Clockwork

by EbonyWonder

When his mother dies, Aizawa Shouta takes his brother Izuku to live with him. However, between dealing with the grief and Izuku starting at UA, they don't have much time to spend with their secret family... ...who decide to invade on the third day of school.

6. Chapter 6

"So," Hitoshi began as he slid into a seat opposite Izuku, placing his tray on the table. "How was your test?"

Izuku groaned. "Awful. Sh- Aizawa-sensei singled me out in front of the whole class."

"Oof," Hitoshi grimaced. "That must suck. Anyone get expelled?"

The other teen grinned sadistically, "A guy named Mineta. He was harassing girls and peering at them through the changing room wall."

Hitoshi sat up a little straighter. There were only four weeks until the sports festival and if there was already a spot in the hero course, it would be so much easier for him to get in. And he definitely had the motivation to do so (especially as he knew he would be in Izuku's class).

"Great," he responded after a moment. "Chances of me getting in then?"

Izuku paused as his eyes dropped to the table in front of him. "Nineteen students… but with four weeks… support equipment…"

And the list went on; possible scenarios running through the other boys head as Hitoshi stared on in thinly veiled horror.

Izuku was far too smart for his own good — or anyone else's, for that matter.

After about a minute Izuku's head snapped up. "Eighty-seven percent chance of you making it into the final round. However, there's only a forty-nine percent chance of you making it onto the podium."

"Right…" Hitoshi trailed off uncomfortably, not entirely sure how to respond to that.

Izuku took a large mouthful of soup and returned his gaze to the open textbook on the table.

Hitoshi shrugged mentally and picked up his chopsticks.

xxx

None of Hitoshi's classmates came to sit at their table but Izuku didn't mind. Although it would be nice to get to know the general education students (if only to analyse their quirks and find the best way to beat them), the silence between the two of them was quite pleasant in Izuku's opinion.

Once they had both finished their meals, the conversation picked up again and the two of them spent the last twenty minutes of lunch period chatting idly about things to do after school ended for Hitoshi.

A few valid ideas come up like going to a cat cafe, playing video games and baking cookies.

Several obviously less valid ideas also made an appearance.

Beating up thugs on the streets?

Probably Illegal.

Hacking Hawks' database to research his quirk?

Illegal, however much Izuku protested.

Vandalising and completely annihilating Endeavor's agency?

…Yeah, that was illegal too.

They went with the cookies in the end, much to Hitoshi's relief and Izuku's disdain.

"Seriously, Toshi?" Izuku whined.

Hitoshi eyed him carefully before giving the other teen a sharp nod.

Izuku glared. "I will make your life hell, Hitoshi. Don't underestimate me."

"How?" Hitoshi grinned. "We're in different classes. You. Can't. Touch me.

"Oh but I can," Izuku chirped, eyes alight with the promise of revenge.

But Hitoshi scoffed, taking the menacing grin as bluffing. "As if."

"I'm joining your English class next period!"

"No you're not."

"I am."

"But you're fluent in English," Hitoshi protested weakly.

"So?" Izuku replied. "Aizawa-sensei's busy. I can sit in on whatever class I like."

"Busy my ass," the purple-haired teen muttered, having paid no attention to the last part.

Izuku snorted in affirmation, "He's napping in the teacher's lounge."

xxx

"Alright, Listeners," Hizashi called out to class 1C. "We have a special guest for today's lesson!"

The previously uninterested students lifted their heads a little.

A few students began firing off questions and Hizashi just smiled.

"Class 1A always ends early on the first day but one kiddo wasn't able to go home so he's going to stay with us this period! Please welcome Midoriya Izuku!"

Hizashi threw his hands dramatically towards the door, clearly expecting Izuku to come through it. His face fell when the door stayed shut.

Hizashi frowned and walked over, sticking his head into the hallway to look for Izuku, face growing even more confused when he found no one outside the classroom.

Suddenly a loud thud and a tired groan rang out from the back and everyone turned to see a green-haired boy sitting on Hitoshi's desk, legs swinging childishly and wearing a huge smile. Hitoshi had buried his face in his hands exasperatedly and was grumbling to himself.

"Hi, Mic-sensei!" Izuku called. "Hi class 1C!"

A few kids shrieked but Izuku was undeterred, jumping off the table and waving enthusiastically.

Some of the class waved back, albeit hesitant, while others chose to remain silent.

Hizashi withheld his laughter and called out to his brother-in-law. "Come on down, Midoriya. You can sit in my chair for this lesson!"

"Okay." Izuku walked down the aisle of desks and sat down in Hizashi's swivel chair, pulling it out from the desk slightly.

"Right, Little Listeners, today, we're going to be reading a bit of Shakespeare's play Macbeth so I can get a good grip on where you are with English. Now, does anyone know anything about William Shakespeare?"

Hitoshi, having lived with Hizashi for a few weeks now, raised a confident hand, as did several others. Hizashi called on them individually, writing the information down on the whiteboard as facts were presented.

Meanwhile, Izuku sat in the swivel chair, turning it back and forth slightly in an attempt to keep himself focused on the lesson. He didn't expect Hizashi to turn around suddenly and say, "Any facts for us, Midoriya?"

Izuku, purely on instinct, blurted out, "The prince of Cumberland" , in English.

Hizashi did a double take in surprise but gave him an encouraging smile. "Know any more?"

"That is a step on which I must fall or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires."

"Great job there!" Hizashi exclaimed, turning back to the rest of the class. "That was a quote from Macbeth, where the main character is jealous of the king's son who had just been proclaimed Prince of Cumberland…"

Izuku was given a scene of Macbeth to translate from English to Japanese while the other kids of class 1-C read through the English, acting it out and messing around.

By the end of the lesson, most of them had slightly dopey grins and flushed faces from the spontaneous performance and everyone, Izuku included, had gotten quite a few laughs out of it. As the GenEd students packed up to head to their next lesson, Izuku moved over to talk to Hitoshi before the bell rang.

He found himself skating through the halls to Gym Delta while his nephew headed in the opposite direction for an art history lesson with Aunty Nem.

Izuku pushed open the door and stepped inside, moving to the toilets at the other end to change into a t-shirt and shorts.

When he re-entered the gym, he found Shouta napping by the doors in his sleeping bag. Izuku moved through some stretches on the floor a few feet away and opened an article on hero policies while he waited for Shouta to wake up; he wouldn't be asleep for too long.

Izuku felt he had barely scratched the surface of the article when Shouta's eyes snapped open and blinked groggily around as he got up slowly, unzipping the yellow monstrosity and stepping out.

"Right," he grumbled, reaching his hands above his head and leaning back, stretching as he yawned. "We need to get started, where's your brother?"

Izuku gave him an incredulous look and Shouta groaned tiredly, rubbing a hand over his face. "I am too sleep deprived for this."

"I can tell," Izuku deadpanned.

Shouta dropped into a fighting stance, "You'll regret that, brat."

"I will never, hobo."

xxx

"I'm sorry. I regret it. Let me live."

Shouta huffed out a laugh against the mouth of the water bottle he was drinking from. "I am so glad."

"That… that was sarcastic."

"No shit, Sherlock."

Izuku groaned loudly and rolled onto his back from where he lay on the floor. Shouta gave him a nudge with his foot.

"Get up."

"Nooooo," Izuku whined, bringing up his arms to cover his face and shuffling further away.

"Hizashi and Hitoshi are going to wonder where we are. School ended fifteen minutes ago," Shouta continued, putting his bottle into his backpack and zipping it up.

Izuku jumped up, "School ended fifteen minutes ago?"

"Yes. That's what I just said."

"We'll come on then!" The teen cried, grabbing his own bag and rushing out of the gym doors.

True to Shouta's words, Hizashi and Hitoshi were sitting in the car in the UA staff parking lot. Izuku pulled the back door open and slid inside, latching onto Hitoshi who grunted.

"What took you so long, Zu?" Hizashi peered back at them from the driver's seat.

"Shou-nii practically killed me," Izuku stated.

"Dramatic," Shouta responded, opening the passenger door.

Hitoshi snorted, "I think we all agree Izu."

Izuku dived back into his own seat with an exaggerated gasp. "Traitors."

Hizashi laughed as he started up the car and began to pull out of the parking lot. "I think it's safe to say that we're all a bit dramatic."

xxx

Hitoshi took a swig of coffee from his travel mug, emptying it. Izuku skated beside him, holding his own travel mug in one hand and waving the other around as he talked about some space-related thing he had seen on the news that was 'absolutely wonderful'.

"And then," Izuku took a huge breath. "Some guy realised a few days later that the frequency was actually the one they thought intelligent life would send so he wrote 'wow' on the piece of paper!"

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow. "It's called the 'wow signal' because a random person couldn't think of anything else to write?"

Izuku stopped and blinked, "I guess." He slumped his shoulders, "It sounds so much less exciting when you say it like that."

"Yes, because I am such a boring person, Izu."

Izuku pointed at him and his eyes widened, "Exactly."

"Right," Hitoshi grumbled, elbowing Izuku in the ribs lightly. "Come on, we'll be late to class."

"Fine," Izuku dragged out, turning around slowly. "Bye, bitch."

He sped away laughing and Hitoshi could only sigh as he followed Izuku up the hill.

Upon reaching the top, he was hit with the sound of a commotion. Izuku was stood a little ways behind the crowd of reporters looking very confused.

Hitoshi ran towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"I-I… I don't know…?" The reply was barely audible.

"Right, then," Hitoshi replied, mind whirring. "We'll have to go through them."

"Can't go over, can't go under, have to go through," was Izuku's murmured response and Hitoshi grabbed his wrist and began to drag him through the crowd.

No one noticed them until they had nearly reached the gates when their luck finally ran out. A short, dark haired reporter caught sight of them and immediately turned around, dismissing the sight. Not a moment later, she turned back around, eyes wide with shock and delight and whispered to the cameraman next to her.

"Hello, I assume you must be UA students?"

Before either Hitoshi or Izuku could reply, the reporter gave a silly, high-pitched laugh and answered her own question.

"Of course you are, silly me. Now, is it alright if I ask you two a few questions?" Without giving them any time to respond, she carried on once again.

"Are the rumours true? Is All Might really teaching at UA?"

Izuku sent a sharp look to Hitoshi and he bit his lip in thought. 'How had everyone found out about that?'

The reporter smiled, "I'll take that as a yes. So, have you had any lessons with him yet? Is the Number One hero just as good at teaching as he is fighting villains? Do you think-"

"If you're here to find out about All Might, leave." Aizawa's harsh, snappy tone cut through the noise and left the crowd silent for a few seconds before shrinking back ever so slightly.

"I said go."

A few things were muttered amongst the crowd before the reporters started moving down the hill and away from the school gates. Hitoshi, Izuku, and a few other students stood spaced apart facing Aizawa who sighed dejectedly and trudged in the direction of the school's doors. He stopped a few feet away from the entrance way and said, "Class starts in five minutes."

Hitoshi and Izuku shared a look and walked in.

xxx

Shouta had a sort of proud glint in his eyes, Izuku thought, as he walked into the classroom. There was a mad scramble for his classmates to sit down, but everyone was still and silent by the time Shouta reached the podium.

"Five seconds," he stated, gaze sweeping across the room, "You're improving. I expect it to be down to four by tomorrow." A pause. "We have something important to do this morning; something that may affect your future careers drastically."

A few whispers started up but a quirked glare quickly shut them up.

"You'll be picking a class president."

As shouts of 'Me! Me!' rang out, Shouta slammed his hands down.

"Quiet. You have until the end of homeroom to choose. Don't disturb me."

The class was silent for a moment, but once Shouta had closed his eyes, the room was flooded with noise.

"Pick me, guys! I'll be a great leader!" Kaminari called.

"No, pick me!" Ashido exclaimed.

Kirishima smiled widely, "I think I'd be a very manly class president."

Tenya stood up stiffly, "I believe we should vote on who will be the class president."

Satou raised his hand politely as he spoke. "But won't everyone just vote for themselves?"

Tenya nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Exactly, meaning that if someone gets multiple votes, then they are truly the right person for the role."

Ashido pumped a fist in the air. "Let's vote then!"

The vote took only a few minutes. Tenya and Yaoyorozu distributed slips of paper and the names were written down and placed at the front. Tenya counted the votes quickly, writing the top few on the whiteboard.

Izuku almost fell out of his chair when he noticed his name at the top of the board with three votes, followed by Yaoyorozu (which made sense, but him?).

"Alright," Shouta drawled, rising gradually from the sleeping bag and stepping forward. "Midoriya is your class president and Yaoyorozu will be the vice president."

Izuku caught the older-brother look in Shouta's eyes as he surveyed the class and mentally cussed him out. Damn siblings acting suspicious.

Just then, the bell for the end of homeroom sounded. Izuku pushed his chair back and stood up, grabbing his bag and moving towards the door with the rest of his classmates.

The hallways were quickly filled with bodies, all moving to their respective classes and noise filled the air.

xxx

Uraraka dragged Izuku straight to a table in the cafeteria as soon as fifth period was over. He dutifully sat down opposite the brunette and pulled his bento out of his backpack.

"Hello, Uraraka-san, Izuku," Tenya greeted, approaching them. "May I sit with you?"

Uraraka smiled brightly, "Sure, Iida-san!"

They ate lunch quietly for a while, but Izuku could see Uraraka bouncing up and down ever so slightly on her seat.

Finally, she blurted out, "Iida-san, I've been meaning to ask; are you rich?"

Tenya, clearly not expecting the bluntness of the question, opened and closed his mouth a few times (a bit like a fish). With a sigh, he replied, "I was trying to keep it under wraps."

Uraraka gasped. "So you are?"

Tenya nodded resolutely. "I am from a long line of heroes, my elder brother is Ingenium."

"Wow, that's so cool!" Uraraka exclaimed. "Is that why you want to be a hero?"

"I aspire to be like my brother. What about you, Uraraka-san?"

"Ah." A nervous laugh. "I'm here for the money," she admitted sheepishly.

Izuku tilted his head, "I understand, being a hero pays well."

Uraraka dropped her head. "Actually, I want the money to support my family. They own a construction company but they've been struggling with finances for a long time. When I was little I wanted to help them. They said I should choose another future, one I would enjoy more. So I want to be a hero, to get money and help my parents!"

Throughout Uraraka's speech, her confidence in her words had grown until she was looking up at them, fiery determination burning in her eyes.

Izuku grinned. "You'll be a great hero someday."

Tenya nodded, "Yes, Uraraka. You have a good reason to follow this profession and will do wonderfully."

Uraraka blushed. "Thanks guys." She turned to face Izuku, "What about you Midor-"

She was cut off by the shrill sound of an alarm blaring through the school. 'Level three security breach. Please evacuate,' a robotic voice declared.

As there was a rush to stand up and head towards the door, Izuku overheard a taller kid at a table near him say, "Someone's broken in. This has never happened in the last two years at least."

They must be a third year then. And someone who wasn't supposed to be inside the school was inside the school.

Uraraka grabbed his and Tenya's arms with a fearful expression on her face. "C'mon guys," she said. "We have to evacuate."

Izuku bobbed his head and got to his feet with Tenya.

The doorway out of the cafeteria was crammed with people trying to leave. Joining the side of the ever-growing not-queue, they soon found themselves surrounded and being pushed in all directions from the other students attempting to push their way to the front.

It was horrible.

Izuku felt like he was being suffocated in the tight mass of bodies.

He reached down for Tenya's hand only to feel empty space where his best friend had been a moment ago. Izuku looked around with panicked eyes, searching for any sign of Tenya, Uraraka — heck, even Kacchan.

But no. Izuku was alone in amongst too many people and he knew none of them and he was stuck and he couldn't breathe-

His cheek was slammed into the cool glass of a window as students continued to push past him in the deafening noise that filled the cafeteria.

Izuku pushed himself away from the wall slightly and wiped the condensation from the pane to try and see for himself if anyone at all had managed to get outside yet…

Izuku gaped. Instead of UA uniforms by the front gate, there was a mass of black suits and black cameras. The reporters had gotten through the gate, not villains.

Speaking of the gate, Izuku couldn't make head nor tail of where it was but he supposed that didn't matter quite so much as the pandemonium right now.

"Izuku!"

He jumped in surprise. "Tenya?"

"I'm- urgh, I'm coming." A familiar head of deep blue pushed its way through the rest of the people and grabbed his forearm securely. "Are you alright, Izuku?"

"Y-yeah, but look!"

Izuku pushed Tenya towards the window. His eyes widened and he turned back towards his friend.

"It's just the reporters from this morning?"

"Exactly! Everyone thinks there's villains somewhere inside the school but it's just a bunch of people with cameras!"

Tenya furrowed his eyebrows, "How are we meant to tell them?"

Izuku pressed his mouth into a thin line as he thought. "I… I think I have an idea."

"Okay, how do we do this?"

"We need to find Uraraka-san."

Izuku pulled Tenya through the crowd, past fears forgotten. Soon enough, he spotted the brown bob of his new friend. "Uraraka-san!"

The girl turned abruptly and pushed past the few beside her until she was close enough to grab Izuku's free arm. "There you guys are! I couldn't see you anywhere!"

"Yeah, it's really loud," Izuku mumbled. He shook his head firmly. "It's not villains in the school, Uraraka-san, it's the reporters from this morning."

She tilted her head to the side, "How are we supposed to tell everyone?"

Izuku's eyes hardened and he swallowed. "Uraraka-san, can you float Tenya using your quirk? Tenya, you're really loud. Can you shout to everyone and tell them that it's only the reporters outside?"

Tenya's face fell even as Uraraka nodded.

"What about you Izuku?"

The boy in question paled. "I'm… not good with crowds. Please, guys."

"Alright then." Uraraka reached around Izuku and swiped at Tenya who rose up steadily into the air.

The hubbub quieted as Tenya's engines flared to life and his feet planted firmly on the wall above the doorway.

"Students of UA, I wish to inform you that our school has not been attacked by villains. The alarm went off as a result of some of this morning's reporters making their way through the front gate. Please do not panic and return to your lunches."

He stayed there, suspended above the exit until the crowd was cleared enough that he could drop down safely once Uraraka had released her quirk.

"Thank you, Uraraka-san. That was an excellent idea, Izuku."

The greenette blushed furiously. "Th-thanks."

"Yeah, well done!" Uraraka cheered. "Now let's eat!"

xxx

The door slammed open and a grinning blond hero leaned into the room.

"I AM HERE… COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

A few people shouted, "All Might!" Many others, however, chose to simply chatter excitedly while a few remained silent, Kacchan among them.

"Right," Shouta intoned. "As I was saying, your foundational heroics classes will be taught by All Might. Listen to what he says."

He slunk out of the room and the Number 1 hero stepped up to the podium.

"HELLO CLASS 1-A! TODAY WE WILL BE FIGURING OUT THE CURRENT LIMITS OF YOUR QUIRKS AND PHYSICAL ABILITIES.

"BEFORE WE GET STARTED, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE A PRACTICAL COSTUME!"

With the click of a remote, racks of briefcases slid out of the wall, each displaying a number from 1 to 20.

"PUT THESE ON AND MEET ME AT GYM UPSILON!"

A mad scramble to get the costumes and the room was left empty.

xxx

Izuku grinned at himself in the mirror.

His costume was perfect.

The forest green suit matched his hair! It was practical and useful too but more importantly, it fit the vibe.

Izuku could feel the body armour embedded into the fabric and it seemed like it would work in keeping the bones One For All didn't break safe. White gloves covered his hands and the brass knuckles and padding inside them were secure. His black boots were steel toed. Apparently, the support course had added some extra features to them. The note in his case was meant to provide information on the features but Izuku was far too hyped about the general look to read it.

Around his neck hung a capture weapon. It was tinted a light green to match the other greens on his costume and made firmer and more flexible than Shouta's to compliment his strength quirk. Having grown up learning his older brother's style of fighting, Izuku could use the capture scarf with almost as much proficiency.

There was a black utility belt on his waist and large pockets on his arms and legs, all full with first-aid equipment and other important things. Deep crimson highlights ran up the seams of his suit, accompanied by thinner black and white stripes on each side of the red.

A black hood and mask to cover most of his head hung around his neck; Izuku had pulled them down for now.

Izuku almost cried in relief when he saw that the gloves had a small opening in the palms to allow for his other quirk. Usually, he had to cover the black, round holes in his hands with a plaster as well as some makeup to hide them and it felt horrible. The holes in the gloves however, were small enough that no one would be able to tell they were even there.

He had two quirks available, though of course he could never let people find out about his original one. Fortunately, he wasn't planning to have to use it.

Izuku could hear a few of the other boys finishing and leaving the changing stalls. He opened the door to step out but instead stood, shocked, at how impractical some of his classmates' costumes were.

Kirishima was half naked and could be exposed to anything that hit him before he could turn into… rock?

Tenya's armour was chunky and looked like he could barely move around.

Kaminari was in a t-shirt. The list went on.

'Seriously, is the only costume that is actually decent mine?' Izuku asked himself.

Tenya walked over with a frown, noticing the look on the greenette's face. "Are you alright, Izuku?"

He blinked and gave his friend a half-smile half-grimace. "I think the support course has been slacking off."

The other teen tilted his head. "What do you mean? Your costume looks amazing. I take it the scarf was because of Uncle Shouta?" The last sentence was whispered and Izuku's lips ticked upward.

"Yeah. I didn't mean my costume though, Tenya. Can you even move in that thing?"

Tenya winced. "Not really…"

"Mmm, that's what I thought. What did you ask for?"

"Lightweight, movable armour."

Izuku snorted unceremoniously. "Definitely slacking off. Kirishima is half naked and Kaminari clearly isn't protected at all. I dread to think how awful the girls' are."

They were perhaps even worse. Uraraka was in heels, very dangerous; Yaoyorozu wore a shelf, and Hagakure was completely nude, minus the boots and gloves.

It was rather obvious that Himiko hadn't been involved in the making of these monstrosities. She would've been livid.

"RIGHT, STUDENTS." All Might began from the front of the group. They were standing in the middle of Gym Upsilon with the hero who held a tall stack of papers in his hands. "TODAY YOU WILL BE TESTING YOUR ABILITIES AND PUSHING YOUR LIMITS IN PREPARATION FOR A SPECIAL HEROICS LESSON TOMORROW. THESE PAPERS," he raised them to the class, "ARE PACKS PUT TOGETHER BY PROFESSIONALS FOR YOU CONTAINING SUGGESTIONS FOR ASSESSING AND IMPROVING. ONCE I HAVE HANDED THEM OUT, YOU ARE FREE TO MAKE USE OF THE EQUIPMENT AROUND THE GYM. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE DO ASK."

The students shuffled into an awkward, wobbly line in front of All Might who began to distribute the packs of paper. He ended up at the back behind Tenya and Uraraka.

As he moved ever closer to his mentor, Izuku observed some of the students staring down at their packs like they had just seen the world in totally different colours. Many of them rushed off quickly to the stations best suited for what their packs suggested.

Tenya and Uraraka were off almost as soon as the papers were presented to them and Izuku stepped forward. All Might gave him a grin and placed the last pack in Izuku's outstretched hands.

"My boy, once you've tried a few of the exercises in there, I have something for you to do." The blond hero told him quietly. "Try doing most of these with a small percentage of your quirk — less than five, I'd say. Work on your control. Then, if there's still time, have a go with regular sparring but use your quirk. Make it feel natural, alright?"

Izuku nodded gratefully and turned away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Todoroki watching the encounter with a strange expression on his face. The dual-haired boy was quick to look away once he noticed Izuku's attention had shifted.

The rest of 1-A was occupied with their separate tasks. Izuku caught Kirishima squeezing different objects and breaking them. Uraraka was using her quirk on herself, releasing it and repeating. Tenya was doing shuttle runs.

Making his way over to the free sections of the gym, Izuku turned over the front page to read through a few of the first suggestions.

'Try testing grip strengths using a small part of the quirk.'

'Try testing speed using a small part of the quirk.'

'Lift weights without and then with the quirk.'

Many of the following were along the same lines. Izuku skimmed over the first sheet and closed the book. The weights were free.

xxx

Shouto stared at… Midoriya was it? Not important. The green, energetic boy was talking to All Might and they both looked as though conversations like their current one were a common occurrence. No one else had spoken to All Might for nearly as long as Green.

Strange.

They must know each other outside of UA then.

Family friends? Family? The smile on the hero's face seemed similar to parental looks Shouto had seen on other peoples' parents — Endeavor wouldn't be caught dead wearing that sort of affectionate smile.

And Green was taking everything All Might was saying to him with a grateful nod.

So they were father and son?

That was Shouto's leading theory and fit the best by far. Shouto was rarely wrong.

He would have to watch Green carefully for any slip-ups.

Shouto turned away as soon as Green saw him staring. He couldn't very well investigate if Green was suspicious of him.

xxx

"What did you do yesterday, Zu?" Hitoshi asked, regular tired drawl in place. "You had All Might for FH class, right?"

Izuku nodded. "Yup. We got packs to work on stuff. I lifted weights and practiced some of my sparring moves with my quirk."

The lavender-haired teen smiled faintly before he yawned. "Sounds fun."

Izuku hummed. "What did you do?"

"I had English, maths, geography and sociology in the morning and… some other stuff after lunch."

The greenette stifled a laugh. "Some other stuff?"

Hitoshi gave him a wry grin. "I was sleepy."

"Toshi," Izuku whined. "You need to sleep more!"

"And?" Hitoshi checked the clock on the wall. "It's two in the morning and we're both up."

Hizashi and Shouta's bedroom door opened a crack and a head of black hair poked out. "You both need to shut up and go to sleep." The door shut with a small creak and Hitoshi and Izuku burst into giggles.

"Probably," Izuku agreed. "Are you ready to sleep yet?"

Hitoshi sighed. "I doubt it. I'm going to make some coffee. Want some?"

"Yes please."

A few minutes later and the living room started to fill with the bitter smell of coffee. Izuku snuggled further into the blanket pile on the sofa he was currently in.

He grabbed the TV remote and turned on the screen, opening Disney. He began to flick through already watched movies, looking for something relatively calm to watch until he felt ready to go to sleep.

Izuku was still browsing the movies section when Hitoshi sauntered into the living room, two mugs of steaming pure caffeine in his hands. He placed them gingerly on the table before sitting down by the blanket pile and cocooning himself in the spare fluffy blankets.

"I'm requesting Frozen."

Izuku snorted. "1 or 2?"

Hitoshi rolled his eyes, "The first one, obviously."

As the movie began, Izuku turned to the teen beside him. "Hitoshi, can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, what's up, Zu?" Hitoshi frowned. "Are you okay?"

A long sigh. "I'm okay. There's someone in my class who I think isn't though."

"Not to sound insensitive or anything but what brought this on. And why me? Why not Aizawa-san or Yamada-san?"

"The movie reminded me. It's Todoroki Shouto, Endeavor's youngest. Also, I wanted to talk to you first because I thought… you might understand? You don't have to talk about this if you don't want."

Hitoshi shook his head. "It's fine. What about Todoroki is worrying you?"

Izuku grimaced and his face darkened. "He's acting like you did after Shou-nii found you."

Hitoshi reached up unconsciously to touch the faint muzzle scars along his cheekbones and nose. "You think he's being abused?"

"…Maybe."

"Well, we always knew the flaming trash was overly violent. Tell Aizawa-san and Yamada-san tomorrow. They'll be able to do something."

"Okay. Thanks Hitoshi." Izuku gave him a grateful smile.

A pair of arms wrapped around him and Izuku closed his eyes, mug forgotten on the table, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

xxx

"Good evening," A calm, yet slightly scratchy voice began as the villains shifted uncomfortably in the tight-packed space. "Thank you all for coming. Tonight will be to discuss plans for invading UA tomorrow."

A few coughed, but other than that, it was quiet.

"Before we begin, now is the time where you are free to leave without any repercussions. If you have any qualms with what you know so far, you are welcome to go and we will not attack. Change your mind later, you die. Understood?"

"Thank you," one man with a snake mutation called, "For your gracious opportunity, but I do not harm children."

With a sharp nod of permission, he began to walk towards the door. As he left the room, a few others, maybe a dozen, followed him out. When it seemed like no one else would go, the man at the front of the room spoke again.

"Your time to leave is up. Welcome to the first ever soon-to-be-successful attack on UA's campus."