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In a person’s formative years, they soak up information and biases like a sponge and it can be argued that your experiences as a young child can affect your actions and opinions for the rest of your life.
Within this, depending on whatever environment a child grows up in, that child will learn whatever skills they are taught or are required of them to survive… quickly and efficiently. And even if such a skill soon becomes obsolete, they are much more likely to be able to pick it up again later when needed, and are even more likely to build on such skills since they are arguably part of the building blocks that make an individual an individual.
Some people learn languages faster, some learn to draw like their parents, a few children learn to be more active like their siblings, charismatic like their favorite actor, some even have specific niches that let them tell you about every star above the sky or every fish in the ocean.
Some people learn much less favorable skills, like how to dodge quickly, how to stay out of sight even while standing in the front of the room, basic first aid, and most importantly: how to read the body language and emotions of everyone around them.
Izuku, who spent a large majority of his formative years alone, found that he had a lot of extra time to learn a bit of everything.
He likes to think that his best skill is the ability to adapt to any situation at all.
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Word spread fast in Junior high, especially when everybody knew everybody.
A few more people tried to push his buttons after Ijime-Kun ended up switching schools after the ‘mysterious’ manilla folder was given to him. The Ijimes said it was a business opportunity abroad, but as mentioned before, everyone knew what really happened even if they didn't know how Deku managed to be the one to do so.
Nobody in his class tried to do anything, especially after watching even Bakugou shut the fuck about showing Izuku his place as the quirkless Deku he was as he used to do in primary.
As a few others in the school went ‘abroad for work’, it became very clear that Izuku took no prisoners, and that he was not to be messed with.
Of course this didn’t mean he had any friends. Nobody wanted to be his friend , but as Izuku scribbled in his notebook without any complaints or interruptions about something he can’t change, he decided that being respected enough to leave alone is much better than being seen as less than the dirt they walk on.
No longer following around Katsuki and the others like a dog, and no longer needing to constantly bandage himself and hide his broken belongings, Izuku found himself with even more extra time than he had before… and honestly why not spend it wisely?
After dealing with his problem, he finally sat down with his mom and discussed a lot of things. They talked for hours on the couch about the bullying, the neglectful teachers, the discrimination, him dealing with the discrimination, and after a lot of tears and reassurances that of course not mom I knew you’d stand up for me but I needed to do it myself -- he finally got to the point: what next.
Inko, while worried about a few of the activities, certainly couldn’t say no to her son as long as they followed a few of her stipulations. One, every few weeks they would evaluate his schedule to see what needs to change. And two, he needed to look into other schools because while she respects that he wanted to fix those problems himself, they’d have to pry the desire to protect her son out of her cold dead hands .
He, of course, accepted such stipulations. He still has a few years before U.A. so he didn’t need to do something drastic like clean a beach in ten months or anything else as strange, nor did he have any sort of attachment towards his school besides some vague smugness over what he did to fight off any torment.
If he still sent small smirks to the two flower crowns hung on the corner of his bed? Then only his mom would be able to share, and the two of them are quite used to keeping secrets.
Seeing that Subarashii Online School rejected his admittance was not a surprise. Receiving the explanation that he answered every question correctly when it was just a placement test and that it had questions up to high school?
That was a whole other ball game .
And after some mild surprise from Izuku, and much less mild teasing from his mom about all those books he reads all the time, they found a place where he could test out of however many grades he needs to.
Somehow they were both still surprised to see he could literally test out of high school when he should be in his first year of Junior high. The realization that his teachers were marking him down on purpose was not a realization taken lightly by Midoriya Inko, the most prominent Abuse and Discrimination Lawyer in Masufastu .
He still wasn’t allowed in any hero programs though, so he decided to settle for some college courses on programming, psychology, and law to settle him till he’s older. His mom was very proud of him.
And so began Izuku’s schedule of Gymnastics, Taekwondo, Krav Maga, Online College Courses, his usual Hero Analysis, and if he started to play around with some more hacking that he got very good at during the creation of those Manilla folders? Then who’s truly to say.
He had never been busier, and never felt happier.
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As Inko stretches and gets up to make breakfast on her day off, she sees Izuku already at the table with his computer in front of him… exactly where he’s been when she went to sleep.
“Izuku, love, did you go to sleep at all?” She tries to ask calmly but was sure her hands fidgeting while her mind was racing trying to figure out what’s wrong with her baby-
“Mother? I’m going to take down the Hero Commission,” he says deadpan.
And while hearing that would-- she’s sure --put many other parents spiraling into a panic attack. It only calms her panic that at least this is something she can help him with, and that there must be a good reason for him to be filled with so much anger as to call her Mother instead of Mom .
So she does what any other dedicated single mother would do in this situation.
“Okay, sweetie. Why don’t you go grab a notebook and we’ll brainstorm? No physical or digital fingerprints, especially for something this big, yeah? Gotta stay safe.”
Izuku faintly smiles while getting up to do as asked. “Of course, Mom. That’s the number one rule.”
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“They did fucking WHAT to that poor baby?!?!?!”
As he hears his Mom curse enough to make a grown man cry, Izuku’s grin only gets wider and wider because he knows this is only the beginning of the Hero Commissions' total destruction.
No matter how long it takes.
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If saving Keigo Takami from the Hero Commission, and shutting down the Next Gen Project indefinitely meant a lot of blackmail that could destroy Japan’s entire infrastructure? Then Izuku couldn’t say.
After all, the anonymous helper only signed off with a nice and simple, untraceable , Prometheus.
If anyone asks how he got acquainted with an average family in a small neighborhood like theirs, he just grins like he was taught and gives a simple, “He helped me with a villain,” and as they laugh about a quirkless boy doing such a thing, the three of them will trade knowing looks.
The best lies have truth in them after all.
And if throughout the next few years, corruption in the Commission became an all-time low, or else ?
Then only Prometheus could say.
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If Izuku becomes friends with various other heroes and people with power through his extra time spent with his ‘good friend’ Prometheus? Then honestly a lot of it is the fault of Keigo who is very excited to make new friends and have his friends become friends.
Izuku never has the heart to decline when he himself was also deprived of the opportunity.
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After a few years, Izuku is nothing like he was before. He’s genuinely confident instead of feeling like he’s putting on a show, and while he still falls back onto concealing his emotions in front of people he doesn’t trust, there’s plenty of people in his corner that help him reach out.
Keigo, Rumi, Mirai, Aizawa, Yamada, and Kayama became especially close to Izuku in their own ways.
After Mirai brushed against Keigo during a battle he immediately said he wanted in with fierce anger in his eyes for what they did to him. Keigo had no clue what he was talking about at first since Sir Nighteye’s quirk is generally hidden and they hadn’t worked together before, but it was the thought that counted. While getting closer together, Keigo ended up confided in Mirai who Prometheus is and what he has done for him and is still doing, and with permission from Izuku, invited him to Sir Nighteye’s agency to meet the man who’s become somewhat of a father figure to him, which Izuku was pretty stoked for.
They clicked very nicely when Mirai realized that the random boy in his office was not only the very same Prometheus who helped his Keigo, but had done everything without any extra birth-given ability.
For a man who had to fight to become a hero with a non-combative quirk, he thought Izuku was pretty cool.
Izuku didn’t even try to keep it a secret that he thought the same way about the older man.
Miruko-- who insists on being called Rumi --became a big sister to Izuku just like she was for Keigo, and honestly, the vague adulting battles between her and Mirai can get very funny when one of them gets jealous of the other’s time spent with their kids.
Eraserhead on the other hand crossed Izuku’s path in a very different way. Every now and then while gathering research, Izuku needs some physical evidence, which while could be considered vigilante actions and illegal… the law states that only someone with a quirk can be a vigilante.
Izuku’s study in Law, and specifically its loopholes, is taken advantage of greatly.
Eraserhead does not know such discrepancies about him when he’s wearing his mask, but it was quite fun to run around him the few times they met before his Eraserdad came out and started worrying about his well-being and if he’s okay.
Being told he was Prometheus was quite a punch to the system since he ended up just laying on the roof and blankly staring at the sky for quite a few minutes while Izuku just prowled around him like an angry cub making sure nobody snuck up on them.
Being told he was quirkless right after he came back to the living and that not only was he not legally a vigilante due to quirkist laws, but also a child only resulted in Eraserdad making a sound between a growl and a whine before hugging him to make sure he was whole because you're so small though .
Izuku thought he was quite warm and after saying Okay, Eraserdad he only felt warmer.
His husband, Yamada, and best friend, Kayama, obviously were attached to him like leeches and before Izuku even knew it, his family was a lot larger than just his mom and him.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
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Yamada takes his glass and throws it in the air while yelling, “To Izuku!”
Everyone around him yells back the cheer except Dadzawa who only does it half-heartedly while in his sleeping bag in the corner.
It’s his bedtime.
Izuku just giggles, “I haven’t even gotten in yet!”
Everyone just gives him big smiles while Mirai says, “We don’t have a single doubt that tomorrow you’ll pass with flying colors.”
Izuku can’t make out everything but he thinks he hears a faint scoff and of course, he will he’s Problem Child from where Dadzawa is falling asleep. He’s adorable when he’s tired.
Rumi and Kayama start looking at all the pictures on the walls while Takami just snatches him up to sit on his lap on the couch while Mirai and Yamada join them. Izuku just rests against his brother’s chest and lets the feeling of warmth spread over him.
“Hey what’s this?” Kayama points at some achievements hung on the wall.
“Which one?” Takami grins proudly.
Rumi looks at Takami’s face, squints at him, and then reads all of them out loud one by one, while Kayama’s jaw slowly gets closer and closer to the ground.
“Midoriya Izuku… High School Diploma… Midoriya Izuku… Dual Bachelors in Computer Science and Programming… Midoriya Izuku… Bachelors in Psychology… Midoriya Izuku… Bachelors of Laws… Midoriya Izuku… Associates in English… Midoriya Izuku… Associates in Nursing… Midoriya Izuku… Associates in Teaching… what the fuck Green Bean ,” Rumi finishes in a voice that is part awe and part fear.
The awake adults all look at Tamaki with a half-asleep Izuku in his arms smiling sleepily.
Tamaki stage whispers in a mischievous tone, “He got them because he was bored .”
It’s safe to say that Aizawa and Izuku both shoot up awake when everyone yells what the fuck and then groan all at once.
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They all wanted to walk him to the school and it took a good amount of hugs and promises to share every detail with them when they celebrate again tonight-- this time with his Mom, too, since she was busy destroying some piece of shit at work. He was able to escape by just going with Dadzawa and Yamapops since you know they were actually supposed to be there .
Humming happily to himself, he and Pops ended up branching off from Dad since they were proctoring different rooms.
“Are you even allowed to proctor my test if you're my Yamapops?”
All he gets is a happy shrug in response, so he deigns not to worry about it.
In the exam room, he sits in the front so they could keep talking until it filled up more.
“I’m telling you, you don’t need another cat. Dadzawa will of course accept the cat no matter what so that’s why it’s up to you to draw the line. You guys already have six you don’t need anymore!”
Pops in a very serious manner replies, “Counterargument: They’re cute.”
Izuku throws his hands in the air in defeat, “They’re gonna eat Tamaki one of these days and it’ll be your fault!”
He just nods solemnly, “If that’s what it takes.”
Their eventful conversation was interrupted by a boy with blue hair and rectangle glasses, “Excuse me! It is inappropriate to talk to a teacher in such an informal manner and you are holding the teacher back from stating the rules!”
Izuku just kind of slowly blinks at him as he uses his hands to chop with every other word.
Pops looks like he’s holding back a laugh.
Izuku looks at the boy, squints at him, and then slowly looks at his Pops, “This is Iida’s little brother, yeah?” When he gets a nod and a smile in response.
Izuku looks at the boy with the most serious gaze he can and solemnly says, “Iida, I’m going to be completely honest with you. Whatever your brother has told you about the rules at this school? The majority of them are lies,” ignoring the boy trying to cut him off to argue he continues, “I have the utmost respect for Iida Tensei. But last week he got banned from a Walmart for putting a sleeping Aizawa in a shopping cart and zooming across the store causing many aisles to fall over. He then looked at the manager in the eyes and blamed it on Aizawa, who was still sleeping in the shopping cart. I know cause I was there. And so was Yamada. We filmed it. Multiple angles.”
He just stares at him shell shocked while his Pops and the kids around them are giggling.
“I’m sorry you had to learn that your brother was a fucking with you like this,” he continues solemnly while patting the boy on his shoulder, “I’d recommend pranking him back. Tell him they didn’t let you take the exam because of an incident that they accused you of causing last week at a Walmart. It’ll be really funny.”
Pops snorts and just full-on belly laughs for like three minutes straight when he sees Iida’s face fall into pale-faced horror at all the lies he was told.
Izuku just stayed seated with his head on his hands looking at his Pops about to piss his pants laughing on the floor fondly.
The exam was easy. He walks out in twenty minutes with a high five to his Pops and a smile on his face.
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After snooping around-- he waves to every camera he isn’t rude --he finds a few hidden doors that he’ll definitely be exploring further another day. Eventually, he gets a call from his Dad telling him to get his ass over to the bus because it’s almost time for the practical.
“Geez Dad it’s not like the building’s on fire! I’m coming, I’m coming,” he says into the phone as he waves farewell to the supposedly invisible camera as he passes by it.
Nedzu’s whiskers twitch as he watches Midoriya Izuku head towards his bus and wave bye to him.
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On the bus, everyone seems too jittery to talk much which is fine with him as he sends the Fam Group Chat a meme and complains about Pops wanting another cat. Everyone riots against it except Dad who just says, “When and what’s their name?” making Izuku snort to himself and getting quite a few sideways glances from his peers.
While he isn’t busy he also sends a simple black heart emoji to Tensei, ignores his responses that are slowly getting more and more panicked as he’s just left on read and tells the Fam Group Chat not to answer Tensei’s texts or calls unless it’s an emergency. When asked why they gracefully accepted his
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ as a response.
Finally getting off the bus he lets himself stretch a little while people-watching. Some of the kids he’s already done research on but he hadn’t finished since he began with those who would already be at the school.
Looking for faces he vaguely remembers, his eyes catch on a boy with purple hair. Shinsou Hitoshi. Wonderful quirk, but it does not look like he spent as much time as he should have on physical exercise. Hmm posture says defensive, so he’s probably used to some sort of maltreatment. How bad? That remains to be seen.
Izuku walks up to him and taps his shoulder. He then hands him a knife that he took out from his left boot. “Aim for the wires in the neck and arms,” before pulling a juice box out of his pocket and walking away while leaving a supremely bewildered peer behind him.
He thinks he hears a faint what the fuck but the exam is going to start soon so he may as well go to where he needs to be. He walks towards the front but way off to the side.
His Pops turns the mic on and yells, “GO!” So he starts walking to the nearest building and starts casually climbing to the top with one hand. Everyone watching him.
“What? Do you need a countdown?” And then everyone is running off in random directions. Izuku just takes his time climbing like he’s climbed a building just like it a million times before… which he has. When he makes it to the top, he glances around for one of the cameras and waves before sitting next to it while continuing to sip his juice.
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“What the fuck is he doing,” Kan asks looking at the camera where there’s just a boy sitting in front of it drinking juice and playing on his phone.
Nedzu twitches, as the light starts flickering before going back to normal.
“You know I might find that offensive if I were anyone else,” Kan freezes as he sees the boy’s mouth moving while hearing his voice on the intercom… which shouldn’t be happening.
“Don’t worry. I’m only in so you don’t think there’s a malfunction when I shut down 70 points worth of robots at once.”
Nedzu blinks and then says calmly, “You are aware each robot is connected and controlled completely individually?”
The kid looks at the camera with a blank face, “So?” He shows his phone screen as he clicks the final button and a bunch of robots shut down all at once. Many saving individuals who were about to be hurt.
The teachers blink at him uncomprehendingly while Aizawa just snorts and mutters showoff .
The kid gasps mockingly scandalized, “ Dadzawa, how dare you mock your own child! I feel betrayed. Backstabbed! I am taking Pops and all the cats and leaving to become lone vagabonds.”
“Did he just refer to Present Mic like luggage?” Kan mumbles.
“You can take Zashi but can I keep the cats?” Aizawa asks in a monotone voice.
The kid-- apparently Midoriya according to the file --just hums, equally deadpan, “No. If I only take Pops you won’t come fight for us at the airport and beg on your knees to give you one last chance only for Pops to fall into your arms to have the Cliche romantic kiss while I pretend to barf in the background.”
“The movies suck, kid.”
“I think they’ve got charm. Kayama’s tastes are growing on me and Keigo. Next thing you know we’re going to be the next 18+ Hero Duo. It’ll be a real hit.”
Midoriya finally cracks a smile when he sees Aizawa grimace through his phone screen.
“Midoriya Izuku, I presume?” Nedzu confirms while everyone completely ignores the screens except Present Mic who’s actually doing his job and giving them a fifteen-minute warning.
“Yeah what’s up, Nedzu?” Kan grimaces at the casual tone, while Aizawa just hides the bottom half of his face in his scarf. Probably laughing it up the bastard.
“May I ask what your plans are for this school since you are already more qualified than the majority of my staff?” Nedzu questions while drinking his tea.
The boy hums again. “I can continue to help people as I have been,” what the fuck down that mean Kan whispers to himself, “but being able to show my face gives me many more opportunities to fight the quirk discrimination held steady by the corruption in the Hero Commission.”
Like a lightbulb went off, his face lightens up all of a sudden as he gives Nedzu a big grin, teeth and all, and says a very terrifying sentence to anyone who understands, “When the commission tries to deny my admittance for being quirkless, tell them that I’m under protection from Prometheus. They don’t mess around you know,” he says the last part in a deadpan fashion and a twinkle in his eyes which makes it very clear who the fuck Prometheus oh my god it’s a fucking quirkless ki-
Nedzu takes another sip of his tea. “Will do. You’re obviously well trained. May I ask why you didn’t want to use any of your physical abilities today?”
His smile turns a little more feral than before and a shiver goes down Kan’s spine while Aizawa and Yamada just smirk and snort respectively, “Nedzu. We are both very aware that you could tear an enemy apart with your paws alone.” And isn’t that a terrifying fucking thought. “But it is quite frankly much more fun to dissect your enemies and make them wish they chose correctly the first time than waste your time proving it to them with your bare hands. Destroying the robots with one of the five weapons on my person would only be necessary if I were desperate or trying to earn respect. I am not desperate, and they’ll learn such a thing soon enough.”
Nedzu puts his tea down. “Would you like to play a game of chess?”
“Does an hour before school the first day sound like a good time for you?”
When Nedzu nods, he pipes up with a “Don’t forget about Section 9 Amendment 04872 Line 86278.”
They both meet each other’s eyes and cackle simultaneously before Mic announces five minutes left and lets the zero pointer go.
“I suppose that was enough fun for me,” Izuku looks forlornly at his phone before waving farewell, disconnecting his phone to the speaker, and jumping off the roof only to land in roll cleanly onto the roof right below it while heading towards the zero pointer.
Kan, still trying to comprehend what just happened, looks over to his colleagues and to see Aizawa focused on his kid on the screen, Mic doing his job and looking around for any injuries, while Nedzu looks off into space with a calculating look in his eyes.
He refuses to have that kid in his class.
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BONUS:
“You seriously just went up to this purple haired kid-- who you already gave a knife to earlier --and straight up told him to brainwash you to stop the zero pointer so he could get extra rescue points?” Rumi asks incredulously.
Izuku nods calmly.
“Damn little brother. Is this how people are supposed to flirt? Cause that sounds super romantic to me.” Takami asks him with a hint of seriousness.
Izuku just shrugs. “I’m not sure. But he’s really pretty so I suppose it could be.”
Rumi just looks at them in mild disbelief.