Silence.
"Please."
Inko's shoulders slumps forward.
"Ok." She whispers. "Ok."
—
The visit over at the Bakugous' goes as well as expected.
"GET IN HERE, I'LL FUCKING DESTROY YOU!"
Mitsuki Bakugou circles her son's neck with her arm, and he immediately falls silent, despite his
enraged expression.
Izuku steps forward, not lowering his head. It's not all bad being blind sometimes, he thinks, knowing
he'd never be able to maintain eye contact with the woman that for a time had been like a second mom to
him, otherwise.
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"Bakugou-san, Kacchan." He says, voice measured. "I'm sorry. What I did today was wrong, and it will
not happen again." He bowed, formal. "I apologize."
"YOU LITTLE—"
"That is enough, Katsuki." Mitsuki says, not letting her son go. Her voice does not betray any emotion.
"Izuku, get up."
He does.
"I don't know what Katsuki did to make you snap like that, but I know this is not a one sided issue.
Katsuki owes you an apology as well."
"I'M NOT APOLOGIZING, WOMAN!"
She sighs, shaking her head. "What did I do wrong with you?" She wonders aloud, and Kacchan grumbles a
bit.
"I'm really mortified—" Inko interjects, but Mitsuki holds her hand up.
"You are both young, and will feel like doing brash things at times." Mitsuki says, clearly addressing
Izuku. "But you are also both smart, and I trust this will be the end of it and you will act civilly
toward each other from now on. Am I clear?"
"Yes, m'am." Izuku replies.
"Katsuki." She pushes as the silence stretches.
"Alright, FINE." Kacchan finally says. "I'll leave this little shit alone from now on."
Mitsuki groans. "Honey, your next words should've been 'I'm sorry'."
Izuku chuckles, surprising even himself. He knows they all turned to stare.
"It's ok." He says, his voice a little sad. "I think this will be as good as it gets."
The image of his old friend, smiling at him, blurred and distorted, comes up to mind. But Kacchan is
not four anymore. Izuku, for the first time in years, wonders how he looks like, now.
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Izuku also wonders if this is how grief feels like.
—
Mom blessedly leaves him be for the rest of the day, bringing some onigiri upstairs and putting the
plate on his desk, not forcing him to come down to the kitchen.
He munches on them distractedly, listening to the last episode of All Mightiest Podcast. But, to be
honest, he's only catching a word out of five.
There's so much to mull over. He made peace with Miki, he apologized to Kacchan, but he still has to
talk with mom.
The thought weights on him like a rock.
There's so much, in this tangled mess that are his thoughts and feelings. So much even he cannot put
his finger on. So much confusion. How do you untangle a ball of yarn if you can't even find where it
starts?
He's startled out of his thoughts by the booming voice of All Might in his ear.
" _It's when you are at your lowest that you'll have to smile even brighter! If you do that, if you
never give up, light will be sure to come!_ "
" _Inspiring words as usual from our favourite hero—_ " the excited voice of his favourite podcaster
came back. " _I swear I could listen to him talk for years. I don't know how he does that!_ " Sincere
laughs follow that exclamation.
Izuku pauses the podcast, and slowly takes the earbud out. He walks to his closet, kneeling down to
take a dusty box out. He fishes an All Might figurine out of it, tracing the features with his fingers.
All Might is smiling. All Might is always smiling.
"I will not let you down, this time." He whispers.
—
"Izuku. Wake up, we have to go somewhere."
Izuku mumbles, palming at his nightstand with a hand until he finds his clock. He pushes the button,
and the cheerful robotic voice announces that it's five in the morning.
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" _Moooooom_ —"
She chuckles, gently swatting at him.
"C'mon, sleepyhead."
Izuku drags himself to the bathroom, washes himself, and starts to put on his school uniform until he
remembers.
Right. He's suspended.
He puts on jeans and a shirt instead, shuffles his way downstair, mom pushing a backpack in his arms as
soon as he emerges on the kitchen doors.
"Here, take this, you can eat something on the way."
Izuku is too sleepy to asks where the hell are they going at that time in the morning, so he just
dutifully climbs in the car, and off they go.
—
They drive goes for what feels like hours, and Izuku he's sure he fell asleep at some point, but mom
did not wake him up.
"Whatimeissit...?" He mumbles, rubbing the sleep off of his eyes when he jostled awake by an uneven road.
"Seven in the morning." Mom answers, promptly. "We are almost there."
"Seven?" He blinks, perplexed. "Where...?"
"It's a surprise." Mom says, a smile in her voice.
They fall silent after that, but it's a comfortable silence, nothing like the tense one that they've
experienced just a day prior in that same car.
Finally, the car slowly brakes to a stop, and Izuku unbuckles himself, jumping off. As soon as he's out
he smells it, the salt in the air, and he hears it, the gentle sound of waves. A kind wind laps at his
hair, tickling his nose.
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"C'mon!" Mom says, cheery, taking his wrist and guiding him. Izuku feels the softness of the sand under
his shoes as soon as they set foot in it.
"Here, give me an hand, I'm putting down a table cloth."
He silently obliges, then let himself being guided to sit down.
"...What are we doing?" He asks, after six waves.
"Having a picnic, obviously." Mom replies, rummaging in her bag and putting down paper plates and
tupperwares of food.
"I can... See that." Izuku hesitates on the word.
He hears mom stopping her movement at his side, and then she sighs.
"You loved going to this beach when you were little, remember?"
Izuku does. It was all before his eyes betrayed him, of course. He remembers the color of the sea like
a far, unfocused watercolor piece, and he thinks he remembers how a seagull looks like.
Maybe.
"You're not a kid anymore, of course." Mom continues, thoughtful. "You're not _that_ kid anymore, but
you're still my son."
Silence stretches between them, mom resumes her preparing the picnic, slower.
"I only wish for you to be healthy and happy." Her voice is lower. "But there's only so much I can do,
only so much I can control. And you have to walk forward, and live your life. But Izuku... I want you to
know I will always be there for you, no matter what. Whenever you will need me, I will be there. You
can tell me everything, and I will listen. I am... I'm proud of you, Izuku. I'm proud of how brave and
smart you are. I'm proud of how you took your life in your own hand and charged forward and I think... I
think I should've told you this more."
His eyes sting, as does his nose. "Mom—"
"No, listen. The person you were yesterday— I thought about it all night. For a while, I couldn't
accept that the person I saw yesterday was my son, but that was stupid of me. Who you were yesterday,
and who you were when you tried to attack Miki-chan... That was still you."
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Izuku gulps down the knot in his throat.
"But I know, _I know_ you are not proud of that person, and I know you want to change, and I know that
you will be able to, because there's _nothing_ you can't do, Izuku. And I owe you an apology, for not
recognizing your suffering, and for turning away, for not wanting to see how much you needed me in your
darkest time."
Fat tears roll down Izuku's cheeks, a sob shaking his entire frame, as he shakes his head. "No, m-mom,
you've always been the best mom I-I could ask for—" He hiccups. "Don't s-say that—"
Inko smiles, sadly. "Could you forgive me, Izuku?"
Izuku is not four anymore, but as she holds him, his son, sobbing his heart out against her shoulder,
Inko wish they could go back to the simplicity and lightheartedness of those days.
Then again, maybe not even those days have ever been so simple.
—
The sand is soft and chilly under his naked feet. It's still a bit too early, maybe, but Izuku ignores
the thought and jumps into the shallow water lapping at the shore, making a big splash.
"It's cooooold!" He yells, jumping out, as mom laughs loudly from the table cloth on the sand.
He grins. Her laugh is the best sound in the world.
He runs up and down the shore, the wet sand making a squishing sound under his feet, chasing the sounds
of the seagulls that indignantly squeaks and take flight if he gets too close.
"Sweetheart, don't make them too angry or they'll poop on you!"
"If they do, I'll lead them to you!" He yells back, laughing.
He ends up tiring himself out after a while and stops, facing the sea that gently rumbles wave after
wave. The sand is cold under his feet, and the gentle breeze encompasses him in a hug. He's not quite
sure how far he is, but after a bit he feels the presence of mom, walking up to him, silent.
He must look a disaster, he thinks. He hasn't even tried to tame his hair, that morning, and he still
feels his nose sting after having cried so much.
But he really doesn't care. He feels so, so light, like if he stretches his arms out he will soar like
the seagulls.
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Mom is a comforting presence near him. She always was, she always will be.
He's so, so lucky.
"Mom." He says, head turned up at the sky. "How do the seagulls look like?"
Izuku will never see the pain that flashes in his mother's eyes, and maybe that's for the best.
Inko's voice is strong, not a sign of regret in it. She takes his hand, and tells him of the seagulls.
—
The rest of his days of suspension go by in a blur. They went out a lot, did things they never did
before. They went to the library, picking up random books, mom reading to him in a whisper. They went
to the mall, Izuku trying to guess how many people were wearing red shirts nearby, mom either booing or
cheering him depending on how close he had been. They went to a cat cafe, Izuku laughing as he ended up
covered by warm, soft, purry cats.
Instead of a punishment, the days felt more like a vacation.
"Wipe that satisfied, smug smile away from your face, mister." Mom reprimands him. It's almost as if
she'd read his mind. "While I'm glad we had time to speak and reconnect, do not forget you _did_ get
suspended, alright?"
"Yes, mom." He replies, chastised. But he knows she's also smiling.
—
He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't a bit afraid of getting back to school, that's why when he
steps outside and he hears mom softly gasping "Miki-chan?" he's absolutely delighted.
"Good Morning, Midoriya-san!" Miki says, cheerful. "Hey, Mr. celebrity, ready to get back to school?"
Mr celebrity? "Y-yeah, I guess... Well, I'm off, mom, have a good day!"
"You... Too, sweetheart." She says, and the relief in her voice is so clear she might as well be
screaming from the rooftops " _MY SON HAS A FRIEND AGAIN!"_
Izuku chuckles at the thought, catching up to Miki, who is humming an off-key tune. Once they are far
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enough, he turns towards her.
"Mr. celebrity?" he vocalises, confused.
He can hear the grin in Miki's voice. "Oh, you have _no_ idea."
—
Apparently, the entire, literally, school know about the fact he broke Kacchan's nose.
It's not surprising, in retrospect. Kacchan is pretty much a celebrity in their boringly normal middle
school, literally everyone knows who he is and who he will one day become, so the fact that he got his
ass handed to him by _blind, quirkless_ Midoriya Izuku spread like wildfire.
"Oh God." He whispers, after Miki caught him up with the gossip. "He's so _not_ gonna be happy with
this."
"Oh, he's not." She says, in a forcefully uninterested tone. "But it's not like there's much he can do.
Both of you are in the spotlight now, everyone knows what a piece of shit he is, and if he dares turn a
single hair on your head, everyone will turn against him. He's cornered and there's nothing he can do
about it, and it's _delightful_."
Something dark squirms in his chest, something akin to vengeful pride, and a little voice whispers in
his ear that _he deserved it, really, Kacchan deserved it all._
But he made a promise. He promised he would not let All Might down again. He would strive to do better,
always.
"Miki." He says, and the serious tone stopped her in her tracks, her attention completely on him. "I... I
understand why you feel that way about Kacchan, and I'm grateful for you wanting to look out for me
but..."
He hesitates, unsure about how to put into words his feelings.
"... But what I did doesn't make me any better than him. And I made a promise." He continues, honest. "I
promised I would do better. So, please, don't say those things anymore. Because I think you are a good,
kind person, Miki, and I have no doubt you can do better, too."
She's staring at him, he can feel it.
"...Ok." She says after a while, and her voice sounds strangled, like she's almost in tears. "I... Let's do
better. Together?"
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Izuku _beams_.
"Together."
—
"Midoriya, that was like, so _cool_ —"
He's not sure who the voice belongs to, but he hears Kacchan's strangled indignant noise behind him.
But no explosion comes.
"I... Appreciate the sentiment." He replies, even. "But I don't think I did a good thing, so please,
don't take example from it."
The silence that follows tells him of exchanged looks between peers with working eyes, but he finds
himself not being bothered by it. He walks to his desk, not adding anything anymore.
The silence behind him— He's not sure what to make of it.
—
"What game do you think you are playing?"
Izuku has just come out of the bathroom when the voice cornered him.
"I... Don't understand?" He replies, sincere. Kacchan's breath is hot on his face, dangerously close.
"What? You sucker punch me like a coward and now play the part of the little blind angel that can do no
wrong. Do you find this funny?"
"I apologized." Izuku replies, frozen in place. "And I meant it. I'm sorry I hit you, Kacchan. I don't
want to play any game—"
" _Don't_ —" Kacchan interrupts him. "Stop calling me that. You're _so_ annoying."
Izuku has nothing to reply with, so he doesn't.
"Ok, here's the deal." Kacchan continues. "I will keep living as if you don't exist, and go to UA once
I'm out of this shithole, and I will leave you behind in the dust, where you belong to. And if you even
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think_ of _breathing_ in my general direction again, I will _end_ you, are we clear?"
I just want to be friends with you again!_ Izuku yells in his mind, but instead he says "Crystal."
Kacchan showes him against the wall, as if punctuating what he just said, before walking away.
Izuku takes a deep breath and tries not to cry. It's like, one step forward, three thousand steps back,
with Kacchan.
" _Do better._ " All Might says in his mind.
Do better, he repeats to himself. Do better. Do _better_.
—
As life is, he finds himself having to break the unspoken promise of not breathing in Kacchan's
direction when his childhood friend gets kidnapped by a pile of sludge and apparently no one but the
blind boy_ seems up to the task of going helping him, but that's a story that's yet far in the future.
—
Ichiko-san makes a thoughtful hum after his proposition.
He started to study under her again, and one day he stopped after a particularly brutal series of push-
ups, an idea forming in his mind.
"Ichiko-san?" He said, as the woman was just about to ask why he stopped. "I was thinking... Could we
possibly add a form of meditation to my training?"
"Meditation?" She repeated.
Izuku got back up on his feet, dabbing the sweat from his forehead away with his wrist. "Yes I... Find
myself troubled, sometimes. Like I'm a rubber band stretched too far, about to snap." He explains,
thoughtful.
Like when I attacked Miki. And Bakugou_. The words hang in the air, unspoken.
"So I thought... Maybe something to help me stay focused could be useful."
And Ichiko-san hummed.
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"That's a good idea, actually." She says after a while. "I'm afraid it is out of my area of expertise,
though."
Izuku deflates a bit. "Ah."
"Don't make that face, kiddo." She says, ruffling his hair. "I'll look into it and see what I can do. I
have a lot of friends, I'm sure some of them will push us in the right direction."
—
Turns out, meditation is exactly what Izuku had unknowingly needed to discover a whole new world that
was just out of his reach.
It started so slowly. Ichiko-san consulted with a friend, spoke to them about Izuku's situation, and
together they studied something for him.
Ichiko-san met him at the gym, and put something in his hands. "Try put these on."
Curious, Izuku palmed at the object. They felt like headphones, big and bulky, the type that completely
covered his ears. Izuku didn't like those models at all, as they made it too hard for him to hear the
outside world.
"C'mon." Ichiko-san nudged him, and Izuku unwillingly complied.
As soon as the headphones slipped over his ears the entire world stopped existing. He could only hear
the insistent thumping of his heart in his temples, his breath whooshing down towards his lungs. He
scrambled to get them off, not even realising he fell on his ass until the object fell down with a
thud.
"Wha—"
"Noise-cancelling headphones." Ichiko-san said. "The _really_ good kind."
Izuku blinked, slowly noticing his own short breathing.
"I know you're scared." Ichiko-san continued. "That's why I asked Miki to don't attend with us, today.
I'm sure you wouldn't have liked to have her see you like this."
Izuku gulped, slowly rising back up to his feet. His knees felt like jelly.
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"I know you rely only on sound to orientate yourself." She put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I... I
can't imagine how it must feel, for you. But I honestly think these will help you find yourself."
Izuku turned his head up, wondering how Ichiko-san looked like in that moment.
"Go deep, and find yourself, Izuku." She whispered, and those words were enough for Izuku to know this
woman deeply, unwavering believed in him.
Slowly, he nodded.
—
It was so, so hard, at first, and so slow.
The headphones scared him. They left him open, and vulnerable. Someone could sneak up to him and plant
a knife in his back and he'd be none the wiser until the blade would've sunk deeply into his body.
Sometimes the silence, the absolute lack of _anything_ , made him feel so little, and so lost, and he'd
have to scramble to get the headphones off, tears stinging in his eyes.
Ichiko-san wouldn't comment, guiding him through a series of breathing exercises instead.
Izuku managed to put the headphones on without completely panic a little longer every time. And then he
started to take them home. And then he started to put them on on the subway while going to and from
school. The first time he tried that he almost puked on a poor, unsuspecting woman that kindly asked
him if he felt sick. It was so utterly terrifying to be isolated in that way, while surrounded from
perfect strangers.
But he pushed on.
Do better_.
—
The first time it happened, Izuku was so confused.
"Mom, I think something is wrong." He said over breakfast.
He explained to her of the lights. He started to feel lights. Faint, like dying stars barely visible in
a city-polluted night sky.
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But they were there, nonetheless, tickling at his brain.
Izuku had a taste of a period of his life he'd long forgotten, as he got driven back and forth from
doctor to doctor trying to understand what was wrong with him.
But nothing came up, just as nothing came up when he lost his sight at the age of four. His eyes were
still not working. Unseeing. They even scanned his brain, in fear of something bad growing in there,
but he came out of it perfectly clear.
They were left only with a whole lot of nothing, in the end.
"But these lights..." Mom asked. "Do you think they are, I don't know, lamp lights? Something like that?"
Izuku shook his head. He was not getting his sight back. This was something else.
It was hard to explain.
"I don't know." He replied in the end. "I don't know how to explain this. When I'll find the right
words, I will tell you."
"Ok, honey." Mom whispered, a gentle hand covering his.
—
It didn't take it long for him to finally click the pieces into place, once he was finally given a rest
from all this doctor-visiting.
It was the headphones.
—
Of course it was not the headphones, per se, but something shifted in him from the moment he'd started
using them to meditate.
Something that maybe had always been there, and he just hadn't know until the chance was given to him.
He could not rely on hearing anymore, when he wore them. So something had to change, something was
forced to change, and grow stronger.
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Izuku had a theory, and he was going to test it as much as possible.
—
Inko smiled as she watched her son almost vibrate with excitement. She told her he had a surprise to
show all of them when they'd next meet at Ichiko-san's gym on a sunday, and once they arrived the same
kind of smile opened on Ichiko and Miki's faces when they witnessed Izuku's plain happiness.
"Ok." Izuku took in a deep breath. "Ok. Ok, so there's something I want to try, so hear me out."
They were sitting with their back against the wall, the four of them. Izuku fished his noise-cancelling
headphones from his shoulder sack, and walked into the center of the room.
"I'm going to put these on." He explained. "The three of you— I need you to walk around me, choose a
random spot in the gym, and stand there. I'll give you fifteen seconds, ok?"
They exchanged puzzled looks, but they complied once Izuku slipped the headphones on, and started to
count.
At the end of the fifteen seconds, Inko expected to see him take off the headphones, but that didn't
happen. Instead, Izuku slowly turned around himself, then he walked toward Miki, which was the closest
to him.
He put the point of his fingers on her shoulders. "Miki." He said.
Inko jumped, her eyes going wide.
Izuku made his careful way toward Ichiko-san, put his fingers on her arm. "Ichiko-san."
He was smiling.
Then he turned, and walked towards her, not a step out of place, making a beeline for her. The walk
seemed endless.
His hand was hot on her cheek.
"Mom." He said, softly. "I can _see_ you."
—
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Chaos ensued.
Izuku slipped off the headphones and Inko started bawling, hugging him so tight Izuku made a noise not
unlike a squeaky toy. Ichiko-san was speechless, her mouth open in a perfect _O_ , as did Miki's,
before she yelled and started jumping up and down, laughing.
"Izuku that was _sick_!" She exclaimed. "How did you do that?!"
"Mom- I can't breathe— Mom— _Mom_." Izuku was palming at her forearm, and she finally let him go. He
took a big, gulping breath, before smiling timidly. "I... I take in the experiment was successful." He
added, a little blush rising to his freckled cheeks.
"Successful?! That was super insane, dude, _how!_ " Miki yelled, jumping on him, too excited to stand
still.
Inko dabbed the tears out of her eyes, adding with a trembling voice. "I... I think we will all love to
hear how."
Izuku beamed.
—
He told them of the lights. Of his experiments. He told them how he'd made his way to school and back
for an entire week, ditching his cane, wearing the headphones.
Inko thought she might have an heart attack right there and then.
He told them of the lights.
"It's... It's hard to explain." He said gesturing wildly. "It's like. Everything has a light.
Everything_. And if I concentrate I can feel it. And- And every person has a light, too, and every
each one is different. Miki, do you remember when I sneaked up to you, the other day, and you thought
your classmates helped me prank you? It wasn't like that! I just focused and I could feel your light,
your very own light, in the middle of the cafeteria, and I knew it was you, even if we were surrounded
by hundreds of other students."
"You little _shit_." Miki replied, but there was no venom in her voice. Only happiness, deep and truly.
"I wanted to make sure, today—" Izuku scratched at the back of his head. "I mean, I'm not that good at
it yet. I still need a lot of concentration, It took me so long to pinpoint you in the cafeteria
without the headphones but— But I think that's it. This is _it_."
"It... What, sweetheart?" Inko asked, breathless.
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"This is my _quirk_."
—
Inko wondered what kind of cruel God would take her son's ability to see away, just to give him back a
different kind.
But seeing Izuku's unadulterated joy at his discovery, seeing him trying and failing to explain what he
could now see ( _it's like, feeling colors that I don't remember existing, mom, I wish I could show you
—_ ) with a huge smile on his face, she couldn't find it in herself to be mad.
Izuku wasn't quirkless anymore. And, in his own, personal way, he wasn't blind anymore.
What could a mother possibly ask for?
—
Ichiko-san took the news in great stride and with gusto.
"We are gonna take these lights, and we are gonna make them so strong people will envy your ability to
see." She said. "By God, Izuku, I will make you the hero with the best eyesight in the world if it's
the last thing I do."
"YEAH!" Izuku yelled, pumping his fist into the air.
—
Miki sometimes felt like Izuku was walking too fast for her. Hell, he wasn't walking, he was sprinting
in full force. He was so far, already, somewhere were she couldn't reach anymore, and sometimes the
thought made her sad.
But, most of the time, she was just happy.
"You know, I don't think the call of the hero it's for me." She said to him, once. "But I like your
idea. Being useful and helping others— I like that. I think I could do something like that."
"Whatever you will decide to do, you will be great at it." Izuku replied, dead serious. "You already
saved me, after all."
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—
Days went by so fast, it's as if they flied. Izuku thrown himself body and mind in his training, he and
Ichiko-san studied together so many ways to refine his newfound ability. Izuku spent a considerable
amount of time strategising, testing and stretching the limits of his quirk, throwing all kind of ideas
at the wall and see what stuck.
He still had limits. He still couldn't read a street sign, or a text without the voice-over. he still
couldn't order from a menu without having someone read it to him. He still couldn't see the new All
Might merchandise he's sure he'd love.
But he could feel so, so much more.
He could feel Miki from three blocks away, her light faint in the distance and yet unmistakable. He
could feel Kacchan's nervous, jittering energy, and avoid him accordingly (what can you do). He could
find his way through a crowd, easily, he could put a name into his mind to every little road and shop
around his school by the way the lights of those walking the streets reflected on them.
He could feel if someone was angry, or sad, or happy, or— all sorts of feelings, really. He could
easily sidestep those that still thought it was funny to try bump into him on purpose.
He could recognize a friendly cat and pet it, and stay away from an angry dog defending its territory.
He could feel the water, full of life even if it was only puddles left after the rain, and jump over
it.
There was so much to feel, and Izuku filled his eyes with it until he felt his brain could _explode_.
—
As life likes to do, more surprises awaits him.
He ends up meeting his number one hero in an underpass as he makes his way back home, happily humming
to himself. He perceives something amiss in his radar —as he started to call his quirk—, a light behind
him that seemed to suddenly come from below, and he dodges just in time the attack of something smelly
and sounding quite unpleasant.
"Damn, kid." The thing says. "You're fast."
"Maybe you're just slow?" He asks instead, and the thing growls, trying to attack again.
Izuku dodges attack after attack, thinking. He has his backpack, but not much of use in there, except
for his folded cane. He doesn't really use it anymore and he just brings it with him out of habit, so
it might as well make for a decent weapon—
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" _Do not worry, for I am here!_ "
The booming, familiar voice freezes him in place, and he takes a muddy smack to the face.
"Ew. Gross." He mutters to himself, shaking the offending semi-liquid away.
When he focuses back after the hit, there's no way he could possibly mistake who is in front of him
even had he not recognized the voice.
All Might's light is _all_ - _encompassing_.
—
"Are you ok, boy?"
"Y-yes." He stammers. God, his favorite person in the whole world —besides mom. And Miki. And Ichiko-
san— is right in front of him, he thinks he's allowed a bit of over-emotion.
"Good! Please, step back while I take care of this villain."
"Yes, sir!" _Like he's going to argue with All Might!_
He's not quite sure what is going on as All Might struggles with the villain, so Izuku forces himself
to focus. He could use this opportunity, trying to concentrate and see in his own way, trying to
distinguish between the movements.
All Might is almost easy to feel. His sheer power is elegant, his punches perfect. Old memories of a
time when he still could see that amazing smile and the blond hair comes back to him, and he's four
years old all over again.
The other, not so easy. Izuku imagines he must be some sort of shape-shifter, seeing the unpredictable
way his light moves. He's hard to make out, at first, but Izuku focuses and focuses until he can
finally really _feel_.
The mud. Of course. The guy's body must be made completely out of mud.
Something rolls and gently stops right at Izuku's feet. He palms down, realizing All Might must've
dropped whatever he was carrying in order to help him.
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When Izuku feels the neck of a bottle under his fingers, an idea forms in his mind.
"Please, do not waste my time." All Might says. He's not taunting, his voice is open and honest. "We
both know there's no way you could win this fight, so I think it's better if you come with me
willingly."
" _Fuck you_!" The villain yells, and All Might sighs.
"All Might, sir! Catch!" Izuku yells, and throws.
He trusts in his aim. He has practiced his aim until his arms felt like they were about to fall off,
and his stomach tried to rebel to him. Over and over and over.
All Might catches.
"Imprison him!" Izuku yells.
He cannot be sure, but it feels like All Might is smiling at him, now. "Good thinking, boy."
Oh god, the praise, Izuku is _dying_.
—
The fight doesn't last long after that, and the villain ends up humiliatingly imprisoned in a soda
bottle.
Toshinori slips it in his pant pocket, as the young boy collected his few groceries and is now handling
them to him with a smile that could light up a room.
"My thanks." He says, smiling back. "What is your name, boy?"
"I'm Izuku! Izuku Midoriya, sir!" The boy replies, excited, looking up at him. And Toshinori looks into
the unmoving washed out green, into milky white pupils visible behind the mess curly hair, and
realizes.
The boy is _blind_.
The boy that he distinctly saw dodge a series of fairly quick attacks, light on his feet and clearly
used to some kind of training, the boy that had thrown him the bottle at the perfect height and perfect
speed, the boy that has easily collected his spilled groceries and orderly put them back into the
little plastic bag—
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The boy. _Is blind_.
Notes for the Chapter*
I'm sorry I haven't answered to any of your comments, I kind of got blown away by how well y'all
welcomed this fic.
Also still writing (currently over 90k, WHAT IS MY LIFE.)
Also made you a sketch of Izuku and Miki enjoy
3. One step forward, another step forward.
The boy is still looking at him — _he can't, actually, don't be stupid, he's probably just doing so to
be polite_ —, as if waiting for something. Toshinori coughs, forcing himself out of his stupor.
"You did good, young Midoriya." He says, and he means it. "You seem... Rather apt at this."
The young Midoriya let out a little chuckle, his cheeks reddening. "I work out." He says. An
understatement in Toshinori's eyes. "Sir, um— I'm sure you get this a lot but you're, like, my favorite
hero."
"I do." Toshinori admits, softly. "And every time it's pleasing to hear just as the first."
The boy chuckles again, almost vibrating with excitement.
"And— And I know you also probably get this a lot as well." He continues. "But... You're a great
inspiration to me, and every time I'm down and think I can't go on, I can hear your voice cheering me
on and then I can get back up, a-and you've inspired me to do better, every day. So, thank you."
Toshinori blinks, and the silence stretches for a second too long.
"I'm sorry—" The boy stammers, pale green eyes finally breaking contact. "That was maybe a little— I—"
"No, I—" Toshinori says, softly. "I don't get that as much as you think. It was very moving. Thank you,
young Midoriya, I'm honoured you think of me that way."
Oh god, the young Midoriya looks like he's about to pass out from excitement. That is never not
adorable, but somehow seems even more so coming from this boy.
A sting of pain lets itself know. He should leave. His time is almost up, and he should definitely
leave. But he cannot help it, Toshinori has to know one last thing before bidding farewell to his young
fan.
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"There's something I wish to ask you, young Midoriya, hoping I'm not prying."
"Anything, sir!"
"Are you..." He cannot really think of a way to put it tactfully, so he opts for honesty. "Are you
blind?"
Midoriya jumps a bit, his eyes going wide. The sole of his shoes scratches at the asphalt in an almost
childish gesture.
"I... I am, sir."
Oh. Oh, Toshinori is _so_ screwed.
—
The boy seriously looked like he was about to faint when Toshinori asked him if he'd so kind as of
walking him to the nearest police station.
"I'm not experienced with the neighborhood, it would be extremely helpful if you could accompany me."
There really is no need, he could've just asked for a general direction and that would've been enough,
but Toshinori wants to know more about this brilliant young man that destiny has put in front of him,
and this seems like the perfect occasion.
"OF COURSE!" Midoriya yells, before putting his hands over his mouth. "I'm sorry. Of c-course,
although I should call my mom first, if that is ok with you, sir?"
Toshinori nods, before remembering the boy is blind and mentally smacking himself. "Of course, I
wouldn't want your mother to worry."
"It'll only be a m-minute!" Midoriya stammers, fishing his phone out of his pocket and murmuring "Call
mom." Into it.
"Hi, mom— No, I'm fine. I will be a bit late, I'll explain later— No, no—"
Toshinori is wracked by a coughing fit. Goddammit. His time just goes by _so fast_.
He looks at the boy, his back turned toward Toshinori, concentrated on his call.
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Well. He can't really _see_ him, right?
Toshinori let himself shift.
—
Izuku closes the call with one last hasty " _love you mom bye!_ " before turning toward All Might,
heart beating in his throat.
His favourite hero has complimented him, and thanked him, and now wants him to walk with him
ohmygodIzukuisgoingto _die_ -
Something is different when he turns.
All Might it's still there, of course. His light it's still the same but— Less blinding.
Like it's about to go out.
"All done, young Midoriya?" All Might asks, and then coughs. "Please do not mind my voice, I caught a
bit of a sore throat that's been plaguing me, lately. "
Izuku feels it. He's lying.
All Might is _lying_.
But... About what?
—
When the boy turned, he froze almost as if he could actually see Toshinori.
But... That wasn't the case. The way the boy's eyes looked— It was obvious, really.
What was that made him go silent and wide-eyed, then? Maybe it was just the prospect to walk with him,
but...
"All done, young Midoriya?" He asked, and coughed. Shit, his voice. "Please do not mind my voice, I
caught a bit of a sore throat that's been plaguing me, lately. "
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Young Midoriya blinked, and relaxed.
"Of course." He replied, strangely serious. "I... Ok, this way, sir."
—
They walked.
All Might seemed oddly interested in him. And as much as that made his heart swell and his chest feel
light, Izuku was unsure. Was he always this expansive with all his fans? Izuku couldn't imagine it— The
man was the most beloved hero in the world, there was no way he'd have the time to get so interested in
every each one of his fans.
He wondered what made All Might so curious about him.
Ok, get that ego and squash it, now, Midoriya. If you allow this to go to your head, you're soon gonna
become Kacchan 2.0._
"Sir, can I ask you something a bit rude?" He says, in a moment of silence.
All Might chuckles. "Well, I did ask a rather personal question to you, earlier. I guess it's only
fair."
"Why, um—" Izuku hesitates, unsure about how to put this without offending his idol. "I'm sure you're a
very kind person, but I cannot imagine you spending so much time getting to know all your fans. That's
like, physically impossible. So... Why me?"
And perceptive too_ , Toshinori thought.
The boy has turned toward him, his eyebrows a little creased. An hand was going up and down his sleeve,
in a probably unconscious nervous gesture.
"That is indeed true." Toshinori weighs his words. "As much as I would love the be able to spend time
with all my fans, that is simply not feasible. Today, you've happened to cross my path, and you've done
something I simply could not think was possible for a boy in your... Situation."
Toshinori hadn't thought much of the boy's ability he'd witnessed, at first. It was pleasing, sure, to
see a young man such as Midoriya simply not relying on his quirk and actually being physically trained,
but not so rare.
That was until he realized that Midoriya was blind.
"I'm... Not sure I'm following." Midoriya replies, perplexed.
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"Young Midoriya, I saw you going toe to toe with a villain, you got hit only when I accidentally
distracted you. Which I should apologize for, actually."
The boy scratches the back of his head, embarrassed. "I-it was nothing, really—"
"And—" Toshinori continues. "Under pressure, you thought of a solution with what you had available on
your hands, and precisely thrown the bottle at me so I could catch it without having to get both my
hands off the villain. I mean no offense when I say this, but I think you understand me when I say this
is quite the feat for any boy your age, let alone someone that _cannot see_."
Midoriya was so red that the greenish hue of his hair made him look like a little, adorable tomato.
"I— No offense taken, sir." He mutters, looking positively like someone that took the exact contrary of
offense from his sentence.
"You understand my interest, now?" Midoriya nods, wordlessly. "Tell me, could it possibly be that
you're aiming to become a hero?"
Midoriya basically jumps in his skin, turning his head towards him, eyes as big as plates. "I—It has
been my dream since I was a kid." He whispers, as if he's afraid the words might break once out of his
mouth.
Toshinori nods, satisfied. "I'm glad." He says, then. "I'm sure you have a brilliant path in front of
you. I hope to be able to see you grow into a fine hero, one day."
—
This is it. Izuku has died and is now in heaven. There's no way this is _real_.
There's so much he wants to say— But the words stop in his throat and gets all garbled and messy and
Izuku knows that if he tries to talk now all that would come out would be something akin to that weird
key mashing Miki replies to him with whenever he sends her some funny text.
So he shuts his mouth, and nods.
They walk in companionable silence for a bit. All Might feels lost in his thoughts, and as curious as
Izuku is to know what he's thinking about he's really not about to pry, not when he's not even able to
string a single, coherent sentence together.
Izuku perceives a light suddenly coming from his right, and tenses. Whoever it is, stumbles into All
Might with a oof before running away as if he hadn't just crashed into _the symbol of peace_.
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"Hey!" Izuku exclaims, outraged.
"Walk less slowly next time, assholes!" The guy replied, clearly already far.
Izuku can't believe his ears.
"Man, some _people_ —" He mutters "I don't know what that guy's deal was, but if he didn't notice who
he just crashed into he must be more blind than _me_."
All Might let out a little choked sound and then starts laughing, heartily.
Izuku feels himself blushing, satisfied. That laugh is different from the one All Might usually uses,
it feels more— Personal.
Izuku always heard the phrase "Don't meet your heroes", and while he can understand the meaning of it,
he cannot find himself agreeing with it at the moment.
All Might is just as wonderful as Izuku has always imagined him to be.
—
They reach the police station a little too early for Izuku's tastes.
"Oh, thank you so much, young Midoriya." All Might says, putting an hand on his shoulder. "You've been
of utmost help, today."
Izuku cannot help it. As selfish as it is, he doesn't want to separate from his idol yet. With what he
know must only be described as a pout, he wordlessly nods.
Silence stretches as All Might probably stares at him.
"Could you please wait for me outside?" All Might says, his words almost calculating. "I'll make sure
the villain is properly cared for, and then walk you home. For safety, you see."
Izuku's heart jumps in his throat, and then he beams. "Of course. For safety!"
He can just _feel_ the smile All Might gives him before entering the police station, and as he does so,
Izuku watches his light go bright and golden and blinding again. Huh. Weird.
—
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After explaining the situation to the starstruck police officer, Toshinori slips the bottle out of his...
Pocket...
The bottle is not there.
He frantically thinks. The guy in a hurry accidentally crashing into him— That's when it must've fallen
out.
He had been too smitten with Midoriya's surprising sense of humor to notice.
Stupid stupid stupid _stupid_ —
" _You're such a fucking idiot._ " A voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Gran Torino
reprimands him.
Toshinori really cannot argue with that.
—
Izuku sits outside on a pot, the bush leaves tickling is neck, as he swings his legs back and forth.
He knows it's kind of a childish, but he can't help it, he's just too excited to sit still—
He jumps when he hears yelling in the distance. He focuses, just in time to perceive a familiar light
rapidly sliding toward the center of the city— No, wait.
Two familiar lights.
Oh. _Oh no_.
—
Toshinori crashes into the boy just as he steps out the police station, sending him tumbling on the
side-walk.
"Young Midoriya! Are you—" Before he can even finish the sentence, the boy is back on his feet,
frantic, grabbing at his shirt.
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"All Might— That mud guy— Kacchan— He took him! He took Kacchan!"
Toshinori doesn't know what the boy is talking about. He puts his hands on Midoriya's shoulder.
"My boy, I'm afraid I will not be able to walk you home, today." Toshinori says, regretfully. "You are
not responsible for my mistakes, but nonetheless, I need to remedy to them. Where did the villain go?"
Izuku points in the direction of the city centre, wordlessly. His hands let All Might's shirt go as he
flexes down—
"All Might, wait—"
— And he's off.
Izuku watches the blinding light soar away, a sting of sadness in his chest.
And Kacchan...
Kacchan_.
Well... All Might technically didn't tell Izuku not to follow, right?
—
Toshinori unwillingly shifts back just as he's about to hit the floor.
Shitshitshit _shit_ —
Luckily for him, he manages to stick a semi-decent landing. His body does not agree with his score of
semi-decent_ and lets itself know, shaking him with coughs as blood drips from his chin.
He made such a mess. God, he's the _worst_ -
A giant foot comes in his field of vision. There's a large crowd, but they are all turned away from
him, thankfully.
"Please, everyone, stand back!" A female voice booming over the chaos. Little columns of smoke are
starting to raise into the sky. "Make sure you and everyone around you is out of danger! Let us take
care of this!"
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Mount lady, that's her name, Toshinori is sure. A rather new entry into the hero world.
The are others, he can see them, and he let out a little sigh of relief.
God, he _is_ the worst. Makes a mess of things, disappoints a young, eager fan, and then is relieved
when others are behind him, cleaning up his shit. What would sensei think of him?
He wobbles to the other side of the road, trying to see over the crowd. At least his considerable
height comes in handy, for once.
It is the mud-guy, indeed. Strangely enough, there are explosions coming out of him. That was what
must've lit all the fires, but Toshinori is perplexed— Why did the villain not use those explosions
against him in the first place?
His heart almost skips a beat when he realizes— There's a boy trapped in the mud, cannot be older than
young Midoriya—
His heart definitely skips a beat when he sees Midoriya pop out the front of the crowd, charging
against the villain.
—
Kacchan's light is so _distressed_.
Izuku didn't really had the time to be afraid, during his encounter with the mud villain. He focused
into how to fight back, at first, and then All Might arrived, and how could Izuku possibly be afraid
after that?
But— Of course he should've been. Of course Kacchan is afraid. For all his brashness and big words,
Kacchan it's still just a boy, like him.
And— Where's All Might? He should pop up in the crowd, with his golden light, but Izuku can't feel it,
despite the advantage All Might had over him—
Izuku scans the crowd. It's hard to focus, when everyone's lights are so frantic, and there are other
heroes too, he can hear them trying to find a breach into the villain's defenses—
Finally he finds it. All Might's light is... Is weak again.
What is going on?_
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Kacchan screams something unintelligible over the general noise, and his light it's so, _so scared_ —
And suddenly, nothing really matters anymore. No matter how much Kacchan has hurt him, of many tears
Izuku spilled because of his old friend.
Kacchan was scared.
Izuku charges before he has the time to even realize his feet are moving.
—
It all happens in a matter of seconds—
He thinks he hears All Might scream "Midoriya, no!", but it's hard to tell over the cacophony, more
probably it's a trick of his imagination—_
Izuku feels the warmth of living fire in the reflection of Kacchan's light.
He grabs at it without slowing his dash— It's a piece of something— Maybe wood, burning lively at the
tip, the warmth it's almost unbearable—
It's perfect.
He thinks he hears Kacchan go "Izuku...?" but it's hard to tell over the cacophony. That is surely a
trick of his imagination, Kacchan hasn't called him with his given name in years—_
The mud guy is more still, now. Trying to contain the uncontainable force that is Katsuki Bakugou, less
shifty and liquid-y. Izuku focus, focus until it's just the two of them in his dark world, until he
feels like he's not even looking at mud-guy's light, but directly into his soul, _down to his most
vulnerable parts_ — And jumps.
The burning stick sinks directly into mud-guy's eye.
—
The pro-heroes take him and Kacchan away as soon as Mud-guy releases Kacchan, screaming in pain.
"What do you think you were doing—" "That was dangerous—" "Are you _crazy_ —?!"
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There are voice reprimanding him, but Izuku pays them no mind. He's too busy trying to open back the
scope of his radar, like a camera lens un-focusing away from a single object. His heart roars in his
veins and his breathing is short and ragged—
Kacchan's light at his side is still, unnaturally so. As if he's concentrating his entire being on
something—
Him_.
Izuku gulps, all the noises washing over him, as if he just snapped out of a dream.
He doesn't have time to think about Kacchan's sudden focus on him, though. All Might's light is back,
right in front of him. He must've jumped into the fight not long after Izuku and Kacchan had been
dragged away. But something is different, a different feeling to it like... Like shame.
Izuku is far too accustomed to that particular feel.
All Might is _ashamed._
Why?_
—
"What was _that_?"
Things have quieted down. Police forces and firefighters and ambulances have arrived. Izuku and Kacchan
got dragged over to a couple of paramedics that checked them and ordered them not to move. Kacchan was
unharmed, for the most part, and Izuku was definitely unharmed except for a small scrape on his palm
that he got when he fell down after sinking the burning stick into the mud-guy's eye.
After the paramedics were satisfied with their condition and left them with a bottle of water each
sitting inside one of the ambulances, Kacchan asked that question.
Izuku wasn't even sure what he was referring to. So many things have happened that pinpointing exactly
what Kacchan meant with _that_ seemed an impossible task.
Then again, knowing Kacchan, he probably meant the whole thing from the very first moment Izuku has
emerged from the crowd.
Izuku is turned toward Kacchan, not sure if he's actually looking at him. There's so much he could say—
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"You looked like you needed help." Are the words that find their way out of Izuku's throat, weakly.
"You..." Kacchan hesitates. "You can't see, dipshit."but his words lack the usual bite.
Izuku smiles sadly. "No." He says. "I guess not."
—
Despite Kacchan's -loud, vehement- protests, they are not allowed to leave until their parents come
pick them up. Kacchan's mother is the first to arrive, crushing Kacchan in what Izuku can only imagine
is a bear-hug, going by his muffled protests.
"Izuku—" She's breathless after finally putting Kacchan down. "I— They told me something of what has
happened on the phone, did you really—"
Before she could finish the sentence, mom arrives.
"IZUKU!" Now it's his turn to get crushed into a bear hug. "Izuku, Oh my god, I was so scared, don't
you ever scare me like that _again_ —"
"Mom, mom I'm fine—" He tries to say. "I really am, look, I'm fine. I'm _fine_."
Mom let out a watery sigh, her hands on his cheek, caressing him frantically. He let her hug him again
without a protest. She deserves as much after the scare he must've given her.
The her light turns from worried to absolutely _enraged_.
Uh-oh—_
"Young man." She says, steel in her voice, hands like bricks on Izuku's shoulder. "I got told on the
phone you charged against a villain. You did not charge against villain, _right_?"
"Um—"
Izuku was _screwed_.
—
Toshinori made his way over the ambulance where the two boys were sitting.
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He had no juice left him, wobbling in his skeletal — _his normal_ — form over there. He did not like
the idea of approaching them in his current body, but he trusted young Midoriya would recognize him, at
least.
It was clear that the boy had much more to him that his plain-looking exterior let on.
It was also clear that the boy had no self-preservation whatsoever, and as hypocritical as it was of
Toshinori, he was not gonna let this slide. The boy better cram in that curly head of his that getting
himself killed before reaching the adult age was _not_ the way to become a hero.
Two women where standing in front of the ambulance, bot of them with their arms around their respective
sons.
It was pretty clear at first sight who they were.
Then the woman that could only be Midoriya's mother going by the glaring similarity between them put
her hands on Midoriya's shoulder. Her gaze would have scared Toshinori had it been pointed at him. He
once knew someone that would point that kind of gaze at him.
"Young man. I got told on the phone you charged against a villain. You did not charge against villain,
right_?"
Toshinori sighs. The boy deserved a scolding, but not getting the blame that he was overdue on his
shoulders would be unfair and cruel toward young Midoriya.
"Ma'am, a word, if you please." He says, the woman turning toward him like an eagle.
She _really_ reminds him of a certain someone.
Midoriya blinks and then his shoulders relax. "Al—" But he immediately shut his mouth, just as
Toshinori was about to internally lose his shit at the prospect of the boy letting _those_ two words
out.
Young Midoriya looks at him —he had the distinct feeling he was literally _looking at him_ as
impossible as that was—, frowned, and then said nothing else, a knowing look on his face.
The jig was up. And Midoriya Izuku was such a puzzling mystery in his mind, now.
—
Izuku bit down his tongue to stop himself from blurting out All Might's name. His light was dim again,
and he felt the panic in it as soon as Izuku has opened his mouth.
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All Might... He must've looked something different than usual. It was the only conclusion he could
possibly come to. The guy that bumped them in the streets, the non-reaction from his mom— She was as
much of an All Might fan as Izuku was, there's was no way she wouldn't have freaked out at seeing him
approach them, no matter how angry at Izuku she was.
Yes. It all made sense. Izuku had no idea _how_ or _why_ , but that was the only sensible, logical
conclusion
So he shut his mouth, hoping his face was conveying his silent understanding to All Might.
All Might's secret would be safe with him. He'd go to the grave not telling anyone, if necessary.
—
"Do... We know each other?" Inko asked, perplexed.
Before the sickly looking, tall blond man could answer, a police officer approached them, looking for
Katsuki.
"we need to ask him some questions. Of course as his mother, you can come with us." The officer says,
addressing Mitsuki. "It'll only take a few minutes."
"Of course." She says, and Katsuki, bless his little grumpy soul, does not protest this time, dutifully
following the officer despite the deep frown on his face. "I'll... See you later, Inko." She says,
sounding just as stress and tired as Inko does.
They watch the couple leave, the three of them, before Inko turns back towards the blond man.
"I am... Responsible for young Midoriya's actions." He says, continuing as if there had been no
interruptions. He seems to look slightly relieved, despite the bomb he just dropped on her.
" _Excuse me?!_ "
"No, mom, don't get mad—" Izuku says, frantically. "Al— I mean, um— Sir?" He adds, sounding more
confused than anything.
"I understand your anger, and I will not shy away from it." The blond man continues. His voice is
vaguely scratchy, and the stain on his shirt looks definitely like blood.
He sounds like someone that walked to hell. And then a bit further. And then came back, before walking
into hell again.
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"But, if you let me, I would like to explain the matter in a... More private setting." He coughs.
Inko squints menacingly, both hands firm on her son.
"Mom."
Izuku voice is low, and serious, and she turns towards him. His face is turned up to her, his unseeing
eyes trying to convey a feeling that doesn't quite manage to get through.
"If you trust me." Izuku says. "Then _trust him._ * _Please* _._ "
—
It's late, very late, later than Izuku is usually allowed to stay up. He should go to school tomorrow.
Inko knows he's not going to school tomorrow.
She sighs, watching her son trying to dig a hole in their living room as he mutters to himself God only
knows what. She has only caught some words there and then, something about a different form, she really
can't make much out of it.
Izuku is a constant source of surprises. Just as she thinks she has figured him out, _at least a bit_
there he goes with some new crazy antics.
What did she do wrong, and yet so, _so_ _right_ to get a son like him?
A knock on the door, Izuku jumps, all jittery, nervous energy.
"Stay there." She says, trying to muster some resemblance of anger in her voice. "Sit down. You're
walking a fine line here, mister."
Izuku instantly obeys, sitting down on his favorite armchair straight as a plank.
When she opens the door, the sickly blond man is there, with a clean set of clothes, still looking like
death warmed over.
"Sorry for the lateness—" He says. He sounds breathless. "I tried to get things done as fast as
possible, but there was a lot of talking with the police forces, and I had to get out of those clothes—
You know—" He nervously scratches at his head.
"Yes, I _know_." Inko squints. There had been _blood_ on his _shirt_ that afternoon. "Now, I do not
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know who you are, and I do not care why my son seems to think you are deserving of trust, I'm giving
you a chance on his behalf, but you better have a _really_ good explanation of all this, before _I_
call the police on _you_."
Izuku gasps in a way that would suggest she just walked up to a deity and spit in their face.
"MOM!" He screams. "RUDE!"
Surprisingly enough, the blond man chuckles.
"Young Midoriya, your mother has a fiery spirit. I can see from who you took after." He says. His tone
is... Fond? "You are very lucky."
"I am but like, _rude_!" Izuku sounds frantic, his face flushed. "Sir, I'm really sorry—"
"You do not decide who I should be sorry for." Inko interrupts, pointing at her son. "And you." She
says, turning back toward the man. "Get your ass on my couch and _start talking_."
Izuku groans, hiding his face in his hands.
—
The blond man sits on her couch, his long legs looks cramped in the space between it and the coffee
table that for her and Izuku is usually more than enough.
He holds his hand out.
"My name is Toshinori Yagi." He says. "But you might know me as All Might."
Inko almost faints.
—
Once she's done hyperventilating, with the blond man - * _All Might* \- fussing over her with a
guilty expression, she turns slowly over her son.
"Do not _look_ at me like that!" Izuku protests. "I tried to tell you to stop being rude!"
All Might-Toshinori- _Whatever_ doesn't seems to react to Izuku's words with other than a blink of very
slight amusement.
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"Do not be so hard on your mother, young Midoriya." He says. "I deserve a bit of rudeness, seeing how
irresponsible I have been today."
"That's not true—" Izuku pouts, childlike.
Inko wants to apologize, every single part of her being it's screaming at her to apologize to this man
that both her and her son have idolised for as long as Izuku has been able to pronounce words.
She doesn't.
"I..." She catches her breath some more. "I don't think there's any need to say that I truly admire you
and respect the work you've done in all these years, but I hope you will understand that I still want a
solid explanation as of why _you_ , of all people, have put my son in danger today."
Strangely enough, Izuku does not protest at her words in the slightest, this time.
All Might nods, a deep frown casted on his emaciated features. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Miss
Midoriya." His voice is both gentle and full of regrets. "I'm afraid this might turn to be a long
story, sorry for keeping you both up for this long."
—
"I hope you will both forgive me for the fact I cannot give you the full story. What I can say to you
is that my powers are not infinite— Following an incident around five years ago, I've found myself
being able to rely on them less and less, that is why I now look like the way I do, at least for you,
Miss Midoriya. Although I think young Midoriya here has already figured it out, somehow."
"I suspected something of the sort." Izuku says in a quiet voice.
"Hopefully you will be able to tell me how, later?"
Izuku nods.
"Thank you." All Might resumes. "I trust in you both that you will not let this information outside
this living room. It is imperative that my current status stays hidden as long as it's possible."
He continues, explaining to Inko how he just so happened to see Izuku deal with the mud villain after
having followed him through the sewers, how impressed he had been with Izuku's agility and his quick
thinking ( _Izuku hid his red face into a pillow at that point, making both of them smile silently_ ),
how he asked Izuku to walk him in order to find out more about this young, talented boy, how he let
himself get distracted and make a stupid mistake.
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"Oh!" Izuku exclaims at that point. "It must've been when that guy run into you, isn't it?"
"That's also what I figured." All Might nods. "I should've secured the bottle better. Anyway, my
mistake costed us a whole lot of grief today, and I'm partially, if not completely, responsible for
your actions that followed."
Izuku squirms, uncomfortable "You can't blame yourself for that—"
"But I do." All Might interrupts him, and for the first time during that night, his voice turns into
steel, serious. "Young Midoriya, you are smart, and talented, undoubtedly. But what you've done today
was stupid, irresponsible, and not something like I thought a boy as brilliant as you would act."
Izuku has the decency to look properly ashamed, at least, Inko thinks to herself with a little sigh.
"I sure hope our little chat didn't go to your head, otherwise I'd be possibly even more disappointed
in you." All Might adds, and his words might've been a whip, seeing at how hard Izuku flinched.
"No!" He says, almost getting out of his seat, before composing himself back again "No- That's not it.
I swear. I knew you'd be angry if I followed, but I did it anyway. That is my responsibility, and mine
alone."
Izuku's voice turned into a whisper during the sentence, and All Might's voice softened once more.
"why did you do it, then?"
"Kacchan—" Izuku's voice itches in his throat. "The villain took Kacchan. How could I turn my back and
walk home, just like that? I knew Kacchan would be scared, that he would need help. I couldn't— I
couldn't leave just like that. Not when I knew that someone, out there, needed help."
—
Toshinori closes his eyes, a deep sigh passing through him after hearing those words.
He shouldn't. There were so, so many reasons why he shouldn't.
I couldn't leave just like that. Not when I knew that someone, out there, needed help._
But in his heart, his stupid, damaged, still beating heart, he knows that the decision is already half
made.
—
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"I see." All Might says thoughtfully after long seconds of silence filled only by the ticking of the
clock arms going by.
"I'm sorry." Izuku says, fists tight in his lap. "I know I did a stupid thing, and I know I'm super
grounded, mom." He flashes her a weak smile. "But I just... I just could not try to help. Please, try to
understand."
Inko sighed again, demurely dabbing at her wet eyes, but her voice does not waver. "You are in trouble
for sure." She says, before reaching out and putting an hand on her son's. "And I understand that your
heart is too big for your own good, Izuku. Sometimes, I wish you'd be a little more selfish."
Izuku squirms a bit, muttering something unintelligible, as All Might chuckles again.
"My sensei once told me something like that, a long time ago." He says, fondly. "You remind me of her
very much, Miss Midoriya."
"Oh, my—" Inko stutters, her hands flying to her rapidly reddening cheeks. "That is a bit much, sir—"
All Might laughs again. It's a nice laugh.
"I believe that destiny has put me in a good place today, despite everything that has happened." He
says, long, thin fingers crossing in his lap. "You are both good people, and if I had to reveal my
secret to someone, I'm very glad it happened to be the two of you."
The way mother and son blushed was very similar, Toshinori noted. They both started from the ears.
"Miss Midoriya, I have very many questions about your son, but I must start with this one" Toshinori
says, after leaving them both a few instants to calm down. "Would you allow me to see after his
studies?"
Inko really faints, this time.
Notes for the Chapter*
I'm currently at a point in this story in which ALL THE SHIT IS HAPPENING and posting this chapter
that is so much tamer in comparison gave me a whiplash lmao
4. New you.
"Oh, that was embarrassing—" She says, once she's finally back on her feet. "I'm so sorry— I'll go make
us all some hot tea, you two can— Um, talk. I'll be right back."
She hurries out, and Izuku sinks back into his armchair.
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"Oh my god." He says. " _Oh my god_. You can't just drop things like that! Hadn't mom fainted, I think
I'd have died of an heart attack myself!"
The words are out before his brain really catches up about who he's talking to, and Izuku slaps both
hands on his mouth. But All Might's light feels amused, even possibly fond.
"I think we will both be less nervous if we start addressing each other a bit less formally, young
Midoriya." He says.
"Does that mean you'll call me Izuku? Because I'd die. I'd literally die." Izuku says, his traitorous
mouth moving on its own again.
He should just stop talking. His brain-to-mouth filter is clearly fried.
"Let's avoid premature deaths." All Might says, a laugh in his voice. "So, young Midoriya, why don't
you tell me about yourself?"
—
"I tend to over-talk a bit, so I'll try my best to give you the abridged version—"Midoriya started,
vaguely flustered.
So he spoke. Of how he'd always admired heroes and has dreamt of becoming one ever since he'd been able
to walk, how he waited and waited for a quirk that he thought never came.
How he'd lost his sight at only four, and lived his life in the dark ever since.
"In retrospect, that obviously was my quirk manifesting." Izuku said, pulling at his lower lip
thoughtfully. "I just didn't know yet. I didn't find out until, like, a month and a half ago."
Toshinori blinked, perplexed. "Please enlighten me?"
And he did, explaining of how his meditation led to him to the blossoming of his ability, these
"lights" that allowed him to see so much.
"That's how I realized that you didn't look... Well, like _you_ — All the time. Your light shifts with
you, and people obviously reacted to you differently, so putting two and two together I could only come
to that conclusion."
"I see." Toshinori replies, thoughtfully. While they spoke, Inko came back with freshly brewed tea and
a plate of cookies she very unsubtly pushed in his direction.
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There it goes, another person in the constantly growing collection of " _people that tries to feed
Toshinori please for the love of God_ * _eat something* ". He dutifully grabs a cookie, if only to
avoid her pointed look.
"Could you tell me more about your quirk? For what I gather, these lights you see, are unique to every
living being. Can you see not-biological matter as well?"
"In a sense." Midoriya replies. "I don't think not biological matter actually emits a signal I can
perceive, but I can still feel it thanks to the living things surrounding it. It's like their lights
reflect on surfaces, that way I'm able to feel them and move accordingly, if that makes sense."
"It does." Toshinori replies, taking a sip of his tea. "You said you saw that villain take away your
friend, by recognising their lights. How far were they from you?"
"At the moment the most I'm able to perceive without focusing too much it's about, I'd say, a radius of
two-three hundred meters, give or take? I've reached around six hundred by focusing really hard, but
that made me feel very sick. It's— Hard, to perceive the sheer number of things alive around me."
Midoriya finished his tea in record time and was now distractedly rolling the empty cup in his hands.
"I managed to stretch the radius very far since I first discovered my quirk, but at times the input
gets overwhelming and I need to turn it off for a bit."
Toshinori took his second cookie, distractedly. "That is quite impressive, I have to say." He says
after taking a bite. "Both the scope of your quirk, and how much you've been able to refine it after
having discovered it only a short time ago."
The young Midoriya smiles, red dusting his cheek.
"I cannot even count the amount of times an ability like yours would've made my work so much easier,
and saved so many more lives." Toshinori adds, almost too distracted by his own racing thoughts to
realize he said that aloud. "Impressive. Very impressive."
Inko Midoriya let out a little hiccup, that shakes him out of his stupor. When he turns to her, her
eyes are wet.
"I'm sorry—" She says, her voice trembling. "I— Izuku is a good son— A fantastic one, actually."
"Mom—"
"But— he has lived a hard life, and has managed to get over so many obstacles only counting on his own
strength, and yet, no one but a very selected few around him has ever saw his efforts and recognized
his merits. To have someone— No, to have _you_ , between all, to see them— I— _Thank you._ "
A moment of silence follows the trembly and yet emphatic sentence, before the young Midoriya gets out
of his armchair to kneel near his mother, surrounding her in a hug. His unseeing eyes are wet, but he
does not cry.
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Toshinori is just assured yet again that his trust is not wasted with this family.
"I do not only recognise young Midoriya's merits." He says gently, putting an hand on her shoulder.
"But yours as well. You've done a fantastic job raising your son, Miss Midoriya. You should be proud."
Her sobs somehow sounds like music, in Toshinori's ears.
—
He bids his farewell at almost three in the morning after Inko Midoriya has calmed down enough.
"There's much to discuss still, but I think we all need to rest, for now." He said, taking into young
Midoriya's sleepy expression. "I will visit in the evening to speak some more, later today, if that is
ok with you two?"
"Would you like to come for dinner?" Young Midoriya blurted, his mom turning towards him with a frown.
"Izuku—!"
"Oh, please, like you wouldn't love that." He replied, shrugging.
"I would like to come for dinner, as long as Miss Midoriya promises me not to overdo herself."
Toshinori replied with a little laugh.
The woman blushed a bit. "Well, I guess dinner it is, then."
He turned one last time as mother and son waved at him and wished him a good night, slowly making his
way back to his new, and still mostly empty, apartment.
The night air is chilly, and the few visible stars he can see up in the sky seems to shine brighter
than usual, that night.
He wonders if sensei would approve of his decision.
But first, for the time being, he needs to make some calls, and hope his living friends will agree with
the conclusion he has come to.
—
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"So, would you like to go to UA, young Midoriya?"
This is already the third time All Might has come for dinner. The first two were mostly spent speaking
some more of Izuku's life, telling All Might about Miki and Ichiko and the training he has been going
through for the past year and some.
"I see, you already have a solid basic knowledge of combat, that is really good." All Might said. "I
would like to speak with your sensei."
So that was a point of discussion too, making arrangements. They've been thinking about how to
introduce All Might without giving his identity away (" _I'm sorry, I do not wish to force you to lie
to your friends, of course, but I am afraid this is a necessity I cannot negotiate over._ ") when All
Might blurted that question out.
Izuku almost drops his chopsticks.
"I—"
Yes. Of course I would like that_. His mind screams at him. But can he?
Yes, he discovered his quirk and, yes, thanks to it he was now more independent than ever.
But he was still blind. He still had enormous limits. And his strength was only equivalent to the
limits of his own body.
Could someone like him really make it into UA's hero course?
"Young Midoriya, I like to think my judgment counts for something." All Might nudges him, gently, like
a lion-dad nipping at his pups to poke at their egos. "So, I'm going to ask again. Would you like to go
to UA?"
Izuku closes his fist. "Yes." He says. "Yes. I want to go UA."
—
"I'm Toshi Shimura, a talent-scout from UA." The thin, tall, sickly-looking blond man in a too-big suit
offers his hand. "Miss Kobayakwa, young Midoriya has told me much about you, and as I've taken interest
in his talents I would like to speak to you about his training, if possible?"
Ichiko is left speechless for a moment. Izuku looks nervous near them, playing with his fingers, his
head going back and forth between her and the man he introduced to her.
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" _A talent-scout from UA—_ " She breathes out. "Izuku, you scored big this time." She grins, grabbing
the man's hand in solid grip. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Shimura. I would _love_ to speak to you
about Izuku's future."
Izuku relaxes so plainly he looks as if he's about to melt.
—
The talent-scout that has taken interest in Izuku is kind of an odd guy, but by the way he talks, Miki
realized, he probably was a huge dork, just like Izuku.
He has been coming to their training sessions on and off. Sometimes offering suggestions, mostly just
watching. It was clear he deeply respected mom's training ability, as he nods and hums and writes
something down in a little block notes.
Sometimes he talks to her, too. He's very kind.
"Young Kobayakawa, I wonder if you also might be interested in a career in hero-ing, like your friend
is?" He asked, once.
Miki laughed. "No, no, that stuff ain't for me." She replied. "I like training with Izuku and mom, and
I know I'm pretty good at self defense, but if I have to be honest, I don't want to unleash my quirk
onto a living thing every again. I haven't decided yet what I want to do, but that's ok. I'll find my
road, like Izuku did."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "I see. You seem very driven, I'm sure you will soon find what you really
excel into."
"For now, the one thing I excel into is making Izuku work harder." She replied, grinning, and jumped
up. "MOVE YOUR ASS, MIDORIYA, THAT FOOTING IS SLOPPY AS HELL!"
"YES, M'AM!" Izuku replied, grinning, with a little salute. The blond man laughed, clearly satisfied by
only God knew what.
One time he wasn't alone. He came with a man with long, dark, messy hair and bags under his eyes so big
they must be paying rent, by now.
Izuku had been too focused sparring with mom to notice, at first, and when he spared a single perplexed
look in their direction that won him an ass-to-the-grass moment when mom flipped him over.
"Focus, Izuku!"
"Yes, sorry!" Came the immediate reply, as Izuku did not waste a single second getting back up on his
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feet.
The two men did not intervene all lesson, whispering between themselves for a while, and when the dark-
haired man left, Mr. Shimura had a smile on his face that Miki could only describe as _smug_.
—
"I have no doubt that with the amount of time we still have and with your excellent teaching, Miss
Kobayakwa, young Midoriya will be more than prepared for the entrance exam at UA. But we have a
problem."
They were sitting around a small plastic table in the garden behind Ichiko's gym, tea cups and a tray
of sweets from the bakery down the road between them. The table was too small for five people, and All
Might was hunched over, his knees touching the plastic edges. Downsides of being a giant, Inko guessed
with a little internal laugh.
"What kind of problem?" Izuku piped up, a worried frown creasing his eyebrows behind the messy hair.
"It is no obstacle I do not trust you will be perfectly able to surpass, my boy, but we must prepare."
All Might said, in a gentle voice. "You see, the physical exam usually consist in a point-based system
where the contestants must take down as many robots as possible, three models of which gives points
from one to three depending on the model you manage to take down, and one model which is usually
recommended to avoid, as it does not give any point. It is a flawed system." All Might sighed. "If I
have to be honest, I do not approve of it too much. It gives an unfair advantage to those who posses
very physically strong quirks, while undervaluing those that, like you, possess different, more subtle
kind of talents."
"Of course—" Izuku muttered, pulling at his lower lip. "There's only so much I can do, when I'm simply
not strong enough. I doubt I could possibly be able to take down a robot bare-handed."
"But I have an idea." All Might continue, fishing something from a battered leather bag he brought with
him.
"A... Hair drier?" Miki asked, tilting one of her eyebrows.
"It's just a hunch I have." All Might said, leaning over the table to put the object in Izuku's hand.
"But young Midoriya, tell me: If you focus on this hair drier, can you make out the inside components
of it?"
Izuku has never tried something like that. He usually did not pay too much attention to not living
things, just as much as he needed to be able to move freely.
He blinked, closing his fingers around the plastic shell of the object, and focused.
He could feel, a bit. It was kind of a mess, all those cables and little parts and things Izuku really
did not have any knowledge of.
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"I... I think I can?" He said after a good couple of minutes, after everyone around the table had
silently, patiently waited for him.
"Good." All Might said. "We have a plan, then."
—
His home turned into a laboratory, pretty much.
There were old, broken appliances everywhere. From washing machines to old phones. Opened and
dismantled, as Izuku studied them in and out. Inko has sort of given up to the controlled chaos.
"Where are you two even getting all this stuff from?" She asked a little worried as he and All Might
transported in a mini fridge.
"Oh, you know that beach that no one goes to anymore because of all the garbage?" Izuku replied.
"Ugh— Fine, just make sure you don't bring bugs or rats in, please." She sighed. "And I want this stuff
out as soon as you're done with your exam!" She added, severe.
All Might seemed kind of embarrassed as he apologized.
Izuku had never imagined he'd end up having to learn the intricacies of technologies, one day, but it
certainly gave him a new perspective.
"There's so much I've always taken for granted." He said one day, as he rummaged inside one of those
super old, bulky tvs. "I've never thought about how complicated all these every-day objects we use
really are."
"Mmmh." All Might hummed. "That is true. But it's a good realization. Makes you appreciate even more
what you have, doesn't it?"
Izuku grinned, his cheek smudged with oil, but then the smile slid off his face.
"All Might?"
"Yes?"
"Do you—" A gulp. "Do you really think this will work?"
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Toshinori let a couple of seconds pass, weighing his words on his tongue.
"I know for a fact that the robots are designed to have weak points. To present young boys and girls
like you with state of the art technology would be an unfair and borderline cruel challenge. So, yes, I
believe that if you refine your ability, you will be able to see those weak points, and exploit them."
He says.
Young Midoriya hums, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
"Is something the matter?" Toshinori asks, surprised by the expression.
"It's just... You're not giving me an unfair advantage over the others by telling me this, right?"
The question comes as a surprise, and at the same time, not a surprise at all.
"You are honest to a fault, my boy." Toshinori chuckles. "Do not worry about that. The exam has been
the same for years. All your peers will be able to look into it and prepare accordingly, if they so
desire."
Young Midoriya is watching him so intently that Toshinori just knows he's probing his 'light', making
sure he's not lying, as he once mentioned in passing that he would notice if someone was lying to him.
"Don't do that." He reprimands him, good-naturedly. "It's kind of rude, my boy."
The young Midoriya he first met would probably have stammered an apology, blushing to the roots of his
hair. This one, instead, flashes his tongue to him, playfully.
How fast they grow._
—
Izuku's eyes snap open five minutes before the alarm he set the day before.
It's the big day.
In a bit of daze, he shuffles out of bed.
His clothes for the day are ready. His phone is charged. Mom is already tinkering downstairs, trying to
stifle her nervousness as she makes breakfast.
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After brushing his teeth, Izuku splashes ice cold water on his face. He expected to wake up a nervous
mess, but in truth, he feels calm.
"I won't be able to see you tomorrow, as I have to assist to the exams myself." All Might said the day
prior, before leaving. "So, I'm going to give you my pep-talk now."
A thin hand on his shoulder, long. boney fingers squeezing gently.
" _Win_."
"I will." Izuku whispers, closing his hands into fists. "I won't let you down."
—
He makes his way into the packed conference room with only a couple of minutes to spare.
For all his sureness, he ended up getting a bad case of jelly knees just as they approached UA's gates.
Mom, Miki and Ichiko-san hugged him tight for what felt like forever.
"We are channelling our strength into you!" Ichiko-san said, half-joking.
That was enough to make him feel immensely better.
He turned one last time from the door, flashing a victory sign toward the now far familiar lights, and
then stepped in, taking a deep breath.
The problem now was that the room was so packed Izuku couldn't make out a single free space where he
could sit. Surely there must be some free seat still, but in the chaos of lights it was incredibly hard
to distinguish.
"Psst, hey, you, with the curly hair!" A female voice, and then a hand tugging at his sleeve. "Over
here, there's a seat!"
"O-oh, thank you!" He stammers, as he slides down into the seat by her side. The girl must've
recognised his confusion.
"Pretty packed, huh?" She says. Her voice is gentle, if a bit nervous. "I mean, I guess that's to be
expected by UA's hero course exams. I'm Uraraka Ochako, by the way!"
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"M-Midoriya Izuku." He replies, and Uraraka takes his hand with only four fingers in the cramped space
between them, shaking it.
"Nice to meet you!" She says, and Izuku can imagine the brilliant smile on her face.
—
When they got divided into groups, Izuku is relieved to see he's not in the same one as Kacchan.
No one at his middle school had any idea he was here. As selfish as it was, this was his secret, that
he wanted to keep until the very last second possible, a treasure close to his heart.
That, and he didn't want to humiliate himself further in the -very possible- case he didn't make it
through the exam.
Uraraka is in his group, instead, which makes Izuku feel better. They are rival right now, yes, but
knowing that at least one friendly presence was near him made him feel a little more brave.
He wants to approach her, and wish her good luck, when a big hand on his shoulder stops him in his
tracks.
"What do you think you are doing?" A severe voice. Izuku recognises it, it's the same boy that has
asked questions during the exam briefing, his voice strong and sure, just as his light is. "She is
obviously concentrating, are you trying to obstruct your peers?"
"N-No, I just—"
"Whatever you want to do, _don't_." The boy replied, and Izuku shut his mouth.
—
Izuku's hands _hurt._
He managed to take down a couple of robots by going for their weak spots, and with immense effort.
Actually, his entire body hurt, clothes sticking to him thanks to how much he was sweating.
All Might's plan _did_ work, but...
It was a laughable result, if confronted with how well everyone else around him was doing.