"Izuku! You're gonna be late for school!" Izuku's mom called from the hallway.
Izuku sat up in his bed, blinking the away sleep. One glance at his clock and he saw that he had slept in twenty minutes, which meant he only had ten before he left for school. He quickly stumbled out of bed, pulling his uniform out of his dresser and sloppily throwing it on.
"Mom! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" he called down the hallway as he rushed to the bathroom.
"I did!" she yelled back as Izuku wildly brushed his teeth. He decided that his hair would just have to be messier than usual today.
He rushed into the kitchen and grabbed the lunch his mother packed, giving her a hug and grabbing a pop-tart for breakfast before grabbing his backpack. He ran to the door and slipped on his shoes. Outside, it was gloomy and overcast, and Izuku groaned as he started the trek to school. If he was lucky, Katsuki, his bully, wouldn't have figured out his new route and the walk would pass uninterrupted. Of course, Izuku was not so lucky. He thought he was in the clear, the gates of the school in sight. Just as he was about to walk through, he was pulled back by his collar. Izuku gasped through the pressure on his neck, flailing as he grasped at the strong hands behind him.
"Look what we have here, a talentless Deku," the boy behind him sneered. The voice was unmistakably Katsuki's, and the snickers behind him were clearly his minions.
With a shove Katsuki let go of Izuku and the boy fell the ground violently. He scrambled up and dusted himself off. Katsuki stood tall, muscles visibly flexing through his uniform as he cracked his knuckles. He rolled his head and his eyes narrowed. Izuku, after years of torement, knew what this meant. Just as Katsuki was about to throw a punch, Izuku turned and sprinted toward the school.
"Sorry Ka-chan! I have to get to class!" Izuku said, grateful that he was fast enough to avoid Katsuki's grab at him this time. Other times he was not so fortunate. Izuku sprinted into class and took his seat, slumping as he dropped his backpack. Shortly after the door slammed open and Katsuki strutted in, his minions following obediently. Izuku didn't miss the glare sent his direction, but he dropped his head and avoided the look.
Izuku pulled out a notebook and began writing furiously, finishing up a passage he had been working on. The teacher walked in shortly after and Izuku snapped to attention, prepared to stuff more information into his brain. The day, for the most part, went smoothly. When he was in class, it was hard for Katsuki to get to Izuku so school itself tends to be pretty tame. However, today the teacher just had to discuss where they all wanted to study for high school. It was the end of class and Izuku was packing up, not paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Then he heard, "Oh and Izuku also applied for Yuuei as well."
Izuku froze. He knew what was coming.
"What?!" Katsuki yelled as he slammed his fist down on the desk. "That talentless loser! He can't even get through a performance!"
Katsuki marched over to Izuku. Izuku braced himself as Katsuki picked him up and threw him against the wall.
"You fucking bastard. You'll never get in. Don't even try to compete with me," he snarled.
Behind Katsuki, one of his minions picked up Izuku's notebook.
"Hey Bakugou, look at this," he said.
"No! That's not yours!" Izuku struggled against Katsuki's hold.
He was dropped as Katsuki took interest in the notebook. He looked through it before growling.
"You fucking nerd. You're a nobody," Katsuki said before throwing the notebook out the window into a pond.
Izuku looked forlornly out the window.
It was then that the teacher decided to step in, much too late for anything to be done. Izuku resented this teacher, he never stepped in to stop anything until it's over.
"That's enough Bakugou, sit down," the teacher said firmly.
Katsuki snarled at Izuku before taking his seat. Izuku crawled up and sat down, a pain in his back. That was going to be sore tomorrow.
As soon as the bell rang Izuku bolted, this time to the library where he knew Katsuki wouldn't come looking for him. He went to the back corner and sat down in between the shelfs. He pulled out his phone and checked the latest news, drifting away into thought.
Izuku had known Katsuki for years, and when they were little he had even considered them friends. But it was clear that Katsuki clearly didn't feel the same way and the endless bullying began early. It didn't help that Katsuki, even from a young age, was a very talented singer. He was overflowing with confidence and his voice was often praised. It's no surprise that he's applied for Yuuei, the top arts school in the country.
It had always been Izuku's dream to go there. He wanted nothing more than to be a hit star. He remembers fondly the day he decided that he would be an idol. He was watching the T.V. with his mother, when the debut of All Might was playing. Izuku was awe struck. He captured the audience and had them hanging off of every note. He brought joy to people through music. Izuku wanted nothing more to be up there on that stage, making people happy with his music. After that, four-year-old Izuku would come flying through the door after school, screaming about wanting to watch the performance on the family computer. He would rock the chair back and forth while his mom pulled up the video and he would watch it for hours on end.
Eventually he began to practice, mimicking the dance moves of various groups, but mostly All Might's, and singing along to their songs. Through much practice, Izuku thought that he had become a decent singer, although he chronically tripped trying to dance. However, he was determined to perform at his elementary school's variety show. He worked every night on his piece, spending hours practicing. The night of the show, Izuku got on stage and froze. His nerves over took him and when the music played, he couldn't sing. He ran off stage, crying, and was teased relentlessly ever since. Katsuki had won the show. He had never been able to perform after that, but he still practiced. Still chased his dream. He decided that he would study other idols, figure out their tricks so he could understand how to perform in front of thousands of people. He kept running tabs on everyone he could find, already on his thirteenth notebook.
Speaking of, it was floating around in a pond right now, getting more and more illegible. Izuku figured that it was late enough that Katsuki had gone home. He got up and absentmindedly started singing a song as he walked through the empty halls. He reached the pond and was relieved to find the notebook relatively close to the back. He leant over and grabbed the book, holding it away from himself as he shook it out. With a sigh Izuku started walking home, picking a new song to sing under his breath to pass the time.
He was walking with his head down, singing to himself, when he ran smack into a wall.
"Ouch!" Izuku said as he looked up, and to his surprise he had run into a person.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" Izuku said to the extremely tall person with spiky blonde hair.
It was only when this person turned around that he realized who it was. Izuku was frozen.
"Y-y-y-you're All Might!" he stuttered out, astonished that he was standing in front of his idol.
"Shhh, don't say that too loud kid," All Might hissed, leaning in.
Izuku broke out into a grin.
"Will you-"
"Yes I will give you an autograph," All Might said, grabbing the wet notebook and a pen from his jacket.
As All Might scribbled in the notebook, Izuku's head was racing. The was the All Might. The one who motivated him to become a star. He had so many questions but where to start. Before Izuku knew it, his notebook had been shoved back into his hands and All Might was turning to leave. Izuku had to stop him.
He reached forward grabbing All Might's wrist, managing to say "wait!"
All Might turned, and started with "Look kid I'm busy-"
"I know and I'm sorry," Izuku interjected. "I just have to ask you one thing. Can I be a star if I can't sing in front of people?"
Izuku's voice dropped to a whisper. All Might looked at him and sighed.
"Kid look, it's impossible to be a star if you don't sing in front of people. That's the point of being an idol. So no, you can't," All Might said.
Izuku's face fell. In that moment, a torrential downpour overtook the two.
"Come on kid, let's get out of the rain," All Might sighed as he dragged Izuku under an awning in the back alley. Izuku felt like a shell, lifeless, as he stood next to his hero. He looked at All Might and was suddenly taken back. He looked like an entirely different person, his hair flat and makeup running off his face. All Might noticed his face and signed.
"Yes I know, I'm ugly. I usually wear make up and stuff to make me look more attractive and stronger, but in the rain all of that is basically useless. Look, don't tell anyone. I've spent years working up my image," All Might said.
Izuku was stunned. Not that it mattered that All Might was well, old and ugly, but that he hid himself from the world. Izuku was shaken from his thoughts when All Might started coughing violently.
"Are you okay?" Izuku questioned.
"Yes. The rain is letting up. Stay out of trouble kid," All Might mumbled and then he was gone. Izuku was left standing under the awning, trying to comprehend what had happened to him. He eventually left and began the walk home. He noticed someone playing a guitar on a bench, and the song was one of All Might's. Izuku didn't even think as he flipped a coin into the cup and began to sing the song the guitarist was playing. The man smiled and encouraged him to keep going, so Izuku did. Izuku never sang in public before but somehow he felt like he could do this. It wasn't like anyone was listening.
Izuku began to play around with notes, letting his voice slide through them melodiously, smoothly. When the song finished, Izuku smiled sheepishly at the man.
"I'm so sorry for interrupting like that," Izuku said.
"Don't apologize. You have a beautiful voice. With a voice like that, you could go places," the man replied.
"Ah, thank you very much sir."
"And, I think you have a fan."
The man pointed behind Izuku, and Izuku turned to find none other than All Might standing behind him. Izuku gaped and looked back at the guitarist. It was clear he didn't recognize All Might without the special effects. The guitarist began to play an other song as Izuku approached All Might.
"I thought you said you didn't sing in front of people," All Might said, beckoning for Izuku to walk with him. Izuku followed.
"I don't," Izuku replied.
"Well you sang in front of that man and, whether you knew it or not, me."
"That was different."
"Look kid, I'm trying to cut you some slack here. You have talent, seriously."
"Really?!"
"Yeah, but if you can't perform you can't use it so whats the point."
Izuku's face fell. He had a point. Even if he could sing, what's the use if he cant do it in front of people.
"However, I am currently looking for someone to take on and train. Currently, my time on the stage is, well, limited. Tell me, kid, why do you want to be an idol?" All Might asks.
"I want to make people happy. I want to make them smile," Izuku replied firmly.
"I thought as much. Look kid, I'm looking to train someone to follow in my footsteps. Think you're up for it?"
"Are you saying-"
"Yes, I want to train you. Now kid-"
"Midoriya. Midoriya Izuku."
"Now Midoriya, are you up for the challenge?"
Izuku felt tears well in his eyes as he nodded. Those tears streamed down his face and he let out a sob. All Might stood there and let him cry for a while. Let him get it out. Then, when Izuku had calmed down, All Might said "You're training starts now. In order for me to properly train you, you need to get into Yuuei, where I will start working during the next school year. I will see you bright and early tomorrow here."
All Might handed Izuku a paper with an address on it. When he looked up, All Might was already gone. Izuku spent the rest of the walk home in a state of shock.
...
Izuku stood outside a closed down recording studio. He pushed his way in to find All Might already waiting for him.
"Alright Midoriya, the exams are coming up in two weeks. What we need to do between now and then is get you comfortable singing in front of people. Starting tomorrow I'll be bringing in different people to listen to you sing. For today we'll just work on the basics," All Might said.
Izuku nodded, his stomach dropping.
He began his lessons with All Might. Before school he would have vocal practice and music theory, and then after he would have dance practice and then he would sing for people. At first, his voice cracked and he had problems projecting, but as he continued his training he became more comfortable. However, large crowds still intimidated him.
On the day of the exam, Izuku remembered All Might's words, "Remember that you can sing and that you are talented. The judges will see that."
He took a deep breath as he walked onto the school grounds. However, with his luck, he ran promptly into someone.
"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed.
"Oh no worries! Good luck today!" chriped the person. Well, more specifically, a girl with bobbed brown hair and big, hazel eyes that bore into him. Izuku felt dazed as he watched her bounce away.
He eventually snapped to his senses and rushed into the building. At check in, he was behind a boy with half platinum, half red hair. Izuku recognized him as the hit idol Endeavor's son, and Izuku mentally shorted out. He knew the boy was pretty, but up close he was downright beautiful. The kid, as a result of his father's fame, had been in the spotlight his entire life. Girl's swooned over him and sometimes Izuku would catch himself doing so too. Of course, those were moments he never shared with anyone, not wanting to risk even further humiliation.
Once Izuku was checked in, he took his seat in the enormous lecture hall. This is where the written exam would be held. He noticed the man up front as Present Mic, one of the top idol's. It was overwhelming seeing all these famous people in person, but Izuku had to admit he was kind of loving it.
Present Mic went through the instructions for the written test and then Izuku was biting on his pencil, focusing on music theory. While Izuku knew his stuff, nerves had already gotten to the best of him and he calculated that he just barely passed the writing exam. Now everything was riding on his performance.
Izuku was a nervous wreck as he sat in the waiting room for his group. Katsuki, thankfully, was not in the same group. However, Shouto Todoroki was. Izuku was in the midst of wondering why he was even here, knowing full well that he could get in very easily on recommendation, when his name was called. Izuku sprung up, yelping a little, and scampered into the room. There was line of top idols, all of whom he knew, facing the stage. He climbed up the stairs and willed his legs to stop shaking, although he knew it wouldn't stop.
One of the idols clicked a remote and Izuku's music started. Izuku's vision began to blur and his body stopped moving all together. He was doing it again. It was clear that he had missed his entrance and the idol's began looking at each other in question.
Izuku remembered All Might, remembered the lessons, remembered that he was picked by All Might, not anyone else. Izuku shook himself out of it just in time for the refrain. Izuku began singing, trying to embody the time he sang with the guitarist. He let the notes roll out and he sang with his heart, pouring all of his emotion into it. After the song was done, he was gasping for air.
"Thank you Mr. Midoriya. The school will contact you soon," one of the idols said.
Izuku nodded and thanked the judges, leaving as quickly as he could. When he got back out into the waiting room, everyone was looking at him. Could they hear him? Was it obvious he messed up that bad? It must have been because everyone kept looking. Even Shouto. Izuku couldn't look directly at him, and chose to instead look at the girl he ran into early. Nice Izuku, that wasn't a much better choice. However, the girl motioned for him to go over. So, dazed, he did.
"You're really good!" she whispered when he walked over.
Izuku couldn't talk. It only just dawned on him that you can hear the other examinees sing, and Izuku knew that everyone therefore heard him freeze.
"Ah thanks I guess," Izuku replied.
A name was a called and the girl's head snapped up.
"I gotta go, bye!" she chirped and she bounced up.
Izuku was lost. Between the only person who's ever been nice to him and Shouto Todoroki and most of all how he bombed his exam, Izuku was drained. He can't believe that he froze again. He had failed All Might, and he didn't want to face the man. Instead Izuku dragged himself home and went immediately to his room, where he sulked the rest of the night.
...
"Izuku wake up!" Izuku's mom called.
"Mom its the weekend," Izuku groaned turning over in bed. It had been a week since his exam.
"It's a letter from Yuuei!" she exclaimed as she burst into Izuku's room.
Izuku sat straight up and grabbed the letter from his mom. He took it and sat down at his desk. He vauguely heard his mom say "I'm going to go make breakfast," before she left the room. It was hard to hear over the dread welling up inside of him. After staring at the letter for a couple minutes, Izuku took a deep breath and ripped open the envelope.
"Dear Izuku Midoriya, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Yuuei Academy's Idol Program. We were very impressed by your talent and we think you have a lot of potential," Izuku read.
He slammed down the letter, excitement growing in him. He had made it. He was sure that he had bombed it. He burst out of his room.
"Mom! I got in!" he called, tears streaming down his face.
His mom cheered and threw her hands in the air, rushing over to hug her son. He hugged her back, still crying.
While his mom was cooking a celebratory breakfast, Izuku looked at his phone to see he had a text from All Might.
Heard you got in. I just wanted to let you know that I didn't pull any strings. It was all you.
Izuku couldn't help but start to cry again. He was on his way to having his dream come true.
...
Izuku felt newly remade as he put on his new uniform, pressed and crisp. His mother, of course, doted over him all morning, making sure he was prepared for school. He left with a new sense of self and confidence.
He was in class 1A. As he approached the school, he caught sight of the girl from the exam. She waved at him excitedly and walked over. Izuku felt himself freezing up already. Social situations were not his strong suit.
"Hi! I'm so glad you got in, although I knew you would! I'm Ochacko Uraraka by the way!" she said as she and Izuku walked into school.
"I'm Izuku Midoriya," Izuku replied.
They walked to class together, and when Ochacko realized they were in the same class she gasped. Izuku just smiled as she talked a mile a minute about their class. Consequently the two sat next to each other. Shortly after a very uptight boy walked towards them. He had steely eyes framed by glasses and dark blue hair.
"Good morning. My name is Tenya Iida. Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, motioning to the seat behind Izuku.
"Oh that's no problem!" Ochacko replied, immediately turning and talking to Tenya as well.
In a weird way, they all already sensed a friendship forming between the three of them. Izuku was relieved to finally have friends, but that was short lived because the familiar sound of a door slamming open resounded through the class room. Of course Katsuki had to be in this class too. Katsuki glared at Izuku, but took a seat begrudgingly across the room.
"What's his problem?" Ochacko asked.
"Uh, we know each other," Izuku replied, smiling sheepishly.
Ochacko scrunched her nose up, but didn't question it any further. She began talking again at her usual pace, and Izuku tuned her out as he looked to see who the rest of his classmates would be. Eventually, Shouto walked in and Izuku mentally gasped. The boy looked at Izuku for a moment before sitting behind Tenya. Izuku could feel his gaze, and he felt himself turning red.
Finally, the teacher walked in the room. Izuku immediately recognized him as the heavy metal rocker Shota Aizawa, or Eraser Head. He looked exhausted as he trudged his way up to the podium.
"Alright listen up," Shota said, and the class fell silent. "Today, you will decide how you want to go through this program, as a group or as a solo. You will then have the rest of class to prepare a song. Tomorrow you will perform it. Whoever comes in last will get fifty percent of their grade docked. Be thankful I'm not expelling you, they banned me from that this year."
Izuku felt the familiar sense of dread fill him as a paper was passed out. On it, it had sections to denote whether you wanted to be in a group or solo, and other information regarding each. Izuku stared at his until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Tenya, and he asked "Do you want to be in a group with me? I heard you sing and you're quite excellent. I have a better voice for harmonies anyways."
"Uh, yeah! Actually that would be great," Izuku replied. He hadn't ever thought of doing a group, but now that he thought about it, performing with other people was a great way to ease his nerves.
"Now we just need one more-" Tenya was cut off.
"Can I join?" said a voice as cold as ice.
Izuku looked around Tenya to see that it was none other than Shouto himself who had spoken. Izuku was flabbergasted. To him, Shouto struck him as the solo type. Luckily, Tenya responded with "Of course! With you're fame we're sure to get hits right of the bat."
Izuku sensed a slight flinch in Shouto's face, but it was very subtle and Tenya missed it all together.
Shouto caught Izuku staring, and Izuku sheepishly smiled before turning away. He really couldn't believe it. He was going to be in the same group as the one and only Shouto Todoroki. It was like meeting All Might, but the feeling was just ever so slightly different.
Tenya was excitedly filling out their forms and blabbering about their parts.
"Hey, what song should we sing?" Izuku chimed in.
Tenya stopped dead in his tracks.
"What about 'Heroics'?" Izuku added. It was one of All Might's less known songs, but it wasn't too difficult to perform.
"Isn't that a solo piece?" Shouto asks.
"It is but I think it would be unique if we made it a group piece. It would be like our take on the song," Izuku explained.
"That's genius Midoriya!" Tenya exclaimed, immediately writing the song down on their forms before turning them in.
"Any idea how to make that a three part song?" Shouto questioned Izuku.
Izuku laughed nervously before saying, "I actually already composed some harmony parts for it."
Shouto just nodded his head, his face showing no emotion. Izuku wondered what he had gotten himself into. He felt his stomach churn just by being around Shouto. Must be the boy's already dominating fame and Izuku's strange amount of knowledge on him.
Tenya came back and immediately started discussing plans for practice, considering that they only had one day. This ended with the consensus that they would practice at Tenya's house and that Izuku would bring his music.
A few hours later, Izuku stood in front of the Iida mansion, gaping up at it as he clutched his music to his chest. He rang the doorbell and the gate unrolled, letting him in. Tenya greeted him at the door, Shouto behind him. They immediately started practicing, and before they knew it, it was extremely late.
"You all cannot go home at this hour. I insist you stay the night," Tenya said when Izuku tried to leave. Tenya continued like this for a couple of minutes, making Izuku and Shouto submit. Tenya led them to his spacious room where he went threw his drawers pulling out extra clothing for the two of them. Shouto left to use wash up while Izuku and Tenya changed. Izuku walked into the bathroom while Tenya talked with his mother about the arrangements.
Shouto was leaned over the sink, water dripping from his face. Izuku's eyes caught Shouto's in the mirror and he noticed something that he had never seen before. Shouto had a scar over his left eye. Shouto ducked his head as he splashed water on his face. Izuku could tell that by seeing it, Shouto was bothered, only subtly though. Without thinking, Izuku said "Why do you hide it?"
"Why is it your buisness?" Shouto replied, coolness seeping through his voice.
"Well it's not, but, um, I guess what I'm trying to say is you're, uh, pretty with it and it adds character and honestly it's part of you so why hide it?"
Izuku mentally slapped himself for saying that. That was a stupid move and why did he have to say pretty? Shouto spun around and looked Izuku dead in the eyes.
"I'm sorry I know that was really out of line, I just, ah, you're just perfect the way you are so why try to hide youself," Izuku tried to explain, avoiding eye contact now. Izuku was sure he was making the situation worse. Shouto's face contorted with something unreadable.
"You're the only person to ever say that to me," Shouto said evenly.
"Oh, uh, really?" Izuku replied, wringing his hands.
"Yes. I'll take it into consideration. Thank you."
With that Shouto walked out of the bathroom. Izuku felt himself going bright red. That was one of the strangest encounters he has ever had, but he got the feeling that Shouto wasn't upset or unfriendly towards him. That was just how he was.
When Izuku left the bathroom, Tenya was insiting that Shouto and Izuku take his bed while he slept on the floor. Izuku mentally cursed. Sure, Tenya's bed was massive and would fit the two of them comfortably, but sleeping next to Shouto Todoroki was a little much for him right now. But alas, Tenya always had his way and Izuku found himself laying in bed with the extremely famous Shouto Todoroki. Izuku could imagine the people that would kill to be in his position right now.
Izuku lay face up in bed, entirely unable to sleep. Judging by the snores from below, Tenya was already asleep, and Shouto's back was turned to Izuku. He felt him shift, and Izuku turned his head, only to come face to face with Shouto.
"I can't sleep," Izuku whispered.
"Neither can I," Shouto replied.
After a moment of silence, Shouto spoke, "Do you know how I got my scar?"
Izuku shook his head.
"My mom poured boiling water on me. I looked too much like my father."
Shouto didn't tell him anything else, but Izuku could already guess the family dynamic through his knowledge of Endeavor. Impulsively, Izuku reached out, pushing his hair away from the scar. Shouto stiffened, but Izuku held the hair back with his fingers.
"This is you Shouto. No one can take it away from you, own it," Izuku stated, shocked by his own boldness. Maybe All Might's lessons really had helped with his nerves in a weird twisted way that let him talk to Shouto Todoroki like this.
As Izuku went to move his hand, he saw it. The small, very slight upturn of lips. Shouto was smiling. In all of his years of research, Izuku had never seen him smile, ever. He felt like this was precious. Izuku let go of the hair as he stared at Shouto. He truly looked beautiful with a smile. But Izuku could feel himself turning red so he quickly forced a yawn.
"Man, I'm getting tired," Izuku lied.
"Me too. Lets sleep," Shouto said. He closed his eyes and Izuku was left with the image of Shouto now asleep. Izuku squeezed his eyes shut and pushed the fluttering feeling in his stomach down. Eventually, he fell asleep, and when he did it was full of fits and images of Shouto Todoroki. He truly was helpless and he had no idea what to do about it.