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Midoriya Izuku was in his room, sitting on the corner of bed with his curtains shut tight, alone in the dark. His eyes were heavy and his chest and throat ached from all of his crying. He gently rubbed his wrists where the handcuffs had been only hours ago.
Why did he think it would be different? That just because he was now in UA that he be seen as anything worth more than dirt? Sure, these people were heroes, but they were his teachers first.
And teacher was just a fancy word for unreliable and untrustworthy.
He wanted to cry, his eyes were red and his cheeks were puffy, his head hurt but his chest just felt empty.
His own classmates had suspected him. People who he thought were his friends who had seen him fight, looked at him and thought, "he's a villain". And those who did believe in his innocence simply let the whole ordeal happen without a fight.
He closed his eyes and breathed through his mouth because his nose was still stuffy from crying.
Iida, one of best friends, who he fought the Hero killer for, didn't even whisper a word to the teachers that they may be wrong. He even had the gall to smile at him when he was brought back to the dorms by Aizawa.
Aizawa, who tried to place a hand on his shoulder and tell him that he was sorry, but Midoriya had jerked away from his touch and just cried louder. Midoriya didn't believe him, how could he? He had spent his whole life trying to prove he could be a hero, and Aizawa dragged him to a room so small he felt like he was in closest, and had him questioned over and over again, "are you working with the League of Villains?" until he was a sobbing mess hardly stringing together words.
Midoriya Izuku felt empty.
Tsukauchi had eventually come in, and with the use of his quirk got him out of there in seconds.
But the damage was done.
Aizawa refused to look him in the eyes after that, and Midoriya refused to look at him at all.
He sat alone in his room. Tired, cold, and empty. Wondering why he was never good enough.
Wondering why he ever bothered to try.
Midoriya Izuku smiled, but it wasn't like the one he used to wear. The corners were pulled too tight and his eyes lacked the happiness to make his grin look real.
He stopped talking to his friends—no—his classmates, and he stopped really being there at all. Sure, he stood in the background, but he no longer raised his hand in class, or laughed when his peers tried to pull a joke, and he bit his tongue to stop his muttering. Classes were silent, and people in hallways had taken to staring at him.
He remembered how his senpai had surprised him on his way to lunch with a joke but Midoriya just kept smiling and did his best to politely excuse himself and despite Mirio's persistence.
That's all he did nowadays, he smiled and politely excused himself from every interaction.
Bakugo had snapped at him on the third day of this behavior.
"Stop throwing yourself a pity party and get over it! You're acting like we're middle school or some shit!"
Midoriya kept smiling as his hands trembled around his books and he said, "You're right Bakugo." The boy tensed at the sound of his name, it didn't sound right coming from Midoriya's mouth. "We're not in middle school anymore, so stop telling me what to do like we are."
Bakugo fell silent.
The air in the classroom was difficult to breathe.
It was a week after the whole… incident when All Might returned to the school campus, his normal smile was replaced with a neutral line as he made his way to the principal's office.
It was the same night that Midoriya heard a quiet knock on his bedroom door after curfew, and he was led to a bench outside by his hero to talk.
No one dared to stop them.
"All Might?"
"Yes my boy?"
"... I don't want to go to UA anymore."
The stars twinkled brightly overhead, and All Might handed half of a tomato and cheese sandwich.
"Well, there are more hero schools than just UA. Do you have any in mind?" He asked, and Midoriya relaxed just a little more.
Midoriya nibbled on the crust and looked at his lap. "Yes… but...” The bread crumbled under his fingers and the juice from the fruit ran down his fingers. "I don't want to leave Eri, but… but I can't stay here, not anymore."
All Might patted his shoulder and handed him a napkin. "Well, my boy," he smiled at Midoriya and for the first time in a week he felt just a little better. "I'll follow you wherever you decide to go."
Midoriya Izuku leans his head on All Might's upper arm and takes a bite of his sandwich.
"... Thank you."
It was two weeks after the whole ordeal when Midoriya Izuku broke the silence between his homeroom teacher and him.
"Aizawa-sensei." Midoriya stopped him in the hallway after school when the halls were mostly empty. Midoriya spoke clearly, but he still stared at the floor. He didn't want to look at Aizawa, he's not sure if he'll ever want to look at him again.
"Yes, Midoriya?" His teacher asked with a drop of hesitation.
"If I leave UA, can I still visit Eri?"
The hallway was silent.
Aizawa shifted feet, then slowly he whispered, "You still have my number don't you? Play dates are easy to schedule."
Midoriya Izuku didn't bother with politeness, he turned heel and walked away.
Aizawa stood in the hallway with his head hung. Alone.
Midoriya had his papers for a transfer request in hand when a lady stopped him before the door. He had never met her, but recognized her immediately.
"You're the President of the Hero Commission."
She smiled warmly at him. "Yes, and you're Midoriya Izuku correct?"
His shoulders tensed, but he offered her a single nod.
She pulled a file from her messenger bag and pulled out a sheet of paper.
It was a contract.
She smiled in a way that Midoriya knew not to trust.
He read the contact anyways.
"If I agree, will I still be able to learn with All Might?"
"Of course."
Midoriya stared at the paper for just a bit longer, then he rolled his shoulders and his backpack slipped off.
He didn't notice the way her gray eyes smile down on him, not too unlike the look a hunter gives it prey.
He signed the contract.