Luckily or unluckily, nobody noticed this is a day late. Sorry about that. Enjoy~
Ace and Inko pulled into the parking lot of the troubled school. Ace had expected it to be in the middle of nowhere, but it was only in the suburb areas of the next town over. Not hidden away or secluded, though there was a wall around it beside the gate, though that wasn't much different than other regular schools.
He was nervous. He could hear it was very quiet there, as it was Saturday and all the kids were at home. Ace wanted to hold Inko's hand, but not wanting to look like a baby. They walked inside after the gate was opened for them when they pressed a button and gave their names and purpose for coming.
The place was nice and much bigger than any school Ace had ever seen. Four stories and with cobblestone outer walls. There were plenty of large windows along each floor. They went inside, and were led by someone waiting for them to the far side of the first floor, to an office.
When they got there, Ace was scared of what would happen, how he'd be treated. But they entered, his mom giving him an encouraging smile. Ace nodded, and the door was pushed open to show a desk with a very large man behind it. Maybe even taller than All Might, who was already very tall. The halls and doorways were very tall, so maybe they were for him.
"Welcome, Ace-san, Inko-san," the man said. He was older with a white crescent shaped mustache. He gestured for them to sit, and Ace could see there were other larger chairs that seemed to be switched with the two normal sized chairs open for the both of them.
The two sat and Ace stayed silent. "Hello, Newgate-san. Thank you for meeting with us," Inko said politely.
"It's a pleasure to get new students to help them while we can," Newgate said nicely. He turned to Ace, and asked how he was doing. All he did was mutter he was okay. "I see. Inko-san told me that you have trouble with bullies at school." Ace nodded. "This school is bully free. Everyone is insecure here, you won't be targeted for something you can't control. And all bullying is reported, and risk suspension if it goes on." Ace nodded again. "And many students here have issues controlling their quirks. Your appearance won't be off putting to anybody."
Ace said, "But my appearance isn't a quirk."
"I know, and I think you'd fit in regardless. To be honest, I've known others like you. I think I and my staff could help you through the changes you will be going through when your family isn't with you to help," Newgate explained, sounding honest. Inko asked for a tour of the place, and Newgate nodded, seeming to have already been planning one.
He stood up, showing just how damn tall he was, and left the room. The tour was through the first through third floors since the fourth was pretty much a duplicate of the third, dorms and all. The first floor seemed like any other school. A classroom for each grade, two classes for each one.
There was a large infirmary, almost like a full doctor's office, that took up much of the second story. "Some quirks can be damaging to the user or dangerous for others, so we have on site medical staff just to be safe. This room is for meditation to just work internally with your quirk." Ace didn't think he'd be good at meditation at all.
"A very large component of this school has to do with quirks, so there are classes and personal trainers for each child to help them live with their power." Ace thought it was a really nice thing to do for kids. He hadn't known anyone personally who had a lot of trouble with their quirks, but Ace didn't have many friends or classmates that took the time out to be nice and talk to him. Quirks weren't allowed to be used at school, after all.
Ace hesitantly asked, "What about me? I don't have a quirk. How will I be trained or something?" He didn't know what answer to expect.
"Just because it's not a quirk doesn't mean your abilities can't be helped along," the principal or headmaster said with a smile. They toured the dorm area, each room a single room. There were shared bathrooms, nobody got a personal one. They were about the same size as Ace's room at home. Not bad at all.
There was a huge outside area, and a field. Ace thought this place might not be that bad. "And we go home on the weekends?" Newgate nodded in affirmation. Inko asked what Ace thought. "I… I'll try it. When do I start?"
They were told he could start as early as next week if they emailed the transcripts that night. Ace didn't really have anybody to say goodbye to at school. Tenya and Tsu were in separate classes - he rarely saw them anymore. Though Izuku was lucky and shared his class with Tenya.
When they got back home, Izuku was pacing back and forth in the living room. "I'm going to attend the place. I'll be back on Saturdays and Sundays." Izuku's face crumpled. "We can still have phone calls and stuff. Besides, you won't need to look after me anymore," Ace added. Izuku didn't argue, both of them having gone through that too many times to count. Neither of their opinions had changed at that point.
Ace spent the rest of the weekend (it was a three day weekend) packing things to take with him, since he'd be spending more time there than at home from now on. For a few years, if it went okay there. Though he didn't know where would be better for him. He'd be ostracized by everyone.
Izuku was sad the entire time, looking in Ace's room as he sorted things to bring. Put clothes away that he would wear there and choosing which to leave at home. So when Tuesday came, Ace was in the car with his brother and mom, all three silent. Ace's backpack and suitcase were in the trunk of the car.
When he got out, Izuku looked at the tall and wide building in curiosity but also sadness. They walked inside, and Ace heard the many children here. From second to sixth grade, though Newgate had said it was mostly fifth and sixth graders there. He was greeted by someone he hadn't met before, a nice woman, who said her name was Nico Robin, but he could call her Robin-san. She was a teacher for the second graders. So, Ace said goodbye to his family in the front lobby.
"I'll see you Saturday," he said. It really was not the whole week, it wasn't completely isolated from his family. He would see them on the weekends, it really wasn't that bad. If Ace could escape the bullying, the looks, then being away from them would be for the best. It would be worth it.
Inko hugged him, and said she loved him, and to keep them updated. He nodded, and Izuku hugged him, too. They left, and Robin led Ace to his room on the fourth floor. There was already a dresser and bed in there. Also a desk with a nice looking chair. No TV or anything, and Ace hadn't brought it. They couldn't afford for him to get a second TV there and in his room.
He put his things away, his stuffed dragon, worn and gray instead of white, under his pillow. He still slept with it most nights. "Come with me, and I'll take you to class. It hasn't started, it starts at 9:30; we think giving students more time to sleep is beneficial both for school and quirk development," she explained when Ace's brows raised. Cool, he got to sleep in a little later than at his old school.
It was nice, knowing he wouldn't go back and see those bullies who thought they were all better than Ace was. Here, he wasn't the only "problem child". As they said. He entered his classroom, and those inside looked up. It was the middle of the school year, so having someone new join might be odd or surprising.
"You!" a furious voice shouted. Ace looked to the source, and saw Bakugo was there. Ace blinked twice, and sat down without a word. Seeing Bakugo at a school for troubled kids who needed help controlling their quirks wasn't all that surprising, but he wished he wasn't in the same class.
Looking around discretely as he sat hunched over at his desk, he saw just how many students had some sort of quirk deformity. One had a third arm, only it was covered in bruises and swollen. He had an IV stuck into it that latched onto his side. There was a kid who had huge eyes and had dark, dark sunglasses on inside. Another blond person was on fire and the flames didn't seem to be going out. He also had burns on his body. There was a fire extinguisher connected to his desk's leg. A girl had knife fingers that had rubber stoppers on them for safety purposes. It really was true that these kids had quirk problems.
He did feel like an outsider without having a quirk himself. And he wasn't out of control, he was there because it was nicer for him. Getting away from bullies and fights. When class started, it was a guy with longer red hair and scars over his eye. He had a prosthetic arm, but used it just like it was a real arm.
"Ace, come introduce yourself," Shanks said. It seemed the people here went by their first names, maybe to feel more inclusive? Ace stood up and awkwardly went to the front of the class. "Midoriya D. Ace. Nice to meet you."
"Whoa, he's a dragon isn't he?" a guy with blond hair on the top of his head and heavy eyes said loudly. Ace winced, but some of the kids who were whispering were saying things that weren't offensive! Someone commented that it was sick, and another commented that he was "cute and feathery." It wasn't the nicest thing to hear, but it wasn't mean and that was good enough.
Ace went to his seat behind the guy who announced he was a dragon. Ace had his back hunched, not wanting people to look at him, and they didn't. Compared to some in this class, feathers weren't that incredible. He had a baseball hat on to hide his lopsided horns. He regretted sawing on of them off because now they were uneven and not even nearly symmetrical.
The curriculum was easy. Math that Ace could solve quickly, and the reading was simple. If there was one great thing, it was that he didn't need to worry about being stupid on top of an outcast. Shanks asked him to talk after class, and everyone left. It was 4:30 when class was over, but that was because they started an hour later here.
When he was at the desk, the room was nice and colorful with math charts on the wall and other decorations, Shanks asked him if he needed accommodations. "No. I'm okay," Ace replied honestly. "I'll do okay," he added. Shanks smiled and nodded, and dismissed him. Ace didn't really know where to go now.
He would just go to his room and read or something. Passing students of all ages, there were many that also had visible quirk disabilities. A little boy had wings that were too big, so he needed crutches and weights to keep him from toppling backwards. Ace felt lucky that this wasn't his problem, but didn't rule out that something might happen in the future.
"Hey, Ace, wait up!" the boy who spilled the secret called, along with the boy with the firearm. The extinguisher was on his back now. They were on the floor Ace was roomed on. "My name is Marco. This guy is Sabo." Sabo didn't look happy with being referred to as "this guy".
Ace nodded, not sure what to say. "Sorry about Marco's big mouth. He didn't mean anything bad by what he said," Sabo said politely. He seemed wholly unaffected by his flaming arm. "Do you know Bakugo?"
"Yeah. We went to the same daycare together for a bit. He was a bully. Though I beat him up once, too. We were little, I don't really hold a grudge on him anymore," Ace replied honestly. Marco snorted, but wasn't surprised four year old Bakugo was a real handful. They offered to go get some food, and the three went to the snack area. All the snacks were free, though they didn't have super unhealthy snacks, like chips or cookies. Ace got a banana, glad nobody had to pay for food from here.
Ace hesitantly asked what they were there for. "Well, I'm always on fire. So that's not helpful. I can't figure out how to stop the flames. Marco is here because he regenerates too fast." Ace tilted his head slightly. "He can heal from any injury, but if it's a big injury, he ages backwards." Ace looked baffled, and Marco chuckled.
"Yeah, it's annoying. I was actually born twelve years ago, not nine. But if I get super hurt, both my body and brain regress to being younger. So I have the brain of a nine year old regardless of when I was born. It's really unlucky, but I know I'll be fine eventually," he explained lightly. "I think most people don't think twice about how some quirks can affect the user in a bad way, y'know?" Ace nodded.
Bakugo stomped up behind them, glaring at Ace. "You better not get me in trouble here." Ace wondered what he meant, before he said he wouldn't beat him up or purposely get in fights. "Good. If you do, then you'll regret it."
"Bad boy, Bakugo-kun," Marco teased.
"You shut up!" he snapped and grabbed an apple violently and then left. Ace was surprised that he was teased but managed to not let out some explosion, even a little one. He used to do that whenever he was angry. But he still seemed hostile, but at least not violent. Ace wondered how long he'd been there. He hadn't seen him in many years.
Marco invited Ace to go play videogames in his room with him. He agreed, wondering if he'd made friends with literally no effort. Ace had expected a playstation or something, but it was a wii so Sabo could use it with one hand. It looked like he actually couldn't use his entire left arm. What a big handicap that was.
But it was fun, Ace hadn't actually ever played on the wii. They played a dance game that Ace was embarrassed about taking part in before Marco seemed to make a fool of himself, and then Ace joined in. Marco and Sabo seemed like really nice people! First friends since Tenya and Tsu… seriously? On the first day? He was shocked, but pleased.
Dinner was delicious, and Ace once again noticed that most of the food served was healthy, even if it was hearty and filling. Not salads only. It was yummy, and Ace was actually happy when he went to bed, putting on the white noise. The window was up against his bed, so he had a good view of the moon and stars, keeping the curtains open.
-x-
Ace was fine at math. He got the questions right. He read charts just fine, and could remember how to create them. But he sucked at drawing graphs. Even on graph paper and with a ruler, the lines were terrible and not straight, embarrassing. He kept erasing them to try and get them right, but it just made it messy and he had to start over.
It was after class, everyone had left, and Ace was still trying to perfect his lines. Shanks came up behind him and said, "You don't need to be perfect at it, Ace. I can clearly be able to make out not straight lines. You're overthinking it." His voice was nice, but Ace still blushed. "Turn it in like this. You'll get more points getting the math right than making the graph pretty," he added lightly.
Ace was embarrassed and nodded, putting the things away in his bag and putting the papers down on his desk. He hurried out the door and put his things away. He was nervous about the whole quirk training that was in two hours, and maybe that's why he worked so long on some stupid graphs.
He went outside, and sat on one of the swings. The little kids were all out there, too, playing. Nojiko supervised them and Ace just sat on the swing, glad they were all playing a game and not bothering him. He dug the toe of his sneakers into the gravel below. It was still only the first week, and he'd be going back home tomorrow, which he looked forward to. He missed his family. He talked on the phone with his mom and all, but he still missed them.
After staying the whole next two hours outside, it was his turn for the quirk training. He had no real idea what to expect. He went to one of the dozens of offices that were training rooms of all sorts, and went inside the one that had his name on the whiteboard on the door. He paused before taking the handle and sliding it open, walking in and seeing a surprise.
It was an older man with long white hair, glasses, and a goatee. But that wasn't what caught Ace's eye. It was the scales along his arms, the horns on his head and some down his back. He was like Ace. "Ace-kun, it's nice to meet you. My name is Rayleigh. Newgate told me about you, so I came to work with you specifically on Fridays." Ace was in shock that they'd go through the effort of finding someone like him and bringing him here. "Don't be so surprised, how would someone inexperienced help you out to the fullest?"
Ace's mouth was open and he shut it, and then gave a small smile. Rayleigh gestured for him to sit down. "Now. I won't be teaching you anything about how to use your dragon traits for at least a while." The boy looked questioning. "You'll never succeed in life if you hate yourself." Ace blushed furiously. "Don't worry, all of us have been there. Quirks are normal now. A regular person looks like an alien and that's fine; it's their quirk, they can't help it.
"The moment people with powers who aren't technicallhy human, and mostly look that way, come in, we run into the problem that has improved but not disappeared: discrimination. There will always be people out there who give us nasty looks or mutter things that we can hear. That's normal and won't go away in our lifetimes. But, if you can not just ignore them, but accept what they're saying or thinking doesn't reflect on you as a person, then you're good to go and live fully, even when you aren't accepted by the masses."
It was a long speech, but Ace knew it was true. "You're young, and have not lived long enough to be set in your mindset of being an outcast. You can look at all of the amazing things you can and will do, and accept that you are that way, and it won't change for anybody, even yourself. So, with my good friend Shaky, who is a licensed therapist despite running a bar, I will be helping you accept yourself before improving yourself."
"But it's caused so many problems health wise. My hearing was too sensitive that my eardrum blew out, and I had to chew on dog bones when I was teething-"
"Ace-kun, you've been here a week, but surely you've seen all sorts of regular humans with quirks that impede their lives. Abilities aren't easy unless you're damn lucky. But eventually, you'll be used to it all. The changes won't continue forever, you know." Rayleigh said with a warm smile.
Ace nodded. "I will do my best to change."
"Not 'change', but accept," Rayleigh replied. They spent the time talking about what Ace had gone through so far in development, and it passed quickly. Ace admired this guy's attitude about life and hoped he could have that, too, some day. That he wouldn't become cranky like a lot of half-dragons did. He wanted to be happy and jolly and positive.
After the hour was up, Ace was very happy and satisfied, and felt Rayleigh would really be able to help him. He was being paid to work with Ace, so he said he wouldn't be leaving suddenly. When Ace got to his room, he got the dial phone in each dorm room and called his family to tell them about it, not wanting to wait.
Each room had a phone, but cell phones weren't allowed on campus. Ace had never had one, only a trac phone a long time ago, so it wasn't like he was losing anything by not having one. On the phone, Ace gushed about it, so happy and excited to stay here and learn and make new friends and everything.
He could hear Inko had tears in her voice while talking with him, while Izuku was cheering in the background. Ace was happy he wasn't jealous or anything. It was a relief. After the call, Marco knocked on the open doorway, grinning, and asked how his quirk training went. "Mostly mental stuff right now. Like… y'know, accepting it all."
"I had to go through that too. Almost everyone did, no need to get embarrassed about it. When I went through it, it was after my biggest age regression incident, when I snapped a leg in half and then aged back three years. I feel much more hopeful about my future now, so it was a good thing to start off with!"
It was reassuring to know Ace wasn't the only one who needed to clear psychological hurdles before physical ones. He didn't feel wrong here so far. Not welcome. Everyone had some issue, whether it was a strange appearance or being unable to control quirks or their emotions, they all went through problems that most kids didn't. Well, most kids with quirks, that is.
"Let's go get some hot chocolate!"
"Yeah!" Ace agreed, and the two hurried to the lunch room, walking fast because running wasn't allowed inside the building.
Bakugo comes in a lot later in a way that I haven't done in a fic so far. It was fun to write. And recent manga events kind of make his part later make more sense. But damn is the manga fuckin' intense right now! I won't spoiler anything though!