Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“GREETINGS SPORTS FANS AND MEDIA ALIKEEE!!! AND WELCOME TO UA’S SPORTS FESTIVAL!!!” Present Mic sure was loud that morning, but then again, his Quirk was VOICE.

“SO SET UP THOSE CAMERAS, GRAB SOME GRUB AND …!!”

It was the day of the Sports Festival and all students were doing final preparations for the event.
Most classes, like the Heros ones and G.E one, were either stretching or getting into the right mind set, while the other like class 1-H (Support class) were doing final checks on their gear.
Everyone was excited, everyone was ready and already in their designated school gym uniform while they waited in the locker room to be able to enter the field …

… Well, all but one.

 Midoriya Izuku was alone, in a separate locker room from the one where his class currently was.

This because he had been called to do something else during the presentation ceremony and he had never been SO nervous in his life -I bet my classmates are wondering where I am …- he thought, fumbling with the collar of the dark red shirt he was wearing.

He looked again in the mirror.
It wasn't the first time he wore that suit, shirt, straight black pants, dress shoes, yet, never before had he felt incredibly inadequate!!
Damn, he thought he was past that phase by now!! He should feel only confident, everything was fine.
He had a Quirk now, he had managed to get into his dream school, he had finally made friends, and … even Kacchan had begun to show a glimmer (however miserable) of respect towards him!!

Of course there was that "little" accident at the USJ, they were attacked by a small army of villains and almost died, All Might almost died, but in the end they all came out, more or less, unharmed.

Nothing a couple of weeks of therapy could fix, right?

Then why …?

“… Still nervous?” suddenly asked a voice behind him.

Izuku gasped, whirling in the direction of it.
“M-Marcus!!” he stammered awkwardly "You almost give me a heart attack !! Don't get behind me like that!!"

In front of him was a boy, about three years older.
He had a mediterranean charm, olive complexion, shoulder-length hair, slightly wavy, dark brown with bronze highlights and deep dark eyes.
The suit, consisting of a jacket, shirt and black trousers he wore, fitted his slender figure perfectly.

A red silk sash served as a belt, paired with a ribbon of the same color tied around the neck like a small tie.

The young man laughed, putting a hand on his hip “Come on Zuzu!! There’s no reason to be nervous, after all this is not the first time you’ll DANCE in front of an audience”

Izuku felt his cheeks burn at the comment.
“Y-Yeah, but not such a large audience and … with my classmates, my teachers …” he looked in the mirror again “I'm a student of the hero course, what if … what if they think it's weird? That I AM weird …”

What if All Might changed his mind and decided that he wasn't worth much as a successor? That this little passion of his was distracting him from the goal?

“I want you to make the world know that you have arrived!!” that's what he told him a few days ago at lunch.

“… I worked so hard to get here and now-…”

“And now you are afraid of losing everything, yeah, I get it” Marcus stopped him with a sigh “I can't even say that it surprises me, I know you too well by now but really Zuzu …” he smiled, taking his hand in a reassuring squeeze “A dancer, that's who you are!! Hero or not, you are still a person and you have the RIGHT to follow your passions, your "backup" dream, remember?”
“Y-Yeah” Izuku answered, being moved as his mind went back to two years before, when he had begun to cultivate that hobby that had saved him from depression, becoming something more than a simple entertainment.

His new passion, something that made him feel good, just like analyzing Quirk or following the heroes, his …

“… My backup dream”

“That’s right!! Do you still like to dance?” Marcus asked.

“I love it” the other answered.

“Then you should know that you’ll be perfect” Marcus smiled “I sure know”
He began to pull him towards the exit “Furthermore, we going to dance our TANGO WITH that song!!”

Though blushing, Izuku laughed "Yeah, that italian song I would rather not know the translation of …”

“Oh please, you love it and you know it!! Come on, let's join the others!!”

***

“… AND SETTLE IN FOR WHAT’S GUAR-AN-TEED TO BE ONE HECK OF A SHOW!!” Hizashi Yamada announced into the microphone before switching it off and turned to his husband/fellow commentator “Ready to give some colorful commentary, Mummy Man?”

“I still don’t know how you talked me into this …” Shouta retorted.

And even though his face was all covered in bandages, the Voice Hero could still picture the tired man’s “I’m so done” face.

“Aaaww, come on, Shouta!! It’ll be fun!!” Hizashi implored with a bright smile, causing the other to squint “Moreover, the opening of this year's sports festival will be decidedly more … lively than in previous years, if you know what I mean, we’ll host ARTISTS!! Even one of your students will be there!! Aren't you excited?!”
“As long as this won't distracting him from the Festival, for the rest, I would have preferred to sleep”
“Uff, grouchy …” Present Mic snorted before returning to his microphone “HEY-O!! MAKE SOME NOISE, SPORTS FANS!!” he shouted “IT’S TIME FOR UA’S SPORTS FESTIVAL!! WHERE FLEDGLING HEROES GATHER TO FIGHT FOR THE CHANCE TO SHOW THE WORLD WHAT THEY’RE MADE OF AND THAT THEY’VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES!! BUT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, I HAVE ONE QUESTION FOR YOU: ARE YOU READY?!”

“YEEAAAHHH!!” the crowd screamed as one, all pumped and ready to watch all the action to come.

“THAT’S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR, LISTENERS!! LET ME HEAR YOU SCREAM AS OUR STUDENTS MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE MAIN STAGE!!” Hizashi declared “THIS FIRST GROUP ARE NO STRANGERS TO THE SPOTLIGHT, SINCE YOU MAY KNOW THEM AS THE RISING STARS THAT POWERED THROUGH A VILLAIN ATTACK!! FROM THE HERO COURSE: CLASS 1-A!!”

The crowd cheered loudly as the nineteen students of 1-A walked onto the field.

“Uh, guys!! Where is Deku?" Uraraka asked, first noticing the absence of his friend among the boys.
“I really don’t know, Uraraka-san” Iida answered sincerely, waving his hands in his characteristic robot way “When I realized he wasn't in the locker room, I immediately reported it to Midnight-Sensei but …”

“Oh yeah!! She said he was needed somewhere else” Kaminari stepped between them “And that it was a secret, she even seemed quite … excited, for some reason”

Todoroki, who was walking close enough to hear them, more than all the others couldn't help but wonder the same thing since he would have liked to seize to throw his gauntlet at Midoriya.
Ever since he'd seen All Might himself invite him to lunch, several conspiracy theories about the two had started circulating in his head.
Which, also thinking back to what happened to the USJ, revolved around the fact that there was a CONNECTION between Midoriya and the number one hero.
Not to mention how similar their Quirks were.

In short, he had enough elements to think that there was a good chance that Midoriya was an illegitimate child of All Might!!

-Anyway it doesn't matter- Shoto thought -I'll defeat Midoriya and win this festival using only my RIGHT side …-

“OUR NEXT GROUP HASN’T HAD NEARLY AS MUCH SCREENTIME, BUT ARE NO LESS IMPRESSIVE!!” Hizashi continued the introductions “PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE DAZZLING STUDENTS OF HERO COURSE: CLASS 1-B!!”

More cheers as the full class of 1-B entered the field.
It wasn’t quite as loud as the one for 1-A, but the crowd was still excited to see what they could do.

“NOW OUR NEXT GROUPS MAY NOT BE STUDYING TO BECOME HEROES, BUT THEY ARE SMART AND EAGER TO PROVE WHAT THEY’RE MADE OF!! LET’S HEAR IT FOR GENERAL STUDIES CLASSES C, D, AND E!! FOLLOWED BY THE EVER-HELPFUL SUPPORT COURSE CLASSES F, G, AND H!! AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, THOSE EXPERTS OF ADVERTISING, BUSINESS COURSE CLASSES I, J, AND K!! THESE ARE OUR FIRST-YEAR CONTESTANTS!!”

The crowd roared as the rest of the first-year UA students assembled on to the field. Some students looked nervous while others appeared to be getting more pumped from all the cheering.

Yet there was still no trace of Midoriya.

“WITH ALL OF OUR CHALLENGERS ON THE FIELD, TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS YEAR’S REFEREE FOR THE FIRST-YEARS, MIDNIGHT!!”

Said Hero took the stage as the crowd cheered, especially those that found her attire quite attractive.

Though others questioned if having the 18+ Only Hero hosting an event for MINORS was appropriate or not.
With a snap of her flogger-style whip, Midnight silenced the crowd and grabbed everyone’s attention “Now, player rep!!” Midnight announced, her voice spilling from the speakers “BAKUGOU KATSUKI!!”

The crowd waited with baited breath as the blonde walked on stage while those who knew him eyed him warily, wondering what would come out of the explosive teen’s mouth.

-This is it- Katsui thought as he walked up the stairs with his hands in his pockets -Time to show all these extras who’s the real deal here-
Ever since he had started at UA, Katsuki had been waiting for this moment.
The world-famous UA Sports Festival, where only the best of the best claim victory. This was his moment to show them all that he was the one who would be the Number One Hero one day.

Even better than All Might.

“He’s the first-year rep?” some extra asked.
“Well, I guess he did place first in the entrance exam,” Soy Sauce answered.

Katsuki ignored all their comments as he approached the microphone.

“I just wanna say…”

The arena was dead silent as they waited for his words.
The crowd waited in anticipation while the students became more nervous the longer it took.

“… That I’m gonna place first”

The field erupted into a cacophony of boos and complaints from the students but Katsuki ignored them.
“Why would you show such disrespect for your fellow students?” Four-Eyes reprimanded him with his stupid robot arm movements “Shouldn’t you have more tact than that? You’re representing us all!”

“Why should I?” Katsuki replied with scowl “All of you are just stepping stones to my victory …”

None of them mattered …

… Yeah well, none except ONE.

-Where the fuck did you go Deku?- Shortly before they entered the locker room the damned nerd had evaporated.

He didn't think he ran away, he was just too STUPID to do it.
Now, had it been another occasion, it wouldn't have mattered to him but after the challenge of the simulated fight he felt a visceral need to face him again and show him who among them was the best so …-…You better show up on time, nerd-

***

Izuku sighed as his childhood friend riled the students up in a rage in a very Kacchan manner.
In hindsight, he should have expected it, the blonde was aware of what he was doing and provoked the other students on purpose.

He was pushing himself, determined to come out on top and he would accept nothing less than to claim victory against opponents who put their all into the fight.

All the while painting a target on their fellow classmates’ backs.

-So Kacchan …- he thought.

“Man, your friend sure doesn't know the concept of humility, huh?” a female voice commented close to him.

"Welllll, if nothing else, he really has the skills to talk like this, Aurora-san” Izuku answered.
A girl with long straight hair, whose color was the same of ripe wheat, and light brown eyes shrugged “Maybe, but now everyone is mad at your class” she said “I really don't know how you managed to endure him all these years”

“You know our Zuzu, he has the patience of a saint” Marcus commented.

“… Now, before we begin, I am pleased to announce that we have GUESTS at this year's festival!!” Midnight announced, drawing everyone’s attention to the raised stage where Katsuki had just spoken.
The announcement provoked a series of surprised and curious murmurs among both the audience and the students.
“This year, to open the sports festival, some students from a prestigious music and dance school came to perform!! So I want to hear a big round of applause for the students of BALZANI's school of dance!!”

“This is our call!! Let's go guys!!” Marcus exclaimed, taking Izuku by the hand.

Quickly, thirteen students, made their entrance into the stadium walking towards the stage to introduce themselves.

“Wait a minute, guys, but isn't that …?”
“DEKU?!” Mina's observation was abruptly interrupted by Bakugou, who blinked when he saw the nerd walking alongside Marcus, leading the line of students from the other school.

-What the fuck …? What the hell is Deku doing in there?-

And that was a question everyone was asking.

“Representing his classmates and the Balzani school, Marcus Balzani!!” Midnight said “Here you go dear” she chirped leaving the microphone to him.
“Hi everyone!! I will be honest with you, I have never been very good at speeches but don’t worry!! You'll have to put up with my chatting just as long as our musician classmates to get ready with the instruments and then …” Marcus started, bowing elegantly “… I'll let the dance do the talking”

“Wow, I thought Todoroki was cool, but this guy …” Hagakure sighed dreamily.
“He’s sooooo exotic” Mina agreed “Look at that hair, and the physique!! You can see that he practices dance, and I should know!! I am a dancer too”

The girls leaned against each other “A Mediterranean prince!!”

It didn't take long before they set up their own mini orchestra made up of four of the students.
A singer, a guitar, a violin, some drums and a piano.

What surprised people was that the instruments in question were apparently pulled out of "nowhere" by one of the boys!!
“I wonder what kind of Quirk that guy owns?” Yaoyorozu wondered “It doesn't seem that he created them from his body like I do, so how …?”

“Okay, now that it's all settled I think it's time to let our singer speak, Aurora Imperium!!” Marcus said.

“I hope with all my heart that our exhibition is able to convey the same emotions and passion that we put into our art, thanks you all” the blond girl smiled “So let's start with Kidzuky Mayu and Hamato Dante's Samba …!!”

The next twenty minutes were a feast for the eyes.

*Samba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34vrzq0yizQ

The music and the dancers were REALLY good in their art.

*Charleston: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRsan_COiD0

*Paso Doble: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4D4Ihx4mzw

*Cha Cha Cha: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08rWdLdm3Vk

They performed in a Samba, a Charleston, a Paso Doble, a Cha Cha Cha and finally …
“... And now for our last dance!! Marcus Balzani and Izuku Midoriya's Tango!!”

*Here, the song on which Izuku and Marcus are dancing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_1ZgrnRp4 so you can hear the music, and here there’s a nice tango performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHUg-DmFyKU Izuku is the woman XD (of course the music is different here, but it is to give you an idea of the movements).

In the brackets of the text below I have placed a translation*

"Here we are" Marcus whispered to Izuku, as they both took up positions in the center of the track “Are you ready?”

“Ready as I ever be” replied Izuku, who could almost physically feel the eyes of his classmates on him.
He closed his eyes, feeling Marcus's arm encircle his waist in a light, familiar grip -Don't think about them, It’s normal that they are surprised- he thought -Just think about the way you want them to look at you now …-

Ti sei svegliata adesso (You've woken up now),
ed hai sognato me (and you dreamed of me).
Mentre facevi sesso (While you were having sex),
io ero sopra di te (It was me above you).

He was good.

He was good to look.

He was desirable …

Ti guardi intorno (You look around),
ma tu non mi vedi (but you don't see me).
Sono nell'aria (I'm in the air),
ma non ci credi (but you don't believe it).

… And above all he was NOT a useless Deku.

È già passato un anno da poco (It's been almost an year).
Non puoi negarlo, nel cuore hai UN BUCO (Yet, you can't deny it, there's A HOLE inside your heart).

He still remembered the first time he'd danced that choreography.
It hadn't been anything serious, just Marcus leading him through the steps humming in his native language that same song Aurora-san was now singing.
He didn't know the translation then, and hell, how embarrassed he had been.

That didn't change the fact that he made him feel better though.

It was the day Kacchan had smashed his notebook on the hero analyzes, the day he told him to kill himself.

The day he was attacked by the Sludge Villain ...

Mi fa male (It hurts me),
vederti così triste (to see you so sad).
Mi fa male (It hurts me).
Saperti senza me (to know you without me).
Mi fa male (It hurts me).
Nessuno che ti assiste (No one to assist you).
Mi fa male (It hurts me),
non stringermi a te (don't hold you in my arms).

... The day All Might told him he couldn't be a hero without a Quirk.

E il campanello suona (And the doorbell rings).
Tu corri ad aprire, perché? (You rush to open, why?)

“I didn’t imagine that Midoriya could dance, nor that he was so good!!” Mina exclaimed, impressed “Who knows if he also likes the Break style? I might invite him to dance with me sometime”

“Yes, but does this mean that he is also a student of the dance school too?” Tsuyu wondered.

Com'è crudele la scena (How cruel is the scene),
LUI che ti stringe a sé (of HE who holds you tight …).
La sua mano scorre sul tuo FIANCO (His hand slides on your HIP).
Ti muovi, ti strusci contro lui (You’re moving, you’re rubbing against him).

“Hey, isn't that guy one of the Class-A’s students?” Kendo noted.

"Indeed!! What is it?! He thinks he is so cool that he can afford to waste energy before the festival?!” Monoma's comment came followed by a chuckle “Those in the Class-A really need to be re-dimensioned, first that blonde's speech and now the little dancer, seriously, who do they think they are?”

“He doesn't seem so bad though” Kinoko commented “Man, I'd like to know how to move like this”

Lui nel tuo letto adesso sembra stanco (He, in your bed, looks tired already)
Io con te non lo ero mai (I was never tired for you).

A sudden and profound Caschè caught them unprepared, provoking several amazed jolts among the students.

Mi fa male (It hurts me).
vederti innamorata … (see you in love …)

"Wow, Midoriya is really … elastic" Kaminari said "I think I would have broken my back doing that”
"Why? Just ‘cause you are a piece of wood” Jiro grinned.
“EHYY!!”

Mi fa male (It hurts me).
… Di uno che è così (… With one guy that's like that)
Mi fa male (It hurts me),
vederti un po' sprecata (see you a little wasted).
Mi fa male (It hurts me)
Che tu gli dica “sì” (see you saying “yes” to him).

Mi fa male (It hurts me).

The tango ended with a last hold where Izuku clung to Marcus's shoulders while the latter, holding his left side with one hand and his right leg stretched out with the other arm, slowly tilted him in front of him.
In that position, Marcus's face pressed against Izuku's neck in a way that could only be described as sensual.

“Well, no doubt that was … something” Iida said astonished.

“It was wonderful” Uraraka shouted in amazement, trying to make herself heard despite the din of applause that was filling the stadium “You were fantastic Deku!!”
“Yes, they were really good” Tsuyu agreed “Nice surprise, Midoriya”
Through it all, Katsuki couldn't help but stare at the way that extra dancer was STILL holding Deku as he made him come down with his feet on the ground.

And suddenly, many oddities prior to their entry into the UA made sense!! -So THIS is what you've been doing for the last two years, you damn nerd- he thought.

The couple bowed to the audience, while a somewhat … let's say, excited, Midnight reached them with the microphone.

“When you say to end with a flourish, huh?” she smacked her lips “A really beautiful tango, boys”

“Thank you ma'am” Marcus said, still holding Izuku's hand “And thank you very much also to the audience and, of course, the UA staff who allowed to our school to perform today!! Talk about excellent advertising” he half joked “And finally, personally, I would like to thank my partner, Izuku Midoriya …”

He paused briefly to catch his breath as he looked to him.

“… For accepting to dance with me today, despite being he himself a student of the Hero Course here at UA”

Several people in the audience seemed surprised by the revelation, however, contrary to what Izuku feared, no one seemed to take it negatively.

“Besides being a student here, Midoriya-kun is ALSO a student at our school for quite some time … one of the best I'd say …”

Marcus smiled, Izuku blushed and Katsuki for some reason unconsciously clenched his fists “So thank you, I know that the Sports Festival will not be an easy challenge but I am happy that you have found a way to honor our art anyway” the extra concluded.

“It's … it's been a pleasure” Izuku answered with a shy smile “I just hope the audience enjoyed to look at us as much as I did to perform”

“Oh, I definitely did” Midnight chirped “The students of Balzani's school will be our welcome guests for the rest of the festival!!” she declared then, after taking the microphone.

“Now, LET’S START THIS YEAR’S SPORT FESTIVAL!!”

"Oh, I better run and change!!” Izuku exclaimed, walking towards the changing rooms.

“Yeah, good luck Zuzu!!” Marcus greeted.
“We'll all be cheering for you” Aurora added, along with several smiles and nods from the other dancers and musicians.

“Thanks guys!!” Izuku smiled “I'll do my best!!”

And with this the sports festival had officially begun.

..................................................................

Chapter Text

... Recent international studies have identified several benefits that dance can bring, both physically AND mentally ...

***

... Regardless of the style practiced, it's useful for improving muscle strength and endurance, agility, balance and coordination, and preventing diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular risks ...

... An Italian study has shown that people with heart failure who practice dancing as a physical activity improve heart health, breathing and quality of life significantly compared to those who, for example, ride a bike or use the treadmill for do exercise …

... According to research published in "The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition", a weekly dance program can improve physical performance, muscle-tendon flexibility and endurance ...

***

... Most dance classes start with a warm-up which includes several stretching exercises ...

***

... Dancing increases the range of motion of all muscle groups ...
… Increases strength, as it forces muscles to resist gravity and body weight.

In many types of dance, including jazz and ballet, there are jumps in the air that require great resistance of the main muscles of the legs ...

***

... When we see a person dancing, it is almost certain that we will see him show a big smile on his face ...

... Dance eliminate stress and depression ...

... Dancing has been shown to help prevent mild forms of depression and improve SELF-ESTEEM  ...

***

... A study published on "The International Journal of Neuroscience" shows that the dance movement regulates the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the body ...

... Increase cognitive capacity ...

… Not only physical, but also mind.

Dancing has been shown to increase intelligence because it requires quick decisions and this preserves and improves mental intelligence ...

***

... Dancing is a social activity that helps depressed people overcome and be more self-confident ...

***

... Several studies have shown that strong interpersonal bonds and socialization with dance partners contribute to increasing one's self-esteem and having a positive attitude ...

When his mother announced that she had enrolled him in a ballroom dance school, Izuku thought she was joking.

He was twelve years old (almost theerteen) and he had come practically one STEP away from sinking into a depression which, in truth, had already begun to take root several years earlier.

His life had fallen apart the day the family doctor declared his quirkless status at the tender age of four.
His father accused his mother of having cheated on him with another man because it was impossible, according to him, that "That disgusting waste of space" could be his son and well, from a purely aesthetic point of view, someone might have agreed since Izuku and his father had no physical traits in common.

No, Izuku had taken everything from his mother, from the fair complexion to the sweet features of his face, from the wavy green hair to the emerald eyes.

Everything from his mother and nothing from his father, nothing that at first glance made you think: "Yes, this is Hisashi's son"

Nothing except that sheet containing the results of the DNA test that Inko had previously forced her husband to do when she realized, with deep bitterness, that she wouldn't be able to save that marriage.

This succeeded in guaranteeing them both the monthly payment of a minimum maintenance by Hisashi, who, after a long and turbulent divorce, moved to America.
Since then he hasn't been seen or heard of, and if things inside the house seemed to find a certain balance, unfortunately the same could not be said for the outside.

Indeed, Izuku's "condition" had not been well received at school and if the adults, even if they despised him, had at least tried to not show it, his peers and classmates didn't pay him the same courtesy.

Especially his FORMER best friend, Katsuki Bakugo, "Kacchan" as he used to call him when they were little.

Kacchan had won the perfect Quirk at the genetic lottery, the perfect Quirk to pursue what was, at the time, their both childhood dream.

Become Pro Heroes.

Too bad that his behavior towards others was anything but heroic, not to mention his motivations.
Izuku dreamed of becoming a hero because he liked to help others, it was like second nature to him, Kacchan instead wanted to become a hero simply because he liked to WIN ...

… And the heroes ALWAYS win.

Kacchan pushed him away as, year after year, their friendship faded, along with Izuku's hopes of being able to realize his dream, suffocated by contempt and more or less serious persecutory acts which the boy didn't have the heart to talk about it with his mother.

However, Midoriya Inko was not a stupid woman.

Of course, her job as a nurse at the local hospital was backbreaking and this, combined with her duties as a housewife and single mother, had kept her from realizing the gravity of the situation for a while.

For a while, in fact.

Because eventually Inko realized that her son's smiles weren't as sunny as they once were.
That when he told her: “I'm going out with a friend …” he actually went out alone, that his so-called “friends” were actually his bullies.

That the awareness of not having a Quirk, the awareness of not being able to realize his dream made him feel useless and aimless.

It was then that the woman decided that she HAD to do something.

She already knew that going to school would be useless, she had already tried once in elementary school.
Izuku had returned home with a series of bruises and burns that COULDN'T have been caused by the game and when, the next day, she had presented herself to ask for an explanation, the only answer she got was: “They are children, they still cannot control their Quirks, rather it would be better if you told your son to not play with others given his CONDITION …”

In practice it wasn't the other children fault, who were too impetuous or abusive, nooooooo it was her son's fault because he was too weak.

She had never been so close to using her Quirk to RIP the heart out of a man's chest, before that only her former husband had been able to provoke certain thoughts.
No, that group of incompetent racists would never have listened to her, let alone helped.

What could she do then?

The only solution that she came up with was that she had to find something to do for Izuku, a HOBBY that was constructive.

Something new and stimulating, which would distract him at least for a few hours from the thought of heroes and, consequently, from his impossible dream.

And after about a month of searching she thought she had found the right thing.

“Mom” Izuku sighed when he realized, seeing his mother's serious expression, that it was not a joke “Look, I … I appreciate the thought, really, but I honestly don't think it's a good idea"

“Izuku …”

“I mean, we are talking about a private school, with tax to PAY”

“Oh, but we can afford it honey, they offer special rates based on income” Inko declared still perfectly calm, which was curious since she had always been quite an emotional woman.

“Yeah, but ballroom dance?"

Izuku had never been particularly interested in sports or artistic expressions as dancing could be.
There had been some sporadic episodes as a child in which he had "danced" with his mother in the living room when they were showing some music program on TV that made him want to but apart from that …

"I don't see anything wrong with trying something new" Mrs. Midoriya replied "Futhermore, I've been researching lately and I have found that dancing brings many benefits both physically and spiritually" she continued emphasizing with particular emphasis, perhaps unwittingly, the last word.
Izuku continued to look at her uncertainly, tapping lightly with his chopsticks on the edge of his Katsudon plate.

 "I'm asking you to try honey, just this" Inko sighed, placing a hand on her son's free hand "Just for a month"

"A month?"

"Not a day more" she nodded "A month is all I ask of you and if by then you are convinced that you don't like it, I will withdraw your registration"

“…”

"What do you say?"

Izuku thought about it for a moment and, well, if it was to please his mother …
“… All right, if it makes you happy I'll give it a try"

And all the self-control that her mother had shown up to that moment flew out the window causing her big green eyes to fill with tears.
"Oh, honey!!" she smiled excitedly "You'll see, I'm sure you won't regret it"

...................................

Chapter Text

The Balzani’s school of dance was an association that included several academies scattered all over the world, each academy, then, had a central office that managed the various peripheral gyms and dance floors.
It had been founded by Lady Elisa Balzani, widow of Lord Stefano Balzani, an Italian nobleman and extremely rich from whom she had inherited an immense fortune.
Always passionate about music, dance and theater, Lady Balzani had decided to invest a large part of her fortune in a dance academy, whose first school had been opened in Rome in her country of origin.

This had happened about seven years ago.

Since then, as the prestige of the academy grew, the woman traveled around the world, opening other schools from time to time.
Including the one that was in Japan.

When Inko had enrolled Izuku at the academy, she had received an e-mail in response inviting her to an orientation visit to the branch office closest to her home.

And that was exactly there that she and Izuku were at that moment.

“Good afternoon!!” the receptionist greeted them, looking up from the computer keyboard as she heard them enter.
She was a young woman in her thirties, a little short and thin but pretty, wearing an elegant uniform consisting into a smooth black jacket and skirt (long just below the knee), a red shirt and shiny black shoes with the medium heel.
Her hair was tied in an elegant bun.

A badge pinned to her jacket beared the name “Miko”.

“Oh, good afternoon” Mrs. Midoriya began, approaching her “I have been given an appointment for today!!”

“All right” Miko smiled “Just let me check … her name, mrs?”

“Mrs. Midoriya”
“… Let's see, oh yes!!” the woman said “The appointment at four pm!! Welcome Mrs. Midoriya, you and your son can take a seat with the other guests of the orientation, one of our teachers should arrive shortly”

“Thank you, let's go Izuku!!” Inko added excitedly.

“Sure” the boy murmured, looking around.

The receptionist pointed them to the waiting room, which was quite large.
There were several armchairs upholstered in dark red velvet with golden details embroidered on the armrests along with a few cherry wood benches and tables on top of a polished wax parquet.

The only detail that was out of place in that decor was the pair of coffee machines, along with one that distributed snacks.

They found other people who were apparently waiting for the teacher to arrive.

They looked like other parents who had accompanied their children, more or less the same age as Izuku, who were socializing with each other.
If for a moment Izuku had thought of trying to approch them, the sentence “… No way!! Your Quirk can do that?! So cool, man!!” made him change his mind.

“Don't you … don’t you want to try talking to them Izu?” Inko asked worriedly, noticing her son's expression.
“No mom, I'm fine here” Izuku tried to force a smile “Really, don't worry”
“… Okay”

The last thing Izuku wanted was to get noticed (negatively) by other peers since, knowing himself, he would end up muttering in that disturbing way that bothered Kacchan and his classmates so much.
Although this was a bad habit that had gotten him into trouble several times, he still couldn't avoid doing it, especially if he found himself observing interesting Quirks.

It was as if his thoughts were too quick to process, and expressing them aloud or in writing helped him to bring order.

“Hey there!! Sorry for the delay!!” a male voice suddenly exclaimed “Public transport seemed to have gone CRAZY today!!”

This drew the attention of those present towards the entrance to the waiting room.
“Hello everyone!! I'm Marcus Balzani” a boy of about fifteen, introduced himself “One of the dance teachers at this venue, and before you ask: Yes, I'm exactly as young as I look and no, that doesn't make me less able to teach a passion I've had since I was eight!! As my mother always used to say, talent is talent!! But don’t worry I'm not the only teacher here, the other two are adults hahahah!!”

Well, he looked ENERGETIC for sure.

He clapped his hands together with a bright smile “I would say to start with a tour of the structure!! What do you think?” he said “And in the meantime I will give you an idea of what we do here …”

And so began the guided tour of the school.

“First of all, I will start by saying that here yes, we mainly do dance but if there is someone interested among you, we also organize music and singing courses with external teachers” Marcus began, as soon as he led them to a large and bright room with a glossy brown parquet floor. 
The walls were made of mirrors while the windows were draped with elegant red curtains.
There were also some barres for ballet dance.
“As far as dance is concerned, our strong point is ballroom dancing: Samba, Paso doble, Charleston, Waltz, Cha cha cha, Rumba, Bachata, Fox trot …” the boy continued “This obviously doesn't mean we ignore the others styles, Classic, Modern, Break, Hip-Hop”

He turned to the group of visitors.

“You just have to tell us what you are interested in learning, after which we can organize the courses, the schedules and the costs, regarding these last two aspects, if you have any questions or doubts you can ask Miko-san at the reception, regarding the courses …” he smiled “… I usually delight myself in a little practical demonstration”

The boy made his way to the stereo system in the room and, after briefly tinkering with some CDs, put on music for a basic waltz.

“Who among you would be interested in ballroom dancing?”
Several people raised their hands, including Izuku, albeit more timidly, after his mother patted him encouragingly on the shoulder.

“Marvelous!! I'm glad you are quite a few” Marcus took a few steps towards the center of the track “Some volunteer?”

It was almost comical how everyone quickly lowered their hands to that question.

“Aaaand I have to choose (as always)” Marcus sighed in a low voice, shaking his head “All right …”

He glanced quickly at the group in front of him.
“… Ambarabà ciccì coccò, tre civette sul comò* … and YOU!! With the green curls!!”

Izuku gasped, looking around bewildered.
-Oh no, please no …- he thought -Of all the people he could choose, why is it always up to me?-

As much for passing unnoticed.

A warm laugh distracted him from his thoughts.
“Ahahah, don't worry it's not my intention to humiliate you or something like that it's just to give you an idea of what we do here, nobody expects you to be a professional” the teacher explained “If you were, you would have no reason to be here, would you? Come here!!”

Resigned, Izuku took a deep breath and walked towards him.

-Ok, but if I step on your toes don't blame me … please …-

Now the more rational part of him knew that he was in no danger, in short, even if he were angry he would not end up putting his hands on him, not in front of all these witnesses who had no idea how much he was a useless Deku.
Right?

Marcus took his hand, gently pulling him towards him.

His hands … they were particularly warm, really warm, not enough to burn but enough to notice it.
Like when you dip your hand into a basin of hot water and …

“We'll do a little waltz, pretty easy for start and yeah … I know that you naughty pirates would have preferred to see A TANGO, vi conosco mascherine*” he joked passing the other arm around his waist “But you have to go step by step” he returned to focus his attention on Izuku.
“First you have to assume the right posture, then put your hands like this …”

… Were the veins in his hands glowing red? As if … as if instead of blood he had BURNING LAVA, he hadn't noticed it from afar!!

-Maybe it's because of his Quirk, I wonder what it is ... no, NO!! Bad Izuku, bad …!!-

“Now, usually into a dance couple it’s the man who leads and the woman follows, in our case I will lead since I am the teacher but don't worry!! Since we're not in the 1900s anymore, here you’ll learn the movements and the steps of BOTH roles, swapping them from lesson to lesson until you decide which of the two you feel most comfortable with”

-… You don't have to think about Quirks, you don't have to analyze people!!- Izuku kept thinking -It's why people call you a creepy stalker and avoid you at school, as if being a evolution’s failure wasn't enough …-

“… So, what's your name curly?”

C-Curly?!

“UH?!” Izuku blinked, looking up from his feet “O-Oh, it's Midoriya … M-Midoriya Izuku?”

“Why do you say it like it's a question?” Marcus joked “Relax, there's really no reason to be nervous, Izuku, uh? Can I call you Zuzu?!”

“Y-Yeah?”

Well, always better than “Deku”.

“Nice, you can call me Marcus, Mark … Mr. “You talk too much” …”
“… Wait, what?!” the joke actually caused some giggles from the kids and an awkward half smile from Izuku himself.

“I'm serious you can do it, I'm not offended, I know I talk too much”

“I … I guess I'll just stick to Marcus-san”

“Okay, better for me!! Now just follow me” Marcus smiled and Izuku felt his face go warm for some reason “When I put my foot forward, you bring yours back and one, two three …”

Midoriya was surprised that he managed to move without stepping on the other boy's toes.

Sure he was a bit stiff, but considering it was the first time.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBKTN6c_MEQ&t=68s first waltz lesson for beginners ^^ again, to give you an idea of the movements*

“… One, two, three … That’s right!! Nice job!!”
A sudden piroetta, when the music stopped, took him by surprise while Marcus laughed “Thanks for dancing with me Zuzu!!”

Izuku felt his cheeks burn “Y-Yeah …”

“Now, who is the next volunteer?”

***

“So, what do you think Izu?” Inko asked, when they got home “It looks like a nice place, with nice people …”

“It looks … nice, I guess” Izuku admitted, scratching the back of his neck “It's still early to make judgments though”
“Well, I got a good impression” his mother smiled “And that boy Marcus, he seems like a good young man as well as good at teaching!! If the other teachers are as patient and kind as he is maybe I should enroll too, after all the school has courses for all ages …”

“If you like it, why not?” Izuku agreed with a small smile “I’m sure you'd be great mom, better than me for sure …”

“Oh, don't say that honey!!” Inko replied “You two were so cute while you were dancing the walt”

“As you say mom” the other murmured “I'm going to do my homework”

“Okay honey, I'll call you as soon as dinner is ready!!”

-After all it’s only for a month- Izuku reflected as he closed the door of his room behind him -I will survive … -

…………………………………

Chapter Text

In the end they had arranged for three lessons a week of about two hours each.

“When you start a new path, whether sporty or not, you don't have to have too much stress, you have to have fun and you have to learn the dynamics in a simple and intuitive way” Marcus had said “Most of the time we’ll dedicate it to learning new movements and steps while the the rest we’ll dedicate it to the “re-call” of the figures you already learned!! Then, once you are familiar enough with the dance floor, we’ll begin the real work …”

The first day of class fell on a tuesday.

The hours were organized with just half an hour off the school, which meant that instead of returning home Izuku would take the train to go directly to the dance academy.
This didn’t bother him since it had been his habit for some time to prepare his backpack in advance, just a few minutes before the bell rang, to get away as quickly as possible so to avoid Kacchan and his … friends? Maybe calling them “friends” was a bit excessive … “henchmen”!! Yeah, that was more like it.

Of course, he wasn't always lucky enough to be able to avoid them, especially when Kacchan (for some reason) was particularly in a bad mood to interpret his every little sign or behavior as a personal challenge.

Thank goodness that first week of lessons passed quietly without any particular hitches.

“Hey there!! You are Midoriya ZUZU, right?!” a voice exclaimed from afar, just as he was about to enter the building.

-Zuzu?!- Izuku blinked, taking a few moments to remember that this was the way the dance teacher had taken the liberty of calling him the orientation day.
To call him that was a girl, who came running to meet him at the entrance.

He vaguely recognized her as one of the guys who actually showed up the other day.

She was a slender girl with short light lilac hair, parted on the right side where the locks were cut shorter than the other side, full lips and blue skin.
She had peculiar eyes in that the sclera was completely black with vivid green irises, framed by remarkably long lashes.

“Uuuh, actually it would be Izuku …” the boy answered shyly.

“Oh, really? Sorry, I must have misunderstood, hi Izuku-kun!! I’m Kidzuky Mayu!!” the girl answered enthusiastically with a big smile.

Izuku had never had much contact with the opposite sex, being Quirkless the girls had always avoided him like a plague so the fact that Mayu was talking to him without appearing disgusted was already a nice change.

“O-Oh, nice …”

“So what's up? Excited for the first official lesson?!” she asked as he entered with him "I am!!"

“Wellll …” In reality, the greenie wasn't yet sure how he felt about this new experience.
The only thing he knew was that he promised his mother that he would give a try and that's what he would do.

Nothing more, nothing less.

At the entrance they found two other kids, a boy and a girl.
Izuku recognized the boy as one of those he had glimpsed on the orientation day, but not the girl.

“Here you go guys, and good lesson!!” they heard Miko, the receptionist, wish.

“Thank you miss” the girl replied with a respectful nod followed by a series of light hisses.

-Her hair …- Izuku thought blinking amazed.

The girl's hair consisted of a nest of LIVE vipers, with shiny black scales, which were in constant motion.
She had a slim physique, fair skin and … well, he had no idea what color her eyes might be since they were hidden by from a pair of shiny black mirrored glasses

“… Oh, you must be the others in the class” the boy commented casually after he noticed them at the door “Sup’?”

He had dark skin, short black hair shaved at the back and thicker above his head and dark red eyes.
He wore a black tank top with the image of the Ravenclaw crest from the Harry Potter’s saga printed on it and dark jeans that highlighted the already well-defined line of muscles.

“Good afternoon” the girl greeted.

“Hello new friends!!” Mayu exclaimed coming forward immediately “I’m Kidzuky Mayu”

“M-Midoriya Izuku, nice to meet you …” Izuku said, trying to look everywhere except the girl's snake-hair, which inevitably attracted his attention.
Not because he was afraid of it, but rather because he could already feel an uninterrupted stream of questions about what her Quirk might be on the tip of his tongue threatening to come out in the form of a grumble -Don't mumble, don't mumble …- he thought -Try to be NORMAL for once!!-

“Nice to meet you too, I'm Okamoto Yumiko” the girl introduced herself.

“Hamato Dante” the boy followed.

“So, it seems that from now on we will spend some time together” Mayu began, eager to make conversation “Is there a particular dance you would like to learn?! I can't wait to do SAMBA …!!”

For the next ten minutes the girls chatted among themselves, or rather, Mayu talked while Yumiko mostly just listened.
Dante didn't seem much of a talker and Izuku didn't feel comfortable enough to chat so they limited, along with the girls, to wait the teacher's arrival in the waitroom.

“Hello everyone!!” Marcus's voice finally came “You are punctual guys, more than me for sure, nice!!"

He showed up with another student, a thin young man with short, wavy, light brown hair, tanned skin and brown eyes, who actually seemed to have the air of someone who wanted to be EVERYWHERE except there.
Marcus clapped his hands together, smiling “Okay, we seem to be all there so I'd say we can go to class, now you four go ahead and begin to change into more comfortable clothes in the changing rooms, meanwhile Kiyotaka-kun and I will stop just long enough for identification”

In the locker room Izuku quickly changed into a light yellow shirt with the word "T-shirt" written on it in black kanji and plain sweatpants.

-Okay, so far so good- he reflected -You don't need to talk about Quirks in a dance class, so I shouldn't worry about my ... condition coming up-
The thought of her made him feel tense for a moment.
-It'll be fine, I'll be fine …-

“Ehy …”

“UH?!” Izuku started, his eyes wide enough to remember a fawn caught in the headlights of a car, as he suddenly found himself beside Dante who was staring at him.

“You dropped this” the other said calmly, handing him nothing less than his “Hero Analysis For The Future N. 12” notebook!!

He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed the thud of the notebook falling to the ground.
Of all the objects he could let slip out of his hands, why?! Just why …?!

“… So, you want to be a hero?” the question inevitably came.

-The world hates me- Izuku thought, however unable to stop himself from nodding as he took the notebook from Dante's hands.
Impossible as it was, it was still his dream.

“Y-Yeah, I was … I was even thinking about applying to U.A high school, next year”
At that point he expected the other boy to ask him what his Quirk was and if it was actually suitable for the job, because they ALWAYS ended up asking him that.

 Just as they always ended up either cruderly bursting out laughing or looking at him with pity.

“Cool, good luck then” Dante said instead, closing the subject there and then leave the locker room.

The greenie stared at the closed door for a few seconds, surprised -Oh, well …- he thought -I guess not everyone gets excited about talking about heroes?-

***

“Okay guys, today we’ll review what I showed you on the orientation day, so as to begin to “cement” the muscle memory so to speak!!” Marcus began as he walked around them “More times you repeat a movement, an action, then more you'll learn to do it instinctively without thinking too much about it …”

He stopped near Dante.

“Oh, Ravenclaw huh?” he commented after noticing Dante's tank top (he had only changed his pants) “Cool, I went out Gryffindor when I took the online test”

“Patronus?” Dante asked.

“Wolf, yours?”

“Owl”

“Mysterious, I like it” Marcus smiled, before turning his attention to the class “Now, first let's warm up a little with some basic stretching exercises …”

Done the stretching exercises, it was time to form pairs.

“Would you like to pair with me?” Yumiko asked the skinny boy with light brown hair who had showed up with Marcus.
The boy, Kiyotaka, gave her a surprised, almost suspicious look, as if he didn't expect anyone to really want to pair up with him “… Sure” he finally muttered, accepting the girl's invitation.

“I'll take the dark beaut!!” Mayu declared, clinging to Dante's bicep who didn’t seem in the least embarrassed by the contact.

“If you like …” he murmured.

“Then I guess that Zuzu is mine” Marcus said with an encouraging smile in the direction of the latter, before going to the stereo system to play some basic music.

Zuzu …

Izuku couldn't help but wonder how long it will took that nickname to become “Useless Deku”.

Nevertheless he took courage and reached the teacher's side.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh9iSHAowpI  Some Waltz music*

“You know, the waltz is a dance choreographed to a three-four time signature” Marcus explained “Executed in closed one, which means …”
He put his arm around Izuku's waist and, without warning, suddenly pulled the younger boy towards him.

Izuku gasped, feeling his cheeks flush.

“… Knight and lady, or Zuzu in our case, are in CLOSE contact” he continued “It’s formed by a single simple step and characterized by the perpetual twirling of the couple …”

In that position Izuku could feel the heat radiating from Marcus's body, it wasn't unpleasant, but he still couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed to stay like this, chest to chest.

“… His own name, from the French “Volter” which means “Twirl” the older boy said “Zuzu has to put one of his arms on my shoulder while I keep him this way”

Izuku did as instructed, placing his left hand on the other's right shoulder.

“Perfect” Marcus nodded “Now, as I said, the strong point of the Waltz lies in the vaulting: At the time of the French Revolution, which affirmed the principles of freedom and equality, the fashion of the waltz spread even more vehemently and intensely.
With the fall of the monarchy, all court ceremonials had disappeared and the spirit of freedom had taken over in every field.
Therefore the waltz, which had been opposed by the court environment for a long time, has become synonymous with freedom.
The vaulting caused an unusual thrill that exercised a great attraction in people, so in a short time the waltz became the most practiced dance by all social classes”

“Interesting” Yumiko said, pleasantly surprised by that short history lesson.

“The pleasure of abandonment to the ecstasy of vaulting was indicative of that desire to escape from everyday reality inherent in the romantic feeling, which was affirming itself everywhere in Europe” Marcus concluded “For instance, try to think when you were younger and you had fun spinning around on yourself, in that circle you were free …”

In that circle you were free.

Izuku had to admit that, put like that, it was a very romantic thought.

Marcus taught them a short and simple choreography.

Every now and then he left Izuku to go to correct the positions of the others but then immediately return to him.
“You're doing well Zuzu, you just have to loosen up a little” he complimented “And if you can find some free time I would recommend you try the movements alone, maybe at home if you have enough space”

Izuku nodded “O-Oh, okay, I … I'll try”

That was how his first day of dance class passed.

And returning home, the greenie realized that he still had the accordion notes playing in his head along with the phantom sensation of Marcus' arm around his waist.

…………………………………

Chapter Text

HollywoodQueen: So are you guys all there for today's smoothie appointment?

The WhatsApp group was Mayu's idea.
It was the last day of their first week of class when the girl had suggested to exchange phone numbers “I thought we could go out together every now and then, it would be fun!!” she had said “Oh!! And maybe we could invite Marcus-kun too, even though he's one of our teachers he's still close to our age …”

Izuku had been tempted to decline the invitation, VERY tempted.

On the one hand, going out with his new classmates would exposed him to the risk that his lack of Quirk and, consequently, his uselessness would show up, on the other hand he didn't even want to pass for antisocial or offend Mayu in any way.

Mens_dominatus_potentia: Yeah, I never say no to free stuff and since you offered to pay …

SweetHaiku07: I'll be there too, thank you so much again for the invitation Mayu-chan.

In the end he had decided to take the risk or rather, HIS MOTHER had decided that he should take the risk “I think it's a wonderful idea” she had said, apparently oblivious to Izuku's inner conflict about it “Your classmate was very nice to invite you all out, you should go”

HollywoodQueen: Oh don't mention it Yumi-chan!! I can't wait to have fun with you all ;) unfortunately Kiyotaka-kun had already said he couldn’t come, but what about you Izu-kun? You were the only one in “maybe”.

DetroitSmash15: Yes, I’ll be there, I'm just getting out of school now, thanks for inviting me.

HollywoodQueen: SWEET!! I’m waiting for you, see you later!!

“What the fuck have you been doing after school these days, Deku!?”

“K-KACCHAN …!!” Izuku gasped, nearly dropping his cell phone from his hands when the blond boy appeared suddenly in front of him, using his height to tower over the shorter boy.

A posturing that Izuku was well used to after all these years.

“I'm not … I'm not doing anything, just …” the greenie bit his lip nervously while keeping an eye on Kacchan's hands, or at least the one he didn't keep hidden in his trouser pocket, looking for any sparks.

“Speak louder nerd, I don't understand shit when you mumble!!”

“I'm … I’m going out with some friends today”

“Friends?!” Daichi-kun, one of Katsuki's followers, who was standing next to him in that moment, gave a half skeptical grin as he extended one of his fingers to poke Izuku’s cheek “What friends? Who would ever want to be friends with a useless quirkless being like you Deku?”

-In fact they still don't know that I'm Quirkless- Izuku thought bitterly, looking away.

“I hope you haven't started training to be a Hero or some shit, Deku” Katsuki hissed, staring at him suspiciously.

“W-What? No, I … I don’t …” Izuku stammered, blinking “Really, K-Kacchan”
“It will be better for you” the blond replied “You know that someone like you doesn’t have the slightest chance to become a hero, yet I still see you scribbling on those stupid stalker notebooks of yours”
“These are just notes, Kacchan, It’s …”
“Useless, useless just like you” Katsuki advanced while Izuku, unconsciously backed away “Fuck deal with it Deku, you will NEVER be a hero!!”

“I …” Izuku didn't want to burst into tears, not in front of Kacchan and his lackey, so he swallowed, trying to contain himself the time it took to get out of the classroom “I know, Kacchan”

“Good” having said that he finally let him pass and Izuku almost ran out of the classroom.

***

Mayu had chosen a very nice bar in Hosu.
Big, bright … the classic place to go to spend a nice afternoon with your friends.

“Izu-kun!!” the girl exclaimed as she saw him coming in the distance “There you are!! You are the first who arriv-…” she broke off as she saw him approach.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Good afternoon Mayu-chan” he replied, trying to sound casual “Yeah, I’m ok”

“Are you sure?” she asked, worried since she had noticed his slightly puffy eyes “It almost looks like you have …”

-Damn ...- Izuku thought, hating the fact that rinsing his face in the sink of a public bathroom was not enough to completely erase the signs of crying.
“I … I tripped, and I hurt myself” was the only (pathetic) excuse that came to his mind “I'm fine now, nothing to worry about”

“If you say so” Mayu said, not very convinced “… Well, I'm sure a nice smoothie will get you back in shape!!” she smiled “Let's take the table, the others should arrive soon”

A few minutes later they all showed up.

Dante, Yumiko, and yes, even Marcus but in the company of an extra guest …

“… Hey guys!! Thanks for the invitation, you don't mind if I brought my stepsister with me, right? She hasn't put her nose out of the house for days, always locked in the rehearsal room to wear out her vocal cords ahahah!!”

“I'd rather say that I’m doing what you should do too little brother, TRAINING!!” a blonde girl, about the same age as Marcus, said rolling her eyes “Excuse my brother's nonsense, I'm Aurora Imperivm hajimemashite*” she introduced himself in perfect Japanese “You must be the poor souls who have had the misfortune of having this empty head as you teach”
“Ouch, sis, OUCH!!” Marcus panted dramatically, putting a hand on his heart “To be a singer, you have no sensitivity”

“I have it for those who deserve it brother but, seriously, didn't you have a competition in three weeks or something?”

“Oh, are you a singer?” Yumiko asked interested.
“I'm studying to become one, hopefully” Aurora answered, then looked at her stepbrother “Well? You promised me a smoothie, so start getting the money out”

“Actually, this first round of smoothies is on me” Mayu intervened “And since we're all here I would say we can start ordering”

It had to be said that bar offered a wide choice of smoothies, of all colors and flavors.

Marcus ordered a “Dark Passion” which was a Chocolate and Cherry smoothie with a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts.
Yumiko took a "Blueberry Avocado" Smoothie, Dante a "Chocolate Chip Mint" Smoothie, Mayu a “The Dragon's Desire” Smoothie, done with dragon fruit, strawberries and banana, and Aurora a “Java chip mocha green” Smoothie.

Finally Izuku opted for “A Dash of Summer” a smoothie made with mango, low-fat yogurt, lime juice and some ground cinnamon.

Izuku got a tall glass with bright yellow slurry in it, decorated with lime slices on the top with mint leaves and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
“Oh, thank you” the greenie smiled, he hadn't expected the drink to be so pretty when he'd ordered it, for a moment he wondered if it would be strange to take a picture to show his mom later.

Maybe all that wonder he felt was actually a reflection of the fact that it was the first time he'd been going out with guys of his age who didn't hate him …

He also liked the fact that his drink was so YELLOW!! It has always been his favorite color.

They spent the next hour chatting merrily among themselves, especially Mayu and Marcus who were the most sociable of the group.
They talked about a little bit of everything, school, favorite TV series …

You know, the classic topics you talk about among friends.
After a while even Izuku was able to relax enough to say something, especially when they came to the subject of heroes “Oh, my favorite is All Might!!” he admitted, albeit with a slight embarrassment “I like him because he manages to make everyone feel safe every time he intervenes”

“Oh, I agree with you!!” Yumiko smiled, sipping her smoothie “After all, you can't be the number one just by beating the Villains, after all ANYONE who’s strong could do it, don't you think? But being able to be a positive example of altruism is quite another thing”

“Yeah, that's exactly what I think!!” Izuku brightened.

At that point Mayu clapped her hands together, drawing the other’s attention “Okay guys, classic question: What do you dream of doing in life?”
Her question was followed by a few moments of silence, where everyone seemed to think about the best way to express themselves.

The greenie, although he would have had the answer already ready, didn’t dare to say it aloud.

Too much fear that, once they learned of his dream, they might ask him what his Quirk was.

“Oh, I would like to be a defense attorney for Villains” Dante declared quietly, searching with his spoon for the last chocolate chips in the bottom of his glass of smoothie.

His statement caused several exclamations of surprise, especially from Mayu “Really? For Villains?” she said, curious but not necessarily accusatory “Why?”

“Well, personally I think that things are never necessarily only black or white, and most people don't do bad things because they enjoy doing it but because they are forced by circumstances” Dante explained “Moreover, to be labeled as “Villains” in this society are all the people who commit a crime, regardless of its gravity which I find stupid, I mean: You would really put a guy who, for example, decided to use his Quirk to rob a bank because, I don't know? Maybe he lost his job or something, on the same level with a ruthless killer killing people for sadism? I sure not …”

Wow, Dante's speech certainly made think.

“… And in any case, everyone deserves to be defended”

“It's a really admirable project man” Marcus commented, impressed “It’s right to have a dream, regardless of what others think, in fact, in my opinion a person should have MORE than just one dream”

“More than one?” Yumiko asked.

“Yeah, I mean you can never know what fate has in store for you, right?” the young dance teacher declared “Even with all the effort in the world, it can happen that the dream of a lifetime doesn’t come true, it sucks but it can happen” he took a sip of his smoothie “Take me for example, I LOVE dance, it's my life and as long as I can I’ll continue to dance professionally but … if one day I have an accident or find myself forced to stop prematurely for some reason, what should I do? Sit and whine about how unfair life has been and spend the rest of it depressing? FUCK, NO!! Something always must be done!! Having a … a back-up dream, yeah that's it!! Something to hold on to if life were to bring you down”

“I agree” Dante nodded positively "It's quite logical as reasoning"

“And what would your backup dream be?” Mayu asked.
“Well besides dancing, I've always enjoyed studying, especially history and philosophy” Marcus replied “In fact, if I were to retire from dance, I'd like to become a history professor, perhaps with a specialization in the Pre-Quirk age”

“Eh, with the gab you have, you would have no problem doing that” Aurora chuckled, tapping him with her elbow.

“Ehy, I would be the most loved teacher in the school!!” the brother laughed.

“As dance teacher surely you're not bad at all” Mayu pointed out with an amused smile “And you Yumi-chan? What would you like to do?”

“Well, I don't know yet to be honest, I really like literature, especially poetry” the girl with snake hair confessed, blushing slightly “I sometimes write, but I don't think I have the skills to transform it in a job”

“Really? Have you ever tried to send your works to some publisher?” Dante asked.

The girl shook her head “I'm afraid I haven't had the courage yet moreover, my writings are … quite personal”

“So we have the professor, the lawyer, the writer, the singer (which would be me) aaaand what about you Izu-kun?” Aurora said looking at the green “What's your dream, or back-up dream if you have it?”

“O-Oh me? Well …”
-I never thought of a "backup" dream before- Izuku reflected, thoughtfully fiddling with the straw of his smoothie -Although everyone had always told me that my first dream is impossible ...-

“Oh, he would like to become a Pro Hero” Dante replied for him, making him jump “He even has some analysis of the Quirks of some heroes, where he specifies their strengths, weaknesses and all the situations in which they could be best used …”
-HE READ MY  NOTES?! - Izuku thought with horror, remembering that Dante had collected his notebook that time in the locker room.
“…They were pretty detailed, they look like they were written by a professional” the dark-haired boy concluded.

Izuku tensely waited for the others' reaction to that information, expecting the worst.

“REALLY?! That’s so cool Izu-kun!!” Mayu squeaked “I would like to become a heroine too, you know?!”

“R-Really ...?”
-... Don't they think it's weird?-

“YEAH!! Can I read your notes?”

“I … uh, I d-don't have them with me …” Izuku lied, glancing nervously at his backpack resting on the ground.

“Oh, well maybe next time we see each other in class you can show me, do you think you can analyze my Quirk too?" Mayu insisted.
Izuku blinks, not expecting such a request “Your … your Quirk?”

“If what Dante said is true, I wouldn't mind to get some advice too” Yumiko confessed “Do you have a super intelligence or analytics Quirk, Izuku-kun?”
“Man, now I'm curious too” Marcus said “What's your Quirk Zuzu?”

“Yeah, do you have an Analysis Quirk?” Mayu added.

“I-I …”

Who would ever want to be friends with a useless QUIRKLESS being like you Deku?

“Yes” that word escaped his lips before he could really think it “I … I mean, y-yes, I have an … an a-analysis Quirk …”

..........................................

Chapter Text

“Yes” that word escaped his lips before he could really think it “I … I mean, y-yes, I have an … an a-analysis Quirk …”
It had been stronger than him, he had gotten so comfortable with them that he couldn't bear to see them drastically change their attitude towards him if they knew the truth.

See kindness turn into disgust, acceptance into rejection …

“That’s so cool Zuzu!! What do you think of my Quirk then? Do you think you can guess what it is?” Marcus smiled.

“W-Well, I should … you know, have some extra data to … uh, analyze things …” Izuku muttered “Even if I couldn't help it to notice that you are very hot …” he added thoughtfully.
-Maybe a uniqueness linked to heat- he thought, letting his passion for the Quirks take over the worry.

“Oooh so you think I'm hot? But Zuzu, is that a veiled attempt to flirt with me?” Marcus teased with a playful grin.

“Wait, WHAT?!” Izuku exclaimed, feeling his cheeks flush for that insinuation “N-No it's not like …”

“Ahahahah, relax!! I'm just teasing you” Marcus had a really good laugh, warm, almost musical, the kind that nevertheless made you want to laugh with him.
Izuku chewed his lip embarrassed “It's just that … the times we danced together I noticed that your … uh, y-your body was hotter than normal and … and the veins in your hands … it seemed to me to see how some glows under the skin” he explained himself “As if the blood inside burns? So I thought your Quirk had something to do with fire or at least heat”

“Eh, can't blame you for thinking that” the dance teacher chuckled “Unfortunately it’s a bit more problematic than that”

That statement made him earn a series of curious glances from others.

“Now, don't be scared, my Quirk is called "Magmatic force", and … well, all I know is that it allows me to manipulate the lava and its temperature, of course it's not very useful without a volcano nearby but …”

“YOU CAN CONTROL LAVA?!” the interruption followed by the sight of a pair of emerald eyes suddenly sparkling with enthusiasm surprised him.
“That’s marvelous!!” Izuku almost squeaked in amazement “How exactly does it work? Can you sense the presence of lava beneath the earth's surface and recall it to you? Or do you necessarily need to be near a volcano?! I mean, I know that there are lavas that rise from the earth's surface starting from depths between 100 and 250 km so …”

“Wow, this is intense …” Dante murmured.

Izuku went on guessing mixed with questions for at least a good five minutes before realizing that everyone else was looking at him strangely.
He paused, and Marcus took advantage of that moment of silence to intervene.

“Damn, you must really like analyzing Quirks, I've never asked myself half the questions you just asked me”

“I’m s-sorry, it's just … I get kinda excited when I find interesting Quirks and I start talking nonsense” the greenie murmured, almost ashamed “Didn't want to be annoying”

“What?! Don’t get me wrong Zuzu, I'm not offended” the older boy reassured him “You raised some interesting points, It’s just that my power is … pretty specific, I can't exactly test it without fear of making a volcano erupt involuntarily”

“Would you really be able to do THAT?” Mayu asked impressed.

“Ooooh he would be able, plenty, I saw it myself” Aurora confirmed with a shrug “It happened once, we were about eight years old and we were on holiday in Sicily (the largest island of Italy), near the Etna”
“Yeeeeah, you know it's not a story that I like to remember sis …”

“M-Mom I'm scared!!”

“It's gonna be okay honey, you just have to focus”

“B-But …”

“Look at me baby, have I ever lied to you?”

“... N-No”

“Then take a deep breath and concentrate, you can control it Marcus, I KNOW you can”

“… But I can say that I was lucky that in the end nobody got hurt and my mother was rich enough to have paid off all the damage to property” Marcus sighed “What is certain is that I have never tried to use my Quirk beyond a simple way to warm me up when I feel cold”
He raised a hand, showing the veins on it glowing.

“Yep, It's like having a human stove” Aurora joked.

“I still think it's amazing though” Izuku murmured simply watching him.

“Eh, thanks Zuzu” Marcus smiled “You're the only one who tells me that, apart from my mother”

“Oh dear, and I thought mine was a dangerous Quirk” Yumiko whispered awkwardly.

“Ah, your Quirk has something to do with eye contact doesn't it?” Izuku considered, looking at her.

“How can you tell?!” the other replied, surprised.
“I never see you take off your glasses, glasses that are mirrored which means you can see our eyes but we can't see yours” the greenie revealed.

“O-Oh right!! Thinking about it it's pretty obvious, silly me” Yumiko gave a nervous chuckle “My Quirk is called "Medusa's eye", you see, in the Greek mythology Medusa was a …” she hesitated for a moment “… A monster, which transformed men into stone by looking into their eyes”
“Don't tell me that …” Mayu exhaled.
“Yes, if a person looks me in the eye he turns into stone, it's a passive Quirk which means I can't turn it off so I'm forced to wear glasses” she sounded sad as she said that “Thank God the effect is NOT permanent, the transformed people return to normal after about twenty-four hours but if … if a person is damaged or destroyed while it's still a statue …”

She didn't need to finish the sentence to understand what he meant.

Izuku felt sorry for her, although he loved Quirks and didn't consider any of them "evil" he could imagine that it must not have been easy for Yumiko to handle such power and the fear that she could instill in others.

“Has anyone … ever treated you badly for this?” he asked cautiously.

“Some” Yumiko shook her head “There have been episodes that … I still don't feel comfortable talking about it with people I've known so recently, sorry …” she offered them an apologetic smile “But I've also had people by my side, not many but I've had them, I know there are people who don't have the same luck so I don’t feel too bad”
“Well, I don’t care what kind of Quirk you have” Mayu said convinced “A person shouldn't be judged based on his power, it's stupid!! Nobody chooses what power to be born with”

-If only that was true- Izuku thought.

“Mayu is right” Dante nodded “Anyone who has treated you badly for this is, frankly, an idiot”

“And this is why our mother makes us study in private schools” Marcus snorted “Bullying and discrimination, if there are, if nothing else are punished”
“Pay little, receive little” Aurora added “Mom always says so, with all due respect to public schools, huh”

They continued on the Quirk topic.

Izuku discovered that Dante's Quirk was called a "Dimensional pocket" and allowed him to enlarge the space in a container at will (whether it was a pocket, a can, etc …) virtually indefinitely without the real external dimensions of the object changed.
To make you understand, Dante could keep an entire library inside the pocket of his jeans.

Aurora's Quirk, "Language", was interesting too, it allowed her to understand and speak fluently every existing human language, including dialects and dead languages such as, for example, Latin, or fallen into disuse anyway.

And finally there was Mayu's Quirk, “Sparks”, which was kinda similar to Kacchan's.
She could generate from her hands an explosive energy similar to pyro-kinetic sparks that manifested itself as colored fireworks.

That, depending on the power, it allows her to do long distance attacks or and short-circuit machines with a touch …
“… This last thing I actually discovered it by chance” Mayu giggled “I was nine and I was spending an afternoon at the arcade with my older sister, I was angry because she had just beaten me at a video game and suddenly BOOM!!” she clapped her hands together for emphasis “The machine short-circuited in a cloud of all colored sparks”

The substantial difference with Kacchan's Quirk was that Mayu's explosions seemed easier to control, other than they didn't come from her sweating nitroglicerin.

The knowledge that he had lied had never completely left Izuku throughout the conversation, however at some point the atmosphere became so light that he was able to have a good time with them.
It was at the moment of saying goodbye that the sense of guilt was felt.

“I don't know about you guys but I had a lot of fun” declared Mayu “We absolutely have to do this again!!”

“Yes, it was nice to meet you all” Aurora agreed.

“For me there is no problem” Dante said “Apart from school, I usually have no other commitments”

“I hope that next time Kiyotaka-kun will come too” Yumiko considered “It's a pity that he was busy today …”

“I had a good time” Marcus smiled “And you Zuzu? Would you like to see us again?”

“O-Oh yes!! Of course!!” Izuku immediately replied “I mean, It was nice to go out all together”
-I had never done that- the greenie thought -If only I had been born with a Quirk maybe Kacchan and I would have done the same …-

That incredibly depressing thought made him think further about his lie on the way home.
A small lie after all (since he REALLY enjoyed analyzing Quirks) on which, however, paradoxically, his relations with these guys were now based.
They would find out sooner or later …

He knew that but, at least for that month, it would have been nice to live under the illusion of having friends.

***

Over the next three weeks Midoriya Inko had begun to notice slow but constant changes in her son's attitude.

POSITIVE changes.

He started smiling more, really smiling, he was more active and went out more.

In particular, he liked to go out with the guys from his dance class.
“They're so cool mom !!" he had excitedly said during a dinner “Not to mention their Quirks, Marcus-san can control the lava, can you believe it?! LAVA …!!”

He seemed so pleased that Inko hadn't had the heart to interrupt him, letting him go on freewheeling.

Sure, the Quirk argument actually worried her a little at first, but from the way Izuku spoke it didn't seem like there were any problems of, let's say, discriminatory nature, thank goodness.

It had been so long since she had seen him like this.

It warmed her heart, seeing that light again in those green eyes so similar to hers …
… that he had finally found someone who would accept him as he was.

A sweet and intelligent boy with a heart of gold.

It seemed almost too good to be true.

“I have a double shift at work tonight honey, I've already made you dinner” Inko informed “You just have to reheat it, I hope you like it I tried a new recipe”

“I'm sure it will be very good mom” Izuku replied with a smile as he put on his shoes, ready to go to school “Oh, I'm going out with the guys today, after the lesson this afternoon”
“Really?” Inko brightened up at the information “Have fun then sweetie, but don't come back home too late, okay?” she recommended “Don't go through the streets that are too isolated and, please, try to avoid Hero's fights with Villains if you come across them, you know their are dangerous”

“Come on mom, I always keep a safe distance” Izuku protested.

“I'm sure you do Izu, but you can never be careful enough” the woman sighed greeting him with a kiss on the cheek “I'll send you a message when I get to work, remember to do the same when you get home tonight, okay?”

“Okay, see you tomorrow mom!!”

-I'm so happy I insisted on letting him take this course- Inko thought –It has been great for him ...-

She just hoped that things would keep this way.

***

The last lesson of the third week, Izuku couldn't help but notice that Marcus didn't seem in his usual cheerful and sunny mood.
“Marcus-san …” he began, approaching him after the other have already left.

“Ehy there, Zuzu!!” Marcus smiled, but it was a tight smile, completely different from what Izuku was used to “You were good today, did you start practicing on your own as I suggested?”
“O-Oh, yes!!” Izuku admitted a little embarrassed “When I have some time, at home …”

-… With the broom- he added mentally, feeling a little silly.

After their first outing together, he had begun to engage more seriously in dance than in the first lessons not wanting to lag behind the others who, in fact, were good.

"I'm glad” the teacher nodded “Do you need something?”

“Are you okay?”

“What?” the question seemed to take him by surprise “Of course that I'm fine, Zuzu!! Why are you asking?”

“I d-don't know, it's just … during the lesson you seemed a little thoughtful and …” Izuku immediately bit his lip, worried.
Perhaps he had been too intrusive, they had recently started to know each other.

Futhermore, not everyone liked talking about their problems!! Izuku himself should know it better than anyone …

“… S-Sorry, I … I didn't want to meddle” the greenie took a few steps back, ready for the retreat “I'll … uh, I’ll leave you alone”

“Hey, wait up!!” he heard himself called “Man Zuzu, I thought we were past the stage where you apologized for every word you say”
He shook his head smiling.
“Plus, since you're an analyst I should have imagined that you noticed something …”

“Y-Yeah, my Quirk …” Izuku murmured guilty.

It had to be said that in those three weeks, fortunately for him, the specter of his lie hadn’t tormented him that much, except for sporatic moments.
Still, he couldn't help but tense whenever the topic came up.

“It's nothing serious, don't worry” Marcus sighed “I'm just … you know, a little low in spirits”

“Do you mind if I ask you why?”
“It's just … I was planning a competition next week, but the partner I was supposed to dance with got hurt and, well, it's all gone now” he shrugged “I tried to find a replacement among the dancers I know but, they are all busy”
“Oh …”
“It was a minor competition, not particularly famous, but I really wanted to participate to show the first choreography made entirely by me”
“Made by you?”

“Yep” Marcus smiled disappointed “Footsteps, grips, music, all my stuff”

“I’m so sorry”

A few seconds of silence passed.
Izuku felt genuinely sorry for Marcus, he really seemed to care about it …

It was then that an ABSURD idea crossed his head.

“… Maybe, I could dance with you?”

............................................

Chapter Text

“… Maybe, I could dance with you?”

Marcus snapped his head up “What?”

“W-What?!” Izuku squeaked blinking, as if he had only just realized that he had expressed that thought aloud.
The young dance teacher looked at him in surprise “Are you serious?” he asked approaching him “Would you … would you really be willing to participate in a dance competition, with me? So soon? I mean, it's just been three weeks since you …”

“INDEED!!” Izuku exclaimed in a voice with a higher and more acute tone than usual “You're right, I spoke without thinking!!”
He gave a nervous chuckle “Please, j-just ignore what I said”

God, why did he have to be so stupid?

He turned around, intending to get out of that embarrassing situation as soon as possible.

However, contrary to what Izuku expected, Marcus pinned him by the arm and prevented him from doing so.
“Wait!! Zuzu, you misunderstood me!!” Marcus said “I appreciate that you want to help me, I really do, It’s just … I don't know if it's right for my part, as you teach, ask you for such an effort”

Izuku blinked in astonishment “Really …?”

“Yeah, I mean you are still a beginner and, well, dancing in front of an audience, in front of a JURY, is different than dancing in class” Marcus explained with a little smile “Not to mention that we would only have one week to prepare you”

“O-Oh, I see” the other said “I just wanted to help …”
-… I just wanted to be USEFUL, for once- he added mentally, continuing to torture his lip with his teeth.

Prove that it was worth having him as a friend, even if he was a Deku.

“I know I'm not good but …”

“And would you be willing to come here every afternoon to train? For the whole next week?”

Izuku vigorously nodded.

Then they both stayed silent for a few moments.
“Well, in this case” Marcus seemed to light up “I would be honored to dance with you mr. Midoriya, besides, a caval donato non si guarda in bocca*” he stated in italian.

“Uh? What was that?” Izuku asked curiously.

It wasn’t uncommon for Marcus to come up with a few sentences in his native language and each time Izuku couldn't help but wonder what the older boy had said.

“Oh, its nothing!!” Marcus laughed, looking much more cheerful which was exactly what Izuku wanted “In that case, I think I'll accept your offer of course with the understanding that you're free to change your mind at any time, right?”
“R-Right!!” the greenie smiled back, feeling relieved “I'll do my best not to make you look bad!!”

“I'm sure of that, if that's okay with you then we could start tomorrow …”

… And so it was.

From the following day, Izuku began to show up at the academy every afternoon to train with Marcus on their choreography.

On the first day of training, which is the Friday immediately after what was usually their last weekly class, Marcus introduced him to the JIVE for the first time “Going from Waltz to Jive out of the blue isn't easy, especially for a beginner so you don't have to worry if you don't get all the steps right” Marcus began “Now, the Jive is a dance style that originated in the United States from African Americans in the early 1930s.
In competition ballroom dancing, it’s often grouped with the Latin-inspired ballroom dances, though its roots are based on swing dancing …”

Izuku nodded, absorbing every word while they stretched together.

Marcus wore a simple red tank top, with the iconic, stylized image of the Colosseum of Rome printed on it, which showed off his shoulder muscles.

“… It's fast and highly energetic, rich of fast moving steps, leg flicks, kicks, and lifting of the knees throughout the dance” the other continued “I have adapted some movements and steps by taking them from other dance styles (especially thinking about the music we will have to dance to) and adding a couple of holds, but in broad terms it remains mainly a Jive”

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsNLd2jdehw A Jive Beginner Routine which I found on Youtube, again to give you an idea of the movements ^^*

“Do we want to try some basic steps?”

“Yes, I'm ready!!” Izuku said with a determined expression that Marcus couldn't help but smile at.

“Okay then, let's do it Zuzu!!”

***

Three days passed in which Marcus got him used to the style of the Jive.

It was on the fourth day that they began to practice choroegraphy music.
It was an Italian song entitled "Il Gatto e la Volpe (The Cat and the Fox)" by Edoardo Bennato.

According to what Marcus said it was a classic in his home country and, while not understanding the words, Izuku had to admit that it seemed cheerful and funny “It's a song featuring two characters from a famous Italian novel of the Pre-Quirk years,"Pinocchio", maybe you've heard of it” Marcus expounded “In the original story they are two cheaters who earn a living by deceiving others”
“You mean we're going to play the role of two crooks?” Izuku asked uncertainly.

A pang of guilt mixed with discomfort ran through his heart as he tried to keep pace, following his partner in his footsteps.
He had lied to Marcus and everyone else saying that he had a Quirk for cowardice and now in that choreography he would have to play the role of a deceiver.

When we say IRONY.

Unaware, Marcus just laughed accompanying him in a pirouette.

“Ahahahah, don’t worry Zuzu in the song they aren’t THAT bad!!” he said “They’re still two cheaters but the nice type, there are precise references to the world of "show business" and the cat and the fox recall two talent scouts committed to winning the sympathy and trust of a novice artist …”
While explaining all this, even translating the phrases of the song for Izuku's benefit, the latter made a point of following his lead to the best of his ability.
“… But what I want to express through this choreography is the sense of complicity that exists between the Cat and the Fox” he continued trying to express his point of view as best he could “They are two bad people, but that doesn't mean they don't have feelings and I like the fact that they’ll always be there for each other, no matter how bad things get, they are not just partners in crime, they’re friends!! Which reminds me ..."

“Uh?” Izuku looked up curiously, finding himself staring at those two fragments of burning obsidian that Marcus' eyes were.

“I was going to ask you who you wanted to be between the Cat and the Fox, but thinking about it, I think that cat ears would suits you more” the older boy said, grinning.

Cat’s WHAT?!

“W-What?!” he squeaked the greenie turning all red in the face.

Marcus laughed again “Ah, you make it too easy, Zuzu!!”

“E-Ehy, stop making fun of me Marcus-san!!”
Izuku was surprised that he was actually protesting since he had always have suffered the teasing in silence.

And these of Marcus were NOTHING compared to the ones he endured every day at school.

“I thought I told you to just call me Marcus the first time we met” the other smiled playfully “I know that you Japanese people have the habit of give titles and honors to all, but we are almost the same age, I would say that we can avoid the "-san” thing, right?”

And he said it with such warmth that he was able to convince him “Okay, Marcus …”

***

Whoever said that “time flies when you have fun” was damn right.
The week passed quickly, with some improvements on the part of Izuku who, although not being perfect, at least had managed to learn the choreography.

He was nervous, very nervous, but also excited.

A kind of feeling that he used to feel only when he ran into the fights between heroes and Villains on the street or when he was discussing Quirk.
Maybe it was because he had worked really hard that week, he wanted to show that he had done a good job.

“Nervous?” Marcus asked.

“A little, but at the same time I can't wait to perform” Izuku answered honestly with a shy smile “Usually the thought of so much attention on me upsets me but … I don't know, all of this is so new to me …”

He continued to feel that way, at least until he saw the first performance …

*Salsa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oLjkPM4mHQ  *

It was a Salsa and it had been performed in a spectacular way to say the least.
Precise, quick, colorful.

But it wasn't only the technical difference that was slowly ledding him to the panic, it was another thing.

The girl's Quirk.

Because it had to be Quirk's effect what she was seeing.
Throughout the performance, the girl's clothes had not stopped changing shape and color.

Long skirt, short skirt, with sleeves and without sleeves, pink, light blue, green, yellow and gold, glitter …

Why was she using her Quirk? Was she allowed? He thought that in dancing you didn't need a Quirk, he thought he could finally be useful to someone for once, so why?

Why? Why?! WHY?!

-We have no chance of winning, Marcus has no chance of winning, not with me- Izuku almost didn't realize he was losing control of his breathing, as warm tears were piling up in the corners of her eyes -They are using their Quirks, I can’t …-
Was he going to have a panic attack?
“Hey, hey Zuzu, are you okay?” he heard Marcus' worried voice speak to him, but for a moment it was all black.

Then he felt the warmth of two hands squeeze his arms, giving him a slight shake “Zuzu, are you feeling sick?” Marcus said “Should I call the ambulance?”

“They … they used their Quirks” Izuku muttered in a broken voice.

“Uh?” Marcus was the portrait of perplexity “What?”

“They used their Quirks!!”

“Yeah, I don't understand where the problem is” Marcus replied sincerely “It happens that some dancers have particularly, uh, scenographic Quirks and of course they’re certainly cool to look at but they are not everythin-… no, Zuzu don't cry …”

Cry? Was he crying? AGAIN?

Oh fuck it!!

Izuku shook his head as Marcus accompanied him to sit at one of the benches by the track “Wait a minute here, okay? I'll go get you a bottle of water”
A few moments later the boy of Italian origin returned with the water and sat down next to him.

“Here it is, it will make you feel better” he smiled, relieved that Izuku seemed to have calmed down, at least a little “Sooo, can you tell me what's wrong?”

“I-I'm sorry …” Izuku exhaled “I'm sorry Marcus, I t-thought … I thought this time it was going to be different b-but it isn't!! I should n-never have proposed for this …”
“I don't understand Zuzu, what's the problem? The Quirks? I thought you liked them”
“It’s not that!!” the greenie shook his head “You have worked so hard for this choreography and … a-and now, thanks to me, you have no chance of winning, if only you had another partner, a partner with a suitable Quirk …”

“Wow, wow, slow down for a second” Marcus interrupted him “Is this the problem? The fact that you don’t have a "Suitable Quirk"? Zuzu, technically speaking, not even my Quirk is suitable for this and the same goes for many other dancers, few are lucky enough to have a Show Quirk or something like that!!”
“But …”
“A spectacular Quirk helps, but it's only 10-20% of the performance, the rest is all technique and interpretation, and you have these”

“…”

“Especially the interpretation” Marcus chuckled “During the last rehearsals you were very good, you know? We are a close-knit couple of friends, just like the cat and the fox!! We trust each other I'm sure we’ll do great …”

We trust each other …

-… But I lied to you- Izuku thought, suddenly feeling unable to handle that lie.
It was stupid, really, he had lasted all those weeks just to collaps now like this.

“I don't deserve your trust Marcus” Izuku sobbed “I lied to you, I lied to everyone”

“What are you talking about- …?”

“I DON'T HAVE A QUIRK!!” finally the greenie exploded “I'M QUIRKLESS!!”
A heavy silence fell between them in which Izuku did not have the courage to look Marcus in the eye and just kept his head down awaiting judgment.

“… Oh, that's all?” Marcus declared, sounding puzzled but not angry “Damn Zuzu, you scared me, I was starting to think you had cancer or something”

Wait, what?

Izuku snapped his head up, staring at him in disbelief “W-What? You … aren't you mad?”
“No, but maybe I'm starting to understand why you freaked out” Marcus said more to himself than Izuku actually “I'm not angry, I'm just … I'm sorry”

“What?! W-Why?” replied the other.

“For giving you the impression that it was necessary to lie to me to be my friend, otherwise I don't think you would have felt the need to do it, right?”
“NO!! You didn’t!! You …” Izuku angrily tried to wipe away the tears with the sleeve of the green and blue shirt he was wearing “You didn't do anything, i-it's me, me that …  I had been so comfortable with you and the others, that I was afraid that if you knew the truth …” he let it out “Even the one who was my childhood best friend has turned his back on me, my own FATHER turned his back to me!! Just because I'm quirkless, what could strangers have thought then?”

“I guess it depends if these “strangers” are decent people or not” Marcus put his arm over his shoulders, giving him a light squeeze “Oh, and I hope you won't bear a grudge if I say this childhood friend of yours is an idiot anyway”

They stayed like that for a while.

The fact that their performance was the last on the schedule was fortunate as it gave Izuku time to calm down.
“Do you want me to take you home?” Marcus proposed “We don't have to dance if you don't feel like it, when I accepted your proposal I wanted you to have fun too”

“But your choreography …?”

“I’m sure there will be other occasions, thinking about it maybe I took it a little too much to heart ahahah” he chuckled shaking his head “Your feelings are more important Zuzu, YOU are important”

Izuku felt those last words echo in his head, warming his heart “T-There’s no need …”

“And now the last performance tonight!!” meanwhile the presenter of the event exclaimed.

“… I'll dance!!” he continued strongly “I WANT to dance, with you”

“MARCUS BALZANI AND MIDORIYA IZUKU!!”

Marcus smiled “Let's do it then, Cat”

*Here, the song on which Izuku and Marcus are dancing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoBuv7HR-Fw and here there’s a nice Jive performance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73KjGH7jcMI to give you an idea of the movements*

Quanta fretta, ma dove corri? (Such in a hurry you are, where are you running?)
Dove vai?! (Where are you going?)

Se ci ascolti per un momento, capirai (If listen to us for a minute, you'll see).

Considering the state of profound turmoil in which Izuku was pouring only ten minutes earlier it was inevitable for him to miss a few steps here and there at the beginning.

Lui è il Gatto ed io la Volpe (He’s the Cat and I’m the Fox),
Siamo in società, di noi ti puoi fidar (we run a business together, you can trust us).

However, as he and Marcus progressed in the choreography, izuku gradually felt the tension leave his body.
A chuckle escaped his lips as Marcus turned him around.

Puoi parlarci dei tuoi problemi, dei tuoi guai … (You can tell us about your problems, about your troubles …)
I migliori in questo campo siamo noi!! (We are the best in this field!!)
E’ una ditta specializzata, fai un contratto e vedrai … (It's a specialised enterprise, enter a contract and you'll see …)

  … Non te ne pentirai (… You won't regret it).

He was able to let go enough to be able to keep the rhythm even in the moments when they danced apart.

Noi scopriamo talenti e non sbagliamo mai (We scout talents and never go wrong).
Noi sapremo sfruttare le tue qualità (We'll know how to make out the best of your qualities)

Dacci solo quattro monete (Just give us four coins)
E ti iscriviamo al concorso, (and we'll sign you up for the contest,
per la celebrità!! (for celebrity!!)

  Non vedi che è un vero affare? (Don't you see it’s a real deal?!)
Non perdere l’occasione (Don't miss this chance).
Altrimenti te ne pentirai (Or else you're going to regret it).

The audience clapped their hands in time to the music, everyone smiled, Marcus smiled as he took him by the hand again …

Non capita tutti i giorni di avere due consulenti … (It doesn't happen every day to have two advisors …)
… Due impresari, che si fanno in quattro per te (… Two upright entrepreneurs, who bend over backwards for you).

… and Izuku couldn't remember the last time he felt so good, so in the right place.

Avanti, non perder tempo (Come on, no more wasting time),
firma qua (sign here).

È un normale contratto (It’s a normal contract),
Una formalità!! (just a formality!!)

  Tu ci cedi tutti i diritti (You sign us all of your rights)
E noi faremo di te … (And we'll make out of you …)
Un DIVO da Hit parade (A hit parade STAR).

Suddenly he felt the presence of Marcus behind his back.
His arms encircle his hips.

Oh yeah, now he remembered!!
Izuku laughed, raising his arms to grab the green top hat with orange fox ears sewn onto it that Marcus wore for the performance.
In the end he had managed to convince Marcus not to let him put cat ears (he would have felt too embarrassed) only on the condition that at some point in the choreography he would have to take his hat and put it on himself.

“Wow, you are very elegant mr. Cat” Marcus joked, whispering in his ear.
Nope, he was ridiculous!! But it also felt like the funniest thing Izuku had ever done!!

“Oooh you’re too kind, Mr. Fox”

Lui è il gatto ed io la volpe (He’s the Cat and I’m the Fox),
siamo in società (we run a business together).

Di noi ti puoi fidar (You can trust us).

  Di noi ti puoi fidar (You can trust us)!!

By the time the song ended, Izuku had never felt so relieved.

He didn't even care anymore if they were going to win or lose.
He was happy, and that was all that mattered to him.

..............................................

Chapter Text

It had been a year since Izuku and Marcus had performed in a dance competition together and things for the greenie had only gotten better.

They had finished third in the ranking that saw eleven pairs compete, but that was fine.
Marcus wasn't upset, he was just happy to have performed, that's why he laughed when Izuku apologized for making all those technical mistakes.
“I told you Zuzu, you're a beginner” he had said “I didn't really expect us to win with just a week of preparation, I didn't even expect us to finish in the top three …” smiling, he had put the bronze medal around his neck “… But I'm happy that all your efforts have paid off in some way, you deserve it"

After he confessed to Marcus that he was Quirkless, Marcus convinced him to tell it the others too.

It hadn't been easy to find the courage to do so, but in the end he had come to the conclusion that he couldn't hide a part of himself from them, not if he wanted to consider them friends.

It went well.

None of them had any objection to it.

Dante and Aurora both shrugged, Yumiko smiled understandingly and Mayu …
“… I can't believe you didn't tell us right away!! What kind of people do you think we are? RACISTS?! Well, dishonor on you!! And dishonor on your COW!!”

Izuku had blinked puzzled at that “Uh, dishonor on my what?”

“Did you just quote Mushu?” Dante had said.

In the end they all laughed at her and Izuku laughed with them.

Meanwhile Izuku had then decided to continue attending the dance academy ‘cause he realized that he liked to dance, A LOT.
He had enjoyed training with Marcus for the competition, he had enjoyed performing.

It made him feel good, not to mention the physical benefits that having started regular sports training brought him.

And, since then, the year had passed quickly.

***

“IZU-KUN!!” Mayu's cheerful voice made itself heard from the end of the street.

“Mayu-chan!!” Izuku answered waving his hand in her direction.
After a couple of months of hang out, the two had discovered that their respective middle schools weren't very far from each other and that they could take the same train to get them.

“Thanks for waiting for me, today my sister didn't want to let me go” Mayu said “For some reason she became convinced that I have found a secret boyfriend”

“No problem!!” the boy smiled, starting to walk towards the train stop.

They took the train together.

Technically Izuku was supposed to get off a couple of stops before than Mayu, but he didn't mind walking a little more if he could spend some time with a friend of him.

“Look here, Izu!!” Mayu exclaimed, showing him the latest news on the heroes through the mobile phone “It seems that today there’ll be the official debut as a professional of a new heroine: Mount Lady!!”

“Oh yeah, I saw it too!!” Izuku replied excitedly “It would be nice to see her in action …”

He and Mayu often talked about that things, since they both wanted to be heroes.

Mayu had expressed his intention to try Ketsubutsu high school.
“I know U.A is like the best of the best but …” Mayu had said “My parents … they actually don't want me to go there, I don't know why, it was already hard to convince them to let me try the hero course”

It had been easy to become friends, easier than he ever imagined.

“Do you think the name she chose has something to do with her Quirk?" the girl asked.

“Maybe, heroes often choose their names based on what they can do” Izuku considered “If that's the case, maybe she has a Quirk that allows her to control the earth, or maybe a strengthening type Quirk that makes her skin tough like the rock, or again, if we have to interpret it in a metaphorical and not literal way …” he continued, putting his hand under his chin in a reflexive way “Mount Lady … maybe he can increase the size of her body, becoming gigantic just like a mountain, or …”

“Wow, and you thought of all this in just a few seconds?” Mayu smiled “You never contradict Izu-kun!!”

“Hahaha, you know me Mayu” Izuku chuckled a little embarrassed, but without feeling that sense of shame he felt before when he let himself go to his iconic mutter.

They got off at the train stop and headed for a bar on the corner of the street where they used to say goodbye before splitting up.

It was then that a loud crash followed by several shouts of people caught their attention.

Izuku and Mayu exchanged glances “HERO FIGHT!!” they both shouted excitedly, immediately running in the direction of the noise.

In fact, a large villain with a mutation Quirk was wreaking havoc in the nearby street in his clumsy escape attempt after a mugging.

“Wow, Izu look!! That Villain is huge!!” Mayu exclaimed.

“Yeah!! Can you see who is fighting?” the other asked as they tried to make their way through the crowd.

“I think it's …” Mayu gave a gasp “IT'S KAMUII WOOD!!”
“No way!!” Izuku chirped with sparkling eyes “Despite being young he is very talented and in a short time he has already become very popular”

Cheering along with the crowd, they both waited for the hero to defeat the Villain with his special move when …

“… CANON CANYON!!” suddenly cried a female voice.

“MOUNT LADYYYY!!” Mayu started shaking Izuku by the shoulder in her enthusiasm as soon as she saw the new heroine make her appearance with a spectacular flying kick in her TITAN form, which seemed to confirm Izuku's theory of what Mount Lady's Quirk might be “Fuck Izuuuuu!! We're so lucky!! How many possibilities were there to see her today?”

“I have no idea, but I'm certainly not complaining” the greenie smiled, taking out his notebook.

Yes, Izuku's life had become decidedly lighter and the future less dark.

“Oh, I got a message” Mayu said a little later, when the crowd had dispersed after the capture of the Villain.

“Me too” Izuku noted “It's our group chat”

Er Gladiatore: Hey guys, so are you there for movie night tomorrow?

“It's Marcus!!” Izuku smiled as he read the message.

“Oh right, we're all going to Marcus' house tomorrow?” Mayu recalled, quickly writing a reply.

HollywoodQueen: Absolutely yes!!

DetroitSmash15: I'll be there too, mom gave me permission.

SweetHaiku07: I still can't confirm unfortunately, because I may have to help my mother at the flower shop tomorrow, I will try to let you know as soon as possible.

“Oh, I have to go now!!” Izuku realized, noting the time on his phone “Or I'll risk being late for school”

“Oh right, me too” Mayu said, blinking “See you Izu!!”

Er Gladiatore: Don't worry Yumi-chan, take your time.

Mens_dominatus_potentia: Ah, I'm free for tomorrow anyway so count me in.

Er Gladiatore: Sure thing, Dante ;)

SweetHaiku07: Uh guys, do you think this time Kiyotaka-kun would come if we invited him?

Mens_dominatus_potentia: I'm sorry Yumi, but I'm afraid it's clear at this point that he doesn't want to hang out with us, a year has passed.
Mens_dominatus_potentia: If he had wanted to go out with us he would have.

Er Gladiatore: Yeah, I think so too.

SweetHaiku07: I see.

Er Gladiatore: It’s also his right, we can’t force him to be our friend and I’m sure he already have his own circle of friends anyway.

HollywoodQueen: You think so? To be honest he didn't give me the impression of being a very friendly person …

Izuku had stopped watching the chat by the time he got to school.

The first day of school of his third year of middle school.
“… Okay, you all in third grade now!!” the professor began, almost towards the end of the first hour “So it's now or never that you should think of your future!!”

Izuku took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for the chaos that would rage in the classroom in a few moments -And here it comes …- he thought, putting his notes in order.

“I'll distribute the career aspiration document” the teacher continued “Even if I understand that most of you aspire to enter the HEROES section”

At the man's affirmation, a series of enthusiastic shouts and exclamations filled the classroom, perfectly adapting to the definition of "acoustic pollution" until one voice was able to make itself heard above the others.

Kacchan performed a self-congratulatory monologue with such conviction that Izuku had to bite his lip to keep from laughing -Wow Kacchan, you really are a wonderful talker- the greenie thought sarcastically –If black could be made into white by talking, you’d the right man for the job-
Making true friends that year had greatly diminished the sense of blind admiration that Izuku had never, despite everything, stopped feeling towards Katsuki.

Of course, he still thought that the blond had a fantastic Quirk and that he had the strength and determination needed to become a Pro, maybe even one of the best, maybe even at the level of All Might but …

-If only he could stop seeing other people as "extras" …- Izuku sighed mentally, shaking his head.

In any case, he was tired of trying to be friends and following a person who CLEARLY didn’t want him in his life.

Therefore he would just stay out of his way, as long as Kacchan obviously did as well.
He no longer had any intention of allowing himself to be mistreated, even at the cost of being beaten.

“… Oh yeah, now that we’re talking about it” the professor suddenly interrupted “Midoriya also wants to go to the U.A”

A dead silence followed the man's words as Izuku jerked his head up.
-Did he just … did he just say it in front of EVERYONE?!- he thought incredulously –What the …?! You did it on purpose, you ugly …-

Damn, even in his head he couldn't speak bad words.
Why the hell had he done it? Did he want to humiliate him in front of everyone?! Start a fight among the students?!

What about privacy laws …?

As expected after the brief moment of initial bewilderment his classmates burst out laughing, mocking him.

“AHAHAHAHahaha!! Seriously Midoriya?! It’s impossible for you!!” one of his classmates exclaimed.
“Yeah, to get into a school like the U.A, it's not enough just to study” another one added “Trust me, you'd just waste yours and their time!!”

"Oh yeah? Well, even if that would be the case it's my business whether I want to "waste" my time or not, don't you think Eichi-kun?” the greenie retorted.

The fact that he had replied, moreover in a tone that could have been considered "pedantic", surprised several of his classmates who even stopped laughing, at least until a little explosion bloomed up from his desk, sending him tumbling to the floor “Forget having a weak-ass quirk” Kacchan's voice makes Izuku’s limbs lock where they are but he still found the spirit to look the blond in the eye “You don’t even have a fucking quirk!! So where do you get off putting yourself on the same level as me?”

“I’m just applying to a school” Izuku said, forcing himself to keep his voice steady “It has nothing to do with you, Kacchan”

“Fuck that, Deku!! I know a challenge when I see one!! Do you want to fucking die?”

“Challenge? WHAT challenge?!” Izuku replied “I’m just trying to get into a school, that’s all!! There’s nothing wrong with trying”

Kacchan started to say something, probably something extraordinarily rude knowing him, but was stopped by the teacher (that huge bastard) who apparently at that moment had finally decided to call everyone back to order.

By the time class is over, Izuku immerses himself in the safety of his friends group chat.

Er Gladiatore: Hey Zuzu, so can I wait for you for some extra training today?

A small smile softened Izuku's lips when he saw Marcus' message on their private chat.
He was going to write the answer when a familiar shadow falled across his desk, along with a hand that grabbed his phone from his fingers.

“We’re not done, Deku!!”

-Oh, for the love of …!!-

………………………………………………………

Chapter Text

“We’re not done, Deku!!”

“KACCHAN!!” Izuku squeaked in surprise, before realizing that it was Daichi-kun who had stolen his phone “Ehy, give it back Daichi-kun!!”
He tried in vain to reach his phone, but nature hadn't been magnanimous with him denying him those extra two centimeters necessary to reach the height of Bakugou, whose body blocked his way.

“Staying up to date on the latest hero news is the least of your problems now, you stupid nerd” Katsuki hissed.

“I wasn't reading the news, I was …!!”

“Ah, look at this Katsuki!! Hey Zuzu, so can I wait for you for some … “extra training” today?” Daichi read in a flirty tone “My, don't tell me Midoriya, you've found yourself a girlfriend? YOU?! Man, she must be a real loser to date someone like you”

“Extra training?!” Katsuki's tone had become dangerously low and snarling as he took the device to watch the chat for himself “What is this asshole talking about Deku? I thought I told you …”
“It's not the KIND of training you think, OK?!” the greenie blurted out, trying again to get back her cell phone “And It's not my girlfriend, he’s just a friend!! And he’s NOT a loser, nor an asshole!!”
“Friend? You have no friends, Deku”
“Look, I don't care if you believe me or not!! I have friends, one of whom is waiting for me to answer him, so give. Me. The phone. Back. Kacchan!!”

Katsuki was actually surprised that Deku was trying to stand up to him in such a open way but he didn't show it.
Rather, he arched a frown “Since when do you have a backbone?”

“Since when do you care?” Izuku retorted, almost challenging him with his eyes.

Katsuki had noticed that in the last year something had changed in Deku's habits, but after that little "chat" they had had he thought that the nerd had finally resigned himself to trying the impossible, therefore he hadn't bothered to investigate.
And what did the useless little shit do instead? Not only did he dare think he could apply to the U.A, the best fucking hero school in the state, but now he was also trying to answer him?!

Since when had Deku got the balls to answer anyone? Answer to HIM?!

He took one last look at the nerd's chat.

The contact's name in the chat, “Er Gladiatore”, what fucker could ever want to waste his time with a nobody like Deku? But most of all …

Hey Zuzu.

Zuzu? Was that a fucking NICKNAME?!
For some reason Bakugou didn't understand, that made him feel even angrier than he normally felt when it came to the nerd -Is this asshole filling your head with stupid ideas, Deku?-

“God, It’s just a high school application!! Why can’t you …”
“Here’s the thing, Deku!! Try and get this through your tiny little quirkless brain: I’m gonna be the first and only student from this crappy school to get into U.A” Katsuki hissed, finally diverting his attention from phone “I don’t like that a useless nobody like you comes along and challenges that”
“Oh, but I’m useless, right?” Izuku asked, moving slightly closer to Katsuki, more precisely to the side that held his device “If that’s so, then why do you feel so threatened?”

“I DON’T!!” Katsuki roared, feeling stung in pride “You’re not a threat to me!! You’re nothing and you’ll always be NOTHIN-…” the greenie took advantage of that brief moment of distraction of the blond to reach out and take back his phone, which landed safely in the pocket of his trousers.

The dance workouts had made his movements faster, lighter, and more fluid than they were before.

He just needed to wait for the right moment, then retreat to a safe distance from the blonde.

Bakugou blinked.

“That’s your problem, Kacchan” Izuku started sadly “You always think everything is about you, but luckly for me I stopped a year ago to consider you the level to reach …”

I stopped considering you.

I stopped considering you.

I STOPPED CONSIDERING YOU.

Bakugou's brain was left like though jammed over those words.

How. Fucking. Dares. He?

Receiving no response, Izuku thought he could finally leave and turned away.
However, he barely made it to the door when a sentence he would hardly forget freezed him on the spot “You know what, Deku? Thinking back, if you want to be a hero that much, maybe there’s a way” Katsuki said “Take a swan dive off the roof and pray to be born with a decent Quirk in your next life”

Izuku spun around, blinking, his mouth slightly open to show his shock.

He hadn't really said it … he couldn't …

But the blond was smiling, HE WAS SMILING!!
With the typical satisfied expression of someone who has managed to have the last word and Izuku felt something break inside him.

Damn, even Daichi seemed slightly uncomfortable after hearing that!!

“O-Ohi Midoriya, try to answer at least uh?” he said in fact.

“He can't” Katsuki snorted, waving a hand near his head on purpose for Izuku to notice the sparks of his Quirk activating in a veiled threat “It doesn't matter who he’s dating, he will always remain a pathetic good-for-nothing Deku who can't answer when things gets tough”

Izuku felt his shoulders shake slightly, but this time not out of fear …

He looked up until he caught Bakugou's eyes.

“What? You got something to sa-… ?”

“WHAT I EVER DONE TO YOU?!”

Katsuki actually blinked at that, surprised.

“We're no friends, I got that!! I ACCEPTED THAT, OK?!” Izuku screamed “It wasn't ever my intention to be in your way, but If EVEN that were the case, what kind of person … what kind of MONSTER would say such a thing to someone else and think that's okay?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”
Katsuki started to answer but Izuku was quicker.
“You know what?! Don't answer, I don't care!! Because I'm sick of trying to make you understand what kind of horrible person you have become” he clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles went white “But let me just clarify one thing: NO ONE can tell me what I can or can't be!! Especially AN IDIOT that I really don't know how by any stretch of imagination he can still call himself a HUMAN BEING!!”

He said all this in such a loud voice that the other two boys wouldn't have been surprised if the whole school had heard it.

“Deku …”

But the other was already gone, slamming the door behind him.

-Stupid, stupid, stupid Kacchan!!- Izuku kept repeating that refrain in his head all the way on foot to the train.

To the suicide bait, had they arrived at this? Seriously?!
What if he really did? What if he REALLY jumped off the roof? Stupid Kacchan!! Well, he could have also kiss goodbye to his future career as a Hero forever, 'cause it's sure as hell that Izuku would make sure to leave a nice note where he would specify in block letters WHO was to blame!!

-You are just lucky that I'm not SO desperate anymore!!- he tried to take a deep breath to calm himself down as he went down a short cut that he usually didn't use, through a dark underpass.

All Kacchan's nosense had made him lose time!!

“Stupid Kacchan!!” he burst out, scrambling over an old manhole “I don't understand why I still waste time listening to yo-…!!”

Suddenly the hair's on the back of Izuku's neck stood on end, as a sinister rasp echoed in the underpass just behind him.

Izuku jumped forward and rolled across the ground before whatever was behind him would grab him.
The teen was shocked to see a large figure made out of SLIME with two large eyes floating in it flowed out of the manhole “Ah, a invisibility cloak … size M …” the slime being said, gazing at him with a horrible smile that made him shiver.

Oh come on!! First the suicide bait, now THIS??!!

The second time his reflexes weren't enough, he barely had time to scream that the slime was already on him.

It covered him, sticky and clinging, oozing over his mouth and nose, suffocating him.
“Now, now stop wriggling like that!!” the slime said “I just gonna take control of your body for a lil’ time, good? It’ll hurt you for 47 seconds, then the pain will disappear, I promise …”

-Can't breathe …- Izuku thought desperately, trying in vain to wipe the slime off.

But his fingers sank into the liquid body of the Villain, grasping the nothing.

It was like drowning in a living swamp.

“Eh, thank for that kid” the Villain continued “I didn't expect HIM to be here, but thanks to you I should be able to get out of the city undisturbed, you’re my HERO”

-HELP!! Someone help me!! PLEASE ...!!- Izuku screamed in his mind, panicked tears of pain clouded his vision of a world that was slowly turning black.
He didn't want to die, not now!! Not that way!!
-Please ... someone ...-

He was one step away from completely unconscious when the manhole cover popped out, spinning in the air.

“Don't be afraid boy!!” a happily familiar voice declared “I’M HERE!!”

A yellow blur was all Izuku saw before he passed out.

***

"..."

“H-Hey kid!! Wake up!!”
Izuku let out a pained moan as he instinctively tried to push his face away from the hand that was slapping him lightly on the cheek -What ... what happened …?- he thought, trying to focus on the outlines of the splash of colors in front of him.

“Ah, thank God” the voice sighed, sounding relieved “You've recovered”

-Wait, that voice …- slowly the yellow, white and green took on a more and more defined shape -... All ... Might … ALL MIGHT?!.-

He didn't know how but suddenly he felt VERY awake.

“ALL MIGHT?!” Izuku sat straight up, his eyes as wide as saucers at the sight of the number one Hero in flesh and blood right in front of him “You … You saved me?! THANK YOU!! Thank you so much!!”

He could hardly believe it, All Might was there!! The number one hero, his idol, the person he had wanted to look like ever since he wore the diaper, was standing there in front of him with his typical fearless smile!!

All Might gave a booming laugh.
“Hahahah, you don't need to thank me young man, on the contrary, my apologies for letting you get caught by that villain!! Back in the day, he would never have even reached the sewers! Now if you’ll excuse me I must be on my way!!”

“W-Wait!!” Izuku reached toward him “I … I need to ask you a question …”

And before he knew it, the next instant he was clinging to All Might's leg, who knows how many feet in height.

“What the …?!” All Might started shaking his leg “Come on, kid!! I get being a fan, but this is too much!!”

Izuku clung on even tighter “I-If I let go n-now, I’ll die!!”

“Oh” All Might blinked like he hadn’t even thought about that and grabbed Izuku’s collar “… Right, sorry, hold on tight boy!! We're going back down”
Izuku did as he was told and after a few seconds, he felt a jolt as All Might landed. Immediately, all the terror-fueled strength he’d hadn’t known he’d had left him and he collapsed onto the ground “Oh boy, I’m alive!!”

“Barely” All Might huffed “What was so important that you did something so stupid, kid?”

“Oh sorry, I …” Izuku pulled himself to his feet “I just … I needed to ask you a question”

“Oh well, at this point …” the hero sighed “All right kid, what's the question?!”
“Of course!!” Izuku took a deep breath "W-Well you see … my whole life, I’ve wanted to be a hero, because I want to help people …” he hesitated just a moment, then finally asked “… So, I wanted to ask: Can I be a hero like you, even WITHOUT a Quirk?!”

"Without a Quirk?” All Might repeated strangely cautiously, as if caught off guard.

“Y-Yeah, I don’t have a Quirk and … well, everyone laugh at me all the time ‘cause they don't think it's possible for someone like me to become a hero, but the fact is …” Izuku continued staring timidly at his feet and, consequently, without noticing the lines of smoke that had begun to rise from the hero's muscular body “… I want to save people, give them hope and … and make them feel that no matter how bad a situation gets, there will always be someone willing to help them”, that’s wh-… OH MY GOD!!”

By the time he gathered his courage to look up, All Might was gone.

At his place, a skeletal man with thick tousled blond hair, sunken cheeks and sunken eyes who was wearing the same clothes, watched him coughing up blood.

Izuku screamed.

“C-Calm down my boy, it’s … it’s still me …” the man coughed, leaning wearily on the railing of the building’s roof.

“A-All Might?!” the greenie squeaked incredulously “But how …?”

“It's a long story”

Toshinori Yagi had never felt so embarrassed in his life.
He had used up all the usage time of his Quirk for that day, wasting it chasing one, single, Villain, then he revealed his true form to a random kid (probably traumatizing him, because he knew he looked like a guy who miraculously escaped a horror movie massacre) to more after the latter had just asked him a question that seemed to be very important to him.

All Might groaned and lifted up his shirt, showing the greenie a large scar.

Oh well, we might as well be honest ...

“... This is a very scary career kid, every day the heroes risk their lives fighting powerful villains and … well, as you can see, you don't always get out unscathed and this injury came from just ONE GUY five years ago, just to say”
“Five years ago? Was it during the battle against Venomous Chainsaw?” Izuku asked cautiously.
“Oh, you know your subject well kid” the hero smiled faintly, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand “But no, It wasn’t him … not that it matters anyway, not anymore …” he added in a low voice, more to himself than to Izuku.

After which he looked at the boy in front of him, who was still waiting for an answer.

“But back to your question, is it possible to be a hero without a Quirk?” the man said “I … I'm sorry kid, I really am but I don't think there's a better way to put it so … no, I don't think it's possible for a person to become a hero without a Quirk”

............................................

Chapter Text

It was three missed calls from Marcus that gave him the strength to go down the stairs and leave the building where he and All Might had landed.
If not, Izuku was sure he would be there in self-pity for who knows how long.

In hindsight, he should have expected such a response from hero number one.

The Hero's path WAS a dangerous path.
The kind of path that required more than just a desire to help others and Izuku had to recognize that, for the way he presented himself, any person with common sense would tell him to give up.
Thinking about it with a cool head, he could only accept this fact.

Despite everything All Might remained his hero.

That man had saved so many people and he couldn't hate him for being honest.

“If your desire is simply to help people, you can always try something less dangerous” he had tried to advise him before leaving “The doctor for example, if you think about it they are heroes too, after all it was a surgeon who saved my life when …”
He hadn't finished the sentence, but Izuku realized anyway that he must be hinting at his injury.
“… Or maybe the policeman, even if, while remaining in the rear, it must be said that they too run risks, especially if we consider that they aren't allowed to use their Quirks on the field but they are still a great help …”

He had tried so, no, Izuku couldn't really hate him.

Sure, it still hurted and, well, he had cried a little (of course, Midoriya's family genes) but not as much as he expected …
-I will still try the entrance exam to the U.A- Izuku decided as he walked through the door of the ballroom where he and Marcus used to train -It still remains a high-level school, even for his General Education course, It’s ok, I’ll be fine …-

… It could be because being a hero was no longer his ONLY reason for living? His only dream …?

If he looked around he saw images of himself dancing with his friends.
Waltz, Jive, Samba, Cha Cha, Paso doble, Rumba …

He saw himself happy.

“ZUZU!!”

Marcus put down his cell phone as soon as he saw him enter, an expression halfway between angry and worried on his face “Hey, why did it take you so long? I even called you, three times!! Why didn't you answer?! I thought something had happened to yo-…”
He didn't finish the sentence as, after dropping his backpack to the ground, Izuku hugged him, TIGHT.

“O-Ohi, what happened?” the older boy murmured, surprised.

“Sorry, I'm late” Izuku apologized, his voice muffled on the other's shoulder.

“Oh, it’s okay” Marcus replied “It can happen, I'm the king of latecomers myself, it's just that you usually text when it happens, then you didn't answer …”
“I know, I'm sorry” Izuku said, moving away slightly “I didn't mean to worry you”

“Did you ... cry?” the dancer lifted his chin, forcing him to look at him “Zuzu …”

Izuku shook his head, forcing a small smile “Just a rough day at school, but I'm fine now … it's alright now …”

“Did they bully you again?” the other asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Nothing I couldn't handle”

“Damn Zuzu, why don't you tell me the names of the idiots who mistreat you?” Marcus let out a low growl “I would be happy to have a little chat with them, you know? Just chat, I SWEAR”

“Oh yeah, just chat sure” the greenie chuckled, but there was no real cheer in his voice “I'm going to change now, so we can start”
Then he hurried to lock himself in the changing room before Marcus could say more.

A few minutes later he was ready, EAGER to dance.

When he danced he no longer felt depressed, when he danced he was happy.

“Zuzu, seriously, what happened?” Marcus insisted as he approached.

-Everything- Izuku answered in his head -My former best friend told me to kill me, a villain attacked me and I almost died, then my idol told me that I can never be a hero without a quirk-
“I told you, just a rough day at school …” he just said that -… And now I just want to dance with you and forget, please-

“… Okay” maybe he got tired of insisting or maybe, somehow, he understood him, but the fact is that Marcus nodded “But if you need to talk, you know I'm here right?”

“I know”

Marcus put his arm around his waist, pulling the shorter boy gently to him.

“Don't you … don't you put the music on?” Izuku asked confused.
“I think we can do without it for today" the boy of Italian origin replied with a little smile “It’s the first Tango lesson anyway, we’ll have time in the next few days to rehearse with music”
“Oh, okay …” Izuku bowed his head “I'm sorry, I'm probably not in the right mood for a dance like the Tango”

“Ah but you know, a famous author of music for Tango, Enrique Santos Discépolo, used to say: The Tango is a sad thought that you can dance” Marcus replied, actually arousing Izuku's curiosity who looked at him in surprise “Yeah, most people tend to think that Tango only expresses love and burning passion but, in reality, it’s a little more complicated than that” he explained “The tango is a dance of love AND death, of passion and nostalgia with no return.
It carries within itself the violence of Eros, the risk, the antagonism, the crash.
If the waltz flies towards an infinite distance, the tango resounds like the last time, with its desperate joy …”

“Oh”

“Follow my lead” the dance teacher simply smiled, before starting to hum a melody in a low voice just a breath away from Izuku's ear.

Italian words, expressed in little more than a whisper, floated in the air.

Marcus moved and Izuku followed him.

*Here the “Mi fa male” song again, with another link since they told me that someone had problems with the one I put in the prologue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IAV9KUzERQ and here there's beautiful Argentine tango, which in truth I don't think it goes very well with the music of "Mi fa male" but, as always, it’s just to give you an idea of the movements and then … these two dancers are too beautiful to watch!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCMAMsjnXIY*

They managed to spend two hours like this, dancing, repeating the movements, using Marcus' hum only as a guideline.
He had a really nice voice, not on the same level as his stepsister but it came close.

It was soft, warm, reassuring …

“… Tu non sei sola, lo so (You're not alone, I know it)” the older boy sang “Tu non volevi però (You didn't want it, but) … Se più nessuno è con te (If there's no one by your side), cerchi qualcuno, chi c'è? (You're searching for someone, who?) Sì ormai, son trasparente (Yes, I'm invisible now) … Io ti abbraccio soltanto con la mente (I embrace you only with my mind) …”
He stopped for a moment and, pulling Izuku against him, he grabbed his leg lifting it while keeping the hand below the knee “… Ma vorrei … baciarti dappertutto (But I wish to kiss you all over) e non farlo, sapessi com'è brutto (and if only you knew, how awful it is not doing it) …”

In that position, Izuku's knee pressed into Marcus's side as their chests touched.

“Ma forse ti accontenti e sai (But maybe you're happy knowing) … che di più non avrai (That more than this you'll never have)” Marcus went on “Non è così facile ritrovarci ormai (It's not so easy to find us again) … né lui, né altri mai (neither he, nor anyone else) … ci ridaranno noi (Will ever give you back what we had) …”

“I have no idea what you said” Izuku murmured smiling as he leaned his head on the other's shoulder “But I like the sound of the words, even if they seem ... melancholy …”

“Maybe I will tell you another time, are you okay?” Marcus asked.

“I am now” Izuku whispered “Because I think I have found my backup dream …”

***

Izuku was returning home in a much more peaceful state after his training with Marcus.
If they continued at that pace, they would be ready to face another competition soon or so the young teacher thought.

In any case Izuku was happy …

… Or at least he was until an abrupt explosion down the street next to him didn't pulls his attention to a crowd nearby.

Izuku blinked for a moment as he stares at the scene.
In another occasion he would leave considering the day he'd just have, however, something horribly familiar catched his eye.

Long, wet, slimy tendrils flailed in front of the crowd, and the greenie felt his blood freezes in his veins.

-No, it can't be ...- he walked closer with shaky knees as a painful realization stopped any and all other thoughts.

The sludge Villain, the guy who attacked him in the underpass was there.

He was FREE.

-HOW?!- Izuku thought, making his way through the crowd to see better -All Might had locked him in a plastic bottle, how ...?-

Then a memory hit him with the force of a train.
All Might had stuffed the bottle in his trouser pocket, could he have lost it when …?

“What the …?!” All Might started shaking his leg “Come on, kid!! I get being a fan, but this is too much!!”

Izuku clung on even tighter “If I let go now, I’ll die!!”

He had clinged to All Might's leg!!

Probably the Villain, after coming out, had remained hidden all that time, waiting for the right moment to strike “It’s all my fault …” Izuku exhaled, going pale.
Not only a bad guy was escaped thanks to him but he’d even wasted All Might’s time just for a stupid question.
There was no way the hero could transform now!!

Assuming that he was present there at that moment and now innocent people were in danger.

“Why don't heroes do anything?!” he heard someone shout.
“It looks like the Villain took middle school boy hostage” someone else replied.

Wait, a middle school boy?!

Izuku made a further effort to get closer and see better …

… It was then that he saw HIM.

Never in his life Izuku would have imagined seeing panic in the eyes of his childhood friend-turned-bully’s eyes.

“KACCHAN!!”

Then Izuku moved.

He just ... moved!! He didn't even know why, he didn't think.

A toss of his backpack aimed at the eyes of the Villain, which seemed to be the only "solid" parts of his body together with the teeth.
A passing thought of regret after the event.

In a second, his hands were clawing at the monster in front of him, desperate to reach the boy underneath.

“D-Deku, what … the fuck … do you think you're doing?” Kacchan could breathe for a moment.

“I have NO idea" Izuku answered honestly “It's just … you looked like you needed saving, you BAKA …!!”
"Deku ..."

Then, thank God, someone else intervented.
“I am such an idiot, am I?” All Might just said, appearing in his muscle form despite the traces of blood that stained his mouth.
In the end it was him who saved them both.

Everything else went by in a blur distorted by fear, awe, and harsh scoldings.

At the end of it all, despite Kacchan’s animosity and his (arguably) insignificant rescue efforts, Izuku felt proud.
He had managed to at least make an effort to save someone and, at the end of the day, that was more than anyone ever thought he’d do!! He thought that he could even consider it a closure of some sort.

At least, now, he could have focus on a more realistic future, a future as dancer.

Too bad that destiny, of course, hadn't still done with him that day.

“I AM HERE!!”

Okay, anybody had by any chance decided that he should have a HEART ATTACK? Because he thought he had feel a little too many emotions for that day!!
He tried to not scream, but a startled yelp escaped from him anyway.

“A-All Might? W-why are you here?” he stuttered.

The man barely got a sentence out before he deflated.
“Oh sorry my boy, actually I’ve come to thank you for what you did before” he said surprising him “Without you, if I hadn’t heard your story, I’d … I’d have been nothing but fake muscles and insincerity!! So, thank you!!”

Wait, what?!

“That’s … no, I mean …”
Oh boy, now he was so confused, why was All Might thanking him? To begin with, it was his fault that the Villain had fled “… I disturbed you during your work” he sighed “And even though I’m quirkless, I dared to ask if-…”

“EXACTLY!!” All Might nods “Of all the people on the scene, it was you, a timid, quirkless kid, who ACTED first, even though there were several Pro Heroe around, but they weren't doing anything!! You brought me to action …”
Wow, just, WOW …
“… Most of the top heroes show signs of greatness even as children, and almost all of them claimed that their bodies simply moved before they could even think, and this is what happend to you too, isn’t it?”

“Well y-yes, but … I don't understand why you are …?”

“My boy, I have a proposal for you” the hero merely said “But before I tell you, let me rectify what I told you on that roof because I was wrong”

-It's not really happening, I’m dreaming …- Izuku thought feeling his whole body tremble.

He could feel All Might’s gaze bore into him.

“You CAN become a Hero!!”

Here they are, the words that he would have liked to hear since he was a child and that from then on would have changed his life forever.

……………………………………………

Chapter Text

Izuku was pretty sure that soon his brain would explode, or maybe his heart, or maybe both of them together.

All Might wanted to pass his Quirk to him, he wanted to PASS his power power to HIM.

He knew that All Might’s Quirk has always been considered a mystery.
Sure, the most superficial would say that it is simply a super strength Quirk and instead it was much more complicated than that!! A Quirk that can be passed down like some sort of heirloom or something?

He still couldn't believe it!!

A lot of People dedicated so much time trying to come up with a definitive answer for it, yet, despite how long they’ve been around, there’s still so much the world doesn’t know or understand about Quirks.
They can be so specific and there’s always some new theory on how they work or why they vary so much from person to person.

Izuku thought all of this on his way home, with All Might's number registered in his phone address book.

“One for All …” he muttered to himself, taking off his shoes on the doorstep.

That was the name of All Might Quirk.

“Originally, at the time when the first Quirks began to appear, one man cultivated this power and then passed it on to another, who cultivated it in turn and so on, until it came to me …” All Might had explained to him “And now, I would like to pass it to you, I want you to be MY SUCCESSOR”
A revelation like that was really a LOT to handle and he couldn't even talk about it with his friends, with his mother.

All Might had been clear on that, the nature of One for all HAD to remain a secret.

Not that he wasn't grateful for the hero’s offer (also because he had accepted, seriously, who would refuse such an opportunity?) but how exactly was he supposed to explain the sudden appearance of a Quirk after having gone 14 years without it?

Oh well, All Might sure had a plan in mind, right?

In any case, Izuku was too tired to think about it now he just wanted to throw himself on the bed and sleep.

Or at least that's what he would have done if his smartphone hadn't started ringing.

“Uh?” Izuku blinked “… Marcus?”

“Hey Zuzu!!” the voice of the dance teacher came from the receiver “How are you?”

“Marcus!!” Izuku exclaimed, letting himself fall on his bed “Hey, I'm fine just a little tired, why did you call? Did something happen?”
“Oh no, nothing happened, don't worry, I just wanted … you know …” the other paused “I just wanted to make sure you were back home safe and sound, I'm watching the news now and I saw that there it was a mess with a Villain all made of mud or whatever that stuff was”
“O-Oh, yes I … I knew what happend too”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay”

A pleasant warmth enveloped Izuku's heart at those words while a small grateful smile softened his lips “Thank you” he murmured “You're always so kind, I'm … I'm sorry I was weird today at training”

“No problem, it’s clear that you had a bad day even if hearing you now it seems to me that you are better” replied Marcus “Is that so?”

“Yeah”

“I'm glad, just as I'm glad you decided to try dancing on a professional level” he could almost see him smile “The skills to do it are certainly not lacking, beside I like to dance with you …”
“Me too” the greenie admitted, before a thought suddenly hit him.

All Might had said he would have to train hard to prepare his body to take the One for All but …
-… I don't want to give up dancing-
“Oh, speaking of which, I … I kinda decided to start training for the entrance exam to the U.A hero course ‘cause, technically, I have about ten months to prepare s-so, uh, I'm afraid I'll have to divide my time between the two and …”

“Don't worry Zuzu, I had already taken this into account, first the main dream then the backup one, and one thing doesn’t exclude the other anyway” the other interrupted him “I too will have to spend less time at the dance academy, to study …”

They chatted for about fifteen minutes before saying goodbye and Izuku went to sleep smiling.

***

Izuku spent the rest of his third year of middle school, including the summer, dividing himself between training with All Might (which consisted of cleaning the Takoba Municipal's beach of all the rubbish it had accumulated over the years) and those of ballroom dance.

It wasn't easy, NOT AT ALL!! At the end of the day he returned home destroyed by fatigue but …

… it was definitely worth it.

“… Wow Izu-kun, you're putting on muscle!!” Aurora had commented once, one day she had come to visit them at the academy, when she saw him come out of the locker room in a tank top.
“It's true” Dante had also noted “Have you started weight lifting?”
“U-Uh, something like that” Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

Marcus had approached him giggling “Yeah Zuzu, at this rate it will YOU to lift ME during the grips!!”

Izuku had chuckled at that “Oh, but I would never dare to steal your knight role”

Anyway, these ten months passed faster than Izuku expected.

Another good thing is that Kacchan finally left him alone for the rest of the year.
Had he perhaps regretted the way he had treated him? Or, perhaps, although he had tried to show otherwise, he was grateful to him for trying to save him during the Sludge Villain's attack?

In any case, it was a pleasant change.

Until the day of the entrance exam arrived.

“… You earned this power fair and square my boy!!” All might complimented, admiring the view of the beach completely cleaned up “Now, EAT this!!” he said, handing him … a hair?

“Come again?” Izuku stammered blinking.

It turned out that in order to assimilate the power of One for All, all Might had to pass his DNA to him.

Which made sense (more or less), even if Izuku would have preferred a less strange method.

In any case, this wasn’t the main problem.
It was exam day so Izuku hadn't really had a chance to test the Quirk and get an idea of how it worked, nor had All might been, frankly, much help in that regard.
Other than a "Clench you asshole and scream the word from the bottom of your heart" he hadn't given him any "technical" directions on how to use his power.

Izuku sighed, approaching the entrance gates of the U.A which, WOW, was really huge!! -Oh well, I guess at this point "sink or swim", right?- He thought tightening his grip on the supports of his backpack -In any case I will do my best and no regrets!!-

He heard his phone ring several times, due to different messages from the WhatsUp chat.

SweetHaiku07: Hey Izu-kun, good luck for the exam!!

Mens_dominatus_potentia: Yeah man, do your best, We'll be with you with the spirit.

The Golden Siren: We’ll all cheer for you.

HollywoodQueen: I'm sure you’ll pass Izu-kun, you worked your hardest for this and if the U.A can't see it well, they can fuck theirself!!

SweetHaiku07: Mayu!! :O

HollywoodQueen: What, it’s true!! If anyone deserves to go in there it's Izu-kun.

Izuku laughed, quickly typing a reply.

DetroitSmash15: Thank you guys, you're the best :)

Then a familiar angry voice, suddenly, came “OHY DEKU!!”

“Hi, Kacchan” the greenie sighed, seeing the explosive boy arrive.

“Don’t stand in my way, or do you wanna fucking die?!”
“Well, no one forces you to walk the same stretch of path where I am already walking, you know?" Izuku snorted but, for the sake of peace, he moved anyway letting the blonde pass.

Katsuki gave him an almost wary look that Izuku couldn't interpret, after which he left without saying anything else.

Er Gladiatore: Go, see and WIN Zuzu!! And if you need further encouragement, then think about the party I'm going to organize to celebrate ;)

 Mens_dominatus_potentia: Of course, another chance to throw at our faces how absurdly RICH you and Aurora-chan are.

 The Golden Siren: Said the guy who never misses an opportunity to take advantage of our flat screen TV with his stereo system.

 Mens_dominatus_potentia: Good point.

DetroitSmash15: Ahahahah okay, I'll do my best anyway.
DetroitSmash15: I promise. 

Er Gladiatore: We know you will Zuzu, go and SMASH the school down!!

-Oh, trust me, I had every intention of it!!- Izuku thought.
After all, getting into that school was only the first step to becoming a hero.

***

HE WAS IN!!

The letter from the U.A said it, the All Might hologram inside this said it, it was official!!
A confirmation, basically a contract, which means they couldn't take it back, right?! He even had destroyed a giant robot with one punch (ok, technically, it was worth zero points but still it was a GIANT robot!! They couldn't just ignore that) breaking both his legs and an arm in the process.
Sure a little warning from the N. 1 Hero about this side effect of his Quirk would have been welcome but, hey …

… HE HAD PASSED THE EXAM!!

Not to mention that he also thought he had made another friend.

The gentle girl with brown hair and the power to take away gravity, it could be said that they had helped each other during the exam.
It was to help her if he launched into Zero Pointer, then, if it hadn't been for her, he would have smashed to the ground from a deadly height.
She even went to talk to Present Mic for him.

He really hoped they had accepted her too, she deserved it!! She had literally saved his life.

“I'm so proud of you, honey!!” Inko almost shouted, hugging him.

“I passed mom!! I passed!!” Izuku exclaimed delightedly after having returned the hug “Oh!! I have to tell my friends right away!!”
Then he immediately go to look for his phone.

“Of course sweetie” Inko smiled brightly “I'm sure you'll want to celebrate with them ...”

It was so that they all met at Marcus and Aurora's house to celebrate that afternoon.

The brothers lived in a large villa just outside the city with a large garden.

There was certainly no lack of space to party.
Mayu and Dante were already there when Izuku arrived, so the only one missing was Yumiko, who had already warned them that she would be late but that they could also start without her “We have a surprise for you Izu-kun!! TA-DAN!!” Mayu smiled, pulling out a cute rectangular box that clearly came from a bakery.
She opened it without looking, pushing it towards the greenie which, however, seemed slightly confused looking at it.

“… Uh? The U.A suck?!” he asked, halfway between perplexed and amused because Mayu's stunned expression made him realize that, perhaps, that writing with the icing wasn't exactly the one he should have read.

“EH?!” the blue-skinned girl blinked at the cake.

“I can't believe it, Mayu-chan you got the wrong box” Dante facepalmed “Didn't we tell you to get rid of it this morning?!”

“But it seemed like a waste to me!!” Mayu protested “Damn, what a figure”

“Some explanation, please?” Izuku asked with a chuckle.

“Uh actually, it was my idea …” Marcus admitted a little embarrassed as mayu hurried to retrieve a second box, completely identical to the first.

Before he could add anything else, the girl opened it revealing another cake, similar to the other but with a completely different writing …

Congratulations Izuku!!

… written in large blue and green frosted letters on white cream.

“Wow, you never have a doubt huh?” the greenie joked.

“It's not that, Zuzu” Marcus seemed really sorry for the gaffe and Izuku thought it was strange to see him so awkward “We all know how much you worked hard but, how can I say? Things happen and, well, we all know what most society thinks about Quirkless so I … I mean, WE, we just wanted …”

“We just wanted be sure we make you smile” his half-sister came to his aid “Regardless of what the result would have been”

A few seconds of silence passed in which his friends, especially Marcus looked at him worried, probably thinking they had offended him but then Izuku burst into happy laughter.
“Oh guys” he said, laughing to tears “That’s so sweet!! Thank you”
If they had done something like this two years ago maybe he would have taken it badly but not today.

He knew these people enough by now to know that there was no malice in their gesture, only a genuine desire to please him.

“You’re not angry, right?” Dante asked.

“Absolutely not” Izuku smiled “Beside, actually I have a confession to make” he added getting a series of curious glances from the others “During the practical exam, it seems … it seems that I have awakened my Quirk”
He couldn't say that he considered it a lie, sure, he couldn't tell them about the true nature of One for All and the bond he now shared with All Might but, as the hero himself had said he had earned that power and he was going to make that Quirk "his" by continuing to work hard.

“WHAT?!” of course, they all shouted in unison, surprised.

“It seems that the training with which I strengthened my body and the consequent adrenaline rush during the exam allowed me to awaken my latent Quirk” Izuku said “I don't know much yet, but from what we have seen seems to be a type of strengthening Quirk, it increases my physical strength …”

“Wow, Zuzu this is … this is great!!” Marcus exclaimed.

“And litteraly a miracle” Dante commented “I mean, I had heard of people who manifest their Quirk late, but the most extreme case I had heard of it was about a kid that was eight years old”

“I'm so happy for you Izu-kun!!” Mayu followed.

“Thank you guys” Izuku murmured softly, struggling to block a start of emotional tears that were already threatening to gush from his eyes “I feel so lucky”

“Well, at this point I would say to eat the cake” Aurora said before looking at her phone “Oh, Yumiko has just written, she says she should arrive in about ten minutes and … wait, take out the first aid kit?” she read puzzled.

Ok, THAT caught everyone's attention.

“What did she say we need to get out, again?"

………………………………………

Chapter Text

It was a loud metallic thud, like overturned garbage bins, that drew Yumiko's attention to that alley.

Just as she was running towards the train station.

She was late, she should have taken the train at least a quarter of an hour before but her mother had had an unexpected event at the flower shop so she had had to stop longer than usual to help her -I will write a message in the chat to tell them to start without me- the girl with the snake hair thought -So I won’t cause further discomfort-
After that she started running hoping not to lengthen her delay further, until she heard that noise.

“What's wrong, loser?” a male voice taunted followed by a series of mean giggles “Can't you take even one punch?”

“Ah, look at how he crawls” another added “It looks like a worm, how pathetic …”

-What's going on?- Yumiko thought, worried, looking out at the entrance to the alley.
Made cautious by a bad feeling, she held her phone close and used a garbage can to keep herself out of sight, letting only her snakes lean out for her.

A small group of middle school boys, four in total, were surrounding a peer of theirs, who was lying on the ground near an overturned bucket.

“F-Fuck you Mashimi!! Why don't you leave me alone??!!” replied the boy on the ground, spitting out a clot of blood.

His lip was split and a large dark bruise was forming on his right cheekbone.

His light brown hair was matted and dirty, his school uniform all wrinkled and yet he had something familiar …

-… Kiyotaka-kun?- Yumiko realized, frightened.

Yes, it was him!!
The guy who took the ballroom dance class with her and the others but who had always refused to go out with them.
What was he doing there? Who were those guys and why were they beating him?

Did he need help?

"Do you have the balls to answer me, you piece of shit?" one of the boys replied, bending down to grab him by the collar of his uniform.

Kiyotaka didn’t answer, on the other hand he spat in his face.

“YOU, son of …!!”

The boy responded to the offense by punching him in the face and sending him back to the ground.

After that the kicks began to arrive.

“Wow, take it easy man” said one of the guys “What if he decides to use his Quirk?”
“He can't do it without killing us all With that GAS of his, the police would immediately understand that it was him” the gang leader retorted “And you don't want this, do you Mustard? You know that your stepfather is waiting for nothing but an excuse to send you to jail like the beggar Villain you are …”

Then he kept hitting.

Yumiko couldn't take that sight for a second longer “STOP!! Leave him alone!!” she screamed as the snakes above her head hissed menacingly with gaping fangs.

“What the …?” one guy exclaimed looking at her surprised “Who the fuck are you?”

“L-Leave him alone!!” Yumiko only answered, ignoring the question.

“Mind your own business, bitch!!”
The gang leader growled, leaving Kiyotaka-kun alone only to take a few steps towards her, threatening “What?! Are you his fucking girlfriend?”

“N-No, I'm … I'm a friend of him” the girl said, trying to get courage “And I called the police!!” she added lifting her phone for them to see “They will arrive any minute, s-so you better leave if you don't want to get in trouble!!”

She prayed that they would believe to her Bluff since she hadn't actually called anyone.

“What the fuck …?” the gang leader started to approach, but was stopped by one of his followers.
“Fuck, dude stop!! I KNOW this girl” he said, alarmed “I attended a year in elementary school with her, the bitch can petrify people with her eyes!!” he continued, causing a healthy restlessness in other kids.

Looking at him, Yumiko realized that yes, indeed he had something familiar.

“WHAT?! Are you serious?!”
“Let's go, man!!”
"You ... You got lucky this time asshole" The gang leader hissed "let's go boys"

Before Yumiko could realize, the boys had run away leaving her alone with the other boy.

“Kiyotaka-kun!!” she exclaimed, rushing to the boy's rescue “Oh dear, I … I'll call the ambulance immediately”

“NO!!” Kiyotaka weakly grabbed her hand with which she held the phone, shaking his head “No ambulance, NO hospital, just go away f-fuck …”

Yumiko blinked “B-But you're hurt …”

“Go away, damnit!!” Kiyotaka retorted “I don't need your help!! At least on this the idiot was right, mind your business”

-Why does he behave like this?- the girl thought in disbelief “B-But …”

“Just leave me alone …”

“I … I’m sorry, but I can't do that” Yumiko murmured as she fumbled with her phone.

“Fuck, I told you …”

“No ambulance, okay” she interrupted him “If you don't want to go to the hospital that's okay, I don't understand why but okay, I won't leave an injured person in the garbage though, I … I'll take you somewhere else, ok?”

***

The guys were surprised, as well as worried, when Yumiko showed up at the gate of the villa with Kiyotaka-kun next to her, who really didn’t seem in good shape.

Not at all, indeed, looking at him seemed to come from a bad beating.

“… Well, this explains why you asked us to take out the first aid kit” Aurora commented, helping the other girl to carry the boy inside “You're lucky, in our case we have something better than a kit, we have a small infirmary here in the villa”
“I'm so sorry” Yumiko apologized “He didn't want me to call the ambulance and … and I didn't know what else to do”

“Oh God, is that Kiyotaka-kun??!!” Izuku exclaimed hurrying to the entrance with everyone else.

“Fuck, what happened to him?” Dante asked.

“He was attacked” the girl with the snake hair said “I … I think they were classmates or that they come at least from the same school, they wore the same uniforms”

“The infirmary is this way” Marcus pointed quickly.

“You should have left me there” Kiyotaka muttered acidly “I don't need your pity”
“It's not pity, it's civic sense” Aurora replied in a practical way “Why didn't you want Yumiko to call the ambulance instead? Do you have something to hide?”

Kiyotaka looked away angrily “It's none of your business, I didn't ask for her help”

“Yeah, yeah as you say cowboy” the blonde girl rolled her eyes.

“Give him to me, I'll carry him” Marcus offered, taking the smaller boy in his arms.

“E-Ehy, what the fuck …?!” he tried to protest “I can walk, you …!!”

“Dude just accept it, you can barely stand up!!” Mayu pointed out.

They called a private doctor to come and visit him at home, which Izuku at first didn't believe was possible given the time (it was almost seven at p.m, on Sunday) but apparently many things became possible with the right amount of money, such as ¥ 639 821.11, approximately, paid directly to the professional's account.
In any case, fortunately for Kiyotaka, the man reassured them that apart from numerous bruises, the cut on his lip and a slight sprained ankle he had not sustained any serious injuries and that they had done a great job with the first aid kit.

For the rest he just needed to rest.

“Busy afternoon huh?” Marcus made himself heard, joining Izuku who had gone out to get some air, on one of the marble benches in the garden behind the villa.
“Oh Marcus!!” the greenie said “Yeah, but I'm glad Kiyotaka-kun is okay now”

“When I organized the day it wasn't exactly how I imagined ending it” the dancer sighed “Between this and the cake’s gaffe …”

Izuku chuckled at that “I thought I already made it clear that I'm not offended”

“Maybe, but I still would have preferred to play it better”

“You're always trying to make people feel comfortable, aren't you?” Izuku smiled “Especially me, you always so nice … you accepted me even knowing I was Quirkless, taught to dance, stayed close to me …”

“Oh, you flatter me Zuzu” the other joked “I just care about my friends, that’s all”

“I know …”

A pleasant silence fell for a few moments between the two.

“I … I have something for you” Izuku revealed suddenly, taking his yellow backpack and opening it.

“Uh, what?” Marcus blinked in surprise when he saw the other pull out of his backpack what appeared to be a large chunk … of rock? A piece of black rock with translucent edges.
“Wait, isn't this …?”

“Obsidian” Izuku nodded with a small smile “I bought it on E-bay, it weighs about 3 lbs”

“Wow, I can feel that” Marcus commented, weighing it with one hand “Not that I don't appreciate the gift but, why? I mean, I know that crystal therapy is in fashion lately but …”

“You know I like analyzing Quirks, right?” Izuku bit his lip nervously “Well, I've been thinking a lot about yours lately and I came up with a hypothesis”
“Really, which one?” the dancer asked, curious.
“You said your Quirk mainly allows you to control the lava and its temperature” Izuku began to explain excited “But then I asked myself: What exactly is lava made of?”

“It's basically … molten rock …” Marcus replied.

“EXACTLY, obsidian is part of the "Volcanic Glass" family and its formation is due to the very rapid cooling of the lava, which is rich of silicate ions"
“Ok, so …?”
“So, since you can control the temperature of things by raising or lowering it, then it’s likely that if you RAISE the temperature of the obsidian to the right point you will end up melting it and …”
“Turn it into lava” concluded Marcus, looking at the rock in his hands “I … I've never tried to do such a thing”

He suddenly seemed nervous about trying to use his Quirk that way.

“… Take a deep breath and concentrate, you can control it Marcus, I KNOW you can”

Since the day of that accident in Sicily, Marcus hadn't tried to use his Quirk anymore.
Then the fact that he never even feel the need to use it had made it so that the topic was totaly put aside, after all he did not want to be a hero or any profession where the use of Quiks was required.

His mother had accepted that decision while disapproving of it.

“You should see your Quirk for what it is, dear” Elisa told him “A TOOL, nothing more, nothing less, something that yes, it ‘s part of you, but it doesn't define you as a person so you shouldn't be afraid of it …”

“Well, you could try now” Izuku encouraged smiling at him, his eyes twinkling with expectation.

Marcus looked first at him then at the obsidian, uncertain when a sudden thought crossed his mind.

“Wait, you said you bought it on E-Bay and that weighs almost 3 lbs …”
“Uh, yes, why?”
“Zuzu, how MUCH did you pay for it?”

“O-Oh, ehm …” Izuku hesitated for a moment “Oh, it's not important really …”

“Zuzu, how much?”

Total silence.

“Zuzuuuu, I'm very close to paying a million yen into your account, I'm warning youuuu” Marcus said almost humming.

“YOU. DON'T. DARE!!” Izuku exclaimed accordingly, puffing up his cheeks in the offended way children usually do "And anyway I won't tell you!! It's a gift!!"
Seeing him with that expression on his face Marcus couldn't hold back a chuckle “Zuzu you remember I'm rich, right?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“If you wanted to experiment with my Quirk you could just tell me and I would have bought obsidian, you don't have to spend your money on me”

“It's not just for that!!” the greenie protested and then added with a sigh “Look, I don't know what exactly happened in Sicily, nor do I want to force you to tell me about it, but you have been so close to me in these two years”
He looked at him.
“You have supported and encouraged me and I … I felt the need to repay you in some way, I thought that helping you with your Quirk could be a good idea, I know you try not to show it but I noticed you’re always a little tense when you talk about your individuality, a bit like Yumiko …”

Marcus stared at him intently.

“… I just wanted to show you that your power is not just destruction”

“Your power is not just destruction, dear, I hope you’ll see it one day”

“… Ok” Marcus sighed at last, after a few moments of silence “I guess I can give it a try”

Izuku smiled, almost instinctively moving closer to him.

“So what do you want me to do?”
“Manipulate the temperature of the obsidian until it's so hot to melt it into the lava state”
“All right ...”

Marcus held the piece of rock in his hands and closed his eyes, focusing on the heat.

Izuku watched in fascination as the veins in the other's hands began to glow.
Slowly the surface of the obsidian also began to glow, turning from black to red, melting and the aspiring hero thought that maybe next time he should try to time the process to see how long it took his friend to do this.
Several seconds passed.

“Uh, I don't think it's working Zuzu, I don't feel any changes” Marcus snorted –And thinking about it, maybe it's better this way-

He didn't even know why he said yes, perhaps because Zuzu seemed so happy …
“... Oh you say so? Why don't you try to open your eyes?”

Marcus did and what he saw surprised him.

“PORCATROIA!!” he nearly dropped a blob of pure lava that was floating between his hands.

“YOU DID IT!!” Izuku cheered.

“What the …? Look at this stuff” Marcus murmured in amazement.

Instinctively, he tried to manipulate her by trying to make it take the shape he wanted.
He obtained a perfect sphere, which glowed red-orange in the dark of the evening like a small sun.

“It's beautiful” Izuku said softly “See? I knew you could do it!! You just needed to start with something small”

“Mamma mia, the last time I manipulated the lava was because I accidentally made a volcano erupt …”

They stayed like that for a few moments.
The little sun gave off soft warmth, it was pleasant and for some reason, Marcus liked the way the reddish glow illuminated the contours of Izuku's face “It was supposed to be your party tonight, and instead …” he said “In the end it was you who gave me a gift”

“W-Well, it was nothing …” Izuku piped, blushing slightly “Beside, I had to repay you for the double cake” he joked.

“You're really something, aren't you? Midoriya Izuku” Marcus smiled “Thank you Zuzu …”

“YO GUYS!!”

Aurora's cry from inside the house made both of them gasp, especially Marcus who lost concentration for a moment letting the lava sun fall to the ground.
“Oh boy!!” Izuku squeaked watching as the lava burned the grass and some of the surrounding land almost forming a scorched hole.

“Oh merda, adesso chi lo sente il giardiniere?*” Marcus followed, blinking.

“Uh, did I interrupt something?” asked the blond girl, perplexed.

“NO!!” both boys shouted.

“Uuuuh, do you need something sis?” Marcus asked.
“Yes, if you are done chatting outside we thought we would continue the party here since I don't think we should leave Kiyotaka-kun alone”

“O-Oh, that's right” his brother chuckled, nervous, waving Izuku off the bench with him.

They went back inside looking around embarrassed.
“Hey guys, we were thinking of organizing our dance party here” Dante said “I know the original plan was to go to a club but at this point …”
“You really love our stereo system, don't you?” Aurora grinned.

“I'm MADLY in love” the boy confirmed without the slightest shame.

“I find it a great idea!!” Marcus nodded.

“Oh, do you have something cheerful and overwhelming??!!” Mayu asked excitedly “

“I think I have the right music for that!!”

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4XHcZR0cjY I loved the dance scene in "The mask" movie, I mostly imagined Mayu, Izuku and Marcus dancing to this music*

They spent the rest of the evening dancing and having fun until they were tired enough to go to bed.

Izuku pulled out his pajamas (of course All Might themed) that he had prepared from his backpack and walked with Dante to one of the guest rooms where they also found Kiyotaka-kun.
Apparently Yumiko had managed to convince him to move there instead of spending the night in the infirmary.

Izuku fell asleep peacefully, the last image in his eyes was Marcus' smile in front of the small lava sun.

....................................................

Chapter Text

Shigaraki Tomura could consider himself satisfied for that day.

Those dumb scoop-hungry reporters had provided him with the perfect diversion to sneak into the U.A and steal the teacher's schedule.
Thanks to all that confusion hacking the cameras had been child's play and thanks to the information provided by their mole inside he already knew exactly where to go.
He had even managed to get a school uniform as an additional security line.
In this way, even if some late student had crossed his path, he would have mistaken him for a companion without giving him too much importance in the heat of the evacuation.

The idea came to him while playing an online game called "Suspects: Mystery Mansion"* during the Master Of Disguise special event.

Ah!! And then they have the nerve to say that Video Games wither children’s minds.

He had come up with the perfect plan!!

So yes, Tomura was very satisfied as he texted his coordinates to Kurogiri to get picked up.
The false alarm had stopped ringing almost a minute ago but it didn't matter, he was ready to leave with a printout of all the teachers' lesson times, a fundamental piece for the second part of his plan "Kill the symbol of Peace and destroy this hypocritical society of heroes".

However, he was still in the middle of texting when, suddenly, he felt a presence behind him, accompanied by the sweet fragrance of a feminine perfume and a voice that said …

“… Hello young man”

-What the fuck …?!- Tomura turned abruptly to find himself in front of the figure of a woman in her forties.

She wore a red dress.
Smooth, elegant, in some ways old-fashioned but still graceful, with a wide skirt, long just below the knee, tightened at the waist by a fine brown leather belt.
The classic dress that no one would want to risk dirtying.

She was beautiful, so beautiful that Tomura found himself blinking, almost dazed.

Her light brown hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back, thick and shiny in what appeared to be a studied mess of whimsical spirals framing a face that had nothing oriental at all, much less. Japanese.
She had high cheekbones, full cheeks, a straight thin nose ...

The delicate arch of her eyebrows highlighted a pair of large dark eyes, warm and deep, fringed with long black lashes.

She was looking him straight in the face without the slightest hesitation as her soft lips, marked by a flashy red lipstick that matched her dress, gave him a faint smile.

And while he found her beautiful, Shigaraki found her presence incredibly out of place in the corridor of the U.A.

What was such a woman doing there?
Was she a heroine? DRESSED like that? It didn't exactly seem practical to him go into the battlefild dressed that way.

Maybe she was just a teacher but, again, with that dress …
It looked more like the kind of dress in which noblewomen go to drink afternoon tea in cups of very fine porcelain (maybe even gold rimmed) that cost millions of yen and …
-… Wait, why the hell am I concentrating so much on her dress?-Tomura thought, trying to recover from the surprise of that meeting completely NOT contemplated in his brilliant plan.

Maybe because it was really a nice red color and Tomura liked red, he liked it a lot.

“Uh, are you okay?” the woman asked cautiously “You seem a bit nervous, but I guess I caught a bad moment I swear!! More than a school, this place looks like a labyrinth and, as if that weren't enough, the alarm has also gone off …”

“W-What?” Tomura blinked.

“I was invited by your principal to his office today” she explained “For a tea and to discuss a certain project involving my school, in view of your Sports Festival this year”

“Your school?” Tomura repeated becoming suspicious –So she’s a principal too? Of what? Another school to churn out more future stupid heroes?-

“My dance school and other courses related to the arts” she clarified with a proud smile, surprising him “Maybe you have heard of it or maybe not, in any case I guess it’s time I introduce myself …”
She brought a hand wrapped in a black velvet glove to her chest.

“I'm Elisa Balzani, founder and current director of the Balzani international dance academy, nice to meet you, Mr …?”

It took Shigaraki a few moments to realize that she was expecting him to introduce himself.

Oh fuck …
“… U-Uh, Tanaka … Chizuo” he invented, using the most basic Japanese surname of the last few centuries, while for the name.

He actually had no idea where he got that name from, it just occurred to him.

“Are you a student here, Mr Tanaka?”
“Yes …”
“Then I suppose you know the school structure well”
“Y-Yes …?”

“In that case, I hope you don't mind if I take advantage of our fortuitous meeting” Elisa smiled “I'm really lost, so would you be kind enough to take me to the principal's office? If you have nothing else urgent to do of course”

-WHAT. THE. FUCK …?-

Contrary to what he thought, Tomura nodded, finding himself ARM IN ARM with the elegant lady.
Tomura usually didn't like being touched, yet, strangely, the warmth of the woman's arm clasped to his wasn't all that unpleasant, he just had to be careful to keep his hands to himself so as not to risk accidentally touching her with all five fingers.
Their spy had explained to him more or less how the school was structured.
Consequently, he had a pretty good idea of where the principal's office was, once they got close enough he would just leave her with an excuse, he would go into the first available closet and call Kurogiri.

Fortunately, many of the students and employees had had to extend their lunch break due to the false alarm so they would not have had to run into other setbacks.

“How old are you, dear?” the woman asked.

-Oh come on!! Where does all this urge to make conversation come from?-
“Uuuh …” he couldn't answer twenty, he was supposed to be a student “Seventeen” he finally decided.

“The same age as my son!!” she trilled, delighted “Ah, the teenage years are always the most complicated in a person's life, aren't they? Personally I think it is absurd the belief that many people have that in such a delicate age it is already possible to decide about one's future”

“…”

“Of course there are exceptions, some people are born with the good fortune of already knowing very well what they can do and, above all, what they want” continued Elisa “They don't need to make mistakes to find out”

“I … I guess so” murmured Tomura eyeing the first closet they came across.

“Do you already know what you want to do in life, Chizuo-kun?” the lady asked.

-Apart from killing heroes and destroying this fake do-gooding society as you know it?- thought Tomura sarcastically “… I'm not sure”
Perhaps the question was rather "What would he want to do NEXT?" but the fact was that he had never asked himself the question.
Sensei always said that he could do whatever he wanted, DESTROY everything he didn't like, because he was entitled after how society had treated him.
And since he hated pretty much everything, that was what he wanted to do.

Destroy everything.

What was the point of thinking about a future for someone like him?

“And meanwhile, don't you have any hobbies? Any passions?” the lady kept asking, curious.

Passions?

“I like video games” the young villain replied without thinking, sincere this time “I spend a lot of free time playing, but it's just for fun”

Elisa's eyes seemed to sparkle at that statement “Just for fun, huh? How good are you at computer science?”

That particular question left him a little baffled “Good enough” he considered his Hacker skills pretty good, but he could still improve “Why?”
“Haven't you ever thought about CREATING video games instead of playing them?”

“Create them?”

They stopped towards the end of a corridor, just a couple of rooms away from the principal's office.

Okay, he had to go now.
“Create, my dear boy” the woman insisted, unhooking herself from her arm “There is nothing more divine, and this is true in all fields of sciences and arts …”

Create, exactly the opposite of what he wanted but she couldn't know.

“… And wherever there is passion there is also creation, each of us has the potential to create something wonderful that will mark the centuries to come, it's what makes us human”

“…”

“My children, for example” Elisa continued “It seems that they have already managed to find their passions even though they are still very young, they are studying and working hard, I have limited myself to providing them with all the necessary means to make them flourish”
“You must be very proud of them” Tomura commented.

“Oh, I AM” she giggled “What mother wouldn't be? And just like any mother I would do anything for my children Chizuo-kun, anything …" there was something strangely threatening in the way she uttered that last "Anything" but Tomura dismissed that feeling as foolish.

“Just to give you a hint, dear, in case you can't find something else that you feel really important, think of it as your backup plan, a backup dream …” she concluded with a weird, enigmatic smile.
A smile that Tomura couldn't interpret -A backup … dream …?-
“We can all give something to the world, however small, something to be remembered for, if you really like video games so much, think about it …”

“Yeah, uh, I … I guess I should go now, you know, the lessons …” Tomura invented, taking a few steps away.

“Oh right, dear” Elisa blinked “Forgive me, I held you back too long, so the principal's office is …?”

“Right there” Tomura replied promptly, anxious to leave “Straight, you can't go wrong”
“Thank you very much dear” Elisa turned towards him for the last time “Goodbye then, and who knows? Destiny works in mysterious ways, maybe one day we will meet again …”

She didn't give him time to reply that she left.

-Okay, that was weird …- the boy thought immediately going to lock himself in the closet to call Kurogiri.

But it was when the familiar purplish mist appeared that he actually realized that, despite everything, he hadn't felt itchy even once from standing next to her.

***

“You are a gamer, right? Have you ever played Just Dance?” the brat with the green curls asked, placing himself between him and the other hero brats who had just come to help.

“M-Midoriya …?” the one with the red spiky hair started.

“You go help All Might, I'll keep him busy” curly replied, without taking his eyes off him.

Keep HIM busy? Who the hell the brat thought himself was? Some kind of mini-All Might?

But most of all …

… JUST DANCE?

Did he really have the nerve to joke at such a time? –You brat …!!-
But Tomura couldn't have known that all that confidence was just an appearance, a veil under which Izuku was trying to hide the intense feeling of panic he was feeling.

It had all happened so quickly.
One second they were having class and the next all hell broke loose, a veritable army of Villain had poured into the U.S.J, through a smoky portal.
Portal created by the same Villain who then had them scatter throughout the structure, leaving them at the mercy of criminals.

Izuku had found himself in the Flood zone together with Asui, the frog girl, and Mineta, a short boy with purple balls instead of hair.

They had been lucky to get out alive.

Asui's Quirk gave her the abilities of a frog amplified for a human form, which meant she was capable of making huge leaps in terms of both height and length, not to mention her long, stout, prehensile tongue.
She had saved them, while Izuku had merely provided a diversion even if it had cost him a finger.
So it was that they found themselves on the bank of the artificial lake, near the central square, when they saw Professor Aizawa succumb to the blows of … of that monstrous thing and the disturbing Villain covered with severed hands.

Thank God, All Might showed up moments later, just as the hand-covered Villain noticed them and tried to kill Asui.

The rest of the fight was a flurry of confusing events.
Like witnessing a clash between titates, this creature … this "Nomu" really seemed able to stand up to the number one Hero, who, while not showing it, had already come frighteningly close to the time limit for using his Quirk.

-He can't do it alone- Izuku had realized with horror, entrusting Professor Aizawa to Asui and Mineta.

“Midoriya?” Asui had began to say, perplexed “What are you …?”
“Asui, please take care of bringing the professor to safety with Mineta, I … I have to go!!” he didn’t give her time to reply, he turned and began to run, intent on providing all the help he could.

He hadn’t been the only one who had a similar idea.

Kacchan, Kirishima-kun and Todoroki-kun had also showed up on the spot, which brought them back to the present situation.
Todoroki's ice had allowed All Might to escape Nomu's grip.

“Nice punch the one you tried to throw at me earlier, you called it a "smash", huh? What is it? Are you an All Might Fan!?” Tomura hissed “I'll have fun reducing you to a pile of blood and crumbled bones, brat!!”

“STOP THERE!!” Izuku shouted, avoiding those deadly open palms.

Then he grabbed him by one of the wrists.
He didn't use the One for All, considering the situation he would only hurt himself, however, he had come up with a move that Marcus had shown him to deal with bullies.
“Let me go, you brat!! I’LL KILL YOU!!”
The Villain's skin was incredibly cold, so much so that Izuku had to repress a shiver but that didn't stop him from grabbing the other wrist as well.

“Oh come on, Handy Man, don't tell me that your Nomu is the only one I can ask to dance to?” Izuku offered a flickering smile, treacherously placing one of his legs between Tomura's, in a pseudo dance figure -Why do I keep talking? Stop talking idiot!! You're just making him more angry-
“WHAT THE FUCK?! Are you fucking kidding me?”
Yeah, probably it was the panic that was speaking for him or … maybe, he just felt more confident about what he was doing!! He wasn't moving randomly as he had done during the Sludge Villain incident for sure.

He knew what he was doing.

He didn't have to beat him, just make waste his time.

As for the dance jokes …
… Man, Marcus had a very bad influence on his sense of humor.

Meanwhile Tomura let out frustrated growl as he tried to free his hands from the brat's grasp in order to disintegrate him.
The worst thing about that maddening situation was that, in the way they were moving, it actually felt like they were really dancing with all that damn spinning!! Every time Tomura managed to free a wrist and tried to grab him with all five fingers, the greenie would move, avoid it and then start over.

“PLUS ULTRAAA!!”

The shock wave caused by All Might's last punch caused both of them to lose their balance and they found themselves rolling on the ground on top of each other.

More precisely Izuku UP and Tomura BOTTOM, in a position that in any other situation could have been misunderstood and that managed to embarrass the young hero.

Tomura saw the boy above him visibly blush, but he didn't dare to let go of his wrists “A-Ah, don't … don't move Villain!!” he yelled at him, appearing a lot less confident of before.
Okay, he had to admit it, THIS, on another occasion, it could even have been amusing and since the brat liked jokes …

“... Oooh I see” Tomura grinned under Father “So you like to be ON TOP, uh little Hero?”
“W-WHAT?!” Izuku's eyes widened and, for a few thousandths of a second, his grip became weaker.

It was all Tomura needed.

With a thrust of the back he reversed their positions causing the greenie to lose his grip.
This time it was Izuku who found himself stuck on the ground, his wrists held on either side of his head by the other, with just a little finger rised that kept him from turning into dust.

Oh, NOW he was scared, wasn't he? Tomura savored those few seconds of victory “Game Over brat”

“Young Midoriya!!” All Might's voice made them both turn to look towards the hero and it was in that moment that Tomura realized that the cursed symbol of peace had just defeated the Nomu.
“No …” he growled.

“W-Well, it looks like the “Game Over” was for you” the brat below him dared to comment.

Tomura turned back to stare at him “You …!!”
Damn brat!! It was all his fault, if he hadn't distracted him from the game …

“Let him go, Villain!! You lost!!” All Might declared as the familiar tongues of smoke had begun to surround his figure.

His time was running out.

“Yeah, let Midoriya go!!” Kirishima stated.
“You are outnumbered anyway” Todoroki commented, coldly.
“Forget the useless nerd and come face me if you dare!!”

Oh, Kacchan and his very personal way of being worried.

“Shigaraki Tomura, we lost” had to admit Kurogiri, who couldn't help the Nomu as he was kept at a distance from Katsuki's explosions, appearing next to him “I suggest we retire …”

BANG, BANG!!

He didn’t have time to finish the sentence that several gunshots ripped through the air.
“ARGH!!” Izuku gasped as spatters of the Villain's blood hit him from the bullet wounds “F-FUCK …!! KUROGIRI, GET US BACK, NOW!!”

And so it was, the Villains disappeared, enveloped by a black void, leaving nothing but a devastated structure behind them.

.....................................................

Chapter Text

Okay, that was definitely the CRAZIEST PLAN his head had ever given birth to in fifteen years of existence!!
Crazier than throwing yourself at the Sludge Villain armed only with a backpack, crazier than dancing an impromptu waltz with a Villain whose mere touch can destroy you.

He was seriously about to use a piece of scrap (kindly offered by one of the killer robots that should have hindered them at the beginning of the path) as a sled and JUMP onto a pile of explosives!!

-I'll do like you, Kacchan!!- Izuku thought, catapulting himself straight onto the pile of mines.

The explosions lifted him, hurling him into the air like a bullet beyond the minefield.

Perfect, just as he expected …

… Now, if only he could have figure out HOW to land!!

In fact, his plan had ended up working a little too well as he rapidly approached Katsuki and Todoroki, who were right in the front of the pack.
When the two caught sight of him, Katsuki’s face contorted in anger and, complitely ignoring Todoroki, he launched himself forward as quickly as he could with his explosions while the latter started running along an ice path he was creating as he ran -Oh, have they stopped fighting each other to follow me? I feel almost flattered- the greenie thought -Considering that I am about to land losing speed, they will certainly overtake me so … PLAN B!!-

Just moments before he could land, Izuku firmly grabbed the steel ropes of his "sled" and slammed it hard on the ground in front of him.

The effect was immediate.

The mines placed under that point exploded giving him the last push he needed and, at the same time, hindering Todoroki and Kacchan …

“… GGRRRR, DEKUUUU!!”

“Sorry Kacchan, can't speak now!!” Izuku yelled back, running for his life like not even Road Runner to escape Wile E. Coyote would “See you at the finish line!!”

“… I HOPE YOU WERE CHEERING FOR THE UNDERDOG!!" Present Mic screamed “BECAUSE IN AN UNEXPACTED FLURRY OF EVENTS, THE FIRST PLACE WINNER OF THE FIRST ROUND IS MIDORIYA IZUKU!!”

YESSSSS!! He made it!! Oh boy, his lungs were burning but he had never felt so exciteeeeed!!

“YOU RULED ZUZUUUU!!” Marcus' voice made him direct his gaze to the row of seats that had been reserved for the students of the dance academy.
“YEAAAH, GOOD JOB!!”
“WE KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!”

Wait, did they really bring a megaphone to cheer?! Megaphone that they were punctually stealing from each other just to make themself heard -Oh guys  …!!- Izuku thought happily, raising her arm to greet them.

Then, after the first 41 other students also crossed the finish line, Midnight officially marked the end of the first test.

“Wow Deku, that was amazing!!” Uraraka exclaimed, reaching him “First the dance performance and now this, you really wanted to leave your mark at this year's Festival, huh?”
She smiled brightly, giving him a playful little punch on his shoulder.
“Speaking of which, I didn't know you were a dancer” she added enthusiastically “It was really a nice surprise”

“O-Oh, right” Izuku nodded timidly “Actually, I didn't expect all that success but I'm glad you liked the performance …”

“I loved it!! And I assure you I'm not the only one” Uraraka said “Oh, your dance academy classmates in the stands have been cheering you on all the time, they look nice!! I'd like to meet them”

Izuku seemed to light up at the idea “Oh yes, I'll gladly introduce you to them”

“… Everyone gird your loins and prepare for your next test!!” Midnight snapped her whip, attracting everyone's attention, as the slot machine-like graphic on the screen behind her finally slowed to a stop.

It was time to find out what the second test would be.

“The CAVALRY BATTLE!!” she announced before briefly explaining the rules “Each team of 2-5 people are gonna be worth their own total of points due to the individuals within each team, due to this, the rider will be wearing a headband with the total amount of points printed on it around their heads.
Each team will attempt to grab as many points as possible and hold them before the 15 minute clock turns to 0.
Also, stolen headbands must be worms from the neck up, so the more you steal, the harder it’ll be to manage them!! But remember!! Even if your headband gets stolen, or if your team falls, you’re still NOT out …”

-Ok, I can work on it …- Izuku thought.

 “…The points you will have will be given to you based on your current ranking which means that it will be the those of you who have reached the top who’ll suffer the most here!! Like our Midoriya Izuku, for instance, who, as first place winner, will be worth TEN MILLION POINTS!!”

Wait, WHAT?!

Izuku froze in place, suddenly feeling the eyes of all the other participants land on him making him their prime target, like a rabbit cornered by a pack of wolves.

“That’s right!!” Midnight muttered, licking her lips in a provocative way “It’s survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!! Now, you have fifteen minutes to build your teams!! START!!”
Instantly the competitors began their search for teammates, leaving nothing but scorched earth around the greenie.

"Ok, don't panic, just think Midoriya, THINK" Izuku began to mull over, closing his eyes and bringing both hands together to cover the lower half of his face -In my case there is no need to try to steal points from others, just think about protecting those that I already have, the problem here is ... -
The problem was that for sure NO ONE would want to team up with him at the risk of having everyone else against them, not without some guarantee that it was worth it!!

And unlike people like Todoroki and Kacchan, he hadn't shown his Quirk.

Izuku sighed disconsolately, it wasn't even worth trying to ask.
He could only wait for the teams to form and team up with the few who had found themselves excluded ...

“Ehy Deku, let’s team up!!”

... Then Uraraka appeared before him like a ray of hope from heaven.

“What-…?! R-REALLY?!” Izuku exclaimed, staring at the anti-gravity girl with his eyes full of tears of emotion “I mean, are you sure? Everyone will be after us and …”

“It’s all right, if we just keep evading we’ll definitily win” Uraraka replied with optimism “Beside, I'd rather team up with people I'm friends with!! I'm sure we'll work great together, just like we did during the simulated battle!!”
Izuku was so moved that he took her hands, squeezing them to himself "Uraraka Ochako, you are a blessing!! Thank you so much!!”

The girl blushed slightly, not expecting such a heartfelt reaction “O-Oh, what are you saying? I'm not doing anything special, really …” she smiled embarrassed “Let's do our best!!”

“YES!!”

Uraraka was right, the best thing would have been to team up with those who knew each other best so …
“… Oh, we should ask Iida if he wants to team up with us!!” Izuku suggested.

“I agree, let's go find him” the girl agreed.

“Midoriya”

“Uh?!” Izuku turned, blinking surprised when he saw Todoroki Shoto approach him “Todoroki-kun?”

“Oh Todoroki-kun!!” Uraraka exclaimed “What is it? Do you want to join our team?” Wow, that would be incredibly beneficial considering the power and versatility of his Quirk …

“I'm afraid not” Todoroki replied flatly “I just wanted to say something to Midoriya, I would have liked to do it first in the locker room but your … unexpected performance at the opening of the Festival prevented me from doing so”

… Ah, never mind.

“Oh I see, then what did you want to tell me, Todoroki-kun?” Izuku asked puzzled.

“Objectively, I think I’m above you in terms of practical strength”
For a moment, Izuku can only stare at him blankly, as if Todoroki just spoke to him in Russian or something “Oooookay, I guess ... you are?” he managed to say then, more and more perplexed “I mean I don’t know, we have never faced each other before but why are you …?”

“Still, you’ve managed to catch All Might’s eye, aren't you?” Todoroki says, looking at him with something frighteningly akin to suspicion.

Izuku almost choked on the air he’s breathing, and tried to disguise it clearing his throat “O-Oh, well that is …”

“I’m not going to pry” Todoroki interrupted him, his eyes never leaved Izuku’s as he finished what he means to say “But I just wanted to say: I’m going to beat you”

“E-Ehy, why all this hostility so suddenly?” Uraraka intervened in defense of Izuku “He didn't do anything to you!!”
“I didn't come here to play nice or make friends, Uraraka-san” Todoroki simply said “But I won't waste any more time” he politely bowed his head “We'll face each other soon anyway”

Having said this, he went away.

Throughout this Izuku had remained silent, trying to figure out what Todoroki's problem was with him.
Was it possible that he too was obsessed with the concept of "being the best at all costs?" like Kacchan? Seriously?! Okay, he didn't know him but he seemed to him a fairly pragmatic boy, a little cold, but gifted with common sense.

Maybe he was wrong, but wasn't the point of being a hero SAVING as many lives as possible?

Why was everyone obsessed with the rankings? With the desire to be above others?

It was as if they couldn't live with the knowledge that they were human.
As strong as a person could be, he would always find someone stronger than him!! It was the reason there was this "weird thing" called "TEAMWORK".

Even All Might had teamed up with other heroes on a number of occasions and he was the strongest of them all.

He had had two years to think about it, before he met Marcus and the others he had only ever been surrounded by people like that and it was so … so …

… So ANNOYING!!

“… It's a fixation that I noticed almost all of you Japanese people have” Aurora had commented once “Stuff like: How dare you come home with a slightly lower rating than excellence?! Go to your room to perform Seppuku, you have dishonored the family!!”
“Yeah, and then they wonder why Japan has one of the highest juvenile suicide rates” Mayu had admitted sadly “Maybe it's all these expectations that society throws on kids, I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my country but I consider myself lucky that my parents are not THAT traditionalists”

“Deku, are you all right?” Uraraka asked worriedly.

“Uh? Oh yeah, don't worry” the greenie replied “I'm fine, I'm just … a little confused, Uraraka-chan did I offend Todoroki-kun without realizing it?”

“I don't think so” the girl shook her head “It was just weird”

“Ok, just to be sure” Izuku decided to close the conversation, shrugging “let's go find Iida …”
Unfortunately for the two, however, it turned out that even their friend Iida apparently was infected with the VIRUS "I want to prove to be the best" and therefore he had decided to join Todoroki's Team, which also included Momo and Kaminari.

How exactly one could prove to be better (individually speaking) than someone else in a TEAM match was beyond Izuku's understanding but ok, he and Uraraka would fit in.

In fact a girl from the Support Course had given them some hope by coming forward, asking to join their team.

Hatsume Mei, a rather … enthusiastic girl, whose gadgets had enabled Izuku to come up with a new plan of action.

At that point their "horse" just lacked a little strength and the greenie already thought he had found the right person “TOKOYAMI-KUN!!” he exclaimed running in the direction of the bird-headed boy, who seemed surprised to be called.

“Oh, Midoriya-kun, may I help you?” Fumikage asked, eyeing the boy curiously.

“I really hope so, I’d like you to join my team!!”

-He came over to inquire about me specifically?- Fumikage wondered “I see, is there a particular reason you desire for me to accompany you into battle?”

“I already have two on my team and amongst us we have offense and mobility covered” Midoriya explained “What we need, and what I’d like to ask from you, is help with our DEFENSE”
“Defense, you say?” Fumikage replied, brow quirked in interest “And why do you believe I am the most suited for the task?”

“Dark Shadow …”

Hearing his name, the dark entity poked out its head from Fumikage's stomach.
His bright yellow eyes scanned Izuku curiously.

“What about him?” Fumikage asked.

“He has the power and skill to be used for both offense and defense" Izuku looked down and smiled, briefly addressing himself to Dark Shadow "Aren't you, Dark Shadow?"

The creature seemed to appreciate the fact that he was talking to him and nodded vigorously with his head, hinting at a smile. 

"I have not yet had many opportunities to observe it but I seemed to understand that, exactly like a real shadow, your partner becomes bigger in darkness and smaller in the light” Izuku continued looking back at Tokoyami “Since we’ll be fighting in daylight, I assume that Dark Shadow’s attack power would be lessened due to the amount of light.
But the point here is that I don't need to steal points, just protect the ones I already have and since Dark Shadow is SENTIENT he can react to defend us even without direct orders from you, so that's WHY I want you on my team, both of you …” Izuku concluded “… Does that answer your question?”

Fumikage smiled in turn nodding “Yeah, I'd say you convinced me"

"Great!!" then the greenie spoke directly to Dark Shadow again "Do you agree too, Dark Shadow? Can I count on you?"

“I like him, Fumi!!” Dark Shadow piped up, almost emerging from the other boy entirely "Even if his smile is too bright"

"My what is what?" Izuku blinked as Dark Shadow moved itself into his personal space of him, looking over their newly made ally of him.

“Eh, indeed” Fumikage agreed with a smirk seeing the classmate blush “His smile almost looks like to be the sun incarnate” and that only caused the other to blush further.

Dark Shadow flickered around the boy who, after a brief moment of hesitation,  reached out a hand.
The entity nested its head against it without problems.
-Wow, it's like touching velvet- Izuku thought fascinated despite the slight embarrassment while Fumikage actually stood there surprised to see his companion allowing a guy they didn't have much confidence with yet to pet him.
Perhaps it was because she had considered him like a real person and not just as a Quirk

“… Your fifteen minutes are up!!” Midnight announced as she stretched her arms “Time to get this party started!!”

“HEY, WAKE UP ERASER!!” the Voice Hero made itself heard, shaking his husband (who had taken advantage of the pause for the formation of the teams to take a nap) slightly by the shoulder.
“Uh, is it starting over already?” Aizawa muttered, opening only one eye.

“YEAH!! AFTER HAVING FIFTEEN MINUTES TO FORM THEIR TEAMS AND STRATEGIES, LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TWELVE TEAMS LINED UP AND READY TO GO HEAD-TO-HEAD!!”

“Hmm …” Aizawa sat back upright, carefully observing the layout of the teams on the scoreboard “Interesting, they’ve come up with some unexpected student combinations”

“PUT YOUR HANDS UP, LISTENERS, AND LET ME HEAR YOUR BATTLE CRY! IT’S TIME FOR UA’S BATTLE ROYALE!! HERE COMES ONE FINAL COUNT DOWN BEFORE THE GRAND MATCH!!” Present Mic shouted.

“Uraraka-chan?! Are you ready?!”

“Yeah!!”

“THREE!!” 

“Hatsume-san?!”

“Heh heh heh!! Of course I am Mr. First place!!”

“TWO!!”

“Good, Tokoyami-kun?! Dark Shadow?!”

“Yes”
"We wont let you down, Sun Boy"

“ONE …!!”

“Alright then, guys!! Let's protect this headband!! And even if we don't succeed …” Izuku smiled “… Let's make sure that the other teams have to go FAR BEYOND the Plus Ultra to get it!!”

"YEAH!!"

“BEGIN!!” Midnight shouted and instantly, the field came to life in a burst of activity.

....................................................

Chapter Text

Well, they were doing fine.

They had managed to avoid the attacks of both the team made up of students from class 1-B (whose rider was the same boy from 1-B who came to their class door howling something about the fact that "they were putting on airs" or something like that) and the team made of Hakagure, Jiro, Sato and Koda.
The Jetpack designed by Hatsume was a truly extraordinary object that perfectly matched Uraraka's Quirk, which, by intervening on gravity, made them lighter, not to mention the electromagnetic soles of the boots.

Not to mention Dark Shadow who watched over blind spots.

It remained only to understand how long Hatsume's … "babies" would be able to maintain this "up and down" rhythm.

“Ahahahaha you fools!! It will be US to take everything!!” suddenly a familiar voice shouted, especially to Uraraka who felt herself shiver before realizing that she couldn't lift her left foot off the ground.

“Wait a minute, isn't that Shoji? Why is he alone?!” Izuku wondered puzzled.
“Uuuh, guys I can't move!! I'm stuck!!” Uraraka squeaked.
“WHAT?!” the greenie looked down, noticing the purple sticky ball that was Mineta's signature, blocking his friend's foot “Mineta's sticky jelly ?! But where from …?!”

“Haven't you figured it out yet, Midoriya?!” the voice scoffed "From hereeeee!!"

What-...?! MINETA?!
He was on top of Shouji!! Kept safe by teammate's replicating arms.

“Deku LOOK OUT!!” Uraraka shouted.

The way Izuku suddenly arched his back like (not even the Matrix movies) to the point that his head reached the level of those of Hatsume and Uraraka, exactly in the middle, left his companions surprised, as well as allowed him to dodge Asui's prehensile tongue.
“Ah!! I taught him that, modestly …” Marcus commented proudly.
“Wow, the last time I saw him do a stunt like that was during that Paso doble you two tried a month ago” Yumiko added.
“Yep, a nice Paso doble, thinking about it we should do it again!!”

“Uuuuh, you’re really FLEXIBLE Mr. first place” Hatsume whistled with a malice smirk making him blush “Nice”

“O-Oh well you know, dance training …” Izuku muttered.

“Nice dodge Midoriya” Asui agreed, peering from the protective "shell" formed by Shouji's arms.

“… Uh g-guys, we need to take to the sky again!!” then Izuku proclaimed suddenly, bringing his attention to Todoroki's team after he had eyeing some spark of electricity starting to light up on Kaminari’s skin “’Cause I think Kaminari is preparing for a wide spread electrical attack!!”
“What makes you say that?” Uraraka asked, glancing up at him.
“He’s sparking like a Pikachù and I have the impression that Yaoyorozu-san is creating something especially for this” the hero dancer answered, not taking his eyes off the electric teen “Uraraka-chan we have to free ourselves, quickly”

“I'm trying, but this stuff won't give in!!”

“All right” Izuku hissed “Hatsume-san I'm sorry …” he said, glancing apologetically at the young inventor “But I fear that to free ourselves we would have to resort to HARD ways, hold on tight!!”
He activated the Jetpack to the maximum and they shot up into the air.

Just in time to avoid the conductive wave of electricity that spread out from the epicenter where was Team Todoroki.

But that came with a price …

“… MY BABY!!” Hatsume shouted looking in horror at the way the boot he had given to Uraraka broke, leaving only the sole stuck to the floor.

“I’m sorry!!” Izuku repeated again “I told you, we had no choice”
-So this was your plan, Todoroki-kun? A ground attack that will knock out most of the teams that's why you needed Kaminari and Yaoyorozu-san together …- he thought.
The surrounding attacking teams found themselves stunned, yelling and jittering in place unable to move while Todoroki threw the sheet away as Kaminari ended his attack.

Todoroki reached down to the grounding stick and used it to channel his ice to the arena floor.

The ice spread across the ground, frozing the other teams where they stood, incapacitating them further.

“WHAT’S THIS?! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! TODOROKI TOOK OUT ALL THOSE TEAMS IN ONE SHOCKING ATTACK!!” Present Mic screamed.

“Only after they were immobilized by Kaminari’s own attack” Aizawa specified “Todoroki most likely recalled how many competitors were able to dodge his ice at the start of the Obstacle Course so he adapted his strategy”

“AH NICE COMMENTARY THERE, ERASER!! BUT IT LOOKS LIKE TEAM TODOROKI WASN’T ABLE TO STOP EVERYONE!! TEAM MIDORIYA IS STILL IN PLAY AS THEY TOOK TO THE SKY MERE SECONDS BEFORE THE ASSUALT!!”

Now that they had gotten rid of much of the competition, Todoroki's team concentrated exclusively on tailing Midoriya's.

“Look out guys, we're about to land” Izuku warned.
Luckily Todoroki's team was still far away when they landed, which gave them time to get back into position.

Todoroki erected a massive wall of ice that isolated the two teams from the rest of the battlefield.

And with the jetpack now out of order, it was just them now.

“Midoriya” Todoroki hissed, narrowing his eyes “You’re mine now”

“Ooh, I'm yours, you say?” Izuku replied brazenly “Not even a dinner first? I thought you were a gentleman Todoroki-kun”

Total silence.

“Haha, good one!!” then Kaminari actually chuckled while Yaoyorozu-san put on an indignant expression.
Todoroki blinked, for a moment taken aback by the joke but when he started to open his mouth and reply, Iida beat him on time “Midoriya-kun!!” he replied for him, outraged “This is a serious challenge, there's no place for jokes!!”

“Aaawwh come on Iida, I'm just playing a little” Izuku retorted with a smile “And in war and love EVERYTHING is allowed anyway …” including trying to distract the opponents from their goal, make them lose concentration.

And if there was one thing Izuku had learned from the USJ attack …

“… So you like to be ON TOP, uh little Hero?”

“W-WHAT?!”

… It was that jokes with a base of malice were far more distracting than normal ones.

-Thanks for the tip, Villain of the hands-

***

Meanwhile Katsuki and his team weren't having a good time as their headband had just been stolen by a stupid 1-B extra.
As if he wasn't pissed enough already, especially with a certain green-haired nerd and his damn dancing boy-toy!! He had heard the way he and the other Balzani school extras were cheering for Deku, but most of all he had heard the way the extra had called Izuku.

... Zuzu ...

Suddenly it came to him, like a flashback almost a year ago, the sentences he had read in the nerd's chat.
So "Er gladiatore" and the extra Deku danced with were the same person.

It was with him that Deku had begun to spend all that time, he was this mysterious "friend" the nerd had babbled about that time.

“I’m no longer the Deku you equated with a worthless guppy!! Now I’m the “Deku” whose vibe is “Never giving up”!!”

It was because of HIM that Deku now had a backbone, it was because of him that Deku had stopped considering him …

HE was REAL, he was Deku’s friend, maybe even something more, and THIS PISSED HIM OFF even more than it had pissing him off to lose the obstacle course.

So it was from the start of the match that he'd been trying to reach Deku and rip his damn headband off his forehead until …

“You of the 1-A are sooooo naive” Monoma Neito grinned, waving the Bakugou’s headband that he had just stolen “Stealing candy from a child would have been more difficult”

… The damn 1-B extra didn't decide he wanted to DIE!!

“You’re the victim of the sludge Villain accident, right? Man, for being someone who survived Villain's attack TWICE you're not very smart, are you?” Monoma continued to provoke “I mean, anyone with a BRAIN would have aimed not for the first place but for a more measured excellence, and what was that embarrassing thing you said in your opening speech? That "You would have won the Festival"?!” he laughed mockingly “Well, good luck to do that with ZERO points!!”
“Monoma stop provoking him and let's go!!” another extra from Monoma's team made himself heard.

If he had said that because, somehow, he had sensed the heavy murderous aura that had begun to surround Katsuki, he wasn't sure but Monoma nodded, feeling satisfied.

“Kirishima, change of plans …” Katsuki growled in a low tone that made his teammates shiver “Deku can wait for a couple of minutes, first let’s send these goddamn shitstains to some early graves!!”

In all this, the game was now less than two minutes away …

Izuku's team had managed to avoid Todoroki's approaches by always keeping to the LEFT of the red-and-white-haired teenager so he couldn't use the ice against them, not without hitting Iida too in the process which put them in a stalemate.

“Let's keep it up guys, we're doing well” Izuku said, confident in his strategy.

-Damn, that's not good- Todoroki thought starting to feel frustrated while he was trying to work out a solution (And midoriya's stupid little jokes DIDN'T help) -There's less than two minutes left, we have to take that headband NOW-
The only logical thing to do would have been to use his left side but …

-… I will never do it!! The old bastard is watching me, I won't use his power to win, I won't!!-

What could he do? What?! WHAT?!
“… Guys” Iida murmured all of a sudden, attracting the attention of the others “We have little time left and I fear that after this I’ll be useless, so I’m counting on you …”

“Iida?” Todoroki began puzzled.

“Grasp tight and TAKE THAT HEADBAND TODOROKI!!” Iida shouted “RECIPROCATING BURST!!”

“What the …?!” Izuku barely had time to blink, just like everyone else.

“WHAAAAT?! WHAT HAPPENDED?!” Present Mic exclaimed “THAT WAS BLISTERINGLY FAST!! IIDA, IF YOU HAVE SUPER ACCELERATION THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU USE IT IN THE PRELIMINARIES?!”
-I'm asking myself the same question right now- Izuku thought stunned and then realized that …

… He no longer had the headband!!

“NOW TODOROKI HAS THE TEN MILLION AND TEAM MIDORIYA HAS CRASHED BACK DOWN TO 0 POINTS!!”

-Damn!!- Izuku thought, biting his lip.

From the stands reserved for professors, All Might was watching the clash between his successor and the young Todoroki with bated breath.

Up to that moment the strategy adopted by the young Midoriya had been good but the unexpected move of the young Iida had completely reversed the situation.
Toshinori clenched his fists on his knees, biting his lip.
By now it was just under a minute to the end of the challenge and unless the young Midoriya had not achieved a miracle he wouldn't have passed to the finals.

-I shouldn't have put all that pressure on him- the blond hero thought, worried -If now he doesn't manage to recover his points, he’ll surely feel guilty for having lost-

The fact that he had finished first in the obstacle course WITHOUT using the One for All was already a reason to be proud.

Of course, it was likely that he hadn't used it so as not to risk breaking his bones at the beginning of the race but that didn't change the fact that his creativity and intelligence had been more than enough, which only reconfirmed how wrong he had been about the greenie when they first met.
Damn, maybe the Quirks weren't really everything.

After all, when he said "no" to the boy's question he did so based on his own personal experience.

If his Sensei hadn't gifted him with the One for All, he would never have become the symbol of peace …
-… And if I were a better teacher by now you would know how to use One for All without breaking your bones- Toshinori continued to think, feeling guilty.

Sure, he hadn't had that kind of problem when he got the power but … did that really justify him? He was still his mentor for God Sake, that boy had risked his life to help him during the USJ attack and all he had done was put useless pressure on him for the Festival.

“I want you to make the world know that you have arrived!!”

Ah well, for sure his little dancing surprise performance had left a pleasant impression.
But the point was, young Midoriya was still young and unripe, he still had time to grow and improve so who cares if he doesn't win now?!
Toshinori was still the Number One hero!! He knew a lot of great heroes who could have taken the boy as an intern, shit, he knew GRAN TORINO and ...!!

 ... Wait.

Awareness struck him like a bolt from the blue.

-Of course, Gran Torino!! How did I not think about it before?! I'll have to remember to call him at the end of the Festival- Toshinori decided -He will be able to help you with the One for All better than I can, my boy, until then ... keep on doing your best!!-

***

They had to get the points back, but how?!
The seconds that still separated them from the end of the challenge in his head dilated for a time that seemed infinite as he reasoned about how to act.

He had no choice, he had to use the One for All even at the cost of sacrificing an arm.

Recovery Girl wouldn't have been happy but …

“Come on Deku!!” Uraraka exclaimed, attracting his attention “We have to take back your headband there's still a little time!!”

“Yeah” Izuku nodded clenching his fists “Hatsume-san, Tokoyami-kun, Dark Shadow I must ask you for a last effort, ready to advance?!”
“YES!!” the three answered in unison.

Then they threw themselves against Todoroki's Team.

“WHAT A THRILLING CONFRONTATION, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! IT LOOKS LIKE MIDORIYA’S TEAM IS GOING TO GIVE IT ALL TO THE LAST AVAILABLE SECOND!!” Present Mic declared.

-… Our headband should be the top one since it's the last one Todoroki took- Izuku thought -The problem is that he will try to defend them for sure …-
“TWENTY SECONDS!!”
-… Moreover, who tells me that the order of the bands hasn't been exchanged?!- that doubt took him suddenly -He arranged them upside down so that the numbers couldn't be seen!! If I take the WRONG ONE …-

“TEN SECONS!!”

“Midoriya we don't necessarily need the first place!!” Tokoyami suddenly stated sending Dark Shadow to cover Kaminari's side “You must act by seeing the big picture”

-The big picture- Izuku widened his eyes -Of course, Tokoyami you are a genius!! NOW I KNOW WHAT TO DO …!!-

“You can do it Deku!!” Uraraka screamed.

-… HERE WE GO, ONE FOR ALL!!-

-W-What …?!- Todoroki blinked awakening, albeit for a moment, the power of his left side unwittingly in response to Midoriya's attack.

For an instant he had felt it, the power of All Might, just like the USJ.

“TIMES UP!!” the voice Hero announced.

“YES, I TAKEN IT!!” Midoriya exulted, earning the perplexed glances from Todoroki, Iida, Yaoyorozu and Kaminari.
“Uh? But we still have the ten million headband” the black-haired girl noticed, puzzled.

Izuku snorted, waving his prize with a radiant smile “Oh I know, but that wasn't my goal try to take a look at the scoreboard …”
Among the four teams that had classified to move on to the finals, to everyone's surprise, was in fact the Midoriya Team with a score of 615 points.
The points of Todoroki’s headband, more than enough to go to the final phase.

“You wanted to prove to me that you are the best Todoroki-kun, Iida …” Izuku smiled “Well, this is yet to be seen”

***

“YEEEEES!! YOU'RE EXTRAORDINARY MY BOY!!”

“Uh, All Might?!” N. Thirteen asked, casting a worried glance at his colleague.
“O-Oh, uh … Toshinori felt his face burn with embarrassment “I m-mean … what extraordinary young KIDS we have this year, huh? Kids, plural …”

.........................................

Chapter Text

“We have passed to the FINALS!!” Izuku yelled over the moon with joy as he ran straight into Marcus's arms.
Uraraka and Tokoyami were quite surprised to see a boy like Izuku who, until then, had always given them the impression of being quite shy, running and practically JUMPING ON the boy with he had danced the tango at the opening of the Festival.

Marcus caught him on the fly and, holding him firmly by the waist, spinned him around.
“YEAAAH!! Congratulations Zuzu!!” he laughed, before putting him back on the ground “Sei stato fantastico Signor. Gatto*!!”

“Oh, tante grazie Signor. Volpe**!!” Izuku answered him in italian with one of the few words and phrases he had managed to learn from the Balzani siblings, laughing.

It was an incredibly sweet scene to watch.

Present Mic had announced that there would be the lunch break after which there would be draws for one-on-one fights followed by an interval of about an hour “I promised my friends from the Dance School that I would have lunch with them, would you like to come too?” the greenie had asked Uraraka, Tokoyami and … yeah, Hatsume too.

Too bad she had to decline the invitation because she wanted to concentrate on repairing the damaged boot.
“Ooh thank you Mr. First Place but I'm afraid I'll have to refuse this time" she had said "I have to heal my poor wounded baby!! Besides, if I hurry maybe I can even go to the laboratory to make some small changes before the finals” the young inventor had said.

“But won't you skip lunch like that?” Uraraka had asked.

Hatsume had snorted, waving a hand casually “Are you kidding? What is a skipped lunch compared to the FUTURE OF PROGRESS? The eyes of the representatives of the large multinational High-Tech companies will be on my babies, I can't miss this occasion!!”

“I see you brought your teammates with you, cool!!” Mayu commented, approaching the three “Hiiii!! Nice to meet you, I’m Kidzuky Mayu and all Izu-kun's friends are my friends too!!”

“My pleasure” Uraraka smiled “I am Uraraka Ochako!!”

“Tokoyami Fumikage” Tokoyami followed, bowing his head slightly.

“You're the guy with the Shadow Quirk” Dante said approaching, offering his hand to the other boy “Let me tell you something man, yours is the COOLEST Quirk I've ever seen”
“Oh, thank you” Tokoyami replied in amazement as he wasn’t use to receiving many compliments, returning the squeeze “Is that … is that the “Shadow and Bone” keychain?” he asked, noticing the aforementioned hooked to one of the loops of Dante’s jeans.
“Uh? Yeah, do you know the series?”
“I've read the books, a masterpiece of the fantasy genre”

“Excellent answer” Dante grinned “I think you and I would get along VERY well”

“So, are we going to eat?” Aurora asked “I'm starving, I feel that if I don't put something in my belly right now, I might even faint”

“Don't tell me, I feel like I have a hole in my stomach” Uraraka admitted.

“Everyone to the canteen zone!!” Mayu declared.

“Midoriya …”

“Uh? Todoriki-kun?” Izuku murmured, blinking when he saw the other boy approaching their group.
-Oh boy, again? What does he want from me this time?- He thought, looking at him curiously.

“Can I talk to you for a moment?” the boy with the two-tone hair asked.

“Uh, sure?” Izuku answered “What is it?”

“Privately” Todoroki specified, completely ignoring all the other guys who were now looking between him and Midoriya in perplexity, especially Marcus, who raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, oookay …?”

“Is everything okay, Zuzu?” the dancer intervened “He's not Kacchan, is he?"

"W-What?!" Izuku exclaimed "Of course not!! He's Todoroki Shoto and ..."

"... and he knows that if something should happen to you right now, there'll be several witnesses who would claim to have seen you go away with HIM, right?”
Marcus said it in a tone that was meant to sound playful, yet Izuku heard like there was something different in his voice.
Something that Todoroki had to had heard too, since he seemed almost offended by the insinuation “I just want to talk to Midoriya”

“And who's stopping you from doing that? I'm just setting the record straight, just in case …”

Okay, now the THREATENING tone was clear.

A kind of tone that Izuku had rarely heard from the older boy, like when he told him about the bullying at Aldera, along with a dull glow of the veins on his neck ...

... He looked so ... so protective and ... and ...

"Zuzuuu? Are you still with us?"

"Uh?!" Izuku blinked “O-Oh, It's all right Marcus, Todoroki-kun is not like that” he reassured him with a slight smile “It's a matter of a few minutes, meanwhile you guys go to occupy a table in the canteen before they are all taken”
“Sure” the brown-haired boy agreed “See you soon then”

“See you soon” Izuku smiled gently, before turning to Todoroki “Let's go Todoroki!!”

The other nodded silently, gesturing to follow him.

Marcus watched them go until they disappeared around a corner, with his hands buried in the pockets of his jeans.

“Ok, che cos’era quello? (Ok, what was that?)” his sister asked, drawing his attention as they set out for the dining area.
“Cos’era cosa? (what was what?)” the other replied.
“Sai benissimo di cosa sto parlando (You know exactly what I'm talking about)” the blond girl snorted “Di solito non sei così aggressivo con i tipi che non conosci, perciò, cosa succede? (Usually you’re not that aggressive with guys you don't know, so, what’s up?)”

Marcus rolled his eyes.

“E' solo che non mi piace l'idea che Zuzu vada in giro da solo con un tipo che sembra nascondere due ex fidanzate MORTE in cantina, tutto qui (I just don't like the idea of Zuzu hanging out alone with a guy who looks like he's hiding two DEAD ex girlfriends in the basement, that's all)”

“Sul serio? Non ti sembra di esagerare? (Seriously? Don't you think you're exaggerating?)” Aurora sighed “Stiamo parlando del figlio dell'eroe numero DUE in Giappone, in teoria (We’re talking about the son of the Number TWO Hero in Japan, in theory)”
“E allora? il fatto che sia il figlio di un eroe non lo rende necessariamente una brava persona (So what? The fact that he's the son of a hero doesn't necessarily make him a good person)”

“Certo che no, ma da qui a pensare che possa essere un Serial Killer o qualcosa del genere … (Of course not, but from here to think that he could be a Serial Killer or something …)”

“Non lo so, mi trasmette brutte vibrazioni, con quella sua aria da “Bello e dannato” (I don’t know, he gives me bad vibrations with that “handsome and cursed” air of his)”

“Vibrazioni? (Vibration?)” Aurora raised an eyebrow “Davvero Mark? Sicuro che, magari, non siano ALTRI i motivi per cui Todoroki Shoto ti sta improvvisamente antipatico? Tipo il fatto che abbia insistito per parlare con Izu-kun in privato, sai, da SOLI? (Really Mark? Are you sure that, maybe, there aren't OTHER reasons why you suddenly dislike Todoroki Shoto? Like the fact that he insisted on talking to Izu-kun in private, you know, ALONE?)”
Marcus blinked, taking a few seconds to figure out what his half-sister meant.

After that he felt his cheeks grow warmer.

“Aspetta, CHE??!! (Wait, what?!!)” he exclaimed waving a hand “Che cosa vorresti insinuare? (What are you trying to insinuate?)”

“Oh non saprei, tu cosa pensi che stia insinuando? (Oh I don't know, what do you think I'm insinuating?)”

“Senti, io e Zuzu siamo solo amici!! (Look, me and Zuzu are just friends!!)” Marcus protested “E come suo amico è solo normale che mi preoccupi per la sua sicurezza se un tizio che dovrebbe essere uno dei suoi rivali nelle sfide finali del Festival vuole portarlo da qualche parte lontano da tutti per dirgli qualcosa "in privato" (And as his friend it’s only normal for me to worry about his safety if a guy who suppose be one of his rivals in the final stages of the Festival wants to take him somewhere away from everyone to tell him something "in private")” he mimicked the quotes with his hands to give emphasis “Anzi, sai cosa? Tempo dieci minuti poi vado a cercarli!! (Actually, you know what? Time ten minutes then I'll go look for them)”

“E naturalmente tutto questo lo dici solo in veste di amico preoccupato (And of course you only say all this AS a worried friend)”

“Assolutamente!! In veste di amico preoccupato … (Absolutely!! As a worried friend …)”

“Un amico un pò TROPPO preoccupato da quel che vedo (A LITTLE BIT TOO worried friend from what I see)”

“Un amico preoccupato QUANTO BASTA (A friend worried JUST ENOUGH)” Marcus snapped, walking faster to get away from his sister “Zuzu ha avuto già abbastanza problemi con i bulli, ok? Non voglio che anche in questa scuola abbia gli stessi problemi, non lo merita …!! (Zuzu had enough problems with bullies already, ok? I don't want him to have the same problems in this school too, he doesn't deserve it …!!)”

-Sure, and I'm the Queen of Spain- Aurora thought shaking her head but deciding to close the subject anyway …

… For now.

***

“… Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?” Todoroki had leaded him to an empty exit hall and then he standed against the wall opposite of him “They started becoming a problem during the second or third generation after quirks appeared.
Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened version of their own quirk.
Those earlier generations were lacking in ethics however with his wealth and fame, my father managed to convince my mother’s family to agree to the marriage.

All to get his hands on her quirk …”

Izuku couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Quirk marriages? Yeah, he’s had heard about them but it wasn't an issue that usually sees the spotlight especially with a major hero of the likes of Endeavor.

“… He raised me for the sole purpose of making me a hero who could succeed where he has always failed, to overcome All might, just to fulfill his own ambitions!! And I HATE IT!!” he holded the left side of his face “Being no more than a tool for that human garbage"

He paused briefly, as if he needed to regain his energy to continue

"In all my memories, my mother cries … she …” he hesitated just a moment “She threw scalding water in my face, saying she couldn't bear to see my left side …”

A violent chill racked through Izuku’s body and striked him at his core.
-Oh my God, I'm so sorry …- he thought in horror.

“In short, not using my left side on you was my revenge against him" Todoroki concluded "Never using my father’s rotten quirk and rising to the top without it, I’ll have denied him everything” 

-... Wait, what?- 

That ... That wasn't exactly what Izuku expected when the boy asked him to talk to him.

How could he possibily respond to all of this? They had lived two completely different lifes.

They both aimed to be heros, but Todoriki-kun’s reasons …

-...He is really willing to suppress a part of himself just because he thinks it connects him to his father?- he thought, clenching his fists.
It wasn't that he questioned his story or his suffering, Hell no, it was awful just to think about it!! But before knowing All Might Izuku would have given anything to be born with a powerful Quirk like that of Kacchan or Todoroki-kun, not because he cared about having a Quirk (ok, a little bit for that too but it was secondary) but because in the society where they lived having a Quirk was the only way to become a hero!! The only way to save people.

Todoroki-kun didn't just have one Quirk, it was like he had TWO different Quirks available, both equally powerful.

Nonetheless, he was determined to use only one to just to spite his father.

It just DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!!

When it comes to people's lives, a hero worthy of the name just can't avoid giving all himself for the cause …

If Todoroki-kun wanted to take his revenge on his father, it would make far more sense to NOT become a hero at all and focus on something else!! Otherwise what's the point of studying at the U.A? At the Hero Course?!
Just because Todoroki-kun is already powerful enough just using hid ice doesn't mean that it will be enough in the future.

What will happen then when he'll face a situation where his ice is not enough? With people in REAL danger?!

What will he do then?!
Is he going to let people die because he doesn't want to use ALL of his strength?!

Not having received any verbal response from him yet, Todoroki started to walk away.

“This … this is really insulting of you, you know that?” Izuku hissed.

The other boy stopped, looking back to him “What?”
“You were born with an extraordinary quirk that most people can only envy, damn, I envy you myself!!" the greenie began to speak "Yet, you have the nerve to bring me here and tell me you're not going to use it in all his power because of your problems with your father?!"

Todoroki blinked, amazed by the other boy's sudden outburst and started to reply but Izuku didn't give him time.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm sorry for what you've been through, I really am" Izuku went on, approaching him "What your father did is … is just disgusting, there are no other words to describe it, however this doesn't justify your arrogance in thinking that this justifies you from not giving your best in what you do!! Especially in the Hero work!! We students of the Hero Course are destined for a job that will put the lives of people in our hands!!”
He looked him straight in his eyes.
“Until now I thought that you didn't use your fire simply because you weren't able to do it properly yet, not because you refused to do it on principle!! What will you do then if one day your ice is not enough? What will you tell people? "Oh sorry, I CAN'T SAVE you because I refuse to use all my power for personal reasons that don't concern you?" are you kidding me??!! This is not a fight of who has the best motivation to win, it's a fight of people who’s doing his best to reach their dream!!”

"You don't know me!!" Todoroki growled, narrowing his eyes dangerously "I CAN become a hero WITHOUT relying on the Quirk of that nobody of my father!! I can reach the top, I can defeat you ...!!" 

"No, you can't!!" Izuku interrupted him fervently  “At least NOT like this, so let me return your "declaration of war" with this: If you really have no intention to put ALL yourself into our challenge, then I assure you that you’ll lose ‘cause I will NEVER let you win!!”

.............................................

Chapter Text

As promised Izuku returned to the others about ten minutes later his little chat with Todoroki and spent lunch with them.
Luckily Marcus seemed calmer than he was when he left him (thanks to Aurora probably) although that didn't stop him from asking "what the hell did the ice guy wanted from him", question which Izuku dismissed quite easily.

“Oh, just wish me luck in the final matches, you know, the classic "May the best win" and stuff …”

After lunch Midnight presented the final event, the tournament.

Their matchups would have been decided by drawing lots.
Only the students that had formed the four winning cavalry teams were taken in consideration for that.

Unexpectedly, Ojirou raised his hand to drop out of the final event.
He claimed he couldn’t remember anything from the cavalry battle, most likely due to one of his teammates’ quirks, so he didn’t think he deserved to participate if he hasn’t done anything on his own accord to win.
Another kid from Ojirou’s team, Shoda Nirengeki from 1 B, asked to drop out for the same reason.

Midnight agreed and they were replaced by two members of the 1 B class, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki Ibara.

Studying the tournament brackets, Izuku found his first opponent.

“Shinsou Hitoshi, I wonder who …”

“You are my opponent for the first match, Midoriya Izuku right?” a voice suddenly said in a tone even flatter than Todoroki’s “The guy who performed with the students of that dance school, nice tango by the way …”
Following the cold shiver that ran down his back, Izuku spun around to find a boy with familiar lavender hair in front of him.

-Wait, isn't he ...?- Izuku realized looking at him.

He was the same boy who showed up in his courtroom to "declare war on them".

"… Based on the result of the sport Festival, people can be even come under review to be transferred to heroics"

-… Do he want to become a hero too?- candidly, Izuku started to answer him but something stopped him.

Ojiro’s tail had covered his mouth “Don’t answer him, Midoriya!!”

“UMMPH?!” Izuku blinked, casting a surprised look at his classmate as Shinsou just smiled and shook his head.

“Oh well, I guess we'll see you in an hour” he said, before walking away.

Before Izuku could ask the classmete what he meant by that, Ojiro dragged him off to one of the side rooms, saying he wanted to talk with him.
Why the hell did everyone want to talk to him privately lately?

Oh well, if nothing else Ojiro didn't look as hostile as Todoroki was and … Oh!! About that …

“… It was very honest of you” Izuku took the opportunity to tell him.

Ojiro blinked “Huh?”

“I mean, bowing out of the competition like that” the greenie specified “Instead of just, you know, just take advantage of the opportunity”

“Oh, yeah I … I thought about it, but …” Ojiro looked away, sheepish “It just … didn’t feel right, the whole point of the second round was to see who was good enough to advance” he continued “If I can’t even remember what I did to pass, how can I say that I deserved a place in the finals for my own merits?”
“I understand” Izuku smiled “Well, sort of, I don’t understand how it's possible you don’t remember …”
“That’s exactly why I wanted to talk to you” Ojiro interrupted him “It was THAT GUY from Gen Ed. Shinsou” his face turned grim “He … I think he has some kind of mind control quirk”

“Mind control?!” Izuku repeated as her green eyes lit up with interest “Really?”

“Yeah, that’s why I stopped you from talking to him” Ojiro went on “Like I said, I don’t remember anything from the Cavalry Battle, the last thing I remember was Shinsou talking to me, I who answer him and … and that’s where my memories stop” he said “I’m not sure but this could be how his Quirk works: If you answer something he says, he can take control of you …”

“Wow!! THAT'S SO COOL!!” Izuku exclaimed excitedly “A mind control Quirk based on verbal response, it could be very useful in hero work!!”

That … that wasn't exactly the reaction Ojiro expected from Izuku.

“Uh, shouldn’t you be worried about bumping into a guy like that?” he asked, surprised.
Izuku gave a snort, waving a hand carelessly “Tsk, When you spend the whole period of elementary and middle school with a time bomb like Kacchan, nothing scares you anymore …”

“Kacc-Who?” the boy with the tail echoed, perplexed, since he was still among the students of the 1 A who didn’t know that by "Kacchan" Izuku meant Bakugou.

“… And then, if his Quirk is really activated by verbal response, I'll just keep my mouth shut and that's it!!”

“But we're not 100% sure his Quirk works like this, I might as well be wrong”

“So what? The worst that can happen is that he orders me to go outside the bounds of the field and he would win, easy and painless, It’s not like he can ask me to KILL myself or something (also because he would be arrested) …”

Ojiro paled at such a hypothesis “How can you think of such a thing so lightly? Doesn't the very idea frighten you?” he asked bewildered.

“Well no, I mean, yeah the idea itself is horrible, but the fact that Shinsou is able to do it doesn't necessarily mean that he WOULD, there is a difference” Izuku explained “Plus it looks like he wants to get into the Heroes Course, doesn't he? I have no reason to think that he will hurt me, no more than necessary to win at least and this applies to all the participants in the Festival”

Well, putting it like this Midoriya wasn't all wrong.

“This is … an incredibly optimistic thinking” the other boy commented.

“Oh yeah, I guess it sounds a bit weird” Izuku gave an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck “It’s just that I really like analyzing Quirks, you know? It's kind of a hobby of mine so I just prefer to look at the positive aspects rather than the negative ones and if what you say is true Shinsou's power is really unique!! If used well, it could help a lot of people!!”
Although still a little perplexed, Ojiro found himself smiling in front of so much enthusiasm.
“Uh, okay, that's a way to see it I guess, but that’s not all” he said “During the battle, one of the kids on another team bumped me pretty hard, enough to hurt, it was just a moment, but I remember it so … I guess that’s a way to break free from his control” he sitted back “That’s all I know, I hope it helps”

“Oh, it does!! It really does” Izuku smiled “Thank you Ojiro-kun, no one was forcing you to tell me anything, so I really appreciate that”

“Don't mention it, if we don't help each other among classmates who will?” Ojiro snorted “If you can, try to win this match for me too, okay?”

“I’ll do my best!!”

***

There was still an hour left for the tournament and, after talking to Ojiro, Izuku had decided to spend it relaxing with his friends just to ease the tension.
“Hey Izu-kun!! Guess what we have here?” Mayu declared with a sly smile.

“Is that one of the stereos we keep in class?!” Izuku squeaked.

“Yeeeep, what better way to spend recreational activities in anticipation of the tournament than DANCING?” Marcus chuckled.

“I don't see Kiyotaka-kun though, where is he?” Izuku asked curiously.
“He said he could stay until lunch but then he had to go home” Yumiko informed sounding a little sad “In fact, it's already a lot that he agreed to come to perform”

“Oh, I'm sorry” the greenie muttered “Didn't he tell you why he had to leave early, Yumi-chan?”

Of all of them, Yumiko was the one Kiyotaka-kun seemed to feel most comfortable with.
Since he had rescued him in that alley, the boy had begun to attend the academy more often, he had even agreed to go out with them every now and then, especially when the girl with the snake hair was also present.

“He remained vague" Yumiko sighed “But I think it's because of his stepfather, I don't know what kind of relationships there are between them exactly but …”

The snakes on her head started hissing and hissing harder, shaking in a threatening way

“… They are certainly not good, I wish I could help him somehow”

“Well, as long as he doesn't tell us anything (which is also his right anyway), there's very little we can do” Aurora commented.

“For now, just think about having fun Yumi” Mayu consoled her “Thanks to you Kiyotaka-kun has started to open up a bit, I'm sure that if he has any problems sooner or later he will tell you about it”

“I guess so …”

“Then let's get started!!” Marcus announced “We have a full hour to spend” he said before bending over to whisper something into Izuku's ear.

At first Izuku widened his eyes in surprise, his cheeks slightly pink, but then smiled “… Yeah!! It's almost a year since we haven't done it”

Marcus grinned and went to put the music on.

“Let's do it!!”

The notes of Justin Timberlake's "Sexyback" began to fill the air as Izuku and Marcus took up positions facing each other.

 *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ0_6J6fLUA&list=LL&index=13 the quality of the video is not very good I'm afraid but boy, it's a very cool Cha Cha danced by two men!!*

Oh boy, he remembered the first time they danced on that music, he was so embarrassed but Marcus had insisted that he if he tried some moves a little more, how to say? "Risqué", to be performed alone, would have given a big boost to his self-esteem.

Which is actually exactly what happened!!
If he had to make a comparison with how he felt two years ago, Izuku felt much more comfortable with himself and with his body.

He no longer felt like an evolutionary failure.

He was just himself.

I'm bringing sexy back.

  Them other boys don't know how to act.

I think you're special, what's behind your back?
So turn around and I'll pick up the slack

  Take 'em to the bridge

Moving away from Marcus, Izuku pulled off his tracksuit jacket, sliding it slowly down his arms in a sexy way that earned him a couple of appreciative whistles from his friends.

“Woow, nice move Izuuuu!!” Mayu trilled with delight.

Dirty babe …
You see these shackles, baby, I'm your slave.

  I'll let you whip me if I misbehave.

  It's just that no one makes me feel this way …

  Take 'em to the chorus

“My, you're doing this even better than before” Marcus commented in a low tone, walking around him before offering him a hand.

“I had time to improve” Izuku grinned, grabbing it.

They performed the steps of "Cha Cha Cha" in a perfectly fluid and clean way.

Come here girl!!
Go ahead, be gone with it.
Come to the back!!
Go ahead, be gone with it.
V.I.P!!
Go ahead, be gone with it.

Drinks on me!!

Go ahead, be gone with it.

They were so engrossed that they ignored the fact that, slowly, a small audience of students of the U.A had begun to come closer to watch.
Included some of Izuku's classmates, like Yaoyorozu Momo, Kyoka Jiro, Ashido Mina and Kaminari Denki.

The latter painfully dragged by the ear by Jirou for some reason and …

… Wait, why were the girls wearing cheerleading uniforms?

Let me see what you're working with,
Go ahead, be gone with it.
Look at those hips!!

Go ahead, be gone with it.

You make me smile,
Go ahead, be gone with it.
Go ahead child!!

Go ahead, be gone with it.

And get your sexy on …

“Damn Midoriya, you are so cool!!” Mina commented with bright eyes as the music ended “I can't believe you dance!! And that tango you did at the opening of the Festival, you left us speechless!!" then she smiled at Marcus "And you too, you were fantastic, Balzani-san”

“Why thank you pink girl!! It's nice to see you again” Marcus greeted.

“Again?” Izuku said curious.
“Yeah, we passed them in the mess hall while you were talking to the ice guy”

“Oh cool, and thanks Mina-chan” the greenie smiled, flattered “But, uh, where did those uniforms come from?”

“Eh, ask the electric idiot here” Jirou hissed, tugging the boy in front of her.

“Uuuh come on Jirouuu, it was just a joke!! Ouch!!” Kaminari whined “I apologized!!”
“You just have to be thankful that I didn't put you in the garbage can like I did with Mineta!!”
“You were too strict in fact, OUCH!! STOP THAT!!”
“Shut up!!”

“Wow dude, what have you done to piss off such sweet ladies so much?” Marcus asked amused.
“He and Mineta tricked us into wearing these uniforms” Mina, who although looking annoyed didn’t seem angry at the same level as Jirou, snorted “They even had the nerve to say that it was Professor Aizawa's idea and even if there were no uniforms Momo could always create them using his Quirk”

“What? Kaminari!!” Izuku exclaimed interdicted, putting his hands on his hips “I would have expected such a thing from Mineta but from you …”
“I knoooow, it was Mineta's idea in fact but I only saw it as a joke so I helped him, ouch!!”

“It wasn't nice of you anyway” Izuku said.

“I said I'm sorry!!”

“Yeah, and keep repeating it another eighty times” Jirou growled “Right, Yaoyorozu …? Uh, Yaoyorozu?”

The girl with the long black hair had not participated in the conversation, actually, she wasn't even listening to them concentrated as she was to observe how Dante moved within that small circle formed by the other people who had approached to assist.

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmx0a2jh-ng&t=169s This is the choreography danced by Dante, at first alone and then joined by Mayu, on the notes of "Smooth Criminal"*

It was so fascinating, the fluid and confident way the boy moved, the muscles of his shoulders highlighted by the Harry Potter themed tank top he was wearing, the slim line of the waist, the thighs …
Yaoyorozu didn't know why but it was as if she just couldn't take her eyes off him.

“Yaoyorozu!!”

“U-Uh?! What …? What is it, Jirou?” the raven blinked at her classmate, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

“Are you okay? You were kind of dazed” the classmate commented.

“O-Oh, was I?”

“Wait a minute, but isn't that the guy who grabbed you when you almost slipped into the cafeteria?" Jirou said, noting Dante.

Oh yeah, chatting with Mina and Jiro, she hadn't seen that stain of fruit juice spilled on the ground.

The second later she was about to fall to the floor with the lunch tray if her arm hadn't suddenly grabbed her around her waist.
Yaoyorozu blinked in amazement while one of the boys from the Dance School who just catched her used his other arm to retrieve her tray on the fly using it as a base to take even the plate and the fruit juice can before they could fall on the ground*.

 "… Ehy, are you ok?”
“Oh my …!! Y-Yes, thank you …”

“… Ehy, it’s you” not even doing it on purpose, Dante seemed to have finished dancing at that moment and he had left the dance floor for a moment to catch his breath “If you came here to dance with us you will need more comfortable clothes” Why cheerleaders? Are there any important American guests or something?”

His red eyes landed right on her with such intensity that she felt her cheeks burn.

“W-What?!” she squeaked “No, it's not … I mean, I never would have worn this kind of … it happened …”

It was as if she had jammed and it had NEVER happened, NOT to her.

“The cheerleading thing is the result of a misunderstanding” Izuku came to her aid “Two of our companions tricked them to have a laugh, right Kaminari?”

“I’M SORRY!!”

“Seriously?” Dante raised an eyebrow “Oh well, if it can console you if you look good dressed like this then you can be sure that you’ll look good with everything”
“Aaawwh, thanks for the support then Mr. …?” Mina chuckledwaving a pon pon.

“Dante, Hamato Dante” he replied with a polite nod “I’m one of Izuku-kun friends”

Dante.

“I … I have to go now!!” Yaoyorozu stammered “The tournament will start soon and … and I have to prepare” after that sentence she seemed to have regained control of herself “It was a pleasure to meet you Hamato-san and thanks again for, you know, for saving my lunch in the canteen”
-And myself from falling- she added mentally.

Dante shrugged, a slight smile bent the corners of his lips upwards “Oh it was nothing, good luck for the tournament”

“Thank you and, uh, goodbye” Yaoyorozu greeted, leaving quickly -What the hell is wrong with me? What a figure ...-

“Ok, that was weird” Jirou commented.
“Do you mind if I join you to dance with you too?” Mina asked “I don't practice ballroom dancing but in Break and Hip hop I'm pretty good, and you Jirou?”

“I'd rather just watch if you don't mind” Jirou pulled out herself.

“Can I try too?! I'm not very good but I wouldn't mind trying” Kaminari added.

“Sure!! Anyone who wants to dance is welcome here!!” Marcus nodded.

“SWEET!!” Mina rejoiced.

…………………………………………

Chapter Text

Okay, he had to admit it.
Answering a dude whose Quirk can take control of your body exactly by verbal response was an incredibly stupid move on his part.

Ojiro had also warned him but he had been stronger than him …

“… Did you hear what the brain-dead monkey said earlier?” Shinsou asked, loudly enough to be heard across the ring “He talked big about pride, but it was pretty stupid of him throw out his chances like that, don't you think?”

“Hey!! How dare you-…?!”

Aaand the sudden inability to move a muscle made him realize he had just made a glaring mistake.

The type of mistake for which professor. Aizawa would have strangled him with his scarf and he would also have been right to do so!! But the fact is that he really couldn't keep quiet or still if it was a question of defending someone, physically or verbally -I really need to work on the emotion factor- he thought.

“Turn around” Shinsou ordered, and the command reverberates in his head like an echo bouncing off the inside of his skull “Turn around and walk out of bounds”

Obediently, his legs respond.

His body turns itself around and starts carrying him, step by step, toward the boundaries of the ring -Nice going Midoriya, you had one job!! ONE JOB!! Don’t talk, Why can't I ever shut up when needed?-

Oh well, that's how it went, it will be for the next Festival.

Shinsou was smarter, he deserved the victory and in any case better to lose with him than with Kacchan at least he would not have suffered burns and …

 “… Aawh, such a shame”

  “Yeah, he was doing pretty well”

  “He’s too kind, that’s the trouble”

  “Don't be so strict!! He's still a teenager …”

Waaaaait a minute, those were NOT his thoughts!! Nor his own voice speaking in his head!!
If he had had the control of his eyelids would have blinked.

 “That’s right!! He’s young, he’ll learn from this”

  “Better to make this mistake here, instead of a real battle”

They were faint voices different from each other, like distant echoes, yet there was ONE he could hear louder than the others.

“Better here than against my brother”

Brother? Which brother?! What were they talking about?! WHO WAS SPEAKING IN HIS HEAD?! Was it a side effect of Shinsou's Quirk? What? Did it have auditory hallucinations?!

 “Is there really nothing we can do for him?”

  “Actually there would be something …”

Again, the last voice to speak was the one he heard best of all.

A vision bloomed before his eyes as he walked helplessly forward.
They … were they GHOSTS?! Even if they seamed too hazy for being ghosts, and too colored, more like a mirage on the horizon, a heat shimmer mixed with smoke and shadow.
In another occasion Izuku would react, he would cry out out of panic, but it wasn't him in control at the moment.

Dark, indefinite shapes glared at him … eight figures, maybe nine? Two of them look almost familiar …

 “It will be painful though …”

  “I would say the boy has endured worse”

A snap of the fingers, sudden, unwanted and completely unexpected from both sides.
“AH!!” Izuku is surprised by the sound of the same voice and by the fact that he could move freely again as he brings his injured hand to his face.
He had two broken fingers -What the hell …?!- He thought amazed.

The greenie turned in the direction of his opponent who looked as confused as he was, then he looked, for a moment, back to the "ghosts" but they had completely disappeared.

“How the hell did you do it?!” Shinsou roared “How did you free yourself?!”

-Hell no, I've been stupid before but this time you won't hear a single word from me- Izuku thought, regaining control of his thoughts.
Even the voices were gone.

-Okay, I have no idea what happened, but hey!! I'm back in the game-

However a chat with All Might on the subject later was a MUST.

“Oh, now you don't answer anymore huh?” Shinsou hissed “Now you’re quiet as a mouse, well, guess what?! It does not change anything, I’m taking this one!!”

“OOOH, LOOKS LIKE SHINSOU’S RUN INTO A BIT OF TROUBLE!!” Present Mic commented “HIS QUIRK, BRAINWASHING, SEEMS TO REQUIRE AN ACTIVATION CUE FROM HIS OPPONENT!! MIDORIYA MUST HAVE FIGURED IT OUT ALREADY, TALK ABOUT A BRAIN BATTLE!!”

Shinsou was a bit stronger than he looked (physically speaking) but it was clear that he didn’t have the same experience in hand-to-hand combat as Izuku.

He ripped his hand from Shinsou’s grip (cleverly he pointed to the injured hand), scraping it against the concrete, and punched him in the cheek.
Shinsou reeled while Izuku tried to push the other teen off.

“IT SEEMS OUR MIDORIYA LET HIMSELF BE GUIDED IN THE DANCE BUT CERTAINLY NOT IN BATTLE!! HE TOOK THE LEAD IN THIS FIGHT, A CLASSIC HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT (just the way you like it Shouta) NO FANCY QUIRKS SO FAR!! BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO GET THE WINNING TITLE?!”

“I’ll never tired of repeating that Quirks are not everything and that a Hero must be ready to act even without it” Aizawa commented.

Shinsou rubbed the side of his face as he dodged.
“Must be nice for somebody like you” he said “I don’t know how you menage to break free but … with a quirk like that, so flashy, you must’ve been born with the word ‘hero’ stamped across your ass, aren’t you?”

Izuku bited his lip –Oh, if only you knew …- he thought.

“And there’s all of you in heroics, running around like idiots ‘cause you’ve got it made, guys like you, who even allow yourself the luxury of having a HOBBY while the rest of us have to beg just to get noticed” Shinsou’s shadowed eyes narrowed “Nobody’s ever gonna look at your quirk and say you’re villain material!! Do you even know what that’s like? Having your one dream thrown in your face just because you were born with the WRONG kind of power?!”

-Oh, you've had an experience similar to Yumiko's, haven't you?- Izuku realized -I'm sorry, really, but I'm not going to let you win without a fight, it would be an insult not only to myself but also to you-

“SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!!” Shinsou snapped, landing a nasty punch.

Izuku felt blood dripping down his nose.
He holded onto Shinsou’s shoulder and pushed against his chest with his other arm.

The other boy catches onto the plan fast.

“What? Trying to push me out? Not gonna happen!!” the boy with purple hair stumbled out of Izuku’s hold and clumsily shoved at his face, not concerned about the blood he got on his hand.

However Izuku grabbed his arm and suplexed him over his shoulder.
He landed hard and Midnight called the match since Shinsou’s foot had gone just out of bounds.

“Midoriya Izuku, you advance to the next round!!” she declared.

Izuku won.

“ALL RIGHT PEOPLE!!” Present Mic shouted “CLAP YOUR HANDS AND GIVE THESE TWO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!! YOU FOUGHT WELL BOYS!!”

“Shinsou-kun …” Izuku started before the other could leave “Why do you want to be a hero?”

Shinsou didn’t even turn to look at him.
“We don’t get to choose the things we naturally admire, right?” he sighed “I guess I'll have to try even harder …”

He started to leave but Izuku's voice stopped him again.

“Look I won’t say we’re the same, we’re not, but trust me when I tell you that it wasn't easy for me to get to where I am now” the greenie clenched his fists “Maybe you failed this time but that’s doesn’t mean you have to give up!! You can still make sure everyone knows you can be a hero too, you just have to keep in mind the reasons why you do it and if they really are the right ones!! It's not your power who decides who you are ...”
Shinsou turned to him, appearing surprised by his speech and Izuku smiled.
“… And it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so” he added, nodding towards the stands above Shinsou.

In fact the students from General Studies were calling down to him.
To Shinsou’s surprise, they were cheering him on while some of the Pro Heros spectating muttered amongst themselves, impressed “This is … unexpected” he said.

“This means you have to keep working hard!!” Izuku replied “I'll wait for you at the hero course, Mr. Puppeteer”

“Puppeteer? For real?” Shinsou shook his head, half perplexed and amused.
Although he knew how his Quirk worked, he wasn't having the slightest problem talking to him -… What a strange guy you are, Midoriya Izuku-

“Hey, it's just an idea!!” Izuku chuckled raising his palms open in surrender “Let's keep in touch, will you?”

“Eh, maybe …”

And so the first round ended.

***

“All Might has it ever happened to you, by chance, that One for All gave you visual hallucinations?” Young Midoriya's question caught him completely unprepared.

“Hallucinations?!” Toshinori blinked, stunned.

Yet it didn't seem like the boy was making fun of him, quite the contrary.
“I don't know how else to define the eight (maybe nine) ghost silhouettes I saw while I was under Shinsou-kun's control” he insisted “I don't think it was a side effect of his brainwashing Quirk, one of the silhouettes then kinda reminded me of … you”

“ME?!” the sudden bloody cough startled both of them.

“I-It's just that he had a similar haircut, and it was all golden …” Izuku defended himself worriedly “For a moment I even thought I … I heard voices, they seemed to want to help me and suddenly "SNAP"!! I was free!!”

-Ooookay, this sounds kinda scary- Toshinori thought, honestly.

“So, I was thinking: Could that have been the will of the people who wove this power BEFORE me?!” Izuku asked.
“That’s a really good question my boy, I … I'm not sure” Toshinori admitted, sagging his shoulders “I've never had such a clear vision as you describe it, even if …”

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if he were collecting his ideas.

“There is an episode that Gran Torino (A very good hero and instructor who I intend to introduce to you asap) told me once, about my Sensei, the seventh owner of the One for All”
“Really? What episode?!”
“He told me about a confidence that my Sensei had told him once, about a strange dream she had had” The number One Hero revealed “She had heard voices too, so you may be right, perhaps, the previous owners of the One for All have left some trace of their essence within it but we can only speculate at the moment …”

-I really need to do some research, can't leave young midoriya to grope alone in the dark- the blond thought.

“That's it, the fingers are all right again” Recovery girl commented, finishing bandaging them.
She had done her work in silence, letting the two talk calmly.

“You've been good so far, dear” she congratulated “Only two broken fingers, considering your story so far I expected worse”

“Yes, I tried to limit the damage as much as possible” the greenie nodded “I know, I can't always count on you to patch me up”
“I'm glad you keep that in mind” replied the elderly lady “As for you …” she continued, glaring at Toshinori “Don't you dare unload more unnecessary pressure on this poor boy, clear?! Or you’ll answer it me!!”

“O-Of course, ma'am!!” the blond promptly declared and it was almost comical the way he straightened his back like he was a soldier.

Outside the infirmary, after greeting the young Midoriya, Toshinori was about to leave to reach the stands reserved for the professors again.

“Wait, All Might!!” the boy called before he could walk away.

“Yes, my boy?”

“I …” he hesitated for a moment “You didn't say anything about the fact that I, uh, DANCED at the opening of the Festival, in front of everyone or … about the fact that I attend another school besides the UA”
“Oh well, I admit it was a surprise” Toshinori smiled “You can see that you are passionate, I'm not an expert but it was a really nice tango”

“And you … you're not upset?”

Toshinor blinked “Why should I be?”

“I mean, I know training to be a hero is serious business, especially for me 'cause I'm your successor, but I … I just wanted to reassure you that it won't be a distraction!! I SWEAR!! I-It's just ... dancing is really important to me, It's not simply a minor hobby, I don't want to give it up!!" Izuku raised his head, looking more confident as he spoke "I talked to my teach (and currently dance partner) about it and we organized ourselves so that my dance lessons didn’t overlap with the Hero’s workouts and …!!”

“My boy, don't worry!!” Toshinori interrupted him “I would never ask you to give up your passion, what you do in your private life is your choice and yours alone, I would never dream of preventing you from doing something that CLEARLY makes you happy”

Izuku stared at him for a moment, in silence, his big green eyes shining with emotion so much that Toshinori feared he would burst into tears but that wasn’t what happened.
“… THANK YOU!!” conversely, a hug caught him off guard.
“You don't know how important this is to me” the boy said, squeezing him with a force that the hero didn’t expect “Thank you All Might!!”

Toshinori found himself smiling, feeling his chest warm “It’s … It’s all right young Midoriya, I have a hobby myself after all”

“Really?! What is it?!”

“GARDENING, it helps me to relax, especially when I am going through particularly stressful times” the adult said "It's a passion that I have cultivated since I was young and that I have never abandoned"
“Wow, that's great!!” Izuku exclaimed, surprised but also excited to discover new details about his idol “Do you have your own garden?”
“Eh, I wish I have ... but I frequent a public greenhouse, the owner makes it available free of charge for all the people who want to take care of her plants …”

They continued to chat happily until they had to take different directions, Izuku towards the stands reserved for students and All Might towards those reserved for teachers.

“You've done well so far, young Midoriya” declared the blond before leaving “Keep doing your best, I'm … I'm very proud”

He wasn't sure if he had the "right" to say such a thing, it seemed more like a thing that a father would say rather than a teacher but it was the way he felt so …

“I'll do it All Might!!” the greenie smiled brightly “I promise!! See you later!!”

...........................................