In the main lobby area of the dorm building, a lonely vending machine stood by a large bay window.
Racks of sodas and bags of junk food stood refrigerated in the machine. None of them were healthy, which made Megan wonder about how they were supposed to stay in shape with the temptation of cookies and cola sloshing in seductive curvy bottles. She saw the reflection of her sky blue eyes in the glass of the machine. Wearing a simple navy long-sleeved workout shirt and matching pants, she used the mirror's reflection to look at the figure behind her.
"So, how do you decide which one you want?"
Looking behind her, Megan saw Synaes staring straight ahead. Her sunglasses betrayed no emotion since her eyes were hidden away.
"What do you mean?"
"You can't read which ones you want, right?" Megan asked the blind girl.
"I don't use vending machines," She said. She gripped the handle on her walking stick. "I'm just making sure no one sneaks up on you."
"Uh...thanks?" Megan asked. She returned to her search for the right bag that she would eat. None of the foods were very healthy, and she had only packed enough broccoli to last her over the day. She would need to ask about trips to the supermarket very soon.
Suddenly, a tiny rip.
She felt a tug from her hair. A sting ticked at her as she felt a strand of it being pulled off. She covered up the hurt spot on her head and peered back at Synaes.
"Did you just pull my hair?"
"Yup," Synaes said in a matter-of-fact tone. She opened up her mouth and threw the strand of hair into her mouth. With a quick swallow, she faced Megan who wore a slightly disgusted face.
Suddenly, in Synaes' head, she saw blinking white dots illuminate the sight in front of her. The dots aligned together to create a figure, the same figure as Megan in front of her. She saw the dots growing and diminishing to showcase the different levels of energy in her body.
"Did you just eat it?" Megan asked.
"Your DNA is now in me."
"Uh...you're welcome?" Megan tilted her head while questioning the girl before her.
"I can see you now," Synaes added. "I can see how you expend your energy. Try and punch me."
Megan played along. It would at least help pass the time during the night. She took back her right arm and plunged it forward. However, in mid-air, she decided to switch things up. She stopped the fist and used her other arm to launch an uppercut at the blind girl's jaw.
Synaes dropped her walking stick and grabbed onto the uppercut. She stopped it dead in its tracks, her head still slightly turnt upward at the ceiling.
"You could predict that I was going to do that?"
"By seeing the energy build up in your limbs. Normally, I wouldn't tell others how my quirk works, but...I felt like I could trust you. Also, I imagine we'll have to work together in some capacity soon. I'd rather work with you than a lot of these other annoying people. Americans talk a lot, don't they?"
"Can't disagree with that," Megan said, a small grin appearing on her face.
Synaes let go of the fist. Truth be told, she was not too interested in making friends at this school. In fact, quite a few of the kids already annoyed her. However, this posh and honest girl from the United Kingdom reminded her of herself.
Synaes sensed a small vibration emanating from the entrance to the boy's side of the dormitory. Also, she heard the large doors creak as they flung open. Someone else was coming, and it was probably one of those annoying boys that kept trying to talk to her.
"We should get going," Megan stated. She picked out a bag of chips and snatched them from the receiving slot.
Seeing Megan's dots traveling to the side of her vision, she followed the grey dots as they headed into the black ether that was Synaes vision. She felt proud of herself as the dots now made her feet much more assured on the thick carpet.
Seeing the pair disappear back to their side, Anton walked over to the vending machine. A simple white tee shirt on with jeans, he stopped in front of the glass and examined the rainbow of bags and packets that sat in the humming machine.
It had been a very long day for Anton. He nursed a quiet headache that smacked his brain with a dull tingle. He had just spent three hours playing chess with some strange guy that had red hair. What bruised his ego was just how badly he lost each time. In fact, he somehow lost in only one move during their last match. One move! Not that he was an expert in chess, but he thought that maybe the guy was just messing with him.
Maybe we should start being healthier. You know, broccoli. Steak. Escargot.
"I don't like fancy things," Anton said to his Pathogen as he pulled out a dollar bill. He thrusted it into the slot and tried to pick out a bag of chips.
Broccoli isn't fancy.
"You like chips." Anton said.
Not everyday for the past three years! You're glad I boost your metabolism, otherwise the only villains you'd take down is the Hamburgler.
"Who?"
Sorry, reference before your time.
"Can you just let me live my life? How about this, we talk when we need to and leave it at that," Anton traced his finger on the cool glass.
You say that now, but when you get a pop quiz and I know the answer and you don't-.
"That's cheating, Pathogen."
It's not like you studied before.
"Can you move it, Virus Boy?"
Anton whipped around at the violent voice blaring from behind him. It was some kid an inch or so taller than him and more well-built with muscle. Wearing a deep red shirt with a v-neck around the collar, he sneered down at Anton and tapped his foot on the ground in impatience. Anton recognized him as that loudmouth guy that was bragging to his Support class partner about how great his quirk was. He remembered his name being James, but paid little attention to him.
Until now, that is.
"I'm not done picking my chips yet," Anton said.
"Yeah, well, I'm thirsty," James said in a low growl. "And for some reason, this is the only place with bottled water and I need it."
"Does your quirk make you have fish powers or something?" Anton asked in a deadpan tone.
"Tch. A lot of talk for a scrawny and short version of the Jolly Green Giant," James's sneer morphed into a dangerous smirk as he stepped closer to Anton.
Heh. Jolly Green Giant. That was funny.
"Shut up," Anton said towards his side.
"You telling me to shut up?" James let out as he loomed right in front of Anton. He flexed his left arm, his nostrils flaring at the sight of the green-skinned kid. "You're just asking to get jacked up, aren't you?"
"I don't want you to jack me in any way, bub," Anton furrowed his brows.
James let out another terse laugh. "Whatever. I'd hate to break my competition before the fight even started."
"Break your competition?" Anton took a step forward as well. They were practically touching noses. "I think you've watched too much Rocky Four. Be more original."
"I saw you get your ass kicked by Bakugo earlier," James smirked, his breath smelling like sea salt as it pillowed into Anton's nose. "Your weakness is heat or bright light, right? Too bad for you my quirk does both. So you better watch yourself, Marvin the Martian."
As he stared right into Anton's eyes, he pushed a button on the machine behind him. The hydraulic arm grabbed a bottle of water from the top rack. The arm lowered the bottle and dumped into the receiving receptacle. The bottle bounced into the hole in the machine. James, with a cheeky smirk, reached around Anton and grabbed the cool bottle of transparent liquid. He twisted the cap off and took a swig of the soothing liquid down his throat.
"Thanks for the water," James said with a wise guy grin. He turned around and headed back for the entrance to the boy's dorm area. He waved a hand back at Anton. "I'll pay you back later, Virus Boy."
He disappeared back towards his room. Anton stood there, the scent of salt and clean linen body spray wafting around him.
That jerk. He bought the water with our money!
Anton looked back at the vending machine. He was proud of standing up for himself, but he was confused about the exchange. Since he was still hungry, he took another dollar bill from his pocket. He shoved the bill in and pushed the button for his bag of chips.
"Just another random bully. We need to watch out for him, though. He sounds like he has a powerful quirk."
Seems like he's trying to prove himself. Like he has a chip on his shoulder.
"Nothing we can't handle, but we need to be smart." Anton said.
Why did he get so close to us? Was he hitting on us? I hope our breath smelled okay.
Anton said nothing as he grabbed the bag of chips and strolled back to the entrance of the boy's side. As he traversed the carpet floor, he thought back to the day. Most of the class seemed tolerant, even nice to him at times. Of course, there would be one or two losers that would try to deter him. In fact, he reminded him of a less intense version of his brother. If he could survive a childhood with him, then this guy would be easy.
It confused Anton to know end. He had to be less suspicious of people and perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, he needed to be prepared for these same people to stab him in the back. Why did this school have to already be complicated?
Y'know, he was actually kind of hot. Anton, are we gay?
Anton paused and looked up at the ceiling. He thought for a few seconds. That guy did have really pretty eyes and very soft-looking hair that he could imagine running a hand through.
After consideration, Anton shivered and shook his head. "No."
Oh. In that case, he was ugly. Really ugly.
Izuku never realized just how good of a cook Bakugo was in his life.
Seated on one end of the mahogany table that shimmered under a copper chandelier, Izuku breathed in the garlic aroma from the medium-rare steak on the plate before him. The steam from the meat wafted upward and obscured his view of Bakugo in front of him. The table, longer than Bakugo's corvette that he crashed into that morning, shook with the attacks on food that Bakugo launched.
Bakugo sat on the other side of the table, scarlet juices squelching as he gnashed his teeth into the meat. He ate like an angry dragon that had not consumed any food in weeks. He hovered over his plate like a surgeon examining the insides of a patient, his hair and head position obscuring his eyes from Izuku's view.
"Principal Tommy wants to speak to me tomorrow. Says it's about one of the students," Izuku said as he pushed a stalk of broccoli around with his silver fork.
"Those pipsqueaks," Bakugo chomped on a piece of steak. "I already know they're gonna be a headache this year."
"We've dealt with a lot worse," Izuku said with the ghost of a smile on his face.
Bakugo said nothing as he chewed on more of his steak.
"Aren't we still kids in a way," Izuku said as he stabbed at the stalk he was playing with on the porcelain plate. "In a way, I still feel like that same kid when we graduated. Remember that day? We had that big party at Kirishima's place afterwards. I think that was the last time we all saw each other. Maybe we should bring them out here at some point. Have a bit of a house-warming get together. Plus, I know most of the class has never been here. It'd be cool."
Bakugo stopped and dropped his fork from his hand. It clattered on the plate. He raised up his head slowly to stare at Izuku dead in his green eyes. "That says something about you, then."
"What?"
"You still thinking about that school. It says something about you."
"Like what?"
"Like how you don't let things go," Bakugo growled. Suddenly, he slapped his hands on the table. The glass of water rumbled on the table, flecks of liquid slipping out and dripping onto the finished oak wood.
"Kacchan..."
"Don't 'Kacchan' me," Bakugo said. He shot to his feet causing the chair behind him to flip onto it's back and rattle as it hit the floor.
"What is wr-."
"You've been trying to remind me of her!" Bakugo shouted. "All day! And you know what it does? Nothing! I don't care about any of it! The past, the school, all of those worthless extras that ran around like they would be actual heroes one day! I don't care or think about any of it anymore! You know, that was the biggest lie that school taught us; that anyone can be a hero. Well, guess what? They can't, and some just shouldn't! If she...if she never bothered to be a hero and become a part of something that was none of her business, then none of this would have happened!"
Bakugo spun on his feet and stormed into the kitchen next to the dining room.
"You haven't accepted the past," Izuku said. He got up from his chair and followed Bakugo into the kitchen.
Unlit, the kitchen was as large as the dining room with all white tile and cocoa cabinets that perched on the walls above the sleek white marble counters. A marble kitchen island sat in the center of the room, but Izuku skittered around it as he approached Bakugo by the sink. At the sink by the window overlooking the skyline of twinkling Los Angeles, the fiery explosion hero had turned on the water and squirted some orange dish liquid onto a used porcelain plate.
"Kacchan," Izuku said in a stern voice. "You never grieved. You haven't accepted any-."
"Shut up!"
With a flash of his arm, he flung the bottle of liquid at Izuku. The plastic bottle bounced off of Izuku's chest and clattered away on the tile floor. The moonlight peeking through the window clashed onto Bakugo's face, casting an ominous shadow on the other side. He glared at the shorter Pro-Hero.
"You don't know a thing about how I've felt about it," Bakugo shouted. "But guess what, Deku? it's been two years, and thinking about it won't fix anything."
"So then why did you come here?" Izuku asked.
"Here? As in take this job?" Bakugo asked. He let out a mirthless laugh. "Because I owed money to the Hero Agency! Because I'm a reckless hothead that has no regard for public property. That's what the secretary told me before showing me the bill!"
"You liar," Izuku shot back. "You came here because of your son."
Bakugo's face fell into one of shock at the accusation. His mouth dropped open, and he stared right throw Izuku like he was gazing at a ghost.
"Wh-wha-?"
"I'm tired of walking around on pins and needles with you, Kacchan," Izuku shouted. He took a step closer and pointed at the window behind Bakugo. "You've ignored that kid ever since Uraraka died, and you haven't done a thing to care for him! So, you decided to take this job and run away from him to California for a year. And yes, maybe you needed the money, but you would've taken this job anyway."
"I told you I didn't want to come," Bakugo whispered, a rarity for him.
"You lied," Izuku said through his teeth. "And I know you lied because you never take responsibility for yourself, Kacchan. Everything bad that has happened to you has always been somebody else's fault, especially mine. You coming here is my fault. You feeling inferior is my fault. You failing your hero license exams was my fault. And Uraraka dying wa-."
"It is your fault! All of it!," Bakugo screamed as he stepped right up to Izuku's face. Like a cork popping off a wine bottle, he erupted with his face emanating a red tint. His fists clenched, and wisps of smoke flailed out from the cracks in his knuckles.
"Everything was fine until you showed up that day at the Entrance Exams and magically had a quirk!" He yelled. "If you had just kept your place as a quirkless and pointless loser, then everything would be easier! I'd be Number One. I wouldn't be here. You would be some worthless salaryman pushing pencils until he died. And...A-And that girl would still be alive," Bakugo stammered.
"Kaccha-."
"And if she knew her place, then she wouldn't have been a Pro-Hero. So, yes, it's her fault, too! And it's All Might's fault for giving you a quirk that you didn't deserve. A title that you didn't deserve! And if...If you had shown up sooner, she would have been alive," Bakugo trembled, the whites of his eyes beginning to redden from tears. "If someone or anyone showed up just a minute sooner, then that bastard wouldn't have knocked down that building and she would be alive. And if you think I don't realize that and think about it everyday, then fuck you! Because I do! It makes want to tear of my hero costume and take a swan dive off the roof!"
"Kacchan," Izuku's face softened and he gave Bakugo a little more space.
"Why was she so stupid?" Bakugo wailed with tears flowing freely from his eyes. "Why couldn't she just be some support hero that cleaned up after the battles? Why couldn't she be the one born without a quirk? Why couldn't she have taken that day off like she was supposed to? Why did she leave me with this weight on my back?"
"Kacchan, please!"
"Why couldn't I have shown up sooner that day?" Bakugo's legs weakened and he collapsed to his knees. His voice descended into a weak whimper. "Why was I so weak that I couldn't save her? Why...why couldn't I have been good enough to save her?"
Bakugo hid his face into his large hands, quiet sob shaking him as he was reduced to being on the floor of his new home. He was embarrased for crying in front of Izuku. He was ashamed for not handling this loss better. What hurt him the most was the regret that rattled him, the heavy bricks of guilt that piled onto his shoulders and had planted themselves there ever since the fight with that villain in Tokyo.
Izuku knelt down. He knew Bakugo would find being touched as condescending, so he decided to simply stay right in front of him. He knew that he had never confronted his feelings about Uraraka's death. He decided to simply dive head first into more hero work and tried to erase her memory from his eyes.
When Izuku visited his home, he noticed no photos or furniture she had picked out remained in the house. Their kid had been shipped off to live with her parents. He only spent around five minutes of time at the funeral, complaining about his time being wasted before he went off and answered another call from his agency.
What Izuku did not notice was just how much blame Bakugo put on himself.
Bakugo was a person that took a lot of things every personally. He forgot about a lot of those personal anxieties very quickly, but he still took them personally. Any failings as a Pro-Hero was a reflection on him as a person and his self-worth. All Might had told him about the dangers of internalizing these situations.
"You can't save everyone," Izuku heard that soft, yet deep voice say in his head.
"Kacchan," Izuku broke the silence. Bakugo had calmed down and simply kneeled in silence on the tile floor. "I spent my whole life asking myself 'why' about things. Why I didn't have a quirk. Why I had to be bullied. Then, it was why I did get to have a quirk. Why I was the one chosen to have All Might's role. Sometimes, there just isn't a reason. At least, it's not one that's made clear to us. It's just the cards we're given."
Bakugo looked up, the whites of his eyes as red as his irises. Trails of liquid saline ran down his face, he aftermath causing his face to glow a light red.
"You won't always know why, but you don't need to know why in order to move on," Izuku said.
Bakugo blinked.
Izuku took a second and wiped away a stray tear that threatened to spill over in his own eyes. "Uraraka knew what she was up against, but she went anyway. She knew if she didn't act, there would be more innocent people die, and she saved all those people from the wreckage falling on her. If she stayed away..."
"She was too good," Bakugo croaked out. "Too good."
Izuku nodded. "But if you keep burying your feelings instead of accepting them, you're gonna miss out on a lot of things. You're gonna miss out on actually teaching these kids. You're gonna miss out on the year ahead. And before you know it, you've missed out on life."
Bakugo cleared his throat. For as annoying as Deku was to him, he had enough pride to know when he was right and wrong about something. Granted, he was almost never wrong with anything. However, he had come a long way from never being wrong.
It was baby steps, but baby steps in the right direction.
"Dumbass," Bakugo wiped away the remaining traces of tears from his face. "I can't believe you made me cry in front of you again."
"There you go again," Izuku said in mock annoyance. "Blaming me for everything."
"Shut up! I'm just kidding," Bakugo growled back. "Kind of."
Izuku flashed a melancholy smile at Bakugo. He grabbed his friend's arm and tugged both of them back to their feet.
"Hey, how's it going? Yeah, it's me."
In his new and sparsely decorated unlit room, Bakugo leaned on the windowsill of his open window in the darkness of the night. The rush of cool air rustled through his hair. A tinge of honeysuckle tickled his senses as faint police sirens rang out over the city. He stared above the driveway below him, the bumper on his car still smashed. The skyline of the city gleamed with a few helicopters swimming through the sky like fireflies sparking up the still summer night.
With the crickets chirping in the shrubbery lining the driveway, Bakugo's eyes traced the car rumbling past the street beyond the entry gates of their new home. His voice quiet, he scratched his rough throat while pressing the cell phone to his ears.
"I know it's been a year, but I'm talking to you now! Be grateful."
A retort over the line.
"Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be there. But...can I speak to him?"
An odd noise of bewilderment.
"I know he can't speak yet...but I want him to hear my voice."
After a second, Bakugo's eyes widened. He heard a loud squeak not unlike that of a chew toy. he had not even seen this person in the time since his mother's death. He swallowed a deep lump in his throat. He licked his parched lips.
"Hey, kid. It's your dad. I know you haven't seen me in a while, but that's because I'm taking care of other kids. Not because I like them more than you or anything, but I gotta make sure they don't turn into future villains whose asses I have to kick one day."
"Language!" The female voice on the other end chastised.
"He doesn't remember. He's two," Bakugo threw the offhand remark before focusing back on the baby across the phone line. "Anyway, I'll be gone for a while. When I get back, I'll come over and see you again. And when you get older, you'll see what I do for a living. You'll think I'm the best hero ever. And...I think you'll be proud of me. And when I tell you about your mom, you'll be proud of her even more. She was...a very brave person. The kind of brave that made everyone around her feel invincible. So... I think you're a lucky kid. My genes and her genes put together are gonna make you into a pretty badass hero one day."
"Aw, wasn't that the sweetest th-."
"Anyway," Bakugo said loudly to cut of the lady. "I'll talk to you some more later. And...I hope you liked those people that stopped by today at your grandparent's house. They're all...they're good. And they're gonna love watching you grow up."
Bakugo hung up without another utterance. He stared out at the city. It was smaller thank Tokyo, even though the traffic seemed to be much worse. It had an odd smell to it, also. Not only that, but crime was much more rampant around the metro area. The citizens of this neighborhood also appeared to be more annoying, but that just may be Americans in general.
Then, Bakugo looked down at his phone. He pulled up and email and looked down at the roster of students in Class 1-A.
"Good luck, kids," Bakugo said more to himself. "I'm going to give you my all."
He stepped back and slammed the window shut.
USAHS Class 1-A:
Megan Shaw-Luke5921
Robyn Guang-WhichOneIsWill
Synaes Haukersdottir-Elements08
Moxie Lee-I'm The Nep
James Guzman-Harvoc Phantom
Hunter Payne-AnonymousAK
Anton Nosoi-ManOfPewter
Blake Marseilles-Deadly Animals Are Cute
Katsu Muteki-Jayfeathers Friend
Austin Bordette-pingly187
Abel Chevelle-Nick Foolery
Martel Void-Xekless
Leo Agravain-alucard deathsing
Drake Kaiset-MaleficKing
Lloyd Thomas-xXBeetFrecesXx
Let me make this clear: THIS IS NOT AFINAL LIST. JUST A COMPILATION OF WHO I'VE ACCEPTED SO FAR!
IF YOUR OC IS NOT ON THE LIST, LET ME KNOW. I EITHER FORGOT THEM OR I HAVE REJECTED THEM. I WILL LET YOU KNOW IF/WHY THAT IS THE CASE. THINK OF THIS AS THE END OF THE FIRST STAGE OF APPS.
KEEP SUBMITTING! ESPECIALLY GIRLS, TEACHERS, AND VILLAINS!
Also, AnonymousAK said they started a discord for this. Link and code in my profile. If you all like it, then have fun! I'll leave all that up to you all. Let me know if anything crazy is going on over there. You kids have fun!
So what did you think? This is the end of the first day! Think of this as the end of the first episode. I'm sure we will have plenty of fun as we start getting into the fun stuff.
Let me know if you liked anything. Disliked? Let me know also. Any comments, fan art, ideas or story arcs are welcome.
Thank you. See you soon!