Work Text:
Izuku should’ve known something would go wrong—after all, since when did the universe just let him be?
“I-is that Midoriya?” Kaminari’s voice sounds incredulous from where he sits in the common room along with the rest of their classmates, all of whom were strewn around the room, last Izuku had checked. Some had been studying at the table while others slump over each other in front of the television. Izuku himself had stopped by his room to grab his English notes before returning downstairs to join his classmates.
At the mention of his name, Izuku pauses just before reaching the doorway, unsure as to whether he’s supposed to respond.
He doesn’t, instead he slowly steps into the room and tries to figure out what has his classmates so befuddled.
The students formerly spread across the room had migrated to cluster around the TV, so much so that Izuku himself was struggling to make out what they were looking at—his vision partially obscured by his taller peers.
Thankfully, he doesn’t need to worry about seeing whatever it is they’re looking at. The news anchor reporting the story provides a voice over:
“—ideo captured by a drone in the area. The footage shows a student, now identified as Izuku Midoriya, a first year in the Hero Course at UA High School, hero name: Deku, taking on the notorious villain Muscular in order to protect a child.”
A pit forms in Izuku’s stomach as the image on screen shifts to a close up of Izuku charging at Muscular, shoving his hand between strings of muscle. His classmates seem to feel the same, if the abject horror on their faces is anything to go by.
“The Carnal Murderer: Muscular, had been on the run for several months, having murdered several heroes before seemingly joining forces with the League of Villains in order to participate in the attack on UA’s hero course during its annual summer camp. And yet, somehow, he was subdued and apprehended thanks to none other than the hero-in-training, Deku!”
The screen zooms in on Izuku’s face as he charges at Muscular for what could’ve been the final time. There’s tears streaming down his face as he yells for Kouta to run . He watches as his body—and god, the sheer size difference between Izuku and Muscular depicted makes him want to scream. He remembers struggling until he was trapped under the colossal weight and the feeling of the ground shattering beneath him.
He remembers apologising over and over to a mother who wouldn’t hear him. He remembers not having the faintest clue what to say but All Might’s name looping in his mind anyway.
“While it appears as though Deku sustained significant injuries during this fight, he still came out victorious and managed to save Kota Izumi!”
On screen, Kota lets loose a burst of water, distracting Muscular and giving Izuku the opportunity to get up and, with a bold cry, send the beast of a man sailing through the air and into the side of the mountain—the earth crumbling around his unconscious body.
The reporter carries on but Izuku can’t hear her anymore, not with the cries of his classmates drowning them out.
“What the fuck. What the fuck? What the fuckwhatthefu—”
“How—how did—he just—you saw that right?”
“I-I always knew Deku was strong but that—God, that seems like such an understatement now.”
“Midoriya is certainly a force to be reckoned with. His determination is truly remarkable.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Midoriya-chan that angry before, ribbit.”
“No kidding. What did he say? “As if I’d let you kill him!” or something? That was insane.”
“He did all that to protect a kid he barely knew. Man, just when I thought Mido couldn’t get any manlier.”
His classmates are loud with their compliments and now that Izuku is no longer watching himself be crushed under the villain that almost killed him, he finds himself getting flustered, unused to so much praise.
“Um, guys—”
“Midoriya!”
Apparently interrupting his classmates is not the best way to derail the conversation, as several people jump up at his voice and tackle him, faces distraught as though Izuku had just wrapped up his fight with Muscular a few minutes ago, rather than several months prior.
Izuku ends up sprawled on the ground for a few moments, unsure of which direction to look as his classmates talk all at once. Eventually, Iida takes charge of the situation and forces his classmates to quiet down, ushering Izuku to sit in the middle of the sofa as the others sit themselves around, expectant eyes focusing on him from all angles.
“You wanna explain what the fuck we just saw?” Izuku pointedly avoids Bakugou’s furious gaze, instead focusing on picking at a loose string on the hem of his shirt.
“I mean, there isn’t much to explain? Muscular was trying to kill Kouta so I had to stop him.”
“Hah? The fuck does that mean—you had to stop him, my fucking ass—” Kirishima is quick to place a hand on Bakugou’s shoulder, stopping him from making his way any closer to Izuku.
“Woah, there! I think what Bakubro means is how come you didn’t tell us you defeated an A-Class villain by yourself?”
“For real! That’s fucking incredible!”
“He straight up murdered pros and you managed to stop him—”
Izuku waves his hands in front of him, wanting to stop his classmates before they get out of hand. “I-I guess...it just never came up?”
There’s more outcries, his classmates look like they’re torn between congratulating him on his win and tying him down to a chair to make sure it never happens again.
“Damn, Midori. Next you’re gonna be telling us that’s not the only time you’ve apprehended a villain!” Ashido is jovial in the way she speaks and there’s a grin on her face but she’s not quite as loud as usual and Izuku can infer the question she’s indirectly asking.
“...Do you mean by myself or in general?”
The chatter around him stops as eyes turn to him, somewhat afraid to ask.
“If you’re talking villains I’ve stopped alone then yeah, it’s just Muscular. Overhaul doesn’t really count because there was a whole team and there’s no way I would’ve won without Eri and Mirio. Though I guess you could argue I didn’t beat Muscular alone either, because Kouta had to distract him? And then of course there was the day of the Cultural Festival when I ran into the Gentle Criminal and La Brava—they were trying to crash the Festival so I had to stop them. That time I was definitely by myself but if you want to get technical I didn’t actually apprehend any of them, I just fought them until the pros arrived to take them away—”
“Back up a second, what happened on the day of the Cultural Festival?”
“Mon amis, please tell me the reason you came back all beaten up wasn’t because you ended up fighting a villain.”
“He came back what?”
“Right, okay. I got this. Todoroki, you freeze him in his place while Yaomomo makes some handcuffs. He’s never leaving this house again.”
“On it.”
Midoriya yelps and scrambles to avoid Todoroki’s arm only to end up sprawled across Uraraka and Iida’s laps.
“Wait wait wait! I’m fine, you guys!”
Izuku is met with eighteen unimpressed looks while Bakugou looks like he’s about to self detonate at any moment. Izuku suspects his voice might just trigger said explosion so he opts to keep his mouth shut, instead puffing a cheek to convey his displeasure with the turn of events.
“Oh no, he’s making the face. Yaoyorozu, please make a mask too, Deku’s too powerful like this.”
Uraraka’s arms come up to wind around his torso; even with her pinkies raised and mouth stretched in a wide smile, she somehow manages to look menacing.
“With all due respect, Midoriya, I have to agree. It seems you have an affinity for attracting villains.”
“All I do is exist—”
“Well exist better, dipshit! Quit causing so much trouble!”
The class unites as one in an effort to sit on Izuku and physically prevent him from moving from his spot on the sofa. That is, until Aizawa walks in and calls him to his office to discuss their next steps regarding the video leaked to the public.
Izuku walks with his head hung low until Aizawa drops a hand onto his head and reassures him he’s not in trouble, voice as tired as ever but his eyes softer than their usual glare. It seems even their homeroom teacher is not immune to the power of Izuku’s charm. His classmates give him a thumbs up as the two leave Height’s Alliance, leaving 1-A on their own once more.
That doesn’t stop them from continuing to talk about Izuku: his strength, his kindness, his drive and heroic nature. They talk about how inspiring he is but also about Izuku’s readiness to throw his life away if it means saving someone else and how downright terrifying it is. Izuku Midoriya is truly one of a kind, he’s heroic to a fault and no one can disagree that he has the makings of greatness within him.
But still, he’s just a student. He’s not the world’s hero yet, he’s 1-A’s very own beacon of Hope, as Tokoyami dubs him, and they’ll be damn sure to hang onto him for as long as humanly possible. And that includes establishing the Deku Protection Squad, founded and headed by Uraraka, with Iida as her secretary and Todoroki as the company spokesperson.
For a while, all is right in their little world.
Until—
“Okay, guys, I’m just gonna say it. Those slow-mos after the fight were kinda hot, right?”
Jirou slaps the back of Kaminari’s head, but doesn’t disagree. Her cheeks are a little more flushed than usual.
“Ow! What? I’m not a sadist or anything, I’m just saying. Those poses? The way Midoriya tilted his head forward and back? Damn.”
The class is silent, mulling over his words. Eventually, Todoroki musters the courage to speak up.
“I thought he was attractive as well.”
“It was pretty manly.”
“Not to pull a Toga, but is anyone gonna mention the way the blood dripped off Deku?”
“Oh thank God, I thought it was just me who noticed.”
“Uraraka! Sero! That is no way to speak of your fellow classmate! Especially an injured, fellow classmate!”
“Iida-chan just doesn’t want to admit he finds Midoriya-chan hot, ribbit.”
Iida face blooms a bright red. “I...resent that you are correct.”
“Do not be ashamed, Iida! For the way his shirt blew off was truly spectacular!”
“How are none of you talking about the way he stood up with it half gone—”
“Hah? I’m out of here, I’m not listening to you idiots thirst over that fucking nerd.”
“Aw, c’mon blasty! Just admit you think he’s hot and we swear we’ll never mention it to you again!”
Hagakure cheers Ashido on as she antagonises Bakugou from a safe distance.
“Hell fuckin' no! And shut the fuck up, you noisy bitch!”
“It’s unmanly to lie, Bakubro.”
“The fuck did you say to me?!”
Kirishima suffers through several blasts to the face but, after blowing off some steam, even Bakugou admits that “The nerd didn’t look as ugly as usual.”
The class erupts into laughter and shouts, talking over one another again until Shouji speaks over them, “Alright guys, I doubt Midoriya would appreciate us talking about him like this.” Kouda nodding in agreement to the side.
The class quiets down after that, properly chastised and content to go back to their own activities now the news segment has switched to something far more mundane.
Still, Uraraka finds herself pondering over Izuku’s words.
“Say, you guys…” Uraraka presses a finger against her cheek in concentration as the class turns to face her, questioning.
“Deku said those were the villains he fought himself. Does that mean he’s fought more in teams?”
There’s a brief pause, followed by choked noise from her side and suddenly the class is in uproar all over again.