"So…I bet you're wondering where we go from here."

Hirona leans backward, letting her back rest against the wall of the bar. She crosses her arms. Then uncrosses them. Only to cross them again. And finally, she lets her arms drop to her sides, trying in vain to wipe the dirt and blood from her bodysuit. It is a fruitless endeavor.

"S-sorry." She rubs the back of her head, wincing when she realizes she was wiping even more dirt in her hair, like an idiot. 'Stupid! You're blowing this, calm down!'

"It's just been a sorta long day." She gestures to the muted computer that was playing the medal ceremony for the first year's Sports Festival. "We used the event as a distraction to get your location and get you out. Still, it wasn't exactly easy-"

"How?"

Hirona stumbles over her words as her guest interrupts the beginnings of her ramblings. They stood with their back against the bar, drinking whatever alcoholic beverage Kurogiri made them. She had to resist making a barrier right then with how those eyes pierced her.

"H-how? Oh! How did we get you?" It takes everything Hirona has not to smack her forehead. "Well, we knew where you were, obviously…" she trails off, suddenly feeling like she might have offended them, but they don't move so she continues. "You know Kurogiri warps but he couldn't just warp you out because he needs-"

"Shigaraki." The portal user looks up from the glass he's cleaning. "Perhaps it'd be prudent to not release the details of my quirk until an agreement has been made."

"He's right, kid." The guest swirls their drink around. "Being careless like that is how you get killed."

"Y-yeah." Hirona looks away so neither of them could see her face going red in embarrassment.

She was about to tell them they used Ragdoll's quirk to get exact coordinates, because that's what Kurogiri needed so he could warp them out of jail. But they're right! That doesn't matter right now! "Sorry. I-well…wait-where was I?"

The visitor chuckles a little. "Let me help you out a little. You broke me out and now you want me to work for you? Do some contracts, make some people disappear, that kinda stuff?"

"No!" The successor to All for One yells way too loudly and quickly. "S-sorry," she quickly recovers. "What I mean is, we did break you out, but you're under no obligation to join us! If you don't want to, you're free to leave! But-um…"

Hirona rubs her hands together so she has something to do with them. "You don't have to! But maybe, if you don't want to join, I could get an autograph before you go?"

"I didn't think I still had fans."

"You do!" Hirona nods excitedly. "I'm a big fan of your work and I've always wanted to meet you and-" the black-haired girl stops herself, horrified, before burying her face in her hands. "Oh my gooood I sound like such a dweeb."

"You're new to this, huh?" Her guest sounds more amused than anything.

"How could you tell?" She asks sarcastically, though the effect is somewhat hampered by her muffled voice.

"Take a deep breath and start over," Kurogiri advises while pouring their potential recruit a new glass.

"You're fine, kid. As long as your partner here keeps giving me free booze, I don't mind staying until you've finished your spiel." Kaina Tsutsumi, the former pro hero Lady Nagant, raises her glass. "I got nowhere to be."

Hirona groans. 'Could anyone be having a worse talk than her?'

Izuku lets out a shaky breath, sitting down on the bed of the medical office. He just needed to be cleared one more time by Recovery Girl before he could go home. Izuku thinks he's fine, but apparently getting struck by lightning a few times was cause for concern or something.

He wanted to argue, but the look she gave him when she told him to wait in her office was not one to be talked back to.

Rubbing his thumb over the silver medal in his hand, he begins to organize his thoughts so he wouldn't have to think about the inevitable talk with his dad.

Let's see…he still had to introduce Todoroki to the fabulous world of pranks, in exchange for answering some questions the scarred boy had tried to ask him before he left for the final match. Such as if his ancestors taught humans how to build the pyramids, and if there was a queen alien he had to listen to.

Izuku…would like to think he was kidding, but Todoroki's face didn't waver. If he can really keep such a straight face, then Izuku respects the heck out of it. But more on that later. He still wants to tell Uraraka about who he really was before much else happened.

Question is, how? Easiest way would be Heimdall opening the Bifrost for them, but the gatekeeper wouldn't do that just anywhere. Izuku also wanted to ask Denki for his permission as well. Uraraka knows they're related and would connect the dots very quickly.

The doorknob turns and Izuku sits up, expecting to see the cranky old woman who was likely to give you a concussion while checking for them.

But instead, in walks a figurative double-edged sword. Yes, he's worried about how his dad seemed so upset about him using ice, so Izuku wants to clear the air between them. At the same time, seeing his dad actually walk in, wearing his usual black suit, makes his anxiety shoot through the roof. That one's a little more literal.

"Oh, god, dad, are you mad?!" Eight runs forward, tugging on his hair. "I'm s-sorry. Please don't say you're disappointed. Oh, you are, aren't you? Is this also because of the second event? I-I-I-"

Loki smiles sympathetically at the clone, closing the door behind him. With a wave of his hand, he creates his own clone who walks forward and puts a grounding hand on Eight's shoulder. It finally gets the decoy to calm down and bury himself in a hug with his father's clone.

"Izuku," Loki greets.

"Dad?" Izuku looks around, half expecting security to show up any second. "This is the student section, how did you-" Loki raises an eyebrow. "Right, dumb question."

"Indeed. But you're young so I'll allow it." The two sit, or stand in Loki's case, in silence for a minute, before Izuku can't take it anymore.

"Are you mad? A-about the ice powers? Uncle Thor said you didn't want me learning them…" Izuku's words die off, no longer able to look at him, afraid of what he'll see.

"I'll give you this." Loki brings a chair over with his telekinesis and sits in front of Izuku. "It was a shock. And you know how hard it is to surprise me."

Izuku glances up but says nothing at the studying look Loki gives him.

"Your healer will be back soon, so it would not be wise to waste time." Loki leans forward. "How would you respond if, theoretically, I were to tell you that using your ice abilities is forbidden?"

It happens quickly. The instinct in him to just agree with his father. The drive he's always had to make him proud. The fear of not living up to his 'god' status and making Loki look bad. There's a part of him that just wants to say yes and be on good terms with dad again.

Todoroki flashes through his mind. He's seen what happens when someone limits themselves. And it's just like he told Todoroki, it wouldn't be fair to civilians or other heroes if he didn't use all of his power. How could he call himself a hero?

And then there was the final match, the silver medal in his hand gleaming at him from the afternoon sun peering in from the windows. Izuku had learned a lot from his father, and he still had much more to learn from him.

But UA has been showing him, ever since he got here, that limiting himself to Loki's teachings was only hurting him in the long run. There were other ways to approach problems than isolating yourself and not relying on anyone else. And the Sports Festival had been the last straw.

Loki is a god. And nothing will change that. Nor will anything change how much Izuku loves him. But he's experienced it firsthand. From the battle trials, the USJ, and to today.

It's possible for Loki to be wrong. His dad isn't all-knowing, and there are plenty of places where the way Izuku was taught to fight just didn't work. He needed to expand past what he had learned and try things differently, and not just try to be a copy of his father.

Izuku has his answer. And after taking a couple of seconds to find the word, he looks up into Loki's eyes. "No."

The God of Mischief raises an eyebrow. "No? So you would deliberately disobey me if I forbid you from using cryokinesis?"

Keeping eye contact and just throwing caution into the wind, because he's in the deep end now, Izuku says, "I think if you wanted me to follow rules so badly, father…you shouldn't have taught me so many ways to break them."

The silence after his answer is overbearing. It rings in his ears as Loki's face gives nothing away. He can feel an invisible pressure building on his chest, threatening to take his breath away. Until…

Loki snorts.

Izuku chokes on air, unable to help himself as he's so surprised when Loki leans back, laughing softly. "This must be karmic retribution for all the times I disobeyed my own father."

Getting over the idea he may actually survive their talk and live to tell the tale, an idea forms in his head. Trying to take advantage of the fact his dad didn't seem too upset at least, Izuku hesitantly begins. "You know…you never actually forbade me from using ice powers before this so technically I haven't disobeyed you-"

"You twist my words and use my teachings against me?" Loki interrupts, shutting Izuku up immediately. He doesn't dare breathe before Loki cracks the smallest smile. "You are a devious and sneaky child. I wonder where you received such traits." It was Izuku's turn to snort.

"Mom can be ruthless when she wants to be."

"Believe me, Izuku. I am aware."

The two fall into a more comfortable silence, before Izuku works up the courage to ask, "are you going to yell? Or something? I just said I'm going to keep using my cryokinesis whether you want me to or not."

"There is no need to worry. Your uncle received the brunt of my anger." Izuku opens his mouth but Loki continues. "There is truly nothing I can say to have you reconsider? You are above the techniques of those savages."

Izuku gives his father a look to show he has no doubt. "If it helps me be the best hero I can be, then savage or not, I'm using it."

"Is it worth the taboo?" Loki questions. "Izuku, Frost Giants have been at war with most civilizations at some point or another in their history. Most in the galaxy see them as beasts that are best to be put down for everyone's safety."

All traces of humor are gone by this point and Loki speaks almost in a whisper. "Once others see what you are capable of, you will be treated as a lesser being. You won't be allowed in many public places. Mothers will hold their children close as you walk by. Weapons will be trained on you for the mere crime of existing."

Loki tries to take a calming breath. "Izuku. Son. All your Frost Giant side will do for you is leave you miserable. You'd be too Jotun for Asgardians but at the same time, you're too Asgardian for the Jotun. Forget these abilities and move on."

Izuku says nothing for almost a full minute. He opts to lay back in his bed, staring out the window instead, before responding. "Earth isn't like that. I used my ice and people cheered. I showed them I have another way to protect them. Maybe other people out there will treat me differently, but I have my friends here who accept me no matter what."

"I see what you're getting at Izuku, but there is a fatal flaw in your argument," Loki counters. "They don't know what you really are. Who's to say they won't leave when they find out? Would it not be better to keep everyone away, than to give them the chance to hurt you?"

Turning to look at his father, Izuku says, "I guess we'll find out soon, won't we? I'm planning on telling Uraraka what I really am soon."

Loki studies him for a few seconds before conceding. "I have never been a fan of your grandfather's policy of secrecy, so I suppose I have no reason to oppose that decision." He exhales. "You are making it extremely tempting to just brainwash you."

"Didn't you tell me the best brainwashers could do it without powers?" Izuku fires back, remembering one of their training sessions on the beach from a couple of years ago.

"It appears I'm losing my touch in my old age," Loki sighs in defeat.

"Oh, c'mon dad." Izuku sits up. "For a guy who's almost 1300 years old, you don't look a day over 900."

Loki clicks his tongue. "I shouldn't have spent so many lessons on your silver tongue," he responds flatly, before shifting his tone. "You are making a mistake."

"And you told me one of the things that makes a good trickster is independence," Izuku says, a smirk tugging at his lips because he knows exactly what he's doing.

"And how much longer do you plan to throw my words back at me?" Loki conjures a dagger. "I could save us both the trouble now and remove your ability to speak."

Izuku can no longer stop his smirk. "That's a pretty violent approach, father. Didn't you also say that brute force is never a substitute for diplomacy?"

"I believe I have a raven to send to Odin so I may apologize for my behavior growing up, if I was anything like this." Izuku giggles at Loki's words. "So there is nothing more I can say to convince you otherwise on the use of your ice powers?"

"There isn't."

"And you understand I can not and will not support you in this or help you master those abilities?"

"I do."

Loki stands. "Then we are in agreement to be in disagreement." Izuku grimaces. Not exactly how he wanted the conversation to end, but he supposes it could've been worse.

The god takes a step towards the door but stops. "Regardless if you tell your friend about us or not, your mother has extended an invitation to your friend Uraraka for dinner at our home tomorrow evening. Do make sure you tell her."

Izuku agrees and Loki strides to the door but stops short of opening it, facing away from his son. "Despite my misgivings over your new powers…you should know I am proud of how you performed today." Loki disappears through the door before Izuku can reply.

Okay! First positive! His dad didn't hate him! He'll think of more positives once he calms his rapidly beating heart, because he had no idea how that was gonna go. Maybe one day he could convince his dad that using the ice powers is okay? Of course, his father could be thinking the same about him, so who knows?

It was a few minutes later when Recovery Girl returned with the other medal winners in tow. Tenko, Todoroki, and Denki. "Your scans should be done shortly, so please wait here until then," the doctor orders them. All four boys are smart enough to agree.

When she leaves, Denki flops on Izuku's bed while Tenko takes the other. Todoroki decides on the chair. "Hopefully we'll get out of here before the rest of the class leaves," Denki starts. "My dad congratulated me on the win." He rubs his back. "I think he broke something with that hug…what about yours? You see him?"

"Yup. He came by. Told me to stop using my new ice powers." Todoroki's eyes lock onto him. "I told him no."

Todoroki hums in approval. "It is good to know you're not a hypocrite."

"What about you then?" Denki asks the two-toned boy. "Your old man say anything to you?"

"He stopped me briefly and told me to head straight for the car once I was released," he answers, his face and tone still emotionless. "Naturally, I plan to head to Bistro De Lothal for a meal instead. Then take the train home."

Denki whistles. "That's a fancy place."

"I have my father's credit card and Endeavor has money to burn."

Tenko laughs a little. "Nice pun."

Todoroki turns to him, a little confusion breaking through his expression. "What pun?"

"You heading home after this too, Tenko?" Denki decides to cut in after the decay user looks like an old video game in need of a reboot.

"Torino, my guardian wanted me to head home as soon as I could too," Tenko replies after recovering. "Figured I'd unwind at the arcade for a few hours first."

"Wooh!" Denki cheers, throwing a hand up in the air. "Teenage rebellion at its finest!"

Izuku shakes his head at the other boy's antics, getting up and grabbing a plastic cup to fill with water. "Midoriya." He hums at Todoroki to indicate he hears him, going into the attached bathroom and filling his cup with water. "I would like confirmation on something."

"What is it?" Izuku inquires, walking back into the main room.

"I have been looking over several investigative websites," Todoroki flashes his phone screen at him, "and it seems there is substantial evidence that for years, aliens have been slowly replacing government officials and heroes. As one yourself, I was hoping you could confirm the validity of these claims."

Three things happen at once. Izuku is barely able to keep his water from dropping. Denki whips his head towards him in shock. And Tenko groans. "What happened, Todoroki? You crit fail on your insight check when Midoriya said he uses magic?"

"You just tell anyone that, don't you?" Denki whispers. He's smiling and laughing, but his tone is seeping with worry.

"Literally no one has ever believed me!" Izuku whispers back, before looking up at Todoroki. "Until now. Sort of."

"If you are not part of that group, then you know them?" Todoroki continues to needle for information.

"Okay, first off." Izuku puts his water down and lifts his hand up to stop any further questions. "No, there is no alien force replacing people and plotting some secret invasion of Earth. Second, even if there was, just because I'm an alien, doesn't mean I would know them."

"Why are you encouraging him?" Tenko moans. By now, Denki realized there was nothing to be worried about and was giggling at the conversation.

Todoroki mulls over his words before nodding, satisfied. "I see. You are correct. It was ignorant of me to assume all aliens know each other. I apologize."

"That's okay, Todoroki."

"Thank you. Now." The son of Endeavor looks back down at his phone. "What can you tell me about the aliens who infect human bodies like parasites?"

Recovery Girl chooses the exact right moment to re-enter the room, officially medically clearing them and telling them they can leave, with Izuku asking Denki to stay behind for a minute.

"Cool…" Tenko makes a weird face checking his phone. "We gotta all hang out again before school restarts. Catch you guys later." He rushes out of the room, leaving a Todoroki still burning with questions behind.

"I would still like to know more about these parasites. Would they not be venomous to whatever host they choose?" The door next to Todoroki bursts open and he's nearly run over by Tokage, who blurs past him to Denki.

"Duuuuude!! When I told you to win the festival for me, I didn't think you'd actually do it!" She yells excitedly.

"Wow. Good to know you believed in me," Denki retorts sarcastically.

"Oh, please." Tokage combines her eye roll with an entire head roll, detaching it to achieve this. "With me in your corner you always had a…" she detaches one of her legs and holds it up to him. "Leg up on the competition."

"Woooow!" Denki laughs, stepping back and clapping his hands. "That was bad. You wanna try again? I'll let you…" he runs a little electricity across his hand. "Free of…charge."

"Are you two done?" Izuku aims a very pointed look at Denki.

"Sorry," the blond shrugs, doing a poor job hiding his laugh before looking back at Tokage. "Don't mind him. His strategy is to seduce his crush with his awkwardness."

"Denkiiiiiii!"

"I can't even be mad, bro! It's working!"

"What does that mean?!"

"Alright," Tokage stops the family squabble before it can descend anymore. "So, what do ya say, champ? Walk me to the train station?"

"Yeah! I-" Denki falters in his quick agreement, looking back at Izuku.

The greenette smiles apologetically to the girl who shared his hair color. "I gotta talk to Denki about something real quick. Do you mind waiting a couple of minutes?"

"Hmmm…" Tokage makes a big show of thinking. "I suppose. Don't keep me waiting, handsome." She winks at Denki who returns the gesture.

"Wouldn't dream of it, beautiful." She closes the door behind her, leaving Izuku alone with Denki and- oh, when did Todoroki leave?

"So, what's up, man?" Izuku decides to have mercy on his cousin and not point out the blush on his face…for now.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm planning on telling Uraraka about…well, about me." Izuku waves his hand at himself. "The real me. And she knows we're related, so she'd know about you too. I hope that's okay?"

"That's pretty big," Denki acknowledges, "I haven't known about all this alien and god stuff that long, so it doesn't bother me if you want to tell her. You sure she can keep the secret?" Izuku nods. "Then I got no problems with it."

"Great, thanks! That's all I had to ask."

"Cool. I'll be heading out- wait!" Denki facepalms. "I almost forgot! Dad said he wanted to take me on a trip soon and wanted you to ask Uncle Loki if you two could come along."

Izuku wonders why his uncle wouldn't just ask his dad himself, but he guesses they might not be on the friendliest of terms after Thor taught him about his ice powers…

Trying to ignore his guilt, Izuku decides to say, "I can try. Where does he want to go?"

"Some place called…" Denki taps his chin. "Om- um. Hold on. Om. Omni- Omniiii. Omni. Omni-Man. Omnip. Omniscient. Omnipotence. Yeah, that's it. Omnipotence City. You ever heard of it?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it. It's a floating city where gods of every pantheon can go."

"Pantheon?" Denki asks.

"You know. Greek, Japanese, Norse, Egyptian." Izuku counts with his fingers as he lists off the different pantheons before grabbing and taking a sip from his water cup.

"Oh, that makes sense." Denki nods along, slowly stopping, his face scrunching up in concentration. "Wait, is Jesus there?"

"Ack!" Choking and coughing on his drink, Izuku looks up at his cousin in disbelief. "What?! You remember we're aliens, right?"

Denki shrugs off his concern. "Like I said before, in the past year, I've learned about things I would've never believed before. If you told me Jesus is an alien, I'd probably believe you."

Izuku raises his finger and opens his mouth but shuts it when he puts a little more thought into it. "I guess there's nothing proving he couldn't be…" The sons of Loki and Thor stare at each other, eyes wide, before bursting out into laughter.

"Okay but seriously," Denki says once they've calmed down a little. "This place sounds awesome. What gods are there?"

"Loads!" Izuku conjures one of his notebooks and flips to the correct page. "Let's see…well there are Japanese gods there like Amaterasu."

A woman wearing red and gold armor uses her sword to cut through the shadow monster like it's nothing, the weapon shining as brightly as the sun as she swings it down. "We need to find Hermes and get the message to all gods around the galaxy! Gorr the God Butcher has returned and Omnipotence City is under siege!" She calls behind her to Susanoo, god of storms.

The shirtless man wearing a straw hat unleashes a tornado with his own sword, sending the hoard of black berserker creatures sprawling. "I'm on it! Just let me-"

"What was that? Susanoo, what is it?!" Amaterasu finishes the last of Gorr's minions and spins around. Only to gasp in horror when her friend's head rolls to her feet.

"Do not despair." She bares her teeth as Gorr approaches her. "You will be next to feel what it's like to be butchered."

With a dash, Amaterasu is in front of Gorr, bringing her shining sword on top of him, but he blocks easily with an All-Black sword of his own. But she does not stop for an instant. Blow after blow. She attacks Gorr, and though he blocks and dodges everything she throws at him, she still slowly pushes the murderer into a corner.

"You will pay for what you have done here today!"

Gorr smiles, parrying her once again. "Perhaps one day. But not until my work is complete." Amaterasu thrusts her sword, only for Gorr to disappear into the shadows around him. She has no time to wonder where he is before he reappears from the shadows behind her, stabbing her in the back and through the heart.

"But not just Japanese! Like I said, pretty much any pantheon you can think of!" Izuku flips the page. "Like Hindu! I know the great devourer Bakasura is there."

A short blue-skinned man with sharp teeth and long blades extending from each of his arms rolls when he hits the ground, his red cloak nearly flying off of him.

He blocks Gorr's sword, and with a satisfying squelch, he stabs the attacker in the side. Bakasura grins hungrily, but it quickly fades when Gorr smiles at him and removes the blade from himself easily. The last thing he sees is Gorr's own blade stabbing him.

"How about this one?" Izuku places the notebook in front of Denki.

"Woah, that's different."

"Yeah, the Egyptian pantheon of gods are so cool though!" Izuku points to a certain image. "Like that one. Anubis."

What looks like a dog standing on its hind legs, wearing blue and gold armor and wielding a staff, growls at Gorr as the butcher lifts the dead sun god Ra off his blade. "Be one with those you have damned!"

The god of the dead slams his staff into the ground, creating cracks that rush Gorr and open up underneath him, so that he may plummet to the underworld.

Except he doesn't.

Anubis looks around himself, before finally looking up to find Gorr in the air, his sword gone and replaced by black wings on his back keeping him afloat. The god slayer smirks before descending on him.

"You weren't kidding!" Denki's eyes move quickly over the page. "There's even Chinese gods?! Wait, how do you say this one?"

Izuku checks over his shoulder. "Hou Yi."

The Chinese defender of good adjusts the red scarf around his neck, aims ten arrows into the sky, and fires before looking back at Gorr who was advancing upon him. He wouldn't get far before the arrows descended back onto him, each one carrying the force of a small meteor as they pelt the spot Gorr stands, creating explosions and scorching the ground beneath.

Surely, he is vanquished.

The smoke clears and Hou Yi doesn't believe it when he sees it. Gorr is still standing in the same spot with black armor protecting his body as he lunges for him.

"This guy can't be real!" Denki chortles. Izuku doesn't really know what to say.

Cupid, the Roman god of love, runs through a collapsing building, firing arrows at anything that moves in the shadows. He turns a corner and screams as Gorr stands at the end of the hall, but when he blinks, the butcher is gone.

He dives behind another corner, wiping his sweat with his tunic, and reaches for another arrow to be ready. Unfortunately, he is not ready for the black tendrils that sneak up behind him and grab him by his ankles. Cupid's screams are abruptly cut off as he's pulled into the darkness.

"Why is this guy's picture bigger than the rest?" Denki points to a nearly half page sketch of the god.

"He's kind of the leader of the city," Izuku explains. "Zeus."

The Polynesian god, Maui, and Bellona, goddess of war, hit the ground hard, both dead before they ever reached it. Gorr walks past them without care. Nor does he blink when a wounded Poseidon attempts to rise to his feet. Without even looking, Gorr raises his arm and shoots the god of the oceans off the edge of one of the platforms with a purple energy blast.

He didn't care for them, his gaze had already fallen on his next target. Zeus sits on his knees, cradling the body of his son, Hercules, stroking the demigod's hair. Without fear, Gorr recreates his All-Black sword and places it above the head of the god of lightning.

"You will be hunted forever for this." Zeus doesn't look up, opting to hold his son's face in his hands, one last time. "Nowhere will be safe. They will hunt you like the animal you are."

Gorr smiles wide in excitement. "Let them come. My dream of a godless age begins now." The God Butcher drives the sword down.

"We gotta look at more of those later." Denki hands back Izuku's notebook, which he promptly vanishes. "Anyways, yeah man. Let me know how it goes with Uraraka. But I gotta catch up with Tokage."

"Yup, bye!"

Toshinori taps his knees anxiously. As soon as the final match had ended, the staff had a meeting to decide how to proceed with certain events. Ultimately, it was decided they would all reconvene tomorrow to discuss the actions of Vlad King and a few other things.

Speaking of the finals, it was surely something to behold. Young Midoriya certainly has an imagination. Though he did hold his breath when realized the boy had recreated the USJ to throw off his opponent.

Thankfully, even though Toshinori is certain he could have, young Midoriya didn't take the mental games he was playing too far. Just another subtle reminder that the boy was always thinking of others, even while fighting them.

According to Nezu, Midoriya is currently speaking to young Uraraka about something. So, it would be some time before Toshinori could ask the boy's permission to learn whatever secret it was that allowed him to seemingly have multiple quirks.

He would like to know the answer, but honestly, with Nezu knowing the reason, Toshinori wasn't too worried. So if the conversation he is currently having takes the rest of the evening then so be it. The young man in front of him deserved all of his attention.

This nice trail of thought had been a great distraction from his anxiety, but All Might is starting to regret insisting to Nezu and Torino that he have this conversation alone. The hero knows it was still the right decision to do this by himself, even if they could alleviate his nervousness just a bit.

But none of that mattered. All that did was being patient and as transparent as possible with the other person in the staff room with him.

Young Tenko had been staring off into space for a few minutes now, his mouth moving a little but no sound coming out. That is, until his red eyes came back into focus and he looked up at All Might.

"One…for all?"

Toshinori nods, letting the boy talk it out. "That's your quirk?" Another nod. "And you can just…give people your quirk?" A third nod.

"And you're saying…you want to give it to me?"

"That is correct."

Tenko gapes at him before quickly reaching down and pinching his arm. "Ow! Okay, not dreaming," he mutters while rubbing his arm. "So in that case…" The blue-haired boy's chair clatters to the ground because of how fast he gets up. "Are you nuts?!"

Ah, here is the other reason he wanted to do this alone. The panic Toshinori knew was coming.

He sits quietly while the boy paces around the room, ranting. "You- you said my grandma was the person who held it before you. She abandoned my dad to protect him, fucking phenomenal parenting by the way, and died fighting some crazy villain. A guy you thought you had killed but now you think he's back and that's the guy who somehow respawned Hana?! Am I getting this right?!"

"Mostly." Toshinori remains calm. He feels young Tenko needs that right now so he won't spiral more than he already is. "We are unsure if All for One is the person actually responsible for your sister's resurrection, but there are things I am sure of."

Toshinori stands, using his full height to his advantage, and puts his hand out to stop Tenko's pacing. He is careful to not touch the boy, as Tenko still isn't the most comfortable with physical contact with the hero.

"I am sure of my picking you as a successor. I am sure that even if you choose not to accept, you'll still be a great hero regardless. But lastly, I am sure that if you accept, I will not leave your side until you are fully trained, and I pledge that All for One will be defeated for good before you graduate."

Young Tenko is panting a little now, still trying to recover from his own words. "I…" The boy, seemingly without knowing, starts to scratch his neck. "There's no way grandma would want me to have it after what I did."

Toshinori feels something pulse through his body, a feeling he hasn't felt since he first entered the USJ, but this was different. Back then, he had been filled with despair. Now, he is filled with resolve.

"I think if she was here…" Toshinori begins carefully, waiting for Tenko to look at him. "She would tell you to take more pride in yourself."

His potential successor looks at him like he's grown a second head. All Might forges ahead before the boy can say anything.

"You are not like others your age. They haven't had the same experiences as you. But because of that, you've had to work hard to get where you are today. To be still standing and want to go out into the world and save as many people as you can, especially when you could have just as easily laid down and given up, and no one would have blamed you? That takes a special kind of spirit and person. So yes, young Tenko, take pride in yourself and the accomplishments you have already achieved."

Tenko is quick to look away, wiping his face. "Damn All Might, did you put all your stats into charisma?"

"I appreciate that, my boy. I believe most people would assume I put them all into strength."

The Symbol of Peace chuckles as Tenko actually takes a step back in surprise. "You see. I felt if we might be spending even more time together…" Toshinori reaches behind him and pulls out a 'Gaming for Dummies' book he had rolled in his back pocket. "I thought I should start knowing half the things you say."

The blue-haired boy sputters and covers his mouth to stop his laughter. Toshinori can't help but smile at it. "What do you say, my boy? Will you accept my quirk?" Tenko is quick to calm himself, eyes looking everywhere but at the hero, before he takes another breath and looks up at him.

"That's basically what it boils down to. I want justice for those who've been wronged, and punishment for those who deserve it," Hirona finishes explaining her goals and some of the things that had happened to her.

Nagant evaluates her for a long enough time that Hirona becomes uncomfortable again. "You're trying hard to make your reasons appealing, but they're more personal than anything."

Hirona's shoulders sagged at the clearly negative response. Nagant stands and puts her glass down, before starting to walk over to her. "You're trying to sell me on this grand idea to change society, but that's bullshit." She's standing in front of her now. "But that's not you. It's whoever is really calling the shots around here. Tell me, what do you actually want?"

Lying would probably get her in an even deeper hole anyway. This was never going to work, so might as well be honest. Hirona takes a few breaths and looks the older woman in the eyes.

"I want my brother, the heroes who save and protect him, to suffer. Like they left me to suffer."

"It is personal." Nagant shows no other reaction to her declaration. She instead begins to slowly circle Hirona, causing the girl to instinctively raise her shoulders to her ears when the former hero gets behind her.

"You have a lot of blood on you."

She had a feeling the woman was talking about more than the blood currently staining her bodysuit.

"I did what I had to do." Hirona's response makes Nagant pause briefly before she finishes her circling, moving to stand in front of the young villain once again.

"How many?"

Hirona squeezes her hands together, feeling the texture of the dried blood on her skin. "I stopped counting years ago."

Nagant steps forward and speaks in a whisper. "And is this the life you chose for yourself?" Hirona says nothing. What was she supposed to say? Nagant continues to stare her down with an intensity she didn't know what to make of.

Purple eyes travel to Hirona's hands briefly before Nagant turns on the spot and walks back to the bar, downing the rest of her drink. That's it then. The sniper is getting ready to take her leave and Hirona doesn't think she'll even get that autograph.

"You have a pretty narrow scope of the world around you." Hirona looks up in befuddlement at the older woman's words. "Again, that's gonna get you killed, kid." Nagant looks around the bar. "And this is certainly far from the worst shithole I've had to hold up in."

Hirona's mouth drops. "A-are you s-saying…"

"First things first. If I'm going to help you," Nagant tugs at her prison jumpsuit. "I'm gonna need something else to wear. And a hot meal."

It takes everything in Hirona to not squeal with joy.

"And the way you took that punch like it was nothing and still got after Kendo, I think I almost fell over the railing, I was cheering so much!" Izuku laughs alongside Uraraka as they walk close to each other out of the stadium, with most of the class going their separate ways.

Uraraka brushes some of her hair out of her face. "Thank you. And I'm glad you didn't fall. I would've felt bad if you fell again, Thirteen."

"I appreciate-" the clone flounders, and proving even more he's a clone of Izuku, almost trips over himself. "How did you know?"

"Deku never stands this close to me."

Thirteen looks down to confirm that yes, they were nearly touching, or they would be if he could be touched. He sighs, taking a step away. "Dangit."

"Hey…" He looks back up to an unsure Uraraka. "Maybe…maybe you could tell him I wouldn't mind it? You know. Like, if Deku wanted to stand this close, I don't know…"

The decoy's jaw drops. "You-"

"Thirteen!"

"One second." Thirteen runs back to where the real Izuku is trying to catch up to the pair. "You need to confess, right now."

"W-what? Noooo." Izuku waves his hands in front of him. "I think just telling her I'm a you know what is good enough for a day."

"Izuku!"

"Look, I'm done arguing with myself. I gotta go," Izuku makes to leave but Thirteen tries to grab him, scowling when it goes through the real boy.

"Fine. But just so you know, she'd like it if you stood close to her." Izuku answers by blushing and shaking his head, before running to catch up with Uraraka, leaving an even more frustrated Thirteen behind.

"This is stupid. They're so stupid. Everything is stupid. At this point, to get them together I'm gonna need-" squeals and laughs cut him off as Thirteen spots Mina and Toru walking together. A dangerous smile starts to form on his face. "Help."

"Hey!" Izuku waves to Uraraka, slowing down to match her walk. "Sorry if he said anything weird…"

"He didn't. Congrats on the medal by the way!"

"Thanks." Izuku rubs the back of his head, his blush already threatening to return. The two slip into a comfortable silence as they continue their walk, finding themselves alone. Well, comfortable for Uraraka probably. Izuku was busy trying to hype himself up.

"Uraraka…" She smiles at him. Okay, not helping him keep focus. "I don't really know how to say this. But you know what I say every time someone asks about my quirk?"

"That it's magic?" She rolls her eyes fondly.

"And what if I told you that was true?"

She stops for a second, before snickering and giving him a little shove. "C'mon Deku, be serious!" Izuku chooses not to comment on how she doesn't move away from him after.

"I am being serious!"

"You, a jokester, being serious?" Uraraka giggles at him. "If that's true then it must be magic!"

"No, seriously. I- okay, come here." He points to a small park off to the side, and since they still had time, she follows him under one of the trees. Izuku dismisses an annoying thought about how similar the top of it looks to his hair.

"I can show you something, do you trust me?" She nods immediately, and Izuku lifts his hand, but stops, unsure. "To do it, um, I have to, you know…" he shakes his hand lamely and vaguely points to her.

"O-oh! Yeah, no problem!" Uraraka, not giving herself time to second guess, takes his hand in her own, careful to keep her pinky up. Both teenagers were making it such a point to not look at each other, neither noticed they were the same shade of red.

"O-okay. Here we go." Izuku closes his eyes and concentrates, a green mist traveling from his hand to Uraraka's.

He only opens them again when he hears her scream, the gravity user looking at their new surroundings wildly. "Wha-where-how?!"

"I'm not really good at most of the mental magic yet," Izuku apologizes. "But there is one thing I can do. I know how to show people my memories."

Uraraka doesn't answer him. Unsurprising since she was too busy looking at the walls and decor around her. "The ceiling is so high I can't even see it! And is that gold?! She tries to touch a statue but yelps when her hand goes through it.

Maybe he should've taken this more slowly, but with something like this, shock probably works just as well.

"We're standing in the palace of Asgard," he tells her, laughing a little while she waves her hand in front of a guard who doesn't acknowledge her.

"Asgard…" Uraraka repeats, still looking around her. "You've talked about that before…" she snaps her fingers. "I remember! It's where the Norse gods live! You talk about them all the time when you joke about being Loki's son!"

"It was never exactly a joke…"

"Woah, woah, hold on! But Loki's like, a god! Like a god-god! Well, I don't know where he is in relation to the other God. You know, the God? Would they live together? Wait, hold on! If you're Loki's son, that would make you a-"

"An alien." As much as he's enjoying Uraraka's impression of one of his mutter storms, Izuku stops her before she says what he thinks she was gonna say. "Or, half-alien technically. Asgardians like Dad and Uncle Thor are aliens that early humans worshipped as gods. My mom is human though so that makes me half-alien."

Uraraka's mouth, something Izuku has to force himself not to stare at, opens and closes aimlessly. "I don't expect you to believe me right away. But think about it. Which is more believable, I'm part alien or I suddenly got good at lying?"

Maybe it's the ridiculousness of the situation or just because she needs it, but Uraraka laughs for a good minute, her eyes soaking in as much as she can. "You can't just make a joke in the middle of breaking my perception…of everything!"

"I think I just did," Izuku quips, unable to help himself as usual.

"Aliens…" Uraraka says, placing her hands on her head. Luckily, her quirk doesn't work here. "O-or half-alien for you I guess, sorry. How long have aliens been on Earth?! Was there really an alien secret moon base we never found because we stopped going?!

"Wait, does that make all gods aliens? Or all aliens gods? If I went to another planet, I'd be an alien, yeah? To them? Would that also make me a god?!" At first, Izuku thinks she stops because she ran out of breath but instead, Uraraka looks sullen.

"How do I know this isn't all just another illusion?"

Izuku smiles, motioning his head to a large window behind them. "Look out there and tell me if you've ever seen me create something like this."

Cautiously, Uraraka goes over to the window and peers outside, before letting out an unconscious, "wow." In her view, you could see most of the golden buildings of the city below them, the rainbow bridge off the side, and above them, more stars than she's ever seen in her life.

"This is a lot to take in…"

"If it helps, my parents want you to come over for dinner tomorrow night. If you have more questions, they can help." The look on Uraraka's face tells Izuku that might not have helped as much as he hoped.

"You parents…that means your dad too? Your god dad, Loki?! He wants to meet me?!"

Izuku tries again. "Does it help to think of him as an alien?"

It does not help.

"I have soooo many questions." She bites her lip, likely stopping another avalanche from tumbling out of her. "Okay, answer this one. Why are you telling me? This seems like a big secret?"

He isn't sure if she fully believes him but she's not dismissing it either. Also telling her one of the reasons he was doing this was to confess to her eventually probably wasn't a good idea either. So he'll start with his other reason.

"I'm starting to realize the old way I did things wasn't the best, so I'm trying to fix that. One of those things was keeping people at a distance so they couldn't see the real me, so…" he gestures to their surroundings.

Uraraka stares at him for a long time. Izuku isn't sure how long. He tried to look back at her but lost that contest pretty quickly.

"If this is a prank…" she warns.

"No, no! I promise it's not!" She's silent for a long while again so Izuku asks, "what do you think?"

Sighing, Uraraka rubs her face. "I think I have a million more questions, and some things about you are starting to make a bit more sense, and…" Izuku goes stiff when she hugs him. "Alien, god, or whatever you call yourself, you're still the same Izuku Midoriya to me."

Never has Izuku been more thankful that Uraraka is shorter than him than when he hugs her back, tears starting to spill. He let someone in and wasn't rejected! It was going to be okay.

And when Izuku ended the walk down memory lane, if the two walked the rest of the way to the station 'forgetting' to let go of each other's hands, that was okay too.