Chapter 23: He Kindly Stopped For Me
As Midoriya's eyes slowly managed to flutter open, the first and only prevalent thought in his mind was the overwhelming migraine in his head. His temples ached furiously like he was on a hangover, despite never having personally experienced being drunk. The harsh overhead light above him didn't exactly help his situation, only making him squint and flinch back into the bed.
At the soft cushioned touch to his body, he began to shake himself out of the fog he was engulfed in. The teen looked around cautiously, only moving his eyes due to the pain of his head. He was lying in what looked to be a hospital cot, with an IV drip attached to his non injured forearm. He was still dressed in his tattered gym uniform and his other arm was wrapped tightly in multiple layers of bandage. He couldn't see much else without moving his head, deciding to close his tired eyelids once more to rest them.
The only thing he could wholly remember was collapsing in the dirt after throwing himself between All Might and Shigaraki, and a few bits after that. The rest of his memories were in pieces, just like his current condition. But the area around him certainly wasn't where he had lost consciousness. So, where was he now?
Attempting to clarify his location again, he forced open his eyes this time, and pushed his head to turn to his left. His vision still spotty, he couldn't make out much, only a pale wall and what looked to be a window with the curtains drawn. He was pretty sure there was a figure standing in front of that very window, just steps from his bed, but the combination of his floaty mind and foggy senses prevented him from making a clear identification. So he strained his neck to lean closer, the movement roughing his sheets around.
That caught the person's attention, as they swiveled around to face him. Midoriya was unprepared to have their body practically thrown at his bed ridden form. A familiarly cold hand found its way to his hair, and he instinctively leaned into it as it stroked through his locks.
"Oh my goodness, thank you thank you thank you…"
He found his subconscious completely aware of the mystery man's identity from the moment he had turned away from the window, but it wasn't until his ears captured his voice that it finally clicked to his disheveled reasoning. His gaze turned and focused closer for confirmation, and his expression softened out of relief.
"Ga… mi?" He had to force the words out of his throat, the tone scratchy and hoarse from going unused. He couldn't bring himself to say any more in that moment, but that was all the confirmation the ghost needed.
"You are safe. You did good," he reassured, but his normally calm personality seemed absent from the room, "It is over. You are safe."
The boy tried to reach his non-injured arm up to comfort his mentor, but his body still was out of his control, his movements shaky and unreliable. Gami was also hugging him too tight for him to have moved anyway, even if he did have the energy. Thankfully, he couldn't really feel any of the pain he remembered he was in on the battlefield, only exhaustion. His body felt as it normally would after a day of training on Dagobah Beach, simply sore and fatigued.
Now that his conscience as well as his analytics began returning to him, his mind noted that Gami seemed much more distraught and clingy compared to how he usually acted. The ghost had always been noticeably protective of him, something he was well aware of whether he viewed it as justified or not, but he couldn't really remember a similar instance to the same degree as right now. Maybe after the training exercise incident with Bakugo, but it was straining his head to think that far back at the moment.
Speaking of far back, he still had a lapse in memory after the U.A. staff reinforcements showed up. Pretty much everything after that was a messy blur of fragments and shards all desperately trying to fit themselves together. He presumed that was a consequence of falling unconscious, but he still needed to piece together what had happened.
"W… what's going… on?" he stumbled, stringing his words together carefully, like they'd fall apart on his tongue, "W… what happened…?"
The transparent man looked up at that, finally letting go of his successor and allowing him a breath of air, as stuffy as it may have been. That was when Midoriya could see his full form: the dark, worn robe, the hanging stone pendant, and the empty darkness of the inside of his hood. It made his heart feel slightly at ease, a comforting warmth spreading through his veins despite how unnatural it was perceived as.
It was just like waking up any other morning, and seeing Gami there to pull his groggy self out of bed.
The specter paused, collecting himself and his thoughts to form coherent thoughts other than his concern for the boy. "Well… you fell unconscious shortly after the other heroes arrived. Cementoss and All Might had not even realized it until after the smoke dissipated, it was actually Present Mic who noticed your… still form. He rushed you out of the building and into an ambulance courtesy of Recovery Girl, who treated you on the way here-"
Gami had begun to pace, well, more like float from side to side anxiously. His recount of the events were triggering a flood of emotions he thought he had suppressed from earlier, and now that the words were spiraling out of his mouth, he wasn't sure how to contain them.
"You were so injured… a-and there was so much blood. God oh god, there was s-so much blood… and I was so ungodly afr-"
He caught himself before he could say it, though he wasn't sure whether that was so Midoriya didn't hear, or he didn't. But regardless, he stopped his word flow before it could wander into dangerous territory and looked back down to the teen, unsure of what he was hoping to see.
The reclusive boy had now sat himself up a little farther in the cot, wide eyes locked onto the man's wispy form. Because of the different position, both realized that his gym uniform had been opened at the front and his black turtleneck had been completely removed, likely cut off of him. His exposed chest only revealed more bandages instead of skin, looking like a cheap mummy impression. It seemed to startle them both, each losing their individual train of thought about whatever they had been thinking before.
Gami calmed slightly at seeing the new bandages. He had intentionally turned away when Recovery Girl entered his successor into surgery while still unconscious, the guilt plaguing his soul being too much to bear at that moment. He hadn't gotten to see the full extent of his injuries, but had reassured himself that was the right decision, as knowing the truth would have made him feel more remorse than he thought his shattered mind could handle. But seeing the bandages was a relief to his psyche, simply because it meant that Recovery Girl had been able to help him, just as his broken spirit had begged for.
His boy was going to be alright.
"I am just so thankful you are safe."
Midoriya covered himself as best he could with his stained gym uniform, before sending a mustered smile in his mentor's direction. Unknowingly, the action nearly brought the old ghost to tears once more. But he managed to control himself, and embraced him in another tight hug, just enjoying the contact. He was able to feel him breathe against his robe, to feel the push of his forcefully rising chest, to feel the warmth of his skin. And that was all he could ever ask the universe for.
Then, he felt tangible arms wrap around him back, definitely not as tight as his own though. The boy's shaky arms struggled to hold themselves up, so Gami slid his arms underneath for support. He could feel his robe being tugged on as bare fingers slithered themselves into the fabric, trying to savor the material. And together, the two of them simply sat in the silence and hugged. There were tears too, but it was impossible to tell who they were coming from. But still, neither of them brought it up, each too joyous and relieved for surviving the ordeal in the first place.
The ghost found himself baffled and unable to process just how much had gone down in the span of maybe half an hour. Not only had his successor had to balance monitoring Asui and Aizawa's lives, but he also had to deal with multiple separate instances of villains during the process. He came up with the plan to escape the flood zone, as well as engaged the barbaric Nomu to protect his teacher and classmates teleported with him. He faced the leaders of the invasion and their mindless pawn with all of his blood and might, just to protect those he knew were in danger. And even when All Might showed up, he never relaxed, contributing anything he could to the fight, even if it was simply the knowledge he had collected. And even that wasn't enough for his gracious soul, as he jumped into the fray to save the number one hero, running on nothing but fumes and the echoes of desire.
Gami couldn't help the pride that swelled within him. He really couldn't have gotten luckier in his successor. And though he couldn't place the guilt that plagued him for throwing such a position onto a boy as spectacular as Midoriya, he was eternally grateful for having been acquainted with him in the first place. He knew the teen would have gone far in his dreams even without him, but he was proud to know he held a part in shaping him to the hero he was now, and the hero he would become.
He ended up being the one to break the embrace, unfortunately, as it seemed neither were ready to let go just yet. But thinking about all that had occurred in the recent events had the spirit wondering. So he curled himself into a reclined position, leaning back into the air, and floated over the side of the cot. Midoriya attempted to push himself upright some more, and though his strength was returning, he still just opted for remaining in the half sitting position he had been in, returning his gaze to his mentor.
"I have been wondering…" he started, waiting for permission to continue, to which the boy nodded slightly in an effort to confirm, "How did you manage to reach All Might in time to stop the villain's attack? I have never known you to have such speed before."
At that, he turned down to his injured hands, to which were bare, but wrapped lightly in the thin bandages that covered the rest of him. He flexed his fingers slowly, noting how they buzzed slightly when he tried to move them. His motor skills weren't completely back to normal yet, which made him frown to himself. But he looked back up, remembering that he was asked a question and hadn't yet answered.
"Well, I figured out I could decay the air at my fingertips," he began to explain, "It's how I managed to escape Shigaraki when the… Nomu had me…"
Gami nodded. "I do recall seeing the explosion that you speak of. I never believed that Death's Touch could be used in such a fashion, but I found myself surprised. But what does that have to do with your increased speed?"
Midoriya raised his palms up to show the ghost, despite knowing they were bandaged and covered. "Explosions emitted from my hands… doesn't that sound familiar?"
"Ah, I think I understand," he realized, "You are referring to Bakugo, correct?"
"I mean, the ability is notably similar," he rambled on, "I think I unconsciously referred to the notes I took on his quirk back in Aldera."
"He used his explosions to propel himself for the dash test during the quirk examination. I do remember him receiving an astonishingly fast time due to that. That technique is what you utilized to increase your speed as well, is it not?"
Midoriya's smile grew wider than he had the energy to sustain, listening to his mentor ramble in the same manner he often found himself doing. "Like I said, it all kinda came out instinctively. But this could open up a ton of new doors… as long as I can control it…"
But Gami ruffled his hair messily before the doubt could settle in his skull. "I know you shall succeed with it, simply because you never cease to amaze me."
The lonely statement nearly made the teen's heart burst as his eyes glittered with hope and the remnants of tears. In that moment, he had completely forgotten about all that transpired beforehand: the fear, the pain, the doubt. All of it was erased from his thoughts, just for a moment, but that was more than he could ever ask for.
Just for that moment, his soul was reminded of how joyous it was to hear someone tell him those simple words.
He opened his mouth to respond when shuffling came from his other side, making the duo immediately silence themselves. Midoriya had been pretty disoriented since waking up, and acknowledged his subconscious priorities were a bit askew from where they should be. But the sound reminded him that there very well may be another individual with him, and he looked around frantically to check who.
There was a cot beside him, to his right, and a detransformed All Might lay in it. His blond hair lay tussled about upon his pillow and his bones wrapped in many more bandages than the boy himself. His eyes sunk into his skull seemingly deeper than usual, and his bright pupils were nowhere to be found in that sea.
Seeing the hero made him instinctively panic, sending him rocketing out of his own cot. The IV drip in his arm rattled forcefully, but that didn't even register in his ears. How much did the hero hear? What would he have to lie away? Even Gami seemed concerned, floating over to analyze the man's status.
"Don't worry," a voice came from beyond the other cot, "He's just stirring."
The sound of someone dropping to the floor echoed in the small office, and to his immediate relief, it was only Recovery Girl. She walked over to the two beds and sent a warm smile, moving over to his cot to readjust the IV. It finally clicked in his head that his was Recovery Girl's office at the school, and couldn't help but feel shocked at how slowly his analysis came to him. He must be more out of it that he initially realized.
"He should be waking up soon," she continued on, not at all bothered that he didn't respond, "But I don't think he'll retain any of your conversation."
"Thank you…" Even though he knew the nurse was in on his secret, it didn't erase the paranoia he felt from simply listening to her speak about it. And while it was much better for her to have heard and not All Might, it still made him abnormally anxious knowing someone had listened to practically half of the conversation. But, even though she had likely heard part of his chat with Gami, she chose not to interrupt, and for that, he was more than grateful.
The cot beside him shook again, and both parties turned their attention to the now waking pro. They listened to him groan as he lugged himself into a sitting position. The nurse rushed to step away from Midoriya's IV and stood between the two cots.
"The situation being what it was, I really can't scold either of you," the older woman sighed, "But how are you feeling?"
All Might huffed, his pupils almost flickering out like dying lightbulbs. "I think… I've probably shortened my time limit again. I'll be lucky if I still get an hour a day."
The hero seemed not to care about speaking of his secret in front of the boy, but that may have been the fact that he had already revealed it to him all those months ago. Still, Midoriya couldn't fathom the aching in his heart at hearing that the hero exhausted himself further to save not only him, but all of his other classmates at the USJ. All Might's situation really was an added stress on his conscience, even if he wasn't supposed to know about it in the first place.
But All Might simply shook his head, sitting up further and pushing the blankets off his skinny form, revealing more skin wrapped in bandage. He coughed, a trickle of blood leaking from his teeth. "Oh well, whatcha gonna do? Bad things happen after all…"
"I'd hit you if you weren't recovering." Recovery Girl narrowed her eyes in a threatening manner before switching focus. "But anyway, how are you feeling, dearie?"
It took a moment for Midoriya to realize she was referring to him, and he sputtered like a broken engine. "I feel alright… other than the soreness and exhaustion…"
She nodded. "My quirk'll do that to you. But concerning your condition, there is something I wanted to speak to you abo-"
But her office door slid open before the nurse could finish, thereby interrupting her completely. Everyone turned their attention in that direction, to see Detective Tsukauchi tip his hat, with Nezu following close behind.
"Pardon us," he apologized for them both, "Hopefully we weren't interrupting at all."
Gami deadpanned at the irony, but most of everyone else was too enthralled to care. All Might looked the most shocked of anyone, blood splattering out of his mouth as he lurched forward.
"Tsukauchi, didn't know you were here!" he exclaimed, wiping the red from his lips with the back of his hand.
True.
Midoriya unconsciously cocked his head. He had no idea the number one hero and the police detective were acquainted, much less that he knew the hero's secret. But from the way All Might greeted him, that was no mistake. It was clear that the two trusted each other a great deal, which was good to note.
It seemed there were a fair amount of individuals that knew about All Might's other form, as well as his weak point, especially since joining the U.A. staff. He wondered if his own secret would eventually branch out to form that kind of support web. Just a year ago, he would have never even considered the idea, but now, he could feel himself long for someone to spill his troubles onto. He already did that to his mentor enough, and he couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty every time he did, knowing there was little the ghost could do.
"Long time no see, All Might," the detective laughed, resting his hat against his chest.
Nezu smirked, but didn't actually contribute to the conversation, opting to hold his hands behind his back regally instead.
Then, remembering that there was another person on the cot beside him, the blond hero turned to face the teen, with almost child-like excitement. Ignoring the light trail of blood dribbling down his chin, he thrusted a finger in the balck haired man's direction.
"Ah, young Midoriya," he began his introduction, "this is my favorite detective on the force, good old Tsukauchi Naomasa!"
True.
The boy nodded, not having the confidence nor the spirit to tell the hero he already knew the man. Hearing the hero refer to him so nonchalantly made his mouth run awfully dry, past memories resurfacing inadvertently. But he had promised himself that when he made it out of that nightmarish situation, he would change his mindset. Because whether or not All Might had been wrong that fateful day didn't matter as long as he continued to act petty.
How was he ever going to become the hero he dreamed of if he didn't change?
"Thanks for the weird intro," Tsukauchi chuckled, "but I already know Midoriya."
The hero looked surprised, for obvious reasons, but nonetheless smiled and threw his hands up into the air. "Of course, what did I expect from the great Tsukauchi?"
The detective rubbed his neck sheepishly, but moved forward towards All Might's cot, making the deathly duo both strain themselves to get a better look. The boy didn't think about the fact that Tsukauchi would admit to knowing him, in fact the thought didn't even cross his mind. And he knew that there was no normal scenario in which he would miss an obvious fact like that. His mind was really running on fumes, which only made him wonder how much Recovery Girl had to heal him.
"Not to rush your recovery," he switched topics after arriving at the pro's side, "But I'd like to ask about these villains, All Might…"
"Wait, hold on," he interrupted shamelessly, putting his hands out in front of him, "Are the students alright?! And what of Aiza… err, Eraserhead and Thirteen?"
Tsukauchi huffed, "Besides Midoriya over there, the students have nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. And the two teachers are out of danger for now."
That was of great relief to the number one hero, but even more so to Midoriya, who had been in the dark about practically everything after the villains retreated. After all, the only reason he had been pushing himself so hard during that fight was to make sure everyone stayed safe, to keep the main threat occupied so it couldn't harm anyone else. Hearing that his classmates were unharmed, and that his teachers were going to be alright finally allowed his soul to breathe.
"If you three heroes hadn't put your lives on the line…" the detective continued, "the students wouldn't have made it out unscathed."
"I see…" All Might's hair fell over his eyes. "But you've got one thing wrong, Tsukauchi."
True.
The statement caught everyone's attention, and the teen watched as his mentor floated closer, like he needed to get a better spot. He leaned up further in the bed, resting his bandaged arms in front of him, a curious glint in his tired eyes. Recovery Girl, who was back in her swivel chair, spun around to face him, leaving her paperwork on her desk. Even Nezu, who had remained silent and nearly invisible the entire time, tilted his head, an eerie yet excited grin blooming on his face.
"In this fight, the students put their lives on the line too!!"
True.
Midoriya could feel his soul internally gasp, wondering if he really just heard that from All Might. Gami looked almost proud as he returned to his usual position at his successor's side. In truth, the boy knew his life wasn't really in danger, as it was part of the reason he fought so recklessly, with little preservation for his own well being. But that didn't weaken his resolve or fighting spirit, if anything, it only strengthened it. Knowing he could push past normal limits let him fight with unmatched vigor, because only then could his body keep up with his heart's desire to protect.
Unbeknownst to all, even the attentive spirit, Recovery Girl narrowed her eyes carefully at his declaration, but didn't say a word otherwise.
"To be thrown into a real battle so young and survive," he rambled on, his voice getting louder with every word, echoing into his usual heroic stature, "Now these first years know how scary this world can be. Have you ever heard of such a class?!"
Tsukauchi gave a solid head nod, his smile growing larger as he focused his gaze on Midoriya, who was now sitting completely upright in his cot. But the teen didn't even realize it, too busy staring at the hero in his inspiring speech. This motivating aura was the All Might he remembered from so many years ago, the All Might he grew to idolize during the years that were his childhood. And surprisingly, he felt himself growing antsy underneath the thin blankets hiding his lower half, his heart pumping with rekindled child-like excitement.
And he finally acknowledged that part of his being that wanted that feeling back.
"Those foolish villains picked the wrong fight, because the members of class 1-A are going to be mighty heroes indeed!!"
True.
Then, completely out of left field, All Might turned to him, startling the teen into flinching back. But that didn't deter the hero, who sent him a smile, flashing his thumbs up in the process.
And it was at that moment, where he swore he felt the icy coating around his soul break, thawed out by the ever longing desire of validation. Was it melting too fast? Maybe, but he was pretty sure his heart had been secretly holding out for this occurrence for a while. It was just like his childhood longing to become a hero, it had never really died, even when he thought it did. Sure, the turning of a new leaf didn't mean he'd forgive and forget, but he felt now was the time more than ever to give a second chance.
So he sent a small smile in return, as well as a shaky head nod. He didn't trust the hero at all by any means, but this was his resolution.
He was going to change.
"Not that I mean to change the subject," Tsukauchi chuckled, "but-"
"Oh I totally rambled, didn't I?" All Might sweatdropped, lightly slapping his face with his palm, "You wanted to know about the villains from the USJ?"
But the detective waved him off. "Don't worry about it, I got ahead of myself. This isn't really the place to be taking statements anyway."
The hero furrowed his brows, and both Midoriya and Gami made their own actions of confusion. The whole reason the raven haired man had come to the nurse's office was to see All Might, right? But when Tsukauchi turned towards him instead, the boy started to grow a little more nervous.
"I actually came to check on you, Midoriya," he admitted with a sheepish grin, "How are you doing? Though, you certainly look better compared to how I last saw you."
The admission was definitely something the teen was not prepared for. Tsukauchi had come to check on him of all people? How bad had he been when taken from the USJ? He certainly didn't remember, being unconscious and all.
He must have been spaced out of it for a while, because he soon felt a light jab to his shoulder, courtesy of his mentor. Shaking himself out of his head, he collected his thoughts before they leaked out like motor oil from his mouth. He really needed to work on that…
"I-I'm uhh… I'm alright," he stumbled, fiddling with his bandaged hands, "Thank you for asking, s-sir."
T… true.
"Can't say I'm surprised sin-" The detective cut himself off, catching himself before he could accidentally say any more about his unnatural abilities. It was easy to forget that All Might wasn't in on the secret, especially since everyone else in the room was, but he was definitely someone the boy did not want knowing anytime soon. "But anyways, I'm glad you're doing better. I was hoping to take your statement, especially since you spend a fair amount of time with the invasion's orchestrators, but I'll wait until later. Like I said, this really isn't the place."
There were a few moments of awkward silence in which nobody was sure what to say, and that was the opportunity that Nezu took to finally wrangle the conversation. He stepped out from behind Tsukauchi, still with his paws clasped behind his back, strolling towards the now even more anxious Midoriya. Gami curled himself closer like a dane at the ready, feeling his successor's growing hesitation.
"I am truly glad to see you well," he started, the room immediately filled with his abnormally cheery tone, "Though, I hate to say your gloves didn't make it out the same way…"
True.
The boy looked down at his hands instantly after, his head finally processing they were bare despite realizing that much earlier. He had already known his gloves weren't going to make it out of that ordeal alive, especially after tossing their shredded remains himself. But still, the thought sparked a dull sadness in him. Sure he had extras, but was it fair to say he had been attached to that pair? Well, it was more like attached to the fact that they were his longest surviving pair so fair, even making it through the training exercise on the second day of school.
"However." The change in pace caught the deathly duo off guard as the principal's smirk grew even wider. And despite not being in the conversation, Tsukauchi, Recovery Girl, and All Might were all invested in whatever tangent the chaotic rodent was going off on. To everyone's surprise, Nezu pulled his paws out from behind him, and a set of eerily similar black, polyester gloves revealed themselves. He shook them a bit for the added pizzazz before holding them out by the side of the cot for him to grab.
Midoriya leaned over to take them, pulling on the IV drip in his arm ever so slightly. The nurse looked concerned that the entire device was going to fall over, but thankfully, he still had enough of his rationality back to use his other arm to reach instead. Taking them eagerly, he found himself slipping them on for emotional comfort, not caring about ruffling the bandages across his palms.
Taking a second to flip between both sides of his newly covered hands, he was astonished at how similar the pair looked to the brand he stocked up on. The hemming, the texture, it was a near identical match. He could have simply stayed amazed if he didn't flip the edge inside out to check for the brand logo. But his emotions instead took a 180 as he realized that this was the exact same brand of gloves he used.
He looked up from his palms, trying to mask his horror out of respect. "How.. did you know what gloves I use?"
That question only made the principal smile wider, which did nothing to ease the teen's paranoia. It was as if his head was being pulled in each and every different direction, and since he had only just woken up from however long he had been out, his nervousness felt at an all time high, which was definitely saying something.
"I didn't! I simply got them from your locker," Nezu confessed with a smirk as he pulled out his master key from his jacket pocket, "I am the principal, after all!"
True.
Despite the surfacely kind gesture, the boy couldn't stop himself from feeling unnerved at the idea that the mammal went through his locker. And though he wasn't hiding anything secretive or personal, the feeling of an invasion of privacy wasn't relentless by any means. It made him squirm unconsciously, like a bug under a magnifying glass, the shivers of discomfort climbing up his spine.
But nonetheless, he curled his lips as best he could in the moment, and attempted to send a polite smile. Despite the unsettling nature of the thoughtful action, that did not dismiss the irrefutable fact that it indeed was a thoughtful action. Besides, Nezu was a respected superior, so the civil response was more than necessary.
"Thank you, sir…"
But the mammal simply waved him off.
"It was no problem at all… and Nezu is fine." He raised a paw to his chin, pretending to stroke his chin in a contemplative matter. "Though, it is a bit inefficient and expensive to be constantly purchasing new gloves after your stock becomes depleted."
True.
Midoriya looked up instinctively, away from his newly covered hands. Of course, that was a good point, though not a point that the teen hadn't thought of already. Obviously it was inconvenient and pricey to continue buying gloves when his current ones got damaged, but it wasn't like he could just stop. He needed them, his mind relied on their thick, fabric coating for security. It was one extra barrier, one extra layer that could be the difference between decaying polyester or decaying something much more devastating.
And when put into that perspective, he couldn't afford to stop supplying on them, even if he struggled to afford them.
"Of course, I'd imagine that nothing I'd say would convince you to stop buying them," the principal admitted, his small set of shoulders dropping in false defeat.
True.
That made the boy furrow his eyebrows. The rodent was only stating the obvious, and from what he knew of Nezu, that was definitely outside his range of unusual character traits. He could feel Gami give him a confused glance as well, not even having to look to know the ghost was as equally on alert. The rest of the staff seemed just as interested in where the principal was going with his speal, his unpredictability impossible to track.
"So I have an alternate option I think will satisfy all of your needs!" he cheerfully exclaimed, shooting his arms up like a game show host. "Gloves crafted from the very fibers of your DNA!!"
True.
The nurse's room was engulfed in a wave of silence, no one really knowing the proper response to a phrase like that. Midoriya attempted to convince himself that the principal was trying to mess with him, since he enjoyed messing with practically anyone he interacted with. But now was one of the times he couldn't get an accurate read on the situation, and that royally freaked out his conscience.
"Is he attempting to make a joke?"
The teen wished he could give a genuine answer. But instead of sitting in the awkward silence any longer as his insecurities would have liked, his analytical prowess slowly returning to him decided to intervene to obtain the clarification everyone was secretly pining for.
"Um…" he tried to start, scratching his cheek out of nervousness, "I'm not sure I understand…"
True.
Nezu must have known that his statement would spark a decent level of confusion in its audience, but then again, it was one of his favorite pastimes. He merely smirked at the scent of perplexity that wafted around the office, savoring it like the smell of divine cuisine.
"Well, I assume your quirk doesn't work on your own biomass," the mammal eventually explained, knowing it was better to do so than leave everyone grasping for answers, "But if you touched an artificial object made out of your biomass, then theoretically it should be immune to your quirk just as the rest of you is."
True.
If the sheer premise of Nezu's claim hadn't practically socked him right in the jaw, Midoriya would've been amazed at how smooth the principal just managed to lie about his abilities, not stuttering at all when referring to them as a quirk. But what Nezu had just suggested was something he found himself subconsciously hoping for all the time. Of course gloves that couldn't disintegrate would be the most ideal item in his world. He would never have to worry about constantly checking himself out of fear that he might inadvertently hurt someone. He would never have to worry about what would happen if he ever made it to his dreams of heroism and had to rescue a civilian. He would never have to worry about limiting himself for the sole sake of protecting those he cared about.
He restrained the glossy tears that threatened to breach his eyes like they were outlaws on the run.
If the rodent was being serious, this could solve so many of his dilemmas.
"You… you can do that?"
Gami narrowed his eyes. "I would imagine he can since he did bring up the topic himself. Though, if he cannot…"
The ghost didn't finish his threat, not feeling the need to. He was confident the suffocating air radiating from his intent could be felt enough by the observant individual, especially since his animal senses picked up on his presence much easier than anyone else possibly could. But even still, he wished he could be visible even for that split second, just so everyone could get a taste of how utterly terrifying he could be when provoked.
"Indeed so! We had a similar issue with a third year student and his quirk, but our support team managed to craft an entire hero costume for him using the DNA found in his hair follicles." Nezu clapped with pride, keeping his paws together for added effect. "I'm guessing by your response that you are interested?"
Midoriya couldn't bring himself to snap out of his stupor, his mind completely stunned at the possibility of this coming to pass. So instead he nodded, his lips sealed shut dryly in pure disbelief. It may have been his muddied rationality due to having awakened roughly fifteen minutes ago, but he found himself almost unable to speak.
The principal seemed very pleased at his answer, clapping his paws together in content once more. His smile rose to his eyes, giving off a feeling of genuineness for once. But of course, that fact alone should never be taken at face value, especially with an individual as highly volatile as Nezu. But the combination of a nice attitude and the boy's less than average mental competence in the moment had him completely fooled.
"Oh, wonderful! I knew you would love the idea!! And that's exactly why I asked for Shūzenji-san to collect the hair samples in advance while you were undergoing surgery!"
True.
And that immediately damped his joyous mood on the subject, leaving a queasy feeling in the pits of his stomach, though, his rising bile could partially be attributed to his completely drained stamina and his internal cravings for something filling. Despite its origins, the uncomfortable sensation that followed the mammal's statement had prevented both his foggy mind and his mentor from truly processing the depths of what he had said alongside.
The rodent seemed unaffected by his returning discomfort, seeing little wrong with the situation in front of him. Well, he likely did, but just didn't care.
"Well, other than that, it's best that Tsukauchi-san and I head off to inspect the school's security system," he stated, already moving to leave the office, "Of course, if you wish to do that now, Tsukauchi-san?"
The detective, who had shaken himself out of the shock caused by Nezu fairly quickly, nodded and prepared to leave the room as well. The principal pushed open the sliding door and held it politely for the policeman to exit through, despite not needing to.
Watching Tsukauchi leave stirred something unusual in Midoriya's gut, something uncomfortable, similar to how the mammal's poor social skills made him feel. Something felt off, like he was missing something important, but couldn't put his finger on what. His memories from the USJ attack were coming back to him in pieces, with the earlier ones from right before he clocked out returning first. But right before he engaged the Nomu was still pretty hazy and he struggled to grasp those thoughts. Though, there was something he was missing, something only his subconscious was aware of, which made him crave for the detective to stay, despite barely knowing the man and not understanding why.
The further his footsteps got from his cot, the more his head seemed to ache. But he pushed harder to recall his lost thoughts, his eyes squinting shut out of pain. It probably wasn't best for him to be straining himself, especially right after waking up, but his thoughts seemed just out of reach. The ghost beside him noticed his struggles and floated around anxiously, but couldn't understand what his successor was attempting to do.
"Wait!"
Tsukauchi turned from the middle of the doorway, startled, but his eyes remained calm. Nezu peeked out from behind the detective, the new development interesting his curiosity. Recovery Girl swiveled in her chair, dropping her paperwork yet again on her desk, and All Might moved slowly to look at the student behind him, his heroic experience causing his body language not to portray however surprised he was.
The teen didn't even realize what he was doing until it had already happened. It wasn't until the words had left his mouth that he realized he had said them. His arm had even moved to reach for the black haired man's fleeing form, completely unbeknownst to him until it was already extended. It was like his subconscious desires were puppeting his body, toying with him as if he were on strings.
He barely even knew why he had called out to the man in the first place, other than some supernatural feeling convincing him it was necessary.
Lowering his hand out of embarrassment, he figured he should probably say something before Tsukauchi realized he was wasting his time. He shuffled his sitting position on the bed, pushing around the blanket in an attempt to both satisfy his nervous energy as well as give his subconscious more time to get itself together.
"I um…" he mumbled before his autopilot took over his senses, a rush of blankness filling his head, "How many of the villains escaped?"
He was a little surprised at the nature of the question, not really understanding why he was compelled to ask it. But his memory could answer at least a partial point of his inquiry. After all, he did remember seeing Shigaraki escape… well more like forcefully removed via one of Kurogiri's portal, so he assumed both villains did manage to get away. But what about the Nomu, which All Might rocketed through the ceiling of the dome? What about all the other villains that were intended to take out his classmates? What about-
His head pounded aggressively, almost forcing him to clutch it in his hands, but he managed to refrain purely out of introverted intentions. The villain from the flood zone, was he caught? He needed to know.
The phantom scent of scorched debris and dust invaded his nose so violently he almost needed to hack it out of his lungs. The faint, unwanted sound of police tape fluttering in the wind crawled into his head like a parasite, nearly making him claw his ears out. It wasn't just for his sake anymore, in fact it never was for his sake.
And that's exactly why he needed to know.
Thankfully, even without specifying, Tsukauchi seemed to understand that the question was directed at him. "Other than the supposed ringleaders of the invasion, everyone who attacked the USJ has been restrained and taken into custody, including the superpowered monster they brought with them."
That was a relief in more ways than one, but surprisingly not what he now knew he was looking for. While it was reassuring that only Shigaraki and Kurogiri had gotten away, and that their grotesque Nomu was captured in their place, he found himself not really caring over that information just yet. Sure, give him an hour or so and he'd probably be having a psychological breakdown on how he wasn't able to stop either of them, despite how close he got to doing so. But he needed to know. The pain gripping his heart wouldn't allow him not to.
"If you're feeling guilty because those two escaped…" Tsukauchi assumed, thinking the boy may have been experiencing something akin to survivor's guilt, "You did much more than anyone could ever ask of you in a situation lik-"
"That's not it-" Realizing he had interrupted involuntarily, he paused out of sparked fear, before attempting to collect himself to at least take advantage of the situation presented to him. "I… just uh… I just need to know if you have a villain with a finger rocket quirk in your custody…"
True.
That certainly wasn't what anyone was expecting to hear from the teen, catching the entire room off guard, including Gami. At least that was, until the spirit recalled finally finding his successor after he had been teleported away to the flood zone. The boy had been caught in one of the most aggressive spirals he had ever witnessed, and while he had managed to snap him out of it, it still very much concerned Gami. Midoriya had given him practically no information in that moment, leaving him very much out of the loop, but with the new added context, the man had come to a startling realization.
The villain that had killed Ishihara was present at the USJ attack.
The villain that had killed Ishihara was the reason his successor had almost lost his morality.
"Well… I'm not sure. I haven't received a report yet," Tsukauchi admitted, scratching his cheek, "Why do you need to know?"
"I-" The teen couldn't bring himself to say why, the words getting painfully caught in his throat, like he was choking on them. But that didn't change the absolute fact that he had to know. Not for himself, but he had to know. Not for his sake, but he had to know. Not for his life, but he had to-
"I just have to know."
True.
He wasn't aware of his quiet hyperventilating until he felt a familiarly bony hand rubbing circles into his back. His heart rate had spiraled out of control, much like his breathing did. And unfortunately, there was no noise in the room to drown it out.
He needed to match his breathing, but his heartbeat was fluctuating way too much to be used as a guide. And the lack of stability was only causing him to panic more. He unconsciously reached for the end of his new pair of gloves, needing to find steadiness by whatever means possible. He could feel the power surging at his fingertips, clawing at his skin from inside. At this rate, he would lose these gloves too, despite Nezu going out of his way to retrieve them for him, but he couldn't find a feasible way to calm himself.
That was, until the cold hand moved from his back and returned to wrap around him. The hug was loose, mindful of his recovering body, but still warm and secure. The soft texture around him was comforting to the soul, like having a fluffy blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He gripped tighter against the black fabric, afraid that if he let go, it would disappear completely. Unbeknownst to his conscience, his pained gasps had reduced to normal exhaling, and his heart rate was no longer pounding out of his chest.
All he could process was how safe he felt. And with the occurrences prior, he really, really needed to feel that way, even if he didn't acknowledge that outloud.
It was probably for the best that he didn't realize the entirety of his panic attack was witnessed by everyone in the room. It was also for the best that no one decided to comment on it, whether they understood what happened or not.
Tsukauchi knew he really shouldn't be sharing details to an ongoing investigation, especially to a student of all unpermitted people. But he could recognize the textbook PTSD from anywhere and quite honestly, he wasn't too surprised, especially with the added knowledge of the traumatic statement he had taken a few days prior. He was one of the few people who really knew how much the boy had gone through, and was likely still going through due to unearthed trauma. And this villain he was referencing seemed to really matter to his repressed experiences.
And so while the detective was obligated to uphold his code as an officer of the law, he felt more obligated to follow this through, especially if there was a chance something as simple as a confirmation to a villain in custody would help him move forward.
"Well," he started, placing his hat back on his head, "I'll see what I can do."
Midoriya looked up, surprised to hear the man agree at all. His wide, astonished eyes moved away from his lap and settled on Tsukauchi. The man sent him a pleasant nod and a warm smile, before exiting through the open doorway as he intended earlier, Nezu still holding the door open. He gave a half hearted, pathetic wave, sure that the detective wouldn't even notice with his back turned. He did notice one small, white paw point in his direction, and seconds after, Tsukauchi swiveled around towards him, too fast for him to put down his awkward motion. But the man didn't seem to mind, taking the gesture as friendly before waving back.
That was the end of the heartfelt exchange, as simple it may have been. The black haired man turned back around one last time to officially leave the office with the principal, and likely continue their endeavors to comb through the school's security.
But as the two tried to leave once more, they were yet again prevented as Nezu peeked his head into the doorway.
"Ah, Shūzenji-san," he called out, not bothering to enter any further into the room, "Yamada-san is wondering if he can come in now."
At that Recovery Girl sighed, finally giving up on her paperwork and placed a hand on her face. "You can tell him to come in, but he better have calmed himself by now."
The rodent smiled and gave a curt nod before ducking back behind the door frame. There was some shuffling and slight whispers, mumbles of words neither Gami nor Midoriya could make out. And as soon as they came, the noises disappeared, then replaced with footsteps moving towards Recover Girl's office so frantically, he could hear them clearly from his cot.
The deathly duo shared a look that only 500 year old ghosts and their successors could share.
Yamada skidded into the nurse's office, nearly leaving a trail of fire in his wake. He didn't even acknowledge the number one hero as he passed by his cot and approached the teen, obviously trying to restrain the intensity of his actions. The voice hero walked right up to the foot of the bed and brushed a stray, blond lock out from his eyes, a soft smile blooming on his face.
"Hey little listener," he whispered, his voice a little more scratchy than usual, "How are you feeling?"
The pro's hair was let loose, draping over his shoulders gently, though much messier than usual. The skin around his eyes looked more strained than normal and even his warm smile seemed much dimmer than what he was used to. And while Midoriya was terrible with interpreting social cues and he knew that, he could tell Yamada's eyes screamed with worry.
So in an effort to reassure him, though where it came from he was unsure, he mustered up enough energy to send a comforting smile in return. "I'm doing alright…"
"Oh, you don't know how relieving that is to hear," he released his breath heavily, clutching his chest, "You had me so worried…
Worried? The hero was worried about him? Gami had told him that Present Mic carried his unconscious body to Recovery Girl, but if that were the case, how bad was his condition? There was a huge lapse in his timeline that he was desperate to fill, because quite frankly, the unknown terrified him.
The school nurse sensed the anxiousness radiating off the pro, and figured the poor man had been thought enough, especially considering the state of Aizawa. So she glanced over at his vitals monitor, and at seeing what she expected, gathered up her loose paperwork and swiveled towards them in her chair.
"You should be alright to leave, dearie," she directed at him, though it seemed to be more uplifting towards Yamada than anyone else, "You're practically all healed up and you should have a decent portion of your stamina back by now."
Hopping off her chair, she strolled over to his cot and disconnected the IV drip from his arm. He flexed at his newfound freedom and pushed the covers off his lower half, shuffling over towards the edge of the bed to attempt to stand up. As he did, both Yamada and Gami rushed over to his side, ready to assist in any way they could. The mere thought of their unwavering companionship really made his heart swell, and it gave him enough of a moral boost to swing his legs over the edge. He settled down shakily on his soles, gripping the railing at the end of the cot for extra stability, but after a few seconds, he could feel his legs get the hang of gravity once again.
The boy was so focused on maintaining a proper walk cycle, he didn't even notice his wear was still his mangled gym uniform. Nor did he notice the faded stain of red dressing his top.
But maybe that was for the better.
Present Mic did his best to project a calm aura through his anxiety, but the day had been long, eventful, and more than stressful. He hadn't realized how attached he had gotten to the boy until he found himself pacing back and forth outside Recovery Girl's office. Of course, if it had been another bloody, unconscious student, he would have done the exact same thing, from his haste to his impatience. But he knew about Midoriya's strange factor of immortality, among his other secretive abilities, so his rationality knew he would be more than alright, even without medical assistance.
But the fact that he found himself anxiously waiting outside, desperately clawing at the shut entry door, despite all of that reasoning, just served to prove that his heart had been roped in from the start.
The two walked slowly to the exit, the hero making sure to match his pace to the shaky steps of the boy beside him. They passed by All Might's cot, and the number one hero flashed a comforting smile, not wanting to speak and ruin the mood. Yamada returned the gesture, though he couldn't get the warmth to spread to the pained look in his tired eyes. He just wanted to get the teen home to where his spirit could finally acknowledge was safe.
But just as they made it through the doorway, and stepped into the fresh air of the school hallway, one last loose end pulled them back in.
"I apologize Yamada-san," Recovery Girl called out from just behind them, making them turn around to face her, "but could you wait at the end of the hallway for a moment? There is one last private matter I wish to discuss with Midoriya before sending him home."
The hero rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, attempting to mask his high tension as awkwardness. "Yeah, that's fine… as long as that's alright with the little listener?"
Looking down slightly at the boy, he noticed a sort of spaced out look in his eyes, like he wasn't quite with the rest of the program. But observing closer, he could see him make almost indistinguishable nods, an action nearly invisible to anyone else, unless they were looking for it. And the hero was looking for it, because ever since he became aware of Midoriya's ghost friend, he also became aware of some of the slight movements the two used to communicate. The actions were slight to avoid perception, but the blond already knew of the existence of his invisible companion, and so he found his instincts picking up on the movements even unconsciously.
The nods meant he was thinking it out, and compared to how he was prone to handle decision making, especially in front of other people, that was definitely a good thing.
After a few moments of silence, he looked up to hesitantly meet the pro's eyes, which was not like his usual skittish behavior, but still a pleasant change to witness.
"It's alright, Yamada-sensei," he reassured with a shaky smile, "I can handle this myself."
The voice hero hastily nodded his head in understanding, barely restraining himself from crying out. The boy had always referred to him as Mic-sensei, and though he would personally have preferred something else, there was no way he was going to push him if he wasn't comfortable. But his heart wasn't prepared to hear his actual name anytime soon, and to hear it so casually made him have to catch the gasp in his throat. He couldn't trust his voice, which was so ironic it nearly made him laugh, so he ended up nodding again and stumbling away to the end of the hallway, turning the corner and continuing down even though that wasn't necessary.
Midoriya found it difficult to remove the smile from his face, for some odd reason.
The sound of a door clicking shut brought him back down to earth, and he swiveled around to see the nurse quietly sliding the door closed. A bit of nervousness started to rise up from his stomach, but he pushed it down to the best of his ability. He was alright, his classmates were alright, and his teachers were going to be alright. It might have been the mix of his muddied rationality as well as his empty stomach, but nonetheless he found himself on a foggy high, and honestly, he wasn't quite ready to get off of it just yet.
"I apologize again for delaying your return home," she began, "but my responsibility as a licensed doctor takes priority in situations like these."
His worry started to find more of a foundation at her serious tone, but he convinced himself he was simply overreacting. He nodded, trying to confirm he understood what she was saying, his throat drying up too quickly for anything verbal.
"I'm going to be honest with you, dearie," she cleared her throat, "Do you know how bad your condition was?"
At that, the boy chuckled sheepishly, "I know, I got pretty banged up…"
"That's an understatement," she interrupted, "Midoriya dear, you would have died."
The entire world stopped moving as his heart climbed up his throat. He swore he couldn't feel it beating anymore, despite the blood rushing to his head.
"What…?"
"On top of the extensive injury on your right wrist and your numerous broken ribs…" Midoriya could barely focus, not having the will to interrupt her even if he wanted to. "One of those broken ribs pierced your lung."
The nurse paused to likely give him a chance to process the new information, but he wasn't even sure he was breathing.
"Based on how much blood I had to drain out during surgery, I'd guess it was pierced early on into the fight."
Early on in the fight? His mind could only think of the two times where the Nomu got in hard hits against him. Once where it threw him into the plaza floor by his leg, and the other when it socked him in the chest right afterwards. Both of those were right at the beginning of the fight, though, it was likely the latter that did the damage, as he could unconsciously associate the sickening crunch in his chest to that moment.
He could vaguely remember the pain, but was still in disbelief that it was that moment the nurse was referencing.
"And without your immortality, I doubt you would've survived longer than a few minutes."
No longer than a few minutes? By that, the only reason he even made it to when All Might arrived was because of his undying body. If he were normal, just like everyone else, he would've been dead. And his head couldn't shake that.
He would've been dead.
"I'm not trying to scare you," she clarified, but at this point it was useless, "I just really need you to understand where I'm coming from when I say you need to be more self preserving. The damage may not stay permanent, but it's damage nonetheless."
He could feel Gami rest a hand on his shoulder, as the ghost usually did in high stress situations, but now, it did absolutely nothing. It was like he wasn't even in his own body anymore, his consciousness completely disassociating to the point where his autopilot kicked in inadvertently.
"I won't keep you or Yamada-san waiting any longer, so make sure to restock on both food and fluids when you get home." Her voice grew soft and warm, almost like he was trying to make up for her heavy words just before. "And about the wound on your right wrist, I'd advise you to collect yourself and have a good support system around you when you take the bandages off. It's fully healed, but the scar is pretty nasty."
He felt his head move up and down in a slow nod, and yet, he wasn't sure if the action was his own. His throat was swollen shut and mouth unable to pry its rusty hinges.
"Just… take care of yourself, dearie. There's a lot of people who really care about you."
He could only remember nodding again before he swiveled on his heels, walking down the hallway robotically. He couldn't recall thinking much, other than the fact that Yamada was waiting on him to go home. Home? Was that really his home, or just the place he used to breathe? He didn't really know. He didn't think he ever really did.
He was pretty sure Gami said something from beside him, but it didn't reach his brain, and quite frankly, he didn't have the voice to ask the ghost to repeat himself.
With every breath he took, Midoriya felt himself grow further and further away from his grip on reality. It didn't hurt to breathe, and yet he still felt in pain. It didn't make sense to him, but it didn't have to make sense for him to know it was true.
Every breath felt like a joke.
Every breath felt like a lie.
"Izuku…?"
He should've been dead.