Chapter Text
Something interesting about the infinite possibilities of the multiple universe theory was the fact that the smallest difference could make a big change in one path. You are a baker in one ? Maybe you are king in another, or a successful singer. Maybe you actually took over the world in some. Who knows ?
Anyway.
As it is, there is a young boy who, in one of those world has actually lived centuries and centuries, seen war and peace alike, fought for his liberty, sometimes won, sometimes lost. Who had been the personification of a country, the human version of the land, guarding it for as long as someone lived there. And still managing somehow to keep a happy face, to laugh, to enjoy life.
But this is not this world. Here, in this day and age of heroism, where almost everyone has a power, this boy is mortal. He is also panicking, in fear of not passing the exam of one of the most prestigious hero schools in all Japan. And isn’t it ironic that he is born in the land of the rising sun and not in Italy ?
His name is Feliciano Veneziano Vargas. 15 years old, born on march 17th. Brown hair, a stubborn curling cowlick refusing to be tamed, and if he opened his eyes you’d see a pair of truly stunning caramel eyes. An average height, quite clumsy, a bit frantic sometimes and too relaxed in others, a lack of body shame and a natural flirt.
His Quirk ? Natural Italian.
His goal ? Become a Hero and help people as well as he could, and prove he wasn’t useless.
“I’m going, Nonno, Fratello* !” he exclaimed, waving his arm quite fast. And promptly tripped to fall on his face.
“Stupido* ! Did you forget to lace your shoes again ?” scowled his twin brother, Lovino, nonetheless tying them for him. It was a skill Feliciano never really managed to perfect. More than half the time, they wouldn’t be properly done, and make him trip. He also refused to wear shoes that closed in another way, too attached to his high laced boots their Grandpa gave him as a gift a year ago.
“Sorry, sorry, ve~.” He smiled, hugging his brother as an apology and goodbye.
“Do your best, and you better not lose or look stupid !” answered Lovino, the words and his tone a bit harsh, but not hurtful as it was his usual way of talking. He insulted everyone, particularly those he loved, as if kind words and signs of affection were a weakness.
Feliciano was quite the opposite. He was never ashamed of his habit to cry when sad, of afraid, or even happy. To shower his loved one in hugs, kisses, and compliments. He smiled all the time and had his heart on his sleeve. (Not that his brother was harder to read, he was pretty obvious. Less maybe, because the empty happy expression he sometimes wore was hard to decipher.)
It didn’t mean he didn’t have a part of darkness in him, an ugly one that he hid as much as possible. But it wasn’t always possible unfortunately. His Quirk was part of the reason (but we’ll come back to this later. It was, after all, rare.)
Once done, Feliciano shouldered his bag and left the big house they inhabited. Fearing being late, he made sure to walk fast. He wished he could drive there, but he was too young for a driving license (even if he knew how to drive already). It’d be so much faster ! But no, he was told he was not old enough, and even when he would be there was little chance he’d get it (or keep it longer than a few days.) He didn’t understand why that one time he tried, he got called a menace and a danger to all. The others were just going too slow, that’s why he almost hit some cars.
Finally, he arrived to UA, who was fortunately not too far from home. He was singing softly when he passed the gates, walking and moving his arms in rhythm.
“Disegna un cerchio, ecco la Terra! Io sono Hetalia.*” he hummed happily, not paying attention to the surprised gazes following him. There were already applicants already dismissing him as an idiot. Rude ! (Well, he was a bit one, but still.) He ignored them easily enough.
Once in the school, all went very fast ; he had to go in one of the exam halls, for the written one. The questions were hard, and he had to remind himself to check regularly if he wasn’t writing it in Italian. It happened often enough, and could be a problem, especially for a test as important as this one. He still managed to do well (or at least he hoped). He wasn’t a bad student in general, but was easily distracted. Thankfully, he liked most of the subjects at school, a few of them like art being particularly easy. He may look and act like an idiot often, it didn’t mean he wasn’t intelligent.
But then, they were led to a big hall, and the Hero Present Mic appeared on the stage. He started with an incredibly loud :
“Everybody, say HEY !” while punching the air with the hand that wasn’t holding the (totally useless) micro.
Feliciano raised his hand as if in class, and answered with a loud and cheerful “Pastaaaaa !”, stopping when everyone looked at him in confusion, the Hero included. He frowned lightly.
“Oh, wait sorry ; HEEEEY !”
Silence.
“Hum, ah…” started Present Mic, bewildered. He quickly got his composure back, and continued.
“Thank you listener !” He then explained the rules, and didn’t try to ask the public to interact again. There was a short interruption, when a boy with glasses called out a curly haired one who was mumbling, and who asked about the fourth robot.
A very big one ? Scary !
He was a bit panicked, but went to his designed location, the training ground F. They had some time to change, but he didn’t need it, his clothes were now his favorite blue and white sailor-style top and shorts.
The others around him blinked, surprised. Wasn’t he wearing a school uniform just before ?
At the enter of the training grounds, the countdown… didn’t happen. Surprised, Feliciano took off running, leaving most of the group in the dust. Literally. He was going that fast. They quickly lost sight of him in the false crumbling city streets. No matter, they had robots to destroy.
It was quite chaotic. People were fighting everywhere. And Feliciano ?
He was hiding in a tomato cardboard box. Looking around in the holes.
He was scared ! The robots where big, and they fired lasers. But he had to be strong ! To win ! So he got out and went to find an adversary. The box would not be used to hide, but to take by surprise enemies.
Somewhere, a bit far, a group of teachers where looking at the different grounds with interest, already noticing a few promising applicants. Right now, they were observing a puzzling one. Despite his foreign name and appearance, he was Japanese, and his Quirk was a mystery.
“Where do all those come from ? Is it his quirk ? He pulled out a cardboard box, plates of pasta, and a dozen white flags he used to hit the robots and patch the wounded applicants. I tough it was some kind of speed enhancement, with how fast he goes.” said Snipe. “What is it listed under ?”
“Let me see, number 1861, Feliciano Veneziano Vargas, Quirk ; Natural Italian.” answered Midnight. “It doesn’t help at all.”
“There are chances he’ll manage to get in UA, he destroyed a few robots and won a good amount of rescue points with his tendency to help the others and… give them pasta ? Do we give him points for that ?” questioned Mic. “What’s him and pasta anyway ?”
“It fits his Italian theme ?” mused the heroine
“Doesn’t explain where it come from though.”
“Try to evaluate others instead of chatting about one applicant we might never see again. And Mic, be ready to announce the Zero Pointer, it’s time.” cut Eraserhead.
The two professors and pro-hero jokingly answered with a pseudo-military salute “Yessir !” and went back to their monitor, Mic readying the micro he had in hand to give the warning for the time and the giant robot.
“So, how many will try to fight it this year you think ?”
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Back in the arena, people had started to run away from the massive robot, not even trying to take it down. (Understandable, it was after all the size of a building.)
Well, most of them anyway.
A few were desperate enough to stay near and attack the few smaller robots remaining, profiting from the fact that there was no more competition.
Feliciano wasn’t one of them at first, and had wanted to run along toward the gate after he finished tying a makeshift splint to the wrist of a brown haired girl.
“There you go, carina*, don’t forget to go to the infirmary after !” he smiled to her, helping the shy girl who hadn’t said a word to her feet.
He was turning on his heels, when an exclamation of terror stopped him in his tracks. He raised his head and looked around, where did the scream come from ? There ! On the high roof of a nearing building !
Someone was there, and probably wouldn’t be able to climb down in time, which would have been fine if it wasn’t in the path of the Zero Pointer. What to do ? He wouldn’t be able to catch them if they jumped, and to destroy the robot seemed impossible.
Was it really ?
He had sworn to his fratello and his nonno that he wouldn’t do that again, unless there was no other choice and to be extremely careful. And no one around.
The situation did reunite all the factors, the person on the roof was too far to be harmed and everyone else had left. He recited the steps in his head ;
1. Get the object(s). Easy, with just a thought, they were in his hands.
2 and 3. Pull the little thingy and make sure it’s the right side. Done, he didn’t make his usual (and dangerous) mistake.
4. Aim and throw at fast as possible. He launched the red thing in his hand at the robot.
5. Take cover. He was good at hiding, and the destroyed street gave all sort of shelter.
6. Repeat as much as needed. He threw another, and another one, and again.
The Zero Pointer’s feet left the ground and it fell. The explosions and the blast had damaged its legs and unbalanced him enough that it would have a hard time getting up.
“THE EXAM IS OVER !” rang Mic’s voice in the silence that followed the deafening explosion.
Felicano righted up the helmet on his head and made his was toward the exit with a spring in his steps. He had managed to stop the big robot ! Even if it didn’t give points, it was good, right ?
Red devils were scary, but dead useful against big machines !
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In their room, the teachers watched him leave, stunned.
“Were those hand-grenades ?” said Snipe.
They rewinded the footage and watched attentively.
“It would appear so”, said Nezu, with a scary glint in his eyes. “Tea ?”
No one answered.
Eraserhead facepalmed. With all the points he managed to get, the boy would land in his class. That and his power was needed for individuals whose Quirks could be extremely dangerous. And if the way the pseudo-Italian used it was an indication, it was mostly subconscious.
“A problem child. Just what I needed, another one with no self-preservation instincts.” He went back to his sleeping bag, laying abandoned in a corner. “A hand-grenade. Really ? I want to say there would hardly be anything worse, but I’m probably wrong and it’d just be tempting fate at this point. This year is going to be troublesome again.”
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Fratello and Nonno : Brother and Grandfather in italian.
Disegna un cerchio, ecco la Terra! Io sono Hetalia. ; This is part of the Hetalia opening, in Italian. Means "Draw a circle, that's the earth. I am Hetalia."
Carina ; pretty, cute girl... yes in italian too.