Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One Round Closer

[2 minutes before the exam begins]

“Why didn’t you tell them?” Ms. Joke asked, her voice serious in those rare moments.

Shouta considered if he should bother answering. Despite his attempts, that woman still somehow found him and sat next to him. The four seat difference between them didn’t make much of a difference in his opinion if he could still hear her voice.

“The format of exam may be different each year. But what’s about to happen… you could call it a ‘tradition’ of sorts.” Said Ms. Joke, looking towards him, “the UA crush.”

“Villains, challenges and adversities won’t come announcing their arrival.” Shouta muttered after a second. He didn’t bother explaining beyond it. He didn’t want Ms. Joke thinking he wanted to have any form of conversation right now. Though he doubted it would make any difference for the woman.

‘Moreover,’ Shouta thought, fishing out his earbuds and plugging his ears as a deterrent, ‘If they aren’t capable of seeing the very obvious bloodlust against them and planning accordingly, they don’t need the provisional license right now.’

#

“3…2…1…START!!!”

They were mobbed in an instant. Dozens of students surrounded them from all sides.

Despite being prepare and aware it was coming, Izuku was taken back as they were showered by the speeding balls. He snapped back into the present as he met the cocky grin of a face he had seen earlier. Shindo Yo.

Izuku met his eyes through the chaos headed towards him and flashed a grin of his own.

“TODOROKI!”

Huge walls of ice shot up from the ground, covering them from all sides. The balls hit the thick walls of ice with a dull thud. The sudden creation of those walls startled the students, giving them a few seconds at most for their next move.

#

“Oh ho?” Ms. Joke grinned, leaning forward with interest. “I see why you like them so much, ‘Raser. They are good. But even so, they are surrounded by opponents on all ends. There is no way they can get out of there without at least one or two getting disqualified or at the very least getting two strikes.”

Shouta didn’t bother gracing her with a response.

But of course, Ms. Joke wasn’t one to be deterred.

#

[One For All is in effect]

[Fire Breathing is in effect]

Smoke billowed from his mouth as he charged himself up. The sweet smell of Katsuki explosive sweat saturated the air.

3…

“Why would they trap themselves in?” Someone asked. Good. Izuku wanted them to think this was an abrupt instinctive move to protect themselves.

2…

BANG!

The walls of ice exploded into a thousand shards, spreading outwards as Izuku’s fist and Katsuki’s explosion made contact with it. Smoke and fog spread out like a screen. Cries of confusion erupted as the mob was thrown into chaos.

Izuku didn’t have to look back to know his classmates were spreading out in the in groups immediately after the explosion. They didn’t have time to waste. 

Because he knew one guy wouldn't be thrown in the mix of chaos and confusion.

Shindo Yo.

There was no way that boy would fall for this cheap trick. He was shrewd enough to see through it. He would catch on and try to stop them.

And expectantly he did. Vibrations, strong enough to make them stumble and lose their balance shook the ground.

Katsuki and Todoroki spread out in opposite direction, making loud explosions and uselessly big moves to draw the attention of most of the mob. Leaving Izuku as the only rooted in his place. He bid his time, patiently.

#

“The whole ‘first hundred examinees’ thing makes you think this is all about actively attacking, but… maybe… not, am I right?” Ms. Joke chuckled, awkwardly.

Shouta didn’t see what was up for debate. In a field this crowded, treating it as an individual contest was suicide. Limited slots, rival schools, and open hostility meant the moment you splintered off alone, you were prey. Survival of the fittest wasn’t about lone strength—it was about which groups could adapt fast enough to endure together.

“Unity, cooperation, and intel gathering are the real keys here. Those lured in by the first-to-finih rule… will start to panic.” Shouta found himself saying. He regretted it immediately as Ms. Joke whipped her heads towards him. “You sure talk like you’re above it all, Eraser.”

Shouta refrained from pointing out how he distinctively remembered getting his Provisional License on the first attempt in his second year, while she had failed twice and only got it in her final year.

Her voice softened once again as he looked back to the field. “Kids hoping to be heroes are dime a dozen, y’know. And how far their determination will take them has nothing to do with how with famous they are. Pretending you’re the stars of the show while looking down on others is a good way to get just your deserts.”

Shouta had no idea why she thought his students looked down on anyone. Most of them were bundles of insecurities and nerves in varying sizes. Even the calm ones—Shoji, Ojiro, Hitoshi—wrestled with their own doubts. He sure none of his students looked down on anyone.

Well… except for maybe Bakugo.

But Katsuki was one of those rare gems that held the power to demolish any obstacle that might come at him at this stage. He could afford to callously look down on people. He had the power, skills and talent to back it up without fail.

But even so, ever since the Sludge Incident and the Mall Incident, he was growing more mature. He didn’t consider anyone below them right away and took a second to gauge. Still cocky but it was tempered. That one second of patience only made him sharper.

Perhaps it would be in the best interest of all the other teenagers aiming to be heroes for Katsuki to remain callous. Else, he would crush them so brutally, they would likely give up trying to be heroes.

“My students didn’t get famous for shits and giggles,” Shouta said flatly, gray eyes hardening as he met Ms. Joke’s. He didn’t explain further. Their determination wasn’t for her to pick apart.

#

Izuku spread his feet further apart, and lowered his centre of gravity. The vibrations were strong, cracking the ground beneath. But it wasn’t anything he couldn’t manage.

The smoke cleared enough for Shindo Yo to spot him standing alone. Dark eyes flickered around in confusion for a split second.

THUMP!

THUMP!

THUMP!

Three shots. Three targets. Dead on.

Beep beep beep.

Izuku felt a rush of satisfaction—Shindo Yo was out before he even realized what had happened. The thrill unsettled him, but in the moment, he didn’t care.

[Push is in effect]

Izuku crossed the distance between them in an instant, standing inches away from the black haired.  Just as close as the boy had been to him earlier outside.

Izuku would later be so embarrassed of what came out of his mouth next, he would refuse to crawl out of his bed. The vestiges, especially Yoichi, would tease him endlessly about it.

But in that moment, the adrenaline spiked in his blood and despite his nature, he enjoyed crushing the boy so thoroughly.

“You were right,” He said sweetly with a smile on his face, “I am UA’s best.”

Shindo Yo took a step back as his brain finally caught on to the abrupt closeness.

Izuku felt Aural Sense spike as those one who had gotten over the shock aimed for him once again. There was on target on his back, right in between his shoulder blades.

“It’s nothing personal.” Izuku shrugged as he jumped, summersaulting backwards to avoid the balls.

Being mid air made him vulnerable. He still couldn’t use Push or Pull as efficiently to adjust his course using uneven surfaces like the protruding rocks. But he didn’t need to do.

He eyes locked onto a boy on the ground. Long dark hair, narrow eyes. Someone had the quirk to make the balls go underground. He had noticed a few crossing the ice barrier by appearing from underneath. However, without being able to see his targets, the ball had hit nothing but ice. Izuku took a quick glance at the boy’s profile to confirm it was in fact him and made that boy his next target. No particular reason other than that he knew that boy could cause some problems for his classmates.

Izuku aimed and threw his last three balls.

THUMP! 

Only one hit is target as the boy got pulled back by his teammate.

“Ho?” Izuku raised an eyebrow. 

“He’s out of balls. This is our chance!” Someone shouted.

Three balls, hardened like they were covered in cement belted towards him just as his feet touched the ground.

[Push is in effect!]

It was tricky to knock out the balls mid air so quickly. But it’s not like anyone else had a perfect like him.

[Sprint is in effect!]

It was easy to pick five more balls from the ground as Izuku sprinted, finding his target once more. He threw one.

THUMP! 

It hit the boy square on his target by his belt. Izuku notice he didn’t have any other balls in his hands. Then, just because he could, he crossed the distance between them, touching the last target with a ball instead of throwing it. Just because he could.

A siren blared out. Then on the big screen high above the over the bleachers, the first cell in table of 100 empty cells flashed white before dissolving into Izuku’s hero name, Iridescent.

Izuku smile cheerfully and bounced his way to the exit door. From somewhere in the distance he heard a familiar voice scream, “WHAT THE FUCK” followed by a loud explosion.

‘Oh? Have I not mentioned Perfect Aim to Kacchan before?’

‘Oops.’

#

Shouta carefully schooled his face to neutral as he finally gave in and met Ms. Joke’s eyes, staring back without blinking.

“Oi…” she breathed, pointing a shaky finger toward the field.

“Yes?”

“What the hell do you feed that one?”

Shouta scoffed softly, one brow rising. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Suddenly, a body barreled into him from behind, arms wrapping tight around his neck. Shouta let out a short grunt, but stabilized with ease as Izuku leaned back, clinging to him.

“Easy,” he muttered, going along with the movement. He snorted when he felt the kid vibrating, adrenaline still buzzing through his system.

“I qualified,” Izuku chirped happily, plopping down beside him. “Hehe.”

Shouta rolled his eyes fondly. “It was just the qualifier round, problem child. Don’t get cocky.”

“Kacchan made a bet. He lost,” Izuku said proudly.

Shouta frowned, eyeing him skeptically. It wasn’t like Katsuki to take a losing bet. With Izuku’s Perfect Aim, he would’ve qualified early even without all the theatrics. The only way Katsuki would’ve agreed was if he didn’t know about it.

Izuku stuck his tongue out as if guilty—but his eyes told another story.

“What did he bet?” Shouta asked. He wasn’t especially interested, but he knew he’d end up hearing Katsuki’s complaints either way.

“I asked for his Mirko action-figure set—the winter costume one—and Edgeshot’s 20XX figurine,” Izuku chirped.

Shouta frowned, trying to recall. “But why? I already got you both sets.”

“I know, but without the 20XX figure, Kacchan’s three away from finishing the North Blade set instead of two. And without Mirko’s winter costume, his Girl Power Winter set and her Four Seasons set are both incomplete.”

“…why…” Shouta asked after staring at him a beat.

“Why not?” Izuku countered innocently.

Shouta sighed. “If he destroys school property, I’m sending both of you to detention.”

“Awww.”

“E-Er… Eraser,” Ms. Joke croaked, her voice weak, “why are you so close to your student?”

Shouta blinked like he’d only just remembered she was there. Izuku, on the other hand, lit up at the sight of her, sprawling half across Shouta’s leg as he reached out for a handshake.

“Oh, hello Ms. Joke,” he greeted brightly. “Sorry, I couldn’t introduce myself earlier. Izuku Aizawa Midoriya, nice to meet you!”

His name was not Izuku Aizawa Midoriya on any official document.

“What?!” Ms. Joke shrieked, her voice going high-pitched as she whipped her head between the boy and Shouta, who resolutely kept his eyes on the exam grounds. “You’re married?!”

He was not.

“Yes!” Izuku chirped sweetly without missing a beat.

“Wait—but you’re fifteen and Shouta’s twenty-nine—”

Izuku chuckled like she’d finally told a funny joke. “Oh, no. I’m not his bio-son, unfortunately.” He sighed theatrically, even pouted. “It’s a long, complicated story.”

It really wasn’t. Izuku had emotionally blackmailed Shouta into signing co-parenting agreements and filing for special adoption.

Still, watching Ms. Joke blue-screen through a whirlwind of expressions was entertaining enough that Shouta didn’t feel the need to interfere.

“Go on, bub,” he said instead, patting Izuku’s back. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the waiting room with the other participants?”

“Well, yeahhhh,” Izuku drawled. “But I won so fast, the staff figured no one else would be joining for a while. So I told them I’d rather sit with my homeroom teacher than alone in the waiting room, and they agreed.”

Shouta grabbed the strap of his vest and lifted him off his lap like a scruffed kitten. “Twenty examinees have qualified. Go back.”

Izuku pouted but didn’t complain once Shouta set him on his feet. “I’m hungry.”

Shouta doubted it, but dug into his bag anyway and tossed him a snack packet.

“Ooo,” Izuku hummed. “But I’ll get—”

Shouta tossed him a juice bottle before he could finish. Peach iced tea. His favorite brand.

“Nice.” Izuku grinned, chirped a quick “Thanks, Dad,” and trotted off.

#

“You FUCKING LIAR! You CHEAT!” Katsuki roared, slamming the door open as if it had personally wronged him.

Izuku, who’d been calmly skimming through the profiles of the students already in the room, smiled sweetly. “Kacchaaaan,” he sang, stretching his arms wide like he was about to hug him.

Katsuki’s face went crimson, sparks crackling across his palms. Emission quirks were strictly forbidden in the waiting room—he couldn’t risk a real blast—but that didn’t stop him from looking like he was two seconds away from strangling his best friend on the spot.

Izuku, utterly unbothered, kept his arms open. Fighting was banned in here as well, which meant Katsuki couldn’t land a real hit. Not that Izuku wanted to fight anyway.

Katsuki lunged regardless, fist aimed squarely at his jaw.

Izuku sidestepped smoothly, pivoting as his foot hooked out just in time to catch Katsuki mid-step. The blond cursed, stumbling forward.

There were no rules against tripping.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU DAMN NERD!” Katsuki barked.

“Awww, Lord Murder Explosion, I’m so happy you qualified too!” Izuku chirped.

“YOU BROCCOLI-LOOKING FUCKER—”

“I knew you could do it!”

“Participants are requested to maintain decorum,” a staff member droned into the mic, stopping Katsuki mid-charge.

“See, Lord Murder Explosion,” Izuku tutted, wagging a finger with fake disappointment, “you shouldn’t misbehave.”

“Why I oughta—”

“Yoooo, Iridescent!” Sero called, sliding dramatically into the waiting room and waving. Izuku perked up—if Sero was here, then more of their classmates must’ve started filling in the ranks. That left fourteen more and a little under half the seats still open.

“Damn, bro,” Sero grinned, “how the hell did you qualify so quick?”

Izuku tilted his head, lips curving into a coy little smile. “It’s a secret.”

“He’s a DAMNED CHEAT, that’s the secret,” Katsuki hissed.

Izuku met his glare dead-on, then blew him an exaggerated flying kiss with a perfectly straight face.

Sero burst out laughing, then glanced between them. “Yooooo, Ba—” He paused, looking back at Katsuki. “Uh… am I even allowed to call him by name in here?”

“Yep,” Izuku chirped. “Most of them probably saw the Sports Festival—or the summer camp incident on the news. Kacchan’s famous.”

“You were in both?!” Katsuki’s rage flickered into confusion.

“Eh. Details, details.” Izuku waved dismissively.

Katsuki’s hands twitched like he was about to pop another explosion, but the staff member’s sharp stare made him think twice. He clicked his tongue and shoved his hands into his pockets instead.

“But wait, what was his hero name again?” Sero asked, scratching his cheek. “I can’t remember.”

“Lord Murder Explosion,” Izuku answered flatly.

Sero blinked, waiting for the punchline. When none came, he leaned back in disbelief. “…Wait. Seriously? He kept that?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Yaoyorozu cut in, returning with two bottles of water. “If I recall correctly, Midnight-sensei voided that name. Until he submits something more appropriate, he has to use his real name.”

The waiting room screens flickered again, updating the board. More familiar names appeared: Asui in the 46^th place, Tokoyami at 49 and Sato sitting comfortably at 52^nd place. Earlier, Yaoyorozu and her squad, Jiro and Ojiro had qualified at 23^rd, 26^th and 37^th place respectively.

Katsuki was 41^st.

“Hmm, it’s going to be cutting in close.” Izuku commented watching the screen. In the chaos of hundreds of students, it was hard to pin point all of his classmates. Some were easy, like Shoto. Izuku frowned as he realized one of Shoto’s target were already lit. He had seen a split second of Uraraka on the screen, but hadn’t been able to figure out what her situation was. Other than that, so far, Izuku hadn’t been able to see anyone else.

#

It cut close. Too close, in Izuku’s opinion, as Iida, Aoyama, and Mina’s names finally lit up in the nineties.

He exhaled in relief. All of 1-A had made it.

“Yay!” Uraraka cheered, grabbing his hand and swinging it with hers. “We did it!”

Her bubbliness was infectious. Izuku couldn’t help but grin, matching her energy. “This is great!”

“Greater than great!” Sero whooped, pumping his fist in the air.

“Cutthroat’s what it was,” Kaminari groaned, still trembling from the wide-area shock he’d pulled at the last second.

“Man, for a second there I thought I was toast,” Kirishima admitted, leaning against Katsuki with a sheepish grin. He’d come dangerously close—two targets lit before he turned it around.

“IT’S OVER!” Mera bellowed suddenly, startling half the room. His voice rang with an energy no one expected. “One hundred have successfully passed. We’re done! Finished! Ha! I’m one round closer to going home!”

A beat. Then he slumped back into his usual monotone. “Anyway. Those who failed, please proceed to the exit.” He yawned. “The rest of you, watch the screen.”

“Honestly? Mood,” Hitoshi muttered from under the AC vent, his arms tucked around his knees.

“I wonder what the second round will be…” Hagakure said, her voice light but curious.

Everyone turned toward the wall screens, impatience buzzing through the room. No announcement came—only shifting feeds of the exam field’s cityscape from different angles.

Then—

BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!

One after another, the buildings on the field collapsed, swallowed in dust and debris.

“Why?!” someone gasped, voices rising around the room in shock. The 1-A students echoed the confusion. 

A voice cut over the destruction:
“Round Two’s the last one! You examinees will venture into the ruins as…”

Izuku froze, realization snapping into place. "Ah."

#

“Ah…” Shouta shoulders slumped. I screwed up.

He had called for a disaster rescue training just a week ago. If the HPSC found out about it, which they will, it’s going to lead a lot of speculation. The legal work and paperwork to prove that it was not a leak, but a completely unintentional coincidence, would be monstrous.

“Ah well…” Shouta sighed, leaning back. He had been a little tensed earlier seeing some of his students still left on the field and a handful of slots left. Even after they had all qualified he couldn’t relax entirely. The second round had a reputation of being tricky and a complete switch up from the first round.

But now?

Oh they’re going to be insufferable for the next few weeks. Shouta mused. Already imagining how much cheekier his class was going to get after this.

Well, good for them, I guess.

#