Puppet Master

UA Entrance Exams

Izuku took a few more deep breaths.

I need to get up. I have to make it to the exam.

He wiped his now dry eyes just for safe measure and pushed open the bathroom stall. Izuku took about one step before stopping.

"T- Toshi?"

The purple-haired boy pushed himself off of the wall next to the entrance to the bathroom. He raised a hand. "Yo. I saw you come in looking pretty rough so I thought that I'd come to check." Izuku blushed slightly and looked down. Toshi rolled his eyes. "Don't get so down. You can't help it if you have issues with these sorts of environments." Izuku nodded. He washed his hands and left with his friend. Toshi pulled out his examinee card.

"What zone do you have for the physical exam?" he asked.

Izuku pulled out his own. "B- B."

"Lucky... Me too." Izuku's mood lifted a bit after his run-in with Kacchan. They entered the exam hall and it plummeted. The sheer amount of people compacted into that one room! Toshi tapped his shoulder and pointed to the left. "My school's number is over there. I will see you at the physical exams." Izuku nodded and watched Toshi walk off.

"Hey! Keep moving!" Izuku felt himself get shoved forward by the ever-moving flow of examinees.

He couldn't even see his seat number on his card by how fast his heart was beating. Izuku's green eyes flitted to and fro looking for anything. Pink hair and horns. Red spiky mane. Either?! Why does everyone here have such noticeable quirks? It was a sensory overload of smells, colors, and sounds, all from different quirks.

Izuku felt a hand plant firmly on his back but in an almost gentle way. He looked over his shoulder and saw the right side of Shoto who was looking forward but Izuku could feel the pressure on his back carefully guiding Izuku along.

"Sh- Sho- Shoto-" Izuku could hardly get the boy's name out.

"Good to see you again too," the boy commented. Izuku chuckled dryly. "I c- can't."

"Yeah, I figured. Calm your breathing or you won't be able to find your school."

Izuku looked forward, trying to steady himself as the boy continued to guide Izuku gratefully. Eventually, Izuku heard: "ZUKU!"

He jumped and spun his head around to see Mina standing beside Ei waving. Shoto pats his back. "Good luck." The hand disappeared and Shoto weaved deeper into the crowd. Izuku shuffled through and found his seat to the left of Ei with Mina on the other side of his brother. He all but collapsed into the seat. Mina sat as well and leaned over to see him.

"Are you alright, Zuku?"

Izuku glanced over at her and Ei who was also looking at him worriedly. He swallowed and looked up to the ceiling.

It's fine. It's fine. It's fine.

Ei placed his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "It's okay if you aren't." Izuku blinked rapidly, trying to stop tears. "I- I'm f- f- fi- ne." He turned to his brother and gave the best smile that he could that really wasn't there at all. Eijiro searched Izuku's eyes a few seconds before letting his hand slide off the greenette's shoulder. "Okay..."

*SCREEEEEEE-*

Everyone in the room jumped as a man walked onto the podium at the front and the microphone squealed over the intercoms loudly. Everyone in the room went quiet.

"Ahem... Greetings, test-takers. I am Pro Hero Ectoplasm and a teacher here at UA High School." Izuku's eyes widened, his inner fanboy sparking and hands itching for a notebook and pen. "I will be your proctor for the Hero Course Writing Exam."