Gray
\/
Gray - of a color intermediate between black and white, as of ashes or lead.
Oxford dictionary
/\
All men are not created equal. This was the lesson a young Izuku Midoriya learned early, much earlier than the children around him. When his friends and acquaintances all began becoming special, he did not. Some grew wings, some gained abilities, some changed drastically, and some changed minimally. He did none ofw that; he stayed the same. In a world where change was a universal constant, he was at permanent rest. In another walk of life, this adversity created him. Forced him down. Created Deku.
This is not that walk of life.
\/
"Izuku!"
The call of his name made his eyes open. Sighing, Izuku sits and rolls his shoulders.
"Yeah Mom?"
Hearing no reply, Izuku sighs. She just wants him up and out of bed; a tactic she's used since he was younger. He groans and forces himself into the shower. As the hot water both wakes him up and invigorates him he laments on how late he stayed up the night before watching hero vids of all the new heroes. It's not his fault Kamui Woods was so damn cool! After dressing himself and making his hair was at least presentable, he walks out to the kitchen.
"Morning!"
"Good morning baby!" Inko replies with a warm smile on her face.
The breakfast is warm and loving, as is always in the Midoriya household. The two occupants have no need for idle pleasantries with the bond they have, years of it being only them two has that effect. Inko is by no means psychic, (despite her quirk, she smiles into her coffee cup) but she can read her son's face like an open book. The subtle sleepiness from a late night, and the textbook Midoriya nervousness he's tried for so long to squash.
"Don't worry, Izuku. You'll do great, I know it."
She probably didn't even need to say it, but judging by the slight relaxing of his shoulders it helped nonetheless.
He looks up at her and smiles that little smile. The smile that doesn't copy his favorite hero, that doesn't copy that little boy who used to mock him, but instead reminds her so much of the man she has loved for most of her life.
"Thank you, Ma. I love you!"
In five minutes, he's gone. Off to take a test that could change his life forever, and despite how scary the future of hero work would be, (She'll cry about that later, because dammit the Midoriya blood needs to be sated.) she finds herself so inexplicably proud of her son. If only Hisashi could see him now.
/\
Rolling out the stiffness in his shoulders, Izuku finds himself in front of U.A. The building looms, taller than anything he's ever seen. Terror fills him, but almost in hand with that terror is his excitement. He smiles (the All Might smile he's practiced for years) and walks toward the testing area.
The door opens into a big open room, and many teenagers are lined up next to each other with adults standing behind them. All of them turn to the newest and last addition to enter their admittedly elite group. Izuku's eyes roam over all of them. He smiles despite himself.
Heroes
So many future heroes and pro heroes here. Midnight, Cementoss, Vlad King, and so many others! He can't help but be excited, knowing that he'll get the chance to see all of them up close.
"Hello children!"
Principal Nedzu's voice doesn't match the body it originates from at all. Nonetheless, the principal is not one to take lightly even with his small stature.
"I'm sure you all must be nervous! But don't worry. I, and by extension, our prestigious academy, will never ask you to do things that are impossible for you!"
Izuku wonders if anyone actually believes that.
"You all have been recognized as exceptional! Either by staff, or very reputable individuals. I will not discredit them, nor will I make you prove yourselves again. Instead, what I'll ask is that you all demonstrate your current maximum power so that we can create the best possible ways to help you all grow."
A lot of the other teenagers' brows tighten. They all know the underlying words that Nedzu need not say. The words hang over them like a shroud.
You're elite. But how elite?
\/
Deku walks out of the testing area with his face neutral. He stretches out his shoulders and sighs. That test was no joke. A grueling test of everyone's quirk and physical capability, not that he expected anything less. He finds a nice seat to sit down and relax while waiting for the scores to be processed. It would be at this point in one of his favorite (admittedly ironically) manga, that some hot chick would walk up and strike up a conversation. Maybe even he would trip and land on them, and then he'd get a nice feel of some cleavage. But alas, Lucky Pervert was not his quirk. And socializing was something Izuku merely disliked on his best day. Talking to people was hard for him, always has been. In his youth, he would stutter when talking to everyone. Even his mother. He never really grew out of that awkwardness, he just compartmentalized it.
"All Recommendation Students! Please come back in."
Damn. He had gotten lost in thought. He had really wanted to get a power nap in, but looks like that wouldn't be happening. He stands up and walks in back to the room.
Standing back in the room was just the teenagers from earlier. Without the heroes behind them they all looked a lot less scary, other than that green haired girl. That chick's teeth are way too sharp, man.
"You all are truly talented. And I hope this is not where your hero aspirations end, even if you don't make the cut."
As soon as the last syllable comes out of his mouth, a tv behind him lights up.
"The top 4 will be asked to enter UA, all others will be allowed to enter the normal entrance exam next week. Your performance here will have no effect on that exam."
Izuku's All Might (AM) smile comes back in full force.
Izuku Midoriya
Inasa Yoarashi
Setsuna Tokage
Yaoyorozu Momo
Loud exclamations of disbelief erupt from the room, but above all else a single question is in most of the occupants' minds.
Who on earth is Izuku Midoriya?
Chapter 1: White
END