-x- Shoto -x-
I'm so happy for you, Shoto! You have wonderful friends, and I can't wait to hear about your time at UA. I'm touched you're only going to use my ice, but someday, hopefully you can accept the fire as yours. I don't disapprove, and it's your choice what to do. Though you have the vampire perks as well. No matter what you choose, I'm sure you'll be a kind hero and make friends. It may be hard at first, but I hope you try to get along with everyone.
When I was your age, I didn't have many friends or branch out. So I hope you don't take after me in that regard. Having emotional and moral support is very important for the rest of your life. Perhaps if I had friends, things would not have ended up this way. But the doctors say I'm doing better. I'd like to see you.
Fuyumi is talking to me, now, too. It makes me happy. I haven't spoken of you with her. Unless you ask me to, I won't give her any information because I know she and Natsuo hurt you by not helping. I would like to get back in touch with all my children, so hopefully things turn out well.
I love you, Rei.
Shoto slipped the letter into his bookshelf, in the fake book that really just stored the letters he got. He wasn't upset she was talking to Fuyumi. She was her daughter, it would be wrong for Shoto to be bitter and want Rei to take sides, side with him and refuse contact with her other two children.
While he didn't know when or if he'd forgive them, there was no way he'd deprive their mother of speaking with them. Hopefully she did get out. Shoto was still not ready to see her in person, and the writing letters was very stress free. He enjoyed finding the letters in the mail. He still hadn't told anybody, as it was something he just wanted to do all on his own.
His foster family knew he was writing to somebody, but trusted him and never asked. They just gave him his addressed letters, and hadn't opened any of them yet.
He couldn't think of anything to say right now, so he put it off, and went to have some blood cherry pie, and then go on a walk. Everyone at school were amazed all three made it in, so they were popular for a bit. Since Izuku hadn't once made a big deal out of his "quirk", they didn't know how he'd gotten in.
And despite having been mocked for being quirkless for so long, he didn't want to show it off much. Bakugo was obviously explosive, as he showed it plenty of times when angry with someone, and Shoto was well known for his ice escape plan.
Since then, he'd improved greatly. He could now create shape and forms from his ice. Not perfectly, but much better than the chunks he'd been stuck with for a long time. He had been working hard on learning to make chains, but it didn't work very well. They weren't separate, so it was just one long trail or disjointed lumps. It wasn't able to move, as it was all one object. It was frustrating when working on chains, because it would be very helpful to use that. It just wasn't happening, and when he'd asked Rei, she had no advice to offer. After all, she never actually was allowed to use her quirk as she wished.
So he was on his own in this. With any fire he could use, he knew basics, he knew moves from his father. He knew his fire could be useful, but was deadset on not using it to help him. He wanted nothing to do with the man that practcially tortured him, starved him, put scalding iron down his throat for months.
It was still a wonder he was alive and as sane as he was.
School was ending in two days, and then they'd be high schoolers. He'd have been friends with Izuku for five years and Bakugo for a little less. It went by so fast. So very fast. Not much had changed for the three of them in awhile. They got better at their respective abilities, but it still felt no time had passed. But the three of them and their parents were happy with how things were going.
The Bakugo household was still in the dark, their son keeping the vampires a secret. Shoto really didn't know what their reaction would be, but it was easier to just keep it a secret and not risk drama. Bakugo didn't need more drama at his home, they already argued constantly.
It upset him, sometimes. Shoto and Izuku could notice after gatherings with their families, seeing Inko's love and how much his foster family cared for Shoto and Haru, he was sad. Quiet. Shoto felt for him, but didn't dare suggest family counseling. He'd be angry and embarrassed about that, always in denial that the fighting was anything but normal family behavior.
Shoto took off his sleep shirt, and looked at his burn scar on his arm. It really was too big for any sort of make up to cover it. He would be able to hide his burn on his face with make up, but never had and didn't plan on doing so. Speaking to Rei, forgiving her for her mistakes but still wary of seeing her, it wasn't so upsetting anymore.
The emotional scars were much more known to him than seeing the burn scar on his face. But the burn on his arm, from the sun's direct light… it was different from his burn scar. They were both from opposite sides of his conversion into a vampire. The mark on his face, that was in the past. It would never happen again. But the sun burn, it could happen again. It would heal if treated right and fast enough, but he could die. So could Izuku, if they were unlucky and not careful. But it was ingrained in their brains to protect themselves from the sun, so it wasn't like it was something they would forget about when leaving home.
He ran his fingers along the rough textured black mark. Normal burns, if treated properly, rarely turned this dark. So his excuse, if he was pestered about it, would be the burn wasn't properly treated and it turned dark. He'd done his research on what to lie for it. But there was an issue over both of them having sensitivity to the sun.
There was one condition, though neither had ever had to lie, that they chose to be their reason for the excessive sunblock. Xeroderma pigmentosum. But both of them couldn't have it, that would be weird. So Shoto was giving Izuku that excuse to use. He just wanted to do that for his friend.
Besides, Shoto's burn was third degree, it didn't look like the product of any skin disorder. If they were caught burning, it was unlikely either could hide the pain. It felt like being burnt alive, fire licking under the skin and burning you from the inside out, so naturally, you'd scream. The best thing they could do was to get out of the sunlight and hope it wasn't bad enough to scar.
But there was no point in worrying about what could happen. All they could do was be careful and as prepared as they were able. And the teachers knew about the sun, of course. They had their backs. Though the majority of his teachers knew about it. Only a handful had ever been rude, but they were reported and it stopped.
Though he was never a favorite.
Since he had no social media, nobody in the class could spill his secret online. They wouldn't know who to tell, and he knew that nobody from their school was accepted into UA but for the three friends. And they were the first at the school to ever be accepted.
They were special. And they would leave an impact. It was embarrassing, but the Friday before, he'd been told a bench would be named after him on campus. Because he saved lives. It would just have his first name there, as that's what everyone knew him by. He was touched, but also embarrassed. It was nice, though, a permanent recognition for his selfless actions. Made him feel like he started being a hero that day three years ago. He smiled to himself, slipping a T-shirt on to sleep in.
Yes, he was nervous, but mostly excited. It was the same for Izuku and Bakugo. Though stronger for those two since they'd wanted to be heroes their entire lives.
-x- Izuku -x-
Are you excited?! Uraraka texted.
Yeah! Me and my friends are going school supply shopping tomorrow. New backpacks, new shoes for Shoto.
Ooh, could I come, too?
Let me ask. He texted his friends, but was unsurprised when both turned that idea down. Shoto much softer and uncertain, while Baking bluntly said they didn't need to ruin their fun by keeping everything a secret. They said no. We've all been working towards this for years, so they'd rather it just be us three.
Oh, that's too bad. Will they let you be friends with our classmates, too?
They aren't keeping me from things, it's just a majority vote. Both of them out ruled my vote. It won't always be that way, don't worry! We'll make friends just fine.
I hope so! Having more friends would be the best.
While that was true, he wouldn't be best friends with people other than those two. But it didn't mean they couldn't make friends, just not the status as "best". Izuku couldn't really imagine better friends. They all agreed to not reveal the truth to any of the students, no matter how friendly they got. It was only if all three agree to tell somebody. After all, the secret was connected to both of the vampires. If one was revealed, it was likely the other would be dragged down too.
Though they'd managed to keep only Shoto known at their middle school. And Izuku still felt bad for that. If he was found out at UA, he'd promised himself he'd out himself, too. Never would he leave Shoto hanging like that. Though he would lie and say he'd always had his strength quirk, and it wasn't his vampire powers.
Only his teachers, family and his friends knew he was quirkless. His powers were not linked to anything human.
How'd you meet them? I'm curious, since you're so close.
I knew Kacchan since I was very young and I met Shoto in sixth grade. Me and Kacchan were on very, very bad terms before I met Shoto. He was my first friend, and the reason I connected with Kacchan. He's like an angel or something.
You sound very close.
We are. I spend half of my time with my friends. Sleepovers almost every weekend.
I've never had friends like that :( you're lucky.
Thanks! I think I'm very lucky, too.
But it does seem like Shoto isn't too interested in things.
Oh, he just doesn't show much emotion, he's not disinterested. We'll have to explain to the class so they don't think he's bored with everyone! Lol.
Do they go everywhere with you? What are you planning after we're all out of school and heroes?
We do go everywhere together, though not always all three of us. I do a lot of outings with Shoto alone. We want to work at the same agency or maybe make our own! What about you?
Uraraka was nice to talk to. He really felt he made a friend, and was glad they were in the same class. Izuku wondered if the others he'd met were going to be in 1-A. The severe guy and fancy one. He wished he knew their names. She responded that she wasn't sure. She just wanted to help her financially struggling parents.
That's so nice! Izuku said. It wasn't a personal or moral interest for her, it was for her family. It was nice. All his life, Inko had said what he did as an adult did not change her happiness. She wanted him to do what he loved, even before he was able to become a hero, had a substitute to his lack of quirk.
Thanks.
Izuku got a text from Shoto, and opened it and saw a photo. It was of an ice chain! He'd done it!
Shoto added, I had to make each one separately, they didn't spawn all at the same time. So I can make something slowly like this. It's a start…
A great one! Izuku praised. It was a chat with Kacchan as well. He sent middle finger emoji.
Stop getting better while I'm stuck, bitches!
Izuku reasoned, Mine is the least varied of any of ours. And Kacchan, yours is the hardest to control since it is the more dangerous! The control you have is great, really!
Don't sing me praises, dipshit. I'll get better than both of you once we're in school.
I thought we were all equals, Shoto replied. He was awful at reading emotions in texts, even worse than in person. Izuku just chuckled, and Bakugo was the one to say he was talking about competition, but not in a bad way. He could be so patient with the awkward friend sometimes.
You're gonna have to accept everyone adoring you as a cinnamon bun, Izuku texted. Once they know you're not boring or anything.
But I don't like cinnamon. Can I be something else or is it only cinnamon bun?
Bakugo had nothing and just sent a thumbs up emoji.
You be be a cotton candy flavored ice cream cone. Being cold and all.
Okay. Thanks.
He texted with Uraraka again, and she asked a lot of questions over the trio's friendship. Izuku was thinking she didn't have many friends, or at least was leaving them all behind by her choice of school. When he finally asked, it was confirmed.
He said, Well, you have an ally! You won't be seeing ALL new people. You know me and Kacchan and Shoto.
Yeah, that's true.
In the morning, when Inko picked up the other two and were bringing them to the mall, Bakugo asked if he was still talking to the gravity girl. "Yeah, I was texting with her yesterday. It's good practice for making more friends."
"Better not ditch us," Bakugo warned.
Shoto stepped in, "He promised he wouldn't." He completely believed in Izuku's words, and he nodded firmly in agreement. Kacchan sighed and relaxed his posture a bit, leaning back into the seat.
"I'm an asshole, you both know that shit, I'm just not that bad to you. I won't make many friends."
"You'll have to try, Kacchan. But we already know you're not good with people and don't hate you for it."
"None of us are good with people," Shoto commented. "Bakugo is harsh, I'm awkward and Izuku can go overboard." This was all true, sometimes Izuku was too interested in someone's quirk and becomes suffocating. He had to work on that hard now that he was really entering the hero world.
Inko didn't interject herself in the conversation, and just dropped them off at the mall. They were to get new backpacks first, the extreme sunscreen. They bought Shoto an arm sleeve from a medical store that would cover the black skin. Everytime Bakugo saw it, he went pale and looked sick.
The other two didn't comment on it, but noticed. Izuku was sure it was him being upset that the sun could kill both of his best friends. And he'd be left behind with their literal ashes. It as a very sad to think about. Shoto did his best to hide it around Bakugo, but not around Izuku and his foster family.
They all accepted the harsh reality, and knew there was nothing to do about it. So Shoto could wear short sleeves not around Kacchan. So they got that from the only medical store, and then got Shoto the shoes he'd reserved, and headed to the modification store that did simple design changes to already existing items. It was mostly for mutant quirk users to have clothes and supplies changed to work for them.
"Um, I'd like these shoes to be modified. I would like holes in the bottoms so I can send my ice out of my feet," Shoto said awkwardly. "Would that be doable?"
"Hey, need a shoe guy here!" the employee in front of them called, not answering Shoto's question. A guy with green skin came over, shooing the original worker off.
"What can I do for you?" Shoto repeated his request. "Sure! Should be easy. Come to the waiting area for now." The three headed there as they were told.
"I'll go get some drinks," Izuku offered. "What do you want?"
"Lemonade," Shoto requested.
"Sprite," Bakugo said, both of them handing him some money. Izuku nodded and left to the nearest food shop, and found bottled versions, so Shoto could add some blood powder into his if he brought any. He put both of them in his new backpack that he was wearing now, a big yellow one with plenty of pockets, and headed back. But on his way, he caught a whiff of the flower shop. Deliberating for a moment, he decided the drinks wouldn't get too hot if he just went to the flower shop real quick.
He chose the most fragrant ones and made two small bouquets. As in very tiny, only a few flowers. One for him and one for Shoto, since the mall wasn't the best smelling. When he got back to the shop, Shoto was barefoot, shoe and sock off, and trying out the shoes, seeing if the ice could come. Since he couldn't wear socks that way, they were modifying the interior to be comfortable sockless. And also to make it so water couldn't get in if he stepped in puddles.
Izuku took the bottles out and handed them to the two. "Bought some good smelling things, too," he said and handed Shoto the flowers. He smelled them and smiled lightly.
"Smells good," he agreed. Kacchan was not angry he didn't get a batch of flowers. They didn't matter to him, he couldn't smell them without shoving the flowers up his nose. A vampire's sense of smell was over 100 times stronger than a normal human. When they'd both been in the UA school building, both vampires were glad to be able to tell it was well ventilated. It wasn't stuffy.
Shoto's shoes were done in two hours, and Kacchan was napping most of the time instead of complaining. Izuku was very interested in the process, and the man who was modifying the shoes clearly enjoyed his job. Shoto was looking at Pinterest on his phone. "Isn't it weird that different shades of one color could be ugly and pretty?"
"Are you looking at house paint color templates again?" Shoto nodded. Then he went back to looking. Izuku chuckled.
Once his shoe was done, he put them on, and sent ice out of the soles. The bottoms were given grips that could walk on ice better but also weren't metal cleats. The trick was that he had to put ice bits in the holes on the bottom so water didn't get inside. They worked just fine. A cheaper version of the boots he had designed for his costume.
Only his ice side needed to be modified to use his quirk, but both were changed to feel the same without socks. Once they were done, Shoto was pleased with them, his socks in his own new backpack. "Glad I slept the whole time, that took forever," Kacchan stated. They waited for Inko to pick them up, still smelling their flowers.
Izuku suddenly hid behind Shoto, who was standing. "What's wrong?"
"That's the guy that bit my head off at the entrance exam," he said.
"He's tall," Shoto stated. "He was mean to you?" he asked. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at the words.
"...Not mean. I just don't understand why he seemed so angry and uptight. I wonder if he was accepted, too," Izuku wondered. He didn't hate the guy - he didn't know him enough to hate him - but he had been intimidating and intense. Maybe it was only because they were in a stressful situation. It wasn't like Izuku actually did anything wrong, and he ended up teaming with Uraraka. He didn't ruin it for her, or anybody else.
Speaking of her, he got a text while they waited to be picked up. Midoriya-kun, have you gone school shopping yet? I'm going tomorrow if you want to come.
Izuku already told her he was going with someone else, so he wondered if she'd forgotten. I'm just done doing that. We got new backpacks, already had notebooks and other supplies. Shoto got new shoes to accommodate his quirk.
Oh, OK. Well, do you want to come with me? It'll only be shopping 4 me, tho…
"Were we doing anything tomorrow?" he asked them. They shook their heads. "Uraraka wants me to go shopping with her."
"Like in a date way?" Bakugo asked. Izuku frowned. Was it as a date, or friends? He was sure it was friends.
"I mean, for me it would be as friends. Though I do always talk about you two."
"Good stuff?"
"No I trash you two all the time to this near stranger I just met," he said kind of jokingly. "Yes, it's good stuff."
"Would you even be comfortable going shopping alone with a girl?" Bakugo asked. "Texting… isn't it different than in person? You aren't good with new people, texting is just fucking easy."
"Um… I mean, when you put it like that…"
"You could do it. When you were at rehab, you got along with everyone."
"But you were there, too," Izuku pointed out. "Will you go, too?"
"I'd just make things awkward."
"Maybe it would be helpful for her to realize you aren't that disinterested. I'd be more comfortable with someone else there," Izuku said honestly. It was kind of embarrassing, yeah, but baby steps were best. Shoto didn't have anything to do, so he shrugged. He offered to leave them for a bit and go off shopping alone for a bit.
Can I bring Shoto?
Oh. I guess. Did he get things already, too?
He forgot to get a new canteen.
Ok, yeah he can come. "Okay, Shoto! You're buying a new canteen. That's my excuse for bringing you." Shoto nodded. They planned for the next afternoon. School was starting in three more days. They hadn't hung out outside of school yet. He just wasn't close enough yet to want to leave the house with.
It had been so long since he went anywhere with anyone who didn't know about him. He was in a human body right now, but by the first day of school, he would be a vampire. But he had Shoto to make him feel better. Baby steps!
-x- Shoto -x-
It was easy to see Shoto was not wanted there. Uraraka wouldn't look at him, and mostly was taking to Izuku. Well, Shoto wasn't there to have fun with them, he was just support for Izuku to be friendly with others. He walked a bit behind them, and would only interject when Izuku tried to include him.
The first stop was Shoto's "needed item". A metal canteen, a large one, was what he bought. He had one that was colored blue. "Ah, that's the color you were looking at," Izuku said, not sounding an ounce uncomfortable with Shoto than he was with the future classmate.
"Which one is better?" he asked between two of a similar color. He choose the darker blue with his best friend's input. So he bought it.
"Are you done shopping, now?" Uraraka asked him. He nodded, but wanted to get something to drink.
"Meet up at the backpack store?" the half vampire asked.
"Okay." Shoto left and got some water at a drinking fountain in his new canteen, and then poured the packet of blood powder inside. He waited the time limit for it to dissolve, and then gently swished it around, not shaking. Just enough movement to mix it in. He found them again by tracking Izuku's nice scent.
To both vampires, Uraraka smelled different. Which was so interesting. Nobody smelled the same to them, so it was impossible to accurately compare their opinions. He heard Izuku rambling to Uraraka about quirks. Talking straight out of the book he memorized. When Shoto entered, when his scent was there, Izuku relaxed, his voice changing and brightening.
Shoto stayed looking at books from another shelf, in scent distance from Izuku, while he spoke with the girl. She must have noticed the change in feeling and seemed surprised. Only when she turned around and saw Shoto looking at journals a bit away. He'd filled up many so far, they were all hidden under his bed.
"Oh, Shoto, how long were you there?" Izuku called.
"A minute or so. You were busy. Um, did you buy your things?" Shoto asked awkwardly.
"Still has to buy normal school supplies. Like books and pencils." Izuku turned to her and said, "Hey, do you want to get lunch here? The food court has great pizza."
"And the flower store is by there." Izuku nodded. But Uraraka shook her head, looking disappointed. "I… I could go so you two can talk," he offered. She jumped at this, but Izuku looked a bit sad. "I'll stay within scent range," he muttered. He gave him a shoulder squeeze. Bakugo was more worried over being left behind from Izuku than Shoto was. Izuku promised he wouldn't, and he'd never broken a promise to Shoto yet. He trusted his best friend absolutely.
He believed him, without a doubt. Even though he has insecurities, he didn't believe Izuku would drop him suddenly. If he started to pull away, Shoto would just fix himself somehow.
So he went and fell back a bit. He stayed out of sight, but Izuku would still know he was near, and that he was listening in case he needed help or anything. Shoto felt like a good friend, and hoped that Uraraka would appreciate him offering to leave so they could hang out in more private. Though that was not accurate, Shoto was still hearing it all.
It was boring, as he had no money to spend, though when the two went and got some food, Shoto took the chance to buy some more flowers. "Shoto, ready to go," he heard, tuned into Izuku's voice. So he walked the short distance to them. Uraraka looked much happier, while Izuku looked tired. They headed outside. Shoto gave Izuku the poppy, and he took it with a small smile.
"It was nice shopping with you!" she said. "I'm glad you gave us some space, too, Shoto!" He blinked.
"Yeah," he replied. Her parents came and picked her up. Her dad waved at them with a smile. After all, they had gotten her out of that villain attack safely. Izuku waved goodbye, and once they were out of sight, Izuku leaned against his friend with a deep sigh. "You look tired."
"Mhmm," he groaned. "I've never hung out with someone but you guys for that long, one on one. I don't think of it as a date, so I hope she didn't, either." Shoto shrugged. "Let's go to the park. We can just walk there."
"Okay." On their way there, Izuku was smiling and talking openly. If Uraraka saw them now, would she have been upset by the stark contrast of this Izuku and the one she parted with? Shoto hoped he could get along with others. It seemed she just wanted him gone, as she thanked him for going away.
He knew he was the third wheel, but still. Oh well. They'd see how it goes in a few days, when they'd start at UA.
They practiced the handstands. Since Izuku was equipped with a strong body, even if he looked skinny, he was able to do handstands too, but not flips like Shoto could. They handstand walked down a slope, to see if either of them could do it, and it they could, he could do it better. Shoto stopped at the top and went tumbling down.
He landed at the bottom with a grunt. Izuku walked the whole way down. "I did it!" he cheered, and flopped onto his back. "Good job." Shoto lost, so he looked curious in question. "You made it this far. After everything that happened."
"I could say the same for you," Shoto replied with a smile. Izuku grinned and looked up at the sky.
-x- Izuku -x-
Both Shoto and Izuku were told to come to class early, and so they did. There were no kids on campus right now, not yet, so they and Bakugo were first. They had promised to arrive there together, so he came too. They went to their class, and both vampires were glad to see one of the large windows open.
"Welcome. I'm here to go over the accommodation we've made," Aizawa-sensei said. "Oh, good to meet you, Bakugo."
"Yeah," he grumbled. Tired.
"Pick a seat, one of the windows will be opened to that seat." So they picked the seats closest to the windows. No direct rays of sunlight entered. "A film has been placed over the windows of this classroom to block the sun more. It's similar to a car window that has been tinted, only it's blue and just barely. If you weren't wearing sunscreen, you'd be fine in this classroom. Ventilation has been improved so air is circulated through the window and then back out into the hallway."
Izuku was touched by the effort. Shoto looked mildly confused. "The safety of our students is paramount. These took very little time and money in case you feel guilty over that. For costume changes, there are changing rooms and bathrooms. The changing rooms are by class and gender. The bathroom is shared, so it might be full from other classes during changing time.
"I'm fine to change. I have a sleeve covering my burn scar," Shoto said. Aizawa nodded. Bakugo and Izuku had nothing to hide, either, so that was fine.
"All Might, your hero basics teacher, as you know, has a cooler with him that has blood powder and water bottles in case anything is needed. We trust you know how to take care of yourselves, but in case anything is happening, then that will be offered. Shoto, we are all equipped with that god forsaken app. Midoriya, if anything happens with you, we have some of Midnight's sleeping gas.
"I expect no issues from both of you, but we must do what we can to ensure every student's safety. That is all." And he walked out. Izuku shared a look with the others, and they sat in the nicest seats.
Izuku smiled, the desk and chair comfortable. The desks were like computer chairs, and Shoto pushed himself in circles a few times. He still looked tired, though he was sweating a bit in nervousness. "Don't force yourselves," Bakugo said. "Nether of you have to prove shit to anybody."
Both of them nodded, and Bakugo went to his phone. He looked angry, but that was really just his normal face out in public. Izuku heard as the quiet turned into mumbles into full on people. Their classmates, schoolmates. He tapped his fingers on the desk in nervousness. Shoto was twisting his chair just barely, body tense but face giving nothing away.
The first person to come in beside them was a guy with spiky red hair and sharp teeth. "Ooh! Hey, guys! You got here first, huh? I'm Kirishima Eijiro," he said, and slammed down in the chair next to Bakugo. "Who're you!?"
"Midoriya Izuku," he greeted brightly.
"You don't need to know, Shitty Hair." Ah, Bakugo's people skills hard at work.
"Haha! I work hard on my hair!" Kirishima said happily. "What about you?"
"Shoto…"
"Good to meet you! Hey, what are your quirks? I bet everyones are super interesting. I have no idea how I made it here with that stupid vest! That was crazy, what would people who grow spikes do?" It was a good point! Izuku liked him already. He was unphased by Kacchan's nasty attitude. Well, he wasn't going to try and change Bakugo or get him to be nicer. It wasn't his job to "fix" his friend. It was who he was and always had been.
Shoto said, "I didn't take the test."
"Ooh, you got in on recommendation?" Kirishima asked in interest. Shoto nodded. "Awesome! You must be super strong." Shoto didn't reply, just looked down, clearly unused to such overwhelming positivity. But then everyone came pouring in. Izuly looked closely at Shoto, but he made no give that anyone smelled strongly.
According to him, nobody smelled as good as Izuku when he was human. Right now he was not. Shoto had the contacts in, still, but Izuku's eyes were still green, like they always had been. Uraraka was indeed there, and Izuku felt himself smile at the familiar face. But then he fought a frown when the incense guy came in.
Introductions were thrown around the room chaotically, everyone just seeming so excited for school to start. The class filled to capacity, and it was noisy and there were lot of people. Though having the window open wide was helping just fine. Of course human scents weren't like farts that could just be blown out of the room, they actively had a scent. The breeze from the window and good ventilation just kept it from bottling up in a way. It was hard to explain to anyone who didn't know the feeling.
Since Kacchan had his feet on his desk, this caused problems with the severe guy, who he finally found his name was Iida Tenya. He could tell he had a mutation quirk with the engine on his legs, which he had used to run at the exam. Most of the students there, however, were not obvious as to what their quirk was.
There was one that was seemingly very mutated, Shoji, who had both arms with appendages off of them. It looked highly difficult. To find long sleeved clothes and gloves. Yeah, he was lucky he didn't have a mutant quirk.
But everyone was so interesting! He checked on Shoto a lot, who was quiet, looking bored but conveying through his stiff arms and the deep breathing that he was uncomfortable. The person sitting beside him was a girl with black hair pulled back into a pony tail. She was silent as well. So was a guy with a bird's head.
Shoto was not the only quiet one, so far at least.
"Izuku-kun, how are you?" Uraraka asked. Then Iida looked over, and gave up on getting Kacchan to behave, and walked over stiffly.
"Iida Tenya," he said. "I want to apologize about the exam! I saw you help her, but I had gotten irate with you. I saw you saved her, so I apologize for making assumptions!" and he bowed stiffly. Izuku flailed his hands a bit, telling him he forgave him. He assumed everyone was uncomfortable, and that's why he got intense. "It's true, but it's shameful to lose my composure," he insisted.
"Okay," Izuku nodded, knowing there was no convincing someone like this.
"My name is Yaoyorozu Momo."
"Hi..."
Poor Shoto, so awkward. Izuku wished he could walk over and help him, but he couldn't right now, and didn't want to make it seem like Shoto couldn't think for himself. But then, he gave his name, first name only.
"Shoto? You go by your first name?" He nodded. "Okay, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." Then she silenced. And didn't look uncomfortable with said silence. Yes! Another quiet person sat beside Shoto. Good. Kacchan was being less than civil, harsh attitude and glares out and proud.
The moment Aizawa walked in, they fell silent but for Kirishima and Ashido. They got some pointed looks, but were only actually talking longer than others by a few seconds. "You need to shut up sooner, time is of the essence. My name is Aizawa Shouta. I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. You're expected to get to know one another yourselves, we're not in kindergarten where everyone introduces themselves as a class.
"Before anything else, all of you, come get your gym outfits and meet me outside. Changing rooms are down the hall and to the left, separated by gender. If anyone doesn't want to change in front of the others, bathrooms are further down the hall," and he left.
Kaminari approached the large box put on the podium. It had all of their gym outfits in cheap plastic sleeves, with their names pasted onto the plastic. Just doing this had all of them knowing the names by calling it out and having the person come and collect their outfit. Then they headed to the changing rooms.
He and Shoto walked beside one another. "Anyone too strong?" Izuku asked quietly.
"No. I talked to someone," he said quietly, his humble way of bragging.
"Only the beginning. I'm so excited," Izuku said, beaming. Shoto nodded, and they both changed. Izuku saw that most of the guys were pretty fit. Nobody was buff but for Sato and Iida, the other guys lean or average. Mineta was tiny compared to everyone. Everyone but for Shoto and Izuku had short sleeve shirts. Both of them had long sleeves.
But both of them had already been covered head to toe in sunblock. The long sleeves were more for comfort and extra, perhaps unnecessary, care.
Some looked at the long, cream colored sleeve that covered most of Shoto's arm, but nobody said a thing about it. Not yet, at least. They all left the changing room, all at the same time since the outfits were easy to put on. From what Izuku saw, nobody had gone to change in the bathroom.
The only other person with long sleeves was Jiro. Izuku and Shoto were the only guys, though. They all lined up at the edge of the baseball field and pit, Aizawa-sensei standing there, a few boxes around him full of equipment. Izuku had no clue what was going on, but everyone was growing nervous and confused.
He relaxed when they were informed that they were there right now to perform quirk assessments. Basic physical exercises done every year at most schools, only this time they got to use their quirks. So far, Izuku would not have been able to be in the hero course without any power, quirk or otherwise. But he'd do very well in this!
His power was all physical! Strength and speed. Shoto's ice would not be fantastic with this, so he'd be careful with how much to show, how fit he was. He had to hide it, while Izuku did not, and did not plan or want to.
"This is exciting!" Uraraka said, a few others agreeing.
"Exciting? Fun? I hope you didn't come to UA thinking it would be shits and giggles all year round. Think you were gonna make friends? Your not here to make friends and have fun or time off. This is the hero course, it will be hard and tiresome. If you came because being a hero being at UA sounded entertaining, you may want to leave while you still have your dignity," Aizawa said in a bored voice. He was master of it, like Shoto!
If Izuku didn't already know this man was kind, he would have disliked him right at that moment. Was UA really that hard? Well, he knew it would be hard, but unenjoyable? He hoped not. Hard and miserable would drain him. He knew that. Bakugo looked unimpressed, and Shoto unconcerned. Both looked so cool headed and Izuku looked worried.
Shoto glanced to him, and did something strangely, emotionally deep. He moved his hair out of the way enough to show the little braid behind his ear that Izuku kept doing for him, had taught him how to do. A getsure reminding him that they were in it together. Izuku wiped his nose, and smiled, nodding, his boy relaxing.
"Whoa, you got calm," Uraraka said.
"What?" he asked, startled.
"You seemed all scared and now you're fine!"
"Breathing exercises, Midoriya-kun?" Iida asked. Shoto said nothing, so he just shook his head. Aizawa had Bakugo come forward. He was the first place of all the entries of the practical exam.
"What was your score last year for the ball throw?"
"40 meters." Izuku and Shoto had had to make themselves weaker for that. Every year they had to pretend like they were slightly athletic human children. It was hard and annoying to have to do. Bakugo was instructed to do it, and pulled his arm back.
"DIE!" and the ball exploded in his hand, punting it forward to 704 meters. Everyone gasped, and it began. Most of the quirks he watched and recorded into his hard memory were not suited for the ball toss, and probably would not be suited for the other acticies as well. Someone with a non-physical quirk would probably do very poorly.
There was also the threat over their heads that the worst would be expelled because "UA can do what it wants" basically. Aizawa didn't want useless heroes in his class. Harsh. Izuku knew he wouldn't come last just based on Mineta's toss, but he felt sad for whoever went last. Hopefully it was a lie, a mean one, but not true regardless.
When it was Shoto's turn, he did remarkably well at control of his strength, making it about 60 meters. So, fit, but no oddly so. Izuku's turn was after, and Shoto gave him a thumbs up, though he didn't make it obvious by raising his fist. "Don't do shitty," he heard Bakugo grumble.
Izuku decided to go all out. Uraraka already claimed infinity, he couldn't pass that. He took the ball, and punted it as hard as he could. It was a full ten seconds of it in the air before it disabled. Something went wrong.
"It must have landed in a source of water somewhere," Aizawa said. "Last reading was 2,000 meters." The class was speechless.
"He looks so ordinary!" Kaminari shouted.
"Ah," Izuku said awkwardly.
"Do the rest of the exercises," Aizawa said. Bakugo was giving him a smirk, and Izuku smiled back. He did enough to do well, but he did not break any of the equipment. He was more interested in everyone else's scores and techniques. But this activity seemed bad a gauging quirks. They were physical, yes, but not all were specifically physical.
Shoto did his quietly and very controlled. Not weak, but not vampire. By the end, Izuku, Bakugo and Yaoyorozu came out in the first three places. Shoto was behind them, purposely. He had no chance to use his quirk in this, and did not take advantage of his physical ability. This set the stage for what he would reveal.
He was planning on not using his strength or speed to his full advantage. At least, not at UA. "Are you sure about this?" Izuku asked when they were waiting for results. Shoto knew what he meant, and Kacchan looked kind of disapproving. But the permanent vampire nodded.
"My ice is my power," he said softly. "I'm not here to be the best." Unlike both Bakugo and Izuku. They were there to be the best heroes they could. They wanted to surpass All Might. And their competition was no longer bitter and hostile. It felt so nice that Bakugo wanted him to succeed, too.
He really did care so much about Izuku and Shoto.
"Are you two best friends?" Hagakure asked, the invisible girl. Man, how problematic that quirk could be! Was she born invisible? How did her parents nurse her? How did they bathe her? Did she see something in the reflection? Could she look at her own hands? So many questions!
"These two are my best friends."
Sero asked, "Wait, Bakugo and Shoto are best friends?" After all Kacchan had been abrasive and loud. Shoto had been near mute and minded his own business.
"Got a problem, Flat Face?" Bakugo demanded threateningly. Shoto didn't look too bothered and walked back into place with the others without a word. To others it looked like they were extreme opposites. Though it was mostly Kacchan seeming too much. He wasn't actually this abrasive and disrespectful to his friends. This was his outer shell he showed to everyone but his friends.
Aizawa shushed them all by saying, "By the way, Jiro, you're not expelled. I lied." But he seemed unbothered. "Rational deception to get you all fired up. Go back to class, check out the paperwork left on your desks. See you tomorrow morning." And they were dismissed. They walked back to class, not everyone having used their quirk at all. So it was only a preview of some quirks. Nobody had seen Shoto's yet. Izuku couldn't wait to see him get recognized by everyone.
Changing back into their uniforms, they quickly found out who was the nosiest of the guys. "Why do you guys have long sleeves?" Mineta questioned. They didn't answer, it was none of his business on the first day.
"There was the option to, so we took it," Izuku said.
"There was? I didn't see it."
Then Sato commented, "There was the option, but it was in a part of the screen that your computer would have not shown."
"Somehow, UA's website was kind of buggy. Who would have thought?!" Kaminari laughed. "Midoriya, your quirk is super cool! It's like All Might's- just strength! What else can you do?" He blushed, and said it was a surprise. "And Shoto, what's yours?"
"Ice," Shoto replied, slipping his shirt back on and buttoning it up. Nobody comments on his arm sleeve, though. "It's boring."
"Fuck that shit, no it's not," Bakugo scoffed.
"You three are best friends?" Sero asked again. "You sure balance each other out!"
"Friends don't need to be twins or fucking minions, Flat Face," Bakugo said, and was the first to leave. They all followed after, and met the girls back at class, gathering their things together. Out of the 20 students, only six were girls. Nearly one fourth were girls. That was not much.
Everyone exchanged numbers, though Shoto got them from Izuku so he didn't need to be in the mess of students shouting phone numbers over one another, or exchanging Snapchat accounts. Then the three friends left, only to be followed by Uraraka and Iida. Izuku was glad he made friends, but hanging out with Kacchan around could be difficult until he loosened up a bit.
"Are you guys walking to the station?" Uraraka asked. She moved to beside Izuku, and Shoto was forced to walk behind. It kind of bothered Izuku. He wouldn't allow his best friends to feel neglected. Because that was what he'd want for himself if they made friends that tried to push them out.
Izuku gestured for Shoto to come to his left so he walked side by side. Kacchan was walking a few paces before them. "Yeah, we're heading to the station. What about you?" They both said they were.
"Oi, Bakugo! You forgot this!" Kirishima's voice called from behind.
"The fuck you want?!" the explosive teen demanded.
"Hah, your phone, man!"
"No way I'd forget my ph-" he checked his pockets. When the red head came over, he handed the device back to its rightful owner. Kacchan scowled about having forgotten his phone, and gave a sharp nod to Kirishima, the best he'd be getting right now.
"He's nice," Izuku mused.
"Loud, but nice," Shoto agreed.
"Shut up, his hair is shitty." Izuku had a feeling that he'd grow to be friends with Kirishima. All of them, really, Izuku would like to have such a vibrant friend. Since Izuku was talking with Uraraka and Iida, Shoto moved to walk beside Kacchan instead. It made Izuku feel bad, but he knew they were just giving him space to talk to them.
But they should get to be talked to as well, not just Izuku. Though he wasn't sure how to incorporate Shoto and Bakugo into their conversation. Uraraka liked to talk, and so did Iida, so the dynamic was off. Izuku was used to having a listener. He nodded and made sure to show them he was listening, even if he'd rather it be quiet now.
He realized just how precise his friendship dynamic was. It would be hard to replicate, so he'd need to get used to not having it perfect all the time. Once the two classmates left on their stops, the three friends sighed. "They're obnoxious. Why they gotta yell every fucking thing?" Bakugo snapped.
"They're just… excited."
"Uraraka doesn't like me," Shoto stated. "She was happy I went away on the outing."
"Cause she just wanted Izuku." Shoto nodded, and Izuku looked down, feeling guilty. He wanted friends to be with his friends. But having all three of them being so different, that might be harder. When they split up, Shoto was sharing a bottle of blood with him. "See you guys tomorrow. Hopefully we do something more interesting."
"See you. Hey, guys." They stopped. "We finally made it. We're at the starting line."
"My starting line was six years ago," Shoto said, but gave a small smile. Bakugo grinned, and they split ways with smiles of varying intensity.