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Class 1A didn't truly understand what was happening at first.
Moving into the dorms quickly taught them that every one of their classmates had their own… peculiarities.
Iida had dozens of spare pairs of glasses he meticulous polished at least once a week. Aoyama had an absurd skincare routine. Ashido had a strange passion for dangly earrings that she never got to wear since they went against school dress code.
And then Midoriya Izuku walked into a table.
It wasn't just a small, brush of the corner on the way past. No, he walked straight into it, and when it stopped him, he looked down like he'd never realized there had been a table for past four weeks they’d been living there for.
Kaminari blinked up at him, lifting up his reading glasses. Not that he was reading anything important. A glance at his phone would have showed a collection of cat memes playing on loop.
Another thing! Nobody knew that Kaminari even had glasses! He had just walked down one morning, sat at the table and conversed like the frames on his face had been there all along. When Jiro got tired of wondering how long it would take for Kaminari to notice that everyone was looking at him funny, she asked about them. Apparently he’d had them for years just for reading but wore correcting contacts during school hours.
“Who put that table there?” He joked giving Midoriya a light smile before letting out a laugh. “You’re still half asleep, aren't you? Hey, Kacchan, Midoriya needs some bean juice.” He leaned back in his chair calling out to Bakugou who was in the kitchen cooking (and swearing) up a storm.
“Call me that again and I will kill you!” Bakugou seethed an explosion popping in one hand. “And get your own stinkin’ coffee, Deku!”
“I… I never asked you to.” Midoriya trailed off with a slight yawn.
Except that sort of clumsiness seemed to start following him everywhere.
He walked into a door once. An entire door.
Shoji watched as he walked straight into it, paused, and only then reached for the handle to open it.
It had became a bit of a joke. Even Midoriya laughed when he zoned out so hard that he didn't realize the notebook he was trying to read from was upside down.
It was a plethora of little things that kept adding up.
Like the time he fell down the steps.
He had been chatting with Uraraka about some practical applications for her quirk, when as he yawned the world spun briefly, but with just enough oomph to cause him to misplace his foot. He missed an entire step and slipped.
“Oh no- Deku-kun!” Uraraka tried to reach out and steady him but it happened too fast.
Midoriya let out a yelp of shock as he tumbled down the last few steps to the bottom. “I’m alright.” He quickly assured her as she hurrried down the steps to him.
But he didn't get up right away. He sat there in a heap for a moment until finally he tried to get to his feet.
Unlike the table incident he didn't get out of that one unscathed. He twisted his ankle badly enough to warrant a visit to recovery girl. He and Ochako laughed about the incident later as they had to explain it to their classmates.
They brushed off all the minor incidents, all the yawning. Everyone was tired. They trained hard, studied hard.
Even Midoriya himself brushed it off.
All these tiny little incidents? They were barely the tip of his iceberg of problems.
The first one? One for All. All Might’s generational quirk was a huge responsibility. If he was going to be the next Symbol of Peace, he needed to improve. Right now it felt like he was barely keeping up.
Next? Shigiraki and the League of Villains. They were still out there, and they could target UA again at anytime. First the USJ? Then summer camp? They wouldn't be done with UA yet.
And then… then there was everything that had happened during his brief work study with the late hero Nighteye. Eri, Chisaki, the Raid, Nighteye’s death, and his prediction about All Might’s death?
He had been running on fumes for a long time.
Midoriya reached up to rub his eyes as he read through his notes again. They had a quiz tomorrow. He needed to remember this.
A hand rested on his shoulder and he startled, heart pounding.
“Ack!” He gasped clutching his heart spinning around in his seat to see who was there.
Iida recoiled too. “I’m so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!” He chopped his arm through the air apologetically. “I tried getting your attention but you weren't responding.”
“No- it's alright!” Izuku tried to quickly reassure him. “I wasn't listening… What's up, Iida?”
“The others are starting a movie.” He nodded towards the living room where various classmates were already debating over what movie to watch. Izuku wasn't sure how he had tuned out the noise.
“Oh… um. I'll join you later. I’ve got to finish this.” Izuku gestures to his scattered study notes.
“I see.” Iida nodded. “Your dedication to your studies is commendable. If only all of us were that fastidious!” He sent a knowing look towards Kaminari.
But halfway through the movie, Ashido caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye. “Aw, guys!” Ashido whispered loudly, pointing across the common room.
Everyone's heads turned and Hagakure let out a small laugh. “Is he asleep?”
“See, studying is so boring not even Midoriya can stand it.” Kaminari chuckled.
Todoroki however rose to his feet crossing the room. “Midoriya.” He shook his friend's shoulder gently, and Midoriya awoke with a start.
“Huh? What?” He blinked groggily.
“You don't want to sleep like that. You’ll hurt your back.” Todoroki said quietly.
But Midoriya glanced down at his notes. “I’ve… I’ve got to finish this first…”
And then someone else shut his book, pulling it away from him.
“Kero. You’ll be fine, Midoriya. You know all this.” Tsuyu held up the notebook and gestured to the textbook he was reading from.
“Yeah, get some sleep.” Kirishima nodded in agreement.
Seeing they weren't going to drop it, Midoriya pushed himself to his feet fighting back a yawn. “Alright… Goodnight guys.”
The class waited until he disappeared into the elevator. And then they began to chatter.
“Has anyone else noticed he’s seemed… off lately?” Uraraka started quietly, almost as if she was unsure if she should bring it up.
“He tried to microwave a fork yesterday.” Kaminari noted. “The only reason he didn't blow it up is because he didn't start it.”
“I saw him put his phone in the fridge and milk in his backpack instead of the other way around.” Hagakure added.
“Well… he shared his notes with me the other day and they were… bad.” Mina admitted guiltily. “I didn't want to point it out… it was like he’d zoned out through half the class.”
“He hasn't been eating as much.” Sato admitted.
“I heard him accidentally call Aizawa-Sensei Dad. To his face.” Jiro added quietly. “And he didn't even realize his mistake.”
All heads turned to look at her, and for the first time, the class realized, there may be something wrong with Izuku Midoriya.
Lately Izuku had just felt off. He didn't know quite how to explain it. He felt physically fine. No strange pains or pulled muscles. But he just didn't feel… right.
He felt tired, but it wasn't the normal exhaustion that came from training too hard or not sleeping well. It was a heavy suffocating exhaustion…
He blinked trying to focus on the notes he was supposed to be taking, tightening his grip on his pencil.
He had written the same sentence three times.
“... Situational awareness is key.” Aizawa Sensei was saying from the front of the classroom.
Izuku tried to focus on his voice but it seemed to fade in and out as his ears rang strangely.
…What was going on?
Why did he feel so… off?
He breathed in a deep breath, hoping to reset himself back into focusing. But it didn't work.
He rested his forehead on his hand trying to ignore as the ringing in his ears began to drown out Aizawa’s voice.
Maybe he just needed a moment. He stopped trying to focus on his Sensei’s voice and began to breathe slowly, forcefully trying to calm himself.
He would be alright in a minute he told himself, ignoring how his vision fuzzed slightly at the edges. His pencil slipped from his slack fingers.
But his vision kept getting fuzzier, darkening as it crept inwards.
And then everything faded to black.
Sero frowned as Aizawa Sensei’s words seemed to go right over his head. He glanced over at Midoriya. “Hey, did you catch that last bit?” He asked in a low undertone hoping for a quick clarification.
But Midoriya didn't respond. He was hunched over his notes, but Sero watched as the pencil slipped from his fingers.
He wasn't fast enough to stop what happened next. Midoriya swayed in his seat and his head slipped off his proped up hand and smacked the desk. His body slid from his chair and he hit the ground with a hard thud.
He didn't get back up.
“Midoriya!” Sero exclaimed in shock.
The classroom erupted. Chairs screeched, classmates called out to him. But Midoriya didn't react.
“Deku-kun!” Uraraka exclaimed chair screeching back as she shot to her feet.
“Stay in your seats!” Aizawa-Sensei said loudly, stopping half the class in their tracks.
He was already crossing the room to crouch at Midoriya's side.
“Midoriya.” He put a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him to attempt to wake him up.
But Midoriya remained asleep.
Was he asleep or unconscious?
He lifted his head, elevating it with a nearby bag.
“Midoriya.” He repeated in a low urgent tone.
Aizawa shook his head to himself. This kid… he’d pushed himself too far. Again.
“What's wrong with him, Sensei?” Kirishima asked worriedly.
“He’s fainted.” Aizawa replied. He’d noticed Midoriya had been off lately. But he hadn't pulled him aside to check on him yet. It was abundantly clear now he should have.
“Why isn't he waking up?” Uraraka asked voice trembling.
As if on cue, Midoriya's eyelids began to flutter and glassy green orbs looked dully up at him. “Problem Child.” He greeted quietly as Izuku’s eyes locked on him.
“Sensei…?” Izuku managed to get out through his dry mouth and pounding head.
He tried to push himself up into a sitting position but the world seemed to spin, and his arms shook. His body felt heavy just laying there…
“Don't try to get up yet.” Aizawa stayed him with a hand on his shoulder.
“What happened?” Izuku managed to rasp through his dry throat.
“You passed out.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
Aizawa let out a sigh. “C’mon, let's sit you up.” He reached out, wrapping an arm around Midoriya's chest to help him sit up.
Izuku leaned back against Aizawa, head lolling slightly as it it was too heavy for him to hold up on his own. Even moving his eyes seemed to be ten times more difficult than usual.
“My… head.” Izuku replied dazedly. “It feels… wrong.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No. I-I don't know.” He admitted. “I don't think so… I— I'm just… tired.”
His head rested heavily against Aizawa, eyes half lidded.
“He has been acting off lately.” Todoroki supplied. “He tried to microwave a fork.”
“Kero. He fell asleep while studying yesterday…”
“Is he going to be alright?” Mineta, standing on his chair to peer down at Midoriya, asked sounding genuinely concerned.
Aizawa took a glance around the classroom taking in the worried gazes of the rest the class, waiting for a response.
Looking back down at Midoriya whose eyes had slid back shut, he finally nodded.
“He’ll be alright…”
Izuku woke up to whispered voices around him.
Eyes slowly opening he was met with the high ceiling of the dorm common room. The room was dim, and the windows were dark.
He was laying on the couch, tucked underneath a warm blanket. He shifted slightly to glance around the room and froze.
Sitting in the dimness, bundled under various blankets all of his classmates were watching a cartoon together.
“...I’m going to have to start using that line. ‘Wisdom has been chasing you, but you’ve always been faster.’” Bakugo snorted.
Kaminari chuckled but the smile quickly faded as he realized who Bakugo would probably tell that. “Hey! Kacchan–” He realized his mistake the moment the word left his mouth.
Bakugo’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Dunce face—”
“Midoriya. You’re awake.” Todoroki’s quiet announcement had Izuku’s gaze drifting to him. Todoroki sat at the end of the couch just shy of his toes.
Those simple words had the entire class turning towards him.
“Deku-kun!” Uraraka exclaimed in greeting, turning around to face him. She had been sitting on the floor leaning up against the couch he’d been sleeping on.
“You’re finally awake!” Ashido cheered scrambling to her feet.
“You really needed that nap huh?” Kirishima commented with a grin. “You slept all afternoon.”
Izuku pushed himself up to sit, gaping at them. “What happened?”
“Don’t you remember?” Mineta asked. “You fainted.”
“Wa— what?”
“Recovery Girl said that your brain shut off because you were so burnt out.” Kaminari added.
Izuku glanced around scanning his classmates faces for any sign of a joke. “You mean, I missed classes?”
“Well… technically, Sensei gave us all the rest of the afternoon off.” Yaoyorozu trailed off.
“Midoriya.” Iida, who had been sitting nearby but had remained quiet up until now, pushed himself to his feet. “As your classmates and friends, it is up to us to look out for you. Including when you're not looking out for yourself.”
Izuku opened his mouth to interrupt with a rebuttal, but Iida held up a hand to silence him. “Pushing your limits is an admirable trait, especially for a hero… but you’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long. And as your friends we’re not letting you do that anymore.”
“Aizawa-Sensei wanted us to tell you you're on a strict rest day tomorrow.” Yaoyorozu added pushing herself to her feet as well, disappearing into the kitchen as the rest of the class surrounded Midoriya.
“You should have said something Midoriya.” Ojiro scolded him lightly.
“Yeah, you just kinda dropped out of nowhere.” Hagakure added. Izuku couldn't see it but he was almost certain she was wringing her hands.
“Not gonna lie though, it was good timing.” Sero added with a slightly teasing grin. “Sensei rescheduled that popquiz everyone was worrying about.”
Izuku couldn't help but smile a little. “That's… that's good.”
“Here, Midoriya.” Yaoyorozu had returned, holding out a warm cup of tea. “Careful, it's hot.”
Izuku took it in his hands sipping slowly and wincing at the heat.
“Thank you…” He was cut off by a yawn.
“Still tired, huh?” Uraraka asked quietly.
Izuku nodded leaning back against the cushions, the warm tea cupped in his hands.
He tried to stay awake long enough to drink it, but as his eyes began to droop, someone took the cup from his hands and pulled the blanket up over him.