Chapter Text
It's been a week since the Sports Festival, and Izuku's been thinking about everything that had happened. Especially the surgery that he had to have on his hands after destroying them over and over again. It's gotten to the point where he can hardly write with a pen for more then five minutes. If he writes any longer then that, his hands become painful and stiff. Just the other day, he had been writing an English essay in class and had to stop, due to his hands becoming to painful to write anymore. His teacher, Yamada-Sensei, had given him a look of concern when he saw him messing with his hands. Izuku immediately stopped his fidgeting, giving his teacher a bright smile, hoping it was enough to reassure him that he was okay, even though he really wasn't. His teacher had just gently patted his head and went back to teaching, though he did keep an eye on the kid for the rest of the lesson, which meant that Izuku had to be extra carefully as to not worry his teacher anymore.
It got to the last lesson of the day, and Izuku had been listening to his homeroom teacher, Aizawa-Sensei, explain everything that will be happening with internships, which were being done earlier this year. Izuku began practically bouncing in his seat at this news. He couldn't wait to see if he got any internship offers. Of course, when his teacher put a list on the screen, showing how many offers they got, Izuku looked for his name and frowns slightly in disappointment. Not a single offer was sent to him. He looked one more time, but there is still a zero there.
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When Izuku looks at his teacher at the end of the lesson, he can see a slightly sympathetic look in his eyes, before it disappears when he looks back at his class. "Alright, if you have any questions or concerns, please stay behind and ask. If not, you can go home now." The bell then rings, signally for them all to leave and go home.
Izuku packs up his stuff slowly, taking his time to think if he wants to talk to his teacher or not. He know he won't be able to change the fact that he has no offers, so is there any real point in going to him? He doesn't think so, but that doesn't stop him from maybe considering it.
Looking down at his hands, he can see the extra scars that he has received from the Sports Festival, and sudden feeling of shame clouds his mind. He never even considered that he wouldn't get any offers because of how reckless he was during the festival. Of course no one would want someone whose Quirk only ever breaks his body. Aizawa-Sensei was right. He would only be a liability in the field. He can't just rely on others to save him. That just wouldn't be fair to them.
Clenching his fists tightly, Izuku ignores the pain that he feels from them. He just feels so frustrated that he still doesn't have control of One For All yet. All Might never had as much of a problem as he has been having. 'Maybe I'm just not cut out to wield One For All.' Izuku thinks with sorrow. All he's ever wanted was a Quirk, and no that he has one, he still just as useless as he was before. Kacchan was right, he wouldn't never been a real Hero.
"Midoriya?" Izuku's head shoots up at the sound of Aizawa calling his name. "S-Sensei!" Izuku squeaks, before he begins packing up faster. He's wasted so much of Aizawa-Sensei's time!
Izuku suddenly feels a hand resting on his shoulder, making him pause in his frantic actions. He turns to his teacher quickly, and he stills when he sees Aizawa kneeling in front of him, looking at him with concern in his eyes. Izuku's breathing hitches at the sight. No one has ever looked at him with an expression like that before, other then his mother of course. Aizawa is just looking into his eyes, like he is searching from something.
"Midoriya, are you alright?" He asks in a soft tone that Izuku has never heard him use before. Izuku just stares at him, frozen, not knowing what to do or say. When Aizawa gently wipes his thumb under his eyes, Izuku realises that he's crying. "Kid, can you tell me what's wrong?" His teacher continues, looking more and more concerned by the minute, but Izuku just can't speak. He feels like his throat has closed up and he can't breathe. Aizawa seems to have noticed this, because he rests of his Izuku's hands against his chest and starts doing very exaggerated breathing, making it impossible for Izuku to not at least try and copy.
This goes on for about ten minutes, before Izuku starts to calm down. Taking one long deep breath, Izuku exhales and lets his shoulders slump in relief at being able to breath properly again. He looks up at Aizawa and sees a soft smile on his face, before he notices a hand running through his soft curls soothingly. Izuku quickly looks up from where he is now on the floor, and he sees Yamada-Sensei kneeling down next to him, carding his hand through his wild green curls. The man notices the startled look on Izuku's face and gives him a gentle look.
"Hey, little listener. How do you feel?" He asks softly, still playing with his hair as he speaks, since it seems to be calming the boy down. He is looking at Izuku with his eyebrows furrowed in concern, just like Aizawa.
"I-I'm okay. S-Sorry." Izuku whispers, hastily getting up and grabbing his bag, which then forces Yamada to stop playing with his hair. "I-I should go! I'll miss the train. T-Thank you f-for helping me."" Izuku says, before turning to leave the room, only to be stopped once more. "Midoriya, the train will have already left by now." Aizawa says, and Izuku looks down at his watch and sees that his teacher is right. The train would have left just a minute ago. Sighing, Izuku's shoulders slump and he feels the need to cry again. He just can't help it.
"Hey, listener, it's alright." Yamada speaks softly, wrapping a gentle arm around his shoulder. "We can give you a ride back home. No worries." He offers with a bright smile, and Izuku can't help but let a small smile appear on his face. As much as he hates to waste anymore of their time, he really does need to get home to his mother, so he simply nods, thanking them profusely, though Yamada just laughs at this, ruffling his hair once more. "Well, come on then, let's get you home." He hums as he guides Izuku out of the classroom and down the halls. Izuku could swear he heard Aizawa snort in amusement at this.
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Izuku hadn't even known there was a car park under the building. Yamada had taken him into an elevator with him and Aizawa, and the doors opened to reveal a very large car park, with varying sizes of cars. They keep walking until they reach a shiny black car. Yamada motions for the boy to get in, and Izuku goes to sit in the back seat behind him.
The ride to his apartment wasn't long, but it was quiet. It wasn't awkward silence. It was more comforting and it allowed him some time to think, so he thought of everything that has lead him up to this moment, ever since the moment that he met All Might. To be truthful, he feels like All Might hasn't told him everything about One For All yet, and he probably should have asked more before accepting the Quirk just like that. It just feels like he's missing something. He always gets this sinking feeling in his stomach that All Might is hiding something from him. He had just been so desperate to fit in, and that was the only thing running through his mind when he accepted All Might's offer to train him and give him his Quirk, other then the fact that more then anything, he wants to become a Hero and save everyone he can. He admittedly doesn't care much for the spotlight, but he will risk his privacy if it means helping anyone and everyone.
Since the Sports Festival, he's come to realise just how far behind he is compared to his classmates. In all fairness, they have had their Quirks since they were four years old, while he's only had One For All for a couple of months, but that doesn't get rid of the fact that he feels more and more hopeless as he watches his classmates grows and learn to use their Quirks properly, while he's still trying to get his to just stop hurting him. Don't get him wrong, he loves his classmates, and he's made some amazing friends, and he can't feel any prouder that they grown so much since he first met them a few months ago, but he can't help but feel a little jealous that they're all moving on without him in terms of improving themselves and their Quirks, and he feels terrible for thinking such things about his friends.
He knows he needs help with One For All. All Might is great and all as a Hero, but Izuku doesn't believe he's such a great teacher. Unfortunately, All Might has made it very clear that One For All must be kept a secret. Anyone who knows about it will be in great danger, and Izuku must not bring anyone else into the situation he was now in.
Part of Izuku feels that All Might is right, but the other side of him doesn't quite feel that he is right at all. After all, Izuku is a child, and he has been made aware of the transferable Quirk, and All Might had given him the Quirk, despite knowing that it was dangerous for whomever wields the ancient Quirk. All Might has a support system of people he trusts, like Nezu, Recovery Girl, and Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. Izuku only wishes that he would have the same. He wishes he could choose who he wants to know about One For All. He wishes All Might would just let him tell someone who he trusts for once, instead of people only All Might trusts. None of the people who currently know about One For All are people who Izuku knows well, and he isn't sure if he can even trust them.
Nezu is the Principal of UA, and he has never met him before. Recovery Girl hasn't been pleased with him, since he keeps coming to her office for healing. After the Sports Festival, she even told him that she wouldn't be healing anymore of his self-inflicted injuries. Honestly, Izuku can't blame her for not wanting to deal with him anymore. It's honestly a miracle that she's put up with him for so long. Last but not least is Detective Tsukauchi. He had met him after the USJ attack, and he seemed nice enough, but he doesn't know him as well as All Might, so he still isn't sure about him. Not a single person Izuku trusts knows about One For All. Though, he isn't really sure yet who he would want to tell, but he is sure he could find someone.
Looking up from his scarred hands, he looks towards Aizawa and Yamada. Yamada is the one who was driving, but he could see him occasionally sending him worried looks, before going back to focus on the road. Aizawa on the other hand wasn't even trying to hide that he was watching him. He was looking at Izuku with furrowed eyebrows, looking quite concerned from where he was sat in the front seat next to Yamada. Without a second thought, Izuku lets a small smile appear on his face, hoping to ease his teachers' worries. It only seems to work slightly, as Izuku notices the small smile Yamada sends back to him, while Aizawa just goes back to looking at the road ahead of them.
Izuku sighs as he leans his head on the window beside him and starts fiddling with his hands.
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Arriving outside of his apartment building, Izuku thanks his teachers and gets out of the car, sending them a wave as he heads towards the entrance of the building. Yamada smiles brightly and waves. "See you tomorrow, little listener!" He shouts, before driving off to head home. Izuku sighs and heads up to his apartment, where he waits for his mother to get home from work, before they both fall asleep in the silence of their apartment.