AN: Professor Donger: Here comes a new chapter for you're reading pleasure! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this story! It's a joy to write and honestly was just something we thought of one day while chatting on Discord XD
Damian: Also, just to make something perfectly clear, this story is not gonna be a harem or a poly. We understand some people were wondering about that, so here's your answer. Regardless we hope you still enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing.
Later that same morning
Izuku opened the door, laughing as his Mother quickly passed him and immediately flopped down on the couch, still clutching her water bottle.
She quickly started sipping from it, taking deep breaths in between sips.
"Want me to make us a snack?"
Inko let out a whine as she gasped for air, "How are… you okay!?"
"I've been doing worse things than this for almost a year now Mom." Izuku chuckled as he started pulling out the things he'd need for the snack.
"Hate you… so much right now…"
Izuku held a hand to his chest and mocked being offended. "Hold on, this whole operation was your idea!"
"Still… hate you."
Izuku shrugged. "Love you too Mom, why don't you take a nice cool shower? That should help."
"That would require me to get up…"
Izuku just laughed, "Mom, it'll be worth it, come on." He walked over and helped her up, she gave an exaggerated whine but did eventually get up from off the couch.
"Why am I the one being babied…Is this what happens when your kids grow up!? I don't like this…" Inko mumbled as she shuffled toward her bedroom.
Izuku chuckled and shook his head, going back to preparing lunch only to pause as a sad, yet loving stray thought seemed to enter his head.
~He's so much like his father… Hisashi you'd be proud…~
Izuku frowned but shrugged it off, he must be tired from the run, his Mom must have been talking to herself.
The two enjoyed their time together and eventually ended up doing their own separate activities. Izuku was holed up in his room, writing in his notebook about the observations he made on Ochako's quirk, while Inko was, surprisingly, doing some weird video work out in front of their TV. Izuku wasn't sure where the sudden energy came from, considering she was just complaining about being tired from the run a while ago, but he wasn't gonna question it. His mom was starting to be more active, which was good.
His phone buzzed and kicked him out of his head, and he quickly checked it.
Houston Smash: I'm bored! I already went on my run, helped around the house and I'm still soo boooored!
You: Sounds like a skill issue.
Houston Smash: Gasp! My hero has spice!
Izuku blushed at Ochako calling him her hero. Sure, he had saved her, so in a way it was true, but that didn't change the fact that her statement had him flustered, especially with it coming from a girl. Another buzz reminded him he was currently having a conversation.
Houston Smash: Hey, can I come over? You can show me that beach!
You: uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Izuku's brain was currently fried.
A girl, a cute girl, wanted to come over! Wanted to see the beach he had cleaned up!
His introverted mind couldn't handle the idea of it. It was shutting down!
"Say yes!" Inko shouted from the living room. Izuku jumped in surprise. Thoroughly snapped out of his panic, Was she talking to him? Well, she wouldn't be saying something to the TV, so by process of elimination she was indeed talking to Izuku. He must have muttered his conversation with Ochako out loud.
You: Well, my Mom's okay with it, so sure! Why not!? Here's the nearest train station to me, I can meet you there!
He sent the info and waited, slowly getting lost back in his own mind as he waited for Ochako's reply. How did Inko hear him muttering so clearly from so far away?
A buzz derailed his thoughts once again.
Houston Smash: Awesome! I'll be over in around 2 hours!
You: { }
Houston Smash: Awww is the hero nervous?
Me: I will fight you.
Houston Smash: Do it pussy!
You: Fine. You, me, Dagobah. 2 hours.
Houston Smash: Wait… are we actually fighting?
Houston Smash: { }
You: What? No! I thought you wanted to see the beach.
Houston Smash: Oh good! Because I still remember what you did to those robots, and I don't wanna be on the receiving end of your punches.
You: I mean, we could spar if you want.
Houston Smash: …I have made an error.
You: We don't have to if you don't want to. I mean, I understand being… intimidated.
Houston Smash: …
Houston Smash: Alright mother fucker, you're on. But I'm seeing that beach first. Gotta find a nice area to bury your body.
You: I… am scared… but also intrigued.
Houston Smash: { }
You: Lol. So I'll meet you at Dagobah?
Houston Smash: Yeah omw
You: Wait, now? I thought you said 2 hours!
Houston Smash: I live in Mei. Anyway, take this time to get your affairs in order.
You: You're really committed to this joke, huh?
Houston Smash: Who said I was joking?
You: That was also a joke… right?
Houston Smash: :)
You: RIGHT?!
Houston Smash: See you soon ~
You: Ochako answer the question, please!
Houston Smash: { }
"Whoa!" Ochako's eyes sparkled with awe as she looked over Dagobah Beach.
Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, it's amazing, huh? You should see it in the early morning, it's beautiful."
"I bet!" Ochako turned to him. "This place used to be covered in trash? I don't buy it." She shook her head. "It's too pretty to have ever been an illegal garbage dump."
"It's true," Izuku insisted as he pulled his phone out. "I even took a photo from when I first started my training, look." He held the phone up for her to see and Ochako's eyes bugged out at the mountains of trash she saw in the photo.
"What the hell?!" She swiped the phone from Izuku and held it up as she turned back to the clean and beautiful beach to do a side-by-side comparison. "Th-that's impossible! No way you cleaned this all on your own!"
"I mean, I even have this photo of me right aft –" Izuku paused, his mind flashing to that day, of him standing atop that last pile of rubble, screaming at the top of his lungs that his nearly year-long labor was done.
He remembered All Might's before and after picture, and how proud both All Might and himself were at his achievement.
And then he remembered what All Might said after it all.
"Eat this!"
Izuku shuddered and Ochako did as well.
This caused Izuku to look at her strangely.
Ochako's face was burning red, and the first thing out of her mouth would have been an apology, for what exactly she didn't know, but instead, her mouth decided to act without her brain's permission as her eyes looked at Izuku's stomach.
"Holy shit, those abs!" She paused as Izuku squeaked. She slowly lifted her eyes to meet him. "...I said that out loud, didn't I?"
Izuku nodded, his face heating up rapidly.
Ochako slowly nodded her head as she pursed her lips, handing Izuku back his phone. "Cool… cool cool… I'm just gonna go dig my own grave now." And with that, she walked over to the stairs to make her way down to the beach.
Izuku opted to stay where he was for a bit longer, mainly because he needed a moment to process… well, everything that just happened. And he wasn't even just talking about Ochako commenting on his abs.
That… memory. He remembered that day clearly, yeah, it was one of the most important days of his life, but why did it feel like he was actually seeing the events? And why did it feel like it was through the eyes of someone else?
That was weird…
"Hey!" Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts as Ochako waved up at him from the sand. "You coming down or what?"
Izuku shook his head to clear away the thoughts before going down to the beach. Now wasn't the time to get stuck in his head, his friend was waiting for him.
"So lemme get this straight," Ochako began as they approached a more rocky area of the beach, the two had spent the past 30 minutes just talking. "You thought you were quirkless?"
Izuku had told her how he spent most of his life without a quirk and lied about how he had just developed one recently. He didn't want to lie to Ochako, but he didn't exactly want to reveal the secret of One For All to her either. All Might had kept the quirk a secret for a reason, and Izuku wasn't about to just go tell anyone and everyone about it. Besides, he figured it was best to get a solid story down with someone anyways, that way he can use it at UA.
"Yeah, turns out it's some kind of energy stockpile that's been building up my whole life. We think the reason I couldn't use any of it before is because my body wasn't ready to channel the power, so I had to be in the right condition to use it. Turns out my mentor's training the past ten months was what I needed." Izuku explained. "I'm, uh, trying to figure out how to use more of it at once instead of just a little, but that's easier said than done."
"Man, I can't imagine going my whole life thinking I didn't have my quirk." Ochako hummed, "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You seem like you got a big ol' wrinkly brain in that skull of yours."
Izuku gave her a confused look and mumbled: "...wrinkly?"
"Well, we've only been friends for like, two days, and even I can see that you're one smart cookie!" Ochako let out a laugh. "I mean some of the stuff we talked about with regard to my quirk the other day flew over my head!"
"Really?" Izuku blinked as he thought back to that day.
"Yeah, I mean, you kinda started rambling at one point, but from what I did catch you said some things I didn't even really consider! My entire strategy during the exam was just 'float robots up, let gravity do the rest.'"
Izuku cringed a little. "Yeah, sorry, but that still just sounded like it was very inefficient. I mean, you mentioned that your quirk makes you sick if you overuse it or if you float something too heavy, so you must have been feeling awful after the exam."
"Was definitely getting there." Ochako poked her index fingers together nervously as she watched the waves crash to the shore.
Izuku nodded as he also began watching the waves. "Yeah, probably would have been better to pick up a big blunt object and use it as a weapon."
"Thanks for the tip," Ochako smirked at him. "Next time I need a big blunt object I'll just grab and use you next time."
"...Please don't use me as a blunt weapon."
"We'll see, it depends on my options at that moment."
The two stopped walking and took a seat in the sand. They sat in amicable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying their time together. Izuku glanced over and noticed that Ochako was rapidly tapping her foot up and down, her movement shifting the sand beneath her. He was about to ask if something was wrong when Ochako suddenly jumped to her feet, kicking sand up and causing Izuku to jump in fright.
"ARGH! Ah'm pumped!" She turned and pointed to Izuku causing him to jump up and stand at attention "Izuku!"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
"We're gonna fight!" She pumped one of her fists in excitement. Causing Izuku to frown.
"I mean… like I said over text I'm not against sparing with you but why?"
"I don't really know! I just feel like I've got all this energy ya'know? I gotta work some of it off!" She punched her fist into the palm of her free hand with a grin and Izuku sighed. Well, good thing they both seemed to have worn clothes they didn't mind getting dirty.
He was immensely grateful that All Might had taught him how to properly spar with someone on the days the weather was too bad for cleaning the beach. It meant he, hopefully, wouldn't go overboard, especially since it seemed Ochako had very little practice actually fighting. All Might at least taught him the basics.
"You know how to fight right?" He asked just in case.
"Duh, ya' just punch 'em in the face!"
Izuku internally sighed and shook his head. "If we had some sparring gear? Sure I'd be game for face shots. Let's stick to the torso, arms, and legs for points of contact. Nothing below the groin, no headshots, and light contact only okay?"
Ochako tilted her head curiously, clearly confused. "What does light contact mean?"
"Basically not using your full force, you pull your punches and kicks to not cause serious harm to your sparring partner." He hummed. "We'll use a point system, when you land a proper hit, meaning it wasn't blocked or redirected, you'll earn a point. First to three wins, does that sound okay?"
"Sounds good to me!" She nodded. "What about quirks?"
Izuku shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you with mine, I can't regulate its output very well, I either go all-out or I don't use it at all…" He frowned. "I was able to shatter the exam bots easily with it, and I really don't want to use that level of force in a friendly spar."
Ochako once more nodded. "Makes sense, and my quirk is kinda cheatin' anyway since all I gotta do is tap ya once, like this!"
Ochako lunged forward the short distance between them to playfully tap Izuku with her hand to activate her quirk on him. The next thing she knew, however, she was somehow flipped through the air and on her back in the sand. She let out an "oof" on impact, and lay there stunned, staring up at the sky. Izuku was in her peripheral, stance suggesting he had just thrown her, and he stared at her for a few seconds before a look of horror crossed his face.
"O-Ochako!" He rushed over to her and helped her up, easily lifting her from under her arms onto her feet, brushing the sand off her back as best he can before backing away. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! I just reacted, I swear!"
Ochako stared at him for a second and snorted. "I tried to sneak attack you and you apologize for reactin'? You're such a good noodle, Izuku." She shook her head to get the sand out of her hair "How'd you even react that fast? That was a spur-of-the-moment thing for me, I didn't even know I was gonna do it until the second before I did it."
"I… have no idea," Izuku said. He didn't think he could react that fast. Sure, his reaction time isn't bad, but it isn't that good either. The only reason he was on guard beforehand was because something in the back of his mind told him Ochako was about to try something, hiding her 'sinister' intent behind her pretty smile-
"P-pretty?" Ochako stuttered out, her face turning red.
…Izuku had mumbled again, hadn't he?
His face exploded into a crimson blush, and he waved his arms around frantically as he tried to recover. "I-I mean you are pretty! But like… I mean… I don't really know why I countered so fast, ignore the pretty comment please…" He muttered that last part as he started twiddling his thumbs nervously.
Ochako, still blushing, looked at him confused. "You really expect a girl to ignore you calling her pretty?"
Izuku mumbled something under his breath, quiet enough that Ochako shouldn't have heard it, and let out an eep as he barely dodged a face full of sand.
"How the hell did you dodge that?!" Ochako grumbled before glaring at him. "And what the hell do you mean other girls do!? Who would ignore a cinnamon roll like you!?"
"Okay, seriously, how good is your hearing? Even my mom has trouble understanding me sometimes."
"Don't change the subject, mister!"
"I-I'm not!" Okay, he was. But what was he supposed to say? He can't just tell Ochako that the only person who gave him the time of day only did so to make his life hell and-
Izuku yelped as Ochako grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. Her eyes were alight with rage, and Izuku swore he could see a small flash of pink in them.
"Who's the bitch?" She growled, "I promise I just want ta' talk to 'em."
"Wow," Izuku said, "I am muttering a lot more than usual today."
"I. Want. Names." Ochako hissed. "Addresses, phone numbers, the whole nine yards!"
Izuku sighed as he gently pried Ochako's hands from his collar. Man, she was intense. "Look, you're making it seem like more of a big deal than it really is. It's fine, I promise. I'm about to go to UA, hopefully, so I'll get away from most of them."
"But-" Ochako began before Izuku firmly cut her off.
"Ochako, please, just drop it."
Ochako sighed and kicked the sand with a whine. "Fine!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "We're going to get mochi though."
"W-what about our spar?"
"I'm not in the mood anymore, you've killed it!" She grinned at him to show that she was mainly joking. "You're gonna pay for the mochi to make up for judo flipping me into the sand!"
"So we're just ignoring the fact I only did that because you tried to surprise attack me?"
"Yep! Now come on, let's go! Mochi is calling my name!"
"I'm home!" Izuku called out as he took off his shoes, a smile on his face.
"Welcome back, Izuku! How'd it go?" Inko called from the kitchen, probably preparing dinner.
Izuku's smile widened as he answered, "Great!" He made his way into the kitchen and continued. "We went to Dagobah, and then went to get some mochi and tea!"
Inko smiled at her son as she chopped some green onion. "I'm glad you had such a good time, sweetie." She nodded over to the stove. "Can you check the stove? I started some ramen and I don't want to ruin the noodles…"
Izuku nodded and made his way over to the stove, where a pot of boiling noodles was resting, he gave them a quick stir to confirm that they were done and quickly moved them off the heat. After doing that he turned back to his Mom. "Do you still need help? Or can I get a quick shower in?"
She waved him off without a word and he grinned, thankful that she hadn't asked him further about his adventures with Ochako. He didn't think he could explain judo flipping his new friend into the sand…
"You did what?!"
Izuku sighed through his nose as his Mother started ripping into him about how she had raised him better and that he shouldn't manhandle ladies. He didn't get a chance to defend himself until much later but even then his Mom still pouted at him for being so rude.
He really needed to work on his muttering…
Ochako sighed as she relaxed into her seat. It would be a while before the train got to her stop, so all she could do was think. Thinking about how the day had gone, thinking about how... weird it had been.
Don't get her wrong, she had a blast, and Izuku was an absolute gem! She honestly hadn't expected to go to the Entrance Exam and make such a great friend during it! But she couldn't ignore the strange things that had happened during their time together, especially at Dagobah.
Like how she had seen that weird… flashback? vision? Yeah, vision. Of Izuku standing atop a pile of trash screaming his heart out… while shirtless.
That thought caused blood to rush to her cheeks as she remembered all the muscles that were apparently hidden under that loose clothing he wore. Hey, she was a teenage girl, sue her.
But ignoring the fact she even had that vision in the first place, it was strange, the vision was in the third person, like she was watching him from her own two eyes, or a camera…
She vaguely remembered pulling out a strand of hair and saying "Eat this."
She shuddered.
She sure hoped that wasn't the awakening of some weird fetish…
Moving on!
She also pondered some of the things she had learned about Izuku. Some of the things he had definitely left unsaid that she had somehow heard or knew.
It was all very confusing…
Izuku said he must have been muttering, but Ochako knew he hadn't even been talking during most of those instances. Sure, he mumbled things every now and then, but mostly small little things, things that were barely even audible to her, but what she had heard the other times sounded almost crystal clear to her, almost as if they were said right in her ear.
Maybe something with his quirk? He did say he only discovered it recently, maybe there was some weird quirk bullshit with it not even he was aware of?
It was a conundrum for later, one that Ochako would make sure to bug her friend about constantly, even if she had to do it at UA!
More important than the fact that there were shenanigans afoot with regard to his "muttering", was that her friend had been treated harshly his entire life, if what she had somehow learned was any indication.
What girl wouldn't find the green-haired boy cute? He was absolutely adorable! And a gentleman! Judo flipping notwithstanding.
Ochako felt her mood darken, as the other bit of info she had gleaned came to her mind.
"Who the hell would bully such a sweet guy…" She hated that Izuku was so kind, he wanted to move past his bullies and go forward with his life. It was noble in a way, something his Mom probably instilled in him at a young age, to turn the other cheek and all that.
Ochako's Mom had instilled in her at a young age the idea that friends are precious, and that revenge should be swift, and painful.
She came to a realization as she squeezed her armrest hard enough that it groaned under her hand.
He had said most of them wouldn't be a problem once he got into UA.
Not all.
A Cheshire grin spread across Ochako's face, one that was horrifying enough to send the train's stewardess briskly walking down the compartment, instead of asking Ochako what she wanted to drink.
If Izuku wouldn't tell her who the bullies or bully was that was daring to attend UA at the same time as her friend…
Well, Ochako would just have to find out on her own.
Back an hour away, in a small apartment where two people were having dinner. A sudden chill filled the air, the boy shuddered in terror, while the mother hummed, thinking that she had left the air too low after their run.
Two weeks later…
"Are those bunny ears?" Inko asked as she looked over Izuku's shoulder
"What?"
"Those?" She pointed at the "bunny ears" on the sketch Izuku was making.
"No, they're supposed to be like All Might's hair!"
"Oh," Inko nodded, narrowed her eyes at the sketch again, and shrugged. "They look like bunny ears, hon."
Izuku looked back at the design he was drawing up for his hero costume and frowned. "...They do look like bunny ears."
Inko patted him on the back with a chuckle. "Don't worry, I think they're cute."
Izuku crossed his arms and grumbled, "Heroes aren't supposed to be cute, they're supposed to be fierce! And intimidating!"
"And friendly, and reassuring, and –"
"Okay, I get it, Mom! I'll keep the bunny ears." A small smile appeared on his face. "If anything, Ochako will get a kick out of seeing them."
Inko sighed, "Why you haven't brought that girl over for dinner yet, I have no idea."
"Hey, I tried," Izuku said, "but every time she says she can't stay, which I get, she lives over in Mei, so she'd be getting home late if she came over for dinner."
"All I hear are excuses not to introduce your girlfriend to your mother."
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"Not yet."
"Mom!" Izuku's face was bright red before he huffed and turned back to his notebook. "Can we please just get back on track, you're the one who insisted I start making my costume design now." He sighed, "I don't get why though, I mean there's a chance I didn't even get into UA."
Inko however shook her head. "Izuku, I know you passed, you worked so hard this past year, and your quirk, which I still can't believe you have, is strong! If you somehow don't get in then UA would be missing out on a great future hero." She smiled softly at her son, bringing him into a hug.
It was at this moment Izuku realized just how much weight his Mom seemed to have lost in just two weeks, which he honestly found odd. She wasn't doing any extreme exercises or anything, She barely even changed what she ate! Even then she should not have lost so much weight so quickly. Izuku would have been worried about it if Inko wasn't feeling so healthy constantly. In the end, he decided to pay it no mind, as long as his Mom was okay.
"Thanks, Mom." Izuku leaned into his mother's embrace.
"It's like your father always said, prepare for the best, assume you succeed in all things, and even if you fail, stand up and succeed on the second try."
The mood in the room grew a little melancholy at the mention of Izuku's father. It always did when Hisashi was brought up these days.
Izuku glanced at the small shrine they had for his father, it sat by the entrance and was mainly just a photo of him and some incense as well as some candles, but they still made sure to keep it clean and lit every day.
"He'd be so proud of you, you know," Inko whispered quietly. "Quirk or no quirk, hero or following his footsteps into office management, he would have supported you every step of the way." Inko squeezed Izuku tighter. "And I'm going to make sure I do the same, from now on."
"Thanks, Mom." Izuku wiped the stray tear that ran down his cheek.
They sat silently for a while longer, Izuku looking at the sketch for his hero costume, while Inko played with her son's hair to calm herself down. After a minute Izuku picked up the sketch and frowned. "Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Dad's favorite color was green, right?"
"That's right, the same shade as our hair, why?"
He was glad he hadn't bothered coloring in the sketch yet. He showed it to her with a smile. "Well, I wanted to color this All Might's usual colors or something similar, but… I already have an homage to him with the bunny ears." Inko giggled and Izuku continued, looking deep in thought. "But I don't have an homage to my other hero… to Dad. So why not color the costume his favorite color?" Izuku shrugged, "Second option was a dragon symbol or something, but I don't breathe fire so…"
Inko's laughter almost immediately turned into a choked sob as she hugged Izuku tighter, "He would be honored."
"M-Mom! Don't cry! You're going to ruin my sketch!" Izuku quickly shielded his notebook from the geyser named Inko Midoriya.
It took a while to calm Inko down, but once she stopped crying and cleaned herself up, she spent a little more time with Izuku working on the sketch and finer details before stepping out of the house to grab the mail. Izuku meanwhile stayed in the living room looking over the sketch, nibbling on the end of the pencil he was using.
"Anything missing…" He muttered around the pencil. "Hm… maybe some kind of padding like Recovery Girl suggested? Just anything to protect my knuckles and hands. Gloves, maybe gauntlets?"
Izuku felt his phone vibrate and checked it almost immediately, he knew that it was Ochako texting him before he even turned the screen on, she and All Might were the only people he even consistently texted…
Was that sad?
That was probably sad…
Houston Smash: I GOT MY RESULTS!
You: No spoilers!
Houston Smash: JESUS DIES AT THE END OF THE BIBLE!
You: First off, no he doesn't, second off I'll brb, I think I hear my mom coming with my results.
Houston Smash: HE COMES BACK THOUGH!
Houston Smash: Shit you type fast… okay fingys crossed!
You: fingys crossed!
He managed to barely put his phone back in his pocket before his Mom slammed the front door open and ran into the living room. She looked excited but also nervous and she was breathing heavily.
"I-Izuku! Your results!"
Izuku was on his feet in an instant. "I knew it! They're here!"
Inko paused in slight confusion. "How'd you know?"
"Ochako got hers just now," Izuku explained with a grin as he took the envelope from Inko. "She was gonna tell me if she got in but I asked her to wait until I knew my results."
"I-I'm going to make dinner, why don't you go watch that and tell me how it goes?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at her but nodded "You sure? We could watch it together."
Inko shook her head "No, I'm a bundle of nerves right now honey, I don't think I could watch it without fainting, or crying… or…"
Izuku smiled and patted his Mom on the shoulder as he started walking to his room. "Okay, okay. Wish me luck!" She gave him a shaky thumbs-up as he entered his room and closed the door.
Almost immediately Izuku's brave face crumpled and his nerves took over. 'Holy crap, holy crap! What if I failed?' He started pacing his room 'What do I tell Ochako? Oh God, what do I tell Mom!? What do I tell ALL MIGHT?!'
Izuku took a deep breath and closed his eyes, he tried to calm down. He tried to convince himself that he passed but every attempt led to him somehow instead convincing himself that he failed miserably. But then a different line of thought went through his mind, multiple lines of thought, reminding him how he had worked hard to prepare for the exam.
Memories flashed through his mind, of him cleaning the beach, pushing himself even when his body begged him to stop. He remembered how he made short work of every robot he came across. He remembered how he had run in to save Ochako, and something told him that his deed didn't go unnoticed by UA.
He remembered his mom telling him how he was her hero.
Maybe it was his ego… which was odd since he liked to think that he wasn't a very egotistical person, but something told him that it was impossible that he hadn't been accepted into UA, something told him he was perfect.
Odd… it didn't feel like it was him thinking that.
With another breath, he opened his eyes and moved to his desk, he set the letter down on it and took a seat. He stared at the letter as if it was infected with the plague, even though his heart of hearts told him not to worry.
'Let's just get this over with!' With a burst of determination that he honestly didn't feel, Izuku quickly tore open the letter, ripping the envelope in half only for a small, round metal object to fall out onto his desk.
He was about to start freaking out, worrying that he had ripped his acceptance (or denial) letter in half when the object on his desk lit up. Making a projector screen that caused Izuku to jump back in his chair, almost falling out of it.
"BOOYAH! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
"GYAAAA!" Izuku held his fists up, prepared to fight before he realized he wasn't being attacked, immediately calming down a bit and looking up at the screen in confusion. "All Might?"
"Yes! It is I! ALL MIGHT! Surprised?"
"Well, yeah, kinda!"
"Also, for clarification, this is obviously a recording, I'm not actually talking to you."
"...Right."
"But enough about me! Let's talk about you! And your test results! You did well on your written exam, nothing to worry about there. It would firmly place you within General Education if that's what you were aiming for!" All Might grinned, pride showing on his face as he spoke. "However, that was not your goal! You came for the Hero Course, and I am proud to say that you earned a whopping forty villain points! Enough to get you into the hero course on a good day!"
Izuku felt tears start to well up in his eyes, did he dare hope? Did he really do it?!
"However!" All Might continued with a chop of his hand, causing Izuku's hopes to die in a fire. "That wasn't all that we measured! We have Rescue Points! Observe!"
As Izuku recovered from the emotional rollercoaster he was being forced to ride against his will, the hologram began to play a montage of him helping out other examinees, ending with him rescuing Ochako from under the rubble.
"Your heroic spirit burns brightly young man! Even if you hadn't gotten a single point, what kind of hero school would we be if we denied someone so undoubtedly heroic?!" Izuku swore he could almost feel the pride in All Might's voice as he spoke. "For your efforts, we have awarded you sixty rescue points! Placing you firmly within the hero course and making you the top scorer of this exam!"
"W… what?" Izuku's legs felt weak. When had he stood up?
"No, my boy, your ears do not deceive you! You have been placed first! There is no doubt about it, you have earned a seat in UA's Class 1-A!" All Might gestured to Izuku's first place spot with pride and a smile etched onto his face, and though Izuku couldn't see anything different about All Might's smile than usual, he felt in his heart that it was one meant for him, not something that All Might put on when he was saving people.
A smile born of pride for his student.
"This is your Hero Academia!" All Might cheered before the holotape ended.
Izuku managed to stand for a few more seconds before finally collapsing back into his chair. He simply stared at the empty space where the hologram once was, a look of disbelief on his face that wasn't leaving anytime soon.
He was only barely broken out of his shock when his phone started to vibrate in a rhythm, meaning someone was trying to call him. He didn't stop staring at empty space as he grabbed his phone and answered without looking at the contact.
"Hello…" His voice was distant.
"Alright, mister!" Ochako's excited voice came through. "I've waited long enough for you to see that hologram! Tell me you got in!"
"...I got in." Those words, coming out of Izuku's mouth, with his voice, he could almost believe it.
"I can't hear you, say it louder!" Ochako cheered.
"I… I got in."
"Louder!"
"I got in." Izuku's voice began leaking excitement and joy.
"LOUDER!"
"I got in!" Izuku felt a smile split his face.
"YOU GOT IN!"
"I GOT IN!"
"WE GOT IN!"
"WE GOT IN!"
"LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!"
"We did it!" Izuku felt the tears streaming down his face.
"SCREAM IT BABY!"
Izuku jumped from his chair and screamed, "WE DID IT!"
"Izuku!" Inko yelled from outside his room. He could hear how she was crying tears of joy. "I'm so glad you got accepted, honey, but keep it down before we get a noise complaint!"
"Sorry, Mom!" Izuku blushed in embarrassment as he realized he had gotten carried away.
"Oops," Ochako's voice was a lot more calm, but still held her excitement, "did I get you in trouble? My bad!"
"No, no, it's fine," Izuku quickly assured her as he sat back down. He paused for a moment. "Did… did you just call me 'baby'?"
"Got a little too excited! Moving on!"
"You can't just change the subject like that Ochako..."
"I can and I will!" And with that, Ochako changed the subject. "So, tell me what class you're in!"
Izuku furrowed his brow. "Class? Oh, right! 1-A."
Izuku had to hold the phone away from his ear at the excited scream that came through the speakers.
"Same class!"
"S-same class?"
"SAME CLASS!" A thump could be heard followed by an "oof!" and Izuku's excitement quickly died as his concern for his friend replaced it.
"Are you okay!?"
"I'm fine! I fell off my bed! But that's not important right now!" Some shuffling could be heard as Izuku heard Ochako get back up on her bed. "More importantly! We have to celebrate! I have my train pass until I move down to Musutafu!"
Izuku nodded, remembering that Ochako had told him that she was going to be moving closer to UA. "Well, I'm down, but won't you be busy with moving?"
"I guess, but that doesn't mean we can't try to make time."
"Oh, definitely. Maybe you can come over and meet my mom, then she can stop bothering me about introducing you."
Izuku felt his friend's nervousness through the phone as she asked, "A-are you sure she wouldn't mind?" He heard her shuffle on her bed a bit. "I don't want to be a bother…"
Izuku laughed at that. "If you like me you'll love my mom, she's literally the nicest person I know."
"You're biased."
"I'm also right, She's been dying to meet you since I mentioned you, and I've had nothing but great things to say about you, so you have nothing to worry about!"
"Well… if you say so." Izuku heard a voice in the background and Ochako replied to it before talking to him again. "Gotta go. Turns out my excited yelling wasn't appreciated by some people and I gotta apologize."
"Oh, okay, we'll talk later?"
"Totally. See ya!" And with that, the call ended returning Izuku to the silence of his room, except…
"Mom, I know you're right outside." Izuku turned in his chair to face the door right as Inko slowly opened it to poke her head inside.
"I wasn't listening," she tried to lie. Keyword being tried.
"Mom," Izuku crossed his arms, but the smile never left.
"Okay, I was listening," Inko admitted, "but I'm so happy for you, hon! You did it!"
Izuku got up from his chair and soon found himself hugging his mother, tears running down his face. "I did it… I actually did it…"
"You're going to UA, you're going to be a hero," Inko cried into his shoulder.
That caused the floodgates to open, and Izuku held his mother tightly as his tears flowed freely. "I am Mom, I'm going to be a hero!" He let out a watery laugh and felt his mother pull back to look at him, but his eyes were closed as he rubbed them to clear away the tears.
If he had been looking at her he would have seen her teary eyes flash green for a split second, but ultimately that didn't matter at this moment.
He had done it!
He was going to be a hero!
Katsuki Bakugou eagerly tore into his acceptance letter (the idea of it not being a letter of acceptance didn't even cross his mind.) He didn't even flinch as a holoprojector dropped out of it and quickly activated itself.
All Might himself appeared on the screen and Katsuki's grin turned into a terrifying smile as he gazed upon the Number One Hero.
A position he was on his way to usurp.
"BOOYAH! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
Katuski listened intently as All Might explained his score, he had aced the written exam, of course. There was never any doubt! Even All Might knew how pointless that written exam was as he quickly glossed over it to get to the good shit.
All Might congratulated him on earning the highest amount of combat points in the exam, again as if there was any doubt that he'd fail at crushing those fucking bots!
All Might admonished him lightly for not getting any rescue points, whatever the fuck that meant, but it didn't matter to Katsuki, and it obviously didn't matter to UA because after All Might's admonishment, he congratulated Katsuki on second place in the entrance exam and for his entrance into UA Proper…
Wait…
Second place?
"What?!" Katsuki slammed his hand on his desk and glared at the screen, his eyes catching the rankings he had previously ignored right as the disk turned off.
His memory was phenomenal though, he caught the names of the top ten easily, and the name that stood at the top immediately made Katsuki slam his fist into his desk and grind his teeth.
Izuku Midoriya.
"Deku?!" He nearly screamed, causing the Hag to bang on his door and tell him to quiet down.
"I was beaten by fucking Deku?!"
Toshinori stood in the sand, staring out at the waves as he waited for his successor to arrive. He had texted the young man the day prior after he was sure Izuku had received his acceptance letter and told him to meet Toshinori at Dagobah the next day early in the morning.
As he enjoyed the scenery, admiring the hard work Izuku had put into cleaning the beach, Toshinori heard the sound of someone damn near sprinting down the stairs leading to the sand from the street. His smile grew just a little more as he turned around to greet the green-haired teen. Unfortunately, Izuku beat him to it and wasn't exactly… subtle.
"All Might!" Izuku yelled as he approached his mentor.
A couple that was taking a walk on the nearby pier heard Izuku's shout in the silence of the early morning, which instantly got their attention when the Number One Hero's name was brought up. "All Might's here?!" They started to look around.
Toshinori felt himself cough up a bit of blood in panic as he quickly worked to keep his secret identity safe. "All Might?! Where?! I'm a big fan!"
Izuku blinked in confusion before realization dawned on his face and he too began to panic. "Uhm, I mean, my bad! It wasn't him! Just a… a bird! Or a plane! I don't know but there's no All Might!"
"Aww!" The couple took a moment to be dejected about not getting to meet the Symbol of Peace before perking up and continuing on their stroll.
Toshinori and Izuku shared a sigh of relief before the former turned to his apprentice. "Love the energy, kid, but you gotta reign it in a little, especially at the beach now. You gotta remember that people are gonna start showing up here now that it's been cleaned up." Toshinori chuckled before giving Izuku a proud smile. "Wonder whose fault that is."
"Yeah… wonder whose," Izuku chuckled while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He then pulled out his phone and pointed toward it. "I, uh, got your message. You wanted to meet?"
Toshinori nodded before gesturing down the beach. "Walk with me, my boy." The two began to make their way away from the pier, away towards where hopefully no one would be able to hear them as they discussed private matters. "So, I understand you got first place."
"Oh, I wonder how you know that," Izuku grinned. "It's almost as if you have insider knowledge." Izuku joked, earning a laugh from Toshinori.
"I have my sources, Young Midoriya. But anyway, you know I did the acceptance letters, but there's something else I wanted to let you in on." Toshinori made sure to look at Izuku to see his reaction. "I was there, during the exam, watching."
Izuku nearly tripped over air as he turned to stare wide-eyed at Toshinori. "Y-You were watching? In real-time?!"
"Indeed, and I must say I was extremely impressed with what I saw. You took to One For All like a duck in water. Honestly, I was so proud I couldn't look away, nearly blew our cover with the other teachers," Toshinori laughed. "And before you ask, no, I wasn't one of the judges who was responsible for scoring. Those were earned by you and you alone, having impressed an unbiased panel."
Izuku stared for a bit longer before a wobbly smile made its way onto his face, tears threatening to once again fall from his eyes. "I… I still can't believe I did it. It feels so unreal."
"Well believe it, young man, because it's real." Toshinori placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I am so proud of you. You've come far from the scrawny fanboy I met almost a year ago, and you'll go even further beyond in the years to come."
Izuku laughed and held up a fist. "Plus Ultra, right?"
Toshinori gave a wide smile as he too held up his fist. "Plus Ultra."
They shared a fist bump and jolted back at the sudden shock between their hands as they connected. "What the…"
"Oh, yeah, sorry," Izuku apologized as he rubbed his hand. "That's been happening. I think One For All is the reason, not sure how. Maybe it's energy leaking out and causing static shocks?"
Toshinori stared blankly at Izuku, causing the young man to nervously shuffle in place. "All Might?"
Toshinori didn't respond. Though he heard Izuku he couldn't see him, at that moment he was getting flashes of images that he didn't recognize.
His boy on the beach with the girl he had saved.
His boy and his mother, celebrating his achievement of getting into UA.
What was this?
He saw Izuku fighting during the exam from the boy's perspective, he saw his own invisible hands pushing him forward when he was feeling nervous.
He had to talk to Izuku about this. Even if he couldn't see him at that moment. He opened his mouth to finally respond to his successor when a final image flashed into his mind.
A man with white hair, whom Toshinori could have sworn he had seen before holding a finger to his lips as if telling him to be quiet, to keep this secret for a while longer.
~Now isn't the time, Eighth~ He heard in his head, causing his eyes to widen.
Eighth?
Was this One For All?
"All Might?" Izuku asked again, snapping Toshinori out of it. "Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Toshinori shook his head. "Oh, uhm, yes, I'm fine, Young Midoriya. It's just… early, is all." He nervously chuckled as he tried to think of a way to change the subject. The perfect excuse came and he snapped his fingers. "Oh yes! I forgot to mention!" He put a thumb to his chest in pride. "You're looking at the newest heroics teacher at UA!"
"Wait, are you serious?!" Izuku's eyes bugged out. "You're teaching heroics?!"
"Indeed! It was the reason I was so busy." Toshinori then had a look of horror on his face as if he was having war flashbacks. "So much paperwork… but it was all worth it. I have my license, I have my training, and I'm ready to help usher in the next generation of fine heroes, yourself among them."
"I… I really can't believe it," Izuku's breath began to quicken as he got more excited. "It's one thing to get into UA, but also All Might is going to be my teacher?! This is… it's… I'm gonna pass out."
Toshinori blinked. "Say what?"
"I'm gonna pass out," Izuku said again in a perfectly calm voice.
"Please don't."
"Too late, Imma pass out."
"Young Midoriya, no!"
"Byeee Yagi~" With that Izuku fell face-first into the sand, causing Toshinori to cough up blood before immediately jumping into action to turn his boy over.
"Young Midoriya! Young Midoriya!" He began doing the only thing he could think of to get him to wake up, he started patting him on the cheek rapidly, like he had done nearly a year ago.
While he waited for him to wake up though his mind immediately flashed to what Izuku had said just moments ago.
'I never told him my name… Is this One For All's doing? What is this?'
Sighing, and realizing that Izuku wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, he picked the boy up with a grunt and made his way to his truck.
He might as well get the young man home. He put Izuku in the passenger seat and buckled him in, before getting into the driver's side and starting the truck. He paused for a moment, trying to remember where Izuku lived when an address flashed through his mind.
He glanced at the still-sleeping boy in concern. But didn't question the shenanigans that was One For All any further.
He instead decided to just drive.
They arrived at the apartment complex Izuku lived in pretty quickly, the beach only being a few miles away. He parked and once more picked Izuku up, walking to where One For All was directing him, Izuku's apartment.
'This is such a strange experience…' Toshinori thought as he walked. He was used to trusting his instincts in a fight, he even got flashes of… something every so often when he was in a particularly tight spot.
He swore he could even hear Nana's voice sometimes.
But he never was directly told to do something or go somewhere by his quirk, not with such clarity anyway.
He found himself in front of the Midoriya household pretty quickly and found himself at an impasse.
He wasn't just going to leave Izuku laying outside hoping his mother would find him. That would be rude and most importantly bad for his successor's health.
But he couldn't just knock on the door, what would happen if Inko came and saw some random man holding her so –
'Wait how do I know that her name is Inko?'
Before he could wrap his head around that can of worms, the door in front of him slammed open, causing him to jump, jostle the sleeping Izuku, and spew blood all at once.
Inko Midoriya glared up at him, her eyes flashed to Izuku in concern for a moment, but they quickly returned to Toshinori, and he swore on his master's grave that he saw lightning flash through them.
Not metaphorical lightning, but the energy that comprised One For All.
"Hello, All Might." She growled, causing him to turn white as a sheet. "Come in, follow me to his room, put him in his bed, and then we'll talk about One For All."
'...Oh, super crap…'