Chapter 10
The next day, UA is surrounded.
Izuku and Kacchan stare out at the crowd of reporters swarming around the entrance of the school, shoving a microphone into the face of every student that tries to enter.
"Er, I guess they heard that All Might is teaching here," Izuku says uncertainly.
Kacchan just lets out a very annoyed huff. He doesn't make a move, but his eyes are roaming over the mob, analyzing and searching for weaknesses. Izuku shifts uneasily.
"So… how are we gonna-"
Kacchan suddenly grabs him by the arm and starts dragging him toward the crowd. A reporter notices them and immediately shoves a microphone at them.
"You!" She demands, "How are All Might's classes-"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY!" Kacchan roars. It's startling enough for the reporter to jump backwards in surprise. Kacchan proceeds to bulldoze his way through the mass of people, loudly snapping at anyone who tries to shove a camera in his face. Izuku, for once, is actually grateful to be dragged behind his friend. They make it through the crowd fairly quickly and Izuku is only a couple of minutes late for his meeting with Recovery Girl.
"Tsk!" His mentor rolls her eyes. "I don't know how Toshinori-kun deals with those vultures all the time! Has he said anything to you?"
Izuku shakes his head. "No, not today. He texted me after I went home yesterday, but that was mostly just to ask what I thought of his teaching."
"And what did you think of his teaching?"
He ponders about it for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I think… he has a lot that he can teach us, but…" He smiles and shrugs. "He's All Might, you know?"
Recovery Girl huffs and turns to her desk, saying, "Well, you don't have to worry about him today. You don't have a hero lesson but you have PE, which Aizawa-kun will be teaching. And before you ask, yes, you will be participating." Izuku closes his mouth. "It'll be a quirkless sparring lesson, so you'll get a chance to show what you learned in that self-defense class you mentioned."
Izuku perks up. Finally, something he can join in on.
His morning classes seem to take forever today. In the past few months, he hasn't gone to as many self-defense classes as he had before, mostly because he's just been so busy studying for the recommendation test or schoolwork or Recovery Girl. And now that he's in UA, he's completely dropped out of Kimura's class, one, because he simply won't have any time to attend her after school lessons on top of Recovery Girl's, and two, because he'll be learning even more about fighting in UA.
So, it's been a while since he's had a good sparring session. He's excited to train with his classmates, but part of him is worried that perhaps he's gotten a bit rusty. He doesn't want to embarrass himself- he wants to show that he's strong even though he doesn't have a combative quirk.
"Quit fucking muttering, Zuku!" Kacchan growls.
Izuku snaps out of his thoughts and smiles apologetically. They're on their way to the cafeteria for lunch, although he thinks he might be too nervous to eat.
Kacchan gives him a look. "You've been acting all weird and fidgety since you checked in with Recovery Girl. Is it something about one of our lessons later?" He frowns. "We don't have any hero classes, just PE. What's so bad about PE?"
Izuku wrings his hands. "You know I can't say, Kacchan," he sighs. As Recovery Girl's apprentice, he's privy to information that other students don't know, whether it be about each other or their future classes. Just things that he needs to be aware of, like All Might's injury or certain students' allergies or a lesson that he needs to be prepared for in advance. But he can't just go telling that information to anyone who asks!
Katuski grumbles under his breath and Izuku hastens to reassure him. "It's nothing bad, though! You know me, I get nervous about everything!"
His friend snorts and thankfully drops it. He leads the way into the cafeteria and while they're waiting in line for food, Izuku glances around.
For the past couple of days, he and Kacchan have been eating lunch by themselves, either finding an empty table or sitting with some upperclassmen that ignore them. But now that they're more familiar with their classmates, Izuku wants to go sit with them.
He spots Iida and Uraraka sitting at a table together and starts walking over to them once he gets his food. As soon as Kacchan realizes where they're heading, he immediately stops and scowls.
"Hell no!"
Izuku sighs and Kacchan starts roughly nudging him away with his shoulder. "Kacchan…"
"I'm not sitting with Four-Eyes," the blond growls, "And I sure as hell am not going to eat with Round-Face. He's annoying as fuck and she fucking threw me into a wall."
"Well, technically your explosions did that…" Kacchan glares daggers at him and he swallows. "But alright, fine, we won't sit with Iida-kun and Uraraka-kun."
He glances around the cafeteria and spots Todoroki and Yaoyorozu sitting at a table in the corner. He perks up.
"What about Todoroki-kun and Yaoyorozu-kun?"
Kacchan raises an eyebrow, clearly not remembering their names, and turns to follow his gaze. His scowl deepens.
"Bitch nearly blinded me-" Izuku rolls his eyes "-And you act weird around fucking Icyhot."
"No, I don't," Izuku says, then recalls that awkward moment with Todoroki yesterday and sighs. "Fine, fine, how about… Kirishima-kun?" He spots the red-haired boy sitting with Kaminari, Ashido, and Sero.
Kacchan pauses and huffs, "Shitty Hair." Izuku's patience is about to snap, but then the blond shrugs. "Fine, whatever."
Izuku blinks in surprise. 'Fine, whatever'? Wow, Kacchan must really like Kirishima! When did they become friends? How did he not notice?
Kacchan scowls at his stunned silence. "Well, are we gonna sit with them or what?"
Izuku nods rapidly and leads the way. Kirishima grins at him when they approach.
"Hi, guys! Do you mind if Kacchan and I join you?"
"Of course, man, no problem!"
Izuku makes sure that Kacchan ends up sitting next to Kirishima while he takes a seat next to Ashido. This is the first time that Kacchan has actually seemed to want to hang out with a particular person other than him and Izuku is going to foster this new friendship as best as he can!
"Hey, Midoriya-kun," Kirishima says, handing him a piece of paper, "We got that list that we were talking about yesterday."
Izuku looks down at the paper and to his delight he sees information about his classmates' quirks' drawbacks, written down in various handwriting. He reads what is no doubt Yaoyorozu's neat handwriting and nearly smacks himself in the face. Of course she's susceptible to malnourishment! She can't create things out of nothing- oh, but it's so cool that she can transform the molecular structure of her fat! He'll be sure to keep some extra nutritional bars in his medical pouch.
In fact, as his eyes roam over the list, he realizes he can add a lot of things to his bag to help out his classmates. Some sugary candies for Sato, some anti-nausea pills for Uraraka- oh, maybe he can find something that'll help strengthen the lining of Aoyama's stomach? He'll have to ask Recovery Girl later.
Looking back up at Kirishima, he grins. "Thanks, Kirishima-kun!"
Kirishima flashes him a toothy grin and scratches the back of his head. "No problem! It was actually kind of cool getting to hear about everyone's quirks."
"Hey, we helped too!" Ashido pouts and Kaminari nods.
Amused, Izuku smiles and thanks them too. Ashido immediately blushes and waves him off while Kaminari lifts his chin proudly and drawls, "Ah, it's no big deal."
Kacchan snaps his chopsticks in half.
Lunch with the three of them is very entertaining, much more so that sitting alone with Kacchan is. Izuku spends so much time laughing at Kaminari's antics that his food is cold by the time he remembers to eat. Even Kacchan is amused, although he hides it underneath gruff annoyance.
Finally, after lunch if over, it's time for their PE class. Aizawa tells them nothing except to change into their training uniforms and meet him in Gym Gamma. If Izuku's classmates notice his obvious excitement, they don't mention it.
Gym Gamma is a huge and spacious building. When they walk inside, they see numerous blue mats rolled out across the floor. Aizawa stands in front of them with his usual blank-yet-judgemental expression.
"We're going to be doing sparring lessons today," he says. Everyone starts to cheer, but then he adds, "Without your quirks."
"Woooo- wait, wha?"
Aizawa blinks slowly, somehow looking very tired despite the fact that they haven't even started yet. "Before you can learn how to fight properly with your quirks," he says, "You're gonna need to become good at fighting without them. Most of you guys have emitter-type quirks. Now imagine if you came across a villain with a quirk like mine." A few students shudder. "Your quirk can only take you so far, and relying heavily on it will only hold you back. What you need is to build a solid foundation before you can start applying your quirk to your battle skills."
Some of his classmates seem a bit miffed that they don't get to use their quirks, but Aizawa's explanation is logical enough to appease most of them. He has them separate into two groups, those who claim to have experience in hand-to-hand combat and those who have none.
Kacchan and Izuku, of course, go to the experienced group. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu join them too, along with Ashido, Kirishima, Iida, and- to Izuku's mild surprise- Ojiro.
"Alright," Aizawa says, "You're gonna split off into random pairs and begin sparring. This is just so I can evaluate your skill levels and see where each of you is at, so there's no need to use excessive force." He sends a pointed look at Kacchan, who huffs. "You'll fight for about twenty minutes, or however long it takes for me to assess all of you. Afterwards, I'll spend the rest of the class demonstrating real fighting moves."
Kacchan moves to partner up with Izuku, but apparently Aizawa is the one that's going to decide who their partners are. Kacchan ends up getting paired with Kirishima, Yaoyorozu with Ashido, Iida with Ojiro, and Izuku with… Todoroki.
The bi-colored boy turns his cold gaze at him and Izuku sweatdrops.
Well, shit.
As the groups disperse into pairs, he hears someone whisper behind him, "Geez, isn't it a little unfair to pair up the strongest in the class with the healer?"
"I know right? Hopefully, he'll go easy on him…"
The voices sound like they belong to Kaminari and Sero, but that hardly matters. Izuku's mind freezes.
They're... underestimating him.
Kacchan keeps casting him sharp glances as Kirishima leads him away and Todoroki falls into a fighting stance that definitely looks a bit lax and oh my God they are totally underestimating him!
Indignance pricks at his heart. A very Kacchan-sounding voice in the back of his head snarls, "Well fuck that!"
Aizawa tells them to start, but Izuku doesn't move. Instead, he remains in the stance that Kimura taught him, muscle memory coming back to him despite his recent lack of training. He watches Todoroki, who eyes him up and down, realizing that Izuku won't be making the first move. Izuku takes a deep breath, keeping alert for any signs of an oncoming attack and-
Todoroki steps with his right foot before he punches.
It's a common hint, one of the first things that Kimura taught him to keep an eye out for. A proper stance is the foundation of a strong attack, so you can anticipate a person's movements by watching their feet. And Izuku knows the perfect counter attack.
While Todoroki swings with his left arm, Izuku ducks under his fist and darts forward, aiming a punch at the boy's ribs as he steps past him. It takes Todoroki by surprise, but when he tries to turn and face Izuku again, he jams his elbow into Todoroki's temple. Hard. Probably harder than he should have, but he doesn't give himself time to feel bad. As soon as Todoroki stumbles from the blow, Izuku grabs his wrist, aims a kick at the back of his knees, and pins him to the ground with his arm twisted behind his back.
It's a quick takedown, probably not taking more than ten seconds.
Silence fills the gym.
Izuku keeps his attention on Todoroki beneath him, watching him for any signs of movement. So when someone bursts out in loud, obnoxious laughter, it startles him.
Head whipping up, he instantly flushes when he realizes that everyone is staring at him with wide eyes. Well, everyone except for Kacchan, who is too busy laughing his ass off next to Kirishima.
"Dude…"
"Did he just…?"
"Holy fuck!" Kaminari exclaims.
Even Aizawa seems mildly surprised, although he glares at Kaminari for cussing. Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu gives him an impressed look and Ashido flashes him a grin. Izuku's face turns red under the attention.
Below him comes Todoroki's muffled voice, "Can I get up now?"
"Right!" Izuku squeaks, jumping off of him. Todoroki peels himself off the mat and Izuku winces at the red mark on his cheek from being pressed against it. "Sorry- er, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you so hard!"
There's a bruise blooming on the other boy's temple and shit, now Izuku feels really bad.
"It's fine," Todoroki grunts, steadying himself.
Aizawa sighs and calls out, "Good job, Midoriya. But please try to avoid giving your partner a concussion. That goes for all of you." He briefly fixes the other students with a hard look. Before he turns away, he says, "And Todoroki." The boy glances up and Aizawa smirks slightly. "Don't underestimate your opponent based on their quirk."
Izuku can't help it- he smiles and ducks his head. Todoroki looks a bit disgruntled but nods.
"Alright, back to work, brats."
Izuku turns back to Todoroki and they both fall into fighting stances. In the corner of his eye, he sees Kacchan finally compose himself and face Kirishima, but he still has a grin on his face. Izuku focuses on Todoroki when he moves to attack.
And damn Todoroki's fighting for real now.
Not that Izuku's upset that he's finally being taken seriously, but after the third time in a row he gets knocked on his ass, he starts to feel just a smidge of regret.
Todoroki is an extremely skilled fighter. His movements indicate experience, and he's got the muscle to back up his attacks. Fighting him would be fun if it wasn't also painful. Even so, he can tell that the other boy is pulling his punches. Not exactly holding back, just putting less power than he could behind his blows, probably so he doesn't seriously hurt Izuku since this is training.
After the fifth time he's beaten, Izuku starts to give Todoroki a run for his money. His fighting style is so different from Kacchan's that it throws him off a bit at first, but once he gets used to it, the fights start lasting longer. He still loses the majority of them, which is frustrating, but at least he doesn't go down too easily. It's always worth it to see the look on Todoroki's face whenever he manages to land a hit or a kick on the other boy.
Whenever he's not laser-focused on his partner, he takes note of his other classmates' sparring sessions. Ashido is faring surprisingly well against Yaoyorozu, and Iida and Ojiro seem to be evenly matched too. He noticed Kacchan getting knocked down by Kirishima during the first few rounds, but that's probably because he was trying to simultaneously keep an eye on Izuku. Now he's doing much better against Kirishima, but the wins are a solid 60/40 in his favor, so the redhead isn't doing too bad himself.
Izuku pays for his distraction by getting his feet swiped from under him.
Time passes and as they continue to spar, Izuku starts to notice one of his own weaknesses. Usually, sparring in Kimura's class doesn't last too long. They'll go a few rounds, then take a break or switch partners. But they've been at this consistently for nearly twenty minutes now and Izuku's stamina is rapidly draining. He's panting heavily, his clothes are drenched in sweat, and his curls are starting to escape from his ponytail.
For what feels like the hundredth time, Izuku gets knocked to the ground, but, for some reason, Todoroki doesn't just let gravity do the work like he usually does. The next thing Izuku knows, there's hands on his wrists and a heavy weight pinning him down and holy shit Todoroki's face is really really close now-
Todoroki stares down at him with narrowed eyes. His skin is flushed and he's panting slightly, but his gaze is unwavering. His heterochromatic eyes are gazing down at him with such intensity that it makes Izuku's breath catch. A flush creeps up his neck as he stares back up at Todoroki with wide eyes.
Izuku feels like a butterfly pinned to a board, wings spread for the other to see. His heart threatens to beat out of his chest as he wiggles his hands experimentally, but it's clear Todoroki has no inclination to allow him any kind of movement. The grip on his wrists is like iron.
Izuku gulps.
Todoroki may be cold, but his eyes burn.
For a few tense moments, they stare at each other. Both panting, both high on adrenaline. Todoroki's bangs fall into his face as he looks down at him. Izuku has no idea what the hell is going on, but something in Todoroki's eyes slowly turns… curious. He probably wouldn't even notice it if he wasn't so close to the other boy's face.
Finally, Todoroki speaks.
"Not bad." His voice is low. "Who trained you?"
Izuku can barely form a coherent thought right now. Todoroki's intense eyes practically erase his ability to think.
"Huh?" Comes his intelligent reply.
Todoroki stares at him for another moment. The grip on his wrists flexes. He opens his mouth-
"Alright, everyone, that's enough."
Aizawa's voice cuts through the tension like a knife.
Todoroki blinks and looks up at Aizawa as he tells everybody where to gather for his demonstration. As soon as the other boy's gaze is off of him, Izuku lets out a huge sigh of relief. He almost feels dizzy.
"Er," he asks weakly, "Can I get up now?"
Todoroki looks back down at him and seems to just realize that he's still pinning him down. "Oh." He gets off. "Sorry."
Izuku clambers to his feet, ignoring how his legs suddenly feel shaky. Todoroki stands back and watches him carefully.
Laughing breathlessly, Izuku says, "You're a really good fighter, Todoroki-kun."
He hardly reacts. "Thanks," he says, then asks again, "Who trained you?"
"Huh?" Izuku blinks, recalling Todoroki's previous question. "Oh, uh, I took self-defense classes with a woman named Kimura Aki. Um, since I was ten, but I stopped recently."
It doesn't seem to be the answer Todoroki was looking for, but after a moment the other boy nods and turns to join their classmates, who are gathering in a group in front of Aizawa. Izuku hastens to walk by his side.
"Who trained you?" He asks, hoping to strike up a conversation.
Todoroki's eyes narrow and he suddenly becomes nervous. Did he say something wrong? Is it a touchy subject or…?
He almost thinks Todoroki won't respond, but eventually the other boy huffs, "My father."
His father… Izuku's mind flashes back to the tall, intimidating man covered in his own flames. Of course Endeavor would be the one to train Todoroki. He's the son of the number two hero, why would he need to train with anyone else?
But the way Todoroki just replied… he didn't sound very proud. If Izuku didn't know any better, he'd say his tone was almost… resentful. Maybe they don't get along too well? He can't imagine training with a man as terrifying as Endeavor would be very fun…
They reach the group quickly and Izuku sits down next to Kacchan. He hears Todoroki sit down close by.
As Aizawa starts demonstrating some basic forms for the less experienced students, Izuku has trouble focusing. There's something nagging at the edge of his mind, something he can't quite grasp. He feels Kacchan watching him out of the corner of his eye.
"You alright?" His friend asks in a low tone, "Did that IcyHot fucker rough you up too much?"
"No…" Izuku trails off, glancing to his right.
Todoroki is sitting a couple of feet away from him, watching Aizawa with a blank gaze. His left side is facing Izuku.
Green eyes land on a blotchy red scar.
For some reason, Izuku feels his stomach sink.
"Zuku…?" Kacchan questions.
"Nothing," he murmurs, turning away from Todoroki. He doesn't meet his friend's gaze. "I'm just… awkward."
Later that night, Izuku goes on the computer and researches everything he can about burn scars.
There's even more press at the entrance of UA the next day.
Kacchan grits his teeth and Izuku sighs tiredly. He stayed up a bit too late last night with homework and reading for Recovery Girl and that... thing about Todoroki's scar. Ever since their sparring session, he's just had a lot on his mind. No solid ideas or theories or anything, just his mind overreacting as usual.
It also doesn't help that he's still sore from yesterday. Recovery Girl offered to heal his bruises during their lesson but he politely declined. It's been a while since he's felt the ache of a good spar. No need to worry about some sore muscles- sure, it'll prevent him from using his quirk, but he's focusing on traditional healing methods anyway.
Still, he's not too inclined to take on a crowd of reporters again when he's not feeling one-hundred percent.
"Alright, bitches," Kacchan growls, cracking his knuckles, "Time for round two."
He grabs Izuku again and starts shrieking at the reporters as he enters the mob, but it's a lot harder this time. There's twice as many people and cameras than yesterday and everyone seems to be even more determined to interview students. Izuku is finding it hard to follow Kacchan despite the fact that he's practically being dragged along.
Suddenly, a hand clasps around his wrist and yanks him back. Yelping, he stumbles and Kacchan's hand loses its grip on his arm.
"Hey!" The blond snaps, whirling around, but as soon as they're separated the crowd of reporters swarms around them. "Zuku! Hey, fuck off! Get-"
"Kacchan?!" Unable to see his friend amongst the mass of people, Izuku starts to panic. Whoever grabbed him still has an iron grip on his wrist. He tries to pull away using one of the wrist escapes that Kimura taught him, but as soon as the grip is broken, more hands grab onto him. "Let me go! Let me go! Kacchan!"
"You!" A microphone is shoved in his face. "Give us a statement!"
"Tell us about All Might!"
Izuku glances around frantically. There's flashing lights and cameras no matter where he turns. He feels suffocated by the crowd of people pressing down on all sides. The hands on his wrist tighten and yank again.
"Ow!" He grimaces, trying once more to pull away, "Please, let me go! I- I have to go to class, I-"
To his disbelief, the reporters sound angry.
"Just a statement, kid!"
"Come on, you gotta give us something!"
"What is the Symbol of Peace like as a teacher? Tell us!"
Over the droning of the crowd, he hears Kacchan screech, "Get the fuck away before I blow your asses up!"
Shit, he's getting angry. He's been doing so well not getting into any fights, but if he uses his quirk on civilians then he'll definitely get in trouble!
"Kacchan! I'm alright!" Izuku calls out, tugging his wrist again, "I'm fine, it's okay, I just have to-"
"Let go of him."
A cold voice suddenly cuts through the commotion.
Izuku nearly cries with relief when he sees Todoroki approach him, the crowd parting for him slightly as he walks. One of the reporters grabbing Izuku perks up at the sight of the son of the number two hero, but a sharp look from him has her faltering.
Todoroki's eyes land on the hands gripping Izuku's wrist. The air around him seems to drop ten degrees, and Izuku isn't the only one that notices.
"You know," Todoroki says lowly, coming to stand in front of Izuku while keeping his gaze on the offending reporters, "Most people wouldn't dare lay a hand on a healer." His eyes narrow dangerously. "Heroes tend to be protective of them."
There are three people grabbing onto Izuku's wrist. Two of them stiffen in alarm and instantly pull away, but the woman instead perks up.
"Eh? A healer?" Her eyes flash hungrily. "UA has a new healer?"
Her co-worker looks nervous. "Um, Sasaki-san…" At least he seems to realize the implications of Todoroki's words.
Now that there's only one person holding onto Izuku, he's able to break her hold fairly easily. He immediately pulls back and ducks behind Todoroki, rubbing his wrist gingerly.
Kacchan's voice roars again. "Zuku!"
"I'm fine!" Izuku calls back. Todoroki looks at him, and then at the reporters.
"We're leaving now," he says, his tone leaving no room for argument. Izuku stays close behind Todoroki as they make their way out of the mob, keeping his arms close to himself in case someone tries to grab him again.
As they weave through the crowd, Izuku glances up at Todoroki's face. The other boy isn't looking at him. His scar draws Izuku's attention, reminding him of his research the previous night. He'd spent almost an hour looking at various pictures of different types of burn scars, so he knows now that Todoroki's scar must be from water rather than fire. Which is relieving. After the way he sounded talking about being trained by his father, which really wasn't more than a couple of words, Izuku couldn't help but wonder if his scar had been caused by Endeavor. Which would absolutely be none of his business, even if his father had been the cause! He just has an overactive imagination…
Kacchan is already at UA's gates when Izuku and Todoroki escape the crowd. His eyes widen and he rushes over.
"Zuku! Dammit, are you alright?" Izuku starts to reassure him but then the blond's eyes land on his bruising wrist. "What the fuck? Who fucking did that?! I'll kill them!"
"Kacchan, it's fine," he says, "A couple of reporters grabbed me, but Todoroki-kun made them leave me alone." He turns and smiles at said boy, who is standing a bit away, watching them silently. Kacchan glares at him for a moment before clenching his jaw.
"Thanks, I guess," he mutters begrudgingly.
Todoroki blinks, looking as aloof as usual. "No problem." His eyes slide to the reporters, who are standing just behind the gate. "The press is... annoying."
"You can say that again," Izuku huffs, "How come they listened to you and not me?"
Todoroki shrugs.
"Well, anyway," Kacchan sniffs, "Class is starting soon. You still gonna check in with Recovery Girl?"
Izuku looks down at his phone and winces at the numerous texts from his mentor. He should go see her, even if it's just for a couple of minutes.
He bids his goodbyes to Kacchan and Todoroki, the former not wanting to go with him in case he gets late, and rushes over to the infirmary.
"Sorry, Recovery Girl-san!" He apologizes as soon as he bursts into the room.
"Midoriya-kun." Recovery Girl turns to him with a confused expression. "What kept you? I was beginning to get worried."
He scratches the back of his head sheepishly and waves her off. "Ah, it was nothing. Just had a bit of trouble getting past the press, that's all."
She frowns, but when she spots the angry red bruise forming on his wrist, her eyes widen. "Did they do that to you?"
"Huh?" He glances at his wrist. "Oh, yeah, but it's alright. Doesn't hurt that bad."
Recovery Girl's expression doesn't ease. She holds out her hand and Izuku gives her his wrist, sighing in relief when she kisses it gently.
As grateful as he is, he can't help but tease, "I thought you were all against using your quirk for minor injuries?"
"Your quirk," she corrects, "My quirk doesn't rely on sacrificing my own energy."
She turns back to her desk, but something about her tone seems troubled. He hesitates. Maybe he can't afford to have bruises today?
"Will… um, will I need to use my quirk in class today?" He asks, but Recovery Girl shakes her head.
"No, no, that's not it," she says, "You kids are just going to be doing more sparring lessons with All Might this afternoon. Aizawa-kun should have told you that yesterday." Izuku nods. She huffs, "What bothers me is the press. And the fact that they're getting physical with students. Geez, so desperate to talk to Toshinori-kun that they'd resort to hurting children!" She sniffs.
Izuku gives her a gentle smile. "I don't think that they meant it."
"Still, I'll talk to the teachers later about keeping those vultures away." His mentor glances up at the clock before telling him to hurry off to class.
Izuku races down the hallway and steps into his homeroom right as the bell rings. Aizawa spares him a single glance but doesn't comment as he rushes to his desk, panting heavily.
"Good job during PE yesterday," he grunts, "You'll be practicing the moves I showed you during your hero class today with All Might, and then he'll talk about how you can apply your quirks to those moves." Murmurs of excitement ripple through the class and the teacher narrows his eyes. "I said he'd talk about it. You won't get to spar with your quirks until you learn the basics of fighting."
The excitement dies down a bit. Aizawa sniffs. "Now, let's get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice, but today I'll have you…" Everyone tenses up. "... decide on a class representative."
Izuku lets out a sigh of relief. Finally, a normal school activity!
The classroom erupts into shouts.
"I wanna be class rep! Pick me!"
"Me too!"
"I want to do it too!"
"I'll be the leader!"
Izuku stays quiet, watching with amusement as his classmates argue over who should be the class representative. Their enthusiasm makes sense; in a normal class, they'd probably just be taking on everyday tasks, but in a hero course being class rep would allow someone to practice being a top hero by leading a group. It's a good opportunity for the future heroes. He chuckles when Kacchan aggressively demands to be the one to take on the role.
Iida is quick to calm down the chaos and suggests that they hold an election to choose the class representative. Most of his classmates probably vote for themselves, but Izuku isn't quite sure who to vote for. As much as he loves his friend, Kacchan isn't exactly the most level-headed person. Then again, taking on a leadership role could have the effect of making him more mature, but that isn't a guarantee.
Izuku glances around the room and spots Kirishima. He seems to be pretty friendly with everyone, but he's not as goofy or careless as Kaminari and Ashido. Not that Izuku really knows him too well, but if he's able to somewhat wrangle Kacchan, then he should be able to deal with whatever this class throws at him.
So, Izuku casts his vote for Kirishima-
-And nearly faints in shock when he gets chosen to be the class representative.
"What?! Me?!" He squeaks, "I got votes?!"
Kacchan is confused too. "Haah? Zuku? Who voted for him?!"
"Well, it's better than voting for you," Sero teases lightly and the blond snarls at him.
As the two bicker back and forth (although it's mostly one-sided on Kacchan's part), Izuku is still trying to wrap his mind around the situation. He got three votes! Three! He got more than Yaoyorozu- and damn , he didn't even think about voting for her! She would be so perfect for the role!
"But- But, why me?" He stammers, "I mean, I-I'm not even going to be a hero, really, I'm just a healer!"
"Eh, maybe it's not such a bad idea, then?" Kaminari suggests.
Kirishima grins. "Yeah, you're pretty cool, Midoriya-kun!"
"Yeah, remember when he healed Uraraka-kun?"
"He seems pretty friendly with everyone, I guess."
"Yeah, Midoriya-kun!"
"Wait, wait!" Izuku waves his hands frantically. "I'm-I'm flattered and all, but I- I'm really not much of a leader."
"Don't sell yourself short, Midoriya-kun," Yaoyorozu says, catching everyone's attention. "As a healer, you have a unique role in this class. Even though we may be classmates, every student in the hero course are rivals to some degree. Everyone except you." Izuku gapes at her and she smiles. "You are a neutral party. So if you are our class representative, then we know you won't be biased in any way."
Izuku blinks. Then blinks some more. "Oh…" His voice is tiny. "I… I guess that makes sense…"
Yaoyorozu nods. "It's logical." She glances at the rest of the class.
Sero turns away with an airy huff. "Well, we know who you voted for then." He simply grins when Yaoyorozu frowns at him and says, "Alright, I'm down."
"Yeah, me too," Kirishima agrees, grinning at Izuku, "Good luck, Class Rep!"
"Er…" The boy hesitates. He's still not so sure about this.
But everyone seems to agree with Yaoyorozu's logic and soon Aizawa announces him as class president and Yaoyorozu as vice-president. Izuku gulps nervously.
"Quit worrying, Zuku," Kacchan growls as they sit down for lunch, "It's not the end of the world."
Sero nudges Izuku and says, "Hey, even Bakugou-kun agrees!"
"Well it's better than having any of you fucking losers do it!" Kacchan snaps, stabbing his food more harshly than necessary. One of his chopsticks snaps at the end.
Sero and Kaminari immediately burst into laughter while Kacchan screeches at them. Izuku sighs. Next to him, Ashido puffs up her cheeks in a pout.
"He has a point, though." Izuku looks at her in surprise and she tilts her head. "You're really the best one for it. Yaoyorozu-kun is so smart." She lets out a wistful sigh at the end.
"But I thought you guys wanted to be class rep," he protests, glancing between her and Kirishima, "You seemed so excited about it."
Kirishima shrugs. "Well, yeah, it seemed like a good idea at first. But then when we were writing down our votes, I thought 'ehh, maybe not'?"
"Yeah, too much responsibility for the first year," Kaminari complains good-naturedly, leaning against Sero.
"So I figured I'd vote for you," Kirishima says, startling Izuku, "I mean, if you can get Bakugou-kun under control just by saying his name-" He laughs when Kacchan screeches at him. "-Then handling the rest of us should be a piece of cake."
"I… didn't vote for you, I still voted for myself," Kaminari admits sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "But I'm glad things turned out the way they did now!"
"Yeah, you'll do great, Midori-kun!" Ashido says. Kirishima and Kaminari grin while Sero gives him a thumbs up.
"Oh." Izuku blushes a little bit, tucking a curl behind his ear as he smiles down at his food. It's kind of heart-warming to know that his classmates think so highly of him after only knowing him for a short amount of time. "Thanks, guys. I'll try and do my best, then."
Sero grins. "Don't worry about it. Although, I think Iida-kun might be a bit broken-hearted." He points at another table with his chopsticks, where Iida is currently spluttering at something Uraraka said.
Izuku shrivels. Iida had seemed really enthusiastic about being class rep. "Oh, God, I didn't even think- I should go apologize or something-"
Ashido waves him off before he can work himself up too much. "Ah, it's his own fault, anyways."
"Yeah, he's the one who talked up the whole election thing, even though he knew most of us would vote for ourselves," Kaminari says, "And then he didn't vote for himself. What did he think would happen?"
They all glance back at Iida, who is now standing with his chest proudly puffed. Uraraka beams at whatever he's saying, but Kaminari, Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido just squint in confusion and slight judgement. Kacchan raises an eyebrow. Izuku tilts his head. He wonders what Iida is saying to Uraraka to make her look so amazed.
Before he can say anything, alarms suddenly blare loudly. Izuku flinches and Ashido lets out a little 'eep' of surprise. A voice says over the speaker system, "There has been a Level Three security breach. All students please evacuate outdoors promptly. I repeat-"
"Level Three security?" Sero asks, "What's that?"
"I dunno, but I think it's pretty serious!" Kaminari turns in his seat, looking at some older students as they jump up and start running out of the cafeteria. Others soon follow, seeming scared and panicked.
Kacchan stands up. "If it's a security breach, then that probably means someone's trespassing on school grounds." He gives Izuku a sharp look. "Let's go."
They all abandon their food and hastily make their way out of the cafeteria. However, since everyone else is doing the same, the hallways quickly get overcrowded. With so many people packed together topped with the fact that they're all panicking, it soon becomes a stampede.
And for the second time that day, Izuku loses Kacchan in the crowd.
"Don't push!"
"Hey!"
"What's happening?!"
"Stop it!"
"Ow!"
Izuku quickly turns at the sound of the cry, but there's no point in trying to figure out who it came from. Everybody is pushing and shoving against each other as they try to reach the end of the hallway. Izuku yelps as someone steps on his foot and jerks back, only to bump into another student.
"Hey, wait!"
"Ah, I'm falling!"
Crap! People are going to get seriously hurt with everyone stampeding like this!
Izuku grimaces and tries to help a stumbling boy regain his balance, but it's hard when he barely has any balance of his own. "Everyone!" He yells, "Please, calm down! You're going to get hurt!"
His voice gets drowned out by the shouts of dozens of students.
He can just barely hear the sound of Kacchan calling his name, but there's no way he can find him in this mess. All he can do is wait for things to calm down and try to avoid getting injured in the meantime.
As soon as he thinks this, an elbow comes flying towards his face. He tries to dodge, but with such little space he still ends up getting hit on the cheek.
"Ow!" He cries out. Then a foot kicks him in the shin, causing him to stumble.
A hand suddenly grasps his upper arm and yanks him backwards. He feels his back collide against someone's chest and struggles to glance over his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Midoriya-kun!" Kirishima shouts, "I've got you!" He proceeds to harden his arms and holds them beside Izuku, protecting his upper torso and face from getting hit.
"Kirishima-kun! Thank you!" Izuku breathes a sigh of relief. With movement being so difficult, he can't even twist around to properly see the redhead, but it doesn't matter. Kirishima stays close, chest pressed against his back as he protects Izuku as best as he can with his arms. The greenette's feet still get stepped on every other second, but at least he doesn't have to worry about getting a broken nose on top of it.
"This is crazy!" Kirishima shouts, painfully close to Izuku's ear. He suddenly pauses and plunges one of his arms into the crowd. A moment later, he fishes out Kaminari.
"Ahh- oh, hey guys!" The electric boy perks up. "This is crazy!"
"That's what I just said!" Kirishima replies, grunting when someone elbows him in the ribs.
Another person cries out in pain and Izuku winces. "People are getting hurt!" He yelps.
Kaminari raises his arms and yells, "Everyone, stop! Slow down! Slow do-"
He promptly gets knocked off his feet, but Izuku grabs him by the jacket before he can get swept away. He pulls the other boy close. Things are getting more and more uncomfortable by the minute, with Kirishima pressed against his back and Kaminari pressed against his front. They're roughly jostled by the crowd with every step they take and Izuku is really starting to freak out now with just the seemingly endless amount of people around him.
He's about two seconds away from a panic attack when everything suddenly stops. Something has caught everyone's attention, making them stop and look up. Izuku peeks over Kaminari's shoulder, surprised to see Iida standing on top of the emergency exit sign.
"Everyone! Everything is fine!" Iida shouts. His legs wobble slightly and Izuku's heart leaps to his throat in fear. Still, Iida continues, "It's just the media! There is nothing to panic about! Everything is fine! This is UA. Let us act in a way befitting the best of the best."
His tone is so chastising that it actually makes some students pause. A few glance around and someone calls out, "Oh, wow, it really is just the media."
"The police are here too!"
"Oh good."
Slowly but surely the pressure surrounding Izuku eases away as people calm down. He lets out a huge sigh of relief and beams up at Iida. The blue-haired boy is still standing confidently on top of the emergency exit sign and Izuku can't help but think that he looks really cool.
As for the cause of the stampede…
"Man, I really hate the media now," he grumbles and Kirishima laughs, "Thanks for protecting me back there. Are you alright?"
The redhead waves him off. "Yeah, I'm fine, don't worry about me. But, uh…" He looks over Izuku's shoulder and the boy turns around, following his gaze to a couple of students making their way out of the hall. One has their arm around the other's shoulder and is clearly limping. Glancing around, Izuku sees that there are a lot of people with minor injuries.
"Oh." He winces, turning back to Kirishima and Kaminari. "I should go help out Recovery Girl-san. If you see Kacchan, can you-"
"ZUKU!"
"-Nevermind," he cuts himself off, trying to give Kacchan a reassuring smile as the blond rushes over to him. "I'm fine, Kacchan, it's alright. I have to go to Recovery Girl-san now though."
Kacchan doesn't look mollified. "I'll walk you there," he says, taking a step forward, but Izuku shakes his head.
"It's fine, there's already gonna be a bunch of people there anyway." Before he turns away, he glances up at the emergency exit sign and asks, "Can you make sure Iida-kun gets down safely?"
Kacchan grumbles in response but Kirishima and Kaminari give him a thumbs up. Satisfied, Izuku turns and starts running to the infirmary as fast as possible.
By the time he gets there, there's already a long line of students waiting outside. "Sorry, sorry, excuse me," he mumbles as he pushes his way into the room. When Recovery Girl sees him, she almost looks like she's about to cry in relief.
"Midoriya-kun!" She exclaims, "Thank goodness! What is going on? What's this about a stampede I'm hearing?"
Izuku's already moving to his desk to grab some latex gloves, pausing to quickly put his hair up in a hasty bun in order to get his curls out of the way before he puts them on. "Everyone freaked out when the alarms sounded and we were told there was a security breach so everyone started rushing outside but we got stuck in the hallway 'cause it was too small for all of us, so, yeah, stampede- but it was just the media that sounded the alarm!"
Recovery Girl lets out a noise of frustration and turns back to the student she's treating. "Dear lord, what a mess! Can you go outside and start examining everyone? Those with more serious injuries can be treated now, but if they just have scrapes and bruises then tell them to come back after school."
Izuku nods dutifully and walks outside. "Everyone!" He calls out, facing the line of students, "I'm going to check your injuries, but if you have minor injuries that can wait, then please come back after school. There are too many people to take care of right now."
The students stare at him in confusion.
"And who are you?" An upperclassman asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm Recovery Girl-san's apprentice," he replies, already moving towards her to check her for injuries, "Where are you hurt?"
"Recovery Girl-san has an apprentice?" The girl asks instead of answering. Izuku's fairly stressed out right now so he doesn't feel too bad about giving her a harsh look. She straightens up. "Oh, shit, alright. Er, I got elbowed in the ribs pretty hard."
She has no qualms about lifting her shirt to show him her ribcage. A couple of guys behind her suddenly seem very interested, but Izuku sends them a sharp glare and they avert their eyes innocently. He turns back to the girl's torso, poking and prodding gently while asking her some questions. The gloves keep him from automatically healing her as soon as he touches her skin, which would be bad if any of her ribs were broken. However, he soon determines that they're most likely just bruised and tells her to come back later. She seems a bit disheartened, but leaves.
As he turns to the next student, he notices that a few other people are leaving as well, probably deciding that their injuries are minor enough to wait. A couple more students leave when the lunch bell rings, but worrying about being late to class is the last thing on Izuku's mind right now.
He is surprised to come across Aoyama amongst the remaining students, however. He doesn't know the other boy too well, but it's clear that Aoyama is being unusually quiet right now. The blond is cradling his hand to his chest with a pained expression.
"Monsieur," he whimpers, "I fell in the hallway and my hand got stepped on many times." He holds his injured hand out and Izuku can immediately tell that it's broken, maybe even in multiple places. The skin is turning purple and his fingers are swelling heavily. It's the worst injury that Izuku has seen so far.
"You fell?" He carefully starts leading Aoyama towards the door, ignoring a student that complains about the blond getting to skip the line. "Did you get hurt anywhere else?"
Aoyama sniffles. "Oui, someone kicked me in the head and another person stepped on my back before I was able to stand up again, but my hand hurts the most."
"Okay, we'll get you fixed up soon, Aoyama-kun," Izuku reassures, then looks up as they approach his mentor, who is frowning down at a girl's leg, "Recovery Girl-san! I checked out most of the students and managed to convince some to come back later. The rest mostly just have sprains or cuts, but I'm pretty sure Aoyama-kun here broke his hand."
Recovery Girl takes one look at the boy's hand and concludes the same thing. The poor woman seems so overwhelmed right now- strands of her hair are even starting to come out of her bun from all her rushing around- but she's quick to usher Aoyama outside.
"I'll need to do an x-ray- I'm sorry, but do you mind taking over here for a few minutes, Midoriya-kun?" She looks extremely apologetic. "I'm fairly certain Haya-kun's ankle is just sprained, so it's fine if you just use your quirk. But remember to limit yourself! I don't want to come back in here to find you exhausted, alright?" Izuku nods and she turns to leave, only to jerk back once more. "Oh! And you- how are you? Any injuries?"
Izuku blinks and examines himself. He'd been so busy worrying about everyone else's injuries that he didn't even notice his own bruises, although they aren't that bad.
"It's just a couple of bruises…" He says. Of course, it would still prevent him from using his quirk, and his mentor knows this too. She's expressed her reluctance to use her own quirk on Izuku before, given that it would sap the stamina that he needs to heal other people. However, since it is only a couple of bruises, she holds her hand out expectantly and kisses Izuku's knuckles when he gives her his hand. Then, she's bustling out the door with Aoyama in tow and Izuku, hardly feeling any more tired than before, turns to the girl she had been treating earlier.
"Okay, Haya-kun, was it?" He asks, already kneeling down and taking off his gloves. The girl- an upperclassman with short pinkish hair- nods and tilts her head.
"Who are you?" She asks.
"I'm Midoriya Izuku, Recovery Girl-san's apprentice," he replies, placing his hands on her ankle and letting his energy flow. She visibly brightens a few moments later and rolls her ankle carefully, smiling when she feels no pain.
"Wow!" She exclaims, "I don't even feel tired! Thanks, Midoriya-san!"
She hops off the bed and bows politely before leaving. Izuku barely has time to process the fact that she called him Midoriya- san before the boy that was waiting after her approaches him.
"Er, I got a cut on my arm," he says stiffly, lifting his arm to reveal a six-inch long gash running along the side of his forearm. Izuku's eyes widen.
"Holy crap, how'd you get this? " He immediately takes the boy's arm into his hands.
"Uh, I think I grazed it against some kid with spikes during the sta…" The boy trails off as the gash disappears within seconds. "Oh." He blinks in surprise. "Cool."
"Next!" Izuku calls. The boy takes the hint and leaves.
The next few minutes are spent treating patient after patient, each coming in with some sort of not-minor-but-not-life-threatening injury. He doesn't use his quirk for all of them, but he's still relieved when Recovery Girl returns with Aoyama. The blond's hand is fractured in multiple places, but none of the bones completely broke so thankfully he doesn't need surgery. Izuku keeps helping out other patients while also trying to pay attention to his mentor as she takes the opportunity to show him how to properly cast a hand. She doesn't want to heal him entirely since he still has class to attend, so she only half uses her quirk before sending Aoyama back to class with a late slip. Izuku envies her ability to control the output of her quirk.
Once Aoyama has been taken care of, Recovery Girl is able to take over the infirmary again. However, Izuku still stays to help out until all of the students have been treated.
By the time he makes it to his afternoon hero lesson, he's almost forty minutes late. Recovery Girl gave him a slip, of course, but he also had to run to homeroom to grab his uniform, then run to the Gamma Gym changing room and quickly get dressed, then run into the gym. That, on top of the fact that he's been on his feet constantly since the stampede, plus using his quirk on numerous people, plus having not been able to completely finish eating lunch, means that when he finally stumbles into the gym, he's pretty exhausted.
Everyone is in the middle of practicing sparring moves with All Might, but they all pause to look at him when he enters. All Might tells them to keep going, turning to Izuku with concerned eyes when he walks up to him panting.
"Sorry I'm late," he gasps for breath, "Recovery Girl-san needed help healing people. Lot of injuries." He wearily hands his teacher the late slip. All Might takes it reluctantly.
"I heard about what happened during lunch," he says, "I'm sorry that the media caused such a ruckus. Is everyone alright? Young Aoyama came in late with a broken hand." He nods at said boy, who is sitting on a nearby bench watching his classmates spar, obviously not participating due to his injury.
"Yeah, we dealt with most of the bad injuries," Izuku says, "We asked people with minor injuries to come by after school." He takes a deep breath and straightens up, trying to focus his scrambled mind. "So, what'd I miss?"
"Oh, I was just having them practice the moves Aizawa-sensei taught you guys yesterday," All Might explains, gazing at the sparring students, "In a few minutes, I'll stop everyone and start talking about using their quirks in fighting." He gives him a wary smile. "My first real lecture, I suppose."
"Right." Izuku nods. Normally he might smile back at the obviously-anxious teacher, but he's finding it hard to focus when his mind is still coming down from what happened during lunch. He feels like this is the first time he's actually stopped moving since the stampede.
He starts to walk towards his classmates, intent on finding someone to pair up with, but a large hand on his shoulder stops him.
"I think you should sit out of this one, Young Midoriya," All Might says, his voice full of concern.
"What?" Izuku asks. "Why?"
"You look exhausted," All Might replies frankly, "Why don't you go sit with Young Aoyama? We'll move onto the lecture soon."
Izuku wants to protest, but the hero gives him a firm look and, well, he is pretty tired. So, he trudges over to the bench and sits down next to Aoyama with a heavy sigh.
"Monsieur, are you alright?" Aoyama asks, "You look dreadful."
Izuku snorts a little and says, "I'm fine. Using my quirk a lot just makes me a bit tired."
Aoyama nods in understanding and doesn't seem to mind when Izuku stays quiet after that, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. His bun bothers him, but it's pretty messed up from the hectic day so he just takes off the hair tie before relaxing again. He's hoping to rest for a little bit, but All Might stays true to his word and stops the sparring session a few minutes later, calling everyone to gather around him.
Ignoring the numerous concerned glances sent his way, he joins his classmates as they sit down on the mat in front of All Might. He plops down next to Kacchan and immediately leans his head on his friend's shoulder, sagging his weight against him tiredly. Kacchan wraps an arm around his torso and Izuku lets out a sigh of relief.
All Might starts going on a rant about applying quirks to fighting techniques and the importance of doing it safely. Izuku tries to pay attention, he really does. But he's been running on adrenaline for the better part of an hour and now everything's finally catching up to him. His muscles slowly start to go slack and his eyelids slip closed.
He's not going to fall asleep, he tells himself. He just needs to rest for a couple of minutes.
He falls asleep.
"Zuku."
"Mhnnn."
"Zuku, come on, wake up."
"Mmmmhhhh."
"I'm not fucking carrying you all the way back to class, dumbass."
"I'll do it!"
"Fuck off."
"Mhhrr-hm?" Izuku drowsily blinks his eyes open, looking around. Nearly his entire class is gazing at him with various expressions of amusement. Yelping, he jerks into an upright position before his eyes land on All Might standing behind his classmates. Horror fills his chest as realization dawns on him. "Oh my God."
Ashido coos, "You're so cute when you're sleepy, Midori-kun!"
"I fell asleep!" He exclaims in dismay, jumping to his feet. "All Might, I'm so sorry! That was so rude of me!" He bows, apologizing profusely, but All Might just laughs.
"Don't worry about it, my boy! You looked like you needed it." He grins broadly. "Class is over now, though, so I'm afraid you'll have to stay awake long enough to get back to homeroom. Maybe Aizawa-sensei will let you nap in his sleeping bag if you ask nicely enough." He laughs again and Izuku's face flushes a deep red.
Kacchan rolls his eyes and nudges him towards the door. Izuku shuffles along, hiding his face in embarrassment. As they walk back to the changing rooms, Kirishima comes up beside him and ruffles his hair gently. "You sure you're alright, Midoriya-kun?"
"I told you, it's just 'cause he used his quirk a lot, Shitty Hair," Kacchan growls, pushing the redhead's hand away from Izuku.
"Oi!"
"I'm alright, Kirishima-kun," Izuku says, and it's true. The nap gave him a bit of an energy boost and his mind feels much more clear than before. Still doesn't make it okay that he fell asleep during class, though.
Kacchan keeps a careful eye on him throughout the rest of their afternoon classes, which are thankfully fairly calm. At their end of the day homeroom, Aizawa tells him and Yaoyorozu to decide on the rest of the class officers. They walk up to the podium and stand in silent for a moment, not quite knowing what to say. Izuku shifts uncomfortably under the gazes of all his classmates before realizing what Yaoyorozu is looking at him expectantly.
Oh. Right. He's the class representative.
Izuku can't quite stifle the sigh that escapes him. All throughout his afternoon classes, he was really only thinking of all the students he has to treat after school. His day doesn't end once school does like the rest of his classmates, and to add the responsibilities of being class rep on top of that? Izuku's exhausted just thinking about it.
"Um, before we decide on the class officers, can I say something?" He asks. His classmates blink at him curiously. Yaoyorozu tilts her head as he turns to her and says, "I think you should be the class president, Yaoyorozu-kun."
"Huh?" She looks taken aback.
Izuku looks at the rest of his also-surprised classmates and adds, "And I think Iida-kun should be the vice president." He makes eye contact with Iida and smiles. The blue-haired boy just stares at him with wide eyes.
Murmurs of surprise ripple through the class.
"Midoriya-kun," Yaoyorozu says, baffled, "But…"
Izuku turns to her, giving her a reassuring look. "I appreciate what you said about me earlier…" He glances at his classmates. "...And I really am flattered that you think I'd be a good class president. But I really don't think this role is for me." He nods at Iida and says, "During lunch, Iida-kun was able to get everyone's attention in such a cool way. He stopped the stampede and prevented even more people from getting hurt. I thought he looked really heroic too, so I think it would be best for Iida-kun to lead you guys…" He trails off, then jumps and waves his hands apologetically at Yaoyorozu, "Of-Of course, along with Yaoyorozu-kun!"
She smiles but still looks uncertain. "Midoriya-kun, if it's a matter of self-confidence, then-"
"It's not!" Izuku shakes his head, then hesitates. "Well, actually, it is, sort of. But it's mostly because… 'cause… I'm just really busy, you know?" He laughs nervously and scratches the back of his head. His classmates glance at each other in confusion. Clearing his throat, he continues, "I just… I mean, as a healer-in-training, I have a lot of responsibilities. Outside the hero course, I mean."
"Oh." Kaminari blinks. "You mean like your after school lessons with Recovery Girl-san?"
"Huh?" His classmates turn to him.
"He has lessons with Recovery Girl-san after school," Kaminari explains, "'Cause, you know, he's learning how to be a healer."
"Oh, wow," Uraraka says, "On top of what we're learning in here?" Izuku nods. She suddenly has a very pitying look on her face, along with most of his other classmates.
"Oh, geez."
"I didn't even think about that."
"He did look really tired when he came back from the infirmary after lunch…"
"Yeah, you've got enough on your plate already, man."
"Don't worry about it!"
"We didn't mean to pressure you or anything."
Izuku flails his limbs frantically, trying to reassure them all that it's okay, but Yaoyorozu looks devastated.
"Oh, Midoriya-kun, I'm so sorry," she apologizes, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so ignorant, I didn't even think about-"
"It's alright, Yaoyorozu-kun, really!" He cuts her off, mentally hoping to get this over with as soon as possible. God, he's really not good with all this attention on him. Why does he have to make things so weird?
He glances at Iida and asks, a hopeful tone in his voice, "So, Iida-kun? Are you okay with being our vice prez?"
Iida still looks astonished, but after a few encouraging words from his classmates (specifically Kirishima, bless that boy), he accepts the role with a rather dramatic speech. As he marches up to stand beside Yaoyorozu, Izuku sits down in his own seat with a sigh of relief.
Later, when he goes to the infirmary for his lesson, he's surprised to see that Recovery Girl is not there. The numerous students with minor injuries, however, are. Izuku winces at the sight of the line already forming outside of the infirmary before deciding to go ahead and start without his mentor.
Thankfully, since most of these students do have minor injuries, they're easy enough to treat. Izuku ends up raiding the cabinets for band-aids and disinfectants while instructing others to press ice packs to their bruises. He can't let them keep the packs like Recovery Girl did for Monoma- they'd run out by the end of the hour.
The only time he decides to use his quirk is when a girl comes in with a heavily swollen black eye.
"Why didn't you stay during lunch?" He scolds gently as he examines the dark bruise.
The girl shrugs. "Eh, it hardly hurts so I figured it wasn't that big of a deal."
Izuku stares at her incredulously. "When you walked in you told me you could barely see anything out of it."
She nods once, not quite looking like she understands. "Is that bad?"
Izuku doesn't know whether to face palm or sigh in exasperation. After a moment, he chooses the latter and grumbles under his breath as he heals her eye. Recovery Girl's earlier words come back to mind: "There are two types of heroes you'll encounter. Those that try to act tough and hide their injuries, and those that complain nonstop about every little thing."
He thinks he must have had his first encounter with the former.
As he continues to treat students, he wonders where Recovery Girl is. His mentor hasn't sent him any text messages to explain her absence, nor did she leave any kind of note for him. When his last patient leaves, Izuku flops onto his desk chair and pulls out his phone. He's about to send her a message when a suddenly-
"Young Midoriya! I. AM. HE- ack!"
A loud bang startles him enough to make him drop his phone.
"All Might!" He exclaims as the number one hero clutches his forehead, which had smacked against the doorframe when he tried to burst into the room. "Are you alright? What are you doing here?"
All Might winces in pain and carefully ducks under the offending doorframe as he enters the room. "I'm fine." He grimaces, swallowing some blood that threatens to escape his lips. "Although sometimes I wish I wasn't so tall."
Izuku's lip twitches as the man closes the door behind him and deflates into his normal form, still rubbing his forehead. "Consider yourself lucky," he chides lightly, leading him to sit on the nearest bed, "I'd love to be as tall as you."
All Might snorts and Izuku reaches to heal his head, then hesitates. If he starts healing All Might, even if it's just for a bruise, there's no telling whether or not he'd be able to stop. Instead, he settles on just giving him an ice pack and a couple of gummies to cheer him up.
"Thanks," the hero says, "Anyway, I just came here to check on you. Also, to tell you that Chiyo-san is coming soon, but she got caught up with something for the principal..." There's something in his eyes as he says this that Izuku can't quite decipher. He almost seems… not nervous, but more like bothered. Like he's got something on his mind, something that definitely wasn't there during class.
Izuku tilts his head while All Might shifts warily under his gaze. The blond forces a grin and asks, "So… are you feeling better now? I saw some students walking out of the infirmary as I came by- were you able to treat them successfully?"
Shrugging off the weird moment, Izuku nods and sits back down in his chair. "Yeah, I could deal with them mostly without my quirk, although there was one girl that I wish would've come during lunch. I was able to heal her without too much trouble, though. And yes, I am feeling better, thank you for asking. Still tired from-" He makes a vague gesture with his hands, "-Everything, but nothing a nice fat nap when I get home won't fix."
All Might smiles. "Crazy first week of school, huh?"
"Oh yeah, definitely," Izuku huffs, "I don't know why I expected things to be a bit more tame, at least at first."
"Welp, that's UA for you." All Might lets out a long exhale and leans back, looking amused. "I remember during my first week of UA, I ended up breaking my arm within the first couple of days." Izuku's expression must be comical because All Might bursts out laughing a moment later. "Ha ha, yeah, Chiyo-san pretty much had the same reaction."
"Recovery Girl-san worked at UA when you were in UA?" Izuku asks with wide eyes.
"Oh yes, although she wasn't the full-time healer until much later in her life. She was a very busy young woman." All Might gestures to Izuku. "She used to wear her hair down too, believe it or not."
Izuku blinks and his hand subconsciously reaches up to his hair, which he didn't realize was still down. He usually keeps it up in a ponytail or a bun so it doesn't get in the way, but he'd let it down before his impromptu nap on Kacchan's shoulder and he hadn't put it back up.
But Recovery Girl with her hair down? Izuku can't even imagine it!
All Might is still watching him with a small smile on his face. After a moment, he says, "I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down, Young Midoriya."
"Oh, yeah, I guess I like to keep it up most of the time," he says, "It's kind of hard to maintain otherwise. Drives my mom crazy." He chuckles, idly running his hands through his curls as he talks.
He starts to pull it back into a bun, but All Might interrupts him. "It looks good."
"Oh?" Izuku blushes.
"Mmh, much better than mine does," All Might says, running a hand through his messy mane of hair. Izuku wonders how it looks so much more slick when the hero's in his muscle form. And the bangs, how do they stand up?
"Your hair looks fine, All Might," Izuku says, "Do you ever put yours up?"
"I've never been as... adept at managing long hair as most people have."
When Recovery Girl walks in a couple minutes later, it's to see Izuku kneeling on the bed behind All Might, threading deft fingers into his mane with his brows furrowed in concentration. He pulls most of his blond locks into a small ponytail, leaving his long tufts of bangs free. All Might rubs the back of his neck, his fingers gently tugging the smaller strands that didn't make it into the ponytail, before his gaze lands on Recovery Girl.
"How do I look?" He asks, a humorous twinkle in his blue eyes.
The healer huffs and waddles over to her desk. "Slightly less rumpled than usual. Now shoo, I have a lesson to teach."
All Might bows politely and gives Izuku another grin before leaving.
The boy turns to his mentor, who looks a little disheveled herself as she apologizes for being late. She doesn't give any explanation as to why, and he wants to ask her, but she's quick to turn the conversation to the students that they treated today. Like yesterday, they go over the list of patients that she logged down on her clipboard- and he instantly feels bad for not doing the same with the ones that he treated both during lunch and after school, but Recovery Girl reassures him that it's not his fault since he didn't know. She then teaches him how to fill in the necessary information in a clipboard of his own, plus she tells him that he is able to give late slips, although she strongly warns him against abusing that particular power.
They talk about Aoyama's hand and that eventually leads to her showing him how the x-ray machine works. It'll be awhile before he's allowed to use such expensive medical equipment without supervision, but it's cool to learn about. By the time they're done, it's already ten minutes past their usual ending time.
"I didn't think we'd be getting to it so soon, but I'll show you how to properly put a cast on someone tomorrow," Recovery Girl says as he gathers his things, "You know, when there's not a bunch of injured teenagers to distract us."
"Okay…" Izuku zips up his bag and hesitates. "Er… Recovery Girl-san?" His mentor tilts her head. "When am I going to start training with my quirk? Not that these traditional methods are unimportant! I'm just curious…"
Recovery Girl sighs softly. "Well, I wanted to give you some time to settle in before we started any rigorous training, especially since your quirk makes you so tired… However, if this first week is anything to go by, it seems that going slow isn't going to fly very well. I'll think of some exercises you can do with your quirk next week."
"Okay." He smiles, then fails to stifle a yawn. Today has been an incredibly long day. First he got swarmed by the media, then he got stuck in a stampede, then used his quirk multiple times to heal injuries for over half an hour, not to mention all the stuff with briefly becoming the class representative and everything that happened after school. Needless to say, he's feeling pretty drained.
So, he bids his goodbyes to Recovery Girl and turns to leave. Before he makes it to the door, however, his mentor asks, "You walk home with one of your friends, right?"
Bewildered, Izuku glances back at her in confusion. Her tone was nonchalant, but her expression is tight with… worry? It's strange. She's never really asked about Kacchan before.
"Um, yeah, I walk home with Kacchan," he replies uncertainly, "You've met him before, right?"
She nods but doesn't say anything else. He shifts his feet. "Um… Is that... okay?"
That seems to jerk her out of her thoughts, and her expression smoothes slightly as she smiles. "Of course, of course, don't mind me…" She trails off for a few moments and Izuku doesn't really expect her to say anything else, but then she looks back at him. "Just… stick close to each other on your way home. Better to be safe than sorry."
Izuku frowns in confusion. She's worried about his safety?
"Oh, um, of course," he says. She nods and he leaves without another word.
He finds Kacchan waiting for him outside of the cafeteria munching on a couple of meat buns, although he passes one to the greenette as they leave the school. They don't talk much, but Izuku can't keep his mind off of Recovery Girl's strange behavior at the end of their lesson.
Is she just being paranoid because he told her about that time he was almost kidnapped? No, no, he told her that earlier in the week. Should he be worried about his safety? Is there something dangerous she knows about? Does it have anything to do with why she was so late to their lesson?
His mind is racing with questions that he doesn't have the answers to.
If Kacchan notices that Izuku starts walking a bit closer to him than usual, he doesn't mention it.