Chapter Text
Sometimes Izuku was so surprised with his own current life that he would think back to his younger self and imagine the pure shock that would light up his face if he found out what his life was like now.
Six years ago, his freshman year of high school, he’d been bullied mercilessly everyday, keeping his head tucked in his books and occupying the library like it was a second home. He’d looked in the mirror and thought to himself about what he could change, what it would take for them to gaze at him with the respect and admiration they did someone like his classmate Bakugo, who was already the school's star football player. Finally, he decided to make a change.
The minute summer break hit he disappeared off the face of the earth. He picked up football and took the bus to his practices that were forty minutes away so that no one from school knew he was trying to play. He spent every free hour in the gym, he ran without a destination in mind, the only thing keeping him going was the pure, solid promise of change and respect. His mom had always told him that if he wanted to make any sort of change he had to start by being his own hero first.
When summer break finished and he returned as a sophomore, Izuku was unrecognizable. Muscular, taller, heck even his voice had deepened. He tried out for the school's football team and made varsity that very same day.
Unfortunately, he found that his peers' attitudes were hard to change. Though they stopped bullying him, Bakugo avoided him at all costs, and when they did cross paths nothing but hostility followed.
Still, Izuku trained harder than ever. He didn’t have much of a social life so he alternated between sticking his head in a textbook and training for football. When he found out Bakugo was getting recruited for Division I school, UA University he knew that was where he had to go to finally be able to reach his potential. UA was one of the top schools in the country, for both sports and academics. If he got recruited and was able to play on the college level he had a true chance of going pro.
Two years later, during their senior season Bakugo was already committed to UA. His future coach, famous retired football champion, Toshinori Yagi decided to come to their first home game to watch his prospect. At the time Izuku hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, he’d analyzed Toshinori’s skills more than words could express, and watched his film a million times over. The media used to call him “All Might” just because it seemed that when he had the ball there was nothing he couldn’t do.
It was that same night during the game that Bakugo was taken out by the opposing team, his MCL partially torn. Izuku scored the last two winning touchdowns in his honor, of course Bakugo would never believe that and only thought he was showing off, so he just kept his mouth shut.
However, Izuku had caught the eye of Toshinori, and just months later he signed the final contract agreeing to play college football for UA. After he’d announced it he braced himself for Bakugo’s rage, knowing that the last thing he wanted was most likely for the two of them to go to college together, but his teammate said nothing. He avoided him at all costs, and even on graduation day he didn’t say a word.
When they began college though, everything changed. Maybe it was the change of scenery, or the fact that no one knew what he had used to be like, or that from an outside perspective he seemed like Bakugo’s equal, but making friends was easy. Izuku was finally able to come out of his shell. The people on his team were hardworking and kind, and those in his classes became his closest friends. He also decided to join a fraternity, he wanted to be able to shed all remains of his past self and embrace his new reality, one where he had many friends, played for one of the best schools in the country, and partied harder than should be humanly possible.
Now, he was back in college again for his second year. It was crazy how fast time had gone by. Some things didn’t change though, like how he was on the phone with his mom, who even after all of these years hadn’t failed to call everyday and check in on him.
“I’m just worried that you’re not eating as well as you should, Izuku honey. I mean, college is a wild place, how can I even be sure they’re feeding you? And let me tell you, last night I woke up in a cold sweat because I had this terrible nightmare that you passed out at one of your games and when they did the autopsy it showed that you had only been eating dirt—”
Izuku rolled his eyes. This was the third nightmare this week, at this rate it would be better if she developed insomnia. “I thought you said I passed out in your dream, why would they do an autopsy on me?”
This seemed to jolt his mother back to her senses a bit, however her stubbornness still persisted. “Don’t argue with a mother’s intuition, Izuku. I had a premonition…”
“That I was eating dirt. Mom, I love you, and I assure you Coach Toshinori and the dining hall are feeding me very well. I don’t want you to worry about me anymore.”
His mother laughed dryly, “if I got paid I think I could turn it into a full time job.”
“Well it’s a good thing you have a real job then.”
“Don’t get an attitude with me, young man—”
Izuku pressed his mouth closer to the speaker of the phone and made a crackling noise, “going through a tunnel— doesn’t look so good, I’ll have to call you back!”
“But you aren’t allowed to have cars on campus—”
“Love you, mom! Gotta go.”
“I love you too, honey.”
Izuku began tucking his phone away, and though he’d ended the call early it had helped pass the time on the walk to class. It still didn’t change the fact that he could feel eyes on the back of his head the entire time, and he’d felt the sudden need to pay more attention.
Hands came down on his shoulders with a jolt. “Talking to your mom again?”
Izuku looked over his shoulder, finding his best friend Ochako peering at him, an easy smile painted on her lips.
“The one and only.” He replied.
Ochako fell into step beside him, her presence warm and welcoming. She had been one of the first friends he’d made outside of the football team at the beginning of college. They’d had English together, and the teacher was a grumpy bald man named Mr. AllforOne. Initially, Izuku had been excited for the class because Mr. AllforOne had previously been a star football player whose only rival had been “All Might”, only during one of their most heated face offs Mr. AllforOne lost so terribly and tore his ACL that he completely retired and switched careers, choosing to teach English at UA instead. Izuku always wondered if Coach Toshinori had decided to come to UA before or after Mr. AllforOne made that decision.
“I waited for you this morning, but Mina told me to leave.” Izuku mentioned.
“You came to the house?” Ochako was a part of one of the sororities on campus, hers was run by Momo Yaoyorozu, but Mina did most of the dirty work for her, including casting off all visitors that came by during the early hours of the morning.
“Yeah, but Mina said you overslept and I should go without you.”
“She didn’t lie.”
They entered their chemistry class and took their seat at the lab table so they could meet up with the rest of the group. Since Izuku was pretty much owned by the school as a Division I athlete, all of his general classes were with most of his team. His lab group consisted of Ochako, Iida, who was captain of the football team, and Todoroki, who was also on the team. For the most part, they were his best friends. There were others in the class he was close to as well, like Kirishima and Denki, who were also on the team, but they were close to Bakugo, and as a result their friend groups had never exactly been able to mesh.
Izuku never understood what Bakugo’s problem with him was, and it didn’t help that no matter what it did he only got two reactions from him: anger or avoidance. They even shared the chemistry class and yet during nearly all of college, outside of practices and games, Bakugo had talked to him perhaps a handful of times.
Izuku couldn’t help but look over at him. He didn’t fit the stereotypical college football player schema. Yes he was tall and built, but his form was mostly always covered in baggy jeans and crewnecks or t–shirts, and his striking red eyes were hidden from view under his black framed glasses. Bakugo’s hair always made him stand out though, despite the fact that he was always studying, or observing everything, he still drew people to him effortlessly. Izuku supposed in that regard he held jealously towards Bakugo. While Izuku had gone out of his way to talk to people and socialize in college, partying every weekend and constantly trying to maintain everything, Bakugo would just study and play amazingly and not ask a single person for admiration or respect and yet they still gave it. He was the perfect mystery.
“Hey, idiot, you're on fire.” Bakugo said to Denki.
A true grin broke out on Denki’s face, it was probably the first time Bakugo had complimented him ever. “Thank you! You know I always knew you would come around but this is good prog—”
Izuku watched Bakugo scowl, “I’m serious. You’re on fire.” He pointed at Denki’s arm just as the young man looked down and saw the flames crawling up his sleeve.
Todoroki cringed, “Denki screams like a girl.”
Iida cut him a look, “Todoroki it is the month of March; Women’s History Month if you do recall. What you said can be construed to have undertones of misogyny and the invalidation of being a young man with a higher pitched voice. It is politically and morally incorrect!”
Izuku smiled, but similar to the way Iida had a tendency to take his role as captain beyond seriously, Todoroki had a talent for remaining dense in all the simplest ways possible. He was one of the best linemen their team had ever seen, and he consistently had straight A’s, but when it came to other things…
“Oh, no. I apologize, I didn’t realize—” Todoroki started.
Ochako hushed him, “look!”
Izuku braced himself and glanced over. Bakugo was smacking Denki with the textbook over and over again while the poor guy tried to hide. It seemed Kirishima had already managed to extinguish the flames and now Bakugo was just attacking.
“You destroyed the notes, shitface!”
“It was an accident! I don’t even remember turning the burner on!”
Jirou, one of their friends and a member of the sorority Ochako was in. stepped in between Bakugo and Denki, halting the commotion. Izuku turned back around to face his group, suddenly remembering something he had forgotten to tell them all.
“Did you guys hear that Tomura is throwing his first party of the new year this Friday?” he asked.
Ochako perked up at this. “Really? Did he mention who was coming?”
Izuku had gone to most of Tomura’s parties in the past, and they were already known to be so insane that by the morning most everything was destroyed, but this year his friend had promised to go even bigger. Quite frankly, he was a little terrified by what that could mean.
“I know that Toga will be there, I mean she’d never miss a party, especially not since they're such good friends. Dabi will also be there, and he’s supplying of course. I’m sure Kirishima, Denki and Sero are going too. Will you guys?” he nodded to Iida and Todoroki.
Iida shook his head fervently, “it is my duty as captain to lead by example, I shouldn’t go to those things.”
Izuku smirked, “wouldn’t it be better to go so you could lead by example there and make sure that we’re all safe? Captain.”
At this Iida stiffened, but Izuku knew that he already had him, and if he had Iida then Todoroki would definitely come as well.
“Momo didn’t say anything about you guys coming, though?” he asked Ochako.
“She might’ve… but I did wake up late this morning, so I probably didn’t hear.”
“But you’ll go?”
Ochako grinned, “wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
And that was how Izuku Midoriya made plans for the most lit night of his life.