Izuku's relationship with his classmates were more or less the same from elementary school. The only difference was that his daily beatings turned into weekly ones and it was always caused by him making a mistake. He would offer help to someone when it was unwanted or bump into someone after being shoved and it would result in Bakugo and his friends giving him a lesson.

Izuku was beginning to learn from the lessons and started only offering help when it was asked, not just when it was needed. He also became better at dodging people while he was falling, leaning his weight in the opposite direction and hoping no impact came.

While his relationship with his peers stayed the same, his relationship with his homeroom teacher seemed to be much worse than from elementary school. This teacher was much more vocal for his dislike of Izuku and made sure to dock marks for the smallest things on any of his homework. Izuku did his best to ignore it and kept it secret from his mother. He didn't want her to be upset.

His relationship with his general science teacher however, was exceptional. Izuku had found out his teacher was actually a part time support engineer as well as a science teacher. Izuku had asked him various questions about the work he has done and who he's done it for. A bond had fallen over the two and he found out his teacher worked at a company in Shizuoka prefecture.

"So you're taking the course so you can get ahead of the game?" -Mr. Murata

"Yes sir, I want to learn about the basics before I begin exploring my own ideas." -I. Midoriya

"Well, if you'd like I could get you an internship at my company. My boss has been looking for middle school students to help clean the labs and do coffee runs. You would also get the chance to possibly help with some of the work." -Mr. Murata

"Really? You would do that for me?" -I. Midoriya

"Of course, you are my brightest student this year and you definitely show passion from what I've seen. I'll contact you parents with the details." -Mr. Murata

Izuku was excited to find out his mother approved the idea of him interning at his teachers company.

"I would rather you build experience in a safe environment with adult supervision then you experimenting in your room," was her reason for agreeing.

It only took a week for all the paperwork to be filled out and for Izuku to finally begin his internship at Masuda & Co. He would be there after school on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday every week, the same time his teacher would be. Mr. Murata even said he would give Izuku extra lessons if they had time for them at work.

Today was Izuku's first shift and he was making his way there from school when he was stopped.

"Where the hell are you going Deku?!?!" Bakugo yelled from behind him. Izuku turned to see it was just Bakugo this time and his friends were nowhere in sight.

"Uh, n-nowhere, K-Kacchan," Izuku responded, trying to continue on his way.

"Don't walk away from me!" Bakugo yelled before grabbing Izuku's arm. "This isn't the way to your house, Deku! Stop messing around and tell me where you're going!"

"I-I got an internship! I start work today..." Izuku blurted. He had not planned on telling anyone since he didn't want any unwanted attention from his peers. Bakugo let go of his arm and walked away angrily, leaving Izuku on the sidewalk.

Izuku continued on his way, trying to swallow his fear of what may happen at school the next day. When he arrived at the company building he was greeted by a kind woman at the front desk who gave him a tour of the first two floors that Izuku had clearance on. Izuku wandered the halls with the woman in awe. She showed him the different labs, introduced him to the workers in their offices and dropped him off in the break room where Mr. Murata would be soon to pick him up.

"Midoriya, you're shorter than I imagined," Izuku turned to see a tall man in a lab coat. He matched the profile pic of his teacher and he smiled as he got to meet the man in real life.

"Mr. Murata!" Izuku said before approaching his teacher and offering his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sensei." Mr. Murata shook his hand and motioned for Izuku to follow him.

"Come on, I'll show you the list of cleaning you'll be doing in lab C. If you finish before 5 you might be able to help me in my latest project." he said.

Izuku found that he didn't really mind the tedious job of cleaning the lab. There was specific equipment he wasn't allowed to touch, but the things he did need to clean were simple tools. He also swept and mopped the room before making sure he put everything back in its original spot. Mr. Murata has told him that scientists and engineers were very serious about keeping their labs organized so they could find everything quicker.

This time Izuku was not quick enough to get to help Mr. Murata in his work, but he didn't mind. He had gotten the chance to meet many of the other workers when they filed into the lab to check up on him. Some of them even showed him what the equipment did. His favourite part was when he got to help with the testing of a new tracking device.

They had attached the device to Izuku's shirt and told him to go anywhere on the second floor. Izuku had hidden himself underneath the desk of the second floor supervisor, who slightly laughed at Izuku's excitement. The device worked and they were able to find Izuku quickly.

His shift came to an end and Izuku rushed home, excited to tell his mother about the day's events. His mother listened to him intently as she finished supper. They weren't used to eating so late, but she said it was worth the wait to eat with her son. Izuku quickly finished his homework and talked to Melissa and Samuel for an hour before going to bed.

****

*Timeskip One Year*

Izuku was happy to begin learning the more compact aspects of physics and chemistry, not just the beginners points from his last online course. Mr. Murata had already set him up with extra lessons so he was well ahead. He had also gotten to learn many things about making ideas a reality at his internship.

Whenever someone needed an extra hand, Izuku was the one they chose. He was always happy to take a break from cleaning to learn something new. Usually he was just holding something or giving his opinion on the look of a prototype.

As Izuku made his way into the building after his first day of school, he saw Mr. Murata was waiting for him in the lobby.

"There you are, Midoriya." the man said as Izuku approached. "I have some great news. Follow me." Izuku followed him up the stairs and into his office. Izuku took the seat in front of his desk and waited excitedly for Mr. Murata to speak.

"So, we are changing your schedule around a bit. You will still be doing cleaning work on Mondays and Tuesdays but instead of Thursdays, you'll be coming in on Saturdays." Mr. Murata began. "And it is on Saturdays that we will begin teaching you many skills needed in the support field. Sewing, welding, you name it. We're gonna teach you how to do it."

"W-What? Really? Are you serious?" Izuku asked breathlessly.

"Yep! Got permission from the big boss. Just need your mom to sign a few permission forms." Mr. Murata smiled.

"I-I, I don't know what to say... Thank you, Sensei," was all Izuku could say in return. His night continued like normal, cleaning the empty labs and helping anyone who needed it. When he got home he showed his mother the permission forms and she was almost as excited as he was.

"Oh, honey. You've grown so much, and now you're gonna grow even more" Inko cried.

"I don't know Mom, I'm still pretty short." Izuku countered, blushing at his mothers praise.

One step closer to U.A... One step closer to the future.

****

One thing that began to become normal, was the fact Izuku was not allowed to participate in the games his class played during gym class. Instead, their gym teacher forced Izuku to run laps around the yard while the class played games like soccer, basketball, sometimes even baseball. But Izuku was not allowed to participate.

Within the last two months of school, Izuku's muscles in his bones had strengthened and he was a lot faster than before. He was also building stamina and he didn't know whether he should thank the teacher or not. They hadn't planned for Izuku to like the aftermath of his solitude, but Izuku couldn't help but like gaining muscle.

Currently, Izuku was spending his lunch period at school like he normally did, alone in the corner of the school yard. The bullying from the beginning of last year had dwindled down to Izuku just being full out ignored by his peers. He had gotten used to it, and kind of enjoyed not being pushed around as much. Though he was still rather lonely.

He still had Samuel and Melissa to talk to, but it wasn't the same as having friends to hang out with. He was eating his lunch his mom had prepared for him and writing down an idea in his book when a figure casted a shadow over the page. He looked up in horror to see Bakugo standing there and looking down at him.

"U-uh... Hi Kacchan?" Izuku said, though it came out as a question. Bakugo made a 'hmph' noise before sitting down next to him.

"Just shut it and stay quiet Deku. I want nothing but peace and silence." Bakugo demanded as he leaned against the fence with his eyes closed. Izuku stared at him in shock before shaking his head and continuing his work. He did his best to stay quiet and ignore the scary presence next to him.

"My mom wanted me to invite someone to join us on our mountain climbing trip this weekend." Bakugo said out of the blue. "The others have been annoying the shit out of me, so if you want to come you better be at my house by 8 on Saturday." Bakugo stood about to leave till Izuku stopped him.

"I-I'm sorry, Kacchan. I have my internship on Saturday. They are teaching me how to weld." Izuku said hesitantly, sad to turn down the opportunity of hanging out with his former best friend.

"Pfft, whatever. We'll go on Sunday then. Same time, so don't be late," Bakugo said before leaving. Izuku was shocked at his attitude towards him. Bakugo was still rude and pushy like he was before, but he wasn't being mean to Izuku like he used to be.

"K-Kacchan?" Izuku called out to the retreating figure. Bakugo turned to give him an annoyed look. "D-does this mean we can be f-friends again?" Bakugo just stared back at him before turning away.

"Whatever, Deku."

That wasn't a no.

Izuku smiled as he watched Bakugo leave. This was a step forward in the right direction in winning back his old friend. He quickly grabbed his phone and sent his mom a quick text, telling her the news. His mother seemed to be just as excited as he was, though she didn't like how dangerous mountain climbing was.

It had been years since Izuku had gone, the last time Bakugo had almost pushed Izuku off the mountain if it hadn't been for Mitsuki rounding the corner. Izuku grimaced at the memory, but smiled, having a feeling this time would be different. Izuku knew mountain climbing was Bakugo's favourite pastime, so it must mean something if he was inviting him.

Izuku quickly packed his things after realizing the bell was about to ring and rushed to his classroom. He say Bakugo was already seated at his desk, so were a few other students. Izuku took his place at the back of the class, setting up his math work.

The rest of the school day was boring, most of the things being taught in science were things he had already learned last year. He was also ahead in math, since he needed the extra skills when he worked on his physics course. Izuku sighed as he listened to his teacher talk about niches and habitats.

When the day ended, Izuku made his way home. He was slightly surprised when Bakugo matched his step and walked next to him. He didn't say anything and just continued on his way, not wanting to upset the other. When they came up to the intersection where they would go their separate ways, Bakugo said a quiet 'Later, Deku.' and Izuku responded with an enthusiastic 'Bye, Kacchan!'.

Izuku made his way to his apartment. When he opened the door he was surprised to find a big red campers bag in the hallway. There were also a pair of red hiking shoes that looked to be around his size.

"Oh, Izuku! Mitsuki just dropped those off for you. She is quite excited you'll be joining them on Sunday." his mother said with a warm, happy smile. Izuku smiled in return and began looking through the equipment. It seemed to mostly be second hand, probably gear that Bakugo grew out of, but it would work for Izuku perfectly.