Their Hero Academia – Interlude 2: Heroes and Villains Part 1: Heroes
Izuku Midoriya thanked the hostess who had shown him to the restaurant's back room and looked upon some of his best friends in all the world. They didn't get to all see each other as much as they liked anymore, not since so many of them were so busy with their careers as Pro Heroes, but they liked to get together when they could. At least he got to see Kacchan and Eijiro on a regular basis, since they actually lived next door to each other, with Denki and Kyoka on the Kirishima-Bakugos' other side, in a gated community that catered to Pro Heroes. Tetsutetsu and Itsuka actually lived across the street, as did Monoma and his wife.
Momo had actually bought the restaurant many years ago so that they could get together when they wanted with some modicum of privacy. Considering they counted among their number a very large number of Heroes in the Top Ten, it was a necessary precaution.
"Deku!" And there was the voice that could brighten his world immediately, his wife of twenty years, Ochako. She leapt up from her chair next to Tsuyu and ran over to him, wrapping him in a hug that he gladly returned, followed by a kiss. Behind them, he could hear Denki and Minoru hooting and hollering, but he ignored them.
"Hey you," he said. "You get the kids dropped off at Mom and Dad's okay?"
Ochako smiled. "Yeah. Hana's being moody about the whole thing, but Mako's just happy to be seeing her Grandpa Might."
Not surprising. At almost thirteen and with no interesting in turning Pro Hero herself, Hana was a typical teenager. But she was looking to apply her Object Attraction Quirk to the medical field, so the tradition of helping people was still going strong. At five, Mako was perfectly happy to be her Grandpa Might's "sidekick." Which worked out well for everyone, so long as she wasn't setting things on fire with her Fire Breath Quirk, anyway. He made a note to talk to Shoto about stepping up her lessons in controlling it.
They'd come a long way from a class of teenagers thrown into the deep end of the Hero pool, beset by villains and watched by the world. Now they were adults with careers and families of their own. They all had children, many of them more than one. A lot of potential little Heroes, as Dad liked to say.
"Good," he said, as he took her hand in his and joined their friends at the long table. There were thirty-three of them all together. Himself and Ochako, Tsuyu and Fumikage, Tenya and Mei, Denki and Kyoka, Momo and Shoto, Kacchan and Eijiro, Mezo and Haruko, Hitoshi and Camie, Hanta and Mina, Mashirao and Toru, Koji and Ibara, Minoru and Pony, Yuga and Haru, and Rikido; they were also joined tonight by Itsuka and Tetsutetsu, Kota and Eri, and Mirio and Melissa. It made it a little hard to have a conversation, but they managed. Most of them had been through hell together and that had forged bonds that nothing would ever break.
For his part, he spent some time talking to Mirio and Melissa, gushing over how well their eldest, Tamaki, was doing as one of his sidekicks. Considering both he and Mirio operated together out of Might Tower (an extraordinary graduation gift from Dad), and Melissa ran their Support division, it was probably unnecessary, but he couldn't help but share what he felt.
Around him, the others were engaged in conversations of their own, interrupted only briefly by the wait-staff arriving to take their orders. Ochako and Tsu exchanged parenting tips, Mei and Melissa were lost in some technical discussion he couldn't follow at all, Haru and Haruko were talking as the always did, of the troubles of being a non-Hero spouse. Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were proudly sharing pictures of their youngest to anyone who would listen, while Kacchan looked more and more exasperated by his husband's antics by the minute. Hanta was teasing Tenya about being future in-laws. And he was fairly certain he heard Mina telling Toru that she was pregnant again.
Finally, after the food had been brought and eaten, Izuku clinked on his glass with his spoon to get everyone's attention.
"Okay," he said. "As nice as this has been—really great to see everyone again—we actually do have a real reason for getting together tonight. As you know…"
"Oh, shut it, Deku!" Kacchan shouted, giving him an annoyed look. "Nobody says "as you know" unless they're in a bad manga! We all get it, the Sports' Festival's coming up in a couple weeks!"
"Well… yeah," he said. "That. Anyway, we all know it's coming up. And while I'm hoping all of our kids do well enough to get a lot of offers…"
"YEAH!" Eijiro interrupted, springing up and waving both fists in the air. "My Katsumi's gonna kick so much ass! You'll all get to see how awesome she is!"
"Shit down, Shitty Hair," Kacchan said, yanking him back down in his seat.
"Sorry, Izuku, Bakubabe!" Eijiro said. "Got carried away."
Izuku waved it off. "It's fine, it's fine. But like I was saying, we've talked about it before, but we want to make sure all the kids have offers. I know some of us can remember how bad it felt not to have any."
Around the table, several of his friends and former classmates nodded.
"Just remember to keep an eye out for General Studies kids too," Hitoshi said. "U.A.'s gotten better about getting people into the Hero Course, but there's still a lot of them slipping through the cracks."
"Not that being in General Studies is bad," Haruko said, from her spot next to Mezo. Dark haired, taciturn, and serious, Izuku had always thought she was a perfect match for Mezo. Even if none of them had even known the two of them even knew each other until they'd gotten the wedding invitations. "But we were all proud of you for making it, Hitoshi."
Hitoshi gave her a polite nod in return. "Lots of hard work," he said. "You could have made it too, you know."
She shook her head. "I was never cut out for it. I don't have the strength to back up my Arm-Stretching that Daisuke does. Besides, one Hero and one Hero trainee in the family is enough for me."
"Anyway," Izuku said, "I got an e-mail from Aizwa this morning and it basically said that if any of us even thought about taking our own kids for Work Study week, he would track us down and beat the stuffing out of us."
Minoru let out a terrified shriek, clinging to Pony at the very thought.
On the other hand, Eri and Hitoshi both let out a laugh. "Sorry," Eri said. "But that's just such a Dad thing to say."
"You really can't see how frightening he is, can you?" Kota asked.
"He's really a softie," she replied. Kota gave her a look that suggested she'd gone mad, but didn't belabor the point. All things considered, Izuku didn't blame him. He still considered Aizawa to be one of the scariest people alive and he'd taken on some incredibly frightening Villains in his career.
"He still means it though," Hitoshi said. "But he's softened in his age if he's giving us a warning."
"Wait," Denki piped in. "So that means…"
He trailed off and Kyoka gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Take your time."
Denki have this some thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "Nope, I got nothing."
"I assume you're suggesting there's nothing preventing us from extending offers to each other's children, Izuku?" Momo asked.
Izuku nodded. "Right, Momo. So I thought maybe we could work it out ahead of time."
"I must object!" Tenya said, leaping to his feet, hands rapidly swinging through the air. Mei and Shoto, seated on either side of him, had to dodge out of their way. "Surely, this premeditated behavior is unbecoming of Pro Heroes such as ourselves, not to mention unfair to the sportsmanship of U.A!"
"Oh, relax, Tenya," Ochako told him, looking mildly annoyed. Izuku could understand it. Tenya actually had relaxed some since they were in school, but could still be a stick in the mud. "We're not depriving the kids of any offers. We're just making sure they all have one if they want it. And we can scout more than one student if we see someone else who really catches our eye."
Tenya grumbled a reluctant agreement.
"Nejire and Tamaki let me know they want to be involved too, if they can," Mirio said. He'd known in advance, of course, since Izuku and Ochako had discussed this idea with him.
"A good plan," Shoto agreed. "But who gets whose kid?"
"I was getting to that, thanks, Shoto," Izuku said.
"Well, hurry it up, Deku!" Kacchan snapped. "Some of us haven't got all night!"
"It's nearly his bedtime," Eijiro said.
"Gotta get a full fucking eight hours, Shitty Hair!"
Camie looked over at Bakugo. "Actually, Hitoshi and I were talking, and we think it'd be mad lit if you'd take Shota."
Kacchan's eyes went a little wide as he fixed the two of them were a glare. "And what makes you think I'd wanna take the little loudmouth?"
Hitoshi was unfazed by Kacchan's glare, returning it with a heavy-lidded look of his own. "Shota has a Quirk that is both unique and powerful. But he is prone to distraction and sometimes lacks discipline. You should be able to provide some instruction on the first and temper the latter."
After a moment of sustained eye contact, Kacchan backed down. He waved a dismissive hand in the air. "All right, but you owe me big for this, Sleepy. Your kid never shuts up."
Hitoshi simply shrugged in reply.
"He gets his mad gift of gab from me, fam," Camie said, proudly. She always was good at getting a rise out of Bakugo and basked in the glow of his annoyance.
Izuku decided it was best to simply move on. "All right, that's one down. I, ah, I think it's probably best though that we deal with the "difficult" children first."
"Difficult children?" Mina asked. "We don't have any difficult children!"
Well, this was going to be awkward. He knew it would be. But Izuku pressed on. He coughed, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Mika, Chihiro, Takuma, Katsumi, and the Twins."
Predictably, the room exploded.
"How dare you accuse my little princess!" Minoru shouted, pointing an angry finger.
"Minny…" Pony said, trying to calm him down.
"What's wrong with Chihiro?" Denki demanded.
"She's got your genes," Kyoka told him, rolling her eyes.
"What the hell, Izuku?!" Mina shouted. "I thought we were friends!"
"Takuma's always getting Kenta into trouble, Mina," Rikido said, crossing his arms. Hanta just looked awkwardly between his friend and his wife.
"I am hurt by these unmanly accusations!" Eijiro cried out.
"Deku, you take that back, damn you!" Kacchan roared.
"What did you say about my babies?!" Mei screamed.
"Excuse me," Tenya shouted, standing again with his arms flailing through the air. "My children are not difficult!"
The room went quiet for a minute, before everyone turned to state at him. They were all familiar with the particular manic energy that was the Twins.
"They are a handful," Tenya added, pushing his glasses up. "There is a difference." Izuku knew that between his wife and his children, Tenya lived a very happy, but rather stressful life. He said he wouldn't have it any other way.
Eyes returned to Izuku and he swallowed nervously. He'd rather have been facing a room full of super-villains. "We all know what I'm talking about," he said after a moment. "We all love our kids, they're all great kids. But some of them need a little more guidance or a little firmer a hand than others. That's it. Maybe difficult wasn't the best word, but… still…"
Fortunately, things settled after that.
"I'd be happy to take Chihiro," Momo said. "Kyoka and I have been talking with Eri already. It will be a good opportunity to begin preliminary plans for Support equipment she can use."
"Thanks, Momoyao," Kyoka said, clearly relieved that her responsible friend wanted to take charge of her daughter. "Just remind her she's got my genes too, okay? Don't let her do too many stupid things like my Idiot here."
"When have I ever done anything stupid?" Denki asked, looking slightly hurt.
"You really don't want me to answer that question."
Minoru stretched a hand into the air. "Oh! Oh! Tsu! You should take my little girl! You've got an all-female crew, right? No boys to get her in any trouble?"
"Minny, you know Mika doesn't just like boys," Pony corrected him. Given her tone of voice, it was probably something she'd tried to remind him of many times.
He pressed on anyway. "Boys her age are nothing but trouble. Should have sent her to an all-girls school." The irony of his statement seemed lost on him.
Tsuyu put a finger to the side of her mouth. "I'd love to whip her into shape," she said, "but she can't swim, *kero*." Tsuyu had taken over from Captain Selkie many years ago and primarily patrolled the waters of Japan. She was good at it too, good enough to have become the Number Nine Hero. That she was popular with children and adults didn't hurt.
"However," Momo said, "she could use someone responsible and disciplined." That was an understatement. Mika was her father again all over, though perhaps not quite as reprehensible as Minoru had been before he'd stumbled into dating Pony.
Several pairs of eyes fell on Tenya. Shock crossed his face at first, but was then replaced by his usual look of determination. "Very well," he said. "I shall do my best to instill in her the proper values of a future Pro-Hero and UA student."
"I can take Tensei," Mezo volunteered. "Your son is… excitable, Tenya, but skilled. I can teach him how to observe and think."
"And I can take Sora," Mashirao adds. "Mezo and I both have a pretty back to basics approach that'll do the Twins some good."
Mei waved a hand in their direction. "Oh, sure, if you wanna be boring about it!"
Tenya was calmer, giving them both a polite nod. "Thank you both," he said. "I apologize in advance for any trouble they may cause you."
"Okay, we've got the Terror-Twins sorted out,' Mina said. "Can we go back to the part where you think Takuma is difficult? Because that's clearly wrong. He's just building his brand!"
"He's a bad influence," Rikido said again.
"They're just kids," Toru said. "And they're having fun!"
"How can you say that, Rikido? After everything I've done for you?" Mina wailed.
"He lacks discipline," Fumikage said, cutting through the arguing. "I can correct that."
Mina blew air out through her lips and Izuku was certain he was going to have to intervene and prevent a fight. "Fiiine," she whined. "But I don't see what need fixing."
No one was going to touch that point. That Mina was a terrible disciplinarian who let her children run all over her was well known. Hanta wasn't much better, but he did try to keep things under control.
"Maybe if you didn't have so many kids, Raccoon Eyes," Kacchan sneered, "you could keep your eyes on this one."
"Oh, come off it, Katsuki!"
Hanta placed a restraining hand on her arm. "Honey, it's not good for you to get stressed… It's not good for the babies."
"Babies?" Eijiro asked, grinning. "Are you pregnant again, Mina? That's fantastic!"
"Aren't you a little o…" Denki began, but a sharp glare from Mina stopped him from completing that thought. It a rare show of life-preserving sense, he stopped talking.
"Yeah," Mina said. "Twins this time. Last kids, I promise. I just can't keep Hanta off me! Of course, it's pretty hard to resist, with how big his…" Next to her, Hanta turned several shades of red.
Izuku didn't know how Mina and Hanta did it. His and Ochako's three were enough of a handful. They had five kids already, and now two more? He grinned, though. "I guess congratulations are in order, then!" Various congratulations went out from the other members of their group, except for Kacchan.
"There's still time for you to get back in the contest, Tsu!" Mina said.
"What contest?" Tsuyu asked, confused.
"The kids contest!" It was true, after Mina and Hanta, Tsuyu and Fumikage had the most kids.
"That's not a contest," Tsuyu said.
"Said the loser."
That got a few laughs from the group, before they moved on.
"Anyway," Mina said, "I wanna take Asuka. She could use a chance to loosen up."
"Ah," Hanta said. "You're going off active duty before the Sports Festival, hon."
"Aw, dammit!" Mina said. "I forgot!"
"I'll take her!" Toru piped in. Izuku assumed she was waving her arms excitedly, judging by how the straps of her dress were moving, but he couldn't be certain. "We'll make it a girls' week!"
"And teach her something, *kero*," Tsuyu said.
"Yeah, that too!"
"Perhaps I should take Kimiko?" Yuga asked, one hand on his chest, staring slightly off to the side as he often did, as though looking into some invisible camera. "The unseen could use a few tricks about visibility and standing out."
"Sorry to steal your sparkle, Yuga, but I'm calling this one," Eri interrupted. "Kimiko's expressed some interest in continuing her medical education and I'm due for some field work during the Hero Courses' work study anyway. I think it might be good for her to see what it's like out there."
"Who am I to refuse such a lovely lady's request," Yuga said, bowing slightly in his seat.
"Let me know if you'll be at my hospital," his husband, Haru, said. "I can probably arrange a few things."
"Of course, thanks," Eri said.
"And thank you, Eri," Mashirao said. "Kimiko seems really excited about this. I think she's found her calling."
Eri smiled. "Just happy I could help."
"I want to take Katsumi," Ochako said. Izuku tried to hide his surprise. They definitely hadn't discussed that! Not that he had anything against Kacchan's daughter; she and Toshi were practically siblings. But she definitely wasn't the type Ochako usually took on.
"You do? What's your angle here, Round Face?" Kacchan asked. "She's no Rescue Hero."
"That's not all I do," she said. "Besides… I think a little Gunhead-style martial arts instruction will really help her focus."
"It is a manly art," Eijiro said, rubbing his chin. "I like it! Thanks, Ochako!"
Kacchan crossed his arms and scowled. "Fine. But no going easy on her!"
Ochako made her meanest face back at him. Which looked more ridiculous than scary. Izuku had to turn away to keep from laughing, which would have gone very badly for him and likely ended with him sleeping on the couch.
"Okay," Izuku said, "moving on…"
"I'm taking Toshi," Mirio said, grinning broadly. "I already called this when he was born. He's my godchild. You're not taking that from me. I'll fight you all if I have to."
"No you won't," Melissa told him.
"No I won't," he agreed. "But I am calling Toshi."
"So instead of his dad, he gets somebody just like him. Great." Kacchan rolled his eyes again. But he didn't argue the point. Mirio was good at what he did. Izuku was well aware he'd set the bar as the Number One Hero incredibly high… and Mirio still found occasion to surpass him in the Rankings. Little wonder that Dad had once considered him a possible successor.
"Oh yeah," Mirio said, grinning. "Tamaki said he's take Kenta. Figures he could teach him a few things with an eating-based power."
Rikido nodded thoughtfully. "That'd work. Kenta's working hard, but I know he's struggling to find ways to make his Quirk work well. Tell him thanks."
Mirio tossed off a little salute. "Will do."
"I'll take Daisuke," Tetsutetsu said. He flexed and let out a shout. "It'll be a manly week!"
Itsuka patted his bicep. "Inside voice, please."
"Sorry, babe. Got excited."
"And I'll be there to help too," Eijiro added. He and Tetsutetsu operated an agency together. They were good, but both Kacchan and Itsuka confessed that it sometimes caused them no end of grief when the two got a little too enthusiastic. "With whoever I pick up, of course."
That seemed satisfied to Mezo, who gave a simple nod.
"And who wants my darling boy?" Aoyama asked.
Hanta cracked his knuckles noisily. "I can do it. He might benefit from a down-to-Earth point of view."
Aoyama turned to Hanta, who was wearing cargo-shorts, with sandals and socks. He looked like he was turning a little green. But Haru leaned close and whispered something in his ear and some of the tension seemed to leave him.
"Oh, very well. A little worldly experience will do him good."
"What about Izumi?" Shoto asked.
Momo frowned. "I'm afraid to admit, I'm a bit concerned… but she also hasn't had any health or Quirk-related concerns since the one outburst. Her doctors have given her a clean bill of health to continue."
"I can do it."
If he'd had a chance to bet everything he had on this, Izuku never would have expected that it would have been Denki who had spoken up.
"You?" Kyoka said, making the word almost an accusation.
"She's gotta be careful not to overdue her Quirk. I can help with that."
"He… has a point, Kyoka," Momo said, after a moment. She turned to Shoto, who nodded. "Please take good care of her, Denki. We nearly lost her once, I don't know what we'd do if anything happened again."
Denki gave the both of them a thumbs' up. "You know it!"
"Can Akaya swim?" Tsuyu asked Koji and Ibara.
She can, Koji signed. Surprisingly well.
"She takes well to the water," Ibara agreed.
"Then I can take her," Tsuyu said. "I can teach her about water planets and how to use her Quirk in a different environment."
"What about you, Izuku?" Mirio asked. "Isn't that everyone? Going to hold off judgement until the big day?"
It was well known in the Hero community that Izuku always picked at least one, sometimes two students for Work Study after the Sports Festival. He understood that the gambling halls spent considerable time and effort trying to figure out who he might pick, updating their odds until the very last minute. But no one had ever really figured out his pattern. Despite being the Number One or Number Two Hero at any given moment, he never picked anyone who placed in the top three. He rarely even picked someone who placed in the top ten. He'd been doing it for over twenty years and no one had ever figured it out.
But it was really rather simple. Izuku always picked someone who looked like they deserved a chance to prove themselves. Maybe not someone who'd placed high, but someone who was trying their hardest and just needed a little spotlight to make their mark. He knew how it felt to be a kid with no offers, to be trying so hard but not measuring up to some horribly high standard. And he didn't want anyone to go through that if he could help it. He'd only lucked into an offer because his mentor's mentor had wanted to teach him. It didn't hurt that he still had a fantastic eye for analysis. He'd actually written a couple of books on Quirk analysis and application that were still being used as textbooks in a few of the Hero Schools.
"Maybe," he said. "Toshi's been talking up one of the kids' classmates. His parents aren't Heroes, so I want to get a good look at him in the Festival."
"Haimawari?" Shoto asked. "Izumi's mentioned him too. I think she still feels rather guilty for injuring him. But I'd planned on watching too."
Both snapped their attention to Eri and Kota, who had had more contact with the kid than either of them.
"Nope," Kota said. "I'm not playing favorites here or saying anything that might influence you. You're going to have to wait and watch."
"He's certainly got a heart for heroics," Eri said, clearly not feeling bound by the same rules as her husband. "Dad says he reminds him a lot of two of you when you were students."
"Interesting," Shoto said.
"Definitely," Izuku agreed. "So… I guess we just watch and wait and if we like him, we'll make offers and let him decide?"
"Sounds fair."
Kacchan slammed a fist on the table. "What's so special about this kid that's got everybody excited over him?!"
Izuku held up his hands to pacify his friend. Even though they had put their differences aside ages ago, he'd be lying if he said Kacchan's outbursts didn't make some small part of him still flinch inside. "Just hearing good things, Kacchan. We'll see where it goes."
A smug grin crossed Kacchan's face. "Yeah, well, maybe I'll watch for this kid too. Snipe him right out from under you and IcyHot."
"That'd be great! You've got a lot to offer, Kacchan!"
"Dammit, Deku, you can't even compete right…!"
Izuku just smiled, which only made Kacchan glower more. Some things never changed. "I think that's everyone? Tetsutetsu, Itsuka? Did you want somebody to take Kana, or…?"
"I can do it!" Ejiro volunteered.
"Yeah, that'd rock, bro!" Tetsutetsu cheered.
"Bro."
"Bro."
"Bro!"
"Bro!"
"Boys!" Itsuka shouted. "That's really nice, Eijiro, but probably not a good idea. You and Tetsu are too alike for her to learn anything new. Besides, she might start sliding back to when she and Katsumi couldn't tell you two apart."
"We're alike?" Eijiro asked. He looked at Tetsutetsu, who simply shrugged.
"But we're fine, Izuku," Itsuka said. "Neito's mentioned taking an interest in her, but we know she'll do well enough to find somebody."
"Or me!" Pony said. "I'd love to take Kana!"
"Let her get some offers, Pony," Itsuka said. "But we'll see. And I want all of you to keep an eye on my class too. Some of them might surprise you."
"I can respect that," Izuku said. "And we will. With you teaching them, I'm sure they'll do great!"
From there, the conversation drifted back to simpler topics. Day to day concerns, children, choices of whether or not to take a side job or endorse some piece of merchandise. For a little while, the world went away and they were just a group of friends getting together. Izuku smiled. This happened far too rarely and he intended to savor every moment.