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The thing about Tenya, is that he’s rarely the reason someone is upset. Sometimes his older brother got annoyed with him, but that was only when they were younger. And he refused to blame himself for what happened in Hosu, for the sole reason that Midoriya refused to blame him for what happened in Hosu.
That’s the reason he’s at such a loss.
He had been doing everything as normal—he was speaking animatedly to Uraraka and Tsuyu, moving his arms and making the hand motions he is oh-so famous for making. While he was doing them, however, Midoriya entered the classroom and Tenya’s hand just happened to brush his neck.
Midoriya froze, his eyes widening and his body going cold. He flinched away from the hand, and blinked, realizing who it was.
“I-Iida-kun!” He yelped, his hands rapidly moving to cover his face. Tenya didn’t know whether it was in embarrassment or fear, and that worried him.
“Midoriya-kun?” Tenya had asked, worried expression on his face. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?” Midoriya shook him off, smiling a very fake smile, and moved to his desk.
Tenya didn’t like the way his pupils were blown out, the way he trembled just enough for it to be noticeable if you paid attention, or the way he flinched whenever someone said his name. That—that reeked of taught reactions and conditioning. Even if not purposeful; Midoriya was conditioned to react that way.
The realization that Midoriya had gone through something like that was enough to make Tenya feel cold for the rest of the school day.
Tenya watches as Midoriya very carefully tucks himself into his seat. He’s almost folding under himself, shoulders curved inward and eyes firmly kept on the ground. He carefully plays with his bowl of katsudon, and he winces whenever he hears a loud noise. Uraraka is talking to him (more like at him), and Midoriya nods every so often. Tenya carefully leans into Todoroki, who is right next to him.
“He seems… withdrawn,” Todoroki says quietly before Tenya can say a word.
A wave of dread and responsibility hits Tenya like a freight train. “I think it’s partly my fault,” he says. “I think earlier, while I was talking to Uraraka-kun and Tsuyu-chan-kun, I may have startled him when my arm accidentally brushed against his neck. He’s been… like this since,” he admits. Tenya, for once in his life, is quiet in explaining. Todoroki glances at Midoriya again, before pursing his lips, eyes giving away his worry.
“Perhaps…” Todoroki bites his lip. “Perhaps he’s… being reminded of some unpleasant things of his past.”
“I… I feared as much,” Tenya says. “You know the way Bakugou-kun treats him; there’s a lot of history there. And I know Midoriya-kun pretends it doesn’t bother him anymore, but from what’s been happening today, I fear that’s simply not true.”
Todoroki hums. The noise sends a calming feeling through Tenya’s body, the tension leaving his shoulders slightly. “We should try to talk to him about it. You could ask him if he wants to study with us later. Even in that state, I doubt he’ll say no,” Todoroki says evenly. In moments like this, when Tenya is worrying his head off, Todoroki somehow manages to be levelheaded—or at least seem to be levelheaded.
It’s a good idea, and Tenya says as much out loud. The two wait carefully for their green haired friend to finish playing with his food and eat it.
He never does.
“Midoriya,” Todoroki says softly, softer than Tenya has ever heard him speak. “Why don’t you eat?”
The boy flushes, as if not noticing he hadn’t taken a bite of his favorite dish. “O-Oh, I just have… a lot on my mind,” he says meekly. He picks up a piece of pork from his bowl, and puts it in his mouth as if to stop himself from speaking. Uraraka looks concerned.
It makes Tenya frown. They had come so far from the meek boy Midoriya was when their courses at Yuuei started. A simple brush to the back of his neck seemed to bring all of that progress down to zero. Tenya was hesitant to blame himself for the simple reason that it’s not his fault someone else had made Midoriya like this. Someone else had done something to him, for a very long time, and the result was… this.
This, being the act of turning a brave, courageous, genuine hero into a quiet kid that didn’t do much besides exist and look guilty for just doing that.
Todoroki’s still staring at Midoriya with an incomprehensible expression on his face. “Midoriya,” he says once more. “Would you maybe like to have a study session with Iida and I?”
Midoriya’s eyes flicker to Uraraka, who’s nodding seemingly with her whole heart. He smiles shyly, withdrawn and small, but it’s still a smile. He nods then, and Tenya’s heart feels like Uraraka grasped it, all five fingers making contact and making him float up, up, and even higher so.
“Great!” Tenya says in his typical loud voice. When Midoriya flinches, he tones it down. “We can meet in Todoroki-kun’s room! Bring all your textbooks—” a hand on his shoulder and a look from Todoroki brings him to correct himself. “—actually, just bring your English textbook. We can work on our English. There is an oral exam coming up, after all,” Tenya exclaims.
He takes too long to answer, like he seems out of it. “...Yeah,” Midoriya says vaguely. He’s swaying slightly, but churns out something akin to a smile. Uraraka murmurs something into his ear, and then puts her hand on his shoulder, pinky up. She squeezes gently, and Midoriya doesn’t react besides a glimmer of himself being brought back to reality. It was probably encouragement, or just something to ground him back into this sense of existence, then. “I’ll… I’ll see you in Todoroki-kun’s room later, then,” Midoriya says weakly, going back to playing with his food.
Todoroki and Tenya share a frown. Not good.
Tenya’s already seated cleanly on Todoroki’s floor, book in hand. He’s enunciating the words out loud, murmurs of my socks are blue and I bought these glasses last October being engraved into his memory. When the door opens, Tenya gets whiplash from moving his head moving so fast.
“Midoriya-kun, Todoroki-kun,” Tenya greets. Todoroki gives Tenya a steely nod, his brown-and-blue eyes staying on Midoriya. Tenya tentatively pats the area next to him, gesturing the green haired, green eyed boy to sit next to him. Todoroki gently places his left hand on Midoriya’s shoulder to guide him down, but it looks like Midoriya did not appreciate that gesture.
He drops his English textbook, the slam as it hits the floor making Tenya flinch. Full Cowl flickers to life instinctually, green sparks of energy bouncing about on Midoriya’s body as his pupils shrink and red marks appear briefly on his skin. Midoriya looks terrified. For a split second, Tenya can almost see Midoriya’s fear—and it’s not Todoroki holding him by the shoulder with a hot hand: it’s Bakugou. Midoriya’s arm, still sparking with energy, goes to grab Todoroki, but Todoroki lets go of his shoulder, and dodges the grab, ducking down and taking a quick step back.
Midoriya exhales shakily, his entire body trembling. The sparks of energy die, and knees buckle, loud hiccups escaping his throat. “I-I’m—I’m sorry,” he says in-between poorly contained breaths. “I—I didn’t mean to try and grab you like that it’s just that when people grab my shoulder or touch my neck without me already knowing about it or expecting it my brain automatically goes to the shadow realm and then I feel disconnected from reality and it’s—”
Todoroki is the first to take action. “Midoriya,” he says softly. “Breathe.”
“I can’t!” Midoriya cries out, burying his face in his hands. He looks pale, his hands look clammy—
“Midoriya,” Tenya tries. “I’m going to put my hand on your right shoulder. I’m going to squeeze. Is that alright?”
All the boy can do is shake and shake and shake and cry. “I-Iida-kun, d-don’t—don’t trouble yourself, i-it’s fine, r-really!” Midoriya tries to speak, but his speech is littered with stutters and sobs. Tenya slowly moves to grab Midoriya’s right shoulder, slowly so the boy can move away if he wants to. Midoriya doesn’t move, though, and instead just trembles.
“In,” Todoroki says. “out.” He grabs Midoriya’s hand gently, moving to press his hand against his chest, where his heart is. Todoroki’s hand is still on Midoriya’s, and Midoriya’s hand is on his chest, and Tenya’s hand is still on Midoriya’s shoulder. “Breathe with my heartbeat,” Todoroki encourages softly. His voice isn’t flat like it usually is, it’s filled to the brim and bubbling with concern. He seems… experienced with this. Tenya doesn’t know how to feel about that.
Whatever Todoroki’s doing, it seems to be working. Tenya squeezes Midoriya’s shoulder to the rate of Todoroki’s inhales and exhales. Midoriya’s frantic breathing and jumble of words slows down, and he looks less like a spooked animal and more like himself again.
“I’m,” Midoriya’s voice cracks. “I’m oka—I’m better,” he says, slumping down and bringing his knees to his face. He looks so impossibly small.
“Midoriya, are sure you’re okay?” Tenya asks. He knows better than to overload the boy with questions now. Midoriya tries to send a watery smile Tenya’s way, but it doesn’t work. His eyes move downcast, and there’s a slow shake of his head.
“Whenever… Ever since I was younger, Kacchan and I had a… complicated relationship. When he developed his Quirk, everyone was always singing his praises,” Midoriya says quietly. His eyes look a mile away from this conversation. “You know, he was—he is confident. He has his super strong Quirk, he’s smart, he’s naturally gifted! Combining that talent with all the hard work Kacchan was constantly putting in...” Midoriya moves an arm to wipe at some tears. “I… I was nothing like that. I could never measure up.”
“But your Quirk is phenomenally strong!” Tenya protests. Midoriya winces at that.
Midoriya looks conflicted. “I—Iida-kun, Todoroki-kun,” he swallows nervously. “You have to swear you’ll never repeat the words I’m about to tell you. Promise me. Promise me you’ll never tell.”
Todoroki and Tenya meet eyes. “Alright,” Todoroki says softly. “We promise.”
Midoriya’s green eyes flicker to meet red and brown-and-blue nervously. “I was born Quirkless. My Quirk… it’s not mine. Someone gave it to me. It’s why when I’m not careful, my bones break. I got my Quirk the morning of the entrance exam. I’m still not used to it.”
The two other boys meet eyes, and Midoriya lets out a keening noise. “I-I know it sounds fake, I know, but you have to believe me. I have the extra bone in my pinky toe to prove it. I-I was Quirkless for the first fourteen years of my life, and it’s why Kacchan is like that to me. When I was a little kid, I w-was weak. Scrawny, tiny, a squirt. But I never let that deter me from being Kacchan’s friend, and he fell in a river so I offered to help him—so he thought I was looking down on him. Me, the Quirkless kid who wanted nothing more than to be a damn hero!” Midoriya cries out weakly, pawing at his own t-shirt. Tenya is tempted to try and comfort him—this story is clearly one he has a hard time sharing.
“He thought I was looking down on him, so he made my life a living hell for fourteen years! But then, everything changed for me and someone told me, after so long of being told I couldn’t—that I couldn’t be a hero, that I’d never amount to anything—someone told me, ‘Midoriya Izuku, you can become a hero.’ And that someone gave me their Quirk, and I trained for ten months with it by clearing the trash out of a beach. And then I did the entrance exam, and now… well, here I am,” he finishes meekly. “Kacchan—he would grab me by my sh-shoulders and burn me with his Quirk all the time. I’m a bit, apprehensive about it. If you couldn’t tell.”
Todoroki’s eyes seemingly get colder the more Midoriya tells his story. “Bakugou would use his Quirk against you? A child with no ill-intent?”
Midoriya flinches. “I—Let’s not blame him,” he says weakly.
“No, let’s blame him!” Tenya exclaims. “He bullied you, Midoriya-kun. He bullied you and made you feel like you were worthless and made you afraid to be yourself. That’s why you’re so flustered whenever you’re mumbling, isn’t it? Why you get so flustered when you’re just existing. That’s not—it’s not sinful to exist, Midoriya-kun,” Tenya says. Midoriya’s eyes are watering.
He leaps into Tenya’s arms, and small sobs wrack out of his body.
“This is the first time I’ve ever told anybody about this. I don’t—I’m not resentful. I’m not. Kacchan and I… we just don’t understand each other. We never have, and I’m not sure if we ever will.” Midoriya admits softly. You’re too nice, Tenya thinks gently. He moves out of Tenya’s grip, and moves to hug Todoroki. Todoroki freezes, before tentatively wrapping his arms around Midoriya’s waist. Todoroki eyes Tenya, before moving his head slightly. Tenya immediately understands, and leans over and wraps his arms around both Midoriya and Todoroki.
“Thank you for trusting us, Midoriya,” Todoroki murmurs. Tenya almost misses it.
So the three sit there on the floor, Midoriya sandwiched in-between the two taller boys, silent for a few moments, except for the occasional sniffles that escape Midoriya’s throat.
“You sure you’re okay now?” Tenya asks. Midoriya smiles a watery smile, and nods.
“Thanks for listening, Todoroki-kun, Iida-kun,” Midoriya says quietly, wiping at his eyes.
“Shouto,” Todoroki mumbles. “Call me Shouto. You too, Iida,”
Tenya straightens his back almost immediately. “T-Then…! You both should call me Tenya!”
Midoriya lets out a giggle. “Izuku.”
Tenya tries the two names on his lips—Shouto-kun, Izuku-kun.
He decides that he likes it.
So, Midor—Izuku’s English textbook stays on the ground near the door. They don’t really need all three textbooks anyway. Two is enough, so that Tenya and Todor—Shouto can have textbooks on their laps as they sandwich Izuku in-between them. Shouto’s on Izuku’s right, and Tenya himself is on his left, and the two taller boys are holding Izuku’s hands as they flip through their textbooks.
Izuku smiles his first real, wide smile of the day as he takes it all in, and Tenya is no longer at a loss.