A/N: Hey guys, long time no see, right? I'm sorry about that but it couldn't really be helped. In late April/early May I had a Complex Migraine induced Stroke. Basically, a Migraine pinched the nerves in my brain and caused me to temporarily lose my left side. I've gotten most of it back, though I still have a limp, my left arm is weaker, and I'm prone to sever muscle cramps now, on top of vertigo and an inability to feel hungry OR full anymore. But I AM recovering.

If you follow my AO3 account, you'll notice I've been posting a little over there for a bit now, but nothing with real Plot or Goals, just a little bit of keep-in-practice stuff… Although my Hazbin Hotel fic over there is mostly because I wated to try my hand at writinga smut-heavy fic because I'm Asexual and haven't ever really done that before so yeah lol.

Anyways, I am alive, and recovering, and have finally finished this first chapter of the sequel to Midnight Bridges. Saying this…

I DON'T HAVE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE PROBLEMS NOW TAKE MY PRESENT MIC-SENSEI AND LOVE HIM DAMN IT

(Throws the Cockatiel at you)

LOVE

HIM

DAMNIT!

Morning Spaces

Midoriya Inko wasn't expecting her son to be brought home by a Pro-Hero. She wasn't expecting that same Hero to give her his number in case of an emergency, or to wait until Izuku was tucked away in bed after a shower, to talk to her about where he'd met her son and what he was planning to do. She will admit that she cried, and thanked him and apologized and thanked him some more, and she hadn't expected Present Mic to wrap her in a hug and tell her that she had nothing to apologize for.

"You love him, right?" the Hero had asked her. "You love him with all your heart and want him to be happy, right?" And, of course she did, he was her baby, her little miracle, the only child she would ever be able to have and the one that lit up her world, her brave little hero… "Then just keep loving him, support him, and you'll never have anything to apologize for." Present Mic had offered her a wry smile and, much quieter than she'd ever expected a man like that to be, had simply said, "We can't always help the way we feel, the way we react to those feelings, but knowing that there are people who love us, who will miss us… It keeps people like Midoriya-kun and I, people with a little more sadness in us, it keeps our feet on the ground. So just… Keep loving him and making sure he knows how much you love him, and you'll do just fine."

For such a loud and, and bombastic Hero, Present Mic had a quiet heart and a sweet smile.

Still, she was so very, very grateful to the Voice Hero. He'd saved her little boy, given him hope and a helping hand. Given her hope for him.

So, the next day, when she opens her door to find said Hero once again on her Welcome mat, wearing what looked like work-out clothes and holding a cup-holder with coffee…

She wasn't expecting it, of course, but that didn't mean she left him out in the hall. Him or his exhausted looking friend…

"Midoriya-san, good morning!" Present Mic greeted her warmly as he and his friend stepped in. "This is my friend, Aizawa Shouta! We're here to go over the training regimen for Midoriya-kun with him and, hopefully, start on it today!"

"Y-Yamada-san," Inko greeted back softly, glancing over her shoulder towards her son's room. "It's good to see you again! Izukkun is still asleep, but I can go get him for you…"

"Let the little listener sleep for a little longer," the Hero urged, smiling that same sweet smile from last night at her, one that was easier to see with his long blond hair pinned in a bun and his green eyes clear behind his regular-looking glasses. "If you don't mind, we'd like to go over the lessons with you first, so that way we can work around your own schedules as well as go over anything that you're concerned about, on top of making sure you're kept in the loop so you can notice if Midoriya-kun is overworking himself…?" Inko felt tears once more fill her eyes at the consideration this man was giving both her and her boy.

"O-of course," she managed, sniffling a little and offering both men a bright smile. "Come in, w-we can set everything up in, in the kitchen. Are you two hungry?"

"No," Aizawa-san grumbled, obviously more tired than Yamada-san who was also shaking his head.

"We ate before starting our morning run," the blond Hero reassured her earnestly. "And don't mind Shouta! He's generally grumpy, but he's actually a huuuuge softie," he announced, winking at his friend.

"Perish," Aizawa-san immediately deadpanned, staring at his friend with dull eyes, and Inko couldn't help but giggle at the two men as Yamada-san immediately pretended to be grievously wounded.

It's so nice, she thought, heart lighter than it had been in ages, to have people over for breakfast again…

"Now," she said as the three of them sat down, Aizawa-san snatching two of the steaming cups of coffee with a greedy sound, hoarding them to his chest as Yamada-san cradled his own with a smile. "What plans did you have?"

()()()()()()

Izuku woke up feeling almost as tired as when he went to sleep. The emotional rollercoaster and adrenaline surges of the day before left his muscles knotted and his head aching. The faint smell of coffee was like a sirens call, making him stumble towards the kitchen with his eyes mostly closed. He staggered in, ignoring his Kaachan's muffled giggles as he reached groggily for the pot of coffee he could vaguely make out on the counter. It was half-empty, which was strange considering his Kaachan didn't like coffee, but if she was anywhere near as tired as he was, he could forgive her the loss of caffeine. Ignoring the empty mug on the counter, Izuku lifted the pot up and took a heavy sip directly from the source. Glorious, he thought, eyes closed in pleasure.

"Mood," a hoarse voice stated as Izuku sighed heavily with relief. A hoarse man's voice… Slowly turning his head, Izuku stared blankly at the two men sitting at the table with his Kaachan, a bunch of papers before them as his mother and the blond man both hid their grins and giggles behind their hands. Instead, he found his hazy, exhausted eyes latching onto the scruffy, exhausted-looking man who had two empty large Styrofoam cups and the largest mug in the house in front of him. With an agreeable grunt, Izuku gave the man a companionable nod before shuffling over and slumping against his Kaachan's side.

"Poor Izukkun," his Kaachan crooned, stroking a hand through his hair. "Drink your coffee, sweetie. You need to wake up for this conversation." Izuku made a questioning sound, pulling his face from her shoulder long enough to gulp down more coffee before pulling fully away to collapse into a chair. His Kaachan giggled again, getting up and padding over to the microwave, turning it on to no doubt re-heat his awaiting meal.

"Hey there, little listener," the blond man greeted Izuku cheerfully. "I see you're a full member of the No Mornings Club! Shouta here is your President," he stated, throwing an arm around the blank-eyed man next to him. Ah, Izuku thought, expression blank and eyes bleary and dead. A Morning Person. Gross. Briefly his eyes met the dark-haired man's, and a moment of pure comradery passed between them. The man lifted his mug slightly in a salute, and Izuku lifted the coffee pot. Gently, their cups tapped, and, as one, the two of them lifted them to their mouths to chug for a moment.

"…Alright, this is getting a little creepy," the blond man decreed as Izuku's Kaachan giggled. "Okay, kiddo, time to focus, okay? You remember me? I'm out of uniform right now, but I'd like to think I still make an impression, at least!" Izuku blinked slowly, peering at the blond man for a long moment.

"U-um… Present M-Mic-san?" He offered, squinting uncertainly; immediately, the blond man beamed.

"Yeah!" The Voice Hero cheered, volume raising just enough to make Izuku's ears ring a bit and his headache pulse.

"Quiet down, idiot," the dark-haired man beside him grumbled, scowling lightly at his friend(?) as he clutched his mug close. Izuku could relate, curling around his coffee pot and squinting at Present Mic blearily.

"Ah, g-good morning?" He managed uncertainly. "Why are you… Here?" Present Mic sent him a bright grin.

"I told you last night, didn't I?" He stated cheerfully, green eyes sharp and determined as he leaned forward, folding his arms on the table in front of him. "I'm gonna help you become the kickass Hero I know you can be, little listener." Izuku stilled, eyes going wide, suddenly so very awake as he stared at the Hero across from him, heart beginning to pound in earnest. "And, with some help from a few Underground Heroes I know, like my buddy Shouta here," he added, leaning back and throwing an arm around his friends shoulders with a bright grin and a peace sign as the exhausted man stared dead-eyed at Izuku, "we managed to come up with an exercise and work-out routine for you!"

"U.A.'s Hero Course Entrance Exam is in a little over ten months," the tired Shouta declared, staring at Izuku as the boy trembled faintly in his seat, looking between the two with slowly dampening eyes. "You're not going to be anywhere near Top Ten students by then, even discounting the Recommended Students that will be testing even sooner than that. But, as long as your potential isn't zero…" Now, it was the dark-haired man's turn to lean forward on the table, dark eyes glinting and an almost feral smile curling his lips ominously. Izuku felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Well, you just might manage to make it into my Class." For a moment, the man's eyes gleamed hell-fire red, the hair that had escaped the messy bun on his head rising like agitated serpents and his loose work-out shirt (a bright fuchsia thing with a little calico cat wrapped in a blue blanket with the word "Purrrr-ito!" over it in glittery blue English.) ruffled in an unseen wind. Izuku stared, eyes huge and breath caught for a moment, brain screeching to a stop. His mouth opened and shut for a moment, as the man returned to his previous state, blinking once slowly before grimacing and pulling out a tiny bottle of eye-drops.

"Y-you're Eraserhead!" Izuku finally managed to blurt, fingers flailing with nervous energy as he twitched in his seat, the urge to write in one of his notebooks temporarily making his hands unconsciously form the usual motions of doing just that. Instinctively, one hand cupped itself in front of his chest as the other held an invisible pen above it, twitching sharply in the motions of the casual short-hand he'd developed for his book's years ago. Both the men across from him blinked at him and shared a brief glance in surprise.

"Man, kiddo, how'd you figure that out?" Present Mic asked; Izuku twitched, nibbling on his lip and instinctively hunching his shoulders, eyes darting away and hands dropping down to his lap.

"I… I s-study Heroes, w-well, I-I study their Quirks," he explained weakly, fingers tangling together in his lap and eyes down. Behind him, Inko fidgeted, obviously wanting to approach her son but also knowing that the moment she did he would clam up again. Too many years being told that his Journals were 'stupid' and 'worthless' had made Izuku treat his obsession-come-self-comfort had made her sweet boy avoid showing off the beautiful mind hidden under those wild curls.

"I-I thought th-that, well," he stuttered out uncertainly, shoulders hunching. "S-since I didn't have, um, have a Q-Quirk, th-that if I could, um, c-could analyze them, um, f-fast enough th-that I could still, um, still be, be, um… Helpful?" he managed, voice wavering, shoulders up to his ears now as his fingers twisted and flexed around one another. "I, I guess it, um, d-doesn't really matter though…" He kept his eyes glued to his hands in his lap, anxiety making his voice tight and quiet, throat closing up as his heart pounded in his throat.

"Easy there, kiddo," Present Mic said, voice soothing and warm. "Take a few deep breaths for us, okay?" Izuku struggled to obey, fingers unclasping to hook into his shirt over his chest, tugging at the cloth nervously as he took shaky breaths. "That's a pretty clever solution, little listener! Thinking outside the box, coming up with new solutions to prominent issues, working around weaknesses… A lot of the kids we see in UA could use that kind of mindset!"

"He's right," Eraserhead stated calmly. "It's a logical solution to a logical problem. Most of the brats we deal with think that they have what it makes to become a Hero just because they have a strong Quirk, but that's incorrect. One of the most difficult aspects of Hero Work that a lot of kids overlook is the thinking part of it."

"Right-o, Shouta!" Present Mic agreed enthusiastically. "Problem assessment is a huge deal in our line of Work! Being able to correctly access a situation, plan for different outcomes, and provide swift actions and solutions to the problems at hand, are just an example of what a Hero needs to be able to do. A lot of kids these day think that Heroes are only about fighting Villains in a big area, showing off and being flashy and saving everyone because they don't want to think about Heroes not saving people. But, the realistic fact is that, those big flashy fights you see on TV or the internet? They're just the cliff notes version of what's happening."

"Spotlight Heroes have to deal with several different scenarios and issues at once in those big, flashy Quirk-heavy fights." Eraserhead broke in seriously, a tight, cool expression on his face as he sat forward slightly, clasped hands resting on the table in front of him as Izuku's attention darted from the blond to the tired-looking man's face, green eyes wide. "They have to take in property damages, civilian casualty possibilities and interventions, villain apprehension, damage control through both media and physical outlets, and injury prevention. They rely on positive responses and popularity polls to keep their standing on Hero Lists, and doing things like destroying buildings or endangering civilians negatively impacts their careers, and can even end them early. They're also more likely to be killed in the line of duty, as a lot of those aiming for Spotlight jobs take their cues from more popular Heroes without considering the risks or years of experience. Recklessness with either themselves or civilians in general is a result."

"Th-that sounds… Frustrating," Izuku managed, chewing on the inside of his lip, trying to find the right words. "L-like… You two, y-your Heroics teachers, and, and it sounds like, um, you have to, to see your students putting themselves at un, um, unnecessary risk for, for show…"

"Exactly," Eraserhead agreed grimly. "Its why I have such high standards that my expulsion rate is the highest out of all Hero Schools. If I think a students potential is zero, I expel them, if not from the school entirely, then from the Heroics Course all together. Better they learn now, in an environment where they won't be hurt, then after they've gotten a license and realized that lives are on the line if they fuck up. If I think a student won't handle the stress or responsibility of Hero Work, I make sure they won't deal with it at all." Izuku barely refrained from gulping, struggling not to wilt under the pressure of Eraserhead's (THE Eraserhead!) solemn, harsh stare.

"Shouta's a hard ass like that," Present Mic agreed warmly, clasping his friend's shoulder affectionately. "But he's a hard ass because he cares about his students and doesn't want to see them hurt or killed because they weren't properly prepared for the stresses and dangers of our field. Its why I asked him to help out with your training, Midoriya-kun. With him helping out, and a few other Underground Heroes I have in mind, I know that you'll be properly prepared for your future as a Hero." Izuku felt his breath catch slightly, eyes wide and locked with the calm, serious green gaze of the Voice Hero. This wasn't a reassurance; it wasn't just patronization or yes-anding or anything like it. Present Mic, a real, live Hero, looked him in the eye and stated, like it was fact, that Izuku was going to be a Hero. This man who had literally seen him at his worse, had seen him on that ledge ready to die, who knew more about his mental state than his own mother at this point, said he knew that Quirkless, Worthless Deku was going to be a Hero, and had even got other Heroes to join him.

Izuku was crying, hands clutching to his chest as his shoulders bowed, one hand rising to clutch his mouth as he sobbed, eyes closed tightly. Immediately, his Kaachan wrapped him up in a tight hug, her own tears joining his as he struggled to comprehend the agonizing, relieving, world-changing pain ofhope in his chest. He struggled to breath, to catch his breath, as he wept.

"Th-th-thank y-you," he managed to choke out after several minutes. Sniffling himself, Present Mic offered a bright, slightly-watery smile and a thumbs up as Eraserhead stared over their heads with a hundred-yard-stare that spoke of why-are-you-like-this mixed with kill-me-now.

"Anytime, little listener," the Voice Hero stated warmly; Izuku offered a watery smile, his Kaachan beaming at them both over his head.

"W-when do we st-start?" He finally asked, straightening up and scrubbing a hand over his face, shoulders squaring as he lifted his chin, determined to work so hard for this, for his Dream and this, this acknowledgement of his, his potential, something that not even he had believed in in years. Immediately, a frankly frightening smile curled Eraserhead's lips slowly, teeth bared and eyes darkly, grudgingly pleased. Present Mic beamed brightly, all but vibrating in place as he pulled a packet of papers out of no-where and dropped them on the table with a flourish.

"First things first!" He declared, beaming at Izuku. "Placement tests!" Izuku leaned forward as his Kaachan moved away to keep herself busy while also staying close enough to be involved, and focused his eyes on the Heroes in front of him determinedly. Hope is a dangerous emotion and motivator. It could break him in ways he wasn't sure he'd ever survive.

But it was all he had, and addicting in its own right, and he was determined to see this through until the end, no matter the difficulties or hazards.

Izuku had always been a stubborn little shit, after all, and he had a feeling that this was something the two men in front of him would encourage.

(Hope is the brightest of flames in a dark place, and could burn just as well as enlighten, after all)

A/N: Something that always irritates me in BNHA fics where Izuku gets training before UA, including in Canon: NO ONE EVER INCLUDES INKO! WTF! That is a CHILD you are working with, Sir! You are NOT his Guardian and his Mother DESERVES To be INFORMED and INCLUDED in the WELFARE of her goddamned CHILD.

Also: Let People Besides Katsuki Curse 2k20!