Author's note : double update just to annoy Mirrond.

Chapter 4 : How to avoid death but also to get a date.

Flowers? Check. Suit? Check. Having made sure that a clone of Mr. Compress will be seen in Hokkaido? Check too.

Hey. He was a professional. Atsuhiro made a training plan for Izuku and sent him more than one video so the young boy could train while he was away. He also taught that Katsuki boy how to chase Izuku around to make him faster at running and avoiding attacks. The exploding blond was astonishingly good at the job and Mr. Compress was thinking of doing that permanently.

Still. He had to throw some fake trails for all the heroes chasing him around… And more than a few villains too.

Now, he had to prepare for something he both looked for and dreaded. The evening at Midoriya's house.

Inko said he had to come to their home for dinner twice a week. She said that with that voice, that voice that could chill your bones to the core. The voice of the nurse who needed to make the patient listen to her. The voice of an ice queen domineering people.

Somehow, Atsuhiro still loved when she spoke to him like that. Because it meant she still cared for him.

People seemed to see just a chubby woman who was a kind nurse and seemed to be an angel too good for this world.

Atsuhiro had a different opinion: She was only threatening when she cared. Be it for her son or him. She threatened you when it was important and maybe it was her way of caring for him. At least, he hoped.

He was the first to admit that his eating habits were not the best during the last decade. He kept traveling and had little time to cook. However, he was pretty sure he was as fit as possible, thanks to his work, too. Atsuhiro hoped that his body was good enough for her, as he knew that otherwise, he was pretty plain. It had helped him a lot to escape the police, but still; it was annoying and worrying to him.

Now all he had to do was to ring the door and not screw up the meal. It was going to be fine. He did that more than a few times already. Sure, the first time it was awkward. He had to create a fake story about how he was a trainer for a few athletes and had to travel the country to meet his different clients. Atsuhiro couldn't tell her he was one of the few S-rank Villain and the only one that still had a secret identity. Mainly because, unlike the others, he was extremely careful with it and Izuku only deduced it because he knew the right thing and Inko told the good thing, too.

He just had to continue as the other time with his dear chubby friend he had not a crush on. Just a delightful meal with her and her son.

So, our dear favorite magician was inspired and rang at the door. Soon after, Inko, with the sunniest smile he had ever seen (except on Izuku but that did not count), opened the door for him. Apron and everything. Like every other time.

She was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Hey, yes, she was chubby. It just means there was more of her to love.

Also, it was truly worth it to not work for a better world that evening, because that smile, simply by existing, made the world a better place.

"Atsuhiro! Finally here! Come inside, it will be better than outside!"

He nodded before eagerly entering and appreciating the small house. It was not much. Hisashi died and left some money behind, but not much.

Inko did not finish university and could not become a doctor. She could take an exam to get a true license, but with Izuku to take care of, she simply did not have the time for it. Which was, in Atsuhiro's mind, a waste. Inko was excellent as a nurse, but she would have been an amazing doctor for all. Certainly, a better one than the quack that told her Izuku was quirkless.

Note to self: Making up a story so he could help financially Inko and help her become a doctor.

A small voice in his mind told him to directly do the straightforward solution: Finally, tell her your feelings and become her new husband. If you're with her, there would be no need to invent an excuse to make a joint account.

Mr. Compress shut that voice down.

Instead, he put a smile on his face and, for once, took back his mental mask of Mr. Compress. This evening, he was just Atsuhiro Sako. The Childhood friend. Still, it was nice to be in the house. However, he noticed something quickly.

"Izuku isn't there? I mean, unless he has homework but I thought…" Atsuhiro was pretty much certain of it. Mens sana in corpore sano. Izuku had to keep his grade high despite the work-out if he wanted to enter the school of his dream.

"No, he's over at Mitsuki's house. Katsuki and he are now better friends than before. Did you know that he somehow got into trouble yesterday?" Said Inko, who giggled a bit when remembering what happened.

Atsuhiro was now curious and had to ask. He knew what happened and was curious why Inko was just smiling and not low-key, threatening to pull his eyes out with her quirk.

"How so? I guess it was not violent, since you're happy."

"Oh no. There was a violent incident last Friday. He and Bakugou put down some bullies and Izuku dislocated some arms. The staff was angry, but since their star pupil was also implicated and on my son's side… They called Mitsuki and me to take them home, as both of them were suspended for a week. Nothing on their record, though."

Atsuhiro smirked. That was a good idea to have someone more popular break the rule. It also meant he was finally making Izuku crazier, in a good way. However, Inko's smile was a bit less happy.

"So what did they call you for?" He had to know exactly what Izuku did. Did he break too many bullies? Nah. He was not that strong yet. Atsuhiro hoped he had been smart enough to get the drop on them one by one if he beat bullies up.

"He terrorized all the students of his age."

What? Also, why was she smiling with so much pride and joy?

"He enlisted the help of Bakugou in exchange for some favors. He did not tell me what exactly, and broke into the control room and took control of the intercom."

—-

"Katsuki, what did that person do to want to do that?"

"He insulted my mom."

"Katsuki, it is Call of Duty. That is…"

"Are you saying you're going back on what you promised?"

Izuku grumbled as he proceeded to use some admin command to identify the IP of a player on a forum before banning him from a community that he and Kacchan were part of and renaming him from "Toxic_cloud666" to "ILoveAnimeGirls". With the appropriate picture, because Izuku was nothing if thorough.

—-

It quite surprised a certain student with a gas quirk when everyone laughed at his pseudo… AND WHY DID SOMEONE PUT SOME WILD WILD PUSSYCAT AS HIS PICTURE?

—-

"... I can see why he got punished, but not why that terrified people…"

"Then he explained everyone's quirks and weaknesses and a few very personal things. Very personal. He was not supposed to know everything he said, and now everyone thinks Izuku has a murder plan for everyone at school. They just don't have proof."

—-

"And that is what Saito did Saturday instead of studying with a friend like he told his mother, Sakura. By the way, it is quite sad as her cookies are delicious. Not to mention that the school Saito wants to go to because he likes Hinasa from the other classroom and she will most likely go there… Well, that school has an emphasis on math and he needs the tutoring. However, since Hinasa is crushing on Katsuki… By the way, I don't know why she would do that…"

"FUCK YOU DEKU!"

—-

Atsuhiro was stunned and proud. He asked him to scare a few bullies. Not his entire school. Inko finally looked at him with that scary smile while he felt a pull on his necktie.

"Now, can you tell me why, when I was alone with him at home, he told me it was his homework?"

"I told him to scare only his bullies. Not everyone."

"Atsuhiro. He did that for three hours. The teachers stopped him when he was only in the middle of analyzing his teacher."

Now, Atsuhiro was just proud. That was his student.

—-

"So, nerd. Why did you scare the complete school?" Asked a Bakugou, still wondering what the hell happened that day. He just thought that Izuku would blackmail people. However, he loved what Izuku did. He was also preparing against his friend his favorite "Endeavor N°2" USSR Extermination Murder EXPLOSION combo against his friend.

"Remember U. A's motto?" As Izuku innocently played a Midnight on the field, delaying the turn and forcing Bakugou to grumble as he couldn't play the ultimate turn yet, he could finally summon his death incarnate card on the field.

"Plus Ultra?" At least the game will finish soon… Wait. What was the card Izuku sneaked on the field? Eraserhead?

"Plus Ultra." Said Izuku as he exterminated Bakugou's field with a smile and took Katsuki's last life point with a Nedzu. He had to troll him, who was on the verge of being more Katsuki than usual during this evening.

"Neat. Also, stop spamming ERASERHEAD!" The most explosive boy on the block flipped the board upside down.

"NEVER" Izuku screeched as he cackled, as it was Kacchan's way of losing against him. Interrupting the game, and said he did not lose. However, since Izuku was weaker than him, he had to give him his dessert that evening so he could grow stronger. That it was the same dessert he bet with his friend before the game had nothing to do with his action.

He did that a lot as he won one more time against Bakugou, as they just did a few rounds on his console on Mortal Kombat CI. Yes, Izuku lost and they switched because Katsuki thought he could beat "Deku" in any game.

Currently, Izuku showed him why he was not even close to his league… It was also pleasant for once to not play against someone with an insane strategy and deck like Tomura.

—-

Mitsuki and her husband smiled as they listened to the two boys playing loudly above. It was better like that. Also, they could bet on this evening's outcome quietly.

—-

"You get to live another day, Atsuhiro." Said Inko, as she put his necktie on his suit. Hey, he did know how to dress up nicely.

"Still. I feel sorry to make you come here so often. I mean, maybe your girlfriend is upset about it?" Asked kindly Inko, with a pure smile and certainly no afterthought.

"Oh no, don't worry. I'm not with anyone." Said Atsuhiro almost immediately and without a second thought as he walked towards the living room, missing an Inko who did a victory pose. She then joined him, as she pulled toward them two glasses and a bottle of red wine.

"You mean no girl has seduced you? That or maybe… No man?" Hey, you had to be sure before finding a wonderful father figure for your son and to be sure she did not misremember some of her past and how Atsuhiro seemed to act around her… How he always came around for dinner.

This made Atsuhiro laugh, still thinking he had no chance in hell to seduce Inko, as she poured wine so they could drink together, perfectly purring as he answered.

"Oh no. I simply don't have time, and nobody had the right chemistry, you know? I don't have many friends… Those at work, they're mainly men."

Hard to tell that his closest friends were a trans woman who's still looking for the right doctor for her therapy, a strange cloud barman, a man without a nose who killed people not worthy of being a hero, and that nice old man who made the best tea in the town. Oh, and technically Nedzu could count, but it was mostly someone he liked to work with more than a friend, though he trusted the stoat to a certain extent.

"MmmmHmmm…." Said knowingly Inko, perfectly purring at the news she did not have any competition on the market. She couldn't remember why she did not go on a proper date with Atsuhiro when they were younger. Yes, she met Hisashi, but honestly, Atsuhiro was kinder and still the man who loved to read pre-quirk literature just like her.

Thought for another time. She was going to enjoy that evening. Mitsuki helped her with it, after all. Yes, the stylist was right about what she wanted, and she had a good plan to help her advance her cause. Now, Atsuhiro did not know it yet, but she trapped him in her web.

—-

They enjoyed a very nice evening. Nothing saucy or torrid. Just a delightful meal between two adults, catching up on time spent apart, without having to worry about a certain kid. It also allowed them to make plans for a date together on the weekend, for a little shopping. Just as a friend, Mr. Compress thought naively. Or was it he did not dare to hope for more? Oh well. It was Inko's job now.

Izuku was also quite happy to see his mother finally having someone other than him or the Bakugous, making her smile. Especially a smile he couldn't see her have. It was clear, as the days passed, that Mr. Sako, or rather Atsuhiro, as she loved to call him, was more than welcome in their home. She was preparing special dishes when he came over and she always found an excuse now and then so he would sleep on the sofa at home… And sometimes, he would just stay the Saturday, while Izuku went out. As Katsuki said, it was quite obvious that the two were in love and that Inko was gradually wearing Mr. Atsuhiro down.

The green bean tried to not think a lot that his future step-dad was also an S-rank villain/vigilante. He just hoped that somehow the U.A. wouldn't catch on to that.

However, he had to remember to fake his surprise when her mom told him she went out with his trainer and that he was most probably going to sleep at home more often from now.

—-

The months went on. Izuku continued his training, becoming sufficiently nimble that Mr. Compress was proud of the result. Izuku also got a better grip on his quirk. The tarot deck was a good idea, as it gave the young boy a cheap and cost-effective way to use his power. He could even reasonably use some of the higher cards if he was careful of their use. Still, powerful heroes were a no, as his new dad was rather cautious to not kill his stepson by mistake.

Sure, Inko and he were not married (yet, as Mitsuki was saying and constantly making sure she would have the dress ready). However, it was now easier to count the days when he was not at home rather than the contrary. He still gets some heists by traveling, sometimes for a week, two.

Still, Izuku was, sometimes, thought that being attacked by the sludge villain was the best thing that happened in his life. Sure, the training was hard and there had been over one evening where he couldn't move at all once he slumped onto his bed.

Sure, Katsuki was still yelling at him and exploding… But it was Katsuki. If he was one day calm, Izuku would freak out and instantly know that something was wrong. It was normal and he and Kacchan had a more friendly rivalry than before… Especially since they talked about well… Everything. Kacchan apologized by not apologizing like he was used to.

Sure, Tomura was… Well… Tomura. He was creepy. He had rants that could go on and on about why he hated heroes. Izuku liked the discussion he had with him. It made him think. When he told the reason he had to defend himself at school, Tomura simply nodded. Many people would have outright denied the bullying existed. Tomura accepted it was part of the darker part of the society.

It was, however, reciprocated by Izuku, who pointed out to Tomura how often villains made little sense. He was happy when Tomura asked how, according to Izuku, a villain had to be. A second identity, a costume, minions… It was fun for Izuku to think about it.

Oh, and let's not forget Tomura's second reaction when he learned of Izuku's past. Asking names so he could have a "friendly" chat with the bullies. Somehow, it was like having an older cousin.

—-

When most of the teachers in Aldera middle school found their car properly dusted, no one dared to call the police. All they could say when people asked, in private, was the fact that the culprit had the creepiest smile they had ever seen. They were not crossing that.

Tomura would deny it was because he appreciated Izuku and he was angry people would try to hurt his future teammate. Sure, it was an excellent backstory for a villain, still. As a future leader, he had to protect and avenge his party if necessary. He was simply doing it preemptively. Not because Izuku was like that annoying younger sibling that could call on your bullshit.

—-

But most importantly? Izuku had an idol who made sure he could realize his dream of being a hero and trained him for the exam.

So life was pretty fun and awesome now. He understood why Atsuhiro told him sanity was just something limiting people's true potential. Like that time when Atsuhiro showed him how you could dislocate your body to get the cuff off your hands. Sure, it hurt, but it was effective. In the same way, Atsuhiro showed how he could (and had) often transformed himself into marble to be slingshot into a museum or some secure place. Crazy? Yes. Effective? Oh yes.

That was the reason he was learning even more about obscure heroes. Using weaker heroes but with special power was a good idea to play with the "strength" limitation quirk. Sure, summoning an Endeavor would probably be too much. Using the sidekick "Burnin"? It was still hard, but possible. Did he want to open a path? Sure, using a strength hero could be the solution. Using a hero who could just create a ladder or a way to go around the obstacle was less tiring.

Izuku was happy, confident even. He was still, however, according to both Tomura and Katsuki, "a nerd who was way too excited for his good".

Katsuki feared the day Izuku would discover coffee. Mainly because if Katsuki had anything to say, he would only allow this in a doomsday scenario, where they would need the craziest idea.

Then came the day. The exam.

—-

"OI, GET READY YOU DAMN NERD."

The explosion was loud enough to almost shatter the windows. It was certainly loud enough that Atsuhiro woke up, and made sure to not wake Inko, who was still snoozing happily. He then took one of his marbles that he kept for a rainy day and launched it on Bakugou. Then he returned to cuddle.

When Izuku finally got outside, the sun was still rising. Katsuki had a good idea to go to the U.A. with hours in spare.

Then the green bean looked at Katsuki, who was stunned. He was not moving, livid and incapable of moving.

That was probably because he had an octopus on his face. Uh. Who would have guessed he would see that this morning? Even if it was the third time, it was still hilarious to see what his step-father would throw in the morning at Katsuki.

"Kacchan, Atsuhiro told you he disliked being woken up in the morning."

"I'm still going to make you fatherless again after the exam, Izuku!"

"... Again?"

—-

Hisashi couldn't see it, but about 300 meters from him, a determined and angry Katsuki (So a normal Katsuki, though angrier than usual) watched Izuku crying as his bastard father was leaving. Katsuki took his favorite marble, given to him by his best quirkless friend. One of his only friends who never gave him shit for not being able to see faces. Prosopagnosia was a bitch.

He took the marble and launched it with his quirk, yelling, "DIE"

—-

"... You heard nothing," Katsuki stated seriously, though he researched a bit about his good deed and knew there wasn't no warrant out for the death of that bastard, so he was safe.

Hey, he was angry and impulsive. Not an idiot.

"I knew you cared~," quipped an Izuku, who did not believe his friend had a hand in his father's death. His dominant theory was still his mother and/or Atsuhiro. "Despite yelling a lot."

"Izuku, get ready to meet your biological father before the exam." Katsuki warned "jokingly", happy to have avoided this particular threat. Still, Izuku was way more confident than at the beginning of the year.

"Nah, not even you're that cruel."

"... You're lucky."

"Kacchan. I'm adorable. Also, let me take off the octopus." Said Izuku with his trademark smile, as Katsuki let him begrudgingly.

"You are lucky I need to present properly for the exam. Otherwise, I would have cooked that octopus myself. Also, your step-dad's quirk is bullshit."

"No, it's "random bullshit"."

Yes. The cover for Atsuhiro's quirk in public with the Bakugous was "Random Bullshit". The ability to throw random things. It was various marbles containing random things. Including an octopus, apparently. The blond thought the power was an idiot when he got a newspaper for the first time. Now, it was less funny, indeed.

—-

"This school is HUGE!" Izuku was way too hyped, but Kacchan could understand. Even he was flipping excitedly as they grabbed their number of entries for the exam.

"Hey, nerd," Katsuki said in an uncharacteristically calm tone. Despite hearing it several times at that point, it never failed to unnerve Izuku.

"Yes, Kacchan?"

"If you don't pass, I'm going to make you an astronaut."

"What?" A logical reaction to being fair.

"I'm going to launch you into space with my explosion," Katsuki said calmly, as both went towards the hall

"Don't worry, nothing wrong can happen to me!" Said Izuku. Sadly, this is one of the most dangerous things to say. Therefore, he tripped on his own feet, to Katsuki's incredulity. Seriously, how?

However, luckily, a certain girl saved him. Yes, we all know the scene. Before you ask, no. Izuku was not that confident yet he could answer Uraraka's positivity with anything other than him being red and thinking he somehow talked to a girl.

Katsuki must have the power to read his mind as he shouted,

"You know you said nothing to Round face?" The blond boy was smug as he could see Izuku turning redder as a cherry. Sure, he had trouble seeing faces, but he could still see skin tone, and in his opinion, it was pretty fucking hilarious when the nerd turned red.

"Shut up Kacchan." Izuku squeaked out weakly as he was way too embarrassed. They then went on to the room where they would take the written test.