The First Pillar

by Soleneus

Useless. That's what they call him. Izuku and his Useless Quirk. Anyone can throw pebbles, how is that Heroic? But all it takes to shake the world is the right pebble in the right place at the right time. Crossposted on AO3. Fem. Bakugou.

9. Rearrangement

To be a Pillar is to stand above the rest; not just as a symbol, but as a measurement. To be The First Pillar, one must lay the foundations for those that follow, to make an impression that states, 'This is why I stand alone. Half of what I am is greater than the sum of you. This is why you must follow me…'

'…And in time, join me."

…

The time was coming for the next big change in the Midoriyas' lives; moving into the Yuuei Dorms. While it was entirely optional for students, most took advantage of living on the grounds of the largest Hero Training Academy in Japan; not only was room and board provided, so was a class budget for food, as well as access to some of the most advanced training areas in the world, built for all sorts of Quirks. And of course, a live-in chaperone was there to ensure nothing untoward was going on.

I mean, would you expect a bunch of physically-fit and often good-looking teenagers to behave themselves when they were alone? Especially those looking to join a dangerous line of work?

Not only was it a good idea for those who lived farther away from the school, but it was also smart for those looking to build friendships among their peers. After all, what is a friend but a peer who can't leave?

Himiko had decided that such an occasion warranted updating her look, and Inko agreed, so they had left Izuku at the apartment as he, frankly, didn't really care. They were off on a shopping/makeover trip; though if he knew the blood-drinker as well as he thought he did, her 'updated look' would mostly consist of a trim and some new socks. Still, they'd made a day of it and he hadn't wanted to be used as a pack mule.

Although it might've been the kinder fate compared to the sheer boredom he felt at home alone. There'd been a few commissions that he'd gotten done inside an hour, repacking his bags held no appeal and he had no plans on bringing his collectables into a dorm with a bunch of teenage strangers. He didn't feel like browsing the internet nor watching anything, so he was laid on his bed, reading more of The Red Tome. He found it somewhat odd that what seemed to be a training book for assassins included instructions on how to perform something labeled an 'Izuna Drop' safely while referencing another book called 'The Hayabusa School of Unsubtle Ninja-ing' by Ryu 'definitelynotaninja' Hayabusa.

It consisted of launching an opponent into the air, jumping after them, then grappling them mid-air and diving headfirst towards the ground, spinning like a drill. While he wasn't a fan of the lethality of the move, he could definitely agree that it would be an impressive sight, moreso if he learned to use it non-lethally.

The trick is, of course, to keep the enemy's head above your own, then roll with the momentum of the spin as soon as they impact the ground. For maximum impact, aim towards nearby enemies, the shock and awe of such a move will leave them off-balance and open for follow-up attacks.

Long scarves and shouting 'HEEEYAAAAAH!' are not necessary, but will receive maximum style points.

For similar moves, see 'Psycho Crusher,' 'Atom Bomb,' and 'Grave Digger.'

Izuku slipped the bookmark between the pages and closed The Red Tome, rubbing his eyes. It felt like he'd been reading for hours, though he was intrigued by the move called 'Atom Bomb.' Checking the clock, he groaned and slapped himself in the face with the book.

It had barely been thirty minutes.

Since it was nearing noon, he decided to make himself some lunch, then settled in front of the television to watch American entertainment, simply to help practice his English. Once that was done, he sighed and dropped to the floor, starting a light workout. Then he grabbed his notebook and looked back over the notes he'd taken at the Expo, forming his Second Layer from his glass stores and shaping it according to his will. It took on the shape of muscle fibers, but far larger than natural and obviously non-organic.

He clenched his fist and tested his reflexes, frowning as he noticed that despite the new form, his movements were only increased as far as normal Second Layer. Turning the page, he examined the notes in his neat writing, clicking his tongue. Obviously, the shape alone wouldn't do anything extraordinary, seeing as the increased strength came from both mechanical power and the material of the artificial muscle fibers. Concentrating, he focused on spinning the sand into fibers; certainly not easy, but he could turn rock into liquid with a thought, making it fibrous or at least acting as such wouldn't be too hard.

And, of course, creating anchor points to both support the fibers and lock them in place, like muscle to bone, was the next step. It made his arm seem like the skin had been stripped away, bones made larger and muscles made artificial. But there was the problem of 'powering' the Second Layer, so to speak; in the end, the answer was rather simple: mirroring the natural bodily function of tensing his muscles to the same with the Second Layer. Not a simple endeavor, but made simpler by the Second Layer's almost organic appearance.

Nodding to himself, Izuku made a note to test what the modified Second Layer did for his capabilities, as even clenching his fist and swinging it in a punch gave him the feeling of more speed. Then he settled into meditation and began to form the modified form of the Second Layer over his entire body, practicing his speed in forming and 'activating' it.

Later, he opened his eyes and stretched, feeling both fatigued and energized by the refinement of his powers, and once more checked the clock.

It had been an hour and a half.

Groaning, Izuku gave up and slumped onto the couch in the living room, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and flipping the channel to the news. Perhaps a Hero Fight might relieve his boredom?

The image of a woman with green hair tied into a neat bun and three draconic horns poking from the crown of her head took up the screen, along with a mugshot of a very rough-looking man and Mount Lady's cheeky debut picture. Izuku instantly perked up. "-Villain known only as 'Big Crunchy,'" the newswoman's disdain for such a name slipped through her professional tone, and he couldn't help but chuckle, "Went on a rampage in downtown Tatoine, eventually being brought down in a vicious fight by the Hero known as Mount Lady. Viewers please be warned that, even for a Hero Fight, the following footage is rather violent. Discretion has been advised."

Izuku frowned, feeling a pit forming in his stomach. The image changed from the newsroom to the streets of a city, the camera shaking horribly and the reason for why becoming apparent as a massive form stomped down the city street, concrete crunching underneath every footfall as people screamed and ran in every direction. "CRUNCH CRUNCH! HEHEHEHE!" The figure shouted through a mouth devoid of lips, leaving a rather unnerving, toothy smile on the figure's wide face. It appeared to a muscular man, completely naked but also lacking any sort of genitalia, thankfully, and also larger than many of the buildings around it.

The figure looked around just as a massive purple-booted foot crashed into its cheek, sending it stumbling, and Mount Lady was on the scene. Izuku pumped as fist as he watched her rain blows down on her opponent, nimbly dodging and countering 'Big Crunchy's' wild swings until he got lucky and caught her arm, twisting and throwing her through the air. She controlled her descent with a twist, planting a hand in the ground to bleed off her momentum, ruining the street but narrowly avoiding the buildings. Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose as the camera focused on her rear as she slid to a stop just above the recorder; he could understand why, of course, she was both humongous and very attractive, but a Hero Fight was no place for that.

Then Big Crunchy came charging at her, still giggling insanely, and she twisted to avoid a blow, spinning him around and throwing him at a nearby building before she realized what she'd done and panicked, seizing the Villain by the shoulders, just barely stopping him from crashing into a high-rise apartment. He returned the courtesy by elbowing her in the face and driving a fist into her gut, grabbing her by the shoulders as she recoiled and lifting her into the air as if to bodily slam her into the ground; but she recovered and her legs shot out, one kicking his knee out and the other locking around the back of his neck in a rough triangle choke.

Being a Villain, the titanic terror took the low road and headbutted her right in the pelvis. The pained shout made Izuku wince in sympathy as Mt. Lady understandably recoiled, the Villain taking the opening to slam her into the ground, though luckily in a nearby park and not a building, before jumping in the air and landing a vicious elbow drop that made the ground quake and the heroine wheeze for air, Big Crunchy still giggling all the while. She kicked him off and scrambled to her knees, giant fingers sinking into the cratered soil of the park before she spun and flung a handful of earth into his eyes. The villain stumbled back with a cry, hands rising to rub at his face, and Mt. Lady cocked an arm back before throwing a right hook straight into Big Crunchy's featureless crotch.

Unfortunately, it didn't do much beyond make the villain grunt and launch a knee into her face. Sparks flung themselves into the air as Big Crunchy ripped a telephone pole out of the ground and wielded it like a club, battering at Mt. Lady's arms as she defended her head, until a probing jab hit her just above her pelvis and she dropped them. The Villain wound up and swung for the fences.

Yu spun around from the force, eyes wide and blood flying from her lips as she dropped to her knees, unknowingly facing the camera so that they could catch her stunned expression.

Then Big Crunchy ripped the cables from the pole, looping them around his fists before pulling them across Yu's throat. Her hands shot up, only barely blocking his makeshift garrote from strangling her, and even then they could see the flesh of her throat being torn at by the cables.

Izuku felt more than heard the remote falling from his nerveless fingers, his heart leaping into throat as he saw the sheer panic in her amethyst eyes, married with fear plain on her face as she struggled for her life. He clutched at his chest as the fear for her life made him feel like his heart was about to explode, suddenly gaining an appreciation for what his mother must've felt.

Then her gaze hardened and she went limp, turning the sudden slack into backwards headbutt, slipping out of the garrote and driving an elbow into his kidney, nimbly slipping around his body, planting both feet on his pelvis and pulling him to the ground on top of her, elbows on his shoulders and wrists crossed, pushing into his throat. A picture-perfect Full Hold. Big Crunchy thrashed and writhed in her grip like a beached fish, feet kicking at the ground and arms flailing, but he couldn't break her hold.

With a series of loud, visceral gasps, the Villain slowed and then, finally, went limp. Yu shoved him off of her as he shrank, before shrinking from view herself.

And then the view cut back to the newsroom. "As you can see, despite the damages done to the streets and Tatoine Park, it would've been much worse had Mount Lady not been there. The Villain was taken into custody at the scene and despite her previous media presence, Mount Lady was not available for comment and has not been seen since the incident-"

Izuku jumped to his feet, phone in hand as he quickly dialed Yu's number, pacing anxiously as it rang and rang. "Come on, come on," he muttered, licking his lips, "Pick up, Senpai…" He paused, hearing music coming from the front door that ended just as his call was declined. Racing to the door, he threw it open just as the person on the other side raised a hand to knock.

Yu stood before him, but almost unrecognizable with her slumped posture, sweatpants and a hoodie hiding her face. He gasped as she looked up at him, a trail of dried blood on the corner of her lips, her cheek swollen with a livid bruise, matching her nose and just above her collar he could see the red marks of where the makeshift garrote had dug into the flesh of her neck. "Hey…Kohai," she greeted him with a rough whisper and a weak smile.

"Yu!" He shouted in relief, darting forward and hugging her gently, but firmly. "Oh god, I just saw the fight, with-with the hitting and the slamming and then…th-the wires…" He felt the heat and pressure behind his eyes and just couldn't help it. "I was so scared!" He cried into her shoulder, holding her tight as if she'd turn into smoke and evaporate at any moment.

As Izuku made her shoulder wet and babbled rapidly about how worried he was, Yu couldn't help but smile and card her fingers through his fluffy hair, carefully steering the embrace back into his home, closing the door behind them. She eased them onto the couch and leaned back, her kohai still clinging to her, and breathed easy as the warmth of his arms seeped into her battered bones.

Eventually, he recovered and sat up, more than a bit embarrassed at his outburst at the fact that he was pretty much draped over her and the damp patch on her hoodie. "S-sorry," he sniffled, rubbing his cheek and withdrawing, wiping his eyes, "Here I am, holding on when you're all bruised…" He clasped her hand between his own, giving her a soulful look with wide green eyes. "Are you alright, Yu?"

She smiled softly, reaching her free hand up to cup his cheek. "…Thank you, Izuku," she whispered, sniffing.

He blushed and blinked. "For what?"

"For asking me to teach you," Yu answered, casting her mind back to that moment. The pride of having a prospective Hero ask her for her help, then the fearful realization that came when she remembered she had no idea what he was talking about. All those moments, her childish envy at having to be taught by a teen, frustration and misplaced pride, then shame and anger when she had to tell him the truth. Then, learning together, from each other, their meetings went from something she expected to something she enjoyed, getting to know one another almost intimately. Since her debut, Izuku had been the only really solid presence in her life; later joined by Himiko, yes, but he was first. "Without our training days…I don't think I could've won that fight…"

Yu thought it would sting her pride to admit such thing; with her powerful Quirk and the strength and durability being a Giantess granted her, she'd foolishly assumed it was all she'd need on her road to a Model Hero: stomp a bad guy every know and again, show off her form and watch the cash and praise roll in. At some point, though, that had changed. And for the life of her, she couldn't pinpoint just when it happened.

She ran her thumb along Izuku's cheek, and then she knew exactly when it had happened.

"I guess, if I had to put a price on it…My price is this: Be the Best Hero you can be."

"That's, uh…that's not a number of yen."

"And that's my price. I make these for Heroes, so, be a Hero. That's enough for me."

"I don't wanna say I would've died," she continued, shuddering, before meeting his eyes, "But knowing what I know now, and how little I knew back then…" Yu grinned, eyes glittering, and gave him a wink. "So…thanks, Izuku!"

Izuku swallowed dryly. In that moment, despite the bruises and lumps on her face, her bright smile and her colorful eyes struck him deep inside with something powerfully warm. At that moment, she had never looked so beautiful. "…You're welcome?" He replied lamely, rubbing his neck sheepishly as she giggled, "I'm glad you're alright, senpai…"

Yu threw her head back and laughed, then recoiled and rubbed her throat. At his confused look, she elaborated. "Izuku, kohai…I'm not alright. Not even a little." He drew back, dismayed at the wetness in her eyes. "That fight…it scared the fuckin' shit outta me, kohai. I was trembling the whole walk here," she wiped her eyes and grasped his hands tightly, "I really hope you're done needing reassurances, Izuku, because I need The C's."

He rubbed her knuckles tenderly. "What're those?"

She leaned against him and whispered conspiratorially, "…Comforting, Cuddles, a Couch and Ice Cream."

Izuku blinked, then smiled. "I'll be right back," he promised, handing her the remote before scooting off to the kitchen. She had just started flicking through channels when he returned with a pot of tea and a gallon of ice cream, setting both on the coffee table and sitting next to her, sweeping the blanket off of the back of the couch and settling it on their legs, then popping the top off the ice cream and handing her a spoon. "All set?" He asked with a bright smile.

Yu grinned and cuddled up to his side, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Mmhm," she hummed, finding a cheesy romance movie and turning it on as she took a spoonful of cold ice cream and slowly ate it, sighing as it soothed her throat.

…

Several Hours Later…

The front door creeped open before Himiko and Inko popped their heads in, taking in the darkness in the halls and noise and flashing lights coming from the living room. Setting their bags down, they creeped forward and peeked over the couch, the two looking at the lump on the cushions with curiosity. Himiko slipped around the side to get a better view, then smothered a squeal as she saw a sleeping Yu cuddled up on a snoozing Izuku's chest, both of them looking completely at peace. She motioned for Inko to join her, the green-haired woman shoving her hands in her mouth to silence her own noises, then grabbing Himiko's hand and dragging the girl into the kitchen to very literally jump for joy at just how cute the two were.

They looked back out and took in the room. An empty pot of tea and cold, half-filled tea cups were next to a couple of bowls with dregs of ramen at the bottom, with a completely empty carton of ice cream nearby. The TV was playing some sappy romantic movie, though it was muted.

"Good thing I got more ice cream," Inko whispered, checking the time. "Should we wake them up?"

"Not yet," Himiko murmured back, whipping out her phone to take pictures. "Mama, is it alright if Yu-Senpai stays the night? She looks kinda beat up."

Inko nodded, then shot the girl a knowing look. "I don't want her roaming the streets like that, not at this time of night. She could use some rest."

The blonde blood-drinker gave the woman a faux-scandalized look. "I would never!" She gasped, hand on her chest…before giving a toothy smile, "…While they're asleep."

The greenette rolled her eyes but patted her fondly on the shoulder. "I don't know why you're reaching for that kind of relationship, Himi-chan, but as long as it makes everyone happy, alright? Everyone deserves to be loved…"

"I know, mama," Himiko whispered with a warm smile, pulling the woman into a hug, "I'll get them to bed."

Inko nodded and quietly started unpacking the groceries as the blood-drinker started poking Yu's cheek.

"Psst, senpai," she hissed, noting the pink marks on the older blonde's face, "Senpai, hey…hey, Yu…senpai…hey, listen…"

Yu snorted inelegantly and turned away from the probing finger, burying her face in Izuku's chest. "Nno 'zuku, iss yer turn to cook…" Himiko clasped her hands and resisted the urge to squeal once more, then continued on her quest to wake the older woman. Eventually, the Pro Hero blinked sluggishly and wiped her eyes, sitting up. "Wasss…what's goin' on?"

"Have a nice nap, senpai?" She greeted with a toothy smile, which only grew wider as Yu realized where she was and, more specifically, on who she was.

"H-hey, kohai…" Yu said with a shaky smile, "It's, uh, not what it looks like…"

Himiko arched an eyebrow. "Really? Because it looks like you were having a very nice dream while cuddling with Izuku."

The older blonde flushed. "…Okay, maybe it is what it looks like…"

"You can explain it later," the blood-drinker waved her incoming excuse off, tilting her chin at the sleeping boy, "Help me get him to bed."

Yu nodded and carefully slipped out of his embrace, taking him by the shoulders as Himiko grabbed his legs, the two of them carefully carrying him down the hall to the bedroom. He grumbled in his sleep, but otherwise didn't awaken. After setting him down, Himiko left to put her shoes away and when she came back, as she expected, Yu was gently stroking his cheek, fondness shining in her eyes.

She cleared her throat and the older woman jumped, blushing horribly. "I-I should go," she muttered, hurrying to the door, only to stop as Himiko planted a hand on the doorframe.

Himiko met her eyes. "Should you go?" She asked, before casting her gaze at the sleeping Hero-in-training, his hand reaching in the direction of the person who'd been touching his face. "…Or should we have a conversation?"

Yu licked her lips and looked back at Izuku, her fingers twisting together. She recalled the warmth of his care and embrace, the quiet longing as they cuddled on the couch…and the way his face had flashed before her eyes as she was being strangled. She took a deep breath, and met Himiko's eyes. "Yes," she answered nervously, "We should."

…

The Next Morning…

Izuku smacked his lips as he woke up, turning and snuggling into the warmth in his arms, ignoring his need to pee in favor of more cuddles. Then he froze as someone sighed breathily in his ear and huddled against his back. His eyes shot open and he looked down, finding Yu's sleeping face close to his, the marks on her face having gone down and lightened up. Carefully, he turned his head around and found…another Yu. With the exact same features, down to marks on her face and neck.

"…" Izuku opened his mouth, couldn't find words, and simply closed it again. …I'll figure this out after I go to the bathroom, he thought, slowly slipping himself out of the three-way embrace and padding out of his room.

As soon as he was gone, both Yus sat up, the one that had been snuggling into his back pouting as she did. "I thought he would've panicked or something," she whined, brushing her hair out of her face, "Stuck between two total babes? I figured he might even faint. Damn, he might be too desensitized now."

"Desensitized by what?" The Yu who had been cuddling against his chest asked, glancing down at her body and the perfect copy next to her. "Have…have you…?"

The Yu on the left pouted and crossed her arms. "No," she muttered mutinously, "Not for the lack of trying, though. Your boobs and thighs are really sensitive, it'd be awesome…" Then she sighed dreamily, before pouting again.

The Yu on the right blinked. "…I…don't think I needed to know that."

"Probably," left Yu shrugged, "Anyway, you remember the three girls we used to hang around with?" Her expression turned pained for a second.

"The Anime Squad?" Right Yu asked dryly, "Where they all had different hair colors?"

"Yeah, we were all…kinda sorta dating each other for the last like, year or so, kinda hard to recall," confirmed the other one, trying and failing to sound completely nonchalant and not at all sad. "It ended recently…as in, two days ago. A wild way to end it, though." She very much did not tell her about the long-distance relationship, though. That was between the two of them, and her on occasion.

Right Yu arched her eyebrows in surprise, giving the other her a look. "'Dating each other?'" She asked leadingly.

"Well, for me, only Izuku and the blonde one, and it was more like…mutual fun than dating," left Yu shrugged, her eyes darting to the door. "He's coming back, remember your lines."

As the door opened, they mussed their hair and squinted sleepily and Izuku froze the first step through the door. "'Zuku, where'd you go?" Left Yu moaned tiredly, peering at him through her eyelashes.

"And before my morning kiss, too?" Right Yu yawned and stretched, his shirt that she'd used as pajamas riding up a bit.

Izuku found his eyes flicking between the two Yus, their messy hair and sleepy faces freezing him in place, even as the sight of them in his shirts made his blood pound in his ears. "…What?" He croaked, blinking quickly.

"C'mooooon 'Zuku," Yu whined, rubbing her eyes.

"You know I can't wake up without a kiss first," Yu pouted, hitting him with devastating puppy-dog eyes.

"Where's my kiss?" They said at the same time, closing their eyes and pursing their lips.

He gulped dryly, heart thundering somewhere near the base of his skull. Two Yus, asking so adorably for a kiss, his shirt hanging just enough to hint at her cleavage but high enough to display her long, luscious legs, plump lips puckered in preparation. Kiss…Yu-senpai? His brain stuttered, heat rising in his face.

It was all too much.

The Yus opened their eyes as they heard a thump, to find an insensate Izuku lying on the floor, steam practically billowing from his head. They blinked, then looked at each other. Left Yu grinned widely and pumped a fist. "Yes! Still got it!"

…

Later, once Izuku had recovered and Himiko was back in her normal form, Inko called them for breakfast. It was more than a little awkward for Yu, who kept her eyes on the table as the older woman bustled around making pancakes. Then she looked up as she felt a hand on her arm and found the Midoriya mama giving her a very dry gaze that made her blush, followed by a comforting pat.

Then Inko left for a small shoot, leaving two blondes and Izuku sitting on the couch. "So, uh, Senpai, you're looking better this morning," he started, pushing down a blush as he remembered what had happened before.

"I feel a lot better, too," she touched her neck, the marks having already begun to turn yellow around the edges. "I've always been a quick healer…and I had a good night's rest, too."

Himiko rolled her eyes as the other two flushed and looked away, but knew it was something they'd have to get over themselves. With a little nudge from her every once and a while.

"So, I'm on injured leave for the next week unless another big Villain pops up, so…" Yu tapped her chin in thought, then snapped her fingers. "How about I treat you guys to lunch? I can answer your questions about Yuuei at the same time."

"Sounds good," Izuku nodded, already thinking of where they could go. "I know just the place."

When lunch rolled around, the two Heroes in training led Yu down a familiar path. "So, this is the famous 'Uzumaki Noodle House?'" She asked, peering around at the restaurant floor. "It's…cozy."

"Yeah well, houses are supposed to be cozy, aren't they?" Naruto said from behind the counter, eyeing the trio as he wiped down the surface with a rag. "Been awhile, kids. Heard you're heading for the big hero school, congrats. I'll throw in some extra pork in your bowls, and not just because I made extra."

"Thanks, Naruto-san," Izuku nodded with a smile, looking up at the menu. "I'll go with chashu pork ramen, then, and a pot of jasmine tea."

Himiko ordered her usual, spicy ramen with rare steak, then Yu stepped up to the counter with a finger on her chin as she thought. "Oh!" She snapped her fingers, "I went to this really nice place, The Zen Garden, and they had this amazing soup made with pork and bamboo shoots…can I, like, custom order that?"

Naruto slowly looked up at the restaurants' name, then back down at his fellow blonde. "…Does it have noodles in it?" He asked dryly. She shook her head. "Then no."

Disappointed, she picked chicken ramen and they sat down, sipping the tea that had been brought and chatting about Yuuei. Yu told them that it could be hard to find where to go the first few weeks, and that the teachers would be rather…unique. Beyond the actual Hero training, though, it was a normal school. One of the most well-funded in the world, with varied training areas, an excellent cafeteria, spacious and comfortable dorms and if being a Pro Hero was too much, the education offered could set you up with almost any choice of higher schooling.

And, perhaps most importantly, it was a chance to build long lasting friendships with other Heroes. "Though, I wasn't good at that part," Yu admitted, scratching her cheek, "Or exams…"

Himiko nudged Izuku with a grin. "We already know a couple people and you're good at exams and stuff, so I'd say we're a couple steps ahead."

"What do you mean, 'we?'" He shot back with a smile, "You think I'm gonna take your exams for you?"

She leaned into his side, her hand slipping down to grasp his thigh. "Perhaps I could persuade you…" She purred, blowing in his ear.

Izuku flushed and batted her hand away, subtly gesturing at a pink-cheeked Yu who was focusing on her food. Himiko just grinned.

After finishing their food and getting dessert at Yu's insistence, she paid for the meal and they were walking back to the Midoriyas' apartment when the Pro Hero stopped and sighed. "I need to get back to the agency and start filing the insurance papers for that fight yesterday," she ran a hand through her long blonde locks, grimacing at the thought of paperwork. Then she hit them with wide, pleading amethyst eyes. "You don't mind if I come over later, do you? I still need The C's and I've only got two-" She remembered that she'd eaten the last of her ice cream a couple days before, "-one of those at home. Please?"

"Sure, mama likes you and you already know how we feel about having you around," Himiko grinned as the older blonde coughed and looked away. "What about you, Izuku?"

"You're always welcome, Senpai!" He smiled happily as Yu grinned.

"Then I'll be around for dinner!" She promised, stepping up to hug Himiko, then Izuku. But as she pulled away from him, she paused and kissed his cheek. Not a gentle peck or a light brush of the lips, but long, meaningful contact. "…See you later," she murmured huskily, before turning and strutting off.

Face red, Izuku watched her go. "…Is it just me, or is she more affectionate today?"

"Well you did share a bed with her," the blood-drinker pointed out, making him duck his head. "Not to mention all the cuddling you were doing on the couch."

"She had a rough day!" He replied defensively, "She needed comfort!"

"And you find her extremely attractive," she added, and he clapped a hand to his face. "Besides, do you really have a problem with someone as hot as Grand Tetons liking you? Because if so…I'm gonna have to call that a lie."

Izuku frowned, rubbing his neck as they walked home. "Well…I'm younger than her-"

"-By three years," Himiko interjected.

"-she has a career-"

"-that you're trying to get into-"

"-I'm going to school-"

"-a school she went to-"

"-we're going to be busy-"

"-life usually is-"

"-I have a girlfriend-"

"-long distance-"

"-she's a public figure, and what would dating a younger guy do to her reputation?" There was a second of silence, and Izuku looked over his shoulder for her rebuttal.

Himiko shrugged. "Who gives a fuck what other people think?" She jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "And don't think I haven't noticed that you aren't bringing up any personal compunctions, Zuku. Give it up, would you? You and her have been practically dating at a glacial pace since that slime villain."

He huffed and ruffled his hair, searching for more points to support his argument. "…It's not a good time to start a relationship, Himiko, not after…" He sighed. "It's going to be a busy time, settling in at Yuuei, the Hero Course, training…"

She reached up and grabbed him by the face, pulling him down so that they were eye-level. "Izuku, you've made time for her every Friday in-between training like a madman, dating three girls, training with All Might, making babies with Mei and fuckin' school. Tell me," she booped his nose, "How, with one of those gone and two of those combining, would you have less time?"

Izuku slumped, leaning against her. "…I don't think I'm ready for something else so soon," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her.

"You two have been dipping your toes in the water for like a year," she murmured into his ear, pecking the lobe, "Soaking your feet together every once in a while wouldn't be so bad, would it? No one's saying you need to jump right in."

He sighed into her shoulder as she nuzzled his cheek. "…This isn't some setup for a joke about getting wet, is it?"

Himiko drew back and slapped his shoulder playfully. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! As punishment, I'll ride you all the way back home," she commanded, slipping behind him and jumping on his back. "Onward, stallion!"

Chuckling, Izuku held her legs and set off, mulling over her points. Eventually, he settled on seeing where time would take them. But he was definitely looking forward to cuddling with Yu on the couch again.

…

"WHAT?!" A loud shriek pierced the morning of the big move-out. Izuku shot up from his desk, bags of mineral dust flying out of his arms.

"Shit, shit, shit," he chanted, quickly scooping up the bags and making sure none of the dust had spilled, before sighing in relief. Securing them in the last box, he picked it up and carried it from the room.

The week before the move had gone well. Sukuro had called, Yu had been over pretty much every day (and more than a few nights), the Midoriyas had enjoyed their dwindling time together, and they were all set and ready to go on the final day.

"HOW AM I IN A DIFFERENT CLASS?!" He heard Himiko screech and came into the kitchen to find her staring with furious incredulity at an innocent piece of paper.

"What's going on?" He asked, setting the box on the counter.

Wordlessly, she turned the paper around and shoved it in his face. It read that she would be part of Class 1-B in the First Year Hero Course, and gave the address for the building she would be rooming in. And under that was an identical letter addressed to him, but revealing that he would be in Class 1-A, and that dorms were separated by class.

"Oh," he muttered, scratching his temple, "Well, that sucks."

"Fuckin' sucks," Himiko grumbled, slouching over to lean against him, practically headbutting him in the sternum. "I know we wouldn't be able to do a lotta stuff in class and we're still gonna be in the same area and shit, but…dammit." She sighed, throwing her arms around his neck. "…Silver lining, though: I get to sneak into your room from another building. Like a ninja."

He chuckled and rubbed her back soothingly. "We'll still see each other every day, just…not all day. That's not so bad."

"Yeah…"

They stayed that way for a while longer, until Inko poked her head around the doorframe. "Kids? Are you…are you ready to go?" She sniffed, already sounding choked up.

"Yeah, mom," Izuku said with a sigh, nodding to the box. "I've got the last of the stuff I'm taking."

"I was all packed a while ago," Himiko mumbled, stepping back from him and giving Inko a small smile. "Want to take us on a ride, mama?"

The older woman blinked rapidly, wiping at her eyes before giving up and lunging at her kids. "My babies!" She wailed, clutching them both to her in a crushing embrace. They stood together in the kitchen they'd eaten in for years, in a home they'd lived in, where they'd come together as a family. Not for the last time, not by a long shot…but things wouldn't be the same.

…

Inko had rented a car for the day. While she had been tempted by Mitsuki's offer to come with them, the verdette figured the day was going to be chaotic enough without two explosively-tempered blondes crammed into a car with them. The drive itself wasn't too bad, though traffic was looking to become a problem later in the day, hence why they had left early.

Still, as the distant grounds of Yuuei drew closer, Himiko and Izuku couldn't help but feel a mix of dread and excitement. This, as they say, was it. The big day.

Inko pulled up to a wide metal gate, where they were met by a bored-looking man who looked over the two teens' letters, matched their identities, then issued them blank student cards that would get them around campus unmolested until pictures would be added the following day. And then it was a casual drive further into the campus.

The grounds themselves were almost like a park, with wide open, grassy areas, copses of trees scattered about with plenty of signs directing the curious student or visitor. In the distance, the Mock City training ground loomed and standing proudly before it all was Yuuei itself.

The dorm building for 1-B was up first, and honestly wasn't anything special from the outside, simply looking like a normal, modern apartment building with five stories. The door was unlocked, and there were marked keys hanging from a rack near the door, a pink circle for girls and a blue square for boys. Himiko snagged a key for a room that was about halfway up, "Easier to sneak out of," she said with waggling eyebrows.

The ground floor was wide, spacious and clean, though with a bunch of teenagers incoming, likely not to remain the latter for very long. The kitchen could fit a good few people, with multiple toasters, microwaves and a large stove. The pantry was mostly cereal and the makings for stuff like pancakes and waffles; though whoever had filled the area marked 'lunch' with tons of dry ramen either had a very low opinion of teenagers or just the right amount. The rest was canned goods. The fridge had milk, eggs, some vegetables and plenty of fruits, but was mostly bottled water. The freezer held mostly meat, chicken and some pork, with frozen fruit and veggies.

All in all, it seemed expected that a school day's meals would start with breakfast at the dorms or the cafeteria, followed by lunch, then dinner in the dorm.

The entertainment room was next to the dining area, which looked as if it could fit twenty or so people at once. There were two couches, a scattering of single chairs, and a few bean bags for sitting. That area was dominated by a large, flatscreen TV with room for consoles and movies underneath.

The room Himiko had picked wasn't huge but had plenty of space, easily large enough for a bed, desk, shelves, and table and some entertainment, with a balcony outside. "Even better, I can climb down this easily," she noted, setting bags of clothes on the bed as Izuku placed a box of her favorite trinkets on the desk. "See, this isn't too bad…still kinda sucks, but this is totally doable." She turned a salacious wink on Izuku. "Not the only thing, either."

"That kinda sucks, or is totally doable?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

"Yes."

"Kids, please," Inko sighed with a blush, reaching over to hug Himiko. "After I'm g-gone…"

"Okay, mama." The blonde squeezed the woman tightly, then followed the pair of green-haired people back down to the car.

The dorm for 1-A was nearly identical; except for the letter and number on a sign above the front door; everything else was the same, from the layout of the couches, chairs and tables, even down to the food. Izuku grabbed a key for a corner room on the fourth floor; out of a slightly jokey belief that the chaperone might be superstitious and not check the Floor 'Shi,' and the fact that Himiko had said the extra effort from the climb would make the cuddling worth it.

"…Although, maybe I should ask Mei to look into designing a hand-held version of the grapple belt," she muttered, tapping her lower lip in thought.

"What about wrist-mounted?" Izuku offered, carrying his boxes on his shoulders as they got into the elevator.

Also, each dorm had an elevator.

Inko had offered to drop Mei off at Yuuei with her 'kids,' but the dreadlocked inventor had declined on account of her babies being the ones doing all the heavy lifting. That, and she apparently wanted to check out the workshop to make sure it had all the stuff she needed.

"Maybe, but that presents a few problems…" Himiko trailed off as she opened the door to Izuku's chosen room and stopped. "…Note to self, when I go back I need to trade up for a corner room."

The room itself was about a third larger than the others, with several feet of empty space between the desk, bed and shelves. "Good, there's plenty of space for me to work." Izuku nodded, setting his training dummy down in one corner and his boxes of rocks on the desk. "And enough room to sit around if I've got company."

It only took another trip for him to get all of his things in his room; bringing it all together would be for later.

And then, it was time. The car was empty of all luggage, and the passengers stood outside, clinging tightly onto each other. "I'll miss you, my babies," she kissed Izuku on the cheek, then Himiko, "A-and I know even though I only brought one of you into this world…you're both my kids, okay? Even…even if that would make you two get up to some sort of, uh…incest, I guess…" She shook her head and ceased her rambling, squeezing the two of them to her. "I love you both, so much. Take care of each other, please?"

"Of course, mama," Himiko sighed, soaking in the warmth of the embrace, "You'll be good to yourself too, right?"

"We love you, mom," Izuku murmured, kissing her cheek as he rubbed her back, "And we'll visit you soon-"

Inko drew back. "Not too soon," she ordered, wagging a finger at them even though her lower lip was trembling, "Not until the next weekend, okay? I don't want you two skipping out on bonding with your classmates just to visit your…old, l-lonely…m-mother…"

The two teens quickly brought the woman back into their embrace. "You'll be alright, mom, Mitsuki'll be there, we'll be there…"

"I know, I know," she sighed, drawing back and wiping her eyes, giving them a watery smile. "I should get going…traffic's going to pick up soon. Call me, okay?"

With one last hug, Inko slipped back into the car and pulled away, stopping to wave for a final time before she disappeared around a bend and was gone.

Himiko wrapped an arm around Izuku's waist, leaning into his side as he wiped his eyes. "…Wanna be the first people to make out in our classes?" She offered, nodding at the dorm building. "Break in the couch?"

He chuckled, shaking his head in mirth. Then he turned to her and picked her up by the thighs, her legs wrapping around his middle as he carried her into the dorm. "Twist my arm," he murmured, setting her down on the long couch and pressing her down with his body in one smooth motion, his lips finding hers.

Himiko smiled against his mouth, one hand tangling in his hair while the other pawed at his back. Their tongues met as he dragged his fingers up her thigh, grasping at her tender flesh while she ground herself against him, a ragged moan escaping her lips. He broke away, lavishing attention along her jaw and down her neck, making her gasp and purr as he sucked at a sensitive spot, her hips bucking when his questing hand grabbed a handful of her ass and massaged.

They kissed messily, quiet moans echoing in the empty entertainment room. Izuku separated from her with a pop, breathing hard. "Maybe we should be in my room instead?" He asked huskily, pecking at her face.

"Oooh~ already feeling so frisky," Himiko purred, rubbing herself against him, "And I don't even have my uniform on."

"I'd rather not get caught like this," he muttered, nuzzling her cheek.

"Oh please," she rolled her honey-colored eyes, her hands working at the hem of his shirt, "It's a bunch of teenagers, when are we ever punctual?"

"Hello?"

Izuku bolted up, nearly teleporting to the other side of the couch as he wiped his face with the collar of his shirt. Himiko huffed and dragged herself up, licking her lips and straightening her clothes. Then, with an energy that seemed to come out of nowhere, she hopped up and made her way to the door. "Okay, thank you-oh! Excuse me!"

Having just come into the kitchen was a teenage girl, taller than Himiko by a few inches, with lustrous black hair hanging in a shimmering curtain down her back, matching the color of her dark eyes set in an oval face that were peering at them curiously. "Oh, hello there," she greeted them with a smooth, refined voice and small smile. She appeared completely calm and in control, but the two of them could see the slightest tremor in her hands and the anxious darting of her eyes. "Am I in your way?"

"Oh hey!" Himiko smiled, offering the other girl her hand, "Nice to meet you! I was looking for the 1-B dorms but I wound up here by accident."

The other girl shook her hand, her smile growing. "Nice to meet you, as well. It's understandable, getting lost, it's quite a sizable campus." Her eyes flickered over the blondes' shoulder, finding Izuku. "Hello to you, as well."

Izuku gave her a respectful nod and held his hand out. "Nice to meet you, I'm Midoriya Izuku and this is Toga Himiko." She grasped his fingers firmly, but in a rather noble way, like he was supposed to kiss her hand. Resisting the urge to do so, he noted just how soft her hand was.

"Yaoyorozu Momo," the now-named Momo replied, the nearly-hidden tensing in her shoulders fading as she smiled at them. "Are you two friends?"

Himiko threw her arm around Izuku's waist with a grin. "Yup! We've known each other for years, but we ended up in different classes." She sucked her teeth and shook her head. "Ah well. Speaking of, I should find my dorm and start getting settled. It was nice to meet you, Momo-san, I hope we see each other again!" The blood-drinker stepped around the taller girl and made for the door, turning back to look at her lover. "I'll see you later!"

Izuku glanced at Momo and internally sighed, glad she hadn't caught the flash in Himiko's eyes nor the rather lustful smile she'd sent his way. "Yaoyorozu-san-"

"Momo, please," she interjected.

"Momo-san," he acquiesced with a nod, "Would you like some help moving in?"

"Oh, no thank you, I have it handled," she turned to the doorway and whistled, waving a hand. Instantly, suited men began to pour into the building, all of them carrying something, even what looked like the pieces of a bedframe and…tools?

As Momo was directing them up the stairs, Izuku took a second to examine her critically. She wore a light blue dress that, while loose and rather modest, did very little to hide the fact that she had a figure many would be jealous of. He also noticed that her dress, despite being simple and modest in appearance, was also finely made and likely expensive. Having a model for a mother who had a fashion designer as a best friend and a Model Hero for a senpai, he could recognize an expert cut made to look like a cheap one.

"I should oversee this," she murmured, turning back to him with a smile, "It's my pleasure to meet you, Izuku-san, I would like to converse with you further…if that is amenable to you?"

"That would be my pleasure, Momo-san," he gave her a short, polite bow and refrained from watching her go up the stairs; they'd just met after all. "And, Momo-san?"

She glanced at him over shoulder, shimmering obsidian locks rippling across her smooth neck. "Yes, Izuku-san?" She blinked curiously.

Izuku pointed around the other side of the stairs. "There's an elevator."

She blinked once more, then leaned out to discover that there was, in fact, such a thing. "Ah. Thank you."

Nodding, he headed for the kitchen. If that's the baseline for how girls look around here…this is gonna be a hell of a class. He opened the cupboards, searching for something to make into light snacks. A little bit of food could go a long way to making everyone feel comfortable in this new place, except…Izuku set the kettle to boil and had an assortment of rice crackers and dried seaweed snacks ready to go, with some peppermint tea to accompany it, except… "What kind of heathen has a kettle and tea, but no teapot?"

In the end, Izuku steeped the tea in a couple of thermoses before closing them up to retain the heat, setting the cups on the counter near the bowls of snacks, taking a post nearby on a chair. The steady stream of suited men eventually petered out, leaving him alone on the ground floor.

He wasn't waiting by himself for long, as no more than five minutes later the front door was shouldered open by a tall teen with silver hair styled so that it covered the top of his face, except for his dark eyes, with a blue mask extending up from his neck to cover the rest. He was carrying three boxes under his arms with a roller case dragging behind, of which were both muscular and more than one pair. As a matter of fact, he seemed to have six arms, connected by a fleshy webbing.

"Hey there," Izuku greeted him with a wave, "1-A?"

The silver-haired boy nodded. "Yes," he said in a deep but rather soft voice, not muffled at all by the mask. "You as well?"

"Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you," Izuku nodded, slightly surprised to see another arm emerge from the other teen's limb that formed into an offered hand. Shaking it and unsurprised to find that he had quite the grip, Izuku gestured at the boxes. "Need a hand?" He paused, blinking.

"Shouji Mezo," the masked teen replied with a quiet chuckle, yet another arm splitting from his other side to pluck a key from the wall, "I'm good; all hands on deck, as it were. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He settled back in his chair as the taller teen disappeared up the stairs, then reappeared a few moments later. "Snack?"

Shouji took a handful of rice crackers as he headed for the door. "I'm going to take a walk, get the lay of the land," he relayed, giving a wave as he left the building.

Seems like a decent sort, Izuku thought, pouring himself a cup of tea, As for his Quirk…duplicating limbs, he's obviously strong, probably a nightmare to fight against in hand-to-hand, but is it only hands and arms? Hmm…need more information.

He was halfway through his cup when the door was kicked open and a blonde teen, hair spiky and messy, waltzed in with a duffle bag over one shoulder, a case rolling behind him. "Hey, so this is the place?! Not bad!" He gazed around at the room before his eyes fell on Izuku. "Hey man, what's up?! I'm Kaminari Denki, future Number One Hero!"

Izuku smiled, finding himself liking the new guy already. "Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you," he nodded, noticing that there was a jagged line of black in the other boys' hair, almost like a bolt of lighting. "Snack?"

"Oh sweet, I'm starving!" Denki flopped down in the other chair and shoved a handful of seaweed snacks in his mouth. "I was so psyched to be here I forgot to grab breakfast before I jumped on the subway," he relayed around a mouthful of crunching seaweed, swallowing noisily. "But man, Yuuei! Yuuei, man! I can't wait to start showing off!"

Chuckling, Izuku poured him a cup of tea and passed it. "It'll be hard work," he pointed out, "Wouldn't be the best Hero school if it was easy."

"Pssh," Denki waved him off, quaffing the tea, eyes finding the key board. "And we get our own rooms, too? Nice!" He squinted, realizing what the little shapes on the keys meant. "There's a chick here already?"

Thinking of Momo, Izuku nodded. "Yup."

The blonde gained a rather sneaky look, waggling his eyebrows. "She cute?"

Understatement. "Yup."

"Nice!" Denki hopped up, grabbing his bag and a key, "Imma go get setup! Seeya in a-is that a TV? It's huge! Playing HexBox on this thing is gonna be sweet!"

Laughing internally, Izuku refilled the snack bowl and took care of the cup, sitting back down. Not even a minute later, the door was thrown open as Mina skipped into the room with a wide grin. "Yoohoo, 1-A! We're heeereee~!" Her eyes immediately fell on him at the table, her smile getting even bigger. "Midori!"

He'd barely cleared his seat before the pink-skinned girl had nearly tackled him in a hug, her fluffy pink hair tickling his nose. "Hey Mina!" He greeted enthusiastically, giving her a little spin before setting her down. "It's great to see you again!"

"Isn't it?" She enthused, keeping her arms wrapped around him, setting her chin on his chest. "Texting ain't bad, but seeing people in person is way better!" She thought she was being sneaky with her hands getting little squeezes in, but no.

Her sneaky squeezes weren't so sneaky after all.

Izuku ignored it in favor of taking in her wide eyes, black sclera and yellow irises should've been a sinister combination, but she just made them adorable. "Where's Kirishima?" He asked, doing his best to also ignore how soft her body felt against his.

"Mina! Where'd you go?" On cue, they heard Kirishima calling. "Come get your stuff!"

"I might've left her carrying the luggage," Mina answered with no shame and a little shrug.

"Want some help?" He offered, already stepping towards the door.

"Sure!" She smiled, taking his hand and nearly skipping out of the building. "Eiri, look who it is!"

The muscled girl looked up from a stack of boxes and a pile of bags, flashing him a sharp-toothed grin. "Hey man!" She offered a fist and he bumped it with his own. "Nice to see you again! I know it's unmanly, but can you lend a hand? This one," she jerked her head at Mina, red hair shaking, "Left me with all the stuff."

"That's what I'm here for," Izuku clapped his hands and started piling their luggage into his arms, hooking the bags around his wrists before stacking boxes and picking them up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Eiri doing the same while Mina only grabbed a few things; but between the three of them it was all taken care of. "Grab some keys."

Mina skipped up to the board, eyes darting over the free spaces, turning back to him with a mischievous smile. "Which floor are you on, Midori?"

"Fourth," he replied, already heading for the elevator.

The pink-skinned girl was quick to snag a pair of keys on the same floor, the rooms right next to each other. "We're gonna be roomies~!" She sang as she skipped into the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. "Speaking of roomies, where's Himi-chan?"

Izuku sighed and shrugged helplessly. "She ended up in 1-B, so…"

Mina clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Damn, and I was looking forward to hanging out with her some more…" Then she shrugged. "Ah well, it's not like we're on other sides of the island."

He nodded, adjusting the boxes in his arms, eyes flickering over the ladies. Mina wore a teal tee-shirt that hugged her torso, the word 'JUICY' written across her sizable chest in pink, with a pair of jean shorts that displayed her toned, shapely legs.

Kirishima had shorts similar to her friend and a blank black muscle tee, most of her muscular form plain to see. He noticed that her red eyes were darting to him in the reflection of the elevator doors, the girl self-consciously flicking her crimson hair. Izuku glanced at her arms again, and was struck by the sudden urge to arm-wrestle her, and idly wondered if she would be able to pick him up.

For some reason, that thought was kinda hot.

Arriving on the floor, Mina darted ahead to their doors, which were on the other side of the building compared to Izuku's. She threw hers open with no hesitation, nodding as she beheld the contents. "Yup, it's got potential," she muttered, tapping her chin and narrowing her eyes in thought. "Now, where can I get some hot pink, dark purple and teal paint…?"

"Mina!" Eiri called, shifting uncomfortably, a bead of sweat running down her temple. "Open my door please!"

The horned girl jumped and hurried out, unlocking the door for the muscular girl who hurried inside to set her boxes down with a series of loud clanks. Izuku followed, surprised to hear metal scraping against metal as he laid a box on the floor. "Did you bring weights?" He asked, nudging it with his foot. Then he spotted something else. "And is that a punching bag?"

"Hehe, yeah," Kirishima smiled and rubbed her neck sheepishly, "I know they got a lot of gyms and stuff here, but I grew up using these, you know? I didn't wanna leave 'em behind…"

Izuku chuckled, jacking a thumb at his door. "I know what you mean, I brought my old training dummy with me." He nudged the box again, missing the look the two girls traded. "Well hey, if you want a spotter or something, I'm your man." He grinned and flexed his arm, his hard-trained muscles bulging proudly from under his skin.

Eiri gulped and gave a toothy smile. "Y-yeah, that'd be manly!" She offered another fist bump, which he gave.

Smiling, Izuku stepped around the two. "Alright, I've got some snacks downstairs and if you need anything, you got my number! I'll let you two get set up." He gave them a nod and exited the room.

As soon as he was gone, the muscular girl sighed, running a hand through her crimson locks. "…He didn't even notice," she muttered, with Mina rubbing her back comfortingly.

"By the way," they both jumped as Izuku popped his head back around with a grin, "I like your hair, Eiri, it's really striking. You look good!" And then he was gone again.

Arriving back on the ground floor, he walked back towards the table, passing by Denki who was trying to hook his HexBox up to the TV. There was someone at the snack table already, a lean guy with neck-length black hair in a button-up shirt, the front open and the sleeves rolled up, showing a pair of distended, almost plastic-looking elbows. He paused mid-chew as Izuku smiled and approached him.

"Hey man, I'm Izuku," he offered a hand.

"Hey, nice to meetcha," the other guy returned, quickly wiping his hand on his jeans before shaking. "Sero Hanta, excited to be here. I mean, everyone wants to go to Yuuei, you know? To actually be here…this is sweet!"

"I know what you mean," Izuku nodded, "Being the Number One Hero School really shows, doesn't it?"

"I got lost a couple times," Sero admitted with a grin, pausing as they heard the rattle of gunfire and what sounded like lasers. "Is that Call To Arms? Someone playing?"

"Sounds like Denki got his HexBox hooked up," the geokinetic noted, pouring the other boy a cup of tea. "Tea?"

"Thanks man," Sero nodded and stepped further into the dorm, grabbing a key. "Hey, that's Call To Arms 2! Dude, you got another controller?!"

"Yeah dude, c'mon!"

Grinning to himself, Izuku sat down at the table and popped some seaweed into his mouth, sipping cold tea. This day's already going pretty well, he thought, taking out his phone and opening a music app, bypassing his usual workout music in favor of something a little more melodic. Bobbing his head to the beat, (The Song) he leaned back and waited, though not for long.

The door opened softly and what appeared to be an empty tank top peered around it, calling a soft, "Hello?"

Surprised, he pushed himself up and gave whoever the clothes were a friendly wave. "Hello, looking for the 1-A dorms?" Now that he was standing up, he could see that clothes had curves.

"Hi there!" The clothes hopped forward peppily, and he could hear the sound of air being displaced by a rapidly-moving limb. Given the short, slender yet curvy body the clothes seemed to be covering, for lack of a better word, whoever it was, was a girl. An invisible girl. Who was waving at him with an invisible hand. "I'm Hagakure Toru, but you can call me Toru! Have you seen this place?! It's so big!"

He could almost imagine stars sparkling in her eyes…not the color of those eyes, though. "That it is," he chuckled, offering his hand and feeling a small, soft hand taking it. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's nice to meet you Hagakure-san-"

"-Toru," the invisible girl interjected, squeezing his hand.

"…Toru-san-"

"-chan," she insisted, hopping in place excitedly.

"…Toru-chan," he finished, ducking his head and pecking her knuckles, getting a girly giggle from her. "Would you like some help getting moved in?"

"Sure!" The left loop of her tank top moved a bit, and he assumed she was waving towards the door. "I've got a bunch of boxes! I didn't want to leave anything behind even though I know I could have it mailed later, but what if I really needed Sir Snuggles the Third and I couldn't wait a week?"

"That does sound serious," Izuku nodded solemnly, hefting a large box onto his shoulder. Despite the size, it was light as a feather, and judging by the green fuzzy leg of what looked like a frog sticking out of the top, it would be because it was full of stuffed animals.

Toru giggled, a backpack slipping over invisible shoulders while a duffle was carried in her hands. "I'm just kidding! I figured having stuff from home might make coming here a little less…homesick-y. I mean, it's awesome to be here- I got to fight robots! But it's my first time being away from home, and for so long, too…"

"Well," he nudged the door back open and led the way inside, "You're in good company, Toru-chan. I think most everyone is in the same boat right now."

The key jingled as she plucked it off of the board, followed by a handful of rice crackers disappearing into an invisible maw. "Misery loves company!" She commented, spraying crumbs. "But you're friendly, Izuku-kun! So it's not that bad, just different."

"Which floor?" He asked, stepping into the entertainment room as apparently Denki 'totally owned' Sero with a shotgun that shot lightning, which in the other boy's words was 'total bullshit.'

"Ooh, video games!" Toru enthused, bouncing in place. "I wonder if they have Smash Bros? Oh, uh, second."

A short ride up the elevator later, they were at the door to her new room, which she opened with a little fanfare. Setting her boxes near the bed, Izuku brushed his hands off and turned to the invisible girl. "Here you go!" He announced, checking his phone. "Say, what kind of sandwich would you like? It's almost lunch time and I feel like whipping something up."

"Aww, you don't have to do that," the invisible girl waved him off for about a second, "Peanut butter and jelly, if we have any? I mean, I saw the snacks in the kitchen, but do we need to go grocery shopping or something?" She paused. "Ooh, we could make a day of it! Get some clothes, get some food, maybe stop by a candy shop…"

"Once we're all settled in, we can see whoever's in charge about doing that," Izuku commented, tapping his phone with his thumb. "Toru-san-"

"-chan!"

"-Toru-chan, do you have the GroupChat app?" He held up his phone, the screen showing a blank friend request, "So I can let you know when-"

"Omigosh yes!" Toru squealed, leaping at him like a feral cat and hugging him tightly before scrambling for his phone. "Whoo!" She whooped, spinning around as she rapidly tapped the screen, before pausing and taking a picture of herself. "Only here ten minutes and I already got a new friend! Score!"

Izuku couldn't help but smile at the sheer energy the invisible girl exuded, grabbing her tossed phone out of the air and adding his own number and picture. "Alright, Toru-chan, it won't take long for me to get lunch ready." Getting his phone back, he gave her a wave and headed back downstairs, chuckling to himself.

InvisoGirl added you as a friend!

InvisoGirl: Heeeey Izuku! u

RightPebble: Hey Toru!

To his surprise, once he got back to the kitchen area after asking the others what they wanted, someone was already bustling about. It was Mina, turning on a rice cooker as she absently munched some snacks. "Mina, are you making something?"

"Yeah, just some rice…" She tapped her lip in thought, eyeing the inside of the fridge. "Don't know what to have with it, though."

"Making the rice before you know what you want?" He asked with some amusement, retrieving a loaf of bread and the various fixings.

Mina nodded, popping a seaweed snack in her mouth. "I got hungry. Just because I don't have a plan doesn't mean it won't work out. Step One: Rice. Step Two," she shrugged grandly, "Step Three: Food."

Izuku pulled open the pantry, glancing at the cans on the shelves. "We've got some tuna, pickled daikon and some seaweed if you wanna make rice balls to go with the sandwiches," he announced, glancing at her over his shoulder. "By the way, you want a sandwich?"

"Sure!" She grinned, "As long as you help me with the rice; not to brag, but I'm pretty good at handling balls."

He paused in retrieving the ingredients and looked at her. Her cheeks had darkened, but she was unrepentant. She blushes lilac? That's adorable. "Just be careful, wouldn't want to get sticky white stuff everywhere." He smirked even as his face heated up. "It would probably be a bad first impression, the two of us making a mess in the kitchen."

Mina gulped audibly, eyes darting away. "…I was gonna make a joke about impressions on something else," she admitted, coughing into her hand, "B-but I'm pressed for time."

Izuku laughed, setting out the stuff and getting started on bringing it all together. "I'll figure out how to press your buttons in time," he promised.

She nudged him with her hip, sorting out the fillings for the rice balls. "One can only hope," she murmured, standing next to him.

And if their legs were touching, well, it wasn't that big of a kitchen.

As they were bringing lunch together, Momo descended from her room, blinking as she noticed them at the counter. "Would you like some help?" She offered, her fingers laced together as she leaned on the counter.

"We're good on the food," Izuku replied, noticing the lack of thermoses, "But we've got no tea. If you want to make some, that'd be great."

Momo nodded her agreement and went to prepare the tea, when she noticed a certain piece of equipment missing. "There's no tea pot?"

"Nope," Mina answered, shaping another rice ball and wrapping it in seaweed. "Kinda weird, right?"

"Indeed," the other girl muttered. "Excuse me, I'll return in a second."

There was a moment of silence, except for the video game noises coming from the entertainment room. "She's definitely rich, right?" The pink girl asked, jerking her chin at the stairs.

"Just because she talks formally doesn't mean she's rich," Izuku commented, cutting a sandwich into quarters, "She definitely comes from money, though."

"Mm," Mina hummed in agreement, "Cute, too."

"Indeed," he echoed.

When she returned, she was carrying a tin of tea, but no teapot. Then after setting the tea on the counter, Momo turned away from them, lifted the edge of her dress and in a flash of blue, pulled a teapot from under there.

Izuku and Mina traded incredulous looks as the other girl started the kettle. "Momo-san, did…did you have that under there the whole time?" He asked, unsurely.

She gave them a confused look, then realization struck. "Oh, no, no, I used my Quirk, Creation. It requires skin access and my arms don't have enough surface area."

His eyebrows shot up. "Your Quirk creates things?" He barely resisted the urge to gape in amazement; Mina did not.

"Oh yes," Momo nodded, opening her hand and in a small flash of blue and pink particles, a small, painted wooden doll appeared from her skin. "I can create anything I can think of, as long as I know the atomic structure and I have enough lipids."

"Wow…" He heard Mina murmur, "So this is the Quirk of a rich person…!"

"That's amazing, Momo-san!" Izuku enthused, eyes darting as he thought of the possibilities a Quirk such as hers presented…and realized that there were no limits. "Your Quirk is the epitome of versatility…" A thought crossed his mind, and he gave her a respectful look. "To use such a Quirk as a Hero…you must have a mind like razor, Momo-san."

"Ah…" Her cheeks pinked and she smiled a bit, before her eyes fell on the pink-haired, pink-skinned horned girl. "Oh! Forgive me, we haven't met before. My name is Yaoyorozu Momo."

"What's up, Yaomomo?" Mina grinned, hands on her hips. "Ashido Mina's the name! I melt stuff."

"Y-Yaomomo?!"

"It's a nickname!" The horned girl thumbed her nose proudly, "Friends give 'em to each other, y'know?"

Momo paused, audibly gulping. "…F-friends?"

"That's right!"

"If you want, Momo-san," Izuku demurred politely.

She cleared her throat, unable to keep a giddy smile from spreading across her face. "I would like that, Mina-san, Izuku-san." The kettle began to whistle, and she busied herself filling the pot and steeping the tea.

As lunch was coming together, the front door opened and in strode a lean young man with a black bird's head in place of a human visage. His sharp eyes rolled over the room, reaching out to pluck a key. "Afternoon," he greeted with a nod, moving on.

"Lunch is almost ready!" Izuku called to both the new guy and the others in the entertainment room. With the three of them working together, it took only a moment to lay out the spread; two different kinds of meat sandwiches, along with peanut butter and jelly, all cut into quarters and separated into neat rows; clearly marked, of course. And with it, rows of neatly-formed rice balls filled with tuna, pickled radish and a mixture of the two.

The group in the entertainment room, now consisting of Denki, Sero, Eiri and Toru, paused their match of Smash Bros. long enough to grab plates and fill them with food. There was plenty to go around, so the trio sat at the kitchen counter and ate before Momo poured them all cups of tea.

"Wow, this is some tasty tea!" Mina enthused, swigging half of her cup in one go.

Izuku sipped and let the heat flow through him, the aftertaste settling on his palate. "Light with a hint of fruit, yet earthy with a citrus aftertaste," he mumbled to himself, stroking his chin, "A green tea blend, good for waking up or capping off a night, studying or relaxing." He toasted Momo with his teacup. "This is excellent tea, Momo-san. Thank you for sharing."

"Indeed," Momo nodded with a pleased smile, "It's my favorite blend; I only hope I brought enough." She sipped delicately from her cup, much like a princess would.

"So sophisticated…" Denki muttered around a mouthful of rice ball.

Mina was gazing at her cup with new appreciation. "So this is the tea of a rich person…!"

Izuku reached under the table and nudged her foot, giving her a slightly confused look.

The front door opened and in walked a nervous-looking Ochako, a bag slung over her shoulder and a large box that she carried with ease in her arms. "U-um, hello?" Her eyes went wide as something pink rushed at her and she suddenly found herself in a tight squeeze.

"Urara-chan!" Mina cried happily, nuzzling the other girls' reddened cheek.

"Mina-chan?" Ochako blinked, hugging her back and looking around the room, spying the muscular girl with crimson hair, who waved. "Eiri-chan, too!" Then she saw Izuku and her smile grew. "And Deki-kun, as well! We're all part of the same class?"

"Yup!" The horned girl was bouncing excitedly, before she frowned. "Himi-chan's in another class, though. Not sure about Iida, either, I haven't seen him yet. You'd think he would be here by now!"

The gravity girl giggled in agreement before spotting lunch laid out. "There's food?" She asked, practically salivating. Izuku set a plate down next to his spot and patted the table invitingly, and Ochako practically teleported over, leaving her box floating in the air. "I'm starving!"

"Please, help yourself, there's plenty," Momo welcomed with a wave and a smile. "I'm Yaoyorozu Momo, it's a pleasure to meet you."

That set off a round of introductions, even from the bird-headed boy, whose name was Tokoyami. Then the group split up. Most went to the entertainment room to continue playing; Mina had dragged Ochako up the stairs for some 'girl talk' while Momo and Toru were conversing about dolls.

Izuku went back to his post by the door with a full belly and a desire to relax; so he retrieved his phone, selected a song (the Song) and let his eyes close, gently bobbing his head to the beat. The day was stretching on and while it had been somewhat stressful, things had settled down. There was still a while to go yet, but there was a rhythm to these things.

"Good song," someone said from right beside him.

Izuku jumped in surprise, eyes flying open to see a girl standing nearby. She was lithe with chin-length purple hair, a sharp jaw and rather unenthusiastic-looking eyes, wearing what one might call a 'punk rock' getup; a dark purple tank top with the words 'Deep Dope' on it, an olive green canvas jacket decorated with numerous pins and badges, fingerless gloves and ripped jean shorts, finished by a pair of boots. Though what drew his attention the most were the headphone jacks dangling a few inches from her earlobes by cords of flesh.

"Sorry to ruin your vibe," she blinked at him, her jacks rising in an approximation of a shrug. "This is the dorm for 1-A, right?"

"Yeah, it is," he coughed into a hand to recompose himself. "Midoriya Izuku."

"Jiro Kyouka," she introduced with a nod, and it might've been the light but he could've sworn there seemed to be horizontal streaks like those on an EKG monitor in her hair. "So…sleeping on the job?"

Izuku shrugged. "Been a long day," he noticed the case slung on her back and another in her hand, and a couple of boxes behind her. "Would you like some help?"

"Sure," she grabbed a key as he picked up her stuff, her eyes flickering around the room as she walked to the elevator, taking in the groups of fellow students. "Not even a day, and already there are cliques."

"Bit of an overstatement," he commented, leaning against the back wall as she hit the button for her floor, the fifth. He eyed her cases. "You're a musician, then?"

"No, I just like the way they feel when I carry them around," Kyouka muttered, rapping her fingernails on the handle of her guitar case. "Yeah, I play, mostly bass and guitar."

"That's cool," Izuku said, a little awkwardly, "My best friend and I, we play instruments as well. I'm on the keyboard and she has a harp."

"Oh?" Her eyebrows arched as she looked at him. "Been playing long?"

"A couple of years," he shrugged, grimacing a little. "Haven't actually touched it in a while; too busy training for the Entrance Exam…there might be some empty rooms left over, maybe we can use one of them to practice in…" He hummed thoughtfully as he mumbled to himself.

"Let me know when you do, I could use some practice myself," she added lightly, a bit of tension easing from her shoulders. The elevator stopped and the doors slid open, with Izuku following her down the hall. "Here it is."

Izuku set her boxes down and nodded at her. "There's food if you're hungry and company if you want it. Nice to meet you, Kyouka-san."

"Just Kyouka," she muttered, setting her cases against the wall before flopping down on the bed. "…This won't be that bad…"

As soon as he stepped off the elevator, he noticed the tall form of Shouji by the tables, joined another tall, muscular teen though a bit wider built, with short spiked brown hair, thick lips and a round nose. He introduced himself as Sato Rikido and gave a very firm and friendly handshake.

Not even a minute later another tall, muscular teen entered the dorm, this one with a rather uneven-shaped head that looked somewhat like rock, if that rock was flesh and bone. He didn't talk, though, rather introducing himself in sign language. His name was Koda Koji, and he was very pleased to meet them and hoped they all got along together.

While they were getting sorted, Izuku refilled the snacks and cleaned up from lunch; at that time in the day, it was either snack lightly or just wait for dinner. Just as he had sat down with a cup of tea, the door opened once again and in came a girl.

The first thing he noticed were her eyes; they were wide and round, with black irises that seemed to stare into his soul. Her mouth was rather wide and dipped in the middle, with hair a dark green like seaweed that framed her face and spilled down her back, where her locks were tied into a large bow. The second thing was that she was wearing a worn jean jacket, a long blue skirt that brushed her ankles and a t-shirt that read 'Hop to It.' A bag was slung over a shoulder and a box was under an arm, and he couldn't help but notice her rather large hands.

"Hey, these the 1-A dorms?" She asked by way of greeting.

"That they are." He stood up and offered her a hand. "Midoriya Izuku, pleasure to meet you. Can I help you move in?"

"Asui Tsuyu," she replied in a clipped tone, "Just call me Tsuyu-chan. And yes."

She handed the box over and Izuku noticed that it wasn't very heavy, but inwardly shrugged and carried it. He'd offered, after all.

Tsuyu picked a key from the wall and waved. "Lead on."

He did so, stepping by the group on the couches around the TV, cheering on the four players beating the virtual crap out of each other. He could feel eyes on his back as he shared a nod with Momo. "Which floor?"

"Third," she replied, leaning against the side of the elevator. "Midoriya-chan, you work out a lot, don't you?"

Izuku blinked, bemused. "Huh? Er, well, yeah, I do. I figure that anyone who'd wanna come here would do the same."

She bobbed her head. "Mm, that's true. It's pretty noticeable on you, though, and I always say what comes to mind."

"Mm," he nodded, "Honesty is the best policy?"

Her large eyes swiveled up to regard him. "Frogs aren't always good at body language. Ribbit. So I don't want to cause any misunderstandings."

Izuku glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Did she just ribbit? Holy shit that's cute. "Your Quirk?"

"Yup."

"Very cool."

"Frogs hibernate when it's cold enough, ribbit." The doors opened and they stepped off, finding her room quickly. "Not really welcoming as far as rooms go, but at least I can decorate how I want."

Izuku set her box down, shooting her a curious look. "So, being honest, why'd you have me carry the box?"

Tsuyu blinked at him. "You offered."

He shrugged. "I did. I'll let you settle in, Tsuyu-chan. If you need anything I can actually help with, here's my GroupChat ID, just send me a message." His phone chimed with a message.

Froppy sent you a friend request!

Froppy: Hi.

Chuckling, he replied.

RightPebble: Hey.

"See you later," Izuku waved as he exited the room, taking the stairs back down. He whistled as he arrived into the entertainment room, holding up his phone. "Hey guys, do you have GroupChat? Let's trade IDs." This started a miniature storm on the couches as after he got theirs, they traded with each other and got to talking about their phones.

Leaving them to it, he looked up as the door was flung open and a slender young man with long blonde hair that spiked out at the ends, with a rather round, girly face. "The hero has arrived!" He announced flamboyantly, posing. "And he's sparkling!"

Izuku blinked. There was shifting of cloth and bodies as the teens in the entertainment room looked over, nonplussed. Someones' character, mid-jump to get back on the platform, plummeted to their doom. "…Okay." Izuku offered his hand with a bemused smile. "Nice to meet you, Sparkling-san, I'm Midoriya Izuku. Welcome to the 1-A dorms."

"Honhon, indeed! Of course, one with such a shining Quirk as I would be welcomed!" The sparkling boy took his hand and shook it enthusiastically. "Aoyama Yuga is the name! You may call me 'sparkling' if you wish, for that is what I am! You must be so pleased to have me in your class! And I equally-" He posed, realized the door had closed behind him and hurried to open it before retaking his pose, "-would be pleased to have your help moving my stuff?"

Izuku arched an eyebrow at the large mass of boxes sitting outside of the dorm, most of it marked with the characters for 'Fragile, Do Not Drop.' "That's quite a bit of fragile items," he noted. "Let me see if I can get some more help."

Eiri practically jumped at the chance to carry heavy things; "Helping is manly!" She proclaimed, and it was definitely not because Sero was handing her loss after loss in Smash Bros. Sato was also down to help out; because he was friendly or because he was bored was up for debate. And Shouji was agreeable to lend a hand or five.

"-Fairly certain I didn't pack a robot," they heard Yuga mutter as they arrived at the front door.

"Robot?" Izuku asked, glancing that way before his eyes widened and he broke out into a broad grin. "BB!"

The tall, one-eyed robot waved stiffly. "Hello-Father," it greeted in a stilted, heavily electronically-tinged voice. "Mother-sends-her-greetings. Begin-playback: Hey 'Zuku! I upgraded BB and made another one! This one is your BB! I mean, he's our baby and your BB but now he's my BB too! …Not that I'll use it for that, but…anyways, they can also send messages to one another because they're linked to a hive-mind! Try it!"

"Alright…" He tapped his chin in thought as the other teens began to move the boxes. "Hey Mei, it's Izuku. I hope you're having an easy time moving in and that the workshop is-"

A loud air horn noise suddenly blasted from BB, making them all jump, Sato and Eiri nearly losing their grip on a long box. "Ha! Pranked, Izuku! Why would I give them just recording capabilities when they could also be two-way communicators!" Mei chuckled victoriously. "Anyways, moving in was a snap with two BBs! And the workshop is awesome! There's so much stuff I can use! But you're always the best when it comes to making babies, Zuku!"

Behind him Eiri stumbled over nothing and ran into the doorway as Shouji, Sato and Yuga traded looks before deciding to ignore what they heard.

"Thanks, Mei," Izuku smiled sheepishly, "I'll come visit you soon, I had a few ideas in mind and so did Himiko. Also, I insist that you stop by my dorm so I can make you dinner. It's only fair to treat you after ordering in so many times at your place."

"Ideas? Like what?" And of course she would ignore the rest of his words.

"Making a wrist-mounted grapple hook."

There was a second of silence, then a rustle of papers. "Oh! I had that idea, too, but the torso-mounted design fit better with Hemiko's design aesthetics…wrist-mounted would need extra support webbing so that it doesn't tear the arm off or be integrated into an existing suit…" Then came the noise of scribbling and very low muttering.

Izuku waited patiently. "…Mei?"

BB shrugged helplessly. "Sorry-Father. Mother-closed-the-line. Would-you-like-to-leave-a-message?"

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Mei, remember to eat and sleep, and I insist on cooking for you." Pinching his nose, he shook his head. "BB, please play that at some point today, okay? Loudly, if you have to."

"Yes-Father. Reminder-set."

Izuku glanced over at the boxes; despite the others' work, there were still quite a few left. "BB, mind helping me move this stuff inside?"

"Of-course-Father."

He discovered that whatever was inside the fragile boxes was something that he could pick up in his field, so to cut down on time he stacked them in his arms and reduced the weight by lifting them with his mind. BB followed him inside, a large, flat, rectangular box balanced on its shoulder. Yuga wasn't on the first floor, though, so he looked to the board of keys and noticed one missing from the topmost pegs. "Looks like we're going to the fifth floor, BB."

"Acknowledged-Father."

Mina perked from her spot, leaning on the back of the couch with Toru. "Wait, 'father?' How does that work?" They couldn't see it, but by the swishing of hair it seemed Toru was nodding in agreement.

BB perked up. "Queuing: 'Human Reproduction for Dummies.' When a man and a woman love each other very much, or their marriage is failing and they're desperately trying to make a reason to stay together even though they're a terrible couple and I'm right here, Phyllis-"

"No, no, none of that!" Izuku reached over and lightly slapped the robot on the back of the head. "I helped put him together with a friend of mine, Mei. Since she calls her creations 'her babies' the ones that can talk refer to her as mother. And since I helped…" He waved the thought on. "Anyway, you wanna help with these boxes?"

"Nah, I'm good watching the parade," she shrugged, propping her chin up on her hands.

A little confused, he continued onward. Once he and his BB had gotten on the elevator and Shouji had passed them going back out, Toru leaned over and whispered, "The hunk parade," and then they giggled.

Even working together, it took them several trips to bring all of Yuga's stuff to his chosen room and by the time they were done, the flamboyant blonde barely had energy left to pose as he thanked them and shut himself in his room.

Izuku poured them all drinks when they arrived back downstairs; they were sipping juice when the door opened again. They looked over and blinked in confusion as there seemed to be no one there. "Uh, hey…" They looked down…then down some more until their gaze settled on a short teen.

And by 'short,' it meant three feet and some change 'short.' There may have been a few inches added by the large dark purple balls growing from his scalp, but it was still a boy who'd need a step-stool to reach the stove. He had a round head, puffy cheeks and large eyes which gazed up at them with some trepidation.

"Hey there," Izuku greeted him with a wave. "Welcome to the 1-A dorms, I'm Midoriya Izuku."

"Hey," the short guy repeated, carrying a single box with a bag on his back. He leaned up on his tiptoes, trying to peer around them. "Is it just you guys or are there actually girls staying here?"

Eiri, sitting right next to Izuku, dropped her friendly smile and gripped her cup tightly. "I'm a girl," she pointed out through grit teeth.

Ball-head gave her a rather blatant once-over and frowned. "I mean soft, curvy…actual girls."

The glass shattered in her hand.

Izuku cleared his throat. "There are females living here, yes. Why not pick out a room key and get settled in…" He gave the shorter boy a flat look. "But first, you insulted a fellow student, our future comrade as Heroes. An apology would be appreciated."

The intimidating visage Izuku had brought to bear was completely ignored as the short one giggled to himself, gazing speculatively at the keys. "Which floor has the most hot girls on it? Are the rooms side-by-side? What about bathrooms?" He'd set the box on the ground as he plotted, and through the opening at the top, they could see a busty-half naked woman on the cover of a doujin.

Izuku thought quickly. There's only Toru on the second floor. "Second floor," he said, glancing at Eiri to find her frowning at him. He motioned for her to wait a bit as Mineta grabbed a key and his box, then ran into the dorm, stopping to stare at Mina's legs as she sat upside-down on a couch. "Text Toru-chan and ask her to move," he told her under his breath, getting an understanding nod. "I get the feeling that guy doesn't care much about privacy when it comes to girls."

The red-haired girl growled as she typed up the message, then sighed, her hand taking on a rock-like consistency as she swept the shattered glass into a pile. She frowned at the pieces and the puddle of juice, flexing her hand into a fist. "Girls can be manly too, right? And still be girls?" She muttered to herself.

Izuku reached over and laid his hand on top of the broken glass. "Does it really matter what he thinks?" he offered, the glass dissolving into sand by his will and flowing back together into the shape of a cup, though now opaque. Pulling on his chakra, he tapped it with his finger and it became clear, as if it had never been broken.

Eiri examined the glass, eyebrows raised in surprise. "You know, I don't actually know what your Quirk is. Mina said it was some kind of rock armor and you were wearing metal at the end." She glanced at him and her cheeks pinked; she hadn't realized they were so close to each other that she could feel his breath on her cheek.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure we'll all go around talking about our Quirks soon enough," he deflected with a smirk, stepping back from her space.

She opened her mouth to continue questioning, only for the door to open and admit another guy. This one was taller than the last, with short blonde hair swept forward and narrow eyes set in a plain, if friendly face. And, of course, the biggest thing was the large tail coming from his back, nearly as thick as his torso and hairless except for the tip, which bore a fluffy tuft of hair matching that of his head. A large box was held aloft easily by his tail, with a bag on his shoulder. "Is this the dorm for 1-A students?" He asked politely.

"That it is, welcome!" Izuku greeted him with a friendly smile. "Grab a key, grab some snacks and join our GroupChat! I'm Midoriya Izuku."

"Kirishima Eiri," Eiri introduced, pouring herself another drink after cleaning up the remnants of the previous glass of juice.

"Ojiro Mashirao," he returned with a bow, "It's a pleasure to meet you." He stood straight but loose, with an almost noble but approachable bearing. Almost as soon as he had sat down in the entertainment room, he was pulled into a match of Smash Bros. and freely ribbing the others as they fought.

"But seriously, I wanna know-"

The door opened again, and this time by someone they both recognized. "Iida-kun!" Izuku greeted with a wave. "Welcome to 1-A!"

"Hey man, you finally showed up!" Eiri added, offering a fist.

Iida bowed sharply, hair and glasses remaining in place despite the violence of the motion. "Midoriya-kun! Kirishima-kun! I have shamed my lineage by being late, but that was only because I was saying farewell and acquiring last-second advice for living away from home for the first time! Thank you for welcoming me into our shared home for the foreseeable future!" he chopped a hand, eyes wide and serious. "I shall endeavor to be a model dormmate! Do you need any help moving in?"

The other two traded looks. "We've been here since this morning, Iida-kun," the green-haired teen replied. "Do you need any help moving in?"

Iida's eyes darted about behind his glasses. "…Ah. No, thank you, Yuuei provides furniture, living space and food, as expected of such a well-funded school, so I only brought a few mementos from home and my family, as well as casual clothes. If I require more, I will simply run over to the shop just off of the campus." He picked a key to a room on the second floor, then paused at the snack table, his hand darting to snatch a rice ball and shove it in his mouth so fast it was a blur. "Ahem, excuse my impropriety, I am quite hungry."

"No worries man, everyone else already ate," the muscular girl commented, waving a hand at the table. "Help yourself."

Seven rice balls and two sandwiches disappeared into his maw, teeth flashing in the light so fast they were a little surprised there weren't chainsaw noises. Iida pulled a napkin from somewhere and wiped his lips. "Thank you. I shall introduce myself to our fellow students and get my room in order. I look forward to working alongside both of you." He sharply bowed again, barely missing the edge of the table.

"Yo, Idaten!" Mina called from the couches, "How are you so late when you're so fast?"

"Ashido-kun, sit properly on the furniture! Your improper posture disrespects this very institution!"

"There's an actual robot here, and somehow you're the stiff."

"Don't-bring-me-into-this."

"And you! Sit straight, hunching over like that can cause future back problems!"

As Denki said something muffled by an explosion from the TV, Izuku chuckled. "That's one way to make fast friends," he muttered, finishing his juice and checking the time. If I get started on dinner now, that should be enough time to make a variety. But of what? Something simple…

"Dude why are you twitching? Are you having a stroke?"

"And you! Get out from under the table and cease giggling, it's-" They heard a distant crash as Iida tripped over something and tumbled to the ground before popping back up. "Who left a box in the middle of the room, someone could trip and hurt…themselves…" There was a loud, almost theatrical gasp. "This…this is PORNOGRAPHY! This must be disposed of!"

A distant wail. "Nooooo! My treasures!"

Eiri nudged his arm with a grin, her sharp teeth making it a rather fierce expression. "At least it won't be boring," she offered.

"That it won't," he agreed, grinning back.

"Yo, Eirishima!" Mina called, leaning over the back of the couch, "We're doing girls versus boys in Smash, c'mon! Midori, you too!"

Izuku waved her off. "Nah, I'm going to get started on dinner. There's…eighteen people here, with the possibility of a few more coming. I need to make something big, but relatively simple and easy to tweak…" His eyes went to the pantry and all the noodles therein. "Aha."

It was a good thing the stove was near industrial-sized and there were plenty of pots and pans to be used. Grabbing chicken and pork from the freezer, he set it to thaw over low heat before getting cutting boards and vegetables out on the counter. The largest pot was for the noodles; the others were for chicken, pork and vegetable stock.

As he'd started cutting greens to saute, he noted a presence out of the corner of his eye and turned to find Sato approaching him. The large teen gave a friendly smile and nodded at the kitchen. "I saw you're making something, can I help? I know more about cakes and the like, but I know my way around soups." He scratched his temple sheepishly. "Also, they've been kinda kicking my ass and I'm tired of that. Damn Kirby."

Izuku offered a fist and got a bump in return. "Yeah Sato-san, glad to have some help. Cut these and separate them into three equal piles while I check the meat, alright? You watch the noodles and the chicken, I'll take care of the vegetables and the pork, then we'll season. Alright?" He clapped his hands with a grin. "Then let's do this! Wait. Is anyone allergic to anything?!"

"I'm allergic to Kirby's BS!"

"Kaminari-kun, such inappropriate language-!"

"Ha! Sucks to suck, don't it?"

Not hearing any actual replies, he shrugged. "Alright then."

Soon enough, the scent of cooking meat, the boiling of broth and the crackle of oil filled the kitchen, slipping into the rest of the floor and drifting upwards. The noodles, the wet sort that were kept in the fridge, had just been added and were being lightly stirred when the door opened once again.

In walked a girl, a bit taller than Himiko with striking features that immediately drew the eye. Her hair was a pure, snowy white on the right side of her head and a rather autumnal red on the left, split directly in half at her crown. The red side had been pushed back and secured with a clip in the shape of a light blue snowflake, displaying a bright turquoise eye and large, jagged red scar surrounding it that spilled onto her forehead and near her ear. The white side was loose, brushing just over her shoulder, with the eye on that side being a flat grey. Her face was round and feminine, one would even say attractive, if not for a distant, almost absent expression. And some even then would still say such.

Her eyes flickered over the two teens in the kitchen, then the others lying about on couches and beanbags, and she made a noise somewhere between a hum and a scoff. "So this is 1-A," she muttered, adjusting the bag on her shoulder and grabbing a key.

"Welcome!" Izuku called, looking up from the sizzling slices of pork with a smile and a wave. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, this is Sato Rikido! Do you need any help moving luggage?"

"Todoroki Shimo," she nodded slightly. "And no, thank you."

"Alright!" He turned to the muscular boy tending the noodles. "How do they look, Sato-san?"

The other teen tested one of the thick noodles, chewing thoughtfully and then nodding with a grin. "Just about done!"

"Excellent! Everyone!" Izuku leaned over the counter so his voice would carry into the next room, "Dinner's almost ready!"

Mina flopped down on a stool on the other side of the counter, propping her cheek upon her hand as she grinned. "So whatcha makin'?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes. "I hear bubbling so I'm guessing soup…or it just might be the boys' brains after we kicked their asses!"

Eiri punched her fists in the air. "Winning is manly!" And held up hand so Toru could high-give her.

"Soba!" The green-haired teen replied. Unbeknownst to them, Shimo had been silently making her way towards the elevator until she heard that word; then she just as silently spun back around and leaned against the counter. "We've got chicken, pork and vegetable! Come on up and tell us what you want!"

"Allow me to render assistance!" Iida declared, sharply chopping a hand in a gesture almost like a salute.

"Can you grab some bowls, Iida-kun?" Izuku clapped his hands as the other students gathered on the other side of the counter. "Alright, what do you want?"

Together, they served up each of their classmates until all of them had a bowl of steaming noodles with their toppings of choice capping it off, sitting together after putting a few tables end-to-end. Izuku had just sat down on the other side of Mina, who'd dug in eagerly after adding a dash of memmi sauce, quietly moaning around a mouthful of noodles and meat. She gave him a lidded gaze and sighed softly. "Fuck…I hope Himi-chan knows how lucky she is to have a boyfriend who is such husband material." She licked her chopsticks, pink tongue flicking over the wood.

Izuku blushed and looked down at his soup sheepishly. A seat down, Ochako sat up, brown eyes wide. "Wait, Himiko-chan is your girlfriend?!" Her cheeks darkened as the rest of the table looked down at them, sensing gossip. "S-sorry," she mumbled.

"Yo, you got a girlfriend already?!" Denki called, looking impressed and a bit jealous.

"We live together," Izuku clarified, his thoughts racing. Probably wouldn't help if I told them we consider ourselves more 'lovers' than boyfriend and girlfriend…not to mention Suku.

"Oooh," the gravity said in understanding, slumping in relief, "Are you related?"

The Geokinetic refrained from laughing, remembering his mom talking about incest. "No, not related." He swirled some noodles together into a bundle, pausing as he felt a foot touch his. Mina gave him a subtle wink, her lips curling in a smile.

"So why do you live together, then?" Kyouka asked with an apathetic gaze, idly stirring her noodles.

Izuku's eyes darkened. "Her family are bastards," he said simply, before shaking his head. It wasn't his story to tell.

Shimo looked up from stirring ice cubes into her soba, eyes narrowing slightly.

Before he could finally start eating, the front door opened once again. And in stepped a familiar ash-blonde girl with sharp red eyes and a scowl. Izuku rolled his eyes. Of course Bakugou's in my class… "Bakugou," he greeted her politely but distantly, her scowl deeping as she saw him stand up from the table. "Need any help-?"

"No I don't need any fuckin' help, especially not from you, Deku!" She barked, baring her teeth.

The various chatter died down as every head turned towards the two of them; the hostility thick, but visibly one-sided tamping down on the friendly atmosphere from before. "Ooooh," Mina's noise of realization neatly snapped the tension in half, "She's Miss Volatile, right? Or was it She-Salty?"

Izuku blinked, then realized it must've been from a conversation Mina had with Himiko. "Bakugou Katsuki," he introduced, the volatile blonde staring incredulously at the pink girl. "She's-"

"The fuck did you call me, Raccoon Eyes?!" Her eyes narrowed, fists clenching.

Mina arched an eyebrow, propping her cheek on her fist, stirring her noodles. "Volatile and salty," she answered bluntly, eyeing the other girl. "I'm not a gambler but I'd say I'm right on the money."

"...You wanna fight?" Bakugou growled, a crackle filling the air as her palms popped with mini explosions, the scent of burnt sugar wafting from her. "I'll blast you straight to hell you pink fu-"

"MY BABY!" A woman wailed and Izuku instantly spun around, looking for his mother. Instead, it was Mitsuki, theatrically throwing her arms around her daughter's head before pulling it into her chest and exaggeratedly nuzzling her hair, all while crying. "Oh my sweet li'l child! I'm gonna miss you so much!" She gasped and stage whispered, "They grow up so fast!"

Katsuki flailed as muffled giggling filled the air. "Leggo a'me goddammit!" She shrieked into her mother's bosom, face burning as whatever intimidation factor she'd arrived with died a pink, cuddly death. "You fuggin' HAG!"

Mitsuki frowned and pushed Katsuki back, then loudly slapped her on the back of the head. "What'd I say about swearing in front of new people, brat?!" Then she just as quickly pulled her daughter back into a smothering embrace. "I'll even miss your fronting, my darling child!"

At the dinner table, many were laughing at the display, but inwardly many were glad that their own mothers hadn't done such a thing.

Izuku was grinning victoriously to himself. His mom had done that, but they'd been smart enough to come before anyone else.

Proper planning for the win, bitches.

"Mitsuki," he greeted the ash-blonde woman with a nod and a smile.

Her eyes opened and found him, a grin on her lips before she ruffled his hair with an aggressive coo. "Bonsai-chan!" She looked down at her red-faced daughter still struggling to get out of her grasp. "Lookit that, Katsu-chan! Your best friend in the whole wide world is here, too! Isn't that just wonderful?" She turned wide, watery eyes on him, lower lip trembling. "You'll watch out for my sweet baby, right? Keep her safe and out of fights? She has such a delicate constitution…"

Izuku glanced down. Katsuki was glaring at him with bulging red eyes promising violence upon his person. A normal weekday, then. He brought a fist over his heart and bowed solemnly, fighting to hold back a grin. "Of course, Mitsuki, I swear on my heart and soul that I will keep the delicate little princess safe and sound."

"Group hug!" Mitsuki cheered, pulling him down to her shoulder, kissing his cheek then raining pecks on her daughter's head. "You hear that, Katsu-chan? You're gonna be safe!"

Katsuki finally managed to free herself, nearly snorting smoke from how badly her face was burning, glowering at everything and everyone as she stomped to the board of keys, grabbed one, then stomped out of the front door.

The older blonde watched her kid go, eyes tracking her progress. Once the door had swung shut, she wheezed and buried her face in Izuku's chest before bursting out into laughter. "Oh my-oh my god!" She managed around her rampant giggles, "It-it was so worth all those hours stuck in traffic! HAHAHA!"

Katsuki marched back in with a box in her arms, leveling her strongest glare at everyone in eyesight, but especially at her mom and the green teen she was leaning on. "I'll kill you," she promised under her breath.

Izuku smirked and thumbed his nose at her twice. "So you guys got caught up in traffic, huh?" He asked, turning to Mitsuki.

At the table, Mina let loose a low whistle. "Man, how lucky do you gotta be to be in that position?" She muttered, waving her hand at the beautiful blonde woman leaning on the hunky teen. "What a MILF."

"MILF?" Ochako asked, brows furrowing.

The pink-skinned girl glanced at her. "Yeah, you know, Mom I'd Like to-"

"I-I know what it means!" The gravity girl stuttered, chopping hand in front of her face. "But-but, uh, you…?" She nodded at Mitsuki. "…You know?"

Mina shrugged. "Even if someone didn't…they would for that, right?"

Ochako looked down at her nearly-empty bowl, red-faced and mumbling, "Maybe…"

"Alright, come help me out a bit, yeah?" Mitsuki started for the door, "My brat tried to pack light, but I remembered how quick she goes through training clothes and I'd rather not get a huge bill from Yuuei for destroyed clothes, equipment and land. Plus I snuck a bunch of baby pictures in her stuff."

"It's only funny because you're not gonna be here when she finds them," Izuku chuckled, smiling as he spotted the familiar form of Mitsuki's husband removing boxes from the trunk of their car. "Masaru, hey! It's been a long time!"

"Izuku," the older man greeted him with a friendly nod and a smile, "Nice to see you, too. I'm glad you're gonna be here with Katsuki, I think she'll need someone to lean on out here in the real world."

"Mm," he hummed noncommittally, taking a box from a silent Mitsuki. "How's work been?"

"Very good, we've been very busy, and expanding, actually. Overseas, if you can believe it," Masaru relayed, and his wife said nothing. "With Katsuki-chan moving out, it felt like the time to focus more on the career, you know?"

Izuku nodded, but didn't really get it. "Well, I hope it works out," he smiled, and went to carry the box inside. Mitsuki joined him with another package, her earlier humor almost entirely gone. "Which floor did she pick?"

"Fifth," she replied shortly, passing through the entertainment room. Most had finished eating and moved back to the couches; Iida was speedily washing bowls at the sink while Sato was storing away the leftovers, though Izuku's bowl was still at his seat.

They stepped into the elevator as a scowling Katsuki marched out, and Mitsuki hit the button. As it rose, she sighed deeply and rested her head against his shoulder. He shifted the box to his other arm and wrapped her in a side-hug. "It'll be okay, Mitsuki," he murmured, "I doubt she'll ever admit it out loud, but Katsuki definitely loves you. She'll hide it deep down, but she'll miss you."

"Heh, I know," she muttered, "But that's not the problem."

He opened his mouth to ask what was, but then the doors opened. Setting their boxes down, they returned to the elevator and took it back to the ground floor, the older woman leaning on him the whole way down. Katsuki was leaning on the counter, watching them with a thunderous scowl that only grew deeper when her mother grabbed her into another tight hug. "Dammit hag-!"

"Listen to me, brat," Mitsuki whispered, and Izuku wasn't sure she knew he could still hear her, "This isn't just a school, you got me? The people you meet here are the next generation of Heroes. The next movers and shakers in the most dangerous job in the world. Do not treat it like Aldera, understand?" She withdrew, smoothing her daughters' hair down then lightly kissing her forehead. "And for fucks' sake, quit swearing so much and make some goddamn friends, alright?"

"Whatever," Katsuki muttered, slipping out of her arms and slinking off.

The older blonde sniffed and wiped her eyes, then turned to him and hugged him, too. "I know it's not fair to ask you this," she murmured, her breath brushing his ear. "But please, look out for Katsuki, okay? Don't…hold her hand or anything, just…make sure she doesn't end up alone, okay?"

"I'll do my best," he promised, and she kissed his cheek.

"Alright," she sighed, stepping back and ruffling his hair once more. "You look out for yourself and Himiko too, got it Bonsai-chan?"

"I will," Izuku nodded, ignoring the snickering.

Waving, Mitsuki left the dorm and he was finally able to sit back down and start eating. He'd just taken a bite of his now-cold soba when Mina spoke up. "So…" She said coyly, her foot poking his, "Bonsai-chan, eh? I can see it."

Izuku frowned. "Don't call me that."

"Oooh, is it a special nickname from a special lady, hmmm?" The horned girl waggled her eyebrows with a grin.

"If by 'special' you mean 'my mom's absolute best friend who I've known almost my entire life' then…yes," he answered dryly, chewing on some pork. This is pretty good cold, hm. "Believe it or not, Bakugou and I have known each other since we were kids. Mitsuki, or 'hag' as Bakugou likes to call her, is like…my aunt." Who hasn't been exactly occupying that spot since I really hit puberty, but…

"Oh," Mina sighed, "Well, that's…still interesting." She shook her head. "Anyway, come play some Smash with us! I'm wondering how you'll do against my Voracious Pink Monster."

Izuku glanced at her, wondering if she understood how that could be taken. By her grin, she did. He looked back at the kitchen, now practically spotless. "…Alright, I guess I could play a match or two…take it easy on me, though, I haven't played it in a long time."

Eiri groaned and covered her face. "Why'd you say that?" She mumbled into her digits, giving him a pitying look. "Now she's gonna pound you into the dirt."

The pink-skinned girl smiled a rather feral smile. "Don't worry," she said unconvincingly, "I'll be nice."

…

"Welp, that's it," she sighed over an hour later as the victory screen played, setting the controller down. "It was a good fight, Midori, and you got me more than I thought you would…" She hopped up on her feet with a victorious whoop. "I won, baby! YEAH!" And then she started dancing.

Ochako patted Izuku on the shoulder. "Don't worry, she's beaten everyone so far."

He shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm not too down, I said I haven't played it in a while, I honestly expected to lose." He checked his phone and stretched his arms above his head. "And on that note, I'm going to bed."

"It's nine o'clock," Kyouka pointed out, glancing over at the clock.

"And it's been a long day," he nodded, pushing himself up, "Plus, it's our actual first day at Yuuei tomorrow. I want to be rested and ready for anything."

Iida shot up from his seat, where he'd been sitting stiffly. "An excellent suggestion, Midoriya-kun! I, too, shall go to bed!"

Izuku nodded to the gathered students. "It was nice to meet all of you today, and see you tomorrow." He'd just made it to the elevator when Mina and Eiri joined him inside, swiftly followed by Toru. At his questioning look, the pink-skinned girl shrugged.

"It's not easy kickin' all your asses, you know." She grinned, "And I need my beauty sleep!"

"Being well-rested is manly," Eiri offered.

They looked at Toru. "I'm just tired," she said.

They parted ways outside of the elevator, heading for their separate rooms. Inside of his own, Izuku sighed at his boxes and made a note to get set up tomorrow; having all that stuff on the floor made his spine itch. He then noticed that his closet door was open, and not only open, the closet itself was filled with copies of the Yuuei uniform. "Well that's a bit creepy," he muttered, eyeing the balcony suspiciously. "Someone snuck into my room…?"

"It-was-me."

He jumped as the robotic voice came from BB, who'd been sitting completely still in a corner. "Oh, BB, you got my uniform?"

"A-man-delivered-packages-for-the-entire-class," it reported, pointing at the trash can filled with torn plastic wrapping. "I-distributed-them-while-you-were-losing."

"Thanks, BB," Izuku muttered, grabbing some fresh clothes. "Getting trash-talked by my own son…"

"The-future-is-now-old-man."

Shaking his head and chuckling, he headed for the small bathroom attached to his dorm; there was enough room for a shower, a toilet and a sink with a mirror.

The hot water felt good on his skin, the heat seeping into his muscles and the bones below. It's been a long day, he thought, scrubbing his scalp with shampoo, All these new people…most of them are friendly, too. This…could be a really good time.

He'd been drying off when he heard knocking on the door. "What's up, BB?" He pulled his sleep pants on, towel hanging around his head as he dried his hair.

"You-have-someone-at-the-door."

"Thanks BB. You can deactivate or whatever you do at night, alright buddy?" He said, heading for the door with his towel around his shoulders. He pulled open the door and paused, seeing Mina, Eiri and Toru standing there. "…Uh, yeah?"

The horned girl tore her eyes away from his damp, shirtless chest and fixed him with a lilac-backed smile. "I just remembered that I didn't say goodnight."

"Manly," Eiri mumbled.

Izuku blinked at her, idly wiping the water seeping from his hair as it slipped down his face. "Alright then, goodnight." He went to close the door when Mina shoved her hand against it. "Yes?"

"Really?" She gave him an incredulous look, motioning at herself in a loose tank top and sleep shorts, "I'm standing out here like this and all you're gonna do is say 'goodnight?'"

He looked down at her. "…You look cute?" He offered with a shrug.

Mina stared at him for a second before huffing. "Fine, if you're gonna be like that," she stepped into his space and threw her arms around him. "It's not a 'good night' without a goodnight hug you big, dumb…" She trailed off as he hugged her back.

Izuku tried not to focus on just how soft and almost velvety-smooth her pink skin felt, nor her figure pressing against his. "Goodnight, Mina," he murmured into her ear.

Mina began to giggle. Not in a girly, innocent way, but in a sorta 'old man' way. Eiri pulled her back and the pink-haired girl stumbled back, face nearly entirely lilac.

Izuku looked at the muscular girl and opened his arms. "Do you want a hug, too?" He asked.

Eiri flushed and gulped audibly, her eyes on his chest before she shook her head and offered a fist. "Night, man." She grinned as he bumped her fist and led her best friend back to their rooms, with Mina still giggling.

"Well I do!" Toru said energetically, nearly hopping as she pulled him into an enthusiastic hug. "Night-night, Izuku!"

"Goodnight, Toru-chan," he chuckled, the invisible girl bouncing down the hall to her room. Stepping back inside his own, he sighed as he flopped back onto his mattress. Tomorrow's the big day…

He heard a thump coming from outside. Sitting up, he found nothing on the balcony…until Himiko shot up over the side, landing outside of his door with barely a sound. "Housekeeping!" She announced as she came into his room, unhooking her grapple-belt and letting it drop on the floor.

"Himiko," Izuku smiled, hugging her as she lay down on top of him, their lips seeking each other. "I missed you."

She sighed, snuggling against his chest. "Me too. Met some nice people today, though. Some cute girls, too."

"Tell me later," he murmured, nuzzling her hair, "The only cute girl I wanna think about right now is you."

"Can do," she replied, and they fell into a comfortable silence. "We should call mama, let her know how the day went."

"Mm," he hummed agreeably. "And afterwards, well…you're here, I'm here, and there's this bed…"

Himiko grinned and kissed him. "You read my mind."

…

The next morning, after a light workout, Izuku left Himiko with a kiss and the promise to walk to class together, then separated to get ready for the day. As it was dawn and nearly six in the morning, no one else was up. Looking about the kitchen, he rubbed his hands together and thought. "Pancakes are simple, easy to make in large quantities," he muttered, scratching his chin and already moving to the pantry. "And you can top them with anything you want…mm, yes, that'll work."

Some time later, Shimo stepped onto the ground floor, sniffing as a delectable scent filled her nose. Balanced on the balls of her feet and with a lifetime of experience, she silently crept into the kitchen, spying a platter on the counter piled high with steaming pancakes. Over the cacophony of cooking, she could hear someone singing.

"Flip me a stack, of flippin' flapjacks,

Pile 'em high, right up to the sky,"

Arching an eyebrow, she peeked around to find Izuku standing in front of the stove, lightly nodding his head to some rhythm in his head. She snuck around him, an easy feat given his attention to both his song and cooking, and opened the fridge to retrieve the leftover noodles and toppings from the previous nights' dinner.

"With melting butter and drowning in syrup,

Eatin' so much I might just throw up,"

Pouring a healthy amount into a bowl and mixing with some chopsticks, she took a seat at the small table the snacks had been served on yesterday. Her lip may have possibly twitched just a tad as she listened to him sing.

"With chocolate chips, or fruit inside,

Or why not with all, there's no downside,"

His voice wasn't bad, given that he wasn't aware of his audience and the inherent silliness in singing a song about pancakes. And it was such a picture of domesticity that she couldn't help but find it somewhat endearing. And a little painful for reasons she'd never admit.

"Just throw 'em at me before I blow my stack,

For a flippin' plate of flippin' flapjacks!"

As he finished the last line, he flipped a pancake high up, did a little spin, spotted Shimo silently sitting at the table sucking down noodles while staring flatly at him, squeaked a little and caught the pancake in his hand instead of the skillet when it came down. "Ow, ow, ow," he hissed, quickly throwing it back and rubbing his burning hand on his apron. "Uh, g-good morning…Todoroki-san?"

She stared at him, unblinking, cold soba disappearing into her maw. He almost would've thought she was a statue if not for the shimmering noodles and the slightest signs of breathing.

"…I'm making pancakes, you know?" He gestured rather obviously at the pile of steaming griddle-cakes. "Would you…like some?" Izuku spun back around as he remembered the cakes still cooking.

As his back turned on her, Shimo blinked rapidly to moisten her dry eyes, chewing and swallowing the noodles in her mouth then gathering more, returning to her position of eating and staring just as he looked at her once again.

Wow, she's intense…he thought, rubbing his fingers together. "Would you like some pancakes, Todoroki-san?" He asked, feeling the weight of her gaze.

The last of the soba vanished between her lips, and she swallowed delicately, before giving a single nod. Then she stood from the table, revealing that she was wearing the Yuuei girls' uniform; a grey suit jacket with dark green trim and epaulettes with gold buttons over a white shirt and a red tie, with a dark green skirt, black socks and grey shoes.

Izuku glanced over the pile of breakfast he'd made, tapping his chin. I think I've made enough for the whole class, I guess, and there's still batter left over if I need to cook more. Now for fruit. The blueberries were simple, they just needed to be rinsed; the strawberries would need to be sliced. Should I cut some apples, too?

Instead of using a knife, though, he coated his fingers in glass talons, sharpened to a razor edge and cut them that way. Sprinkling a bit of sugar over the top, he'd just started on tea when he heard a patter of footsteps and Iida darted up to the counter, hair, uniform and glasses immaculate with razor creases.

"Ah, Midoriya-kun!" He greeted with a sharp bow, though a shorter, more friendly one. "I see you have awakened before me! I must admit I was not expecting this, nor your cooking! I was, in fact, planning on doing the same!"

Izuku grinned. "Iida-kun, good morning! Sorry if I pre-empted you, I always wake early for morning training and I figured since I was already up, I may as well cook breakfast. Can I ask what you would've made?" He plated pancakes and set them on the counter for both the speedster and the intense, dual-colored girl. "Todoroki-san-"

"Shimo," she said flatly, grey and turquoise eyes boring into his emerald.

"Shimo-san," he nodded, pushing the bowls of fruit and the jug of syrup towards her, "Breakfast is ready."

She hummed, sitting at the counter. "Thank you," she muttered, picking her toppings and digging in.

"My breakfast of choice is four fried eggs on top of rice, Midoriya-kun," Iida commented, eyes scanning the breakfast on the counter. "Perhaps I should make some? No offense intended Midoriya-kun, but a balanced breakfast requires protein as well."

He waved towards the kitchen at large. "I welcome your assistance, Iida-kun."

The speedster darted about the room, pulling together the rice cooker before starting it and frying eggs.

As the morning went on, more people started stumbling from their rooms, rubbing their eyes and adjusting their uniforms, seeking out breakfast like sleepy missiles. Eventually, Bakugou descended from her room, looking as grumpy as she usually did, though her eyes lit up a bit at the sight of food. Mina, who'd been idly making shapes with the remnants of her syrup, eyed the other girl with a frown.

Katsuki sat down at the counter, piling pancakes onto a plate and only lightly dousing them with syrup before turning a glare on the green-haired teen. "Where is it, Deku?" She asked shortly.

In response, he reached into a cupboard and pulled out a can of red pepper flakes, sliding it over to the volatile blonde. That received a few curious looks, a seemingly passive-aggressive move from someone who had been so friendly before; at least until Bakugou grunted and proceeded to dump chili flakes on her pancakes before shoveling them in her mouth.

Izuku checked the time and clicked his tongue. "I need to grab a shower and get dressed," he muttered, pulling his apron off and setting his dishes in the sink. "Don't worry about cleaning, Iida-kun, I'll ask BB to do it while we're in class."

With that said, he hurried up to his dorm, freshened up and got dressed, though he couldn't stop himself from ignoring the chunky brown dress shoes that came with the uniform; instead wearing the footwear Himiko had bought for him, a pair of red tabi shoes, made for silent movement and running.

Picking at his jacket and feeling constrained by it, he unbuttoned the majority except for one, but even then it just wasn't comfortable to wear. Back on the ground floor, he swiftly rolled a pancake with fruit and consumed it in an instant. "I'm heading to class," he told the room at large, already heading for the door.

"Why? Class only starts in like forty minutes," Kyouka pointed out, lying out on a couch with her phone in hand. "And the campus is five minutes, maybe."

"Wanna be early," Izuku shrugged, fiddling with his jacket one more time before giving up. As he left the building, he was quickly joined by Iida, Mina and Eiri, with Ochako swiftly catching up. It was only a short walk until they reached the 1-B dorms where a group of girls were loitering outside. "Himiko!"

His blood-drinking lover perked up with a grin, nearly skipping over to give him a hug. "Mornin' Zuku!" She turned to the other 1-A students. "Morning Mina, Iida and Ochako! You guys settling in alright?"

The acid-spewing girl hugged her friend tightly. "It's easy to get comfortable in a place where you've already got a bunch of friends," she replied, frowning slightly. "Speaking of, how're you? I'm sad you aren't in our class."

Himiko gave Ochako a squeeze before answering, stepping back next to her classmates. "It's not so bad, I've met some cool people. Such as…" She gestured at a girl her height with brown hair that reached her shoulders and bangs that completely covered her eyes. The style somewhat resembled a mushroom. Instead of saying anything, however, she stepped behind Himiko, lips trembling. "Komori Kinoko. She's uh, a little shy around new people."

As the blood-drinker attempted to bring the other girl out of her shell a bit, the next girl stepped up with a confident, sharp-toothed smile. She had rather large, very dark green eyes that matched- "Tokage Setsuna!" She introduced, pointing at Izuku. "A new member of the 'green hair' club, nice!" And then held her hand up for a high-five.

Bemused, Izuku gave her a high-five…and her hand snapped off at the wrist. The green-haired girl dropped to her knees, shrieking in pain and clutching her arm as Ochako squealed, hands flailing between offering help, somehow, covering her mouth or admonishing the green-haired boy who'd done broke someone's hand off.

"Midoriya-kun, please!" Iida shouted, eyes wide, face pale, arms chopping frantically, "Moderate your strength!"

Eiri looked torn between being disgusted and impressed, clutching her temples as she was hit with an existential crisis. It was unmanly to break someone's hand off on accident, right? But wasn't it also manly to be strong enough to do so?

"Oh snap," was all Mina said.

Izuku looked down at his hand, frowning. He hadn't hit her that hard. His eyes flicked up and noticed several things. One, Setsuna's face hadn't gone pale from shock, nor was there any blood. Unless she was made of spun sugar, there was no way he'd actually snapped a limb off. Secondly, neither Himiko, who looked amused, nor the other 1-B girls seemed to be panicking. "…Is that your Quirk?"

Setsuna hopped back up with a frown. "C'mon, man! You're supposed to be all panicking like your pals here, not being all 'oh, that's interesting.'" Her face cracked into a smile. "Admit it, I gotcha."

He squinted at her. "…I don't like you."

She burst out laughing as Himiko threw her arm around the girl with a grin. "Well, I do!" announced the blonde proudly, subtly stepping away before the green-haired girl got the full brunt of Iida in full 'righteous indignation' mode.

"Tokage-san, to use your Quirk in such an inappropriate manner shames-!"

Himiko cleared her throat and nodded to the other girls. "This is Kodai Yui," she introduced, nodding to a girl who somewhat resembled Momo, but with shorter hair, cerulean blue eyes and a very neutral expression on her face, who gave them short bow. "And finally, Yanagi Reiko."

This girl was taller and also had blue eyes, but were a paler shade or seemed so next to her grey hair, with dark bags underneath. "A good morning to you," she greeted them in a tone devoid of emotion. Her elbows were crooked, hands hanging loose in an oddly zombie or ghost-like pose. It wouldn't be surprising if she had a mug that said 'Caffeine is my fuel.'

"Good morning," they echoed. Except for Iida, who was still full-steam ahead at a grinning Setsuna.

Izuku offered the blonde his arm. "Shall we?"

She took it with a grin. "We shall."

They chatted as they walked to the main school building, joining with a stream of uniform-clad students doing the same, mostly about what it was like living in a new place, surrounded by new people and so on.

The conversation, as it naturally tended to do, went to Quirks, especially after Setsuna's little display. Kinoko's Quirk, as relayed by Himiko, let her release fungal spores from her body that would rapidly grow into all different sorts of mushrooms, and was also called 'Mushroom.'

Reiko, in a rather wordy manner, told them of her Quirk, which allowed her to control small nearby objects telekinetically. She called it Poltergeist.

Izuku glanced down at Himiko, who gave him a knowing look. That sounded very much like what his own Quirk was, before he'd delved deeper into it. He made a note to talk to the ghostly girl later; perhaps there was more overlap than just the description?

The deadpan Yui explained her Quirk, Size, which was rather self-explanatory and allowed her to change the size of objects she touched. Ochako found some commonality with the other girl as they both used their Quirks by touching their fingertips together, and the two spent the rest of the walk with their heads bent, talking.

And finally, Setsuna proudly announced that her Quirk was called Lizard Tail Splitter, or Autotomy. She could effortlessly split her body into many pieces, each capable of independent, high speed movement and levitation; which she demonstrated by sending her hand out to fist-bump Eiri, ruffle Mina's hair, poke Iida in the cheek and tweak Izuku's nose. Apparently it also allowed her to regenerate the pieces if she had to, but that was 'a major pain in the ass,' in her words.

At this point, it was only Izuku's self-control that stopped him from turning to the 1-B girls and taking a deep dive into their Quirks, his teeth grinding together and his hands balled into fists. Himiko reached into her satchel and retrieved a black notebook from within, handing it off to him with a pat on the arm. When he saw that it was a new 'Heroes of the Future' volume, he would've kissed her right then and there if it hadn't been for their previous agreement to keep their actual relationship on the down-low.

It was then the 1-A students' time to share. Ochako was drawn from her conversation to explain her Quirk, Zero Gravity, and demonstrated by touching Yui with the pads on her fingers. The other girl simply hummed as she floated up, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Mina showed off her Quirk by splashing her Acid onto the grass, the group watching it melt into a bubbling slurry with varying levels of appreciation. She could also control the solubility and viscosity of her acid, which she showed by skating ahead of them. She very much did not appreciate the trail of acid left behind being compared to the slime trail of a slug.

"Can you regen your head if I melt it into a puddle?" She threatened, yellow and black eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," Setsuna replied bluntly, grinning as Mina pouted and crossed her arms.

Eiri's Quirk, Hardening, was shown off by her rolling up her sleeve, her muscular arm gaining a rock-like look. She seemed a little embarrassed by it, her eyes going wide and her teeth gritting as the 1-B girls told her of a classmate of theirs called Tetsutetsu, who had a Quirk that gave him metal skin.

Iida, still puffed up indignantly, proudly relayed to them of his family and their similar Quirks, called Engine. He showed them by rolling up his pant leg, displaying the engines in his calves and his muscular legs. It allowed him to run at high speeds, obviously.

Then it was Izuku's turn. "It's called 'Rock Field,'" he said shortly, and offered nothing else.

"What, like a zen garden?" Setsuna asked with a grin.

Mina giggled, nudging his side with her elbow. "I can see it," she teased, "After all, people put trees in those, right Bonsai-"

The atmosphere darkened as Izuku stilled, the sunny sky suddenly stormy as his face seemed to become carved from solid, unfeeling stone. His eyes, the irises seeming to have shrunk to pinpricks, slowly slid over to stare at Mina as his brow furrowed slightly.

They would later swear that simple motion had summoned the screams of the damned.

The pink-skinned girl gulped, a bead of sweat trailing down her cheek, smiling weakly. "O-oh, look at that, we're here!" She announced before darting into the 1-A classroom to get away from that piercing gaze.

Izuku huffed and the world returned to normal. "See you at lunch, Himiko?" He asked, as if he hadn't just tried to ignite someone with his gaze alone.

"Of course!" She waved him off, letting go of his arm and reaching into her satchel to retrieve a metal bracer. "But first…"

"That's right, I wondered when you were going to bring it up," he muttered, fussing with the sleeve button of his jacket before pulling his arm out entirely and rolling the sleeve up. With a smooth, practiced motion he clamped it around his forearm and pulled a vial from somewhere, inserting it into the Blood-Draw Bracer. "How much, do you think?"

"Two," Himiko replied, biting her lip as the vial filled with carmine liquid.

When the first was filled, he sealed and passed it to her before beginning another.

"Midoriya-kun, explain!" Iida demanded, peering curiously at the device.

"I drink blood to make my Quirk work," the blonde answered for him, crossing her arms and tilting her chin up, daring them to say something about it.

"Like a vampire?" Mina asked, poking her head around the door. "That's so cool!"

Izuku gave her another look and she withdrew with a mumbled apology, then glanced at Himiko with a victorious look. Didn't I tell you?

She rolled her eyes but smiled softly, her hand subtly stroking his other arm. You did. The bracer dinged as the second vial was filled, a slot opening up and fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookie slid out, steaming.

He grabbed it with his teeth and handed the bracer and filled vial to her. "Have fun in class," he said around a mouthful of fresh cookie.

"I will," Himiko nodded, grabbing his wrist and taking a bite out of his treat with a smirk. "Thanks for sharing!"

Izuku narrowed his eyes at her playfully, then nodded to the other 1-B girls. "It was nice to meet you, I hope we speak again soon." He said politely, getting nods in return.

The 1-B girls headed to their class, still as silent as they'd been since he'd given Mina the side-eye from Satan. "…That was hot." Yui muttered tonelessly.

The blonde blood drinker grinned. "Yup."

In 1-A, Izuku took a seat by Mina, who had ducked her head into her arms to avoid his gaze. "Mina," he called softly, and she shivered. "No one except that woman can call me 'Bonsai,' okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled, nodding into her arms. She jumped as he poked her in the side, looking up to find him giving her a smile.

"And only you can call me 'Midori,' okay?" He murmured, sending a friendly wink her way. "Okay, Pinky?"

Mina had started smiling until he called her that. Then she groaned and dropped her head on the desk. "Oh god," she moaned in despair, "Please never, ever, ever call me that again."

"I don't know," he teased faux-thoughtfully, tapping his chin, "If it gets this kind of reaction from you every time, I might just have to call you that all the time."

She lifted her head and pouted at him. "If we're going by color, you'd have to call me Sakura."

Izuku lost his smile, the memories of a girl with flowers for hair flashing before his eyes. "I'd rather not," he said flatly, before squinting at her. "How 'bout 'Horny?'" He grinned.

Mina glowered. "Might be true, but also hell no."

"Fluffy?"

"No."

"Fluffy-horny-pinky?"

She held up a hand, acid bubbling in her palm. "I'll melt you."

"You wouldn't melt me, you like me too much," he retorted.

Mina sighed. "Just 'Mina' then, alright? Since you suck with nicknames, that's gonna have to do." She paused upon noticing what was in his hand. "…Where'd you get a cookie?"

"From my blood," Izuku answered, finishing it off.

Soon enough, the rest of the students began filing in, lounging around on desks, chatting as the time of the first class came. Iida was lecturing all and sundry, his own nerves coming to the forefront as the clock ticked onward.

Tapping his fingers on the desk, Izuku glanced around at everyone else. Denki was chatting with Eiri and Mina as Toru's sleeves gesculated at Ochako; Iida was chopping an arm at Tokoyami, who was sitting on top of a desk while Ojiro and Kyouka watched in amusement. Sato and Sero kept trying to pull a scowling Bakugou into a conversation; the kid with balls for hair was unsubtly gawping at Momo's legs as she sat in her chair with the poise of a princess, politely listening as Yuga yammered on about sparkles and twinkling. In the back, Shoji and Koda sat quietly next to a silent Shimo, her gaze flickering towards the door.

Izuku let his focus on people-watching fade and let the conversations wash over him. "-and then I punched right through the robot just as Mina melted its head," Eiri finished, flexing an arm and grinning at her friend. "The writing part kinda sucked, but punching robots was manly as hell! It was awesome to just go all out with my Quirk…and it was super manly seeing Izuku punch out that Zero Pointer…"

And suddenly she had Bakugou's attention. She'd seen the giant robot stomping around the test area, it was kind of hard not to. Personally, she had avoided it and used the extras' panicking to score some more points. That's just like Deku, attacking something worth nothing. And still, her ears were cocked.

"Woah, dude!" Denki exclaimed, turning around in his chair to look at Izuku, "Why'd you do that? I mean, it's cool and all, but they weren't worth any points!"

The noise had pierced through the other conversation, and now several pairs of eyes were turning in his direction. Izuku looked away, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly and vainly hoping the redness in his cheeks wasn't too visible. "Well, it looked like it was about to crush someone…" He tried not to look at her, but Ochako had fixed him with a warm smile, brown eyes sparkling. "I had to step in and, well, take it down."

"With one punch," Ochako added her perspective. "Some rubble fell on me and I couldn't get it off, and the Zero Pointer was just about to-" She bounced her fist off of her desk, making a few people jump, "-flatten me. My life was flashing before my eyes and then I heard this crunching noise and there Deki-kun was, holding its' fist back. And it was…" She cupped her cheeks, eyes sparkling. "And then his eyes started glowing like two green suns…he threw its fist away and then just jumped and bam!" She hit the desk again, and even the students who'd been paying attention jumped. "He punched it right in the face and its head just…pah!"

"It disintegrated," Mina chimed in with a grin, hands under her chin, "The whole head in pieces. He punched it so hard a hole opened up in the clouds."

Several of the students in earshot turned in their seats to look at Izuku, eyes wide. His face was burning under their attention, and his gaze was firmly fixed on his desk. Katsuki's fingers dug into the wooden surface of her desk, muffling the miniature explosions going off in her palms, the smell of burnt sugar and small tongues of smoke leaking through her fingers.

"What is going on?" Iida demanded, stepping up next to Izuku's desk. "Why are you harassing Midoriya-kun? Such actions-!"

"They were just talking about the Entrance Exam, Iida-kun," Izuku muttered, giving more attention to his fingernails than they had need of.

"Ah," the speedy boi adjusted his glasses and nodded. "I see. There is no need for embarrassment; indeed, your actions were most admirable. Running towards such a large opponent even while I, Iida Tenya of the illustrious Iida family of Heroes, retreated is indicative of a Hero's Heart. It only made sense that you were scored the highest, Midoriya-kun, even breaking the previous record."

Bakugou's eye twitched dangerously, a subsonic growl building in her chest.

"In fact, if I am remembering correctly, the previous record was held by All Might, at 243 points." Iida continued, unaware as everyone else of the coming of Hurricane Katsuki.

"That is impressive, Izuku-san," Momo commented, her hair done up in a fan-like ponytail except for a bit that draped over the right side of her face, the hairstyle bobbing a bit as she nodded her head. "What was your final score, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Ffehummafimm," by that point, Izuku had completely covered his face with his hands, desperately wishing for the subject of the conversation to change to literally anything else. The longer it went on, the more he wished he could borrow Toru's Quirk. Tsuyu, sitting at the desk in front of him, was poking the exposed skin of his face because it was just that red.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Momo asked, leaning forward in her seat.

"He said 'three hundred and five,'" Iida relayed simply.

The silence that fell over the classroom was deafening as almost every eye in the room turned to the green-haired boy, who had pulled his jacket up to cover his face.

"…Okay, seriously dude," Denki said after a moment, "What the hell is your Quirk?"

"Please refrain from improper language!" The speedster chopped an arm emphatically. "…I would also like to know the details, though."

"It's called-" Eiri began to explain, only to be cut off from the impact of a hand hitting a desk with some force.

The hand belonged to Bakugou. The desk was Izuku's. "How," she growled, eyes alight with fury, a vein throbbing dangerously in her forehead. "How the fuck did you do it, Deku?!"

Izuku had jumped at the sudden noise, eyes wide as she loomed over him. The atmosphere had changed so quickly his brain had skipped a bit. "Uh, wha-"

"EVERYTHING!" She thundered, seizing him by the lapels, "That Slimy FUCK, the Fucking Zero Pointer, breaking the FUCKING RECORD! How did you, with your useless Fucking Quirk beat me?! Have you been lying this whole time you useless fucking DEKU-"

"That is Enough!" Iida interjected, standing at his full height, glasses glinting dangerously. "Unhand Midoriya-kun at once! Cease your violent behavior and your improper language this instant, or there will be consequences-!"

"Fuck OFF, Four-Eyes!" She barked, shooting him a burning glare.

"Katsuki," Izuku said softly, and she whipped her head back around to look at him as he slowly rose from his desk. She realized that he was a head and a half taller than her; she'd known that he was taller, but with him looming over her it became self-evident. He looked down at her with a blank face, but his emerald eyes glinted like freshly-cut gems. "Do not. Talk to him. Like that."

The other students felt tingles up their spines and hairs prickling; the atmosphere so charged with the potential for violence that many of them subtly readied their Quirks in case a fight did break out.

And then the door opened.

Every head snapped to the front of the room. But there was no one there. Instead, what appeared to be a giant, undulating, writhing maggot, larger and longer than a man and bright yellow with thin black stripes. It slowly inched towards the teacher's lectern, letting out a low, irritated-sounding groan.

Katsuki and Izuku traded looks. "…Is that what I think it is?" He asked, squinting,

"A giant maggot?" She replied by way of question, her hands dropping from his lapels and falling ready by her sides, just in case that thing decided to attack. A thing that size would have some serious muscle power behind it…even though it would be funny to watch.

"Not just any giant maggot," Izuku muttered, stepping around Iida and towards the maggot, which shivered disgustingly. "That's an Australian FHM, or 'Feckin' 'Uge Maggot," he declared, carefully kneeling next to it. "Australian wildfire fighters raise them from birth, then saddle them and ride them in the Outback to dust out wildfires. Maybe…this one is here because it's intelligent?"

The maggot writhed and groaned. "A maggot for a teacher?" Mina asked, looking somewhere between very impressed and completely disgusted, recoiling and hissing as he reached out to touch the writing creature. "Don't touch it!"

"Shh," he soothed, gently stroking its hide, noting that it wasn't slimy to the touch at all. Kinda soft, actually. "Don't worry, uh, big guy, I'm sure you'll be a wonderful teacher, it'll just take some getting used to…" He turned to the class at large, whispering, "Maybe it has a Quirk? Wouldn't be the strangest thing." He mulled that statement over. "Still pretty strange."

The maggot gurgled and shuddered disgustingly.

"Sorry, maybe 'strange' is offensive to a…a maggot of your stature," Izuku added hurriedly, petting it again. "Maybe something like, uh…different…teaching style…?"

There was a zipping sound, and the hide of the giant maggot split open, except instead of exposing the oily, squishy guts of an organic being…it was an actual organic being. A man, to be exact, with long unkempt black hair, messy stubble and deep bags under his dark eyes…dark eyes, which were currently giving Izuku the flattest look imaginable.

Izuku stood up and without saying a word, he turned and walked back to his desk and sat down, his face resembling a tomato. Some of them were tempted to laugh, but the glare the teacher leveled at them was more than enough to silence any titters.

He was a tall and slender man, wearing all black clothing except for a scarf that was matte grey and piled on his shoulders and around his neck, and utility belt with small grey pouches. His eyes flitted around the room, landing lastly on a red-faced Izuku. "…Why on Earth would you just pet a giant maggot? It's irrational…" He shook his head before fixing them all with a flat look, fishing around inside his sleeping bag for a pouch of some sort of jelly drink. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta," he told them, taking a slurp from the pouch for a moment. "If you're all done screaming at each other, go change into your gym uniforms and meet me out by Track Number 3."

Gulping down his embarrassment, Izuku raised a hand. "And where are those?"

…

He had to admit, the gym uniforms were rather snazzy, being navy blue with white trim shaped around the neck so that it formed a U and then down the chest and legs in the form of an A, with red piping on the arms. Izuku was just pulling on his shoes when he heard a perverted giggle. Slowly turning his head, he found the kid with the balls on his head with his face glued to the opposite wall-the wall that had the girls' locker room on the other side.

Standing, he padded over to the short teen and asked, in a carrying voice, "What are you doing?"

Ball-head jumped and hurriedly slapped a hand over what was undoubtedly a peeping hole. "Dude!" He hissed, giving the much taller Izuku a glare that was about as scary as a butterfly landing on his nose. "There's girls on the other side of this! Hot girls! Quiet down or they might hear you!" He made to look again, then gave Izuku a suspicious glare. "Were you trying to peek, man? That's so perverted and gross."

Izuku blinked. Then he reached down and grabbed the back of the short teen's shirt, effortlessly pulling him away from the hole while covering it with his other hand. "Listen to me…whatever your name is-"

"Mineta Minoru, and don't you forget it!" The short one proclaimed loudly.

"Mineta-san, listen to me," Izuku said seriously, "Your obsession with girls, while not exactly abnormal for men our age, is no way for a future Hero to act. You disrespect me, and every person in our class by acting the way you do. And most importantly," he jacked a thumb at the wall and the girls on the other side of it, "You disrespect them. They are our fellow students and future comrades as Heroes. Are they deserving of admiration, and even…appreciation? Yes." He leaned down to meet Mineta's eyes. "But not when it violates their privacy."

Mineta groaned dramatically and slapped a hand to his face. "God, you're such a stiff! What's the point of even being a Hero if you can't get hot chicks throwing themselves at you? And there's nothing wrong with 'appreciating' a girl!"

Izuku's face went blank. "You…are you saying that you joined Yuuei to become a Hero…to pick up women?"

"More than one when I make it big," the short teen grinned, buffing his nails. "Ladies love cool dudes, and nothing's cooler than a Pro Hero!"

The taller teen took a deep breath and bit his tongue. "Mineta-san, I'm going to warn you, just this once," he held up a finger, "Do not peek on anyone else, ever. What you get up to in your private time is your business, but if you do it again, I will report you. And more importantly," he nodded at the wall, "I'll tell them."

Mineta paled, grabbing a ball on his head for comfort. "Y-you wouldn't do that, r-right, bro?" He asked hopefully. "We're both dudes, right? We get it, right?"

Izuku did not answer. He simply closed the hole in the concrete wall with his field and walked away.

The ball-headed teen watched him go, sighing as the taller teen disappeared. "…Better run," he mumbled to himself before grinning and going back to the wall. "He closed the hole!"

…

In the girls' locker room, Eiri had just finished pulling on the top of her gym uniform when she glanced over and saw Bakugou taking her shirt off, revealing a plain green sports bra and her lean, compact musculature. "Woah dude, you've got some manly muscles, nice!" She grinned and raised a hand for a high-five. "You wanna trade workout tips and exercise together some time?"

Katsuki gave her a flat look, slipping on a tank top. "Don't talk to me, Extra," she muttered, zipping up the top.

"Jeez, no need to be so salty," Mina retorted, lounging around the bench in her black and teal-striped underwear, fiddling with a shoe. "But I guess that's your default state, huh?"

The volatile blonde gave her a contemptuous glare. "You don't know a damn thing about me, Raccoon Eyes, so fuck off before I blow you-"

"Blow me? Wrong equipment, girlfriend," the horned girl smirked, "I'm guessing you were thinking more of someone else, right? With green hair, cute freckles, muscles all over?" She pointed at the concrete dividing wall. "In the other locker room, perhaps?"

Katsuki clenched her fists, palms smoking. "Shut the fuck up-!"

"So loud," Kyouka muttered, tying her shoelaces, her ear jacks scratching her cheek, "Can you not turn it down, even a little? It's enough to-" She stiffened, eyes narrowing. "I hear someone giggling." She stared at the concrete wall, gaze flickering until it landed on a small hole below waist-height. "There!"

Her right jack shot out, stretching across the room. But instead of poking into an eye, as she expected, it felt like her jack was being blocked by a hand.

"What is it, Jiro-san?" Momo asked, peering over at her, as did several others upon noticing the fleshy line.

"There's a peep-hole over there," she muttered, glaring, "It feels like something's blocking it, though…wait, I hear someone talking." Kyouka put a hand over her ear, eyes narrowing as she listened in, relaying the other conversation. "'-disrespect them. They are our fellow students and future comrades as Heroes. Are they deserving of admiration, and even…appreciation? Yes.'" She felt her cheeks darken at the blunt assessment. "'But not when it violates their privacy.' The voice sounds like the big green guy."

"Midori?" Mina perked up, looking at the wall critically. "I'm not sure how to feel if he's peeking…on one hand-" She gestured at her underwear-clad body, "On the other…he is pretty hot. Hmm."

Kyouka frowned. "The short guy with balls on his head just said he's a Hero so he can look cool and pick up chicks," she relayed, getting frowns. "And Midoriya is speaking…'Do not peek on anyone else, ever. What you get up to in your private time is your business, but if you do it again, I will report you. And more importantly, I'll tell them.' I think he means us."

Katsuki shook her head and marched for the door leading to Track Number 3. "Fuckin' Deku," she muttered, with something that sounded suspiciously like fondness if one listened real deep.

Kyouka recoiled, recalling her jack with a grimace. "He closed the hole, on my jack, too," she rubbed it lightly. "Not sure how to feel about that."

Momo hummed, eyes looking behind the gym and to the track outside. "I think we have more pressing problems," she murmured, mind recalling the apathetic look on their teacher's face. "We should go."

…

Outside as the students, now all clad in their gym uniforms, were gathering before Aizawa's flat, unimpressed gaze. As they approached, Izuku tapped Momo's arm, bidding her to slow down. "Momo-san, there was an incident on the boys' side of the locker," he said in a low tone, eyes on Mineta, "Mineta-san found or made a hole to peek into your side. I'm not sure how long he was looking, so he may have seen quite a bit or not that much, but still, my apologies. I closed the hole and warned him, but whatever actions you wish to take, I will support."

Momo blinked, gazing at his serious mien. "Ah…t-thank you for letting me know, Izuku-san, I will converse with the other girls and see what they want to do."

He nodded and they fell silent as they joined the group. Without preamble, Aizawa spoke up. "The Board of Education tries to pretend that everyone is equal by forbidding them from using their Quirks in physical tests. This is irrational, especially for you kids." He pulled a softball from his pocket, eyes fixing on Izuku. "Midoriya. You scored the highest in the Entrance Exam. Step forward." Izuku did so, and the tired-looking man tossed him the softball. "Using your Quirk, I want you to throw that ball as hard as you can."

Aizawa stepped away, revealing a flat field of concrete marked with distances. Izuku stepped up to the beginning, lightly bouncing the ball in his palm.

Katsuki crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, watching as the green-haired teen stood there. C'mon Deku you bitch, show me how you beat me with your useless Quirk. Can you really throw pebbles that hard? She huffed as Izuku dropped the ball and stepped away. Heh, so you fuckin' realized you can't trick this many people at once, huh? Useless-

Then Izuku dropped to the ground, plunging his hands into the concrete that seemed to turn liquid under his touch, racing up his arms and around his body, condensing into armor that covered his entire form. When he was done, he looked like a rock golem with a polished surface.

"…the fuck?" Katsuki breathed, eyes going wide.

Eiri, Ochako, Iida and Mina traded confused looks. I could've sworn his armor was more designed than that, was the shared thought.

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. That's not the same armor design as in the Entrance Exam, he noted, lips curling down into a frown. He better not be holding back…

Izuku picked up the ball and cocked his arm back, holding it there. His arm began to tremble. Quiet cracks echoed from his armored form as his entire upper body began to shake from the strain.

Then he went still.

His arm moved, then became a blur as the air around him rippled and snapped, echoing in their ears as the ground beneath him cracked from the sheer pressure of his throw, dust billowing up around him.

Aizawa pulled a device from his pocket, checking the screen as it tracked the distance the ball was going. He watched silently…and watched. Finally, he looked up. "Distance: 1.21 kilometers."

Many of the students gasped at the display, falling into stunned silence. Then Mina threw her arms up. "WHOO!" She cheered, clapping, "Nice arm, Midori!"

Izuku's armor dissolved into sand, disappearing under his clothes like it was never there. He looked at the other students, his eyes finding Katsuki. She stared at him. Ruby eyes found emerald.

And for the first time in a long time, it was like they could read each other's mind again.

Beat that.

Oh it's on, Bitch.

…

A leader is nothing without respect. Some say it is better to be feared than loved. Those people are idiots. Love, tempered by Fear, forged in Sacrifice and displayed with Power, creates the foundations on which true loyalty is built. Loyalty to the man…respect for the strength.

Power without question. Authority without asking.

Show up, and show off.

…

…

…

…

A/N: Well, well, well, if it isn't a new chapter that was posted a lot quicker than the last. Yes, that's right, I can in fact, get over depression. Get on my level, nerds.

NS: And hopefully I can avoid falling into it.

Anywho, as you might be able to tell, this chapter is a big boi. I hadn't meant for it to get this long…or hard…or girthy…in fact, I'd been shooting for 10k words or 15k at max.

As you can see, I missed.

So, quite a lot happened in this chapter: Yu fighting for her life and winning and reaping the cuddly rewards of being more competent; Himiko ending up in class 1-B, and Izuku showing off his househusband impression to a bunch of strangers who might just end up being his friends. And possibly more. Also, for those not on ao3, the songs are, in order: Rynx-Pleased to meet you, and Rynx-Read my mind (acoustic). I like his music.

And at the end, of course, giving them quite a show.

The next chapter, the Quirk Apprehension Test…it's gonna be fun.

Heheheh.

Speaking of, I'm looking forward to working on it, so Imma go do that.

I'm sure some people were surprised to see Todoroki Shimo, the girl instead of Shoto, or even why she's named 'Shimo,' which means 'frost,' btw, instead of the usual 'Shoko.' And that is because I put effort into my Japanese names, bitches.

As for why Shimo is a girl? Well, I have a weakness for kuuderes. Like, a serious one.

…Plus, I like the idea of 'rivals' even better when there's the promise of character development and warm fuzzy feelings and sweet, soft lovemaking in the future.

Big thanks, as always, to everyone who reads, comments and reviews my stories, but the biggest thanks go to NorthSouthGorem for, as always, being the biggest weeb in the room when the room is just two dudes who write fanfiction. He posts quite often and his stuff's way good, so why not go check him out for me?

NS: Yeah. Your feedback might give me the energy to get back into writing. Been in a slump lately, with my Discord account getting hacked…

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful day.

Stay Awesome.

~Soleneus

P.S.: I know some people might give me or Izuku shit for being a 'white knight' or something equally retarded, so lemme say something: Respecting other people's personal space or privacy and being polite are not special things. They are, in fact, quite normal in society. I tried my best to be accurate and even-handed with Mineta even though I quite dislike his canon starting character.

To be frank, I've never liked the 'standard giggling pervert' character. Privacy is very important to me, as you might be able to tell by my use of a pseudonym and never showing people my face. In fact, I used to have quite the hate-boner for Issei from Highschool DxD, but then I stopped caring because I could simply write it differently if it came down to it.

God-like power solves a lot of issues.

In any case, I make it a point to treat characters as people with flaws that can be overcome like real people, or barring that, finding…another use for them.

Don't get too attached. Just sayin'.

If you don't like it…then fuck off.

Stay Awesome Some More.

~Soleneus