Home for the summer yippie!!! Hoping to get back to drawing more screenshots now that I'm on vacation, BUT they take so long it'd take forever for me to update lol.

Thanks so much for all of the reads and votes lately, they mean the world to me. I never thought this fic would get anywhere so it's super exciting to see people enjoying it!

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I was soaked to the bone. It'd started pouring rain when I was still a few minutes out from the school, and I'd run there in the downpour. My squeaky walk down the hall left shiny wet footprints trailing the floor. Just as I reached the bathroom door, Bakugo exited the men's.

"Not a fucking word," I warned. I shut the door before he could make a scene about how stupid I was. I peeled off my blazer, wrung it over the sink, and did the same to my hair. Glancing down, I found my white button-up was completely see-through. "Just my luck..."

I pulled out my phone and texted Mina. She walked through the door within a few minutes. "Aki? Homeroom's about to start!"

"I can't go out like this..."

She stopped in her tracks and gave an amused snort. "You didn't check the weather?"

I flushed, covering my face with my hands. I'd stayed up late practicing in the gym last night and slept through my first alarm."I was so tired this morning, it slipped my mind..."

"You can be such a ditz sometimes!" she laughed. "Here, take my blazer."

Thirty seconds later, we stared at each other blankly. "Yep, that won't work..." I stood stiffly in the too-small blazer, worried it would burst into pieces at the slightest movement. 

"What did you expect? Not only are we different builds, but you're like a foot shorter than me."

"Half a foot!" she retorted. "We need a different plan... Let's just have Momo make you one! Wait here!"

"But..." she dashed out of the room before I could get another word in. "She's totally gonna lecture me..."

"You should be more responsible, Akiharu! Being prepared for all situations is key to being a great hero."

"Yeah, sorry..." I mumbled. "So, will you help me out...?"

Yaoyorozu crossed her arms over her chest. "Normally I wouldn't! I have to be careful with my Quirk! Participating in the economy is important." She shifted her feet, glancing to the side. An embarrassed blush dusted her cheeks. "But, well... I'll make an exception, this time... Only this once, understand!"

She's surprisingly a bit of a people-pleaser.

Within the minute, Yaoyorozu handed me a fresh uniform. "Please change quickly! Homeroom will be starting soon."

"See you in class, Aki!"

Before leaving the bathroom, I tried to pat my hair dry with a paper towel. I glanced in the mirror and was glad to see my hair looked okay. My face, on the other hand... The lack of sleep these past few days hadn't done me well.

"Heya, Aki!" Kaminari cheered while I entered the classroom. A gleeful grin was plastered across his idiot face. The same ecstatic expression was echoed across the class. "I guess even you can be forgetful, huh?"

I sent a glare at Mina. "Snitch." She whistled absently, glancing away.

"Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, even Akiharu!" Kirishima defended my honour.

"Exactly," I pressed, taking my seat.

"If Kaminari forgot his umbrella, we wouldn't be making such a big deal about it," Jiro hummed. "'Cause it's so in character."

"Hey!"

"Everyone shut up," interrupted Aizawa, as he pulled open the classroom door. I looked at my desk, wishing more than ever I was closer to the back of the room. "Today we'll be having a special hero informatics class... You'll be picking out codenames."

"We're gonna do something exciting!"

Aizawa silenced the class with a curt glare. Once they shut up, he re-explained how the draft picks at U.A. worked. It was rare for heroes to extend a request to first years, as the internships only really started in earnest in the second and third years, once students had obtained their provisional licenses. When picked, students would have to continually prove themselves, or else the heroes lose interest and rescind the offers by the time they graduate. Aizawa turned on a projector, revealing the draft pick results on the blackboard. I received a surprising total of 5096 offers, followed by Todoroki with a score of 4123. Bakugo received 3498 offers, Tokoyami got 360, and so on. Of the whole class, only ten students had gotten any offers. I frowned to see that Mina was among the group without any. 

Good God! Not even Midoriya got any? Are the pro-heroes blind!

"In past years, it's been more dispersed through the class, but all eyes were on those three this year," Aizawa said.

"Aki's first, Todoroki's second and Bakugo's third?"

"It's totally jumbled compared to their placement in the Sports festival..."

"Some people are too scared to ask for a guy who had to be restrained to the podium."

"The hell are the pros scared of!" Bakugo slammed his hands down on his desk.

I circled him with a finger. "That."

"Shut up!"

Aizawa cleared his throat to bring the class' focus back to him. "Keeping those results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros. At USJ, you lot were able to experience combat with real villains, for better or for worse. Still, this will be meaningful training. It's a chance to see pros at work firsthand."

"So that explains the hero names!"

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!"

Squinting with fatigue, Aizawa pinched his brow. "Well, those hero names are only temporary, but if you're not serious..."

"You'll have hell to pay later!" interrupted Midnight, throwing the classroom door open. "Because a lot of codenames used by students become recognized by society, and end up becoming their hero names!"

"Well, that's how it is, so Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future. It gives you a clear goal to work toward. That's what it means when they say, 'Names and natures do often agree.' Like All Might, for example."

Whiteboards and markers were dispersed throughout the class. Sighing, I tapped my marker against my desk. What was the name the Commission wanted for me again? I'm sure they mentioned it to me when I was younger... They'd wanted me to answer to it and erase my name as they did to 'Hawks'. I'd gotten in trouble many times for mistakenly calling him Keigo when others were around. 

All I remembered of the name was refusing it – I hadn't wanted to give away my only tie to my past: Akiharu. My name. I twisted the lid around the marker, deep in thought. Should I do that now? Keep going by Akiharu? I stared down at the blank whiteboard. 'Akiharu' had too much history. 'Akiharu' killed 8,432 people —A hero couldn't have that kind of past. If I was going to manage this future, I was going to have to treat it like this whiteboard:

A blank slate.

"Akiharu!" Midnight called my name. I flinched, looking up at her. "You ready to share?"

"Er.... No," I admitted. "I'm still thinking."

"Then, I'll go next!" said Bakugo brashly, stepping up to the lectern. He slammed his whiteboard down, revealing the harshly scrawled words, "King Explosion Murder!"

"You probably shouldn't use something like that," Midnight bit.

"Why not!"

"Woah, that's real edge-lord material," I snickered.

"HUH?"

"You should be Explosion Boy!"

"Shut up, Shitty Hair! You too, Shitty tie!"

Bakugo plopped down in his chair with a huff.

"Thanks for that," I whispered, grinning.

"Huh?" he scoffed.

"Now that I've seen you literally bomb, I'm less worried about what I'll make my name."

"At least I have a name!" he mocked. "Haven't you had years to think about this shit?"

"Nah, I always thought someone from Headquarters would pick for me," I said under my breath. Bakugo scoffed. At the front, the others continued proclaiming their new names. I returned to my whiteboard, pressing my lips together.

"Got any ideas for me?"

"Rocks for brains," Bakugo sneered.

I rolled my eyes. "Should've seen that one coming."

He smirked devilishly. "I've got more! Dirt thrower. Dirt-eater. The Dirty Hero: Dirtface."

"How original," I muttered. "Got anything with a bit more... hm, dirt?"

"The Ambush Hero: Nose-Breaker!"

"Now, that one seems personal."

"Boulder-bouncer. Mud puppet!"

"Huh. That last one actually wasn't so bad."

"Akiharu," Midnight called, "Have you settled on something yet?"

"Almost, Ma'am," I replied. "Right now I'm debating between Boulder-Bouncer or Mud Puppet. It's got a nice ring...to it..."

Midnight's bright blue eyes bored at me, unblinking. She looked at the half-asleep Aizawa. "This is your fault."

"How?"

"Do you understand the incredible capacity for names your Quirk gives you!" the scantily-dressed teacher ranted. "Comparatively, heroes with the most boring, redundant Quirks have come up with something more poetic!"

"I don't think she liked your names, Bakugo," I muttered beneath my breath.

Bakugo sat hunched with his arms crossed over his chest. "Ya think?"

"Did you know there's a hero in America with the Quirk to make people shit their pants on the spot?" Midnight proclaimed. "What do you think he named himself!"

I blinked. "The Incontinence Hero: Dookie Dumper?"

"Doo-doo-er: Defecate!" Bakugo chimed in.

I narrowly avoided smiling by biting my cheek. "Oh, that's good."

"'Course it is!"

"No!" Midnight yelled. "But the alliteration on those isn't bad... No, no! It's The Dropper: Deuce!"

I sucked in a breath. Don't break. Don't break. "O-oh...?" I said, weakly. I glanced at Bakugo and choked. His face was bright red from the effort of not laughing.

"Deuce dropper!" he dissolved into cackles.

I doubled over on my desk, covering my face with my hands. "Hey," I struggled, "Please tell me he's N..." I couldn't hold back the laughter long enough to speak. "On the leaderboard... Number two?"

Even Midnight was struggling not to laugh at this point. She turned her head to one side and spoke through barely repressed giggles. "No. He's retired with a wife and children. The point is!" She slammed her hands on the lectern, whipping back to me. "Even a shit Quirk – literally – can be made to sound interesting and fashionable! Those of you undecided, put lots of thought into your name. Both into its meaning and into its aesthetics!"

Aizawa slithered back to the podium and unzipped his sleeping bag. "Let's go back to talking about the internships. They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them; those with offers from pros will have their lists, so they can choose from those. Those who didn't get offers can choose from among forty agencies around the country that are accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties, so keep that in mind as you make your choice."

"For example," Midnight chimed in, "Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains."

"Think carefully before you choose."

"Yes, sir!"

Handouts were passed throughout the class as the bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom. "Turn in your selections before the weekend!" Midnight called.

"Only two days?"

"Make your decision efficiently. Dismissed."

I peeked up from my arms at Bakugo as the door slid shut. "Do-doo-doer," I snickered.

"You're so juvenile," he muttered.

"You laughed harder than I did."

"Don't make shit up!"

I sighed happily, draping over my desk."I don't think I've laughed that hard, ever."

Bakugo squinted at me for a moment. Then he rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the lectern as Ectoplasm began his math lecture.

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When lunch rolled around, everyone used the chance to get a closer look at their handouts. I took a quick glance over the first page, and my eyebrows shot up. "Huh..."

"Lemmie see, lemmie see!" Kaminari leaned over my shoulder to get a peek. His jaw hung open before I could pull the page away. "What?" he yelled, snatching the packet and shooting to his feet. "No way...!"

"Show me!" Mina cheered, peeking over his shoulder.

"Guys," I pleaded, "I have to look at the rest..."

"Look at the rest?" Kaminari shouted. By now the whole class was looking our way. I hung my head in embarrassment. "Look at the rest! You don't even need to! You got so many offers, instead of organizing it alphabetically like the rest of us, they organized it by their leaderboard rank... Did you read this! Hey! Endeavour, Hawks, Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, Crust, Musha, Ryuko, Gang Orca — It's pretty much the whole freaking leaderboard on here!"

"Is that Miruko?" Mina yelled. "Miruko!" She snatched the paper from his hands. "MIRUKO?"

"E-even Miruko...?" Midoriya was stuttering. "She's known for never bothering with interns, let alone first years..."

"This is insane!" Kaminari said. "Insane! You make us who didn't get any offers look like plebs!"

"It's not that big a deal..." I felt the hairs on my neck prickle and glanced over my shoulder. Todoroki was staring daggers into my back. I whipped back around. I'm sorry! I don't like your dad much, anyway. Frankly, he's a piece of shit, so I'll turn down his offer!

Finally, I got Kaminari to hand the list back, and skimmed through it myself. There were so many names to get through, I was glad they'd organized it by rank...

Bakugo scoffed. I saw him glance away from my sheet and back to his. "Did you get anyone interesting?" I asked.

"None of your business," he muttered.

I leaned and caught a glance over his shoulder. "Hey, Best Jeanist!" I grinned. "Maybe I'll sign up there, and we'll end up co-interns."

"Don't you fucking dare!" he snapped, yanking the sheet away. He grabbed his bag off of his chair and stormed out of the room. I frowned, watching him slam the door. It was just a joke, damn. We were just joking around earlier, too. Why's he so goddamn pissy all of a sudden...

Whatever. I'd have to run my internship past the Commission, anyway.

"Aki, you'll eat with us today, right?" Mina asked, bounding to my desk.

"Yeah, just give me a minute. I'm gonna find a place to hang my uniform so it dries."

"Okay, we'll save you a spot!"

While the class emptied, I pulled my uniform out of my bag and started hanging it on my chair.

"Akiharu." I startled, finding Todoroki hovering behind me. God, he was so light on his feet...

What's he gonna do, challenge me again?

"You should pick your internship without considering anyone else's feelings," he said. "However, my father is a powerful man. He has a lot to teach. I will be interning there for the same reason, though I don't like him much." With that, he bowed curtly and then started toward the exit.

"Todoroki!" I called. "Um, thanks." I still think your father's a piece of shit, though.

He bowed again before sliding out of the classroom. I sighed, looking back to the paper. Hawks was a no-go. I could never keep up with him, and I didn't want to be stuck learning from his sidekicks, and his office was at the top of the tallest skyscraper in West-Shinjuku and I hated hights. Mina would probably never forgive me if I didn't pick Miruko, but I didn't think she and I would get along. She was an absolute beast of a hero, and I admired her for that, but she was a bit... Scary? Not that I minded, but she was a bit of a wild-card, and the commission was unlikely to approve of her.

Best Jeanist seemed interesting — not really my style, but I felt I could get a unique perspective. Unfortunately, I had a feeling Bakugo would hate my guts even more if I went there. On the other hand, Todoroki was right about Endeavor. He was the only hero who had always genuinely tried to surpass All Might— something Hawks often said he admired. He was a shit-filled asshole, but his heroic capabilities were among the best in the world; no one could deny that.

Looked like I had a tough choice ahead of me.

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After school, I made my way to the faculty room. I poked my head inside and walked up to Present Mic's desk. "Hey, listener!" he said. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes sir," I said formally. "I was wondering if you would supply me extra classwork to complete during my internship? I know my grades aren't great, and I want to get them up in time for the final exam."

"A hero student asking for extra class work!" Mic bellowed laughter, wiping a tear. My eardrums rang from the volume. "I've seen it all. Your internships are supposed to be spent focusing on your Pro-hero mentor, ya know!"

I bowed my head slightly. "I know. But the hours are like a regular work day, right? I can afford to spend a bit of time studying each night."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Your internship is supposed to be difficult. You don't want to get overworked!"

"I'll be careful."

Mic sighed thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair. Nodding tastefully, he said, "Very well! I'll allow it, but only because you're so far ahead in the practical hero's basics. I'm sure whichever hero you work with will have an easy time coaching you. I'll start preparing the material today."

"Thank you very much sir."

I went around the room, repeating the conversation with my other teachers. I got promised extra work for all of the basic subjects – English, Japanese, Math, Physics, and so on. I wasn't the type to struggle with learning, but was suffering from a lack of practice. I hardly had time to study, and I'd barely received a middle-school education at the Commission. My memorization was good – for that reason, my history grades were decent. On the other hand, my understanding of the basics and fundamentals of language and math was severely underdeveloped. It was something only consistent practice would fix.

I noticed Aizawa watching me as I received a Modern lit packet from Cementoss. I pretended I didn't see him and delivered a hasty bow to the teacher in front of me. Then, I briskly left the room. I wasn't expecting him to follow after me. "Akiharu," Aizawa called, "Have you put any thought into who you want to intern with?"

I stopped in the hall, fidgeting with the cuff of my blazer. "I'm having trouble deciding." I couldn't meet his eyes. He beckoned for my list and I reluctantly handed it to him. "There's just so many."

Nodding along, Aizawa scanned briefly though the package. "You've received a record-breaking request list in both quality and quantity. Even a few retired heroes have come out of retirement to reach out."

"That's insane," I retorted. "My capabilities all around are hardly better than Bakugo, and Todoroki's an even match – if not more – when he uses both sides. Even Midoriya and Yaoyorozu aren't far behind..."

Aizawa ruffled his hair, grumbling. "The thing I despise most about this profession is how it overlaps with entertainment. It's stupid and useless – or it should be, but that's not the reality. The fact is, you're great on stage. You draw people in and make them want to root for you – more than that, you make people want to befriend you. It's not something many can pull off."

"That was a one-time thing – The conditions were ideal, is all," I rambled. "I was only copying Hawks...He's always said that he thinks the most important thing to a hero is showmanship. People need someone charismatic to put them at ease — I don't like it either, but I agree."

"Whether it's real or fake, you've got charisma," Aizawa said, bluntly. "How else do you think you've made so many friends despite your flippant, mocking approach to people?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're not one to talk about a bad attitude..."

"No, I'm not." A flash of sadness flashed through his dark eyes, sunken with dark circles. His shoulders looked heavy and tired, even more-so than usual. "When I spoke to the Chairwoman..." he said softly, "I did it out of concern, not to put you in a tough spot. I'm sorry."

I ran my hand across my neck. I wished we'd skipped over this conversation entirely. "Once I calmed down, I knew it probably wasn't ill-intentioned. I'm sorry for freaking out." My eyes flicked up to his face. His bandages had been removed since I saw him last. Now, the only sign of his injuries at USJ was a freshly healed scar stretching beneath his right eye. "And... for other stuff."

"Nothing to be sorry about," he dismissed, and laid a hand gently on my shoulder. "I can tell you what I know about the Adamus, but unfortunately, they had all but vanished by the time I was born. Anything you could scrounge from the internet would surpass my knowledge... Though I can tell you, if you want to speak to someone who knew an Adamus firsthand, I believe you might try Endeavor."

I startled. "Endeavor?"

"Yes. I'm sure there was an Adamus in Endeavor's class during his time at U.A."

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