Archive of Our Own

Izuku used to have dreams about who his soulmate would be. He dreamed they would love him no matter what, that they would help him save people and believe in him when no one else would. He wanted someone not to care that he was Quirkless.

He used to watch the numbers tick down slowly, thinking that, even should everyone else hate him, there was someone out there who was made just for him, and he for them. Even when All Might began training him, when his dream was finally in reach, sometime he would reach down and wrap a hand around the tiny clock on his wrist, feel it slowly ticking.

It had become a nervous tick, in his early years, whenever Kacchan bullied him, telling him he was worthless, useless. He clutched it tight when Kacchan told him to take a dive off the roof, clutching it when he almost died. It gave him strength, thinking that someone was out there for him.

Then, he had a Quirk, and he was fighting to get into U.A., and he was waiting to see.

He got in though, and he was so excited, not only because he got in, and it was his first day of school, but because he also knew. He had watched the numbers count down, and he knew it was going to hit zero today. He was going to meet his soulmate today.

The last thing he expected, though, was for his soulmate to be his homeroom teacher. Izuku met his eyes when the man was on the ground, still laying and looking up at them boredly. Their eyes met for a split second, and he felt it sting up his arm, the tell-tale sign of his clock hitting zero.

His soulmate didn’t react.

He spent the rest of his day waiting, only to be sent home without so much as a word from his supposed soulmate. He made it until he got home, his mother waiting anxiously for him as he stepped inside.

“How was your first day sweetie?” she asked, and he felt the dam break, tears flowing freely as he told her everything. She reassured him, told him that it was probably just a mishap, soulmate clocks were bound to glitch sometimes, right? And they had some of his favorite food for dinner, and afterwards he disappeared into his room.

It took him several searches to find information about one-sided soul bonds. Almost 100% of the time they were a fluke, someone misinterpreting their clock. The other times, it was multiple soulmates, but Izuku didn’t think one person would love him like that, much less two.

So he cried himself to sleep, pretended like his heart didn’t ache, and slapped a smile on his face. He moved through his days, and pretended his heart wasn’t breaking.

~~

He noticed, somewhere between the first and third weeks, that Aizawa wore a leather band around his wrist, to cover his clock. It was dyed black, like the rest of his clothes, and difficult to notice under the long sleeves, but it was there.

Wrist bands, specifically ones that covered one’s clock, meant one of two things. One, said person had already met their soulmate, and wore it both to avoid confusion and signify they were taken. Or, two, to show they had no interest in their soulmate, even if they hadn’t met them. Different brands of bands, or different colors, signified different things. Black, gray, and other dark colors showed they didn’t have interest. Brighter colors - often blues, greens, or browns - showed they were taken.

Izuku saw the pitch black band, and he wondered why it felt so much like a stab to the chest. He was, after all, used to people judging him before they even met him, deeming him unworthy. Worthless. Useless.

Maybe Kacchan was right. Maybe he was just a stupid, useless Deku.

~~

Ochako didn’t know a lot about Deku, but she knew something was off. From the vague first impression she got before Aizawa showed up for the first time, she thought he was determined, and a lot more talkative than he let on.

But something was… off, with him. It only happened when Aizawa was around: he seemed to clam up and wouldn’t talk at all. It was like he went from mumbling constantly to a very firm ‘speak only when spoken to’ type. And she didn’t really know what to do with that.

“Hey, have you guys met your soulmate yet?” she asked one lunch. Iida looked up, glasses flashing, and Deku froze.

“No, but my clock says I will meet them sometime after I graduate,” Iida said, and Izuku glanced to the side.

“What about you Deku-kun?” she asked, and he sunk lower in his seat.

“I’ve already met them but… I-I don’t think they want me,” he said quietly, and that was her first clue.

“What? How could anyone not want you? You’re wonderful!” she exclaimed, Iida nodding as well. Deku sunk lower into the seat, not looking at either of them.

“I guess… I-I just d-don’t think they were... interested in, um, soulmates in the f-first place,” he said, and she frowned.

“When did you meet them?” she asked, and she swore Deku was going to disappear into the chair if he sunk any lower.

“On th-the f-first day of s-school,” he said, and her frown deepened.

“So it’s someone in our class? And it’s not me, Bakugo-kun, Iida-kun, or Asui-chan,” she said, thinking. Iida and Deku looked at her curiously.

“Why not Asui-kun?” Iida asked, and Deku nodded. She blushed, looking away.

“Because she’s my soulmate…” she explained, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. Both gave her their congratulations, and she grinned, and the conversation moved on. But she couldn’t get the niggling thought out of her head.

As they walked back to class, she looked at Deku, wondering.

‘ Who wouldn’t want to have you as their soulmate?’

~~

The answer, as it turned out, was easier to get than expected. Her other classmates, despite their outward appearances, were more than happy to tell her once she explained. Hagakure and Ojiro were soulmates, both showing off their clocks. Bakugou and Kirishima, and Jiro and Yaoyorozu, were each soulmate pairs, as well. Everyone else was happy to show their clocks, time varying from a few weeks, to several months, or years from now.

“So, if it’s not anyone in here, who is it?” she questioned, the rest of the class looking puzzled.

“Maybe he met someone outside of class?” Ashido suggested, sitting on her desk.

“Shitty Deku is too nervous to meet anyone at all, of course his soulmate wouldn’t fucking want him,” Bakugou said, leaning back in his chair. Kirishima smacked his head, hard, and Bakugou growled.

“There is one other person he met, ribbit,” Asui said, and all eyes turned to her.

“Who?” Sero questioned, and Asui shrugged.

“Aizawa-sensei,” she said, and the class froze. It was at that moment that Deku came back from the bathroom, a split second before Aizawa stepped in and class began. She could feel the amount of attention the class was giving Aizawa, as all of them scrutinized him to see if Asui was right.

She kept one eye on Deku, watching him carefully. He avoided Aizawa’s eyes, keeping his head down and taking notes without so much as a glance up. When Aizawa called on him, he flinched, as if he was scared. She narrowed her eyes, watching her new friend carefully. Something would have to be done about this, that was certain.

~~

It took a whole week of planning, but eventually the stars aligned, and she managed to get Deku out of the classroom just as Aizawa entered. Now, the fun part: How to broach the topic without letting him dodge the question.

“Aizawa -sensei, do you have a soulmate?” Asui asked, and she spared a brief prayer that her girlfriend didn’t get herself killed. Aizawa paused in the middle of his sentence before he turned to her.

“Yes. Now--” Aizawa started, only to be cut off again.

“Who is it?” Kirishima asked, and Uraraka hoped her teacher didn’t kill them all.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business. Back to what I was saying--” Aizawa started again, only for Kaminari to jump in, heedless of Aizawa’s glare.

“Is it Midoriya-san?” he asked, and the whole room felt like a giant, held breath. Uraraka briefly imagined slamming her head on her desk as hard as she could, if only because it might kill her before her teacher did.

“How did you find out?”

The question had the feel of a threat, and everyone was immediately on edge. Of course, her classmates also immediately ratted her out. Aizawa’s gaze turned to her, and wow is it too late for death by head-desk? Because she’s pretty sure he’s going to kill her. Slowly.

“Deku-kun was acting s-strange, and I wanted to help. He thought his soulmate didn’t want him, so I wanted to find out who it was. You were the only other person it could have been,” she explained, stuttering in the middle before steeling herself. She was going to face down villains for the rest of her life! She could do this one thing to help her friend.

“Then he was correct. I have no interest in a soulmate, especially not one who is my student,” Aizawa said, and she bit her tongue. Hard.

“Then you are a fool. Anyone would be lucky to call Deku-kun their soulmate,” she said, venom in her tone. It was at that moment that Deku reappeared, holding out the few pain meds she had asked him to get for her.

“Here y-you go, Uraraka-kun. Sorry I-I’m l-late, Aizawa-sensei,” Deku said, bowing before hurrying to his seat, not looking at anyone else. Aizawa simply raised his eyebrow before dropping his expression back to its usual boredom. He continued explaining the lesson, and she ground her teeth. She didn’t know if she had helped at all, but she had tried, at least. Now, though, it was up to Aizawa.

And if Aizawa didn’t step up, well. She was sure Asui wouldn’t mind making their duo a trio.

~~

Izuku was almost glad for the chaos that quickly befell his first year. It made for an easy distraction from, well, everything. First, the USJ incident, then the sports festival, and then it was internships and almost dying again , and then finals were coming up. Between trying not to die and everything else, it was a good distraction for not thinking.

Of course, it wouldn’t always work, and there were times when thoughts slipped in, musings dark enough to scare him a bit. But he powered through, pretending the voice in the back of his head wasn’t slowly killing him, pretending he was fine.

They were doing another villain versus hero exercise, this time with Aizawa supervising. It was him and Iida versus Todoroki and Tokoyami, and Iida was playing distraction. He was sneaking around the side, so used to making himself ‘invisible’ that it was almost child’s play to get passed his classmates.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from being impaled by a stray icicle, but none of the teachers called it off, so he snapped it off, left it in, and kept moving. Pain wasn’t anything he hadn’t felt before, and really, being impaled in the side was mediocre compared to repeatedly shattering all the bones in his arms.

So, he shrugged it off, tried not to bleed too much, and continued on his way. It was simple enough to grab the bomb, successfully ‘capturing’ it, although it took Iida stopping the fight for anyone to notice. Which left Izuku unsurprised but disappointed all the same.

He let the others move ahead of him, awkwardly holding the icicle in place as much as he could. It was melting, water and blood mixing to a light pink as he stumbled into the observation room.

“Aizawa-sensei?” he asked, because All Might was to far away and he was really cold.

“What?” the tone, bored and unconcerned, made him wince. He covered his wound with a hand, wincing in pain as the icicle pressed against his muscles. And possibly organs. He didn’t know how deep it went, honestly.

“Can I go see Recovery Girl?” he asked, and Aizawa seemed to actually look at him, seeing the way he was holding his side. It was too dark to see the blood, but he hoped it was enough.

“Break something again, problem child?” Aizawa asked, and he recoiled as if hit. He had teachers who had joined in on calling him ’Deku’, sometimes, be usually they just stood by and watched him get bullied. But, he guessed, there was a first time for everything. He wondered if Uraraka could put a positive spin on this nickname too.

“Do you need someone to go with you?” he asked, and Izuku shook his head. He didn’t want to take away anyone else’s training time. Aizawa handed him a note, and he gave his thanks before walking off. He wondered, briefly, if he would make it to the nurse’s office without passing out, or bleeding out. A morbid part of him thought it would be entertaining, the idea that no one noticed their classmate was mortally wounded, and letting him walk to the nurse on his own.

But, he made it without mishap, and, upon seeing the amount of blood staining his clothes, Recovery Girl lost it.

“Those teachers, I swear! They never know when to stop! At least it wasn’t you hurting yourself this time…” she grumbled, and Izuku giggled. He was swaying slightly, and everything was blurry around the edges.

“They didn’t notice, I don’t think,” he giggled, Recovery Girl freezing in the middle of wrapping the now-healed wound.

“They what .”

“They didn’t notice. When I got stabbed, they didn’t check on me or anything. I had to ask for a nurses pass, too,” he said, and Recovery Girl finished wrapping the wound, pushing him firmly down onto the bed.

“I am going to have words with those two, because this is unacceptable . Even if Aizawa wasn’t your soulmate, or your teacher, he should be better than this . And All Might too, he just….” Her anger seemed to dissolve as he spoke again.

“S’not anything new, though, teachers and classmates ignoring me. Got enough burn scars to prove that,” he slurred, leaning heavily into the pillows. “‘Ve never gotten called a ‘problem child’ before though. One would think that’d be Kacchan.”

“He’s your soulmate , how could he--?!” she started, and Izuku had the brief thought that he never wanted to be on the receiving end of her anger.

“Doesn’t want me,” he said, and she looked at him.

“Aizawa-sensei doesn’t want me, or maybe just a soulmate in general. I dunno, he doesn’t seem to like me very much anyways.” His eyes were falling closed, but he fought to keep them open.

“I gotta go back, can’t miss class…” he mumbled, and Recovery Girl shoved him back down.

“You are staying right here, and sleeping. I am going to your class, and I am chewing out your teachers. I knew Aizawa wasn’t happy but this? This is just negligence, on his part and All Might’s,” she fumed, and Izuku feared a bit for his teachers.

“Just don’t kill them…” he murmured, dropping off. He thought he heard her scoff before he passed out.

“Death would be too merciful for them.”

~~

Waking up, Izuku was struck by just how late it was. The sunset slanted in, light coloring the walls with shades of orange, red, and yellow. He wondered who had called his mother this time, and how badly she was worrying.

Sitting up, he winced, hand going to his stomach. Right. He was stabbed. He looked around, hoping to see Recovery Girl and get the okay to go home. Instead, he spotted both All Might and Aizawa sitting in the corner. Aizawa was asleep, as usual, but All Might sat awkwardly, head in his hands.

“All Might?” he asked, his voice sounding a bit raspy. His mentor’s head shot up, and suddenly he found the man standing by his side.

“Midoriya, my boy, are you alright?” All Might asked, and Izuku was floored by the concern in his voice.

“I’m fine, but what are you doing here?” he replied, and suddenly All Might was bowing to him.

“I deeply apologize for my failure as both your teacher and your mentor. I should have noticed you were injured so badly, and stopped the simulation immediately,” All Might said, and Izuku shook his head.

“Thank you, for apologizing. But it was part of our plan, for me to become ‘invisible’. It just went a little better than expected,” he said, and he felt his heart dropping, at the realization that he really was just invisible. Useless. All Might looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he sighed.

“I will try my best to make sure it never happens again. For now, I will go find Recovery Girl. She’ll want to know you’re awake,” he said, before getting up. Izuku noticed Aizawa was awake now, watching him from the corner as All Might left.

“You here to apologize too?” he asked, feeling a sweeping tiredness that had nothing to do with his injuries.

“Yes. I failed in my duty as your teacher,” Aizawa said, standing up fluidly. Izuku felt his eyes close, though he knew sleep was far away from him.

“So that’s it, huh?” he laughed, bitter and broken. “Don’t bother apologizing unless you mean it, sensei.”

“I do mean it. I should have noticed you were injured more seriously than I thought. I shouldn’t have let you go off alone,” Aizawa said, and Izuku felt like something was tearing his heart apart, so he made a decision.

“Why don’t you like me?” he asked. He felt so tired. Exhaustion seeped through his bones, and he stared blankly at his soulmate.

“Your personality and ideals are intrinsically different than mine. You are much more emotional than I am, and you are constantly doing things that clash with my ideas and personality. I care for you as your teacher, and believe you have the abilities to become a hero, but I cannot see a relationship other than teacher-and-student working out between us,” Aizawa said, and Izuku leaned back against his pillows, throwing an arm over his face.

“So that’s it then. Not even going to give it a chance,” he said with a sigh. He hadn't expected much different, but finding out the reason his soulmate didn’t like him was…. He wasn’t surprised it was his personality, not many liked him anyways, but… it still hurt. It still hurt like hell.

“That’s it,” Aizawa confirmed, moving towards the door. Izuku felt a hysterical laugh bubbling up through his throat, mixing with the tears he felt building in his eyes. He felt his heart beating, breaking, and he howled with laughter, tears pouring down his face.

“I cannot believe yet another person is basing their opinion of me on something so arbitrary !” he cackled, doubling over, a waterfall of tears splashing into the blankets. “Might as well just say it was because I was Quirkless, because I certainly haven’t heard that enough already! ‘Deku, you’re useless!’ ‘Deku, you’ll never be loved!’ ‘Stupid, Quirkless Deku!’”

Izuku could barely see the shock and concern on Aizawa’s face, but he could see enough to make him wheeze. Izuku knew he was breaking apart, could feel himself shattering, pieces scattered and nothing but dust remaining.

“You’ve known me for what, a couple months? And the only interaction we had was during class, when I was avoiding you? You’re just as bad as everyone else, not bothering to look beneath the surface, not bothering to look past anything !” Izuku was sobbing now, hand clutching his chest, his world tilting and breaking and reforming and destroying itself again.

“Midoriya…?” Aizawa didn’t look like he knew what was happening, and Izuku was laughing again, because he didn’t either. He waved Aizawa off, clutching his stomach as he dropped his head between his knees.

“Oh, don’t worry about me! I’ll pick myself right back up here and go back to being nothing but the ‘problem child’.” He spat the words with as much venom as he could, wondering if it would have an effect.

“Then tell me who you are.”

“What?” Izuku asked, looking up. He could barely see through his tears, his voice layered with it’s own hysteria.

“You said I don’t know who you are. So tell me,” Aizawa said, sitting down next to his bed. Izuku looked at him wondered if it was sincere or if he was simply going to be destroyed again. But Izuku had never let that stop him before. So, he gathered his shattered, broken self in his hands, and offered it to Aizawa.

“I am the person who is only alive today because I refused to leave my mother alone. I am the person who has more scars than he has skin, so marred by someone I called a friend that I can’t be touched without flinching. I am the person who looked at the world and it’s cruelty, and decided to smile, because it was better than dropping into oblivion. I am the person who developed his Quirk late, who was beaten down and destroyed his entire life. I am the person who’s favorite color is green, who likes dogs more than cats, who’s favorite food is pork cutlet bowls, and who never heard the words ‘I believe in you’ until I was 14 years old.”

He wasn’t sure what emotion Aizawa was feeling, but he also wasn’t sure what emotion he was feeling, so did it matter?

“I am the person who spent his entire life believing someone would love him unconditionally, only to find out that was a lie, too.”

It was at that moment Recovery Girl returned, All Might right behind her. They both looked surprised, and Izuku stood up, wobbling a bit before righting himself.

“Thank you for your help, Recovery Girl. I’ll be heading home now, if that’s okay?” he said, and she grunted.

“Not on your own; take one of these two with you,” she said, and Izuku really, really hated her in that moment.

“I think I’ll be fine on my own. I always have been,” he said, and gave them a wave before walking out. Having a complete emotional breakdown in front of his soulmate/teacher wasn’t exactly how he wanted to end the day, but oh well.

Tomorrow, he’d deal. Tonight, though, he was going to go home and sleep.

~~

Waking up the next morning, Izuku could already tell it was going to be a terrible week. He felt the steady pull of exhaustion in his bones, the loss of the will to even get up. Everything felt heavy, broken, and he sighed. He lay there until his alarm got to be to much, rolling out of bed and crawling over to shut it off.

He didn’t know how long, exactly, he sat there, arm outstretched, hand resting on his alarm, gaze listless. But it was long enough for his mom to get concerned and come get him.

He didn’t remember getting dressed or having breakfast, just abruptly coming back to awareness halfway to school, unsure how he got there. He zoned out again, feeling like he was watching himself from outside his body, hovering like a spectre over his own walking corpse. His friends greeted him, concerned for his well-being, and he couldn’t muster up the energy to respond. He couldn’t muster up the energy to care.

And so it remained for the rest of the day, and Izuku got home, realizing he couldn’t remember half of what happened. He also realized he didn’t care enough to find out. Walking to his room, he changed clothes, flopping onto his bed, sighing as he sunk into his blankets. He knew he should eat something, but he didn’t feel hungry enough to bother, so instead he passed out, and waited for the cycle to repeat.

~~

Izuku sighed, rolling out of bed. It was the night before the first day of finals, and he couldn’t sleep. Because that would be to easy, wouldn’t it.

Throwing on a hoodie, he slipped out, heading up to the roof. The night air was still, the sounds of the city traveling, a quiet rumble in the background. Izuku sat on the edge, staring up into the sky.

He should have expected it, honestly, but he really hadn’t planned on seeing his ‘soulmate’ at 3am.

“Whatever it is, it’s not worth it kid.”

Turning his head, he saw Aizawa standing behind him, obviously out on patrol. He gave a grim smile, realizing he hadn’t been recognized. Probably due to the dark hoodie he had pulled up.

‘ And how do you know?’ he signed. He had picked up sign language when a Deaf girl had transferred to his class in elementary school, and sometimes he and his mom used it to talk.

“Because nothing is worth the value of your life,” Aizawa said, and Izuku felt his heart give a painful thump. Of course Aizawa would say that to some strange kid he thought was going to kill himself. Of course Aizawa would never say it to him.

‘ Maybe. Forgive me if I doubt that, though,’ he signed, and he saw Aizawa shuffle closer, as if to stop him if he did decide to jump.

‘ Don’t worry, I’m not going to jump. I’m the only thing my mom has left, I wouldn’t leave her like that,’ he continued, because really, it was true. His father was gone, so he was all his mother had. They clung to each other, and he knew instinctively that it would destroy her if he died, especially if he took his own life. So, he’d bide his time, until he could die without guilt.

“If you’re not going to jump then...?” Aizawa pressed, and Izuku grinned, sharp and painful.

‘ Couldn’t sleep. I like to watch the sunrise from here,’ He thought for a second before tacking on, ‘ Reminds me why I’m still alive, I guess.’ Aizawa frowned, but seemed to accept his answer.

“Alright. Just be careful, then,” he said, and Izuku gave a huff of laughter. He waited until Aizawa was leaping in the air before he replied.

“Will do, Eraserhead,” he said quietly, turning back to the sky. He wasn’t sure if Aizawa heard him or not, but honestly, he didn’t really care.

~~

Written finals were hell, but, Izuku thought, they pulled him out of his own personal hellscape. Taking tests was monotonous, but it gave him something to do, to focus on. It gave him back feeling, for a bit. That, of course, didn’t last. Practical finals came up and instead of fighting robots, they were going against teachers. And he was paired with Kacchan. Fantastic.

He watched everyone else's fights, intently watching Aizawa’s fight as well. When it came time for his, he was ready to fail. He tried, he really did, to work with Kacchan, but Kacchan wasn’t having it. And then he got punched, and he was laying on the ground, and he decided ‘fuck it.’

Because he was tired and he didn’t care anymore. He lay there, turning over, forcing himself to get up. He watched, uncaring, as Kacchan threw himself headfirst into a fight he couldn't, wouldn’t, win.

He realized, in that moment, that Aizawa was using him. Because Kacchan couldn’t work with anyone, and being forced to work with someone he hated? Well.

So, he was being used. To further Kacchan’s education. Because, it was, as always, all about Kacchan.

Apathy was abruptly swapped with anger: anger at Kacchan, anger at Aizawa, anger at the whole world for giving him his own pitiful existence. And he shoved himself away, taking off down side allies and other streets, running towards the exit. Because All Might was distracted, but he wouldn’t be for long, and Izuku could pass by escaping.

So, he did.

He flew through the exit gate, the happy beep sounded, and he kept going, kept running, because he was angry and tired and he wanted to die because apparently his soulmate hadn’t listened hadn’t heard hadn’t learned anything about him.

He was crying, he knew, and he angry, because he still wasn’t worth anything apparently, not worth enough to not be used so blatantly and his chest felt too tight, too much, and he wanted to disappear into nothing, give up his pain and fly free .

He didn’t know exactly when he arrived back at the observation room, only knowing that Aizawa was there and that Izuku, himself, was pissed .

“ You happy now?” he spat, chest heaving, eyes glistening. He heard All Might arrive, reaching forward to grab him, but he growled, like a caged animal.

“ Are you fucking happy now? ” he snarled, and Aizawa looked at him, bored, as usual, and Izuku wanted to rip the expression of his face. He could feel the others staring at him, most of the class watching him. All Might reached for him again, and he slapped his mentor’s hand away, not even realizing Full Cowl was active until he saw the green lightning arcing off his skin.

“I hope you’re happy using me to further somebody else's education without regard as to how it might affect me , Aizawa-sensei. I hope you’re happy with yourself, because I sure as hell ain’t! ” He was yelling now, voice cracking as tears poured down his face, and Aizawa’s face still hadn’t changed, and Izuku wanted to scream. He turned, Full Cowl still active, sparking against his skin, thrumming through his veins. Kacchan was standing at the entrance, glaring at him, chest heaving, and Izuku wanted to pick a fight.

“Deku you bastard --!” Kacchan starts, and he brushed passed, not bothering to listen, not bothering to hear him. It was only when there was a hand on his arm, burning with fire, that he turned.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Bakugou, or I swear I will pay you back ten-fold for all the pain you’ve caused me,” he snarled, angry and hurt, all animalistic wrath. Bakugou didn’t move, though, and he could hear the incoming explosion, the beginning of fire and pain, and he was turning, ready to punch and kick and hurt when a voice spoke up.

“ Stop, ” Aizawa said, and there were scarves yanking Bakugou away, but Izuku still had his Quirk, still had his speed. So, he did what he’d always done best. He ran.

He tore out of the room, heedless of the people calling after him. He thought people were following him, but he’d spent most of his life ducking and hiding, learning how to disappear to avoid pain. So he weaved through hallways, made it outside but doubled back in, swerving until he found one of the break rooms, ducking out the window there. It was easy enough to find his way to the roof, the deepest shadows hiding him easily.

“Midoriya.”

He had thought he was safe, but apparently not. He pushed himself farther back into the corner, anger mixing with fear mixing with pain until he could no longer tell if he was himself or something else entirely.

“Leave me alone,” he bit out, but it lacked anger, holding only resigned pain. He wasn’t sure what he expected, whether he was about to be hurt or expelled or anything, so he closed his eyes, pressed himself backwards, and braced himself. He didn’t hear anything until Aizawa stepped closer, and he pressed back farther, waiting for the hit, the hurt. It didn’t come.

“I’m sorry,” Aizawa said, and Izuku slitted his eyes, looking up at his teacher.

“You were right. I paired you two together to try and help Bakugou, but without considering the negative effect it would have on you. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. You have every right to be mad at me,” Aizawa explained, and Izuku looked up at him curiously. This was the first time an adult had apologized to him, treated him like an equal. It was... odd, and somewhat disconcerting.

“Did you even listen, when I told you that you didn’t understand me?” Izuku asked, and Aizawa sat down, careful, projecting every movement. Izuku would be grateful if he wasn’t so exhausted, so done with everything.

“I did, I simply didn’t acknowledge it, and that was my fault. I should have respected you as a person, and not let personal biases cloud my sight,” Aizawa said, and Izuku wasn’t sure where this was going. The moment felt heavy, somehow. Important. Like his world was about to change.

“You were my soulmate, and for that alone, I resented you,” Aizawa started, Izuku shifting back into the shadows. “Or, rather, I resented what you represented. To me, a soulmate was nothing but a hindrance, a way of the universe telling me I had no free choice. So, I didn’t want it. But it was wrong of me to take it out on you, not to give you a chance. I let it color my perspective, let my personal feelings get in the way.”

“It’s alright, not to want a soulmate.” It’s alright not to want me.

“No, it’s not. Communication is a big part of any relationship, and what would happen because of the clocks should have been decided by both of us, not just ignored until something broke it. And that was my fault,” Aizawa said, and Izuku felt a tired sort of curiosity bubbling from within.

“So what do you want to do?” he asked, because if clearing the air around this whole mess would help, then he’d do it in a heartbeat. He at least wanted to know where he stood.

“I am not… as against the idea as I once was. I still don’t like the idea of jumping into a relationship simply because a clock told me to, but I would be more open to the idea of experimenting,” Aizawa said, and Izuku sat up.

“Really?” he asked, skeptical. People don’t usually change their minds so easily.

“Yes. Mostly because Recovery Girl chewed me out about it,” Aizawa said, and Izuku couldn’t help a weak chuckle.

“She is pretty terrifying, once you get down to it,” he replied, and he thought he saw a flash of a grin on Aizawa’s face.

“How would you like to proceed?” Aizawa asked, and Izuku frowned, before sighing.

“I don’t… know. I’d like to get to know you better, in the very least, but…” he bit his lip, and looked away, curling up further into himself. “I’m not sure how willing to open up I am, after all that.”

“That is understandable,” Aizawa said, and they lapsed into a brief silence.

“What about we play a round of 20 Questions? Nothing too personal, but just surface level tings,” he suggested, and Aizawa looked at him curiously.

“20 Questions?” He asked, and Izuku smiled, briefly.

“It’s a game: I ask a question and you have to answer, and you ask one back. It’s an easy way to learn things about one another, without things becoming too personal,” h\e explained, and Aizawa nodded.

“Alright,” Aizawa agreed, and he shifted so he was facing his teacher more.

“Okay. I’ll start. What’s your favorite color?” he asked, and Aizawa answered,

“Blue. What’s yours?”

“Green. Why blue?”

“Reminds me of the sky. Why green?”

“It reminds me of my mom. Cats or dogs?”

“Cats. Do you have any pet peeves?”

“Untied shoelaces. Drives me nuts. You?”

“People who complain about things without working to improve them. The world won’t change if people don’t work for it. Favorite hero?”

“All Might. How long have you been friends with Present Mic-sensei?”

“15 years. Who would you say is your best friend?”

“Uraraka-kun. How’d you become friends with Present Mic?”

“An unfortunate group project. Why Uraraka?”

“She’s never hurt me, only ever helped me, and I her. Why don’t you like All Might?”

“Conflicting personalities. He’s too loud for my tastes. If you could have any other Quirk, what would it be?”

“Healing or speed. You?”

“Extendable limbs. Why?”

“I can help and save more people if I move faster, or can heal them. Extendable limbs?”

“It would remove the need for my capture weapon, while also allowing increased mobility and ease of getting places. Think Elastigirl from The Incredibles .”

“You’ve seen The Incredibles? ”

Aizawa smiled, and Izuku relaxed. The atmosphere felt like it had eased, a bit, becoming more relaxed with each question. Izuku was feeling the effects of his emotional rollercoaster rising, tiredness pulling at his limbs.

“I thought it was my turn, but yes, I have. They’re having a re-run of it at a theater near here this weekend,” he said, and Izuku smiled.

“What theater?” he asked, sitting up. Aizawa listed off the name quickly, before surprising them both.

“Would you like to go with me? It could be an experiment, see how things go,” Aizawa said, and Izuku was surprised. It made sense; a movie wouldn’t require them to talk, but would still be enjoyable, and it was something both of them liked. He swore he heard Aizawa mutter ‘and it will get Hizashi off my case.’ but he decided to ignore it.

“Alright, what time, and where should we meet?” he asked, and Aizawa rattled off a time and place, and it was done. Izuku relaxed against the wall, eyes sliding shut slowly.

“You look exhausted. We’d better let everyone know you’ve been found so they stop worrying,” Aizawa said, standing up. He held out his hand, and Izuku eyed it for a moment before taking it, letting his teacher help him up.

He walked unsteadily back to the stairs, eyes sliding shut every few seconds. Aizawa sighed, and Izuku blearily watched as the man crouched in front of him.

“Get on. You’ll fall down the stairs at that rate,” he said, and Izuku wasn’t sure if he was grateful  or just really tired.

“‘lright…” he slurred, arms wrapping clumsily around Aizawa’s neck. The man picked him up with ease, and Izuku felt his eyes slipping shut. He could hear Aizawa’s heartbeat, a gentle ‘thump-thump’ that was as soothing as it was strange.

“Kaminari’s gonna be really angry…” he mumbled, feeling Aizawa’s hair shift around him.

“Why?” Aizawa asked, and Izuku gave a tired giggle.

“He and Ashido had a running bet on whether or not you actually had a heart. The pool got pretty high, last I checked…” he mumbled, slumping against Aizawa. He was so warm….

“Nice to know my students have such a high opinion of me,” Aizawa replied, and Izuku took several seconds to respond.

“We respect you, as a teacher and figure of authority, but no one gets the sense you like us very much. You care about us, and our well being, but you don’t like us as people. So, we can’t help but wonder, ya’know?” he mumbled in response. Aizawa didn’t reply. He drifted in and out of sleep after that, realizing at some point that he was passed to All Might, who carried him to the nurses’ office.

“Are you mad at me?” he mumbled, blinking up at his mentor. All Might gave a heavy sigh.

“I’m not mad, I’m just…” he trailed off, and Izuku gave a broken smile.

“Disappointed? It’s okay, people usually are, when it comes to me…” he said, eyes slipping shut.

He let himself drift off, wondering if maybe, just maybe, everything would turn out alright.