Diamonds in the Rough *INDEFINITE HIATUS*

Certain Variable

"Izuku darling what's wrong??" Inko fretted, trying to console her crying son.

"Zu! What the hell?? Why are you crying??" Katsuki asked "Did you get in or not?!" Izuku nodded before shaking his head frantically. "Pick one stupid nerd!!" Izuku tried to explain but all that came out were hiccupping sobs right before he began to cry even harder. "Oh for fuck's sake!" Bakugo snapped, raising his hands in exasperation. He got up and knelt down on one knee in front of his bawling friend. "Number system. Why are you crying? Go."

Izuku immediately held up three fingers, then four, then one, two, five and finally four again, this time with his pointer finger down instead of his thumb. Katsuki and Inko shared an unreadable look and the blonde sat on the floor criss-cross to make himself comfortable. This was gonna take a while.

"Alright, we'll start with the big one. You got into U.A, yes or no?" Katsuki sighed. Izuku nodded.

"That's great!" Inko cried "Is that what the two is for?" Izuku nodded again.

"Okay. One emotion down." Bakugo rubbed the scar on his nose tiredly, wanting nothing more than for the boy to just spit out why he was crying "so what's the one for? Uh... petunia didn't get in?" a shake. "So he did get in" *nod*

"Did another one of your friends not get in?" Inko tried. *Shake, pause, shrug*

"We'll figure that out later" Katsuki dismissed. "You did badly on the test?" *shake*

"Did you not get the points or whatever it was you needed?"

"If he didn't get the points he wouldn't have gotten into the school Auntie" Bakugo huffed. Inko thought for a bit more

"You didn't get the points for the right course perhaps then" she tried. Another shake

"Well then why the hell are you upset?? You got into the hero course!" Izuku gave a choked sob and shook his head once more

"What do you mean by no darling?" Inko puzzled, stroking his green curls while Bakugo began slamming his head repeatedly on the coffee table behind him in frustration "You said you had the points for it, and you passed the test right?" he nodded and held up a four and then a three

"Yeah I'm pretty fucking frustrated too!" Katsuki snarled "Why the hell are you crying?? You passed the test, got the points and got in." Izuku shook his head and Bakugo started tugging at his blonde locks angrily. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!?"

"Calm down Katsuki-kun" Inko soothed the raging child on her floor before turning back to her own "We'll ask about that later then dear, but at least I'm pretty sure I know what the five is for"

"Huh?"

"You're going to a new school Izuku, its only natural for you to feel a bit frightened at that"

"Oh. Is that it?" Bakugo scoffed. Mother and son shot him identical glares but he simply gave them an indifferent shrug in return. Inko rolled her eyes and continued on

"Now you said you were hurt?" *Nod*

"Emotionally or physically?" the other boy gritted out. Izuku gave a wobbly smile and wiped at the tears streaming down his face

"B-bo-oth" He managed out "H-hit my-my kn-ee-eh whe-en I-I feh-ehl"

"You can get an ice pack later" Katsuki snapped "And emotionally why?" green eyes began to well up once more "I take it back! I take it back!" he panicked

"Okay, so let's see what we have," Inko began "You're happy because you got into U.A" *Nod* "You passed the test" *Nod* "You got those points or whatever" *Nod* "And you got into the Hero Course" *Shake*

"Hang on a minute" Bakugo butted in "You met all the requirements right?" *nod* "So you should be in the hero course" *slight pause, nod* "And yet, you're not" *nod* "???"

"Well that doesn't make any sense" Mrs. Midoriya agreed "why didn't they let you in if you met all the requirements?" Izuku rubbed at his face frantically, pulling himself away from his mother's arms for a few moments while he went into his room, returning with a silver disk in hand. He placed the projector on the coffee table. A tiny All Might popped up but before he could even begin, Izuku fast forwarded towards the end before finally hitting play.

"You're in." All Might announced in a strange voice. There was silence on screen and in the room, besides Izuku's sniffling, as the projection froze

"Did it glitch?" Inko whispered and the two boys shushed her, staring at the screen

"However, I'm afraid we also had to take in certain," The pro hero glared once more at someone off screen "Variables. So even though you meet the requirements for the hero course, he school board has decided to place Midoriya Izuku in the General Studies course."

"The fuck?" Katsuki questioned

"Congratulations young Midoriya" All Might said with a voice that didn't match the words "You are now a student of U.A" The clip ended and the three sat in silence. Katsuki shot to his feet

"What kinda absolute bullshit is that??!" he shrieked and began pacing back and forth. "Certain variables?? What the hell does that even mean?! Is it the school records- no that can't be it, and I don't think you have a traceable police record-"

"A what??!" Inko snapped but the muttering blonde ignored her

"Is it the application? Or maybe that whole incident from before the practical- no that can't be it either. Otherwise they would've mentioned it in my video. What on earth can they possibly be talking abou-" he froze mid-step and glanced over at Izuku "No. No way. They didn't." he shook his head " That cannot be the reason why"

"What are you talking about Katsuki-kun?" she asked but Bakugo only shook his head even more and began pacing again

"Uh uh. I refuse to believe it. I will not believe that is the reason why-"

"What other reason did they have Kacchan?" Izuku murmured softly, breaths still hitching. The blonde began to seethe

"Out of all the stupid- no! No. they wouldn't have-"

"They just did" he snapped back angrily "Let's face it. U.A is just like everyone else"

"What are you talking about?" Inko questioned, quite lost, and not sure she wanted to know "What variable are they talking about?"

"What other variable can they be talking about Auntie?!" Katsuki gritted out "He met all the requirements, so why else would they stick him in the general course?" Inko refused to answer and the raging teenager in front of them only seemed to get madder and madder. "I'll be right back" he spoke quietly before silently marching over to the door and out.

She wrapped her child back up in her arms, stroking his long green curls comfortingly as he leaned into her. The two sat wordlessly together as faint explosions could be heard from the forest behind the apartment complex and Izuku's sniffles finally began to subside.

Inko had always prided herself on having a long fuse but sitting there on the couch looking at her son's defeated expression and listening to the angry howls of his friend outside, something inside her snapped.

A.N~ Really really sorry about the short chapter, i'll make it up in the next one i promise!

If anyone figures out what each number means, I will be mildly impressed tbh.