Chapter Text
Shinsou had always admired heroes despite what everyone else might have said or believed. His dream had been to be a hero ever since he was a small kid and he wasn’t about to give up on that, even while standing in front of a huge robot that he’d have to defeat twenty or something of to get into the hero course of his dream school.
No he wasn’t about to give up on that even if it meant trying to dismantle said robots one by one. A skill he didn’t actually possess but he would try nonetheless to prove that he was made out of the same material as the heroes he so admired.
He wasn’t about to give up on that when one of said robots slowly came closer and closer to him while he was frozen to the spot from anxiety and fear.
He’d attack any minute now. So what if his quirk wasn’t going to help him right now? He’d get into the hero course somehow. He might have applied for general studies too but damn it he’d make it into the hero department.
The robot was getting ready to attack him now; it would shoot any second and Shinsou still hadn’t moved an inch.
On his left a small boy sprinted towards him, tackling him to the side just in time that neither of them got hit by the large blast the machine had just emitted. He fell down hard, his knees and hands scraping open and all air being pushed out of him as the other boy landed on top of him, wheezing hard.
“Are you okay?!”
Shinsou nodded slightly, reorienting himself as a cloud of dust swirled around them. Behind him he could hear a loud noise and the sound of metal hitting the floor after someone had just destroyed one of their obstacles; presumably the one that nearly hit him.
“I could have handled that...” He didn’t even notice himself saying anything but the other boy apparently did. He stood up abruptly, grabbing Shinsou and hauling him up by his arms.
“I know right? I never get to attack any of them either. The others always snatch them out from right under me.”
There wasn’t a hint of mockery in the boys voice and for the first time Shinsou actually looked at him. He had a mix of green and black hair and an insanely cute round face full of freckles. Admits all that rouble and dust he looked strangely like an angel to Shinsou; a thought that made him laugh softly.
“Well we still have some time, don’t we? Just have to be faster this time around.” Rationally he knew that he wasn’t about to pass this part of the entrance exam with his quirk. Even if he got around to brainwashing someone the points would just go to them instead of him.
“Exactly! By the way I’m Midoriya Izuku! Let’s talk again when we’re both in the hero course!” After that Midoriya ran off towards another obstacle, leaving Shinsou alone as the last five minutes of the exam started.
He looked around for some kind of weapon to defeat the robots with but found none, ending up with exactly 0 villain points and three rescue points from where he helped others away from the zero point obstacle.
In the end he didn’t get into the Hero course.
A few months later he walked into Class 1-C from the General Department way before anyone else so he could choose his seat freely. To his surprise however he wasn’t the first one there. In the middle of the room sat a very anxious and sad looking Midoriya Izuku.
So he hasn’t gotten into the Hero Course either, Shinsou thought as he sat down next to Midoriya on a whim, which made the smaller boy look up at him with wide eyes, probably not having been expecting anyone to enter the classroom that soon.
“Didn’t you say to meet again in the Hero Course?” Shinsou asked drily, a small sarcastic smile on his lips. He didn’t mean that comment to be hurtful or sarcastic in any way but now that he said it he was pretty sure it was far from being tactful.
For a moment Midoriya just looked at him with big eyes before he started smiling widely, holding out his hand. “I did say that but well... guess getting into it while being quirkless was a bit unrealistic. But at least I know someone in this class! I don’t think you’ve told me your name yet though?”
“Shinsou Hitoshi.” He shook the offered hand quickly, maybe a bit too firmly, only wondering briefly about the weird introduction. He was way more focused on the new information he had just gotten. Now, he wasn’t one to judge but it was a little strange or rather uncommon that someone without quirk even tried to get into the Hero Course. Then again he himself might as well been quirkless during the exam and it wouldn’t have made a difference.
When Midoriya didn’t say anything else and just went back to sadly starring at his various All Might themed school supplies Shinsou decided that he should probably say something to cheer him up.
He wasn’t really good at that.
“I heard that you can gain a place in the Hero Course if you do well during the sports festival. We’ll just get our second chance then.” It had come up during his research on what the entrance exam could be. Of course he didn’t know yet how reliable that information was but it seemed like the kind of thing that might cheer Midoriya up.
He wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to cheer him up. Maybe it was just the fact that they both weren’t born with helpful quirks. He felt like there was a kind of kinship between them that he couldn’t quite explain yet. Whatever it was it made him want to see that smile again he had seen during the exam and learn more about the boy.
From what Shinsou had gathered so far Midoriya was confident and resourceful in dangerous situations but rather timid and unconfident outside of that, so hopefully knowing that he’d get a second chance would be enough to help him feel a little less bad about the situation.
And he was right because immediately after he talked about a second chance Midoriya perched up, looking at him with wide hopeful eyes.
“That’s great!” Midoriya nearly seemed to vibrate at his table. He was rocking back and forth slightly, an action that lead to a slight scraping noise from the legs of his chairs moving on the floor, while he kept talking as fast as lightning. “I started exercising before the exam so maybe if I, I don't know, double my regimen I’ll be able to success! We should practice together! I mean people speculate that All Might’s quirk is a purely physical one and while we won’t be able to gain that amount of strength by exercising we might still stand a chance against other physical type quirks. By the way what is your quirk? Wait don’t answer yet I need to get my notebook.”
Shinsou wasn’t sure if he should tell the other his quirk. Sure he seemed nice enough and awfully cute, the way he pulled things out of his back and quickly put them back once he found what he had been looking for, those big and hopeful eyes and fuck it.
“Brainwashing.”
He didn’t bother explaining it further for now, readying himself for the inevitable comment about how he’s 'better suited to be a villain' and how it was 'only fortunate that he didn’t get into the Hero Course' etc.
To his surprise that kind of comment never came.
“That is amazing! How exactly does it work? Could you brainwash villains into letting go of hostages or giving you important information? How long does it work? Is it suited for undercover missions? I can’t believe you didn’t get into the hero department with such a useful quirk!”
He had yet again totally underestimated Midoriya and he wasn’t the least bit sad about it. Nobody had ever reacted to his quirk like that. Not only did the other not instantly connect it to being a villain he actually came up with potential scenarios in which it would work well for a hero.
Shinsou was quite frankly a bit flustered and embarrassed; not used to such positive attention from anyone. He couldn’t help but smile as he answered.
“Well it only works if the other person answers me. If they do I can will them to obey any command I give them. Yes I could potentially make a villain let go of a hostage and make them give me information. I’m not sure how long exactly the effects last because I didn’t want to try any long term commands on people without their permission. Since the people don’t really act normally as they only do what I tell them too it might not be suited for longer undercover work. Also thanks for liking it.”
While he explained all that Midoriya hastily wrote things down in the worn out slightly singed notebook he had taken out of his bag before. Every now and again he would look up at Shinsou with big eyes and nod, before he focused back on writing things down.
“So what are you writing down there and what exactly do you mean with exercising?”
It took another moment of writing before Midoriya looked up to him again with the biggest and dorkiest smile Shinsou had ever seen.
“I’ve been cleaning up this beach around here. Pulling freezers away and things like that. And this notebook is for writing notes on all heroes I meet and see! I’m currently at number 13 of my hero notes. “ Midoriya pulled his desk closer to Shinsou’s, putting the notebook in the middle to show it to him.
“I write down their quirk and statistics and possible uses and moves and some general information about them. I also sometimes write down their weak points or openings they have in fights etc.! Oh and I sketch their hero outfits and possible ways to perfect them.”
“Can I take a look at this?” Shinsou asked, not even trying to keep the awe out of his voice. When Midoriya nodded he gently took the notebook, his hands trembling slightly as he was trying hard to not damage it in any way while he leaved through it. He occasionally commented on some things or pointed out information that was still lacking, something that apparently made Midoriya more than excited.
Sometimes he’d grab the notebook back from Shinsou without warning to add something he said, resulting in Shinsou commenting on even more things or even just asking about some observations Midoriya had made.
They ended up talking about heroes and quirks and possible strategies that could have been used in fights all the way until first period, not noticing how the room slowly filled with their other classmates and how they were being starred at for conversing so animatedly first thing in the morning.
Shinsou quite frankly had never met another person quite like Midoriya. Someone that was as interested in heroes as he was, something not even Shinsou had managed, someone that was as genuinely nice and sweet, someone that smiled as cutely and got as excited about someone talking to him about his notebook.
Shinsou could understand the last point though, as Midoriya didn’t seem to be the kind of person that nearly burned their own notebook, so seeing how he was quirkless it must have been something else that did that to him. Somehow the thought alone made his blood boil, despite not having known Midoriya for long.
However Shinsou probably wouldn’t be able to take revenge on whoever made Midoriya feel like he wasn’t allowed to talk about what he was interested in making the next best thing he could do showing him that it was a perfectly fine interest.
But then again that had been his plan anyway when he had seen the smile on the other boys face when Shinsou asked about the notebook without mockery. It also didn't hurt that Shinsou himself was a big fan of heroes and was already excited about the chance of talking to someone that was equally excited if not more.
On top of that I’d do anything to see that smile again, he thought as he folded a small note during class and slipped it on Midoriya’s table.
“Can I see the other notebooks too sometime?”
"OF COURSE! I'd love to show them to you!"
Shinsou smiled at Midoriya, ignoring the already slightly annoyed look of their homeroom teacher, who's name he had already forgotten. He really did look forward to spending more time with Midoriya, though that might have been quite obvious, judging from the way their classmates looked at them. Midoriya however seemed unaware of the situation so Shinsou decided to not comment on it, hiding his smile and blush behind his hand instead.
Maybe General Education wasn't that bad.