A Fall from Grace, and His Rise from Disgrace

Friend

  Izuku decided to wait with the unconscious Uraraka until Recovery Girl returned.

  Aizawa was the one who came through the door however, a surprising grin on his face.

  "I'm impressed Izuku. You've been working on your limit?" He asked.

  Izuku nodded.

  "Yeah. I decided I'd get enough area of influence to be able to Alter a large building. Or a giant killer robot. Gave me a killer headache though." He said.

  His father laughed, taking a seat in one of the chairs by Uraraka's bed.

  "Well the look on Nezu and your.. former parents faces were incredible. Bouncy balls. You turned the zero pointer, an obstacle All Might couldn't defeat without collateral damage, into a mountain of bouncy balls."

  Izuku exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing as he smiled.

  "I guess I'm just that good." He clicked.

  "You are that good Izuku. Your sister didn't even come close to how well you handled the exam. Bakugo didn't even scratch the zero pointer. There are only a handful of people in the world who could do what you just did." He said seriously.

  Recovery Girl entered the infirmary, chuckling to herself.

  "Is Nezu's face still frozen like that?" He asked.

  Recovery Girl nodded, giggling to herself as she remembered the headmaster's face.

  "Anyway, the girl there was the only seriously injured person. Everyone else just had a few minor bruises. Mainly from the torrent of bouncy balls landing on their heads."

  She looked pointedly at Izuku, but didn't push the issue further.

  Aizawa stood up and groaned, walking back to the door.

  "I've got to go and review scores, pick students and expel delinquents. Have fun with your new friend."

  Aizawa left, muttering to himself about problem children and expulsion.

  Izuku turned his attention to Uraraka, who had just woken up.

  "Oh, you're awake." He clicked before mentally facepalming.

  "Oh, you're awake." He repeated quietly.

  Uraraka turned to Izuku, then Recovery Girl.

  "Thank you for healing me Recovery Girl.. and thanks for saving me Mask. I'm sorry for taking up your time." She said tiredly.

  Izuku smiled behind his mask.

  "It's alright. What kind of hero would I be if I left you there?" He almost whispered.

  Uraraka seemed to cheer up slightly.

  "Still, you could have gotten more points if you hadn't stopped to help me."

  Izuku exhaled.

  "I got plenty of points. If anything I got too many. I lost count at about 80." He said quietly.

  Uraraka stared wide eyed.

  "You got 80? That's amazing! I got around 60 when the zero pointer came out."

  Izuku's eyes smiled.

  "The cutoff is normally around 45 for the hero course. It's never been above 50, so I'm sure you would have passed." He whispered.

  Uraraka seemed much more at ease, but she quickly became concerned.

  "You've been getting really quiet.. are you okay? Did you get hurt taking on the zero pointer?" She asked anxiously.

  Izuku shook his head, pulling out his phone.

  "I'm fine." He typed. "I got badly hurt a year ago, and I struggle to talk at times. The clicking is me communicating with Morse code, and I've learned enough sign language to get by."

  Uraraka nodded in understanding.

  "Is that why you wear the mask? To hide the scars?" She asked.

  Izuku just nodded.

  "It's not pretty." He typed. "I've also got a prosthetic arm, which is how I click my Morse code."

  Izuku pulled his sleeve up and showed off the badass metal arm.

  "Do you have any cool gadgets besides the grappling hook?" She asked excitedly.

  Izuku huffed out a breath of laughter.

  "Yeah, I've got loads."

 
  Izuku and Uraraka talked and typed for nearly an hour. Aizawa had to drag them out of the infirmary. Well, he dragged Izuku along, and Uraraka followed.

  The new friends exchanged phone numbers, and Uraraka left UA, heading home.

 

 
  Izuku left UA's grounds the next morning to meet Uraraka at a cafe. He didn't wear his full face mask, he wore the half version that covered his mouth and nose, but left the top of his face exposed. He didn't want to look like a shady guy in a full face mask.

  "Good morning Mask!" Uraraka said as he approached her table.

  Izuku smiled and waved his hand in greeting.

  "What do you want? I'll order for you, if you want."

  Izuku nodded thankfully, and decided on coffee. Uraraka got a milkshake and mochi.

  Izuku's dilemma occured when Uraraka offered him some of the mochi.

  He couldn't eat with his mask on.

  "I'll need to ask Powerloader for a solution to that.." he clicked quietly.

  "You don't have to worry you know. I'm not going to scream and run away just because of the way you look. We're next to the wall, so nobody else can see your right side." Uraraka said gently.

  Izuku sighed, reaching up and pulling the half mask off.

  Uraraka remained silent as Izuku reached out and took some of the food.

  His face looked.. better than it had been. There were still large starburst scars stretching across his face, and his teeth were still exposed on the right. His skin wasn't as red or irritated as it had been though. Only one or two of the explosion scars actually stood out. You had to be really looking to spot the others.

  Izuku was clicking out a series of SOS's at superspeed.

  "You look.. different to how I expected. Rounder. And the freckles make you cuter than I expected." Uraraka said.

  Izuku nearly choked.

  "What did you expect?" He whispered hoarsely.

  Uraraka blushed.

  "Well, you were really badass during the exam.. and you seem all stoic with the mask hiding your features.. so I thought you'd have like, big angry eyebrows, or sharp cheekbones. This is better though."

  Izuku's shoulders shook, and his torn lips spread into a wide smile.

  Uraraka laughed out loud, her eyes squeezed shut.

  "It was ridiculous, now that I think about it. But it's funny to imagine, huh?" She said.

  Izuku nodded in agreement.

  The duo spent the rest of the day together, exploring the city and having lunch out of a box in Musutafu park. Izuku walked Uraraka home, stopping outside her apartment building. It was worryingly shabby.

  "See you later Mask!" Uraraka said.

  "Izuku" the boy whispered.

  "Izuku?" Uraraka asked.

  "My name. Mask when with strangers. Izuku with friends."