Forgetting things can be easy.

It's easy to forget your nonexistent car keys. It's easy to forget to water your fake plants. It's easy to forget where you put your phone.

It's easy to forget where you are. It's easy to forget that you're not in danger. It's easy to forget that you're safe.

Especially when you're running through the city, dodging almost a dozen police officers as they chase after you.

Okay, that's probably the only thing Izuku isn't forgetting anytime soon.

Holy shit, Izuku thinks, I'm gonna be late.

The first day of school and he's already off to a bad start. Just fantastic, huh? In his defense, the morning started out great. He didn't sleep at all last night in favor of testing out his quirks for the umpteenth time, and his right hand is still shaking from all the writing he'd done in his notebook, but that's okay! If anything, he's even more motivated now.

He was ready to go with a coffee in hand and a few fresh notebooks he'd gotten at a dollar store, excited to kick off the school year. Which is really telling since excitement isn't an emotion he feels often unless pizza or quirks are involved. Damn, he really needs to eat at Tony's again for some Friday Night Free Breadsticks.

Another good thing that's happened is that Kacchan gave him a nice backpack from his parents' work to use for school supplies. Izuku always forgets that Mitsuki and Masaru work at a fashion company, so he was surprised when Kacchan threw the bright pink backpack at him.

So, yes, to put it short, he was having a good day. He would've arrived at UA twenty minutes earlier than needed had things worked out; enough time to prepare for the day ahead and calm down his jitters so he wouldn't scare anyone.

But then he ended up stopping a guy from robbing this homeless man on the side of the street, which prompted an entire crowd of people to watch as Izuku smashed the criminal's face into a nearby fire hydrant, breaking his nose.

And okay, that was a complete accident. Izuku was aiming to shove his face into the sidewalk, but the panic rising inside him instead made him miscalculate by just a couple inches. To be fair, though, Izuku was in a rush, as he did not want to get caught doing this today of all days, nosiree.

Tsukauchi is on duty at the moment. Izuku doesn't want to face the detective's wrath, especially since it's one of his busiest work days. The boy would be skinned alive, probably.

But despite his wishful thinking, things just don't go his way.

A police officer, one who obviously isn't familiar with Izuku or his antics, had been in the crowd when it happened. He ran forward, attempting to pry Izuku off of the robber, and had promptly handcuffed the boy when Izuku stood up. Which is kind of a betrayal, seeing as the boy was listening to him and not resisting, but whatever.

Izuku was okay with it at first, figuring that the cuffs would come off once he proved his obedience, but then the officer just had to say: "I'm taking you in for assault, son."

Yeah. Fuck that.

Cue Izuku running through the city, hands still cuffed behind his back, trying to frantically lose the people tailing him among the throngs of workers. It's a busy morning with kids and adults alike going to school and work, so it's pretty crowded on the sidewalks.

"Hey, somebody stop that kid!"

It's almost laughable how not a single person listens to the cop's shout. Izuku zig-zags through the people, trying not to be rude and shove them like he normally does, and eyes a nice pole at the corner of a crosswalk up ahead. It seems to be broken from an accident or villain fight, as the top part of it is missing, leaving behind rough, jagged edges.

Edges that are sharp enough for Izuku to use.

He speeds up, a maniacal grin falling onto his face. There's a car parked on the curb a few yards away, which is just perfect. He steps onto a bench and leaps toward the car, using the hood as leverage to tuck his feet into his chest as he rolls over it. He slips his bound hands under his legs and to the front of his body, putting the cuffs in perfect position.

Izuku hits the ground running, now slightly more balanced with his arms in front of him. He yells at people to move out of his way as he nears the pole, and, with Boost providing extra force, brings both of his wrists down onto the jagged edges. The chain connecting the handcuffs together snaps, releasing Izuku from the restraints.

The cuffs still hang on both wrists and bite into his skin, but Izuku can worry about that later.

He chances a glance behind him to see that some of the cops have caught up, their faces flushed red from the chase. Izuku just laughs and throws them the middle fingers, channeling some extra strength into his legs to go faster.

He could use One for All, as that would be much quicker, though that would probably be obvious to the feds chasing him. He'd definitely have another case of public quirk usage on his file if someone saw the red sparks coming off of him. Which, by the way, is fucking wack. All Might told him so. Apparently not many other users have had that happen to them.

It's probably because I'm so small. Curse this fucking planet.

Even with a suppressor on, he's always going to emit a little too much power, thus the lightning. Kind of like a circuitboard, in a way. If the input is too much, it'll end up sparking.

"See ya, ladies!" Izuku shouts, blowing them a kiss as he veers off the side of the street and heads toward UA. It took him a good ten minutes to shake most of them off, so now he has to run for it since he doesn't want to be late.

He can't be late. Kacchan would kill him. Hell, All Might would probably give him that disappointed frown of his without saying anything if he found out, which never fails to make Izuku guilty.

Fuck. He promised he'd be on time. He was supposed to be on time.

Izuku runs up the large hill and pushes through the gates, relieved at the fact that he didn't forget his school ID. The entrance doors have been left open, and Izuku shoots through them and heads down the hallway.

Students received their schedules a week ago, but he never looked at his. The only thing he knows is that he shares the same class as Kacchan, thankfully. What's it called? Class 1-A?

He's panting and frantically trying to put on his tie correctly, as it'd come undone while he was running. He doesn't know where he's going. He remembers Kacchan saying something about the fourth floor, so he's gonna have to search for his class. Great.

Elevators are too slow. He decides fuck it and uses One for All to take the stairs five at a time. Thanks to the couple weeks of training with All Might, he's gotten used to the increase of power in his body.

It seems One for All and Boost overlap each other. If he uses them together he can use twice as much power while minimizing the damage to his limbs. They can be stacked on top of each other seeing as they're both enhancement quirks. It's exhausting to use them both at the same time, but if done correctly he should be just as fine as before, if not better. Patrol has been even more fun than he previously imagined it would be.

Yep. Izuku is definitely late. He hasn't seen a single student or teacher milling about. The boy rushes out of the stairwell and skids to a halt after zooming halfway through the hall. A large door, one that could probably fit a giant through it, is standing before him. The words 1-A hang on a sign right above him, confirming his suspicions.

There's not one sound behind that door. This is going to be hella awkward.

Izuku tries to smooth out his hair and clothes, aware that his tie looks like a goddamn toddler did it, and carefully pushes open the large door, heart in his throat.

Should I have knocked? Oh fuck, too late now.

When he sees the teacher standing at the podium in front of the whole class, book in hand, Izuku wants to scream. Because of fucking course it's him. The world hates Izuku. It just wants to watch him burn, huh?

"Midoriya," Aizawa says tiredly, not looking up from his book, "you're four minutes late on the first day of class."

Izuku steps inside and bows his head low, flushing red when he feels the eyes of all the other students on him. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't." The man gestures vaguely with a hand. "I trust you won't have a problem finding your seat."

Nope. Izuku will not have a problem, seeing as his is obviously the only one unoccupied. "No, sir! Sorry."

He shuffles past the man, grip tightening on the straps of his hot pink backpack. Okay, so maybe this isn't a very good idea. The students closest to him are eyeing the handcuffs on his wrists and gawking, but he forces himself to ignore them.

Yep. He remembers why he hates school now.

Kacchan is sat right in front of Izuku's seat and snickers as his friend passes him with a glare.

"Now that everyone is here," Aizawa drawls, causing Izuku to wince, "we can continue." He reaches under his desk and pulls out a large box of clothing. "Change into your gym clothes and head out to the testing grounds. Make it quick."

With that, their new homeroom teacher snags a clipboard off his desk and walks right out of the classroom. Huh. This is interesting. Aren't they supposed to have orientation today?

The moment the door clicks shut, the students all rush toward the bin to get their own set of clothes and head to the locker rooms. It's only then that Izuku realizes he recognizes most of the students here. He saw them during the entrance exam, either in the auditorium or in his own battle center.

"Kacchan," Izuku whispers, sticking close to his friend's side as the blond practically scares everyone away from them. "What did I miss?"

"Hah? Nothing, shitty nerd. The hobo ninja just fucking slid in here and told us all his name. The extras here are more annoying than in middle school."

"Once again," a familiar boy with dark blue hair and glasses says, chopping the air as they make their way to the lockers. "It is rude to call people extras! I must insist that you—"

"Shove a stick up your ass, you fucking prick!" Kacchan cuts off. "I don't have time for you losers."

Oh boy. People are staring now.

Izuku gives a sheepish smile and pinches his friend. "Sorry about him," he apologizes. "He gets a little angry sometimes."

The blue haired boy's demeanor changes instantly upon seeing him. "Ah, you're from the entrance exam! I'm afraid we got off to the wrong start, so let me introduce myself properly. I am Iida Tenya."

Iida. The name is like a slap to the face. Now Izuku knows where he recognizes the boy's quirk from. The engines give it away.

"You're Ingenium's brother," he says, nerves evaporating all at once. "It's nice to meet you! Well, properly, like you said. I'm Midoriya Izuku."

Iida nods kindly as they enter the boys' locker room together, Kacchan having already stomped off. "Midoriya. You perceived the true nature of that practical exam, didn't you? That's why you saved that girl."

Izuku frowns. "Um, I mean, partially?"

It's an exam for the hero course. Of course they'd score you on rescue points. Isn't that the whole point of being a hero? To save people?

"You're a lot more skilled than I previously assumed. Forgive me for being so rude to you. I misjudged you! I hate to admit it, but you were the superior candidate." Iida bows his head in an apology, and Izuku stands there awkwardly for a moment before seeming to jolt back into action, frantically waving him off.

"Ah, it's fine, really! You weren't rude." That's a fat lie, one that Iida doesn't seem to buy either, but the boy just nods and apologizes again after saying a brief farewell.

Izuku looks around for his friend now that he's alone, and he spots him almost immediately. "Kacchan," he hisses. "Help me take these off."

He holds out his hands, cuffs clearly visible, but Kacchan just cackles. "Why should I?"

"Kacchan, I am not in the mood for this. I have to get these off, or else I'm gonna get—"

"Woah, dude, are those handcuffs?"

Please, somebody hit Izuku with a bus. When he dies he wants his body to be hurled through All for One's window at seventy miles per hour with the Unravel OST playing in the background. He wants his death to be weaponized.

Izuku turns to see a boy with spiky red hair staring at him. "Er, no?"

"That's pretty manly, bro! Are they real?" Spiky Dude is half naked as he pulls on his gym clothes, and Izuku briefly wonders how one can hold a full conversation with a stranger while changing. It's then that he notices a cut on one of his eyebrows, making him guess as to what the boy's quirk is.

The question captures the attention of all the other boys in the locker room, and some of them crowd around Izuku, asking him varying questions. It seems they all heard about what happened during the entrance exam and want to ask him about it. Which, admittedly, is not fun for someone who's as anxious and paranoid as Izuku.

"Back the fuck off!" Kacchan hisses, glaring daggers at them. "You guys are a waste of our time!"

Great. Now they're gonna think we're stuck up. Fantastic.

Izuku quickly pulls on his gym clothes during the commotion and slips past the other boys, heading outside. The sunlight makes him cringe, which is why he tries not to patrol during the day. He's not meant to be in the sun. Wait, does that make him a vampire?

For a few moments, Izuku thinks he might be lost, but then he spots a tall figure waiting in one of the fields, and he walks a little quicker to wait beside him. He's the first one out, apparently, which is surprising. The rest of the students are probably still chatting with each other in the lockers.

"Midoriya."

Izuku jerks out of his thoughts to see that Aizawa is staring at him now. "Yes, sensei?"

The honorific slips out casually, but Aizawa doesn't seem to care. Why would he, now that that's his title? "Do I want to ask why you have those on your wrist?"

Izuku's face is on fire now, he's sure of it. "I, uh, don't think so, sir. It's a rather long story."

"Hm. Good thing we don't have the time." He turns away and glances back at his clipboard. "Everyone else should be arriving soon. I expect those off by tomorrow."

After another minute passes, the rest of the class trails out, a fact that Aizawa is quick to call them out on.

"That took too long. You should all be quicker while changing. UA only has three years to make you into fine heroes, so there's no time to waste with chatting and making friends. Today we're going to do a quirk apprehension test."

Immediately, the students all begin to clamor.

"What about orientation?" A very familiar brunette says, looking appalled. "Or our guidance sessions?"

Aizawa merely blinks. "As I said, there's no time to waste on stuff like that if you want to become heroes. UA is known for its freestyle educational system. That applies to us teachers as well."

In layman's terms, it means he can do whatever the hell he wants and no one can stop him.

Kacchan whispers something that sounds suspiciously like I like this bastard, and Izuku hides a laugh behind a palm.

"Midoriya," Aizawa says, making Izuku fall silent instantly. "You got first in the entrance exam. Step into that circle right there."

Oh god. This kind of feels like an execution. Izuku doesn't like being the center of attention, and yet he once again has eyes all over him.

Aizawa starts naming a bunch of exercises and physical testing procedures that Izuku can't bring himself to pay attention to. He's too busy trying not to look too awkward but also not too comfortable at the eyes all over him.

"You did all these in middle school, yes?" The teacher asks, pointedly addressing the rest of the students and not Izuku. "Your standard no-quirks-allowed gym tests. This country unfortunately still insists on prohibiting quirks when calculating the averages of those records. It's not rational."

Izuku kind of understands what he means. The department of education is just procrastinating. Wouldn't it be better in the long run to get students used to their quirks, or lack thereof, right after getting them?

"Midoriya. How far can you throw without using your quirk?"

"Oh, uh, sixty-five meters, sensei."

Kacchan can throw sixty-seven meters, the petulant part of his brain says, and Izuku pushes that thought away. No use getting upset over it.

"Great," Aizawa says, tossing a ball in the air. "Now try it with your quirk. Do whatever you need to. Just don't leave the circle."

And it's only now that Izuku freezes. Oh. He's actually the dumbest person alive. He is the fucking dirt that people walk on. Holy shit.

I haven't told Kacchan about One for All yet.

He meant to. He truly did. Right after his talk with Ms. Hanako and Eraserhead, Izuku planned on finding a good time to sit down and tell his friend about everything that's happened.

Kacchan already knows about his meetings with All Might, of course, and technically he did vote yes for Izuku to accept the quirk, despite not knowing what he was even saying yes to, but he doesn't know that Izuku has One for All. Actually, does he even know that such a quirk exists? Has Izuku ever told him about that piece of information or no? He can't remember right now.

Izuku's hands get shaky, and his nerves come back to him instantly and cause him to sweat despite it not being too hot out. He grits his teeth, still frozen, and the ball Aizawa threw a moment prior hits him in the chest and bounces to the ground.

Alright. That's embarrassing.

A few snickers come from the crowd of students watching, mostly from Kacchan himself, and Izuku scrambles to pick it up. Whatever. He can deal with the repercussions of this later. All he knows is that he has to at least try his best.

He's not stupid. He can feel All Might watching from the corner of a nearby building; Extract can always recognize One for All.

Izuku doesn't take off his ring. Doesn't need to.

"That looks to be about 15%, my boy!" All Might says during one of their training sessions, having just watched Izuku use One for All with his suppressor on.

"Yeah," Izuku mumbles, voice tight. "That's all I can use without hurting myself, though. It's not enough."

"That's still pretty good, all things considered! Your previous enhancements must have done some good to your body after all."

Izuku darkly thinks that it's not just because of Boost, but he agrees nonetheless.

He rolls the ball between his fingertips and tries to think quickly. He can regulate One for All like how All Might told him to. Even with his suppressor it's a bit too strong, so if he just imagines himself reining it back in, kind of like an egg in a microwave, trying not to explode, then he can use it without any physical consequences.

Or he can just use Boost and get a score in the late 100's, which is still fairly good. But he knows that All Might is watching, and he'd probably question Izuku later as to why he didn't see the telltale red lightning associated with him using One for All.

Does he want me to use it? Would he even care? Why else would he be watching?

Damnit. He's taking too long. Well. Here goes nothing.

Izuku rears back his arm and pivots on his heel, that familiar burn racing up his arm as he sends the ball soaring with a short burst of wind. Sparks dance across his upper body, but only for a moment. The throw wasn't that strong, all things considering. Not nearly as strong as it could've been had he actually been willing to injure himself in front of Aizawa, so Izuku is nothing short of shocked when he turns around to see the score on the device held in the teacher's hand.

574.1 meters.

"It's important for us to know our limits," Aizawa says, looking pleasantly surprised. "That's the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you'll be."

There's the sound of cackling, and Izuku pales, wincing as he turns around to meet Kacchan's eyes. The blond's expression is unreadable, but Izuku has a feeling he knows what's happening even before Kacchan starts forward.

"What the hell?" The blond is suddenly stalking toward him, voice low. "The fuck was that, Deku?"

Does he think this is one of my previous quirks?

Izuku holds his hands up to ease Kacchan's growing anger and confusion, preparing for more sharp words, but then there's a flash of gray and Kacchan is being restrained by Aizawa's capture weapon, halting him just a few feet away from Izuku.

Kacchan hisses like a raccoon with rabies, twisting to glare at the man. "Damn scarf. Let me go!"

He's not surprised in the slightest by the capture weapon, probably since Izuku's rambled about it to him before.

"No," Aizawa deadpans, done with life. "Stop using your quirk already. I have dry-eye."

Kacchan obeys after only a few more moments of struggling, and the tendrils fall away from him and return to Aizawa's shoulders. Something like hurt flashes across his face as he glances back at Izuku, and then he's storming away, back towards the group of now silent students. "You're explaining this later, shitty nerd."

Izuku laughs nervously, shaking slightly now. He'd expected a response like this, but he was hoping it wouldn't happen in public. He can only pray he hasn't hurt the other by keeping him out of the loop.

His friend knows about most of his quirks and what they do, and so it must be confusing to see what looks to be another one popping up out of nowhere. And for Izuku to use it in public? That must be surprising as well.

Aizawa sighs. "What a waste of time. The demonstration is over now."

This prompts the rest of the class to start talking over each other again, most of them in awe over Izuku's score.

"Almost 600 meters? Seriously?"

"Woah, this is awesome!"

"We can use our quirks for real! The hero course is great!"

Izuku winces. He knows that these comments are a mistake as soon as he hears them. He's known Aizawa long enough to be able to figure out what's coming.

"Awesome?" Aizawa repeats dryly. "You're hoping to become heroes after just three years here, and you thinks it'll be all fun and games?" His expression darkens. "Right. The one with the lowest score across all eight events will be judged hopeless and be expelled."

The amount of shocked cries and yelling this sparks is even higher than before, but Aizawa ignores it easily.

"Your fates are in our hands," he says sarcastically. "Welcome, this is the hero course at UA High!"

The same brunette that Izuku still hasn't thanked for making sure he didn't turn into a pancake twice over on the day of the entrance exam, speaks up again. "Sir, it's only the first day! I mean, even if it wasn't, that's totally unfair."

"The world is full of unfair things. Heroes are the ones who correct all that unfairness. That's Plus Ultra, right? Use your strengths to overcome this challenge, as they'll be plenty more coming your way." He bends a finger teasingly, sporting a wry grin. "So bring it."

The first event is the 50-meter dash, which is easy enough. Iida beats everyone with a time of 3.04 seconds, which isn't surprising considering the fact that he has engines for legs. Izuku still can't believe he didn't recognize him during the entrance exam. He loves Ingenium, so he's a bit disappointed that he didn't recognize the hero's brother.

A girl with an obvious frog-related quirk bounces forward to get a pretty decent score. The brunette uses her quirk—zero gravity, Izuku learns—to lighten her clothes and shoes to help herself go faster. The boy with a frankly amazing fashion taste uses his naval laser to get him across the distance in short bursts. It's still a bit slow, but it works.

God, Izuku really wants his analysis notebook right now.

And then it's Kacchan and Izuku's turn. Both boys are extremely competitive against each other, but the current situation seems to make Kacchan even more eager to beat him. Izuku hasn't really had the time to practice running with One for All, as it's harder to control in his legs, so he sticks to using Boost this time.

In the end, Kacchan gets 4.13 while Izuku gets 4.26 seconds—which only adds fuel to his friend's rising anger. Kacchan has a sharp grin on his face at the small victory, and Izuku just glares right back.

The second event is grip strength. Izuku does great on that, as he can do that well enough on any given day even without his enhancements. The only reason he didn't get first in that is because his arm still hurts like hell from the ball throw, and also because the octopus guy ended up getting 540 kilograms.

The standing long jump is next. Izuku obviously doesn't get as far as Kacchan since the blond can literally fly using his explosions, but he likes to think he does okay.

Boost is really coming in clutch. It seems One for All will only be used for certain situations at the moment, at least until he can get a little better control over it.

Side-stepping is a little more difficult. Izuku can go incredibly fast, but not for too long. It's easy to lose his balance. A weird, perverted grape student does well on that only because he uses the balls on his head to bounce himself back and forth.

Smart, Izuku thinks, but still dumb, if that even makes sense.

The ball throw is next, and Izuku is forced to watch as Kacchan gets an amazing score of 705.2 meters, which is definitely higher than Izuku's own score. The students marvel over him, and Izuku can't help but do the same thing.

The guy with spiky red hair laughs from beside Izuku. "Die?" He says, echoing Kacchan.

Everyone else seems a bit confused, too.

The brunette, however, gets an infinity. Izuku had suspected at such, given that she can literally send things up into space if she wants to. And she did, actually.

Terrifyingly beautiful.

The seated toe touch feels more like a warmup to Izuku and Kacchan, in all honesty. Both boys are very flexible, as they do stretching exercises almost every other day. Iida is surprisingly flexible as well despite his stocky build.

Even more beautiful.

Upper body training consists of simple pull ups, and when both Izuku and Kacchan are asked to do it on the same pole, it's only logical that it turns into yet another competition. Izuku keeps going until Kacchan slips from the raised pole due to sweat, and only then does Izuku drop to the floor, panting.

He's ignoring me. Fuck.

The octopus guy finished third in that one, and next up was endurance running. Izuku has quite a bit of stamina thanks to being a vigilante and also training almost every day of the week, so he's one of the last up.

After what feels like forever, the tests seem to be concluded and the scores ready to be shown.

"Move along," Aizawa commands. "Time for the results." He clicks a button on the same device in his hand, resulting in a holographic screen popping up and displaying the rankings. "Also. I was lying about expelling someone. That was a logical ruse meant to bring out the best in all of you."

Everyone promptly screams and groans. Izuku, after realizing that he should probably be acting dismayed as well, joins in for just a second.

See, Izuku is used to Aizawa's logical ruses, as he's been subjected to them plenty of times as Rabbit. But this deception, however, is a little concerning.

"Well, of course it was a lie." A tall, black-haired girl with a high ponytail says. "Didn't take much to figure that out."

In a way, she's kind of right. It's hard to believe that anyone would follow through with a threat like that. But Izuku also knows that Aizawa has expelled an entire class of first years before. He knows this because the man had straight up told him. So Izuku knows the threat wasn't really a lie; it was more of a motivational factor if anything, and if he felt inclined to at any time, Izuku knows Aizawa wouldn't have hesitated to do good on the promise in the end.

It turns out that Izuku got fourth place while Kacchan, of course, got third. He always seems to be one step ahead of his friend.

It was expected really. Izuku probably could've used more power if he wanted to, but he would've injured himself and, knowing Aizawa, would've gotten lectured and probably expelled for it.

Eraserhead has scolded him plenty of times about how recklessness doesn't equate for much in the face of a dangerous situation. It may help in certain instances where quick thinking is needed, but overall it will get somebody killed.

"Oftentimes," Eraserhead says pointedly. "Yourself."

When Kacchan grips his shoulder and steers him out of UA after they changed back into their uniforms, Izuku is starting to think that that option isn't so bad.

Great. Now he's gotta avoid getting murdered by his best friend.

Kacchan is eerily silent now. Izuku told him they couldn't talk about it here, so at least the blond has the sense not to go demanding answers anymore. He's gonna snap again, though, Izuku just knows it, so he might as well prepare for the best in a secluded area.

The two boys are almost out of the gates when Iida comes running up to them. "Midoriya, how are you!"

I just saw him, Izuku thinks, confused. Why is he asking me that?

"Oh, I'm fine, Iida, thank you!"

"Aizawa-sensei sure fooled us. He made me think that this is how it is at the top when he threatened us with expulsion, but then he deceived us—our own instructor!"

Izuku listens to him talk with fondness. The green-haired boy had admittedly thought Iida to be a bit pompous at first, but now it seems he's just super serious. Incredibly intelligent, too.

A good hero in the making.

"Hey, you two!"

Kacchan grumbles something about another fucking annoyance, but Izuku pays him no mind once he recognizes who's bouncing up to them.

She's still really pretty.

"Ah, the infinity girl," Iida greets.

"I'm Uraraka Ochaco!" She says excitedly. "Um, youre Iida Tenya and Midoriya, ah, Deku, right?"

Izuku jolts at theguess. "Deku? That's not my—"

"Oi," Kacchan interrupts harshly, hands stuffed inside his pockets. "Only I can call the shitty nerd that, got it?"

Izuku elbows him. "It's fine, Kacchan." He presents what's hopefully a polite smile at the girl. "Ah, actually my real name is Izuku. Kacchan just calls me that to tease me."

"A derogatory pet name, then?" Iida says, brows furrowed.

Alright, Izuku wouldn't go that far. A pet name?

"Oh, sorry! I just thought Deku meant to do your best, you know? Like you can do it!" Uraraka pumps a fist into the air. "I think it sounds nice! Like dekiru!"

Izuku's eyes bulge, and it's almost embarrassing how fast he replies: "That's fine!"

"Hah?"

"Midoriya, show a bit of backbone!" Iida starts chopping the air again. "It's an insult, isn't it? It's like the Copernican Revolution!"

The fucking what? No wonder Izuku didn't ace the history part of the written exam.

Uraraka seems to be in the same boat. "Coperni-who?"

While Iida starts to rant about the revolution and its similarities to Izuku's predicament, the green-haired boy can't help but feel kind of giddy and confused at the same time.

Did I... just make two new friends?

"What was that, Deku?" Uraraka asks brightly, turning to him with flushed cheeks.

Izuku coughs, not meaning to have said that aloud. "N-Nothing! Just mumbling!"

Uraraka nods. "By the way, I never thanked you for saving me! I would've been crushed by the zero-pointer if you didn't take it down when you did!" She laughs a little, but before Izuku can even reply, to thank her for a similar reason, she's already continuing her conversation with Iida.

I made friends?

If the knowing look Kacchan throws his way says anything, Izuku definitely did.

The boy doesn't know if he regrets it or not.

Shouta is tired. Way too tired for this. He does quirk apprehension tests every year instead of taking his class to orientation, and he still hasn't seen anything wonderful happen. He expected a bit more from this group of students, if he's being honest.

"Aizawa, you liar!"

The underground hero just sighs, having heard and seen his new workmate hiding behind the corner of the wall. He wouldn't be surprised if some of the other students saw him as well. "All Might," he greets flatly, not caring to remember his last name. "So you were watching. Good to know you don't mind wasting time."

"A logical ruse?" The blond echoes, hands on his hips. "April Fool's Day passed a while ago."

"I'm aware."

All Might continues after a brief, contemplative pause. "That boy. You sense his potential as well, yes?"

Shouta doesn't have to ask who he's referring to. "As well?"

"Will you be supporting him? I understand that's not usually your style, but it seems that you've taken quite a liking to him."

Troublesome. All Might isn't completely idiotic, otherwise he wouldn't have gotten to the ranking he's at, but Shouta can't help but think he's a little dense. He doesn't know when to mind his business.

"He doesn't have zero potential," Shouta grants. He's stopped walking now, tilting his face to stare tiredly up at the much taller hero. "That's all I can say."

Midoriya seems to be the one with the most potential out of them all. His actions during the entrance exam proved that.

It is true, however, that if one of the students had shown no prospects, Shouta would have cut them loose. His threat of expulsion wasn't a lie, not at the time.

There's nothing crueler than letting someone chase their half-baked dreams. Shouta wouldn't do that to someone.

The problem with Midoriya, however, is that there's a lot of things Shouta doesn't know. Or at least understand. He doesn't truly get some of the information he's been exposed to.

He's had a few personal interactions with the boy, and so he pretty much thought he knew what his quirk was: basic enhancements. Pretty simple and common, yet powerful if utilized in the correct way. But now, after seeing the display of raw power Midoriya showed during the ball throw, Shouta isn't quite certain anymore.

That doesn't seem like basic enhancements. That seems like All Might level enhancements.

Actually. Now that he's thinking about it.

"Why such an interest in the kid? Is it because he knows about your time limit?"

"Ah, sorry?"

Shouta rolls his eyes as the hero hacks up a lung. "Less than three weeks ago, All Might, you powered down in front of him when you brought him here to heal his arm. I was there." He tips his head. "The kid obviously knew beforehand. How?"

Why is what he really means. Why does a seemingly random kid know about the number one hero's secret? And why does said hero favor him so openly when he's supposedly only come in contact with him a few times?

"Well, er, I'm sure you remember the sludge villain I took down a little while back?"

Shouta nods once, already impatient. "The one that gave Tsukauchi a week's worth of paperwork, yes. What are you getting at?"

"You see, Young Bakugou wasn't the only one who was attacked." The hero suddenly turns solemn. "Midoriya was actually the first victim. I was already nearing my limit when I came across the villain suffocating him, and I saved him as quickly as I could."

And that's... a little surprising. Shouta heard about there being another victim before the explosive teen, but he didn't know it was Midoriya.

"And you accidentally powered down in front of him?" Shouta finishes for him. He doesn't wait for a reply. "While that explains why he knows your secret, that doesn't explain why he's your favorite student after having only a few points of contact with him. Isn't that what you told me?"

The tall blond sputters, waving his hands in front of him at the thinly hidden accusation. "I do not have favorites! It is unbecoming of a new teacher to have—"

And that's my cue to leave.

Shouta just walks past him, already tuning him out. It doesn't seem like he's going to get much more information from the man, so why bother? It's not like he particularly cares. He could always research things himself if he felt like it.

Which he doesn't. What he does feel like doing, however, is heading for the vending machine in the teacher's lounge. There's a cold can of coffee in there with his name on it.

He has a feeling he's going to need quite a lot of caffeine in the upcoming weeks to withstand this new group of hellions. They have potential; he wasn't lying. He might only have to expel one of them after all, and that's only because of their perverted tendencies.

Yeah. He didn't miss that particular brat's wandering eyes and hands. He'll give him another day or so to judge his character, and then he'll decide whether or not he's worth keeping.

But besides that, Shouta is willing to admit that maybe this new wave of heroes-in-training won't be so bad.

And that kind of scares him.

"Isn't it great hanging out?" Kacchan's voice drips with sarcasm. "Just the four of us: you, me, and the wall of lies you've built between us."

Izuku frowns. "Wait, who's the fourth one?"

"Really. That's what you fucking got out of that? It's Missy."

"Oh, yeah!" Izuku picks up said cat, who's been busy rubbing her face all over his pant legs, and places her on the table. "Isn't she a cutie, today?"

A paper book is thrown at his head, and Izuku dodges it at the same that Missy lets out a hiss. The boy glares at Kacchan, teeth bared.

"Hey, you could've hit her!"

Kacchan doesn't seem to care, though. "That's what I said yes to that day, isn't it?"

"What are you—?"

"When you asked me that stupid question while we were working out." His red eyes narrow. "Yes or no, right? You didn't give me any context, but you were asking if you should accept that damn quirk, huh?"

Oh. Hit the nail right on the head.

"Mayhaps."

"I swear to fucking god," Kacchan says, holding up another book threateningly. "I'm going to kill you."

Izuku hums to himself as Missy places herself in his lap. "Please do not. We're in public. Besides, Missy will be sad. Right, Missy?"

She meows in agreement, and Izuku gives her another treat as a reward. They're currently in a cat café, Izuku having been dragged there right after school ended. He quickly picked up Missy along the way, though, feeling bad for leaving her alone the entire day.

There's only a couple other people in the small diner, and none of them are within hearing range, so Izuku doesn't worry about them eavesdropping. They've already discussed the important parts, that being about All Might and the offer and just why the fuck did you not tell me, shitty nerd?

It's nearing five o'clock. They have a few hours left until Kacchan wishes to go back home to sleep. That's another thing Izuku's never understood: schedules. Why the fuck does anyone choose to go to sleep on time? It's a waste of a perfectly long night.

"Actually," Kacchan says after a while, obviously having been stewing in anger. "I'm fucking glad I said yes. You obviously didn't want it, so there. I guess I screwed you over anyway." He crosses his arms over his chest with a smirk. "That counts as a win."

Izuku shakes his head vehemently. "Uh, no? It certainly does not."

"Too bad. I'm one above you now."

"Whatever. I'll get you back one way or another."

The two lapse into a silence as they study. Today was only the first day, so Aizawa didn't assign any homework, though he did tell them not to expect such leniency again. So instead of homework, the both of them are working on their own little projects. While Izuku continues some analysis for his clients and upcoming missions, Kacchan starts on more ideas for his hero costume.

They haven't even seen their costumes yet and the blond is already making improvements. Izuku handed in his own papers about his costume a few days after his vent adventures. As much as he wanted to keep his red and green aesthetic, he can't look too similar to Rabbit or else people will raise their eyebrows.

Specifically his homeroom teacher. Izuku doesn't know how in the world he's going to survive three years as his student while also meeting with him at least once a week as his vigilante counterpart.

Ugh. Izuku has a headache now.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," he mumbles, still petting Missy and the other random cat that decided to jump on him. "I didn't... know how."

Kacchan just gives him a look before scoffing. "Whatever. I'm still not forgiving you."

The yet goes unspoken, and Izuku feels the tightness in his chest loosen a bit so he can breathe again. He pouts a little. "You're mean."

"I don't care. What are you working on now?"

Izuku tells him what he can about his latest assignment. He usually doesn't try to keep his missions a secret from his friend, he just doesn't go out of his way to tell him about them. Now, though, he doesn't mind. There's an arms deal going on tomorrow night, and Izuku has been ready for it for a week. It's supposedly not going to be huge, so he isn't expecting much. He already has a plan worked out and everything.

Maybe Izuku can snag some of their weapons while he's at it. Is it really stealing if he's taking it from other thieves? Doesn't it just cancel out, kind of like PEMDAS?

Izuku looks up from his rambling to see Kacchan leaning back against the booth cushions with his eyes clouded. He looks, dare Izuku say, soft.

The green haired boy feels something hard settle into the pit of his stomach. Are you tired of me yet?

Kacchan must notice his expression, because his eyes sharpen and narrow on him. "Did I say you could fucking stop talking?"

And Izuku smiles, entirely content in this moment. Because right now, with the both of them drinking tea in a café with Missy and some other cats on his lap, everything seems okay. Kacchan doesn't know about the blood that's now constantly threatening to escape Izuku's lips again. Doesn't know about the thoughts that plague his mind due to Extract once the ring comes off.

He knows about One for All now. That's one less secret, Izuku figures, but it doesn't feel like it lightened the load any.

Izuku is going to have a meeting with the doctor tomorrow. The one at the Club—the only one he trusts with his secrets. All of them. Professional help, that's what he needs, and that's what he's going to get.

He'll ask the doctor what's wrong with him, and only then can he figure out what to do.

The suppressor he made doesn't seem to be capable of permanently fixing his issues, and he doesn't know if there's anything he can do about it.

He can only hope there is.