A/N: Just wanted to flag to people before this chapter starts that I expect to upload next week, but will then take a hiatus over Christmas. After Chapter 22 on 19/20 December, I will take some time with the family before Incident Zero returns in 2021. It'll help me with drafting/the road ahead, and help me with the festive season- any updates I do in that time will either be uploads of this to AO3 to catch up, or new chapters on Decay and Harlequin. I hope that's alright.

Anyway, I believe we're due an Izuku chapter, don't you agree?

Enjoy!

(***)

Nemuri Kayama, the infamous Pro Heroine Midnight, sighed as she put her pen down and arched her back, stretching in the chair she had been sat in. The latest examinee to strut their stuff in front of her had just left, a stoic young girl with black girl and big eyes and a Quirk that allowed her to manipulate the size of object she touched; it was a remarkable Quirk and Midnight had eagerly scribbled down notes on what she could suggest to young Kodai as moves to adapt her Quirk. Days like this reminded her why she had got into teaching, to see the untapped potential laid bare before her eyes, to tease out the bold discoveries these young students had made even without lessons at a hero academy. Watching the joy on their faces (or in Kodai's case, the raised eyebrow and slight twitch of a smile) was all she ever craved seeing.

Unfortunately, days like these also reminded her just how much she missed having Aizawa around to help.

Incident Zero had taken its toll on UA long before Nezu had thrown caution to the wind and planted the school firmly in the middle of a battle between factions of Hero society. The loss of the Symbol of Peace affected the world like nothing had in hundreds of years- international students no longer wanted to come to Japan, and aspiring students who may otherwise have taken the leap of faith no longer wanted to put themselves in the firing line in front of emboldened villains and criminals. Admissions had been down even before Nezu declared the school's independence, and after that point Midnight and her fellow teachers had seen all sorts of changes.

Sons and daughters of famed Heroes who would have gone to UA for the prestige now stuck to Apprentice work within the family, Private Heroes took promising candidates straight out of the high schools to circumvent the system, and the Hero Commission screamed murder if UA refused to allow them to conscript any candidate they saw as crucial for their future investment. But it hadn't just been a trying time for the school; it had been a trying time for the teachers too.

Eraserhead, Shota Aizawa, the third of the unlikely trio of UA's musketeers with her and Present Mic, had been hit as much as anyone. It hadn't been long after the death of All Might that some gang of wannabes and anarchists had taken it upon themselves to target one of the Hero academies, to sow more discord among an already broken society. Ketsubusu Academy had been a rival to UA for quite some time, so the news that there had been an attack which had forced Ketsubutsu to close stunned all the staff at UA at the time; however, when the school was bombed, the news of the hospitalisation of its second year teacher and Pro Hero Ms Joke had thrown Eraserhead off his stride completely. Emi Fukukado was, if not an old flame of Aizawa's, one of his oldest friends, and he'd taken time out from teaching that year to go and look after her and help her on the path to rehabilitation, learning how to walk again after one of her legs suffered serious and debilitating burns.

Eraserhead had, despite Midnight's best efforts, become even more withdrawn after that.

With the legendary Aizawa temper becoming more and more frayed, it was clear something had to give. Midnight and Present Mic saw him less and less as he disappeared after the day of school to go and care for Ms Joke, and the bags under his eyes had grown even darker as he worked himself to the bone outside of school. Part of Midnight's subconscious knew that he had been hunting down the gang who attacked Ketsubusu, among others, and she wanted to stand up to her old friend, to tell him that he couldn't take the law completely into his own hands even as an Underground Hero. But she didn't get the chance to.

A couple of years ago, Nezu had interrupted their staff meeting before the Entrance Exam to confirm that Shota Aizawa was going dark, and Midnight and Present Mic knew that their friend had been given some form of mission by the chimaera Principal. It had happened to other members of staff since Incident Zero, of course; Nezu took his responsibilities as a Pro Hero seriously outside of teaching, and so had tasked other staff members like Thirteen or Power Loader to help with certain investigations or accidents as supporting Heroes. But whatever assignment he had given Eraserhead, Nezu's lips were sealed, and they hadn't heard from Shota since that day. Not a single call or text, or coded message sent by some crazy radio signal only Mic's garage set-up would pick up.

Wherever Eraserhead was, Midnight knew that he was in deep, and alone. It was hard for that not to affect her or Hizashi sometimes.

So now they soldiered on without their friend, leading the charge for UA in his absence, and it didn't feel the same. The UA Entrance Exam, and all the excitement around welcoming their newest batch of first years, just wasn't the same without Shota Aizawa putting the fear of god into someone with his Erasure-enhanced stare. She could be sadistic and play up the image she had acquired as the dominatrix queen of the underground, but she cared too much about getting them to enjoy their education. For all she didn't have kids of her own, she couldn't help that some of her students felt a little adopted.

It had worked the past couple of years. She was a better bad cop than Present Mic, who didn't even try to be uncool and disciplined with the kids whenever they came to be assessed. He was wild and effortlessly entertaining, which left her to be the bearer of bad news and the harsher critic, and yet somehow their little system had worked. And then this year, of all years, something had happened with the students that seemed to have spooked Nezu. They didn't get Eraserhead back, reunited at last with their old friend; instead, they got Sir Nighteye striding through the UA doors with a look of purpose in his eyes.

While she was a little irritated with Nezu that he considered some of the students to be too much for her or Present Mic to properly assess, she understood that this was a fact of life in a society where danger lurked in every dark alley, and where Quirk variations over generations had resulted in some frankly horrifying and overwhelming end products. The Quirk did not define the person, of course- if it did, Nemuri knew that her own powers would have seen her labelled as a villain a long time ago- but sometimes powers were extreme, and questions over whether such a power could be used for good had to be answered. But still...

Nighteye was a weird one. He'd been All Might's sidekick, so Midnight was inclined to trust him, but it was clear that time and grief had taken its toll on him. He was aloof and uncaring, and Midnight was genuinely worried that his blunt tone and desire to microscopically analyse every facet of their being would scare some of the kids off. It was a good job she had half of the students to keep on side herself, although even that set her off.

Some of the kids were obvious- the boy with the Decay Quirk looked potentially dangerous and one they'd have to keep an eye on in training, as did the boy with the shadow demon Quirk. But there were others mixed in there too for Nighteye to assess half the class, and Midnight found herself confused how Nezu could worry about their abilities. The girl with the Creation ability, the heir to the Yaoyorozu hero dynasty, surely wasn't a danger to society? Why he was pulling the likes of her, the Midoriya boy with the Aerokinesis Quirk, and the young man who claimed "Copy" as his power aside to be assessed by him?

Midnight heard a knock at the door and shook her head. "Oh good, my next student. Come on in!"

She looked down at the piece of paper in front of her and tapped it twice with her pen, the biggest conundrum of them all to her. If Nighteye was so adamant to take the ones that seemed strange, then why was Himiko Toga left to her to deal with? The girl had an X on her profile next to her Quirk, which was usually the mark of a Quirkless student; those had been few or far between since Incident Zero, but there was at least one in Hero Course 3. But this girl had records with the Quirk Registry in Musutafu that had been destroyed, much the same time as the orphanage fire which she had apparently survived.

If Aizawa was here, he would have called her a "Problem Child" before even meeting her.

The door swung open with a click, and Midnight shook herself from the reverie of deep thought. "Welcome to your Quirk Apprehension Test, Miss... Toga? Young man, what are you-"

Izuku shook his head as if to cut her off, walking straight towards the desk. "Midnight, sensei, I know it's not my time to take the exam right now-"

"That's correct," she replied, frowning and wondering what on Earth was going on. "The last time I checked, Midoriya, you weren't Himiko Toga."

"I get that," Izuku said, tapping his index fingers together nervously. "But you see, H-Himiko's Quirk is kind of complicated and it kind of can't be shown off best without having another person in with her! Otherwise everyone would be really confused what was going on, which is sorta the point when you think about what she could do but-"

"Woah, easy Midoriya," Midnight interrupted, leaning forward and scribbling some notes as she cut off his stream of Quirk-related muttering. "So Himiko needs someone else to... help show off her Quirk? What's to say I couldn't have provided this help-"

"It's... kinda not something you can spring on a stranger. It needs to be explained and i-it needs that person to be happy to help or-"

"Hmm." Midnight leaned back in the chair and shot an arched eyebrow at Izuku. "So you were happy to help her?"

"Of course! She's m-my friend," Izuku replied, a faint blush dusting across his cheeks as his mind treacherously strayed back to the intimate moment in the corridor where they'd been sat in the corridor with her on top, nibbling at his neck. "I just wanted to help!"

Midnight cracked into a wide smile all of a sudden, and she almost wiggled with glee as she sat there in her chair with her pen ready to mark. "How delightful! Such a strong bond between two people so young, it sends shivers down my spine!"

"Um..."

"Oh but don't let me hold you two back any longer! If you're here to help show off Toga's Quirk I'm all ears!" Midnight paused. "Do I need to shout to bring her in?"

"Not quite..." Izuku turned on his heel, to stare at the doorway. "Y-You can come in now."

The look on the Pro Heroine's face turned from one of expectancy to one of absolute confusion, eyebrows screwed up in a frown as the new arrival walked through the door. "But... that's... Midoriya? This is her Quirk?"

The second Izuku Midoriya, absolutely identical in every way to the one stood in front of the desk, walked through the door fidgeting nervously with a towel he was holding, and the Izuku in front of her desk coughed as the new arrival sat on top of a table. "You probably don't have much on file about the Quirk, but... y-yep. This is what Transform can do."

"Transform..." Midnight was furiously scribbling notes now and she had pulled her glasses down from the top of her head to concentrate, staring intently at the two Izukus in front of her. "Toga... you can-"

"Have you got this?" asked the sitting Izuku to the standing one, hesitantly. "Do you mind? Or do you want me to take it from-"

"No, don't worry, I've g-got it," said the first, with a determined nod. "Leave it to me."

"Okay."

"Transform... allows the user to turn into a copy of another person for a period of time. It's tricky because clothes can't be copied, which means that the transformation has to take place when the person is n-naked."

"Hence the towel, I suppose," Midnight mused.

"R-Right." The stutter had nearly disappeared up until that point. "But Transform needs..."

Midnight paused scribbling as Izuku caught himself. "Needs what?"

Izuku took a deep breath and tried not to let the weight of what was about to be said show in his tone. "Transform... needs the user to have some blood from that person in order to turn into them."

Midnight tried not to let anything show on her face at that point, as she put the pen down. "... Wow. Okay. I... understand why you were both hesitant for me to help demonstrate it. You wanted to be sure someone you trust helped you with it first."

"Yeah..." the second Izuku replied, nervously itching at his neck. "We didn't want to ask too much or anything-"

"And I think we were concerned you'd be scared of it," the first Izuku said, as the second looked down at the floor. "Using someone's blood, it's... well, all the stories you hear about Quirk discrimination and all-"

"Midoriya, Toga," Midnight interrupted, a caring edge now in her tone. She didn't know what the kids had been through together, but she suddenly had a strong desire to reassure them that everything would be alright going forward. That was her job as a teacher and as a Heroine, after all. "I can promise you that here at UA you wouldn't experience anything like that. Quirks come in all different forms these days, and we'd be more than happy to accommodate any needs of yours. It's... an incredibly versatile power."

There was a small smile shared between the two Izukus. "... Thank you, sensei."

"So I presume this works with fresh blood best?" Midnight asked inquisitively, picking up her pen again to take notes. "I suppose you'll have given some blood before this test Midoriya, which is fine for the purposes of here but I hope you haven't drained yourself before your own exam-"

"That's all covered!" The first Izuku nodded, eagerly. "Don't worry, we only shared enough to get through this exam- a small cup is enough for a whole day, so barely half of that was needed for this!"

"That's all good," Midnight said, cursing the fact that she sounded like somebody's mother by asking that. She'd be damned if she succumbed to her age. "And is it only one person at a time?"

"It can be stacking, so that means that different people's blood can be drunk and kept in reserve for a quick Transform at the last minute. The higher the quantity, the longer the transformation can be held!"

"Really? That's... remarkable." Midnight swept a strand of black hair off her face and adjusted her glasses. "The potential to use that Quirk underground... Toga, you could take a few faces for infiltration and leave people second guessing at every turn. You'd make an amazing Underground Hero."

"You mean that?" The second Izuku asked, eyes shining with something.

"Absolutely I do! This world we live in now has too many villains and it's so hard for the Heroes and the Police to get to grips with all of them." Midnight clenched a fist to her chest, her romantic and overactive imagination running wild. "I can see it now! Himiko Toga, undercover, getting where no Hero has ever gotten, learning things we all need to turn the tide! How exciting!"

"T-Thank you, Midnight..." The first Izuku stuttered. "It means a lot to hear that from you-"

"If nobody has told you two that before, then I'll be happy to remind you of it every day I teach you!" Midnight realised her arm was stretched out in a flourish, and folded her arms underneath her bosom as she stared down Izuku with a wry look on her face. "But I do have one question, Midoriya, and I don't mean any disrespect to you or to the thorough job you've done by answering me, because it really has been helpful. But don't you think it might have been more fair to let Toga tell me about her own Quirk?"

And then it all clicked with her as something strange happened. The Izuku who had first walked in broke out into a smirk that didn't suit the young man's face, and the copy behind shook nervously, placing his hands over his eyes as he spoke.

"I-I know," said the Izuku she thought was a copy in a shaky voice, as the face of the Izuku standing directly in front of her began to melt into grey slime with a disgusting noise. "T-That's what I said to her outside. And that's why I l-let her come in first..."

She had been utterly hoodwinked.

Midnight couldn't help but let her mouth drop open as the slime cascaded to the floor, and she saw why the real Izuku had held his hands over his eyes. "T-Toga! But I thought you-"

The real Izuku, still with his hands over his eyes, coughed awkwardly, and Midnight could see now the marks on his neck which looked like two little puncture marks in his skin. Now it was so clear. "It was h-her idea. She wanted you to think it was me-"

"You were feeding on him before this exam, weren't you?" Midnight had eyes only for Himiko as she came out of her Transformed state, and was grateful that the sludge had created a viscous grey layer to protect the girl's modesty- it meant Midnight could fix her with a devious smirk. "Oh, you and I are going to get along very well."

Himiko giggled and Izuku couldn't help but gulp, as he handed her the towel without looking at her. "Well, what did ya think? Did you really think I was Izuku?!"

Midnight couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "You got me. Your Quirk extends to his voice as well, but you seemed to be a complete copy of his manners too. You're... a good actress, Toga."

"Izuku is easy! Just mutter about Quirks and I'm like ninety percent there-"

"H-Hey!"

Himiko giggled at her friend's indignation. "But thank you! You... really kinda reassured me, ya know?"

"Reassured you?"

"Yeah!" Himiko's smile didn't falter on her face, but something flickered in those yellow eyes, something Izuku recognised. "I... kinda wanted Izuku here because I was scared. A lot of people in my life have told me I have a hideous Quirk and he's not one of them, so... I really want to get into UA with Izu. But I don't want people thinking that of me here, so-"

"So you asked him to come with you and help you explain," Midnight realised, and her voice softened. "Well rest assured, Toga, I won't think that of you. You've shown me how much of a gift it is... both of you. I'm grateful you gave her that chance, Midoriya."

"Anytime-"

"You really are her knight in shining armour!"

"Haaaaah..." Izuku melted into a bright red steaming blush as Midnight and Himiko shared a look he didn't like. "Can we get back to the exam thing?"

"Oh right, yeah!" Himiko bounced on her heels in front of Midnight. "Did I pass? Did I did I?"

"Haha! As if I'm going to tell you that right now!" Midnight sniggered, looking at the look on the teen's faces. "Oh come on, we've got plenty of other students to get through! I can't spoil it by letting one know who's passed the exam?"

Himiko's face fell a little. "Oh..."

Midnight flashed the pair a wink that reminded them why she had earned the soubriquet of the R-Rated Heroine. "Don't you worry, either of you! I'm sure you have nothing to worry about! I mean-" and here she waggled her eyebrows conspiratorially, "I'm sure you'll find out soon!"

Izuku nodded and smiled to her. "R-Right! Thank you Midnight-"

"Don't thank me yet, Midoriya," she said, wagging a finger at him. "You've still got an exam to do after all!"

"Oh crap." Himiko looked at him. "If I've made you late-"

He grabbed her hand without thinking. "Himiko, if I've got you to pass and helped with how you felt, then that's enough. I'll take whatever comes next happily."

Her face brightened up in a moment that was immediately spoiled by a loud schoolgirl squeal from Midnight. "How adorable! You two are going to make me melt."

"Gah!"

"Go on, get out of here before I get all sentimental! And Midoriya?"

"S-Sensei?"

"Good luck on your exam." Midnight flashed him a peace sign, like All Might used to. "I'm sure you've got this covered, if this is anything to go by."

"T-Thank you!" Izuku didn't have a chance to say anything before he felt Himiko's slim fingers close around his wrist and drag him away, another door at the back of the classroom opening back out into the corridor away from the rest of the applicants. "Hey, Himiko?"

"Mmm?"

"You did r-really well in there. I'm really impressed. Although..." He chuckled. "It's gonna take me a little while to get used to seeing myself like that."

"Mmm?"

"Are you... feeling okay."

"Mmm." She stopped suddenly, looked around the corridor conspiratorially. "Say, Izuku?"

"Yeah, what's u-"

Whatever he was about to say, whatever his mind had been trying to process, was never revealed. In fact, he would never remember. Ever. Because what would have happened next was completely replaced by her arms going around his middle, dragging him up against her as she, rather delicately, pushed her lips against his. The heat that spread, no, erupted across his face, neck and shoulders was very unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

Squeaking to himself ever so slightly in shock, he was frozen where he stood as she just kept kissing him. Everything about her was just lips, her embrace, her... body. Oh boy, there was that heat again as electricity tingled in his lips and face, and indeed across much of his skin. Her fingers tangled in his hair, playing rather innocently and making his scalp tingle too. He surprised himself by... returning the embrace and kissing her back. Instinct, he'd later reason, but he cetainly wasn't reasoning then. Nope. Not at all.

Having fun, are we?

By the time she stopped kissing him, she was quite short of breath and more than a little flushed herself. "Okay," she whispered, "if anyone saw us I'm gonna die."

"I, what, you, how, whaaa-"

She giggled, hopping back away from him. "But that was great."

He just stood there, unable to speak, and gawking at her. "Whaaaaa-"

"What?" She tilted her head and looked at him with a blush, and for a moment he felt his heart try to leave his chest. "Can't a girl say thank you?"

"You..." Izuku slowly rebooted what remained of his brain after that and tried to get his mouth into gear. "You k-k-kissed me?"

"Yep." She popped the end of the word and stared at him, the blush still there on her face. "I... wouldn't have been able to do any of that if it wasn't for you. So... thanks for getting me through that, Izu."

"But a k-kiss-"

"Well yeah." She looked at him oddly. "I like you, genius. You and your big heart and everything, it's..."

"It's w-what?"

"I don't just say all of it for show, Izu. I meant that kiss." She gave him a mischievous little smile just like Midnight's. "I wouldn't mind another, unless you wanna keep a girl waiting."

"I, wow, um, okay-"

"As cute as this is, cuz, I think you're gonna be late for the biggest day of your life if you keep this up."

Izuku whirled around the second he heard that voice, panic coursing through his veins like ice. "SETSUNA?!"

His cousin stood behind them, a Cheshire Cat smirk on her face like every birthday of hers had come at once. "Hey. You two lovebirds seem to be getting along well."

"H-How did you do on your-"

"My exam? Good distraction, genius." Setsuna rolled her eyes at him. "Just you wait til Tenko and Inko hear about this."

"Okay," Himiko said behind him, and he didn't even need to turn around to know she'd gone as red as he had, "I'm gonna die now."

"But since you asked," his green-haired lizard-loving cousin continued, "I did alright. I got the guest examiner because you were off helping Himiko on her exams, so he put you back and dealt with a few others before. He dealt with Tenko before me."

"Oh really? How is Tenko?"

"Um..." Setsuna trailed off. "He's not really talking about the exam. I don't know what he did in there but he doesn't seem happy. You may wanna talk to him about it since he's not opening up to me... after you're done, of course."

"Are you sure? I-"

"Zuzu, with respect, you've been real sweet to Himiko and all, but Tenko can deal with waiting for ten minutes to talk to you while you get your exam done."

"...Okay. Fine, I'll check after. Any tips on the examiner?"

"Uhhh, he seems intense. Liked my Quirk though."

"Oh okay..." Izuku frowned. "Who is it who's testing us?"

"It's a secret, but I bet you're gonna love him Zuzu." Setsuna chuckled. "Although he might not love you if you keep him waiting any longer. Can you wait until after you're done for another kiss from Himiko?"

"I-! You-!" Izuku stuttered, before shaking his head. "Fine, I'll wait-"

Himiko did a little cheer, and Setsuna's eyes widened in shock. "Girl, you've done a number on him."

"Forget it! I'll see you later!" Izuku ran off before Setsuna could mock him any more and frantically slapped at his face to calm the fierce blush he was wearing down. He had done what he could to help a friend in need, and somehow he had ended up with a kiss from Himiko of all things in the middle of it... but he couldn't get distracted by that now or he would risk failing, risk letting down all his friends by not being able to go to UA with them. If today was to mean anything to them as a group, he had to pass too, and he had to focus on doing the best job possible right now.

Time to tell UA that he was here. Time to show them he had what it took to be a Hero.

(***)

With a look and a knowing wink from Present Mic that somehow told Izuku that the Pro Hero knew what had been going on, Izuku strode through the breakout room to the door to the examination classroom. He could hear a few mutters from some of the other applicants at where he had been this entire time, but they didn't faze him one bit. He was far too terrified about what awaited on the other side of the door, the most important test of his life, and just how much he wanted to pass and start on the path to becoming a Hero.

This was it. This was make-or-break, do-or-die. This was his chance to make Tenko, Setsuna, Himiko and his mother proud...

Izuku knocked.

"Enter."

Izuku stiffened at the sound of the voice on the other side of the door, wondering why it sounded so familiar. It was brusque and to-the-point, commanding and clearly intelligent- the sort of person who had a voice like that would take no nonsense and would have precise demands of him for what they wanted to see from his Quirk. Good, that suited him. Izuku's nerves would have consumed him and made him hesitate if he was given complete free reign with Air Force and told to use his creativity to impress a judge; if the man behind the voice on the other side had specific requirements of him, he could push his nerves to the side and show them off.

Time to make a name for himself.

He pushed the door open and smiled. "Hi, I'm s-sorry I was a little late. I had to help my friend with her application exam because of h-how her Quirk works-"

"I heard this from Midnight." The speaker was hidden behind a newspaper he appeared to be reading. "Relax, young man. You are young and an aspiring Hero- while it isn't a logical move to be late to your own exam when you need to impress, I can see you had nothing but good intentions in helping Miss Toga. I assure you, there will be no detriment to your assessment on that basis."

Izuku smiled to himself, appreciating the comment. "T-Thank you, sir."

"Hmm." There was a brief noise, almost like an abrupt chuckle. "Do you know why I find that funny, young Midoriya?"

Izuku faltered. "Um, not really-"

"Humour is an important skill to preserve for an aspiring Hero. We see the horrors of the front line, the depths of despair which disaster and villainy can create in people's lives, and we must reassure them. It's why All Might always kept a smile on his face, no matter how hard things were."

"I w-want that too," Izuku said, clenching a fist. "I want people to see my face and feel they're safe, just like All Might, just like any Hero could do before Incident Zero."

"Good. Preserve that instinct, young Midoriya." The paper rustled. "As for me, I usually find things like your comment funny because of the blurring of formality and informality. When formally addressing me, anyone younger or more junior will automatically call me sir. But even in the most informal of settings, when people look to take a shortened form of my name and be more familiar..."

The paper dropped, and Izuku saw the face of the man assessing him, a face he had seen on countless videos and news reports as he grew up idolising the Symbol of Peace. "... Then they all still call me Sir."

NO. Not him. Anyone but him.

This was Sir Nighteye! The former sidekick of All Might back in the glory days before Incident Zero! One of the most famous and most genius analytical minds in all of Japan, and a Pro Hero with one of the greatest mysteries for a Quirk besides All Might himself. And he was here at UA to test Izuku!

You failed All Might, you-

"SIR NIGHTEYE, I'M A HUGE FAN OF YOURS, SIR!"

Izuku had no idea where those tiny dark thoughts had come from, stirring in the back of his mind like an octopus in the crevices of a reef, but they were overwhelmed totally by his base fanboy instincts which drove him forward. He nearly flew forward with a hand outstretched to try to offer a handshake to Sir Nighteye, but at the last second the rational part of him wanting to impress and make it through the Entrance Exam pulled back, so that he staggered to a halt in front of the Pro Hero and grinned nervously at him. "Um, I'm sorry I just got so excited because I was a huge All Might fan growing up and you were always in his videos, so I always used to admire you when I was growing up, and all of the hard work which you put into investigation and deduction and tactics was a big influence on me because I still like to write notes of Quirks and-"

"Young Midoriya?"

"Y-Yes, Sir?"

"Breathe." Nighteye looked him up and down, and folded the newspaper. "I assessed your cousin, Setsuna Tokage, prior to your arrival. She informed me of your appetite to analyse Quirks and of your idolisation of All Might; I believe she considered it to be a warning to me."

"I-I'm so sorry-"

'Nonsense. I am flattered, of course." Nighteye moved to his notes now and began to write something. "I have taken the liberty of signing a scrapbook which she brought with her. I believe it belongs to you, but I was impressed on the detail with which it assessed her Quirk. The notes were particularly helpful for my own examination, so in kind I left you a little memento from today, as she said you might appreciate it or forget to ask otherwise."

"Th-Thank you so much, sir!" Izuku did a little bow, cursed himself for how he would look, and then straightened up, but not before spotting something. "That pen..."

Nighteye looked up from the desk as he was taking a precise note at Izuku. "I'm sorry?"

"That's not just any All Might pen you're using to do your notes..." Izuku looked in awe. "That's one of the limited edition Chibi All Might pens with the California Smash graphic, isn't it?"

"You... would be correct." Nighteye put the pen down, looked at it for a brief second, and looked back at Izuku. "And that is significant because-"

"Because the general prints that went to stock were of all of All Might's other moves! Detroit Smash was the most common, but we had Texas, Missouri, New Hampshire and Carolina too. I got a New Hampshire one-"

"A good achievement," Nighteye interrupted with a nod. "There were only a thousand of those made-"

"But there were only fifty of the California Smash made, with All Might's Young Age costume on the little figure!" Izuku's eyes were wide. "They were given out at I-Expo a few years back to special guests, the last year All Might attended. They're a real collector piece!"

"... Hmm." Nighteye's mouth twitched, and although it wasn't a smile it looked to Izuku like the former sidekick was impressed. "Well spotted, Izuku Midoriya. I snuck this one away at the last ever signing session I did with All Might. Although I dare say the fan-boy in you will be aggrieved I am using a collector's piece to do my notes today."

"You're his old sidekick..." Izuku said, in awe at how that sentence sounded. "You earned the right to do what you want with it, if you ask me. It would be more valuable to you than anyone else, anyway."

The look on Nighteye's face at that point was a strange one, flickering for all but a second through an array of emotions which didn't belong on the otherwise implacable face, before he picked the pen back up and nodded to Izuku. "... You truly are a proper fan. Looking to follow in his footsteps?"

"I h-hope so, sir."

"Good. We need more Heroes like him." Nighteye clicked the pen twice, retracting and then reloading the tip. "Well now, if you get into UA, you can start to make that a reality. That said, I am your last obstacle, young Midoriya. I might respect your appreciation for All Might, but I am not so fickle as to pass you on that alone. Show me what you can do, and show me you'll be worthy to come after him. I am yours to impress."

He can't be trusted. He will-

Izuku shook his head to clear that thought away. This was Sir Nighteye, after all, the last sidekick of the Symbol of Peace himself; there was no reason for him to think like that. "O-Okay, I'm ready when you are! Where do you want me to start?"

(***)

Izuku Midoriya and Himiko Toga. Aged: 15.

Nemuri Kayama, Midnight. Aged: 30.

Mirai Sasaki, Sir Nighteye. Aged: 38.

(***)

A/N: Long note ahead, but I know, I know. Some of you probably expected Izuku and Nighteye.

Some of you also saw the fact I like to tease a mile off and went "he won't, will he?" You're damn right I won't. I have certain chapter lengths I am happy with writing in order to balance detail, human interaction and story progression; the outcome of Izuku and Nighteye was just too long for me to want to incorporate it into this chapter, with what I want to come afterwards. I'd rather split it in two manageable chapters that readers can enjoy, rather than one behemoth. Plus, I love a good tease.

So yes, we get Himiko's Quirk Assessment in this chapter as a big character step forward- it will not be the end of her Quirk anxieties and other people's reactions won't go away and magically become total positivity because of this, but it's good for her to come more out of her shell and take that leap with Izuku. Plus, ship moment ladies and gentleman, the good ship IzuToga leaves port with a kiss. Been building that up for a while!

As I said above briefly, I expect to post a chapter next weekend and then will likely take a break until the New Year. Next week will be Izuku and Nighteye, plus the end of the exam; I definitely won't post on 25-27 December, and if I do post anything more between then and the New Year it'll be some Villain work for MLA plus Overhaul/Garaki which signifies the end of Act 1 (which would be poetic to bring to an end as 2020 ends, I suppose). However, I want to take the time off if I can. This is a project I love and care about getting right, so I want to work on fine-tuning my roadmap ahead, getting characters to feel human, bringing threads together and making this as good as possible. Plus it's Christmas- family time, y'know?

Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter please give us a review, I love to receive them and I love all your theories. If you haven't already please follow and favourite too if you'd like. I'm quite blown away by the 800+ followers and nearly 700 favourites, and I cannot repeat how grateful I am for all of your support.

Ya boy, out.