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paralumanleadmehome · 3 years

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It’s been quite some time since I’ve last joined a contest and I honestly missed this feeling of trying to figure out what to write, how to write it, and how to deliver it exactly as you need to to impress the judges. It’s been so so long and welp. I’ve grown rusty and this is definitely not proof-read but all the same, thank you to @queenangst and everyone who had made this possible.

You brought me back a feeling I haven’t felt in so long.

This is my entry to queenangst’s BNHA gen contest: Finding Home

(please see under the cut as this has 3.5k words and could be very long)

Finding Home

It started out as a legend – two souls separated at creation, two souls that make up one whole, two halves of one soul completed upon connection.

Two becoming one.

But legends are legends for a reason – mythical, mysterious, only with a hint of a truth.

Soulmarks began appearing even before the dawn of quirks –little symbols that litter the body, one that you could only call your own. One that only you could share to whom you so ever desire. It varies in shapes and colors, some being a butterfly tinged in red and orange, others an ocean wave the shade of green, and to some more, it covers a palm, a thigh, a foot. Unlike its legendary counterpart, however, a soulmark does not lead you to a soulmate. Instead, it leads you to one where you can feel whole.

A soulmark is a symbol of love and friendship given in trust and good faith – one that cannot be taken, one that only be passed on.

A soulmark is a symbol of warmth and everlasting connection – one that is stronger than flesh and blood.

A soulmark is a symbol of home – one that you choose for yourself.

One person can have as many as the stars in the sky and as few as the petals of a clover.

And Izuku? Izuku only has his own, his mother’s, and the black mark of one Bakugo Katsuki.

After all, no one wants to share the mark of a useless, quirkless, little Deku.

And so, however sacred, Kacchan had cut his own connection with Izuku, both of them bearing the ashen remnants of a once golden sun and a viridian shooting star – the pain of which Izuku found more unbearable than the explosions that kissed his skin.

And Izuku no longer believed in soulmates.

Not when the world was so intent on pushing him down and pushing him away, not when no one would stand up for him and with him, not when the only love and care he had ever known came from the woman who had loved him the most.

So Izuku never shared the mark on his wrist with anyone, never the light of the shooting star that brightens up the dark sky, never the stardust that falls on the earth, never the ray of hope he had held even in the darkest of times, keeping it hidden in long sleeves, wristwatches, and bandages. And at all times he keeps covered the blackened sun that rests on his heart, refusing to see the ashes of a friendship no longer alive, refusing to acknowledge the searing pain that would accompany the sight. Instead, as always, he keeps close the mint green lotus that rests on the base of his right ear, his eyes never not seeing it each morning, afternoon, and night – the one and only reminder that he is loved.

He is loved.

And he lets himself be content with that.

The first of many soulmarks that Izuku will treasure came from the man that he had idolized his whole life.

Yagi Toshinori, for all his time as the Symbol of Peace (and more the time he had spent alive), only carries with him four marks, not counting his own. Izuku doesn’t ask when he sees. He doesn’t think it is polite to, especially when most people aren’t interested in bonding with a quirkless child (and although All Might already knew he was quirkless and didn’t deny him this chance to train, the man’s initial denial of his dream still stings). He doesn’t ask about the faded crescent moon that rests on his collarbone (it isn’t nice to ask about the dead, after all), nor about the black spaded horse on his left ankle (he was shocked at first, upon seeing this lost connection, and his heart ached at the thought that even All Might had to bear the pain of losing someone he had once loved so dearly). He doesn’t ask about the violet sigil of a fish on his shoulder blade nor the diamond glasses near his scar. He doesn’t ask about any of these things.

Instead he asks about experiences – what was it like to be a hero of his caliber? Was he ever afraid of anything? Was there ever a time that he was unable to save someone? What was he like as a student? Did Dagobah Beach mean something special to him? Things that the world weren’t privy to – things that he didn’t know were personal.

Things that would’ve only been known if All Might had chosen him as his soulmate.

And All Might did.

One day, at Dagobah Beach, after the world had finally met the man behind All Might, Toshinori Yagi had offered his ocean blue sunflower tucked on the opposite side of where the faded moon resided and had asked Izuku if he had wanted to carry his soulmark.

And Izuku… flinched.

Because to hold another’s soulmark would mean to be aware of them at all times – to feel their warmth despite the distance, to know with one brush of a hand the feelings that lay in their hearts, to give them comfort even in the presence of an absence.

To bear a soulmark is to be eternally connected.

And Izuku had been burned by the loss of it.

And he is scared, afraid, terrified – because to be All Might’s successor is one thing. To be given his quirk and his legacy is a dream come true but to be his soulmate? To be near him? To know him and be known by him in return? It’s terrifying.

And yet… and yet… Izuku takes this fear and lets it be known.

In quiet whispers, jumbled words, and a steady stream of tears.

Because deep down, Izuku longs to be connected.

And it is in the act of letting someone close does he remember what it feels like to be loved.

ii.

The second one, surprisingly, came in the form of a little girl.

A quiet, frightened, injured little girl who had ran away from a monster of a man.

Eri bumped into him during his first patrol with Lemillion and this mess of child with a stature so small and eyes too scared clung to him for dear life – and Izuku’s soul ached.

Izuku took one look at the man with the bird mask, one look at Lemillion, one look at this little girl, and made up his mind.

“Eri,” he whispered, “do you trust me?”

It was a stupid question, he knew, but a soulmark is something to be given in trust – a treasure to be received in good faith.

“You’re good,” Eri answered just as softly, little hands clinging to his costume. “You’re warm.”

Izuku doesn’t know if Eri feels the same pull, the same fierce protectiveness that forces its way into his heart, and he knows that this is more his own desire to keep her safe than any other force telling him that she was a part of his own soul.

Because Eri mattered regardless.

And Eri was worth keeping safe.

So for the first time in a long time, Izuku removes the bandage that hides his own soulmark and he shows it to Eri.

“This will keep you safe for me,” he tells her, “this will let you know I’m here.”

In the background he hears the tense conversation coming to a halt, sees the way the man’s eyes turn to look at Eri, and he knows he doesn’t have time.

“This is a promise.”

And Eri stares at it for little while, hands reaching to the shooting star. “A promise,” she repeats, and with a little nod and hopeful eyes, Izuku places a finger on her arm, just beneath her sleeves, and let their foreheads touch.

The words come to him unbidden, the way words do when you give someone a piece of your soul – a promise to be fulfilled, a wish to be granted, a part of you that will forever be a part of them.

“I will always come for you.”

And he did.

iii.

Not counting his own nor Kacchan’s, Izuku has two soulmarks on his body.

One from his mother, another from All Might.

He didn’t ask for Eri’s and she hadn’t offered in return.

Eri was as afraid of her soulmark as much as she is afraid of her quirk.

Cursed, she calls the silver dove wreathed in yellow petals on her ankle. Cold, she thinks of it. It will still be a long way to go, Izuku assumes, but as long as Eri can feel his warmth, his presence, that would be enough.

The third one, interestingly enough, was in the image of an aquamarine heart, with its curves jagged and cornered, just as a gem so precious and true.

Kouta gave it to him as gift, as a thank you, as something for Izuku to remember him by.

Kouta didn’t ask for Izuku’s own soulmark, didn’t even breathe a word about it. Instead the little boy ran up to him, little arms wrapping him in a hug, and said,

“I’ll always be cheering you on.”

And when Izuku sees the way Kouta’s soulmark shine, he accepted it without a second thought.

And when Kouta pulled away afterwards, face pulled in a frown, Izuku tried to ignore the fear that stabbed his own heart. He wondered if he would make a world record, an ashen mark as soon as he had received it, but Kouta dispelled his fears just as easily.

“That felt weird,” Kouta said. Izuku blinked at him, his mind taking a minute to process, until he caught up. Then he laughed and laughed because he feels exactly what Kouta feels – the disappointment, the confusion, the curiosity… and the underlying overwhelming emotion of it all.

Unbridled joy.

The elation of having someone know you – of being accepted, treasured, remembered.

He also felt the embarrassment that followed as Kouta turned as red as his shoes.

iv.

The soulmark exchange with Shinsou had been quiet.

It happened on the night of their second year when they both stumbled upon each other in the kitchen at the forsaken 2am hour did Shinsou spring up the topic.

“You don’t have that many soulmarks, do you?” the question was genuine, as far as Izuku can tell, and although the boy was rough around the edges, he knew it was due to the fact that Shinsou had so little support in life and was untrusting of all that Izuku had felt a kindred spirit in that regard.

They have observed the people around them, of course, and have noticed that everyone at least had five. A family member, a best friend from childhood, a classmate they never got lost in contact with.

Izuku stole a glance at the back of his right hand, at the blue heart settled at base of his forefinger and thumb and hummed an agreement. “No, I don’t,” he agreed, letting stiff fingers be warmed by his tea. He doesn’t return the question to Shinsou, knowing that it was a touchy subject for the other boy, but he did wonder, “Why do you ask?”

They don’t talk about it much, these colorful marks on their skin. They don’t talk about how a brush of hand over the little symbols can feel as warm as an embrace, how fear isn’t so scary when someone else sends you courage, how silence isn’t deafening when someone knows to listen.

It is in moments like these that they listen.

Izuku listens to Shinsou’s own quiet humming, the way the gears in his mind seem to move, the way he figures out how to phrase the words he wants to say next. And Izuku has been thinking about it – had been for the past few months.

Will his classmates ever want a piece of his soul?

He could tell that Uraraka does. He could tell that Iida would want one, too, but a soulmark is something that’s rarely asked for due to its sacred nature – it is freely given, after all, and never to be taken lightly. And Izuku had never offered. He had wanted to, of course, but he knows how messy his mind can get. He knows how anxious he can be. It’s why he had given his to Eri in a pace that is both hidden and seen, something she had to reach out for so she could feel. Izuku could not yet know what Eri is thinking or feeling, nor will he ever have inkling to unless she so desired, and Izuku is completely fine with that.

After all, a soulmark is a connection of souls – but it didn’t have to be an exchange. What it did mean though is that for one who bears the soul of another is to be aware of them – to be able to feel their warmth and develop an understanding of their soul. It is not to read their minds nor to know everything about them, but it is about the intimacy of knowing someone and being known.

A commitment.

A promise.

Like an artwork waiting to be completed, like a dance you can take to heart, a soulmark is connection that bridges the gap between someone you know and someone you choose forever.

“I don’t get it,” Shinsou finally said, and Izuku turned his eyes to him, the question lost in his tongue. “You have a strong and flashy quirk, you have so many people who love you and would fight the world for you, heck Uraraka and Iida would probably murder someone for you if you ask them, and yet you don’t have their marks and… they don’t have yours. I know I’m not good at this thing but at the very least, people give their marks away as easy as they’re giving candy. And you guys are pretty close, so I don’t get it.”

And the pain of burning that bridge is the same as losing a piece of your soul. Izuku absentmindedly reaches for his heart, the ashen remains of Kacchan’s soulmark embedded on his skin still, and he tries his best to forget.

Izuku looks instead at the clock in the kitchen, noting that it’s only 2:17am, and asks if Shinsou would like to listen to a story.

And they left the kitchen at 5:00am, only to crash in the couch, heart heavy yet full, mind settled and secured, souls at ease, and both boys sharing a mark they never expected to kiss their skin.

The night Izuku had laid bare his soul for someone else to see, when it was him who had reached out first before someone else had offered, when he had done it so willingly and freely, it felt as if something has shifted within him – and in all the remaining years he had spent in UA, he was able to garner a couple more soulmarks for his own. He finally had the pink milky way that was Uraraka’s, the red lighting storm that was Iida’s, and Todoroki’s fiery white snowflake.

And to think that before all of this, before meeting All Might, before knowing these people and being known in return, Izuku was afraid and alone – afraid of the vulnerability that came along with letting people in.

To think that all he had ever thought about when he thought of soulmates were fireworks kissing his skin, long fingers bruising his arms, and taunts and jeers haunting his every waking moment – but now he is surrounded by love and warmth. Now when he thinks of soulmates, he thinks of mochi in the common kitchen, tea in hand; he thinks of morning jogs and healthy breakfast; he thinks of cold soba and cats; he thinks of unicorns and sprinkles and little kids and coloring books; he thinks of training sessions and laughter and peace.

Now when Izuku thinks of soulmates, he thinks of home.

And speaking of home, he can’t wait to get back to their apartment and give his mom the biggest of hugs. They had always called even when he was away and even when they would consistently send little taps through their soulmark, nothing still beats the warmth of a real embrace – and this is what Izuku fixes his mind on as he cleans out his dorm room, packing away every picture frame, books, notebooks, clothes, and figurines. Graduation is in a few days and after that, their debut to hero society. None of them would have enough time to clear out by then.

Izuku packs away the memories, just as he did each item that reminds him of it, and keeps them close in his heart. He packs away the ten million headband, the plushies from the cultural festival, the cards he had received from Eri and Kouta, and he tries his best not to feel emotional. He didn’t want to flood the dorms one last time, after all, but he did think it would be nice to have Aizawa-sensei scold him for being a problem child through and through but ultimately, it was the knock at his door that helps him succeed.

A knock, quiet and soft, and he opens the door to find Kacchan standing at the other side.

Their relationship had improved over the years.

Kacchan is… less angry now, more settled. He’s still fiery and explosive but he doesn’t lash out anymore. Kirishima, Kaminari, the Bakusquad had been good to him and for him and Izuku had never been gladder about it. He had long stopped dreaming of the day that their relationship would be fixed – he and Kacchan had grown up, grown apart, and even when they drift back together, he is well aware that it would never be the same way again.

He doesn’t ask for it to.

He loves Kacchan, yes, with all his heart, but Izuku now knows that love does not have to be reciprocated for it to be real – but to still be loved in return is a precious treasure he keeps close.

“Hey, Kacchan, do you need something?”

And Kacchan looks at him, face pensive, mouth opening and closing, thinking and grasping and failing to think of the words he wants to say, and something in Izuku feels warm. After some time, the other boy settles with, “Are you busy?”

And if it was at any other time before, Izuku would’ve dropped everything that he had been doing and say no, he wasn’t busy, of course he had the time – but Izuku’s eyes sway to soulmarks on his arm and he steals a look at the digital clock by his table.

“I have thirty minutes,” was what Izuku told him. “I promised Todoroki we’d drop by the store to get his favorite soba since they’re not available near his house. I have time tomorrow morning thought if that works for you. I can cancel the morning jog with Iida if – “

“Thirty minutes is fine,” Kacchan answered back, cutting his rumbling off. It wasn’t harsh or angry. Just… very Kacchan-ish.

“Okay. Do you waant to step in? it’s a bit messy though, I still haven’t finished packing.”

And when Izuku heard the small tsk as he moved aside for Kacchan to pass through, he knew that the other boy won’t mind his mess. He felt a little grateful at that, to not be judged within the confines of his small room. They were silent for a few more second but it wasn’t the kind of silence that would make him uncomfortable. It was companionable, to say the least, and Izuku began picking up the pieces he had left before Kacchan had knocked and continued his packing. In another minute, Kacchan was helping him.

“Are you bringing the bookshelf home?”

“Nope, Aizawa-sensei said I could leave it here. Are you taking yours?”

“Thinking about it. Mine’s too small and I don’t want to waste money on something I can recycle. Do you have bubble wrap for the merch?”

“In the third drawer by the study table. I have newspapers too if that’s better.”

“Oh, Kacchan, that one goes in the other box.”

“Why? What’s the difference?”

“All my signed books are in one place.”

“Just how many posters do you fucking have?”

“Oh, come on, don’t pretend you don’t have just as many.”

“I’m not a hero-worshipping nerd like you, dumbass.”

“Says the guy who zonks out at 8pm.”

“Fuck you, asshole!”

“Kacchan, that’s limited edition!”

“I’m sorry.”

“…”

“For everything.”

“…”

“It was pretty messed up, the things I did, and I know sorry won’t fix this.”

“Can you pass me the tape, Kacchan?”

“…”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to forgive me.”

“Please put this box by the bed.”

“Okay.”

“…”

“You’re right, I don’t have to forgive you.”

“…”

“But I already did.”

“Deku…”

“It won’t fix what’s broken and it won’t stop the sting from the soulmark but…”

“…”

“We’re better now, aren’t we?”

“…”

“Kacchan, we’re better now.”

“You missed the night light.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“…”

“And it’s only going to get better, right?”

“…”

“Of course.”

“You’re still a sappy piece of shit.”

“Well, I’m not the one who’s crying, am I?”

“Fuck you.”

“Whatever you say, Kacchan.”

#queenangst gen contest #shanwrites #bnha #my hero #soulmate au #soulmarks #you don't need romance to call it love

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bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 3 years

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And the last chapter of the first volume! Though technically there’s after-chapter content that will be in a separate post from this, but for now, what matters is finishing up the quirk assessment and getting into the battle trial!

Honestly, it’s a good thing that I just shoved all the opening arcs from before the USJ together into one tag, because this chapter literally goes from the quirk assessment into the beginning of the battle trial stuff, and trying to separate them out would have been a mess and a half. Better to just have it all in the ‘opening arcs’ tag.

...weird title for something that only comes at the end of the chapter, but whatever, it’s not like we don’t see that happen later on in the series as well.

[No. 7 - Costume Change?]

And we immediately come back to where we left off, with All Might realizing what just happened and what Izuku did and even why! One of those little peeks that remind us that All Might is very smart! Also god, him with a small fanboy moment over how proud he is of his kid and how cool that workaround was, mmm this is the Dad Might content I signed up for.

Izuku is still standing firm, even with his finger swollen and damaged, biting back the pain. Ochako is cheering about that record, Tenya notices Izuku’s finger is damaged and thinks back to the entrance exam, calling it a ‘strange quirk’, Aoyama says it’s stylishly done, and Katsuki is brain broke.

I’m sorry that’s just so fucking funny. He is such a goddamn gremlin, but he’s also completely shook. He thinks about how quirks never manifest past age four, but somehow Izuku has a quirk.

He then recalls Izuku saying ‘he earned this’ and gets pissed, blasting forward to demand an explanation while Izuku freaks out-

Only for Katsuki to have his quirk cancelled by Aizawa and also get caught up in the capture scarf.

Beauty. Grace. He’ll bite off your face.

Katsuki notes the cloth is stiff, while Aizawa tells him that it’s a capture weapon made of carbon fibers and a special alloy wire, then tells Katsuki to stop using his quirk already. Which is interesting; can Aizawa sense when people are trying to use their quirks while under the effects of his? If so, is he sensing the aborted movement of whatever quirk factors exist, or ???

(All I’m saying is that that is some possible fuel for a Dad For One connection but for Aizawa instead of Izuku… you know, just in case.)

As we sort of saw from the last chapter, Aizawa’s quirk has the side effect of giving him dry eyes (he was putting eyedrops in his eyes after using his quirk on Izuku). Izuku thinks that sucks since his quirk is so awesome. Aizawa lets his quirk and scarf drop, telling the class to prepare for the next event.

Katsuki is standing where he was stopped, glaring at Izuku who is holding his hand while Ochako worries over him and his finger. He’s caught up in a flashback (which again, reminder that this is chapter 7 and we already have flashbacks), thinking about how up to then, Izuku was just another pebble in his path. We get a brief cut to a memory flashback (not a chapter flashback) to when Izuku and Katsuki were still friends, and Izuku was waiting for his quirk to come in still, and then repeats that Izuku was only supposed to be a pebble. Single track mind, much?

Discord:

Ah, that good Bakugou discourse. This is why you do this stuff in a server with friends.

Izuku narrates a short passage of time - over the rest of the events - while handling the pain of his injured finger. Aizawa tells them it’s time for the results, with Izuku thinking about how he’s going to get expelled because the only record worth mentioning was the throw, and how the endurance running failed hard because of the pain. Aizawa says he won’t explain the process behind the scoring process, just that they reflect performance.

And then he reveals he was lying about expelling someone.

The trio’s faces. Aizawa’s manic smile. The trio’s faces. And Momo there like ‘what did you expect?’ God, I can’t help but giggle.

Izuku just fucking ascending to a new plane of existance here.

Aizawa turns to leave, saying they’re done there and that the documents about the curriculum and whatnot are back in the classroom. He then calls out Izuku, who is shaking in panic (probably about Aizawa changing his mind again - I wonder if teachers before UA pulled that sort of ‘syke’ on Izuku… yikes.)

Instead, he just gets handed a pass to the nurse’s office (not even filled out fully, incredible) and then turns and walks off.

The class is left to stare after Aizawa in bafflement, with Izuku’s narration noting that he’s safe for the moment, but still has too much he can’t do, and that he’s literally starting from the bottom - but here’s there to learn so he can get closer to his dream!

Class rankings:

And- ah, he walked past All Might, who calls him out as a liar. Aizawa either didn’t notice him watching or didn’t know it was All Might specifically who was watching, but either way calls it ‘wasting time’ - which makes sense when all the teachers know about his time limit that he’s spending there watching Izuku the kids do their trials.

All Might notes that April Fool’s was over a week ago, and that the ‘rational deception’ thing falls flat when he expelled an entire class of first years the previous year. Aizawa discards those with zero potential, but he went back on his word here, and then asks if he sensed Midoriya’s potential as well. While giving Aizawa finger guns. Have I mentioned this man is a complete dork yet?

Aizawa catches onto the ‘as well’ bit, and determines that All Might’s supporting the kid - which isn’t his usual style. He then starts walking off again, saying Midoriya doesn’t have no chance, but that’s all he’ll say on the matter. He then says that if the kid had no prospects, he’d cut him loose, since it’s crueler to let someone chase half-baked dreams.

All Might determines quietly that it’s Aizawa’s way of being kind, but out loud states that they can agree to disagree. Meanwhile, in the background, Sero and Sato notice All Might, which probably leads to class 1a going after him and him fleeing for safety.

We transition to when Izuku is heading home, with him exhausted because of his trip to Recovery Girl. Tenya checks in on him, and Izuku says he’s fine, with us seeing a temporary flashback to the nurse’s office. Izuku notes his finger’s better, but he’s exhausted all of a sudden (he doesn’t remember last time since he was unconscious).

A couple of things:

Kamui Woods pez dispenser

Oh, so if he doesn’t have stamina he’ll die! Good to know! :)

Anyways, Izuku thinks about how he can’t keep going on like this and has to figure out how to regulate his power fast. Tenya goes on to talk about how Aizawa had fooled them, making them think that was how it was, only for it to be a deception. (The irony that the mercy was actually unplanned all along gets to me.) Izuku is more relaxed around him now that he realizes Tenya isn’t scary, just super serious.

Ochako rushes over to catch up, asking if they’re heading for the station. Tenya calls her ‘Infinity Girl’ and Izuku repeats it mentally in surprise. Ochako introduces herself, and then brings up their names - though she mistakes Izuku’s name for ‘Deku’, because of what Katsuki said during the test. Izuku corrects her with awkward hand gestures, saying his real name and that the ‘Deku’ is just Katsuki being a bully.

Tenya and Ochako both acknowledge this, with Ochako apologizing, and then mentioning how ‘Deku’ sounds like ‘do your best’, and that she likes it. Izuku goes beet fucking red and immediately replies that Deku is fine, with Tenya chastising him for not showing backbone while Izuku calls it like the Copernican Revolution and Ochako questions who Copernicus is.

The narration takes over, noting that even if there’s a lot he can’t do, he’ll do his best, but having All Might and even some friends behind him… it’s more than he could have asked for.

Good children. Best friends. God, these were the good days… more OG Dekucrew content please and thanks.

We get one panel of Toshinori that Izuku’s got no time to rest, and that tomorrow the real test begins. Then we’re onto the next day, aka the first day of actual classes - and oh, right, UA has clubs, that’s something that’s easy to forget when we never see it with the hero classes. I mean, considering that the actual hero training classes probably overlap the usual club hours, not surprising, but still.

Present Mic is shown to be the English teacher, trying to get the kids in the spirit of class, but pretty much everyone is finding it boring - asides from Izuku, who is actually trying to answer the question mentally, even if not out loud. The narration notes that the mornings are for normal classes, and that lunch is top-notch food for dirt cheap in the cafeteria (as cooked by Lunch Rush), and then hero training is in the afternoon… possibly after lunch? Which isn’t great when people could end up throwing up. Ah well.

These fucking dorks. Two peas in a quirkless-to-superpowered pea pod.

And of course, more meta from the class on how All Might’s drawn differently.

Anyways, All Might gets into Hero Basic Training, how it’ll mold them into heroes, and that there’s no time to waste as he shows off a card reading ‘battle’ before stating that they have battle training.

Have I mentioned he’s a dork? There’s more ham here than in Shatner’s performances in the original Star Trek series!

Katsuki is thrilled with battle training, of course. All Might notes that for battle training, the class will need - as the wall clicks and opens several drawers with numbered cases, each with contents in accordance with the quirk registry and the special request forms fill out before admission - costumes! Which the class is super hyped about. Izuku is holding his backpack in excitement, and All Might orders the students to come out to Ground Beta in ranking order once they’re changed, to which the class agrees.

As he takes his leave, he notes that looking good is important, and to look alive, because from today on, they’re all heroes! We also get some nice transition moments showing pieces of people’s costumes, with Izuku being the last one out as the rest show theirs off.

So cool! And what a way to end a chapter and a book! And a nice nod to the prototype costume for Izuku. Time to say goodbye to it before the end of this arc.

Next time, I’ll try to get through all the bonus stuff for the end of the volume, and then we can get into the battle trial proper! Looking forward to that.

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class1akids · 4 years

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The Remedial arc is criminally underrated -

- fight me. I can’t wait it to be animated... It packs a bigger punch in character development in a few short chapters than the endless Overhaul arc. It shows that you don’t need edgy fights, new power unlocks - the plot can be lighthearted and serious at the same time and your characters can show growth..

I mean, just think about all the things shown / implied:

1. Aizawa / UA teachers

Aizawa has been spending every weekend until this point escorting Bakugou and Todoroki to their courses. And even in the wake of the big Overhaul fight, he thinks about asking All Might AND Present Mic to take them. He wants them to have both emotional support and be safe.

I was so glad to see this. I honestly missed Aizawa’s reaction to two of his top students failing and all this implies to me that the teachers did care and were eager to support Bakugou and Todoroki.

Things turning out this way provides a chance for All Might build a closer relationship with those two (I’ve been long wanting to see All Might’s relationship with other students).

At the time of the provisional licence exam, I really felt that the exam rewarded mediocrity and lack of risk taking. Yes, Todoroki and Inasa screwed up badly, but it’s a fact that the two of them held back Orca and his gang, which allowed the others pretty smooth sailing through the exam. I guess it makes sense to be strict, because those with the greatest power can cause the greatest damage too, if they don’t keep their head straight. But it felt like the Commission and Gang Orca recognized this, as they give a special assignment to Todoroki, Bakugou and Inasa.

2. Shouto

The Provisional Arc showed that he still had things to work through coming to terms with being Endeavor’s son. He’s so clearly bothered by his father showing up: but I love how much more he’s worried for All Might’s sake than his own. Poor boy is so used to Endeavor endlessly embarrassing him...it hardly fazes him anymore, but he’s super-protective of Toshinori’s weakened form.

When Endeavor yells at him to show how he’s above everyone, for a moment he regresses, going back to defining himself only in opposition to his father.

Which unsurprisingly doesn’t work with the kids. As unfair it is, the world is not interested in what he isn’t, only what he is.

But as he works with the kids, he slowly finds his footing and expresses himself through his ice, but not as an icewall to block off his emotions, but something as a fun-loving person

and his natural kindness just starts to shine through.

This is how he becomes truly the antithesis of Endeavor by using his power to express himself as someone who doesn’t want to stand above everyone, but who wants to connect instead.

He does it in front of his father’s eyes, not to spite him, but to show him a better way of interacting with children (imagine if Endeavor instead of cruelly training Shouto would have tapped into his playfulness and nurtured his quirk and spirit that way...)

Shouto also shows incredible restraint when Endeavor comes up with his new goal - not the greatest or strongest - but a hero his son can be proud of. Shouto doesn’t tell him to go get lost, and that’s already more than his father deserves.

He was able to work through his resentment and not allow it to hold him back anymore from expressing his true self.

3. Bakugou

There is so much growth Bakugou displays here. He obviously spent a lot of time thinking where he went wrong and it seems like he’s finally found some answers.

As much as he still plays tough with Todoroki, he actually cares about him and notices his discomfort.

He’s displaying unprecedented empathy as he accepts Todoroki’s point of view on how to deal with the kids over his own.

He’s able to see his younger self in the bossy kid, and impart some wisdom on him (wishing perhaps that someone told him these things when he was young).

He also accepts not being in the spotlight and doing for the team whatever they need him to be (clean-up crew).

4. Endeavor / All Might

After so many years as colleagues, it is only now that these two really talk. And it turns out to be quite different than their chat during the Sport Festival.

It feels that so much changed inside both of them since Kamino. All Might seems to have accepted his loss of power and is able to contemplate objectively his past choices. There is no bitterness or regret, but there is an understanding that it was far from perfect.

Endeavor also seems to have matured a lot. Becoming No 1 made him realize that it’s not the end, but only the start of the road of living up to the responsibility that position brings. Endeavor feels on his own skin how ill-equipped he is to be the kind of inspiration All Might was.

In the end, him turning for advice to the man he spent his life hating and All Moght giving him encouragement shows that they are aware that this thing they are fighting for is greater than both of them.

But I think, to a large extent it is watching Shouto that changes Endeavor’s perspective. Shouto taps into instinctively into this idea that the next generation is something to be cherished and lifted up.

That in the end, it’s your actions that show who you truly are. Shouto finds a way to inspire them without trying to break their will, something Endeavor never understood. But as he came wanting to steer Shouto back towards the path he wanted for him, he leaves simply telling Shouto that he’s proud of the person he became and he wants to be someone Shouto can be proud of as well. It’s a fundamental shift - realizing that respect is earned through actions, not titles.

5. The Shiketsu crew

I was not a fan of Inasa back in the Provisional Licence arc. Not only how he screwed things up for Shouto, but I also disliked his childish naivete. He seems to have grown so much - his earnest enthusiasm, and big-puppy nature didn’t change, but he realized that the only reactions he can control are his own.

No wonder that Shouto warms up to him by the end...

Camie - she’s such a great addition to the Disaster Squad. Being a bit older, she can tease circles around the guys and even makes Bakugou laugh. That’s talent right there.

Even Seiji, aka meatball guy seems to have come off his high horse by the end of the exam.

It’s a great arc, full of goodies. And I hope we’ll get a reunion of the Disaster Squad at some point.

My BNHA meta

624 notes · View notes

vannahfanfics · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday, Izuku!

Category: Friendship Fluff, Family Fluff

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Characters: Class 1-A, Inko Midoriya, Toshinori Yagi, Shouta Aizawa

Hey, everybody! This story is a submission for two of @bnhabookclub’s events; I’m incorporating the prompt “Gifts” from the Bingo Event as well as the prompt “Happy Birthday!” from the Celebrating Deku event! I hope you enjoy it! Let’s give a little love to our favorite adorkable hero-in-training! :)

“Wake up! Wake up! For I am here!”

Izuku groaned loudly and rolled on his side to blindly fumble for the button on his alarm clock. He uselessly slapped the nightstand a few times, making the various items situated atop it jump and jostle. Still, after a few unsuccessful tries, he managed to bang the bright red button that turned off the alarm. The slightly grainy, robotic voice of All Might faded into silence, and Izuku laid in his bed for a few minutes, blissfully trapped in the twilight of half-sleep. However, a dull ache soon began to throb in his left arm. The pain stubbornly drove him into consciousness, and so with a sigh, he opened his emerald eyes to stare uninterestedly up at his white bedroom ceiling.

He reached around with his right hand to ghost his fingertips over the blotchy red scar tissue that marred his upper left arm. It had been a month since the incident at the Forest Training Camp, but the injuries he had sustained in the fight with Muscular were still very much healing. In another two or three weeks, the U.A. students would be returning to the campus- living in dormitories thanks to the relentless villain attacks- and Izuku wondered how his mangled arm would fare. It doesn’t matter, he thought obstinately. I’ll make myself stronger and stronger, because I have to!

“Izukuuuu!” The green-haired boy sat up in bed as his mother’s voice floated down the hallway. “Are you awake, dear?”

“Yeah! I’m just getting up,” he responded in an equally loud call. When he threw the covers off himself and swung around to get off the bed, he caught a glimpse of the date glowing in bright red numbers in the black screen of his alarm clock. June 15th… Oh! It’s my sixteenth birthday! He remembered with a gleeful smile. Now that he had sufficient motivation to get up, Izuku jumped out of bed to wrestle himself into some slippers. When he opened his door, his mother was waiting in the hallway, twiddling her fingers.

“Oh! Good morning, sweetie. Happy birthday!” she smiled broadly and shuffled forward to envelop him in a hug. Izuku hummed contentedly and wrapped his arms around her middle to embrace her with equal enthusiasm. “Ah! My little boy is sixteen… Oh, dear, I’m getting old,” Inko moaned forlornly and began to sniffle. Izuku laughed and pulled back to blot at his mother’s tears with the hem of his tee-shirt.

“Aw, Mom, it’s okay,” he chuckled.

“Yes, yes,” she tutted and wiped harshly at her face. “Today is your day! I’ve already prepared breakfast for you!” Izuku exclaimed in delight and scuttled into the kitchen, with his mother tottering behind him and laughing good-naturedly. He was greeted with a scrumptious array of fried eggs over buttered toast, seared beef, and white rice. He scarfed it down and chased it with sweet black tea his mother had also prepared, bleating compliments and gratuitous remarks to his mother all the while. Afterward, he helped her clean all the dishes, although she kept dithering around him and insisting that he shouldn’t have to do any chores today.

“Mom, just because I’m sixteen today doesn’t mean I have to lump all the work on you!” he snickered while putting the pots and pans in the cabinets. He blinked when the chime of the doorbell rang through the small apartment. “Oh? Who could that be?” he wondered aloud, abandoning the dish he had been drying to trot up to the front door. He opened it and nearly jumped out of his skin when a big, broad, muscular body shoved its way into the room, which now rang with bawdy laughter.

“I am here, young Midoriya, to wish you a happy birthday!” All Might crowed, his button-up shirt straining to keep from snapping into threads as he flexed his massive biceps. Izuku let out a sound somewhere between a scream and a warble at his mentor’s sudden appearance.

“Ah! All Might!” he cried. His mother called greeting from the other room, peering around the wall with a shy wave, to which the number-one pro hero laughed audaciously and responded accordingly. Izuku’s cheeks turned pink, and he hurriedly bundled the large man into a room where his mother couldn’t see him. “All Might, are you sure this is wise? How long can you hold your muscle form?”

“Not long,” he admitted with a slight frown. “However, that doesn’t matter, for I am here to take you on a super-duper special outing, my young Midoriya!” he crowed with another loud laugh. He then peeked his head around the crown molding to smile dazzlingly at Inko, who squeaked and straightened up. “Of course, if your dear mother doesn’t mind me stealing you for a few hours. I wouldn’t want to ruin a mother’s wonderful day with her son!”

“Oh no! Please, go ahead! I have to go shopping for dinner anyway,” Inko laughed amiably with a dismissive wave of her hand. Izuku yelped as All Might then grabbed him to bundle him back to his bedroom.

“Excellent, excellent! Now then, young Midoriya, get dressed!” As the door slammed shut behind him, Izuku exhaled deeply and fiddled with his fingers.

I never would’ve dreamed that I would be spending my birthday with All Might, he thought. The notion brought a giddy smile to his lips, and he hastily began rifling through his closet to find something suitable to wear.

~~~~~~~~~~

As soon as the apartment was out of eyeshot, All Might released his muscle form. He collapsed against the brick wall of a nearby building with an exaggerated sigh, wiping blood from his lips with a pink-stained rag. Izuku fluttered nervously around him, arms flapping.

“All Might, are you sure about this?! You’re not in the greatest of health! I mean, you really ought to be in bed being tended to by a doctor or two or three, not spending the day with me! I’m certainly not worth it; it’s only my sixteenth birthday, after all! I can’t smoke or drink or vote or drive- wait, no, I can technically drive now. I wonder when Mom will take me to get my driver’s license. Wait, are you taking me to get my driver’s license? I’m not nearly prepared! I need to practice a little first!” He continued to babble, nervously fiddling his fingers, until Toshinori slapped both his hands down onto his slim shoulders. He clamped his mouth shut with a squeak.

“Young Midoriya. Focus.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m taking you out today because I wanted to be here for you on your birthday.”

“Thank you, sir!” Izuku smiled gratefully at him. The fact that his beloved teacher and mentor desired to spend such quality time with him outside of training made a warm feeling bubble up inside his body. “If I may ask, what are we doing today?” he inquired as the thin man began a leisurely pace down the sidewalk. Toshinori chuckled amiably and patted him on the head.

“Patience, young Midoriya. Some of life’s great joys come by surprise!” Izuku gasped in awe and mentally committed the sage advice to memory to hopefully quote later. Together, they plodded merrily through the subdivision to soon transition into the business district. It was a lovely day for a jaunt to town; it was pleasurably warm with just a faint breeze to keep things cool, and the sun shone in a cloudless blue sky. Izuku found himself in high spirits, considering the lovely weather and the fact he was strolling around with his cherished teacher. I wonder what he has planned! Oh, I’m so excited! He thought, unable to contain and eager wiggle. Toshinori chuckled warmly beside him.

After about a twenty-minute walk, they arrived at a nice restaurant in the center of town. An iron-wrought fence enclosed a garden eating area with elegant stone paths and a cloth veranda to protect restaurant-goers from the elements. Izuku recognized it as one of the ritziest venues in town- and therefore the most expensive. When Toshinori stopped walking to smile at him expectantly, Izuku’s jaw nearly struck the floor.

“What? N-n-n-n-no way, All Might! I can’t-! You can’t-!” The taller man snorted with laughter and unceremoniously bundled him inside despite his sputtering protests. Izuku’s back straightened like a rod when the usher regarded him with a critical look. “Why are you doing this?” he hissed under his breath as Toshinori whispered something to the attendant, who nodded curtly and whirled around. Izuku and his mentor followed the tuxedoed man to the back of the restaurant, where they were escorted into a spacious room with a long table set for over twenty people. Izuku’s emerald eyes were as wide as green moons as he beheld the setup. “Um… All Might, are we expecting others…?”

“Dekuuuuuu!”

“OHMYGOSH!” Izuku screamed as someone abruptly hugged him from behind. He glanced over his shoulder to see Ochako’s round smiling face blinking up at him.

“Happy birthday!” she giggled happily. Pink-faced and thoroughly flustered, Izuku could only release a high-pitched whine as she scuttled around him. In her moment of distraction, All Might had assumed his muscular form. “Hello, All Might, sir!” she chirped jovially as she bounced over to him. The hero chortled good-naturedly and patted her shoulder.

“Hello there, Uraraka! Good to have you.”

“Umm, All Might? What is happening?” Izuku whispered as Ochako procured a small wrapped package and set it at the center of the table.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ochako laughed and hopped into a seat. “We’re here to celebrate your birthday, Deku!” Izuku’s face turned the color of a tomato. When he looked wide-eyed at his mentor, he just grinned broadly and shrugged. At this point, Tenya game bundling in.

“Midoriya! Happy birthday!” he cried with exaggerated waves of his arms. Izuku squirmed uncomfortably as the tall boy plopped a large wrapped present atop the table right beside Ochako’s. He took the seat beside the bubbly girl, and they devolved into avid conversation; Izuku took the opportunity to scamper over to the muscle-bound hero.

“All Might! Did you arrange this?” he whispered fervently.

“Why, of course, young Midoriya! I imagined that you wanted to spend your birthday with your friends,” the pro hero answered. A bright haze of pink blazed over his cheeks, and that bubbly happy feeling rose inside of him again.

“My friends…” he echoed in wonder. Izuku jumped when someone kicked the door open.

“Oi! Are we late?!”

“Ka-Kacchan!” Izuku stammered in shock as the explosive blond boy charged in through the door. Frankly, the green-haired boy was shocked to see Katsuki attending his birthday celebration. When Eijirou poked his head over his shoulder to grin toothily at him, Izuku reasoned that perhaps Katsuki had been persuaded to attend. Izuku jumped and squeaked when Katsuki tromped over to slam a crudely-wrapped package into his chest.

“Here, loser, for your stupid birthday. Now, where’s the food?! I’m starvin’!” Katsuki complained loudly and stomped over to Ochako. “Oi, Cheeks, you got any food?” Eijirou chuckled and set a present down by the others before also wishing Izuku a happy birthday. Izuku was basically short-circuiting, because his poor brain couldn’t handle all the information being thrown at him at once.

“Looks like I’m right on time,” droned a gravelly voice from the door. Izuku’s jaw flopped open when his teacher, Mr. Aizawa, sauntered in bearing a small package for a gift card. He casually tossed it beside the others before striding over, hands stuffed in his jumpsuit pants pockets. Izuku was amazed that the underground hero would have the gall to stroll into such an upscale place wearing such casual clothing. Props to Mr. Aizawa… “Happy birthday, Midoriya.”

“Th-thank you, sir! I’m very grateful to everybody for planning this,” Izuku smiled sheepishly. Aizawa gave him a charming smile before walking over to keep Katsuki from clambering on the table to punch Tenya in the jaw over some silliness or another.

It wasn’t long before the rest of Izuku’s classmates showed up, and they were soon embroiled in a fun and raucous lunch. Izuku tried not to think about the terrible mess that the staff would have to clean up, nor the enormity of the bill that All Might would have to foot as a result of their avid celebration. Instead, he tore into the filet mignon and grilled asparagus before him. He purred happily at the excellent flavors bursting over his tongue, squeezing his eyes shut as he savored the spices and marinade. After enjoying the delicious food, they piled up all the plates, glassware, and silverware on the edge of the table so that Izuku could have ample room to open his gifts.

“You guys didn’t have to do all this,” Izuku laughed sheepishly as Mina shoved the sizeable pile of gifts over to him.

“Oh, hush! Now open mine first!” the pink girl insisted while shoving a glittery pink bag over to him. The sparkly confetti rained from the tissue paper as he tugged it free from the confines of the plastic container. His face turned nearly as pink as the solid plastic when he peered down into the bottom. “I’m funny, right? Right?” Mina cackled as Izuku pulled a container of calcium gummies and a bottle of milk from the bag. “’Cuz you break your bones all the time!” she howled as she doubled over and held her belly.

“Very funny, Mina,” he muttered blankly, not sure whether to be offended or amused.

“Aha, I know, I’m a genius,” she sighed as her laughs faded down into giggles. “Here’s your real gift, though,” she said and held out something to him. Izuku flushed when he realized that it was a pair of All Might-patterned socks. He spluttered a simple thanks and tried to suppress the urge to rip off his shoes and slide the socks onto his feet. He elected just to push the item aside and go on to the next gift. Katsuki eyed him intensely as he grabbed the roughly-wrapped package and tore away the gift paper. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he beheld the limited-edition All Might hoodie, holding it with trembling hands.

“Ka-Kacchan,” he breathed in amazement and looked at his childhood friend and rival. Katsuki snorted derisively and looked down at his feet.

“Don’t gimme that dumb stare, loser,” the blond huffed. “What, did you think I was gonna turn up empty-handed? I’m not an asshole.”

“Uh… That’s exactly what you are, Bakugo,” Denki snickered. He then yelped when Katsuki boxed him over the head.

“Mind your own damn business, Pikachu! Gah!” Katsuki growled and shot Izuku an intimidating stare. “Anyway, happy birthday, or whatever…”

“Aw. Bakugo, you can be sweet when you put your mind to it!” Ochako praised. A pink tinge came to Katsuki’s cheeks, and he muttered something under his breath. Izuku looked down to admire the soft fabric of the exclusive hoodie and smiled.

“Thanks, Kacchan…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Izuku’s friends were very generous. He scored a multitude of fun gifts, including a quaint mug and some tea bags from Momo, a new videogame from Denki, and some cool new laces for his signature red tennis shoes from Ochako. Mineta even managed to give him something halfway-decent, a gift card to the local bookstore. However, the small purple-haired boy naturally began salivating and talking about the very indecent things that Izuku could spend it on. By some feat of acrobat-like ingenuity, Tsuyu flipped him head-first into the busboy’s dirty dishwater.

The sky was dyed red, and the sun was sinking towards the horizon by the time Izuku bid his friends and Mr. Aizawa adieu and set out for home. As soon as the last student vanished from sight, All Might released his muscle form and collapsed against the alleyway wall.

“Ugh, that was rough. I didn’t know if I was going to make it,” Toshinori lamented as he wiped the blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand. Izuku smiled gratefully at him.

“I really appreciate you for putting this on for me, All Might… I can honestly say this has been one of my best birthdays ever!” Izuku chirped. Toshinori chuckled lightheartedly and stepped forward to pat him a few times on the back. All the gifts bundled in Izuku’s arms bounced slightly with the jostling of his body.

“Of course. I’m glad I could be there for you. Oh! I almost forgot,” he said and began fishing in his back pocket. As much as he could with his arms laden with presents, Izuku waved a hand in refusal.

“What? No, All Might, I can’t accept anything more than you’ve already given me!” he protested. “You spent so much on that dinner, and all this effort into inviting everyone over and straining yourself to keep up that form- I can’t! I refuse! No!” All Might ignored him and procured a Polaroid camera. Izuku blinked, very confused, and the tall, lanky man held the camera above their heads and jerked him by the arm to pull him into the camera frame.

“Cheese, young Midoriya!” he grinned before the bright white of the camera flash nearly blinded the shocked boy. He just managed to squeeze in an uneven, shaky smile before Toshinori’s thumb tapped the button to take the picture. Immediately, the camera spat out a black photo rimmed in white. Toshinori plucked it from the printer and shook it vigorously until the color finally developed. The blond man inspected the photograph before smiling in satisfaction, and then pulled out a marker. He plucked the cap off with his teeth and scrawled something across the bottom of the photo. Izuku blinked as Toshinori plopped the camera down atop the mountain of gifts, then showed him the picture.

Happy birthday, young Midoriya. Smiling, his teacher tucked the photo between some boxes. Their happy faces grinned at Izuku, and he felt his eyes watering. It was such a simple gesture, yet it meant more to him than the most expensive gift in the world.

“Thank you, All Might. This is the best birthday ever,” he repeated in a soft voice, and the tears dripped down his cheeks. All Might chortled and ruffled his green hair.

“Always with the waterworks. That’s all right. Sensitive people make great heroes because they’re very empathetic,” he mused. Izuku sniffed and nodded, but he didn’t want to cry all day, so he struggled to wipe his face with his upper arms. Somehow, he didn’t knock any of his gifts out of his hands. “All right then!” All Might announced and clapped his hands together. “Your mother is probably hard at work on dinner for you. Let’s not keep her waiting, eh, young Midoriya?”

“All Might! Please stay for dinner.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t-“

“Please! I insist! Plus, knowing Mom, she probably already has the table set for three.” All Might grimaced and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Well… If she’s already burdened herself…” Izuku didn’t let him finish the thought and hurriedly bustled out of the alleyway. “Ah! Wait, young Midoriya!”

Izuku ignored him, trotting down the sidewalk towards his home. The fruits of his friendship bobbled in his arms, and a big bright smile graced his face. Maybe he couldn’t do much with turning sixteen, but if the day led to him spending time with the most important people in his life, he would argue that’s a pretty momentous occasion indeed.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

Tag List: @deliathedork @simplybakugou @sadistiks @wesparklebitch

#bnhabookclub #bnhabookclub event #bnhabookclub bingo event #bnhabookclub deku event #izuku midoriya #midoriya izuku #my hero academia #mha #bnha #boku no hero academia #my hero #mha fanfic #mha fanfiction #bnha fanfic #bnha fanfiction

25 notes · View notes

lilypad-make · 4 years

Text

BNHA Fanfic Recs

Like One for All is passed , I pass on these fic recs

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189671/chapters/55510960

There is a League spy somewhere in Ryloth High School. Four UA students are selected to find the traitor.

And so Midoriya Izuku goes undercover as an ordinary, Quirkless high schooler

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23577970

A stray blast from a quirk leaves Aizawa MIA for 2 weeks. When he gets back to UA, he isn't alone. He acted as a hero, even while hopping between dimensions.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23125075/chapters/55334284#workskin

Midoriya and Todoroki just wanted a relaxing trip to go buy new All Might merch. Howevor that goes out the window when the two of them run into one of Midoriya's old middle school teachers. Specifically, the quirkist one who seemed to have it out for Izuku. Midoriya struggles not to regress into his old mindset and Todoroki struggles to help his friend.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23145532

In an attempt to raise Shouto's spirits, Izuku makes an unannounced visit to the new Todoroki household to ask Fuyumi if she will teach him how to make Shouto's favorite cold soba.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23153374

Uraraka heads home to congratulate her friend on getting number one. She didn’t realize how worried he was about it.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23166436

While briefly returning to Japan for a case, Toshinori sets out on the monumental task of grocery shopping. Fortunately, someone is there to save him from his poor decision making skills. Or from accidentally poisoning himself, probably.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23191612

A Dad Might fic in which Toshinori Yagi goes toe-to-toe with an anti-hero who’s been menacing the people he cares about.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23194696

Mineta was being his usual annoying self. Midoriya got fed up.

http://archiveofourown.org/works/23288878/chapters/55775314#workskin

Raccoon Eyes slams her palms down on the table. “I’ve got it!” She cries exuberantly, and jabs a finger in Shitty Hair’s face. “Pick dare!” Kirishima looks a bit taken aback by the sudden demand.

“Uh, yeah sure, dare,” he agrees, leaning back in his seat. Ashido grins maniacally and slams her hands down again, but drops her voice. “I dare you to sneak over and get Midori’s journal!” Katsuki feels something twist in his stomach, something buried, forgotten, toxic. “If you bring it over here, he’ll have to come join!”

“Mina, I don’t know if that’s-” Kirishima begins, clearly hesitating as he glances in Deku’s direction.

“You can’t back down from a dare!” Ashido says fiercely. “That’s like, the opposite of manly!” Fuck. Those damn magic words. Katsuki’s not sure why he does it liar, but he turns to face Shitty Hair and grabs the collar of his shirt.

“Don’t,” he growls lowly.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23386324

Midoriya questions his classmates on the quirkless after wondering if they'd still like him if they knew.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406181

Deku has always been a fanboy, from the time he was young enough to understand that All Might was the best hero to ever exist to him becoming a pro hero. After becoming number one hero, he was invited to host the first year's sports festival.

Deku being Deku.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23375245

Eri was confused. She knew that she had put her socks on her table properly, as Mr. Aizawa had shown her. Then why were they gone if she had packed them away?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22436452/chapters/53607226

Izuku will never admit to it but the first time he found solace on top of a building that reminded him of how small he is in a world so vast, he wasn't fifteen, or fourteen, or twelve. He wasn't a boy dreaming to be a hero and to be like the Symbol of Peace, nor was he a child who faced too early the cruelty of a world filled with wonders and quirks.

He was ten and he was looking out of their balcony door back at the apartment with his mom after a long day at school and out of childish curiousity, he peered through the cemented wall that separated him and the open space that could've spelled death if he made a mistake. And the view enthralled him - to be in a place so high, to see people walking and rushing and running and being - it allowed him to see a world that filled him with the thought that from this high up, maybe he wasn't the only one that felt so small.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22988413

Toshinori doesn’t know how long he’s been crying, doesn’t know what was happening around him. He doesn’t see 1-A’s worried glances, misses Aizawa’s shoulder squeeze and Recovery Girl’s gentle pat, misses everything that’s in his field of vision because everything just spelled pain.

And he thought he knew pain, thought he knew loss, thought he knew hurt and anger and brokenness – but the waves crash against him over and over and he finds himself unable to breathe.

Why is the world so intent on taking away those he holds dear?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23295103

What’s your deal, Midoriya?” And Midoriya blinks at him, surprised, as Hitoshi cuts him off from congratulating him. And he sees the shift in the boy’s eyes and he knows that he’s in for another long-ass round of apology and the weight on his chest is getting heavier and heavier and he doesn’t want to deal with any of that so before Midoriya can rain him a barrage of “I’m sorry” that he doesn’t particularly care about, he adds, “What’s a hero student like you so afraid of that you think everything you do is a mistake against the world?”

---

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23295379

This is not what Shouta thought he'd find when he went to the common room in the middle of the night, but boy was he glad he was there.

.https://archiveofourown.org/works/23298967

Midoriya gets to the high places of U.A.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23317753?view_adult=true

Izuku goes to visit his mom one weekend, but what he doesn't know is that a certain One For All user is following him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23323039

Aizawa-sensei, who was always careful; Aizawa-sensei who Izuku had worked to hard to please; Aizawa-sensei who had expected Izuku to get better. And Izuku hadn’t. He’d done it again.

“You didn’t think anyone would help you,” Aizawa-sensei started. Izuku’s throat dried up.

“No,” he whispered.

Or: Izuku tries to hide an injury—a small one—from his teacher. It doesn't go well.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22650859

“Is there anyone else you want us to call?” Ochako asks gently, and Eri chews on her lip and looks down and away. “Do you want me to call Deku?” Ochako pushes, and it’s worth it for the way Eri’s head snaps back up to her, eyes wide with hope, before she looks away again.

“I’ll send him a text!” Mina pipes up, already having her phone out and typing rapidly on it. “He’s just on the other side of the building, Eri-chan,” she waves the phone at her with a wide smile that squints her eyes shut. “All done, he should be here any min-“

The door to the room slams open, making them all jump and jerk their heads towards it. Ochako brings her fists up instinctively, heart hammering in her throat.

“What’s wrong with Eri?” Deku demands, standing in the doorway, green lightning sparking off his skin, eyes shifting around wildly as if looking for a threat, body braced in a battle stance.

(Or: 5 times Eri falls asleep on Izuku + 1 time Izuku falls asleep on her)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17513966

Midoriya beams at him and Tokoyami is suddenly hit with the urge to look away. “So bright,” he mutters under his breath, low enough that Midoriya can’t hear him.

(or, Midoriya is a problem child who just really loves his friends)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23167981

Brace, noun — a device fitted to something to give support.

Izuku is about to graduate, but before that, he needs to try on his hero costume.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189893

After USJ, Shouta has a few questions for All Might.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23197840

He’d mentioned offhandedly in class that he and All Might were going to make rounds, like U.A. wanted every year, to talk to middle schoolers about heroics, what the program looked like, and to answer any questions about applying and such. Shouta hasn’t been to Aldera before, close as it is; it just hasn’t appeared in his line-up.

But he’d seen Midoriya’s—and Bakugou’s—faces when he’d mentioned Aldera. Bakugou’s features had darkened, and he’d gripped the edge of his seat tightly. But Midoriya had gone perfectly blank.

Or: Aizawa meets Midoriya's middle school teacher, who seems to have an alarming view of his former student.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23243284

It isn't unusual to see pro hero Deku wearing merch for his fellow friends and heroes, but for his birthday, the former class 3-A flips the script.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23241424

“You don’t understand,” Shouta says, wanting to be anywhere but here. “We cannot do this. I physically cannot do this.” “Unfortunately—or rather fortunately,” All Might interrupts, smiling, “the principal’s already approved this. He said it would be, a… how did he phrase it, Yamada?” “A good bonding exercise!” Hizashi’s grinning, sly like a cat. “Shouta, it’s gonna be so fun, I promise.”

When Class 1-A is stuck at U.A. for summer vacation due to a villain threat, the teachers decide to start some fun. Unfortunately for Aizawa, he's included.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23592571

After Kamino. Toshinori feels weighed down with the knowledge that the world now knows his true form. He’s lost the last of One for All, and he can no longer be a hero. Nonetheless, he'll continue to support his successor and he won't let Izuku face the brunt of his burden alone.

Or: DadMight. That’s it. That’s the story.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23226532

“You deserve—”

“No, no,” Mirio says, waving his hands, “that’s not what I’m asking. Why do you, hm, why do you want to give your Quirk away? You don’t want it?”

Izuku can’t breathe. The guilt’s been eating at him; it’s been a glass shard in his chest since he was in the hospital, since Mirio took the bullet, since the look that the others had given him when Mirio had explained he didn’t have a Quirk anymore.

Or, Izuku and Mirio have a discussion about One for All.

During this hard times , please remember that you are not alone and we all are in this together !

#bnha fic recs #boku no hero academia fic rec #bnha fanfic recs #bnha fanfiction #bnha #boku no hero academia

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talpup · 4 years

Text

Lost Song: 1

Summary: The war between the Dragons and Griffons ended 233 years ago, and both races right along with it.

Or so it was believed. There are three individuals that will soon change that.

Kai is the last of the Dragons and he seeks to take what he sees as his rightful place and rule over all of Oblvi. Meanwhile, Shouta, the last Sphinx, wants nothing more than to do his job; keep the peace and and teach the young Fourth’s to hopefully avoid the mistakes of their ancestors. And Teris, a Foundling who is just trying to understand and survive in this strange new world that is supposedly her own.

All three have their own wants and desires, but Kai’s plans, Teris’ existence, and Shouta's past mean that none of them may get what they want.

***So this fic will have a LOT more world building than my others. Please feel free to comment. For those who have read my Chaos fic, yes, I'm reusing the term Oblvi. Words are hard and I liked the term; but this fic isn't connected to Chaos. The same goes for reader/oc's name being Teris. She's not the same Teris from Erase the Shadow.

This fic is rated explicit and has warnings of sex, violence, and other possible triggers.

If you prefer reading off AO3 here’s the link for that: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24009679

Special thank you to @inorganicone2230 who knows of my love for the mythic and encouraged me to start this fic without stressing about the other two I’ve got going. Your friendship means the world to me. And I can’t wait to go down the rabbit hole of ideas with in for this fic.

1.1

“What do you mean she wants to give him back!”

The Arbitrators snarl caused the already nervous Miyashita to hiccup and vanish. With a swallow the Changeling slowly reappeared.

“I—it—it is not a matter of want.” The nervous Sprite responded. “Rather a matter of necessity.”

The Arbitrator glared at the little man seated across from his desk. As a rule, Enji didn’t trust things he couldn’t look in the eye. So it didn’t help his annoyance that he had to stretch his back and lean slightly forward in order to see the Changeling given that the Sprites forehead barely reached the level of the desks polished surface.

“Explain.” Enji demanded when the Sprite showed no sign of going on.

“Well, ah, you see--” Miyashita stalled looking every where but at the frightful Manticore.

Enji growled his impatience, struggling to keep his human form. To think that this little gnat had had the nerve to chitter at him for offering a book on which to boost his child-like frame upon.

“The thing is.” Miyashita went on with carefully. “Her Ladyship would not be able keep the Reaping even if she wanted, for he is not human.”

Not human! Enji blinked. A second Foundling in as many days. This was just great. At least the first, a woman, hadn’t been discovered during a Changeling Reaping. Though Enji couldn’t decide if that was worse or better. In any case, this would certainly garner the Council’s attention. Something nobody wanted.

1.2

“Aizawa. Please, come in.” Nedzu beckoned.

Shouta stepped into the Director of Traverseen Halls office and closed the door. At the sight of Yagi and Todoroki, Shouta’s shoulders slightly tensed. Thankfully, in human form his black hair was long enough to cover his neck and no one noticed the brief rise of his heckles.

“Please. Take a seat. We have much to discuss.” Director Nedzu urged.

Shouta did so choosing to take the open chair near the Arbitrator rather than Toshinori. Sinking into the too soft seat, Shouta tried to think of any trouble his class of 1-A might have caused last time they were in town. It was the only explanation he could think of for why both the area Arbitrator and Toshinori, the area Elder, were here.

Coal black eyes on the Director, Shouta questioned. “What’s this about? I have class in twelve minutes.”

“This will take longer than twelve minutes I’m afraid. But there’s no need to worry about your students. I sent Nemuri to cover your class.” Nedzu told.

Shouta's eyes narrowed. Though the animal looking creature tried to sound his usual chipper self, he could hear a tight telling of concern in the Hybrid’s voice. The Sphinx sniffed. His pure blood and Nedzu’s overly mixed meant that he could smell it too.

He wondered if Todoroki could smell Nedzu’s unease. While dragons, griffons, and sphinx's were the most ancient of beasts; manticore's were older than most. It afforded the species better honed senses, especially if they were pure bloods. Something Arbitrator Todoroki was overly proud of. Honestly, Shouta was surprised the respect Todoroki showed a hybrid like Nedzu, whose lineage was so mixed and mutated that even Nedzu himself couldn’t say what all he was.

Unlike pure bloods, hybrids carried remnants of their true form over into their human form. The more muddled ones blood became the more remnants got carried over. Nedzu’s lineage was so mixed that he couldn’t alter the image of the humanoid animal he appeared as. And given the fact that Fourth’s who couldn’t change into more human-like forms were thought of as less at best, Nedzu had faced a hard life. Not that one could tell by his usually bright personality.

“Tea.” Nedzu offered the three men seated before his desk.

Enji and Shouta shook their heads, while Toshinori politely took a cup.

Curiosity and impatience getting the better of him, Shouta spoke up. “Sir. I ask again. What is this about?”

Nedzu set down the tea pot. “That’s why I like you, Aizawa. Focused. Straight to the point. Something that was rarely found in your species.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Shouta deadpanned. He was the last of his kind. Locked in stone as a cub and found long after the dragons and griffons thought they had extinguish his species.

Enji huffed, crossing his arms. He felt no sympathy for Aizawa's loss. The way he saw it it was sphinx-kinds own fault for not siding with the dragons.

Toshinori lowered his cup of tea. The reminder of what dragon and griffon kind had done when the sphinx's refused to chose a side in the Dragon-Griffon War still sat ill with him despite him having served the griffons.

Nedzu knew well enough that Aizawa wasn’t seeking sympathy or calling anyone out for their past allegiances. The Sphinx was merely stating a fact. “Arbitrator, if you would.”

Enji uncrossed his arms. “A week and half ago, the Changeling Queen of a local clan visited Terra for a sanctioned Reaping. Unfortunately she couldn’t keep her claim as the being she reaped turned out not to be a Fourth.”

“A foundling Fourth.” Shouta mused. “Irregular to find one young enough that it hasn’t realized what it is, but not impossible. Sprites more than any other Fourth like to mess with humans. Despite the Council’s laws, Changeling’s will find a way to trade their young for human children.”

“As a member of the Ilca it’s your job to stop them.” Enji rumbled.

“Your opinion of me flatters. But I’m only one sphinx. I can’t be everywhere.” Shouta stared at the reddening Arbitrator a moment before going on. “Besides, some Fourth foundling isn’t what this is about. Such a clear and simple breach of Council law wouldn’t interest both you or the area Elder.” He glanced passed Todoroki to Yagi. “So I ask again. What is this about?”

Shouta realized he was being rude but he didn’t care. He had a class to get to. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Nemuri not to let 1-A run rampant...okay, that was precisely it.

Not one to be rushed by anyone, and certainly not some member of the Ilca, Enji went on. “The Foundling the Changeling Queen reaped is a man. Obviously young. Says he’s twenty-nine. Likely a hybrid of sprite and spirit. Though time will tell exactly which species his lineage is. But that’s not all. The day prior to that a trader whose license allows him to bring goods in and out of Terra returned with a Foundling of his own. A woman. The trader was a Derrick, said he sensed the presence of a Fourth and followed it discovering an unconscious woman in an alley. Unable to rouse her and finding no pass that allowed her to be in Terra he brought her back with his load. Since the woman claims she doesn’t know the Derrick and only regained consciousness once here we had no way of verifying his story. Derrick’s are tricksy creatures--”

“They’re a benevolent species known for pranks of little harm.” Shouta interrupted.

“That hardly means the Derrick is telling the truth.” Enji bristled.

Rather than argue, Shouta looked across to Yagi. “What does the area Elder think?”

Toshinori set down the tea cup. “I believe him. The Derrick has no reason to lie.”

Enji scoffed. Yagi might be a powerful Talos, but he was too kind. Too trusting. The Elder’s compassionate, charitable nature made him weak in Enji’s eyes. He would've been a better Elder. The area needed a firmer, less accepting leader.

Shouta smirked into his scarf-like piece that served as restraints and a weapon of sorts. He had never really cared for the boisterous, attention hungry Elder. But if they insisted on making him late for class, the least he could do was irk the Manticore by reminding him of his lesser place to Yagi.

The Sphinx fixed his gaze on Nedzu. “As intriguing as all this is, Sir. What does it have to do with me or Traverseen Hall in general?”

“Both Foundlings are to be trained and placed in your Ilca.”

Shouta's mouth opened. He worked alone. And with good reason. Though the species divided by the Dragon-Griffon War were slowly coming back together, there was one species. One person. That they all hated. Him.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Nedzu said.

“Do you?” Shouta asked.

“The Foundlings don’t know about our history. They won’t care that you’re a sphinx.”

“I work alone.” Shouta said.

“Correction. You <em>worked</em> alone.”

Shouta frowned into his scarf-like piece at Todoroki’s taunting words.

Yagi cleared his throat. Only he, Todoroki, and Nedzu knew that the woman was a griffon. But if she was to be part of Aizawa's Ilca, he thought it important for the Sphinx to know.

Sensing the Elder's plan, Nedzu spoke up. “Discovering what either of them are is of secondary consequence at the present. Neither of them remember anything about who they truly are, if they ever knew in the first place. They didn’t even know Oblvi existed and therefore know nothing of our world. The goal is to see that they have the tools and ability to survive.”

“And you don’t think making them part of my Ilca is counter productive to their survival?” Shouta questioned, levelly. Just being part of his Ilca would make things unnecessarily difficult on them when it came to making acquaintances, never mind friends.

Nedzu ignored the query. “Seeing as you have a full schedule teaching and being an active Ilca, I have ordered Oboro to instruct and train the male Foundling. And Kai do to the same with the female.”

Kai. Shouta's teeth pressed together at the mention of the Dragon. “So you think she’s a beast of some kind?”

Nedzu nodded. “She’s certainly not a spirit, sprite, or demon.”

Shouta sighed. At least she was of the same division as he. But the other Foundling? It wasn’t that he had anything against spirits or sprites…

Still ill at ease about keeping the truth of the woman’s lineage from the Council, Enji stated. “Yagi and I have spoken with the Council. They are eager to learn exactly what kind of Fourth’s the two are.”

Boisterous voice taking on a more serious edge, Yagi told Aizawa. “I’m more concerned with seeing that these two learn how to survive and don’t inadvertently hurt someone. Proper instruction and first hand experience are vital to that. Sending them out with an Ilca member will give them both. Especially if that Ilca member is an accomplished teacher.”

Shouta disregarded the compliment, silently cursing the Elder’s reasonable thinking. Tiresome as it was, the idea was logical. The two foundlings clearly weren’t some young-lings to be enrolled in the Ilca course at Traverseen Hall. A three year sedate course of learning would only be a danger to themselves and others. Being older their power would be greater. They needed to learn to control it as quickly as possible. While throwing them into the fire might seem a recipe for disaster. It was only rational way to assure their power displayed itself and force them to control it.

Still, Shouta didn’t like being saddled with two members to his Ilca. As much as he liked teaching, he worked alone. Not to mention the hassle and danger of not knowing what kind of Fourth’s they were.

As if reading his mind, Nedzu said. “Aside from basic base instincts, once they learn and begin to display their inherent abilities, we will be able to narrow down what kind of Fourth’s they are.”

Shouta nodded in agreement. While a particular species instinct didn’t always run true or as strong for every Fourth of that species; that, combined with the inherent abilities, should give them a better idea of what kind of Fourth they were. They already knew the divisions of the two. Beast for the woman. And spirit and sprite for the man. The next step would be to learning what phylum they were part of, then class, followed by order, tribe, genus, and finally species.

Shouta cursed his own species inherent love of puzzles and riddles. Even if given a choice by the three seated around him, he wouldn’t have been able to say no to such a tempting mystery.

“I’ll take them.”

1.3

A knock on Kai’s office door sounded. “Enter.”

Teris eyed the man that had escorted her, slowly walking passed him to enter the room.

“Kai. The Foundling female.” Hari introduced.

“I have a name.” Teris snapped. She looked to the man behind the desk, her breath catching in her throat.

Kai’s head shot up, gold eyes lifting. The aura she gave off. The prideful power…

Teris chalked her hammering heart and tingling senses up to the events of the last three days and not the man seated before her. “Where’s Hizashi?”

“Who?”

“The other Foundling.” Hari explained.

Kai’s disappointment was palatable. For a moment he had thought. Had hoped that she was a dragon. Just the feeling of ancient, unbridled power she gave had excited and thrilled him. But that excitement and interest diminished in an instant. Dragons weren’t pack Fourth’s and whatever this woman was, she clearly was if she cared enough to ask about the other Foundling whereabouts.

Setting aside the quill, Kai closed pushed away the stack of orders. “The other Foundling will be learning with those from his own division. You will be learning with yours.”

“Beasts.” Teris said, pulling the word from memory. A lot had been said to her and Hizashi these last few days, it was hard to remember and keep it all straight.

“At least you’re not completely oblivious.” Kai muttered under his breath.

“I have a three masters and was close to getting my doctorate before--” Teris stopped. These people. These things didn’t need to know about her abduction and trouble she had escaped from before being found and brought over. More over being taken was a sign of weakness and every instinct she had was telling her not to appear weak before this golden eyed man.

“Your Terra education will be of little good here.” Kai dismissed, not at all surprised she had heard him. Excellent hearing was a trait of most beasts. Simmering eyes focused on her. “Though I can appreciate your obvious interest in learning. I myself enjoy the endeavor of bettering not just my body but my mind.”

If her world hadn’t been turned upside down, Teris might've remarked that his body didn’t require any bettering; but she kept the passing thought to herself.

“Let’s start properly, shall we. I am Chisaki Kai. That’s Kurono Hari.”

“And what kind of creatures—Fourth’s are you?”

“That’s impolite to ask.” Hari grumbled.

Kai held up a staying hand. “True. But forgivable. I’m a dragon. Hari’s an arepyiai. And you are?”

“I—I don’t know.” A part of her still wondered if she should be here. The other, great part, still questioning if this was all real. Maybe she was still back in that cell. Her abductors…

“Why don’t we start with your name.” Kai suggested.

“Nova. Teris.”

“And may I call you Teris?”

Teris nodded.

“Good. You may call me Kai. What don’t you show me your true form.”

Teris’ hand pressed to her shirt collar. “M—my what?”

“Hari.” Kai commanded.

Hari changed into his true form. It was a startling sight. Unlike more ancient Fourth’s, arepyiai’s were far from beautiful. More horrid miss-mash of the two root species that arepyiai stemmed from. He had the bird-like lower body of a harpy, along with their smaller wings. While his torso was lion-like with the head of an eagle, showing the griffon part of his species lineage.

Teris jumped back.

Kai noted her quickness even in human form, adding it to the list of telling things about her that would eventually reveal what she was. “Your turn.”

“I—I can’t do that.”

“Afraid there’s not enough room? Don’t worry. Traverseen Hall was built with dwarf magic. The room was made to accommodate Fourth’s in their true from. It will expand as much as required.” Kai offered.

“That’s… Not what I meant.”

Kai sighed. It was foolish to think it would be so easy. “Fine. We met. I will teach you. Be back here first thing in the morning.”

It wasn’t as if he had much of a choice. The Rat, Nedzu, hadn’t given him a choice.

“That’s it.” Teris blinked.

Hari already back in human form, had the door open, ushering arm extended.

“The day is nearly done and I have work to do.” Kai stated.

He couldn’t help a small smile. She was pretty. And if she was bright enough to have three masters from Terra, she might be a welcome diversion from the rigors of his goal.

Hari returned shortly after seeing her out. “What do you think?”

“Too soon to tell. But whatever she is, her species is old. It’s inconvenient. Having her around. Even if it’s just during the day.”

“Wonder if the Rat suspects.”

Kai shook Hari’s concern away. “Even if Nedzu suspects anything. A Foundling would make for a terrible spy. She doesn’t know enough about anything to find something out of sorts.”

“Even so. I’ll order the rest of the Ilca to be careful when she’s around.”

Kai nodded, pleased. He was just glad that his Ilca had a full complement of eight and the Foundling couldn’t be assigned to it. That definitely would've made his plans all the more difficult. He had the thought of teaching her the old way. The true and right way of things.

“Whose Ilca was she placed in?”

“Aizawa's.”

Kai frowned at that. The thought of teaching her suddenly became all the more appealing.

I write for my own enjoyment, but edit and post for yours. If you enjoyed reading this at all please comment and let me know. It’s the only thing that encourages me to keep editing and posting.

#bnha #aizawa shouta #shouta aizawa #kai chisaki #chisaki kai #todoroki enji #yagi toshinori #bnha nedzu #hari kurono #my hero academia #lost song

12 notes · View notes

quicksilverlightning · 4 years

Text

The Interview, Ch. 2

Weeks after Kamino Ward, he still wasn’t used to being recognized in this form. It didn’t happen nearly as often of course, but often enough that he missed the anonymity. The fervor was dying down as the public accepted their new reality, but Toshinori was still frequently stopped for autographs and pictures. He was always happy to oblige, despite being baffled by the attention he received as a civilian.

Nearly every interaction ended with gratitude on behalf of the requester, and never a simple “thanks for the picture” either - some forwent requests altogether and just wanted to shake his hand, recognize his efforts. He smiled through it all, but had a different response inwardly:

I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more. I’m sorry I can no longer protect you.

No one has stopped him today; he wonders if it’s the scarf that the lower half of his face is buried in has kept him from being recognized. Perhaps Aizawa has the right idea after all.

It’s a chilly afternoon and it makes his bones ache, particularly his recently broken-and-healed-yet-again arm. He keeps hand warmers in all his coat pockets these days. Toshinori shuffles along the sidewalk, slouched and in no real hurry. There’s no class today and, for the moment, his schedule is open. The day is pleasant despite the nippy air, so he opted to enjoy the sunshine with a meandering walk to nowhere in particular.

He wanders about idly, taking turns at random, eyes roving the window displays. He finds himself not far from a new cafe he’d heard some of his students talking about not long ago. Someone - Shiozaki maybe? - had been excited about it; the place was being opened by a few friends. He makes his way to the crosswalk and waits for the light to change.

The bell over the door jingles pleasantly as he enters and pulls the scarf away from his face. The young man behind the register can’t be much older than twenty. He greets Toshinori happily.

“Welcome! What can I get youuu-”

His eyes go wide in recognition as Toshinori approaches the counter, looking at the chalkboard menu. He gives an easy smile to the startstruck cashier before ordering a green tea and a biscuit. The boy manages to punch the buttons and stammer the order back to him with minimal awkwardness and hands him a number placard. He takes it with a cheery thank you! and turns to find a table.

The building is small, but the layout is open enough that even he has some legroom. The tile is a textured white over which an assortment of round and square tables have been arranged. Installed at the windows is a bar-like area with stools overlooking the street, while two long benches with powder blue cushions align the walls. Near the front are three students who look to be on a study date, and at the back left -

His long legs carry him over the tile in a few strides. She doesn’t notice him draw close, absently munching on a sugar cookie and swiping the crumbs away from the pages of the book lying open on the table. He lays a hand idly on the back of the chair across from her, watching a moment. She’s propped up on her elbow, knuckles pressed against her cheek, oblivious to the man barely a table-length away. Toshinori clears his throat.

“Is this seat taken?”

She starts and nearly drops the cookie, crumbs scattering over the pages. Wide eyes rake over his form as she tilts her head up to meet his face and he scratches the back of his neck and laughs.

“Sorry! I don’t mean to make a habit of startling you.”

He watches her expression change from surprise to embarrassment as she finally recognizes him, setting the cookie down on a napkin.

“I, uh, you… what are you doing here?”

The flush of pink on her cheeks turns a few shades darker and she nervously tucks back the strands of hair that have fallen from her messy ponytail.

“Uh, not that you can’t be here or anything. I wasn’t expecting - I mean, I guess I was really into my book?”

It sounds more like a question than an explanation and it makes him laugh as he scrapes the chair over the tile floor and sits.

“I know I’m not much to look at these days, but seven feet of person is still a lot of overlook,” he doesn’t bother to hide the amusement in his voice. For some reason, that seems to snap her out of her frazzled state.

“That’s not true!”

“Pardon?” He slots the number placard into the display.

“You may not be made of muscle anymore, but you’re still very distinctive! And you have a wonderful smile as ever!”

It’s his turn to blush and he scratches his cheek with a nervous chuckle.

“Do I? I’m pretty sure most people are unnerved by the skeletal visage.”

“Well, maybe at first,” she nibbles at the sugar cookie. “But it’s pretty endearing once you get used to it.”

Thankfully, his order arrives at that moment, so he doesn’t have a chance to be flustered. The boy still has stars in his eyes as he sets the saucers down and asks if he can do anything else. Toshinori offers his best All Might grin and a thumbs-up.

“Not at all, young Kenta!”

The boy, Kenta, looks ready to faint at the thought of All Might knowing his name.

“I – uh… how?”

“Your nametag,” Toshinori nods at the square of plastic clipped to his apron. “Are you the only employee today?”

“Oh, no, Kazu’s in the back and Tomoyo is on break right now.”

“I see. And you three started this place yourself?”

Kenta immediately brightened, losing some of his nervous edge.

“Yeah! Tomoyo can manipulate any hot liquid, and Kazu can make bread rise. We’ve wanted to open a cafe since middle school!”

“And you stuck with it all this time!” Toshinori pats the young man on the arm. “You three are doing great!”

“Thank you sir!” Kenta is beaming with pride.

“What about you?” his companion interjects. “Do you use your Quirk in the business?” She sounds genuinely interested.

Kenta’s shoulders sag a little. “No, I – I’m Quirkless.”

Toshinori frowns, opening his mouth to reassure the boy, but she responds before he can.

“Me too! High five, man!”

He perks up again, and the two slap hands with a kindred spirit. She finishes off her cookie.

“You guys are doing a great job; I hope this place takes off for you. I can always use a place to kick back with some sweets.” She holds up the crinkled wrapper for emphasis.

“Thank you; both of you,” Kenta offers a little bow. “But I need to get back behind the counter. Please come again!” He wanders back to the register as the bell over the door jingles and two more customers walk in.

Toshinori turns back towards his surprise companion.

“You’re Quirkless?”

“Hm?” She’s sipping at her drink. “Oh, yeah. It didn’t really come up last time we met I guess.”

“You’re remarkably blasé about it. It doesn’t bother you?”

She cocks an eyebrow.

“Should it?”

“No, of course not,” he raises his palms defensively. “Just, it is something that bothers a lot of Quirkless people. It’s good that you’re so...” he takes a moment to search for the right word. “Accepting of yourself.”

She puts her drink down.

“Yeah, well, it didn’t come easy. It did bother me once, but I’m okay now.”

He takes a bite of his biscuit; it’s delightfully fluffy and buttery.

“Good. That’s good.”

“What about you? Does it bother you, not having a Quirk anymore?”

He pauses, tea halfway to his lips, before finishing the movement to give himself a moment. The tea is just the slightest bit sweet.

“No, not as such,” the porcelain clinks against the saucer. “I don’t like how it ended, and it does bother me that I can’t help people the way I used to.”

He studies the pattern of the wood grain, painted white. “But!” he lifts a finger. “There are still other ways I can help.”

She knits her fingers together and rests her chin on them with a smile.

“Like what?”

He smiles. “Even without a Quirk, I still occupy a unique place in society. I will always be famous. And were I to, say, walk into a small business recently started by some high school graduates...” He lets the sentence hang, and she giggles.

“So, you didn’t just happen to wander in for something warm to drink then?” She leans back against the bench.

“Well, I didn’t intentionally come here; I just happened to be nearby and I’d heard of this place from one of my students.” He takes another drink. “I do try to seek out places like this though, when I have some time. I have a lot more of that these days.”

“That’s… really sweet.” She idly sweeps a few crumbs into a small pile with a finger. “It’s really wonderful of you to do things like that. I mean, you could spend the rest of your life doing anything now, but you’re still helping people.”

He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly; despite everything, Toshinori has never really gotten used to the praise.

“Yeah, well, it’s like you said the first time we met. Heroism was never just a job to me.”

She hums, poking her straw at the bottom of her cup around the ice chips to get at the last of her drink.

“Did you ever find an answer to my question?”

He chuckles lightly.

“It’s never far from my mind lately.”

Which is true – Toshinori has been turning the question over in his mind for nearly two weeks now. What does he want to say? He stares into his tea, contemplating, momentarily unaware of the girl watching him from across the table.

“Uh, I didn’t mean you had to answer right away or anything. I mean, I don’t even work at the office anymore, so...”

That gets his attention.

“You don’t?”

She shrugs lightly, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder.

“Well, journalism is more concerned with getting the story out quickly, you know? I didn’t really come back with anything printable we could run.”

His eyes widen.

“You were fired?”

“I mean, I guess?” She gestures into the empty air. “I walked out when he started screaming obscenities and just never went back.”

Toshinori feels his shoulders slouching more than they already are.

“I’m so sorry -” he doesn’t get a chance to do more than start an apology before she cuts him off.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not like the place was anything special.” She leans on her elbow with a grin.

“I’m much happier at the bookstore down the street right now anyway. It’s part-time so I can focus a little more on freelancing.”

It eases his conscience, but only a little. Still, he offers a smile in return.

“That’s good then. What sort of freelancing do you do?”

“Writing mostly. A bit of editing. Articles, correcting student essays. That sort of thing.”

‘So you haven’t left the field, just that particular place.”

‘Yeah. I mean, I write a lot anyway, so I may as well get paid for it. I have a little following for some of my creative stuff, so that’s pretty neat. Some friends of mine are in this one actually,” she thumbs at the pages of her book.

“Really? Can I see?” He holds a hand out for the book and she passes it over.

He flips idly through the pages. It’s a short story collection, interspersed with illustrations.

“I helped edit a couple of the stories, so it’s cool to see them in print like this.”

“It is! Do you have anything of your own published?”

She looks a little embarrassed. “No, not yet. Maybe one day. I mean, it’s a goal of mine, but I’m not actively pursuing it or anything. I’m happy blogging and editing for now.”

He hands the book back.

“Do you have a website? I’d love to read some of your work!”

“I – uh… really?”

Toshinori flashes a signature thumbs-up.

"Really! I've been catching up on my reading now that I have some more time on my hands."

"Ah, well, okay. Hang on," she rummages around in the bag that's been sitting beside her before finding a pen and grabbing a napkin and scrawling a name.

"This is where I post most of my stuff," she hands it over shyly. "There's some actual work posted there, but it's also kinda my daily blog or whatever, so you might have to search a little."

"That's not a problem," he folds the napkin into his breast pocket. "I'm looking forward to browsing around!"

She blushes and scratches the back of her head.

"Thanks," she stands from the table with a stretch. "Sorry to run, but I need to get back to the bookstore. It was nice seeing you again."

"And you as well," he offers with a nod, leaning back into his chair. "I'll see you around?"

"I hope so!" Her grin is infectious. "Thanks for chatting with me."

"Of course."

She half-turns to the door and hesitates a moment, like she has something else to say. It's barely noticeable, but Toshinori has been watching for those instants for a long time.

"Was there something else?"

She hesitates again. "Well..." Her fingers nervously twist at a lock of hair before she makes up her mind.

"I know you're used to this sort of thing but I still feel weird asking, it just seems rude to ask a stranger, but... could I have a picture?"

He has to laugh. "We aren't strangers! We've met twice now, haven't we?" He stands as well, offering an arm. "I don't mind!"

The blush on her cheeks spreads as she ducks under his arm and pulls out her phone. He leans over to better fit in the frame while she lifts the camera and smiles.

"Planning to post that on your blog?" It's meant to be a joke, but she blushes again.

"I mean, if you're okay with it?"

He laughs again, louder this time.

"You don't have to ask me for permission! My face is already plastered all over, what's one more?"

She puts the phone back in her bag. "It's still polite to ask."

"That's very kind of you," he reseats himself and lifts his cup. "It's not necessary, but I appreciate your thoughtfulness."

"You're welcome," she shifts the bag on to her shoulder and offers a small half-wave. "Bye."

"Goodbye," he waves back and returns to his tea, contemplating the possibility of another biscuit. Maybe a half-dozen. Maybe a couple dozen - his students would love that. He waves once more as she passes by the window and finishes his drink before heading back to the counter to get a treat for his kids.

#yagi toshinori #All Might #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #fanfic #mha #bnha #reader insert #the interview #a bridge to the more fun chapters #next time: blogging!

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thunder-the-ranger-wolf · 5 years

Text

We Need Someone (Expendable) BNHA fic

There was a difference, Yagi noted, between himself and Midoriya Izuku. Many differences, in fact, but as he sat before the boy and his mother sipping a tea that he was surprisingly able to keep down, one major one came to mind.

This boy was a Thinker.

That wasn't to say that Yagi didn't use his brain. He wouldn't get anywhere near where he was if he were anything like Endeavor.

"That man's flames roasted a whole block and then some and he wonders why I fear for him." The blond man muttered.

"What was that about Endeavor?” Midoriya Inko prompted knowingly.

"Nothing." He snorted. "Don't get me started."

The only reason she hasn't slammed the door in his face is because her firm is on contract with All Might's agency. Yagi Toshinori and Midoriya Inko have spent more than a few lunches debating heroes. He definitely sees where her son gets his spirited analyses.

She didn't know the truth about All Might. Almost no one did. It was hard to tell because All Might and Yagi Toshinori were two entirely different people right down to how they looked, thanks to a minor Shapeshifting Quirk. Yagi could literally count on one hand the people still living who knew every side of the story. He wouldn't now. Two more people would know the truth, and he would have to gather the others, tell them how stupid he was, how reckless-.

"You're shaking, Yagi-san." Inko murmured. "Would it help to treat it like work lunch?"

"No, I… this is not an easy thing to explain."

"That you are All Might."

"Among other things."

"Should it be kept at that?"

"I wanted to make sure the boy got home, of course, but there… might be something else."

Inko surveyed him with dark green eyes before turning to her son.

"Izuku, what happened on the way home from school?"

The boy babbled, of course, but Inko made much more sense of it than he did. Izuku told her about the sludge monster, both times, and how All Might saved him. Inko stared at Yagi, knowing there was something her boy wouldn't say. Izuku was good at keeping other people's secrets when it counted, according to what Inko said over lunch. It was why she hadn't known about Katsuki until he couldn't hide it.

"Between the first and second incident I flew to the top of a building." Yagi found himself choking out. "To revert to the form I have now. And your son grabbed me. That's part of why we're here."

"And the rest?"

"Your son wants to be a hero."

Inko shot her son a sharp look that promised a Talking To when Yagi left. He could only hope that it wasn't as fierce as the ones Gran Torino had once given.

"What if I could give him the opportunity?"

We Need Someone (Expendable)

"She didn't say no." Nighteye noticed when the day's events had been recounted. "In fact, she seemed just as eager as he did, from what you say. Are you sure about this?"

"I wouldn't have come to you if I weren't."

"The last time something like this happened-."

"I know, Night. I was there."

"All the same…"

"I'd think by now you'd have some faith that I know what I'm doing." Yagi ground out.

"I don't need it." Nighteye deadpanned, blinking slowly. "But I still don't like what I'm hearing."

"As opposed to what you See?"

"I said I wouldn't do that. And I won't."

"The one time it'd be useful."

"Useful is relative. People fear what they don't understand, myself included. Looking again won't help your situation."

"So what will… because apparently I have a deadline."

"We don't know what will happen if you die before this gets passed on. He could snatch them all up, they could just be dispensed to others-."

"You seem awfully curious about it."

"Cautious." Nighteye corrected. "And fucking terrified. What does Naomasa think?"

"That I should give the boy a Quirk."

"You were always going to give the boy a Quirk, Toshinori. The question is how much you would give."

"And he had no answer for that. Neither do I, for that matter."

"So long as your Healing Quirk is still available, you should be fine. As Yagi Toshinori."

"All Might is-."

"Reckless."

"Retiring." Yagi corrected. "Slowly, because there is no way to do so otherwise, but even the Number One Hero deserves a break every now and then."

"And here I thought you didn't take breaks."

"Night, when you've got a bunch of ghosts in your head telling you to get some rest, you get that rest. I know my limits but damn, do they like to enforce them."

"Figures." Nighteye snickered. "Just as well. At least someone is making sure you relax."

"I can only relax so much when I'm on some godsforsaken timer."

"You've far surpassed what I Saw, Toshinori."

"That'd be a comfort if I could just find the right person."

"What if there is no right person?"

"There must be. This Quirk… this Quirk is like looking at ants with a slate of glass. The wrong angle means death to them all."

"And you think you can find the right angle?"

"I better." Yagi growled. "If all else fails then this power dies with me."

Sir Nighteye dipped his head, eyes flashing purple.

"It won't." He assured his friend. "If it's the last thing I do, you will find a successor."

We Need Someone (Expendable)

Yagi stared at the message he received on the steps of his Alma Mater. UA had changed quite a bit, courtesy of Nezu being the principal now instead of a homeroom teacher. But that was not his problem.

Do you have a personal number? I would prefer not to clog your work phone with drivel.

Midoriya Inko was a clever woman indeed. If she were anyone else and he hadn't known any better, he would say she was being far too forward. But with the situation being what it was, they exchanged personal numbers and each went about their day.

UA was definitely more intimidating than he remembered, and Yagi isn't quite sure how that's possible. At any rate, he shuffles through the halls with the last of what things he keeps at his agency work desk. Officially, Yagi Toshinori was taking a job at UA because it was one of the places All Might's agency loaned out their staff to. There were a number of partnerships with other Hero Agencies, hospitals and clinics, and various police departments throughout Japan. Anyone could go anywhere at any given moment, but they would always be an employee at Might Tower.

According to numerous sources around said Hero Agency, staff thought All Might had sent his best secretary on a well-earned vacation and they were more than happy to pick up the slack. Unofficially, Yagi was here to ease himself into retirement. If he found a successor then great but if not then… then… he didn't know. And right now, he couldn't afford to care.

"Yagi-san! Come on in!" A friendly voice jolted him from his thousand Yagi jerked upright, scattering all his books.

"My bad, friend, didn't see you were busy."

"You're fine, more than." Yagi hummed, smothering a yawn between his teeth. "Kayama Nemuri, yes?"

"Yes, Yagi-san, and this is Kan Sekijiro."

"Midnight and Vlad King. Well met. You'll have to excuse me, I think I need to sit down."

"Of course." Vlad King offered, gesturing to a long couch against the closest wall. "Would you like your things by your desk?"

"Yes, if that's alright with you." Yagi full-on yawned now. "I don't know what exactly is going on but I am suddenly a lot more tired than I should be."

"That's… strange." Vlad King noted, eyeing Yagi. "That's Midnight's Quirk but she's not using it."

"My fault, then. I'm sensitive to some Quirks regardless of user activity. Kayama-san's must be one of them."

"My apologies, Yagi-san. Would you like me to leave? Or the staff table is stocked with teas and coffee."

"You don't have to leave, Kayama-san. I wouldn't be nearly as affected by the Quirk if I hadn't been exhausted in the first place. It's just a sign that this old man needs a nap at some point."

"You wouldn't be the only one." Midnight offered. "Another co-worker, Aizawa-san, can fall asleep at the drop of a hat. Make yourself comfortable, Yagi-san. It was good to meet you, but I actually do need to leave. I have a class in… wow, two minutes. Really gotta get going." She muttered.

The pair of heroes waved her off and Yagi sank to the couch.

"Why must life be so tiring?" He groaned.

"That's how things end up sometimes.

"That sounded suspiciously like what my nephew would say." He yawned. "'It just be like that, Yagi-san, go with the flow and stock up on health packs while you're at it.'"

"He likes video-games?"

"A lot."

“How’s he feel about heroes?”

“He likes playing as them well enough, but he’s not one to be in the midst of the action. He’s a Strategist, my boy is. Takes after his father in that respect.”

“What does he do? Aside from playing video-games?”

“Tokyo Morgue is his arena, for some reason. I’ll never understand his fascination with the dead, but he has a healthy respect for them and a way of making them talk.”

“I don’t suppose that’s his Quirk?”

“Just his mind. His Quirk is Decay. Which would be helpful in a morgue, I guess.”

“It would indeed.” Vlad King mused. “Your nephew sounds like a very bright young man, Yagi-san.”

“High praise from a hero.” Yagi snickered. “Oh, he’ll be drooling for that.”

Tenko was an interesting boy, for sure. The only reason he didn’t go to a hero school with a Quirk like his was because being a hero was never his goal.

“Not everyone needs to put on a costume to save people, ojisan.” He’d said when Yagi asked. “I’ll do just fine as a detective or something.”

Indeed, he was considered a Detective of the Dead, and some where he worked wondered if his Quirk was really Necromancy.

“You must be the new Foundational Heroics teacher.” A new voice broke through his thoughts. Yagi spluttered and jerked upright.

“Nasty cough.” The newcomer noted.

“Well met, Aizawa-san. How’s the new crop this year?” Vlad King announced.

“Higher-strung than usual, this bunch.” Aizawa admitted. “When they said someone from All Might’s Agency was coming, I figured they’d pawn someone fresh from an Internship. Nezu hasn’t had much luck finding people genuinely interested in the educational aspect of Heroics as well as the physical.”

Yagi nodded agreeably.

“Hopefully I do not disappoint, Eraserhead.” He offered wryly. “On a scale of one to twenty, how high-strung do you expect these children to be?”

“Scared you can’t keep up, old man?” Aizawa tilted his head curiously like a cat staring at a mouse.

Yagi rose to his full height despite his aches and let the Shapeshifting Quirk flash beneath his skin.

“Far from, young hero. These children wearing me down is the last thing I worry about.”

Aizawa dipped his head, a smirk playing at the edge of his mouth.

“Welcome back to UA, Yagi-san. You should keep up just fine.”

Yagi scoffed and flopped back onto the couch. Aizawa was looking for something, testing him in the way he would test the character of a new student. Yagi couldn’t tell whether he’d passed or not and bizarrely enough, he wanted to.

#thunder's bnha fics #thunder's anime collection #wnse: the Quirk Swap fic #yagi has all for one and Sensei has One For All #Sensei goes by a different name #tenko works at a morgue in this one #tenko is good in this one #yagi toshinori #midoriya inko #midoriya izuku #nemuri kayama #kan sekijirou #sir nighteye #night isn't that much of a jerk here #aizawa shouta #thunder attempts to write

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aerialsquid · 5 years

Text

Title Pending.

Summary: Aizawa and Toshi track down some very unauthorized pornography. Nobody escapes with their dignity intact.

Notes: Basically I need encouragement to work on this, so I am creating a false sense of urgency by releasing the early parts so I have more encouragement to work on the later parts. I’ll put it over on AO3 with proper reviewing once I’ve finished the full thing. Contains referenced sex acts but no onscreen sex.

“You wanted to see us both, Principal Nezu?"

"Yes, please come in. And shut the door."

Even at his age, the scenario of a principal requesting you come to his office and then shutting the door, with as serious a face as a small furry mammal could manage, put a shard of fear into Toshi.

Aizawa had careful, expert neutrality in his expression. They'd both gotten a text twenty minutes ago from him, containing a terrifying lack of context besides a request to meet him in his office. Toshi was already mentally tallying up his students' recent performances and wondering where he'd gone wrong in their teaching this time.

Nezu hopped up on his desk and paced back and forth across it, paws behind his back.

"I received a message earlier today by email from an anonymous person. They claimed to have evidence that some of my employees were involved in conduct unbecoming of professional heroes or professional teachers at a prestigious high school, and included several images to support these statements. Now, I want you to know that I trust both of you and have nothing but respect for your professional behavior. What you do in your off hours is your bu--Yagi, if you tug on your hair that hard you're going to pull some of it out."

Toshinori was huddled up with one long set of fingers digging into his scalp, flush reaching his ears in a matter of moments. Meanwhile, Aizawa had gone completely still, like a prey animal.

It made Nezu laugh, which didn't help Yagi's hair pulling.

He kicked the mouse of his computer with one foot, turning the screen on. The screen background was fairly on-brand, a cute doodle of himself sitting on the UA logo. Nezu then navigated to a window displaying several video screenshots.

"Several of these images were in the email. I assume you can see the problem--breathe, Yagi-san, breathe!"

Toshinori only had time to see the images for a brief second before a coughing fit consumed him. It was still far too long. Nezu hopped off the desk and delivered several firm whacks to his lower back (too low to be useful but Nezu's arms were only so long) as he huddled in place.

The screenshots were dim, and apparently taken from hidden cameras in a narrow bedroom, possibly a hotel suite.They showed two people on a bed in several positions--some showed only one person's face clearly and left the other in shadow, but the one in the center was clear enough to make out that it was Aizawa and Toshinori, the latter in his skinny 'true form'.

Naked. And having sex.

Toshi tried to speak through the blood filling his mouth. "Principal Nezu, I assure you… I never meant to disrespect--"

"Yagi, giving yourself a coronary in my office would be much more disrespectful. Aizawa, pour us some tea, will you?" Nezu gestured at the electric kettle in the back of his office. "And take some deep breaths, Yagi. In, out, there you go."

Over the sound of his own pounding heart and with his hand clamped over his face, Toshinori heard Aizawa mumble, "These are fake." His spirits sank even further.

Yes, of course Aizawa would deny it. Toshinori couldn't fault him for doing so.With his reputation already so shaky after the training camp incident he couldn't risk anything else to bring the school scandal and the revelation that he had been banging the Symbol of Peace on the regular (which he had) would be too much for his career to bear. But with the footage right in front of them, how could Nezu possibly--

"Really? What makes you say that?" Nezu gently rubbed Toshinori's back, almost tittering.

"I have the scar on my face from USJ but not on my elbow. There's no stubble on my face. Besides that, I've never seen this room in my life and Yagi's missing the damage to his left side."

"I am?"

"And how would you know what Yagi looks like naked, Aizawa-sempai?" Nezu chirped. Yagi went into another coughing fit. Aizawa opened his mouth to possibly come up with some excuse about shared locker rooms when Nezu cut him off with a quick 'tkk!' of his tongue.

"I do know you two have been having extracurriculars for the last few months, Aizawa." Nezu tapped his snout. "My nose is as sensitive as it is adorable and I run a school for teenagers. There's quite a lot I'm forced to notice!"

"My apologies," mumbled Toshinori through another mouthful of blood. Nezu's tiny paw patted his shoulder comfortingly, as if the man wasn't four times his size.

"Really, if I made a fuss every time my teachers had a bit of fun together, I'd have no time for anything else. Just don't do it with the students and don't do it on the clock, and you'll find no complaints from me."

Nezu forced some tea down him while Aizawa continued staring intently at the screenshots, fire in his gaze.

"And the Aizawa's wearing a wig in the leftmost scene," he grumbled, scowling at the image of himself straddling Yagi's narrow hips, lips parted in ecstasy. "The face is a perfect imitation but he's wearing a goddamn wig in some of these."

"Having reviewed the full video, I believe it may be one or more people with a shapeshifting quirk," said Nezu. "Not the one who works with the League of Villains, but one less familiar with both of you. They're copying what they've seen of you on TV, which to your great fortune has mainly been with your clothes on. I've heard of this sort of pornography before, I believe they call its fans 'cape-chasers'."

Toshinori gave a shaky nod. "I've dealt with this as All Might. There were...certain fans, who had…"

"People who wanted to watch you fuck."

"Yes, thank you, Aizawa. My lawyers occasionally had to come down on such people, to maintain my brand identity, and with the internet some of them were never found at at all. They just kept making...videos. Of me. Having sex. And putting them on the internet." Yagi shrank into himself, his large bony form folding up like an ironing board."

Aizawa snorted. "One of the perks of being an underground hero is that you never show up in anyone's porn. At least, until now. Why send it to you, Nezu?"

Nezu's whiskers twitched, and his chipper demeanor fizzled away. "Because I'm expected to think it's the real thing. If I was a stupider animal and actually believed this was you, and on top of that actually cared what the lot of you do with your genitals in your free time, I might force you both to resign to avoid scandal."

"So what will you do?"

"What I'm going to do is what I've already done, which is telling the two of you." Nezu reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a USB. "This is the only copy here at the school, I've deleted it from my machine. Beyond this, I wash my paws of it." His cute, shrill voice had a timbre of icy steel. "UA does not bow to villains, whether they're the kind who attack in broad daylight or the kind who hide behind blackmail. The very idea disgusts me. But once our blackmailers figure out you won't be facing consequences, I'm concerned they may want to release the tape into the public."

He extended the USB. "Whatever you want done about this, I relinquish it into your control."

Yagi reached hesitantly for the USB, only for Aizawa to snatch it up first.

"Good luck!" Nezu called after them, back to being his usual perky self. "And remember to do proper breathing!"

#erasermight #my hero academia #lime #aizawa shota #yagi toshinori #all might #squid writes fanfic

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tenyatrash · 5 years

Text

ToshInko Wedding Bells

Hello! I’m going through my GDrive and uploading all the pieces that I wrote for apps and then never posted.

Here’s my first ever ToshInko piece. Just some reflective fluff about their wedding day and Toshinori learning to let go and enjoy the happiness that he’s spent decades providing and protecting for others.

Read it here or below the cut:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19782586

Toshinori steps out into the coolness of a setting summer sun and braces a wide hand against the safety rail while another rises to shield his eyes. Today’s the day.

Somehow, despite all his mistakes and failings, despite this ruined body and anxious mind, he’s found love. Found the home and safety that he fought for decades to protect for others, never really believing he would ever earn the same.

He’s not prepared.

For the fifth time since waking, his head starts to get away from him, all the what-ifs of his life crowding around his mind like a pressing crowd. But like every time before, he sees a flash of darkest emerald and the fear fades into a sort of pleasant hum, like the rush of adrenaline before a big fight or a late night interview. Like he used to feel, before, when life was full of promise and adventure.

He lowers his hands and ambles down the stairs, picking at the cuffs of his morning suit with a watery smile that spreads as he gently worries the cufflinks between his knobby fingers. Two understated cherry blossoms, formed of blushy agate and given to him by his man of honor. Young Midoriya. He chokes up a bit.

His son.

The first of many wedding gifts, but already precious beyond measure.

“I uh- I mean. Here, All Might! I mean...Toshin...I mean….oh gosh...Dad?” He’s said it before, but it’s not an accident this time, and the reality of that turns the blushing boy into an absolute watering pot.

He had shoved the gently wrapped heirlooms into Toshinori’s waiting hands as if worried he’d accidentally break them, or more likely, throw them into the air in his manic joy.

“These are for you! To wear, today, if you want!”

Two cherry blossoms, to represent new beginnings and beauty, made of agate to represent wisdom, composure, and maturity. Izuku explains the meaning behind the gift in a classic mumble rumble as Toshinori wipes his eyes and rolls the weighted links into his palm, his other hand coming to rest on the smooth grey fabric covering his soon-to-be son’s shaking shoulder.

“Young M- Izuku. Thank you, truly. They’re a wonderful thought, from a wonderful son. I’m honored to be joining your family. Truly.”

Izuku starts wailing in earnest as a porter comes running with tissues in an attempt to keep salt and snot off the brushed fabric of their new suits while their particularly dedicated photographer tries to turn the calamity into a cute shot.

While he’s having his moment, Toshinori gingerly picks up the first blossom and threads it through his cuff, fingers wobbling a little with emotion as the gift clicks into place.

How did he get so lucky?

That’s the thought that follows him from the guest house to the small shrine, across the paved steps and into the courtyard where his future is waiting for him. They’re blending ceremonies here, the two lovers picking and choosing between the America that All Might loves and the Japan that nurtured them both and brought them together.

He’s in a suit, no family crest to sew on to a kimono, no mother or matchmaker to stand behind him at the shrine. She’s in a traditional shiromuku, but there are small bright flowers of yellow rebellion sewn into the edges of the kimono and no tsunokakushi to hide her “horns of anger.” Instead, she’s all soft smiles and openness, hair tied into a simple knot and ornamented by a hairpin of tinkling bells and agate petals.

Cherry blossoms.

Neither is in the spring of youth, yet as they gaze at one another across the smooth stones, the blush of first love colors their soft glances and trembling hearts. As they come together, he smiles down at her, electric eyes roving over her challenges to tradition in breathless approval. Toshinori doesn’t want her to hide anything, not ever, and it’s part of what drew them together.

They enter the shrine together, Izuku and Naomasa bringing up the rear.

The sake cups are another tradition Inko offered to forego, but Toshinori settles on the water-cut version of the spirit often given as a child’s first celebratory sip instead, eager to share in this ritual with his beloved. He swears he’s never tasted anything so sweet.

Their nuptial cups are followed with sips for their two witnesses and offerings to the gods.

Prayers for happiness and peace and a long autumn for their newly-shared lives.

And then there are the rings, held in sacred trust by the boy that binds them together. As Toshinori whispers the words he never dreamed he’d get to say, he slips a simple golden band down the finger of the woman who fills his every day with love. Inko joins her son in waterfall tears, choking in happy huffs as she mimics the motion, babbling about the future and her love as this symbol of her devotion slips across a swollen joint and into the cradle of his finger.

He looks good as a taken man.

The priest recites the final blessings, and Toshinori leans forward, eyes bright and heart suddenly threatening to beat out of his rattling chest. She’s just so lovely, and as his eyes flutter closed, he regrets that he can’t capture this moment perfectly in his mind. But even without sight, he sees every detail clear as day, at least until her lips press against his.

Then he can’t see anything at all, so swept up in the sweetness of the gesture and the profound change it represents.

Lucky for him, Naomasa, that old sap, is recording the whole thing.

The private ceremony ended, Naomasa and Izuku wave and wander away, headed for the larger reception where friends and family are gathered to celebrate the newly dubbed “Symbol of Matrimony” and the marriage that many never imagined they’d see.

Toshinori and Inko join hands and head to the guest house, ostensibly to change into reception clothing, but that’s a secondary concern. They’re so grateful for the love and support that surrounds them, but for the moment, what they really crave is a moment alone together, the first of many.

They arrive at the threshold and in a moment of spontaneity, Toshinori picks her up and carries her laughing into the cozy cottage.

“Ah! Toshinori!” She’s kicking her feet gently and all the sudden she’s fifteen again, giggling in the arms of a cute boy.

He smiles down at her and gently tickles down her side, adding in a self-deprecating smirk, “What can I say? I’ve always wanted to do this and if we wait until tonight, who knows if this old man will manage it.”

Inko unclasps a hand from his neck and runs her fingers over his sunken cheek as he sets her down, arms still wrapped around her in a loose embrace, like he wants to extend this small moment as long as possible.

“Oh, I think this old man has plenty left in him.”

She leans forward and kisses him more aggressively this time, humming in amusement as Toshinori tenses around her as if worried he’s doing something wrong. He relaxes when his mind catches up with his racing heart.

Right, we’re married, remember?

He returns the gesture shyly and gently begins the process of unraveling Inko from the folds of richly layered kimono, covering his eyes as she’s reduced to her slip, but still catching a flash of faintest teal that shimmers like silk.

Inko breaks into full body laughs as she takes in the sight of her new husband, eyes shut tight and kimono held up like a shield against her state of undress. The fact that she’s more covered than when wearing a swimsuit doesn’t seem to matter to him.

It’s the context of the thing.

She gently takes the heavy fabric from him and hums her way to the dressing room, giving her poor sweetie an auditory cue for when it’s safe to open his eyes. This mixture of age and innocence is part of what drew her to Toshinori, part of what convinced her heart that it was okay to love again.

That this hero would never hurt her. She thinks she hears him gulping down some water and smiles into the brightly patterned tea-length navy dress that Izuku helped her pick out and get embroidered with silver storks and turquoise blossoms in an ode to the man who they both came to love so dearly.

She steps back into the sitting room, patting down her re-arranged hair and twirling in front of the gaping Toshinori.

“Too much?”

“Wh- No, not at all. You’re radiant, and it’s perfect.”

She smirks mischievously, “Well, it’s not perfect yet, darling.”

Toshinori knits his brows together and tries to catalog every stitch, finding no false note. Inko breaks into a brilliant smile and spins around, revealing the curve of her back and more of that tantalizing under-slip.

“Zip me up, would you?”

Toshinori complies, fingers caressing against sunkissed skin as his hands splay across her and his mind wanders to all the blessings he’s received, none more precious than the woman in front of him and the son she molded into a hero. He gulps again, sure that at any moment this dream will end, but it doesn’t.

The dream continues, for year and years, forever; taking root in a thousand happy memories and countless soft moments, a lifetime together that renews every year with the bloom of the cherry blossoms and the triumphs of their priceless son.

No one could ask for more.

#toshinko #toshinko fanfic #toshinori x inko #Toshinori Yagi #midoriya inko #my writing

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yourboyfriendaizawa · 6 years

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god, i love ur kitsune au so much.... can i request another installment please? /.\ maybe it had been a while since the reader visited, so aizawa gets worried?

I’m sorry this took so long to come out but I’m putting my head in my goddamn hands bc this was supposed to be a short little drabble and it turned out to be over 2,600 words long. Literally the longest thing I’ve written for this blog so far by almost 500 words. I can’t believe this.

Anyway. This is an AU where Aizawa is a kitsune the reader met on a mountain. All the backstory is written in so if you’re unfamiliar no worries.

It had been weeks since you’d visited the shrine you had built up on the mountain trail for Aizawa. In fact, from what he could gather, you hadn’t been seen on the mountain at all for almost a month now, and Aizawa was getting just a little worried.

The two of you had become close in the year since you’d first gotten lost on your way to visit one of the major shrines. He’d been surprised at first, when Hizashi had come to him a few weeks after the incident to tell him that there was a human who frequented the shine and had recently began ending all their prayers with a thanks to a certain black haired fox that had helped them down the mountain that fateful night. Not long after, Hizashi tricked him into meeting with you again so you could thank him yourself. He had insisted it was only because it was his job to make assist in fulfilling the wishes of the shine’s worshipers if possible, but Aizawa had a hunch it was to get him to take more interest in interacting with humans. Ironically, that’s exactly what had happened. After the first meeting, you had asked if you would see him again the next time you visited, and to everyone’s surprise (even his own,) he had told you he would be if you wanted him to.

Ever since, the two of you had seen each other on an almost weekly basis, and he’d grown fond of your company. At some point, you had revealed that you knew he was a kitsune, and although he had known this, now that you had said it out loud he no longer felt the need to dodge your questions about who he was and found it to be a relief that he could share himself with you. He enjoyed your reactions as he told you about the monsters and spirits he dealt with in order to keep the mountain safe, enjoyed hearing you describe your own life beyond the mountain where he had not traveled in years, and secretly enjoyed the feeling of your fingers gently working their way through his hair as he rested beside you while you sat quietly propped against a tree, either reading or sketching or simply enjoying the peaceful forest around you.

When you’d failed to show up one week, he had hardly thought about it, chalking it up to being busy with something, perhaps familial obligations or work, and assumed he would see you the week after. When you didn’t show up that week either, he found it strange, wracking his brain to see if he could remember you mentioning going on some sort of trip or vacation. After the third week without seeing you, Aizawa began getting antsy, asking the other kitsune on the mountain to keep an eye out for you. Now, after almost four weeks and still no sign of you, he was admittedly worried. He didn’t think you someone to just disappear without a word. There had to be a reason for your absence, and Aizawa was afraid of what that reason could be.

‘Aizawa’. Toshinori’s voice addressed him from the ground below the branch Aizawa had been lounging on, ‘I believe I have news of your human.’ Aizawa’s ears twitched at Toshinori’s choice of words, but said nothing about it, instead turning his gaze toward the ground to encourage Toshinori to continue. At the moment, Toshinori was wearing his in his fox form, his golden fur shining bright in the dappled patches of sun that shone between the leaves, ‘A woman came to my shrine today, praying for the swift recovery of their child. I saw their face in her mind.’

Aizawa’s heart skipped a beat, “Recovery? From what?”

Toshinori shook his head, ‘I don’t know for sure, but I believe it to be an injury. The woman seemed distraught, but she wasn’t begging for her child’s life, so I assume it isn’t anything life threatening.’

There was solace in those words at least, but still Aizawa was concerned. If it was bad enough to keep you away for so long, it must have been serious.”Will you tell me if the woman comes back?”

‘Of course.’ he replied.

Luckily, less than another week passed before Toshinori notified Aizawa the woman had returned, and without having been asked directed Aizawa in the direction he could find her. Aizawa had thanked him quickly, then set off quickly to find her.

—

Aizawa found your mother relatively quickly, he had noticed her scent just minutes after setting off. She smelled an awful lot like you, and he was well adjusted to tracking down your scent by now. He did not approach her, however, but rather followed her from a distance as she emerged from the forest to make her way back into town. He knew it would appear more than strange for him to simply walk up to a woman he had never met and ask about her injured child, so he reasoned with himself that the best solution to find out what had happened to you was to follow her home and see for himself. (Ok, so it sounded just as weird, but it was all he could come up with.) He did however take the time to don a light glamor to hide any traits that might make him stand out among the humans, his fox-like features fading away as he stepped into civilization for the first time in a long while.

Since you had told him a number of times that you always walked to meet him, he assumed you lived rather close to the entrance to the mountain trail, and it turned out he was right. It only took about fifteen minutes or so for your mother to turn into an urban neighborhood, and only a handful more before she approached a building where he assumed you lived.

Now that he had found where you were he released his glamour completely, reverting into his natural fox form, and hide in the brush nearby until night had long since fallen and the widows were dark, signaling the occupants had likely gone to bed before inspecting further. The last thing he wanted was to draw any sort of attention to himself. During this time, he wondered if you would be upset with him for the lengths he was going to check up on you. He knew it would have been weird for a stranger to do all of these things, but he was a friend, right? And he had no other way of contacting you. He didn’t have one of those cell phones you were always carrying around, and even if he did it wasn’t like they had service on the mountain anyway. This was all he could think of.

Regardless, when he was satisfied the noise inside had quieted, he emerged from the bush he had been curled up under, transforming from fox to human mid-stride and approached the front door. He used a claw to carefully flip the lock, absently hoping you wouldn’t be upset by that, and slipped inside.

Instantly, he knew he was in the right place, he could clearly smell your scent hanging in the air, warm and familiar. He let it lead him through the darkness until he came to a door he was certain you were behind, and he gently began turning the knob as quietly as he could, before entering.

And then he saw you, and he felt felt equal parts joy and sadness spread through him, both a surprise in their intensity.

Joy, because there you were, laying in bed safe and relatively sound, and sadness because he could very clearly see your leg propped up on top of three pillows and encased from the knee down in a white cast.

Also, you had clearly not been asleep as he had previously thought because you were currently sitting up and looking straight at him with eyes wide in surprise. “Shouta?” you almost whispered, and his heart warmed at the sound of your voice, “Why–How did you find– come in before someone sees you!”

Aizawa did as you asked, stepping inside and quietly shutting the door behind him. When he turned back to face you, the shock had mostly worn off, and now you were looking at him with an expression that fell somewhere between confusion and awe. “How did you find me?”

“Your mother has started frequenting Toshinori’s shrine to pray for your recovery.” He started, and you gestured for him to come closer to the bed where you were laid.

“Are your friends this lousy at keeping everyone's’ secrets, or just ones that relate to me?” You asked him with a wry smile.

Aizawa gave a small shrug. “It doesn’t say anywhere that your prayers are kept secret. And I was the one who asked everyone to keep tabs. I was worried when I hadn’t seen you around for a while.” He said, surprising you both with his honestly. “What happened to you?”

You grimaced, but quickly tried to cover it up with a smirk as you told him, “I fell off a ladder, if you can believe it. Broke all three bones in my right ankle.” You laughed, trying to pass it off as if it were a joke, but he could tell by the way it sounded that you didn’t find it amusing. Neither did he. “The stupid hospital even set it wrong, twice, so that by the the time a surgeon got the chance to look at me, my ankle was so messed up I had to have two surgeries to correct it. I just had the second one a few days ago.” Aizawa could see the shine of tears in your eyes as you continued, and a pang of sadness gripped his chest, “I’m full of metal pins and rods now, and probably will be for the rest of forever. Not to mention the scars. And on top of all that I have to keep my leg elevated above my heart twenty three hours a day to keep the swelling from making things worse. I’m only allowed up to pee.”

You looked up at him then, and must have seen something on your face because you quickly tried to smile again, and said, “It could be worse though! I’m really lucky I didn’t hit my head or anything on the way down. And My surgeon was really good. He says I’m healing just the way I should be– or at the very least as quickly as I can given how bad the emergency room screwed me up. And my mom has been taking care of me while I can’t take care of myself.”

Despite your words, a tear escaped the corner of your eye when you blinked. Automatically, Aizawa’s hand came up to brush it away. “I’m sorry.” He said, unsure of how to comfort you.

“I’m sorry too, for making you worry. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t think of how to.” You said, bringing your own hand up to grasp his gently. “I’m glad you’re here though. I missed you.”

“I missed you too.” He told you in earnest, “I’m glad you aren’t mad at me for stalking your mother and breaking into your home.”

You laughed, and a small smile graced his lips at the sound. He gave your hand a gentle squeeze in response. “I might have been, if it were anyone else. But since it’s you, you’re forgiven.” You said, before your smile faded and a create fell between your eyebrows, your eyes dropping to your lap. “I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see you again though. I won’t be walking independently for a while, and even then the doctor says I probably won’t be back to normal for at least six months.”

“I’ll visit you here then.” he said, matter-of-factly. Your eyes snapped back up to his in shock, and he almost smiled again. “It wasn’t especially hard to get here.”

“You can do that? I thought you didn’t like to leave the mountain.” You told him.

Aizawa shrugged. “I never really had a reason to leave before. Now I do.” He said simply.

Your eyes began to water again, only this time you were smiling. “Thank you.”

“I should leave you now though, it’s late, and you clearly need to rest.” He said, attempting to release your hand, though you only gripped it harder.

“No, please, I’ve been so lonely, and I haven’t seen you in weeks.” You said in a rush, eyes wide and desperate. “Will you stay, just for a little while longer?”

He would never tell you, but with the way you were looking at him in the moment, he didn’t think he could deny you anything, no matter what it was you asked of him. You looked so tired and fragile, clinging to his hand as though it were a lifeline, there wasn’t any way he could tell you no. Instead, he placed his other hand on your shoulder, pushing gently as he said, “Scoot.”

You quickly obeyed, struggling only slightly with your cumbersome leg, making space for him. When there was sufficient room for him on the bed, he sat down next to you and said, “I’ll stay, but only if you promise to sleep soon.”

The smile you gave him in response was so warm and full of appreciation it made his heart thump in his chest. “Thank you.” You said, squeezing his hand in both of yours, before he noticed you wince ever so slightly.

“Are you in pain?” He asked, looking down at your leg as though he could spot the source of your pain through the plaster.

“Yeah, I think it’s time for me to take another round of medication. Can you reach it for me?” You asked, pointing behind him. Aizawa looked over to see a plethora of of pill bottles on the side table. “I need the ones from the bottle with the pink cap and the one on the far left.” He picked up the ones you specified, handing them to you and watching you open each before shaking out four pills total into your hand. Then he exchanged the pill bottles with you for the glass of water. You threw all of them back in one go, swallowing them in a big gulp. Your face scrunched up in disgust as you said, “Gross. Thanks.”

“Of course,” He replied, watching you pull up your covers and then lean into his side.

“You’re going to get your wish” You said, pouting just slightly, “These are pretty strong, I’ll probably be out in ten minutes tops.”

Aizawa huffed out something that almost sounded like a laugh and said, “That’s a good thing. You need to rest.”

You made a face up at him, but then a small smile slid onto your features again as you said, “Thank you for breaking into my house, and thank you for staying with me. Seriously.”

“I’m just glad you’re safe.” He replied as your head came to rest on his shoulder. “Don’t go making a habit of hurting yourself just to get me to stay over though.”

You hummed in response but said nothing more, and it wasn’t long until he felt you press into him further, your breath coming out slow and even. Aizawa realized that at this point he could probably slip out unnoticed, the medicine you had taken would probably keep you asleep as he moved you, but he found he wasn’t ready to leave you just yet. He’d just found you after a month of worrying, after all.

He leaned down just enough to press his lips gently to the crown of your head, and told himself, Staying a little longer can’t hurt.

---

(A/N: the injury the reader went through in this is actually word for word what happened to me in june of this year. I broke the heck out of my ankle falling off a ladder and the ER really did set it so poorly the surgeon was actually upset the first time he looked at me and I really did have to be in bed for almost a month and a half. It’s been a wild ride, but I’m almost back to walking without limp now so it’s all good!

#aizawa shouta #aizawa x reader #bnha #aizawa #fic #scenario #mine

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bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture · 3 years

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Alright, so this is a bit later than I intended, but real life is a pain sometimes. And for those who missed the last post, that’s mostly on me for posting it at midnight, so you might want to go back and check for that - it covers the whole convo between Toshinori and Izuku on the rooftop!

But yeah, this is the final stretch, all the rest of chapter 1, so let’s hop right into it because it’s gonna be a ride.

[No. 1 - Midoriya Izuku: Origin]

Lookit that firebreath (I know it’s not shh). Also, again with the weird lack of crowds / people around in what should have at least a few stragglers. I get that drawing crowds / background masses is annoying, but in a wideview scene like this it’s unnerving. Japan is a high-population-density country, so… uh...

Izuku stares forlornly at his notebook, thinking about all the things people have told him over the past half chapter I mean day about being realistic and thinking seriously about his future. Izuku turns the book so the title faces away from him and starts tearing up, rubbing them away while he chastises himself for crying when he already knew he was being unrealistic, and that his knowing was what had driven him so hard to not see reality.

Overhead sign: 田 (den/ta) 等 (tou) 院 (in) 商店 (shouten) [business] 街 (machi) [boulevard, street]

Store sign: (コ)ネストアー (konesutoaa) [cornerstore]

Well, there’s the crowds, though still not able to account for all that empty street. We also see that Izuku has managed to wander his way to another hero fight despite not even really paying attention, and even though he tells himself he’s going to make himself feel bad for watching, he still heads over to join the crowds.

He snaps out of his funk when he sees the villain, asking himself how they got away, then realizes he must have made All Might drop it, which means it’s his fault (which kid, honestly, considering he just left those bottles in open flap pockets instead of holding them firmly in his hands, you are not the one to blame.) Also, he utters the ‘this is my fault’ out loud, but the people in front of him obviously don’t hear, distracted as they are with the reason the heroes are just standing around - which is the middle schooler the villain has.

Izuku has a brief flashback to when he was being violated by the villain, and is horrified that someone else is going through the same pain. We get a brief panover of the crowd:

Izuku and Toshinori are like, only fifteen feet apart here, and have the same reaction to the crowd’s commentary. Incredible. We zoom back in to Izuku, who is blaming himself for All Might not being able to do anything. He mentally echoes the same words as the heroes, that someone with the right quirk needs to show up to help catch the guy. He internally tells the captured person to hang in and apologies, saying someone will save him soon.

God I love this spread. This is everything about Izuku right here. You can actually see where Izuku shoved himself through the crowd in order to sprint forward, and you can also see the genuine fear in Katsuki’s eyes in that moment where he and Izuku locked gazes. Also I checked, he sprinted right past three pro heroes, with none of them reacting in time. Incredible.

Toshinori and said heroes all freak out, and Izuku’s panicking right along with them but is still rushing forward despite that. Death Arms and the bird-helmet hero both yell at Izuku to get back, but don’t actually go after him. The sludge villain and Katsuki both react as well, recognizing Izuku.

Izuku’s notebook hits the ground spine first, and we flash over to Izuku wondering what the hell he’s doing. The sludge villain moves to try and hit Izuku when he gets close enough, while Izuku pulls off his backpack and continues to panic-think over what to do… with the book just so happening to open to the page he ends up thinking about, on Kamui Wood’s signature attack from the beginning of the chapter.

He throws his backpack right at the sludge, all the stuff in it flying out as extra ammunition for the villain’s face to dodge, and while distracted, Izuku ducks underneath the strike and calls for Kacchan. Fortunately, the sludge has been forced to pull away from Katsuki’s mouth, allowing him to take a breath before demanding “You? Why?!”

Remember this for (checks watch) 284 chapters from now. Also fuck, I just realized, remember this?

'a pro should always be ready to risk his life'

'the reason I smile is to stave off the overwhelming pressure and fear I feel'

'a symbol of peace who saves people with a smile must never be daunted by evil'

Izuku took those words to heart as well, and is already reflecting them only moments after his dreams were crushed. And you can tell in the next panel that Toshinori heard those words and was slammed right to the core because of it, because he knows that kind of drive, that sort of spirit.

We see the villain going back to suffocating Katsuki, while telling Izuku to stop it. Toshinori calls himself pathetic again while powering up, and the villain tells Izuku to stop getting in his way, that it’s only a bit longer, and moves to smash Izuku out of the way. Inside the sludge, we can see Katsuki close to passing out. The other heroes finally dash forward to try to get him out of there in time, only for someone else to latch onto the arms of both kids instead.

That someone, of course, being All Might, still steaming from going into his hero form. He tells Izuku that he (All Might) should ‘practice what he preaches’ and reiterates that a pro should always be ready to risk his life (while blood seeps from his teeth).

I’m blown away by Horikoshi’s art in this, and this is where he started. God, just thinking of current manga events and the art there… this man needs to be stopped, he’s too powerful, I am going to cry doing comparisons and I don’t even have a clue about any fancy art terminology or the like, all I can do is stand back and be awed.

Izuku has had a rough day.

And here we see the force of the blow, which somehow didn’t blow away the crowds or damage the windows of all the buildings of the surrounding blocks. Jesus fucking christ. And then the remnants of the blow head upward, causing it to start raining because of the rising air current from that one punch.

How was all that shit not blown away????? A mystery to everyone. Also, Katsuki and Izuku are both passed out on the ground while the crowd and media go fucking wild over what All Might just did. All Might turns to keep an eye on the two while also wobbling slightly, the pressure of holding this form past his limits.

After that, we go back to narration from Izuku, talking and showing the cleanup efforts and the villain in two garbage bags (as he deserves). The heroes chastise Izuku for putting himself in danger (I want to note that this has nothing to do with his quirklessness as far as the scene portrays), while Katsuki gets praised for being tough and having a good quirk, and gets an offer to sidekick. Katsuki isn’t listening or just plain doesn’t care, too busy glaring… or not really? At Izuku.

We get a short scenery panel, I guess to suggest the passage of time, and then we see Izuku putting his backpack back on, thinking moodily about wanting to apologize to All Might but not being able to, so he’s planning on leaving a message on the hero’s website. Katsuki calls Izuku out, and takes a shaky moment before snapping at him, saying he didn’t need Izuku to save him, that he could have handled it himself, that he doesn’t want a quirkless kid’s pity, and that he’s not gonna get won over just with this and to stop mocking him. He then spins on his heels and stomps off with a last ‘stupid nerd’, while Izuku thinks Katuski’s a tough guy. He still agrees with Katsuki, though - he didn’t do anything, he didn’t change anything, but he’s still happy, and now he can focus on a realistic future.

And then All Might zooms into view, scaring the hell out of Izuku. Izuku asks why he’s there when he was surrounded by reporters, and All Might says it wasn’t hard to shake them off, considering who he is- before he hacks up blood and deflates into Toshinori. Toshinori continues on more calmly, saying he’s there to thank Izuku and revise his earlier statement, as well as offer a proposal.

He starts off on how, without Izuku’s story, he would have been nothing but ‘fake muscles and insincerity’, and thanks Izuku. (Izuku quietly muttering ‘fake muscles?’ here makes me cackle, because honestly, same.) Izuku tries to refute it, saying it was his fault from the beginning, getting in All Might’s way and daring to ask if he could be a hero despite his quirklessness- only for Toshinori to cut in and say that that was exactly it - out of everyone there, it was only the timid, quirkless kid who acted, and in so spurred him to action.

He goes on to talk about how the top heroes show signs of greatness as children, how many of them claim that their bodies moved before they could think. Izuku is shaking and clutching at his heart, hunching over and tearing up as he recalls his mother’s words, her apology to him. Toshinori continues, asking if that was what happened to Izuku, who replies with a yes while crying. He thinks about what he’d wanted his mom to say back then, and so we cut to the end of the chapter:

God, what a fucking great first chapter. I can’t think of another series I’ve read that hooks me in so well right from the start like this.

Also wait, holy shit, the anime LIED to us.

‘The story of how I became a great hero’, not ‘how I became the greatest hero’. There’s a massive distinction in there between the two, and Izuku’s character leans WAY more towards the manga phrasing over the anime phasing. He’d never consider himself the greatest, those would always go to All Might and likely Katsuki first, and then probably his other classmates and friends as well. He’d be happy to be among the greats, but he’d never consider himself on top of them all.

...huh, that’s the end, besides the one character panel that I’m gonna throw in a separate post. I fucking love this project so much, and I really wanna see what else the manga has to offer that the anime has lied to me about. This section went by a bit faster than expected, but I suppose that’s what comes from almost all of it being action, so. Thanks for sticking around so far, and let’s see what’s to come in chapter 2 together! :D

#chapter 1 #opening arcs #readthrough #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #yagi toshinori #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #this went faster than expected #ah well that just means this chapter is done #(celebrate emoji)#man there was a lot to unpack in this chapter #I fuckin love Horikoshi's work

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redrobin-detective · 6 years

Text

The Long Way Around 1

Here it is! Chapter 1 of my BNHA story, I did promise I'd put it up today so here it is! I really hope you'll enjoy. Since this is a short, introductory chapter, I'll post it all but the rest will be under a read more. Please let me know what you guys think! A lot of time and love has gone into this.

--> Chapter Two

Chapter One: What It Takes To Be a (Quirkless) Hero

All men are not created equal, that is a truth Izuku has lived with since he was four years old. But just when he thought he understood what it meant to be quirkless in a society full of amazing abilities, the universe finds new ways to remind him of his worthlessness.

Everything he's done up until this point has been trying to prove to everyone, to prove to himself, that it wasn't true. That he could be valuable despite his diagnosis, that he too could be a hero. But as he slinks home today, tired and empty, he feels more useless than ever.

Kaachan almost died today and Izuku couldn't do a thing about it. He rubs the palm of his hand roughly into his eye to fight off the frustrated tears. What had he been thinking? Running out like that when not even the heroes on the scene had been willing to tackle the delicate situation had been insane.

He's lucky All Might appeared out of nowhere to stop the sludge monster or both of them would've been killed. Normally meeting All Might would lift his spirits but the Number One had come and gone before he'd even had a chance to ask one of the hundreds of questions on his mind. It was like he'd somehow sensed that quirkless Izuku wasn't worth a second more of his time. Instead he was left sprawled on the ground beside Kaachan, shaking from the adrenaline, covered in sludge with the light rain All Might's single punch drizzling down on him; feeling like he's just missed out on something important.

Before he could even process what had happened, he'd been hauled to his feet by one of the heroes in the area. The very same heroes who stood by and did nothing while Kaachan was suffocating right in front of them, he'd thought bitterly. At first, there had been praise and congratulations but, of course, that dried up once they got around to asking about his quirk. As always, their cheer turned to disgust and their appreciation became a lecture on his recklessness and stupidity. It wasn't anything he hasn't heard before, but this time seemed to cut all the deeper.

Maybe it's because All Might swept in and ignored him just like everyone else. Maybe that the adrenaline and anxiety that had initially propelled him forward had left him even more tired and vulnerable than normal. Or maybe it was the fact that the heroes stood there lecturing him for doing their job all the while admiring Kaachan's bravery in the face of adversity. The double standard burned in his chest but not as much as his former friend's glare that said he'd have rather died than accept the help of a quirkless nothing.

Izuku hasn't been on good terms with Kaachan for a while... which is a nice way of saying that Kaachan has been making his life hell for the past ten years or so. But still as much as Kaachan infuriated him, terrified him, Izuku has always respected the other boy's strength and determination to succeed. Seeing strong, vibrant Kaachan with that fearful expression is what spurned him into action but the look Kaachan gave him afterwards made Izuku wonder if he should just learn to stop butting in and figure out that he really isn't good for anything.

He'd been able to gather up his scattered belongings and slip past the nagging heroes and nosy reporters. Only a few acknowledged Izuku's role in the fight and none of them bothered to ask him any questions. In this society, the quirkless might as well be invisible, it's practically a quirk in and of itself. He'd laugh if it wasn't so exhausting.

So Izuku stumbles home, feeling hyperaware of his surroundings but also in something of a distracted daze. He's not quite sure what he's going to do now. All he knows to do is dream; it's the only option he has available to him since no one, not his teachers, not society, not the Number One himself, was willing to give him a chance to do more.

But maybe they're right? It's not like he actually did anything useful back there. He couldn't save Kaachan, couldn't save himself after he rushed in before his brain caught up with his stupid legs. Maybe it was time he gave up on his foolish dream of being a hero.

"Deku!" Izuku automatically freezes at the angry cry. He turns to see Kaachan, breathing heavily and angrily behind him, as if he'd run all the way from the crime scene. Kaachan has already passed his house, why was he here now?

"I never asked for you to come help me!" the blond shouts, looking angrier than Izuku had ever seen him and yet, there were no explosions coming from his hands and he doesn't look like he was going attack. Izuku tenses up and prepares for the worst anyway.

"I didn't need to be saved, Ok? I could have taken care of myself! You're so goddamn useless Deku, what were you thinking, you didn't do shit!" With a final sneer, Kaachan turns on his heels and stalks back to his house leaving Izuku slightly stunned at the uncharacteristic confrontation. "Stay out of my fucking way, I don't owe you shit!" Izuku blinks as Kaachan leaves as a new feeling started to overwhelm all the anger and emptiness inside of him.

Relief.

Kaachan… was okay. He wasn't afraid anymore, he wasn't hurting and slowly being drowned in sludge. He makes Izuku sick with pent up fear, anger and hopelessness and yet... Izuku was still happy the boy he once called a friend was alive. Izuku smiles fondly to himself and continues his journey home. Kaachan was right, he didn't really do anything and, in the end, he only got in the way of the real heroes but that's not the point. The point is, no matter how insignificant he was, he'd played a role in getting his friend out alive.

He brings his head up, puts his shoulders back and walks forward with a new purpose. Izuku has no delusions of being a real hero; the path to Number One might as well be Jupiter. But that doesn't mean he couldn't be a hero in his own way. Not every hero was an All Might or Endeavor, they also needed smaller heroes for smaller things. It wouldn't be the most glamorous job and there would only be so much he could do, but it would be better than nothing.

The thought makes him smile as he picks up his pace and hurries home. Maybe this incident will finally convince his mom to let him take self-defense classes. He could do some research on strength building regimes and continue to hone his analytical skills and maybe, just maybe, someday someone will need a quirkless nobody like him.

XxX

"Damn sludge monster," All Might, currently in his true form as Yagi Toshinori, curses quietly in English as he clutches his wound and staggers back home. His breathing was rough and haggard, harsh with foamy blood clogging his throat. He pretends not to notice the frightened mother ahead of him who hurriedly pushes her baby stroller to the other side of the street when she sees him. He doesn't blame her but that doesn't mean it hurts any less.

Toshinori had just wanted to get some groceries was all. The small city he'd moved to was quiet but, most importantly, it was closer to Yuuei than his old apartment had been. He coughs wetly into his fist, he'd left Might Tower early today so he could grocery shop on his way home. Of course he had to run into a rampaging monster and of course he had to save the day. He was All Might, that's what he did and Nana would expect nothing less of her successor.

He'd almost used up One for All for the day and so he'd hoped to make an easy capture but the monster had been quite slippery, pun intended. At one point, Toshinori almost had the creature when it had started up a street drain but had changed its mind at the last second and given further chase through the sewers.

The worst part is he lost track of the damn thing when he was just barely holding onto One For All. For good or for ill, it was a scream that helped him locate the monster again. He'd come across a terrifying scene; a young boy engulfed in the sludge, clearly terrified and unable to escape despite his powerful quirk. There'd been another boy there too, small and plain, clawing desperately at the monster in an attempt to save his friend. All Might wasted no time in smashing that monster into tiny, manageable pieces and pulling the children to safety.

There were cheers in the air, the sound of clicking cameras and sobs of relief but all Toshinori could pay attention to was the slow steam beginning to rise from his body, thankfully disguised by the falling rain. With a smile and the obligatory assurances, All Might had leapt into the air like the majestic hero he is. He landed a short distance away in an alley where Toshinori appeared in his place and promptly spit up a good amount of blood. Today just hasn't been his day.

So here he is now, walking home scaring young mothers, without his groceries and feeling utterly spent. Toshinori rubs at his eyes and to think he'd wanted nothing more than to be a hero when he was younger. He wonders if he'd have been so eager if he'd known what heroism was really about: pain and shoving aside weakness to appease the public. His mouth twists unhappily. That's... not really how he feels, it's just been a long day is all.

As he walks, he thinks mostly about what he can eat tonight now that his groceries are lost and how he can justify this disaster to Tsukauchi who will be understandably upset over the mess he left behind. Toshinori doesn't think about his increasing need for a successor, though that is usually in the back of his mind, bouncing around without ever quite settling. He certainly doesn't think about the boys he'd saved earlier, two of millions he's rescued over his illustrious career. But even old, worn down by the weight of the world, there's a niggling sense like there was something he'd missed. Something important.

Midoriya Izuku is being inspired to not let his quirklessness get in the way of his dreams by the time Toshinori turns into his neighborhood. They walk in opposite directions but both of them carry a sense of loss, like an opportunity came and went without so much as a warning.

Neither can know this, but far, far away in another universe, Midoriya Izuku runs into Number One Hero, All Might, for the third time that day and is given an opportunity he can't refuse. But in this one, the hero and his potential successor continue on in opposite directions not knowing just how much work will be needed to reconnect their paths.

#boku no hero academia #fic: The Long Way Around #okay I'm done obsessing here it is #chap 2 will probably be up in a few days #midoriya izuku #toshinori yagi #also! anything bolded is said in English #anything italicized for paragraphs at a time is a flashback told is past tense #where the main fic is present tense #I'll also be crossposting on AO3 and FF #and i'll link future chapters when they're up #please enjoy #bnha

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seashanties-and-tales-blog · 7 years

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Can I have a scenario of Toshinori getting jealous and clingy of his fem college s/o after seeing her being hit on by her male college mates? He feels insecure of his body and age and he's scared to lose her.

Aww this is sad :( Giving this fluffy ending. Also, manga spoilers.

“Toshi, is something wrong?”

This question had been lingering in your mind ever since you met up with your boyfriend today. As he usually does, he picked you up after you got out of school and you walked together to a nearby cafe. After that, you relaxed in his apartment and nuzzled close on the couch with the TV on in the background. A usual day for the two of you, but what isn’t usual is the way that your boyfriend has been acting.

Ever since he picked you up, his gaze has been downcast. Any smile that appears on his face is gone within moments, as if it was fabricated just to set you at ease. His large hand held yours tighter every time your spoke to another person. You noticed that he only did this when the other person was a man. Responses were short in your conversations and his mind seemed to be elsewhere.

Now that you’re finally alone together, you’ve decided to figure out what’s wrong.

He shifts a little, his long arm still around your shoulders as he seems visibly uncomfortable. He reaches a hand up to thoughtfully scratch his cheek before shaking his head. “Ah… nothing’s wrong. Don’t worry.”

Typical hero, trying to make it seem like everything is okay, even if it isn’t. Unfortunately you see right through him.

You lean forward a little to get a better look at his face, the blanket that’s wrapped around both of your bodies now falling off your shoulders and down to your lap. “Don’t lie to me, please. I know something’s wrong.”

He can’t look at you. If he does, it’s all just going to come flooding out. But lying to you has never been something he’s intended on doing. When you place a gentle hand onto his cheek and turn his head so he’s looking into your eyes, he gives in.

“It’s…” He feels so stupid to be so insecure about it. “I just.. worry sometimes.” He scratches the back of his head, another nervous gesture. “I saw those college guys talking to you and it got me to thinking…”

Your expression becomes more confused, though you’re quiet so he can continue.

“Sometimes I just wonder if you’d be happier with a guy like that. Younger and healthy.”

Your expression softens. So he had been feeling insecure about that? “Oh, Toshi…” You sigh, but not wanting to sound sympathetic or like you pity him, you shake your head. “That’s ridiculous. You know that. Maybe if I wanted to be with a guy who flirts with the first girl he sees and doesn’t have the goodness and bravery in his heart that you do, then yeah, I’d be happier with him.”

You know everything about Toshinori. You knew since before the incident that made his true identity known to the world. You first met him in this form though, sickly and frail, and you fell in love with him in this form too. How could you want anyone else?

He glances up at you, feeling a bit pathetic for the way he feels. “You’re the most amazing man in the world, Toshinori Yagi. All Might is a close second. What All Might doesn’t have is a girlfriend that loves him more than anything. But you do.”

Surely he’d feel more confident if he could be in his All Might form forever, just like he used to be but… that isn’t him anymore. In spirit, yes, he will always be All Might. But physically, this is who he is now - the man before you.

You situate yourself so you’re straddling his lap, placing both hands onto his cheeks so he’s looking into your eyes and not looking away like he kept doing before. A bit embarrassed by this, Toshinori blushes. “(Y-Y/N)…”

“You make me happier than anyone ever has. You’ll always be my hero.”

You’re right. He knows that you are. He knows that you’re telling him exactly what comes from your heart. It still hurts to think that, maybe you would be better off with a younger guy, one who is healthy and can keep up with you.

He doesn’t say anything, your words beginning to sink into his mind. “Besides, younger guys have nothing on you. Especially not in bed,” you mutter the last part when you lean in to kiss his lips.

Embarrassed, he stutters your name but you quickly shut him up with a kiss. Hearing you giggling against his lips relaxes him, causing his shoulders to relax as he kisses you back.

About five seconds later he pulls away and clears his throat, turning his head to the right. “Sorry for doubting you..”

You just shake your head, leaning down to kiss his head of soft blonde hair. “Just don’t do it again! Or else.”

He chuckles, not taking your threat very seriously. His arms wrap around your waist, and feeble as they may be, nothing makes you feel more safe, loved, and protected.

Your own arms loosely wrap around his neck, your chin on his shoulder as his forehead is against yours. The two of you sit like this in quiet for a while, wanting nothing more than to just be safe in one another’s arms.

After some time, yeah hear Toshinori speak quietly. “..Am I really that good in bed?”

You scoff, as if his question is crazy. “Of course you are, Toshi. What kind of question is that?”

He thinks that a part of you might just be saying this to sate his thoughts, since sometimes it truly is hard to keep up with you even during physical intimacy. But what he gives you in those moments is love and care that only he does best. He sighs quietly, squeezing his arms tighter around you and pulling you closer.

He’ll always have his recurring doubts and insecurities, and when that happens, you’ll always build him back up.

#toshinori yagi #all might #bnha #mha #scenario #scenarios #imagine #imagines #my hero academia #boku no hero academia

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