It was that time of the year at Mirai Yōchien. Ms. Shizuki watched as parents dropped their children off at the gate. She smiled at the chubby kid clinging tightly to his mother's leg.
It was routine for her. Every year, new children came to her; making friends, growing up, until they eventually moved on, replaced by another batch. She loved her job as a teacher, even if it got a little overwhelming sometimes. Especially around the half-year mark, when most children began manifesting their quirks. She was thankful she only looked after the three-year-olds. Mrs. Yushima had to bear the might of the little ones who had already had their quirks for a year
Ms. Shizuki gulped nervously but still waved at the two green-haired kids. "Must be twins," she murmured.
Tatsuya and Izuku waved their mother goodbye. It was their first day of preschool, but the thought of making new friends and playing hero all day had Izuku practically bouncing with excitement. Tatsuya, meanwhile, was just happy to see his brother happy.
"Tatsuya! Look! That uncle has giant horns! He must have a bull quirk!" Izuku exclaimed, pointing eagerly at a passerby.
Tatsuya smiled and nodded. He liked listening to Izuku talk about heroes and quirks; it was fun.
---x---
The classroom was bright and lively, sunlight spilling through the wide windows. Crayon drawings were already taped across the walls, wobbly suns, crooked stick heroes, and a surprising number of explosions drawn in bold colors.
Tatsuya and Izuku sat together at a small table, each clutching a box of crayons. Izuku was furiously scribbling what was clearly supposed to be All Might, though his arms looked more like noodles.
"Look, Tatsuya!" Izuku beamed, holding up his masterpiece. "It's All Might saving the city!"
Tatsuya squinted at the picture, then nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Definitely All Might. And not… spaghetti."
Izuku puffed his cheeks. "It's not spaghetti!"
A few kids nearby giggled. One, a round-faced boy, leaned over. "I like it! All Might always wins!"
Izuku's face lit up at the praise, babbling excitedly about All Might's latest victory. Tatsuya let him go on, quietly adding flames to his own drawing of a crooked city skyline. He kind of liked it here. It was noisy, but in a good way. Izuku finally had other kids to talk about heroes with.
The classroom door slid open, and in marched a boy with spiky ash-blond hair, chin lifted like he owned the place. He tossed his tiny backpack to the side and declared, "Move over! I'm sittin' here!"
Tatsuya looked at the new guy with a little uncertainty. Izuku blinked at him, then scooted aside nervously. "Um… hi! I'm Midoriya Izuku, and this is my brother, Tatsuya!"
The boy plopped down across from them, grabbed a red crayon, and immediately started scribbling something explosive-looking. "Bakugo Katsuki," he said, not looking up.
Izuku tilted his head. "Kacchan!" he blurted suddenly, grinning. "That's easier to say!"
Katsuki finally looked up, a little surprised. "…Ka-Kacchan?"
"Yeah!" Izuku nodded eagerly. "Kacchan! We can all be friends now!"
For a moment, Katsuki looked confused. But then he smirked, puffing out his chest. "Hah! Fine! whatever, when I get my quirk, I'm gonna be stronger than anyone here. Stronger than All Might!"
Izuku gasped in awe. "Wow!"
Tatsuya looked at those red eyes, "I bet me and Izuku will be stronger than you."
Katsuki's grin widened, sharp and defiant. "Hah! Then prove it."
---x---
Recess came fast, and the playground outside was already alive with shrieks and laughter. Slides gleamed in the sun, the sandbox was a battlefield of toy cars and castles, and the jungle gym had already been declared a "villain's hideout" by a group of kids.
"Let's play heroes!" someone shouted. Immediately, the idea spread like wildfire.
Izuku's eyes sparkled. "Yes! I'll be All Might!"
"No way, I'm All Might!" half the class shouted back.
Katsuki stomped his foot. "Shut up! Obviously I'm All Might. The rest of you can be villains!"
"No fair, I wanna be All Might!" the blue-haired kid whined.
"Fine, fine!" Izuku laughed nervously. "I'll be… All Might's sidekick!"
"Then I'm the hero!" another kid announced.
"No, I am All Might!" "Me!" "I will be Endevour!"
Everyone was choosing who would be who; everyone wanted to be hero.
The rules dissolved quickly, as they usually did with three-year-olds, until someone finally yelled, "It's tag! Heroes chase the villains!"
That was all it took. Kids scattered across the yard, giggling and screaming as the "heroes" charged after them.
Bakugo jumped right into the middle, grinning like a little king. "I'm the hero leader! Nobody can beat me!"
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes, smirking. "We'll see about that."
And just like that, the two of them were sprinting across the playground, shoulder to shoulder at first, before turning it into an unspoken competition. Bakugo tagged one kid, and Tatsuya immediately tagged two more.
"Ha! I'm faster than you!" Tatsuya called, sticking his tongue out.
"Shut up! I was going easy on you!" Bakugo shot back, lunging after another squealing "villain."
Izuku trailed behind, cheering for both of them. "Go Kacchan! Go Tatsuya! Heroes always win!"
Within minutes, most of the "villains" had been caught, and the game boiled down to Bakugo and Tatsuya chasing each other around the jungle gym, both refusing to lose.
"Got you!" Bakugo shouted, tapping Tatsuya's shoulder.
"Nope, too slow!" Tatsuya laughed, darting away before Bakugo could grab him again.
The teacher blew the whistle for lunchtime, but neither of them stopped right away. They were both grinning, cheeks red, still running like the game wasn't over.
By the time they finally collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air, Bakugo turned his head with a smirk. "You're not bad."
Tatsuya smirked back. "Neither are you."
Watching from the bench, Ms. Shizuki rubbed her temples.
"They're three," she muttered. "Three years old, and it already feels like a rivalry."
---x---
The playground was lively as usual, though something felt different today.
"Ami got her quirk!" someone shouted. The children circled the yellow-haired girl, who stood shy but proud.
"What's your quirk, Ami?" another asked.
Izuku, of course, was at the forefront, practically hovering beside her, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Um…" she twirled her dress nervously. "I-I can make drawings move."
"Woah!" "Show!!" "I drew All Might! Make him destroy villains!"
Katsuki, arms crossed, lingered at the edge of the sandbox, glancing at his fists.
"Lame. Just wait till I get mine. It's gonna be something super cool… totally badass!" A faint grin tugged at his lips.
"Come on… come on…" he muttered, just loud enough for Tatsuya to hear.
Tatsuya sat nearby, drawing idly in the dirt. His hand pressed into the earth as he sketched simple shapes, but every now and then he let out a soft cough, rubbing his chest. He hummed quietly, watching Katsuki fidget with his hands.
"What are you doing?" Tatsuya asked softly.
"Trying to awaken my quirk," Katsuki replied, not looking up.
"How?"
"…Don't know yet."
"..."
Tatsuya said nothing, just tilted his head, observing.
Suddenly, there was a sharp snap in the air. Sparks popped from Katsuki's fingertips in tiny bursts, making a faint "pop, pop" sound as he flexed his hands. He jumped back, eyes wide for a moment, then the grin returned.
Tatsuya's eyes widened slightly. Katsuki actually awakened his quirk.
Izuku gasped from across the playground and clapped his hands together. "Kacchan! That's amazing! Can you do it again?"
Katsuki shrugged, still smirking, sparking another small trail across the sand. "Heh. Looks like it finally showed up."
A small group quickly formed around him, cheering and pressing closer to watch. Tatsuya leaned back a little, watching quietly. It was flashy, no doubt; he had to give that to Bakugo.
Seeing his friends awaken their quirks one by one, even he was getting a little impatient.
*Cough*