Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All characters and ideas are property of Kohei Horikoshi. Thank you.
A/N: I have a warning for anyone who decides to read this. I went down a research rabbit hole with this anime/manga series, and I've managed to get more of an inside scoop on where the actual manga is headed. The first thing I want to do is warn you that this story POSSIBLY contains future spoilers. If you don't want any chance that this series will be spoiled for you down the road, DO NOT READ THIS XD. Depending on how the actual story plays out in the future, I may remove this warning… but we'll see. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading the first chapter of The Crux's Shield! Enjoy :)
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Recovery
The heavy thud of sneaker on pavement rang out through the air. Hot and tired breaths flowed in a synchronized pattern along with the rhythm of his feet and the swing of metal:
In, two, three, four...
Out, two, three...
Shoe laces lapped at the loose pebbles kicked about by worn soles, weathered from use and time as sweat droplets rained ever so lightly, sprinkling down only to be evaporated by the heat of the day before they reached collision with the ground.
The running stopped in front of a familiar apartment complex, and the swish of water no fresher than the day it was packaged ran down the throat of a 16 year old, and once quirkless, young man. His wavy green hair clung to his face, wet from perspiration as a result of his routine morning run.
He brought the water bottle away after chugging its contents and gasped for breath, his lungs on fire. Bringing out his phone he gave a satisfied smile as he read its display.
5.02 Miles
Time: 21 min 35 sec
"Well I'm definitely improving, I think I can bring it down more though…"
He had made it a habit to limit his runs to his natural body's abilities. Pushing himself to the limit was hard to do when his given quirk could take him the same distance in less than two minutes. He was pulled from his thoughts when he looked up to see his mother, Inko Midoriya, coming out of the upstairs apartment with a smile.
"Izu! Breakfast is ready! I imagine you're hungry!"
His innocent eyes complimented by the freckles scattered on his face lit up at the sound of food, and his stomach growled with a vengeance.
"Alright Mom! I'll be right there!" came his response, slightly deeper than it was just a few months ago. He was maturing, and although he couldn't exactly notice it himself, his mother had. She looked down at him in awe, realizing just how much he had grown up in the past year in his quest to become a hero. He now stood taller with broader shoulders, and while his muscles were not bulky like an ox, they held a firm and chiseled appearance that could cut diamond. And although he still carried around a slight baby face, his jawline and sharpened cheekbones were becoming impossibly hard to ignore. Her baby boy was growing into an adult, and fast.
However she couldn't help but also look at his new silver right arm. She sighed deeply. 'Now if only he could stop getting into so much trouble so he can LIVE to be an adult that would be great! Actually at this point I'm more worried about dying from these heart attacks he gives me-'
"Izuku definitely picks up after you with the whole muttering thing huh?" said a blonde haired man standing behind her from the doorway. He wore a black and dark gray pinstripe suit a good several sizes too large for him that exaggerated how thinly he really was. In that regard, due to a recent change of diet and exercise, he had already begun filling out to a slightly healthier level. However, he still was, in the words of Katsuki Bakugo, "skinny as fuck".
"Oh dear was I rambling again? I should really learn to control that," Inko fretted. "Have you eaten? I understand you only came to talk to Izuku and take him to school, but you're welcome to enjoy breakfast with us."
"Thank you Miss Midoriya, I would love to."
A flash of green electricity sparked next to the conversing adults.
"All Might!" a slightly out of breath Izuku exclaimed as he was perched on the balcony guard wall.
Inko felt slightly faint as she realized he had just jumped to their floor instead of just using the stairs like a normal person.
'There he goes giving me a heart attack again!'
"Young Midoriya! I'm actually here to take you to the Academy today, I have some important things to talk to you about on the way there is all."
Izuku wordlessly hopped off the ledge and hugged him.
"Midoriya," All Might said, and just like Inko, was fully aware of the metal arm being wrapped tightly around him, "I'm okay now, you don't have anything to worry about."
A light sniffle was heard before Izuku regained his composure, smiling brightly and wiping his eyes. "I-I'm sorry, I-I can't help it. I'll go get ready now," he said, before rushing into the apartment.
"Seems he's doing well," All Might said, observing the bounce in his successor's step.
"Oh trust me he's been dying to get back to class. I sometimes forget how much of a hero fanatic my son really is," Inko replies with a soft heartfelt laugh…
The trio sat at the table relatively quietly, each digging in to their own assortment of eggs, pancakes and sausage. Despite the simplicity of the breakfast, Izuku found it absolutely delicious.
Or he was just hungry.
Inko however was only almost done eating her first pancake when she decided to ask, "not to pry or anything, but I'm just curious. What exactly is it that you need to talk to my son about?"
All Might took the time to chew and swallow, downing it with a swig of orange juice before he answered, "oh, to be honest it's nothing too much. I'm just going to be giving him a run down of the new year and see how his quirk has progressed over the break is all."
"Oh yes! How has his quirk been coming along?"
"Miss Midoriya I honestly don't know at the moment because I haven't received word from him since the start of the break."
Inko paused. Then slowly turned towards Izuku.
"Izuku didn't I tell you to keep your quirk training updated with All Migh- er- Mr. Yagi?" A quick apologetic look was given to All Might before he raised his hand in polite dismissal, having taken no offense.
She continued, "have you not been doing what I asked? You may be becoming a young man, but it's still our job to look after you, please don't forget that."
Throughout Inko's reprimand Izuku was sputtering, trying to rebuttal that, although few and far between, he had indeed been sending updates to All Might… or at least he was about to rebuttal until he caught on that All Might was actually diverting her from finding too much information. One look at his mentor's almost pleading eyes was all it took for him to understand.
"But I! Uh! But! Bu-," he paused before slightly lowering his head in defeat, "yes ma'am."
All Might snorted in laughter before his eyes widened. Izuku knew their cover had just been broken. Suddenly All Might began to forcibly cough up blood. 'What the hell? You can control that now?' Izuku thought.
The tension was short lived as his mother began to panic. "Oh my god! Mr. Yagi are you ok? Let me get you some water just stay put!" As she got up to get him a glass Izuku couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the little stunt his mentor just pulled. His intimidating glare towards All Might was met with a mischievous wink before his face contorted back to a mask of feigned pain.
Izuku's mother wouldn't calm down either, "oh you poor thing…!"
'I don't even know,' thought Izuku.
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"Since when did you get so sly huh?" Izuku's interrogation began almost immediately upon departure.
"I learned from the best! The students of course! You guys are always sneaking trying to get away with things…" All Might said as he drove them in his truck.
Izuku just sighed.
"Key word: trying. You guys would be terrible mentors in stealth considering you haven't once been able to pull off anything under the radar without being caught," All Might chuckled, teasing his successor.
"Hey! We-"
"Speaking of which, that brings me to what I want to talk about," All Might said seriously.
"Oh? What is it?"
"Due to… certain circumstances," at that Izuku's eyes went dark, "and the fact that your class in particular has been through so much compared to any other class in our school's history, your progress to becoming pro heroes has become quite fast tracked."
Izuku's dark mood lifted slightly at the implication of this as All Might continued.
"Because of this, your classes will start to become fast paced, and we trust for each of you to be able to keep up with the extra work we're about to put you all through. With most of your class already having a provisional license in your first year, which in itself is almost unheard of, internships will be running year round. This is an offer we usually only extend to the third year students, but a discussion between the staff and Principal Nezu led us to believe that all of you have developed enough to take on this challenge."
Izuku's eyes were practically gleaming with excitement over this new information.
'Theoretically, this means I'll get to work as a sidekick for most of the year!'
However, his positive thoughts were then cut short.
"Which brings me back to what I was saying before… Since you'll be out along with the pros and doing the real thing, keep the sneaky business out of it as much as you can. I can't stress this enough. The real hero world isn't like U.A. is Midoriya, as getting in trouble as a pro has much more severe consequences than getting in trouble while simply being a student. It would look extremely bad on your record, and any hero agency would think twice or more about hiring a hero they don't know if they can trust. Do you see where I'm going with this?"
"Yes sir, I understand. Doing all the things we did last year while we're actually working with pros would endanger our careers…"
"... And people Midoriya. When working with other pros heros, trust is a crucial factor in how a situation will turn out, and can mean the difference between life and death for yourself, who you're saving, or even another hero." The engine of the truck was all that was heard for several seconds. "We've lost… too many heroes just this past term, and I almost lost you along with your entire class… we don't need more."
More silence ensued. It was too soon to think about.
All Might cleared his throat to break the tension, "Just please remember that. I admire your great heroic attitude, but make sure to use that head of yours as well. You're very smart, smarter than I ever was at your age, but what you often lack is general communication and self confidence."
"I-I know, I've never really been great at talking to people."
"Midoriya you have far exceeded my expectations when it comes to leading under pressure, but now," he paused his words as he turned into the next street, "now I want you to become a natural leader, one who can make the best decision out of any given situation. It's a difficult task, I know, even one that I wasn't able to fully grasp. But you, my boy, most definitely have that potential. Also, I know you're not exactly ready to talk about this, but… I want to thank you again for everything that you did. Because of you, many heroes and many of your classmates are still here to fight on."
Izuku's eyes began watering, his emotional turmoil still ever so present from the battle with Shigaraki's Liberation army just a few months back.
"I say again Midoriya, and I speak for everyone when I say this."
The tears poured.
"Thank you so much."
"All Might I- I don't know w-what to s-say… Umm thank you so much for seeing me in such a high regard! And I promise I won't let you down! I'll *sniff* do everything I can to make sure of that!"
"NOW THAT'S THE ATTITUDE I WANNA SE- ACK!" his sudden change into his buff form lasted for the better half of 2 seconds before he deflated again, spraying blood all over his windshield.
"ALL MIGHT THE ROAD!"
"SHIT I KNOW!"
The next three minutes were spent with Izuku bawling his eyes out as they began swerving through traffic, trying to clear the windshield.
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"Midoriya, why the hell… on the first day of your second year… are you late?"
"Uhh you see, All Might was giving me a ride to school, but then he got pulled over because of reckless driving but it was an accident and he's not actually a reckless driver and honestly I was probably in his way 'cause I was trying to clean the windshield but I couldn't see very well because I was crying and also because he tried to go buff and-"
"Midoriya you know I can't understand you when you're muttering, and why don't you have your school jacket on? And why is it covered in blood?"
"That's becau-"
"Actually I don't wanna know, just have a seat. I heard the name All Might somewhere in your muttering so I'll just ask him later."
Izuku emitted a very high pitched, "yes sir!" before rushing to his seat in embarrassment.
"Alright kids listen up. I'm gonna give you guys time to think about or discuss who your pick for the new Class President and Vice President will be for this year. I'm gonna go have a little chat with All Might.." He promptly walked out of the classroom without a second word or thought.
Izuku looked towards the rest of the class with a smile, ready to start the day when he realized that no one… absolutely no one… was uttering a single word.
'What the…'
"Hey is everything alright man?" asked the purple haired hero behind him.
"Yeah I'm good Mineta, just had kind of a crazy morning," he saw Momo giving him a concerned look, holding a thumbs up in question as if to ask, "you good?"
He smiled and gave a thumbs up back with his right gloved hand before turning back around to face the front, already feeling extremely awkward about the silence in the air.
"Hey Izuku when was the last time you checked the group chat?" it was Uraraka, and the tension in the class suddenly became much higher, some of his classmates seemingly becoming unexplainably spastic.
"U-umm lemme think… I think it was… a couple months ago?"
Suddenly Ochako's eyelids lowered, her face becoming slightly depressed at the implication. "I noticed you haven't been very social lately, are you sure everything is alrigh-"
"Quit being a fucking baby Deku! We're all alive and that's all that matters! Get the fuck over yourself! Quit being so fucking sad 'cause it's PISSING me off!"
In a way, even if Bakugo's rant was somewhat rude, alright VERY rude, it calmed him. He needed that kick in the rear to draw him out of his stupor.
"Hey man have you really not checked the group chat like… at all?" Mineta asked from behind him.
"I-I'm sorry guys if there's something I'm supposed to know I can look to check right now if you need me to."
"Not necessary. In time you'll be filled in Midoriya. Iida will explain afterwards. For now we're just waiting for Mr. Aizawa to get back" explained Todoroki from his seat.
"C-Can I at least have a hint?"
"NO!" most of the class said collectively.
Izuku's head shrunk between his shoulders at the sudden outburst.
"Don't worry Izuku, it's nothing bad!" Kirishima laughed, "whether you like it or not I have no idea… But trust me when I say everything that's about to happen is for the best!"
What followed afterward was another intense period of awkward silence. One in which Izuku began thinking of every possible scenario his friends would be so adamant about keeping secret from him. Was he in trouble? Surely not. He couldn't think of anything he did besides this morning that would earn him any sort of reprimand. Was he being dropped? Wait, that would go with the trouble question.
'No, they couldn't have figured out about One for All. There's no way…' He turned back towards the class again, all of them giving off an ominous energy as they stared him down.
'No calm down Izuku! Calm down! Calm down! Calm dow-'
"Yes Mr. Midoriya calm down before you start your muttering again," said Mr. Aizawa as he entered the class. He continued, "everyone in the front row come take a stack of voting slips and pass them back to your fellow classmates."
After a moment of waiting for the slips to be passed out, Izuku thought long and hard about who he would vote for. He was at a crossroads between Momo and Iida, as both of them, in his opinion, showed exemplary qualities in the form of leading by example. They were always by the book, and pushed for everyone to better themselves. Although both had admirable quirks, Izuku wasn't about to let that decide who should lead. Kacchan had an amazing quirk, but would, by far, be the worst Class President imaginable. 'Or would that go to Mineta?' Either way he was pulled out of his thoughts when he realized he was the only person who hadn't turned in a slip.
"Anytime now problem child," announced Mr. Aizawa.
He made up his mind and hurriedly wrote out 'Yaoyorozu' on his ballet before hastily making his way to turn it in to his teacher. After taking his seat he watched as Mr. Aizawa read through the votes, counting them all. He could've sworn he saw his eye twitch upon seeing the results; multiple times in fact.
"Alright class, your Vice President for this year will be Yaoyorozu," he announced. A collective cheer from Kyoka, Mineta, Mina, and Kaminari sounded through the classroom as Koda and Izuku just smiled, happy that their vote had won.
"And for your Class President this year…" Izuku had never seen him roll his eyes so hard. In the most monotone and unenthusiastic voice anyone had ever heard from the night hero, he spoke.
"Izuku Midoriya."
He stood up and immediately protested, "AGAIN?"
"You and Yaoyorozu, come up front and center please."
As the two made their way up, Iida made firm eye contact with Izuku and gave a nod of approval. He looked towards Momo and noticed her giving him an approving smile as well.
"...whether you like it or not I have no idea but trust me when I say everything that's about to happen is for the best!"
Izuku finally understood, and upon reaching the front of the classroom he gained a new sense of confidence. Before he spoke, Momo voiced, "thank you for once again allowing me to be your Vice President, I'll make sure to be just as effective, if not more, as I was last year. Thank you." She finished her small speech with a bow, earning a small applause from the class before she erected herself to turn towards Izuku expectantly.
Izuku breathed in and out deeply, clenched his fists and steeled himself. His classmates were relying on him, and he knew that within himself he had the ability to make the right decision. Everyone in the classroom's eyes widened as he finally spoke with newfound certainty.
"AS CLASS PRESIDENT I RECOMMEND AND APPOINT THIS POSITION OVER TO IIDA TENYA FO-"
Iida violently stood up straight, knocking his chair over from the sudden ferocity and shouted, "REJECTED!"
"BUT-"
"BUT NO."
"IIDA I-"
"YES YOU CAN!"
"Wait how did you know what I was gonna say THAT time?"
"I'm one of your best friends Midoriya. Also, sometimes you're exceedingly predictable."
They stood, staring each other down. 'I was sure Iida would've made a better Class President than me, and I was even more confident that he'd want to take the role if given to him. What's going on?" He thought as he then looked to the rest of the class. He couldn't really see anyone who could match up to Iida's example except for Momo, and she was already the Vice President.
Izuku finally gave in with an exasperated sigh. He once again calmed himself, standing tall as he gave his class a confident smile.
"W-Well then, i-if you really think I'm fit for being your Class President, t-then I guess I have no choice but to accept the offer. Everyone… thank you! I won't let you down!" he closed his eyes, taking a moment to keep his voice from shaking. His classmates were relying on him, and to them, he had already become a Symbol of Hope. 'This is for Sir Nighteye, Hawk, Grand Torino, Ms. Joke, Endeavor, and so many more…' he thought.
"L-Let's-" he couldn't stop himself from sniffling as he powered through, "S-sorry… Let's work hard this year, for everyone we lost, and for everyone… for everyone who's still with us!" He bowed to hide his tears as he finished, earning applause from the class. It was obvious Izuku was crying, but he wasn't the only one. Tears from some of the other students came forth as well, the pain of recent events being too much to contain within themselves. It was too much to bear alone.
And although Mr. Aizawa kept a calm and emotionless face, he couldn't help but feel the powerful tearing of his heart as well.
-0-0-0-0-0-
After a somewhat uneventful opening ceremony, Izuku found himself making his way up to the roof to eat lunch, pausing when he heard Iida call out to him.
"Midoriya!"
Walking beside him was Momo as they caught up.
"Do you mind if we eat with you today? We just wanted to talk with you about what you'll be doing as Class President this year," she said.
Iida turned his gaze from the Vice President back to Izuku, "yes, I most certainly believe it would benefit you to receive advice from a source of insight. Yaoyorozu and I will guide you through the ropes of what you'll be looking to accomplish."
Izuku couldn't help but smile at the fact that his classmates were willing to go so far for someone like him.
"Really guys, thank you so much. I don't exactly understand what it is you see in me to become our Class President, but I swear I'll live up to those expectations. I d-do have a q-question though," Izuku faced Iida awkwardly. "How come you didn't want to have the position this year?"
Iida stared back in thought, taking a few seconds before responding.
"Izuku," he placed his hand on his green haired friend's shoulder, emerald eyes widening at the use of his first name, "something I don't think you quite grasp Is just how much you've risen beyond our expectations. You have constantly taken the lead when the rest of us stood back and did nothing in countless situations. Your drive to succeed is beyond anything I've ever seen Izuku." The boy being praised could tell from the look on Iida's face that he wasn't just saying this to pass off the responsibilities of Class President. His friend was talking from the heart, and he meant everything he said. Oddly enough, it still baffled him that he had classmates and friends who viewed him in such a positive light.
"I have watched you," continued Iida, "grow from the timid hero you once were, to the hero I see in front of me who has accomplished more than any of us have in the past year! You've proven yourself in everything from our practical exercises to taking down Overhaul! From getting Todoroki out of his shell to saving my life from Stain. You led us during the provisional license exam and you led us when saving Bakugo… and… and… you saved us! You saved so many of us…"
Iida's grip on Izuku's shoulder tightened his voice shaking slightly before settling again. "You've endured and pushed through unimaginable pain that at first had me believing you were simply a madman. But upon further inspection, it became obvious that it was just the extent of your resolve, and it is far above anyone else's I've ever seen! Countless times you've made me question my own decisions as a leader, and countless times I've learned how to be a leader from your example. If what you've been showing us isn't leadership material, then I haven't the slightest clue what is. Izuku I… uh… Izuku?"
Izuku's face was one of shock, almost unflinchingly frozen as his eyes streamed with tears. "You broke him…" chuckled Momo as she grabbed Izuku's wrist and pulled him towards the stairs. "C'mon let's go eat guys, I don't know about you but I'm starving! We'll talk more about this once we've got some food in us."
Izuku just nodded as he was dragged along by his two classmates.
After some time explaining daily responsibilities and tasks he would have as the new Class President, Iida and Momo simply conversed about their break and how they spent it. "Midoriya, you don't sound like you had too much fun over your break. All you did was train?" asked the female creationist.
"Well, I honestly like to train, so to me it is fun. I-I can understand why people wouldn't see that though. It was also a good… um… distraction heh..."
"No I understand where you're coming from. I mean, I enjoy reading encyclopedias and chemistry books in my free time! I doubt you'll see many who do that…"
"Don't worry Midoriya, I too like the rush of training. Pushing myself to my limits is the only way I'll get stronger and faster! I'll have you know I've managed to push my Recipro Burst time up to twenty minutes now!"
"Oh wow seriously? That's great Iida! And Yaoyorozu I like to read a lot too. I-I just do most of my research on quirks, you've probably seen my journals…" Izuku said, scratching his head awkwardly.
There was a moment of silence as they finished eating before Iida got up and left, saying he had to let the reps for class 1-B know that there was a change in leadership. This left only Izuku and Momo to look over the rooftop and to the school campus below.
"You ready for our school training to get started back up?" Momo asked, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, but with this new position I've been put in it seems like I'll be even busier than ever…" Izuku said, laughing a bit nervously.
"Oh don't worry about it, you have me to guide you through it! Don't worry it's really not as much work as you think it is. It's not so much paperwork as it is just keeping the class informed and in control is all."
"Oh ok, I mean either way I could always just adjust to the workload, I was just concerned about getting caught off guard by it."
"And that's what I'm for. As Vice President I'll be there to lighten the workload, so we'll be seeing each other quite a bit from now on. Now that I think about it we haven't really talked that much to begin with, I guess this will let us become good friends," she held out her hand and smiled as she said, "I hope we get along."
Izuku looked at her hand for a moment, hesitating that a girl wanted to hold hands with him. 'It's not a big deal, it's just a handshake…'
He took her hand and they shook.
"Izuku are you ok? Why's your face so red?"
"Oh nothing!" he exclaimed as he looked off to the side, looking anywhere but her face.
Momo let go of his hand and looked on concern for him. "Anyway, before we head our separate ways we should probably exchange contact information. If you have any questions about being the new President just text or call me. Or if you just wanna talk in general go ahead and do that as well, I'll be looking forward to it since I wouldn't say we exactly know each other too well," she explained.
The whole time Momo typed her number in his phone, Izuku was holding back a blush. The storm of sweat brewing inside of him was blocked off through sheer will power alone as he typed his number into Momo's phone as well. They handed their phones back to each other as they were making their way back to class, with the Vice President telling him that she'd talk again after school. Upon entering the classroom, she squeezed Izuku's arm "I know we're just now getting to know each other, but if you ever need someone to vent or talk to, I'd be happy to listen. Take it as a thank you... for saving me… and everyone else here." With that let go of him and took her seat behind Mineta. Izuku slowly walked over to his seat, thinking about what she said.
"Lucky bastard, now you get to hang out with Yaoyorozu all the time," whispered Mineta, trying to lighten the young hero's mood in his own weird way.
Izuku just blushed before turning around, "look we're just friends alright?"
"Yeah and you're just friends with Uraraka right? What about that naked girl from the license exam? And you're just 'friends' with Melissa right? And what about Tsuyu and-"
"Y-Yes they're all just friends! Th-That's all there is to it! I swear! And I don't even know anything about the girl from the exam!"
"You should see the way they look at you," Mineta mumbled.
"S-sorry, I didn't hear you. What was that?"
"Oh nothing…"
"Class listen up," Mr. Aizawa said, gathering the class's attention. "We have a new goal for this year that involves someone that the problem child over here helped last year." He looked towards the classroom entrance, "you can go ahead and come in."
All eyes peered to the doorway as a little girl with small yellow horn sticking out of her silver hairline walked through slowly. She held her head down nervously, peering up at the students with her adorable ruby eyes.
"Eri!" the class exclaimed as the little girl's face flinched slightly. She looked around until her eyes landed on Izuku. Before anyone could say anything the freckled boy found his shirt being clutched tightly after the girl had decided to cling herself to him.
"See? It's like the female gender just lives for you," Mineta whispered quietly and out of earshot.
"She's still shy around large crowds so in the meantime try to be patient with her," Mr. Aizawa explained. "In time I'm sure she'll grow to be more accepting of everyone here. However if something goes wrong with her, be sure the first person you notify is me or another staff member here. If one isn't present for any reason, stay away from her entirely, as her quirk is still unstable. Midoriya these rules only partially apply to you. Since you're able to handle her when her quirk loses control, you'll be the first person to go to her if no other authorized pro heros are around to take care of her. She somehow also trusts you the most out of everyone here, so your job will be to calm her if she does become uncontrollable. Any questions?"
"No sir," Izuku replied, holding Eri protectively through instinct. Seeing her still reminded him of the day he could've saved her from Overhaul. Even to this day, he regretted not rescuing her from the Yakuza boss when he and Mirio first saw them in the alley. If he had saved her then, Sir Nighteye would possibly still be alive, Mirio would have his quirk, and the other students there at the time could've possibly been saved from getting injured so severely.
Mr. Aizawa noticed the intense gaze in Izuku's eyes, "Good, on that note, the reason for this is help help Eri get a hold of her quirk so she doesn't become unstable in the future. We want her to be able to live her own life without the constant need of supervision. Midoriya along with this you'll be coming before class every so often to help Eri with her quirk training. It'll be a help for both you. You'll be learning how to manage Full Cowl more effectively, and Eri will learn how to manage her Reversal quirk. We're killing two birds with one stone here. This babysitting job I'm giving you is only during school hours, as she has a room prepped with us to ensure she's watched overnight."
He eyed the class to make sure no face was lost in confusion. Satisfied that everyone understood, he finished off, "now I understand that it's just past lunch time, but almost all of you haven't been to your dorm rooms in a while, so I imagine there are things you'd like to take care of. I have nothing else for you today, and your classes don't start until tomorrow so I'm letting you all go. Get out."
-0-0-0-0-0-
Everyone from classes 1-A and 1-B had been let out early. 'I guess they were feeling nice today,' thought Izuku as he walked in between Uraraka and Iida.
"So Deku, you excited about being the Class Prez this year?" asked the cheery brunette.
"I'm ready for anything you guys throw at me! I have Iida and Yayorozu to thank for giving me the confidence to accept my position!"
"Midoriya you give me too much credit. Honestly speaking, I think I just opened your eyes to your actual capabilities, or at least somewhat. I believe you've had the confidence for quite some time now, it's hidden deep within you."
"S-see? Iida gives some pretty good motivational speeches huh?" Izuku said, slightly blushing in embarrassment.
"Did I hear my name somewhere here?" a female voice asked from behind them.
"Oh! Momo whats up!" Uraraka said.
Momo gave a slight smirk as she fit herself between Uraraka and Izuku, motioning for someone behind them with a wave of her hand. Within seconds Kyoka had appeared along with Momo on either side of Uraraka, giving wickedly mischievous smiles. Izuku suddenly sneezed as the two both began whispering to Uraraka. Neither Iida or Izuku could hear what was said however, as Kyoka used her jacks to cancel out any noise that tried to escape. All they could do was watch as Uraraka's face suddenly turned a very bright shade of red. Her eyes went wide as she quickly tried to respond. Izuku, try as he might, could still not hear anything, but opted to try reading her lips instead.
'Is it still that obvious?'
Huh? Or at least that's what it seemed like the blushing girl said. Either way, he had not a clue what they were talking about and instead just decided he would talk with Iida as they walked back to their dorms.
'I'm not sure if I even wanna know…' thought Izuku.
"Hey Midoriya, do you have plans today?" Iida said, pulling Izuku out of his thoughts.
"Uh… no. Why?"
"I was wondering if you would like to join me and a few others. We're going out in town to enjoy the rest of the day as a way to celebrate us all coming together again."
"Ooh I'd like to go!" Uraraka exclaimed, her face still recovering from the blushing mess it was just a few seconds ago. "Deku you should come too!" she said as she got closer to his face.
Izuku froze up. 'Always. Too. Close,' he whimpered to himself. His face blazed crimson before he answered weakly, "y-yes… I-I'll come too…"
"Ochako give the poor guy a break!" a pink skinned girl suddenly said, catching up to the group of friends. She got in front of Izuku and began walking backwards, keeping pace with their steps.
"On second thought, hold the phone! Ochako I don't blame you for wanting to get close now! Look at that jawline! Izuku what happened to your face? You used to look like a baby!" exclaimed Mina as she examined him, suddenly coming to a realization
"Uh… I-I d-don't know… uh…"
"Izuku you got hot!"
Izuku's face glowed bright red, his face heating up as he lost the ability to speak.
"Daang Ochako you know how to pick'em!" she winked at Uraraka who was now at the exact same state Izuku was at this point.
After calming down Iida spoke up again, "Mina you coordinated this event, who else will be coming?"
"So far it's you, me, Ochako, Izuku, Momo, Kyoka, Kirishima, and Shinso. I went ahead and invited him along since he's our newest dude. He doesn't seem to have many friends yet."
"I thought he was trying to tell us he didn't want friends," Momo said, intrigued at the sudden change.
"Oh no he definitely said that!" Mina laughed, "but I also told him I'd quit bothering him if he just agreed to it. He agreed to come way too fast after that…" her laughter turned into an awkward chuckle at this revelation. "Well, I think it'll still do him some good regardless. I want to see him become more social with us, and Kirishima and I are determined to make that happen!" She raised her fist to emphasize her drive to succeed. She turned around as they neared the entrance to the 1-A class dorms and opened a glass door as Izuku opened the other. A chorus of thanks was given by most of the students passing through before Mina and Izuku were the last ones.
She grabbed his shoulder to get his attention and looked him in the eye, "Izuku... I think you sell yourself too short. I wasn't saying that just to compliment you, you know? I was saying that because it's true, and you seem like you could use a little confidence boost after seeing your mood today. We're trying to move on Izuku, and I think you should too. I can tell this has been eating you up inside along with Todoroki, so I'm just trying to cheer you up. And I like to tease you, your reactions are cute!" she laughed as he again turned a brilliant shade of red.
As they walked through the doors she elbowed his prosthetic arm lightly, "seriously though, you're a lot more than you give yourself credit for. I mean it."
He flinched slightly, still getting used to the altered feeling in his new appendage, "Thanks Ashido, I appreciate it."
"You don't need to thank me, if anything I should be thanking you. Just don't let my compliments turn you into Bakugo and we'll be good. Now cheer up already! I'm gonna go beat some sense into Todoroki now!""
Izuku chuckled to himself as she left.
"We're trying to move on Izuku, and I think you should too."
'I'll do it, for everyone relying on me.'