Chapter Text
U.A was…big. A lot larger than Izuku had expected, because, well, he knew the campus was huge. Of course he’d know, his father was an alumnus of the school and had been preparing him and his siblings for the school’s exam for years. However, Izuku wasn’t taking the recommendation exam. Heroes couldn’t recommend multiple candidates, only one per hero. Considering his mother, Rei, wasn’t a hero, that meant the recommendation went to Shoto. That didn’t upset him, Shoto could have it. Izuku would rather not be surrounded by several legacy children or elitists.
So, unlike Shoto, Izuku would be taking the regular entrance exam, meaning he’d be shuffling around the campus a lot more. And, thus, he gets to see how big it is.
It was horribly confusing.
The shape made no sense. Yes, it’s a U. Yes, it’s because it stands for the U in U.A. But the halls. There were so many hallways.
He had quickly made his way into the school entrance, registered himself at the registration desk for the written portion of the heroic’s exam, and then stood still in one of the school’s many hallways. He had no idea where he was.
A tall, purple-haired boy stood near him, also sporting an understandably confused expression on his face.
“Where the hell is the written exam room?” His eyebrows were furrowed, eyes narrowed and lips pinched.
Izuku shrugged. “No idea. For such a big school with such a big budget, you’d think they could afford a couple of signs.”
The boy snorted. “Damn right.”
Izuku turned around, 180 degrees, to face behind him. That hall had no signs. He turned back around, no signs. Left. Right. Nothing.
Not even a single teacher or exam assistant around.
“We must have wandered, like, completely off track from the exam rooms. Because no one is here. At all.”
“You think we’d get in trouble?” The boy raised an eyebrow.
“No. Principal Nedzu surely knows we’re lost. He’s just…not gonna help us.”
The boy (maybe you should ask for his name, Izuku, because this is getting annoying as all hell—) seemed exasperated. “And why the hell not? Isn’t he the principal? Isn’t that his job?”
Izuku shook his head. “Technically, it’s whoever is supposed to be guiding those to the exam rooms’ job. But, also, he’s…sadistic? Kinda? Loves puzzles, tricks, manipulative tactics and such. This is probably fun to him. Oh, and a test for us.”
The boy blinked. “Oh joy.”
Eventually, Izuku and Shinso (He finally asked for his name) made it to the written exam hall, just in time too, because the moment they sat down (next to each other, way in the back, curse himself for not grabbing his damn glasses) Pro Hero Snipe began the exam.
As Present Mic explained how the practical portion of the exam would go, Izuku couldn’t help but notice how Shinso got more and more withdrawn, his expression darkening and tightness enveloping his entire frame.
Let it be known that Izuku Todoroki is not stupid. He may hate his father, loves his siblings, and may (possibly) be a villain sympathizer due to his older brother, but he is not stupid (unless sympathizing with his possible villainous brother is considered stupid).
Shinso doesn’t have a combatant quirk.
Izuku feels a sliver of rage slip through his mask. It cracks a little.
Quirk discrimination is a bitch and a half.
For Izuku, the exam would go well. His quirk was made for something like this, especially if he could separate himself from others for their safety.
He loves Shoto, he does, he’s very proud of his brother. But he simply doesn’t understand situational awareness when it comes to using powerhouse quirks around others.
Shoto’s quirk was one that their father, Enji Todoroki (Pro hero Endeavor) predicted. He did, otherwise he wouldn’t have had five children until he got the quirk he wanted. Well, he planned for four, but Izuku was the little surprise that came alongside his fraternal twin brother. Shoto’s quirk was Half-Cold Half-Hot. Heat and fire pour from his left side, while cold and ice pour from his right.
But he never uses his left side. He hates their father as much as (possibly more than) Izuku does. But Shoto will never understand just how Cold ice can get.
Izuku does.
While they may be twins, Izuku knows he resembles their dead (presumed, Izuku was there while he burnedburnedbur—) brother, Touya Todoroki. His quirk was (is, is, is, is, isisis) one that burned even greater than that of father’s. It ate through anything. He’s heard the whispers of the vigilante (will that last, will that last Touya? What are you going to do?) Dabi. Of his quirk, Cremation. How it burns like Touya (Only he makes that connection). But Izuku knows that Touya burned, he burned and burned and burned—his skin couldn’t handle the fire. His skin was made for ice.
And Izuku’s was made for fire.
But it is ice and cold and frost and glaciers that form from his fingertips.
Izuku will always understand hypothermia better than Shoto ever will. Shoto shouldn’t know what it feels like. His fire was designed to help fight it off, the cold. But he refuses to use it even then.
There is bitterness there. Izuku knows this.
His mask cracks a little bit more each time he remembers.
But Izuku’s quirk, Cryokinesis, nevertheless is strong. A powerhouse quirk in its own right, despite the drawbacks Izuku faces. How he craves heat to replenish what he no longer has. Touya’s body ran colder than it should have, it should have run hotter. His skin was not fireproof, either. Except for the palms of his hands.
Izuku’s body runs hotter. It should run colder. Because if he was used to the cold, it would not hurt him. But he can barely survive against his own quirk. His skin is not cold resistant.
So, here he stood, next to Shinso, wearing black fur-lined, thick sweatpants, white winter boots designed to help with climbing and running, and a black thermal long-sleeved shirt underneath a black, white-fur lined parka. He looked ready for a wonderful winter vacation.
It was summer.
Shinso eyed him curiously.
“I can assume you have like, a water or cold quirk or something, because of the white hair and eyes. But wouldn’t,” he waves a hand towards Izuku’s getup, “this, hinder you?”
Izuku shakes his head. His hood, pulled up over the beanie he now wore, slipped a little. He pulled his black face mask down some. “No, I’m not cold resistant.”
Shinso stared.
Izuku stared back.
Shinso broke eye contact first and shook his head. “Weird, but I guess not the weirdest quirk drawback. I get migraines.”
Izuku’s eyes widened. “You have a mental quirk? Hell yeah, those are my favorite. They’re the most underestimated quirks and the least studied, so there’s so much we don’t know about them, but there’ssomanyofthemouttherethatpeopledon’tconsider—”
“AND…START!”
Izuku cut himself off and quickly got out—“Go for the joints, check for off switches, this is a heroics school, it can’t just be about defeating villains, where’s the saving in that?”—then he shot through the crowd as quickly as he could.
He would do well. He knew this, his quirk was made for it
He was made for it.