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Izuku would never regret taking on One For All from All Might. It was an event that he had waited for all his life, to be told he could be something more than the quirkless middle schooler that he had been branded as. At UA, his dream school, he had a quirk, great friends, and went to the greatest hero school in his country.
However, running on no sleep in the last two days, he was fully ready to plead to All Might to take it back and pass out for no less than twelve hours.
Ever since he had found the vestiges alive within One for All during the sports festival, there had been some faint but noticeable buzzing at the back of his mind. As his power grew, the noise did too, although most of the time he was able to drown it out, if not completely cut it off mentally. However, over the last two days, the once buzzing background noise had been replaced with a noticeable conversation of the other vestiges within the quirk. And that was something he couldn't stop, nor ignore.
“I told you already, I am not a cheat!”
“Then what was that card you just slipped into your hand, huh?!”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe my own fucking card!”
“Guys, you’re playing Go Fish right now. Please just shut up.”
Slamming his head down onto the folded-up arms on his desk, Midoriya groaned. Their argument had been going on for the past half hour, ruining the time he was meant to be studying for his English test on Thursday. How they even managed to conjure up cards in the expanse they resided in, Izuku may never know. Maybe they were faking it, imagining their cards to give themselves something to do while he slaved away at school. Maybe he was faking it and slowly going insane at the hands of talking dead people.
“Psst, Midoriya,” Sero whispered, leaning over the aisle in his chair. “Are you okay?”
Lifting his head back up, he attempted to give a reassuring smile in the midst of an oncoming headache. Based on Sero’s frown, however, it likely came out as more of a grimace. Izuku really didn’t have the energy or focus to reassure his classmate, so his head flopped down uselessly once again onto his forearms.
Before Sero could comment on his concern, the door to their classroom was roughly shoved open. “Alrighttyy Listeners! I hope you are all bit more prepared for the test coming up in a few days. You’re all dismissed.”
Most of the class began packing up before Present Mic had the chance to finish, ready to get out of their uncomfortable uniforms on a Saturday afternoon. Midoriya paid no mind to the rest of his class, reveling in the quiet after Nana had broken up the vestiges’ argument over a simple card game.
“Midoriya. You seem unwell,” Todoroki said, tapping him softly on the shoulder.
Raising his head slowly again, Izuku was met with the sight of a few of his friends crowding around his desk. Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka looked down at him in what he interpreted as a mix of worry and concern. Well warranted, if he looked anything like what he'd seen in the mirror during a bathroom break.
“I’m alright, Todoroki-kun. It’s just been a long day, that's all.” Izuku began to slowly shuffle out of his seat, packing up what little he had taken out of his bag in the first place to feign studying during class.
Iida’s chopping hands cut in, much slower than what normally came from the class president. “I agree with Todoroki. Have you been sleeping well recently, Midoriya?”
“Ah, sleep has been kind of difficult lately. Sorry to worry you all.”
Uraraka piped in, patting him on the back with a small smile. “How about you take a nap before dinner and I’ll bring you food if you still happen to be asleep. How's that sound?”
If Izuku had the energy to be more grateful, he would have burst into tears at the thought. If he couldn't get away from the vestiges keeping him from a good night's sleep, the quiet of his room would be the least bit more bearable than the already growing noise of students getting out for the day. “That would be great Uraraka. If you wouldn’t mind, of course.”
“No, not at all Deku!”
Slugging his bright yellow backpack onto his back, the group collectively moved to the door, his friends matching his slowed pace instead of moving ahead. It made Izuku's heart melt a little at the thought, glad he had made the perfect choice in friends. The most awake of the four, Iida and Uraraka, chatted softly as they made their way down the hall and outside the school Each person in their small group made sure to check in with Midoriya every once in a while, who was dead on his feet as he followed alongside them.
As their walk continued, so did the earlier conversation pick up once again, morphing into a new argument. It was hard not to try yelling back at them, even if they couldn't hear him like this. Accompanied by them was something even worse, endless static of something similar to an old television set. His hearing felt engulfed by tinnitus, transforming his headache into a full-on migraine as Izuku had to attempt to not outwardly grimace from the pain.
“Back in my day, I trained tirelessly to pass on a refined quirk. And clearly, my work paid off, looking at our most recent holders.”
“Did you have kids to take care of? Or a teenage successor? Your hermit ass only had Daigoro and apparently, that was too much.”
“Hah, she’s got you there!”
“I will never understand the willingness to argue from you all. Maybe I should have had the quirk die with me.”
“It’s far too late for that now, Yoichi.”
’ Please, would you all do me a favor and not feel the need to go through your midlife crisis right now. I beg of you.’
No matter how hard he begged, nor how much he tired out the quirk and his own body, the incessant noise was driving him insane. He couldn’t exactly blame them, but he just wanted a peaceful night’s sleep that wasn’t filled with stories or games that turned into brawls.
“...Midoriya!”
Springing back up from where he began to slouch, Iida was snapping his fingers to gain his attention. “We’ve arrived at the dorms. Please make sure to change out of your uniform and handle basic hygiene if possible.” Leading them into the dorm, Iida invited Izuku to try and grab some water and food before he left for his own. Midoriya waved him off, adamant about attempting a few hours of napping uninterrupted.
With a bit of stumbling, he was able to make it safely to his dorm room, hastily shoving away his uniform pants and messily done tie. Izuku didn’t even bother to change into something more comfortable, more focused on ending his own consciousness.
However, after half an hour of laying motionless in bed, one thing became perfectly clear. He would not be sleeping if his quirk would not shut up. If he hadn’t already tired himself out to the point of blacking out, Midoriya’s body wasn’t sure if he could take another heroics lesson, nor any more concerned stares from teachers and students alike.
Standing back up was quite the task sleep deprived, causing him to have to hold onto his bedside table for support. Midoriya didn’t wait to stand up to his full height before activating his quirk. His eyes lit up in a toxic green, red lightening settling quickly under his skin. At any other moment, it would have felt comforting, homely even. But as his quirk grew to encompass his form, so did the noise.
His normal stretches felt much harder to uphold, the strength of his quirk being more of a hindrance than a blessing. Toe touches, jumping jacks, he couldn’t even last long doing his usual hand curls with the trusty muscle trainers on his desk.
Falling back uselessly to the bed, Midoriya set his legs under him with a groan. The only thing he could think of doing was to try and channel back into his quirk as they had done in his dreams and moments of need.
Another hour passed by before Uraraka knocked softly on his door, sliding inside softly after she heard no response. Figuring he was asleep, she almost forgot to look by his bed to see his calm but very conscious form.
“Deku-kun?”
Getting no response back, she sighed, leaving the bowl of steaming udon noodles on his desk. “I hope you‘ll get some sleep soon. Text me if you need anything.”
Uraraka stalled, staring at him for a moment, before slowly shuffling out of the room and heading back down the hallway.
As he continued to meditate on futility, he suddenly came to a realization. The noise quickly began to dull, startling Midoriya out of the flimsy concentration he was using. He thought it would only last a moment, a miracle of sudden quiet between the people residing in his quirk, but the continuous sounds in his head had turned from a cacophony of noise into a pleasant, light buzz of what reminded him of overhead lights. He could only hold his breath and pray the peace lasted.
It was almost enough to make him want to pass out right then and there, but not before he received another knock at the door. Taking slow, hesitant steps away from his bed, opening up the door revealed his mentor, the once-All-Might Yagi Toshinori, with a relieved expression.
“Midoriya-shonen! I heard from your classmates that you were feeling unwell, but I felt as if it was better to ask you in person. What’s been going on, my boy?”
The tired Midoriya smiled kindly at the tall man, at peace for the first time in days. “To tell you the truth, I haven’t been able to get much sleep the past few days. But I think I’ll be okay now.”
“If you're sure,” he said hesitantly. “You are always free to call me if you need someone to talk to, you know.”
“I know, Yagi-sensei. And I really appreciate it.”
Midoriya waves him off, his body sagging in comfortable relief, his mind ready to give out and fall into a long slumber. And that’s just what he did. For about two hours, he was able to peacefully lay in bed, soaking in the dreamless sleep for the seconds that it seemed to last.
Much sooner than he would have liked, the buzzing seemed to dominate over the surprisingly calm and quiet voices in Midoriya’s head. It was almost a shock to hear them so quiet, but he could hardly think about them as his head throbbed in protest of his awakening.
He was so, so tired. What could have been different? What could be different about not hearing those stupid voices that were any different than the last few days?!
All Might.
All Might showed up at his room after his quirk went pleasantly silent.
All Might walked away, likey to his own dorm building, and they seemed louder than ever. Which didn’t exactly add up, but he had run out of brainpower by that point.
All Might had been gone for the past two days on a conference across the country, only to return that afternoon.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Not after experiencing those few minutes of peace that was more than he had gotten in the last 48 hours.
He needed his mentor. His idol. His hero.
Shooting up out of bed at a surprising speed for his overworked limbs, he staggered towards the door. Shoving it open, he used the wall to guide himself towards the elevator with eyes blurred from sleep and the lack thereof.
Having taken this same route every day for the past few months, it wasn’t difficult to pick the button for the ground floor and blindly maneuver to the dorm’s front door. His quirk had unconsciously turned on, making his appearance almost ethereal in the dim lighting of the hallway, the usual toxic green glow following him outside and down the path toward the teacher dorms.
Luckily and unfortunately enough for Midoriya, he had been given access to said dorms due to all the trouble he had managed to get into. Rather than calling a passed-out Aizawa at five in the morning about how he fell off the side of the dorm building and broke a bone, Midoriya could bother him in person. Not to mention Recovery Girl’s concern and All Might’s own desire to help his mentee.
With blind determination and hate for the constant noise driving him past his own exhaustion, it didn’t take much longer for Midoriya to arrive at his destination, banging loudly on All Might’s door.
The door swung open, his mentor wide awake and full of adrenaline to thwart a possible villain only to be met with the boy he had seen a few hours prior. A boy who had tears streaming down his face and a fever-like blush on his face.
“Midoriya! What happened?! Are you okay, my boy? Are any of your classmates hurt?”
All of his questions only seemed to make him cry, even more, letting out almost incomprehensible sentences as he crumpled to the floor in relief.
Rather than questioning the teen, Yagi wrapped an arm around the boy’s shoulders, coercing him inside and leading them both toward the couch. Midoriya sagged into his frail form, his weight almost too much to bear before Yagi dropped his mentee safely on blue leather cushions.
Grabbing a few blankets and a cup of water, Yagi made his way back to the sobbing boy. While his shaking had died out, tears characteristically flooded down Izuku's cheeks. He couldn't recall seeing the boy cry this rawly in months, making Yagi's own heart twist in concern. He knew the boy as a crybaby, but not like this.
Looking down at his pitiful mentee with a sigh, Yagi wrapped the blankets around him and inserted the cold glass between Midoriya’s scarred hands. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”
Rather than responding, Midoriya pushed into his side, tucking his head into the junction of his shoulder with a yawn.
“My boy, I really need to know what’s going on before you sleep on me.”
“Quirk wouldn’t let me sleep…needed you.” He sounded pitiful, eyes straining despite the gentle lamp light filling the room.
“Do you need me to call Chiyo?”
“It’s alright now…because you’re here,” Midoriya said, sleepily wiping his eyes with little success.
Yagi chuckled, taking the water from him and gently pushing Izuku down so he was stretched out on the couch under his cocoon of blankets. “Yes, my boy. I am here. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
As Izuku lay bonelessly on the couch, he could barely make out Yagi’s last words before the sweet relief of sleep blanketed him.
“...Aizawa-san, he’s with me…I’ll let Chiyo know…we’ll figure it out in the morning.”
While not all of his problems were solved by the fourteen hours of sleep Midoriya gained that night, they were able to deduce afterward that it seemed to be a product of the stress and new quirk manifestations that were causing One For All to…malfunction. While it was odd that All Might was a temporary cure, he was always happy to let Midoriya stay the night for a little peace and quiet.