Gahhh, it's too fucking quiet!"

Bakugo's voice rang through the classroom as he bounced his pencil off of the wall, an activity he had continued for the past 10 minutes. With Aizawa alongside most of Class 1-A being gone, the group was noticeably smaller, their class of 20 was now only made up of a mere 7.

"Come on Kacchan," Izuku interjected, giving his partner an incredulous look. "There's no need to get so agitated."

"Shut up Deku! And quit calling me that shit!" Bakugo shouted, glaring daggers at the curly haired boy. "It pisses me off when you keep doing it."

"What about me?" Kaminari cried indignantly. "You call me 'Sparky' almost daily."

Kaminari's complaint elicited an immediate response from Bakugo.

"That's because you're annoying as fuck!"

Aoyama laughed brightly as he leaned forward in his seat.

"What's this?" he asked innocently. "Is Bakugo worried about Noikari?

"Me? Worried about that runt. Don't make me laugh," Bakugo scoffed. "I'm just bored because we can't train if Aizawa and the others keep taking their sweet time."

"I'm sure they'll be back soon," Hagakure said reassuringly.

Bakugo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter. If it were up to me-"

At that precise instant, a piercing, almost feminine cry interrupted Bakugo's angry monologue. Everyone in the classroom froze and turned to Aoyama, who was looking out the window with a twinkling expression on his face.

"What, what are you screamin' about?" Bakugo demanded impatiently.

Ignoring the ash blonde, Aoyama spoke again, his voice laced with excitement. "Look outside! They're back!"

His eyes widening, Bakugo shoved Aoyama aside and peered outside, with Tsuyu and Izuku joining him. Glancing down from the window, they spotted the rest of their classmates along with their teachers walking through the entrance gates.

And there, right in the front, was Noikari, walking steadily towards the building with a smile plastered across his face.

Bakugo was the first to rush out of the classroom, shouting "Move, extras!" before anyone could react.

"Kacchan, wait up!" Midoriya yelled as he jogged after the explosive teen. The rest of the small class followed them, with Todoroki being the last to leave.

"You don't care, huh Katsuki?" Todoroki chuckled to himself as he walked out to join his classmates in welcoming their friend back.

When Noikari and the others arrived, they were greeted by Izuku and the others who had stayed behind. The child found himself nearly tackled off of his feet courtesy of a hug from Hagakure which almost bowled the poor boy over. Noikari returned the hug, albeit hesitantly due to his exhaustion. Aoyama, Koda and Tsuyu warmly greeted him next. Izuku and Todoroki were both glad to see him back safe and sound, and even Bakugo couldn't resist letting a small smile grace his lips, which unfortunately for him didn't go unnoticed by his classmates.

Noikari smiled as he was glad to finally be back at U.A. where he felt most welcomed. However, as much as he loved hanging out with the class, he still found himself growing tired very quickly. His eyelids began to grow heavy and his knees grew weak as he fell backwards onto the ground.

"Ahh~, Noikari! Are you alright?" Uraraka called out, helping him off the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Noikari sighed as he sat on the ground, resting his chin in his palm.

He gazed around, catching sight of Todoroki standing a few meters away, watching him curiously. But Noikari wasn't focused on him: he was focused on something behind him. Far behind Todoroki, Noikari could've sworn that he saw a head staring at him from the U.A. walls. Noikari blinked twice and shook his head, the hallucination disappearing from his vision, leaving him wondering if he'd actually seen something at all or not.

Noticing the youth spacing out, Todoroki approached him.

"Are you all right?" Todoroki inquired, sitting down beside Noikari.

Noikari nodded, returning his focus to the taller student. "Yeah, thought I saw something weird. I think my mind is playing tricks on me."

Todoroki nodded as he gazed at Noikari with a serious expression. After a brief pause, Noikari turned and went to Eraserhead, hoping to ask him about something that had been bothering him since the group had arrived at Hetodah's facility to rescue him.

"Mr. Aizawa?" Noikari spoke up, gaining the attention of the man.

Aizawa looked over at him. "Yes, what is it?"

"There's something I need to know."

The teacher raised an eyebrow slightly, curious to what the young boy needed to say to him. "Go on."

"About the Colossaeus, why didn't any of you guys seem surprised by him being alive again?"

Aizawa's eyebrows knitted together as he pondered Noikari's question, trying to find the best way to respond without lying. At length, he decided to simply tell Noikari the truth.

"We had an. . informant, so to speak."

The boy remained silent for a moment, trying to process what he had just heard. "What? Like a spy?"

Aizawa turned away from him and began to enter the doors of U.A., Noikari running up next to him while the rest of his students followed them further away.

"Something like that."

As the reunited Class 1-A returned inside the main school building, none of them noticed a face staring at them from behind a tree. .

His beady eyes gleaming as a smile spread across his face, Mirio Togata watched the students with a mixture of curiosity and concern. He had been following their conversation from a distance, his presence hidden by his Quirk, Permeation. But he was mainly interested in Noikari, seemingly the newest member of Class 1-A.

As Mirio's emerged from behind the tree, he couldn't help but feel excited about the chance to meet the boy face to face.

"I have to tell Nejire and Tamaki, they'll probably wanna meet this kid. I wonder if we should get him something?" he thought to himself as he headed toward the dorms.

Noikari and the rest of Class 1-A made their way back to the dorms, unanimously deciding that it was time to celebrate Noikari's return, despite Eraserhead's objections. When the group arrived at the common room, Noikari immediately slumped into a nearby armchair, clearly exhausted. And yet, his face didn't convey any weariness. Instead, he seemed ecstatic, smiling with glee as he was finally back where he belonged.

Noikari closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation of his body's weight against the chair. It had been a while since the young hero had felt relaxed enough to let his guard down, so for him to enjoy a comfortable position whilst in a public setting was new to him.

No sooner had Noikari sat down that he felt his body start to drift into the embrace of slumber. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep completely.

Noikari's eyelids slowly fluttered open once again, and he found himself gazing up at the ceiling above. As he did so, he realized that the sky had long since darkened, and that the sounds of other people talking could be heard downstairs. It was then when he realized that someone had carried him upstairs to the dorms.

'How long did I sleep?' Noikari wondered to himself as he warily made his way downstairs, rubbing his eyes.

Upon seeing the scene in front of him, Noikari was momentarily surprised.

Everyone in Class 1-A had gathered in the common room, with all of them wearing either a red or green-colored outfit of Santa Claus, complete with Santa hats. Even Bakugo, who usually preferred the dark colors of winter coats and jeans rather than holiday attire, was dressed as Santa. They had also hung Christmas lights around the windows, some hung from the ceiling, and were already placed around the dormitory.

"Whoa," Noikari breathed out in awe. "What is all this for?"

"Well, with you back, we figured what better time than now to have a Christmas party," Midoriya explained.

At the mention of Christmas, Noikari perked up slightly. He had only heard of it once when he was first created, but he did not know what it was.

"What. . is Christmas?" Noikari asked uncertainly, tilting his head slightly.

Ever the expert in explaining things (perhaps too good, for he more often or not led to his peers becoming annoyed), Tenya stepped forward, pushing up his glasses as he prepared to indulge the young Noikari in a long-winded story of the origin of Christmas, only to be swiftly cut off by Bakugo, who nonchalantly explained the holiday while reading a magazine, not even looking up from his read.

"Christmas is an annual holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary. Most of the time family and friends gather together to enjoy the festivities such as gifts, songs and food."

Everyone turned to look at Bakugo in shock as the blond continued to read his magazine before turning and glaring at everyone else, a scowl present on his face.

"What? Why are you all shocked that I know basic shit?"

No one said anything, unsure of how to respond to Bakugo's bluntness. After a moment, Kirishima broke the silence by remarking, "Never mind that, Noikari. You need a suit as well."

Noikari furrowed his eyebrows, confused by his classmate's sudden change in topic. "Wear a suit? What do you mean?"

"Come on, look around," said Sero as he pointed around him, gesturing to everyone else in the room. "We're wearing Santa costumes, you gotta have one as well."

"I don't really see-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Momo had already used her Quirk to create a small Santa costume, perfect for his size.

"Wait, don't you need exact measurements to make clothes? How did you even get mi-"

"Don't worry about the details," Momo cut him off, putting the sut on the table for him to inspect.

After examining it, he found it quite pretty, though it wasn't exactly what he was used to seeing, and he would still have to figure out how he would put it on without having to worry about tearing it.

"Um, I guess I can try it on?" he eventually spoke, getting a nod from his classmates. "Just give me a minute."

Grabbing the costume off of the table, Noikari left the common room to put on the Santa costume. After a quick walk to the dorm bathroom, no longer wearing the black jumpsuit with green stripes that was originally meant to be his uniform, Noikari walked out of the bathroom in the costume, his hair tied neatly to the side with a blue ribbon he had made instead of a hat. Upon reentering the living room of U.A. once again, Noikari found everyone staring at him, all with varying expressions on their faces.

"Kyahhhh! That looks so cute!" Ashido cheered after a short moment of silence.

"You look nice, kiddo!" Sero praised.

"Yeah!" Uraraka added.

Hajime nodded. "Looks very cute."

Shoji nodded in agreement. "Mmm."

"Thank you," Noikari replied as he glanced at each of the others with a slight blush dusting across his cheeks. His heart was beating so fast, and he hoped no one noticed.

"By the way," Noikari spoke as he looked around the common room and noticed a certain someone missing, "Where's Aizawa-sensei?"

As if on cue, the door to outside slowly creaked open, with someone beginning to speak.

"Sorry we're late," announced Aizawa, stepping through the doorway. "Have you started already?"

As the class turned to acknowledge their teacher, they collectively gasped at who else was with Aizawa.

Eri, clad in her own Santa costume.

"Trick-or. . . Treat?. ." the horned girl innocently exclaimed, unintentionally mixing up holidays.

"Not quite, that's Halloween," Aizawa remarked as he calmly corrected her.

Izuku and a few others came to greet Eri, with Ochaco literally falling over from how adorable she was in her costume.

"So cute!" Ochaco happily squealed.

"It looks good on you!" agreed Kirishima.

"Thanks, Mr. Shoto!" Eri responded, giving him a small wave as the group of students moved out of the way, allowing her entrance.

"That reminds me," the "daughter" of Overhaul began as she looked back to her guardian, Aizawa. "You said that there was a surprise for me, right? Can we go check it out now?"

"Well, you don't need to go far," Eraserhead replied as he knelt down next to her. "Just look over there."

Pointing over to the far side of the room, Eri saw Noikari safe and sound as he chatted with Kaminari and Yaoyorozu. Once she spotted him, she completly forgot about anything else and raced towards him in excitement.

"Noikari!" she cried out.

In response to Eri's excited cry, Noikari turned to see the small girl barreling towards him with a grin on her face. With his hands behind his back, Noikari stood stock still, trying to remain calm and collected as he waited for her inevitable arrival. After several seconds, he felt himself being tackled by an overexcited five-year-old.

"I was so worried about you!" Eri sobbed, burying her face into his chest.

"I'm fine, Eri," Noikari assured her, placing a gentle hand on her head in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm back home and alive."

"Good."

With that, Eri lifted herself back onto her feet and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her little red dress as she looked up into the smiling eyes of Noikari.

Izuku talked to Aizawa as Eri happily reunited with her close friend.

"Her horn's gotten bigger again, hasn't it?" Izuku questioned.

"Yeah." Aizawa plainly answered, watching as Eri continued to embrace Noikari tightly. "She's taken what you said to heart."

Izuku watched Eri and Noikari's heartwarming reunion, feeling a sense of relief and joy. He remembered the difficult journey they had all been through, especially Eri, who had experienced so much pain and suffering in her young life.

"I'm glad she's doing better," Izuku said, smiling warmly at the scene before him. "Noikari has a special way of comforting her."

Aizawa nodded in agreement. "Indeed. They seem to have a unique connection, and I believe it's beneficial for both of them."

"I'm grateful for everything you've done for her, Aizawa-sensei," Izuku said sincerely, turning his gaze from the heartwarming scene to the stoic pro hero beside him. "And Noikari too."

Aizawa glanced at Izuku and offered a small, rare smile. "It's part of my job to protect and guide the young. Those two are no exception. Both of them deserve a chance at happiness and a normal life, just like any child."

As the night went on, the Christmas party was in full swing. Class 1-A danced, laughed, and exchanged gifts with one another. The common room was filled with joy and camaraderie as the students celebrated their bond as classmates and friends.

Noikari found himself right in the middle of the festivities, laughing and interacting with his classmates more freely than he had before. He was starting to feel like he truly belonged, and the warmth of friendship began to fill the void he had felt during his absence. He couldn't have asked for a better welcome back. Walking back to his room, Noikari took a moment to reflect on everything that had happened since he first arrived at U.A. He had faced challenges, made friends, and discovered the true meaning of belonging. His journey wasn't over, but he was grateful for the people who had supported him along the way.

In his room, Noikari sat down on his bed, the events of the day still swirling in his mind. He thought about Eri, about the profound impact she had on his life. They were both young children with troubled pasts, yet they had found solace and comfort in each other's company. Noikari knew that he would continue to be there for Eri, just as she had been there for him.

As he closed his eyes, Noikari felt a sense of contentment wash over him. The once-isolated artificial life form had found a home in the hearts of his classmates and teachers. He had found a place where he belonged, and for the first time in his existence, he felt truly alive.

From the dormitory window, a light snow began to fall, casting a soft glow over the campus. The grounds were peaceful, and Noikari knew that despite the challenges that lay ahead, he would face them with the strength of his newfound family by his side.

And so, as the snowflakes danced outside, Noikari drifted off to sleep with a heart full of hope and gratitude, looking forward to the many adventures that awaited him and the bonds that would continue to grow stronger in the days to come. For in Class 1-A, he had found not just fellow heroes but the family he had always yearned for.