Chapter 13
Izuku trundled down the stairs on the boys' side of the dorms during the early morning hours of their first day of classes, still tired from setting up their dorm rooms the day before. He had woken up early, a habit he picked up over the past year, and got dressed in the UA uniform, grabbed his school materials and got as ready as he could be for classes before he decided to grab a small bite to eat. As he reached the ground floor that housed the common room and kitchen, he noticed someone familiar coming down from the stairs across from him, bringing a smile to his face.
Meeting at the kitchen door, Izuku lifted himself to his tiptoes to give Momo a kiss, both of them melting into the moment. "Did you sleep well?" Izuku quietly questioned when they separated, finding Momo smiling down towards him. She was also prepared for the day and dressed in her uniform.
"As well as I could," Momo admitted. "I found myself wishing you were beside me when I woke up this morning."
Izuku nodded, knowing he missed the comfort as well. "We'll have to question our teacher if we're allowed to share a dorm. We don't know if it's against policy or not." Momo nodded as she threw her arm around Izuku's back and guided them into the kitchen.
"I'll start on the tea if you start on the breakfast?" Momo questioned.
Izuku nodded, separating to get started on their respective tasks. It wasn't long until Momo was standing beside him and helping him cook, both connected at the hip and enjoying the closeness they missed. By the time breakfast was done, they sat at the table and enjoyed their food in silence, their legs touching under the table.
"Do you think we should make something for Himi?" Izuku questioned as he walked over to the sink and deposited their plates and teacups, starting to clean them.
"She had her snack last night," Momo responded as she came up and stood beside Izuku, a drying towel already in her hand. Izuku understood the double meaning of what Momo had said, indicating that Himiko had taken enough blood to last her through the day, not wanting to share her dietary needs with their classmates yet. "And she normally doesn't have time to eat breakfast when she gets up," Izuku and Momo chuckled quietly, knowing Himiko normally got up five minutes before classes started and had to rush to make it on time.
"I'll make sure to bring something small for her, just in case." Izuku responded, still smiling as they finished the dishes.
When they were finished cleaning up their mess from breakfast, grabbing a few small snacks for Himiko, Izuku and Momo left the dorms and walked towards the main UA building. With Momo not attending a regular school, and Izuku not attending one since he was six, both wanted to make sure they knew their way around the massive building so they didn't get lost.
Arriving at Classroom 1-A, they found they were the first ones to arrive. Looking over their class schedule and seating arrangement that was sent to their phones, they found their seats at the back of the room. Izuku and Momo noticed that Himiko was sitting beside Izuku with Ochako sitting on the other side of Himiko. They thought the seating arrangement was strange, considering that it didn't seem to have a set layout to how placements were picked, but chalked it up to hearing rumors that teachers had more free reign to do as they pleased and that they were seated beside each other by luck.
As they continued to look over the seating arrangements, they recognized quite a few names. Either from the parties they had attended in the past, or the last names stood out as legacy hero names. Izuku looked towards seat seventeen and sighed when he recognized the name from his past, bringing some unpleasant memories to the surface. Momo was about to ask what Izuku had noticed when the door to the classroom opened again, revealing Tenya and Kashiko strolling into the room, Shoto following only a few steps behind.
"Yaoyorozu! Midoriya!" Tenya called out as he made his way over towards them, Kashiko following only a few steps behind. "I must have missed you two coming into the dorms yesterday. I briefly saw Todoroki before he disappeared upstairs carrying his moving boxes."
"Hello, Iida, Sekigai." Izuku responded with a smile, Momo following suit. "We were focused on getting our rooms set up for the year." Izuku looked over towards Momo with a smirk. "Well, mostly Mo's room."
"Are you complaining, Mister?" Momo questioned with a light dusting of a blush, knowing that Izuku was talking about her massive bed that barely fit into her room, leaving little space for anything else.
"Of course not, Missy." Izuku responded, his smirk turning into a genuine smile.
As the four students continued to converse, more students started showing up and filling the rest of the seats. Most of the students were silent, except for a few that had shown up together and were quietly conversing. Izuku and Momo missed when the one blonde-haired boy froze in the doorway, his eyes trailing along the rest of the students that were already sitting, before his eyes landed on the green-haired boy. Before the blonde-haired boy could say anything, another student pushed him through the doorway from behind.
"Get out of the way, Runt!" Rumi Usagiyama spoke loudly as she pushed the blonde into the room. "Either get in the classroom or fuck off. The rest of us don't have time for you to be standing in the doorway."
"What the fuck did you just call me?" Katsuki Bakugo swung around to face the shorter girl. "Do you know who the hell you are talking to, Extra?"
"Why would I know who the hell you are, Runt?" Rumi responded, pushing herself forwards to get right into Katsuki's face. "You don't look that impressive to me."
The rest of the class went silent as the argument happened at the front of the classroom. Tenya immediately broke off from conversing with Izuku and Momo and walked directly in between Rumi and Katsuki, pushing them both back. "Fighting before classes have even started is insulting to UA! You two need to find your seats and stop this argument immediately!"
Kashiko shook her head tiredly, looking towards the three students having a yelling match near the front of the classroom. "I better make sure Iida doesn't get caught in the crossfire." Kashiko turned back towards Izuku and Momo, finding Izuku unwaveringly watching the front of the classroom. "I believe our conversation will have to wait until classes are over for the day." Momo nodded her head in agreement while Izuku continued to watch the front.
"She looks like she's already tired. I wonder how many people actually slept well?" The thought was interrupted by a clatter of noise as a red-haired boy shook up a protein shake in a mixing bottle at his desk.
"Whew!" Himiko said from beside Izuku and Momo, causing Izuku to jump slightly while Momo looked over towards her. "Made it just in time!" The two of them noticed how messy Himiko's buns were this morning, an indication she slept in a lot longer than she was expecting to.
A moment later, another person stopped beside Himiko panting heavily. "I don't know-" Ochako cut herself off as she continued to try and catch her breath. "-how you aren't tired."
"How are you tired?" Himiko questioned, looking back at Ochako to see she was still panting heavily while her blush marks were a shade darker than normal. "That was barely a warm up!"
"You're crazy," Ochako finally said, taking a seat beside Himiko and lying her head on the cool desk. Letting out a relieved sigh, Ochako closed her eyes, her face in the direction of Himiko. "I would have been here earlier if I didn't have to wake you up."
"Himiko…" Izuku said, causing both Himiko and Ochako to look over towards him. "Making yourself late is one thing, but making Uraraka late as well?" 'Oh no, the disapproving pout! It's my only weakness! ZuMo were probably the first ones up, as usual' she thought.
"I didn't make her late!" Himiko tried to explain, waving her hands towards Ochako. "She's the one who thought we were going to be late! We're here before the bell, aren't we?"
Izuku shook his head. "Here," Izuku said, passing over a snack he packed earlier. Himiko grabbed the snack, thankful for Izuku and Momo for thinking about her. When Izuku looked over at Ochako, he found she was looking at the snack that Himiko had in her hand with a wanting look. Thinking back to the days they had spent together in Mie, he reached into his bag and pulled out another small snack. "Give this one to Uraraka."
"Oh! No, no, no." Ochako responded, looking towards the snack Izuku was holding while waving her hands in front of her. "I'm okay." Izuku raised an eyebrow in question, challenging her statement. Ochako looked away from Izuku to find Momo and Himiko watching her as well. Letting out a sigh, Ochako nodded her head. "Thank you, Midoriya." Himiko grabbed the snack and passed it along to Ochako, who instantly opened it up and started eating it slowly. Himiko smiled at Ochako with a full fanged smile, causing the other girl to respond with her own smile as she continued eating, feeling a bit more comfortable.
Izuku looked towards the other students in the class, noticing the girl with earphone jacks on the ends of her ears was focusing on the door, her jacks pointed in the same direction. Not even a moment later, the argument at the front of the class came to a halt when a light sky-blue cloud started pouring into the classroom around the entrance door. A few of the students started to look around in panic moments before the last bell rang, indicating that classes had officially started.
The door opened, allowing more of the light sky-blue cloud to pour into the classroom, staying closer to the floor. As the cloud started to dissipate, it revealed a hero walking into the classroom, smiling towards the students.
The hero stood taller than the class, light sky-blue wavy hair decorating his head, with matching light sky-blue eyes. His costume consisted of a darker blue martial arts Gi, secured with a black knot-tied obi around his waist. He was wearing a dark brown aviator jacket over his Gi, with white fur lining sticking out in places, with the kanji for Cloud across his back. He also wore a blue aviator hat that matched his hair, seemingly blending in, with yellow goggles along his forehead. Along his back was a sheath that stored his quarterstaff. He also appeared to have some kind of thick cloth wrapped around each of his arms, just visible outside of his jacket.
"The final bell has rung, which means class has started!" Oboro Shirakumo called out, focusing on the students still standing at the front of the class. "Please find your seats so we can get started!" The group of students near the front of the class scurried away to find their seats, while Oboro walked across the room to stand beside the podium. "As many of you may have guessed, I'm your homeroom teacher. My name is Oboro Shirakumo, but if you prefer, you can call me Loud Cloud."
Reaching down beside the podium, he picked up a bag that nobody had noticed before, placing it on the podium itself and taking out a new gym uniform. "These are your gym clothes. You each have a set located within your desk with the sizes you submitted with your hero costumes. Quickly get changed and meet me outside at the P.E. Grounds." After making sure everyone understood what he meant, he placed the bag back beside the podium and started walking towards the door again. "Please don't keep me waiting long!"
"As many of you may have heard, UA is known for its freeform education system," Oboro started as he confirmed that all his students were in attendance. "Because of this, I will be skipping the entrance ceremonies." Oboro held up his hand to cut off the students from interrupting him. "I will make sure you have all the information from the entrance ceremonies, without having to sit through Nezu talking about how wonderful UA is for its students."
Oboro looked over his students, many still skeptical of his decision, but most appeared to agree with him. "Instead, I'll be running a Quirk Apprehension Test." Oboro paced in front of his students, gauging their reactions. "Softball throwing, standing long jump, fifty-meter dash, grip strength, side-to-side stepping, upper body training, and seated toe touch. These are standard tests that every student has to perform yearly in middle school. Most of the schools still follow the old ways where quirks can't be used, while a few have converted to a new style of teaching." Oboro stopped in the center, looking back over his students. "I've had the chance to read through everyones' quirk records, and this test will allow me to observe where you all stand with the quirks you have.
Izuku felt Oboro look directly at him before he trailed his eyes towards Momo who was standing beside him. Toshinori had updated their records after Izuku had accepted OFA, and informed them their records would show Creation and Smoke. He mentioned that he didn't give an explanation on how they both had similar quirks so it was their job to create a story that was believable. If Izuku had to guess, Oboro was probably questioning why their records showed two quirks, both having been recently updated.
"Bakugo!" Oboro called out, trailing his eyes over towards the blonde boy, allowing Izuku to release a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He felt Momo reach for his hand and give it a tight squeeze, and when he looked over, he saw the same worried look behind her eyes. "You placed first in the entrance exam." Katsuki puffed out his chest in pride, feeling like he was on top of the world. "How far could you throw in middle school?"
"About sixty-seven meters, give or take," Katsuki responded.
"Impressive!" Oboro fed into Katsuki's pride before tossing him a ball. Izuku watched as Katsuki caught the ball, quickly realizing what was about to happen. Looking around the students surrounding him, he noticed the girl with earphone jacks standing a few steps beside him, a boy with yellow hair standing to the side of her. He let go of Momo's hand and walked over towards the girl, feeling Momo's presence following closely behind him, as he stepped to her side. She gave him a quick look before focusing back on the teacher and student standing in front of them. "Now try it with your quirk! Do whatever you like, but don't leave the circle you're standing in!"
Izuku watched as a sinister smile crossed Katsuki's face as he looked down to the ball in his hand. "Awesome," Katsuki said, bringing his arm back in preparation to throw at the same time Izuku put his hands on either side of the girl's head.
"Hey! What are-" The girl exclaimed, startled by Izuku's actions, trying to move out of his grip.
"DIE!" Katsuki yelled as he threw the ball, followed by a huge Explosion that had people taking a reactive step backwards.
Izuku felt a hand circle his wrist, causing him to let go of the girl's head quickly. "What are you doing to Kyouka?" The boy questioned, looking at him in anger while tightening his grip.
"Denki," Kyouka said firmly, causing the boy to let go of Izuku's wrist. "It's okay." Kyouka explained, watching as Denki released a breath, before she focused back on Izuku. "You knew I had sensitive hearing, which is why you covered up my ears to block out the sound."
Izuku nodded. "I noticed back in the classroom that you heard Shirakumo before he made his entrance, so when I saw what was about to happen, I wanted to make sure you didn't go deaf from Bakugo's Explosion." Izuku gave a small bow and apologized. "I hope you'll forgive me."
Izuku watched as a jack snaked out towards him and poked him in the forehead, pushing him back into a stand position. "Dude, I should be thanking you, not forgiving you." Kyouka responded with a small smile. "Other than Denki here, I've never had someone go out of their way to protect my quirk, so thanks for that."
"You're welcome." Izuku responded with a small smile.
"Here." Momo commented from beside Izuku, holding up a pair of purple headphones and offering them to Kyouka. "These are sound canceling and I made sure to add some ports on the inside for your jacks, just in case the sound canceling isn't enough." Kyouka reached out and grabbed the headphones, inspecting them over and seeing the ports on the inside. "It might be best to wear them to protect your quirk, especially if the rest of the tests are as loud as Bakugo's quirk."
"Seven hundred and five point two meters!" Oboro called out as he held up a device to show the rest of the class, having noticed the commotion that happened before Katsuki had thrown his ball, and during the time they awaited the results.
"Whoa! This is awesome!" Mina Ashido commented.
"This is gonna be so much fun!" Toru Hagakure continued.
The talking between the students picked up and Oboro waited until they calmed down again, looking towards him for answers. He picked up another ball, tossing it up and down. "Awesome? Fun?" Oboro questioned, causing all the students to shrink back a bit at the tone of his voice. "Heroics isn't about fun and games." Oboro commented darkly as he caught the ball in his hand, looking over each of his students.
"I'm going to tell you a story, one that doesn't have a happy ending for the hero." Oboro said quietly as he started to pace again, remembering the very day one of his best friends died. "It was our second year of work studies when it happened. The four of us were patrolling in Tokyo when we got called to assist civilians from a collapsing building. I used my quirk to stabilize the building while my three friends and fellow heroes started rescuing the civilians." Oboro paused, looking down at the ball in his hand.
"Shota Aizawa was saving the last kid from the building when something shifted within. I tried my hardest to support the building but I could only do so much. The kid was saved from the building but my best friend was crushed in the process." Oboro took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears from falling. "I had to bury my best friend a few days later. The four of us had plans to open our own agency when we graduated, but his death destroyed all of us in different ways."
Oboro turned back towards his students to find them all listening intently to the story he was telling, some with sad or worried looks on their faces. "You're all hoping to become heroes after three years here, and while it will be fun and games throughout training, not everyone will have a happy ending." Oboro took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "It's my job to prepare you for the worst, and to do that, I will be putting you through hell and back. I don't want to read any of my students' obituaries during their years here or after they graduate. If this doesn't sound like something for you, I have transfer request forms on my desk. You are welcome to drop out of my class or transfer to another course within UA."
Oboro waited as the talking picked back up, students looking back and forth between each other. It lasted a few minutes with some students looking ready to pack their bags and leave then and there, until he noticed Izuku with a thoughtful look on his face. Izuku must have felt someone looking at him because he looked up to find Oboro looking directly at him.
Izuku took a step forward, causing the rest of the students to quiet down. "I've come to UA to learn how to become a hero. I know the path I walk will be dangerous, but I will do everything within my power to make sure other people are safe."
Momo took a step forward, standing beside Izuku. "Train us, Shirakumo. Make sure we are ready for the dangers the world holds." Slowly but surely, students followed Izuku's and Momo's lead, standing beside the first two with determined looks on their faces.
"Very well," Oboro responded with a small smile. "Izuku Midoriya. Since you spoke up first, how about you throw the ball next?" Izuku caught the ball with ease, giving a small nod towards their teacher, and missing the realization crossing Katsuki's face.
"Deku?" Katsuki said loud enough for the rest of the class to hear. "How the fuck did a loser like you get in here?"
Momo's head snapped so fast towards Katsuki, it was surprising she didn't get whiplash from the movement. Izuku looked over towards Katsuki, seeing the realization on his face, before he noticed Momo moving towards him. "Momo! Wait!"
"He called you 'Deku', Izu." Momo responded, not stopping her slow but steady advance towards Katsuki, causing him to square his shoulders and allow some pops to release from his palms. "He's the one you recognized on Himi's acceptance forms, and whose desk you were looking at this morning."
"Momo! Please, wait!" Izuku tried to stop Momo and failed to stop her advance. "It's been years since then, he could have changed." Momo continued advancing forward, forgetting about everything else around her, seeing red upon hearing Katsuki call her Izuku by that nickname.
"The fuck you want, Ponytail?" Katsuki questioned, the popping getting louder as Momo and Izuku approached. "If Deku has a problem, it's between him and me."
Momo didn't respond, continuing forward until she was a few steps away from Katsuki, goading him into action and causing him to throw out an Explosion towards Momo. She easily sidestepped the Explosion, pushing his hand away from her before she was right in his face.
"You will not call Izuku by that name ever again," Momo said quietly but threateningly. "I know you were one of the kids that used to bully Izuku, and for Izuku's sake, I am giving you one chance to correct your wrongs." Momo stopped another arm from rising up towards her, grabbing Katsuki's wrist so tight that the popping stopped instantly. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Or what, Ponytail?" Katsuki responded, attempting to bring up his remaining free hand, but was stopped by Momo again. "You don't scare me."
"Really?" Momo questioned as a gleam appeared in her eyes. "Let me make it clear just how scary I can be," Momo's glare intensified towards Katsuki. She could feel Katsuki struggling to get his hands free, causing Momo to tighten her grip and force him to stop. Most of the class was frozen in place, staring with hesitant faces and bulging eyes. "You just attempted to attack one of six recommended students outside of a training exercise, which is against UA's policy. Not only that, but you also attempted to attack the daughter of one of the most successful support companies in the world." Momo watched as Katsuki's eyes widened in realization, bringing a smirk to her face. "All I have to do is whisper your name to the right people, and you can kiss your chances goodbye of ever getting a support item in your lifetime."
"You wouldn't dare," Katsuki spat out between clenched teeth.
"Call Izuku by that name again, and you'll find out how serious I am." Momo responded.
"Enough!" Oboro finally intervened, causing both students to break apart, with Katsuki reaching out and rubbing his wrists. "What is the meaning of this?" Oboro questioned as he looked towards Momo for an answer.
"My apologies, Shirakumo," Momo responded and bowed in apology. "I didn't mean to interrupt the class. I promise to do better in the future." Momo stood back up straighter, looking directly towards Oboro. "When I heard Bakugo call Izuku by an old nickname that was considered to mean 'Useless', 'Worthless', 'Broken', and 'Diseased', I instinctively reacted to make sure that Bakugo wouldn't call Izuku by that name again."
"Midoriya?" Oboro questioned, causing Izuku to look towards him. "Is what Yaoyorozu saying true?"
Izuku looked at Katsuki, finding the glare that was directed towards him, before he looked towards Momo to find her with a determined look. Izuku gave her a small nod before turning around and facing Oboro again. "Yes, Shirakumo, everything Momo said is true. If you rearranged the kanji in 'Izuku', it could be read as 'Deku' and my previous classmates from when I was six years old changed the meaning of 'Deku' into 'Useless', 'Worthless', 'Broken', and 'Diseased' because they believed I was quirkless."
"Why you little-" Katsuki said as he rushed forward, an Explosion priming in his hand, throwing it towards Izuku and Momo.
Once Izuku noticed what Katsuki was doing, it felt as if time slowed down for him. Jumping in front of Momo and summoning Smoke, he contained the Explosion within a Smoke Ball as best as he could before forcing it skywards. The resulting blast was massive, aided by Smoke, forcing Izuku, Momo, and the rest of the class to take a step backwards.
"I SAID ENOUGH!" Oboro yelled out, summoning Cloud and surrounding Katsuki with it, trapping his arms to his sides. "Katsuki Bakugo. For attacking a classmate with your quirk outside of a training activity, I am sending you to the principal's office, where you will wait for me to finish class so we can have a nice chat with Nezu. Do I make myself clear?"
"What about them?!" Katsuki pointed his chin towards Momo and Izuku, still not being able to move his arms. "Ponytail attacked me first, and De-" Katsuki didn't even finish the word as three glares were directed towards him, the hold of Cloud tightening ever so slightly. "-Broccoli used his quirk against me!"
"Yaoyorozu," Oboro started, causing Momo to look towards him. "Did you use your quirk to attack Bakugo when you first confronted him?"
"I did not."
"Midoriya," Oboro continued, looking towards Izuku next. "Why did you use your quirk?"
"I used my quirk to defend myself and Momo from Bakugo's Explosion. I specifically tried to contain the blast within a Smoke Ball, but I wasn't able to keep a safe handle on it, which is why I forced it skywards. I was hoping to reduce injury as much as possible from myself, Momo, and the rest of our classmates." Izuku turned around, looking towards Momo with worried eyes. "Are you hurt at all, Momo?"
"No, I was not hurt from Bakugo's attacks." Momo responded as she smiled down at Izuku, hearing the muttered 'Thank God' from under his breath.
Oboro nodded towards them before he focused back on Katsuki, "In that case, please wait for me in Nezu's office, Bakugo." Oboro walked up to him, already filling out a slip of what happened. "And make sure to give this to Nezu. There are cameras all over the place, so Nezu will know you are coming." Oboro released Cloud from around Katsuki, handing him the note and pointing in the direction of the office. The rest of the class could hear Katsuki grumble to himself but obeyed the directions without even bothering to look back.
Oboro turned back to the class now that the situation was taken care of, focusing directly on Izuku and Momo again. "Yaoyorozu and Midoriya. Make sure something like that doesn't happen again. I give everyone one warning and get-out-of-jail free card, and you both just burned your one chance. Do I make myself clear?" Izuku and Momo nodded again, giving a small apologetic bow in response. "Good. Let's get back to the evaluation so I can meet Bakugo in Nezu's office."
The rest of the tests went off without any more problems between the students. Everyone was surprised when Momo used Creation to make a cannon and fire her ball into the sky, blowing everyone else's results out of the water and only coming in second to Ochako's infinity score. Izuku was tempted to use Creation to do something similar, but they had agreed not to use their secondary quirks for the time being. When all the tests were complete, most of the students were tired and ready to pass out where they stood. Some were sitting on the ground, while others were swaying on their feet. Oboro quickly dismissed them, giving them information on where to pick up their entrance ceremony packages, and to take the rest of the afternoon off to rest and recover.
"Yaoyorozu and Midoriya," Oboro started after he dismissed everyone. "I would like to have a word with you." Momo and Izuku looked between each other, thinking Oboro wanted to talk more about what happened earlier. Oboro waited until most of the students were out of their sight before he spoke. "I read on your records that your quirks are listed as the same: Creation and Smoke." Oboro stated, seeing Momo and Izuku share a look once more. "Can you explain that to me?"
"We believe it has something to do with my quirk," Izuku started, sticking to the truth as close as possible without giving too much away.
"My quirk, Creation, awakened when I was four years old. Creation allowed me to create anything I knew the molecule structure of." Momo explained. "I never showed any signs of having a secondary quirk factor like Todoroki showcases with his half-hot, half-cold quirk." Oboro nodded at the explanation. He kept his expression carefully tailored to not give away his thoughts, so neither Momo nor Izuku could tell if he believed them so far.
"My quirk, Smoke, came in late, and not until after I met Momo. It allows me to use Smoke in multiple different ways. I do have a full explanation of what Momo and I have tried in the past if you're interested." Izuku explained, knowing that he sucked at lying but knew sticking to the semi-truth was better, so he didn't get caught in a lie. "When my quirk came in, somehow our quirk factors mixed and mingled together where we can both use the other's quirk."
Izuku showcased this by holding up both his hands, releasing a green colored smoke from one hand and creating a matryoshka doll that looked exactly like Momo in her gym uniform with his other hand. Momo repeated the process, showcasing a red smoke and creating a matryoshka doll that looked exactly like Izuku in his gym uniform. "We are unsure of why our quirks mingled and mixed together, and our family doctor was confused as well."
Oboro hummed as he looked between the two matryoshka dolls in their hands and looked at the smoke they were both creating. "I noticed that you two only used your original quirks today. Are you still unsure about revealing your additional quirk factors?"
Izuku and Momo looked between each other for a moment, having a silent communication with their eyes, before Momo gave a nod and a small smile towards Izuku. Izuku released a breath as he turned back towards Oboro. "We're worried about what other people will think, especially once they learn we're dating." Izuku watched to see if Oboro gave a reaction to the information but he stayed as straight faced as ever. "And it's difficult to explain whatever it is that happened and how it works. We seem to have some kind of mental link as part of the blending, as well. It's subconscious on both of our parts."
Oboro hummed in thought for a moment, looking between the two students in front of him. "Why don't we talk to Nezu about it? Doesn't have to be today, as I still need to deal with Bakugo, but hopefully sometime soon. Either we can figure out why your quirk factors mingled and mixed, or we can think up something about how you two share the other's quirks." Oboro hummed in thought for another moment before shaking his head. "That will be all. Head back to the locker rooms and get changed. Let the other students know that I will be dropping by the dorms in a little bit to talk about dorm policies and answering any questions you may have."
Izuku and Momo nodded, turning around and walking together back towards the main UA building, while Oboro watched them leave. 'Their quirks mingled and mixed together…' Oboro thought to himself. 'It doesn't sound possible, and there's never been a case like that before. Dual quirk factors sure, but those were similar in nature, but nothing about being able to use the other's quirks…' Oboro watched as the two disappeared into the building, something panging in his heart, an echo reverberating from the past. He shook his head and started walking in the direction of Principal Nezu's office. 'Maybe I need to talk with Recovery Girl about it and get them checked out to make sure nothing strange is going on…'
Chapter 14
As Izuku and Momo walked back towards the locker rooms, the only noise they heard was the thudding of their footfalls and the gentle hum of the air conditioning, working hard already even this early in the year. When Oboro had requested to speak with them privately, he had waited until the rest of their classmates were out of sight (and hearing range) before beginning the conversation. Meeting nobody in the halls, they suspected their classmates had all retreated back to the locker rooms.
Momo was unsettled by the tense silence between, far different than the comfortable silence they normally enjoyed when reading or working on schoolwork separately. Momo kept wringing her hands together as she debated with herself if she wanted to interrupt, to be the one to breach the barrier that had sprung up unexpectedly between them.
Looking towards Izuku, Momo noticed that her boyfriend appeared to be silently mumbling to himself, realizing that he must have been deep in thought when they were released. She also noticed that he had a conflicted look on his face, and she felt a pit form in her stomach, knowing it was partly due to her actions during the QAT.
"Yen for your thoughts, Izu?" Momo asked quietly, startling him out of his silent mutterstorm.
Izuku remained silent for a minute, looking directly ahead of them, as he thought about what he wanted to say. Momo's worries increased when Izuku didn't respond right away. "I didn't like how you responded to Bakugo when he called me 'Deku'," Izuku finally responded, looking up at Momo. "And you didn't listen when I tried to stop you from going after him."
Momo's heart rate jumped, and the pit in her stomach began to increase in size. When she didn't respond right away, Izuku looked into her eyes and could see the worry and conflict churning inside her. He reached out and grabbed Momo's hand, pulling them to a stop in the hallway, forcing them to face each other. Momo had tried to look away from Izuku, to the side, towards the ground, over his head, anywhere but his face before she landed on their joined hands. She didn't think she could handle the disappointment within his eyes.
Izuku raised his hand up to Momo's cheek, feeling her leaning into his soft touch, slowly rubbing her cheek against his calloused hands. He watched as Momo closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and enjoying his touch, before opening her eyes and finally looking into his shining emerald orbs. "Are you mad at me?" Momo questioned in such a small voice, she wasn't sure if Izuku had heard her at all.
"I could never be mad at you, Momo," Izuku responded as he gently ran his thumb along her cheek. "I love you, and I always will." Momo released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, slumping her shoulders in relief, after hearing those words. "I know you only wanted to stand up for me, making sure he never called me that name again, but I think there were better ways of handling it."
Momo nodded, closing her eyes again, raising her own hand and placing it against Izuku's. "I still remember the day we first met," Momo admitted quietly, "When he called you Deku, that day is all I could think about."
"And that's partially my fault," Izuku admitted, causing Momo to open her eyes and find a faraway look in Izuku's. He might have been looking right at her but he couldn't see her at that moment. She had seen the look on his face before, only a handful of times, but she knew he was remembering a past before they had entered each others' lives. "I never told you about what happened. I tried to bury it in the past, hoping I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore."
"But you did tell me that day. All those kids used to call you 'Deku', and continuously made you feel worthless." Momo tried to counter.
Izuku just shook his head softly, finally focusing back on Momo in front of him. "'Deku' was the name that Bakugo gave me when we were kids. The kids at Aldera were the ones that twisted it into meaning worthless. I don't know if Bakugo was too young to understand, or just liked the attention he received, but he never stopped them." Izuku released a sigh, looking away and dropping his hand. "We used to be best friends…"
"Izu…"
"While my life might have had a rough beginning," Izuku explained as he looked back towards Momo with a smile, "the outcome was worth what I had to go through. I met this wonderful person who continuously pushed me to do better, who helped me train and picked me up when I fell, who always took their time when I struggled with our schoolwork." Izuku watched as Momo started smiling, noticing the small tears in her eyes, knowing it was about her. "So while my story doesn't have a happy beginning, by the Gods, it has a beautiful looking future."
Momo reached up, grabbing Izuku's head softly, and pulled them together. She captured his lips with a kiss, one that left them both breathless, even if it didn't last very long. In one simple act, Izuku and Momo understood everything the other was trying to convey. "I love you, Izu." Momo spoke softly, her forehead resting against Izuku's as their breath intermingled between them.
"I love you, Mo." Izuku responded just as softly. They both had closed their eyes, their foreheads connected and enjoying the closeness and comfort of the other, something they had missed last night. When they had both opened their eyes, they had found themselves instantly lost in the other's, shining emerald matching sparkling onyx.
Izuku pulled back with a sad sigh, not wanting to break the connection, but knowing they needed to get changed and head back to the dorms. "We need to talk more about what happened today," Izuku started off, seeing Momo nod in agreement. "We can't just attack everyone that might treat the other differently."
Momo raised her eyebrow. "Were you planning on attacking someone?"
"Of course not," Izuku responded with a chuckle, "But you know damn well that I would if the situation arose."
Momo responded with a chuckle, shaking her head softly, knowing that Izuku wasn't kidding. They had promised each other long ago they'd have the other's back, no matter what happened. Momo looked down the hall, noticing the locker rooms were only a few steps away, before looking back at Izuku doing the same thing.
"Tonight?" Momo questioned in reference to their promised talk.
"Tonight," Izuku nodded in response, "After we deal with the aftermath of our classmates seeing that."
Momo could hear the conversation on the other side of the door but couldn't make out what they were talking about. Taking a deep breath, and looking towards Izuku and seeing him do the same, she pushed open the door into the girl's locker room. Taking a few steps in, the conversation came to a sudden halt, every single one of her classmates looking towards her.
Clearing her throat, she walked towards Himiko, having claimed her locker beside her sister before the QAT. Himiko watched her carefully, and Momo could see the question in her eyes. Momo shook her head softly, indicating she didn't want to talk about it at that moment, receiving a nod from Himiko in return. She started changing silently, hearing the rest of her classmates return to changing.
"Well, if nobody is going to say anything," Kyouka started off, moving beside Momo and leaning up against the locker. "I think standing up for your boyfriend was badass, Yaomomo."
Momo paused in her changing, looking towards Kyouka, finding her smirking in her direction. "Yaomomo?" Momo asked.
"Yeah, rolls off the tongue better than Yaoyorozu, don't you think?" Kyouka questioned. "Unless you don't like it?"
Momo looked back into her locker for a moment, thinking about the nickname. "I've only been given nicknames by Izuku before," Momo started off as she looked back at Kyouka. "I like it. Thank you, Jirou."
Kyouka waved her off, her smirk never falling off her face. "Don't mention it, Yaomomo."
"So how long have you two been dating?" Mina questioned as she bounced over beside Kyouka, looking at Momo. "You were ready to protect him at the drop of a hat!"
Momo continued changing, an involuntary smile forming on her face. "A little over a year now."
"Only a year?!" Toru questioned, waving her hands in front of her, based on how her sleeves were moving. "You two acted like you've been a married couple for years!"
Himiko poked her elbow in Ochako beside her, causing Ochako to look towards Himiko. "Only a year, she says. They practically did everything together since they were six."
Ochako looked at Momo, finding her glaring towards Himiko, causing Ochako to giggle in response. "I never would have guessed you two have only been dating for a year. Hakagure's right, when I first met you two, I thought you were dating for a lot longer!"
"Kero." Tsuyu croaked, coming up beside Mina and Toru. "Did I hear that right? Bakugo used to bully Midoriya?"
Momo nodded slowly, her fist clenching tightly. "Izuku never told me outright, but I do believe so." Momo released her fist, taking a deep breath. "His quirk matches up with the burns that Izuku had when I first met him."
There was the sound of a fist connecting with a locker, causing the girls to look over in alarm. They noticed Rumi had just punched one of the lockers, giving it a sizable dent. "I fucking hate bullies. I would have beat his fucking ass this morning had I known."
"And risk the wrath of Shirakumo or Nezu? No thanks." Moe Kamiji responded, running her hands through her flaming hair. "There's rumors that Nezu has a lot of pull, and makes no exceptions for anybody, so I say we just let him deal with it."
"Kamiji is correct," Kashiko admitted, "Letting Shirakumo and Nezu deal with it would be our best option. Having done my research, I found out Nezu has expelled students that were children of heroes previously in the top ten."
"No shit?" Kyouka questioned, receiving a head shake from Kashiko in return. "Damn, that's hardcore. I better let Denks know he can't be fucking around."
"Hey, High Class!" Rumi called out as she approached Momo from behind, causing her to turn around. "If you ever need any help pounding that guy into the pavement, you just let me know!"
Momo was taken back by Rumi's comment, but let a small smile grace her face, giving the shorter girl a curt nod. "Thank you, Usagiyama, I will keep that in mind."
"Kero. I'm going back to the dorms. I still have a bunch of stuff to unpack." Tsuyu commented.
"Oh, before you go," Momo started off, causing everyone to look in her direction again. "Shirakumo wants to talk to us about dorm policies and answer any questions we may have when we get back."
"Thank you for letting us know, Yaoyorozu." Kashiko responded, nodding towards her.
Momo continued changing, putting her school uniform back on and finally fixing her tie, as the rest of her classmates left. She looked over towards Himiko, catching her eyes for a moment, finding a question behind them. Momo nodded with a small smile, informing her she was okay. Himiko nodded with her own smile before she turned around and pulled Ochako out of the locker room, hearing complaints that Ochako still needed to do her tie. Momo could only smile at her sister's antics as they left.
Closing her locker, Momo turned to leave, finding Kyouka still standing there. "Thought you might have wanted someone to walk back to the dorms with."
"And Kaminari?" Momo questioned curiously as she followed the other girl out of the locker room.
"Talked to Denks before," Kyouka shrugged. "Told him I was gonna wait for you, and he was gonna wait for Green. Figured we'd all walk back together."
Momo gave the other girl a small smile. "That was kind of you two. Thank you, Jirou."
Izuku took a deep breath, giving Momo one last look, before pushing open the door into the boy's locker room. The conversation never stalled for a moment, and Izuku could hear Eijiro, Hanta, Tenya, and Denki all talking back and forth about what happened. They didn't even attempt to hide it as Izuku got to his locker, but he tried to block them out as best as he could.
Hearing the locker beside him close, he looked over to find Denki just buttoning up the last of his school uniform buttons. "Yo man, everything good with Teach?" The conversations around them calmed down, everyone listening to what Izuku had to say.
"Yeah. He wanted to talk with Momo and I about something on our official records."
"You got a black mark or something?" Hanta questioned, causing Izuku to look around as he buttoned up his own shirt.
Izuku shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort, but it is a personal matter."
"Sorry man, didn't mean to cross a line." Hanta responded, holding up his hands in apology.
"No worries, Sero, you didn't cross any lines." Izuku responded with a small smile. "I get the curiosity, especially after what happened during the QAT."
"Bro, that was so manly how you redirected that blast!" Eijiro commented, pushing a fist into his open palm. "No hesitation either! You gotta teach me how to do that sometime!"
Izuku chuckled as he shrugged. "I don't know what I could teach, honestly. I was just worried about Momo getting hurt and I reacted."
"Did Yaoyorozu get hurt at all?" Tenya questioned and Izuku could hear the concern in his voice.
"No, she was okay," Izuku responded, turning and smiling towards Tenya. "Thank you for asking Iida."
"I'm sorry for asking, but did Yaoyorozu mention that Bakugo used to bully you, Midoriya?" Mezo questioned from one of the mouths on his limbs.
Izuku released a sigh. "Yes, she did say that."
"Dude, what the hell?" Denki questioned, and Izuku could hear the frustration in his voice. "Why did they allow a bully into UA? I thought someone mentioned they were very strict about stuff like that."
Izuku was about to respond before he was interrupted. "Correct, Kaminari! According to UA Policy, bullying of any kind towards another is strictly prohibited!" Tenya said, chopping one arm as he attempted to put his other arm through a sleeve. "Sekigai informed me that Nezu has expelled children of heroes previously in the top ten for that exact reason!" Izuku nodded in agreement to Tenya's explanation.
"It's possible they looked past the darkness for the little light that shines within his soul." Fumikage commented, causing everyone to look towards him. "Fumi means that it's possible they overlooked his previous record for the small amount of potential he has." Dark Shadow said, while Fumikage nodded towards the shadow in thanks.
"That's a load of crap if they did!" Eijiro said. "Just because you have a powerful quirk, doesn't mean you deserve to be a hero!"
Izuku could have sworn he heard Hitoshi Shinso whisper out 'Of course they did' as he continued changing. Izuku gave him a curious look, having not seen the indigo-haired boy use his quirk once during the QAT. Hitoshi must have felt Izuku looking at him because he looked directly towards Izuku at that moment before scoffing and turning around. Izuku thought nothing better of it, instead turning back around to finish changing as well.
A locker clanged closed beside Izuku, causing him to look over towards Shoto, seeing he had finished changing. "I'm going back to the dorms." Shoto said simply, moving around Izuku towards the door.
"Before you go, Todoroki," Izuku called out, causing him to stop. "Shirakumo mentioned wanting to talk with all of us back at the dorms about the policies and such. He mentioned answering any questions we may have."
Shoto looked back for a moment before giving Izuku a curt nod, disappearing out of the locker room. Izuku had been trying to think up something to break Shoto out of whatever he was dealing with Endeavor, but the more he thought about it with the limited info he had, the less he thought he could help.
As he finished tying his red shoes, he turned back around to close his locker, noticing Denki still standing against the lockers. "Sup, dude," Denki said as he pushed himself to stand up straighter. "You done?"
Izuku nodded. "I am, but is there a reason you waited for me? I know where the dorms are located, if you were worried."
"Nah, dude," Denki responded with a shrug. "Ky and I talked before you guys came back, and we agreed that we wanted to walk back to the dorms with you." Denki said as he started making his way towards the door, Izuku following behind him. "They should be just finishing up, or waiting for us." Denki stopped before pushing the door open, turning back towards Izuku, who raised his eyebrow in question. "I just wanted to thank you again for worrying about Ky. That loud explosion would have caused her a headache and she would have taken it out on me." Denki chuckled, causing Izuku to chuckle along. "And you don't want to know how much those jacks hurt. They could easily pierce concrete if she wanted to."
"I can imagine," Izuku responded. "And you're welcome. I know that if Mo had a similar issue, I would have loved for someone to be looking out for her."
"See, you get it." Denki responded with a smile. "Sorry for how I responded before, but I wanted to make sure you weren't actually hurting her."
"All is forgiven," Izuku responded, holding out his hand towards the other boy. Denki smiled at Izuku, clutching his hand tightly and giving it a firm handshake.
Katsuki was currently sitting on one of the couches in front of Nezu's desk, watching the video of what happened earlier on the screen behind Nezu. Oboro was standing off to one side, leaning up against the wall, with his arms crossed on his chest. He had guided Katsuki into the office once he arrived, pointing towards the couch, before asking Nezu to pull up the video from the P.E. Grounds.
The video showcased Katsuki questioning Izuku about his entry into UA, and how Momo reacted and stormed directly towards him. Izuku had attempted to stop her, calling out and telling her to stop, as she continued to advance towards Katsuki. He could hear every utterance that had been exchanged between the two, almost as if the microphone was right between their faces. He watched and listened as Izuku explained what he remembered 'Deku' meaning, and the reaction that Katsuki had.
Nezu paused the video right after Katsuki started returning to the main building on campus, turning around and steepling his paws together on his desk. "Not even forty eight hours into the semester and you're already in my office, Katsuki Bakugo. Normally, when a student is sitting in front of me, it's for better reasons." Nezu reached out, picking up his tea cup and taking a sip, never taking his eyes off Katsuki. "Tell me, Bakugo, what was your thought process that resulted in your actions?"
Katsuki was silent for a minute, keeping a glare on his face, as he looked between Nezu and Oboro. "Ponytail was about to attack me, and I just reacted to protect myself." Katsuki turned back to Nezu as he started to explain, hoping to convince the small mammal as best as he could. "You saw the video for yourself. Even Deku tried and couldn't stop her."
Nezu growled a bit, causing Katsuki to raise his eyebrow in question, before Nezu recomposed himself and turned towards his computer. "Katsuki Bakugo, son of Mitsuki and Marasu Bakugo. Applied from Aldera Middle School, where your grades and mock exams showcased scores above the ninety-fifth percentile. Scored first place on the entrance exam practical portion, beating out thousands of other examinees."
Nezu hummed in thought. "Only a few points from reaching All Might's personal record for villain points." Katsuki puffed up his chest, trying to make himself look proud of the results, before Nezu continued. "Zero rescue points, with comments of 'Save yourself, Extras' or similar throughout the exam; nothing compared to All Might's sixty six rescue points." Katsuki deflated as Nezu turned to look at him, an unreadable expression on his mammalian face. "Which is a rare occurrence in the records of UA's entrance exams. Even students focused strictly on taking out the faux villains normally happen to earn themselves at least a couple of rescue points during the exam."
"Who the fuck even judges an exam on rescue points?" Katsuki questioned, residual anger from earlier seeping into his voice. "Why the fuck would I care about rescue points? The point of being a hero is beating the villain!" Katsuki stood up abruptly, causing Oboro to kick off the wall but stopping when Nezu held up a paw. "Why the fuck am I here getting in trouble when it was fucking Ponytail who attacked me first? Is it because Deku lied about what his name fucking meant? He used to call me fucking Kacchan! I didn't even do anything wrong! I just reacted to what they were doing!"
"Sit down, Katsuki Bakugo." Nezu said quietly, sending a shiver down Katsuki's spine. He had heard the rumors of Nezu escaping captivity from a group of scientists, but nobody ever said what happened to them. Katsuki glared towards Nezu for a moment longer while the mammal stared back unblinking, waiting for him to respond. Katsuki finally huffed in frustration and sat down on the couch, continuing to glare at Nezu.
"As I was saying, because of this rare occurrence that happened during the entrance exam and your actions today, I went ahead and pulled your records from Aldera Middle School." Nezu watched as Katsuki went white in the face.
"I'm seeing nothing but positive remarks about your studies and previous teachers. 'Grades top of his class' and 'always answering questions correctly' among a few." Nezu clicked his mouse, typing a few things as he hummed in thought. "But there's a few here like 'perfect quirk for heroics' and 'high chance of becoming a hero' mixed in with the rest. Other than a few concerning comments, there are absolutely no remarks about anything negative throughout your school years. Even the best of students had remarks about something during their middle school years. Do you have any comments on this, Bakugo?" Nezu finished.
Katsuki stayed silent, cursing his previous teachers for falsifying his record, knowing that his classmates took the fall for anything he had caused during his middle school years. He knew he had been aggressive before UA, and there were more times than he could count that he found himself in the principal's office in middle school, but he had never been in trouble, not even once.
Nezu nodded once, seeing that Katsuki decided to keep quiet. "To answer your earlier questions, Momo Yaoyorozu and Izuku Midoriya didn't get off scot free, and have faced repercussions for their actions. It was you who decided to use your quirk first, not only attempting to attack Momo Yaoyorozu, but also attempting to attack Izuku Midoriya." Nezu reached for his tea cup, picking it up and pointing it towards Katsuki. "You're lucky they stopped your attacks, otherwise we would be having a very different conversation right now."
Nezu took a drink from his tea cup, finishing it off and placing it back on the desk. Oboro responded to the empty tea cup by moving towards the teapot in the corner, picking it up and filling the cup back up for Nezu, receiving a thanks in response from the mammal. "Tell me, Bakugo, do you know who the Yaoyorozu Company is?
"Of course I fucking do," Katsuki responded. "They're the biggest support company in all of Japan. The only people who don't know who they are must be living under a rock."
"Correct! Yaoyorozu Company is the biggest support company in Japan, with many UA Alumni working for them." Nezu picked up his tea again, taking a sip, a smile crossing his face. "They're also one of the biggest shareholders of UA. They're also ranked first in donations for UA, beating out second place by almost twenty-one percent." Nezu kept his eyes on Katsuki, not getting any reaction from him. "Did you know that the Yaoyorozu Company provided the funds for your hero costume and support items?"
Katsuki's eyes went wide in realization, but before he could say anything, Nezu continued. "So not only did you decide to attack a student, but one that was recommended by a pro hero and alumnus of UA, the daughter of the family who runs the biggest support company in Japan." Nezu took another sip of his tea before placing it back down on the desk, steepling his paws together once more. "But not only did you attempt to attack the daughter and heir of the Yaoyorozu Company, but you also doubled down and tried to attack her mate, Izuku Midoriya." If Katsuki's eyes could go any wider, they would have looked like dinner plates. "Who was also recommended by a pro hero and alumnus of UA."
Katsuki deflated even more, leaning more into the couch. He was silent, only hearing the quiet sound of Nezu and Oboro breathing in the same room, and the muted conversations coming through Nezu's door. Nezu reached across his desk, picking up a piece of paper and reading it over a moment, before placing it in front of Katsuki on his desk. "Usually, when something of this caliber happens, students are expelled without a second thought." Katsuki looked up at Nezu, spying the paper on the desk for a quick second. "So what will it be, Bakugo? Will this happen again, or will you be signing the paper in front of you?"
As Nezu typed away on his computer, privately listening to the conversation that Izuku and Momo had before entering the locker rooms, he paused in what he was doing. He heard Izuku explain where 'Deku' had come from, and how the kids at Aldera twisted the meaning. He thought it sounded strange in hindsight, so he decided to open up his backdoor into Aldera's private servers once more. He had known kids to be cruel from a very young age but their actions were usually fed on by the adults in their lives, most noticeably the teachers they saw everyday.
Making up his mind, Nezu dived back into the servers, searching for records or any mention of Izuku Midoriya within. Coming up empty handed, and noticing more and more required files deleted, set off alarm bells within. Even if Izuku hadn't been to Aldera, or one of their connecting schools, in over eight years, they were still required to keep his record until adulthood. As he dove deeper into the servers, the alarms continued to go off when he didn't find any of the required files, finding traces of them being deleted years ago.
Cracking his neck in preparation, Nezu began typing on his keyboard once more, diving even further into the files that Aldera had. His intention was clear, recover the deleted files and inspect the contents, and figure out the next course of action. Based on what he learned today, he knew something was seriously wrong with Aldera, and he was going to get to the bottom of it.