Work Text:
Izuku was running on fumes, he knew it… he knew he needed to take a break every time a twinge of pain shot through his arms. But, he ignored it. He couldn’t risk falling behind.
Everyone would realize he wasn’t good enough.
Weak.
Useless.
Quirkless.
Izuku shook his head, making the pounding in his head more pronounced. Making the pain unbearable. The sleepless nights filled with nightmares were starting to get to him.
Shigaraki’s dry cracking hand reaching for him, the promise of an agonizing death following. The blue flames and smoke covering the trees. Kota’s screams of fear and the maniacal laugh of a murderer.
Izuku takes a deep breath, twisting his hands together the ache distracting him from his troubled thoughts. He goes about his morning routine in a daze, trying to prepare himself for the day of schoolwork and training ahead of him.
The dark thoughts and the pain in his body keep trying to drag him back.
Why can’t he escape?
~~~~~~~~~~
Aizawa noticed the antsy behavior coming from Midoriya pretty quickly. The usually sunny smile the teen wore was lacking. He had dark bags under his eyes that could rival the ones adorning his and Hitoshi’s.
As he watched Midoriya flinch when Kirishima hugged him with a friendly “Bro!” he was sending a text to the other teachers to keep an eye on the green-haired boy.
~~~~~~~~~~
Izuku was on edge the whole class. He couldn’t focus on his notes, his normally pristine notes had seen better days. It wasn’t his fault it was just…
His hands didn’t want to write, even just holding the pencil in his aching hands sent a white-hot agony shooting up his arm. He couldn’t focus with all the pain.
His jaw was clenched as he tried to push through the pain and the lack of mumbles got him a few concerned glances from his peers.
Izuku’s eyes were burning with tears as he tried to keep up with the teacher’s lecture but the pain was making it difficult, though the fear of being left behind made him grit his teeth and double down on his efforts.
Who are you to think you can keep up with the prestige of UA.
You’re not good enough to be here if you can’t keep up with a few lectures.
You’ll fall behind your classmates with no way of ever catching up.
The pencil snapped in his grip, the noise deafening in the quiet room every eye that was on the board turned towards him; including the eyes of the teacher whose lecture had just been interrupted.
Izuku raised a shaky hand.
“M-may I go to the bathroom please?” he asked, still shaking. Cursing himself for still stuttering.
The teacher nodded and Izuku was out of his seat in a flash, rushing towards the bathroom, not noticing the teacher pulling out their phone and texting one group chat dedicated to teachers.
~~~~~~~~~~
Izuku splashed cold water on his face. Trying to fight off the panic and embarrassment he felt. Trying to calm the racing thoughts in his head
that
wouldn’t
shut
up!
Izuku was having a hard time breathing, taking gulping breaths that were too shallow to help anything as he pressed his back against the cold wall, sliding down till he met the floor. He covered his face with his hands and tried to
not
break
down.
He sits there for what feels like hours as he tries to push back the all-consuming panic that is trying to drown him. He doesn’t notice the near-silent footsteps approaching as he spends his time trying to focus on the cool tile on his back, counting his breaths trying to work himself out of this little hole he fell down.
He doesn’t notice the figure that stops near him and crouches down to be closer, doesn’t notice until a gruff voice says,
“Midoriya.” his tired-looking teacher is looking at him as his head snaps up.
“A-Aizawa sensei?! I’m s-so so sorry! I-I’m not skipping class on-” the teen was waving his hands around in panic as he tried to explain himself.
Aizawa held up a hand to the rambling student.
“Midoriya it’s okay, calm down.” the green-haired teen came to a pause, anxiously wringing his hands together as he looked expectantly at the dark-haired teacher.
“Right, is there something going on Midoriya? You seem very high strung.” he raises a brow as Izuku tries to reassure him.
“N-no I’m fine! I can go back to class” at the raised brow the teen falters looking away before saying, “It’s just little nightmares I can deal with them.”
Aizawa tries not to sigh, as Midoriya tries to belittle his problems.
“Kid I get nightmares too, I’m pretty sure all of your classmates do as well. There’s nothing wrong with them but they’re hell to deal with.” he pauses searching for something to say “What about this, you go back to the dorms, take a nap, meditate, do something to calm yourself. Take a day off and come back when you feel better.”
The teen immediately protests, “but- I’ll fall behind!”
Aizawa rolls his eyes, “You won’t fall behind from one day, and I know you have several classmates who will lend you notes so you’ll have all the material.”
Izuku pauses at hearing that, twisting his hands anxiously. Aizawa can see the gears turning in his head as he considers it.
It seems his tiredness wins as the green curls bob with the reluctant nod on his head.
Aizawa watches the hidden wince the Izuku makes and he wrings his hands a few more times before he adds, "and visit Recovery Girl before heading back to the dorms, get a salve for your hands. I'll tell her you're coming"
Izuku nods again as he leaves the bathroom hopefully in the directions Aizawa had instructed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Izuku came back to class after a few days off and seemed more relaxed. His friends we're relieved to see the blinding smiles upon his face once more. People were able to focus more on their work with the quiet mumbling filling the background again.
Aizawa hid a smile in his scarf as he watched the semi-peaceful setting of his hell class.