Chapter 12: What Doesn't Kill You Gives You Trauma
Midoriya didn't get very much sleep that night, his mind still locked on to what Todoroki had shared with him. He felt somewhat guilty for trying to end the conversation earlier in the locker room, but also thankful the other student had been so persistent. Gami had told him not to think about it for too long, and to try and get some rest. After all, it was merely the end of the first day. Tomorrow would surely be the start of new chaos.
The next day, he woke up early as he normally did, surrounded by a beautiful array of flowers and plants. He would have never guessed that taking care of the spider lilies his middle school classmates left for him would have led to a green thumb. But it did, and gardening soon became a new, relaxing hobby for the boy. Of course, it was a delicate challenge. He had to garden with his gloves on, since the plants would wilt otherwise. And he scraped together the extra cash to upgrade from used mason jars and water, to small flower pots and soil.
He'd also strayed away from his roots, no pun intended. The teen had started out with taking care of the lilies he had received, but now, he didn't grow as many flowers. Most types simply grew too tall for him to manage with gloves. He ended up taking a gamble on some dying succulents one store was giving away, but after a few days of intense care, they thrived and bloomed. The way those little plants grew was so rapid, he had needed to bring out the old mason jars just to give them more space. Succulents ended up becoming his favorite plant to garden, since they spread so quickly and were so resilient. His shelves were covered in them.
Midoriya found it ironic for an individual like himself to be surrounded by so much life.
He watched as Gami drew open the curtains, letting the morning sun peek though and shower him. The spirit had gotten much better at accurately interacting with his curtains, so that was definitely a plus. It was kind of like his everyday chore he liked to help out with.
Opening up his bedroom door, Midoriya made his way into the kitchen. He was fully dressed and held his backpack by the straps. He scoured the cabinet for something to bring along with him for the subway ride, eyes landing on an old granola bar. He could feel his stomach shudder, but it would have to do until he could go grocery shopping again.
The duo left the house and strolled down to the subway station. They were a few minutes early, so the boy plopped himself down onto one of the waiting benches.
"What do you think you will do in heroics today?" the man asked, hoping to start some sort of conversation to kill the silence.
He shrugged subtly, but when most of the subway goers cleared out of the area, he replied, "I'm not sure. Hopefully nothing too stressful like yesterday."
He was actually hoping for some book work in class. Maybe they'd study hero and villain philosophy, or go over basic quirk laws and regulations. Yesterday caused him to sweat so much, he might as well have Bakugo's quirk.
He felt his throat go dry. Maybe that old granola bar wasn't the best thing to have eaten so early in the morning… His hands grew shaky and he started to feel sick.
But as his head began to spin, he started to think this wasn't because of the granola bar.
Clutching his head, he groaned in discomfort. The ghost flew into action, and gave the teen an anchor. A familiar buzzing flooded his ears as he was thrown into a swirling mess of colors and shapes. As many as he had and would have in the future, Midoriya would never get used to the feeling of being sucked into a premonition.
The subway station quickly changed into what the boy assumed to be an office building of some sorts. He took in his surroundings. Currently, the room he was in had concrete pillars that stretched to the ceilings and evenly tiled flooring. He could make out large windows on every wall. The room was surprisingly empty, without any desks or anything, which made him second guess his initial assumption of this being an office building.
The most obvious thing he could see though, was a large hole in the floor. It looked to be a wide channel that stretched from left to right, and it had to be over 15 feet wide. He couldn't walk over to it, as these visions normally had him stand in one spot, but he guessed it led to the floor below.
Then, he heard footsteps behind him. The boy turned to look away from the doorway. He could make out two figures walking towards him, or at least, towards the exit door. And as they got closer, he paled at who they turned out to be.
He watched Iida and Uraraka stop a few feet away from the canyon in the floor, idly chatting about something he couldn't make out. They were wearing odd clothing, Iida in something similar to a suit of armor, and Uraraka decked out in pink, spacelike gear. He swung his head around in a panicked manner, searching to catch what would happen to them.
A loud explosion rocked his world. He couldn't see where it came from, but the blast shot past him, tossing his hair all about. Hearing the brunette cry out, he lurched over in that direction. He could barely make out their forms, but watched in horror as they were thrown from their feet and over the edge of the gap, likely to their demise a floor below.
The crippling feeling of his spine shattering only confirmed that for the teen.
The agonizing taste of death finally released him from the vision. The scene returned to being just a subway station, and he focused on his companion squeezing his hands. He couldn't tell if the man was saying something, his ears still ringing from the blast. It felt as if someone had knocked him right in the head, and the phantom pains in his spine throbbed.
"Izu, If you can hear me," he could finally make out what the specter was saying, "tell me three things you can see."
Midoriya looked around hazily. He could make out another blue bench a few steps away, as well as a directory behind it.
"T-there's a bench over there. It's blue. A subway map is behind it," he groggily searched for something else, "And a passing train."
"Oh thank god," Gami replied, "Two things you can feel."
The student flexed his fingers danitly, still reasonably dazed, "The metal bench. I-it's rusty." It was difficult to really feel things with gloves on though. "A-and my uniform pants.
"And one thing you can hear."
"Just the passing trains. They're really loud today."
The teen felt himself calm down as the man in front of him sighed in relief. "Are you back?"
He smiled tiredly, "Yeah. I'm right here."
"You were mumbling a lot this time. I just got worried. Do you… want to tell me what happened?"
He gulped heavily, "I saw Uraraka and Iida," he didn't get any reaction from Gami, "You know, from lunch?"
"Yes, I remember. I have not forgotten yet," he said with a snarky undertone.
Midoriya ignored it, "I don't know where they were, but there was a big explosion and they fell." His fingers snaked behind his neck and ghosted over the start of his spine.
The ghost got the idea.
The boy quivered, "I-it… it hurt so much this time." His voice was quiet, like a scared child.
The man threaded a few fingers into his successor's hair, "I can only imagine. But you can help them." These pep talks never got any easier. Gami wished he could take some parental classes for the undead or something.
The teen nodded shakily, unsure of himself, "I can help them."
"Exactly," he reassured, "Now how about we board the subway before it leaves without us?"
He got up unsteadily, but with his mentor's assistance, he managed to stand on his feet. With slow steps, he made his way into the train and threw his shaky body into another seat. Dropping his bag on the seat next to him, he picked at his gloves and stared as the train doors closed. With a sudden lurch, the subway started moving, its creaky wheels unable to drown out his overwhelming thoughts.
Why couldn't he have a normal morning today?
So far, the day had been reasonably uneventful. Gami and Midoriya didn't talk as much as they did in the past, but managed to sneak some short comments back and forth. They were currently in English class with Present Mic, and the teacher was trying to stir up some spirit in the students.
"So listeners!" he exclaimed, "Which one of the following english sentences is incorrect?"
No one in the class bothered to answer. The teen looked around at his classmates. They all just stared blankly towards the front of the room, seemingly bored.
"All right everybody! Hands up! Show me some spirit!!"
Midoriya knew the answer to the question. He was fairly decent in his English studies, but that didn't mean he wanted to volunteer to respond. He was sure there were other students who knew as well, so someone would answer eventually.
"So… do you plan on telling Aizawa and Nezu about your foresight this morning? They are students here after all…"
"Yeah, I will," he whispered lightly, "I'm going to do it after heroics. That's the best time anyway."
"How about you, Midoriya?!" the pro called out, "Do you know the answer?"
Said boy paled in shock. Of course the teacher had decided to call on him. It was plausible the man heard him mumbling, but that still didn't make him alright with being singled out.
"Take a deep breath," his mentor directed, "You know the answer."
So he did. Collecting himself with a breath, he managed to get his nerves under control. "I-it's number 4."
Present Mic pressed on, "Can you explain why?"
He nearly growled. He knew that the hero was only doing his job, but did he really have to make him explain? "The r-relative conjunction is in the wrong place."
"That's correct!!" the man announced like he was on a gameshow, "Now for the next-"
The lunch bell suddenly rang, and all of the students quickly rushed out. Midoriya sighed gratefully and collected his things. He was ready for a break, and lunch would be exactly that. The boy piled up his books into his bag just as Uraraka and Iida approached him.
"Hey, Midori! Ready for lunch?" she asked cheerfully.
"Oh, U-uraraka," his mind betrayed him and returned to that horrific scene this morning, "Y-yeah, I'm pretty hungry."
The three kids left the classroom in a hurry, and joined the lunch line. As inexpensive as the school's food was, the teen wasn't sure if he'd be able to eat it for each day. His pockets were already running thin and he needed to shop for food at home. He wasn't actually planning on eating today, but since the two students practically dragged him onto the line, he figured he'd indulge himself. He bought himself a hot plate of white rice and steamed vegetables and sat down with his friends.
"So heroics is our last class of the day," the brunette stated, "What do you guys think we'll do?"
"I don't know," Iida replied, "I assumed it wouldn't be anything strenuous at first, but with Aizawa-sensei as our homeroom teacher, I am no longer so sure of myself."
Midoriya hummed in agreement, his mouth full of savory food.
"What about you, Midori? What do you think?"
At first, he had hoped for some simple bookwork, but after his vision, he desperately hoped for nothing that would put them in danger, "I just hope it's nothing too crazy."
Uraraka agreed with him, "Yeah, hopefully no threats of expulsion like yesterday."
The three then continued to chat calmly, and made sure to balance out their time with eating as well. The time flew by and they eventually cleaned up their table. The quiet boy searched for signs of his other new friend, but Todoroki was nowhere to be found. That had left him slightly disappointed, but he didn't let it show. The three of them left the lunchroom and walked back together to their classroom. Midoriya sat down at his desk towards the back of the classroom and smiled at Uraraka and Iida, who did the same. Eventually, the rest of the students filed in and soon enough, everyone was waiting on a teacher to arrive.
"Last chance to change your guess," Gami teased, "I still think it is going to be a lesson on damage protocol after a villain attack."
He scoffed quietly, "Whatever you sa-"
But the boy didn't get to finish as the classroom door swung open. In walked a person both had forgotten was working at U.A.
"I AM…!"
The two both flinched at the voice, though, only one was truly visible.
"COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!!"
The last time Midoriya had seen All Might was during the holographic projection that had told him of his acceptance to U.A. He had been shocked that the hero was going to be teaching at the school, but forgot about it in the months between. And while he couldn't bring himself to hate the number one hero, his presence definitely made him uncomfortable. He fiddled with his gloves nervously as he felt the spirit move closer to him protectively. The teen tried not to show his discomfort as the class gasped in awe.
"It's All Might!! Incredible!! He's really gonna teach us!!"
"That's his silver age costume!!"
"Look at him go!!"
Midoriya stayed quiet, but across the classroom, one red and white haired teen noticed him shuffle in his seat. His heterochromatic eyes flickered from his new friend to the number one hero in the room.
"Hero basic training!" the pro started loudly, "The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes!"
The duo grew worried. The odds of having a calm, last class of the day was growing slimmer by the minute.
"No time to dally. Today's activity is this!!" he held up a card with bold lettering on it, "Battle training!!"
And there went any chance at a nice afternoon.
He had been unfortunately placed right behind Bakugo in the seating chart, but watched the blond grow more and more eerily excited at that prospect. That unnerved him, but he took a breath and just continued listening.
"And for that… you'll need these!!"
Suddenly, the classroom walls shifted and extended. Massive shelving units broke from the wall, each containing a number from 1 to 20. Midoriya realized they likely corresponded with each student in the class.
"In accordance with the 'quirk registry' and the special request forms you filled out before being admitted…"
The class understood where All Might was going with this, "COSTUMES!!"
"Yeah!!"
"This is awesome!!"
"Oh I'm so excited!!"
The seasoned hero couldn't get the students to quiet down, so he simply yelled over them, "After you change, come out in ranking order to ground beta."
Everyone responded back in loud agreements before rushing over to grab their briefcase with their costume in it. Gami watched as his successor waited for the pile up to die down before walking over to grab his own. Together, they made their way to the locker room in order to change.
"Do not be too worried about anything. I am sure all will turn out well."
The boy huffed indifferently, "That's what you said yesterday and looked at what happened…"
The ghost rolled his eyes, but the child couldn't tell.
Midoriya changed in the stall as he did yesterday and rushed out to the grounds as the hero stated. He was fully dressed in his hero costume that he and Gami had spent numerous hours designing. Together they came up with a costume that the teen really felt comfortable with.
"Ah Midori!" he heard Uraraka cry out, "Cool costume!! Really practical looking!!"
He flushed and grew embarrassed. His costume design was something he was proud of, but hearing it from someone else really made him feel good.
The body of his costume was a black jumpsuit, similar to Eraserhead, but a bit more skin tight and reached all the way to his wrists and ankles. He wore a short, brown cape that wrapped around and clipped together in the front. The cape only reached his elbows, but that was purposely designed so it was harder to be grabbed by a villain. He also had a pair of brown combat boots, which had thick, iron soles.
The boy wanted his costume to resemble more of a reaper style, since that was what his "quirk" was named, but realized a look like that would be inconvenient for fighting and would probably scare civilians off. So the duo quickly modified their designs to fit more of a steampunk look, with solid combinations of brown and black.
His costume had a few changes unlike his original design. The support team who designed it added iron heels and tips to his boots, which he was grateful for, as well as metal knee pads. But they also took his steampunk theme a bit farther than the duo had planned, and added numerous leather straps and belt buckles to the jumpsuit, and a pair of geared clocks to the sides of his shoes. And while the extra parts didn't interfere with the costume's practicality, he wasn't quite sure how to feel about them.
But all in all, wearing the suit felt just like his own skin. Combined with his usual gloves, Midoriya was ready to take on whatever All Might had planned.
He turned around to face Uraraka and nearly fainted in shock.
Her suit was the same gear he saw her in during his premonition that morning. It was the same pink space gear he remembered. But he calmed himself down enough to respond.
"T-thanks Uraraka. Y-yours is neat too."
She smiled warmly, "I wish I'd been more specific on my request form though. This suit's really skin tight…"
He tried to get his brain back into analysis mode. Anything to get away from the pressing thoughts of his vision. "Well, your quirk makes you nauseous, right?"
"Ah, yeah…" she confirmed, remembering the entrance exam where she threw up right in front of him.
"Then it's probably to cradle your pressure points," he continued at her confused look, "You know, to make you less nauseous…"
The brunette laughed, "Oh, well I guess that makes more sense."
Midoriya looked around in search of Iida, but couldn't really pick him out of the crowd. Though, after a second look, he spotted a familiar suit of white armor and nearly threw up. Gami watched his successor grow distraught and added in his two cents.
"Izu," he began, "Just keep an eye on them. Remember that just because the pieces are lining up now, does not mean the puzzle will be completed today."
He grimly nodded and tugged at his costume pants. He just needed to look out for them. There was no way he'd let anything happen to his friends on his watch.
Looking to take his mind off of Uraraka and Iida's possible demise, he spotted a familiar head of candy cane hair. Well, it was more like just white hair, as half of Todoroki's body was covered in ice. He rushed over to talk.
"Hey To-" the boy corrected himself quietly, "Shouto."
"Hello Izuku," the stoic student replied back, "Your costume looks good."
He grew bashful, "Ah thanks. I actually came over to ask about yours."
"Oh," Todoroki pondered.
"I'm not sure you ever explained your quirk to me," Midoriya rambled, "But what's with all the ice?"
The boy shifted and grew more serious, "My quirk is Half-Cold Half-Hot. It lets me generate ice from my right side and fire from my left."
"But your whole left side is frozen over…"
"I refuse to use my bastard of a father's quirk," he stated bluntly, "I'll become a hero without it."
"B-but Shouto-"
The reserved teen never got to finish as All Might called out.
"It's time for battle training!!"
Most of the students cheered, with the exception being himself since he was still in shock, Todoroki, Bakugo, and a few others.
Iida then stepped up towards the front of the crowd, making Midoriya realize how far back he was, "Sensei! This appears to be the same field used in the entrance exam. Will we once again be performing cityscape maneuvers?"
All Might shook his head, "No!! You will be moving on to step two!! Indoor anti-personnel battle training!!"
The hero grew more animated as he spoke, "Villain battles are most commonly seen outdoors, but statistically, the most heinous villains are more likely to appear indoors."
He raised a hand to his mouth in contemplation. The teen and his companion studied him closely. The pro was making strange pauses in his statements, almost like he was unsure of what to say.
Between confinement, house arrest, and black market deals… in this hero society of ours…" All Might took a break to cough, "The cleverest villains out there… lurk indoors."
Well, he couldn't disagree with that, at the very least. His mind went back to the sludge villain incident. While the villain was indeed strong, he wasn't too bright, if attacking Bakugo in the middle of a shopping district was saying something.
"You'll now be split into villain teams and hero teams… and face off in two-on-two indoor battles!!"
The frog girl Midoriya recognized from the quirk test spoke up, "So no basic training?"
The pro seemed to grow defensive, "Practical experience teaches you the basics! The distinction here is that you won't be fighting disposable robots."
At that, the class devolved into wild comments.
"What determines victory?" probed a spiky black haired girl who he recognized to be Yaoyorozu from the quirk test as well.
"Can I just blast everyone away?" Bakugo growled.
"Are you threatening to expel someone like Aizawa-sensei did?" Uraraka timidly asked.
"How do we proceed to divide ourselves into teams?" Iida questioned stiffly.
"How fabulous is my cape?" shined one blond boy he didn't know the name of.
All Might became even more frustrated, "One at a time! My quirk isn't super hearing!!"
He quickly composed himself and opened up a tiny pamphlet from his back pocket. Both Midoriya and Gami deadpanned. The hero was reading from a guide. That explained his choppy behavior.
"Listen closely. The villains will be hiding a nuclear weapon in the hideout. And the heroes have to go in and take care of it," the seasoned hero flipped a page, "The heroes have a limited amount of time to either capture the villains or secure the weapon. The villains must either capture the heroes or protect the weapon until the time is up."
All Might reached for a small box labeled "Lots" and displayed it to the students.
"Your battle partners will be decided by… drawing lots!!"
Iida immediately countered, "Is that really the best way?!"
Midoriya pondered the thought. Well, it makes sense. Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies…
The teen shuddered and looked up, only to find all the eyes of his classmates on him. He must have said that aloud by accident. Iida heard the comment as well and straightened up. "I see. I apologize for getting ahead of myself. My mistake!"
The number one hero stiffened up at the sight of the boy, immediately recognizing him from the sludge villain incident. He had gotten to see his performance during the entrance exam and was surprised at his display of a quirk. It made him wonder why the boy had even asked him that question underneath the overpass. But he pushed the thought from his mind and continued with his speal. "It's fine!! Let's just get to it!!"
As All Might drew student numbers from the box, Midoriya was afraid the universe would screw with him and pair him up with Bakugo, but he was graced with Uraraka instead, to which he was thoroughly thankful for. He listened as Todoroki was paired with another student who had multiple sets of arms. Iida was the unfortunate one paired with Bakugo, and the boy pitied him
"Nice Midori! Must be fate!!," his partner cheered, "Let's do this!!"
He simply smiled back at her, and flashed a thumbs up.
The hero assigned each team a letter and shuffled them around, "Moving on. First up are these!!" He pulled two letters out and showed them off.
"The heroes are team A!!"
Midoriya and Uraraka looked at each other. They were up first, but who were they going up against?
"And the villains are team D!!"
He saw Iida and Bakugo move, and he just knew. Of course the universe decided not to spare him. He was a fool to think it would have mercy on him.
All Might didn't notice the hostility he had just created, "The villain team goes in first. They have five minutes to prepare before the hero team is allowed in. The rest of us will watch via CCTV."
He turned to face Iida and Bakugo.
"You two need to adopt a villain mind-set. This is practical experience, so go all out. Don't hold back!"
That was bad advice to give to a volatile teenager with a dangerous explosion quirk.
"Though I will stop you if you take things too far…"
It was too late for the hero to save face now.
The two teams separated. The villains entered the building to prepare, while the heroes remained outside to discuss their plans.
Iida and Bakugo made their way to the top floor, where they deposited the weapon. The strict boy rapped his knuckles on its side, deeming it paper mache at the noise. He was a bit disappointed at having to play the role of the villains, but didn't let his mood sour his performance.
The blond wasn't as composed as his partner though. He had been angry when he found out that Deku had gotten into U.A., but upon seeing the boy display a quirk the other day, he felt his rage peak over and spill. "So Deku has a quirk now…"
Iida caught the comment as well as the teen's attitude, "You saw his technique with his weapon, no? He is definitely the bigger threat. Though, I ask you not to charge right at Midoriya…"
But Bakugo ignored his partner's request. Deku had been fooling him this whole time, and there was no way he'd let the damn nerd get off like that.
Uraraka pulled out the building blueprints that their teacher had given them, "The buildings blueprints… better memorize these."
Midoriya nodded. He studied the map of the building and came to the scary conclusion that it looked similar to the one he was in during the foresight. His hands started to shake nervously and his partner picked up on that.
"Are you alright, Midori? You look really worried…"
"Ah, no it's nothing…" he tried to reassure her, but she didn't look convinced.
"Is it because we're up against Bakugo?"
"Sorta." He didn't technically lie. He was feeling worried about fighting him, so he played it off like that to ease Uraraka's concerns.
"Well, don't stress too much about it," she replied, "We just need to come up with a plan!"
Gami, who had remained quiet for some time, pitched in to the pep talk.
"Focus on the task at hand. Come up with a plan that keeps both of them safe."
Midoriya nodded his head confidently at his mentor's words. He turned to look at the brunette.
"Well, if a plan is what we need, then I got one…"
The hero team listened as All Might called in on their intercoms, telling them to start. Midoriya flew into action without hesitation.
"Gami," he whispered so Uraraka wouldn't hear, "Find the weapon."
"Of course. I will report to you once I discover it."
The teen watched his ghostly companion float into the building, then turned to his partner.
"You ready?"
She nodded, "Let's do this!"
He squatted slightly and motioned for Uraraka to hop on. They had decided that it would be best to enter from one of the higher floors to keep their element of surprise. But having the brunette float both of them up would take a serious toll on her condition. So Midoriya proposed a different solution.
Uraraka wrapped her legs around his waist and hung her arms around his neck. Once he felt stable enough to move, the boy made his way to the exterior wall of the building. He placed both hands on the concrete and began to decay it slowly, having removed his gloves once his partner was secure on his back. Once he felt the notches were large enough for his grip, he stopped and prepared to scale the building the same way he had with the zero-pointer.
"Midori," she started, "Are you sure you don't want me to make myself weighless at least?"
But he just shook his head, "That'll just make you nauseous. Don't worry, I got this."
Uraraka didn't want to make her friend doubt himself, so she huffed in agreement.
Midoriya hoisted himself up using his first two holes, and then gradually made more where he needed them. Sure, the time he scaled the zero-pointer was much easier considering he didn't have another person on him, but even now, they were making their way up the building at a steady pace.
The rest of the class observing in the monitor room were having a field day.
"Wow!"
"Look at him go!!"
"Is he scaling the building? That's crazy!!"
Todoroki watched quietly, but that didn't mean he wasn't impressed. Scaling a building, especially while carrying someone, was no mere feat. Something like that required great physical strength as well as quirk creativity. It was an ingenious move. Midoriya would definitely be a big contender while he was here at U.A.
The hero team was currently at the fourth floor when Gami returned.
"The weapon is being guarded on the fifth floor with Iida. There are no signs of Bakugo anywhere in the building…"
He hummed, "Change of plans then…"
Uraraka heard him, "What is it, Midori?"
"Well, the floor above us is the top floor," he tried to explain without mentioning that his ghostly mentor had found the weapon, "So that's probably where the weapon is. Iida would probably think that we would float up to the top."
She didn't get his point though, "If Iida thought we'd start at the top first, why would he put the weapon there?"
The boy used his head to gesture up at the windows, "The fifth floor is covered in big windows. He'd definitely see us coming."
"Oh, then what do we do?"
He had already come up with a plan in the time they had been hanging there, "Well, if we enter on the fourth floor, we can still keep our element of surprise."
"Sounds like a plan!"
Luckily, Midoriya had paused right at one of the fourth floor windows, so he carefully maneuvered himself closer. He was a bit afraid of releasing one of his hands to grab at the window, but he wouldn't let it show. Removing one of his hands from the hole, he touched the window with all five fingers and let the DT rush through. Uraraka gasped at the sight of the glass beginning to shatter. Feeling the strain on his one hanging hand, he poured more DT into his fingers and the glass shattered instantly. Thankfully, it broke apart in pieces and wasn't too loud.
"Can you reach the window from here," he asked, returning his hand to the notch for stability.
"Yeah, no problem!" she whispered excitedly and slipped off his back and through the window hole.
He felt the strain leave him once his partner got off his back and into the building. He then threw himself from the wall through the window as well, and landed with a crunch onto the glass pieces.
Uraraka did a small, quiet cheer, "Successful infiltration!"
Midoriya nodded, "Lots of binds and corners, so watch out."
The two then left the window and walked through the building. Both of them had memorized the floor plans fairly well, but what his partner didn't know was that a spirit was currently leading them through the building as well. The ghost scoped out each and every hallway they turned into, making sure he could see that they were safe. He was sure that Bakugo would be coming soon, and he expected either a sneak attack or a blatant rush.
Then, as they passed by a small, dead end hallway, Bakugo's form suddenly jumped out at them. The teen snapped into action and dived to cover his partner. Just as he did, the blond let a loud explosion out, but thanks to his quick action, the blast only hit the wall.
"He barely grazed me," the boy announced, "Are you alright, Uraraka?"
"Yeah, thanks," she responded a bit shaky.
"That's good," he confirmed, "But stick to the plan."
The brunette nodded and got to her feet. Midoriya jumped to his as the smoke cleared and he could see the blond.
"Nice dodging," Bakugo growled, "Deku."
The green haired teen took a fighting stance. He had told Uraraka earlier that Bakugo would likely go after him, so they incorporated that into their plan. If he fought the raging blond, he would likely ignore her. She would be able to get away and engage Iida faster than if the two fought Bakugo together.
Back at the monitor room, the class grew excited again.
"Sneak attacks are so not manly," one red haired student cried.
All Might interjected, "But they are a valid strategy for either heroes or villains!"
Another pink skinned girl cried out in awe, "That Midori sure can dodge!!"
Most of the class agreed with her.
Todoroki again observed in silence. He could tell that the blond was unnaturally hostile towards Midoriya. That made him suspicious. Did the two know each other or something?
Bakugo rose to his feet and smiled menacingly, pulling one of his gauntlets back, "I'm gonna mess you up just enough not to be disqualified!!" He rushed at him with a strong right hook, but the shy boy saw it coming.
He rushed forward to close the gap between them and latched both hands onto the gauntlet. Making sure to have it secure, he steadied his stance and used Bakugo's own momentum to slam him to the ground. He held onto the gauntlet for a little longer than he needed to, and let the DT flow from his fingertips into it.
Bakugo was just in shock. Did Deku just read my moves?
Midoriya didn't waste the opportunity, "Uraraka, go!"
She reacted almost immediately and took off. She didn't want to hesitate and cost her partner the opportunity he had given her. This was all part of their plan after all.
The blond was too angry to care that the girl left the scene. He was ready to bash Deku's face in.
"Bakugo, you almost always lead with that right hook," he stated, "I've seen it enough to know."
Both boys watched as the right gauntlet flaked away into dust, one in satisfaction and one in rage.
"You see… I've analyzed a lot of people in those notebooks of mine," he clarified, "Just like the one you blew up and tossed out the window."
The blond took up a squatting position, eyes full of fury, "You spout all that crap… all while scared out of your mind."
He pushed himself back up to his feet.
"It pisses me off!!"
Suddenly, Bakugo's com went off.
"Hey Bakugo," out came Iida's voice, "Update me on the situation! What's happening?!"
He just growled, "Shut up and keep watch! I'm ready to wreck someone!!"
And with that, he cut the line.
Bakugo shot himself towards Midoriya with another explosion, ready to ram his knee into the boy. But he saw that coming too and quickly rolled out of the way. Reaching into the pocket that held his gloves, he rummaged around and pulled out a roll of capture tape. He knew it was unlikely that he would actually restrain the blond, but it might give him an opportunity to attack.
He managed to wrap the tape around his leg halfway before Bakugo noticed. He yanked hard on the tape, pulling the blond off balance. What will come next? If I know Bakugo, he'll rage and attack again…
"Damn you, Deku!!"
With his usual right hook!!
The teen dived out of the way as another explosion landed at the spot where he once was. Midoriya didn't want to fight here, the hallway was too narrow for him to pull any stunts with his scythe. So during the chaos of that last attack, he quickly turned the corner and ran, knowing Bakugo would follow him.
That didn't mean Bakugo liked it though, "Get back here, Deku!!"
He ducked into another hall and stopped just to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. Everything was going more or less according to plan. Bakugo came straight at him, flat out ignoring Uraraka. And based on the com interaction, there wasn't much teamwork going on between the two on the villain team either. All was working in their favor so far. Now, he would just have to find a way to immobilize or distract Bakugo long enough to get away, so he could help his partner.
Uraraka had managed to find the weapon along with Iida, but stayed hidden. She watched her friend mutter to himself, and wondered what he was saying. But she had to stay out of sight until Midroya came back. She listened in as Iida's mumblings grew louder.
"Bakugo has a natural tendency towards troublemaking, so this exercise is perfectly suited to him… I suppose I must also take on the role of a villain…," he stayed on that tangent, "Though it brings shame to the Iida family name, this training will help me become a better man!! I must commit!!"
He turned towards the doorway with a menacing look.
"I am the ultimate evil!!"
The brunette couldn't stop her laughter at that. She let out a loud giggle and alerted the boy of her presence.
"So you've come, Uraraka!" he announced with a dark undertone, "I know your quirk allows you to levitate objects you touch, so before you arrived…"
The armored student spun around a bit and extended his arms in a flashy manner as the girl left her hiding spot.
"I enacted a counter strategy against you by removing all objects on this floor!!"
She quickly turned on her com to get in touch with her partner.
"Midori!"
The boy answered quickly, currently weaving in and out of halls in search of a way to apprehend Bakugo, "Uraraka, what is it?"
"Iida found me, sorry," she sighed, "And he moved everything so I've got nothing to fight with…"
Midoriya scowled, "That's alright. Where are you?"
"Fifth floor. Right in the center!"
He looked up. So right above me…
"I'll be there as fast as I can. Just stall and stay on the defensive."
The teen then heard a click and turned his eyes back to the hall to see Bakugo standing in front of him. His one remaining gauntlet was pointed right at him. He quickly let his partner go to put his full attention on the boy.
The blond chuckled, "I'm sure you know from all your stalking, but…"
He took offense at that statement, but didn't let it show. He didn't consider his analysis "stalking". Sure, maybe it was a bit invasive and maybe it freaked people out, but stalking? No way
"The sweat glands on my palms secrete…" he continued, "something like nitroglycerin. That's how I make my explosions."
Midoriya quickly put the pieces together. The sweat, the gauntlet, the smug grin on his face. Don't tell me he's gonna…
Gami, who had stayed on the sidelines most of the fight, stepped in to consult his successor, "Be careful."
"Assuming they honored my design request… this gauntlet had been storing that fluid," he kept on, "Call it revenge for destroying my other gauntlet."
All Might immediately interrupted through the intercom, his outburst scaring the observing students, "Bakugo don't! You'll kill him!!"
The blond smiled psychotically, "He won't die if he dodges!!"
Midoriya barely heard the pin get pulled out and clink to the ground before all hell broke loose.
He reacted as fast as possible. There was no room for hesitation as he felt his hair scorch. He flexed his hand and summoned his scythe. Not skipping a beat, he unleashed the dam and released his DT into his weapon as if it were a wild, savage beast. He swung the blade to meet the blast, his previous preparation merely lasting a second.
The shockwave met the blast and the two fought for dominance. Uraraka and Iida held their ground as the entire building shook on its foundation. All Might and the other students could only watch the cameras as Bakugo fought to prove and Midoriya fought to live.
A second went by, but the two forces continued to struggle. Finally, the teen's shockwave won, but just barely. It pushed all the dust, smoke, and debris towards the angry blond, who had to shield his eyes. Midoriya didn't waste a single moment though, and distanced himself. His eyes landed on his exit and he formulated a plan.
The smoke didn't disappear right away, but he could still make out Bakugo's deranged smile. And it scared him.
He quickly lowered his form to continue hiding in the smoke. He could tell the blond was looking for him.
"Come on out, Deku," he teased, "I want to crush you…"
The boy would not fall for the taunt though, and instead searched the ground for something. His fingers ran over a small stone and he grinned. While hidden in the smoke, he tossed the stone to the other side of the damaged room.
Bakugo heard a stone get kicked and narrowed in on his prey, "Time to pound you…"
Midoriya stayed low to the ground and crawled away from the blond, towards his exit. The smoke was still decently thick, and he was going to use that to his advantage. He threw another piece of debris to another corner of the room, hoping to confuse him.
Gami watched his successor lead the blond around the room, playing him for a fool. He was proud of his friend's cunning genius, but also relieved that he wasn't too badly injured.
The sneaky teen tossed around a few more stones and could hear Bakugo grow more and more frustrated. After one final throw, he left the scene and headed up to meet his partner. Once he was sure Bakugo couldn't hear him, he tried to contact her, but realized his com was out. He pushed his exhausted body to run faster up the stairs and to the room where Uraraka had told him she was.
He ran into the room, much to the surprise of Iida and his partner. The brunette quickly regrouped with him.
"Midori! Are you alright?" she pressed.
"Just a bit roughed up, but I'll be fine," he replied, "We don't have too much time though. I'm not sure how long Bakugo will stay distracted."
She nodded, "Well I tried to grab the weapon myself, but Iida keeps moving it around."
He huffed. Iida's speed would definitely be a problem. "Initiate Plan B then!"
"Alright!"
The boy playing a villain was confused. What did this "Plan B" have in store for him?
Midoriya quickly ran over to a support pillar closest to his partner and slammed his hands down onto it. It happened so fast, Iida had no time to react. The concrete pillar decayed almost instantaneously and Uraraka grabbed it and activated her quirk. She lifted the pillar up over her head, now finally having a weapon.
"Let's go Midori!!" she cried.
He grunted in response and followed up with both hands on the floor. The decay spread throughout the floor and it crumbled to pieces, exposing the floor below. The gap stretched all the way from left to right, leaving Iida no room to run away with the weapon. The teen quickly realized the parallels of this scene to his premonition, but was too caught up in the moment.
Bakugo, who was directly under, figured out that the boy had tricked him and stormed up to fight him.
As the debris flew around the room, he called out.
"Now Uraraka!!"
She swung the pillar, the force of the swing blowing the debris right at Iida's face.
"HOME RUN COMET!!"
The armored student raised his hands to shield his face and the hero team saw their chance.
"Now's your chance!" Midoriya yelled to his partner, "Go Uraraka!!"
The brunette reacted quickly, dropping the concrete support pillar and touching her chest. She activated her quirk on herself and launched herself into the air, right above Iida's head. The teen watched as their plan unfolded to the smallest detail, of course, not without a few hitches.
But he still watched in awe, as Uraraka hugged the weapon, securing it for the team.
"Weapon secured!!"
All Might's voice rang over all the coms, though Midoriya couldn't hear it.
"THE HERO TEAM WINS!!"
And finally, the fight was over.
The first thing the hero team did was barf. Well, more accurately, it was Uraraka who did the puking. Iida, being on the same side of the makeshift canyon as her, ran to her fallen form to help her as best he could. Gami floated over to greet his successor.
"That was certainly an eventful fight," the man began, "You did well."
The shy boy didn't believe him, "You really think so?"
"I know so…"
"Hey Midoriya!!"
He flinched at the name, but immediately knew it was Iida who was calling him. He turned to see his partner back on her feet and the other boy standing next to her. They carefully made their way back over the large gap using the pillar Uraraka had discarded. Soon enough, they were at his side.
"That was quite the spectacular Plan B!!" Iida continued, "But if I may, what was Plan A?"
The brunette took over, "Well, that was in case you hadn't moved anything out of the room for me. I was going to float as many things as I could while Midori batted them at you."
Midoriya jumped back in, "It was our Plan A because it was less risky and easier to execute. We knew that Plan B was a bit dangerous, especially if this scenario had been for real, but we factored that in to make it as safe for a nuclear weapon as possible."
Iida looked impressed, "Well, I am amazed. You certainly had the brains, power and teamwork to win this challenge. I am not at all bothered to have been beaten by you two!!"
The three smiled and laughed together. No one was majorly injured, and there weren't any hard feelings between them. They all congregated by the room's only exit to talk some more, oblivious to the dreadful hurricane headed their way.
Bakugo reached the fifth floor and quickly found the room that Deku was in. He was seething mad. How dare the nerd play him like that, tricking him into thinking he was still somewhere in the smoke. It wasn't even just that. The whole time Deku had simply read him like a book, calculating his every move with terrifying accuracy. And that pissed him off. He wasn't going to let him off that easy.
He stood in the doorway, surprising the three students, "Deku…"
They all turned around in shock, and that's when Midoriya remembered his foresight. He couldn't believe he had forgotten something like that, even for a second. The boy tensed, ready to act when he needed to.
The raging blond kept talking, "You played me like a damn fool. I bet you think you're so smart, don't you?"
He raised his only gauntlet up at him, his mind too full of anger to properly realize what he was doing. That same anger had given him enough sweat to fire off another large blast if he needed to. The teens gasped in shock.
Iida was the first to reply, "Bakugo, what do you think you're doing?!"
All Might and the rest of the class watched in horror from the monitor room. The hero tried to deescalate the situation. "Bakugo, the training exercise is over!!"
But the blond either didn't hear the pro or simply ignored him, "I'll tell you what I think, you fucking runt! I think you should learn your place!!"
It was like slow motion. Both Midoriya and Gami watched as Bakugo pulled the pin out of his gauntlet for the second time. This was it. It was happening. The same scene he had witnessed at the subway station was unfolding in front of his very eyes. The explosion was too large. It was going to hit Iida and Uraraka as well. They were going to be blown into the hole in the floor. They would land on the floor below. Their spines would snap.
They were going to die.
He prayed. He prayed to the universe so desperately in that moment… That he could reach his friends before they were hit.
Uraraka and Iida were still crying out in shock, neither even realizing what was truly happening. They were too caught off guard to think about using their quirks. The two were simply in pure disbelief that a classmate would attack them in such a manner.
Each frantic step the boy took was issued with so much force, he was afraid his legs would break. But he just kept on running towards his friends, who he watched in slow motion try to protect themselves from the blast. He had to make it. He just had to!
I have to get there!!
He reached out his arms desperately, hoping, praying, to feel something between his ungloved fingers. He couldn't fail them. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. That it was his fault Bakugo had fired, and they just got caught in the midst.
It was like a blessing, almost as if the universe finally granted his poor heart a wish, that he managed to feel two different arms in his grasp. Without hesitation, he roughly shoved both Iida and Uraraka out of the way, just as he felt the heat of the explosion touch his costume.
It wasn't a second later that he was blown off his feet. There was so much chaos going on, he didn't even realize that his friends were watching him in horror, as he went over the edge.
He felt himself fall through the hole he had made to win the training exercise, down to the spot on the fourth floor where he had tricked Bakugo with the stones. Even now, he could still tell there was still smoke on the ground. That massive explosion was truly impressive.
He wasn't sure when exactly he had hit the ground, but after what seemed like forever, his vision went dark.
Midoriya didn't know how long it had been since he lost consciousness, but assumed it wasn't long considering he was still laying on the wrecked fourth floor. His whole body hurt, so he didn't bother trying to get up. His mentor was at his side and kneeled down at his wake.
"G-g-gami…" he struggled to say. Even his breaths were painful, "W-what happened?"
"Do not move. You were hit by Bakugo's explosion."
His first thought went to his friends, who had also been up there, "U-ura… I-iid…"
"They are safe." It sounded like the ghost was crying. "Please, worry about yourself."
His mind switched back into rational mode, "D-damages…?"
"Your injuries are severe. You cannot move, no matter what."
The boy listened obediently, "T-tell… me."
"Your arm is impaled on a metal rod. I do not know if any of your other bones are broken."
He couldn't see his arms from the angle he was at, but trusted in his companion's words. His neck ached so badly, it reminded him of the phantom pains earlier this morning. With each breath it felt as if his chest was collapsing on him. He was in so much pain, he just wished it would end already.
"T-tired…"
The spirit knew his successor couldn't die, but that didn't mean he wanted him to fall back into unconsciousness again.
"N-no. Fight it off Izuku. You have to stay awake!"
The teen didn't want to disappoint his mentor, so he fought off the darkness, as much as he wanted it to consume him. He was running out of energy though, and only managed to stay awake longer enough to see some robots rolling towards him.
Then, he truly succumbed to his urge to sleep.
Midoriya wouldn't lie, he was a bit disappointed to wake up again, but his eyes did flutter open. And once they did, he realized he was in what looked to be a hospital. But upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't a hospital at all. It was the school's nursing office.
He slowly craned his neck to the left and was met by an immediate scolding.
"Don't move your head! Your spine is still fragile!!"
It took him a moment, but he recognized the voice to be Recovery Girl's. That made sense. She was the school's nurse. But he didn't listen and moved his head around again. Aizawa and Nezu were also in the office. What were they doing here?
"Ah, Midoriya!" the principal began, "It's so good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
The boy wasn't sure if he could speak coherent sentences, but he took a try, "Hurts… a lot. What… happened?"
His homeroom teacher stepped in, "Bakugo fired off an explosion at you, Iida, and Uraraka after the exercise was over. You managed to push them out of the way and took the brunt of the hit. You fell to the floor below and landed on your back, damaging your spine and impaling your left arm."
He looked down at his arm and sure enough, there was a large scar in his forearm, the size of a metal rod. That's when he realized his arms were exposed and he was still in his hero costume. The sleeves had been ripped off.
Recovery Girl piped up at that, "The damage to your spinal cord should have killed you. It was in complete shambles, and yet when I used my quirk on you, it simply healed as if it were a normal injury. You need to explain yourself."
It was a bit inconsiderate that the heroine was asking him to spill his secrets after he had nearly died, but at locking eyes with Nezu, he caved, knowing it was for the better.
"I-I… have i-immortality…"
The older lady clearly wasn't expecting that, but the principal jumped right back in to explain, "Midoriya has been hiding a lot of things concerning his true abilities for his own safety. I will explain everything to you later."
Midoriya hoped that was the end of the questions, and the teachers would let him rest in peace, but he was sorely mistaken.
"We just have one more thing, Midoriya," Nezu continued, "before we must go."
The teen just nodded. He noticed Gami at his bedside, holding his hand gently. He squeezed it tightly, just to let the man know he was ok. Well… as ok as he could be right now.
"Midoriya, we had to take off your costume to perform a medical exam on you," the nurse picked up, "and I noticed some concerning things."
Huh? Concerning things? What in paradise's name was she talking about.
"You have a massive scar on your chest, as well as numerous ones on your arms. None of those were from today's incident. So I must ask…" she explained, "Where did you get those?"
Oh
Oh shit.
OH FUCK-
Of course, he didn't respond right away, so the heroine continued her onslaught, "I'm a nurse. I know plenty about how scars form. The one on your chest is clearly a burn scar and the others were hard to figure out at first, but from their depth, I can tell they're from glass shards."
Nezu tagged himself in, "We just want to know where you got them from, Midoriya. Can you tell us?"
Aizawa still hadn't said a word.
The boy could feel himself panicking. Shit, they had already found out about his whole role as Death, he couldn't just tell them his whole tragic sob story. Then what would happen? Would they deem him too much a risk to stay at U.A.? Or worse, send him off to some prison so he couldn't take his revenge if he wanted to. Which he didn't! But his rationality went out the window at that moment, and all the worse possible scenarios ran through his mind.
"Izu, you have to tell them. They might even be able to help yo-"
Midoriya completely forgot that Gami was invisible to anyone other than him. Or that Recovery Girl didn't even know about his existence. His mouth simply opened and he didn't think.
"You expect me to tell everything to complete strangers?! They already interrogated me yesterday!!"
No one said a word after and that's how he had realized he just said that aloud. It was so quiet, the boy swore he could hear the pin from Bakugo's gauntlet fall over and over again. He really screwed up this time.
Nezu was the first to respond, and he wasn't as composed as before, "You were talking to Gami-san again, right Midoriya?"
The boy was completely embarrassed in himself, "Y-yeah, I'm sorry sir…"
But the principal didn't stop there. He knew the look on his student's face. It was the look of years of submission, of pain, of abuse… Something he had gone through himself many years ago.
"You're… being hurt at home, aren't you Midoriya?"
He snapped up from his hospital bed, startling the teachers in the room, "N- err… I… um…"
The words were foaming at his mouth and came out incoherent. He clutched at his chest, right where he knew the burn scar from his father laid. Aizawa finally took charge of the situation. "How about we ask you questions, and you answer? Does that sound ok?"
He couldn't put the words together, so he just nodded his head solemnly.
Eraserhead didn't stop, "When did you get that scar on your chest?"
He hesitated, but the ghost next to him gave him a slight nudge. "W-when I was 4."
Recovery Girl asked next, "Did someone give it to you?"
The teen nodded shakily. "My father."
"How?"
"His quirk…"
Nezu picked up there, "Can you explain?"
He took a shaky swallow. "His quirk is fire breathing. H-he burned me three nights a-after my quirk diagnosis and never c-came back…"
Aizawa realized at that statement that no one actually knew the boy's true quirk, "What was the diagnosis?"
Oh god, why? Why was everything unraveling like this? "I...I-"
"Take your time, dearie," he heard the older woman say.
"I don-… I didn't-" he forced the words to come out, "I didn't have a quirk…! S-so he didn't want me…"
The room was silent. No one said a word, or asked another question. Midoriya didn't want to hear the empty nothingness though, so he just kept on like he did with Todoroki, hoping to change the subject. The words came out easier when he was deflecting anyway.
"My mom became an alcoholic after he left. She blames me for everything," he rambled, "She comes home late though, so I don't see her often…"
Still, no one said anything. He was growing more and more nervous and could feel his panic take over his form. He realized he still didn't have his gloves on.
"My gloves! I need my gloves!" He yanked his arms up from the hospital bed, ignoring the IV in one. Holding them up in midair, he made sure his fingertips weren't touching anything. Aizawa was the first to figure out what was happening, his rational mind kicking into overdrive.
"He's losing control of his powers right now!" the normally tired man exclaimed, remembering the boy had told them his powers acted up under emotional distress, "We need something he can use it on!"
Recovery Girl quickly tossed the pro a clipboard, and he threw it at the student in the hospital bed. In hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea, but luckily the student caught it. The clipboard disintegrated to mere dust in an instant. The boy calmed down.
Gami rummaged through the remains of his hero costume currently on the floor and managed to find and pull out a pair of discarded gloves. The pocket they were once in was nothing more than shreds of fabric. The ghost somehow was able to hold them and tossed them into his successor's lap. The teachers were surprised at a pair of gloves seemingly moving on their own, but the man and the rodent knew the truth to what was happening.
"T-thanks Gami…" he answered and slipped them on. Instantly, he felt relaxed, and nearly fell asleep. He leaned back into the bed, returning to a calm state.
Nezu tugged a paw at Aizawa's pant leg, "Well… we will be going now Midoriya. Please, rest up. I hope to see you out of here later."
The principal left and his home room teacher quickly followed. Recovery Girl was the only one left in the room, besides the spirit of course. She walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. The teen could feel his energy drain away.
"Get some rest, dearie," she spoke softly, "You need it."
For the third time, his eyes closed and he was off to dreamland.
God, could this day get any worse?
Midoriya awoke some time later and was deemed in stable enough condition by Recovery Girl to return to class. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he was definitely sure that all of the other training battles were already over. That disappointed him as he was excited to see his classmates' quirks in action, but what could he really do?
The nurse had told him to be careful moving around as his spine was still fragile, but he wouldn't have to worry about snapping it. The hole in his arm was fully healed, and only a small, round scar remained. Most of his stamina was gone, since Recovery Girl had used it to speed up his healing, so he was now groggily dragging himself down the hallway.
The heroine had given him a spare uniform to wear, since his costume was so mangled. His arms were now completely covered, with thick bandages around one. He used his signature glove-covered hands to pull open his classroom door, the mere action putting serious strain on his body. He barely got the door open when someone called his name.
"Oh, Midoriya's here!! Welcome back man!!" one student with red, spiky hair cried.
The door was flung open for him, and the boy was immediately bombarded by his class. He backed away in discomfort, still an emotional mess from earlier in the nurse's office. But the crowd was dispelled by two worried students, who shoved their way to the front.
"Oh, Midori," Uraraka whimpered out with concern, "Are you ok?"
He reached out to her, "I'm fine, but-"
Iida was trying to hold some students back from tackling him, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned as well, "Midoriya, you're not seriously injured, are you?"
"No- well I was," he started, "But I'm fine now! So please don't worry!"
The brunette jumped back in, nearly embracing him before she remembered he was hurt, "You took the hit for us!! I was terrified when I saw you go over!!"
The teen's mind flashed back to his premonition, but he pushed it away. It hadn't come true. He had stopped it. He had saved them. "I couldn't let you guys get hit. You're… my friends after all."
Iida looked heartwarmed, "Still, I must ask you please be more self conserving. You had the entire class petrified."
Midoriya was positive that it wasn't the whole class, but still, he had never had so many people worried about him, "I'll… try." He flashed a smile.
Uraraka wiped away a few tears and gave him a gentle hug, unable to resist anymore. He flinched at first, but slowly hugged back. The touch didn't feel as uncomfortable as it would have back at Aldera. Maybe that was a sign that things were getting better.
"We're just so glad you're alright," she sniffled.
The girl eventually backed away and smiled in return. Iida, having done his version of damage control, now stood next to her. His glasses hid any stray droplets that may have escaped. But now that the two students had properly checked on their friend, the rest of the class pounced.
The red haired boy came back up to him, "I don't know what you were saying back there, but that was a wild battle!!"
A girl with pink skin and yellow horns spoke next, "Your dodging was so good!!"
Another student with brown hair and plump lips interrupted, "We were all super pumped after that crazy first round!!"
The shy teen just smiled awkwardly during all of that, "Um… I'm afraid I don't know all your names just yet…"
The red, spiky haired boy introduced himself first, "I'm Kirishima Eijirou!! Your fight was so manly!!"
"I'm Ashido Mina," the pink female went next, "You dodge really well!!"
"I'm Asui Tsuyu," said the frog girl Midoriya had noticed a few times, "But you can call me Tsu."
The brunet only introduced himself with his family name, "And I'm Sato."
Midoriya's smile turned genuine, "Well, I'm Midoriya Izuku! But I'm sure you already knew that! Though, I'd prefer to be called by a nickname…"
The newly introduced Ashido cheered, "Well, I heard you're going by Midori, so I'll just call you that! Plus it's cute!"
The boy wasn't sure how he felt at being considered "cute" but the rest of the class quickly latched onto the name, so he didn't mind. Plus, he actually enjoyed the nickname quite a lot.
Ashido was a very animated person, and he realized that very quickly. But that didn't mean he was expecting her to slap a hand on his back. He hissed in pain and she moved it frantically
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she apologized.
"No, no it's fine," he reassured, "My spine is still a bit sensitive…"
Iida activated worried dad mode at that, "But you told us you weren't seriously injured!"
"Well I was, but Recovery Girl healed me up…" he tried to clarify.
Uraraka lept on Iida's bandwagon, "Midori, how badly were you hurt…?"
The teen waved his hands dismissively, "Guys, I'm fine now. You really don't need to worry…"
But at his friends' unbelieving looks, he caved.
"My spine was badly damaged when I fell," that was definitely an understatement, but he didn't want to tell his friends that he should technically be dead, "And I got my arm stuck on a metal rod, but I'm fine no-"
The brunette clasped her hands over her mouth in shock, "Oh my god!"
Iida only grew more worried, "Will you be alright to continue your hero studies?"
The rest of the class seemed interested in that.
"Y-yeah! I told you guys. I'm practically brand new again. I just need a good night's sleep!"
That was finally enough to deescalate the situation and calm his friends' nerves. His body ached from simply standing, so Uraraka and Iida finally allowed him a moment to breathe and let him sit down alone at his desk. He carefully leaned back in his chair so as to not aggravate his spine further, and let out a deep sigh he had been holding since waking up for the first time in Recovery Girl's office. But even then, the universe would not allow him a single moment of peace.
Though, the peace breaker ended up being Todoroki, so it wasn't as bad as it could have potentially been…
"I know you have been insistent on your condition," the boy started, "But are you truly alright, Izuku?"
He widened his smile, "Yeah! Don't worr-"
"I'm not referring to your injuries," he interrupted bluntly.
Jeez, he really couldn't slip anything past this kid. His smile fell. "How could you tell? Is it really that obvious?"
The candy cane student shook his head, "It's not, but your eyes give it away. Do you… want to talk about it?"
Midoriya gulped. It was weighing heavy on his chest, but he didn't want to put that kind of strain on a friend…
Todoroki noticed the hesitation, "Yesterday, you said you wanted to work through this together. That means you have to talk as well."
He was sure the boy didn't mean to put it that rudely, but he got the message.
"Recovery Girl saw my scars…" he whispered quietly, hoping not to attract any unwanted attention, "She brought in Aizawa-sensei and Nezu-san."
The red and white haired boy stiffened, "I'm assuming you told them?"
"I didn't want to…" he mumbled with a slight whimper, picking at his gloves, "but they practically figured it out themselves. I… don't know what to do…"
"What do you mean?"
The teen looked up, finding it unnaturally easy to open up the boy in front of him, "I'm scared. If they decided to do something, where am I going to go? I can't stay with my father, hell, I don't even know where he is. What if I'm put into a different home? Will I even be able to come to U.A. anymore? I just-"
Todoroki cut off his frantic rambling, but softened at his desperate look, "I'm sure it will all end up alright…"
"But what if it doesn't…!"
The student reached into the back pocket of his uniform and pulled out a small sliver of paper, neatly cut and folded, "Here. We'll figure this out together."
Then, Todoroki returned to his seat. Midoriya didn't miss the fact that he had said "together". He unfolded the piece of paper, only to see a phone number on it.
"Well that was smooth…"
The teen socked his mentor hard in the arm. He was sure the student only meant it as a means of communication, so he wouldn't feel as alone. But that also made him wonder, did Todoroki prepare the paper beforehand to give it to him, or did he just have random slips of paper with his number on it for emergencies? Either way, it seemed a bit strange, but he took the gesture as a friendly one.
He entered the number into his phone and labeled the contact "Shouto". Gami watched as he did, but did not spare him from any teasing.
"Given name, huh?" the spirit joked.
"Be quiet," he hissed under his breath, "You weren't saying anything yesterday…"
"He did not give you his number yesterday…"
"Oh you're unbearable," the boy huffed, but the ghost didn't miss the small smirk on his face, "I thought you were more mature than this…"
The man sighed, "I have been mature for over 5 centuries, let me have this."
He rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say."
The duo chatted sparingly since they were still in class, but eventually the bell rang and Midoriya got ready to leave. He wasn't sure if he would get to go home or not. Maybe he was just overthinking things…
He slipped his backpack on as Uraraka and Iida joined him. Together, the three made their way out of the classroom, only to be stopped by Aizawa at the door again.
"Midoriya," he began, "I need you to go to Recovery Girl. She wants to do one last check up before you leave."
"Darn," the brunette sighed, "We've been foiled again."
"Sorry guys…" he replied.
Iida reassured him, "It is completely fine. We'd rather have you in the best shape possible, even if that means we do not walk to the subway together."
The group walked together down the hallway, but split once the reserved boy reached the nurse's office. He entered the room, to which only the heroine was there. She motioned for him to sit on the bed and started to check him over.
"Nezu explained your situation to me," she stated.
"Oh…" he wasn't sure what to say.
"Is… um, Gami in here? the older woman asked.
He looked over to his ghostly companion, "Yeah, he's standing at the foot of the bed."
"Please tell her I thank her for taking care of you. You are far too reckless for your own good."
"He wants to thank you for healing me," the teen repeated, "He also thinks I'm too reckless…"
The heroine laughed, "Well I'm certainly inclined to agree with him. Though, your injuries seem to be healing fine. You should be back to normal by tomorrow."
"Oh that's wonderful, Midoriya!"
Both parties turned to see the principal and a tired teacher walk into the office. Nezu had a bright smile on his face and Eraserhead seemed merely indifferent.
"Nezu-san," he greeted, "Aizawa-sensei. What are you doing here?"
The rodent's smile fell to more of a neutral face, "Well, we have decided what to do about your… situation."
Midoriya instantly tensed. Gami moved to stand closer to his successor.
He continued, "As a school, it is our responsibility that all of our students are kept safe, and that includes both on our premise and at home. Aizawa-san and I have come to the conclusion that returning home isn't a safe option for you."
He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Sure, he didn't really want to go home, but that was all he knew. What would happen to him now?
Nezu took a step forward, "I don't think that putting you into a foster home right now will necessarily help your mental state as a growing teenager. Plus, I'm assuming you would need to hide your role as a Grim Reaper from anyone new that you'd be living with."
"For the last time-"
"Gami," he shushed, "I'm sorry. Please continue…"
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. He realized the principal was going off script. This wasn't what they had discussed. Leave it to the chaotic rodent to throw a wrench into the gears at the last minute.
"So, as U.A.'s principal, I have access to a better option for you that would ensure you remain enrolled as well as out of your household!"
The boy fiddled with his gloves nervously, "Well, that's good I guess…"
"Unfortunately, this solution will only be temporary until U.A. officially works out all the details with the police."
"So… what's going to happen to me?" he wondered why the principal was stalling so much.
"Well, I'll be using the school's executive power to pull you from your home, since we've deemed it unstable for you to live under," Nezu paused briefly.
"And you'll be staying with Aizawa-san in the meantime!"
"WHAT!?" Midoriya cried out in shock.
Aizawa turned to the principal, "This is not what we discussed!!"
Nezu just smirked sadistically.
"Things don't always go according to plan, now do they, Aizawa-san?"