The Winged Wolf

Chapter Twenty Four: Written Exams

You're sitting on the floor in front of the TV, a dopey grin plastered on your face. In a few moments, the news would be airing an interview with pro-heroes Midnight and Mt. Lady.
You quickly press the power button and wait as it powers up. You hear rushed footsteps behind you, and without looking, you know it's Izuku. He had also been waiting for the interview for a while, now.
When the show began, you were incredibly excited. More so than you'd ever been for a show.
"Welcome back to our live show!" says the broadcaster, "The next topic: is it really necessary to dress sexily?"
You cringe slightly. This isn't the topic you were expecting.
"Let's ask our studio guests! Here we have pro-hero and teacher at UA high, Midnight! And newly debuted rookie, Mt. Lady! Thank you so much for joining us. Please, have a seat. Let's start with you, Midnight. When you first debuted, your revealing outfit caused quite the controversy."
His choice of words is an understatement.
"In fact, your outfit was one of the main factors in changing costume regulations. You're a hero whose sexiness changed the laws of the country. How does that make you feel?"
Mt. Lady murmurs, "Her outfit's still kinda racy!" Though it goes unnoticed.
"Now I rely on ultra-thin fabric. Because of the nature of some people's quirks, revealing or sexy costumes are required. Clothing restrict their abilities and that's never the goal. Besides, what's more attractive than a hero who can get the job done quickly?"
She smiles smugly when the newscaster doesn't know how to respond.
Mt. Lady, though, has another comment. "You just like the attention, don't you?"
Midnight scoffs and stands abruptly, slamming her hands on the desk in front of her. "What do you think you're doing, trying to start a fight!?"
"No, no, of course not!" Mt. Lady exclaims, a bright smile on her face, "I look up to you, I think you're amazing. For someone of your age."
Midnight looks about ready to explode. "Are you saying your only redeeming quality is your youth!? Well, get a load of this, you're not that young yourself!"
"All I'm saying is that the older pros try too hard then the rest of us have to go even further!" That's when your mother turns off the TV.
She points at the clock on the wall and says, "Time to go, you don't want to be late."
"Yeah, we better get going," you mutter, standing up and slinging your bag over your shoulder. You practically drag Izuku out of the house, listening to him murmur about finals.
"What do you think the exams will be like? Ashido said we'd be fighting robots from the entrance exams, but that can't be right. UA should be more creative. Especially with students like Shinsou and others with insanely powerful mental quirks. I wonder... what if..? Never mind. How do you think you'll do? I think I'm gonna do fine, not the best but certainly not the worst. I dunno, it's obvious this is going to be hard. Even second and third years aren't willing to spill."
You shrug, humming slightly. "As long as you do your best, you should do well. You've always been up there with Bakugou and Todoroki." He nods, then pulls out one of his notebooks, writing something down furiously as you walk.
I wonder if Todoroki regrets the kiss, you think to yourself, sighing. "He hasn't said anything... Maybe he's embarrassed." You feel heat rush to your cheeks as you remember the train ride home.
Izuku looks over at you and grins brightly. "Whatcha thinking about? Why're you blushing? Thinking about Todoroki?"
"You better shut your mouth before I make you. I'll tell Uraraka!" you yell at him, turning quickly to face him.
"Don't tell her! I swear, I won't make fun of you and Todoroki, just don't tell her!" Izuku continues to beg for about a minute.
"OK, OK, I won't, quit your blubbering!"
He frowns dramatically. "We should probably walk faster, we don't want to be late on the first day of exams.
"Yeah, let's go, or we'll miss our ride too, and I don't really feel like walking all the way there."
"You could fly us if we missed the bus. We'd be fine."
You pout, "But I don't wanna do that! Come on, hurry up!"
Izuku walks slower, and you grab his arm, dragging him along. The two of you barely manage to catch the train to your school, and you rush inside as to not be late.
Even though the bell has already rang, Aizawa isn't here yet. The class starts to murmur about where he is, he usually shows up before the bell.
From where you're sitting, you can see Izuku begin to fiddle with his sleeves. He's whispering under his breath, panicking slightly.
You glance at Todoroki, who is looking at you out of the corner of his eye. He averts his gaze as you look over, though.
You want to say something, and the words are on the tip of your tongue, but you can't seem to force yourself to say them. You're finally going to say something when Aizawa steps into the room. You silently curse your inability to speak under your breath.
Aizawa looks.. different, somehow. He doesn't look as tired as usual, and he seems to have actually washed his hair.
Someone in the class decides to point this out. "Hey, you actually look good for once, Mr. Aizawa!"
"That's because I don't have to teach today. You have written exams which should last the majority, if not the entirety, of the period."
Some students groan, others just sigh, and Izuku starts to mumble information quietly to himself. You simply put your head on the desk. You can practically hear Aizawa grin.
"I will give you five minutes to prepare yourself, then the exam will begin. Any questions?"
You lift your head up, looking around. Nobody raises their hands, not even Bakugou or Todoroki.
"Alright then. Prepare yourself in any way you need. I'll pass out the tests then you will begin."
"I don't want to do this," you think. "I'm gonna fail.. Izuku will do amazing, and I'm going to fail... I don't deserve to be here, with these amazing people." You try to calm yourself down as Aizawa nears with the stack of papers. He sets one down on your desk and moves back to the front of the room.
You tightly grip your pencil and stare blankly at the front page.
"OK, your time starts now. Don't rush and make stupid mistakes. Take your time."
After a few minutes, Todoroki looks over at you.
"You need to write your name to start, Allie." You glare at him and look back down at your test.
You scribble your name and look over the questions.
"This isn't too bad," you whisper. You look up at the clock and realize fifteen minutes have already passed.
You read over a question repeatedly, and memories flood into your brain. You remember Aizawa, Present Mic, and Cementoss teaching you, and you know how to answer this. At least, you think you do.
Time seems to pass all too quickly as you write. You get to the next page and forty-five minutes have gone by.
Aizawa's normally quiet voice is loud in the silent room. "It's alright if you haven't finished yet, you have tomorrow to complete it, and after lunch. You must finish the written portion of the exam by tomorrow, though."
You finish the last question on the page quickly and he comes to collect all the papers. You catch a glimpse of Todoroki's paper, and you don't bother looking at the answers. All you can think is, Wow, his handwriting is messier than mine.
"You all are dismissed for lunch. You will continue the test after. Don't share answers."
You stand and walk to Uraraka and Izuku.
"I'm panicking, I hope I did well but I doubt I did," Uraraka says, her usually bright eyes clouded with worry and nerves.
"Don't worry about it! I'm sure you did good! There's no way you did worse than me, anyway."
"No, don't say that! Allie, you're so smart, and so are you, Deku!"
"Then, why would you doubt yourself? You say we're smart, but you are, too."
"Yes, but-" She sighs and rubs the back of her neck. "Deku's third or fourth, always, and you're sixth or seventh. I'm always way behind you.. no matter what."
You sling an arm around her shoulders, comforting her a bit. "Don't panic over it! I believe in you! You'll do great!"
She smiles softly and leans into your touch before pulling away. "Thanks, Allie. You really are good at comforting people!"
You slump down slightly, still smiling. "Some people called me a therapy dog in elementary school, because if someone was sad or upset, I would let them pet my ears till they felt better..."
Izuku looks over at the two girls, saying, "She still lets me do that. They're so soft and fluffy! You should try it sometime, Uraraka!"
"Hey! Don't offer for me!" You hit Izuku lightly on the back of the head. Uraraka laughs at the two of you.
"I love how close you two are. I bet if I had a sibling, they'd hate me. They'd have other interests and other friends, and probably a completely different quirk."
"Doubt it, you're fun to be around! Plus, it's part of the like, sibling code that they have to love you!"
She giggles, which makes Izuku smile. "Sibling code? Well, I'm an only child, I guess I'm not supposed to know about the sibling code!"
"Oh, yeah, it also says you have to mess with them when at all possible! Pranks are common in our house."
Izuku pokes you in the side. "She put liquid soap on my toothbrush a couple weeks ago."
"That one was funny, when he realized, he yelled so loud!"
"It was so hard to rinse out, and Mom freaked out and called poison control!"
"You make it sound worse than it was! You were fine!"
"I could have died!"
"No! I made sure it wouldn't hurt you! I'm not trying to kill you!"
Izuku sniffles and Uraraka rubs his back, smiling nonetheless.
"Well, we better go to lunch before we miss it, come on!"
By then, the small group was lingering in the empty halls, chattering animatedly and moving farther away from where they were actually supposed to be. They start to move over to the dining hall, and Uraraka starts to sneak up behind you.
You turn swiftly and she practically deflates. "Can I pet?" she asks, her voice much softer than before.
You freeze for a moment, before lowering your head a bit. She lifts her hand and shakily pets one of your ears. You twitch, and she recoils, looking down.
"Don't worry, I just wasn't expecting you to ask that, I'm fine with it."
She smiles when your bells make a soft jingling noise as she strokes your ear.
Izuku looks back at you two. "I told you they feel nice!"
"I hope it doesn't feel weird for you, Allie!"
"Haven't you noticed? She totally likes it!" Izuku snickers.
You turn and smack the back of Izuku's head. "Shut up, you weirdo!"
"I'm not the one giving it away, you are!" You don't know what Izuku is going on about, but Uraraka seems to notice and starts gushing.
"Oh, my god! So fluffy!" Uraraka squeals.
"What are you two going on about?"
"You- your tail! It's so damn fluffy! I wanna- do you condition it? It looks so silky!" Izuku pulls a weird face at Uraraka's quiet ranting, still smiling.
"I don't wanna get murdered, but you were wagging your tail without realising it."
You freeze completely, and your face turns red. You hide your face in your hands, not wanting to look at anyone.
"Aww, c'mon, Allie! We weren't trying to be mean!" Uraraka says, a small smile still on her face.
"I can't help it!" you cry, still hiding your face.
"Don't be embarrassed, it's cute!"
You groan and take your hands off your face. "Let's just go..."
The three of you make you way down to the dining hall, finally, and sit at a table with Iida, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu.
"Where were you guys? You'd usually be some of the first to show up!"
"We got distracted with talking!" Izuku interjects before you or Uraraka can say anything. He sounds unsure of himself and doesn't convince anyone at the table, not even himself.
"Did something happen? You can tell us, you know, we're your friends!"
"Nothing happened!" you say, chuckling nervously.
God, if Izu tells Todoroki about what happened, I'm going to scream then throw him out a window, you think to yourself.
Izuku looks at you, then grins. "Well, if you really want to know-"
"I swear to God, Izuku, if you finish that sentence, you will die!"
"Oh? So, something did happen. Are you OK?" Yaoyorozu looks from across the table at you.
"Of course I'm OK, I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be OK?"
"Midoriya, could you please tell us what happened?"
You cry, "No!" At the same time Izuku shrugs, "Sure!" You hide your face again as Izuku starts to explain.
"In elementary school, Allie used to let kids pet her ears to calm them down, and in turn they would call her their therapy dog. She told Uraraka about it, and she wanted to feel Allie's ears, too. It turns out Allie likes her ears being pet 'cause her tail was wagging. We pointed this out and she got flustered, now I'm gonna go so I don't get murdered." Everyone looks at you in silence for a moment, and Yaoyorozu is the first to speak.
"Are you going to hurt Midoriya... Midoriya?" You softly shake your head no.
Todoroki bites his lip slightly and asks, "Are you OK, Allie?"
You nod your head yes this time, still not speaking a word. Uraraka reaches over and places a hand on your shoulder.
"I'm sorry for embarrassing you.. I promise I am..."
"I-It's OK, just... No one's done that in a couple years, is all..."
Izuku looks down at his hands, frowning. He seems truly guilty, and you aren't angry anymore. Simply sad and embarrassed.
"It's fine, don't worry about me, everything's OK!" You look up and give your best smile.
"We can't just do that!" Iida exclaims. "You're our friend, and we care about you. It's OK to not be OK sometimes, you know."
"I'm flattered that you care that much, but it's not that big of a deal. It just embarrassed me, that's it."
"It still matters. What if it were something bigger? Should we just ignore you? No! We're supposed to be here for you, no matter what."
"Thanks, it really means a lot to me." You smile again, this time brighter and more genuine. Everyone at the table returns the smile, each of them more awkward than the last.
"I'm sorry, I must've killed your mood, didn't I?"
Uraraka shrugs. "Not really, we're just naturally awkward." The table laughs and nods in total agreement.
"You guys haven't gotten food yet, and lunch is almost over. What are you going to do about that?" Yaoyorozu points out.
You shrug. "Not eat, I guess. I'll be fine, I can eat when I get home."
"But you're so thin! Skipping a meal surely can't be healthy."
"Nah, it's fine, I end up skipping meals all the time!"
"Oh.. Allie, eat!" Todoroki pushes a small plate of sushi toward you, his voice soft but stern.
You push it back towards him slightly. "I don't need it! I'll be fine, I swear!"
"Please, eat. I've already eaten, so please."
"Why are you fighting me? What about them?" You gesture to the other two sitting next to you.
"They can get food from Yaoyorozu and Iida, or Ashido, Kaminari, Sero, and Kirishima. They'll find food. You'll just sit here and suffer."
"I won't suffer, I'll be fine. Just ask Izuku, I skip meals often!"
Todoroki turns to Izuku, and he sighs.
"She does, but usually only when she's stressed about something.." The two of them look back at you.
"I-I'm fine! Stop looking at me like that, I'll be fine!"
"Why are you stressed?"
"It's just exams! I'm just worried I won't place as high as I want to!"
Todoroki looks at you with the widest, most innocent eyes you've ever seen. "Allie... please eat.. You need food."
"D-Don't look at me like that! You're making me feel guilty!"
"Please..? For me?"
"Why must you torment me like this?"
"You need to eat.." he mumbles. He's still staring at you with those eyes.
"But what if I just like, don't?"
"Then, I'll be sad for the rest of the day. And I'll distract you for the rest of the day. And you won't be able to focus for the rest-"
"OK, OK, I got the point! Damn, I'll eat!" You huff a bit and take the plate Todoroki pushes toward you.
He smiles slightly and turns to add something to Uraraka's conversation with Izuku.
You eat the food quickly and quietly, and finish before the bell rings for you to go back to class. You walk with Iida and Todoroki, occasionally glancing up at Todoroki to catch him looking back at you.
Everyone sits back down at their desks and Aizawa returns to the front. "You will now resume work on your exams. I'll pass the papers back out and you will get started."
You nod silently and begin fiddling with your pencil. The negative thoughts that filled your head before were beginning to return. He places the paper back on your desk and you stare at the question in front of you, just like you had before.
"I know this.. Why don't I remember? Why can't I answer this?" you think to yourself, frowning. You try to shake off all the bad thoughts and concentrate on the question.
You take a deep breath and review your answers before moving back to the questions you haven't finished. You finish with about as little confidence in yourself as possible, but you got it done.
You turn in the paper to Aizawa and sit back down, resting your chin on your hand instead of pulling out a book like you should've. There are only a few minutes left of class, anyway, so the chances of Aizawa complaining are slim. You watch as some others walk up to the front, handing in their tests as well. It seems like everyone has finished as the bell rings.
"Since you all finished today, tomorrow you will get your class rankings."
Nerves settle in the pit of your stomach as you grab your bag and walk up to Izuku. "C'mon, we don't want to miss the train."
"Yeah, let's go!" As the two of you start to walk away, he turns to you. "Are you still nervous about your placement?"
You shrug. "I guess.. I know I'll do well, but... What if I don't pass? What happens then?"
"Well, I don't think anything will really happen, this one is just to see where you are, I think. I bet the practical exams are the pass/fail ones."
"Oh, God, the practicals! I have the worst quirks for fighting, I'm so going to fail! And they're tomorrow!"
"Hey, calm down, you'll be fine. They'll make it fair for you, I'm sure. You can do it!"
He places a hand on your shoulder, and despite not feeling very confident in yourself or your abilities, you smile gently.
"You know, if it will make you feel more confident, we can try to spar later, so you can get some practice in."
"I don't want you to hurt yourself when we don't have Recovery Girl here, only mom. You'll surely fail the practical if you can't even fight because you broke your bones again."
"Don't worry! I learned how to control it! I won't break anything this time!"
You put your hands on your hips as you wait for the train to arrive. "If you break your legs or fingers or arms, it's not my fault, so don't blame me."
"Yeah, I get it, I won't! It'll be good practice for both of us!" The train stops in front of you and Izuku, and you board, managing to find two seats next to each other.
"This is fine, this is wonderful," you mumble as you squish closer to Izuku to avoid being elbowed in the face. "I guess we can spar. Just don't die, please."
"You gotta have more confidence in me! I can do it, and so can you!"
"I know I can do it, but you might hurt yourself and I really don't want that."
"I'll be alright, you just have to trust me, OK?"
You nod slowly. "OK, I trust you. I try to, at least."
The train stops and you and Izuku start your walk home from there. You want to fly, but you haven't eaten much other than sushi at lunch, and you don't have any protein bars in your bag. You don't want to risk hurting yourself the day before the practical.
"Whatever," you think to yourself, "I'll eat a ton once we get home, then I'll be good."
Almost as if he can read your mind, Izuku says, "I've got some protein bars with me if you want them."
"Is that where all mine have been going? Have you just been stealing mine?"
"I dunno, I just have a lot. I think I have four or five. Mom likes to buy them and give them to me instead of you because you lose them all the time. Then, we get separated and you have no protein because I have it all."
"Well, now we know who the favorite child is," you jokingly say, pushing Izuku slightly.
"Nah, I'd like to think we're pretty equal. Mom gushes over both of us all the time, not one more than the other."
"Yeah, and you worry about me just as much as she does, it's like there's two of you!"
He reaches over and pats you on the head. "That's 'cause we care about you! If we didn't, we would've left you where we found you instead of taking you home. But look! You're a part of our family, now."
You bat his hand away. "Alright, alright, I get it. You wouldn't have left me behind though."
"No, but you know what I mean. We care about you so we worry."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know." You reach your house and open the door. "Hey, mom! We're home!"
Your mom rushes into the living room, her hands clasped together. "How was the written exam? Izuku was telling me about it before you left. Was it difficult? How do you think you did? Oh, I'm sure you both did wonderful!"
"Ah, calm down! It was a few pages, but I'm not really the most confident in how I did. We have the practical exams tomorrow."
"Is that.. fighting?" she asks. "Like the robots in the entrance exam? Oh, dear..."
"Well, we don't exactly know what it will be, none of the second or third years will tell us anything."
Your mom purses her lips. "Please stay safe. I don't want my babies getting hurt again.. I had enough of a scare with the USJ. And Stain. And the Sports Festival. I've had too many scares this year."
"OK, we'll stay safe, I promise. This is just an exam, I doubt anything will happen."
She pulls you close and kisses your forehead before doing the same with Izuku. "Dinner will be done in about an hour, please be home by then. I don't want your food growing cold."
You promise and head back out the door.