Chapter Text
The letter comes late at night roughly a week later, after Izuku is completely recovered. The envelope has “U.A. HIGH” written in golden font on the front, and Izuku knows in a heartbeat that it’s his results from the entrance exam.
He’s in his room now, and it’d be completely dark if it weren’t for his desk lamp. In front of him on the desk’s surface lies the envelope, still sealed, and for a while, he does nothing but stare at it.
I know I did well, he thinks, taking up the envelope and examining it with great care. The golden letters catch the light of the desk lamp, like they’re winking at him. I know I took down a lot of robots as a ghost, but...I wasn’t keeping count, so it could be anything…
Eventually, he can’t take the suspense any longer, and he tears the envelope open. There’s a written letter and a small, disc-shaped object about an inch thick. The moment it hits the table, there’s a small clicking sound, and then, a projection lights up over it.
“YOUNG MIDORIYA! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!”
Izuku shrieks and throws himself backwards, falling out of the desk chair and landing in a heap on the floor. He winces briefly, makes sure his spirit is attached to hits body where it belongs, then bounces back to his feet and stares at the projection.
It’s All Might, and of course it is--no one else has a voice quite as booming and enthusiastic as him. But that’s almost more confusing.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking!” All Might goes on animatedly. “What am I doing at U.A., you ask? Well, the answer to that is quite simple--I was offered a job by the principal, and of course I accepted! Starting this upcoming school year, I’ll have the privilege of working as a teacher to raise up the next generation of heroes!”
Beside himself, Izuku beams. Considering how horrible a handle he currently has on One For All, it’d be unfortunate if All Might wasn’t teaching at U.A.
“But, this isn’t about that right now!” All Might continues: “This is about your test results, Young Midoriya, and whether or not you passed the entrance exam.”
Izuku’s smile fades, and he clutches the edge of his desk.
Please be enough, please be enough, please be enough…
“You passed the written exam,” All Might says, “but I’m sure you’ve already figured that just through self-scoring.” (He’s right.) “As for the physical exam, Young Midoriya…”
Izuku bites his lip. Please be enough, please be enough, please be enough--
The numbers flash on-screen.
RESCUE POINTS: 60
COMBAT POINTS: 79
Izuku’s eyes go wide.
...I got…
...WHAT!?
He knew he’d taken out a lot of robots--the physical backlash it’d had on his body was enough to tell him that much--but...but seventy nine? Sure, each robot was worth a certain amount of points that added up to his total, but still. To reach that high a number...he took out that many?
“You did well, Midoriya!” All Might says, flashing him a thumbs-up. “Also, for the record, I wasn’t one of the teachers who graded you, so there was no favoritism involved! You know what that means, Midoriya?”
All Might’s smile grows, if that’s even possible.
“You did this on your own, my boy. This is because of your own efforts and hard work.”
Izuku can’t believe this is happening. All his life, this has been his dream, his goal, the thing he’s wanted more than anything else in the world. And now... now...
“Come along, Young Midoriya,” All Might’s projection goes on, and he holds out a hand dramatically. “This...is your hero academia!”
Tears roll down his face, and Izuku nods feverishly, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands. The projection cuts shortly thereafter, and Izuku stands there, staring at the wall.
Three seconds pass.
“YES!” he shrieks, leaping into the air and fist-bumping nothing. “I DID IT! I DID IT! WHOOHOO!”
“Izuku!?” There’s frantic banging on his bedroom door. Mom. “Are you alright!? What happened!?”
Izuku laughs giddily, then rushes to open the door. He swings it open and stands there, panting but beaming at his mother. The look on his face must be enough confirmation, because her eyes widen, and this huge smile breaks over her face.
“Izuku!” she cries, and she throws her arms around him, and he hugs her back excitedly, still laughing and beaming and completely beside himself.
He’s done it.
This coming school year, he’ll be an official student of U.A. High.
That same night, Toshinori receives a text from the kid.
Izuku Midoriya
wehakjsdwejiosadk
Toshinori
I take it the letter arrived, then. :)
Izuku Midoriya
WHEAKJsdjOWEKALSd
Toshinori
That’s a yes?
Izuku Midoriya
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Toshinori
Alright, definitely a yes.
Congrats, kiddo!
Izuku Midoriya
:D :D :D :D :D
Toshinori
Anyway, how are you?
Izuku Midoriya
IM SCREAMING
Toshinori
Yep, I bet. I’m proud of you! :)
Izuku Midoriya
AAAAAHHHHHH
Toshinori
Sorry to change the subject,
but can you meet me at Dagobah?
Izuku Midoriya
YES
ON MY WAY
:D :D :D
Toshinori slips his phone into his pocket and raises his head towards the clear horizon. There’s a couple sitting at the edge of the dock, and dock that had only recently been put there. Having Izuku clear the beach as part of his training had been mainly because it was a convenient way for Izuku to build muscle, but also, thanks to that, the citizens can now enjoy the beach, and that’s an added bonus.
Toshinori takes in a breath. He remembers recording Izuku’s acceptance letter at U.A., and earlier than that, hearing word from the principal that the boy had been accepted with an outstanding performance at the exam. Sixty rescue points and seventy-nine combat points. Toshinori can’t help the pride he feels hearing those numbers. His protege is truly an incredible kid.
“Whatcha doin’?”
Toshinori answers without thinking. “Oh, nothing much, just lost in th--”
And then he thinks about it.
He whirls around with an indistinguishable shout of something; Izuku lets out a small shriek, startled by Toshinori’s reaction. His eyes are bright and owlish, like always, and Toshinori finds himself wondering how on earth he hadn’t noticed Izuku standing next to him until now.
“Midoriya!?” Toshinori breathes. “What-- how--!”
“I’m sorry!” Izuku says quickly, waving his hands back and forth. “I-I didn’t mean to freak you out again--!”
“How long have you been there!?” Toshinori gasps, willing his heart to return to normal tempo.
“I-I, um, t-two minutes m-maybe?”
“Two minutes!?”
“I-I’m sorry, I-I’ll let you know I’m here next time! I just…” The boy stops, looking away and twiddling his thumbs. “You looked like you were thinking about something, so...I didn’t want to interrupt…”
Toshinori inhales deeply, finally getting over most of the shock. He really, really should stop being surprised by this boy...
“Ahh, well…” Toshinori holds out a hand. Izuku blinks at him, and it’s only now that Toshinori realizes the boy’s eyes glow softly in the darkness. Like glow sticks that’ve been cracked for a few hours. “Congrats on getting accepted into U.A., kid.”
This cheers Izuku up immediately, and he beams, accepting Toshinori’s high-five with more enthusiasm than he probably meant to use. “Thanks!” he says, and Toshinori shakes out his hand to get rid of the sting.
After that, they discuss One For All. Izuku tells him what it was like using the Quirk for the first time--he compares it to a microwave, good lord this child--and Toshinori explains that, yes, for now, whenever Izuku uses One For All, chances are he’ll break his bones.
“But,” Toshinori adds, when Izuku’s shoulders slump in disappointment, “the more you train your body, the better vessel you will become. Don’t be discouraged, my boy. You’ll be able to use this power without harming yourself before you even know it.”
Izuku perks up again at that, and he beams.
Kacchan isn’t happy. And, of course, he usually isn’t, when it comes to Izuku's success in life, but...
Kacchan slams him against the wall of an alley by Izuku’s school; Izuku’s sharp cry of shock is muffled by his own sharp inhale as the back of his head hits the wall and hands pin him there by his shoulders.
“I told you not to go to U.A.,” Kacchan snarls in his face. “You remember me telling you that, don’t you? Don’t you, Deku?”
Izuku swallows thicky. “I remember,” he says. His knees are shaking. Every bone in his body--or, rather, his spirit longing to be free--screams run, run, run, run, run, and Izuku feels a familiar tug at his chest, whether or not he’s allowing it.
“You wanna run again, is that it?” Kacchan’s voice brings him back into reality, and Izuku stares at him with wide eyes. “You just wanna keep running, instead of facing me head on,” Kacchan continues, eyes narrowed. “You’ve always been like that, though. You’ve always been a coward. You and that coward’s Quirk.”
He’s so close, and Izuku’s shoulders, where Kacchan is holding him, are burning. It stings. It hurts. Not nearly as much as Kacchan’s words, but even so.
Kacchan slams him up against the wall again, harder this time, and Izuku chokes, trying not to cry.
“Answer me, Deku.”
Izuku says nothing.
Kacchan grits his teeth and throws himself back, his hands dropping from Izuku’s shoulders, and Izuku sucks in a sharp, shaky breath, finally able to breathe again. Some of the tension in his chest eases; he doesn’t feel the suffocating urge to flee anymore.
“If you know what’s best for you,” Kacchan growls, “you’ll tell U.A. you won’t be attending. What makes you think they’ll want you in the school with that freaky Quirk, anyway? After all, you’re not human.”
Izuku rubs his shoulder, and Kacchan’s next words hit him like a sack of bricks.
“You’re a monster.”
He leaves Izuku behind, and as soon as he’s gone, Izuku slides to the ground and cries.
Honestly, Izuku can take a lot. A whole lot. He can take punches and burns and insults.
But not that. Never that. No matter what happens, those words will always feel like icy daggers in his heart.
Izuku doesn’t tell his mother about Kacchan cornering him this time, but he decides that if Kacchan does it again, he will.
Kacchan doesn’t do it again.
Izuku has already dissociated thrice since waking up, and he hasn’t even left the house yet.
“Izuku, you really need to stop that,” Mom says, putting her head in her hands. “I know you’re nervous, but...could you please…?”
“Nervous” seems like an understatement. Izuku is terrified. It’s the first day of the school year, his first day as an official student of U.A. High, and he’s more scared than he’s ever been before in his life.
“I-I know, s-sorry,” Izuku says, running his fingers through his hair. His hands are shaking. “It’s just t-today’s the day and I’ve been waiting for this for so long and I’m so nervous and I don’t know what’s--”
His mother’s fingers curl around his wrist, not tight enough to hurt, but tight enough to keep him grounded in reality. When he looks at her, her eyes bear into his.
“Izuku. Calm down.”
“Okay.” Izuku’s voice is a hoarse squeak, and he’s not actually sure his mother can understand him. She lets him go, and he grabs his backpack off a dining chair and swings it over his shoulder. “I’m heading out now, Mom, bye!”
“I-Izuku, wait.”
He looks at her over his shoulder, hand outstretched towards the doorknob. “Ahh, I’m...I-I’m kind of in a hurry…”
“I’m proud of you, Izuku.”
Izuku blinks, and Mom pauses, glancing down at the floor for a few moments. When she raises her head again, she’s smiling, although shakily.
“I...I-I know I’m...overprotective of you sometimes,” she says, “but...I’m really, truly proud of you. Even after everything, after Katsuki…” She stops, then shakes her head. “You haven’t given up, and...I think that’s brave of you. You’re going to be an amazing hero.”
Izuku blinks again, but then, he smiles. “Thanks, Mom.”
She hugs him shortly, and then he heads off for the train station.
Finding Classroom 1-A once he’s in the building is easy enough. The classroom has a huge, towering door at least three times his height, with a red A painted from top to bottom. It’s nearly impossible to miss.
However, finding the courage to actually open said door is an entirely different matter.
Izuku takes in a breath. Don’t be nervous. It’s fine. You trained for this. It’s going to be alright.
He reaches out and grasps the handle. An image of Kacchan and the boy with glasses he’d upset at the entrance exam pop into his mind’s eye, and he swallows thickly.
Please don’t be any of the scary people, please don’t be any of the scary people, please don’t be any of the scary people--
He opens the door.
“--wrong to put your feet on the desk!” the kid with the glasses is yelling, slicing the air with his hands as though for emphasis. “Don’t you think it’s disrespectful of our senpais and the people who made the desk!?”
Kacchan smirks at him. He makes no move to take his feet off the desk.
Izuku watches the scene, and a small part of him dies on the inside.
Wellp. Guess I’ll die, then, he thinks, but he doesn’t. Collapsing in front of these people won’t solve anything. Maybe if I slide past them they’ll just ignore me…
That’s something he’s always been good at: being ignored. Whether or not he means to be, sometimes. He’s been told by a fair amount of people that he has no presence whatsoever. Maybe it’s a side-effect of his Quirk. He’s never known.
He moves across the room. The rest of who he assumes are his new classmates don’t give him so much as a second glance, chatting and talking with one another, introducing themselves, the likes. It’s a good thing.
Izuku almost makes it to the back of the room without incident.
And then, an elbow slams into the back of his head, and he stumbles forward with a pained yelp.
“Oh, crap!”
A hand reaches out, grabbing his forearm and holding him steady. Izuku turns, absentmindedly rubbing the new bruise on the back of his head.
“I’m so sorry, dude!” says the offender--he has bright red, spiky hair, and he looks caught somewhere between concern and embarrassment. “I didn’t know you were there, I’m sorry. You okay?”
Izuku nods immediately. “I’m...I’m fine,” he says, and he laughs shakily. “Sorry, it’s my fault. I should’ve been more careful. I’ve been told I don’t have any presence, so, I mean...it’s more my fault than yours.”
The kid sighs. “Still, though,” he says, “I’m sorry. Not the kind of first impression I wanted to make. Anyway, I’m Kirishima!” At this, he jabs both thumbs at his chest proudly. “I hope we can still be friends, even though I smacked ya.”
“T-That’s fine!” Izuku says, the word friends lingering in the forefront of his mind for an extra moment. It’s a term he isn’t quite familiar with. “M-My name is Midoriya. It’s nice to meet you!”
“Nice to meet you t--wait.” Kirishima stops, and his eyes go wide. “You’re Midoriya!?”
Izuku takes a step backwards. That’s weird, he thinks, does he know who I am...? I’ve never seen him before…
“Umm…” Izuku gives a nervous smile, hoping it doesn’t look as forced as it feels. “...Yes...?”
“DUDE!” Kirishima starts forward, grinning even wider than before, which just confuses Izuku all over again. “You’re the guy who came first in the entrance exam!”
Izuku’s train of thought derails. “I’m the what now.”
“Man, sorry, I’m just really surprised!” Kirishima goes on animatedly, smacking himself on the forehead. “I wasn’t expecting it to be someone like you! N-Not that, you know, it’s a bad thing, I just wasn’t expecting someone with such little presence to be so fricking tough!”
There’s...there’s something here. Something Izuku isn’t getting. “You say what?”
“O-Oh, you’re here!”
The conversation stops, and Kirishima and Izuku turn. The nice girl from earlier bounces up to them, a cheerful smile on her face.
“You got in!” the girl says to Izuku, and her smile is so bright it almost hurts his eyes. “That’s great! You were so awesome when you blew that robot away! It was like…” She swings her fist through the air; Kirishima ducks beneath it. “Boom, and pow! It was so cool!”
Heat rises to Izuku’s cheeks, and he laughs shakily. “Thanks for breaking the fall for me,” he says. “Hitting the pavement like that probably would’ve left a couple scratches…”
If, by a couple scratches, you mean death, a part of him chirps. He ignores it.
The girl shakes her head. “It’s the least I can do after you saved me!” she answers, like it’s obvious, and Izuku’s blushing and fidgeting again. “Anyway, I’m Uraraka Ochako! It’s nice to meet you!”
“You’re all too noisy. Stop wasting time and sit down.”
Izuku, the girl, and Kirishima turn.
Izuku’s first impression of Aizawa Shouta is not a good one.
Their homeroom teacher seems...cold. And maybe that’s exactly what he is. That’s what he seems, anyway, just from watching him and listening to him. For the life of him, Izuku has no idea what to expect.
He certainly doesn’t expect being shunted outside with his new classmates for a Quirk assessment test on the very first day of school.
There’s no “welcome” ceremony, no introduction to the kinds of things they’ll be doing during the school year; all they get is a “Follow me” from Aizawa, and then, they’re marching down the hall, all twenty of them, not really walking in any specific kind of order.
Izuku can’t help but feel nervous, almost nervous enough to zip right back out of his body and go hide somewhere. Kirishima and the nice girl, Uraraka, are further up ahead, and he takes up the rear to avoid awkwardness--and people bumping into him, due to the whole “lack of presence” thing and whatnot.
He follows everyone outside.
It’s a Quirk apprehension test, apparently, which is just. Brilliant. Izuku has one Quirk that literally explodes his bones and another Quirk that drops him dead.
Whoopty-do, Izuku thinks. This is how it ends, isn’t it.
Aizawa gives Kacchan a baseball and has him stand in the center of a circle spray painted onto the dirt. A ball-throw. Simple enough, Izuku thinks. Surely there’s something he can do--
With a loud shriek of “DIE!!” Kacchan hurls the ball into the air, sending explosions behind it. The ball soars, soars, soars--and then disappears.
Izuku’s heart drops to his stomach.
Well, then.
“Also, I didn’t mention this before,” Aizawa says, turning towards the group again, “but whoever comes last in this Quirk apprehension test will be expelled due to lack of potential.”
Izuku’s muscles go rigid.
WELL, THEN.
“Dissociation” is a pretty useless Quirk when it comes to apprehension tests. It doesn’t grant Izuku superhuman strength, nor does it boost his body in any way; he can only glide as a ghost as fast as he can run as a human, and the same applies for his strength (when he interacts with the physical world, that is).
The only thing Izuku thinks he stands a chance at is the ball throw. If he drops his body and focuses his hands, he can carry the ball as far as he pleases. Sure, it’s not how he wants to introduce his Quirk to his classmates--after all, he’d really like to break his habit of dropping dead in front of people as a first impression--but he needs to get a good score. He can’t afford to come in last and get expelled.
Aizawa hands him the ball, and he moves to stand in the circle. Everyone else has already gone, and most of them have impressive results. Izuku stands there for a long moment, then takes a deep breath, a familiar tug at his chest. He shuts his eyes for a moment, breathes, then--
“What the heck kind of Quirk is that!? It’s scary!”
Izuku’s eyes snap open, his spirit grounding itself in his body a second before leaving. He glances over his shoulder; Uraraka waves cheerily at him, and Kirishima gives him an encouraging thumbs up.
“Is he even human? That’s a really weird Quirk.”
“Creepy! You’re creepy!”
“He always sneaks up on me. I can never tell when he’s there.”
“That’s pretty scary.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Anytime now, Midoriya,” Aizawa deadpans, and Izuku’s head whips around towards him. “We don’t have all day.”
“S-Sorry,” Izuku says, straightening up again. His shoulders are tense, and his spirit has no plans to leave his body. He looks down at the ball, then raises his head towards the air.
Well…
One For All surges through his skin, hot like fire, and he pulls back his arm.
...I just won’t use it, then.
Toshinori knows something is wrong the moment Izuku hesitates.
He’s been watching the Quirk apprehension test from the sidelines ever since the beginning, so far unseen and unheard. This year’s batch of heroes looks especially promising with a few small exceptions; for the most part, they all show to have a good handle on their Quirks and know how to utilize them to their full potential.
And then there’s the ball throw.
And then there’s Izuku.
Up until now, Izuku hasn’t been able to use “dissociation” to help whatsoever in the test, which makes sense. But now, with the ball throw, Izuku has a chance. He can show everyone what he can do. Sure, Toshinori hates watching the kid drop like a marionette with its strings suddenly cut, and he wishes someone would catch him, but he doesn’t intervene. This is the boy’s moment.
He watches. Watches Izuku step into the circle. Watches the boy close his eyes for a moment in concentration.
But he doesn’t do it. Izuku’s eyes snap open suddenly, like he’s been hurt, and he looks around. A few of his classmates wave at him and smile, but he doesn’t react.
And then, he uses One For All. Granted, Aizawa stops him at first and tells him that if all he can do is break himself, then he may as well stop while he’s ahead, and Izuku, of course, proves him wrong, pouring One For All into his fingertip and firing off the ball that way.
He looks way too proud of himself, and he grins at Aizawa through the pain of his broken finger. Aizawa actually seems impressed, which is definitely a rarity for him.
But something is wrong. Toshinori has known Izuku for almost a full year now, and he knows something is wrong.
He makes a mental note to approach the boy as soon as he can find a moment alone with him; for whatever reason, Izuku doesn’t seem ready to share his Quirk with his classmates just yet.
A logical ruse.
Of course. Of-freaking- course. It didn’t make sense that U.A. would expel students on the first day, anyway. When Izuku lands last in the Quirk apprehension test, like he knew he would from the get go, all he gets from Aizawa is a grin and an, “It was a logical ruse to deceive you into doing your best.”
Most of the students take it well. There’s some shock at the betrayal at first, sure, but then it’s just relief. However, the boy with glasses--Izuku now knows his name is Iida--does not take it nearly as well.
“A logical ruse,” Iida says absentmindedly as they leave the school building, ready to head home. “I can’t say I agree with that mindset. Our trust in him is bound to waver if he keeps this up--”
“Hey! You two! Wait for me!”
Izuku and Iida turn, stop; Uraraka sprints towards them, beaming brightly.
“Ahh, Infinity Girl,” Iida greets once she catches up. “You did wonderfully at the ball throw. Your name is Uraraka, correct?”
The girl nods eagerly. “And you’re Iida,” she says, pointing to him, “and you’re--” her finger moves to Izuku, “--Deku!”
Izuku blanches. “...N-No, not actually…”
“Huh?” Uraraka blinks in confusion. “But the loud, angry boy from earlier--he called you Deku, didn’t he?”
“I-It’s just…” Izuku shifts his weight. “It’s an insult. He calls me that to make fun of me. My real name is Midoriya Izuku.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Uraraka waves her hands back and forth, looking appalled. “I-I shouldn’t have assumed like that, that was wrong. But, actually…” Uraraka pauses for a moment or two, and then, she beams. “I actually kind of like ‘Deku’!”
Izuku blinks. So does Iida. “What?” they say in unison.
“I like Deku!” Uraraka goes on, smiling. “It gives off the feeling of, ‘This is impossible, but I’m going to do it anyway!’ It’d be a great hero name, don’t you think? Plus, I think it’s kind of cute!”
Wellp.
WELLP.
“Deku it is, then!” Izuku squeaks. His voice is an octave higher than what should be possible for a fifteen year old.
“MIDORIYA!?” Iida whirls around, looking a mixture of shocked, confused, and horrified. “Weren’t you just saying...that it’s an insult!? Why would you--!?”
“S-Sorry, today’s been crazy,” Izuku says, burying his face in his hands. “I’m not in my right frame of mind. Y-You can call me Deku if you want, though, Uraraka-san...”
“Thanks!” Uraraka says, looking much too excited. “It’ll be your nickname, then! Deku!”
Iida has a few more complaints regarding it, but in the end, he trails off and lets it be, once he’s sure Izuku doesn’t have a problem with it. It’s nice, Izuku thinks, to have a positive meaning attached to the once insult.
Maybe “Deku” can be the name of a hero after all.
All Might
I’d like to talk with you about something.
It’s about your Quirk.
Not One For All, the other one.
Do you have a second?
Izuku does not want to talk about dissociate. Does not want to think about dissociate. Sometimes he’s fine talking about it. Sometimes he enjoys talking about it. He actually has a journal specifically set aside for analyzing and documenting his Quirk, assessing what it can and can’t do.
But right now, he doesn’t want to talk about it. Or think about it.
He sends a message.
Izuku Midoriya
Could we talk later?
Now’s not the best time for me.
It’s not a lie. Now isn’t a good time.
All Might’s response comes a few seconds later, and Izuku feels almost bad about turning him down
All Might
Alright, kiddo. See you tomorrow.
And then, a second later--
All Might
Also, I’m always available if you need someone to talk to.
If that doesn’t give Izuku one hell of a guilt trip, nothing will, and he falls asleep feeling like his chest is full of lead.
The next time he sees All Might is during Hero Basic Training at school the next day. The hero is his usual self, of course, as the students line up inside one of the training cities and prepare for the lesson. All Might gives Izuku a lingering glance (concern, Izuku thinks), but that’s it.
The students are wearing their hero costumes for the first time; Izuku’s was made for him by his mother, with only a few exceptions. He’d asked the support group for something protective for his skull, and they ended up making him a biker-helmet-like thing, designed to match the teal of his jumpsuit. The helmet isn’t bulky at all; considering what it is, it’s extremely lightweight. If ever he needs to “drop” on short notice in a dangerous situation, it’ll keep concussions off the list of injuries he can get.
Today’s training seems fairly simple: two teams made up of two people each will be decided at random. The “villain” team has to guard a (paper-mache) nuclear weapon inside a multi-floor labyrinth of a building, and the “hero” team has to infiltrate the building successfully, find the weapon, and either immobilize the villains with capture tape or secure the weapon.
Seems simple enough, Izuku thinks, as All Might reaches into two separate boxes for the drawing; one box is labeled “heroes” and the other box is labeled “villains.” As long as I don’t get paired with Kacchan, I’ll be fine. Besides, the chances of me getting paired with him are pretty slim--
“And we have our teams!” All Might says. “The hero team, Midoriya and Uraraka, versus the villain team, Iida and Bakugou!”
--Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME!?
Izuku glances at Kacchan out of the corner of his eye. Kacchan is glaring in a way that can only be described as “murderous,” and Izuku looks away again quickly. Of course he’s paired with Kacchan. Of course he is. With his luck, why wouldn’t he be paired with Kacchan.
“Deku! We’re on the same team!” Uraraka says, bouncing up to him. “Let’s do our best, okay?”
Izuku smiles just a little at that. At least she’s on his team.
“Heroes, you have fifteen minutes to study the floorplan,” All Might says, “and villains, you have fifteen minutes to hide your weapon. As for the rest of you, please join me in the viewing room! We will be watching from the sidelines!”
“Good luck, Midoriya!” Kirishima says, grinning and waving, and Izuku raises a hand and waves back.
Izuku is smiling on the outside, sure, but internally, he’s screaming.
Izuku and Uraraka infiltrate the building through the window as soon as their fifteen minutes are up.
“We’re in,” Uraraka whispers, straightening up and looking around. “I don’t think they heard us come in.”
Izuku nods, turning and looking down one of the hallways. The structure is like a labyrinth, with winding halls and tunnels; he imagines it’d be easy to get lost.
He gestures for Uraraka to follow, and they start down the hallway.
“Do you have any ideas?” Izuku asks once they’re well on their way. So far so good; no sign of Iida or Kacchan.
“Not yet,” Uraraka says. “But, I imagine they’re guarding the weapon. We should find out where that is and overpower them together.”
“I don’t think ‘they’re’ guarding it,” Izuku says, peering around the corner, then continuing on when he deems it safe. “I think Iida’s guarding it, and Kac--Bakugou, I mean--he’ll be out here looking for us.”
“Really?” Uraraka asks. There’s a pause. “You sound really sure about that…”
“I am.” There’s a four-way break up ahead; Izuku and Uraraka continue towards it. “He’s going to come after us--” Me, a part of him corrects, “--and leave Iida to defend the wea--”
On cue, Kacchan leaps out in front of them from around the corner. There are sparks on his palms; a warm glow encases his hands, and--
“GET DOWN!” Izuku leaps and tackles Uraraka to the ground. Kacchan’s blast misses them by mere inches, shooting down the hall and smashing into the far wall.
Kacchan’s feet hit the ground, and he glares. “Don’t run away, Deku,” he snarls.
There’s something very different about being called Deku by Kacchan now.
Before, it’d hurt.
Now it just makes Izuku mad.
“Uraraka, run!” Izuku shouts, springing to his feet and putting his fists in front of his face. “Find Iida and the weapon, then contact me!”
“A-Are you sure!?” Uraraka questions, her voice trembling just a bit. “D-Deku--!”
He looks at her over his shoulder. “I’ll be fine, go--!”
Looking away is a mistake; Kacchan’s fist slams into his stomach, and Izuku stumbles backwards with a cry of shock (and pain). For a moment or two, he can’t breathe.
“Go, Uraraka!” Izuku yells with what breath he has left in his lungs, and this time, Uraraka runs. Her pounding footsteps grow fainter, then fade out entirely.
“You think you can face me alone!?” Kacchan grins and rushes at him, pulling back his fist for another punch. “Don’t make me laugh--!”
Izuku’s fingers coil around Kacchan’s wrist. After that, Izuku grits his teeth and lets instincts and training take over. He tightens his hold on Kacchan’s wrist, swings around, yanks him over his shoulder, and decks him back-first into the metal floor below.
Kacchan’s cry of shock is swallowed by his sharp inhale of breath, and Izuku scrambles backwards, putting as much distance as he can between him and his once childhood friend. Kacchan gets to his feet slowly, coughing and choking.
He looks at Izuku, eyes narrowed, teeth gritted.
“So you’re not running for once,” he growls.
Izuku stands his ground. “I’m not running from you. You don’t scare me anymore, Ka--” He stops, refrains; “No, you don’t scare me anymore, Bakugou.”
Kacchan--no, Bakugou--glares at him. “Don’t try and act tough now, Deku,” he snarls, turning to face him fully. “We all know how big of a coward you are. You and that coward’s Quirk.”
Izuku swallows hard, teeth gritted behind his lips. The words send sharp arrows through his chest, and he raises his fists again.
“You’re wrong,” Izuku says. “I’m going to be a hero whether you like it or not.”
Bakugou grins. “Is that so?” he questions. “Then why don’t you show your new friends your Quirk, huh?”
Izuku stops suddenly.
“If I’m wrong, like you say I am,” Bakugou goes on, “then show them your power. Show them what you are.”
“Creepy!”
“Is he even human? That’s a weird Quirk.”
“Monster! You’re a monster!”
Izuku doesn’t wait for Kacchan to move first.
He charges.
Two more punches to the gut from Bakugou and another judo-flip from Izuku later, Izuku is running, tearing down the hall and ignoring the sharp pain of his bruised skin as he does so. He hears Bakugou’s voice echoing around him, yelling at him, and Izuku tries to ignore it.
He can’t, though. Not when Bakugou’s words bounce off the walls and slam into him at every angle.
“DEKU! YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T SCARED, DIDN’T YOU!? THEN COME BACK AND PROVE IT! STOP RUNNING, YOU COWARD!”
But Izuku does run.
And as he does, all he can think about is how tired he is of running.