Making dinner for twenty people hadn't been as difficult as Izuku had initially thought it would be, having two helpers certainly made it easier. Momo seemed to know what she was doing but was obviously still new to cooking, she seemed overly focused on doing everything by the book. Nejire seemed fairly at home in the kitchen but there was a fire in her eyes as she took in any new information like a sponge. She was doggedly determined to learn how to cook better when she was already pretty savvy, it was odd to say the least.
They were just beginning to plate the spaghetti with homemade meatballs and garlic bread when Izuku turned to Nejire. "You seem to know your way around a kitchen already, why are you so determined to get better?"
Nejire turned her head and if it wasn't for the laughably large hair tie that Momo had made for her, her long hair would have dragged through the red sauce. The smile she wore constantly turned loving. "There's someone I want to impress."
The combination of the way she smiled, her tone, and her emotions reminded him of Himiko, Mei, and Rumi when they were with Eri.
"I do as well, though she says I don't have to try and impress her." Momo interjected while glancing into the living room at Kyoka with stars in her eyes.
"How long have you two been dating?" Izuku asked.
Momo blushed but didn't take her eyes off of Kyoka. "Only just over a year. If you want to know how we met you should ask her, it's too embarrassing for me to tell the story."
"If it's so embarrassing why would you want it told at all?" Nejire asked with a tilt of her head.
"It's not too bad, it's just embarrassing for me. I…was not very subtle. Besides, she loves to tell the story." Momo replied with a warm smile.
"Well alright, I'll at least not ask in front of everyone then." Izuku said.
Momo let out a small giggle. "I appreciate that."
Everyone helped set the table and sat down to eat. Mei was sitting Eri in her chair, placing a bib on her, and wrapping her hair up into a bandana. White hair and tomato sauce did not go well together.
Ochako gestured to Eri while addressing Himiko. "I can see why ya were too busy to hang out the last few weeks. Suddenly becoming a new mom must be difficult."
Himiko smiled at her understanding. "It certainly takes adjustment but it's worth it, sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
Ochako waved off Himiko's apology as Tsu tilted her head and put a finger to her chin. "Ribbit, tomorrow is only a half day, if you can find a sitter we could go on a double date…is it still a double date if one group is a polycule?"
"I'll ask my moms, Mr. Kan might be too busy tomorrow." Izuku said.
Himiko laughed. "Ya, Dad gets super stressed at the beginning of the year. Besides, I think he's still pissed that I'm not in his class."
Nejire bounced in her seat. "Ooh! Ooh! I knew it, you're Vlad King's daughter! He always talks about you!"
Himiko flushed in embarrassment and nodded.
"Woah, you could say that heroism is in your blood." Kaminari said while elbowing Kirishima in the ribs. "Get it? Get it?"
After a small round of laughs Iida spoke. "I too come from a line of heroes, have you heard of Ingenium? He is my brother."
To Izuku's senses he could tell just how proud the boy was of his brother. "Wow! I knew your engines seemed familiar!"
The Indigo haired boy spoke up next with a tired voice. "I guess this is as good a time as any. My dads are Eraserhead and Present Mic."
"I love Present Mic's radio show!" Mei exclaimed.
In the seat next to Hitoshi, Izuku lit up. "Eraserhead is one of my favorites! Since my Quirk came in late I always admired that he fights essentially Quirkless."
Hitoshi smiled weakly. "Ya, he's been training me for a while now."
Izuku smiled brightly. "That's so cool! Hey, I might be overstepping but I know you said you have trouble sleeping, do you want an energy boost?"
"Yes." The tired boy replied without a second's hesitation.
Izuku put a glowing hand on Hitoshi's shoulder. After a few seconds of contact the bags under his eyes lightened and he visibly perked up.
"We're best friends now. My dad is going to love you." Hitoshi stated matter of factly.
"How late did your Quirk come in, Midoriya?" Momo asked curiously.
"About three years ago…" Izuku answered carefully.
After a chorus of surprise Ochako donned a dark look. "You had bullies, didn't you? I hate bullies."
Tsu put a large calming hand on Ochako's thigh, the normally bubbly girl immediately calming down.
"I did.." Izuku said, choosing not to elaborate.
Mina puffed up her cheeks comically. "Ugh! I can't stand bullies! I've had my share of my own too."
"Same, ribbit." Tsu agreed.
Several more admitted to also having had bullies in the past, Izuku was relieved to have so many understanding classmates.
Everyone continued to eat in relative silence but he could tell most of them were holding back questions. Deciding to not beat around the bush and risk people potentially cozying up to him for a Quirk evolution, he brought up the elephant in the room.
Izuku coughed to get everyone's attention. "All of you passed your background checks and I know we might not know each other well yet but we're going to be together for the next three years. What I'm trying to say is I'm willing to evolve anyone's Quirk that wants it."
Everyone was silent as they looked at each other to see who would say something first. The pregnant silence continued for several long seconds before Iida spoke. "We will likely be competing against each other in class as well as the sports festivals when it comes, would you freely give such an advantage to potential opponents?"
"Well to be honest, I hadn't thought of it like that but my answer is still yes. Evolving Quirks doesn't cost me anything and when we inevitably compete against each other It wouldn't sit right with me knowing that you're not at your strongest. Besides, we're future colleagues and I want to see each and every one of you succeed." Izuku said, finishing with a radiant smile.
Izuku was nearly overwhelmed from the deluge of positive emotions coming from everyone. There was so much that it had a taste, there was sweet, tart, and tangy. It was like sampling every candy in a sweets shop at once.
"So manly." Kirishima said, wiping a single tear from his eye.
Momo leaned forward, her fingers steepled. "To be honest I was planning on turning down your offer. I wanted to prove that I belong here on my own merits but If you put it like that I would not only be handicapping myself for nothing more than pride, I would also be insulting each of you by not facing you at my strongest. I will accept your gracious offer." She finished with a polite bow of her head.
Some stated similar concerns while others simply accepted but everyone accepted his offer in the long run. He warned everyone that it would not only evolve their Quirks but their adaptations as well. He made everyone promise not to test anything until they were in a proper setting. With that out of the way he stood from his seat and placed a glowing hand on the shoulders of each of his new classmates in a mockery of Duck, Duck, Goose.
After they finished eating Rumi stood. "Everyone that ate but didn't cook helps clean."
Everyone but Momo, Nejire, and Izuku helped clean up dinner and the kitchen. Izuku excused himself to get Eri ready for bed.
Eri was in her unicorn onesie pajamas and standing on a stool in front of the bathroom mirror brushing her teeth. Izuku was right next to her brushing his own and making sure she actually brushed. They were in the smaller family bathroom that sat between the two massive gym-locker-room-esque bathrooms that were separated by gender on the ground floor of the building.
Eri finished and put her stool away before tugging on Izuku's shorts. "Papa, can I stay with you tonight?"
Izuku furrowed his brow. "Is everything alright Eri?"
Eri shuffled her feet before answering. "Ya, I just want to."
His brow relaxed and he scooped up his bashful daughter before poking her nose playfully. "Of course you can."
He sat the now giggling girl onto his broad shoulders and raced up the stairs to his room, Eri giggling all the way.
When he arrived he was surprised to see the entire class outside his door.
"You guys get an entire floor to yourselves!?" Mina asked, throwing her hands up in the air at the unfairness of it all.
"We think it's because Izuku is Nezu's personal student and that we're technically employees." Rumi answered with a shrug.
"Uh what's going on?" Izuku interjected.
Mina whipped her head to him, her fluffy pink hair ruffling at the sudden movement. Her golden eyes lit up when she saw Eri on his shoulders. "O.M.G YOU TWO ARE TOO CUTE!"
"We were talking about rooms and I said that our room was bigger than normal, they wanted to see it." Mei said simply.
"Uh, are we just going to gloss over that Green is the Dean's personal student and their all employees?" Jirou asked.
"Yup!" Mei answered happily as she headed into the room.
"Eri is a ward of UA and we're her paid guardians." Izuku answered simply before following Mei.
Rumi led everyone inside the room, it didn't take long for Mina to throw her hands up again. "Your room is HUGE! And the bed is MASSIVE! It's like a flat!"
The room as well as the bed were doubtlessly huge. The room had a couch in front of a projector screen. There was some hero merchandise but nothing compared to his room at his moms'. There was evidence of Mei, Rumi, and Himiko as well. There was a glass display case of Mei's Warhammer models, they were hand painted with impossible detail. Rumi had a blu-ray collection of hundreds of MMA fights lining the wall next to the projector screen. Himiko had a display case of dozens of different types of knives, all in pristine condition.
"Sorry?" Izuku offered.
Mina let out a defeated sigh before perking up with a look in her eye. "We're doing a girls night here at some point!"
Well it looked like he would have to sleep at his moms' place when they decided to do that.
The day was finally upon him. The first day of school at UA. Sure, it was really just an assembly but it marked a milestone for Izuku. This was the beginning of his hero career.
After a light breakfast Mei helped do up Himiko's hair into messy buns, as was their morning ritual now. Rumi combed Eri's long white hair once she was done with her own. Once they were all dressed and ready they took a commemorative photo together in their uniforms on the front steps of the dorms. Izuku wasn't sure what the future held but he knew he wanted a reminder of this day.
Izuku and Eri took off earlier from the dorms than anyone else in order to get Eri to her class in time for him to get to his own.
They arrived at a room that looked like any other classroom, only larger and with a glass window. They entered to see the occupants. There was a woman who was undoubtedly the teacher waiting near the door. She had short, white hair with flecks of red spaced throughout. She wore a white turtleneck sweater, blue jeans, and glasses.
She smiled at him. "Ah, you must be Midoriya."
She crouched down to look at Eri who was hiding behind his legs. "And you must be Eri, I'm Mrs. Tatsuma but you can call me Fuyumi." She said kindly.
Izuku smiled down at his shy daughter trying to encourage her. "Can you say hi to your new teacher?"
Eri reluctantly extricated herself from her hiding place. "Hi F-Fuyumi."
He looked up and noticed three other children trying to get closer without being noticed, they all seemed around the same age as Eri. Fuyumi must have noticed and stood up while waving the children closer.
"Kids, this is Eri. She'll be joining us for classes starting today. Why don't you introduce yourselves." She suggested gently.
Two girls stepped forward immediately, perfectly in sync. They were obviously twins, both were identical down to their sharp, predatory teeth. The only exception was their hair color. One had red chin length hair that matched the red in Fuyumi's own hair while the other's was tundra white. What was particularly striking was their eyes, they both had mismatched heterochromia. The redhead had one piercing blue eye on her left and a vibrant red on her right. The white haired girl had similar eyes but they were flipped.
The red haired twin spoke first. "I'm Tatsuma Mika, and-"
"I'm Tatsuma Rin." The white haired twin interjected.
"They're my daughters if you couldn't tell." Fuyumi offered with a smile. She waved the last child forward.
A girl, smaller and younger than the others, peeked around the twins. He would eat his notebooks if she didn't have a snow leopard mutation Quirk. She had a wild mane of white hair with two white fur covered ears poking out, they were more rounded than most cat ears. Her eyes were slitted and a dull, nearly gray blue. She had white fur with black leopard spots going all the way up to her elbows and knees. Her hands and bare feet were humanoid but decidedly paw-like, she had black pads on the tips of her fingers and palms. She also had a thick, fluffy tail that looked to be as long as she was tall. It was wrapped tight around her midsection, making it look like an oversized belt.
The little snow leopard girl sniffed at the air before taking a few more tentative steps closer to Eri. She smiled, revealing teeth similar to Himiko's but all her teeth were sharp instead of just the canines. "I'm Yuki…you smell nice."
Izuku gave Eri a gentle nudge forward. He watched as she was led away by the kids to be shown around the room full of toys. He really hoped this would work out, to his understanding Eri had never even interacted with children her own age before.
Fuyumi seemed to catch on to his worry. "Don't worry, she'll do great here. My kids know the ropes, they'll make her feel welcome."
He rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, I'm just nervous I guess."
She smiled in understanding. "That's to be expected but you should get going, don't want to be late after all."
Deciding she was right he called Eri over and gave her a hug and kiss to the forehead goodbye with a promise that he was only a button press away.
A few hallways later he was standing outside of a massive, floor to ceiling door labeled '1-A' in huge lettering.
He could already hear an argument through the doors.
"Put your feet down this instant, you are being disrespectful to this august institution!" A voice he recognized as Iida's said indignantly.
"Tch. Leave me alone, Glasses."
Izuku froze for a half step. He had hoped to never hear that voice again despite how likely it was that he would have passed the practical.
After gathering himself he strode into the classroom. He ignored the feeling of red eyes burning into the back of his head as he checked the board for his seat number. He was in seat 18, directly behind Bakugou…great. He made his way to his seat and noticed that his girlfriends weren't here yet. He also noticed the other missing student from last night, a boy with a horrible burn scar on one side of his face and hair that was red on one side and white on the other. At first glance he seemed incredibly apathetic, not a single emotion showing on his scarred, yet handsome face but Izuku knew better. With Empathy he could tell there was a simmering rage festering within the boy.
The instant he sat down, the head of spiky blonde hair in front of him spun around to look him dead in the eye. "How the hell are you here, Deku!?" Bakugou seethed.
Izuku's eyes hardened. "That's not my name." He said coldly.
Bakugou's eyes widened slightly, Izuku had never talked back so brazenly before. Thanks to Empathy he knew that Bakugou was confused and frustrated, but not actually angry, surprisingly.
"This must be Bakubitch." Rumi stated matter of factly as she led his girlfriends into the room. She quickly moved to stand next to Bakugou's seated position. She was positively looming over him without a trace of her near ever present grin.
"What the fuck did you call me-" Bakugou began to ask angrily as he tried to stand only for Rumi grab his shoulder and press him back into his seat.
Rumi tutted and wagged her finger. "Behave or I'll let Himiko do the talking." She threatened while gesturing with her head to the side.
Himiko was standing to her side nearly in front of the desk with her claws fully extended and her eyes were narrowed to slits. She wasn't moving a muscle, not so much as a twitch or blink. She stood there in predatory stillness, watching, waiting for her prey to make a fatal mistake.
On the other side of the classroom Tsu had gone just as still, frozen in place. The presence of a predator having made itself known triggering her prey instincts.
Izuku was about to intervene, to tell them that he could fight his own battles but Mei's gentle hand on his shoulder and her small shake of her head stopped him. They had apparently planned for this.
Rumi, hand still gripping Bakugou's shoulder, leaned down until she was able to whisper in the blonde's ear. "Leave him alone, this is your only warning."
The bell rang and Bakugou growled. But before he could retort, one of Rumi's ears swiveled to the classroom door and she stood before abruptly walking away to take her seat, Himiko and Mei following suit.
"Decent awareness, Oguro. The rest of you have work to do." A tired voice said from a yellow sleeping bag on the floor.
Nejire floated in through the doors, her golden spirals that let her fly were now periwinkle in color and not as tightly coiled. "Wow! Aizawa sensei never gives compliments!"
Behind Izuku, Hitoshi snorted as the sleeping bag groaned. Out of the sleeping bag a rough looking man emerged. He looked disheveled, sleep deprived, and had messy black hair. Many pairs of eyes snapped to Hitoshi after seeing the similarities.
The purple haired boy shrugged. "What? I'm actually adopted."
Iida pushed his glasses up high on his nose. "Is this not nepotism?'
Nejire laughed. Hard. She was floating in the air on her back clutching at her stomach as she continued to laugh. If she wasn't wearing spandex shorts under her skirt like Rumi, she would have flashed the entire class. After gathering herself she explained what was so funny. "If anything Hitoshi is in for a rougher time than the rest of you."
Aizawa pulled out a duffel bag from under the teacher's podium and placed it on top, revealing it to be full of gym uniforms. "Put these on and meet me on the P.E. grounds." He said before walking out of the classroom.
Nejire lazily drifted through the air after Aizawa. "You better hurry~" She warned.
Everyone scrambled, none faster than Hitoshi.
The moment the girls were in the changing room Ochako approached Himiko.
"Why did Izuku get mad because that blonde boy called him Deku? Isn't it like Dekiru? Like 'you can do it'?" Ochako asked innocently.
"Deku means useless. That was Izuku's long-time bully." Himiko said with a snarl.
Ochako let out a small gasp that was echoed by several others that had overheard.
"What!? Why is there a bully at UA!?" Mina asked, her tail thrashing behind her.
"Well that answers my question of why you guys were so confrontational towards him." Jirou said.
Rumi leaned to the side to look behind the pink girl. Connected to her lower back was a smooth, pink tail that started off thick at the base but tapered as it went, it was longer than the girl's legs. "Have you always had a tail?"
Mina instantly brightened. "No! It must be part of my Quirk's evolution, we're tail buddies! I woke up and it was just there! I thought there was a snake in my bed at first!"
"Ya, it scared me half to death when she woke up screaming next to me!" Toru said with her usual exuberance.
Rumi looked at the girl in question expecting to see floating clothes but plainly saw a pretty girl with alabaster skin that had never known the harshness of the sun. She had wavy, shoulder length hair that changed colors like a prism with an ever moving source of light. Her big eyes were lit similarly from within as were her long eyelashes.
"HAGAKURE!?" Everyone but Mina exclaimed in unison. Mina immediately doubled over laughing.
Toru flipped her colorful hair. "That's me~" She said playfully.
"Isn't she beautiful?" Mina asked after she had recovered from her laughing fit.
"Well I can certainly see what Izu meant by ethereal." Himiko said in agreement.
Everyone mumbled their agreement causing Toru's facade of confidence to crack and her to blush before turning invisible again.
"Being seen is going to take some getting used to." Toru said bashfully.
"We should probably hurry up." Momo suggested.
The boys locker room had been a bit tense but Izuku was now standing with the rest of the boys on the P.E. grounds waiting for the girls. They were taking longer than he thought they would.
Iida turned to him and chopped at the air with his arm, the exhaust pipe protruding from his elbow adding to the effect. "What was that about in class?" He tried to whisper.
Izuku let out a sigh before answering. "Bakugou was my old bully."
Iida gasped incredibly loud, gaining everyone's attention. "THAT RUDE BLONDE WAS YOUR BULLY!? AND HE'S AT UA!?" he all but screamed.
Every one of the boys glared daggers at the blonde in question, even the scarred boy surprisingly.
"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Bakugou roared in defiance.
"Unmanly," Kirishima said, shaking his head.
"That's not very Plus Ultra." Kaminari said.
Aizawa was raising an eyebrow at the whole exchange and listening carefully.
Izuku scratched the back of his head. "Guys, just leave it alo- wait a minute! Iida, are those exhausts on your elbows new!?"
Iida looked down at his elbows then to Izuku and smiled. "They are! I assume it is my Quirk's evolution. They're exactly like the ones my brother has, I can't thank you enough."
Izuku whipped out a notebook and began scribbling. "That's so cool! That will probably add a lot of maneuverability and verticality to your mobility!"
The girls approached from the locker rooms while Izuku was mid-mutter storm, Mina scooching close.
"What's cool, Midori?" She asked casually, her tail tapping on her chin in an inquisitive manner.
"YOU HAVE A TAIL NOW! IT'S SO COOL!" Izuku yelled.
She immediately dropped the casual act and began bouncing in place. "I know! Thank you!" She said before glomping onto him in a hug, her tail joining in. They both bounced in excitement together before realizing their position and pulling away, Izuku resembling a strawberry and Mina blushing violet.
"Just hugging my girlfriend right in front of me huh?" Toru asked.
Izuku turned to see Toru with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot like Rumi did when she was upset or impatient. WAIT. he could see her.
"I CAN SEE YOU WITHOUT THERMAL VISION." He exclaimed yet again.
Toru smiled and did a little twirl giving him a hug as well. "I've wanted to see myself for so long and now I finally can, thank you so much! And look at this!" She stepped back and turned back invisible but this time her clothes were also invisible.
"You can extend the field of light refraction!" Izuku said excitedly as he began scribbling in a notebook.
"Alright, what the hell is going on?" The tired voice of their teacher droned.
"He evolved everyone's Quirk, Dad." Hitoshi said simply.
"Uuuuugggggghhhhhhhhh, Problem Child." Aizawa said as he ran a hand over his face.
"Well not the blonde bully or the red and white haired boy, ribbit." Tsu supplied, a finger on her chin.
Aizawa unceremoniously threw a baseball to Izuku, which he caught easily. "Enough chit chat. You broke All Might's record on the entrance exam so you're up first. What was your throwing distance in highschool?"
"You broke All Might's record!?" Kamimari asked dumbfounded.
"WHAT!? HOW!?" Bakugou screeched, his palms popping with miniature explosions.
"ENOUGH!" Aizawa snapped before continuing, "Answer the question Midoriya."
"About 75 meters, sir." Izuku replied quickly, his back going ramrod straight. His Mama and Mom had not exaggerated when they told him that Eraserhead was a bit of a hardass.
"See how far you can throw it using your Quirk. The only rule is stay within the circle, anything else goes." Aizawa instructed.
"Rumi and Jirou, you should cover your ears." Izuku warned.
Izuku took his place in the center of the chalk circle. He tossed the high tech ball in his palm experimentally. Deciding that brawn was the best move here Blackwhip snaked under his gym uniform to form a layer of extra muscle, his uniform was now straining at the seams. A single black tendril wrapped around the ball and extended from his palm as he took a pitch stance. Viridian lightning arced across his body as he powered up Full Cowl to 25%. He was about to snap forward but he suddenly felt hollow and the sound of the ball dropping to the dirt behind him could be heard.
He turned around in confusion to see Aizawa staring at him with glowing red eyes, his hair floating.
"I canceled your Quirk. I saw you at the entrance exam and I've read your file, you've only had your Quirk for three years. You were going to break yourself again weren't you? You have power but what good is it if you break yourself and become just another victim in need of being saved?"
Izuku's eyes hardened and he glared for everything he was worth. "I know my limits, the only reason I went past them that day was to save a life. Now if you don't mind turning off your Quirk, I would appreciate it. I don't take kindly to people arbitrarily using their Quirk on me just to prove a point." He growled.
Aizawa quickly glanced at Bakugou and back before turning off his Quirk. "I'm sorry." He said simply but sincerely.
Izuku stood there dumbfounded and slack-jawed. He had never had a teacher apologize to him and certainly not so easily.
"Uhhhh thanks." He said dumbly before picking up the discarded ball and retaking his previous stance. He stomped one foot forward as he snapped into motion, the sudden movement shredding his already straining shirt and kicking up a dust cloud. The Blackwhip tendril released the ball. A deafening boom sounded, then another, and another.
Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity until Aizawa faced his phone forward, its display reading 4705.4 meters. Everyone either cheered or wolf whistled with the exception of a few.
Bakugou stomped forward as he roared, "Deku! You had a Quirk this entire time!? You owe me an explanation!"
"I don't owe you shit, and I told you before, that isn't my name!" Izuku seethed.
"Bakugou, see me after class in my office." Aizawa said dangerously.
Aizawa turned to the rest of the class. "You'll be doing the fitness assessments you did in highschool but this time you'll be using your quirks so that I can get a baseline for each of you even if your Quirk isn't applicable."
"What about orientation?"
"Ooh this is going to be fun! Maybe we can figure out how our Quirks evolved!"
Aizawa's glare silenced any further questions. "Normally this is where I would lie and threaten expulsion for whoever comes in last in order to make you try your hardest but according to your files both Jirou and Midoriya can sense lies, not to mention Hado would likely ruin the surprise." He said, throwing a glare at his T.A. who was doing her best to look offended at the accusation. "The truth is, I only have three short years to get you ready for the real world. The life of a hero is dangerous, heroes die or are maimed all the time. I refuse to read your obituaries before you read my own. I understand that you want to have fun but If I decide you aren't taking this seriously enough I will not hesitate to move you to Gen Ed. Am I clear?"
"Yes!" Everyone shouted at the same time. That speech had certainly sobered everyone up to the reality of being a hero.
Aizawa tossed a new ball to Bakugou. "Let's see if your bite is as bad as your bark."
After Bakugou yelled obscenities and blasted the ball Izuku approached Aizawa. "Thank you for apologizing, it means a lot."
"I was in the wrong, it's only logical that I admit it. I know what happened at Aldera and what the nature of your relationship with Bakugou was. I refuse to be another teacher that's wronged you, Nemuri would murder me." He said with a shudder.
"I know you two are friends so I thought it was weird that I've never met you before." Izuku said.
"I don't get out much." Aizawa said simply and boy did Izuku believe him.
"Would you like an energy boost Sensei?" Izuku asked, his outstretched hand glowing.
"Hitoshi texted me about this, I've been hoping you'd ask." He reached forward and took Izuku's offered hand. Several seconds passed before Aizawa let go.
"You're officially my favorite, Problem Child." He said with a semi manic grin.
Izuku ruffled his fluffy hair. "You've always been one of my favorite heroes actually, would you sign my notebook? Also, do you want me to evolve your Quirk?" He asked while producing a notebook and flipping it to Aizawa's dedicated page complete with a lifelike drawing.
Aizawa laughed before taking the notebook and signing. "I'm glad to see you have this coded with a cipher, the rat's taught you well. As for the evolution, It would be illogical to turn down such an opportunity."
Izuku reached forward with a glowing hand once more, Aizawa taking it again, his eyes glowing with power as his Quirk evolved. Aizawa blinked several times.
"Do you mind if I test it on you?" Aizawa asked.
"Go ahead." Izuku answered.
Izuku summoned a tendril of Blackwhip that was subsequently canceled out by Aizawa's Quirk. Aizawa blinked, his red eyes returning to normal as his hair settled back into place. Izuku tried to summon Blackwhip again but found he couldn't for several seconds.
"It seems to have added a lingering effect, I can finally blink in combat. You are definitely my favorite. " Aizawa said with a sigh of relief.
"I don't want to be treated any differently." Izuku said seriously.
Aizawa grinned maliciously. "Being my favorite isn't a good thing, just ask Hitoshi."
Izuku shuddered before he moved away to watch the rest of his class perform the ball throw. They were all impressive in their own right. Kyoka, Tsu, Mina, and Mezo had emulated him. Kyoka threw the ball with a jack, Tsu with her tongue, Mina with her new tail, and Mezo with an incredibly long arm. Todoroki, as he learned was the scarred boy's name, created a glacier that launched the ball. Ochako had simply removed the ball's gravity and let go, the ball drifting upwards until it left the atmosphere.
Aoyama blasted the ball with his Navel laser before he thrust his hands forward and lasers shot from them too, launching the ball even further. The boy seemed as surprised as everyone else. He rushed up to Izuku and showed him his palms. There were small diamonds embedded into the center of his palms. "I can shoot magnifique lasers from my palms now and my tummy does not hurt!" He hugged him before he got on his tip toes and began kissing him on both of his cheeks. "Thank you, thank you monsieur!"
Izuku blinked as Aoyama sauntered away, throwing him a wink over his shoulder. He looked at his girlfriends who only shrugged in response.
Momo took her place in the circle and lifted her shirt as she activated her Quirk. Out of curiosity Izuku switched to infrared, and could see intense heat emanating from in front of the girl until a massive, antique cannon plopped to the ground. What was really interesting was the pocket of super cooled air in front of Momo. According to the emotions coming off of her, she was surprised and nearly taken aback. She quickly gathered herself and blasted the ball even further than he had. She wheeled the cannon out of the way as Izuku approached her.
"You were surprised, why?" He asked.
Momo looked at him in surprise before understanding crossed her features. "Empath, right. Well it was just too easy, easy to remember and it seemed to barely dent my fat reserves when something that large should have been draining. In fact my memory seems impossibly sharp today, I can recall things with such ease that it feels like I'm reading the information at will. I can recall what breakfast tasted like as if the food was still in my mouth."
Izuku hummed in thought. "I have a theory. I think your impressive memory might be your Quirk's adaptation, and now that it evolved you essentially have a photographic memory. As for how easy it was to make such a large object, I was watching with thermal vision and there was a pocket of super cold air in front of you after you made the cannon. I'm guessing that your Quirk now pulls in nearby molecules, in this case oxygen, and breaks them down to supplement your creation process, effectively lowering the strain on your personal resources."
Momo's eyes sparkled as she clapped excitedly before enveloping him in a crushing hug, her massive assets squished against his chest. "I have to tell Kyoka!" She said before rushing off to her girlfriend and leaving him blushing as Himiko sidled up to him.
Himiko leaned her head on his massive arm. "I'm kind of jealous, what did they feel like?"
"Soft and warm." He answered quickly.
"Mmmm," She hummed wistfully.
Mei and Rumi would often describe him and Himiko as 'touch starved' considering how much they both valued positive physical contact. They had never disagreed, they weren't liars after all.
Next up was the 50 meter dash. Izuku was paired alongside Iida. The buzzer sounded and both students blasted forward, a boom resounding from the displacement of air. Izuku launched forward with a combination of Blackwhip muscles, Float, and Full Cowl. Iida rocketed forward in a blur, his legs and arms leaving trails in the air. Izuku won with a score of 1.8 seconds, Iida scoring 2.01 seconds. They both congratulated each other while the rest of their classmates looked on in shock.
The only other notable matchup was between Tsu and Rumi. Rumi bounded forward, her feet only touching the ground twice. Tsu pounced forward frog-like at incredible speed. They both tied at 4.06 seconds. Izuku mused that Tsu's Quirk evolution would likely present itself as mostly physical like Rumi's had.
Next up was the long jump. Izuku just engaged Float and cleared the sandbox. Rumi leaped across as easily as Tsu. Ochako simply floated across. Aoyama blasted his way across, much like Bakugou. Todoroki just created a bridge of ice and casually walked across.
The last outdoor test was revealed to be the distance run. Izuku for his part casually floated through the air at the lead. Momo created a solar powered scooter. Iida was jogging at a leisurely pace that didn't even break a sweat thanks to his new engines. Rumi was keeping up with pure endurance. Tsu hopped along for a time but eventually had to call it quits, her method fast but ill suited to tests of endurance. Mina skated on acid as Todoroki did so on ice, both eventually giving in to the overuse of their Quirks. Once only Izuku, Momo, Iida, and Rumi were left and looked to be able to continue for some time, Aizawa called it.
Next up was seated toe-touch inside the nearby gymnasium. Izuku with Blackwhip, Mina with her tail, Tsu with her tongue, Mezo with his elongated arm, Fumikage with his dark shadow, Kyoka with her jacks, Momo with a pillar of iron, Todoroki with ice, and Ayouma with his laser easily maxed out the test.
Grip strength was next. Izuku easily maxed out the test with a combination of Blackwhip muscles and Full Cowl, the machine reading 999.0 kg before it broke. He decided he needed a name for the combination and quickly dubbed it Black Cowl.
Momo created the jaws of life to similar results. What was most impressive, at least to Izuku, was Rumi's and Mezo's tied score of 540.00 kg with nothing but pure, unadulterated strength.
Next were sit ups. Rumi took off her shirt so that she was only wearing a black sports bra and settled in next to Izuku. Both were mostly shirtless as they egged each other on in competition. They were both sweating profusely and in their own little world when someone said 'one thousand' and Aizawa called a stop to the test. Unbeknownst to them, they were the only two still going at the time and they had attracted a drooling crowd.
Aizawa displayed a holographic leaderboard of the class stating those in the lower ranks needed to pick it up even if their Quirks weren't applicable. Izuku had placed first with Momo in second, and Rumi close behind in third. Hanta, Denki, and Toru all looked at each other warily, they were the three trailing behind the rest of the class. Todoroki and Bakugou had placed in the middle of the pack. Izuku could hear Bakugou's jaw grinding from where he stood. Aizawa dismissed the class before walking off.
Aizawa rounded the corner of the building where he knew the big oaf was attempting to hide.
"You could have just come watch." He said once All Might's atrocious yellow suit came into view.
All Might deflated into his skinnier form. "I didn't want to distract anyone."
Aizawa eyed the man carefully. "I know there's some kind of connection between you and Midoriya, if it pertains to his frankly ludicrous Quirk it would help me teach him better if I knew everything."
All Might was silent in uncharacteristic contemplation before his face grew serious. "You're quite observant, there is indeed a connection but I cannot tell you the exact nature of that connection yet. It's not my secret to tell, I will talk to Midoriya about bringing you in on it though."
Back in his school uniform, Izuku walked to Eri's class to pick her up and for some reason Nejire was walking with him. He wasn't going to complain however, he enjoyed Nejire's company.
Izuku's phone pinged with a text message. He pulled it out and quickly read it. All three of his moms were busy today and couldn't watch Eri.
"Something wrong?" Nejire asked, having noticed his frown.
"No, not really. Babysitting plans fell through, is all." He said
"Well if you and Eri are ok with it, I could watch her." Nejire suggested with a smile.
Izuku hummed. "I'm ok with it but Eri is a little slow to trust new people, I'll ask her though."
"How do you know she won't just agree because that's what she thinks you want to hear?" Nejire asked in concern.
He tapped his temple. "Empath. I never imagined it would be so handy with raising a child."
Nejire raised both of her eyebrows in surprise. "Ohhh! I didn't think about that, I'm kind of jealous."
"I noticed that your spirals changed color." Izuku said as he pulled out his notebook to edit her page.
Nejire beamed up at him. "Ya they match my hair now! It must be my Quirk evolution, they aren't as coiled as they used to be and it takes less energy to fly now!"
"If they're less coiled does that mean they travel faster?" He wondered aloud.
Nejire hummed in thought before she looked up and down the hallway quickly for anyone and shot off a small spiral down it. The small spiral blasted down the hallway quickly and impacted on the far wall harmlessly. "It does!" She exclaimed with a little bounce.
"You could have hit someone!" Izuku said worriedly.
She waved his concern off. "Psh, that was only a one percent charge. It would only tickle."
They arrived at Eri's classroom and looked in through the window. A miniature red dragon chased a miniature white dragon through the air of the large classroom. Below them the little snow leopard girl, Yuki, was holding Eri's hand as they laughed and scampered after the dragons.
Seeing Eri so carefree with children her own age changed something in him. At first his motivations for being a hero had been because he simply wanted to help people. He still wanted to help people of course but now his goals were a little more clear cut. He wanted to create a world where Eri and other children didn't have to grow up afraid, where they were safe, where they could be happy and carefree. He wasn't entirely sure how to accomplish that yet but it lit a fire in him nonetheless.
Nejire opened the classroom doors, catching the attention of the kids inside. Yuki's ears swiveled to her location. The little snow leopard girl let go of Eri's hand and got down on all fours before bounding at Nejire while excitedly shouting, "MOMMY!"
The little girl slammed into Nejire's chest earning her an 'OOF'. She began rambling and purring like a truck. "I made a new friend, Mommy! Her name's Eri! She smells like you! She's really nice! She has white hair like me!" Nejire just smiled with maternal affection as she ran a hand through the girl's mane and listened Intently to Yuki's excited rambling.
"Did you have fun staying with your Uncles, Baby?" Nejire asked Yuki once the little girl's rambling had slowed.
"Ya, uncle Mirio and uncle Tamaki took me to the park!" Yuki said, her large tail whipping about in excitement.
Eri caught up, slightly winded from playing so hard. She jumped into Izuku's open arms readily. "Papa, I missed you." She said as she pressed her head against his chest and closed her eyes.
He ran a hand through her hair. "I missed you too. Did you have fun?" He asked.
She looked up at him, her ruby eyes sparkling. "Ya! I made friends and they're nice, Yuki says she lives in the dorms like us. Can I play with her more please?"
He looked to Nejire and back. "I was actually going to ask if you were ok with Nejire watching you tonight, it looks like Yuki will be there too."
Eri lit up with excitement, her smile bright. "Yay!" She said in way of an answer.
"I suppose that settles that." Nejire said.
They began they're trek back to the dorms, both children falling asleep in their arms quickly.
"I didn't know you had a kid too." Izuku said, careful to keep his voice low.
"You didn't think you were the only Guardians at UA did you?" Nejire asked with a mirthful lilt.
"She's a Ward, same as Eri." He said in shocked realization. If Yuki was a Ward and in that special class then she too was affected by villains in some way. He naively hoped that what happened to Eri wasn't something that happened often. It broke his heart to know that Yuki had potentially been through something horrible as well.
Nejire nodded before looking at the purring girl in her arms with a somber look. "Last year, at my internship, we were tracking a Creature Rejection Clan cell for nearly the entire year. They had murdered a family that all had mutation Quirks, the daughter was missing. The cell was slippery and moved constantly, when we finally caught up to them we discovered Yuki locked in a cage and muzzled like an animal. They were trying to secure a buyer overseas to sell her like an exotic pet." She seethed quietly, it was so odd to see the bubbly girl so murderous.
"That's horrible…she seems so happy now. A mentor of mine always says that a hero saving a person's life isn't enough, they have to save their heart as well. You, Nejire, are a hero." He said with respect evident in his voice.
Tears pricked at Nejire's eyes. "Thank you…I could say the same for you, since I'm the dorm advisor I was told about Eri's situation. I wasn't sure if I was ready to become a Mom but I couldn't let someone else go through what I did in foster care. The decision to take her in is what broke up me and my girlfriend. Yuyu didn't want kids."
"I'm sorry to hear that. For what it's worth, I think you made the right decision. That child has a loving Mother and a bright future thanks to you. If you don't mind me asking, what did you mean by what you said about your experiences in foster care?" He asked carefully, trying to convey that she didn't have to tell him if it was too personal.
"It's ok, it's not much of a sob story. A side effect of my Quirk makes it so I have really high energy and when I was a kid it was really bad. I was 'too much' for most families so I never got adopted and bounced between different foster homes until I aged out. Yuki had already been through so much. I didn't want her to have to wonder if a house would turn into a home or if a guardian would turn into a parent. Nezu gave me the option of just becoming her guardian but I refused and adopted her straight away." Nejire said, smiling warmly at her now drooling daughter.
He smiled at the pair. "That's incredibly admirable Nejire, I can see why Yuki loves you so much."
She turned her warm smile to him. "And I can see why Eri loves you so much."