Chapter Text
Ever since Aizawa-san (fucking Eraserhead, that is) found his pathetic self in the alley during his patrol and decided Izuku had enough potential to be his apprentice, Izuku had been living the high of his life, it doesn't matter that hours before that meeting, Bakugou and his lackeys had broken two of his ribs and knocked him out (and even before that, the lady charged of his group home had shoved him out of the storage room where he sleeps and pushed him to the floor), at least he broke Tsubasa's nose.
Of course, he still gets beaten up, both by his peers and by Eraserhead himself, but at least Aizawa-san makes sure to teach him, not like Bakugou who doesn't leave until Izuku is on the ground beneath his feet, just for the pleasure and stroke his fucking ego. It doesn't really matter anymore, ever since Izuku punched Bakugou in the face, 7 years ago, and broke his hand and 'Kacchan's nose', and he felt alive years after his diagnosis. Izuku loves the adrenaline, the feeling of just freeing his pent-up rage from the useless teachers, the bullying, his shitty foster houses, in people who actually deserve it, his bullies. The pain is worth it, sue him.
Unfortunately, Aizawa-san made sure to clarify they wouldn't train if Izuku was hurt, which is almost always, considering his home and school life, but now that Izuku has something to look forward to, he tries to escape uninjured as much as he can, and if he can't, he makes sure it's hidden well.
Aizawa-san, or Aizawa-sensei, he muses, is very different from the Aldera. Sure, he knows everyone in his middle school is shit, but it's just something he was used to, being quirkless and all, everyone would treat him like that, and while Aizawa said he doesn't think any less of quirkless people, Izuku never thought he would've meant it. Just because Aizawa fights quirkless, he still has a quirk (even if it's considered bad or weak), he is more than Izuku will ever be. Quirked people sometimes don't notice they treat quirkless people differently, with pity, like they will break at a blow of wind. He thought that would be the case, even if unconsciously, out of malice.
That wasn't the case, at all.
Aizawa is a pro-hero, far more experienced than Izuku, he needs to hold back to not seriously injure (or kill) Izuku, who is, sadly, a shrimp child (Aizawa's words, not his), but Eraserhead tries to push his limits, to make Izuku try by himself and then guide if he needs help, to make Izuku stronger. He doesn't make Izuku feel like a stupid toddler, or a fragile like-glass quirkless kid, no, he is just Izuku, who had too many broken bones to count and who is trying to be a hero. A fucking hero! He isn't even in a hero school, and he isn't sure he will pass the entrance exam, but he has one shot, that's more than enough for him.
But of course, that wasn't enough for Aizawa-san.
Izuku doesn't really understand why Aizawa cares so much. Maybe is his teacher persona or... something else, but Aizawa does more than just train him to do the exam, he makes sure he is uninjured before they start training and, if he finds out Izuku is hiding something, he tries to help (not treating him, because while Izuku somewhat thinks Aizawa is safe in some aspects, he doesn't trust the man, not yet), and instead of sending him home, they spend the afternoon together, with him, sleeping, most of the time, and Izuku doing his homework before they have to do their personal things. It's nice. (He even answers some of Izuku's questions! No one did that before.)
Aizawa also makes sure he is eating, since, apparently, he needs to have a certain weight and be healthy to be good to continue training, (even though Izuku thinks that's hypocritical of him, since he is pretty sure jelly pouches aren't the healthiest food out there). He brings food, for both of them, and at first, Izuku tried to deny it, but the hero always remarked on how skinny Izuku is, (which, ok, rude, it's not his fault that his temporary siblings keep stealing his portions and his bullies destroys all of his lunch if he affords to bring one at school) and threatened his training, so now, Izuku eats and tries to ignore the warmth in his chest. It's just hero morals, it's not like he cares.
(Izuku also ignores the voices in the back of his mind, saying how many heroes out there wouldn't even in do the same for him, and saying how stupid is he to believe he was going to make it, that Eraserhead would realize how wrong he was, how useless Deku doesn't have an ounce of potential, and would leave him, just like his mother did and--)
But setting Aizawa's weird actions aside, Izuku was content, he even dare to say he was happy, with his training. He didn't have a visible result yet, but deep down in his bones, he can feel something is starting to change, that he is becoming more than he was one month ago.
He was happy
That was his first mistake.
It's a normal Friday. Shoves in the hallways, laughs, and fingers point at him like he is a clown or a zoo animal. Insults craved on his desk when he enters the classroom, legs stretch so he can trip over them, the chanting of 'Deku' going around the classroom, the scent of burnt caramel, and ear-ringing explosions (he is pretty sure both he and Bakugou are hard of hearing at this point) teachers sneering at him, sabotaged grades, nothing out the usual.
He let his guard down, the second mistake.
The bell rings and Izuku quickly gathers his things and is ready to leave the school to go straight to Aizawa's gym (warehouse?) to train, already vibrating with anticipation, but then, Bakugou and his lackeys approach, the classroom is empty except for them.
(Suddenly, Izuku feels a deja-vu, one month ago, when Bakugou destroyed one of his notebooks, once again, told him to take a swan down the roof and pray for a quirk in the next life. When Izuku took a path where he almost died. When All Might crush his dreams. When Izuku saved Bakugou's ungrateful self. When Izuku was put as a reckless quirkless kid and Bakugou was the brave child who survived his captor)
Dread fills his stomach, but he keeps his face carefully neutral.
"Oi, Deku. What got you so happy, hah?" Bakugou sneers, slapping one of his hands at his desk, creating a mini-explosion. He stares the blond dead in the eye "Tch. Thinking you are better than me, nerd. You useless Deku"
Tsubasa and Osada, or Wings and Fingers respectfully, snicker behind him and Izuku doesn't even understand why it's so funny.
"I don't see why my happiness isn't your fucking business, Bakugou" Izuku answers
"Don't fuck around with me, Deku. You don't think I didn't notice you trying to escape every time we try to teach you a lesson, or that you are taking a different direction after school"
Izuku ponders if it's worth provoking Bakugou.
Well, it's his fault if he wants to have a stick shoved up at his ass, he supposes.
"You know, Kaa-chan..." he drawls the childhood nickname at his tongue, ignoring the bitterness setting in his gut (it's been ages since he called Bakugou 'Kacchan' in a non-ironical way) "... you say I'm a creepy stalker with my analyses, but you noticing I'm taking a different path after school it's quite hypocritical of you, don't ya think?"
The snickers stops and Bakugou's cruel smile abruptly shifts to a scowl. In a brute move, Bakugou grabs the front of his uniform and lets an explosion go off, burning, once again his gakuran, and making Izuku's ears ring, and stumbles backward. The Blond goes to attack, with his predictable right hook, but Izuku swiftly ducks under his explosive punch and bolts towards the exit, running as fast as he can, too busy to look behind to confirm if he is being followed and unable to hear until the ringing stops.
He passes through the gates and decides to turn around and see if Bakugou is there.
"COME BACK HERE, DEKU!"
Oh, fuck
At least he can hear again
Izuku starts running again, making his way in a slightly different direction of where is Eraserhead's training ground. He hopes he can hide for a little bit before going to his training, too bad his uniform is singed, again. He is clearly panting, and his chest is hurting. probably from the explosion or because his heart is threatening to explode his ribcage.
He quickly turns to enter an alley but is surprised by a dead-end.
Shit
"DEKU!" Izuku tenses with the sounds of footsteps around the corner and braces himself for another round.
Bakugou, Wings, and Fingers corner him and Izuku takes a few steps back to create distance, but that is meaningless.
"Quit running, Deku?" Fingers sneers, with a sardonic smile on his face, his fingers already stretching "C'mon, we thought you would be trying to fight back by now"
"Aw, look at him, coward Deku. What a joke. He can't even throw a punch" Wings sing songs and Izuku scowls
"Want to try again or do you want me to break your nose again?"
"You--" he starts, but Bakugou, always wanting to be the center of attention, interrupts with two explosions coming from his hands
"Deku! You can't escape, you will answer me, you damn nerd. And stop to act like you are better than me" he growls
"No," he grits his teeth, and Bakugou's scowl deeps
Wrong answer.
The angry boy walks closer and Izuku tries to twist around him, but he is pulled back by his backpack and thrown against the wall, hitting his head. His stuff is thrown far from him, but he can't focus on that, not when Bakugou sets another explosion. Izuku moves his upper body to the right and punches him in the stomach, making him curl forward and he kicks him away, ready to bolt, unfortunately, Osuda is already moving forward to wrestle him. Izuku steps on his foot, bites, hard, one of his long fingers, and doesn't hesitates to punch the boy in the eye. He howls in pain, and it's distraction enough for him to Bakugou full swing a right hook at him, this time, hitting Izuku in the chin, filling his mouth with a metallic taste, and exploding his face with white-hot sparks.
Izuku rolls on the ground, wheezing pathetically, and tries to stand up with wobbly legs. His jaw is hurt, not dislocated, but very close. There is a sickening-sweet scent filling his nose and smoke in his lungs. His head hurts, but it's not a concussion. Good, that means he can still fight
"Hey, Bakugou, look what I found," one of his lackeys says, sounding muffled in his ears. Izuku forces himself to focus on Wings, who is with a backpack and lifting one of his special notebooks.
'Training Plan'
On the first day of training, Aizawa-san made Izuku start a new notebook but now focused solely on his training. Schedules, meal planning, questions, observations, workout plans, costume designs, support equipment, everything related to his training, Izuku would write in the notebook like a journal. He even gave the notebook to him, with a green cover and discrete cute cat paws.
No, no, no.
Everything but that!
"T-Tsubasa, gi-give it back," he growls (pleads), stepping close and close, hand outstretched "Give it back"
Tsubasa laughs, lifting his arm higher, and Izuku's patience wears thin. He knees the winged boy in the lower part, making him screech, and Izuku quickly grabs his notebook. He is shoved back by a burning hand on his shoulder, making Izuku grunt, uncomfortable, but used to the pain. Bakugou takes his notebook, with a sneer on his face.
Red eyes finally focus on him.
"Deku," he growls, now very similar to a rabid animal "What did I tell you about being a hero?"
Izuku defiantly stays silent, staring at him with burning green eyes.
"Deku" he takes quick steps towards Izuku and grabs him by what remains of the singed gakuran "I thought I told you you can't be a hero"
("do you want to be a hero, izuku?"
"more than anything")
"How many times I will have to say that you are useless?"
("your skills are better than some professional analysts, and I'm not easily impressed, kid")
"Still trying to be a hero. Tch, that's pathetic even from you"
("i'm sorry, young man, but you should be realistic")
("a quirkless can become a hero if they put their heart into it")
"You are a quirkless Deku. You can't become a hero!"
("i hope you know this is a serious commitment. if i notice you aren't taking this seriously, i'm stopping. do you understand")
"You are just a nobody. A pebble beneath my feet."
("because I want to save people. I want them to never feel hopeless like I did")
"So. Stay. Out. Of. My. Way. Deku!"
("take a swan down off the roof and pray for a quirk next life")
Bakugou ignites his hand with the notebook and it burns to smithereens. His training plan during those two weeks is gone.
Izuku feels rage inside his chest, filling him like a hot-aired balloon. It's different from the day Bakugou did the same thing in his analysis notebook. It's different from the day the heroes started judging him after Bakugou told them he was quirkless (it's different from the day he realized his mother wouldn't come back, not for him, at least).
Why... why can't he be fucking happy, just for a day?
Why does everyone need to ruin everything he is trying to build?
Why?
It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!
Izuku screams, with all of his bottled-up emotions, and launches at him, with a punch on his nose. A sickening crack resounds in the alley (and a twisted part of Izuku likes that sound) and he pants, feeling his hand throbbing. Tsubasa and Osuda restrain his arms while he resists. They pin him against the wall and it's almost instantly that a right hook hits his nose.
"FEELING SO FUCKING HIGH, HAH, DEKU?" Bakugou screams and punches him in the gut "DO I HAVE TO BEAT UP SENSE ON YOUR STUPID HEAD?"
"Hey!"
Suddenly, Bakugou has pulled away from Izuku and the only support of his arms is lost, and Izuku falls forward. He wheezes, painfully and tries very hard to see what is happening. There are screams, probably Bakugou, but they are muffled in his ears and his head is dizzy. He can only identify his bullies and a black blur.
Wait.
What are the chances? Izuku muses.
The black blur (that he hopes it's aizawa) says something, probably threatening them, and the three are scurrying off like coward dogs. The black blur approaches.
It's Aizawa.
Relief washes over Izuku and he sighs. He should probably get up, but he doesn't care now, he just wants to sleep forever.
"Mood..." he hears Aizawa-san say, oh, yeah, Izuku's filter gets worse when is a wreck, "I noticed. Do you think you can get up?"
Izuku grunts in lieu of an answer
"I'll take that as a no. Is it ok to me to carry you?"
Izuku barely nods, feeling his brain rattle inside his skull. Aizawa-san carefully uses both of his arms as support, one under his neck and the other under his knees, and just like that he is scooped upwards. He hisses at the pain and Aizawa moves his arm to his back, getting him in a half-sitting half-laying position. He is so tired that he lets his head fall on the hero's shoulder, in the, surprisingly soft, capture weapon, who would have thought that grimy scarf actually is well-kept?
"Oi, it's not that bad" Aizawa-san gruffs, and Izuku chuckles, he feels dizzy. He hears a sigh "That's expected, kid. C'mon, I'll take you to Recovery Girl"
"R'cover Gir'" he slurs, entranced by the heartbeat close to his ear. He counted 9 breaths, or maybe was it 10? (a distant memory flashes in his mind, where his mom would cradle him close to her chest, and he would hear her heartbeat and feel so safe) "Yhe out'ful 'ero"
"Yes, that's her. Do you know how to contact your foster home?"
Oh, yeah, he remembers Aizawa-san asking about it. Something about an adult being conscious Izuku was training under him. Izuku, unfortunately, had to reveal he doesn't have parents, which was really awkward. Aizawa didn't bother prying, but he made sure that Izuku would tell him if something was wrong in his home situation.
"'on't bother, th'y won't come"
"Are you safe there, at least?"
Is he safe in the group home? Izuku doesn't know, but, thinking about it, is Izuku really safe anywhere? His ex-childhood best friend hurts him daily, his teacher turn blind eye to his bullying, the kids he shares with the group home are as bad as Aldera is, and the supervisor doesn't care about him. He is not safe in any place, and that, somehow, in its own twisted way, makes him safe.
"yea, 'm safe"
"That's good, kid. I'm glad."
They are silent for a while, Izuku is barely able to sense gushes of wind passing through him and Aizawa's quick footsteps on the rooftops. He should be feeling very embarrassed to be carried like a little kid, but it's nice.
Suddenly, Izuku remembers his training notebook and almost knocks his head on Aizawa's collarbone. He tries to get out, scrambling away, forcing the man to stop and try to adjust him.
"Slow down, Izuku, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
"My not'bok. It exploded." He mourns and starts to go in a rabbit hole, his hands flying around even though one of them is fractured, "I know you said I needed to take my training seriously, and I am! I was going to training, I swear! It was my fault, I provoked them, but they cornered me and I didn't try to fight at first, I was defending myself. He destroyed my notebook, oh god, you gave me that notebook, Aizawa-san, I'm sorry, I'll find a way to pay you. I can restart again in one of my analysis notebooks, I remember most of the things and--"
"Kid, kid, slow down," Aizawa-san says and Izuku realizes he is laying down. The sky is slightly orange with some pink clouds. There is a weight on his shoulders and he notices how much his jaw hurts. Actually, all of his body hurts like it's burning.
"Izuku, are you with me?"
He nods slowly, unable to open his mouth without croaking in pain.
"Good, good. I need you to take a deep breath," the man instructs, and Izuku tries very hard to breathe through his nose. "Yes, that's it, just take deep breaths."
They keep doing this for a while before Izuku fully calms down, the pain and tiredness almost dragging him to unconsciousness, but Aizawa-san scoops him again. Now the captured weapon is with Izuku.
"We are almost there then you can rest"
He absently hums, trying to enjoy the trip.
So much to be happy just for a day.