Plus Ultra|Shouto Todoroki x Reader x Izuku Midoriya|

3. Dim

Memories of the past: often enchanting and bright lights that remind us of the good that led to our current situation; lights that remind us of why we are who we are today.

Even the brightest and warmest of memories can create sharp pains in one's heart, even while bringing a smile to their face. This is because such memories remind us that the warmth of those memories are of the past, no longer something you'd experience today. The warmth is gone, and nothing can assure you that such warmth will ever be felt again.

In short, no matter how good the memory, a cheerful memory comes with a bittersweetness. Oftentimes, the more cheerful the memory, the more bitter the said sweetness tends to taste.

Of course, in moments of cheer, sweet memories only taste sweeter.

• • •

(Second Person POV)

You had to use your quirk to force yourself to sleep last night.

It was so hard to fall asleep, it was as if every cell in your body was buzzing with excitement.

Every day for the past twelve months, you'd been training for this day. Your parents had finally allowed you to leave the house, just never without Katsuki.

You loved Katsuki, but that didn't mean you wanted to be with him every second of every day. You didn't necessarily mind it too much, but he was very overprotective and it got extremely annoying. You wanted him to leave you alone. At gyms and during jogs, you'd get some stares, even getting catcalled, and he'd threaten the lives of anyone who dared to even look at you.

While annoying, it wasn't too bad, given that you never quite enjoyed being stared at.

Your previously unhealthy body had grown into your currently muscular and healthy body, not that you have to be muscular in order to be fit or necessarily healthy. You were starting to feel amazing in your own skin, which made going outside and talking to strangers (at times) even more exciting than it had been before.

Twelve months ago, your parents had explained that even though you were homeschooled, you were guaranteed a spot into the entrance exams for UA high. For the first time in nine years, you finally had something to look forward to; you finally had something worth working for: your dream.

The exam took place early in the morning and ended during the usual hours of a school day, so you knew your brother would be wearing his school uniform. You, on the other hand, didn't own a school uniform.

Not wanting to stand out much, you put on a green plaid skirt and a pair of leggings. As a top, you threw on a sandy brown colored sweater due to the weather being a bit chilly.

You packed a bag with gym clothes, water, snacks, and sweat rags for both you and your brother. Much to your pleasure, he was already up and awake.

The two of you brushed your teeth together, not really saying much, before heading to the dining room, where your mom was waiting for you with warm plates of food.

"Awh! You two look great! Let me take a photo before Katsuki ruins his uniform with the food!" your mother cheered, a smile on her face despite the slightly passive-aggressive comment she and made.

"EH? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, YA' OLD HAG?!" Katsuki, your brother, screamed, not happy with your mother's comment.

"WHO 'RE YOU CALLIN' OLD HAG, YOU SPOILED BRAT!?" your mother screamed back, encouraging Katsuki to yell back.

"Please, can you two not fight right now? Dad's asleep!" you barked at the two, your voice quiet despite your angry tone.

Katsuki clicked his tongue, setting his bag down on the floor. With only socks on his feet, he walked to your side, no trace of a smile on his face. Instead, he snarled. He always had to be the tough guy, or at least look like one. As his twin, you knew he was just a big idiot. You knew him better than anyone else. You, maybe, even knew him better than himself; you probably knew him better than you knew yourself.

The sound of your mother's agreeing sigh reached your ears, followed by the clicking sound of a camera, which she had sitting on the white, marble kitchen counter. You quickly realized how awkward your smile must've looked. Your mother never took photos of you, in fact, sometimes she'd ensure that you would never be in pictures. It was rare that you would even look at yourself.

Although you were buzzing with excitement, you and your family ate breakfast in silence. Perhaps your brother and mother had overcorrected their behavior, but at least your father could sleep more before going to work.

"I'm excited for you, (Y/n), but please... be careful," your mom spoke, keeping her eyes on her food as she ate.

She knew that whatever challenge you were to face in the practical exam, it wouldn't harm you; that wasn't what she was concerned about. She was always concerned about you showing off the full strength of your quirk and pushing yourself too hard.

Your mother meant that she wanted you to hold back. You already knew you had to, but something about her reminding you just put a downer on your mood.

You simply nodded your head, allowing her words to be the only ones spoken during breakfast.

Unlike the silence that came with breakfast, the time you and your brother spent walking to UA was rather lively.

"EH? What do you mean I eat too fast?! I do not eat too fast!" Katsuki growled as you got closer to the gates of what could potentially be the school we were to attend.

You laughed, poking him in the ribs as you grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah, you do! Sometimes, Dad and I wonder if you'll choke on your food!"

Katsuki scoffed, killing the conversating just as you reached the gate. Both of you stopped, staring at the grand archway. You were here, the school of your dreams; the school attended by the strongest hero of all time.

The school itself looked as if it was in the shape of an "H" from the front, but it was actually four large towers seeming to be completely made of glass that were connected by four glass tunnels. The walls around the school were huge, and the gate was truly intimidating! From the gate, there was a wide, brick path, which was lined with concrete arches, that led to the stairs at the front of the school. At the top of the stairs, there it was: the front doors of UA.

"Woah," he mumbled under his breath.

"Are you ready?" you asked, nervously grabbing his sleeve as you noticed the sheer amount of people passing through.

He smiled at you, patting your head. "Of course I am, do you think you're not?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

It's almost amazing how much of a prick he could look.

You took a deep breath, clenching your other hand into a fist. "Maybe not, but this opportunity won't wait for us to be ready. Now or never," you spoke in a low whisper.

"Don't try to sound all wise and sh*t, you read too much. Reading doesn't necessarily make you wiser, experience does," he grunted.

You smiled up at your brother. "And thanks to you, I actually have some."

Finally finished preparing yourselves, you walked through the archway together.

So, I'm a bit too tired and stressed to do chapters four and five at the moment, sorry! I hope you all have an amazing day/night! I love you all so so much! Byyyye!