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It started by accident. Izuku was checking all of the usual places for food, limited as they were by what an 8 year old could reach, and having little luck. He’d been camping in the alley outside of the bakery for a couple hours now. Sometimes the crew working there would toss out scraps from the early morning batches. Izuku couldn’t understand the point of throwing away food with just a few imperfections, but he wouldn’t complain. Those misshapen pastries made delicious meals.
He tried to put that out of his mind for now, though. No need in his stomach rumbling more than normal. He should just focus on the book in front of him.
The scuffle of shoes echoed down toward him. The boy pushed flush against the wall, further out of sight.
“—know you said you wanted to try all your options, but UA? There’s no way we’re gonna score high enough to get in!”
There was a laugh, then, “Well, yeah! But they’re giving free lunch to all the kids that take the test. A rich school like that definitely has good food.”
“Ha! True! Way better than our school’s food.”
“Yeah, it’ll make the entrance test totally worth it. Now c’mon, it starts soon!”
The voices faded as the footsteps got further away. Izuku hummed. Free food? And all he had to do was take a test? That sounded like a good trade to him. It didn’t seem like the bakery was going to drop off anything soon anyway. And if the pain in his stomach was anything to go by, he hadn’t had a full meal in waaaay too long.
He dutifully packed all of his books into his backpack, careful to avoid the bottle of water that was tucked between his change of clothes. The library was kind enough to let him borrow whatever books he wanted without having an ‘official’ library card. Despite his homelessness and the general grime he had to deal with on a daily basis, he was intent on keeping them safe. Not many other ways to learn on the streets, after all.
With his meager belongings packed, Izuku crept out from behind the dumpster and braved the streets of Musutafu.
Now, normally, he didn’t have many issues on the streets. Adults didn’t want to interact with a scraggly looking child (especially not with his wild green curls and piercing eyes), so he didn’t really have to worry about “ where are your parents? ”s or “ shouldn’t you be in school? ”s. But, normally , he didn’t take the main roads or move around much in the daytime, just in case. There was little choice today, though. He had an exam to take.
UA was a massive institution; a conglomeration of several buildings each multiple stories high. Even if Izuku hadn’t memorized the streets and buildings of Japan last year when he found that geography book in the library, he would’ve stumbled across it eventually. Staring up at the thick bars of the UA gate, Izuku couldn’t help but be impressed. Hard to believe it was only a high school, but he supposed that was why it was the top rated in the country.
A little ways away, a pro hero was gathering a group of students who just arrived. Hound Dog , Izuku’s mind supplied. A staff member of UA. He would be the one allowing students into the school. Good. He wouldn’t have to worry about a keycard for the scanner he’d noticed at the gate.
Hound Dog wasn’t , however, allowing students to bring bags inside the premises. Izuku shrugged his pack off his shoulders, looking forlornly at the worn, stained fabric. He hated it, but if he wanted to do this he would have to come back for his belongings. As swiftly as he could, Izuku eased his bag into a bush a few paces from the school. When it was hidden well enough he joined the growing group of prospective students outside the UA gate. He tuned into what the pro hero was saying.
“—be led inside. Once you’re inside, find the testing room you were assigned in the registration packet you received when you applied. Follow your proctor’s instructions during the exam, and when it’s over you will be directed to the cafeteria for lunch. If you have any later exams, you’ll be able to take them after you’re through with your food.” He nodded, clapping his hands together. “Does anyone have any questions?”
There were some quiet murmurs, but no one spoke up, so the hero ushered the gaggle of kids through the gate and into the main building. Despite the impressive exterior, the inside just seemed like a normal school. Although Izuku hadn’t been inside one for a few years now so he supposed he shouldn’t judge.
He tried not to dwell on it, but it was nearly impossible to overlook how different these kids were from him. Despite this shirt being the cleanest of the two he owned, there were still noticeable stains and sight tears in the fabric. That happened when you wore the same shirt for over a year. Similarly, he couldn’t help but be envious of the others’ clean skin and nearly combed hair. Rain could only get you so clean, after all. He sighed. No use wishing for something he couldn’t have.
Besides, he had to get to the exam soon. There wasn’t time to wallow in self-pity.
Now, what room to go to? He’d never been issued a registration packet because he’d never actually applied. As he debated, the older kids were slowly dispersing into rooms down the hallway. Just standing in the middle of the entranceway would almost certainly be suspicious, so Izuku gingerly made his way with the stream.
By his count, the third room on the right had less people enter than the overall average, so that was the one he chose.
His eyes darted around as he entered, taking in all the details he could. The room was filled with desks evenly spaced apart, test booklets on each one. It appeared that his assessment was correct, only around half of the desks were claimed. Now to just pick one and hope at least one person didn’t show up.
At the front, an adult in a button up and a cowboy hat sat…polishing a gun? Izuku eyed the crossed feet up on the proctor table, adorned with leather boots. Just in case, he gave him a wide breadth. In the time it took to find a seat in the back row, the boy identified his proctor as the pro hero Snipe. Said hero seemed far more interested in the gun he was holding than the children before him, something Izuku was grateful for.
With his plan already in action, the small, out-of-place kid simply laced his fingers together and waited.
It wasn’t long before the doors were shut and Snipe explained the rules of the exam (no cheating, no working after time is up, no leaving your desk until you are done, etc.). Izuku kept his back straight and his eyes forward. He might only be 8 years old, but he was still impersonating an actual student, and he was pretty sure that was a crime. Thankfully, Snipe paid no mind to the shortest child in the room, instead finishing his spiel with a wave of his hand and declaring that they could begin.
After a deep breath, Izuku flipped open the booklet. It would be fine. It wasn’t like he had to do well, right?
—
It was entrance exam day at UA academy. Days like these have a history of being extremely chaotic for the staff, hundreds of students needing guidance and leadership as they compose their attempt to attend the school in the upcoming semester. Thankfully, there was one person who could oversee the event without getting overwhelmed:
Principal Nedzu.
The animal hybrid was perched in their seat, studying the dozen or so monitors in front of them. The students this year were a fairly normal bunch. Nedzu watched as the general studies kids filed into their classrooms and waited for the exam to begin. They typed up a few emails and sent messages out to staff as the exam day officially started, putting out fires as needed. There were a few stragglers they had to approve to be let in after the exam began, a boy who had a breakdown in room two, a delay in some of the preparations for the hero practical, but nothing too major.
Of course, every year there were uninvited guests, too. With the influx of potential students, it was difficult for their staff to know exactly who was approved to be on campus. UA’s principal had no such mental restrictions. This time, twenty minutes after the gates opened, Nedzu had already identified five.
One was easily rectified. A girl had wandered in, looking for a completely different high school. The nearest teacher was alerted and she was sent in the correct direction. Three entered their school as a unit, and it was clear the kids were simply hooligans with too much time on their hands. It was almost humorous the way they changed their tune when two pro heroes rounded the corner. Nedzu cracked a smile as they were dragged from the entrance hall and back outside the gates. Thankfully, no further action was required, the children left without a fight. The principal filed the applicable footage away just in case.
Then there was the fifth…
The chimera’s eyes glimmered with interest as they followed the tiny child through the cameras. He seemed to avoid attention very well, even from Snipe, they noted. It wouldn’t take two seconds to inform the proctor of this little interloper, but something made them pause. Maybe it was the fact that this human was so young , or just that it was so strange for a kid his age to actually want to take an exam like this… Regardless, Nedzu’s paw retracted from the keyboard, and they simply decided to wait.
Other students stressed over the papers, writing frantically or shuffling back and forth between sections. That was normal. This green-haired child? He calmly flipped from page to page, looking entirely nonplussed at what made freshly graduated middle schoolers visibly nervous. Nedzu found themself devoting more and more attention to him, while still managing to maintain the rest of the campus. They wondered how he would fare against the high school and post-graduate level questions they included just for fun. Seeing how quickly he finished with the essay questions and turned to the science portion, they guessed he might have a chance.
Slowly, their grin sharpened.
Elsewhere, the entire UA staff felt a chill run down their spines.
The timeslot drew to a close, and Snipe called time. The green child’s hand paused and he put the pencil down. It was close, they were sure he had only a few questions left unanswered, a great feat for such a difficult exam. Nedzu watched as the green child rose and left with the other students. It was only then that they tapped out a quick message to Snipe.
They wanted their hands on that answer book as soon as possible.
—
Izuku stared in shock at the huge tray in front of him. Sure, he knew the school was rich, but goodness these portions were ridiculous . He reasoned that he could get three or four meals out of it if he rationed well enough. Almost afraid it would disappear, Izuku gingerly lifted the sandwich in front of him and took a bite.
Delicious . Do kids who go to UA get this all the time ??
He’d read that people without regular access to food shouldn’t eat quickly, that it could give them stomach problems or make them throw up. But it was so hard to tell his aching stomach to stop, to calm down, to let him make the food last. He managed to pause after three-fourths of the sandwich was gone. He sighed. Hopefully he wouldn’t literally lose his lunch.
This food was well worth the trouble he had getting here, though. With any luck, the leftovers would tide him over until the bakery had some scraps, or until he could go diving in that good dumpster on 5th. He felt a small smile creep onto his face. How lucky could he get?
He’d sat in the corner of the cafeteria, afraid of drawing much more attention than he already had. To be honest, he was planning to dip as soon as possible. He already had his prize.
Izuku discreetly studied the staff members around the room as he finished the rice on his tray. Lunch Rush was distributing food as students arrived, sufficiently distracted. A man dressed in black was propped up against a wall, surveying the room. Something about the scarf wrapped around his neck and his red eyes made Izuku think he should recognize him. Probably an underground hero, then. The final, boisterous pro hero was instantly identifiable, though. Izuku watched as Present Mic wormed his way around the cafeteria, mingling with the kids and answering questions. The boy wrapped his extra food a little faster.
The curry was a bit awkward to put in his pocket, but it seemed more secure after he wrapped it in a few napkins. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, after all. When the grilled fish was tucked into the pocket as well, Izuku quietly stood to leave. He placed his tray on the return stack and walked through the door. Now if he could just remember the way out of here, then—
“Hey, kid,” came a voice from behind him.
Izuku tensed and turned slowly. As he thought, behind him was the underground hero from the lunchroom. His palms got a bit sweatier. Maybe he wasn’t in tro—
“Come with me. The principal wants to see you,” the hero continued.
He was in trouble. His eyes widened and it wasn’t until he spun on his heels that the hero realized he was about to bolt.
“No, wait! Don’t—”
Izuku sprinted down the hallway, yelps of surprise following in his wake as he dodged the gentle flow of students in his way. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him—the hero was in pursuit. That wasn’t good. He was already short for an 8 year old, his legs weren’t built for outrunning fully trained, adult heroes. He needed an escape plan. He needed—
There!
Immediately after turning a corner, Izuku practically leapt behind a group of students and into what appeared to be an art room. He collapsed behind buckets of paint, chest heaving. Yeah, he wasn’t going out in daylight again for a long time .
The slap of footfalls rocketed past the door. Izuku breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe.
“Well done, young man.”
He jolted upright in an instant, ready to keep running, but paused when no one was in the room with him.
“ Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to frighten you. I am not in the room with you, I am simply watching. Hello! ”
Izuku stood, still confused but less fearful. “Hello?”
“ Ah, the mystery boy speaks. Yes, hello, little one. My name is Nedzu, I’m the principal of this school. I must say, you’ve caught my attention .”
“I-I’m sorry,” Izuku mumbled. “I didn’t mean to ca-cause any trouble.”
“ Trouble ?” There was high pitched cackling from over the speaker. “ No, no, you misunderstand! You’re the most interesting person I’ve seen in quite a while. I’m delighted you entered my school. Won’t you join me for a cup of tea ?”
His eyebrows furrowed. The principal wasn’t mad and they wanted him to drink tea? What??
“ I assure you, I mean you no harm. And I can arrange for more snacks if you like... ”
Now that was a deal Izuku could get behind. He opened his mouth to agree as the door opened again. In came the scarfed hero from before, his breath a bit shorter but otherwise no worse for wear.
“ Ah, Aizawa, good of you to join us. This young man has agreed to come to my office. Would you be so kind as to bring him here ?”
“Great, put charge of the random, disappearing five year old,” he grumbled.
“I-I’m eight!”
He gave Izuku a disbelieving once over. “Sure. You gonna run this time?”
Izuku rubbed his neck and avoided eye contact. “No, A-Aizawa-san. Sor-sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry about it, kid,” he sighed. “C’mon, I’ll take you to the rat.”
An amused chittering from above, then, “ Now, now, no need to be bitter for being evaded by a child .”
Izuku couldn’t help the smile that overtook him as Aizawa rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, whatever.”
“ Hehe, see you soon! ”
The man massaged the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “Never should’ve taken this job. Alright, let’s go, kid.”
He pushed through the door and Izuku scrambled to follow. Aizawa didn’t look back, but checking the length of his strides, it was easy to tell he was going slower on account of Izuku’s shorter legs. How interesting. Most of the prospective students had cleared out by now, so it was just a matter of crossing down several hallways before they arrived outside a sturdy wooden door.
“Good luck,” Aizawa muttered, leaving Izuku to gaze up at principal Nedzu’s name placard.
He tilted his head, considering the doorknob, the door itself. Then waved. The door swung open.
“Come in, come in!”
Izuku obliged. Inside, at the helm of a massive desk, sat an animal hybrid, who he took to be the principal. He’d never seen Principal Nedzu in person before, but had heard a bit about the “Demon King of UA”. Sitting in one of the chairs opposite them now, he wasn’t sure those fearful tales were fully accurate.
“Hello, little one!” Nedzu chirped. “I say, you’re quite the mystery.”
“S-sorry—”
“No, don’t be!” The principal laughed. “A welcome distraction from the monotony of entrance exam days. Now, can you tell me your name?”
Hmm. The principal didn’t seem to be lying. And they weren’t overtly hostile. What did he have to lose?
“Izuku.”
“Izuku-kun! Pleasure to meet you.”
“You-you as well,” he stuttered, still unsure but able to sit without as much tension.
Nedzu held out their paw, gesturing at the tray to their left. “Tea?”
Izuku nodded, and the principal poured them both a cup. He gathered it in his hands, staring at the dark liquid. Nedzu took a long drink, then regarded Izuku again with that intense gaze. The boy tried not to shrink under it.
“I must ask…why did you sneak into my school?”
Izuku shrugged, hiding his face behind the cup as he took a sip.
Nedzu waited a moment, but when the kid didn't elaborate, they didn’t push. Instead, they held up a stack of papers. At the top in the “Name” section was a smiley face written in pencil—Izuku’s exam paper.
He blanched. “Uhhh…”
“This is your exam, Izuku-kun! Did you know that the UA acceptance rate is just above thirty percent?”
“I, um, I didn’t know that,” he said. What were they getting at? “I don’t re-research things like that, N-Nedzu-san.”
They hummed. “What do you research, Izuku?”
That wasn’t what he was expecting. He took another sip of tea before responding. “Um, p-pretty much anything. I li-like science and litera-literature. And qu-quirks.”
“How studious! And at such a young age!” Nedzu said with an air of…pride? “Tell me, Izuku, how do you think you did on my exam?”
Izuku shrugged again, staring at his cup. “I really d-don’t know, Nedzu-san. Pro-probably not g-great.”
He heard a chuckle and flinched, sure that this new person was just going to laugh at him and call him what he knew he was: stupid, useless , ridiculous for even trying—
“You passed.”
“ What ?” Izuku whispered incredulously. His eyes blew wide as his head jerked up.
Nedzu slid the packet across the desk with an amused smile. “If you were a normal student taking the exam, you would have passed, Izuku-kun! With flying colors!”
He stared at the packet with disbelief, thumbing through it to confirm that yes this was his packet and yes it did have very good marks . What the heck??
“You did very well, young man. Especially in the math section! Some of those were very advanced subjects that are not taught until well after high school, and you scored at least partial credit on each one you tried.”
Izuku blinked up at the principal. “O-oh really? I didn’t kn-know that. I thought it was j-just high schoo-school level.”
“I keep that from public knowledge for a reason! I want young minds like yours to try their best, even if the material is beyond their years.” They nodded at the child. “You are an excellent example of that.”
Izuku flushed. This was one of the most intelligent beings on the planet and they were calling him smart? What was going on?!
“It’s a shame you didn’t get to reach the final few questions, I would’ve loved to see how you handled them,” Nedzu remarked, sipping their tea once again.
“R-right, sorry about tha-that,” the boy stammered softly. “It t-took longer than I th-th-thought to learn how to do the o-other problems, I didn’t have t-time.”
Nedzu carefully set their teacup down. “Izuku-kun, are you telling me that you taught yourself how to do those advanced problems in the three hour time block?”
Izuku blinked. “Yes?”
The principal regarded him for a long moment, then their grin widened.
“Wh-why do you ask?”
Instead of responding, Nedzu gently moved their cup to the side of their desk and folded their hands together. “I have a proposition for you. Would you like to hear it?”
“Um…sure?” He had no clue what the principal of a prestigious school would need to propose, but it wouldn’t hurt to hear them out.
“Wonderful.” They spun one of their desk monitors toward Izuku, showing…himself? Yes, that was him in the lunchroom, hurriedly eating and packing leftovers in his pockets. “I doubt that you came here to take a test, so my best guess is this.”
Izuku flushed deeper, his grip on the cup tightening. The food in his pockets felt heavier all of a sudden.
Nedzu hummed in the silence. “There’s nothing wrong with needing food, Izuku-kun. I only bring it up now because it relates to my proposal.” They pulled another paper out from their desk drawer and placed it on his side of the desk.
It only took a second to skim, and the words had Izuku’s mouth agape. “Y-you…you want t-to adop- adopt me?”
“I do!” Nedzu chirped, and dear god they looked like they were serious .
“B-b-but why ?”
Nedzu tapped their paws on the desk, then hopped up onto it and crossed to sit on the opposite side. “Regardless of the fact that you’re almost certainly homeless at the moment, you, my friend, are one of the brightest children I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen every child who’s passed through these halls.”
Izuku’s eyes burned.
“Not only that,” Nedzu continued softly. “I know that, if given adequate opportunity to learn, you will grow up to be the most phenomenal mind of your generation. There will be nothing you can’t do. If you’ll allow me, I’d love to be the one who helps you get there.”
The tears fell, there was no way to stop them. This was the first adult in years to take a genuine interest in Izuku, and the only one who’d promised a hopeful future. It felt like a dream.
Oh no . Guilt bloomed in his chest. They didn’t know, they didn’t know his secret. They didn’t know that he really wasn’t worth their time, that he was genetically inferior. His tears came faster.
“I-I…yo-you can’t,” he whispered. “I’m not wor-worth it.”
“Not worth it?” The principal asked, eyebrows raised. “Why not?”
“I-I-I’m quir- quirkless ,” he sobbed, wrapping his arms around himself.
Izuku couldn’t see it, but Nedzu’s face crumpled briefly in grief and pity. They reached out, their little paw just able to sit on his shoulder. “Izuku, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the one most worthy of this offer. I don’t care about your quirk status. In fact, that you are so incredible without a quirk makes you even more special.”
He looked up, something like hope weaving its way through his chest. “R-really?”
“Of course, Izuku-kun. I have never, and will never, lie to you. I…I was like you, once.”
“You w-were?” Trying to imagine the powerhouse in front of him in the same position was near impossible.
The principal nodded softly. “A long time ago. I was young and alone with nowhere to go, only my wits to help me survive.” They once again presented the adoption papers to the trembling boy. “If you’re willing, I’d be more than happy to give you what I never had: a safe place to grow and thrive.”
Izuku sobbed harder, his defenses crushed. Nedzu’s intense, sincere kindness was harder to deal with than his original assumption that the principal had been lying. His throat was tight with emotion. The chimera smiled a bit wider and pushed a button Izuku hadn’t noticed before. A tray of various snack foods rose from somewhere inside the desk.
“Plus,” Nedzu grinned, “If you agree, I can promise you’ll be showered with snacks.”
Izuku wiped his eyes as he studied the newly revealed food. After a moment he shot a watery smile at the creature across from him.
“W-where do I sign?”