Todoroki had closed the curtains. With the swish from the fabric and the jingle from the metal parts, the two were closed off from the rest of the world. They were the only ones in the dimly lit room. It was just them, and Todoroki preferred it that way. He didn't want the whole daycare staring at them like some aquarium exhibit. He didn't want them staring at Izuku. He didn't want them staring at him.

Izuku had begun unpacking his backpack onto the playmat. He had sat on the pillow the redhead had pointed out for him. He didn't seem to mind the situation at all. He had just been left alone with a total stranger and he was just humming and smiling there on the floor.

He was odd. Izuku was odd, and Todoroki was curious.

He also decided that he couldn't leave the boy alone. Not even for a minute. Who knows who would kidnap the innocent child. And the worst part is, Izuku would hold their hand and smile as they did that.

Todoroki quietly returned to the smaller boy's side, sitting down. He took a good look at Izuku. He seemed to be okay. Happy even. Todoroki had seen how the other kids had looked at him when the three had walked through the yard. He was hoping it hadn't affected the boy. Todoroki himself had already learned to block them out.

"What is this?" Todoroki pointed at the notebook on the floor. The letters on the cover were messy and hardly legible. 'Hero' was the only thing he could make out. The pages were frayed and yellow with both dirt and age. The covers could hardly contain the contents, some pictures bursting out from between the pages.

"A hero diary! Want to look?" Izuku asked and rather than waiting for an answer, opened the book on a random page and pushed it to the boy.

It was Present Mic's spread. The letters were wobbly but the pictures were good and full of details. The costume and the equipment were just like they were in real life. The written facts and such were all true and up to date. The different colors of the letters told of constant updates.

"Mic said that I did well when he saw this", Izuku told him, "He said that I didn't catch his handsome face though."

Todoroki smiled, "I think it's good. The face is good."

He thought that it was weird that Izuku would say it like that. He had shown the pages to Mic? He had actually seen the hero in real life? Todoroki didn't believe it but played along.

"Really?!" Izuku jumped up and down on his pillow. At least he was still sitting on it. Todoroki considered it an achievement.

"Really. I could never draw this good."

"Yes you can!"

"I can't. You're really good. These are better than the ones on TV", Todoroki pointed to the picture, "You even got his speaker system right."

If it was possible, Izuku's smile was wider than before. He nodded furiously, "He can aim the voice with those! It's so cool! Hey hey! Did you know that Mic doesn't like bugs? I tried to show him a beetle I had caught but he just screamed and fainted! Aizawa laughed and said that we should wait until he wakes up and show it to him again. He said that Mic didn't get a good look the first time."

Todoroki had clearly pressed some sort of a switch. The boy just went on and on.

"Who is this Aizawa? Is he your father?" the redhead asked, hoping to change the subject. The three hadn't looked anything alike.

"Nope!" Izuku had taken out his crayons and apparently decided that Mic's hair needed to be even more yellow. His tongue poked out from the corner of his mouth as he worked on the new masterpiece.

Todoroki was beginning to think that the boy never stayed still.

"A guardian?"

"Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Yagi are my new guardians", Izuku explained, "I'll live with them until father gets out."

"Out?"

"Of prison."

Todoroki thought of asking why the man was in prison but finally decided not to. It might be a bad topic for the boy. The last thing Todoroki wanted was to upset the boy. He had been asked to look after Izuku, not to bully him. And if his parents had taught him something, it was manners.

"Who is your favorite hero?" Izuku suddenly asked, "Mine is All Might!"

He had abandoned his coloring project already and instead now stared at Todoroki with those huge green eyes of his. Todoroki felt like the boy could see right through him. Though he also thought that those eyes should be able to shoot lasers. They were just so big and sparkly.

"I-I don't know. Eraserhead is pretty cool", Todoroki mumbled.

"I know! I like him a lot too. I don't know. Eraserhead is my second favorite. Really close to All Might! Right next to him!" Izuku waved his hands trying to mime just how close the two were.

Really, really close was what Todoroki could make out. He just nodded. He didn't know what else to do or say. The boy was really overwhelming.

"Look!" Izuku pulled out the figures he always had with him. He had made sure to pack them with him this morning as well. He put them to Todoroki's lap, expecting a reaction. He held his oldest figure close to his chest.

"We went to eat burgers."

"Hmm", Todoroki nodded, "You got these then?"

The topics of their conversation were jumping like little frogs or rabbits. Guess heroes was a common road they tried to follow at least.

"Yeah. I couldn't decide so I got both."

Izuku's guardians were really nice. Todoroki could tell that much.

"They're awesome", the redhead nodded. He carefully handed them back to Izuku. The figures were the regular cheap, colorful plastic you got from most fast food children's sets. Todoroki had the whole set back home.

The only difference was how much Izuku loved his toys. To Todoroki they were just toys, but to Izuku they were like a treasure. The old, broken figure sitting on Izuku's lap showed that the best. The way Izuku handled it with such care and even the way he looked at it.

Todoroki didn't know what to say. He wasn't that good with social interactions. He didn't have that many friends either. It was mostly because of his face. The scar scared many of the kids. Some even called him a monster because of it.

But Izuku hadn't, he hadn't even spared it a second look. He had taken Todoroki's hand and smiled that huge smile. He had pointed to the bandage on his cheek, telling that they were the same.

"Izuku? Can I call you Izuku?" Todoroki asked.

"Hm! You can call me Izuku. We are friends!" Izuku nodded, "But you can call me Deku too."

"Deku?"

"A nickname", a tilt of the head, "What is your name?"

"Todoroki Shoto. You can call me Shoto."

"Okay! Shoto is a really nice name!" Izuku smiled, hugging the pillow he was supposed to be sitting on. He had put the figures back into his backpack and was fully focused on the redhead sitting in front of him.

"Izuku is too", Shoto smiled. Izuku had called him a friend. He wasn't afraid of him either. This could really become something. And for once, Shoto wanted it to become something.

"Izuku? Do you know what Halloween is?" Shoto asked.

"Halloween? Can you eat it?" Izuku was confused.

A smile, "Not really. Well, in a way I guess you can. Yeah, you can eat Halloween."

"What is it? What is it?" that got the boy's attention. If you can eat it, it's good.

"Have you watched TV lately?"

"I always watch the news and the hero shows!" Izuku saluted.

Shoto could guess that much. All that information didn't come from thin air.

"Have you seen any change? Have the sets been decorated different?"

"Hmmm. Ah! Mic had this weird orange thing on his head yesterday!" Izuku tried to mime the shape and size of the thing, "It got stuck on his head!"

Todoroki pointed to the wall of the room. They had cut paper pumpkins last week and those were now stuck to the wall with some tape. He pointed to his one, telling that he had made that one.

Izuku had to take a closer look. That was just how interested he was in the art project.

"You did this?! It's so pretty! I want to do one too!"

"I-I could help you make one", Shoto mumbled.

"Really?! You'll help me?!"

"Yeah. So, have you seen those around?" Shoto guided Izuku to sit by the class' art and crafts table as he fetched the carboards and other things they would need. The children couldn't use the scissors without the adults present, so they would have to use the children's scissors. They hardly cut as well but they didn't have a choice.

"Yeah! I've seen those. What are they called?" Izuku wanted to know.

"These are Jack-o-lanterns. They're made from pumpkins."

"And you can eat pumpkins?"

"Yeah."

"We have three", Izuku put his fingers up, four. Shoto gently corrected him, putting one finger down before nodding, three.

Someone living in the same apartment complex as the three had put out three pumpkins and some other decorations to welcome the fall season. Izuku had really liked the colors but hadn't asked Yagi and Aizawa what they were back then.

Shoto was glad he had found an old print from the last week's art class. He didn't really know how to draw a Jack-o-lantern.

"Here. Now we just cut it out", Shoto helped Izuku cut out the shape. They had a lot of trouble with the eyes. In the end, they decided to just color them black.

Izuku let Shoto cut the shape out. He had never used scissors before.

"Do you want to decorate it? What do you want to use?" Shoto checked to see what they had.

"This!" Izuku pulled out a tube of orange glitter. The boy really had an eye for colors.

"You know, you can get candy on Halloween", Shoto explained.

There was glitter everywhere. The table was pretty much covered with it. Some had even found its way onto the faces of the two. But they didn't mind, they were having fun.

"Candy? How?" Izuku hadn't really had the time to become that familiar with candy. He had tasted chocolate and would always get something small from the nurses and doctors when he visited the hospital. That was all. Aizawa always preferred fruits and berries to sugar.

"I could show you", Shoto said, "We could go together."

"Really? You would?"

"Of course. We are friends, right?"

Izuku nodded with a smile, "So, what do we do?"

"We need to dress up and go from house to house."

"Why?"

"That's how we get the candy. We go trick or treating."

"He looks like a sweet boy, he really does", the young employee said. He kept rolling a fountain pen in his left hand while he handled the many papers with the other. It seemed like a nervous tic of some sorts. Sitting down and doing almost nothing must be difficult for a person working in an environment like this one. Aizawa and All Might knew now just how much you could worry about a child.

The employees looked young. The two couldn't tell his exact age but he looked at least five years younger than them.

His medium length, brown hair had natural curls in it. They bounced up and down every time the man moved his head. It was rather hypnotic. Especially when combined with the brown eyes and rather bushy eyebrows. Freckles were sprinkled on his cheeks and nose, making him look even younger and childish. He looked like a forest fairy hidden in the large green woolen sweater he was wearing.

The three were sitting in the staff room. Three cups of coffee sitting in between them on the messy table. A tray of cookies had also been found somewhere and placed next to the cups.

"Ah, sorry. It's always like this in here. You can't be clean and organized with this many kids around", the man kept apologizing, "We haven't even introduced ourselves yet! My name is Fukuro Jiro. Just call me Jiro."

"It's alright", Aizawa nodded, "Aizawa. Nice to meet you."

"Yagi", All Might introduced himself as well.

"Have you visited many places already? Or is this your first location?" Jiro asked, pointing to a line for a signature.

"This is the first. We were planning to visit all the places today. We even packed lunch with us", All Might wrote his name down, "Izuku was so excited all morning."

"Go with the boy's rules. He might get tired sooner that you think. Daycare and social interactions are tiring", the young man smiled. He pulled out a couple more documents for the two to fill. As if they weren't busy enough with the ones they had already.

"Thank you for the tip. We were thinking about that as well but Izuku himself insisted", Aizawa nodded.

"He seems mature for his age."

"Yes. It's easy to forget how young he is sometimes", All Might agreed, "He talks like an adult at times."

"You did mention something about his past on the phone. How was his relationship with his parents? I understand you are his legal guardians now. How come?" Jiro leaned his elbows on the table, knocking a messy stack of papers off as he did so, "Of course you don't have to tell me! Patient protection and all that."

"It's alright. I feel like you need to know some things at least. His mother died at childbirth and his father is in jail. He abused Izuku both mentally and physically", Aizawa explained, biting his lip as he did, "We were there when he got arrested. It wasn't a pretty sight."

The worker sighed, bringing his hand to his face, "Why does it always have to end like this? Of course, you two are the best that has happened to him in a long time for sure. I'd just love to see children with their biological parents if possible. Call me old-school but that is how I see it. The bond is that much stronger with your birth parents."

"That isn't always possible", Aizawa agreed, "We are doing our best."

"I can see that. You're doing really well for first time parents. Izuku really seems to like you. He is comfortable with you as well. I believe you haven't been together for that long. You've made really good progress considering that. Some kids would still be sulking under their beds all mute."

"You could see that all from that short meeting?"

"Yeah. You learn a thing or two in this business. Don't get the wrong idea. I almost decided to major in psychology before I ended up choosing pedagogy. Actually, my father is the boss here."

"Your father?"

"A bit weird, huh? You always think your doctor is a male and your daycare worker is a female. Gender roles are a stupid thing, aren't they?" the man huffed with a smile, "Yes, my father has run this place for over ten years. I began working here just recently but I've always heard stories from him. I was kind of destined for this job. Not that it matters. I love it here. I'm thinking of taking over one day."

"I think I actually saw his face in the papers just the other day", Aizawa mumbled, "It was something about equal and free education. Or was it something else?"

"It's his passion. He would go on and on about equal rights in education if you'd give him the chance. He really should be in politics. And yeah, his face really is hard to miss. Not to mention it's huge."

"A Quirk?" Aizawa could remember looking at the man for a long time. His face was that of a horned owl's. His piercing orange eyes would've made him look intimidating hadn't it been for the man's round build and gentle voice. Aizawa guessed he could move the head like the bird too. Must be useful in the job.

"Yes. I think I have some of his genes too. I always grow these tiny, itchy feathers on my arms when fall and migration time come", Jiro explained as he moved his sleeves to show the two the feathers. They were grey in color and not the prettiest sight. The skin around them was irritated and red.

"I've learned to live with them. My wife says they're cute but annoying when they block the vacuum. I have to agree. Actually, she works here as well. Guess this really is a family business."

"How do you deal with Quirks?" All Might asked. It was a good time to ask now that the topic had already been mentioned.

There were different approaches to children and developing Quirks. Some daycares and later schools only took in Quirkless children while others took only those with Quirks. It had always been an ethical question. Lately, the talk had been more and more heated.

"We have both in our staff as well as the children in here. My father has never bought the whole 'Quirks make you special' thing. I mean, a Quirkless can be smart and successful as much as someone with a Quirk", the employee explained, "Since you asked, I presume Izuku doesn't…?"

"He is Quirkless. X-rays from the hospital confirmed it", Aizawa sighed. It was just cruel. They both knew how much little Izuku wanted to become a hero. They both knew how good he would've been.

"That is alright. Most of our kids do have Quirks but it's just a coincidence that we got that many for this year's class. They're all good kids. Izuku will surely feel welcome here."

The two nodded. It wasn't that they doubted the others. It was a matter of how Izuku himself would manage. To be honest, the two heroes had thought of enrolling the boy in a school with no Quirks at first. That way, no one would tease him.

"It is really weird how it has become a matter of being an amazing individual with superpowers or then a boring one with essentially no future", Jiro laughed a bit, "I'm sure you've seen it, Mr. Heroes. Oh, don't worry. I saw through you since the beginning. I won't tell anyone so just relax. I shall be our little secret."

Aizawa and All Might laughed nervously. They really should work on their disguises the next time.

"It's a difficult topic for you, I'm sure. I mean, you make your living basically selling your Quirk", Jiro didn't sound mocking or even bitter. It was like he was simply stating a fact.

"That's true. We don't really know how to handle this ourselves but that is why we have so many people helping us", Aizawa stated.

Jiro smiled, "Correct answer. You can't do this alone."

All Might felt like they were being tested even though they were supposed to be the ones testing here.

"Well, if you end up choosing us, I'd be happy to take Izuku in. He seemed to have made a friend already as well", Jiro said as they were finishing the small tour around the building.

The kitchen was spotless and clean unlike the office they had been in before. The rooms designed for the children were painted with bright colors. You didn't see the boring white of modern day furnishing anywhere. The tables and chairs were made shorter to be more comfortable and easier to access.

Aizawa and All Might were falling more and more for the place. It looked perfect.

"Now we should go and see how out precious boys are doing", the employee guided them back to the playroom they had previously left the two boys.

They stopped behind the door to listen to any sounds coming from the room. It was quiet for a long time before a laughter broke out. There were two voices, both laughing.

All Might and Aizawa recognized Izuku's voice right away. It sounded like their worries had been pointless after all. The boy was having fun. He had definitely made yet another friend. It would feel bad to separate them but they had to go. They had two more places to check out.

"Izuku. We should get going", All Might and peeked into the dim room.

Aizawa peeked in as well.

"But we're playing!" Izuku whined.

Both men had to smile. They just couldn't hold it.

Izuku and Todoroki were sitting on the floor, surrounded by pillows and blankets. There was a box of building blocks next to the boys as well as a box of dinosaur toys. Both had been turned over and the contents spread across the playmat.

"What are you playing?" Jiro crouched next to the two. He was glad he had made the right choice. Todoroki was a bit of a wild card but he seemed to be fine playing with the new kid.

"We built a castle", Todoroki mumbled, "The dinosaurs live in it."

The man nodded, "Good, good. What else have you been doing?"

"Shouto helped me make a pumpkin! Look!" Izuku pointed to the art and crafts table on which were the remains of the duo's project. They had clearly tried to clean up but remains of glue, small bits of cardboard and glitter still remained.

All Might and Aizawa came to see what Izuku wanted to show them.

"It looks great!" All Might told him right away. He gave Izuku a huge smile and a thumbs up. This would go straight onto the fridge. No. On the wall.

Needless to say, All Might loved Halloween. And when Halloween was over, it was time for Christmas. Those were like two of his favorite holidays.

"It's very… very shiny", the raven head nodded, "Did you make this all by yourself?"

"No. Shoto helped! He is really nice! Right, Shoto?" Izuku smiled wide, pointing to the pumpkin and then the boy, "We are friends!"

"Really now", Jiro grinned, "Is that right, Shoto?"

"Hm", Shoto blushed but nodded, taking the hand Izuku was offering him. He squeaked in surprise as the smaller boy pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Shoto told me he would teach me how to Halloween!" Izuku told the adults.

"It's Trick or Treating", Shoto corrected but didn't deny making such offer.

Aizawa didn't like Halloween that much. First of all, he didn't like dressing up. Second, it would mean that his workload would double for the night. Kids were allowed to go out late at night and everyone was wearing a costume. It was hard to tell who was who in the crowd. A Villain could easily blend in.

Aizawa also didn't want to get tricked or give any treats. Call him a party-pooper but he didn't like Halloween. Christmas was okay.

"Can we go? Can we?" Izuku jumped up and down, "I want to dress up and get candy!"

Izuku had understood that much of the concept. The tricking part was still under work.

Aizawa and All Might looked at each other and shrugged. Why not?

Then they realized something. Halloween and Izuku meant that they would have to make a costume for him. They could dress the boy up in all kinds of adorable costumes and no one would look at them funny. Were they glad now that they had bought all those memory cards.