Izuku kept his head down low as he made his way through the massive halls of U.A., trying to keep the number of eyes on him to a minimum. His tie hung tightly around his neck like a noose, making him pull at it periodically in an attempt to loosen it.

He had never been good at tying those damn things.

He could still hardly believe that he was actually here! Going to high school at the same place that had raised Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and All Might! The very same! Somehow this weak, useless, quirkless -

Izuku shook his head slightly, trying to banish those thoughts.

He really needed to stop doing that.

"Let's see," he began, murmuring to himself quietly, "1-B… 1-B… 1-B!"

Izuku stared up at the massive door to his new homeroom with no small amount of trepidation (why was it so big?), already fearing the worst. He really hoped Bakugou and that mean kid with the glasses weren't in his homeroom. He'd rather not be ostracized before the first bell even rang.

Knowing his luck, he wouldn't have much say in the matter.

Izuku shook his head again. Zoning out, just like his muttering, was always a problem for him, even more so since his days at Aldera. At least when he muttered he could bite his lips and keep himself from talking - his mind was much harder to wrangle than that.

Izuku took a deep breath, and steeled himself for what was to come. He gripped the door, quivering slightly, and slid it open.

The room was… surprisingly normal, all things considered. It was very spacious (which Izuku expected given how big the door alone was), and the far wall was pretty much all window, but that was as far as the spectacle went.

Izuku could appreciate that.

As he quietly walked in, a few heads turned towards him, but nobody said anything. He took a quick glance at the faces, and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in when he realized he couldn't recognize anyone. That meant no glasses guy, and no Bakugou.

Thank God.

On the chalkboard the phrase 'Pick any seat' was scrawled out in big, white letters, so Izuku helped himself to the seat furthest in the back, closest to the wall. Ideally, he would've taken the seat on the far wall, but something about that wall composed of one big window just rubbed him the wrong way.

He wasn't too good with heights anymore, and they were pretty high up. It would be very distracting for him, at the very least.

Izuku kept to himself, eyes trained squarely on his desk as the rest of the room slowly filled with students. Every time the door opened, he took a peek at the face that entered, the fear of Bakugou's snarling visage entering the room omnipresent, but each and every time he was blessed with a complete stranger instead. A girl with silver hair, a short, stout boy, a boy with a speech bubble for a head.

Izuku didn't care who it was, anyone would be better than Bakugou.

There wasn't much fanfare as everyone made themselves comfortable in the room. There wasn't much talking (although Izuku could hear a group of boys getting along rather well somewhere on the other side of the room), and Izuku couldn't blame them. It was their first day of U.A.'s Hero Course, who wouldn't be nervous?

The only interaction Izuku had with one of his classmates was with a boy who was pitch black, with pale white hair. When he had entered the classroom he had immediately made his way to the desk Izuku was in, only to freeze when he had realized it was already occupied. He stared at Izuku, a clear frown on his face, but before Izuku could muster up the courage to offer up his seat the boy sighed and took the desk in front of him.

Izuku just went back to staring quietly at his desk, not wanting to draw any more ire from the boy than he already had. Plus, trying to keep as still as a statue helped him to quell the slight shaking that had begun to wrack him.

Right before the bell was set to ring, their teacher walked through the door, and it was a shock to Izuku - Vlad King, the Blood Hero! He had so much merch of him! Izuku had to bite his bottom lip to keep from going on a muttering spree, and even then it was close. He was even in his hero costume! It was almost enough to make a hero-nerd like Izuku faint.

Even though the man had pretty much every student's attention the moment he walked it, thanks to both his hulking figure and his blood-red and silver costume making him stick out like a sore thumb, he cleared his throat in an attempt to fully quiet everyone down.

It worked.

"Good morning, everyone," Vlad King rumbled, his deep voice echoing throughout the room easily, "And welcome to U.A. My name is Kan Sekijiro, and I am your homeroom teacher for this year. You may call me Kan-sensei or Vlad King-sensei, as that is my Hero Name."

He paused for a moment, allowing his eyes to roll over the twenty students sitting in front of him.

Izuku hoped he imagined the man's eyes lingering on him for a split second longer than everybody else.

"Being a Hero is no easy task," he began solemnly, causing most of the students' backs to go ramrod straight, "And your time at this institution will not be either. It will be rigorous, it will be demanding. Just because you passed the entrance exams does not mean you are safe. I am not an easy teacher, and I will not allow you to skid by in this class and end up being killed in the field because of it."

His eyes softened at that line, allowing everyone to truly grasp what he was saying. "With that being said, I'd like to think I am a fair teacher. I was in your shoes once, even if it was hundreds of years ago."

A few snickers drifted up from the class at the line, and Vlad King allowed himself to smirk.

"I will do my best to ensure each and every one of you make it to graduation. I am here for all of you. Please do come to me if you have any questions about anything at any point in the year, or if you need anything from me, or if you just need to talk to someone."

Vlad King clasped his hands together. "Now, we have a few minutes until orientation, so as lame as it is, I'd like it if we went around the room and all introduced ourselves."

A groan rose up from most of the room, causing Vlad King to sigh. "I know, I know," he sighed, "But it's the easiest way for you all to meet each other. You will be classmates with each other for the next three years, might as well get started now. You don't have to say anything specific, alright? Just your name and anything else you want to add will suffice."

He took a glance around the room, before his eyes landed on the desk closest to the door.

"Kendou-san, why don't we start with you?"

The girl (Kendou, he supposed) shrugged before standing up and offering everyone a bright smile and wave. She had medium-length orange hair done up into a ponytail and bright teal eyes, and was admittedly rather pretty.

Izuku knew that meant nothing. He knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving.

"Hello everyone," she greeted politely, "I'm Kendo Itsuka, it's a pleasure to meet all of you! I'm a big fan of martial arts, and my family owns a dojo. I'm excited to spend the next few years with you all!"

She sat down after that, Vlad King nodding at her in appreciation. They went row by row, meaning there was plenty of time before Izuku was called. There were a few notable standouts, like Honenuki, Tsunotori, and Bondo (his head was a glue dispenser! So cool!), but overall most of the class had similarly concise introductions.

Some of them had such interesting Quirks as well! Not everyone deigned to share what their Quirk was, but Izuku was struggling to contain his excitement regardless. It was almost a game to him, trying to figure out what their Quirks were based on personality and appearance alone.

Did Shiozaki's Quirk have to do with her thorny hair? Was Kuroiro's black skin a byproduct of his Quirk in the sense that it dyed his skin, or was it from spending so much time in shadow? Was -

Izuku took a breath. Almost. He had to keep reminding himself that it wouldn't be very smart of him to out himself as a nerdy freak before he had even introduced himself.

And as Kaibara sat down, suddenly all eyes were on Izuku.

Shit.

Izuku hoped nobody had a Quirk that could smell fear.

"H-hi," he managed, trying not to let his stutter affect him, "I'm Midoriya Izuku, and I'm a big fan of heroes. P-please take care of me."

Someone coughed, or at least pretended to, because Izuku was positive he heard a 'Boring!' in there.

Oh God, people were starting to snicker.

Izuku's face burned scarlet as he sat down, embarrassment cranked up to ten. Why did he even bother? He winced as the boy to his left, Kamakiri, got up and introduced himself in a way so brash it almost reminded him of Bakugou.

He really was screwed, wasn't he?

Izuku didn't pay too much attention to the final few people giving out introductions, more focused on making himself seem as small as possible. Maybe then he could be forgotten, and allowed to fly under the radar for the next three years. It would certainly be better than being known as a stuttering loser.

Somehow, though, he doubted it.

"Alright," Vlad King said once everyone had finished, "That's good enough for now, but it's time for us to get a move on. Orientation is in a few minutes, as well as the entrance ceremony, and as bland as they might be, they're important."

With that, everyone filed out behind Vlad King, Izuku gladly taking a spot in the back of the group. The less eyes on him, the better.

–

Orientation wasn't that bad. It mainly consisted of Principal Nezu half-explaining, half-humbly bragging about U.A. and its facilities and achievements. It was pretty cool how a bunch of the staff like Recovery Girl and Hound Dog had speeches to give as well; Izuku loved seeing so many heroes in one place! He had half a mind to pull out a notebook and start asking for autographs.

The only thing that seemed to be awry was that there was a big empty space in the bleachers next to 1-B, and based on the tired sigh Vlad King-sensei had given when he saw it, this was a regular occurrence. Nezu had been subtle about it, but Izuku was pretty sure he saw the principal's eyes flick over there a few times as well.

He wondered if the all too familiar explosion that went off outside halfway through the principal's speech had anything to do with it.

–

Izuku sat down at the first empty table he could find in the cafeteria, far away from where most of the other students had settled. There were plenty of tables, so it wasn't too far fetched to say that nobody would -

"Hiya! Can I sit here?"

Izuku jumped in his seat, eyes darting up to see… one of his classmates? If he remembered correctly (and he certainly did), Fukidashi was his name. He certainly wasn't going to forget a face (or lack thereof, considering his head was a speech bubble) like that.

"S-sure," Izuku responded quietly, "Fukidashi-san, right?"

"Yep!" He responded proudly, "And you're Midoriya, yeah?"

Izuku just nodded silently as Fukidashi unceremoniously plopped his stuff down into an empty seat and took one for himself, still unsure of why anyone would want to sit with him. Was he really going to be punked on the first day?

Fukidashi bobbed his head, something Izuku could only distinguish because his shoulders dipped as well. "Cool, nice to meetcha!"

"L-likewise."

Fukidashi hummed to himself as Izuku started to eat, causing the green-haired teen to look at him in confusion.

"Um, Fukidashi-san," he started, nearly losing his nerve once he turned towards him, "Why don't you have any food?"

Fukidashi groaned, and Izuku immediately ready to apologize, putting his hands up in surrender, but the other boy beat him to it.

"Aw, dude, it's awful!" He whined, the image of a sweatdrop appearing in the top corner of his speech bubble, "I don't have a mouth, so I can't eat normally, but I still need food! It's a whole process, so I just do it at home, ya know?"

Izuku did not, in fact, know, but he nodded along anyways.

"Anyways," Fukidashi prattled, "What did you think of the classes today? It's so cool that we get to be taught by pros, right?"

Izuku couldn't help but brighten up a tad at the mention of their classes. After orientation they had a short period with all of their teachers (with the exception of their Foundational Hero Studies teacher) back in their classroom, and it was like heaven for him.

"Y-yeah," Izuku agreed, "It's one thing to listen to Present Mic's radio show, but to actually see him in person and have him teach us is something else entirely."

"I know, right? Present Mic is one of my favorite heroes! His Quirk is just like mine!"

If there was a way to pique Izuku's interest, that was it.

"Really?!" Izuku's eyes lit up like tiny stars as he leaned forward, smiling wide, "What's your Quirk?"

Fukidashi laughed. "Damn, so you do have a personality! Here I was, thinking you were just a mopey loner, and the moment we start talking Quirks you go crazy!"

Izuku froze. He screwed up again, didn't he?

"Anyways, my Quirk is called Comic," Fukidashi explained, unperturbed by Izuku's excitement, "Aside from making my head a, well, whatever this is, it lets me make onomatopoeia real! Here, watch!"

Fukidashi made a weird noise, almost like he was trying to impersonate a spring or a trampoline. To Izuku's complete shock, the 'boing' sound that Fukidashi made actually appeared on his speech bubble in kanji form, and floated off his face. He then placed the kanji on the table, pulled out a pencil from his bag, and dropped it on the word.

It bounced off, flying right back into Fukidashi's hand.

Izuku was in awe.

"That's so cool!" Izuku whisper-shouted, "Can you make up new onomatopoeia, or are you constricted to a certain list of sounds? What decides how powerful the onomatopoeia you create is? If you -"

"Woah, is your Quirk speed-talking or something?" Fukidashi joked, "I can barely tell what you're saying!"

Izuku immediately clamped his mouth shut, face burning red once again as he embarrassed himself for the second time in as many minutes in front of his new classmate.

"S-s-sorry." Izuku muttered, dejectedly looking down at his lap.

"Geez, dude, no need to be so nervous!" Fukidashi said, putting his hands up placatingly. "I'm only kidding, you know."

"Y-yeah, sorry," Izuku apologized again, trying to think of a way to explain his skittishness, "It's j-just that, uh, it's kinda nerve-wracking actually being at U.A., you know?"

Fukidashi nodded empathetically. "I hear ya, going here is like a dream come true. Literally! I was so excited to come here that I almost missed my morning train because I couldn't fall asleep!"

That got Izuku to smile. But also to think a bit - if Fukidashi needed sleep, did he dream? Did he have a brain in the same way Izuku had? How was he able to see? How -

"Anyways," Fukidashi continued, "I told you about my Quirk, what's yours? Does it have anything to do with the fact that your hair is green?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "You'd think that, but no," he muttered, before straightening up a bit, "My Quirk is nothing special. It's -"

"E-excuse me."

Izuku blinked in surprise at a new voice, turning his head to see another one of his new classmates. The boy was practically a giant in comparison to Izuku and Fukidashi, but what made him stick out even further was his yellow skin and peculiar head that apparently could dispense glue. Izuku definitely remembered his name - Bondo was too unique to forget.

"What's up big guy?" Fukidashi asked cheerfully.

"Would it be alright if I sat with you?" Bondo asked simply. It was subtle, but when he squinted Izuku could see the arms that held Bondo's lunch tray shaking ever so slightly.

He doubted Fukidashi noticed - his speech bubble grew a big '^-^' emoticon as if it was a face.

"Sure!" Fukidashi said, speaking for Izuku as well, "We don't mind!"

Izuku did not, in fact, mind, but even if he did he doubted he would be able to say anything. His mind was busy racing a mile a minute. People, his classmates, wanted to sit with him! They willingly chose to interact with him, instead of avoiding him (or worse, bullying him).

It was almost too good to be true.

Bondo nodded gratefully, taking one of the seats next to Fukidashi for himself as he began to poke at his food.

"Say, do you guys remember if Kan-sensei said who our Foundational Hero Studies teacher is?" Fukidashi asked, "I kinda spaced out during that whole teacher introduction thing."

Izuku blinked. "It was only like… twenty minutes per class, at most."

Fukidashi shrugged. "I get bored easily! Besides, all any of them were doing was introducing themselves and explaining the syllabus. I don't need to pay attention to all of that!"

Izuku and Bondo shuddered in unison. Midnight-sensei had a lot of fun teasing the class during her brief period with 1-B. If he had a mirror, Izuku was sure he would have looked like a strawberry. Judging by the semi-predatory look in Midnight-sensei's eyes, there was a lot more where that came from.

"Well, Kan-sensei didn't say, but…" Bondo paused, "I heard a rumor that All Might was going to be teaching at U.A."

Izuku choked on his spit.

"A-a-all Might!?" Izuku managed, barely overcoming the shock his system was going through, "H-he's going to be teaching here!?"

Bondo shrugged. "Maybe. It's only a rumor. Personally, I can't imagine the Number One Hero being a teacher."

"All Might teaching here would be so cool!" Fukidashi cheered, "He'd automatically be one of my top three teachers here!"

Izuku gasped as if Fukidashi had just insulted his lineage.

"Just top three?!" He said, aghast, "It's All Might! The Number One Hero! The Symbol of Peace!"

"Yeah, but I already told you that Present Mic is one of my favorites," Fukidashi countered, "Plus, Midnight is, like, super hot. All Might's great and all, but I know who I'd rather spend detention with!"

Izuku vehemently disagreed with just about everything Fukidashi said, but he wasn't going to fight a losing battle. Especially against his new… classmate? Friend? Were the three of them friends? It had been so long since he had friends, he didn't know what constituted a friendship anymore.

He really hoped they wanted to be friends. They were so nice to him.

"All Might would be awesome," Bondo agreed, "But I think it would be amazing if the Wild Wild Pussycats were our teachers, even if it's unlikely."

"Who?" Fukidashi asked, a question mark appearing in his speech bubble, "Oh! Do you mean that group of three girls and the dude that all wear matching costumes?"

Bondo nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, them. They mostly specialize in team rescue training, but are each individually gifted and are known to be able to fight villains as well. I think we could learn a lot from them."

"Oh, so it's not because the blonde one is hot?" Fukidashi asked innocently.

Bondo made a strange sound that sounded like a cross between a wheeze and the toll of a bell, before trying (and failing) to formulate a defense against Fukidashi's allegations. Fukidashi, for his part, began to cackle hysterically.

Izuku hid a smile behind his hands as he watched them interact.

He really hoped they wanted to be friends.

–

Okay, maybe they didn't.

Izuku had only gotten up for a moment to throw his waste away, the final bell for the day ringing throughout the cafeteria, and by the time he had gotten back Fukidashi and Bondo were gone. He tried to look for them, but it was impossible to pick out anybody from the mass of students rushing for the exit.

Of course. Why was Izuku surprised? As he stepped outside, he let out a shuddering sigh, the wetness in his eyes all too familiar. This was how it always was, and how it always would be. He would always be the same old Deku. Useless, friendless, worthless -

"Yo, Midoriya-kun! Over here!"

Izuku was shaken out of his self-loathing thoughts with a jerk, looking up to see Fukidashi and Bondo waving him over to their little group.

"We were gonna wait for you in there," Fukidashi jerked a finger back towards the school, "But it was getting pretty cramped, so we decided to just wait out here!"

Bondo nodded. "Apologies for not letting you know, Midoriya-san."

"I-it's fine," Izuku breathed out, simultaneously shocked and relieved beyond measure, "Y-you don't need to apologize."

"Yeah!" Fukidashi agreed, "So can we leave now? I heard that the principal sends drones after students who stay on campus after school ends."

"How could that be true?" Bondo questioned, "U.A. offers a variety of extracurricular activities to its students, especially those in the Hero Course."

Fukidashi shrugged. "Iunno. Heard it from a third-year! But did you hear the principal earlier? He sounded super smart, wouldn't shock me if he had some secret robot security force!"

If Bondo had eyes, Izuku was sure he would have rolled them.

"I don't think they could do that to high schoolers even if they wanted to, Fukidashi-san."

"You're just no fun!" A tongue appeared on Fukidashi's speech bubble, as though he were blowing a raspberry at Bondo. "Back me up here, Midoriya!"

Izuku just laughed a bit, the three of them making their way to the train station together as Fukidashi tried in vain to convince them of Nezu's mad schemes.

It was nice.

Maybe U.A. really would be different.

Maybe he could be a Hero.

A/N: Yep, another story... but this one started on AO3! Those past few months (Late September - Early December) that I was busy not updating Second Chances or Wanderer were spent working on this! It was on AO3 since I just knew it had a bigger MHA fanbase, but decided to crosspost it here anyways. First few chapters are already done, so hope you all enjoy!

Also, this is my least prioritized story, but who cares about prioritization? I say that yet I write what I want when I get the urge. Currently just on a roll with this bad boy, so let me know what you all think!