What was all that work for?!_ He asks himself, furious, as he desperately runs, and as more and more
robots are taken down by the others, making his chances to score enough points slimmer and slimmer.
His eyes sting, and he angrily wipes the tears away. He can't just give up now, not like _this_ —
Izuku is shaken out of his stormy thoughts when the earth trembles. He turns, just in time to see
something gigantic, he can't make out how tall the thing is, as the lights of living things dims out
going upwards to the sky.
"It's that zero points thing." He hears someone comment nearby. "Better run!"
Lights shoots by him as the other exam goers put distance between them and the giant, but useless,
robot.
Every light, but one.
"Uraraka?!" He calls out, confused.
Uraraka's light is clearly distressed. There's something blocking her, preventing her from running
away. A boulder? Pieces of rubble?
"Midoriya?" She asks, her voice tight. "What are you doing? Run!"
That thing could easily squash her with a single step.
To hell with the exam_ , Izuku thinks, as his feet already started moving on their own.
—
Ochako could only watch, her eyes wide, as Midoriya charges towards her instead of running away like
everyone else did.
What a strange boy he is, just barely taller than her, scrawny in his too big gym clothes, with that
mop of curly, messy hair covering half his face. He doesn't look particularly strong, and for what
little Ochako had seen of him during the exam, he doesn't seems to have any particularly flashy quirk
either.
And he's charging full speed towards the giant robot about one thousand times his size.
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She wants to scream at him to get away, it's too dangerous, but another wave of nausea hit her.
She overdid it, and now she can't even get herself free from the rubble that's blocking her ankle.
Midoriya shoots past before she can even say anything, grabbing a piece of broken pipe from the floor
and then starts to climb with a rather remarkable agility up the robot's leg.
The robot is still still walking forward, apparently not reacting to the little boy that's now near one
of it's junctures.
Midoriya is hanging by one of the thick cables with one hand, his feet firmly placed against the steel,
and he's trying to sink the piece of pipe in a very precise spot with all his strength.
Ochako has no idea what he's doing, Midoriya must be desperate and out of his mind, there's no why he'd
act like this if he was lucid and realize that he was trying to fight with a robot the size of a
skyscraper that would merit him a whole lot of zero points.
That is until the robot makes a creaky noise, it's step falters when the leg Midoriya is hitting
refuses to work properly, and the thing starts to lose balance, falling on a side.
The robot is so heavy that Midoriya is dislodged and launched up in the air by the recoil of the fall.
That's when Ochako realizes.
He was saving her._
—
Izuku is falling, _he's going to splat down on the asphalt like a mature tomato, bye bye UA, bye bye
Mom, bye bye All Might—_
A light embraces him, and his free fall is suddenly slowed down to a gentle glide, as if Izuku suddenly
turned into a feather.
Uraraka Ochako doesn't let him go until they are both firmly on the ground, alive, and definitely not
splattered.
"W... Why did you do that...?" She asks, strained.
Izuku slowly stands, his knees weak. The giant robot is not moving anymore, Uraraka is ok—
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Urararaka is ok._
"You were in trouble." He replies with a relieved sigh. "Someone had to do something."
"Your hand—" She gasps, and Izuku can feel the warmth of blood on his palm. Old sores opened and
started to bleed when he held so tight to that pipe, hitting and hitting again, regardless of the pain.
" 'S nothing—" He says, and then a horn sounds in the distance, Present Mic's voice announcing the end
of the exam.
Oh.
"Ahah—" He laughs, nervous, not a sign of mirth in it. His nose stings. "I— I guess t-this is it for
me, then—"
Uraraka has stood up as well. She places a gentle hand on his arm, her light speaking of sadness for
him—
Then she pukes all over him.
—
Principal Nedzu pats Toshinori on the knee a couple of times.
"I see what you meant, about that boy." He says. "He's certainly a very interesting one."
—
When he enters into the Midoriya's household, the boy is sitting on the couch in the living room with a
blank, lost expression.
"He's been like this since we came back from the exam the other day." Inko sighs in a low voice after
welcoming him in.
"Mmh. I'm sorry for having kept him waiting." He replies, scratching the back of his head. "I had a lot
of things to take care of. The official results will not be announced for a few days yet, but I figured
he'd be down after the exam. Even if it's a bit of cheating, I'd rather just tell him now and take the
weight off his shoulders."
Inko smiles at him, patting gently his shoulder before disappearing in the kitchen, giving him and the
boy some privacy.
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"Young Midoriya."
The boy jumps, turning around with a surprised expression, before turning away from him in haste.
"O-oh, hello." He says, voice low.
Toshinori sits down, by his side, observing. Midoriya is hanging his head low, hands between his knees
nervously tightening into fists over and over again.
"So." He starts, casually. "How do you think you did?"
"I'm sorry I disappointed you." Midoriya whispers back.
Toshinori takes a deep breath. So much work to build up up the boy's confidence, and yet it takes so
little to tear it down.
"I'm not disappointed in the slightest, my boy." Toshinori says. "You did excellently, exactly as I
thought you would."
"Don't—" Midoriya gulps, his throat moving. "Don't make fun of me— Please—"
"I'm not. Do you think I really would do that?"
Slowly, the boys turns his face up to him.
"It is true that your score was very low, the lowest among your group." Toshinori says, ignoring the
flinch that followed those words. "But that was not all there was to the exam, and you did exactly what
I expected you to do."
The boy blinks, confused, and Toshinori cannot help the temptation to ruffle his hair.
"You showed them all what a hero really is."
—
"The young Urararaka came to us, you know? She realized you've ignored your own exam in order to help
her, and asked us to share her points with you."
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"She... She did?"
"Seems like you've already got a new friend, my boy." Toshinori adds in a gentle voice, before
continuing. "But, in the end, there wasn't the need to do that. The fighting score wasn't all that
there was to it, and by showing your willingness to act for the good of others, even to the detriment
of yourself, you ended up receiving the highest score in the rescue points, making it into the
rankings."
"Wait—" Izuku is breathless, his heart beating right in his throat, this cannot be _real_. "You mean—"
"Congratulations, young Midoriya. You are now a student of UA's hero course."
—
The very last few days of middle school trickled by, Izuku lived them in a dream-like state.
He was going to UA. He was going to UA. _He was going to UA_.
the official results would come out any day now. Kacchan didn't know yet, and had no doubt himself
passed with flying colors, as he liked to brag loudly and with gusto.
Izuku had no doubt about that, too. What Kacchan lacked in compassion, he made up with sheer power. No
doubt the highest fighting score would belong to him.
He had no idea how Kacchan would react to seeing Izuku's name in the rankings. Hopefully, the first
impact of his explosive rage would come when he was home, far, _far_ away from Izuku.
"Silence, please." Their homeroom teacher called. "We are starting to receive the first results of your
exams..."
He called out some names, congratulating various student for successfully getting in their high school
of choice.
"And then, Bakugou and—" A beat of silence. "...Midoriya?"
Izuku could feel the silence that fell in the classroom _in his mouth_ , thick as tofu.
The teacher let out a little embarrassed cough after his own hesitation.
"Congratulations, I hope your future in UA's hero course will be bright."
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—
The chaos that exploded -literally- required five minutes of their teacher yelling at them to calm
down, before it could be contained.
Some of his classmates shot up from their seats as Kacchan's desk exploded into two neat pieces as soon
as the teacher finished his sentence.
"Midoriya?" "No way!" "What?!"
Soon, Izuku was surrounded.
"Midoriya?! When did that happen?!"
"I— Uhm—" Izuku stammered.
"Dude, congratulations!" Someone else exclaimed, their voice sincere.
Before he could try to say anything else, hands were on him, friendly patting his shoulders, voices
congratulating him from all sides.
He expected Kacchan to be on his throat at any second, now, but he never came.
—
"IzukuuuuUUUUUUU _UUUU!_ "
Miki's voice came from far away, growing louder in a few seconds, and she crashed into him, grabbing
him with her arms under his armpit and lifting him up, twisting him around.
"You made IT!" She yelled, laughing madly.
Izuku couldn't stop laughing, although he felt a bit guilty. All Might made him promise not to tell
anyone until the official results were out. It had been so hard not to yell with Miki about it for all
those days.
Still, she apparently already knew despite the fact that their teachers shared the news with them just
a couple of hours before.
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"How do you know?" He asked, laughing.
"Everyone is chain-texting like mad, dude!" She replied, finally putting him back down on the floor,
but not letting him go. "Everyone is so excited for you, it's incredible. Oh, Izuku, I'm so _happy_!"
She closed her gloved hand in a fist, rubbing her knuckles on his head madly.
"Miki n-no!" He tried to protest between laughs, trying and failing to free himself up from the Miki-
clamp-hug-of-death.
Everyone is so excited for you._ She said.
Well, that was a new feeling for sure.
—
For a while Ichiko's gym has turned into party central.
They simply couldn't stop, every time they got together, at the end of a training session, they just
had to celebrate Izuku's successful exam. The boy would react with embarrassed delight every single
time, laughing and smiling and dancing with Miki.
"I will end putting up weight-" Inko whined, with a smile, as she brought some more cooked goodies.
"Well, means you'll still have to visit me when Izuku will start with high school, right?" Ichiko
replied, making her laugh.
"I don't need an excuse for that, Ichiko-san."
—
Izuku was living his life on a cloud. Whenever he went in school, he'd get stopped by people
congratulating him, wishing him success, patting his shoulders. It was such an alien feeling, but he
couldn't deny to himself that it wasn't an unwelcome one.
And every time he, Mom, Miki and Ichiko-san were in the same room they ended up celebrating in a way or
another.
Middle school would end the next day, and then the break before the start of high school -of _UA_ \-
would come. Ichiko-san and All Might already studied his training regime for it, and Izuku, eager to
get better and better and better, couldn't wait for it.
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He was humming a tune to himself, walking through that same underpass that completely changed his life
some months prior, when a familiar light in front of him stopped him dead in his tracks.
"I know you can see me." Kacchan says. "You lying shit."
—
The distance between them rapidly closed as Kacchan walked right up to his face.
"Was it funny?" He growls.
"Kacchan—"
"Was it nice to laugh behind everyone's back as you lied to their faces?"
"Kacchan, I—"
"Well, guess what, dipshit, you didn't fool _me_."
"I don't—"
" _SHUT UP_!"
Izuku's back hits the wall painfully after Kacchan grabbed him by the collar, pushing him forcefully.
"For how long did you think you could keep up this recital, huh?" Kacchan hisses in his face. "What was
even all of this? This long-con? Have you thought that by acting like a useless piece of shit it'd make
it easier for you to get into UA? Well, I guess it worked, so, for once, you were right."
Finally the piece clicks into place in Izuku's mind.
"You..." He whispers. "You think I'm not blind."
"Like, no fucking shit." Kacchan spits out. "Do you think I didn't notice? You were dead on in hitting
that stupid mud-guy months ago, and you don't even pretend to go around with that dumb cane anymore,
and now you miraculously made it into UA? Who did you think you could fool?"
Kacchan's hands are still tight on his collar. Izuku's fingers circles around Kacchan's wrist.
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"Do you really think I would lie about something like that?" He asks, voice low.
"I think you are a cowardly, lying sack of shit, so yes. I do." Kacchan replied without missing a beat.
Izuku hates himself for it, for how easy tears come up to him. They roll down his cheeks freely, as he
uses his other hand to drag the hair away from his eyes.
He feels Kacchan flinch.
"Look at me—" He hiccups. "Look at my _eyes_ and tell me, do you think I would _lie_?"
But he doesn't give Kacchan the time to answer. "Do you think I wouldn't _sell my soul_ for just a
minute_ of being able to see my mother's face again? To see how the sky looks like, how my friends
smile at me? Do you think I wouldn't, that I never— Do you think I wouldn't want to be able to look at
you, to actually _look at you_ , right now, and look into your eyes and try to see what words cannot
tell me—"
Izuku coughs, sobs shaking him. Kacchan's hands are less tight on his collar.
"Do you think I don't wish with all my strength to be able to look at you and try understand why do you
hate me so much_ —" He finishes, in a broken voice, his fingers trembling around Kacchan's wrist.
Kacchan let him go as if he'd got burned. Izuku slides on his knees on the asphalt, coughing, tears
rolling down his cheeks.
The silence stretches long, infinitely so, even if it was just a handful of seconds in reality. Then
Kacchan turns, and runs away.
—
When he enters home, he can hear mom and All Might laughing about something in the living room.
"Oh Izuku, there you are, there's someone— Izuku?" His mom starts cheerfully as she comes to the door,
before her voice turns worried.
Izuku knows he must look a mess. He hasn't been able to stop crying as he made his way back, tears
still rolling down the wet little tracks they formed on his cheeks.
Before she could add anything he walks past her, his shoes messily left behind him, making it in his
room and closing the door with the key before sliding down with his back against it, collecting his
knees against his chest, sobs shaking him.
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—
"Oh, no, excuse me a minute—" Inko stammers, before following her son upstairs.
"...Is he usually like this?" Aizawa asks, perplexed.
Toshinori frowns, a finger on his chin. "Well, young Midoriya can get a bit emotional at times, but
I've never saw him quite this distressed before. Something serious must've happened." He says, worried.
"Looks like I choose the wrong day to meet this wonder boy of yours." Aizawa replies, unreadable as
always.
Toshinori hums, as they wait downstairs, Inko's voice muffled in the distance. She comes down a few
minutes later, pale and frowning, a hand on her mouth.
"I'm very sorry, Mister Aizawa—" She says. "He's refusing to open the door— I have no idea what has
gotten into him—"
"Can I...?" Toshnori asks, pointing upstairs, and Inko sidesteps, wordlessly.
—
A knock on the door, and then All Might's voice.
"Young Midoriya?"
If there's one person he absolutely does not want to see him in this state, that's All Might, for sure.
"Do you want to open the door?" He asks, infinitely gentle.
Izuku cannot stop crying. It's as if a dam has broken into his eyes - _but then, they've always been
broken, and they always will_ \- and the tears keep coming, no matter how much he has already tried to
will them away.
"N-no—" He manages to say after a beat of silence.
"...Do you want to talk about what is troubling you?"
What is troubling him is this black hole that has opened in his chest, sucking everything in— Or
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maybe spitting everything out, Izuku is not sure_ —
"No." He says, instead.
He can hear All Might sigh from the other side of the door.
"My boy, we are all very worried. If you do not feel like talking to us, I hope you will at least take
in consideration the idea of talking to someone else." All Might says. "I know that at your age
sometimes you just do not feel like talking to an adult. But I can think of at least one person that
will be sure to listen to you, without any of our adult baggage."
Izuku listens as All Might stands up -He must've knelt down a bit- and goes downstairs. He sniffs a
bit, angrily wiping the tears away from his cheek -useless. They immediately get replaced- and with
trembling fingers he takes his phone out of his pocket.
"Miki?" He sobs, after she picks up at the third ring. "I— Do you have a minute? O-or twenty, probably
—"
—
The morning after, Inko opens the door to a Miki in full casual clothing.
"Good morning, Miss Midoriya." She says, smiling brightly. "Me and Izuku are skipping the last day of
school. Sorry about that, but it's important."
—
Miki drags him into a part of town he has never really frequented at all, replying in a sing-song voice
that it's a surprise when Izuku asks where they are going.
"Here we are." She says, her gloved hand still on his wrist as she opens a door. Izuku hear the
tingling of chimes, and his nose is immediately attacked by the smell of some sort of chemical, making
him sneeze.
"Sorry, you'll get used to that— Shiori!" She says, finally letting his hand go to hug whoever
approached him. "Izuku, this is Shiori, Shiori, my friend Izuku."
Shiori takes his hand and shakes it. "I can see what you mean, Miki." She says. "Potential, under the
disaster."
That finally gets a word out of him. "Excuse me?"
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Miki laughs "Shiori is my hairdresser. She's like, magic. Everyone is super envy of my dye job all the
time, and I don't share her easily, so you better be damn grateful I brought you here, Midoriya."
Izuku blinks. "...You dye your hair?"
The two girls laugh as he gets guided and pushed on a seat.
"Yes, I do, and you'd know have you ever bothered to ask. Now sit and let Shiori work her magic."
"You never asked her how she looks?" Shiori asked curiously, her finger carding through Izuku's hair as
if she's studying it.
"I—" He gulps. "I lost my sight when I was four, so my memories of what it actually means to see are
very fuzzy. Most of the time asking that would be pointless, I have a hard time visualising
descriptions, anyway." He says, vaguely monotone.
"Mmh." Shiori hums, distracted. "Ok, I know what to do with you, little disaster."
"I don't want my hair dyed." Izuku replies. The mere idea of having to smell that chemical all the time
makes his head spin.
"None of that, don't worry. We're just gonna go with a bit of restyling— Stay there, I gotta take some
stuff in the back."
Izuku turns toward Miki, sitting at his left, with a whine.
"You _promised_ me, Midoriya." She interrupted him before he could even start.
Izuku sighs.
—
Shiori works on him for a while, chatting with Miki of anything that comes to mind. Izuku relaxes,
might as well do that since he has no choice but to be subjected to this.
It feels like ages before she's finally done, putting the reclining chair back into an upright position
and drying his hair, her fingers working methodically and clearly experienced.
"And voilà!" Shiori says, taking the sheet covering his shoulders away. "What do you think?"
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He knows that both girls are staring at him as they hum.
"I _knew it_." Miki hisses
"You have a natural cuteness to you, Midoriya, that mop of hair covering your face all the time wasn't
doing you any favour." Shiori explains "I didn't even need to do that much, really. I shortened it a
bit, freeing your face. You have kind of round features so they go well with you natural curls. As long
as you keep them at this length and take care of them properly, you will do just fine. I can suggest to
you some shampoo and hair conditioner brands to keep your hair soft and easier to manage."
Izuku is kind of overwhelmed by the information, palming at his now shorter hair.
It feels weird. He's so used to have that constant weight, to feel the brush of his hair on the point
of his nose, keeping his eyes hidden from everyone else.
"Izuku." Miki says, when he doesn't reply. "Do you know why I forced you to come here, today?"
Izuku shakes his head.
"This is the new you." Miki declares, jumping down from her seat to stand in front of him. He can
imagine her, standing proudly, hands on her hips. "This is the new you that is going to UA, and is
going to become a hero, and is _not_ going to get his entire soul crushed by the shitty words of
someone that has never believed in him in the first place."
Izuku realizes his mouth is hanging open. He closes it.
"This is the new you that has nothing to hide, that will face life openly and with a smile and proudly.
From the moment you step outside this hair salon, you leave behind all the pain, and the fears, and the
regrets, shed them just like the hair that covered your wonderful eyes."
Miki's gloved hands claps on his cheeks with a soft slap.
"You don't have to hide anymore." She says, her voice lower, serious. "So please, keep your head high,
and never, ever think of hiding who you are ever again."
—
They spent the rest of the day aimlessly walking around the city.
They ate ice cream for lunch and burgers for snacks. They went to a park and played on the equipment
like kids, laughing. They drank one of those ridiculously expensive coffees, sitting outside and
looking at the people going by, in their completely different ways.
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"There are two girls sitting at a table to your right that are totally checking you out." Miki leaned
in and whispered at some point.
"No way—" He tried to reply, before getting shushed.
"Nu-huh- New you. Turn around and smile, now."
Izuku obeyed, his cheeks burning, knowing his smile was weak, and yet he heard happy giggles follow.
"See?" Miki said, smug, obnoxiously sipping the last of her coffee with her straw when he turned around
to face her, shocked. "Told ya."
—
When he came home, mom dropped the steel top of one of her pots on the floor.
"Um. Hello." He says, smiling.
Mom walks closer, her gentle hand on his cheek.
She doesn't say anything, caressing him sweetly before taking her hand away.
"Welcome home, dear."
There's so much crammed in that single sentence. But Izuku knows that one sentence, this time, is
enough
Notes for the Chapter*
Oh man, this was hands down one of the most difficult early chapters of this story. I was not sure
how to jostle Izuku and Bakugou's complicated relationship (them boy got issues yo) without it turning
into a Bakugou-bashing fest. Hopefully I managed.
Mr King of explodokills will have his time to redeem himself, so be patient with him *wink wink
5. Midoriya Izuku: Start
Izuku walks down the corridor, directed toward his new class, for the first time. The need to hang his
head low, nervously, is almost overwhelming, but he resists.
He walks by class 1-B on his way, tentatively feeling the lights out, but Kacchan's light is not there.
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His usual luck. Letting out a little sigh, he stops in front of the door to his class. His hand lingers
on the handle.
New you_ , he can hear Miki's voice in his mind, _Do better_ says All Might.
Izuku opens the door.
—
As soon as he does, two familiar voices, that were previously bickering, fall silent.
"Midoriya, right?" One of them says, approaching him. It's the severe boy from the exam. "I must
apologise for my harsh words during the exam. You've clearly shown a deeper understanding of it than
me. I'm Iida Tenya, it is a pleasure to share class with you."
"Oh, it's no problem—" He replies, scratching the back of his head.
"Midoriya!" Another familiar voice, and he cannot contain his smile. Uraraka. "We are in the same
class! I'm so happy!"
"Oy, four-eyes." Kacchan's harsh voice interjects. "Stop standing there with that stupid hand out. He's
not gonna shake it. He's blind."
There's something in Kacchan's voice that Izuku cannot quite pinpoint, his light completely unreadable.
He expected sneer from him, but there's none of that. He's actually... Serious.
And as Iida apologises to him, formal to a fault, Izuku cannot help but smile a bit sadly to himself.
As usual, no one manages to make him yearn for sight as much as Katsuki Bakugou does. What would Izuku
give, just to be able to meet Kacchan's eyes, and understand what he's thinking.
—
Ochako's hand flew to her mouth.
When she first met Midoriya at the exam, she distantly wondered about the hair covering his face, but
she had so many things to worry about that it seemed a minuscule, unimportant detail in the grand
scheme of things. His hair was much shorter now, still messy and curly, but she could finally see the
freckles dusting his round cheeks and his pale green eyes.
It was obvious, now that Bakugou said it. Midoriya's pupils were milky white, clearly not reacting to
the frantic movements of Iida in front of him.
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How did he—?_
Ochako mentally smacked herself. What right did she had, to doubt Midoriya? People wouldn't believe
that cute, soft, little Ochako could make it into UA, and yet she did.
So did Midoriya.
She resumed her walk toward him, with even more strength in her stride.
"Iida, I think that is quite enough." She says gently, putting an hand on his shoulder, stopping his
hands mid-way. "Midoriya."
He turns to her "Uraraka. I'm glad we are in the same class, too." He says, little lines appearing
around his eyes when he smiles.
"I—" She hesitates, and she notices the lines of Midoriya's shoulders tense a bit. "Oh, this is
embarrassing, I'm so sorry I was sick all over you at the exams!" She blurts out.
Midoriya clearly relaxes. "Don't worry about it. Downside of your quirk?"
"Yeeeaaah—" She moans, tilting her head on a side.
"I... They told me about what you did." Midoriya adds, his voice lowering. "About the points. I wanted to
thank you. And— Iida?"
Iida, that so far had been tense and silent at their side, snaps like a soldier, shoulders squared.
"Yes!"
"It's a pleasure to share class with you, too." Midoriya says gently, holding his hand out. Iida takes
it in a firm grip and shakes, smiling.
—
They don't get much time to familiarise with one another, as the door opens behind them to reveal a man
that could probably use about one thousand years of good sleep, a long sort-of-scarf covering the lower
half of his face, clad in a dark coat.
"Get to your seats, y'all, this isn't a picnic." He says, his voice monotone. Izuku rapidly counts the
desks, making a beeline for his.
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He's sitting right behind Kacchan. How _lucky_.
"I'm Aizawa Shouta." The man yawns, sounding bored. "I'm your homeroom teacher. Now go change, we are
going out to have a test."
... Huh._
—
Aizawa drags a hand on his face, tired.
Goddamn Toshinori and his stupid hopeful smile.
The man approached him that morning, in his All Might form, putting a heavy hand on his shoulder.
"A word, my friend, if you please!" He boomed, making him groan.
"It's too early for this, just say what you want to say." He replied, voice still raw with sleep.
"I saw that young Midoriya has been assigned to your class—"
"Yes, your golden boy. Go on."
"And I cannot help but worry. I do not mean to challenge your teaching methods, clearly, but I'm aware
of your first day tests. For all his talents and training, for the time being Midoriya is just a normal
teenage boy, physically. He will not show particularly brilliant results."
"...Are you asking me to give him a special treatment?"
"I would never." Aizawa finally turns, facing the blinding smile. "I'm only asking you to give him a
chance to prove himself."
He could not resist that smile.
He wanted a chance for the boy? Fine. He was going to get one.
Golden kid better work his ass off, and _prove_ he deserved that chance.
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—
As the tests went on, the threat of expulsion weighted more and more on Izuku's shoulders, making him
spiral into a silent panic.
All his classmates could count on their quirks to give them an edge, one way or the other. But Izuku
was only stuck with his normal body, and for how fast he tried to run, for how high he tried to jump,
he was still at the bottom of the chart.
Aizawa-Sensei finished scribbling something down, before addressing them in his monotone voice.
"Alright, one last test. Follow me."
They dutifully followed. Izuku was hugging himself, head hanging low. He could feel Uraraka's light
approaching him, feeling that she wanted to put an hand on his shoulder and comfort him, but he didn't
want comfort. He didn't want pity.
He was _done_ with pity.
He walked a bit faster.
"Strength and speed are not all." Aizawa-sensei explained once he stopped them in front of another
training ground. Izuku examined it, focusing his senses. It was not much different from the fake city
they took the entrance exam in, but it was more packed, the place full of tight openings and all sorts
of nooks and crannies.
"Your ability to examine the ground you're working in and your senses are just as important. For this
test, we will spend the next half-hour in here. I will be hiding, and your role will be to find me. The
first person that finds me gets a point, all you need is to touch me. When that happen, you'll give me
ten seconds of vantage to find a different spot to hide. I will keep hiding in different places for the
full time."
A little pause, as if sensei is making sure everyone is listening.
"Some of you might not ever see me during that time. Some of you might manage to hoard all the points
for themselves. But, more probably, at the end of the thirty minutes, you will all be at zero."
A collective gulp passed through the group, but Izuku is not believing is ears, a blossom of hope back
in his chest.
This is it. This is _made_ for him. This is _perfect_.
"I will take ten minutes to hide. Wait at the entrance, when you hear the horn, the time starts."
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—
Izuku has to refrain himself from sprinting like a thunderbolt when the horn blares over them.
He knows already where Aizawa-sensei is, of course. But in order to don't raise too much suspicion
between his classmates, he waits for them to sprint ahead, before making his way toward their teacher.
If everything goes according to plan, they will soon catch up to what is going on and will probably
start to try follow him.
Izuku has to hoard as many points as possible before that happens.
—
Katsuki has been searching, grunting, irritated by this stupid test, when the horn blew again, and a
robotic voice announced " _Midoriya Izuku: one point._ "
His head snaps up at the clock, showing that a mere two minutes have gone by.
What the fuck?!_
—
He has to admit it, the boy is giving him a run for his money.
Aizawa's specialty has always been stealth. Being able to hide, to move unseen, is what he does. This
is a test he usually reserves for older, more experienced classes.
But the boy, he's keeping up. Oh, is he keeping up.
Aizawa slides under a pipe, silent as a cat. His ears are strained, waiting for Midoriya to betray his
position.
At five points, Todoroki Shouto has started to follow Midoriya, giving the boy another obstacle to
surpass, forcing him to don't just make a beeline for Aizawa, but to also hide and move unseen himself.
At seven points, Yaoyorozu Momo imitated Todoroki, at eight, Tokoyami Fumikage had the same idea as
well.
The boy is not half-bad, Aizawa has to admit. He managed to shake them off his tail more than once,
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thanks to his quick thinking and his ability to move in dark spaces were others would be completely
lost, while simultaneously trying his damn best to creep closer to Aizawa as silent as possible.
At nine points, Aizawa activated his quirk against Midoriya.
The boy scrambled, panicked, at first, hitting directly with his face a brick wall in his way. Then he
jumped out of Aizawa's line of sight. And he started to make a damn good job of keeping it so, popping
out from the most unexpected places to claim his points.
His thirteenth points, Aizawa didn't had the chance to even try to lay his eyes on Midoriya, before a
small hand slapped his back, and the robotic voice announced " _Midoriya Izuku: Thirteen points_."
Oh, this was _fun_.
—
This might've been the most brutal game of hide and seek Izuku had ever taken part in.
Everyone caught up. Literally his entire class was trying to follow him, obstruct him, steal those
points from him.
Even Kacchan.
"I'm sorry, Uraraka." He whispered, breathless, as the girl was hopefully tailing him from a bit far,
her light's movements suggesting she was trying to stay hidden from him.
There was a pipe on his right, between some small ones. Large enough for him to pass through. He jumped
in the dark space offered by the buildings surrounding them and slid in, silent. Bidding his time.
Uraraka stopped right in front of him, looking around herself madly and then making a noise of
frustration.
"Where did he gooooo?!"
Her frustration felt less brash than Kacchan's, more directed to herself rather than Izuku. It made
Izuku feel bad.
But he couldn't afford the luxury of worrying about others, for now. This was his one chance to don't
get kicked out of UA on the first day.
Aizawa-Sensei was on the move, and fast, climbing somewhere. Izuku slid outside the pipe on the other
side, studying his chances.
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Sensei stopped, and was currently perched between two buildings, the space just enough for one person
to fit in. So far he had preferred the ground for the most part, where the shadows were darker and
being unseen was easier. To perch so high, it was a bold move, considering how many of his classmates
had high maneuverability and would probably spot him from the sky.
Then Izuku realized.
It was a challenge.
Aizawa-sensei was trying to force Izuku to take a route that would put _him_ in a easy spottable place.
His classmates had fully given up the idea of finding Aizawa themselves, and were instead concentrating
their efforts on Izuku.
If Izuku tried to climb after him from the ground, sensei would surely use his quirk on him. But if he
approached from above, he was sure to be seen, especially from Todoroki, which had been following him
like an eagle for a while, now.
Izuku took a deep breath, wiping the fat droplets of sweat rolling from his forehead with a wrist.
He focused, harder, taking every single detail of what was around Aizawa-sensei, even if his head felt
like splitting in half— And then he saw his way.
Bingo_.
—
The clock was ticking, and Aizawa wondered if the boy had given up, or was just too exhausted to take
that one last point.
Not that it would matter much. Midoriya had definitely proven himself, but still, he could not imagine
such a driven boy ever giving up, not fighting until the last second possible.
As he muses, the last minute approaches.
" _Sixty seconds remaining_."
And then everything happened very fast.
—
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Ochako had been running in circles, frustrated.
She managed to catch that single glimpse of Midoriya before he disappeared apparently out of thin air,
and she hadn't caught a single glimpse of Aizawa-sensei, not even the tip of his scarf.
Todoroki was chasing through the sky with his ice bridges, as he had been most of the time. His
movements in more than one occasion suggested he almost managed to catch Midoriya, but he would usually
come back up after a bit, obviously frustrated.
Everyone was out for blood, at that point, desperate for even a single point to try stand over the
others. But Midoriya wasn't going to give a single inch if he could help it, clearly.
Suddenly, she sees Todoroki plunge down, rising his arm ready to attack, before the ice bridge stopped
forming under his feet and the ice around his right arm never quite made it out. He fell on the rooftop
of the building right under him.
" _Midoriya Izuku: fourteen points_." The voice announced, and then— " _Time's up!_ "
—
"I see." Aizawa was muttering to himself.
The boy cooked up quite the bold plan. He led Todoroki on a wild goose chase towards Aizawa, and had
used him as a distraction, while simultaneously luring Aizawa in a trap.
Aizawa looked up at the noise, ready to throw Midoriya in for a loop with his quirk, and instead found
himself staring at Todoroki, interrupting the attack he was about to unleash and sending him tumbling
down as the ice bridge stopped forming under his feet.
Midoriya came an instant later, a meteor from the sky, one of his arms frozen over, sweaty and
desperate, slapping just barely Aizawa's arm on his way down.
" _Midoriya Izuku: fourteen points_."
Kid was lucky Aizawa didn't had any intention to explain to Toshinori why his golden boy ended up
flattening his face on concrete. His scarf tightened around Midoriya's wrist after the slap, stopping
his fall, and he lowered both himself and the boy back on the ground, gently.
Once there, Midoriya hadn't moved, panting heavily, arms and legs stretched out in a semi-frozen,
sweaty imitation of a sea-star.
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"Am I—" He panted. "Am I expelled?"
Aizawa gave him grin. "You're a lucky one, Midoriya Izuku."
—
They regrouped at the entrance, animatedly discussing.
"That was super insane!" The boy that has introduced himself as Kirishima that morning said, excitedly
pumping his fists in front of him. "Sucks I didn't see any of it, it must've been quite the show! I'm
so curious to know how Midoriya did it!"
Ochako couldn't do anything but agree with the sentiment. Listening to Midoriya rack up point after
point after point had been both exhilarating and frustrating.
Not everyone shared the enthusiasm, she noted, when Bakugou passed by, positively fuming. Iida,
instead, was muttering to himself. "Maybe some kind of perception quirk? Still, doesn't explain how he
moved so comfortably in an unknown ground, I must ask Midoriya for pointers—"
Aizawa-sensei, Todoroki and Midoriya himself were the last ones out. Todoroki had his left hand on
Midoriya's right shoulder, melting down the ice that encased his entire arm with a neutral expression.
Midoriya looked positively destroyed, his clothes sticking to him, drenched in sweat, walking with a
bit of a limp, but showing a small, prideful smile.
They all -well, almost all- run to meet them half-way, speaking over one another.
" _Midoriya that was so coool!" "How did you do that?" "What is your quirk?" "Midoriya, you must teach
me!_ "
"Calm down, now, all of you." Aizawa-sensei said, raising his hand. "You all did terribly at this test,
except for Midoriya, as you already know."
The enthusiasm died quite fast after that.
"But anyway, no one is getting expelled." He continued, grinning madly. "It was a logical ruse, I
wanted to force the best out of all of you."
The perfectly synchronized chorus of "EEEEEEEEH?!" was definitely " _plus-ultra_ ".
—
"Midoriya, wait!"
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Izuku turned around, two already extremely familiar lights catching up to him.
"I must say, Aizawa sensei really got to me, today." Iida said from his right once he and Uraraka took
a side of him each, matching his steps. "I had no doubt that an institute as prestigious as UA would
only let the best of the best to keep learning between its walls. I see how deception can be
motivating, now."
"It was the same for me—" Uraraka replied at his left, embarrassed. "Did you also fell for it,
Midoriya? You really gave it all in that last test!"
Izuku cannot help but let a little laugh out. "I swallowed it hook, line and sinker— I was really
crapping myself." He admitted. "After all that work, to get kicked out on the first day? No way!"
Come to think of it, Izuku hadn't detected any lie in Aizawa-Sensei's light as he explained who showed
poor results would be expelled. Weird.
"What the fuck are you laughing about, Deku?!"
"Aaaand here we go—" Izuku mutters to himself, deadpan. Kacchan ran up to him, rage pouring out of him
in waves. He puts a finger on his chest.
"Listen here, don't you dare think you're so much better than me—"
"I don't."
"I'm going to crush you at the first occasion—"
"Yeah, I know."
"So don't go around with that smug face, you useless Deku!"
And as fast as he came, off he went.
"...Is he always this _pleasant_?" Iida asks, the sarcasm out of place in his serious, composed tone.
"He was almost friendly, this time." Izuku sighs.
"...Is your name Deku? I thought it was Izuku—" Uraraka asked, sounding confused.
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"It is— I mean, no, my name is not Deku, that's just what Kacchan calls me as an insult—"
"Oh, sorry then—" Uraraka says, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "But you know, I kinda like the
name Deku. It makes me think of someone that never gives up!"
Izuku blinks, and for the first time in his life, the word "Deku" doesn't sound bad anymore.
—
When Aizawa enters in the teacher lounge, there's a little neat pile of boxes of cat food with a note
stuck to it sitting on the table.
The note just says _thank you_ , with a crude scribble of All Might's signature hair tufts.
Aizawa snorts, amused "Ridiculous."
—
Inko is trying her best not to pace back and forth as she waits for Izuku.
She kind of overdid it, in her nervousness, and their dinner is already on the table.
Finally the door cracks open, Izuku's voice saying "I'm home!", and when she pops her head out of the
kitchen, she sees him. His hair a bit messier, a small bruise on his cheek, tired.
Smiling.
"Welcome home, dear!" Her arms are already around him, her face on his shoulder. When did he get this
tall? "You have to tell me _everything_."
Izuku grins.
—
As she approaches Izuku's room to wish him good night, as she usually do, he can hear his voice.
"—Yes, I told you! It was crazy!" He's still smiling, lying belly down on his bed, phone against his
ear, legs swinging in the air. "And that girl I met at the exam, remember— She's in my class! We walked
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together to the station, with another classmate, Iida— I think they like me—"
A fond smile finds its way on her lips, as she turn around to go to her room.
She doesn't need to wish him a good night, for today. She knows he's going to sleep just fine.
—
Izuku is almost vibrating in his seat, as All Might's light, shining and bright, approaches their
classroom.
"It's me!" The booming voice starts just outside the room. "— Through the door, like a normal person!"
An excited ripple goes through all the lights of his classmates as they whisper between themselves,
happily, and even Izuku cannot contain the emotions. It doesn't really matter that All Might had
already become pretty much a constant presence in his life well before his start at UA, now their
relationships puts them in a different position.
All Might is finally going to teach him, directly, for the first time!
"Foundational hero studies!" All Might exclaims, taking place at the teacher's desk.
Izuku is _so ready_.
—
Izuku is _not_ ready.
He changed with his excited classmates, happy to put on the costume his mother made for him. He still
remembers her excited voice as she described it to him.
As usual, he could not really visualize it in his mind, but it did not matter, he let her talk about
it, basking in her happiness. He knew the costume was perfect. She hesitated, at first, wondering aloud
if maybe Izuku would prefer something more professionally made, maybe with some support accessories...
But Izuku couldn't really think of any accessory that might support his quirk. It wasn't something
physical that could be enhanced by external gadgetry, it was all in his head. Not much you can add to
that. He'd much rather put on the costume his mother worked so hard on.
All Might guided them to yet another training ground, explaining to them what today's exercise would
consist into. They fished letters from the box, and his heart did a little happy skip as he ended up
paired with Uraraka.
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"It's like, destiny." She laughed, before adding cheerfully. "Happy to work with you!"
Izuku had been super happy to work with her, too, until his happiness got squashed by what All Might
said next.
"Our first hero pair: Uraraka and Midoriya!" He announced after fishing the letters himself. "Versus
our first villain pair: Bakugou and Iida!"
Izuku's heart fell on the floor.
—
"I'm so glad All Might is as nice as he is on TV." Ochako let out a little sigh while she and Midoriya
took position. "I was scared they might try to do that whole expulsion thing again."
When she turned around, Midoriya was pale as a ghost, his shoulders drooping.
"Uhm— You don't look very relieved—"
"I'm sorry— Just— Tense." He replied, stiffly.
"...Bakugou is not very nice to you, is he?" She asked softly.
Midoriya took a deep breath, before squaring himself. "Uraraka, listen. Kacchan is surely going to come
for me, so— I think I might have a plan."
Ochako shifted closer to him. "Tell me."
"We only have five minutes, so listen closely. Here's what we do—"
—
Tenya tried to speak with his partner, but after a couple of sentences it was clear Bakugou had no
interested in planning with him.
"Are you even listening?!" He asked, exasperated, but as soon as the robotic voice announced the start
of the test, Bakugou sprinted away, leaving Tenya alone with the fake nuke.
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Curses_.
—
Kacchan's light was just behind the corner, waiting for him.
Izuku was almost disappointed by that. Did Kacchan really expect him to fall for that?
He and Uraraka separated as soon as they made their way into the building, as planned. Silently, he
fished one of the rocks he collected outside and put in his pocket, launching it towards the corridor
Kacchan was in—
"DEKUUU—!" He screamed, jumping out at the noise.
Izuku's hand was already on his face. He felt the features under his palm, Kacchan's vaguely crooked
nose - _his fault_ \- eyebrows twisted in anger.
With all his strength, he pushed down. Kacchan made a little choking sound when his back hit the floor,
but rapidly turned and jumped back on his feet.
"YOU SHITTY—"
As predicted, Kacchan's usual right hook came. Izuku dodged, grabbing Kacchan's forearm in the way
Ichiko-san taught him, and flipped him over, sending him on the floor again.
He did not waste a second, running away from him as Kacchan spluttered and, even more enraged, called
after him.
—
"Whoa, did you see that flip?! He looked like a professional karateka!" Young Ashido exclaimed,
excited, her fist swinging in front of her."Midoriya is super going toe to toe with Bakugou!"
Toshinori had to channel all his strength to try remain neutral and don't join in her excitement.
"An ambush, though! That was so unmanly!" Young Kirishima said, gritting his teeth.
"An ambush is a valid tactic! This is a battle, after all!" He exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the screen.
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He could not wait to see what young Midoriya has come up with with that brilliant little head of his.
—
Katsuki was _fuming_.
The little shit managed to knock him down not once, but _twice_ , before running away like the coward
he is.
He went in hot pursuit. He was so tired of Deku and his little mind tricks.
Was he blind? Was he quirkless? Katsuki did not fucking _care_ anymore. All he wanted was a fair fight,
face to face, no tricks or traps or other bullshit—
"COME HERE! DEKU!"
The little shit was quick, he has to give that. He kept slipping out from his line of sight, dodging
his attacks like an annoying little eel, leading him around like a stupid dog on a leash.
He kept making those _sounds_. Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
"STOP THAT—" He blurted, irritated. "COME HERE AND FACE ME!"
Somehow, it seemed that the prick was finally listening. He stopped in the middle of an empty room,
turned to face him, and charged.
Katsuki felt a mad grin breaking on his face. _Finally_.
Deku jumped, as if trying to dive over his head. Did he really think he could do something so dumb?
Katsuki readied his fist, an explosion on his palm, and punched.
His fist connected directly with Deku's stomach.
—
Izuku expected the impact, he knew what he was in for, but his body definitely wasn't all too happy
about it.
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The content of his stomach came out of his mouth as the strength of Kacchan's punch pressed him against
the ceiling that crumbled like it was made of sand, and Izuku was shot up, in the room just above their
heads, with all the debris.
He turned around, the lights in his head swimming, and felt Iida making a dash for him.
Away from the bomb.
"Uraraka— Now—" He coughed, bile burning in his throat.
His plan worked.
—
Midoriya stopped the signals, so Ochako stayed still around the corner, preparing mentally. It had to
be a matter of seconds, now.
When she heard the explosion and then his voice -strangled, barely there- she dashed. As Midoriya
predicted, she had an hole in the ceiling, a perfect passage. She jumped up, the bomb to her right, as
Midoriya signaled.
She didn't waste a single second, giving herself another push on the edges of the hole, and she soared
to the fake nuke, hugging the tip of it.
As the voice announced " _Hero team: wins!_ " she turned with a huge smile toward Midoriya, just in
time to see Bakugou's punch connect with his face, sending him tumbling and skidding on the floor, Iida
screaming "Bakugou, no!"
—
Tenya is not happy.
He is not happy with himself, his performance -or lack thereof- a glaring issue in front of everyone's
eyes, and he is not happy with his partner for the day, that ignored him, went alone on some kind of
personal revenge quest, and to top it all, hit a classmate so hard to make him pass out after the
exercise already stopped.
Midoriya had to be transported to the infirmary on a stretcher, unconscious, a mix of blood and bile
trickling down his chin.
Tenya heard an ominous cracking sound when Bakugou punched Midoriya in the face, like breaking bones.
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He _really_ hoped Midoriya wasn't too badly hurt.
Uraraka didn't look very happy as well, he noted. Despite their brilliant win, her expression turned
into horror as she ran toward Midoriya with a worried, strangled noise. She was looking at the floor,
now, nervously playing with her fingers.
"Congratulations for your win." All Might said, the entire class -sans Midoriya- grouped around him.
"Do not worry too much, young Uraraka. Young Midoriya will be fine in a heartbeat, thanks to Recovery
Girl's talents. Now, I would like to review the performance with you all. Tell me, young Uraraka, it
was clear you both had a plan. Can you explain to us what happened?"
"Um—" She hesitated, before taking a deep breath and finally looking up. "It... It was all Midoriya's
idea. He knew that B-Bakugou would try to attack him, so in the five minutes we had to prepare, we
studied a code."
"—A code?" All Might asked, surprise in his voice.
"Yes, he— This way we could communicate without giving away our plan or position. His plan was to lead
Bakugou to the room right under where the nuke was and open a path for me, and he also guided me,
making sure Bakugou wouldn't notice as I trailed close to them. It was a simple code, but effective. He
clicked his tongue, like this—" And she made the sound herself. " One time for right, two times for
left, a louder one to let me know when he individuated the position of the bomb relative to me—"
Tenya blinked, throughly impressed. At his side, Bakugou was literally trembling.
"Once he opened the path for me and told me in which direction the bomb was, all I had to do was to use
my quirk to jump to it before Iida could catch me." Uraraka said, before adding a final whisper. "We
only won thanks to Midoriya."
Tenya wasn't sure, but he had the distinct impression All Might was literally gleaming with pride.
—
Izuku came to with a gasp.
"Oh, you are awake."
The voice made him think of an old lady, as a rather small light made its way toward him.
"Let me see—" She says.
Small hands guides him up in a sitting position, fingers on his cheeks. He hisses when a sting of pain
comes from the left side of his face.
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"It's gonna stay bruised for a couple of days, but the damage has been repaired with no issue. Go to
bed early today, you need to rest."
"Um—" Izuku says, dumbly. "...Who are you?"
There's a moment of silence, and he has the distinct impression the old lady is studying him. "I'm
Recovery Girl, I'm responsible for the infirmary." Then she sighs. "You are one of _those_."
Izuku doesn't have the time to get offended at the word, before she continues. "I'm sure I will see you
here often. Here, take a candy." She slaps something in his hand. "Don't make that face. Young man, you
came in with internal bleeding and a broken jaw and cheek bone on the second day of school. If I had a
fidelity card, you'd be one of those that fills it in a _week_."
Izuku dutifully gulps down his candy, not daring to speak. The pain on the left side of his face makes
much more sense, now.
"You are good to go, I'm sure you can catch the rest of your lesson if you hurry." She says, jumping
down the bed he's sitting on. "And tell All Might on my behalf to _please_ be more careful with his
lesson, next time."
Something in her tone makes him shudder.
"Um— Thanks— I will—" He stammers, giving a little grateful bow before closing the infirmary door
behind him and sprinting in a jog back toward the training grounds, confused.
—
He meets the class half-way, just as they came back from the training ground.
"Oh, I missed it—" He pouts, Uraraka's light sprinting towards him.
"Midoriya, are you ok?" She asks, worry clear in her voice. She hisses through her teeth. "That bruise
looks bad—"
"It's nothing, Recovery Girl patched my face up just fine." He replies with a little smile. He decides
to skip about the internal bleeding, she really doesn't need to know about that. "How did the others
do? I really wanted to assist—"
"Young Midoriya, a word, please."
Both he and Uraraka flinch, and she whispers a little "Good luck." before slipping in their class with
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the others.
All Might's hand is heavy on his shoulder.
"My boy, you've done good, technically speaking." He says, in a low voice. "Your plan was quite
effective and you've worked well with young Uraraka, taking advantage of her quirk. It was a success,
but—"
Izuku turns his head up, toward his idol, silent.
"Please try to tone down the self-sacrificing? As much of a good move that was, in a real combat
situation taking so much damage would put you out of commission, turning you into a liability for your
partner. In order to be able to help others, you must also be able to help yourself, first."
Izuku blinks, mulling on the words. It's true that he planned to take the hit in the first place, and
it's also true that hadn't this been just a training exercise, a hit like that would surely turn him
into a useless dead-weight for whoever he might be working with.
"...I'm sorry." He says, voice low. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
"Good. Now go, I'm sure your classmates have a lot to say to you." The hand on Izuku's shoulder
squeezes, gently, All Might's voice lowering. "Unofficially speaking: I'm very proud of you. Good job."
Izuku is sure his chest might explode with the praise, and he gives himself a couple of seconds to calm
down as All Might walks away from him.
"Oh! All Might, sir?" He calls out, remembering.
"Yes?"
"Um— Recovery Girl told me to tell you to be more careful next time." Izuku says, embarrassed.
"Please."
"...Understood. Thank you, young Midoriya."
Izuku cannot be sure, but he has the distinct impression All Might shuddered, too.
—
As soon as he opens the door, he's assaulted.
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"I don't know how you came up with that, but that was like, so manly!" Kirishima -that's his name,
Izuku is pretty sure- sounds excited.
"I liked your moves! Did you study hand-to-hand combat?" A female voice intervenes. "I'm Ashido Mina!
The way you dodge is great!"
"I'm Asui Tsuyu, but call me Tsuyu. I liked your fight."
"Hey, hey! I'm Rikido Sato!"
Izuku let's out a little nervous laugh. "Thanks— Um— Everyone. It's nice to meet you!"
He spends some minutes chatting with his classmates, finally having the chance to properly introduce
himself, until he notices the absence of a certain, very familiar light.
"Maybe you guys can tell me something—"
—
"KACCHAN!"
His heart is beating in his throat. He's not sure why he's doing this, but there's something, something
that makes him feel like he can't just leave things at that.
Kacchan has stopped, barely turning to him.
"I— Um—" He takes a deep breath. "Today, I tried with everything I had to win."
Kacchan doesn't answer.
"A-and still— I made it out completely destroyed. No matter what, you are stronger than me in every
way. But—"
There's a beat of silence. Izuku looks directly at Kacchan, his mouth in a thin line.
"But I will surpass you, one day, with my own strength. Just wait."
"What the fuck are you even talking about, shithead—" Kacchan replies in a low voice, through gritted
teeth. "You— You won. You beat me."
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Kacchan breath shudders in his chest as he completely turns around. "You won! And— And did you even—
Even that goddamn round-face totally tricked me— And that stupid ice guy it's so— They are all—"
Kacchan's light is jittering with nervous energy, and when he speaks next, Izuku hears the tears in his
voice.
"Hear me out, Deku! From this moment on, I— I'm going to become the number one! And you will never beat
me again, are we clear?!"
Izuku feels All Might approaching from behind, fast as a thunderbolt, before he can even think of how
to reply.
"My boy!" All Might says, standing near Kacchan's light. "Self confidence is very important!"
He doesn't need to hear this. Izuku turns around, leaving All Might at it. Those words are not for him.
those words are for Kacchan, now.
The distance between him and Kacchan, that Izuku always felt was an a mountain range, high in the sky,
impossible to surpass, transformed.
He could finally see Kacchan's back.
—
Aizawa sighed, thinking about at the evaluations Toshinori has given to him the evening prior.
Most students seemed to act in line with what he'd expected of them, except for those glaring three
outliers.
Iida has strangely been very passive during the exercise, not something he'd expect from someone as
serious and dutiful as him. When he told him so, in class, the boy nodded, looking contrite.
"I'm aware of my shortcomings." He replied. "It won't happen again, sir."
Aizawa nodded, seeing no need to add anything else. He then turned to _those_ other two.
"Bakugou."
Aizawa noticed the boy's nervous, competitive to a fault, attitude. But he'd be lying if he said he did
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not get surprised reading his evaluation. The way he acted seemed really extreme.
"You are better than this." Aizawa reprimanded, patting his hand on the pile of sheets. "Stop acting
like a child. You are wasting your talent."
"...I know." The boy replied, voice low and serious.
As for the last one...
Midoriya Izuku surely seemed to have a bad habit. While it had won him a place into the rankings, the
way he acted during the exam could be considered almost suicidal. During the hide and seek test, when
he'd claimed that last point, hadn't Aizawa been there Midoriya would've fallen directly into concrete,
and there is no saying whenever he would survive that fall or not.
And yesterday, he actually planned to take a direct hit from Bakugou in order to win.
This would not do.
"Midoriya. While your plan was cunning, you've openly decided to take a hit in order to win." Aizawa
says, watching the boy jump in surprise. "Let this be the last time you voluntarily jump in a situation
where you know perfectly well you will get hurt, or possibly even die. Are we clear?"
Midoriya hand is running up and down his arm, a frown on his face. "...Yes, sir."
"Ok, that is all. Now— I don't like to tell you with so little notice—"
A strange atmosphere fills the room, all the students tensing.
"But we need to pick a class president."
The mix of relieved sighs and exclamations of "That's so _normal_!" It's almost amusing.
—
"I GOT THREE VOTES?!"
Izuku stammers, shocked.
Who would even want to vote for him?!
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" _Who voted for Deku?_!"
Yeah, right on point.
"Midoriya." Yaoyorozu calls him, and he stumbles at her side in front of the class, his head light.
"Well, Midoriya as president, Yaoyorozu as vice-president. Glad you didn't waste too much time on
this." Aizawa-sensei says, bored. "Now back to your desks, I have a lesson to go through."
—
During lunch, sitting with Uraraka and Iida, Izuku sighs.
"I don't think I will be up to the task, to be honest—"
"Nonsense." Iida interrupts him. "You have heart and good judgment. I know you have what the class
needs, that's why I voted for you."
Izuku is left speechless. Iida, that clearly sounded like he wanted very badly to be president himself,
voted for him?
"I agree." Uraraka adds. "With what Iida said, I mean— I um— I voted for you, too." She clearly sounds
embarrassed, hastily adding. "By the way, Iida, are you from an upper-class family? You always sound so
proper!"
Izuku wants nothing but to be able to mull over _what even is going on right now_ , when Iida reveals
to them that he's the younger brother of the hero Ingenium, and well. Izuku it's still a fanboy to
heart, at the end of the day.
—
Then pure chaos happens, and Izuku cannot do anything but let himself being dragged away by a panicked
crowd, when Iida saves the day.
For how happy and confused he is by the trust put into him, Izuku knows what the right thing to do is,
now.
—
"There's a thing I want to say." He's facing the class, Yaoyorozu at his side. He smiles. "Iida has
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proven to be able to act properly in the time of need and, frankly, I think he's the better man for
this job. I think Iida should be class president, instead of me."
Izuku is happy to hear that the idea is welcomed with enthusiasm by his classmates, and the badly
hidden happiness in Iida's voice as he steps up and formally accepts his new role is enough to cement
in Izuku's mind the idea he's done the right thing.
Later, as he's putting his shoes ready to go home, Iida approaches him.
"Midoriya. Thank you, for what you've done today."
"No problem. I— What you told me at lunch—" Izuku replies, facing him. "It counts for me, too. I'm sure
you will do an amazing job, class president."
He offers his fist, and Iida seems almost unsure, as if he's not used to this kind of camaraderie,
before meeting it with his own, then sprinting home with an enthusiast bye.
Uraraka catches up to him a couple of minutes later, chirping. "Let's walk together!"
"I was really surprised to hear you and Iida voted for me, today." Izuku says after a while, filling
the silence. His voice is unsure. "I don't really think I deserve that kind of trust—"
He notices she stopped walking only a few seconds later.
"...Uraraka?"
"Midoriya." Her voice is serious, in a way he never heard before. "You... You know everyone in class
already looks up to you, right?"
Izuku is left speechless, stupidly blinking,
"In only three days of school you've shown us all that you're capable, and smart, and k-kind." She
continues. "Everyone, me and Iida included, thinks very highly of you. Do not ever forget that."
He doesn't know how to reply to that.
Somehow, it feels as if Uraraka just saw right through him.
Notes for the Chapter*
I know I said last chapter that Bakugou will have his chance to reedem himself just... Give him more
time... *sweats*
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6. The evil
UA is so unlike middle school it almost feels like that was a lifetime ago, despite the fact his last
day of middle school had been just over a month prior.
Of course that is a given, considering the general subjects treated in the hero course, but even the
more normal stuff feels new to him.
The teachers don't pretend the impossible from him, nor they put him aside, completely ignoring him
just because that's easier. They work with him, instead.
"Midoriya, I usually have my students read in class, can you do that?" Cementoss-sensei asked him,
earnest.
"I um— I could with my braille display, but it will be pretty slow compared to the others."
The teacher hummed, thoughtful.
"Not that I would mind, of course, but if you'd prefer something else... Do you have in mind an activity
that could come to you naturally? I'll look into other options in the future, but for now..."
"Well— I could listen and provide a text-analysis at the end, maybe?"
"That seems like a nice solution for the time being." A really heavy hand on his shoulder. "If you
think of any other activity, later, do let me know!"
Present Mic seems to have taken a like to him after Izuku proposed to sustain a direct conversation in
english with him instead of writing sentences on the blackboard as the others did, which would result
in disaster.
"You're a bit stiff, but you have a good basic grasp of the language!" The teacher had - _loudly_ \-
complimented him after. " _Good job_ , let this be of example to your classmates!"
All the other subject went in similar fashion, with him working with their teachers in finding a work-
around that would put him on even footing with his peers. It became clear that his academic results
were nothing to scoff at, and soon enough some of his classmates started coming to him for help.
"Midoriyaaaa can you explain this math problem to me? I didn't get a thiiiing—" Kaminari would whine,
melting on his desk, making Izuku laugh before he'd scoot over to leave him some space to sit at his
side, patiently explaining what he could.
No one tried to play pranks on him, or made fun of him, or even showed the tiniest doubt Izuku couldn't
do something. If only, it was clear that what Uraraka has said to him at the end of their third day was
true: his classmates deeply respected him.
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It made him feel so... Normal.
And not only that. They were friendly. They _liked_ Izuku. They would laugh with him, not at him.
Pranks were a daily occurrence but they were always evenly distributed, and they never were malicious
or made anyone feel bad. His classmates seemed delighted in trying to sneak up to him and fail every
single time, making amazed and amused sounds every time Izuku would stop a hand ready to poke him
without even turning, saying the name of whoever was trying with a smile in his voice.
"The blind guy is the only one that can see the invisible girl. _Hilarious_." Kacchan commented one day
in his usual brash tone, after Izuku caught apparently nothing mid-air over his shoulder, and then
Hagakure, which had probably shed her entire uniform for the sole purpose of trying to be the one
person finally taking him by surprise, whined " _Hoooow_ —"
Izuku ignored him, laughing joyfully with her.
—
They were on the bus, on their way to their next training session, Izuku internally laughing at the
banter happening between his classmates while they spoke of their respective quirks.
Kaminari calling Kacchan's personality " _A turd steaming in sewer water_ " had been both hilarious and
on point. He and Kacchan had mostly ignored each other after that second-day disaster, and yet everyone
had come to an understanding of what kind of person Kacchan was.
Soon they came to a stop, being guided inside a giant dome. Izuku couldn't even feel the tip of it, for
how high it was. Inside, all sorts simulated grounds, from a city on fire to flooded areas.
Aizawa-sensei had given them a brief explanation of which kind of exercise they will be working at,
today. He couldn't wait to start, everything seemed so exciting!
They met with a light Izuku wasn't familiar with, Uraraka at his side excitedly gasping "It's Space
Hero No. 13! One of my favorites!"
After all the due introductions, 13 started to explain what the place was and what they were all going
to do, but Izuku's attention was elsewhere.
There was something weird, at the center of the the dome. He could feel a large group of lights -
thirty? Forty?- but they weren't clear as usual. It was as if he was searching for them through a thick
fog of some sort of energy. Not to mention they were all levitating a few meters off the ground.
"Um, sensei—" He says, raising a hand. "I'm sorry to interrupt— It was my understanding that it was
just us and you teachers here, today?"
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"That's what I said, yes." Aizawa-sensei replies, perplexed.
"...Then why there are at least thirty people standing right in the center of the dome?"
Something weird happens. Aizawa-sensei's light spikes up, as if he's suddenly scared, and he yells "
Group together and go back to the bus, NOW!_ 13, escort the students—"
" _Now, kid_ —" A unknown voice, right behind Izuku. He doesn't have the time to turn around, as a new
light engulfs him. "It's not nice to give us away like that."
Izuku's world goes dark.
—
Aizawa can only watch, powerless, as a black mist appears behind Midoriya, engulfing him, and then the
boy is gone.
He has to take the students away, _right now_ , they are already starting to panic after seeing their
classmate taken away. Logic dictates he should go with them, make sure the majority of them are safe—
Midoriya_.
Goddamnit. "Everyone, don't panic! 13 will escort you out, and alert the school!" He says, as 13 is
trying to herd them back.
"Sir, Midoriya—!" Iida exclaims, his voice betraying a tremble despite his best effort to sound
controlled.
"I'll take care of him! Now go!"
"All Might is arriving, right?" Asui asks, over one of 13's arm.
"He—" Aizawa exchanges a knowing look with 13. "You have to go, and call the school, _now_. GO!"
He turns before anyone else had the time to ask something, jumping down the staircase leading to the
center of the dome, where around thirty -j _ust as Midoriya had said_ \- unsavory-looking individuals
were waiting.
He doesn't hear the screams, already too far. Had he turned around, he could've seen the last particles
of the black mist disappearing in the air, and with them, most of his students.
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—
Izuku world of lights emerges back again as he unceremoniously roll on the ground, spit out by that
weird force that had taken him in.
"...What is this, Kurogiri?"
Another voice unknown to Izuku, low and scratchy. He focuses, turning toward the source of the voice,
and his heart skips a beat.
Not once he had ever felt a light like that. If he had to find a word to describe it, it would be
"anti-light". Nausea creeps in his stomach by just the feel of it.
Izuku doesn't know who this person is, and what their intention are, but he knows something for sure.
This person is the embodiment of evil.
"Trouble, it's what it is." The voice that had taken Izuku away from his class -Kurogiri, he presumes-
replies. "This kid rattled us out. Saw us long before I opened the portal, somehow."
"Huuh?" The evil says.
"I almost didn't manage to scatter the other kids around. Thankfully, instead of immediately obeying
their teachers, they hesitated. Should've known better." Kurogiri continues. "The plan almost blew up
thanks to this one kid."
"Really, now."
Izuku scrambled back up on his feet, knees like jelly. He took a step back, as the evil came closer to
him.
"Interesting— Say, little one— You don't happen to know where All Might is, by any chance?"
Izuku's head suddenly feels light with fear. "W... What do you want from him?" He manages to rasp out.
Izuku can't be sure, but he has the impression that the evil is _smiling_.
—
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Aizawa finally sees him.
He's dodging and attacking, as he frantically searches for Midoriya. Group fights had never been his
forte, and he needs to _find Midoriya and get him out of here_ —
Relief washes over him when he finally catches a glimpse of the boy. He seems unharmed, standing near
what he can only imagine is the man responsible for the teleportating mist going by his appearance and
another individual, tall and thin, a series of pale, weird hands hanging all over his body.
He starts to attack more furiously, now, downing the inexperienced thugs around him like flies,
clearing himself a path toward Midoriya. If he can catch him he should be able to make it to safety
with him, as long as he keeps his eyes pointed on the man with the teleportation quirk.
—
"We've got a visitor incoming." Kurogiri says, before the evil could answer Izuku's question.
"Oh, your teacher is coming for you, how touching." The evil says. Izuku catches the familiar aura of
Aizawa-sensei's light at his left, rapidly closing in.
"Kurogiri."
It happens really fast. Izuku feels Kurogiri's light moving in a strange way - _It's a portal, he
called it a portal-_ and the evil's not-light goes darker on his fingers, as if his killing instincts
are concentrating in those specific points, he raises his arm—
Izuku bolts, instinct kicking in.
"SENSEI!"
The portal opens near Aizawa-sensei's head just as Izuku is crashing into him with all his strength.
The evil's hand comes out of it, and instead of closing around Aizawa-sensei's head the five fingers
graze Izuku's cheek, under his right eye.
The pain is almost unbearable for a second.
—
Aizawa was so close to Midoriya, when the boy had suddenly turned and charged right at him with a
shout. They crash, Midoriya's entire body weight pushing him back as he screams in pain, and tumble
down in a mess of limbs.
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"Oh." The man with the hands says, monotone. "I missed."
When they stop, Aizawa's back against a boulder, Midoriya is breathing heavily and uneven. Aizawa
raises the boy's face to his, a hand under his chin.
The skin on the boy's right cheek seems to have fallen off clean, muscles visible and out in the open.
Blood is already rolling down his jaw and neck, drops staining Aizawa's scarf.
"Sensei—" Midoriya pants, his right eye twitching in pain. "Don't— _Don't let him touch you_ —"
—
"Midoriya, what did I tell you about jumping in situations were you know you will get hurt?"
Izuku manages to let out a little, weak laugh. "I didn't really know what he could do— I just had the
feeling it wasn't anything good—" He pants, slowly standing with Aizawa-sensei's hands steadying him.
"Besides, if I hadn't jumped, sensei would be dead."
Aizawa-sensei doesn't seem to have anything to say to that. His hands on Izuku's arms squeeze him a
little.
"Midoriya."
His voice is dead serious. Izuku snaps to attention, keeping a metaphorical eye out to Kurogiri and the
evil, that seems to don't particularly care about closing the distance between them, for the moment.
"I don't want to say this—" Sensei continues. "But if we want to make it alive out of here, I will need
your help. Can you tell me something useful about these people?"
"I—" Izuku coughs. "The one with the portals. There's a delay, I think— a couple of seconds, more or
less, between the moment his portal moves into position, and the moment it actually opens."
"That will have to do." Aizawa-sensei whispers. "Can you see where he moves his portals?"
"Yes."
Aizawa-sensei's fingers are like a vice when he takes one of Izuku's hand in his. "Get ready."
—
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It seemed they almost could make it, for a few instants.
Aizawa and the boy had sprinted, Midoriya pulling him away from the portals that tried to open under
their feet three times before the two villains caught up with what was going on.
"Something is coming in front of us—!" Midoriya had tried to warm him, as a vaguely humanoid, towering
figure came out from another portal, to no avail.
The thing was on them in a second, his fist connecting directly with Aizawa's face.
—
Izuku is pulled back by the force of the hit, as Aizawa-sensei's hand around his slips away. He hits
the ground painfully, belly up, turning his head upside down as he takes in what had managed to attack
them so fast.
He finds himself shocked, again.
Whatever that _thing_ is, it's not human. The light... No, the _lights_ , are all wrong, as if someone
has managed to cram a group of people in a jar.
Aizawa-sensei makes a choked sound of pain, stumbling to get back on his feet.
"That was a good effort, not going to lie." The evil says, leisurely walking towards them. "But the big
guy is here, now, so you two will not make it far. Is All Might coming at some point, or...?"
"What do you want from him?" Aizawa-sensei asks, his voice slightly nasal.
"To kill him, obviously."
Izuku's heart shot up to his throat.
"As if." Aizawa-sensei replies, sarcastic. He spits, presumably blood. "I'm more than enough for a
group of cowards like you."
That seems to strike a chord, as the evil's voice, that had been mostly impassible with a touch of
amusement at times, so far, turns angry. "Cowards?"
"What do you call someone that attacks in group a bunch of kids? I have other words, if you want them.
Wimps. Weaklings. Take your pick." Aizawa-sensei kept taunting, strangely out of character for him. "I
don't even _need_ the boy's help, I can take you on by myself. C'mon, you big cowards."
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That's a cue, Izuku realizes. Aizawa-sensei is telling him to run.
How does he expect Izuku to run away and leave him alone with these horrible people?!_
"Well, now you've gone and pissed me off—" The evil grunts, a strange scratching sound follows. "Noumu,
take care of him. I'm going to turn the kid to dust right in front his eyes while you beat him to a
pulp."
A shiver of fear goes down Izuku's spine at those words. It's like the evil's not-light is injecting
murdering intentions directly into his _soul_.
The not human thing moves, almost hitting Aizawa-sensei, that rolls away with a grunt just in time.
" _What are you waiting for, Midoriya?! RUN!_ "
He can't. His legs are locked, his breath is getting shorter, it's like the evil's not-light is
poisoning his entire being—
"Don't worry, kid. It's only going to hurt until you die."
—
Whatever this monstrosity is, Aizawa cannot keep fighting it for long. He already took considerable
damage, he's sure most bones in his face are broken, all he can taste in the back of his throat is the
iron of blood.
For how hulking it is, the creature it's frighteningly fast. The man with the hands is almost on
Midoriya now, the boy is completely paralyzed by fear, trembling on his legs. The man is stretching his
arm, fingers ready to grab Midoriya's face—
Aizawa has no choice. He activates his quirk just an instant before the fingertips make contact with
Midoriya, taking a full hit that literally sinks him three centimeters into the concrete.
—
The contact finally snaps Izuku out of his stupor. He jumps back, away from the hand on his face, his
skin miraculously still in place.
"That was really cool, really cool indeed, Eraserhead—" The evil is mumbling.
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Izuku's mind suddenly clears. As he'd been standing there like an idiot, Aizawa-sensei saved his life
and he's now on the ground, having taken a hit of the frightening not human thing.
It's all my fault_ , he frantically thinks, a hiccup itching in his throat, _should've listened to
sensei in the first place, stupid stupid_ * _stupid* _—_
The evil's face makes a crunching noise under his fist, when the punch connects directly with his
cheek.
—
Kurogiri's eyes widen when the boy with the curly hair lands a hit on Shigaraki, that was too
distracted looking at Eraserhead to notice the kid had charged to attack.
Shigaraki tumbles on the floor not making a sound. Damn, he's gonna be _insufferable_ once they finally
go back home—
He has to intervene, before Shigaraki goes full batshit, but the boy somehow dodges his portals with a
roll. Again.
"You are an annoying little fly, aren't you?" He asks, warping himself closer to the kid.
"Kurogiri—" Shigaraki voice snaps, enraged. "Don't try to intervene. This annoying brat is _mine_."
"As you wish, Shigaraki Tomura." He replies, knowing the sarcasm will be lost on him. Well, master
cannot admonish him if he had at least _tried_ to reign Shigaraki in a bit.
—
Kurogiri steps back dutifully after the evil - _Shigaraki_ \- has ordered him to, while getting back on
his feet.
The not-light it's still suffocating, but Izuku is not going to let it freeze him again, not this time.
He steels himself, ready for combat.
This man, Shigaraki— Has a frightening powerful quirk. And he seems prone to let himself getting easily
provoked.
He might be just the kind of person that doesn't bother learning any hand-to-hand combat, too sure in
the strength of his quirk.
Maybe Izuku has a chance. Maybe Izuku can buy enough time, until All Might is finally here.
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Aizawa-sensei, please, hang on—!_
—
Aizawa is doing his best not to pass out.
The creature- The Noumu is keeping him down, blocking him with his weight after giving him quite a
beating. He must have some internal damage, Aizawa considers with a distant thought, pain flaring from
his insides. His right arm is in pieces after the Noumu had crushed it between it's fingers, and it is
obviously considering of doing the same with his left.
Aizawa can't allow himself to pass out. He needs to— _He needs to keep his eyes on the kid_ —
Midoriya is going toe to toe with the man with the hands. His movements are quick and efficient as he
dodges and hits whenever he can, making the man with the hands growing more and more impatient and
twitchy as their one-sided fight keeps going.
But, despite his clear superiority in hand-to-hand, the boy had too many close calls already. Too many
times the fingers had almost touched his body, Aizawa has— _He has to make sure to stop him if it
happens_ —
The man with the hands goes down with a grunt when Midoriya ducks away from his stretched hand and
places a rolling kick on the man's ankles.
"You goddamn _brat_ —"
"It's this all that you have?!" Midoriya growls, breathless. He's painting heavily, sweat rolling down
his face, mixing with the blood on his cheek. "And you think you can kill All Might?!"
The man with the hands slowly climbs back on his feet, scratching at his neck obsessively. "I don't
like this brat— I don't like this brat— _I don't like this brat_ — NOUMU!"
No—_ Aizawa thinks, his vision blurring. He has the time to feel the weight raise from him, and see a
dark blur, hear the sickening crunch of Midoriya's left arm breaking as the boy let out a choked yell
of pain, before his world goes dark.
—
Izuku's breath wheezes painfully through his chest after he's finally done skidding on the floor.
His left arm is a flaming point of pain. He _felt_ the bones break when he took the noumu's fist in
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full force, flying away with the recoil of the hit.
The open wound on his cheek pulses painfully, fresh blood starting to seep again after Izuku's face had
been grinding against the concrete.
He's shivering, he realizes, his teeth chattering. He can feel tears sting at his eyes, as he painfully
focus to try make sense of things again—
Aizawa-sensei passed out, his light a bit dimmer— Izuku feverishly scans his surrounding trying to find
something, _anything_ , to get the both of them out of this situation— All he can feel are the distant
lights of his classmates, fighting for their lives themselves, and— And—
And then he feels it. A laugh escapes his lips, hysterical.
"You've lost." He says, his voice almost unrecognizable to his own ears, turning what he knows must
look like a lopsided, crazy grin toward Shigaraki and Kurogiri. " _He's here._ "
—
Toshinori had been having a bad feeling all morning.
At some point he bolted away from Nedzu's office, unable to keep the sensation at bay anymore. He'd
been sprinting toward the training grounds, when young Iida met him half way, breathless, scared,
desperate.
His students— his wonderful, young students were fighting for their lives while he had been sitting and
drinking _tea_ —
Unforgivable_.
When he finally arrives, he cannot find it in himself to smile.
He sees 13, on the floor, badly wounded, young Uraraka and Ashido fussing, tears coming to their eyes
when they saw him arrive.
He sees young Asui, holding an unconscious Mineta on her back, hiding as best as she could from the
villains around her.
He sees Aizawa, face down in concrete, a pool of blood under it.
He sees _—Young Midoriya._
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The boy is attempting to stand, left arm hanging at a weird angle from his shoulder - _broken_ \- blood
rolling down his face and neck, a big red stain already on his clothing - _open wound_ -, his eyes
glistening - _tears_ -, his teeth bared, like a cornered animal.
He cannot smile.
Unforgivable._
—
Izuku had managed to finally get back on his feet, still shivering, as All Might stood at the top of
the stair, a quiet, seething rage coming out in waves from his light.
All Might moves incredibly fast. In a second he's on Aizawa-sensei, taking him in his arms and
transporting him away from danger. The second after, he's on Izuku, his big arms incredibly gentle
around him despite the haste of his movements.
"Young Midoriya." He says, his voice has a quiet, almost broken note Izuku had never heard before.
"All Might—" Izuku hiccups. "They want to kill you— Are you out of time—"
He hears a sound, it takes him a second to realize it's the sound of All Might grinding his teeth.
"Do not worry." All Might arms slowly release him, as he stands. "Everything will be alright."
A knot that was in Izuku's chest slowly releases, as those familiar words brings him incredible
comfort.
"Wait—" He forces himself to say, his hand, so small, closes around All Might's big one. "That thing.
The noumu. It's... It's not human. It's like... It's like it has a lot of people in a single body."
All Might stops for a moment, taking his words in.
"Please, be careful." Izuku whispers.
All Might gives his hand a gentle squeeze, before jumping into battle. But soon enough, it's obviously
things are not going well. The noumu is fast, and takes hits like All Might is barely swatting at him.
Kurogiri had opened a portal when All Might had almost managed to flip the noumu on its back, trapping
the both of them. He hears the monstrous fingers sink into flesh.
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Izuku never, ever, _ever_ wants to hear All Might choking in pain, ever again.
Kurogiri, _that cowardly bastard_ —
Izuku's feet had started to move already. He knows All Might will be mad at him, but he just cannot
stand there and do _nothing_ —
He's not the only one, he realizes, familiar lights coming into All Might's aid.
Todoroki's ice zaps past him, freezing the noumu half stuck into the portal, Kacchan's explosion makes
his ears ring as he hits Kurogiri, and Shigaraki only barely manages to avoid Kirishima with a backstep
and a grunt.
"Shit! I almost had him!" Kirishima exclaims, frustrated.
"Don't you move, you shitty ass shadow—" Kacchan is growling.
"The symbol of peace will not go down so easily, you idiots." Todoroki adds, glacial.
And standing there, between his classmates, despite his useless arm and his useless body, Izuku still
feels hope blossoming in his chest.
All Might is not alone._
—
Toshinori coughs, ignoring the pain pulsing through his body.
His magnificent students have yet again surpassed his every expectations, coming to his aid, stopping
the villains quickly and efficiently. Young Bakugou had even individuated the weak point of one on
them, keeping him in check.
The noumu, half frozen, snaps up on a single leg, leaving behind pieces of his body. Toshinori watches
in horror as it rapidly regenerates the lost limbs, the man with the hands monologuing about the
prowess of his creature like a child bragging about his new, favorite toy.
His heart almost skips a beat as the monster immediately springs for young Bakugou, fortunately he
makes it in time, putting the boy out of danger, taking the hit for him.
His arm— The hit was incredibly strong, yet again. Young Midoriya had told him, _like it has a lot of
people in a single body._
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Certainly explained the creature's apparently endless talents.
"Do you not have any mercy?" He spits out, enraged.
"We had to save our ally, didn't we?" The man with the hands replies. "Just before you arrived, one of
your kids— The plain looking one— He'd been trying to give me such a beating, quite skillfully— From
whom he learnt, and for who do you think he'd been lashing out with such violence? Eh, _hero_?"
Toshinori grits his teeth as the man goes on and on, rambling about society and violence and
whatever_.
"Stop trying to lead me around." He interrupts. "You just want to have some fun, don't you?"
"You saw through me so quickly." The man replies, voice lower, his eyes glinting madly behind the hand
covering most of his face.
Nearby, his students are discussing between themselves a plan of attack. He cannot possibly allow them
to put themselves in danger yet again.
"No! You must escape!" He orders.
"If I hadn't supported you, things would've turned out bad." Young Todoroki replies, matter-of-factly.
"All Might... Your time— Ah—" Young Midoriya starts, before hesitating, his right hand on his mouth.
"You are indeed right, young Todoroki, and I owe you one!" He replies, flashing a thumbs up. "But now,
do not worry! I will show you how it's done!"
It's true that he's out of time. He needs to finish this, _now_.
He charges for the noumu, the man with the hands attempting to belittle him yet again.
If the thing can absorb his 100%, then he will need to bring out _more_.
—
Izuku can only stand there, his mouth hanging open, as All Might's light goes possibly even brighter
than normal.
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The air shift caused by the strength of his hits it's almost suffocating, causing all of them to be
unable to move a single step forward.
The noumu finally goes down. Or, more correctly, it goes up, launched into the sky by one last punch.
The not-light of Shigaraki shifts and moves, clearly distressed, as he mumbles to himself something
about cheats or whatever.
"Now, how about we put an end to this." All Might says.
And in that moment, Izuku knows he's lying.
He's out. He's completely out of time. He's bluffing_ —
Kirishima tugs at his unbroken arm, trying to convince him to fall back, his tone not worried in the
slightest, clearly trusting in All Might.
Izuku is the only one that knows—_
They are still exchanging words, All Might and Shigaraki. All Might's light is shivering, almost about
to go out—
Kurogiri moves, and with him Izuku.
—
Toshinori is frozen on the spot, he knows that if he dares to try move a single step, now, he will
shift back.
The man with the black mist is charging forward. All he can do, now, is hope his precious kids have put
enough distance between themselves and the villai—
A choked sound gets stuck in his throat as young Midoriya flies into his field of vision, his right arm
stretched forward as if he's trying to catch the black mist, his teeth bared in desperation.
The man with the hands has put his arm in the mist, reaching for the boy—
A bullet wheezes past, sinking into the pale hand.
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Many more follows, and he knows his kids are finally safe, the other pros are here, the villains are
forced to fall back as young Midoriya crashes down and roll in front of him with a painful, choked
yell. He can feel himself start to shift, steam rising out of him, concealing him momentarily from
prying eyes.
Cementoss come to his aid just in time, hiding him from young Kirishima that was running in their
direction, calling out to young Midoriya, clearly worried for him.
"I'm a fan of you, too, you know." Cementoss had replied, good-naturedly, after Toshinori had thanked
him. "Better keep your true form hidden. You should head to the infirmary right away, and try not to
overdo it so much next time, huh?"
Toshinori sighs in relief. He wants to sink to the ground, exhausted, but he limps towards young
Midoriya, that has managed to kneel, holding his broken arm.
His eyes are full of tears when he lowers himself in front of him.
"I felt it—" He sobs, looking up at him, pure desperation on his features. "Your light— It went out—It—
A piece of it— It went out— _Forever_ —"
Toshinori blinks, watching the young man wracked by desperate sobs, hanging his head low again, big
tears hitting the floor.
He doesn't need to ask what he means. He knows his time has shortened again, after this.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." He whispers, putting a gentle arm around the boy's head and guiding it
against his chest. "But it's ok, young Midoriya. Everything will be alright."
The boy sobs, shaking his head, but he melts into the comforting embrace.
Notes for the Chapter*
btw I'm kind of playing as I damn well please with the timeline in this fic because the timeline in
canon is kind of bonkers sometimes and I need these poor kids to have some time to settle before they
get thrown into hell for the love of god
Also have one more art today, so you can see what Ichiko looks like
7. Legacy
"I will see you in a bit, young Midoriya." All Might says, patting his head one last time.
It almost felt like mom's pats. Maybe she was rubbing some of her mannerism off on All Might,
considering how much time the man has spent at their house in these months.
Not that he'd complain.
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His eyes and nose stings for how much he cried. He tries not to think about what he felt, fresh tears
threatening to come up at the mere thought.
It had been horrible, to feel All Might's light shrink, and a piece of it detaching, wiggling and
thrashing like an animal in pain for a few seconds, before dissolving into dust, to never come back
again.
He doesn't want to feel that happen ever again.
He sniffles, All Might's light guided away by Cementoss-sensei a blurry point in the radius of his
quirk, when something soft touches his thigh.
"Midoriya. It's principal Nedzu." The little voice says.
"Oh, hello, sir—" Izuku rasps out, his voice raw against his throat. He has the distinct impression
that the small principal is scanning him to the depth of his soul.
"How hurt are you?" He asks.
"My arm's broken and I have this... _Thing_ on my cheek, but aside from that I'm ok." He's dead tired on
his feet, too, but that's beside the point.
"I see. You should go to the infirmary right away, then. We are rounding all the students up to make
sure no one is missing, but of course medical attention comes first, I will count you in—"
Izuku doesn't want anything more than to let Recovery Girl put the fire that's burning in his arm out,
but, he realizes, the roaring need to make sure that all his classmates are ok, to feel their lights
near, vastly supersedes his need to be healed.
"No." He replies. "No I— I can wait—I want to see the others, first—"
"...Are you sure?"
"Yes."
The principal sighs in a way that suggest he already knew Izuku would say that. "This way, then."
As they walk closer to the little cluster of lights, Izuku is immediately relieved to see that everyone
it's there, safe and sound, after a rapid head count. He knew that Kacchan, Todoroki and Kirishima were
safe, of course, but the others—
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"Midoriya! Are you ok?!" Kirishima exclaims, his voice a little ragged, running in his direction after
having noticed him getting closer. "You gave me such a scare, man, I thought you were done for—"
"Midoriya." Asui had joined him, too, speaking before he could answer. "I saw you fighting that man.
You were very brave."
"It was nothing—" He stammers, feeling his cheek redden in embarrassment.
"MIDORIYA!" Uraraka pretty much made a dash for them as soon as she heard his name. She sounds like
she'd been crying. "Oh my god, are you—" An hiccup. "Tsuyu told us what happened— You got dragged right
in the middle of that— I don't know how do you do any of this—" She's rambling, probably gesticulating
going by the movements of her light.
"Do what?" Izuku replies, perplexed.
" _This_!" She answers, exasperated, pointing at his entire being. "If I had been in your place I don't
think I would've been capable of moving a single step! I was frozen with fear _up here_ , and you
fought the _boss_ of the villains?!"
Oh._
"I—"
"I think that is quite enough." Principal Nedzu intervenes. He almost sounds amused. "I understand you
are all happy to see your classmate, but we need to count you up and then send Midoriya to the
infirmary."
"O-of course, sir—" Uraraka stammers. As they make their way to the rest of the class, she puts a hand
on his shoulder, gently. "I'm so _glad_ you are ok, Izuku—" She whispers.
He doesn't comment on the fact she used his name, too shocked to blurt out a single word, the rest of
the class welcoming him with similar, relieved calls.
As he's surrounded by his classmates... No, by his _friends_ , all equally happy to see him in one piece,
the heavy knot in his chest that had taken place there from the very moment he got warped away from his
class finally releases.
Maybe things _will_ be ok.
—
Recovery Girl grumbles a bit as she patches him up with a wet kiss, but doesn't add much more.
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"Considering the situation, I won't scold you two. _This time_."
All Might had already been there when Izuku arrived, lying on one of the cots.
"What held you?" He asked upon Izuku entering, curious.
Izuku tried to shrug, before remembering he had a broken arm and hiss in pain. "I just wanted to make
sure the others were ok." He said, not elaborating much more.
All Might had made a knowing hum, murmuring "I'm very glad your classmates are all fine, then." as
Recovery Girl guided Izuku to one of the cots and had started to work on him.
She's putting his arm in a light cast, now, hanging it from his neck. "You had multiple fractures. The
bones are repaired, but I recommend to keep the cast at least a couple of days to give your arm time to
rest. How does your cheek feel?"
Izuku carefully palmed at his face with his free hand. The skin was back there, it felt tender and new.
As his fingertips passed on his cheek, he notices a little irregularity, something slightly bumpy,
right under his eye.
"It doesn't hurt." He says, poking curiously at himself.
"It scarred a little." Recovery Girl replied, noticing his gesture. "Nothing big, but that's what you
have to live with when you are a stubborn, reckless boy like you."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't scold us, this time?" All Might intervened, a smile in his voice.
"Just saying the truth."
That gets a laugh out of Izuku, that finally relaxes against the pillow. His arm feels delicate,
throbbing as if it's threatening to break all over again, but it's much of an improvement over the
constant pain of broken bones.
"Oh—" He says after some seconds of silence, feeling horrible. The thought had shaken him out of his
relaxed, sleepy state. _How could he forget that?!_ "Aizawa-sensei! Is he ok?!"
"He had more broken bones than you." Recovery Girl replies, her voice low. "His orbital socket was
pretty much turned to dust. We won't know if that will affect his eyesight until he wakes up, but he is
out of danger and will make a full recovery in due time."
Izuku should be happy that sensei is at least still alive. But he knows his face is betraying his
feelings when he feels All Might eyes pointedly boring into him.
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"It's my fault." He murmurs, before All Might could even ask. "I dragged him right to that thing, and I
couldn't help him in any way—"