Chapter 2: Matters of Trust

"So how does it feel to be a hero?" Yawarakai ruffled Midoriya's hair. It had been a few days since the incident itself, but Midoriya laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"It," He hesitated, "I really wasn't. I didn't know what I was doing, I just-"

Hitoshi was having none of that, his expression less than pleased as he cut off his friend, "You rushed in, attacked the slime villain, which even the professional heroes weren't risking, and almost got Bakugo out of its grasp yourself." Hitoshi knew the last bit was likely an exaggeration, by no means was he going to let Midoriya downplay it, "That was heroic."

Midoriya ducked his head while Inko just smiled proudly. "Thank you for this." She murmured, "We haven't been able to eat out much."

Yawarakai just smiled and nodded, "No trouble. Besides, Midoriya deserves to be recognized for what he did."

Hitoshi nodded, patting his friend on the back as he blushed, "You'll be a hero in no time." There was a strangled squeak from Midoriya at that, but then the food arrived. The waiter placed an especially large order of Katsudon in front of Midoriya. The boy waited until all the plates were down before digging in. It was an impressive set of manners, which Hitoshi thankfully shared. Or perhaps it might have been because Hitoshi's platter had been placed down last. Regardless the table's conversation was muted as they ate.

But something was nagging at Hitoshi, and Midoriya. Both parents were aware of it before even half the meal had passed. Midoriya was poking at his favorite dish rather than digging in. "Something wrong?" Yawarakai finally asked. He was paying after all.

Midoriya looked up as if he had been caught, "What? No, um." He swallowed nervously, and then took a breath. "Sorry. I just… uh… I've been trying to eat certain foods recently."

Hitoshi arched a non-existent eyebrow and Yawarakai glanced at Inko, "Midoriya, this is a special occasion. You really shouldn't skip it, besides; it's your favorite."

"Yeah. Sorry." Midoriya murmured, but continued to pick. He began shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"So what was meeting All Might like?" Hitoshi was obviously buying his friend an out with that one. The conversations that Midoriya had gone on about his favorite hero were elaborate and detailed, even by his standards.

Midoriya opened his mouth, shut it, and laughed, "He was awesome. He saved me and Bakugo from that slime villain. He's really humble, and strong, and he signed my Hero Analysis for the Future journal! He's the greatest hero ever!" Silence descended and then lingered. Glances were exchanged, and an unsettling ease descended on the table. It was the shortest speech about All Might that Izuku had ever given.

Inko's expression seemed almost pasted on, "Izuku, are you feeling okay?"

"Fine, better than ever, why do you ask?" Midoriya rattled off in response, looking nervous.

Hitoshi leaned on the table and pointed his chopsticks at him, "Okay Izuku, I think you need to tell us something, so spill."

Midoriya opened his mouth and closed it, "Mom, you know that list of food that I gave you yesterday?" He glanced up, biting his lip, "I didn't come up with that. I-I need to start training, to get into UA. On my way home, All Might found me and told me that I should apply. He said I would need to start training. And that he m-might be able to find someone to get me ready." There was a pregnant pause, broken only by the chopsticks falling from between Hitoshi's fingers. Midoriya looked more nervous than even the night that Yawarakai had first caught them testing Hitoshi's quirk. "The trainer, he gave me a dietary guide. K-katsudon wasn't on it."

All Might, or rather Toshinori Yagi, watched as Midoriya lifted up another piece of trash from the beach. "So you said I was a trainer?"

"N-no?" Midoriya struggled with the trash in his hands, "Yes? I didn't tell them it was you. I said All Might found someone to train me."

Toshinori frowned thoughtfully, "So they know I'm connected with All Might, but not that I'm training you."

"I tried to not tell them anything, but I didn't have a choice."

"You could have just eaten the Katsudon."

Midoriya boggled, "B-but… your list…"

"It was still a special occasion Midoriya. One night wouldn't have killed you." He waved dismissively as Midoriya groaned, mock tears filling his eyes, "You have my permission to eat the leftovers at least."

"T-thank you." Midoriya murmured as he dumped the mangled bit of metal and returned to grab another. The conversation died and silence descended, interrupted only by gulls and the waves. Midoriya's breathing was labored as he staggered back and forth pulling more and more heavy pieces of trash off the beach. Toshinori watched, occasionally pointing out another piece, sometimes a little smaller, sometimes a bit larger. He didn't want to run the boy too ragged after all, he'd be going to school soon.

Even then he was growing more and more anxious. Toshinori furrowed his brow, "Something wrong?"

Izuku winced, but continued to carry trash, "It's just that today's the first day I'm not walking to school with Hitoshi."

"That's your friend, then?"

"Y-yeah." Midoriya looked downcast, but didn't give up, "We've been walking to school together since we were six."

"Mmm." Toshinori nodded thoughtfully, "I know it's a change, I hope neither of you mind."

"I hope not…" Midoriya seemed far from certain, "He's been sick for the past few days so I had time, but today is his first day back…" He shook his head, "I need this training so I can get ready to accept One for All. I need to get ready for the academy." But Toshinori couldn't help but notice it was bothering the boy. Sadly there weren't any good alternative times to work on the beach. Toshinori had no intention of interrupting the boy's schooling, he had other training after school, and it wouldn't be safe doing this sort of thing at night. The boy simply had too much ground to cover to ignore working in the morning.

"When you put that down, take a break, okay Midoriya?" Toshinori got off his perch. Izuku sagged in relief, hands on his knees as he recovered his wind. Toshinori frowned, just a little, "Tell me about your friend."

"Huh?" Izuku blinked, still winded, "W-what do you want to know?"

"Is he going to be joining the hero course too?"

At that Izuku recovered, or at least made the effort to appear so, "Yes," His hand balled into a fist and he nodded, "He's going to be a great hero. I know it."

Toshinori nodded thoughtfully, there was a lot of faith there, he didn't expect it to be misplaced, but even talented individuals failed to meet UA standards. "What's his quirk?"

At that Izuku seemed to falter, and Toshinori suppressed a wince. There was simply no way he'd be able to give One for All to two quirkless individuals. But as he watched the boy he reconsidered his original thought. Midoriya was deciding whether or not to tell him. It was the first bit of hesitation he had shown since he began training. An unpleasant look crossed Midoriya's face and he muttered an answer too low for Toshinori to hear.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."

Midoriya winced, "I said it's not evil."

That set off some alarm bells. Not many quirks came with that sort of warning out front. Toshinori drummed fingers on his seat, "So what is it?"

"He can…" Midoriya sighed heavily and looked away, "he can take take control of people's minds, okay?"

Toshinori blinked. Well, that sort of quirk certainly justified the disclaimer. Someone with that sort of ability could slip all too easily if they weren't careful. He couldn't help but catch Midoriya's expression, and if it wasn't the most aggressive he'd seen the boy he could scarcely think of another that matched its intensity. "It's okay kid." He murmured, "I believe you."

Midoriya let out a breath and sat down hard, a sour look on his face, "Everyone tells him it's a villain quirk. Everyone is always watching him, just waiting to catch him stepping a toe out of line so they can punish him. But he doesn't want to do that, he wants to be a hero. Since the first time I met him I've known he wanted to help people." He huffed, looking up at his hero, "He'll be able to stop villains without a fight. No destroyed buildings, no one in danger. He's going to be such a great hero, but right now nobody else believes in him."

The boy descended into sullen silence as Toshinori thought that little rant over. Honestly, it sounded like it needed to come out. "Does he have control over it?"

"Yes."

"You sound like you know for sure."

Midoriya looked at him levelly, "I do. I'm the only person he trains with."

Toshinori winced at that, "That- he wouldn't." He swallowed nervously, "My secret can't come out. You don't think he'd ask, do you?"

Midoriya pouted, and All Might wondered just how far he'd fallen in the boy's eyes, "It's nothing like that. He respects me. Usually we play video games or has me do my homework. It's mostly to see if he can extend how long he can maintain control. We've done… lots of tests."

Toshinori nodded slowly, "Alright then. I believe you." He paused, "You two are very close." It wasn't a question, but Midoriya nodded all the same, "This training is going to take significant amounts of your time, actually it will take all of it. You said today was the first day he's back to school with a sickness… do you think his return is going to affect your training?"

Midoriya flinched, then glanced down, looking thoughtful, "Hitoshi is my best friend. He had the most questions for me during dinner. He'll certainly miss me more than my mom. I'll still be in class with him, but…" He trailed off looking worried.

Toshinori sighed; it looked like there was nothing for it. "Ask him if he wants to come."

Midoriya's eyes practically bulged, "What?"

"You can invite him, but only to afternoon training. This morning work, that's for you alone. I request you not invite him to these sessions, but afternoon work will be more general in focus. Even if his quirk is cerebral in nature simple physical training can provide dividends." Toshinori wished his own training had helped him more with his injury, but on second thought his long lost good health was likely the only reason he had survived in the first place.

If he had lost a speck of the boy's respect, he had certainly redeemed it. Midoriya eyes were shimmering with tears as he rose to his feet and bowed. Toshinori hoped he'd be able to wean him away from crying quite so often, but this time he didn't say a word about it. "Now you should head to class, or you'll be late." Midoriya ran off without another word.

Shinsou looked around the classroom and frowned thoughtfully. The walk in had felt unusual. It wasn't the first time he had walked there without Izuku, it wasn't like he was the only one who ever got sick, but getting here alone with nothing to do but watch the clock while everyone else chatted or gave him dirty looks irked him. He pulled out his phone, typing out a quick message, 'You gonna get here on time?'

He didn't expect an immediate response, but he hoped he'd get something. He frowned and took a deep breath, putting his head on his hand and stared at the door. Maybe he was still training? The thought left a sour taste in his mouth. Midoriya, training for UA. He bit his lip as he thought about it. All Might had met Midoriya and was impressed enough to get him a trainer. It didn't… he tried to suppress his frustration by looking at his phone again. It hadn't been more than a few seconds, really, but he really wanted to take his mind off of that training.

The typing message popped up, 'Outside! Late?'

Hitoshi sighed in relief, 'No, but about to be' He could practically hear his friend booking it inside at that response. Around him, well, near him, others were taking their seats.

"Oh great, you're back." Hitoshi glanced up to see Bakugo glowering at him. "I was hoping you went to jail."

Hitoshi relaxed in his seat, hands folding behind his head, "Sorry to disappoint."

Bakugo lurched forward and grabbed Hitoshi's shirt, yanking him forward in one deft move. Hitoshi squawked, but then he was eye to eye with Bakugo, "I've already had my fill of villains this week. Do not tempt me."

Hitoshi was at a complete loss for words as Bakugo shoved him back in his seat before stomping back to his own. What the hell was that? Bakugo was seething in silence, his usual arrogant insouciance gone. Instead he seemed focused and growled as he caught Hitoshi looking at him. Hitoshi drew in a breath and quickly averted his gaze, hoping his desk was safe enough to look at. He barely noticed as Izuku slumped into the seat beside him.

"You okay? You like you saw a ghost?"

Hitoshi glanced up, his breath steadier, and he risked a glance at Bakugo. For the moment he seemed distracted, "Uh-yeah. I mean no." He frowned, looking at Izuku, "Just… a rough start today."

The teacher entered the room, cutting off further conversation. They'd have to talk later.

"He did what?" Izuku sounded incredulous as he lowered his chopsticks. Hitoshi really couldn't blame him, he barely believed what had happened, and it had happened to him.

"I don't know." Hitoshi picked at his food aimlessly, "He seemed even angrier than usual. Think it has anything to do with him and that slime villain?"

"Angrier than usual?" Izuku seemed disturbed by the possibility, and Hitoshi couldn't really blame him, it hadn't exactly been an enjoyable encounter, "Possibly?"

"Has he been acting differently since it happened?"

"I, uh, hmm." Izuku frowned thoughtfully, "I haven't really been paying attention to him. He's mostly left me alone since it happened, outside of telling me that I didn't save him." Hitoshi snorted, but Izuku shook his head, "I guess I should have noticed, but I've been focused on my training."

Hitoshi bit his lip. Right, training. He glanced at the remnants of his lunch and laughed softly, "So, how's that going?"

Izuku chuckled, "Actually, I talked to my trainer. He said I could invite you."

Hitoshi's head shot up and he stared, "Really?"

"Yeah," Izuku scratched the back of his head, "I guess I was a little too distracted this morning when I realized we wouldn't be walking to school together."

"You did that for most of last week."

"Yeah, but it was different knowing I could have been." Izuku shrugged helplessly, "Think your dad will mind if you start today?"

Hitoshi smirked, "Mind? He'll probably be thrilled. I'll send him a text."

Hitoshi's mouth dropped open for the second time that day. The wasted form in loose clothing was sitting on a bench waiting for them. He didn't think he'd ever seen someone so gaunt. "Uh…" Izuku laughed nervously, "Toshinori, this is my friend Shinsou."

"Pleasure to meet you." The man wheezed, "You're ready to train then? Put your stuff over here and then stand in front of me."

"Uh…" He glanced at Izuku, but his friend was just nodding, a determined look on his face. With a sigh Hitoshi followed his friend's lead.

"Alright, we're going to have to start with stretches, but after that we're going to start with suicide dashes for cardio and start some physical resistance training." His head lolled to looked at Hitoshi, "The stretches you do at school should be sufficient, Midoriya's are fine, but I'm going to have to make sure you're doing them right."

Midoriya pumped his fist and then sat down on the ground, reaching to touch his toe. Hitoshi frowned, but followed suit. Gym had never been his favorite class, but the basic stretches had been drilled into them for years. Their… trainer… kept his eyes on him for several minutes but finally nodded and pushed himself off the bench. "Good." He said in a rasping, gravelly voice that ground in Hitoshi's gut. Midoriya seemed to think nothing of it, wholly focused on his stretches, but Hitoshi slowed, staring at the man as he slowly meandered, occasionally leaning over and rubbing something against the ground. The sixth time he leaned forward he stopped, lurched slightly, and vomited blood.

Hitoshi's scream seemed to finally catch Midoriya's attention, "Huh? Did you pull something?"

"He just vomited blood!"

Midoriya winced as he looked at the hunched form of their trainer, "Are you okay Toshinori?"

Toshinori struggled back to a standing position, running the back of his hand against his mouth, "Fine. As fine as I'm going to be anyway." He glanced back at them to see his new student pulling out his phone.

"Hello emergency? We need-"

"Put that away."

Shinsou turned to stare at him, "You just vomited blood!"

"I have a medical condition. Put your phone away."

Now Shinsou was staring at Midoriya, looking outraged, "Midoriya he just vomited blood!"

"I'm pretty sure he heard you the first time. Now put your phone away and get back to stretching." He stood firm, watching Hitoshi until the boy sighed and put his phone away. He waited until the boy sat back down to glance at his future successor, "I guess you didn't warn him about that?"

Midoriya blushed, "It never really came up."

Toshinori sighed heavily; this was going to be a long afternoon.

"Alright, we're done for the day." Toshinori waved at the panting boys, "Start your cooldown exercises. Once you're done you can head home."

He turned to leave when Shinsou called out after him, "Hey, weren't you going to watch to make sure I stay in form?"

Toshinori frowned, "You were fine earlier."

Hitoshi sagged, "Yeah, but that was before. I'm worn out now."

Midoriya looked a little uncertain, "It should be fine."

"Yeah, but you know how my dad is about training." Midoriya blinked, and an uncertain look flashed across his face.

"R-right." Clearly he wasn't, but he wasn't about to cut out on his friend.

Hitoshi glanced back at him, "So, can you stay a few more minutes?"

Toshinori relented and returned to the bench, "Fine." There wasn't a doubt that the kid's form was fine. First time jitters, maybe? But Midoriya finished and was watching as well, and Shinsou seemed to be taking it easy. "Sorry I'm taking so long." Hitoshi murmured, "Izuku, you should head back. Your mom has to have dinner ready."

"Yeah, but..."

Toshinori nodded slowly, "Midoriya, you can head head home." His student shot him a look, but he simply shook his head, "I'll see you in the morning."

"…Right." All too reluctantly the boy walked off. Shinsou was still making a study of slow stretches.

Toshinori leaned forward on the bench, bringing his hands together, "So what did you want to talk about?"

The boy stopped and stared at him, his eyes narrowing, "Why are you doing this?"

Toshinori rolled his eyes, "All Might asked me."

"No. Why are you doing this to Midoriya?" His expression was hardening, 'Is this some sort of joke?"

Toshinori narrowed his gaze, "What?"

"You do know that he doesn't have a quirk right?" A tension entered the boys voice and he slowly rose to his feet.

"Yeah."

"And yet, you told him that with your training that he could get into UA's Hero Academy?" The boy ground out the words.

Well, at least Midoriya hadn't spilled the beans, Toshinori thought as he grasped for an answer, "I believe-"

"Do you know how many quirkless students have been accepted to UA's Hero Academy?" Toshinori opened his mouth, but Shinsou cut him off, "Zero. They haven't accepted any quirkless students, even though they removed the restriction three years ago. There aren't any in Seijin or Shujin's hero academy's either. There aren't any quirkless students in any of the hero academies in Japan. I know, I've looked."

Hitoshi's hands balled into fists, "Midoriya is my best friend, and there isn't anything I wouldn't do to help him achieve his dream. I've spent a year and a half looking for a hero academy that accepts people without quirks. There aren't any. And it's not just Japan, there aren't any in America, there aren't any in Korea, there aren't any in Singapore, there aren't any in China. There aren't any anywhere. They don't do it. So why are you telling him that you can get him in?"

Toshinori found himself transfixed by the look of rage on the boy's face, as he grasped for an answer that hid his secret. He found none, "I-"

Hitoshi pointed at him, "You are setting him up to fail. You're going to break his heart, and I don't appreciate it. So you're going to tell me if this is some sort of sick prank. And if you don't, I'll drag the truth out of you."

Toshinori let out a breath and he bowed his head, "Your quirk."

That gave the boy pause, "I-Izuku told you?"

"He told me what it is. He told me it isn't evil." Toshinori looked back up at the boy, and for the moment the boy was caught completely by surprise. "I believe that with my training, that Midoriya will be able to get into UA's Hero Academy."

Shinsou was trembling, "How can I trust you?"

Maybe, if he learned from his student, he may be able to get around this without explaining? "Midoriya told me a little about your quirk. But he didn't tell me how it worked. If someone is under your control… do they remember what they've done? What they've said?" Hitoshi shook his head, and Toshinori suppressed a grimace, "I can't tell you how. Please don't ask, but if you need to be sure…" Toshinori swallowed, "Ask me if I can give him a chance to get in."

Shinsou blinked, and activated his quirk. Toshinori suddenly felt distant to himself, aware, but unable to control himself. He heard himself answering; even though he barely registered that a question had been asked and didn't even know what he was saying. Disorientation washed over him like a wave and he shook his head as he came back to himself. Before him the boy stared at him in awe.

"You really believe it." The boy murmured in disbelief, "You… you couldn't have lied. I didn't…" His mouth moved, but he looked lost, "I'm sorry. I screwed up, didn't I?"

Toshinori perked an eyebrow, "How so?"

Shinso bowed his head, mastering his emotions with difficulty, "I want to apologize for doubting you… and for using my quirk. I won't interrupt your training again."

"Huh?" Toshinori cocked his head, "Interrupt?"

Shinso sagged, looking up at Toshinori, "I… I didn't have faith in you as a trainer. You had Izuku bring me because he was distracted." His gaze fell away, unable to look he teacher in the eye, "I'll do my best to back off."

"I don't believe that's a good idea." Toshinori murmured, drawing Shinso to look back at him, "Yes, I asked Midoriya to bring you here because he was distracted. But he doesn't want to distance himself from you, and I don't either. I can think of nothing that would distract from his training more." Shinso cringed, but remained silent, "You had good reason to doubt. I have to admit, I didn't realize how outlandish my claim sounded until you told me." He sighed, softening his tone, "He's your friend, and I think we both have Midoriya's best interests in mind. I want you to continue coming, if you're willing. Maybe if you compete with each other you'll be able to push each other farther than if you work alone."

Shinso bowed his head, then nodded, "Thank you." He shook, "I'll do my best."

"You only have ten months until the exam. Midoriya can't afford to burn out. Keep an eye on him. He's almost too enthusiastic. If you see him flagging or pushing himself too hard, let me know okay?" Shinso nodded wordlessly, "And besides, you can't rely on your quirk to get you through either. Your heart was in the right place. It took a lot of courage, coming here and confronting someone you thought was going to hurt your friend, and some wisdom to not just activate your quirk as your first resort." Shinso blinked, and Toshinori smiled, "I think you'll make a fine hero."

Notes:
Many thanks to my editor: littlemissoyashirou

It's too much to ask for Midoriya's training to be hidden. Unlike canon, he has someone to talk to, someone who will notice that he's missing. So it has to be said, but how it needs to be said is another matter.

I am aware that I am jumping around a fair bit in this chapter, especially during the beginning. I felt it better to cut the Q&A at dinner and move forward. I did enjoy having Shinsou low-key threatening to use his quirk on All Might without realizing it. I hope you enjoy the characterization of all the different characters! Thank you for the comments last chapter.

Next chapter may take longer, things are getting busy in other areas. I'll try to get it out quickly. I have ideas that I want to reach, and I'm working on getting there.

Also a special shout out to MysticMartyr who pointed out that the scene breaks I usually use weren't showing up! You can thank them for the lines between scenes!