For a superhero high school, Izuku muses, the biggest difference he could see was that heroes were the teachers. How they managed that while also doing patrols and taking care of themselves is enough to make him scratch his head as he puzzles that schedule out.
Of course, the mumbling is rather distracting, especially when it's the end of Present Mic's English class. That it was all in English did not really help his case, though it did impress their teacher, at the very least, for how fluidly his thoughts were expressed.
"I think his mumbling has been worse today than normal." Ochako comments quietly to Iida. "He must be really excited."
He nods quietly in agreement. "We should probably stop him. This isn't part of the course material."
She thinks before grabbing an eraser from her desk, touching it, and pushing it over Izuku before canceling her quirk so it gently bops his head.
"Ah!" He jolts, looking around in surprise. "Who hit me?"
She waves a hand, getting his attention. "Sorry about that, I was just worried you'd miss something while you were in your head."
He slowly calms down, blushing softly. "...was I disrupting class?" He remembered how his school dealt with him when he went on mumble sprees.
She puts her finger and thumb close to each other. "Just a smidge. He wasn't mad."
The bell for the end of class chimes. Present Mic just shrugs, giving everyone a grin and a thumbs up. "That's it for now, listeners! Be sure to do your assignments, and enjoy your lunch!"
A few of the students immediately rise, some stretching as they grab their bags and start chatting.
"I wonder if the food here is better than a normal school…" ponders Hozarou.
"Only one way to know for sure!" Mina proclaims, grinning brightly at him.
He smiles and nods. "True, and let's see if the classic tip holds here too: get there early to avoid the line!" He hefts his bag and turns to the door.
As it turns out, most of the class agreed and were already out the door.
"Wow," Izuku mutters, "they move fast."
"Yeah, we don't want to be left behind." Ochako shoulders her own pack.
"I agree!" Iida says, grabbing his bag and joining them. "Let us hurry to the cafeteria!"
"Sure!" The green-haired teen smiles. "Do you think we'll find Toga-san there?"
"If we all have lunch at the same time, I bet she'll find us." Ochako laughs.
"Most likely," their tall friend agrees, readjusting his glasses.
Hozarou takes a peek into the hall. "Not many out here yet, but I can practically feel the crowd coming."
"Then we should hurry!" Izuku nods, sidling past him out the door. "Excuse me, sorry."
Hozarou lets him pass before simply ending up next to him again as he power walks in the same direction.
Ochako tilts her head as she watches this, but exits as well soon after.
Mina easily keeps pace with her, grinning at her cheekily. "So you seemed to know Midoriya-san, Uraraka-san." She manages a teasing tone, even as her expression turns thoughtful.
The brunette nods as they go. "Yeah, we met during the break with a couple other friends."
"Oh? Is that all?" She skips ahead of her, walking backwards and grinning. "No holiday romance with a boy with freckles?"
"I- um- huh?!" Her voice gets progressively higher pitched as her cheeks redden past her natural flush.
"Please stop causing Uraraka-san distress, Ashido-san," Iida says from behind his friend, bemused. "Also, Midoriya-san is moving a bit too fast," he says, gesturing at the increasing distance between them with a knife hand.
In fact, Izuku and Hozarou almost seem like they've temporarily forgotten the others in their quick walking.
"Right! They must be really hungry! Why don't we catch up?" Ochako quickly says.
"Good call!" Her tall friend agrees, leaving behind Mina as they speed up.
"Darn it!" She whines, rushing after them.
They find the other two securing places in line and eyeing up the array of edible sustenance.
Izuku looks up at them, smiling brightly. "Hey, you made it!" He turns his attention to the food once more. "Do you think it's as good as mom's food?"
"I don't know, your mom might as well have a quirk for cooking with all the stuff she's cooked when we've been over." Ochako muses.
Mina looks confused, gesturing to someone behind Uraraka's head. "Is she really that great?"
"Huh?" The brunette turns to see what she's looking at.
She sees Kirishima and Kaminari further down the line, with Jiro between them.
"...they're just in line." She answers, unsure what she's getting at.
Now the pink girl is even more baffled. "I was letting them know where we are...?"
"...oh." Ochako quickly rotates to just face the food.
"You never answered my question." She pokes Ochako's cheek briefly. "Is Green's mom really that good a cook?"
She laughs sheepishly. "I think so. She's good at catering to a number of tastes."
"Mom even makes great diet food," Izuku professes, looking up from his tray of food.
"What's that like?" Hozarou asks.
The green-haired kid pauses with a hand over some fish, frowning in thought. "Usually it depends on what the diet allows. She made some pizza for a keto diet, once. She also makes a special soup for Toshinori-san..."
"I've never actually tried diet food." The other boy admits piling on food and looking a bit thinner than he did this morning.
He blinks, quickly taking this in. "Oh, is it because of your quirk?"
Hozarou nods, smiling as he gets another spoonful of food. "I have to fuel whatever I make, so if I use it a lot I have to keep eating and drinking to not get malnourished. On the bright side, I get my money's worth from buffets."
"Then you should eat your fill," Iida points out as he grabs a carton of orange juice. "We have Hero Studies after lunch."
"Oh yeah... I didn't think about that. After yesterday's morning quirk test scare I went home and tried a few different ways to apply my quirk in case Mister Aizawa did something like that today again. I'm still getting the fuel back."
"Oh?" Izuku pulls out his notebook, clicking his pen with a smile. "What did you try? Did it work? How much energy would you say it used?"
As Hozarou opens his mouth, Ochako interjects. "Maybe wait until we get to the table so you can carry your tray?"
He blinks, tucking his notebook away sheepishly. "Right, sorry."
Hozarou smiles and chuckles. "I don't mind, he brings up a few things I didn't think of some of the time."
Izuku gives the starry student a grateful smile, picking up his tray and looking out over the tables. "Do you think Toga-san can see us?"
"Izu-kun!" Calls the voice of the one he mentioned, waving from a vacant table with a beaming smile.
He blinks, then waves back with a warm smile. "We'll be right there!"
Iida hums thoughtfully. "She must have gotten here early."
"She has had practice chasing him." Ochako muses.
Mina leans forward, grinning cheekily. "Ooh, is she your romantic rival?"
"She- I- huh?" The brunette's cheeks go bright red again and her tray shakes as she looks back and forth.
"Stop teasing Uraraka-san," Iida berates the girl, who holds her tray of food up as a wall for him to surmount before further chastisement.
They make it to the table, only to find a tired-looking kid with purple hair standing on the other side, tray still in hand.
"I'm glad I managed to find you guys!" Himiko chirps as they sit down.
"So am I. I was worried we might have different lunch times or something," Izuku admits, smiling at her and glancing at the now-confused tired boy. "You don't need to stay standing. Any friend of Toga-san is a friend of ours!"
His expression turns strange, as if he ate five lemons, but he joins them, sitting beside Himiko. "Who are these people?" He asks her in a stage whisper.
She beams and gestures to half their group. "These are my friends! I don't know star boy or pink girl yet, but if the others like them, I bet they're cool!"
"Right, introductions!" Iida says, chopping the air towards the pink girl. "This is Mina Ashido-san!"
The girl in question pouts at him. "I could've introduced myself!"
Surprised, the glasses-wearing teen stands up and bows. "My deepest apologies!"
"Not even a new school loosened him up, huh?" Himiko says with a grin to Izuku. "Feels like old times."
He smiles back at her, then decides to start off properly. "My name is Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you."
The purple-haired kid looks a bit confused. "...strange. I would've thought you'd introduce your quirk like everyone else at this school." His words are rather terse, but manages to stay polite despite that.
Hozarou blinks, swallowing as he had already started eating. "They do that?"
"People put more stock in their quirks nowadays," the boy huffs, picking at his fries.
"Well, they are important." Ochako says, sipping her drink. "I'm Ochako Uraraka."
"...Hitoshi Shinso," he replies, nodding once before stuffing a fry in his mouth.
"I'm Mina Ashido, as someone already pointed out." She sticks her tongue out at a flabbergasted Iida and moves to sit beside Shinso. "Nice to meet you!"
"...you too?" He seems even more confused and even a bit wary, now.
"See? I told you it'd be fine." Himiko nudges him.
"I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," he deadpans at her.
She blows a raspberry. "Try to keep positive until introductions are done."
He rolls his eyes, starting to eat his meal before it goes cold.
The tallest among them places a hand on his chest, straightening up. "My name is Tenya Iida! Let us have a grand educational adventure!"
Hozarou finishes drinking before he gives a small head nod. "And I'm Hozarou Gingawa."
Shinso blinks at them before turning to Toga. "They aren't general studies, are they? I know for a fact that he-" he points at Izuku "-was tied for first in the practical exam for the hero course."
"Now now, no need to point." She taps his finger with one of her own as she smiles, even as Hozarou glances to Izuku with a raised brow.
Feeling rather self-conscious, Izuku glances around the table. "...um... so does this mean you're in General Studies, Shinso-san?"
This may have been the wrong thing to say, as the boy frowns deeply. "Yes. I am. But not for long."
Himiko nudges him. "Yep! He's like me in that he wants to move up as soon as possible!"
The green-haired boy gives both of them a wide smile. "In that case, I hope you both make it! Though I could try and suggest a training method for Shinso-san, once I know more about him."
The boy in question tenses, eyes narrowing at Izuku. "...what exactly do you want to know?" He asks.
"If I had to guess: everything." Hozarou chuckles.
Izuku quickly turns to his food in embarrassment.
Shinso is confused. "What makes you say that?"
"He likes to analyze quirks and offer some advice." The starry-eyed boy continues, gesturing with his spoon. "Half the time there are questions I didn't even think about. It's like seeing it from someone else's perspective."
He gives the blushing boy a quiet stare before glancing at Himiko. "...you're sure he won't judge me?"
"He didn't judge mine, and he even helped me think it was cool!" She declares, stating it as the fact that it is.
He blinks, looking at Izuku with a discerning eye. "Truly?"
"Of course," he says, nodding eagerly. "With her quirk, she could easily become an underground hero. She could even bring down gangs if she was careful enough."
Himiko giggles as Ochako nods. "See? He makes it sound so cool!"
"Oh, cool! So if he wants to be a hero, what's his quirk?" Mina asks, eyeing the boy as if there would be a visible tell.
Shinso gives her a flat stare, looking away and muttering.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" She turns her head, trying to get an ear facing him.
His mouth scrunches up in distaste. "...I don't want to say it... but I could... show it?"
"Great!" She claps her hands. "Go right ahead!"
He closes his eyes, sighing a bit in resignation. "...I need a volunteer."
"Sure, I can-" Izuku stops mid-sentence, eyes glazing over. His fork hangs limp in his hand as he stares at nothing.
"Take the strawberry from my cake," Shinso says, pointing at it. The boy immediately does so, no questions asked, and then blinks, clarity coming back to his eyes.
He stares at the fruit on his fork, then at a spot over Ochako's shoulder. "...he can make you hallucinate?" He guesses, looking a little weirded out.
Hozarou actually stops eating to muse. "A psychic control quirk?"
Izuku blinks, looking around at his friends curiously. "Wait, so he...?"
"Looks like he took control of you," Iida confirms, readjusting his glasses.
"I don't remember..." The teenager says, staring at the fruit for a moment before offering it back to Shinso. "That's pretty cool, actually. If you use it properly, you could stop a villain before they can cause more damage, or get them to release any hostages they might have. I'd need to know more about how it works before I can give you tips, though."
The purple-haired kid's mouth pops open, surprised by his response. "...I'm sorry?" Getting a confused look from the kid sitting opposite him, he continues. "You aren't upset that I just controlled you?"
"Why would I? You asked for a volunteer, and I offered." He gently shakes the strawberry, which Shinso slowly reaches out to take it back.
"See?" Himiko nudges him with a wide grin. "He doesn't judge."
He nods, thinking to himself. "...I can control people if they respond to me," he quietly offers. "It's called Brainwashing." He gives a little grimace, gaze falling to his dessert. "Not my choice of name."
"Hmm..." Izuku taps his fork against his bowl thoughtfully. "...need to cover his mouth so they can't tell it's him talking... if that's the case, then voice acting might help to disguise his voice and then ventriloquism to hide where his voice is coming from... he has a thin build so maybe training speed and evasiveness with him, as well..."
Mina blinks, slightly dumbfounded by the muttering storm the green-haired boy creates. "...how often does he do this?"
Ochako and Himiko answer simultaneously, "When he learns something new." The two blink at each other before laughing.
Midoriya gets startled out of his thoughts, blushing softly. "Did I do it again?" He asks, embarrassed.
"Hey, everyone gets lost in their thoughts." Hozarou says with a small smile. "No worries."
"Right," he nods, glad someone agrees with him. He glances around the room to make sure he didn't draw attention beyond their table, but pauses when glancing behind Mina. His mouth pops open as he stares at a couple kids sitting by themselves, which would not have been remarkable if they weren't Bakugou and Tsunotori.
He tries to act natural, eyes sweeping in their direction once more as he fails to play off his shock. "A-Anyways, depending on what you can have others do, you could get information from villains without them realizing it," he points out to a mildly impressed Hitoshi.
"Especially if they don't remember." Ochako adds while Himiko had followed Izuku's gaze and spotted the other table, her grin growing wider as her eyes narrow.
"...so my quirk can be used for heroics?" He mumbles, crossing his arms. A step towards him opening up more, it seems, but there seemed to be something holding him back from truly connecting with them.
Before Izuku could ask about this, Mina follows Himiko's stare to the seats behind her, eyes widening. "Ooh, is that another class couple?"
The Pokémorph blinks in confusion. "...another?"
"Maybe..." Himiko sips her juice. "Not many get close to Boom Boy." The pink girl nearly chokes on her drink, collapsing from laughter. Himiko giggles as well as she observes Mina, her smile soft and sincere.
She grins back at her, eyes twinkling. "Can I borrow that? It's just too good!"
"Hmm…" the blonde actually looks thoughtful at this, "I'm not sure how he'd take it coming from anyone but me. Use at your own risk."
"Aww, what? I'm sure it'll be fine!" She grins and turns around in her seat, waving to Bakugou. "Hey, Boom Boy!"
He slams his hands on the table, clattering empty dishes and glaring murder at the Acid user. "The fuck did you call me, Raccoon Eyes?!"
A few nearby tables quiet down, including theirs as Himiko shakes her head. "I thought so."
"Boom... boy?" Pony rolls the words around on her tongue.
Katsuki slowly drags a hand down his face groaning softly. "A nickname the damn cat gave me. Don't call me it."
"Okay!" She gives him a thumbs up.
He offers her a reluctant thumbs up and goes back to pointing at the book on the table. "So this word is 'explosion'. Good hero name, right?"
She hums and nods while at the other table, Himiko raises her eyebrows and murmurs. "She put out his fuse..."
Izuku looks up from his journal, blinking back into focus. "Did you say something, Toga-san?"
"Nothing big." She assures him, shaking her head a bit too quickly. "How's class been so far?"
He hums quietly, tapping his chopsticks against his bowl. "So far? Mostly normal. I did sort of derail the last class, though..."
"Only a little at the end, don't worry." Ochako assures him.
"Yeah, and then after lunch we're doing Hero Studies!" Mina says, grinning brightly. "But enough of that! Is there a triangle I'm seeing?"
"Huh?" Izuku looks even more confused. "Triangle? What?"
A few of the others also look confused, while Himiko meets Mina's eyes with a grin and a giggle. "Boys don't seem to see them as easily."
"...do you mean a love triangle?" Iida says, humming softly, earning narrowed eyes from his pink classmate. "I don't know which one you're talking about."
Mina stands abruptly, shaking their table. "There's more than one?!"
"So much dramatic standing today." Hozarou laughs as he finishes his food.
Izuku quietly nods before finishing his own meal, making sure he's getting enough protein. With Hero Studies coming up it was better to be safe than sorry. The conversation winds down as it draws near the end of the lunch period, with contact info exchanged and a workout and study session planned for the weekend.
I have this story posted on AO3, now, if anyone wants to follow there. I hope you enjoy this story, and I hope you have a nice day! Enigma out!