Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hiding from violent criminals wasn’t exactly the way Izuku planned on spending his evening.

Technically, he didn't do anything on purpose- this time-, but it’s not like criminals care about intention… especially when that “totally not on purpose accident” was him practicing parkour, getting distracted by a shooting star, missing the edge of the next roof, and landing on their boss in the middle of a mugging.

His breath hitched, listening to the footsteps come and go. He pulled out a small hand mirror to check around the corner for anyone who may be lingering in the alleyway. Seeing none, Izuku slipped out of his hiding spot. 

He closed his eyes, pulsing his energy to look for hidden threats, just in case. No one was there, and no one was coming, so he moved quickly.

He pulled a glove with a line of small, rainbow colored crystals on the back, and grabbed the closest doorknob. With a tug, he opened the door and entered.

“Welcome back, my lovely,” a girl with long, light purple hair in a braid said from her place at the stove. “You’re just in time for some nikujaga with flower carrots!”

“You stayed out a bit late tonight,” another girl, with black hair curtaining most of her face, grunted from where she was hunched over, writing notes into a notebook. “Is everything okay?”

The two teen girls wrapped their younger friend in a deep, loving hug that Izuku melted into. 

“I’m home Mori-Nee, Fuwa-Nee.”

*******

“So you accidentally landed on some random mugger?” Fuwa asked, tucking her black hair behind her ear. Her violet eyes twinkled with amusement.

“It was an accident!” Izuku groaned, his face flushed with embarrassment. “I just wanted to stargaze from that viewpoint that Fuwa told me about! Instead, I accidentally became a vigilante! I was even chased! It’s lucky I had the key gloves on!

“I guess we should be thankful he was there to break your fall.” Morit teased, grinning vindictively. “I hope that they think about that every time they try to mug someone from now on. He he he he…”

With that, she stabbed her chopsticks into the table, then snapped out of it.

“Oh, uh,” she mumbled, feeling a bit foolish. “Whoops.”

Izuku just handed her another set of chopsticks.

“We can deal with that, later,” he told her kindly. “How is your first year on the job?”

“It’s going pretty well,” Fuwa replied. “We had a few ups and downs, since we aren’t limelight heroes and pretty new, but we at least have a good amount of respect from the citizens.”

“It’s going well, but,” Mori said happily. “I’m going to also be working at UA starting next school year.”

“Really?” Izuku asked, interested. “How come?”

“Recovery Girl is getting old,” Mori explained. “And every year, she has more and more quirk-related accidents and injuries. She needs some help with all the kids.”

“I mean, that’s true,” Fuwa said contemplatively. “Kids might get stronger every year, but they get just as stupid.”

“Maybe you can apply as an assistant, too,” Mori said cheekily. 

“I might just do that.”

“Don’t do it because I suggested it, do it because you want to.” Mori scolded, then coughed.

“But then why not apprentice with Eraserhead?” Izuku asked. “Isn’t he your favorite hero besides Nedzu?”

“I would have, but I’m not really meant for the Underground,” Mori explained. “Not to mention, he expels everyone who doesn’t show any potential. Sometimes it’s amended, and other times it isn’t, but if I were his teaching assistant, it would be hard to assist teaching students that don’t exist. Besides, I want the other Twilight and Limelight heroes to know who I am and fear me.”

“But Mori-Nee,” Izuku protested. “You’re always smiling and cheerful. How can you get someone to be afraid of you if you smile all the time?”

“Like this!”

Mori put down her chopsticks and closed her green eyes in her usual, gentle smile. 

Izuku frowned, feeling something wasn't quite right. It was Mori’s smile, nothing about the way the corners of her lips ticked up, the creases in her eyes, the slight dimples in her cheeks… but it wasn't quite right. This smile looked friendly, but the chill that ran down his spine made it feel…

Dangerous. Dark. Angry.

And then it was gone.

“So?” Mori asked, elbows on the table and chin in her hands. Her smile was back to normal.

“Intense,” Izuku breathed. “Can you teach me how to do that?!”

“Kiddo, you should know by now that I’ll teach you anything you ask,” Mori replied. “I can also teach you how to laugh and cry without moving your face, and even how to use yourself as a puppet mouth. These are techniques that Fuwa and I used to keep creepy men away from us, but they've proven useful against villains and criminals, too.”

“It’s like an attack on their psychology,” Izuku mumbled. “Using such techniques against criminals can cause a twinge of fear at minimum, which can be more than enough to cause a distraction in order to…”

Mori and Fuwa listened fondly, smiling at each other, remembering how they met the young teen.

*******

An eight-year-old Midoriya Izuku stumbled through the park. He was injured- burned, bruised, and cut, and yet he was all alone. 

“Mom,” his eyes teared up, and he let them fall.

Those heroes failed him. They failed his mother. They failed as heroes, and now his mother is dead. 

No longer would he feel her warm hugs. No longer would she kiss his forehead when he came home from school. He would never see her smile again. He’d never take care of her when they grew older. She would never see him graduate from school and become a hero, never meet her grandchildren, never see the world he was going to change.

But, perhaps they’d see each other sooner than either of them thought. He was starting to lose both hope and consciousness. He put out a hand, and fell. 

Right through the trunk of a tree. 

Inside looked like a regular house- a few bedrooms, lots of windows that showed the outside, a toilet area, a Japanese bath, a kitchen, and a living room. There were also a lot of computers and half-built support items that littered the floor. Wisteria vines trailed up and around the windows and over furniture arches. 

Two girls were sitting inside, though their conversation paused.

“Oh my!” One girl shouted.

“How did they get in here?” the other girl asked, stunned.

“That’s not important right now,” the first girl chided. “Look at the state of them. They need medical attention, now!”

“Right,” the second girl said. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”

“Won’t help,” Izuku mumbled weakly. “Cuz ‘m quir’less.”

“Quirkless?” Both girls repeated, sounding doubtful. Then the first girl spoke again.

“Are you telling us that, since you were told to be quirkless, the hospital won't help you?”

Izuku moved a bit.

“No one,” he uttered. There was silence for a moment. 

“I’m gonna murder someone,” The girl stated matter-of-factly. “That there is a whole city that shows this amount of quirk discrimination is disgusting. Very well, sweetie, you can stay with us!”

The girls put him in a bed to clean and dress his injuries, and then they shoved a weird-tasting drink down his sore, dry throat, and waited for him to wake up.

When he did, he felt better than he ever had before. His body was so light, his head didn’t hurt, and there was a strange, but pleasant, tingle all over his body. Bandages were wrapped over his eyes, though a bit of light peeked through. 

He sat up, immediately disoriented. He felt like he was going to fall, but a warm pair of arms held him up. 

“Hey there, sweetie,” a soft voice whispered from his left. “Don’t move so quickly. Here…”

Something cold and wet pressed against his lips. Water. He drank greedily, spilling a bit. The girl helped him wipe it up without scolding him. She laid him back down.

“I’m Fujino Mori,” the girl introduced herself. “That’s my friend, Mahora Fuwa. Can you tell me your name?”

Izuku’s energy was low, but he was able to speak softly. 

“Mi…dori…ya Izu…ku.” He managed. “Where..?”

“You're in our secret base,” a huskier voice told him from his right. Probably the girl Mori called Fuwa. “It’s safe here, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

“How?”

“Your quirk let you in,” Mori told him.

“No,” Izuku quickly denied. “Null.”

“Ok, first of all, no fucking slurs in my fucking house,” Fuwa said sternly.

“Fuwa-”

“No, Mori,” Fuwa interrupted. “He can swear and shit, but slurs and other inhumane bullshit have no place here.”

“I mean, yeah, obviously,” Mori snorted. “But I think he’s having a hard time speaking and is trying to say as little as possible. His energy is sapped.”

“So…rry.”

“Oh. Right.” Fuwa sounded remorseful. “Not your fault, buddy. I’m sorry for assuming.”

“Are you telling us that you couldn't have opened our secret door because you don’t have a quirk?” Mori asked.

Izuku nodded.

“Improbable,” Fuwa retorted. There are only three ways to get into our bunker- be us, be invited, or have a quirk exactly like one of ours.”

“Well, as the saying goes; “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”. Right?”

Fuwa gave a noncommittal hum.

“This is going to take some study,” She finally said. “It’s an interesting development. We can do this while he recovers. For now, is there anyone we can call to tell them you’re safe?”

The tears hit his bandages. Mori noticed.

“Do you want to tell us about it?” She asked, her voice gentle. She took Izuku’s bandaged hand into hers, patting his hand lightly. 

He did. He wanted to say it so people would know. They would know that the hero system failed him, his mother, and other innocent people inside that apartment, and they were being written off as “collateral damage”.

“Heros… killed… Mom…”

“What is her name, honey?”

“In…ko…”

“Fuwa?”

“On it.” 

Izuku heard the gruff girl’s nails tap on something rapidly. She’d hum every so often.

“I found something,” She announced, reaching over the bed to hand something to Mori. Mori hummed, her soft voice sounding rather upset. 

“Endeavor having problems controlling himself I understand,” Mori mused. “He’s awful and I don't like him, but at least he’s an asshole consistently. But what is it with this group of heroes?! The deliberate ignorance of the public safety protocol is astonishing! And what is up with this article?!”

“Maybe you should stop reading that,” Fuwa sounded nervous. “You’re sprouting thorny vines from your arms.”

“Oh, whoops…” A pause. “Oh, look, Izuku, your bandages can come off your eyes. I’m going to touch your head.”

She unwrapped his bandages slowly.

Izuku, who had closed his eyes instinctively, slowly opened his eyes. 

The first person he saw was Mori. In Izuku’s opinion, she was just as pretty as her voice.

Mori, who looked to be between 13 and 14, looked how Izuku imagined a fairy would in real life. Her ears were slightly pointed, her skin kissed lightly by the sun. Some parts of her skin looked like they were shimmering. Her hair was a light purple, with a cluster of forget-me-not flowers without visible stems gathered at the back of the top of her head, almost where a girl would tie a ponytail. 

Her most striking feature was her eyes- they were soft, upturned doe-like eyes in a sparkling, vibrant green color.  Those eyes looked at him with such genuine concern, he almost cried again. To Izuku, Mori’s kind face reminded him of his mother.

Out of the corner of his right eye, he saw movement so he looked over to see Fuwa. She was about the same age as Mori, but looked very different.

Fuwa was also very pretty. She had shoulder-length black hair with bangs that half-covered one eye. Her eyes themselves were sharp and almond-shaped, with her irises the color violet. She had tired circles under her eyes that only looked dark because of the near-translucent paleness of her skin. She had a mole on her cheek, a few inches from the corner of her lips.

Though her expression seemed unimpressed and annoyed, her visible eye watched Izuku with anxiousness and worry. 

Izuku sniffled. Hot tears fell down his face. It had been so long since someone who wasn't his mother, Aunt Mitsuki, and Uncle Masaru had shown him genuine kindness. 

Mori pulled the quilt up further onto Izuku and softly patted his chest. 

“Get some sleep, Izuku,” She told him. “You’ll need some time to recover, and you can stay as long as you like. I’ll come back in a bit to give you some food.”

The girls left the room, leaving a few lit candles in the room for light in lieu of a nightlight. Izuku’s eyes were heavy, and he fell asleep relatively quickly.

Once he was asleep, Mori and Fuwa turned to each other.

“There’s no way I’m leaving him alone,” Mori declared, a determined look on her face. Fuwa nodded in agreement.

“Actually, there’s no way we can leave him alone.” She replied.

“What do you mean?”

“I scanned his body earlier after he said he didn’t have a quirk the first time. My magic picked up two things,” Fuwa held up two fingers. “He was telling the truth, and he does have a quirk. To be specific, he has my quirk. It’s exactly the same.”

“What are you thinking?” Mori asked. “Is he another one like us?”

“I don’t know,” Fuwa confessed. “From the little he said, it’s unlikely since he had been living with his mother. It’s more likely his acquisition of this quirk was accidental or coincidental. He genuinely believes that he is quirkless, so it’s the ‘how’ that I’m curious about. Is he simply a late bloomer, and somehow acquired a very specific quirk? Was he secretly experimented on? Is the boogeyman still out there?” 

“We’ll figure it out,” Mori comforted her friend. 

“I hope so,” Fuwa sighed. “If the HPSC finds out my quirk has manifested in someone else before he can become a ward of UA, his childhood and future life is forfeit. I’ll have to teach him how to use this quirk in secret.”

“And I’ll have to tell dad,” Mori added, grabbing her phone.

“Why?” Fuwa asked. “I mean, if there’s an adult we can trust, it’s your dad, but why?”

“His influence, mostly,” Mori answered. “If we’re going to protect Izuku, we’re going to need allies with strong influence, like dad and granny. There are some things that we’ll need for him, like his own furniture, toiletries, and electronics. And I don't know about you, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready to give a boy puberty and sex talks.”

Fuwa hummed in thought.

“You’re right,” she conceded. “Let’s start making a plan.”

Mori called her dad, and the three spent a good few hours discussing their next steps.

When Izuku awoke, the girls told him their observations.

“My quirk is called “Sorcery”,” Fuwa told him. “It is an extremely rare type of emitter quirk that stems from Pre-Quirk myths and legends about magic users. It’s a quirk that can do almost anything, and is considered to be quite dangerous. The HPSC and other organizations have been trying to get to me for years, which is why Mori and I live in this magic bunker that we created. It has some doors to a few safe places that I programmed, and there are only three ways to enter: Be Mori or me, Be invited by Mori or me, or have a quirk exactly like ours. The last one was done as a joke, because of the magic of threes, but it was also done because, at the time, it was physically impossible for someone to have the same quirk as either of us.”

When he had asked “why”, it was Mori’s soft voice that answered. 

“The reason is not something we like talking about,” She admitted. “I can tell you this, though. My and Fuwa’s quirks were forcefully mutated with very specific scientific methods; methods that have been destroyed by Nedzu himself, along with some interference from my own quirk. That is why having the exact same quirk is impossible.” 

“So, whatever the reason, I have a quirk now?” Izuku asked. “But it’s a quirk that can be noted as dangerous to my life, not because it’s bad, but because it’s desirable and people want to know how it got recreated when my quirk wasn’t necessarily forced?”

“Exactly,” Fuwa said. “Because of this, Mori’s dad is adopting you on paper, for now, so that no one can claim you in the meantime. Just in case. He’s also going to be conducting an inquiry on your mother’s death and the negligence of the heroes involved. Officially, you’ll live here with us, and we’ll teach you how to use this quirk in secret so you can both be safe and learn safely. If that’s okay with you, of course.”

Mori and Fuwa looked at the younger boy, worried when the wide-eyed child didn’t come out of his shock. Mori placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Izuku?”

“Why?” He asked, his eyes teary. “Why would you help me? No one has before but Mom.”

“Because everyone deserves a place to feel safe,” Mori told the younger boy. “And everyone deserves at least one person who believes in them! So Fuwa and I will cheer you on, and our voices will be louder than the ones telling you to quit! Whether you decide to fight quirkless, with tech, or with sorcery, we’ll help you and love you. You’re ours now, under our protection. Anyone who wants to get to you will have to go through us.”

The girls embraced him from either side. 

“Um…” Izuku asked awkwardly. “So what’s Mori’s quirk? Growing flowers from her body?”

“That’s something I can do,” Mori replied. “My quirk is something I call “Druid”. I’m essentially a person who can call upon nature to do all sorts of things. I can speak to and understand animals, grow plants on and off my body, fly, heal, and even destroy if I want to. I’m also really good with poison, but that’s more because the nature of my quirk tells me all sorts of things about the plants of the world. Even floriography, the language of flowers. The flowers on my head are a defense mechanism that spews poison gas if I’m in danger. The sparkly stuff on my skin can work as a magic fertilizer, but I usually just use it to make things sparkly because it annoys them. I often make vines, thorn bushes, and cacti on my body for battle and defense. The downside to the plants growing from my body is that I have to eat more than the average girl my age, since it uses my fat stores and a lot of energy. Still, it’s pretty useful since all we need to get from the grocery store is meat, dairy products, and junk food.”

“Wow.”

From then on, Mori and Fuwa were there for him all the time. 

They signed him up for online classes so he could stay in the bunker safely.

When he wanted to learn how to build support gear, they watched instructional videos with him so they could learn together. 

When he needed more notebooks for his Quirk Analysis for the Future journals, both Mori and Fuwa begged him for his previous books because of how good they were and encouraged him to continue making them. He told them they were in his and his mother’s apartment, and was surprised when Mori managed to get the notebooks and other things from the apartment before the landlord emptied it out.

He cried when she managed to get a bunch of photo albums, filled with pictures of him and his mother. She also got a picture of his mother, which she put into a beautiful frame for him.

When he was down from the words he had remembered from his classmates during nightmares, the girls would bring in their own pillows and blankets from their own rooms to his for an impromptu sleepover, complete with recordings from street cameras of hero battles. He liked the Underground hero, Eraserhead, in particular; both because of his quirkless fighting style, and the kindness hidden under his gruff, unpleasant personality. (If a man like that has cats coming around him begging for pets on a regular basis, he has to be a good person in reality!)

When he wanted to learn how to fight, Mori stepped up with her own hand-to-hand combat training, along with internet videos that the two studied together. She would adjust his stances, give encouragement or constructive criticism when needed, and ask him how he could improve himself so he could really learn.

When he wanted to test out his inventions, Fuwa was eager to see how they worked. She would take him to an open field and help him test out the schematics, trajectory, and anything else that was needed to test or adjust the invention.

Mori and Fuwa liked Izuku. They called him their ‘baby brother’, protected him from people that could hurt him, and taught him things he never thought he’d need to learn. They taught him he could be a hero. He vowed that, as soon as he got the power and ability, he would protect his big sisters against anything that came their way. 

*******

Which is why, the next bit of news had Izuku choking on his nikujaga. 

“I'm gonna need you to repeat yourself, Mori,” Fuwa coughed, having also choked. 

“A date with my boyfriend was interrupted by a jewelry heist,” Mori said again, taking another bite of meat and wondering what the problem was. She let out a light cough and drank a sip of water.

“You have a boyfriend?” Izuku asked.

“Yes,” Mori replied slowly. “Didn’t I mention it?”

“Is he gonna move in?” Fuwa drawled, looking a little anxious. 

“Only if you two are okay with it,” Mori replied. “Even then, it won’t be for another while. Otherwise, we can move into one of the other bunkers we made. He’s not a huge fan of his current neighbors…”

She chuckled, thinking of a joke the others present wouldn't understand. 

“Are they rude neighbors?” Izuku asked.

“Not really,” Mori pondered how to answer. “It’s not that he dislikes them, it’s just that he has a night job and can’t really sleep when he’s surrounded by noisy neighbors. But he can’t say anything because he’s not the sole resident, y’know?”

Izuku made a noise of understanding.

This began the interrogation.

“Favorite heroes?” 

“He’s more of an underground hero guy.” Mori chuckled, giving an impish grin.

“Cats or dogs?”

“Definitely cats.”

“Marriage in mind?”

“He wants to wait a bit, because his jobs are difficult, but he has told me I’d look beautiful in white…”

“What type is he?”

“His ‘type’?”

“You know,” Fuwa drawled, shaking a hand as she thought about how to explain her question. “Is he a charming sunshine boy like Izu? Mysterious? The devilish type? Goofy like that one junior of ours?”

“I mean, I see him as the silent, tall, dark, and handsome type.” Mori sighed wistfully. 

“His personality?”

“Brusque and blunt, honest to a fault. More of a grounded person than I am, so it's a pretty good balance.”

“Does he treat you well?” both Izuku and Fuwa asked at the same time. 

Mori blinked twice, then smiled warmly.

“He treats me like I'm his most precious treasure, yet also doesn’t treat me like I'm made of glass. He knows I can take care of myself, but will still call to see if I'm okay. He’s gruff and doesn’t care too much for public affection, but when we’re alone he’ll pull me into his lap and watch funny cat videos with me while we cuddle. He lets me put flowers in his hair, then use them to decorate his desk. If there’s one thing I would never doubt, it's that he loves me.”

Fuwa and Izuku looked at each other, having a silent conversation. 

“Shovel talk?” Izuku asked, reaching for a butter knife.

“Shovel talk.” Fuwa confirmed, pulling a shovel from her storage/utility belt.

“Guys, no!” Mori told them.

“Guys, yes!” Fuwa and Izuku disagreed. 

Mori shot vines out of her wrists in an attempt to restrain her two feral friends.

*******

Thankfully, Izuku and Fuwa managed to calm down.

“We need to meet him…” Izuku insisted. 

“I know, but can we focus on the real objective first?” Mori asked. She put a small stack of paper on the table.

Fuwa, at the sink washing the dishes, turned her head.

“The “real objective”?” She asked.

“I got this form from UA,” Mori explained, tapping it. “This is a form to apply to use up to two support gear items for the practical part of the entrance exam. Izucchi, do you know which items you want to use?”

Izuku looked thoughtful. He stared at the paper, thinking deeply. 

Fuwa dried off her hands and sat back down at the table.

“Talk us through your thoughts, Sprout.”

Izuku counted on his fingers.

“It’s still ten months away, so whatever I use I should make sure to make sure they work and adjust them accordingly. If it’s a practical exam for heroes, then they're going to have to be battle and defense ready for whatever is thrown at me. Body armor would be a must, but would that count as support gear or is that just protective clothing like in sports? 

“I can use my sorcery to dodge quickly, so that’s something I don’t have to worry about. I know I want to bring an emergency med kit, in case I'm injured. I don't want blood loss to be the reason I pass out and fail the exam. It could also be useful if there’s a person too injured to leave the exam. Hmm, a hack tool? Perhaps… Do you think I can bring in more if I disguise them as everyday objects, like a watch?”

“I doubt it, Sprout,” Fuwa shook her head. “Everything on you is checked to prevent cheating.”

“Oh, my goggles and gloves! They're a unit, so they should count as one piece of gear! Then I can bring a med kit… Fuwa-Nee, can you make a med kit storage? Like your utility belt!”

“Don’t forget to put our symbol on them!” Mori added. “Oh, do you want me to up the training for the next ten months? I think we can kill two birds with one stone if we clean up Dagobah Beach. Bring the electronics back to the bunker and use the parts to make the gear?”

“I like that idea,” Fuwa nodded. “Strength training, endurance training, free parts, and a heroic deed all in one? Fantastic training for a hero-to-be.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up.

“That sounds hard,” he said. “I love it! Can we start tomorrow?”

“Did you finish your online coursework?” Mori asked.

“Yes,” Izuku nodded.

“Then yes, we can,” Mori smiled.

“Yes!” Izuku threw a fist in the air.

“Yes, yes, we’re so excited,” Mori teased. “It’s getting late, so go ahead and have your bath. We can watch old hero fights afterward, if you want.”

A giddy Izuku danced in a circle on his toes for a moment before he zipped into the bathroom.

Fuwa leaned back and counted down from three.

“WHY HAVE THE RUBBER DUCKS MULTIPLIED?!” Izuku shrieked. “AND WHY HAVE THEY FORMED A RELIGIOUS CULT WORSHIPPING A RUBBER GOOSE?!”

Both women began to cackle. 

Izuku knows he made the right decision when he moved in with Mori and Fuwa, but…

He picked up one of the innumerable rubber ducks with a chuckle.

Sometimes he wondered. At least there was never a dull day!

*******

Izuku was walking to the convenience store not too far from the bunker.

It’s not that he wasn’t allowed to leave the bunker at all, it had just been wiser to keep him hidden until he was able to have a grasp on controlling his sorcery. Izuku had agreed, fearing separation from his beloved sisters if he was discovered.

Really, he didn’t even need much- he just wanted to get a few sports drinks and colas while his sisters were at work. He walked by the river, and was just walking under the bridge.

“Well well, look at this!” A gravelly voice came. “What a fine meatsuit! I didn’t even have to look for long!” 

Izuku tried to dodge, but the man was made of a smelly blue slime. He grabbed Izuku by the ankle, trapping him in place as he surrounded the 14-year-old with his body. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Izuku groaned. “Am I some sort of danger magnet? Get the hell off of me, you overgrown sewer jello!”

The grown man began trying to force himself down Izuku’s throat. Izuku was ready, though, and pulled a knife out of his pocket. He was about to hit the crazed villain straight in his weak spot when a loud yell came from above.

“DEEEETROOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIT SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!”

The slime villain was blown back, but so was Izuku. He stabbed his knife into the dirt to prevent himself from falling into the river. He looked up and watched incredulously as All Might, The Symbol of Peace, loaded up the slime villain into a 2-liter soda bottle. Izuku fell to the ground, trying to breathe properly because of the slime in his esophagus. The sun was bright, so he closed his eyes. 

He heard some shuffling beside him, then felt a SMACK across his face. Shock and pain filled his cheek as he looked up at the Number 1 Hero.

“Oh good, you’re alive!” All Might declared, a big grin on his muscular face. “No need to thank me, dear citizen! I’ve already signed your book. Now, I must get going!”

Izuku stood up. 

“All Might?” He asked, hero worship falling. He walked toward the large man, intent on giving him a piece of his mind, when he tripped over a rock and landed on All Might’s leg just as the man gave a powerful push off the ground. 

“Young man, please release me!” All Might yelled over the windspeed.

“You want me to die, you dense fucker?! Do you not see how high in the air we are?!”

“Ah yes, one moment!” All Might landed on the roof of an old apartment building. “Now why did you decide to do such a foolish thing?”

“I just have one question.” Izuku said.

All Might looked decidedly uncomfortable. He was antsy, almost desperate to leave. 

“All right, but please make it quick,” All Might requested anxiously. “I’m in a big hurry-!”

“Don’t worry, it won’t take long!” Izuku replied, a picture of innocence. “What in the everloving FUCK were you thinking when you slap a citizen awake after hitting them with a Detroit Smash while they were drowning in sewer sludge?!”

“Eh?”

Izuku charged and punched the Number 1 Hero in the dick. 

He was expecting the man to crouch, roll over, clutch his family jewels, or maybe even yelp. He was not, however, expecting all of the above with the addition of him deflating into a more skeletal version of himself. 

He grabbed his phone and opened the Family Chat.

>The Rat God Cult:

>High Priest; 

>Chat, I think I accidentally killed All Might. 

>I’ll explain later

>Please be my alibi if I did

Izuku put his phone back in his pocket, not expecting anyone to answer quite yet.

He then tried the door and found it locked. He sighed and headed to the edge of the roof where he jumped, floating softly to the ground. He ran off, not wanting to know what the hell it was he just saw.

“I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I know nothing.” Izuku told himself. “I still might sick Fuwa on him for the whole slime villain thing.”

He kept running until he came to the main street. A crowd was gathered, and so were several heroes. Everyone was panicking. Curious, he stood on a nearby mailbox, and the sight made his blood boil. He pulled his phone out again.

The Rat God Cult:

High Priestess: 

> I mean, good riddance, I guess.

>Not a horrible person, just devoid of common sense.

Saintess:

> We can talk when you get home

> It seems like a story to enjoy over dinner!

High Priest:

> Never mind that now! Emergency!

> I’m at the corner of Musutafu Avenue and Shojaku Street. The same villain that attacked me is attacking someone else, and the heroes here aren’t doing anything about it!

Saintess:

> I’m on my way. Tell me which heroes.

High Priest

> I see Kamui Woods, Backdraft (He’s putting out fires so at least he’s doing something, ig), That new hero Mount Lady, and Death Arms. They’re waiting for someone with “The Right Quirk”.

>Oh No.

> I’m sorry, I have to go in. There’s no time, and I know the victim!

Saintess

> I’ll be there shortly for damage control, go!

Izuku shoved his phone in his pocket and ran. He pushed past the crowd and picked up a piece of fallen shrapnel. He charged the villain, ignoring the shouts from the “Heroes” to get back, and plunged the shrapnel into the villain’s eyeball.

The slime villain shrieked, loosening his grip in his blind panic, giving Izuku enough time pulling the other boy out of the slime. 

“Stay behind me, Kacchan!” Izuku rasped, keeping the shrapnel between him and the angry villain. 

“Deku?” The boy asked. “Where the fuck have you been?!”

“Not the time, Kacchan!” 

Izuku held up his weapon, energy flowing from his arm to the sharp instrument to reinforce it just in case. His arm was shot out defensively, protecting both Bakugou and the other citizens behind him. The sludge man roared angrily, trying to find who dared stab him in the eye.

An enormous Sun Pitcher plant grew from the ground, swallowing up the slime. 

“Look! Up there!” Someone shouted.

It was a young woman with light purple hair dressed in a short, sleeveless, dark green bodysuit decorated with leaves, small flowers, and a few gems. She had light green stockings and matching arm warmers, along with dark green boots. Around her waist sat a brown utility belt, a light pink drawstring pouch tied to the side by one of the bigger pockets. She floated down in front of the boys.

It was Mori, in her hero persona, Nature Hero; Gaia.

“Are you two alright?” She asked, concerned. She was only a little taller than them, so she was able to see easily. She inspected them, seeing some burns on the blonde’s hands and arms, while both boys were letting out wheezy rasps. Her eyes narrowed. She was about to speak when she was pushed away by Death Arms, causing her to land on the broken concrete.

“What you did was incredibly reckless, young man!” Death Arms shouted at Izuku, letting Bakugou Katsuki get help from the EMTs. “How dare you do something so stupid? We were taking care of it!”

Izuku hacked up a glob of blue slime, which he spit out near Death Arms’s foot.

“Were you now?” He asked, shifting onto one foot with his hands on his hips. “That was “taking care of it”? If that was a hero taking care of business, I don’t want to be saved.”

“That’s not our fault!” He defended himself. “No one here had the right quirk to deal with him. We were trying to get someone who could!”

Izuku stared into his eyes, unaffected and unafraid.

“The right quirk, huh?” He repeated, chuckling darkly. “The right quirk to deal with a villain doesn’t always exist!” He stepped forward, jabbing his finger into Death Arms’s chest.

“I can think of twelve different ways the heroes here could have dealt with this issue, you absolute moron! Do you all know nothing about your own quirks? If you really needed a hero with the “right quirk”, did you call for Lock Rock, who could have locked the villain in place as you arrested him? Did you call Miss Joke, who could have pinned him by making him laugh? Did you call Eraserhead, who could have stopped him with Erasure? I know it’s not his usual patrol hour, but did you? Hell, did you call Nedzu for advice on who to call?! No, you didn’t! I CALLED SOMEONE INSTEAD. You didn’t even try, and my friend was dying! A CHILD WAS DYING, AND YOU DID NOTHING!”

“You’d better watch your tone, young man!” Death Arms tried to defend himself. “What would your mother say?”

Izuku froze. The hair on his neck stood up. 

“Oh no, you did not just fucking say that.” He snarled. “Yeah, you know what? She wouldn’t say much. After all, seven heroes were around and no one saved her because NO ONE HAD THE RIGHT QUIRK THEN, EITHER!”

Gaia stood up and brushed off her arm, ignoring the blood from the cuts she got from being pushed down into the debris. She put her arm around Izuku’s shoulder, allowing him to bury his face in her shoulder.

“Admit it, Death Arms,” Gaia hissed. “You messed up big time.”

“Don’t patronize me, little girl!” He hissed, eyeing the cameras anxiously. 

“Little girl?” Gaia repeated. “Did you just call me, Pro Hero Gaia, a “Little Girl”?! Oh, it’s on now!” 

She floated herself forward until she was in Death Arms’s face, nose-to-nose, shoving her finger in his chest as she punctuated each sentence. 

“Ignoring the deliberate act on your part to forget the names of the new heroes in town,” She scolded. “Look at this place! There is no way on this green earth that that guy,” She pointed to the slime villain in her pitcher plant. “Caused this much damage on his own. This, plus the level of debris, shrapnel, and citizens still freaking present, tells me that you ignored all the safety precautions and regulations set before us by the schools we learned at and the HPSC. More citizens could have gotten hurt because of your negligence, the lot of you!”

At that, she looked at all heroes on duty. Some had the decency to look down in shame. All Might- when the hell did he get there?- tried to calm her down.

“Miss Gaia, please, do calm yourself!” He pleaded. Gaia shot him a sharp look.

“Zip it, Yankee Doodle!” She hissed. “If you have time to tell me to calm down, then make yourself useful and take that villain to the precinct, already! Preferably before the pitcher plant’s acid begins to eat him!”

All Might held up his hands in a calming motion, slowly walking backwards to grab the enormous pitcher plant. He picked it up and did what Mori told while shouting down.

“My apologies, other heroes! You’re on your own!”

“Now, I don’t have the time to deal with you,” Gaia sighed, only mildly disappointed. “I need to make sure those two boys get home safely, since you, apparently, can’t even handle that. Hmph!” 

Mori stuck her nose in the air, picked up Izuku, and headed to where the EMTs were.

“Let me get that gunk out of your lungs, okay?” She asked both boys. Izuku agreed, and the blonde scoffed.

“Okay,” she agreed. “I just want to warn you that it’s going to be very uncomfortable, but it will work.”

She put a hand on each of their backs, letting a warm, yellow glow envelop her hands. The boys hacked and coughed and gagged and heaved, until all the sludge was out of their systems. Gaia rubbed their backs soothingly.

“I’m sorry, I know it feels awful,” She apologized.

“Thanks, Sis,” Izuku coughed. She pulled out two bottles of water.

“For drinking or gargling, whatever suits you best,” She told them. “As awful as that was, that gunk had to taste even worse, huh?”

Izuku gagged.

“I mean, he got me coming out of a sewer,” He told her. Gaia wrinkled her nose, then pulled some hard mints out of her pocket.

“For the taste,” she said, close to gagging, herself. Both Izuku and Katsuki took one gratefully.

The medical staff told her they were cleared, and Gaia thanked them for their assistance.

“Now,” She turned to the younger boys. “Let’s get you home.”

“I can go on my own,” The blonde growled.

“Yeah, I know that,” Gaia shrugged, unoffended by his attitude.

“So why the fuck are you following me home?!”

“So I can tell you and your parents the side effects to look out for after having sewer slime in your lungs and throat.” She told him bluntly.

“Hah?”

“There is no doubt that I got it all out,” Gaia told him. “But you were drowning in sludge for quite some time, and sewage isn’t exactly sanitary, even when it’s treated. Your parents need to know what to look out for in case you go through dry drowning, catch an infection, or anything of that nature. I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to you that I could prevent.”

Bakugou looked thoughtful at that, then he scoffed and walked away. Izuku and Gaia followed at a distance.

*******

“I’ll stay here, Mori-Nee…” Izuku said. Gaia blinked, then rubbed his shoulder.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “You had nothing but good things to say about them. They likely miss you.”

“I-I can’t…” Izuku stuttered, backing up. “Not yet…”

“Okay, Izucchi,” Mori rubbed his head. “When you’re ready.”

Masaru and Mitsuki Bakugou thanked Gaia for her help and for the information on their son’s health. Mitsuki was especially thankful for the business card for a detective that Gaia handed her so she could file a complaint over how the whole situation with her son was handled.

Mori messaged the Chat.

The Rat God Cult:

Saintess:

> We’ll be home soon, I just had to drop Izu’s friend at home.

High Priestess:

> I’ll cook tonight, then. Is everything okay?

Saintess:

> Touch that stove and I’ll put Hellebore in your tea. 

> We’ll bring home takeout.

>It will be, if I have anything to say about it. I’ll ask if dad can find the raw footage. But give Izu lots of love. Death Arms brought up his mother.

High Priestess:

> So he has chosen death.

Saintess:

> Not yet. Now what do you want to order? We’ll figure the rest out, later. 

> Oh, Izu’s tired. Looks like I’m piggybacking him home. See you soon.

*******

Izuku woke up at home, with a pile of stuffed animals covering him. Mori had probably tossed them on him as a “weighted comfort”.

He got out of bed and walked downstairs, yawning a bit. The TV was on some comedy show, likely as background noise. Mori, out of costume and dressed in her pajamas, was curled up in her favorite chair with a new romance fantasy novel. Fuwa, also in her pajamas, was kneeling at the coffee table with the electric kettle, fixing some mechanism in the base.

“Damn stupid kettle,” Fuwa grumbled. “No one ever has the right parts to fix it so I have to do it on my own.”

“I can always just get a new one,” Mori grinned impishly.

“New shit is for quitters and lazy people!” Fuwa argued. “What happens if, in the future, we lose quirks just as quickly as we got them? Murphy’s Law! If I don’t know how to fix things myself, I'm dead.”

Mori just smiled indulgently and went back to her book. 

“Um…” 

“Hey, Izucchi!” Mori greeted, marking her book and putting it down. “I ordered Chinese takeout. Grab yours and we’ll watch some old hero fights before bed.”

“I’m sorry!” Izuku burst suddenly. Mori and Fuwa looked at each other.

“What for?” Fuwa asked.

Izuku’s shoulders shrunk, and he began to ramble.

“We were supposed to start training today, and we couldn't because of that thing with the slime…” He said, his form trembling. “Even though you taught me so much while I was growing up, I wasn’t fast or strong enough to take care of him the first time, since All Might came and got me caught up in that punch-!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, darling,” Fuwa interjected. “First of all, why are you apologizing for that? You are 14 years old. Six years of training with us isn’t going to make you the most brilliant fighter and strategist. We may know a lot, but we don’t know everything. Some of what you learned we learned at the same time, and most of what you worked on was quirk control and learning about Sorcery. You need a proper hero school, Sprout; that’s why you’re applying to UA, right?

“Second of all, you told Mori that it was a surprise attack under the bridge. He popped out of the sewer, right? Everything that happened to you happened in such a short amount of time, and yet you still managed to find its weakness. I believe you would have gotten away from it even if All Might didn’t show up. Lastly, I think you skipped a few details, because what do you mean you got caught up in All Might’s punch?!”

“It seems I’m going to have another discussion with him,” Mori smiled pleasantly- but her mirth didn’t reach her eyes.

“He seemed scared of you earlier,” Izuku recalled suddenly. 

“That’s because he is,” Fuwa snickered. Mori blushed, recalling the incident.

“Anyway, I’ll take you to the police station tomorrow,” Mori told him. “They got Bakugou-Kun’s statement while the EMTs were looking at him, but no one got yours. It’s important there be a report and statement from both victims. After the station, we’ll head to the beach for our quirkless training. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah,” Izuku replied, still a bit despondent. Mori let out a small sigh, and pulled him into her lap.

“Izucchi,” Mori said gently. “None of what happened after the Slime villain is your fault, okay?”

“It kinda feels like it,” Izuku told her. 

“Do you want to set up an appointment with your therapist?”

Izuku considered this before nodding.

“I think I might have to,” he admitted. “I’m remembering mom…”

He moved off Mori’s lap and just shared the chair with her, snuggling into her. Mori leaned into him, as well.

“Ok, we’ll set it up after the beach training.” Mori told him.

“Eat your dinner, Sprout,” Fuwa said, handing him a plate of Chinese takeout. “We were waiting for you. We got some street cam footage of Eraserhead today, too!”

The three moved from chairs to the couch, playing surveillance camera footage and evaluating Eraserhead’s fighting style vs his opponent’s.

Chapter Text

“To the beach!” Mori cheered, skipping down the street to the infamous trash beach. 

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, painting the sky in cheerful sunbursts of orange, pink, and yellow. Mori was dragging a wheelbarrow and an industrial box of black, durable garbage bags in a wagon behind her, ready to carry their haul back home. Izuku jogged next to her, brimming with excitement and chattering about what kinds of junk would be on the beach and what they could do with it all. 

They stopped at the stairs, Izuku grabbing one end of the wagon to help Mori carry it down to the contaminated sand. Fuwa stood at the bottom, waiting for them. 

She had come ahead of time to see what they were working with and it was, admittedly, a lot. 

“Geez,” Mori exhaled slowly. “Do you think we’ll find a dead body here, or something?”

She coughed lightly, patting her chest. 

‘Am I coming down with something?’ She wondered. She shrugged, not too worried.

“Mori-Nee, please,” Izuku shivered. “Don't be so morbid.”

Mori apologized, rubbing the back of her head. 

Piles upon piles of garbage, junk, electronics, everything but the kitchen sink- wait. 

Mori squinted to see if she was seeing correctly.

“Fuwa,” She pointed at it. “Is that a kitchen sink?”

“The irony is not lost on me.”

All three burst into hysterical crackles. It really was unexpected.

“Okay, first things first!” Mori clapped. “Let’s get started, Izu.”

“You warmed up already?” Fuwa asked, stretching a bit, herself.

“We figured we could jog on the way here,” Izuku explained. “So we could get our blood pumping and waste no time!”

“Alright, then,” Fuwa nodded. "No need to wait for me, then. Let me warm up and then I’ll lend a hand.”

“Ready?” Mori stuck out her hand. Izuku and Fuwa put their hands on hers.

“Ready! Go team, go!”

“Let’s start with actual garbage,” Izuku suggested. “We can get everything unnecessary out of the way so we can focus on the equipment. Then, finish out by dragging a mesh net to make sure we get everything.”

“I think I’ll adjust that a little bit,” Mori said thoughtfully. “It’s a fantastic idea, but I don't want you accidentally stepping on something that can go through your shoe. So give me a sec here…”

She stuck her hands in the sand, feeling around in the grainy earth. She thought for a moment longer.

“Fuwa, are you done with your warm-up?” She asked. 

“For the most part,” Fuwa answered. “What is it?”

“Can you please lift all the visible garbage for a moment?” Mori requested. “I'm going to net the invisible stuff so we don't get too hurt.”

Without another word, Fuwa stuck out her hands and concentrated. Her eyes glowed an eerie pink, and all visible garbage lifted a few feet above the ground. Fuwa shot vines out of her arms, weaving them to form a fine net. She dragged the vines back toward her, leaving as little garbage behind as possible.

It was a good thing she did, as there were all sorts of rusted tools, nails, screws, ice picks, and even a random chainsaw. All in all, it could have been a recipe for disaster. 

Izuku’s eyes widened at all the sharp glass and metal that came up. He watched as Mori deposited it all into a pile on a wooden board for Fuwa to sort through. 

“I'm glad you two are here,” he told his sisters. “I don't know what I'd be without you.”

“Lonely, I think.” Mori mused. 

“Or dead,” Fuwa said monotonously. Mori stared at her.

“Too soon, Fuwa.”

“Oh shit, right,” Fuwa covered her mouth. “I was joking and I forgot.”

“It’s okay,” Izuku smiled sadly. “It’s true, after all.”

Mori hugged him from behind.

“Remember what you learned in therapy,” Mori reminded him, swaying with him from side to side. “We love you very much, you know?”

Izuku smiled brightly up at her.

“I know!” He beamed. “Let's get this garbage out of here!”

Mori smiled back.

“Let’s!”

They worked all day, collecting food packages, soda cans, straws of all designs, and even old pet crates. 

“The metal straws will be useful,” Fuwa mumbled, taking notes in her notebook. “A filter, perhaps? Or I could reform it into an antenna? Or maybe something for breathing underwater?”

“Fuwa-Nee, check this out!” Izuku pulled something big out of the sand. “A whole microwave! And it’s practically new!”

“To the wagon!” Fuwa commanded.

“Hey, focus on the smaller stuff first!” Mori called out, amused. “I get that you two are excited but this is also endurance training.”

“Sorry!” the two tech geeks shouted, scrambling back to their tasks.

“What about this USB?” Izuku asked, holding it up. “It looks pretty intact.”

“Interesting.” Fuwa murmured, taking it. “We’ll see if it works on one of the older computers, and see if there’s anything on it. If not, and it’s in working condition, we might be able to utilize this for the Archive tech.”

“Archive” was the name that Izuku had given his gloves and goggles combo. They were designed to act as a portable computer that could be accessed with the gloves, and viewed with the goggles. He thought that, if he could hack into anything at any given time, he could access information he could later send to other heroes or law enforcement, or shut down security systems to make raids harder for the enemy to spot the heroes. 

In addition, he’d be able to take notes on the quirks in real time and profile villains and allies alike, both to figure out ways to combat them, and analyze ways to help them improve.

It was Izuku’s favorite design.

“I can’t wait!” Izuku grinned, dancing in place again.

This went on for another three hours, when they all decided it was enough for one day. After all, one should never focus on one form of training at a time.

Izuku pulled the wagon full of junk treasure back, while Mori and Fuwa put the bags in the proper placement for trash pickup that morning.

“The recyclables aren't collected until tomorrow,” Mori noticed. “That’s fine, I’ll just bring it back tomorrow.”

They dropped the recyclables and the parts off at their magic bunker, then changed out of their sandy clothes into proper exercise gear.

Mori wore a dark green tank top and white sports bra with black yoga pants with a green stripe down each leg, white socks, and dark green sneakers.

Fuwa wore something similar, but what was green on Mori was purple on her.

Izuku was given a dark green and black t-shirt made of breathable fabric, black basketball shorts, and his usual red sneakers.

Thus began their new routine.

In the early morning, they'd warm up, jog to Dagonah beach where they’d stay and clean for a few hours. After that, they’d toss the garbage or recyclables, depending on the day. They'd shower off the sand back at their bunker home, change into exercise clothing, attach weights to their arms and legs, and go for as far of a run as they could handle. 

By then, they’d have a short break to drink water, eat some fruit, and use the restroom. Up next is running back home to hit their homemade gym. Mori would leave for her apprenticeship while Fuwa taught him how to use the equipment. Weights of all shapes and sizes, tools to train balance, exercise balls, and all sorts of tools of the trade had been thrown out in various dumps and alleyways across the city, and Fuwa had taken it upon herself to repurpose them.

One man’s trash is a mechanical geek’s treasure, after all.

Mori started using more proteins in all the lunches and dinners she cooked,  making sure they were a healthy balance based on the activity they had been doing. 

From late afternoon to evening, Izuku and Fuwa would work on Archive, then try to come up with a second tool for Izuku to use. Mori would come home, and Izuku would help her cook dinner. They’d have dinner, and Fuwa would do the dishes before leaving for her apprenticeship with Midnight. 

Eventually, Izuku came up with a new idea for support gear. 

“You know how you two tell me that ‘it’s not paranoia if it’s a real possibility’?” He asked one day as he and Fuwa welded a few pieces of his steel-toed shoes.

Fuwa pushed up the face guard.

“That’s because it’s the truth,” She stated. “The rule of Murphy’s Law- ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’. Mori and I have lived by that rule all our lives, and have always stayed prepared. It hasn't failed us yet. Why do you ask?”

“I think I want my second piece of support gear to be a field med kit,” He told her. “I don't think any of us knows what will happen at the entrance exam, so I want to be prepared. I mean, if I need to, I can probably make a weapon out of anything I find, right? Maybe there’ll be some shrapnel or something I can use. But if I get hurt, or someone else does and we go unnoticed, we won’t get help at a moment’s notice. So, can you make me a small box that works like your belt?”

Fuwa smirked, nodding.

“Very well reasoned,” She complimented. “That is perfect for your second piece. A small box that holds a slightly larger space, just like the gems on my belt, huh?”

The young sorceress thought about it for a moment.

“I can absolutely do that,” She told him. “If I give you too many potions, they might know I helped you, so I'll give you a few in case of an emergency. Why don’t you and Mori go to the store and get some things a med kit would need? Mori knows more about that than I do.”

“Okay!”

Mori was cooking dinner, as usual. She was almost finished when Izuku slammed open a door.

“Mori-Nee!” he shouted, startling her and making her throw the pot in the air. The hot oil in the pot splashed out, but Izuku called out a spell, yanking Mori out of the way just in time. He then froze the pot and oil in the air, slowly moving his hands to put everything back in its place on the stove. 

“Oh my god, that was close,” Mori panted, eyes wide. She cuffed her brother on the back of his head. 

“What did I tell you about slamming doors and shouting like that?!” She scolded. Izuku looked down.

“Sorry, Mori-Nee,” He apologized, genuinely upset. Mori’s face softened.

“I know you didn't mean it,” She told him, petting his head. “But please be more careful. One or both of us could have gotten seriously hurt.”

“I’ll be more careful,” He promised.

“Good,” Mori nodded. “What’s all the fuss about, anyway?”

Izuku’s excitement came back tenfold as he explained to Mori what he wanted to do with his field med kit.

“I see,” she mused. “We can go to the store after dinner. How about you fill out the equipment permission sheet, and we can send it to UA first thing tomorrow morning? We still have enough time for it to be approved, and your Archive is in working condition now, right?”

“Just about,” Izuku hummed. “It needs a kink taken out of it, but it’s great otherwise.”

“What’s the kink?”

“We’re not sure how, but every time one of us pokes it with the tools to put it together, it moans.”

Mori paused. 

“It does what?”

*******

Back in the lab, Fuwa was near tears as she tried to fix whatever was wrong with the AI system. She used a pin to push something back into place, accidentally poking too hard. A robotic voice came out of the goggles.

“YES MOMMY, HURT ME MORE.”

“I’m going to throw this out and start over,” She growled. “What is with this coding?!”

She leaned back, trying to calm down.

“I better save this for another day,” she grumbled. “If I keep working on this, I might just scream.”

She went back upstairs, ignoring the robotic voice that begged her to ignore it.

*******

“Katsudon!” Izuku cheered.

“I thought we were staying away from fried foods,” Fuwa commented, not displeased but genuinely curious.

“You two have been working really hard,” Mori told them. “And Izuku has made incredible progress. I figured you two deserved a reward.”

“Thank you, Mori-Nee/Mori!” The two chanted in unison before digging in. Mori smiled, picking up her chopsticks. 

Izuku then noticed the lunchbox wrapped in a grey cloth on the counter.

“What’s that for?” He asked. Mori turned to see what he was looking at.

“Oh that,” she grinned. “The store we’re going to is near where my boyfriend works. He hasn’t been eating well lately, so I thought I’d drop him off something to eat.”

“Is it love rice?” Fuwa teased, referring to rice with a heart shape in the center.

“It’s just regular rice balls with a few sausages, broccoli, bell peppers, and fried chicken bites,” Mori denied, blushing. “There’s also a few fruit slices.”

“Are they heart-shaped?” Izuku asked, wriggling his eyebrows.

“You two are horrible influences on each other.” Mori snorted, not really meaning it. “Lets start on that list of things you’ll need.”

*******

Mori and Izuku left, leaving Fuwa to do the dishes. Izuku held Mori’s hand, swinging it between them as they walked.

“Mori-Nee, do you think that if I cause chaos at the entrance exam, Nedzu will notice me?”

“Without a doubt,” Mori chuckled, a light cough escaping her throat. “Honestly, all you have to do to get his attention is do incredibly well on the exams. He is just as impressed by intelligence and perseverance as he is by chaos.”

“Did you meet him often while you were at UA?” 

“Sure did!” Mori replied. “He liked the pranks we played on some of the more… arrogant students.”

“Is that why you chose to be his apprentice?”

“That’s part of it,” Mori shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable.

If living with Mori and Fuwa had taught him anything, it was how to be observant of others’ emotions. 

Whatever made her choose an apprenticeship under Nedzu, Mori didn’t want to talk about it. Izuku quickly changed the subject.

“Do I really need a scalpel in the med kit?” he asked. Mori’s discomfort went away instantly.

“Of course!” she told him. “Murphy’s Law.”

They walked into the store and walked to the first aid section. They picked out gauze, band aids of all types and sizes, bandages, gauze, ace bandages, single-use ice packs, antiseptic spray, antibiotics, an emergency stitch kit, a few bottles of Neosporin, packs of Q-tips, bags of cotton balls, packages of wet wipes, a few boxes of rubber gloves, forty-two bottles of water, and a few packs of nutritional granola bars. 

“What about this? Murphy’s Law.”

“A C-spine collar?” Mori observed. “Absolutely, put it in. Crutches might be overdoing it, but arm and leg braces might be okay.”

They brought their haul to the counter, where the middle-aged clerk gave them a weird look.

“You guys goin’ ta war, or somethin’?” he asked.

“Eh,” Mori shrugged. “Close enough. I work in the nurse’s office at one of the Hero High Schools, and the entrance exam is coming up. My little brother is helping me out.”

The man’s beady eyes lit up. 

“Oh, Hero School, huh?” He said, interested. “You work at one, huh? It must be exciting!”

Mori sweat dropped, remembering some of the stranger injuries she had seen in her internship and apprenticeship. 

“There’s never a dull day, that’s for sure,” She chuckled awkwardly. She picked a few snacks and added them to the pile, and helped bag the items, since there were so many. 

They waved goodbye to the clerk and walked a short distance when Mori suddenly stopped. She closed her eyes and listened.

“Huh,” She whispered, confused. “I could have sworn I heard something?”

“Mori?”

Mori’s face lit up. A few feet away, covered mostly by shadow, stood the silhouette of a tall man. 

“Izucchi, wait here for me, okay?” She told him. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked over to the man, digging the lunch box out of her purse. The man seemed to sigh, but took the box. He patted Mori’s hair and kissed her forehead. 

Izuku knew this must have been Mori’s boyfriend, but he couldn't make out any particular traits that could identify him. 

Before he could think any further on that, something fell in the alley nearby. Thinking it might be a cat, Izuku perked up and went to check. 

He stepped cautiously, mindful of the broken glass. When he reached where the sound came from, what he didn't find was a cat, but a person.

An injured person.

Izuku rushed back to get Mori, but he also didn't want to interrupt her time with her boyfriend. He also didn't want to leave someone who was in distress. He sent Mori a text to let her know he didn't go far, and what happened. 

Thankfully, he was still holding one of the bags of first aid equipment. He knelt down slowly.

“Hi,” He said softly so as not to startle the person. “I’m Izuku. What’s your name?”

“Does it matter?” the person asked. A male. At least he was alive and responsive. 

“I guess it doesn't,” Izuku said. “But I thought it polite to ask the name of someone I was going to patch up.”

“No need, Kid,” the man grunted, shifting slightly.

“Sort of a need,” Izuku disagreed. “Those knife wounds on your chest look painful. The same with your arm.”

“Why would you care?”

“Why wouldn't I?”

The man stared at Izuku, blue eyes seeming to study the younger boy in front of him.

“Look kid, you don't even know me,” The stranger grunted. “I could be a serial killer for all you know.”

Izuku raised an eyebrow.

“So what?” Izuku asked. “Does that mean you’re unworthy of receiving help when you need it? What you do in your time is on you, and what I do in my time is on me. Who am I to judge?”

He reached into the bag and grabbed some antiseptic spray and wet wipes. 

“I’m going to touch your chest now, okay? The spray might hurt, though.”

He cleaned the skin with the wet wipes and sprayed the antiseptic onto the wounds. The stranger hissed.

“I'm sorry,” Izuku apologized. “That was antiseptic ointment. It’ll keep everything from getting infected. We haven’t quite figured out how to make that not sting. Once we do, I’ll be the first to let you know!”

He applied the calendula cream he had leftover from the jar Mori gave him to all the cuts.

“This is a cream made out of calendula flowers,” Izuku explained. “My sister made it for me. It’s really good for the skin, and it helps reduce scarring. I’ll bandage everything now, okay?”

“Whatever, kid.”

Izuku gently wrapped the stranger’s torso and arms, making sure the bandages were firm, but not tight. Still, he asked.

“Too tight? Too loose?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Izuku?” a voice called.

“Who is-?!” the stranger went to leap up, a knife in hand.

“Relax,” Izuku said calmly. “That’s my sister. She’s not a cop. I mean, she’s a hero apprentice, but she won't care who you are, either.”

The man remained tense, as he didn't have the energy to leave.

Mori appeared with her phone light shining on Izuku. 

“Do we need a hospital?” she asked, coughing.

“He said no, and they're mostly just shallow cuts and bruises,” Izuku replied. “How am I doing?”

“I mean I was going to teach you field medicine either way, but you seem to be doing a great job. How are you doing, sir?”

“Nunya.”

“He doesn't seem to like heroes,” Izuku said simply.

“Fair enough,” She replied, shrugging. “Too many vigilantes, villains, and even regular citizens can get on the wrong side of some of the more arrogant and power-hungry heroes. How they make it to heroism despite their unheroic behavior and red flags is beyond me.”

“Yeah, didn’t Fuwa do something to someone hero’s billboard?” Izuku asked.

Mori chuckled darkly.

“Ah, yes,” She grinned. “She drew dicks all over Endeavor’s face after a takedown he did on a villain pissed her off. She topped it off with the caption, ‘You are what you eat’. He was so furious, it was hilarious.”

The stranger snorted.

“That was your friend?” He asked. Mori smiled.

“Tormenting Endeavor is her favorite pastime.” She told him. “She’s been building glitter bombs and paint bombs and a dancing dick-in-the-box as things to prank him with on a regular basis. He still has no idea who’s been doing this.”

“You're supposed to be a hero, and you didn't stop her?”

“Why would I?” Mori asked incredulously. “The man’s an awful person who sees the world from his perspective only. He deserves a bit of aggravation in his life. I just have this feeling about him that he’s just… so much worse as a human being than he is as a hero, and being around him gives me the heebie jeebies.”

The stranger let out a barking laugh.

“I’d love to meet her,” he said. “Any hater of Endeavor is a friend of mine.”

“I’ll let her know that she has a fan of her art,” Mori said good-naturedly.

Izuku tied off the last bandage. 

“Okay, I'm finished,” Izuku announced. “Just keep your injuries dry and clean for the next day and a half. Maybe change into clean clothes when you get home. Nothing seems to be broken or sprained, thankfully, but maybe invest in some antiseptic spray and some calendula oil cream for future incidents. That’ll keep you from getting blood poisoning, infections, and scars.”

He looked at Mori for approval, and smiled widely when she nodded proudly.

“Here,” Moro handed the stranger one of the snack cakes she had bought. “You’ll need to eat something to get your energy back. Do you want some help standing, so you can get home?”

“Nah,” The stranger refused, not unkindly. “I think I’ll sit here for a bit and rest.”

“In a dirty alleyway?” Izuku wondered, looking around with a wince.

“Maybe I like dirty alleyways,” the stranger snarked. 

“Relax, Izu, he’s teasing.” Mori laughed. “He wants us to leave, so let's get the rest of this equipment home so we can put it together. And before Fuwa starts looking for us.”

“Oh, that would be bad,” Izuku agreed. “See you, sir! I hope you feel better!”

“Later kid, Miss,” the stranger waved. 

They got a bit further.

“You’ll be an excellent hero, Izu,” she ruffled his hair. “I'm proud of you.”

“For my skills?” He winked. Mori laughed.

“That too,” She poked back. “I’m more proud of how you used them. On someone who needed it, without any judgment.”

“I mean,” He rubbed the back of his head. “I know what it’s like to need medical treatment and not get it just because of who you are.”

Mori pulled him into her side, holding him in a half-hug the rest of the way home.

A meter or so back, the stranger heard this.

‘A kid who can smile like that knows suffering?’ He thought. ‘Must have been before he met the little miss, since she seems to be taking care of him.’

*******

At last, at last, Izuki was standing in the examination room for the written exam. 

He felt his pocket for the lucky charm Mori and Fuwa made him.

“Pardon,” an examiner asked him. “May I see what’s in your pocket?”

“Um, sure.” Izuku pulled out the four-leaf clover encased in amber, a string tied through a small hole. “Just a good luck charm my sisters gave me.”

The examiner looked over the charm with a critical eye. Not finding anything wrong, she handed it back. 

“Sorry,” she said. “I needed to make sure it wasn’t a cheating device. We have those occasionally.”

“It’s okay,” Izuku grinned. “I understand.”

He sat down, ready to take the exam.

A few minutes later, the exams were passed out and the students were racing to get the answers done within the three-hour time limit. A few glanced at Izuku, unsure what to think.

The greenish-black haired boy was smiling as he cheerfully checked every box, circled every letter, and proofread every essay. It was like he was having fun while everyone else was wracking their brains for a semblance of an answer.

Izuku looked over every answer once more and, satisfied, took his test papers to one of the examiners on duty.

“Thank you!” he chirped as quietly as he could. “It was fun!”

With that, he left the examination hall and went home to get ready for the next day’s practical examination.

Ectoplasm and Cementoss stared after him, then looked at each other.

“Do I need my hearing checked?”

“No no, I heard it, too.”

“He called Nedzu’s written test fun.”

*******

“Hey, Izucchi,” Mori greeted as Izuku opened the door to the bunker. She was chopping vegetables on the counter to make lunch.

“Mori?” Izuku questioned. “You had the day off?”

“Not really,” Mori said. “Some kids are taking the practical exam today. Everyone wants to go to All Might’s alma mater, after all. There’s going to be more than one day, more than one field. I’m going to be needed. I thought I’d make something we could just pop in the oven when I get home. Wanna help?”

“Yeah!” 

Izuku pulled an apron off the hook and tied it around his waist and grabbed a mixing bowl. 

As they prepared dinner, a ‘boom’ shook the bunker, and Fuwa emerged.

“Emerged” being the door slowly opened, and Fuwa’s cape seemingly dragged itself into the room in a crumpled heap. Izuku wiped his hands, pulled a bottle of iced coffee out of the fridge, and placed it on the kitchen floor. A hand swiftly grabbed the bottle and pulled it into the cape. A few gulping sounds later the cape bloomed, and Fuwa appeared like the Birth of Venus. 

“Long night?” Mori asked rhetorically, coughing. 

“What was that boom?” Izuku asked.

Fuwa blushed, embarrassed.

“I, uh… I might have fallen asleep while mixing a potion, and accidentally dropped something unknown in it. And now I don’t know if that explosion caused something or not.”

Mori’s fingers rubbed her eyes as she tried to stave off the approaching headache. Then she shrieked, because there was onion juice on her fingers. Izuku handed her a cool, wet paper towel to put on her eyes.

“How do you feel, Fuwa-Nee?” Izuku asked. 

“Nothing missing, anyway,” the young sorceress replied. “But I think I'll sleep for a while. I shouldn’t have been in there in the first place. We can put the final check on Archive later tonight, Izu.”

“Let us know if something weird happens!” Izuku waved her upstairs to her bedroom. She went with a wobble in her step, Izuku watching until she closed her bedroom door.

He let out a relieved sigh.

“That was fun,” he mumbled. “Mori, are your eyes okay?”

“They are now,” she sniffles, onion-scented tears unwittingly flowing down her cheeks. She let out a long, hard breath, then closed her eyes again.

“Is it bad?” She asked, not wanting to look.

“I can’t look until the emergency vent system gets all the smoke out,” Izuku stated. “Even then we have to put on protection before we go in.”

“That’s true,” Mori said. “I jumped the gun, there. Well, you know the drill. Stay out until I get back, and we’ll clean up later.”

“I’ll finish up dinner,” Izuku offered. “You’re going to have a long afternoon. Hamburger steaks, right?”

“Thanks, Izucchi,” Mori smiled gratefully. 

“It's the least I can do,” He smiled back. 

Mori put her apron back on the hook, and put her shoes on.

“I’ll be home around 6, but I’ll let you know if it runs over. In case I’m late, the recipe for the hamburger steaks is on the counter, and make sure to massage your legs and stretch before bed tonight. Don’t stay up late watching hero fights, I’ll make sure they're recorded for you.”

Mori kissed Izuku’s cheek. 

“See you soon, Izucchi.” She pulled her purse on her shoulder and left the bunker. 

“Have a good day, Nee-san!”

*******

It was about three hours after Mori left that Izuku heard a noise. He looked over the back of the couch, green eyes scanning the kitchen for anything that might have fallen. Seeing nothing, he turned back to his blueprints for grappling hook gauntlets. The noise came again. 

Izuku put his pen down and stood, walking over to the area he heard something.

Something scurried past him on the counter, faster than Izuku’s eyes could catch it. Then something caught his eye by the laboratory door. It went underneath. In the light under the door, Izuku saw multiple shadows moving around.

He was about to open the door to check it out, but remembered what happened the last time he went inside without supervision.

Long story short, he was pink with an orange afro for an entire week. Izuku shook his head. 

Never again.

Instead, he ran up the stairs and knocked on Fuwa’s door before going in. He shook her prone figure on her bed.

“Fuwa-Nee?” He called. “I know you’re sleepy, but something’s in the lab! It’s moving, I saw it!”

“Someone’s doing what?” Fuwa groaned, still a bit sleep-deprived, but better than she was. She rubbed her eyes.

“What’s happening?” She asked wearily. “You said something about the lab?”

“Something’s in there,” Izuku whispered urgently. “I saw shadows under the door.”

Fuwa threw off her blanket and stood, catching herself since she got up too fast.

“Well shit, we’d better figure out what’s going on!” She said, grabbing two decontamination suits from her closet. She handed one to Izuku, and the two stepped into them. They put on gloves, gas masks, goggles, and protective head gear, and headed downstairs to the lab. Fuwa opened the door slowly, miming for Izuku to stay behind her and walk slowly. 

Fuwa and Izuku stepped cautiously down each stair. They had no idea what was going on in the mess the explosion had caused earlier. That mess…

That… Mess?

Fuwa stared at her laboratory in utter astonishment.

“Where’s the mess?

Chapter Text

Fuwa and Izuku stared at each other, then back at the lab in front of them.

Fuwa had asked where the mess was.

The answer: It was like it didn’t exist in the first place.

“Everything is sparkling,” Izuku observed. “It’s like it’s all brand new.”

“Yeah, from the crown molding to the light fixtures to the baseboards,” Fuwa added. “It’s like we never did any work in this place.”

“When did you get the time to organize our tools and your potions ingredients alphabetically?” Izuku asked, gazing at the old wooden bookshelf filled from top to bottom with glass jars full of herbs, spices, and other obscure ingredients. Fuwa’s head whipped over in that direction.

“I…” She gulped. “I haven’t…”

A little scurry caught Izuku’s attention, and he knelt down. He looked under the bookshelf to see a group of tiny, humanoid creatures hiding there. They were shivering like they were scared.

“Fuwa?”

“What?”

“I think you made people,” Izuku stated bluntly. 

“I what?”

“Look, just,” He took a deep breath. “Stay over there for a bit, okay?”

Still confused, Fuwa sat on one of her stools. Izuku got back on the ground.

“Hi there,” He said softly. “I’m Izuku. Did you all clean this room?”

One of the tiny, chibi humans nodded twice.

“Wow, really?” Izuku praised them. “That’s so cool! It took less than three hours for you, but it usually takes my sisters and I four to five hours! Thank you, I’ve never seen it look cleaner or safer.”

The chibis blushed a bit. Izuku’s eyes sparkled a bit. They were all really cute.

“Can you come out, so I can meet you properly?”

They all shook their heads ‘no’, so Izuku nodded.

“Okay,” He told them. “You don’t have to until you’re comfortable. We’ll leave now!” He announced, standing up and brushing himself off. He gestured for Fuwa to follow him. They went upstairs and sat at Fuwa’s computer.

“I’m going to access the lab’s camera,” he told Fuwa, clicking and clacking away while he typed. 

“I’m in!” He declared dramatically.

Fuwa’s jaw dropped when she saw these tiny, elf-like chibis walking out from under the shelf. 

“I made people…” she muttered, dazed. "I made twelve tiny people that I'm now responsible for.”

“Well, we certainly can’t get rid of them!” Izuku agreed. “I already named some of them.”

“I was never going to, Sprout,” The young witch promised. “You think they were created from whatever I did when that potion exploded?”

“We’ll have to go back a few hours,” Izuku murmured, already typing out the process to do so. He rewound the security camera to a few moments before the explosion.

They watched as Fuwa nodded off while mixing a potion, slumping over for a solid minute.  Something from Fuwa’s face fell into the cauldron, and something else had fallen off the shelf, which triggered the explosion. 

“I’m going to have to figure out what fell in…” Fuwa stated. She watched as the little creatures popped out of her cauldron. They looked like they were trying to greet her, but she didn’t notice and began climbing up the stairs with just her hands.

“Mori and I are used to Crumpled Cape-Skin,” Izuku snorted. “But it must have been terrifying to someone who had never seen it before.”

Fuwa stuck out her lower lip, irritated. 

“Shut it.”

“What do we do now?” Izuku asked, referring to the creatures.

“Maybe I should apologize for scaring them,” Fuwa thought aloud. “And for not noticing them…”

“How, though?” Izuku asked. “Mori’s the most personable out of the three of us with all the social interactions she does on a regular basis. And she’s somewhere between Amadere and Butsudere. You look scary, but you’re just a Dandere.”

“I am not.” Fuwa denied, her voice monotonous.

“Yeah, maybe you're a closeted Yamato Nadeshiko.” Izuku teased. Fuwa tugged on his cheek. 

“Be careful, or I’ll put you in the doghouse.”

Stop!

Rewind!

Idea!

“Why don’t we make them a home?” Izuku suggested. “I mean, even a doghouse is safer than the lab. What should we start with? Maybe a few beds? Or at least some mattresses? They were only wearing paper towel togas, so they’ll need something to keep them warm. I think I have an old blanket they can use for now…” Izuku trailed off into more silent murmurs, mentally making a list of the things they might need.

“Do they need to eat?” He suddenly asked, eyes wide. “I mean, they were raiding the kitchen, so they at least eat something, but with tiny bodies they would excrete often, right? But I didn't see anything like that…”

“Lets focus on what we can do for now,” Fuwa decided. “Mori has a bunch of sewing equipment somewhere in her room, so I can ask her about that when she gets home. It should be another hour or so, if there weren’t too many crazy injuries.”

“Yeah,” Izuku mused. “Hey, Fuwa?”

“Mm?”

“Why didn’t you go to the entrance exam?” Izuku asked. “You’re an apprentice of Recovery Girl, too, and I'm sure your potions would be super effective on the examinees?”

Fuwa stared at him for a minute, then replied.

“I keep forgetting because you’re my younger brother,” Fuwa told him. “But not everyone is privy to my potions. They won’t be privy to yours, either. Even Nedzu and Recovery Girl tell me they aren't to be used unless there’s an emergency. It’s not that they won’t be effective, it’s just…”

“It’s to protect you from people who want your healing powers,” Izuku concluded. 

Fuwa rubbed his head.

“I keep stock of the different types of healing potions in case of an emergency, but other than the simple potions on record, no one but Nedzu, RG, Mori, and you know how far I can actually go. RG has also told me that they should heal naturally, just in case their bodies forget how to heal themselves without my potions.”

“Makes sense,” Izuku said, stretching. “No one should ever become dependent on something that can easily be taken away.”

“Exactly, kiddo.”

“Why’d you take the long explanation?”

“Because fuck you, that’s why.”

Brother and sister snorted,

“Hey, let’s start cooking the hamburger steaks,” Izuku suggested. “You said Mori will be back soon, so no doubt she’ll be hungry!”

“Agreed,” Fuwa said, standing up. “Everything is already made, right? We just need to cook them?”

“Yeah, the patties and sauce are in the fridge.”

*******

Mori returned home, exhausted. She was home on time, but it was a pretty close call. 

She walked into her kitchen, smelling the delicious scent of hamburger steaks, steamed vegetables, and rice.

And nothing was burnt, which means that Izuku took charge.

She coughed a few times, trying to relieve a tickle in her chest. 

“You’ve been doing that a lot,” Izuku said, arranging his plate of food on a tray. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Mori replied. “Just a tickle. I might be catching a cold, though, since it’s not going away.”

Izuku held up a spray bottle with distilled water and shook it.

“Need a spritz?”

Mori touched the flowers on her head, then looked at her finger pads. Wrinkled. 

“That and a sport’s drink, it seems,” She answered, hanging her purse on its hook. “I’m more dehydrated than I thought.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Fuwa asked from her place on the couch. “You don’t usually get sick.”

“I’m fine, really!” Mori told her. “It really is just a cough.”

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t feel anything abnormal in my body, at the very least.”

Fuwa and Izuku stared at Mori for a long moment.

“Okay,” Fuwa nodded in acceptance. “If you’re sure. By the way, we have something important to tell you.”

“Sounds serious,” Mori said softly, taking her tray to her chair to eat. Fuwa paused the tv, leading Mori to know that whatever it was was truly important.

Fuwa was blushing, and looked both embarrassed and irritated at herself. Her eyes wandered from looking at Mori.

Ten minutes later, Mori was finished with her dinner and was still waiting for Fuwa to explain.

Izuku sighed.

“Fuwa-Nee is a mom.” He declared bluntly. Fuwa’s face went redder.

“That is not what happened, you little shit!” Fuwa shouted. She looked at Mori, who had raised a surprised eyebrow.

“It’s not what it sounds like, I swear!” Fuwa protested, extremely flustered. “The explosion of that potion resulted in the existence of about 12 tiny people who are surprisingly good at cleaning and they're currently living in the lab until we can make some little homes for them!”

Mori’s other eyebrow shot up to meet the first.

“That’s,” She cleared her throat. “That’s quite the loaded sentence.”

“They’re really cute, Mori-Nee,” Izuku said happily. “They’re 4-6 inches tall, and look like little chibi fairies. And the state of the lab after they were done with it? Everything looks like it’s brand new!”

“Ara ara~!” Mori smiled, clapping her hands together. “I’d love to meet them! We’ve been trying to get that lab clean for ages! Oh, but after that, I also have something to tell the two of you.”

“What is it?” Izuku asked curiously. Mori placed her hands in her lap solemnly.

“It’s that time for me.”

“Oh!” Izuku hummed. “Do you need me to run to the store and get your favorite chocolates? I know you like those truffles, best. Or a new RoFan novel? I remember you said you’d like to find some that are similar to the one you’re reading now...”

Fuwa chopped him in the head, stopping the rant.

“While I love the women’s solidarity thing you’ve got going on, that’s not what she meant,” she explained. “Mori is going to be going away for a while.”

“What?” This was the first time Izuku had been informed of anything of the sort! “Why?!”

Mori smiled sadly.

“It’s something to do with my quirk,” She explained. “The process itself is confidential, but it is highly likely something that will help me grow, so I’ve honestly been looking forward to it. It was supposed to happen a few years ago, so I'm a bit late. I’ll be for at least a few months.” 

“Months?!”

“You’re going to miss your birthday?”

Mori nodded sadly.

“Dad and I expected this because of my first metamorphosis, but it’s much more upsetting when it actually happens. Izu’s Middle School graduation, his first day of high school, my birthday… I’m going to miss it all.”

She was enveloped in two pairs of arms. Fuwa and Izuku hugged her tightly, comforting her without words.

“I’m okay,” Mori promised. “I’d like to meet the little cuties that are going to be keeping the house clean while I’m “indisposed”, as it were.”

“Oh right!” 

Izuku held Mori's hand as they went downstairs. 

“Why is Fuwa still upstairs?” Mori asked, an eyebrow raised.

“She scared them with “Crumpled Cape Skin” and now they’re afraid of her.” Izuku informed her with a cheeky grin.

Mori made a noise of understanding, then hid her snort with her hand. Those not used to that typically find the sight unsettling, but Mori herself was always amused when someone new observed the process.

“Hello, everyone,” Izuku said quietly. “I brought someone to meet you. This is Mori; she also lives here.”

Mori knelt down slowly.

“How do you do?” She greeted them despite not seeing them. “You may call me Mori. I welcome you to our home.”

She put her hands on the ground, the wooden floor warping into a small hole. With a graceful movement of her fingers, a bunch of different colored daisies grew.

“A gift,” she whispered. “I’m going to be asleep for a long time, after today. I hope I can ask for your help in taking care of my family.”

A few small faces peeked out, staring at Mori, Izuku, and the flowers. One brave being put a hand on Mori’s knee. 

“Nini,” the tiny girl said. “Nini, ni, ninimo!”

Mori blinked, surprised, then smiled gently. She held out her hand, extending her index finger.

“I look forward to it.”

They shook hands in a silent agreement.

*******

THE NEXT MORNING

Izuku happily jogged his way to the practical exam. He was worried about Mori, but Fuwa had assured him that, wherever she went, she’d be safe.

“If you’re going to be worried about her, then make her proud at the practical exam!” Fuwa told him.  

So, while he was still worried, he promised he would be a hero Mori could be proud of. 

He signed himself in, thanked the lady for the pamphlet, and took his spot in the auditorium to wait for further instructions. He read the pamphlet front to back, making sure he was completely informed. So there are single, double, and triple pointers… Each robot counted for the points you would get in your final score. This was in addition to a fourth and final robot that would be explained by the exam proctor. 

As he was contemplating this, more students began filling in and taking seats around him. 

Finally.

It was time. 

“YO YO YO, UA HOPEFULS!”A loud, exuberant male voice shrieked. Izuku knew that voice.

“Holy Shit, it’s Present Mic!” He shouted involuntarily. His eyes sparkled with little stars, so excited to see a pro hero he admired. 

“THAT I AM, LIL’ LISTENER!” He shouted back. “AND I’LL BE YOUR PROCTOR FOR THE PRACTICAL EXAM! CAN I GET A YYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAH?!”

Izuku, still vibrating excitedly in place, threw his fist in the air and screeched.

“YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

The other kids stared at Izuku like he was nuts. Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. 

‘To be fair, the true extent of my mental state is pretty complicated,’ He thought. ‘And my people skills have been limited to mostly Mori and Fuwa for the past six years, and they're both full of different types of chaos.’

“NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!” Present Mic Cheered. “Now let’s get on to explaining the exam!”

Izuku listened with rapt attention, making sure to absorb as many instructions as he could. 

“Excuse me!” A completely different voice interrupted. “But you have not explained why there are zero-point robots when the goal is to accumulate as many points as possible! And you!” The boy shouted, pointing at Izuku. 

Izuku, who had turned to stare at the absolute moron that dared to interrupt Present Mic, looked around before pointing at himself with an expression that screamed: ‘Who, me?’

“Yes, you!” The boy with glasses shouted indignantly. “Do stop with your muttering! You’re a distraction to the other examinees. If you’re here for a pleasure trip, then go home immediately!”

Izuku snorted.

“Are you out of your mind?” he asked loudly. “You seriously interrupted Present Mic, our exam proctor, to tell him he forgot to explain something he would have gotten to if you didn’t interrupt him in the first place? And then, if you couldn’t sink any lower, you start berating a complete stranger about something he can't control! If anyone else was bothered by it, those around me would have said something instead of someone seven rows away from me. Stars forbid someone has a coping mechanism when nervous. And one last thing.”

Izuku glared at the boy, his narrowed eyes flashing red.

“Don’t you fucking dare assume that I'm just here for fun, Straightjacket.”

He turned back around, crossing his arms and legs, to wait for further instructions. The other boy sputtered a bit, but sat down with a red face.

Present Mic cleared his throat.

“Thank you for your… question, examinee number 7111, but examinee 7116 is right; I was just about to explain! The zero pointers are exactly that- pointless! When those are released, it signifies that there are ten minutes left in the exam!”

Izuku frowned thoughtfully. He bit his finger to keep himself from muttering, just in case. 

"If there's still ten minutes left in the exam then the zero pointers are definitely not pointless…”

His eyes widened, for only a moment. Then get grinned wickedly. 

‘Perfect.’

*******

Now gathered at Gate C, the examinees talked amongst themselves as they waited. Except Izuku, of course. He looked around and studied each and every person he could see.

Visible quirks, invisible quirks, mutation quirks… he studied each person to gauge the types of quirks he was working against.

Or with, if things went right. He’d try no matter what.

Something that happens to heroes constantly was team-ups of random heroes during random villain attacks- kind of like the crew that “dealt” with Globby Globberson, as Mori so lovingly called the slime villain. Since they were random, heroes rarely had the time to introduce themselves and their quirk when they needed to focus on apprehending the villain and evacuating civilians. Therefore, if the heroes didn't already know each other and each other’s quirks, it was typically an extreme trial-and-error process until they found their rhythm and the villain/criminal(s) was properly cuffed.

He observed his peers up and down, noting small details that could be quirk related. A girl with short brown hair and a perpetual blush looked to have little pads on her fingertips. That indicated a five-finger touch-based quirk. The jerkwad from before had very thick calves and… pipes?

‘Come to think of it,’ Izuku thought. ‘He looks a lot like Fuwa’s friend, Ingenium, when out of costume. I wonder if they’re related? If so, he’s got a speed/power-based quirk going on with Engine. Ah damn, if he is related to Fuwa’s friend, I’ll have to be more civil in the future.’

He clicked his tongue in agitation. No thoughts of being friendly with the other boy until the jerk apologized. 

Still, that girl looked pretty nervous… She was breathing heavily, and her face was sweating pretty badly. He walked over to her, only to be blocked by Glasses.

“What are you doing?” Glasses demanded, calling attention to them, much to Izuku’s chagrin. “Don't distract someone who is trying to focus!”

Izuku had had enough.

“What, in the name of FUCK, is your fucking problem with me?!” Izuku shouted. “She’s clearly having a nervous breakdown!”

At this, he pulled a cold bottle of water out of his utility belt.

Others stared for a moment, wondering how the hell that bottle fit.

Ignoring all of this, Izuku handed it to the girl.

“Hey, don't stress yourself out before the start,” he told her, smiling as she took the offered bottle. “My sisters tell me that worrying before something happens makes you exhaust your energy more quickly. Take a few breaths, have a few sips of water, and do your best, okay?”

“Okay!” She smiled. “Thanks a bunch. I was really getting nervous, but thanks for the water. Your sisters sound smart!”

Izuku chuckled.

“Yeah, they're the best.”

He turned to glare at Glasses again. 

“Why are you so obsessed with me?” He asked, before coming to a realization. 

“Oh!” He exclaimed. “Is it possibly…?”

He bowed slightly to the other boy.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not my type,” He told him. “And definitely not my soulmate, either. The only fluttering I have in my chest during our interactions has been rage and irritation.”

The boy sputtered indignantly.

“I am not-!”

“Later, Mini-Genium!” He called. “I'm gonna go ‘focus’ now!”

Izuku took out his phone and played the Chorus to Obsessed by Chymes on repeat as he moonwalked away, throwing up the “peace” sign.

*******

MEANWHILE, IN THE MONITOR ROOM:

“I love this kid!” Kayama Nemuri, Pro Hero Midnight, cackled. “Just look at lil’ Tenya’s face! Tensei is going to love this!”

“Didn’t this same kid declare he was taking this exam seriously?” Ishiyama Ken, Pro Hero Cementoss, questioned. “What’s up with him now?”

“He’s psyching Iida out,” Aizawa Shouta, Pro Hero Eraserhead answered. “That’s the second time Iida questioned his motives, which seems to have offended him. He’s psyching him out to distract him in retaliation for that.”

“Are you sure it’s that, and not that he’s an awkward teenager?” Kan Sekijiro, Pro Hero Vlad King, asked.

“I mean, every kid is different,” Kurose Anan, Pro Hero 13 replied. “He very well could just be awkward. But his eyes when he retaliated in the auditorium… maybe he isn’t and Eraser’s right? It’s hard to tell.”

Principal Nedzu nearly choked on his tea from the unexpected, feral cackle that came out of his chest.

Not only was that interaction hilarious, but he also wondered how Midoriya Izuku knew who Iida Tenya was.

This must be the boy he was told about.

“How intriguing!”

*******

Present Mic stood on top of the wall, addressing all the hero hopefuls on the ground.

“Alright, everybody!” He shouted. “Are you ready?!”

The gates opened, and Izuku rushed inside. The other kids looked at each other in confusion. Why did he run before Present Mic said ‘Start’?

“He’s got the right idea, yo!” Present Mic shouted again. “Real life doesn’t have start instructions! Go! Go! Go!”

The students rushed in after that, hunting for robots to destroy. Some however, managed to see one particular student wearing goggles, wielding a stop sign as if it were a battle ax. 

Izuku was barely thinking as he ran. He reinforced the stop sign with his sorcery, keeping an energy field around his improvised weapon. He sliced pieces off robots left and right, keeping an eye out for danger. He dodged a piece of robot that sailed toward him, but he didn’t have time to react.

The piece hit a building, sending debris falling to the ground. 

Where another examinee was standing.

Izuku raced to the boy, grabbed a crooked pipe, hooked it around the boy’s waist, and pulled.

“What the heck was that for!?” The boy shrieked, only to be silenced when a slab of broken concrete crashed on the ground where he had been standing only moments ago. 

“Uh…”

“Are you okay?” Izuku asked. His ‘groove’ was interrupted, but at least this kid was alive.

“I mean, I'm alive,” the purple-haired boy said, patting himself as if to confirm his own statement. “Yeah, alive…”

He pulled back when Izuku got too close to his face. Izuku looked sheepish, and apologized.

“You’ve got a cut on your eyebrow,” he said, pulling out his med kit. “Here, I've got some Band-Aids with antiseptic ointment.”

“Why are you helping me?” The boy asked, not entirely trusting this random feral teenager. Izuku blinked. 

“Why wouldn't I help you?” He asked back, genuinely confused. “You’re hurt, and you need help.”

“You let some other kid destroy a robot when you saved me. He got those points instead of you.”

“Eh, it’s gonna happen,” Izuku shrugged. “Here’s the thing, though; there are plenty of robots to get points from, but only one of you. Oh, I’m Midoriya Izuku. Nice to meet you!”

The boy scoffed lightly.

“Shinso Hitoshi.”

“What’s your quirk, by the way?” Izu asked, purely conversationally. “I can’t really use mine for… well, confidential reasons, but perhaps teaming up with someone similar could help us both.”

“You can’t use your quirk?” Shinso asked, eyes seeming interested.

“Not unless my life is in mortal peril, no.” Izuku lifted his wrist to reveal a modified version of quirk suppressant cuffs. “Enough about me. Your quirk?”

Shinso hesitated. 

“…Brainwashing.” He answered after a beat. Izuku’s eyes widened. Then his smile widened.

“Perfect,” he grinned. “An absolutely perfect quirk for heroics! Yeah, I've decided. This exam is way too biased towards flashy attack quirks, so I’m gonna help you get in!”

“You think my quirk’s heroic?” Shinso asked hopefully.

“Of course!” Izuku cheered. “I hope you’re a quick learner, cuz I’m about to teach you a few things. But before that…”

Izuku pulled his orange-tinted goggles over his eyes and pressed a button on the frame. His gloves lit up, and he typed something in the air. Music poured out of a speaker attached to Izuku’s belt.

“Motivational music~!” He sang, pulling Shinso in a random direction.

“You are a natural

Why is it so hard to see?

Maybe it’s just because

You keep on looking at me!

The journey’s a lonely one

So much more than we know

But sometimes you've got to go

Go and be your own hero!”

*******

MEANWHILE, IN THE MONITOR ROOM

“Hey, that green kid from before teamed up with a purple Sho!” Yamada Hizashi, Present Mic, reported from his place on site. 

Nemuri took a closer look.

“Oh my god, he’s right!” She screeched, peals of laughter escaping her throat like bats out of hell.

“Is that… music?” No one was sure who asked, because they were focused on the two teens who were using pieces of a downed robot as a wind sail on some land boat on wheels, allowing both teens to rush robots with their improvised melee weapons. In addition, they were treating other students who were injured or dehydrated. They even handed out heat packs to students who were suffering from the cold.

All of this while Pre-Quirk singer Ceelo Green’s “Kung Fu Fighting” played on a mysterious speaker. 

Aizawa had noticed the purple-haired boy before, struggling to figure out how he was going to battle these robots without an offensive quirk. Not 20 minutes later, he was literally sailing through the exam armed with a metal pipe, jumping on robot backs and ripping out the wiring. He seemed so much more confident.

“Just what did the green kid say to him?” He asked himself aloud. His fellow teachers also wondered. 

Nedzu popped up to the control panel.

“It’s time,” He cackled, slamming the ebig red button to release the Zero Pointers. 

*******

‘The Zero Pointers have been released. You have ten minutes remaining!” Present Mic’s voice echoed over the arena. Kids began finishing off their robots and rushing toward the gate. Izuku and Shinso were also on their way in their crudely made land sailboat, but then they saw her.

“Shinso! Starboard Bow!” Izuku shouted. 

“Which one’s that again?!”

“Up ahead and to the right! Someone’s trapped!”

“And the Zero Pointer is headed right for her!” Shinso noticed.

Both boys abandoned ship and rushed toward the girl, dodging other students as they ran away. Izuku yanked his med kit off his belt and tossed it to Shinso.

“Hi, I’m Misoriya and this is Shinso,” He greeted. “Oh, you're the girl from earlier!”

“I’m Uraraka Ochako,” The girl whimpered. “I can’t move my leg!”

“That’s okay, Uraraka,” Izuku soothed. “We aren’t leaving until we know we can get you out safely. Can you feel your leg?”

“A little, but it hurts a whole lot!”

“I know it’s painful, but the fact that you’re feeling pain is good. It means you’ve still got it. We’re going to try something, okay? Shinso, you still have that pipe?”

“Yeah, what are you thinking?”

“Using it as a jack to lift the concrete just enough to free her leg,” Izuku said. “If you need to, use her quirk to calm her down. “I’ll see if I can’t get this slab off.”

Izuku tried shimmying the slab off, but Uraraka cried out in agony. He stopped. 

“Ok, Plan B,” Izuku grimaced. “Shinso, do you think a giant robot hurtling towards us counts as an emergency?”

“It’s certain death,” Shinso replied. “Wait, are you going to-?!”

“Just needed a second opinion!”

Izuku pulled the key out of his pocket and unlocked the quirk suppressant cuffs. They fell to the floor, small craters forming.

*******

MEANWHILE, IN THE MONITOR ROOM

“Maijima, what’s happening?” Kan demanded. “Why doesn’t that robot have a failsafe for kids underfoot?!”

 Maijima Hiigari, Pro Support Hero Powerloader, was frantically typing on the control panel.

“I-I don't know!” Maijima choked. “The Zero Pointer is malfunctioning, and I can’t access it!”

The teachers were in a frenzy.

“What do we do?!” Kurose panicked. “We’re too far away right now! And Mic is busy with the other students! What do we do?!”

“Even worse, there’s a downed student, and no one is stopping to help!” Aizawa growled, hating the helplessness he was feeling.

“Hey, the green and purple kids!” Nemuri pointed. “They noticed the girl!”

“Hey, tune into audio! I want to hear what they're saying!”

The teachers watched with bated breath as the boys calmed the girl and tried to free her safely. They couldn’t.

“Okay, Plan B,” the green one said, reaching into his pocket. “Shinso, do you think a giant robot hurtling towards us counts as an emergency?”

“It’s certain death,” The purple one agreed, then startled. “Wait, are you going to-?!”

“Just needed a second opinion!” 

The green kid unlocked something from his wrists, sending whatever they were to the ground. Two small craters formed around whatever those things were.

“Quirk suppressant cuffs,” Nedzu supplied helpfully. “A modified version that only allows the user to use a mere fraction of their quirk, but also looks much more fashionable as the user is wearing them willingly.”

“Then if he’s taking them off…”

“Judging from his comment, he must have agreed to only take them off in a life-or-death emergency. And I do believe this counts.”

The pro heroes watched in awe as one boy shielded the girl with his body, and the other crossed his forearms and shielded them both.

With an enormous, green forcefield. 

Lightning poured against the attacking giant, short-circuiting it. It began to fall piece by piece, bit by bit, nut by bolt and screw. The boy kept the shield up for as long as the pieces fell, then absorbed the energy of nature back into his body. 

He replaced the quirk suppressant cuffs and quickly checked on his peers.

“AND THAT IS THE END OF OUR EXAM, YO! If everyone would exit the arena and enter the medical tent for any injuries, please do so! If you are uninjured, you’re either lucky or lying so go to the tent anyway!”

Those watching stared in absolute astonishment. 

“Was that?”

“It was a different color, but it’s almost the same.”

“The Sorcery Quirk!”

*******

“Over here!” Izuku waved both arms frantically toward the medical staff. “We have someone pinned under the rubble!”

Shinso, who was now sitting next to the pinned girl after shielding her, somehow ended up holding her hand. He wasn't sure what to do while they waited for help.

He suggested getting Uraraka a painkiller, but Izuku sadly declined. 

“I can’t or I would,” He explained. “But the medical staff need to know where her leg hurts in order to evaluate it properly. If I give her painkillers now, she won’t be able to communicate that, and I refuse to assist with medical malpractice.” 

He looked at the girl, genuine distress on his face for the fact that she was in pain.

“I’m really sorry, Uraraka,” He apologized. “I’d turn on some music, but my speaker got fried.”

Shinso pulled out his phone and went to his favorite social media site and typed a specific phrase. He showed the phone to Uraraka, who couldn't help but smile at the screen.

“What’s that?” Izuku whispered, not wanting to distract Uraraka from her distraction. 

Shinso shrugged nonchalantly.

“Cat videos,” he answered. 

Izuku grinned.

“I mean, yeah,” He agreed. “The best distraction of all!”

******

That afternoon, just after the exams, Mori walked into UA’s Principal’s office, where Principal Nedzu and Recovery Girl stood waiting for her.

“Are you ready, my dear?” Nedzu asked, his tail swishing a bit anxiously. Mori knelt down to meet his gaze.

“I’ve been ready for a long time,” Mori replied. “I’m a bit scared, but I know I’ll be safe here.” 

The small white mammal hugged the young woman, who lightly hugged him back so she wouldn’t squeeze too tight.  

“I’ve set up a space for you in the vents,” Nedzu told her. “That way, no one will be able to disturb you, and I or Recovery Girl can access you in an emergency. No one else knows of this, not even Shouta or Sekijiro.”

He placed a paw on the girl’s knee.

“No matter what, you will be safe here,” Nedzu vowed.

Mori’s face formed an uncomfortable, yet rather somber expression.

“Thank you.”

“Whenever you’re ready, my dear.”

“Just one question before I go in,” Mori requested. “My little brother, Izuku. He tried the practical exam. Did he get into UA?”

Nedzu smiled a mousy little smile.

“He passed with the second most points; with 25 villain points, and 50 rescue points!”

Mori smiled widely.

“I’m so happy to have good news before I go in!” She sighed wistfully. She kissed Nedzu and Recovery Girl on the cheeks, then crawled into the vent prepared for her. 

“I’ll miss you,” they heard her say. She laid comfortably and closed her eyes. She breathed in deeply, and out slowly.

Almost instantly after that exhale, her skin began to ooze a pale green substance. It wrapped around her from head to toe, encasing her bit by bit. The substance crystallized into what looked to be a sort of chrysalis, and Mori was gone.

Nedzu closed the vent, blocking access to the chrysalis. 

“And now we wait for her to emerge,” Nedzu sighed. “It will be much lonelier without her around.”

“Of course you’d feel that way,” Chiyo told him. “That’s your daughter, after all.”

Nedzu held a paw to the hidden vent, a slightly worried expression.

“Yes,” he murmured. “My sweet fairy princess; The only one in the known world most similar to me. Now, I will keep her safe until she recovers."

Chapter Text

Fuwa stood outside the UA exam center. She shivered lightly in the winter air, but she still waited, holding the jacket her younger brother forgot. She tried to remain still, but ended up pacing; both from trying to stay warm in the January chill, and from the anxiousness she was feeling. 

Mori had gone inside not long ago, in order to stay in a private, protected place for her metamorphosis. She left Fuwa a few instructions to follow for some housework Mori wasn’t sure the Ninimo (the newly coined term for the tiny magic people as a species, from the fact that that was the only thing they could say) would be able to handle, like organizing the household budget, budgeting for groceries, where to pick up Izuku’s uniform once he got in, and a recipe for the Ninimo to make cookies for Izuku’s homeroom teacher.

There was also a note to go with it, with strict instructions not to read it as it was for their brother’s teacher only. 

Fuwa wondered if Mori knew something she wasn’t saying, but conceded that she likely did. Mori had ways of knowing things it should be impossible for her to know.

She sneezed. 

“Bless you, Nee-San.”

Fuwa jumped and covered her mouth, successfully hiding the expletive she had been about to scream.

“Don’t fucking do that, Izu…” she scolded lightly, rubbing his head to show she wasn’t really upset. “How was it? How do you feel?”

“Sore, and I know I'm going to feel it more tomorrow, but I'm happy with what I did!” He told her excitedly. “I think I even made a friend!”

“You can tell me all about it after you put this jacket on.”

“But I'm all hot and sweaty,” Izuku stated. Not complaining, just confused. 

“Sweat is the body’s method of cooling down the body when it’s hot,” Fuwa answered. “Three, two, one…”

She pointed at Izuku, who shivered right on schedule. 

“Got it,” Izuku sighed with a smile. “Thanks, Fuwa-Nee.”

He took the jacket and tugged it on. He then grabbed his sister’s hand and excitedly told her all about his time at the exam, swinging their hands between them as they walked home. 

A few pairs of eyes watched them go, a few recognizing the older girl. The rest remembered the angelic boy who helped them during the exam. 

“Nee, Fuwa-Nee, can we eat Katsudon?”

“Sure, Sprout. Let’s just pick up a few things at the store first.”

*******

Both Fuwa and Izuku moaned at the first bite of katsudon, freshly made by the Ninimo. 

The Ninimo proved to be fantastic chefs as well as homemakers. Their katsudon was crispy, tender, and juicy, with a thick, velvety sauce. Even the rice and vegetables tasted like they were farm-fresh. All they needed was a recipe book, and they improved it like they were a group of Michelin Three Star Chefs!

“Mori’s got competition,” Fuwa chuckled, savoring every bite. 

“She’d probably be impressed,” Izuku responded. “It wouldn’t be like her to get mad at someone for making a dish better than she can.”

“Yeah, she’d only be upset if it was her personal recipe and someone made it worse.” Fuwa agreed. She used her chopsticks to shovel the food into her mouth, chewing and humming appreciatively.

“It’s delicious, Renji! Lemon!”

Renji, a male Ninimo with orange hair and eyes, was dressed in a chef’s uniform including an orange ascot and a hat with a decorative orange half on it. He waved, dot-like eyes curling into little n’s.

Lemon, a female Ninimo with yellow hair and green eyes, was dressed in a maid outfit with lemons on the apron, and a decorative lemon slice on her headband. She had served the meal, squeaking out a little tune as she did so. Standing next to Renji, she bowed, her dot-like eyes forming little u’s. 

Izuku waved back.

“Don’t forget to eat your share, too, okay?”

Renji saluted, and Lemon squeaked with joy. They worked a bit more to prepare a serving to share with the other Ninimo. 

The Ninimo had divided themselves into groups to do different house chores. Izuku, who had given them their names based on their coloring, was their favorite human by far- especially when he built a myriad of “cat trees” to make a livable corner of the house just for them to live in. They especially loved the little toys he would buy for them when he went out.

Fuwa and Izuku sighed in contentment, rubbing their full bellies. They made to wash their dishes, only for Lemon to stop them and point to the counter next to her, telling them to place their dishes there. The two humans looked at each other.

“Can we at least wash the dishes we ate from?” Izuku asked. “If we rely on you for everything, we might get lazy!”

“‘Lazy’ is not something we as heroes should be,” Fuwa agreed. “At least when we’re home and haven’t forgotten to do it, let us do a small bit to contribute.” 

Lemon and Renji looked at each other, having a silent conversation. Then, they both nodded in agreement.

“Sounds good!”

They washed their dishes and placed them on the drying rack. Izuku grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

“Fuwa, I’m going to that rooftop to stargaze!”

“Bring a fucking coat, scarf, and gloves, you little hot pocket!”

“If I bring two blankets as well, will you quit nagging?!”

“Fuck no!”

Izuku shook his head with a laugh and darted out the door. 

*******

Izuku adjusted his telescope a smidge to the East, breathless at the beautiful sight. He sat on a thick, plush blanket to keep the cold from the concrete from seeping into his bones. The notepad opened on his lap covered in scribbles from poems that may or may not get music to them.

The stars were in fine form tonight; the Subaru, or the Pleiades, cluster was twinkling beautifully. The sky itself was dark, but the lights from Musutafu’s inner city made it light up in dark blue and purple hues. 

This was Izuku’s favorite spot for stargazing so far. He had yet to find a place more beautiful in that city. 

It was where he went when he felt lonely. Not that his sisters didn’t keep him company, because they did. But his heart felt empty. It longed for a particular person. Who, he didn’t know, but the desire for them was practically blinding.

He thought it might have something to do with puberty, so he did what anyone would do when they have questions they didn’t want to ask their sisters; consult the internet!

He ended up on the weird side of the internet when he found ABO, but at the same time the concept of fated mates sounded about what he was craving. 

A soul mate. A twin flame. A partner determined by destiny. 

Mori called her current boyfriend her soulmate, but she had also recently confessed to Fuwa that she didn’t think he knew they were soulmates; likely because of this undetermined age gap they have and the fact that Mori had still looked like a young teenager. Izuku overheard her crying as she described how she thought he was dating her out of pity and not love, like she was dating him for. 

Thinking about it made Izuku grumble discontentedly. That was unacceptable. If he ever met this “soulmate” of hers, he was bringing down the gauntlets. Hard. 

A shooting star interrupted his musings. He watched through his microscope as the star streaked across the sky. Izuku’s empty chest throbbed, so he made a wish. He closed his eyes tightly, folded his hands, and begged the stars.

“I wish to meet my soulmate,” he said sadly. “And finally fill my empty heart.”

A few seconds went by, as did another star. Izuku closed his eyes and wished again.

He opened his eyes just in time to see a third shooting star. This time, he made the same wish, but he watched with his eyes open as the star crossed the sky. Closer and closer it came.

Closer?

Stars don’t get closer!

Izuku looked out of his telescope at the red dot getting closer. He quickly laid it down so it wouldn’t get broken, then realized his legs were frozen because he forgot to put on the second blanket- of course he did- and now he can’t get up! 

He threw up his arms and braced himself for impact.

“Please don’t be a meteor, please don’t be a meteor, although, actually, that would be pretty cool if it was a small one I could take home, especially if it’s one with precious gems or metals in it!”

Thankfully, what hit him wasn’t a space rock going 500mph from the sky, but a warm, soft body of a person who was… still going way too fast for this not to hurt.

Whoever it was crashed against Izuku with such force, they both rolled a whole yard backwards in a tangle of limbs and… Feathers?

“Oh my-! Kei, is that you?!”

“Izzat you, Izu?” the lump, Kei, grumbled in pain. “Damn, I'm sorry! Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, but what about you?” Izuku demanded. “Ive never seen you crash like that before.”

Kei rubbed his hand through his short, blonde hair while sporting a sideways grin.

“I got off duty a little late,” he confessed. “And I was in a rush to come see you. How are the stars tonight?”

Izuku blushed. He coughed into his fist to try and cover up the awkward “squeak” that escaped his throat. 

“The Pleiades are letting out some shooting stars,” Izuku replied, resetting his telescope and blankets. “You wanna see?”

Kei fluttered his wings, crimson feathers fluffing out.

“Of course I do!” He plopped on the blanket next to Izuku. “So, what’s the story about the Pleiades? Do they have a story?”

Izuku smiled, pointing in the direction of the star cluster. Kei wrapped his wings around them, keeping the wind chill minimal. He rested his head on Izuku’s shoulders, slightly nuzzling his neck. 

“I like the ones about the bird constellations, but I really like the dragon story, too.”

Izuku laughed.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you just liked listening to me talk,” Izuku said with a cheeky grin. Kei smiled back, a hint of seriousness behind his eyes.

“Maybe I do “just like hearing you talk”,” Kei retorted. “Your star stories are a breath of fresh air in my mundane, irritating life. Izu, don’t sell yourself short.”

Izuku smiled, letting Kei rest next to him, basking in the comfort of each other’s presence.

They had met a few months ago, at twilight in August, when Izuku was in this exact spot to observe the annual Leonid meteor shower. The way they met was… uniquely similar in that Kei had fallen from the sky and landed quite close to Izuku and his telescope. 

*******

“YO WHAT THE FLIPFLOP?!?!?!?” Izuku shouted, hopping out of the way of whatever projectile had decided to come and land right next to him, of all people. 

Sure, hit the stargazer on a cloudless night. Anyway, the UFO groaned.

Wait, it groaned? Izuku got closer and gave it a poke. It was human!

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked, one second close to crying out of shock and fear. “A hospital?! How do I get you down from here?!”

“I’m okay!” The man said. “Sorry, kid, there was a sudden, massive itch between my wings and I lost control. Ouch.” He hissed, holding his arm. He wiggled a bit, looking uncomfortable.

“And it still itches,” he bemoaned. It was then Izuku got a glimpse of the man’s face.

This was Pro Hero: Hawks, one of the top ten heroes on the board. Known for his dashing good looks and charming attitude. 

And Izuku’s Number One Celebrity Crush.

He stood there, awkwardly, unsure what to do. His interactions for the past few years were pretty limited, so... He took a deep breath, and spoke.

“You want me to take care of that?” Izuku squeaked out. “Your back, I mean. It seems painful-.”

“Oh my gods, please!” Hawks begged, interrupting Izuku and ripping off his jacket. “I can’t reach for the life of me!”

He turned his back to Izuku, who immediately saw the problem.

“It’s a good thing I have these with me,” he mumbled, picking a pair of pin-tip tweezers out of his bag. He took off the plastic cap, and held his flashlight steady.

“Um, Mr. Hawks, sir?” Izuku stammered.

“Just call me Hawks, kid,” Hawks told him. “You’re seeing me half-naked; it’s the least I can do.” He tried to give a smirk, but it was coming out as more of a grimace because of the intense itch. 

“Right, Hawks,” Izuku conceded. “This might hurt a bit, I just wanted to warn you.”

One by one, Izuku used the pin-tip tweezers to extract a whole nest of hungry ticks. He deposited them in the disposable plastic container that had held his lunch. Hawks hissed every so often, and Izuku would apologize and  rub the older man’s shoulder with the promise it was almost over.

“Um, so,” Izuku panicked. “Do you see that group of stars up there?”

“That really narrows it down,” Hawks grumbled sarcastically. Izuku leaned over his shoulder and pointed. 

“There, it kinda looks like a big squiggle attached to a dipper,” He replied, tracing a pattern in the sky. Hawks’s eyes followed Izuku’s finger, and he squinted a bit.

“Oh yeah, it kinda does,” He realized. “What about it? Ouch.”

“Sorry,” Izuku winced. “That’s the constellation Draco, or the Dragon. According to legend in Greek mythology, the dragon’s name was Ladon, and he was the guardian of the Golden Apples of Hesperides. The ancient hero, Heracles, or Hercules, was given the task to retrieve the apples by the Goddess Hera, since they were a wedding gift from the Earth Goddess, Gaia.”

“Gaia?” Hawks repeated. “Like that new Pro?”

“Yeah,” Izuku answered. “She chose her hero name based on the Primordial Greek Goddess of the Earth. Anyway, the dragon was slain by poison arrows. Whether it was from sorrow of his death, since the garden was hers, or triumph over victory, Hera raised Ladon’s body into the sky and transformed him into the constellation we see today. Honestly, in my opinion, the Golden Apples weren’t worth the death of a dragon.”

“Why do you say that?” Hawks asked. “Apples made of gold seem pretty interesting.”

“Why would an immortal goddess need apples that make you immortal when you eat them?” Izuku rambled. “It seems counterproductive to eat one if you’re already immortal. And what about people sneaking into the garden to steal the apples? It would be best to have a dragon guarding them instead of just the Nymphs. Like, a lot of the nymphs had reputations for being weak to lust, but that was probably just a stereotype. But still, a dragon guard is way more effective than a Nymph guard. Besides, one of those apples caused an entire darn war!”

Plucking the last one off, Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. He then took the alcohol wipes he had and wiped down each area where a tick had been feeding. 

“Okay yeah, that stings!” Hawks complained through gritted teeth. 

“I’m sorry,” Izuku apologized for seemingly the 23rd time. “You have to make sure you clean the area where a tick has bitten…”

“A tick?!” The Hero squawked, patting around his wings frantically.

“About 20 of them, actually…”

Hawks looked like he might actually faint.

“That’s disgusting,” He groaned, his face a pale green. “I think I might be sick…”

“I put one in a small plastic bag for you,” Izuku told him. Hawks gave him a weird look.

“Why.” 

“In case you catch something?” Izuku replied. “It’s common practice to bring in the insect or snake that bites you to the hospital or doctor so they can more accurately set up a treatment plan. Ticks can cause Lyme’s, a disease that, in early stages, can cause fatigue and muscle and joint pain. There’s other symptoms, but those in particular would affect your hero work. So take the baggie with you and let your doctor know so they can keep an eye on you just in case.”

Hawks took the offered bag with a look of utter disgust on his face. 

“I’ll do that,” He agreed. “Thanks a bunch, Beautiful, that feels so much better. Oh, and thanks for the distraction, too.”

With that and a wink, he took off.

“Oh,” Izuku noticed. “He forgot his shirt and jacket.”

A few weeks later, Izuku was set up again, just for a fun night of stargazing.

“Hello, again, Beautiful,” Hawks’s voice sounded from behind.

Izuku jumped and tried to hide his squeak of surprise.

“Oh, um…” Izuku gulped. “Hi, Hawks.”

“Takami Keigo,” He corrected. “You pulled a bunch of bugs off my naked back, we’re at least on a real-name basis at this point!”

“I mean, you do have a point…” Izuku rubbed his head awkwardly. “I’m Midoriya Izuku.”

“Izuku, huh?” Hawks mused, before he sat down next to the younger boy. “Say, you mentioned something about one of those apples causing a war the last time I saw you. How on earth did an immortality apple cause a war? Were people trying to eat it?”

Izuku was a bit surprised.

“You were actually listening?” He asked. “The only people who usually listen to my ramblings are my sisters. Everyone else I’ve ever met thought it was creepy, especially when I rambled about quirks…”

“I mean, I thought the story was interesting,” Hawks admitted. “I wanted to hear the rest of it. And now you tell me you like to analyze quirks?”

“Well, yes,” Izuku replied. “My sisters tell me that, if I ever decide not to become a Hero or ever retire, or even while I am a Hero, I could make a killing with Quirk Analysis. I don’t know if I’m that good, since most of it is speculation, but my sisters are really smart so I don’t want to say they’re wrong, either.”

“I’d bet you could,” Hawks grinned. “If you’re as good at examining quirks as you are at telling stories, you’d be a pretty awesome Analyst.”

Izuku blushed and looked away.

“Y-You wanted to hear the story of the Apple of Discord?” He stuttered.

“Oooh, it even has a title!” Hawks laughed. “I sure do.”

And so, Izuku told Hawks about how Eris, the Goddess of Strife, used the Apple of Discord to cause a fight between Goddesses, leading to the beginning of the famous Trojan War.

*******

Since then, Hawks and Izuku would meet up from time to time, with Izuku pointing out a new constellation and reciting its legend. Occasionally, Hawks would ask about Hero quirks, and just… listen to the younger boy rant and ramble about them, along with making speculations about what could be done with those quirks. 

He would nod along, asking questions when he had them and complimenting Izuku when he made a particularly good analysis. 

Izuku and Keigo got along well, and enjoyed being in each others’ presence. For Keigo, it was an escape from the pressures of the Media and the Hero work he did day by day. He relished the time he had with the younger boy, acting and being treated like a regular person instead of a famous Hero. Izuku was just happy to spend time with someone who treated him as a friend instead of an “annoying Deku” like before Mori and Fuwa took him in. 

“Hey, Kei?”

“Yeah, Izu?”

“I took the UA Entrance Exam today,” Izuku started. “And I think I made a friend.”

“Did you?” Keigo asked, sitting up properly. “How was it? I heard it’s a crazy practical exam.”

“Battle robots,” Izuku commented.

“You had to fight battle robots? Sweet,” Keigo complimented. “What, are you worried?”

Izuku nodded. He really was, because anxiety just be like that sometimes. 

“Well, I bet you’re going to get one of the highest scores,” Keigo said. “You’re wicked smart, cool under pressure, and kind to a fault. Not to mention, I have seen you jump from rooftop to rooftop while carrying all your stargazing and notetaking shit. You’re quick and agile, and reasonably strong for someone your age. And if you don’t get in, I know those scary sisters of yours will agree with me about storming the school and demanding answers!”

Izuku flushed, waving his arms as he imagined that very scenario. Because Kei was absolutely correct that Mori and Fuwa would do just that.

“No, don’t storm the school!” He cried. “You’d get arrested!”

“They’d let me out in no time, Beautiful,” Keigo cackled. “I’m Hawks!”

The pair dissolved into laughter, holding onto each other so they wouldn’t fall down.  

That night, Izuku told Keigo the story of the Pleiades while Keigo relaxed next to him, the bond between friends growing.

*******

Nedzu chuckled to himself as he watched the recordings of the practical exam. Mori would be so proud of her little brother, abandoning points to help wounded students. And Nedzu himself was quite impressed. 

Before she had gone into the vent for her metamorphosis, Mori had admitted to Nedzu that Izuku was pretty isolated from his peers because of the need to protect him from the HPSC and others who desired the Sorcery quirk, but she and Fuwa had always tried to instil the values of friendships and camaraderie over empty power grabs. He had been involved in online forums that centered around fan clubs for certain heroes, and he had made a few internet friends, but it was different when it came to real people in person.

The child-rearing books he had gotten when Mori and Fuwa came into his care said that humans need bonds to function properly in the mental capacity. In Hero work, especially, making acquaintances that you can fight with, patrol with, or stake out with well is essential for a mission to go have the minimum amount of issues. 

Human relationships were weird, Nedzu concluded. He was honestly impressed that he was able to raise a pair of human girls to be relatively normal human adults. It was too bad Fuwa refused adoption, unlike Mori, but Fuwa seemed content to have her closest relationship be Mori. 

Especially when Fuwa’s first crush ended up…

Nedzu shook his head. He hated thinking about it. 

He traced the hidden button on the underside of his desk. Fuwa said she was certain, so he complied, but…

No. He needed to focus now. The children.

Midoriya Izuku, huh? And Shinsou Hitoshi… 

It looked like there would be an extra student in each of the Hero Course classes this year! It was a good thing he had an idea of who the assistant teachers would be.

Now, he wondered when on Earth his daughter would decide to let him in on the secret romance she totally didn’t have going on with him.

*******

Fuwa shivered, the cold February wind chilling her bones. 

It had been a whole month without Mori, and it was taking its toll on both Fuwa and Izu. It wasn’t like they didn’t get along, because they did. It was just that they were so used to Mori’s calm, kind presence that they weren’t used to all the unsupervised chaos they were left to cause.

Fuwa looked at the shopping list- the greenhouse was still growing well even without Mori around, so fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs weren’t a problem. But Fuwa was on a mission for meat, cheese, milk, salt, butter, dashi stock, sauces, snacks, snack cakes, and honey.

Sure, Mori had honeybees in a separate space in the tree bunker, but Fuwa would go nowhere near those flying, hissing demons!

A rustle in the alleyway caught her attention.

Tucking the list back into her purse, Fuwa trudged into the dark, dirty alley. She silently hoped it was a black cat. She had always wanted one…

Instead, it was a rather confused man. He was blonde, with a large scar in the center of his forehead. He seemed to be arguing with himself, but not in the way Fuwa had ever seen anyone do it.

“I just gotta eat something! / Hell no, I’d rather starve!” He was uttering, grabbing his head. Fuwa’s eyes narrowed as she observed the sight in front of her.

The man didn’t have any tells that would inform her of his quirk, so it was hard to tell if his behaviour was quirk based or psychosis. She decided to remain silent until she could grasp the situation properly. She kept observing, ready to run if it got bad or to help if he needed it.

The man caught his reflection in a broken mirror.

“No, not again!” He cried. “I don’t want to split again! Which one is me? Is it me? Am I me, or are you me? I don’t want to! I don’t want to!”

He fell to his knees, sobbing as he covered his face. Fuwa felt an ache in her heart.

It was quirk-based. There was no doubt in her mind. She pulled out a balaclava from her utility belt, something she wore even in her civilian clothing, and approached the crying man.

“If it hurts to look at your face,” She said, summoning her inner Mori. “Then you can use this.

The man looked up, eyes so dead yet sorrowful that Fuwa was surprised the man was still alive. He sniffled, taking the balaclava and pulling it over his head. It covered everything but his eyes, and he felt surprised.

“My head,” He huffed a relieved laugh. “It’s not splitting anymore! Thank you so much, Miss! / Screw you and your hat!”

Fuwa actually laughed at that. 

“I like my hat, thanks,” She grinned. “I overheard you talking to yourself. Or maybe you were talking to your quirk?” She ventured.

“How did you-?!” He asked, jumping a bit. Fuwa held her hands up in surrender.

“I do that sometimes, too, really.” She admitted. “It can be pretty volatile if I'm not careful, so I talk to it sometimes to keep myself grounded. Do you need help?”

“I don’t know,” the man admitted. Fuwa nodded.

“That’s okay,” She told him. “I know a place you can go, though. A place for people who have trouble in society because of their quirks. Would you like to see it?”

The man flinched.

“It’s not a place full of my clones?” He asked in a small voice. 

‘So a multiplication quirk similar to Ectoplasm’s, huh? It must be causing severe distress for him to be like this…’

“It isn’t,” Fuwa confirmed. “Only people who are different from you, but with similar problems.”

She held out her hand to help him up. 

“Even if you don’t make friends, you’ll at least be fed and have a place to sleep.”

He took her hand and walked with her. She guided him to a random door and opened it.

“Isn’t that the back door to a restaurant?”

“This is a door to wherever I want it to be!” Fuwa smiled, small fangs glistening. She pulled it open and took the man inside.

Inside was another bunker, but this one was a bit different. There were thirteen people there, each rejected by society for some reason or another. 

It was something Mori and Fuwa had worked on for some time; a hidden society that helped those who didn’t get it. People with quirks that affected their mental status or whose environments caused issues with mental health or quirk health were able to get a very specific type of therapy. 

People with mutations were able to live in a place where they weren’t hurt because of their appearance. They also had the option of receiving therapy if they desired.

People with quirks that affected them in ways society saw as abnormal were welcome here, and even those with special diets were welcome. 

“It’s Arcana!” Someone shouted. 

“Hey, Arcana!” A woman at a circular desk welcomed. She had white hair, heterochromatic eyes of blue and green, and fluffy white cat ears on her head. A swish behind her revealed a large fluffy tail, as well. 

“And who might this be?” The woman asked politely, a kind smile on her face.

“Hi, Miyuki,” Fuwa returned the welcome. “This is… actually, I don’t think I caught your name?”

She turned to the man.

“Bubaigawara Jin,” The man supplied. 

“This is Jin,” Fuwa amended. “Jin, this is Miyuki. She’s the head nurse in the facility. Well, it’s called a facility, but it’s really a “community” and “support group”.”

She turned her attention back to Miyuki.

“Would you mind showing him around?” She asked. “I would, but I have errands to run and a little brother at home who’s already missing one sister. Oh, and...”

She leaned in to whisper.

“Let him keep the balaclava on,” She informed the nurse. “He’s having a mental imbalance due to a multiplication quirk, and this seems to help a bit.”

Miyuki nodded.

“Sure thing,” she agreed. “Oh, Himiko-Chan! Would you like to help me show our new friend around?”

“Hey, Arcana!” A blonde girl with messy buns cheered, running over and flying into Fuwa’s arms for a hug. “I’ve missed you! Where have you been? Can I have some of your blood?”

“Maybe later,” Fuwa said, patting the girl’s head. “Himiko, this is Jin. He’s new here; fresh off the street. So be nice, okay? I have to run some errands for my household, but I can come back right after with Izu. Does that sound good?”

Himiko nodded. She pulled away from Fuwa and practically danced towards Jin. She pulled his hand excitedly, asking all sorts of questions.

“Oh, Himiko, one thing!”

“Hmm?”

“Please don’t ask for any of his blood just yet, ok? Or if you do, please don’t use your quirk. The poor man has trauma.”

“Hmmm, I don’t get it, but since it’s you asking and you said ‘please’ twice, I’ll do what you say!” Himiko grinned. “Plus, you said ‘yet’!”

“At least let him be comfortable with it after knowing what your quirk is, okay?” Fuwa clarified. 

She waved goodbye and left the facility.

Fuwa pulled out her phone and sent an update.

~*~

The Rat God Cult:

High Priestess: 

>@His Excellency I added to The Community.

His Excellency:

> Oh? 

> Thank you for letting me know. I’ll adjust the Community’s budget.

> Please send me further details so I can do so accurately.

High Priestess:

> Yes, Milord.

> Thank you, Milord. 

High Priest:

> He has spoken!

> What are His Excellency’s orders?

High Priestess:

> Not now, Izu, we’re talking shop

High Priest:

> oh shit my bad 

> I just read the message, are they okay?

High Priestess:

> he’s in need of some pretty serious quirk counseling and therapy. The poor man has a multiplication quirk and, from what I saw and heard, seems to be unable to tell the difference between himself and his clones. He was only able to calm down when I gave him a balaclava to cover most of his face.

High Priest:

> y do u have a random balaclava

High Priestess:

> becuz fuk u, das y

High Priest:

> lol

> anyways did you finish with The Community? I need my Doritos

High Priestess:

> those aren’t on the fucking list, you snack goblin

High Priest:

> cool ranch crunchies plz 

High Priestess:

> let me get what’s on the list first, and then we’ll see if it fits in the budget.

High Priest: 

> boooo, fine 😒

High Priestess:

> shoulda put it on the list if you needed them lol

~*~

Fuwa chuckled and pocketed her phone. She made her way to the store to finish her shopping.

*******

As February ended, the snow melted into spring. Soon, it would be March, when students would graduate and either move on to the next level of education or try their luck in the working world. Students were anxiously awaiting the results of their entrance exams, fear and excitement as they anticipated the acceptance or rejection of the schools they chose. 

In the tree bunker, a phone alarm buzzed incessantly. Fuwa groaned, throwing her pillow on top of it and going back to sleep. 

Kaki, a Ninimo with a short black bob and orange eyes dressed as a persimmon, borrowed Renji’s favorite wooden cooking spoon to wake the exhausted woman up. She hopped onto Fuwa’s bed and began whacking her on the arm.

“YEEEOOOWWWCH!!!!!!” Fuwa shrieked. “The fuck, Kaki?!”

Kaki pointed to Fuwa’s phone with the spoon.

“What, is the alarm annoying?” Fuwa guessed, rubbing her head and yawning. “Sorry, kiddo, I got it.”

She yawned again, stretching, then threw her legs over the side of her bed. 

“Cripes, all that paperwork for The Community is a bitch to handle on my own. Shit, I miss Mori. Her chamomile flowers combined with Lemon’s tea making skills would put me to sleep for a week, not a nightmare about numbers in sight. Damned paperwork always seems fun when she’s around, too.”

A ping sounded from her phone, so Fuwa picked it up to check her notifications.

‘A DM?’ She wondered, pressing on it.

Martin:

> Fuwa-Chan, I have your mail here!

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice:

> Morning, Dadzu. How much kindling we got?

~*~

Martin:

> Just a bit of junk mail and a reminder to check on your household’s medical and dental insurances.

> Oh, and your phone bill.

> I figured you’d want to come get your little brother’s response letter?

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice:

> Ew, bills. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll take care of it.

> Wait, no shit?! I’ll be right there!

~*~

Fuwa quickly got dressed and brushed her teeth, picking up Kaki and returning her to the “Nini Condos”, which Fuwa and Izu had built and refinished for the Ninimo out of old cat condos.

Honestly, it was growing big enough that Fuwa was sure Mori would add another room just for them.

A half-awake Izuku sat at the table in his pajamas, sleepily taking bites out of his toast with lettuce, bacon, and fried egg. 

“Morn’n,” Izuku mumbled, mouth full. Fuwa rubbed his head.

“Morning, Sprout,” Fuwa huffed. She turned to Renji, who was making a plate for her.

“Before you plate that, I have a quick errand to run,” Fuwa told him. “I have to meet Nedzu, so is there any way I can please get breakfast to-go?”

Renji nodded, still putting the food on a plate before it could burn. He pulled out a bento box, and went to make some extra. 

“Oh, extra for Nedzu?” She asked. Renji nodded. Fuwa considered this, then turned to Lemon.

“Now that I think about it,” She mused. “I don’t think I ever told Nedzu about any of you. Lemon, Nedzu is very fond of different types of teas. Would you like to come with me?”

Lemon’s oval eyes sparkled. She looked honored at the opportunity. She quickly ran to Mori’s herb cupboard and packed a few into her lemon-shaped shoulder bag. Fuwa let down a hand for Lemon to climb onto, then deposited Lemon onto her shoulder. 

“Izu, I should be back in an hour or so,” Fuwa told her brother, giving him a kiss on the head. “You look more tired than usual, and you feel a bit warm… You okay, kid?”

Ichigo, a strawberry Ninimo with pink hair in pigtails and light green eyes, tugged on Fuwa’s sleeve. She bowed to Fuwa and pointed to Izuku, then to his bedroom. She then bowed again while gesturing to herself and the other Ninimo. Fuwa’s eyes softened, and she rubbed Ichigo’s head with a finger.

“I’ll leave it to you, then,” Fuwa thanked her, putting her coat and scarf on while giving Izuku instructions.

“Let the Ninimo know if you need something, but text or call me if you need medicine.” Fuwa told him. “You can lie on the couch and watch tv if you want, but no working on your grappling hook gloves today- Hey, no arguments. The sick are to rest and nothing more. I’ll see you in an hour or two.”

Fuwa left out the door, her fingerless glove’s gems shining as she activated the transportation magic.

*******

Fuwa exited a large tree inside the UA walls, just outside the building. She flashed her card on the door and was let in. She pulled up her hood, not wanting to be noticed by any students. Lemon sat on her shoulder just inside her hood, her green oval eyes taking in the new place with stark curiosity. 

She nodded to Power Loader, patting his shoulder in sympathy as she walked by, the agitated man rearing into his students that ‘the most important thing about support gear is that it’s functional. Why did you all release those pieces when they didn’t work properly, what the heck is wrong with you?!’

Fuwa’s spine shivered. 

‘Maybe I’ll visit Granny Chiyo and drop off a few more potions?’ She pondered, then nodded. It seemed like a good idea, especially if Izu was starting this year. 

He was alright with healing magic on others, but he finds healing potions and healing himself difficult when he doesn’t have the patience for the potions, and feels that others are more important than him so he should heal them first. Fuwa snorted.

‘I’ll ask Nedzu to sign him up for a few sessions with Ryo,’ she decided. 

The young sorceress finally made it through the maze-like school and went to knock on the doors, which opened for her.

“Ah, hello Fuwa-Chan!” The small white mammal greeted her. “It’s good to see you.”

“Hello, Uncle,” Fuwa returned the greeting politely. “How is Mori doing?”

“Her condition and the condition of the chrysalis are being monitored constantly. She’s doing very well, and I anticipate that she should be emerging soon. Would you like some tea?”

Fuwa entered and sat in the offered seat, giving the principal a crooked grin.

“Funny,” she chuckled. “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“Were you?” Nedzu asked her, interest in his eyes. “I thought you were more of a coffee girl.”

“Well, there was something I forgot to tell you about how we’ve been doing,” Fuwa said, avoiding eye contact. Even her normally dry tone had a tinge of embarrassment in it. 

“Is that so?” Nedzu said slowly, his curiosity piqued. “What did you forget to tell me?”

Fuwa shifted uncomfortably in her chair before she took a breath and admitted.

“I was trying to create a truth potion, but I lost track of time and accidentally fell asleep. Which caused a few yet unidentified substances to fall into my cauldron and create an entire new species of living, sentient creatures that take pleasure in keeping our house clean and us fed and healthy in exchange for love, attention, and food...”

Nedzu stared at her, his smile still in place. He picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“…I must admit that, whatever I was expecting, it certainly wasn’t that.” He told her. Nedzu wondered if Mori knew before she went into stasis?

“Mori met them once,” Fuwa told him, as if reading his mind. “She left them a bunch of her extra fabric from her clothing projects and helped name them. She also ordered them an electric communication tool with a few hundred Japanese words on it. They made their clothes based on their names.”

Fuwa lifted her hand to her shoulder, beckoning Lemon down from her hood.

“This is Lemon,” Fuwa introduced. “She took over the kitchen with another named Renji. Renji is a chef, and Lemon specializes in cleaning and making drinks. Her coffee is divine, and Izu says her teas are quite delectable as well.”

Lemon stepped over the desk to the middle, giving Nedzu a polite curtsey. 

Nedzu’s keen eyes scanned the tiny woman. She was at least 4-5 inches tall, with blonde hair and green eyes the same shape as his. She almost looked like a small, plush doll.She didn’t appear to have a nose or mouth, but she didn’t seem to have any breathing issues. She also didn’t appear to have fingers or toes, yet she could walk with no problems and could pick up and hold things with her hands.

She was very cute. Nedzu kind of hoped the other ones were just as cute as Lemon.

“Hello, Miss Lemon!” Nedzu held out a paw. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Lemon took his paw with her fingerless hands, squeaking out a few “Ni”s of greeting. She squeaked again and pointed to the teapot.

“Oh, is that so?” Nedzu responded. “Do feel free!”

Lemon let out another squeak before heading over to do her work.

“You can understand her, Sir?” Fuwa asked, not entirely surprised. “Mori could, too, but considering her background…”

“Yes, that is indeed not very surprising,” He agreed. “And I do wonder how I can understand them? What are they called, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Izuku coined the term “Ninimo” after the two syllables they seem to be able to speak,” Fuwa answered. “They can make all sorts of sounds, like squeaks, trills, and, for some reason, chuffs like cats make, but they can only really say ‘Ni’ and ‘Mo’. They use the communicator for anything too important to be said by charades…”

Nedzu chortled at that. 

“Now, for the first reason you came,” Nedzu pulled a pile of mail out of his desk drawer. He handed a few letters to Fuwa, who took them gratefully, though one in particular held her attention. 

‘First reason?’ She thought, his words catching up. ‘I knew it. He would never ask me to come over to the school just for a phone bill. Izu’s letter, I understand, but never the bills. I send the money to him electronically.’

Her hands trembled, but she put them in her pouch after a long moment. She held her hand to her chest in an attempt to settle her heart. With an exhale, she turned her attention back to her father-figure-but-not-quite-dad.

“And the second reason I’m here?” She queried. 

Nedzu traced the lip of the teacup in front of him.

“It seems like we’ll be having two extra students in the hero course this year,” he told her. “One in each class.”

Fuwa raised an eyebrow.

“That’s not something you just do, Uncle,” She leaned in, interested. “Especially when Shou-Nii has such a reputation.”

“I have very high hopes for this year’s picks, my dear,” Nedzu chuckled. “I highly doubt even Shouta Aizawa will be able to resist their potential.”

“I see,” Fuwa grinned. “And what does this have to do with me?”

“You and Mori have your teaching licenses, yes?”

Fuwa blinked, the only tell of her surprise. She should have figured he’d know.

“That we do,” She answered. “We got them through an online course just before the new year.”

“The Commission has decided to twist my arm with a new teacher for Heroics this year,” Nedzu informed his ward. “It was an offer I could not refuse, at all. Unfortunately, this “teacher” does not possess a license, so with the addition of two exceptional hero students in the course this year, I have decided to also add a pair of teaching assistants for the teachers in the first year hero course!”

Fuwa crossed her leg over her knee.

“Judging from your words, this isn’t optional,” Fuwa surmised. “This new teacher must really get your goat.”

Nedzu’s whiskers twitched. 

Fuwa put the bento box Renji had made and opened it.

“Here,” she offered. “Renji made extra for you this morning. Eat something to make yourself feel better. His cooking is on par with Mori’s.”

“Thank you, dear,” Nedzu’s nose wiggled. “It does smell divine.”

Lemon chose that moment to pour Nedzu’s cup of tea, which he thanked her for.

He took a sip.

“Well well, how impressive,” he complimented. “This is a delicious tea, Miss Lemon. Do I detect a hint of cocoa? And is that…licorice? Delectable.”

“She mixes the herbs herself,” Fuwa explained. “Izu made her a smaller version of the storage unit we use in the apothecary, and she mixes them all from scratch.”

“A cup of tea such as this deserves some form of payment,” he insisted, looking around his desk. 

“What do you think, Lemon?” Fuwa asked. “With payments, you can save money to buy yourself something new.”

Lemon considered this. She liked making drinks, and she loved it when her human friends enjoyed what she made. “Payment” never crossed her mind. But Fuwa said she could buy things with “money”…

She pointed to the teapot and squeaked. 

“Another teapot?” Fuwa asked. “Yes, you could buy another teapot. You could buy an entire set, if you wanted to. Izu or I can even take you to the shop to pick it out.”

Her eyes began to sparkle. She nodded her head frantically. 

“I mean, some of them are a little bored,” Fuwa said thoughtfully. “What do you think about employing some of them?”

“An excellent idea!” Nedzu declared, biting into the breakfast panini. “We should at least find out what it was that you used to create them, just in case.”

“I do know from going over my ingredients that one of them was Mori’s blood,” Fuwa said. “The entire bottle fell into it. The only unidentified substance is what came from my face when I was hunched over. I’m not sure…”

Nedzu hummed in thought. He turned on his computer and pulled up a file from deep inside.

“I may have an idea,” Nedzu told her. “I was feeling nostalgic and reading the files on the two of you from the facility long ago, and I came across something interesting.”

He turned the monitor to Fuwa, who squinted as she read.

“The crystal tears?” She asked. “I mean, I know about those. I cast protective spells on them and attach them to Mori’s and my costume. We’ll do it for Izu, too.”

“They claimed there was a chance your tears and Mori’s blood could make miracles happen if mixed together. And you were making a… what potion?”

“If I remember correctly, it was a skin cell regeneration- OH!” She snapped her fingers in realization. 

“I had a feeling,” Nedzu nodded. “When I remembered the types of potions you can make so far.”

He took another sip of Lemon’s truly delectable tea.

“I assume you know what this means?”

“It means that I do not know what they are and I don’t know where they came from,” Fuwa answered. “The Ninimo are simply little creatures that appeared one day and seem to be attached to my quirk. I have no details and they are not for sale.”

“Very good,” Nedzu nodded again. “But also that, since they're on UA property, they are protected by me. Should I find one missing, they will be retrieved. Perhaps I’ll have Maijima chip them. Murphy’s Law, after all!” 

He winked, and Fuwa stifled a snort. 

“Ya hear that, Lemon?” She said to the yellow Ninimo. “You’re protected by the smartest man in the world, and some of Japan’s strongest heroes. You wanna go tell the others the good news? Oh, and I better mix some medicine. Izu’s got a cold, so his letter might have to wait.”

Lemon shook her head.

“Ninimo! Ni nini ni ni mo.” She chirped. Fuwa hummed.

“No, you’re right, he’d be way too excited to rest and that might just make things worse.”

Lemon climbed up Fuwa’s sleeve to go back into her hood while Fuwa stood.

“Oh, Fuwa-Chan, before I forget!” Nedzu called. Fuwa looked at him.

“In two weeks, the teachers will get together to introduce the new members of staff, including the Ninimo. I’ll send you the information for the time and date for the meeting when I have the details.”

“Thanks, Dadzu,” Fuwa waved. “I’ll keep an eye out for the message.”

*******

Fuwa sat down next to the couch where Izuku was quietly watching tv. 

“Hey, Sprout,” Fuwa said quietly, a hand on her little brother’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my face’s heavy an’ my head’s gonna essplode,” Izuku answered. Fuwa stroked his greenish-black curls and rested her hand on his forehead. 

“Hmm. Hey, Zakuro? Can you please grab me the thermometer in the apothecary?” Fuwa asked. “And Lemon, some green tea with lemon and honey, if you please.”

“Don’ you have a potion for dis?” Izuki groaned, breathing out of his mouth.

“Sorry, Sprout,” Fuwa apologized, genuinely feeling bad. “This might be viral, and you know what I say about viral infections. They have to go through your body naturally, so Sorcery should not interfere unless your life is in genuine danger.”

Izuku whined. Fuwa kept petting his head.

“I can get you something for the headache, but the virus itself has to run its course. It’s the only way for your body to fight things naturally.”

Lemon and her companion Zakuro, the pomegranate Ninimo with straight, waist-length black hair and sharp reddish-purple eyes, nodded and went about their tasks. Zakuro brought Fuwa the thermometer, which Fuwa promptly put into Izuku’s mouth. 

“Huh,” Fuwa uttered. “Just a low-grade fever. But Izu, you said your face feels heavy?”

The poor boy moaned in miserable agreement. She stroked his head in sympathy.

“Ok, drink the tea that Lemon gives you, and then I’ll run a bath with eucalyptus oil for you,” She told him. “I’ll have Renji make some chicken soup and you can borrow my humidifier. And I’ll get you one of my headache medicines. You wanna sleep in bed, or on the couch when you’re done with your bath?”

“Here,” Izuku told her. “I don’ ‘ave a TV in my room yet.”

“Oh yeah, we promised that,” Fuwa recalled. “I’ll make sure I get it like I promised. For now, you rest. Oh, I went to get the mail. We have a letter for you. Wanna open it now or later?”

“Letter?” Izuku repeated, then sat up too quickly. “Ow…”

He rubbed his head, and a glob of snot appeared at his nostril. Fuwa wordlessly handed Izuku a disposable tissue, which he took and blew his nose.

‘Definitely a head cold,’ Fuwa thought, seeing the yellowish-white color of the snot. 

“Fuwa-Nee, by ledder!” Izuku said, sounding more congested than he had before. “Idit from UA? Did I gedd in?”

“How bad do ya wanna know?” Fuwa smirked, handing him his letter. He ripped it open and pulled out a strange-looking device, leaning on his sister to stay up as he read. 

“Press red buddon,” Izuku read aloud. “Dis one?”

He pressed the red button on the disk and who would appear in full holographic glory but All Might.

Izuku threw a spoon and watched emotionlessly as it went through.

“Please don’t tell me…” Fuwa groaned.

“Bite?” Izuku asked hopefully. 

“Not yet, bud,” Fuwa sighed. “Unfortunately, Heroes have to respect authority figures.”

“Yet?”

“Some insider knowledge, I’ll tell you later.”

“I AM HERE; IN A HOLOGRAPH!” The hologram All Might shouted. “Midoriya Izuku, you have impressed the examiners of the written portion by not only passing with flying colors, but by finishing the exam within half the time provided! In addition, while the 25 villain points you gained in the practical were impressive, your teachers were more impressed with your willingness to abandon those points to give aid to students injured in the exam, as well as your decisiveness to team up with a competitor in order to save as many of your peers as possible! Because of this, you have triggered points for the hidden part of the exam, which is for a large part of heroics- Rescue Points! We have awarded you 50 Rescue Points, bringing your score to second place with 75 points. Congratulations, Midoriya Izuku, this is Your Hero Acadamia!”

Tears of joy ran down Izuku’s face.

He did it. He did it!

He burrowed himself into Fuwa’s side while she hugged him. 

“Mori is going to be so proud,” She told him, her own voice emitting more emotion than usual. Izuku wiped his eyes.

“Fuwa-Nee?”

“Hm?”

“Can I have dat bath now?” He asked, holding the tissue to his nose. Fuwa chuckled silently.

“Sure, Sprout,” She told him. “Sure you can.”

Chapter Text

Izuku couldn’t breathe.

His skin felt like it was on fire, and that his head was either going to explode or cave in on itself. He felt like his blood was boiling him from the inside out.

Was he awake? Asleep? Izuku wasn’t sure. He couldn’t hear anything; it was like he was under water. 

A nice coldness set itself on his forehead. Something tiny poked around his face and neck. A bitter, somewhat sweet syrupy substance covered his tongue, chased down with cool water, which he gulped down greedily. It soothed the burn in his throat, but the heat in his soul was a raging inferno.

Was this what it was like to be hit by one of Endeavor’s attacks? If it was, Izuku hoped he never attracted the man’s ire.

Just as suddenly as it began, the pain seemed to disappear. Izuku felt light; almost like he didn't have a body at all. He blinked his eyes open slowly, not recognizing the ceiling above him.

He sat up, feeling cold stone underneath himself. Looking around, Izuku studied the strange place.

It looked like a room, but the walls were simply elaborate stone frames that opened to a set of wide stairs that led to a river and a bright, starry sky. The “room” was surrounded by shelves filled to the brim with books, scrolls, carvings, and many different types of writing on all sorts of papers and other types of material. 

Thick, rich red curtains were pulled to the side with gold ropes with gold tassels. Nearby was an old stone fireplace with several logs inside, a warm, roaring fire dancing on the wood. Next to the fireplace was a reclining chair, a small end table next to the chair with a nice cup of hot tea. Under the furniture was an ornate Turkish rug. 

“Where am I?” Izuku wondered. “Am I alone here? Wherever ‘here’ is.”

He explored a bit more, remaining as calm as he could. It honestly wasn’t that difficult, since he already felt so at peace. 

“Fuwa-Nee said something about something like this happening,” He mumbled to himself. “But I can’t seem to remember what it was… I wonder what those books are about?”

He wandered over the bookshelves, plucking up a random book and reading the title. 

“‘The Beginner’s Guide to Mediumship’?” He read aloud. “What’s that?”

Intrigued, he held it in his arm and went to look at the other titles. 

“Spirits And How To Identify Them”.

“How To Tell The Difference Between A Good Spirit VS Evil Spirit”.

“Exorcisms Done Right”.

“The Future In The Stars: A Centaur’s Guide To Astrology”.

“Healing Ghost Injuries”.

“Astrocartography: A Guide to Star Maps”.

“Fortune Telling: Find Your Niche!”

“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”.

“The Big Book of Spells and Potions”.

Izuku was mesmerized. He sat in the chair next to the fire and began to read with a fervent frenzy. Page after page, chapter after chapter, he was absolutely fascinated by the contents of every book. 

*******

Fuwa wiped off Izuku’s sweat as he slept on the couch. His face was relaxed now, but the fitful, pained expression he’d had earlier had worried her. 

Kaki and Zakuro brought Fuwa another pair of Izuku’s pajamas and underwear so she could change him out of the soaked ones he was wearing. Ichigo assisted with wiping the sweat off Izuku, and a few other Ninimo brought in some ice packs and dry towels and washcloths. 

She changed Izuku out of his sweat-soaked clothes, letting Lemon drag the pajamas to the laundry, and carried her brother to his bedroom. She laid him down in his bed, a towel on his pillow to soak up the sweat on his head. She took the ice packs from the Ninimo, placing them on his armpits, groin, and forehead. 

Fuwa stood straight and held her hands over her brother. She closed her eyes and chanted a diagnostic spell. Her hands glowed a soft yellow, as did Izuku’s prone form. After what felt like hours, the glow died down.

Budou, Suika, and Anzu, who had climbed onto Izuku’s bed, hovered a bit. Worried squeaks came from them as they looked between Izuku and Fuwa.

Fuwa’s eyes slowly opened, and her face grew fond.

“He’ll be okay,” She reassured the Ninimo. “His sorcery has grown enough where it’s time to find out what kind of Sorcerer he will become. We just need to make sure he’s comfortable while he finds out.”

The Ninimo cocked their heads. The kind of sorcerer he’ll become? What did that mean?

Fuwa picked the three up and left the room for him to rest, reminding herself to bring him fresh water later. 

“Alright, everyone, gather ‘round,” Fuwa requested once she got back to the living room. “I’m going to tell you all what’s happening to Izu.”

The other nine Ninimo ran in, worried squeaks and whines sounding from each of them. Fuwa knelt down closer to them.

“Izuku is going through what I called his ‘Unveiling’,” She explained. “He has learned all types of magic with his Sorcery, but there is more than one branch of Sorcery. It’s like how I specialize in Alchemy and Abjuration- in short, potions and wards, along with Elemental Magic. When it happened to me, my soul was transported to an astral plane that gave me all sorts of information based on my desires, wishes, and experiences. I can still go there from time to time, if I want some specific information.

“Anyway, Izuku is going to be fine. He might have a bit of trouble controlling his new power, at first, but he’s going to be stronger and healthier from now on. For now, if Sumomo wouldn’t mind monitoring his condition?”

Sumomo squeaked and nodded, already taking a first-aid kit to Izuku’s room.

Sudachi tugged on Fuwa’s sleeve.

“Ni?” He asked, still a bit worried for his human friend.

Fuwa patted his head with her finger.

“Yeah,” she answered, also still worried. “Now we wait.”

*******

“This is the most amazing place I’ve ever seen!” Izuku cheered, spinning around as he collected books to read and reshelved books he had already read. “It’s like a veil has been ripped off my eyes and I can see things more clearly!”

He stopped spinning, feeling a bit dizzy, and laid down on the rug. The ceiling itself seemed to mimic the night sky, even shooting stars and constellations. He stared at the sky, feeling so calm and at peace, yet still so wired and excited!

The stars twinkled back at him, like any other night he’d be stargazing. But something was a little… off? Izuku squinted, then grabbed the Astrology book. 

“Mars and Pluto are… aligning?” He said, perplexed. He recalled what the Astrology book said about the two planets. He remembered reading that The Alignment itself wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but Izuku was still feeling off about it. 

“Oh right, the placement matters, too.” He remembered. He scanned the sky around the two planets, searching for the corresponding Zodiac sign.

“Mars and Pluto in Cancer…” He mumbled, flipping the pages of the book to the page.

“‘Mars, the planet of war, and Pluto, the planet of death, aligning on their own isn’t always a bad thing,’” he read. “‘It can lead to someone finding their true power and lead to phenomenal success. However, the planets are a volatile combination and must be viewed with extreme caution. People influenced by or born under this alignment may become destructive, ruthless people, though proper guidance and support can turn them into people who are driven instead of violent. 

“‘However, when Mars and Pluto are in alignment in Cancer, it may be a warning- Danger may be approaching, and you must proceed with caution. Usually, the danger may be volatile conflicts or intense power struggles, so clear communication, boundaries, and guidelines, as well as avoiding rash actions, may be wise. And always remember; Astrology is subjective and up to interpretation. All this book can do is guide you to some understanding of what you are seeing. The first instinct you have when reading the stars is very likely the correct one.’”

Izuku closed the book and looked at the sky thoughtfully. 

“Danger approaching, huh?” He murmured. “I’ll have to keep an eye on that. He laid back down, his arms under his head. He turned to his side, gazing at the book titles on the shelf.

“I wonder why I was brought here?” He mused. “Is this the Unveiling that Fuwa told me about? Then, based on these books, what’s my specialty? It seems like ‘spirits, stars, and fortunes’, but the only one that makes sense is the stars.”

He thought for a minute.

“I guess I’ll find out.” He decided, rolling back to stare at the sky again.

Only to become face to face with a transparent face. 

He screamed.

The face screamed.

Izuku jumped up and grabbed a candelabra brandishing it in front of him protectively. 

“Izuku, honey!” The ghost yelled, caressing his face. “Sweetheart, it’s me!”

Izuku choked, his voice sputtering. His eyes widened, tearing up.

He knew this spirit; she lived in his dreams and nightmares. The phantom touch of her hand was so familiar; a feeling he has missed for seven years. 

The candelabra fell from his limp fingers.

“Mom?”

*******

Sumomo stood vigilantly over her charge, though she was startled when he called for his mother. Tears ran down the side of Izuku’s head and into his ears, so Sumomo picked up a handkerchief and gently dabbed his eyes. 

She let out a concerned squeak, worried about the boy who named her.

*******

“Mom?” Izuku gasped. “Is that really you?”

Midoriya Inko, who looked as young and beautiful as the day she died, smiled and nodded, tears in her own eyes.

“Oh, my baby,” she blubbered. “I’m so happy you can finally see me! Oh, how handsome you’ve grown- and how strong! And you made it into UA High School! I’m so proud of you!”

“You know about that?” Izuku asked, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “But you’ve been gone for so long!”

“Oh baby,” she consoled. “Just because you couldn’t see me, doesn’t mean I wasn’t there.”

Izuku sniffled.

“Really?” He asked in a small voice. “Were you really there for everything?”

“Yes,” Inko smiled. “For everything. When you met your wonderful, loving sisters and discovered your power, when you graduated your middle school classes early, when you secretly finished two years in high school online so you could learn the material before even applying to UA so you could focus on your training without needing to study too hard…”

Her voice took on a teasing tone.

“The day you almost kissed Keigo-Chan~…” She giggled. Izuku coughed.

“Mom! It wasn’t-! I didn’t-! Oh, no!” He sputtered, covering his face in embarrassment as his mother laughed at his suffering. 

“It’s okay, my little Small Might,” She laughed. “He’s a respectable young man, and all the spirits around him say the same thing- you two are good for each other. He just needs a little help. Besides, I used to know this girl in high school who was a sugar baby for a 45-year-old business conglomerate. I really can’t complain about a 7-year age difference when there could not only be worse age gaps, but worse men.”

Izuku blushed to the roots of his hair. His mother really was there for everything.

“Izuku,” she continued. “This space here is yours- a sacred space no one else may enter without your permission. A space made for you to utilize the talents you gained. Your power will grow with you, so be sure to use it responsibly. Be cautious of ghosts and spirits, and be careful not to give them your true name. Listen to your sisters, and always ask questions. You’re going to be one of the greatest heroes, Izuku. I’m sorry I couldn’t see that before.”

“Mom, why are you talking like that?” Izuku asked. “Are you going to leave me again? After all this time? I have so much to tell you!”

“I can’t stay too long,” Inko shook her head sadly. “And you need to return to the mortal plane. You’ve been here for five days, and Fuwa-Chan is debating whether to bring you to a hospital or not. But Izuku.”

She tilted his face to look at her.

“Izuku, even if I’m not by your side, it doesn’t mean I’m leaving you.” She comforted him. “I hear everything when you talk to my photo at night. If you need me, I’ll be there. But for now, I’m running out of energy and must return to the spirit realm. Tell your sisters I said thank you. I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, mom.”

She kissed his forehead, fading away with a proud smile.

“I’ll see you soon, my Starlight Hero!”

And Izuku woke up in his bed, Sumomo, Sudachi, Ichigo, and Budou sleeping on his chest or pillow.

*******

Izuku was propped up in his bed by a pile of pillows, a cup of tea and bowl of soup on a tray in his lap (prepared by Lemon and Renji, respectively). He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the spoonful of medicine that Fuwa was trying to give him.

“Nooo!” He whined, turning his head away like a child. Fuwa let out a sharp “hmph!”

“It’s a painkiller,” She told him. “You had your Unveiling, right? It’s super disorienting and painful to return back to a mortal body from the Astral Plane. Aren’t your joints sore?”

“Yes,” Izuku admitted, his eyes looking out his window.

“Then why won’t you drink it?” She demanded, frustrated.

“It’s caca.” Izuku deadpanned. Fuwa paused. She sniffed the medicine.

“Alright, I’ll give you that,” Fuwa accepted. “But what’s worse? Gross medicine or chronic pain? Don’t you want to feel better in time for school?”

Lemon hopped off Izuku’s desk onto his bed. She climbed onto the tray and squeaked.

“What’s that?” Izuku asked. 

Lemon pointed to the medicine and back to him. Then she pulled something out of her apron pocket. It was a piece of hard lemon candy.

“You’ll give your favorite candy to Izuku if he takes the medicine?” Fuwa interpreted. Lemon nodded, putting it down next to Izuku’s hand. 

Izuku smiled, tickling Lemon’s stomach.

“Thank you, Lemon,” he told her. “You’re sweet.”

He opened the candy then braced himself with his eyes screwed tight. 

“Hit me,” he told his sister, who promptly shoved the spoonful of painkiller potion into his mouth.

Izuku gagged, then shoved the candy in his mouth. He moved it across his tongue to get the awful taste out, his face an amusing shade of disgusted green. 

“I thought you were a specialist,” Izuku grumbled. “Can’t you make these potions taste tolerable?”

Fuwa snorted.

“You’re just weak.” She snickered.

“It tasted worse than the sewer-slime guy!” Izuku argued.

“Yum, tasty sludge,” Fuwa teased. Izuku turned green and gagged.

“Sorry, Sprout,” Fuwa apologized. “I’ll see what I can do, but the efficacy of the potions is usually lowered if something is added to it, if not gone entirely. Sometimes, it even turns into a different potion. So I’ll try, but I make no promises.”

“If I carry your potions, I’m carrying candy, too,” He said. Fuwa nodded approvingly. 

“A good idea,” she nodded. “Now eat your soup and drink your tea. Get some rest, and you can tell me all about your Unveiling later.”

“Mom was there,” Izuku said before Fuwa left his room. She turned back around.

“Your mother?” She repeated. “Did she say anything?”

“That she’s proud of me,” he said. “That I’m going to become a great hero, and she’s sorry she didn’t believe in me when she was alive. She wants to thank you and Mori for taking me in. She said you were wonderful and loving, and that I should listen to you both. She can hear what I say to her portrait in the frame, the one Mori-Nee rescued from the landlord. That she loves her little Starlight Hero.”

Fuwa smiled a real smile. She went back to kiss his forehead.

“I think she might want you to listen to me right now and get some rest,” She said kindly. “If you aren’t hungry, I can heat up the soup later, and Lemon would be happy to bring you a fresh cup of tea when you want it.”

Lemon nodded enthusiastically. 

“Thanks, everyone,” Izuku yawned. “I think I’ll get some sleep right now.”

Fuwa took the tray and the Ninimo, bar Sumomo who was monitoring his condition. Budou leaned off the tray and turned out the light, and he and the other Ninimo squeaked “goodnights”. Fuwa also whispered a goodnight as she pulled the door closed.

Izuku wiggled a bit, sinking further into the pillows and fell back to sleep. Sumomo pulled the covers over his chest, patting him as he rested. She settled on his shoulder, leaning on his neck so she could monitor his pulse. 

*******

IN THE VENTS OF UA

The crystallized chrysalis cracked, and a slender hand emerged. 

*******

A WEEK LATER

“Alright, Izu, I’ll pick up your uniform after my meeting, okay?” Fuwa told Izuku, who was feeling much better after his adventure in the Astral Plane.

“Ok, Fuwa-Nee,” He nodded, covered in Ninimo from where he was playing with them on the floor. “Don’t kill anyone!”

“With who I think is going to be staff in addition to me, I make no promises.” Fuwa drawled.

“I never said you couldn’t maim anyone,” Izuku replied cheekily. Fuwa gave a mischievous grin back. 

“You didn’t, did you?” She sang. “I’ll be back in a few hours, and I’m bringing Budou and Lemon with me. It’s very likely we’ll be drinking, but I’ll call you if I’m too drunk to come home.”

“Aren’t you underage for a few more weeks?”

“If I’m old enough to put my life on line and die for justice before I turn 16, I’m old enough to drink in a supervised environment with my father figure and grandmother figure present.” Fuwa retorted. “See you, Sprout. Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“Okay,” Izuku agreed. “Have fun and be careful!”

Fuwa gave one more wave, then opened the door to UA.

*******

UA

The staff of Japan’s best hero school gathered in the principal’s office for the special announcement.

“What do you think he’s going to tell us?” Cementoss asked.

“Knowing Nedzu, it could be anything.” Ectoplasm replied. 

“You don’t think it has to do with the walking corpse in the garish, yellow suit in the corner, do you?”

No one was quite sure who asked that question.

“Well, we do know he won’t tell us until we’re all silent,” Eraserhead drawled. 

Multiple sets of eyes went to Nedzu, who was quietly sitting at his desk. Waiting.

Silence.

“Excellent!” He chirrupped. “Now, let us begin. I am introducing you to a few new members of staff. Firstly-!”

“A few members?” The thin man mumbled. He noticed that he had accidentally spoken louder than he thought he did.

“Ah, my apologies,” he bowed. “I had only heard about… my employer becoming a staff member. It was a surprise. Again, my apologies.”

“That’s quite alright, Yagi-San,” Nedzu said, waving it off. “But yes, a few new staff members. Well, two additions and one mild change. Firstly.”

Nedzu gestured to the thin man- Yagi-San.

“This is Yagi Toshinori,” he introduced. “He is All Might’s secretary. He is here for All Might, who is currently indisposed. This year, All Might will be added to the staff as a Heroics teacher!”

“All Might?” Power Loader echoed. “Why?”

“Don’t worry about the “why,” Maijima!” Nedzu smiled. “Just imagine how excited the children will be to learn from the Number One hero!”

“I… guess?” The support hero conceded. 

“Now, due to an uptick in students in the hero course this year, with one additional student per class,” Nedzu continued. “I decided that 1-A and 1-B would benefit from having teaching assistants!”

Nedzu opened his office door with a button, just as Fuwa raised a hand to knock. 

“…Yeah, I should have known you’d do that.” She murmured, walking into the room. 

“Isn’t that?”

“Fuwa-Chan!” Midnight exclaimed, glomping the younger girl. 

“Hi, Nem,” Fuwa nodded. “How’s it going?”

“Wonderful now that I’ve seen you,” the older woman gushed. “I’ll be even better once Mori-Chan gets here! She’s the other TA, isn’t she Nedzu-Sensei?”

“She is,” Nedzu replied. “But right now, she’s-!”

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Nedzu opened the door, revealing a lovely young woman.

She was quite shapely, her body curved and slender with ample bosoms. Her long, light purple hair was tied in a ponytail that reached the back of her knees with a fringe that framed her charming, heart-shaped face. Her large green eyes sparkled in the light. A small bundle of forget-me-not flowers surrounded a large, white rosebud.

She looked older, more mature, but it was definitely her.

“Mori?” Midnight tried. The woman glanced at him and smiled. 

“Hi, Nemy!” Mori waved, walking further into the meeting room. She saw Fuwa, and walked over to stand next to her. 

“Good morning, Mori,” Fuwa deadpanned. Mori chucked.

“Good morning, Fuwa,” Mori replied. “How is our little Sprout?”

“He had his Unveiling last night, so he doesn’t feel very well,” Fuwa answered. “Sumomo is taking care of him, and the others are helping.”

Budou and Lemon, hearing Mori’s voice, popped out of Fuwa’s hood. They squeaked to get the purple haired girl’s attention. 

“Budou! Lemon!” Mori greeted, holding out her hands for them to walk onto. She held her tiny friends up to her cheeks, nuzzling them as they nuzzled her.

“Aww, I missed you, too.”

“Is that *woof* really you, Mori?” Ryo asked. Mori smiled.

“Who else would I be?”

“You got… tall.” Kan said awkwardly, pointedly not looking at Mori’s new… assets.

“Yes, Sucky, that’s what happens when one has a massive growth spurt,” Mori replied dryly. 

“Stop calling me Sucky!”

“I’m only sorry that I’m not sorry!” Mori grinned cutely. 

“Our Little Princess ain’t little anymore, Yo!” Hizashi cried.

“I’m gonna have ‘ta check my head for greys,” Snipe groaned. “Princess grew up, and now I feel old.”

Nedzu hopped up onto his desk.

“Congratulations on your metamorphosis, my dear,” He told her. “You haven’t been ‘resting’ for very long, it’s only been a little over a month.”

“Has it?” Mori asked, surprised. 

“You missed your birthday,” Fuwa answered. “But you’ll be able to see Sprout's first day in high school.”

Mori smiled fondly, placing Budou and Lemon on the table. Lemon tugged Budou to go meet Nedzu, squeaking in their Ninimo language enthusiastically as she began to tell him what the Intellectual had told her before.

“Uh, that are those?” Hizashi asked, pointing to the two Ninimo. 

Mori’s grin turned mischievous.

“They’re Fuwa’s children.”

“For the 35th time, that’s not what happened!” Fuwa exclaimed, face buried in her hand. “They just popped up one day. They’re sentient, so we took them in, only to find that they’re super intelligent and really good at house chores despite their small size. Lemon makes tea and Budou is good with alcohol. Nedzu’s met Lemon before, but I thought he’d like to meet some of the others. Budou was the only one I could spare since our brother is sick. They’re taking care of him.”

“Did “That” make him that sick?” Mori asked, concerned.

"No, he caught a cold just before “That” began.” Fuwa replied. “They didn’t mix well.”

“I’ll mix up some special medicine for him when we get home.” Mori nodded. “Now let’s stop talking and allow this meeting to continue.”

“Thank you, dear!” Nedzu nodded to his daughter. “These are the Ninimo, named for the sounds that come out when they speak. Because of their talents, I’ve decided to employ a few of them at UA this year as well.”

“They’re *woof* so tiny, though,” Hound Dog commented. “Won’t they get stepped on? And *grrr* wouldn't alcohol bottles and teapots be heavy for something that *ruff* small?”

Budou huffed, his fingerless hands on his hips. He trudged to the edge of the table and jumped off. 

Then, to the staff’s astonishment, the tiny, grape colored boy picked up one of the chairs and tossed it across the room.

Budou leapt back up to the table, and took a deep bow to a clapping Lemon and Nedzu. Mori and Fuwa also applauded him.

“They’re a lot stronger than they look,” Fuwa explained, smirking as Hizashi looked back and forth from where the chair was and where it had been, jaw practically on the floor.

“Now I keep getting interrupted, so introductions!” Nedzu announced. 

“Mori, Fuwa, this is Yagi Toshinori,” Nedzu introduced once more. “He’s All Might’s secretary, standing in for All Might. He’ll be teaching a Heroics class for the Hero Course.”

“Yes, Sir,” Mori replied politely.

“Excellent,” he squeaked. “Yagi, this is Mahora Fuwa, who graduated two years ago. And I’m sure you remember my daughter, Fujino Mori…”

Yagi gulped, returning the greetings. He certainly did remember her.

The innocent-faced demon child. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Yagi-San,” Mori bowed politely. She leaned over to Fuwa and whispered.

“Why does he look like a deflated All Might?”

Fuwa hid her laugh with a cough. Now, she couldn’t unsee it! She had really missed Mori’s unintentional chaos! Judging from the twitch of Nedzu’s ear, he heard what Mori had said and thought the same thing.

“Now, for everyone not aware, Mori usually works in the Infirmary with Recovery Girl, and she still will,” Nedzu informed them. “However, she and Fuwa have recently acquired their teaching licenses. As such, I have decided to employ them as teaching assistants. Especially since, this year, I have had to add an extra student to each Hero Course class.”

“You mentioned the extra kid in each class before, Nedzu,” Kan recalled. “Why are you doing that this year?”

Nedzu chuckled darkly.

“Because the HPSC told me accepting at least one mental quirk per class depending on their exam results was a stupid idea.”

“Yeah, that would do it,” Mori winced with a hiss. “Really, they should know better by now. But may I ask why you chose me and Fuwa?”

“The answer is simple!” Nedzu answered. “It’s because you two are able to tell the staff off when they misbehave without fear.”

“That’s really it?” Mori tried, staring her father in the eyes. He cackled. 

“You know me well, my dear. There’s a few reasons,” Nedzu admitted. “Firstly, both of you have a strong talent for analyzing and evaluating quirks, to the point where you ask questions even teachers don’t think to ask. Second, because you two taught your brother well. So well, he passed the exam with flying colors. I trust you with the students of the future.”

The girls looked at one another, then nodded.

“We’ll make you proud, Uncle,” Fuwa bowed.

“Wonderful,” Nedzu squeaked happily. “In the spirit of camaraderie, let’s all go ahead and get to know each other! Budou-San, Lemon-Chan has mentioned some of the drinks you can make, and they sound delightful.”

“All Might will be here soon,” Yagi informed them, checking his phone. “He finished up with work, which means I should get going to finish the paperwork. It was a pleasure meeting you.”

Yagi Toshinori bowed politely, and the rest of the staff gave their own polite farewells.

And thus, the introductory drinking party began.

*******

Mori, who honestly preferred not drinking, was sipping on a very tasty mocktail prepared by Budou while surrounded by her coworkers. It was nice to see them all so enthusiastic!

Nemuri and Hizashi cheered as they watched Budou in action, the tiny mixologist mixing delectable mules and cocktails with expert precision. Mori was just as impressed; truly the performance of the century.

Someone sat down next to her in her corner, and Mori instinctively sniffed to see who it was. 

Bitter Columbian coffee and natural musk… 

Aizawa Shouta, someone Mori had known for almost 15 years. Knowing him, he wasn’t really interested in partying, but he was a social drinker so he joined for the drinks. 

Mori finished off her peach oolong tea, feeling oddly lightheaded. And oddly bold. Her face felt a bit hot as well. 

“Fujino?” Aizawa called, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you alright? You don’t look okay.”

He put a hand on her forehead, which Mori leaned into. 

“So cool…” She mumbled. She grinned happily. 

“Shou-Chan,” She said quietly. “Shou-Chan, I love you!”

Aizawa grabbed the glass Mori had been drinking. He sniffed the contents.

“Did you drink this, Mori?” He demanded. Ishiyama and Maijima glanced over.

“What’s wrong, Aizawa?” Ishiyama asked. “Is Mori okay?”

“Her face,” Maijima noticed. “Holy… her face is bright red!”

This got the attention of the rest of the staff.

“Mori?” Nemuri shook the younger girl’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Princess?”

“Does anyone know what she drank?”

Lemon squeaked, waving her arms for attention.

“Lemon says she asked for a simple oolong tea,” Nedzu translated. “I also remember someone ordering an oolong cocktail. Did those get mixed up?”

“It seems like they did…”

“Nee, Nemy,” Mori slurred excitedly. “Imma get married!”

Nemuri nodded, going along with her.

“Are you, sweetie?” She asked, affectionately petting the drunk girl’s hair. “Who are you marrying?”

“Shou-Chan!” The young 20-year-old leaned to the right, tucking herself into Aizawa.

“Hey, Shou-Chan!” She told him. “I promised you’d never be lonely. So will you marry me?”

Aizawa, whose eyes had softened from her words and whose hands were held up and away from her because of her condition, made the mistake of tilting his face down to try and talk to Mori.

“Fujino-!” He tried to say, but he was cut off when Mori gave him a sweet, loving kiss.

Gasps filled the room, and Lemon tugged on Nedzu’s paw in an attempt to prevent him from planning murder. Budou thoughtfully poured the mammal a shot of vodka. 

It was at that moment that All Might entered the room.

“I am here- to meet my new coworkers! How do you all do?” He announced as he walked in, faltering when he saw the scene. “Oh, am I, uh, am I interrupting something?”

Fuwa, cheeks red with alcohol, let out a shrill “I FUCKING KNEW YOU HAD A DADDY KINK!”

The room exploded into a cacophony of joyous shrieks and incessant denial while the oblivious Mori tightened her hold on her mortified paramour. She released his lips and rested her head on his collarbone, dead to the world in the sleep of her first alcoholic drink.

“I promised Kumocchi you’d never be lonely…” she murmured into Aizawa’s collar. His eyes softened minutely, and he patted the back of her head.



“I don’t think this is what he meant…”

We Interrupt this program to Introduce the current Twelve Ninimo:

Renji/Orange: Male, orange hair and orange eyes. Dressed as a chef with orange slice decoration on his hat. Specialty: Cooking

Lemon: Female, yellow hair and green eyes. Dressed as a maid with a short skirt, lemon wedge decoration on her headband, and pale lemon pattern on her apron. Specialty: Drinks, mainly Tea

Kaki/Persimmon: Female, Black, chin length bob with orange eyes. Wearing persimmon shaped beret, white polo shirt, and persimmon colored khaki shorts with white socks and brown boots. Looks kind of like an orange Girl Scout. Specialty: Organization

Ichigo/Strawberry: Female, strawberry blonde hair in pigtails and green eyes. Wearing a strawberry-shaped hat with a baseball cap bill, green t-shirt, a red pair of short overalls, white socks, and black Mary Jane’s. Specialty: Electricity

Zakuro/Pomegranate: Female, waist-length black hair and reddish purple eyes. Wearing a pomegranate beret, a long-sleeved purple shirt, pomegranate-colored capri pants, white sandals. Specialty: Flower Arrangements

Sumomo/Plum: Female. Dark, plum colored hair in a curled side ponytail and pink eyes. Wearing a nurse’s headband with a plum on it and a light purple and white nurse’s outfit with white heels. Specialty: Nursing

Anzu/Apricot: Female. Shoulder-length brown bob with pale orange eyes. Wearing a white headband with an apricot charm, a black t-shirt with a yellow-orange vest, matching shorts, white socks, and black ankle boots. Specialty: Light Cleaning

Budou/Grape: Male. Short, dark purple hair in a low ponytail with a purple grape charm in his hair, bangs covering one eye, and reddish eyes. Wearing a three-piece suit and leather shoes; very fancy. Specialty: Alcoholic Drinks. This was a coincidence. 

Ringo/Apple: Female. Light, collar-length reddish hair and green eyes. Wearing a red apple beret, a pale green t-shirt, red short overalls with green apples on the pockets, white socks, and black sneakers. Specialty: Repairs

Sudachi/Lime: Male. Dark green hair and light green eyes. Looks sort of like Izuku with no freckles. Wears a lime hat, white t-shirt with dark green overalls, white socks, and brown boots. A long white apron is tied around his body. Specialty: Deep Cleaning

Nashi/Pear: Female. Light brown hair and light brown eyes. Wears a white t-shirt, pale yellow overalls with a knee-length skirt, white socks, and brown penny loafers. Specialty: Polishing

Suika/Watermelon: Female. Long, pale blonde hair in pigtails with dark green eyes. Wearing a watermelon hat and matching watermelon dress with white socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Specialty: Laundry

All Ninimo will soon have a cross bag shaped like their associated fruit. Mori made them, and Fuwa cast spells for them to be bigger on the inside. 

Chapter Text

“That was close, huh?” Fuwa snickered as she opened the magic door to their tree bunker. Mori kept her mortified face buried in her hands, letting her roommate guide her home. 

“Shut up,” Mori groaned, no heat behind her words. Budou sat on her shoulder, patting her face in sympathy.

After Mori’s drunken proposal, no one really took it seriously. 

(Well, maybe Nedzu did, but that would be telling.)

Instead, most of their friends/co-workers gushed about how cute it was that Mori proposed to “Shou-Chan”. It was just like when she was 7, and did the exact same thing.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Fuwa snorted. “You walked into the 2-A classroom with a fistful of jasmine flowers and asked him to marry you. And he said ‘Sure’!” 

The young sorceress began to cackle. Lemon poked Fuwa’s cheek, asking to hear the story. Fuwa was all too happy to tell them. 

“Lemon, Budou, you’ll love this!” She told them. “When Mori and I were six, Nedzu rescued us from a really bad place.”

Her face remained still, but her eyes turned wistful at the memory.

“We became wards of UA, and Mori officially became his daughter because… well, that’s not all that important. Anyway, we used to explore UA High School on a daily basis, especially the heroics department, and ended up with a few hero students that became our big siblings/protectors/babysitters. Nemy, Zashi, and Roro. Tensei was a nice babysitter, too, and he let us play with his baby brother, but he wasn’t as close to us as the others were.”

Mori chipped in with the story.

“Back then, I didn't have as much trust in people other than Fuwa,” She told them. “Admittedly, I wasn't very nice to most of the students, but in my defense most of them kept trying to squeeze my cheeks, which really hurt. But when we were seven, Shou won the Sports Festival with his supposedly “useless” quirk. It was really impressive; so impressive, he was transferred to the Heroics Department.”

“Yeah, he really stuck it to those snobs,” Fuwa snorted. “We only really hung around the heroics kids because we were curious as heck and because I really liked Zashi and Roro, but when Shou-Nii transferred, we showed up more often. Mori, especially, was interested.”

“I mean, most of the other kids in Heroics were annoying or snobby, other than the Rooftop Gang,” Mori defended. “Shou was different. He didn’t really care about people liking him or not, he just hated people telling him he couldn’t be a hero with his quirk. He was a lot more quiet. I liked being around him.”

“It’s true, she followed him around everywhere,” Fuwa recalled. “But she never went near him because she still didn’t trust people. Then, one day, she walked into the classroom with her kitten before homeroom started, and tugged on his sleeve.”

*******

FLASHBACK

Mori, age 7, stood outside the 2-A classroom with her calico, Missie. She gulped. Even though her face didn’t show it, Mori was nervous.

He was definitely nice. She’d seen him with the cats that snuck into UA. Maybe he’d be nice to her, too? She paused in her thoughts, wondering why she wanted to get near Aizawa-San anyway. She wasn’t sure, but for some reason the idea of her doing that sent good butterflies in her stomach. It wasn’t like the bad butterflies that happened when… No, no, don’t think about that!

She took a deep breath like Dadzu taught her to, and stepped inside. All chatter died down as some of the students cooed at her. She pointedly ignored them.

“Hey, Princess!” Shirakumo Oboro greeted her. “Is that your kitty? She’s cute!”

Mori paused her steps and looked at the older boy.

‘This one is nice, too, and he makes Fuwa laugh. Plus, he is aware of Missie's greatness… He can stay.’

Mori nodded politely in his direction and kept going.

“Zashi, Zashi did you see that?!” Oboro whispered excitedly to his friend. “She acknowledged me! I have been noticed by the little Princess!”

‘Zashi… Zashi… Oh yeah. Fuwa likes him, too. He can also stay.’

Mori paid no mind to the rest of that, but she was glad he was happy. That meant Fuwa would be happy, too. 

She stopped next to the new kid. Aizawa Shouta. Heart beating nervously, she tugged his sleeve. He looked down to see her, blinked once, then turned to Oboro and Zashi.

“Yamada, Shirakumo,” He drawled. “Why is the child that has been following me here and staring at me?”

“Remember when I told you that, sometimes, a silent princess and her translating knight come to see us throughout the day?” Oboro grinned. “This is the princess, Fujino Mori. She’s Nedzu’s daughter, which is why we all call her that. Mori’s the one who’s been following you, huh? Where’s your knight, Princess?”

Mori had a contemplative look on her face, then pointed to Oboro, Zashi, and, to everyone’s shock, Aizawa.

“I mean, I meant Fuwa, but this is such an honor!” Oboro sighed dramatically. 

“Seriously?” Someone scoffed. “She has the pick of the whole school and she chooses the Three Dumbigos of 2-A? I thought she was supposed to be smart.”

Mori narrowed her eyes. She climbed into Aizawa’s lap and looked around for the troglodyte that dared say such a thing. She saw that arrogant toerag, Sensoji, look away with a huff. Well, that was rude. So she’d be rude back. She held up her palm and shot a small cactus at him. It hit him in his stupid-looking pompadour. 

“HEY!” He shouted. Mori stared back, a scowl on her face, and dared him to take action. She pointed to the ground.

The message was clear.

Apologize.

Sensoji scoffed, shoved his hands into his pockets, and left the classroom. Mori let out a quick hiss. He wouldn’t get away with that. Huffing as she promised herself vengeance, she sat down in Aizawa’s lap.

“You have good aim,” Aizawa told her. “I’ve never met such a quiet kid, though. Why’ve you been following me around, anyway?”

Mori said nothing, and instead leaned back to look up at him.

“Mori-Chan doesn’t like to talk, Sho,” Zashi explained. “She usually has Fuwa-Chan to translate for her, but she doesn’t seem to be here today.”

“So how does she communicate?”

“Flowers, Shou!”

“Shou” cocked an eyebrow. Mori decided she liked that nickname. 

“Flowers?”

“Yeah! That’s her quirk,” Zashi told the black haired boy. “She can grow plants from her body, but Fuwa-Chan said she’s been working on growing them in other places. And sometimes, she launches cacti at people. Apparently, all flowers have different meanings, and she communicates using them.”

Missie made herself known again, hopping onto a desk. Mori reached forward and scratched the desk lightly with her nails, catching Missie’s attention and effectively calling her over. She then activated her quirk, her arm sprouting a small bouquet of jasmine flowers and a four leaf clover. She looked up at Shou, and handed them to him.

“Hang on, I got this!” Zashi exclaimed excitedly. He reached into his bag and pulled out a book on floriography. “Nedzu-Sensei recommended this one! Let’s see, what kind of flowers are these? Uhh…” 

He flipped through the pages, unsure what flower she was holding. Shou sniffed it, then told the blonde;

“It’s jasmine.”

Mori held up a thumb to him. This one was pretty and smart. She liked smart people.

“Found it!” Zashi cheered. “Jasmine flowers mean… Oh that’s a lot of meanings.”

Mori sighed. She did agree it was difficult since context was important, but Fuwa wasn’t around to explain it today. 

She was a big, tough girl. She could do this.

Mori tugged on Shou’s tie, getting his attention.

“Will you marry me?” She asked softly, voice quiet from disuse.

Oboro and Zashi’s jaws dropped. 

Mori coughed.

“SHE SPOKE!”

“THESE ARE THE FIRST WORDS SHE’S EVER SAID!”

“AND SHE USED THEM TO PROPOSE, THAT’S SO CUTE!!!!”

Mori covered her ears. So loud. 

A hand patted her head.

“Sure, kid,” Shou told her. “When we’re older, and if I don’t find someone, I’ll marry you.”

“Wait, you said yes?”

“I like her,” Shou shrugged. “She’s tolerable.” He reached forward and scratched her cat.

“What’s her name?” He asked the small girl. Mori’s eyes sparkled.

“Ballistic Missile,” She answered. “Or Missie.”

“Why?”

“Her jumps.”

“Neat.”

And they sat in a comfortable silence, Shouta sitting at his desk with Mori in his lap, both petting Mori’s cat, who was sitting on the desk. Oboro and Zashi exchanged a look.

“That’s so adorable.”

Another tiny head peeked in, and Fuwa launched herself at Oboro, who promptly caught her and spun her around.

“Roro!” Fuwa cheered. “I explored the Support Department today! They get to make explosions legally! I wanna make explosions legally, too. Nee, Nee, Mori! Wanna learn how to make things go boom with me? Oh, it’s Eraser!”

“Eraser?”

Mori and Fuwa pointed to Shouta.

“Cuz he erases quirks,” Fuwa explained. “Since it’s not all flashy, he fights quirkless and also makes other people fight quirkless! Like that pre-quirk show about heroes that Mori likes. With the quirkless hero who just uses his brain and weapons to become the greatest hero his villain-run city has ever seen!”

Mori pulled a comic book out of her bag with BATMAN written on it. She opened it to show Shouta. He read over it, interested.

“Only works at night, huh?” He read. “Like underground heroes. Who takes care of the city during the day?”

“His friends,” Mori told him. “The Justice League.”

“Mori, we have to go now,” Fuwa told her friend. “We have tutoring with Uncle Nedzu!”

Mori pouted, but climbed down from Shouta’s lap. Fuwa noticed the jasmine flowers in his hand.

“Did Mori give you those?” She asked curiously. 

“Yeah,” Shouta nodded. “Along with a proposal.”

“Pro-po-sal?” Fuwa asked. Mori took her hand and squeezed. 

“Charming.”

“OH! I get it now!” Fuwa laughed. 

“Get what, little knight?” Zashi asked. “The book made no sense! Too many meanings!”

“She said, “I love you unconditionally. Will you be mine?”

Mori looked away with a blush.

Zashi began to mime himself melting because “that’s so adorable”!

Shouta rubbed Mori’s head.

“You have terrible taste,” he said. “But I stand by what I said.”

“What’d you say?” Fuwa asked. Mori simply held up a pinky finger.

“Oh, okay.” Fuwa smiled. “Make sure you have Wisteria as a wedding flower! They’re Mori’s favorite. Bye Bye!” 

The girls held hands and left the classroom, Mori turning back to wave. No one had time to talk, as their homeroom teacher had walked in.

Oboro and Zashi, however, had a silent discussion to report the whole interaction to Nemuri, their friend and senior.

*******

PRESENT

“It seems like you, Dad, and Shou are the only ones who remember that he agreed to that proposal,” Mori groaned. “He said it again, by the way.”

Fuwa paused. Her face morphed into one of surprise.

“Wait, really?” She blinked. 

“Yeah,” Mori smiled. “Ya girl is officially engaged.”

“Ring?!”

“Impractical,” Mori giggled. 

“Sounds like something your Mothman would say,” Fuwa snorted. She opened the door with her gloved hand, transporting the pair to their home.

Izuku, who was resting on the couch, looked up to greet Fuwa. His eyes widened, and so did his smile, when he saw Mori walk in, as well. 

“Mori-Nee!” He cheered weakly, his sinuses sounding clogged and voice sounding raw. “I evolved.”

“I heard,” Mori said, sitting on the arm of the couch and stroking his black-green curls. “Star powers, huh?”

“Stars and fortunes, too! And… something else, but I can't remember.”

“That’s probably because of the headache,” Mori told him. “Nee-San will mix you some medicine to make you feel better. Right now, you need a shower.”

“Do I stink?” Izuku asked, trying to sniff his armpit. No luck. His sinuses were too clogged.

“No, my lovely,” Mori cooed, figuring a little white lie was necessary here. “It’s for your head. I have some things called “shower steamers”, and they have menthol in them. The hot water on your head will help with the pain, and the menthol will open your nasal sinuses to help you breathe. When you get out, I'll have a eucalyptus gel to put on your chest to keep them open so you can sleep, and some nice frozen blueberries to get that fever down.”

Izuku tried to stand, but wobbled. Mori and Fuwa helped him stand.

“That’ll happen with clogged sinuses,” Mori commented. “Good thing we have seated showers.”

*******

Izuku was situated back in his bed, slowly eating spoonfuls of frozen blueberries from a bowl.

It was a tactic Mori and Fuwa used all the time- when you can’t fight the fever from the outside and ibuprofen fails, cool yourself down from the inside!

Frozen fruits like blueberries and grapes were a household favorite, but Izuku also liked it when Mori made peach slushies. They were delicious, and always cooled him down so well, especially in summer. He finished off the blueberries, put the bowl on his side table, and nestled into his pillows with a comfortable sigh. 

Mori was right about the menthol and eucalyptus. It was really working on his sinuses. That was a lot of used tissues. He’d need to apologize to Sudachi and Anzu later. It’ll be gross to clean up.

Mori sat next to the bed, a jar of eucalyptus gel in her hands.

“Alright, Izucchi, I’m going to rub this on your chest. It’ll feel cold, but that’s normal, okay?”

“Okay,” Izuku nodded. “Thanks, Nee-San. Oh, I need my phone…”

“You ‘need’ it, or you ‘want’ it?” Mori asked, amusement on her face.

“Need,” Izuku sniffled. “My stargazing buddy needs to know where I've been and why I've been gone.”

Mori nodded.

“Alright, my lovely,” she agreed. “You stay here, I’ll go get it for you. Lemon will be in shortly with a fresh cup of tea. Do you need anything else while I'm gone?”

“Can I have a peach slushie?” Izuku requested, touching his throat. “My voice sounds like I’ve been gargling rocks.”

“Sure thing,” Mori smiled. “I’ll be back shortly. You just rest and focus on getting better.”

She left the room to get his phone and slushie, taking the empty blueberry bowl with her. Izuku sank into his pillows and let himself relax.

*******

PRIVATE MESSAGE

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy — No Egret, Just Hawks

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy:

→ I lived, bicth.

No Egret, Just Hawks:

→ Bunny!!!!!!!

→ Where in the ever loving FUCK have you been?!

→ It’s been a whole ass week!!!

→ I’ve been so worried!!!

→ It’s not like I can search you up on this burner!!!

→ I thought the hpsc finally found out about you, I was legit scared, Beautiful!!!

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy:

→ I’m sorry, Kei. Really, I am.

→ My quirk evolved, and I caught a really bad cold at the same time. It was really painful, and I’m still pretty sick.

→ The good news is my other sister finally came home from her recovery, and she immediately went into “Mama Nurse” mode.

→ Currently in bed with menthol on my chest and a peach slushie in my hand. 

→ Delicious.

No Egrets, Just Hawks:

→ Ok I can’t be upset anymore, but I’m still worried about you.

→ And I miss you :,(

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy

→ I’m sorry for worrying you. I miss you, too.

→ I got good news, though!

No Egrets, Just Hawks

→ Oh?????

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy:

→ Ya boi here is a UA Heroics student!

No Egrets, Just Hawks:

→ Hell Yeah!!!

→ I told you you’d get in!

→ UA is lucky they have you

→ Cuz if they didn’t they would have had to deal with me

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy:

→ Kei, no

No Egrets, Just Hawks:

→ Talon in the sky~ 

Cosmic Cuddle Buddy:

→ lol ok that was funny

*******

PRIVATE  MESSAGE

Coffee In My Veins — Wisteria Forest

Coffee In My Veins:

→ Fujino, about the class roster

→ when did you change my name

Wisteria Forest:

→ A week ago lol. You didn’t notice?

→ Do you like it?

Coffee In My Veins:

→ I don’t want to but it’s too accurate.

→ Just feed my coffee through an iv drip from now on.

Wisteria Forest:

→ No.

→ Now, the roster?

Coffee In My Veins:

→ Did you see the quirk of the extra student?

Wisteria Forest:

→ I mean, I only have names.

→ Mind control, huh?

Coffee In My Veins:

→ How do you do this

→ You have always been able to tell someone’s quirk because of their name.

→ I thought Mahora was the sorcerer.

Wisteria Forest:

→ I mean, if you wanna know my secret, you can.

Coffee In My Blood:

→ Really?

Wisteria Forest:

→ Sure!

→ Fiance privilege <3

Coffee In My Blood:

→ …

→ <3

→ The Secret please

Wisteria Forest:

→ The characters in their names literally tell me what their quirk is. The only outliers so far are Aoyama and Midoriya. Like, I know what Midoriya’s quirk is, and it has nothing to do with his name because apparently his mom cared about him (for reference, the mom thing was a joke) but I can’t seem to figure Aoyama out. I’ll let you know when I do!

Coffee In My Veins:

→ It can’t be that simple.

→ Can it????

Wisteria Forest:

→ …Shou literally means Erase.

→ Bakugou Katsuki is a pretty obvious one. Baku- the same character used in ‘Bakudan’ (bomb) and Katsu- Explode. He’s essentially a living bomb. I wonder if it’s tied to his temper, since he seems to have one?

→ But I also cheated with that one a little because I met him once. Remember the sludge villain incident I told you about? He was the kid caught up in it while the other heroes acted like wall decorations. 

→ The whole area was devastated because he was trying to get the guy off of him by using his quirk in a massive panic and it wasn’t working.

Coffee In My Veins:

→ Thanks for telling me. 

→ Do you know if he got therapy for that?

Wisteria Forest:

→ I don’t know. I just took him home after getting the sludge out of his lungs and told his parents both what happened and what to look out for regarding his health.

→ Should we recommend he see Hound Dog, or should this be a full therapist thing?

Coffee In My Veins:

→ I’m thinking we send him to Hound Dog to see how he is. And if Hound Dog says he needs proper therapy, we talk to his parents. Since his parents know you, then would you be willing to sit in on this meeting if it happens?

Wisteria Forest:

→ I’d be happy to!

→ Oh wait, you were going to tell me something about Shinsou? We got a little distracted.

Coffee In My Veins:

→ It’s fine, that was important information you gave me. 

→ I’m wondering if you could work a bit with Shinsou 1-on-1.

→ His quirk is already a bit of a disadvantage because it’s a call-and-response quirk, but from what I’ve seen from the practical he isn’t very physically fit. The training you did when you were younger, or what you told me you taught your brother, should help him get up to speed with his peers. 

Wisteria Forest:

→ Of course I can! 

→ I’ll work with anyone who is falling behind the others, but don’t forget that each kid will have something that works better for them than another kid. I’ll have to  see where they are with quirk usage and do a bit of research on the different fighting styles so I can really get them going. 

→ Why are you getting my hopes up, though? Last year you expelled your entire class.

Coffee In My Veins:

→ I’m keeping Shinsou and Midoriya either way.

→ I did what you asked and really studied all the kids when I rewatched the recordings. I thought that Midoriya wasn’t taking the exams seriously when he made that boat and put on that corny song, but in reality, he was using the boat to both ram enemies and evacuate kids who weren’t moving fast enough to escape. And when I was watching Shinsou’s face, he had started getting more confident and hesitating less after Midoriya turned on that stupid song. A few people even started smiling. And when Shinsou got into the groove, so to speak, I could see him and Midoriya acting the way real heroes would. Not limelight heroes or underground or twilight, just real heroes.

→ If that was a real invasion, I have no doubt that Midoriya and Shinsou would have done remarkable work with little to no casualties.

→ And I have to admit, the sheer ridiculousness of their whole performance would have made them memorable in a good way. 

Wisteria Forest:

→ It sure made me laugh. Dad sent me the full video of just them. I loved the ingenuity there. I bet Maijima loved the boat.

Coffee In My Veins:

→ He did. He tried to claim Midoriya for the Support Course.

→ Heck no, this one’s mine.

Wisteria Forest:

→ Look at us, Shou-Chan!

→ Kids before marriage, how scandalous!

→ Shou-Chan?

→ It’s been a while, are you okay?

Call Lasting 00:05:39

*******

THE TREE BUNKER

“FUWA, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT EXPLOSION?!”

Mad cackling ascended from the basement laboratory.

“THEY’RE ALIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!”

Mori watched with a blank face as 15 new Ninimo began to greet their brethren. This time, instead of bold colors, they were pale and pastel colors.

Mori looked up to see a sleep deprived yet chaotically happy Fuwa teetering by the kitchen table.

“I’m a fucking genius.” Was all she said before she moved to collapse on the couch. 

Mori blinked a few times, then shook her head and sighed as she went to greet her new housemates. 

Maybe she’d get to name them this time?

*******

HIP HIP HOORAY, IT’S IZU’S FIRST DAY

WITH IZUKU

Izuku was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Not only was he finally better, but it was his first day at UA!

He squealed excitedly and practically skipped into the building, remembering to register an additional weapon for his costume with the Support Department before making his way to his classroom, Room 1-A. He heard shouting from inside, so he slowly pulled open the door.

Bakugou was reclined in his seat with his feet on a desk, and Glasses Guy from the practical was waving his arm in weird chopping motions while scolding Bakugou for putting his feet up. Izuku suppressed a laugh. The only person in the world who had ever scolded Bakugou Katsuki was Bakugou’s own mother. 

‘I have a feeling that I’m going to enjoy watching Kacchan get scolded this year,’ Izuku thought. ‘On that note, I hope our teacher will help Kacchan with his superiority complex.’

He walked in and wordlessly sat down in his assigned seat, only to do a double-take at the front.

Inching forward on the ground just outside the door closest to the chalkboard was a giant yellow… honestly, from the shape, it looked like those grubs that Izuku would help Mori pick out of her flower garden. Thankfully, the giant grub turned and Izuku saw a person inside a sleeping bag, instead. He sighed in relief, but he kept an eye on this guy. Especially because he swore he could feel someone else watching them, but he couldn’t seem to figure out from where.

Izuku’s eyes traversed the room, flickering back to the Yellow Bag Man every five seconds. There were a few cameras. Was it Nedzu? It was a reasonable assumption, but it would be bad if he was wrong.

Still, he forced himself to calm himself down. 

A poke on his shoulder broke his concentration.

“Are you okay?” The girl from the entrance exams asked. “I was calling you, but you didn’t hear me.”

“Sorry about that,” Izuku rubbed the back of his head. “I was lost in thought. Uraraka, right? How is your leg?”

“Recovery Girl fixed it right up,” Uraraka said cheerfully. “Thanks again for saving me. I really thought I was going to die.”

“It was pretty strange that the robot’s safety protocols didn’t activate when there was a group of children underfoot,” Izuku recalled. “I asked my sister who works in the Nurse’s office here; she said it was pretty unheard of, and that the seniors in the Support Department are having a heck of a time figuring out where the glitch was. It was just lucky that Shinsou and I were there that day.”

“Oh yeah, the purple guy!” Uraraka remembered. “Yeah, he really helped calm me down. And that shield you put up was super cool!”

“I heard my name?” 

They saw Shinsou walking up to them.

“Hi, Shinsou!” Izuku waved. 

“Midoriya,” Shinsou nodded in acknowledgement. 

“Thanks again for saving me, Shinsou-Kun!” Uraraka said to him. Shinsou, a bit surprised, gave a light blush.

“It wasn’t a problem,” He said, embarrassed. He looked forward and saw the yellow grub that Izuku had seen. His eyes met Izuku’s. Shinsou nodded his head slightly in that direction. Izuku shrugged. 

“Alright you all, quiet down.” The grub stood up and stepped out of his cocoon. It revealed a scruffy, seemingly lanky man in a loose black bodysuit with a utility belt and boots, along with an absurdly long scarf around his neck and shoulders. He looked…

Exhausted? Done? Ready to end it? All of the above? All of the above sounded about right. 

All the students sat down.

“It took most of you 3 minutes to even notice I was here and fifteen seconds to quiet down. Way too long,” He told them. “Time is precious. Only two noticed me, but not a single one of you has found my companion. Only one tried to even look! You lot aren’t very rational, are you?”

“I knew there was another one…” Izuku mumbled.

“If you’re just here to make friends, you’re free to leave,” The man told them. “I am Aizawa Shouta, your homeroom teacher. Now…” He reached into the absurdly bright yellow sleeping bag and pulled out a uniform.

“Change into these and meet us at Training Ground Beta.” He ordered. Izuku jogged up to him and held his hands out. His teacher placed a gym uniform in his hands, and Izuku jogged right out the door, but paused for a second while looking at the cat palm in the corner.

He could have sworn he heard a giggle come from it. He shrugged and made his way to the locker rooms.

In the locker rooms, the boys changed into their gym uniforms and talked a bit, but Izuku rushed out of the locker rooms and searched for Training Ground Beta. He saw another student with light blue hair, likely one of his seniors, so he jogged up to him.

“Excuse me, can you tell me where Training Ground Beta is?” He asked. The guy ignored him.

‘Is he deaf?’ Izuku wondered. ‘In that case…’

He lightly patted the boy on the shoulder. The boy jumped and turned with wide, blue-green eyes.

“Wait, you were talking to me?” The boy asked, pointing to himself. “Heck, you even touched me…”

“Oh good, I thought you were deaf,” Izuku sighed in relief. “Not that deaf is a bad thing, but my JSL is pretty rusty. Can you please tell me where Training Ground Beta is, now?”

“Yeah,” the boy nodded excitedly. “Yeah, I can totally show you the way! Oh wow, I can’t believe it! It’s been so long since someone’s talked to me!” 

“Why’s that?” Izuku asked. “A quirk?”

“...You can’t tell?” He asked. “Well, it’s not important. I’m Shirakumo Oboro! Nice to meet you, buddy!”

“I’m Midoriya Izuku,” Izuku introduced. “But I really need to get there before Aizawa-Sensei gets mad.”

“Follow me!” Shirakumo grinned. “And don’t worry about him. He cares a lot more than he seems like he does. He just sometimes needs a bit of help seeing the grey in the black and white. Hopefully, this new teaching assistant can help him help his students. But I also hope you'll actually impress him this year. He’s a hard teacher, but only because Hero work is dangerous, ya know?”

Izuku smiled. This new guy talked a lot, but he seemed easygoing and friendly, though he seemed unusually defensive of this teacher. He’d probably get along with Mori and Fuwa!

He walked Izuku to the ground, then walked over to Aizawa-Sensei, who didn’t seem to notice, and stayed right there. He stared up at the man with kind, but sad eyes. Izuku wanted to ask him about it, but honestly he was a bit too nervous to go near his teacher yet. Besides, his classmates were beginning to arrive in the field.

Aizawa-Sensei finally spoke when the last classmate, a rather short boy with some sort of spherical mohawk, stepped in line. 

“Too slow. Be quicker next time.” Aizawa-Sensei barked. Izuku eyed Oboro, but the other boy was just shaking his head with a fond smile on his face. 

“We will be conducting a Quirk Assessment test,” Aizawa informed them.

“But what about orientation?” Uraraka asked. “Or guidance sessions?”

“Crime waits for no one!” Izuku declared. “Why should we? If we want to become heroes, the sooner we learn, the sooner we can kick butt in the real world.” 

Aizawa nodded. 

“Exactly. UA is known for its “Freestyle” Educational System. This applies to its teachers, as well. Bakugou, how far could you throw in middle school?” Aizawa asked.

“Sixty-seven meters,” Bakugou answered.

“Great. Try throwing it with your quirk,” Aizawa ordered, handing Bakugou the ball. “Do whatever you need, just don’t leave the circle.”

He reared his arm back and threw the ball as hard as he could, his quirk exploding from his hands while he shouted.

“DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!”

His peers watched with disbelief as the unexpected word echoed through the air. The machine Aizawa was holding indicated he had thrown the ball 705.2 meters.

Excitement flooded the training ground, and then, someone said it.

“This is gonna be fun!”

“‘Fun’, you say?” The class stared at their teacher. His face looked dark and, admittedly, terrifying.

 “You’re here to become pro heroes in three years, and you think it’ll be all fun and games?”

Awkward silence.

“Well, then,” Aizawa said, a sadistic grin plastered on his face. “In that case, we’ll score it. Whoever gets the lowest score across all 8 tests is permanently expelled!”

Shocked noises rang out. Protests. Angry cursing. 

Izuku however, stepped forward. He stood with his back straight, almost like a soldier, and barked out.

“YES, AIZAWA-SENSEI!”

This earned him an approving glance, while Aizawa’s sadistic grin warped.

He pushed his hair back on his head from his face.

“Welcome,” he mocked. “This is the UA High School Heroics Course!”

*******

MORI

Hidden away, Mori winced as each teen pushed themselves hard.

“They really pissed him off this time, huh, Suzuran?”

The new Ninimo, a cute girl with long black hair and fairy-like clothing styled after a lily-of-the-valley with a matching hat, was a part of the pod that Fuwa had made on purpose recently. Mori had gotten to name this batch, and they were quickly employed by the school by a joyful Nedzu. 

(Nedzu had even mentioned to Mori that he was making a dormitory on campus for them so they could each have their own space. Mori wasn’t sure if he meant it to be a full-on building or a building within a building.)

Suzuran, in particular, seemed content simply being Mori’s companion while the others did various jobs around the school’s campus.

The tiny girl observed the class alongside her human companion, with Mori making sure she recorded each and every round of exercises. She knew this would take a bit of research to really find out how to properly bring out the most in their potential.

She tapped her finger slightly against the stack of papers detailing each student’s quirk. 

Aoyama Yuuga.

Something wasn’t right.

She knew it was silly that her suspicions rose from his name having nothing to do with his quirk- After all, her own younger brother was the same. Her own name just mentioned ‘forest’ and ‘wisteria’, and that was less her quirk and more how she looked. Besides, he seemed like a nice boy. A little vain, but nice.

Still, there was a niggling feeling of unease that stemmed from that one suspicion, and Mori has learned that, if anything, she needed to listen to that feeling whenever it made itself known.  

‘I’ll let Dad know,’ Mori thought. ‘If it’s just nothing, then it’s nothing. But if it ends up being something…’

Suzuran nuzzled Mori’s cheek, pulling her out of her thoughts. Mori thanked her with a few strokes on the head with her finger, and went back to paying attention to her possible future students and future husband.

A giddy feeling pooled in her gut and she had to fight to hold in a pleased squeak. 

Suzuran was mildly concerned with how red her friend had turned, but since Mori was smiling happily, she let it go.This time.

Mori suppressed a cough.

‘Huh,’ she thought. ‘I thought I was over that cough.’

*******

IZUKU

It was back to the ball toss, and it was Izuku’s turn. He shifted his eyes nervously in his old childhood friend’s direction, before he stepped forward, humming a cheerful tune.

“Anything goes so long as I don’t leave the circle…” He repeated softly, thinking. He brought his hand up to think, and caught sight of his cuffs.

“Oh right!” He shouted in realization. “Sensei, I completely forgot about these.” He said, lifting his cuffs. 

“May I step out to take these off real quick?” He asked.

“I noticed those,” His teacher replied. “What are they for?”

“I was a late bloomer,” Izuku murmured. “I got my quirk four years late. We think it’s because my mind was too immature to handle the amount of knowledge my quirk requires. But I can’t turn it off, so it’s always active. My sister had a friend make these cuffs so I didn’t accidentally use it on someone or something. They’re not cancelling cuffs, just a suppressant.”

“Is control an issue?”

“No, I was able to practice even with the suppressants, and I only wore them in public.” Izuku corrected. “It’s just that, well, my quirk is one that would have made me a target. My sisters told me that, since I’m a UA student now, I should be safe, but I'm so used to wearing them I forgot I had them on.”

“I see…” Aizawa mused. “Go ahead and take them off. Keep them on when you aren’t doing school work as a precaution, but your sisters were right. You’re a UA student now, so no one can do anything without you wanting it. Leave them here.”

Izuku obeyed. Oboro looked at the cuffs.

“Those are pretty cool,” he said. “Does your quirk have anything to do with why you can see me, or is it natural?” 

“Not sure,” Izuku answered quietly. He flexed his wrists and rubbed them, making his way back to the circle.

He reached up to his ear and pulled the charm off his ear cuff. Wind sped up around him, making dust circle his feet. Green lightning formed as the charm grew larger and larger, revealing a golden sorcerer’s scepter with green emeralds, white diamonds, and black onyx in star patterns. He tossed the ball into the air.

“Leviosa!” He shouted, pointing at the scepter at the ball. The ball slowly floated down, while he gathered energy into his scepter.

“Go forth.” He commanded, throwing out his hand and slamming the ball with his palm. This sent the ball careening forward over the treeline. Izuku shielded his eyes, watching the ball fly as the scepter returned to its charm state. He reattached the charm to his ear cuff and waited anxiously for the verdict.

Aizawa held up the machine.

725.6 meters.

Izuku’s eyes lit up.

“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, DEKU????!!!?!?!?!?”

Bakugou charged forward, hands firing off explosions as he went for Izuku to demand answers. Izuku backed away, looking for a place to dodge, when two things happened simultaneously. 

Aizawa-Sensei had wrapped Bakugou in his scarf and activated his own quirk, revealing him to be the Underground Pro, Eraserhead.

Bakugou was headbutted in the gut by a tiny human dressed as a flower- one that Izuku recognized- and bounced off.

“Himawari!” He hissed as he caught her in his hands. 

Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice her as they were focused on Bakugou being harshly scolded by Aizawa-Sensei.

“What are you doing? Heck, what are you doing here?! Shouldn’t you be at home with the others?! Are you okay?! Kacchan is, like, solid muscle and that’s really hard.”

Himawari squeaked, telling Izuku that she was alright. She squeaked a bit more.

“Oh, I see,” Izuku nodded. “Well, you can stay with me until the headache goes away, okay?” He put the sunflower Ninimo on his shoulder, hiding her in the collar of his gym uniform.

*******

A SHORT TIME LATER

All 21 students stared up at the leaderboard with bated breath to see their scores. 

In last place was Hagakure Toru, the invisible girl. She fell to her knees in shock.

And to their further shock (and relief), their teacher seemed to mellow out and told them the whole expulsion comment was a logical ruse to get them to do their best.

“Mou, Aizawa!” A woman’s voice sounded from an unknown location. “You really shouldn’t tease your students. What would the last 154 hero hopefuls say?”

“Nothing, if they value their health.” 

A hysterical giggle was the only response.

“Let me introduce you to your other instructor,” Aizawa-Sensei drawled. A young woman in a green, leafy bodysuit with light green stockings, light green arm warmers, and dark green heeled boots slipped out of the tree and landed next to their teacher, smiling as she waved.

“Hi, everyone!” Mori said sweetly. 

“Wow, she’s so pretty!”

“I could pay attention to her any day!”

“She seems nice!”

“Nice boobs…”

Mori winced at that last comment and moved a step closer to Aizawa, who shot a glare at the ball-hawk boy. Oboro started cursing at him for crude comments towards a lady. Izuku also shot the boy a dark look. He’d keep an eye on that one…

“There will be no comments like that towards your teachers,” Aizawa barked. “This is Fujino Mori, who is both a pro hero and a school nurse, as well as studying for her PhD in Quirk Analysis. As you have all likely noticed, we have an extra student in each class of the hero course this year. This was because the principal saw potential in a few extra students. As such, Fujino will be assisting me with our class. Until now, she’s been observing.”

“Mori-Chan?!” Izuku heard Oboro shriek. “Little princess, is that really you?! Wow, you grew up to be so beautiful! And you’re smiling! Wait, Shou, why are you touching her back like that? It looks a little intimate!”

“I look forward to working with you all,” Mori smiled. 

“Oh beauteous lady, the pleasure is all ours,” The weird purple guy said, grabbing her hand to kiss it.

Mori shivered in disgust.

“...Right…” She said slowly, rubbing the back of her hand on her hip. “Anyways, feel free to call me Mori-Sensei! And please ask me any questions! I’d like to get to know all of you, as well.”

“How old are you, Sensei?”

“What’s your quirk?”

“Do you have a hero name?”

“Are you single?”

“Of course she is! There was no ring! Wanna go on a date? I like older girls!”

“Okay okay, settle down!” Mori giggled. “One at a time! Let’s see… I’m 20 years old, my hero name is Gaia, and I am not single. I’m actually engaged. I’m also a faithful partner, so no. I will not go on a date with you. I wouldn’t anyway, since you’re a student.

“As for my quirk, I call it “Druid”. I can do anything a mythical druid can do, including growing plants, speaking to animals, and flying. I mostly grow the plants from my body, though.”

“Mori-Sensei, you’re engaged?”

“I sure am!” 

“Then why don’t you have a ring?

“Do… Do I need one?” She asked, genuinely wondering.

“I guess not, but people like him won’t keep flirting with you like that if you have one.”

“I’ll have to ask later, then,” Mori said, considering their words. “Oh right, before everyone leaves today, there are some packets for each of you on the podium back in the classroom. Make sure you each grab one before you leave.”

“Class dismissed,” Aizawa-Sensei informed them. Mori jogged over to Izuku and pulled him into a hug.

“You did great, Izucchi!” She cheered, spinning him around. “Your control has gotten better without the suppressants, but are you still okay? Do you have any side effects when you put them on vs when you take them off?”

“No, it’s the same as before.” Izuku told her. She patted his head.

“Midoriya, do you know Mori-Sensei?” Uraraka asked. Izuku nodded.

“She’s one of my sisters,” He answered. “The one who works in the nurse’s office.”

“And I wasn’t informed of this, why?”

Brother and Sister jumped at the sudden appearance of Aizawa-Sensei, though Mori brushed it off rather quickly.

“I didn’t want you to either be biased or feel obligated to like him because he’s my brother,” Mori replied sheepishly. 

“I thought he was going to be in 1-B with Fuwa since you said their quirks are similar,” Aizawa replied. 

“That is what was going to happen,” Mori acknowledged. “But then you said what you did. Fuwa is still the 1-B assistant, though, since Kan is scared of her.”

“She said the same thing about you and All Might.”

Mori blushed.

“In my defense, I was a… “sheltered” child who didn’t know who he was.”

Aizawa considered her expression.

“Did you shoot a cactus at All Might?”

“I shot a cactus at All Might.”

Aizawa snorted.

“And this is why I like you.”

Chapter Text

(I knew I was forgetting something in the last chapter. I shall remedy this.)

Izuku was practically vibrating with excitement. Eraserhead. His teacher was Eraserhead! He hadn’t recognized the man when he wasn’t in motion, but as soon as he stopped Kacchan from attacking him, he knew who the man was instantly. And his big sister seemed to know him personally!

On their way home, Izuku looked up at Mori with a pout.

“You never told me you knew Eraserhead,” He whined. Mori, to her credit, looked a bit confused.

“Who’s that again?” She asked.

“Eraserhead!” Izuku shouted, exasperated. “You know, our favorite hero?! The one we watch together on the street cams all the time?!”

“Oh right, that is his codename, isn’t it?” Mori recalled. “I tend to forget when I’m not on the job. He’s always been just “Shou” to me.”

Blushing, Mori remembered that she called him something else entirely when they were alone… Fuwa would probably make fun of her if she knew what they called each other…

She paused a second, then turned to run back to the school.

“Mori-Nee?!” Izuku yelped.

“We forgot Fuwa!” Mori screeched back to him. 

With a mumbled ‘oh shit’, Izuku raced back next to her. 

“Why are we running?!” Izuku asked rhetorically. Mori screeched to a stop and slapped her forehead. She wrapped her arms around Izuku’s waist and took flight the rest of the way. 

Fuwa sat at the school entrance, on the ground in the fetal position. Mori landed in front of her, releasing their brother to the earth. Fuwa looked up, her lips curled somewhere between a scowl and a pout. 

“You forgot me.” She stated, blunt and precise. Mori, looking properly abashed, pulled her best friend up off the ground. 

“Fuwa-Nee!” Izuku breathed, still a bit starstruck. “My teacher is Eraserhead! Eraserhead!”

Fuwa sighed. 

“Yeah, he’s a good man,” She replied. “Stern, serious, and a slave-driver in the teaching department, but a good teacher all the same.”

“You two know my favorite hero and never told me!” Izuku screeched dramatically. “I have been betrayed!”

“It’s not like we didn’t want to tell you,” Mori said, holding her hands up defensively. “We weren’t allowed to, even if you’re our brother.”

“You weren’t?” Izuku asked, his eyes carefully poised in the most pitiful, tearful puppy eyes he could muster.

Fuwa gulped, but Mori simply continued.

“It’s for a hero’s safety that people don’t say they know them,” Mori explained. “It keeps their civilian identity secret, and their family and friends from being discovered by their enemies, villain or otherwise.”

She paused, going into an intense coughing fit. She held up her hand to her concerned siblings.

“I’m okay!” She assured them between coughs. “I think I just inhaled some saliva…”

She cleared her throat and thumped her chest a bit. 

“Anyway, do you understand why we didn’t tell you?” She asked.

Izuku pouted, but nodded. 

“I get it,” he acquiesced. “I’m still mad you didn’t tell me, but I understand why… wait, you never told him how often I gushed about his quirk or fighting style, have you?!”

“Not at all,” Fuwa replied, standing up and brushing herself off. 

Mori, on the other hand…

“…I said my brother was a fan of how cool he was. He’ll never admit it, but he was pretty flattered when I said you thought he was the coolest. Mostly because the last person to say that was me, and I’ve told him that since he was in high school.”

“You’ve known him that long?!”

“He used to babysit us,” Fuwa told him. “Well, him and a few friends. He showed us the best napping spots, and taught Mori how to read.”

“It wasn’t intentional, either,” Mori chuckled. “He just read me a few children’s books while trailing his finger under the words. The dry eye makes it hard to read, sometimes.”

Internally, Mori reminded herself to stock up on lubricating eyedrops. 

“It’s pretty funny, since we were the only kids he actually liked,” Fuwa drawled. “Mori because she was calm and quiet, and didn’t bother him when she happened to be around, and me because I translated for Mori when she went nonverbal.”

“I think it’s more because I respect his personal space,” Mori waved off. “Anyway, the real hustle starts tomorrow. You’ll meet all your other teachers and start working both on actual hero training and actual high school learning. It’ll be pretty loaded. Are you ready?”

Izuku smiled widely, excited for what was to come.

“Hell yeah!”

*******

Izuku was super excited- the classes he’d had so far were so much fun! Present Mic was really good at English, Ectoplasm being a math teacher made an absurd amount of sense, and Cementoss’s Language Arts class was pretty riveting. Now, the class he and the others were looking forward to was about to begin.

Heroics 101.

“I wonder who the teacher is?” One girl gossiped. 

“Maybe it’s Hawks!”

Izuku squeaked once at the mention of his secret friend and crush. Himawari, who was currently in his breast pocket, looked up at him and squeaked back. Izuku stroked her head with his finger, shushing her. Neither noticed the look they got from the tall boy with a rock-like face. 

“It won’t be Hawks, he’s way too busy.”

“Maybe a different hero?”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

The doorknob clicked and the door opened.

“I AM… COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!!”

Instantly, gasps of awe and shrieks of joy echoed through the class.

“It’s All Might!”

“All Might! In the flesh!”

“We’re being taught heroics from the number one hero?!”

“Awesome!”

Izuku, on the other hand, stared at the man with a terrified expression. 

It was no wonder, considering there were seven ghosts hovering around the man.

‘I’m dead,’ Izuku thought, silently reimagining his will. ‘I’m dead and All Might’s ghosts are going to kill me, if he doesn’t put me in prison first.’

“Kacchan?” He whispered.

“The hell do you want, Nerd?”

“When I’m in prison, please take care of my sisters for me.”

“The fuck are you talking about?!”

But Izuku ignored the explosive blond and sent out a text to the family group chat.

*******

The Rat God Cult:

High Priest:

I am sorry for not getting rid of the evidence, I was scared.

Please visit me in prison.

But don’t acknowledge the fact that I, the kid who killed All Might, am your younger brother.

I love you all.

High Priestess:

This sounds familiar, what brought this on?

Saintess:

Oh right, you said you thought you accidentally killed him right? 

You didn’t honey, he’s fine. Just apologize.

He’s not the smartest man, and can be loud and overbearing, but he’s a kind man with a good heart.

Just no common sense.

High Priestess:

No, Mori, why’s he saying this now? What class is he in?

Saintess:

Heroics 101

I’ll be joining them shortly, but Izu don’t worry about it, okay? Focus on the sparring and how your costume fits or doesn’t.

*******

In the meantime, the class had each gotten a metal suitcase with their seat number on them. The suitcases were filled with their hero costumes, and they were given instruction to change.

Izuku pulled off his uniform, folding it neatly, and Himawari stayed in his breast pocket with her eyes covered. 

Izuku’s classmates, a red head with sharp teeth, a blonde with a black lightning bolt, and the weird purple shorty who was flirting with Izuku’s sister, gasped in shock.

“Whoa, Midoriya, what happened to you?” Kaminari, the blond, asked.

“Huh?” was Izuku’s intelligent reply. He wondered what they were talking about. 

“Your back, bro,” The redhead, Kirishima, answered. “It’s all torn up.”

“Oh, that,” Izuku said quietly, ignoring the dread in his gut. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

“Why not?” Kaminari asked. “I heard cool scars come with cool stories.”

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it.” Izuku repeated sternly.

“Please?”

“Oi, Kaminari, lay off,” Shinsou cut in. “He said twice that he didn’t want to talk about it. Besides, all scars come with stories, but not all stories are good ones.”

Kaminari had the decency to look ashamed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry, Midoriya.”

His apology was genuine, so Izuku forgave him.

“I get it,” he told his classmates. “It’s pretty gnarly, huh? It’s just that getting these scars happened on the worst day of my life, and I’d rather not think about it during a heroics class. It gets me disoriented.”

“Got it, sorry again.”

Izuku smiled.

“It’s ok,” he reassured the other teen. “Let’s all get changed.”

Soon enough, they were on the Training Ground Beta, dressed in hero costumes. 

Izuku himself was dressed in a dark, form-fitting short sleeved top and cargo shorts combo, similar to a jumpsuit, going down to just below his knees. Wrapped around his lower legs were thin, durable boots with compression fabric, shock absorption, and protective foot shields. The boots and bodysuit had dark green lines up the sides, a thick dark grey stripe up the front of his top, along with a smattering of lighter green stars on the hips. On his chest was the insignia for Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky.

Around his waist was a dark green utility belt, complete with his emergency kit. His black ear cuff that held his shrunken scepter was hidden by the dark, hooded short cloak that cling to his shoulders, which Himawari was nestled inside. The fabric was fastened with light green, light blue, and red stars. Completing his look was Archive, his fingerless gloves and goggles combo that made him what was essentially an air computer. 

The goggles were reinforced, green-tinted plexiglass similar to Hawks’s visor, with bright sun vision mode, heat sensor mode, and night vision mode, and while the fingerless gloves stopped just past the wrist, black bracers made of compression fabric laid from his wrists to his elbows. Underneath everything, he wore armored fabric for protection.

Izuku took the opportunity to archive his male classmates, so he activated Archive. The screen appeared in his goggles, along with a virtual keyboard, and he began updating information he observed about each individual classmate. 

Then, the girls came out, and Izuku did a double take. He was so shocked at what he saw, he couldn’t hold back his filter.

“Ey yo, what the actual fuck?!” He exclaimed. “Were your costumes designed by horny old men on a register?!”

While Asui, the frog girl, Mina, the pink skinned girl, and Jiro, the unimpressed girl with long earlobes, looked fine with what they had, though they could possibly benefit from more armored protection.

Uraraka, Hagakure the invisible girl, and Yaoyorozu, the wealthy young lady, on the other hand, looked visibly uncomfortable. Especially Hagakure, as ironic as it was. And it was very plain to see why:

Uraraka’s space themed costume was skin tight. While not necessarily a bad thing, as a snug costume was ideal to keep your costume from snagging on something, especially if you were aerodynamic, hers seemed so tight it looked like it was melding into her skin. Even so, that could be attributed to a sudden growth spurt after she put her measurements in for her costume.

Yaoyorozu’s wasn’t much better. It was a glorified swimsuit with a thick belt and an obscenely plunging neckline.

Poor Hagakure was really the worst off. Gloves and boots. Gloves and boots! That was it!!! They weren’t even puncture-proof; the moron who “built” it just got them from a generic store!

He couldn’t wait for Mori to get there for the primary evaluation. Maybe he’d even ask Fuwa for her opinions. This couldn’t get worse.

For now, he undid his short cloak and handed it to Hagakure, who took it gratefully.

“It’s not much for now,” he said solemnly. “But I hope it’s enough until we can fix this…”

“I mean, I told them I wasn’t sure what I needed with my costume, and they knew my quirk, so…”

“That’s no excuse,” Izuku scoffed, upset on the poor girl’s behalf. “There’s the option for DNA infused fabrics that can change with you. At the very least, you won’t be entirely, tits-to-the-wind naked.”

“Is there really?” She asked, excited. 

“Mori-Nee’s costume is made out of her DNA,” Izuku told her, while also looking at Yaoyorozu. “That way, she can grow plants without too many obstacles. She only rips her stockings or the body of her costume when she needs something big, but the area around her is too destroyed or, well, urban? I guess it depends.”

“Thanks for the info, Mido!” Hagakure said, sounding tearful in her appreciation. 

“Midoriya-San,” Yaoyorozu called quietly. She blushed, a bit embarrassed, but Izuku could hear the unanswered question.

“I know for a fact she’d help you get some, too.” He assured her. “Oh right, All Might, sir!” 

He jogged over to the massive man, stopping in front of him. 

“Oh, hello! Midoriya, right-?”

“Imsorryforpunchingyoutinthedickontheroodafewmonthsago!” Izuku apologized as quickly as he could, embarrassed. 

“Eh? Was that you??!” All Might asked, shocked. Izuku was upset at that.

“You didn't even recognize me?!” Izuku asked. “I'm sorry for where the punch landed, but to be fair you did punch me first! Who just tries to leave the victim of a villain attack on the ground after a whole-ass Texas Smash?!”

Izuku took a deep, calming breath.

“Look, I didn't tell anyone about you deflating,” Izuku told the man, surprising the hero. “Though I did tell my sisters I thought I accidentally killed you. So I am sorry for that punch.”

All Might’s smile softened. 

“No, no, you were correct,” The man admitted. “I should have, at the very least, called an ambulance for you. I'm glad you and the other boy are okay. And, if I may, I offer you my most humble apologies for our first meeting.”

“Huh?” Izuku blinked. “Oh, uh. Okay. I guess we can say this is a truce?”

“Of course! Oh here, have one of these rice balls!”

The two shook hands, and Izuku smiled. He ate the rice ball, then ran back to stand next to Shinsou, who gave him a fist bump.

“Alright, everyone, gather ‘round!” All Might’s voice boomed. “Now, for our first heroics lesson, we will be conducting…”

He pulled out a lottery box.

“Battle Trials!”

Izuku, among his classmates who cheered, was one of two not excited for the exercise, the other being Shinsou. 

Izuku, himself, looked up to the sky, murmuring ‘we’re gonna die’ over and over. Shinsou, who was standing next to him, patted his back. Himawari nuzzled her favorite human, concern in her dark little eyes. Izuku looked at his friends and whispered.

“Mori-Nee’s gonna be pissed.”

“One moment, All Might Sensei!” Iida called out, adjusting his glasses. “We have an odd number of students in our class. It will be difficult for one person to pair up.

Instantly, Izuku raised his hand.

“I volunteer as tribute- I mean, I volunteer to sit out!” He shouted. “I’ll be able to test my costume with a few stretches, kicks, and a few minutes of internet access!”

“Are you sure, Young Midoriya?” All Might asked.

Izuku nodded his head frantically.

‘Mori-Nee and Fuwa-Nee always told me not to start fights I can’t finish,’ Izuku thought. ‘So long as Kacchan is in the lottery, there’s a chance I’d either have to work with him or against him, and my chances on either choice are poor!’

“And Midoriya!” Iida pointed to him. Apparently he’d been asking questions?

“Sup?”

“I may respect you for finding the hidden meaning behind the exam, but that is no excuse to call our assistant teacher so casually!”

“What hidden meaning?” Izuku blinked. He thought for a moment before he spoke again.

“Wait, are you talking about the Rescue Points?” He asked incredulously. “I didn’t discover that, it was just the right thing to do! What’s wrong with you that that wasn’t also your first instinct?!”

“I- um! You really didn’t know?”

“Of course not!” Izuku stressed. “By the way, you must have left the class before you heard this- Mori is my sister. Heck, if I called her Mori-Nee-Sensei, she’d probably laugh. And before you ask, I’m adopted.”

“Oh, I see… I deeply apologize for the oversight!” Iida bowed at a 90 degree angle.

“Eh, it’s not exactly public knowledge…” Izuku shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

No one noticed Bakugou staring at Izuku with mild surprise in his eyes. 

Izuku, on the other hand, looked back up at the sky, and hoped, for the love of all things sane, All Might knew what he was doing as a professional hero.

*******

With the random lottery complete, the teams were as follows:

Hero VS Villain

Aoyama & Mineta VS Shinsou & Sato

Uraraka & Kaminari VS Yaoyorozu & Fumikage

Hagakure & Todoroki VS Ashido and Iida

Bakugou & Kirishima  VS Ojiro & Mezo

Koda & Asui VS Jiro and Sero

*******

The first group stepped into the building, and Izuku fought down the feeling that something bad was gonna happen, his leg bouncing with anxiety. All Might was a professional hero, he knew when to stop. He knew when enough was enough. 

So what was this pit in his stomach?

He activated Archive and entered the family group chat, and reported that he had a massively bad feeling and urged Mori to hurry up.

“So, um, Midoriya?”

“You can call me Mido or Izu,” Izuku offered, not looking up. 

“Ok, Izu then!” Uraraka smiled. “I was wondering why your costume needs the internet.”

Izuku’s face brightened. 

“It’s actually for my support equipment,” he told her, tapping his green-tinted goggles. He was excited to explain what Archive was and what it did.

“So the gloves connect your hands to a virtual keyboard, which helps you with instant information or research that you would use to analyze the situation, person, or quirk?”

“I’d also be able to contact any mission allies with little to no external sound, so long as I have their contact info beforehand.” He explained, leaving out the fact that he didn’t actually need contact info. 

That was a “need to know” thing.

“I also have a question,” Kirishima asked. “What’s that symbol on your chest?”

“It’s the astronomical symbol for Sirius, the brightest star in the sky after the sun.”

“Do you like stars, Mido?” Ashido Mina asked, pointing at the stars decorating his costume. 

“I like stargazing,” he said, blushing. “And the stories that come with the constellations.”

“The constellations have stories?” Mina asked. “Really?!”

“Um, yes?” He pulled his shoulders in. “Sorry, I’ve been homeschooled for a while and I kinda forgot how to people…”

He turned and murmured that  “no one was really interested in learning those stories before other than his sisters and Kei…” with a blush across his cheeks.

A glint in Mina’s eyes appeared as she heard this.

“Who’s Kei, then?” She asked, very interested. Izuku squeaked, his blush deepening from a light pink to an interesting shade of red while he tried very hard to convince the girls around him that Kei was just a friend and to please stop teasing him.

Silently, he wondered what happened to Mori.

*******

WITH MORI

“Alright, Granny Chiyo, that should do it,” Mori breathed, wiping her forehead as she shelved the last box of medical equipment in the infirmary. “I can’t believe they just left it here this morning for us to deal with. Unbelievable.”

“It is what it is, Sweetie,” Recovery Girl smiled at her apprentice. “It’s just a good thing for me that I have you here to help me.”

“It’s no issue, whatsoever,” Mori smiled back at her mentor, then saw the time. “Oh dear, that took a bit longer than I expected. I’d better rush to my class!”

She ran to Training Ground B, where they were supposed to be, but she didn’t see anyone.

“That’s… not normal, where did they all go?”

Something didn’t feel quite right, so Mori initiated a three-way call.

“Someone better be dead or dying, Rosebud,” Aizawa grumbled tiredly.

“That’s… actually a cute nickname. I ain’t even mad.” Fuwa snickered. 

“I actually do have a problem, though,” Mori said seriously. “I’m at Training Ground B for our class’s costume check and sparring practice, but they're not here.”

“What do you mean, they’re not there?” Aizawa asked. “Where the hell are they, then?”

“That’s why I called,” Mori reported. “You’re my direct superior, and I thought Fuwa could fly around and see if she could find them.” 

“I can totally do that- KAN!” Fuwa began to yell at her senior. “I’m going to help 1-A with costume checks in Heroics. No, you competitive moron, shut the hell up about-!”

With that, Fuwa hung up. Aizawa sighed.

“I’m on my way, meet me at our classroom.”

Mori put her phone away and left Training Ground B. 

*******

It was literally right when Mori stepped into the classroom to speak to Aizawa about their students that Fuwa called. Mori didn’t even have a chance to answer when Fuwa began to shout.

“BATTLE TRIALS!” The Sorceress shrieked. “INDOOR BATTLE TRIALS! We’re at Training Ground Beta! Izu would have said something, but he was pretty sure that All Might, a pro hero turned teacher, knew what he was doing! Nope! Not a fucking clue in that Star Spangled Brain of his! It’s day two of Hero School! And Mori, have Nedzu conduct an inquiry as to who the fuck it was that decided that a lack of skin and visible nipples made a technical loophole in the law Midnight’s original costume created! BECAUSE WHY IS THIS GIRL FUCKING NAKED?!?!?!?!”

She looked at Aizawa, who nodded. They rushed towards Training Ground Beta.

“We’re both running as fast as we can,” Mori said ."Naked? And Battle Trials?! What the hell? Did you put a stop to it?” 

“Not before the naked one got what I think is frostbite on her feet,” Fuwa groaned. “Izu’s letting me borrow the Archive goggles so I can get an idea on damage, but I need you and Eraser down here yesterday because I’m about to lose my fucking mind. And-!”

Crashing sounds, screams of fear, running, and a cry of agonizing pain. Fuwa shouting more expletives.

“Mori,” Fuwa’s voice trembled. “It just got worse.”

“What do you mean, ‘worse’?” Mori asked, dread filling her chest.

“One of the walls of the building just caved outwards. I don’t even know what happened! Mori, Izuku just ran to get his classmates out of the way, nothing even landed on him, but both his legs are practically shattered! I legit need you here now! We’re at Training Ground Beta, not B!”

Both teachers burst through the school doors. Mori kicked herself into flight mode and picked up her partner.

“It’s faster this way!” She said over the wind resistance, her arms tightening around his waist. 

“I’m not arguing!” He replied. 

They made it to the training ground in 15 seconds- the longest 15 seconds Mori had ever felt- and landed right next to Fuwa, who was trying to stabilize a writhing Izuku. Luckily, she had already managed to put him on a sheet.

“I’ll take over here,” Mori ordered, her field training resurfacing in the heat of the moment. “You grab Archive and check Hagakure’s feet. Shou, you call ahead to Recovery Girl! And YOU!” 

She turned to a very panicked All Might. 

“Principal’s Office,” She commanded. “Now.” 

“Yes, of course,” he acquiesced, looking genuinely remorseful. “I am terribly sorry this has gotten so out of control.”

“Izu?” She called, kneeling right next to her brother. “Izu, my lovely, I need you to look at me, okay?”

Izuku’s eyes opened minutely. 

“I know it hurts,” She told him. “But I need you to be as still as possible so I can take a look. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes,” the teen hissed, his hands clawing the dirt. Mori looked up and locked eyes with a random student.

“Shinsou, come here.”

The boy nervously obeyed.

“I need you to hold his hand,” Mori told him. “I’d do it myself, but I need both hands this time. Just keep him calm. You have permission to use your quirk if you have to. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sensei,” Shinsou answered, grabbing the writhing boy’s hand.

Mori set to work quickly, cutting off Izuku’s shoes and the lower half of his pant legs. Shinsou felt a bit green.

The color of Izuku’s legs and feet weren’t normal.

But Izuku took his attention back, squeezing his hand and mumbling how much it hurt. Shinsou, not wanting to interrupt Mori’s concentration, took a page out of her book.

“I know it does,” He said as calmly as possible. “But Mori Sensei is working hard to help, ok?”

Izuku gave a noise of acknowledgement, then one of pain as Mori lightly squeezed each foot.

“That’s a good thing!” Mori assured. “The nerves in your feet and toes are still intact. I can’t fix your legs here, especially without x-ray vision, but I can give you something for the pain. Is it just your legs, Izu, or do they hurt enough that you aren’t sure?”

“Not sure!” The teen grunted.

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for anything else,” Mori told him. She pulled a vial with an eyedropper out of her utility belt.

“Here, a few drops to ease the pain,” she soothed, dropping three drops into his mouth. A few minutes later, he relaxed a bit.

Mori grew wooden planks and vines to make emergency stabilizers for Izuku’s legs, making sure they wouldn’t move during transport. Two of Recovery Girl’s medical robots arrived with a stretcher.

“Alright, Shou, Mezo-San, Koda-San!” Mori barked. “I’m going to need your help getting him into the stretcher.”

Aizawa knelt down next to Shinsou, grabbing a sheet corner. The other boys also each grabbed on, as well as the sides to keep Izuku from falling off. Shinsou let go of Izuku’s hand.

“On three?” Aizawa asked. Mori nodded in confirmation, and the teachers counted as one.

“One, Two, Three!” 

On three, the four lifted the sheet with Izuku in it, settling him gently onto the stretcher. The robots took him away to see Recovery Girl for further evaluation and treatment. 

The adrenaline leaving her system, Mori fell sideways into Aizawa, who caught her and held her up. 

“Do you need to sit?” He asked. 

“I-uh… yeah, I think I might,” Mori admitted, a hand on her head. She leaned heavily into his torso, allowing him to hold her as she began to shiver.

“Cold?” He whispered. 

“No, the adrenaline is running out,” Mori replied. “And now I’m realizing the one I just took care of on the field was my baby brother and now I’m so worried I’m dizzy… Oh my god, my brother! Oooh, I think I might throw up.”

Aizawa slowly brought her to sit on the ground. She kept leaning on him, his arm around her shoulders as he silently soothed her. He pulled out his phone, and showed her the pictures Nemuri had spammed him of her cat, Sushi- something he had admitted to Mori he secretly liked.

Slowly, she calmed down, her head against his chest. Her breathing slowed, and the sound of his heartbeat began to lull her to sleep.

*******

“Aizawa Sensei,” Uraraka called. “Is Mori Sensei okay?”

Aizawa shifted the sleeping woman in his arms.

“She will be,” He told her. “She’s told me before that it’s harder for doctors and nurses to practice medicine for their own family and friends. A bit of rest, and she’ll be back to normal soon.”

He looked to Fuwa for help getting Mori to a more comfortable place, only to see her bandaging the feet of a floating cloak.

“Fuwa,” Aizawa called to her, feeling a headache coming. “Why is Hagakure naked?”

“Didn’t you hear from the phone call I had with Mori earlier?” Fuwa asked.

“Too busy running to get here,” he admitted. Fuwa nodded.

“Understandable,” she said. “I’ll explain in detail later. Right now, I’m going to take her to the locker room to get dressed, then take her to Recovery Girl. She’ll be busy with the Sprout, but I have enough training that I can help with frostbite.”

She threw her own cape over Hagakure, then scooped the invisible girl into her arms to do what she said. Aizawa froze, raising an arm to stop her.

“Wait, Mahora,” His voice cracked. “What do we do with Fujino?”

Fuwa looked the two over and, in a very serious voice, instructed him.

“Koala,” she told him, speaking like it was obvious. “Duh.”

And she jogged off without another word. Aizawa could feel another headache coming on.

“Alright, all of you go change back into your uniforms and get ready for your last class.” Aizawa ordered his students, a hand on his head. He adjusted Mori until she was on his back with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, like a baby koala. Arms under her legs, he shifted her up into piggyback, her chin resting on his shoulder.

“Aizawa-Sensei sure is lucky…” He heard Mineta comment. “Those boobs on his back and thighs in his hands must be nice…”

Shinsou kicked the smaller boy.

“Are you an idiot?” He asked rhetorically. “Mori-Sensei is unconscious! How else is he supposed to move her? What kind of hero are you planning on being if your first thought is how a woman’s body might feel?”

“That’s a bit scary, kero,” Asui commented. 

“It wasn’t a suggestion,” Aizawa barked. “Go. Now.”

The students ran off, and their teacher carried his junior colleague to the teacher’s lounge. He really needed a coffee.

Aizawa really loathed to admit it, but… Mineta was right. Mori was soft and warm, and she smelled like wisteria flowers. Her light breath against his neck made him shiver. It made him grateful that he had her. He eyed the room, making sure no one else was there. Seeing they were alone, he turned his head and kissed his wonderful fiancee on her cheek.

Then, Mori coughed. 

And coughed again

And her eyes flew open. She slid down Aizawa back as she covered her mouth and threw herself forward to cough incessantly, hacking as if something was stuck in her chest. Aizawa rubbed her back, unable to do much else. Mori subconsciously grabbed Aizawa’s shoulder, his clothes in her fist as she coughed something into her hand.

Blood and flower petals.

Aizawa froze, horrified. Mori stared at her hand. She looked up at Aizawa, confused. 

“Well,” she commented weakly. “That’s not supposed to happen.”

“Mori!” 

“I’m oddly okay, though?” She continued, looking confused. “I was wondering what that cough was. I can get rid of the problem easily now that I know what it is.”

She smiled, relieved that she finally knew what the problem was. 

But Aizawa was wide-eyed in panic.

He cupped her face, wiping the blood from her lips with his thumb. He then pulled her into his arms so closely, she was practically in his lap on the ground. His trembling form held her tightly, hand on the back of her head. 

“Shou?” Mori’s muffled voice came out from where it was shoved into Aizawa’s chest. Mori began slapping his shoulder.

“Hmmm hmmnt hmeeefff!”

He didn’t release her. Mori was able to push herself away for long enough to turn her head, and settled down for a long, impromptu cuddle session.

“I’m okay Honey,” she promised. “I’m okay. Will you stay with me while I fix the problem?”

A silent nod against her shoulder.

“Ok, I need to turn around.”

So they got comfortable on the ground, Aizawa cross-legged on the floor with Mori in his lap with her back against his chest. His arms wrapped loosely around her waist while his chin rested on the crook of her neck. Mori focused on her breathing, visualizing the inside of her body to find the problem. 

There.

In her left lung, a bundle of snapdragon flowers was growing. The roots were beginning to fill the bronchi, which was causing the bleeding. She focused her quirk to work on the flowers, slowly absorbing them back into her body as nutrients.

Thinking about it, Mori figured she must have inhaled the tiny seeds at some point- those were some pretty tiny seeds, after all. Since her body was designed to grow life that didn’t pass through her digestive tract, it must have figured that the flowers were supposed to be there until they began to fill her lung all the way. Mori reached back and rubbed her lover’s head, and told him everything she had hypothesized.

“I told you I’d be okay,” Mori told Aizawa, rubbing her nails against his scalp, just the way he liked it. “I’ll probably cough a bit more because of lung irritation, but I promise I’ll go see Granny Chiyo after school is over. Okay?”

“Good,” he finally spoke. “Don’t scare me like that.”

“I’m sorry, Shou,” she apologized. “Are you okay to get up?”

“Yeah, I can.”

“Let me make you a coffee…” She stood and readied the coffee maker for just that. She filled it with water and shoved the mug under the spout to wait.

“Mori…”

“Hmm?”

“I love you.” He replied. Mori’s eyes widened a bit.

Aizawa Shouta was not an outwardly affectionate person. Mori was only an exception in private settings, and the school building didn't really count as private. Not to mention, they both agreed that keeping work and social lives separate would help them focus on their students and careers. He had never told her he loved her in a public place before, and Mori was realizing that her coughing up the blood and flowers was affecting him more than either of them thought it would.

“I’m sorry,” she told him. “Mo Ghrá, I’m so sorry this happened, that I scared you like this.”

She helped him stand and tucked herself into his chest. They stared at each other for a long moment.

Aizawa tucked some of her loose hair behind Mori’s ear, and Mori’s hands rested just under his collar bone. Forgetting where they were, they shared a slow, sweet kiss. Aizawa pulled her flush against him, her breasts pressed enticingly on his chest, letting Mori practically grope his pecs and biceps. Aizawa released her lips and laid his forehead against hers.

“Mori,” He breathed. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Mori giggled. 

“I promise I’ll be more careful, Mo Ghrá,” she cooed, rubbing her nose against his. She leaned into his ear. 

“And I can give you a better apology later,” she promised, her voice deep and velvety.

Aizawa let a huff escape his nose.

“Such a tease,” He mumbled.

“You like it though, don’t you?” Mori smiled back. Then she frowned.

“I’m worried about Izu,” she told him, beginning to ramble. “Really worried. The specifications of his quirk aside, he got it much later than most. He believed he was quirkless for years until we met. For seven years, he’s had his quirk and worked on it with me and Fuwa. Now, all of a sudden, this happens? It has nothing to do with his quirk. It makes no logical sense that it’s a quirk, and even less sense that it’s his body. He’s perfectly healthy.”

She buried her face in his chest, her voice coming out muffled.

“Shouta, I’m scared.”

Aizawa pulled Mori in for another hug, rubbing her back in comfort. He rocked her from side to side, ignoring the dampness he felt coming through his hero uniform. They stayed like that for a while, neither noticing the door open until they heard loud and dramatic gasping.

*******

Izuku woke up in the infirmary, legs wrapped and strapped in bandages and metal bracers. He tried to wiggle his toes, but pain shot through his entire leg at the attempt. He hissed.

“How are you feeling, dearie?”

“Like my legs don't work like they used to,” the teen quipped. “What happened?”

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Recovery Girl replied, handing him a few nutrient gummies. “Your quirk is called “Mage”, and it works much like Arcana’s “Sorcery”, correct?”

“That’s right,” Izuku answered, popping the gummies into his mouth. “I’ve never had a reaction like that, though. I can enhance my speed, but for something like what happened earlier, I usually have to chant something in Latin. And my body wouldn’t break just from that.”

“Curious,” The Youthful Heroine mused. “Fuwa-Chan told me that your quirk had an upgrade recently, is it possible for it to be that?”

Izuku shook his head.

“No, ma’am,” he said honestly. “My evolution had nothing to do with muscles.”

“Peculiar, indeed,” she hummed. “Well, I'll turn you over to your sisters, dearie, with strict instructions to keep an eye on you. Suddenly shattering your bones like you did isn't normal, even in a strength quirk. Your legs will be in casts for a few days, so no practical work.”

Izuku let out a dejected sigh.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Recovery Girl left the room, leaving Izuku to his thoughts and the ghost boy who followed him out of worry.

Izuku contemplated the boy staring at him on the infirmary bed.

“Should…” He swallowed thickly. “Should I tell them about you?”

Oboro hummed, genuinely thinking about it.

“Probably not right now,” he said. “Shou still hasn’t gotten over it- Survivor’s Guilt, and all, y’know? Zashi and Nem have been trying, but he hasn’t smiled since my death. For him to hear I’ve been with him this whole time? I dunno, I just don’t think he’ll handle it well.”

“I can hide it, for now,” Izuku told him. “But as these Spirit Powers get stronger, maybe I’ll be able to do something for you.”

“I doubt it, but I appreciate the thought,” Oboro grinned. “Y’know, the way you rescued Shinsou in the practical? That’s part of why Shou likes you so much.”

“He does?” Izuku raised his eyebrow doubtfully. 

“Of course he does!” Oboro said, giving the living boy a toothy grin. “Especially that rescue from the falling building. He, well…”

He looked a bit uncomfortable, but Izuku took his hand and gave him an encouraging smile.

“That was how I died,” the blue haired ghost explained. “I wasn’t fast or strong enough to protect myself from falling debris, and a large chunk of concrete hit me… somewhere?”

Oboro trailed off, looking a bit confused.

“I’m pretty sure it hit me in the head and I died instantly, but for some reason I remember something else happening. I don’t remember what happened, but I remember it was different than dying instantly… Actually, come to think of it, I remember Princess saying she’d been meeting up with Shou often within the past few months, but I haven’t seen her in years. I hardly recognized her! I’ve been switching between Shou, Zashi, and Nem for years, but not remembering seeing Mori and Fuwa despite them having definitely been there? Hmmmm…”

Izuku hummed.

“That’s definitely unusual,” the younger boy mused. He grabbed Oboro’s hand.

“I’m going to grab some books from my space,” Izuku told him. “There’s a library dedicated to ghosts and spirits. Maybe we can find some information in those?”

“I don’t know if I can hold books, though,” Oboro said thoughtfully. “Like, maybe I can turn a page?”

“You should be alright with these books,”  Izuku grinned. “They’re not just books; some of them are grimoires saturated in spiritual and astral energy. You might even be able to pick them up.”

“Really?” Oboro asked, eyes wide. “I wasn't the greatest at studying in life, but I think I’d give… well, not quite anything, but even I’d love to hold a book again, despite my distaste.”

Izuku let out a few huffs of laughter.

“If you wanna read anything other than these books from my Space, you can use my phone or something. I know that spirits have an easier time with electronics than they do with other things. I have a bunch of audiobooks you might like.”

Oboro’s smile was wide and toothy. 

“I’d love that,” he said honestly. “You’re a good kid. It’s no wonder Shou is so fond of you.”

“Sensei is?” Izuku asked, blushing. “I'm happy since he’s, like, my favorite hero of all time, but he doesn't seem like it?”

Oboro laughed so hard, his feet floated off the ground. 

“Yeah, I can see why you don't believe me,” the ghost boy admitted, wiping a tear. “He’s a massive introvert, sort of. He’s always been driven by logic. Even the hobo look he has going on is a ‘logical deception’ at night since people don’t really pay attention to the homeless, as sad as that is. I mean, until the day I died, he was only close to… wait, hang on, let me count… five people. And apparently, after I died, he remained close to one and reconnected with the other three later. I somehow don’t remember seeing that, despite being there…”

Oboro trailed off, still confused about that.

“Anyway, I was there when they were deciding on students for the classes,” he continued. “Shou was really impressed without ingenuity. I think he also saw the cat stickers you put on some of those casts. Why did only some of them get those, anyway?”

“They were mean to Shinsou, me, or both, so they didn't deserve cat stickers.” Izuku explained. "What happened next?”

“Heh, no wonder the brats ended up failing,” Oboro snickered. “But really, not much else happened other than Shou asking Nedzu for both of you in his class. I even watched over his shoulder as he texted Mori absolute;y gushing over how innovative you were, and how if that was a real villain attack, you two would have succeeded in… something. I got distracted when Bastard the Stray Cat sliced through Shou’s window screen.” 

Izuku laughed, reaching up instinctively to pet Himawari. Then, he froze. 

“Um, Oboro?”

“Hmm?” 

“Where’s Himawari?”

*******

The tiny Ninimo trembled as she was taken to an unfamiliar place. 

She wanted Zuku. This wasn't with Zuku!

“It’s okay,” a soft voice told her. 

Himawari opened one eye and looked at the person holding her.

“I won't hurt you,” the person continued. “You’re Midoriya’s friend, right?”

Himawari, still scared, gave them a nod.

“Midoriya’s pretty hurt right now, but our school nurse is one of the greatest healing heroes in the world,” The person said. “We’ll definitely see him tomorrow. You can spend the night here, and I’ll give you back to him tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”

Himawari opened both of her little black eyes. This time, she really looked at the person holding her. She really believed they wouldn't hurt her. They even got her to safety when she fell off Zuku’s shoulder. She could trust him. She squeaked her consent.

“Ok,” they said. “I’ve never seen anything like you. What do you eat? Is there anything you can’t eat?”

Himawari squeaked again. Could he understand her?

“Yes,” they answered. “Oh right! I'm Kouda Kouji, what’s your name?”