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curse--eater · 5 months ago

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Drown in it. - Chapter 1

Izuku Midoriya was born with a rage.

From the moment he drew his first breath, he let it be known to all around him. He screamed, he fought, he bit, and when consciousness finally grasped him and the effects of his actions became known, his rage calmed, simmering down to a low rumble in his chest. And yet, the heat of his passion remained stronger than ever. From comic books to biology, his interests varied, and he always kept his mother on her toes when each new addiction rose to the surface. He had combed through comic books, determined to learn to draw them himself, only to one day abandon them and turn to a morbid interest in taxidermy. Each month was a different obsession, each doubling in intensity as his mother fought to keep up with her son’s demands.

That was until he had seen him.

His mother had earned tickets to see a famous composer’s performance from her job as a thank-you for doing so much overtime, and she’d dragged her reluctant son away from his slaving over pinned insects to accompany her to the opera house. Inko had dressed in her finest black dress, a single strand of pearls adorning her neck as she painted her lips red, starkly contrasting her dark green hair. She’d fussed over Izuku, combing his unruly hair this way and that until eventually, he’d stilled, letting her pull him into his Sunday best before the two departed, their front row seats allowing them a clear view to the piano on stage. Izuku was immediately entranced- the shining ivory keys drawing in his curious eyes as he sat at the edge of his seat, wiggling to get a better look. The sign outside shone brightly with the composer's name, and as anticipation gripped him, Izuku found himself whispering the name of the man; All Might.

He repeated the name over and over in his brain, feeling it out, giving weight to it, enjoying the way it stirred interest in his head. He looked down at the pamphlet in his mother’s lap, tilting his head to read it better.

‘Tonight only, Japan’s greatest composer All Might performs his unfinished manifesto; One for All, a song of love and loss.

Passed down throughout eight generations of composers, ‘One for All’ has remained unfinished for over eighty years, each new composer adding their own story and vitality into the piece whilst still carrying on the first’s hopes and dreams- for music to unite all the people of the world’

Izuku didn’t realize his mouth had fallen open until his mother tutted him, tapping his chin with a gentle finger.

“Izuku honey, close your mouth, you’ll drool on yourself,” he snapped his mouth shut, turning to his mother with a question already burning on his tongue. As if she sensed his restlessness, Inko sighed, a pained look in her eyes.

“No, honey, I can’t get you a piano. I’m afraid my job doesn’t pay me nearly enough to be able to afford one… Maybe you can find a teacher and learn from them?” she said hopefully. Izuku frowned, sinking back into his seat with a huff.

“Whatever, it’s probably gonna be lame anyways,” he pouted, kicking his legs as he sunk low in his seat. Inko sighed considering telling him off but the lowering of the auditorium lights made her eyes widen and drew her attention to the stage immediately. Even little Izuku, so determined to be indifferent to it all, sat up a little straighter as a hushed murmur rippled through the crowd. A man appeared from the edge of the stage, blonde hair a shock as his electric blue eyes scanned the crowd with a kind yet determined gaze. A moment passed in pure silence before the crowd erupted in cheers and claps, the man on the stage raising a hand to wave at the crowd as he smiled, earning a louder round of applause and screams from the audience that followed him until he sat, straightening his sheet music before him as the crowd began to settle, the room filled to the brim with anticipation as All Might rolled his shoulders, fingers poised over the keys as he waited. The moment seemed to draw on forever, and Izuku found himself trembling with anticipation before finally -finally- All Might began to play.

It was… The most beautiful melody he had ever heard. The song carried the essence of melancholy and loss along with the feelings of determination and triumph, each note ringing across the quiet auditorium and rattling inside Izuku’s brain as he stared wide-eyed at the way the man on the stage played so beautifully as if the music itself had been written into his soul and he was pouring his vitality into the notes. His face was peaceful, yet the way his brows knit together betrayed his true feelings. This was not just a song- no, it was a tribute concocted by the man before him and his predecessors, a tribute to love, to loss, to hope, to everything in the world. Izuku had no words to describe the emotions that arose in his chest, and he found his vision began to warp and waver before he blinked and tears rolled down his cheeks. He sat in stunned silence through the eight minutes of the song, his lap wet with tears his mother had failed to notice had even begun to fall in the first place as she too was entranced by the ebb and flow of the music.

After what Izuku thought was far too little time, the song finished, hanging on a note that left the audience holding their breaths waiting for more, more, more. They wanted- no, they needed more, they needed the satisfying climax of the story, they needed the certain end notes that wrapped the song up in its perfect bouquet, ready to be replicated and replayed over and over again by eager fingers and eager listeners. And yet, those notes never came. All Might’s hands moved to his lap as he took a deep breath, standing up and facing the crowd before bowing deeply. A second of stunned silence grasped the audience once more before the cheers erupted all around, weeping people leaping to their feet and screaming their praises, hands raw from clapping as they gave the man the loudest standing ovation they could muster. Izuku stood on his seat, bawling as he clapped, trying to draw the attention of the incredible man on stage as he tugged on his mother’s shoulder, pointing to the stage.

“Mama- mama he’s so cool! I wanna be just like him!” he wailed, wiping at his face furiously as he waved at the stage will all his strength. Somehow, as if a hand had pointed him out among all those faces, All Might locked eyes with Izuku. The boy’s world seemed to stop, and he broke out into a watery smile as he waved at the composer, who waved back with a kind smile on his face.

In that short exchange, that fiery rage inside izuku changed. It warped and blossomed into an intense passion, and he finally knew where it was calling to. He had searched for a piano teacher the morning after the concert, and after finding a suitable one he had begged his mother for lessons.

“What about your insect pinning…?” Inko had said with a tone of slight dismay. Izuku had rummaged through his drawer and pulled out a frame with three wonkily pinned butterflies, preserved the same way they’d been in the book his mother had gifted him.

“I only did these three, I found them in the garden and wanted to give them to you,” he had said meekly.

Inko was a strong woman, but at the sight of her son’s pleading eyes, she buckled and eventually gave in, enrolling her son in piano lessons at the class down the road. Present Studios, it was called, owned by the husbands Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Yamada. Izuku had taken a liking to the two immediately, and after the first month of practicing, that fire in him had still not given out. After the second, Inko grew anxious that the time was drawing to a close, and her son would soon find another hobby to throw himself into, but the month came and went and Izuku still powered on, as fierce and determined as ever.

A year had passed, then two, then ten, and Izuku Midoriya was now in his third and final year of high school, his passion for music had never dwindled, only grown stronger. Coincidentally, his piano teacher also happened to be teaching at UA High School, and he had been Izuku’s homeroom teacher for the last three years as well as his piano teacher for thirteen. In his world of music, Izuku had found friends who were also passionate about the subject, although never as much as him. Iida Tenya and Yaoyorozu Momo had enrolled in Mic Studios two years after he had, and he had always offered a helping hand to them despite being younger than the two. In return, the three had sparked a close friendship that extended to a fourth, Ochako Uraraka, a student who had enrolled in Mr. Yamada’s singing classes and often joined the three piano students during her breaks.

Now, Izuku was leaning over Iida’s desk, gushing about a new piece of music he’d discovered while digging through dusty vinyls.

“It’s amazing! I was always familiar with piano and violin duets but I never had thought of violin and guitar! I think Yaomomo would love this piece- I’ve been translating the guitar parts into piano so we can play with Kaminari next band practice and-” he was cut off as a book hit the back of his head, making him fall face first into Iida’s desk.

“Bakugo!” Iida barked, raising a hand over Izuku’s head “No throwing things in the classroom!”

“If that goddamned nerd stopped yapping about his shitty music then I wouldn’t have thrown it at him! Tell him to shut it!” Bakugo yelled back, rolling his eyes as Izuku glared at him.

“It’s not shitty music! Just because you can’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s bad!”

“Izuku! Language! Don’t engage with Bakugo, you know he’s only doing this to rile you up,” Iida’s voice took a gentler tone as he ended his sentence, pushing his glasses up his nose as he peered at Izuku with a furrowed brow. Izuku tensed for a moment before exhaling loudly.

“You’re right, he doesn’t even know anything about piano, why should I-” A hand slammed onto Iida’s desk and Izuku jumped back, staring wide-eyed at Bakugo’s scowl.

“For the record, I do know a thing or two about piano, stupid Deku. My parents have been dragging me across the country to catch every single one of All Might’s piano performances every time he’s had one, and on top of that they’ve made me study the old bastard’s scores until I was seeing them in my sleep,” Izuku couldn’t help the excited grin that crossed his face.

“Wow- Kacchan, I didn’t know you were a fan of All Might too! I’ve also been to all his concerts- well, most of them, my first one was with my mom when I was little but- how did I never know this?! We’ve been friends since we were in second grade!” Bakugo rolled his eyes, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he turned to walk back to his group of friends.

“Maybe you’re just not as attentive as you thought you were, Deku. There’s a lot about me you don’t know.”

________________________

Izuku tugged at his hair, muttering to himself as he poured over his scores. He was going to do it- today, he’d send his very own manifesto to All Might in hopes of becoming one of his students. He’d been constructing this melody over the past three years, and the tear splotches and coffee stains on the otherwise immaculate piece of paper were evidence of that. He was coming to the end, the final home stretch of his song before he could finally call it finished and sign it off, but the melodies he once couldn’t get out of his brain seemed to have escaped him. He’d spent days obsessing over the last few bars of the song, making sure it ended perfectly and resonated with the rest of his piece. Iida had tried his best to help him, even bringing in Yaoyorozu in on her breaks from her homework and afterschool lessons to try and help push Izuku in the direction of finally completing his work, but even she seemed to be running short on ideas.

“You could always have the ending be a small repeat of the first two bars with a different flair?” She offered, tugging at her silky black hair as her eyes scanned over and over his music sheets.

“I thought of that but it seems too… I don’t know, basic? I feel like that's how most songs end nowadays, I want mine to end with a bang or something that’ll make the listeners want to hear more from me instead of just being a one-and-done, y’know?” he slid down his chair a little as Yaoyorozu leaned over his desk once more, ruffling papers and tapping a pencil against her lip as she thought.

“I’m afraid I’ve got nothing then, sorry Midoriya,” she seemed to deflate as she admitted defeat slumping back in her chair as the two pianists wallowed in silence, the bitter taste of defeat hanging thick on their tongues. The door opened a crack and Iida stepped in, carrying a tray of steaming tea and some pastries he’d baked earlier that day. Yaoyorozu seemed to light up as she saw him in the doorway, a gentle blush coating her cheeks as he set the tray down on a vacant table nearby, drawing a chair and motioning for Izuku and Yaoyorozu to join him.

“Any luck?” he said to Izuku, wrapping an arm around Yaoyorozu’s waist as she waltzed over to him, placing a peck on the top of his head as she poured herself some tea with a quiet ‘thank you’ to him.

“Nope. I feel like I’m running around in circles…Nothing I come up with sounds satisfying enough, and out of all the endings I’ve written none of them seem good enough to warrant me a place as one of All Might’s students!” Izuku’s voice was strained as he vented his frustrations, staring at the paper with exhaustion dripping from his body.

“Maybe you should take a break for a few days, come back, and then review it after a while and see if any new ideas have sprung into your head. That usually works for me when I’ve been stuck on a paper,” As always, Iida was the voice of reason among the three of them. Yaoyorozu sighed, drawing a stool from nearby beside Iida’s chair, and leaned her head on his shoulder, chewing on her cinnamon roll thoughtfully.

“I think Tenya’s right, as always. It could always be helpful to take a break and go do something random- who knows, it might help you think better and give you some better ideas,” she offered, which earned an approving nod from Iida.

Izuku sighed “Fine. I’ll take a break… but not for too long! The deadline is in a month, and I still need to run through it a few times to make sure the chord progressions flow nicely, and to double and triple check my notes are on the correct lines and I haven’t written them in the wrong place… Oh, and I forgot to put a few rest and repeats-” his speech turned into incoherent mumbling as he turned back to his score, grabbing a pencil and eraser and beginning to scribble some things and erase others. Iida and Yaoyorozu shared a look, then the pair turned back to Midoriya.

“Izuku. You need to take a break starting now. Come have some tea, I’ve been teaching Tenya how to brew it properly to a lady’s liking,” she said, accompanied by a smug smirk as she grabbed her teacup, sticking her pinky out as she sipped her tea. Iida couldn’t help but roll his eyes at his girlfriend, reaching over and pouring a cup for both him and Midoriya.

“Here. It’s chamomile, I figured you two needed something to calm you since you’ve been slaving away in here for the last two weeks,” he offered a cup to Izuku, who took it gratefully, staring into the contents for a few moments before speaking again.

“Hey- Iida, you did piano with us up until third year. Have you got any ideas as to how I could finish this?” Iida thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“I’m afraid not. All the ideas I had I offered to ‘Rozu… Although I might know someone who could have an idea-”

“I am not asking Kacchan.” Izuku interrupted with a glare “He made it very clear we’re academic rivals now- he’s also trying to be All Might’s student, and he said if I so much as breathed near his sheet music he’d hang me with a piano string and use my blood to write his next score,” Iida and Yaoyorozu grimaced at the threat.

“Well, that’s Bakugo for you- as crude and mean as ever,” Yaoyorozu mumbled into her cup, taking a long sip.

“He’s not that bad usually! He’s just very…competitive, y’know? We’re both fans of All Might, so I understand him not wanting to risk his chances- I don’t blame him!” the couple in front of him shared a long, knowing look before turning back to him.

“Sure… well um, I hope this… ‘friendly rivalry’ of yours doesn’t result in you helping Bakugo out without letting us know,” Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow at Midoriya, and he chuckled nervously.

“What?! When have I… haha… ever done that?”

“For the sake of both my mental health and your physical well-being, I’m going to choose to ignore that. But seriously, Izuku,” she picked up the final piece of his sheet music, scanning her eyes over it and chewing her lip in thought, “I think you should keep this to yourself- all of it, okay?”

She made to slide the paper back onto the desk before she paused, eyes widening.

“Oh! I’ve had an idea-” she shot up, almost knocking her teacup to the floor as she set it down on the desk with a loud clatter. Swiping a pencil from behind Izuku’s ear, she scribbled a few notes down before holding the paper up, a victorious grin on her face as she flipped the paper around to Tenya and Izuku, showing them-

“It just…ends?” Tenya said with mild confusion, adjusting his glasses as he leaned forward.

“Yeah, it ends so suddenly-” Izuku hummed the notes on the last few bars, envisioning himself on the piano before he paused, eyes as wide as saucers as he leaped from his chair.

“Yaomomo you genius!” he laughed, setting his cup down and throwing his arms around her in a tight embrace, “An abrupt ending!! An homage to All Might’s ‘One for All, 8th movement’!” He took the paper from her delicately, eyes scanning over and over the page before he raced to the piano tucked away in the corner of the room, setting the paper up and playing the final page, the grin on his face widening with pride as his hands stilled.

“It's perfect!” he laughed, brushing his hair back as he collected the page again and added it to the rest of his score “Yaoyorozu I owe you my life- if I get this internship I’ll forever be in your debt-” she waved him off, cheeks red.

“It’s nothing! I’m sure you would’ve thought of it too if you weren’t so stressed-” Izuku shook his head, bowing at the waist before shooting back up, the familiar spark back in his eyes as he rocked back and forth on his feet.

“No no please- I’ll make sure to credit you and Iida accordingly once I hand this in- speaking of, I’ve got to do that now! The post office closes soon and I have work tomorrow with Mr. Aizawa- I’ll see you two later!” he scooped up his papers and bag and before Yaoyorozu or Iida had the chance to process his words, Izuku was out the door running as if his life depended on it- and it might as well have. Izuku thought he’d die if he didn’t make it to the post office in time, and thanks to his preparation, all other parts of his application had already been filled out and slotted inside the envelope tucked in his bag.

He folded his sheet music after looking over it longingly once more, hands shaking with excitement as he slid it into the too-thick envelope and licked the letter closed, waving to the security guard at the front of the post office as he slowed to a walk, sweat beading his forehead.

“Just in time, Midoriya,” Vlad huffed, pulling his hat over his eyes as he leaned against the wall “We’re closed for the next three days for renovations, so just put your letter in the box and it’ll be sent out tomorrow morning,”

“Thank you, Mister Vlad!” Izuku tried steadying his breathing as he walked towards the red box, glancing down at his envelope once more. Izuku was startled as he collided with someone, apologies already flowing from his mouth before he even made eye contact with the stranger.

“Jesus- watch it you damn ex- Deku?! What the hell are you doing here?” Bakugo barked, face already twisted in a scowl as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Oh! Kacchan! I was just um- sending a letter!” Izuku said quickly, side-stepping Bakugo and sliding his letter into the red postage box before stepping away “For the um… All Might apprenticeship-”

A laugh ripped from Bakugo, one so loud it made Izuku jump as the blonde wiped away a tear from his eye.

“Oh that's rich, you think you can get the spot to study with the All Might? You really are a moron, Deku. A loser like you doesn’t know a natural from a crotchet, what makes you think your stupid music is gonna be enough?” Izuku clenched his fists stepping away from Bakugo.

“I’ve spent the last three years perfecting this- if All Might doesn’t think it's good, then I’ll try again and again until it’s good enough for him. I don’t care if I don’t get the apprenticeship, as long as he’s seen my music, that’s good enough for me.” It was a bald-faced lie, and Izuku wondered if, for a moment, Bakugo saw through his deception. If he did, the blond didn’t let on and instead just scoffed.

“You… Get out of my sight, damned extra,” Bakugo turned on his heel and stormed away, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Good luck to you too, Kacchan,” Izuku said to his back, rolling his eyes as he turned and began his walk home. His mama would be so proud once he told her of his (and his friends’) success with the score. He played the score over and over in his brain as he trudged home, arriving at his street before he even processed his surroundings.

As Izuku neared his front door, he noticed a plain letter on the front step. Curious, he picked it up and turned it over, eyes widening as he saw it was addressed to him. He glanced around, frowning lightly as he walked inside, kicking his shoes off by the front door as he walked towards the living room.

“Izuku! Welcome home, honey!” Inko greeted, leaning up to peck his cheek before she scurried past him, pulling on a pair of shoes and a coat “I’ve got an urgent work meeting to attend so I won’t be home until later tonight, but I’ve fixed you up something for dinner. Make sure you do your homework, and lock the door once I leave! Love you Izuzu!” she was out the door a second later, leaving a confused Izuku standing in his living room alone with a letter in his hands. He turned the lock on the front door and turned back to walk to his room, eyes glued on the letter as he kicked his bedroom door shut. He pulled out a letter opened from his drawer (courtesy of Yaoyorozu- one of the many strange gifts he’d been given by her, albeit a very practical one) and sliced open the top of the letter, withdrawing the page from within.

He frowned. The letter was typed out, and the handwriting on the back of it was far too neat and formal to resemble any of his friends’ handwriting. Izuku began reading, and he felt himself turning redder with each sentence.

Dear Izuku,

First of all; Hi. I’m aware that this letter could be seen as odd, but I didn’t know how else to approach you. Truth be told, I’ve been in love with you for a long time now. I’ve admired your passion for everything from a distance for quite a while, but in the same way you’ve fallen in love with chasing your dream of being a composer, I’ve fallen in love with the boy in front of me. You’re kind; something a lot of people nowadays seem to be unable to be, and your kindness extends even to people who’ve wronged you or done you harm. I’m not sure how else to describe it but you have a pure soul, Izuku, and it's evident from the way you smile, but also in the pieces of music you write. They’re so full of life and energy and passion, and every time I walk past the band or music rooms and hear you play I feel my heart skip a beat. I wish I had the courage to say this to your face, but I’m afraid that if you knew who I was you’d hate me. For now, this is the most courage I can muster up- I hope that’s okay.

Good luck with your application for the internship, I believe in you. ♡

Your secret admirer~

Izuku stared at the letter dumbfounded, blinking rapidly as he read it over and over again. Someone… liked him? Someone liked him enough to send him an anonymous love letter.

He was calling Yaoyorozu before he knew it.

“Midoriya? What’s up, have you handed in you-”

“Someone just sent me a love letter. An anonymous one.”

“Someone WHAT,”

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