A Wallflower's Thorns

4. Flourish

After his first day, an email was sent out telling the students to submit a hero costume design within the week. But one thing you need to know about Izuku is that he works best under pressure. With Han purring on the side of the desk, Izuku scribbles idea after idea, but the amount of paper balls on the floor will tell anyone how much luck he's having.

He's caught in a dilema: he needs the costume to balance out both One for All and notice-me-not, which isn't an easy thing to do, considering the two are near complete opposites. Maybe if he-

Han leaps off the desk, landing without a sound and making it to the door before he meows for Izuku to free him. A lightbulb goes off. He lets Han out and sets to work.

-----

In hindsight, he's really happy that he had that epiphany a few days ago. Why?

"So,” All Might claps his hands together, “uraraka and Midoriya will be the heroes, while Bakugou and Iida will be the villains!"

That. That was why. Notice-me-not is a blessing right now. It's weak, but it keeps Bakugou from directing his ire. He's relieved when Uraraka taps his shoulder, too relieved to be surprised that she'd seen through notice-me-not. He's got backup in this fight. Uraraka won't let him get hurt, and vice-versa.

"You okay?" She asks, keeping her voice low.

Izuku takes a breath and nods. "Yeah." He changes the subject. "We should make some plans before we head in." His mind is already running through possible scenarios. Bakugou will go after him with a single minded mentality, maybe Izuku can capitalize on that, but that would leave Uraraka on her own against Iida. He doesn't know much about the bespectacled boy, and he doesn't know if he will be as violent in a fight as Bakugou. Though looking back to the boy and Bakugou's first conversation, maybe he's overthinking it.

"Midoriya, right?"

Izuku's dragged from his plans by a familiar male voice. It's the boy from the hero fight, Todoroki Shouto - Izuku learned his name from the Quirk apprehension test. Todoroki is still looking at him, Izuku shakes his head. "Yes?"

There's a pause. "Good luck.” His lips twitched, the closest Izuku's seen him come to a smile. “Maybe it's a good thing you didn't bring your cat this time."

Was- was that a joke? Izuku hadn't thought a teen like Todoroki, with his neutral expression and monotone voice, was capable of one. Still, he smiles. "Yeah, Han would try to fight Bakugou." And I don't really know who would win.

Uraraka looks between the two of them. "Do you guys know each other?"

"We met at a hero fight a few months ago." Todoroki answers. He turns around. "Good luck."

Before Izuku can say goodbye, All Might herds everyone into the changing rooms to put on their hero costumes.

The box in Izuku's locker is nondescript, a pale green with no other markings besides the logo of the company who manufactured it. He unlatches the box, opens it, and smiles.

-----

The sun as they all walk out is blinding. The majority of the class squints against it, the odd ones out have visors to block the light for them.