Mr Yagi

by SassySovereign

It just didn't make sense for All Might to become a teacher at U.A. But perhaps it would work alright for Toshinori Yagi, a secretary-manager with years worth of experience of working at a hero agency who can teach the kids how to navigate working at an agency as a Pro. Hopefully no one at U.A. figures out that he and All Might are one and the same.

29. Chapter 29: In Your Likeness

Chapter Summary: The boy born with everything speaks to the boy born with nothing.

This chapter contains spoilers for Season 5, as it discusses details that are brought up during that season.

CW: discussion of abuse, child deaths, bullying and suicide

Ochaco wanted to trust Midoriya. Although she hadn't known him for very long, he had quickly cemented himself into her mind as a friend and someone that she could lean on for support when the time came. She liked to think that he thought the same of her, or at the very least, that he could begin to. But, there she was, creeping down the halls and following after him like some sort of stalker. She tried to tell herself it was just to be safe, that it would be better to keep an eye on him should Todoroki try anything, but she knew deep down it wasn't just that.

'I want to know what they're talking about,' she thought, paying mind to the tread of her steps. A frown settled across her lips as she recalled how Todoroki spoke to Midoriya just moments before they made their way to the field. 'Maybe it'll explain what his damage with Deku is…'

Her first interaction with him had been by pure chance. Had she been any slower or faster in getting to U.A., it was likely that she would have never seen this kid tripping over his own feet and nearly face plant into the ground, let alone be able to stop his descent with her Quirk. She hadn't given much thought to it, not even when they both made it inside for the written exam. When he gained Iida's ire by rambling to himself out loud, the most she had done was huff a quiet laugh through her nose and silently pray that the poor guy would catch a break.

Then, the practical exam began and she went running alongside the rest of her examinees to greet their mechanical foes. There wasn't much of an opportunity to watch what everyone else was doing when she had her own points to worry about, so she wasn't too keen on trying to guess what everyone's Quirks were or where their performance would land them in the grand scheme of things.

That was, until she felt a large gust of wind and heard a rallying battle cry:

"Smash!"

Ochaco could still recall the way she turned on her heel to see the owner of the voice and how her eyes nearly bugged out of her skull. There stood Midoriya– not that she knew his name at the time– with his hand raised and his eyes burning with a determination she could hardly fathom. It was such a far picture from the shy, stammering boy she had first encountered. That was further compounded when he pulled his middle finger back behind his thumb and sent another attack at a three-pointer, knocking it back into the facade of a building.

"How many points was that…?" she remembered hearing him mutter. He ticked off his fingers for a second, then shook his head. "I guess I'll find out when the exam is over."

At the reminder of the fact that they were currently in the middle of a test, Ochaco ditched her curiosity and pulled her focus back onto the task at hand. She faced off against the machines alongside the rest of her examinees and did well to dodge their attacks as they grew more and more frantic with each passing second. Then, as the final moments of the exam came, they sent out the Executors.

She didn't like to think too much about that part; the way the monstrous machine destroyed everything in its path and left her trapped in the debris still kept her up on some nights. She could hardly cry for help with the weight pushing down on her and she struggled to bring her hands up from the ground, hoping and praying that she would be able to use her Quirk to get the concrete off of her. In her panicked state, she had hardly processed the sound of footfalls and the crunch of pavement as powerful legs bunched together, only to spring forward in a leap that was so grand it almost looked like flying to Ochaco.

The shockwave that came from her savior's fist colliding with the Executor had been absolutely breathtaking .

And then, she watched with growing terror as he came tumbling through the air, and before she knew it, she was floating atop the wreckage of the broken machine in an attempt to reach him. Her palm made contact with his cheek and she willed him to stay up, up, up off the ground, hoping that her power was enough to save him from an unfair early death. It wasn't until her nausea finally overtook her that she finally allowed the two of them to fall prey to the effects of gravity and she slumped onto her makeshift aircraft, her eyes watering with unshed tears.

"I really scrambled my egg, didn't I?" the boy exclaimed suddenly. At the reminder of what she ate for breakfast that morning, Ochaco couldn't stop the bile from rising up her throat and surrendered the battle to contain her insides.

Everything else that followed was a blur: Recovery Girl coming to her aid, her being escorted to the infirmary, and her eyes being glued to the ceiling for an indeterminate amount of time. The first thing she could clearly recall was Recovery Girl sitting her up and popping a tablet into her hand.

"Take this, dearie," she ordered gently. Ochaco did just that and the elderly woman smiled. "That should settle any residual nausea. Now, why don't you go and wait in the lobby for your parents?"

She planted a kiss on Ochaco's head and with it, she became relieved, yet exhausted almost all at once. With a final order to take it easy for the rest of the day, she dredged into the lobby and plopped onto a seat. She couldn't even bring herself to mindlessly stare at her phone with how tired she felt and instead leaned back against the wall behind her. Her eyes drifted to a close and she exhaled, allowing the minutes to tick past without a care. Then, a shrill voice broke through the noise:

"My baby! Where's my baby?!"

Blinking, Ochaco sat up in her seat to see a woman frantically looking around the lobby. Her green hair was half-up, the lower half a bit frizzy and unkempt. She toyed with the cuffs of her pink cardigan and nervously chewed on her lip. With most of the students already gone, the few remaining people eyed the woman curiously, but said nothing to her as her head snapped to and fro in desperation. Despite her legs still feeling like jelly, Ochaco stood up from her seat.

"Hey," she greeted, causing the woman to turn towards her, "is everything okay?"

The woman sniffled. "I-It's my son… I got a call that he got injured during the exam. They said he would be fine, but he–" She choked on the word and slipped a hand over her mouth. "He broke his bones… "

The image of Midoriya lying prone on the pavement brought that feeling of nausea back. "Oh… Did they tell you how he was doing?"

"Just that Recovery Girl was with him," she replied. With another sniffle, she swiped at her cheek. "I-I'm just worried… I know that she's good at what she does, but that's still my baby, you know?"

Ochaco's eyes fell downcast. "I'm sorry…"

"Oh, honey, it's not your fault," Mrs. Midoriya reassured her. When she placed her hand on Ochaco's shoulder, it drew her gaze back up to her. She wouldn't realize it at the time, but the smile on her face looked just like the one Midoriya had. Or perhaps, it was vice versa, since he got it from her.

"It… kinda is my fault," Ochaco admitted, making the woman blink. She fiddled with the edges of her skirt. "You see, I… I got stuck in some debris and your son… Well, there was this robot –"

"What?"

"It was part of the exam," Ochaco clarified, though that didn't appear to comfort her. She inhaled through her nose and clutched her skirt. "I was trying to get out, but I was still stuck and I guess he saw me, so he–"

"He saved you," she interjected. Her free hand drew to her mouth, smothering the soft sob that came out. "Oh, God… "

Ochaco found her eyes stinging and looked away. "Listen… I-I'm sorry he got hurt. I didn't mean to get stuck, but if I hadn't–"

"Oh, sweetie ," Mrs. Midoriya chided, stopping her dead. She squeezed Ochaco's shoulder and shook her head. "Don't you feel guilty, not even for a second . This isn't your fault." To her surprise, she let out a watery chuckle. "If anything, I should have expected it when I got the call… That boy has a habit of running into fire when others get stuck in it."

"Huh?" she blurted out. "You mean he's done this before? "

Her eyes were underlined with a trace of humor. "He went running into a villain attack a couple months back… He chucked his backpack at him just so he'd let my godkid go."

Ochaco gasped. "He didn't. "

"He did!" she laughed. "Thankfully, All Might stepped in, so things got taken care of pretty quickly…" As her laughter subsided, she wiped her cheek again. "Don't get me wrong, I love my son, but he's got a habit of scaring the living daylights out of me. So don't you blame yourself for this… That's just who he is."

Their conversation was cut short by a staff member stepping into the lobby. Upon seeing him, Midoriya's mother murmured an apology before giving her shoulder one last squeeze and running towards him to ask about her son's whereabouts. Ochaco watched for a long moment as the two talked amongst themselves and clutched the strap of her bag tightly. With one final look at her back, Ochaco turned heel and went down the hall, on a mission to make things right.

Her talk with Present Mic hadn't gone how she hoped. When she spoke up about how he saved her, she offered some of her points if it would help ensure his place at U.A. However, the hero she would come to know as her English teacher simply patted her head and let her know that she had nothing to worry about. She didn't see how.

'I thought he was going to fail,' she thought. The image of his broken body on the pavement made her shake her head with a frown. 'I thought they were going to disqualify him for breaking his bones… But it turned out to be the opposite.'

It wouldn't be until she got her results in the mail that she learned of his fate. Principal Nedzu's face smiled at her in the hologram message and he walked her through the events of the exam, showing her the full scale of Midoriya's attack on the Executor. Then, she watched through tear-filled eyes as both she and Midoriya received rescue points, ensuring their place in the hero academia. Her parents had pulled her into a tight hug and she cried between them both, hardly able to fathom it all.

Perhaps that was why she was so concerned; she didn't want him to get hurt, not like he did that day they met. Although the logical part of her told her that Todoroki wouldn't do something as crazy as attack him during a lunch break, she couldn't rid herself of that fear that something bad was coming her friend's way. Even if she didn't have Todoroki to worry about, a lot of people had already swung their weight at her friend, the last round of the festival leaving her and her team to face far too many close calls for her liking.

'That Shinsou guy came out of nowhere,' she thought, the memory of their opponent's face nearly making her shiver. Her arms drew close to her chest and she shook her head. 'I don't know what he did, but… It didn't feel good.'

Were it not for the impact of Midoriya's smash, she might not have ever snapped out of that horrible dissociative state. She wasn't sure what it was that pulled him out enough to be able to draw his finger back and deliver that blow, but in the end, she supposed it didn't matter; it had done the trick. She was thankful that Shinsou seemed to have cut his losses and decided to put his attention elsewhere, though that still didn't make her feel better. He had qualified for the next round, just as she had– was there a chance she would face against him?

A yelp nearly startled out of her when someone's hand clamped onto her shoulder. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Ochaco clapped her hand over her mouth and reeled on her unknown assailant. When she met Bakugou's questioning gaze, however, her fear quickly faded into irritation.

"What am I doing here?" she barked back. Ochaco jerked her shoulder back and stepped away from him. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

Bakugou snorted. "I wouldn't be asking what you were doing if I were, Pink Cheeks. I would have just kept my mouth shut and found out for myself." He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her. "Why are you skulking in the hallways? No point in lyin', so 'fess up."

" You 'fess up!" she countered, raising an accusatory finger. "I don't have to answer to you, especially when you've been nothing but a major jerk to everyone in our class! You can't just bully people to get what you want."

Anger flashed in his eyes and he leaned forward. "I don't have to be nice to someone who's acting like a stalker ."

Ochaco blinked. "E xcuse me?"

"You were following Deku, weren't you?" he accused, causing her to inhale sharply. When she couldn't find the words to say in response, he snorted. "I knew it. Don't think he'd appreciate it if he found out what a weirdo his new friend is."

"I… I was just…" she tried to say. Then, her brows furrowed and she waved a hand. "Wait a minute… If you're here, then…" In an instant, her eyebrows shot up to her forehead and she pointed at him. "You were following him, too, weren't you?"

Bakugou blinked and sputtered aloud, which nearly made her grin. She slid a hand over her mouth to hide the smile threatening to spread across her lips and snorted out a giggle.

"Wow," she said, not even feeling bothered when he glared daggers at her, "aren't you a hypocrite?"

" Oi , shut your–" he began to say, only to stop dead. With a blink, he turned his head down the hallway and stared. Ochaco tracked his gaze, but saw nothing, which only added to her growing confusion. It wasn't until she heard the tread of footsteps that she clasped her hand tighter over her mouth and suppressed a gasp.

Both of them leaped away from each other and pressed their backs to the wall. The entry to the hallway lingered between their forms, pregnant with their shared silence. Ochaco dared to lean her head to sneak a look, but a quiet curse and a swift gesture from Bakugou made her hesitate. She dipped back to the wall and Bakugou shook his head at her before raising his hand to his neck, jerking his palm in a familiar motion: "Cut it out."

An awkward clear of the throat broke their stare. "So… You wanted to talk to me, Todoroki?"

Ochaco inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to settle her nerves. She had been dead set on wanting to know what Todoroki wanted with her friend, but now that she was actually listening in, she felt an inkling of unease. She just prayed that she kept quiet long enough to keep from being caught.

"Um," Midoriya continued, his nervousness mirroring Ochaco's, "if we don't hurry, the mess hall will get crowded and… we might not get to eat our lunch, so…"

The silence persisted. Ochaco glanced at Bakugou and his eyes flitted in time to meet with hers. She nodded her head down the hall and he shrugged, clearly just as confused as she was. Thankfully, they weren't left waiting for long when Todoroki finally began to speak.

"You blindsided me," he told him, "so much so that you made me break my pledge… A promise that I made to myself years ago and have never come close to breaking until now."

Although anger was evident in his tone, Ochaco couldn't help but feel an undertone of sadness flowing beneath it. She thought back to the battle, right as they were nearing the end of the ticking clock and Midoriya made his move against Todoroki. At first, she thought she had been seeing things when the flickers of flames took form across his arm, as she had never seen him summon them before. The closest she had seen was in the aftermath of simulations and spars, when he would melt his ice to decrease need for clean-up. Was that the vow that he was talking about?

"So…" Midoriya drawled, clearly uncomfortable, "what is it you wanted to tell me?"

"I know about your connection to All Might," Todoroki replied, the mere words sucking the air out of the hall. His tone remained unchanged when he continued with, "Your power is far too much like his to ignore… Over the course of our time training together, it's become incredibly clear that you share many of his abilities. Although, you are far more sloppy in application and use."

Ochaco glanced over to see Bakugou roll his eyes and resisted the urge to snap at him for it.

"Okay, uh, I guess I can see that," Midoriya responded. His shoes squeaked awkwardly as he adjusted himself. "You're not the first person to bring that up… But I still don't see how that means All Might and I are connected. What exactly makes you think that?"

"Sensei Yagi wanted to speak with you after the attack," he disclosed, which made Ochaco tense up. Had Todoroki overheard their teacher ask to speak to him? Or had he overheard Ochaco and her fellow officers discussing it in the lunchroom? "And it would seem he used to be an employee of All Might's."

A sharp inhale brought Ochaco's attention back to Bakugou and she saw him staring ahead with wide eyes. It suddenly sunk in that not all of her classmates were privy to that fact, considering Ochaco only knew because Tsuyu had disclosed it to her a few weeks back. Perhaps Todoroki had been eavesdropping.

'I guess it's only fair that I do the same here,' she justified to herself silently.

"Huh?" Midoriya blurted out. "Where did you hear that? "

Todoroki scoffed quietly. "Are you saying you didn't know?"

"No," he answered instantly, "I-I mean, I know it's his first year teaching and all, but it's the first that I'm hearing of him working for All Might ."

Ochaco's brows furrowed. So he hadn't known, either? Hadn't he been there with Tsuyu when their teacher first revealed that to the ringleader of the League of Villains? Or had he simply forgotten in the midst of the chaos?

"If that's the case," Todoroki went on, "then what did you talk about? Was he offering you the chance to apprentice under All Might due to his connection to him?"

Midoriya audibly sputtered. " W-What? Why's that the first place you jumped to?"

Were Ochaco any further away from Bakugou, she might not have heard him mutter, "Fucking hell… "

Before Ochaco could truly feel the fear of potentially being caught, however, Todoroki surprised her further with his next sentence:

"Because," he said, "they're brothers."

The air became heavy with the silence that followed after. Ochaco didn't even dare to take a breath– not that she was sure she could with how shocked she was. Were her hand not already over her mouth, she feared she might have made a sound that would alert them to her presence. Her eyes trailed back over to Bakugou in hopes that he would ensure she had misheard him, but he was staring back at her, clearly just as bewildered. Neither of them moved; neither of them said a word.

'Sensei Yagi…' she thought, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. 'Could he really be All Might's brother?'

As crazy as it sounded, she couldn't help but be intrigued. Both her teacher and the Symbol were blond-haired and blue-eyed– was it just a coincidence or truly proof of their relation? Was Sensei Yagi the older sibling of the two? Or was it All Might? How many years did they have between them? Was it possible they were twins?

Then, the quiet was broken by a snicker. Had Bakugou not blinked in surprise, Ochaco would have guessed it to have come from him, but the source quickly became clear when it was followed up by an even louder giggle. Despite her trepidation, she peeked her head around the corner and watched as Midoriya's shoulders shook with laughter. His face dipped down and the shadows his hair cast hid his expression. It wasn't until he tossed his head back and straightened up that the sun's rays from the exit illuminated his joy-filled face. His teeth gleamed in the light before he clapped a hand over his mouth to smother the sounds and he slumped forward, slipping an arm over his stomach.

"You…" he tried to say, only to stop dead with a wheeze. Midoriya took in a deep breath through his nose and giggled again. "You think that All Might and Sensei Yagi are brothers? "

Todoroki didn't appear as amused as Midoriya. "You think it's not possible?"

Another laugh rumbled out of him. "No, it's just… Whew, I was not expecting you to say that! "

When he began to straighten up, Ochaco quickly ducked back behind the wall and pressed against it. Any lingering fear she had at being seen disappeared with another laugh from Midoriya and he sniffed.

"Oh, man, am I crying? " he questioned. Todoroki said nothing and he chuckled nervously. "Sorry… I'm not laughing at you , I'm just… Sorry. Just give me a second…"

A low growl escaped Todoroki. "This is ludicrous… Are you telling me you seriously had no idea?"

"About that? " Midoriya replied. "No, as a matter of fact, I didn't. I wouldn't have laughed that hard if I did."

"This isn't a joke ," Todoroki snapped, causing Midoriya's residual laughter to fade. An undeniable chill entered the air and Ochaco shuddered. "There's far too many coincidences for there to be any other explanation. First, people assume All Might works here around the time Sensei Yagi does; then, the attack on the U.S.J. happens within days of classes starting; and lastly, the fact that All Might went all the way down to the U.S.J. in the first place. Why else would he have hurried without reinforcements if his own flesh and blood wasn't in danger?"

Now that his laughter had subsided, Ochaco could feel a shift in Midoriya from where she stood. "He's All Might . He would have come running into fire for anyone . That doesn't prove anything."

"And yet, Yagi has managed to land a job teaching at U.A. when he has no prior experience," Todoroki countered, "likely because he had his brother put in a good word for him. An alumnus like All Might is sure to carry weight." He scoffed. "The old man clearly has never taught a day in his life… "

"Sensei Yagi is a good teacher," Midoriya practically spat, "and yeah, he's hit a couple of bumps, but so has everyone else here. Not everyone who gets into U.A. is lucky enough to have someone in their corner to make sure that it happens."

Oh, if the chill hadn't been noticeable before, it quickly became so as the last word left Midoriya's mouth. Ochaco couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her entire body and she clamped her mouth shut to keep her teeth from chattering.

"Um…" Midoriya drew out, his voice growing small, "I-I didn't mean that you got into U.A. because of that. I-I mean, I-I know your dad is–"

A loud SLAM! caused Ochaco to jump. "Don't you bring that bastard into this."

Hearing that sent a great wave of something unidentifiable through her body. She knew who Endeavor was; it would be impossible not to. Ranked right after All Might, he had gained a reputation for being the polar opposite of the smiling Symbol of Peace. In all honesty, some part of Ochaco was scared of him, though she couldn't identify why.

Todoroki let out a deep breath and slowly, the cold air began to warm up. "Fine… If he wasn't reaching out to you about All Might, then what did Sensei Yagi say to you? You two spoke in private after the attack."

Midoriya's shoes squeaked again. "He was just checking in on me… I got my arm broken by that thing All Might went up against and he wanted to see if I was doing okay." He exhaled. "He saw me in the infirmary with Recovery Girl after it happened, so he knows how bad it was… My mom was a wreck when she came to pick me up."

The memory of Mrs. Midoriya's tear-filled eyes made Ochaco's heart sink just a bit. Midoriya really did have a habit of scaring her, just like she said. When her next breath was accompanied by fog, however, she straightened up with a blink. Her eyes caught onto Bakugou and he held up his hand in front of his face, watching the mist take form in front of it. They looked at each other in confusion until Midoriya coughed.

"Um… I-Is that everything?" he questioned softly. When Todoroki didn't respond, she heard his feet shuffle awkwardly. "L-Listen, I'm sorry if I made you upset, I-I was just–"

"It's no matter," Todoroki interjected. Slowly, the chill that had occupied the hall once again began to creep away, albeit slowly. "Even if you aren't a protege of All Might's or have caught his attention, there is no denying that your power is much like his… And that makes you someone I need to beat ."

"Why?" Midoriya shot back. Ochaco watched his shadow lean forward as he stood up from the wall. "You keep telling me that I'm someone you need to defeat, but you won't say why. Just what exactly is so special about me or the fact that my power is like All Might's? Do you have something against him?"

Once again, silence made its residence within the hallway and Ochaco worried that the answer would never come. Then, her concern took on a new form with the next question Todoroki asked:

"Are you familiar with the concept of Quirk marriages?"

Vlad King let out a heavy breath. " Man , those last two rounds were intense… Had me on the edge of my seat."

A smile tugged at Toshinori's lips and he chuckled. "That makes both of us."

The lunch break was a welcome reprieve from the high energy of the festival, which had already begun to leave Toshinori's nerves in disarray. As if the obstacle course hadn't been stressful enough, the cavalry battle nearly had him chewing on his fingernails, his eyes never once leaving the field for fear of missing a game-changing move from one of his students. It wasn't until his protege stood in the midst of his cheering teammates in a hug that he finally allowed for the tension in his shoulders to dissipate and he slumped back into his seat.

'You really had to wait until the last second to pull it around, didn't you?' he thought. Even so, he couldn't stop himself from grinning as he watched Dark Shadow wave the winning headband over his head. 'You absolute stinker.'

"You planning on getting lunch, Yagi?" asked Thirteen, breaking him out of his thoughts. They jerked their thumb down the hallway. "Lunch Rush already has a spread ready for us down in the kitchen."

Toshinori shook his head. "Afraid not… Ever since my surgery, a meal from Lunch Rush is just too much for my gut." He patted his stomach. "A total gastrectomy will do that to you."

While Vlad King let out a shudder, Ectoplasm nodded in understanding. "Perhaps I can accompany you to get drinks. There's a boba stand down in the courtyard, if you would like some."

"Awww, yeaaaaah!" hollered a familiar voice, causing them all to jump. Present Mic popped up around a corner and shot the group with a pair of finger guns. "Put me down for some boba! You in, Eraser?"

Slowly, Aizawa shuffled into view and sighed raggedly. "I'm not standing in line that long. You can count me out."

"We can pick one up for you," Toshinori offered without hesitation. When the man's eyes shifted towards him, he smiled softly. "I'm sure you'd like to get some rest after all that commentating."

A snort huffed out of the man's nose. "You don't know the half of it."

" Aw , lighten up, man!" Present Mic whined. He rested a hand on his friend's shoulder and grinned. "Will a pretzel stick make ya feel better? Will it?"

"Unless it's salted with painkillers, I sincerely doubt that," Aizawa droned.

Trying not to frown, Toshinori stepped forward. "Are you hurting? Recovery Girl is down in the infirmary, if you need to–"

"I'm fine ," he stressed. He turned away from the group and began to shuffle off. "I'll be in the faculty room for the remainder of the lunch break… Try not to bother me."

"You still want some boba?" Present Mic called after him.

Aizawa paused, then peered over his shoulder. "Get me jasmine flavored, if they have it."

Grinning, Present Mic shot him a thumbs up. "You got it!"

Toshinori watched as Aizawa rolled his eyes, but the way his bandages creased around his lips made him wonder if he was smiling beneath them. He liked to think that he was.

"Alright," Vlad King stated, nodding over at the trio, "we'll see you guys down at the kitchen once you're done getting your boba." He nodded at Thirteen and pointed his thumb down the hall. "Thirteen and I have got a date with the Lunch Rush buffet!"

"You better not make yourself sick," Thirteen chided. She followed after Vlad when he took the lead down the hall. "We don't need a repeat of your first Sports Festival as a teacher."

Vlad King rolled his eyes. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Only because I was in the blast radius of your puke!"

A hand slipped over Toshinori's lips and he chuckled. "If the public knew this was how their Pros acted behind closed doors…"

"They'd laugh their butts off," Present Mic finished, nudging him with his elbow. He fell into step with Toshinori and Ectoplasm as they made their way down the hallway towards the staff exit. "You guys run into Midnight yet? I haven't seen her."

Ectoplasm shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Though, I have a feeling we'll see her soon enough… Or perhaps I'm hoping we won't, for our sake."

Toshinori arched his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, Midnight gets mad hangry around lunch time," Present Mic clarified. He crossed his arms behind his arm and laughed. "It's mega bad when she forgets to eat breakfast, so I know my girl is probably chomping at the bit." He leaned in with a knowing smile. "Probably why she got so snippy when the kids were talking while she was talking about the rules for the cavalry battle."

Almost immediately, Toshinori thought back to how Midnight cracked her whip and suppressed a shudder. "I… see. Well, let's hope when we see her, she'd already gotten her lunch."

"One can dream," Ectoplasm conceded.

As soon as the trio hit the exit, Present Mic stepped ahead and pushed the door open with his foot. Propping the door open with his hip, he bowed at the waist and made a sweeping gesture with his arms, beckoning Toshinori and Ectoplasm through. Once his fellow staff members made it though, he sprang up and jumped away from the door.

"Boba, boba, oh-so yum," he chanted to himself, "boba, boba, here we come! "

"You excited to be out of that booth?" Toshinori asked, unable to stop himself from smiling. When Present Mic spun on one of his heels and did a fantastical twirl, he chuckled. "You sure seem like it."

Present Mic planted his foot on the pavement and stopped his spin, accentuating the move with a pair of finger guns. "Oh, I'm just pumped because of what a showing our kiddos have given us! This has been quite the festival, wouldn't ya say?"

Ectoplasm nodded. "I've been pleasantly surprised by the ingenuity and strategizing that they've exhibited… Our first years are giving their senior classes a run for their money."

"Well, that's a no-brainer," Present Mic replied. His feet proceeded backwards while he faced the pair with a knowing grin. "We've got some major legacy kids in our year. You get kids like Yaoyorozu, Iida and Todoroki on the playing field together, you're sure to get a show!"

At the mention of Todoroki, Toshinori felt his smile start to wilt. He hadn't gone into the hallway with the intention of running into Endeavor– he had just gone to slip away to the restroom to take his medicine in private and found him there. When he had tried to have a conversation with him, he had been hopeful that he could glean something from his colleague, but he supposed that optimism had been a folly. It had been a decade since they last spoke and that had been when Toshinori was standing before him as All Might, someone Endeavor could see as a peer. Why he thought he could speak to him as Toshinori Yagi, he had no idea.

'We didn't exactly end our conversation on positive terms all those years back,' he admitted silently. His hand slid over his heart and he clutched his breast pocket. 'But I suppose I can't blame him… Grief can bring out the worst in a person.'

He didn't know a lot about the incident that claimed Endeavor's eldest son. Like most Pros, Endeavor's personal life was incredibly private and his family wasn't in the spotlight. Most colleagues knew that he had children, but additional details were sparse and in between. Toshinori himself didn't even know that Touya was in middle school until after he had passed.

"He won't talk about it," he remembered hearing Sasaki say. His sidekick's eyes were hidden beneath the gleam of his glasses, but even so, the sadness in his expression was undeniable. "And his wife… She's still recuperating in the hospital, the last I heard. My heart breaks for their family."

Much like many facets of his colleague's life, Toshinori was not privy as to why his wife had been hospitalized. He heard rumors that it had been for a health condition that flared up from some of his fellow Pros; however, his sidekick seemed certain that it was due to her mental health.

"One of Endeavor's sidekicks believes it started with postpartum depression," Sasaki confided, "with four children, it's likely that it graduated to a chronic disorder that requires intensive treatment." When Toshinori admonished him for partaking in gossip, his associate merely shook his head with a frown. "Yagi… I don't say this for my own amusement. I say this so you understand what a trying time this is for Endeavor. That man is dealing with more than any of us should, but won't let it show. Be gentle with him."

It was easier said than done. The next time he saw his colleague, the two of them had been answering questions about a recent disaster they had come together to help with, which in and of itself was a rarity for the two men. Toshinori faced the crowd with bright smiles and hearty laughs, while Endeavor had been far more reserved in his responses. The man who had built a reputation for regarding the press as pests and requests for autographs as asinine lacked his usual edge; his voice was far softer, far more resigned. Thankfully, none of the reporters commented on it– they at least knew not to risk gaining Endeavor's ire at such a time.

When the conference came to an end, Toshinori watched as Endeavor slipped off the stage and, before he knew it, his feet closed the distance between them. As soon as they were out of view of the cameras, his hand slipped to Endeavor's shoulder and the man came to a sudden still. He regarded Toshinori over his shoulder, his eyes burning with bemused irritation.

"I'm sorry," Toshinori murmured softly, "about your boy… I can only imagine how you must be feeling." He bowed his head and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know it likely doesn't mean much to hear at a time like this, but if you need anything… You know where to find me."

In an instant, Endeavor jerked away from his hold. "Don't you patronize me with your platitudes, you fool . I have no patience for it."

Despite his shock, Toshinori reached out again. "Endeavor, I didn't mean–"

"Of course you didn't," he snapped, "you never mean to do anything, do you? Well, newsflash , All Might; I don't need to be reminded of what I've lost because I'm living with it at every waking moment." The flames that immersed him grew brighter as he growled and turned away. "If you have a shred of decency, you'll let me grieve in private– not in a place swarming with those vultures they call the press."

Toshinori could never forget the image of Endeavor's back as he stalked down the hall. Even when Sasaki joined him and asked him about what happened, he didn't stop watching as his colleague's form became smaller and smaller. It wasn't until he disappeared behind a doorway that he finally managed to pry his feet from the spot and walk away, his heart feeling heavy.

When Toshinori encountered his own grief as a young boy, he had gotten lost in anger and self-destructive tendencies. Were it not for the guiding hand of Gran Torino, he was certain that he might have driven himself to an early grave, his desperation to punish any and everyone for his despair taking precedence over any sense of rationality. His mentor had been a bright, shining beacon, his island in a sea of chaos– losing her had left him drowning. But, while he had lost someone he had seen as a mother, Endeavor had lost his son and in a sense, the woman he loved. He couldn't begin to heal a hurt far greater than his own.

Still, he couldn't erase the frustration that lingered from their encounter in the hallway. He supposed he should have expected a desire for privacy in regards to young Todoroki's hesitance in using his fire, but the outright disrespect towards his colleagues and their efforts to help his son still ate at his insides. Most bothersome was Endeavor's comment about young Todoroki himself:

"The little brat is going through a rebellious phase."

'A rebellious phase of what, exactly?' he questioned internally. 'Just what is he trying to defy?'

"Ooooh, yeah!" Present Mic hollered, breaking him out of his thoughts. Toshinori watched as his colleague took off in a start towards a stand. "Boba tea stand! And the line isn't long yet! Looks like I don't have to pull the teacher card."

Despite himself, a small laugh huffed out of his nose. "Perfect timing on our part, I suppose. I wonder what flavor I should–"

His words were robbed from him blind when something knocked into his midsection. With the breath knocked out of him, Toshinori hunched over and clutched onto whatever it was that hit him. His brows creased in confusion when he felt the woven texture of a sweater. Then, the weight shifted in his hand and he realized that it was a person who had barreled into him, not an object. His assailant let out a shriek of terror as they reeled backwards from the impact and Toshinori's hand splayed out to steady his grip. Fighting against inertia, his other hand slipped to the back of the stranger's head to keep it from bouncing against the pavement. His next breath came in shakily and he peered out through squinted eyes to look his unwitting attacker in the face, only to blink in surprise.

"Mrs. Midoriya?" he blurted out. He blinked again and there, their eyes met. "Oh, my goodness, are you alright? "

Mrs. Midoriya's cheeks bloomed into a rosy shade of red and she covered her mouth in horror. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I-I was just trying to get through as fast as I could and I didn't see you, I–"

"Yo," interjected Present Mic, startling them both. He leaned down until his head was on the same level as Toshinori and Inko, his lips quirked up into a lop-sided grin. "I'm not one to shame people for PDA, but you might want to save the French dip for somewhere outside of a school festival, my guy. Wouldn't want Nedzu getting on your case."

It was Toshinori's turn to blush as he realized their current position and he cleared his throat awkwardly. Slowly, he stood upright and pulled Mrs. Midoriya up with him, careful to make sure that her feet were steady on the ground. He slipped his hand away from the back of her head and idly brushed away a few strands from her face.

"You alright?" he asked again, albeit a bit softer.

Still flushing, Mrs. Midoriya's eyes fell down to her feet and she nodded. "Yes… Thank you."

After tucking one last lock behind her ear, he withdrew from her. "I… wasn't expecting to see you here. Young Midoriya didn't say you were coming."

"I wasn't going to," she answered, straightening out her skirt. Once she was satisfied, she adjusted her cardigan. "I-I was just going to watch the festival at home and–" Then, she gasped and her head snapped up. "Oh, my gosh, that's right! I have to find Izuku! Do you know where he is?"

Present Mic leaned in. "Oh, the kiddos are down in the cafeteria for lunch. You need him for something?"

Mrs. Midoriya nodded fiercely. "I have something important to tell him. I tried calling, but he wouldn't pick up his phone, so I figured that he probably had it put up for the festival and I panicked , so I ran down here as fast as I could."

"Is everything alright?" Ectoplasm asked. He stepped forward and tilted his head. "Is there some sort of family emergency?"

" No , no, nothing like that," Mrs. Midoriya reassured him, waving a hand, "but I do need to talk to him. I have to tell him I figured out the egg problem!"

Toshinori blinked. "The egg problem?"

"Yo, what ," Present Mic said.

"You figured something out about the egg?" Toshinori questioned. "What is it?"

Mrs. Midoriya's eyes widened and she leaned in. "You know about the egg?"

He nodded. "I do. Do you?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her lips spreading into a smile. A laugh bubbled out of her and she clapped her hands. "Izuku told you about the egg?"

"In the microwave?" Toshinori replied, and her eyes practically sparkled at that. He leaned in excitedly when she nodded. "You figured something out about the egg in the microwave?"

Mrs. Midoriya laughed again. "Yes! Yes, I did!"

"By God, we have to go find him, then!" he told her. He stood upright and waved his hand, gesturing for her to follow. "I'll take you to the cafeteria. He should be in there with the rest of his classmates."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! " she cheered, rushing to join his side. "I-I don't know for sure if it'll work, but if it helps him in the festival, then that's all that matters!"

Toshinori rested a hand on her upper back to guide her forward. "I'm sure he'll appreciate it. Come on, the cafeteria is this way…"

As the two rushed down the courtyard and made their way back to the stadium, Present Mic and Ectoplasm watched their backs grow smaller and smaller. It wasn't until they disappeared inside of the building that Present Mic leaned over.

"You have any idea what they're talking about?" he asked.

Ectoplasm shook his head. "Not a clue."

"Cool. Guess that makes both of us."

Shoto hadn't expected himself to say as much as he did. At first, he had gone in with the intent of simply explaining the reason for his existence, hoping it would give Midoriya the context he needed for his desires to defeat him. But, once he dared to let the wall down, the words just wouldn't stop coming. The ice that he used to shield himself came trickling down and with it came words, words that he hadn't dared to utter to another person for fear of consequence. His father had already made it clear to him that the truth would not set him free; it would only put him further under his thumb.

Midoriya was silent as he spoke, his green eyes wide and practically unblinking. For someone who could ramble and was so fidgety, it was strange to see him so quiet, so unmoving. He merely listened with rapt attention as Shoto spoke and perhaps, that was for the best. Some part of him feared that if he didn't finish what he was saying at that moment, he might never have the courage to do so again. So, despite the feeling in his gut and the burn in his throat, he persisted, pushing through the uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability in hopes that it would free his nerves.

" That's why I'm aiming to beat you," he concluded, holding Midoriya's gaze. When the boy said nothing in response, he let out a breath and steeled himself internally. "I won't use my old man's power… And I plan on becoming #1 without it. Maybe then he'll finally recognize my total disavowal of him."

A shuddering breath escaped Midoriya and he blinked rapidly, his gaze falling downwards. For a moment, Shoto wondered if he was blinking back tears and his heart sank. His classmate had already shown his tendency to tear up during emotional moments, but he hadn't expected it to take form during their talk. There was something bittersweet about knowing that someone was sorrowful on his behalf.

Still, it did not change his position.

"You may not be All Might's protege," he continued, "but even so, you are too much like him for even my father to ignore… And I will climb over you with only my right side." Shoto turned on the ball of his foot and stepped out of the hallway, allowing the sunlight to wash over him. "I'm sorry for taking up your time."

It wasn't even within taking a couple of steps that Shoto heard rapidfire footsteps. "Are you serious right now?"

Blinking, Shoto froze– not because he hadn't expected a response but because he hadn't expected it to come from a new voice. He whipped around to see a form emerging from the shadows in the hallway and his eyes widened.

"Uraraka?" Midoriya blurted out. He stepped out from the wall and intercepted Uraraka's path. "What the– What are you doing here?"

She didn't take her eyes off of Shoto. "You… You can't just drop something like that and walk away! Is that really it for you?"

His breath came in shakily. "You… How much did you hear? "

Uraraka pursed her lips. "Enough to know that this isn't going to fix anything."

"Uraraka," Midoriya breathed, reaching out to her. He grabbed onto her shoulder and shook his head. "It's fine , he was just–"

"I'm sorry," Uraraka cut in, silencing him. She blinked and it was there that Shoto realized that her eyes were shining. "I'm sorry… About your dad. I always knew he could be a jerk, but I didn't know he was such a big one to his family." She sniffed and rubbed at her nose. "You're right– he is a bastard."

Were Shoto not in such a state of shock, he might have had it in him to smile at that. Instead, he found himself clenching his fist and fighting to let the frost spread across his palm.

"But that doesn't mean you can just treat people that way," she went on, startling him. She stepped forward, causing Midoriya's hand to slip off of her shoulder. "I'm sorry that your dad is such a jerk and that your mom is–" She inhaled sharply and shook her head. "I'm sorry, okay? But just because you're having a hard time doesn't mean you can just push people around and treat them like pawns in a game!"

Despite the growing chill that ran down his arm, Shoto stepped forward. "You don't understand ."

"You're right, I don't! " Uraraka declared. "Midoriya isn't someone you can treat as an obstacle to overcome to try to fix your life! He's a person , dammit!" She charged forward and pointed at him. "You say you don't want to be like your dad, but aren't you acting like him by treating someone as a prop just for your own gain?"

Shoto felt as though someone stuck a knife through his heart. "W-What…?"

"Uraraka!" Midoriya snapped, causing both of them to jump. In an instant, he was between the two of them, but even with Uraraka blocked, Shoto didn't stop looking at her. He wasn't sure he could if he wanted to. After a quiet staring contest between the two of them, Midoriya let out a ragged breath and slowly turned to look at Shoto. Gone was the sadness and sorrow, and in its stead was that fiery determination that haunted Shoto during the cavalry battle.

"I'm sorry," he told him, and it was so startling to hear his voice be so soft when his eyes were so hard , "I'm sorry… about everything. At first, I… was a bit angry at you for making me your target, but now that you've explained… I get it. I really do."

Then, the fire in his eyes dimmed and Shoto couldn't help but feel the ice in his palm start to thaw. He had come up against fire many a time during his training and studies, and he had faced it twice-fold since becoming a student at U.A. But, as he gazed at Midoriya, it suddenly struck him that this was the first time he had come into contact with a fire that didn't seek destruction or retribution; only warmth.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya repeated, "I'm sorry that you've been hurt… And I'm sorry you're still hurting." He brought a hand to his chest and clutched the fabric of his gym top. "I know it's not the same, but… I've been hurt, too."

Shoto blinked. "You… have?"

Midoriya smiled at him sadly. "You wanna know why I can't use my Quirk that well? Why I'm still so sloppy with it?" When Shoto gave him a slow nod, he chuckled. "Because I didn't have one until recently. I'm a late bloomer."

Simultaneously, Shoto felt as though his entire world were turned upside down and yet put into perspective at the same time. He had heard of late-bloomers, though when his father brought them up, it had been with a level of discontent and disgust. Still, he had never come into contact with someone whose Quirk had come in late– it was just so rare .

"'Recently'...?" he murmured, his brows furrowing. "You… You don't mean…"

With another chuckle, Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "Came in not long before the entrance exam. I tried practicing as much as I could before the exam, but…" He shrugged. "Well, I went a little overboard and ended up breaking my bones."

"You can't control your Quirk at all, can you?" Sensei Aizawa's voice echoed in his head. Shoto recalled hearing him say that to Midoriya back on their first day of class, when they were doing the Quirk Apprehension Test. "Were you planning on breaking your bones again? Planning on someone to save you from your mistakes?"

Midoriya's voice came next, repeating the words he uttered back in the locker room. "I already know that I'm behind the curve when it comes to my Quirk. And while I've made progress, I know that doesn't guarantee me anything. Just doing well isn't enough."

Shoto let out a breath. "You've been playing catch-up with everyone this entire time."

"You can say that again," Midoriya affirmed.

Despite his shock, Shoto's eyes trailed over to Uraraka. With her eyes downcast and her arms crossed over her chest, she didn't appear to be surprised by Midoriya's admission, which only made his brows furrow even deeper.

"You knew, didn't you?" he questioned, causing her head to snap up. He thought back to her sad gaze when Midoriya spoke down on himself back in the locker rooms and he nearly shook his head to admonish himself. How could he have missed the signs? It felt so obvious now. "How'd you figure it out?"

"I… I didn't," she admitted. Uraraka nodded at Midoriya. "He told me during the Heroes vs. Villains simulation."

The memory of Midoriya cheering and fighting back tears after defeating Bakugou with a single flick of his finger flashed across his mind. Suddenly, the celebration made sense– he hadn't broken any bones that time. "I see… So why are you telling me this?"

That sad glint entered his eyes again, sapping the warmth out of his gaze. "You've seen how growing up without a Quirk has made it hard for me to use the one I have now sometimes… But that's not the only challenge it brought my way." His eyes fell to the side before they came to a close. "Not a lot of people are kind to Quirkless people."

Although Shoto wasn't the most social person, he would have been a fool to not know the plights that plagued the Quirkless population. With each generation, their numbers grew smaller, and Shoto knew that it only encouraged mistreatment from those who were blessed with a Quirk. On one occasion after school, he found his sister sitting at the kitchen table, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. He had wordlessly stepped over to her, not wanting to risk their father overhearing a conversation between lest it trigger one of his outbursts. Fuyumi simply held up the newspaper and there, Shoto saw a photo of a young girl who couldn't have been much older than he was. Most startling, however, was the headline that accompanied it:

"Middle School Student Take Their Own Life On School Grounds," it stated. He could still recall the way Fuyumi's breath caught in her throat as she inhaled and Shoto, not knowing what else to do, leaned against her. She turned her head and buried her face in his shirt.

"She was a baby, Shoto," she whispered. The way she tried to stifle a sob still haunted him. "She had her whole life ahead of her."

She had been Quirkless, Shoto learned, and the note she left behind detailed the cruel treatment that her peers had sent her way. The article claimed that the school had not been made aware of how she had been treated, let out the sheer extent of it. But Shoto wasn't a fool; no school in their right mind would ever admit to allowing discrimination to take place within their walls. Fuyumi had confirmed as much for him.

"Those teachers failed her," she told him, swiping away her tears, "it should have never gotten that far. Not even close."

Realization settled onto his shoulders heavily. "That's why Bakugou calls you Deku, isn't it?"

Midoriya pursed his lips. "Yeah… It is. He and my classmates used to call me that to tear me down…" Then, the corner of his lip quirked up. "But someone close to me told me that it sounded like 'Dekiru', which means 'you can do it.' And I like that interpretation a lot better."

Behind him, Uraraka's head tilted upwards and Shoto watched as a soft smile spread across her lips. He didn't have to guess what that meant.

"So you've got something to prove, too," Shoto settled on, focusing back on Midoriya, "you want to prove everyone who counted you out wrong?"

To his surprise, a laugh huffed out of Midoriya's nose and he shook his head. "No… I want to prove all the people who supported me right ."

Shoto blinked. "What?"

Midoriya's smile didn't fade. "I've been very lucky to have people in my corner who support me. I don't know if I would have had it in me to keep going without them." His hand slipped over to his heart and he held it there. "My mom used to be so scared to let me be a hero… But she's been backing me up every step of the way, even though I know she's so worried. Even after she saw what happened to me at the U.S.J. and she was terrified about me getting hurt again, she told me that she wanted me to do my best today. And that's what I plan on doing."

"You're… doing it for her?" Shoto said. He hated how soft his voice sounded.

With a blink, Midoriya waved his hands frantically. "O-Oh my god, I-I'm so sorry! I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, I swear! It's just– You were being so vulnerable and I figured it was only fair for me to open up, too, but I realize how crappy it is for me to bring up my mom when your mom–" He waved his hand over the left side of his face. "You know?"

Then, he clapped his other hand over his mouth. When Shoto only stared at him, he looked down at his shoes.

"I… have no idea why I did that," he muttered, his cheeks turning red, "sorry."

Even if Shoto had managed to find a way to respond, it was dead upon arrival when a loud, vibrating sound cut through the tension like a knife. Uraraka jumped a bit and reached into her gym top, where she drew out her phone. She blinked down at the screen and then brought it to her ear after a swift click.

"Tsuyu?" she greeted. Then, she inhaled sharply. "Oh… R-Right. Y-Yeah, there was, uh, a line in the bathroom… Took a lot longer than I thought it would."

Shoto turned to Midoriya quizzically, who merely shrugged.

"Wait, what? " Uraraka blurted out suddenly, drawing their attention back to her. She grabbed the phone with both hands and pressed it against her head. "She's here? At U.A.? Is everything al– Huh? She… She said that?" Her eyes widened and she exhaled, her lips spreading into a disbelieving grin. "Yeah! Yeah, we'll be down there in a second! Thanks for telling me!"

When she hung up the phone, Midoriya arched his brow. "What was that about?"

In a flash, Uraraka grabbed his hand and pulled him forward. "It's your mom! She's down in the cafeteria!"

"What?" Midoriya exclaimed. He stumbled forward, but quickly planted his feet to keep from falling. "My mom is here? "

Uraraka nodded with a laugh. "Yes! Tsuyu said she came down here because she figured something out about the egg!"

Shoto couldn't keep himself from pulling a face at that. "The what?'

"The egg…?" Midoriya mumbled. Then, he blinked and perked up. " The egg in the microwave? She figured it out?"

"Yes!" Uraraka affirmed, jumping up a bit. She pulled him towards her and nodded her head enthusiastically. "C'mon! She's waiting in the cafeteria for you!"

A laugh bubbled out of Midoriya. "R-Right! Let's go!"

Then, as he was getting ready to follow her, he paused in his step, his smile wilting. Midoriya turned back towards Shoto, whose confusion had yet to dissipate. The remnants of his smile faded and he straightened up with a sobering look.

"Um…" he began, discomfort leaking into his disposition, "I… Sorry. Do you want to come with us, or…?

Despite himself, Shoto shook his head. "No… You go ahead. I'll… I'll be a bit."

"You sure?" Uraraka asked. The concern on his face brought a great wave of… something over him. Something he was too afraid to identify.

Pushing aside the thoughts that screamed his uncertainty, he nodded back at her. "Yes… I'll see you later."

The pair gave him a long look before exchanging a silent glance. With a singular nod at the other, they regarded him with a wave. Uraraka turned on the ball of her foot and pulled Midoriya after her, who swiftly followed her lead. Just as Shoto was getting ready to turn away, however, he heard Midoriya call out from afar:

"Have a good lunch, Todoroki!"

When he whirled around to face them, he saw Midoriya smiling at him from over his shoulder. Uraraka followed suit and flashed him a reassuring look of her own, but ultimately said nothing. She instead offered a wave with her free hand as she pulled Midoriya around the corner and, just like that, the two of them were gone from sight. Shoto stared after where they had been for what felt like an eternity before he finally broke his stare and closed his eyes.

'Is… Is that how friends are with each other?' he asked silently. The thought made his heart ache, an unfamiliar pain that made his stomach churn. 'I… I thought such connections were only a waste of time, but…'

His own father didn't have friends, he realized swiftly. He had associates and sidekicks, sure, but he made it very clear that he didn't regard them warmly or as anything more than work acquaintances. Had Shoto internalized that behavior for himself by shutting his classmates out and regarding them with cold indifference?

"You say you don't want to be like your dad, but aren't you acting like him by treating someone as a prop just for your own gain?" Uraraka's voice rang out in his head, making him visibly flinch.

'No… No, it's not the same…' he told himself. With a shaking breath, Shoto's hand slipped over the left side of his face and covered the marred flesh. His eyes screwed shut as he sucked in through his nose and he crouched down, not trusting his legs to hold his weight. He felt so unsteady, so unsure . 'I can't lose focus of my mission… There's too much at stake for me to fail at this point.'

He peered through his uncovered eye at where his classmates had been standing previously and pursed his lips. Some part of him wanted to get up and go after them, to join them in the cafeteria and pretend that the entire conversation hadn't happened. Some part of him wanted to go and hide in the locker room, away from all prying eyes and ears just so he could scream out the feelings welling up inside of him. But, most troubling, was the part of him that wished that his mother were there with him.

'She probably isn't even watching,' he thought, the realization causing his eyes to sting. He clutched his face tighter and grit his teeth. 'Not that I blame her… My father's masterpiece was painted with her tears, after all.'

The cafeteria was bustling with life by the time Izuku and Uraraka made their way through its threshold. As soon as they made it past the double doors, the effects of exhaustion threatened to slow their tread, the power of adrenaline only pushing them so far with the events of the day weighing heavy on their bodies. Izuku leaned against the door for purchase and just barely registered Uraraka's hand still intertwined with his, his breaths hard and heaving.

"Maybe we shouldn't have run…" he conceded. Izuku leaned against the cool metal and closed his eyes. "You holding up alright?"

"Barely," Uraraka practically wheezed. She slumped against his bicep and squeezed his hand. "But I don't want to see Recovery Girl this soon… I think she'd yell at us."

An involuntary shudder ran through Izuku. "Fair point…"

" There you two are," proclaimed a familiar voice. With a tired blink, Izuku peered out through heavy lids to see Yaoyorozu make her way over. She frowned and tilted her head. "You alright? You look like you just ran a marathon."

Uraraka slid her face up and propped her chin on Izuku's shoulder. "It feels like we did…"

"Where have you two been? " questioned Iida, nearly causing them both to jump. Where had he come from? "You look dehydrated! Here, drink these before you pass out!"

Izuku's eyes fluttered wide open when Iida held out a pair of blue-colored sports drinks. He stood up from the door, forcing Uraraka to follow suit. However, her complaints at being moved quickly died upon spotting the delicious nectar.

"Oh, Iida, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed, snatching it out of his hand. Her fingers went to work unscrewing the cap and she took a heavy swig. Izuku watched in awe as she downed half the bottle before withdrawing it from her lips and exhaling. " Man… that almost made the run worth it."

No longer unsteady on his feet, Izuku gingerly took the remaining drink and nodded at Iida. "Thank you… Did you save these for us?"

Iida nodded. "Of course. I figured I could save you a trip in line." He brought his hand down in a chop. "You two disappeared after the battle, so we waited for you to get back. We saved you two seats."

"Oh," Izuku uttered, taken aback, "I… thank you."

"It's not a problem," Iida assured him. He offered him a soft smile. "Your mother already had her hands full, so I figured I could ease some of her worries."

At the reminder of his mother's presence, Izuku nearly dropped his drink. "Oh, that's right, Mom! Where is she? I-I gotta talk to her."

As if on cue, a voice rang out. "Izuku! Over here!"

With a blink, Izuku's eyes trailed over to a lunch table. Beside Tsuyu was none other than his mother, standing up from her seat to wave at him and beckon him forward. Izuku tucked his bottle into his pocket and quickly rounded the table to join her on the other side. The hug she pulled him was both crushing, yet reassuring.

" There you are!" she said. His mother pulled back and settled her hands on his shoulders. "Where were you? Sensei Yagi told me you would be in the cafeteria with everyone else."

"Sensei Yagi?" he repeated. "Did he bring you here?"

She nodded. "I ran into him on my way in. He would have stayed, but apparently he was needed back in the kitchen with the rest of the teachers. But luckily, I had your friends here to keep me company while you were gone." Her head tilted curiously. "Where were you?"

Izuku fought to keep his face from changing. "I… got a little caught up. Thankfully, Uraraka let me know you were here, so we got down here pretty fast."

"Only because Tsuyu called," Uraraka clarified, nearly making him jump. He hadn't even realized that she had followed after him. With a smile, Uraraka sat down in one of the empty seats and leaned forward to look at Tsuyu on the other side of his mother. "Thanks for the heads up, by the way."

Tsuyu nodded at her as she swallowed a helping of rice. "I had a feeling you'd find him quicker than the rest of us."

'You don't know how true that is ,' Izuku thought silently. Judging by the tinge of pink on Uraraka's cheeks, he ascertained that she thought the same thing.

His mother squeezed his shoulders. "Come on, take a seat– I already made you a plate."

"O-Oh, thanks," he replied, slipping down into his seat. His mother slid into hers next to his and he regarded his full plate with wonder. "Whoa… Did you ask for extra portions?"

"You're competing in the Sports Festival!" his mother chided. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks and pointed at his plate. "Plus, you're a growing boy! You have to eat up."

His cheeks grew a touch warm. "Mom."

"Oh, don't be like that!" she told him. "I have more than every right to worry about you after that stunt you pulled during the obstacle course. Now, go on and eat your lunch."

"But what about the–" he tried to say.

The sound of a chair shifting brought his gaze across the table, where Iida took his seat. "Your mother is right, Midoriya. A healthy helping is important for events like these."

"See?" his mother commented, raising her brows. When he didn't appear convinced, she chuckled. "I'll tell you what I found out in a bit. But first, you better finish your lunch! It's not gonna stay hot forever."

Trying not to roll his eyes, Izuku sighed. "Alright, alright, I'm eating…"

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled the drink Iida gave him out. Once he set it on the table, he took his own pair of chopsticks and grabbed a bite from his rice bowl. He nearly shuddered when the soft, warm texture hit his tongue. It was such a comfort to his senses after the amount of exertion his body endured during the last two rounds and his eyes fell to a blissful close.

'Lunch Rush, I owe you my life,' he thought, savoring the taste.

Some part of him acknowledged the strange tonal shift of him sitting with his mother and friends at lunch, when minutes before, he had been locked in a tense conversation with Todoroki. He wondered what his classmate was doing.

'I hope he's doing alright,' he mused, scooping up some cooked beef, 'he probably needs some space right now.'

His eyes flitted to Uraraka, who had already begun to dig into her own lunch. He hadn't expected for her to show up during their talk– had she followed him? It didn't seem likely that she would find them on her own, since Izuku himself hadn't even known where Todoroki planned on taking him. Did that mean she had been there from the start?

'So she heard everything I heard, then,' Izuku realized. His gaze fell back to his food and he picked up another helping of beef. 'I guess it's a good thing Todoroki seemed to believe me about not being All Might's protege… That's one less thing to worry about.'

Words could not speak to the relief that washed over him upon realizing that Todoroki hadn't actually figured out the secret his mentor was working so hard to hide. He thought that his cover had been blown for sure, but upon hearing the brothers theory, Izuku couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud. He hadn't realized just how heavily it had weighed on him until it turned out not to be the problem he thought it was.

'I'll have to tell Sensei about it,' he settled on. The corner of his lip tugged upwards. 'I think he'll get a good laugh out of it.'

Upon thinking about his mentor, however, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Now that he wasn't in the throes of an spine-tingling battle or caught in an intense conversation, he couldn't push away the memory of being under whatever spell Shinsou had put him under. While he was able to deduce that it had to do with his Quirk, there was just one thing he couldn't understand:

Who were those shadowy figures circling around him and his teammates?

A/N:

An (optional) song to listen to after reading this chapter: "In Your Likeness," by Woodkid. On a much more lighthearted note:

Shoto: ...and then she poured boiling hot water on my face.

Ochaco: (looks at Katsuki)

Katsuki: (mouthing) what the fuck-

Izuku: Yeah I broke my bones during the entrance exam

Katsuki: (softly, but with great feeling) what the FUCK, Deku-

So, yeah, this was my take on the talk with Shoto and Izuku, featuring a surprise appearance by Ochaco! That was something I went back and forth on including, but considering the plans I have for the bracket list, it felt important to include her in this conversation.

And, yeah, about that section with Toshinori thinking back on his conversation with Endeavor... I've thought about that a lot. It feels way too much of a coincidence for Touya to have passed around the same time All Might and Endeavor last spoke at that press conference. So I included my take on that, because that informs Toshinori's stance about Endeavor at the current moment.

The first of the matches will happen next chapter, but until next time, I hope you enjoyed this update!