to the stars
Chapter Summary
John's first day (part 1)
Chapter Notes
CW: none!
Damn, it's been a month but thank you so much for your patience, y'all!!! 3 and hOLY FRICK 1K KUDOS?????? YALL IM SOBBING THANK YOUUU
I will admit, this chapter was hella difficult to write, but I'm glad I managed it anyway lmao
but my apologies if this chapter is a little boring, I really wanted to post something TvT hopefully, and I mean hopefully, the next chapter will be more exciting lol
See the end of the chapter for more notes
What comes after the exams is the waiting game.
Specifically for the acceptance (or rejection) letter to UA, which, according to his school-related research, takes about a week or so to be distributed to all the applicants.
Throughout the week, between adding things to his analysis notes, familiarizing himself with support items of various heroes, and training by himself, he lets Hitoshi voice his anxiousness in their private chats, listens to Katsuki (angrily) ramble about one thing to another (no doubt a way for him to hide his jittery anticipation) in both texts and calls, and doesn't comment on his mother busying herself around the house to release some of her familiar nervous energy.
He can understand their restlessness, even when he can't relate all that much.
Because John isn't that particularly nervous.
If anything else, he's resigned to any decision the school would come to in regards to his enrollment at UA. And though he complied with Katsuki's demand that he attend the school with him (albeit with slight exasperation on John's part), John is aware that his word alone won't be enough to land him a placement in the Heroics department.
(And as far as oaths go, they haven't sealed the agreement with a proper blood marker. Not that he would want that again.)
With that said, he doesn't exactly care that much whether or not he made a spot in the Hero course. If he's in, then he's in. If he isn't, well, at least he honored the deal that he does his absolute best in the entrance exam.
Although it'll be troublesome dealing with the inevitable backlash from Katsuki (and perhaps Hitoshi given he too expressed that John should go to the prestigious heroics academy. He's not even sure how All Might would react, but it's none of John's concern) if it came down to the latter outcome.
He can imagine all the mini-explosions already and the flurry of colorful language streaming through John in one ear and out the other.
But, in Hitoshi's way of phrasing things, Katsuki will have to suck it up because ultimately, John's fate is in the school's hands when his placement is concerned.
(His fate was in Ruska Roma's hands, then the Tarasovs, then Santino's, and then everyone else—)
Besides, John has a list of potential schools to attend just in case.
If Katsuki, Hitoshi, and All Might (and Tsukauchi, if he's being thorough) still insist he become a Pro Hero, his fallback plan is Shiketsu, another prestigious hero academy that holds a reputable standing.
If they give up on that insistence (which is probably next to impossible) he found a good non-hero- focused school nearby which also has an online course should he choose not to attend the classes in person. Perfect for aiding his plan in having the somewhat normal life he had always wanted.
Another perk of the school is the strict no-bullying policy, meaning no pretentious kids coming to bother him at all, so if he gets rejected and no one else tries to steer him to a life of heroism, he has that school to go into.
But of course, like all the wishes John had of wanting to be far away from the villain-fighting action All Might goes through daily, those plans get crumpled into a pitiful ball and thrown straight to orbit because, after returning to the apartment from his jog, John finds something white and bulky in the mailbox.
With UA's insignia.
Great.
~
"It's here," John says, entering the apartment, and he can hear Mom drop something in the kitchen from his spot in the entry hall. It didn't sound like glass, fortunately.
Mom appears frazzled when she comes to meet him halfway in the hall, brows crinkled and hands wringing together, but there's a tiny smile on her face. A shaky thing, but John can discern the genuineness of it because Mom has always been honest with her emotions, even when she tries to hide them sometimes when she thinks it'll upset him.
(Helen had been the same.)
She glances at the letter in his hands and echoes, her shoulders just shy of reaching her ears from nerves. "It's here."
She looks back up at him, this time with less tension and nervousness on her frame as she asks, breathless, "Do you...want to open it in private?"
"It's fine," John says with a shrug because he doesn't mind his mother being there with him. She deserves it if he's being honest. Plus, he'd rather not stress her out unnecessarily by asking her to wait outside his room while he reads the letter. "You can stay while I open it."
Mom looks a little surprised, but a smoother smile graces her features this time and her shoulders noticeably relax. "Alright."
They decide to take it to the living room, and after opening the envelope, a silver disk falls out of it along with the letter and a few folded papers. John is once again reminded how extreme UA does things, even in something as mundane as sending out letters.
Before he could even touch the papers, the disk lights up, and the holographic visage of All Might in a yellow pinstripe suit appears in the air. It's incredibly odd seeing the man in something so formal, but John figures that even the Number One Hero has to give a good impression as a new teacher.
Maybe that's why the man has been silent in the chats for the past week.
All Might then goes on to say his greetings in typical All Might fashion, affirming his status as UA's newest faculty member and his role as the harbinger of John's results in the entrance exams.
Mom holds his hand the whole time, perhaps her way of assuring him that he'll pass, even though John is sure he didn't come off as inherently anxious about it. But he doesn't tell her that, nor pull away from her. He focuses, instead, on the holographic video. (And no, he didn't feel like massaging his cheeks just staring at All Might with his signature smile glued to his face.)
"Young Midoriya, you've done tremendously well in the written portion of the exams, placing fourth in the overall rankings!" All Might announces, then he holds up a finger. "Not only that, you blew the practical exam right out of the water! Individually, you've gained 45 Villain points, which is enough for you to pass the exam and earn a spot in the Hero course!"
He can hear Mom squealing in the back of her throat as she tightens her grip on his hand, giving it a little shake from her exhilaration.
John, on the other hand, tamps down the dissatisfaction with the news. He knows that he had dug his own grave when he went along with Katsuki's demand for him to go to UA all those months ago, so now he's going to bury himself in it. Facing consequences.
"But you went above and beyond, young man!" All Might continues, and a few video clips show up of him caught rescuing other examinees from potential danger (how they even got footage from different angles is beyond him).
He can vaguely recognize a few of those people by face, but when the video shows different profile photos of those candidates with their names under them, John gleans that the French kid's name is Aoyama Yuuga and the gravity girl is Uraraka Ochako.
"Not only did you defeat your foes, but you have also saved lives, even at the expense of your chances in earning more points, the pressure of the time crunch, and the challenges stacked before you!"
"Oh, Izuku!" Mom chokes up happily, tears flowing freely down her face like waterfalls, and John routinely hands her a box of tissues. At least she's not crying from worry or distress this time.
"Why am I telling you this?" All Might continues, "Well, as a hero school, we judge one's actions not just on their ability to triumph over villains, but by their selfless hearts, and their willingness to save lives no matter the struggles! For that is the essence of a hero!"
(But is John truly a hero? He doesn't think so.)
"As such, the judges have evaluated your performance and concluded that you have earned 38 Rescue points, bringing your score to a mindblowing total of 83 points!"
Then a scoreboard pops up in the center, names and numbers, and rankings put on display for John to examine.
Ah, so he's at the top spot.
Katsuki is number two with 72 Villain points and 5 Rescue points (which is a curious thing to see, but he won't ask Katsuki about it). He doesn't see Hitoshi's name on the list, but given that it's just for the overall top ten, he supposes that his other friend is in the top fifteen or twenty. (He hopes so, at least. Hitoshi deserves it.)
Mom bursts into more tears, blowing her nose into the tissues and creating a little hill of them beside her. John simply continues watching, and a part of him wonders if Katsuki and Hitoshi are seeing the same thing.
He doesn't get to think on it for long before All Might talks again. "And I am pleased to inform you, Midoriya Izuku, that with this mark, you are this year's top scorer!"
(He had been at the top of every class, surpassed peers, exceeded older students, and he only got cold stares and hidden resentment rather than proud smiles and outward glee for it.)
Then, All Might goes on to say that as the top scorer, he is to represent his grade and do the opening speech for the First Year's Sports Festival, which immediately brings a sour taste to his mouth because John is by no means someone who makes speeches in front of an audience. Much less one for a school event that's, apparently, even popular than the Olympics.
It'll be annoying, for sure, but he can't change what's already been decided now.
The hero eventually concludes the holographic message with a few flowery words to inspire him probably, and one last congratulation before he says, "Welcome, Young Midoriya, to your Hero Academia!"
Then the video ends.
And Mom engulfs him in a hug with enough strength to choke out even the burliest of bodyguards, but she spares him the deprivation of air when she stands, now exuding euphoric energy. "This calls for a celebratory five-star dinner!"
She didn't need to go that far over an acceptance message, but John knows that telling her that making such a meal wasn't necessary wouldn't get her to not do it, so he leaves her to do just that with a nod and gathers the papers, now deciding to read them in his room.
There's the acceptance letter which he combs through quite swiftly, taking note of the signature at the bottom (Nedzu, it says in calligraphic kanji with a peculiar marking of a paw print right above it) before he inspects the other forms that came with the envelope.
Costume Design Application Form, he reads.
Costumes.
Of course.
("In what style?" "Italian." "How many buttons?" "Two." "Trousers?" "Tapered." "How about the lining?" "Tactical.")
(Lifting the case's lid, he felt as though he was opening Pandora's box, which he might as well have. But there was no hope to be found in the bottom.)
(There was only him and the ghosts that welcomed him back.)
He'll think about that later.
The deadline for costume design submissions is, from what the document said, a week before school starts, so he has enough time to come up with something.
If he can't think of anything, he could always ask Katsuki, Hitoshi, or even Mom for ideas. Not All Might, though. For all that he respects the hero for his status as the Number One, John doesn't think asking a man who wears colorful, skintight bodysuits as his main attire would be a good idea.
For now, he goes through the other important forms with relative ease, leaving some lines blank for his mother to fill until it was time to "enjoy the fruits of his labor". He ended up grabbing a couple more tissue boxes for Mom when she cried waterfalls again as they discussed his acceptance to UA, but dinner was pleasant overall.
"I know I've said this a lot of times," Mom says later after dinner, the both of them washing the dishes, "but I'm so, so proud of you, honey."
(It's funny. The Director never said she was proud of Jardani. But it feels...nice, to hear that Inko was proud of Izuku. Especially with this.)
John just nods. "Thanks, Mom."
~
The day after his acceptance letter came in, Mom drags them out to town to buy what he needs for school.
He had refused, initially, saying that he didn't need anything else because he has a few extra notebooks lying around (despite them probably being too dusty and worn with age) but Mom had been adamant that they do a little shopping anyway, and John is incapable of fighting his mother on this (actually, he's incapable of fighting his mother on anything at all), so he relents.
They get new notebooks, pens, and pencils for him, and newer shoes since the old ones have been worn down too much to be wearable. Although instead of the dark running shoes he was used to, it's red high tops with white soles, and John is slightly skeptical about wearing them.
The color is too bright, too loud, too obvious. It'll draw attention to him if he's not careful.
(Attention can get you killed if you're careless, Jardani.)
But Mom thinks they're nice. "I love the color," she says with a smile. "And I think you'd look even more handsome with these, Izuku."
John highly doubts it, but if it'll make Mom happy, then he'll just have to get used to wearing them.
The next thing on their list is his uniform. According to the school website, they have the option to either go to an official store nearby the campus to find the right set for him or send in his measurements through the store's website and just tick checkboxes for his preferred style of uniform and pay through there.
Seeing as the second option is more convenient, time and travel-wise, he and Mom return home to go through the site on his laptop, type in his measurements, and scroll through various versions of UA's uniform.
He selects the pants, the tie, the dress shirt, and the summer version of it without much issue.
The blazer is left out, and his excuse was that it looked too stiff on the shoulders and elbows and that he'd feel a lot more comfortable wearing anything else, which convinced Mom enough to his silent relief.
And John only has a second to reflect how ridiculous he is to be going to such lengths just to avoid a piece of clothing that is part of a high school uniform, and not a tactical suit made to withstand bullets before he goes to the next page.
(He knows he will think about it overnight, how some piece of him developed this aversion to wearing anything akin to a suit. It'll be a problem, but he'll deal with it until it stops being one. Hopefully.)
Shortly after scanning his options, John opts to just go for the school-issued cardigan, dark gray with UA's colors of green, red and white lining the hems, and two gold buttons on the front.
It appears less constricting and rigid around the elbows and shoulders respectively, and not so baggy that he has to worry about it snagging in sharp edges, so he ticks off the box beside it, concluding their to-do list, and John silently appreciates how lenient the dress code is.
UA is certainly a lot different from the Ruska Roma in that respect.
Later, he tells Katsuki and Hitoshi that he passed, and is accepted to UA because of their incessant messages to him. Before he could see any of their replies, though, he turns off his phone and gets to work on memorizing the most important passages of the student handbook on the school's website. Particularly the rules; who knows what will happen if he or any of his friends break them.
(He knew the consequences, and pulled the trigger anyway.)
~
The uniform eventually arrives in the mail, and John decides to try it on in the evening once Mom is asleep in her room.
He dons the clothing in practiced ease (and he has to remind himself repeatedly in his head that
he's not preparing to take out hundreds and hundreds of enemies coming to kill him) before he unfolds the cardigan from its packaging.
He feels soft cotton underneath his fingers rather than polyester. It's different. (It's safe.)
He slips it on, and buttons it closed.
It's loose but comfortable on his figure, particularly lighter, and when he looks in the mirror, John only sees the face of Midoriya Izuku, a student of UA, instead of the face of the Baba Yaga, a killer with too many skeletons buried in the closet and underneath his feet.
And John is a little relieved with that.
~
April rolls in eventually, and with it, John's first day of high school.
Mom fusses in the entryway, an occurrence that he grew habituated to since his elementary days, so he lets her list down the things he needs verbally, asking if he has them and John assuring and reassuring her that he does just so she wouldn't drive herself up the wall with unnecessary stress.
She tidies him up a little bit, sweeping gentle fingers through his hair until it looks somewhat tame, takes one last photo on her phone, and wraps him in a hug before she sends him off with a wave, smiling.
"Have a good day, honey," she says warmly.
(And maybe he imagined Helen standing there too, waving him off with that familiar light in her eyes. Maybe he imagined those words being said in Helen's voice.)
John graces it with a wave of his own, even when it's not as spirited or obvious as hers is, before he heads off, meeting up with Katsuki on the way.
("I fucking told you you were gonna fucking pass, asshole."
"Hm.")
The journey to UA is relatively uneventful, save for the stares and whispers they got on the train which nearly set off Katsuki, but they make it to the school without much trouble.
They also manage to find their classroom easily without a moment to spare (partly thanks to John remembering to read up on the campus map online weeks prior), and John isn't so surprised to find that the door is exceptionally taller than he and Katsuki.
Maybe it's for accessibility purposes. That or maybe UA just enjoys living up to its motto that much that it applies to its interior designs. John will never know.
As usual, Katsuki enters the classroom first, sliding the door open with a dramatic flair that nearly has John rolling his eyes at the display, and sauntering in with confidence to his step, even though the blond is slouching for intimidation purposes. John follows quietly behind, closing the door after him.
They're the first few to arrive, it seems, and John is quick to observe the other students present in the room, regarding their features in rapid succession, and gauging any specific tells out of instinct.
A girl with dark hair tied in a high ponytail is sitting at the back corner of the class, reading a book with evident concentration (likely a strategist, smart, cunning, watch out for her).
A boy with two-toned hair—one side white and the other red—is on the desk beside the girl's, and from where John is standing, there's discoloration on the other boy's skin surrounding his left eye. A burn scar, a part of John whispers, but he knows not to point it out or stare at it for too long (lest he wants to be on the receiving end of a gun or a blade for his rudeness.)
So John moves on to the last two people in the room.
And they just so happen to be rather familiar faces.
"Ah, monsieur!" The French kid from the exam—Aoyama Yuuga, his memory supplies—waves from his desk. "A pleasure to see you here! Les étoiles se sont alignées!~"
John has a good enough understanding of the French language to catch some of what Aoyama has said, and he responds in kind with a nod. "De même."
That seems to bring an extra sparkle to the blond boy's eyes as his smile grows, and John takes that as his cue to continue to his assigned desk, as per what's written on the chalkboard.
However, just when John has sat down, something—or rather someone—else comes up, and it's the squarish boy from the practical exam orientation.
And he looks very much displeased with Katsuki at the moment. Katsuki, who is leaning back on his seat and propping up one foot against the desk's edge like a mobster from those cheap films he'd force John to watch with him when they were younger.
"Excuse me!" The bespectacled boy exclaims, shoulders rigid as he chops the air with one hand and pointing at Katsuki with the other. "Such display is unbecoming of a UA student! Please stop disrespecting school property like this!"
This is probably the part where John steps in and makes sure no school property will be further "disrespected" due to Katsuki's undying propensity to answer to anything comparable to a challenge but it seems there's no need for that when the boy turns his attention to John next.
"And you! That isn't the proper school uniform—!"
"It's allowed, Specks, get the stick out of your ass," Katsuki butts in, helpful as ever, and the taller boy looks visibly affronted, his mouth open agape and his shoulders rising close to his ears.
Before things could escalate further (because of course, they would, given that Katsuki is in the equation regardless of John sitting right behind him) John smoothly pulls out his copy of the student handbook that he had the foresight to print before school started from his bag.
"It's allowed," John says, opening the book to the appropriate page in regards to uniforms for confirmation.
"A-Ah, I see, well..." He sputters after a moment as he adjusts his glasses, clearing his throat. "My apologies, that was very rude of me. I got a little carried away."
John only shrugs in response, not that offended by the boy's attitude. He was only following rules, after all. "'Carried away' is a big fucking understatement," he hears Katsuki mutter, and fortunately, the glasses boy didn't hear him.
"I am Iida Tenya!" He introduces himself with a chop in the air. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance!"
John nods in kind. "Midoriya Izuku. Likewise." (Respect can take you places, Jardani, do remember that.)
Things later go downhill from there once Iida turns his attention back to Katsuki, sparking up a bit of a squabble with no feasible conclusion (or peaceful, more like), but John doesn't attempt to stop it. His friend isn't currently aiming to pick a fight with the bespectacled teen, and Iida doesn't seem the type to instigate any hostilities, so he'll leave them to their own devices.
(In the meantime, John observes. Always observing, waiting, calculating. This is new territory. There are plenty of unknowns. So he observes, quiet and patient, counting windows, counting doors, counting the seconds.)
More students trickle in gradually. At some point, Katsuki and Iida have resolved their little dispute somewhat; at some point, Hitoshi arrives along with the gravity girl—Uraraka Ochako—and they seem to be getting along well; and at some point, an exhausted-looking man in a yellow sleeping bag appears in front of the class, commanding their silence.
Oh, no, it's just Eraserhead.
"I'm Aizawa Shouta," the man says, sounding equally weary as he appears.
According to him, he's their homeroom teacher for the year, and with that authority comes the freedom to do whatever he wants with his class, which doesn't sound all that strange for John; he has had teachers in the past who would teach the Ruska Roma children in their distinctive styles (some were harsh, others even more merciless), so maybe Aizawa's teaching style is similar.
(Could Aizawa Shouta be like the Director or not? Merciless, cold, and distant beyond connection? John is unwilling to find out. He will keep his distance. Even if Aizawa turns out to be different.)
The man brusquely tells them to change into their gym uniforms and meet him outside, and John finds himself one of the first to arrive on the track field in a record time of fewer than ten minutes. The only other people there are the boy with split-colored hair and Aizawa, who only regards him for a brief moment before he nods slightly, whether or not it's in approval is anyone's guess.
Katsuki and Hitoshi will most likely chew him out for leaving them behind in the locker rooms but he's not the type to start a conversation with anybody unless he must or he has a motive for it.
Which, so far, he doesn't.
(Friendship could be a motive, one part of him said. Friendship will get you killed, another hissed. Katsuki and Hitoshi are enough, another placated. But that's an issue to address once John observes his new classmates a little more.)
While detective Tsukauchi did tell him to get more friends—which he did when he got acquainted with Hitoshi—John never explicitly promised he will actively seek companionship. And honestly, his socializing skills are subpar at best, especially around teenagers, so he'll simply let Katsuki and Hitoshi do most of the "friendship-initiating". It's only logical.
So he waits rather than converses with the peppermint-haired boy who stands a few ways away from him, silent and stoic until everyone has gathered.
"Alright," Aizawa starts once everyone has arrived. He pulls out a ball from his pocket as he stares everyone down with a gaze of a hard-skinned army instructor, a comparison that John pretends doesn't send a sensation of acute awareness in his spine. "Let's get this over with."
John listens.
(And John thinks to himself that he's not in the Ruska Roma, being raised to wield blades and guns with precision, then the army bases, being drilled into being better, carving out the weakness and fragility from his soul because the world doesn't care for the fragile.)
(He will not be fragile here either, even when the other children standing around him have hopeful eyes that make it difficult to look at for long.)
~
This year's batch of hero-hopefuls, Shouta finds, has potential.
And he's not saying that just because Hitoshi made it in the Hero course (although that's part of it; sue him, Shouta is proud of his kid), he does see promise in all twenty of them.
That includes Tsukauchi's little trouble-magnet.
Shouta can still remember the tales the detective had spilled over coffee about the boy, each one being even more ridiculous than the last. A frequent victim of kidnapping who, more often than not, plans his escapes; a shield between a crook and a civilian, whether or not it was wanted; and a skilled, creative fighter on top of that?
You'd think a kid like that would be a headache and a half, but no, he's just a kid who has a good head on his shoulders (one that has a knack for strategy, apparently) and just so happens to attract trouble or involve himself in it when it's needed and is Quirkless. A fact that leaves the other teachers baffled, but Shouta impressed.
But Shouta isn't gonna focus solely on Midoriya today.
He has a job to do, and a bunch of kids he has three years to train into good heroes, so he gets to explaining their objective for today.
He gets the kid who placed second in the entrance exams to do the demonstration, Bakugou Katsuki if his memory serves him right. A ball toss, where the only rule is to stay in the circle.
The blond winds his arm back, and a powerful explosion launches the ball into the sky like a rocket, all the while roaring, "Eat shit!"
Hm. The kid needs to work on his colorful vocabulary usage, but whatever, at least he did what he was supposed to.
The score that shows on Shouta's phone afterward astonishes the other students.
As expected, most of them are thrilled by the fact they get to use their Quirks for the fitness
assessments, all chattering and whispering their excitement.
"We get to use our Quirks for real? Sweet!"
"Awesome!"
"This is going to be fun!"
However, there are things Shouta just can't tolerate, and one of those is heroes-in-training adopting the notion that their time training to become heroes will be fun because the life of a hero isn't meant to be fun.
(There was rain, and a villain, and a boy who left too soon, buried beneath the rubble.)
(And it was then that Shouta and Eraserhead knew that the life of a hero wasn't what young children imagined it to be on the other side of the TV screen.)
So he gives them a wager (a ruse, really, but no one else knows this except Hitoshi, who has grown used to Shouta and his rational deceptions).
You know, to spice up the game a little. Because competition between Pro Heroes has always been the public's point of interest these days. (Illogical.)
"The person to be placed dead-last in the course of this test will be expelled."
There. That should be enough incentive for them to not slack off. Call him cruel and unfair, but that's how life goes. It's cruel and unfair, and these kids ought to learn that truth much earlier when their minds are still unsharpened, their instincts barely honed, and their bodies untrained.
(And Shouta knows that Hitoshi knows this. After all, he's learned firsthand how the world treats some people before he came to live under his and Hizashi's roof. So, rather than looking despondent in the face of this logical ruse, Hitoshi silently accepts the challenge with curled fists and a determined mien. Shouta is so proud of him.)
Fortunately, the students do give their all.
A few students excelled in some tests than others (like Iida Tenya with the 50-meter dash; Shouji Mezou with the grip strength and pull-ups; and Yaoyorozu Momo with everything else thanks to the versatility of her Quirk) while those with Quirks that work differently struggle to keep up (like Hagakure Tooru with her Invisibility; Kouda Kouji who can talk to animals; and Hitoshi, whose Quirk relies on verbal communication to be effective) but that's fine.
They're at school to learn when all is said and done. Shouta wasn't lying when he said he sees potential in all of them either.
What particularly intrigues him during the tests, though, was, admittedly, Midoriya.
So far, he's consistently in the top ten in the overall rankings (a feat that honestly shouldn't surprise Shouta given that the kid took down a bunch of Villain Bots with just his wit and the tools he was given), and on top of that, he's not injuring himself in the process.
Not that Shouta was expecting him to, but kids can be reckless sometimes.
But whatever, Midoriya isn't exerting himself to the point of needing a visit to Recovery Girl, so Shouta continues recording his scores like normal.
(And he takes note of how Bakugou and Hitoshi congregate towards him after each test, chatting as if they're old friends, which Shouta has a sneaking suspicion that they are, and wow, if Midoriya— Tsukauchi's reason for developing gray hairs and a concerning-but-unsurprising coffee addiction —does turn out to be the mysterious friend Hitoshi has been meeting up with for the past year, Shouta will eat his sleeping bag.)
Once all the tests are completed, Shouta takes the time to observe the students before he can reveal the results. A few of them fidget where they stand, no doubt fretting over their placement in the tests, while others such as Hitoshi, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki Shouto, and Midoriya stand calm and assured as if they've figured out his lie.
Well, even if they did, Shouta's gonna enjoy the ominousness he's got going here.
Without much fanfare, he reveals to them their tallied scores, watching out for any violent reactions. He sees Kouda nervously wringing his hands together, Jirou Kyouka anxiously playing with her Ear Jacks, and Hagakure sagging in defeat.
"As for the expulsion," he says, subtly noticing the way Hagakure flinches minutely at that from his peripheral, "I lied. Nobody's going home."
The wide-eyed stare of utter confusion he receives would've made him laugh if not for the fact that his sense of humor is dryer than the desert, so he continues, "That was just a logical ruse to get you all to do your best."
Predictably, most of them all yell in bewilderment, while others like Hagakure nearly collapse from sheer relief. Yaoyorozu is the one to point out that it had been obvious from the beginning, with Hitoshi backing up her claim with a nod. Hm. Impressive on the girl's part for figuring that out.
He later dismisses the class, reminding them to pick up their class schedule and have other important forms filled out by next week before walking off to find a good napping spot. Hizashi can nag at him all he wants.
However, Shouta finds himself wholly unimpressed by All Might's bulky form hiding behind the corner of the gym like some weirdo, thinking he wouldn't get caught. Ridiculous.
"I take it you've been watching the entire time?" Shouta dryly comments.
"Nothing gets past you, huh?" All Might chuckles weakly while rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, I was curious how you manage your class and wanted to observe. You know, me being new to this profession and all."
For all that he is the strongest man in Japan, All Might is undoubtedly lacking in forethought. How or why Nedzu thought hiring the Number One Hero as a teacher is beyond Shouta's understanding, but whatever. The guy can do whatever he wants so long as he teaches these kids how being a hero works.
"Sure," is all he ends up saying, continuing on his way.
But of course, the giant oaf stops him. "I'm surprised you haven't expelled anyone considering you did it to an entire class last year if I'm not mistaken."
"That's because they didn't give me a reason to."
"Ah, so you must have seen something special in this batch of kids as well," All Might assumes. "They all show promise, especially those like Young Midoriya. He's certainly something else."
Now, Shouta isn't one to joke around coworkers like Hizashi and Kayama, and as much as he agrees with that statement about Midoriya (because he'd be lying if he didn't), he can stand to mess with the Symbol of Peace, even if the underlying motive there is pure pettiness. "It sounds like you're favoring Midoriya. Isn't it a little too early to be picking favorites?"
Expectedly, All Might sputters in an attempt to extinguish any more assumptions, "I'm not picking favorites! I just- well, I just see potential in him, is all!"
Shouta raises a brow (All Might is acting as if he knows Midoriya, a thought that almost sounds ridiculous) but doesn't push the matter. "I don't care what you do; just don't slack off in teaching those kids how to be decent heroes."
All Might seems to deflate in relief at that. "Of course. Well, I'm glad you kept them around, Aizawa-kun. I may be a novice teacher, but..." He looks on towards the direction where the students have gone to change into their regular uniforms. "I can see that they have the makings of great heroes in them."
They do. They all do.
And Shouta will make sure they stay alive long enough for them to get there.
(It'd be cruel, otherwise, to let their dream end halfway.)
Chapter End Notes
I was supposed to finalize editing and post this one by my bday...last August...but I underestimated how busy I would be after it lmao (and getting a little under the weather on top of that, oof)
And yes, John may or may not have developed an aversion/dislike for suits, specifically wearing them bc he'd rather not \o/ he Hates suits with a silent passion now lmao
And pls correct me if any of the French shown in this chapter are inaccurate, I relied on Google Translate for it ,D
Speaking of which, yes, John knows some French bc I said so (also bc it's canon he's multilingual, and I couldn't not add French in his linguistic artillery lol)
Next up, Battle Trials! Presidential Elections! High School Shenanigans! (aka John learning to be a functional high schooler while being simultaneously lowkey terrifying :D)
old habits (die hard)
Chapter Summary
John's first day (part 2, electric boogaloo)
Chapter Notes
CW: brief flashbacks referencing the John Wick movies
damn, I peaced out for a hot minute there huh. Thank you so much for your patience yall!!! AND WOO FIRST UPDATE OF THE NEW YEAR!!!
I meant to post this on Halloween (which was like, eons ago lmao) but life got me hella busy (applying for college, going through my senior year of high school, and getting an internship has never felt so stressful oof) so I never got the chance to sit down and edit everything in one go, but here we are!! :D it's a pretty long one too so uh consider it an apology/New Years gift for the unintentional hiatus ;3
and omg we're at 40k hits now, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN??? WHERE DID YALL COME FROM (no but srsly, I'm really curious how you found this fic since I didn't think it'd get this much attention and also, would y'all be interested in like... a Spotify playlist for this fic?? idk I think it'd be pretty cool )
anyways lmao I hope you guys enjoy this one!! and thanks again for sticking around if you're still here 3 and welcome to any new readers!!!
EDIT: HI!!! So I actually made a Spotify playlist for SVP back in December but I never got around to fine-tuning it ; but! here you all go, have fun vibing!
https/open./playlist/7lbf14W7JLhpO6W4wpZnW6? si=ce853a2c11174e37
EDIT 2: HOLY SHIT YALL THIS FIC JUST GOT A TV TROPES PAGE?? I'M /pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/CrasVivereParaBellum
See the end of the chapter for more notes
"Dude, leave me in the dust while you land a spot in the top ten, why don'tcha?" Hitoshi mutters with a half-hearted pout to his voice as they start changing back into their regular uniforms. Unluckily for John, Katsuki and Hitoshi have no intention of letting him escape the room without them like last time. Pity.
John shrugs on his cardigan. "You did well. You were in 13th place."
"I'm lucky I even managed that much," Hitoshi retorts. "Looks like your ridiculous training
regimen pulled through for me after all."
John doesn't think his "ridiculous training regimen" was the reason for Hitoshi's placement in the tests, even though it played a part to some degree. It was all Hitoshi, stubborn and set on his goals. (John had been the same at sixteen years old. Stubborn and set on staying alive.)
But if that's what Hitoshi wants to believe, then John won't argue.
His classmates begin to introduce themselves properly to each other as they change into their uniforms with John staying quiet throughout the exchange, more out of habit than anything else. Information-gathering is nothing new for him. Since his classmates are giving details about themselves freely, then it shouldn't be a problem for John to keep them in his mental vault for future reference.
(In case they betray you. In case they become a threat. In case they need to pay their dues.)
"Oh, hey, I haven't caught your name yet, dude!"
John pauses in tying his necktie and turns his head to see a boy with wild, red hair spiked up to resemble a mountain or a maple leaf. His eyes are equally as red, but they're not sharp and narrow like Katsuki's. They're wide, round in a way that gives you the impression that you can trust him. The boy also has sharp teeth, like that of a shark's.
For someone with such razor-edged features, he seems so soft. Friendly.
(Friendliness had always been an act, a pretense for most people in his time. If you're seen as harmless—friendly—people would naturally assume nothing and either be drawn to you or turn their backs, giving you the chance to strike your blade against their necks when they least expect it. John never tried being that way, only professionally affable when it was required. His targets always meet their fate either way.)
And John is sure that this boy is Kirishima Eijirou since he introduced himself first, loud and unbidden, smiling without ulterior motives.
"Uh, is he—?"
"You're fine; he does that sometimes when meeting new people," Hitoshi says, and John takes that as his cue to speak.
"Midoriya Izuku."
His voice is near monotone, not so friendly to onlookers, yet Kirishima doesn't seem put off by it. He smiles, sharp teeth and all, and John doesn't deem him a threat. (An unexpected thing to conclude, but he'll think about that some other time.)
"Nice to meetcha, Midoriya! And hey, I forgot to ask during the whole assessment test thing, but what's your Quirk—"
"Everyone! Our next class will start in a few minutes! Let's not loiter around longer than we need to!"
Everyone's gaze falls onto the bespectacled boy with engines in his legs (Iida Tenya, John remembers) now exiting the locker room, chopping the air rigidly.
The conversation stops there, and no one has come up to John again to continue what Kirishima
was about to ask.
~
"I don't think they're gonna judge you for not having a Quirk, Mido," Hitoshi utters, just quiet enough for only John and Katsuki to hear while the rest of the boys walk ahead of them.
Katsuki scoffs. "I'd blast their asses to the fucking sun if they do."
John isn't particularly concerned. He had been subjected to that kind of cruelty since elementary but it never fazed him. It just didn't matter. And he never told Hitoshi that he hated talking about his Quirkless status, but he figures that Hitoshi just doesn't want John to be uncomfortable, alone, and mistreated.
John just bobs his head. "Thanks."
~
Classes go on like normal. John memorizes which Pro Hero teaches which subject, connects the names of his classmates to their faces and personality, and learns of the schedule that he will follow for the rest of the school year.
It's the same kind of routine he had since elementary school but the only difference is, he's not left alone to his devices for long.
During breaks between classes, Kirishima would come up to him and start talking, either about some show he was watching or his lifelong ambitions ("I'm gonna be the manliest hero one day!" Kirishima declares with a grin).
John didn't contribute much but Kirishima didn't seem to mind, simply smiling all the while as he does the talking for the both of them (and he noticed how the redhead didn't ask him what his Quirk is—or lack thereof—throughout their interaction but decided not to point it out).
Uraraka, Iida, and Aoyama also came up to him to talk at different intervals of the day, and, similarly with his interactions with Kirishima, John didn't partake in their talks as much as he probably should have as a high schooler aside from the occasional answer to their questions. And they didn't find it strange at all.
Especially Aoyama, who seemed a lot more sprightly in whatever topic he'd bring up, somehow displaying glitter and sparkles in the air around him with every flowy sway of his arm.
Such odd kids, he thinks. But then again, maybe he is one too, given his situation.
Time passes by smoothly. He sits with Katsuki and Hitoshi at a vacant lunch table, absently listening to the former angrily ramble about a "soy sauce face" and a "raccoon eyes" bothering him and the latter providing sarcastic commentary.
The drone of students mingling and chatting serves as background noise as John unconsciously
counts the entrances and exits of the cafeteria, an instinctual thing he couldn't get rid of even if he tried.
(He estimates around two to three main entrances/exits and 20-40 windows, all wide and tall enough for anything to crash through easily. If they were to be in an emergency, he could slip through the crowd, find another way out.)
If John had been a lot more sleep-deprived than Hitoshi (and maybe a lot more sentimental with his past life's childhood) he might've imagined that he was back in his old home, eating alone in the lunchroom as the other orphans congregate at different tables but not talking to each other much at all. Meals were solitary like that but UA is decidedly different with its layout and atmosphere.
(It's too bright here, Jardani concluded. Too bright and free.)
At some point, Kirishima, Uraraka, and Iida come to join them at the table. (no one came to eat with Jardani in the lunchroom.)
Except for John, who chooses to just listen, they talk and joke around the whole lunch period. (The first one to willingly talk to him at lunch in the Continental had been Marcus.)
And like before, John doesn't offer much, and he finds that even then, no one seems to mind at all. (He and Helen didn't need words to let each other know that their connection was there.)
For a second, he thinks his shoulders relaxed just a bit.
~
"Hey, hey, Aiyama-kun."
"What?"
"I've been meaning to ask ever since the Entrance Exam but," Uraraka looks over at Midoriya, quietly eating the rest of his katsudon even with Bakugou's temper tantrums caused by Kirishima. "What's Midoriya-kun's Quirk? I feel like you know since you guys seem close and all."
Hitoshi, because he's not a jerkass scumbag, doesn't want to reveal something private about his friend, even if said-friend says that it was fine and that I don't care if someone knows I'm Quirkless. (Damn it, he's so cool.)
But he can hype him up. Because Hitoshi is a good friend like that. And good friends hype up their friends regardless of whether it was warranted or not. So he shrugs, sporting a lazy smirk as he rests his chin on his hand. "You'll see."
Uraraka whines but Hitoshi doesn't budge. Dad taught him how to handle pressure better, after all.
~
"I AM...COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
They have All Might as their teacher for their last class of the day. Foundational Heroics.
(John can imagine Viggo and Santino laughing at him over the irony of it.)
All Might isn't like his past instructors. He's bright, loud, and unnecessarily enthusiastic about plenty of things, both in his persona and as Yagi Toshinori, if a bit more subdued as the latter.
He's also, admittedly, rather impulsive and dense when it came to teaching.
With some dramatic flair, All Might announces, "For your first lesson, you lot will undergo an exercise! But not just any exercise; a Battle Trial!"
A battle trial.
Right.
(He had a trial at age seventeen, proctored by the Director. He was given nothing else but three guns, a knife, and his sharpened instincts to complete it in under thirty minutes. He finished it in fifteen.)
John is a hundred percent sure there needs to be some kind of run-through over technicalities and basic training before this but he won't badger All Might about it; what does John even know about how a hero academy operates?
"This exercise will be further explained at Ground Beta. But first!" All Might cuts in, "What is a hero without their costume?" With a click of his remote, the compartments at the back of the classroom slide open, displaying cases with large numbers on the front, most likely where the costumes are kept.
Everyone scrambles to get their respective suitcases while John waits on the sidelines, still and silent, and an irritating whisper that sounds an awful lot like Santino asks him if this looked familiar. It didn't. Not at all.
These aren't killers in training. These are teenagers just collecting their hero ensembles for a class exercise. Something mundane, something normal. These teenagers are aiming to be heroes, all dressed in things you'd only ever see in comics and movies rather than standard suits hiding knives and small guns.
"You're totally gonna love what we did with your costume," Hitoshi says beside him, a Cheshire smirk etched on his features. Katsuki stands on his other side, arms crossed and looking pleased with himself beneath his indifferent expression.
"Will it blow up?" John asks, watching Kirishima laugh at whatever Uraraka just said to him. Better to be cautious.
"Of course not, asshole, I didn't add motherfucking bombs in it!"
"Mr. Sparkle Pops over here was tempted, though; believe me, I saw him doodling grenades—"
"Your stupid ass face is gonna show up on the news under mysterious disappearances if you don't shut the fuck up right now, Eyebags."
"How charming of you."
John had entrusted the costume design process to Katsuki and Hitoshi months prior while he, on
the other hand, handled the weaponry requisition in his application. Truthfully, he doesn't trust himself to design anything remotely heroic without it resembling something the Baba Yaga would always wear, so the safest and smartest option was to place that responsibility onto his friends who had more taste in fashion than John does.
At least that way, he'd save himself the time-consuming trouble. So whatever they had in mind for him to wear as a Pro Hero in training, he will have to sport it without complaint.
Even if it'll turn out to be another headache to deal with.
~
In the boys' locker room, John opens the suitcase. (John pulled out the dark fabric of his suit)
And he pushes down that instant urge to close it and throw it against the wall because it's not an Italian-styled two-piece suit tailored to fit his body like a second skin.
This was designed by his friends. Not Angelo nor any other tailor he knew before.
This was made for Midoriya Izuku, a future hero, not John Wick, a past killer.
This is different.
He takes out the first piece of his hero costume, ignoring the way Katsuki is staring at the back of his head and Hitoshi taking his time in getting into a getup of his own. The durable material is comfortable to the touch. It smells like mint and lavender. It's different.
(This is different. This is different. This is different.)
~
"Woahhh, cool costume, Midoriya-kun!" Uraraka says the moment she spots him.
John just nods as Katsuki raises his chin, his gauntlet-clad hands propped on his hips. "Duh, I designed that shit."
"We designed it, Bomberanian-kun," Hitoshi taunts with an easy smirk, and knowing what will happen next, John ignores their arguing, opting to stare down at his attire with mild apprehension.
Instead of a dress shirt, he sports a dark and fitted turtleneck shirt that's not too light and not too suffocating. Over it is a black blazer with geometric markings the color of his hair on the sides of the torso and the arms. He dons black slacks, held up by a maroon utility belt, and dark leather boots. To complete the ensemble, he has on black fingerless gloves and carefully hidden holsters carrying a retractable quarterstaff and his UA-issued gun (the emblem on the metal is the only reminder that it's not meant for murder.)
It's familiar, but he knows this getup hasn't been exposed to blood, grime, and death, yet.
Eventually, All Might arrives, explaining the goal of the exercise along with the rules (if with some help from the flashcards he pulled out).
It's simple enough of a test. A "bomb" is placed within a building; the Hero team must either capture the bomb or the Villains while the Villain team must either capture or kill the Heroes or defend the bomb until time runs out.
The only restrictions are not to attack once apprehended or eliminated with the provided capture tape and paintballs respectively, or when the time is up, and to follow the teacher's instructions.
(Beside him, Hitoshi snickers softly, subtly elbowing Katsuki and muttering something John is sure was something regarding the rules. Katsuki retaliates by swiftly kicking the taller boy in the ankles.)
All Might goes around with a box in his hands, saying their partners are determined by lottery. "All pairings are final, meaning no take-backs and no trades, young heroes!"
Katsuki doesn't seem happy with his pairing, given it's Iida, from what John can discern. Meanwhile, Hitoshi is holding back his laughter (and failing) with Uraraka shifting her curious eyes between the insomniac and the explosive blond.
John doesn't pay them any mind as he picks out a letter from the box.
C.
Then, he feels a tap on his shoulder. It's the ponytail-haired girl. From afar, she had appeared calm and collected, but up close, John can see the acute intelligence in her eyes. Maybe his assumptions of her being a potential strategist wasn't so off the mark. (All the same, he will watch out for her.)
"What's your team?" She asks respectfully.
"Team C," John answers.
The girl nods, "I'm in Team C as well. It seems we'll be partners for this."
John usually never had a good track record when it came to partners. Spontaneous cooperation with another assassin was one thing but partnerships were another, always ending in mutual separation or death. There was a reason he worked alone.
Then again, the people he had partnered with during his active years were trained killers with codes of conduct, people he knew wouldn't hesitate to turn their guns and blades on him at the perfect opportunity.
This girl in front of him is a hero in training with a moral compass, whom he hadn't properly talked to yet until this moment. It would also probably do some good for Midoriya Izuku to interact with more people now. His mom did ask him to try and make some new friends; he wouldn't want to disappoint her.
(Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Do you understand, Jardani?)
So John nods. "Yeah."
"My name is Yaoyorozu Momo," the girl—Yaoyorozu—introduces shortly after. "What's yours?"
"Midoriya Izuku."