We don't want to make things harder for him."

"I'm sure he'll be grateful for it," Thirteen said, nodding at them. "Very well. I will check on Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, and Koda. I'll be back with you in a minute, hopefully with Recovery Girl. Once again, great job. I'm proud to be your teacher."

Mina and Tsuyu bowed their heads with big smiles on their faces, while Ochako struggled to sit up before dropping her quirk.

"Wait!" She asked when Thirteen turned around to leave.

"What is it?"

"Can I…? Could I maybe ask for a phone?" She said, her heartbeat returning to a healthy pace. "I… I would like to call my parents."

"Of course." The Space Hero reached down into one of her shoes and pulled a phone out of it like it was the most normal thing in the world, handing it to a dumbfounded Ochako. "Here you go. Don't read my texts, though."

"I-I won't," she said, grabbing the phone with two fingers.

Once Thirteen left the room, Mina and Tsu began to talk with each other, giving Ochako a small sense of privacy as she turned around and looked at the phone. It was fancier than any phone she'd ever held, and for a second she wasn't even sure how to navigate it. Fortunately, she was young enough to figure out the phone OS and open the keyboard to make a call.

She stopped for a second, realizing that she didn't remember her mom's phone number. What about her dad's? It ended on 3642, that part was easy because three was half of six and four was two times two, but how did it start? It wasn't until she said it out loud that she managed to get it right. Or at least it sounded right, and she hoped she hadn't dialed a wrong number as she waited for someone to pick up on the other side.

"Hello?" A voice said with urgency, and Ochako sighed in relief.

"Daddy, it's me."

"Ochako! Honey, it's Ochako!" He said, and she could hear the sound of her mother rushing next to her dad. "I'm on it, I'm on it. Ochako, you're on speakers. Honey, we—!"

"Your aunt called us at work!" Her mom interrupted, speaking over her husband. "We were so SCARED! We ran to the nearest bar to look at the news! When we saw those villains blowing up the building… Oh, God, we were so worried!"

Hearing the pain and worry in her mom's voice resurfaced all the fear that Ochako had stubbornly buried within her. When her life was on the line, there was no time to be scared, only to act. And between the adrenaline and her reunion with Izuku, she had been distracted enough to stop thinking about it.

Now that her mom brought up how worried she was, however, Ochako was able to sit back and think of how close she'd been to dying. All it would have taken was one bad move, one miscalculated step, and she wouldn't have made it out alive. The fact that she only had a relatively minor injury on her hand was nothing short of a miracle. And now that all those moments where she barely avoided dying flashed through her mind, she felt goosebumps running down her spine, and her whole body shaking.

"I know, I know, but I'm okay. I made it out okay. Don't worry," she said, struggling to contain the tears. "My friends are also okay. I'm sorry for worrying you, I didn't have my phone with me…"

"It's okay, sweetie. We were so worried, but then we saw you on TV!"

"Huh? You did?"

"Everyone saw you!" Her mom said. "The whole town is sending us messages! Our friends, even our clients! You're on every news channel!"

"Yes! Everyone's talking about your friend with green hair, but people from around here recognized the brave hero that saved him and helped him up! Ochako, we're so proud of you!"

"Dad… Mom… I… He deserves all the credit, he's incredible, I just… I didn't—"

"Don't say that! I mean, yeah, he was amazing, but people are asking us about you too! They want to know more about Uravity!"

"I'm going to record every news channel tonight! Your picture helping your friend when he lifts his arm like All Might is everywhere!"

"My baby girl is getting famous! We always knew you would make it to the headlines! Ochako, you trained so hard to get ready for the entrance exam. You moved to a different city on your own to chase after your dreams. And now… now it's coming true! Honey, you should be proud of yourself. We know we are."

Those words broke her down and she let the tears fall uninterrupted. Tsuyu walked towards her and hugged her, as her parents kept talking in her ear, telling her what a fine young hero she had become, and how much they believed in her.

Recovery Girl arrived shortly after, but any lingering pain she could still feel was long forgotten.

---

Izuku didn't check with the clock on the wall in front of his bed, but he assumed he and his mom spent a solid half-hour simply holding each other and crying as soon as Ochako left. For fifteen years, they had been each other's world. She had been his best friend during childhood, the only person he could truly, unconditionally count on. And he was the light of her life, a hero without a cape or quirk that made her days bearable. Never causing any trouble, always so predisposed to help, open to talk, facing adversity with a bright smile and a positive attitude. For so many years, and up until he entered U.A., there had never been a day in which they didn't see each other.

And then, a couple of weeks ago, he'd left. Not to go to campus, where she knew he'd be surrounded by friends and teachers, but off on his own to act as a vigilante. Sleeping in the streets. Fighting villains. Running away from the law and enemies that wanted him dead. Alone. Their goodbye had been terrible for both of them, for even though he had promised that he'd be back, they both knew it was but a hope and not a certainty.

Fulfilling that promise was cathartic. They shared a never-ending hug that healed any wound, that filled the mother/son-shaped hole in their respective hearts. All the pain, the sleepless nights, the spilled tears, it all vanished with their reunions. It made it all worth it.

Had it not been for the knocking on the door, they probably would have stayed in silence for much longer, but all in all, Izuku would be glad for the interruption. As good as it felt being able to shut his mind off and just enjoy his mom's warmth, they had much to talk about, and when Inko stood up to answer, he felt ready to have those much-delayed conversations.

Inko opened the door to the room and took a sharp breath when she saw the two short figures.

"Principal Nezu!" She said.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Midoriya," the furry principal said. "Sorry for bothering you, but Recovery Girl is ready to help heal your son. It shouldn't take long. May we?"

"Y-Yes! Of course! Please, come in!"

She stepped aside, and Izuku was greeted with the sight of the ever-smiling Nezu and the serene Youthful Heroine as they walked into the room towards his bed.

"Principal Nezu! Recovery Girl!" He said, sitting up but wincing at the pain in his bones.

"Don't you move, young boy. The last thing we want is you falling to pieces," the nurse said, approaching him and eyeing him up. "Huh. No broken bones?"

"Just some bruised ribs and a few strained muscles," he told her, resting back against the bed.

"Impressive. It only took you a year to start taking care of your body. Is this a one-time thing, or have you learned your lesson?"

"I… think I got around to understanding how One for All works," he said, raising a hand and turning it in front of his eyes, staring at the scars that coated it. "I know all the quirks in it, how to use them, and what its limits are. Back in my first year, I wasn't able to use 100% of my power without breaking my bones. Now I can. Today I fought even past that limit, and I was alright. I… I think I've finally made this quirk my own."

Recovery Girl smiled at him and let out a small sigh. "That's good to hear. I'm sure you'll use it the way All Might hoped you would. Now stay put. This'll take much less energy than I thought, but with how hard you fought, you're probably gonna need a good night's rest anyway."

And without giving him time to say anything or to thank her for those kind words about his mentor, her lips stretched to plant a kiss on his forehead. He could feel all the pain disappearing from his body right away, and also the sudden tiredness that he experienced every time his life force was used to heal him. He moved his arms around and was startled to see that he felt like new.

"Oh, wow," he said, bending his elbows, "it never felt this good so fast before."

"Another incentive not to break your bones," she retorted, walking back next to the principal, who took a step forward with his hands behind his back.

"Young Midoriya, may I have a few words before leaving you and your mother for the day?"

"S-Sure, sir! What is it?"

Nezu casually stood up on a chair next to Izuku's bed, reaching eye level with his former student.

"There are a couple of quick things I'd like to address. For starters, I thank you for your timely arrival today. It would be unfair to dismiss the impact that the ex-students, pro heroes, and parents that showed up had in the battle, but it's undeniable that you managed to turn the tide against some of the most dangerous villains. You were also key in stopping All for One from finishing off the students and ex-students that were taking care of young Eri, not to mention ultimately defeating him. So, as the Principal of U.A. High School, you have my eternal gratitude for saving my students and staff."

The pro hero proceeded to bow his head, his smile never leaving his face.

"I… Principal Nezu, it's okay, I wouldn't—"

"Secondly," he continued, ignoring Izuku, "I apologize to you for all the inconveniences that my administration of the school has caused you ever since you entered our hero course last year. Our efforts to keep you all safe have been subpar. I'm aware that no amount of apologies could ever make up for our failures. I can't promise that this won't happen again, since it was never our intention for any of it to occur in the first place, but I can give you my word that we'll do our best to learn from our mistakes and make it up to all of you."

Izuku tried to say that there was no reason to apologize, that it had all been part of the diabolic game of chess that All for One had orchestrated, but he realized that he would not be allowed to retort.

"Thirdly, I have been engaging in negotiations and talks with the Hero Public Safety Commission, and I've been informed of their decisions regarding your future, including the granting of your pro hero license. While not unheard of —you are but the sixth youngest hero to have ever been granted a full license—, it is most certainly an extraordinary situation, and, logically, you may feel overwhelmed or confused as to how to proceed. In the name of the staff of U.A., I assure you that we will all be at your disposal should you ever feel the need to seek out advice or any sort of assistance. Feel free to reach out to us."

"That's very kind of you, sir. Thank you."

"No worries. Fourthly, I've been told by Thirteen that some of your friends are concerned about your academic future. I hereby assure you that, should you wish to return to U.A., our institution will be more than happy to have you back."

Izuku's face lit up, and he opened his mouth to thank him, but Nezu resumed his speech.

"These are extraordinary circumstances of course, but we believe that our duty is, above everything, to guide and teach the new generation of heroes. We may look past some formalities to help train someone who is now officially a pro hero. However, given that you've missed several weeks' worth of classes, you will be required to take a proficiency exam to determine how far behind, if at all, you are from your classmates. And it would be your responsibility to catch up with the lessons already imparted. That is, again, should you wish to come back to our institution."

"Yes! Of course, I want that! There's nothing I'd like more!" He rushed to say, not wanting to give the principal a chance to interrupt him again.

"Very well. We shall figure out the details in the following days. U.A. will be taking a few days off to figure out a plan to rebuild our campus and how to continue our classes. We'll let you know along with the rest of our students. With that settled, the last thing I would like to bring up is that we believe it would be for the best for you and your friends to stay here for the night while we and the Hero Public Safety Commission work out a strategy to relocate your friends that have lost their rooms with the attack on the school dorms. In your particular case, we want to figure out a security protocol to make sure you're not targeted by any rogue villain."

"Uh, yeah, sure. I wouldn't mind spending the night here."

"Excellent. Well, I won't steal any more of your time. Again, thank you for your service, Midoriya. Or perhaps I should start calling you by your hero name. Thank you, Deku."

"No, Principal Nezu, thank you. For letting me come back to U.A. But also for training me. Everything I did today, I was able to do because I attended the best school ever."

Nezu's smile remained unchanged, but he closed his eyes for a second.

"We shall try to live up to that title. Let us know if you need anything. Goodbye for now. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Midoriya."

The principal and Recovery Girl left the room, and Izuku, now completely painless, sighed in relief.

He hadn't considered the possibility that he wouldn't be allowed back into U.A., but having confirmation that he was invited by the Principal still did wonders to his mood. There was nothing he wanted more than to go back to class with his friends, to have lunch with them, to stay up with Iida and Kirishima to study for tests, to play games with Kaminari and Asui, to go shopping with Mina and Aoyama.

U.A. was his special place in the world. It was there where he felt appreciated. Where he made friends. Where he met amazing people. The building may have been destroyed, but U.A. was the people, the students, the staff. He was confident that it could be rebuilt, and he was looking forward to going back.

He shifted his head to look at his mom, and only then did he realize that she was stiff as a statue, her expression blank like she had seen a ghost, mouth agape.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

Inko's head moved to face her son, her shocked expression not changing in the slightest.

"I-Izu… ku?"

"...yes?"

"What did… he mean… by… p-pro hero license?"

Izuku stared at her.

Inko stared at him.

He finally clicked his tongue, gently clapping his hands in front of his chest. "Riiiiight. Sooo… mom? Funny story…"

---

Whereas Izuku's time on a hospital bed had almost always been spent in pain and a crippling sense of uselessness that made time move as if Chronostasis had stabbed it with the hour hand of his hair, the rest of the day was oddly comforting for Izuku.

It took about an hour and a doctor to get Inko to calm down from the emotional impact of learning that her son was about to become a licensed hero. They had to take her pressure just to make sure she wasn't about to faint —which Izuku was sure she was about to—, but after that, it had all been amazing. He was able to finally catch up with his mom, telling her about his past few weeks, though he kept the gruesome details for himself. Whatever worries and fears his tales caused her, however, paled in comparison to the joy of everything he'd been told earlier about what the future held in store for him.

She cried a river, and he may or may not have shed a few tears as well, but soon enough they focused on the positive things. The big meal she was going to cook him as soon as he got out of the hospital. All the clothes they could go shopping for. The All Might flip flops she'd bought at the mall during his absence. And his future, as well. The word "proud" didn't make justice to what she felt inside, and she made sure he knew it. And he did.

A nurse checked on him at night when they brought him dinner, and his body seemed to be responding well to Recovery Girl's quirk. No bruises were left, and only minor scrapes remained on his body. After eating, he told Inko that he was starting to feel exhausted, and so he closed his eyes and tried to go to bed early.

The softness of a mattress and a pillow felt alien after so many nights of sleeping against the driest brick wall he could find. Regardless, it had been one hell of a physically draining day and an emotional rollercoaster, and thus he had soon found himself falling under Morpheus' spell.

He realized he was asleep when the hospital room around him turned into a different room. A familiar one, with white, broken walls, a void of darkness around it, and the eight previous users of One for All staring at him, each one from their cathedra. Izuku took a step forward, already used to these unexpected meetings with his predecessors.

"So," All Might said, from the chair closest to his right, "what is it that you want us to discuss, young Midoriya?"

"Me?" Izuku asked, furrowing his brow and looking at the vestige of his mentor. "I… I thought you wanted to talk to me."

"We did not call for this meeting," Yoichi said. "We were summoned by you."

"But… I wasn't trying to get in touch with you. Not tonight."

"Well, we're all here, so you might as well speak what's on your mind," Daigoro said, throwing his hands behind his head.

"Even if you didn't actively call for us, there is a part of you that wanted to talk. Is there anything on your mind?" Asked Hikage, the fourth user.

Izuku had to stop to think for a second. The truth is that there was a lot on his mind. The fact that he'd finally defeated All for One. His reunion with his friends and family. Everything that was on the horizon for him, becoming a pro hero and having to think of maybe starting his agency. He wouldn't even know where to begin, but were they things he wanted to discuss with the previous users of One for All? Maybe, but it felt like something other heroes in the real world could help him with. He had tremendous respect for his predecessors, he wouldn't bother them for something so trivial.

"We are a part of you now, Izuku," Nana Shimura told him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Don't be afraid to ask for advice on anything; you'll never be a bother."

Izuku blushed and covered his mouth. "S-Sorry. Was I muttering?"

Nana gave him a smirk. "No."

"Then how…? Wait a minute… You can all read my mind," he pointed out, remembering that crucial detail.

"It's less reading your mind, and more like feeling your emotions and getting a sense of what you're going through," Yoichi explained.

"Then you already know why I wanted to talk to you, even if I don't. And if I'm not fully conscious of it, and you're also aware of that, but you felt it and then this happened, doesn't that mean that you summoned me and not the other way around?" He asked with a confused look on his face.

All eight vestiges remained in silence for a solid minute, exchanging nervous looks, until All Might erupted in laughter.

"I told you he would figure it out! Oh, Daigoro, he knows you're tough, it's ok to show that you care."

"Watch your words, Toshinori, I might punch you back to your skeleton form!" The fourth user said, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at All Might, who laughed harder.

"Alright, alright, let's get the testosterone levels down," Nana asked, turning to look at Izuku. "Yes, you're right. We wanted to talk to you. We don't want to meddle in your personal life or anything, so we prefer it if you're the one looking for us. But we could sense some worries in you, and we felt it was for the better if we addressed them. Can you figure out what we'd feel compelled to address with you?"

That was an interesting angle. If the vestiges didn't want to meddle with his personal life, then it had to be something related to One for All. And now that he was forced to think about it, there was indeed one big question that lingered inside his heart, and that he would feel much better knowing the answer to.

He sighed and scratched the back of his head with his right hand, messing up his green hair.

"I… guess I've been thinking of something in the last couple of hours."

It took him a few seconds to find the best way to verbalize his feelings, and he was grateful that the previous users gave him all the time he needed.

"Are… are you gonna stay with me?" He finally asked, looking at them. Their faces seemed imperturbable, with some of them barely tilting their heads as they stared at him with curious eyes. Their silence pushed him to continue. "I de— I mean, we defeated All for One. We did it; we won. Wasn't that the point of One for All? All of you gave your lives for this. You trained me, a-and you did it well! You helped me learn your quirks, you lend me your strength, and now it's over. So… what's next? For you… for us."

He almost continued but bit his tongue instead. He decided he had gotten the point across. Besides, if they could feel his emotions the way they said they could, then it would be redundant to talk about how much he'd grown fond of them, how much he appreciated them, how he had gotten used to hearing their voices and their pieces of wisdom during his weeks going rogue. How much he would miss them should they fade away from his life.

How looking and speaking to the vestige of All Might was the only thing to keep him from losing his mind and cope with the fact that he hadn't been strong enough to save him.

"This is indeed a turning point," the second user agreed, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin over his balled-up fists. "The main goal behind all of our efforts was to get this power to grow strong enough to defeat All for One. To end his reign of terror and the spread of his influence. And you've done it."

"But we're not gonna leave you," Yoichi assured Izuku, looking at his immediate successor. "While it's true that we gave our lives trying to stop All for One, this torch we passed was never supposed to be one of hatred and revenge, but one of hope and caring. It all started with a helping hand, after all."

"Toshinori made me realize how we were all looking at it from the wrong angle," Nana said, looking at her disciple with a smile on her face. "I had it as my mission to simply grow stronger to be able to kill All for One. I didn't do much hero work because my priorities were skewed. But then I met him, a boy that wished to become a hero to spread joy and be a pillar of hope. And it was then when I understood that it takes something more important than just power to defeat evil: kindness. Even without fighting him for most of his career, Toshinori was able to defeat All for One by dismantling his influence, bringing hope back to the people."

"That is right, young Midoriya. I know for a fact that you aim for the same goals. Your heart is in the right place. You want to help others, and make people remember why they admired heroes in the first place. As long as you stay on such a noble path, we will always stand beside you, doing our best to guide you if you were to ask for our help."

The rest of the users agreed, nodding in his direction, and Izuku felt much better.

"Besides, you haven't mastered all of our quirks just yet!" Daigoro said, raising a fist in the air. "You still have a lot to learn! And this is the first time one of us could awaken the rest of the quirks, so we're excited to find new ways of combining them!"

"He means he is excited to find new ways of combining them," the third user quipped. "He won't shut up about how to use our quirks to improve his Blackwhip."

"Hell yeah! It's great by itself, but imagine the possibilities if you keep training to use them at the same time!"

"You mean like combos? Have you thought about some?" Izuku asked, his hyper fixation with quirk analysis resurfacing with a smile on his face as he sprinted closer to Daigoro's cathedra.

"The kid should be resting, not having another training lesson while he's sleeping," En said, crossing his legs over his seat while the rest of the users simply sighed.

"He's right, Daigoro, we've invaded his mind for many moons now. I think he's earned a night of peaceful dreaming," Yoichi suggested.

"Fiiiiine. But kid, you better come up with cool special moves for my Blackwhip."

Izuku couldn't help but laugh. "I will, I promise. Thank you. All of you. I really appreciate it."

He thought they'd at least say goodbye to him but was surprised to sense a wind rising from out of nowhere, and a white glow soon enveloping the entire room they were in.

Before he knew it, he was dreaming. And for the first time in weeks, his dreams didn't turn into nightmares.

---

The next morning, Best Jeanist came to check on Izuku and Inko. He brought him a change of new clothes, including red sneakers, denim pants, a candlelight orange shirt that said "SUMMERTIME" in big, white letters, and a white and green varsity jacket with Jeanist's agency logo on the chest.

"I swear it's not a cheap product placement," the pro hero explained as Izuku changed into the new outfit, looking at some papers on an old-fashioned clipboard, "but I offered to cover for temporary outfits for the affected U.A. students that lost their dorms in the attack. And I ran out of generic clothes."

"How bad were the damages to the dorms? Did my friends lose everything?"

"The damage was absolute. Some things were recovered, but for the most part, everyone is to assume that all their belongings are destroyed. The insurance company's gonna try to delay it, but given the magnitude and high profile of this case, the government will surely intervene to make sure everyone's compensated."

Izuku experienced a weird case of survivor's guilt. Since he hadn't returned to his third semester at U.A., he had all his belongings in his apartment. His friends, however, had pretty much lost everything. He felt bad for people like Kyoka and all her musical instruments, or Fumikage and his esoteric relics. He then thought of Ochako, and how she didn't have much, but she cared for every little thing in there. Knowing her, she would probably feel terrible. He wondered if there was anything he could—

He stopped everything from his train of thought to his muscles, almost tripping forward as he was in the middle of tying his shoes. Oh, God. Oh, dear God. What about Yuwai-chan, Koda's little rabbit?!

"A word of warning: today is going to be harsh for you," Jeanist said, putting the clipboard aside and giving Izuku a worried look from over his collar. "Agent Mera will return soon to talk about some new developments. And then, you'll be able to go back to your house. And that means facing the media."

Izuku sighed, sitting on his bed and glancing at his mom. "I know."

"The president of the Hero Public Safety Commission already explained that you'll be giving your interview during the week, but that's not gonna stop the reporters. With the announcement that your hero license has been legally granted already, the media won't be able to follow you to your home; heroes residences are protected from media exposure by the law, so at the very least you won't be bothered there. Alas, this means they'll swarm over you the moment you step out of the hospital."

"It would be rude to just brush them off."

"You could get away with it, but I agree that it won't look good as a first impression."

"So what do I do, then? Do I stop to take questions? How many questions should I take? Do I answer all of them? What should I keep for the interview? What if I stutter? Is my hair okay? Should I get a haircut? I need to practice my smile..."

"Midoriya, stop before you start spiraling."

Izuku sighed, and Inko extended a hand to place it on her son's knee. "Honey, maybe you just need to… be yourself?"

"Myself? But… myself is— I mean, I'm boring. I'm not a very interesting person."

"Nonsense!"

"I believe you should listen to your mother, Midoriya. While we heroes must pay close attention to the way we present ourselves, knowing that we're supposed to be role models for citizens, children, and future heroes, we must stay true to ourselves."

Izuku thought about his training with Mt Lady. Giving interviews didn't count between his many strengths. It counted among his great weaknesses, right next to singing and his inability to lick his elbow like Asui had challenged him that one time. Even if he tried to prepare himself for what was about to come, he knew that he would draw a blank the moment he was in the spotlight with microphones, cameras, and journalists surrounding him. There was no way he would be able to avoid making a fool out of himself.

It was important to do it. He understood that. Besides raw power, the greatest difference between All Might and every other hero had always been his public image. His smile, his authenticity, his impeccable behavior with fans and the press. If he wanted to follow his steps, he would need to face the adversity and do what had to be done, even if he was afraid.

"Okay. Okay, that's true. I'll just… be myself."

"Here's a pro tip: when dealing with a bunch of journalists asking many questions at the same time, ignore what they ask and just give general statements, or answer the questions you want. You don't have to worry about what they want to know right now. Go out there, stop when they don't let you walk anymore, say how you're feeling and what you're looking forward to, thank them for their patience, give the audience at home some caring words, and then move on."

"Would that really work?"

"You'd be surprised by how many heroes never listen to what they're being asked," Jeanist mentioned, shaking his head and picking up the clipboard once again. "But enough worrying about that. You're gonna have a busy day, but we thought we would start by letting you receive visits if that's okay with you. A lot of people are worried, and we thought it would do you good to see them before attending to other responsibilities."

"You mean my friends?" The green-haired boy asked, his face lighting up with excitement.

"Yes."

"Oh, absolutely! I'd love to see them! I've missed them so much!"

He did, and his joy was genuine, but he made sure to stop his hands from shaking and to conceal his worry and the insecurity that consumed him from the inside like a wildfire. Instead, he focused on the positive feelings he wanted to showcase at his mother and the pro hero.

"Very well, they're waiting on this floor, so I'll give the order and they'll come in. Mrs. Midoriya, while your son meets his friends, would you come with me to work on some documentation?"

"O-Oh, yes! Of course!" Inko said, turning to hide and fan her blushing face. Izuku groaned; within a day, she had forgotten his anger at the pro hero to remember that she had been collecting his magazines for eight years.

The two adults left the room, and as soon as he was alone, Izuku allowed himself to blow out the air he had been holding in his lungs and began to rub his fingers together.

This reunion was something he had thought about from the first day he left, and even though his weeks had been busy and he found himself escaping from death much more often than he intended, he still daydreamed about this moment every day. It was his goal to return to them, the reward at the end of the line, the thing he was fighting for, but he knew that it wouldn't be all good. He held fears inside, and his reunion with Ochako had only proved that at least some of them were warranted.

He wanted this to happen, and he hoped it would all be for the best.

There was a gentle knock on his door. Gentle by Death Arms standards, at least, which meant it was about 3.9 on the Richter scale. Izuku rubbed his hands together one more time until they were warm, and stood up with a little jump.

"C-Come on in, please!" He said, taking a big breath.

Death Arms opened the door, and right away, the ever so correct Tenya Iida stepped into the room.

"Very well, friends, let's all get inside one at a time, and remember to stay collected so as to not disturb Midoriya's recovery and mental state! We talked about our internal protocols regarding this situation, so stay calm and do not engage in any sudden—!"

"MIDORIYAAAA!"

Tenya was pushed into the wall by the rest of the class, who for the most part stampeded into the room to get closer to Izuku. Seeing their smiling faces, all of them with casual clothes that in some cases showed Best Jeanist's agency logo, his initial fears were tamed. Their demeanor said everything he needed to know at first: they were happy to see him.

So he allowed himself a few minutes to rejoice in their reunion and their affection. They all talked over each other, and he couldn't make out what they were saying, but he didn't mind. What would have long ago made him go red in the face and probably pass out no longer seemed to affect him, so he even reciprocated the hugs that Tsuyu, Mina, and Toru gave him. He also accepted the bro-hugs from Rikido and Denki. He laughed at Tenya moving his arms like an aircraft signalman, openly distressed about the lack of respect for his personal space. He also caught a glimpse of Ochako, standing slightly to the side to give their friends space, and he smiled at her. She had her hands behind her back, but the moment he flashed her a smile she returned the gesture and waved her right hand.

Izuku was also aware of Katsuki leaning against the wall farthest away from him. Their eyes met and he scowled, but after looking away for an instant, he reluctantly nodded. Izuku smiled, but that seemed to piss his childhood friend.

It was only then that Izuku realized there was someone else standing in a corner of the room. Wearing some colorful clothes that he didn't seem to be particularly happy about, Shinso stood there, looking like he wasn't sure he belonged. Izuku was about to call him, but an arm gently shoved him back and away from his friends.

"Alright, alright, alright, that is enough!" Tenya said, standing in between Izuku and the rest of the class. "As your class representative, I am disappointed with the way you broke the protocols we established to not overwhelm our friend! We all saw the way he battled yesterday so we know he must still feel exhausted after injuring himself to that level! It is our duty as heroes, fellow classmates, and most importantly friends to look after him and make sure he is fine!"

"Um, Iida?" Izuku tentatively asked.

"Why yes, Midoriya, what is it?" The tall boy asked, turning around stiff as a robot.

"I didn't really hurt myself that much yesterday. I didn't break any bones this time, which feels weird. So, uh, I guess what I'm saying is that… I don't mind it?" He offered, shrugging a bit

"Oh! That is outstanding news, Midoriya! I'm glad to hear you didn't injure yourself. With that being the case, then allow me to extend my sincerest gratitude for your opportune arrival at the battlefield yesterday. You were able to turn the tide, giving us a morale boost to rise to the occasion and go Plus Ultra. On the same note, I am most pleased to finally see you back. I must confess we were quite worried!" He said, extending a hand to shake.

Some of his friends chuckled at Iida's overly formal speech, but Izuku felt relieved and glad to hear him. Same old Iida. One of his best and oldest friends, as well. He shook his hand with gusto.

"I'm glad to be back, Iida. I missed you. I missed all of you, guys."

"The feeling was mutual, Midoriya," Fumikage mentioned, nodding with his head.

"Man, we were so worried when you left," Hanta said.

"We felt terrible for not realizing sooner the truth about your quirk. The signals were there; we just brushed them off as something trivial. I personally feel terrible," confessed Momo, her hands pressed against her cardigan. "As your friend and class vice representative, I should have known better. I promise I won't fail you again."

"No, no, guys, stop," Izuku said, waving his hands frantically. "It's me who should be apologizing! Not you!"

"Midoriya, you have nothing to apologize for," Mashirao assured him.

"Yeah, we get why you needed to keep that stuff a secret. All for One was after you, dude! We get it," Denki said. "I just wished we could've been more helpful."

"I don't know how much we could've done," Shoto said, rubbing his left hand with his eyes lost on the floor. "According to the news, the kind of fugitives Midoriya was going after were several tiers above our capabilities."

"Speak for yourself, Icy-Hot!"

"Yeah, we heard the news last night, they're saying you went after that Muscular dude! And many other fugitives, locking them up on your own! That's so manly!"

Izuku turned to look at Eijiro to shrug off the compliment, but the moment he managed to get a look at his friend's face, the color drained from his own.

"Kirishima! Oh, no, what happened? Are you okay?" Izuku asked, his hand hesitating in the air like he wanted to reach out to Red Riot.

"Oh, this?" The Sturdy Hero said with a smile, pointing a thumb at the patch that was big enough to cover his left eye, but not tall enough to completely hide the red line that ran vertically from his forehead to his cheekbone. "Yeah, I kinda lost an eye yesterday."

It was like a gut punch. The mood of the entire room fell, and Izuku himself felt his knees go weak. Acid bile gathered at the base of his stomach, and the world seemed to stop moving for an instant.

"An eye?" He managed to mutter.

"Yeah. I had to switch between regular hardened and Unbreakable a lot, and at some point, I wasn't fast enough. Not gonna lie, it hurt like hell at the time, but now I'm doing okay."

"And you…? Did Recovery Girl…?"

Kirishima put his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Nah, it's gone. But don't worry, dude! None of the first-years under my watch were hurt, and I take that as an absolute win!"

Izuku turned to look at the rest of his friends.

"Did any of you also get hurt?"

"Well, we were all hurt."

"But, like… You know… Seriously injured?"

Tenya was the first one to speak. "If you are truly curious, then I shall mention that the heat of my Plus Ultra Recipro Turbo did a number on the muscles around the engine," he mentioned, looking over at his calves. "It doesn't seem to be permanent damage yet, but the doctors warned me that a repeat of that could permanently atrophy the muscle."

"Yesterday was the first time I ever broke my tail," Mashirao pointed out, and Izuku could now see a bump on his tail that wasn't there before.

"I have a pretty nasty burn mark on my back," Mineta mentioned.

"And I have this ugly scar on my shoulder," they heard Toru say, and they assumed she was using an invisible hand to point at her invisible shoulder.

Izuku looked at the rest of his friends, waiting to hear if anyone else got a lingering wound, but no one seemed to have anything beyond superficial cuts, bruises, or bumps. They all stayed in silence as he examined them, maybe trying to determine on his own if they were hurt. He looked at Ochako, and she was biting her lower lip, but she seemed to be physically well.

While that was good, it didn't ultimately help his mood. His friends had been hurt. Kirishima lost an eye. Their belongings were destroyed during the attack. It was all unnecessary pain, and in his mind, he could have done better. He should have done better.

"Guys, I… you all got so hurt," he said, clenching his fists and shaking with impotence. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, don't worry," Jiro said, getting a good read of Izuku's emotions. "We all made it out alive. That's all that matters."

"No, it's… it's more than that."

He saw the worry in his friends' eyes, and unbeknownst to them, that was precisely the last thing he wanted to see. In a move that surprised them all, he took a step back before dropping to his knees and then bending forward into a full dogeza, his forehead pressed against the floor. He heard a gasp and his name being called with awkwardness and confusion. However, he stood there, took a deep breath, and proceeded to apologize from the bottom of his heart.

"I owe all of you an apology. You guys… you've been nothing but kind to me ever since I got into U.A. You've made me feel… well… like I fit in. Like I was a peer and not just dead weight, or an annoyance."

"Hein?" He heard Aoyama say.

"Midoriya, hang on, you don't—" Mezo started, stepping forward, but Izuku had a lot to say.

"Please, let me say this! I need to say it!"

We couldn't see them, but he took their silence as an invitation to continue. The cold floor of the hospital wasn't pleasant against his forehead, but keeping those feelings inside of his chest felt much worse.

"You guys have always been so supportive and honest with me, and… I can't help to feel that… I've been lying to you guys since the beginning. I lied about my quirk. I made you think I had super-strength that I couldn't control, but… as you probably know by now… That's not true."

He had to take a new breath, and he clenched his fists and his toes, his whole body tensing like he was about to receive a hit.

"I was born quirkless. There was nothing special about me, but I just so wanted to become a hero. And then, a few months before the entrance exam to U.A., I met All Might. And the day of the exam, he gave me his quirk, One for All. You were all training hard to master your quirks and become great heroes, while I was simply given all this power. It… it doesn't seem fair. I know I had to keep it a secret because of All for One, but I had to lie to all of you. I'm so sorry. I really am. And then in April, I had to leave, and I know I worried you all. I just left a quick letter instead of talking. The truth is that I was afraid of talking with you. I didn't know how… how you guys would take this. I'd understand if you're mad at me. You have every right to be, I just… Before you, I never had many friends and… And to be honest, I'm afraid of losing you…"

He wanted to repeat once again that he was sorry, but the words got stuck in his throat. Instead, he just remained there, hoping that they would accept his apology and forgive him for being so dishonest and deceiving. It especially hurt when it came to his best friends. Ochako had been so open about her family's struggles, Iida had always been so supportive and attentive after the incident with Stain, Tsuyu had helped him train with Blackwhip… And Shoto…

He heard some footsteps, and someone crouching next to him. And then, they grabbed his hands, their thumbs running circles on the back of his hands, and he decided to look up. His eyes found Ochako's bright smile, her lips curved up, and her eyes looking at him with understanding and compassion.

"Deku, we forgive you," she said, seemingly speaking for the entire class. She then began to stand up without letting go of his hands, and Izuku was forced to follow her example and stand facing his friends. "But you have it all backward. You didn't become a hero because you got an amazing quirk from All Might, All Might gave you his quirk because you were always a hero at heart."

"Uraraka is right," Iida intervened, stepping closer to Izuku. Ochako seemed to realize then that she was still holding his hands and promptly released him. "You must remember: the reason why you passed the entrance exam wasn't because of your power. You passed because, unlike the rest of us, you showed the heart of a true hero."

"C'est comme ça," Aoyama agreed. "We all ran from the danger, worried about our points and passing the test, but you didn't hesitate to jump and save a stranger from getting hurt."

"Besides, it's not like you make it out to be," Kirishima pointed out. "You talk like you were given the greatest quirk ever without doing anything to earn it, but we all saw you, man! You train twice as hard as everyone else! When you started, you couldn't land a hit without breaking your bones, but you never stopped training and getting stronger to get better at managing your quirk. If you ask me, that makes it even more impressive!"

"You say that, because you were born quirkless, it means you didn't earn your quirk, but I'm sure you were given it because you proved yourself worthy of it," Koda pointed out with a cheerful tone.

"Precisely," Tokoyami followed up. "If anything, the rest of us were the ones that were given an unfair advantage. We were born with our abilities; we didn't ask or earn them. Your fears, while I can understand them, aren't correct."

"Midoriya, we're not gonna stop being your friends!" Mina pointed out, sounding worried that he would even entertain that idea in his head. "You say we've been kind to you, but you've honestly been nothing but the most supportive friend ever! You're always ready to help and make us feel important and cool. Don't sell yourself short. You also did a lot for us."

"If it wasn't for you, I probably would have never accepted the other half of my quirk," Shoto said, his hands resting in his pockets. "Even though I had challenged you and you could have beaten me, you gave away your victory just to help me. That meant a lot. I won't forget it."

All of his friends' words were wonderful, and they made him feel much better. But he was finding it hard to look at Shoto and not feel like he'd failed him.

"Todoroki… I… I can't apologize enough," he said, lowering his head. "I thought I could defeat All for One, but… But I couldn't. And because I—"

"Midoriya," he cut him short, and Izuku looked up to meet his heterochromatic gaze. "I don't hold you responsible for the actions of my father. He died trying to stop All for One. It wasn't your fault. I don't want you feeling guilty for that, especially… since I think we both lost a father figure that day."

Not even his Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall would have felt as cold as Izuku's blood right then. His friends also seemed to accuse the hit, their hearts aching at the memory of their former teacher and pro hero, but there Shoto was right: All Might had been much more than a teacher for Izuku.

He could tell that Shoto genuinely didn't blame him for Endeavor's demise, but it was hard for Izuku to not feel responsible for both his and All Might's untimely deaths.

He would have been dragged into a spiral of misery if it wasn't for someone clearing their throat and stepping closer to him. Izuku looked at Shinso, realizing that he hadn't addressed him yet and feeling embarrassed by that omission.

"Shinso…"

"Midoriya, I know we're not exactly close… but if I may…"

"Y-Yeah, sure."

"I joined class 2-A of the Hero Department this year," he mentioned, looking at the rest of his classmates. "I know I'm running behind and that I don't have the memories and experiences together that the rest of you had. But I've been able to see exactly how much you all care for each other, almost like a family. And I've seen how much everyone cares about you. They all hold you in the highest regard. So if you were worried about your situation making it so that they wouldn't like you anymore… Well, I'm starting to think that maybe you don't know them as well as you should."

Izuku blinked at that. "Shinso…"

"Not even once did they mention any sense of frustration or anger aimed at you. There has been nothing but honest worry and kind wishes being sent your way. I may not know them that well, but I can tell you for sure that they're just happy that you're safe."

"You guys… I'm… I don't know what to say," he muttered, trying to find the words to thank them all.

There was a groan in the back, and everyone turned to look at Katsuki.

"Stop apologizing for everything, Deku!" He spat out, nonchalantly crossing his arms over his chest. "You were a target so you kept information for yourself to protect these losers and then went away on your own. We get it, we know how hero stuff works, that's what we're all training for, you idiot!"

"Kacchan!"

"All these extras missed you, you missed them, end of the story. Stop second-guessing yourself and how you got your power. All Might chose you, so that should tell you something unless you don't trust his judgment!"

"What? No, of course I—"

"What you should be focused on is getting even stronger," Bakugo said, walking until he was standing in front of Izuku, "because I'm not gonna stop getting better, and if you relax for just one second, I'll be there to beat you up and remind you why we're doing this!"

He made a point of poking him in the chest with a finger, looking as mad with the world as ever. And yet, Izuku could tell that this was as close to a pep talk as he might ever get from Katsuki. He sighed and smiled while Tenya said that it was scandalous that Bakugou would "threaten" their friend with violence while they were all in a hospital, to which Katsuki replied with insults too nasty for Izuku's taste. He still managed to laugh out, having missed the friendly banter of his classmates.

"YOU BETTER NOT BE LAUGHING AT ME, DEKU! JUST BECAUSE YOU BEAT ME AT GETTING YOUR HERO LICENSE DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE ABOVE ME, YA HEAR ME?!"

"EEEK! S-So you guys know about that?" He asked, covering his face with his arms.

"It's all over the news!" Toru said, and to prove her point, Rikido grabbed the remote and turned on the TV —that Izuku had ignored all day— and put on a random channel.

Lo and behold, the anchorman's voice spoke over footage of Izuku's fight against Todoroki at last year's sports festival, where he could see himself shooting Delaware Smashes and breaking one finger at a time. The graph at the bottom asked the question: "WHAT IS DEKU'S QUIRK(S)?"

"They're talking about you non-stop," Mina said. "They're trying to figure out your origin story."

"I heard a show last night that said you were All for One's bastard child," Mineta said with a playful tone. "They think that's why you have so many quirks, but you rejected the path of villainy and you were instead raised by All Might, and that yesterday you finally killed your father to make amends for his mistakes. Isn't that crazy?!"

"Oh, God, people are not buying that, are they?" Izuku asked, shaking his face paling.

"Nah, most people just assume there's a secret connection between All Might, All for One, and you. But no one knows what."

Sato changed the channel, and by sheer coincidence, the question on the graph there was "THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEKU AND ALL MIGHT". Five journalists and commentators sat on a long, studio table, while a screen behind them showed pictures of last year with All Might and Deku at I-Island. A big, red circle was drawn to showcase them, even though they were the only two people in the picture.

"My sources confirm that Deku was indeed allowed into the I-Expo as All Might's guest," one of them said, fixing her glasses. "There is no question that they were more than teacher and student. All Might was, at the very least, Deku's mentor far beyond the U.A. scope."

"Does this mean that Deku might be the first and only disciple of the great All Might?"

"All evidence points that way."

"T-They're talking about m-me!"

"Midoriya, I believe you should try to get used to it. The sooner the better, ribbit."

"Yeah, they said you're gonna be giving a full interview some time this week," Sero pointed out. "So you should try to get ready to tell your story."

"Speaking of telling your story," Ochako mentioned, smiling at Deku, "why don't you start practicing with us? I wanna know everything!"

"Yeah, Uraraka's right! You have to tell us what you were up to these past few weeks!" Kirishima said.

"I'd also like to know about your new quirks," added Tsuyu, pressing a finger against her chin.

He could feel everyone's excitement, and focusing on them helped him calm down from his embarrassment of seeing strangers talking about his relationship with All Might. He stared at them for a few seconds. He tried to think of what he would do if one of them had disappeared and come back. He would be curious to know what they had been up to, and he would want to hear all of it. He knew he owed them an explanation, he just didn't think it would happen so early.

Looking at their expecting faces, though, he couldn't say no. So he sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "You might wanna get comfortable… I don't wanna keep any more secrets from you, so there's a lot I need to tell you."

Ochako, Denki and Koda sat on the bed with him, some sat on the floor, some took the three chairs they had in the room, some leaned against the walls. Once they were all settled in, Izuku looked at the ceiling and bit his lower lip, thinking for a full minute before making up his mind.

"I guess I should explain more about how I met All Might and got his quirk," he said.

He had never shared the details of his past with any of his friends, and to be honest, he didn't feel comfortable talking about it. It felt like a lifetime ago, and it was a chapter of his life that he had turned the page from, and one he didn't want to look back into. His quirklessness had been crucial in him getting One for All and surviving it, however, so he had to start from there.

Lost in thought, he was brought back to the world by a hand rubbing his back in small, gentle circles. He turned to look at Ochako, who looked like she was worried but trying her best to reassure him.

"It's ok, Deku. You're with friends, you have nothing to worry about."

He sighed one last time and nodded. She was right. He was overthinking this. He gave her a small smile and then turned to look at the rest of his friends, secretly glad that she kept her hand on his back.

"Here's the sad truth: all men are not created equal. When I was four, I learned that some kids have more power than others…"

---

I won't bore you with a retelling lol So have fun imagining the reactions of the class at all the revelations and the things behind the scenes that they never knew.

He won't tell them the whole manga lol Just the things directly related to One for All, how he learned to use it, the new quirks, his training with All Might. And then what he did during the almost two months he spent as a vigilante after leaving U.A. There are a couple of things about his early life that he'll keep to himself, but I will touch on those next chapter. I feel like you can probably guess the things he won't want to share out loud with his classmates.

Thanks for reading. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I'll try to reduce the waiting between this and the next update. See ya!