Work Text:
The walk up was long. Unbearably long. Step after step after step - and the top hadn't even been peaked. Remi wiped at her brow, sweat beads forming preemptively. Fuck. To take the entrance exam on a day like this… it was like they had scheduled it on the hottest day of the year for no reason. The air was charged with a damp hum of humidity; even the breeze was warm. Finally, her foot landed on the top step.
The gates were crowded, jam packed with the countless people who also wanted to attend U.A High School. There was an itching in Remi’s fingers; an urge to use her quirk to get to the head of the line. She glanced around, but nobody else seemed to be using their quirks. Probably for the best, she sighed. Besides the people that had gone to middle school together, showing off one's quirk beforehand seemed disadvantageous.
She joined what seemed to be the back of the queue, legs sore.
“Oi.”
Remi turned around. A pair of crimson red eyes glared at her from hooded lids.
“Huh?” Remi responded. She had no other response; she was tired.
“You cut me in line,” Red Eyes stated, a bit of a growl coming in at the end.
Remi studied the boy. He had tufts of lighter blonde hair (what color was that?), and a sharp jawline, like he was constantly grinding his teeth. He slouched, back lazily arched forward. His clothes hung loosely on his body, like they refused to touch his skin. It was one thing to have baggy clothes - Remi herself wasn’t a stranger to it. But the way this boy was sagging his sweatpants was almost borderline a crime. And, to top it all off, the boy was cute. Or maybe that’s the wrong description. Handsome? Remi couldn’t quite put her finger on it, the looks of this boy. He was all sharp edges and teeth, but underneath, she thought, perhaps he was rounded corners. For now, though, she would classify him as handsome, even if he had bad posture.
There was something else though, something that Remi felt the moment she had turned around: The boy exuded confidence. It was like his cells were screaming “I am going to win” constantly. Remi unconsciously took a step backwards. Red Eyes noticed this, and his eye twitched. It wasn’t because Remi was afraid of him (albeit this boy was disconcerting), but rather she was overwhelmed by the desire that was calling out from his soul.
“I’m sorry?” She asked, slightly shaken.
“Damn right you should be sorry,” Red Eyes tsked with his mouth. “Move it.”
This was where Remi drew the line. It was one thing for a good looking guy to politely ask for his spot back in line. It was another for a good looking guy with sagging sweatpants and a cocky grin to demand for a spot in line with little formalities.
“I don’t remember seeing you when I stepped in line,” Remi started, “but I can give you the spot back if you’d ask a bit more politely.”
“Why can’t ya fucking move over?” Red Eyes glared.
Just before Remi could open her mouth, the man at the table called her forward. Remi blinked, then darted away towards the man and the table. Fighting over a spot in line was childish - Remi was almost 16 and she imagined Red Eyes to be the same age. U.A may be prestigious, but they weren’t going to turn anyone away from the entrance exam, so why couldn’t the boy just wait his turn?
Besides, when Remi had stepped up those stairs she hadn’t even noticed him. He was making a big fuss for absolutely no reason.
“Name?” The man at the table asked, clipboard and pen in hand.
“Ryuzaki Remi,” Remi stated.
The man asked a few more mundane questions: where did she go to school, how old was she, what was her quirk? As Remi answered all the questions, the man would note it down on his clipboard. Finally, when the man seemed to have checked something off with a sigh, he handed her a slip of paper and pointed behind him.
“Please make your way through. Keep going straightforward - you are to find the auditorium and take a seat. A teacher will be there soon to discuss the entrance exam’s requirements.”
Remi nodded, thanking the man as he waved Red Eyes forward, and folding the slip of paper in between her fingers.
It didn’t matter, she supposed, because hopefully she’d have to never deal with Red Eyes again. Mentally, Remi berated herself for not standing up to the boy. That wasn’t like her; to shut down and stay quiet. She knew herself to be loud and brash. Perhaps this was because nobody from her middle school would be here.
It’s a funny thing to be the only kid from your middle school with a quirk, Remi mused as she headed towards the auditorium. Well, not the only kid with a quirk, but rather the only kid who felt like they could even try to attend U.A, Remi amended. There were good and bad things to this. The good thing was that Remi’s quirk wouldn’t be accidentally outed to anyone, even if it’s not necessarily a bad thing for others to notice. Remi was just the kind of person who liked to pick and choose how her information was given. The bad thing was that this left Remi with almost no socializing skills. Sure, she could talk. In fact, Remi loved talking. There was something so stimulating about being able to hold long and informative conversations with her peers. Sometimes, Remi would gesticulate aggressively with her hands to demonstrate her point – no, drive her point home. Remi was energetic. But without the added protection of her friends, Remi oftentimes became a recluse, retreating inside her shell.
It has to be some weird anxiety issue, Remi thought, because whenever she was presented with an unfamiliar situation, she would think and think and think and think….
The auditorium was huge. Hundreds of students clambered into seats and still more crowded the doors to enter. Remi pushed her way forward, seeking an open seat. There were none. Or rather, there was none that she felt comfortable enough sitting at, so she backed up and tried to look for another place to sit. As she raised her head, a pair of crimson eyes met hers at the top of auditorium stairs. Remi blanked. Fuck. Of course Red Eyes would be right behind her. She rushed into a row on her left, and sat down. Red Eyes didn’t seem to have noticed her; he walked down the stairs and sat down in the row in front of her.
“Hiya! I’m Kirishima.”
Remi turned her head to her right. A boy with red hair and red eyes (what was going on with this theme of red today?) smiled wolfishly at her. His hair stuck up in stiff peaks, like mountains.
“Oh hey!” Shit. Remi’s voice sounded wobbly. “I’m Ryuzaki Remi.”
“Oh we’re doing first names too? Then I’m Kirishima Eijiro.”
“It’s nice to meet you Kirishima.”
“Please, feel free to call me Eijiro,” the boy smiled, showing a thumbs up. “So, what brings you to U.A?”
“Ah, I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to see if I could take my quirk and use it to become a hero.” Remi replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I originally didn’t want to be a hero, but once it became obvious my quirk was getting in the way of my sport I had to make a pivot, which was disappointing. It’s like, I had all these dreams and stuff planned out and my quirk essentially took those away.” Fuck. Remi was talking a lot. She smiled nervously, hoping it wasn’t all too much.
“Oh really? What sport did you play?” Kirishima asked.
“Football,” Remi grinned.
Kirishima laughed.
“I would never peg you to be a football type of girl. For real?”
“Yeah, I’ve been playing since I was four,” Remi said. “It’s my favorite thing in the whole world.”
“Sports gal. I like it. So, what’s your–”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” A loud outburst exclaimed from the row below.
A boy with green hair anxiously looked at a boy with blonde hair, who was angrily positioned in his seat. His red eyes flamed.
“Kacchan, can I not sit here?”
Ah. A name for Red Eyes. Well, it didn’t sound like a name, more like a nickname, but still.
“Why can’t I fucking escape you?” Red Eyes – Kacchan? – muttered irritatedly as he leaned back into his chair. “Always fucking following me. I swear to God, you’re like a leech.”
“That’s not very nice…” Green Hair mumbled.
“Deku, I’m going to fucking –”
“HELLO EVERYONE! HOW ARE WE ALL DOING TODAY?”
The lights dimmed, and on strode Present Mic. He grinned.
“Welcome to the U.A entrance exam! I’m sure you are all excited for my show today. Everybody say ‘hey!’” He gesticulated to the crowd, and was met with utter silence.
Remi laughed internally. Present Mic didn’t seem deterred, however, because he began to launch into the details for the exam. As a basic rundown, there would be a practical exam in which the examinees could demonstrate their quirks. Afterwards there would be a written exam.
“Diving into the practical exam,” Present Mic said as he used a clicker to start a slideshow on the screen behind him, “There will be different test sites with different robots. These robots will act as faux villains, and have points attached to them. The goal is to destroy as many robots as possible to rack up your total points. There are points also attached to saving people. You may use your quirk. Now,” he said, pulling something out of his pocket. “This is the paper you received when signing in today. Underneath your name it should state what test site you were assigned to.”
Remi unfolded the paper she’d forgotten in her hands. The paper was damp, covered in her sweat. Ryuzaki Remi. Site E.
“Hey,” she nudged Kirishima. “What site are you?”
“D. You?”
“E.”
“Close enough, I guess,” Kirishima said, shrugging.
Remi thought as Present Mic continued explaining the exam. The practical exam she would have no trouble with; using her quirk was like breathing to her, as she imagined everyone else felt. The written exam, however, was the problem.
I’m not stupid , Remi thought as she fiddled with her fingers. But damn, I fucking hate written tests. The problem with paper tests was that oftentimes Remi gave into pressure, brain feeling squeezed beyond her control. She would read the question, skipping a few words, and reread it. Then she’d look at the answers, reread the question again, and then give up altogether.
Theory essay writing wasn't half bad though, she thought. That’s when you can take information and formulate it into your own words.
“I wonder what the written test will entail,” she whispered to Kirishima.
“From what I’ve heard from previous test takers, it has some multiple choice questions as well as long and short form responses.”
Remi groaned.
“And that’s all you need to know! Good luck! Please exit the auditorium in a fashionable manner. And remember, go PLUS ULTRA!” Present Mic wrapped up his speech.
Kirishima stood up, and so did Remi. As she made her way to the aisle, the nerves began to set in. Yes, Remi had a strong quirk. Yes, she had been practicing. But all that practice pales to when it’s the real thing.
The process of the practical exam was definitely to winnow out those who were unsure of what to do. The go-getters with their quirks, the ones who moved without hesitation… they would most likely get a better score.
Someone tapped on her shoulder.
“Hey, I think you forgot this.” A boy with yellow hair that Remi briefly remembered seeing further down her row past Kirishima handed her ID slip.
“Oh! Thank you,” Remi said, flushing red a little bit. Damnit, of course she’d forget something.
“No worries! I’m Kaminari Denki. What’s your name?” He flashed a smile at her.
“Ryuzaki Remi.”
They made their way out of the auditorium, following the crowd back into the sunshine.
“How are you feeling about this practical test?”
“Gosh, um…” Remi thought. “Nervous, I guess? I wasn’t beforehand but as we began to leave I think the nerves started to settle in.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it. I’m sure you’ll do great!” Kaminari said, flashing her two thumbs up. “Where’s your test site?”
“Site E.”
“Oh darn, I’m site D.” His shoulders slumped, like it was the biggest let down in the world that she and him would not share the same test site.
“Oh! Uh, Kirishima here is on site D as well,” Remi said, pointing to the red haired boy in front of her.
He turned around, flashing a smile.
“Did I hear my name?”
Remi allowed the two to introduce themselves as the three of them wandered towards their respective test sites. Arrows with letters pointed the way. Remi eventually stopped, finding herself as the only person at site E. She waved Kirishima and Kaminari goodbye as they headed towards site D.
The area was barren, with a sign posted saying “Site E.” A large gray gate loomed over her, with walls surrounding it to encompass the mock fighting arena. It was still hot, Remi realized, as she broke out into a light sweat. The sun was just past its zenith, with few clouds to create any attempt of shade.
It was strange, Remi thought, because there wasn’t a single person at site E. That made no sense to her – why was she the first person there? She looked around, anxiety beginning to cloud her mind. Pacing, she started to walk in haphazard lines. There was no way she was the first person here, there were so many people ahead of her before! Maybe she had been lost in her thoughts as Kirishima and Kaminari began to bond? No, that couldn’t be it. Could it? She lifted her head up, eyes squinting. In the distance, she began to make out figures of people. They were headed this way! Oh thank God.
There was something strange though. It seemed as if…
Oh my God, they were all in their hero costumes. Remi realized that at some point during Present Mic’s presentation he must have mentioned that they change into their hero costumes before the practical exam.
The gates at site E made a tinkling sound, before a timer appeared on the front. A clock with a 10 minute timer began to count down backwards. People began to arrive, all in their hero attire. Remi felt out of place wearing her joggers and tank top. Damn, maybe the reason she was sweating so much was because she was wearing sweatpants.
“Hey!”
Remi turned around to see a girl all in pink walk up to her. Her skin was pink, with small curly horns adorning her head of pink curls. Her yellow eyes were set in black sockets. She smiled widely.
“Oh, hey,” Remi awkwardly waved.
“I’m Ashido Mina. What’s your name?”
“Ryuzaki Remi.”
“You were the first one here, right? Where’s your hero costume? Is that it? I feel like it’d be hard to be a hero in that. Unless you’re undercover? No wait, don’t tell me you’re a teacher!” Ashido rambled.
“Ah no, I’m not a teacher. I think I zoned out when Present Mic was explaining that we needed to get our hero costumes… I totally forgot that it was part of the entrance exam,” Remi admitted.
“It’s okay, I totally zoned out too,” Ashido admitted. “He’s so over-the-top right?”
“Yeah,” Remi said. “Though it’s truly all on me. Why else would we have submitted our hero costume designs along with our measurements so many weeks beforehand if not to use them for the entrance exam? I’m kind of disappointed too, because I had such a good costume….”
“I totally get you. Mine is kind of tacky,” Ashido sighed. “But better than nothing. Oh! And I forgot to mention, but please call me Mina. I prefer it.”
“Oh, okay,” Remi said. “Then feel free to call me Remi. I don’t mind either way.”
Mina grinned, and the two of them began to talk more. It was basic small talk to kill the time before the actual exam started, but it was engaging all the same. Remi learned a lot about Mina; what middle school she attended, her favorite color, her ideal type of guy. It was never ending. In return, Remi also said what middle school she went to, her favorite musical groups, and her favorite kinds of food. The conversation flowed back and forth so easily, and Remi secretly hoped that the both of them would make it into U.A.
Suddenly, a loud beep rang out. Remi looked up: the clock had now started to count down from 30 seconds. Everyone began to crowd at the gate, hoping to get the first crack at the robots. Remi steadied herself, feeling the clusters of bodies begin to condense upon her. She threw an exasperated smile to her new friend Mina, who returned one. There was no need for everyone to be this close together.
“Hey,” she nudged Mina. “Good luck. I’ll see you when we get into U.A.”
“Duh!” Mina replied.
The gates opened, and everyone flooded in.