Chapter I
Izuku Midoriya ran along the sidewalk in his turquoise tracksuit. He was a good 8 months into the Aim to Pass: All American Dream Plan. The boy's breaths were ragged as he maintained his fast pace. His legs craved for any form of rest, and it felt like he would collapse under his own weight every time his foot impacted the ground. However he kept pushing, no way was he going to let All Might down. His idol said it himself, he was going to be a hero. To do that he would work harder than everyone else so he could catch up, no matter what.
After an excruciating five minutes, Izuku finally arrived at the bench he usually rested for the return trip. Today though, he spotted a girl wearing a white hoodie sitting on the bench whilst glaring at the concrete below. Too tired to be nervous, Izuku collapsed in the same bench a few feet away from the girl.
After he caught his breath, Izuku nervously snuck a peek at the stranger who was now staring off into the setting sun. Only then did he realize how unique she looked. The girl had dual colored hair that went down to her upper back. Snow white threads of hair on the right side of the head and scarlet red on the left. Furthermore, a nasty looking burn scar seemed to be glazed over her left eye.
"Excuse me, do you need something", The girl asked with a blank expression. However Izuku saw the subtle, yet unnerving glare she was sending his way. Izuku gulped, guess she doesn't like it when people stare.
Only then did he notice that the girl also had heterochromia, or dual colored eyes. Her right eye being gray and left being a vibrant turquoise not unlike the color of the tracksuit he was wearing.
"O-oh s-sorry, I wasn't t-trying to. I'm sorry i-if I offended you", Izuku stuttered, waving his hands in front of him thoroughly embarrassed.
It was a well known fact that Izuku Midoriya was not a social butterfly. He was unable to talk to nobody his age due to his quirk-less nature. His primary sources of conversation was very limited, primarily to adults.
The girl let out a sigh. "It's fine, it is not the first time people have stared, and it won't be the last", the girl muttered, looking darkly at the ground. However she quickly changed topics while putting on her previous blank expression. "You're training right. I would assume to be a hero?"
Izuku looked surprised. "H-how'd you know?"
"As I said, it was an assumption". The girl stated. "I myself was training for the U.A curriculum until I decided to rest here. Though I have to admit, I think it's exceptional that you are also putting in the time and hard work to become a hero".
She sighed with an annoyed look. "You wouldn't believe how many people try to become a hero thinking their 'awesome' quirk is all they need to pass".
The green haired teen blushed at the sudden praise. "W-wait, you're going to U.A also?" Izuku asked in surprise. "Does that mean you're also taking the entrance exam that's in two months?"
"Actually, I'm entering the hero course through a special recommendation. So I don't have to participate in the entrance exam," the girl replied cooly.
"You were recommended into U.A?!" Izuku yelled in surprise, suddenly standing. "That's amazing, you must be awesome!". A moment later, the green haired boy blushed as he saw the slightly bewildered look on the girl's face and sat back down. "S-sorry , I got a little c-carried away there".
The girl however let the barest hint of a smile touch her face at the boy's awkward yet simple compliment. "By no means do I think I'm 'awesome', but thank you for the compliment. That's the first time someone's ever called me that".
The setting sun's orange rays set below the two teen's faces, drawing their attention to the coming dusk. "I-it's getting dark, I should probably head home before my mom gets worried", Izuku said, standing back up.
"I should probably also return to my house", the girl muttered as she also stood up. "Excuse though, I never caught your name".
"O-oh it's Izuku, Izuku Midoriya", the boy said nervously. "What's yours?"
"My name is Shoko Todoroki", the now named Shoko answered. Her almost unnoticeable smile grew into a slightly bigger and unmistakably grateful one. "I had a good time talking Midoriya-san, but I should probably leave now. I hope to see you later."
"Yeah, see you..uh Todoroki-san", Izuku replied.
With that, Shoko turned around and broke into a steadily paced jog, presumably towards her house.
Izuku on the other hand stuck around for a few seconds. He stood there with a dumb look on his face processing what had just happened. Had he really just talked to a girl, like ACTUALLY talked to a girl? He didn't even run away or do anything TOO weird. Even if the conversation only lasted maybe ten minutes, Izuku was unbelievably happy. The only people that really talked to him as his mom. All Might, maybe a few neighbors, and Kacchan but he was a...special case. Finally turning back to the way he came, Izuku ran back home, a little faster than usual.
"One more serving please", Izuku asked with a smile as he held out his now empty bowl to his mom, Inko Midoriya. The once slim women had gained a considerable amount of weight as she got older. Through raising Izuku alone and working to support them, there just wasn't the time or energy for Inko to care about her weight.
"You're in a good mood today Izuku-chan", Inko commented as she scooped another serving into her little boy's bowl.
"I was out running and I met someone. I found out they were also going to U.A", Izuku replied between bites.
"And what was his name Izu-chan" Inko asked excitedly while washing her plate. She was happy Izuku found a friend his age. Sometimes she couldn't help but worry about her dear son. Her boy was unbelievably kind which she would never berate him for, however she knew first hand that people would take advantage of that kindness without a second thought if he wasn't careful. She just hoped highschool would open him up to more opportunities to make the friends he could cherish.
"A-actually mom...she was a g-girl, her name was uh.. S-shoko Todoroki", Izuku nervously said. He didn't know why, but telling his mom that his friend was a girl gave him butterflies in his stomach. Could he even call her a friend? They only talked for like 10 minutes. Like, he barely even knew her!
Inko nearly dropped the plate she was drying with a dish towel. Slowly turning around, Inko promptly squealed as if she were a highschool girl again. "My dear Izuku is growing up so fast. Already talking with girls!". Let it be known that while she did become more mature as she grew older, Inko still liked to have her fun, especially when it came to her son.
"MOM!" Izuku shouted in embarrassment. "I-t's not like that. W-we just talked about U.A and stuff. Stop being weird!" Izuku protested.
"Ok, ok, honey, i'm just teasing", Inko chuckled. "Now give me your empty bowl. Also finish your chocolate milk so I can wash the cup".
Izuku handed his mom the now empty bowl and huffed. Why did his mom have to embarrass him so much. It's just a girl right? It's not like the fact that Todoroki-san is a girl is special or anything.
"Was she at least cute?"
Izuku almost choked on the chocolate milk as his face turned a bright red. "I-im gonna go to my room and study!". He raced to his room and shut the door quickly. He could still hear his mom's laughter coming from the kitchen.
Putting his hand over his chest, he took a few deep breaths to calm down from his embarrassment. After the flustered teen managed to get a hold of his emotions, he stayed true to his word and cracked open a textbook to study. A few months into his workout regime, he decided that while reviewing the textbook's content, Izuku could absentmindedly do curls on each arm with a 40 pound dumbbell.
Technically, this was outside of the 'Aim to Pass! All American Dream Plan' that All Might had assigned the young man. He even discouraged any extra physical activity. However, Izuku's drive to work harder than everybody else won out. He wasn't even experiencing any negative effects to his body from the extra work yet. Altough he could barely get out of bed in the morning due to his aching muscles, he saw it as being one step closer to his once seemingly impossible dream. His dream of one day being like All Might, the strongest hero, and saving people with a smile just as big as his.
His ideals and aspirations have been what pushed Izuku Midoriya to be able to fulfill All Might's American Dream plan without fail so far. No longer would he stare at the heroes backs from afar. Now he was training to become what he could only silently aspire to be. Like All Might said, he could, no he would become a hero!
He promptly slapped himself across the face for letting his mind wander. Of Course he was going to be hero, he couldn't let All Might down like that. Right now, however, he needed to study in order to keep his grades up.
Even though regular academics like math and history aren't prioritized at a hero school like U.A, it's still important that he doesn't fall behind in his studies, he needed every advantage he could get into a school filled with super-powered people.
The usually monotonous task of doing homework were easier for Izuku, as shown by his exceptional grades. After he started following All Mights fitness schedule, he soon figured that he could knock out two birds with one stone by doing physical exercises while working on schoolwork. Whether it be reading from a textbook while doing squats amd calf raises, or writing a paper while holding a planking position, Izuku managed to study for hours on end.
"And... done", Izuku said to himself with a sigh. He hadn't noticed while he was reading but now it hit him full force. His arms felt like lead and he barely had the strength to put the dumbbell back in the corner of his room.
Izuku turned off the lights and climbed into his bed, pulling up the sheets. Tomorrow was going to be hellish. Aside from the insane soreness he would have to deal with, All Might said they would spend the whole day at the beach clearing the junk off the shore.
"Damnit", Izuku muttered from under the sheets of his bed. He still needed to brush his teeth.
"J-just a little further", Izuku ground out. His facial expression was twisted in all manners and would have looked hilarious without context. All of his already sore muscles were working overtime and groaned in agony.
"Yes, that's it! Put your back into it young man" All might encouraged. The number one hero was clad in his trademark baggy pants and t-shirt. He had to wear clothes that looked comically oversized because they had to be big enough for when he went into muscle form. Any smaller and his clothes would tear off. No way was All Might going to smash villains as 'the symbol of peace' butt naked.
"Just a little further young Midoriya, push past your limits! You want to become a hero don't you?" All Might shouted. The pro hero's encouragement was interupted however when he noticed a vibrating in one of his pockets.
The teen let out an emotional cry of raw fervor as he carried the busted up refrigerator down the last few steps. His arms were on fire while his legs were going to collapse any second, but as per usual, Izuku didn't give up. He let the refrigerator collapse on the boardwalk with the other junk he moved, and promptly collapsed to his knees, skinning them in the process. However, couldn't care about the minor burning sensation it gave him and opted to just pant in exhaustion.
All Might ran up to Izuku's crumpled form and pat him on the back, almost toppling the boy in the process. "Exceptional, Remarkable, Absolutely phenomenal work!" the number one hero praised. "You've come far. Much further than I actually initially predicted, you really should be proud of your hard work young man".
"However...I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE MEETING WITH THE OTHER PRO HEROES" All Might wailed. "I'm sorry young Midoriya but you can have the rest of the day off, consider it a reward for managing to surpass my expectations".
All Might quickly mounted his segway and took off into the city full speed. A few months into the training, Izuku and his idol had a conversation about conserving All Might's time limit during a water break. Much to All Might's chagrin, Izuku recommended using some sort of vehicle more often to go places instead of flying around the city in his muscle form. Though for some odd reason, the number one hero chose a segway for his vehicle of choice.
With All Might gone, Izuku collapsed onto his back and closed his eyes. He focused on the sound of lapping waves on the shore as he gave his muscles a much needed rest. He couldn't help but feel a little giddy at All Might's praise. To think just eight months ago, he thought it would be a once in a lifetime chance just to make eye contact with the number one hero.
He thought about his progress in the recent months. He used to be a kid with big dreams and admittedly he still was. Now though, he was finally taking the steps to fulfill those dreams. Now he could finally be a hero thanks to All Might.
However as he opened his eyes, he didn't see the blue sky he was expecting. Instead all he saw was a curtain of white and red hair alongside a familiar stoic face.
Shoko Todoroki was bent over staring at Izuku's prone form. "Are you ok Midoriya-san?"
"T-todoroki-san w-what are you doing h-here?" Izuku stuttered. How did she sneak up on him? Was he just that fatigued from the day's training?
"I heard some pretty loud screaming so I came to check it out", Shoko replied. The girl's eyes drifted down to Izuku's bare torso until they whipped back up. She had to admit, despite being pretty socially awkward, the guy did have a fair amount of muscle.
Noticing this, a wave of self consciousness overtook Izuku as he scrambled to his feet. Soon finding what he was looking for, he slipped on his white t-shirt and breathed a sigh of relief.
"S-sorry for uh.. Making you worry Todoroki-san", Izuku apologized. He even bowed to top off his apology.
"There's no need to act so formally, it's not like I'm an adult. In Fact, i'm pretty sure we're the same age", Shoko stated.
"R-right!" Izuku said in embarrassment. God why did he have to act so awkwardly in these situations. "So why a-are you here Todoroki-san".
Shoko gave Izuku a questioning gaze. "Um.. didn't I just tell you? You know… I heard you screaming and all that".
"Ah-yeah s-sorry I forgot", Izuku said bashfully and he scratched the back of his head. Holy crap, why would he say something so dumb, it's like his brain was shutting down. He wanted to die, seriously he wouldn't mind just crumbling to dust right here and now.
"Achoo".
"You're not getting sick are you Tomura?" A void like entity asked.
"Fuck off Kurogiri".
Despite herself, Shoko let on a small smile like the one she had the day before. Despite the incredible amount of contempt she was feeling for her shitty father at the moment, she couldn't help but forget just a little seeing the red faced Izuku Midoriya. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but there was something oddly endearing about the social awkwardness of the boy.
"That's fine, I see you were...training hard though". Shoko said changing the subject.
"Yeah, I'm trying to clear the whole beach of debris before the U.A entry exams", Izuku said, gaining back some confidence. He seemingly got even more tired just thinking about moving more things off the shore.
Shoko looked at the mountain of junk next to Izuku with wide eyes. "You mean you moved all this stuff from the beach? That's actually pretty..impressive."
Izuku blushed at the praise. "Ah-it's n-nothing". He had been praised by All Might before and it felt similar. However receiving praise from Todoroki-san had a slightly different feel to it and it felt great.
Suddenly there was a lull in the conversation and soon silence permeated. Izuku couldn't muster the confidence to break it and Shoko just couldn't think of anything. The two opted to just standing on boardwalk in more silence until,
"Um",
"Uh",
they said at the time. After the awkward exchange, both Izuku and Shoko zipped their mouths shut, opting to let the other talk. Though it never happened and soon, an even more oppressive silence took hold. Izuku, normally able to come up with strategies on the fly, could only awkwardly try to crack each knuckle while desperately trying to think of something and Shoko just stood stoically, fiddling with her hair slightly.
After what felt like hours for the two, Izuku finally managed to speak up with a depressed sigh. "I'm sorry Todoroki-san, sorry for b-being so you know...awkward".
Seeing that Izuku looked genuinely disappointed in himself, Shoko tried to cheer him up. "You know i-t's okay, it happens to the best of us. I mean I couldn't say anything either right?"
"I guess", Izuku said, still looking pretty beaten up about it. "I just haven't really had any friends that I can talk with so this is all kinda new to me."
Shoko put her hand on her arm and looked down at her shoelaces. She hesitated and bit her lip."You know Midoriya-san, i'm kinda in the same boat. Because of...reasons, I grew up with the absence of people I could truly be able to call a friend."
Izuku looked surprised at that. How was that possible? Todoroki-san was even recommended into U.A, she's gotta be crazy strong. Kacchan was crazy strong, and he had a ton of friends. Izuku got an idea and gained a rare surge confidence. "How about this Todoroki-san". He extended his arm out for a handshake. "I'll be your first friend, and you'll be mine. It's a win win right? How about it".
Shoko looked at the hand that was offered to her. Was she really allowed that? She should be focusing on proving to her shitty father that she was powerful enough to reject him and his worthless ideals. Her thoughts got darker as she remembered her scared past, and in turn, her scared face. Her dark thoughts were interrupted however, as she looked at the green haired boy's face. They were both introverted just as much as the other but in seemingly different ways. His offer was a genuine reach for something, something different, something new.
With a deep breath, Shoko met Izuku's hand and the two firmly shook. although it was just a mundane gesture, for the two caught in the moment it was a sort of contract that would bring the two into the absolute unknown. It felt very daunting but a little exciting.
The two teens were completely out of their depths, but right then and there, they reveled in it.