Chapter 1: Energy Intake
The wind howled in front of UA high entrance hall. The small break of trees and stone fence gave way to a spacious path where numerous students walked side-by-side. Some larger than others, others looked brave, others looked scared.
Some students vying for heroism, others just wanting the prestige of joining UA itself.
Amongst the crowds of vibrantly coloured children, with varying quirks and powers walked Izuku Midoriya: His coat wrapped around him tightly, his hood over the small tuft of dark green hair.
The dark navy laced over his body, covering almost all inches of skin. His hands buried deep into his large pockets.
However, most importantly for Izuku Midoriya's appearance. A striking factor he wore everywhere:
A high face mask, rising from the base of his shirt and to the tip of his nose. It's dual patterned grey and blue waved in the wind slightly as he stepped past the wide open glass doors. No one paid attention to the dully-dressed boy.
No one batted an eye at him when he completed the written exam, as he took a seat in the far corner and buried himself from the rest of them by the fabric of his coat. His answers cleanly written and smoothly pressed into the paper itself.
He made not a single noise.
When the teachers walked around the room to pick up each student's first entrance fee for the exam, he didn't rise to meet their eyes. He cowered under his hood at all the people. So many people.
He made not a single noise.
After they were finally bid to rise, he stepped into the orderly lines forming, until they dispersed from the main hall and suddenly broke away to a gaggle-formed hallway. Trying to maintain his blend of invisibility, he stood to the side, sliding along the windows.
He made not a single noise.
They soon opened to another hall, this one for presentations: The assembly hall.
The great doors opened with a snap. Students cooed in shock at the darkened room and swiftly shuffled in. Izuku stepped forward before being pushed back. He tripped on his foot, falling again and using his arms to maintain a balance with another step back.
He made not a single noise.
His eyes glanced forward, looking toward the blond cause of his momentary panic. His face scowled as their eyes met. His lips quirked into a smirk. Katsuki Bakugo.
A classmate of over a decade and tormentor for just as long. Just as he regained his ability to stand, his back suddenly collided with another person. He startled out and quickly twisted around, leaving the smirking blond to terrorise someone else.
A light brown-haired girl had fallen behind him with a smile and sigh-less laugh. Her hand wrapped around the back of her neck, "I'm so- so sorry!"
Her rosy cheeks almost shone in the light that filtered from the window, as if drawn on by pen, she flustered more as he offered her a hand to stand up. She smiled, nodding a thank you as he pulled her up.
"I'm so sorry, I was just looking at everything- it's so big here!" she exclaimed as other students bustled past them.
He made not a single noise.
Izuku nodded back to the girl and she took it as a reply. Currently, Izuku was trying to find a way out of this conversation, he really didn't want to mess up. "Well, I'm Ochako Uraraka, it's nice to meet you, so sorry for bumping into you."
At this moment, his quirk was the worst, because he came across as uncaring or arrogant in his mind. He couldn't even reply properly. He signed for her not to worry, however, as predicted, she didn't understand.
So many rarely did.
She did take an interest in his signing hands, looking down at them, "Oh- can you not hear? Wait- can you not speak?"
He nodded, pointing to his mouth without lowering the woollen mask.
"Well- I, good luck then," she smiled again, "I hope we meet again." With one last nod, Ochako Uraraka walked into the assembly hall too.
Izuku soon followed her lead.
He made not a single noise.
…
The rules of the entrance exam were explained, defeat robots and gain points. There were zero pointers too which one should ignore, like obstacles in a game. It was easy enough to gather. Each student was given a slip of paper and sent on their way towards a battle arena.
Robots were good at least, he could easily not harm people. Energy from a robot was far weaker in comparison to energy in a person.
The stroll over to the arenas was the same as the walk to the assembly hall, a walk filled with him by himself, not even being able to start communication with anyone around him and drifting in his own thoughts.
He couldn't even sigh, he could make no noise to show his emotion, except an exhale through his nose at the very least.
Alongside the other students, he probably looked the most sombre, well maybe the purple-haired boy looked a little more on edge than he did. Sadly, he couldn't see Ochako Uraraka from earlier close to him, however, he also couldn't see Bakugo, which was nice.
"And begin," Present Mic cried out. Everyone looked to the hero in confusion, there hadn't even been a countdown yet. "What's wrong? The tests started! Run! Run! The die is cast!"
The crowds all ran ahead, he saw the boy with glasses who asked Present Mic a question in the assembly hall and then he saw the girl from before run in.
As everyone ran in Izuku strolled in quietly, his footsteps light yet not deliberate. He needed not to run ahead, needed not to physically punch over a machine. He just had to wait.
His hands balled by his sides, the last time he'd used his quirk had hurt someone, as it always did, so he tended not to practise with it. He took the bus a few times each week to that deserted forest to practise, hopefully, enough control paid off.
Students left and right all fought the robots in vibrant ways, one boy had a laser from his stomach, glasses boy rammed into another with his speeded legs. Smoke, dust, and shrapnel rained around him. He avoided each rock and shard with relative ease, most pieces untoward him. The robots also seemed to ignore him. All the better.
Slowly, he made his way to the middle of the arena. 5 seconds should do it, with no elderly or young children around, 5 seconds should leave most people unharmed and the robots destroyed. He'd left enough time for others to get points too.
Actually, he might break the circuits which record this. Well, hopefully, they'd see enough.
His index finger slowly hooked around the top of his fabric mouth protector and lowered it around his neck. His mouth twinged as the cool air met bright red scars and black scabs. The lines and cracked skin around his frontal features etched deeply into his face.
He took one last inhale through his nose and opened his mouth, as soon as he breathed out the low drone of a hum filled the air. It would be heard by everyone for at least 500 metres he'd reckon, never having tested it before.
Then it happened, a cry ruptured from the back of his burnt voice box as the world around him stilled, the robots all slowed, the air filled with rays of white, yellow, blue, and red rays of light. Energy in its simplest form all swarmed into his mouth. All fell into the sky from their circuits: phones, a microwave, a plane, a robot. It mattered not as they all started to collapse.
The energy swarmed his scarred mouth with a static feeling, he then caught in the glimpse of his eye a boy began to falter, he was a little too close to Izuku not to be affected. He saw the boy slowly fall to the ground, along with the domino noise of robots. Everyone around him started to falter, and the robots all died out.
As soon as he saw the ones around him fall he quickly closed his mouth with a gasp. His knees gave way and he fell to the ground. It shouldn't be too much to dispel later on at least, hopefully it wouldn't hurt.
His stomach felt woozy and his throat burnt at the revelation. The crowds of students all turned to face him with a glare, they probably didn't like him stealing their thunder - well energy. He imagined a few of them would feel relatively cold now, lacking of energy to keep fighting.
No more robots made a sound as the klaxon - it must run on something other than energy - sounded and the exam came to a halt. He could hope no one got hurt. Then he saw the largest robot, it seemed that Klaxon didn't mean stop.
…
He staggered his way to the forest, passing by splintered wood and thrown rocks as his stomach churned with fire. In a heap he fell to the ground, his hands gripped at his stomach, threatening to rip it open with his bare hands.
With struggled and stiff muscles he managed to pull down his mask, then opened his mouth.
The piercing sound of thunder broke through his lips as the invested energy dispersed around him, threatening to ruin the landscape he had nurtured to be his own. The small rock he sat on each time for lunch - an activity he always had to do in private - was flung into the air as powerful forces fluttered the leaves of the trees away. Branches fell into the fray and blew into the air, far away from Izuku.
All he could do was cry out as the sound of the thunder ripped his voice box once more. The air fluttered around him in spectacular swirls. It might look pretty, but it hurt, it hurt so badly.
The pain soon dissipated as the energy fell into the sky and back into the universe as a whole. Izuku was left shivering on the floor, alone and in fear of his power. That 0-pointer really took it out of him, it hurt so much, but saving someone made it worth it after all, saving someone was human.
…
People ran from their gaze at him as the 0-pointer destroyed buildings and rubble flew into the air. A dust smoke screen fell into the open which engulfed the robot's feet. He stood, staring at it. It was just energy, of course, a lot more energy than the previous ones. "Help!" he saw the girl from before trapped under rubble and falling from fatigue.
He had done this. As always, his quirk did this, hurt people. He had to help her, he ran, his legs running and burning the pain of before. At least he could utilise some energy from before. Yet, what did he do?
Using his quirk too close to her would knock her out for certain, and might hospitalise her for a few days. What choice did he have? She was nice to him, and if that wasn't good enough for him, then he didn't know what was.
His finger unhooked his mouth cover once more, the fabric neck fell around his own. He breathed in and screamed. The energy from the robot poured out. Its red tendrils fell into Izuku's mouth with a deafening fuzz, like he was consuming pure static.
It burned away his lips - like that one time before which scarred him - and burnt the back of his throat.
The robot carried on forward with sluggish movements, then slowly, with slow being the operative function, it began to stop. Its arm swiped at a building, yet had not the force to keep on moving and it fell stuck in the concrete.
Its legs gave away and tumbled over itself. Izuku stood there, frozen to the spot and transfixed at the behemoth. The light soon flickered out of its head. With a sigh, he quickly pulled up his mask and ran to the girl.
She was unconscious now but still breathing - a welcomed relief if there ever was one. His fingers pressed to her forehead, she was still warm enough. With a glare in the other direction, he pressed his mouth to her forehead as he lowered his mask - to make sure no one saw - a few embers of energy fell into her skin, absorbed by her pale stature.
As he parted his mouth, with another pull-up of his mask he glared to the stone on her body and heaved it off. It took some effort and he fought back a grunt but soon it was released from her hold. With a grin - which was only seen through moon-curved eyes - he fell to the side and lay on the rubble. Relief at saving a person as well. Those embers should save her brain activity from any damage too.
…
He struggled home that night from the forest, his legs felt weak and kept giving way. He probably looked drunk - if he knew what looking drunk was. The moment he stumbled through the door his mum caught him with a grasp. "I've got you Izu, I've got you, it's okay, mum's here."
His eyes drifted to her own caring eyes as she stumbled and helped him to the sofa. "Wait here, I'll be back with tea." She hurried to the kitchen as he fell in a heap on the sofa. He felt bad, making her worry like this, what choice did he have though? He would blow up an entire city again if he built enough energy again, something which had taken 4 counsellors and a lot of media manipulation to cover up and forget.
Izuku Midoriya: the perfect aspects of both his parents' quirk and all he wishes for was to speak, to say one word.
Soon his mum appeared with tea on the small coffee table and placed it down, "you didn't bleed again did you?" she asked. A phrase for if he coughed up blood, they'd have to contact the doctor again if he did, thankfully, he hadn't.
He shook his head from side to side and signed 'just energy release, hurt' with sluggish movements.
"That's okay, that's good at least. How did you do?" she sat on the sofa's edge.
His hands moved again, 'Did good, think, met a nice girl, saved her too, felt good.' His movements more sluggish than before.
"Well done, I'm proud of you. Well, you're a real hero now, aren't you." She smiled with him as she swept loose hair from his face.
A nod was all his answer was, his hands too tired to sign further, and soon he fell into a sleep, his mother by his side.
Izuku Midoriya, with any luck, a hero.
Chapter 2: Cracked Smile
It was a quiet day - well, that was the standard for Izuku - that Saturday morning. He had woken up later than usual - the exhaustion from the entrance exam finally settled in after the week. His limbs slowly carried him through the morning's motions as he prepared for the day.
In reality, he had no plans. No one really to talk with, and certainly no plans to go to the forest for training - for he dreaded to see the destruction he caused in the light of day. So, with no plans, simply studying and television seemed to be his only bet, well, at least it was calm.
"Good morning Izu," his mum cooed from the kitchen where she slowly filled a bowl with cereal and milk. He gave a wave to her as he settled at the small table. She settled the bowl of cereal down onto the table and sat opposite him.
"Did you sleep okay?" she looked at him with worried eyes. Slowly, he pulled down the woollen mask, his scars, burns, and tendrils of dead skin illuminated by the light of the day. With a quick motion of his mouth, he took the smallest bites of cereal possible, so as not to make any physical noise when he ate with his mouth.
It had taken years of practice - and the pure hatred of eating through a straw - to finally achieve the ability to eat solid foods and foods he liked. It was still a difficult task, which took effort, but it was possible to now eat food without draining the district power grid.
He gave another nod and signed with one hand 'good, thank you, you?' as he ate more of the cereal. "Happy to hear it, you needed the rest. I slept well as well, thank you for asking, have any plans today?"
He felt the soreness in his throat as another bite of cereal slid down it before he shook his head from side to side, he couldn't stomach much more so wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pulled up the high collar once more over his scarred quirk.
A knock at the door broke the calm conversation, "I'll get that," his mother stood up from the table and walked over to the main door. Izuku assumed it was just a delivery so stumbled up from the table and went to make his way to the living room.
"Oh my- for Izu? I- yes- of course," his mother's distant voice sounded, "Izu, sweetie, it's for you."
That was a surprise. He knew all of two people who didn't live with him. One left barely a year after his quirk had manifested, the other had been fearful and bullied him for years. Neither of which would be here at this time of the morning. Maybe it was the police again, they had called the last time to check on the damage he had caused from expelling the energy of his quirk.
So he made his way over to the door, expecting no one he knew of there. He was - of course - right. At the door, the early morning light which poured through stood a very sickly-looking man. He looked more skeleton than man and certainly not a policeman with the drawn back eyes, and draping yellow garish suit.
"Izuku Midoriya I presume?" the man smiled, even if it was clear his facial structure seemed hard to accomplish the feat. He gave the man a nod. "Perfect, I'm with All Might's hero agency, I'd love a moment to talk to you in private, if that would be okay?"
"Of course, if it's okay with Izu that is," his mother spoke as she stood to the side. Well, he didn't have anything better to do, and this was All Might's agency, what did they want with him though? He gave another nod and made his way to grab his jacket and shoes.
…
They found a small bench that was secluded from the public. It was on the edge of an old park which had a wall bordering a beach trial. It was rather a peaceful place, quiet. "So, young man, I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here."
Izuku nodded as his mouth formed a thin line, and his facial features narrowed too. He was probably in trouble again. "So, I saw your performance in the UA entrance exam," that went to hero agencies? "and I was very impressed by your performance. You know, you're the top scorer." No, he didn't. He smiled though, his eyes curved upward, first place? That was amazing. Did he have a place then?
"I assume you can't talk as well, can you?"
He signed the signs for 'no, I can't,' The small man stared at his hands, "I'm sorry, I don't know any form of sign language I'm afraid."
Not many people did, he lowered his head. "I have a pen and paper, if you could explain your quirk for me, I'd be greatly appreciative." The man held out a notebook and pen, both of which were coloured with All Might colours, he supposed he couldn't keep these.
So, with a delicate hand - and neat handwriting he wrote down his quirk:
' It's called Endothermia, it allows me to draw energy into my mouth from any source,'
"By energy, you mean like electricity?" the man asked.
'And anything else, heat, nuclear, electrical.'
The man's eyes gazed onto the paper, "so then, what about Kinetic energy, energy to move, motion." Izuku faltered for a moment. Was he in trouble? Did this man know, he doubted it. With a glance to his left and right, he slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up the internet.
Quickly, he thumbed into the name of his home town, all search results detailed the disaster that day. The day a city went dark and the cold settled in. It was said a permanent cold rested there to this day, and energy still had problems flowing there safely.
He turned the phone around to the man, clicking on the first article. His eyes looked over the article on his phone, "this was you?" Izuku nodded, bringing up his fingers and showing the number four. "You were four when this happened?"
Another nod. "And still, with this problem, you kept trying to be a hero?"
Izuku paused, it was very hard to read what was happening right now. He had no idea whether he was in trouble or not. He put his thumb up this time - his neck would start hurting soon.
The man chuckled, "well then, that's what I needed to hear- well see. Your performance in the entrance exam was a spectacle young man, and this is my proposition to you." Suddenly the man stood up, and he was surrounded by steam.
Izuku's first thought was that he must have had a steam quirk, that was until a larger figure started to appear out of the steam.
Bulging leg muscles filled out the suits, thick fingers clenched and twisted into balled fists. Large torso muscles lined the suit too. His gaze travelled up and saw a grin, with yellow pointed hair. All Might. All Might was here, with him. Right now.
At this moment, he wished he could let out a squeal. He signed 'All Might' knowing it meant little to the hero. He let out a loud laugh, "you young man, embody a hero perfectly. I believe your quirk is wonderful, and the way you go around it really proves you have what it means. Would you become my student?"
All Might's student. Him. Someone believed in him. Someone thought he could become a hero. Tears rolled down his face, he fought back his mouth letting out a sob as his shoulders shook. All Might believed in him. A grin plastered on Izuku's face. More people believed in him.
Without thinking he wrapped All Might into a hug, despite barely making half his height. He faffed his hands around slightly before laughing, "I take that as a yes, young man?" Izuku nodded as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.
He had returned home to his mother shortly after his meeting with All Might - the actual All Might - and explained what had happened - excluding that the small man was All Might, apparently that was a secret. She was as overjoyed as he was, Izuku couldn't stop smiling the entire day, high collar or not, most people he saw could tell.
…
In the following days, he spent some time with All Might. They trained on an old beach which was cleaned of a lot of rubbish and fly dumping - although it needed more cleaning. All Might was interested in the logic of his quirk so he explained in further detail how it worked.
He seemed pleased. They started working on physical endurance soon enough, something Izuku had worked on a little over time, to use most of the energy he absorbed in without dispelling it. As he could transfer it to his cells thankfully - if only a minimal amount.
Physical exercise came easy enough and if he ran low on energy, he could just absorb a little more energy and use that to power forward. A useful addition to his arsenal of skills. He wasn't sure about the full reasons as to why All Might trained him. Izuku couldn't even smile properly.
The muscles around his mouth were damaged beyond repair, the scars too. So even the version of a smile he did was disgusting, it looked rotten, malicious and villainous. All Might's student should be able to smile, yet Izuku couldn't.
Also, their quirks were wildly different. Izuku's relied upon little skill, All Might's did not - whatever his quirk may be. The time went flying by over the next week and their training went well. All Might even learnt and caught onto a few different signings which made the job of communication that little bit easier.
"Young Midoriya," All Might called out as he finished his last set, "I have something for you."
Intrigued, Izuku made his way over to the small form of the number one hero as he held a brown paper bag in his hands. "So, I had this custom made for you the second day we met, I hope it fits and it's your size."
Izuku took the offered bag and rummaged inside and found a jumper of sorts. It was bright red and yellow with a pattern resembling that of All Might's costume. He smiled as he lifted it. The collar had been altered to be taller, like his own high collar, except for one difference.
The collar was green in colour - like his hair - and had an imprinted smile on it. He exhaled through his nose in a laugh and smile. His smile. "I felt like, if you'll be my student, you might as well look the part, right?"
That was the second time Izuku hugged All Might.
…
Two weeks after his training under All Might had begun, which revolved around using stored energy in short bursts to increase his stamina, so he could physically fight, he received a letter. His mum had scrambled to pass it to him, seeing as it was signed by UA.
It had completely left his mind he still was waiting on this. He hoped to be accepted, to prove he could be a hero to more people. The message was a small puck which displayed a hologram. The hologram was All Might.
He was a teacher now? At UA? That was the first he had heard of it, maybe he had seen him in the entrance exam live?
Izuku ranked first, with 60 rescue points and a further 60 villain points giving him a total of 120 points, scoring past Bakugo who got 74 at 2 ndplace. However, his eyes first went to 4 th place. Ochako Uraraka with 23 villain points and 45 rescue points. They could be in the same class together.
At least then he could apologise to her. As he emerged from his room he gave his mum a thumbs up. "Well done Izu," she happily cheered as she hugged him, "I am so proud of you, so very proud."
He hugged her back, so very happy too. Things were finally looking up for Izuku Midoriya.
…
Training with All Might continued after his acceptance. All Might laughed loudly and congratulated Izuku on his acceptance into UA. He had wanted to tell him for a while but the UA board would not take kindly to that.
Izuku understood of course. He did wonder about the girl though, so he asked.
' There was this girl, Ochako Uraraka, the one I saved, will she be in the same class as me?' he wrote down on the notepad as All Might sipped on a bottle of cola.
"Ochako Uraraka," he pronounced each sound - as Izuku signed it - "the name rings a bell - oh right, that was it, wait can I tell you this?" All Might hummed to himself as Izuku looked with pleading eyes, "oh, go on then. She came to visit us after the exam, asking about you?"
'She did?' he signed with his hands. All Might looked intently at his hands, recalling the memory of the signing, "Yeah she did, she asked about the person who saved her from the robot, the boy with no voice and pretty eyes was how she described you," he laughed loudly as Izuku blushed a shade of deep red.
"Now, if she got into 1-A," Izuku supposed that was his class, "I really can't say, I'm afraid." He looked to the side as his hands signed - sloppily - 'yes.' Another grin plastered itself on Izuku's face, underneath the faux grin of his new jumper which he liked to wear as often as possible.
Izuku now had high hopes for UA going forward. "Well then, we best be back off to training, exciting prospects are ahead of us Young Midoriya. After all, my successor must train himself properly."
His what? Izuku froze as All Might strode onto the beach, talking aloud. It seemed it took him a moment to realise he wasn't beside him. 'Successor?' he signed.
All Might tilt his head, "I'm sorry, I'm not familiar."
He grabbed the notepad, scribbling down the word, 'Successor?'
"Well, of course, you are, why else would I train you, you will be the future of heroes," All Might gave a smile.
' I thought I was just a student?'
All Might read the words over once, then twice, then a third time and sighed. "Okay then, I suppose I should come clean."
…
Izuku lay in bed staring up at the popcorn ceiling of his room, his eyes tracing over each bump. One for All. Quirk legacies. A quirk to pass onto someone. It seemed implausible. It was also way too much for Izuku Midoriya.
He couldn't do it, he'd almost broken down at the idea. It was too much for him to take on the mantle of All Might. He couldn't even control his quirk, what gave All Might the idea he could take on One for All too?
There was no way he could do it, All Might had gone mad then. That injury must have caused him to become delirious. Izuku Midoriya wanted to become a hero, but he wasn't that kind of hero. He was just Izuku Midoriya, plain, quiet. Hardly the type of person you would imagine when you said 'symbol of peace'.
Children wouldn't hang pictures of the hero with deformities around his mouth on their walls. Newspapers wouldn't give exciting headlines to a boy who destroyed an entire town aged 4. The boy who couldn't even speak the language his friends spoke.
He couldn't be a symbol of peace if you couldn't symbolise much yourself.
So with heavy eyes, he fell to sleep, holding himself tightly. Wishing to cry out his true feelings.
…
With reflectance, a great amount of fear and anxiety, and an oozing stomach, Izuku made his way to the beach again that day. All Might was already there at the moment he arrived, it was one of their last training sessions before UA started now.
"Good morning, Young Midoriya!" All Might happily call out as his hands signed the motions for the phrase he said. Izuku didn't need to see them himself, but it helped others learn how he communicated with them, so he was thankful all the same.
He gave a wave and signed, 'Morning All Might.' Although, his heart wasn't in it for the moment.
"What's the matter, Young Midoriya, you seem upset?"
Did he tell All Might? He deserved to know the boy he chose to be his successor was a coward and wimp. A boy who couldn't even look the part of a hero.
Also, signing it was pointless, it would probably be pointless to try as he wouldn't understand it. Writing it down made him feel like an idiot too. He just shook his head and carried over to the recent training clearing they had formed.
"Young Midoriya," he turned to face All Might, "I can't imagine the loneliness you've been through, however, your mental ability is just as important to heroism as your physical skill is, one has to be in the right frame of mind to stay heroic."
His eyes wandered to a heap of sand, ignoring All Might's own. 'Quirk' he signed and pointed to All Might.
"One for All?" Izuku nodded. "You're worried about taking it on, it shouldn't harm your body after the fact, Young Midoriya."
He shook his head, 'not that.'
"What's the matter then, you can tell me, I can understand the fears of quirks all too well."
With a struggled breath through his nose, Izuku brought his index finger over the high collar, his finger hooked around the faux smile and lowered it, as he showed All Might his disfigured mouth. Tentacles of burn marks spread from charred lips, and black and brown patches of burns fell around his cracked mouth to below his chin.
He pointed to his mask, 'no smile, no hero' he signed slowly, his eyes downcast.
"I don't see a problem." Izuku's eyes jolted up to him, was All Might looking away? Others had before, so it made sense, he knew how it looked, he knew it was disgusting. "All I see are the scars and marks of someone with a heroic future, we all carry scars, young man. A scar doesn't define you, it shows a part in your life. Those scars can represent people you've saved, and your growth. A smile doesn't make a hero, their actions do. A scar doesn't decide who Izuku Midoriya is, his actions do. And so far, his actions define him as a hero, a promising one."
"Of course, I can smile, I can happily declare 'I am here!' Yet that makes no difference between us. If you save more people, help the world become better. Then you are all the hero I am and more, scars are just a mark on paper, an ink splodge, the words written down can forever evolve and change. Those words are read by the masses, not the small errors along the way."
"You are a hero Young Midoriya, your actions define you as so, and that is far more important than a scar on your face, or a mark on paper."
Izuku was 100% a hugger from that point onward. Tears rolled down his face, a wobbling smile etched on cracked lips as he pressed tightly against his mentor.
Chapter 3: Songs of the Meadow
Izuku couldn't help but be nervous for his first day at UA. Although at times, he wondered if his mum was even more nervous. She had faffed around him, constantly making sure he had everything ready, "handkerchief?" she asked, he replied with a nod, "your school bag?" it was on his back, "throat medicine?" His hand brought it out of his pocket, the small bottle in a light green pouch.
"If you have any problems, you come to me straight away, don't worry about anything Izu," she brought him into a hug, and he wrapped his arms around her back as he stood at the door of their apartment.
The previous night he had made his way to an old bypass road and dissipated all energy he had stored up. It wasn't all that much, all things considered. He must have burnt through a lot with his training then, which was a useful way to manage it, at least.
He had staggered home that night with steady legs too, a bonus if there ever was one. So, with an empty energy core - his own name for the organ within his body which stored and converted the energy - he was ready for UA.
"I am just so proud," she ran her hands through his hair again, "I believe in you Izu, always remember that," she grinned.
How much he wished to tell her he loved her, 'I know, I love you,' he signed as she parted from her hug.
She signed it back with watery eyes.
…
The train to UA was a busy one. He had huddled himself into a corner so as to remain hidden from most of the crowds on the train. It was dangerous to be around so many people and so much electrical equipment so he had tried his hardest to stay still.
His grey woollen mask - which fit from underneath his shirt - covered his lower mouth, chin and all the way up to his nose.
The walk to UA from the train station did feel relaxing. With bright colourful trees, clean roads, and a bright sun leading the way - of which he was thankful was so far away and in space - he was content with it all.
Sometimes he wandered into the nearby meadows and wandered around the city for the entire day, without a care in the world. He still had to be careful, energy was everywhere, but sometimes he let out an exhale or sigh - even for a split second - to calm himself.
However, such calm ended the moment he stepped into UA. It was loud and busy. Students everywhere, most of which he didn't recognise. What he was looking for was the smallest student, so he could work out the longest time he could slip - by accident - if he should.
The door to 1-A was ahead of him, it was rather big. If everyone was this size, he wouldn't have to worry about draining a magnitude of energy from them and leading to their death. It was just a door, but it terrified him.
"St- stop crying-" the girl ahead cried out as she slumped to the ground, her weight resting on one knee, "p-please, you'll- you'll hurt us all."
The tears fell down his face freely as he wept loudly, the room thrown into cold darkness. He couldn't stop his shoulders from shaking as sobs racked his small frame. A trail of mirages, light, and power fell into his roaring mouth.
"I told you- I told you, how do you expect to be a hero, that damn Deku is villain," Bakugo fell out of the door, staggering backwards. "He can't control that power, he'll kill us! He'll kill you all!"
He hadn't realised he had fisted his own hands until he felt his nails digging into his palms. With a quick separation he fell to ease. It was over. While his past actions defined him, his future, heroic, actions were more important. His hand rose over his mask, it was still in place.
No cries, no lights flickering. He was there, at UA. Everyone was safe.
With a heavy hand, he opened the door. The noise enveloped him very quickly. Happy conversation filled the room, except for one familiar to him. He froze as he saw him come into view. Blond spiked hair, a smirk on his face, legs on the table. Why did he have to be in his class?
As soon as he entered the room, their eyes locked. "Y- you got in?" Bakugo snarled, stepping up from the table and walking over it.
"Ex-excuse me!" a boy with glasses tried scolding him.
"Shut up! This kid here is dangerous!" he jumped off the desk, pushing Izuku further back into the wall.
As long as he didn't make a noise, everyone would be okay. Bakugo wouldn't hurt him at a school for heroes. He grabbed onto his blazer collar, "how the hell did you get here?!" he snarled out, encroaching on his personal space.
"I really think you should leave our fellow classmen alone," the glasses boy stood to the side of the exchange.
"I really don't think we should have borderline villains in UA!"
The glasses boy scoffed, "I can assure you, UA is secure without villains. He is wearing the uniform of a UA student, and I do remember seeing a boy with a face mask at the entrance exam." It was so strange to see someone stick up for him.
"Ha, you'll remember what he looks like with that damn mask off, right Deku?!" His hands rose to his mask. He wanted to stop him, he didn't want anyone to see.
"You must stop now before a teacher comes."
Bakugo smirked, "maybe that'll be for the best, this kid ain't no hero!" His hand was an inch away from his mask as another hand grabbed onto Bakugo's. Izuku was stunned as he saw slender figures wrapped around Bakugo's wrist.
"I think he wants to keep it on," a familiar voice sounded to the side. Like the song of spring and calming of a meadow that he enjoyed so much.
Bakugo snarled now looking at the girl, "Why do you care, brown hair? Might not want to protect him knowing what he's done."
"No? Well, I'm protecting him because of what he did for me. He saved me during the entrance exam." So she did remember him, that was nice.
He was fighting a losing battle no doubt, with his innate fear of Izuku himself. "Fine then, just wait until you're all damn in a coma, I warned you extras." He shoved Izuku's shoulder into the wall and stalked off.
The boy with glasses followed quickly after Bakugo, shouting at him. "Are you okay?" Uraraka looked at him with a sweet smile.
He nodded as he slowly pulled himself from the wall with a nod. She then smiled, "oh right, wait a minute." She took a step back, "It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Ochako Uraraka," With the words 'pleasure, meet you, and Ochako Uraraka' she signed the two first words with her dominant hand, then with her name symboled her Kanji and pronunciation with her lesser hand - as was standard.
His mouth - if he could allow himself to - would have dropped in shock. 'You learnt it?'
A grin spread over fair lips with a nod, "Yes, I had a feeling I'd meet you again, and," she laughed slightly, rubbing the back of her neck, "I did ask UA to check if you would be and they said yes, so I decided to learn a little bit, I'm nothing amazing but I can understand most of the dominance signs for simple gestures." And she did, she almost correctly signed 'Amazing, Dominance signs, Simple gestures,' amongst a few other connectives.
His eyes curved, 'thank you though, really, it's nice to meet you too, I'm Izuku Midoriya.'
"I am sorry I couldn't learn it all, it's tricky," she laughed. "But, it's a pleasure to meet you, Izuku Midoriya, right?." She also learnt all phonic sounds too then.
The door then slid open, and a strange man in a yellow sleeping bag was on the floor. "What's going on here?" he deadpanned, staring at them.
'Nothing,' he motioned with his hands. The man stared as he stood up, "Very well," the man slowly rose up. He had met the homeroom teacher a week previous when he visited Izuku at home to sort through numerous problems which would arise from his time here, it seemed the school was willing to accommodate him there, with a few members of staff even knowing sign language - well the 'Resounded Quirk Signing' or RQS one which most governments regulated for those which couldn't use their native version: due to the lack of mouth expressions JSL was a dead end for Izuku.
"Right then, sit down. The class has already begun and you're wasting time."
…
The morning was to begin with a quirk apprehension test. A physical fitness test with the bonus of using your quirk, so a physical fitness test for Izuku. He wasn't going to be using his quirk in any area near people.
His current dilemma involved getting changed. He wasn't particularly keen on removing his mask in front of everyone. UA had altered his sports uniform slightly to include a high collar - alongside a pulled-down zip - for this, however, he still had to get changed.
So, with heavy reluctance he stalked off to find a cubicle to change into, it seemed the actual changing rooms didn't compensate for those though, so he needed to find a toilet one. He shuffled into the stall and slowly got changed.
He took staggering breaths through his nose as his fingers trailed down the marks on his face and chin. They fell from the bottom of his nose and down to the underneath of his chin which met his neck.
They no longer stung, they felt just cold. Like ice dripping onto your skin, raw ice against your skin cold. They were still ugly, he hated them. 'scars are just a mark on paper, an ink splodge' The words ran on repeat in his head.
Then his hand moved to his stomach, the burn marks which bubbled from within. It had only burnt him this way twice - as opposed to every other time when he used his quirk for his mouth - but they still hurt. The burns technically were on the inside of his stomach lining, it had just bubbled out last time he hadn't dissipated the energy quick enough.
With a silent sigh held within his mouth, he brought up the high collar of his uniform. It fit well enough that it stayed up too. He gave the zip a quick pull down and up, it too worked, as he couldn't pull this collar down like the other one All Might had given him.
He tied the black laces of his red shoes over and looked at the mirror of the bathroom he was in. His freckles reflected in the light and his green eyes stared back.
"Midoriya?" a voice called out.
With widened eyes, he stepped out of the washroom and into the main hall. "Oh there you are, one of the boys- urm, Iida? - asked me to make sure you were around." She signed the words as she spoke, a few mistakes here and there but small enough that he knew what she meant.
'Sorry, had to get changed in private,' he signed back.
"Of course, that makes sense, well, come on then. Mr Aizawa is waiting for the test." She skipped up beside him and walked with him down the hallway.
…
The test began with Bakugo throwing a ball very far, hundreds of meters in distance. It blinked out of his eyesight. And then it all went around the same. Izuku didn't have energy stores except for what was humanly normal. The first throw was meant to be him but he arrived late, and the teacher wanted someone to use their quirk injunction with the test to start off.
So, Izuku had to work on the fact that A - he wasn't the most physically fit person in the world, certainly not the class, B - he wasn't risking using his quirk no matter what, C - getting expelled so early from UA was just upsetting.
Mr Aizawa's threat scared him. Some students didn't care, but others did. It seemed to be a confidence issue, the problem with this test was that his quirk relied on his ability to open his mouth. He didn't need to run very far - doing so made it difficult to catch his breath by his nose alone, and opening his mouth meant death for those nearby.
This - amongst the general ability of the class - made him perform poorly. He had no advantage on the sprinting dash, push-ups, or sit-ups. His grip strength was higher than most, thanks to years of clenching his fists in panic.
Over the course of the test, panic settled in. He might actually rank last. The last space was similar vying between 3 people. Himself, a short boy with balls on his head, and an invisible girl. It was mainly the invisible girl he was probably competing with, which was unfair for either of them. Both their quirks didn't rely on how far a ball could be thrown, or physical strength.
Invisibility was an excellent quirk - her only drawback being no one could ever see her, a fact he could relate with - and yet she could face expulsion. Had he taken on more that he could take? Was Bakugo right? He refused to let him be.
He refused to be a villain.
"I was right," he crawled back his legs devoid of energy as Izuku kept crying, "He's a villain, you have to stay away from him. He'll never be a hero!"
A hand fell onto his shoulder, "are you okay?"
He jolted quickly around to see Uraraka. He nodded, 'Sorry, zoned out.'
"It's okay," she smiled, signing the word 'okay,'. "Mr Aizawa is putting out the results in a moment. I wanted to make sure you're okay."
The results gave him some pause, he came 2 nd to last. The grape boy - Mineta - came last and broke down in tears. Izuku felt bad for him, but a part of him was thankful it wasn't him. As the results came in he saw Bakugo sneer at him from through the crowd, his eyes could kill if they were able to.
No matter what Bakugo thought, he'd prove him wrong. That time was a fluke, a mistake, he had goaded him to that point, he had forced Izuku to cry, he had tried to plead with him.
"You did it!" Uraraka's hands met with his and raised them in the air, her hair looked as if it floated for a second as she did so. Did she use her quirk on it? He had found through the entrance exam what her quirk was, how it worked was beyond him though.
Then, in a move of good luck for Mineta, Aizawa proclaimed that his 'expelling the lowest student' had been a ruse, a simple lie to ensure they took the test seriously. It worked, of course, but that kind of thing worried him.
The day continued as normal after that, a general curriculum breakdown. It all seemed to be to within his ability, school generally was at the very least. As long as as teachers didn't expect a direct answer from him he was good.
Of course, at Aldera and elementary school he was a victim of bullying and avoidance but it made it safer for him. If people avoided him, there was less chance they got hurt again. Whilst he certainly didn't want that loneliness at UA, it might be needed if he lost control again.
A hand grasped onto his shoulder, "Midoriya, was it?"
He froze as he came face to face with the glasses boy. Iida, he believed Uraraka had called him. He nodded in response, "Perfect, I was inquiring about what our fellow classmate was doing to you this morning, I presume you are okay?"
Another nod. "I am glad, if you have any other problems, please do come to me and tell me, I am not fond of bullies and other disorderlies."
It was a nice offer, "I'm also of the understanding you cannot speak?"
Izuku's mouth curved inward with another nod, two this time. 'I learnt moving jazz' Iida's hands moved with quick speed or as to what Izuku gathered was what he had signed, it wasn't actually legible to himself so it was a guess, like a baby babbling their first words…
He quirked an eyebrow, "I fear I made a mistake?" Izuku nodded causing Iida to laugh, "I must apologise, the only sign language I am familiar with is that which my brother taught me. Well, then it was a pleasure to meet you, Iida Tenya is my name." He bowed. Surely greetings came first in a conversation, not at the end?
Before he could even attempt to reply he was already speed walking off, his arms making large motions with each step, it was an amusing image. He could almost count him as his second friend at this point, that was nice.
So, as he grasped onto his bag, he walked back to the train station in tranquil silence.
Well, the tranquil silence lasted for a few moments before footsteps caught up to him quickly. He turned around to see no one, did he imagine it?
"Behind you," a sing-song voice called as he spun around again, now doing a full 360.
He came face to face with a smiling Uraraka who had crouched slightly to get behind him. A red blush fell over his cheek as he gave a rather pathetic wave. 'Are you okay?' his hands fell to his chest.
She smiled, "I- yes, I was wondering if at some point you'd be able to explain a little about your quirk, I kind of wanted to leave you my phone number- if that's okay with you, and that if you have a phone of course-" she managed to speak out through several stutters.
He wondered if he'd have had a stutter if he could talk, it seemed likely. 'Sounds nice, would you like to go get something to eat then?'
"Now?" she paled slightly, but a smile was on her lips.
Izuku nodded. That was the social convention, wasn't it?
Chapter 4: A Poetic Calm
They sat on a small bench near a convenience store which was slightly off the beaten park to UA. It was made of tall slender concrete planks which towered upward, a small wooden board wrapped around the base, only separation was for the tall black windows. The bench overlooked a small pavilion area with small flower beds surrounding it.
Uraraka had opted for some mochi - which he paid for, despite copious protest for all he had to do was shake his head. "You really didn't have to buy me mochi," she commented as she swallowed another bite of the treat. He'd make a mental note that she liked it for later on, planning for the future was always appropriate and this just seemed thankful. He also just shook his head at her 'complaint.' He had never been able to buy a person food or anything in his life, it was more of something for him.
"I'm just thankful Mr Aizawa was lying about someone being expelled," she leant back on the table of the bench, "could you imagine being expelled on the first day of UA, I think I'd cry."
Well, he had been close. He gave another curt nod as he listened to the tweeting of birds with a soft grin on his face. 'Do you think he would have expelled someone if they scored so low?'
She pondered the question or maybe she was trying to remember what he had said, with any luck she'd know enough of what he signed, "Well, I hope not," she did then, "I mean that would be unfair, right? Isn't the point of school trying to improve as a hero, if someone isn't ready from the start, then it's not their fault." He was doubly certain he'd chosen a good friend - well she had chosen him.
His eyes curved again with a nod, 'I agree, you wanted to know about my quirk?'
"Oh yes, if that's okay, I was just interested, I hope that's not a problem."
He nod his head and pulled out the notepad and pen he had 'borrowed' from All Might, this borrowing was permanent though now. He flicked through several pages of general messages, notes, and other conversations before finding his way to a clean page, only the imprints from the last page marked the lined paper.
With a somewhat shaking hand - he was resting the pad on his thigh - he drew a small stick figure (possibly going a little extra on the detailing with it) showing a female using a telekinesis quirk drawing a box towards her, with arrows and slight effects around it. She had a smile on her face.
"Your mum?" he looked up to Ochako who was staring intently at the notepad. He nodded and moved over on the paper, drawing a male stick figure - again with a little extra detail around. The man's mouth was open in a smile and spewed out fire.
"That's your dad then?" she asked again, he replied with another set of curved eyes and draw the characters for mum and dad above them.
With a line connecting the two previous stick figures, they met in the middle and fell onto his last stick figure. This one had a set of hair and a mask covering his neck and frowned with an open mouth - the mask was slightly see-through to accommodate this. From opposite him, a robot was 'broken' - he was working with a single pen on his leg to draw with - and lines fell from the robot.
"Oh, I get it, your mum has a telekinesis quirk and your dad has a fire breath quirk too. So you can draw in heat from anything?" He wrote down 'energy' and circled it by the lines. "Oh, all energy, that's amazing," it was?
He looked at her with a confused expression, she seemed to pick it up on it. "It's an amazing power Midoriya, I can see why you scored number 1 on the exam, that's so cool," she looked back to the paper, "except, you're missing one thing."
With a stretched hand she took the notepad and pen off of him, he just allowed it with wide eyes.
She bit her lower lip as she scribbled something onto the paper, it was cute. Now he felt all red. She also seemed to hum as she drew on the paper, for whatever it is she was doodling down, he didn't have any guesses.
It took half a minute or so before she turned the notepad back around to him, "and done." On the paper was a fourth figure beside his own, a female on the floor looking up to his own. She had short hair and a smile - one which had been added to his eyes too as well.
The words above his own person read 'hero' and he had been added a small cape which fluttered behind him. "Now it's better."
…
Izuku wasn't exactly sure as to why Uraraka kept shifting her eyes around, maybe this was normal for her - he simply didn't know, for all he knew it could just be normal for people. She seemed slightly flustered but when he asked she quickly avoided the question by commenting on a nice tree.
"I have another question if that's okay?" Uraraka almost spoke in a whisper as his back leaned against a tree with a small cup of coffee in his hands. He twisted his body against the thick trunk to face her as she sat beside him, her legs spread outward - juxtaposing his own which were pulled to his chest.
He nodded in response and moved his body better so as to face her.
"That boy from earlier, the blond one, why was he shouting at you? I mean, I don't want to invade your privacy or anything." She quickly added at the end.
That was a question Izuku would want a proper answer to as well. Bakugo had always been estranged from Izuku when they were younger. His oldest memories involved himself, Bakugo and their parents on some kind of play event - before he had his quirk.
Bakugo already had his and was very keen on showing it off, to young Izuku it was the most wonderful thing in the world. The dancing of static explosions fell over his hands that spread into the open air. He vaguely remembered their parents talking about something, Bakugo's mum seemed annoyed but to the young Izuku, it was nothing to worry over.
However, back then Bakugo hadn't been so bad, he was just kind of full of himself. That seemingly changed the moment he got his quirk.
It had first started with flickering lights, and his parents complaining about headaches. They hadn't thought much of it at the time but then Izuku complained about the burning in his stomach. From there they rushed him to the hospital when they felt his forehead, he was burning up badly and his parents were also falling asleep on their legs.
The day Izuku's life changed. He had thought - back then - that maybe Bakugo would resemble some kindness to him, but he hadn't. From that moment, the moment Bakugo's mother explained that Izuku couldn't talk, Bakugo had held some resentment toward Izuku.
It only worsened the time Bakugo had finally goaded Izuku into using his quirk at middle school. Bakugo had been one of the only people who had seen the damage done to him since the town of ever cold incident and then he had tried to make it worse.
Firstly he had ripped the mask from Izuku's lips and pushed him. Pushed him and pushed him. Shouted in his face to prove to everyone who he was.
It had taken years, however, Izuku still had only one theory.
Katsuki Bakugo was scared.
He was scared of a young boy who could drain stars, and knock a person unconscious by greeting them 'hello.' He was simply scared. However, fear wasn't something Bakugo would openly show, so said fear became anger, said anger became hate.
'Scared.'
"He's scared? Of what?"
For this he didn't need to sign anyone, he just pointed his thumb back to himself.
…
"Well, this is me."
He had insisted on walking Uraraka back home to wherever she lived - or the train station if she had to take it but it seemed not. That's what people did in books and films at the very least so it seemed polite.
The apartment complex she lived at was tall, around twice the height of the one he lived in - although he lived in the outer suburbs, Uraraka seemed to live more in the city than he did. Tall grey concrete walls cascade alongside rows of balconies, their accents a muted orange colour.
Each balcony had a small light on the roof - which was just the underside of the floor above - that shone light onto plants, small washing lines, or on one where a man smoked a cigarette. It wasn't a bad neighbourhood by any stretch, it just wasn't one that heroes, nor villains frequented, so in general it was left untouched.
"Thank you, for this evening, it was nice to spend time with you." She smiled as the street lamp they stood under illuminated her hands which signed 'thank you, evening and time'
He smiled back, her gaze captivating his own.
…
He had made his way back to his apartment soon after dropping Uraraka off at her own. The door opened with a hiss and soft click, "Evening Izu," his mother called out from the kitchen.
With a shrug and roll of his shoulders, he removed his bag and set it down by the door with a slowly placed hand as he removed his shoes.
The kitchen was enthralled with brilliant smells, mixing and swerving with one another. He sniffed again as he approached the small archway which separate the hallway and kitchen. Black bean was his best guess.
"Have a good day?" she asked as he stepped through the arch. The kitchen was far more modern in design than the rest of the apartment - which wasn't to say it was futuristic modern by any stretch. The floor was a plain white marble style pattern - not actually being marble of course - which felt cold under his feet.
The cabinets and drawers were a muted grey in colour. He nodded as she looked over her shoulder to him with a smile, "that's wonderful to hear, no problems with your quirk at all?"
He shook his head this time and she smiled, "well that's fabulous, dinner will be ready soon, why don't you get changed."
With another nod, he made his way back out of the kitchen. The hallway leading off to his room was dark, the lights set to a muted orange hue as his feet warmed under the carpet. With a click of the light switch to his room, he made his way over to his desk.
His hand ruffled into his pocket and softly grasped onto the paper which was folded neatly. A small excuse of a smile fell upon his lips as he pulled down his mask and glanced down at the small drawing. Sure, it was stupid to care so much about it but he didn't have anything, from anyone really in the world except his mother - and All Might he supposed.
However, now another item joined that group, from Uraraka. He grabbed a thumb tack and pressed it to the board above his bed - he didn't want to risk damaging the wall. It was the centrepiece of photos surrounding it. He smiled as he took a step back.
The small 'stick figures' displayed happily - he had trimmed the paper so only to display the both of them. With a happied noise from the back of his throat, he moved to get change, catching his reflection in the mirror.
What would she think if she saw his mouth?
…
He sat at his desk in far more casual clothes with a pencil thumbing the paper. His mouth was warm under the thicker high collar he wore - he decided on a change of fashion as the warmer weather was arriving so he'd get less time to draw this.
On the paper below his pencil smoothly glide over the pre-made lines and constructed hands. Izuku wasn't going to lie and say he knew how to deal with most social interactions, because he didn't - and because his hands shook making the signs when he lied.
So, in the past, he used to draw fake situations where people were nice to him. It was childish but played a major part in keeping him sane after the incident at middle school. As everyone avoided him he had no choice but to isolate himself further. They'd call him names, try to get a reaction out of him, then go running if he moved back at all.
Thus, drawings became his main source of friends and social interaction. He'd draw his classmates with him, being friendly, being friends with him. Now though, he used that old interest, and old talent and drew pictures of him and Uraraka, and Iida, he was nice too.
The three of them were in one picture together, arms wrapped around each other and smiling - well his eyes curved - as they looked at him. Iida held a drink - he'd have to ask what he liked to drink - and Uraraka some mochi for he knew she liked it.
He often just shaded them in with a pencil but he made the effort this time to use colour. He wasn't a pioneer with his art skills but he wasn't bad, just not very confident. "Izu," his head tilted to his door, "dinner is ready."
Another glance down at the picture gave him a small grin, it was looking nice. With a small push, he pulled himself out of his chair and made his way to the dining table - which was in the corner of the kitchen.
"You didn't have to go to the forest this evening, did you Izu?" his mum asked as he sat down opposite her and slowly pulled down the woollen mask around his neck. She placed him down a bowl of the black bean soup.
He shook his head and placed his chopsticks along his bowl, 'made a friend,' he signed with his hands in quick motion - he could sign far quicker with his mother than anyone else thankfully.
"A friend? Oh, Izu, that's wonderful. Can you tell me about them?"
He smiled with a nod and then spent the next 5 minutes, between mouthfuls of soup, questions by his mother and signing explaining about a girl he had only met properly that morning. He spoke about how she had helped him stop Bakugo from hurting him - something his mother knew all about.
"So you went on a date, on the first day?"
A date? He shook his head, 'not a date,' he signed.
She smiled - it was more of a smirk, "oh, okay then," as she took another spoonful of soup with a sing-song voice. UA might not be so bad.