1 Year Ago
The Yagi household was celebrating the thirteenth birthday of their daughter, Izumi. "Happy birthday, sweetie!" Inko said. "Look at how big you've grown!" Toshinori exclaimed. There was a whole party going on in the backyard, streamers on the fence and trees, a table full of gifts and cards for the girl. But, one person wasn't allowed near that table. In fact, he was barely present during the party, despite it being his birthday, too.
Izuku was sitting under a tree sadly, watching his parents and some Izumi's friends give her all the attention. The only time he was given any notice was when Toshinori told him to get Izumi's cake from the fridge. Izuku didn't put up a fuss. He was used to being ignored on his birthday. He walked into the house and turned a corner to the kitchen, and found an old man lying on the floor, covered in blood!
"Aaahhhh! He's dead!!" The old man lifted his head. "I'm alive!" "Aahh! He's alive!!" Izuku sighed and got the old man napkins. "Grandpa Torino, don't you ever get tired of this old gag?" he asked his step-dad's old mentor. "You're the one who screams every time, don't you get tired of that?" he shot back. "Anyway, what are you doing in here, kid? Party's over there, go join your sister who has worse memory than me." A lot of the times Gran Torino came to visit, Izumi forgot who he was. Toshi covered for her, saying she was joking, but she definitely is not his favorite grandchild.
"I-I was just getting the cake." he said in an uneven voice trying to hold something together. "Did someone say cake?" A female voice spoke up. Izuku looked behind him and his jaw dropped. Strutting into his kitchen was the R-Rated Heroine and U.A. Heroics teacher: Midnight. "Lucky me, I didn't miss the best part." Izuku was completely flabbergasted as to why a pro was in his kitchen, and of all the ones, the hottest he'd ever seen. Gran Torino had to restart him with a cane to his cranium.
"M-M-Midnight!" he gasped. "The one and only! Let me guess, Izuku right? Happy birthday, dear." Izuku felt his heart doing leaps as happy tears filled his eyes. "Thanks! W-What are you doing here?" Midnight kneeled down in front of the boy. "Didn't your dad tell you? He's going to start teaching at U.A. in two years. He invited me as a special guest!" Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was overwhelmingly happy with this surprise, but something didn't feel right. 'Dad never told me he'd be teaching at U.A. It was probably supposed to be a surprise!'
"I-I can't believe I'm meeting you! I-I've got s-so many questions! What's U.A. like? What's the curriculum like?" Midnight giggled and stopped his excited questions with a finger on his lips. "Don't worry, hun, we'll get to your questions later. For now, let's enjoy the party. I haven't met your sister yet." Izuku's smile and blush dimmed significantly. "R-Right, sorry." He pulled the cake out of the fridge and Midnight held his hand. "Mind being my usher?" she winked playfully. Izuku was a blushing mess again as they walked out with Gran Torino following.
Most of the kids had a similar reaction to Izuku when Midnight arrived. She met Izumi and Katsuki, and found them less pleasant than Izuku. When it came to blowing out the candles, Izuku was on the far end of the table. Midnight didn't think twice before pulling him into her side, and sneaking him close enough to see Izumi blow out her candles.
When the cake was cut, and everyone had a share, Izumi approached Midnight with her parents in tow. "Midnight, guess what! I'm gonna be going to U.A. one day! Maybe you can be my teacher!" The dominatrix smiled at the enthusiasm the girl radiated. "Oh my, reaching for the stars are we? Well, I hope you're prepared for the grueling hard work." Izumi just smiled and threw her hands behind her head. "Please, my quirk is so strong, it'll be a piece of cake!" Midnight was put off by her arrogance, more so that Toshinori and Inko didn't disagree. "If you say so. What about Izuku, will he be joining you? I think he'd make a delightful pupil."
Suddenly, the Yagi's didn't meet her gaze and the mood dropped. "He won't, it's impossible for him." Toshi uttered. "He's quirkless." Izumi spat. Midnight looked at them with a stern gaze. "There's no rule stating that you need a quirk to be a hero. He's as welcome as anyone to give it his best." The parents looked at her in surprise, but Izumi seemed a bit more ticked off. "You can't be serious. He'll only get in the way!" Midnight looked down at her in a disapproving glare. "You should be careful, or it'll be your unchecked ego getting in other's way." Midnight took off to look for Izuku.
She found the quirkless boy being harassed by a blonde punk. "What the hell was fucking Midnight doing with you!? She came out here holding your hand, explain Deku!" Izuku just held his hands up defensively. "S-She just wanted me to usher her, Kacchan! That's it, I was just walking her in!" Before Katsuki could continue his envy-fueled interrogation, said pro showed up to stop him. "Pardon me, but this isn't the time or place for playing rough, boys."
Katsuki turned around slowly to see the heroine looming over him intimidatingly. For once, he didn't say anything. "Izuku, let's go." Midnight gestured towards the house. "You wanted to know more about me, right? I'd like some privacy for that." Izuku's face brightened as he nodded and followed the purplette, leaving behind Izumi and Katsuki in shock and dejection.
...
"This is a nice room." Midnight said as she sat down on the bed. "I-It's my sister's room." Izuku said from the doorway. "I-I'm not allowed in here." Midnight noticed he was shaking slightly, like he was afraid. Of his own twin sister. "Honey, that girl is spoiled enough that I think it's okay for you to be in her room while she's partying outside." Izuku folded and walked in. At least she didn't ask about his room.
"This may be rude of me," she started as she gave herself a fork of cake. "But your sister and her blonde friend are very unpleasant people. As a teacher, I'm used to kids, so I know when someone needs a lesson in humility." Izuku looked down a bit, but couldn't deny what she said. "I don't disagree, but they're arrogance isn't unearned. Izumi has telekinesis that could surpass our mom, and Kacchan has powerful explosions. They're ambitious and have the powers to become heroes."
"Izuku, those two are powerful, but far from heroic. If harassing innocent people and looking down on others makes a hero, I wouldn't have thrown so many villains in jail." Izuku's eyes widened. Midnight had basically compared Izumi and Bakugo to villains. She swallowed another bite of cake and patted the spot on the bed next to her. "Now, enough about them. Go on, ask me anything you want. Nothing is off limits~" Izuku had an atomic blush as he sat down next to the older lady. Before he started, she excused herself to go get something. She came back a minute later with a clean fork.
"I noticed you didn't have any cake. You can enjoy mine, hun." Izuku smiled warmly and accepted the kindness of the dominatrix. After getting back on the topic of heroes, the two of them were talking for hours. Stuff about U.A., other heroes, the role heroes have to protect the people. Midnight was easily making this the best birthday Izuku ever had. So when it was time for her to leave, of course he was sad, but still thankful that she indulged him.
"Hold on, you've got a bit of cake on your face." she pointed out. "Where?" Izuku asked as he ran his hand along his bottom jaw. Midnight kneeled beside him and kissed his cheek. Izuku immediately froze and burned up when he felt her soft lips pressing against his face. When she disconnected, she had a gentle smile and caring blue eyes. "Happy Birthday, Izuku."
Present
'That was the best birthday I ever had. I guess it's not so unorthodox that I would dream about my old life today of all days.'
"Ack...! *Gasp!* Hack...!" a man choked.
"Sorry, I just got lost in my own head." The Green Devil had pinned a robber to the wall by his throat and was choking him with a firey hand. He was up at 3am with no desire to fall back asleep, afraid of what his mind will conjure up. He engulfed the man in green flames that spread across his body, and tightened his grip on his throat. It wasn't long before he lost consciousness, and was left next to a pay phone for the police to pick up. The first thing that Izuku does on his birthday: fight scum. The last thing he wants is to relive the past.
1:15pm
In his civilian alter ego, Zu, Izuku was walking among the people with dead eyes. He sorely regretted going back home. After so many years of wondering, he finally got an answer. His mother refused to look at him because he reminded her of her husband she failed to protect. His existence is a slap in her face, despite the fact that he never did anything wrong. 'If that's how she really feels, why does she bother putting up a front about wanting me back? Guilt? Where was that when she ignored my cries?'
Crash!*
The sound of a villain attack grabbed the boy's attention. He ran to where it came from before anyone else. He saw a giant villain being taken care of by Mt Lady. 'I could use a healthy distraction.' Izuku thought as he watched with the crowd. Next to him was a girl his age with chestnut brown hair in a bobcut.
Mt Lady was fairing extremely well in her fight, even doing provocative poses as she threw her punches. Izuku noticed something no one else did, though. As she was going for a high kick to knock the villain out, her footing was off. And if she took a tumble, a nearby building would be crushed. He ran out of the crowd, eliciting the confusion of the brunette next to him.
"Say goodnight!" Mt Lady delivered her final attack, and just as Izuku predicted, began falling backward. Izuku was positioned behind her, and just in front of the building. Nobody would see him as he used his quirk. He rose up into the air and shot two large flames from his hands that took form as a much larger pair of flaming hands. He caught Mt Lady before she could graze the building. But he wasn't paying attention to where how fast she was falling. His hands were aimed for her back, but he missed and...
...caught her by her ginormous ass.
The worst part is he could feel them as if he was touching with his bare hands. And since Mt Lady was flustered, she didn't make the effort to regain her footing. So Izuku was stuck sinking his hands into her creamy behind. Before it could get worse from there, Mt Lady felt infinitely lighter. Light enough for Izuku to push back to her feet. Once she was fine, he immediately retracted his hands, covered his face with his arms and breathed heavily. 'I know I asked for a distraction, but not like that!!' This was turning out to be one hell of a fourteenth birthday. He was so flustered, he didn't even notice the pro dragging him off for questioning.
"What the hell was that, you little perv!?" Izuku didn't completely hear her, still absorbing the fact that he touched a woman in such a way. It was indirect and by accident, but the feeling was burned into his hands. Before Mt Lady could speak up again, she saw his eyes. They weren't aroused or fearful, they were in a glare. Like he was internally berating himself worse than she could. "Hey. Are you okay?" Izuku finally met her eyes, letting her see the bags underneath, before turning away. "You were about to crash into that building. I was trying to catch you."
Mt Lady couldn't detect any lies or alternate intentions. If she had caused more collateral damage, she would have gotten into huge trouble. No pun intended. "Okay, but what's the deal with her?" She pointed at a brunette who was vomiting in a pot plant.
...
Mt Lady took the kids to a cafe to get some snacks and calm them down enough for a real conversation. There were two cups of green tea, an order of mochi and a strawberry shortcake on their table, courtesy of Mt Lady. The pro held her hands together in front of her mouth as the kids explained their sides of the story. "Thanks so much for saving my butt! I would've been in screwed if I had crushed that building."
The brunette named Ochaco Uraraka
sipped her tea to clear her stomach. "It was nothing, although it would've been a great opportunity for my family's company." she muttered the last part. "Company?" Izuku asked. Ochaco ran her hands through her hair. "Y-Yeah, it's not something I'm exactly comfortable with discussing, but we're not exactly in a comfortable financial place." Mt Lady, coming from the sticks herself, could empathize with the Zero Gravity girl. "Wellll~ since you helped save a hero, I think you deserve a reward. I'll write you a cheque from my agency. Uraraka, right?"
Ochaco was taken aback by the sudden generosity. "W-What!? No, that's okay, you don't have to-" "Bup, bup, bup!" The creamy blonde stopped her by placing a finger on her lips. "I insist. Honestly, I'd feel guilty not repaying you for what you went through to help me. One thing about being a hero, always accept your fans' gifts." Izuku was just as surprised by the pro as Uraraka was. He initially saw her as a vein, self-centered, narcissistic attention hog. And she is.
"A-Anyway, I only acted after I saw Zu jump in the danger zone." Mt Lady turned to the young man at their table. "Speaking of, you sure you're okay with just the tea?" Zu nodded his head. "I'm fine with just this. I'm not really hungry right now." The creamy blonde winked at him. "Right, I wouldn't be either after all the cake you got your hands on!" Zu blushed under his mask and looked away.
After their meal was paid for, they got ready to go their separate ways, but Izuku was stopped by a tap on his shoulder. "Here, you can have our leftovers!" Uraraka said cheerfully, holding out a pink paper box with a purple string wrapped around it. "I told you, I don't need any-" Mt Lady pushed it into his hands. "Just take it, this is the least you deserve." Izuku accepted the shortcake and mochi leftovers. "Thank you, I appreciate it." Uraraka gave him an infectious, bright smile. Mt Lady put a finger on her chin. "Do me a favor and get some rest."
Izuku looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" "Just saying, you're not gonna pull a lot of girls with those bags under your pretty eyes." Zu blushed faintly. He bid Uraraka and the pro goodbye. He opened his leftover box and looked at the tasty-looking snacks. He ate with the fork Mt Lady gave him. In that moment, Izuku realized something.
'Did I just have a date with a cute girl my age and a sexy pro hero?' He also realized the chopsticks he got from Mt Lady were the same ones that went in Uraraka's mouth. 'Happy birthday to me.'
That Night
Izuku was feeling surprisingly good about himself. He can't remember a time he felt better! He saved a building from being demolished, he went on a date with two beautiful girls, and to wrap it up, he had emerged victorious in a four-on-one fight with only a few scrapes and scratches. Yes sir, he felt incredible. "Something's gonna go wrong." he said, but the unconscious scum didn't hear him.
He knew that, whenever he climbed too high, someone or something would come by to smack him down. He thought about his vigilantism. Criminals were starting to fear him, and would band together to take him down. They tried that, and they were light work for the Green Devil. The police and heroes are looking for him, but it's thanks to him that the streets are becoming safer so it's doubtful he'd face too harsh a punishment. That's assuming if he ever gets caught. "So what's this awful feeling in my chest?"
Suddenly, he felt a pulling force remove his respirator. His sharpened reflexes allowed him to catch it before it flew away, and he covered his mouth with his free hand. 'Telekinetic pull? Dammit, I should've known...' At the opposite end of the alley, Izuku saw two people he hoped to never see again. "Found ya, bastard!" "Hands in the air, Devil!"
'So much for a happy birthday...' That burning in his chest returned.
Quirk: Psycho Flames
Temperature dependant on the user's emotional and mental state. If the user is depressed, miserable or seeking isolation, their flames are cold and invoke fear. If the user is angry or vengeful or just riled up, their flames heat up to an extreme degree. The temp can be manipulated by the user as they learn control, but emotions are still a factor.