Your breath was heavy in your chest as you dodged yet another ice attack from Todoroki. He had managed to throw you a couple feet and you were desperately trying to gain back your lost ground. But as you ran after him he summoned enormous blocks of ice in your path, each one larger than the last.

Growing tired of his time consuming offensive tactics you focused yourself on your emotions. The familiar burning sensation in your lungs soon began as a trail of ink-like tendrils spread from your chest into your hand. It enveloped it in solid black and formed long daggers on your fingertips.

Since your training with Shoto began you were able to slowly manage your other quirk. Thanks to Aizawa breathing exercises and Todoroki's patient determination you could now bring forth a small fraction of that power. You could direct it to any of your limbs giving it a super powered boost of strength. The only problems were you had to steady your emotions to keep it from overtaking you and you couldn't completely let the quirk surround you for the same reasons. You also were unable to use your Supernova power while the other one was active.

You were getting the hang of it though. With a single swipe you were able to cut down Todoroki's barriers as fast as he brought them up. You were near seconds from reaching him.

In a final effort the male mustered all his strength and blasted out a massive wall of ice that flung you and a couple other gym attendants back. You caught and skidded yourself to a halt as you stared up at the incredible feat before you.

Shoto was on the other end of the training room releasing a huff frigid air. Frost layered his skin as he attempted to cool down from the massive attack. You two had been at it for hours and it was finally coming to a close.

Or so he thought. A moment of shock paralyzed him as the sound of shattering glass resonated from behind the wall. The fixture trembled and cracked upon a deafening blow impacting the barrier, carving a hole at the base. Out burst a gush of air that could have blown him off his feet if he had been closer. Even so he had to hold up arms to deflect the impairment of his vision.

Once the gust had settled his gaze fell on the figure which stood at the mouth of the opening. You were taking in deep gulps of breath as you sauntered your way through. Without warning you launched yourself with your demonic hand from ground and sped towards him.

Panic spread through Shoto's body as you were mere milliseconds away from slamming a clawed hand into his face. With thinking he threw an arm out and shut his eyes.

Then next thing he heard was a piercing scream.

He shot his vision open but was immediately filled with a familiar sense dread. Wisps danced across his eyes as you fell on your back harshly. The tower of flames quickly dispelled as he once again took control of his quirk and ran to you.

"(y/n)!" Todoroki was by your side in moments, kneeling next to you.

You moaned softly as his heterochromatic eyes scanned you fearfully. You looked down at your transformed hand saw that a fire was still ignited on it. A yelp fell from your lips as you tried smacking it against the ground. Todoroki was there in an instant covering the arm in ice. Surprisingly, the flames didn't hurt but it was still natural to not want fire on your hands. Soon after you released the tension in your muscles and let the demonic ink melt back into your skin. All that was left was the thin layer of ice which you easily broke off with a hit on the ground.

"Are you alright?" Shoto pressed as you sat up. He clasped your hand in his, inspecting it for any wounds. A slight heat seeped into your face from noticing how soft his fingers ran over your skin. "I didn't burn you did I?"

Your clothes were slightly charred but you weren't injured. "I'm fine."

Your classmate breathed out a sigh. "When you screamed...I thought..."

"I'm okay, really," You smiled and gave his arm a quick squeeze. "I just wasn't expecting that fire wall since you said you never use your left side."

"I don't," He hissed to himself, clenching the fist in his own anger. "I'm sorry, it'll never happen again."

You watched him with concern. It wasn't like he had tried to kill you or anything. Why was he acting like this? "But why?" You questioned. "You seem like you have full control over your quirk why don't you—"

"I already told you, (y/n). I won't use it." He shook his head, casting a glare to his left hand.

"I know, you told me," You frowned sadly. "I understand your reasoning, but from someone who is on the outside looking in, I don't get why you would want to conceal it. It's incredible."

Shoto scoffed at this. "What's so 'incredible' about a quirk that only destroys?"

"That's not true."

"How is it not?"

You adjusted yourself to sit directly in front of him and extended a palm. "Let me see."

"See what?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Your hand, Shoto." His expression hardened. He handed you his right hand which earned him a stern look from you. "Your other hand, Sho." He rolled his eyes and huffed although you could see the small smirk on his lips.

"Do you trust me, Shoto?"

"I..." He thought back to the moments you had spent together. You were always honest, kind, smart, brave. Even when you weren't doing anything specific he enjoyed having you by his side. He admired your tenacity and spirit; it gave him encouragement when he was struggling to find his own. Perhaps the better question was if there was any reason not to trust you. "...yes, I do."

Your heart was flooded with warmth at the genuineness of his confession. It brought a gentle smile to your face. "Okay then. I want you to make a fire in your hand."

You felt how rigid his body went at the suggestion. He started to shake his head when you cupped his palm with your own and gazed into his eyes. "Please, Shoto. I would like for you to trust me on this. I want to show you something."

The male felt confliction in his chest. His conscience yelled at him for even entertaining the idea, but when he looked back at those tender (e/c) irises his noisy thoughts quelled. He was alarmed by how strongly you affected him.

Shoto let out a heavy sigh. "Please be careful," He whispered to you as a small flame sparked to life. It spread across his hand, licking at his finger tips. You could tell he was concentrating on maintaining its minute size.

"When I look at fire...I understand its destructive nature. It has the potential to burn down homes, cities. An entire civilization could be reduced to ashes if a single flame wanders out of its nest," You spoke as his quirk flickered vibrantly in his hand. Todoroki looked grim. "That's what fire does. It burns without a thought."

"But fire is also neutral element. It burns, but it does so with purpose. One controllable and the other not so much," You chuckled softly. "If someone with no respect for it plays with fire it becomes brutal and unforgiving. But if someone who understands the fire were to hold it, they're better at taming the flame."

"You told me your left side brings pain, but have you ever thought of what else you could do with it? All you see is destruction. Fire can be catastrophic, however that's not always the case. Fire provides warmth in the cold winter, it cooks our meals to the best degrees, and..." You hovered your open palms over his flame and ignited your own quirk. A brilliant light flashed from them as it swirled into view and revealed a twinkling sight. From your hands came a universe so alive in color it was borderline magical that it was at your fingertips. "It lights our way."

The stars in your palms glowed feverishly as the light from Shoto's fire shined below it. "I don't know what could have happened to make you hate your quirk but I wanted to let you know how amazing it is," You smiled. "With just your ice it's like this." The galaxy glistening its red and purple hues came to a halt when you pulled it out of the flames leaving it a stark blue space of stars. "A beautiful sky but still missing its potential. You give it life with your flames."

You dissipated the matter from your hands and glanced back at the open fire swaying on his fingers. Carefully, you grazed the ends of the flames enough to feel a small pressure of heat. Shoto nervously watched you, not wanting you to get injured because of him.

Your tumultuous expression reached up to the deep scar surrounding his left eye. Was this the reason he was afraid? You didn't want to ask as it was none of your business, but you hoped one day he would feel comfortable enough to share it with you.

You pushed back a loose strand of hair from your face as your lips parted. "Your flames can be dangerous, but they're not always like that. They're warm and comforting...like you."

You had been hiding your gaze as you said this so when you looked up you were in complete bewilderment. Todoroki was staring back at you, cheeks burning a dark scarlet shade.

The male's emotions were more unsettled than ever now. Your words played over and over in his head as if hoping each time he'd understand more clearly what you had spoken.

"Your flames", his flames....were they even his to begin with? Whenever Shoto thought of them he never recognized them as his own. No...they weren't. They served as a reminder that he was that bastard's son. This quirk was never meant to be used by him.

So then why did his heart jump when you smiled and said those things?

His disruptive mind couldn't find an answer and instead pulled away from you. The fire in his hand died as he brought himself to his feet. "Okay, I think that's enough."

His change in demeanor cast a wave of guilt in you. "I'm sorry, Sho, maybe I shouldn't have said that. I was just trying to encourage you like you've encouraged me."

"It's fine. You just wanted to share your thoughts," Todoroki shrugged silently as he helped you up. "By the way, have you always had glowing freckles?"

"Wha—" Heat rushed to your face when you realized Shoto had seen your speckled features. You must have been too focused on creating that star show to realize you had let your guard down. You normally could maintain it without thinking but for some reason your body decided to be lax with Shoto.

You tried fighting it but the burning in your face was too strong to contain. You lowered your head allowing your hair to mask a little bit of the shining freckles. "Ugh, don't—just forget them please."

But Shoto didn't seem to listen. The next thing you knew he had tilted your jaw up to meet his eyes. His touch sent the glittering stars on your cheeks into a flurry. The male cracked a gentle smile upon seeing the colors shift and dance the more shy you became. The cute trembling of your bottom lip made his chest pound faster.

"You shouldn't hide them," Todoroki remarked, removing himself from you. He wanted to say more but his own features threatened to blush.

"We should go, it's getting late," You said abruptly, growing more nervous by the second. You had snuck a few glances at the other gym attendees and had seen them give you both scowling glares. Your training session did go a little overboard.

Shoto nodded. "Alright. Tomorrow's the day you meet with Principal Nezu, right?"

"Yes, I want to get a goodnight's rest for that!"

"I'm sure you'll do fine. You've already made so much progress with your other quirk. Nice job on that."

"All thanks to you," You grinned happily as you two head for the locker rooms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After parting ways with Shoto you embarked on your journey home. It was a quiet walk rather than the noisy rumblings of taking the train but your legs paid the difference in that price. Still, if it was a manner in which you could save a couple bucks you went with it. You soon came upon your ancient-looking home and unlocked the door.

"Hello?" You called out. You were used to not getting a response so when there was a reply your heartbeat stuttered.

"(y/n)? You're back from school?" Your mom came in to greet you from the kitchen as you closed the door behind you.

"Yup, finished training with Todoroki early." You then noticed the glazed look on her face and raised a brow. "Uh, did something happen?"

"Oh (y/n), you'll never believe it..."

Your mother held a letter in her hand which seemed to be the root of her shocked expression. "What's that?" You asked.

"The landlord sent this and I couldn't...." She was shaking as she spoke, tears pooling the corners of her eyes. "(y/n), did you do this?"

"Do what? What is that? What's going on?" You stated as your worry grew. You walked up to her wanting to retrieve the paper but your mother's hold on it didn't seem like it would loosen.

"(y/n)," She whimpered through choked tears. Your heart dropped when you saw her collapse to her knees sobbing. "Mom!" You yelled, clambering to her. You took her by the shoulders hoping to get an answer out of her but she wouldn't stop trembling.

Your mother shivered as she handed you the note. Your chest was throbbing with fear as you took it and read its contents.

Dear (l/n) Jada,

I am here to inform you that your rent expenses have changed. An undisclosed donor has paid the next five months of your bill up front. If this is an error please send back a written explanation...

You didn't need to read further. Your grasp on the letter fell as you went to cover your mouth. Five months...

You glanced up at your mother who was nodding fervently. It was real. Was this real? What was going on?

"Oh my god," Your mother breathed out through glistening tears. She threw her arms around you and squeezed you so hard the air in your lungs was killing you from the pressure. "We're going to be okay," She cried and rested her cheek on your head. "We're going to be okay..."

Your face was wet with salty droplets of your own. You couldn't speak as your mind was still trying process what you just read. Like anything that seemed too good to be true you wanted to be suspicious of this before you became too happy about it.

But foundations existed that did this sort of thing for people in need. It didn't seem that unlikely that you happened to be one of those people. It was just luck and faith that brought this for you.

You exhaled a shaky breath and hugged your mother back. Things were finally starting to look up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You arose the next day having had the most peaceful sleep in a long time. You felt like you could breathe at last. You had the chance to turn things around for yourself and starting today that was exactly what you were going to do.

You were so taken with anticipation the whole school day it had flown by you in blur. Before you knew it Aizawa had asked you to come down with him to where Principla Nezu was to meet you.

You two had exited the school and trekked one of UA's many expansive fields where the principal, All Might, and Miss Daniels stood. They all addressed you in a friendly conduct upon your arrival.

Principal Nezu was the first to speak. "(l/n)! Welcome, welcome! I'm excited for what you will demonstrate today," He smiled gleefully. "I trust you've been dutiful in your studies?"

"Yes, I haven't missed a beat," You assured. You had been throwing yourself into practice all week and were confident in your abilities. A little grin played on your lips, quivering with enthusiasm at your chance to demonstrate them.

"Aizawa, how has (l/n) progressed with her training?" Nezu inquired to the man on his left. The scruffy teacher gazed back at you, measuring you up.

"She's been diligent. She even went as far as to ask my other hybrid quirked student, Todoroki, for outside sparring."

"Ah! Our recommendation student, a wise choice," The rodent grinned and then turned to Miss Daniels. "And her emotional stasis?"

"Her scuffle with the student Monoma was tense in the beginning..." The woman watched you with an unrelenting fierceness, however it soften ever so slightly as she continued. "...but she has proven to be able to exercise control in her mental state. Based on her aura now, she's greatly improved."

"Excellent news! I whole-heartedly trust your analysis," Nezu chuckled between the two. "We have All Might here just in case anything gets out of hand."

"Hello Young (l/n)! I'm glad I finally get to meet you personally," The giant man kept his signature beam as he took his massive hand in your own dainty one and shook it. "Our last encounter wasn't our best impressions but I hope today makes up for that!"

You reciprocated his kind attitude but in reality you were desperately trying to hold it together. This was your first real talk with the living legend himself, the number one hero. It was hard not to fall prey to your inner fangirl. "I'm a huge fan of your work, All Might, sir," You uttered out as coolly as you could.

All Might wasn't your favorite hero, but his actions and his beliefs coincided with your own. Seeing a single individual doing so much good for the world, and a powerful one at that, was what you aspired to be. He was also just an all around nice guy from what you could tell.

"Well then, let's get started! We've prepared a little exercise for you to do but you're also welcome to highlight any of your own improvements!" The rodent principal informed. "What would you like to begin with first?"

"The exercise, sir," You nodded. Best to get it out of the way before you started making claims about how well adapted you are to the new quirk.

"Alright! I'll let Aizawa explain the objective."

The disheveled teacher exhaled and gestured over to a box by All Might's feet. "We're going to be testing your ability to work under pressure. All Might is going to be throwing these softballs at you and your task is to either destroy it, fling it out of bounds, or toss it back. You can miss some, however you're aiming to have as low an amount on the field as you can."

"But, there is a catch," Aizawa warned. "As you may have surmised this exercise is pretty easy. In order to accurately test your emotional pressure we're going to have to induce."

"Meaning the most effective way we can guarantee the safety of everyone at the Sports Festival is if we put you in a situation where you could accidentally activate your second quirk," Miss Daniels finished for him. "Your job here is to not do that."

Just when you thought things were pretty simple. You let out a compliant sigh and focused back on them with fiery determination. "Okay, how do I do this?"

The expressions on both their faces twisted into a proud smirk. "Now that's what I like to hear," Miss Daniels jibed triumphantly before extending her hand. "May I?"

You gave her your palm which she then held in a firm grip. Afterwards, she turned to Nezu. "What percentage did Dr. Areno suggest?" You recognized the name as the specialist the school had assigned to you.

"40."

The woman's brows furrowed in question. You heard her mutter something under her breath when she glanced down at you with an inquisitive eye. "Do you think you can handle that?" Daniels whispered.

"Yes."

She seemed to agree as she then brought her attention back on your hand. She wasn't looking at it specifically making you wonder what she was doing when—

You nearly gasped aloud as the sudden dark shudder trembled through you. You could feel it down to the pit of your stomach; like a jolt of sick unrest. It was instantaneous and you were quick to pull away from your counselor. You were left with the awful jitter of your hands and a cold sweat.

You were still shaking and visibly less vivacious than before. "Are you alright, (l/n)?" Aizawa asked, concerned.

"Y-yeah, just didn't realize how strong it would feel," You stammered out, trying to regain your wits. Thinking about it now Miss Daniels' quirk could actually be pretty dangerous. Her being able to influence emotions like anxiety, fear, and sadness to any degree she wished was a terrifying thought.

"Are you ready to begin, Young (l/n)?" All Might questioned as he watched you carefully.

"Uh, sure. Let's do this."

You took your stance farther out in the field and waited for All Might's signal. All the while your heartbeat was thrumming a mile a minute. You forced yourself to nudge that out of your mind and try to remain concentrated on the task at hand. You couldn't risk this opportunity.

"Ready? Then—" Your eyes went wide as the number one hero picked up a ball and wound back his arm. "Try this!"

The panic slapped you like falling flat onto a body of water. The softball went zipping past the vast distance between you two leaving you only seconds to react. You thanked your lucky instincts for shooting out a hand and releasing a ray purple matter just in time for the debris from the disintegrated ball to spray back at you.

Your gaze was riddled with alarm as you stared back at the teachers. They were also stunned. "Ah, sorry, that was little too harsh of a throw," All Might chuckled nervously. "I'll be more conscious of this next one."

"No!" You interrupted. "It's fine. I can handle it."

"A-are you sure?"

If you couldn't pull this off then you'd just feel ashamed to have even showed up at all. "Yes, I can do it." Using your anxiety filled veins to your advantage you summoned the scathing black ink back to your arm, earning a few wide eyed looks from the faculty.

Aizawa glanced from you to those glowing cracked markings on your claw hand. "(l/n)—"

"I can do this!" You called out desperately. "Just give me a chance."

All the teachers turned to Principal Nezu for input, but the rodent seemed fixed on your demonic transformation. "Proceed."

All Might nodded reluctantly and shifted his attention to you. He swung again with the same momentum, the ball soaring above you. Despite the frantic beatings of your chest you sped off like a rocket catching the ball and flinging it out over the buildings of UA.

Again, and again, and again this process was repeated. And time and time again you gave it your all, either crushing the softball to dust or launching it out into the sky. Your breath was haggard and dry but you refused to stop moving. Even the teachers seemed impressed by your display but you had yet to notice.

Another ball came your way and as you caught it you felt a hard sting slam from the object into your palm. You glanced down and saw that the black vines that were sprouting from your chest into your hand were starting to thin out. The transformation usually covered your whole arm up to your shoulder, but now the color had faded down to your elbow. Your limbs started to shake at the realization that you were losing your grasp on your quirk.

But there was still a job to be done.

You decided to play it smart and dissipate the monstrous arm. Using your laser-like quirk you began shooting down the targets. But as you were doing so, you noticed Nezu saying something to the number one causing him to nod in return.

Before you could interpret what was going on you saw All Might reel back and launch out 2 of the softballs. And it didn't feel like his initial throw either. It was much more aggressive and subsequently, faster, than the others.

In a fly of the moment effort you managed to blast a beam that destroyed one of the balls, but the other was still rapidly approaching. You knew you could never obliterate it in time so you did the only thing you could do. You forced your arm to transform again.

You gritted your teeth as the flaming sensation ripped through your muscle once again and encased your skin. Call it skill, a miracle, or luck, but you somehow caught the burning ball. Your frustrations spiked as you spun around in retaliation and tossed it back, a resonant sound booming from your hand.

You blinked and the ball had returned in the possession of All Might who had it gripped like iron, soft wisps of smoke singeing off of its peeling leather. That's when you noticed the teachers staring at you in amazement. A flurry of leaf blades cascaded all around you from the heat of your counterattack.

But amid it all the most astounding thing was that you had no softballs on your side of the field.

Principal Nezu clapped his hands together and stepped forward. "Alright, let's end it there."

"I'd like to hear some opinions," the rodent continued, "Aizawa, is there anything you'd like to say?"

Your homeroom teacher still looked a little baffled but he managed to recuperate himself. "I don't think there's much else to say. I think (l/n) did well."

"Miss Daniels?"

"I have to agree with, Aizawa. (l/n) exceeded my expectations today," She conceded as well.

"All Might, any words?"

"She has such a spark in her! Amazing! I believe she's grown a lot since her last incident."

Your chest was bursting with happiness at their words. You had worked so hard to get where you were and it was all thanks to those who supported you.

You watched as Nezu deliberated over their comments. He let out a small huff and placed his paws behind his back. "Okay, I've made my decision."

"(l/n), I have decided...." Your heart felt like it was being squeezed by the air in your lungs as he followed his next announcement.

"...to deny your participation in the Sports Festival."

The three teachers whipped their heads to the principal, dumbfounded. They didn't speak a word but the expressions on their faces was enough to see what they were truly thinking.

"I'm sorry...but we cannot risk another accident happening. You showed tremendous improvement and for that I applaud you, but there is no way we can guarantee that your quirk won't be a danger to others."

It's like you were listening and yet at the same time you weren't. You had left your body but were also fighting to get out. It was a storm of emotions you couldn't process and didn't really want to. All you knew is that you wanted to leave. You didn't want to be in front of these people anymore.

You couldn't bring yourself to speak until All Might reached out to you. "Miss (l/n), are you—"

"U-um, I-I have to go." Your voice was nearly mute, however it was clear everyone heard you. You deflected your gaze from them as you quickly walked out of the field. As for your destination it was anywhere but there.

You shuffled into the first building you came across and hurriedly sped down the empty hallway. It felt better to keep a pace even if you had no real direction. Anything was better than thinking at that point.

But eventually that comfort withered away and you were once again left with your thoughts. Funny how that always came to be.

You stopped in the middle of the hall and just stared into the nothingness. You saw the bright sunlight glinting against the bulletin boards and posters alike. The smell of something dull wafted into your nose. The school, devoid of anything. It was all in a moment, every detail graphed into your mind by some invisible hand. The same hand that weaved into memory the moment when your aspirations were crushed.

You slowly walked over to the wall and placed your hand on it just before it enclosed into a fist. Everything you had worked for, everything you had accomplished, everyone's time you had wasted....it was all for nothing. You wanted to punch the concrete beneath your hand or slam your head against the wall, anything to pry you away from your haunting thoughts.

The corners of your eyes burned as you fought against them, teeth gritted in pain. But it was a feat too monumental to overcome. A loud cry erupted from your body as you fell to your knees; your fingers gripping and sliding against the wall.

Everything gone. All your dreams gone. Your opportunity gone. Your reputation gone. Everything you had set your sights one was turned to dust, ripped away by a single force.

You'd never get that back, and if you did it wouldn't be until a very long time.

You needed something, anything. Your fears and your sadness were starting to mesh and you were afraid of what you might do if that grew too great.

It was like a magical reflex when your unsteady hand reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone. Your fingers automatically glided over the first number that appeared on it, and with a click it began to ring.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katsuki was sitting on bench, water bottle in hand, when he heard his phone jingle. It was thrown haphazardly into his gym bag so he had to fish around for a while before he even found it. To his surprise, the caller id read Twinkle Toes.

"Hey, nighty light, what's goin' on?" His casual drawl was soon reduced to a choke when he heard your strangled cries over the tone. You weren't even forming sentences just sobbing and sobbing into the mouth piece.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong? What the hell happened? (y/n), tell me," Bakugou begged. His chest was now beating with concern. All of a sudden the thought crossed his mind if it was the same thing that had scared you before. "(y/n), are you okay? Talk to me!"

"I...I-I....god, everything just sucks," You stammered out in tears, but he was relieved you were at least speaking coherently.

"(y/n), what's going on? What happened?"

"....I went t-to the practice thing f-for Principal Nezu and...." You gasped as another cry sounded from you. "I got denied, Katsu. I-I'm not allowed to be in the Sports Festival."

The blond felt his heart ache as your whimpers and sobs muffled. He could only imagine what you looked like in that second and it hurt him just to think of it.

"Katsuki, I threw everything I had, everything I am into proving myself today and...it was all thrown away. Worthless," You spat with self hatred. A small whine followed it though. "I...I worked so hard to get to this point and I..."

Katsuki's brows knitted together in empathy. He wanted to be there for you in that moment but he couldn't.

His mind then drifted off to the 'why' of it all. Why would Nezu decline your participation? Well it was reasonable to understand. Your accident with Monoma made headlines for UA, not to mention the deadly nature of it all. Your quirk was terrifying to behold.

But more frightening were the string of words his memory jogged in the back of his conscience. The crinkle of his frown deepened as he tightened his jaw. He knew it wasn't what you wanted to hear right now but—

"Maybe it's better that you don't go."

The long pause on the other end of the line seemed to last hours. "What?"

"Well, your new quirk is pretty dangerous, and you don't even know how to control it."

"Katsuki, I can weaponize it into one of my limbs! I did that in a week!" Your cries had stop. Now you were raising your voice in disbelief.

He recalled you updating him on your progress, but the blond still shook his head. "Yeah, exactly, a week. Who's to say it won't backfire on you? You don't have enough experience with it. Plus, if things get out of hand you could go berserk again and hurt yourself and others."

"Katsuki, I know I can control it even if it's to this little extent. The fact that I've even gotten this far...shouldn't that count for something?" Your tone was laced with crushing dismay and he knew he was the cause of it. But he argued with himself that it was better for you to hate him for going against you than for you to put yourself at risk. His heart felt heavy at the thought but the warning he had received outweighed his vehement desire to console you.

"I'm sorry, (y/n), I just think you should steer clear from that right now. You'll have other opportunities—"

"Oh yeah like the Sports Festival for next year? Or wait they might not let me since I'll still have the same goddamn quirk so maybe the year after that?" You seethed sarcastically. "When will I ever be able to show for myself huh? Whenever the school deems me 'not a threat'? Newsflash, I will always have this fucking quirk in me."

The next blow that hit Katsuki's chest scathed him deeply than anything he'd experienced before. "And here I called thinking the one support I could count on was my best friend." Your tears were audibled once more; small huffs escaping you in between words. "How fucking wrong was I?"

"(y/n), I—" But it was too late. The sharp clack of the tone signaled the end of the call.

Katsuki's scowl hardened. Not in anger or in spite, but in pain. He was shocked to see his hands were shaking now as he scrolled through his phone and dialed you again.

No answer.

"Damn it!" His frustration was resonant. He threw the phone into his bag knowing full well that no matter how many times he called you wouldn't pick up. He hunched over in his seat and rubbed his hands over his tired face.

Fuck...what did he do?

"Bakugou?" Came a small whisper from beside him. He looked up to see Uraraka who had come back from refilling her water bottle. "Are you okay?"

The blond let out a lengthy sigh and shook his head. "No, but what does it matter? Let's get back to practice."

He pulled himself up and began trudging back to their spot on the mats when he suddenly felt a pressure on his wrist. He glanced back, quietly alarm, by the girl who was grasping him. She hid her meek features with her hair when she responded. "I-if you need to talk, I'm here."

The confliction in Katsuki's emotions were so muddled he didn't know what to say. Instead he swiveled his own wrist and caught Uraraka's arm with his hand. He gently yanked her to feet and nodded towards the blue mats. "I'm fine, mochi face, come on."

He appreciated her concern but didn't want to delve any further into the matter. In truth Bakugou was restless thinking that he might have just ruined his friendship with you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After you had hung up the phone call you seated yourself with your back to the wall and your knees to your chest. Empty tears slid down your cheeks as you realized that you were alone, completely and utterly alone.

Were you right to even snap at Katsuki like that? You weren't sure. But the fact that he was the only one you thought would have your back and he turned around and sided with Nezu? It hurt. That fucking hurt.

You were so sure of yourself too. It may not have seemed like a long time, but you had trained day in and day out to be able to handle the quirk that had put you into this unfortunate situation. You worked tirelessly, and for what? A simple pat on the back and a 'better luck next time!'.

Your silent cries continued until a familiar voice fell on your ears. "Hey, (l/n)?" You cast a shy glance upward and were met with a pair of doting green eyes. "Midoriya?"

If it was possible, your classmate's already kind face softened even more when he took in your appearance. "Oh, (y/n)..." He said breathless as he came closer and kneeled beside you. His hand came down on your shoulder, an anxious gaze met yours with solemness. "Don't cry, please...tell me what's wrong."

You flitted your eyes away from his, trying to regain some sense. "I..."

Midoriya wasn't in your close circle of friends, but you knew he was trustworthy just by his personality. What harm was there to confide in him? He seemed like the only one who cared at that moment.

"Have you ever tried really hard at something only to get shot down in the end? Scraped tooth and nail and still came up empty handed? That's what I feel right now," You murmured, wiping away stray tears. "I had to demonstrate to Principal Nezu how well I can manage my new quirk and...he still said no."

You buried your head in your arms as a broken exhale left your lips. "He told me I couldn't be in the Sports Festival with you guys."

Midoriya looked noticeably stunned by this. "What...? But I saw you out there, you were incredible!"

"You saw?" You questioned with a lift of your brow. The male's cheeks blushed a few shades darker. "U-um, well, I was waiting for All Might to be done a-and I couldn't help but see you out there so I ended up watching..."

You sighed and waved him off. "It's fine." You didn't think there'd be many people left after school but it was reasonable that there were some stragglers. "I appreciate the sentiment though...I wish others thought the sme thing."

"Maybe it's true that I'm just not good enough yet," You said as you stared at your open palm. "Or maybe I'll always be a danger to myself and others."

"No." You blinked in surprise and directed your eyes over to the fluffy haired male. His expression was resolute, reflecting only determination in his address. "No, you're wrong."

You opened your mouth to speak, but he cut you off and kept going. "I saw you out there that day with Monoma. You could have hurt him, but thankfully you didn't. But what I saw today was nothing like that time. You were the most confident and efficient I had ever seen you, and what's especially exceptional is that you've had this new quirk for only a couple of weeks."

"I don't know why they decided to turn you down, but they're blind not to realize how amazing and hard-working you really are."

You felt a soft throbbing in your chest and a wave of warmth spreading through your cheeks. Your vision was beginning to blur once more as you stared back at Midoriya. A small smile formed on your lips and the well of tears spilled over. "Thank you, Izuku."

You reached up to his hand on your shoulder and laid your own over it, cuddling your cheek into it as well. The freckled male was delighted by your fondness, but that wasn't why he became such a stammering mess.

"(l-l/n), you uhm, said--"

"I know," You chuckled delicately. "However, to be fair, you did it first."

"I, I did?"

"Yeah, you probably didn't notice, but it's okay. I don't mind you calling me by my first name. We've known each other for a bit now and I think of you as a friend."

"O-oh..." Izuku's face could light a fire from how red he had gotten. His hand never left yours though. "But, ah, (y/n)..." He cleared his throat. "About the festival...I...ahaha, I don't know if I should even be saying this."

"What is it?" You frowned.

"I think, if you're still committed to your goal, you should complete it."

You staggered slightly. You couldn't believe good, little Midoriya of all people was telling you this. "Are you suggesting I go behind Nezu's back and enter in the Sports Festival anyway?"'

"I didn't say those words, but if that's what you're thinking...well, you should always listen to your gut, right?" Izuku replied, a cheeky smile on his face.

"But what if I get expelled? Or worse, banned from ever applying to a hero program?"

His expression soured at the thought as he scratched his cheek. "Yeah, those are possibilities. It's a gamble, but if you're able to prove Nezu's decision wrong then he would have to take you seriously. At least I think he would. A lot of the teachers at UA are very pushy and demanding, but it's because they care and want their students to succeed."

"I'm treading forbidden waters with this one," You muttered, biting your lip as you pondered. What did you have to lose? Well, everything. But what was the point in following your dream if you were never going to be given the chance to? What Izuku said made sense. If you could prove, and not just hit the mark but go beyond it, Nezu would have to realize his mistake. You weren't a danger to others; you were capable.

"It's an enormous risk...but it's my only way out if I want to reveal my prowess and clear my name," You submitted with a shrug although the gleam in your eye was an indicator to how dead set you were. "And who knows? If this doesn't work out I can always be a hero as a vigilante."

"You really want to be a hero huh?" Izuku said suddenly. Your eyes met his in what could only be described as mutual understanding.

"Yeah...ever since I was little I always felt the need to protect. My mom from her nightmare of a job, my friends from bullies, and sometimes just regular people who endure cruelties unwarranted," You smiled in a quiet hum. "I know it's impossible to think of a world where everything is alright, but I'd like to make a difference in that, even if it's small."

The male abruptly moved his hand to instead grasp it around yours. The texture of his skin was softer than you imagined.

Your attention was stolen when Izuku looked back at you in a sweet, gentle regard. His cheeks held just a dust of pink as he spoke. "It hurts to see you cry. Please...if you ever need anything, come talk to me, no matter what it's about."

"Smiling and laughing like you were just now...you deserve that rather than fighting back tears."

You weren't sure why, but your face felt much warmer than before. Was it from Izuku being kind to you in this way? It was different from Bakugou's demeanor towards this sort of situation, but inviting nonetheless.

"Thank you, Izu," You responded, grateful and embarrassed from how pleasant he was towards you. You squeezed his hand back and smiled. "I guess I'll be seeing you soon then?"

The green haired male nodded though it looked like he was still flush from his interaction just then. "I hope so."

You huffed, a little smirk toying on the corner of your lips. "You can bet on it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

True to your word you zipped up your UA jacket that Monday morning ready to face whatever was to come. You grabbed your phone from the nightstand and shoved it in your pocket before heading out the door. You had received several notifications from a certain explosive blond all weekend, but you didn't feel prepared to talk to him just yet. Although you were sure to run into him today.

You pushed away all those negative thoughts and tried to focus back on the goal at hand. As you crossed the school gate and entered the bustling sea of people you only had one thing on your mind.

You were going to prove your worth, and you weren't going down without a fight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[?]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The girl had been there for a little over a week now before the others started showing up. Most of them were like her. Reserved, quiet, confused, but quick to adjust to their circumstance. But some were like the new boy who wouldn't keep their mouth shut.

"What are we doing here watching the festival on TV?" The boy hissed. "We should be out there making them suffer."

No one spoke, but their eyes followed him as he paced around the room. "God, this is bullshit!"

"Patience, Reo." Another voice entered causing everyone to whirl to attention. Their presence was intimidating and demanding. It made a shiver crawl down the girl's spine every time.

"Attacking your foes recklessly like that? You might as well surrender first," The being said as it crossed the room, bringing themselves to face the screen. The girl stole a glance at their features and was filled with dread. Their face looked more gaunt than the last time. Was it happening again?

The first time she met them they looked like a normal teenage girl, but slowly their body started to decay. They had told her that that wasn't their true form and that it was a consequence they had to endure. She didn't ask questions.

Being gifted her power was enough of an answer for her to endure that petrifying sight.

"You'll get your chance. You'll all get your chance," the mysterious figure promised, a smile of sinister intentions spread across their lips. The other listened intently as they awaited their orders. But the being merely tapped their cheek which glimmered a faint trail of twinkling stars. "Just keep your eye on the girl."

Wow, this one was very long. But I'm glad we're here 'cause we just hit a milestone! I wanted to make sure the stage was set character wise before we moved further along in the story. I hope you guys enjoyed and I'm sorry if you found some typos. I just finished it and it's like 4 in the morning where I'm at ^^; But I wanted to get it out as soon as I was done so I made sure to try to proofread as much as I could.
Let me know what you think! :)