Archive of Our Own

Izuku's not sure when it started. Maybe it was around the beginning of elementary school. Maybe it was after he was diagnosed quirkless. Maybe even before then. 

As long as he could remember it had been happening. Just..spur of the moment things you know? His mom never really meant them, it's just...sometimes it really seemed like she did. 

After a long day of work or after a stressful day of raising a kid she would randomly explode. The explosion could be caused by something simple. Asking her to sign a paper for school. Walking too loudly while going to his room. Taking a second too long to close the refrigerator door. 

And when his mom exploded, she exploded . 

She never hit him, but most of the time he wished she would so he wouldn't have to hear her anymore. 

After her explosions she always apologized, and quickly at that. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie I'm just tired" 

"I didn't mean that, I'm so sorry baby" 

"I'm trying my best, you know that right honey? I'm sorry if I got upset" 

She always apologized, always took it back. But her words,...her words attached themselves to Izuku like bacteria. They hung onto his skin and dug into his palms. They nibbled on his cheek and pounded on his head. They made his neck itchy and made his eyes dry. 

But he knew he shouldn't let himself feel that way. His mom apologized, she's a good mom. Even if she says things that really hurt him, even if she knows how to get under his skin and past his insecurities. She apologizes, so it's alright. 

Still he couldn't help but always think back to particularly harmful explosions. 

"If you had just done the bare minimum and gotten a quirk. Then maybe, just maybe, your dad would've stayed and I wouldn't have to work so hard to provide for both of us!" 

She had said that after he had mentioned they were out of milk. 

"If you worked just a tenth as hard as me, maybe you would understand how stressful having to deal with you is!" 

She said that after he accidentally spilled some water as a kid. 

"Stop eating so much! Food isn't cheap and money doesn't grow on trees! Eating more than a meal a day is just being selfish. I don't want to hear any more about it!" 

She said that after he had asked for a couple dollars to get some of the school lunch. 

Of course she apologized, but as a kid the apologies weren't what he remembered. 

He remembered that it was his fault his dad left. 

He remembered that he's too much to deal with. 

He remembered he stressed his mom out.

He remembered how selfish he was being for thinking he needed lunch and dinner. 

These were the things that stayed. 

They were still with him as he got into U.A and as he moved into the dorms. 

People didn't notice Izuku's strange habits at first, until Kirishima asked a question as Izuku went upstairs to avoid dinner. 

"When's the last time you ate?" He asked with a raised brow, grabbing a bowl of rice and curry for himself. 

"Oh, I'm fine Kirishima, I already had breakfast." Izuku gave a small smile. 

"Breakfast? That was more than ten hours ago. You've gotta be hungry?" Kirishima asked. 

"No, I'm fine." Izuku dismissed him with a smile. "I'll be in my room." 

Kirishima frowned as Izuku disappeared up the stairs. 

He poked Bakugou. "Hey you're close with Midoriya, you should tell him to eat." 

"I'm not close with that nerd." Bakugo huffed. "And he's always been like that, he hasn't ate more than a meal a day since we were elementary kids, fucking weirdo." He said adding more spice to his curry. 

"Is that not a little concerning? Kero " Asui said between bites of food. 

"It's not like you can do anything about it." Bakugo shrugged. 

Since then his classmates started watching him a bit more closely and picked up on a few more things. 

By the time they spent a month in the dorms a few things were common knowledge. 

If they were out of something, Midoriya quickly replaced it before most even noticed. 

Midoriya did his best not to bother anyone. He walked with silent steps and only really left his room when it was necessary. 

Midoriya only ate a meal a day and on certain days he would not eat at all.

If there was ever an argument between his classmates on who's turn it was to do a certain chore Midoriya would just offer to do it himself. 

Midoriya would do anything for you if you asked him with a please and thank you. 

They've got onto him about the eating thing multiple times. But all he does when confronted is smile and say that he's fine. 

There were a few peers that took advantage of his kindness, but Midoriya never seemed to mind. 

The class had thought about telling their teacher about Midoriya, but as a whole they decided against it. They didn't want to lose his trust. 

But as time went on, it was only natural that his teachers would find out. 

_______

Izuku sat solemnly in the infirmary inspecting the cast of both of his broken legs. Maybe he had gone a bit overboard with his shoot style, but in his defense the villain only went down after the second hit. He powered fifty percent into each of his legs which must've still been too much for his body to handle.

Usually Recovery Girl would've healed him by now, but he didn't have enough stamina for her to do anything helpful. 

With two broken legs his teachers had decided it wasn't the best to leave him to his own. So he was scheduled to stay with mister Aizawa and mister Yamada until he had enough stamina to be healed. 

Izuku wasn't a fan of this idea. He liked his teachers of course, but doing something like invading their personal space did not appeal to him. 

"Midoriya." Yamada called with a soft smile on his face. 

"Sensei." Izuku politely smiled back. Izuku took notice of the wheelchair his teacher had rolled into the infirmary. 

"Will you need help getting in?"

"No, I've got it." Izuku said, lowering himself off of the bed and into the chair. 

As Izuku was rolled out of the building he mostly ignored Yamadas banter about his day. Only occasionally responding with a grunt of acknowledgement. He really didn't want to go to his teacher's house. Well technically it was just another section of the dorms, but it felt like he'd be intruding regardless. 

"Hey, sensei?" Izuku interrupted his teachers rambling. 

"Yeah little listener?" 

"I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I really feel like I'd be fine if you just left me at the dorms. I don't want to invade your private areas or anything." Izuku explained 

"Your fine buddy, you're not invading anything. We all agreed that it's best that you stay with us so there's no need to worry." Yamada smiled reassuringly.

"Oh, okay" Izuku left it at that. It wasn't good to talk back to adults. 

The walk(or roll) to his teacher's house wasn't far. He tried his best not to gulp as his teacher unlocked the door. 

As the door opened he was greeted with the sight of his homeroom teacher drinking a mug of what was probably coffee while sitting on the couch. He had papers splayed out in front of him with the news station playing in the background. 

“Midoriya.” his teacher nodded at him as they made their way inside. 

“Sensei.” Izuku nodded back. 

“Are you not going to greet me?” Yamada frowned. 

“Hello Hizashi.” Aizawa rolled his eyes.

“Hey Sho” Yamada greeted back cheerfully.  

“Little listener you'll be staying in the guest room down the hall to the left. I'll take you there." 

Izuku only grunted back as he was rolled to the guest room. 

His teacher opened the door and rolled him next to the bed. 

"Will you need help getting up?" He asked kindly. 

Izuku shook his head. "I've got it." 

Yamada gave a small smile and exited the room with a "yell If you need anything." 

It didn't take much for Izuku to lift himself onto the bed. It was a bit annoying that he couldn't use his legs, but he'd make it work for tonight

Izuku lay flat on his back, inspecting the smooth gray ceiling of the room he was in. The walls were different shades of black and gray with little hints of white in stripy patterns. He could see the brownish gray of the hardwood floor out of the corner of his eye. 

"This really sucks." He mumbled. 

He clenched his eyes in an inhale and relaxed his entire body in an exhale. 

He slightly tilted his face downward to see how his stomach moved between breaths. When he inhaled it expanded like a balloon. When he exhaled it shrank so much he could see the outline of his abs through his shirt. 

Izuku amused himself with this until he started to feel drowsy. He rested his eyes and before he knew it he was in the sweet land of sleep. 

"Midoriya." Izuku felt a tap on his shoulder. 

He woke with fluttering eyelashes. "What? Where am I- oh." He remembered now. 

"Hope you had a nice nap! Now come on, you can go back to sleep after dinner." Yamada said, making hand movements that urged Izuku to get into the wheelchair. 

Izuku blinked at his teacher. "Oh no, it's fine sensei. I already ate." 

Yamadas eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise. "Oh, I didn't know. When did you have time for that? they keep you guys on a busy schedule while you're outside of campus." 

"Oh, I didn't eat outside. I ate this morning." Izuku clarified. 

"Wha- and you're not hungry? It must've been a really big breakfast right?" Yamada asked. 

"Well, it was a kinda big bowl of cereal." He nodded thoughtfully.  

Yamada shook his head while "tsk"-ing. "No, that won't do. Come on and eat something before you go to bed, just cereal cant sustain you kids with all the activities you do." 

"Sensei, I really don't need to. I told you I already ate." Izuku said with a smile trying to be as polite as possible.

His English teacher actually rolled his eyes. "You ate a bowl of cereal, I could hardly call that eating already. It's almost eight p.m.." His teacher slightly scolded. "Cmon, get in the chair. We're having dinner with Sho." 

Izuku contemplated rejecting, but his teacher had probably already had enough of his disrespect. He simply nodded and lowered himself into the chair. 

His teacher smiled and started rolling him to the kitchen where he could already smell the curry that was for dinner. 

At the table he awkwardly watched his teachers eat as he poked around with the food on his plate. 

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned or anything." Yamada said, looking up from his plate. 

"Sorry." Izuku said with a soft smile. He raised his utensil. He didn't notice his hand was shaking until his teachers started curiously looking at the quivering utensil. "Sorry." He apologized again, feeling a little embarrassed. 

He set the utensil down, took a deep breath and tried again. He picked up a bite, but as soon as it was close enough to his mouth his thoughts started spiraling. 

Why am I wasting their hard earned money on myself? This serving could be used for them when they are hungry on another day. Why am I being so selfish? Izuku, you're so selfish! Why do you have to make things so hard for others? They wouldn't have even needed to prepare you a serving if you could control your own quirk. You wouldn't have even needed to invade their space. But you're just so selfish. It's a wonder how people tolerate you. I'm sure that they don't. They probably hate you. Every single one of them. And you deserve it. Because you're such a selfish boy. 

Through his thoughts Izuku noticed a voice calling out to him. He tried to grab into that voice, to use it as a tightrope to escape the spiraling thoughts. 

"Midoriya, midoriya can you hear me?" Aizawa was bent down beside Izuku while Yamada was just reentering the room with a bottle of water. 

Izuku looked around dazed for a second. "U-um yeah, what happened?" He questioned. He could've sworn they were all seated just a second ago. 

Aizawa stood up from the ground. "You suddenly went into a panic attack." He said. "Do you get those often?" 

Izuku shook his head "No, I've only had two or three." Izuku frowned. "I'm sorry about that, I really didn't mean to cause trouble." 

Yamada shook his head. "Don't be sorry. You really didn't have to eat it if it freaked you out that bad." He said, looking a bit apologetic.

"It- I didn't think the food was bad or anything!" Izuku clarified. "I guess the idea of wasting your money made me panic." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Wasting money?" Aizawa questioned. "It's only a meal." 

"Food can be pricey, I'd rather not waste it." Izuku admitted softly. 

"It's not wasted if you're eating it." Aizawa stated. 

"The money used to buy it is. You could spend that money on something else, something more important." Izuku said, like it was something they should already know. "Food isn't all that important anyway, a couple of pieces will keep you alive." Izuku yawned, stretching his arm and covering his mouth with a hand. 

Both of his teachers shared a look. 

"No." Aizawa said simply. 

"Sorry?" Izuku questioned. 

"I said no." 

"Uh-umm, no what?" 

"Just no . That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth." 

"It is completely illogical to refrain from food just because sometimes it's "pricey". Midoriya, I consider you a smart student." He said emphasizing the smart as if that was something rare. 

"And excuse my rudeness, but how the hell did you come up with that ?"

Izuku looked positively flabbergasted. 

He began to sputter. "I-...It was- you-...uhm I mean-I j-just." He took a breath "That's just always how it's been, since elementary. I never gave it too much thought, it was just something I knew."

"Well un-know it because it's wrong." Aizawa stated bluntly. 

"Does that mean you do that eating one meal thing every day?" Yamada asked. 

"Well most days." Izuku answered honestly.

"Most days?" 

"I forget sometimes." Izuku said sheepishly with a shrug. "I mean the day would already be over by the time I realized I hadn't eaten." 

Izuku, already sensing negative reactions, started trying to defend himself. "It's not even a big deal. I mean I've been fine all these years. And it saves other people the trouble." 

Aizawa just sighs. 

"Midoriya listen to me." He said sternly. 

Izuku looked at him. 

"If you do not fix those eating habits I will expel you." 

Izuku paled. "E-expel" 

"I will not have you become a liability on the battlefield because you can't stomach the idea of eating all the nutrients you need for the day." 

"But-" 

"There are no buts." Aizawa interrupted. "I'll give you two weeks, and by then if you aren't eating as you should I have no choice but to expel you." 

Izuku looked like he'd be sick. "Two weeks." He repeated meekly. 

Aizawa nodded. 

"T-that's not enough time! I cant- I won't  be able to-." 

"You'll have to make it enough time. When people's lives are at risk you have to be at your best. Two weeks is me being nice." Aizawa stated. 

"Two weeks it is." Izuku grumbled 

The rest of his stay Izuku was distracted thinking of methods he could use to not get expelled. Maybe he can try eating his favorite foods throughout the day? Maybe he could try small meals? Maybe he can have someone force feed him? 

Even after Recovery girl had healed him and he was back in the dorms he kept fretting over it. 

Yesterday was Monday, so he had till the Monday after next Monday to fix his eating.

But how? 

"Mido-bro! You alright?" Kirishima asked. Sweat was dripping down his forehead and he had a water bottle in hand. 

"Oh I'm fine." Izuku said before continuing to think, completely dismissing Kirishima. 

"You sure, you seem a bit distracted?" Kirishima pointed out. 

"Yeah, yeah." Izuku said mindlessly, obviously not listening. 

Kirishima tilted his head, shrugged it off, and continued to his room to change into his school clothes. 

Izuku supposed he should go with the small meals plan, starting with breakfast. 

He carefully selected an orange from the fridge. It was decently sized and perfectly ripe. It wasn't too much he thought to himself, he should be able to eat a little something more after this. 

In his morning classes he was distracted. What if he wasn't able to change anything in the two weeks, what then. He really hoped he could do something that worked. 

13 days until expulsion-Tuesday 

Izuku sat at the lunch table with his tray that seemed to be mocking him. 

It was just honey chicken with white rice on the side. 

If he just ate the white rice, he'd be fine. That would add up to eating at two different times and would be enough for him right now. 

"Deku? Are you alright?" Uraraka asked with a slight frown. 

"Huh?" Izuku startled. 

"You've just been staring at your tray for a while." She tilted her head. "Is anything wrong with it?" 

"Oh, no, it's fine. I'm just...admiring it." Izuku said lamely. 

"Oh...okay." Uraraka said and continued with her lunch. 

'Okay Izuku you can do this !' He attempted to encourage himself. In honesty it didn't do much. 

He picked his chopsticks up with slightly trembling hands. It's just white rice after all. How hard could it be? 

He scooped up a generous bite. He let it hover in the air for a few seconds, trying to work the nerve to just eat it. He brought it closer to his mouth and attempted to eat it when an overwhelming sense of dread hit him and he dropped the chopstick back onto the tray, causing the rice to clatter along with it. 

And all at once, it hit him that he was scared . He was actually scared. Get that- a hero student at U-A scared of a little food. 

Izuku flushed red because he felt absolutely ridiculous. He hadn't thought that it had gotten this bad. As soon as he attempted to eat it his body just screamed wrong at him. That he shouldn't, that he knew he shouldn't. 

But he had to. He knew-logically-that nothing would happen if he ate it. But sensei said his habit was illogical so he guessed his habit had also taken a toll on his mind. 

"Deku?" Uraraka called with a worried expression. 

Izuku had almost forgotten where he was. "I'm sorry." Izuku said, grabbing a to-go box the school helpfully supplied and stuffing his uneaten lunch in for another day. He left the cafeteria with a sinking feeling in his chest. 

12 days until expulsion-Wednesday 

The small meals plan hadn't worked well for him yesterday, so today he was trying something different. 

If he could get all his nutrition in one big meal he'd only have to eat once a day and his brain would probably allow that. 

Izuku hadn't eaten yet because he decided to have a very big dinner. It had everything, protein, carbs, dairy, vegetables, and enough of each for a healthy full day's worth. 

He sat alone in the kitchen, most of the kids had already gone to their rooms to study, or sleep. 

He took in a deep breath, and held his chopsticks high with as much confidence as he could muster. 

" Fear me food, for I am here! " He said in his best All Might impression. 

He took his chopsticks and braved the meal in front of him. 

He ate quickly, with rushed bites and obnoxious chews. He had to force himself to stop so he could take a few breaths, before continuing. 

The faster he ate it the less he would have to think about it. 

Izuku was nearly halfway done with the meal when he felt a boil in his stomach. The contents of his stomach swished around uncomfortably making his insides feel hot. 

He felt bile climbing up his throat and made a break for the restrooms, nearly tripping over himself.  

He was barely to a toilet when the acid had filled his throat and he began gagging. The meal came up in broken retches, that had him gasping for breath. 

He hadn't registered that someone was in the restroom until he felt a soft and almost awkward patting on his back. 

He ignored it as more bile made its way out of his throat. 

Izuku gasped in a few guilty breaths. His throat burned, and leftovers of the throw up were already starting to crust on his lips. 

The person there passed him the wet wipes that were nearby while flushing the toilet for him. 

He mumbled a raspy thank you and proceeded to take the wipes. As he cleaned his face he looked up to see who exactly he was with. 

"Kirishima?" Izuku said a bit surprised before choking on his spit. 

"Hey man, you alright?" Kirishima said with slight concern. 

"I'm fine, I think I just ate too much." Izuku waved off. "Thanks, by the way. I'm sorry you had to see that." 

Kirishima gave a kind smile. "Hey it's no problem! We're bros man, bros help each other out." Kirishima said, offering a hand to Izuku. 

Izuku nodded and grabbed Kirishima's outstretched hand. Kirishima helped him up with little effort. "Thanks," Izuku said again. 

Kirishima gave another smile and slung an arm around Izuku's shoulder. "No problem!" 

"Are you okay to go back to your room?" Kirishima asked. 

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Izuku smiled. 

"Goodnight." Izuku said softly, slipping from under Kirishima's arm and out of the bathroom. 

"Night!" Kirishima called back with a smile.

11 days until expulsion-Thursday 

Izuku anxiously picked at his lunch. Today he would try a small lunch and then dinner. He was nervous. The two separate eating times thing hadn't worked well on Wednesday. 

Izuku shivered as he felt eyes on him. Looking up from his food and behind his lunch table, he met eyes with Kirishima. Kirishima mouthed a barely noticeable "you okay?" 

Izuku just nodded, slightly embarrassed. 

Kirishima looked at him a few moments longer before rejoining whatever conversation his table was having. 

Izuku sighed into his hand. He was being such a baby making Kirishima worry over nothing. 

He took another bite of rice before deciding that was enough of his lunch. 

He put the rest in a container and would eat it some other time when he was hungry. 

He left the lunch room deciding to take a walk outside with the leftover time. 

There were several pathways around the school. Izuku took the natural one made by years of people taking that same path. If you ignored the dead grass the path was very beautiful. The leaves of green trees with thick trunks were highlighted by the sun. Flowers in unorderly patches gave life to his surroundings. 

Izuku bent down to admire one. A red rose, by itself in its own little patch of green. His fingers tingled as he gently caressed the petals. 

Izuku jumped in surprise when he randomly felt a firm hand on his shoulder. 

"Sorry, did I startle you?." Said a sheepish looking Kirishima with a smile. "I was just trying to get a better look at whatever you were staring at, you seemed really into it." 

Izuku felt some blood rush to his face. "Oh, It's just a flower. I thought it was pretty." He explained. 

Kirishima smiled as he got a good look at the rose. "It is really nice looking. Do you like flowers?" He asked. 

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I have since I was little." 

"Me too!" Kirishima exclaimed. "What's your favorite?" 

"Hmm, that's difficult but I'd go with Chrysanthemum." Izuku nodded his head. " What's yours?" 

"I'd say Astrantia. Those things look super manly!" 

Izuku gave a slight huff. "I've never heard someone refer to a flower as manly." 

Kirishima gave a fake shocked face. "What!? Flowers are the manliest." 

Izuku only smiled. "Why did you come out here anyways?" He decided to ask. 

Kirishima paused for a moment. "I really just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed really sick yesterday and it's been bothering me that you haven't even seen Recovery girl." Kirishima admitted. 

Izuku shook his head. "I'm not sick, Kirishima. Yesterday was just because I ate too much in such a little amount of time." 

"It's not just yesterday that has me worried." Kirishima stated. "Sure yesterday is what made me want to talk to you, but I've been worried since we started living together in the dorms."    

"Since we moved in?" Izuku whispered to himself. 

"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but the way you act is strange. You're just so nice and it seems like you go out of your way to avoid as much conflict or attention in the dorms as possible." 

"Is that a bad thing?" Izuku asked, furrowing his brow. 

"I'm not saying it's bad...it's just a little concerning." Kirishima said whilst gripping his arm with the other. "And I'm not meaning to sound like I'm calling you out about your personality, but it just felt like something was off." 

Izuku was silent for a moment. Then smiled a kind smile. "I appreciate you looking out for me Kirishima, but this is just the way I am. I'm sorry for making you worry." 

Kirishima looked a little disappointed, but accepted Izuku's explanation. "Okay man...but just know if you ever need to talk, or need help with anything I'm right here." 

Izuku smiled and nodded. 

10 days until expulsion-Friday

Like he expected, the plan yesterday was a complete failure. He could hardly look at dinner let alone eat it.

It was nearing night time, and he had still only eaten once today. 

Izuku had his face contorted in something like a solemn pout. He was running out of time and he'd hardly made any progress. Why of all things was this so difficult for him. Why was he so Incompetent he couldn't do something as simple as this. 

Izuku let his head fall into his hands as he sat in the kitchen. He really was pathetic. 

"Midoriya?" He heard a familiar voice call out to him. "Are you alright?" 

"Kirishima." Izuku noted blankly, hardly moving at all. 

Kirishima took a seat next to Izuku. "Shouldn't you be in your room by now?" Kirishima asked, carefully masking concern. 

"Shouldn't you be in your room?" Izuku shot back, too tired to act friendly. 

Kirishima frowned slightly. "You didn't answer my first question. Are you alright?" 

Izuku groaned into his hands. "No, I'm not okay kirishima." He whined. "My lifes gonna be ruined and it's all my fault." He hit his head on the table. "My aspirations! My future! All wasted!" He dramatically wilted into himself. 

Kirishima gave him a consoling pat on the back. "I'm sorry, but can I ask why?" 

Izuku whined again. "Aizawa sensei is going to expel me because I'm a big fucking sissy!" Wow, he sounded like such a cry baby right now. 

"Aizawa Sensei's expelling you!" Kirishima asked, shocked. 

"W-well not yet, only if I can't reach my goal in the next nine days." Izuku explained. 

Kirishima looked confused. "Is it such a hard goal that even you , smart, hardworking, can do anything midoriya can't do it?" 

Izuku flushed bright red. "Well I wouldn't say I was all that." He said, rubbing the back of his ear. 

Kirishima frowned. 

"Well you know how I have issues relating to food sometimes?" Izuku asked. 

Kirishima nodded. 

"Well, Aizawa sensei found out and now he's going to expel me if I can't fix it in these nine days I have left. I've been trying really hard to eat properly, but I just can't do it." Izuku's eyes watered. "And I won't be able to be a hero because of it." 

Kirishima thought for a moment. 

"I probably sound so stup-" Izuku started before being interrupted by Kirishima's determined "I'll help you." 

"Huh?" Izuku asked. 

"Tell me how, I'll help you in whatever ways I can!" Kirishima said determined. 

Izuku began to tear up like the baby he was. "Really?" He asked with wide eyes. "You'd really help me in any way with this?" He almost whined. 

"Letting you deal with this alone wouldn't be manly. For these next nine days it's going to be a team effort!" Kirishima flashed a wide mouthed smile. 

Izuku could cry 

9 days until expulsion-Saturday

"U-umm...Midoriya this i-is a bit…"Kirishima said nervously, eyeing the boy. 

Izuku was sitting in a chair. Handcuffed. He had handcuffed himself to a chair. 

It was late at night and the other students were either asleep or doing their late night exercises. 

"C'mon Kirishima, you said you'd help in any way!" Izuku said a bit impatiently. 

"I-I know, but force feeding !?" Kirishima said in a harsh whisper. 

"Literally all you have to do is put the food in my mouth, okay? It's really not as bad as it seems." Izuku explained. "Please, Kirishima!" Izuku whined. "I really can't get expelled." He teared up.

"Okay, okay! I did promise after all." Kirishima took a seat next to Izuku and picked up a spoon of simple curry from the bowl on the table. 

Izuku flinched backwards as it was brought closer to his face. 

"Take a deep breath." Kirishima said calmly. 

Izuku nodded his head. 

"Okay now say ahh ." Kirishima said, waving the spoon around his mouth. 

Izuku frowned, "I'm not a baby you kn-" Izuku was cut off as a spoon of curry was shoved into his mouth. Izuku chewed it slightly, waiting for his body to react. 

But it didn't. He enjoyed the taste of the curry and swallowed it easily, even though he had eaten a big lunch today. 

Izuku looked at Kirishima with surprised excitement. 

"See, that wasn't so hard." Kirishima gave him a bright smile and a friendly thud on the shoulder. 

Kirishima continued, and even eight bites later, Izuku found he didn't have any problems eating it. 

"I'm not sure what's so different?" Izuku said between bites. "Whenever I try to do this I panic, or throw up." Izuku frowned. 

"Maybe because it's someone else who's feeding you?" Kirishima suggested. 

"Maybe" Izuku hummed 

"Not to be rude or anything, but what's your problem with food anyways?" Kirishima asked. 

"Oh.." Izuku flinched a little. "I guess at first I was doing it because I thought it was the selfless thing to do. You know? To save money and food for other people." 

Kirishima seemed confused, but nodded. 

"But recently, when I actually tried to start eating more. I realized that I was just too scared to."  

"Scared to eat?" Kirishima tilted his head. 

Izuku nodded and blushed. "I know its stupid and ridiculous to be scared of something like that especially at my age." Izuku averted his gaze to the floor. 

Kirishima thought for a moment. "Have you ever had any bad experiences with food? Like choking or something?" 

"No?" Izuku said, looking up. 

Kirishkma thought again. "Have you ever been reprimanded, or punished for something food related?" 

Izuku flinched slightly at that, which kirishima picked up on. 

"Yes?" Kirishina asked. 

Izuku nodded. "Something like that, but I was just being sensitive.." 

Kirishima frowned. "I'm not sure about that when it's affecting you this badly. You know, when kids are scolded or yelled at for an action they become hesitant of doing said action in case of punishment." 

"What exactly was said to you for you to become scared of fulfilling a need like eating?" Kirishima questioned. 

Izuku sighed. "I don't even remember exactly what was said." 

"Tell me anyways." Kirishima said 

"Well, money was kinda tight growing up. My mom had to take care of me on her own and my father had stopped sending money at this point. I remember that I used to be really hungry because at my elementary school both the breakfast and the lunch cost money, and I never had any in my account." 

"I left the house too early to eat something there. So I'd just always be hungry during school. I just dealt with it for a while, but eventually I got kinda frustrated. I ended up asking my mom to put a little money in my lunch account so I could eat at school." 

"She ended up getting really mad at me, and told me I was being selfish for wanting to eat so often. Money doesn't go on trees and I guess she got mad because I wanted her to waste it on something I didn't need. After that I Just started eating once a day, most often at dinner even if I was a little hungry during the day." 

" Ah , that explains it." Kirishima murmured. 

"Huh" 

Kirishima spoke up. "Even if money was tight, a reaction like that to your child asking to be fed is absolutely unnecessary. No wonder it scares you to eat if you were yelled at like you were selfish for it. Your mom shouldn't have reacted like that." 

Izuku fidgeted a little. "I'm sure she was just a little stressed, and I was making things hard for her. She apologized after yelling anyway, for exploding on me." Izuku attempted a slight laugh. 

Kirishima still frowned. "Some good that did seeing how your cuffed to a fucking chair just so you could try to eat." 

Izuku was at a loss for words. He doesn't think he'd ever heard the other boy curse.

"I'm sorry, but your mom kinda seems like a jerk." Kirishima huffed. 

Izuku frowned. "She's really not that bad, she just gets a little angry sometimes. I'm going to try to visit her tomorrow." 

Kirishima nodded. "I don't wanna intrude on you guys' relationship or anything, but I think you should sit down and have a conversation." Kirishima starred undoing the handcuffs seeing how there was no more curry left. 

"I have thought about it. But I can never find the right time to really sit down and talk about anything important." Izuku shrugged. 

"Well if you don't think it'll put you in a dangerous situation, I think when you visit you should bring it up." Kirishima said hesitantly. 

Izuku hummed to himself. He had never confronted his mother about her behavior before. The idea of it made him anxious. 

Kirishima looked at him hopefully. 

"I-i will see if I can." Izuku nodded 

8 days until expulsion-Sunday

Izuku stood at the front of his house. Keys frozen in his hand. Izuku threw his head back in a sigh before reaching to unlock the door. 

"Mom, I'm home." He announced walking into the two bedroom apartment. 

"Oh, Izuku honey." His mom smiled, standing up from the couch and walking over to him. 

"I wasn't sure if you were visiting." She said, pulling him into a tight hug. 

"Yeah, I wanted to see you." He smiled back, returning the hug. "Umm, I actually wanted to talk to you about something. I-i didn't think it was appropriate to discuss over the phone." 

"Hmm?" Inko raised her eyebrows in slight surprise. "Well, why don't you come eat first, I just finished dinner." She smiled at him. 

"U-umm okay." Izuku nodded following his mother to the kitchen table 

"I made Katsudon, ya know, just in case you came." She said, fixing Izuku a plate and placing it in front of him. 

Izuku smiled kindly at his mother. "I'm grateful" he said, digging right in. 

They ate silently for a few minutes.

"So...what was it that you wanted to talk about?" His mother asked. 

Izuku just stared at her for a moment. I mean how exactly was he supposed to bring this up?

"Honey?" Inko slightly prompted

"I might be expelled." Izuku blurted out. He immediately hung his head in shame. "I might be expelled in what's now eight days." 

"Wha-why would they?…" Inko said in surprise. "Izuku…" She started sternly. "What Did you do?" She asked in that one voice of hers. 

Izuku could already feel his eyes start to water slightly. "U-umm, it's not really something I did." He said, voice meek. "I-im...Sensei found out I hadn't been eating properly, at the beginning of the week. H-he said I had two weeks to start eating properly, or he'd e-expell me so I didn't end up being a liability." Izuku tried to ignore the cracks in his voice as he explained. 

Inko sighed. "So what's the problem Izuku? Just start eating properly." 

Izuku could feel his eyes water more. "Mom, that's kinda the thing. I haven't been able to start eating properly. I mean I was able to yesterday when a friend helped me out, but other than that I've just kinda been at a standstill." He said in a quiet voice. 

Inko frowned. "Izuku it's just eating properly, it shouldn't be difficult at all. You're training to be a hero. You should be able to do something this simple. How come you can't do something so easy?" 

"Umm...um, so this was the thing I wanted to have a conversation on. I- umm...I think it's l-linked back to something you scolded me for when I was really little." Izuku felt a tear drop, which he quickly wiped away. "U-um yeah." He felt another tear fall. "Sorry." He apologized, wiping it away. 

Inko sighed again."Great, now you're crying and I'm the bad guy." 

Izuku sniffled a little, still ducking his head. "No, mom, that wasn't exactly what I was trying to say." 

"Izuku, what exactly could I have scolded you for that has any relation to this situation." Inko said, slightly annoyed. 

"U-um, when I was like, maybe, elementary age you scolded me for asking for lunch money, then told me not to be selfish and to just eat one meal a day." Izuku said. 

"I've never said anything like that." His mom immediately dismissed. 

"B-but mom you did…" Izuku said quietly. "You don't do it anymore, but when I was younger you used to yell at me for a lot of things." He fiddled with his hands under the table. 

"I mean I scolded you occasionally like any parent should. But I never said anything hurtful to you, or meant to hurt you." Inko said defensively. 

"Mom you did though, right at this moment I can tell you at least three times you said something hurtful." Izuku said, eyes still watering, and now a bit irritated.

"Oh really, go ahead then" Inko sighed into her cup of water. 

"There was the time I just said, when you told me I was selfish for eating more than once a day." 

"That never happened." 

"A-and there was the time you said dad left because I couldn't do the bare minimum and manifest a quirk." Izuku added.

"That also never happened." 

"And another time when you just flat out said I was stressful to deal with." Izuku continued. 

"Izuku, all of those are just tales you made up in your head!" His mother yelled. 

Izuku didn't wipe the tears that fell this time. "M-mom, but they're really not. I really do remember you saying all that." 

Inko's eyes started watering, "Well I'm sorry you think I'm so bad of a mom you have to make up these stories.

Izuku made a noise of exasperation. "No, I never said you were a bad mom." Izuku sniffled. "Y-you just used to say some hurtful things sometimes. I mean, you would apologize, but you still really hurt my feelings back then." 

"So I guess I'm a terrible mom." Inko sniffled.

"No, mom I just said-" Izuku started.

"You know what, I'm tired, I'm heading to bed" His mom Interrupted, walking away. 

Izuku buried his face into the table and let out a long sigh. 

After a few seconds he wiped his eyes and stood up. 

"Mom, I'm gonna head back to the dorms." He announced, he didn't get an answer.

He really shouldn't of brought it up 

7 days until expulsion-Monday 

Izuku and Kirishima were sitting under a tree outside of the building. They had an arrangement of sorts. Since so far Izuku had only been successful in his goal when Kirishima had fed him, they were going to see if even a little encouragement would make him eat. 

Izuku found this whole thing a little embarrassing, so they were eating outside. 

Izuku hesitantly poked his food with his chopsticks. Moving it around his tray, but never really bringing it close to his mouth. He eye'd Kirishima nervously, as if asking for permission. 

"You can just eat it, dude. It's worse if you think about it, right?" Kirishima tilted his head, giving a friendly smile. 

"Yeah," Izuku muttered. Izuku bit at his bottom lip, chewing on a bit of dried skin. Looking at the food, he inhaled, then exhaled. 

He braved a decent sized bite. 

Before he felt any panic set in, he felt a warm hand on his head.

"Good job, man!" Kirishima smiled with a thumbs up, playfully ruffling Izuku's hair.

Izuku felt himself blush from the praise for something so simple. The way he smiled made him feel childish. But he didn't feel any panic or worry. He just enjoyed the way the food tasted. Izuku easily finished the rest of his lunch, with a few encouraging words and expressions from Kirishima. 

"See? That wasn't so hard." Kirishima smiled, hooking an arm around Izuku's shoulders. "I bet that food didn't know what hit it!" He said, face a little too close. "You don't have to speak to me like I'm a child." Izuku huffed, leaning into the touch a little. They didn't think anything of the way their sides were pressed together. 

"Sorry," Kirishima said with an apologetic smile. "Did you ever get the chance to talk with your mom?" 

Izuku sighed, leaning his head on Kirishima's arm. "It didn't go well?" Kirishima frowned. Izuku nodded. "You want to talk about it?" Kirishima said playfully, moving Izuku's head around with his arm. Izuku was silent for a moment. 

He sighed again. "Apparently she doesn't remember any of the shitty things she said to me when I was younger. The whole time I was trying to tell her she just kept saying how it never happened, how I was making it up because I thought she was a bad mom. Which just isn't true. And after that she walked away from the whole conversation, and I just felt like shit after." 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have suggested-" Kirishima started. 

"No, it isn't your fault, it was a conversation I had to have eventually anyway." Izuku stated. "I just wish it could have gone differently." 

Just then Uraraka walked around the corner, spotting them under the tree. She blinked at them as if she was confused. They just stared at her back. 

She opened her mouth to say something, before blushing and heading back into the building.

"What's up with her?" Kirishima asked into Izuku's ear, and pulling him in even closer. 

"No idea"

6 days until expulsion-Tuesday 

"Hey, Kirishima." Izuku asked with a mouth full of rice. "Is it just me or is everyone acting strange?" He looked into the common room where some of their friends sneakily glanced at the two of them eating together in the kitchen. 

"No it's definitely not just you." Kirishima said with a slight frown.   

All today the glass had been staring at them strangely. At lunch they practically followed them outside. And now when most of them should be in their dorms they were in the common room for a "movie". 

"Did I do something wrong?" Izuku asked with a frown. 

Kirishima shook his head. "No, I think they're just being nosy." He said moving over to the sink and washing out his plate.

"What is there to be nosy about?" Izuku asked curiously with a raised brow. 

"Hmm…" Kirishima thought. "It's probably because we usually don't hang out a lot besides in class." 

Izuku looked back into the common room, making four heads quickly turn away from him. "Maybe" He shrugged 

"Does your stomach feel fine, you're not freaking out from the food or anything?" Kirishima asked, walking back over to where Izuku was sitting. 

Izuku paused for a moment. "No, actually. I feel great. I think I might not get expelled after all." He gave a bright smile. 

"Awesome dude!" Kirishima exclaimed, hugging him from behind for a moment. 

Izuku paid no mind to it. "Well, as long as you're here it's not a problem. Hopefully Mr. Aizawa will accept that, because I'm still not so confident I can do it with no encouragement." He frowned slightly. 

"It'll be fine." Kirishima said, pulling away from the hug and patting his back. 

"Hopefully." Izuku sighed, fidgeting with his thumb. 

5 days until expulsion-Wednesday 

"So…" Uraraka started from beside him in English, a little pink in the face. They were paired up to make a skit to test what they had learned recently. 

"I-I didn't know you and Kirishima were like that.."she smiled slightly. 

"Like what?" Izuku asked with a head tilt. 

"Y-you know, like a thing ." Uraraka blushed a bit. 

Izuku furrowed his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, still confused. 

Uraraka sighed into her hand. 

"I didn't know you too were dating ." Uraraka finally said. 

Izuku stared at her for a moment before fully processing what she said. 

His eyebrows slowly raised. 

"Dating!?" He exclaimed a bit too loudly, but at least in English. "What?" He said a bit more quietly. "Says who?" 

Uraraka blinked at him. "O-oh you guys are just always hanging out with each other and are always touchy feely so I thought…"

Uraraka paused. "So you guys are not dating?" She asked. 

"No? Kirishima and I started hanging out because we got a bit closer as friends , and the touching is strictly platonic." Izuku clarified 

Uraraka let out a nervous laugh. "Oops…" she muttered. 

"What do you mean oops ?" Izuku side eyed her. 

She let out another few nervous laughs. "Well I kind of told the entire class you guys were a thing-" 

"What!" Izuku exclaimed in a harsh whisper. 

"I- I didn't outright say you were dating, me and the class just sat down and talked about how close you were recently and came to that conclusion." Uraraka said quickly, flushing red with embarrassment. "And class 1-b kinda knows too…" 

" Oh my god ." Izuku muttered in disbelief. He hated rumors, once they were out in the air it was hard to squash them. 

"Sorry." Uraraka said at least with the decency to look apologetic.

They didn't even finish the skit. They just sat in half awkward silence for the rest of English. 

At the end of the day when they got back to the dorms he pulled Kirishima to his dorm room, which caused some sneaky whispers. 

"Kirishima." Izuku said, voice serious.

Kirishima looked confused and half concerned for a second before responding. "Yes?" He said while fidgeting with Izuku's bed sheets. 

"Did you know the whole class thinks we're dating?" Izuku said in what was almost a whine plopping down beside Kirishima on his bed. 

Kirishima snorted. "Oh yeah, found out from Kaminari." 

"It's not funny." He huffed. Adjusting so he was lying stomach down across Kirishima's lap. 

Kirishima mindlessly rested a hand in Izuku's curly hair. "I think it's a little funny." He smirked.  

Izuku glared at Kirishima for a moment before rolling his eyes. "It's not even a little funny." He huffed again 

They were silent for a moment. 

"So...have you heard from your mom since you last talked?" Kirishima asked hesitantly. 

"No," Izuku sighed. "I-i was too scared to call her. I really don't want her to be mad at me."

Kirishima nodded in understanding. 

"I mean, I love my mom, but sometimes it's just a little exhausting. I don't like feeling like I'm irritated with her, or that she's irritated with me. I don't like when we're not happy. I probably shouldn't have brought it up anyway. She apologized back then, maybe I was implying that she was a bad mom, which she's not. I just...ya know I felt like-" Izuku mumbled. 

Kirishima cut him off. "After apologizing, did your mom ever completely stop exploding on you?" Kirishima asked. "Or did she apologize and then go on to yell at you about something else? Did she apologize again after that and just repeat the cycle?" 

Izuku deflated a bit. "The second one…" he murmured. 

"Hey, do you know about the five second rule?" Kirishima asked seemingly out of nowhere. 

"Yes?" Izuku responded. 

"I-i think this is kinda like that." Kirishima started, hoping he wasn't overstepping. "You know the five second rule is when you drop food on the floor and if you pick it up within five seconds it's safe, even though it's touched the floor." 

"What does this have to do with anything?" Izuku asked. 

"With your mom...even though you were exposed to some nasty things she said, you think it's fine because she took it back. But it's not, it's not fine. Even scientists have confirmed that as soon as the food touches the ground that bacteria sticks to it, no matter how quickly you picked it up or if you picked it up at all. Those words will still affect you even if she apologized, especially if she made no effort to change or refute what she said…'' Kirishima trailed off. 

They stared at each other for a moment. 

Kirishima suddenly flushed. "I'm sorry that probably made no sense at all." 

"No...no I think I get it." Izuku said thoughtfully. 

Kirishima smiled a little, a bit sadly. 

4 days until expulsion-Thursday 

Izuku stared at his phone hesitantly. If he was going to bring it up again he should just do it, not stand like a baby over the device. 

Would it even go any differently if he decided to bring it up again? He could be optimistic and hope that his mom would actually listen to him, but he'd never really been the glass half full type.

Izuku really sat there and contemplated it. His mom was probably already kind of unhappy with him. 

Maybe she really didn't remember? What would even be the point then. 

Izuku sighed and put his phone in his pocket. He really didn't have the energy to argue with his mom again. 

3 days until expulsion-Friday 

"Mido," Kirishima said whilst sitting beside him in the kitchen. 

"Yeah?" 

"Couldn't you yell Aizawa that you fixed your bad habit by now instead of waiting for Monday?" Kirishima asked. 

Izuku blinked at him. "You know what? I could!" Izuku said, pointing a spoon at him. "But how would he even confirm it, I don't think he'd take the time out of his day to watch me eat three meals." Izuku contemplated. 

"Who knows?" Kirishima shrugged. "You should probably text him and I'm sure he'll think of something. 

Izuku nodded at him, taking out his phone. 

From Izuku: Sensei, I hope I'm not bothering you at this time, but I'd like to tell you I've fixed my bad habit. Is there a way I should try to prove it. 

Izuku had to wait another few moments for a response.

To Izuku: Good. I'd like to believe you weren't lying, but just in case, for tomorrow send a before and after picture of the food you eat. Have someone from your class with you so I can be sure you actually did eat. 

Izuku smiled at the message. That was perfect.

From Izuku : got it, sensei 

"So…?" Kirishima started. 

"I just have to send before and after pics of my food with a classmate there for confirmation." Izuku smiled. 

"O-oh when?" Kirishima asked, suddenly looking a little nervous. 

"Tomorrow." Izuku replied easily. 

Kirishima nodded. "U-um you know…" Kirishima started shyly. "Since you have to have a classmate there and it's the weekend anyway...would you like to go around the city with me?" He flushed a little. "We could check out some of the new food joints together." 

Izuku stared at him for a moment. 

Kirishima started nervously fidgeting with his thumb. "B-but it's fine if you don't want-"

"No, no I'd actually really like that." Izuku smiled slightly. "It sounds like fun." 

Kirishima let out a relieved sigh. Had he been holding his breath? 

"It's a date." Kirishima smiled back. 

2 days until expulsion-Saturday 

Izuku and Kirishima left the dorms together around seven in the morning. 

Kirishima had led him to this relatively new Cafe called The Hive. The inside was decorated to look like the inside of a bee hive with large honeycombs covering the walls and honey gold floors. There were nice purple accents like flowers and candles placed around. 

"This is nice." Izuku hummed as they waited for their food. 

"Right!" Kirishima smiled. "I've seen this place a couple times when I was heading home but I never had a good reason to try it out." 

A lady came to their table with two plates of French toast and two glasses of milk with honey. "Enjoy." She smiled politely. 

They both thanked her before Izuku took out his phone to snap a quick picture. "Woah, this looks really good." He pointed out nearly drooling. He took a moment to snap a picture of Kirishima who was equally in awe. 

They finished the food quickly and breakfast passed. 

The boys ate lunch at a nearby park. Thick sandwiches they had gotten from a vending machine and smoothies they got from the park smoothie stall. 

Izuku let his legs swing back and forth as he sipped cheerfully from his smoothie. 

"Ya know…" Izuku started catching Kirishima's attention. "Before U.A. I never really got to do things like this." 

Kirishima tilted his head. "You never got to go out?" Kirishima asked. 

Izuku shook his head. "No, I got to go out. I used to stay out to watch hero fights sometimes. I just...never had anyone to go out with. I didn't have friends before U.A." 

Kirishima nodded in understanding.He hadn't really had friends before U.A. either. 

Izuku smiled. "So I'm really grateful, ya know. For you and all my other friends. Even spending simple time together like this makes me feel like I'm not lonely anymore. So thanks for being my friend Kirishima." 

Kirishima stared at him with an expression he couldn't make out. Then he smiled kindly and softly. "I'm grateful for you too, and you're welcome, it's nice to have a friend like you." Kirishima's smile faded naturally, but Izuku swore for a second he could see a glimpse of disappointment. 

For dinner they decided to go back to the dorms. There was food there and they didn't want to be out after curfew since they weren't marked for parent visits. 

After the dinner they sat in Izuku's room like they had been doing a lot recently. But, now Kirishima seemed a bit down. 

"You alright?" Izuku asked in concern. 

Kirishima was startled. "Um.. yeah I'm fine." 

Izuku glanced at him, disbelieving. 

"U-umm Midoriya.." Kirishima started stumbling over the syllables. "I…" he let out a deep exhale. "I really do think you're pretty awesome." Kirishima said almost sadly. 

Izuku's cheeks tinted pink. "Thank you… " 

"A-and I really do think your a great friend." He went on. "You're nice, and you're smart, and you're resilient. Your one of the manliest people I know." Kirishima said, starting to turn red. 

Izuku was starting to shrink under the praise. "U-umm thank you." He said again, ducking his head. 

Kirishima's eyes watered lightly as he inhaled which confused Izuku. 

"Recently with how we've been hanging out." Kirishima continued even with his eyes begging to redden. "I started to realize that I really like you as a friend. A-and that maybe I like you even more than that. But I-i really don't want to ruin the dynamic we have right now. I love being your friend, and I don't want to scare you off because of the way I feel." 

Kirishima used his arm to cover his eyes. "I'm sorry." 

They sat in silence for a moment, Izuku in complete shock and Kirishima in worry. 

As Izuku processed the words he suddenly shrieked, his entire body going red. " You ...you like me ?" He asked in utter shock. 

Kirishima wiped his eyes. "Yeah, that's what I just said." 

They sat in another silent moment. 

"I don't think anyone's ever liked me before…" Izuku thought aloud. "Do you seriously like me, like for real, for real?" He asked, looking Kirishima in the eye. "Is this a dare?" He asked suddenly. 

"Wha- no, I really do like you. That's why I asked to go out today so I could tell you." Kirishima said seriously. 

"You're lying." Izuku said skeptically, narrowing his eyes. 

"I'm serious!" Kirishima frowned, starting to get irritated. 

"Was it Denki who dared you? Was it Kacchan? Are they paying you-" 

Izuku was cut off by Kirishima letting out a frustrated huff. 

Kirishima suddenly reached over, firmly grabbing Izuku's chin, and pulled him in. Letting their lips collide in what was really only a quick peck.  

Izuku again, just stared in shock. 

"Do you believe me now?" Kirishima asked in what was almost exasperation. 

Izuku blinked at him a few times. " Woah , this is kind've awesome." He said blankly. 

"You think so?" Kirishima flushed. 

"Yeah." Izuku smiled at him. 

No days until expulsion-wow who would have thought-sunday 

Yesterday was great. Krishima who now let's Izuku call him Eijiro is great. Life is great. He's not getting expelled, There's no school today. Everything's just great. 

At least that's what Izuku is trying to convince himself. 

Because he's visiting his mom again, and everything's not great. Everything's terrible. What if she doesn't even want to see him. What if he just went back to the sch- 

Izuku's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the front door unlocking. Well looks like fleeing isn't an option now. 

"Izuku?" His mom asked in surprise when she saw him. "You didn't tell me you were stopping by." She smiled easily. 

A little bit of tension left Izuku's shoulders. 

Inko led him inside where they sat on the couch. 

They silently watched the television for about twenty minutes before Inko caved. "Izuku?" She called to him. 

"Yes?" He answered a bit nervously. 

His mom looked hesitant. She looked into the distance a moment before sighing. "I wanted to apologize. For last week...and for everything else." She smiled sadly. 

Izuku just stared. 

"After Hisashi left I was having a really tough time, and that doesn't excuse the things I said to you sometimes, but I'm hoping you understand. I-i feel like I got defensive because I knew my actions were wrong and I really did want to deny that I was that kind of person at a point in my life." His mother's waterworks were starting up. 

"A-as you grew up, so did I. I tried to bury all the things I might've said because I didn't want to feel guilty and I didn't think it would have any lasting effects on you, but it did, and I am so sorry I never acknowledged how I was making you feel." Inko finished. 

Izuku teared up. It made him feel quilty to see his mother cry over something concerning him. But at the same time it made him feel good, like he was getting something in return for the early childhood emotional abuse. 

"I-i...thank you." Izuku said with teary eyes. It wasn't an I forgive you or an I accept your apology. It was just a thanks, for at least acknowledging the things she did. It made Izuku feel bitter knowing his mom had been lying the previous week. Maybe that's why he couldn't quite muster a 'I forgive you' yet. 

His mother just smiled at him. Noting that he had not said he'd forgiven her. 

"I love you." Izuku added because he felt like he needed to. "I do love you." He smiled, feeling his eyes water. 

"It's okay Izuku, you don't have to forgive me yet. Just because I've changed as a person doesn't mean I was never that person. I know you love me, but you can take your time forgiving me. I love you too, baby." Inko pulled Izuku into a hug. 

They cried together for a short while. Because they felt it was needed, because maybe it was needed. 

Izuku left the house feeling better about himself. And being grateful that Aizawa sensei had threatened to expel him.