Prologue
A Week's Worth of Mistakes
It was Monday when things started to go wrong.
Maybe wrong wasn't the best word that he could use to describe such day, but considering how used he had gotten to his daily routine, was it really such a strong term?
Then again, most of the things in his short life had not gone how he had ever expected them to go, so maybe he should have gotten used to it by now.
But even if he did…
"Deku…!"
There was certainly nothing that could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him that day.
Suddenly, his usual unassuming but peaceful walk from his new high school to his house had done a turn from the boring to the unexpected.
But truthfully, he couldn't say if it was a good thing or not. It was complicated, but so were most of his feelings regarding the person that stood in front of him.
"K-Kacchan…"
After all, he had not interacted once with one Bakugo Katsuki ever since they had both graduated from Aldera.
But a tear-jerking reunion this was not, and the only thing that bubbled inside him was enough anxiety to give an older person a heart-attack.
Hell, even just spewing the old nickname he had always used for his former best friend had him biting his lip in regret while cursing himself in his mind.
He had promised himself that he would stop calling him that, one of the many promises he had made to himself after graduation, and yet the first time he sees the guy in weeks he just stutters it out?
He ended up looking down in pure reflex, already expecting the usual yelling and cursing that came with being around someone like his childhood friend.
He could only wonder what he wanted, but for Kacchan to have gone out of his way to find him…that never meant anything good.
And yet, it never came.
No yelling or cursing. No threats or comments on how much of a useless Deku he was. Not even the sound of explosions from his palms.
It was nothing but silence that followed their reunion, one that had him gulping his own saliva in nervousness, wondering if Kacchan had just left or something like that.
In the end though, his own curiosity beat whatever fear he had and, albeit slowly, he was still able to raise his head slightly in order to peer at the worryingly silent blonde.
A decision that he immediately regretted.
And if he had to blame it on something, it was his eyes.
Because for as long as he had met him, Bakugo Katsuki always had this shine in his gaze. Whether it was from childhood wonder from where they were younger, or overwhelming confidence as they grew up, that spark on his red eyes had been a constant for as long as he had known him.
It was one of the things that made Kacchan, well, Kacchan.
But now.
"You…!"
It was completely different.
Now it was like a volcano about to erupt, as if the sun itself was about to vaporize him for just being there
And just as Kacchan gave a step forward, while not even knowing if his body had moved by itself or not, he himself gave a step back.
For those crimson orbs were like a whirlpool of emotions right now, all so strong and overwhelming that it made him tremble right there and there, especially since he easily recognized one of them.
It was sheer, unfiltered rage.
And him being the sole receiver of such a storm of emotions was enough to make his throat go as dry as a desert, his own green eyes widening in sheer bewilderment.
And for every step forward, another step back was the response.
He didn't know how he was even moving though, with how frozen his body felt at being targeted with such hate-filled gaze.
To think there would be a day in which he would be praying to be in the receiving end of one of Kacchan's usual cocky leers…
If someone had told him such he would have thought of it as a bad joke.
But right now, he would have taken that over whatever this was any time of the day.
"You really are…" Even his voice was thick with emotion in a way he had never heard in his life.
It didn't make sense, it just didn't, and as much as he hated to admit, he was scared.
It was as if his body was telling him on a primal level that this whole situation was dangerous, with such feeling growing stronger by the second.
Just as Kacchan's eyes seemed to grow wilder with each step.
But in the end, something had to give in.
His fight or flight instinct could only stay at bay for so long.
And so, he ran.
He wasn't proud of it, not by any meaning of the word, but even as he heard his former best-friend calling him out, his body still refused to stop.
He ran as if his life depended on it, because in some form he truly believed it did.
He knew first hand just how Kacchan's explosions felt, and the last thing he wanted was to be on the receiving end of them coming from this Kacchan
His body only stopped once he had reached his home, his breath labored, his forehead resting on the door of the apartment, his eyes tightly shut to stop the tears that threatened to slip through.
Why was he such a coward?
Why did he have to run off like that? Running like a scared cat in the face of his old bully? Really?
Why was he so weak?
"No wonder I didn't make it…" his whispered with a tone of defeat, his gaze slowly trailing towards the stars resting on the shoulders of his uniform.
For even though they had both made it into their dream hero academy and wore similar uniforms, the difference was as clear as night and day.
After all, unlike Bakugo Katsuki, he hadn't made it into U.A's Hero Course.
He didn't see Kacchan the next day.
He didn't know why, but a part of him was honestly expecting him to just…show up again out of nowhere, with the same…expression he had yesterday.
So apprehensive he had been that he had frozen as he was leaving his home, but even if the chance was there he knew he couldn't use it as an excuse to miss a day of class.
Besides, any extra minute he spent inside his home was another minute he was subjected to his mother's not-so-subtle constant look of pity she liked to throw at him, whether she knew it or not.
He loved her, he truly did.
But it was too much sometimes.
At least he didn't have to worry about that in class since his fellow General Education students were all too busy to go throwing pity at anyone.
Not that he hadn't received his fair share of looks when he had announced that he was Quirkless during the always dreaded 'Please introduce yourself to the class' moment during their first day, but by now they had mostly subdued, and he was mostly just left by himself.
Well, himself and his muttering, that is.
He could only sigh quietly while packing his things, wondering if everyone in Class C-1 thought of him as that 'Quirkless mumbling guy' from the back of the class. It wasn't like he wanted to be an outcast or anything of course, but…
Making friends had never been his strong suit.
'And then you decided to run away from your only friend. Good one Deku' Yesterday's stunt still burned bright in his memories, with the image of Kacchan's burning eyes being enough to make him tremble slightly
'Then again…' He thought just as he left the classroom, deciding to use the time between classes as a quick bathroom break. 'With my luck I might run into him here…'
Such idea filled him more dread than he was comfortable admitting, and even though he knew the Hero Course department wasn't even close, he still quickened his pace just a bit.
U.A was supposed to be a new start after all, Hero Course or not, and with how much impact Kacchan's appearance yesterday had left on him, just the idea of actually running into him here was enough to make him release a shaky breath.
He knew how such meeting would go, and the last thing he wanted was for the whole school to know just how much of a useless Deku he truly was.
Suddenly, being the 'Quirkless mumbling guy' didn't sound so bad…
At the very least the bathroom was already on arm's reach so he wouldn't have to worry about Kacchan-
"Deku-kun!"
He froze
He would like to say that he didn't. God knows he would, but the moment that word ringed through the hallway, his whole body froze almost on instinct.
Why?
Because that wasn't Katsuki's voice.
A hitch got caught on his throat just as he slowly turned around, his shocked green eyes meeting a pair of brown eyes belonging to a girl that, in any other situation, would had have him a blushing mess just for being a, well, girl.
But right now his mind could barely even process that much, and instead his shocked gaze landed squarely on her uniform, or more specifically, the stars on its shoulders.
She was from the Hero Course.
He didn't know this girl, and yet what he had heard kept making echoes in his head.
She called him Deku.
His mind was quick to connect the obvious dots.
"S-Sorry…" He whispered, his tone lost, right before pretty much bolting inside the bathroom, his breathing coming in such shallow bursts that it made him feel as if he had just run a marathon.
"N-no, wait!"
He didn't wait at all, and before he knew it he was already inside one of the stalls inside the bathroom, sitting on the toilet while holding his head in his hands.
Was this how it all started? Was he suddenly going to be called Useless by people he didn't even know?
Was this what Kacchan was doing behind his back, telling his classmates about the fool that tried to enter the Hero Course without a Quirk just to then fail horribly? Or was this the punishment from ditching him yesterday, him sending his friends to mock him between classes?
Not even a month... Was U.A just going to become another Aldera to him?
"Excuse me?" A sudden knock into the door of his stall was the only thing that brought him out if his thoughts, his body almost jumping at the no-nonsense voice that came with the sound. "Midoriya-kun, are you there?"
Another unfamiliar person that knew him? It certainly didn't sound like anyone from his class, or any teacher he could remember, and if he had to take a bet then, it probably meant he was another one from the Hero Course…
"Midoriya-kun?" The voice repeated once more, alarming him a bit.
Would the person leave if he didn't make a sound?
He doubted it.
"Y-yes." He answered before he was called out again, his mouth then hanging open, not knowing what else to say.
"I see." The voice continued in his place, fortunately. "I would like to apologize for my classmate's actions if that's all right with you, Midoriya-kun?
Classmate? Did he mean the girl from before? He could only assume so.
It was a new experience to be honest, hearing about someone actually wanting to apologize.
Even so however, he was still a bit reluctant to just come out, but knowing he couldn't just stay in the bathroom forever, he ended up taking a deep breath before opening the door.
The sight that greeted him was that of a dark-haired teen with glasses, easily a head taller than him, sporting quite the serious expression.
For some reason, the word 'strict' immediately came to mind.
However, once their eyes met, those sharp features were suddenly gone, instead replaced with a softer and surprised look that had him wondering about the sudden change.
He could even swear that he saw those eyes shine a bit, but he marked it off as being a trick from the glasses he was wearing.
He could only rub his left arm anxiously, not knowing what to make of the taller teen, who seemed more that content with just standing there, watching him with a look that he couldn't describe with words.
But even so, he had an overwhelming presence that was hard to ignore. It didn't help that he could feel those sharp eyes pretty much studying him, making him feel more vulnerable than what he would like to admit.
Suddenly the image of Kacchan from yesterday flashed in his mind, forcing him to break eye contact with the other boy and looking down.
"I apologize." It seemed his reaction made him snap out of whatever trance he had been caught on, something that was followed by him actually bowing. "I came here to apologize for Uraraka-san's actions and yet here I am, making you feel uncomfortable."
"I-It's f-fine!" No it wasn't, but he would say anything to stop the guy from bowing to him of all people.
"I must insist however." Those words came out with nothing but conviction. "Uraraka-san truly meant nothing bad when she called you like that, she was just…overwhelmed." That last part came out as a whisper so low that he could only wonder if he was even event meant to hear it in the first place.
"I-It's fine…" He himself repeated once more in response, although if the words were meant for the other teen or himself, he couldn't say for sure at the moment.
He just knew that he wanted this whole situation to be over, and for that he had learned a long time ago that just agreeing helped speed things up a lot, even if what the guy was saying didn't make sense at all.
After all, what else could someone possibly meant when they called you Deku?
"…I see." Something told him that he wasn't believing him based on that response.
Then, the sudden sound of the school bell filled the awkward silence that had covered them, and for once he actually found himself grateful of such loud noise.
"I'm sorry for taking your time like this." It seemed like the only thing the other guy knew how to do was to apologize to him.
"It's fine…" Not like he was any better in that regard right now, acting almost like a broken machine that could only repeat the same sentence over and over again.
"Midoriya-." Whatever the taller teen was going to say to him ended up being drowned by the sudden sound of the school bell. As cliché as it sounded, the term 'saved by the bell' definitely came to his mind at that moment.
"…Sorry for taking your time like this." It seemed the glass-wearing teen was only now realizing just how much time from their break had gone by, and as much as he didn't like it, he wasn't able to hold the relieved breath that escaped him once he noticed how said teen was now walking towards the exit of the bathroom.
"Midoriya-kun…" However, it seemed that the Hero Course student still had something to say if the way he turned just as he was leaving was anything to go by.
He saw him struggle with whatever words he wanted to let out, and he could only wonder what could have someone like him seemingly lost for words.
"Please don't forget about what I said. Uraraka-san never intended to offend you in anyway, that I swear." Those words were followed by a resolute nod right before the Hero Course student, whose name he never even learned in the first place, finally took his leave, leaving him by himself, wondering why a girl he didn't even know would care about his opinion in the first place.
It was only after a bit that he finally left too, with more than a bit trepidation in both his eyes and steps, almost as if fearing that everyone he passed would start calling him Deku out of nowhere.
Suffice to say, he ended up getting late to his next class.
Wednesday afternoon, just like any other day he had classes, involved eating lunch at U.A's Lunch Rush Cafeteria, which, as the name implied, meant getting food made by the Cook Hero himself: Lunch Rush.
That fact alone made him almost gush every time he took a bite out of his meal, and that was ignoring just how good it always tasted.
But even so, it still didn't make him feel any less nervous whenever he had to go to the cafeteria. It was more than a little overwhelming to say the least, considering how the place hosted students from every course and year at U.A, so for someone that was used to eat by himself it could be more than a bit daunting.
At the very least though, he wasn't eating alone. Sure, he wasn't really participating that much in the conversations around them, but at least it was nice for most of his classmates to have decided to just sit at the same tables together.
However, even though usually lunch was quite the unassuming event, right now he could do nothing but to pick around his food with his fork, a frown resting on his face just as the weird occurrences from the days prior repeated themselves once more in his head.
The fact Kacchan and who could he only assume were his classmates were probably in this very same room wasn't helping with the knots that had been slowly forming in his stomach all day long.
Yesterday hadn't been much better, but now his paranoia was making him feel the slightest pricking at the back of his neck, almost as if someone was actually watching him from afar.
Or at least, he definitely hoped it was just his paranoia.
"Hey, Midoriya."
Sadly, for him, it wasn't.
"T-Takemi-kun?" Now paying attention to the short, black-haired boy sitting on the opposite side of the table, who also just so happened to be his class' President, he could only wonder what made said teen suddenly talk to him.
To his surprise though, the only answer he got was seeing Takemi's eyes shift from his person to something behind him.
It was only then that he also realized just how…quiet the people at the table had become. The fact that they were either looking at him or whatever was apparently behind him wasn't helping his nervousness either.
Knowing that he couldn't just sit there and do nothing, especially with some of the looks he was receiving, he ended up gulping in trepidation before slowly turning his head around.
And once he did, he was met with a pair of cold mismatched eyes.
"Is this seat taken?"
It was another student from the Hero Course, one with hair evenly split in halves of red and white, alongside a…burn mark on the left side of his face.
His eyes widened in surprise, immediately wondering what could have left such a mark on the teen, right before he mentally berated himself for such thought.
It didn't shake his surprise at the sudden appearance of the newcomer though, but if said teen felt any source of discomfort for now being the center of attention of the entire table and those close to it, he definitely didn't show it.
No, he was too busy looking straight down at him with such a piercing look that he felt as if his very own soul was being put under scrutiny right there and there.
"N-no!" He managed to voice out a response after a few seconds of what could only be described as awkward silence, earning a slow nod before the dual-color haired teen, who followed it by sitting on the empty spot to his left.
The fact that he then just started eating without caring how everyone else at the table and even those on the tables close to this one were focusing on him made him feel just a tad bit jealous to be honest.
Having more than a fair share of questions but not knowing how to approach the situation, he tried his best to continue with his meal, although the whispering among his classmates weren't helping in the slightest.
At the very least though, they were very informative, since it didn't take long until the identity of the newcomer reached his ears by way of the more gossiper members of his class.
Todoroki Shoto, son of the Number Two ranked Hero Endeavor and one of the few students that were accepted into U.A's Hero Course by recommendation rather than by doing the entrance exam.
Suffice to say, such information only really brought him more questions than answers.
On the dark side of his thoughts however, he couldn't help but to wonder if this was somehow related to what had happened yesterday.
He would like to believe Hero Course students had more important things to do than to pick on someone from the General Studies course, but if they were all friends with Kacchan…
He shook his head slightly at that thought however, after all they were all aiming to be Heroes, to help those in need and stop the villains from bringing harm to others.
Surely, the least he could do what offer the benefit of the doubt, right?
Deciding that anything was probably better than the tension he felt, he raised his head slightly, moving his gaze from his plate to the teen on his left, his lips parting as he was about to voice out his question.
"…"
Only for his voice to die on his throat, for as soon as he turned his gaze, he was greeted by one of the most intense looks he had ever been subjected too, courtesy of Todoroki Shoto giving him a sideway glance right at that moment.
He forced his gaze back down to his plate, a small shiver going through his body as a result of knowing that such gaze was still being aimed at him like that.
The fact that even after minutes had passed he could still feel Todoroki Shoto making a hole in his head with just his eyes was not helping his growing lack of an appetite.
Had he done something wrong? Had he offended him in some way without him realizing it? Was that why he had come to this table? He couldn't understand how someone he didn't even know existed until five minutes ago could be giving him such a look!
Should he pretend nothing was wrong? That was kind of hard given everything, and since he could hear the whispers of his classmates dying down he certainly wasn't the only one feeling the tense atmosphere that had suddenly enveloped the table.
"No katsudon today?"
Then, the suddenness of Shoto's aloof voice was enough to make him jump slightly, his mind wondering how someone that sounded so calm could be sporting such intense gaze.
Then the actual question hit his head, his eyes blinking owlishly down at the steak that was supposed to be his meal.
'How did he…?'
Katsudon was his favorite meal.
But he had done his best, at a request from his mother, to tone it down when he was at school, so he wouldn't say he had ordered it more than any other meals.
But even if he had, how would Todoroki Shoto of all people, someone that he had never met until today, even know that?
Had he been…watching him?
Even though it made no sense, what else was he supposed to believe?!
At the end though, he could only offer a shake of his head in response, which seemed to be enough.
Not that it stopped Todoroki Shoto from keeping his intense gaze on him for the entirety of lunch time.
Suffice to say, it had been the most nerve-wracking meal he had in his life.
"Y-you wanted to see me, s-sensei?" Being told to stay behind by a teacher had always been a dreadful experience for him, although he wanted to think it was the same for most students out there, so while he couldn't remember doing anything worth being called out, he still felt more than a bit nervous.
Specially by the scrutiny in his homeroom teacher's eyes.
"You can relax, Midoriya." The teacher, Shido-sensei, spoke in a business-like tone, still giving him that sharp look that had him squirming a bit even after being reassured like that. "You did nothing wrong, I'm just doing a favor for a colleague."
"A f-favor?" His trepidation was replaced by honest confusion, making him frown just as he received a nod from the teacher.
"You ever had any interactions with people from the Hero Course, Midoriya?"
That sentence alone almost made his eyes twitch, for just thinking about how his week had gone by now was enough to send a shiver down his spine.
"J-just a few…" He muttered in response, deciding that rambling about his increasingly weird week to his homeroom teacher wouldn't help much.
"I see…" And with a hum, the older man nodded slightly. "I have a teacher from the Hero Course asking a lot about you. He even asked me to set up a meeting between you and him for whenever you had the time."
The shock he felt at hearing such words was massive, with his eyes opening wide and an obvious look of disbelief crossing his face. Of all things his homeroom teacher could have said, that was definitely the last one he expected.
"Maybe they're looking to move a student there early? You do have the best grades of the class." His teacher's tone was both serious and in disbelief, while he himself felt his heart skip a beat just as the mere idea of moving to the Hero Course. "Let me tell you, the last thing I expected was for All Might of all people to go asking about a kid from my class!"
And just like that, whatever elation he had felt was gone, instead replaced by the feeling of someone pouring a bucket of cold water on him, and even though his teacher was still talking, it all sounded like white noise to his brain right now, his mind working on overdrive to figure out what this all meant.
All Might?
All Might?
Why…Why was All Might asking specifically for him?
He remembered how at one point just knowing that All Might of all people wanted to talk to him would have been enough to give him a heart-attack out of sheer excitement, but now? It honestly filled him with dread.
After all, his first and last meeting with the Number One ranked Hero had ended up being…less than pleasant.
Not that he blamed the man though, after all he had asked him to be honest, and his idol had certainly been honest, so even if just the memory of it was extremely painful, he couldn't find it in him to blame his idol.
The only one he could blame was himself, for even thinking that someone Quirkless could be a Hero…
But then it brought the question, what did All Might want with him?
Did All Might remember their meeting almost a year ago?
"Midoriya?"
Maybe that was why he wanted to meet him? To check on that Quirkless kid he had met a while ago? Maybe he wanted to make sure he wasn't spilling the secret about his…condition to anyone?
Not that he would ever betray such trust in the first place.
There were other possibilities though.
"Hey, Midoriya."
Maybe the Number One Hero wanted to admonish him for still trying into U.A's Hero Course even after what he had told him? He must have known he had failed the practical portion of the exam, so maybe he just wanted to reprimand him about it?
He had ignored the advice of All Might of all people. He knew more than a few people out there that would call him crazy for doing that.
It didn't help that he only ended proving everyone right by failing at the end.
"Midoriya!"
"S-sensei?!" The sudden shout from the usually calm man was enough to snap him of whatever stupor he had found himself trapped in.
"Just tell me next time you have free time in your schedule." The teacher replied with a sigh. "I rather not make All Might wait too much."
"O-of course." His reserved response definitely got a raised eyebrow from the teacher, who probably didn't understand how someone could have such reaction when faced with the idea of meeting All Might.
Not that he blamed the man. He was sure his own younger self would have called blasphemy if he knew how he would react to meeting All Might years down the line.
"You can go then, Midoriya. Just don't forget about today."
He doubted he could even if he tried.
Something that was proven right when the idea of meeting All Might was the only thing bouncing in his head.
And yet, every time he imagined how it would go, he found himself unable to look at his idol in the eye.
Friday had been…normal.
At least, normal compared to how the rest of the week had played out.
No surprise meeting, no sudden calls in the hallway, no incident during lunch break, nothing.
His teacher didn't even bring up the All Might stuff, apparently willing to wait for him a bit more on that regard.
The only standout thing was his classmates now thinking he somehow knew Endeavor's son personally, but ignoring that little headache of an assumption…
It had been just… a normal day of class.
Outside of that growing feeling that someone was watching that permeated his very person for most of the day of course, but he had decided to label that one as just his paranoia being at an all-time high.
At least, he certainly hoped it was just that.
Sadly, though, the sense of normalcy hadn't lasted the entire day.
"What is this…a phone?"
After all, it wasn't every day you found an unknown, very expensive-looking cellphone inside your schoolbag.
Of course, whatever plan he had of doing his homework in the comfort of his room had died the moment he found the device resting between his notebooks. A device that he most certainly didn't put there.
And yet there it was, now resting in his hands as he held it with the utmost care and trepidation, a million questions racing through his head that that moment.
He even looked around his room, as if the walls would give him some sort of answer.
Suffice to say, he got none from them.
From the phone though…
"Agh!"
The sudden noise it released startled him, almost enough to drop the thing. Fortunately, he didn't though, and instead found his gaze glued to the now lit screen of the device.
Someone was calling it.
Was he supposed to answer it? Leave it like that? He didn't even know how it got here!
He should have probably checked the phone itself for any hints of its owner or its origins instead of panicking.
His uncertainty ended up deciding for him funnily enough, for in the time it took to decide what to do, the phone stopped ringing, and instead started showing the 'missed call' notification.
He wasn't really proud about the sigh of relief that left his lips after that.
Not that the relief lasted long though, given that not even a minute later the phone ringed again, earning him another troubled look in response.
Maybe he really should just pick up the call? It was probably the only way he would be getting answers any time soon.
The fact that the call was from an unknown number though, was not helping the situation at all.
Still though, he answered the call with a swipe of his finger and then brought it to his ear, figuring out it was simply the best thing to do.
"H-Hello?"
If only he had known.
First time writting a Hero Academia fic. Let's see how it goes.
Next Chapter: Sensei?
