"I need to use the bathroom-"
"We both know you don't," Hitoshi sighed, glaring at Izuku. "It's not that hard-your teacher is already expecting you, he's not mad, you're getting help with your quirk. Don't go freaking out."
"O-Ok," Izuku said, taking a few deep breaths. "I-I've got this."
Hitoshi patted his back. "Yeah, you do. Now, I'm gonna go to the library-you head to your class to see him, or check by the teacher's lounge. Do not chicken out, or he might call you out in front of your classmates, and which of those is worse?"
Izuku's eyes went wide. "Heading to class-I'll see you at lunch!" With that, he rushed off to his classroom-
-and proceeded to pause at the door. Maybe he could just-
Nope, I need to go inside-I can do this, I can do this-
Izuku slowly opened the classroom door. Sure enough, Aizawa-sensei was sitting at his desk and looked at Izuku.
"Good, you're here," Aizawa-sensei said, standing up. "Come on."
Aizawa-sensei left the room, and Izuku quickly followed him over to the teacher's lounge.
"Yamada!" Aizawa-sensei said as they stepped in.
Present Mic looked up from his desk, then stood up as Aizawa-sensei led Izuku to the meeting room from yesterday.
"Alright, sit, sit!" Present Mic said as he sat down. Izuku did, too, Aizawa-sensei sitting as well, but not right by Izuku. "Now, I hear your quirk came in very recently, yeah?"
Izuku nodded. "A-A week before the entrance exam…"
Present Mic hummed. "Unheard of, but I'm sure we can figure it out! Now, the plan right now is for training after school for an hour each day, can be bumped up to two if you continue to struggle with it. You'll meet me at the teacher's lounge every day right after your classes are over, and we'll go from there!"
"Yamada's in charge of working with you on your quirk," Aizawa-sensei added.
"Makes sense," Izuku said. "Eraserhead's quirk works more like Hitoshi's, where it's on or off, not really any room for in-between-although it would be interesting in theory if there was some kind of dampening effect instead that could potentially combat dry-eye if it can work like that, same way with my theory of Hitoshi's quirk potentially being able to plant suggestions in someone's mind to gear them towards acting a certain way instead of fully making them, producing less exoustonin, at least I'd hope-"
"Mind saying that a little louder, little listener?" Present Mic asked.
Izuku slapped his hands over his mouth, hunching his shoulders. "S-Sorry."
"No need to be sorry-just say it a little louder-I think I caught the word exoustonin in there," Present Mic said. "You don't meet a lot of first years that know what that is!"
"M-My brother has a mental quirk-his brain has a lot of it, making it harder for him to sleep," Izuku said, carefully choosing his words. "HIs quirk is more like Aizawa-sensei's, with on and off. Mine isn't, though? At least, it shouldn't be either breaking my bones or not."
"Exactly!" Present Mic said. "We're gonna work on figuring out how strong you are and how much of your quirk you can use, so it's more like my quirk with levels instead of on or off, so that's why I'm training with you after school instead of Aizawa over here-he'll join us from time to time just to make sure you aren't getting hurt-best to stop that from happening when we can, you know?"
"Y-Yeah," Izuku said.
"Good!" Present Mic said. "Now, we'll have the first few sessions be nice and easy, just getting an understanding of your quirk before we start fully training with it."
"Ok," Izuku said-he can work with that. He can do this.
"Good!" Present Mic said. "Now, I'm seeing you for English class today-hope you're ready for a placement test. Your brother was able to hold a conversation in English yesterday, and I think I remember him saying that your dad lived in America for a while, yeah?"
"Yep-until I was six, and he sometimes goes back for a month or so at a time, but not for years anymore," Izuku said, then slipped into English. "I wouldn't say I'm fluent, but I got into some American t.v. shows when I was younger, so I've got a good enough handle on it."
Present Mic laughed at that. "Alright, now head to homeroom-I'm sure you'll be there before this softie over here-"
"Hey," Aizawa-sensei grunted.
"-he really does care about his students, trust me-now, I'll see you later!" Present Mic said.
Izuku nodded, then got up and walked over to the door and out of the teacher's lounge. He debated on going to find Hitoshi, but he ultimately decided to go to his own homeroom-
"Good morning, Midoriya!"
Izuku jumped-why was Iida already here?!
"G-Good morning, Iida," Izuku said as he walked over to his seat, sitting down and pulling out his training plan notebook.
"What's that for?" Iida asked.
"O-Oh, just looking at my training plan," Izuku said, flipping open to his routine pages. "I-I just need to add in some training I'm doing."
"Very admirable of you!" Iida said-he is way too loud for this early in the morning. "I was meaning to talk to you yesterday, but I couldn't find you at lunch or after school! Mind if we sit at lunch together today?"
"Oh, uh…I-I'm sitting with my brother-he's in a different department and doesn't like sitting with strangers," Izuku said.
"Oh, I see!" Iida said. "Is he a second year?"
"First, actually-we're twins," Izuku said.
"Oh, interesting-that doesn't happen often," Iida said. "What department?"
"Just…a different one," Izuku said. "Maybe another time for lunch, though?"
"Perfect!" Iida said. "Now, I have been meaning to ask you a few questions about the entrance exam?"
"Oh, uh…s-sorry for mumbling," Izuku said. "I really am working on it."
"It is a strange habit," Iida said. "I'm sure you will have a curb on it very soon!"
"Y-Yeah," Izuku said, hunching over his notebook a little bit.
"But something I was meaning to ask you yesterday was about your quirk-you broke your limbs at the entrance exam, and your finger yesterday-with how on-top you seem of your training schedule especially, I find it strange that you don't seem to have the best control over your own quirk."
Oh, I really don't want to have this conversation.
"N-No quirk counselor wanted to work with a kid that breaks his bones," Izuku lied. "I'm getting help now, though-UA is a little more willing to help out with Recovery Girl on site if something happens."
"Ah, that makes sense!" Iida said. "I'm sure you will be doing well with your quirk very soon, although you seem strong without it-you placed very high yesterday and managed to get first in the entrance exam, after all!"
"Y-Yeah," Izuku said, feeling a little…unsettled at that as he leaned against his hand and bit his lip. Please tell me he's not only talking to me because I'm strong…
"I was meaning to congratulate you yesterday on your quick thinking and understanding of the exam!" Iida said. "I had no idea there were rescue points, but you clearly had some kind of idea since you jumped in without hesitation."
"A-Ah, w-well, it...it was in the pamphlet, i-if you read close enough," Izuku said.
"It was?" Iida said. "Interesting! But that is a failing on UA's part to not inform us!"
"The line was, 'a true hero looks out for civilians surrounding them and acts accordingly,'" Izuku said. "They wanted to see if you would save people because it's the right thing to do."
"Ah, I see!" Iida said. "That is a truly exceptional way of figuring-"
"You're really loud, you know that?"
The two turned to see Todoroki walk into the classroom-he has a really cool quirk, don't geek out about it right now.
"My apologies-how has your morning been, Todoroki?" Iida asked.
"Eh," Todoroki said, sitting down.
Iida walked over to him, and Izuku quickly focused on his notebook instead, scribbling down more.
Ok, so that's an extra hour after school each day, we'll have to see what all the ideas for my quirk are…something like Present Mic at levels…maybe I need to think of it in levels, too? Like, my currently level is…level 100 or something, and I need to defeat the previous levels first? Hmm…so I start at level one with my powers…or 1% of my power. I start there and try to use 2%, then up to until I'm at the level I should be at? I don't know what level I'm on right now-
"Midoriya, you're mumbling! I didn't catch that, though-"
"Sorry!" Izuku said, closing that notebook-he can figure out more later. For now, mentally prepare for the day.
…
"I AM HERE! COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
Izuku's eyes widened in excitement-yes! Class with All Might! (Ignoring the fact he'd been training with the man for the last almost year now-this was actual, official class!) He was wearing his Silver Age costume-so cool!
Excited whispers scattered around the room as All Might stepped up to the podium with a huge smile on his face.
"I'll be teaching your Practical Heroics course for today!" All Might said. "We'll be at Ground Beta for this, so it's time to head over there, but first!" He clicked a button, and cases came out of the wall. "Grab your costumes!"
Oh, heck yeah!
Izuku, right alongside his classmates, quickly grabbed his hero costume and rushed to the changing room, eagerly pulling out his suit-one that Mom handmade for him, even! And…well…
"Oh, that had better not be what your costume design is!"
"I like it, though…" Izuku mumbled, shifting slightly as Hitoshi scanned it over, then gave his twin an exasperated look.
"You look like a freaking bunny," Hitoshi said. "You even have bunny ears."
"They're supposed to be All Might's hair!" Izuku said.
Hitoshi smacked him with the notebook. "That's even worse-also, that green is an eyesore." He sighed. "Look, let's just…here." He grabbed a pencil and started to sketch. "Are you really attached to the bunny ears…?"
"It's All Might's hair!"
"That ain't All Might's hair!"
…ok, in person, it didn't look like All Might's hair, but Mom made it, and it turned out even better than he'd planned-he was still wondering when she found the time-but he did have some add-ons through the school's costume department.
It was a dark green jumpsuit, the top looking like Katara's initial blue outfit that attached to the pants, which were baggier and a slightly longer version of Ty Lee's pants that ended about mid-calf, the rest covered by Izuku's combat boots (or, well, something like combat boots, they were made of a more flexible material to make it easier to kick at things). The sleeves were long and tight-fit (couldn't have them catching on anything), and there was a hood that had the…bunny ears on it, complete with a mouth guard that looked like a smile. Around his waist was a utility belt with some knives strapped to it, although more would be hidden in the boots, and there was a few pockets for emergency first-aid equipment and anything else he might need. Mom had sewn it from some fire-proof cloth lying around the house (can never be too careful with someone that breathes fire in the house, but it wasn't the easiest to work with-seriously, when did she get the time?!), and the fabric was sturdy and could be reinforced if needed. Overall, it was a solid first costume!
Izuku changed quickly, then glanced around the room at his classmates and their costumes…
…ok, first of all, he had some concerns.
Mineta should scrap that costume altogether and leave the hero course while he's at it-. Seriously, that looked like a diaper-what the hell?!
Iida's looked like Ingenium's, straight up-and Hitoshi had the nerve to tell him not to copy a detail from All Might.
Bakugou's was…well enough.
Kirishima needed to put a shirt on. That's all Izuku had to say about his costume.
"I heard my name-what'ya say, Midoriya?"
"S-Sorry," Izuku stammered, then quickly darted his way over to the door and rushed out to start walking over to Ground Beta-
"Hey, wait for us!"
"Holy shit he changes fast!"
It wasn't long before all the boys were at Ground Beta, the girls quickly joining them (probably hearing the boys rushing to leave and rushing after them), where All Might smiled at all of them.
"They say that the costumes make the pros-you all look great!" All Might said-All Might said the costumes looked great! Then all of them were definitely great…
A voice that sounded suspiciously like Hitoshi's in Izuku's head went yeah, well, All Might's not always right-just look at the girl costumes!
…was Uraraka wearing heels? And Momo's costume was…Izuku was pretty sure that was breaking a few laws. Hagakure's was definitely breaking a few based on her muttering to Ashido that she wished she could wear something besides gloves and shoes. Wow.
"We will be doing Battle Trials!" All Might explained as Izuku glanced around-he was as new to the costume scene as his classmates were, but…he'd been studying heroes for years now and was certain that some of these costumes could use a lot of work-
Not. The. Time. He was so glad that his face-mask thing was designed to block out what he was saying when he wanted it to.
"Everyone will be randomly assigned to teams of two, and you will be facing off against another team!" All Might said. "One team will be infiltrating the building, while the other is going to be inside the building, protecting a fake bomb. The hero team will have fifteen minutes before they lose, and to win, they either have to capture both villains or capture the bomb."
Iida rose his hand.
"Yes?" All Might asked.
"Is it smart to assign us to random teams?" Iida asked.
"It does work that way sometimes-you're randomly paired with someone in a moment's notice because you're who's available," Izuku said.
"Ah, that is a good point-my apologies!" Iida said.
"Right, now let's show the teams!" All Might said as a screen appeared behind him, loading for a few seconds before showing the teams.
"Oh, we're teamed together!" Uraraka said, giving Izuku a high-five.
"Let's do our best," Izuku said, glancing at the other teams. Bakugou was with Iida…that sounded like a disaster waiting to happen.
"I'll draw the first teams now!" All Might said, reaching into two boxes and pulling out… "Team A will be the heroes, while Team D will be the villains!"
OH GOD DAMNIT!
Izuku could practically feel Bakugou's eyes burning into the back of his skull, but he resisted the urge to turn and look at him as he instead looked at Uraraka.
"We can do this," Izuku said.
"Yeah!" Uraraka said.
"Alright, Team D, proceed to the building-Team A, you'll get a map of the floorplan and five minutes of prep time!" All Might said, handing over papers to all four.
Iida and Bakugou went into their building while Izuku and Uraraka stood outside.
"Alright, they won't place the bomb on the top or bottom floors-too obvious," Izuku said, analyzing the floor plan. "Most rooms are by windows, so there's a high chance they'll have the bomb in one of those rooms-smartest idea would be to be away from the window, but that's not as much of an option here, so maybe we can peek through windows or, if possible, climb out through the windows and proceed to other floors that way-mumbling, sorry. My guess is that Bakugou will come after the two of us while Iida stays with the bomb-our worst chance would be both of us against both of them. Best case, we can get just us against Iida, but Bakugou is strong-he's earned that respect. I bet that he'll come after me, allowing you to move past and find Iida. Let me know when you do-I'll try to get away from Bakugou and join you from there." He paused. "Uh…anything you want to add?"
"That all sounds good to me!" Uraraka said. "You seem almost familiar with both of them, though, Deku."
Izuku tensed up at that and turned and blinked at her.
"...what did you just call me?" Izuku asked.
"Deku-that's what Bakugou's been calling you?" Uraraka said.
"...you know that means useless, right?" Izuku asked.
Uraraka's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm sorry, it just sounded like Dekiru-like you can do it!"
"...feel free to call me that, then, but just…just not Deku," Izuku said, then thought for a few seconds. "Midoriya or Izuku works, too. Call me anything, really."
"Wait, really?" Uraraka asked.
"Yeah-I have a twin brother, so I'm used to not being called Midoriya to differentiate between the two of us," Izuku said.
"That's so cool-does he go here?" Uraraka asked. "In 1-B?"
"1-C, actually," Izuku said, looking at the building. "But that's not the point." He tapped his earpiece to talk to All Might. "Hey, All Might sensei?"
"Yes, Young Midoriya?" All Might asked.
"Once we enter the building, are we allowed to leave before time's up?" Izuku asked-better make sure there's no penalty for this.
"Of course!" All Might said.
"Sweet, thanks," Izuku said, then turned to Uraraka. "If you need to, feel free to climb between windows-can you make yourself float?"
"I can, but it makes me nauseous," Uraraka said.
"Ah, not a fun weakness to work around," Izuku nodded. "If necessary, the ledges by the windows look wide enough to slide on if you're careful-but only if necessary."
"Ok!" Uraraka said.
"Hero team, are you ready?"
Both of them nodded.
"Your fifteen minutes starts…NOW!"
Izuku quickly walked into the building, Uraraka right behind him.
"Alright, keep close, and the second you get a chance, go on without me," Izuku said.
"Right!" Uraraka said-
"DEKU!"
Bakugou came bursting around the corner, immediately aiming for Izuku with-you guessed it-a right hook.
Now, Izuku might have once cowered in fear. He might have once let himself get beat up, or been too scared to fight back against his bully, or just generally at a disadvantage.
Instead, Izuku grabbed onto Bakugou's arm, minding the explosion he set off, and shouted, "NOW!" as he slammed Bakugou onto the floor, noting that Uraraka ran right afterwards.
"You-what-" Bakugou said as Izuku stepped back and got into a fighting stance while Bakugou hopped up.
"You always start with a right-hook, you know that?" Izuku said. "You always have, ever since we were kids. I know how to fight against you-and I know how to win, too."
If looks could kill…well, which one of them would have been dead first? Bakugou, who was glaring daggers and clearly about to lunge into the fight, or Izuku, who looked at every single weak point he could find in Bakugo's costume and began to plan around how to exploit that?
Bakugou lunged at Izuku with a roar, explosions being set off, again, going for a right hook-will he never learn to adapt? Izuku stepped to the side, then dodged down when Bakugou set off an explosion to change the direction he was going to aim right back at Izuku-smart idea, it almost worked-keyword being almost. Izuku dodged down and to the side, then quickly rebounded, and before Bakugou could react, Izuku brought up his foot and slammed down into Bakugou's back, sending him to the ground, but Bakugou kicked out his legs to try and catch Izuku off balance.
Izuku braced against the kick and managed to stay upright as he grabbed out the capture tape-he wasn't completely sure if Bakugou would really stay down if captured-he was supposed to, but supposed to and actually doing so are two very different things when Bakugou wants to keep fighting or doesn't feel like he's been properly defeated.
"You damn nerd!" Bakugou said, throwing another punch at Izuku, then grabbing at his gauntlet. "You were supposed to be weak with that weird quirk of yours-not show up with something stronger!"
"Well, sorry to disappoint!" Izuku said, then rushed at Bakugou as the explosion boy grinned, then began to pull something on the gauntlet-
It looks like a grenade-is he about to set off an explosion?!
Vaguely, Izuku could hear something over the comms, and Bakugou replied, but Izuku couldn't focus on that-he had to get the fuck out of the way of that blast before it killed him-
Izuku could feel the heat of the explosion, but barely managed to duck under the gauntlet just in time-his hood got singed, he could distinctly smell burning fabric-the fabric was fireproof, but at point blank like that, didn't matter-and he prayed there was no damage as he punched once, twice-just as Bakugou realized what was happening, before he could pull his arm away-Izuku hit the third point he was going for, grabbing onto the arm as it went slack and yanking Bakugou forward.
The explosive boy wasn't down just yet and brought his other hand to set an explosion off right in Izuku's face.
Oh come on, Bakugou, your tell is obvious, even for you.
Izuku quickly reached up with the capture tape and secured it around Bakugou's wrist, bringing up his knee to smash into the gauntlet, causing Bakugou to falter as Izuku then yanked Bakugou down-there's always another pressure point-his costume doesn't cover it, so this is going to be easier-and brought his hand up to his neck, hitting his intended pressure point hard, causing Bakugou to fall to the ground, out cold. Just in case, though, Izuku was quick to secure the capture tape, then he tapped his comm.
"I've captured Bakugou-where are you?" Izuku asked.
"Third floor, Room 5-Iida's smart, he hid all things I could use for ammo," Uraraka replied. "But now he's…monologuing?"
"Got it-I'm right below you," Izuku said, walking over to the window. "Keep him looking away from the window and eyes on you-I'll be there in a few seconds."
"Got it," Uraraka said, then went off the comm as Izuku climbed out of the window and looked up. There weren't any pipes to climb up, and the windowsill was very thin…it would be easier with a fire escape, but he'd make do.
Izuku took a deep breath, then jumped from the window and grabbed onto the thin ledge, carefully pulling himself up-thankfully, he wasn't too far off the ground, so if he fell, he wouldn't be too badly hurt.
Izuku peeked into the window to see…yep, Iida was indeed monologuing. He's dedicated to the role, at least-he'd make a great theater kid, not gonna lie. But his dedication would be the end of him here.
Izuku tested out the window-it wasn't locked, so he didn't have to break the window and risk tearing his costume-sue him, he had a sentimental attachment to it.
Either way, he carefully climbed through the window and slowly snuck up, smiling under his mask as Iida was saying something about "the proper way to be a villain is to let the hero truly know that they have lost." Izuku stood next to the bomb, looking it up and down for a second before touching it-
"THE BOMB HAS BEEN CAPTURED-HERO TEAM WINS!"
Iida spun around as Izuku and Uraraka burst out laughing.
"W-When-how?!" Iida said. "I thought that Bakugou-"
"He's unconscious right below us," Izuku said, then tapped his comm. "All Might, want me to bring him to the viewing room, or…?"
"Ah, that won't be necessary-Recovery Girl's medical robots are already deployed to pick him up and bring him to the infirmary!" All Might said.
"Oh, that won't be that necessary-I just hit a pressure point, he's not injured…too badly," Izuku said.
"Protocol!" All Might said.
"Fair enough," Izuku said.
"Now, make your way to the viewing room for feedback!" All Might said.
"Let's go!" Iida said, and the three left the building-Izuku glanced to see Bakugou getting taken by the recovery bots despite insisting that he was perfectly fucking fine, asshole!
…..
"Now, who was the MVP of this round?"
"I would say Midoriya-he executed his strategy with ease and captured the bomb. His takedown of Bakugou was quick as well, crucial to a real villain fight."
"Very good observation, young Yaoyorozu!" All Might said. "Now, anyone have other notes for the battle trial?"
"I do, actually," Izuku said, then looked at Iida. "You moved everything Uraraka could have used for ammo out to make it easier for you-that was a great strategy."
"Oh, thank you!" Iida said.
"That is a good point, young Iz-Midoriya!" All Might said. "As for Young Uraraka, any notes?"
"I would suggest finding other odds and ends to use your quirk on, perhaps carrying some on yourself, or using your quirk on Iida to stop him," Yaoyorozu said.
"Having extra ammo on yourself is always a good idea, but acting as a distraction was a good idea, too," Izuku added, looking at Uraraka, then at Iida. "No offense, but the monologue thing was a little…over the top, so Uraraka indulging in it gave her time to strategize and figure out a plan of action in the moment, which turned into waiting for me."
"That is a good point-distractions, especially when having backup at the ready, can be beneficial," Yaoyorozu said.
"Alright, time for the next trial!" All Might said, going to draw the next two groups.
Yaoyorozu ended up walking up to Izuku. "Want to look at critiques together? You seem to know what you're doing."
"Sure!" Izuku said. "You made some great points about performances-any critiques for me?"
"Perhaps taking down Bakugou before the blast went off?" Yaoyorozu said. "All Might had to ban him from using it again, so I assume it was very dangerous-if it was a villain using something like that and had aimed at the structure of the building, it could have put everyone at risk of the building collapsing."
"That's a great point-you're right, I should have gone for the knock-out immediately, perhaps a sneak attack, or the moment I got close enough," Izuku said.
"He snuck up on you, so it would likely have been the second-the moment you started hitting his ar, aiming for the neck would have been a better idea if possible-his costume wasn't fortified there, either," Yaoyorozu said, and the two continued their little nerd rant about that as the next round started.
…..
By the time the day ended-and Bakugou came back to class, grumbling about how he shouldn't have left in the first place-Izuku had a new friend, a reason to avoid Bakugou-or, well, another, they weren't exactly friends anymore, hadn't been for a while-and a sense of anxiety as the day went on until he was standing outside the teacher's lounge.
I can do this-I already got through the hard part yesterday. I can do this. I can do this-
The door opened, and Cementoss-sensei stepped out, right into Izuku, causing the student to stumble back slightly.
"Oh goodness, I'm sorry," Cementoss-sensei said, helping Izuku steady himself. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah," Izuku said. "M-My bad-"
"Is that the Green Midoriya?"
Present Mic poked his head out of the door with a big smile on his face.
"H-Hi, Present Mic-sensei," Izuku said.
"Hi, Midoriya!" Present Mic-sensei said. "Let's get going-change into your gym uniform and meet me at Gym Zelta-do you know where that is?"
"Y-Yeah-I memorized the map-to the NorthWest of the building, right?" Izuku asked.
"Yep!" Present Mic-sensei said. "I'm heading there now, so meet you there!"
"Ok!" Izuku said, then turned and speed-walked-he didn't run-to the locker room to change.
….
Damnit, where did he go?!
Denki grumbled to himself-right after class, Midoriya had run off-he was going to ask if he could ride home with the twins-a chance to get to know Hitoshi a little more!-but he didn't get the chance to ask! The whole day!
It didn't help that he had a hard time remembering what stop to get off on…and had trouble getting to his apartment building from there.
Maybe he and Hitoshi leave right after school? Then I won't get the chance to hang out with them! Can't go to school with them, can't go home with them-try to sit with them at lunch? I'm sure Ashido and Sero would understand, right? I hope so-
Midoriya suddenly turned a corner and started walking towards Denki.
"Oh, hey, Kaminari," Midoriya said as he walked by.
"Hey, Midoriya-hey, where you going?" Denki asked, quickly following Midoriya as he walked down the hall.
"Uh…I have somewhere to be," Midoriya said.
"Heading home-can I tag along?" Denki asked.
"Uh…not yet," Midoriya said.
"Wait, really?" Denki asked. "I can wait and come with-we're going to the same place, anyway-"
"I'm busy-really sorry," Midoriya said, then paused. "Hitoshi's hanging out in the library for a while, though-maybe go ask him?"
Perfect!
"Got it-have fun with whatever you're doing!" Denki said, then turned, then stopped. "Which way's the library, again?"
"Take the hallway three to the right, two to the left, then walk past the Gen Ed classes-you'll see it," Midoriya said.
"Thanks!" Denki said, then turned and tried to follow those directions, succeeding and finding himself at the school library-middle school him wouldn't be caught dead here, but he could make an exception for such a hot boy.
Denki stepped into the library, looking around-alright, where was Hitoshi sitting…?
Denki turned around a corner, and there he was, sitting at a table and reading a textbook, taking notes.
How does he always look so hot?!
Hitoshi looked up and spotted Denki, blinking at him.
Well, no backing down now.
"Hi!" Denki said, then walked over and plopped down next to the taller boy. "Mind if I wait here until you go home? I spotted your twin, said he was busy and said you'd be here."
"Ah," Hitoshi said. "On his way to or from the teacher's lounge?"
"Uh…I don't know?" Denki said, thinking. "I think…from?"
Hitoshi nodded, looking back at his book. "Makes sense."
"What's he up to?" Denki asked.
"Probably wouldn't want me to tell you," Hitoshi said.
"Ok," Denki said, peeking at the textbook. "What'cha reading?"
"A medical textbook," Hitoshi said.
"Planning on being a doctor?" Denki asked.
"Nope, hero-but it's always a good idea to know first aid," Hitoshi said.
"Oh, right!" Denki said. "How are you getting into the hero course?"
"Sports Festival," Hitoshi said. 'If I get to round three, there's almost a guarantee that I'll get in."
"Awesome-hope you end up in our class-but that might get confusing with two Midoriyas, huh?" Denki said.
"Eh, probably, but Izuku and I have been in the same class since we were ten," Hitoshi said, turning the page and squinting at it. "I don't know if it's sad or not that I already know all of this."
"Oh?" Denki asked, looking at the page… "I don't. Mind explaining it?"
"Sure," Hitoshi said, then gestured at the page.
…..
"Ok, so I looked at the video of you using your quirk at the entrance exam, then at the quirk assessment test yesterday," Present Mic-sensei said. "You're doing really well with hand-to-hand from what Aizawa's told me, so we're just figuring out your quirk. Any ideas you've been working with?"
"Uh…just two," Izuku said, fidgeting slightly. "I…I think my bones might be breaking because I'm not controlling the power output? Like…like if you put an egg in a microwave and turn it up too much and it explodes? I just need to keep it at the lower end and not let my bones break…I just have to figure out how to do that. It's not like I've had to personally control a quirk before, and since I don't exactly have quirk nerves, I'm going to have to spend every second controlling the output of my quirk to prevent it from going overboard until my subconscious mind can take care of that, or until my body develops a set of quirk nerves on its own, but I'm not sure if that's going to happen-I'll have to look into case files for that and see if it's happened before, someone getting a quirk later in life and not having quirk nerves but developing them, but then again, quirk nerves aren't exactly the most studied area…" Izuku stopped, hunching his shoulders. "S-Sorry."
"That's alright, little listener-can't say I caught all of that, so would you mind walking me through?" Present Mic-sensei asked. "Sounds like you had some very interesting ideas that we might be able to work with."
"O-Ok," Izuku said, thinking for a few seconds. "Well…"
….
"Sorry I'm late-hi, Kaminari! Coming home with us, then?"
Denki looked up as Midoriya entered the library and walked over to their table.
"Hey, Izuku-how'd it go?" Hitoshi asked.
Midoriya glanced at Denki, then back at Hitoshi. "It went well enough-time to head home?"
"Yep," Hitoshi said, quickly packing up his things, Denki doing the same. Both boys stood up.
"Great!" Midoriya said, taking out his phone and sending a text. "Just let Mom know…also, I'm staying after tomorrow, too." He glanced at Hitoshi, then at Denki. "You can head home sooner if you want, you know."
"I can wait," Hitoshi said.
"I don't mind, either-if you're fine with me waiting here each day, that is," Denki said.
Hitoshi looked at him. "You're insistent on that…I don't get it."
"Well, we're friends, and friends usually go home together, so…" Denki said.
Please don't deny it-my heart wouldn't take it!
"...huh," Hitoshi said, shrugging. "That's fair-still, though, don't feel like you have to wait."
"I want to, though!" Denki said as they left the library. "So, Hitoshi, did you hear about heroics class today? Your brother killed it."
"...what happened?" Hitoshi asked as Midoriya groaned.
And that's all for today, folks!
Sorry this took a little bit. I'm finishing this at a DND event-I got to run a one-shot that ended over an hour earlier than it was supposed to…oh well! I had a lot of fun!
I'll see you soon!