Izuku spent another boring day in the hospital. His friends were worried about him after he disappeared in the crowds and then didn't return to them later, but he just responded to their concerned texts before shutting off his phone and laying back on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a lot to think about.
He went home in the afternoon, and his mother greeted him nervously at the door, cautiously mentioning a few sentences about All Might's fight, and how lucky it was that Oni was there. Izuku didn't have the energy to talk with her and instead squeezed her in a brief hug before going to his room and face-planting into his pillow and taking out his phone. The wallpaper was still the selfie he took of him and his mentor, all those months ago, and it was enough to bring a tired smile to his lips.
All the top stories were about the fight, and he scrolled through them anxiously, reading every line with reverence. His heart stuttered whenever Oni was mentioned, but it seemed no-one had managed to unveil his real identity, and most of what they covered was speculation and quotes from bystanders who had seen him fight alongside Eraserhead before. Most of the articles were focused more around the reveal of All Might's true form, since he was much more of a big deal than some unknown underground hero, which was somewhat of a relief. He dozed off with his phone still in his grasp.
Izuku jolted awake from a text and immediately threw himself out of bed, sprinting out the front door and not stopping until he was down on Dagoba Beach. He ran towards his mentor excitedly, only to tense up as he saw a bandaged fist shooting for his face, which he suddenly dropped to avoid with an offended squeak.
"Not this time, Toshi-san!" He exclaimed triumphantly, only for a hand to chop down on his head and knock him into the sand.
"What you did was stupid and reckless. You could've died," Toshinori snapped, glaring downwards. "Jeez, who do you take after?"
The boy sat up slowly, a palm pressed into the grit and another rubbing at the crown of his head. "You, apparently," he muttered mutinously, before looking up with distress marring his features. "You could've died too, you know."
Toshinori's expression softened marginally. "I won't be able to fight much anymore; it won't be long before I retire. I know you're more powerful than most your age, and have experience beyond your years, but... Please, stop throwing yourself into danger. You've spent far more time in hospital over the past few months than any person should in their entire life. So, from here on out..." He crouched down, curling an arm over the boy's shoulder and cradling his head. "I'll spend a lot more time raising you. I'll try my best to teach you right from wrong, and try to get it through that thick skull of yours that you shouldn't have to hurt yourself to save others." Izuku gave a wet chuckle, dipping his face into his mentor's chest and lightly placing his hands on the man's curved back. "Let's keep... working hard together."
The boy paused after a few, comfortable moments, leaning back just enough to take his phone out of his pocket. He snuggled back into Toshinori, both of them sitting on the sand, and raised the device in front of them, immortalising a new memory on his screen. They both had tear-stained faces with half their bodies wrapped in bandages, but their smiles were wide and genuine with adoration and joy as they beamed up at the camera, illuminated silver in the glow of the rising moon.
*
"P-please, come in!" Inko stuttered in the face of two heroes at their front door.
Izuku stood stiffly, suddenly remembering how awkward it was to have teachers in his home, regardless of how fatherly they both tended to act. He glanced back when he heard a faint snicker, eyes widening with horror as he saw both men glance into his overwhelmingly All Might-themed bedroom. The boy spluttered out an incoherent noise before slipping past Aizawa and closing the door with a little more force than necessary, cheeks aflame with embarrassment as his mentor beamed down at him.
They settled down at the dining table, with the Midoriyas on one side, facing the teachers across the desk. Toshinori shifted his bandaged arm, pulling the loose sleeve of his white dress shirt back over his shoulder before it could slide off. Aizawa raised the mug of steaming tea to his mouth, taking a content sip and keeping his hands wrapped around it when he placed it back on the table.
Izuku blinked as he realised something. "Sensei, you're wearing a tie... and you shaved... and you did your hair."
"Gives a better impression," the teacher said simply, keeping his tone far more amicable than ever heard before.
He tilted his head. "The offer you made at training camp... does it still stand?"
Aizawa stared at him for a moment, clearly uncomfortable under three intense gazes. "...I suppose."
The boy grinned widely, muttering out a 'be right back' as he fled the scene, grabbing a red tie from his room before shooting right back out and tumbling back into place on his chair. He looped it around his throat and gazed expectantly at his teacher, who seemed to go through every stage of grief within a split second.
"Right now?" He grumbled with exasperation in his tone.
"We have a moment," Izuku shrugged, green eyes glimmering with an innocence that didn't match his devious smile.
Aizawa clearly wanted to argue, especially with the look Toshinori was giving him, but then he glanced at Inko and all his denial flooded away. He sighed, making a big deal out of loosening his own tie, placing it seam-side down around his neck and waiting for the boy to copy before folding the thick end of the tie and crossing it over. The teacher pulled the tie up through the space made between his chest and the tie itself, then folded it sideways behind that same hole, before lifting it back up and flipping it through once more. Izuku followed every step carefully, his hands a little clumsy as he tightened the knot in place, tugging it jerkily around his neck with a look of immense concentration.
"Not that tight," Aizawa reprimanded, pushing his mug aside before leaning across the table to place a finger in the loop and loosen it so it no longer resembled a noose. "Not bad. I still don't understand how you made such a mess of it before."
A little sniffle broke the moment. Inko was crying quietly into her handkerchief, making both men adopt expressions of alarm.
"I apologise, Midoriya-san, I didn't mean to overstep," Aizawa hastily backpedalled, dipping his head in a low bow.
"They're happy tears," Izuku assured, patting his mum on the shoulder.
"Oh. That's where you get it from," Toshinori muttered in realisation, visibly relaxing when he realised the situation wasn't dire.
"We're here to talk about UA's dorm system." The teacher finally said, attempting to return the situation to something more comfortable.
"Yes, yes, I..." Inko wiped at her eyes, taking a deep breath to compose herself. "Sorry. I... You know, I was going to say that I was against it – that I didn't want my Izuku to go to UA anymore, because I believed he'd be safer elsewhere. He's been attacked by villains so many times already, so surely that meant the staff were being negligent of their duties, right?" She stared at her son fondly for a moment before looking back to the teachers. "But... Seeing you take time out of your day to teach him something as simple as tying a tie, and seeing how comfortably he interacts with both of you... I realise that I was wrong. I realise that, regardless of where he goes, my baby will always end up in trouble when protecting someone, because that's the sort of person he is. I'll keep worrying about him, because I'm his mother and I don't think I'll ever stop worrying, but... I think... I think I'll be able to worry a little less, now that I know for certain he has two great people looking after him."
Both men shared a glance before getting up and bowing deeply to her. She stared in surprise, hands raising to her chest as she gaped at the fact that the All Might, the man Izuku had admired his whole life, was showing his immense respect for her.
"Thank you for changing your mind. I must admit that Young Izuku is my favourite student, and I'd imagine Aizawa-kun feels the same. He's a wonderful, talented boy, and we're lucky to have him at UA. We'll do our best to teach him all we know and keep him safe," Toshinori stated earnestly, giving a wide smile.
"You're supposed to remain unbiased," Aizawa muttered drily, "but he'll make a decent hero," he added begrudgingly, a faint flash of a grin on his lips as he raised his head before his expression blanked into his usual one of great apathy.
Inko burst into tears again, spinning around to hug her son tightly. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, Izuku!"
*
Tsu poured out her heart to the group, illuminated under a lamp outside the new dorms with unexpected tears spilling down her cheeks. Everyone was quick to apologise to her, and Izuku stepped in the middle of the hazy circle, hesitantly wrapping his arms around her in a brief hug before squeezing tighter and lifting her up, spinning around in circles for a few moments as she clung to him, giggling through her sadness.
"I'm sorry to make you feel so bad, Tsu-chan. I'll do better in future," he promised softly as he put her back down.
She blinked away the last of her tears, letting out a heavy breath before pausing, a look of remembrance flickering across her features. "Midoriya-chan... Since that fight with All for One, I've been wondering... Are you Oni?"
Izuku expected shock from his friends at the accusation, but most of them just seemed relieved that someone had finally said it. He tensed up uneasily, rubbing at his arms and avoiding everyone's gaze in a way that was obviously guilty.
"I thought the same thing when I saw Oni using his Quirk... There were green sparks, just like yours, Deku-kun," Uraraka admitted quietly, staring down at the ground.
"Is it... something you can tell us?" Shouto asked hesitantly, alluding to the time travel fiasco.
He took a breath, clenching his hands into fists as he made his choice. "Alright. We can't talk out here."
They made their way back inside in a nervous silence. Only when they were back inside his embarrassingly All Might-themed dorm room with the door closed did he turn around to face them, forcefully wiping the distress from his features as he offered a smile and motioned at the available seats in the room. Yaoyorozu daintily sat down at the chair in front of the desk while Shouto, Tenya and Uraraka settled themselves on his bed, and Tsu and Kirishima sat on the floor in front of them, peering up expectantly.
He reached around the rich girl and took his time-travel notebook out of a secret compartment in a desk drawer, flipping it open to the first page as he delved into his explanation for a fourth time. Four of them hung onto his every word, looking increasingly more astounded as he listed the careful changes he'd made and the different way in which this reality was progressing.
"And since I have such good control over my Quirk but I can't reveal it most of the time, Aizawa-sensei takes me out on patrols with him. Because I'm technically underage, it would be bad to let me go out as Deku, which is where Oni comes in." He tapped at his bracelet, standing coolly as the armour smoothed over his form, leaving his head free so the voice changer didn't kick in. "This way, I can go all out without risk of being identified, although the fight against All for One was cutting it a bit close..."
"Y-you..." Kirishima's red eyes were wide, and he reached up to anxiously tangle his fingers in his red hair. "Dude, you held out against someone All Might struggled with. How powerful are you?"
"You're really brave, Midoriya-san," Yaoyorozu whispered, her hand clenched to her chest. "That villain was terrifying, and you didn't even flinch."
"Your time management skills must be impeccable for you to be able to keep up your grades as well as training us and patrolling." Tenya looked impressed, shaking his head slightly in disbelief.
"If there's any way we can help you handle all of this, please ask," Tsu said softly, gaining several nods of agreement.
Izuku deactivated his armour and brushed a hand back through his curls with an apprehensive smile. "Well, you might have to plan my funeral, because once I tell Aizawa-sensei that even more people know, he's going to kill me."
"Oh, no!" Uraraka gasped worriedly, her hand going to her mouth as her eyes filled with guilt. "You're not going to get expelled, are you?"
"He's threatened to expel me at least fifteen times so far this year, and I'm still here; I think he likes me too much," he snickered with an increasingly smug expression.
"I didn't know he was capable of caring about someone." Kirishima raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, he loves our class! I heard Mic-sensei tease him about it once," he informed them with bright, mischievous eyes as they all leaned in to hear the gossip about their stoic teacher. "He also taught me how to tie a tie, in front of my mum, no less. It's so much fun to poke fun at him when he pretends he doesn't care. I bet he'd even let me hug him at this point. Actually, I think he'd let any of us hug him..."
"Now this, I have to see." The boy bared his sharp teeth in an impish grin, pulling himself to his feet.
"W-what? Right now? Hug him, right now?" Izuku raised his hands nervously, backing up as his friend advanced.
"It would be interesting," Yaoyorozu said a little sheepishly, getting up and smoothing down her skirt.
The others exchanged glances before coming to a unanimous decision and standing in unison, forcefully herding their classmate out of his room and down the corridor until they reached their teacher's dorm. They pressed themselves on either side of the door as Izuku reluctantly knocked and called out before being given permission to enter. He stared helplessly at his traitorous friends before stepping inside the dark room, leaving the door ajar to let in a stream of yellow light from the corridor. His teacher sat in front of a bright computer screen as he scribbled something on a notepad, black hair tied back in a messy ponytail.
"Something you needed, Midoriya?" Aizawa inquired, turning his head and instantly appearing more alarmed when he saw the kid's nervous countenance. "Don't tell me more villains are attacking already."
"Oh, n-no! It's fine. We get a break for a bit," he assured instantly. "Um... Would you mind standing up?"
"I would mind," the teacher said irritably, but unfolded himself from the chair nonetheless.
Izuku hesitated before launching himself forwards, wrapping his arms around his teacher in a sudden hug. While his survival instinct told him to pull away instantly, he stayed in place, a little curious about how the man would react if he didn't show any signs of moving. Aizawa was tense, hands raised in surprise as he stared down at the small child wrapped around his middle, face pressed into the wrinkled black shirt. He let out an ambiguous huff, relaxing a little and letting his shoulders drop, but seeming to refuse to return the hug in an attempt to keep his reputation.
"What's this for?" He muttered, some of the usual roughness gone from his tone.
"I just... I take you for granted a lot, sensei. You do so much to help all of us, and I wanted to say that I'm thankful for everything you do," Izuku mumbled into his torso, tilting his head enough for his eyes to glimmer up at his teacher in the darkness.
Aizawa's face smoothed into something fond, but it was gone within a second as he nudged at the kid's shoulders, narrowing his gaze with sudden suspicion. "...what did you do?"
Izuku hastily backed up, babbling nervous nonsense as he bumped into the door.
"Midoriya, what did you do?!"
He sheepishly pulled open the door, revealing his eavesdropping friends, some of whom had their phones out and had been filming the whole exchange. Aizawa's face darkened considerably as his eyes flashed red, strands of hair slipping from his ponytail and floating above his head, his form silhouetted ominously by the white light from his computer screen. His gaze shifted to the class reps, who both looked awkwardly caught out and tried to explain themselves under the terrifying glare
Izuku slipped to the back of the group, unnoticed. He took a hesitant step back, then another, before pivoting on one foot and sprinting down the hall, happily throwing his friends under the bus.
"Midoriya Izuku, you're expelled!"
(And if more of his students came up and hugged Aizawa later without him complaining too much, that was nobody's business.)
~
okAy this is the end of... i guess, like, the first part of this fic? I don't know how many parts there will be. It, uh, basically just depends on my motivation and interest in BNHA. There are two extra chapters next week with alternate scenes I wrote out of other ideas I considered but ultimately didn't choose, and I'm currently working on writing out a holiday special chapter to post on the 25th :3c After that, uhh. Depending on how quickly I finish editing and proofreading all the next chapters, there might be a small hiatus before I start posting the second part of Ticked Off?? Hopefully not. I'll try to be quick!!
And, I guess, to possibly help me out with that- do you have any questions? Like, scenes you might wanna see, or certain characters discovering/reacting to the Many Secrets Izuku has? Because I kinda accidentally skipped over a lot of the consequences of all his carelessness and I really ought to edit in some more scenes where he acknowledges that 😖 Alas, I am Lazy.
(Oh that emoji on Android conveys a much different emotion to a Windows emoji. Yikes.)
But honestly yeah if you have any questions at all, whether regarding the fic, myself or... idk just random queries, I suppose, don't be afraid of asking!! :D