Chapter Text
In elementary school, Izuku learned he couldn’t trust people. People lied and were cruel for no reason, and hated him for something he couldn’t control. He wanted to be a hero! He needed to have a quirk to be a hero though… Everyone knew that. Kacchan made sure to remind him almost every day. Even ‘useless Deku’ could understand that.
It started with a science project, to learn about plants and help them grow. Each student was given a small flower in a pot, and told to care for it for a week. While most were returned in… less than stellar conditions, Izuku’s almost seemed healthier than it did at the start of the week. People seemed to judge Izuku, but plants didn’t do that.
Izuku liked plants.
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By the start of middle school, hero merchandise and plants warred over Izuku’s room. The merchandise was fighting a losing battle, being pushed to one wall of the room, crowded with All Might merchandise, and the rest was covered in plants of all sorts. Terrariums hung from the ceiling, small pots and cactuses lined every surface, and even the walls were covered by a moss of some kind.
His bookcases were lined with notebooks on hero analysis, encyclopedias of various plants, and even some books on plant crossbreeding and genetic modification. On top of the bookshelf was his pride and joy, a plant of his own making, a ‘Roleander’: a small bush with soft roselike flowers that had ruffled edges, and soft looking vines. A small note on it said: poisonous, do not eat!
The room was starting to get too small. He’d have to find a bigger place.
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Izuku found the abandoned greenhouse while walking home from school one day, and knew it was perfect. It was out of the way, not being used by anyone, and had enough dirt and natural light. He’d have to make sure everything was clean though, and that any plants couldn’t escape.
The first things moved in were small succulents and flowering plants, once all the glass and debris were swept away. Mosses and vines were next, lining walls and softening edges. A large basin was even cleaned out and filled with water so that he could start experimenting with more aquatic based plants.
He’s moving his Roleander in when a piece of fabric suddenly wraps around his upper arm, jerking him to a stop and spinning him around. Thankfully, he didn’t drop his plant.
“What’s a kid like you doing here?” A man with red eyes was glaring at him, and Izuku realized that while plants were nice, they did not prepare you for interacting with people much.
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“So while investigating a suspected drug house, you found it was actually being used by a middle schooler. And said middle schooler might be a botany prodigy.”
Aizawa wasn’t sure how Nedzu was able to say things like that with a straight look on his face. Said middle schooler was muttering quietly next to him, listing tea flavors of all things? It was better than the silence that was only there earlier.
“I honestly think that finding drug lords would have been easier to deal with.” The kid hadn’t spoken to anyone before arriving in Nedzu’s office, looking like a deer in the headlights and clutching the plant he was found with close to his chest.
“While that might be true in terms of paperwork, this is far more interesting!” Nedzu laughed as he took a long sip of his tea. Aizawa did not trust that tea. It was brewed with secrets.
“... My name is Midoriya.” The quiet voice shook them both out of their thoughts, turning to look at the quiet green haired boy. “And… you’re Eraserhead and Nedzu. I’m a fan! Just… I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a problem since no one else was using it...”
Nedzu smiled at him, and hopped onto his desk. “Then I see no introductions are in order! And while it was unusual that you chose that place to grow plants, there was nothing illegal that occured! However, development is expected to occur in that area, meaning that you won’t be able to continue using it for your plants. I am willing to offer UA’s facilities to you, on the condition that you make a few tea plants.”
Aizawa stared incredulously at Nedzu, before he heard a soft sniffle near him, that turned to a soft sob, and a full on cry. The boy was crying, holding his plant close to him as he looked towards the small principal. It made tactical sense now that he thought about it: making sure that Midoriya’s talents didn’t fall in the hands of villains. And a cheaper, more reliable source of tea.
It had nothing to do with how thankful the boy looked.
Nothing at all